davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25
because of its almost brutal realism

because of it's almost brutal realism.
Even those who came out in denun-
citation of the story admitted that as a
Psychological study of a mans mind
it was a masterpiece. In this country,
the reception of the book was phenom-
email. 1t instantly became a "best
seller" and reviewers scoffed at the
charge that it was in the least immor-
al.
But all the discussion as to it's NOR
ality II lack thereof, aside the fact
that it's dramatization was entrusted
to a woman, is, at least, a bit unusual.
The story is that of a man; as it is
developed it pictures the mental pro-
gress of a man; all of the external ac-
ton in the story pre-supposes an init
mate knowledge of the workings of a
mans mind. And to bring all this out
SO that living, breathing, speaking
men and women can project it across
the footlights has been entrusted to
the pen Of a woman.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25
CHRISTMAS

AT ANDEL SCHNITTEN (Almond
HA Slices. Three-quarters pound
flour. eight eggs, three-quarters
pound sugar, th~ree-quarters pound
whole almond blanched), one-eighth
pound seeded ~raisins, one-half pound
currants. one-half pound sultana raj
sins, even te%aspoonful cinnamon, one
half t%easpoonful ground cloves. Beat
the yolks end the sugar. Then add the
fruit and -four and lastly the beaten
whites. Bake in a long bread pan in a
medium over for about ~three-quarters
of an hour. When cool cut in slices
with a sharp knife.
Citronen Brodchen demon jun
bles).-Two whole eggs, two extra
yolks, one-half pound sugar, one-half
pound flour. one-half pound citrony
lemon leel grated. Stir the eggs with
the sugar. Then CRATE in the peel of a
lemon. Stir in the citron (inely chop
ped, and then the flour. Turn on a
baking board which has been covered
with hour and sugar. Mold into finger
length sticks and press bits of citron
and almond along the surface. Bake
in a medium over until of a golden vel
low.
Pfeffer Nusse.-Four whole eggs, a
pound sugar, a pound flour, one-eighth
pound citron (cut fine), one-eighth'
pound almonds blanched and chopped),
one-half teaspoonful ground cloves,
one-half t~easpoonful cinnamon. Stir
the sugar and eggs to a cream. Add
spices and other ingredients and lastly.
the -four. Roll into balls the size o
walnuts and fatten slightly. Arrange
on baking board and allow to stand
overnight In a cool place. Next day
turn over and put into creased pans
and bake in a medium V e fifteen to
twenty minutes.
Chocolate Cookies.-One-half cupful
butter, a cupful sugar, an egg, three
squares chocolate. two cupfuls flour,
two ~teaspoonfuls of baking powder,
one-half t~easpoonful salt, four table
%spoonfuls milk; cream butter and sug-
ar; add remaining ingredients. Chill,
roll and shape. Bake in moderate oven.
White Cookies.-A cupful butter, n
and one-half cupfuls sugar, an egg, a
cu1,ful milk. three ~teaspoonfulS baking
powder, a te%aspoonful vanilla extract,
a pinch salt, enough flour to make soft
dough; cream butter aud sugar; add
egg, well beaten, then remaining ingre-
dents; roll thin. cut in shapes and bake
in moderate oven.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

Ostrich Dinner For Christmas.

One baby ostrich, five months old
and weighing over 100 pounds dressed,
was served at a recent Y. NJ. G. A.
Christmas dinner in Los Angeles, and
1000 persons were served. Each of the
babes drumsticks weighed sixteen
pounds. In cooking the bird 165 pounds
of dressing were used. This was made
up of fifty pounds of chestnuts, thirty
pounds of butter, twenty-five pounds of
onions, fifty pounds of bread, twenty
five heads of celery and one pound of
mixed spices. \ special oven six feet
square was arranged to roast the bird.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25
DEVILS GARDEN"
AT THE APOLLO
Play Sounds New Epoch for the The
atre-Splendid Cast In Hopkins
Production.

