The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-30

for its materialism, I can only say that
IL Is the kind of mRterialism Of one Of
cur commercial clubs and city elg5s
that spurs them on to make their city
a good place to live in.
England's Busy Place.
The first impression Is one of bust.
ness. The whole place is busy work
Ing In metal Of one sort or another. II
Is from Birmingham that plate glass,
lenses, tools, every variety of hard
ware, toys and most of the cheap jew
elry come, II when | say cheap, |
don't mean imitation, but jewelry that
Is machine made, like chains, studs, bar
pins, lockets. bracelets, bangles, hair
ornaments and pins--hat pins and that
sort. The jewelry industry seems to
be carried on much as 1t Is in Italy,
not In great factories spread over miles
OF territory but in thousands Of little
shops, each with ltS own speciality.
These shops radiate from the historic
Nyse street, and must at some time
have been private houses, for they
have the fan light front door and the
wlde-wtndowed parlor Of early Vie
tortan architecture, Now each door
bears Its little trade plate and behind
the dusty WindoW swarms of men and
women are busy turning out incredible
amounts Of trinkets.
Strikes are rare here, Working con
ditons are very fair; hours have been
much reduced, and AS soon an their
days Job Is done the whole population.
rich and poor, s~catters like magic TO
the residence districts. These are ar
ranged IN circles round the business
part of the town. The first circle IL
the poorest. Here the houses are small
and the little yards cramped, but they
are proudly called gardens, and every
one has It's gay flower bed and patch
OF vegetables, The next circle Is a
little better, Here CLERKS. accountants
and minor officials live in the Mecca
Of their dreams, the semidetached villa,
M here also the land blossoms like
a rose and there are trees to almost
every house. The outer circles Is the
home Of the well-to-do. There are no
sef-acknowledged merchant princes in
birmingham, no great parks and manor
houses ~encroaching upon the liberty
OF less -~fortunate %neighbors. The houses
are more like those you find in any
mouern American city, only Of course
putt on English models. The material
y mostly a beautiful native red brick.
Sofne Of the soft local stone ii used,
this ages rapidly and within d short
time grows TO look quite ancient.
This plan Of building in circles makes
beautiful as well AS convenient suburbs.
AAA1l NlIIlt m town Is
laid out In a succession of smaller half
hoops or creseents. The trolley cars
pass from the town outward In en-
largtng curves, each line bound for its
particular circle and passing along the
straight sides of the succeeding cres-
cents, In this way the citizens are
able to get to and from their work In
the minimum of time, The fares arc
graduated down to one cent and the
circle" suburb system insures lower
fares for those who can least afford
10 "a
Groups OF houses, sometimes eight,
and sometimes as many as 10, are
ranged round the outer curves of the
hoop with large back and triangular
Iront gardens, These triangles converge
~ 2 sort of ornamental center where
Lhere Is sometimes a tree, or a stone
pr rustic seat, sometimes a rosevcoy-
cred shelter, The ground Is hllly; The
houses are set on the high ground, tho
roads in the shallow valleys, so that
the general effect as you drive along
n OF looking up at SUGGESTIONS of fan
IKE colonies of pleasant homes set In
beautiful gardens ahlaze with flowers
and shaded by fruit trees.
Beyond the outer circle cluster a num-
Der Of model villages. The most nota.
Die Is that planned and built for his
worknen by Cadbury, OF coco fame. The
coco factory itself Is the center Of this
model village and with its spacious
corfldors, its perfect scheme of %ventila-
ton and its complete sanitary equip.
ment 1t Is u Of the ideal industrial
plants OF the modern world. For the
DIE factory plan or the workshop sys-
tenn Birmingham is thus an example
worth studying. The Cadbury dwell
ing houses are not distinguished from
other domestic architecture OF Birming-
nam INIT ut Ira with NAn u...AA -
Of AIRY garden-studded residences, In
sloe, however, these houses and cot
tages are he last word IN English in
terror planning, though to an Ameri-
can woman they fall snort OF perfec-
uon. stu they arc 80 far ahead Of
most workmen's dwellings in this coun-
Try that they show up very we'll,
birmingham, like the other Northern
cities have visited, has wei equipped
CITY markets where the housewife may
provision herself every day, having the
whole selection Of the season to choose
from. or course this greatly simplifies
INC food question and the cost Of liv-
ing is reduced to its minimum in these
progressive cities, while London nays
store rent, Connected with the market
are open-air shops and push carts
,where necessary household utensils,
kitchen supplies, cotton, linen and
WOODEN goods may be bought Mt bar
gain prices.
Much could be helpfully told about
the CITY universities OF the North. Ev-
cry American city ] know could learn
something to its advantage from the
University Of BirminghamAthough not
architecturally. | drove out there nj
sunset and as we sped along the smooth
white road with its neat hedges, us
whltewashed milestones, its scrollwork
with their polite requests to
MOTORISTS, thought IT all very orderly
ana triin-~and a little SNUG. Then In
the distance toward the setting sun /
saw a minaret, There il stood in the
Eoiuen evening glow, slender and exotic.
Presently moorish domes appeared
grouped round its base. rubbed my
eyes, But 1t vas no dream, The uni
verslty Is built like Santa Sofia. at Com
stantinople. II is true they cali their
minaret 1926 feet high a clock tower.
and say h departments Of physics,
nnetallurgy, metals mining engineering
and library are surmnunted by large
domes, but that doesn't change the
fact. Some fine seulptured frlezes and
STATUES typifying the various aspects OF
literature science and music adorn the
central hall, and bright-colored frescoes
on the outside OF the building, repre-
aenting the Industries which form the
chief studies within, still further add
70 its oriental aspect. This UNIVERSITY
Is only 10 years old. but already ii il
fuH grown and already Ii has estab-
hshed q record which Is running hard
the older seats OF learning at Oxford
and Cambridge,
support Education.
1t is worth noting that In their
steady rush for wealth and position
the peoples OF these northern towns
have with one accord given 70 educa-
ton the first consideration. Manches-
ter has Its university, now 80 years old
Leeds university, Is years old, il nj
ready world famed for Its science de-
partment and its scope in the indus
trial arts, In all these cities the uni
versities and art galleries specialize In
some particular connection with the
life and work OF the town and its sur
roundings, All museums, galleries and
exhibitions are attended by crowds Of
t~ownspeople and workmen from the
factories are always copying and study
ing the masterpieces, art and science
with which they are so literally fur