The age-herald., 1899-11-05
THOUSAND HOMES
 BEING ERECTED Birmingham District the Prom iSed Land of Today. HUNDREDS OF ADVANTAGES Next Years Census Will Show Jefferson to be Most Populous County in the South, New Orleans Alone
 Excepted.
HUNDREDS OF ADVANTAGES

hCeuiHS upOu tie pOSOIH Ol d ldlI valley laughing in the embrace of the mountais that are drowned with splendid primeval forest, rejoicing in great peace and great plenty, and glad in the promise of greater things, Birmingham, conscious of its own beauty and strength and power and destiny, receives the commendat ton and the tribute of the nation and the na- tions.
 The place of happiest homes, 1t is the fountain of commerce, the balm health of the world. Here is the abundance of the good things that go to make up the vast sum of the plenty, and here sounds loud the voice of the earth's progress. Here murmurs the soft song of happy places, and here arises the shout of trades brazen throat.
 Above the college and the mansion passes he breath of great industry, a pillar of plen- teous bland by day, pillar of plenteous light through the night The rattle and the roar of great wheels which fill the cottage with abundance piles upon the mansions richness; and in and above all Is prosperous contentment
 Upon the one side towers the factory's steeple; upon tine other the church's spire the one a monument to the comforts of this world; the other pointing the way of another promise. The faith from the one fingers about the other and hath risen in the radiance of all things to be desired by the tribes of the valley and the mountain.
 A thousand houses that will be homes are now being buflded Tn Birmingham. The tools of the builder make music every where; music meanful of many things in the cause of human comfort and the moralties of men. At the base of the most beautiful of tree-clothed mountains and in the valleys far stretches are rising h0npC 1tynt ant md good, full fruition of the promise fur nished forth by the homes of last eventde.
 Here Is well nigh everything desirable in place of homes. The climate is incompar- able; whether when buds hurgeon and bloom., when summer comes with won- drous light when autumn rolls in ripened beauty, or winter weaves the marvellous ma gic of it's spell! All the necessities Of community of advanced development and civilization have been provided by lavish wealth Here are the best schools in the country, and the best school houses: the handsomest and most comfortable churches, the best paved and best drained streets. Schools, churches, and abiding places of be- nevolence are here in all plentifulness, and upon these are based all the good attain ments of humanity. Art and music have claimed this as their abode.
 If all these things fail to make a place good to dwell in, then progress may rest.
 To the vast mass of mankind there can come no peace. or comfort, no plenty, no virtue no good of any sort without labor. And the reason that Birmingham is a blessed place of beautiful and contented homes Is that it is a blessed place of trade, commerce manufac cures, and the very heart of the greatest industrial ac- tivity now known upon this continent Just outside the city is the beginning of -four miles and a half of the greatest productive industry now in the world" according the na1r cfa ant of of ha host In America, competent to express a trust worthy opinion regarding the matter. cargo of Birmingham product was shipped from Mobile for Melborne, Australia. More than two hundred thousand tons of the Bir- mingham district products have been shipped to foreign countries during the past year. To have created this required an enormous amount of well paid labor. The money received by the labor was spent here foreign lands. Note shall also be taken of immense industries that ship nothing to foreign lands Not shall also be taken of the great trade of the city. The jobbing trade alone in machinery and the like far this year Is nearly three millions of dollars. The census next year will show Jefferson county, of which Birmingham is the center to be the most populous county in tine south, New Orleans alone excepted: and all this great population is at work. There are no idle men here, and all work for good pay. A certain H-year-old boy here Is earning by his own hand $11 week. He labors hard, but labors profftably. The point that all these things contribute to make Birmingham one of the most pro- fitable places for business, if not quite the most profitable, Tn this or any other scoun- try.
 Added to these facts is that Birmingham's railroad facilities are unsurpassed The railroad tonnage of Birmingham is about fifth amongst the cities of the United States.
 Thus it will easily be seen that business in Birmingham is in the highest degree de- srable.
 What is here said about the advantages of Birmingham as place of residence and place of business Is largely applicable to the Birmingham district. Unbountabe wealth lies here dormant and there are thousands of opportunities for profitable investment. If man wishes to engage in the mining or manufacturing business, or farming, there is a world here waiting to receive him. Hundreds of bold, never failing streams water the valleys of the district. Thousands of square miles of hardwoods rest above thousands of square miles of iron and coal Thousands of square miles of smiling land await only to be tickled by the blow to laugh in rich harvests
 Mountain valley. gentle hills, and hosky dens health and thousand attractions these go to make the Birmingham district the Promised Land of today and of the years.