The age-herald., 1901-07-26

l
 Tt Is doubtful if Senator Pugh Is fully awas4, of the great earnestness with 1 which he is loved by the people Of Ala bana, for he has always been q sineu- larly modest and unselfish man. one not given to taking to himself the assumption of self-glorincation. But if the great old man in the sunset hour of his nobly-spent life would allow himself to realize the great love of his own Alabama people for him, assuredly that would cheer him in these days that make for the peaceful and honored ending of his honored agei
 Senator Pugh has never yielded his old-fashioned Southern habits to the de- mands of fashionable Washington, which has so cordially esteemed him for his sturdiness of character and admired him for his distinguished ability. For one thing, he still wears top boots, as the older generation understood that foot wear; the high-topped foot covering for men that reached almost to the knee, such as mounted military officers now wear.
 'Is there man in Birmingham who now wears such boots? The real mean ing of boot is the English meaning of it; that Is what we call high-topped shoe. in contradiction to 1ow-quartered' shoes. The one Is properly boot and the other shoe; but our people call both 'shoes,' and a boot Is what the English call Wellington or a. a."Blucher.'"
 The Passing of the Bootjack.
 By the way, is there bootjack in all Birmingham?
 "A gentleman who has spent all h.s life in he South has been talking to the hotel Hobbies man of the New Orleans Times-Democrat on this subject of boot jacks. He remarked that the bootjack had seen it's best day and that probably within a few more years the only thing that will be left to remind humanity that such 8 thing ever existed will be the word as 1t will stand out in the diction- aries. Yet, but a few years back the home in the South would have been in- complete without bootJack. There were boottacks of all sizes and all makes. There was g. bootjack for the old man, and one for the boys, and they were stored away in one corner of the sleeping room or slipped under the end of the bed. There was bootjack for the big boot and bootjack for the small one. Bootjacks were originally made of wood. There was sort of rivalry between the old fellows in this section of the coun- try in this respect, and the man who had the best and incest looking bootjack re- garded 1t as some advantage over his fel- ows. This was back further in history along about the time when Charles Dick ems steamed down the Mississippi, and later described the Southern men as rough, uncouth boot-wearers, and tobac- co chewers. and markers and mutilaters of slaves, and outlaws generally. But | in justice to Dickens, we should remem- Der that he apologized for it all, after he 1 had thought over it for twenty years or more. The bootjack in those days was a useful member and the fellow who was I fond of picturing the funny situation al- l ways put 1t into the comical family grou- l ping, as in a certain celebrated picture which reveals a disturbed scene during | family prayer. It was the favorite weap- on when the old mans slumber was bro- ken in the wee small hours when serena 1 ding tomcats poured out their amorous l pleadings on the midnight air. It was l frequently hurled at the prowling dog,
 which would attempt to break into the | storeroom, and thus the old article was I put to many uses But the bootjack is gone. It has passed with the boot"