davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun., 1919-10-26
Four Good Losers in the Prize Letter Contest

of listening The hobbies people ridei
How gladly they take you along in search
Of new material if your interest is gen.
uine! You get the habit and develop
reading hobbies to your own enrichment.
To offset the humility which knowl-
edge Of the truth always brings, there Is
the discovery that live book clerk, given
little time and experience, does come to
know q great deal more about books in
general than the average book customer.
Not only does such a clerk know about
books; he should be capable Of good judg-
ment in regard to their merits, having ex-
cellent opportunity for wide reading and
comparative study of authors.
And so here we are, Mr.. Editor, we
book clerks, saying to our customers
whenever we can, "Why do you spend
your money for that which is not bread"
People are spending money on books, as
many prolific authors can happily testi-
fy. II they listen and seem hungry, we
give them good bread. l count it among
my blessings to have been able to help
some one stepping fearf1ny out OF the
seeming security of orthodox religious be-
lief into the open spaces of-say-Emer-
sons philosophy. To have introduced
others to good fiction, to poetry, to essays,
to the real humorists, past and present,
is to know the joy of real service. Talk
about teaching or preaching or mission
ary work! Those So engaged might well
envy the opportunities of the humble book
clerk.
There is rare treasure in the juvenile
book section. Can you think Of lovelier
way to keep young than to read and sell
books for boys and girlsf A wide ae-
quaintance among the book people whom
children love means travel in enchanting
lands where it is always morning. Such
a wealth of cplor and artistry is now EN-
ployed in the manufacture Of Juvenile
editions that to browse among them is q
never ending delight. To love ehildren's
books is to love children and to love and
take delight in children is to keep the
singing heart because OF the discovery
The sun., 1919-10-26

Why not, moreover, advertise books IN
the movies-like the local dealers who dis
play animated advertisementsf Why not
reproduce in the films an illustration from
a scientific work, a problem of economic
theory, an example of culinary experiment
tation, and so ONT Every book has GER
tain pictorial values, quite apart from
that particular kind of narrative pictorial
value belonging to novels sold for film
adaptation.
Finally, why not revival Of the book
agent, to extend advertising and selling
to those vast magazine reading sections of
our country at present inaccessible to
bookstoresf Many attempts have been
made to bring these districts within the
range of the mail order business, but long
distance stimulation of tha reading habit
is distressingly unsatisfactory. To be
sure, the book agent Of the past, armed
with one book, too often literary gold
brick at that, is still proverbial joke.
Taking cognizance, however, OF the sue
cess of the local magazine solicitors, every
American community should have at least
one resident book agent, a person Of some
education, with enthusiasm and love of
reading, who sells the books Of all the pub
fishers and is paid jointly by them.
Armed WITH forty or fifty good books,
current and classic, circulars, catalogues
and attractive publicity, such an army of
agents would bring nearer the publishers
millennium-the renaissance of the reading
habit! And, as part Of this same general
movement, "Parnassus on Wheels" might
be transmitted from a whimsical theory
into successful reality.
Brute force publicity, small advertise
ments, circulars and circular letters, cleo
trical and movie advertising and book
agents armed with iterature-all these
methods eat heavily into the publishers
expenditure. We must not ignore, how
ever, the infinite possibilities Of various
forms of "free publicity" embracing
methods as yet intangible and undevel-
oped. These also have iEnumerable po-
tentialities for creating and sustaining the
demand for books of every description.
Brentano's. LOWELL BRENTANo.
Brentano's, Fifth avenue and 9th street,
New York city.
The sun., 1919-10-26

