The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-18

a WEN AAlNoS W ACS fSAaS0 90 "a AAAAA '~Ae
Ford, in his sphere of activity, is
really nothing short of a wizard, just
as Edison is a wizard in the electri-
clans laboratry.
But both are practical men or moth
ing. They are not like some other rich
men of the industrial world, afraid
that if the democrats remain in power
the country will go to smash-after
the war is over.
The democratic policies are good
enough for them, and their examples,
respectively, should have its effect on
intelligent independent voters.
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lit ENRY FORD, Thomas A. Edison
u y and other less prominent foes
of the '1ittle white SLAYER" must feel
discouraged at the enormous increase
in cigarette smoking. The popularity
of the "coffin tack" despite the dread
full ch arg s
Cigarette Sales Are made against it
Fast Increasing by scnool teach
ers, m n
ladies and reformers in general, is
marching on at a surprising rate,
which indicates that if the baleful eff
fects alleged against cigarette smok-
ing are true, large percentage of the
male population of the country, and
not a few females, will shortly be in
side lunatic asylums, or else going to
premature graves.
Cigarette sales by American manu-
facturers during the year ending Au-
gust 1, were 1896, 100000, as COM
pared with 1851, 100000 in the pre-
vious year. 1t is estimated that if the
present rate of increase continues dur
ing this year between $4,000, 100000
and 100000 100000 cigarettes will be
sold.
There is, to be sure, brisk demand
from abroad and large quantities are
being shipped to the soldiers in the
trenches, but most of the cigarettes
manufactured in this country are con-
sumed at home. And the huge sales
are due chiefly to an unprecedented
campaign of advertising.
s7H HE other day at Erwin, Tenn,
y "Murderous Mary" was hanged
by the neck until dead. "Murderous
Mary" was an elephant, the property
of circus, and she was accused of
having killed eight men. The state
authorities thought it was time for
Mary to die, and so decided.
AS there were no quick poisons
available, it is said, the show people
looped heavy
The EXECUTION of chains around
"Murderous Mary" the elephants
neck. She was
raised in the air by steam crane and
after struggling long time in agony
died.
Maybe the hanging was conceived
in the fertile mind of press agent.
1t is quite likely that such was the
case, for the execution" was a great
success from an advertising point of
view. The name of the circus was
printed in newspapers throughout the
country and the additional fact that
Mary was valued at $4,000.
But whether the circus press agent
had anything to do with the hanging
or not, it was brutal in the extreme.
The beast could have been poisoned,
but that would not have entertained
the crowd and advertised the show. A
good marksman with a heavy rifle
could have speedily ended Mary's ca
reer without pain. She deserved to die,
but slowly strangling her to death in
chains was inhuman and barbarous.
NNTEATHER prophets who go by
wv "signs" rather than science
tell us that we will have an early and
a cold winter. Two open winters in
succession such as those of 1915 and
1914 are usually
Forecast for Early followed by Sc
and Cold Winter we're winters; and
high temperature
in June is said to indicate early
freezing.
The winter season in this latitude
is seldom as cold as the coal dealers
or the clothing merchants would like
to- see it, but if December and jan
uary are not icy months it will be
because all signs fail. In the mean
while we may expect many weeks of
delightful autumn weather, although
Indian summer, which sometimes
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