davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Railroad Construction.

The new year" said Secretary J. B. Bahb "promsies to be hummer in rail- road construction work In this district Besides the Illinois Central, the Atlantic and Birmingham is throwing dirt rapidly. By the first day of next month will be in operation to Talbotton, which is about forty miles from the Alabama state line.
 Grading ls going on in Alabama today and track-laying west of Talbotton Will be begun as soon as trains can reach Talbotton. It is the intention of the of- ficia1s of the company. to complete the line to Birmingham by next New Years day. The company seems to have plenty of money in hand or in sight, and the chances arc that dirt will be thrown In a lively manner all along the line this year.
 "The same company will also build branch from about LaGrange, Ga, to Atlanta, and this will give Birmingham a third line to the east. and the third line will be as short and as swift as either of the other two"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Graves of Confederate Soldiers.

MT. Underwoods bill for protecting, preserving and beautifying the graves of Confederate soldiers will meet pub. lie sentiment north and south. Forty years of peace have taken away preju. dice in the one section and foolish pride in the other It is one country now. and both sections will be ready, let us hope, to respect the brave men who fell on either side. Each side was fully and keenly American, and each fought for its own convictions. The graves of those who fell are the her itage of the entire country.
 On these broad and just and patriotic lines Congressman Underwood has drawn a bill that should be passed without dissenting vote. The Age Herald has full faith it will be, the demagogues alone in Congress oppos. ing it. Men like Mir. Crumpacker may oppose 1t, but there ought not to be in the House dozen votes cast against 1t. and in the Senate not one.
 The bill certainly puts into legal form the sentiment that forty years of peace and common work have ere ated, and its very opportuneness should send it speedily to the Presi- dent who without doubt would be glad to make it law.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
PASTE JEWELS.

From the New Orleans Picayune.
 Moods are divorce court foods.
 It's as easy to be happy as snappy. Promises are not provisions.
 Many a love symphony hath been writ ten in bank notes.
 Many "Lohengrin" swan Is only half bird.
 It's easier for some actors to die than to live.
 Death is very sweet when the corpse can hear an appreciative public shifting on the other side of the footlights. At least be thankful. If you didn't get what you wanted. be glad that you didn't get what you didn't want.
 It takes a newly-arrived climber to see social aspirants back.
 No one thinks of questioning the charm of the regal red poppy until she Is placed beside spray of clean ping apple blos- soms
 When things are bluest it's mighty poor consolation to know that they might be blacker.
 There is only one thing worse than the woman who is too sensible, and that is the woman who Is too sweet.
 The ghost of the kiss he didn't get will be remembered long after a man has forgotten the real kisses.
 Most wise man are reformed fools.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Enalev,a New Library.

'rWe hope to have the new Carnegie library open to the public within two more months and stocked with com plete line of good books said Mayor N. w Scott of Ensley. who Is chairman of the library committee.
 About s4oOO will be required to stock and furnish the institution and we are making good progress with the raising of this amount by popular subscription A bout half the amount has already been secured and the committee is confident that ample funds will be secured by the time the institution is ready to be opened to the public.
 q believe that every person in Ensley will be proud of the library when 1t is completed. We have been exceedingly lucky in the selection of plans for the building and 1t has been pronounced by those in position to know that the struc- ture compares well with others in the south that have been built at double the cost.
 Tn selecting the books for the library special care will be taken in the selec- ton of technical works which are of special interest to the great majority of the people of our town. By this means we hope to make the institution of great value 10 people employed in the plants.
 This Is an age of technical training when skilled labor is in universal de- mand. The man with ambition seeks technical training and must have 1t to succeed. By stocking the library with the best selection of works of this nature we hope to make the library of inestim- able value to those who desire technical information"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05

