davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
A LAMENTABIE FACT.
The Rapid Decay of Sound Literary Taste
i'm the United States.

The Rapid Decay of Sound Literary Taste
in the United States.
There was never time when so many
books were published in the English Ian
guage as now. They come flying from
inc presses of the great publishing
houses on both sides of the ocean in
such showers as to darken the literary
heavens and to obscure for us the great
lights set in the intellectual armament
for all men and for all time. 1t is also,
of course, true that there was never so
much reading done. The messenger
boy carries cheap novel in his pocket
and snatches time to read it, and from
this boy upward through the scale to the
man OF learning in his library, every
one Is reader, each in his own way.
And what do all these people read? By
far the greater number of them might
answer with Hamlet: ''Words, words,
words, for there is little else within
the covers of the worthless books which
form their mental sustenance.
1t is lamentable fact that the rank
growth of cheap and ephemeral litera-
ture has not only crowded the classics
OF the English tongue from the market,
but devot on to reading of the shallow
and crude sort has perverted the public
taste, dissipated the public mind, and
is giving us generation which can not
swallow or digest wholesome literary
meal.
Nor is this confined to the less intelli-
gent and educated people. Our colleges
and high schools fail to surround their
pupils with literary atmosphere Or
save in the case of some individual
whose natural bent is too pronounced to
be denied-to send into the world men
and women of nice literary taste. A
story is told of the great List that he once
took pupil of rare promise and kept
him playing an exercise month after
month. Occasionally the learner would
mildly hint at his desire for a change,
but Lizt only told him to be patient At
last at the end of three years, the mas
ter said: "YOu may go and need not
come here again" "Why? Have I of
Tended you?" asked the astonished and
distressed scholar. mo; but you play
that exercise perfectly. That means
that you can play any thing. 1 can
teach you no more"
The story is apocryphal, but it teaches
great lesson. All really broad and
comprehensive critical taste in letters
depends upon knowledge of the mas
terly works which furnish our only fixed
standard. Put school boy on desert
island with only copy of the Spectator;
compel him to read this every day for
five years to avoid mental starvation,
and he will come out with a better
foundation upon which to build lit
erary education than his equally bright
fellow who has been at home reading
without direction or advice the books
from half dozen circulating libraries.
But the classics can not stand beside
the popular books of the day. ''Airy
Fairy Lillian" will easily drive ''The
Scarlet Letter" from the field; "Ouida" is
far more than match for Thackeray;
Bellamy is'a more acceptable philoso-
pher than Carlyle or Emerson and so it
goes until one pauses in glad surprise
when he sees any one with copy of any
worthy book in his hand.-Detroit Free
Press
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
HOUSEHOLD BREVITlES.

