The age-herald., 1900-01-04
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

The usual post-holiday dullness was not so observable yesterday as it was upon the previous day. The streets were crowded, every sort of humanity, from the beautiful maiden, pure of heart and unspotted from the world, to the barroom hummer jos tied upon the pavements and there was gaiety. Yet man of business declared it to be the dullest day as to cash receipts that he had experienced in years. That may have been true, but it does not affect the general proposition that Birmingham was never before so prosperous or so con- tented, or wealthy as it is upon this fourth day of the last year of the nine teenth century. The day was radiant in its unsmpassable beauty. There was no cloud to be seen, but the vast dome of blue, even to the horizons softer glow, was beautiful of golden glory. The dry, crisp, cold air gave new life to every one. The sun went down in splendid glory of gold. With the falling of the shades of night fell the grey smoke of a thousand industries, and the grey gloom transformed humble houses to palaces of beauty. The Palace Beautiful was seen in every street When the grey darkness came the young moon was born, a golden crescent of sur passing beauty hanging in the western sky It was the birthnight of the satellites not unlike the rainbow of divine promise to the earth. Through the smoke that came down gleamed the golden crescent in the black blue beyond the reach of our ken. but within the scope of our vision as a glory we take of our faith.
 A thousand memories of Alabama's his tory are stirred by the statement that the old Battle House hotel in Mobile is to be reconstructed and made into distinctly modern form. For many a year in the olden time the Battle House was the first hotel of Alabama. It was the resort of the old cotton-planters, for Mobile was for more than half a century the commercial capital of Alabama. The men of wealth and social station, the aristocrats of regime that ended at Appomattox, made the Battle House their home during their annual visits to the best cotton and slave market in the south From the wide verandah of that hotel Yancey thundered his marvellous eloquence for the disruption of the union, and others not so great as he have spoken to the multitude from that famous plat form. The wealthy slave owner passed away five and thirty years agone aristo- crats became ploughmen. The Battle House is to be made modern" The change will be of great material value to Mobile. ''our own Gulf city and pride of Alabama" Changed conditions have made Birmingham the commercial metropolis and first city of Alabama. The change may not make the bones of the ancestors of Alabamians to i, hut ic of derful historical significance. Palatial steamers upon the Alabama. the Warrior and the Bigbee in the old years bore a stately race: men who were perhaps the noblest representatives cf-iffe nob1est era in civilization. These men made the Bat tile House in Mobile their home. It shall come soon that aliens will take their ease in their inn and have no thought of the splendid past of their abiding place. The passing of the old Battle House Is of great significance in Southern history.
 It is understood that the principal owner of the Battle House was Prelate D. Bar ker now postmaster of Mobile. MT. Bark CT is personally very charming man. He is something of a student and scholar, man who reads and reflects, and is wlthal a right royal good fellow. Yet the pass ing of the old house at the crossing of the streets is not likely to impress him in the historic, the poetic or the romantic sense IT may not occur to him, bright and good soul as he is, to reflect upon the change and perhaps he will in this take the proper view, according to the teaching of this age of utildtarianism There can be no deny ing of the fact that the Battle House as it is monument to a past splendid in many things, but now a memory.
 It is understood that the movement for the erection of a superb hotel in Montgom- cry is now taking shape. Several of the local men of strongest force financially have become interested In the proposition. 1t is almost certain that work upon a great hotel at the states capital will be commenced before the year 1900 is half spent. There appears to be no reason for doubting ,ahat money will be at hand for the enterprise. A house of 200 rooms is contemplated, and one of the most sue cessful hotel men in this country is being consulted in regard to the matter. Money is cheap in Montgomery, cheaper there perhaps than in any other southern town. One loan of $40000 was made there the other day at per cent interest, to. run for five years. That is probably the cheap est large private loan ever made in Ala bama. Montgomery is a rich town, though perhaps not so rich as Mobile. It is doubt ful if any other southern town is as rich per capita as Mobile There is story very generally credited that citizens of Mobile own nearly half of the Alabama state bonds. Birmingham has vaster wealth, but there are vastly greater demands upon it than are experienced in Mobile or Mont gomery. Birmingham banks hold about one-half of the entire bank deposits of Alabama One bank of Birmingham holds very nearly one-fourth of the whole na- tional bank deposits of this state. But tine unparalleled prosperity in the Birming- ham district prevents the price of money from falling to the level of sister cities.