davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
TO MAKE NEW COAL SUBSTITUTE
Indiana Company Will Manufacture
 Tailors Invention.

From the Indianapolis News.
 The Chemical Hard and Soft Coal Man ufacturing company, made up of Elk hart men, has been incorporated under the laws of Arizona, with capital stock of one-half million dollars, to build and operate plants for the manufacture of substitute for hard and soft coal The compound is the invention of German tailor. Anthon V. Hassman of this ety. who has for years spent his leisure tune in the study of chemistry. The basis or the compound is any kind of adhesive earth and the chemicals. and their pro portion is a secret, which Is to De pro tected by patient rights.
 The company claims that it can man ufacture ''chemi- i-coal' at good pront and sell to the consumer at $.5O ton and that a ton will furnish twice as much heat as a ton of anthracite. Infe- rior grades of "chemi-coar' are to take the place of soft coal. The company de- clares 1t will build plants no farther apart than 200 miles. so that the freight rate from any centre to it's extreme cir cumference will. not exceed 50 cents ton. The first plant will be erected at Elkhart or at South Bend.
 The compound Is grayish brown in color, of about the same weight and density as anthracite. is smokeless. dust less, dirtless and without offensive or dangerous gas. It leaves no deposit in pipe or flue, and the residue in the ash
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Trusts on the TOboqqan.

The trusts that were organized from 1898 to 1901, inclusive, have not fared well in the stock markets. A list recently prepared shows that the shares of only two-the American Car and Foundry and the National Biscuit-are seding as high as they did when they were first listed The rest show heavy losses. The aggre- gate losses in the industrial trusts would stagger country less rich and prosperous than the United States. The depreciation in United States steel shares alone exceeds three hun dred million dollars.
 If lean years snoulu come it would be difficult to say what would become of the trusts, especially if the lean years should be continued as they were after 1893. Five or six sue cessive years in that decade were lean indeed, and a repetition of that many years would take all the water" out of trust stocks.
 If it were known that the trusts
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Diversified Sport.

In discussing the recent visit of Gus Castle to Birmingham to arrange for a race between Bobby Walthour and twenty horses, and the prospects for a bicycle race track, a well known dealer in sport ing goods said
 Birmingham needs just such diversified sports as MT. Castle suggests. hear the merchants and business men speak of the city needing diversified industries. Well, in the same manner, they need a variety of good sport.
 Ut Is admitted everywhere now that the men and women who attend and enjoy good sport are all the more capable of performing hard work, and there are many hard workers in Birmingham who would be benefited by more recreation. It does a man good to get excited over a horse race, a game of billiards or pool, baseball or football, and a bicycle race behind the immense motors Is the most exciting of all. Think of a man riding a wheel mile in just a fraction over a minute. This is what Walthour has done.
 And when you figure down the pleasure
 
 deal more to the city to have a bicycle race track than you at first supposed? Men generally believe that a bicycle race track is merely place for making money and that people go there to spend an evening with other people. A cycle racer enjoys a race far more than he does the money he gets out of it. You can compare him to a race horse on his mettle, with his nerves strung for the great attempt. Many people have realized the great pleas ure attending the tests of their life, and the winning of the race. Well, it is the same with a cycle rider. He has to seem- ingly put his whole life into each race, and he enjoys it more than you would imagine. l know, some of the feelings, for I was once a racer myself.
 And another feature. The more sports you have in a city the more people will be attracted to it. There is nothing that draws people to a city more than an op- portunity to enjoy themselves, and this has been one of the things Birmingham has lacked. What is there for man to do here at night? Very little. Hundreds of people would enjoy having a place to see a spirited cycle race at night, and many drummers will remain in a city over night to see this sport"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Increase in Population.

