The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], March 18, 1915, Page 4, Image 4

About The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950

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THE AGE-HERALI
B. W. HAHIIKTT.Billto
Entered at the Birmingham, Aia
postoffice as second class matter unde
act of Congress March 3, 1872.
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•entatives of The A go-Herald in its cir
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stamps are enclosed for that purpose
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not be responsible for money sen
through the mails. Address.
THE AGE-HERALD,
Birmingham, Ala.
Washington bureau, 207 Hibbs build
ing.
European bureau, 6 Henrietta street
Covent Garden, London.
Eastern business office, Rooms 48 tc
50, inclusive. Tribune building. New
York city; western business office,
Tribune building, Chicago. The S. C
Beckwith Special Agency, agents for
eign advertising.
TELEPHONE
Bell (private exchange connecting all
departmental Main 4000.
Wind, rain and thunder, remember,
earthly mnn, la hut a substance thnt
must yield to you. —Pericles.
BEGINNING THE nil—Give »«*
eyes, O Lord, that I may sec Thee
going Thy way among men. Thou
art writing Thy name upon the
faces, and, behold, I see not. Thou
art m at^inK Thy face In the way
they lv.ii and suffer; Thou art dp
elartng Thyself In their simple
deeds and words and thoughts; and,
behold, 1 am blind. Give me eyes,
O Lord, give me eyes.—If. M. E.
American Health Resorts
A writer makes the statement in
Leslie’s Weekly that America has
springs and health resorts equal to
any in Europe, while American phy
sicians are as capable in “every
branch of medicine” as those of any
foreign country. The truth of this as
sertion can hardly be doubted. There
are in the United States springs
whose curative properties for many
diseases have a world-wide fame. Yet
the possession of any number of ad
mirable health resorts at home will
not deter the wealthy'American from
patronizing European resorts. The
war has compelled him to remain at
home this year, or else seek a “cure”
in America, but as soon as the war
clouds lift he will be seen blithely flit
ting across the Atlantic again, with
one of Europe’s noted spas as an ob
jective point.
The lure of European health resorts
for Americans of means is not hard
to understand. There is not only a
/Subconscious belief in most people’s
minds that something away from
home is better than anything they can
get at'home, but there are also the
attractions of a sea voyage, foreign
travel and the countless fascinations
of European life to account for the
great number of American tourists
who visit foreign health resorts.
The. genuine invalid is, of course,
only anxious to get well. He is seek
ing health, primarily, and not gaiety.
To his sort the American springs are
a great boon. He seeks the healing
waters that are near at hand and is
properly grateful for the health which
they restore to him, but if he has a
great deal of money and is not as sick
as he pretends to be, then the Euro
pean spa, which caters quite as much
to the pleasure loving as it does to
people in search of health, will, ac
cording to his way of thinking, “pos
sess superior advantages.”
Still another important factor is
pride. A “cure” that is purchased at
an exorbitant price abroad is re
garded in some circles as much more
desirable than one obtained with less
expense and trouble at home. As long
as human nature is constituted as it is
at present, no matter how many
health resorts are developed in this
country, the European spas will not
lack American patronage, although
they have been put out of business
temporarily by the war.
Greater Birmingham Spirit Needed
Many years ago, before Birming
ham had grown to be a large city,
there was little or no evidence of pub
lic spirit here. And little effort was
made then to develop civic ptfde or
the Jet-together habit.
But with the evolution of the Cham
ber .of Commerce from the old Com
mercial club in 1908 and the extension
of the city limits just before the 1910
census was taken, Birmingham began
* "T6\ manifest a great deal of public
■pint. Much was accomplished by
the new get-together movement. Bui
recently, owing doubtless to months
of business depression, the civic feel
ing which had been causing our peo
ple to co-operate and boost Birming
ham, showed signs of flagging.
The Chamber of Commerce will al
ways be the center of civic influence
and civic activities. It has been for
tunate in having able and progressive
executive heads and able and enthusi
astic directors. Every administrator
has achieved large things for Bir
mingham and the Birmingham dis
trict. But what is needed today is i
revival of the get-together spirit; am
President Crawford Johnson and hi:
_—
I wide awake staff will accomplish
e^pd that cannot be overestimated
: when they get Birmingham started
[ afresh on public-spirited lines.
" It is especially desirable that the
r suburbs of Greater Birmingham be
. brought into closer civic relationship
1 with the city. Ever since the outlying
) communities were annexed there has
1 been group consciousness but no city
consciousness. Had there been co
; hesiveness such as is found in other
. cities with enlarged boundaries vir
tually everybody in this fifty square
I mile area would be for the bond issue;
1 and not only for it, but a talker for it.
