davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27
TOYS OR FIZZ-JlGS?
Isn't the ChiId's Preference for the
Former Plain and Unmistakable.

Former Plain and UnniStakaDIe.
Pending the investigation of the
toy question by some learned so
ciety or sociological expert which we
should suppose must be certain to
take place. we venture to suggest one
probable conclusion of such investi-
cation, and to submit the question OF
it's soundness to those of our readers
who as a result of Christmas are in
a position to observe the varying
effects of the different kinds of toys
upon the temper, happiness and gen.
eral well-being of the victims-we
mean the recipients.
The conclusion which we thus sub
nit is that what children want Is
toys and not fizz-jig+things that
they can play with, not things of the
song and dance variety, sole artists
that need to be wound up and then
do all the playing for themselves.
What a child wants from his toys is
not primarily entertainment, but ex-
preston; the expression of his own
ideas through the use of his own
faculties, not the expression Of the
ingenuity of the clever man who
made the toy. Toys are accordingly
welcomed to him are treasured, and
become a part of his life. In proper
ton. as they are plastic to his hand
and mind, in proportion as he can
build with them or use them in tie
drama of which so great a part OF
his play consists. Sand is the most
popular play material with very
small children; then come blocks,
then a variety of objects, but always
such as the child can do things with.
up to the football or baseball of col
lege sport.
A doll that could dance ragtime
and whistle Hail, Columbia" would
not be so popular, after the first five
minutes, as a clothespin dressed in
a bit OF rag. The mechanical marvel
is good when ragtime and Hail. Co.
lumbia," are wanted-that is, fairly
good. not quite so good as she would
be II she did not provide the music
and dancing for herself All the rest
of the time she is wholly and per-
fectly useless. The rag doll on the
other hand, has endless possibilities.
Like the American GIRL she is fit for
any part and will adorn any station
in life. from cook to princess as
If she had been born to it. And such
must real doll be, or lose her job,
for life is varied and exacting, and
one doll in her time plays many
parts.-Boston Evening Transcript
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27

sharp-gabled houses intermioslrd
with lowered water-gates, and, last
of all, the profile of the Krahn Thor,
or Crane Gate, Dantzic's unique land
mark its stories projecting one be-
You'd another. On the island formed
by two arms of the Mottlau the black
and white of half-timbered granarles
started strongly out of the mist.
The river bristled with romantic
shipping; and as l walked along the
quay, I caught. between gables, tho
glow of the lights of the Langemar-
ket flushing the fog into rosy cloud
the center of which was the steeple
of the Rathaus, 1t was as though
beauty had been given an aureole.
l turned a corner and wandered
along the other shore of the island,
past a deserted waterway and
strange, crumbling tower called the
Milk-can Gate, then back again to the
Green Bridge The darkness had
thickened so that one could no long
er distinguish the separate house
fronts, but all the lamps along the
shore had their soft auras of mist.
and the surface of the water was
one delicate simmer, with strong
columns of light at regular intervals.
among which the crimson lantern OF
a passing boat wrought amazing ef-
fects.
Where had ! known such an even
INK before? AS memory wandered
idly about the harbor OF Lubbock, the
bridges of Nuremberg, the riversides
Of Wurzburg and Breslau, was fash
ed in a trice to the Siren of sea-
cities" that floating film upon the
wonder-fraught Ocean OF dreams, and
it came to me with a glow of pleas
ure that this place had from OF old
been called THE Venice of the
North
This. then, was my introduction to
Dantzic, and niver think of it with
out seeing streets full of high, mar
row facades melting one into another,
gently curving streets alive with rich
reliefs, statues of blurred worthless,
and inquisitive gargoyles. the blunt.
mighty Church of st. Mary looming
above them like mountain. l can
never see the name of Dantzlc with
out beholding dusky waterway lined
with medieval structures and -
strange juxtaposition-a jewel of Ref
ormation art with its rosy aureola.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27
THE VENICE OF THE NORTH.
A First View of Dantzic, the Roman
tic City Of Northern Melancholy.

