The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-17
FIBRE is one disadvantage-if it
 may be so designated-which re- suits from being elected to the

1HERE is one disadvantage-if it (0 may be so designated-which re-
 suits from being elected to the Presidency of the United States. The man who has once held such a high position is practically barred from ever afterward accepting any other political office, for none equals the executive office in dig nity, and the chances are exceedingly slim for a man to be again seated in the White House after serving his allot- ted two terms. Also, it may be added that there Is very little else open to the re- tired President when he steps down and out Like Grover Cleveland he may ac- cept college lectureship and he may write book or two, but it seems to be the general impression that when a man ceases to be President he should rest on his laures and do nothing at all but look pleasant. While mans am- bition should certainly be satisfied with the first office in the land tmo must drag heavily on the hands of him who realizes that his public career is ended
 At last the numerous wills left by Gen. Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky have been thrown out of court on instructions of mental incapacity so that the wealth of the Clay estates will go to his natural rel atives and Dora Clay Brock, the famous child wife, will be cut off without funds. Thus has another romance of an old mans darling been rudely shattered by i the courts. Somehow romance and money do not always go together, at least that to ha ba tyif Mrs Clay, fair but exceedingly tickle.
 The Mormon elders have at last had the courage to take steps to curtail the out put of mediocre literature, so far as the bookwriting activities of the faithful are concerned A resolution has been adopted by the conference of the reorganized church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which forbids the writing and publishing as a private enterprise of lit- erature by members whose time could be better employed in looking aft-. the affairs of the church. While the Nor mons have not been conspicuous for their literary achievements there is no telling what they might do and the action of the Mormon leaders is step in. the right direction. An historical romance about polygamy would be the extreme limit of literary effusion
 At last thA smart set of Philadelphia, which should not be confused with the "Phillies,'' that popular aggregation of ball players, has been defined to the sat isfaction of society sharps who state with conviction that the chosen circle of In- dependence town henceforth consists of just 400 persons This alignment of the select was brought about by the wedding of Miss Eleanor Riddle to Mir John Hampton Barnes, to which 400 people were invited According to those in au- thority to speak these 400 will hereafter constitute the smart set of Philadelphia however. there are perhaps more than 400 people who consider themselves entitled to the privileges of being smart" and a decree so hastily passed is apt to bring about complications.
 Just now the submarine boat seems destined to prove conclusively that it is not the useless and imperfect contri- vance that it was at first supposed to be- While there is room for vast im- l provement in all the submarines now in use the Russians no doubt think that the boats employed by the Japanese are per- l feet enough for all intents and purposes The present struggle in the far east is ] one of the most remarkable in history l from the fact that the combatants are ! so widely separated in their operations i and also from the fact that so far it has l been fought to a greater extent than ever before under the water If the Japs can keep up their marvellous dexterity in launching torpedoes there is no reason why they should not do untold damage i! to the Russian ships without getting a scratch. At least providence has protected them from explosions, which are distinc- tive of submarine and torpedo boat op- erations.
 The failure of Dan Sully serves to re-