The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-06
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

guns. Whereas. whisky made three agoodp Indians aeoke" will make six.
 The news account of the first baby born in Dillon, Wyoming. a mining camp of the far west. and the attendant cele- bration of the miners to whom such an event was of no small moment, reminds one of Bret Harte's story, sThe Luck of Roaring Camp" It was that story that gave Bret Harte his start as a writer and few more popular or more widely read short stories have ever been written. In "The Luck or Roaring Camp" a child is born in an isolated mining camp to the great delight of the miners, It's mother dies and the little waif is taken In charge as public property by the men. They start out to bring the baby safely to maturity but the Luck is washed away in a flood not, however, until his presence has brought to the surface all that is strong and good be- heath the coarse exterior of the miners. It Is a simple little story but marvelously well told and in far-away Wyoming there is an invitation now for second Bret Harte to try his skill.
 The great six-day bicycle race has been started In Madison Square garden and the expert riders of the world are bat ting for honors in a contest that will tax the limit of human endurance. There were accidents galore from the very start and there will most probably be more ere the race Is ended. This race Is a test of endurance even more than speed and at bottom is perhaps trine brutish. But what do the excited thousands care for that? While dangers are multiplied in a prolonged race of this character at least 1t is not so fraught with peril as the automobile race over country course, for while the riders themselves may be injured, the public at least is safe and can get it's moneys worth without risking it's individual necks.
 The case of a young woman who re- gently deserted her home because she was tired of leading an limitation ori- ental life," is interesting If nothing more. Nowadays the desire for fantastic brlc- a-brac, oriental "dens,' Indian "cor- ners," occidental decorative effects and scores of beautiful but useless and ex- pensive trinkets of other lands than our own has become mania. Tradesmen profit by the craze and very sensibly en- courage the fads that increase their sales of imported goods. As Pastor Wagner says, people litter up their houses so much these days that it Is impossible for them to lead the simple life, and great part of this Hitter" is brought from other lands. Yet the beauty of oriental workmanship Is so convincing that one can hardly blame persons of artistic temperament for spending money on arti- cles of furniture and bric-a-brac that cost far more than their practical value warrants
 Emperor William says that President Roosevelts speech at the unveiling of the monument to Frederick the Great in Washington was fine" It will be noted with pleasure by friends of these two distinguished personages that they have Established mutual admiration club with a cordiality and enthusiasm that does credit to their exalted natures. When Kaiser 'Bill" does anything out of the ordinary President Roosevelt says fine" and when President Roosevelt exerts himself the kaiser makes the same remark. It is good to see such amicable relations existing between two of the worlds greatest potentates.
 P. c.