cording to the length and the import ance. have one woman, regular customer who is keeping up a correspond ence with five .men and, of course, l
 make special rates for her. She is very
 bright and attractive. and has absolutely no heart it all means a matter of amuse- ment with her. and I don't think she
 likes one more than the other.
 "Vanityl That's the way to reach them
 all all the men and all the women, too,
 for that matter but while you can't miss
 fire if you fiatter man enough, woman
 can dispense with that if she is only told
 time and again, that she is loved. Really it is only my sense of humor
 that keeps me going, do believe When
 a woman says to me, 'Oh fiatter him a
 little more after have put it on with
 the blunt end of my pen, I would smile if
 I wasn't afraid she would be offended, and
 when a man walks madly up and down , and shrieks out his jealous woe, l just have to cough in order not to lose my dollar.
 "oftentimes l am just as much in ths
 dark as you are concerning the identity
 of people. Very often I am told name or address. The person calls for the let ! ter, or 1t is sent for, and when the cor respondence has gone on for few weeks or months 1t stops right off quick. | T don't know whether they marry,
 quarrel. are found out or what has hap pened-they drift out of my life and my
 thought. 1 never know who the originals
 are. Naturally l am sort of curious for
 the letters are wonderful revelations of character or circumstance, but I never
 display too much curiosity.
 About a week ago a man, fine look l ing man. came in and asked me to write few lines for him. He asked my fee
 and I said a dollar, and he said all right. with a manner that gave me to under stand that he would be willing to pay S5 l if I had asked it. He produced paper and wanted me to copy few lines. I
 saw that they were very well written. and he admitted that they were in his
 own handwriting. That aroused my sus- 1 picion, and when he said that he wanted
 me to change the time mentioned in the document from ten days to three months ] I thought that there was something crooked afioat. It was legal paper and no doubt was to be used for a wrong pur- l pose. I absolutely refused even when he offered me s10
 Many times people come and try to get
 me to write threatening letters. I always refuse and always tell them that it is not my business, neither is it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Mr. RoeseveIt's Ambition.

President Roosevelt's popularity is at high water mark The flood has been remarkable, and the ebb may not go as far as some think il will No previous President would have written Bob Fitzsimmons a sympathetic letter after his defeat in the ring at the hands of Jack o'Brien. It Is, however. just such eccentric spontaneous acts that render the President popular, aided, of course, by his courage, ca pacity and democratic ways.
 He will beyond doubt stand true to his declaration to refuse a thirdterm nomination, and the press is already discussing his future. As a rule his election-night disavowal of ambition in 1908 is accepted as final, but many think he proposes to retain a grip on at least New York politics. He may be looking to 1912, for he is still q young man. The election of James w. Wadsworth to the speakership in New York was the work of Theodore Roosevelt, and it may mean that he intends to control his own party In that state.
 Some think that he desires to be- come an United States senator. His presidential term expires on March 4, 1909, and so does Senator Platt's term, and the senator is very feeble. He will not be a candidate in 1909, and he could not be elected if he were.
 It is difficult to say what he has in mind, except that it is plain he does not propose to be pigeonholed in 1909 He proposes to stay in public life, and his good is either a senatorship or the nomination of 1912-probably a seat in the Senate, for that is what he de- sired before a vice-presldential nomi- nation was forced on him.
 If both he and MT. La Toilette were in the Senate there would be more spice and variety in that body, and perhaps more real democracy, for Theodore Roosevelt and Robert La Toilette are both men who would pay little attention to senatorial manners or senatorial courtesies. Senators Bailey and Tillman would be there also, and the solemn body would be at least entertaining.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Federal Quarantine,

No measure before the present Con gress touches the south more deeply than the bill to regulate quarantine matters. John Sharp Williams recog- nizes the importance of the subject to this section of the country, and he proposes to assemble southern sena- tors and representatives speedily to agree upon the general terms of the quarantine bill
 MT. Williams knows what the south needs in that direction, and he also knows how public sentiment in the south stands on that question. He knows that something efficient IS. needed and desired, and he also knows that the south wants no bidding over backnumber state sovereignty propo- sitions. The general welfare of the country and interstate commerce are committed to the federal government, and the south asks 1t to do its full duty in quarantine matters.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
1wn Senaiors to be Selected. !.

