davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
THE QUALITY OF GENIUS.
It's Practical Absorption of n Mans
Best Faculties.

To be a great lawyer is Incompatible
with being a great poet Nevertheless
Shakespeare was fond of showing his
little legal knowledge, and Bacon has
written some verse. There have been
writers Of eminence, like Walter Scott
and Thackeray, who were lawyers Dy
profession, but they must have MADE
law quite subordinate to literature, al
though some Of them, like Walter
Scott. have got money by following the
law. Hoffman, the author of 1.-The Pot
Of Gold" and other imaginative stories,
was a man of genius, who was also n
Judge or magistrate. think, howeV-
or. that his legal duties sat lightly on
him. His connection with the law
seems somewhat similar to that OF
Walter Scott. 1t was neither absorb
ing nor permanent. Politicians turn
TO literature. Literary men, like Cha
teaubriand and Lamartine. have held
high places as politicians, but they
never were real statesmen, ana l
should not call them men OF great
genius. A man Of action may be great
in more fields Of action than one.
julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte
were statesmen and generals, but they
were not and could not be poets
though Julius Caesar was a writer
Among the ancient Greeks and later
SpanIards and Portuguese we hnd
poets who were soldiers and even gen.
erals. They, however, were not wholly
military. Only part, and sometimes
small part, Of their lives was spent
In service. Horaces experience OF war
was very short, and, although he was
q military tribune, he was not dis
tinguished soldier A man may be
excellent in more ways than one, but
he cannot be man Of genius In two
different ways. A few instances, suci
as that Of Sheridan, might be given
which seem to be exceptions to tho
rule. l doubt whether they are so
The same inclination made Sheridan
an orator and a writer Of comedy
Notes and Queries.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
An ArtfuI BeRRar.

An old Partisan mendicant was re-
Gently noticed to manifest apparent ca
price In selecting the objects for his
importantly. He would allow a num-
Der of persons to pass unheeded and
then attach himself to others and take
no denial. A bride of half franc from
a curious spectator induced him to give
his reason. II have a code OF rules
which 1 invariably follow" said he.
Thus l never ask aims Of one who has
dined, as rosbif renders a man selfish
nor of stout men. as it bores them to
stop, nor Of any one putting on their
gloves, nor of a lady alone, but always
of any one manifestly going to dinner
of people walking together, as their
amour propre makes them generous; OF
officers In grand uniforms and OF peo-
pie apparently seeking favor from the
government, as they think that gift
will bring them luck."-Golden Penny.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
A DISAPPOINTED MAN.
He took life too seriously.
He did not choose upward.

He took life too seriously.
He did not choose upward.
He starved from mental poverty.
He saved his money, but starved his
mind.
His social faculties atrophied from
disuse.
He thought he could not be happy
without wealth.
He did not develop his manhood
along with his business.
He murdered his capacity for happi-
ness in getting ready for 1t.
He sacrificed the friends OF his youth
and had no time to make new ones.
He never learned the art Of extract
ing enjoyment from common things.
He had developed a colossal power
for receiving, but had never learned to
give.
He was q victim Of habit and rou'
tine; he never could rise above his yo-
cation.
His only enjoyment was in repeating
what he had been doing all his busi'
ness life.
He had never learned to enjoy as he
went along, but found that postponed
happiness was q delusion.-Success.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
The Young Writer.

No young writer in whom the liter
airy aspiration Is a passion need or
really will be cowed by the array OF
mighty and expert antagonists In the
arena whose names sound and resound
so gloriously from the herald's trumpet
In full volume REINFORCED by past tri-
umphs. Though a true and becoming
modesty may we'll temper his ambition,
it should in no degree suppress his ar
dent longing. These veterans, young
aspirant, are indeed masters, but as
such your exemplars. They also had
their beginnings, hidden indeed, as
used to be the sources Of the Nile. mot
permitted to be seen small" because
they mastered their art before they
exhibited as artists.-Harper's Maya
zine.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
box Office SuperstttIon.

