The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-05
THAT REMINDS ME
Commseraton of the Man Who Sumbes Bndy Through the World With Both Eyes Wide Open-An
 Example of Life's Tragedies

I am truly sorrow for the man who has eyes and yet cannot see.
 There are thousands of him in the world.
 He walks the streets of Birmingham every day or mopes alone in his six-by- eight hall bed room because he thinks there is nothing doing in the old town.
 But out in the wide, wonderful world, that stage of human vaudeville, there Is always something doing for the man who can and will see.
 The scenes change quickly, the acoustics are good, every seat is a. reservel seat and the admission is free There is a all for the one price. And the per- formance is continuous. There are no tiresome curtain falls or dark houses on the life circuit.
 Some of the liveliest and most inter esting numbers are presented in the short hours of the morning when decent peo- pie are supposed to be asleep and dream ing of innocence
 The rumbling of closed carriage or the spinning of a taxicab at O clock part of the great game. A dim candle light fiickering in a distant window tells it's story to the man who thinks the man who knows how to use his eyes.
 Does your heart ever ache for the sleep less mother who may be watching be- hind the shadows of that lamp. the wasting face of a precious infant? The all the same to her. She marks time by the rising and the falling of the fever on the white brow Of her babe.
 The glare of golden lights in the all- night cafe when the doors are closed to the public and the morning stiffness is aroused by the popping of champagne bottles presents another feature of the general programme that is never ended in the busy city.
 I pity the man who walks biindiy through the world with his eyes wide open. True, he must weep with those who weep. mourn with those who mourn. starve with those who starve, but he has equal opportunity to laugh with those who laugh, rejoice with the happy and shout with the fans cn the bleach CTS.
 The man who sees Is the man who gets what is coming to him in this world and has promise of a surplus accumula- tion of joy in the world to come.
 The man who sees nothing is the grouch. He growls at imaginary enemies and cannot realize that he is the clown that is being led by a goose in front of the grandstand for the enjoyment of the man who sees things.
 I witnessed tragedy in Birmingham a few nights ago.
 We were waiting for the same car at shop girl. She showed that she was tired and worried. Her eyes were sunk en and I thought I saw the trace of a tear frozen to an icycle just under the lid She looked yearly up and down the street and I thought she would sink on the curb from sheer exhaustion of both mental and physical strength
 She had beautiful face, glorious syes and a graceful form. but they were marred by the burden of work and worry.
 We stepped on the car together.
 She drew from her purse her pay envelope and poured the contents in her
 palm. One lonesome silver dollar!
 Was that all?
 No; there was a small slip of pa per.
 It read: Deduction for part payment on silk skirt sold Mrs. - on credit -"
 Do you understand what this meant my patient reader?
 Simply this; My shop-worn girl friend had stood good for the payment of . silk skirt sold to women who Is mod- erately well to do. The house did moi know the customer. The saiesgirl did The girl guaranteed the payment of the bill. Mrs. was well able to pay the btl. but did not do 70 in the tin1s the house thought she should. The price was deducted from the poor gh1's pal envelope, part at . time, each week. Tonight she had but one dollar afteI the deduction. One dollar to help . l~sdowsd mother pa1 seut bgx fua ant