davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1917-05-06
JEAN EIOT@
LETTER.

DEAR SUSAN:
Although the opening Of the horse
show was postponed until Monday on
account of the beastly weather, the
town is full of visitors here for the
great occasion. Conversation Is now
varied by horse and horse show talk
instead of running entirely on the
war, and the doings OF the various Tor
eign missions and commissions In or
on their way to Washington.
For weeks the hotels have been
crowded with the notables drawn TO
Washington by the councils and con-
ferences being held here; and yester-
day there was no end OF shifting
about in order to find room for the In
flux of horse show visitors. l drop
ped in at the willard for luncheon to
find the place in an uproar. Exhibit
ers were arriving from other cities
burdened with much hOrsey parapher-
MALTA, or returning clad in riding togs
from the show grounds where they
bad been putting their entries through
their PAGES. All manner OF luncheon
parties were in progress, and, alto
Rether the scene was marked by an u
responsible sort OF gayety that Is dis
kinctly rare these days.
Few House Parties This
Year for Horse Show.
Il seemed g pity that the opening
had to be put off, and yet how much
better to walt for a pleasant day than
10 proceed when the skies were low
erinR and the atmosphere OF a chilli
ness to dampen the keenest enthusl-
asm.
Although there are many visitors
at the hotels and q good many people
have guests for the occasion, the Dig
house parties which usually mark
horse show week are few and FAR
between this year and apparently
there is to be less elaborate enter
tanning The Willard has arranged
10 have a supper dance every even
ing while the horse show lasts and
that will help a bit in keeping the
out-of-town visitors entertained.
=
We had scarcely become used to
having such celebrities as the mem
bers of the British and French mis-
sions among US. when we were called
upon to welcome the Cuban military
and naval mission and commissioners
from Panama And now. IL you
please. there are Danish and Swedish
icommerciaI missions on their way
ito the United States, and Dutch and
Norwegian missions preparing to
lEaiI, not to speak of the italian mis-
sion, whose distinguished member
ship represents every element Of the
political, scientific, business, and So
leial life of Italy.
The Washington times., 1917-05-06

was no Red Cross work room in the
West End. got together a little group
OF their friends, secured the use OF n
room at 1928 Pennsylvania avenue,
borrowed a sewing machine or two
and announced that they were ready
for work.
The Mason House provides the ma
terials, various shops have been most
generous in supplying cutting tables.
chairs and such equipment gratis, and
every day there are fr(m six to twen-
ty women at work. The work room
was opened five weeks ago with one
sewing machine in operation, now
there are eight, and 200 garmentc
have already been turned out and
passed inspection.
More Sewing Machines
Are Needed Urgently.
The attendance at the meetings has
grown so that there Is q demand for
more sewing machines-of the lock
stitch type-and contributions, loans,
rather, will be gratefully received"
Cross-barred muslins and similar thin
fabrics are also needed by these will
ing workers, for the materials Mason
House has in hand are too heavy for
summer use, and there Is a great de-
mand for hospital garments for sum-
mer wear.
A pleasant feature of this patriotic
venture is the way in which every
body pulls together. Women socially
prominent are active in their attend
ance, a little dressmaker comes one
afternoon a week to 'cut out" and
there's even a dear old colored woman
who drops in every few days to turn
over a supply of clean, fresh linen
rags which she has collected as her
to the cause.
The Washington times., 1917-05-06
Ranch Only $4,000 Acres
"Sman Farm" He Says.

