The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], July 11, 1915, Page 6, Image 6

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

Image provided by: University of Alabama Libraries, Tuscaloosa, AL

                
HOW A BLIND BROOM MAKER HAS I
_ MADE HIS WAY IN THE WORLD
Ily FLORA MILNER HARRISON
Industrial work in school for blind at Ta Hadcga
•*TTant to buy a broom?”
Looking past the small negro boy who
asks this question at your door, you see
a blind man with a dozen or more brooms.
The blind man carrying the brooms and
led by the little negro is a familiar figure
in different parts of the city, and he has
an interesting story.
His name is \Y. S. Johnson, and he
has lived in Birmingham nearly all his
fife. He was a schoolboy here, attend
ing the Paul Hayne in the 90’s. When he
was in the fifth grade he went one Fri
day afternoon to spend a week-end with
relatives who lived on Red mountain.
Someone in the family had a new gun,
and of course the hoy was interested in
it. It discharged in his face blinding
* him.
That marked the end of his life as an
ordinary active schoolboy. Mr. Johnson
says he was dependent for a long time,
until he became accustomed to the
change. He has done this admirably, for
he has a pleasant, cheerful manner, with
no discontent.
Leaving school here, he entered the
Talladega institute for the blind. Having)
once had his sight, he could more readily
comprehend the Instruction, and as soon
as he learned to read by touch he pro
gieased rapidly. Besides broom making,
he learned chair caning, mattress mak
ing and piano tuning.
Returning to Birmingham from the in
stitute. Mr. Johnson went with the Eagle
Broom company. This was in 1906, and
he has been in this work since. The
Eagle company war owned and operated
by Lewis Musselwhite, a blind man, who
had learned broom making in the Mis
sissippi school for the blind. Three years
ago Mr. Musselwhite sold his factory and
returned to Mississippi, and Mr. Johnson
then started his own factory.
The factory is on Sixth avenue, between
* Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth streets
Mr. Johnson has assistant in the factory,
while he spends part of his time at work
making the brooms and part of it sell
ing. He has also a wholesale trade. His
business has increased in three years from
10 dozen brooms a day to 25 dozen, and
he is planning to enlarge the scope of his
work. At present he makes four grades
of house brooms, varying in weight,
hearth brooms, long handled wall brooms
and two kinds of warehouse brooms.
These are made of split straw and are
bound with wire. They are used on the
streets, in warehouses and for other
heavy work. Mr. Johnson plans to add
floor mops and feather dusters.
He spends almost all of his time in
making and selling brooms. He is inter
ested in all work connected with the
blind, and is posted on current matters
of their activities as well as other general
matters.
According to Mr. Johnson, there are 327
blind men in Alabama. There are 100
In Greater Birmingham. Of the latter,
some are children who attend the Talla
dega Institute during the school term and
arc In Birmingham only for the summer.
The others, about 25 men and women, are
members of the Birmingham Association
for the Blind. The association has two
main objects One Is to act as an intelli
gence bureau and to exchange information
regarding employment for the members,
and the other is to maintain the library
for the blind.
This library now consists of 300 or 400
volumes in raised print, at the contral
library at the city hall. It belongs to
the Birmingham association, but its cir
culation is not restricted to the city. Any
blind person in Alabama may secure these
books, having them sent by mail or par
cel post and returning them ip the same
way. The books in raised fyiie are so
expensive that comparatively few are
owned individually, while the library cir
culating through the state gives ail the
blind people an opportunity to read scores
of books.
The success of this library has been due
largely to Mrs. Going, formerly Miss Ger
trude Jones of Avondale, who has worked
earnestly to establish and maintain it.
Further assistance has been from the
Society of the blind, a local organization
of persons co-operating with the associa
tion of the blind.
Books for the blind, said Mr. Johnson,
are printed in Boston and in Louisville.
These are the largest establishments in
America printing in raised type. The
Louisville company is owned by the gov
ernment. Two magazines are printed and
sent free to the blind all over the United
6tates. One of these is the Matilda Zelg
ler magazine, financed by Mrs. Zeigler
of New York. The other is the Christian
Record, published in Nebraska.
