davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
lEWS 1AND NOTES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS
I'm BABEL"
Short SfoSieS of Chicago Life.

a Man" So is When Father Meets
Father" last, and one of the best OF
the collection.
Work That Is Genuine.
One should. perhaps, apologize to the
author for referring to these things as
studies" for he would probably never
think of calling them by that name
suggestive of lie Gallienne, and Gorky,
and Zola, and the like. There is no pose
about George AIDE. He Is simply a
wholesome. bright. sagacious American.
with a gift for seeing and writing deep
er than some other people. aud the
charm OF his style is its unpretending
naturalness. He sees more in life than
you do. but ne behaves as IL you hsd
made the discovery yourself
In almost ali these stories there is
a hint OF something more serious than
in the authors other wOrk-a ripeness.
mellowness, a reserve. In that
inimitable sketch called mo. clar-
ence.'' situation appears which. less
skilfully treated, would have been
pathos or bathos. AS AIDE does it. it is
comedy. and only toward the end does
the grim possibility Of tragedy peep
forth
But there is laugh in every one OF
these stories, and. whatever folk may
say of the seriousness OF literature, the
man who laughs is the man who touches
the heart. Most old soldiers viii thor
oughly appreciate the skit called Mr.
Lindsay On San Jewan.'" IN which
the old Grand Army man says
These young fellers got a sniff o.
blood. and now thev think they've been
through the slaughterhouse. There's
old Dan Bailey that got shot so often
be didn't mind II at all toward the last.
laid in Andersonville till he was rack
OF bones, came home here lookin' like
a corpse. and Amt seen a well day
since. and he amt as big a man in this
town today as that grandson o. his
that went down there 20 Porty Rico and
laid IN a hammock for six months
smokin' cigarettest" New York: Nc
Clure. Phillips & Coz
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
Stories Of Animals.

"Dooryard Stories" by Clara Dilling-
ham Pierson. is one Of those books OF
animal stories for which there Is Just
now a great demand II is intended es-
pecially for children. and deals with
household pets and with the birds and
animals 10 be observed near at home.
Silvertip. the cat. Mrs. Polistes. the
wasp. and chipmunks, swlfts. robins, and
other familiar creatures figure in the
stories. which are charmingIy illustrat-
ed. 1t will be pretty gift for child
of six OF eight years who is interested
In animals New York: E. P. Dutton
& Col
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
DR.. Johnson's Appearance.

An ingenious student of literature
has been investigating the question of
DR.. Johnson's personal appearance, and
is of the opinion that rs was not, as
has been generally supposed, an uncom-
monty ugly man. One Of the arguments
for this view is that the photographer
was always surrounded by a circle of
adoring women but this is hardly an
argument to observers who have seen
the way women act over a pet bulldog.
They might have defended their idol as
"deliciously ugly"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
A Philadelphia WrifeS.

Anna Robson Brown. author of THE
Millionaire's Son." is a Philadelphia
born and educated. She comes of a
literary family, and although devoted to
outdoor life has always been a very
close student. Her husband is lawyer
with a decided literary bent of his
own. and the life of the young couple Is
that of folk who are fond OF books, arts
and crafts and friends. The author
of The Millionaire's Son works
slowly, rewriting many times. and re-
ceives much help from her husband In
the matter OF revision. She has already
severn successful novels TO her credit
Her maturest work, however, viii be
found in The Millionaire's Son"
study of social conditions in typical
American city.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
Southern Fairy Tales

Wally Wanderoon and His Story
Telling Machine" is a new Juvenile book
by Joel Chandler Harris, somewhat In
the style of the Little Mr.. Thimble-
finger" stories. Buster John, Sweetest
Susan. Drusilla and Billy Biscuit re-
appear in the course of it's leisureIy mar
rative, and two or three of the tales
are in the familiar Uncle Remus'
style. The best of these is THE Boy
and the King" which is like enough 10
some OF Seumas MaeManus' Irish le-
gends to make one believe IL of Celtic
origin. even without the hint of the
story teller. For the rest the stories
are merely fanciful fairy tales, told in
easy fashion. and story-loving children
will doubtless find much to enjoy in
them. CNew York: Mcclure. Phillips &
Col
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
Il COLLEGE ROMANCE.

