The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-08
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

N T frequent intervals crusty indi- V1 viduals who find difficulty in ar ranging the world to suit them rise up and denounee the ciangor of church bells It Is reasonable to conjec- ture that they have no poetry in their souls and that their ideas of the beautiful side of life ara confined to wel-loaded table and a cigar. or else swinish slum- Der in a bed that Is not troubled by mo- squltoes in the summer time and has plenty of cover In winter. From time lm- memorial bells, sometimes sweet and low. at others pealing forth in harsh clangor, have served to chronicle the joys and woes of humanity. Great victories have been announced and world wide calamities have been heralded by their peals; in gladness as in sorrow they have spoken Tor all mankind, from the savage to the saVant' from the petty chieftan to proud royalty In palace. Its alarms walked the sleepy burgher centuries ago, and today at the tap of gong the most perfect fire lighting machines ever devised are put in operation; poets have sung of the bell. mlnsuels have woven 1t In their plays. and the romancer has found 1t a produc- tive theme. Perhaps no handiwork of man is more intimately associated with his progress along the highway of civiliza ton. although contributing but little to his practical achievements, than the. bell Yet because their twentieth century nerves have been frazzled by automobiles. high living and1a strenuous pace, city folk in various parts of the land have started a crusade against church. bells, and they arc rapidly, decreasing in numbers. If boards of aldermen would conine the ringing of bells to certain hours of the day and evening the poets soul could still respond to their silvery notes and commonplace people would not be kept awake.
 The expected has happened at last and the newest phase of the yellow peril is embodied in a Chinese laundrymen' s union Now the peaceful celestial who has been the sport of small boys and the l victim of young men who do not believe in paying as they go will become power in the land as organized labor. Henceforth union rates will prevail and the "chink' l ahS Aeah eo to CAul phGtS III OTOeT 10 get trade will find himself brought up at the end of his cue. However, the movement has thus far spread slowly, and at present Is attracting attention only in Washing ton. By the way. Chinaman calls a union a tong" but it will probably prcve ss effective under that name as any other.
 The evils of tipping continue to occu- py the attention of the travelling public. as well as that portion of the country s population who go no further than the To- cal trolley lines will carry them, for fear that they will not have enough money to pay for a ticket and disburse tips also It has been proposed that everybody stop giving tips and break up the prac- tice but the man has yet to be found who can withstand the silent, dignified but withal imperative appeal of Pull man car functionary, the immaculate sphinx of the dining room or the ponder ous dgnitary Of a big hotel who is usual I ly called a porter but Is in reality the autocrat of the lobby. It Is easy enough to talk about putting and end to tipping but the reformer who will lead a long, suffering public to victory has not yet been discovered.
 The time will soon be at hand when baseball heroes will silently steal away,