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EDITORIAL RAGE The Atlanta Georgian THE HOME PAPER THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN Published by THE GEORGIAN COMPANY At 20 East Alabama Street. Atlanta Ga. Catered u Mroed-rlaM »*tt m at po^tofflr* at Atlanta, under art of Marc# i. 1ST a. The Best Way to Get a Better Navy President Wilson will have no heartier supporter than The Georgian in his program for an adequate navy and adequate preparation for national defenses. His letter to the Navy and War Departments, instructing the Secretaries to get expert advice, to put the “best minds in the army and navy” at work upon a “definite program that will meet the altered circumstances,” is exactly the right thing to do. And when the best expert minds have worked out the prob lem and have agreed upon a plan, if the President will adopt it and recommend it to Congress with all his energy, he will receive the thanks of the country. It is not a partisan question, it is not even a political ques tion in the ordinary sense. It is a national question. He will need the support of Republicans in Congress, and he will get it. Most of the “little navy men” are to be found, we regret to say, in the Democratic ranks, a fact all the more to be regretted because the work of creating our present modern navy was begun in the briliant administration of William C. Whitney, in President Cleveland’s first term. The worst enemies of efficiency in the navy are not the peace-at-any price weaklings. They are negligible in public and private life. But its worst foes in public life are the represen tatives in Congress who want navy yards where no modern bat tleships can float, and army posts where all important railroad facilities and population are lacking. We have now more navy yards than Great Britain, with three times our sea power, and more army posts than Ger: :any, with ten times our organized army. The reason is political. Congressmen refuse appropriations for the national defense unless their home constituents are first provided for. When Republicans are in power the navy yards at Ports mouth, N. H., and Kittery, Me., hum with activity. When the Democrats are in power, Portsmouth and Kittery go on half time, and New Orleans and Key West bristle with life. All these navy yards are uneconomic, inefficient and wasteful—they are products of small partisan politics, and wasteful Republicans and Demorcats alike should be ashamed of them. How and where the work of creating adequate national de fenses can best be done is a question for experts. The three most efficient agents in the present European war, aside from men and money, are the submarine, the aeroplane and th« rapid-fire machine gun. They are all American inven tions. Bushnell, a Yale graduate, in 1790, followed by Robert Fulton in 1812, and Holland in 1893, invented and perfected the submarine. The Wright Brothers invented the aeroplane, and Maxim, the Maine Yankee, the rapid-fire machine gun. Thomas A. Edison, the greatest inventor that ever lived, has now patriotically offered his services as the head of a board of experts to pass on all new appliances submitted to make our navy and coast defenses the best in the world. President Wilson is fortunate to have such aid, and more fortunate still to have a united country behind him in hi3 new program. America Must Learn to Make Her Own Dves It seems hard to believe, yet among the country’s thousand and one activities there is still one in the embryo—the manu facturing of dyes and dyestuffs. It took the war to demonstrate vividly the overwhelming superiority of Germany in the production of coloring matter, and our almost complete dependence on that country and a few other European nations for our coloring supplies. Complaints emanated early in the war from cotton goods and silk factories to the effect that their visible stocks of dyes were evaporating so rapidly, with no immediate repletion in sight, that by the end of the current year, dress materials, rib bons and the like would all of necessity be sober-hued. Now ink manufacturers and lithographic concerns also complain of the color shortage. Realizing the opportunities, with Germany temporarily out of the market, many chemical companies turned all their ener gies to the solution of the pressing problem. They are meeting with a measure of success. To help things along the Department of Commerce, which recognizes the importance of assisting one of the very few re maining infants, has delegated an eminent chemist, Dr. Thomas H. Norton, to go thoroughly into the situation. Dr. Norton, to that end. is now in the city conferring with men high up in in dustrial chemistry. Preliminary reports indicate his success in interesting both capital and experts. Following the conclusion of war it is likely the great Du Pont de Nemours Powder Works, seeking employment for the added facilities introduced to turn out the huge war contracts, will convert them into dye producers. Better Business Conditions Commercial failures, never an inviting topic, now, however, illustrate the country’s gradual climb out of the slough of finan cial despond. In January of this year there were 2,378 business failures in the