The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-28
Suffers from the Country'S
 Great Prosperity
TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS
Educational Prices Now at Work Tend to Make Living in Rural Dis tricts More Comfortable
 and Desirable.
BY llERvEY W. LAIRD.

Montgomery, April 27.-CSpeelal.) )-From
 what can be learned the Alabama exhibit ] at the Jamestown exposition is not com ing along as rapidly us the governor
 and others interested would wish. but 1 it is expected that ,n the end 1t is to be
 very creditable one The state has
 all the products sthat go to make up a i fine exhibit and the work of getting
 them together is being pushed as rapidly 1 as the situation will allow,
 Strange to say the Alabama exhibit l stands to suffer, if it does suffer, from l thu prosperity of the country. J. E. Ward, who has just retired as agent and
 who is still helping out in many ways,
 says tlat that has been his trouble. Men are interested put too busy to give time
 to getting the pToducts together, They i a. zee that the opportunity to advertise
 the state is a rare one and should be
 funy utilized, but says that they Just 1 have SC little time from their business 1 that 1t seems hard to do what they know 1 ought to be done for 1t.
 Thoughtful men take the position that /, this Is unfortunate and there will be a
 call from now on to have the state realize l duty and it's great privilege in this II lHt liiilt IS dilONSo AO
 pass and the exhibit is one that does not
 fully do credit to the state there will be done incalculalle damage in the way of .l wrong impression not only of the goods we have but the enterprise of the citizens. Hence. there is a hope that everybody will set busy at oncc
 Better Rural Conditions.
 Men who have interested themselves
 Tn the improvement of conditions in the country territory see great good to come oI the disposition of the state and all other educational forces to make living outside of the towns, villages and cities more attractive. In other words there Is a well defined attempt to build up a rural sentiment. that will embrace demand for better church and school relations, make social life more secure and Ilhanee the advantages that outdoor existence pro- vides Out of this Is expected to grow more progressive larming and less shift less business methods and some even hope that there will come some plan of community towns that will make the country as safe as the city.
 Orc of the features of this work is the r. vement to educate the people to local support of educational advantages and better pride in school architecture. Friends of this movement hope to have all tn counties of the state adopt the plan of county tax for schools and after that secure an amendment to the organic law so that the districts may levy tax If they see flt This. with better superintendence.
 which is expected to be accomplished will, in short time make the country sch ol as good as the city.
 That Hobson Tour.
 The educational tour If you please which Congressman Richmond Pearson Hobson will make through his district. be ginning at Tuscaloosa. May G. is at- tracing much attention for it's many unil lae features. An especially interest in announcement Is that Captain Hob son hopes to be able to say by that time that he has secured from an out side source 5000 for each county in the olstrict to aid in the erection of school | houses The state gives this much. With the amount that the citizens must get to secure the state fund and the money to be secured by Captain Hobson on thN outside there win be 5000 guaran- tce1 to every county for new school houses
 The trip Is expected to result in many new rural routes in the district, a thing very much needed in every section of the state An inspector of the depart melt will meet the others of the party at Tuscaloosa and lay out what seems  terested will be furnished with blanks by addressing Captain Hobson's secre- tary F.. l.. Clarkson, at Tuscaloosa. It is also a fact that arrangements have been nasle for stocking streams with fisA and those interested may also have blanks and other Information by ad- dressing MT Clarkson.
 All the experts who will accompany Captain IIobson on the trip arc men of wide experience in their departments.
 McDavid at Old Service.
 During much of the week former Sec retary of State E. R. McDavid has been at the desk of the deputy insurance commissioner, Capt A. C. Sexton who has spent some time in Atlanta in the wor,. of closing out the affairs of the Atlanta Birmingham Insurance company. Mr. McDaYid is perhaps the best posted man in the state on insurance law and practice. He was in charge of the in- suranse departr ent for sore time. while h brother. Robert P. McDavid. was secretary Of state and later at the head of it as secretary of state himself.
 .Ir. McDavi1 Is now in business in Birmingham He will return to his first love, real estate and insurance and with h.J knowledge Of such matters he is ex- pected by his capital city friends to be- come rich in short time His long res idence in Birmingham gives him great insiSht into values. During his connec- ton with the office Mir. McDavid saw the neJ receipts to the state grow from less than s10,000 a year to over si00 GOO. and from now on they will grow larger still. the new laws giving q large in- crease in returns from fees and taxes.
 They Talk of Gadsden.
 Those who like boom talk of the real kind should hear Isaac w. Hill. aforetime superintendent of education, and Alto V Lee. member of the Legislature from Etowln county. praise Gadsden. They are walking breathing advertisements of the town and the community and if 2 man is looking for a row let him tell either one of them that the metropolis or Etowah is not likely to be as large as Birmingham. Neitlfer one of them went quite so far but it is easy tc see that they are looking confidently to the me when Gadsden will discuss the ad- visibility of annexing Birmingham as a prosperous suburb.
 Hill became a good boomer while at the head of the euilca tional department as his record will show. while Lee seems to have come into it naturally. stop o.i and see our town" said Hill to q man the other day while trav- cling that way on the train. "We will show you one of the best prospects for a great city you have ever seen. Look at l.. Navigable river, iron and coal and limestone. Make iron cheaper than Bir- mingham Water gives us good freight rate. Farming section good as any Ken lucky valley. Better take day off and