When the time comes to vote the bond
proposition will win by a sweeping
: majority, but in the meantime a cam
paign of education will be needed.
That condition ought not to be.
What Birmingham needs, what
every business center needs, is diversi
fied industries. This district has done
very well in that respect, but just as
local capital was planning to erect
a $100,000 plant a protest was raised
by people living near the purchased
site. With more of the get-together
spirit every man, woman and child
would rejoice in the fact that a new
industry was to be added to those we
already have.
It might be well for the Chamber
of Commerce to inaugurate a spring
campaign for a Greater Birmingham
spirit.
Bond Issue Absolute Necessity
A bond issue of $1,250,000 to free
the city from its floating debt, now
bearing a heavy interest charge, is
an absolute necessity.
The committee of 100 representa
tive citizens, after a thorough con
sideration of municipal conditions,
recommended unanimously a bond is
sue for Birmingham’s temporary re
lief, and other measures for Birming
ham’s permanent relief. The latter
are embraced in bills now pending in
the legislature and as these bills have
already passed the senate, it may be
assumed that they will pass the house
when the legislature reconvenes in
July.
But it is the bond question which
most concerns the people of this city
at the present time. A bond election
is to be held April 12 and the propo
sition should, and doubtless will, carry
by an overwhelming majority.
Whatever opposition there is to the
bond issue now comes chiefly, it
seems, from the outlying communities
of Greater Birmingham—the suburbs.
But after the voters in those sections
have given the matter mature thought
they will cast their ballots in the af
firmative.
Every suburban section of Birming
ham, except one, has received more
than it has paid into the treasury
since the commission form of gov
ernment was established. This is
shown by the records.
The defeat of the bond issue would
mean a receivership for the city, and
such an eventuality would be disas
trous indeed. Every property owner
and every business interest would
suffer. The schools would be closed
and the loss to Birmingham would be
many times the amount of the bond
issue. But after a short campaign of
education, the suburbs and central
Birmingham will be alike supporters
of the bond issue.
The floating debt is not only bear
ing a high rate of interest but the
interest is compounding. The pro
posed bonds are to bear only 6 per
cent interest. The principal will not
fall due for thirty years, and by that
time Birmingham will be so large and
rich that $1,250,000 will “seem a mere
, bagatelle.”
Let those who have the good of Bir
mingham at heart work with a view
of bringing out a full vote on April
12, and the majority for the bonds
will be 9 to 1.
The Beginning of Flood Tide
One of the most steadfast prophets
of an early resumption of business
, activities is “Holland,” well-informed
and able writer on financial and in
dustrial conditions, whose special cor
respondence is a feature of The Age
• Herald. He is always optimistic, but
, never allows his optimism to run
• counter to the business situation as
i he sees it. In his New York letter,
• which appeared in yesterday’s issue,
he started out by saying it seemed to
• be the view of leaders in finance and
■ business “that the bottom of the busi
i ness depression had been reached, or
I to change the metaphor, flood tide
i has begun.” The midweek reports from
: iron and steel centers justify that re
' mark.
t Not since business began to improve
3 has there been such a buoyant feeling
- in the industrial field as exists now,
- and this feeling is not based upon
- inquiries merely, but upon contracts,
some of them large, actually closed
- I within the last day or two. There is a
I
b brisk demand for steel products of
- almost every’ description; and it is
e quite likely that next week will wit
- ness even greater activity. April is
i to be a busy month and May
- s
r flood tide is setting in and there
i is good reason to believe that before
i we are well into the summer a healthy
s boom will be in full swing
i,
_____-_—___
It la estimated that the farewell offer
ir'gB made by Philadelphians to Evange
list "Billy” Sunday, who has just con
ceded a revival in that city, will total
ISO,000. Three collections were taken at
three services Sunday. The first of these
totaled $2900, the second 13500 and the
third $4000. In addition, more than $1000
was received at the Sunday residence
during the week. The contributions made
to Mr. Sunday by the Philadelphia
churches is estimated at $37,000 and sums
donated to him at the tabernacle aggre
gate $7000. Before his visit to Philadelphia
the largest farewell offering ever received
by Mr. Sunday was that of Pittsburg,
which amounted to $46,000. Wilkes-Barre.
Pa., gave him $23,257 and Scranton $22,398.
Columbus, O., gave him $21,000. The fare
well offerings received in other cities
where he has conducted revivals range
from $5000 at Fargo, N. D., to $17,450 at
Wheeling, w. va.