Reading and music are two of the chief
pleasures of the blind, as most all other
Occupations require sight. Mr. Johnson
■aid with a smile that there is an erro
neous idea that those who are blind in
variably have musi -al talent, and he add
ed that their being musicians Is due
rather to the fact that all blind persons
are required to study music and that
those who show talent usually develop it
as much as possible.
The local association plans to take up
the study of the blind throughout the
United States and to learn of their activi
ties in other cities and country districts.
Mr. Johnson is interested in all work
of this wind, and is well posted on mat
«•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••■••••••••••••••••••■•
ters relating to the blind: but hig great
est interest is in his factory. It is a
remarkable achievement for a man with
out eight. In three years he has built
up a trade that demands an increasing
output. Under his skilled hands and with
his good management it has become a
paying business. It occupies his hands
and mind, and It is proof of what can
be accomplished under adverse circum
stances.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.
Stock Peas
Reduced Price
$1.50 ,
Per Bushel
Clays and Whippoorwills
W. S. BROWN
MERC. CO.
wi\rceMi(ir»—\o( Luxurlcn"
Second Ave. j
J
la Ordering <>ooda 2'lrme Mention
TliE AGE-HERALO
I _
GRAVE AND GAY BEFORE
_BIRMINGHAM’S RECORDER
By KM.IS C. HOLI.OIS
Judge Davis assessed the minimum
fine against an Italian woman yester
day morning for having more than the\
lawful amount of red “lieker” on her
premises. While the aforesaid liquid
refreshment was not in plain sight, the
arresting officers, after three hours'
hard work, discovered the intoxicants
under a patch of beans in the garden.
An interpreter spoke for the woman,
who could not speak English. He said
that her husband had purchased the
liquor before the prohibition law’s be
came effective July 1. He was informed
that it would he unlawful for him to
have such a large quantity on hand
and. not knowing what to do with it,
buried it, and planted beans over it.
The officers in their testimony said
they had had complaint to the effect
that there was a violation of the pro-1
Yiibition law’s on the part of the woman
and made an investigation. They found
only four bottles of beer in the house,
but walked out to the back yard and
discovered that the earth had but re
cently been disturbed.
On a long chance, they secured pick
and shovel, and for three long hours (
under a broiling sun they labored
faithfully. Their labors were liberally
rewarded, for they discovered many
bottles of beer and many quarts of
whisky. Therefore, the woman whs ar
rested. The fine was paid.
The officers were commended for
their faithfulness to duty in doing:
manual labor to apprehend a violator
of the law.
Three young negro boys faced Judge
Davis yesterday morning on a charge
of having borrowed a wagon without
the owner’s permission, and of having
driven a mule considerably more than
was good for it. They were very
much frightened and‘gave every evi
dence of wishing they were in some lo
cality far removed from police court.
The evidence showed that the owner
of the wagon, who was an ice cream
vender, had been employing one of
the boys to watch his horse while he
sold his wares at the baseball park.
It showed, too, that he had at one time
given the boy permission to drive the
mule to the city. After much wrang
ling, during which the negro hoys' e> c.s
grew larger and larger with fear of
what would happen to them, the owner
of the wagon withdrew the charge, and
they were permitted to leave.
The hoys did not say a word, but
their actions in leaving the courtroom
Indicated how glad they were to es
cape.
CHURCH NOTICES
The Rev. Dwight S. Bayley, pastor,
will occupy the pulpit this morning at
11 o’clock at the Pilgrim Congrega
tional church. He also will preach tills
afternoon at 5 o’clock *at the vesper
services. The subject of his sermon
in the morning will be, "The Triumph
ant Spirit,” and that of the evening,
"The Inward Imperative.” Sunday
school begins at 9:30 o'clock.
At the Fifty-seventh Street Chris
tian church In Woodlawn. the Rev.
Harold E. Dickins, pastor, will preach
this morning at 11 o'clock on the sub
ject, "A Disciple of Christ." The even
ing service at 8 o’clock will consist of
recitations, etc., by the children. Sun
day school begins at 9:30.
