davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

trlot OF Macedonia. II is barren and
mountainous. and its Inhabitants are q
mixed population OF Bulgarlans and AL
banians. Across the River Drin lies AL
hania proper. and to tho north are Dibrn
and Dyuppa, both districts Inhabited by
unframed Albanian tribes,
"The normal condition of the Malesia
peasants Is one of abject poverty and
serfdom, The Albanians are partly feu-
dial overlords, partly reckless brigands'
Every village pays blackmail. and cattle
ralding is common.
1.-THE Albanian lives more or less by his
rifle. The general rising Of tho Bulgarian
population merely afforded him an UNI
usually good pretext for plllage and de-
yastation on a heroic scale,
"one Christian village In this region
bought immunity by timely submission
and an enormous ransomi the rost were
thoroughly pilaged and burned. In the
six Christian villages Of Malesla only
three houses escaped the fire,
"In one OF these villages. OWNS, sup.
pose, to some friendly circumstance q
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

generosity Of England and America, and
for food bare famiulne allowance can
be given for each month"; and the great
question thdt presents itself to tho minds
of those who are graphing with this ap-
pulling misery Is:
How many people must starVe TO death
during the coming month?
TO keep them alive now. and then to
abandon them in tho depth Of winter.
seems almost cruel kindness. 4 hundred
dollars n week will keep alive $50 refp-
gees in Ochrldl town. but they are only
fraction Of the $1,000 who are homeless
In the Province Of Monastlr.
CT one woman no tells us--a miserable
young woman In one OF the Malesian VII
lagos. She was groanlng and shivorlng
In constant pain, over a wood fire in a
corner Of straw shelter
She seemed nero skeleton, except for
one wounded limb, swollen and twisted
from long neglect. She had been shot
two months ago in the village at close
quarters by some Albanian savage,
The villagers We're persuaded to make q
stretcher, aud they carried her for ten
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

their condition with surprising frankness
and honesty,
5"As we went up The valley the villages
seemed to form crescend0 OF misery,
The last two villages at the head of the
valley within tho sphere OF influence OF
tho Dyuppa marauders are actually with
In sight OF famine,
'"Thay arc visited almost daily by those
Albanians, who come TO CLEAN where they
have already gathered They have hardly
dared to build straw shelters for fear
they will once more DO fired, Their cnlef
food is already the wild apple and pear,
which fortunately grow In great abund-
anoe. I doubt II they have grain Tor
another week. Everywhere the mills
have bee0 burned"
At present 1t is possible to give only
one blankcN(to each family. They are
large and warm. bul to send one blanket
to ten or twNlye persons who are all
sleeping practically under tho open sky
In the rags Of their summer clothes ~
but mockery OF .helr misery. What
ever can be done lat.r depends upon the
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

Copyright. 1901. by w r. Hearst)
As we wrap our furs round us and walk
through the brilliant streets. feeling q
comfortable sensation that we arc gcner.
GUS and OPEN handed at this joyful sea-
son OF tho year, 1t comes like chill to
us from some Icy region, almost as grim
as that which blew across the sen of Ice
which Dante crossed In his Journey
through the Inferno. to hear what the
"hero!c devastation Of Macedonia really
means,
On November II nine hundred and nifty
refugees were receiving, from the hands
OF that heroic agent that has been sent
out by the Relief Fund with the scant
provisions that the fund has been able
to collect for that suffering race. a
weekly distribution Of -four. a little hand
Sul each, Just enough to keep body and
soul, together.
Mr.. Brallsford gives an account OF his
work among the villagers In Malesla in
private letter. and writing Of this dis
triot. which has seldom been visited by
European travellers. no says:
'.A(sles!a Is the extreme western dis,
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
and at my mathematically arranged array

and at my mathematically arranged array
OF green. 45s
And when the mighty spirit from Eich-
field leaves me. i am confronted by But-
Ter, who, though less oensorious. take
occasion to say: There Is kind OF ply
siognomy In the titles OF books no \ Less
than in the faces Of men, by whichSa
skllful observer win know as well whAt|
to expect from tho one as the other
This Is a gentle hint that my caHes are q
mere hotchpot Of physiognomies, so faxI
as the covers Of books are concerned.
If But after all. what difference DOES ~
make since my library withsits four cases
Is my own impregnable kingdom. With
naught to fear save the busting brush
the Command in Chief and some few
dozen dirty little fingers which occasions
ally Invade the sacred precincts.
Dear, dear. dear old books. your only
fault Is that you do not declare annual
dividends SO that your appreciatlve own.I
er may occasionally find cash for tho ne
ccssarles Of life and thus devote his wholS
existence to you. III IS m sFgS e w Stss
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

