The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-05-25
M E N, w o M E N
A N D T H IN G S

commencement exercises, both Of which
proved to be unusually interesting
Some people profess to be bored on
such occasions. but believe the older
1 grow the more like to be around
when the alumni gather from all parts
of the state and show their interest
in the graduation exercises of their
alma mater.
There is however one SOLDERING fact
to every alumnus who has passed the
half century mile post, for when he
treads the sacred compus he is made
aware at almost every step that old
father time with sickle on his shoulder
is in a mighty great hurry and Is
getting ready to harvest in the class
in which he graduated.
Having passed my fiftieth mile post.
am in hearty sympathy with the
suggestion thrown out by Herbert
Quick to organize a service to conserve
thu mon in middle life. The slogan
Save the Men of Fifty appeals
nightly to me. He says we raise a
man to the age of fifty, getting him
through the crisis of measles, chicken
pox, mumps, scarlet fever, whooping
cough" and the dest of the infgntile d.
seases.
Furthermore he gets by the tennis,
baseball, holes in the ice, swimming,
lovesickness, choice of occupation, and
early plumbers, until he has practically
become immune to old diseases and new
ideas, settling down to tobacco and
golf and HIS pet political party. And
what happens? He goes and dies on us.
No wonder that he thinks the waste
of men past fifty is simply criminal,
| and that there should be a law passed
to conserve the men past fifty.
Well. If your age has cotton on
your nerves the best way know to
be rejuvinated is to wander balk an
nually to the old place where you got
your college education, and while
mildly Eliminating over the flight of
time, do not let it get on your nerves.
but do your best to beat Father Time
by catching step with the clear eyed,
rudy checked, clean limbed college
lads whose faces set TO the future and
who are just making the start to make
their way in the world.
1 went down on the L. and N and
got off at the University and walked
to Morgan Hall just In time to hear
Al
ing talk in which the future beckoned
him with open arms, only to be fol-
lowed by that splendid old citizen of
Montgomery, Col. Gunter, who more
than three score years ago had been
student at the University and whose
backward look was full of interesting
facts. The one had career to make
while the other was resting on his
laurels.
An alumni meeting without the faith
flu. Birmingham trio, Borden Burr,
Hill Ferguson and Robert Jemison, Jr.,
would indeed be a sad affair. They be-
long TO a band of live wires who come
between the old guards and the new
coats and get down to hard work to
keep the college spirit alive among the
graduates and the student body. 1
single them out only because they are
from the Magic City. They are but
types of the splendid and aggressive
men to be found in every community
unfolding the proud tradition Of old
Alabama
| 1t is always interesting to watch
the formation of the line which
marches into the great dining hall
Each year the effort is made to get
the classes to get together. The idea
Is to have the oldest lead the pro-
cession. One of the sad things is to
see the lessening number each wear
who show up from the ante beilum
Gays, and the reconstruction era. No
wonder that the presence of Col. Gunter
who enrolled in 1S49 and graduated in
1888 was sh2wered with honors.
The American is prone to leave I'M
cone those things he ought to do, and
frequently is guilty of doing those
things he ought not to do. In spite Of
the pleadings of Tom Gamer through
the mail to the alumni to report il
they would be present at the banquet,
less than seventy five responded
Plates We're set for two hundred and in
the last half an hour another hundred
pressed in to the dining room causing
an overflow.
| Judge Mayfield who was postmaster
is an old hand at tho difficult game
and handled his bunch of after dinner
speakers with ease and tact He was
thinking in so doing that my chances
most generous to me. He asked me 10
make the invocation which l DID
thinking in SO doing that my chances
to talk had gone glimmering, but to-
ward the end of the dinner he evidently
repented of having choked me off with
a prayer, and called on me to speak
Is it any wonder that after such gener-
osity showed my gratitude by public
~ sating that he was the best chair
nan and ntroducer l had ever had
tie pleasure of sitting at the same
table with? 1t was a delightful cccas-
sion and the speeches of Governor
kilby, DR.. Denny and the others were
most happy.
| cnsalEluM1@apsstn
/ DOG EATERS LIKE UNCLE SAM