The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-06
M E N, w o M EN
 A ND THIN c s

Monday there were three celebrities in Birmingham and each one of the three were billed to appear at o'clock, tangled trinity of celebrities that came near having nervous prostration.
 First, there was Mel Trotter, the great evangelist to men to speak at the First Methodist church. Second, there was Henry Walthall, the actor, booked to give reading before the Third, there was Babe" Ruth, the king of swatters.' slated to knock home run at Redwood park.
 
 Why was there such a heaping up of good things on Monday. Why couldn't one have made his debut on Monday, the other on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday? If this had been done I would not have been put to it to choose which one 1 would see or hear. This matter of choice sometimes is most serious matter.
 know some of you are already won dering which one I chose, but l am sure that only a few guessed alright. Naturally, it would be supposed that it was an easy matter, for being a minis ter it would be expected that l show up at the Bible readings, for Mel Trot- ter has a wonderful reputation at the ,a country as an expounder of Scripture.
 l suppose others jumped to the con clusion that Henry Walthall, being an Alabama boy, who was reared in an ad joining county, naturally my interest would be in hearing his debut before such society as the Drama league, and getting his interpretation off stage of Ibsen, the great social dramatist, whose plays always excite such differ ences of opinion wherever they are read or produced
 | reckon few of the old timers who knew me at Eufaula and recalling my love for baseball are morally sure that turned my back on the evangelistic services, sidestepped the high h-brows of the Drama league; and beat it out to the ball park to see the Yankees and the Dodgers in a swatfest and to be present when the mighty Babe" lost the ball. while the grand stand and the bleachers danced in a frenzy of delight and yelled themselves hoarse. I am sure that quite a few guessed that my fondness for the theatre, and made me forget my adherence to the church. | I'll admit that all the day the matter was being fought out by me, and that before the hour had arrived I had set tied on each of the three and then dis carded the one selected and mulled over them until it became necessary l to decide. To be honest, all the time ] was pretending that I was trying to make a decision I knew away down Tn my subconsciousness just where was going all the time. There isn't the slightest use denying the fact. l r was headed for Redwood park, but lin extenuation, let me say that rea- soned it out in this way. I knew that Mel Trotter would be here couple of weeks and that would have abundant opportunity to hear him. I figured it out that I had rather see Henry Wal thall at night present the Ghosts" in full than to hear him merely give a scene or two or expound his theory of Ibsen I knew that Babe" was sched- uled to appear but once, and that if stayed away at 8 I would be unable to say that had seen the great baseball player in action.
 l Now having made this confession I am going to make another, for I am sorry that l went to the ball game, as one of my illusions was destroyed, fear never to be born again. Along with thousands of others I went not so much to see the contest between New York and Brooklyn, but in the hope to see Babe" come up to the bat and with one mighty drive send the ball sailing toward the city. I was all worked up to it and expected him to do it without fail.
 Did he do it? He did not. and what's more, when the psychological moment came with two men on base and every man, woman and child in the park pull
 ing for him to clear the bases, did he knock one into No Mans Land?" Not as any one of the thousand expectant | fans could see. Did he drive out a three-bagger, or two-bagger, or even bunt? Nary one of the three did he do? Then you ask, what did he dc? /? It is with shame I set it down in cold type. He went proudly up to the plate and struck out.
 It was near tragedy. l never in all my life saw such disappointment pie tured on the faces of a great crowd. l verify believe if some emotional man had begun to cry that the bleachers and the grand stand would have become hysterical. It was unbelievable that the mighty Babe" had failed them It mattered not that two other players I knocked home runs But who knew or cared anything about them. All hopes had been centered on the mighty one lwhom Henry Vance calls .'Bambino."
 So far as 1 am concerned, l am glad that he failed Not that I have any,