davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
Variety In Rice Make
 This Standby Pdldtdble

There are almost as many ways of cooking rice as there are cook books, and more than one heated argument has been carried on between efficient housewives over the method of cooking this cereal The trouble is that most of us think that our own way is the only way. We scorn other ways and like to think that to cook it in any way but our own is to make it less wholesome.
 Steaming It.
 There are some who hold out in favor of steamed rice They insist that the only way to cook rice is in double boiler. To do this they put two or three cups of water in the top of a double boiler. season it with a half teaspoon of salt and then add two or three tablespoons of washed rice Per haps they have the water boiling be- fore they add the rice, but as soon as the rice is cooking they place the top of the double boiler over water and let 1t cook thus for an hour or so Of course rice cooked in this way should not be drained It is more or less mushy, according to the amount of water. Sometimes additional hot water IS duueQ uuTlIlS the COOKlnS process. Many persons like this sort of cooked rice in place of a usual breakfast food". When you cook rice for young children. of course it should always be cooked in this way, the baby and chill dren specialists holding that four hours of this sort of cooking is necessary for a child under six years old. Usually it need not be strained for children when cooked in this way
 If you are going to make rice cro- quettes or rice mould, you will usually find it more convenient to steam it. For delicious rice croquette to be served with sugar Or syrup for des- sert or with the meat course in lieu of potato. steam rice in this way and when slightly cooled but still warm add beaten egg yolk, pepper and salt to taste and. set in cold place to be- come firms You can then mould the rice into the, desired croquette shapes. roll in egg white and cracker. crumbs or corn meal, and fry in deep fat.
 There are as many persons who con- tend that every grain of rice should be separate when the rice is cooked as there are those who will have it
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

mode of hair arrangement now that IS quite so distinctive and interesting.
 Some of the younger girls who are going in for the crinoline effect in frocks are wearing their hair parted in the middle with soft curled roll over each ear from which hang the pendants of long earring. The lair is smooth ly knotted at the back and a high spanish comb is placed at the top of this knot with the spreading top towering up at the back of the head.
 Charming but in quite different way, is the turbaned effect that is seen in the little bubble just above the lady with the Spanish comb. It reminds one Of the revival of the Indian turban that took place in the Napoleonic era, the effect being produced by twists of gorgeous striped Oriental silk, and from above each ear hang down strands Of pearls that pass under the chin and are looped up in gorgeous profusion at the right side
 The wreath of flowers that crowns the head and spreads profusely over the right ear that you see below this came from Paris, where the artificial floral wreath has met with great vogue for evening. With this the hair is worn simply but with considerable full ness and the effect is decidedly youth
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
WATERPROOF VELVET.

From your friends at Palm Beach or other winter resorts you may have heard that among the smartest of the new bathing suits are those that are made of velvet. A gray velvet bathing suit created quite a storm of admira- ton not long ago. Unfortunately we were not told whether the wearer of it ever did get into the water with it or not. But presumably it is made with some notion of it's suitability for water.
 Waterproof velvet at any rate is something that has recently been of fered us for the first time, and it has found an acceptable place in the mak- ing of sport things. There are charm ing little velvet caps and hats that are offered for spring sports and may be worn in rain with impunity that are entirely made of this waterproof velvet.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
Does the Germ Theory
 Influence Our Manners? :?


% ID it ever occur to you that one
 of the very good reasons why we eat with forks and spoons and not with our fingers is because of germs and the possibility of contract ing disease through bacteria that might be--and usually are-lodged on our own fingers?
 In the public schools of the Philip pine Islands there is a thorough course in good behavior that is as important @ part of the school work as reading and writing. One of the things that the native children are taught first is the use of the fork and the reason they are given for the importance of its use is because without it they might take disease germs into their systems. To be the more convinced of the import ance of the fork they are told of some prisoners in government prison who were too old and set in their habits to adopt the use of the fork, and be- cause they used their hands instead they contracted some dreadful disease. Now, the children are told, prisoners who are too old to be taught the use of the fork have to cleanse their hands before every meal with strong anti septics.
 Our Hands Would Be Sticky, Too. < Of course another very good reason why society imposes the knife, fork and spoon upon us is that our hands would become dreadfully sticky if we attempted to eat without the aid of these implements. Three or four hun dred years ago before even persons of wealth had enough forks and spoons to go around one of the greatest prob lems of table etiquette was that of eat ing without getting the hands covered with food. In order to do this there was plentiful supply of napkins. One old courtesy book tells the reader that it is absolutely necessary when dining al court to keep the hands clean. There are three ways of doing this says the book One is to keep wiping them on a napkin. If there are no napkins, then you must wipe them on your bread and If not upon the bread. you must lick your fingers, which is the worst way of the uncomely." Owing to the shortage of forks and spoons, it was considered very cour- teous two hundred years and more ago to lend such forks and spoons as you had at your place to others at table However, when you returned forks and | spoons so civilly lent you, says an old time authority. you should first wipe | them on your napkin so that the one you returned them to might not hesi- | tate in using them again.
 l We have progressed a good deal from 1 those days, but we still eat some foods quite correctly with fingers It is all
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
PAINTED FLOORS.

