The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-02-15
VULCAN FUND IS IN
A H. OF A FIX
That, at Least, is What DR..
Stage Intlmates
ALL AGREE With HIM
Citizens Meeting Is a Nipping "Frost."
Only Ten Persona Attend-F. M.
Jackson and J. 3. Babb Con-
suit and "Roast" Johns.
ALL AGREE With HIM

for a citizens meeting" TO consider the
ACCESSIBILITY of erecting the Vulcan statue
in honor of the industrial pioneers in
the Birmingham district the impressive
number of ten persons gathered together
at 8 o'clock yesterday afternoon in the
rooms of the Commercial club.
The meeting, so far at least as at
tendance was concerned, was regarded
as one of the most emphatic "frosts' ever
known in the history of tine city. Exclu-
sive of the officers of the Commercial
club and the newspaper men present, the
attendance numbered exactly six persons.
Jackson's Confidential Talk.
Mr.. Jackson opened the frost" with
a few nipping remarks of confidential
nature, When he had finished these he
stated that the meeting had been called
to consider the question as to whether
or not the Vulcan staue should be erected
in honor of the pioneers and, II so, to
devise means for raising money for that
purpose. Recent developments had how
ever, evidently damped popular interest
in the movement, and the purpose of the
meeting was to hear persons spout"
He then called upon one gentleman
after another to do the ''spouting
an Statu Quo"
The fact that Colonel Johns had with
drawn his offer of $4,000 to pay the Vulcan
debt provided the statue be erected in
honor OF Henry F. de Bardeleben was
the subject of interesting comment Some
one suggested that Colonel Johns action
had put the whole matter back precisely
where it was when it started, and that
the Vulcan business was now lin statu
quo"
Thereupon the Rev. DR. j. w stagg
pastor OF the First Presbyterian church.
who has taken intelligent and lively in
terest in public affairs since he came to
Birmingham, got up and said some things
that pointed moral and adorned a tale.
Speaking of our old friend, Statu QUO"
said DR.. Stage reminds me of story
North Carolina. They were going along
the road one day and met a white mas.
One of the negroes asked the white man
how he was getting along. The white
man said he was about statu quo After
thag had walked on a few yards, one
cuffy turned to the other and said:
Did you hear what dat white man
sayed? He sayed he wuz statu quo.
What'd he mean by dat?
.Whatd he mean by statu quo? said
the other cuffy. Don't you know what
he meant by dat? Why, he meant he
WIZ in n h. of "A fix
Roars of Laughter.
Dr. Stage didn't have time to apply
the story. The other nine persons pres
ent almost split the ceiling with roars of
laughter II was painfully evident to
every one that the people in charge of
paying the Vulcan debt account were be-
tween the devil and the deep sea. They
were ''statu quo" according to the
North Carolina negro's Interpretation of
the phrase.
The more the ten persons talked. the
clearer 1t became that the Vulcan fund
people had. as Dr. Stages darby friends
expressed it, got themselves into "a h
of a fix"
Mr.. SeWeIIs Views.
N. IL. SeWall, the real estate man, said
that, in his Judgment, Colonel Johns
proposition should have been accepted the
moment 1t was made If it had been
promptly accepted Mr.. Sevall said. the
incident would have been closed then and
there.
Dr. Stagg, appreciating the turn things
had taken, made an exceedingly happy
talk about Vulcan, Birmingham, the
Everything would come out all right. he
said The trouble was that they had
got crossed In this matter. The only
place to erect Vulcan was, he said, Red
Mountain decent sense of proportion
forbade its being put up in the city. TIC
place it in Capitol Park or near the rail
way would lake 1t a monstrosity.
when you get rhythm" said Dr.
Stage, you have poetry. When you get
harmony in sound. you have music. When
you get fitness in nature, you have
beauty"
A Thing of Beauty.
'If erected on Red mountain, Vulcan
would be thing of beauty" he went on,
at would be visible for miles around
A city park was no place for Vulcan
II erected there. it would excite only
dersion and disgust
DR.. Stage deprecated the dilatoriness
with which the Vulcan matter had been
handled. He said the time had come