davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

somewhat. Even on tho Boar war we
,,sed "a whisper Jokes to one another. III
utilet places. Iii this fiscal question
there tnust be fun. Where is It?
x>oR days t thought Of little else. My
aundress--as wo call them In tho
Tcnple-noticed my trouble. Mrs.
wilkins" confessed, II am trying to
think OF something i1nocently amusing
to say oil tho fiscal question" I have
heard about IT," sho said, but I don't
have much time to read the papers. They
want to mako us pay moro for our food,
don't they7' For some Of It. 4" u ! OK ,e,:.
plnincd. ''But. then. we shall pa y}fless
for other things. SO that really we shnn,t
be paying more at ALL "Tl,ore don't
seom much II, 1t, either way y was Mrs.
Svilkinss opinion. Just 30. II agreed,
THAT ID the advantage Of tho system.
It will cost nobody anything, and result
IN everybody being better off" The
pity a,"{said Mrs. Wilkins. that nobody
ever Thought OF It before THE whole
trouble hitherto" explained. "has been
tho foreigner" '.Ah," said Mrs. wilkins,
II never heard much good Of him. though
they do say tho Almighty has a use for
almost everything" THESE Foreigners
/ continued; "these Germans and Amer
leans. they dump things on u.s. you
know - g''Whats thatiN'a demanded MIS-.
wilkins. whats dump" Well its
dumping. you know. YOU take things
and you dump them down. SB''But what
things? How do they do TT" why. all
sorts Of things; pig iron, bacon, door
mats-everything. They bring Thorn over
here In ships. you understand. and then,
IL you please. Just dump them down upon
our shores" You don't mean surely to
tell me that they Just throw them out
and leave them there r. queried Mrs.
wilkins. "Of course. not. I replied:
when say they dump these things
upon our shores. that Is n figure Of
speech. What mean is they sell them
to us." but why; do we buy them, II
we don't want them n asked Mrs. VIII
kins. Were not bound to buy them,
are wo?''' lit Is their artfulness,"SI OK
planned; these German and Americans
and the others; they arc all Just as bad
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

az ono anothor--tlioy Insist oil selling u.s.
these things at less price than they cost
to make' 1T seems d bit silly Of them
don't lit7" thought Mrs. wilkins; 4 sup.
pose being foreigners poor things. they
Amt naturally got much sense. h ut does
way Il admitted; "but What we have
got to consider is, the iniury lie doing 7
u.s." Don't SEQ how it8cati do lis much
HARM argued Mrs. Wilkins; Seems /
bit Of tuck, so far as we arc concerned
There's a few more things they'd 4 be A
welcome to dump ro,ind my way Il
don't seem to be putting this thing quite
in. the right light to you. Mrs. wllkins,'';3
L confessed TT Is q long argument, and
you might not be able to follow It; Dtits
you rntst take 1t as n fact now generally
admitted. that the cheaper YOU buy
things the sooner your money goes. BY
allowing the foreigner to sell lis all these
things atlabout half the cost price, he is 4
getting richer every day and We arc GET
ting poorer Unless we. as a country,
insist on paying at leas t twenty per cetit.
more for everything we went, 1T Is cnl-
culated that III n very few years Eng
land won't have u penny left ia Sounds
"a bit topsy turvy. : suggested Mrs. Wiz
kins. ut may sound so, answered:
B''but fear there can be no doubt OF It..
Tho Board OF Trade returns would seem
to prove It concluslvely." well, God Il
s be praised we've found It out in time. '
circulated Mrs. Wilkins, piously. 1T n
a matter Of congratulatfon,"5 4 agreed s:
"the difficulty Is that good many
other people say that far from being
ruined. we nro doing very we'll indeed.
and are growing richer every year.s'1'But +
how can they say that" argued Mrs.
Wilkins, when, US you tell mo. those
trade returns prove Just the opposite."'
We'll, they say the same, Mrs. w lllsins.4
that tho Board OF Trade returns prove
Just the opposite. Is We'll. they can't
both BIO right" said Mrs. Wilkins. You
would be surprised. Mrs. " ilkins. said. \
"how many things can be proved from
Board OF Trade returns But I have not 4
yet thought OF that article tor Pilson.
JEROME X. JDROMN.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