A newspaper man was the second In
line at the box Office of one of the popu-
lar theaters on the opening night The
first man asked for four seats, and
when he started to pay for them the
man In the box Office said:
ooh, that's all right. There's no
charge at all for those seats"
The man looked surprised, thanked
the ticket manipulation and went on.
Then the newspaper man had his turn,
and he said:
"Please satisfy impertinent curiosity
and tell me why you wouldn't take
that mans money"
well" said the treasurer, II expect
you didn't notice that that man was
cross eyed. If had sold him the first
tickets we wouldn't have had a bit OF
luck through the whole engagement"
New York Times.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Our Small Country.

One brother is a rich merchant In the
Straits Settlements, on the Malay pen
Ursula. The other brother was the
cook in a cheap restaurant on South
Clark street.
The merchant sent to the cook a
draft for sufficient money to pay his
expenses out to Asia, and the cook
gave up his Job and has started for
his brothers home. The interesting
thing about the whole incident is the
letter written by the wealthy mer-
chant which accompanied the draft.
In the first place, the draft was made
payable in New York.
81 send you the money in a draft
payable in New York." wrote the
brother from faroff Asia. "You can
go over and get 1t cashed there. On
the way l wish you would stop at Tex
as and see Brother Thomas. l haven't
heard from him for two years now,
and I'd like to know how he's getting
along."-Chicago Tribune.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
ZONE OF OUR BOYS"

An Instance of the Magnanimity OF
General Robert f. Lee.
General Robert z. Lee was sitting on
the veranda Of his Lexington home one
afternoon engaged in conversation with
some friends when a man, III clothed
and covered with dust, appeared at the
gate and timidly beckoned to the gen.
eral.
Apologizing to his friends, Lee rose
at once and went to the gate. Very
soon his purse appeared, and he was
seen to give the man some money.
His friends. knowing the extent OF
his charity In any case Of suffering,
real or apparent looked on with some
impatience, for they knew how slender
his means were then and how many
calls Of the same kind came to him.
General, who was that" one Of
them ventured when he had returned
to his place.
zone Of our boys in trouble" was
the half smiling answer, for the gen
eral knew the remonstrance which his
friend was longing to make.
what regiment and company did be
belong TOT" persisted the friend. anx
ious, If possible. to unearth the sus
pected fraud.
ooh, he-he fought on the other side,
was General Lees calm answer
Youths COMPANION.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Thief CIeVerness.

A magistrates clerk has been known
to have his tie pin stolen while In
court, and one in Birmingham a few
years ago lost his coat in the same
way, but a more remarkable example
perhaps Of a thiefs cleverness under
the very eyes of the police was that of
the burglar at Clerkenwell who man
aged to conceal two diamond rings
while the police were searching him
and passed one of them to his wife In
the cell while the police were looking
on. The rings were under his tongue,
and one Of them passed from his mouth
to his wife's when he was kissing her
Roodby.-LOndon Answers.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
STEPS THAT BETRAY.

Steps that are quick are indicative OF
energy and agitation.
Tiptoe walking betrays surprise, Gu
riosity, discretion or mystery.
Turned in toes are often found with
preoccupied, absent minded persons.
The miser's walk is represented as
stopping, noiseless, with short, nerv'
Gus, anxious steps.
The proud step is slow and measured.
The toes are conspicuously turned out,
the legs Strengthened.
Slow steps, whether long or short
suggest a gentle or reflective state OF
mind, as the case may be.
The direction Of the steps wavering
and following every changing impulse
of the mind inevitably betrays uncer'
taInty, hesitation and indecislon.
Obstinate people who in argument
rely more on muscularity than on In
tellectual power rest the feet fatty and
firmly on the ground, walking heavily
and slowly, and stand with the legs
firmly planted far apart
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27

Eyewitnesses Of the marches which
ants make aver that when they come to
an obstacle they go through it or over
It or take 1t with them. They march
as straight as Roman road. Human
occupants fly when an ant army takes
its way through a house occurring on
its line Of march. The legions pass on
and destroy nothing but such as will
serve as food. but after they have gone
not a beetle, a scorpion, a rat or a
mouse or an insect or reptile Of any
size, shape or name remains. All have
been eaten by the army. 1t is on rec
ord that one of these moving compa-
MES was INSTRUCTED in its passage by
an elephant. 1t took the army eight
hours to pass that spot, and then there
remained nothing but the picked bones
Of the elephant. -
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
CARPENTERS IN INDIA
they Are Careless About Measure
ments, Tools and Time.