It has been suggested that all the na
tions aboUsh diplomacy and pension off
diplomats, adopting in their stead a uni
versal congress with national representa
tives. Still, those "national representa
tives" wouldn’t be on the job long before
they would acquire diplomatic habits.
Strict observers of the Sabbath seem to
think the operation of moving picture
shows on Sunday for charity is merely
an "opening wedge” to a “wider desecra
tion of the Sabbath.” Still, they might j
wait until the house afire before sum- \
moning the fire department.
“When Bernhardt comes to America to
muke another farewell tour it will not be
the same Bernhardt,” says the Phila
delphia Evening Ledger. It will be tho
same Bernhardt with the exception of
one leg.
Those prominent New Yorkers who are
“Ct ruing out” for woman suffrage are
doubtless the kind of politicians who
don’t need a weather vane to tell them
in which direction the wind is blowing.
Mrs. Angle says Ballou was her very
dear friend. That being the case, she
might at least have called an ambulance
to have her dear battered friend carried
to the nearest hospital.
People are willing to eat almost any
kind of strawberry shortcake "v restau- I
rants these days, because they are receiv
ing their first helpings. Later on 'they
will fee more critical.
The Postmaster General announces that
he will economize still further, a prac
tice that has been forced on a great many
people here of late who didn't know what
it meant before.
Mr. Bryan is angered by the statement
that Americans are not protected in Mex
ico. Probably looks too much like an
indictment of “soft soap" and sentimen
tality.
Lincoln Be&chey was a “showman of
the air” and he ran the risks of his pro
fession, only to meet the fate that had
been predicted for him.
The most restful page in the average
newspaper these days is the sporting
page, which is comparatively free from
war news.
Mexico is now giving an imitation of
a three-ringed circus, but it is the kind
of show that makes the spectators sick.
No doubt the wheat that was on board
the William P. Frye belongs now to what
speculators call the “invisible supply.”
Italy appears to be in the thoroughly
uncomfortable position of not knowing
which way to jump.
Count Writte was a diplomat who recog
nized the value of the press as an aid to
diplomacy.
ALABAMA PRESS
Montgomery Advertiser: An Atlanta ,
man wants a divorce on the grounds
that he and his wife are incompatible.
Inasmuch as she drove him out of the
house at midnight, assaulted him two or
three times and ran him out of his of
fice and down the street, it does seem
that there was some incompatibility of
temper.
Dothan News: We are told that cotton
is coming into fashion; that we will prob
ably walk in cotton, call in cotton, "all
to help the cotton growers of the south."
And why not? Cotton can be woven into
very beautiful fabrics. It is familiarity
that has bred our contempt for it. About
the only thing we can make in this coun
try that appeals to a certain fastidious
class is money. *
Demopolis Times: Much belated sym
pathy is being devoted to the dope fiends
by Alabama newspapers, because of the
new federal law going Into effect March
1. And all this time Alabama has had
a stringent drug law to prevent the sale
of the prohibited stuff. Just what dif
ference there Is between a state and fed
eral statute Is hard to tell, but there
is a difference. Men don’t fool with
Uncle Sam, because they are afraid, but
they take all sorts of liberties with state
regulations on the same subjects, aeid
have little fear of the consequences.
Gadsden Times-News: Dave Holt, one
ot the best-known newspaper men of Ala
bama has been spending a week or two
with the crop diversification committees
in the southern part of the state, and has
written a number of interesting and in
spiring stories to show what southern
farmers are doing and going to do. The
crop divirsification campaign has covered
the state thoroughly, and, accoTding to the
numerous instances of diversification cited
by Mr. Holt, the farmers of Alabama are
preparing to save themselves millions of
dollars this year by raising enough food
crops to make it unnecessary for them
to buy out of the state.
pointed paragraph:!
From the Chicago News.
Blessed be the little fiat in which there
is no room for double.
Ambition is ail right if a man has energy
to hack it up.
A self-made man is dften the only one
satisfied with the job.
As soon as a sick shoemaker is able to
work lie's on the mend.
it takes a nervous woman to demon
strate w'hat nerve force really is.
The mantle of charity covers a lot or
amateur theatrical performances.
After a lively race for a husband many
as heiress marries a rurr-down nobleman.
The man w ho Cbjesn't secure the services
of that great teacher, experience, may live
. to a green old age.
I Unless a man can see a slight improve
I menr in himself it’s impossible to mgke
him believe the world is growing better.
- - - - - - - ■ - ■ : .-- •
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
IliiNlne** Condition* In Tern*
"I found business fairly good in cities
and towns in eastern and southern Texas,
but poor In western and northern parts
of the state.” said H. P. Chenoweth, the
well known representative of hardware
manufacturers.
