davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Singing For Nothing Il Year.

Writing Of the trials ana tribulatiOns
of American singers who go to Europe
10 gain recognition, Mildred Aldrich in
the Theater Magazine says:
ITO most singers who have sought
recognition abroad there Is but one
drawback 10 the European career. 1t
Is not love Of home that lures them
back TO the United States. 1t Is money.
1t looks fine TO put de rOpera' or de
rOpera Comique' on ones visiting
card. as Is the habit I'm Europe, but
there IL another side TO IL. Many a
debutante has sung ut the Opera Co
mique for nothing some have paid. and
some have had the magnificent salary
Of 200 francs a month 0uSt shy of $40.
One of the most prominent debutantes
at the opera saw 5.000 francs paid over
for her debut. and one woman who
was there two years as a regular mem-
ber of the troupe earned G,O00 francs n
wear $50 week.. and she was con
sldered favored Cities like Bordeaux
often get debutantes at 800 francs
($G0) n month. and In theaters Of that
sort singers provide their own cos
tunes, so 1t Is small wonder that, hav-
ing got ones education, one wants to
earn money In the United States"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
VOL. 80.
A human Snlamander.

Some years ago Spaniard named
NartineS gave one OF the most eXtrao:-
binary exhibitions on record. 1t was
at the New Tivoli,s in Paris. in the
presence OF an audience of scientific
men, who placed its genuineness be-
yond doubt. A large oven had been
heated by furnace for several hours.
This the Spaniard entered. clothed in
flannel trousers and shirt, large cloak
Of the same material and a felt SOM
brero. He sang q song while a fowl
was roasted by his side and at the end
Of fifteen minutes came out again, the
temperature registered being between
202 degrees and 312 degrees f., or
about 100 degrees above the tempera-
ture of boiling water. He entered the
oven q second time and ate the fowl
which had been roasted beside him.
After a short pause he was shut In,
living on q board surrounded by can
dies. After awhile the audience raised
q cry Of Enough" The door was
Opened. The oven was found to be
full of noxious. Suffocating odor of boil
inc tallow, the sole survival OF the
candles. The Spanlard came out and
after a cold bath was we'll and strong
His pulse when the door was first
opened beat 10 10 tho minute.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04

A head man in Il manufactory was
watching drayman tugging at a
heavy case one day. The drayman
face was red. and the muscles of his
neck were bulging. The overseer, says
q writer IN tie Baltimore Sun. thought
Il was the right moment to offer prac-
tical assistance.
wait a minute there" he said. Let
me show you how easy 1t Is when you
use a little brain with your muscle.
And he grabbed a hook. stuck it into
the case, gave Il yank and went sprawl
ing into the gutter under the dray. lie
got up, looked at the hook and SAID
"Confound 1t. the handle comes OF.
"Yes, sir" said the drayman respect
fully. my brain told me that, and |
didn't use IT,"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
The Punishment of the BngnO.

In former times the punishment OF
The bagno Oath. one of the most
Heverly cruel inflictions ever devised
by an official of the torture chamber.
was administered in Italy, probably In
Venice. where the water OF the lagoons
played so prominent part In its penal
system. The punishment was as fol
lows: The prisoner was placed in a
vat the sides Of which were slightly In
excess Of the average height of a man.
In order to hold in check the rising tide
Of a supply of water which ran into
the vat In a constant stream the crimi-
nal was furnished with a scoop with
which to bale out the water as fast as
1t came in. The respite from death by
immersion thus obtained was more or
less prolonged, according to the powers
of endurance possessed by the victim,
but imagine the mortal torture, the ex-
hausting and even hideously grotesque
efforts. the incessant and pitiless toll
by night and day, to stave off the dread
moment fast approaching, when, over
come by sleep and fatigue, he was I'M
able to struggle any longer against his
fate.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Ct Peters ChHfr.

