The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-27

Everybody is interested in the woman who succeeds. All women, in fact, are in- teresting, but to me the most interesting of all is the woman who has had the en- ergy and the intellect to select some line of work and pursuing it, makes good in- come from it. That is the reason said to myself the other day: I'm going down to the Golden Lion Tea Room and have a chat with one of the most successful women in Birmingham"
 I have a fellow journalist friend who says that the only objection she has to interviewing a highly prosperous person is that he feels tempted to snatch them by the hair and do them some really per- sonal injury, when she compares their lot with his-but don't feel that way. In fact, successful people are the only ones that like to interview.
 With these preliminaries, I proceeded on my way to have nice little chat with the proprietor of the Gold Lion Tea Room, and right here it occurs to me to explain that the dictionary man doesn't t give any feminine form of proprietor, as- suming that anybody who Is one natur- ally is masculine. In this case there never was a more gentle, womanly, or thoroughly feminine proprietor than Mrs. E. G. Stevens-the sole proprietor and owner of Birmingham's attractive tea room.
 found Mrs. Stevens in her smart nob- by attire of tailor skirt and pretty hand embroidered blouse, with the most fetch a1t practically .after hours,'' she was very gracious and sat down at a cozy little table to discuss things with me.
 sTve often wondered, Mrs. Stevens. how you happened to think of opening a tea room? What was your inspiration?" l asked.
 Laughingly she said: .."I think it was the call of the blood with me. so to speak was born in hotel, and it was my fathers business. and in a measure, you might say it is hereditary
 q was talking with friend of yours few days ago and she said that your success had been wonderful, but she thought if you had opened a typewriting agency or anything else you would have been just as successful. That somehow you had the success microbe in every thing"
 Well, I don't know about that she answered. T saw the necessity in Bir- mingham of a tea room and in vague way the bee buzzed in my bonnet until I at last got the idea on practical foun- dation"
 And you have made lot of money, haven't you?' I queried.
 'I can hardly say a lot-in fact, it de- pends upon what you. call lot. But have succeeded splendidly. Of course, It requires a great deal to run place like this. and my expenses are very large, but I have never been discouraged for a min ute"
 ..Your staff of assistants is quite large one, isn't it?' 5.
 .'Yes; my cooks, waitresses. porters. and other help amounts to rather large regiment. Of course, you know that am going into new quarters?'' she said.
 ''Yes," Unanswered. And I am curious to know how in the world you will accom- plish it. You will have to suspend bus- ness for several days. won't your
 Why, certainly not.'' Mrs. Stevens laughingly said. My new rooms in the Marx building, which, by the way, are very attractive will be on the ground floors These will be in readiness to re- ceive us on about the middle Saturday in April. We will close here Saturday even- ing after dinner and be ready to serve breakfast the next Monday morning in our new home."
 Mercy! What a wonderful woman you are,' I exclaimed. "Why, 1t would take me week to accomplish such a move. And will the, new tea room be modelled on the lines of this one?'
 ''In measure, yes. l am going to carry out the same color scheme of yellow and brown. But the furnishings will be of a different order. Much lighter, all new. and quite up to date in every respect = There will be able to accommodate more people in my new tea room than I can here. and the location is ideal The rooms are practically surrounded by plate glass windows, and as the various elevators fly up and down in the Brown-Marx building the passengers will catch a glimpse of the tea room as they pass'
 It all sounded 50 pretty and easy, and