The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-14
M E N w o M E N
 A N D T H l N c s


 and lodge men.
 Now, I am familiar with the work or the older fraternal orders and have kept in touch with the growth of some of the newer ones. Being a natural "jiner," l got into a college fraternity and later into secret organization.
 fear, however, that I was never cut out for secret orders as I have no verbal memory, and am handicapped badly when it comes to remembering the ritual There are some the other hand who are gifted in this respect. and so we hear it said of man he is bright Mason or Odd Fellow"
 l regret that I have not kept in close touch with my college fraternity, and am ashamed to own that I have been Of little use to the one kept alive here by gether at stated intervals. l manage to try and attend the annual affairs. think it is well to keep alive the college sentiment as much as possible, but my time being so taken up with this and that I am not much of a help to any or the many things to which I belong.
 l am sure I could not work my way into the secret order to which l belong, and yet I hold it in the highest esteem for what it has been, is and will be in the future. but for the life of me- with the multiplicity Of calls upon me. I have made a very indifferent member I really wish that it was so that l could keep in more sympathetic touch with it's meet together in such good fellowship and for such worthy purposes
 l have friends who are enthusiastically loyal to the orders to which they be- long. They delight in attending the weekly meetings. They are always proud to be present al the conventions, and they never shirk any of the parades. There isn't any doubt but that America rare thing to find a man of standing who is not in some way affiliated with one or more of them. If they did not fill place in our life they would not flcrrish as they do.
 All of this to lead up to the fact that when l was asked to be present at the dinner given at the Tutwier on Tuesday by the various civic bodies in honor Of the visiting officials of the Loyal Order of Moose, I was rather indifferent and had about decided to cut it, but remem- bering that Rotary attendance counted, changed and reported rather as a duty than with any thought of profit or pleasure.
 I thought I had been to every kind or dinner that could be put on for any cause whatsoever, and in spite of being a professional diner-out I was ready to take vacation. have learned it pays to pick one's neighbors at public dln- ners, just as it makes all the difference ir the world who ones partner and wis wis is at a private one. I have also discovered that the chairman or toast master al a public function has as much to do with the success or failure Of the dinner as does the host or hostess at a private afafir.
 I saw Drs. George Stuart, J. M. Broadly and John A. MacSporran all sitting in a row, and thinking it wouldn't hurt the combination for a Baptist preacher to join himself to the trio and make 1t a quartet. I sat down next to George, for knew that if the dinner was poor and the speaking dull, that he would make up for it by the sparkle of his conversation, as he is as interesting out of the pulpit as he is in it, and. that is high compli- ment for some preachers
 
 Key Miner, the chairman, started off we'll and finished strong as a chairman. and he had quite job cut out for him. He didn't waste much time in introducing J. Mercer Barnett, slated to give the ad- dress of welcome, as I suppose he thought Mercer was able to get going without much help from him? and he did He made Lright snappy and pleasing talk. But some of us wondered how he had crammed up so on climate, for he seemed to know the temper of the winds and the rise and fall of the thermometer from the lakes of CAnada to the Gulf of Mex ico and from the Atlantic to the Pacinc With his usual modesty he admitted that Birmingham was the climatic gem Of America.
 Key spent little time in making William F. Booming, Baltimore's mayor, known to the audience. He evidently was will ing to trust him to introduce himself. The main floor of the dining room was packed and the gallery was we'll filled with the picked business and professional men Of Birmingham, and think all who heard the eloquent Marylander will bear me out in the statement that it was one of the IL was small wonder that on finishing the crowd arose to it's feet and thundersd out it's applause
 IL was at this point that Key turned trick which was dangerous to attempt. He spent quite bit of time in his preta- tory remarks before calling on T. r. l.. Henderson. an outsider to speak for the order and for Birmingham. All around me could hear people asking, Who is Henderson," And no one knewfi and when he arose we were still in the dark. presence is not overpowering, neither IS his voice a great speaking instrument
 felt sorry for him: in fact, would have felt sorry for any one who had tc follow the masterly effort of Mayor rxrx1, <to