Cap'n Ben Sells Spy Glass to Help War Effort
In Boston a sea captain recounts selling his engraved spy glass to aid the U S navy during wartime. The glass later resurfaces with a letter from a destroyer commander praising its role in saving lives. The tale ends as the captain’s train moves on and he invites a return visit next summer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
New England
Cap’n Ben
Market District
Cap'n
Ben
Cap'n Ben
Uncle Sam
Washington
Germany
Navy Department
Roosevelt
St. Glass
U. S. Navy
MY LETTER TO HIM By EDNA H. M'COY of the Vigilantes
A mother writes to her son serving in the war. She notes pride at home and bravery overseas, balancing homey details with hope for victory. The verse closes with a tearful sign from a mother glad her boy is in the line.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Laddie
Whose Boots Do You Black
A wartime column questions the value of bootblacks during wartime. It contrasts European scarcity and American comfort with domestic boot polishing and asks readers whether polishing boots serves the war effort or if bootblacks should join frontline work to defeat Germany.
The Snaky Peace A Fable
A snake invites a tame squirrel to play and swallows it. The squirrel fights free and asks the man to judge. The snake proposes a hollow log peace talk, but the snake bites the man. The narrator suggests the world should inspect the peace conference.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Eugene H. Blake
The
Vigilantes
New Frocks for the Tiny Girl Inspire Fresh Display
A display of frocks for small girls features plain cottons in light colors with white cuffs and collars, contrasting white frocks with colored trims, and smocking with simple embroidery. Organdie and Swiss organdie dresses appear in light shades with delicate edges, while decorative stitching such as cross, feather, outline, and cat-stitch add quaint touches.
Fall suits show absence of fur trim amid high fur prices
The new fall fashion emphasizes furless suits as high fur costs push women toward long stoles capes and fur overgarments. Manufacturers note continued use of these fur accessories into the fall and winter while conserving materials.
Draped Hats and Metal Ribbon Promise Autumn Millinery
The piece notes draped hats in fabrics and braids as a key autumn style. It highlights metal ribbon in fancy weaves as another notable millinery feature for the season.
When Black Adds
A concise fashion note observes how black trim enhances nearly any white blouse, noting how the contrast elevates style with minimal effort and timeless appeal.
Calico Hats Roar Through Wartime Millinery Trends
Wartime fashion shows feature calico hats fashioned from cotton fabrics in indigo blues and pinks. Designs include square brim coverings with rick rack edging, silk cords and tassels, and sailor-inspired shapes. Crepe and satin options follow, with decorative embroidery and black panne velvet finishes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Calico
Fifth Avenue
Waterproof match safes sold for 94 cents
The text promotes waterproof match safes for soldiers priced at 94 cents in silver finish. It notes usefulness for uniformed men in khaki or blue during summer, including navy personnel, and their value in rainy weather or at sea for lighting a cigarette on surf or crest of a wave.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Army
Navy
Edging Substitutes for Neckwear Decorum
Insertion replaces edging on some neckwear and blouses. One edge is gathered while the other remains straight, offering decorativeness comparable to the common scalloped edge.
Ideas Hard To Eradicate Cold Wind From Different Poles
The piece explores how terms like North and South are relative and depend on position. It uses a pole scene where A at the North Pole says the wind is southerly while B, a few steps away on the opposite hemisphere, calls it northern. Both statements are correct in their frames of reference.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Equator
South Pole
North Pole
Norway
Pole
America
Polar Point
Enjoy Singing in Chorus for Children and Community
The article celebrates children's participation in chorus and notes how group singing boosts confidence and expression. It contrasts childhood choir involvement with adult choirs and argues for early musical experience to foster personal and group strength.
Rescuing Fish by the Bureau of Fisheries
The bureau rescues flood carried fish from inland overflow lakes and releases them back into streams to preserve valuable food fish. Gangs under the fisheries bureau gather stranded fish after floods and cast them into rivers or streams to sustain fisheries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bureau of Fisheries
Bureau
Fisheries Bureau
Yiddish Language Roots and Modern Usage Across Regions
The excerpt explains Yiddish as a central European Jewish dialect blending corrupted Hebrew with German elements. It notes migration to Great Britain and elsewhere, its near global spread, and a shift from Hebrew Uncial to cursive script. For religious use, ancient Hebrew retains strict adherence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Great Britain
Sailor’s Name Sparks Fatal Shipwreck Misread Command
A large steamer bound from Rotterdam wrecked after the captain called a sailor named West to go below. The second officer misheard the name as a westward course change, steering onto a dangerous shoal. The error led to the vessel's peril and loss.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rotterdam
Not Hatched. Visitor-Has Your Baby Sister Teeth?
A playful exchange about a baby sister's teeth with Tommy insisting she has them though not yet hatched, while a visitor notes she may already have them. The dialogue captures a humorous parental teasing moment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tommy
Husband Saves Wife With Pinkham Compound
Mrs. Jas. Rohrberg of Pittsburgh credits Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound with curing months of weakness causing backache and headaches. She says her husband bought three bottles after a friend saw the advertisement, and after two bottles she felt well. The notice urges other women with similar ailments to try the product and write for information.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pittsburgh
Lydia E. Pinkham
Jas. Rohrberg
N.S
Lydia E. Pie
Lynn, Mass
Speaking at a meeting Treadway recalls wartime economy anecdote
Congressmen Allen T. Treadway of Massachusetts tells a wartime economy joke about a man at a restaurant who removes his clothes to reach a tiny island of mutton in an Irish stew. The tale illustrates economic frugality with humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allen T. Treadway
Massachusetts
Philadelphia Telegraph
Rent Collector Interrogates Child at Locked House
A rent collector knocks at a house three times with no answer. After a fourth knock an urchin answers and says all adults are out. the man plans to sit by the fire, but the boy notes the fire is out too.
Had Well Remembered Apple Caution
A little girl, Beth, avoids a neighbor’s apple offering citing fear of freckles as a contagious risk. Her mother had warned children about contagious diseases from playmates during last winter. Beth’s caution reflects wary behavior prompted by parental guidance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Beth
Rafale Spell Ends Longstanding Alphabet Run
Rafale, an enduring symbol of the ancient alphabet, remains reserved for magical use, its lesson echoing through time as a spellbound tradition persists in cultural lore.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Cap’n
Him
Edna H. M’coy
the Vigilantes
Harrison Rhodes
Bootblack
Pater Familias
Ft the
Husband
Ford
F. ST. Lows
Daisy Fly Killer
Rich Delta Farm
Cincinnati
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!