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i EDITORIAL RAGE The Atlanta Georgian THE HOME RARER By ELBERT HUBBARD Copyright, 1918, International News Service, T HE flrat public school* In America were instituted In 1829. The credit (or the Idea must go to Thomas Jefferson. Once the clergy were practical ly the only people who could read and write. The clergy kept the records. The word "clerque’’ comes to us from the word clergy. Only one man out of twelve In the Revolutionary War could read and write. ThOntas Jefferson said, ‘'The University of Virginia Is founded with the desire, not only to fit young men for the church, but to educate them for positions of honor and trust in various other occupations and employments." Benjamin Franklin said, “An Illiterate Individual forms a men ace to the State. Education should be universal, and at the disposal of all citizens.” Breaking Down Tradition. It Is somewhat surprising that the first public schools, which were founded simultaneously In Philadelphia, New York and Bos ton, were violently opposed. Most of the newspapers and periodi cals were of the Opinion that when education becahiO general It would not be prised, and, there fore, educated men would receive no honors. The first public schools had In mind the segregation of the sex es, That IS to say, there were schools for girls ahri schools for boys. But on account of the ex tra expense Involved In maintain ing these two systems of schools, the walls were broken down and the glrle and boys attended on* school. Then, through careless ness or oversight or indifference, no one. after that, ever put up the fences. The old colleges maintained the position that education Was for men only and that the ability to read, and write, and figure, and know history and geography were accomplishments that would add nothing to a woman’s charm. These things would neither make her a better housekeeper nor a better mother, and; in fact, might unfit her for a homemaker, caus ing her to leave her household and go out Into the world and usurp the occupations of men. Education Is Growth. The Quakers, however, from the very first, held to the idea that the Voice spoke through women the same as through men. And, therefore, they opposed the Idea of separate schools for girls and boys. So hotly was the question of free education discussed In sev eral cases that mobs, made up of students, raided the public schools, drove the teachers from their desks, broke up benches and sent children scurrying for safety. Education meana growth, evo lution, bringing out, releasing the pent-up powers of the mind. Until very recent times educa tion was regarded as one thing and work ae another. Now It Is understood that all good work is mental work, and that the more Intelligence that can be brought to bear on a task, the better la the task performed. Education and employment must go hsnd in hand. Any education which does not help a mati to earn a living, and adapt him to hts environment no he can Improve his condition, 1* faulty In the extreme. The modern high school Is now equipped with maliy industrial features. Manual training, do mestic science, business train ing, economics, efficiency In va rious forms, are new being taught, not only in the high schools, but In preparatory schools, In colleges and universities. School houses are being used as civic centers. In Wisconsin there Is a State law that ahv cltlzeh can apply for the use of a achoo! house for meeting pur poses at any time when the school proper Is not in sessien. The school house should be a ciub house, a meeting place for all of the people, sacred to social progress and the matter of edu cation. Thus we find that music, stere- optlcon lectures, dances, concerts are all being regarded as educa tional. When Lincoln aaid, “The public school Is the bulwark of our civilization,” he had in mind the full and free use of ths school house for all of our social and ed ucational activities. Value to the System. That which brings people to gether to discuss and enjoy mu tual themes and recreations Is wise and excellent, it means a breaking down of caste, cutting out of exclusion, thus eliminating pride, arrogance and ignorance. For Ignorance takes many forms and Is not the monopoly of the Illiterate. The value of coupling up the actual work of the world with the public school system and Its se curing the co-operation of par ents and grown-ups In the utili zation and management of pub lic schools can not be over-esti mated. The criticism on our publlo school system, so far, has been that school Is regarded as on* thing and life, home and Indus trialism another. The amalgamation of all the beautiful Influences of life Is ths one big thing desirable at the present time. It means a safs- guardlng of the best Interests of the nation. Letters From The Georgian's Readers NEED OF MERCHANT MARINE. Editor The Georgian: I read with Interest your editorial concerning the heed of a merchant marine. The European nations, notably England, are waging unre lenting commercial war against Uncle Sam throughout Latin America. The English not only op erate English papers in every large Latin American city, but also con- tol some of the native press. With this they lambast Uncle Sam every day of the year, sowing into the minds of Latin Americans the seeds of prejudice and hatred of North America. The European shipping combine, which is controlled by European governments and which works for European commerce, controls the ocean. There isn’t a single Ameri can ship engaged in commerce be tween North and South America. England alone has twelve thousand merchant ships. There are only eight American ships engaged in deep sea commerce—four on the At lantic and four on the Pacific. It is a FOUR- BILLION-DOLLAR an nual commerce which maintains this European ship trust to enrich for eigners and to furnish Europe a club to keep us out of the world's markets. Our annual freight bill amounts to three hundred and fifty million dollars. More money is paid out annually than what we take in as revenue through our custom houses. We have built a five hundred mil lion dollar ship canal, yet have no ships engaged in deep sea commerce to use It. We have built It for our commercial rivals. Brazilian products to