The senatorial selection is as plain as a pikestaff, and no paper not even the Montgomery Journal, can render It intricate or confusing if it will keep fin mind the voter at the ballot box in the primary of next August. The wishes or schemes of aspirants are strictly secondary. It is the voter who should be considered first and fore most.
 Tn the first place two senators are to be selected and but one governor. The Journals sweepstake plan fits the gub- ernatorial race excellently, but 1t would be a sad misfit if an attempt were made to apply it to the senatorial race. in which two terms beginning at variant dates are to be filled.
 Senator Morgan proposes to succeed himself. Senator Pettus proposes to do likewise. All this is definite and plain. Senator Morgan will not be an aspirant for Senator Pettus' seat, nor will the latter attempt to seize the formers. place in the Senate. Thus far the voter will know where he is at when he goes to the polls.
 If John Smith and Bill Jones also butt into the senatorial race, they, too, should be required to tell the people what place they aspire to fill. They should say whether they want the sen atorial term that begins March 4, 1907. or the one that does not begin until March 4. 1909 They should be as ex- plicit and definite and straightforward as our two veteran senators are.
 That is all The Age Herald asks, and it asks that much in the interest or the voters. It asks 1t so that voter may. if he be so minded, vote to re- elect Senator Morgan while he votes to put Bill Jones in General Pettus' seat, or vice versa, or any other com bination that the filling of two seats and half a dozen aspirants will render possible At least twenty novel com binations would be possible, and the voter is entitled to freedom of choice as to each and all of them.
 Every aspirant must in short name the place he seeks if each and every voter is to be put in position to vote his preferences. The sweepstake plan would give him partial freedom of choice, while a rule compelling every aspirant to name the term he desires would make all things plain and easy to the average voter, giving him com plete freedom of choice when he goes LID to the primary.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
IMPORTANT ACCESSORY

From the New Orleans Picayune.
 A gentleman went into a shop in Bir- mingham and said he wanted to buy a Dalmatian dog to take abroad with him. "Certainly, sir" said the assistant. i've got the very thing" In a quarter of an hour he brought out the animal; the GUS toner paid the money and departed. Be- fore his train time. however, heavy shower fell. The gentleman returned with the dog in a state of great Indignation
 Look at him'' he cried; you told me he was Dalmatian Give me my money back All his spots are washed off in the rain''
 The proprietor apologized. Its all that stupid fools sake.'
 He called to his assistant James, did you sell that dog to this gentlemanT' 'Yes, sir" Well, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Don't you know an umbrella goes with that dog7'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
BOOKER ITS ADDRESS.

From the Mobile Register
 The principal of Tuskegee institute delivered the emancipation day ad- dress to Mobile colored people and gave his people admirable advice, as he always does. He is right in saying the enamel patton Is merely a name unless the in dlvidual is free of ignorance and idle ness. He cannot call anything his own unless he works for It. and works in telligently. The situation in the south Is sngularly we'll disposed toward the race and offers many opportunities. The ne- groes should take advantage of their opportunities to acquire homes. A home less and landless people are badly hand icapped in lifes struggle. Principal Washington makes a good point in favor of the dignity of labor. There is as much dignity in working onNa brick wall, he said, as there is in teaching school or preaching the gospel. Unreliable labor is strongly condemned Such labor Is to be found in the cities. but negroes in the country work hard, says Washing ton It Is not so much the inefficiency of labor in the country that Is the cause of complaint as it is the scarcity of workmen There has been great increase in industry without a corre- spending increase in number of laborers. The fiocl<ing of men and women to the towns and cities has something to do with this scarcity, no doubt; then, the lack of skill and of intense application retards the work
 Ignorance, therefore Is at the bottom of the races trouble. It is ignorance that leads them in semi-poverty there; 1t is ignorance that makes criminals. The speaker did well, in congratulating his hearers upon the progress the race has made, to place emphasis upon the neces- slty of more education and a better moral understanding.
 The address was a good one-an appeal to reason It was framed in simple sen tences. yet strong in their meaning. It ought to do much good
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05