Two ounces of common tobacco
boiled in gallon of water, rubbed on
with stiff brush. is used to renovate
old clothes. 1t is said to leave no smell
Chicken Fricassee.-Cut the chicken
into pieces and boil it until tender in
just enough water to cover it, then drain
1t and fry it brown in plenty of nice
butter, Remove it to dish, tn cken
the butter with flour and add the liquo:
In the kettle. making a rich gravy. Lay
some small slices of toasted bread in the
dish with the chicken and pour the gravy
over all. after seasoning it to taste.
TO Corn Beef.-For one hundred
pounds of beef take twelve pounds rock
salt. one quart molasses, two ounces
saltpeter. three gallons Of water ana one
ounce OF soda. Put all together, boil
and skim until clear then % in the
beef while the liquid is boiling When
the beef is cool pack it closely. Let the
brine become cold. then pour over the
beef, add small bag of salt and
weight to keep the beef under the brine
Liver Pudding.-Take two nicely
cleaned hogs heads, two lights. two liv,
ers and the best parts of half dozer
melts, half a dozen sweetbreads and
three or four kidneys split open. Soak
all in salt and water over night and boil
with two slices of salt pork the next
morning. When done add some of the
grease SKINNED from the water in
which they were boiled and grind in
sausage mill Season with pepper. salt
and finely chopped onion, and press into
a mOld.-Household.
Oatmeal Bread.-Boil two teacupsfu
OF oatmeal as for porridge, and add
teaspoonful salt, and when cool. half a
teacupful molasses and the same amount
of yeast, if the homemade is used. OF
half small cake of compressed yeast.
stir in enough wheat flour to make the
batter stiff as can we'll be stirred with
spoon. Place it in we'll creased bread
pans, and set it in warm place to rise
as 1T must be very light before it is
baked. Bake an hour and a quarter.
The above quantity will make two
iOaves.
-Rlce is almost a remedy in itself for
some kinds of sickness. as cholera and
oowel complaints. 1t makes easy work
for the digestive organs, and being so
nutritious it is valuable to both the sick
Ind the well. 1t is dish of which one
never becomes tired, and once dav is
not too often to place it before the fam
n.y. 1t would be advisable to one who
Toes not relish it to cultivate taste for
this easily digested food. It's cheapness
another merit, and it bears lucky
name, or it would not be such an i'm
portant accessory at every wedding
The Housekeeper.
Apple Tarts.-Pare and cook very
tender dozen sour apples. Mash fine
and pass the same through a sieve
Beat smoothly together one and a half
teacupfuls of sugar, half teacupful of
butter, the Juice and grated rind of two
lemons, three we'll beaten eggs, or, if
eggs are plentiful, the yelks of six eggs,
then stir in the apple sauce. Line pans
with nice pastry, fill with the mixture
and lake in quick oven. Beat the
whites OF the eggs stiff, add little
sugar and spread it on the top of the pies
and return to oven moment to brown
Orange Judd Farmer.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
READY! pULL!w BANG.
Live and Clay Pigeon Shooting and
How Experts Do It.
The Proper Equipment for Club of Be-
ginners at Trap ShoOting-A Sport
That Is Growing More Popular
Every Year.
[COPYRIGHTED 1901

For the busy man who loves the sound
of gun, yet who can only indulge in
shooting excursion once or twice q
year in the season, it is standing re-
greet that his lack of practice between
seasons puts his hand out of trim for the
birds. He finds that he is by no means
as good shot at the opening of the
season as he was at the close of the pre-
vicus year, and it takes very nearly his
whole holiday to regain his old skill.
But this is all being rapidly changed.
Trap shooting, which has taken hold Of
the public fancy to very large extent
in recent years, affords the opportunity
for practice so greatly desired, and if
the sportsman is lucky enough to be
member of club he can have all the
practice he wants at little loss of time
and small cost. He has the satisfaction,
too, when he takes his holiday, of find
ing himself no longer awkward and
laundering with the gun. His hand
and eye are quick. his aim is true and
he is able to hold his own with other
competitors in the hunting field.
Trap shooting was, until a few years
ago, confined almost wholly TO profess
SIGNALS, and very few amateurs were
skillful enough to be ranked as experts.
Now, however, there are clubs in every
big city, and some Of the amateur sports
men would not make at all bad showing
even by the side Of such distinguished
shots as Bogardus, DR.. Carver and other
noted guns of the trap and hunting
field.
Trap shooting with artificial birds is
one of the least expensive sports, yet
one of the most enjoyable. So many
improvements have been made recently
in the manufacture Of clay pigeons that
the natural action of the bird is now
simulated with remarkable fidelity and
practice at the inanimate birds is con-
sidered just as good for the marksman
as though he were shooting at live pig
cons. A great many clubs use the arti-
fetal birds exclusively, the most prom
inent in the East being the German
Gun Club, of New York, and the South
side Club, of Newark, n. j. The favor
tie birds are the Ligowsky clay pigeon,
with clay tongue; 1.-The Bat" which may
be thrown from clay pigeon trap or a
regular bat trap; the American clay
bird, which is exceedingly hard to hit,
but when hit is easily broken, and the
Standard and keystone, both OF which
are fac SMILES of the blue rock pigeon
One of the birds formerly used had a
paper tongue; but it was found that in
wet weather this would become limp
and refuse to work. The most reliable
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

