The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-07
M E N /, w o M EN
 A ND THIN c s

Al c. Field is dead, and with his death the last of the old-time negro minstrels passed off the stage, and there is none to take his place, as modern minstrelsy is quite different affair.
 But Al G. Field was more than a min- strel; he was a man; and take him all and all an all round one, and about as human and lovable as men ever get to be. He never lost the habit of being a boy for to the last he was full of wonder and took delight in everything about him. How old was he? The paper states that he had reached the age ofa72. but as a matter of fact he never really got ola, for he had the heart of child. A short while before his death when a member of the family informed him that he was t0 have a birthday party, and that she had been commissioned to find out his age, he said: Just make it birthday party, not a torchlight procession"
 
 1 have just picked up his book and am struck by the way he closed it. It's delicate thing to write of ones self. It grates on ones feelings to write any thing derogatory and may be redundant to write praise have endeavored to watch myself go by (this is the title of his boolx). To those who have followed me thus far, to those who have been my friends, to those who are my friends, to all mankin who despise hypocrisy and love human beings and dogs com mend myself
 It was great theologian who in an swer to a request for statement of his belief replied; T love God and little chil- dren." The credo of the great minstrel was, Better be driven from among men than disliked by children and dogs, inner man, like the negro, is born white, put is colored by the life he lives; but not one is so black they have not felt humbled and rebuked under the clear and open countenance of a child And then follows the confession: Who has not felt his impurities the more that he was in the presence of sinless child?"
 To bolster up the theory he says; You have probably seen one whom some low vice has corrupted, one who is the aver sion of man and woman, make of him. self a plaything for rollicking crowd of children enter into their sports in a spirit that made his countenance glow. with a delight, as though only goodness had ever been expressed upon it. You have seen another person. genteel per son, cold and supercilious endeavor to make himself agreeable to children, court their favor, win their fancy You have seen the child araw back and shrink in undisgused aversion. I have always felt that there was curse upon such a per son."
 Evidently this acid test of the chil- dren's innate knowledge of those whom they could trust was ingrained in Al G. Fields very system, for if he closed his book by dwelling on the fact, he opens Chapter 1 with the following verse: Trust no prayer or promise,
 Words are grains of sand;
 To keep your heart unbrowen {
 Hold your child in hand" ga A prophet of old looking down the cen turies, spoke of the time when child shall lead them.
 I like to read a book in which the chapters begin with verse of some kind, and it is indicative of Al G. Field S nature to read the ones he selected for his book. I'll give some of them: No wonder Cain went to the bad
 And left no cause to praise him; No neighbors, who had ever had Boys of their own, came telling Ad
 And Eve how they should raise him"
 Chapter six opens with:
 Blessings on the little man,
 Barefoot boy with cheek of tan;
 With thy turned-up pantaloonS
 And thy merry, whistled tunes;
 With the sunshine on thy face
 Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace;
 Outward sunshine, inward joy,
 Blessings on thee, barefoot boy
 
 Then the time came when he held his grandson in his arms and of course the chapter telling about it began:
 "Mornin' little dreamer
 With sunshine in your eyes,
 The stars were talking to you
 Ere they left the brightening skies" If he always had the thought of little children in this subconsciousness there was constantly before him the loyalty of dogs. This is shown in the dedication of his book to Court, his famous pointer. He said that some friends did not seem to crave the honor, and therefore he ded- icated his volume to Court, mot that he is the best friend ever possessed, but