Many causes have combined to make
''The DEVILS Garden" William B.
Maxwell's story, dramatized by Edith
Ellis, which Arthur Hopkins is pre-
senting at the Apollo Theatre all this
week, one of the most interesting
events of the present theatrical sea-
son. And by no means the least is
the very fact that the work of drama
tizing the story "a done by a woman.
When Mr.. Maxwell's book was first
brought from the presses in England,
it aroused no end of discussion; some
praised it and some condemned it bit
terly. The Libraries Association fin
ally decided to interdict the book and
it was banned from their list. And all
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

PRETTY CHRISTMAS GUS
TOMS.

In some of the small towns on
the Riviera a curious custom
takes place on Christmas eve,
when at the chief church in the
town, during the midnight mass,
a number of shepherds from the
hills make their appearance
wearing the picturesque dress of
their calling.
The chief shepherd carries a
lamb in his arms and, advancing
to the high altar, gives it to the
priest as a Christmas offering
from the shepherds and a symbol
of the Nativity.
In some towns of southern Ger
many a pretty custom prevails
on Christmas eve.
A yelled woman walks through
the streets after nightfall, carry
ing a child, chosen for his beauty
and goodness to %personify the in
FAINT Saviour. The cottage win
dows are left ajar so that The
representative of the Christ Child
can leave some gift upon the
window sill.
Every good child thus finds on
Christmas morning fruit and
sweets, but the bad children only
receive a birch rod, typical of
. well deserved chastisement.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

Two hundred million pennies are in
circulation in Chicapo, and vet the
Windy City is facing a penny famini
and is beseeching the government to
send it millions. Some villages
never do get enough.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

~ HE story is toll of a woman
with a great deal more money
~ than mind and her selection of
Santa Claus favors. This
daughter of gold is busy tw%enty-four
hours out of the day chasing hap
piness, though it is said she seldom
catches up with it. Her idea of a
Christmas gift is something that costs
So. Never mind what the something
is so long as it represents a V.
Several years ago she was particular
ly rushed at the holiday season, so she
gave less thought than usual to the
disposal of the Christmas fives. She
was passing Il bookshop when a limp
leather and gold copy of Omar's "Ru-
baiyat'' caught her eyes. Here was an
inspiration. she would buy S. worth
of oriental pcssimistic philosophy, ex-
pressed in metrical form, for a friend
who lived in Il hall bedroom and hadn't
a second shirt waist to her name.
Upon investigation Omar looked so
good she decided to mass her Christ
mas suggest, ns and spend the hun
dred dollars in fves she set aside for
gift purposes on Khayyam and his
verses. One cCpy went to a widowed
friend of her girlhood who lived on a
farm in Maine and attended the lit
tie crossroads church twice on Sunday.
Omar's verses in praise of wine and
lovemaking were well calculated to
shock this recipient. Another copy
was mailed to Il seamstress with three
young robin mouths to feed and a net
income of SO Il week. The elevator
man in the apartment house where the
munificent giver lived drew one of
the limp feathers. The remainder of
the recipients were more or less APP
propriately selected.
Picture, if you will, the widow on
the farm perusing the wine, women
and song philosophy of the orient!
Imagine the elevator man in the depths
of his cage porting owe "a loaf of
bread, a jug of wine and thou!" This
year the 500 would have gone for
volumes of "Moonmadness," a sort of
Egyptian and Partisan nightmare, had
not a safe and sane salesman per-
suaded the donor to select boxes of
writing paper in graduated sizes. This
is at least useful, aid who knows but
another Yuletide will find the woman
sending hand picked presents to her
small army of the needy!
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25
M<~d~7I
As The Editor Sees It