“One hears much talk in Texas about
crop diversification, and there is undoubt- 1
edly some progress in that line, but from
my observation I would say that Texas
will plant as much cotton as last year, !
if not more. In those sections where cot- j
ton is the only crop I never saw such |
preparations for extensive planting. ^ j
“Here in Alabama we will make good I
headway this year in diversification. The
campaign which originated in the Bir
mingham Chamber of Commerce will have
a fine effect. Alabama will probably
plant much less cotton this year and
mere of everything else than was the
case in 1914.”
The Proposed Cotton Oil Plaut
‘‘In regard to the account of the hear
ing of the city commissioners in relation
to the cotton seed oil plant proposed
for the Woodlawn district,” said Chair
man T. A. Weller of the industrial bu
reau committee, ‘‘I wish to say that the
committee several days ago visited the
site of the proposed mill, and is familiar
with the matter. The chairman of the
committee also has conferred with Presi
dent Ward of the city commissioners, and
Mr. Wurd is acquainted with our view’s.
*TU is our earnest hope that this new
Industry, wrhieh would give employment
to Birmingham men and provide another
pay roll fpr the district, can be located
to the satisfaction o| those who are
financing it and that of the citizens of
Wcodlawn. The proposed site of tflo mill
is along a railroad.”
Death of Inventor of Mining Machine
‘‘Mr. Francis M. Lecliner, inventor of
the first mining machine in this coun
try, died recently and his death takes
from the mining industry one of the
men who put his best efforts into its
betterment,” says a writer in the Coal
Trade Bulletin.
’He first brought liis mining ma
chine to the notice of the public in
1877, and among those who became
interested in it and who took a finan
cial interest in it was Mr. J. A. Jeffrey
of Columbus, O., w’ho succeeded In get
ting sufficient capital invested to p<ut
the machine on the market. It was the
forerunner of the present mining ma
chines.”
DiiMlneaa In Various Sections
A. H. Aseltine of New York, a repre
sentative of the Commercial and Finan
cial Chronicle, and an exceptionally well
informed man on business conditions, i«
registered nt the Tutwiler. He visits Bir
mingham about once a year and has many
acquaintances here. Last December Mr.
Aseltine made a trip to California and
is on his way there now.
This is what I call my spring trip,”
remarked Mr. Aseltine. "I was in Bir
mingham last spring and am glad to
shake hands with my friends once more.
One of the first gentlemen I met h«re
this time was Mr. Oscar Wells, presi
dent of the First National bank, whdm
I knew well a few years ago in Fort
Worth. He will prove a most valuable
acquisition to Birmingham, both as a
banker and business man and a social
factor.”
Mr. Aseltine, on his way south, stopped
at Richmond, Norfolk, Raleigh, Charles
ton, Columbia, S. C„ Augusta, Savannah.
Atlanta, Nashville and Chattanooga.
"While Richmond is a prosperous town
generally speaking, it does not seem to be
as huffy as Norfolk at this time,” said he.
Savannah Is crowded with business and
great. gangH of men are working day and
night loading cotton. Atlanta seems to
be recovering rapidly from the business
depression of last fall. Everybody I met
there talked as if conditions were abon*
normal. %
“Throughout the south, as far as I am
advised, business Is Improving right along,
and this will be a year of real prosperity
In many southern cities..”
II ntn as Disease Carrier*
“To stamp out a disease either con
tagious or infectious to mankind or
stock I agree that no expense or value
should bo spared in order to arrive at
a result without any loss of time, but
it seems to me rather a one-sided af
fair that not only valuable stock but
also domestic pets of every description
should be sacrificed, whereas nothing
is said about the much dreaded rat,
which has been known for years as a
disease carrier of the deepest dye,"
writes Philip Haller in the New York
Sun.
“Nothing is definitely known as to
how the hoof and mouth disease Is
spread from one farm to another. It
will appear quite mysteriously at a
distant line farm and leave the nearer
line one perfectly alone as If It did not
exist, and because perhaps one of the
disease carriers might be among their
number the deputies give orders to
slaughter not only valuable stock but
also to kill domestic pets.
"The authorities should make it com
pulsory that all rats and even mice in
all the Infected farms and all farms in
the same districts where the disease
has not yet appeared bo destroyed Im
mediately and the runs and holes of
these animals thoroughly disinfected.
“The strong and drastic measures
now adopted by the authorities could bo
In many cases avoided and valuable
stock and the lives of our pets spared.”
SARAH
From Collier’s Weekly.