Stephen Demmon has always been
more or less interested in railroads
and was at one time superintendent
os the Burlington west OF Chicago. He
now calls himself a small farmer
his ranch including only about 10000
acres. He is a Harvard man and was
contemporary there OF Carl Vroo-
rnar, Assistant Secretary Of Agricul-
ture.
Pretty Mrs. Demmon was Nan Mich
olson. OF Virginia-Richmond, 1 think
and is widely connected with notable
families Of the State. She is one OF
the sixteen sponsors for the coming
Confederate reunion This winter the
Demmons have had an apartment In
the Dresden, but the time will soon
come for their fitting Westward.
1t interested me, by the way. to
hear Mr.. Demmon cap his advice to
home every winter. That he says, is
the way to avoid the gnawing home
sickness, which is the bane OF the
city-bred turned. loose on a ranch,
and to get the most out OF the life.
1t also thrilled me. a city mouse
II there ever was one, to hear him
sing the epic OF the traction engine
"the greatest invention since Adam
farmed the Garden of Eden" which
has absolutely revolutionized farm
ing in the West, and tell OF the
camps, all same like lumber camps,
which have sprung up every
where; the engines and their drivers,
with a train Of "camp followers" even
to six or eight expert wheelwrights
and machinists, moving from place
to place plowing and cultivatiny
without cease SO long as the season
lasts, and each tractor plow doing
in a few hours the work which would
have taken days with a team of four
horses-and then layed up the horses.
Sometimes the gangs stay ION the
road" as long as six months. The
traction engine, we are told, has not
only simplified the problem of farm
labor immeasurably. but has con-
quered miles of sage brush. Land
for the attempt to plow which a man
would have been sent to the asylum
a few years ago, now raises forty
bushels of wheat to an acre.
The Washington times., 1917-05-06


=
Proceeds Of Tours Always
Arc Given to Charity.
After Miss Wilson's musical ex-
penses are provided for and her man
ayers fees paid, the entire proceeds
OF her frequent concert tours are
given to charity. Indeed. the sum
she has earned by her own efforts
ard expended for others Il by no
means inconsiderable, as Is evidenced
by her recent gift of 81 1000 to the
Red Cross, which has already profited
to the amount of several thousand
more from the royalties on the sale of
her song records.
She has also contributed $1,000 to
organized work for the blind. the sum
being divided equally between the aid
association, q splendid local charity.
and the National Library for the
Blind. an organization nationwide In
It's scope, Of which she is vice prssi-
dent. Her generous gift to the library
mas helped to provide work for It's
blind eopyists In twenty-five different
States, as well as in Washington. and
to send out its books. most OF them
made by blind employees. to blind
readers all over the United States.
One Of the latest additions to the
shelves Of the library. by the way. IL
copy Of President Wilson's wonder
full little book, ''On Being Human"
embossed by q blind man in the Eng
lish Braille type recently standardized
Tor the United States.
The Washington times., 1917-05-06
Nest Of Entertaining Had
An Informal Air.


With the exception OF the reception
Secretary OF State and Mrs. Lansing
gave for the members OF the French
mission, invitations for which bore the
White House crest, most of the enter
tanning for the visitors from Fra0ce
and Great Britain last week were
more or less informal and unofficial
hosts and hostesses had their innings.
At the Lansings' party at least a
dozen people said to me 'T had pretty
speeches in my most Partisan French
all thought out before I started down
the line, but when ] at last shook
bands with NJ. Viviani, Marshal Joffre,
and the rest, ! forgot everything: !
couldn't speak at ALL" / think that's
the way most of US felt
=
Mr.. and Mrs. William Corcoran Eus-
tbs and Mr.. and Mrs. William A. Slater
are among those entirely unconnected
with official life who entertained for
the French and British missions. The
Eustises' reception was a brilliant
and most enjoyable function, but was
marred BY the absence OF Marshal
Joffre from the receiving line. Ham
let" without Hamlet-no, not quite
that, for n. Viviani received with his
hosts, and Mr.. Balfour and leaders of
every circle Of Washington's smart
world were among the guestA
The Washington times., 1917-05-06