TIC NIty OF NOTtHSTn WcIduCHoty'
A Baltic fog rolled in from the
north as my train rolled in from the
south. says Robert Haven Schauffler,
writing of Romantic Germany; Dant-
zic," in the Century," bringing an
ideal hour for the first Impressions of
a city so full of Northern melan-
choly, a city so far from the beaten
track and so romantic, as Dantzic.
Down a street full Of gargoyles and
strange platforms there doomed
through the mist monstrous church.
crowned with pinnacles and a huge,
blunt tower.
A gate that seemed like the facade
Of an Italian palace pierced by a
triamphal arch opened on a street
of fascinating old gables, and beyond
them rose a Rathus with a most ex-
quisite steeple. passed between tall,
slim palaces, through the arches of
water-gate, and came out by the
river. to FL! my lungs with a sudden
draught Of ozone and to realize that
/ was almost in the presence of the
Baltic.
Toward the sea swept an unbroken
line OF romantic architecture, narrow,
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27
A Maiden's No,


She thought to mask her heart from
me
With jest and laughter gay,
! knew she loved me by her glance.
(She looked the other Way)
l sent her roses. begging she
would wear them. The coquet'e
Told me she loved me by her cholce'
(She wore some mignonette)
And when a rival claimed my waltz
BY her capricious whim
She plainly showed she cared for me,
(She gave the dance to him.
She loved me well, and one fair night
l asked her if 'twere so,
knew it by her whispering word.
(She softly whispered MOI
Carolyn Wells, in Detroit Free
Press.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27
CRICKET BALL KILLED SWALLOW.
Some Odd Experiences with Birds and
Animals on the Field

The other day an amusing incident
occurred at Rossall when a hara
dashed in among the players. J. r
Hearne, who was about to bowl tried
to hit the hare instead OF the opposite
wicket. A. n. Hornby threw his hat
at the animal, but 1t was too sharn for
him and ran to cover-point. Hornbv
Spooner and Frank Harry made des.
perate efforts to secure "a hare pie. but
in vain. The hare escaped from all
the players.
Tom Hearne. the uncle of J. r
Hearne, was more successful than his
nephew a good many years ago, when
he bowled a very wide ball at pig
con which flew across the Islington
ground during the MiddIeseX vs.. Notts
match. He killed the bird on the spot.
Hearne did not eat the result of his
craftsmanship. He had the pigeon
stuffed, and it did duty as an exhibit
al the Jubilee exhibition in 1897.
Birds have figured very curiously in
many cricket matches. sgd Gregory
was one day fielding at his usual place,
coverpoint. One of the players, think
ing perhaps that Gregory was not so
keen as usual startled him by shout
ing, Look out, sgd" Gregory. seeing
something black flying past, Shot out
his hand and caught, not the ball he
expected, but swallow.
While Nottingham was playing
Worcestershire at Trent Bridge in
1875 the game had to be suspended for
a time because a large number OF
swallows few across the wicket. A
seagull was the means OF stopping an
other game the Worcestershire eleven
were playing in. Although the match
was a county championship the whole
eleven, including the brothers Grace,
left off their game to take cock-shles
at that seagull.
A bowler killed a swallow at Go
dalming while bowling to the Earl OF
Winterton. The ball struck the swal
low in it's flight. A dog was once
killed by Browne of Brighton, the last
est bowler of his day.
AS the result Of wager certain
trundler won the Earl of Tankeryille
91OO by hitting a feather laid on the
pitch for him to bowl at.
Perhaps the widest ball ever bowled
was sent down by Tom Emmett. the
great Yorkshireman. He hac just
had one of his deliveries hit nearly to
the top of the football pavilion tower
at Park avenue, Bradford. Bent on
revenge, he ran toward the wicket to
send down an express When he
was in the act of delivering the ball he
slipped. The ball flew off toward
square leg, caught the innocent umpire
standing there in the ribs, and Knock
ed him clean over Every one laughed
except the bowler and the umpire. 1t
was dangerous to mention ''wides' in
Emmett's hearing after that.
E. Winter, an Oxford player, cnce
had a stroke of good luck. He knock
ed the three stumps almost horizontal
without removing the balls. While in
the act of cutting ball he brought his
bat down on the top of the wicket so
hard that the balls were driven into
the stumps.-Tit Bits.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27
Where Gold Has Gone.

