davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning times., 1896-03-29

hibited within its somber walls, like King
Henry in the song, never Will again.
The building is given up 10 things an
thrOpological. Here one comes to study
the natural history of the human species,
and the points of similarity existing be.
tween the lower animals and lower man.
In the language Of the street Arab, an
thropology is bird
Before you study this subject you must
have learned all about history, physiolo-
gy and geology. If you would go even
deeper you must be able to unreel the his.
tory OF things treated of in ornithology,
oology, conchology and the different otlaer
branches of zoology. Besides being Conver-
SAINT with all the topics ending in ology
you must wear your hair unkempt and
long and train your tongue SO it will be
caress with the familiarity of an old love
words of a dozen syllables.
You must become enraptured with the
hidden history extracted from long-buried
image, and read as from book the touch-
ing events in the life of a neurological
specimen.
The prospect was not inviting to the two
And since their nervous systems had UNDER
gone such shock in the snake room, they
were not in train physically to take a
course in antlropology. But they braved
The morning times., 1896-03-29
Habitues of the Smithsonian.

Just as the library has it's bookworms,
the Smithsonian has its thin-haired habitual
students.
At the very threshold they ran against
one of these ultramundane individuals. He
was deciphering the hieroglyphics Of the
The morning times., 1896-03-29

III the passage OF one swirl aIte1uOon,
but when he tackled reptiles he was flooTed,
and from that moment he slowly descended
through the different grades OF decreasing
informationuntil he rcachedthe plane where
the scribe was able TO converse with him
undcrstandingly.
Upon receiving a solicitatlon from within,
they brushed through the door and were
pleasantly greeted by courteous man,
with sleeves rolled up TO his armpits, who
proved to be DR.. T.
His gloomylittle workshop was lined with
shelves and cabinets ard drawers, and each
of these was the receptacle for jars, great
and small, containing everything OF any
importance that creepS upon this earth OF
ours. The scribe was by no means enthuSl-
asric. There were snakes, poisonous and
otherwise, to the right and to the left of
him. Al his elbow a scorpion and lizard
showed their ugly selves, and Oh the table
in front of him We're strewn reptiles of all
degrees OF hideousness, pied up like a fish
market, preparatory to being replaced in
jars Of fresh alcohol.
The snakemaD was so wrapped up with
his pet vocation aud his grovelers that TO
the scribe even his smile, which was often
provoked by the latter's quaking before the
close inspection He insisted upon, seemed
rcptiliOuS.
Here is little reptile said he, fish
ing about in n huge jar with his hand. ITS
an amphibia OF the genus Rama, and is dis
tinguished by having no scales and by un-
dergoing a complete metamorphosis, the
young having gillS.''
Potomac Flat Product.
THAT must be some frightful animal"
thought the scribe. The student evol show
cd a lowered color. And they backed away
from him as from one who had the plague.
He is from the Potomac flats" con-
tinued the snake man, at the same time
dropping a bullfrog upon the table.
From another jar was produced a MolOch
lizard, in its external appearance one OF
the most ferociouS of reptiles, with
horny head ard body which gave it a most
formidable look. After the frog scare the
student put oD bold front and examined
the MoloCh in lis own hands, and thus en-
couraCcd, the snake man brought forth
few squamose ScincoidiauS, saurians, whose
ugly bodies and long tails made the SCribe's
blood run cold. Other 'beautifur' speci-
mems, including rattlesnakes. blue racers,
salamanders and the latter's i:deous cousin,
the aXolotl, were heaped upon the out
stretched hands OF the student
Here is a specimen of rare beauty. No
tice its beautiful markings. It's flesh is
eaten in South America, and it II axes
most interesting pet" a a herbivorous
iguana, with crested beak and row of
spikes following the spine to the tip OF
its long tail was added TO the studenCs col
lection the scribe concluded it would in
deed make an Interesting pet.
A night prOwling geeko, named from the
sound it produces and one which climbs
on walls and ceilings with alacrity, and
then disappears as if by magic, was also
placed on the heap.
This serpent" began the snake man,
after deal of hunting in dark corners.
lis a basilisk" He glanced with no good
intent toward the scribe. with his fingers
reaching for the bottom OF a large Jar
that hid his arm from shoulder down.
The morning times., 1896-03-29