At the Southside Baptist church this
morning Dr. Preston Blake, pastor, will
preach on the subject, "Jesus aR Host."
He also will preach tonight, his sub
ject being, "Paul, the Messenger Who
Carried the Good News to Our An
cestors.” The sermon tonight will be
illustrated with stereopticon pictures
as will all Sunday night sermons
henceforth. Sunday school begins at
9:30. B. Y. P. U. meets at 7 p. m.:
prayer meeting Wednesday evening at
8 o’clock; workers’ meeting Friday at
6:30 p. m.
The Rev. S. T. Slaton, pastor, will
occupy the pulpit this morning and
this evening at the Norwood Melh
odist church. His subject for the
morning will be. ‘‘The Worthy Work
of a Worthy Man;” and that for the
evening, "The Transfiguration." The
choir has prepared special music for
tne morning service. Sunday school
begins at 9:30 a. m. Junior Epworth
League meets this afternoon at 2:30
o’clock; Senior League meets at 7 p. i
m.; Woman's Missionary society meets
Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock.
The Brotherhood class of the West
End Methodist church will give a serv
ice of pong tonight at 8 o’clock, ren
dering the following programme:
Organ voluntary, 'Mrs. F. O. Croy.
Solo, Mr. David U. Williams.
Prayer.
Hymn Diadem, male chorus.
Quartet. Mrs. W. K. Slack. Mr. Da
vid U. Williams, Mr. John Wright, and
Joseph Slack.
Solo, Mr. W. K. Slack.
Hymn, male chorus.
Quartet. Mr. W. K. Slack. Mr. Da
vid U. Williams, Mr. John Wright and
Joseph Slack.
Address, by chairman of music com
mittee. Mr. J. S. Lee.
Collection.
Duett. Mr. Walter K. Slack and Mr.
David T_T. Williams
Duet, solo and quartet. Mr W K
Slack, Mr. David I'. Williams, Mr. John
Wright and Joseph Slack.
Hymn, male chorus.
Solo. Mr. John Wright.
Hymn, congregation.
Benediction.
The Episcopal mission of North Bir
mingham will have Sunday school and
church services this afternoon at I
o'clock at the residence of .Tames 1\
Carpenter. Jr. 322i Twenty-seventh
street. The Rev. Carl Henckell. mis
sionary, will conduct the services.
The Rev. William E. Lockler, pastor,
will preach this morning at 11 o'clock
and tonight at 8 o’* lock at the PaoKer
Memorial Baptist church in Avondale.
His subject in the morning will be.
"Why Have Family Worship?" and
that or the evening, "Seekers After
God." Pledge cards will be circulated
after both services with the end ii.
view of forming a "Home Altar Circle"
in the church neighborhood. Prayer
meeting Tuesday evening at 7: JO
o’clock; workers’ meeting Friday even
ing at 7:30; Sunday school begins this
morning at 9:30 o'clock.
JACKSON, MISS.
Secretary of Parliamentary Board of
Trustees Discusses Report of County
Grand Jury
Jackson. Miss., July 10.—('Special.)—J. J.
Coman, secretary of the penitentiary
board of trustees and trustee of the state
charity hospital, was asked today if the
conditions at that institution were as bad
as the Hinds county grand jury had rep
resented in their report to the circuit
court, and stated that in some respects
they are, while in others they are not.
“I will admit,” said Mr. Coman, ‘that
the premises, the wards and tne operat
ing rooms have not been kept as clean all
the time as they should be, but there are
some mitigating circumstances that
should be taken into consideration. I have
made it a rule to visit and inspect the
hospital at frequent intervals, and I have
called attention to the insanitary condi
tions. They are a great deal better now’
than when the grand jury visited the
institution. The conditions oomplained of
by the grand jury were due partly to the
illness of Dr. Rogers, the superintendent,
recently operated on for appendicitis.
They are also chargeable to the over
crowded condition of the wards. We have
rooms and beds for 80 to 100 patients, but
we often have more than 125, and it has
been necessary to place many of them on
pallets on the hall floor®, and to even let
them sleep in chair®.”
