davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

so mnoh to the food consumed as to rents and to the cost of modern con- venienues. A house heated by fur naoe. lighted by gas and plunbed for hot and cold water means higher ex. penses to the consumer, who pays all. It means higher rentals and 1t means expenses for repairs. Tn the days before the war these oonven- fences did not exist, and did not therefore have to be paid for. One could then rent a larger house with a large garden at price that does not now furnish a small house and no garden.
 The little conveniences of modern housekeepers are each and all very desirable, but the householder must pay for them, and in the aggregate they eat into a wage that has not been proportionately increased. This change was thus explained by a cor respondent of the New York Times;
 Tn considering the question of the relative cost of living we must take into account the difference in cus- toms and standards of living. We have now innumerable artificial wants, many of which, considering our surroundings, amount to necessi- ties, from which our grandparents were happily free. The Improvements and conveniences, also, of our modern life must be paid for Many of the new wants are wholly artificial and unnecessary, and are the outgrowth of the ever-increasing luxury of the rich This constitutes a standard of living which strongly influences the grade below, and that the next, and tLe next, until all to some extent are affected by the standard of the mil lionaire. This is one of the great evils and threatening dangers of our modern life"
 Fuel costs more, rents cost more, and modern conveniences in one way and another cost a deal more, and the result is, the wage-earner of today is not as independent and forehanded as the wage-earner of fifty years ago, although wages have as a rule been increased. They have not kept pace, however. with the demands of mod ern life, and that Is why the land is full of discontent, tramps and strikes, and this condition will have to be reckoned with when times are less prosperous.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Brilliant Soloists.

''The music festival next week-April ' and S-will bring a number Of soloists to Birmingham. but the one who will probably make the greatest furor is Miss Ehecta Clifford. the soprano. who has achieved notable triumphs in the East this season." said member of the Choral Society.
 Miss Clifford will sing at both con- certs of the festival but no one who loves music can afford to miss hearing her the first night when she will have in addition to her roles In the choral works the Bell Song from Lakme. The other vocal artists will be Mrs. B. Guckenberg- CT, MT. George Hamlin and MT. Oscar Ehrgott. The instrumental soloists on the first night will be MT. Leopold Kramer, violin, and Miss Edna Gockel, piano.
 "The programmes are the most popu- lar ever presented to Birmingham au- dience. The guarantors asked MT. Guek- enberger to give. them something that would not be too severe Appreciating their request the musical director has selected short and tuneful chorus works and has induced Theodore Thomas to play only popular orchestral music There is not a heavy number on either pro- gramme.''
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Trade in Bananas.

Tn values we import three times more bananas than we export apples, and the apple trade of this country is not of small dimensions. Tn the year ended June 30 we imported bananas to the value of $6,550,1S6, while the value of apples exported was but $2,- oSS.964.
 Southern Florida furnished only S7s2 punches in 1899, and it's addition to the supply will never be important. It is not tropical enough. The supply comes from Central America and the West Indies. Costa Rica heads the list. Before the war with Spain Cuba shipped even more than Costa Rica, but she now ships less than Honduras and much less than Costa Rica. Brit fsh West Indies, however, outrank Costa Rica, sending here a full third of all we receive. Hawaii formerly sent large amounts to San Francisco but of late the shipments have fallen oil, so that at present Central America and the British West Indies control the big trade.
 This is emphatically a banana con- suming country, having no rival in that respect in the temperate zone. No doubt Cuba will again become a heavy shipper of bananas, but at pres ent she ranks below British West h. dies, Costa Rica, Colombia and Hon. duras-the Big Four in the banana trade.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
The Y. M. c. A.

