davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
ALL SPIDERS SPIN.

Harvey Sutherland, in Ainslee's.
 All spiders spin, but not all of them spin snares, those orbed and radiated webs that we see pictured so many times and every time pictured wrong. But that only goes to show that the lower animals are not the only ones that pos- sess instinct I think it will be general ly agreed that artists may be classed among the higher animals. At any rate. their instinct is to draw thing, not as it Is, but as 1t appears to man that doesn't know very much about anything in particular. So he lays off his picture of a spiders web with a pair of dividers, and people marvel at the spiders math- ematical sense, whereas spider doesn't bother her head with any such foolish ness. She puts her lines where she thinks they will do the most good regardless of their distance apart
 Here of late. though, think I have noticed a little improvement in artists. They have begun to notice that the spider always stands head downward in her web, if 1t be perpendicular one, and if 1t is horizontal hangs back downward. Some of these fiat-web spiders can hardly walk right side up. But the spider of art never has more than six legs, while the real spider has eight, and the spider of art often has three sections of the body, while the real spider never has more than two. The head and chest are in one de- partment, so to speak There are their eyes, from four to eight in number and disposed in different patterns according to their political affiliations; their jaws, which work sidewise, instead of up and down; their poison-bag, and a few other arrangements; and in the abdomen or silk department are the heart Ga banana shaped affair), the liver, the slit and tubes that do duty for lungs, and the spinnerets. These last are warty-looking affairs that may be spread apart and brought together exactly like the thumb and fingers of the hand. Each wart is covered with hundreds of little hollow hairs, through which is expressed a gum my liquid that turns to silk when it dries. Mrs Spider slaps her spinnerets broad against the wall and sticks fast q don't know how) many hundreds of fine filaments. Then she pulls away the spinnerets and shuts them up, and all of those fine filaments melt into one rope, in thickness about 1-5000th of an inch Insects silk is a simple thread; spiders Is compound.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
Newspaper Enterprise.

The Jacksonville Times-U Union and Citizen, notwithstanding the damage to machinery caused by the great fire of Friday. was issued Saturday morn ing at the usual nour with an excellent description of the awful calamity which befell that city. The paper is printed from type set up by hand and type newspapers presents a novel ap- pearance.
 On account of the destruction of both gas and electric light plants the Mergenthaler machines could not be operated. The 1imes-Union and Citi- zen was equal to the occusion, and by using four different seizes of type man. aged to come out on time and print the news. The work of both the editorial and composition departments of the paper is deserving of great praise. Until late hour Friday night there was grave danger of the entire plant being destroyed, and the force was busy removing records and other val uable documents to places of safety. The promptness with which the Times Union and Citizen met the emergency but demonstrates the ingenul.y and progressiveness of the American news paper.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
BIGGEST BOOK DESTROYED.
l the London News.

From the London News.
 When the Chinese soldiers burned the Han-lin College, in the hope that 1t might set fire to the adjoining British Embassy, the only existing copy of the largest book in the world was destroyed. This was the Yung Lo Ia Tien, the Great Standard of Yung Lo, the Emperor who caused it to be cmpiled in the year 1403. when our own Henry ". was on the throne. The Idea was to collect In single work all that had ever been written on (a) the Confucian doctrine, (b) history, Co phil osophy, (d) others matters generally. It was put together by an immense staff of 214 scholars, working under twenty sub directors, five directors, and three com missioners. They completed 1t In five years. The work. consisting of 22,sT sec- tions, was bound up into II 100 volumes on one another, they would form a col umn 46 feet higher than St. Paul's Cathe- dral It was to have been printed, but the expense was found too great for the im- perial government to undertake. Two copies were taken about 1867. The origi- nal and one of the copies perished in 1644 when the Ming dynasty fell. Of the copy which remained in the Han-lin College only five volumes are known to have been saved. They are in the hands of the Cam bridge Professor of Chinese, who writes on the subject in the Century Magazine.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
sTERILIzED BANK BILL.