th« amount of on* hundred and fifty million dol lars annually are permitted to com* into the United states DUTY FREE, yet Brazil Imposes a high tariff on all American products. Why not negotiate a reciprocity treaty with Brazil? She did grant us a preferential on some twenty articles of American manufacture, but through English-European In trigue this has been withdrawn by Brazil In the last three weeks. We are exporting millions of dol lars annually of machinery to Ar gentina. W* need free beef and Argentina needs American manu factures. Why not negotiate with Argentina a reciprocity treaty? In stead of which we are Importing beef from Argentina, a British crown colony which enjoys com mercial preferential treaties with England. SIDNEY STORY, Member New Orleans Association of Commerce. NO EXCUSE WHATEVER. Editor The Georgian: I have been Interested in your editorials concerning the Japa nese question. I agree with you that Japan would never have showed its hand In the alien land act affair If the United States had had an adequate navy. The wav for us to preserve peace is to have an army and navy the superior of thoae of any power In the world. When our defense 19 perfect, we need not fear war. , what excuse can Congress offer for failure to provide a neces sary defense for this country? Cleveland, Tenn. J. R. D, j The Man and His Bulldog Since the starting of a Hearst newspaper at Atlanta, Ga., a good many of our readers have written to ask about Atlanta and the opportunities it offers to Americans from other parts of these States. All of our readers probably will be interested in a brief an swer to the questions about Atlanta—as they know that the family of readers to which they belong now extends to that typical growing city of the South. Atlanta is first of all a city of opportunity. It is a oity beautiful in construction and in climate, and a city worthy of the best United States traditions in its growth, energy and wide-awake citizenship. Elbert Hubbard Writes on Our Public Schools The School House, He S?ys, Should Be a Club House, b Meeting Place for All of the People, Sacred to Social Pro gress and the Matter of Edu cation. THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published K *ry Afternoon Except Sunday By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY At 20 East Alabama St., Atlanta. Ga. Entered as second-class matter at poatofflee at Atlanta, under act of March 3,1873 Subscription Price—Delivered by -arrler, 10 cants a week. By mail, $6 00 a year. Payable in Advance. *■ The following editorial is reproduced from The New York Evening Journal of May 2J: A FineGity Is Atlanta,Georgia- A Good Place to Live, to Work, to Make Money and See Real American Life. (Copyright, 1913) Many of those who know little about the geography of this wonderful country imagine that Atlanta, because it is “in the South,” must be painfully hot in the summer, or otherwise tropical. As a matter of fact, Atlanta, situated one thousand feet above the sea level, has a cool and delightful climate in summer, a temperate and healthy climate in winter. It is a city growing in every direction industrially, com mercially and in wealth. It offers admirable opportunities for the man with capital to invest, and especially for the man with a combination of cap ital and ideas. The country of which Atlanta is the center is made up of intelligent, wide-awake, energetic, well to-do people. The energy and resources of the country are revealed, as is always the case, in real estate values and activity. Business property in Atlanta compares in price with busi ness property in New York City—and the growth is more con stant and even, and the levying and spending of taxes more hon est and public-spirited. We do not want to see any good citizen move from this region. But in fairness, and in answering the questions about At lanta, we are bound to say that the man who would like a change and who can take success and energy with him can not do bet ter than try Atlanta, Ga., a genuine, prosperous, wide-awake American city for genuine Americans. iei- I.-? lixu type ui man wno owns the dog tnat bites children. (St. A Difference of Opinion SMGKi: S/Am or The. o 3 - 5 the CHEAT Society SAM A ’iiHiiiHiin 'H»iuniniit. They Punished Two Men Who Kicked a Dog When Will They Punish the Man Whose Dog Tears Children? Copyright, 1918. During the past week in the United States there have been truthful reports of more than a hundred children and women bitten and torn by ferocious dogs The other day two men kicked a dog and the courts pun ished them severely and properly. Why don't the courts punish the man whose dog tears or kills a child? Why does civilization tolerate the fact that the brute such as in this picture is actually allowed to go free of all punish ment and responsibility if his dog disfigures a child for life UNLESS IT CAN BE PROVED THAT THE DOG HAS AT TACKED SOME ONE BEFORE? We tell our readers to remember that the destruction of stray dogs is a duty. And that the man with children who per mits any dog of a dangerous character or a doubtful character to roam at large in his neighborhood neglects his duty to his children and the community. It is good and useful work to kill stray dogs—kind to the dogs and more kind to the children. And laws should be passed holding every dog owner respon sible for what the dog may do, whether it be the first time or the tenth time. The master of the dog in the picture on this page knows that at any moment the brute that follows him may tear some child to pieces. He cares not, but he would care and the dog would not exist if the owner knew that a bitten child would mean a prison term for the dog owner. AN AWAKENING BY WILLIAM F. KIRK. I MET a little country girl A-strolliug idly by a stream, With crimson lips and teeth of pearl And eyes that were an angel’s dream. How came she there, this maiden fairf Wh y roamed she o'er the countryside! How could she be content to bear The burdens of a peasant’s bride? Long time I pondered by the stream, Until, emboldened by her smile, 1 said, “How charming it would seem To walk with you a little while!” Then, as I hinted that a kiss With happiness would fill my cup, This winsome maid just glared and said : “Say, ain’t you had no fetching up?”