The Age Herald

GREAT HOME MEN
AND THEIR WORK
Memories of Men Who Were Masters
of Money-Their Strength Remains Public Security.

There is scarcely a matter concerning the
growth of Birmingham which can be discussed
without bringing in the name of the
late Dr. H. M. Caldwell, as the newspapers
from time to time clearly demonstrate. For
he figured very largely in all the material
affairs of this city from its earliest days
until his death a few years ago, and his
name is still powerful to conjure with.

In all questions of finance and investment
and growth his name still is brought up,
and the community has heard much of it
in an honored way during the past week
or two in banking and financial institutions.

A lasting and splendid monument to Dr.
Caldwell and some of those who have labored
with him is the great bank at Nineteenth
street and First avenue, the Birmingham
Trust and Savings Company, or
"The Trust," as it is popularly called. Dr.
Caldwell was the prime mover in establishing
this great institution fourteen years
ago, and he became its first president, laying
the lines of its after greatness with
wonderful precision and broad and safe
wisdom.

This bank began successful because Dr.
Caldwell and Paul H. Earle were at the
head of it and were backed by a board of
directors of great business sagacity and
success.

Weary of his burden, and conscious of
his work of establishing the bank being
well and wisely and securely done, Dr.
Caldwell gave first place to Paul H. Earle,
who continued as president until his death
last Thanksgiving eve. Mr. Earle carried
out the wonderfully successful policy of his
famous predecessor, and was enabled to
further increase the usefulness of and add
to the extraordinary success of this bank.

For Mr. Earle himself enjoyed the enviable
distinction of being the most successful
man whoever engaged in mercantile business
in this city or district. For nearly
twenty-five years the story of Paul Earle's
life was, in large measure the business
history of Birmingham, and for more than
ten years Mr. Earle's honored and successful
career was the story of this great
bank. He knew his great work, and so
wise was that work that during the panic
of 1893 in the course of which nearly three
thousand banks in the United States
stopped cash payments, the "Birmingham
Trust" continued to pay out dollar for dollar
on all its obligations and checks of its
depositors just the same as if "boom times"
were at hand! That is extraordinary testimony
to the wisdom of bank direction as
exemplified in the Birmingham Trust and
Savings Company.

Dr. Caldwell and Mr.
Earle, the two
great presidents of this great bank, accumulated
large private fortunes, and each
Died in his time the wealthiest citizen of
Birmingham.

That means something of vital interest
to all the people, for nothing is or can
be of such vital concern as safe and wise
banking institutions. This bank is now,
fourteen years after it was founded, as Dr.
Caldwell would have had, as Mr. Earle
would have had it, and the remarkably
strong board of directors now serving
would have been just such a board as either
of those strong men of the near past would
have chosen.