relations, and. brought face TO face with
some such problem. many women have
realized how bitterly narrow a woman's
world may be made.
A Woman's Book.
The book Is. in fact. one which viii
appeal TO women rather than TO men.
though II is not particularly senti-
mental. N spite OF it's emotional eIe-
ment. The college atmosphere is strong.
and various problems OF college life ara
introduced in way which relieves the
purely romantic episodes of some OF the
burden of interest.
People Who Live.
The struggle between material pros
perity and the scholastic element in our
colleges is very well set forth. and the
sketch of John Rebbor. the president OF
a trust, could not be better. The sans
is true OF the various characters. major
and minor; they are all capitally done.
Helena Dare. the brilliant. worldly
minded. warm hearted college woman.
is especially vivid 10 the Imagination;
Perdita Ravenel. the president Of the
woman's annex; Duttor. the chemistry
professor: Mrs. Joyce. the 1irtatious
matron-all are real-down to the spec
tacled German who comes to the univer-
sity to lecture and encounters Miss Ra-
venel in the way which she thus de-
scTibes:
II asked him his views on co-educa-
tion-asked him with the gravest facet
He glared at me through his
speetaeles a moment. then gutturaled.
My dear voman-I verdamn II alll'"
That anecdote must certainly have
been true (New York; D. Appleton q
Coz
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
PRACTICAL JOURNALISM. :
Manp Things Which Journalist Should KnosO.

use. since they depend partly on IN
trained writer's for their copy" but
the larger papers are for the most part
more careful of the English used in
their columns than the average college
professor is to secure correct English
in the classroom.
Another common defect in our educa-
tional system is neglect of spelling. Mr..
Sherman's comment on this is almost
worthy to be reprinted in capitals. He
says:
Certain public schools IN which SPELL
ing is now slurred over in pursuance OF
the so-called word method of reading
are doing an irreparable wrong TO their
pupils An ill-spelled manuscript. when
submitted to an editor for publication.
is almost certain to be rejected without
being read through. 1t is true that the
printer could usually spell all the words
correctly when putting the matter into
type, but the trouble lies deeper. An
editor almost inevitably judges new
writer's whole mental equipment partly
by his spelling.
and l will show you careless and In
accurate thinker. The man OF woman
who never notices how a new word is
spelled is not a sufficiently close OBJ
server to make a reliable reporter"
Responsibility of Schools.
The advocates of the new reading
method may retort that II Is not their
object to train reporters: but II is alb
solutely certain that not 1 per cent OF
the children in the public schools will
escape the necessity OF writing letters
by which their intelligence and educa-
tion will be judged; and until we have
reached the stage in which nobody
knows how TO spell. an ill-spelled letter
will be considered proof Of the writer's
lack of education. 1t would be a good
thing If every high school graduate we're
compelled TO pass an examination for
the position OF reporter on some good
newspaper. The education required for
that business is not more than every
high school graduate should possess, and
while, of course, few of the graduates
newspaper work, they should all be able
TO write letter TO a newspaper which
the editor could print without a change
in punctuation or phrasing-but there
are few of them who can.
Do Not Abbreviate.
A person who writes letter contain
ing such sentence as this is not edu-
Gated:
Went to the Drs. for dinner and left
my hdkf. there"
Yet there are women who do it.
A business man who writes letter
like this is not educated:
Yrs. reed. VIII conclude the busi-
ness at the depot tomorrow
Yet there are business men who write
such letters. and there are stenographers
who do; and. by the way. ignorance of
English is a falling disastrous to the
young person IN business There are
many business men who expect to buy
correct English when they hire a stem
ographer or confidential clerk. On the
whole. this book is worth the reading
Of anybody who has an interest in edu-
cation New York: D. Appleton Co..
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
LOVE STORIES.
Full of Delicious Sentiment and Bubbling Humor

