Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-15


Perhaps we all of us occasionally give
thanks and occasionally find fault but just
here reference is made to those who have
established a habit.
1t is significant that in the United States
of America we have a national day of thanks
giving.
We do not know of any other nation that
has established such a custom.
They all have days of prayer, periods of
protest, saints days, fast days and feast days
and most of them function rather regularly
in revolutions.
We speak a good deal of Americanism,
and by the term we understand many diff
terent things. Some people take it to mean
extreme individuality others understand 1t to
be loudness vulgarity, or the worship of
the almighty dollar, or other unpleasant
things, such Mr.. Zangwill suggested.
But perhaps the most striking character
istic of the American is that he is not enYi-
That is another way of saying that he
is rather habitually thankful.
He is not contented He is full of unrest
but he is not particularly afflicted with the
inferiority complex
An American can get along rather COM
fortably in his modest little thousand dollar
home and it does not give him any particu-
lar gripes to see the five hundred thousand
dollar home across the street
The average American is thankful that
he is not in jail, does not have a cancer his
wife hasn't left him and he continues to
get three square meals a day.
of course we have our apostles of discon-
| tent and of protest but most of them are
| European impOrtations.
| We have our stomach-ache literature and
our full quota of gIoomspreaders, but they
are not in the majority.
For this reason the various forms of Com
| munlSm Socialism and Anarchy that flood
older countries do not take root very we'll
| over here. Such plants need a good deal Of
that fertilizer which is known as envy.
Even critics do not flourish very we'll
| among us unless they are humorous enough
| to amuse us. Just plain criticism that OBJ
| jects to everything and hates everybody does
not get very faa.
Fault-fnding is an improving vice. 1t is
| easy because it is childish. The very slight
est cerebration is sufficient to enable anyone
| to complain.
So in spite of our crudensss and youth,
We can at least lay the fIattering JUNCTION to
our souls that we are, for the most part. a
| thankful people.
One thing we are thankful for is that
| there are three thousand miles Of turbulent
salt water that separates us from Europe.
Every once in whAS we may have to dip
| into European affairs but We are not close
| enough to be dragged in every day. We are
also far enough from the Orient to be able to
! consider the Eastern problem with philoso-
/ ply.
Most Of us are struggling along trying to
make a living and a trifle more, enough at
least to buy a ticket to the ball game.
There is no upper class sitting upon us and
| consequently we do not have a very large
! lower class beneath us raising Ned. We are
| all very much the same.
| We love to read about counts and dukes
| and kings, and we crowd the streets to see
them when they come over here, but it is
! the same feeling that prompts us to admire
a horned toad or a purple COW, concerning
which the poet aptly remarked that he would
rather see than be one
We may be- and probably are, cyclists
self satisfied to certain degree; but at
! least We are thinkful.
Also We are paying our debts. have some
money in the enthusiastically shocking
/ out few million dollars to relieve some Of