Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-24
TINES NOT HARD
DESPITE OUR CRY.
Conditions of Living Have
Gradually Bettered for All
Classes.
BY 3. c. FORBES.

ribly burdencd as we are in the habit Of
CRYING OUT Is life so fun of hardships
and SO devoid Of pleasures as it is now
customary to bewail2 Are the people
very much unhappier than they used TO
be- Is their lot better or worse Have
troubles multiplied without a correspond
ing increase in advantages? Are all our
daily and hourly complaints really well
founded
or are We suffering most from state
OF minda
Such questions forced themselves into
my mind sunday as I watched the pro-
cession of automobiles to and from Coney
Island and the gambols Of the thousands
there and on the Brighton sands. The
line of cars looked like an endless snake
The money represented was enormous
But the automobiles and their passengers
were not more interesting than the
crowds who covered the beach. Did the
great majority Of them look poverty
stricken Not at all. Were they mani
testify unhappy? Far from it Did they
wear poorer clothes than would have been
seen in a similar place ten years ago?
Assuredly not In short. they looked as
if the world were not so very bad place
after all
Now. when one thinks the thing over,
is it?
Let US leave OUT of present considera-
ton the millionaire class and others of
large means. Let us take the general
body OF the people Were they ever
housed as comfortably as they are today?
Travel where one will among New York's
of
dwellings are springing up. Their APP
pointments would not have been within
the reach Of a king one century ago.
Rents are high we are constantly told
have they gone up faster or farther than
wages during the last half-score years?
Would not one weeks salary pay the
monthly rent of a better home than
would have been the case ten years ago?
And has ii not been made much easier
TO become the owner of ones home than
in the olden times? Or. let us ask an
other question: DO not more people own
their homes today than at any other
time since New York became a teeming
city?
Clothes are now made Of inferior ma
terial il is complained. Perhaps so, But
how many new suits new shoes new
hats, new overcoats and other things to
wear does The average citizen buy to-
day s compared with twenty years ago
As for the women folk, their fashions
change with bewilderng rapidity, and no
shop girl. no stenographer, no telephone
operator seems too poor to catch up with
each movement OF the procession. What
is on Fifth avenue today is seen in Broad
way and all over the city tomorrow The
leaders of fashion are eathless trying to
keep ahead of their maids. Then, what
of our children? Apart from the Sums.
where poverty is often the fruit of in
discretion the clothes Of American chill
dren are finer than those worn in any
country in the world. True. thousands
of loyal parents scrimp themselves for
the sake of the better nourshing and
adoring of their offspring. vet that does
not alter the facts
Even so. our savings banks are holding
larger sums than ever
Is America daily bill Of fare shorter
or simpler than Of yore? The question
answers itself Table 'luXuries are used
on a scale unima gned when the middle
aged among us were in our teens. Not
only so. but necessaries that were wont
to be made at home are now bought a
The deIicatessen there Is no time
for home made foodstufs To go farther,
we must now have everything done up
in packages affecting artistic beauty. An
army Of well paid artists is kept busy
thinking up and executing new designs
for the wrappers boxes and tins which
must he used TO keep the dust from
everything we eat so nice and delicate
have we become in our tastes
For every quarter spent on amusements
genera ton ago whole dollar is spent
today
Extravaganuy luxurious hotels can not
be built fast enough to supply the de
mand Nor can moving picture palaces
be provided in sufficient numbers to ac-
commodate all who have the desire and
the price 10 enjoy this form of entertain
ment At both ends Of society, at the
middle and in between. the demand for
pleasure is Unsuitable Every attractive
seaside resort will shortly be filed to
overlooking Every line Of pleasure
steamers viii be overtaXed. Railway
travel was never in equal volume Social
clubs Of every conceivable description are
springng up here there and everywhere
Vacations not so long ago were within
reach Of only the rich. Who is TOO poor
nowadays to enjoy a summer outing Of
D week fortnight or a month?
Happiness is from within is il not?
Well. does it not strike you that il peo-
pie are not happier now than ever before
the cause may in some measure lie with
iu rather than without2 The question is
at least worth asking The world has
MOI been transformed into Utopia nor is
the millennium breaking on the horizon
but do YOU not agree that some Of our
chronic grumbling is rot based on lack of
worldly comforts Said philosophic
banker to me last week-and he has
known both paucity and plenty Of posses
sions People are in reality better off
they arc happier when the country is not
booming and awhen they themselves are
NJ nm ll1.nsnarnlts M he i'm 4 sense