there is an uneasy feeling over orders for 10000 freight cars that are to be built and delivered by the middle of February. The current nervousness grows not so much out of the unusual size of the order as it does out of the haste in which 1t is to be filled. But after all Germany is but playing the game \that France is, and both are probably maneuyering for position Tn the coming conference.
 Upon Messrs. White and Gammere, the American delegates, will rest no little responsibility. for their action may turn perhaps the crucial decisions of the conference.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
WOMAN MAKES A LIVING
 WRITING LOVE LETTERS

New York Correspondence of the Wash
 ington Post.
 ET WOULD be impossible to find a
 duller, more prosaic street in New ! York than East One Hundred and Eighteenth Yet there is one part of it where romance rules. It is the part where Anna Frey, widow. resides on the ground floor of a new apartment house.
 To the uninitiated an introduction to Mrs. Frey may be necessary, and possi- bly, her own printed form may do as we'll another.
 It reads as follows
 Love letters? Business letters? Letters of diplomacy requiring extreme acute ness and an unerring discrimination in the choice of words in order to allay anger or to divert suspicion? Letters of friendship? Letters requesting favors? Answers to advertisements? Are you in doubt as to how same should be worded? Do you find difficulty in expressing your thoughts on paper?
 Mrs. Frey is quiet hammered woman, on the sunny side of middle age, trim in dress, a golden locket the only bit of color about her. if one excepts the haxen hair
 First as to her choice of profession. Left widow with two young children about a year ago, Mrs. Frey determined on an occupation which would let her stay home Some early training on a newspaper, and a trick of composition which led many feminine friends to ask tod l,ar to aft tn for the public what she thought she could do
 She scorns the imputation that her trade is with foreigners. "Candidly, she says-Mrs Frey is nothing If not can did-"when I first advertised I expected that class, but so far I have only had one--a swede. No. my patronage has been an eyeopener to me. People who, so far as externals are concerned. are absolute ly irreproachable, are my patrons Just look among your own acquaintance and think how many people you know who can write good letter. one that pleases you. one that when you are out of town or separated by circumstances. brings that person near to you in spirit. I will be willing to wager that you don't know more than half dozen at the most.
 My methods? They are simple enough. seemingly. but you would be perfectly amazed at the trouble I have in getting what I want from the persons who come here. No. not money-they are good enough pay-but information.
 Naturally. when man comes in and says he is in love with a young lady or has a regard for one or whatever the form of expression is, I say at once that he must tell me all about her, to what extent their love affair has progressed. how long it has lasted. what he in- tends, marriage, or merely an affair to pass the time. Then I must know about her personal characteristics, habits, whether she is quick-tempered, amiable sensitive, easy-going, what her principle attractions are-no detail is too small for me. Of course if it Is case of only one letter I don't bother to fill my mind with all this: only when it is a cores pondence of some duration. I have car ried some along two or three years, and frequently they last six months. My charge for writing any kind of a love letter is s and from that on, ac-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
ALABAMA PRESS


 Guntersville Democrat: The Age-Her- ald suggests discussing football rules" Why use the prefix "dis27
 union Springs Herald: We read much of the strenuous life in this country, but over in Russia they must read equally as much Of the strenuous death.
 Gadsden Journal: Be good and you will be lonesome" is one of Mark Twain's aphorisms. This may be true, but there is worse punishment than being lone some.
 Mobile Herald; miners union in Penn sylVania has decided to give Nick and Alice load of hard coal What rich grange will follow this up with dozen eggs2
 Livingston Southern Home. When a country boy visits in a big city he mo- tices how few barns there are and won ders where the fathers take their boys to whip them.
 Roanoke Leader: The Herald SpcdhS pl QstdI N. ' liuil WbO1 ei9 A'ii mnghams representative in Congress" ," Hhis Is true, but doubtless Mir. Underwood is more than that.
 Alabama Enquirer: Ex-Naval Hero Richmond Pearson Hobson has hopped aboard the Conner band wagon, and is blowing one of the rate smashers big horns till he's black in the face.
 Talladega Mountain Home: It is said that Miss Roosevelt refused Congressman Longsworth and his six millions six times, and then took him. Of course she intended to take him all the time, but the Presidents daughter is just like other girls.
 Mobile Register: The Birmingham Led ger tells the story of young man who tried to get company in taking a drink New Years day in Birmingham, and failed because all his friends had sworn off. This is one of those stories that are too good to be true.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
 THE EDITORS CIRCULATION.