spare the time from business.
His mother and sister. Meta Evans
are still In New York whore they
have lived about q year. Their home
In Sixteenth street has been leased
recently to an interesting group OF
Filipinos.
sylvanus Stokes Oners
His Boat to Government.
Sylvanus Stokes has offered his yacht
The Gretchen" to the Government II
was inspected last week by several
naval officers and the papers are now
before the proper authorities at the
Navy Department. It IL a nns craft
large enough for e goodly crowd TO dine
sad dance and generally have a good
time aboard. which Is the principal pur-
pose to which It has heretofore been
devoted. 1t takes q considerable crew
to run It. The yacht was formerly the
property Of the late John 2. Reyburn.
one time mayor Of Philadelphia. The
Reyburns used to take the yacht to
New London every summer, where they
gave al SORTS OF WonQerIul phrues
aboard. II was steam propelled when
the Reyburns had It. but Mr.. Stokes
took The Gretchen" to Baltimore
about a year ago and had high-power
gasolene engines installed.
Madge and King Stone were visit
ing the Stokes recently. They have
been living in New York the greater
part of the past winter. you know.
King did consider entering the con-
sular service, but has given up the
idea, think. At any rate. they are
going to make their home henceforth
In warrenton. They left Washing
ton last week for their farm near
Berryville. Va. leaving there yester-
day for their new home In War
renton. King planned to return to
New York today, to close up lis busi-
ness affairs there, ! suppose.
The Washington times., 1917-05-06
\ Chronicle o.
eSocier q

recognition quite regardless Of her
distinguished parentage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
FINANCIAL RECORD
 SAT|SF FACTORY FOR
 MONTH OF JANUARY
Increase in City's Income Over January Last Year Larger Than Increase
 in Expenditures

Birmingham started the new year in a praiseworthy manner.
 The city spent less than one-third of it's fat income during the month of Jan uary. Delving in figures, it is shown that the coffers of the city were swelled by receiving $492, ,96s49, while only s146, 473.7 75 was paid out
 In comparison with the figures for Jan uary of 1916, Birmingham made splen- did showing. The corresponding receipts were S492, ,966 49 for 1917 and $4l6, 452.S5 for 1916. The expenditures were $146,47375 for 1917 and s117,5404S for 1916.
 The cause of the enlarged income may be attributed to three onditlons-natural increment of property and resultant in crease in taxes; more business mad con sequently more money from licenses. and larger amounts coming from supplements in the school fees
 While the increase in income was more than $76,OO0, the expenditures were only S29, GOO in excess of the outging payments in 1916.
 This increase was attributed to en- argement of the sanitary work more money for the pay of the police and fire departments and improvements of the North Birmingham municipal lighting plant.
 The detailed statement for January of 1917 as shown by the report of the comp troller follows:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
THE BAD BOY" IS
 A GOOD PICTURE

I am glad that Manager Leftwich of the Triangle, has decided to keep The
 Bad Boy" with Robert Heron, through tomorrow. It is play that every boy, every grown-up and every parent should see.
 Jimmie Bates is known as the worst boy in town. The play starts with Jimmie and his gang in swimming in the town reservoir. The village marshal gets in a canoe and paddles after them. The boys all scamper out of the water grab their clothes and beat it. To keep from being caught, Jimmie overturns the boat and leaves the marshal floundering Tn the lake Then his troubles begin In earnest Nobody understands the boy, or tries to, and no sympathetic hand IS extended to him.
 Expelled from school, his father whips him UT mercifully. He runs away from home and even his dog deserts him at the city limits Wandering around over the country he falls in with evil com panions and returns to his home town with a gang of yegs to rob the bank. Persuaded by his old school days sweet heart to visit his mother, he repents and attempts to prevent the robbery. Even in this he is misunderstood and is be- lieved to have assisted in the burglary l But in the end. all comes out as il should, and the bad boy who is really a good boy at heart, is started out right
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
CIVILIZATION" IS
 WONDERFUL PICTURE

l cannot describe "Civilization." show ing at the Strand, in the short space of this column, if. indeed, I could attempt it at all. Its bigness, it's awfulness and grandeur, bewilders and confuses. Her man Devries, in the Chicago News, says of it;
 Civilization that gigantic, thrilling masterpiece of cinema history, was writ ten with the invisible ink of women S tears. Women's heartbeats punctuate 1t and the immortal tragedy of motherhood is threaded through the maze of horror, human anguish, devastation, love, hatred and ultimate good, which forms it's back ground.
 Universal love through the ineluctable, ineffable, untiring devotion of women is the divine hand to point humanity from it's chaos of common hatred to the broth erhood of man.
 War in it's most tragic, soul-racking, hdeous, cruel aspects, from the wreck Of a single home to the near-debacle of a Kingdom and the menace of a nations S annihlaton is detailed upon the screen. Battles, land and naval marvelously realistic all of them; air raids destroying towns and scattering desolation with ap- palling verisimilitude, trench, bayonet, gun warfare, every fiendish invention Of hate is pictured for our horror. fTnaily, through the tender influence of woman, and the God-head transmitted to sol dier by the Christ, as shown in some wonderfully imaginative spiritual scenes, peace brings happiness once more to suf- fer-ing humanity-and the lesson IS learned
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
BOY SCOUTS WORK
 IN CASE OF WAR