Why not, rs one of the steps IN this cam
paign, advertise books in the terms OF
other pleasures, against such book com
petitives as an automobile ride, a card
game, an expensive dinner or a theatre
partyi Perhaps most publishers assume
that people already know all the delights
of reading, and possibly they do, but the
point will always bear stressing. More
important still, we must sell books not
only to the present circle of book buyers,
but to that potential public Of all who can
read the printed word.
Here, in a nutshell, is the publishers
eternal question-how to reach this public
with a maximum of advertising appeal,
yet with minimum of advertising expen-
diture. Although general reading cam
paign might aid all publishers and "brute
force" advertising cannot be excelled
within the range Of its limitations, never
theless each individual publisher must
have at his command an endless variety
of economical methods for directly boom
ing his own books.
Here, first of all, the publisher can well
afford to get away from conventional
triteness In his small space advertisements.
He can do this in two ways-frst by vary
ing the number and choice of his advertis-
ing mediums, even to the extent of adver-
Using certain books in selected car and
bus lines; second, by varying the monot-
onous repetition of his copy. Although
repetition is the mother of memory, it is
usually the repetition with freshness Of
idea, originality of expression and novelty
Of typographical arrangement that not
only attracts attention but compels sales.
As variety of modest advertisement
the circular and the circular letter are
much underestimated. They are commonly
used for sets and expensive books, but
rarely for individual books of moderate
price. This, despite the fact that many
booksellers will pay postage on imprinted
circulars or furnish the publisher with
classified lists of customers interested in
special subjects. 1t has been estimated
that the minimum of orders resulting from
eircularization totals per cent. Actually
many booksellers have reported returns up
to 10 per cent. to 40 per cent.
Electric advertising of books has
(hitherto to the present) been almost ig-
nored. For example, aside from the in
genious and comparatively inexpensive
devices which have gone far TO humanize
the mausoleumlike atmosphere of many
book window, no publisher within our
knowledge has ever advertised best
seller by Broadway Illuminated sign.
The sun., 1919-10-26

TT HE following letters, one from each
Worlds fourfold prize letter contest,
sere among those which, in their respec-
tive classes, stayed longest under the
judges consideration.
More Of the unsuccessful letters viii be
published In future issues The awards
were announced and the winning letters
published In the issue of Oct. 10.
Publishers Advertising.
ITO THE EDITOR OF Books AND TIE
Il Book WoRID-Si: Publishers ad-
vertising has certain definite limitations.
The fact that each book Is an isolated
product and requires unique attention dis
tinguishes book advertising from the ad-
vertising of other commodities. A corpo-
ration can spend fortune introducing the
public to "Sudsy" Soap, Tempting" Bis
cult, or "Ironsides" Tires Once tried and
accepted, the buyer will probably wash
with "Sudsy," eat Tempting" and motor
on "Ironsides' for the remainder of his
days. Book advertising On similar scale
would invite immediate bankruptcy, for
the simple reason that one copy of any
specific book satisfies the buyers inlmedi-
ate need for that particular book.
We can, of course, take an Ibanez, a
Harold Bell Wright of a Gene Stratton
Porter and sell their books on the prin =,
ciple &C ''brute force" or "splurge' ad
vertising by veritably impregnating the
air with their names. That is, we can buy
large space advertisements in the leading
newspapers and magazines, print thou
sands of colored posters, and distribute
"On Sale" copies for window displays to
dealers We can only do this, however,
if we have potentially unlimited capital
and book Of potentially unlimited ap-
peal.
But what can be done for the book of
purely artistic or Intellectual appeal, In
which class can be grouped the majority
of non-fctional worksf Ultimately the
best way to sell books, those as well as
fctional works, is to. make people realize
what reading really means-how necessary
and how pleasurable it is to the full life.
As Grant 0verton observes, "the best way
to sell birdseed is to put a canary in every
home" The best way to sell books is to
get people TO read
Why not, for this purpose, coopera-
tive campaign to which every publisher
contributes on some just and proportional
basis-such as has been successfully fol
lowed by Christmas card manufacturers?
The sun., 1919-10-26
The Fun in Book Selling.