”What about the charge that persons
able to pay for surgical or other treatment
are often admitted, to the exclusion of
paupers?” asked the reporter.
“That is also true,” replied Trustee Co
man. "But how are w*e help it? Pa
tients are sent there from all over the
state and before being accepted they are
required to sign a blank stating who they
are and that they are unable to pay for
the services expected. A great many have
thus imposed on the management, but the
superintendent did not know they were
able to pay their way until afterward.
It’s a shame, but what's to be done wMth
a woman who arrives at midnight and
asks for admission to the hospital and
swearing she is a pauper. We have no
way of telling, and she is admitted. That
has been done frequently.”
Diplomatic Documents Reprinted
London. June 5.—In the form of a blue
hook an inch thick, the British govern
ment has issued a collection of diplo
matic documents relating to the outbreak
of the war. It includes a reprint of the
British diplomatic correspondence, the
French Yellow book, the Russian Orange
book, the Belgian Gray book, the Servian
Blue book, the German White book, the
Austrian Red book. These are supple
mented by a series of subsequent docu
ments. including the telegrams exchanged
between King George, the German Em
peror and the Emperor of Russia prior
j to the war. A million copies of the re
port of Lord Bryce's commission on Ger- •
man atrocities are to be printed for freej
house-to-house distribution in all parts
of Great Britain.
Emergency Munition Workers
Hull, England, June o.—A flying squad
| ron of munition workers .to be known as
the “King's Squad,” is being organized
here. It will contain several thousand
expert mechanics, men hitherto engaged
in work for private corporations, who can
be moved quickly from shop to shop as
required ,to do emergency work.
'mm SLAYER
IS SHOTTO DEATH
Attempted to Shoot Special
Agent With Pistol of
Dead Watchman
Charlie Mitchell, the negro who
killed W. J. McLaney, day watchman
of the Louisville and Nashville yards
at Boyles last Wednesday, was shot
and Instantly killed at Boyles yester
day by M. C. Blackmon, a special agent
of the railroad. Blackmon was attempt-1
ing to put the negro under arrest.
The special agent received informa
tion to the effect that the negro Mitch
ell had boasted that he killed Mr. Mc
Laney and was going to kill J. M. Nel
son on pay day and loot his body. To
show th; negroes to whom he was
talking that he was responsible for
the death of Mr. McLaney the negro
produced the revolver of the dead
watchman.
Acting upon the information fur
nished him, Blackmon found the ne
gro and told him to consider himself
Linder arrest. Instead of submitting to
the arrest and going with the officer,
the man pulled the stolen weapon of
the dead watchman out of his bosom
and attempted to shoot the officer.
Blackmon was too quick for him and
shot him to death before he could firo.
Coroner Spain held that the killing
of the negro was justifiable. C. G.
Roper, the man who was being held
on the charge of complicity in the
death of McLaney, was released yester
day afternoon by Coroner Spain.
— . —-- I
KING OF YPRES HAD
ONLY A BRIEF REIGN
Dunkirk. France, June 5.—The story of
the British private who made himself
King of Ypres after the first bombard
ment of that city last November, is be
ing told at British headquarters.
When Ypres was hombarded in Novem
ber the British withdrew their troops from
the town, but did not remove the civil
population. There was one British pri
vate who did not leave with the rest,
for he was asleep in a cellar. Next morn
ing he awoke to find Ypres without any
authority, and not liking that condition
of affairs, he sot about governing it him
self.
He kept the citizens under an iron dis
cipline. bad looters shot at sight, and
though himself inclined to the bottle, pre
vented drunkenness in others.
The inhabitants cplled him the King
of Ypres, but his kingship lasted only
for a week. He was arrested by a Brit
ish officer and sent before a courtmartiaJ.
The courtmartlal duly tried him. found
that his efforts in the cause of order
had been good, and forgave him for his
other delinquencies.
