The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-01
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

so many years. Time and again venturous publishers have established magazines which have struggled along for awhile and ended by following the path of their pre- decessors down to oblivion. Tn Texas Majors magazine seems to have a very good lease on life and there are a few others that manage to get along some- how, but what we need is a high publiea- tioa that will compare favorably with the Cosmopolitan, Harpers. and other periodicals of the east.
 The south has turned out some notable figures in the literary world and it seems strange that the only publication that can make any progress at all is the news paper. Probably 1t is the lack of funds rather than the lack of brains that is re- sponsible for the deficiency. It would ap- pear that staff composed of James Lane Allen, Robert Loveman, Frank l.. Stan ton, Mary Johnston, John Trotwood Moore, Charles Egbert Craddock. Martha Mccullough Williams and other noted writers of the south. would be able to issue a very creditable magazine. But the project is risky in the extreme from a
 
 cares to make the attempt.
 The Midway at the St. Louis fair will be called by a name that will tickle the public fancy "The Pike has just that touch of racy flavor that will cause it to be taken up by all who go to see the exposition. It is to be hoped that we will hear no more of "The Midway" The word Is worn to a frazzle and needs a rest When the streets of many amuse- ments was opened at the Worlds Fair in Chicago the full name was, of course, the Midway Plaisance," or the "Pleas- ure Place but Americans had no time for both words and promptly knocked the effect of the name into cooked hat by calling this department of the fair The Midway"
 When the Nashville centennial was held the management named the vaude- vile district Vanity Fair" as expressing the frivolity of the exhibits offered, but popular fancy clung to ''The Midway" and not one person in six who went to the Nashville centennial ever knew that "The Midway had any other name. But with eThe Pike" it is different. The name is catchy and will no doubt be instant ly adopted. There Is something emi- nently pleasing in the thought of 'rol- licking down The Pike" and the old fa- voritism of the funniest, the rarest, the finest or the warmest that ever came down the pike" will be much in order 
 The achievement of Jules Verne's hero in galloping around the world in eighty days is now a very tame affair since Henry Frederick made the circuit in forty-five days. Such feats as buying ships, elephants and express trains bodily in order to make good time are absurd for the modern man. All he has to do is to catch the regular boat or train, as the case may be, and he is whired around this insignificant globe with bewildering speed MT. Fogg will now have to re- tire from the public fancy and give way to a new adventurer who makes the loop in thirty-fve days or lands at Liverpool three and one-half days after leaving American shores
 When Professor Langley gets his air. ship perfected and Santos Dumont is able to get about in safety the busy man who gets two weeks off in the summer will be able to take 1t out in jaunt around the globe.