Newspaper Page Text
the: home: pape
I ■*
Elbert Hub
Writes on
Our Public Schools
The School House, He Says,
Should Be a Club House, a
Meeting Place for All of the
People, Sacred to Social Pro
gress and the Matter of Edu
cation.
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
Published Every Afternoon Kxeept Sunday
Bv THE GEORGIAN COMPANY
At 20 Kant Alabama Kt.. Atlanta. Ga.
Lntored as aacond-class matter at postnffloe «t Atlanta, under act of March 3.1*72
Subscription Price—Delivered by carrier, l<# cents a week By mall, 16 00 a year.
Payable in Advance
The following editorial it reproduced from The Neu' York
Evening Journal of May :
A FineCityls Atlanta,Georgia==
A Good Place to Live, to Work, to Make
Money and See Real American Life.
(Copyright. 191S)
The Man and His Bulldog
Since the starting of a Hearst newspaper at Atlanta, 6a., 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 city beautiful in construction and in climate, and a
city worthy of the best United States traditions in its growth,
energy and wide-awake citizenship.
at b>tes cniluren. (SlE EDITORIAL.)
of Opinion
THE Lit LAI
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DRAMA
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T HE first public schools In
America were instituted in
1S29 The credit for 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.
Thomas 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, arfd 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 became general
it wOuld not be prized, 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 and 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 girls and boys attended one
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 dnly 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.
luuon, Bringing out, releasing tne
pent-up powers of the mind.
Until very recent times educa
tion was regardeo as one thing
and work as 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 ta^k, the better Is
the task performed. Education
and employment must go hand
in hand.
Any education which does not
help a man to earn a living, and
adapt him to his environment so
he can improve his condition, is
faulty in the extreme.
The modern high school is now
equipped with many 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 any
cltlsjen can apply for the use of a
school house for meeting pur
poses at any time when the school
proper Is not in session.
The school house should be a
club house, a meeting place for
ail of the people, sacred to social
progress and the matter of edu
cation.
Thus we find that music, stere-
opticon lectures, dances, concerts
are all being regarded as educa
tional. When Lincoln said, “The
public school is the bulwark of
our civilization,” he had in mind
the full and free use of the 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 public
school system, so far, has been
that school is regarded as one
thing and life, home and indus
trialism another.
The amalgamation of all the
beautiful Influences of life is the
one big thing desirable at the
present time. It means a safe
guarding 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 need 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 snips. 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 the amount
of one hundred and fifty million dol
lars annually are permitted to come
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-Eqropean 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. We 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 prefeVentlal 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 tn the alien land
act affair if the United States
had had an adequate navy. The
way for us to preserve peace is
to have an army and navy the
superior of those of any power In
the world. When our defense is
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. 1
By ELBERT HUBBARD
Copyright. 1913, International News Service.
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.
A Difference
BY WILLIAM F. KIRK.
I MET a little country girl
A-strolling idly by a stream.
With crimson lips and teeth of pearl
And eyes that were an angel's dream.
Mow came she there, this maiden fair?
Why 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 1 hinted that a kiss
With happiness would fill niv cup,
This winsome maid just glared and said :
‘‘Say, ain’t you had no fetching up?”
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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 cowoares 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.
They Punished Two Men Who
Kicked a Dog
When Will They Punish the Man Whose Dog Tears Children?
Copyright, 1913.
AN AWAKENING
EDITORIAL RAGE
The Atlanta Georgian