The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

strengthen the purpose of boy from home.
 When he is dependent upon the city or club for his idle hours, much that is pure and genuine Is absorbed by the strange environments. His purpose Is weakened when he loafs with the boys and feels that it Is his business and nobody cares
 But when he knows that his young lady friends have standard for their friends that in order to claim a dance or share of their time he must be a suitable guest for their homo and the parents must know their daughters friends, then you have demanded the man of character and era ated friend that will value the privilege of being guest at your table, where mother and father can enter your pleas ure
 When one mingles with the people they are apt to hear little things that have been shut up in hearts for a long. long time. but the moment draws them out, And so at this same church dinner a man. gentleman. having enjoyed the meal. bought cigar and stood for mo- ment before opening the door to leave, and said This Is good. I come to them all. Mrs. A. always reminds me when the ladies are going to have a dinner and come every day as long as they give them. T come for two reasons-to put my small amount into every channel I can for good. then an old bachelor likes to see the ladies so happy working hard for the church fund-and, too, this dinner tastes Ike mothers used to taste-every man recalls what mother did and when she Is gone. taking off his hat and dis playing gray head, and these white hairs carry our thoughts back tn her sainted door; then we love 10 be with the ladies and make success of her interest not only for those among us, but those hat
 These words fingered throughout the afternoon and on from childhood to man hood home mas it's Influence and mother E work is rewarded. even though it be but memory,
 Later, after the dinner was over and the finances had to be looked after, one of the "housekeepers' was asked naturally, slowly. Not as much as we expected
 was the answer. The purpose was to make the necessary amount of money for extending the usefulness of tho church, but the financial feature seemed 1 trivial to the looker-on, who had the op- portunity of hearing the good things each said to the other as they came and left And to know though called a Baptist dinner 1t was dinner for the people and of the people, who came again and again as much for the cheerful spirit as to be fed,
 Many times the question was asked, Why don't you all run n dinner like this all the time9 And really the women do need hall accessible to the center equipped for functions of the kind and with the 70 odd churches in Birmingham such a place could be maintained very regularly, and with the crowds to be fed each day would in no manner interfere with our restaurants and the year round give our floating population of young
 folks the opportunity of having a home dinner and making at the same time a circle of friends among the mothers of the city, When the young folks depend
 more upon the hospitality of home to sc- lect their associates at once the standard for social relations is raised and more genuine and cordial hospitality Is ad- vanced to the general improvement of our social customs,