The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-12

Few people have ever stopped to con- slider that there is very little pleasure in smoking unless you can see the smoke curling up into the air. This is fact, nevertheless. as any habltual smoker. especially the man who pulls a pipe, will tell you. It seems to be an essential requisite to the enjoyment of good meerschaum that one should watch the blue clouds as they drift iaziiy away. Thus only can that peaceful, meditatiye frame of mind be attained.
 The Rochester Post-Express tells of an interesting case which illustrates how much more a person enjoys a smoke in the light than in total darkness.
 A Scotch gardener. born blind, who at the age of 90 years has gained sight by a successful operation for cataract, finds his enjoyment of smoking doubled by the change. This agrees with the observation of most smokers that there is but little pleasure derived from 1t in the dark. It suggests what no one as yet appears to have advised, that the man who smokes to excess can use no better means to counteract the habit than to retreat to a dark room for It's indulgence. He will hardly saturate hls system with nico- tine under such conditions.
 The very latest wrinkle in stall old London is what is called drawing room sculpture. It was introduced by the Duchess of Marlborough, and her little marble statuettes are the talk of the day. The statuettes represent the duchess own self and show her reclining grace fully in classic robes. Now all the women with slender figures are deluging the sculptor. Herr Fuchs. with orders, but he is already showed under up to his ears with work, and some of the ladies may not care to have their forms 'sculpeo" when he finally gets around to them Old age does not show up well in marble.
 Mrs. Sage has been after Uncle Rus sell to move his abiding place, and as usual in such cases, he has given in to her solicitations. For forty-two years the Sage home has been at 50s Fifth ave- nue, New York city. The invasion of trade has sandwiched 1t in between a confectioner's store and a hat shop. Per sonally Uncle Russell has no objections to the march of commercialism but his young wife thinks otherwise and he has taken option on a house farther up the avenue. The old time brownstone fronts, with their imminent responsibility, are tx. Ao4x. sealed
 Most people have heard of the famous Spite house, which was so narrow that the owner had to go outside to turn around, but the New York Commercial tells of a new "hole in the wall'' that is in some respects even more remarkable
 Among the numerous ''holes-in-the- wall' in this town where business is done Ion the strenuous" and profitably, too, that on the southeast corner of Broad way and Worth streets Is perhaps the most conspicuous and best known.
 By some anamolous circumstance, years ago, in the real-estate ownership of that block, the constructors of the big busi- ness building in the middle of the block were unable to buy a narrow strip of land on the north end of it, only about five feet wide but extending back one hundred feet east. So on that narrow strip one-story 'sky-scraper' was put up, with sheathed roof slanting down from a point thirty feet higher up than its ceiling, the metal sheathing.of which now does profitable service as a bili- board. On the street floor, the place Is only about four and half feet wide on the inside. yet four branches of business are done in it.
 On the Broadway front is cigar store with rear cafe or buffet. Two men can hardly pass each other in the latter