Colored baseboards are a pleasing change from the usual dark oak, and have the effect of increasing the ap- parent floor space when ,toning with the color of the carpet. A blue floor with a blue rug and skirting boards will look larger than if stained dark brown.
 A point often omitted from consider ation when the small house is being decorated is the vista from one room -o another. Doors are frequently left onen and the resulting view of badly barmonized patterns and eolors is not ,,laasing as it would be if the progress ,sion of the colors had been studied
 And this harmony produces ieeLns of space and lack or restriction which ,,oh needed in the small house.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

no way but steamed. To cook it this way you should have the water in which it is boiled slightly salted and bubbling actively when the washed drained rice is added. Then see that the rice keeps bubbling. For this reason you should have a brisk fire under the kettle all the time it is cook ing. You should use quite large kettle. too. so that the water may boil briskly without boiling over. After draining the water when the rice is done there are some cooks who say that it should be quickly drained in cold water to remove the particles of starch that might make the grains stick together. After having done this the rice should be put in a shallow bake dish and placed in the over for little while to reheat
 Here is the method for cooking rice given by skilled English cook: Take a four-quart pan fhree-parts full of water. Bring it to boiling point with dessert-spoon of salt and the juice of half lemon. Wash the rice and dry it, place four ounces of it in the boil ing water. Put jug of cold water handy. Stir the rice now and then In ten minutes test the rice by pinch ing a few grains between the finger and thumb. When soft, add cold water to stop the boiling at once, drain. return the dry rice to a dry, hot pan. Shake we'll cover with a napkin, set on a cool part of the stove and shake occasionally. Serve hot and dry. Each grain should be we'll swollen and separate from the others.
 The Chinese Way.
 But for rice cooking there is little doubt that the Chinese are ahead of the rest of us. And why shouldn't they be? They have been seeking it since the dawn of civilization. If there is any culinary trick that they ought to have down pat it is rice cooking. As matter of fact they are extremely skillful in matters culinary and gastri- homie. And there are epicureans who would rather have dish a rice cooked by skilled Chinese cook than caviar or green turtle any time
 How do they do it? It seems simple enough, and in some of the Chinese restaurants you are urged to go out into the kitchen to see the cooks at ] work. You see the rice kettle boiling
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

ways food so firm and compact that there is no danger of soiling our fin gers by doing so and apparently no reason not to do so on the ground of possible germs that might be lurking even on the fairest of hands.
 Thus we always eat toast wafers bread and cake with the fingers, break ing off a morsel of the right size and not biting into the entire piece Cheese of the harder sorts is often eaten with the fingers. It may more conveniently be cut and laid on a wafer or eaten with a fork. We also eat candies with the fingers, though it is best not to eat figs or dates in that way unless they have been rolled in sugar so as to keep them from being sticky.
 As to Handkerchiefs.
 Among the ancient Greeks it was considered an act of very bad man. ners to blow the nose except in pri- vate. And SO no doubt, it would with us today if it were not for the fact that such are the imperfections of our nasal organs that good many persons would have to live the lives of hermits-at least during the cold seasons-if they were so fastidious as the Greeks It really is too bad that we have to be slaves to handkerchiefs, but since we do. the best thing is to manage the handkerchief as gracefully and with as little cause for offense as possible.
 Most of our rules for the use of the handkerchief are based more on the germ theory than on arbitrary eti- auette. In years gone by when less was known of the communicableness of colds gentlemen of quality carried lace handkerchiefs which they took pains to flourish. A man was consid- cred very nice indeed if his handker- chief went to the wash once week. Nowadays the best sort of handkerchief is the most sanitary. It may be that before we are off the boards paper handkerchiefs will come into general use and that will be another step to- ward perfectly hygienic manners.
 The habit among Englishmen of tuck ing the handkerchief up the sleeve when not in use--frequently seen by us Americans on the stage-is really not very hygienic. A pocket is a much better place for it. Besides, the Amer ican who affects that practice is put down as flop in most sets. He might as well affect a monocle
 Frenchmen take their manners more seriously than we do. At least they go about acquiring good manners de- liberately whereas we somehow feel that they are things we can absorb through contact with well-bred per sons. In the French books on good usage there is very explicit direction as to the use of the handkerchief II
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
WHAT DO YOU CALL THEM?