"The population of Greater Birmingham is now much larger than most people es- timate," said prominent citizen. Con servative estimates have placed 1t at 1OO,- 900, while a few enthusiastic people have recently claimed that street car Birming- ham had 1200O0. I believe the figures will even exceed 12O,000. Just look at the in- crease in Birmingham, Woodlawn and Avondale, as ascertained by the recent school census In 1900 there were within the city limits only SS 415 souls. The school census gives us 6OOOO. Woodlawn has dou- bled it's population since 1900 and Avondale has made very large gain. Ensley will show wonderful increase I believe that Jefferson county has population of 100000 as compared with 140,O00 in 1900. At this rate there Is no telling how big we will be when Uncle Sam counts the popu- lation in l910."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Selecting a Pope.
state.

As the time approaches for the meet ing of the conclave public interest in- creases, and there is not a nation that win not watch closely the august bal 1otting. Pope Leo's life was prolonged to So great an age that few indeed can recall similar gathering, and among the sixty-two cardinals who will do the ballotting for the entire church there Is only one who had participated in conclave.
 The college will begin balloting to- morrow, and already rumors are flying thick and fast. Out of the cloud can be discerned but one fact that Is at all trustworthy, namely, it is contest between the friends and opponents of Rampolla, formerly the papal secre- tary of state. He stands for a con tinuanoe of Leo's policy, and his op- ponents are having considerable diff culty in their endeavor to establish that the dead pontiff's policy was not a wise one.
 The opponents of Rampolla are no doubt much divided, and in case they are able to keep the friends of Ram polla from mastering the needful Al or 42 votes, it is very probable that a neutral candidate will be selected. Herein lie the chances of Satolli, Sarto, and perhaps even of our own Gibbons. There are a full dozen who might be selected if point is reached that demonstrates the impossibility of selecting Rampolla or distinctive opposition candidate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
THE TERRIBLE AMERICAN cHICD

From the ondon Chronicle.
 The process of evolution still fails to civilize the American child. Miss Floretta yining, a newspaper proprietor of Massa- chusetts, proposes to assist the process with the birch. The American child she says. needs "thrashing." Miss Yining has dined at house where little girl was allowed to read a novel at the table and to disregard the maternal order to "stop reading and eat your dinner" When the meat came round the child "crumbled bread into the gravy, reading all the time" q was so mad says Miss Vim ing Her desire to spank that little girl will awaken general sympathy. But des- tiny may have something worse in store for the American child. If MT. Rooseyelt's g forebodings over the birth rate are well founded there will soon be no more American children. They will all be for eigners.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
IN HOTEL LoBBIES.
cIstern Water.

"I heard man expressing his surprise the other day that there were so few cisterns in Birmingham" said a resident. He said that rain water Is aelxnowledg- ed by all authorities to be extremely healthy if drank exclusively. Nearly all cisterns these days are built with filters so that the water is sure to be pure unless the cistern is so shallow as to allow the water to become warm and stagnant.
 of course the chief objection to eis- terms in city like Birmingham is the fact that there is so much dirt in the air which settles on the roofs that most of the rainfall is required to wash them off and get them clean. On the other hand there has been so little dissatisfaction with the water supplied by the Birming- ham Water Works company that res- idents have not felt the necessity of seek ing supply from other sources"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Fine Lawns.

Tt is strange thing to me how people are able to produce such fine lawns in such short time as can be seen on the Highlands" said business man. "A few months ago. when contractors were haul ing all that old red clay that was being excavated for the First National Bank building and dumping 1t in front of the Hillman hospital I little thought that it could be made to look as 1t does now. It has been so leveled off and worked that the place can scarcely be recognized as the same
 Bermuda grass has been utilized in sodding the grounds, and while it Is not a perfect lawn yet, it presents very att tractive and novel appearance The lady board of managers of the hospital de- serve great credit for the change they have wrought in the appearance of the premises in the past few weeks"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Indne Gray,s Accentance.

