The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-25
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

ENRY JAMES Is reported to have B1I said that the most astonishing
 thing which he has noted on his return to America is "the tremendous display of wealth and the next most as- tonishing thing is the lack of anything back of It." If Mir. James had paused to reflect he would have discovered that pork is behind much of our wealth, beef oil, coal. sugar, paper. lead, drugs, bread, and in fact a remarkable array of the necessaries of life. It is not so much what is behind our wealth as what is before 1t that is causing economists to lose sleep O nights We all know where the money came from but the question is What effect will this rapid accumula- ton of ducats in the hands of a few have on the nation in the future? MT. James also remarked quite top-1oftily that "the American girl is attractive but she lacks elusiveness." He failed to state whether he meant by this that she is too plump, to forward or too easily won, but we will infer that he was exercising the prerogative of very smart people to speak oracularly without saying any thing.
 Americans are noted for their hustling propenslties but the chances are that you will find no more striking examples of this quality than in the New England states For instance. Boston paper ap- peared Wednesday morning with a de- taile, account of the boiler explosion at Broekton which proved so disastrous ana was so appalling in it's destruction of human life. The story was printed on the first page and just below a list of the casualties appeared an announcement in box car letters that a certain well known assurance corporation of Lon don would insure employees against ner- sonal injuries resulting from boiler ex- piosions or any other cause. The enter prising local manager of the company appended his name and address to the bottom of the advertisement, which was of most substantial proportions and must have cost neat sum for an insertion. Thrusting such a glaring T told you SO, into the faces of the survivors of the Brockton catastrophe was neither thoughtful nor humane. but 1t was busi ness, and sentiment cuts a very poor figure in business you know.
 Jules Verne is dead! The brain that wove those seemingly improbable dreams Of science and adventure has ceased to toll and after long years of literary labor one of the most famous romancers or his day has lain down to sleep. Jules Verne was not great writer-his books are not even litera ture, but he will he remember for Around the World in Eighty Days" Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-" "The Mysterious Island" Six Weeks in a Balloon" and long list of other works that emanated from his fertile brain.
 How sweet it would be to tarrv in thjs vale of joy and tribulation if there were no alarm clocks and at the mornings oewey caress we could be awakened by the notes of divine music or voice trill- ing softly! Of all the internal noises with which the ear of man is assaulted the report of an eighty-cent alarm clock gc- ins off at dawn is the worst For an in- stant every nerve in your body tingles: hth dreaming, you seem to hear the roar or mighty cataract, the rush of the oity's fire department, the rattle of mus ketry, the screams of a dying panther ana general pandemonium of all the noises in the category of sound. Then with a jerk you wake up, feeling as f some one had struck you over the head with a plank. No wonder you swear soft "! Contrast with this barbarous and inhuman method tender strains of an opera to woo you by degrees from the arms of Morpheus! The notes would fashion dreams in your sleep and as you gradually awoke would transport you back to earth by easy and aesthetic stages without shock to the nervous temper ament What pity it is that wishes are rot horses The reign of the alarm clock stretches away in the future.
 An eastern bride has set an admirable