The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-27
A SPIRIT THAT SUCCEEDS

There is a lesson to be drawn from the attitude of the people of Miami, Florida, towards their city. It is perhaps the best "sold" city in the country, not excepting some in California. A few years ago Miami had less than ten thousand per manent residents. It has grown faster of late than any other city in the country, and now boasts of about sixty thousand people. It has wonderful climate the year around, and that is about all. It has no industries to speak of, except some fishing interests, and the land in that section is neither noted for it's fer tility nor its productivity. There is nothing to draw people in such large numbers to Miami such as attract in vestors and residents to many other places by the thousands, except one thing, and that is the secret of Miami's growth land success.
 What is it? Other cities in Florida have succeeded in selling, themselves to outsiders with capital to invest and to residents, but they have not succeeded in this respect as Miami has, though they have been on the job longer and have worked harder. What the population of Miami is at present we do not know. Per haps longtime residents are unable to estimate it accurately, because it is grow ing so fast, and so many people spend part of their, time there and large per centage of the steady influx of tourists become permanent residents.
 How has Miami succeeded in selling itself to so many visitors? The Charles ton News and Courier quotes from a letter by reliable citizen who has been in Miami for a while and had made close observations of municipal and economic conditions, as follows: "The people are pouring into Miami by the thousands and seem dazed with crazy ambitions that they will all make fortune on few dollars
 That explains the impression produced by efforts of sthe people of Miami to "sell" the city to outsiders. Miami peo- pie are impressed with the belief that not only is it great city, but that it is going to be a much greater one. This is their central idea, and so absorbing that they cannot resist every opportunity to inn press others with it as they have been inn pressed. When visitors mingle with the people of Miami they find themselves dropping into the spirit and atmosphere of that community, and soon they become shouters for it.
 Applying the lesson, if cities of Ala bama with all their resources and op- portunities for development, were com pletely "sold" to their own people, they would soon feel much greater effects upon their progress and expansion. There is nothing like faith in oneself as an argument to others. Alabama cities have not been fully "sold" to their people as have Miami and some of the California cities. Many of the long residents of Birmingham. for example, do not even know what the community has in indus trial achievements or opportunities. Half the people do not know what is manufac- tured here and what can be made, as IS often demonstrated by new industries established by outsiders. And so with other Alabama cities.
 These cities can be sold just as easily as Miami has done. All that is needed is that faith in their own which carries con- viction to others. There is far more basis for such faith than in most of the other cities that have put it to use. All that is needed is for the people of Alabama cities to spread the story of their oppor- tunities. Results will soon be forth cominO