davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Handwritina and TypewritInu.

"Sines the typewriting machine came into geleral use the art of handwriting has simply gone to the dogs" said a business man. "I find it almost impos- sible tol secure the services of clerk whose writing is sufficiently legible to read at trst sight
 ''I dont know whether our school teachers, like Hamlet, consider it bus mess to write fair, but certain it Is that the miserable scrawl which some of the pupils try to pass off as handwriting would cad one to that belief.
 ''The typewriter is no doubt very valuable machine; it is a quick and easily aequirtd method of putting words on paper, but it's use is limited to certain fields cf action. It is no good outside the office and many times man has occas sion to use pen or pencil in matters other than business. A typewriter letter of condolence or congratulation would be the height of bad taste, and yet it might be better than an illegible scribble which could not be deciphered.
 T read recently of one of our modern authors who writes his manuscript on typewriter. l knew then why his stories are so mechanical in their construction. If 1t had been handwritten his publisher would prebably have consigned the matter to where it has since reached-the trash pile"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
NEW YORK'S OPERA SEASON

stein is quoted as saying, If she comes she will sing with me-. Both sides seem to be willing to admit reasonable doubt as to her coming at all.
 Another production that will challenge comparison is that of Berliozs Damna- ton of Faust, which Is to be given by both Conried and Hammerstein.
 The operatic business in America which practically means New York, has been growing steadily more prosperous during the last few years for both manager and stockholders. In the earlier days enormous sums were sunk in operatic ventures In MT. Conried's hands the receipts and sub seription list have become larger than ever before although he has been more economical in the matter of artists than his predecessor. MT. Grau-a fact which might eoneeivably alenate the interest of the public.
 This financial success Is probably large ly due to the increasing consciousness of opera aroused in the minds of the general public through the popular magazines and newspapers, and to the great growth in the size and prosperity of our city. Last year thousands were sent empty away from Mr. Conrieds doors for the simple reason that the box office was sold out.
 There is little doubt which subscrip- ton list will be the most satisfactory for the managerial eyes to contemplate, for the fashionable element in New York from which the subscription list is almost en- tirely made up, is conservative In its pat ronage. large proportion of the Metro pol1tan audience, both subscribers and buyers of single tickets, is made up of people who go because 1t is fashionable. MT. Hammerstein's opera bids fair to be expensive. it may be artistically success ful but Is not likely to become the resort Of the four hundred. The new impresario unquestionably will have to rely upon in- dfvidual sale of tickets for his financial success and the box office receipts will depend upon the impression made by his artists"
 The writer gives a very clear analysis Of the strength of the Conried and Ham merstein companies and closes with this sentence
 'ln spite of the simultaneous perform ances this season it is not likely that the Hammerstein venture will effect in any way the success of the Metropolitan. New ertheless. the interest in this season from a sensational standpoint promises to be greater than that of any opera in the career of this generation of opera-goers"
 The article is illustrated with portraits of the principle singers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Contract Work at Panama.

President Roosevelt is preparing to visit Panama, and the canal commis- sion is preparing under his direction to let the entire "job," vast as it is, to one firm or one corporation. The work is so interlocked that it is not consid- cred advisable to let 1t in sections to different contractors. It is deemed best to have but one contractor. To one bidder, therefore, will go the en- tire work, and the leading contractors throughout the United States will be invited to tender bids. There are prob ably a score of firms in the country each of which possesses the needful capital and organization for the hand ling of the huge task.
 The bids are to be based on the per. centage plan. A board of five en- gineers is to make an estimate of cost. Three of the five will be appointed by l 1iO eCfCiuhl 0Aid IWO by bhS Noil, tractor, and the contractor will name the percentage above the estimate at which he will undertake to do the work
 The canal commission will continue to supervise the entire programme of construction. The successful bidder will use the government plant, but the canal commission will keep close up | to line, so that if he throws up his contract the government can with the least possible loss in any direction maintain the digging and building of a canal.
 The contract plan has been planned by Engineer Stevens and Chairman Shonts, and it commands the approval of Secretary Taft and of all the other authorities at Washington, and it will no doubt be put into operation soon after the Presidents tour to Panama.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
John B. Moran's Campaiun.