We used to call them matinees, be- cause we wore them in the morning, and the latest thing seems to be to call them ''liseusesa because we wear them when reading letters and maga- zines and the morning paper in bed before we get up. That is, We do ideally. though if through necessity we are of the sort who spring from bed at the summons of an alarm clock with the prospect of getting breakfast be- fore us or of catching a train or speed ing youngsters off to school or pour ing an early rising husband off to busi- ness we don't actually wear them when reading letters in bed, but We call them discusses all the same.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

More matronly is the bead bandeau right of it is another version of the that supports a straight beaded feather that stands up from the crown slightly to the left of the middle of the fore head. Another mode that you might consider suitable only for the more mature woman but which nevertheless is affected by many of the younger girls is the front bandeau of cut jet with heavy jet bead tassels hanging at each side over the ears.
 Above it is little gauge cap made with a frame of bead work. At the side are tips of ostrich that snuggle
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

V. .TITH the coming of spring the MAI Roman maidens of old went out
 w beyond the city gates to the woods and groves to gather blossoms and fresh green leaves with which to plait wreathes for their heads and in more than one old springtime custom in England you see the primitive de- sire on the part of the younger, femi- nine contingency to deck the hair fam tastically in the spring of the year. The desire is still with us and no sooner has the school or college girl tackled the all-important question of the spring hat or hats than she feels this yearning to do something new and interesting to her hair. And at dances at this time of the year you are bound to see some interesting experiments in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

Simplicity.
 There have been all sorts of fads irs bedrooms. Women have gone in ratherS energetically to produce interesting pc riod effects in their bedrooms lately There have been French bedrooms and Colonial bedrooms and bedrooms fur-N nished in Georgian. Queen Anne and even in Mission. Egyptian bedrooms have appealed immensely to some wom- en with secret admiration for that little brown skinned vampire Cleopatra But the latest fad in bedrooms of ali one that has taken quite a hold withs young English girls, by the way, isl the Spartan bedroom.
 At any rate. the fad has the advan- tage of being an economical one. for bedroom furnishings are high and al style in decoration that scorns any, thing but the plainest, simplest hang ings, looks upon more than one pictures on the wall as superf1uous and scornsl cushions and pillows, footstools andl soft seductive lamp shades. isn't goings to need a fat purse for achievement No need for soft down quilts andI luxurious mattresses. A good wool' army blanket seems to be the ideal besa covering for the Spartan bedroom an* a thin hair mattress laid upon goo springs answers the purpose of the. bed itself
 Doubtless 1t is all but a natural rel action. We had been treated to the frilled, be-ruffied, Pompadour bedroom ad museum. The recent crop of bed-. room plays has left us in no uncer- tainty as to the proper furnishing of this sort of bedroom in every detail, from the chaise tongue with it's lacel trimmed cover to the bed tray froml which to sip your matutinal chocolate But in the Spartan bedroom there arel no couches Or chaise Tongues. A singleI chair at the foot of the bed and that straight and not too inviting one isl all that the Spartan room provides, and of course breakfast in bed is something that simply doesn't happen in the 1 Spartan bedroom, because the up-to- date Spartan young woman doesn't take breakfast in bed. She is up be- times in the morning. Like Diana of Poitiers she is off with the dawn and leaves lolling abed for weaker sisters who are built on less heroic lines.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
md
 exchanging flowers,

the way of head dress and most of them are charming, for we seem, in spite of our ear horns and puffs, to have achieved considerable taste in the way we arrange our hair.
 In many cases the inspiration comes from the hair arrangement of some favorite cinema star, for almost every girl tries at one time or another to do her hair up as does her favorite nov ing picture actress
 Perhaps it is parted in the middle, for several of the most beautiful of film stars achieve real success with this trying mode of arrangement-try- ing because except with really beauti- ful face it is usually not so becoming as is the side part. However. if you can "get away with it" there is no
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

on the broad range. You watch the performance and you ask a few Ques- tions and are answered with Mon golian politeness by the grinning cook. Then you buy some of the rice in pack ages that is for sale at counter at the side of the restaurant And you go home impatient to cook it just as the Chinese cook did. But you follow directions-and the rice doesn't taste the same. We'll, it may be a trick that you didn't observe and that the chef didn't tell you, but then can you blame him?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
ORANGE AND LEMON.

