Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-23


from Miss Jessie Holiday was So
cialist ritual.
lhe English portrait painter and her
young husband are spending their
honeymoon here. She has taken the
newspaper descriptions printed on two
of her wedding very serious
ly
So seriously, in fact, that she has
written a letter "To the People of
America"
And this bride sign herself: Yours
for Socialism and free speech (not free
love; press kindly notice.! Jessie Hol-
liday Dana"
Mrs. Dana's eyes sparkle when she is
engaged in conversation, and, by the
way, when she is present Mr. Dana
has little chance to exhibit his CONVEX
sational powers so full of thought and
the desire to express it is his wife.
1t was love at first sight" was Mr..
Dana's reply to question 1--WE first
met two years ago. but were not en-
gagged until the following year"
1T is all wrong" said Mrs. Dana ito
attribute everything to Socialism-one's
religion, habits, etc You might as well
say that man is a Republican because
he is Roman Catholic.
For instance, the ritual used at our
marriage was not a Socialist ritual, al
though the newspapers have said 1t
was. We made it UP to please our
selves"
Brides Letter to Public.
Here is Mrs. Dana's unique letter:
To the People of America: l want
to protest most strenuously against
the way in which the press has
dubbed our wedding a Socialist
wedding
From the numerous cuttings
about it have read sentences and
headlines which imply that we dis
pensed with a church service be-
cause we are Socialists. Even that
most well informed and serious Of
papers, The Daily Telegraph, of
London starts thus: Socialist
wedding, Remarkable ritual" Oeav-
ing out the best parts), and pro-
ceeds to describe the civil contract.
thereby suggesting necessary
connection between socialism and
irreligion.
All this shows either the univer-
sal ignorance which prevails about
Socialism or else the desperate and
undignf1ed efforts of the business
interests to give it bad name Let
me here state. for my husband and
myself and for all the Socialists of
the world, that Socialism has no
necessary connection with Atheism
Agnostictism or any other irrelig
ionism. You can be a Christian. a
Mohammedan, a Theosophist,
Unitarian, a Plymouth Brethren or
what not and yet be a Socialist at
the same time.
The Fabian society and the indie
dependent labor party of Great
Britain both number many Episco-
palian cergymen among their
ranks, to say nothing of ministers
from other denominations There is
even "a Socialist bishop, though
bishops are apt to be hand in glove
with the big business interests; l
don't know how they reconcile it
with the gospel Of poverty-per-
haps they are all busy squeezing
the rich man through the needles
eye as practice for the gate of
heaven.
We have also in England the
Christian Social union--a large
body of churehmen which works
for and Identifies itself with So
cialism l was a member Of these
three parties and have spoken be-
fore all of them, so l write with
authority In America, too, / have
met many Socialists who are also
Christians-the genuine article
really applying their religion.
Mr.. Dana and do not believe in
the present day conventional re-
igion. We debated at first wheth-
er to employ for our marriage a
Socialist Unitarian minister who is
a great friend, but we finally de-
ctGed that all the services had been
spoiled anu haue lledHlIl5iesS ~
having been used lightly, so we
made up our ritual to please our
selves. with no idea of forming
pattern for Socialists or any one
else
We tried to express ourselves as
man and woman, not as politicians.
1t had nothing to do with our ideas
on government, Do for goodness
sake get out of your heads that
Saoialism is also anarchism, athe-
ism. free love ana destruction of
the home It's a wonder people
don't think it's hair restorer or a
tonic. 1t will be both incidentally,
but that's not it's main function.
Tried TO Avoid Politics.
Socialism is merely a scheme OF
government whereby the chief
means Of production, such as rail-
ways, harbors, mines, etc, shall be
held or controlled by the state in
stead of by private individuals and
companies.
Socialism wants the business of
the people to he run by the people,