The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-03
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 bama Press association has been pretty fully covered. and yet a few sidelights even at this late day may prove of in- terest 10 some.
 l have been in touch with it for nearly score of years, and have seen not only great change in the personnel but also in the topics discussed, as well as in the banquets.
 Prohibition is going some when it has arrived at the stage where bunch of ! Alabama editors are willing to sit joy ously through cold water dinner and yet really have corking good time with out uncorking anything save hot air.
 
 Now the Andalusians left no stone un- turned for the pleasure of the delegates, but if it is not town secret I hope President Whaley of the Chamber of Commerce will tip me off as to the heat ing system used in the banquet hall, as I have great trouble with freezing pipes in my home and so far have not been able to keep it sufficiently warm in zero weather.
 I made some investigations on the spot and found that the windows in the hall were camouflaged with shades and cur tains, and that the skylights were ioIo r1o1 ;cl4 serve in letting in sunshine without any thought whatever of admitting any breeze. Ali that I can say for the build ing is that the old Egyptians never had tanything on it in the way of excluding air
 I have often boasted that I could stand as much heat as a lizard, but before the evening was over I was panting for breath, and in order to keep from wilting had to stand before an electric fan time and again or seek the stairway to get a whiff of the ozone which fLoated in from below. I was reminded of remark made to me years ago by my friend Max Wellborn. I was complaining of the in- tense heat, and he drily Said: Its good for fellow to sweat"
 | I was sitting next to Captain Sheehan, editor of the Montgomery Advertiser, and ! an old Eufaula boy, and while Mrs. Solon Jacobs was speaking called his attention ! to the precipitation streaming from her face. He replied, That is nothing. Here we sit drinking ice tea and finishing on | ice cream with an electric fan buzzing at our back and yet our hands are moist and we are both perspiring freely" l If there is one thing I like in man or woman 1t is for them to look on the bright side of life, and so I was glad | to hear an optimist make reply to a pes- simist who was bemoaning the fact that he felt himself gradually melting away. "Why worry? Any town can give press banquet, but where did you ever go be- fore where they threw in a Turkish bath?" It silenced the kicker and pro- duced a coolness for the time being. 1 Now Editor Duggar was a real success as a toastmaster, and he had two tries at it during the meeting for he sat at the head of the table both at Anda- lusia and F'lorala. It took some spright- l ly man to keep the wilting spirits of the banqueters from dropping below the point where they could applaud the after-dinner speeches.; but he always introduced each one in such a sparkling way as to make l it easy to talk entertainingly. In spite of the heat never heard a 1 fner lot of impromptu addresses, speeches and talks; for we had all three kinds. Some of the addresses reached hgh-water mark for thoughtfulness. Some of the speeches were most timely, while some of the talks were full of wit. There wasn't a boring one in the whole lot, but all had pith and point, and got a good hand. It went to show that the association is rich in oratory as we'll as long on writ CTS.
 Now, if the hall was poorly ventilated, the lovely decorations, the rare dinner and the charm of the waitresses more than overbalanced the oppressiveness of the atmosphere; while the genuine good cheer and hospitality of the Andalusians made the evening one which will be long remembered for it's attractiveness after the heat has been forgotten.
 
 The banquet served by the Floralallans at the Colonial hotel facing the beautiful lake with breeze direct from the gulf fnom the standpoint of physical comfort was change for the better over the one attended the night before, and it was easier for those on the programme to speak without rositive discomfort. It was a beautiful dinner perfectly served, and reflected great credit upon those who so kindly rendered it to the newspaper men.
 Editor Duggar, if such thing was possible. was even in a happier vein as toastmaster than in his own home town of Andalusa, and the speaking was in lighter mood. There were a number of good stories told I sat by Edward and Nat, and I watched their l faces as each new joke was sprung. I resurrected very old one about the chicken being the most religious fowl be- tcause so many of them entered tAe min- istry. When I sat down I asked Edward if ba understood tha ,,o;o+