5Dr. s1ltchcll's compliment had reference ere;
to him. n
"a Tho gentleman wearing the leafy head
gear Is an older man than this writer.
and some may think better man, de-
spite the fact that he is 0unselfishly In
Etctcsted in politics.
Now. everybody guess his name !-!espe-
5cialy you Journalists. from the suburban
reporters 10 the big bosses who crtoy
the respect even of tho linotype ma
chimes.
While nothing from this pen--Which.5
by the way, Invariably happens to be q
lead pencI!--lias ever detracted from those
latter day king makers and king destroy
crs, the newspaper fellows. 1t at least
must be admitted, even by those not so
'fayoraDly inclined towards the press.
that Mr.. N1itchell's query opens up q
pretty question.
s Nor IS 1t an easy one to answer. Had
the kindly educator asked: WHO is the
foremost }yIrgirinn." and left off that
Important qualflcation--'''ln private life.
the question might not have been such a
poser But, as It stands. 1t Is a hard nut
to crack. Il regular scalybark.
While, as before int,mated. the first
Impulse OF every man In
Virginia will be to answer, - am he -
second thought breeds confusion. &
TO begin with, Tits powerfully hard to
find any man In the Commonwealth who
Isn't In public life. or rather who isn't
holding some sort Of public office or
trying monstrously hard despite his
wife's antagonism) to hold public office.
Indeed !; orc can hardly be a true Vir-
ginian when he suppresses this propen-
sity.
tho question makes the superficial think
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

ruler Sometimes this standard has been
reached. but rarely has It been maintain ain
ed. ss
1t seems an unfortunate thing that the
more civilized d nation becomes the more
unwholsome are its vices, the greater Its
license. the more superficial its virtues.
Greece and Rome have proved this. The
Old World and the New are seemingly
bent on doing the same.
give us some new thing!" is as true
CIV of modern life as It was true OF.
Ephesus and Athens in the days OF St
Paul. Excitement and sensation are the
very breath OF social existence. especially
to tho despised set called smart.
Pleasure is no longer tho simple en-
toyment OF congenial souls. or the APP
probation OF art or beauty. or the drama
or literature Of the day. None OF these
appeals to any sort OF kindred culture.
only to a feverish craze for the abnormal.
only to weary. self-cultured, languld
desire for physical pleasure. The chief
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

Mitchell IS now Il member OF the Rich.,
mond School Board. And II he isn't q
useful one, 1t is because liberal-minded-3
ness, profound learning. energy. pro-
gressiveness and a whole dairy full OF
the milk Of human Kindness count for
naught. ,sza s 5 Is
Ono word more: tho optimistic thought
In connection with the question concern
ing greatness lies n the fact that though
We cannot all be the greatest man in.
Virginia or in Richmond, or even in.
jackson Ward, we all at least can be the
greatest man in our own homes. Blessed
be that domestic exterrltoriality which
enables even a poor, $l5-a-week husband
to run little kingdom all OF his own.
with his wife. his BARNS. possibly his
cook and probably HIS stump-tailed pup
as loyal feudalories Whyl even I am
a hero in the eye OF a certain perennially
hungry little citizen for whom I recently
made gravel shooter. And just between
us, my petticoated coad1utor, desp itesvit-5
riolic criticisms concerning my weak
nesses OF character. often wonders why
the public has not seen fit to make me
President OF the United States. l{
354 tt ~, . . . IA t5 '8 n
II One Of tho gravest domestic problems
now confronting mothers Diet alone a linz
itcd number OF fathers, who are useful
about tho llouss) concerns the common
and ever popular infantile practice of
thumb sucking. No we'll regulated, nor
NAL baby. who has attained the age Of a
year or more. would think OF going a
whole day without sucking Its thumb. or
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

had place in the constitution OF any
great nation. 1t was originally. OF
course the outcome OF social difference.
The hedge built about tho divine right
OF kings His defnese as we'll as his
corps d'honneur. The glory, OF his court :,
and the insignia of his dignity.
Tho court was always considered the
basis OF social conditions From 1t the
varied circles OF difference radiateti and
became in their turns examples, or-the
reverse. AS culture enlightened the
mind, blind reverence became something
more critical: was less easily satisfied.
Liberty Of speech followed liberty Of
thought.
worship of power and place It became
necessary for a ruler to live deccntly and
honorably If lie desired to maintain his
influence. It was deemed essential that
women should be virtuous, as well as
beautiful. Tho higher the ideals OF the
people the more onerous the duties OF the
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

