davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
THE EXPORT GRAIN TRADE.

From the Philadelphia Record
 It is not a new discovery that trade, like water, will follow the channel of least resistance. As long as the free canals of Canada are not frozen over grain from the extreme northwest will go that way to- ward European markets. The freight charge is three cents per bushel less to Montreal than the carriage by rail to Att lantic ports in the United States. As a result the July shipments of wheat by way of the St. Lawrence river were D. 35z597 bushels, against an aggregate for our Atlantic ports of 3,3743SS For like reasons the export grain trade will be more and more drawn from the south western states to New Orleans.
 The lesson to be derived fom these di- visions of freight movement. If we would hold the western trade for eastern ports, Is to take every possible means of cheap ening transportation. The railway compa- nies have probably gone nearly to the limit in reducing the cost of land carriage by improvement of track and equipment and by cutting down expenses of manage ment. What remains to be done Is to dig deeper our waterways. to cheapen our terminal charges, and to improve our great natural advantages of lower lati- tude and the possibility of all-the-year activity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Small Towns Decreaslnq.

Connecticut is distressed over the fdecadence of the small towns, and Ia similar trouble has been detected in nearly all of the older states, and beven in Iowa and the other states of the Middle West This trouble was in augurated by the building of rail roads which have concentrating in- fiuence, and it has been aggravated by the big factories and the big trusts. The big factory, especially of the trust sort, destroys small industries, and the railroads then carry away from the small town the young and the aspiring to the nearest large town Great trade and industrial centers are thus built up at the expense of the small towus.
 There it, however, one way to de- feat this tendeicv of the times this disintegrating influence in the small towns, and that way consists in the establishment of factories in the small towns. Talladega is a fine example of this policy, and today it is not only out of the decadent class but it is in the class of up-buildlng towns, and all the railroads and trusts in the world cannot harm it. Out of its own accumulations it has built three cotton mills, and there is no decad- ence there at present. There will be none. There need be none in any Ala bama town. Fuel and raw material in vite the building of cotton mills and seed oil mills, and such mills will keep any town in the south from de- cadence.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
From the Baltimore Sun.


 1.-THE SUN has recorded recently two (OD instances in which United States
 customs collectors have displayed almost supernatural wisdom in interpret ing the Tariff law of this glorious repub- lc In one case a snowman who inn ported an elephant was made ot pay duty of twenty per cent in order that an Infant industry" in this country might be protected from the pauper herds of Asia and Africa. In the other case the sages who sit at the receipt of cus- toms decided that no harm would be done to an American interest If our ports were opened to the admission, free of duty, of mummies from Egypt. Since these ab- struse problems In economies were solv- ed, the officials who levy tribute on im- ports have been called upon to settle an- other brain-racking proposition to-wit- whether American snails should be pro- tected from the competition of their for eign rivals. It is pleasure to note that the decision of the customs authorities sustains their reputation for wisdom of the grandest and loftiest character. A dispatch from Louisville, under date of Tuesday, says:
 Wild Animals" was the classification under which a bushe1 of snails imported from Italy by a Louisville fruit dealer had to pay duty fin the custom house here. The snails came with a big shipment of lemons and were in a closed basket.
 When the customs officials found they were intended for the Louisville dealer S table. they concluded that duty was nec- essary, but they were at loss under what head to put them. The customs rules make no mention of snails as food. ornaments, pets or for breeding pur- poses so the officials tried snakes. with out any success.
 The Louisville man said he was willing ot pay duty on them as wild animals, so the sustoms officials let them go at that When the bucket was opened and the sun shone in the snails quietly came out of their shells to stretch themselves after a confinement of about month.
 The nation will rejoice to learn that there is now no prospect that the noble snail industry of the United States will be imperied by the free admission of wild animals of this class from Italy and other countrien in which these savage creatures abound. While snails are not mentioned specifically in the Dingley act, the statesmen who framed that law sus-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
CATHOLIC TOTAL ABSTINENCE,

From the Catholic World.
 The Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America ha- added 4200 to its member ship during the past year. The most remarkable feature is the work done by Father Slebenfoercher in the seminaries of the country. During the past year, in large number of semnaries, he pre- scented to the young levites the princi- pies on which the total abstinence cause rests and enlisted in the service of this cause many hundreds of ecclesiastical students. This movement has now be- come thoroughly established This year it has ushered in the organization of a Sacerdotal Total Abstinence league.
 There is a like movement on foot in Ireland. A vigorous propaganda is car red on in Maynooth, and already the Father Mathew union numbers over two hundred members, representing sixteen dioceses. Fifty young priests left May nooth within the past two years, prom ising a life service in the total abstin- ence cause, and at least three hundred are to follow in the next few years. Many who have reason to know the vastly su- perior influence of the total abstaining priests in promoting temperance see in this new development the first sure signs of a widespread and thorough temper ance reform.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Literary Notes.