Planning for Harvest
Berlin. June 5.—The German agricul
tural council, a semi-official organiza
tion of farmers, has been meeting in I
Berlin to consider war plans for the
harvest year 1916-lft. Resolutions were
passed declaring that the continuance
of the economic and agricultural meas
ures adopted during the past nine months
will enable Germany easily to face the
fture, no matter bow long the war may
last.
Shoemakers Increase Prices
Hamburg. June 5.—For the second time
since the beginning of the war the shoe!
and leather dealers of Hamburg, Altoona
and vicinity have announced an increase
in the price not only of shoes but of
repairing footwear. The first raise came
in December. Leather, however, has so!
increased in price since then that deal-:
ers claim to be unable to operate at any |
profit at all unless they charge still more.
War Indemnities Provided For
Paris, June 5.—Premier Viviani has in
troduced in the Chamber of Deputies a
law establishing the principle of full in
demnities for losses sustained by French
citizens to roal estate and personal prop
erty caused directly by the war. The
loss must be traceable to military oc
cupation of territory, attack or defense,
and the indemnity must be employed in
the restoration of the property damaged
or destroyed. Another law will be in
troduced later on fixing the conditions
of indemnities to communes, municipali
ties, departments and public institutions.
In Introducing this law the government
declares its purpose to reject the idea
of "relief" and base all payments on
the right of the victims of war to in
demnities.
Real Censorship in Russia
Berlin. June 6.—The strictness of the
Russian censor is indicated in a dispatch
from Copenhagen, which gives statistics
for the year 1914, showing how many Rus
sian newspapers and how many issues
were suppressed, temporarily or perma
nently. The figures show that the censor
proceeded against and prevented the pub
lication of 4© issues of periodical papers,
and 230 nonperiodipals. In 96 cases of
periodicals the prohibition was only tem
porary, and in 24 cases of nonperiodicals.
As a result of the activities of the censor
in proceeding wjth considerable regular
ity against periodicals that persisted in
printing undesirable material, 44 news
papers went out of business during the
war.
Price of Uniform
London, June R.—The price of a sol
dier's khaki uniform before the war was
$10.97, according to figures made public
during the latest session of Parliament.
At present the cost is about $2.60 more.
HANN’S
SHOE SALE
25 to 30 People Employed for the Purpose
Two Stores lilt Third Ave.
Stores do not connect, but signs tell you which is which—
one contains the ladies’ and children’s stock and the other is
devoted entirely to men’s and boys’.
When we say prices are nearly one-half of what they are
plainly marked as originally sold, and some even less than
that, we aim to tell the truth.
We would suggest that those who can, and especially if par
ticular, to come other days than Monday and Saturday, and
we axe less busy in the early morning hours.
We have 25 to 30 people to do your bidding, and if you do
no more than take a look, you will be surprised at the good
things there are to be had.
Remember, you take no risk whatever in buying of us, for
should you find after looking them over at home that they are
not to your liking, we want you to return them, as it is our
desire to please you either in another pair, or for you to have
your money back to do with as you choose. We do not, how
ever, expect in this for shoes to be worn and then returned,
which is a little further than we care to go.
HANN
THE SHOE MAN
1824-1826 3d AVE.
We Will Give Yin
r i| 'DHMUHIHII— || ■ ■.I.UMLJ1II1, J„.,i ULJ——mWU.iiUlit.JLIl—..W^—ULLm_
For something you don’t want
That you would be better off without
That causes unnecessary work for you
That causes unnecessary expense
Of course you have guessed that we refer t6 the antiquat
j | ed coal range in your kitchen. •
j With every gas range we sell DURING JULY, we will
allow a credit of $3 if an order to remove the coal range is I j
given at the same time.
!ij > \ i j 1 ft
There is no charge for removing the coal range.
We know that eventually you will get rid of the coal
! range, but we would rather have you get rid of it now j
than later. Hence the three bucks/
Gas is the cheapest as well as the best kitchen fuel. J
What about hot water and heating the kitchen? ;
We knew you were thinking about that. There’s a way.
Ask us.
B. R, l7&~P. CO.
P. S.—Easy Terms MAIN 3705