The village WAS looted, The very old
ond the very young have mostly persisted
under the hardships.
I'm one straw booth tenanted originally
by twenty-nine persons sovon died within
ten days of their return from the noun
talns.
"Yhat the case Of these people Will be
In n few days when the frosts sets In,
without blankets, clothes or shelter, one
hardly dared to imagine, They possess
nothing but the rags they wore during
tho summer campaign. Tho bedding,
their coats. their blankets have all been
burned and looted,
"AIalesla lives In normal times only by
migratory labor. From each village,
thirty or sixty men so every year to
Austria, Their earnings suffice to pay
the taxes and to meet the more regular
demands of their Albanian neighborH.
~ found In each village a little colony
of German-speaking natives, and was
able to converse freely with them In q
language which their Albanian neighbors
could not understand. They told me Of
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

wind or weather. a few blackened shells
OF rooms remain. The rest are nero
heaps OF mud and bricks and stones
'.rhe people returned from the noun
talns and gave In their 'submisslon' three
Or four weeks ago, They have spent
the time erecting little shelters OF straw
among the ruins
"some Of these are mere booths, which
may afford some protection against rain.
while they cannot possibly keen out the
Wind and cold, Usually slantng roof
CT thatch has been built against q mud
wall; the sides are merely loose sheayes
Of straw
"InsIdo lies all that tho family has
saved-a basket Of apples and a heap Of
maze cobs.
Another heap under a bit of sacking
turns out to be Nh old woman PROSTATE
With cold and grief. Just capable Of as
septing when some bystander explains
that husbands and sons have all been
killed.
"a baby in corner Is nothing but
skin and bope-t he mother was shot when
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

cencies-ot life. The good woman who
daily eats meals with mo and who recog-
nizes but two works of literature (thel
Bible and the f. B. v. Cookery book) has
often declared that 1t would delight her
soul to see some one apply tho torch
highest respect for the individual who
helped burn the Alexandrian library es-
pecially as goodly portion OF the works
In that institution were used to heat tho
baths OF the city, and what Is better stu,
in their capacity as fuel. lasted for six
months
III u man shared what he got
out OF books with his wife, children and
friends, I would have no protests to.
make says the aggrleved contemner OF
literature, "but my observation has been
that the more one reads. the moro silent
and the less interesting he becomes to
other people. And what Is more" she
adds in injured tones, IT had a weak
ness which assumed such an exaggerated
form as yours, this house wouldn't hold
you, or rather the objects Of my interest.
canary birds, or 700 pieces Of bric-a-brac
or roo dolics or 100 table napkins! why!
you would simply be on the rampage
continually running amuck-whereasS
must bow before your printed treasures
and handle them as charity as though they,
were redhot Goals or dynamite cartridges
Worse stlll they are as unproductive OF
cash as poor relations, though nothing
like so useful
Now all this Is appallingly true, how
ever much I may dislike to own It, and
every word hits me in a vulnerable spot
To tell the truth, the moro cantankcorus
n woman gets the nearer tho mark she
hits with her tongue, particularly II the
woman In question happens to be ones
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

beauties-but so have known a foolish
lover to praise his mistress In the pres
ence Of rival more qualified to carry
her off than himself. Render, II
hnply thou arc blessed with moderate
collection, be shy OF showing It; or II
thy heart overflows to lend them. lend
thy books; but let It be to such a one
as 8. II. Che Will return them generals
#ly anticipating the ttnle appointed with
usury; enriched with lamentations, trip.
ling their value. have had experience"
&$aS ss4,s So
tzpS Last but not least, there is another
matter which harnesses your bookworm
sand keeps him in.a perpetual hutter, but
7 must confess that 1t Is n lutters which
r lind very dellcious-yes, thrlllingly ex-
citing This Is the question OF arrnng-
Ing books on their shelves. For my part
i have-despite my impecunlosity-ne
ont to tho binding Of books Try as
rlay, can't help longing to put all the
red ones together and to juxtapose the
green volumes. Then, too. there Is my
antique corner Of precious tones In leath-
or and gilt. or rather what the pirates
have left Of them. The color scheme Of
the collection has a great deal to do with
my happiness. yet something is oil the
time tellng mo that the arrangement
should be strictly In accordance with
subject matter. At all hours Of the day
the ponderous ghost GHOSTS are not usu-
ally ponderous, know OF DR.. Sam
johnson haunts me with the mocklng
words: knowledge is OF two kinds We
know a subject ourselves or we know
where we can find information upon IT,
When we enquire into any subject. the
first thing we have to do is to know what
books have treated Of It," And then the
great spook OF the photographer casts
his eye reproachfully ut my red books
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
TAKES A RAP AT BOOK-BORROWERs