glances, alleged that its Kissing would
drive away all other serpents, and that its
breath, and even its look was fatal
Enough Is Enough.
But the scribe heard no more.
When the student finally unloaded him
self and emerged from the gruesome place
he found that individual gazing skyward,
occasionally glancing furtively about him
and particularly in the direction of the
doorway which emitted him, calculating
on the probable age OF the giant paper
squid which is suspended from the ceiling
in The hall below devoted 10 fish and
things fishy.
Il fell creepy" said the scribe, as he
approached.
80 do l." came the answer.
Lets take in the Smithsonian" said
the scribe. "Fhercs plenty of room over
there and-and nothing ophiomorphous."
The student nodded assent and mum
bcd something to himself, while feeling
for his pocket dictionary.
To that institution the two hied them
selves.
Architccturally the Smithsonian differs
from the National Museum as a terrapin
from a woodcock. It's exterior is cold and
uninviting, and it is the most serious place
on the face OF the earth. Those who enter
there leave fun behind, and those who
hay the time 10 study the mysteries ex"
The morning times., 1896-03-29

Retracing their steps past eases filled
yith specimens OF taxldcrmal art, they
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
LAWYERS BUIs.

From the Washington Post.
an exceedingly interesting controversy
Is in progress az New York city at pres
rnt. y dentist sued a lawyer for bill
amounting to $50 and the lawyer retail.
iated by a counter claim of $l,On0. Tb->
dentist claims that he found an ulcerat--Ss
tooth in the lawyers jaw and gave 4 -:
tailed statement of treatment while -
lawyer asserts that the treatment -
worthless and holds himself 10 have be-S
damaged. He goes further and itemizsS-s
the damages.
In the bill Of damages submitted to the
court the first item is for filing molar,
90. This appears excessive. How the
nling of Il tooth could do $50 worth of
injury is mysterious. "One jab of nerve,
$h.' is the next item. but this is de-
cided Improvement on the filing and can
be more appreciated by the public. Two
hours hammering" is charged Up at 500,
preserving intact the $50 scale, but "one
hours eXcavating. $75." breaks the record
and increases the rate of damage 80 per
cent "One hours prodding gum. $l5g'
shows rapidly ascending scale, and two
hours mental anguish beneath rubber nap
kin. Se0," displays a minute nicety of cal
oulation which must have made the dentist
turn green with envy Filling eye TOOTH
half hours pain. $ld0.'' seems superfluous,
the former details proving cOnclusively the
lawyer had cut his eye teeth early. and the
final item. loss through tender jaw three
days. SlI5,' Is distressiugly moderate For
a lawyer to suffer from tender jaw three
days is an afflictiOn beyond calculation.
The dentist made a grave mistake In
bringing the suit. He had better by far
have compromised, or even sacrificed the
entire bill. When it comes to n question OF
itenizing he is dismal failure beside tbs
lawyer. The lawyer was not half trying.
He could throw of little account like
that as a mere pastime. without the aid
of stenographer. He was only taking
a flyer at the dentist and had not got down
10 serious business. This was only a sam
pie. Had the dentist brought in a bill for.
say, $500 or 800, then the lawyer would
have given him something to scratch his
head over. The elaborate account rendered
in such a case would doubtless have caused
the dentist to commit suicide in mortifica-
ton. In the interest of literature it's a
pity the dentist didn't do better. Then we
should have had an illustration of bill
making which could have been preserved
for the benefit of posterity. You want to
be careful when you undertake to prank
with q lawyer
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
Starvation In India.

