The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-02
What the People Are Doing
nr AuGusrA RANpoLru nEIp

Now that the fair is over, and we have
returned to our homes. j It's a pleasant
reflection 10 look back upon a splendid
body OF people who are solving the prob
LENS of life by actual work. Even what
we call fancy work entails hours of
toll. and brings tired arms and strained
eyes. Il is interesting to see what the
world is doing, how it is investing its
time We. here in the city. are scientific
cally trying to solve the high cost of liv-
ing We are reading up on the subject"
and marketing more by theory than prac-
tice. We know butter and eggs are al
most beyond their limit and meat is out
of the question, and Yet we are satisfied
With our discomfort, and wondering how
people under less. fortunate conditions
can afford to live
And yet these people are living, and are
living with far more ease than thSt part
Of the world who are accustomed to
feasting Everyday folks are becoming
more providept; they have learned to fill
their storerooms from their own hack
Yards. l met a woman today who told
me they had raised everything to eat at
home, but sugar. coffee and flour aud
this within the city limits of Birmingham,
and for bread they had plenty Of corn to
furnish them meal for some months. and
IS this not lesson worth while. When
asked if | see that the fair really means
anything besides a show l am always
glad to be able to state facts. I do see
that the woman's work at the fair has
an educational value. 1t is an Industrial
burea, for there the women who make
| the success of this department give out
and receive lessons every day. Some new
stitch is taught, some system of garden
lngS some method of canning and pre-
serving, and last, but not least, good les
sons in bread making. and, may I say
without giving offense, there it is that
| many a man or woman tastes their first
real cup of coffee. They are accustomed
to substitutes, where good material is
spoiled in the making, and this taste ere
ates the desire for better beverage
every day
! Let us talk a little about what is really
intended by the builders of the woman $
department at the Alabama State fair.
Years ago the work started, all hands
were new in the business. That was %
years ago The public wanted fair and
a few of us needed some money, so we
| began to work at something we knew
nothing about. In order to meet pay day
gracefully we had to look wise This we
| continued to do until the gates of our
first fair opened in Smiths park. And
then we discovered we did not know any
! thing about fairs in the south. From
east and west came all of our woman's
work. Alabama women had not realized
what an accomplishment had been neg
lected. We had only few articles made
at home, and the amount of $1,000, the
allotment then for woman's work found
its way back into our sister states Only
n very few dollars remained at home.
And yet we have always heard the cry
of hard times at our door. For three
years the necessity forced us to take
work from other states. and then we real
lied we truly were taking" We adver-
tised Alabama State fair, and it was
made up of the work of the mothers and
daughters of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky
Missouri and any other states which had
busy women.
At last we decided that Alabama must
show her hand 1t was .to be or not tc
be- an exhibit of woman's work. so we
planned to exclude other states and force
Alabama to make an exhibit or embar-
rass her more our home conditions by
advertising their lack or plenty of in
dustry. This was the first lesson We