The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-12

N UTE recently photographs were
 printed of scrap screens Wnich O the Fairy Tale Man made for the aunrsenaent of his boy and girl friepds. Pictures were clipped from fllustrateo papers and then pasted together so complete one big artistic screen 50 you may know that the Fairy Tale Man was very fond of children. But this is not all he did for them. He wrote the bestest kind of fairy stories-stories which are read the world over. Ameri- can, English. German. French. spanish and Italian children enjoy them no more than do the little pig-tailed children of far-ofE China or the swarthysskinned boys and girls of India.
 what kind of person was this Fairy Tale Man, whose other name was Hans Christian Andersen7 You shall hear the story of his life-a story which is the tale of the Ugly Duckling all over again.
 On April 3, is0s, there was born in the Danish city of odense, on the island of Funen, baby who was finally to De- come the Fairy Tale Man. The building Tn which Hans was born was torn down shortly afterward, and the first home of which the great story-teller had rec affection was little house on Monk Mills street. There were only two roonls on the ground floor. From the kitchen you climbed by means of ladder to a tiny attic above. where upon the, window sill was garden box containing lettuce and garlic and a few flowers the very same box you remember go well in the tale of the Snow Queen And almost overshadowing the modest dwelling was the famous Church of St. canute, whose pealing bells so often be- guiled the fancy of little Hans.
 Hans father was cobbler, with the ambition to achieve fame under Napo- leon. But his military career was short, for he got no farther than tho neighboring duchy of Hoistein before he came home to die There remained to care for the lad his simple. indus frious mother. His grandfather, though mad, was quite harmless, and the boy often went to see the old gentleman, who carved innumerable grotesque non- sters out of wood. The grandfather and the grandmother-who now attended the nadhouse gardsns--were once in better circumstances. From the latter Hans uGdI0 bSONlC1 VI d CcENddA HkGdt~ N9AA0~ mother, come of noble family in Cas- sel, who had run away with a theater player.
 Perhaps it was the story of this an- cestor that influenced Hans in his de- sire to become an actor and writer of plays. Be that as it may, at very early age he had fondness for the the- ater. Indeed, while tiny youngster be would set up his puppet playho and wooden dolls his father had carved for
 Later, after his father died, Hans mother wished him to learn a trade But at the factory where he was sent the boys made such funeof this homely gawky lad that the sensitive boy re- turned to his dolls and playthings. He was not as other lads were. For hours he would sit with the old ladies, while they spun, and listen to their strange tales and legends. He would stroll plans and stories which afterward brought forth the worlds admiration.
 When only fourteen years old he started for the. city of Copenhagen-- make his fortune. Then for two years the boy had a rough time of 1t. He failed in his ambition to become an tried to help him acquire Alarming. Many difficulties beset the lad in his studies, but he surmounted them all.
 In 1893, after he had entered the Uni- versity of Copenhagen, he published writings of great merit. At last peo- pie began to take notice of the Ugly Duckling." In 1883 he was granted a pension by King Frederick VI. Then he set out on his travels through France. Switzerland and Italy. Later he went to Spain, Greece, Constantinople, and north to Sweden. Some time before this he had visited Germany.
 But now that fame had come to the