have clay or wooden tongue. The
best clay pigeons, when bought in guam
titles for the use of clubs, cost about
two cents each.
In some recent big matches shot in
this neighbOrhood the birds cost an av-
erage of two dollars apiece, and in a
match between DR.. Knapp and Major
Floyd Jones not long ago several hun
dred birds were killed. costing a dollar
each. The pigeons for these contests
come from different parts of the coun-
try, but the best are from Baltimore,
where the famous blue rock breed is
raised. The blue rock is small bird;
hard, firm and heavy for its size. A
great many gunners who have not had
much experience in Iive-bird shooting
make the mistake of selecting big birds
under the impression that they are the
strongest and the fastest flyers. EX-
firm bird, as they know by experience
that they will fly faster and are in every
way better suited for the traps.
In shooting either at live or artificial
birds good deal depends upon the
weather. Windy weather has an effect
both on the flight of the live birds and
the artificial ones. If the day be hard
and cold and pretty windy, the live
birds get up wilder and the clay ones
naturally sail faster with the wind.
All matches at artificial birds are shot
from three or five traps set level, five
yards apart in the segment Of circle
or in a straight line and numbered con-
secutlvely. These traps should throw
the birds from forty to sixty yards. The
puller stands six feet behind the shooter
and pulls at the latter's command If
he pulls too early. the marksman can
refuse the bird and he is then entitled
to another In single bird shooting,
the rise is regulated according to the
gun used and runs from thirteen to
eighteen yards; in doubles it is from
eleven to sixteen yards. With
singles, one barrel only is loaded at
time.
Position has a good deal to do with
success in trap shooting. Although the
marksman in ali except the National
association clubs may assume any
SotAuihS dolituue ne plodSeS he Will
find most of those of his own choice
ungraceful and ineffective. The late
Ira Paine used to stand with the stock
of his gun almost resting on his right
hip and the barrels raised to an angle
of forty-five degrees ready for the
word
Bogardus invariably held his gun be-
low the elbow. with the barrel slightly
raised, according to Nottingham Club
rules. DIR. Carver's pose is unique. His
left arm is held perfectly straight, the
left hand grasping the barrel far for
ward and the stock of the gun near but
not pressing the chest below the armpit.
The position officially adopted by the
National association and approved by
the best clubs is to have the stock of
the gun held lightly below the armpit.
little higher than the elbow, the bar
rel raised to level with the chin, the
head erect and the feet squarely placed,
with the left foot advanced. This POI
sition calls for the least change before
the shot is actually delivered.
Another important consideration is
the gun. Eastern experts, while using
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
BRITISH INVESTMENTS.
Tho Result of Their Pouring Into the
United States.

1t is no wonder, then, with constant
aggregation of capital pouring in upon
Great Britain, with an inability to make
1t yield a profit within her own domain
and, still further, the impossibility of
finding any other country where it can
be so safely invested, she should turn
in the direction of the United States,
which alone of all nations seems to
combine all the elements of safety and
profit. From list recently published
it appears that the amount of English
money which hasabeen invested in indus
trial enterprises in the United States
has equaled, in the last two years,
about ST., 0G0,O00 week, amounting in
all to about 100000, 900. 1t is
not difficult to estimate the ultimate
influences set in motion by such prac-
tical union of material interests between
the two great English speaking nations
of the world. Mr. Gladstone, in his
Paris speech, referring to the predic-
years the population of this continent
may be 600,O0O,000, recognized "the
prospective and approaching right of
America to be the great organ of the
powerful English tongue; and, allud-
ing to the United States and Great
Britain. added these significant words,
that there was no cause upon earth
that should now or hereafter divide one
from the other That the interest of
mankind at large will be advanced by
close bond of union between two great
AnglO-SaXon nations, no one can doubt,
and nothing will contribute more GER
tainly to this harmony than the mutual
ity of interests which is certain to be
created by the investment of British
capital in American Industrial enter
prises.-Erastus Wiman, in North Amer
lean Review
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

1.-THE sphere of woman is certainly
extending" said Mrs. Washington to her
husband. every once in while some
woman goes into the lecture field"
eyes," said her husband YEARLY, ''eve-
ry married man knows that. Wash
ington Post.
-Tommy-'Paw, why do they always
say counting noses when they talk
about counting crowd?" Mr.. Fight
started at political meetings, my son.
You can see a politicians nose when
there is not light enough to distinguish
any thing else. '-Terre Haute Express.
Husband of strong minded woman
Swell, my dear. they have elected you
president of the women's equal rights
club. You're Mrs. President, of course.
That will be your title now. What will
be?" Wife-"You'll be the same little
old IDIOT you always were, George"
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

