davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
LoNDoN's TRANSFORMATION.
No Longer "Triste," But the Home of
 Gaiety.

From the American Register, London.
 London, since the accession of King Edward, has been gradually metamor- phosed, until today the numerous French visitors are loud in their praises of it's gayety and the many amusements it af- lords. No longer Is London triste and gloomy, they say, but with this nnei weather it can vie with la belle. Paris in its brightness, it's many facilities for get ting to any part as if by magic-thanks to the complete system of tubes, and it's marvellous stores, where the wares are so attractively displayed
 No doubt much of the enlvenment, which is SO Upright feature of London's streets at this time, is to be accounted for by the influence of the exhibition upon the general aspect of the town. The brightness and gayety and movement which the dazzling beauties of the White City have set going are not confined to Shepherds Bush, but are coloring the whole life of London.
 Tens of thousands of people, all keen and eager for delight, cannot daily invade a city of London's vast dimensions with out effecting some visible change in the aspect of its thoroughfares. People from the country who ordinarily come to town only on some business occasion are in London in these days purely on pleas ure.
 The Americans are still most in evil dence, but French people were never seen in such numbers in London. In front of ot,4 you hear French being spoken. Ladies from across the pond are delighted with the London shops, especially those in which curious eastern wares are dis played. They find such things surpris- ingly cheap in London. An American family arriving on Monday from the con- tinent, without having engaged rooms. had to drive to eight hotels before they happened to find a vacant suite.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Governor Hughes Great Victory

The New York senate passed by a close and dramatic vote the anti-racing bills and at once adjourned without day. The passage of the bills is a great victory for Governor Hughes and for common decency on the race tracks.
 The new bills do not forbid racing or prohibit the breeding of thorough bred horses. Both can go on un- checked but gambling cannot go on within race track enclosures except at the risk of spending a year in jail or penitentiary. Fines are cut out. and the sole punishment i5 imprisonment. This, of course, means the stoppage of public betting in race track inclosures. where the evil is most prevalent and most dangerous to young men that have slender purses but large respon- abilities.
 The victory of Governor Hughes over strong social and financial inter- ests is one of the most remarkable in this reform era. And it occurred in New York state, too! The lobby and the gamblers could not control either house of the legislature in their own state, where they had from time out of mind been supreme. They struck flint when they got up against Charles Evans Hughes-a man so straightfor- ward and intelligent that the republi- can leaders and beneficiaries at Chi cago will not touch him with 40-foot pole. He will not be seriously con. sidered at Chicago, while weaker men will fill the air out there with din.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
THE BIRMINGHAM REUNION

From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
 The reunion of Confederate veterans now In progress in Birmingham is fraught with more sentiment than any other of their reunions because it Is the latest. Each meeting of the kind is more impress sive than its predecessor, for it brings nearer that day when there will be no re- union because there will be no veterans to gather together The ranks at Bir- mngham are thinner than at any previous gathering of the Confederate veterans. and next year they will be thinner still. Every living wearer of the gray thus becomes closer and closer to the heart of every other The ties of comradeship are but made stronger by the inroads of death.
 It is the absent faces that bring into the reunions their principal element of tragedy. Every death removes further away into the past the Lost Cause. Pres ent generations feel, at least, in touch with the battles of the sixties, because of contact with the men who fought them in little while, however, the ac- tual participants will be all gone. There
  white-headed fighter whose memory turns back fondly to the days of shot and she'll With the personal note no longer present, the war becomes strictly a matter of formal history. Then the Civil War will be something you must read about in books
 As these veterans march through the streets of Birmingham the significance of the gathering to them is easily compre- hended. The fact that their cause was lost but adds to the meaning of the event for, while those who fought on the other side have something concrete to perpet- uate their struggles, these have not. These must meet to commemorate their work, to rehearse their experiences, to revitalize theories. When they have died the Lost Cause itself, every vestige of it, is gone. With the Union veterans it is different, for when they have passed away there is still nation to serve as a monument to their sacrifices.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
C0rtelyOu As Vice President

