The age-herald., 1897-11-10

believes in civil service reform, so he says. He does net practice what he breaches He wants to go to the eenlate also. "Col." Abell. the son of his father who made the Baltimore Sunpaper. is also candidate. Since h.s father $ death "Col" Abel has been at ahe head of the Sun. The paper has always bcasted to be demoeTatlc while "Col.' Abell has bragged with equal enshuslas that he always votes the republican ticket. Fol7 the last ten years of his life he has baen seeking to dicbsile to the dsmocratic party of Maryland but all the time voting the straight republican ticket. Aben is a dude. He has his blood analysed every morning before breakfast. He thinks he is better than oth-r people. He poses as pure pIooded ariaiocrat. His father was an hSmest man. He began life as a printer at 1Es case. He made the Baltimore Sun gLcat paper and built up an im- mena;, fortune which the son es squan- deriEg with dispatch if not neatne-s. don't supposs Abt1l ever did a day s work in his life. His principal oecupa- ton is to look pretty aud brush his whis- kers. He knows absolutely nothing of politics but has an ambition to be boss. If he were not at the head of a newspa- per, he would not amount to much. Abel belongs to the 400 of Baltimor, and his money does the business for him.
 Speaking of aristocrats, reminds me that Birmingham has some people who claim to have aristocratic blood in their veins. may not knowzwhat constitutes aristocracy, but I do know 1t is not money. I have always supposed that genuine aristocracy was created more from responsibility than anything else. A mans occupation has something to do with it. I hear some of the so-oalled aristocrats of Birmingham used to be saloon keepers. Others have been in- dicted for crimes, yet they have money, and this makes them aristocratic. The aristocrat, so called because he has money, is usually tyIannich, snobbish and ignorant. Often dishonest them selves, they believe everybody else to be. Think that they can buy favors with money, and that all persons with less money than they have must look up to them. I have not much respect for modern aristocracy. It does not pro- duce anything, but gets living from extortions upon the poor. Birmingham however, is not the only town in this country with this class of aristocrats They are everywhere to be found in the United States.
 hear 'possum hunting parties are be- coming very popular now. Almost every night Red Mountain is fairly alive with young men and girls hunting the festive 'possum Of course the men in the par ty don't hunt the 'possums. They make the girls think they do, however. The truth Is, they carry along some colored boys to do the real hunting. The boys do the yelling and the girls do the laugh dng. Of course this is a society custom. Becoming epidemic in Birmingham. Pretty hard on the 'possums. Those who go out every night belong to the up- per circles. I hear the average society girl had rather eat 'possum than Huy- ler's candy. I have never eaten pos sum nor any part of one. I suppose it is lots of fun hunting possums with a lot of pretty girls in the woods at night Suppose 1t is pretty hard where they have to tramp over the mountain to get possums. Sometimes the hunters take basket of grub with them sometimes they don't. Hear the last party went out without half enough grub, whereupon the girls thought the treatment was very shabby They believed the boys should have been more liberal and pur- chased more to eat. The boys claimed that it was the duty of the girls to fur nish grub. Anyhow, there was great disappointment both during the 'possum hunt and afterwards. I'll bet the nsxt time they go possum hunting they will take a. wagon load if necessary Never be fooled again. I suppose society is ge etting a little reckless. After eating 'possup a few weeks I have no doubt society will become very liberal and be satisfied with hog