in Clristendom ON. y Ali there's nothing Hike
it--thnt is. like the sweetness Of a Sleep
ing babe. II 7 had my way, I'd havs 1
'em oil asleep. vs. # III
But the reformers OF mankind and
babykind say that the doctrine here
preached is heresy---treason against the
human race. They maintain that the
suction applied by an infant to It's Fingers.
idlstorts the mouth OF the cherub-gives y
1t froglilse nav which will accompany
tho youthful sinner to- its grave But
doesn't the brnt's sleep numbering yells5
do the same And Il ar emit We parents
entitled to some consid Iteration? More
over. the statistics on the subject Of big
.mouthed people do not absolutely prove
that they sucked their fingers in child Y
hood i know not what others may
think, but far my part say: Give mo the
baby that keeps It's mouth closed. evan
though that mouth in time gets like the
entrance door In O circus tent j4 Saf
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

own Of course, are perfectly normal ana
indicative Ut a well poised, discerning IN n
Sdlviduality. s!4 ist NJ
#$s T3on1bastc. consequen tial old Malvollo
wasn't uuitepsucf a fool after all. HIS
idea was that some are born great:
some achieve greatness. and some have
greatness thrust upon them.1$ But ne lor-
cot TO lay down any fixed standard OF
yreatness-to spec IS whether COOKS, !.
gwrestlers, tailors, hod carriers, mounte-
hanks, scissors-grlnders or uin ore sii
members can attain greatness IN thelr
respective vocations as well az poets,
orators, artists. soldiers, statesmen e @
noralists IN s;ome-in fact, man y-blu ge-
IN their way into greatness; others are
ultimately abused into 1t, while no small
number get there by consistent and un-
wayering mental inertia. Last, but NOT
least. in point OF usefulness. is that lin
5ited few who. through their God-glVen
magnetism, storm their way into the
most Unacceptable hearts by mysterl- I
Gus something which makes US love
them. But we have to beat the bushes
nretty closely for this class Of mnrtals.
Where We find one NJ these dear souls
we find Forty bludgeoners and a hundred
OF the mollusous celebrities whose pup-
HE fame couldn't so much as stand the
/ piu-prick Of investlg ton
with great Difference to the excessive
modesty tof. the DISTINGUISHED ed ucator
who has propounded the question con-
corning the foremost Virgin1an IN private
life. this writer begs to hint that the
auerist himself used to come Eastonlsh-
ingly near filling the bill. But, alas! ne
has lost his chance. Only a week or SO
ago he accepted public office. Dr'
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

it's ito be or not to. be- existence by
ending It.
The term smart" is now on the lips
Of every shop girl and servant maid.
Pray Heaven that may send the odious
term out Of fashion. Pray Heaven also
that we may yet have ladies" to set an
example not vain. silly, contemplate
creatures whose sins and scandals cry
aloud to any sense OF decency. any ideals
OF honor!
lit is true that women Of the world are
placed In positions OF some difficulty.
They have to popularize themselves with
their set to follow in some measure
the fashions OF the day, But surely Il
rank and wealth count for anything, they
should count for independe nce.
1t is true saying that wo only get
out Of life what we bring to 1t, II we
give dross we cannot expect gold. II a
woman is SELFISH frivolous, vain, immod-
est, her record keeps step with tho de-
fects of her qualities" II she has no
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

y, opcr II should be referred to In our
annual t,at,tohime. witch has come to be
regarded ms u review of the years do
ings. But 1t should not have been dealt
with from the political standpoint. The
proper altitude to have nssumed toward
II was that Of innocent raillory. free
from all trace OF partishnship. Old John-
son had strotlcd up and WINS standing
behind IN .The very thing l have been
trying 10 get hold Of for weeks he said.
"a bright, amusing resume OF tho whole
problem that shall give offerse TO neith..
or side. You know our phper. he con.
tinued; ,wc steer clear Of politics, but. at
thu Same time. try TO be -to-dnte; IT
Is not always easy. The treatment Or
the subject, on the lines you suggest,
IL tust wflnt we require. I do wish YOU
would write me something He is a
good old sort, Johnson: It seemed an
iGssy thing I said X would. Since that
time have been thinking how to 40
1t. As q miltter Of fact, have not
thought Of much else. May be you can
suggest something? 5
TWAS feeling In a good working mood,
! and next morning "Pilson," said !
10 myself. ''shall have the benefit OF
this, He does not need anything bols-
ttcrously funny. a few plnytuiiy witty
remarks on tho subject VIII oe si'e 'ueai.
y lit pipe and sat down 70 IN, LINK. 80, a.
letters before going out to lunch.
/ ! dismissed the fiscal question,
from my mind But not for long It
worried mo all the afternoon. thought.
maybe, something would come TO mo In
the evening. 15wasted al that evening
and wasted all he foll ,,s'rg m s'5a
to,t myself. Jokes BY the hundred are
slit on SUDDEN death. Ono turns. out
comic stories about funerals. about we'd
dings. Hardly a misfortune that can
Ihuppen to mankind but has produced It's
ccnic literature. An American TREND
crmn,ittinv 4 breach Of conf dence--oncc
TOOK 4 contract from tho editor Q an
insurance Journal to write four hlimor-
GUS stories. One was to deal with an
earthquake, the second with cyclone a''
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