The gladdest news that ever came over the wires to this district came esterday-"Judge Gray acceptsl' Spirits went up with a bound, and thousands of homes were made happy Fully fourteen thousand miners were waiting for the news from Delaware and at least thrice that number art rejoicing that the strike is ended and that work will be resumed al once.
 Lacking a single day the strike had lasted an entire month. We need not stop to call it a "suspension" as distinguished from "strike," for now that it is ended there is no need to finger over nice distinctions.
 Judge Gray has earned the grati- tude of this district, and the name of the distinguished Delewarean will soon be here a household word, as 1t is in the hard coal districts of Penn sylvania. He is preeminently a we'll balanced mana man whose judg- ment is as clear as nis integrity Is beyond question. He will make an admirable fifth and deciding arbitra- tor, and both operators and operatives will go ahead harmoniously in their great industry, knowing that the de- cision when 1t comes will be just and satisfactory to all reasonable minds
 All's well that ends well, and this district can now laugh at Wall street slumps and all similar occurrences, now that Judge Gray is coming to set tie by arbitration, in a peaceful, and humane manner, problems that had arisen in our mines, and The Age-Her- aid has full confidence that the final result will be in accordance with ad- vancing civilization and the progress of mankind. The Hague set the pace in international affairs, and this dis trict will apply the arbitration meth cd to It's own affairs. No large dis pute will ever arise in this district that cannot be settled by arbitration. All praise to the four arbitrators of home appointment, as well as to their distinguished associate from a distant state.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
TO KENTUCKY FOR SAFETY.
From the Chicago post.

From the Chicago Post.
 There's smile that won't come off to- day, and 1t extends all the way from Charleston to San Antonio It is caused by the announcement that the terrified negroes are ''fieeing for safety from h. diana to Kentucky" We have a good deal to say up here in the north. and with voices trembling with horror and indigna- ton, about the outrageous treatment of the negroes down south, but with the recollection of the outbreaks in Illinois, Indiana and Delaware, and with the fact before us that the negroes are seeking safety among the very people whom we have regarded as their prosecutors, it may be advisable for us to suspend judg- ment and let the south work out the problem in its own way" We commend the colored brother to the hospitality of Kentucky, and we ask for him an asylum and refuge until our hot northern blood has cooled sufficiently to allow him to re- turn to Indiana.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
COUNSEL.

By Robert Herrick. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
 Old Time Is still a-fiying; And this same flower that smiles today
 Tomorrow will be a-dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
 The higher he's a-getting The sooner will his race be run,
 And nearer he's to setting. That age is best which is the first,
 When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse and worst
 Times still succeed the former. Then be not coy. but use your time,
 And, while ye may, go marry; For having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
have a good eye, uncle; can see church by daylight.
 --Much Ado About Nothing.
Russia and Japan.