United States, with aggregate liabilities of more than $50,- 000,000. Month by month, without a single exception of moment, there has been a consistent shrinkage, both in number and in amount of indebtedness. In August, according to Bradstreet’s compilations, there were 1,262 defaults for $12,300,000, a re duction since the first month of 47 per cent in number and 76 per cent in liabilities. No purpose can be served by dodging the fact that failures last month were the most frequent for any August since 1893, but as regards liability, they were for the smallest to tal in five years. The business pessimist and alarmist notwithstanding, there is room for real rejoicing over the solid, steady improvement in all )ines of trade. Depression is a wo*d being used less often to characterize current conditions. • » }’ — The Adventures of Nobody Holme ! Hello No boot! SaX if You WAht To PICK up A BUNCH (OFCHANCrE fbTA &ET DOWN ON 5AL-T oFThE EARTH * A lOOTo I. SHOT N S THANKS For TXETIp olP/AAN ILL OETA BET DOWN RiqHTAVttt T5ALT«Tffit EARTH /M THE SECOND RACE.-SoL.OHq AND IF I WIN , $ 2jS~0O ILL BuY A SIX cylinder AHO TAKE ATRIP OUT To THEBIR, ITS A CINCH'. Ilfll & 7 ~ 7 > / now Lets see if twin a THOUSAND PLUNK.5 ill pan mN RENT IN ADVANCE FOR. A Year. -IP 1 Win $2ooq \ ILL BUN ME A SEALSKIN OVER. COAT TbRTHEW/fJim (l t 1 1 /> / II t • , ( < * NoW THEN 7 ILL PUT$5oo on THAT lOOTo |, 5HOT AND IFF. YWN ILL QUIT VNORKFOR. LIFE - irsqoiNCToBE Pf^TTY SOFT TO K MG' 7 SALToF/ The LARTN EXTR.A OF THE SALT EARTH loo-To-l-SHoT WINS i iToRCjGT To 6TT < Til'//, 7/ -7 Some Neighborhood Comment by the Dixie Press MAYBE SO—YES. (Lumpkin Independent.) Don’t muss up your hair or scramble your brains because some fellow called you a liar. He may have told the truth. HERE’S HOPING. (Milltown News.) Governor Harris is having a tough time as Georgia’s chief ex ecutive. but they say a tough be ginning will make a good end ing. and here is hoping that it will prove to be so in this case. NOAH’S GREATEST GLORY. (Pickens Progress.) They are now trying to prove that Noah was the first man who fell and not Adam, but they can’t rob old Noah of the credit of being the first of the race to go on the water wagon for a 40-day ride. NOTHING PERSONAL, BUT (Rogsville New Age.) We think we know of some would-be “jury fixers” who are only “fixing” themselves. How ever. there’s nothing personal about this, and we’ll all await fu ture political developments with awakened eyes and keen memo ries. DID YOU, DEAR READER? (Campbell News.) Dear reader, did you ever try to write a column of readable par agraphs for a “long-suffering pub lic" when your m‘.nd was all torn into smithereens by business cares along other lines? If you never did, you can hardly appre ciate what a task it is to gruide. your mind intelligently along sev eral lines of conflicting thought at the same time. WILL HAVE TO HUSTLE. (Albany Herald.) Cranston Williams, son of Edi tor J. C. Williams, of The Greens boro Herald-Journal, has been e’ected editor of The Americus Times-Recorder. one of South Georgia’s prosperous small dai lies. Young Williams is a tal ented newspaper man. but if he beats the “old man” getting up a lively paper he will have to do some extra good hustling. AVE ET VALE. (Macon Telegraph.) Ham Patterson Anally an nounced. Good-bye, Ham. EXCELLENT ADVICE. (Marion Patriot.) Never mind the imperfections of your neighbor. If you correct your own you will be doing all the community expects of you. ONE DOUBTING THOMAS. (Albany Herald.) Wq don’t believe a word of that latest scandal the scribblers have started on Father Noah in their gratuitous efforts to vindicate Father Adam of that little affair with Eve In the Garden of Eden in which he fell. THE CHEROKEE ROSE. (Lawrenoeville News-Herald.) The Cherokee Rose has been adopted by the Legislature of this State as the official State flower of Georgia, yet it is not to be found in many rose gardens. It is a dainty, delicate flower of modest beauty, and should be more generally cultivated. The reason why it has been so neg lected is the fact that only a com paratively few of the lovers of the rose know that it was adopted as the official flower of the State a few vear« ago. FAIR ENOUGH. (Lawrenceville News.) Some of Senator Hoke Smith’s political enemies are charging, that his protest against the un lawful blockade of American cot ton from neutral ports was made as a German hireling, which every man of ordinary intelligence knows to be a lie out of the whole cloth. His position on that ques tion ought to be that of every true American. Factional bitterness ought to subside when the inter ests of .a whole people are at stake. We are not, nor never have been, one of his satellites, nor expect to be, but we are hon est and nervy enough to indorse him when he is right, as we stand for that rather than for men. GRIGGS’ GOOD WORK. (Tifton Gazette.) Although he has been dead over five years the work Congressman Jim Griggs did for his district and in fact for the whole country continues to bear fruit. A Geor gia boy who Is prominently men tioned in the news dispatches is Captain Edward A. Greene, who is an officer in the United States marine corps, and who was in command of one of the landing forces that recently went ashore at Port au Prince, Haiti, to pre- Old Wine in a New Bottle News of Atlanta Five and Ten Years Ago. SEPTEMBER 8, 1905. Mrs. May Yoh«-Lady-Hope- Put nam-Bradlee-Strong is stop ping at the Piedmont with hubby and Japanese maid. * * * School enrollments number 13.