davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-02
The Guide to Systematic Readings

Hs uu1ue 10 SysteWHlIC KeduInsS
subdivldes the whole work into depart
ments. III accordance with the different
occupations of all the people Outlining 10
different courses of reading), and points
out the things you may want to know or
ought to know about your business or
profession. Furthermore. it makes sys-
tematic reading along any line practical
The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-02

It is understood that when tbs bill
comes up again Mr.. Cation viii offer a
substitute, which will be material nod
ifcation OF the bill now pending.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
4 PASTORAL LEGISLATORS.

From the New York Times; Before
Secretary of State John T. McDonough
took up residence in Albany he resided
In Chautauqua county. Recently he
was telling about the constituents Of
Mr.. Nixon, speaker OF the assembly.
They are different from the residents
of Chautauqua county of sixty years
ago" he said. When l lived up in Mr..
Nixon's district they used TO tell a
story about a member of the assembly
who walked the entire distance from
his home to the capital. sawed wood
during the session of the legislature
to pay for his board, and then walked
back home, carrying his $500 salary
with him. On one occasion it is relat-
ed that he received by messenger, a
note from Mrs. Seward, the wife of
the governor. stating that she would
be at home at 9 o'clock that evening.
He looked at the messenger and said:
Home is a darned good place for any
woman at that hour. 1 am glad she
is so sensible"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14

THE gospel of the toothbrush" as
General Armstrong used to call 1t, is
a part of our creed at Tuskegee. No
student is permitted to remain who
does not keep and use one. Several
times in recent years students have
come to us who brought with them al
nos no other article. They had heard
from older students about our insist
ing upon its use. One morning 1 went
with the lady principal on her usual
tour of inspection of the girls rooms.
We found one room that contained
three girls who had recently arrived
at the school. When l asked them If
they had to~othbrushes, one OF the girls
replied, pointing to a brush. Yes,
sir. That is our brush. We bought it
together yesterday" 1t did not take
them long to learn a different lesson.
From Booker T. Washington's up
from Slavery"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14

Mr.. George Ferguson found a torn
and ragged 81 bill in his possession
the other day.
He tried to pass it on an Italian
fruit peddler, but the peddler preferred
to miss a sale rather than take it
He offered it to the cashier at the
restaurant where he ate his noon
luncheon, but the cashier said he could
pay the next time he came in
After he had tried to work it of IN
a street car conductor. a Chinese
l~aundryman, a cigar dealer, and the
young man who sold tickets at a thea
ter box office, he suddenly remembered
where he had got that mutilated shin
plaster.
He had received it in change for a
$40 bill while making a purchase at a
department store.
At once he went to that department
store. and bought a cigar. rendering
the torn bill in payment
In a few moments it came back
from the cashier.
Its no good" said the salesman
You tell the cashier said Nj. Fer
guson, with some warmth, Il got that
identical bill at this store day before
yesterday. in change for $40, at the
coffee counter"
The bill went back with a statement
from the salesman, and Mr.. Ferguson
received his change.
On his way out he passed the glove
| counter. Remembering that he needed
gloves he selected a pair and handed
over a $40 bill in payment
A glance at his watch warned him
that he had hardly a moment to spare
il he hoped to catch his usual train
for home. and when the salesgirl hand
ed him his change he stuffed it into his
pocket and hurried toward the station.
When he Strengthened out his
change, after having grabbed a seat in
the suburban train, the first thins
that met his eye vas that ragged, mu-
tilated 81 bir.-Chicago Tribune
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
FIRST NEGRO BANK IN NORTH.
Quaker City Sets Example In a Brand
New Institution.
phfIadelnhia Latter