From the New York Mail and Express.
 You may remember the story of the ne- gro minstrels and the two-dollar bill In it colored man comes in to the group on the stage with a bill in his hand and says: Any of you lost two-dollar bill? I just picked one up here outside the door" No one has lost it; but the end man reminds the finder that he owes him two dollars, and that now will be a good time to pay 1t. The debt is paid, and then another of the company reminds the end man that he owes him two dollars, and the note passes on. Thus the bill goes from one to another, until it comes to colored man who owes two dollars to the original finder of the bill, and then it returns to the man 1t started with. Just after he receives 1t a white man rushes in and calls out. Amy of you picked up a two- dollar biM? I dropped one few minutes ago outside this door" Here's your two dollar bill. boss" says the finder; you can have it, but we've all done paid our debts!
 This instructive story is brought to mind by the account of the invention of party in New Hampshire for the sterfiza- tion of bank notes. This invention, which none of the banks seem to want, involves sort of cooking of paper currency when It Is in the hands of the banks. in order to reduce the danger of infection from 1t. Such a sterilization might do some good; but the greatest danger of infection from bank note comes chiefly when 1t is rapidly circulating from hand to hand in the poorer districts and paying peoples debts over and over again in the same mysterious fashion that the treasure trove of the negro minstrels discharged their obligations. The banks possession of the note Is but passing incident.
 Probably the whole matter comes down to this. that any careful person who rec ognizes the danger from germs in filthy lucre, and wishes to avoid 1t, must insist upon having 1t steriliized for his benefit otherwise he won't receive 1t. If friend, for instance, meets this careful person on the street, and casually remarks, "Id like to pay you that ten dollars owe you" the careful person must say, Certainly, old fellow, but just come down to my of- flee and let me sterilize the bill on my patent apparatus for the purpose He must then run the risk of having the debtor put the note back in his pocket. looking somewhat aghast and disappear down the street-never to renew his of fer. Yet what careful person, with the fear of germs before his eyes, would &C., cept an unsterilized bill?
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
"Arkansaso or "Arkansaw."

Judge Martin of the Ah.oaDs, Legis- Iature has been looking into the history of the name of the State, and he has reported his findings to the Legisla- ture. together with a series of maps. He did this as a committee of one. He filed among others Joliet's map of 1G73-74, in which mention is made of land called Arkansae, or Land of beautiful Squaws. On another map the Arkansas tribe Is placed lower down the river, but this map shows a village called Arkansea, or Land of Handsome Peoples. Father Hene- pins map of 1897 shows villages on both sides Of the big river, and all are spelt Arkansa, the Land of Beautiful Ladies. Then comes the map of Lieu tenant noss of the British army, who lived in the time of William H., and whose map Is confessedly the best of the early surveys. He uses the ortho- graphy Arkansas, and translates it Handsome Men and Ladies.
 Judge Martin asked that the old time pronunciation be used, Arkansas instead of Arkansaw, and that at any rate the State be officially known as the Land of Beautiful Ladies. The Legislature was willing to adopt the latter recommendation, but it laid the former on the table, and so the name of the State must continue to be known an if spelled "Arkansaw. As this is official and legal there is no appeal from it, even when che appeal is back cd up by maps 250 years old. Judge Martin had the best evidence on his side but not the best euphony, and euphony won
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

through Philadelphia to the great American investing world. now easily chief. The representatives of South ern interests have perhaps never had such an opportunity to present the ad- vantages of the south in the heart of the rich North, and this is why this district, the richest of all in the South in natural advantages, should be well represented. Let the Commercial Club or the Mayor act in this matter by naming district delegation as a supplement of the State delegation.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
SONG OF THE BLEAcHERITE.

