The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-02
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

Think what such a man missed in iifei He never dreamed he was a multi-million- aire; in youth he had none of those bright visions of hope and ambition that a cold world calls castles in the air" to spur him onward; in his slumber no good fairy ever came to smooth away his troubles, and in the flash of an electric spark transport him Into a wonderful land where the fraction of a second appeared to him an age and delight was unbounded: he was never informed through the airy medium of hls dreams that he would win that which his heart was set on and then wake up to be disappointed: no visions Of a happy home and girl ever came to relieve the tedium of life; to him the boundless realm Of fantasy and imagina- tion was forever closed, and the only refuge for weary mortals who strive to forget their cares was denied. Distress ing indeed is the plight of the man who cannot dream.
 The efforts of the two parties to work up campaign scares are a trine amusing at times. If the rain falls the crops spring up in the land under the beneficent smiles of the sun and prosperity relgns, the republican party points proudly to itself and remarks: T did it." If a young man goes to New York, fails to find work and ends his troubles with a pistol and a note, straightway the democratic publici- ty bureau exploits his case as an example of the pernicious influences brought about by the republicans who are crushing out competition by nourishing the trusts and are making it harder every day for an honest man to find employment If the prices of stocks and bonds go up, thus permitting the bulls and bears to fleece the lambs, the republican party says, T did it." If mining, manufacturing and commercial conditions show improvement the republicans assert with a smirk,
 Teddy did it all with his big stick" If poor woman in Philadelphia is turned out of her house for failure to pay rent and her husband kicks her about be- cause he has braced the bar once too often the democrats are mortified to dis cover such a woeful state of affairs di- rectly due to the criminality of the repub- licans. No matter what happens that is bad the democrats say the republicans are to blame, and no matter what hap pellS lldl IS boou, the TepuDlcanS assert that they are responsible But 1t is all in the game of politics and makes sport for the intelligent voter. On with the comedyl Unconscious humor is always the best humor.
 A Montana man has just left his entire fortune to his town in order to provide an income for the proper celebration of the Fourth of July each year. Now, wherever this man is buried there lies a true patriot. There is nothing small about his devotion to his country and the spirit of independence born in 1776. His legacy is a direct slap in the face of those in- occuous but persistent reformers who would suppress the noisy Fourth. By proper" celebration he could of course mean nothing else but fireworks, bands, street parades and all the jubilant hilar- ity that is due the greatest day in Ameri- can history. The legend on this mans tombstone is no authority regarding the kind of life he led, but it Is to be hoped that his sins are now forgiven. Truly he deserves fireworks in his honor but mol in the place where he now sojourns.
 P.