The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-11
M E N , w o M FEN
 A ND T HIN c s


 was one of the sayings of the late Czar Reed, who all his long life was known as an uphill fighter. and who refused to resign as speaker of the House just because a clique was try ing to make him do it.
 Great fortunes have been made by men who had the nerve and the dar- ing to stay in the game when others were dropping out on account of cold feet or adverse conditions. In the business world. three names suggest themselves to prove it. Prick stuck by coke, Carnegie cIung to steel and Rockefeller bet on oil when others were turning loose.
 I'll not take time now to bring to your memory ahe illustrat tions which might be easily drawn from the law, the bar, the pulpit; the ones which could be cited from among the literary workers and ar- lists, or the gretat doers in the field of politics or the host who in the face of majorities have in the end won be- cause of sheer pluck
 Say what you please, but grit and grace make combination which never says die. Many there be who have ability, but it's only those with will power who keep hitting the line when 1t seems hopeless task. Grants Famous expression, "Tll fight it out on this line if it takes all summer" at last carried him to victory.
 Call it cheek, nerve, grit, or what you may, but about 10 days ago there came to Birmingham a man who has infinite faith in himself and the busi- ness out of which he makes living. I am talking of Frank I. Derby, and am using him as human text to preach sermon on the theme, Never Give Up," because it is needed just now here in this great city of ours
 For years l have been watching the cattle industry in Alabama and have lived to see the day when the pure bred is at last getting the better of the scrub. It has been long. heart breaking fight and many lost time and money in making the change. to ticky animals and paid the penalty which frequently foresight and thrift have to nay to ignorance and preju- dice.
 Here and there inf the best cattle growing sections there were men who bought pure bred sires and ere long blood told and the calves from the native cows showed a marked im- provement. I know of case in south Alabama where some friends of mine by getting a registered bull built up one of the best herds in the. state and have shipped car load after car load to the big breeders scattered through out the south.
 I keep talking about the Red Cross bull sale because l helped Fred Jones to place them in Alabama, and have tried to keep up with them as far as possible. I'll just take one as sam pie. Some public spirited citizens bought one of them and sent him down to the fair grounds, and Jim Dent told the guests at the dinner given on Friday at the Tutwiler by Robert Jemison, Sr., to Frank l. Der by that more than 200 calves had been sired by him.
 But back to Frank I. Derby. Just when the bottom seems to have dropped out of the cattle business and the grades and pure breds are on the toboggan. he goes to the southern Columbia, Tenn, not intending to buy, but merely to get a line on the situation and jumps in and buys over 40 head of the best which were put up. buying bulls, cows and heifers, believing now is the time to act
 
 asked him, What made you do it?y and he gave me the answer of d child by replying: T just couldn't help it; Alabama needed them and l felt that it was up to me to bring them home and work out a scheme to revive an interest in pure breds." He spoke with the zeal and the fire of the missionary. It takes just such out of theft indifference.
 It is small wonder. then, that he was able to arouse the interest of some of the leading business men in Birming ham to help him put life into the cattle industry in the state. for having heard his plan they felt that it was not a scheme to unload on them, but an appeal for help to get them in behind him to make a cam : paign to revivify theTaising of better cattle in Alabama. He'll take the ten heifers and Marshal Joffre" the three year-old white bull weighing 2.S0O pounds, all over the state if ar engagements can be made with the railroads, and stop at every town and city and not only boost live stcck, but advertise Birminfham and the Alaba ma State Fair association, where the 10 heifers will go as prizes in the fall show
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