The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-12
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

l men and politicians seem to be rather shy" on history and some very amusing mistakes are made. One of the latest was when a well known public man made an euiogistic speech in defense of Frederick the Great and confused the dead ruler with Peter the Great Little slips of speech are also numerous and most of them get into print Transgressions against the language are not frequent If they are they scarcely deserve pub Iicity. The large number of distinguished men in Washington during a session of congress afford abundant material for good anecdotes and in justice to Ameri- can humor 1t may be stated that most of the anecdotes reported are very en- tertaining and well worth the time spent in reading The work of the newspaper men who spend their time and money in order to find the stories of Washing ton that appear every day in the metro poIitan papers must be extremely diffi- cut, for nothing is harder than to pick np a good anecdote.
 A pathetic story comes from New York.
 
 rical man and politician, has gone about over town telling all his friends goodbye. with the remark that it was the last time he would ever speak to them and it was his farewell tour. His hair has turned gray in few weeks and his face is white and lined by suffering. Macguire has been an inveterate smoker for years, con- suming from twenty-five to thirty cigars in a day, and the result Is that he has cancer of the tongue. An operation will have to be performed in order to save his life. The mans tongue will be cut out by the roots and neither the patient nor the surgeons believe that the opera ton will result in anything but death. Macguire has already told all his friends goodbye and is now at the Skin and Can cer hospital in New York, but the opera tion will not be performed until Satur- day Although known far and wide in the theatrical world, Macguire has no living relatives and the position of the lonely sufferer is thus made all the more pitiable. Even if the operation proves a success and he does not die beneath the knife, he will be a mute for the remain der of his life, an affiiction not to be con- templated with equanimity In spite of the nostrums widely advertised as sure cures for cancer without surgery, the dread disease continues to spread havoc and the knife seems to be the only rem edy.
 Hotel keepers and health resort people are now getting ready for the summer sea- son. While this season will probably be very much like the last the war and the fair will prove two interesting diversions, while a number of new features have been introduced for the delectation of hol- iday crowds. Coney Island will no doubt prove Q Mecca for multitudes of people and 1t is consoling to know that the new resort will be an improvement on the old. Notifications of the Ioop-the-loop, aerial arch, schutes and all those other neck-breaking devices that have proven so popular in the past will be provided, and the indications are that there will be a number of new "thrillers' which will surpass anything ever before attempted. Of course most of the crowds will go to St. Louis. but big expositions are becom- ing rather common now and travelled peo- pie have seen so many that they are de- cidedly blase. Whatever the press agents may say 1t Is fact that all great fairs are very much alike in general features. The man who saw the Worlds fair saw the prototype of all the great fairs that will be given in the future. perhaps And when these big shows are given so close hau originated, it is doubly difficult to make them altogether fresh and original. How ever, in many respects this will be a gala summer for people who have means. if predictions are to be believed, since poll tics, war and a worlds fair promise to make things lively. P. c.