The freshest event of the hour is the recrudescence of George B. Cortel- you. This man who rose from the post of stenograpehr to fill three cabinet positions-who once was the pet and pride of two administrations pears upon the scene as a candidate for vice president After the shooting of Mckinley he really was acting Pfes- ident for several weeks. He kept the executive business of the great office running until the death of Mckinley brought Roosevelt into power. Then he became the favorite of the new ruler, but in some occult way he let yaulting ambition OCT leap itself in his bosom, and he fell from grace.
 In spite of that fall he becomes a candidate for vice president, and log ical candidate he certainly Is, for he raised the great campaign slush fund of 1904 which reelected Roosevelt. The coming republican campaign is confessedly one of slushers by siush- CTS for slushers, and George B. Cortel- you is the logical representative man of the hour. He should be nominated, and if the republicans at Chicago have the courage of their pockets they will certainly make him Taft's running mate. Brother Charlie can be trusted to second the motion.
 With ticket made up of the Secre- tary of War and the Secretary of the Treasury the Rooseveltian contingent would be thoroughly gratified, nothing would be lacking but tariff plank that at once threatens on the one hand the tariff beneficiaries with revision and on the other holds out to them all sorts of possibilities if they subscribe more than they did to the Cortelyou slush fund of 1904.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

house certificates would be issued in settlement of balances between the banks. including the state banks and trust companies. leaving the emer- gency circulation issued under the Aldrich-Vreeland bill to serve in gen eral circulation.
 In times of distress therefore New York, for example, will have both clear. ing house certificates and emergency notes, and the two should enable them to ride safely over any breakers in the currency sea. New York could receive, however, but $72,OOOOO0 of emergency currency, and this would be insuf1l- cient in a panic unless it be supple mented with clearing house certificates as no doubt it would be.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Artistic Decorations.

"The reunion ball at the Hippoorohe Thursday night was one of the most bril- liant social events that ever took place in Birmingham" said Capt Frank F. o'Brien, and the decorations were singu- larly beautiful Indeed no such decora- lions were ever seen before in Birmlng- ham. The design was at once fitting and Fl tistic and was the work of J. H. Tracy the official decorator of the reunion. There was marked originality In tfe gen. eral treatment of the scheme Grace, elegance and wealth of color were com- bined and no one of refined taste could have failed to be impressed with the artists efforts.
 MT. Tracy decorated the public pulid- ings, including the clubs and the principa! hotels, and likewise many of the large business houses. It was his energetl; campaigning and educative enterprise that started up the decoration movement and everybody should appreciate the good results For the first time Birmingham appeared this week in adequate gala dress. In this respect it was ahead of nearly all the other reunion cities"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Took Awav Rest Wishes.

"The men of the south who in the JUS performed such prod1gies of valor have made us a visit and have returned to their homes.7 said Capt. J. L. Darby veteran himself
 Upon their arrival in our city they re- ceived a hearty welcome and when they left they took with them our very best wishes The citizens of Birmingham and the surrounding country devoted them selves to the service of patriotism. Yes terday was a day for them to see their fathers in the line of march-the old fei- lows who 47 years ago went to war. It gave them an opportunity to see many who were maimed and pierced with hon. orable wounds and to think of the thou sands left dead upon the great fields or ,h,attle-those who were cut off In the prime of life.
 "To every one who in any way con- tributed to the success, which was in many respects the greatest of all our re- unions, the thanks of every old veteran go out 1 have attended quite num- Der of the reunions in past years and 1 have never seen one where the old boys were received so graciously, looked after so carefully and protected so effectively
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
AN INDIAN SONG.
William Butler Yeats.