meuts, Tools ana I1mes
The chief faults Of the Indian car
penter are his neglect Of accurate
measurement, his carelessness with re-
gard to the efficiency of his tools and
his lack Of perception Of the value OF
time as a factor in the execution or
work. He has also to be taught to oc-
cupy his mind with the work in hand
and as much as possible to exclude
other subjects.
For example, the making Of jack
plane involves the choice Of the wood,
considerations as to size, the angle or
the blade and its cutting edge, the
wedge and its holding power, the han
die and finally the operation of plan
ing. All these operations are capable
Of very simple explanation, and this
exercise provokes an emulation among
students while exercising their reason
ing powers. No Indian workman buys
a plane. He buys the blade and makes
the rest, but he rarely makes 1t well.
He buys a saw blade and makes the
handle, and, generally speaking, he
spends the smallest possible sum on his
outfit In spite Of the extra labor the
economy involves. He must therefore
be taught to make as many labor saw
ing tools as possible and to make them
well. He has to be taught the use and
repair of q grindstone and how to
mount it in wood without metal fit
tings. The hard, tough woods so COM
mon in India make this an easy mat
fer. The Indian has yet to be taught
that grinding and whetting are two
distinct operations, the first removing
800 per cent Of the metal and the sec
ond producing the cutting edge in a
few strokes His saw is in such bad
order that he cuts lemons, as rule,
with mallet and chisel, and his igno-
rance of gauges renders him unable to
make even twenty articles exactly
alike. He rarely knows what size Of
nail or screw to use on a given job.
His screw is always too sman.-Cas-
sier's Magazine.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
APHORISMS.

Nothing ages like laziness.-Bulwer.
The innocent seldom find an uneasy
pillow-COwper.
We can do nothing we'll without JOY
and a good conscience, which Is the
ground Of joy.-Dibbes.
He that is ungrateful has no guilt
but one. All other crimes may pass
for virtues In him.-Young.
A word or nod from the good has
more weight than the eloquent
speeches of others.-Plutarch.
Kind words prevent good deal OF
that perversedness which rough and
imperious usage often produces In gen
erous minds.-Locke.
An inQuisitive man Is a creature nat
urally very vacant of thought itself
and therefore forced to apply to for
eign assistance.-Steele.
The only way to make the mass oil
mankind see the beauty Of justice Is by
showing them In pretty plain terms
the consequence Of MISUNDERSTANDING
Smith.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Iriah Tobacco.

John Redmond's recent plea for the
legalization Of tobacco culture In Ire
land recalls the fact that 1t was per-
mitted there until 1880, though forbid
den in England and Scotland. Wex-
ford tobacco was then so highly es-
teemed that It's price was three times
as great as the Virginia leaf The
rapld extension of the culture, more
than 1000 acres being planted with to-
bacco, led to it's prohibition in 1880.
Twenty years ago Gladstone expressed
bis dissatisfaction with the veto and
offered to remove it If scheme were
produced for the collection Of the duty
SO that the revenue might not suffer.
Two years ago an official experiment
was made in Meath, an acre OF land
yielding 100 pounds Of serviceable to-
bacco. This Irish tobacco it Is said,
was inferior to American leaf, but this
Is largely considered a matter OF cur
ing" Even Australian grown tobacco
was a rank failure until the British
government engaged an American ex-
pert to instruct and advise the planters
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
COURTESY IN THE HOME.
u Is Essential to Happiness In the
Family Circle.