From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Mr.. Virchand R. Gandhi's appeal for
aid to the starving people OF British East
India is of nature that invites prompt
and generous response. When starving
is written concerning the people of India
1t must be interpreted in its literal sense.
The normal condition of the East Indian
ryot is one which, by American measure
ment, borders on starvation. When the
rains descend in quantities sufficient for
storage of water for irrigation in the res
ervoirs. when crops are fairly good. when
pestilence does not stalk abroad, and when
war does not disturb, even then the ryot
buys no more clothing than can be made
of a yard and a half of muslin to screen
the nakedness of man and woman; even
then he is content with one meal day.
and that exclusively OF grain. The very
poor subsist on a porridge made OF wild
flowers.
But when the rains do not fall, when the
scanty crops are not raised. when the
parched earth yields no wild fruit or how-
ers. then the miserable multitude suffer
and die of hunger.
This at the present moment is the lot
OF several millions OF people who are as
human as ourselves. The United States
is full of corn and wheat; shipload OF
grain sent speedily to India will relieve
the hunger of hundreds of thousands Of
our fellow creatures.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29

From the New York Advertiser.
In the sharp competition that is pro-
ceedng between the two Anglo-Saxon ma
tions in marine construction every step
gained by the other is of intense interest
to both. For the presenter, at least. up to
the present-it can scarcely be denied that
superiority has again rested, for this era.
with the American designer and engineer.
When we began to rebuild our navy the
British undoubtedly had secured long
lead, both in structural design and engin-
eering perfection. The British cruiser and
battleship were far in advance of our own.
while the product of power per unit of coal
was almost double ours. To-day the situ-
alton is almost reversed. In the St. Paul
and ST. Louis. of the American line. we
have two vessels that keep the swiftest
British liners at bay, with a third class
horse power, showing the characteristic
national superiority in shape of hull. while
In the ships of the Columbia and Brooklyn
class we have developed a degree of speed
that places our navy in the first class.
Great Britains answer to the challenge
in these ships is the point OF interest now.
She has responded with the cruisers Pow
erful and Terrible. where the departure
from accepted types is not in form. but in
the means of generating power They are
the first large ships in which the tubular
boiler has been applied. This form has
been useful in small vessels for torpedo or
pleasure yacht purposes. but has not been
thought suitable for great ships or for sus-
tanned speed. The trials of the. Powerful,
however. prove the criticism erroneous. The
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
Fostering Italian Commerce.

From the New York Tribune.
Italy seems to have been intended by ma
ture to be q commercial nation and the
present government has set out to fulfill
that destiny, If favoring legislation can
accomplish it. A law has recently been
enacted for the encouragement of ship
building by means of Il system of bounties
arranged on a most generous scale. For
every wooden merchantmen built by an
Italian in Italy bounty of $3.50 a ton will
be paid, and for every iron or steel ship
$3.50 a ton, gross tonnage. In the latter
case at least three-quarters of the ma
terial must be of Italian origin. otherwise
the bounty will be reduced by 10 per cent.
The boilers and machinery of steamships
must also be of italian make, or the bounty
will be reduced by 10 per cent. But If they
are of Italian make an extra bounty of s1.90
a quintal will be paid on the boilers and
$3.50 o horsepower on the machinery. On
auxiliary apparatus S2.20 quintal will be
paid.
Similar encouragement is offered to nav
igation by means of an equally generous
system of bounties. from one item of which
We may judge the whole. A bounty of 16
cents a ton. gross tonnage, is to be paid
for every 1000 miles navigated in the first
three years of a vessels life. This and the
other navigation bounties will, it is ex-
pected prove as beneficial to the mer-
chants as the others quoted will be to the
shipbuilders, and the whole scheme will
enable Italian shipping to compete sue
cessfully with that of rival nations. OF
course. something Is required by the gov
ernment in return. 1t is to be entitled to
make requisition upon the vessels in case
of war. epidemic, or other extraordinary
emergency. and to have the royal mail
carried free of charge. These requirements
are not likely, however, to prove burden
some; certainly not sufficiently so to deter
shipbuilders and merchants from taking
advantage of the provisions of the act.
Tho whole system is comparable with
those under which other European powers
have built up and are maintaining their
commercial fleets, and 1t is reasonable TO
suppose its effect in Italy will be about
tho same as elsewhere. There will be
considerable expansion of the Italian mer-
camille marine, marking another step in
the hot competition between the crowded
and busy nations of the Old World. Other
nations may meet it with other measures
for their own advantage, and so the strife
will go on. However desirable 1t might
be. theoretically, to do away with such
systems. it is evidently impossible. IN prac-
tice to do so. The unsubsidzed shipping
of one nation cannot compete with the sub
sidized shipping of another, and the pros
pect of universal agreement to dispense
with subsidies and to equalize wages, prices
of material, and all other factors in the
problem, is far more visionary than one
for universal disarmng.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
End of the cru.oe Myth.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
The Society for the Scientific Training OF
Infant Minds and the Association for Erad-
icating Unsubstantiated Legends from
Nurseries have long since taken Robinson
Crusoe" out of the hands of children as a
work unfit for perusal. They have pointed
out that, aside from the fact that Mr.. De
Foes political and religious ideas were
not strictly orthodox and that he was at
one time an inmate of a Jail. the book it.
self is unreliable, inasmuch as 1t did not
faithfully follow the details of Alexander
Selkirk, whose adventures 1t purports to
relate, and further that it might tempt
boys to run away from their parents
At the recent mothers meeting In this
city De Foes hero was placed under the
same ban as Robin Hood and Alice, whose
feat of going through a looking glass was
pronounced preposterous. Now comes the
information. by way of Australia and San
Francisco and vouched for by the able
seamen Of the British ship James Kerr,
that the island of Juan Fernandez has dis
appeared-was destroyed by a volcanic
eruption. They aver that they witnessed
the seismic disturbance which carried
away the rocky isle, thus blotting out for
ever the last proof that Crusoe really did
exist. Heretofore the children of the world
have been able to say to their iconoclastic
instructors: But there Is the island OF
Juan fernandez" Now even this Is gone
But we do not take any stock in this
earthquake story. If indeed the island be
gone then 1t must have been blown up by
one or both of the societies already men
toned,
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
NEW TERRITORY FOR KANSAS CITY

