Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-08

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forces have asked congress to make
August 20, the day the woman suffrage
amendment was adopted, woman's day, and a
national holiday. Admirers of Roosevelt
want his birthday, which falls on October
27, added to the list of holidays throughout
the country.
Columbus has his supporters, too, who
think the day this country was discovered is
of Sufficient Importance to be celebrated
more widely than it is. Various groups are
urging congress to make Armistce Day a
permanent holiday.
Bills for new holidays are presented to
congress every year, but this year there
seems to be more interest in them than
usual.
Armistice Day stands the best chance of
being put OH the calendar as a permanent
holiday now. Sentiment in favor of it is
strong, and the time is opportLne. But
frightening the list of holidays is a serious
step, and now, especially, there is tendency
to stoI to consider whether we have enough
holidays already, whether they are an
economic asset or a liability, and what holt
days cost anyway.
large number of feast days is regarded
by some authorities as sign of economic
d }generacy. The evidence seems to be that
have not too many holidays now. AS the
different states decide for themselves the
holidays they will celebrate, the number va
ries from seven to a dozen or rore. The
average which is about ten compares favor
ably with the holiday SITS other countries.
Scotland, it is true, gets along with only five
national Holidays, out Australia has sixteen.
Rumania has twenty-four, mostly religious,
and while Mexico has only nineteen national
holidays, it is estimated that all of it's gu
local holidays are observed by more than
half the people
Back in ancient times, Roman history
furnishes a striking illustration of holiday
INT re dow to h.
Romans set aside 100 as unlawful for judi
cial or political business. These days were
dedicated to the gods. We have about half
as many rests days in our Sundays, and our
eight or ten legal holidays correspond to the
e'even other Roman holidays
But this proportion of almost one-third Of
the time ''off" did lot satisfy Rome when
the empire began to decay. At the middle
of the fourth century, there were ITS holt
days, some lasting several Gays.
Indian Holidays
No country today il in this condition, but
there is an interesting modern example of a
people having a great number of holidays,
more than any of the civilized countries, and
without serious effects. These people are
the Hopi Indians of the southwest, whose
religious festivals occupy more than half
the year. They arrange most of their cere-
monies for the slack months between harvest
time and planting.
government scientist says of them: Al
though the Pueblo farmer may thoroughly
believe in his ceremonial system as effica-
cious, his human nature is too practical to
consume the precious planting time with
elabarote ceremonials."
The Hopi Indian makes his holidays fit in
with the simple economic scheme of the
tribe. But more civilized countries with
complicated labor conditions do not.
More and more, holidays are coming to
ser--e as recreation days. Most of us cele-
brate Washington's birthday by a extra nap
in the morning and then some kind of amuse-
ment for the rest of the day. Our remem-
brance Of Washington is perhaps limited to
kindly thought two of George" who
obliged us by being famous enough to be
worthy of a holiday.
But our holidays are net arranged to give
the best results as days of recreation. 1t
has been shown by economists that days close
to Sunday are the most efficient time for
holidays. When workers knock off to play
in the middle of the week there is found to
be a good deal of the before-and-after holt
day spirit; while mere is generally less when
the holiday falls at the beginning or end OF
a week.
A holiday that falls on Saturday, econom-
lists show, is followed by rest day, and
workers are more apt to return to work on
Monday with the holiday partly forgotten.
The atmosphere Of office and shop is more
normal than on a working day directly after
a holiday.
Monday Best Holiday
Monday like Saturday, is desirable as a