There is no place where there 10
greater need Of true, refined, everyday
courtesy or where 1t will be more
greatly appreciated than IN the nome
circle. Yet In how many households 10
we see an entire lack Of 1t.
The husband comes In tired ana sur
w. hurries down his meal, gives the
cat a kick and departs without one
kind word or gracious act to any one
The children are noisy and quarrei'
some. The mother, tired and nervous
has only sharp, recriminating worua
for her husband, the children and the
servant. The whole atmosphere ap'
pears surcharged with the very quint
essence of disturbing and dishearten'
ing elements.
Let a visitor come in to make o
neighborly call, however, and how
quickly everything is changed. Botf
husband and wife welcome him with
the sweetest of smiles and courtesy
When the visitor departs, he is bowed
out with the most charming grace ano
in silver tones invited to call again.
This is eminently right and proper
but why should not the same consid
Grafton prevail among those VINO ars
bound to each other by ties OF family
relationship-"our own, whom we love
best?" Why should not the wife' inc
child. the servant, whom you meet ev
cry day In the most intimate relations
why should they not, l ask, b'
vouchsafed some courtesy as well al
the guest who calls for a brief hourf
CHARITY begins at home" we are
told. and l think courtesy should TOO
No one, be he man or woman, car
stand weeks and years Of continue
fault finding or habitual discourtesy'
You bow to your next door neighbol
when you meet her in the street anC
give her a kind or cordial word. why
not be respectful to members OF you
own family? Try 1t. You VIII hnC
you will be happier for 1t. Your home
will become an ideal one, and every
one will be influenced to good by tn
light which will radiate from it--Pitts
| burg Press.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Not In Favor of Revision.

A Presbyterian convention, called for
the purpose of considering a revision
of the creed, was in session in Phila'
delphia, and large number of the dele
gates were staying at a certain hotel
1t happened that one Of Philadelphia
noted baseball pitchers, a man of grave
and serious aspect when not on duty
was dining at the hotel with friend.
All around him were Presbyterian
ministers, deep in the discussion Of the
proposed revision, and one OF them
mistaking him for a preacher, turned
to him and said:
"Friend, what do you think Of the
contemplated changes"
"Well," replied the pitcher, whose
head was full Of certain proposed mod
ifcations of the rules Of baseball, u
don't care two straws, just so they dc
not knock out the foul strike rule. That
helps the pitchers"
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
TEACHING POLLY TO THINK
Proof of tho Association Of Ideas In
m Birds Mind.

NJ. Pierre Hachet Souplet, writing In
4 French contemporary on the intelli-
gence OF birds and animals, relates a
remarkable accomplishment on the
part of a parrot, says Golden Penny.
He admits that the bird was an excep-
tionally clever specimen. and he con-
siders its achievement indicates the
high water mark Of possibilities IN
this direction so far as parrots are
concerned.
He had taught Polly to use the
words cupboard" and ladder" and
ms he climbed the ladder he had sue
ceeded In inducing the bird to articu-
late the word climb" Every day
when the bird was brought into the
laboratory small cupboard was
opened, and Polly helped herself to
hempseed. One day, however, instead
of the cupboard being placed where
she could reach It, 1t was hauled up
near the ceiling, and the ladder was
placed among several other articles IN
the corner of the room. The question
to be decided was whether the bird
seeing that the cupboard was out OF
NJ. Souplet's reach, would have sufii'
cient intelligence to use words 1t knew
in their proper sequence. The mrs.
days experiment was a failure. The
bird screeched Cupboard, cupboardg
beating its wings and biting the bars
of Its cage in anger, but 1t got no fur
Their. That day the bird received miliet
which It did not care for, the hemp
seed. which 1t was fond Of, being
locked up In the cupboard.
Next day Polly was In greater ten
per than ever, and after a desperate
effort to break through the bars OF hel
cage she finally caught sight OF thu
cupboard near the ceiling. Instantly
came the words "Ladder-climb-cup
board" and, Polly having learned he
lesson, the cupboard was brough
down. and she was rewarded witt
some hempseed. NJ. Hachet Souple
looked upon this incident as proof o
the association Of ideas In the bird
! mind, as no one had ever taught TN
parrot the phrase she created.
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Glass That VIII Not Crack.

