The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-17

at the annual banquet OF the
Cleveland Civil Engineer club Monday
night and predicted that in the early
| future a schedule of two hours between
New York and Chicago would be estab-
| lished. The mayor did not elucidate, but
he seems to think th1t the consumma-
ton Will be brought aoout by a combi-
nation of a toboggan slide and a shuttle
that will "annihilate' space The mayor
is stil working on his pet problem of
rapid transit when he ge.s ready to in
form us how we can travel in two hours
distance that our fastest trains now
traverse in twenty hours we will be glad
to listen. The dream is a pretty one,
but not attractive to timorous persons
who can not ride down a commonplace
chute" without screcehing.
While on the subject of rapid transit
it is also interesting to note that the
Southern Pacific railroad has ordered a
new type of locomotive that will travel
1000 miles without a stop at an average
rate of 100 miles an hour and over. In
the long flight from New Orleans to San
Francisco the advantage of such a loco
motive is apparent The fastest schedule
now made by the Southern Pacific from
the Crescent City to the Golden Gate"
| is approximately three days, but the new
engine promises a revolution. The south
west is fine region for such monsters to
go careerlng about. There is plenty Of
room and few people to be run over.
/
member of the faculty of tho University
Of Chicago says that a prize fighter is
better than a hypoeritical Christian. and
he is right. The surprising feature of
Professor Smalls statement is that a
voice has been raised in defense of the
knight of the ring. AS a rule the public,
especially frenzied reformers, consistent
| ly and continually assail pugilists-but al
ways at a safe distance. Some very mean
things have been said about this or that
| fighter-on paper-and the opinion seems
to prevail that a pugilist needs no one to
| fight his own battles because he is able
to look after himself. Although Profess
sor Small is undoubtedly a crank he
shows much consideration for the gentle
men who break faces for a living.
/ With Sully free from bankruptcy and in
! the fight again with his old, optimistic
shrug the cotton situation promises to
become interesting. The south likes Suly
and likes the way he has OF bulling the
market. 1t would not be at all surprising
| II he succeeds in regaining his former
prestige as a manipulation. At any rate
he is being watched and his movements
are causing talk.
| The real beauty of ShalSespeares plays
is to be enjoyed in the library anu not on
the stage. although the art Of the PRO
Queer has evolved marvellous stage pic
lures that the bard little dreamed of
when he trod the boards. When an In
feror company attempts Shakespeare the
4 result is depressing and even in the best
i organizations there is something wanting
/ While the star and several of the players
engaged for support may succeed in
imparting grandeur to Shakespeare's lines
the others rant, Chew their words or
humble so that the effect r. lost. The
bards finest thoughts fall fat because
| they are not spoken intelligently, his
most subtle shafts at folly and his humor
are too often made absurd and ridiculous
| But on the printed page there is real
| delight. After all no artist can surpass
! the scenes erected in imagination's halls
and as your eye scans@the immortal lines.
your soul vibrant to every stroke of a
master mind. your thoughts free from
outer distraction and your pulses dane
ing to the wtchery of genius. you
experience a pleasure more keen than any
to be found in the suffocating crowd of
|