Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-27
Department Inaugurated by
Semi-WeekIy Journal to
Encourage Education of
Children and Youth
BY JESSE w. AEMIsqEkD

Rev. Charles H. Sturgeon was a
forceful and eloquent preacher,
whose earnest endeavor was to smite
evil, and especially the monster evil
of drink. To the minds of many
readers, some of his most wonderful
sermons-or, "sermonettes," they
should be called-are contained in
his John Ploughman's Talks" and
John Ploughman's Pictures" which
were published many years ago
Though graced with the air of
clergy, DR.. Sturgeon was a great wit.
One of his pictures" shows hen-
merry; in that hennery a nest, in that
nest a white egg, and upon the edge
of the old basket forming the nest a
black hen. He says, THE egg is white
enough, though the hen is as black
as coal" This is very simple
thing, yet it pleased the simple mind
of John Ploughman, and cheered him
of evil comes good" he says,
through the goodness of God. From
threatening clouds we get refreshing
showers; in dark mines men find
bright jewels, and so from our worst
troubles come our best blessings.
Many a time have l pIucked sweet
fruit from bramble bushes, and taken
lovely roses from among prickly
thorns. We are all at school,
and our great Teacher writes many
a bright lesson on the blackboard OF
affliction."
School of Experience
The peoples of the world have just
passed through the most wonderful
yet most bitter school OF experience
ever enacted. When the dark clouds
of strife and discord that had how
cred over the universe for the past
four years were brushed away with
the signing of the armistice, the
golden rays of a peaceful sunshine
revealed many unwhoIeSome. mis-
takes that had been tolerated for
decades in many lands. Our forced
ard the varied experiences of prepa-
ration taught both the government
and its people very useful lesson
that is, the value of education. The
war has presented before the Amerl-
can people considerable new evidence
concerning the serious defects in
their own mental and physical con
dition, which is attributed perhaps
TO the lack of proper training and
education during the last two or
three generations. These defects were
disclosed when the government at
tempted to recruit quickly a great
army and navy, and at the same time
place in the necessary industries
competent operatives and mechanics
The percentage of defects amohs
young men of draft age and school
children was so startling that II
probably was the cause of President
Wilson writing a letter to Secretary
Lane, of the department of the in
terror, urging continued maintenance
of the public schools and insisting
that there be no dropping off in at
tendance. In a letter under date of
July 81, 1918, the president said:
81 am pleased to know that de-
spite the unusual burdens imposed
upon our people by the war, they
have maintained their schools and
other agencies of education so near
ly at their normal efficiency. That
this should be continued throughout
the war. and that, in so far as the
draft law will permit, there should
be no falling off in attendance in
elementary schools, high schools OF
colleges is a matter of very great
est Importance, affecting both our
strength in war and our national
welfare and efficiency when the war
is over. So long as the war contin-
ues there will be constant need Of
very large numbers of men and wom-