Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-07
PROGRESS AT MOBILE
Proudest City of South CIings
to Old Conditions.
SOME FINE new HOMES
Artistic Railway Station and Two
Splendid Hotels.
CURIOUS NAMES FOR GIRLS
Great Banana Port -Labor-Saving
Devices-Prosperity Of Negro.
Standing In Community.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
| Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
| Chicago Record-Herald.
| MOBILE, Ala. April 8. 1909.
! There is not as much Improvement in
| the appearance OF Mobile as in several
other cities of the south, although the
residence section, and particularly Gov
eminent street. where the aristocracy
lives. is extending rapidly with stately
| homes, and downtown there are at least
| two new sky-scrapers.
| Mobile has been the most exclusive and
the proudest of all the cities of the south
Several of the most conspicuous families
| in New York city have come from here.
Several northern millionaires have found
their wives in Mobile. with more or less
happiness and satisfaction.
The social statistics here are still as
rigid as they are in Charleston. Upper
tendon is still inclined to be self-satis-
fled and Indifferent to the social aspira-
tons of those who possess lately acquired
fortunes and have not been accustomed
to wear crests.
| There is something admirable In the
pride of ancestry. We have a right to be
grateful for our fathers and mothers If
we choose, and to be still more grateful
if the characters and careers of our
| grandparents and great-grandparents do
us credit.
Ancestral distinction goes farther In
Mobile, however, than in most other
towns The mixture of Spanish and French
blood has not entirely disappeared and 1t
still may be traced by names if not by
faces.
The same family vanity and loyalty
that is found in Charleston andsSavannah
kin are exemplified among the old residents
here. Ladies of household are apt to
inquire as to the parentage and connec-
tions of a man or a woman before either
are admitted to an inner circle.
The most notable improvement In the
town is an artistic railway station built
by the Southern and the Mobile and Ohio
roads. 1t initiates the Moorish school in
Birmingham and Atlanta, and l believe
they were all designed by the same man.
And there are two attractive new hotels.
as fine as any in the land. They will
the town and will tempt many people here
who otherwise would have passed by.
The Battle House. like the ariStocracy
of Mobile. inherits a famous name. There
has always been q Battle House in Mobile.
1t has been a social center since the
city had use for one.
Several famous hotel-keepers served
their apprenticeship here. Paran Stevens,
country. was manager of the Battle House
in his early days. A. p. Darling of the
Fifth Avenue Hotel Of New York also
began his career here.
But the new Battle House with its great
dome, artistic dining room and luxu-
rious chambers Is far beyond anything that
either Mr.. Stevens or Mr.. Darling dream
ed of when they were here sixty and
seventy-five years ago.
Things That Pass Away.
There has been a great Improvement In
hotels and eating houses in every part
of the south. Formerly travellers had
pretty tough living down here. but now
adays. when there Is no dining car on
the train, which is rare, passengers are
served with we'll cooked meals In at
tractive dining rooms instead of cold.
greasy bacon, the fried beefsteaks and
were characteristic of railway restaurants
in this section of the country.
Twenty years ago boiled eggs and corn
bread were about all that was fit to eat
mond. Charlotte. Atlanta, Savannah.
Montgomery. Mobile. Knoxville, Birming-
ham. Chattanooga and other cities have
attractive modern hotels. conducted on
| the European plan, with the best of beds
and other furnishings and a cuisine as
good as any in New York.
Nashville and Charleston are way be-
hind In this respect. / understs nd that
| they are digging the cellar and laying
the foundations of a new million dollar
house in Nashville, which will lie as fine
as the Hotel Patten at Chattanooga, and
that would be hard to beat.
One of the many attractions of these
new hotels are orchestras of young
| women, who play during luncheon. and
dinner hours and give concert program
in the evening. This fashion has opened
a new occupation for many worthy young
women who are required to support them
selves, and some of the orchestras play
very we'll
| AT the Battle House and at several
| other places they furnish an orchestral
| accompaniment to a monograph with
great deal of precision and taste, and
while the guests of the house are dining
they can listen to Caruso. Melba, Calve.
Scotti and other great artists without
leaving the house.
Curious Feminine Names.
| noticed on the register of southern
hotel where we were stopping the other
day two names which attracted my at
| tenton. One of them was "Ambertrice
Orfoot' and the other was Mynnie Baker.
| When i called the clerks attention to
| them he turned back a few pages and
! showed the autograph of Babye Jones
and that of Farrye Lou Barney. who. he
said, were pupils at school for young
women up the country a little way, and
| they had come to town to do some shop
| ping with one of their teachers.
/ Most all the families down here give
| their children fool names" was his sa-
gacious comment. land when they hap
pen 10 be sensible people. and happen to
give their daughters sensible names, the
girls are pretty sure to go silly and spell
| EN- in some romantic way like Babye
Jones and Mynnie Baker" To illustrate
| he produced the catalogue, two three
years old, of a girls school at Montevallo.
Ala and observed:
| There is collection of names that
will make you tired. Just think what