Rome itself Is spoken of as the chalr
or throne of st. Peter by some early
writer's, but the actual episcopal chair
which he is believed to have occupied
NAV still be seen in st. Peters, worm
eaten wooIcn structure. preserved in
bronze covcrlng. says the London
Chronicle. 1t is from such chairs OF
episcopal and other authority. or
course. that we get the phrase lex ca
thedra" and the word 'cathedral' an
abbreviation of cathedral church the
church tLat contains the bishops ca
thca.a cr c,.l&,r. Some OF the uses III
old fashioned Tnrl' h Of thc adjective
cathedral" seem quaint nov. "Cathc
dral dogmatiSm" meant lot the dog
matism OF 4 dean ana chapter. but thai
OF any one who spoke with an asSunp
tloa Of authority. \ cathedral beard
was. brOad beard Of a fashion an
cicntly worn hy bishops, and In John
sons time "cqthcIr8l" seems 10 have
been slang for antique
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Letters In England Not Private.

You cannot regard any letter you
may send through the post as being
private Tie government has legal
right TO open any letter or parcel pass
Ing through the post and is also en-
titled, OF course, 10 use any informa-
ton thus obtained IN fCrtLerance Of
the interests OF tie law. At one time
the official and secret opening of "prl-
vate' letters was Of such common Oc-
glIrrence that poStoGice eln loyees were
rent 10 France to take lessons from an
expert in the art OF opening and re-
sealing letters. In 1872 the postmas-
terS Of Manchester. Nottingham and
Glasgow were instructed TO open all
such letters as should appear to be of
a suspicious nature and likely TO cen-
vey seditiOus information" and so re-
Gently as fifty years ago there was an
agitation to deprive the government
of the right to open letters passing
through the post The agitation failed.
however, so that your letters are still
liable to be opened. and tie law would
he Oh the side of the official opener
London Answers.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
The Largest Newspaper.

The largest newspaper ever publish
Fl in this or any other country was
the Illuminated Quadruple Constella-
ton, which was issued in New York
city on July t, 1880. 1t was a 2S,OOO
edition and was sold at 90 cents per
copy. The size Of the page Of this
sheet was 10 by 100 inches, or almost
forty-nlne square feet. 1t was an eight
page paper, thirteen columns to the
page. or a total Of 104 columns. each
forty-eight inches in length. 1t was
illustrated with good portraits of Pres
ident Buchanan, Edward Everett, Hen
ry Ward Beecher, y. F. Banks, Il. IL.
Chaplin, Horace Greeley, Elizabeth
Barrett Browning Alexander Won
Humboldt, James G.. Bennett and sew
eral others. The paper contained thir-
ty-six different poems entire. one Of
them having as many as siXty-four
eight line verses. Among other articles
of special note was the celebrated
"MoOn Hoax" published in 1S35. 1t
required the work of forty persons ten
hours per day for eight weeks to "get
out" this mammoth paper.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
'rhe First Man.

About the middle of the seventeenth
century Isaac de In Peyrere, in an odd
little volume entitled THE Pre-Adam-
ites," attempted to prove that there
were two creations of men-the first on
the sixth day OF the week OF creation
when God created man male and fe-
male" The rabbis interpret the above
passage Of holy writ as meaning that
the first race of human beings were
creatures I'm which both sexes were
united in the same individual. Accord
ing to De Ia Peyrere, Adam was the re-
suit of the second creation, the male
and female" being having been the pro-
genitor OF the gentiles, Adam the IA
ther Of the Jews. 4 great many peo-
pie fell in with the views Of De la Pey-
rere. and he was the lion Of the hour.
His followers were called "Pre-Adam-
ties" and they increased in numbers
rapidly until finally the movement be-
came so strong that the founder of the
sect was compelled to go to Rome and
abiure his doctrine at the feet of Pope
Alexander VII.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
0AuId Robin Gray.S

A ballad that won instant fame
against the expectation and even the
wish Of its author was Aud Robin
Gray" written by Lady Anne Lindsay
about the end Of the eighteenth century
merely for her own satisfaction to re-
place the coarse verses Of an old melo-
dy that pleased her. She sang charm
ingly, and the new ballad soon came
into favor. Great was the curiosity
aroused as to the author Of this pa
thetic song, In whose simple verses all
the clements Of heartrending tragedy
are contained. but Lady Anne, modest
and retiring by nature, preserved ST.
lence for many years, smiling, no
doubt, at the controversy that ragged so
hotly. In the course Of 1t her ballad
was attributed by some disputants to
David Rizzio, declared by others TO be
a genuine sixteenth century production
and finally made the subject or q
twenty guinea prize TO be bestowed on
anybody acute enough to bring to light
the veritable author.-Cornhill Maga-
zine
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Keutuct.y's Names.

