The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-07-28

San Francisco. July 2Z.-(Special.)-For
sheer physical beauty, for scenic visions,
for glory of climate, commend me to
Los Angeles and points contiguous. But
for people, give me San Francisco.
One may perish of the cold wind. One
may choke with fog. One may get mad
as a wet hen because Tait's Daring the
Chinese girls who pass hot biscuits) is
like Rector's or Churchilrs when one
expected it to be like nothing else on
earth. One may gnash ones teeth at
S. F.'s residential architecture and curse
the silver cartwheels which are handed
you for money. But there are enough
real human beings within the Golden
Gate to warm the heart and make the
spirits sing.
l could set down an arm-long list of
glowing personalities that light this
town, including RUDE Goldenberg's father
and his famous hat. But being eau
toned not to interview everybody in the
place, I have been guided by wise adj
wiser, who said:
Better see the Big Fellow; he's
dozen men in one. Only man on earth
who can fight for the under dog with
out being bit by the upper one. Only
man who ever reformed a town without
being a 'reformer.' And after putting
the champion CRATER, Abe Ruef, in Jail,
pulled him out again on the conclusion
that this bloodhound stuff is all wrong,
anyway
Only man who can apply the golden
rule without being. called crank; and
befriend labor without being walloped
. by capital. Earns a fat salary and gives
it away Helps the crazy old world
along with a friendly kick. Sees hypoc-
risy, but doesn't scold it. Chums with
model citizens and with those they call
outcasts. Loves his wife and his dog
and laughs at himself"
My advisor went on indefinitely, but If
this much suffices to interest you in the
subject of his remarks allow me to pre-
sent Fremont Older, for % years man
aging editor of the San Francisco Bule-
ton.
HELPING HAND FOR FALLEN
Mr.. Older reminded me instantly I laid
eyes upon his massive frame of Tom Os-
borne, the big Fellow of the east.
There is the same modest bearing, the
same deep, kindly voice, the same twin
kie in the eyes that bespeaks not only
hunlor, but a certain affectionate SYM
pdthy toward everything, bad and good,
weak and strong, inconsistent and other
wise.
| don't know how Tom Osborne is
about clothes. But I'll gamble that FIRE.
mont Older would just as soon wear a
blanket and sandals as an outfit of Fifth
avenue evening toys. On one of the days
l saw him he had a 4-inch cash in one
trouser leg where the puppy had chewed
him and was wearing a shirt of costly
silk, with red, blue, purple, green and
yellow stripes the gift of gratitude of
lady who is not on your wifes visiting
list.
II think it's a beautiful shirt, don't
you?" he asked. And I nodded earnestly,
with little hitch in my cardiac region.
Speaking of ladies' not on your wife's
visiting list Fremont Older is the man
who got together those 500 or 800 sisters
of the half world in a church in San
Francisco at the time of the nation
wide investigation of the relation of
small wages and social vice.
These women, you remember, spoke,
and spoke well, telling their stories of
struggle and sin in a way that thrilled
ard startled some of the investiga tors.
Two of these women are now running a
fruit ranch near Mr.. Older's home in
the Santa Cruz foothills, and their story
would make a three-volume novel.
ADMITS HE is INCONSISTENT
But the thing that brought the name
of Fremont Older most widely before
the world was his prosecution of the
notorious Abe Ruer, San Franchises
arch plotter and political CRATER After
Ruef had done part of his bit in prison
the man who had sent him there began
to think things over.
THE more l reflected on it, says the
big Fellow ''the clearer it grew to
me that there's no use sending a man to
jail. Jails are no good. Nothing's any
good but kindness and understanding.
SO l set to work to get Ruef out again.
Can you, in the phrase of the purists,
beat that? He actually did get him out
and became his best friend, started him
in business and has been rewarded by
brother Ruef's strict adherence to the
straight and narrow up to the present
writing.
The inconsistency of putting man in
Jail and getting him out again-both
being done for the good of the com
munity--is cheerfully admitted. But how
can an idealist live in this world of con-
Trajectory laws and customs and keep
consistent?
THE best you can do is to help peo-
pie all you can, hang onto your faith
when some of them disappoint you, and
try to smile at the mistakes of the world
instead of growing bitter over them"
is the way Mr.. Older puts it.
IF you don't like the way things are,
change them, if you can. If you can't
possibly change them, keep still and adj
just yourself without getting redheaded
over it. The hard thing is to tell when
to stop trying to change things. So