 The south has a deep interest in the Manchurian problem, for it is in that province of China that coarse cotton goods are most freely sold. Southern mills at present make good share of such goods, and if Man churia is closed in any way against our goods the south will be hurt in her great ambition to spin her own cotton.
 Russian promises are proverbially slippery, and Secretary Hay has se- cured nothing but promises from Rus sia Our best assurances, however, l consists in the fact that Russia does not at present desire a war with Japan over Manchuria. She is not by any means ready for 1t. Her long railroad would be overtaxed if war should come, and her navy would be swept from the Pacific, even if Eng land did not come to Japan's assist ance War is therefore improbable, much as Japan may desire it.
 Some way will doubtless be found to avoid 1t. Russia needs an outlet to the sea that is open the year round. Japan needs korea as an outlet for her teeming population, and a field for her boundless energies and ambi- tion. From Korea s5 a base she hopes to mould and to fashion China to her own ends. She knows just what China is, which is something more than the rest of the world knows Russia's occupation of Manchuria would block her plans and ever en- danger her ambition in Korea, and If carried to the limit such an occupa- tion would degrade Japan in the eyes of the world.
 Under such circumstances Russia will no doubt withdraw her troops from Manchuria, but her new railroad and port at Dalny and base at Port Arthur will be retained, and through these Russia hopes, no doubt, when she is ready, to obtain Manchuria. This would settle nothing, but Russia is patient. Her expansion has been gradual, involving the least possible friction. She has no sea outlet open the year round. The Baltic is closed six months in the year; the Black sea is closed by the powers all the year, and the Persian Gulf is dominated by England. Manchuria Is distant, but it is her best chance at present. She will dislike to yield its possession, but th4. she must do or fight Japan. She will not fight because she is not ready, while Japan is as ready as she ever will be.
 If Russia hands back Manchuria to China, the question of occupation will be an open one Japan will fill Korea with immigrants, and she will proceed at once to drive Russian merchants ovt of Manchuria. The contest will go on, but it will go on without war until Russia is fully ready, and then will come a war that decide the fate of China, and that will be felt round the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
 N(NUR neighbor, the Times, makes a IVY just protest against an unfor- O tuate habit of reporters and makers of newspaper headlines" These gentlemen persist in calling folks or oV and thereabout aged" The habit is snread all over the United States. We have rebuked it a hundred and az hun dred times. For the instruction and re- proof of the erring, we have eulled rom the long roll of living eentenarians many A candidate for the bicentenarian class Thus have we sought to instil a sense of proportion and a knowledge of the proper divisions of human life.
 If the epithet "aged'' is still misap- nlied scandalously, the fault is not wholly due to the youth and inexperience of renorters and ''deskmen." Strange as it seems to the newspaper kindergar- tener with the dimpled chin, reporters are extant who have grandchildren, and we have known 'copy readers or patriarcha1 beard. Yet these persons who should be the first to resent an improper use of this abused and foolish adjective "aged," will themselves mis- use it shamefully. The confounded lm- penetrability of matter Is their excuse headline can hold only so many letters. A man of 60 may be middle aged' or young in the estimation or the "copy reader" but the first eplthet is much too long and the second is often too long by letter. The real or supposed necessities of type have imposed them selves. The reporter however ingen-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31

would-be End Seat Hog may take his place is a question that is hard to an- swer. The idea of legislating against this individual is absurd. If he pays his fare he has a right to sit in any place that Is not already occupied. It would not be fair for the law to compel a man to deliberately walk by an end seat, down to the middle of the row, merely to allow some other individual to enjoy this pleas ant spot The only way to arrange the matter would be to sell end seats at higher price, as reserved seats are sold in the theatres But this would cause envy and heart1burnings among those who do not have the price. Taken altogether 1t would appear that the question of the End Seat Hoga is like that of who is the meanest man-it is hard to settle.
 After being the subject for inyeetive and pointed shafts from all parts of the south for number of years Atlanta Is at last to have new passenger station. An architect from Washington has ar- rived and the plans for the new building have been accepted by the terminal com pany Atlantian's have not quite gone into ecstasies over the matter but they are feeling decidedly pleased and are dis cussing the wonderful event as if it were too good to be true. There are some who regard the proposed structure as an ..arehltectural dream, harmonious in de- sign, and well nigh faultless in detail" Others puzzle their sbrains trying to figure out to just what style of architecture it really does belong. The Atlanta Jour- nal regards the new station as "Dowies- que" in it's treatment. Its resemblance to the new Dowie temple in Chicago is indeed most striking. Intermixed with this idea is a strong undertone of ehild's building blocks" This sound very much like sarcasm. but no doubt the new build ing will be such an agreeable change from the old one that such small mat ters as architectural deformity will be forgotten in the general delight
 President Roosevelt has written a let ter to Judge Thomas G. Jones of the United States district court in this state commenting his recent stand taken against peonage. The trials are now practically closed and one of the most remarkable series of cases that have been heard since reconstruction days are mat ters of history There were some people in Albama who thought Judge Jones was too severe in his first charge to the jury but the general opinion of the state has upheld him in his course. Right think ing persons eliminated the feature of black man against white man and con sidered that it was simply matter of justice to the oppressed.
 A few days ago there was sensational fisticuff between two Georgia colonels during dress parade and in the presence of Governor Terrell that was mysteri- osly kept out of papers in this and neighboring states. The affair occurred during the military celebration on the banks of the Oultewah river and furn- lished most interesting as well as delect- able spectacle for the assembled crowds So far the encounter has not been settled on the gory field of honor, the two com- bative colonels satisfying themselves with merely looking daggers at each other
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
THE VENERABLE JOKE.

