Birmingham state herald., 1896-06-07

in charge, and bouquets will be dlstTib- uted to the sick and afflicted in hospitals and homes. Tue jail and prison will al- so be visited and the messages of peace and hope will be given to those so often fofRotten, 2. ~s.ag F 70
 On June 16 an anniversary meeting of the flower mission departfnent of the Woman's Christian Temperance union will be held at the residence of Mrs. Me Elroy Woodlawn, sister of the founder of this beautiful custom, Miss Jennie Cassaday, known and loved all over the world as the flower mission saint. The meeting will be held in the afternoon. A fine programme is in prepara tion, and all who are interested are invited to att tend. It is hoped that enough will go to have special car on the East Lake line. Flowers for the 9th may be sent to 2100 Seventh avenue.
 MT. J. Morton Boyce will give his fare we'll recital at the Church of the Advent on Monday evening, June 8, at o'clock.
 The following young ladies will spend the commencement season at Tuskaloo- sa: Misses Mollie Jordan, Sara Martin, Katie Morrow, Lucy Hagood, Jamie Me- Lester Daisy Lewis, Mary Virginia Graves, Anna Morrow, Willie Morrow, Laura Ferguson, Jamie VanHoose and Florrie Graves.
 
 A few days ago many of the young friends of Miss Carrie Cobbs, only daughter of MT. and Mrs. J. B. Cobbs, received the following pretty invitation: Miss Carrie Cobbs, at home, Saturday afternoon, June 6, to 7.' Yesterday, the 6, was the 18th birthday of Miss Car re and it was in honor of this event that she entertained her Ettle friends.
 Miss Fannie May Burgamy is now at Auburn visiting the family of MT. Charles Gachet.
 Miss Jamie McAnaIly of Huntsville is the guest of Miss Louise Patton, at her home, 716 Eighteenth street.
 Miss Leta Stakely of Washington, vocal teacher in the Judson institute al Marion, is visiting Mrs. s. M. Burgamy South Highlands.
 The Centreville (Mich) Observer pub lished during the early part of this-year a series of letters from the south written by Mrs. Samuel Thomas, wife of Colonel Thomas, who owns Thomas furnace, near Birmingham, and who is interested in the material development of our sec tion. While Col. and Mrs. Samuel Thomas are residents of Pennsylvania, they spend much of their time at their furnace, near our city, and are there at present. The letters written by Mrs. Thomas were published in pamphlet form by the Ob- server without the knowledge and con sent of Mrs. Thomas, and one of these pamphlets has fallen Into my hands, also without her knowledge and consent. These letters are written in the brightest, crispest freshest style, consequently are especially charming and interesting. They show a keen appreciation of the many peculiar conditions that pertain to the south at this time, and give evidence of close observation and investigation, those characteristics which usually be- long to the description of scenes and in- cidents written by an alert, gifted woman. The details are accurately given and the side lights are vividly described. Several of Mrs. Thomas letters are writ ten from this section, and so enjoyable are they that l give one which describes Birmingham, feeling assured it will be pleasant reading Mrs. Thomas says: The ambitious sponsors of this new born prodigy christened it Birmingham, in emulation of a great, black, busy, dusty, smoky, noisy English manufactur- ing center-and 1t bids fair to rival and equal it's famous namesake in these pecularities, as well as teristics. . The English Birming- ham, old, steady and settled owned and worked by Britishers exclusively, is dull and monotonous, to say the least. About Alabamas Birmingham still fingers the suspense of uncertainty and the excite ment natural to new ventures. It Is city of contracts, and rich in that Varle- ty which Is the spice of life. It is a sort of modern Babel for tongues, represent ing many nationalities, attracted here by hope of gain and allured by greed of gold Jew and Gentle, bond and free, as it were, trying their chances with fickle Dame Fortune.
 Our own United States has contribut- ed large quota of engineers, civil, min ing and others, surveyors, druggists, chemists, doctors, preachers, teachers, professors, lawyers, mechanics, land, life and insurance agents, operators and elec- tricians, mostly young men in the prime of life, full of strength, ambition and en- ergy. Germany and Austria are repre- sented in numerous and extensive cloth- ing and dry goods establishments, which would be a credit to any city. An Italian owns the largest restaurant in town. You buy your Schweizer-kase of na- tive Swiss, and gentleman from Neu- chatel, in correct white tie and Prince Albert, repairs your watch and cleans your jewelry, while you go around the corner to buy seedless oranges of a coun- tryman of Socrates. There are Welsh men here and Japanese, sons of Erin and Chinese, thousands of negroes of every shade, Scotch and English, Danes and Swedes, Norwegians, offering rare op- portunity for International phySiog nomical study. Follow these long streets and broad avenues, with eyes and ears wide open; did the stage ever offer more
 
 ried? Business is the name of the en- crossing game which is being played, with money as final result Each man uses every effort and strains every nerve to be heard, seen and known. Not satis- fled with most tempting and elaborate displays in all show windows the mer- chants have resorted to all sorts of tricks to attract attention and gain customers. On closed doors the words "Open," "Come In" Push" Pull" .'Welcome" etc., appear in glaring letters, or when open, the proprietor or some clerk stands in view ready to do the honors of the place and dispose of his speciality. Some of the more pretentious stores have lit- tie automatic figures lowing and grin ming at every customer or arrangements by which continual tapping against the window is kept up, umbrellas revolving. machines operating and endless contriv- ances calculated to attract attention and tempt the passer-by. To advertise brilliantly and attractively is one of the conditions of success with the unsophis- ticated and often ignorant class of GUS tnn fn,