davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
MORE HOTEL PARASITES.
Numbers Increasing, According to Men
 Behind the Registers.

From the Chicago Tribune.
 The discovery has ben made that a certain tribe of mankind is on the de- the growth of his kind The "hotel" par asite is growing in numbers.
 A parasite is a species which uses hotel stationary, hotel chairs, hotel matches, hotel toothpicxs and hotel newspapers. if he can secure them.
 He writes his letters at the hotel desks He adorns the chairs in the hotel lobby He parades the office floor, and adds beauty to the scenery
 He all but lives at the hotel. When meal time comes he folds his tent and silently steals away. The hotel proprie- tor cannot object unless the parasite be- comes noisy or sleepy. He is apt to have sense of the proprieties which will keep him from becoming boisterous, but there is chance that he will stretch out his legs and fall asleep in a hotel chair That is where the tavern keepers oppor- tunfty arrives. He bounces the parasite If parasite were to spend a cent in the hotel which he f1atters with his at tentions he would be an outcast among his tribesmen. The parasite. according to the description of the hotel keepers, is a tight wad." <.
 
 opposed to the parasite. He makes the hotel office look as if " something was doing
 What's the use of kicl1ing?' said one proprietor. The adornments will stay anyway. So long as they keep awake and quiet we have to let them stay The most expense they cause us is in station cry toothpicks and matches The sta tionery serves it's purpose. Whenever they send letter away on it they spread the hotels advertising The matches and the toothpicks are dead loss.
 Several characters make the place their headquarters. They can always find a paper which some one has dis carded. They begin with the morning papers, and then sit around and wait for the afternoon editions.
 No use in kicking. There are chairs enough for all of them, and they make the place look prosperous"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
STATE NEWS ITEMS.

The Davidson plantation at Bellview Kimball.
 A local council of the order of Commer- cial Photographers has been organized in Selma. with J. NJ. Robertson and D. B. Keith at the head.
 Florence Herald: great crowd is ex- pected in Florence on Memorial day, when the monument to the Confederate dead of Lauderdale county will be unveiled.
 The Thompson Land and Investment company has sold w. T. Sparks of War ren, Ind, fine 250-acre farm at Green brier. Limestone county. The price pald was $50 per acre.
 Mrs. J. W Tally of Bass, Jackson coun- ty, presented to William and Emma Aus tin college at Stevenson handsome library which cost several hundred aol- lars. It will be known as the Wilile Iahy library. in honor of her youngest daugh- ter.
 
 Gadsden Journal: The construction crew of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph company is at work improving that company's s property in the city. They are at work stringing cables on Forest avenue. Broad street and other streets of the city
 Gadsden Journal The Gadsden Gun club has secured ten acres of land on the car line near the old Sansom place. The ear line people have promised to put q station there. and the sportsmen expect to improve the grounds, and have fine shoots there.
 Mobile Item Messrs. w. w. Wessell of Chicago. Charles R. Davis of Indian apolis and A. F. Boelin of Decatur, H., arrived in the city last night on the Louisville and Nashville. They were &C., companied by MT. J. B. Foley, who re- gently purchased a tract of over 3O0O0 acres of land near Magnolia Springs. The gentlemen, with MT. Foley, will act as agents in handling the land. MT. William
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Army of the Divorced.

The Chicago Record-Herald shows from the public records that there are 1,53S divorced people in the United States, of whom 32,205 are women and 18,3S4 men, The difference in the numbers of the sexes Is due to, the fact that more divorced men remarry thus ceasing to be counted among the divorced
 The tables show that Chicago heads the list of divorce cities of the coun- try, far outranking New York which has much larger population. We add a table showing the number of the divorcedin the chief cities of the coun-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
NED BRACE TALKS ABOUT ALL SORTS OF
 THINGS OF LOCAL AND GENERAL INTEREST