From the Baltimore American. You must wake and call me early, call
 me early, mother mine, For I've got to do some roofing for our
 only baseball nine. It's the first game in two seasons that
 I've felt as if might Go and split the air with yelling. like a
 true-born bleacherite. So wake and call me early; make 1t six
 o'clock pray. For the season begins today, mother, the
 season begins today. You must give me half a dollar; have
 car fare-just a dime And the fence around the ball grounds
 is too high for me to climb: And I long to be there early, where the
 bleacherites are glad, While they roar and root and riot to put
 Boston to the bad. So wake and call me early, and have
 breakfast on the way, For the season begins today. mother, the
 season begins today. You must wake and call me early, though
 you wake me from dream For in fancy I have witnessed all the
 players get up steam; And in dreamland I have trembled tiil
 the batter smote the sphere, When my shouts caused commot1on In
 the frightened atmosphere. So wake and call me early, wake me up
 at six. say, For the season begins today, mother. the
 season begines today.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
Southern Industrial Convention.

Governor Sanford has appointed a gates to the semi-annuai meeting of the Southern Industrial Association, which is to be held in Philadelphia June II to IA next The men whom Governor Sanford has selected to re- present the State at Philadelphia should consider it a duty to answer the call. This mission is not directly remunerative, but indirectly and in the long run it may prove very profitable both to the delegates and to the State as community; for at Philadelphia and through Philadelphia the northern investors and the southern opportun- ity will be brought together.
 Besides the State delegation, 1t would be we'll if tuis town and district had at Philadelphia a special delega- tion--one that can present the advan- tages of an Open warrior to the na- tion's export trade as well as the re- sources of the district that need de- velopment. The stores of iron ore and coal in this district are practically untouched. What the district is is hardly a reminder of what It is to be. The possibilities of the future should be explained at Philadelphia. and
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
THE PRESIDENCY IN THE SOUTH. From the Kansas City World.


 Already a number of the Republican papers of that class which has earned a right to the designation Bourbon" are pointing to the heavy reception accord ed the President in the Southern states through which he has travelled as evil dence of a split in the Solid South" Let them not delude themselves with such vain hopes. The demonstrations of well come made in the South are manifesto tions of respect for the chief magistrate, and for the man who holds that high of- flee. not for MT. Mckinley, the standard bearer of the Republican Party.
 The heart of the South is warm for the nation, 1t beats in sympathy with the pulse of the republic, and its people are traditionally and in fact courteous and hospitable. They have received the Pres ident as they would receive any man holding the same distinguished office. There is nothing of politics in the atti- tude of the people toward the President. and the Republican party will not de- rive any political advantage from it.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
DUMB ORGAN AT WEDDING.

From a New York Letter.
 The great pipe organ in St. Bartholo- news church collapsed suddenly the oth- CT afternoon. just before the Rockefeller Stillman wedding ceremony. The church was crowded with invited guests. and Charles Warren, organist, was in the ten- derest passages of the Grieg wedding symphony when the music suddenly ceased MT. Warren pressed buttons and pulled stops until his fingers were tired. but the organ remained mute- Then frantic appeal for aid was sent for car penters, and for the remainder of the period before the wedding party arrived the only music furnished was the sound of hammering. At the last moment, just as the wedding party was waiting at the foot of the aisle the organ recovered it's voice and .pealed out the Lohengrfn' bridal chorus as all well behaved organs are supposed to do on such occasions. The richest people in New. York were there and the floral decorations cost thousands of dollars, yet the feature of the millionaire wedding was this obstinate and embarrassing organ.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

last night. The Age-Herald yesterday stated that Captain O'Brien was very i'll. He suffers from a general nervious prostration. the result in the main of a prolonged attack of .'the grippe" which afflicted him for three months. This caused both physical and mental depres- sion, which he was unable to shake of. and so he is in the hospital.
 Although Captain o'Brien is likely to suffer for some weeks his condition Is not perilous
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
A Fable Without Slang.
with apologies to all.)

