The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-13
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Monday friend of mine said, q hardly
 recognize Birmingham, after the won derful day af the, parade. It isn't merely
 that the streets are less crowded, but there is something missing in the very
 atmosphere
 l had felt the same thing myself. Sat. urday was a gray day with always the hint that rain was not far away. The weather conditions were depressing, but
 somehow there was an exhilaration in the air which overcame the gloom of
 sun which was hid behind clouds. A modern student of social conditions wrote a book on the Psychology ot Crimes and some have had much to say
 about the "crime of crowds, but there is much that has been left unsaid abou. the joy of crowds. If men will commit
 rash deeds under the excitement of the mob impulse. it is equally true that they will riot in fun in way that they would be ashamed to do without the crowd urge 
 Take the familiar spectacle of prosy
 merchants, busy manufacturers. cold hearted bankers, unemotional editors. posing politicians, serious physicians,
 dignified lawyers, and even pious preach CTS yelling themselves hcurse and throw ing up their hats or beating on one an. others back at a baseball game when
 i,a hntv io
 how changed we all are under a bit of
 excitement when we flock together and
 just become men and forget our profes-
 sion or business.
 If the baseball incident is not enough
 to make good my contention then think
 back to the hast flashing of the returns
 in d closely contested national or local election, and recall how leading citizens
 conducted themselves with d total lack of regard for their ordinary poses, and
 reverted to primal manhood and gave
 exhibitions of men acting without though! or restraint. I am thinking of scene
 in which l took part on the eve of the
 primaries in the recent congressional elec-
 tion, when for an hour or more vainly essayed to make a speech from an auto
 mobile on First avenue but was hindered by much heckling. At the time 1 was much wrought up as was the public and 1t was taken as Il matter of course. Take the home coming of George Hud- dleston when the Terminal station was overrun and men bore him triuHhphantIy through the streets in chair to the cheers of the multitude. It was in keep ing with the tense thought of the hour, and those who bore him aloft did not feel conspicious, but I daresay that neither they or George would relish a re- petition of the performance in the light of day without the proper stage setting or the surcharged feelings of the multi tude.
 I remember we'll when Hobson returned as hero and was much be-kissed on his public appearance by maidens fair who | if left alone with the gallant captain would have never thought of taking such ] liberties The funny paragraphers took l it up and some bright newspaper mar
 coined the word to fit the emotional l outbursts, by referring to the young women who were the recipient of oscula- | tory favors as being 'Hobsonized. It wasn't his fault, and if he had not met | the challenge of saucy eyes and daring ! lips he would not have been running true to the old time southern chivalry.
 
 One of the interesting incidents at the Southern club occurred during dinner. | Captain Lacy Edmondson of the Besse- mer company, which had been assigned to that place, was in the midst of his dinner when a bevy of Bessemer young women came in to greet him. said W. J. Boles in Sundays Age Herald. Mrs. Ed mondson, who was with her husband,
 insisted that he kiss each of the young
 women, and, we'll, he didn't need any
 very urgent urging.
 At first the young women were little
 embarrassed but they quickly got over
 that, and the ''smacks' could be heard all over the room.
 
 Now, this was in good taste and I would have been ashamed if the fighting cap-
 tain had failed to qualify under the urge of his charming better half, and I am
 sure no dour critic will grow moralis' and lecture the bells for rewarding theip
 Bessemer hero
 I think everyone along Highland avenue enjoyed the quartet consisting of two doughboys and pair of fun loving lasses. who perched on the turned down top Of an auto had exchanged at least a portion of their clothes, much to the amusement of the crowd. The soldier lads had or the latest headgear of the milliners art ] while the lassies sported the very sporty overseas caps of their escorts. They had
 also swapped their coats for the cloaks of the young women. They were just out for lark and bubbling over with cheeriA ness and no one thought it wrong but all gave them glad hand as they passed Did any enc notice how hard Bill Fer guson worked as he kept ahead of the ''Fighting Fourth" running from side line to side line to lead the cheering. I daresay he was unconscious of. his acts, but was living over again his student days at the university when he was rallying the student body to whoop it up and bring