The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-13

S Society will recall with much pleas
ure Mrs. Zoe Beckley of New York who
was the charming guest of Mr.. and Mrs.
Leslie Fulenwider a season or two ago.
Mrs Beckley has only lately taken UP
journalism and her unprecedented sue
cess will be a matter of great interest
and qualification to her many friends here
who while delighted. are not in the least
surprised. since she is so well equipped
to command success in this particular
line. With Helen Rowland, who is one
of the cleverest women In journalism
today, Mrs. Beckley has in prospect
page on one of the large New York
newspapers which the two will edit with
stories OF Manhattan In the near fu-
ture. Among the short sketches which
Mrs. Beckley has written and which have
been commented upon very farorably are
The Open Door,. When the Train
Was Late" Everybody Move iBIue
monday and a sale" and very clever
arllcle on New orleans. which appeared
recently In one oil the metropolitan pa
peers entitled New Orleans, the Cay anu
me Grave This am gong To reproduce
TO-DAY IN part as L leel sure II VIII Do
reau with great interest ny Mrs. bech-
ley,s trleaos as weii as by those OIL her
charming sister, MIS-. rdlenwider.
.RignL here III THIS country We have
a lars OIL our own, writes MRS. BECK
ley, (which Is with US all the Time anu
Yet we scurry across the water 10
paris not whit more detachable in
1lavor and not hall so picruresqueiy
,intea with Laun color. Inc Iault-tnding
might call it a bit ulrty, TO be sure, Ill
spots. but whenever has d little dirt inter-
rered with a place being attractive II the
sparkIe and atmosphere were there!
New Orleans is place to browse round
in. to be lazy in, and to love Tor It's sub
lie. foreign charm. At the festival period
of Mardi Gras 1t takes on added gayety
and abandons Its pleasure-loving self to
10Y and hilarity without stint. Canal
street. in all its noble width, is a-dazzle
with festoons of electric lamps, and all
h The buildings-hotels, clubs and what not
"a GORGEOUS with huge devices in white
ana colored lights. The streets stream
with people, young. old, mfddle-aged,
babies. dogs, white folk, colored folk, big
foIL little folk, lame, halt, blind, any
thing and everything. but all bent on
havinr fun, and they have 1t, for the
very air is drenched with the spirit OF
carnival
The paRoantS are Things " po ioiucHi-
bered truly. That Of Rex usually takes
place In the daytime, but Momus, Comus
and Proteus are at night, and thus gain
/, much In brillianoy. The floats In each
parade number perhaps 20, on which
the designers (one of them, by the
way, q young woman) have probably
worked a year. The ideas are chosen
xometimes from Biblical events, sometimes
from the human passions, sometimes from
operas. but they are always gorgeous
and represent many thousands OF dol
lars.
The necessary characters In these floats,
both male and female, are taken by men
who are members Of the different mystic
societies. '.Momus," "Comus and the
rest. Their costumes are rich and beauti-
ful. and over their faces are masks OF
wire gauge painted to represent the very
acme of human 1oveliness. Each car is
drawn by ten horses or so. covered with
sbeet-like robes and led by negroes
gowned in red. There are innumerable
torches and bands of music without end.
\ The ..royal anthem Of Rex is a funny
old song called 'If Ever Cease to Love. y
rrhe air is full of it; the bands blare 1t
forth: everybody huns 1t or whistles 1t;
the strangers listen to 1t and try to catch
r.. and an Englishman would probably
think 1t the national air, as the Cubans
ala in the war when 'There'll Be a Hot
Timel in the Old Town Tonight" was