The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-17
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

offspring when discovered with a dime novel secreted about their persons, were themselves worshlpers of Diamond Dick" "Old Sleuth," and other heroes who lived twenty years in a minute. Yet. ths dime novel of today is not as potent as it was ten years ago, from the fact that newspapers supply true stories that are often more thrilling than anything the most lurid writer can invent The youthful mind turns naturally to the huge pictures, black type, and red head lines which set off these stories and are satisfied without spending their niekes and dimes for the legitimate penny dread ful literature. Nevertheless, the demand for blood and thunder novels continues enormof' and a corps of writers is kept busy tuning them out at high pressure every week It would be surprising if the general public could know the men who write these stories. One of them who died not long ago was a retired merchant who wrote for amusement more than anything else, while others are very sane, pleasant people, who appear strangely at odds with ther stories of imaginary adventures that make the hair crimp.
 
 An example of the woes of a playwright is given by Charles A. Taylor, who is now engaged in writing play in New York for William T. Keoeh. which is entitled "The White Tigress of Japan When he started MT. Taylor thought that either the Japs or the Russians would have a decisive engagement before he reached the denoument of his play. and he could work out his plot accordingly, but neither the Japs nor the Russians have displayed any marked celerity in getting together, and since the actor insists that his play shall at least bear some resemblance to truth, the author will have to wait until something happens in the far east to justify him in finishing the story in a sui ficiently striking manner to attract the public. Now if 1t were the civil war. the revolutionary war, or any struggle pre- ceding those wars, MT. Taylor could dis tort facts to suit himself as Is often done now by authors and playwrights who care more about the dollars than they do for history. But when war is still going on it would be rather dangerous to take such liberties as to have the Japs van quished when they are victors, or vice versa. The ruhlic would greet such an effort with derision, although revolution ary generals can be made Tories and American victories English without . protest.
 One of the very latest departures her aided to a trusting public is the trent- ment now widely avertised. whereby it Is proposed to make short man tall. In other words. when nature leaves off man can go to work and continue her unfinish- ed labors With marked conviction it is stated that from two to Ave- inches can be added to the height of any man who will follow the directions carefully and also pay the price. Just how this wonderful treatment will make short man long is not exactly clear until pay ment has been made, and perhaps then further explanations are necessary, but at any rate great perseverance Is neces< sary That Is a quality that Is always much dwelt upon by people who adver- tse to cure bald heads. to make the old young and do other wonderful things that are to them mere trifies. Of course every short man wants to be tall, and the same | therefore it is easy to make money by stretching people to a greater length than Dame Nature intended. In the case of growing tall 1t would appear that a great i deal of perseverance Is necessary. For instance, you might take the treatment twenty years without results and then he discouraged. Never give up. The watchword is keep up treatment and the payments, also.' It would be won derful thing if short people could be made long without the inconvenience of putting them in a stretcher and drawing them out but about the only successful treat ment that has yet been discovered Tor making a man taller after he mas quit growing Is to build up the heeis or ms shoes, or else put him on stilts. r. '.