What would Boy Scouts do in case of
 war;" asked Dr. Elwin Ballard, Scout
 master for Birmingham, yesterday There are over 100000 boys between | the ages of P and IS enrolled in the Boy Scouts in this country today. These are 1 supervised by about 10000 adult leaders. The United States laws would prohibit any boys of this age taking active part Fin military service. There may be some 1 who have had the scout training who can 1 have reached the military age and might enlist, but not the members of the troops today. The Boy Scout organization does not inculcate a military spirit in any way, but boy who is above a tenderfoot Scout ought to know enough about cook ing, camp sanitation, first aid work, obe- Idience, etc, to make himself very valua- ble in service of a nonmilitary charac- ter in case there was an actual call to
 arms. Service of this character might include: Distributing notices and gathering statistics for military or civil authorities. "Co-operating in the protection of prop erty by accepting definite assignments for the purpose of giving alarm in case of danger.
 Collecting information as to supplies. l Acting as messengers or orderlies. | |Co-operatlng With the Amer1can Red 1 Cross, by assuming definite responsibility. | There has been no change in the Boy Scout policy as far as it's nonmilitary policy goes, but it is. believed that in the l very improbable ca SC of the United States | being engaged in war, with a scarcity of men of enlisting age, the Boy Scouts could render material assistance as outlined above. Nothing is further from the l thought of Birmingham Scout authorities 1 than an actual need of any of our boys l in this connection
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
IN THE LECTURES SANDOU1F
By H. s. RYALL

He lit a cigarette and walked around for a minute; then he came back all lit up. I've got it now" he said. And he was off again in a cloud of dust. He was prepared to shovel them out like coal.
 Needless to say, none of his stories were any good It is just as hard to write scenario as good play and much harder than to write good story. You can stall through pretty good story on a very slender plot but you have to have the goods to start with before you can turn out a scenario.
 In writing for the Keystone writ CTS almost invariably make the mis- take of handing us tumble of stuff about people throwing pies and fall ing into tubs of water, without any real plot. We fill in all that rough stuff ourselves. What we want is a real plot It need not even be funny to start with.
 It is the easiest thing in the world for us to turn a good strong story into burlesque. But we must have the good story to start with
 To the motion picture author I say: Don't imagine you can toss these things off like cook making flap jacks. It takes hard work
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
WRITERS OF SCENARIOS ALMOST EXTINCT

Here is what Mack Sennett of Key stone writes about the scarcity or good scenarios. It appears that & might good job is going abegging for lack of proper talent.
 Scientists say that the scarcest com modity in the world is radium; but there is something scarcer than rad ium The scarcest commodity in the world is a good scenario.
 Everybody in the world is writing them. You are perfectly safe in say ing to every friend you have "fiow is your scenario getting on?" With out batting an eye, he will tell you ne is working on the second reel
 Every time I get shaved the barber tells me about a perfectly corking idea he got in a dream. l stopped riding in street cars because the con- ductor always wanted to snuggle up to me and tell me the outline of his latest effort when I paid my fare.
 The germ has bit them all. Society women ring for pad and pencil be- fore their coffee is served in the morn ing. I haven't a doubt that the judges of the supreme court are jotting down lunches for scenarios on those little pads they keep on the bench.
 Manuscripts fairly rain upon every studio in town. They come in bales. Yet here is the curious thing. There are no good ones. lnefe was ever a good scenario I am con vinced the species has become ex- tinct.
 If I could find writer who could turn out good Keystone scenarios he could literally make his own salary check He would be cheap at what ever he cost. It would be like hiring a man who could make diamonds. My experience is that trained writ CTS. on the whole, turn out the worst scenarios. They think it's too easy Not long ago a writer applied to me for a position. I asked him if he could write good scenarios. Oh my, For him it was just like lighting a cigarette And he lit a cigarette to show me how easily it could be done. I asked him if he happened to have a story on hand.
 What kind of story do you need?n he asked me in an off hand way. [ | told him.
 "Well. here's your story" he said and proceeded to reel off plot 1 told him it wouldn't do.
 You don't like that one?' he said, airily. All right, I'll get another"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
HEARING PETITION
 OF STOCKHOLDERS
 IN DEFUNCT BANK
Officers of Old Jefferson County Say ings Bank Defendants in
 Action

