The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-15
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

I have to spend so many Sundays out of the city that it is real treat to put in whole day in the city, even though I have to fill some brothers pulpit.
 I got up and found 1t was to be real sure enough white Sunday" I had an engagement to preach for Pastor Williams at the sixteenth Street Bap- tist church. colored I thought it would be fine to tramp over the woods from Mountain Terrace, and so I let out.
 As I skirted Avondale park, thought 1t would be fine to stroll by and get peep at the zoo in zero weather Miss Fancy was comfortably housed and seemingly oblivious that she had ever made her way as baby elephant through the tangled jungles of tropical Africa.
 The three bears were hioernating in their winter quarters when l went through on my way to church, but upon my return the big old fellow was out in the sunshine. wagging his head to and fro as if shifting game in woods above him. The two little ones were still safely hid in their cave.
 The sacred cows, or llamas, or what ever the strange looking cattle are named, which have a pen all to them selves, were running around as if they were used to carpet of white, and were enjoying the memory of days when they ran from cliff to cliff in their South American homes.
 I always get mixed up on the cat tribe, and jackal, hyena and prairie wolf all look alike to me, and I am never sure that the curator is guying me when he affixes the Latin name to distinguish them. He may be handing out the right animal dope. but MT. 1 Jackal, hyena, or wolf was quite busy Sunday and didn't let the cold weather | interfere with his restless promenade from one end of his cage to the other. The American eagle was perched on high with a proud look as though he meant to convey to the world that the ! Kaiser had made the mistake of his life ] when he attempted to pull out bunch 1 of his tail feathers to wear as a trophy and to show to his imperial German l eagles that the American eagle was only | a barnyard fowl and wouldn't fight for 1 his rights. tipped my hat to him in l passing to let him know that my money 1 was on him in the fight.
 I The lesser birds, like the beautiful ] pheasants, were evidently in cover. as l none were visible I am no friend Of l the English sparrow, but when thought of his home across the seas and what a brave fight Englishmen were making, somehow my heart went out to the hun l dreds of them, hopping about in the ! snow, trying to find a Sunday break fast, and if the stand in the park had
 been open. I would have bought some | crackers and fed them.
 I was the master of all I surveyed,
 for I was the only human in the park
 was bubbling up with steam on its 1 breath in spite of the icicles hanging
 everywhere, and in the running water
 which forms one of the beautiful pools
 ducks were swimming around as placid
 and gracefully as in the good old sum
 mer time.
 Over the hills and back home I went
 with an appetite for dinner that did mol
 have to be coaxed, and after doing i
 full justice, my two boys hauled me out
 on the golf course, for they wanted mt
 to see them use the sled which they
 had hurriedly made The snow brought
 discomfort to many of the older people
 but nothing takes the place of it fo
 healthy, growing youngsters.
 It's a sour man who will get mac when kids pelt him with snowballs. .t'' sign of old age if you can go alons with two healthy, fun loving youngsters
 and not join in with them in their sled
 ding We slid and rolled and romped
 until I was all out of breath. and GOV cred with snow, but there was a glow il my cheeks, a fire in my eyes, and l; warmth in my heart as l played witt my pals, which I couldn't have gottel
 back in my study pouring over Urea
 tise of dead theology.
 Down below we spied lot of boy
 skating on the lake. had not seen i , so used for quarter of century 5 There are few things more graceful. only had one winters ice skating. I i, was while I was doing some work a
 Yale. I had often told my boys abou
 my experience on Lake Salstatol. The,
 had never even seen a pair of ice skates This was the beginning of my tale 0
 woe. About two Christmasses ago | found on sale pair of ice skates an, took them out and put them in m } namesake's stocking. He was might proud and his one hope was that tn
 lake would freeze over and give hin a chance to try them out. Boy like, h l ! couldn't wait, so when tho first req
 cold snap came, he went into the down stairs bathroom and turned on rh
 to make a skating rink of the porce
 lain bath tub He soon tired and wen s away, forgetting to turn off the water
 and that's why l had a plumbers bil of s25.
 Before the sun went down Sunda
 afternoon I went back with them to th