- 636. V-* • • * “For Rent” sign almost obso lete in Atlanta. Houses hard to get. • • • Otto Jordan punches Prank Buxton, sporting editor of The News. Rube Zeller shuts out New Or leans, 2-0. SEPTEMBER 8, 1910. Courtland S. Winn now ex pected to announce for Mayor. * * * “Polly of the Circus” at the Or- pheum. * * * Jake Wells suggests a South ern League, composed of Rich mond. Roanoke, Atlanta. Chatta nooga, Memphis. Nashville, Bir mingham and New Orleans. Crackers wallop Baron#. Griffin outpitching Fleharty, 3-0, serve order. Captain Greene was raised at Fort Gaines, in Clay County, and Congressman Griggs got him a' lieutenancy in the ma rine corps just after the Spanish- American war. He is reflecting credit on his State, on the service and on the man who got him his job. Judge Griggs did more of this good work. He secured a- lieutenancy for E. J. Williams, of Tifton, who is now captain on duty at Manila, P. I., and who ranks with the most efficient of ficers in the service. ARRIVAL OF THE WEEVIL. (Savannah News.) Official announcement that the boll weevil has been found in Georgia as far east as Thomas County means that the day has arrived that farmers of Georgia have been expecting for a long time, and for whjch many of them have been making preparation. The war in Europe and the conse quent low price of cotton have helped along the work of prepa ration and so have really been an aid to the farmers in their plans to reduce the ravages of the wee vil in this State to a minimum. There are two ways to make the invasion of Georgia by the pest’ less costly than it would be if no effort were made to combat it. One is by planting early maturing cotton and taking every precau tion to prevent the spread of the weevils and the other is by diver sifying farming operations so that even if the cotton should be rav aged by the weevil the farmer would have food for his family and feed for his stock and some thing to sell in order to have some ready money. Nobody in Georgia is going to throw up his hands in despair be cause the -weevil is at last in the State. What every Georgia farmer should do Is to get busy, follow the instructions of the State Department of Agriculture, keep down as much as he can the destructiveness of the weevil in his cotton and diversify his crops. If he will do that he won’t suffer as some farmery In other States have suffered from the pest. Borrowers Should Study ^*••5* Says Ella Wheeler Wilcox +•+ +•+ The Etiquette of Debt By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. D EBT is a world malady which few of its denizens are able to escape. Sooner or later the burden of debt is in curred for a longer or shorter pe riod of time. It Is a misfortune, but not a crime, to incur debt. The man who owes somebody hag a much larger company with whom he associates than the man who lends. So old and so almost universal is the position of the debtor that a debtors* union ought to be formed. Every union, every organiza tion of any kind, has its certain laws, formalities and obligations, both written and unwritten, which make what might be called the etiquette of the order. The borrowers of the world need such a union, and are sadly in need of an understanding of its laws of etiquette. Here are a few outlines of those laws: You who have asked and re ceived money or influence from anyone in the world to enable 3 r ou to further your own interests will understand that these laws are outlined for your special ben efit, and if you have already ob served them you will be glad to know in your heart that the re proof they convey to the delin quent, the thoughtless or the in different does not apply to you. The reproof is intended for the thoughtless, the delinquent and the indifferent. AFTER RECEIVING THE FA VOR SOUGHT, TOO MANY LAPSE INTO SILENCE. A struggling youth, intelligent, moral, industrious, found himself in temporary embarrassment, and wrote to a friend asking for a loan. The loan was granted promptly, and with words imply ing the pleasure it was to be able to bestow this favor. A grateful acknowledgment of the accom panying check was received in reply. Then an utter silence en sued. Months became a year, and no word was heard from the young man who had been benefited, save an occasional item of informa tion through casual mutual ac quaintances. The etiquette of the Debtors’ Union should demad that at least twice a year a courteous and friendly note should be •written from the debtor to the lender, telling of his doings, his inter ests, his efforts toward success and his belief in final attainment of the goal he was seeking. No continual reference need be made to the debt, but the individual who is sufficiently Interested in another to lend him aid of any kind is sufficiently interested to feel the wound of silence and neglect. Another young lad had passed through great sorrows and un usual tragedies, which resulted in the