Kentucky is known as tie Corn
Cracker State from a game bird en-
toying the same name which was for
merly found in great abundance In
most parts OF the state. 1t is also
called the Blue Grass State. from the
belt of land running through the cen.
ter in which this variety OF grass
grows to great perfection. In the early
days of our history 1t was known as
the Dark and Bloody Ground, being
so termed by the Indians. 1t was then
a debatable land between the indians
living north OF the Ohio and those
living in the mountains Of Tennessee
and Georgia, sort OF battle-ground
for these tribes. which fact gave IL the
name long before ii was settled by
the whites.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Ci1ars Ee1y Can Afford.

"a long, low strip Of land. a valley
between high hills, lies five miles out
side of Havana, and there" said q
cigar salesman, "the best tobacco in
the world Is grown. The name of the
place Is Abajo, and the Vuelta Abajo
crops are always bought up two or
three years in advance of their plant
ing. They yield only $4,000 cigars an
nually. These cigars sometimes sell as
high as $50 a hundred-S1.5O apiece.
Vuelta Abajo cigars are only smoked
by kings and billionaires. There are
many fake Vuelta Abajos on the mar
ket. but the real thing, once smoked.
can never be mistaken. for there is no
other tobacco in the world with an
aroma at once so powerful and so del
icate."-New York Press.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
How Little Savings Roll Up.

If parent deposits 81 ut the birth OF
IRE child AMI adls AZ caca succeeding
anniversary Of the birthday n number
of dollars equal to the number OF years.
the amount by the time the son ordaugh-
Ter tyenty-one years old. computed al
i per cent Interest. compounded semi
annually. will equal $2o0. This would be
n substantial rest eg~ 10 bcSin life with.
The man who deposits only p cents
a week. drawing per cent, compound
cI seniannually, will have TO his cred
L IT the end OF five years SI3. at the
end of ten years $lj2, at the end OF
twenty years $;C3 and at the end OF
forty years $1.29l. The man who saves
S. Il week al this rate would be worth
at the end OF forty years the snug for
tune Of S25.G8S.-Leslie's Weekly.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
A Lucky Circumsta nee.

In the house OF commons no incident
Is greeted with more hearty laughter
than that Of n member who, after an
eloquent Grafton. pumps down on bis
silk hat on the bench behind him. a
young member who had just made his
maiden speech sat upon his new SIX
hat. There were roars Of laughter.
An Irish member Immediately arose
and gravely said. Mr.. Speaker. per
nit me TO congratulate the honorable
gentleman upon the happy circum-
stance that when he sat on his hat bis
head was not in Il" This remark up
set the dignity OF the house. and the
speaker called Order, order amid
roars of laughter.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Creeping Salt.

Here is something in. the course or
natural phenomena that will interest
and instruct the little folk if they look
into il curlOusly. Into tumbler hair
full of water dissolve just as much
common table salt as can be held In
solution. Let il stand for Il few days
and see how the salt creeps out OF the
water. up the inside of the glass and
down the outside-just like thing OF
life trying to escape from its environ
rlent. And when all the salt Is ap-
parently out of prison the water re-
mains as salty as before. 1t is pretty
demonstration.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Eascd Hia Conscience.

In an ordinary restaurant, according
10 the London Chronicle, a waiter was
surprised at being asked one Friday
with Ireland's inimltable smile for
"diviled whale" us il flleted shark
that We have. thin?" pursued the Irish
man on being refused this delicacy.
Again receiving reply in the negative,
he tried once more. Thin yc can bring
me some roasted porpoise," he said.
The waiter showed signs of becoming
restive. and Paddy sank back in his
seat and heaved Il sigh of cOntentment.
I'll take some roast beef and yeGeta-
bles," he said cheerfully, "and sure
veil not be for saying that / didn't
ask ye for fish,"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Eat Less nnd Eat 1t Slowly

Economic methods of eating are so
important and so automatic that it
really occasions some surprise that
more is not known about the matter.
Horace Fletcher. in his famous A b u
books on nutrition. very wisely insists
upon the necessity Of slow mastication
with abundant insalivatiOn. 1t Is real
ly astonishing how badly people use
the teeth nature gave them for this
purpose. Children naturally bolt their
food. so it is said and adults retain the
habit. Not having the digestive power
Of eats or dogs. which naturally bolt
their food. it results that much of our
food is undigested and wasted.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Humanity and machinery.

