The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-24

o EyERAL days ago The Age-Herald
 through it's baseball department offered a season ticket to the games to be played in Birmingham as prize to the boy under IT years of age who would write the best account or story, of the opening game between Birmingham and Nashville Thursday. second prize of a subscription to The Age-Herald dur ing the baseball season was offered to hovs of 12 years and under who wrote the best story.
 Nearly forty stories, written by these school boys, were in the hands of the baseball editor of The Age-Herald the next morning by Il o'clock
 After careful perusal of these boyish efforts it was decided that Sam Clabaugh, aged IA, and a member of the second class of the Birmingham high school, was entitled to first prize.
 It was also decided that Henry B. Gray, Jr., aged 12. and student of Mrs. orr's school, was entitled to the prize for boys of 12 years or under
 Difficult Task for the Judge.
 In reading these stories the baseball editor encountered much more difficult task than he at first anticipated. Many of the accounts of the game were exceed ing1y bright and clever and 1t was hard to decide who had won. The batch of stories was gradually sifted down to about six and these were again carefully read It finally came down to two for first prize and two for second.
 The most difficult problem was encoun- /tered in deciding whether Sam Clabuagh, aged 12, or w. H. Robertson, aged 16, pupil of the Massey Business college was entitled to the prize. In fact the judge, though he had practically decided on young Clabuagh, was afraid that he would make a mistake that he called in six we'll known newspaper men for con sultation After thoroughly sitting the two stories down it was the unanimous decision that Clabaugh had won. Both of these boys. however, should go into the newspaper business as soon as they are through with school. Both of them have a beautiful natural style and clear un- derstanding of the principle of euphony. They also have thorough knowledge of the game of baseball and both selected the features with accuracy.
 Original and Refreshing.
 Through Clabaughs story there was an unmistakable vein of humor and pi1u ancy that was really refreshing He adopted the principle of amusing as we'll as instructing and this, connected with his originality. won him the prize.
 In the younger contest it was close between Henry B. Gray, Jr., and William Harsh both aged 12. Young Harsh's first paragraph was a pretty metaphor hut his general description was not so smooth as that of young Gray. Gray's spelling and punctuation were perfect Taking all points into consideration he was declared the winner
 The boys are to be congratulated on the evident fact that none of them re- ceived assistance. The younger boys did not understand the newspaper principle of summarizing the story in the first par agraph and then giving detailed informa- tion afterward. Young Clabaugh proved more adept at this than any of the youthful writers.
 The Age-Herald will be forwarded to young Gray beginning tomorrow but it will probably be two or three days be- fore the season ticket can be presented to young Clabaugh. as 1t will have to be printed It will be delivered, however, in ample time for him to witness the next game on the Birmingham grounds.
 All of the stories are given below and It will be observed that the spelling and punctuation used bY the writers have &,ap carefully followed