The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-02
CAUSED BY A CAMERA.
The Woes of an Amateur in Search
of the Picturesque.

Tno woes OF an Amateur IN search
of the Picturesque.
There is nothing criminal about be.
ing an amateur photographer. Nc
civilized country has law against
amateur photography. although in
France and Germany and other semi
barbarous countries they arrest man
if he photographs too near to their
Notifications. Still the general ten
dency OF modern cameras is toward
concealment. There is a camera made
which person can put under his vest
and the lens take the place of a vest
button. Other cameras are done up
like parcels, or take the form of q
sachel, or some other unobtrusive
shape, so that the general passer-by
may not know that the man he meets
is an amateur photographer. The
trouble with the cameras that / have
named is that they are generally toe
small to take picture thatis at all sat-
isfactory. Some of them have no focus.
ing-glass and no arrangement for let
ting person know what sort of pict-
ure he is taking. Now use camera
that takes a picture four by five
inches, which / think is the smallest
size that is of any service to a man, al
though some get along with what is
known as the lantern size, size OF
plate that is large enough to take a
picture that will 60 into a stereopti-
con.
The other day bought brand new
valise in which to conceal my pho
tographing apparatus, and instead Of
the long alpenstock tripod which !
have carried heretofore, I bought
what is known as ''the daisy tripod. ="
which folds up into very small com.
pass and can be packed away in a
valise that is about eighteen inches
long
The whole outfit goes into very or.
binary sized valise and person
moves through the world like an ordi.
nary traveller who has a few boiled
shirts and clean collars and cuffs with
him.
One very hot day I found myself in
Cincinnati with the forenoon to spare.
| l had seen Cincinnati often enough but
had never had view of the suburbs.
| Cincinnati, as every body knows, is
down in a hole and is surrounded by
hills. If you speak to Cincinnatiar
reproachfully about the humiliatins
position his city occupies, he will an.
swer:
"Oh, yes, but you ought to see the
suburbs; the suburbs in Cincinnati are
the grandest in the world"
Cincinnati suburbs are on the hill
tops, as they are called, and extend
for miles around the city. There are
ways of getting up on the hill-tops
One is an ordinary incline railway
the platforms of some OF which are sc
large that street car and a couple
of horses drive right on it and is watt
ed to the skies. and when the car gets
up there it goes along for eight or ter
miles out in the country. Another
way of reaching the suburbs is by the
ordinary cable car. which winds w
to the hill-tops by following streets
that zig-zag their way up the eleva
| ton.
/ asked number of Cincinnati mer
which the principal suburb was, and
it seemed to be generally agreed thai
Clifton was the best for a stranger tt
seen. The particular cable line pat
ronized took me across Clifton ave
nue., and there l got off.
Clifton is an aristocratic suburb tha
is conducted as sort of suburban
club. No person is allowed to get {
lot there who is not acceptable as {
neighbor to the rest of the residents
and when he does get lot he mus
build a house that will cost over a Ger
tain amount and comply with lot o
rules and regulations all tending t.
make the place very exclusive. ant
! all that.
Clifton avenue is q wide street, KEEP
in perfect condition, and is bordered OF
each side by fine trees. 1t runs straigh
along for a bit, then drops down init
a valley, rises ON the other side unim
paired, winds along for long distanc,
and then seems to come to an abrup
conclusion at q fine house that bars tn
way.
On each side are great park-lik'
lawns with here and there palac'
owned by some aristocratic citizen wh'
has made his money ON hogs or beer
So ungrateful are these aristocrats tina
now no beer wagon is allowed alonj
Clifton avenue and no hog-that is. M
four-legged one-is permitted to wall
on that street.
/ opened the valise at one poin
where there was fine view of a gran,
mansion away back among noble trees
and as set my camera there cam
from q palace nearer the road troul
of merry, well-dressed children VIII
raced down the lawn and cried:
please. mister, won't you photo
graph use"
Yes"
"Are you going to take Mr.. Blank