desirable sadness that perpetually
haunts him. The more books he collects
and the more he reads the more rapaci-
Gus no becomes. When he pauses mo-
ment to recall the fact that some day there
Will come a time when every volume will
he shut for him, and when life itself will
be as closed bookN he involuntarily
shudders and then asks himself: What
will become of my library when ] am
gone? Mind you, he would like to carry
the whole collection to the grave with
him, even as the Indian wants his horse
and his bow and his tomahnwk In the
happy hunting grounds. This Is the
posthumous avarice OF your bookworm-a
thing strangely psychological and utterly
.inexplicable to plain, every. day, common
sense mortals who eschew literature and
devote themselves to making respectable
living for their wives and families. But
every book lover will understand It. And
almost every daily newspaper will tell
you Of case where some poor biblio-
maniac, torn from his library by tho In.
eyitable reaper whose harvest Is pere en-.
nial, has magnanimously bequeathed his
entire collection Of books to some public
library or institutions, Magnanimous?
Not a bit of 1t. Your testator, by the
bcquest, was merely striving to per-
petuate his ndivlduality--to preserve In
tact q host of friends who in life had
become interviewer with the very warp
and wool of his individuality. To
this company of friends. he was ever
willing to add strangers, but the new
corners never pushed aside the old COM
pnnlons or made thom less dear, On
the contrary the newcomers themselves
soon became old friends and took their
turn at welcoming additions to their hon-
ored company. Thus the literary So
cable went merrily on with your book
worm as host. whilo possibly his wife
and little ones. though hcrolcally indul-
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

wife. And yet, even while these feminine
arrows are raising whelps and causing
stncs all over my moral anatomy, ! ma
myself surreptitiously peeplng IN the d.
rection OF my Smolett and Fielding ana
Plutarch and rhackeray and Boswell, pr
chuckltng over the wickedness OF con-
yivial Horace and caustic Juvenal
and jovial Sterne and fascinating Boo
caoto, Yea, even after the good woman
has whisked herself out and MY eyes
have unconsciously followed her dear form;
to the door and slight sense OF solitude
comes over me, hear the words OF g.
certain anonymous "L'' who says:-
mo one with book e'cr needs to DO
alone,
his throne,
He has in stately tonnes at his COM
The wise and great OF every age and
land.
How wonderful 1t all seems when we
weigh these words-when we reflect upon
tho fact that my poor little handful Of
books, at the most conservative estt-
mate, represents at least 700 years of
study -and toll, and perhaps the very
vitality OF some OF the authors Me-
thinks my four lettering cases should
sometimes wrltho at tho thought OF the
brain fag and physical WEAKNESS their
contents have caused among the pro-
ducers OF their leafy burdens. But the
shelves are forever mute and sullen--al-
most as contcmptuous, III sooth, as II
they knew full we'll that tho whole col
lection would not bring 500 under a sher-
if's hammer.
And right here. your bilbliomaniac al
ways experiences q pang which goes
straight to his heart and causes an In
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

American Journal Of Sociology; The
Dookman Buddhism; Bulletin OF Blbll-
csraphy; Case and Comment; The Cava-
lior; Tho Century; Charities; Christllches
Kuntsblatt; Confederate Veteran; Con-
gressionai Record; The Critic; DAeutsche
Litteraturzeitung: Educational Review:
Tho Engineer; The Etude; Good Govern
n.ent Harper's Monthly; Harper's Week.
~; John p. Branch Historical Papers:
The I1orseless Age; The International
studio; Journal OF Zoophiy; Labor CO.
Partnership; Ladies' Home Journal; Tho
Literary Digest; Literary World The
Nation; North American Review; The
Photo-Miniature; Photo-Tra: Published
Weekly; The Quarterly Journal of Eco
nomcS, Review Eof Revlews; Scientific
American; Sound Currency ST. Nicho;as;s
The Theatre: Travellers Record; Uni
yersty OF Missouri Studies; The World
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