N"Ath dpoio6leS u diD
 certain bright, but exceedingly timid old bachelor, who has an office in Third avenue was recently returning to his boarding place on South Highlands when the car gave a sudden lurch and depos- ited in his lap charming young woman, who was likewise Highland-bound.
 He instantly exclaimed: "Why, I did not know you were such Lap-lander.'' Upon looking around and discovering that said timid old bachelor was an ac- quaintance, the young woman replied: 'Oh I am so glad twas you!"
 And now both are wondering what the other meant.
 Moral: Hold on to the strap when you stand in street cars, or else select your nearest neighbor.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
Thieves Accursed.

Whose would steal a penknife would steal anything else he could lay his un- clean hands upon, and whoso will steal will lie, and whose does either is bound for the devil at the rate of so many thousand heart beats day!
 Not long ago some person stole from this smoky corner a beautiful prayer book. the cherished gift of cherished friend of the man who smokes and works here. That prayer book was probably pawned for ten cents worth of red liquor. Monstrous iniquity!
 There is involved in this the question of nice distinction in morals: whether 1t be more wicked to steal the Holy Scrip lures and pawn them for drink, or to steal a penknife with which to cut to- bacco in order that it be eaten and there by public places made foul?
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
THE MANIA FOR SPECULATION.

From the Philadelphia Record.
 Receipts of daily sales on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange are being broken nowadays with almost monoto- nous regularity, and still the investing public cries, like Oliver Twist. for more. There are so many new gaudy counters in this huge game that even veteran ex- perts are puzzled. When per cent stock sells for 200 in open market 1t would seem to be time to stand from under; yet the flood tide of speculation rushes on it's headlong course. Nothing to match it has ever been seen since the balmy days of Fisk and Gould. and even then the
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
Chinese Indemnity.


 After the wholesale footing by the allied armies, and by individuals in or protected by those armies, the hapless country is to be publicly and officially footed to the extent of about $500, ,00o,- 000 Including expenses to July l the French foreign office says the allied official loot will be 1885 ,0O0 ,OOO francs, or more than the present total debt of China.
 China is a very populous, but not rich country by any means, and the public revenues are wholly inadequate to meet the interest of such burden. The entire revenue of the country is but s65 1000, ,O00 at present. It is there fore proposed to increase the customs duties. and 1t is intimated that If this cannot be done each power will be compelled to seize some Chinese terri tory as security for the amount de- manded from helpless China.
 The sum demanded was named after first ascertaining what China could bear. As the charges of some rail roads are fitted to the freight, so the indemnity demanded in China cores ponds to her capacity to pay. In other words, the allies went to China to extort every possible cent, after in- infiicting upon her all the harm and all the iniquities they could think of
 The entire course of the allies under the leadership of the Germans may have been exceeded by the Russians in the depths of Manchuria and the Amur valley, away from means of com munication, the story of which butch cries will probably never be fully known. But the punitive expeditions of General Von Waldersee are quite enough to disprove that civilization in war times is growing any better. Nothing in Roman history shows more cruelty or heartlessness than the butcheries of the Chinese on various occasions, when they were as defense less as so many sheep.
 These outrages will retard the bring ing of the vast population of China into touch with the rest of the world. All who have witnessed or felt the barbarities committed in China will draw back from the people sent out by the allied nations, and progress and western civilization will be the losers. These barbarities are to be capped by an immense indemnity that will long be heavy burden to China, and yet China is expected to welcome her despoilers, and to adopt their methods and customs. She will do nothing of the kind. If she escapes dismemberment, which may yet be in store for her, the vast population will passively at least resist western en- croachment, and it is difficult to see how they can be blamed if they do. For China was long ago punished be- cause of her Boxer outbreak, which was but an excess of Chinese patriot ism, and the recent punitive expedi- tions" and the huge indemnity are be- yond reasonable punishment, and are simply examples of what force and western civilization are capable of. We are all Russians in China.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
NEVER LEFT THE ROAD.