ham and Brunswick railroad really means something. If the newspaper reports of a s10,00O,OOO steel mill to be constructed at Brunswick be true, then the Birmingham and Brunswick railroad will certainly be built into the Birmingham district
 E. c. Machen, who is at the head of the road, seems to have been able to get suf- fieient money to build and equip oyer 100 miles of it already, and at the rate he is going it looks like he will build into Bir- mingham He has built railroads before that no one thought he would ever be able to complete.
 I am glad to see that an improvement has been made at the Union depot and that several uniformed porters now meet the arriving trains to help passengers off with their baggage. This service has long been needed and the depot officials are to be commended for final action.
 It is about time Street Commissioner McCartin was putting his street sprinkling carts into commission. The streets are dusty and dirty and the wind has been high for several days Let the carts come out at once and do that work which the tax payers are providing for.
 l would also suggest that something like $l0OO be spent in filling up the holes in many of Birmingham's streets with chert. This would be a wise expenditure on the part of the city government just at this time. Birmingham should be made more attractive to the visitor as well as to the resident here. There are many things it needs but nothing so badly as sprinkling the streets or filling up the holes in them
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

still water-in pools and swamps, or in water barrels on the tops of or near houses. One rainwater barrel will send out untold numbers of the pestiferous and disease-carrying insects.
 New Jersey will expend this year s10,000 in efforts to cover wet local ities that cannot readily be drained with kerosene. Long Island is pursu- ing like policy, and so is Charles ton in South Carolina. The absolute ly proven fact that mosquitoes are purveyors of disease renders them dangerous as well as obnoxious, and the time is fast coming when they must go,
 The flight of the mosquito is short, not exceeding 300 yards, and if mud holes, marshes, cesspools and water barrels are attended to before and dur ing the hot months there will be few or no mosquitoes. There need be no mosquitoes in Jones valley if the au- thorities up. and down it will take hold of this matter, but if there are to be no mosquitoes this summer in Jones valley there must be speedy ac- tion and vigorous efforts in the sup pression of all stagnant water.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
H. M. FLAGLER'S DIVORCED
 WIFE RECOVERING REASON

From the Kansas City World.
 TT IS TELEGRAPIED from Florida
 that Mrs. Ida Flagler, divorced wife of Henry M. Flagler, the Standard Oil millionaire. is recovering her reason.
 The announcement brings to mind the story of a husbands eallousness if not his crime.
 Mrs. Flagler was the wife of her hus- bands youth. She endured with him early privations and with him struggled to get up in the world
 When she went insane Flagler had a law passed by the Florida legislature permitting him to divorce this wife. The Flagler millions were presumably drawn upon to secure this law. Anyway, the law the multi millionaire desired was passed, and there was great scandal be- cause of alleged bribery.
 Being freed from the old wife Flagler married younger and handsomer woman.
 And to add to the pathos of the story the divorced wife knows nothing of what
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

has frontage of 65.1O feet. The Morgan house is on. the northeast corner at Thir- ty-sixth street, the Dodge house covers the center plot, and the Stokes house is at the southeast corner at Thirty-seventh street.
 MT. Morgan owned 2S2 feeet on Thirty sixth street. with rights in an 1S- foot alley, making 300 feet. The Dodges, stokeses and two nefghbors on Thirty seventh street each owned alley rights. All sold to Morgan except MT. Dodge
 MT. Morgan has just filed plans for a s500,00O art gallery to be built on his Thirty-sixth street frontage The pur- chase of the Dodge property gives him complete ownership of the alley, and he can now make the art gallery an exten- sion of his mansion.
 The Dodge plot, 65 .10x157, gives MT. Morgan an avenue frontage of ISIS feet, which will be utilized for doubling the size of his present mansion after the art gallery shall have been completed. His entire plot Is now 131.Sx30O. It has cost him over $2, ,50O,OOO. Since trade be- gan to usurp Fifth avenue the Morgan neighborhood on the Murray Hill stretch of Madison avenue has become the most. exclusive residential district on Manhattan island.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
McFadden's Row of Flats.