into kind of bodily apostolic habit. 1
knew 1t and yet somehow 1 couldn't stop
it. She could and did.
Value of a Sense of Humor.
Il am going to tell you something
else You remember the day Mr.. Johns
was here? It was touch and go how
that would fall out He had to be repri-
manded. So much hung on how he took
IL. and the whole interview went wrong
from the first. He was rigid, contempt
nous; /. positive and tenacious of my
right to discipline. 1t went from bad to
worse. and In the midst of II l looked
up and caught sight of myself in that
mirror over there. Here was !
arraigning Johns-same old horse car
apostolic gestures-and l burst out
laughing. Then. of course, had to tell
Johns why. 1 told him, word for word.
and we both laughed until we rocked IN
our chairs-and there was the end Of
our trouble. And he and 1 only have
known what ended II. 1t was the turn
ing point of my authority in this diocese
Ma did that for me-"
But this extract gives no adequate
idea Of the cream of the book, though
the story ought to be reprinted as a
tract for the benefit of pompous clergy
men.
Other Good Stories.
Red Tassels" is a quaint comedy.
whittier Thou Goest'' is a skillful little
study OF a problem Of married life
Creating Vacuum" is another Bishop
story. written with keen insight into
human nature. Debtors" lacks the
comedy element and is simply a tender
bit of romance. oscar and Louise" is a
bright satire. Each story is perfect OF
it's kind, and together they make most
satisfactory little book with which to
while away an afternoon. Mrs. Briscoe
Hopkins may not be great writer, but
her sympathetic insight. shrewd obser-
walton, originality and pervading sense
of humor make her a very entertaining
one. New York: Harper & Bros.)
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
How One Novel Came to Be Written.

Elizabeth Bisland MRS Wetmere).
whose romance, "A Candle OF Under
standing" is just of the press. wrote
a Southern woman she had frequently
discussed with Carl Schurz the old Ques-
ton of the civil war. and invariably Mr..
Schurz declared that he could not ac-
count to himself for her attitude OF
mind about it. When she tried 10 ex-
plain Mr. Schurz said. why don't you
write a book explaining the reasons
why a woman growing up in the South
at that period feels as you dor" The
idea grew in Miss Bisland's mind. ana
she did write the novel OF which Mr.
Schurz now calls himself the godfather.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
tTN BABEL" by George AIDE. is a

CkTN BABEL" by George AIDE. is a
book OF short stories OF Chicago
life. not in shanghai Is. not
altogether-but containing all the
shrewdness. humor and sympathetic In
sight which have made the authors "Fa-
bles" popular. He himself modestly says
that the stories "have been assembled
into this volume in the faint hope that
they may serve as an antidote for the
slang which has been administered to
the public in such frequent doses Of
late" They do more than this. To the
discerning reader the book is clear proof
that Mr.. AIDE can, II he chooses. write
the Chicago novel.
All Sorts and Conditions.
They deal with all sorts of people. and
in this lies the fascination and the sur
prise OF the book. It is true that the
stories are hack work. newspaper hack
work. II you like. but the kind Of stuff
George AIDE turned out when working
on salary was worth reproducing. More
over. there is at least as much good ma
terial In the files OF old newspapers as
in the files OF old magazines. and It is
not surprising that judicious selection
should result In a capital book.
Some of the Stories.
The House in Mercedes Street" is
one Of the best OF the stories. though
made OF unpromising material. Any
body with a more diffuse mind could
have spread It over twice as much
space. but Mr.. AIDE concentrated his
ideas. and IL Is better that way.
Cupid in Buttons is an equally clever
study Of life In a forlorn second-class
hotel. and The Judges Son" deals with
life in still more forlorn bottom-class
hotel. "Efie Whittlesy" is delicious. So
is THE Former Kathryn" So Is The
Hickey Boy and the Grip"-a study in
Chicago dialect. So is Willie Curtin
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
I'm OLD ALABAMA"

a-gittin' me en- coniurin' me. en- nobody
on de place ebber knowed whut she sed
she wuz gwine t'un me into: but twas
no time TO dey all say dat l wuz chang
in nightly, en- my young mlstis say
one day: Judy, l think I'll call you
Miss Mouse. kase you is so little On
black. You remin's me NV one er lese
little mices whut runs aroun' AZ niobt
My name TO 1 wuz cunjured VIM
Ole Ferginny Beauty Spot Alabama
Tech-Me-Not Thursd'y Frid'y SADLY
Sundy Anne Marian Jane, an dey called
me Judy fur shawl.
DE wuss part OF Il wuz dat she saw
whin she tu'ns me into a rat dat Use
gwine always be hungry, en- hit seems
lax dat part NV de spell he'd gan TO
wuck. TO l wuz changed 10 a rat, kase
arter dat night hit seemed LAX dar
wan nuthin' dat could satisfy me. en-
de mo l would eat de mo- ia want n
eat. l ain nebber got ernun ter eat in
my life dat l remembers.
I think it's mighty hard on a po' ole
Niger what ain nebber done no harm
to hev TO go haungry in dis WORT. en-
in de naix' one, too"
The Old "Conjur" Woman.
There is a weird allusion here. too
to reason for the general awe of the
'conjur" woman:
''Dey had right to be fyard OF 'er
kase ey'y Friday she could look down
in hell en- see de fire what de jaybirds
wuz a-kindiin' fer TO bun ND all de
confer IA dc worl'. All de law
birds has 10 go 70 hell ev'y Friday en-
cyar a twis."
Can this be relic OF some Old World
medieval superstition. or a reminis-
cence of fetichism. or is IL merely the
fantasy OF a half-barbaric brain? Who
knows? But certainly the history of
Miss Mouse" gives one some glimpses
worth having of that borderland be-
tween savagery and civilization. New
York: Doubleday, Page & Col
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
Il Hale Book.