Now that congress is again in ses-
sion the question will arise in many
minds, "Where will the common peo11
pie get off ?" In other words, what
legislation will be passed for the bet
torment of the people who do not ride
around in $4,000 automobiles and live
in million dollar mansions with a dozen
servants at their beck and call? What
will be done for the farmer, and the
mechanic, and the country merchant,
and the millions and millions of peo-
pie who live uprightly and contribute
to the wealth and Importance of the
nation and yet are never seen in the
newspaper headlines, or at the fash
ionable summer resorts, or in the eX-
pensive boxes at the operas? For
more years than we care to remember
the rich mar has been made richer by :
the laws that have been enacted iTs
Washington, while the men in more
humble circumstances. though vastly
in the majority, have been allowed to
drift along as best they can. viii
this congress follow in the footsteps
of its predecessors, or will the millen-
mum come to pass and the Door man
be given a reasonable show?
~ IN az
Why do so many women pine around
and sigh for a better figure and more
beauty and perfect health? All of
these things are possible to the wo-
man who will reach out and grasp
them. The one thing necessary is ex-
ercise-the right kind of exercise.
And among the many forms of exer-
else there is none more productive of
beneficial and lasting results than
fencing. The woman who takes a
light foil in her hand and makes NJ
practice of fencino for ten or fifteen
minutes every dav will soon find that
she is rapidly "limbering up" that
the bloom of health is coming to her
cheeks, and that her figure is assum-
ing the normal and desired propor-
tons. Try it daily for six months
and then note the result. The doctor
will not send YOU many bills after
that.
X y X
Two hundred million pennies are in
circulation in Chicago, and vet the
Windy City is facing a penny faminl
and is beseeching the government to
send it more millions. Some villages
never do get enough.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25
Che "Cbrlstmas
Crouch"

AgHE Christmas crouch dies hard,
but he begins to breathe fee
~ bly,. There is scarcely a family
but has q Christmas crouch
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

Said the innocent lover;
"Vow to me now"
Boldly he glanced at the plant
just above her
The mistletoe bough.
"Swear that you love
And will marry me. dear,
VIII lie up above
Christmas stars shine so clear.
Kiss me and VOW.
Under the Dough,
Always. foreve', you'll cherish
me near"
Tender her kiss
AS gayly she told him
Joy of her bliss
So close to Unfold him
Under the spray.
Then she sent him away.
Twas time for the next. SO why.
why should he stay?
-Lurana Sheldon.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

~T-- IL SAL DkAAINN
but he begins to breathe fee
bly,. There is scarcely q family
but has a Christmas crouch
some one who thinks gifts are foolish
and that a great deal of money Is vast
ed at the season now upon us. He
hates to see money wasted; he hates
to see the Christmas trees cut down;
he thinks it is a sin to tell the children
the legend about Santa Claus; he scolds
about shopping; he is sorry for the post
man who carries SO many bundles; he
says everybody runs into debt at Christ
mas and that the new year gets start
ed in all wrong on account of the debts;
he says the sentiment has all gone out
of Christmas on account of its being
commercialized and that Christmas
trees are a menace to life and that one
he knew Oh a house that caught fire
from a Christmas tree; he says it Is
a sin to spend money for flowers at
Christmas.
The Christmas reformer has hundreds
of ideas about how Christmas can be
improved. He says the Christmas hol-
idays never mean anything to him and
he will be glad when they are all
over.
But Christmas remains Christmas
lust the same, for all the grouch's pro-
tests, and will be the same forever;
will laugh at the groach and his follies
in such a wholesome, hearty way that
he will grow ashamed and will join
in the merrymaking in spite of him
self.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

The man who cannot see a dollars
value in a years subscription to The
p~leasantville Press loses many times
that amount during the course of a
year by not being a regular reader.
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-12-25

Dow Not to Give

y HE story is told of a woman
with a great deal more money
than mind and her selection of
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14

very glad to have you send in story.
Dear Editor: 1 have been reading
the letters and stories in the Chill
dren's Story Telling Club and would
like to join it, so will you please send
me membership card? am a girl
ten years old and in the fifth grade.
My teachers name is Miss Mac Sauf-
fran. l have three sisters and one
brother. My sisters names are Ber-
tina, Bessie and Ruth, and my broth
er's name is Ray. Your friend, Helen
Smith, Rockford, Mich.
Helen| sent you a membership
card quite long time ago but it was
returned to me with UNCLAIMED
written on it in large red letters. Now
if you will send me your address again
Il think, perhaps, you live on a rural
route and you forgot to put the num-
Der of your route on your letter. 1
shall be very glad to send you card
as soon as I hear from you again so
Will hHOW WnciC W ocilu IL. was
obliged to omit four letters that /
had planned to print this week but
there wasn't room so they will be
printed next week. Also letters from
Laurel Foxworthy, Stittsville, Mich;
Helen McVea, Fennville, Mich; Roy
Shotz, Yuma, Mich; Grace Church,
Howard City, Mich; Lillian Rector,
Rockford, Mich; Etha Richardson,
Lowell, Mich; Airline Ferny, Walla
Walla, Wash; Effie Hunt, Van, Mich,
and others if we have room.
IVA BEROW of Mancelona, Mich
igan. received a letter from you
not long ago and sent you a member
ship card; but the letter containing
the card was returned with UN-
CLAIMED printed in large red letters
on it. Maybe 1 did not spell your
name right. AS soon as you read this
will you please write me another let
ter and put your name and address on
it VERY PLAINLY because want to
send you membership card.
This is all for this week. Good bye.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14