'T am not a member of the Y. NJ c. A., nor am a member of any church, but I recognize the association as an institu- tion of far-reaching good, and when the committee which Is canvassing for money to erect. a building calls on me, l will gladly contribute $10O," said a business man of moderate means.
 q think that any man who is able to contribute to the Y M. c. A. and refuses to do so is lacking in public spirit. But what disgusts me with certain class of men beyond expression Is their niggard- liless. I refer to the men who have money to spare and who pose as religious men, but who will not open their purse strings, when we outsiders are asked to give to religious causes and do give.
 'I know a few men in Birmingham who have a great deal of unction in church meetings, but who are rank skinfiints when it comes to giving. These men are hypocrites and from my point of view do the church decided harm."
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
THE SEA.

By Barry Cornwall. The sea! the seal the open sea! The blue, the fresh the ever free! Without mark, without bound It runneth the earth's wide regions round, It plays with the clouds. it mocks the
 skies
 Or like cradled creature lies. I'm on the sea! I'm on the sea; I am where I would ever be; With the blue above and the blue below, And silence whersoe'er I go; If storm should come and awaken the
 deep, What matter?.7I shall ride and sleep. I love (oh! how love) to ride On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide, When every mad wave drowns the moon, Or whistles aloft his tempest tune, And tells how goeth the world below, And why the southwest blasts do blow I never was on the dull, tame shore But I loved the great sea more and moro, And backward flew to her billowy breast, Like a bird that seeketh it's mothers
 nest;
 And mother she was and is to me, For I was born on the open sea! The waves were white and red the morn In the noisy hour when I was born; And the whale it whistled, the porpoise
 rolled,
 And. the dolphins barred their backs of
 gold; And never was heard such an outcry wild As welcomed to life the ocean child! I've lived since then, in calm and strife, Full fifty summers a sailors life, With wealth to spend and power to
 range,
 But never have sought nor sighed for
 change; And Death, whenever he comes to me Shall come on the wild, unbounded saaf
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Cost of the Roer War.

While the Boers and British are discussing peace, each evidently anx- ious to secure it, brief resume of the, desperate struggle may not prove uninteresting. It was begun on Octo- Der 12, 1899, and Is therefore well ad- vanced in its third year. Pretoria was captured at the end of the first eleven months, and Mafeking was relieved, and in those bloody eleven months official reports put the British loss at 42yO00 men, of whom 4,000 were killed in battle, 3O,000 were wounded and 5000 were reported missing. There are no official reports that cover the entire war. but the best unofficial es- inmates put the total fatalities on the English side at 22,077, of whom 6.S62 were killed in battle. Nearly all the rest died of disease.
 The Boer losses will perhaps never be accurately known, but on account of their knowledge of the country and their manner of fighting their fatali- ties were much less. They suffered heavily in capture, the British holding as prisoners today over 15,000 Boers.
 The expenses of the war to the British cannot be readily assorted from the British military budget, but 1t is known thatthe cost of the war in fin the first twenty months was $220,- O00,O0O. Today 555,O0O horses and mules are employed in army opera tions in South Africa, and the ex- penses of conducting war in such distant country and over such range of country are very great. If we double the sum stated we shall not go far astray. The cost to the British of suppressing the two Boer repub- lies will be between $400, ,000, 900 and $500, 0,00O,000. It is said that a good part of this interest charge will be laid on the gold and diamond mines that led up to the war.
 As the Boer nationality will be lost their losses in money need not be ,.on sidered. Their. expenses were moi nearly so heavy, but whatever they were they will not appear in the form of a consolidated debt. And perhaps the cost of the war to them will never be known or even tabulated. The final reckoning on the side of the brave defenders of the republics will be estimates, for official figures will not be forthcoming-will, in fact, be impossible.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

Speaking of Improvements, I am told that the people who own the Belt Line Railroad expect to thoroughly improve and equip it and make material exten sions. Several hundred thousand dollars will probably be expended in the near future and this line will probably be in- strumental in aiding in locating num- Der of manufacturing plants in the dis triet.
 am glad to see that MT. Alex T. Lon don is freely discussing all public matters relating to Alabama, Jefferson county and the city of Birmingham. MT. London writes well. he deals in facts and figures, is always courteous and apparently has no political axe to grind. Indeed, MT. London is man of wealth, and seems to be thoroughly imbued with the idea that public affairs should be conducted on the same strictly business principles that cor porations or individuals conduct affairs upon.
 MT. London is determined that the citi- gems shall have full knowledge of all affairs in which they are interested. The public is with him in his desire to bring forth this knowledge and to bring the public officers, whether they be State, County or municipal in closer touch with the people. While Mr. London may be wrong in some details, he is right in his endeayors to bring forth all the facts in connection with all offices in order that those who desrve credit may have their full share of it, and whose deserving of condemnation shall have it.
 
