The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-09-26
This is a Day of Small
Mem.
ENFORCE THE LAW is RIGHT,
Some Ideas About the Grand Army
Men Who Come Among Us and
Stay Brief Time.

It's lanny how many small men there
are in the world. don't mean men who
are small in statute only, but those who
are small in life, mind and soul-one Of
those fellows who can't see beyond the
periphery of his own existence. You Will
md them on every corner wnen you start
out TO get fHancial encouragement for
some enterprise that seeks to upbuild the
town. You will find one in every pew Of
the church when you go to raise money
for missions. The peculiar ear mark Of
this species is that he don't believe in
missions. That is not the truth-he would
believe in it If it didn't take dollar out
OF his pocket. The real truth is, he
small man.
You will find lots Of them when you 90
to collect money for the preacher or get M
money to pay for the coal burned at his
church. He will want you to let him off
with fifty cents and will tell you how often
he has paid to the same thing he will
divide the amount sought to De raised by
The membership of the church and tell you
that is his part. Haven't you run across
himY ! have. Oh how despiee a
small man. These two by tour fellows,
the aesthetic vacuity of whose soul is ex>
ceeded only by that of the region above
their eye brows. They really have no
place ia this busy, broad, enterprising age.
People of this kind are hindering the
growth of our little city. You mention
water-works to one Of them and he will
raise his hands in holy horror and begin
to tel! how many cents increase in the tax
rate II will cause. The idea that 'the
pres7aSezof good systesa of water-works
will cause corresponding reduction in the
insurance rate don't enter his small brain.
He can't see anything but the few cents to
leave his pocket. The idea thai the town
will be benefited and be more prosperous
thereby is entirely too large an idea for the
calibre of his thinking apparatus;
1t strikes me that our city does not en-
courage as it should our military organs
cation that has always when away from
home reflected so much credit upon u.s.
The public. as rule, do not appreciate
the value of our citizen soldiery. One
reason is that fortunately we have never
had to call upon them to protect us from
rioters or invaders because we have
escaped this far, is no sure sign that We
are always going to fare better than our
neighbors in other localities. A military
company is like fire company, when we
do want them, We want them mighty Dad,
and 1t seems to me that the city should en-
courage the young men to keep alive and
active the organization. The bare press
ence of we'll organized and equipped
military company has remarkable effect
in keeping down lawlessness. Three of
our adjoining states have had. within the
past eighteen months, to call upon their
militia to enforce the laws and the slight
ripple we have had recently in our own
county demonstrates to the thinking mind
that We are not altogether safe. am not
a member of the local company, no, not |,
but still | think the city would do a nice
thing to at least furnish them with an ar,
mory. | really believe that this would be
a better investmen. than certain other
lires into which the citys money Ssome>
times goes. Other towns do this. why
not we?
~