The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-17
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

One of the last things I ever thought of writing about is quilts, and yet can't get them off my mind, though sometimes in the dead of night in winter it has been easy for them to slip on the | floor. can only at present briefly call i, to your notice a book on the subject.
 
 Speaking of this reminds me of the first night I landed in Paris. I stopped at the Grand hotel, which in those days was the Mecca of all Americans. was with my older brother and I will never forget that when we were shown into our room, the first thing he did was to go over and examine the cover, as it was cold.
 Neither of us had ever seen such a pro- nounced outlay of eiderdown comforts They were of fancy silks and as thick as an ordinary mattress and yet as light as feathers and lay on top of the beds with out being tucked in on the sides or at the foot. He took up one on his bed and l gathered up one on mine for we were in search of blankets or quilts but none were to be found.
 
 We thought that the maid had forgot ten to make up the bed properly and rang for her She arrived and, after a very animated pantomime failed to i'm press upon her what we wanted was covering which would keep us warm. In despair she called down to the office and an interpreter was immediately sent up, and then the verbal pyrotechnics, ac- companied by the inimitable French shrug was turned loose.
 It seems that our demands, in his mind. were shockingly unreasonable for none of the other guests in the histo Fy of the hostlery had ever kicked at the coveriets, and, while he was sorely grieE ed not to be able to furnish us with American counterpanes quilts or blank cts he hoped that we would be content lto try and make the best of the comforts. Brother Sam demurred on the ground that he did not care to remain awake all night to keep them on him, and that as he expected to leave shortly, lie would not have time to learn the art of balancing them a la French. It almost reached the point of an international complication.
 If I could set forth here the tale Pf the guilt in this country it would give the history of America from the day of the pioneers. A book has been written on the subject giving their story and how to make them I happened to be in the book department of Loveman, Joseph &5 Loeb, and, seeing it on the shelves, reached up and got it down, and that is what put me to thinking on the sub ject. had no idea of the entertaining hiS- tory and pleasing sentiment connected with quilt lore Marie Webster, the au- thor, evidently went to great pains and large expense to gather the data for her volume of nearly 200 pages with many illustrations, showing both old and mod ern designs. There are large number of outline drawings and 16 pages in full color, with interesting and helpful details as to how quilts can be made today. The mistake I made was to finger the book, for when I get my hands on an edition de luxe on nearly any subject have a craving to own it. A bookstore is about as tempting to me as is saloon to a drinking man, who being thirsty, in passing finds it impossible not to go of tba Both of us being tempted beyond what we can bear fall. I buy the book and he buys a drink. This weakness on my part has made me a bit tenderer to- ward the fellow who loves his toddy.
 I wrote of men who love to handle money, the mere physical touch of it giving them a pleasurable sensa thdn- I can understand their fascination for the feel of some books to me gives me. a peculiar joy. I am not much on rare, editions but I do love beautiful ones, even though they be modern. A curious thing about my fondness for books comes from the fact that I am jealous lover of them and want them as my very own, ana TOT tihS TedSou Sel Stldll toilllOft out of borrowed one or volume ob- tained from library
 
 I might as well own up that I bought the book The paper cover was in col ors showing beautifully designed quilt I took the outer covering off, be- cause l wanted to see how the volume was bound. It was done in buckram and stamped with a lovely design, showing rare old specimen of the quilters art The printing was clear on heavy paper, and the color work was a revelation asI to what is being done these days with careful and artistic presswork This is in no sense a review with the purpose of paying the publishers, Doubleday Page | & Co.,, for a complimentary copy, but is given as a tribute to good work As a matter of fact, I think bought the only copy in town.
 Now, I buy a lot of books thinking I am going to take them home and devour them, and then get so busy that forget all about them for days, or months, or years, full knowing, however, that the them up and read them. To get the best there is in a book one must be in tune I for it. Not having the time to delve into l the volume on quilts, I just contented