 There is something radically wrong in the alleged enforcement of the law against carrying concealed weapons in Birmingham. It is claimed that Judge Feagin's court imposes fines and the mayor, in many instances, reuits them, On the other hand, the mayor claims he remits no fines unless there are exten. uating circumstances which make it only just to do SO.
 However this may be, the practice ot exist more largely in Birmingham, per, haps than any other Southern city. And that is why, in a large measure, Birming. ham has such a bad reputation for crime. As matter of fact there are more shoot. ings and killings in Birmingham thar any other city in the world of its size. Il the law against carrying concealed weap, ons was thoroughly enforced, Birming. ham would be a much better city. As il is now, no one is safe.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

e1 DON'T know of anything which has
 occurred in Birmingham for a long time to cause 90 much regret to the commercial, manufacturing and business interests of Birmingham as the announcement printed in yesterdays Age Herald that President B. o. Hopkins of the Sheffield Steel and Iron Com pany was to resign. MT. Hopkins has been in Birmingham more than year in active charge of the Sloss Company's properties. He has made the best record in the history of the company. The com pany has made m oney and paid dividends under his management, and is in excellent condition today. As an evidence of this fact, its report for the second week in March. with but five of its seven furnaces In blast, show the total iron made dur ing that week to be 6172 tons, or an aver age per day of ss2 tons, or an average per furnace of 1761k tons daily. Of the total amount made 9S.1 per cent was foundry iron.
 MT. Hopkins has put all the properties in good condition and has made money
  ed the plants on strictly business lines, and has established broad policy of CO., operating with the other concerns in the Birmingham district as to the prices of iron In other words, the Sloss and the Tennessee, and the Woodward, and the Alabama Consolidated and the Repub- lie have co-operated In maintaining prices. There has been no cutting and conse- quently all of the concerns have prosper ed.
 No men in the district regret more the retirement of MT. Hopkins than the pres idents and managers of the other com panies; due to the fact that they found MT. Hopkins word to be as good, as his bond on all occasions.
 Another good man may take MT. Hop pins place, but it will be difficult to find one who will so thoroughly have the , confidence O. the community and of those who have assisted him in the management of the great Sloss Company.
 The active managers of the other com panies in the district were a bit annoy ed yesterday when they heard definitely that MT. Hopkins was to resign. They don't know what his successors policy will be in regard to maintaining iron prices and cooperating in the affairs of material interests of the district.
 The old rate cutting policy which ex- isted here in former days. caused Birm- ingham iron to be sold at prices too low
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Senator cIark,s Wealth.

There are many multimillionaires Tn the United States, but according to my way of figuring United States Senator w. A. Clark of Montana is not only the rich est man in America, but the richest man In the world" said MT. George c. Carson, mining engineer and metallurgist, of Cal ifornia, at the Hillman.
 ''He has in one hill gold, silver. copper and lead that will round up in value five billions of dollars. These are big figures, but my estimate is true. nevertheless.
 Senator Clark is not generally rated as the wealthiest man in the United States simply because he has not cared to publish an exhibit of his resources. But wait two or three years and he will be conceded 10 be worth more than the Rockefellers, the yanderbilts and dozen more multimilionaires eombined.'
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Mistakes of Story Writers.