By William Butler Yeats. o wanderer in the southern weather, Our isie awaits us; on each lea The pea-hens dance; in crimson feather A parrot swaying on a tree/ Rages at his own image in the en"
 ameled sea. There dreamy Time lets fall his sickle, And Life the sandals of her fieetness. And sleek young Joy is no more fickle And Love is kindly and deceitless. And all is over save the murmur and
 the sweetness. There we will moor our lonely ship And wander ever with woven hands, Murmuring softly, lip to lip, Along the grass along the sands Murmuring how far away are all earthS
 feverish islands. How we alone of mortals are Hid in the earths most hidden part While grows our love an Indian star, meteor of the burning heart. One with the waves that softly round us
 laugh and dart One with the leaves; one with the dove That moans and signs a hundred days How when we die our shades will rove, Dropping at eve in coral bays A vapory footfall on the oceans sleepy
 blaze.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Currency Associations

Not only New York, but Washington also has taken steps to organize a cur rency association. Philadelphia and Cincinnati are preparing to do like wise, and information has been re- ceived by the comptroller of the cur rency going to show that some rural or semi-rural associations will be or ganized.
 In New York 28 out of the 30 na- tional banks of that city took part in the organization of a currency associa- ton for that great financial center. Not that they approve altogether the Aldrich-Vreeland bill, but they do be- lseve in upholding the enacted views of Congress.
 But because currency association must be confined to national banks, it was the belief of the assembled bank ers that in an emergency clearing
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Why David B. Hill DiSIikeS MT. Bryan

David B. Hills farewell shot before sailing away to Europe bears but one construction-it is aimed straight at the democratic party because it re- fused to make him it's leader and presi- dential candidate, twelve, eight or four years ago. He assails William J. Bryan with extreme bitterness, and yet when he did so he knew that the great Nebraskan would as certainly become the standard bearer of the democratic paryt as he knew the sun would rise on the following morning To assail MT. Bryan therefore was to assail the democratic party and to pro- mote the republican party
 The ex-governor ex-senator and ex- leader has, however, no machine be- hind him now-no following of any kind at present. No one ever did trust him except as a machine leader. and his open declaration of war against the democratic party as it stands to- day will have small effect. While he was being interviewed news was com ing in from the Kentucky and Virgil Eia conventions, both of which went solid for William Jennings Bryan. The man from Nebraska commands what the man from New York never did. namely, the confidence of the masses, the support of the Plain People. All machine politicians naturally dislike Mir. Bryan's direct appeals to the peo- pie, and the Hill outbreak Is but one of series, but all such men have lost to great extent their grip in politics in these antitrust and anti-monopoly times.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
SignS of Better Times

Favorable crop prospects are begin ming to induce the railroads to place orders for cars, rails and other ma terials, and in the jobbing trade there is broadening activity already The mills feel the marked improvement in general trade and in this way the crop outlook is filtered all the way through the industrial world.
 All we have to guide us is the pros pect of the largest winter wheat crop since 1901; of the largest spring wheat crop but two in the history of the country, and of the largest oat crop ever harvested. This is what is caus- ing the Missouri wholesalers to in crease their orders for goods, and what the Missouri wholesalers are doing other wholesalers will do as the har- vests draw nearer.
 We cannot have a psychological re- Yiyal of business. It must be based on something material and substantial. It must be based, in short, on the crops, for that is the long and short of the situation. The prospect is that we will soon have the goods which in this case will consist of cotton, corn, wheat and oats in almost unprecedented quanti-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
THE VETERANS.
From the Mobile Item.