New Institution.
Philadelphia Letter.
A negro bank, the first of its kind
north Of the Mason and Dixon line,
Differed by negroes, with negro stock
holders and depositors, is Philadel-
phia's contribution to the solution Of
the vexed race question.
The negroes of the city are inordin-
ately proud of their First Colored
Bank, North" 1t stands at 1922 South
Twentieth street, and every day since
its recent opening crowds of colored
folk gather On the pavement to admire
its gaudy front.
On the first day of business nearly
$1,000 was received in deposits, yet the
average deposit was considerably un-
der IS. Nearly 1000 colored people at
tended the reception at the opening Of
the bank. They came from all parts
of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Della
ware and New York and represented
practically the wealth and standing Of
the negro community in the north.
One old negro in Tennessee had read
of the proposed bank and FASTENED all
the way hither to be present, so he
said, at so glorious a function.
The capital of the bank is $50, 900. It
placed $4,000 in the state repository
as a preliminary to securing its char
ter OF incorporation; it has as an ad-
junct an insurance department and is
also the owner OF a newspaper issued
in the interests of negroes.
'The Banking House" as the colored
population of the neighborhood proud
ly call it, was formerly a somewhat
shabby store in a row of two-story
BRICK houses. ATchitecturally the build
ing has not been changed, but a front
of glass of many colors bearing the in
sigma and motto of the institution and
an invitation to all to become deposit
ors has been inserted. On the ground
floor is the cashiers cage. The cash
Ter is also paying teller, receiving tel,
Ter, and bookkeeper.
Upstairs is the presidents office and
the editorial Office of the newspaper
supported by the bank. On the third
floor is the b~oardroom, where the di.
rectors meet and where the presiden.
holds explanatory classes" every Mon
day evening. These classes are thu
kindergarten of finance TO the negro
population. They are designed to Civ
an insight into the complicated bust
ness of handling spare money to tn.
best advantage, a subject in which tn.
average negro is but poorly yersed.
Many colored clergymen attend thes
classes and preach the doctrines o
thrift and cooperation among tn
blacks of America, so that at times tn
meetings have all the significance of
determined political and e~cononi
propaganda.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
Special Letter.


n the little town of Vantage, in
Berkshire, England, there is a o
ment to Alfred the Great, the inscrip-
ton on which admirably sums up the
achievements OF this greatest of En-
glish sovereigns. alfred found learn
ing dead" says the inscription, and
he restored it.; education neglected,
and he revived it; the laws powerless,
and he gave them force; the church
debased, and he raised it; the land
ravaged by a fearful enemy, from
which he delivered it. Alfred's name
shall live as long as mankind shall re-
spect the past"
Every line in that inscription is
truthful and in this the latter differs
from many eulogistic epitaphs that
may readily be recalled. No wonder
that today, 1000 years after his death.
his name should be held in honor and
that here as well as in England cele-
brations should be held in commemor-
alton of his achievements.
his struggIe Against the Danes.
Alfred wal born il $40, the son Of
Egbert, King OF the West Saxons, and
succeeded to the throne at the age Of
%. The country was then oyerrun by
the fierce Danish invaders, and tbs
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14

John Kendrick Bangs is of the opin-
ion that the finest humor frequently
drops unconsciously from the lips of
childhood. As an illustration OF the
idea he tells this story: "Hennessey,
formerly foreman Of the Herald's COM
posing room, had a little daughter who
said:
Mamma. what are the stars?'
THE stars, my child, are the Anger
GabrieTs lamps. Every night at twi-
Hight the angel flies out Of the gate O.
Paradise with a torch and lights ali
she stars
@on the following evening a storm
sarkened the heavens and the light
ning zigzagged across the face of tn,
sky. The child ran to her mother, ex
claiming:
Mamma, I think the angel is going
20 light its lamps now
Why do you think so, my daugh
fer?'
Because he is striking his matches
en- the sky.'"-New York Times.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
FUNNY ENG -IsH BLUNDERs.
An Englishman Always Funniest When
He Doesn't Try to Be.

An Englishman Always Funniest When
He Doesn't Try to Be.
Accidents will happen in the best
regulated families and blunders will
creep into even the most carefully edit
ed paper, but the English seem to excel
in making amusing newspaper mis-
takes. An Englishman is always fun
niest when he doesn't try to be. A
Newcastle paper, in giving an ccoun
of an inquest recently, declared that
Richard Wilkinson, one of the de-
ceased, repeated the evidence given by
him al the inquest and a woman's
paper of London is authority for the
statement that "On her deathbed. and
even after death, the Empress Freder-
lex showed her preference for every
thing English" In speaking of the
naval maneuvers a London paper de-
clared that ''the Davenport instruction
al hotilla left yesterday to carry out
their programme already carried out, :"
and another paper records the startling
fact that the Long Sutton school
board has arranged to grant the schol-
ars attending the schools seven weeks
holiday this month, so that the chill
dren can work in the potato fields
Another paper states that the late Mr..
William Carr, who was the highly es-
teemed clerk of Waltham Abbey for
IS years, passed to his rest at the ripe
age of 7s.'-New York Press.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
The Good King Alfred