ITO THE EDITOR OF Books IND THE
Il Book WoRID-Sr: What fun it is
to sell books! What a lot Of downright
amusing and interesting experiences each
day brings and oh, what liberal educa-
ton awaits "just book clerk" if such q
one happens to possess the kindly heart
and the open mind!
I didn't dream, Mr.. Editor, that | was
opening a big door to individual culture
to say nothing of plain, every day hap
piness-when took a place in the book
department of big store, becoming No.
593, at salary of $l2 a week. Little did
1 think that behind the obnoxious number,
with all it seemed to imply of drop in
the social scale, was to find hidden treas
ure to which few have access.
As a matter of fact those of us who
have confomed to the pattern impressed
in the formal schools of the day have a
supercihous attitude toward books. We
know" standard authors and classical lit
erature and are familiar with books on a
wide range of subjects-so we think. Isn't
it silly to think we "know' books when
we have only been "introdueed' TO SO
limitless field! Instead of writing ''com
mencement" at the end Of school career
it would be much more correct to write
"fnis" in view of the general abandon
ment of further serious study.
Work in a book shop soon pricks this
bubble of satisfaction. customers ask for
dozens of titles Of which one has never
heard and one comes from a search
through voluminous catalogues chastened
and humbled. Then begins the joy Of
making new acquaintance among books
and the feast is on. There is saying
that what one does not know cannot
hurt one" Certainly what one does not
know about books-in most cases-is an
individual calamity. Think of missing
The Way Of Al Flesh, Green Mansions,
TOlstoi's onfeSsiOn, Cabells BEYOND Life,
The Worn Doorstep, The Great Hunger,
An american IdyL-to mention only
few at random which have recently
warmed the heart and stimulated the mind
Of "just book clerk" Familiar titles"
you say. Ys-to the reviewer, to club
women, to book lovers, but most unfamil-
lar to the rank and file, as we who serve
the public taste in books so soon discover
Customers, being human, like to talk
about their book favorites, and here is
source of much valuable information to
the clerk who has learned the gentle art
The sun., 1919-10-26

Continued on Nimth Page.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
Local Data

agriculture, welcomed the farmers to the city on behalf of Gov. Thomas E. Kilby, who was prevented from attend ing. Replying to the welcome of MT. Allgood, MT. Thompson told the farm CTS they would have to stand together as never before or face bankruptcy. He explained the object of the Farmers Protective association, and said 1t would antagonize no individual or con- cerns that have the interest of the farmer at heart
 At the afternoon session Frank Willis Barnett, associate editor of The Age Herald, briefly outlined the methods of publicity which must sooner or later be brought into the crop diversifcation cam paign. He told of the campaign during which he and Mrs. G. H. Mathis, wom- an farmer, toured the state making speeches. MT. Barnett remained in Montgomery Wednesday night to be present at a meeting of the commit tee on resolutions at the Gay-Teague hotel. Mrs. Mathis, who was on the programme for an address on Wednes- day, will speak Thursday morning.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
BURGLARS BUSY IN DOWNTOWN SECTION
Three Dwellings Entered, But Little Property Taken.
 Two Cars Stolen

Three downtown residences were re- ported burglarized to the police depart ment in the early hours of last night Nick Contaletis residing at 1921 Avenue B, phoned to the officers that his home was being burglarized and upon investi- gation the officers found that burglars had entered the house through a rear window, but no valuables were found missing. When the officers searched for the burglars, they found that the home of T. N Harwell, who resided in the next apartment, had been entered and some ''eats' and other things stolen.
 A call came later from Mrs. Arrowood, who resides at Seventeenth street and Eighth avenue, stating that burglars were in the house. The officers rushed to the home, but the burglars had de- parted. From this residence small Liberty Loan bank containing some money and about g from the bureau had been taken.
 The Macke Real Estate company re- ported a Ford truck stolen from where it was parked, and the Lige Loy Under- taking company reported Cadillac 8 stolen from in front of the establishment at Third avenue and Twenty-second street
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
Negro Race Relations
 Committee Holds Meeting
No Public Mass Meetings Until White
 Organizations Select Committees

The negro committee on race rela- tions met yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the St. Johns A. M. E. church, the Rev. l.. G. Duncan, pastor. The Rev. G. l.. Thornton, chairman of the committee, presided and outlined the object of the meeting with very helpful talk, and many good sugges- tions were offered by many of those present for the good of the two south ern races, and especially for this com munity.
 It was agreed that there would be no public mass meetings on race rela- tions until the various white organiza- tions shall have had time to select their committees to cooperate with the col ored committees, and these committees will thrash out in conferences all inn portant questions before going to the public
 All white organizations, as well as the city commission, have been pro- vided with the names of the colored committeeman who make up the colored committee on race relations.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
SUITS FILED