From the Mobile Item
 Birmingham has within her confines to- day many of the remaining few of one of the most patriotic armies that ever fought for home and honor. It is the eve of the reunion of the United Con- federate Veterans. These grand old he- roes will be welcomed with open arms and nothing will be left undone to make them realize they are in the home of their friends. It will be a great gather ing, and we feel sure the old heroes will have the time of their lives. It will be but a little while until all of these dear old comrades will have passed from earth to rally round the matchless leaders in the great beyond and it is but fitting they should, in their declining days, be shown all honor and courtesy in the land for which they so bravely fought
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
,ELINoR GLYN'S TRIBUTE TO
 WEBER'S SHAPE"
chicagn ENening Post

From the Chicago Evening Post. Mrs Elinor Glyn has turned from the ratting of the chips and the whir of the little ball out in Rawhide, Nev long enough to pay more or less delicately her tribute to Joe Weber and his artificial embonpoint in memory of visit to the burlesque of "The Merry Widow in Chi cago, as she was proceeding westward. Following is the lyric dashed off in moment of relaxation from the melodra- matic excitement of her frontier environ ments:
 Titania twined round Bottoms ears musk
 roses sweet and scented, And could I wreathe your swelling front
 with flowers, I'd die contented, Let others sing the painted clouds that
 glid the sunset West would immortalize that shape beneath
 Joe Webers vest!
 L'ENvOI. l care not if it's genuine, or an inflated
 dummy,
 The fairest shape I ever saw is Mr.
 Weber's tummy! -Elinor Glyn.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
SUCH IS FAME.
Success Magazine

From Success Magazine.
 The secretary of periodical published not far from New York city, and noted for the literary flavor of it's editorial pages. recently received a letter from a subscriber asking for the address of George Meredith. The secretary had a careful examination made of the long payrou of the company, but the search was in vain. A reply was, therefore, sent to the subscriber couched in this lan- guage: s.s-
 eve are very sorry that we are unable to give YOU the address of George Mere dith. But if you will write to Joe Mere dith of our St. Louis office. perhaps you can ascertain it from him..
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Maryland Mans Comment.

Dr. L. H. Kellar of Hagerstown, Md'' surgeon in the Confederate army, return ed yesterday to his home. Dr. kellar was the guest of MT. and Mrs. D. M. bremen during the reunion.
 q had no idea Birmingham was so large and prosperous a city as l have found it., said Dr. Kellar. Ihe reuilloii is one of the largest of all the Is ana TOT perfect arrangement, good feeling ana genuine old-time hospitality no reunion surpasses this one. Birmingham deserves no end of praise for the splendid manner in which she handled this enormous gath- ering."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
RICHARD cRokER, EeYPToLoeIsT

From the New York World.
 Richard Croker's project of re-erectng in New York the temples of Phlae does credit to his enthusiasm an Egyptolo- gist If every elderly woman, as the Frenchman remarked, is a devotee or something not so nice, every elderly man is a sportsman or an antiquarian. Mr. Croker is happily both. As a former cit izen of New York he was familiar with the architecture of the Tombs prison, outwardly an Egyptian temple with lotus- bud capitals on its massive columns. That gloomy building has vanished, but the re-erected temples of Philae would more than replace 1t in architectural in- terest.
 Philae's temples are now partially and will soon be wholly submerged by the Assouan dam. The prosperity of seven or eight modern Egyptians cannot be sacri- feed to antiquarian sentiment when the newest of lands is ready to welcome the ruined temples of the most ancient. As MT. Croker says there is not man, woman or child in New York who would not throw in a nickel"
 It would take some nickels. The smaller temple is AS feet by 63, the larger more than a hundred feet in each dimension. Both are excessively solid. With their court yards they would make many ship loads of masonry. But their transport would involve no such problem as Cor rings solved when he brought the Obe- fisk, immersed in water to make IFS weight less. Any Tammany contractor would be competent to, transport the ruins over. Horgan & Slattery could tastefully supervise their recreation, an1 they would bear down to the remotest lapse of time, inseparably linked, the names of Ptolemy and Ahearn, Nectar- ebo and Mcclellan, the sacred cats of Osiris and the Tammany tiger.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Spirit of Hospitality.