4. Old Style ClayBird
teen to five hundred dollars. A good,
hard-hitting gun with Damascus steel
cred and engraved, can be bought for
fifty dollars and upward.
In loading for trap shooting, for
twelve-guage gun, three drains of powder
and two wads are put back of one or
one and One-eighth ounces of No. g, 8
or 10 chilled shot, according to wind and
distance.
Under the rules of the National and
American Association which have been
revised within the last few weeks any
weight gun is permissible, but it must
not be over ten-bore in calibre. The
powder charge is unlimited and the
charge of shot for ten-bOre guns is fixed
at one and one-quarter ounces. Each
contestant must shoot at three Or more
birds before leaving the score. In
doubles both traps are sprung stimuli
taneously and each contestant shoots at
three pairs, firing at two birds while
both are in the air. When the traps are
set in straight line, instead of in the
segment of circle, rapid-fring sys-
TEN is used, the traps are screened and
numbered and the marksman stands OPP
posite the first trap, shoots his bird and
then passes on to the right shooting
from the successive traps till he reaches
the end of his score. For live birds the
boundaries for both singles and doubles
are fixed as the segment of a fifty-yard
man stands.
The rise for 10bore guns is thirty
yards, for 12-bore twenty-eight yards,
for ii and 16-bore twenty-six yards. The
rule as to ammunition is the same as for
clay birds. There are clubs in num-
! Der of States affiliated with the Amer
/ lean Association, and all shoot under
the rules quoted.
The organization of a trap shooting
club is not very expensive affair.
The best way for company Of anna
teurs to proceed about it is as follows:
Let them first secure their ground and
then buy three traps for clay birds,
which will cost them about two dollars.
These traps can throw any kind of
artificial bird, and are easily changed
to shoot in all directions. A first-class
afternoons sport at the clays won't cost
the members over two dollars each, al
lowing them forty shots apiece. They
should dig pit on the ground about
three or four feet deep, and protect it
by screen for the use of the men who
set tho traps. If they want to kill
live birds a trap can be made very
cheaply by any carpenter 1t is box
shaped device, ten by eight inches long
and seven inches deep, and can be
either of wood or metal.
1t should be painted green, which
color does not distract the eye of the
marksman. The trap is secured in place
by two iron pins driven through the
bottom and into the ground. 1t consists
of six pieces held together by hinges
and so arranged that when sprung to
release the pigeon the top and sides,
front and rear, shall fall outward. leav-
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
THE TRAIN DISPATCHER.
On the Accuracy of His Work Depends the
Lives of Travellers.


Lives of Travellers.
Sixty miles an hour A mile a min
ute! These are expressions that sug-
gest to every body sudden roar of an
iron monster, wild shrek of piercing
whistle, the dazzling flash of the en-
gines headlight, the hot rush of air, and
the slowly ceasing thunder of vibrating
rails. What else does it suggest? To
the unreasoningly timid it brings Wis
ions of the horrible crash and shock of
colliding trains, the deafening rever-
bration of the last mad wild echoes that
hover above the wrecked coaches on tn /
lonely road. To those who have conf
dence in the eye that looks out beyond
the glazing headlight, and in the hand
that fondles the shining lever, it brings
the comfortable reflection of conscious
safety, and, as the tired eyes close
dreamingly, the last thought is one of
perfect trust in the Providence of intel
ligent watchfulness that sits in the
glowing cab.
Once in while, however, the long
train carries somebody whose duties in
life are those which the solitary engin-
eer is performing. If he thinks about
the matter at all his thoughts do not
center on the figure in the cab ahead.
They revert to a long room in big
depot where the only sound that dis.
turbs the weird stiffness of the place is
that OF sharply clicking telegraph in.
struments A white-sleeved young man
sits at his little brass arrangement of
keys or PAGES the floor overlooking the
labors of his assistants at the boards
This is the train dispatcher, and on
him devolves the responsibility for every
engine and every Car that travels along
the road. 1t is he who must provide
against possible disaster or delay, and
with his fingers he speaks to every
glistening rail and every grimy smoke
stack on the long lines of railroad. The
engineer rests his hand on the throttle
with an easy mind. His thoughts may
wander away to the crib of his sleeping
babe or the couch that awaits his weary
limbs when his labors are over, and the
reflection of the light that streams from
the lamp above him may be to his jaded
eye the glow of the hearthstone.
But for the train dispatcher there is
no surcease of mental effort. He can
not browse for an instant and he may
not permit his fancy to roam from the
business in hand even for the space of
time occupied by the stroke of the
clock on the wall. Ten miles an hour
or sixty miles an hour it matters little
to the dust-and-oil-stained figure in the
cab. He knows where he is expected at
certain time; he knows, too, that the
young man who directs his movements
has cleared the way for him and made
every thing safe for an easy run. The
romantic passenger doesn't think of
these things. He feels that he has en-
trusted his life to the engineer, and
when he has reached his destination he
alights with a feeling of admiration
and gratitude for the man that sits
among the blazing Goals and fondles the
bar of iron that regulates his strange
steed.-Boston Herald
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
Longevity OF English statesmen.