From the Chicago Daily News.
 "Did I understand you to say that you are the author of this Jokelet?" asked the editor.
 That's what I said" answered the self-appointed humorist.
 Well, you certainly don't look it." said the man behind the azure pencil.
 Don't look what?" queried the jolSist.
 ''To be 300 years old." replied the editor as he playfully pulled whisker from the bit of humor.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
MIDDLE AGED WILL NOT
 FIT IN THE HEAD LINES

uous in his budding days, naturally com plies with the style of the fortunate man who has the happiness of reading his compositions. Thus millions of tender juvenals are classified as 'aged" to their amusement or annoyance
 This is the kindest defense that can be made of a thing essentially indefen- sible. There is a darker side to the mat ter. The study of these reporters, like that of too many other characters of this age of novels, is but little on the Bible. If they would learn the fifth chapter of Genesis by heart, they would get cor rect notion of age. Here are a few men who in their last years, might without offense have been called aged: Adam, 80; Seth, 912: Enos. 905; Cainan, 9l0; Jared, 962; Methuselah, 969.
 We exclude middle-aged persons like Mahalaleel, who was cut off in his s9eth year, and adoleseents like Lamech, who lasted only 777 years Indeed, A5ethuselah is the only man in the list to whom we should grant a patent to be called "aged," but the standard must not be put too high at first.
 yiability increases every day. In few hundred years no life insurance company will dare to sell an annuity. It is the more unbecoming to speak of striplings of 60 to 70 as aged" For the convenience of reporters and others we give a pro visional scheme of classification: Infants, as at present, birth to 21; boy. youth, adolescent, 21 to Il; middle-aged. Il until further notice
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31

gineer for the seaboard Air Line, was registered at the Hillman last night. J. Huggins of Newborn is at the Morris,
 sSs c. L. 'Bieser of Chicago is stopping at the Hillman. T. N. Gillian of Brewton Is stopping as the Morris. George Torrance Of Tuskegee is regis tered at the Metropolitan.
  T. W White of Chattanooga is stopping at the Morris.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.
.e New York Press.

From the New York Press
 Maids and married women dress for the envy of other women; widows fer the temptation of men,
 Once there was a girl who wouldn't believe men when they told her she was pretty, but she was in a book.
 The man who has a lot of life insur- ance could almost fool with pistol that Is loaded without getting hurt.
 A girl teaches cat to coddle in her lap so she can pretend she doesn't under stand him when a man says he wishes he were cat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
"REIsEDILDER.v

From the London Tit-Blts.
 How long has this affair been build ing?" asked the American tourist. as he looked at Cologne Cathedral
 About 800 years" answered the guide.
 Five hundred years! Why over in Chi cago we could put up building like that and have 1t all to pieces. all within five years"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31
Wilmington is in the local limelight
AN ILLUSTRATION THAT FAILED,

From the Chicago Record-Herald.
 "Pa," what's the difference between a statesman and a politician?"
 "oh, it's about the same as the differ ence between Governor Yates and-and- and, well, can't think of the other fel- low just now"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31

pan resembles wood ashes. A test was made in a room on July 10, ten pounds of ..chemi-coap' being consumed, and then ten pounds of anthracite. The "chemi- coal" burned seven hours, and the aver age temperature of the room was 115 de- grees, while the anthracite burned but three and one-half hours, and the aver age temperature was 109.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-31

Captains of finance who want the earth are gradually withdrawing be- youd the range of the limelight, but Rockefeller and his trio of heirs Is still there.