The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-18

initiation of that hourl the senseIsss mirth of bystanders and the pitiless eba4s of the street gamins No wonder a man.s heart sinks when his hat Is whinnas away by a winter windl
 
 It now appears that President Roos.- velt will not make his tour of the soutb as first contemplated. So many cities craved the honor of entertaining the ex- ecutive and so many invitations were ex- tended that Mir Roosevelt has decided to refuse them all in order to prevent giv- ing offense. He will probably stop over at the important cities on ms route to San Antonio, and Birmingham will no doubt be included in that number. but there will be no southern 'Junket." While such a decision cannot but cause disappointment to many southern ora tors and oolonels who expected to do themselves proud when the President came to town, the number of cordial invitations extended to MT. Roosevelt by cities and towns in all parts of the south cannot but redoud to the fame of southern hospitality.
 A great many people down south have an idea that the plays they see can be witnessed in New York at about half the price. Of course any one who has ever been to a New York theatre knows better, but the theatregoers who make this complaint have not had such an experience. As matter of fact the att fractions that charge the usual price of S1.5O for the best orchestra seats at the Jefferson charge g for the same seats in New York. For instance, few people would consider the Four Cohans entitled to charge $2 for an orchestra seat in Birmingham and yet George M Conan is playing for just such prices at the Liberty theatre in New York, while the great Mansfield dares not demand over $2.5O for the best seats in the Jefferson theatre when he appears here. Those people who contend that provincial the- atregoers seldom enjoy so-called "origi- nal productions" that are presented on as elaborate scale as marked them in the metropolis, are probably right, but the wall over exhorbtant prices is stuff and nonsense.
 Let us take little glimpse of the fu- ture. Tn one of the large western cities the other day young woman made her debut in society on the top floor of great office building in which the family make their home One hundred guests were invited and the occasion was similar to other debut parties that have been given in the past where the moonlight streamed in through the spacious win dows and guests loitered in conservatories that afforded an entrancing view of we'll kept lawns, flower beds and trees. The father had his offices just few floors below and all that he had to do in order to go home and dress for his daughters debut party was to take the elevator going up' and be whisked to his private apartments in a jiffy. Now in the future 1t will prove great convenience for mar ried men who love the home life to establish their families in the upper floors of skyscrapers while they transact business below At meal time the family could take the elevator down to some one of the forty floors near the ground wheIe there Is a paatial restaurant and cafe. If the girls wish to go shopping they can descend still nearer to the earth and en- counter great department store. In the evening the theatre which occupies the first and second floors. of the building and depends on the patronage of the fam flies who reside above, can be reached by the elevator. It would be possible to assemble together every profession, every trade and enjoy every phase of life in one of these great buildings, so that person could live all his days there and never go outside it's steel walls, If he so de- sired Each skyscraper would be vast bee hive where friendships are formed, marriages celebrated and deaths mourned without the world being much the wiser and then at the end when life's race is run the funeral party could take the elevator and proceed to the basement there to cremate all that remains of a slyscraper hermit PAUL COOK