The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-29

mole party in the Epworth league rooms
yet seventy-five years ago. l protest
ed 1.-The country was full of Jingoes who
predicted war with England, whereas
now
Whereas now it's encountered with
Jingoes who predict war with Japan"
continued the Comet. ~ can't see that
there's been much general Improvement
along the lines of Jingoing during my alb
sence. I can't see much excuse for being
afraid of a set of people who haven't got
faces enough to cover their teeth. The
ancient Japanese samurai with his neat
| kimono and his two-handed swords stuck
through his sursingle was a fine warlike
| figure for a paper fan or a label on a
box of fire works. but in pair of gold
trimmed spectacles and derby hat two
sizes too large for him and frock coat
that makes him look like district mes
senger boy wearing some of Marshall P.
Wlders old clothes, he doesn't Impress
| me as a person that l would dread great
| ly He might lick this country, If the po-
| lice force didn't interfere, but not other
wise. 1t would seem to me that you have
| just as many Jingoes as you used to
! have, only they haven't got their scare
on straight any more. If l were in the
| Jingoing business, I'd rather be afraid of
a race that turned out such fighters as
Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Marlbo-
rough and Charley Mitchell than to cover
| in my cave every time anybody mentioned
straw-colored nation where an adult
over five feet high dassant look down at
the earth for fear of becoming dazed by
the great altitude and maybe being seized
with an uncomfortable desiEe to jump off.
I'm only a plain sorrel comet with
white blaze face and bay name and tail,
but if I were really going to be afraid of
something I'd rather it was nation that
has a lion for an emblem than one that
can't think up any design suitable to put
on a battle flag except a red cocktail
cherry.
mo, my young friend, I repeat it, you
| haven't changed greatly. You don't have
as many silver tongues in Congress as
you once did, but the silvered palms ap
peared to be just as common as ever In
public life. The crinoline, which lovely
woman once wore to hide her form divine,
Is gone tits true, but it's place Is taken
! by costume which gives her such flg-
ure that you wish she'd hide it perma-
nantly. Seventy-f1ve years ago your navy
was joke. It's still a joke according to
some of the authorities, but a more ex-
pensive one than it used to be. The mod
| ern Dreadnought doesn't burn as fast as
the old wooden-sided frigate did, but 1t
seems to sink much faster when the sink
/
and it doesn't wear such fancy dress cos
tunes as were popular back about the
time of the Mexican war and the equip
ment is better but I haven't noted any
improvement over the embalmed beef
of seventy-five years ago, except that
having remained embalmed all during the
meantime 1t has naturally acquired some
added strength and merit, as was shown
during your late unpleasantness with
| Spain.
We'll" said the Comet as 1t got up
and brushed little star dust out of it's
foliage, I'll be going. I'm due to pass
Jupiter tomorrow night and IL / should be
late I know Jupe'll feel disappointed. So
I'll be on my way. If you should hap
pen to be around when 1 come by In 1885
| lcok me up, won't you?
I'm glad of one thing about this visit
added the Comet as he began to fade into
space.
| Whats that?" ! called out
I'm glad came back this way a few
days ahead of Teddy. AS 1t Is. got my
share of the front page space. But three
weeks from now wouldn't have shown
in the money-not with Teddy as the op-
position attraction. He's some comet him
self when he starts out a-cometing."