The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-26
MEN, W0rrEN
 AND THINGS

The other morning 1 came down to the office and sat down and wrote my column
 and got up and went down to the Tut
 wiler to see if I could run across any
 out-of-town friends, but it was an off
 day.
 Lunch time came, and I ate and then
 moved along downtown. looking for some
 thing to write about, but nothing turned
 Up. I loafed awhile in the stores, and
 bought a few little personal trinkets and joshed' the heads of the departments,
 and chatted with some of the proprietors
 l then tried the streets again, and went
 from picture show to picture show. but somehow I was out of tune for anything
 being shown. I thought perhaps the vaude- vile houses might tempt me, but after
 looking over the bills, no act had the slightest appeal and so I turned back
 towards the office.
 ! Learning that there was no ball game scheduled, I picked up book and tried | to get interested in it, but soon laid it
 down. Then I had happy idea. It was this: Why not pay visit to the dentist and get through with him before the hot
 weather sets in? Willing to follow lead
 of any kind, was soon in his office
 and in his chair.
 | I have been a protege of dentists all
 my life, for from my earliest childhood was placed under their tender care. Sometimes when I get time I want to write a book about Dentists I Have Met" It would at least be the means of
 recalling to me much that I have suf- fered at their hands. I cant say that 1
 am sorry that in the course of human events l had two sets of teeth given to
 me, but my! they are lot of trouble. | Perhaps after all, the rage of doctors
 to send their patients to- dentists to have | their teenth extracted is after all a hu- l knows but that in some far away day toothless race will be evolved? I do not
 mean the happy hour will come in "The last scene of all,
 That ends this strange eventful history,
 In second childishness and mere oblivion,
 Sans teeth, sans eyes, and sans every thing"
 Now, I am neither called upon nor do l feel myself competent to pass upon the
 sacrifcial act which physicians are now advising their patients to make in the way of an offering of their teeth to ap- pease the devil of rheumatism and other diseases which afflict mankind. I am afraid that the shelling of teeth does not always placate the evil genius who in- flicts us with pains and aches. Any way, I like the honesty of dentist of my &C., quaintance who refused to pull bunch of good molars out of the jaws of wom- an just because her doctor had told her to have it done.
 He told her that the ones the Lord had bestowed upon her were very much better than any he could make for her, and that if her physician insisted on hav- ing them removed after what he had told her. his advice would be for her to try another medical adviser, and see if he couldn't locate her trouble or lay the blame on something else besides her teeth. which were perfectly sound and func- tioning as nature had intended that they should. He realized that in being so frank that he would lose a patient, and
 give offense to well-known doctor. l
 would give his name, but it might cause
 him to be blacklsted by certain physi- clans
 This may sound rather strange from one who is about to confess that he has recently parted with one of his jaw teeth To be more exact, with an upper wisdom tooth. My excuse for so doing came about not because I felt that it was poisoning my system and subjecting me to all kinds
 of diseases, but from the fact that 1 had about used it up, and felt about 1t like Sam Jones did his preachers license,s for when the bishops at one time threat ened to revoke them unless he was more careful, he said with wink, 'I have preached so long with them that some how I feel like I can get along very we'll "Aehoul eioii. lclt as II ndu eX- tracted all the wisdom there was in my tooth by that name and that it was use- less to give it room rent free in my mouth any longer.
 I hinted in the early part of this story that I went to my dentist because was ennuied and wanted action It was in my mind to make him make me forget my boredom. I let him fill two teeth and came very near going to sleep in his chair and rather complained that he
 didn't seem able to make me sit up and
 take notice. It was a bit of braggadocio which I repented of later, for it rather nettled and stung him to say If you are feeling so frisky, how about removing that wisdom tooth you've been hanging fire on for the past five years?" Hating to take dare, I replied I'm game if you are,' and he called my bluff
 I realize that unless you have recently parted with one or more of your jaw teeth I will get no sympathy out Of you, but Pm sure I have at least one good friend who will be affected by the recital, and his name is George Stuart. He knows, for some months back caught him leaning up against the side of the First National Bank after having set-to with a man who wielded the wicked for ceps and I stood by and gave him what comfort and cheer I could. Those of you who have escaped can laugh to your hearts content, but some day you'll be ashamed of it. but am Christian enough to hope it will be long in coming.
 oln in iS fa lov