The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-08
Bell Phone 1864


 We can prove 1t by the most practical common sense conclusions and horse sense" logic. First. assuming that by Paradise" is meant. the people in it; and the little flower gardens they oe- cupy; and the state of mind embodying absolute contentment, with which each little neck of the woods which they are "holding down and call their own, and which by the grace of God and the terms of their legal instruments. they are ito have and to hold forever; we challenge the world to find another city of one hundred thousand conscious souls, so well contented with the boundaries of their earthly possessions as Birmingham. We would do a Hand office business" but for this sweet placid. "contentment.'
 Let our traducers no longer dub this great city the Birmingham of today and tomorrow, with their old slogan and islander of the past. Bad Birmingham for it is written -, ''with content ment. is great gain" and be it known to all, that Birmingham has found that jewel of great price. 'contentment." wrapped up in a few contracted corner lots. covered with the precious red dust (which sticks 10 all who touch fD, and vet dust that would spurn it's recent avocation of sprouting peas and pump kins or encouraging whistling Bob Whites to perambulate. thing, beneath Its dignity; and even attacks and seeks to relegate to isolated fence corners, and oblivion (not only Vulcan. on whom oth- CTS have eheerfully paid the fright, but also the patriotic and persistent, black berry, with its wonderful pies tand juicy cordials) which a noble ancestry has justly made famous and which the con- sciousless "soclety" of today, without the power of proper appreciation having willfully and woefully neglected exchang- ing for ping teas, etc. the best and long lost generous art, being too much absorbed fin burying "out of sight, the material and essentially beneficial things of this life, to even look at or stumble over "pie crusts' that we are told are like the promises of many public officials, "only made to be brokenl"
 Only here and there along the picket lines" we hear desultory reports; few live flashes and the steady trend of events, moves forward. with weak spot here. and a strengthening support yon' der, with the entire array of real estate holdings sustained by an abiding faith in the general outcome.
 The inquiries are coming in freely for residence property, and this is shared tc some extent by the more central an6 business property: but transactions on the latter class of real estate has in mosi cases been almost prohibltative by the prices demanded. and in many cases nc prices at all obtainable from owners with in reason: quotations in many instances being withheld, because holders recognize that they would demand more than the present market would sustain; and hence often do not quote, but are generous enough to ask ye gentle agents to see what ''they can get' and if they report ofPa oF xUbat fhpU maid fni the property several years ago. they thank CD the said broker complacently for having given them a knowledge of what they could secure, and In many cases calmly 'subside' like the excited son of Abraham who heard that the bank was about to break. and when call Ing for "the goods" before a. willin' cashier, acknowledged. "iph I can't gil 'em. I wants 'em, but iph I can git it O val, schust keep it.''
 Many owners really simple desire to know what they could yet, should they want to sell, and send brokers off on a wild goose chase to find buyers they don't neally want, and some brokers are growing wise enough to decline all busi- ness of that kind, from which no earth ly good can come to buyer, seller, broker or the town; as 1t impresses 7would-be in- vestors, with the idea, that we have nc safe, stable, settled market, and as larger capital is far more timd than the smal investors, our city Is losing a large volume of outside capital, that from time to time has sought to make in- vestments here.
 It is this unsettled hurrying feature that has so often subjected our real estate market to the criticism of outside invest ors, that there is such disparity in quo- tations of similar holdings in a giver district, that they have had the impress sion forced upon them, that there is nc particular level or base in determining the merits and real value of a propo- sition.
 The foundations are here for a great city; one of vast proportions, and when Greater Birmingham shakes off the visionary attitude, with the swaddline clothes of her present contracted busl- ness and city limits, and the sooner her real estate owners begin to realize that Birmingham does not mean only one or two lots, or a few blocks, and that holding out" on the present market for prices they expect to prevail in five years hence, will only prove suicidal to their own interests, by running investors off into other localities, and creating new business districts and centers of interests, the sooner will our general market adjust itself to such conditions as will invite and retain after close in- vestigation the larger capital sSeking investment here.
 General trading for the past week end R F ERORN