No one objects to the brilliant dash ing Irishman that Maurice Barry more delighted to present, nor to the rollicking lrishman that Bouccicault never tired of depicting in his plays, nor even to the drollery of MT. liar rigan's Irishman-all warm -souled and full of humor and success. But the Irish policeman with green whiskers, who is too dull to be humorous-that is different! Irishmen have become disgusted with such gross and abso- lutely unwarranted caricatures of Irish character-caricatur that do not touch the genuine Irish-American at any point-caricatures that are born of stupid and loose playwriting
 The nationalities are freely carica- tured on the stage. All are accustomed to the stage Jew, the stage German, the stage Englishman, the stage Frenehman, and so on to the end of the list. None of these are comforting to their own respective nationalities, but still they enjoy them, because they are full of quaint humor, exaggerated more or less, and no one wants to drive them from the stage Neither does any one desire to drive the witty and warm-hearted Irishman away--the Irishman that wins all hearts, and his cause whatever it may be.
 But the Irishman with green whisk- ers-the McFadden's Irishman- no one wishes to retain, and all will be glad when he Is driven from the stage True, eggs and vegetables, both stale are not perhaps ideal criticisms of dramatic productions, but circum- stances sometimes alter cases. It may be that nothing less would suffice.
 Let us hope at any rate that the good work thus begun, even if the beginning be trifle irregular and off color and smell, will hold good, and that theatre -goers have seen the last of Irishmen with bright green whisk- CTS.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

steel columns and girders for our great office buildings from Pittsburg, when these things should be made right here. It has been demonstrated at Ensley that we can make as good steel rails in the Birmingham district as can be made in the world. Why therefore, should we not make the finished product of all de- scriptions? A bit more of energy and capital properly directed in the Birming- ham district will bring this about in the near future.
 It appears to me that some people in Birmingham are endeavoring to overdo the real estate business. Many property owners have excitedly added 25 per cent to the price asked for real estate thirty days ago. All this comes about because of the fact that several large sales of real estate for actual business purposes have recently been made.
 If property owners intend to advance prices one-fourth every time big sale is made they will soon kill the growth of Birmingham. High priced real estate has killed moro than one town in this country which had bright future. Num- bers of people with capital right now de- sire to invest money In Birmingham in buildings, but they will not do 1t if fabul- ous prices are charged for vacant real estate.
 There is doubtless something in the nature of a real estate boom on in Bir- mingham at the present time. Many people are wild on the subject. Every one seems to be excited. l hope that the substantial real estate men of Brming- ham will exercise conservatism and not permit an imitation of such proportions as to lead to a sudden collapse.
 < -@ 4
 It Is beginning to look like. the Birmlng-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

has happened while she was insane. She Is driven daily about the sanitarium, but by MT. Flagler's orders IS never taken beyond the limits of the village. Perhaps lingering regard for the discarded wife leads Flagler to keep all the facts from her so long as possible.
 That is one story.
 Here is another:
 The wife of a wealthy Chicago citizen lost her mind. Being pronounced insane by commission the officers came to take her to an asylum. Her husband said they could take her only over his dead body. He sold his business and gave all his time to care for her. It was an awful task, but he did not shrink Finally he took the insane wife to Kentucky, where she was reared and where he had courted her There, amid the scenes of her child hood, she began living her life over again and in time was restored
 This man was a husband.
 Flagler held marriage as convenience this man a sacred covenant, ''Till death do us part"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Art Teachers Association.

'"The Eastern Art Teachers association, to be held at Baltimore on April 22 and 2S, and at Washington on the 24th prom ises to be a distinguished success" said a Birmingham artist. "The programme will be rich in variety and will include the following: The Relation of the Study of Art to Mental and Spiritual Culture Frank Alvan Parsons, normal art de- partment, Teachers college, Columbia university, New York. Definite Art Prin- ciples; Statement, Rationale, Applica- uons'-F'red H. Daniels, supervisor of drawing, Springfield, Mass, editor of the Applied Arts Book The Drawing of Leaf-Henry T. Bailey state supervisor of industrial art in Massachusetts. The Method in Constructive Design-Miss Stella Skinner, in charge of art instruc- tion in the New Poltz State Normal school Art in Every Day Living Miss Annette J. Warner, in charge of art in
 structlon in the Fitchburg Normal school and vice president of the Eastern Art Teachers. association. Art Study for Its own Sake do enrich lfe)-Dr. James Parton Haney, supervisor of manual training and art in the New York public school in Manhattan borough and found- CT of the council of supervisors"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
FAVORABLE YEAR FOR NEW YORK GIRLS
 AND GOOD MANY HAVE FOUND HUSBANDS