Disagreeable though the climate of
England may appear to the uninitiated,
yet it is apparently conducive to lon
gevity. In addition to Mr.. Gladstone.
whose mental and physical vigor at an
advanced old age are well known
throughout the world, there are some
nine or ten octogenarian members of the
House of Commons. In the House of
Lords no less than thirty of the peers
are over eighty years old, Lord Cotres-
loe. who is the father of the House.
being ninety-one, and the Earl of Alber-
marie, who fought as an ensign at
Waterloo, ninety years of age. On the
active list of the British Navy we find
the name of Admiral Sir Provo Wallis,
OF Shannon, and Chesapeake fame, who
Is now about to enter upon his ninety
ninth year, while on the bench there
are no less than four judges who have
passed the age of forescore years.-N.
Y. Tribune.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
THE TRAP SHUT AND OPEN,

ing the whole affair fiat on the ground.
There is lateral sliding door on the
rear end, through which the bird is ad.
mitted, and the front is barred like a
coop. In the center of the trap is
metal or wooden tongue, pivoted on a
spring, and to this tongue red rag
is attached. To spring the trap the
puller takes hold of cord attached to
leather strap on top; single tug re-
leases the fore end of the top and as it
comes up. the sides and ends fall away
with a chatter. At the same instant the
spring on the tongue is released and
the bird, startled by the noise and the
sight of the red rag. flies upward with
a rush.
In two cases lately brought by the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals in Trenton and Philadelphia,
the decisions were in favor of the right
of the clubs to shoot live birds. A few
of the States still prohibit pigeon shoot
ing, Connecticut being one of them; but
in New York, New Jersey, Pennsvl-
vania and in the West generally. the
sport is allowed.
MISREPRESENTATION do you like my
new drama?" Friend-"Tm delighted
with it. The dialogue is SO natural,
you know" Playwright with a blush
of pleasure) 20, you fatter me !"
Friend MOT a bit of it. Your characters
talk commonplace and handy old Jokes,
just the same as people do in real life.
You've made a great hit, an intensely
realistic one, l assure Boston
Transcript.
The Worm Turned. Mr.. Bully RAG
-"Now, sir, you have stated, under
oath, that this man had the appearance
of gentleman. Will you be good
enough to tell the jury how a gentleman
looks, in your estimation" Down
trodden Witness-''Wen. era gentle
man looks-er-like-e Mr.. Bully
Ragg-"l don't want any of your ers sir;
and remember that you are on oath.
Can you see any body in this court room
who looks like gentleman" Witness
with sudden asperity)-''I can if you'll
stand out of the way. You're not trans
parent. Puck.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

Turn a man with his face to the
wall Ii ne is perfectly nodded and
symmetrically made his chest will touch
the wall, his nose will be four inches
away, his thighs five inches and the end
Of his toes three inchea
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

Bright green colors are dangerous
when flrst put on, because poisons are
used in the coloring matter.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

"A Boston sign bears the artless sn-
scrlptlon: cigars and cigarettes sold
on the Sabbath for medicinal purposes
only"
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

Even the hum lest toiler in the land
can resolve to live for hire purpose
Washington Star.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

I. Dr.. Carver's Unique Pose.
,. The Approved Position.
3. The Nottingham 5 Position.