Sarah Bernhardt Isn’t just an actress
She Is an old master In that other art—
not wholly Yankee after all—''publicity.''
She has never known fear, and at an age
it would be ungallant to mention she has
loluntarily undergone a grave opera
tion. Though her best work for the
stage was accomplished a dozen years ago
at the hast, she promises to return to it—
and we wish Sarah well. On or off stage,
may thut tomb of hers on Belle Isle, near
the oast of Brittany, stand empty for
many years to come; and may the monu
ment for the tomb, to which she has
given her vacation hours—for she is a
sculptor tool—wait on in the studio,
draped In its modest calico. She bridges
French dramatic history, does Sarab
and, after the younger Dumas, what a
debt do not Riohepin and Rostand owe to
that golden voice! Just how old Sarah
Is wo refuse to whisper; not so old as the
ex-Etr.prees Eugenie, whose physician
tells her: "But, your majesty, you have
already lived long past the age at which
anyone ever dies!” Sarah is the spirit of
youth—Its Are and energy and imagina
tion. She has carried beauty of word and
gesture to the Antipodes. When De Les
scps started work at Panama a genera
tion ago, Sarah came out from Paris to
the French theatre there, to glorify that
fete of great expectations—tragically be
trayed. If ye of the United States man
aged ceremonies as well as we dig canals,
we should be giving Bernhardt a warshlpt
to cruise through that great ditch, and
San Francisco would build a theatre
named for her—a theatre fos all time, like
Sarah
.a—.1.,..-.. .
WAR ECHOES
A British officer in the March number of
the North American Review: You are
helped up into the wfi&on and feel your
way in darkness to the farther end and
sit down; this you find a painful opera
tion. Then eorilfnences the long drive in.
That dflve will never fade from your
memory. The wagon is a heavy concern,
drawn at a slow walk by two heavy
horses that keep slipping on the frosty
road. It is bitterly cold and utterly dark
as you creak along a road full of fllled
in “Jack Johnson" holes. How long it
takes to cover that three miles of road
you cannot tell, but it feels a century.
Each bump gives you a painful Jar and
makes your heart acre for the other
poor fellows lying silently in the stretch
ers. of whom you caught a glimpse as
you came in. Soon you are conscious
of some one sitting opposite you breath
ing through his mouth and giving a lit
tle sigh occasionally. Presently a hand
douches your own; you close on It and
give it a little squeeze. “Where are we?”
says a gentle little voice in broad Scotch.
“It's all right, laddie; we are in the am
bulance-wagon.” There is a long pause.
*You an officer?” “Yes.” Long pause.
“You wounded?” “Yes.” Long pause. “Im
in the Black Watch. The officer took my
name. I lost my head and got among the
Germans.” “You badly hurt?” “No; but
I can’t see.” The voice is very Aint and
indistinct. It dies away, and one doesn’t
care to fatigue the sufferer by asking
questions. ... At last the long, pain
ful drive comes to an end. The field am
bulance, situated in a beautiful French
chateau, is reached and you are taken
through the inviting gates into light and
warmth. Your attention is drawn to the
case alongside you—he has his left arm
bandaged and another bandage ovef his
eyes and nose; his right hand is black
with congealed blood and mud, as is his
mouth and chin. You recognize that
breathing through the mouth, and every
now and again that little sigh. This is con
firmed presently by the slow, gentle voice
with its Scotch accent: he is answering
the doctor’s question: “I don’t think I’m
badly hurt, but I can’t see.” Later he re
peats the three things on his mind. The
doctor cannot understand him, and you’
explain. Then he is comforted. You ask
the staff what is going to become of ypu.
The answer is, “Train to Boulogne and
thfin home. nrobablv.”
The New Republic: When Constantino
ple falls, the Turks north of the Bos
porus and the Dardanelles wfll be cut off
from supplies and reinforcements. Con
ceivably all troops will be withdrawn to
avoid such a catastrophe. Then Bulgaria.
In her turn, can send an army to seize
an undefended Adrianople, can resume the
Enos-Midia frontier, or even claim all
European Turkey save the Constantinople
and Gallipoli peninsulas. Such a recon
ouest, approved by the antl-Teutonic al
liance without whOse approval It would be
an empty and evanescent triumph, might
satisfy Bulgarian amWtlon, if to it Rou
mania added the Sllistria strip and Servla
the Isttb district.
In any event the possession of the
straits by the allies would give them a
commanding position in their dealings
with Bulgaria: it would'give them also
the resources with which to purchase her
neutrality: if not her friendship. Without
firing a shot. Ferdinand might regain
three-quarters u? his lost territory and
perhaps all of his lost glory.