good man to go forth and earn few
dollars FOR such trivial things as clothes
and food. ~ y - = -,
Yes, argue 1t as you may, the book
lover Is selfish. as we'll as si1tlly-shally
1t tears his very heart strings when some
plunderer, bent on an hours casual amuse-
ment, charges the battalions in the
shabby cases. ruthlessly snatches there
from some Ions and tried friend Of the
btbliomaniacs, and bears the helpless
things away. perhaps never to return
but always to BIO lamented. Naturally
the pirate argues thus: You have 700 vol
unes and can mover read tllem all in a
lifetime. What's more, you'll never miss
this volume which take. even il I fail
to return 1t. But tho bibllomaniac does
miss It: in fact. he's inconsolable for It's
loss. TO say nothing of being vindictIve
and full Of hatred towards the plum.
derer.
It soothes us bookworms to hear what
Charles Lamb. In his essay OF borrowers.
says on this subject. Zero 1t Is: ITO one
like Ella, whose treasures arc rather
cased in leather covers than closed In
iron Golfers there is q class Of allcnators
more formidable than that which have
touched upon; mean your borrowers
Of books-those mutllators Of collections.
spoilers of the symmetry OF shelves and
creators Of odd volumes. The slight
vacuum In tho left hand case-two
shelves from the enthusiastically dlstln-
gulshable. but by the quick eye Of
loser--was whilom tho commodous rest
Ing place OF Brown on Urn Burial. G.
will hardly alleGe that no knows more
about that treatise than I do, who In
troduced 1t to him, and was. indeed. the
first COT the modcrns) to discover It's
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
zines and periodicals. published in thi,

zines and periodicals. published in this
country and Europe.
Probably Mr.. Kennedy was surprised
at the result Of his efforts. The reading
room became reading room" indeed,
and young and old. scholars and students,
the original searcher after truth adm the
great host Of readers whose palates arc
delighted and satisfied by the literature
Of the day flocked thither to enjoy the
unlimited and richly varied literary ro-
past spread for them so freely. And still
they come. The reading room is now
popular resort. From A. NJ until s.
r. NJ, not Summers day.. quite, but
two hours longer than the States day.
the books and magazines arc enjoyed and
abundantly used for tho refinement and
culture OF all who seek them through
such delightful means. 45
CURRENT LITERATURE.
Among the newspapers on file ate:
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

. ( E - & &. . i b & 5 IA
Improvements. revolutionary in extent
and excellent in taste, have recently been
made in tho apartments OF tho State Ii
brary and picture galleries.
The Library Bonrd, created under the
new. Constitution and Mr.. John Pcndlcton
Kennedy, who became librarian Novem-
her LIST, have done an excellent work. Tho
board has unlimited enthusiasm and en-
ergy. and Mr.. Kennedy unltes these cx-
celcnt qualities with most valuable ex-
pericnce.
Mr.. Kennedy at once directs much of
his energy and resources towards making
the reading attractive and useful. The
walls wcre tinted soft and restful colors.
the tables rearranged for better light
and greater convenience. and no leSs than
sixteen hundred reference books brought.
out OF the bookstack TO BIO in easy. reach
of the student. Leading newspapers Of
the State were placed on file. and an
other rack contains the standard maya
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

Alexandria Gazette, Charlottesville Even
Ing Progress, Danvillc Evening Bee, DAN
Vile Daily Register, Fredericksburg
Evening Star, Lynchburg Morning News,
Newport News Times Herald, Newport
News Daily Press. Norfolk Dispatch.
Norfolk Landmark, Norfolk vlrginian-.
Pilot, Petersburg Evening Progress,
Times Dispatch, Richmond News Leader,
Roanoke Morning Times, Roanoke Even
Ing World, Winchester News-ltem, Win
chester Evening Star, Nelson County
Times, Charlottesville Semi Weekly
Chronicle.
4 list Of the periodicals received regu-
larry is also given:
American Agriculturist; American Me-.
chanic's Advocate: Architects and Build
ersi Magazine; L'.Art de la Mode; The
5Athaeneum; The Atlantic Monthly; The
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

