The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-07
IN HOTEL LOBBIES


BELGIAN Relief Fund
Alabama did well, thought, in
raising between $4,000 and $4,000 for the
Belgian relief fund.-" said ex-Gov. w
d. Jelks, who was the treasurer of the
fund. Considering the short time in
which the committee had to work, I
thought the response to the appeal was
very generous indeed.
TT was worthy of note that the Ala
bamian who raised and turned in the
largest amount was NJ. NJ. Tressler of
Montgomery. He is man of only mod
crate means. but he has proved himself
to be good worker in a good cause
Conditions in walker
Despite the low price of cotton
business conditions in Walker county
are quite good" said Horace Gibson of
Corona. Most of the farmers are very
well off. This is accounted for by the
fact that they raise comparatively little
cotton and a great deal of almost every
thing else.
Il was at Jasper recently and the
merchants and Industries of that city
appeared to be prospecting. At any rate
I heard no hard times talk there
Corona is the center of large coal
mining operations as every one knows.
The coal trade has been dull. but it seems
to be showing some improvement"
Business Improvement in the south
A. C. Langston of New York, who rep
resents Jenkins Brothers. manufactur-
ers of valves, is in Birmingham. He was
formerly a citizen of Atlanta, but for
five years has been travelling in the in
terest of the concern referred to.
EARLY in the fall business in my line
was dull" said Mr. Langston yesterday,
but our sales in October, November
and December showed little falling off
as compared with the same period last
year.
Business conditions in the south have
improved within the past few weeks.
I keep in touch with all the cities from
the Potomac to the gulf. New Orleans,
which was suffering from business de-
preston two or three years ago, is now
very prosperous. 1t is in fact one of the
busiest cities in the country.
IT find that business in Birmingham
is improving every day January Is
starting Off well, and before the end of
the month there will be a high degree
of activity in nearly all branches of
trade, north and south"
MT Langston said that he first visited
Birmingham IS years ago when the
city had a population of only about
80, 900. Birmingham was an industrial
center of great promise in the 90's, but
its expansion has been even faster than
it's most enthusiastic prophets foretold,
continued Mr. Langston.' Its growth
has been, indeed, phenomenal, and 1t
will never stop growing"
Iron and Steel
"There is now firmer tone in the iron
and steel trade than was reported
month or so ago." said w. F. Watts of
Chicago.
while I am not directly connected with
the iron or steel industry, / am in
business that Is more or less affected by
it. Steel men tell me that inquiries were
more insistent in December than in No
vember, and believe that the order books
of the steel companies will now begin to
fill up. The railroads are certainly be-
ginning to make large purchases of equip
ment, and this fact will account for
steady improvement in iron and steel.
The Next Sunday Musicale
jenny Dufau one of the most popular
operatic singers in this country. will be
the attraction for the next Sunday musi-
Gale at the Tutwiler, which will be on
January IT. Few artists have finer press
notices than this young artist.
There will be one or two .musicales after
| January II, but the attractions have not
been definitely settled upon. Mrs. Frazier
and Mrs. Sharp, who arranged the con-
certs, have several fine options.
In LincOln's Time
1.-THE first President 1 remember was
General Grant, when he was serving his
second term, and recall public recep-
| ton that l attended at the White House
| in 1874" said John M. Lowery of Philia-
delphia.
II was then a youth of 20 and was living
| in Washington with my parents. There
did not seem to be very much style at
the executive mansion, but there were
doorkeepers ushers and policemen on
duty just as now.
| II have been deeply interested in John
Hays diary in which he gives intimate
sketches of President Lincoln and tells
US in gossipy fashion about White House
etiquette, or rather the lack of it. Mr..
Lincoln did not try to keep the public
| at a distance but on the other hand every
body who wanted to talk to the President
IL n ofF x1rtth At1fh a-
| ing announced or without asking the per-
mission of any one. The throngs that
were seen at the White House during
working hours must have seemed like
mobs. 1 cannot imagine how the Pres
| ident was able to attend to important BUSH
ness without the aid of dOorkeepers. But
| 1t was Mr. Lincolns way and he man.
aged to accomplish great DEAL
| A Republican Playing Politics
| 1.-THE resolution which Congressman
Lindbergh, Minnesota republican and
a member of the banking and currency
committee, has introduced charging that
the federal reserve system and the fed
eral reserve board are dominated by the
money trust and demanding the ap-
pointment of special House committee
to inquire into the influences that have
been exercised by the money trust In the
organization of the reserve banks, is poll
| ct, 10 cd