you lake my advice, you Will hot press
me- "ItoW can 1t effect ine?" ] asked,
ut liz nothing to do With me, Is u q
ut need lave nothing 10 do With you.
shc answered, S"If yolt are sensible enough
TO keep out OF It. lf51stel you from tits
tltno inward 1t will BIO Your trouble also.
Anyhow, this ID what has happened III
fo,tv other separate cases. II You Ike IKE to
U.s. you are welcome. Bit remember I
4 have warned yon. What has It done
to- tho other nve7g". 1 demanded. ut
has changed them from cheerful, com.
spanlohnblc persons into gloomy one
sided borcs.'' he told me. ''They think
OF but ono thing, they talk Of but one
thing. they dream Of but one thing. n
stead OF getting crit az time goes on.
It takes possession Of them more and
more. Thcro are men. Of course. who
would be unaffected by it-wlio could
shake II off warn you against y In
particularly. bcchusc, In spite OF all that
Is said, l. nm convinced you have q sense
Of honor; and that being 80 ut will lay
hold Of you. It will plague you night
and day YOU sep what 1t has made OF
me-. Three months ago q lady Inter
viewer described me as OF n sunny tenn
permanent. II you know your own busi-
ness you will get out ut the next station
and take care to avoid mo for tho next
six months.
~ wish now / had taken his advice.
AS II was i allowed my curiosity to tako
possession OF me and begged him to ex-
plain. And he did SO. 1T was Just about
Christmas time" he told me. we werd
discussing the Drury Lane pantomime----
some three or four OF us--in the smok-
Ing room Of the Dcvonshre Club. and
young Gould said he thought It would
prove d mistake. the introduction OF q
subject ike the fiscal question into tho
story OF 'Humpty Dnmpty The two
things, so far as we could see. had Moth
ing 10 do with one another. He added
that he entertained a real regard for Mr..
Dan Ieno. whom he had once met on q
steamboat. but that there were other
topics upon which he would prefer to
seek that gentlemar's guidance. Net!
tleshp. on the other hand, declared that
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28
BEAUTY Or THE FEBRUARY SUNSET, s1ssss's
By Garrett P. SERvISS.

But In June, the sun. going down less
steeply. takes fully two hours to descend
eighteen degrees, and SO the twilight is
.proportionately longer, Generally speak,
ing twilight is long In Summer and short
In Winter.
FARTHER north the differences arc much
greater. In England, for Instance the
March twilight lasts about one hour and
thirty minutes, while In June twilight
lasts three hours, and in Sweden and
other far northern lands 1t lasts all night
At Quito, OH the other hand, which lies
under tho equator and ut q high eleva
ton. where the air overhead Is much less I
dense and less capable OF Rejecting sum {
light than fn our ATTITUDES, twilight lasts
hardly more than quarter OF an hour.
The sun goes down and on comes the
dark with q rush."
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

Tie most primitive but none the less
tenacious patriotism is to be found in tho
animal, world among the ants, which by
Tho thousands are eager to face death
rather than abandon and surrender the
home to the enemy; among the bees which
10 drive back an, intruder try to kill him
with their stings, sacrificing their own
lives in doing so; among the dogs Of Con-
stantlnople. which defend TO their last
breath the street in which they belong
rather than suffer = 70 be Invaded ns s by
strange dogs, n
10 prove tina t, this feeling Is the very
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

characteristics OF the modern tempera-
ment are apathy and cynical indifference
II may pipe, but they will not dance dance
is the cry OF many an artistic soul spend I
Ing its God given gifts on needless ears
calous and unappreciatiye tempers.
1t is SO eaSc for society to get what IT
wants in these money hppinE days
that, like spoiled child. the gain means
nothing unless 1t be a desire TOT destrulc-
ton born Of utter safety. 1t Is $50 easy
to purchase immunity from all Ills save
perhaps that memorable "hnis to lies
book of disgraced and blotted leaves. II
is SO easy to ask and to haVe.tgaNh nat re-
mains?
If the whole social fabric were rent as
the veil OF the temple was rent u the
whole effete, senseless, wildly extrava-
giant and mentally deficient body We're
stoned with the scorn and birched with
the rods Of announcement. It might at
least solve the Hamlet.like question or
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28
BY ri
BY RITA