The general public does not look away from the spectacular campaign in New York to the less obtrusive one in Massachusetts, and yet the one is as interesting and as doubtful as the other. They are really of similar nature.
 The republicans have renominated Gov. Curtis Guild. He is a tariff re- visionist and he advocates control of corporations. But the republican plat. form is not very distinct or positive on either subject. Governor Guild is considered an advanced" republican. He is not at any rate a standpatter
 The excitement, however, of the Massachusetts campaign all springs from the nomination by the democrats of John B. Moran for governor. He was one of Boston's criminal lawyers, . and last year he went before the peo pie of Boston and Suffolk county de- claring that the office of district at torney had not been conducted prop erly. He became an independent can didate for district attorney. He was elected, and now he is a candidate for governor, having been placed in nomi- nation by an Independent League, by the prohibitionists and by the demo- crats. He stands on platform that demands the abolition of capital pun ishment, and the ownership of all pub lie utilities .in nation, state or city" He is a radical, in short who desires to undo all things in the hope that the condition of the average man will be bettered. He was opposed in the primaries by ex-Mayor Quincy, Boss Whitney and ex-Governor Douglas, but he readily defeated them all, and there are not a few who believe he may de feat Governor Guild at the polls, and thus bring in radical programme in a state long committed to conservatism and capitalistic interests. The contest is certainly interesting, and no one should assume that Governor Guild has a walkover The republican leaders in Massachusetts know he has not.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Uniform Divorce Laws.

The divorce congress is to be re- assembled at Philadelphia on Novem. Der 23, when the new measure looking to uniformity in the divorce laws of the various states will be presented and considered. The proposed statute has already been prepared, and copies of it have been sent to the delegates of the coming divorce congress.
 It is not a revolutionary measure. It does not look to federal action. It is an invitation to the states to adopt for the general good a common divorce law, and no doubt 1t will be laid before the Alabama legislature when it meets next January.
 It aims to put an end to all secret hearings of divorce cases. and it pro- poses to name a period after the nam ing of decree of divorce in which neither party to it shall remarry- probably a year. The solicitation of divorce cases is to be forbidden. The proposed measure provides for two kinds of divorces-absolute and divorce from bed and board, and the causes for each are carefully and conserva. lively defined.
 The new measure will be sifted in the coming divorce congress, and then it will be threshed over in the legisla- lures of the various states. The ef fort towards uniformity arose in Penn. syyania, and that state is still leading the movement that calls for sound and sane uniformity in divorce mat ters. The subject deserves thoughtful consideration in this as in all other states, and when the proposed statute is completed and submitted it should be given fair and unprejudiced hear ing, for uniformity in divorce laws has long been desired3
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
MORALITY.
From Life.

Ll1e.
 Eve answered the knock without stop ping to look at her hair in the glass, and was not a little f1ustered upon opening the door, to be confronted by a stylish young serpent of ingratiating address.
 Madame" said he. ''I am introducing morality into this world.''
 morality into this world''
 "Moralityn' repeated Eve. opening her lovely eyes q never heard of such thing"
 Quite possible, madame. It is, in fact. something entirely new; positively, pledge you my word, the greatest discev- cry of all time; convenience in the fam fly, in society, in the church. in the fam fly, such that your children, once they have become accustomed to it's advan- tages, will never be happy without it: in society, such that the newspapers will hardly be able to separate the sheep from the goats without some reference to it; in the church, such that but for 1t there can be no theology with anything like a. heart interest; in fine. madame. a. necessi- Il of life, as life is destined to be lived by the best people. Can I supply you?''
 ..Well, don't know. How much?"
 We are making a cheap introductory price After it has been introduced it will cost more. For the present you have only to have and to hold your heirs and as- signs forever"
 It was her first real bargain, under stand, and she a thoroughly womanly woman. To be sure. she had no use at all for morality, but
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
HERE IS THE IDEAL MAN.