Machinery is the cornerstone Of mod
ern society, the very foundation on
which Law, science, ethics. the arts,
even the state itself, rests. 1t is so
new that we do not yet know its
poetry. We do not yet understand.
Only two generations have lived be-
side the highway Of steam; sOnly one
has seen the BeSsemer converter trans
form the blacksmith into the master
builder Of ships and towers. The sew
ing machine. the far speaker, the type
writer. are common things Of today. ac-
cepted as matter Of daily cOnven-
fence and yet are they teachers Of the
people. Machines bdt come close L.
our lives and homes insenSibly teach
truth. precision. the adjustment of r1i-
versal laws TO human needs, respect
for that wise American idea that
labor saved is labor released for high
er and nobler toll. The machine is the
head master OF the high school of the
race.-Reader Magazine.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Rhode Island Reds.

Full blood Rhode Island Red Eggs
for sale at s1.O0 per setting 4 few
full blood cocks ct g. C each.
NJ. G. GRABILL,
Woodstock, Va.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
The Tinsel Maker of Delhi.

Here Is an artists pretty description
Of tlnsel maker in Delhi, India: 'The
sllken thread from a ball under the
workers feet as be squats on the
ground runs over the hook and Is at
tached to the spindle. One rapid sweep
of the latter along the workers thigh
sets It going and both the slender. sup
pie hands are free. one for the thread,
one for the reel Of tinsel, which In a
fash shoots upward to arms length
coiled like a snake about the spinning
thread. The sunlight and the gold
tinsel together fash up the yellow
silken thread, seeming to set it on
fire"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
PIanefa With Three suns.

The people inhabiting the planets In
the solar system OF Gamma have no
need Of electricity, gas. oil or other
kind OF artificial light. In those IA
vOred worlds they have continuous
daylight and probably have no idea o.
n land like ours which is alternately
bathed in sunlight and plunged int
darkness. The Gammanean planets
are so situated that as soon as one
of their three suns begins 10 decline
another appears in sight. Each OF
these three suns is Of different colol
red, yellow and blue.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
NecL,ffcs M Railway Signals.

"Red neckties are always worn by
foreign brakemen and conductors. Ev
er notice it," said q railroader.
NO Why is itF"
"As a safety device" was the reply
"These red necktieS that flash upon
your gaze on the railroads Of Italy
France, Germany and England az,
not a sign that the people have a gay
taste. but that they are cautious and
prudent.
The necktics are supplied free by
the railroad companies for use as dan
ger signals in emergency. Thus, nc
matter when or where IN accident may
happen. there Is no need to search OF
scramble for red flag, but the brake
man whips Off his red necktie and
waves it frantically alOft."-Minneap-
oils Journal.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Eurcueau Hin J1tau.

A French teacher of boxing points
out that an art Of self defense approx
imately equivalent to jlu jitsu was
known In Europe In the seventeenth
century. Its, principles are expounded
in a work by one Nicolas Peters, pub
lished at Amsterdam in 1874 and bear
ing the lengthy explanatory title: 1.-The
art of wrestling and how one can pro
tect oneself In all kinds OF quarrels
that may occur: how one can with agil'
Ity and rapidity repel all unfair at
tacks and meet ones adversary with
science" The work is Illustrated. The
author apparently anticipated many OF
the characteristic grips OF the Japa
nese exponepts Of today.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04

According to Pierre de Blois, the t.
tie 'stationer" was applied to one class
OF bookseller long before the seven
teenth century, though that may have
been the period when it came to refer
to any seller of books. He distin-
gulshes between the librarll and the
statiOnaril, who had both become 50
numerous In Paris in 1853 that GER
tain regulations had to be made for
their control The former were agents
for the sale and loan Of manuscripts, Il
large sum Of money being deposited
when n manuscript was lent, while the
latter. allowed TO have stations or stalls
in the markets, were sellers and cop
iers of manuscripts. At the time he
wrote there were twenty-nine brokers
and stationers in Paris, not Il very dan
gerous number, one would think, con-
siderng that Paris from the twelfth to
the fifteenth century was considered
the chief seat Of learninG-L0nGon
Standard.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Snake Hunting With Noses.