The theme which Jack London has taken for his latest book is ''The Call of the Wild" and how it came 10 St. Ber- nard dog on the Klondike trail. Buck is abducted from his home In Southern California, taken to Alaska. and put to work drawing sledges for travellers and mail carriers during the recent gold fe- yer. His good blood, his muscle, his spirit. and his breeding rise above brutal hardship and semi-starvation; he con- quers his wolhsh mates, and becomes the best sledge dog in Alaska. But when Thornton, the owner whom he loves. dies, the primordial beast, which has been reviving for year in Buck. comes out, and Buck hears and needs ''the call of the wild" It Is thrilling story, fdll of wonderful descriptions of the 'toil of trace and trail" and of the whole vivid daring, picturesque. primeval life of Alas ka during the last six years. The Mac milan company announces the book for issue July 15.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Chinatown Must Go.

Against the side of z hill, comprised in half dozen city blocks, is the most picturesque section of any American city-Chinatown, in San Francisco. It is the heart of the East-of Oriental Asia--transferred to the far city of the Occident There is nothing like it in America, mystery as full of color as it is of germs of death.
 It must go. Through at least three years it has harbored the seeds of bubonic plague, thus threatening the rest of the country with the dread disease, and the health authorities and city anu state ha e practically decided that Chinatown shall be razed--burned perhaps, thus destroying all germs of the plague, and ridding the country of . most dangerous disease. From the depths of the famous quarter there has come now and then in the last three years case or two of plague,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Beautiful Fall Weather.

True enough it is that the fall season does not officially begin until the later days of September, but every reader of The Age-Herald knows it was really begun in the first week of the present month, when we had real October days and nights, and the mosquitoes from Montgomery-felt the nights at any rate clear to the end of their re. spective proboscises.
 Take it all in all the past summer has been an enjoyable and happy sea son. In the last days of August there was some excess of heat, but in the greater part of the season that has left us, or that is fast leaving us at any rate, the sun shone none too hot to make corn and cotton grow. And then there was the satisfaction and comfort that sufficient moisture came along with the sunshine. It was, in fact, an ideal summer, and it may be many a year before we see as good a one again.
 We are now in the season of cotton bales and sorghum syrup and corn husking, and muscadines, and persim- mons and 'possums. Every season in this latitude and in Old Alabama is de- lightful, but only one season brings harvests of all sorts, and that season is the one we are enjoying, even if we are not officially in it. The farmer who has cotton to market may not agree with us, but we venture the assertion nevertheless that Alabama never in her entire history had in the fall season better crops than she pos sesses today. It is doubtful indeed If she ever made so mucn corn or cotton and her pig crop will be good. And the prices of the great staple are all most unprecedented. Prosperity and happiness is ours. Our towns are in creasing in population, and our farm CTS will be as happy as lords If cot tons ten-cent period be long main tained, as cotton experts say it will be-. Tn the absence of sufficient number of pickers at any rate it now looks as if these states will hereafter be crowded indefinitely in their great spe- cialty of clothing a naked world. This condition of things makes Alabama smile all the way from High Jackson to the Florida line, and back again along the Mississippi line, and all down the middle
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

his home in Talladega from Montgomery where he has been on legal business.
 w. L. silbley of Gadsden is stopping at the Morris.
 E. L. Plekard of Johns is registered at the Morris.
 Ex-sheriff Hugh D. Merrill of Annis- ton is at the Metropolitan.
 J. E. Hatfield, advance agent of Fields minstrel, is at the Metropolitan.
 J. c. Blackwell, a prominent lawyer of Anniston. is registered at the Metropol- itan.
 w. II. White, well known travelling man of Atlanta, is at the Metropolitan.
 w. T. Skinner. prominent merchant of Demopolis, is at the Metropolitan.
 w. F. Herbett of Demopolis. assistant clerk of the house of representatives, is at the Metropolitan. and will spend Sun day in Birmingham He reports that everybody around the capitol is now working on double time.
 W. T. Brown of St. Clair is in the city
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
London TaiIors,

Few people have any idea the amount of money a west end London tailor has on his books, remarks the Tailor and Cutter, an English organ of the trade Gentlemen will run up a bill of $15O0 or 5000 and pay Of, perhaps s25O and in- crease their indebtedness by like amount, while if addition to these, there is the positive loss by intentional swindlers. who manage, somehow, to get introduced, run up heavy bill and will not pay. Take a case in point: A for eigner called on a well known firm with letter of introduction from one of the firms customers. He ordered some goods and paid for them. He then ordered some more. and introduced ten other gentlemen The firm in question has not received a penny for any of the goods supplied on the sscond order, or for those supplied to 'Ne teA others.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
u. S. USING MORE TOBACCO.