1t IS announced that the Kansas City,
Pittsburg & Gulf railroad will be completed
TO Port Arthur by May /, and that very
little later thenorthern connections between
Kansas City and Pattonsburg will be made
thus completing a short line from Omaha
to the Gulf of Mexico, via Kansas City.
There is nothing new in this announcement
save the approximation of the time when
the new system snail have been completed
While the projectors of the Port Arthur
route are branching out in northern and
northeastern directions, through their al
lied interests. Kansas City remains the
base of operations and will remain the
center most benefited by the joint enter
prises. Omaha is too far north to hope to
share to any great extent in the advantages
that will accrue to Kansas City and her
logical territory. 1t is law of commerce
that the shorter the railway haul and the
longer the water haul, other things being
equal, the cheaper the transportation
Fortunately the advantages to the produc-
ers of the Middle West in a directly con-
neCted seaport are so apparent that they do
not need the enforcement of extensive ad-
vertisement. It is probable that no other
their facilities as do the shippers.
The more immediate, and to some extent
the more fruitful, advantages of this rail-
way extension, however, will be found in
the penetration of much territory that has
hiterto contributed elsewhere, but which
should be regarded as Kansas Citys own
field. The original line and earlier extern
sions of the Port Arthur route have al
ready served to rescue for local tribute
much territory that formerly looked to St.
Louis as a more convenient though more
distant market. The proposed extensions
to the north will bring even greater re-
suits. They will make directly accessible
some of the richest territory in the state
of Missouri, a territory that has hitherto
recognized Chicago as its wholesale market
and St Joseph as its local trading post.
The advantages of this local trade, unlike
those of through shipments, must be cul-
tivated If full values shall be secured by
the business men of this city. 1t is not too
early to study the resources of the new
field or make the acquaintance of its pro-
ducers. Kansas City business men have al
ways been alert in matters of trade ex-
tension, and they may be relied upon to
avail themselves of new opportunities, In
this instance their enthusiasm should be
quicliened by the fact that they are about
to possess what should long since have
been their own.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29

great battleships and monitors would be
absolutely helpless and useless after few
hours of fighting. Dispatches from Wilm-
ington say that the powder works there are
running night and day filling government
contracts. On the other hand, Spain is
prepared for war. She is ready to fight at
the drop of the hat, while it would take
six or eight months or a year to arm and
equip our navy. -
Last year Secretary Herbert sent an
urgent appeal to congress asking for au-
thority TO enlist 5000 men for service and
he showed that We had no more sailors
now, with our splendid new feet, than we
had twenty years ago. when the navy con-
sisted of a lot of old wooden tubs that had
been kept floating since the war. Congress
refused his appeal, and as a consequence
there is not a ship in the United States
navy that has more than half a crew. Nor
is it possible to put the ships on war
footing in a month or two. The modern
man-of-war is a monstrous machine filled
with engines and electric apparatus, ma
chine guns and all sorts of tackle that re-
quires skilled and experienced men to han
die. And a modern sailor must be a ma
chinist. The slightest mistake or careless
ness on the part of q green hand would
render a gun or an engine useless, and
naval officers say that no man is fit to be
trusted on board ship in the excitement
of battle until he has had at least five
years practical training at sea-
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
Good VIII to All.

