The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-29


 drop in the bucket.
 I went to the
 theatre, to one of fB:c.;FORBEs { running and found the place half empty. @
 4 large restaurant only a few blocks from Madison Square Garden had not found its business increase perceptibly.
 Having been selected as, member of the entertainment committee for one of the states, had expected to be kept on the jump. But the visitors are very easy on their entertainers. I am told by those in the know. that the first question usually asked on arrival was, How about a bottleg" Assured that this could be provided, nothing else seemed to matter very much.
 Some of the younger blades expressed a. desire to do some dancing and won- dered if partners could be procured. It was easy enough to give them the right kind of an answer to this re- 2, quest also. E ! OI COuESCg Iuduy Ol tue SASAtOA D wanted to know how to go about seeing this, that and the next famous place in the metropolis. But the desire usual ly to, go around independently and not in Cooks gangs was expressed.
 It was pathetic, or laughable-to watch big guns in their own commu- nity enter leading hotels and look around for an ovation.
 You could see them peer from side to side, all ready to greet and be greeted, After first tour all over the ground, a puzzled expression would come over faces. Then they would start in search for recognition all over again. But the best that any of them could do, so far as my observation went, was to run into some one from their own home town,
 In Squedunkus a delegate or other visitor may be kow-towd to from one end of Main street to the other, but when he comes to New York, it is, a painful shock to him to find that his name is mud.
 P. S. And so is the name of New Workers themselves. Nobody counts for very much in New York's six millions.
 We're funny lot In all the key noting oratory the only names that ! aroused notable applause were the names of dead ones. In this country we refuse to recognize greatness until it has been safely tucked away under the sod. A man has to be dead ten years before he is admitted to our pledg- lings Hall of Fame-it is located somewhere in New York. although not all where. Only dead ones get their faces on postage stamps or coins.
 They do things differently across the Atlantic. Only living faces are put son new coins and postage stamps. Also, men who do big things there are show cred with honors and decorations while they are still alive. The names that arouse the greatest amount of applause are always the living leaders
 We haven't yet adopted Mark Twain's recommendation that we should bestow more taffy and less epitaphy. Why wouldn't it be a good plan to hand cut few more flowers to those that are alive and not quite so many when funeral time comes?
 Have you noticed in your own local ity any brightening of sentiment? am beginning to find a turning away from the too great pessimism that has pre- vailed for several months. I
 California has conquered her trou- bles, agricultural and others.
 O. A. Blumenthal, one of the fore most real estate operators in Los Angeles, who is now visiting in the east, declares that tourist traffic is equal to last years, that the motion picture business is going ahead full , steam and that both the oil and cotton a industries have improved.
 E Empty lots in outlying subdivisions are not going like hot cakes, but Mir. Blumenthal declared '1 have orders from people centered all over the coun- try to purchase choice downtown holi- days whenever prices decline, but l have orders from people centered all over the country to purchase choice down. town holdings whenever prices decline, but l have been unable so far to find any so-called bargains.
 While here I turned oyer to an eastern investor one of the largest downtown properties in Los Angeles |; also a new theatre to be operated by New York owner.
 'gTrue, building activity has gone aneaQ uCLle IaStef than the. SrOWtn of the city during the last two years but Los Angeles will catch up within the next year. The present house clean ing will do good. Los Angeles will emerge a grater city than ever be- fore"
 W. c. Durant has treated the auto mobile world to another surprise. He has succeeded in annexing, as vice president of Durant Motors, Colin Campbell, who played a forceful part in building up Chevrolet's distributing organization. Since the beginning of the year there has been speculation as to where Mir. Campbell would alight but it had not been expected he would throw in his lot with Mir. Durant. As salesmanager, Mir. Campbell, is driver. The last time I heard him ad- dress an enormous gathering of dis tributors he finished with this strik- ing phrase:
 Winners have to be whipped across the tape"
 RITTER pROnTI1TE0M