l would pour over the stones and then
wash them and set them back in the
bowl. Then would pour some other
water in the bowl and almost fill it
full and then put the fish back in it.
Now the fish have their bath.
Well, now l hope that you will en-
joy this story very much and will
close. Your friend, Marie Disbrow,
Marion, Mich.
Yes, indeed, l did enjoy your story
very much, Dear. 1t was real inter-
esting and / am sure the rest Of our
members will! enjoy it too. Write
again Marie.
Dear Editor: have been reading
the stories in the paper and thought
would like to be a member of the
Children's Story Telling Club. Will
you please send me a membership
card? l am twelve years old and live
on farm with my parents and broth
er. Well, l will close for this time
in hopes of seeing this in print. Yours
truly, Myrtle Pelham, Ravenna, Mich.
MYRTLE was glad to send you a
membership card which hope you re-
ceived all right. Your letter was nice
and was pleased to print it.
Dear Editor: l received my men,
bership card and think it VERY pref
ty. thank you for it. l saw my 9TH
er letter in the paper. was very
pleased to see it. l hope l will win
the prize. l forgot to tell you what
/ would like if I win. If it isn't too
late now l will tell you. 1 would like
story book. don't suppose l will
win. l like to go to school VERY
much. Maybe 1 will write a story
sometime. Do you have to make them
up? A true member, Myrtle Branch,
White Cloud, Mich.
MYRTLE sent you a prize, Dear.
Did you receive it? believe you won
a pretty post card. No, you do not
have to make up" your story unless
you wish. True stories are just as
nice as "made up" ones. We will be
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14
SHern1an'S First Sweetheart

The story of "a Southern Girl and
General Sherman" told in a recent
number of The Presbyterian, reminds
me" of story that Charles G. Leland,
author of "Hans Breittman's Party"
once told me, on a train as we were
going from Columbus, Ohio, to Cleve-
land, that runs something like this !:
In the beginning of his military life,
w. T. Sherman, as a boy soldier, was
stationed at Augusta, Ca, and while
there he fell in love with a young wo-
man, who was member of one of the
prominent local families, but her par
ents objected to the marriage of their
daughter to soldier. So young Sher-
man planned to quit the army when
the time for which he had enlisted ex-
pired, marry the Augusta girl, and
settle down as naturalized southern
err; but, in the meantime, the company
to which he belonged was moved west,
and, like thousands of first plans for
marriage, this one failed.
Later, young Sherman married Miss
Ewing, Of Ohio, and after their mar
riage he was again stationed at Au-
gusta, where their first child was born,
and died and was buried. The Angus
ia woman never married, but as she
grew older, she made it rule to dec
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14

March to the Sea-" and the people of
Georgia were panic-stricken this "Oid
Sweetheart" said: ooh, don't worry;
'Cump' Sherman will never bother our
people, because his first sweetheart
lives here, and his first baby is buried
here" and Mr.. Leland said that on
that famous march the town was re-
garded as sacred by the grim warrior,
and was left unframed. ("Cump" was
a kind of abbreviation of his middle
name.) His full name was William
Tecumseh Sherman.
Mr.. Leland did not give the name of
this woman, but said it was yet a Sc
cret to be made known later-and in
my recollection Of the story l NAV
have the wrong town, but this is the
substance of the story he told me, and
the truthfulness of which he claimed
to have verified by visit that he had
made to the lady just before he told
me the story; and he claimed to haye,
all the facts in detail, with permissix
to publish them after the death of the
lady. But he is now dead, and as I
have never seen the story in print, I
am wondering il it is one of thousands
of tender stories Of pathetic things
that occurred in the south in the time
of our Civil war, that have been lost
forever, because the people who knew
about them waited for more conve-
nient season to tell them.-Rev. T. M.
Hurst, in Philadelphia Presbyterian.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14
THE FOUR GOLD FISHES.
BY Marie DisbrOw.