London Cor. Chicago Inter Ocean.
 The beauteous ''mannequin''-t living model who sweeps through the salons of the West End dressmaking establish ments showing off gowns and mantles, has her counterpart in the sterner sex.
 During the tailor and cutter exhibition. which closed last night, number of made mannequins" were pressed into service to show off the beauties of frock coats, lounge suits and sporting kit.
 Some of them were soldier students from the army clothing department at nodded their exhibits to their own figures.
 What is the perfect figure from the tailors point of view? This was the question propounded by an expert at the exhibition.
 The expert at once rattled off the fol- lowing measurements of the tailors ideal: Height =. a. ... ... ..o feet inches Chest ....36 inches Waist ...32 inches
 "The legnth of the leg should be half the height. minus two inches. The length of the sleeve should be half the height, minus four inches.
 Tn France the ideal mans waist is 90 inches, and this applies also to officers in the British army.
 "A good figure immediately enhances the appearance of any garment. A strong man can never be well dressed. The chest and arms should never be abnormal. and fat calves spell badly setting trousers"
 The cutter who enters for such exhibi- tions as that given by the tailor and cutter must, of necessity, lead the simple life. Being male mannequin' he cul- tivates certain pose in addressing his clients. His mind is forever on his low CT chest" which he represses on all oc- casions He endures silent agonies when a friend asks him to dine. and his soul is torn between the luscious but fatty foods. the opulent liaueur, and the perfect set of a perfect frock coat to his per feet figure
 Mir, Robert Davies, the triumphant cut ter who won the trophy for the perfect frock eoat' this year as well as last, naolded the coat to his own figure.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
To the Sea at Brunswick.

The construction of new railroad from this city to Atlanta and through productive districts in Georgia to the port of Brunswick would attract gen era attention if our people had not be- come accustomed, not to say hardened, to the incoming of railroads. And yet the new Brunswick railroad will open to this city great range of trade that is now attracted elsewhere. The trade on line about five hundred miles long is no small matter, and that is what MT. Atkinson's new road will place within reach of our merchants and manufacturers.
 The new system stands completed to LaGrange, near the Alabama line, and the work of construction between that town and Bessemer is progressing as rapidly as men and money can do it. The gap will be filled and the road completed to this city early In 1908 and It's value to this city will then no doubt begin to be appreciated.
 MT. Atkinson announces that the new road will be conducted independently It belongs to no existing railroad sys- tenn. A road to the sea that has, to use MT, Atkinson's own phrase, nc strings tied to it, will certainly prove efficient and useful to all interests II this district. It possesses excellent terminals at the sea, and its fas freight boats will really make it line that extends to New Yotk and to al the rest of the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Fathetic and Generous.

Gen. Urine Walker received yesterday a contribution of $l00 for the memorial to the Womn of the Confederacy. This gen. erous contribution was made by the New York Chaoter. [. D. C., and is regarded as a very high endorsement of the proc jeet comng as it does from so influen- tia1 chatter of Daughters.
 The plal of the memorial is monu- ment crowned with an artistic and typi- cal group of figures expressing the deeds and suffeings of the women of the Con federacy. Copies of the memorial will be placed in each Confederate state so as to meet he approval of all subscribers to the fund.
 The contribution from New York may be taken as an evidence of the patriotism and goot will of the members of that claDter
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25

