The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-04

nection with the Sunny South and the Constitution.
 Betsey was not on the original pro- gramme at Chautauqua, but came to the rescue of the management and filled an unexpected vacancy. Those who heard her were so charmed and those who did not were so disappointed that their unit ed demands caused MT. Vincent to range another hour for this humorist,
 who tells her stories in such true negro and cracker, or ''po' white trash dia- leet. Such enthusiasm was aroused by
 this second reading that Betsey Hamil-
 ton has been engaged for next season. Betsey had not been certain that her ex- position of the negros whims and foibles
 would be we'll received here, but there is
 no doubt that the sentiment of intelli- gent northern people who are not innu- enced by political aspirations, is rapidly changing in regard to social equality be- tween the whites and blacks. This change takes place in every community as soon as enough negroes drift in to make their presence felt.
 Such an eminent educator as Dr. Earl
 Barnes of Philadelphia did not hesitate to say in his lecture on the White Mans Burden at Home that an inferior race living incorporate with a superior race must always be held in subjecton, either political religious or social. The constitution of the United States rem dered political subjection impossible; her lack of an established national church eliminated religious control, so there was nothing left but social subjection. He remarked in passing the religious idea,
 that the negro's religion was of his life a thing apart anyway, something in the nature of an emotional pastime, which was rather remarkable knowledge for man like Dr. Barnes, who acknowledged he had never lived among the negroes, and had only met the better class. He bewaied the lack of reliable scientific data on the negro race and said that while the government had expended hun dreds of thousands of dollars investigat- ing many subjects-hshes for instance that all one can find in the finest libra ries on this important race subject IS either sentimental gush or prejudice.
 Dr. Barnes also gave an excellent talk on immigrants and the invasion of Eu- rope. but all this is getting beyond the depths of mere chat.
 A lecture that touches every one here, parents and teachers alike, was pr. Forbush's fine talk on 'The Heart of Boy" He thinks boys make firmer and more lasting friends than girls because they fight out any difference that may arise, thus clearing the atmosphere. Quell this natural pugnacity and you make coward, train it rightly and you make
 manly man. Dr. Forbush cited Victor Hugo's claim to being 'the tad-pole Of an arch-angel" and wished every boy could be made to thus realize his ca- pacity for development Probably he re- membered the natural affinity existing between boys and tad-poles in general. Our Alabama quartette resisted the first excursion to Niagara In order to hear Ernest Thompson-Seton. His afternoon lecture on ''rhe Personality of Wild An imals" was very fine ard showed the rf, n no culiar friends; but his Illustrated pre- sentation that evening of "Wild Animals l Have Known a unique treat. Inn agine an audience of seven or eight hun dred sitting in breathless darkness while MT. Thompson-S Seton explained the beau- tiful colored plates of wild animals in their native surroundings. The canvass reflected just enough light to half re- veal the speakers 1.-the movements and glowing black eyes as he recalled their | loves and hates and initiated their va-
 rious calls. All of which produced quite
 a creepy sensation on his audience,
 heightened by his rash statements of an-
 mal intelligence, which he proved by
 such easy reasoning by we'll known facts
 that one felt foolish not to have known | it without being told.
 Almost as interesting as these descrip-
 tions of lions, moose, etc. were Profes-
 sor Schumeker's talk about his Humble 1
 spiders. In his "voices of the Night he
 was particularly happy in his defense of | poor Katy-did, insisting that the ancient accusations against that much discussed | lady are unjust and that the correct tone 1 is one of eommendation: "Katy-did, yes | indeed she didi'
 Equally ingenious was Professor Schu-
 mekers description of the sad Whip | poor Wills restless flight even alone in his penitential pilgrimage, but followed
 afar off by his sympathetic mate All
 this walking and talking with nature is
 very beneficial to well-balanced minds, but some representative souls carry 1t to the verge of crankiness.
 Mrs. Solomon Ant encountered one of these cranks in a place where it was l impossible to inquire the why and where fore or even to talk back-that is in church.
 Our Alabama quartette had found 1t impossible to get seats together, so Bet sey Hamilton and Sis Hopkins went ahead and Mrs Solomon Ant and Her Young Son sat on the second row d- | rectly behind them. Soon after service
 began, Mrs. Solomon Ant perceived big | heavy caterpillar making his way
 slowly up Sis Hopkins shoulder pausing | in his gyrations every now and then to | give a speculative twist in Betsy's direc- | tion Fearing Sis wou4-- explode or Betsy | expire when the caterpillar touched
 home base. Mrs. Solomon Ant whis-
 pered to a gentleman sitting between l them:
 Wont you please knock that worm
 off my sisters shoulder and kill it?' l No, indeed, madam" was the unex- peeted answer, "all animal life Is sacred | to mev'
 And the rest of that sacred service was l lost on Mrs Solomon Ant. who specu- | lated on the relative uncertainty of men l and worms.