A new kind of glass that resists
great heat as we'll as sudden changes
NJ temperature is made from Brazilian
quartz pebbles. The pebbles are heat
ed red hot and then thrown into dis
titled water. The purest pieces are
next selected and welded with the
oxyhydrogen blowpipe into long stems
like knitting needles, from which glass
vessels Of any shape can be made. AT
present the quartz glass is chiefly en-
ployed for making laboratory appara'
tus. Into a test tube made In this way
a white hot coal can be dropped with
out breaking 1t. Vessels of other forms
can be heated white hot and then
plunged into cold water without csaeH'
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
= WHAT'S IN A NAMEi
n IT'S q Mouth Filler 1t May Signify
m Good Deal.


Good Deal.
It has recently been laid down that
people who are lucky enough to have
their front-or "Christian"-names OF
what IA really a surname will have
marked ability in some one direction.
And, really, a glance at the lengthen-
ing list OF our celebrities goes some
way in support Of the assertion.
Take literary lions, for example.
How nobly mouth filling are the names
of Clark Russell. Conan Doyle, Chris
tie Murray, Hall Game! Nobody would
ever think of the knight-novelist as
"Arthur Doyle" while to rob the de
picter of "black country" ways OF his
Christie" would be to confuse him
with another OF the same name, but a
landscape painter. Stanley Weyman'
| Cutclifre Hyne and PETIT Ridge are 9th
err notable examples.
In passing one may note that Stanley
has been so long In favor with roman
tically minded mothers that we are IN
danger Of forgetting that 1t Is really a
surname and, into that, the property OF
q noble house. So are Sidney, Howard
and Herbert.
Collins is not very distinguished
name, but stick "Wilkie" or Mortimer
in front of 1t, and 1t recalls either
thrilling mystery stories or dainty love
idyls while preceded by "Churton' II
stands for expert literary criticism
Bell, again, is somewhat commonplace
but how changed when you hitch mo
berley" or "Currer" to it, Morley
Roberts sounds rather superior to Ar
thur or John Of that ilk, though the
bearers of the last two names have
been not undistinguished In their re
spective lines Of business.
There are few more instances show
ING how q we'll sounding front name
can lift the bearer out Of the ruck
LLOYD Osbourne, Qulller Couch, Barry
Pain, Leslie Stephen, Marriott Watson
Robertson Nicholl, Halliwell Sutcline
Bloundelle Burton Headon Hill, Eos
ter Fraser, Wilmott Dixon, Todding
ton Symonds, Hamilton Aide and, mos
majestic example of all, Rudyard Kip
ling. One can imagine John or Henry
Kipling going to the city with blacl
bag, but Rudyard-never!
So much for the literary men. An(
II we turn to the artists we find mucl
the same thing For instance, VII
liam ]. Hardy might be anybody. bu
Dudley Hardy cap be nobody but thu
designer of countless chic posters anC
the creator OF the yellow girl" Again
the directory is full of Wilson's, Blu
there Is only one Patten Wilson, and
though 1t abounds in Gouds, there i
only one Carruthers Gould.
Linley Sambourne and Leslie Ward
Raven Hill and Dana Gibson are othe
cases in point Seymour as a from
name is adopted by a Lucas and
Haden, and the ear is gently tickle'
by such names as Byam Shaw, Stan
hope Forbes, Yeend King, Napier Hen
~, Cation WOodville, Briton Rivlere
Mortimer Menpes and Onslow Ford.
The stage provides US with not few
examples Of the value of surname I
lead off ones style with. The example
among the ladies and gentlemen Of tn
drama are too numerous almost t
record.-LondOn Answers
Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-27
Warns Method Of Attack.

Belt In his Naturalist In Nicaragua"
draws attention to the methods OF at
tack used by different species of wasps.
One accustomed to animals and not to
men takes care to crawl down the out
standing hairs to the skin before In
sorting its sting, while others which
live in the midst Of human dwellings
fly straight at a mans face. The first
species, true to inherited instinct, when
It attacks unfamiliar human beings at
taches itself to their hair or their
boards. But there must have been O
time when the second species discov-
cred that the face was the Vulnerable
part, and the discovery was the out
come of the action Of brain.