The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-23
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

| times the broad sidewalks were blocked by
the throng, and in the stores trade was
more brisk than it had been on any other
day of the season, and probably the general
volume of business was larger than it had
been on any other one day in many years.
Employees in the stores were hard-worked
| all day, and in some of the larger stores
thousands of customers were attended to.
In front Of many stores holiday goods were
displayed on tables, and otherwise, on side
walks; and in addition to these there were
numerous stands, chiefly for the sale of
| fireworks and toys, just off the sidewalks in
the street. All these did thriving and driv-
ing business. The display of fruit at the
/ many fruit-stands was Unprecedented as to
quantity and, in general, most excellent as
to quality. Conspicuous a feature of the
| holiday trade was the traffic in Christmas
trees Wagon loads of young cedars
! were disposed of, and many such trees were
shipped away by rail. In front of some of
| the cafes and restaurants were displayed
| piles of dressed turkeys; and with turkeys
the market seems to he beautifully supplied.
1.-THE prices of al-wool clothing are going
| to be much dearer next fall than they have
been for several years. said David NJ.
Scott, southern representative of Fleisher
! Bros, Philadelphia, one of the largest
| clothing manufacturing firms in the United
| States Good clothing has been so re-
markedly cheap that shoddy has been al
most driven out of the market. Prices have
been unreasonably low. Men have been en-
abled to purchase a suit of pure wool as low
as $3.50 each. The cloth that such suits are
made of is now worth sos, which would
leave but 1929 for the cost of making and
profit to dealers. That is, of course, alb
surd and impossible. To state the fact in
another way, all-wool cloth that sold this
year at So cents a yard will sell in 1900 for
$1e2 and goods that commanded but So
cents in 1859 will next year command sissy.
These figures are the most emphatic proof
of my statement that clothing with be very
much dearer. The great advance noted,
however, viii have little effect upon cloth
ing for next spring, orders for which are
being booked now by the manufacturers.
l am not to be understood as intimating
that there viii not be great abundance of
cheap ready-made clothing, and my re-
marks pertain altogether to the ready-made
clothing business; but l mean to say that
we are not to have any more excessively
low-priced all-wool clothing, nor shall we
have it again for at least five years to come,
if we ever have it again at all. Manufac-
turers will meet the demand for the lowest
priced goods by the free use of shoddy.
Cotton, asbestos, wood pulp, and other SUBJ
stitutes will have to be used. In this par
ticular, Peruvian cotton will be used very
largely. This cotton is of very long staple
and of fibre very closely resembling wool.
Really, it requires an expert to tell the
difference between wool and the cotton
from South America. Peruvian cotton does
not open in bolls like our American cotton,
but it natures in Independent sections, five
all in a cluster 1t is very durable; but it
isn't wool. Business? Oh, it is fine just
as good as we could possibly wish"
"Dave' Scott, as he is called by his in
Vulnerable friends, is one of the best known
and most generally liked commercial travel
lers in the United States and in his bust
| ness he is remarkably successful. Selma is
the place of his residence, and his family
reside there in a home that is bright and
| happy. He has long held an influential
| place in the estimation of the travelling
| men of the country, and most deservedly so,
| for no better-hearted, truer man than
| Dave" Scott travels "the road" or stays
at home. Mr.. Scotts father settled Scotts-
| VILE, in Bib county, and built a WOODEN
| factory and grist mill there. The factory
| was operated for the Confederate govern
| ment. 1t feel into ruin long ago; but the
| grist mill still grinds with the water that
| is passing. And "the mill never grinds with
| the water that is passed"
The newspaper men who reported the
prolonged proceedings of the Society of the
| Alumni and the board of trustees of the
| State University this week won the graft
| tude of the public, and assuredly they acre
entitled to word of commentator. The
reports sent to The Age-Herald, the Bir-
| mingham News, and the Montgomery Ad-
| vertiser were as nearly perfect as such re-
ports can be. The correspondents did
| vast amount of very burdensome work. 1t
| is related of Mr.. Johnston of the News that
| he sat up till o'clock in the morning copy
| ing the report of the investigating commit
| tee of the Society of the Alumni as submit
ted by Mr.. Bowie, and which was printed in
| full by The Age-Herald. The meeting of
| the trustees on Wednesday lasted eleven
| hours, and the correspondents were neces-
| sarily present and at work during that
| entire time. 1t was the most trying of all
work. and, regardless of fatigue and hun
| ger and loss of sleep, the reports sent to
| the several papers were without fault.
| Amos e. Goodihue, of Gadsden is in
town, attending the United States court.
Mr. Goodhue, who was very ill for many
| weeks in a New York hospital, is now
greatly improved in health. During the
| past fortnight he has made very notable
progress towards The recovery of lost
strength.
Erskine Ramsey leaves town this morn
ing for Mt. Pleasant, in Westmoreland
county, Pa, where ne will spend the holt
days.
Badly Sharpe, of Memphis, spent yester-
day in Birmingham.
~