When the Australian abOrigine Is
pushed and can find no other game, he
catches snakes for food. With his Won
derful brown eyes he can see tho faint
est trail where Il snake has q gagged
through the dry moss ana leaves. At
nighttime his broad nOStrils take up
the chase, and, STOPPING down among
the bushes. with tough fOrked stick
in his hand to support him. he follows
The track as unerring.y rs a blood
hound. When he rUnS Il snake 70 earth,
if he cannot surprise 1t in the open and
kill 1t by a sudden blow OF his stick.
he squats over Its hole. making a low
Kissing or whistling sound with his
lips. Soon the snake puts its head out
Of the hole and peers round. In aH iE>
slant the forked sticE 2.seends and
fixes it to the Gro':Iti by tie neck, and
the blacL fellow, selling il behind the
b4a(. so that it cannot bite him, dragS
il out of the hole and either twists its
head off or pounds it ID the ground
till its back Is broken.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
SnNnCcS md snuff.

The habit of snuff taking has been
confirmed among savage tribes for
ages past. Iii South Africa ii Is used
among SwaZls, Basutos and Matabeles.
Every Zulu today, even In towns, car
ries a little square box suspended
around his neck by piece of string or
gut. and the snuff spoon 0or they do
rot indulge In the homely 'plnch'),
carved out of sleeps bone, often or
namented with intricate geOmetrical
designs and for convenience carried
hanging downward through slit In
the lobe of the ear. The Zulu regards
the lobe Of his ear as n useful recep-
table for various small articles he
meets with. The umfaan, or house boy,
universally met with in Natal, has n
penchant for safety pins, which have
to be carefully hidden from his sharp
eyes. Even then he Is usually TO be
seen, after going through the rooms.
with a string of these pins suspended
from each ear until they reach his
shoulders.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Coughing.

"There is nothing so irritable to a
cough as a cough" Constant coughing
is precisely like scratching q wound on
the outside of the body. So long as 1t
Is continued the wound will not heal.
Let a petson when tempted to cough
draw a lonz breath and hold Ii until IL
warns and soothes every air cell. and
benefit will soon be received from this
process. The explanation simply Is that
the nitrogen which Is thus refined acts
as an anOdyne to the mucous mem
brane. allaying the desire to cough and
giving the throat and lungs a chance
to heal.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
He Was In Such a Hurry.

A man who has resided In Cairo told
this tale as an il!ust.s,; ~ Of the dill
atory ways OF Arabian tiaues people:
"a certain gentleman ordered n
swing to lie erected In his garden for
the use of his little boy. aged six. lie
waited and waited, but the swing nev-
er arrived. In due course Of time that
boy grew up TO mans estate and be-
came himself the father of little boy.
When his son was six years old he
remembered how his own father had
ordered n swing TO be made for him.
So he called on the tradesman, who
lived at his gate, and asked him to
send mp the swing that bad been order
ed twenty years before. The man
agreed TO do 50. The little boy be-
coming inpatient after three weeks,
his father called again and remon-
strated with the Arabian as to lis dill
atorlncss. The Indignant tradesman
replied that he could not really under
take 10 serve any one who was In
such n fearful hurry"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
At n French wedding

A wedding feast is an important
ceremony in France among all classes
OF society. Even among the very poor
est of the Parsians wedding banquet
is the occasion for a reckless eXpendi-
ture Of money in the purchase of wine
and viands. In Brittany wedding is
even a more gorgeous affair than in
Paris. At Il recent wedding ceremony
in Brittany the guests numbered 1000.
and three bulioyfs were slaughtered
to provide them With meat. Wine was
consumed in large quantities. and IL
addition forty barrels OF cider was con
sumcd.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1906-05-04
Price nnl Imagination.

Housewives are apt 10 judge The
quality of groceries by the price paid
for them. AS an Illustration Of this ::
grocer tells the following story: Il
had two qualities OF flour-one fine aId
the other poor. One day ! accidental!
sold one for the other My customers
who paid a high price for the poor
quality, said that ii had given entire
satisfaction. while those who had re
celved the fine -four for a low price
complained Of 1t. and few returned II
as unfit for use"