| had four gold fishes about year
ago. Each one would have to eat
only little piece of food about half
the size of my little finger nail, or
about the size of this o. They would
only eat that much in one day. l had
the regular fish food for them. 1 had
a little stone castle in the bowl and
all shapes of other stones in their
bowl. The water needed to be changed
once week in the winter but more
often in the summer time. When I
changed their water l would take a
dish of some kind and put some fresh
water in it and some salt also; then
I would take another dish and put the
stones in it. / would take the fish
out and put them into the salt water
which I had fixed for them. Then I
would wash the bowl out with salt and
then rinse it out with cold water. This
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14

Then she put on Baby's white bonnet
and clos k and they got into the omni-
bus and ratified away to the railroad
station. When they were in the cars
Papa and Mama took one seat and
Anna and Baby sat facing them.
There was an CID sat woman on the
other side Of the aisle who had hand
boA and 4 bunch of "cses and pinks
Iaby seemed to think there never was
anyone so funny as the old lady, or
an:tfing as sweet as The flowers. She
clowed and held out her hands and
sa:d: "Me want! We wsrtw So the
old lady said: "Bless hcr heart! She
Shall have one il sh: wants it." Shc
cav. her the largest ard sweetes..
pink. Then Baby pulled it all to
pieces and threw it on the floor. She
did not have anything to do so she be-
gan to be fretful, and Anna took her
in her lap and told her stories. Just
as Anna had taken little bird cookie
out of the basket and gave it to baby,
there came a bump and a crash! Ma
ma and Papa fell from their seats,
Anna and Baby fell to the floor, and
the fat woman screamed and fell to
the floor in heap. What a confu-
sion there was! The car had tipped
over on its side and men, women, chill
dren, bandboxes and carpet bags were
all huddled together. There were
many screams and groans for help.
Papa and Mama scrambled out as soon
as they could. Mama's forehead was
bruised, and Papa's nose was bleeding
and his hat was gone. He picked one
up and went in search of Baby and
Anna followed after him. At first
they could not find her. Suddenly
Papa gave a joyful shout; and looking
behind some broken seats saw two
plump little legs sticking out of the
old lady's handbook! You may be sure
it did not take long to empty it and
see Miss Baby crowned with the old
lady's bonnet. There wasn't even a
scratch on her dear little body, and
she looked up at Papa and Mama as
though she thought the whole thing a
joke. And that is truly what hap
pened to Baby's mama when she was
baby herself.
Gertie-What a lovely story! l
think it's a really truly one, isn't it
And l am going to guess that some
one you know real well was "Miss
Baby crowned with the old lady's bon
net" / hope you will write other
stories for us, Gertie, because this
one was SPECIALLY nice.
Dear Editor: l received my men,
bership card some time ago. l thank
you very much for it. l am going to
tell you a story about the four gold
fishes which | once had.
Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1915-08-14
SNOWFALL.
By Helen Campbell.

SNOWFALL was a kitten six months
old when she saved the family silver
ware. Her little mistress name was
Laura and she was six years old.
Some days Laura and her pet would
play all day long outdoors on the
green grass under large oak tree.
Laura would pull string on the
ground and SNOWFALL would run after
it and jump and bite it. Laura had
a big brother; his name was Ned. One
evening when all the family were to
church excepting Ned, who had gone
upstairs to take a nap, a thief came
around to see what he could find.
Thinking that nobody saw him he
came into the dining room through
the open window. SNOWFALL saw him
for she was watching him from her
basket in a corner of the room. The
thief opened several drawers below
the cupboard. SNOWFALL went upstairs
to the bed where Ned was sleeping.
She jumped upon the bed and gently
patting him on the cheek awoke him.
Ned looked at the kitten and was