From the Winston (N CD Sentinel.
 The quantity of chewing and smoking tobacco on which tax was paid in the United States for the month of July, 1903. was 25,7S13sO pounds, as against 2l,s27 S60 pounds for July, 1902 This is an increase for the month of the present year of near ly 100000 pounds. We notice that the cigarette production, which was on the wane for several years, is making head way once more For July just passed S2s,- 279, 04S were turned out as against 290 50S, OS5 for the previous July, an increase of near ly IS per cent Progress is also shown in cigars and snuff With better business for the manufacturers encouragement is given that actual demand for raw ma- terial will ere long send up the price of southern leaf tobacco.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
The EpiscopaI Church.

Now that good old bishop Thomas March Clark, of Rhode Island, who has been the presiding bishop of the protes- tant Episcopal church, has passed away, an effort will probably be made at the next general convention of the church, to be held in Boston in 1904. to have the office of archbishop created" remarked churchman. Many Episcopalians have thought for years that the American church should have one or more arch bishops, with executive power As it Is, the presiding bishop, who holds his office by right of seniority, Is usually too old for active administrative work. Take the late Bishop Clark, as an example. He was 91 years of age when he died. For years he was too feeble to do much work and had to delegate his authority to another. And we have another example of this kind in Bishop Clark's successor-Bishop Futile of Missouri. He is 67 and has al- ready delegated his authority. I am in favor of raising the archbishop of New York to the rank of archbishop and primate. When he became aged his coadjutor could perform the du- ties of primate. The present system did well enough when the church was numeri- cally weak, but now that we number about 750,000 and have ninety-three bish- ops, the archiepiscopal office is demand ed
 Tt may be of interest to know who our presiding bishops have been since the church was established In this country. Here Is the list: Seabury of Connecticut, Provost of New York, White of Pennsyl- vania, Griswold of what was called the Eastern Diocese" Chase of Ohio. Brown well of Connectlcut Hopkins of Vermont Smith of Kentucky. Lee of Delaware, Williams of Connecticut and Clark of Rhode Island All of these men were able and saintlyn
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
About Persons,

Hon. J. Craig Smith, state treasurer of Alabama, is stopping at the Metropolitan. Mir. Smith Is serving his third term as treasurer, and is a prominently mention ed candidate for governor four years hence.
 Florence
 w. A. Johnston of Rome, a popular travelling salesman of the Martin Cracker company, is registered at the Florence
 R. K. Foster and l. R. Foster, two of Gadsden's baseball players, are in the city. w. D. Ramsey of Atlanta is registered at the St. Nicholas.
 Adjutant General w. w. Brandon spent a few hours in the city last night en route to his home at Tuscaloosa, where he will spend Sunday.
 Judge A. M Arlington of the Mont gomery city court, is stopping at the Met ropolitan.
  D. F. B. Bethune of Blocton. is regis tered at the Florence. George D. Floyd of LaFayette, is stop ping at the Morris. Capt. J. W. Baker of Nashville, is stop ping at the Hillman. Max Hagedorn, who Is connected with the Atlanta Paper company, is register ed at the Hillman.
 J. A. Boyd. prominent banker of Att lanta, is stopping at the Hillman. Colonel F. P. Mcconnell of the Third Alabama regiment, stopped over in the city few hours last night en route to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
THE SEA LIMITS.

By Dante Gabriel Rossetti Consider the seas listless chime;
 Times self it is, made audible
 The murmer of the earth's own shell; Secret continuance sublime
 Is the seas end. Our sight may pass No furlong farther. Since time was, This sound hath told the lapse of time. No quiet which is death's-it hath
 The mournfulness of ancient life,
 Enduring always at dull strife. As the worlds heart of rest and wrath, Its painful pulse is on the sands. Lost utterly, the whole sky stands Gray and not known along its path. Listen alone beside the sea,
 Listen alone among the woods;
 Those voices of twin solitudes Shall have one sound alike to thee.
 Hark where the murmurs of strong mel Surge and sink back and surge again Still the one voice of wave and tree. Gather shell from the strewn beach, And listen at it's lips; they sigh
 The same desire and mystery, The echo of the whole sea's speech,
 And all mankind is thus at heart
 Not anything but what thou art; And earth sea, man, are all in each
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

and the health authorities say there Is no way to stamp out the disease except by destroying Chinatown, and So it must go. It has long been haunted by poets and drug fends, by students and criminals, and pictur- esque though it be beyond any other quarter in this country, it must be razed, and become but a memory. It is not wholly bad, but it's good and bad are so intermingled that the bad cannot be eliminated except by it's entire destruction.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
School Children.

