Souvenir Fanatics Show Craze Across Society
Bertha Reynolds MacDonald traces a rash of souvenir fever from a New York cafe theft of a pewter cream pot to a Pittsburgh luncheon mischarge over missing spoons and a naval christening banquet with scarce tableware. The piece lampoons collectors who fear real thieves while themselves stealing keepsakes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
M.’s
Pittsburg
United States
Bertha Reynolds MacDonald
Bohemian Magazine
Meeting Night Dither In Georgia Negro Society
A Georgia man recalls a negro literary society meeting where a proposal to move gatherings from Tuesday to Friday sparked disputes. The club's president finally declared in earnest that he does not care which night the society meets, but he personally prefers Tuesday. Also cited are quotes on diet and national greatness, contrasting fish eating with meat eating nations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Georgia
St. Paul
London Globe
Beating a Retreat Proverb Exchange at Fort Washington
A Fort Washington exchange ponders the question what is necessary to beat a retreat. An old military man asks for speed to retreat faster than opponents and a witty reply follows. An Italian proverb notes evils that are passed should not be mourned.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fort Washington
Philadelphia Press
Rescue Plot for Napoleon Averted After Death
A writer in the Magazine of History recalls a proposed rescue of Napoleon from St Helena led by General Lallemand and a band including Lafitte. The plan involved a fleet from Lafitte, a Field of Asylum colony near the Texas Trinity River, and 100000 acres granted on Tombigbee lands. The enterprise halted when Napoleon died before completion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Helena
Magazine of History
Atlantic
Admiral Cockburn
Ascension
United States
England
Napoleon
New Orleans
Lallemand
Waterloo
France
Philadelphia
Lallemands
Tombigbee
Trinity River
Texas
Baron Rigaud
St. Louis
Lafitte
Bordeaux
Jackson
Galveston
Charleston
Boissiere
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bertrand
Anarchist Question Sparks Dinner Debate
A family conversation at dinner explores the meaning of anarchist with a quip about blowing up. The child asks if the mother is an anarchist, while a political remark reflects on constituent gratitude and compensation for services.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Little Willie
Argonaut
A Case For Harry and Cleverton Proposal Quote
The passage presents a witty dialogue about a marriage proposal and its costs. Cleverton hires a taximeter cab to propose. Miss Calumet asks for time to think and warns about expenses, framing life as a journey with heat but a contented heart.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harry. Cleverton
Psychic Forces and Doubt in Seance Evidence
Hamlin Garland quotes scientists Richet Maxwell and others in Everybody's Magazine on Zollner’s fourth dimension and psychic phenomena. They doubt certainty follows demonstration, while suggesting future discoveries may reveal orderly natural forces behind séances.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Zollner
Richet
Maxwell
Hamlin Garland
Everybody’s Magazine
Cube Root Extraction Without Pain, a Rant
A humorous column extols learning cube root extraction, mocking poor methods and urging teachers to teach it well. It riffs on the old pedagogy, warns of “muck rakers,” and touts mental arithmetic as a social asset, citing playful exaggerations about anaesthetics and gapes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Simson
Strickland W. Gillilan
Chicago News
A Genuine Grouch Ridicules Neighbors in Morning Meeting
A farmer named James greets a friend with fixed grumbling about others who do not work. The friend compliments the weather and farm, but James retorts that only those not digging in it see any good. He quips about his wife’s condition, implying a harsh remark about domestic affairs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James
Thomas
London Family Herald
Caesar's Rubicon Marked as Crossing Into Italy
The Rubicon defined as the small stream separating ancient Italy from Cisalpine Gaul. Caesar crossed it with an armed force, stepping from his province into Italy and becoming an invader by law.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rubicon
Ancient
Italy
Cisalpine
Gaul
Caesar
Measles Puns Spark Professor Child Exchange
A playful Chicago Tribune exchange shows a professor asking a boy if he has the measles. The boy replies with a pun stating he has the measle, noting there is only one of them.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
Precocious Young Editor Quits Wastebasket Impetuousness
A light exchange from Lippincott's Magazine shows a pair of editors debating a child’s suitability for editing. The first praises ambition, while the second notes the boy’s habit of discarding every item he touches into the wastebasket.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lippincott’s
Bray’s Mythical Vicar in Bray Derbyshire Connection
The Bray in Derbyshire is famed for the Vicar of Bray ditty though parish records fail to prove the cleric’s name Simon Alley or the tale’s accuracy per Fuller’s Worthies of England. The piece notes many places claim fame via songs but often lack solid evidence in local registers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bray
Derkshire
Fuller
England
Simon
London Musical Home Journal
A Strenuous Task
A witness pleads for a recess after two hours on the stand confessing fatigue and honesty. The exchange highlights the strain of courtroom testimony and the tension of judicial proceedings described in the Atlanta Constitution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta Constitution
Shattered Hopes Confession in Family Tension
A Chicago News dialogue scene shows a man seeking reassurance from a woman about her father’s praise. She reveals the praise is insincere and meant to torment his wife, highlighting family strain and deceptive affection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago News
Eyewitnesses Cite Blind Uncle in Brentford Case
In Brentford county court a judge asked for witnesses to a accident. A man replied that his uncle would testify but he is blind and not present. The brief exchange highlights the challenge of obtaining testimony in the case.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brentford
London Telegraph
Take Care of the Pennies in Grief and Joy
A fragmentary exchange contrasts money and mood with a dollar value of a million and a quip about counting every million. The tone mirrors a newspaper snippet with droll wit and brief dialogue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gobta Golde
Mydass
New York Press
Also Mentioned on This Page
Payton
Rosenburg Block
Wenatchee
Chicago
Omaha
Kansas City
Salt Lake City
J. R. Nagel
Seattle
Wash
WM. McMurray
Gen
Portland
Oregon
Estes Valley Orchards
A. F. Estes
Washington
E. H. D. Webb
J.J. Wilt
A. J. Adams
Senator Sorghum
Washington Star
Vandyck
Eagle
Draying, Piano
the Palmetto
Wenatchee Ave
H. J. Kimmel
South King Street
W. M. Rice
Leavenworth Liveryman
Chelan
Rice the Liveryman
Mission Street
Lake Wenachee
Lake Wenatchee
Chiwaukum
Oliver Bates
Aubrey de Vere
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!