The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-22

I camel didn't see half-and I was totally overcome.
 Wherein and whereby my trip from Tampa to Birmingham via Atlanta diff fers somewhat from the experiences of MT. Julius Caesar.
 Being an infant Kiwanian I am nat uaraly expected to make noise and to brag of the high ancestral lineage preceding my advent into the tepee. By profession having been in the writing and publicity game for 21 years you can't exactly expect me to knock any thing. But whatever boosting I may do in this story concerning Tampa and Florida is in accordance with Kiwanis dogma and morals.
 we trade all right in Florida. We trade you the finest climate, the best oranges and grapefruit, the earliest vegetables, taking in return the money you have saved out of your coal bills.
 The first thing that struck mo in making this trip was when I reached Macon and was informed by the Pull man conductor to set my watch back, for Florida is one hour ahead of you. Then, when 1 got to Atlanta, I went to a florist to buy some zinnias, the Tampa clubs emblem typifying the power of youth and the experience of 1,age. The man looked at me with a scornful expression. implying I was Nome new brand of nut and told me that they wouldn't be ripe for a month while I had left my front yard full of them in perfect bloom. So, I then learned that Tampa was month ahead of Atlanta
 But outside of precociousness in working time, seasons and agricultural earliness I am willing to admit after seeing you for two days that you meas ure pretty well up to our standards otherwise
 Ours is a city of champions. We had the Boston Red Sox train there this spring. Billy Sunday held forth for month in April and my colleague to this convention is worlds cham pion typist. Modestly forbids that go further, although Charlie Kline, the champion Kiwanian prevaricator of facts, has intimated to mutual friends that he has met his match.
 Birmingham you have a great city Your people are live ones but the livest in the whole corporate limits of your municipality are the Kiwan- ians Mercer Barnett and Jeff Bailey have just outdone courtesy and south ern hospitality in what they have shown us. And, believe me, they had to do something to equal the record that Doe" Green, Frank Reynolds and Henry Heintz set in Atlanta Monday Our unanimous verdict is that both your cities are the most entertaining burgs we have ever visited.
 have not been blue for a minute in spite of the exceptional weather It is always unexceptional when yo umake your first visit, at least the natives al- ways tell you so.e
 The Nashville bunch, with their dulcet melodies. bring to my ears the echoes of the mocking birds taht were singing in the oleander bushes as I left Tampa last Sunday morning. And when the Ohio gang tried to sing yes- terday I was reminded of the other famous Florida birds--the jays
 have learned that there are the 1ivest bunch of men in the world in Kiwanis. They are all hustling busi- ness men and either are now mil1ion- aires or soon will be, so I naturally expect them to come to Florida sooner or later.
 I am going to ask you all to take in Tampa on your next itinerary. And Will tell you the truth about what you will find there. It is not tourist town, although it has unfortunately tried to be. There are not enough attractions to in- terest the man of means from the north and most of the tincans who come there in the winter months are not of the constructive type. But Florida has ev- erything in the nature of tourist delights and the west coast is as good as the east coast in this regard. Sarasota, Fort My CTS, Clearwater and St. Petersburg are