= Ia +.
boolestack. Tho books have suffered muck
at the hands Of vandals, The librarian
finds that Audubon's "Quadrupe /. one
in existence, has been greatly damaged.
of the most expensive and rare volumes
Others, manuscripts and books. have also
suffered from the same profane sources.
It is practically certain that the Library
Board will ask the legislature to enact
a law SO secure the punishment It Inns
poses upon such vandalism that the most
daring OF this numerous and despicabls
tribe will fear 1t. u sS
Many other improvements are planned
BY Mr.. Kennedy such as will make the
library Of use not onlyS to the people 3of
Richmond. but the entire State, He has
the utmost confidence Of the board which
elected him, and his usually fine WORT
since taking charge has won him many a y,
friends. AK, ~ VI sS#
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10
Appeal to Christian Behalf Macedonia
llad Lady Henry Somerset.

miles over the mountains. and on Nix
plains carriage had to be hired. and aV
the hospital food and clothing had I'D
be provided and TWO doctors paid to per-
form very SERIOUS operation. and THU
one case must have cost fifteen dolars.8
a wounded child from the same village
was carried In by Its father, and there
are scores of similar cases. tssf
God help them. but, above all, help us !
The winter winds are full OF the sigh
Ing Of the sorrowful, the sad and inc
fatherless.
Have we paused to listen2
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

l.. 5 j. + z b ... 4.
increase in favor Of December Of no less
than sol books and 100 readers.
PICTURE GALLERIES.
The reading room is In good shape,
Mr.. Kennedy turned his attention to the
picture galleries and BROUGHT order out
+ OF chaotic, but invaluable collection.
The apartments in which the pictures
are hung Is made up oft two halls The
librarian has selected one for tho por-
traits OF the Governors Of Virginia, and
this Is known now as the Governors
Gallery" In the other, q somewhat
smaller room. are the portraits OF the
national celebrities. From the recently
beautified walls look the faces of SUI h
men as George Washington. John Mar
shall, Robert Edward Lee. Jefferson
Davis. Henry Clay and others.
Just now Mr. Kennedy Is bending everv
effort towards the Encouragement OF the
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

OF To-Day: United states Patent Office
Official Gazette; Physical Culture.
HISTORY MOST POPULAR.
Tho December record OF the number and
GLASS Of books furnished upon request.
and exclusive OF those taken from tho
reference cases by readers, is interesting,
giving a clear-cut idea Of the popularity
TO-: the library and some guide to the
tastes Of the readers 1t Is appended:
History 400; Genealogy. l4s: Fiction,
ISL; Biography, So; Science, 81; Sociology;
81; Philosophy, 4S; Poetry, 1902: Fine
Arts, 81; Belio Lettres, 2ls; Language,
3s: Theology, 65; Useful Arts, II; Politi-
cal Sciences, 50, Periodicals. II; Refer
ence, 400; total 2.227 books; 1,1o2 readers.
psily average: Books, 80; readers, A.
The November record shows the total
number OF books furnished upon request
to have been 1855; readers, $50: with. an
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

. u ~ y j.
The 100 sha bby volumes in the four
still more shabby cases which adorn that
portion Of my house pompously desig-
mated as the 1.-The library" are the OBJ
jects Of as much solicitude and reflection
upon my part as II they were 700 healthy
youngsters to be supplied with shoes and
protected from the raynges Of disease.
indeed, when 7 am the playthng OF In
digestion or the shuttlecock OF moroso
liver, even go so far as to scorn my old
friends In the well-thumbed covers. and
to suspect that at best they do me more
harm than good. For be It known. there
Is almost as much to be said against books
as in their favor. The dullest OF them
are seductive sirens who lead man out
of his regular course anu sometimes
make him forget al the duties and oh
legations OF life. But like n great many
sirens In petticoats-and possibly some
classical species without petticoats-one
cannot help loving then,. And when
ono falls In love with anything-woman,
books, politics. oratory, bull-pups or fly
fishing--good-by to the probabilities of
life and to that irksome and ever Flor
culean task known as feeding a family.
Would there were no families to be fed.
or ra Their, that they could be reared some-
what after the manner of parasitic or
gansms without tho exercise Of muscle
on the part OF their creator.
But the very selilsllness Of this wish
shows the demoralizing effects OF lltera-
turc and how books can make n man
forget the anenitles-aye, even the do
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-10

'Inglorus or by wants enthralled,
To College and old books confined
A pedant from his learning called,
Ounces advanced; he's loft behind;
Yet left content. n genuine Stole he.
Great without patron, rich without
South Sea-"
BENTLEY.