Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14

over-stepped the bounds of propriety, and the young man who has brutalized himself with drink and lasciviousness, or has scared his concience with dihon- esty. Then indeed would it be an honor to be in society.
 If should be asked what was the one thing lacking in Birminghams social life l should say that it was home hos pitality. Many of the young men have not seen the inside of a dozen homes in the city. The cordial invtatio.-, Come and take dinner with me-" is rarely heard. There are a number of elegant and commodious residences in the city that have never heard the laughter and mirth of a social gathering, and whose walls have never echoed with the cor dial greeting and bright repartee The owners of these homes, are wealthy and generally sociable, but it is not the GUS tom to keep open house, or there is trouble in getting servants, or there are so many places in public for the meeting of your friends that it does not seem necessary to them to open their doors.
 have observed that persons with some special gift gain the entree to the best circles sooner than those with no other recommendation than wealth. The gift of song is the open sesame to many in- ner sanctuaries. The woman with a sweet, well-trained voice, will get into society though she be a Nazarene. In man, wit, position, influence,are the po- tent spells that bring society to his feet. The law of compensation runs through society like strata of silver ore. To receive the rewards of social life you must be able to give something in re- turn. You must either spend money literally, add to the stock of witticisms, give 1t tone by your position in life, or at least give it your time. In busy place like Birmingham time is often the dearest commodity that could be sacri- feed to this eXacting Moloch Time from business means loss of money and prestige. But when a man once be- comes a popular society favorite he must devote himself to maintaining his position. He is like a top, if he stops spinning he will fall.
 I think the rewards of society are knowledge of human nature, easy bear ing ready wit. Its puniShments are: Vanity superficiality and love of decep- tion The one memorable law which so- ciety exacts of its devotees is to be po- lite, and you can't always be polite with out being deceptive. Politeness never wounds the feelings of others. When you failed to receive an invitation to a social gathering the hostess will tell you the next time she meets you that the invitation had been sent and must have miscarried. When you steal a kiss the young lady will tell you that it was the first time in her life she ever per mitted man to do such thing, when you Know rom the way Sn6 dCleQ lDdL she was accustomed to it. The young lady who has two lovers must use diplomacy that would put Bismarck to blush. She must make each one of them think that he is the coming man until the very day of her wedding. The young lady who successfully marries in Birmingham deserves the portfolio of foreign affairs for here the gallants jostle each other in the court of love, and Jealousy and strife and heart-burning are imminent and dangerous. The tendency of society is to make an earnest man somewhat cynical, for beneath all the show and glitter he sees many shams and shallows.'
 The church is an avenue to society. The young man who comes to Birming ham unknown joins his church, and his pastor introduces him to all his flock. These introduce him to their friends and his circle of acquaintance touches other circles as the waves from a handful of pebbles thrown in a pond met and mingle. The social feature of the church is now recognized, and all the most enterprising churches have kitch- ems and dining halls, socialS and sup pers, where the members can meet and get acquainted. The young man who gains admission to society through the church finds that godliness is not only profitable in the world to come, but also in this world.
 It is often said that Birmingham soci- ety is badly mixed. One cynical young