The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-01
M E N w o M E N
 A N D T H IN c s

l had not been to Atlanta for several years until recently, when I ran over for the week end and greatly enjoyed my visit as l have many friends in the Gate City.
 It has been about quarter Of cen tury since I lived in Atlanta, and, of course, in that time it has become quite a different city, and yet some of the old landmarks still survive. In the down. town district, for instance, the old
 Equitable building, the first of the great skyscrapers to be erected. still holds it own with the newer ones. l hold it in sentimental regard, as it was my business home when I moved to Atlanta from New York. I'll never forget how insignificant and scraggy was the outlook from my windows on the fifth floor looking toward Edge wood in comparison with the great cosmopolitan city which I had just left. 1, But in less than two weeks the At lanta spirit got hold of me and I was l thinking of the greatest city in America i with disdain. because it was so far away from the one in which I was liv ing. Laugh at 1t as you may, there is something in the very atmosphere in I every man, woman and child in 1t booster for his home town.
 l older set but somehow J was shocked to see that some of the young men and some of the young ladies with whom associated had aged so much as to really grieve me. Dashing young 1 blades had become sober old men. and vivacious debutantes had settled down l into dignified matrons; but the thing which gave me the biggest jar was the | joy one of my old chums showed in his grandchildren
 1 But I needn't have been so surprised at the changes, for the mission which | carried me to Atlanta was to unite in marriage lovely Georgia belle to a handsome New Yorker, who had met her in the summer at a house party in one of the stately old ante bellum homes on the Savannah river. There was nothing, however, surprising in the fact that having seen her he was con 1 sumed with a passion to possess her. There is nothing strange in this tale so far as it is an age long story of how m aai ! other. The thing which brought home l the fact to me that the years were passing with rapidity was because twenty years ago I went to Atlanta to l marry the father and the mother of the bride, and the daughter from her child hood always said that when she got married Brother Barnett had to per form the ceremony It was this and this only which made me steal out of Birmingham on the day of the interna. tional balloon race.
 
 Laugh as you please about sentiment but it rules the world, and so when the call came for me to tie the knot for the lovely daughter I gladly yielded to
 
 ministry have always taken great delight in marrying people. It is not on account of the wedding fees. for everyone knows that they do not add to the wealth of the preacher, but from time immemorial are the rightful per- quisites of his wife.
 This recalls that few years hack I went home from the office one evening and said to my wife, Gather some flowers and put them in the living room. for a couple is coming out to- night to get married" My two boys overheard me and asked if they might be present during the ceremony. I told them they could if they would run up- stars and put ony clean waists and wash their faces and brush their hair. This they did without a murmur, as their curiosity overcame their natural dislike of soap and water.
 After supper the front door bell rang and in walked the bride and groom With several friends. The man as usual took me aside and begged me to make the ceremony as short as possi- ble, and l did. As he was leaving, in shaking hands with me felt something which made me know that I had been rewarded, for there is an unmistakable feel about paper money. I supposed it was dollar bip, but after he had got ten down the steps l smoothed it out and, handing it ever to my treasurer, discovered that the groom was per feet gentleman" for it was five dollar William.
 My boys had nothing to say to one another, but noticed that the money transaction had made decided impress sion on the younger son. Soon they went upstairs and retired and shortly after my wife and l followed in their wake. All lights were out and we heard them in the adjoining room dis cussing what had taken place. Proc tor the younger said to Frank the eI- der, What are you going to be when you get to be man." and he replied, "A railroad man." Then he asked Proctor. What are you going to be-" and quick as flash got for sDn an- swer, "A preacher" In rather dis gusted tone Frank fired back at him, What do you want to be 8 preacher for"' to be .naiyely told, Why, didn't you See Daddy make over dollar a minute downstairs marry that couple"
 But let no man study for the minis- try under the idea that it's get rich quick profession through wedding fees, Tor in more than twenty-fiv years ex- perience, l have found that many men l mt r1s.1l