The age-herald., 1900-12-27
WV and SOCIETY
BY ANNIE kENpRIek WALKER.

The bright weather of yesterday favored
 the arrangements of a number of Birming-
 hams most philanthropic women who had
 planned for tle boys at the Alabama Re-
 formatory to enjoy a Christmas tree.
 A week or two ago Mrs. Algernon Nell
 son. one of the most beautiful young wo-
 men in Birmingham's social world, made
 the suggestion to arrange a tree on Christi
 mas day for the boys at the farm. num-
 Der of young women heartily approved of
 the idea and meeting was held with Miss
 Kate Rogan to formulate plans. Appeals
 were made through the newspapers and
 the tree fund was rapidly increased. There
 were sufficient funds to provide Christ
 mas dinner as well as a tree and the boys
 at the farm enjoyed turkey and cranberry
 sauce on Christmas day The trees were
 arranged yesterday afternoon at o'clock
 in the assembly rooms. They were laden
 with many articles of wearing apparel for
 the boys. In addition to this there were
 books, pictures games, and every boy re-
 ceived horn besides candies and fruits. There were a number of guests at the Christmas celebration and the boys gave a brief and interesting programme.
 They were decidedly happy little group and last night when they tumbled into bed after their first glimpse of anything like atboy's Christmas their thoughts must have been worth knowing.
 Tt was fine,' said brown-eyed little fellow yesterday. The Christmas days of his ten years existence had been spent as only a waif of the street spends day in and day out. Each little fellow was ra- de of n.ghts they knew no other shelter but that the bridges.
 Tn ormtory at the farm is spotlessly clean. The brilliant sunlight of yesterday flooded every nook and corner, and the lit- tie white iron cots stood waiting to rest many little heads last night. Two little heads rested on the little cots for the first time last night. It happened like this
 At the Christmas dinner there were two late arrivals from the police court, two lit tie delinquents sent by Judge Feagin as Christmas gifts to Alabama's farm, two little gamins, with gutters for homes, and lineally descended from g. mother whose name appears regularly in the police rec ords of the newspapers. Instead of sem tence they were given a bath and clean | clothes They were cold, their bodies bare | ly covered with rags They were hungry, | besides and one would have known they | were the most wretched type of the gamn. | They were clad in their first clean night | shirts last night and slept beneath their | first clean coverlet. But I do not intend | to dwell always upon this side of life at the | reformatory, and yet the physical trans | formation is by no means the smallest work | to be accomplished. It is the first step to | be taken towards moral elevation.
 There were number of prominent visit | ors at the first Christmas at the farm, | notably Mrs. George B. Eager of Louisville, 1 whose magnificent work in the interest of | the farm can never be over-estimated In- | deed, so faithfully and untiringly have been her efforts for the establishing of the re- that as she viewed the group of boys yesterday afternoon her beautiful | brown eyes were brimming as the super intendent asked her if she was satisfied.
 Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Eager and Mrs T. | G. Bush made a notable group. They were | discussing, too, the keen disappointment | appropriation
 MT. H. Key Milner was among the dis | tinguished visitors to the farm yesterday. | He was delighted with the buildings and | the location.
 "The farm is equipped with a horseless carriage" said the popular president of the Country Club It was really a wagon Milner to his destination.