The age-herald., 1900-08-26
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

IuOu VIII nave a successful year IOf thy business and domestic affairs, and they will please thee
 'The young will court
 Thou shouldst not brew strong drink, nor hire maidservants nor menservants. nor go a-fishing
 Astrologer Raphaers prophecies for Mon day, August ?. 1900:
 Buy; speculate; ask favors; seek work and push thy business
 Beware of sickness and disappointment in thy family; in thy business thou wilt succeed, but do not speculate or lend money.
 "A child born on this day will succeed best in employ; it should not attempt any thing on its own account, or it will fail If female. unhappy in marriage
 
 There is gossip to the effect that 197 mar riages amongst Birmingham people wha are known are already booked for the coming autumn, and full returns from vine-clad yerandas and other pleasure re- sorts have not yet been received. Various unwedded society men declare that they are not guilty, whilst the young women say How funny and decline to commit themselves. Every woman ever yet ac- cused of being about to marry pleads in nocence tentatively, and that inviting half denial has steered many a man up against hard and cold stone wall and many an other to the altar. And another old dodge of Cupid is to drive lunatic maudlin lovers to say:
 People are talking about us'
 "Why?' she asks, knowing that the an swer will be-
 They say we are going to get married" They crazy"
 "Why?s
 "Because'-long drawn out.
 Let's
 "What?"
 Get married"
 Then the doors are closed and the Sen ate goes into executive session. Been that way six thousand years, and likely to grow worse.
 n
 Birmingham has had seven or eight bad matrimonial crop years, and 1t is but req sonable to hope for better things during the coming autumn and winter It is the duty of men to ask women to marry them, and the duty of women to say yes Women
 
 trysting places and altars. Had the men of Birmingham done their fun duty in the matter of marrying during the past ten years, the census returns from the town would have been vastly better. Possibly the preachers are partly to blame, because they appear to have neglected to urge from the pulpit and privately the young people of their respective congregations to
 
 beloved priest preached two three ser mons on this all-important subject, and the result was upwards of four hundred marriages amongst the faithful of his church. That is practical proof of the good that can be done by little timely advice by preachers on a practical subject. T look for a fine fall trade" said Rob ert F. Gould, widely known as a commer- cial traveller from St. Louis. '1There is being good cotton crop made, an abun- dant corn crop, and all crops are good. The damage from the remarkable rains of June was very great, but the crops have largely recovered, and farmers and coun- try merchants are in good heart. Trade will be almost as good as last fall, which was the best in the history of the coun- try"
 
 Talking recently with veteran of the Spanish war, he asked me of all things that saw and heard during the Civil war, which impressed me most" said J. Law Ter Darby. My reply was: The four years of war with two and a half millions of soldiers enlisted on one side and six hundred thousand on the other, 1t was hard to tell never looked upon the dead and dying friend or foe without thinking what a great evil war is, and only ex- cusable when liberty and home are threat ened. At the Wilderness I saw for the first and last, time in this life real good ness and greatness combined in one man. Our line was broken; being myself wound- ed, I was going to the rear. I walked in- to the field headquarters of General Lee. He and his staff were dismounted and try ing to rally his dsordered troops. A youth. weeping, was passing by. The commander of the army placed his hand upon the boys shoulder: My son, go back and help your comrades; don't you hear themY ." I can't, I can't; saw my brother Killed by my Side.'
 ' Go and avenge his blood
 "I I can't; my heart is broken Then go to the rear! 70
 
 Before the army of Northern Virginia could reach Petersburg from Cold Harbor, Beauregard was trying to hold the works there, and did. Marching through the streets of the town, the men, women and children were crying and shouting. Gen. eral Grant was there, and so was Lee, and for one long year their two mighty armies were under fire every hour and minute. Thousands and thousands of brave men, those who wore the gray and the blue, fired their last shots. There was a Federal General by the name of Wilson, the same who was in command of the raid that passed through Alabama about the close of the war. The historian Swinton says, "A fortnight afterwards he rode in- to the Federal lines on mnle and bare headed. About two thousand neeroes haa