breaking up of his home and in his becoming adrift in the world without kith or kin. He wrote to a lady who had known him from childhood, asking for a small loan, with which he could provide himself decent raiment to wear in the fulfillment of du- , tie* he had recently secured. He assured the lady he would repay her one dollar a week until the small debt was liquidated. The check was sent gladly, and The Spread of Cosmic Energy ======== By EDGAR LUCIEN LARKIN. - I NTERCEPTING—cutting out of space—of radiant energy is the chief problem at present. Cosmic energy radiates from sun to sun, and from all suns to all planets. Law: Energy radiates between all separated portions of matter having any difference of poten tial. The specific speed of cosmic energy, as adopted by the United States Government and published in the Nautical Almanac (I am quoting *from the Ephemeris for 1916) is 186,324 statute miles per second. It is well for the reader to pause and think of this fact and permit the mind to again revert to it during the day and during life. This number. 186,324, cost 220 years of arduous labor, be ginning with Roomer, the Danish astronomer, in 1675, in his now classic and historic researches on the motions of the moons of Jupi ter to determine the velocity of light. This final result is that obtain ed by the great masters, New comb and Michelson. And as this value of the speed of light has in the accompanying letter the lady said she accepted his terms of payment, as she felt it would enable him to feel more manly . and to form businesslike meth ods. Her bank returned the voucher of her check, which had been cashed, but In that way oniy was she even aware that it was ever received. No acknowledg ment was sent to her, and even , a letter of inquiry, after more than six months, brought no re ply. A young woman appealed to a r personal friend for money with which to launch herself forth on a certain line of endeavor. It was a considerable sum, but it was supplied. Two or three brief notes of apprecia'tion and grati tude followed in quick succes sion; then utter silence while months builded themselves into a year. Not even the social notes and kindly inquiries after health and happiness which had marked their acquaintance previous to the loan. • Still another young woman, with beauty, talents and ambi tion, asked a friend to help her out of financial difficulties. She was promptly helped, and assured that she need not hurry about 1 the payment One grateful let ter ensued; ther. silence. Through a newspaper item the lady learn ed the interesting experiences which had come into the young woman’s life. • It would seem that a sense of common decency, womanliness and courtesy would have caused this young woman to write her benefactor Immediately of the avenues opening up before her and of the interesting experiences through which she was passing." BORROWERS SHOULD NOT BE TOO SENSITIVE TO REFER 1 TO DEBTS. These are but a few illustra tions of what seems to be an al most universal habit of the bor rowers of the world. To lend money to one's friend seems al most invariably to cause a de terioration of character and a loss of high ideals and nobility of thought in the borrower. It may be urged by the borrowers that they feel sensitive in regard to their debt and do not like to write until they are able to liquidate it. But if they are not too sensitive to ask such favors they should not be too sensitive to refer to them after they have been granted. There are shining exceptions, of course, to these dark exam ples. A woman struggling in dir est poverty with a sick husband > and a large family of small chil dren (a woman of refinement and education) borrowed $100 in an hour of great despair. That was ten years ago. Two or three times a year the benefactor re ceives a few words, at least, and often a long letter from the one benefited, and even small sums have been insistently enforced upon the lender to lessen the debt in order that the borrower might retain her self-respect. In that way half the sum has been paid, but, better than that, admiration and affection for the | borrower have been strong fac tors in enriching the life of the lender. Here was one who un derstood without being taught the etiquette of debt. But they are few. also been adopted by the Paris conference of astronomers and physicists it is final. • * . These values are means or av erages, for the orbit of the earth is not a circle, but an ellipse, with result that the earth is 3,- 115,498 miles nearer to the sun on January 2 than on July 3. But the values in the tables are computed for an orbit reduced mathematically to a true circle. And the orbit of the mon is an ellipse, so that the distance from the earth varies as follows: Miles. Greatest distance of moon from the earth . . . 253,113 Mean distance of moon from the earth .... 238,863 Least distance of moon from the earth .... 221,654 Time for light to reach the earth from moon, 1.228 seconds. Thus, light requires slightly less than 1 1-4 seconds to reach the earth from the moon. As the moon is an exceedingly poor i-adiator, It being a mere reflector/ radiant eneri.y capable of appear ing as heat upon striking the earth is very feeble.