The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-31
M E N, w o M EN
 A ND T H N C s

many. The city man walks through the paved streets and thinks longingly of country
 lanes, while the farmer walks uneon- cernedly through wooded cathedrals without being conscious that he is m
 closest touch with nature; but just let him come to town and he is all eyes Travel far or wide as we may we can- not get outside ourselves, and the bene- lift is just in proportion as we are fitted to understand the things that come un-
 der our observation. This does not mean that travel is uneducative. but 1t doss
 carry the idea that the cultured man ab-
 sorbs more of the scenes through which
 he passes than the unedueated one.
 l remember when lad on my way te
 Europe for the first time stopped n New York for awhile. and in the writing
 room l saw man surrounded with
 books and inaps. He was busy over
 them all the while I was a guest, and
 having my curiosity aroused, I asked
 what he was doing, and was told that fer
 months and months he had been study ing up for d European tour.
 There are experienced travellers, for
 travelling is 10th a pleasure and a pro-
 fesson. The man who knows many countries is in a position to use discrim-
 ination in weighing their merits and de-
 merits, and by being constantly on the
 b
 looking out for differences both in peo-
 pie and in their mode of living and de-
 ing business.
 I have no great desire at present to
 travel, but I am glad that I have done
 much of it in the past, as my memory is
 stored with strange and interesting sights
 seen in many lands. One thing, how ever, if I take to the road again and re-
 visit Europe, it will be with very much
 less expenditure of time and energy. for
 have already seen and done the conveE-
 tional things expected of tourist and
 will have more time to seek adventure pure and simple
 Now, just because 1 have practically given up making trips I am paying more attention to things at home Do not let anyone who has not had the advantage of travel despair, for if you will make
 up your min1 to explore your own sur-
 roundings, you will be rewarded far be- yond your expectations, for under our very noses are many things which are
 welh worth noting. Birmingham offers
 many points of interest for those who have only time and means for local
 journeys.
 I will only mention just few things
 First, there is enough for one to devote la winter to IT. visiting the great manu- featuring plants and in seeing just how the raw material is being converted into articles or merchandise. It might be wise first to visit the coal and iron mines and also see how the fluxing rocks are taken from the earth. If followed after pre- paration, one could easily become ac-s quainted with the basic industry of steel and iron
 Then, the by-product plants open whole field of modern commercial chem stry, and here at our very doors are the operated on scale which is an eye opeT- CT to even those who know of the won derful things which the Americans have
 learned to do in these lines since Gef-
 many was showed from her place of s,l- premacy in her greed to make all the +r;t, Take the question of cotton and the goods manufactured from the souths great staple, and in our midst is one of
 the great mills of the country. Then, naturally follows the cotton seed meal and oil products, as they are turned out for the trade. We have also mills utl- izing peanuts and velvet beans, and scon verting them into food for man ana
 beast. Fertilizers are also made in tn district on a large scale.
 I know of no place where bread ma
 ing can be studied to better advantaA@
 than here, for in addition to the lares
 factories, there have sprung up quite number of smaller bakeries using sas
 very latest methods in making bread asl
 well as in all kinds of cakes. If had the figures telling of the thousandS og
 pies turned cut daily, they would be surprise. Birmingham offers cha to all who would acquaint themssAs with the bakers art.
 Candy making iss also comiAS ~ ae front. Coffee is eelng grouna N 3As@S quantities. Maca anl riisde nefe ing it's way over faA se%kn s tsi's St'Y soft drink busine ss simply flrives il tnis climate, and one esn A@s tffe very tatese
 machinery used aosa fSho make the welklSrfown drir hf Nnici gre consumed by men. womei ana es essagen. Vinegar and pickles are pFNaand TOT the traoe on large sealf N1esp gre just few items which corie tly mind You will no doubt think of ethefx which l have left out.
 Then comes tlt9 estlNn of cattle. We have stock yards Aae packing houses and anyone int&Fesses ean follow hog. goat sheep, catf DOW cE pull on foot up l the stairway Sto giAaghter. and then watch all the essf1 tioaS which finally make them AlkFEabie. was surprlsei l my self until san tp investigate it, I just how big tesnesa it was locally. l I am sure tha asFk thfips VIII he siau ! to shovv anvhra hfuucfs the Birmins-