Wiltshire, he totally routed the inyad-
ers. Within a brief time the Danes
quilted Alfred's kingdom Of Wessex
and then King Guthrun, with some of
his principal followers, embraced
Christianity.
Alfred's power gradually and stead
lily expanded after the restoration of
his Wessex kingdom. Already he had
built a fleet, recognizing that the only
effectual way in which the Danes could
be met was by sending out against
them ships stouter and swifter than
their own. In numerous battles he de-
feated the hardy Mortimer and gradu-
ally the possessions of the latter were
confined to the northern and eastern
| coasts of England. In 1856 Alfred be-
came recognized as the sovereign of all
England.
His Peaceful Achievements.
In the years that succeeded Alfred
rehabilitated his kingdom. He rebuilt
the cities that had been laid waste
by the Danes. Among these cities was
London. London had been in the
hands of the Danes for IL years. Its
walls were broken down; its bridge
was adecayed; it's wharyes were empty;
its port was without shipping or trade
and the inhabitants who remained
were the slaves and servants OF the
Danes. Alfred repaired the wharves,
rebuilt the walls, opened the port TO
trade and gave to London that impetus
that has made it the earth's metropo-
lis today. He taught his people the
value of walled towns in repeiling
Danish invasion.
He took the old, neglected laws, Sc
lecting what was best and rejecting the
obsolete, and fashioned them into a
code for his people. He suited them to
the conditions hen affecting his sub
jects; and for the reason that these
laws, as amended by Alfred, were the
outcome of national character they sur
yived ard were cheerfully obeyed
They became a part of the people.
In educational matters he was cen
turtles ahead Of his time. With the OBJ.
ject Of promoting education he invited
scholars to his court; and when thu
~monasteries were all ruined and theii
inmates dead or scattered he induces
monks from France TO settle in Eng
land and TO bring with them boys Z
| be brought up in the religious life. Al
fled saw in the monastery an exampl
to the ignorant people that their re
ligion was not a creed only but a lif
guided by its precepts. Every house o
: religion was therefore a standing ex
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
: wEAK PROPOSITION.

From the Albany Journal: al
wrinkled Italian jerked a monkey from.
his hind legs from the sidewalk to the
top of his hand organ with a scowL
Coma backa," he called.
The monkey rapidly removed ana
replaced a jaunty cap with a feather
thereon and blinked his beady eyes
with rapidity.
Twenty cents to see tina monka.
china de tree said the Italian to the
assembled children. China way
high"
Straightway the little ones began
gathering the money from parent and
companion Finally the sum was
turned over to the wanderin' organist
"Jacka getta de tree, Wit" He point
ed to a tall limb, and shook the cord.
Jacko obeyed. scrambling up the
tree trunk with meekness and dis
patch.
The Italian counted the coins he had
received and dropped them into his
pocket "Jacka the monka great anil
NAL; he educate" He ground a dis
cordant lay. whole passages Of which
were either fat or missing.
The children we're watching the
monkey when the Italian again ad-
dressed them. He pointed an unclean
finger up at the animal and said: Ten
centa TO see monka come down" He
didn't get it.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
FoKMALIrIEs DISPENSED WITH.

From the New York Times: Ex-
United States Senator Arthur Pue
German Of Maryland was in the corri-
dor OF the Fifth Avenue Hotel after
breakfast the other morning when a
street gamin came up to him and said:
Say. blokey, change a quarter for
me. viii you? Dem guys at de desk is
too stuck up to do business wild me"
The senator looked nonplussed at
first, but ave the lad the change. To
a friend standing with MIN he said:
What a shocking place to live in
New York must be to a man OF ex-
treme egotism-"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
Hens, Eggs Used as Money.

