The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-11

'I can't go any further unless you get a lantern" I shrieked as we entered the ground floor, where the Board of Revenue was to be visited.
 Dark clammy, odorferous and dirty, I picked my way along, glancing in the various offices, the two divisions of the inferior court, and then to the office, where such important things as records, deeds, abstracts and that sort of thing is kept. The one ray of light was in this office. It was cleaner by far than the rest, but it's utter inadequacy impressed us with the fact that Greater Birming- ham needs, and needs badly, better facil- ities for storing as it were her important documents.
 Let us take the elevator and go up to the top floor and then down. said the official and immediately we followed the suggestion, longing for ray of light and a breath of air.
 This" said the official, as we stepped off, Twill give you a good idea of the court rooms," and so saying, we went into the second division of the criminal court, or rather paused at the entrance. In this little, tiny room, not large enough for a good-sized bed chamber, there was mass of humanity huddled up so closely that in the absence of a jury box you couldn't tell the jury from the spectators, unless you were informed.
 Just come right in," said the official. "A man is on trial for his life"
 Never" said I. ''rhere are three things in life that I am afraid of-a kerosene lamp, a killer and an umpire at a base ball game"
 Look through the glass door, then, and you can see better" said our guide.
 T have been trying to for the last few minutes" said my feminine friend, who Up to this time had been so shocked at the squalor and the dirt that she had seen that she hadn't said word. But the doors are so grimy and filthy I can't see through them.''
 Finally, however. we peered in, and ohl the sight that greeted our eyes. It was the murder trial of a man who had taken the life of fellow being, and there the poor creature sat, with bowed head and stricken heart, his poor, faithful wife and the four dear little children who had blessed their once happy home, sur rounding him. The judge, the solicitor, the lawyer for the defense and the heart broken widow of the murdered man were arraigned in this human tribunal to meet out the justice of the law.
 1T cant stand it," said my friend. "It just nearly kills me, and all that mass of humanity huddled up in that tiny little room! There is nothing under the sun that could keep me from voting for the bond issue if I were a man, and help to amelicrate these fearful conditionsP 'I feel the same way" said l, "and all l the time l have stood here my heart has gone out to those poor women! Think l of itl Suppose a woman had to trans- | act a large amount of legal business, as many of them do or worse still, sup pose she had to appear in court for some wrongdoing of her own in one of those frightful court rooms, what on earth would she do? It makes me shudder to think that any women would have to be subjected to such surroundings with not even waiting room Or a private nook or correr to await her summonsl''
 We will go through the other court rooms and offices if you wish'" remarked the official.
 "Yes, we want to see it all," was our reply.
 So we took heart and visited each and all of the various court rooms. The sev- eral divisions of the city court, the pro- bate court, the circuit court, the chan cery court and of all these the chan cery court room alone seemed anything like comfortable. True the two divisions of the city court are better provided for than some of the others, but being sit- uated on the Twenty-hrst street side of the building the noise is so great that it is almost impossible to get any sat isfaction out of anything that transpires there.
 The coroner's office, tax collector sher- if and various others were visited and in every instance the lack of room and the absolute want of facilities for hand ling the enormous amount of business that it transacted within our courthouse walls impressed itself upon us
 Now, let us go over to the jail," said the official. If you regard this as inade- quate and the surroundings as unwhole- some. I want to hear your expressions regarding that abode"
 q refuse' said my friend, who by this time was so wrought up over the situation that she wanted to go immedi- ately and make a house to house can vass of the town and urge every man in the community to promise to vote for the 10-story courthouse and jail right on the spot
 '"Thank you for your kindness" we said in unison, 'but 1t has been a terrible ex- perience."
 Then my friend inquired, "Who is re- sponsibe for this dirt and filth where nice, respectable men and women must go?"
 We were informed that the Board of Revenue would, no doubt, have house cleaning if it was suggested to them.
 At least they could have the floors. scrubbed and the windows and doors washed" said my dainty friend who is one of the best housekeepers l know.
 As we left the courthouse-so impos- ing and so grand from the exterior-and so absolutely unkempt in the inside, my friend remarked:
 "There is every sort of society in Bir- mngham except one to provide pocket handkerchiefs for the natives of Bor- ioboola-Gha, and I think that if we do not have the proposed new courthouse