From the Blue Ridge (Ga.) Post.
 An old negro in a neighborhood town arose in prayer meeting and said: ''Bred- derin and sisterin, I been mighty mean nigger in my time. had heap CT ups and downs-'specially downs-since jined de church. I stoled chickens and water millins. I cussed. I got drunk. shot craps. I slashed udder coons wid my razor an done CT sight or udder things. but, thank the good Lawd, bredderin and sisterin, I never yet lost my religion"
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ALABAMA
Tradinu in Oil Stocks.

The Beaumont oil exchange has been established, and thus a means of ascertaining at least an approximate value of the numerous oil stocks in the Texas oil district has been sup piled. The new companies must now lace the quotations of the Beaumont exchange, and much water will there by be let out of them-not all of course. but much of it when brought to the test of hard cash in daily trans actions.
 No stock is to be listed unless it has some substantial foundation-owns. some lands in the oil district at least. The State and surrounding States are full of wildcat schemess and the first question an investor should ask should relate to the listing of the stock in the Beaumont exchange. If the stock is listed. this is prima facie evidence that there is some merit in the scheme; if it is not, it is best to let 1t alone.
 ; The Beaumont oil exchange has un- dertaken this task of separating the wildcat companies that have neither lands nor oil nor capital nor rigs, from the substantial companies that intend to develop the district. The task is formidable one, but it is one that will make for the good of the district, and for the protection of district investors
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

Astrologer Raphaers prophecies for this day. Monday, May S. 1901:
 Travel, remove and deal. with women before p. m
 Thou mayest expect changes and trav- cling and an unsettled year, this being thy birthday; thy business will require much attention"
 The young will court.
 "A male child born on this day will be unsettled, restless. fond of changes and of women. If female, she will marry rich widower."
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press.
 You can generally buy a man for a lot less than his wife thinks he's worth
 A woman's political opinion is almost as easy to understand as Chinese laun- dry ticket
 Self-possesion in woman is knowing that her dress fits her better than any other woman's there.
 In every woman's club there are three mortal enemies-the woman who is presi- dent. the woman who was president last, and the woman who is bound to be pres ident next.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

Emperor William and J. Pierpont Morgan should meet and lay down a worlds programme. war lord and a money lord would be combine hard ito beat"
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
eAecocK's PuzzLINe QUERY.

From the Boston Post.
 "Why do you permit a tariff to remain on articles which can be produced here cheaper than elsewhere? This Is the question which Representative Babcock of Wisconsin, himself a Republican, says will be put squarely to his party in the next campaign. Steel and iron manufac- lures, he says, produce no revenue to speak of, but 1t is fact that they can be manufactured cheaper in the United States than in any other country. So with other products of other trusts.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
A TRIAL TRIP.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
 There is story out that President Mo- Kinley will make & tour abroad at the close of his second term-one that will outdo the Grant tour in the distance trav- eled This six weeks trip across the con- ainent and return is merely little prac- tice game.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

Mir. Mckinley is canvassing for third term at the expense or the trans continental railroads. which is both natural and inevitable.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

The country that George Washing ton fought is now Dled by capitalists who are less merciful than the man with the hatchet was, ana those capi- talists are to a great extent Ameri- cans.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
THE vALoRoUs KITCHENER.

From the Philadelphia Times.
 While Kitchener is not making much headway against the Boers in the field. he is pursuing their non-combatant sym pathizers with ferocity and success. An
The age-herald., 1901-05-06
THEY ESCAPED.

From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 Twelve counties in Alabama voted against the calling of the constitutional disfranchising convention. How they happened to escape the sure-thing sys- tenn is not explained.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

If the allies go on as they have start ed there will soon not be enough left of China to contribute field for re- form to work in.
The age-herald., 1901-05-06

other Cape Town editor who said wicked things about the military has just been sent to jail for a year to join several of his brethren already sojournfng there in punishment of like offences, and the residents of Cape Colony are warned that any other caught aiding the enemy will be liable to '.the most severe penalties" and may even be shot"