one has waged long battle with tim ber-land thieves, and the latter has had numerous cotton and meat troubles. Both are old men, but both have fought back rascality with considerable sue. cess. MT. Hitchcock was born in Ala. bama, but his active years were spent in St. Louis.
 The retirement of Mr Moody on the 1st of January. and of MT Shaw on the 4th day of March, leads on to five changes in the cabinet-fiye out of nine. MT. Bonaparte becomes Attor. ney General; Mr. Metcalf takes his place at the head of the navy, and MT. Strauss is brought into the cabinet to take charge of the department of com merce and labor. None of these changes will lessen the efficiency of the cabinet, for MT. Bonaparte stands high among Baltimore lawyers, and Mir. Strauss is well known as a busi- ness man, diplomat and author. MT. Meyer, at present our ambassador to Russia, was a Massachusetts business man, and he is to be called home to become Postmaster General in order that MT. Cortelyou may become Secre- tary of the Treasury. Herein lies the doubt in the wisdom of the scheduled changes. No place in the cabinet has more important duties to perform, more difficult problems to solve, than the treasury portfolio. Alertness and watchfulness and deep knowledge of our intricate financial system are needed in that high office, and MT. Cortelyou's previous experience and training do not seem to have equipped him for service there. He may, how ever, prove equal to the task, as he has to various others to which he has been assigned. The public will at first doubt his skill in the regulation of our un- elastic currency system, but the Presi- dent, 1t is plain, entertains no such doubts, and he certainly is in a posi- tion to judge well his new appointee to cabinet honors and responsibilities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
DoC-oR'S ADVERTISEMENT.
,om tho Portland (Ore) Telegram.

From tht Portland (Ore) 1elegram.
 A Seattle doctor, who had an over abundane of muscle and an under abundanos of cash. created a lot of ex- citement in that lively town by chal- longing he champion of the world to a wrestling match. Everybody paid his dol lar and slw the doctor wrestle the cham pion to draw. The doctor then made a speech-al wrestlers and prizefighters are born orabrs-n which he announced that he woule at once abandon the ring and take up the practice of medicine in the Alaska building" References, every healthy sport in Seattle. office hours, all the time. All this may not be ethical, but ethics is subject discussed among doc tors only when some other doctor with brains and a scheme threatens to get more than his share of business.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
CANDY EATING OUT OF DATE.
Caramel Munchng In New York The.
 atres Now Practice of the Past,

From the New York Globe.
 Have you noticed that candy eating in theatres is almost practice of the past? How often nowadays do you see men and women munching caramels during the per formance of a play? How often do you hear the merry bang of the chocolate machine which for paltry 10 cents and the turn of knob shoots sweetmeats into the air after the style of a released jack in-the-box. Are the matinee girls of your acquaintance in the habit of carrying boxes and bags of bonbons to the theatre?
 Managers of attractions which play the various chief cities of the country as- sert that in New York candy eating is not what is used to be, and they wonder if the wave of popular disapproval which has banished the candy box from Broad way play houses will finally reach Chi cago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit and the other great theatrical centers of the United States. Once candy was sold in the Hobbies of most of the local play houses. Now only few of them offer for sale sweetmeats of any kind. Ten years ago the appetizing crunch of peanut brit tie could be heard from the front row of the pit to the topmost bench in the gallery, but nowadays. alas, the peanut brittle has gone the way of the choco- late bonbon, the toasted marshmallow the gummy caramel and pecan glace Alas and alack but those were happy days when the femininity of Manhattan feasted it's eyes on the matinee idols of Onee-Upon-a-Tim and ruined its dear little stomachs with confectionery.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
MASCULINE GRIEF.