Within a month, $4,000 gold
has gone into the reservoirs of the
Imperial Bank of Russia The bank
now holds s51,000,000 more gold than
it held twelve months ago, bur its
reserve is still S62000.000 short OF
what it reported when it began to
reacem its currency in gold in 1898.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27

1t is conceded, declares the Provi
lence Journal, that foreign highways
are superior to those Of this coun-
try. But there is no reason why
American roads should not be built
as we'll as these OF England and
France.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27

Insists the Omaha Bee: If the Post
Office Department can succeed III
arousing the farmers of America from
their lethargy on the road question II
will have served a purpose of much
greater assistance to the social life
of the people than even the establish
ment of rural free deliveries.
The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-27

To the Rochester Herald for
fifteen dollar a week clerk to hand
out a tip to one of those who, ex-
cept to receive his money, would not
otherwise condescend to touch his
hand is one of the ludicrous features
of the practice of aping the pros
porous and the plunderer which has
grown upon the country in a genera
ton.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Twenty-Year Game Ended.

A card-playing contest which has ragged
continuously for ~twenty-six years came to
an end at Mancelona, Mich, March 10.
when John W. Wallace scooped in d. w.
Lazelle's pedro and remarked: That puts
me out"
Twenty years ago, while at a social af-
fair, Lazelle and Wallace each claimed the
village pedro championship. The conten-
ton resulted in a challenge, the champion
ship to go to the one who first won ten
straight games. Every day or evening.
Sundays excepted. the men nave met at
either home. In those twenty years OF
continuous play. through spare time study,
they nave acquired an inner knowledge Of
the game that has frightened off all ether
players from engaging with them.
Several times one man got six or seven
straight games. but not until the finish
night did one succeed in getting ten.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Children Soldiers.

Just now the children OF Japan are all
playing soldiers. The nation is still excited
over its victory, and the boys go about
with guns and flags. marching in step
while their trumpeters blow. Their gun
are sticks OF babboo and their swords are
of wood. They march right well, however,
and they nav sham fights between the
different companies of boys in a town. Even
babies are now dressedcin military costumes
by some Of the mothers and many a 4
year-old Japanese baby goes about in the
dress of an officer Of the navy. Some chill
dren who wear kimonos have soldier hats,
and rot a few are dressed in khaki. The
toy shops are full Of lead soldiers and
miniature guns and drums. The older boys
are real soldiers, for every school has Its
military drill under officers of the army.
Boys of IL and IA have to march with
guns, and as they grow older they so out
in the field to camp and take part in sham
battles. In every Japanese school there
is a drill hall where the guns are stacked
up against the walls Then not In use. Every
school has a gymnasium and the boys and
girls go through all sorts Of exercises to
make them strong and enable them to fight
and work for their emperor when a war
comes. Just now the boys think the Jap
anese people could whip any other nation,
and that the United States would have a
poor show in a fight with their country.
We are friendly to them, but we must keep
our eyes open, for no one can tell but that
we may have to light them by and by.
They nave far more soldiers In their army
than we have and theii navy is one Of the
best In the world
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Fifty Years of Welded Happiness is Theirs

are enjoying a hale and happy old age.
and with an unshakable faith are awaiting
the end of the partnership began so very
long ago. AS both are in good health, 1t
appears as II they would yet enjoy many
years of life. They are only Il, not very
old for folks raised among the heather.
After the marriage in Scotland. Mr.. and
Mrs. Nicholson went to Manchester, Eng
land; and in 1887 they sailed for America,
going direct to Grand Island after landing.
Members of their family had located at
the Hall county metropolis some years be-
fore. Happiness and prosperity has At
tended their lives in this state. and today
jamie Nicholson and his guide wife are en-
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
How the children Dress.