THE BAGGAGE SMASHER’S WOES
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Baggage masters In our local railway
stations bewail the decision of the In
terstate commerce commission that
whatever offers Itself in the guise of a
trunk must be transported by the rail
ways.
' ascriptions of the multi
phase trun..s that threaten to terrorize
their handlers, our friends, the cubists,
futurists ant] post impressinists, to say
nothing of the learned professors of
solid geometry in the colleges, would
appear to have found employment as
consulting engineers and designers. For
the "Nude Descending a Staircase” that
won notoriety ns an extraordinary as
semblage of blobs and blotches, one
might substitute "Trunk Descending a
Staircase," and Immediately discern a
new significance In the wild polygons
of light and shadow apparently thrown
at each other hlbbledy-piggledy like a
pile of washed out postage Btamps.
Brancusi, who designed the bust called
"A Muse,” so very like a distorted egg.
or Vallau, who depicted the “Girl At
the Plano," looking like "Billy" Sun
day’s description of a fly’s eye, can
now get employment wlt\i the trunk
makers. Henri Matisse, of the goop
like "Nasturtiums,” or Picasso, who
fashioned the amorphous "Girl With the
Mustard Pot,” or Gluzes, whose “Manlln
Balcony" looks like a carpenter shop
after the cyclone Btruck It, will find
scope for their Inventive Ingenuity. It
should be easy for these protagonists
of the new order to design trunks that
can neither be stood on end nor laid on
one side, and thereby multiply the sor
rows of those who minister to the
traveling public with rhomblcosido
dechedrons and rhombicuboctahedrons
such as would have brought transports
of delight to Euclid’s soul.
Slli.19 ur niu 1 Ixin minus
From “The Progress of the World,” In
the American Review of Reviews for
March.
While conservative observers scarcely
hope for any boom In trade amid the pres
ent unprecedented world conditions, there
are some evidences of recovery from the
worst of the depression. The United States
Is piling up a favorabl balance of trade
at a rate of something like 1150,000,000 a
month. This results from record expor
tations of wheat and cotton, with the
wheat going at the highest prices In his
tory; from sales of other food supplies
and of clothing material to Europe In
great quantities at high prices, and from
exportations of ammunition, ordnance
and other war materials and supplies,
I such as horses, automobiles, motor trucks,
aeroplanes and barb wire. In a period of|
reduced Imports, this phenomenal move
ment could not but give a huge balance
of trade In our favor. By the middle of
February, some cheering news had come
from the steel mills, the great plant at
Gary going Into operation after many
months of Idleness. The large lSBue of
bonds by the Pennsylvania railroad was
Immediately and heavily oversubscribed,
and the still larger Issue of debentures
by the New York Central was placed sat
isfactorily. The banks of the country
have coijee Into an exceptionally Becure
position, the federal reserve law Is work
ing bo well that no more banking panics
such as we had In LS93 and 1907 may be
expected, and the psychological factor In
business has obviously changed for the
better, so that merchants and manufac
turer.- are now looking confidently for bet
ter things..
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES L
WORTH EMULATING.
The forward looking fellow
Leaves lots of woe behind;
His heart is always mellow,
There's not much on his miAd.
He sees himself successful.
Each day his dream renews,
And though his luck's distressful.
He seldom has the "blues."
He never may attain to
The goal for which he longs.
May suffer grief and pain, too,
And meet with bitter wrongs,
But still the future brightens
Before his hopeful gaze,
And optimism lightens
Misfortune all his days.
THE TRUTHFUL TRAVELER.
"How did you find life in the tropics?”
"All that I expected it to be."
“You were not disappointed then?”
"Not at all. I thought it was going to
be the next thing to Hades, and It was.”
A WHOLESOME REVERSION.
"The profligate son of wealthy parents.
What else could you expect of him?"
"Nothing, 'tis true, but I was hoping he
might be a throw-back to his hod-carry
ing ancestors.”
WHO WANTS TO BE ONE?
"A shop girl says it is easy enough to
live on K a week.”
“Of course. The average Patagonian
lives on considerably less than that.”
•TWAS TIME TO BLUSH.
When Joe Potato got a license to marry
Mllry Antlchi today, Probate Judge Belk
nap asked him; “What Is your employ
ment, Joe?" The blushing groom said; “I
am going to raise potatoes.” He got his
license for nothing.—Steubenville (O.) dis
patch in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
THE RltfHT ADJECTIVE.
‘‘I dined yesterday with a ravenous
beauty.”
“You mean a raving beauty, don’t you?”
”f paid the bill. I ought to know what
kind of beauty she was.”
