Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-10-26
Teach Your Boys and Girls Patri
otism


have lived a long time. II three-sooio
ana ten constitutes long life. and nave
watched the trend Of things. state anu
national. for more than half century
very closely
saw and felt the grumblings Of the
storm before the fury OF civil war nul't
uuon the southland / lived 20 see Aue
fsfrest land under the shining skies Tram :
MED down under the march OF hoSulc
armies and the hest blood OF our section
noured out on many battlefields- sac
-riace to ignorance and mourntul COM
meutarv on mans inhumanity TO man.
lived through the terrors and tolls
Of reconstruction times when saw men
~ nromtnence make Of public ONCE a
means for private gain. and their corrup-
ton in politics only rivaled the disehte
grafton OF private character ana the decay
~ honor in our once honored country
had some experience in national az
fairs where I saw men who were Jeal-
Gus Of their own good names and clean
IN public as well as in private life voted
out or colxRted out. TO give place 70 men
Who xrev&rich. Ike the growth OF Jo-
nsh's gourd in the night time ] have
seen men who were recognized as the
servants Of great monOpolies stay IN con-
xress. hy the power Of mOnopolistic mon-
e. used TO elect them and continually re-
soon turned of. because he loved honor
more than p@lf or power. and these mo-
nopolies feared his votes
Al such times my despairing heart
would cry out. rs this the natural result
If free government" VIII freemen shut
their ewes to the facts and run with
venal pack. 70 hound down truth and
honestly
have seen and know that ballot
boxes were unIswfully handled by in
terested men in Georgia solely FOL
success OF party. without a single
thought given TO the dishonor thai
went along with the theft / have seer
private registration lists used at q
national election-made up by and han
died by and used at the polls. In de'
fiance OF Law. order and decent govern
ment, and yet there was not zeal Oi
civic virtue enough left TO stamp out
even such public infamy. because party
obedience was deemed stronger thar
private probity or honor
These things AMI many more thai
I shall not mention now made good
men shun politics because OF it's uncer-
tainty AMI its slime There seemed Z
he too little patriotism 10 hold the lana
true to the ideals OF our honest and
self-sacrihcing forefathers. There must
he a revival OF civic virtue or the end
Of this republic is certain
To secure a revival Of public honesty
the start must begin in the nome, al
the fresfde IL II ever comes at all
Like religious life, the example OF par
ents has lasting effect on those wnc
come after them. II children have no
respect for the professions Of their
parents. We may expect a crop OF hypo-
critics instead Of fair-desling men and
women. OF the descendants viii have Nd
inclination 10 belong TO the same party
in politics or the same church IN re-
ligion as their forbears.
1 have long felt the burden OF THE
necessity When spoke or lecturec
at various Farmers institutes in Geor-
gfa Turing years gone by the burden OF
this message impressed ms heavily. u
we would raise patriots, we must Guilt
vate patriotism II we are willing te
use darty tricks in elections we MAY
expect TO raise tricksters in business
as well as in politics. May the Father
help our people to teach justice anj
righteousness by their example,,