Said a humanitarian: sir William Anson, parliamentary secretary to the board of education, has declared that co., 900 children now attending London schools are physically unfit for instruc- ton. The physical condition of school children in America, while much more satisfactory, should be carefully attend ed to and improved as far as possible. Schools should be made more and more like homes entirely unlike prisons. The Birmingham schools are models on the line referred to. They are as homelike as the best friend of the boys and girls could desire. The superintendents and principals of schools in many of the larger cities would do well to study Bir- minghams system."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
KEPT OUT THE BOIL WEEvIL.

Austin Tex, Telegram to the Philadel- phia Public Ledger.
 It has been discovered that the cotton boil weevil will not appear in cotton field where the castor bean Is growing. A farmer living near Merrilltown, this coun- ty, tried the experiment on a forty-acre any other insect has appeared on the plants He has a big yield of cotton, while his neighbors have had their crops de- stroyed by the pest. He may put In a claim for the reward of $5O,00O which is offered by the state for successful rem edy for eradicating the weevil.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Hotels Prosperous.

The hotel business was a little dull In August, but it has been quite brisk ever since the first of September. The registers at all of the first-class hotels show a large number of arrivals every day, and during meal hours the cafes are well filled.
 Birmingham ranks as one of the best hotel towns in the Knitted States. Rates are moderate and the service Is equal to that of the larges cities of the north.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press.
 No matter how swelled mans head is, he never thinks he is of much import ance in the world as his wife does
 A woman is always discovering new corset that either will make thin per son look stout or a stout one !lnn.
 It doesn't take a man long after he is engaged to realize that he is being shown around as if he were new gown.
 The reason a scandal party breaks up late is that every woman in it $ afraid , to go away and have the others> take up her case.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

If the two houses will exercise pa tience and good sense in their behavior each towards the other, they can clear the calendar and win the approval of the people.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Cotton goods are slow in adapting themselves to ten-cc-t cotton. They may as we'll accept the situation, for il has come to stay.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The dispensary. issue goes over to 1907, and the campaign of education will no doubt be begun at once
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The postoffice department boodlers must now make their apologies to petit juries and judges.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

"Show-fur" is the proper pronun- ciation when you arc talking about the esteemed chauffeur who runs down honest people.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

England may have to send over her warships in order to lift that cup.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Porto Rico proposes to become a cotton state in the federal union.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The shah or Persia has become tired of bsiying so many bonnets, and he has released 1640 of his wives.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The Jasper Mountain Eagle consid- CTS J. Thomas Hefli the James K. Vardaman of Alabama.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The fig pickers of Smyrna have plenty of smallpox, and it is now nec- essary to boil your figs.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Korea, damned in between Russia and Japan, has lost all hermit rights.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The spider that made it's home in the school bell will soon wonder, Whats the matter, anyway?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Texas has a birth rate, but she vii not vote for Theodore Roosevelt.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Even five thousand new doctors graduated each year cannot keep the population down.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

It will be not 50 much dash to the pole, as dash ;.way from it against hunger ana death.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

It is hoped MT. Graves will not de- port the negroes until the present crop is picked out.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The Cleveland boom 4no the Langley flying machine are slow in getting a start.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Senator Hanna is about ready to go out of the star part of the health bull lelin business.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Peary and his packer propose to pre- empt the Pole and use it as a sum- mer resort.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The footballers are beginning to reg ister, and between times they will study some.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

The West Point cadets can smoke if they will not haze.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

Wild gees are flying southward, and an early frost is feared, but it will not come tonight
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
No Wonoer.

From the Philadelphia Ledger.
 Manager-Strange there haven't been any answers to my advertisement for a clerk
 Proprietor-No wonder. You made a mess of that lad" The idea of adver- Using for a man of average intelli- gencew Everybody who isn't hopelessly below 1t feels he's far above it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ALABAMA

In religion, what damned error, but some sober brow will bless 1t, and approve 1t with . text, hiding the grossness with fair sornament7
 Merchant of Venice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
The New Woman.

From the Philadelphia Press.
 Some men are so fortunate in secur- ing good wives" remarked the man who wanted to be sympathetic.
 Yes" replied Henpeck. Now. my wife is just like sunshine about the house."
 "Indeedl Well-er-really, I'm sur prised---"
 Yes. She's never there at all at night Woman's rights meetings and all that you know
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Rural Letter Carriers.

q think Uncle Sam should increase the pay of the rural letter carriers" said business man who is familiar with the work of these men. They receive only $500 a year and have to provide their horse and buggy. They wear out horses fast and do not believe their work nets them more than ss5o pr s4oO a year City if they are required to use a horse and wagon the government pays for the turn out"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
Rich Mems Sons.

From Life.
 WiIlie-1f you've saved up enough for an automobile, why don't you get it?
 Bobbie-Not yet. I'm saving up enough to pay for the people I run over.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13
A BIT OF A LAUGH.
Dissipation.

Dissipation. From Town Topics. First Philadelphian-How is that book? :? Exciting? Second Philadelphian-Wh I sht up all day reading 1t!