But there are SO many strange things
among the little ones we see all about us
that 1t would take a long time to mentions
them all. The children wear shoes of wood
or of straw, and their stockings are foot
mittens, with a finger for the big toe. The
mittens stop above the ankle and the rest
of the leg goes bare except for the gown or
kimono, which falls from the shoulders.
The kimono has very long sleeves. These.
In the case of the women. hang down.
forming quite large bags at the wrist,
which serve as pockets. The boys have
smaller sleeves. The girls nave great belts
called obs, which are tied at the back
and which hold their kimonos together.
For the same purpose the boys have sashes
which are scarcely larger than ropes. The
girls wear bright red underclothing, al
though their kimonos are usually of more
modest hues.
All the school children OF Japan have
their own dress. The boys wear a divided
skirt, which reaches from the waist al
most to the ankles. and the girls have
fuller skirts not divided. Both boys and
girls wear kimonos, which are tucked in
side their skirts and which cover the up-
per parts of their bodies.
From this one would think 1t almost Inn
possible to tell the boys from the girls.
1t is not so. The skirts Of the girls are
either dark red or of the color of a blue
damson plum, while those OF the boys are
steel gray. The girls go bareheaded and
their hair is twisted up on the top of their
heads. TIL boys wear caps or hats and
their hair is cut short and it stands out
like a shoe brush in bristles over the
scalp.
In the schools OF Japan the boys and
girls do not sit together. although they
have the same studies. They now use
desks and chairs, but they used to study
sitting on the floor. In other respects their
schools are not very unlike our schools at
home. FRANK q. CARPENTER.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28

was sent to the operating room with several
other patients and operated on for append
eitis.
The surgeons say they found her appen-
dix somewhat inflamed and, therefore, were
not aware that a mistake had been made
until the parents called and found that the
operation had been performed. The oper-
alton was successful and the child re-
covered.
Strangely enough, the doctors say, she
would have developed appendicitis before
long and the operation would have been
necessary. anyway
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28

joying such good health their activity is
remarkable. AS evidence Of his renewed
youth and exuberant vitality, on the day
his golden wedding was celebrated, Mr.
Nicholson danced a Highland fling in a
way to make many of the youngsters
ashamed. In his younger days he was for
many years an active man among the
Royal Caledonlan curriers'. That he could
LAY a stane' with the best of them is
evidenced by a gold medal he still has
which was won when he was a member
OF a team that took the championship of
the British isles at the roarin' game. The
contest was held at Southport, England,
in 1876, and extended over several days.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28

the air. sometimes there will be a half
dozen Of these fish on one pole. There will
be a big one at the top and smaller ones
below, until the one at the bottom may be
the size OF a minnow Each fish represents
a son Of the family and not a few rave
six or more. Some Of these fish may be
fifty feet long. and they look like great
whales as they swim in the air. They rep
resent the carp, which is noted for its
strength and daring. Every one wants his
son to become a strong man, and this fish
means strength.
The japanese boys are great kite flyers.
I nave counted 100 kites in the air at one
time over a japanese village. The kites are
of all sizes, but they are usually square
or oblong instead of the shapes known in
America. They are often made like birds,
with wings, and sometimes like fish. A
favorite amusement is fighting kites. In
this sport the strings are first soaked in
glue and then busted with powdered glass.
This is lone for a long distance from the
kite and 1t makes that part OF the string
a sort of flexible filel When two boys
fight their kites they try to make the
strings cross as the kites are flying and
by saving cut one string In two. The kite
which breaks away first then becomes the
property of the owner OF the one which is
still flying. The ~favorite time for kite fly
ing is in the winter, and 1t is at its hight
about New Year. There are kite stores
In the Japanese cities, whose sign is q
cuttlefish perched on the top Of a high
pole. The word kite and cuttlefish sound the
same in Japanese and for this reason the
signs.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28


An erratic Memphis editor was a great
admlrer OF John Sharp Williams. though
he had never seen him. This editor in
blind faith printed column after column In
praise of the gentleman from Yazoo."
There was not an edition that didn't have
something e~xalting Williams, and one day
John sharp" on his way home from
Washington, dropped off at Memphis to get
something to eat in the railroad restaurant.
II was early In the morning, and the editor
was eating at the same place, after a night
Of work. The proprietor called the con-
gressman's attention 10 the editor.
'John," said the restaurant manager,
that fellow over there has been saying
some pretty nice things about YOU"
'Pd like 10 meet him. said Williams
So the editor was brought over and intro
duoed. He rubbed his hands across his face
YEARLY several times and said;
"Winiams? Williams2 what? The con-
g~ressman?"
Yes modestly assentedt that gentleman.
the same"
you're not John sharp WilliamsH'
There's no question about my Identity"
broke in the somewhat exasperated VIII
lisms. rather testify.
well, all I can say h." muttsrsd the
editor As he shook hands with the states
man. ''ysu're q dAmsisht brighter h you
look"
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
In the Toy Stores.