From the New York Evening Journal
 THINK that 1t is a most favorable year for girls. The pretty girls have found husbands and there has never been such a number of Easter weddings There has been quite an influx of heiresses. The girl star is in the ascendant. Mrs. John Jacob Astor set the fashion and gave the world a daughter. Mrs. Clarence Mackay she is an authoress now and one must speak of her with all due formality-had another daughter. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney gave birth to a daughter and here is Mrs. Reynal giving another heiress to the world. In fact, nearly all the wealthy babies born within the twelve month have been girls. And the years will roll by so quickly that before we know 1t these young ladies-these young Astors and Vanderbilts and Mackays-will have been duly "debuted" and become brides themselves. And with the advent of so many girls there seems to have crept into the spirit of New York society more courtesy more polish and less of the ter rible doctrine of step lively" which was so much in evidence in the beginning of the winter If there have been many new people who are getting in," they are settling down. easily and they are
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Saturday Was a Record Day.

"The merchants of Birmingham had many busy days this year. but the volume of sales today beat the record" said Second avenue merchant late last night.
 Tt is safe to say that more dry goods and haberdashery were sold this week than in any week in the history of Bir- mingham. And the best part of 1t is more high priced goods were sold than ever before. The bright weather helped us. but even had spring been backward and the days leading up to Easter been wet and dreary, shopping trade would have been brisk. The people wanted the goods; they wanted fine goods and they had the money to pay for them.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

The south is by no means free from divorces, for Louisville, Baltimore and New Orleans keep up pretty well with the procession; and among the lesser cities, Birmingham has 42 divorced males and 143 divorced females: Mont gomery, 22 divorced men and 1S3 divorced women; Mobile 59 of men and 1S2 of women; Atlanta 43 of the form CT and 230 of the latter, and Memphis 12S divorced men and 295 divorced wo- men. All of these figures are propor- tionately high.
 No other two cities in the country show, however, the proportions re- ported from Chicago and Indianapolis. The percentage of divorces in Indian apolis is greater than the percent age of Chicago-greater for that mat ter than that of any other city In the country, thus emitting 1t to the de struction or disgrace of being known as the divorce city. Out of 169, ,164 peo- pie in Indianapolis there are 1891 divorced persons, or one out of every 121 men, and women and children in the Hoosier capital.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Worlds Fair Balloon.

"A curious feature of the fireworks programme during the dedication cere- monies at the Worlds fair at St. Louis will be the release of a large balloon made of the finest and lightest oil silk and filled with the best quality of hydrogen" re- marked a St. Louis man. ''Do this balloon will be attached, under proper safeguards to prevent injury, a notice directed to the finder that on return of the notice to the exposition officials season pass to the fair will be given.
 Tt is estimated that the balloon under moderately favorable conditions will travel thousand miles before returning to earth. It is likely that much interest will be displayed on the night of the bal looms release as to the direction of the wind and that localities in the fortunate direction will be on the lookout for the treasure-laden messenger"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12

itself. There is no occasion, in other words, for offending well-meaning peo- pie, even if they be mistaken, and the game in question be a harmless and ex- cellent recreation. In the bonds of so- eiety each should consider the feel ings and wishes and opinions of other people. No one can do just as he pleases in the cooperative concern called for short society.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Warrina on Mosauitoes.

There are two propositions that are well established, namely. mosquitoes are very dangerous carriers Of dis ease, because they insert the germs carried directly in the veins of their victims, and the second proposition is this, community which has no stag nant water will have no mosquitoes. The pests cannot be bred except on
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Likes Birmingham.

