The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-11
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

1 chanced 10 DICK up copy or the Times, the great London paper, and thought it might possibly interest some
 of the readers of this column to have me call attention to few of its fea- lures during these war times. An English newspaper, according to American readers, Is a rather sad af- fair and It's makeup is disappointing, for there is an absence of scare heads, and staidness and dignity that Is all most repelling.
 The copy have of the Times is typical English sheet. There is nothing on the front page to show that 1t is filled with items from the front of far-reach- ing importance, save the words to the right of the title, Late War Edition"
 
 The first column leads off with birth notices, then come marriages, then deaths In the second column are the special notices of those killed in action, or died of wounds. Their brevity and comes nearly a column of personals, the
 kind you find in the want columns of an American newspaper. Then comes a column of brief advertisements of char ities, schools and entertainments. Then column of legal notices, banks and insurance companies. and lastly a col umn of steamship announcements. All this in fine type on the front page, when here in America It's hard to get local news item on the front page, let alone an advertisement.
 Remember. too. that this Is not the Times of the Walters. but the Thunderer under Lord Northcliffe. the Englishman, who Is supposed to have largely Amer icanized English Journalism, the man who today is probably the greatest force in England next to Lloyd George. and whose status here in America as Eng lands representative IS something unique in It's long history.
 Page is full of army honors set out in finely printed type Here we find those who have won the military cross, the distinguished service order, etc. Page carries a number of news items. A restaurant man was fined for using more meat and flour than the maximum quantity permitted, and also a young woman cateress for the same offense had to pay about $3o A man files claim for exemption to save fortune to his wife and children, as he only had a life estate that would revert to others than hio willy Tn, oo Sa ha lyiIlad It seems strange to read raid warnings, and yet we are accustomed to getting notices of floods and storms The valua- tion of continuation schools Is the subject of an inquiry. The food controller an- nounces that sale of peas in packages will be permitted for awhile. This may | be a foretaste of what Hoover will do for us. Then comes a notice of racing at Newmarket there being six special en- | tries. On page S. which carries an ac- count of the Ypres battle there Is prac- l tically whole column given to theatre | notices, there being "A theatres bidding 1 for favor besides dozen or more variety halls or vaudeville or circus perform I ances.
 |
 l The entire paper as absolutely free of l illustrations of any kind whatsoever save one single column map of the area around Lens. There is less than a col- l umn devoted to correspondence from Paris, New York and Rome. More than a page Is given to the doings of PArlia- ment. The question of hospital ships. IA orkI <>f fal,n otx. ro16 warnings. the channel tunnel, American l investments, internment of prisoners of war, the Indian war loan, the health of
 the troops, the reform biil and the new ministers bill, together with a great
 speech by the prime minister, is well | handled and shows that the English, in spite of the war, ar threshing out in the open like Englishmen the affairs of the nation. Let's do the same here in Bir- mingham.
 No American advertising manager in a l town of 10000 could hold his job for a
 week unless he showed more advertising 1 than the Times carries. No Mans
 Land," q new book by Sapper. takes up | about as much space as any advertise ment in the paper, and 1t is only about
 12 inches single column In the interest | of truth. will have to set 1t down that
 about four inches are given to advertising Cartcrs Liver Pills
 ] Society gets its moneys worth in the l Court Circular dated at Windsor Castle, l which cares nearly a column about l princes and princesses. dukes and duch-
 eases, lords and ladies. and one bishop l gets a notice because he underwent 8
 surgical operation. Then comes bunch of wedding announcements, one of them
 being hurried up as the groom Is sud- denly called to the colors The form of announcement falls little peculiar on American ears, as many start off say- ing: "A marriage has been arranged be-
 tween so and so,' giving the tities
 l The editorial page is to an American ponderous. The leader reads more like frozen history than the resume of pass
 ing events. I might better say the edi- torials read like history embalmed They are as solemn as death and have an air of finality. They would pass unnoticed
 by the American public, but they go and
 are accepted by Englishmen almost as