The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE


q. Clarke, of Mobile, who represented Ma
rengo county; John W. Inzer, of st. Clair;
United States Senator John I. Morgan,
and myself. The president of the conven-
ton was the late Judge Brooks, of Bir-
mingham; and William l.. Yancey was
there. But all the members are gone ex-
cept those mentioned, with the possible
exception of one Mr.. Walsh, Baptist
preacher. 1 am not quite sure that Walsh
still stoops to the things of this world
as Bulwer-Lytton makes Julie say of
Rlchilieu In that immortal play OF 'Richi-
lieu. It was long time ago, that con-
vention of secession in Montgomery, and
few of us who were delegates are left to
tell the werld-famous story. I'll not tell
you now of that conventions; some other
day you may ask me, and I shall tell you
what 1 remember. But we are thinned
out, the delegates to Alabama's secession
convention
Judge Coleman was an ante-bellum judge.
He is a gentleman of what we are fond
of calling the "old school," He, was a
judge in days when only gentlemen could
be judges. That is not saying that other
than gentlemen can be judges now; but is
melely 10 STATE u Ldct
In the old days every dollar that could
be collected was spent in the cause of
the failing eonfederacy, Judge Coleman de-
MED himself his salary, in order that the
money due him should be devoted to the
purchase of food and raiment for the sol
diers in the field. He acted as judge with
out pay; and many years afterwards the
legislature passed a bill to pay him for
his services. The governor vetoed it on
the ground that We could not bring up war
claims, and persisted the plan to give
Judge Coleman what he had earned. 1t is
not held that Judge Coleman was promot-
ing this bill; but friends of his commended
that he should be paid 1t Is interesting
to note that Judge Coleman's son, the
Hon. Phares Coleman, is now the reporter
of the supreme court of Alabama. Phares
Coleman and Richmond Pearson Hobson
were boys together in Greensboro, and
school-mates, and when Hobson was in
Montgomery the other day he was the
guest of Coleman at the latter's beautiful
home in upper Church street. Phares Cole
mans wife, the lovely Miss Petersen, of
Greensboro, was a playmate of Hobson
when both were little children. AS for
Judge Coleman, 1t may be said of him as
Oliver Wendell Holmes said of James Rus
sell Lowell, HE is seventy years young"
The judge is passed seventy, in point of
years, but he is younger than benson, of
the Fifth circuit, the youngest man In
years on the circuit bench.
Speaking of Hobson," said Hon. ]. A.
Van Hose, who entertained the naval hero
on the occasion of his visit to Birmingham
two weeks ago, "he writes me that the jol-
Hest and happiest evening he has spent
since he left Santiago was with the Hero
Club in this city. That was a very happy
evening for Hobson and he remembers 1t
gratefully. 1t was novel to him, novel to
US and he enjoyed 1t to the top of his bent
As you remember, he was as jolly and as
happy as a boy out of school, and he bears
with him on his long voyage to Manila the
most delightful recollections of his visit to
Birmingham"
II wish I was in Hobson's place." said a
listener. II see in The Age-Herald of this
morning that in given length of time he
kissed 26S women in Kansas City,"
but there are women whom one
shouldn't care to kiss observed the cynic
Just so; but one could always pass them
by, like President Cleveland used to shake
hands,"
'How's that?' demanded the seeker after
facts.
Cleveland had a way of getting ones
hand by the fingers and pulling one on to
join the passing throng. He did it SO
cleverly that one didn't realize what had
happened till the president was far out of
sight That's the way Hobson does the
business of kissing, l fancy. He draws by
him all women who haven't kissable
mouths; and that matter of kissable mouths
goes a long way in this life with men who
love to kiss lovely women. A man sees in
the street woman whom instinctively he
would like to kiss, but he cant do so, as a
matter of course. yet all day long he car
ries, with him the memory of beautiful lips
seen on the street, which he would have
loved to kiss. Talk about the fatal gift of
beauty the greatest gift nature ever gave
to woman is a kissable mouth"
go, to! Go tor exclaimed the man with
the briar-root pipe. somewhat irritably.
Then the man who talked of woman's
lips declared:
My only books were woman's looks,
And folly's all they've taught me-"
That put the drinks on him. and all the
sinners said -heyd take sugar in theirs,
durn their SOULS to quote the first of all
living American poets.
Joseph C. Manning, the young evangel
of Clay is in the city and is greatly.
pleased with the act of the legisIature pro-
viding for a constitutional convention Mr..
Manning has heretofore expressed his
views in letters to the editor of The Age
Herald. He further says:
Il do not believe that there is any hope
for the good government in Alabama that
ought to be except democrats, poplists and
all patriotic citizens meet this issue in
patriotic manner and rise above party in a
broad and well purposed constitutional con-
vention.
"Our democratic friends in the black belt,
with their strong party allies aver the state,