'I am greatly pleased with Birmingham and it's people" said D. A. Belden, the recently elected general manager of the Birmingham Railway. Light and Power company
 There Is a marvellous spirit of enter prise manifest and I cannot help feeling thnt a city which has such people in 1t as I have met here is destined to become great "
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
IN HOTEL LOBBIES.
Easter.

The festival which Christians of all denominations celebrate today Is one of great Joy. and this Easter brings with it here in the south ideal spring weather.
 The churches will be crowded and the streets will present animated scenes from morning until night. It will be indeed gala Sunday and happiness and good fel- lowship will reign
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
MoRGAN's NEW HOME.
Millionaire Buys the Dodge Mansion
 and Will Double 1t.

From the New York World.
 J. Pierpont Morgan is planning man. sion which will be larger than the new home of Andrew Carnegie.
 MT. Morgan bought yesterday the Will liam F.. Dodge mansion, adjoining his own. The block-front on the east side of Madison avenue from Thirty-sixth to Thirty-seventh street is occupied by the three brown stone mansions of the Nor gans. the Dodges and the Stokeses. Each
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
A. ToMPK1Ns, the newspaper

N A. TOMPKINS, the newspaper NU man and cotton mill owner of
 - Charlotte, N. C.. told me an interesting story yesterday about a cotton grower over in Mississippi. The man in question is growing a fine grade of long staple cotton and has been exporting this product of his farm to France. He has been get ting 15 cents per pound for his cotton at the depot near his farm and has prided himself much upon the fact that his cot ton sells for 15 cents. where his neighbors have only been able to get or 9 cents for theirs.
 A short time ago this man wrote to the manufacturer in France to ship him some of the ladies' dress goods made of his long staple cotton. The manufacturer did so, presenting the goods with his eompli- ments. The farmer wrote back to aseer- tain for his own satisfaction what the goods sold for in retail stores. He was amazed to learn that when woven into fine fabrics by the French manufacturer his Mississippi cotton sold in the finished material for $40 a pound
 The farmer now thinks he has been sell ing his product too cheap, and he, like thousands of others, is wondering why We cannot manufacture our cotton right here in the south Into just as fine fabrics as can be made of the same cotton by the mills of Europe. The usual reason given is that we have not the skilled labor. But there is no reason why skilled labor should not be imported as teachers for our own people, and in time this should come.
 Right here in the Birmingham district at the present time we are buying the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press.
 Red hair Is to temperament what alco- hol is In wine.
 When a man sits down to write a love letter the less brains he puts into 1t the bigger tho success it will be.
 The woman never lived who doesn't be- lieye that she is more beautiful than lots of other women she knows.
 Just because woman loves her hus- band is no sign that she thinks he has the brains he thinks she thinks he has.
 You can never make woman who hasn't wavy hair believe that one who has can be absolutely trusted with men.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
ECONOMY WINS.

From the Washington Post
 An Atlanta newspaper man saved enough money to purchase a diamond stud and is now a full-fedged hotel clerk. This goes to show what perseverance and economy will accomplish.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
SHE IS NOT FAIR TO OUTWARC
 VIEW.

By Hartley Coleridge. She is not fair to outward view.
 As many maidens be; Her loveliness l never knew
 Until she smiled on me. O, then I saw her eye was bright A well of love, spring of light. But now her looks are coy and cold;
 To mine they ne'er reply; And yet cease not to behold
 The love light in her eye. 4 Her very frowns are fairer far Than smiles of other maidens ara
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
Hotel HiIIman Music.

The following will be the programme of Calman's orchestra at the Hillman this evening:
 Dixie Girl march, Layne; Raymond overture. Thomas; II Troyatore, Gounod; Climax medley; Tales from the Vienna Woods, Johann Strauss; Martha, Flotow; cornct solo. selected; Fortune Teller V. Herbert; Dolly Warden, Edwards; inter- mezzo, Love Is a Game, l.. Englander; Roger Bros. in Harvard; Gloria, Haydn.