The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-04

4 white House by the November eiection.
magnificent institution of our fathers
hog jowl and turnip greens. 1t still is
possible, in certain favored areas, to
get corn-pone bearing the hallmark
of the deft black fingers which fash
Toned it and slice Of three-year-old
ham cured, not according to the Chicago
receipt, with chemicals, but with hickory
smoke and loving hands. And the red
bird still sings these mild winter days
| in the shaw thicket, and the mallard
! quacks in the marshes and white light
ming so potent that imbibing it gives you
| the sensation of having swallowed a
| lighted kerosene lamp, remains within
the reach Of all.
/ Down in Mobile they told me of a
man who had tried his first taste Of
mountain corn. Up to that time he
had satisfied his palate with gentler
Installations. He took three drinks from
quart bottle Of that powerful color
less fluid, then went downtown and
rented him an empty store and put a
sign over the door reading: geological
Exhibit Inside and began charging ten
cents admission to see the animals.
naturally drawing many patrons, who
were disappointed. on entering, to find
nothing but empty shelves. They COM
planned to the proprietor of the en-
terprise that they were being defrauded.
He could not see it in that light; there
were plenty of animals there, so far
as his observation went including quite
number of rare specimens which, up
! to that time, had never been discovered
by others. But some Of these disgruntled
| ones departed, alleging that he had OBJ
tanned their money under false pre-
lenses and they went to the sheriff and
/ swore out warrant for his arrest.
The sheriff came and told the gentleman
| that it was his painful duty to lock
him up. But the Mobilian gave the
sheriff one drink ont of the bottle and
then sold him a half interest in the
show for two hundred and fifty dollars
in cash and bird dog.
Best of all. down south everywhere,
hospitality is still a creed. and cour
tesy to womankind still religion which
the new generation absorbed, as the
older one did. at the breast of its
mothers. And it seems to me that COM
mon kindness is more general an at
tribute than in some sections. The
pride of a. southerner over the great
cardinal fact of his existence, to wit
that he is southerner, hasn't died out,
either. They laugh at us for this
well, let 'em laugh! A Virginia still
pities you, the outlander, because your
parents were so ill-advised as to choose
some other place than Virginia as the
scene of your earthly advent. The only
exception he makes to this rule is in
favor of the Kentuckian--he regards
the Kentuckian merely as a Virginian
born while his mother was away from
home. And a Texan holds by the i'm
memorial doctrine that it is better
far to come into the world on Texas
soil as one lone. anonymous and unau-
thenticated orphan than to occur as
triplets in Kansas. And. as for a South
Carolinian-well, I've always contended
that when you encounter South
Carolinian who halls from Charleston
and, in addition. has been invited to a
st. Cecilia Society's ball, it is very
much as though you met an egg which
had enjoyed the unique distinction of
having been laid twice and both times
successfully.
Now. that sort of thing is a fine
thing. ] maintain. 1t is well. while oIien
breeds are swapping the east and in.
undating the west and north, that there
should be left race who hold by the
ancient traditions and love the ancient
heritages. But / sometimes wish that
local pride did not, as in many in
stances it does, blind the eyes and cramp
the mental powers and narrow the hor-
lion of southerners. Without surrender
ing the old memories and old ideals of
the old south, / believe the men and
women of the new south should strive
hard to free themselves of overmuch
partisanism and provincialism and. by
taking broader viewpoint learn to look
at their country nationally instead Of
sectionally. For one. I'm getting dog
gone good and tired of having these
northern people thinking that the only
burning issues the south has lately
contributed to the country are boil
weevil and the Ku Klux Khan. Well,
after November of next year. it is pos
sible that southern men will again have
larger hand in governmental affairs
than at present. when the only native
born southerners who appear to be
prominently affiliated with the admin
istration are the Honorable Henry lin
coin johnson of Georgia and the Hon
orable Walter Cohen of New Orleans.
both of color. But of course this isn't
a campaign rally and politics properly
is barred. If it were not, I'd take oc-
casion right now to nominate for Presi-
dent a smooth-faced Southern-born
Southern-raised man, whose first name
is Oscar. Maybe somebody will!
That, briefly. is the message / would
bring tonight to you as we sit glorify-
ing our birthright and enjoying such
typically southern dishes as medallion of
sea bass, joinville, and mignon of filet,
colbert.
One more thought occurs to me. No
matter how lately some of us may have
moved here to live. we may safely say
in this city we feel at home because
and here's a thing which may not have
occurred to you-because in these times
of federal paternalism, Capitalization
of power and Constitutional amend
ments, out. of all the union it is only
in New York and, one one side of her,
in New Jersey and. on the other side.
in Rhode Island and Connecticut, of all
places. that we find majority of the
citizens favoring the ancient and hon.
orable John c. Calhoun all-Southern
doctrine of sovereign and independent
states rights. The Confederacy has
moved to Forty-second street and Broad
way.
Both as Southerners and as Ameri-
cans, hold we have a right to feel
rich-fOr the nation at large is coming
out of the kinks. The income tax may
shortly spare us even if the taxi does
not. Down in Dixie cotton is high and
going higher, tobacco is IN, rice is COM
ing along, sugar is not doing so badly
and there are just as many pretty
girls To the acre as there ever uera OF