The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-08
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

end seat hog" is the acid test 1 have heard the porctne seat warmer de-
 nounced just as have heard him
 praised.
 Nov, this is not to start q controversy but to take up the subject in 8 desul-
 tory way. On railroad train the seat
 next the window, or the side seat, is
 con onsldered to be the best. q know it
 is for a child). But when we traye.
 most Of us are children and want to
 look out of the window and see the
 passing show. It is always courteous to
 ask anyone occupying 8 seat on the trair as to their preference in &tting
 next to the aisle or the window. It does
 not inake so much difference on the street car as the distance one rides is usually short.
 Now in theatres to keep down friction seats are reserved, and in spite of the reserved seat coupon, the careless seat ing of the ushers frequently cause en- barrassment and sometimes downright rudeness. It often takes a showing of checks to get the Tnixup adjusted, with
 the result that the play is spoiled for victor and vanquished.
 It's bad enough to show bad manners
 at any public place but it is worse to have any scene in church, and yet l have seen some regretable incidents in houses of worship. Now there is no excuse for the lend seat hog in the Lords house, as those who attend are expected to remain during the service, and yet how often do we sec men who claim not only to be gentlemen, but Christians, flop down on the end of Q pew and make women scramble over their legs to get seat. This ought not so to be.
 remember reading once how Admiral Bob Evans, in his younger days. saun- tered into a church on Fifth avenue and seeing an unoccupied pew took a seat in it. Shortly after a pompous man with wife and children came in and sat with him. The old gentleman glowered at him, but failing to stare "Ftgtring Bob out of countenance, took out his
  man, I pay s1Oc0 year rent for this
 pew" and handed it to Bob, who, not to be outdone, returned it after scrib- bling on It: Well, old man, all have
 to say, it's worth it.''
 This may be apochryphal, but it's good story I remember once in making some studies, as to the way In which a young man would be received in the Fifth avenue churches in New York tested them out and in the interest of 1 treated courteously by the ushers, and | frequently most friendly by those into whose pews I had been shown a seat ] This, however, was before the advent Of the Rev. pr. Aked at the Fifth Avenue church, when 1t was literally overrun by what one of the dcacons
 termed as religious rubbernecks." ," 1 There is always a class of visitors in l New York who go to hear the ceiebri- I ties and the sensationalists, just as there is always a large number of resi- dents who fit from one church to an- other. and are technically known as
 religious tramps''
 i The Baptists in New York built the Judson Memorial church nearly a sl,ooo,- 000 plant, facing Fifth avenue and back ing on Little Italy. It was an experi-
 ment to bring the rich and the poor to- gether. If I mistake not, McKim, Meade &; White were the architects The inside is beautifully finished. in white marble, as are the steps leading. up to the front entrance. The late Dr. Edward Judson, the son of Adoniram Judson, the famous missionary, was the pastor.
 1 I was making study of institutional churches and although I had strong let | ters to pr. Judson from the leading Bap- l tist preachers in the south, I preferred to 1 first investigate the work being done and l make myself known later. This I did. l wanted to see just how the church was reaching tho casual poor who nightly 1 passed it's doors. I waited until a bad night, when the streets ana payements were filled with slush and snow. Taking l my stand on the corner, I watched the
 man who was inviting tho people to come 1 into the prayer service At last a poor, | wandering tramp evidently wanting d
 place of warmth and light, started toward | the main entrance. I was anxious to see ! whether he would be shunted to a side entrance or taken up the marble steps. I | followed him in as he was led up the | pi
 was glad that the church thought .nore {! of 8 poor human derelict than it did of it's stairs and carpets and fine pews. Later I told Dr. Judson about the inci-
 dent and it pleased him nightly to know that the church he served had stood the acid test of service to poor, fallen hu-
 nhanity.
 l Nothing was more out of my thoughts ! than to ring ill dear Dr. Judson, the
 scholarly saint who has gone to his re-
 ward. The workings and vagaries of the human mind is past finding out, which 1 means that I am conscious that mine 1 frequently goes off at a tangent It may be the sign of old age creeping unawares
 upon me, but console myself by merely saying that when get in a reminiscent mood there Is no telling where my | thoughts win take me.
 This article was suggested by ;l leal old woman who sat behind me recently
 at a moving picture show She came ir
 just before the run of the pictures was