The age-herald., 1897-10-10
MATT MINOR
 DOES SOME KICKING

| Quite a rivalry betweem the North f and South Highlands. Both fashionable i neighborfloods- Which is the most fash fonable. is the question that agatates a great many people. When came 10 Bir- mingham I was advised ito go ito the Highlands, because that's where the swell set live. looked toward the Month. was told that was not the direction. That must look to the South High lands. The person doing this talking was South Highlander. Next day met a North Highlander. Wanted to know where I was living. Told Ihirn I had been advised to go ito the South Highlands. He said that would not do. If I went to the South Highlands would not be in dne swell set Told 1ldm was not Charnlting for swell set, but was on the lookout for a pleasant place to stop. Told him what the South Highland man had said. He replied by saying thc South Highlander was jealous. The South Highland man said there were twenty handsome residence there to where there was one on the North High lands. I had no idea so much rivalry could prevail in so small a town have heard it said that g. North Highlander don't want ito associate with a South Highlander. Tt is especially the case among the ladies. Then, too. they want to run church influences into the contest. Friends of athe Church of the Advent seem arrayed against the parfshioners of Dr. F'ItzsImmons of St. Mary,s church. Friends of both churches claim the most aniztccratic circle. War seemed to be gdng on hot and furious. Got mixed up. Didnit know where to seek shelter. Made up my mind that both sections were "romancing." Romancing in this sense means telling things tlhat are not exactly true Thought I would take a gamblers chance. Tossed a quarter in the air and if it came heads it meant North High lands. uf, it came taGls, South Highlands Tails won. The North Highlander won't speak ito me now.
 
 took occasion few days ago to say something i'm this column about gossip dng men in the city of Birmingham. Have notIhng to take back. In fact I might add a good deal more ito ia They not only gossip about each other, but they gossip about women, and in a way not at all creditable to those doing the talking I itihtInk a. man who assaults the reputa- tion of an innocent woman ought to be hung. GIe is the enemy of mankind and disgrace to the comunity in which he Ewes. Women may gossip about men, and about each other but it is nos the province of a man to gossip about wo- men. The man who does 1t is a. scoun- drel.
 did not come to Birmingham for the purpose of instituting reforms. There is an opportunity for them here in g. great many cases. I would like to say word to the brainless young idiots, who call themselves real men, and who stand in front of churches on Sun day and ogle women as they pass out. This is the lowest-bred act that man can be guilty of committing. It denotes depravity. It shows that the men who do it have neither respect for themselves nor their mothers or sisters. And I could name fifty young men in this town who are known to do this every Sunday they attend church. Their names have been furnished but to use them would be dig nifying them, and men who would do things of this kind should not have their names printed in a respectable newspa- per. They should be driven out of a community. I do not see why the preachers do not attempt to break it up. Let some minister preach red-hot ser man about it and name the scoundrels who do it, and I will venture that it will be broken up very quickly.
 went to the opera house the other night. Pretty bad show. Had seen it many times before in New York. Never was very much, anyhow. Yet 1t is pleasing to the public, I suppose. I did not start out with the intention of roast ing the show. That's gone. And be- sides it would do no good. But I want to take fall out of the management of the opera house. The noise in the gall lery on the night I speak of was dis graceful The screeching and cat-call- ing of the gallery gods was sufficient to drive great many people away From the place. I heard lots of complaints about it from those who had paid for seats on the lower floor. So long as people pay money to support an enter prise believe they are entitled to some consideration. If the screechng and yelling in the gallery cannot be stopped I dare say there will be many first class seats vacant. It would be more profita- ble to close the gallery entirely. That would keep out the noise and place more money in the lower part of the house. It's no use to say it can't be stopped. It can. Other towns have many rough gal lery gods, but they are. not allowed to deport themselves in such a manner as to become a nuisance to other people. A police officer may be stationed in the gallery, but if he is he don't do his duty. Let the management of the house make a rule that the first person mak- ing such hideous yells be thrown out of the house. By having a few of them treated in this manner 1t will be the