SARTORIALLY SPEAKING.
Behold the classic dancer,
Applauded everywhere.
She makes the barest living,
But she has coin to spare.
I A MOTOR FIEND.
"Why is Duckfitz going about with an
automobile tire on his arm?”
“Mere force of habit. His car is being
repaired.”
THE BRIGHT SIDE.
Oh, here is such
A word of cheer:
Straw, hats are much
Like those last year.
—Youngstown Telegram.
And here is more
Of cheering news:
You can shine up
Your old low shoes.
—Sharon Herald.
.4,1 for this news
Our foy horn toots;
There's wear In last
Year's Palm Beach suits.
—Houston Post.
Though sadly soiled,
'Tls not yet torn;
Our Panama
Can still be worn.
THEY SHOW DIRT SO.
"I suppose It is rather a delicate suo
ject, but—er—what do you think of the
new pantalettes?”
"It Is my private opinion that they will
add considerably to the size of the fam
ily wash.” PAUL COOK.
••••••••••••••••••••••••■••••••••••••••••••••••••AM
I VINTAGE AND VANTAGE STORIES
OF THE NEWSPAPER CLUB
Dr. W. C. Gewin told this: “I heard a
good one in Chicago the other day. It
was just during the election in a small
Illinois town, when the lines between the
prohibitionists and the antis were pretty
closely drawn. On the day of the elec
tion a long line of people, including both
men and women, for both vote in Illinois,
stood in line awaiting their turn to vote.
Behind a very determined looking female
stcod a man patiently holding a 3-months
old infant. Presently the woman turned
around. ‘I hope, you ard going to vote
dry, sir,’ she said. ‘Thank you mam.’ he
answered.”
F. J. Holberg, advertising manager for
Louis Saks, relates this experience:
“On a recent rainy night my wife and
I, after attending a show at the Lyric,
hurried to Twentieth street to take a
jitney which would carry us to our home
on Beech street. Very soon a comfort
able looking auto car cam© along. I
bailed It, and as it drew up to the side
walk, I told tRe driver where we lived
and asked him if he could take us there.
He replied that he could carry us only as
far as Five Points. Rather than wait
we concluded to ‘jitney’ to that extent
and walk the rest of the way.
“The man opened the door of the car and
wre got in. There were no other passen
gers. After we had traveled several blocks
southward the driver introduced himself.
He was Mr. Hugh Thompson of Park
Ridge. He was driving his own car and
not a jitney. My wife and I were nat
urally embarrassed when w’e found that
we had made a mistake and had forced
ourselves, In a measure, upon a stranger—
a gentleman whom we had taken to be a
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••■■•••••••••••••ax
jitney chauffeur. But Mr. Thompson was
so nice about it that I soon began to con- ji
gr&tulate myself <7ft having made a new
acquaintance, and one so kindly dis
posed.
| "When we got to Five Points, Mr. |
Thompson said that in thinking it over i
he would be glad to carry us to our home 5
on Beech. He insisted on doing so, and
| we accepted his offer.
j "It was tftfute a humorous experience, |
but what impressed and touched me was
the gracious courtesy airt friendliness of
a stranger." \
Mr. John H. McRae told the following
story a few evenings ago.
"While on my way down town the other j
mcrning, Mrs. Brown und Mrs. Jones were
sweeping off fheTf frcfnt porches, and
Mrs. Brown said to Mrs. Jones: ‘How is
ycui baby this morning, Mrs. Jones:
" ‘Fine,’ said Mrs. Jones. ‘How’s yourifc?*
" 'Fine,* replied Mrs. Brown. ‘Babies
brighten up a home, don’t them?’
** ‘Yes Indeed,’ said Mrs. .Tones. 'I
haven’t been able to turn out the gas a jj
night since mine was born.’ *’ |
Atticus Mullln, formerly telegraph ed- ?
itor of the Hedger, told the following: )
"One afternoon I received a story from j
a little town in Georgia reading some- j
what as follows: 'John Jones shot and
killed Ed Smith here today after lie was
fatally cut by Smith. It is thought the
two had a disagreement.’ It got as far j
as Washington befoTS a ‘kill’ order could *
overtake it. The incident was the source *
of considerable amusement on the wire,
and the editor who passed it never heard
the last of It." j
•••••••#•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••■••••••••••••»
GAYETY IN WAR TIME
From the New York World.
