Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-13


Tho fruit of patient labor. 1t LEADS 10 AaWleSS
1nvurv and engenders vile voluptuousnes5.
The desolate ruins Of Egypt, NineYah and
RahvIon attest and exemplify these truths,
and the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
confirm them.
When these world-powers OF ancient tlmes'
da1uded bv their riches, imagined that they
were too potent ever to perish, they were tot-
tering to their fall into remedness rum.
Modern nations, especially the Anglo-SaXon
neonles should take warning from the fate
of these ancient commemorative.
The vast accommodations of Great Britain and
the United States are OF recent origin, ana
they are drawing after them enteebhng lux
ury and riotous voluptuousness.
Into Great Britain has flowed untold wealth
from the fruitful colonies and enriching de-
tendencies OF the empire and from its galntul
maritime power. The luxury now prevalent
under the reign of George exceeds anything
dreamed of when Victoria was proclaimed
Empress Of India we'll as Sovereign OF the
United Kingdom.
The wealth Of the United States has in
creased even more swiftly In 1860 the tax
able property in our country, exclusive of
the value Of slaves, which was a liability
rather than an asset was no more than $lo,-
600 1000 900 Now it exceeds $4,000, 0OO,-
600. Were unreasonable riches ever gathered
so rapidly in all the history of mankind?
IheSo Two great udLlOHS uOW oHll N"A'0
half Of the wealth Of the world
They control one-fourth of the land surface
of the GLOBE exercise authority over one
third of the worlds population; occupy all the
most strategic points the planet possess;
most of the richest mines of gold, iron and
coal in the earth; command the highways OF
the sea and the railways of the land; dominate
the commerce of mankind; and direct all the
current of material good for the human race.
Alas! while surprising in wealth the Baby
lonish Kingdom in its most opulent era,
they have imbibed also the vanity and pride
of the boastful king of that base realm,
who walking upon the roof of his luxurious
palace and rejecting on the resources OF
his rich dominions, said,"Is not this great
Babylon that l have built for the house of
the Kingdom by the might OF my power
and for the honor of my majesty" (Danlel
4:30) While they indulge his folly, let
them be mindful also of the divine judS-
ment upon him of which we read, while
the word was the Kings mouth, there fell a
voice from heaven saying, o King Nebu-
chadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: Thy King
dom is departed from Thee Daniel 4:31.)
1t is to be feared, however, that they
are too obsessed with the mania for luxury
and pleasure-seeking to heed any warning
Of God or man.
The dreadful war OF 1914-191S, with all
it's sorrows and horrors has not chastened
them. If there is any difference between
fore the war and their extravaganza now it
seems their frenzy of folly is more wild at
this time than it was in the pre-war period.
Just few days ago a press dispatch from
Leeds, England, reported a notable econo-
mist of England taking this view with
reference to the luxurious manner of living
now prevalent in his country The cable
gram, as printed in our great dailies, was
as follows:
The reason rehabilitation in this country
is SO slow is that everyone both collectively
and individually spends more than they can
afford. This statement was made by Felix
j. BIakemore recently in an address to the
chamber Of commerce here. He said the
board of trade returns for 1928 showed an
adverse balance against this country Of ST.
060,570 600 indicating that while there
had been a fall in the value of the exports,
the value of imports had increased and so
deprecated the value of currency in foreign
countries, causing slight increase in the
cost Of living.
How many people he asked, IF they
could be detached from present prejudices
and could see through the eyes of 1913,
would be able to recognize or even reconcile
the standard Of living of pre-war days with