The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-28
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS


keep hearing about and seeing his name
in so many different placesr'
Now 1 have prided myself from my
youth up on being not Shakespearian
scholar, but a true lover. There is all
the difference in the world, and one
| reason I think 1 grew fond .of his plays
was that L read them all by myself in
my teens without having any person to
try and explain them to me.
My father was a college graduate as
well as an alumnus of the old Jeffer-
son Medical college at Philadelphia, hav-
ing gone there from Washington, Ga,
where he was born, making part of the
trip on horseback. Long before the civil
war he came to Alabama and settled
at Glennville, and during the struggle
acted the local Methodist preacher.
give this much of his personal his
tory to account for his library which
while not an extensive one yet was
lect and varied. He had classical works
as a legacy of his alma mater, he had
medical volumes used in his practice,
and tones of theology out of which he
got his sermons. 1t gave me = chance to
get in touch with three viewpoints.
l spent many a rainy day in looking
at the pictures scattered through his
reference works on anatomy I made fire.
ouent use of Adam Clarkes commen-
taries, revelled in Bulwer, Dickens and
Thackeray, and BoswelTs Life of John
son was my boon companion; but think
set of Shakespeare influenced me more
than anything in the collection. 1t gave
me turn in the right direction, for If a
lad saturates himself in his writings it
will be hard to wean him from the great
books to the trivial ones
Now from what is to follow please do
not get it into your head that l was a
precoccious child, for I was not. was
a great reader, but not a bookworm No
boy ever had his childhood and youth
packed with more outdoor experience /
ffshed rode, swan, hunted played ball
and led an active life, and yet 1 had a
pust let me browse among the shelves
of the library at will.
avn also thankful that he put no re-
strairt upon my choice of companions
but left me free to form my own com
panions. 1 know this treason to write
this way, but 1 believe that the worst
thing that can befall a growing boy is
to try and make him understand class dis
tinctions and run only with his own set
1t is one of the things I hold against
the secret letter fraternties that they
are too apt to cultivate a spirit Of clean
illness which will develop into snobbish-
ness If not rooted out. / belong to Sc
cret fraternity and therefore know where
OF speak
I am sure that the average twentieth
century city boy is too much mothered
or coddled for his own good He has too
many things done for him and loses the
power of initiative, and becomes flabby
and without resourcefulness. This is why
I hail basket, base and football as help
ers to give stamina to town lads. l also
heartily approve of the good work of the
Boy Scouts Of America in developing both
muscle and character. The public schools
do good service in leveling way.
I thank my father for letting me pick
my own playmates. In my home town
there were two distinct sets, the hill
boys and the bluff rats" I never
had any system about it, but strange
to say ran with both gangs, having
friends among the well-to-do as we'll as
among the poor. The experience served
me in good stead in after life, for it gave
me hearty sympathy with my fellow
man irrespective of his position or wealth
and without any trace of demagoguery.
You may think have forgotten Shake
speare, but I haven't. I had to tell the
manner of my growing up to bring out
fact which I think worth recording One
of my bosom chums was the son of
boys in her family and all had to work
to make living. The oldest one car
ried the morning paper. I used to get
up often at the streak of day to help him
on his route. To this day I never see
a boy delivering papers without my heart
going out to him. and I suppose it &C
counts for the fact that if they are late
I never complain. 1t takes grit to stick
to job like that of the carriers.
Z Now, this boy, who was soon trans
ferred into the newspaper plant and put
at the case, was a genuine lover of
Shakespeare, as was another chum of
mine. the sen of the editor. We three
with other companions have climbed into
the barn or sat in the buggy house or
locked ourselves in our rooms to read
the masterpieces Of the myriad minded"
Laugh IL you wish, but we used to COM
nit great parts OF plays to heart and
try and act them. Even now about all
can recite from any of his works
learned as a hoy.
And then my older brother bought the
opera house. In those days Eufaula was
on a circuit with Montgomery and Macon,
and got the best companies which came
south. and served my apprenticeship as
an usher, and had the run behind the cur
tain. / got to see many stars in Shake
spearian roles and thereby had my fond
ness for everything written by the mas
ter producer increased until 1 had a