The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-19

crowded as for a prize fight or a political convention, 'necessitating police supervision on the streets and causing the acute disappointment of hundreds who reached the box office when all the tickets were gone" Yes, Wagner continues to draw, and the time will never come when the people will cease to love his music.
 The trouble with Pittsburg's direc- tor of public works is that he knows nothing about music and that he evil dently cares less. It was not uncom- mon many years ago to find persons devoid of musical appreciation, affect ing dislike for anything called classi- cal. Their notion was that the summer concert was purely civic proposition and that all the band was good for was to make noise. That day is past. It may be safely predicted that Pitts burg will provide the right kind of park music next year-music at once diverting and humanizing"
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 T HE whole state must take off it's ! hat to Bessemer. Birmingham's closest neighbor has made splendid showing in the biennial school census. Jefferson county's school population does not total as large as was ex- pected, but Bessemer not only has a substantial increase in numbers but
 the taking of Bessemer's Growth the census dis and School Showing closed the fact
 that it had on- fly 15S white persons of school age who could not read and write, and not single illiterate negro of school age.
 As Alabama has been getting a great deal of bad advertising on &C., count of it's illiteracy record it is re- freshing to find one community where there are so few illiterates as to be practically negligible. Another fact of which Bessemer may well boast is that her schools are entire ly free, with free books for all the pupils.
 These things to Bessemer's lasting credit were set forth in The Age-Her- aids news columns Wednesday. But no less remarkable than that city's high literary standing is the increase in local population during the last six years
 Bessemer was always thrifty and well ordered community, but it has acquired the habit in recent years of growing rapidly. In the federal census of 1910 its population was 10,- S64. The school census, multiplied by four, gives in some cities approxi- mately the total population. A very conservative multiplier is 3.75. Bes- semer's school census of 5732 multi piled by 3.75 would indicate an ag gregate population of 21,495, and it is not one less. A phenomenal growth in a half dozen years!
 Watch Bessemer in 1920. At the rate the city is going it will cross the 50,0OO mark before it knows it. All honor to the big city in the lower end of the county. n RESIDENT WILSON was right ! in vetoing the army appropria- ton bill, because it contained exemp- tions from discipline for retired of- ficers. This clause is said to have been forced into the bill in conference,
 under the leader Status of Army ship of Chairman Officers Retired Hay, over the op-
 position of the war department. After receiving the veto message, MT. Hay struck out his ex- emption amendment and immediately reintroduced the bill. It is said that the exemption had been inserted for the especial benefit of certain retired officer known to be eager to criticize the army, and who was only waiting to be immune from discipline to act the part of a free lance. As the articles of war stand, and always should stand in respect to re- tired officers, retirement carries with it all the honors pertaining to the c, ,,oo ,-or1, o,, +bo o otivo Ect apd o1so