The housewife Is only just beginning to realize the decorative value of black. Used alright, it is neither dull nor de- pressing, but gives an added value to the brighter colors near it.
 Yellow is being much used by mod ern decorators, especially in conjunc- ton with grey, one successful sun room having grey walls and bareboards. painted furniture of lemon and orange yellows, and a rug in which golden browns and tawny yellows were mira8 gled with a dash of orangs.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
With Spring Comes a Yearning
 to Deck the Hair FdntdStiCdlly

down over the left ear and cheek be- witchingly And above this to the French floral wreath, only in this case the flowers, consisting of shaded blue and red morning glories, are placed all at the back of the bandeau.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21

should be taken from the pocket with out flourish, says one French au- thority writing few years ago. One should never examine the handkerchief but should use it as quickly as possi- ble. turning the head meanwhile. The -sreful person uses only one side of the handkerchief, always crumbling the used side in as he returns it to his pocket" All this is very good advice.
 A word about sneezing. With all we know about the dangers of spreading cold germs by this means it is almost inexcusable to sneeze at all in public. A firm pressure of the finger on the upper lip will always avert sneeze. It may be tantalizing to suppress a sneeze. but it is the only charitable thing to do. If you can't avoid it at least cover the nose with a handker chief and avert the face In the days when persons used to wish each other good health when they sneezed appar ently the act was looked upon as one worthy of note. Now it is considered i'll bred to mention the fact in passing.
 The Retort Courteous to Sneeze.
 In book of courteous behavior writ ten some two hundred years ago to give advice to a young man newly in- troduced to court society in London, I find this passage worth quoting here:
 If his lordship chances to sneeze, you are not to bawl out: God bless you. sir but pulling off your hat. to bow to him handsomely" Moreover, says this authority when you sneeze you should do it as quietly as possible and mot shake the very house as some vulgar persons do.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
Spartan
 Bedrooms

New Fad Among Young Girls is tos Forego Frills and to Furnish Their Bedrooms with the Utmost Simplicity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
When You
 Go Travelling

Remember That You Don't Own dhe Train You Travel in and Then Your Fellow Passengers Will Be Happy.
The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-09-21

Strictly speaking this is perhaps
not beauty falkland yet what is
moro beautiful to the average woman
than a man who loves her and a
home of her own?
a good many girls write to me to
know the reason why they do not
attract men.
l am persuaded it is not a ques-
ton of beauty alone, for some Of
the photographs enclosed are very
good looking, and besides one of the
homeliest young women ever knew
had the most proposals. No, the rea-
son is more a mental one. and so I
am going to tell you about Mary--a
The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-09-21
k:A{{a5s5laNa 6! ! s. EaIi&t5A
~ EkN@9I&s BWPTlSNIld Dean

cry nice pleasant sort Of girl w'.o
came to me almost with tears IN her
eyes and asked me why 10 men ever
gave her invitations ana why she
sp,Lt lonely evenings instead Of GO.
ing 10 dances, dinners and thca.ers
like others.
at isn't that want anything-er err
serious" she faltered flushing pain
fully and looking around to be sure
that no one overheard her. 81 mean,
| don't expect every man l meet to
propose to me, but | crtainly would
like to have good time like other
girls!" and she ended her statement
in an agony of self consciousness.
1t is pretty hard to explain to
such a girl the secret of charm and
how unfair it is because some girl
babies have it even in the cradle and
others grow to womanhood without
ever discovering it's existence. But
just because I liked Mary and
wanted to see her if possible happy
in a home Of her own, / made up my
mind to watch her and see what was
wrong with the impression she Gre
ated. --s~~
And the first thing / noticed which
made me frown, was that she was
so painfully anxious to please. When
a man addressed a careless remark
to her, instead Of answering it in
kind with a laugh and waiting for
him to renew the conversation or
else going on her way with a smile
and a nod, she seemed to grow tense
all over. Her voice became strained
and artificial, she laughed too loud,
The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-09-21

she might even now become attrac
tive and graceful. But as it stands.
Mary is not PLEASANT to men, and
bids fair to spend her life unloyed
and unsought because she is not a
good playmate and good listener,
and because she is SO intent on nail
ing every man she sees that she ig-
nores the fact that bit of graceful
The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-09-21

culiarities-all self-centered people
do. She will boone catty also.
blaming others instead Of herself
for her lack of popularity. Mary's
mentality is like her dancing, stiff
jointed and devoid of grace. If l
could only make her loosen up, stop
thinking of herself and stop brood
ing over the effect she is creating,
The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1920-09-21
laughing indifference is the best
habit in the world to attract much
hunted and rather wary ssx.

1t makes a married man mad to
think that his wife will believe a
strange preacher who tells her that
Jonah swallowed the whale, yet ,
won't believe her own husband when }
be comes home after midnight.