The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-30
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
MATTERS OF THE WORLD

H HE romance of the Mississippi has
W been somewhat dissipated by that
practical and strenuous view of
life which Is entertained by SO many
people today. The present is without
fiourishes. save the gilded periphery that
is provided by the wealth of a rich ma
tion. The man who hearkens back to
the days of ehivalry and would be a
cavalier Is looked upon as a crank. Men
debate as to whether they shall remove
their hats in elevators In the presence of
ladies or leave them on their heads. while
callow college youths announce that they
have not time to lift their caps to
"co-eds" Theories are advanced by stu
dents of human nature anent the lack
of courtesy evident in this country. Some
would excuse the state of affairs and
others would condemn it, but nearly all
agree that It Is the direct outcome of our
latter-day manner of living. Since so
many of the picturesque ideas common
in earlier days are now regarded as rub
bish, 1t is not surprising that the pic
turesque individuals of that time are
also missing today.
Many romantic tales are told of the
days when the Mississippi was in Its
glory Extravagant and highly colored
they are, but the adventures described
could well happen then, although they
would be impossible now. And what a
delight 1t is to bask at imagination
reYel, in the glamour that rests upon the
old river lifei What wonderful stories
are told of poker games where the stakes
We're fabulous and even matter of life
and death at times; of the brilliant
throngs that travelled up and down the
majestic waterway in the ffties; of gal
liant gentlemen and ravishngly beautiful
women. of heroism in time of peril and
superb repression on the part of 'gen-
temen' gamblers caught red-handed; of
little old women, heroines of hidden trag-
edies and creole bellies, destined for ca
reers equally as interesting, who threaded
the gangplank; of the encounter of fiery
tempers and the clash of dauntIess SOL
diers of fortune, who would not submit
to insult without immediate redress; of
sumptuous steamer salons, memorable
balls and the waltz music of the early
days as the stately craft ploughed down
the river to New Orleans, and all that
goodly throng that has now gone from
the theatre of action, but not before 1t
contributed a vivid page of romance and
adventure to the history of this country.
Artists model kills himself" The
words are cold and brief. They fall harsh
ly upon the ear but they are eloquent.
They express the sum of life for many
of those prototypes of divine creator
who are endowed with the physical beau
ty of god but neither the will power nor
the ability to do more than subslst by ex-
hibiting their projections of form and
face. The artists model is the most strik-
ing exemplflcation of the divine law that
to none shall all be given. The man with
a face of an Apollo may have the brain
of fool while he with the visage of a
satyr may prove second Socrates.
Physical and mental perfection, a sculp-
tured form and a soul worthy of such
habitat are seldom found together That
Is why the life of an artists model Is
often a pitiable failure. When there are
no engagements to pose they must often
perform manual labor so limited are