In some parts of Peru-for example,
n the province of Jauja-hens' eggs
no circulated as small coins, 40 to so
neing counted for a dollar. In the
market places and in the shops the In
s,ons make most of their purchases
nth this brittle sort OF money. One
ill give two or three eggs for brandy
.nother for indigo and a third for ci-
rors These eggs are packed in boxes
Nv the shopkeepers and sent to Lima,
Trom Jauja alone several thousand
loads of eggs are annuSlly forwarded to
the capital.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
THE TIME TO LAUGH.
SOME GOOD JOKES. ORIGINAL AND
SELECTED.
HIS Win and Testament-A Weak Fro
positIon-A ChfId's Good Natnre-The
Point of YIew-A Chrysanthemum
Salad.
HIS WILL AND TEsrAMESr.-


From the Atlanta Constitution: The
old colored brother, in order to be in
style, made his will as follows:
Dis is de las will en- tenement of
de understood. Bein' in SCUM min en-
good belt ever since l got shed er de
rheumatism a year gone come mex
Christmas, en- got my leg broke by a
tee wild a possum in it fallin' pen top
ne kaze / wusn't quick enough in git
ten out de way, 1 hereby give en- advise
de- follerin' possessions, no matter
what / done in de promises last year:
Ter my oldes' wife, what wuz in
Alabama de las time l seen her. de
II cents what is under one er de legs
er de bureau ter buy snuff wild.
Ter my oldes' son. two ~fop-eared
'Possum dogs en- de lef hindfoot er a
graveyard rabbit.
Ter de thirteen other sons en-
daughters l been a-feedin' so long,
everything dey kin lay dey hans on,
fun de house cat ter de bin mule dat
broke two er my ribs las harves', en-
kicked de new preacher so high he
never come down ter say how high hi
WIZ.
Il b'lieve dis is bout all; but eff deg
thinks / gwine ter give up right OF
they hez nightly mistook de man
Amt / done put 'um on notice in d.
fust beginnin' er dis viii en- tenement
dat / is in good belt? 'COse l hez."
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14

An effort is to be made to remove q
large red oak tree from the widest sec
ton of Arkansas to st. Louis. The
tree is $50 feet high and II feet in div
amater at the base. A double tram
way will be built from the tree to the
river, where it will be foated and
towed to st. Louis. 1t is estimated
that this will occupy six months. The
tree will be dug up by the roots in
stead of being cut down, and none of
the branches will be trimmed.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
CORDIALLY AGREED.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Eyes, sir, the newspapers of this coun-
try by their extended publication of
sensational crimes and incidents are
doing an ~incalculable amount of in
jury"
That's right. The people shouldn't
be permitted t read such details. The
less they know about crimes and Grim
inals the better"
81 entirely agree with you. May
ask the nature of your business?"
81 am a green goods man"
And / am a dealer in gold bricks.
Shake"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14

times he defeated them, oftener he was
repulsed; but he never gave up hope.
be had only unframed levies of farm
ers, with 40 armor and poorly armed,
to oppose the well equipped Danes, vet
Grams of many a bloody field and the
most recklessly daring warriors of Eu-
rope. In one year he fought nine
pitched battles and at the end found
himself completely crushed. His peo-
pie. tired of the apparently hopeless
struggle, submitted to the northern
rovers; his lighting men vanished; his
towns were in ruins: abbeys, monas-
teries. nunneries and churches were
~overthrown; the religious who had
escaped the fury of the Danes fed. AL
fred himself was a fugitive seeking
safety in the hills and forests. At one
time he found refuge in a cowherd's
hut and tradition says had his ears
boxed for allowing a cake, which his
rud hostess babe him watch, burn,
Nanya are the legends dealing with this
period of Alfred's life; yet it is safe
to say that none of them could depict
him in a more miserable plight than
that in which he really a
Hope Led Him On.
But Alfred never despaired. He
placed his trust in heaven. He impor-
tuned 1t with his prayers and he was
heard. From his hiding place in the
woods he entered into communication
with some of the leaders among his
people; he inspired them with his own
unbounded confidence and resolution
and when again the people began arm
ing themselves against the Danes he
built a stronghold or an elevation amid
the marshes of Somersetshire anC
there summoned his followers. From
this stronghold in the swamp Alfred
made raids upon the enemy. He struck
them when they least expected it anC
gained numerous minor successes
Soon his army swelled into a strong
and confident force and at Ellington, II
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
MONUMENT TO ALFRED THE
CpEAT