The toys of Japan are an evidence Of tho
love which these people nave for their
children. Every family spends money in
amusing its little ones and a great industry
is carried on In toy making. There are toy
stores everywhere. Every village that is
large enough to hold a shop has one or
more. They are to be found in the poorest
parts of the cities, especially near the
temples, where the streets are lined with
them. Some of the favorite toys are made
of dough, and there are peddling cooks
who go around selling them. There are men
who carry toy stoves through the streets
and rent them out to the children at so
much per hour. They furnish cakes and
other things for the little ones to cook, so
that for two or three cents a party of
girls can have a stove for an hour and cook
a whole meal for themselves.
Some of the toys are made of lacquer
and many of paper. One can buy a very
nice gun for 50 and a tin sword for 10
cents.
Many Of the toys and games are used in
teaching the children. There are playing
cards with classical poetry on them, used
much like our game of authors. Another
pack of cards teaches the old japanese
proverbs and another the names and forms
of animals. The japanese are experts In
top spinning. They nave whistling tops
and can keep a half dozen of them going
at one time. They play battledore and
shuttlecock, especially at New Year, and
at that time the stores are filled with bats
and balls. Many toys are used in the
k~lndergartens and there are games which
teach history and geography and also
cleanliness, unselfishness and morality.
The Japanese have fairy tales of all
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Houses without Chimneys.

You would think that houses 50 thin and
open as this one, where we are visiting.
would need steam or hot water, or at any
rate great coal or wood fires to make
them comfortable during the winter. Moth
ing OF the kind is known to the children
Of japan. II we should go up in a flying
machine and look down upon the roofs of
Kyoto we could not count a hundred CHM
neys on its tens of thousands of houses.
These people have no fireplaces, no CRATES
and no means of heating like ours. The
cooking is done with charcoal in little clay
ovens, and If one would give a big dinner
he must have many such stoves. For
warmth a small, brass-lined box filled with
ashes with a little burning charcoal within
It is most common This warns only ones
hands, and he keeps his feet from freezing
by sitting upon them. Sometimes a wood
fire is made in a box of this kind. This,
however. is only in the poorer houses. and
the smoke goes out where 1t can.
We take a meal with cur friends. Each
of us has his own little table. The meal
Is served in Individual dishes and the girls
bend low and bow before they offer them
to us. The meal begins with sweet cake
and candy. Then there is a bow of soup
in a dish of wood covered with lacquer, a
varnlsh so bright that one can see his face
in 1t. There is fish. raw and cooked, and
fried cells, which taste delicious. The raw
fish is not bad. 1t is served upon ice, cut
into little slices so we can eat it with
chop sticks. After all, why should not one
eat raw fish as well as raw oysters?
And then there are salads and pickles,
apples and pears and great red persim-
mons as big as tomatoes. The rice is
brought in at the close of the meal in a
wooden bucket bound with brass rims.
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28

the parish. Fifty years later, on Satur-
day. February q, 1909, Mr.. and Mrs. James
Nicholson were again the main participants
In a marriage oelebration-this time at
Grand Island, Neb. The difference in time
and location is strikingly illustrated by the
two photographs herewith printed, the one
taken in bonnie Scotland when all the
earth. like life itself. was young; the other
In bright Nebraska, when the principals
Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-28
Gossip About Noted People

land he talked again about his medal. He
said he would have been better with work
in the obscure days when he needed II.
Then he smiled grimly and said he was
a little like a famous actress. A manage
offered this actress s1,OO0 a week to make
a tour of the world. h insisted on 1900.
But the manager said 1900 was all he
could give. and he reminded her of the
fabulous jewels that South American mill
llonaires. Russian grand dukes and Indian
rajahs are wont to lavish on the ladies OF
the stage when they go touring.
EGO home said the manager; think the
matter over and let me know your decision
in the morning
I'm the morning the actress sent the
manag this wire:
give me my terms and you can nave
the jewels.'"