From the New York Mail
 While the counsel for a New Jersey man, accused of wife-murder, was sum- ming up in his defense the other day. the prisoner wept freely. So did the jury. The manifestation of grief and sym pathy was not all ehargeable to an advo- cate's eloquence, The stoical tradition is passing. It is becoming proper for men to give way to tears in public.
 To weep for the woes of another has always been permissible to men, provided it was done with dignity. It is not now considered so improper for men thus to bewail their own misfortunes. The Homeric Greeks did it. Achilles, as Lewis Carroll would say, "wept like anything" It has become conventional for our col- lege athletes thus to celebrate their de- feats. The habit is growing in politics. This state has had a lieutenant gov ernor who wept in his capacity of pre- siding officer. The secession of western silver men from the republican national convention of 1896 was accomplished amid the tears of the seceders. One of our most useful New Workers has confessed that he wept like a child, face downward on his bed a the unkindness he suffered when a candidate for office.
 It is all a part of the more lively emotionalism of the age. The public in- sists on the hues of passion and the tints of sentiment. Its democracy is of tended by any manifestation of super human self-restraint in the presence of disappointment or loss. Let a public man govern his emotions and it lampoons him as a "Buttermilk Charlie" Other ages have remanded the more obvious tokens of grief to women and children, but then other ages repress all sorts of emotional outpourings and deemed 1t ill., bred to take notice of anything
 The present age rather likes to see two men lose their heads in contro- versy, and then to see one of them sit down and have a real good cry after
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Owned In Birmingham.

A. A.. Gambill, who owns Mayor Ward the race horse that has attracted so much attention on the southern eir- cuit this season. said yesterday: fs
 T wish to correct an error in regard to the ownership of Mayor Ward, the hand some race and show horse that is spoken of as being so popular at Montgomery. He Is my property and not owned by a man in Indiana, as stated
 T was prompted to name this handsome horse for our chief executive knowing that he was imbibed with the same char aeteristies-eourage vim and staying qualities, and always carrying the colors high and never trailing in the dust
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
Many Eating Places.

An evidence of the growth of Birming- ham is the number of cafes and lunch counters that are being conducted here now" said a restaurant man last night. T remember a few years ago when there was only one really first-class cafe in Birmingham, and now there are six or seven, which might be ranked as such, to say nothing of the lunch counter places.
 "At one time the Dude lunch counter was the most popular cheap eating place. It had thd largest patronage Now there are a scose with patronage that exceeds that of the Dude in it's palmiest days. If one will stop and think about the growth in respect to restaurants in four or five years they will be amazed at Birming- hams gr9wth, and it will give them some new ideas about the size of the city.
 No other city in the south supports as manylcounters and cafes, and in none of themI Is it possible to find any bet ter cafei or lunch counters. I see that several hore places, where a man may eat, are being opened and two or three of them look very attractive.
 By tie way, in this connection let me say that many people have confused ideas about the definition of restaurant and the definition of cafe. A restaurant is place where meals are served with out driikables. A cafe means always a place where liquors may be served on the tal1e"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
ALABAMA PRESS

Gadsden Times-News: Somebody ought to skim off the scum from the New York political pot.
 Ozark Tribune The unfortunate thing about a divorce is that it seldom cures the parties of the marrying habit.
 Decatur News. Maxim .Gorky eame-over from Russia. to. please the Americans and has done it-4he's left the country.
 Gadsden Journal: After all this talk of Senator Burton and the penitentiary it seems that the Hon. Joseph. Ralph is only going to jail.
 Bullock County Breeze. One scene in Anna Heds new play shows the chorus girls on skates. The skates come after the show as rule.
 Guntersyille Democrat: Senator Burton has set a precedent. Now, maybe 1t will not be so difficult to get senators to go quietly into the pen without so much fuss and publicity.
 Sheffield Reaper: We wonder how many applicants there will be for Booker Wash ington's job as political adviser to Presi- dent Roosevelt. in the matter of federal appointments in Alabama
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-25
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR,
m the New York Press.

FrOm the NeW YOIk Pfess.
 The reason q girl doesn't scream when a man tries to kiss her Is somebody might hear.
 A useful way for woman to keep from being scolded by her husband is to do all the scoding herself.
 You don't have to be married very long to have your honeymoon seem several centuries back in history.
 The only reason people don't like corned beef and cabbage more is because it costs less than nearly all other dishes
 There is nothing that makes woman madder than to get a wedding present from fashionable place and then when she goes to exchange it find only the box came from there.