An uncommonly interesting book is
likely to be given to the public when DR..
Edward Everett Hale and his family
finish their Ballads of New England His
tory" begun nearly twenty years ago by
the children of DR.. Hale after he had
gone to Europe. Since that time the
work has been carried on by Edward E.
Hale. the younger. Arthur. Herbert D.,
Miss Ellen d. Hale. Mr.. Philip l.. Hale
and Miss Lillian Hale, besides the as
sistance given by the father OF the
family Robert Beverly Hale. now dead,
also contributed to the book, and both
drawings and verses are among its con-
tents.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
ilTN OLD ALABAMA" by Anne Hob
son (who is. II appears. sister
OF Richmond p. Merrimac Hob

kITN OLD ALABAMA" by Anne Hob
son (who is. II appears. sister
of Richmond p Merrimac Hob
SOM, is a book Of sketches Of negro life
in Alabama. the spokeswoman and cen
trail figure being Miss Mouse, the little
old black woman who buys and sells old
clothes. II is in much the same style
as Uncle Remus." minus the folklore.
The dialect is perfect. and the charac-
Ter NJ Miss Mouse an absolutely truth
full deIineation Of certain type. with
out any OF the poetic. sympathetic
quaintness of Ruth McEnery Stuart's
work. or the serious intention OF the
stories Of Dunbar or Chestnut. II is the
life story OF a shrewd little old negress.
with no romantic qualities. full Of odd
superstitions. strong opinions and not
very refined humor-the kind usually re-
ferred 70 as a common niger"
"Ole Man Shed and the Dogs" IS the
best OF the stories, in some respects.
because the most characteristic. The
gruesomeness OF the climax is height
ened by a certain caIlousness In the
storyteller. Cane Grindin' Time" IS a
roaring farce. so is Miss Mouse an de
Preachers" in which the old woman
tells in chuckling triumph how her rep
utation for good cooking turned the
scale and saved her from being turned
out of the, church for snake dancing. Z"
How Aun' Crazy Jane ConJured Little
Miss Mouse" throws a dim light on those
weird superstitions known variously as
'voudou." ''conjur." or gopher" II
was In her youth that Miss Mouse was
so bewitched as never 10 grow any more,
and furthermore was told that when she
died she was TO be turned into a rat. OF
this she says:
How She Was Bewitched.
II dom know how twas. kase I nebber
tole soul bout ole Aunt Crazy Jane
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04

klT> CHANGE OF HEART by
Margaret Sutton Briscoe, Is
a book of six short stories
capitaIly told. They are all love stories.
after a fashion, but in most the love is
subordinate to other things in human
nature.
THE Assistant Bishop" is the best of
the six. and one of the best things the
author has ever written. Its humor is
delicious, its satire exquisite. and its
sentiment delicate as the perfume of
old-fashioned roses. The interest cen
tiers in the "reminiscences of the bishop
and his wife concerning ma Bohn."
one of those strong-willed. imperious.
lovable old women who ought to he
queens. but are born commoners. Read
ing this characteristic anecdote told by
the bishop. one can but wish that some
other bishops had met with Ma Bohns
In their early life:
Tonic Sharpness.
II owe her more than 1 owe any other
human being in the way of honest help
Take your head of? Mercy, Decapita-
tion instanter, l never have told what
she did for me shortly after 1 was con-
secrated. / never wanted to tell you
before. felt the humiliation absurdly
at the time-and later. You remember
she came up TO town TO stay with us. 1
took her out one day to the horse car
and stopped the thing for her. lifting my
hand. like this, and she turned on me
then and there. Bishop. If 1 catch you
again stopping horse car with that ma
jestic, apostolic gesture. I shall laugh
at you in front of the conductorl'
Yes. you are as mad as I was, Susanna.
l choked, was so furious. 1t was days
before 1 could be decently civil to ma
in my own house. too. Not that she
cared. No, indeed She took no notice
of me. And that speech of hers was the
making of me. nothing less. had fallen
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04

