The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11

covered a serum which he says will pre- vent and cure eerebro-spinal meningitis, a disease from which the large cities have suffered much In the last few years. pr. Flexner obtained his serum by ex- perimenting with monkeys Epidemic meningitis manifested itself specifically in Switzerland at the beginning of the nine teenth century. It appeared in Massachu- setts in 1S06 Presumably its earlier ex- isCence was included in the general ty- phus account In visitations 1t has been cratic Thus, from 1850 to 1854 1t had no mortality record In the world, while New York's epidemic of 1904 was tho fourth of a series begun in 1866, Boston having had three epidemics within a sim liar period. The disease is now domes- ticated in the Unted States. It makes death records in New York every year.
 Meningitis Is feared not only for its score of mortality, ranging as high as T0 per cent of cases, but for after effects of deafness, blindness or imbecility In recovered patients. A serum proved to be effective in combating this dreadful disease would rank with the antitoxin which has wrought its miracles on the diptheria scourge.
 If the papers are to be relied upon, and they are not, the "crime wave" has not been confined to the East Side. We are told that some of the wealthiest res idents of Brooklyn made determined ef- fort to lynch two men who attacked young girl"
 The truth is that there has been no crime wave. The statistics of the Gerry society, which deals with all such cases, show that there has been no increase in the number of crimes against children. The district attorney, the police and the judges also agree that there Is nothing to justify the yellow papers In creating the impression that a perfect saturnalia of crime prevails But perhaps circula- tions have increased, so what do the own CTS of the yellows care? When the "crime wave" Is exhausted the scare makers will spring something else.
 For years evangelists labored In every part of the city except the financial dis trict which is always called Wall street, no matter what particular street is meant. Wall street seemed given up for lost until two summers ago a minister mount ed an empty dry goods box placed by the curbside and, in the midst of this babel of mammon, raised his voice to preach the brotherhood of man.
 Wall street smiled an indulgent smile and paused for moment in its vast activities to look over this ministerial
 
 novelty. The street soon forgot it's in dulgent smile. but 1t continued to stop Every day, with the exception of Sat urdays and Sundays, during the sum mer months the minister preached from his gutter pulpit, and, much to sur prise of those experienced in New York evangelstic work, always to a large, at tentive audience. Last summer he re- turned and he Is now here again.
 His congregation Is perhaps the most unique the world has ever sene. It in- cludes Protestants, Catholics and He- brews; white men and black; bank pres idents, stock brokers, clerks, messenger boys, bootblacks. all the big and little human cogs that make up the huge Wall street machine. Some come regularly and stage through the forty-fivem minute serv- Ice; but in the hurry of business, others cannot spare more than ten, fifteen or twenty minutes. But as ones goes, an othsr comes. His audience will always