The case of Albert F. Houghton, Kin zea Stone and I. Andrew Hoover, stock holders of the old Jefferson County Saw ings bank, against Eugene F. Enslen, Christian Enslen and other directors and officers of the bank, is being heard be- fore Judge w. T. Grubb in the federal district court.
 The complainants are suing for the re- covery of stock in the bank. at the time of failure charging failure on the part of the defendants to properly exercise the duties imposed upon them by virtue of the offices they held, and charging the making of improperly secured loans.
 Robert N. Bell and James A. Mitchell are representing the complainants and Forney Johnston the defendants. The hearing is expected to consume several days.
 The hearing went over yesterday after noon until o'clock this afternoon.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
LAST SHOWING OF
 "ALABAMA" TODAY

Alabama" with Henry Walthall fea- tured, will have it's last local showing at the Rialto today.
 Large audiences have seen this picture during the two days it has been at the Rialto, and all have been pleased with 1t. The entire receipts from this picture go to the Alabama Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of exploiting the advan- tages of the state.
 As is recalled, Walthall donated his services in this production, and the other characters in the play are all Alabamians The picture shows many beautiful and interesting Alabama scenes, and includes many of the prominent men and women of the state.
 Alabama" has already been booked in over 2O0O picture playhouses in the United States and Canada, and it is predicted that the picture will be a wonderful ad- vertisement for the state and the state resources.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
MARY MILES WINTER
 AT THE TRIANON

Dainty Mary Miles Minter, Mutual s youthful star, continues at the Trianon today in "The Gentle Intruder" her very latest picture.
 Sylvia is the niece of man who leaves a fortune to her and puts it in the hands or his attorney, who is supporting an aspiring wife and daughter. Sylvia goes to the lawyers home and is looked upon as an intruder The lawyers son sets out on road of dissipation and soon be- comes a devotee of gay life He is saved just in time by the gentle influence of Sylvia and upon discovering that his father is using all of the girls fortune he makes him give her the money. The family is horror stricken at the thought of losing their fortune but they ask Syl- via's forgiveness for their treatment or her and she insists upon sharing her for tune with them She also allows Arnold, the son, to see that his love is recipro' cated
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
War Relief Continues

New York, February 19.-The pro- visional Zionist committee announced here today that the diplomatic situation between the United States and Germany with it's perplexities had not interfered with its distribution of relief funds in Palestine, Poland and Lithunia. With the approval of the Danish government and the support of Minister Egan at Copenhagen on the subject, it was stated that Danish Jews have taken over the committees work in the three districts, to which more than $1.0O0,OoO already has been sent.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-20
PERSONALS

Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, who was se- verely burned several days ago at her home at Potter mines, is in a critical condition. little hope being held for her recovery.
 The Rev. George Stoves of Annis- ton, a former pastor of the First Methodist church of Bessemer, is the guest of friends for few days.
 MT. and Mrs. H. B. Mason and fam fly have gone to Woodstock, Ga, where they will reside in future
 Mrs. Ben Smithson and children will leave in a few days for Jirard, O., where they will join MT. Smithson ane make their home.
 Joe Stone has returned to Tusca- loosa, where he is student at the University of Alabama, after spend ing the week -end with relatives in Bessemer.
 Archie Parker has returned from Leeds, where he visited relatives and friends.
 Mrs. Harvey Hall has returned from shannon. where she was called by the illness of her brother, John Hawkins.