copy reader has no time to reconstruct
the story cut, the safest plan Is to get
the climax into the first paragraph, as n
dog goes into a door head FIRST and not
tail first Moreover. in this important
particular newspaper writing differs
from any other kind-all of Il Is NOT
read or intended to be read by anv
reader. The newspaper STORY" is read
through by those whomat especially in
terests and glanced at by others; and Il
is the aim of the good reporter 10 make
1t interesting to those who glance as
well as to those who read.
Small Beginnings Best.
Another good piece of advice to the
beginner is to try his hand with a local
paper instead of throwing down the
gauntlet to fate in big city. If he is
made for the business. he will not be
discouraged by small beginnings. and if
not made for the business. the further
out of II he keeps the better.
The chapter on errors also contains
excellent advice to anybody desiring 10
write good English. This chapter would
be a good weeks lesson for any high
school class In English composition.
There are about nifty suggestions in IT
not usually made by teachers of such
classes, and all of them are valuable.
Errors in English.
Here are some of them:
Anybody who has made an inteIli-
gent study OF grammar should not write
try and do when he means try to do.
But what in place of but or he
don't for he doesn't. or 'suicided for
committed suicide. are solecisms which
no self-respecting writer of average in
telligence is likely to commit"
Bryan's famous Index Expurga-
torius" is given here. and some of it's
instruction is badly needed by maya
zine writer's and novelists In our dav
a few of his interdicted words and
phrases were these:
'Authoress.
Balance for remainder
''Casket for coffin
"a CHASTITY euphemism which should
be banished from American speech
''Darky for negro.
''Devouring element for fire.
"Poetess.
Posted for Informed
Another New York paper adds these
to the list of words not to be used:
Mrs. General. or Mrs Doctor, un-
less the woman is general or doc
tor.
Canine for dog"
A Chicago paper adds these sugges-
tions among others:
1T is the unexpected that occurs
Weddings do not belong to this class.
Don't say she looks prettily' un-
less you mean to describe her manner
of gazing"
Don't use very when the sentence
means the same Without 1T. as it would
in ninety cases out of hundred. -
Correct Writing Rare.
The man or woman who cannot speak
and write correctly can hardly be called
an educated being: and. unfortunately.
Il is Just here that our schools are
weak. Country papers, or csrelessly
edited city daily papers. are responsible
for some OF the bad English in common
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04

the larger part of Browning's writings.
but. still, he has written many things
simple enough 70 give real pleasure
even to young folks. A glimpse into a
beautiful country is often worth while.
even II one can explore only a very
little way into its wonders IT seems
TO me, then. that you young people
might enjoy beginning to read and
study the great poems OF Browning
now, just as you study the musical com
positions OF Bach and Beethoven, only
taking the easiest and simplest OF them.
BY doing this you will. after a while.
be able to enjoy the more subtle poems.
Just as In music you will later appre-
ciate symphonies and concertos that at
present are too difficult for you"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
A Disqruntled Reader.

"a Southern Republican writes n
very warm letter 10 The Times. taking
exceptions to a review of -Four Years
under Marse Roberts. which. as he
truthfully admits. is "a work of no his
toric value" He adds. however. that
"the slur at the South is too plain to
be concealed" and TO this the con-
science-striken reviewer can only plead
inability to find any such slur, even af-
ter painstaking search II "A Southern
Republican" will take the book of into
a corner and examine II. however. he
may be able to see that personal ex-
periences in the army and religious ex-
hortations do not necessarily make lit
erature, even IL they do happen TO be
the work OF a Southerner.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-04
An Art Magazine.

THE Burlington Magazine" is a mag
azine for lovers of art published
monthly. and containing, besides much
interesting information, a great many
reproductions of pictures and etchings.
Among the photographers In the cur
rent number are The Great Execution
er; from the mezzotint by Prince
Rupert. and "Titian's Portrait of the
Princess Isabella" and there is also a
reproduction of the portrait from which
the Titan was painted. The magazine
is large enough to allow the illustra-
tions to be effective. and will prove VAL
liable to any student of art. Iondon:
The Savile Publishing Company; New
York: Samuel Buckley & Col