The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-21
HOUSTON RUNS BIG FARMS
 TO MEET WAR FOOD NEEDS
Texas City Sets Aside Many Acres of County Land and Fur nshes Experts to Give Instruction-A Wait-on-Your- self Store Provides Cheap Retailing for
 Thrifty Housewives
By. ZOE BECKLEY

United States for our population. More modern apartments than any city of the size in America-upward of POO. with rents as high as New York city; say $15 to s2O per room per month.
 An auditorium that cost $500, 900, where the municipality maintains free amuse- ments, including band for popular con certs, at $27,5OO year,
 We have a ship channel from Houston to the Gulf of Mexico." went on my host as we sizzed along tremendously wide boulevard flanked with enormous yet homy-looking houses, all new and spick and span and handsomely architectural and gardened, costing s2,50O,000 shared by the United States government and our county jointly.
 And a $500, GOO bond issue for mu- nicipal improvements, viaduct, schools bridges drainage and paving, nearly all dcne in 1912.
 Houston is actually about 30 years old But the city as you see it now has grown up in the last decade. We have lot of millionaires hereabout-these are some of their houses.
 Our first crop of rich men made their wealth above the soil. Lumber. The second crop of millions was made from under the soil. Oil. I believe the third bunch of fortunes will be made from the soil itself. Cropsr'
 Speaking of crops, one of Houston's finest contributions to the efficiency of war preparations is it's campaign for the conservation of food Many acres of county land have been set aside, scores of trained agriculturists giving an hour daily to it's preparation, planting and development.
 A wait-on-yourself store is the citys newest idea for the cheap retailing Of supplies. The housewife gets a basket at the door and, passing through a series of railed-off departments, picks out her various provender which is inspected and totaled at the exit on sort of honor system"
 And now here we are at Rice insti- tute!" shouts my host-chauffeur, spin- ming around the corner of vast cam pus that stretches like section of well kept poppy dotted prairie for acres upon acres, in the middle of which rises one of the handsomest school buildings I have ever seen.
 GIRLS GET COLLEGE CHANGE
 This interesting co-educational institu- tion ranks eighth among the universities Of the country. It was given to Houston by William Marsh Rice, the poor rich man for whose murder Albert T. Patrick spent many years in Sing Sing prison.
 
 build an institute for the advancement of literature science and art for all white children in the state of Texas" This capital has more than trebled.
 Those of the trustees who choose to interpret this as meaning male children do not encourage girls to attend. But happily some of the gentlemen in charge are more liberal minded wedging their boots in the door, so to say, and Keeping it open for the female of the species, who by the way Is making a mighty fine showing.
 Among the officials who regard girls as white children" Is Dr. Stockton Ak son, brother of the first wife of Pres- fdent Wilson and professor of English at Rice. The popular Dr. Axsors bachelor and man of singularly 1ovable personal ity. packs the Houston auditorium when ever he lectures, even the huge college assembly room being inadequate to seat his audiences.
 Now if you want to see the man who is largely responsible for the rapid growth of Houston" suggested my host. steering with one hand as he faced round to my place in the back seat. "Ill just drop you off here at the city hall and you can talk to the most picturesque mayor on earth-Uncle Joe Pastorize.'
 But I'll have to put Uncle Joe into another story, since even big, bustling Houston dassent pre-empt too many col umns, with paper still selling by the carat.