Good will to ALI That is the sentiment.
Let's practice 1t. and in It's best intent
Let's love all men, all women, and all
things.
The good and bad. the bergars and the
kings.
Let's love the motorman who cIangs his
bell
And bids us go where I've no mind to tell.
When on the street he yeIls at you like
this.
Just turn and with your hand toss him a
kiss.
Let's love the rough policeman on his beat,
Who takes his club and shoves you long
the street,
And gives you warning In accents profane
He does not wish to see you there again.
Let's love the plumber. and that fellow.
too.
Who table book subscriptions doth pursue
Who sits beside you till in WEAKNESS
You change your spoken no to silent yes
And so on all the nuIsances of life,
All woes and troubles. all that makes for
strife
Good will to them; extend 'em all glad
hands
To peddlers. takers. cen to German bands.
But mind yc. friends. though this rhymed
note of mine
Is for the Christmas season quite in line
When January comes. Of course. why then
You may begin to hate 'em all again.
-Harper's BaZar.
Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-29
Stations
WAS 1T THE SILVER sENr1MENr.


1t has been commonly supposed that the
defeat of the Republican ticket in Kansas,
and particularly of several congressman,
was directly attributable to the free silver
sentiment which existed within the ranks
OF that party. While the evidence at hand
is not sufficient to warrant the pronounce
ment of this as an error. there are never
theless certain facts revealed in the Off
cial count which put such a conclusion
very seriously under question.
Our attention has been called to this by
an article in the Abilene Reflector which
was prepared in defense of Congressman
Calderhead, who was accused by free sill
yer paper OF leading the Republicans of the
Fifth district 10 defeat through his un-
yielding opposition to free coinage. OF all
the Kansas congressman, Calderhead was
the only one whose record and previous ut
terances had been entirely in harmony with
the financial plank of the Republican ma
tional platform In 1894, very much to the
distress and alarm of the state central
committee. he made his campaign largely
against the silver cause and earned for
himself the title of "goldbug." He was
elected by plurality of 1851. however, and
went into congress with the perfect un-
derstanding between himself and his people
that he was the enemy of free coinage.
There were three other candidates in the
field in that election snd had their strength
been combined, the majority against him
would have been 6l5.
In the campaign last summer Mr.. Calder
had left off in 1924, and combatted free sill
yer as vigorously as he knew how Re
publican leaders. who either were inoculat-
ed with the silver disease or else conceived
II 10 be good politics to temporize with the
issue, filled the air with predictions that
he would run behind his ticket and meet
with greater disaster than had ever be-
fore befallen a Republican nominee in his
district. Contrary to these predictions Mr..
Calderhead ran ahead OF his ticket, and
was the only one of the eight congressional
candidates In Kansas who was not over
taken by some portion Of the PopuIistic
landslide. Had there not been complete
fusion against him he would have been
elected by IS great a plurality as he Sc
cured in 1891. As it was he was beaten
by a majority OF 63i, which shows a gain
by the opposition over 1894 of but 10 votes;
or. to put it in another way, but 70 votes;
were lost TO the Republicans through the
free silver agitation or from other causes.
But the force OF these figures does not
make itself felt until comparison is made
with the results in other districts. For
illustration, Congressman Broderick and
Congressman Curtis were both free silver
advocates and both voted for such a meas
ure at the last session OF congress. Com
pared with 1884 the majority OF Broderick
was reduced 5u votes. and that of Curtis
236s votes. II free silver was the cause
of the Kansas landslide TO Popullsm, why
is IL that calderhead, the goldbug. found
only nineteen more votes against him at
this election than he had in 1894, while