From the Guilford (Mo) Times.
 Any one stealing wood will be blowed to pieces" Is the sign that Landlord Pew has posted on his woodshed at the hotel. Notwithstanding this fact our woodpile having exhausted Monday, we decided to slip down and get an armful of wood while the landlord was peacefully slum- bering. thinking he would be none the wiser. We got the wood all right, with out his knowledge of the fact, but there was charge of powder in one stick. Now we are looking for a, new stove. Our circulation of papers increased very rapidly for few moments as a result of the explosion.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
IN HOTEL LoBBIES
Dust Is Bad.

Tt is unusually dusty in tae business district of Birmingham just now, sa'd a man who is on the streets a great deal. This excess of dust is the result of so many buildings being torn down. or the work of constructing others
 The Linn building is being razed ana that causes dust on the corner ot flist avenue and Twentieth street. and the Florence hotel building and the Pizitz buildings are both being remodeied ana repaired. These buildings, which are at the intersection of Second avenue ana Nineteenth street, cause eonsidefaoie dust
 Further up Second avenue couple or buildings are being erected. But so long as all this preliminary work means prog ress, no one should complain
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
THE CHILD MUSICIAN.

By Austin Dobson. He had played for his lordship's levee, He had played for her ladyships whinl. Till the poor little head was heavy, And the poor little brain would swim. And the face grew peaked and eerie, And the large eyes strange and bright. And they said-too late-'He is wearyi He shall rest for at least tonight"
 ing,
 As they watched in the silent room, With the sound of strained cord break-
 ing,
 something snapped in the gloom. Twas q string of his violoncello, And they heard him stir in his bed; Make room for a tired little fellow,
 Kind Godr was the last that he ss'-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
SUCCESS.
From the Nashville American.

From the Nashville American
 few years ago Jeter Prtchard was edglng up long primer In a country print ing office in East Tennessee. One day Nhe took a pone of bread. a fried chicken and his other shirt and stroiled over the mountain into North Carolina. Since then he has been United States Senator and now he is Federal judge. and he and his son-in-law have more than fifty relatives holding office under the Fed eral government. Nothing succeeds like sucneae
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
Good Laundrles.

T asked Mir Guthman. who operates a big laundry in Atlanta, why he did not come to Birmingham and open a laundry" said an Atlanta man yester- day His reply was that Birmingham was as well supplied with laundries as Atlanta, if not better and that there was no opening here.
 Mir Guthman further added that the laundries in Birmingham did excellent work and that he considered them as good as any to be found in the south think that speaks well for the Birmins- ham laundries, for Mir Guthman Is thor oughly familiar with all the details of the business"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
POOR LITTLE LAM B.

Wall street had a little lamb. whose fleece was white as snow; it followed Wall street every day-it knew the game, you know. One day 1t met hungry bear; my pen a tear now drops. What happened to the little lamb? What hap pens to lamb chops?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
NOT THE GARDEN KIND.

From the Boston Herald
 Mime Nordca seems to-be entitled to the credit of having put out a stage fire with her own hose./
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05
NEw PASSES. ARE MISSING.

From the Huntsville Mercury.
 The old year and the railroad passes went out arn-in arm.-Age- Herald.
 How about the new year and the new passes?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-05

Jimmy Hyde Is at last where the American newspapers will no longer make him vince.