Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-01

man utterly lacking in any great gifts OF
expression-Benjamin Franklin. A print
er's devil, an errand boy about PhiIadel-
phia, often beaten by his brother for mis-
conduct, constantly poor, yet full of the de-
sire to enjoy life to the full, this great
American literally drove himself to success.
Early in life he discovered by obserya-
ton that the boys about him were not get
ting anywhere. He saw that idleness,
which he loved as well as any of them, re-
suited in permanent poverty. He knew
enough about poverty not to want it as
life companion.
He read the lives Of great men in Eng
land and France, and made up his mind
that he, too, would be great man.
Learning his own trade thoroughly gave
him an interest in other trades, and he soon
became an enthusiastic student of science.
The problems of colonial government
interested him. He developed a sense of
justice, which threw him strongly against
the oppression of King George ILL.,, and
through the Revolution and in the days that
followed it he did as much as any one man
to bring about the independence upon
which this Government was founded.
JeffersOn's immortal Declaration of In
dependence sounded the note of freedom
that inspired men to endure the seven years
cruel struggle for independence. WASH
ingtOn's patience and courage and unself-
ishness, together with his great talent for
leadership, carried the war through its most
difficult years. But Franklin's diplomacy
and craftsmanship and his ability to inn
L
tice so strong within him brought out the
of the great struggle would have been
problematical.
This man was untaught save by himself
yet he was splendidly educated. He was
without special talents save a magnificent
common sense-yet he became one of the
greatest men of his time, and by some his
tOrians is regarded as the greatest Of
them ALL
Franklin was not temperamentaIly The
staid, sober, Flooding youth of the story
books. He was fun-l0ving, mischiev0us
lad, who liked to fight and play and join iii
all the pursuits that were common to the
boys of the time. But he knew that he must
overcome the tendency within himself I'd
idleness and friv~lity if he was going to s6
great, and great he determined to be-
r r r
To-day there is no great war for indie
pendence to inspire men to great deeds, but
there is the same old war for freedom that
began with the birth of the first nation on
this planet and will continue till long after
your great-grandchildren' great grandchi-
dren have faded into misty past
There is place in that fight for every
boy and every girl who lives to-day. twill
be great and glorious struggle, struggle
against oppression, poverty, crueItS, vice
and all the ills that have transformed ff7Ek
beautiful earth into what Mr.. Henley called
ga place of wrath and tears"
Among those who read this editorial are
many who will take an important part il,
the battle that is to c0me-that goes on now
and has gone on continuously since This
nation gained its independence from 4
royal Oppress0r.
There can be nothing more wors
while than to serve your fellow men, but
you cannot serve them without strength
and wisdom and experience and indie
pendence.
Learn, when you begin your fight, to
conquer your own enemies. M M
When you run this gauntlet stop long
enough to encounter and overcome every
menacing figure in it.
Taken one by one, each enemy, WllefEl-
er it spring from your own self or from
the faults of the world around you, can
be overcome. And with every victory
will come courage and an Experience