The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-16

| any dust. NO city thoroughfare could De
cleaner than Nineteenth. Not only is the
main roadbed as clean as well kept
floor in a we'll kept house, but the part
which touches the eurbing is also clean.
I'VE find the same excellent condition
that one remarks here on Nineteenth
street throughout the business district.
People often knock, and l myself am a
good knocker when there is anything to
knock about; but when a city official is
doing notably fine work I take great
pleasure in calling attention to the fact.
With his limited means Mr.. Gafford is
certainly doing wonders"
- . How to Help
THE music festival to be held here
next week is a most important enterprise,
moi only from an artistic point of view
hut from educatiye and civic viewpoints
as WE'LL said a prominent citizen.
II am told that while many seats have
been sold. the patronage up to this time
has not been at all commensurate with
the merits of the festival nor has it been
such as would indicate that Birmingham
had an educational atmosphere. Now it
is up to everybody who makes any pre-
tensions to culture or civic pride to buy
one or more tickets. It certainly cannot
be said that the prices are prohibitive,
for $3.50 Is the highest and the range of
prices is down to 80 cents.
1T has been noticed on the occasion of
! fo rmer musical events of exceptional
merit that plano pupils and voice pupils
and there are hundreds upon hundreds Of
young folks here who take lessons-have
heen conspicuous by their absence This
is due to the indifference of parents. It
costs to have children taught music ana
yet some parents fail to appreciate the
fact that hearing fine music, interpreted
by masters is as much part of the
childs education as the lessons them
selves.
Even some music teachers are indif-
ferent to higk-class performances. There
are piano teachers hereabouts who have
failed to hear some of the recitals by
virtuosos. Every teacher and every
pupil would be UNNECESSARILY benefited by
attending all of the festival concerts.
II would like to call attention to an
other educational phase of the festival.
People without any musical training can
enjoy festival concerts such as have been
arranged by Mr. Damrosch for the COM
ing week, provided they have any ear for
music; and there is scarcely a boy at
tending Howard college or Birmingham
college who would not feel thrills of de-
light at the music of the Damrosch or
chestra Every college student should
be encouraged to attend the festival and
get fresh cultural uplift. The heads of
colleges should think over this matter and
act accordingly.
college presidents in the south talk elo-
quently of Beethoven, Schubert, Weber,
Mendelssohn. Berlioz Wagner and other
immortal composers, but do these same
presidents ever hear symphony or make
an effort to have students under their
charge attend symphony performance?
If the student bodies from Howard and
Birmingham were to buy tickets for even
one of the festival concerts the manage
ment would feel encouraged and the eff
feet would be excellent.
IF this festival proves a failure finan-
cially 1t will be a long time before an
other will be held here And to have 1t
said that Birmingham was dead unsteady
would be hard blow to this community
as an educational center"
The Iron Market
The local iron companies report u
dull market Quotations are on basis
of $3.50 for No. 2. Matthew Addy &
Co.'S Cincinnati report says:
h. III
buyers are playing a waiting game, yet
the real feature of the market is the
heavy purchasing that is being done in
spots by the big meters. Many of
the very large users have quietly pur-
chased wholesale lots. They have in
many cases tried to cover up their
tracks and have denied any intention
iron that has been bought in this quiet
wa yis large. AS for scattering buy
ing by the small meters. there has
been so little that 1t is hardly worth
mentioning. 1t is odd that the big
buyers and the small buyers should
at this time be adopting such radically
different policies. The minor consun-
middle OF the year. but they have hard
ly anything purchased for the last half.
Presently there is bound to be buy
ing movement for late shipment and as
consumption Is at an unprecedented
rate, purchasing, when it comes, will
be on a grand scale. 1t is a ftct how
ever that in the middle west things
are not nearly so active as in the rest
of the country"
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic
THE Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic
railroad has almost completed its road
into this city," said General Manager
and Chief Engineer Alex Bonnyman last
night.
Track has been laid all the way from
Bessemer to Birmingham and track has
also been laid in our yard here, but
| there are two small gaps to be filed In
May the entire line will be finished.
I'VE have built a good road-one of
the best in the southland ever since we
began running our trains into the Bir-
mngham district shippers have shown
their appreciation by giving us share
of their business. Our outlook for in
creased tonnage is bright.
In building the Atlanta, Birmingham
and Atlantic ballast has followed the
track laying. SO that when the last spike
is driven the road will be in perfect con-
dition from one end to the other"