Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-23
TREND OF THE TIMES.

it's place,
 Does but cucumber where it seems to
 enrich"
 Too much is often expected of the new ly fiedged graduate by overly ambitious parents. June is their harvest month, so to speak, yet many a June must come and go before their precious collection or love can well be expected to bear eI- fectual fruit.
 All parents view their children, each one in quite an individual way, while the world may look upon graduating class as a whole. See the lovely ma trons-lovely in character, as their phys ieal beauty may be of past date-hoW they view the commencement exercises with a pleasant, half-interested way but when a certain name is called there is quite little ripple of pleasure visible on the countenanee, and then there IS very significant little essay or recitation and perhaps a fully developed diploma any of which. there was never anytmnS just like it before to each mother. 10 love some one or something ot our very own naturally increases interest, and gives much satisfaction in this life of ours. I once heard an intelligent mother say when she went to school commence ment she always wished she had lot or bright faced boys and girls like the smartest she saw on the stage. Fate
 
 The number thirteen theory has at last been exploded, and even the most painstaking superstitious person now dares to toy with that formerly wicked number It is now considered the ex- treme of good luck to be numbered thirteen, anywhere or any way. Any article now bearing the number now acts as mascot to ward off evils. What an unraveling in literature there would De if the times should demand that the past and the present should go hand in hand. I believe we have no laws to compare to those of the Medes and Persians, put to the contrary our unwritten soclal laws are ever changing like the colors In the kaleidoscope. The nineteenth cen tury has illustrated that variety IS not only the spice of life. but life itself.
 As time rolls on the name of Abraham Lincoln gathers new laurels at each rev olution of the great wheel which brings another year. At the time Of ms deatn the southern papers naturally dld not have any great amount of love for nm, but as the ages pass they have opened their eyes to a new light and found hlm a good man, and they don't care TOT telling of the good good, thingS nsi1 1hn, bim energetic, kind, benevolent and sympa- thetic All the stories that are being told of him bear evidence of noble char acter. The papers and magazines poth north and south seem to vie Wlth eacll other as to who shall do him the greatest honor Napoleon and Washington nave been tossed before the literary pen until they have become exhausted, and the trend now points to Lincoln. He Knew all phases of life Born in poverty ana obseurity, he. by never eeaslng per sistence moved on and on men py men until he reached the top in official life. Then came the fatal blow that blighted out his active usefulness, but his deep thought and well disciplined actions are a record worthy to be initiated. MT. Lincoln believed in equal rights among the humblest class of poverty-str1cken people, and among children he was per fectly at home-always ready to hear their little opinions and troubles and ever stood ready to plead their cause. Summing it all up in a nut shell, MT. Lin coin was just man.
 Education and Christianity alone ele- vate men, and each step in that direc- tion makes smoother the path of woman. Inventions are often the result or educa- tion, for as a rule the uneducated are seldom deep thinkers, and good, prac- tical invention is ofttimes made by much thinking, ensures and more thinking.
 l noticed today in Scribners June an advertisement of the Kalamazoo bicycle attachment, which is kind of framed net work which opens and closes, and is to be fastened to the front of a b- cycle to carry baby. child from months to 6 years can sit comfortably in front of a -cyclist for long space of time. What a convenience for poor, tired mothers while she is doing up the morning work, looking over the paper or doing some bit of sewing that must be done to insure domestic peace and comfort or possibly having social chat with a neighbcr, while papa and baby are spinning away miles from home talk ing in the fresh air and the mother will reap rich benefit in rest and quiet.
 
 Magazine clubs are a blessing of the present decade. So much real social and mental pleasure can be derived from these little clubs. Yes, the women can circulate freely in them, for it is her regular home sphere. A really intelli- gent reading mother has telling effect on family of children. Some learned person has said: ",rell me the books you read. and 1 need no further intro duction to you."
 If expensive, a very effectual way to advertise a country is for it to go to war Japan, representing a little sting ing worm scope of country on the map, formerly comparatively unknown to the average reader today has been fully in- trcduced to the public's minds eye. We hlleW pIGNlOuS Io lnclT late war that they were called Japs and that they manufactured many pretty and useful articles which were used, among them their odd-shaped fans to keep us cool, and their lanterns to give us lights for festive occasions. and the children had picture books, with young Japs scamper- ing over their pages.
 The Japs are born dancers and musi- cians-no people possess their sylph-like movement in their native dances; they are noted for their great love and vener- ation for their aged people, and most especially their own kin.- Today we know them as an ambitious and pro- gressive people, as well adapted to the warpath as to dancing. Their recent fight with great big China did not call for man outside of their regular army. It has been said that China did not touch her forces to meet Japan, and it seems that Japan had a good deal of re- serve force had it been needed. Today Japan issues vast number of daily pa pers and magazines, treating the lead ing topics of the day. Her public schools are the pride of her people, They have compulsory education, hence illiteracy is at low ebb among them. Their superior m a md al