 w. O. Lanning, as administrator for the estate of Mrs. Perusha Beck, de- ceased, filed suit yesterday in the cir cult court against the Illinois Central railway for s1Oo,0o0 damages for personal injuries received by the ineestate at the hands of employees of the railway, when she was struck by an engine at cross- ing on May N, 1918, which later caused her death.
 Earl Chesser yesterday filed suit against the B. R., l.. & P. Co.,, for $lO,0N damages for alleged personal injuries.
 John Lane filed suit against the Bir- miEgham Slag Co.,, for $10,0o0 for alleged personal injuries.
 Bettie and Allen Williams and Repa Flood filed suit separately against the Nolen Coal Co. for s3000 each for all Ieeed personal injuries received March 3, 1919, when they were struck by truck belonging to the company.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
.COMER IS SPEAKER
 AT FIRST SESSION
 FARMERS MEETING
Conference Opened Tester day AfternOOn-Farmers Welcomed on Behalf
 of Governor

Montgomery, March 5-(Special) E. B. Conner. former governor of Ala bama, was the principal speaker at the first session of the Alabama farmers, who are meeting in Montgomery to dis cuss further cotton acreage reductions for the 1919 crop. MT. Conner spoke on the cotton situation. His speech deliv- cred, the meeting adjourned until 6 o'clock Wednesday evening.
 Because of the heavy rain, which started shortly before the scheduled opening. there was delay of about 30 minutes in perfecting the organi- zation. Many Birmingham men failed to arrive until after 12 o'clock. There were present only small number or farmers from the far away cotton growing sections.
 J. o. Thompson, president of the Ala bama Protective association, who called the Montgomery meeting, opened the first session about o'clock. w R. Greene of Montgomery, news paper man, was elected secretary.
 Miles c. Allgood, commissioner of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
YOUNG BOY ROBBED ON THIRD AVENUE
 BY TWO WHITE MEN
While on Way to Visit Sick Mother Boy Is Brutally Treated by
 Thugs and Money Taken

Jessie Freeman, aged 14, who resides at 31S Twenty-fourth street, north. was knocked down and robbed by two un- known white men at Third avenue be- tween Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth streets, about S:3O o'clock last night. Ac- cording to his story, the boy was en route to a local ipfirmary with some par cells for his mother, and when he had reached a dark portion of the street two men approached him and demanded his money.
 After he had given them the money he stated they took the parcels, knocked him down, kicked him, and then told him to get up and run. Members Of the detective force accompanied the boy to the scene of the holdup and made a search of the vicinity, but were unable to get clue to his assailants.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
ROAD CONTROL WILL CONTINUE DESPITE
 CONGRESS- FAILURE
 TO PROVIDE FUNDS
tContinued from Page One)

lines, it is going to be my policy, and with the most cordial cooperation of the Secretary of the Treasury and of the war finance corporation. to try to find every way we can to reimburse the treasury and the railroad administration through getting the corporations to bor- row the money to pay back advances which have been mace and which 1t will be necessary to make to carry out our programme. It is goin:. to be very diffi- cult, but we are approaching 1t with the determination that we will make it succeed in very large extent and that we will get a large measure of patriotic cooperation from all the interests which are affected.
 NO RATE RAISE
 Tn connection with the consideration of this question. there has been do dis cussion of raising rates, either passen- derived from rates goes into operating revenues which primarily are not af- fected by the present situation.
 "In cor nection with necessary financ- ing which will have to be done by the railroad corporations, it is the rule that no such corporate financing be under taken except on certificate of the rail- TOdQ aumlllStTatlOH, anu tHeTcloIo tA0 railroad administration in a sense acts as clearing house for such financing, thus minimizing the danger of financial confusion
 Before the Senate appropriations com mittee, Secretary Glass said last week that railure of the measure appropriating s750, ,0000o0 for the railroads would be disastrous, demoralizing."
 "1t will create a situation in railroad circles" he said, that will amount to practical suspension of activities; inter- fere with the purchasing activities of the administration. It will very greatly im- pair the credit of the railroads. The only alternative that see will be to have the railroads go out into the open market and make loans aggregating nearly S1, 600 900. 600 from the banks. That condi- ton would reflect itself upon the Lib erty Loan, and I think in a disastrous way"
 MT. Hines expressed similar views be- fore the committee.
 It was explained today, however, that with new arrangements for financing the roads, the pessimistic views ex- pressed then do not necessarily hold now.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
PAWNBROKER FINED
 FOR SELLING PISTOLS
 TO BOYS UNDER AGE