In protesting against the discontinu
ance of racing on account of the war,
Lord Rosebery pleads the cause of the
thoroughbred horse and the need of pop
ular sports as a national tonic. Far be
it from him to yield to any false sense
of patriotism such as the London Times
seeks to foster at the expense of inno
cent pleasure. "All through the score
of bloody wars," he recalls, that England
was lighting against the French revolu
tion and Napoleon, "Epsom and Ascot
meetings were regularly held.” Lord
Stradbrooke once told him that the most
Interesting mce he ever witnessed for tile
Ascot cup was run 10 days before Water
loo, when Napoleon and Wellington were
confronting each other to decide the fate
of Europe.
Cop menting on conditions in Washing
ton and New York In the latter part of
the civil war, James Ford Rhodes says:
' The gayety and amusements were an
effective contrast to those which pre
vailed in the early days of the conflict.
Frederick W. Steward, In a letter at
the time, described the aspect of Wash
ington in the winter of 1864: 'We seem to
havo leached a new stage in the war.
! Gayety has become an epidemic in Wash
ington tills winter, as gloom was last
winter There Is a lull In political dis
cussions, and people are Inclined to eat,
drink and be merry. The newspapers can!
! furnish nothing more interesting to their
readers than accounts of parties, balls
...
and theatres, like so many court Journal*.
Questions of etiquette are debated with
gravity. People talk of "society" who
never before knew or cared about it. A
year ago the Secretary of State wa»
"heartless" or "unpatriotic” because he
gave dinners; now the only complaint of 1
him Is that he don’t have dancing. It Is
a sign of a changed state of feeling every
where that all the northern cities have
glveti up mourning and grumbling and are
devoting themselves to festivities and
fairs.’
“A comparison of the theatrical and
operatic advertisements in New York, ,
Philadelphia and Boston newspapers be- j
tween 7862 and 1864 shows a remarkable
increase in the number of popular amuse- j
ments. and the comments on them evi
dence eager and generous patronage, for j
tlie houses appear to be crowded nightly.
Cities which had never before possessed
a theatre commenced to have regular the
atrical performances.”
At the present time, In spite of the war
operations on both frontiers, Berlin news
papers are full of advertisements of
musical, theatrical and vaudeville per
formances. In Paris and London the the
atres are running, although the hospitals
are crowded. To extinguish the life of
a people accustomed to mix work with
recreation, nothing short of a state of !
siege Is sufficient. All through the terror {
in Paris. 600,000 people went about their
normal pursuits In the shops and on the
streets, regardless of the steady fall of
the guillotine. If Lord Rosebery chooses
to base ills case on history, he can fln4 ‘
plenty of precedents for letting people
seek relief In sinful forms of levity in
spite of the patriot’s clamor.
WESSEX HEIGHTS
(1*9G)
There are some heights in Wessex, soaped as if by a kindly hand
For thinking, dreaming, dying on, and at crises woen 1 stand,
Bay, on lngpen Beacon eastward, or on W ylis-Neck westwardly ,
I seem where I was before my birth, and after death may be.
In the lowlands I have no comrade, not even the lene man’s friend—
Her who suffereth long and is kind; aooepts what he fs too weak to mend:
Down there they are dubious und askance; there nobody thinks as I,
But mind-chains do not clank where one s next neighbor is the sfiy.
In the towns I am tracked by fantoms having weird detective ways—
Shadows of beings who Allowed with myself of earlier days:
They hang about at places, and they say harsh, heavy things—
Men with a frigid sneer, and women with tart disparaglngs.
Down there I seem to be false to myself, my simple self that Was,
And is not now, and I see him watchln,', wondering what craBs cause
Can have merged him into such a strang • eontlnuator as this, *
Who yet has something in common with himself, my chrysalis.
«
I cannot go to the great gray plain; there’s a figure against the moon,
Nobody sees It but I, and it makes my breast beat *>ut of tune;
I cannot go to the tail-spired town, being barred by the forms now passed _
For everybody but me, in whose long vis on they stand there fas{. M
There’s a ghost at Yell’ham Bottom chlldlng loud at the fall of the night, fl
There’s a ghost in Froom-Side Vale, thlnTlpped and vague, in a shroud of whits
There Is one In the railway train whenever I do not want It near,
1 gee Its profile against the pane, saying what I would not hear.
As for ons rare fair woman, I am now but a thought of hers, 9
I enter her mind and another thought succeeds me that she prefers; M
Yet my love for her In its fullness she herself even did not know; ■
Well, time cures hearts of tenderness, and now I can let her go. ||
So I am found on lngpen Beacon, or on Wylls-Neck to the west, 9
’Or else on homely Bulbarrow, or little PUsdon Crest, m
Where men have never cared to haunt, nor women have walked with me, S
And ghosts, then keen their distance: and 1 know some liberty. 8