Memorial erected on the cowherd's farm
where the great Saxon King, over loo
years ago, while a fugitive from the
Danes. is said TO have had his ears
boxed because he allowed the Of
his rude hostess to be burned-l
conquest of all England seemed as
sured. From the time that he was
able to WELD a battle ak Alfred had
been engaged in the struggle of the
Saxons against the invaders and on his
succession to the throne he renewed
his efforts to rid his people of these
terrible ~plunderers of the north. Some
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
In AFRICAN WILDs.
TYPES OF NATIVES IN CONGO
COUNTRY.
Ape-like Men, Congo CannibaIs and
Forest Observation-Disclosures Who Are
Nearly All ChrIstians-Edenio Ways
of Life.
London Letter.

London Letter.
The British p~rotectorate Of Uganda
In Africa contains the leading types
or the various races of the dark con-
tlnent, from the highest to the lowest.
Here may be found the ape-like ne
groes Of the Semliki valley; the dwarfs
who live on the Congo border; the
most intelligent and polite of all the
native peoples-the Baganda, and the
handsomest of all the aborigines-the
Bahima.
Ape-like men are frequently en-
countered in the region. The one of
whom an illustration is given was
found in the forest neal the Belgian
station of Fort Mbeni. His skin was
OF a dirty %yellowish brown n he
lived on the outskirts of the settle
ment, subsisting chiefly on the rare
hesh of such creatures as he could
trap or kill, and upon honey and bee
quibs. He was extremely timid and
spoke imperfectly the language of the
Babira negroids who live in the for
ests.
Uganda Pygmies.
The pygmies of Uganda are confined
to a belt of forest lying to the east and
west of the Semliki river. They pre-
sent two somewhat distinct types as
regards skin color, one of the types
being a reddish yellow and the other
black. The bodies of the former are
covered with short, fine black hair and
this is present in the cases of both
sexes. One common feature to all pyg-
mics is the shape of the nose. There
is not much bridge to this organ, the
lower end of which is large and fat
tened, but the remarkable size of the
cartilage above the nostrils and the
fact that these caItilages rise almost as
high as the central part of the nose
diferentiate the pygmy from all other;
of the negrOid type. The mouth is
large and ape-like. the chin weak and
receding and the neck short and weak
The pygmies are adroit in climbing
and to a slight extent make use Of
their feet in grasping branches be
tween the big toes and the rest of thu
toes. The average height of the meI
is 4 feet 9 inches and of the womeI
4 feet 6 inches.
The Babira negroes of the Congo
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
SAID TO REST.

ample and an admonition and in every
monastery was a school for children.
His ambition was that all the freeborn
youths in the kingdom might be edu-
Gated and his schools were attended by
the children Of the free citizens as well
as by the children of the mobiles.
Was a Great Scholar.
Alfred himself was an accomplished
scholar for the age. He translated nu-
merous works and wrote others, all
tending toward the promotion of ma
tional education. His zeal in this di-
rection was unbounded.
And while engaged in such numer-
Gus labors he encouraged nusbandry
and other useful arts. He introduced
foreign traders, craftsmen. illuminat-
ors and artists in the precious metals
into his kingdom and opened up com
m-unications with other countries so
that his own island might profit by the
contact of its people with others.
In the midst of his peaceful labors
he was interrupted by another Danish
eruption in S93. 1t was the most for
midable of all the incursions of the
mortimer into England, but Alfred
was prepared for it and it was finally
quelled.
October 81, sO1, Alfred died. But his
name and fame endure. The hero OF
fable and legend, he is also one Of the
most heroic characters in all history,
and as his epitaph on his monument
in Vantage, his birthplace, reads, his
name shall live as long as mankind
shall respect the past"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-01-14
A NEW RECIPE

Mrs. Brownley-Boggs-"Mary. the
salad was particularly delicious to-
night What did you use in it?
Mary used them new kind o.
yaller cabbages that Mr.. John sent
home, mum"
Mrs. BIB. Gaintly)-"Heavens.t those
were chrysanthemums."