F'romthe Kansas City Journal
 Fasteners who write Western stories Tor the Eastern magazines are source of never-ending amusement Recently wa quoted from a story by Cyrus Townsend Brady, in which that author had a wom. an perform the marvellous feat of riding on horseback ninety miles in two hours This he accomplished by naming twd Oklahoma towns, that distance apart, as her starting point and destination. Not long since an Eastern magazine contain. ed a mining story which located a chain of mountains in Kansas about forty miles south of Topeka. eIn the March Harpers is an Oklahoma story by a woman. One scene is located in samp, and she has the Texas cowboys getting out before breakfast to rub down. their ponies. If a Texas cowboy should rub down his pony the pony would fall dead from sheer aStonishment
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
NED BRACE TALKS ABOUT AFFAIRS WHICH
 MATERIALLY AFFECT BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT

compared with those of other iron produc- ing sections. As a consequence, few of the great plants in the Birmingham dis triot have been actual money makers. Within the past two years, however, all have made money and with continua- ton of recent policies, 1t Is believed all will continue to make money.
 The prosperity of the district, of the merchants, and of all classes of manu- facturers, depends upon the prosperity of the great iron producing corporations of the district If the big iron companies make money. everybody makes money and vice versa.
 By the way. speaking of the iron con- cerns of this district, the Tennessee Com pany is doing better than ever in it's his- tory. Don H. Bacon, the chairman of the board and the actual head of the concern, has proven himself to be man of great ability. He is operating the Tennessee Company purely for the pur- pose of building it up and making money for its stock and bond holders. He is putting the various plants in first class condition, and operating the same upon strictly business principles. There is nothing of the speculative about him. He is one of the eminently practical Since he has been at the head of the com pany 1t has beeh observed that there has been no wild fluctuations in the value of the stock. The stock has been steady and firm, and is gradually creeping up MT. Bacon indulges in no talk about divi- dends. He does not propose to pay any dividends until the plants of the com pany are in thorough condition and the earnings warrant the payment of divi- dends. It may be two or three years before the Tennessee Company can de- clare dividena on it's stock. At the same time, that stock is increasing in value every day, and I have no hesitation in venturing the prediction that within two or three years, under the present man. aeement, the stock will have a fixed com mercial value at or above par; and when it gets there it will stay there. Indeed it is rapidly becoming an investment stock rather than a speculative stock.
 Birm ingham seems to be in the office building era. The construction of the Woodward building is going along nicely, and the foundation of the building on Twenty-frst street and third avenue is being laid. In the meantime, have seen plans and details for two other very hand some proposed buildings, one of which will probably cost more than $300,0O to construct
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
laeJ1.eze>-

the father and all those who gathered al those long-age Easter dinners, save only three, long since passed to Heaven; but in the mind of him who was then an un. taught child those first impressions sur, vive and will survive alway. He knowI now what Easter means, and believes that the recollections of the childhood days did in part enable him to seek truth, and seeking find it
 
 Glad Easters of early childhood-glad. der Easters of manhood-gladdest East, CTS when age shall come with it's golden sunset promise of things to be!
 He is poor indeed who cannot see some thing of joy in the dawning in the full noontide, and in the waning of blessed Easter Day. Poor, indeed is he whose revealed and grasp the things yet to be Then to side with Truth is noble when we
 share her wretched crust Ere her cause brings fame and pront. and
 'tis prosperous to be just; Then it is the brave man chooses while
 the coward stands aside, Doubling in his abject spirit, till his
 Lord is crucihed.
 In ancient days when the church ruled the world and piety beautified the life Of every man, on Easter Day everyone exchanged pious greetings and there was universal brotherhood. Now there ara many pagans, who esteem 1t clever to be fools. But still Easter is Easter, and not all the pagans nor all the self-righteou, ones can rob it of its godly religious sig. nificance.
 A happy Easter to you beloved!
 LUCIEN JULIEN WALKER.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Waoes and the Cost of Liyinu