Jake Minisman, a pawn broker, at 2210 Second avenue, who was arrested on a charge of disposing of pistols to boys under the age of 21 years, was fined $25 in two cases in recorders court before Judge H. J. Martin yesterday afternoon. The arrest and conviction of the pawn broker grew out of the arrests of J. T. Autry and E. J. Hardin 17-year- old youths who were held on charges of carrying concealed weapons. Upon in- vestigations it was found that they pur- chased the guns from Minisman.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
Peuear and Jen1ison Named
 American Cities Directors

ton: T. H. Tutwiler. Memphis; c. H. Harvey, Knoxville: Robert Jemison, Bir- mingham J. II. CauIdwell. Philadelphia.
 While the gross incorie of the company was much larger than 1917. the net re- ceipts showed a deficit owing to in- creased cost Of fuel and wages according to Lee Benoist, acting chairman of the meeting.
 The American Cities company, a sub sidiary of the United States Gas ana Electric corporation, is itself a holding company. controlling the following prop critics: New Orleans Railway and Light company, Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company. Knoxville Railway and Electric company, Memphis Street Railway company. and the Little Rock Railway and Electric company.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06

New York, March a-(special.) .)-Tentl- tive arrangements for the reorganization of the American Cities company were discussed at a meeting of stockholders held at Jersey City yesterday. Two thirds of the shares were represented by person or proxies, and 1t was decided to hold a meeting March IS for the purpose of reorganizng the corporation.
 At the meeting a new board of direc- tors were elected as follows: F. T. Ho- mer, New York; J. K. Newman, Arsene Perrilliat, E. H. Bright, R.. NJ. Wamsl sy, T. II. Faunders, F. B. Eayne. C. r. Ellis, l.. H. Dink.ns and F. B. Williams of New Orleal-s; Percy Warner. Nashville; J. S. Pevear. Birmingham; D. H. Cam trell, Little Rock; F. D. Parker, Hous-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks
 Is Granted a Divorce
By Associated Press

White Plains, N. r., March 5.-A final decree of divorce in favor of Mrs. Doug las Fairbanks, wife of the motion pie ture actor, was signed today by States Supreme Court Justice Young. The pa pers mentioned a correspondent as an un- known woman. Under the terms of the decree the custody of a child, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., is given to the mother with the provision the father shall be allowed to see him at frequent inter Vals
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
New York Giants to
 Travel by Airplane
By Associated Press

By NssocIafed PFess
 New York, March 5.-Invitation to the New York National baseball team to travel by airplane from New York to for the opening game of the season on April 23 was received to day at club headquarters. Manager Me- Graw, who signified that he would grant his approval, said that the players would make the trip by air at their own volition, however.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
RESTRICTIONS ON
 PORK APPROPRIATION
 ARE NOW REMOVED
tContinued from Page One)

(COntInued from Page NOne) supply of live hogs coming to market in March and April will be greatly re- duced in numbers. The European mar kets are opening rapidly to free trad ing in hog products. and the area to be supplied is being made interestingly accessible. The enemy countries are to be given opportunity to secure hoA products and other foods.
 ''It is possible that as consequence of the general situation the price of hogs and pork may go higher than the stabilized prices which have been and which the food adminis- tration desired to be continued to March 31, next"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
PERSONAL

R. B, Wiley. president of tho Strand Theatre company, operators of the Odeon Two. strand and Colonial thea tres. is visiting Birmingham on busi- ness. He is a resident of Montgomery.
 Col 1T T. Ashford, president of the Birmingham Paint and Glass company, returned to the city yesterday after a months absence at his plantation in Limestone county.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-06
Harvard and West Point
 Game Not Approved
By Associated Press

Cambridge, Mass, March 5.-Refusai of the war department to sanction a football game between Harvard and West Point here on October 25 was an- nounced today by Fred w. Moore, grad uate manager of Harvard athletics. Terms had been agreed upon by the two homogeneous, but were not approved when West Point sent its papers to Washington.