The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-05
UP AND DOWN BROADWAY
By ALLEN GRIFFIN JOHNSON

New York, December 4.-(Special.) )-If the title of this article were up and Down Fifth Avenue I might feel called upon to invest it with a greater dig nity Cor would it be sham?) than is nec- greatest thoroughfares is concerned. Fifth avenue affects many people that way--I mean makes them feel called upon to cover their real selves with a sort of veneer which rubs off very easily when they get into other localities or into their natural environment.
 But Broadway-well, I think, to many, it is more or less like wine tI is quite true that the first overindulgence naus- fact that both wine and Broadway are not too good for many people, yet they go back for more with startling fre- quency Likewise they are both very expensive, and likely to make one forget his possibilities along that line.
 How do I know? Well, this is all about Broadway, not about the author, and be- sides, if one even pretended a confes- sion in print, some one would be sure to believe him. Print is impressive, you know, and much that one writes for type comes back to him strangely. It reminds me of the story of the two newspaper men who were sent out to take a mid night ride on locomotive and then write the story. The locomotive was wrecked and all on board killed-but the reporters were never on board. What" said one of them, surely you didn't think we had actually to take the ride in order to write about it?''
 However, back to Broadway with a rush and an apology. I don't believe any reporter could write that old via up just ly had he not taken a run or two on 1t, whether at midnight or any other hour. And as a matter of fact very few re- porters would care to miss that as an assignment. Oh. yes, that Is quite true. am in a confidential sort of mood to- day, and feel like telling things in spite of what has been penned about ina gina tion; like chatting along intimately and reserving the right to be as inconsistent as Mary or Mark Twain. The latter would give himself a subject and never go near it in his talk-or chat. However. the lamented MT. Clemens could not say anything today half so clever as lots of us along Broadway, unless there is a photograph record Of some passing re- mark he may have made in life.
 As Balzac said of Paris-clever naughty old HOnore-Alba Via is bea u- tiful picture if one knows how to paint it. Or maybe he didn't just put it that way, or that well, but that's the general idea. You must understand your charac- ters and draw them true to life and that is not an easy matter to accomplish on any thoroughfare.
 However, here it Is most difficult on ac. count of the general deception. Wealth and fame get careless while poverty and the unknown element are frequently ex- travagant, overriding everything from dress to dinners It brings out the worst in so many of us for the very simple reason that we don't realize that our eff forts to make a showing render us trans parent.
 Odd, isn't 1t that one should be playing upon these generalities after having writ ten of this same subject Tor many months and moons? But there is always some thing interesting-even In generalities- along the grand old street.
 And 1t was never more attractive than 1t is today, for the reason that the sea- son is in full swing. attractions are un- usually varied and numerous, and until a few days ago the weather was as fair and balmy as it ever gets to be in the land where skies are saId to be bluest Though it seems to be true that many lands make that claim.
 The ice skating craze has brought out some startling costumes, but as the more startling ones are worn by the other sex l shall have to leave that to your vivid imaginatons until I procure an illus