The age-herald., 1898-12-16
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

'1 have today made final arrangements | for the settling of the first colony of Bo- 1 hemians that ever came to Alabama" said | P. Sid Jones. of the Louisville and Nash vile railroad. ''The head of the colony is
 a man named Stephans, strong man who relies upon his own judgment, and who will make a good citizen. He brings with 1 him a dozen families of Bohemians, and they are going to settle on beautiful tract | of land on our line between Birmingham | and Calera. I am not going to tell you
 the exact locality for that is at the moment not advisable; but the colony is coming and
 l can safely promise you that they will 1 build up one of the most fiourishing com | munities in Alabama They are workers l the Bohemians are, and amongst the most l thrifty of all the continental races of Eu- rope They are equal to the Germans, al- l most as thrifty as the Scotch and we can | not get too many of them in Alabama. Our l colonists come to us from Clarendon, Ne l braska, and we expect their numbers to l grow constantly. MT. Stephans has been all 1 over the south and he prefers this section | above all others he has seen. It is his | purpose to engage in farming and vegetable l and fruitgrowing chiefly, and out of these | will spring small but profitable industries, l such canning factories and the making l of wine These will lead to other good l things and the coming of other Bohemians. "The colony of Swedes at Thorsby is in very prosperous condition Out of a wilder ness they have created town of $50 in- habltants, with fields. vineyards, gardens and orchards, and are doing well. They | have canning factory and it is doing well. | T,,l ic al ceedingly well, and the people there are going largerly into the fruit and vegetable canning business, greatly to their own profit"
 "Bohemia is one of the most romantically beautiful countries in the world," observed traveller as Captain Jones concluded "and | it's people are remarkable for their thrift and love of cleanliness and the picturesque. To an American it is almost a dreamland. The wondrous blue hills and mountains, the sunny valleys, the vine-clad slopes, the fields of waving grain, the rich orchards pastruse, and the charming native CO.'S costumes. all go to make up a land of delight. It is one of the oldest of civilized communities, and that fact, combined with it's natural charms, has made it's popua- tion overcrowded. Hence thousands of Bo- hemians find their way to the United States, like people of all other lands desiring to better their material condition.
 Prague, the capital of Bohemia, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a sort of continental type of Edin- burgh, but is even older town than the famous capital of Scotland. The venerable Austrian emperor, whose beloved empress was murdered by an anarchist at Geneva a few months ago, has a splendid palace at Prague. The emperor is king of Bo- hemia, as well as of Hungary. Another de- lightful town of Bohemia is Pilsen, famous to the world for its beer, which is known as 'Pilsener' This beer is the most ex- pensive brewed in any country, the quail ity being the highest and the quantity lim- ited by design by the brewers. Even in Germany, large glass of 'Pilsener' sells for twelve cents. That reminds me of a consul who made a journey in Bohemia, and fell sick in low green valley-but that is another story"
 The Rev. J. H. Lowery, the colored man, wno has for so many years run a silk farm in Shades valley, within four miles of Bir-
 mingham, and who is so widely known for
 
 feeting arrangements for taking a large supply of cocoons to the Paris exposition
 of 1900 ,and there making silk handker- chiefs and other articles for all persons in
 cined to purchase. One can well imagine
 that there will be in that worlds great
 fair no really greater novelty than the Rev.
 Lowery's stall. An Alabama darkey man.
 ufacturing silk from Alabama cocoons in
 tha ifa1 of u-i1l hall ba
 friendly consideration of the world. It may
 prove to be in effect challenge to Lyons
 itself for supremacy in the manufactured
 silks of commerce.
 "Rev. pr. Moses D. Hoge, the eminent
 Presbyterian divine, is lying near the point
 of death in his home at Richmond, va.,"
 said Virgnian last night. "Notwith-
 standing his advanced age-he is S0-Dr.
 Hoge was in excellent working condition
 until few weeks ago, when he was run
 down by an electric car while driving in his
 trap and badly injured. Several bones were
 broken, but great was his vitality that
 the doctors expressed strong hope of his
 recovery. The shock, however, was too
 much for him. He rallied sufficiently to be
 made Free Mason "at sight" by the
 grand master of Virginia, but ever since that ceremony he has been losing strength steadily and 1t is feared that his end is
 near. It is said that Dr. Hoge preached with as much power last fall as ever before. Indeen, many of his congregation pro-
 nounced his recent sermons as the finest he had ever delivered"
 Former Senator Inzer, of St. Clair was in the city yesterday. He is also Former Judge Inzer. There are twelve men proper ly given the title of judge in the little county town of Ashville. Judge Inzer Is
 amongst the best known and most honored
 of them all. Judge Jim Greene, of that same little town, himself known through out the political circles of the state, de-
 clares that Judge Inzer will be governor of