L. R. Warren of Richmond, who at tended the reunion as member of R E. Lee camp No. 1, United Confederate Veterans, left yesterday afternoon over the Seaboard Air Line. Like all others who visited Birmingham this week he was unstnted in his praise of our cit izens.
 '.It was a splendid reunion" said MT Warren. "The crowd was immense the floral parade was beautiful, the veterans rarade was stirring and all the social features were exceptionally attractive, put the crowning glory of the occasion was The gracious and unfeigned hospitality of the people of Birmingham. The Vis- itors received a genuine southern wei come. Every veteran found that he was among friends; and after all, it is the spirit of welcome and comradeshlp on the part of the public that adds dls' tinctive charm to these reunion events Birmingham has certainly made a grand record for itself'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Restaurant Business.

"The restaurants presented of course, busy scenes during the reunion, said Albert Fasnacht. q have been in the restaurant business in Birmingham for many years, but never have l seen such good natured crowds as attended the re- union With me, Tuesday marked new high record On that day I served just twice as many meals as I ever served before on any one day."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
Splendid Impression.

"Every feature of the reunion where refined taste had play, made splendid impl ession," remarked Maj. E. T. Tal- iaferro. "The decorations, the floral pa- Jade and the balls were unsurpassed from an artistic point of view. ] have never seen anything in this country or in Eu- rope equal to our floral pageant"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Chief Bodeker.

Chief of Police George Bodeker is being cordially congratulated on all sides for the excellent manner in which he and his men acquitted themselves during the reunion The chief laid his plans far ahead and when the reunion week ar rived he had everything in hand. All his plans were executed with intelligence and without a hitch.
 PicSpockets were suppressed, accidents were avoided and perfect order was maintained Never in a large city under crowded conditions did the police make quite so fine a record.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press
 Being a good example is as dull as fol- lowing one
 A woman will acknowledge gray hairs long before she will the years that bring them.
 A man feels the need of an excuse for being married and an old maid for not being.
 The thing woman likes about going abroad Is how impressive 1t sounds to those who can't
 The reason woman likes to have her husband make money is so she can pre- tend how much more 1t b.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
ADRlFT WITH THE TIMES

A DAY DREAM. Life would be sweet To me, l know, If I but had
 A bungalow, Where l might loaf All day at ease And hear the wind Sigh through the trees. And watch the gold Tipped butterfly, And ships of cloud Up in the sky, And far from tolls Prolonged suspense, Just steep my soul In incidence!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

The Commercial club of Birmingham will resolve itself Into a chamber of commerce, and the best of 1t is this great organization will have its own building. With comparative ease the chamber of commerce building move ment has been launched and an ele- gant structure on the Chalifoux site is now practically assured. Public spirit in this town is developing rap idly
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

Last weeks reduction in the number of idle freight cars was 22,505, which is reducing some. Twenty weeks at that rate would set all the wheels ar turning.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
oil company's Plant Burns,

Albuquerque, N. Mex, June 12.-The en- tire plant of the Continental Oil con- pany with the exception of the office building, burned today. Nearly 100000 gallons of. coal oil, gasoline and naphtha was dN4oyed. Loss $50,00o.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

Governor-elect Brown of Georgia made no speeches because Jefferson made none, but Jefferson could sling ink, and Little Joe" is not widely known in that capacity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

William Howard Taft, professional delegate hunter, was graduated from Yale 30 years ago. He should be en- gagged in better business.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

Major Dreyfus' condition is reported to be satisfactory, but the reports do rot say to which side of the burning issue his condition is satisfactory
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13
GLAD HE's S GONE.

"A fellow in Texas wants to know what is a merry widow, any how"
 That's easy to answer. One whose late husband was a cheap guy who couldn't make a living.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

Thomas Fortune Ryan goes to Eu- rope for an auto tour carrying his campaign contributions with him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

The southern delegate at Chicago represents a maximum of party trouble and a minimum of electoral votes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

The Tafts were once Presbyterians, but William Howard Taft is now a Unitarian, while Mrs. Taft follows middle course in the Episcopal church.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-13

Congressman Hobson is at Newport enjoying himself, wholly regardless of the Japanese invasion he formulated