no suffering toilers. no patient workers.
no martyrs to pain and infirmity with
higher claims to consid eratton than g. z
5cotillon- figure or motor car? Caste de-
mnnda much. but it gives little. It has
kept bandage Of self.deiusion over It's
eyes SO long that its sight has lost clear clear;
hess. Still. It's ears arc not wholly deaf;
only wilfully closed. It has settled into
a groove, S5
It has fenced itself round with a chez
val do friso OF prejudice, and It doesn't
want to look over that bcrier. It has
condoned the offences OF Its own class.
and allowed tho yelping, pushing crowd
Of the nouveaux riches and the smart
islsterhood generally to enter its court
yards and llsurp It's authority.
Smaller and smaller grows tho circle
OF our old nobility Wider and further
spread the frothy waves Of our new.
What land shall they reach at last
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

it, supposing, as you do. that the only
place to look for phenomena Of sun
SGT is In the west.
There 1t comes!'' the astronomer con-
tlnued. Look just here, opposite to the
place where the sun has disappeared. You
see a low arch. family red or purplish,
and beneath 1t a darker segment. as II
some huge. round thing were being thrust
up there from behind the eastern edge OF
the earth. It Is night advancing toward
us, with slow steps, gradually spreading
her skirts wider to cover the whole
breadth OF the earth. 1t is one Of tho
most majestic spectacles In all the round
OF natural phenomena. It is the true
shadow Of the earth that you see falling
upon its atmosphere in the east, When
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

comes quickly after shutdown because
the sun goes straight down there, and
soon gets SO low beneath the horizon that
its rays no longer reach and illuminate
tho air above us. Experience has shown
that, on the average. twilight lasts until
the sun has sunk eighteen degrees below
tho horizon. Now, IL You will look It
this diagram yol, will see that It takes
the sun longer to descend eighteen de-
grees below tho horizon in June than It
does In March. because In our latitude the
slope OF the SUMS path with regard
to the horizon is less steep In June than
in March. In March the sun passes from
the horizon to a level Of eighteen degrees
below 1t In about one hour and twenty
1--WE minutes. and that measures the dura-
ton OF twilight at that time OF the year.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28
TIIE coMING Of THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE:

marrow OF the countries and which pre-
vent the growth OF friendly Feelings to-
ward their neighbo,s.
1t is evident that In this sense patriot
ism Is scourge far more than a blessing,
In fact. all these expenses. all this waste
OF enegy to prepare for Il bloody war
with other countries could be used to far
better advantage II spent In working for
the common welfare Of human kind,
Let US therefore not give up our pa
trlotis,n. but let MS make 1t serve higher
and nobler causes, Just as Sienna, Pisa
and Genoa to-day think with astonish-
,nent of tia enormous sacrifices made ~
internal wars for communal hegemony,
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

1t has come over us here We shall be
buried in night. 5s1
But look at the vest" exclaimed the.
other,
eyes now it is time to turn back to the
vest. The sun is far enough below the
horizon for the twilight sheen to show
we'll there, bordered by delicate purple
ttints, which brighten as the sun sinks
lower. Look! look! how a rosy light
steals over the landscape. It lasts but q
short time. then the color fades from the
sky. and the first shadow OF night drops
over US. so that II we look intently we
may sac here and there star, brighter
than its fellows. peertng through the
twilight -,
''And now look at the east again. While
we have been absorbed inthe western
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-28

from the valleys So the upper part OF
tho atmosphere remains Illuminated after
the surface Of tho earth is IN shadow
HI "IIow long does twilight last7
"About an hour and n half In this
latitude. at this time Of the year."
"But isn't 1t always the same, then?"
"By no means. Early in March the
twilight will be tho shortest OF the whole
year, except in the carly part OF October.
when 1t is about as short. But ut the
end OF June 1t will be the longest OF the
year. Then 1t will last two hours or more
after SHUTDOWN
why these changes7"
'Tha slope of the earth's axis Is at the
bottom OF them, But they are not the
same all over the earth, At the equator
the twilight is very short, and night