The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-07-25
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

| / enjoy running out to nearby town!
to preach on Sunday, but / admit tina
wish something could be done By
the Railroad Administration to hole
them here until after daylight.
After a strenuous saturday in chas.
ing a barbecue in a pesky Ford ant
missing my dinner. and "hoboeing'
down the railroad track, and getting
back to the office sore and hungry.
sighed for good nights rest.
! for any of their business or social en-
! gagements somehow manage to catch
! trains, as those who operate the rail-
road at least try to start the loca
| trains on schedule. This being tht
case few take a chance of delay.
| I was so fatigued that | went to g
| downtown hotel and left call for :
a m. The clerk knowing that the train
I was TO leave in pulled out at $50
asked me if l wasn't allowing toe
small margin to dress and get to
| the Terminal, but l told him | was
| fighting for every minute of rest that
l could get. and to call me on the
dot and L would make it,
| I had been invited to deliver the
commencement sermon at the Alabama
Girls Technical Institute. at Montevallo,
| by President Palmer. l learned that of
| late the A. G. T. /. had adopted the
rule of having two commandments
| One coming at the end of the regular
session and the other being held at
the close of the summer school
|
accepted with great pleasure for
ever since my visit to the great girls
school with Mrs. Mathis l have had a
| liking for it, for in my opinion it is
| doing a splendid service for the young
women of Alabama in fitting them for
useful lives. The institution may be
classed as a technical one but there
is no skimping along cultural lines.
[ got up in a rush and never had
was really afraid that / was going
to miss a ticket as one of the clerks
tied up with a gentleman who was in
search of information that the railroad
man had to dig out and then do a lot
of figuring. l am not complaining of
his doing this, but it did keep lot
of nervous people in line for what
seemed an interminable time.
L.
great place. and the front and interior
is most impressive, but l. do say that
| it always depresses me to have to de-
scend into the poorly lighted cavern
beneath the tracks to make my way to
out going trains. 1t is particularly
doleful on cloudy days or when the sun
has not risen to tighten up the tracks
| after one has pierced the gloom be-
low.
Where do all the people go who use
the trains these days. I never saw
travel heavier even in the midst oil
the war. The train to Selma was
! crowded and many men had to get up
and give their seats to women l felt
/ like asking the old drummers aues-
ton, who dusty and dry boarded the
train to find it packed, wanted tc
! know, Don't any of you folks ever
stay at home?" There certainly is a
constant going of the population.
! | was told that it was about so miles
| by rail to Montevallo. The trip can
/ he =.
there is no accident or delay. Wilton
| where one chances is about as busy a
| little junction as 1 ever saw when the
three passenger trains pile UP between
seven and eight in the morning. There
is much backing and shifting before
the three get the right of way.
| The conductor on the Selma train
was a most polite old gentleman. and
acted more like a host than a public
servant. 1t was quite a relief to be
treated SO courteously after having
been so often looked upon as an in
truder by some conductors who behave
as if they owned the road and passen-
gers had no rights whatever But as
RUE L nave IOunQ conductors CIVIL
but not quite so civil as the one who
punched my ticket on Sunday.
! DR.. Palmer was at the train waiting
| to drive me up to his home on the
campus. He and his lovely wife are
showing good judgmentin taking their
meals in the big dining room with the
| students. After tidying myself up q
| bit we walked over to the main build
ing, where l found girls from all parts
| of the state, who had been putting in
! extra time at the summer school,
! At II we went over to the chapel
! There being no services in the Monte
| vallo churches. l found Dr. Simpson
of the Methodist church and DIR. Ogle-
/ tree of the Baptist church in the au-
! dience and also DR.. W. A. Whittle the
distinguished preacher, author and
| traveller, and DIR. ]. II. Henderson OF
! Knoxville, the secretary of the Laymens
movement of Southern Baptists, who
was in Montevallo organizing the local
church for more effective service.
| The singing was Unusually fine. The
hymn, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
and the anthem, THE Lord is my
| Shepherd" were both we'll sung by
| the large choir of students. The vocal