The age-herald., 1900-12-08
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

Beware of sickness keep thy health in order; in thy business thou wilt have a quiet year; the young will court"
 "A child born on this day will have a quiet life; it will be obliging and good tempered but not fortunate; if female rather lucky in marriage
 Astrologer Raphael's prophecies for Sun day, December 9, 1900: <
 "Visit thy friends"
 Many annoyances will crop up in thy business, and thou will quarrel and change thy business or abode, but avoid it if possi- ble; it will be best to remain as you are"
 Young women will be courted.'
 "A child born on this day will be sharp and actve,sbut not fortunate in business or employ; if a female she will marry we'll and be harpy."
 December being the festival of the Inn maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin "a feast of obligation when all Catholics are enjoined to hear mass-there will be high mass at St. Pauls Church at o'clock this morning. A low mass will be said at G:30 clock as usual. The dogma of the Inn maculate Conception Is perhaps more gen. erally misunderstood by non-Catholics than any other dogma in the church. It was declared by Plus TX on December s, 1854 in these words: 'The Blessed Virgin Mary was in the first instant of her conception by a special grace and privilege of All mighty God in view of the merits of Christ Jesus the Saviour of mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin Emi- nent theologians have discussed the doc Urine exhaustively in published works and many learned priests and bishops have preached on 1t, but the simple statement quoted sets forth very fully the dogma it. self.
 Birmingham is the first of Ameri- can cities in crime, 1t showing the highest humber of arrests for all crimes per 1000 popula ton amongst the 129 cities in this county with a population exceeding 30,0e0 each,' said man.
 Birmingham is the lowest city but one in America in expenditure per capita for maintaining schools that expenditure be- only eighty cents. Charleston, S. C., is lowest at fourteen cents.
 Birmingham is the first city but one in the marriage rate per 1000 popula tion,' eighteen persons in every thousand in Birmingham getting married every year. Mobile is first of American cities in the marriage rate, the rate for that fair city by the gulf being 2O.6 per 1000 inhabitants.
 '"rhese figures covering Birmingham's criminal statistics are of tragic interest to cur people, are mournful indeed, and make the most disagreeable reading possible; but if the public conscience of Birmingham is ever to be aroused it will be by means of widest publicity and agitation. The preachers, most of them true to their sense of public good, rail against horseracing, card-playing and Sunday amusement, while comparatively speaking those forms of amusement. pastime, or vice if they wish to give that term, are shining virtues com pared to deadly weapons and public brawls, against which our spiritual advisers sell dom proclaim. ''The figures given here are official and will be embodied in the forthcoming re- ports of the census of 1900 Let who will do so turn to pp. 2939 294O and 2941 of The Independent of December G. current, and he may read some startling informa tion, the gist of which in local Birmingham in terest is here given. The editoral article in The Independent is entitled The First Cities of the Land,' and it contains thirteen tables under as many headings, dealing
  est five, in the various relations respect lively.
 Birmingham figures in three of the ta- bles, and in two of the three-crime and schools-vastly to this city's dscredit for the world will not understand that with the lowest school expenditure except one other in all the 129 cities, Birmingham has a public school system acknowledged to be the best in the South and to be amongst the first in America Birmingham spends but 80 cents to every man, woman and child for schools, whereas Butte, Montana, smaller town, spends $5. 67; Los Angeles, Cal, with more than double-our population, spends s5.23 Maiden, Mass, s5 II; Spring field, Mass, $5.O9 Boston, with nearly ff- teen times Birmingham's population, $5.95
 Birmingham is not mentioned amongst the ten cities reporting the maintenance of police courts, warehouses, reformatories and so on; nor does Birmingham appear amongst the liquor saloon cities.
 Atlanta is the worst city in America for liquor saloons, having 9.6 saloons for every 1000 inhabitants, and next to Birming ham, Atlanta is the most criminal of Amer ican cities. Yet,while Atlanta contains more than double the population of Birming- ham. it shows less than half the number of arrests; Atlanta showing 1H arrests for every 1000 people and Birmingham showing PAS for every 1000. The figures, and all fig ures here quoted, are for 1S9S
 
 Birmingham is the best city but one in America in which to get married, as has been said. Mobile being first. For some of there is some comfort in that.
 Mobile is in but one other table; that city showing the fifth highest death rate amongst all the cities, Mobiles rate being 2407 for every one thousand inhabitants. Charleston, s. C., is apparently the un- health!est city, with a death rate of 8. .94; Savannah is second, death rate 29.37; New Orleans third, 27.72; San Antonio, Texas, fourth. 27 .O2: Mobile fifth. The healthiest