Tn New England they are tracing popular discontent to the fact that since the civil war wages have not been increased as rapidly as the cost of living. AS compared with the wages of 1860 there has been no extraordin- ary advance in wages. Agricultural and cotton mill workers earn no more now than they did in 1S60 The men in the building trades and other mechanics do, however, earn more than their predecessors of 1860 did. But in no occupation or trade has there been an advance equal to the in- creased cost of living.
 The cost of living today relates not
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR

From the New York Press.
 The most necessary thing in a Irritation is to be a good liar.
 If a statesman is a dead politician, O saint is sinner in his grave.
 Nobody can expect to have his own way all the time-unless it is a woman
 Any hard-working man who spends very little on himself can make himself very useful to his wife.
 A woman's way of saving money is to get shop to take back something she has bought so she can buy something else again with the returned money right on the spot.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Retail Trade.

"One bright Saturday, such as this has been, gives the retail merchants great joy, because shoppers turn out in large numbers and spend their money freely" said Second avenue millener last night
 'The rainy weather was depressing but few days of sunshine brings our aver age up pretty well. In spite of bad weather trade this spring has been bet ter than it was last and last spring was a good season."
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Sentiment of the Party.

Arkansas Democrats yesterday se- lected in State primary all candi- dates from United States Senator to beat constable. All States are in clining that way. and yet Alabama with a select and choice electorate hesitates. Properly speaking, her poli- ticians are holding the people in thrall, and the people are not hesitat- ing at all. They are demanding a State primary.
 Even the Eufaula Times, down in Barbour, demands State primary. It sees in a primary loss of political power to the counties that have light votes in the new electorate, but yet it thinks each voter should have an opportunity to express his preferences in the selection of party candidates, and 1t advocates the calling of State primary of the South Carolina sort, which is the only good sort. 'The cry for needed reform,' says the Times, should not go unheeded, and as the people are looking for change, why not give it to them? Then every can didate will have no cause to complain if he fail to secure the plan. He will be in the hands of the people, not of the politicians. Let's have a primary by all means" This is the sentiment of the entire party, less the politicians.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
The Peach Crop.

"I have a little peach orchard on the South Highlands and I am glad to report that the recent cold snap did not injure it." said we'll known lawyer.
 q do not think that the freeze did any harm Fruit trees will stand ten or twelve degrees below freezing, provided the at mosphere Is dry. It is the cold snap in wet weather that plays havoc. The cold spell last week came with dry wind.
 Ut is a fact not generally known that the late peach trees bloom before the early bearing trees"
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
From the Hartselle Enquirer.

At a mass meeting of negroes held in Birmingham Tuesday the Colored Mems Suffrage Association was organized with J. w. Giles president and J. s. Julian secretary. The object of the association Is to oppose the new constitution of Ala bama in the courts, and to do this it was agreed to raise 5000 by appealing to ne- groes of the state. The CrumpacRer bill was endorsed and the resolutions adopted by the negroes are to be forwarded to the Indiana government.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
IN HOTEL. LOBBIBS
 AND ELSEWHERE
Eahker.

With tho joyous festival of Easter comes good weather. The churches will be filled with worshipers and the women will be happy in their new spring attire.
 At St. Pauis church high mass begins at to;3O o'clock. At the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows high mass begins at 10. At all the other churches the services will begin at Il o'clock.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
ON THE UP GRADE,

From the Warrior Breeze.
 The Birmingham Age-Herald is rapidly becoming a great paper, both in size, ap- pearance and variety of its contents.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

Count oasteilans is as silent as Da- vid Bennett Hin when New York Democrats ere looking for man who can face and defeat Governor odeli.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30
From the Camp Hm Times.

A company is asking the city of Birm- ingham for a franchise to lay pipes to fur nish the citizens of the Magic City with cold air. If that company can furnish warm air and mix with it a little fair weather 1t could do land office business in this section.
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

King Edward is said to regard the coronation business as an unmitigated bore,
The age-herald., 1902-03-30

In order to make sikyscrapers dur able Chicago now proposes to boil them in tar. It is town that boils everything before taking.