The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-21
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

The story of tht prodiaal son will I never lose its power as an illustration Of the depth of a fathers love and for- giveness. but no man by choice has any wish to see his boy "so into far country" even thoUgh he comes back 1 repentant to live under the family roof.
 confess, howeveA, that my heart has | always gone out to the pfodisals. ana to tell the truth the older I get the more lenient and t9nder do feel to- l wards those who have wandered far l but who having ''ct,me to themselves" make an honest efft,rt to redeem their lives, and the more sympathetic I am to fathers who have wayward sons sts
 But this is not to. be the story Of prodigal, but of | young boy who grew | into a fne youth, developed into splendid young man and who now faces life well prepared n mind, sound in 1 heart. strong body, pride to his l father, A joy to his mother, and de- . light to his friends. Such one is Har- vey Branscomb. the brilliant son of my I friend Dr. L. c. Brstnscomb, editor of the Alabama Christiin Advocate. s0s
 I we'll remember the stir created ] when it was known that Cecil Rhodes, 1 tho strong Engiishfaan, who founded an empire, has mad provision for the ' education of a certain number of young l Americans each year at the University 1 of Oxford, Ergiand. In the hope that 1t { would be the means Sf better cementing the bonds of friendship between Anrer- lea and England.
 It interested me In & general way | until one of my ypung friends one | night after an assohiation adjourned, asked me to take a walk with him as he wished to get my advice upon l very serious and p srsonal matter. l gladly did so, for I held him in high esteem. AS we walk cd he talked. He had graduated at Howard college. but had been in business for several years and was occupying ! position of in- fluence, carrying with it a good salary. but he was ambitious and wanted to take a university cou rse.
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 1 The thing he wanted my advice upon was to know if thought 1t wise for him to attempt to get Rhodes schol- arship. After hearing him and setting before him the diff fculties I put it l square up to him to. learn if he was willing to make the sacrifice and get down to hard study ill order to qualify 1 for the examinations, He said: eff you will help me will win the plum" l I fear if I had known just what it meant to make good 1, would have hesi- tated to hAye put him to the test, but l he kuckied down to lthe task and in spite of handicaps which would have deterred . young man with less grit. for he went up against some of the picked graduates in ehe state, he got the appointment, and went abroad and won his diploma and is now a succes"' ful educator in virgiria.
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  l Clayton Crossiand to better show how Harvey Branscomb, a Agraduate of Bir- minxham college, set out to win Q Rhodes scholarship snd landed it offer these young mFn as the best products of this distAict, and to em- phasfxe the fact that our two denom- national colleges, the one at East Lake l the support of this grtat city. But back to Har9ey Branscomb. What did he do7 Well, in the first place he not only graduated at Oxford, but graduated with honors in the theologi- cal course at wadhan, college; one of the colleges going to make up the uni versity Not only this, Ibut he won the prize of f2o offered for the best student in New Testament Crock. It takes a real scholar to carry of Greek prixe at Oxford.
 pr. Branscomb, the father, has a right to be proud of a son who met the picked young men of England and America and won high distinction over them in competition. .Dr. Branscomb has a right to feel elated over the fact that when Harvey carhe back to this country the Y. M. c. 4. and other or sanixations knowing the value of young manhood reached out after him.
 
 But the thing to mo which gives pr. Branscomb the right 10 joy most in his splendid, manly soil, was he stood the acid test when thb call came for mon to fight for Uncle Sam. Highly edu- ca ted sought after, it VI as easy for him to have gotten a soft berth, but he even refused to enter a training school for officers but volunteerid as buck" tprivate and underwent The training and the hardships joyously.
 
 I heard him speak recently at the community meeting lat the First Methodist church. Like, his father, he is modest and not at i'll pushful, but ] like his father, he has got grit and