davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
CIGARETTE SMOKING.
Millions Must Be Engaged in it for
 One Reason or Another.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
 Who is smoking all the cigarettes? During the whole of last year these slender specimens of surcease combat ted legion of anti-cigarette crusades in several states and fought legisla- tive enactrnents against their sale and consumption; yet there were 930, 1909 more cigarettes sold than during the preceding year. It is a striking record for the little so-called "dude-killers" to make
 The total tobacco figures for the year 1907 go far toward proving that man will have his smoke, whatever be the the state of his purse or the distur- bances of his mind. It seems we smoked up about $500, 100000 of cigars, some thing more than 1000. 900 ,000 little cigars or cigarros, and about 3O0, ,00O 900 pounds of pipe tobacco during the twelve month. And this is a year accused of being "hard times" It was quite a lot of money to be puffed away into smoke. Will some statistic-loving brother-or sister-of the anti-tobac- conites please tell us how many town lots we could have bought with 1t?
 Yet the possession of all those im- palpable town lots might not, after all, have given mankind so much joy, nor even as much value, as did those bluish volumes of perfumed incense which we blew into the vanishing winds. My Lady Nicotine has become the mistress of civilized man. He woes her when it is dark for sympathy and her soothing spell; when it Is light he pays her court for her gentle, ex- hilarating comtadeship. She soothes his pain, calms his anger, cheers his solitude and embraces his merriment. Come whatever life may, go whatever friends, man turns to his pipe, and is at peace. He is never quite alone in the world who has his pipe with him.
 This may not be true of the cigarette. But the excessive use of cigarettes proves that men will not do without tobacco in some form. In spite of leg islation and moral crusades against 1t, it is quite probable that the world will never use less tobacco. Two decades ago there were many men who never smoked Now 1t is rare to find one. The tobacco heart" and the "tobac- co eyes," the cramped chest and the irritated throat may all be real blood money-wrung from them as part of the price they pay-but men will still woo the fairy spirit of the smoke rings.
 The doctors may tell that her lips are stained with poison, and others warn that she is sinful, but we will not give
 her up. Hers is the spell of one we love, and will perish rather than deny. Such is the attitude of the confirmed smoker, and the figures show that his name is legion.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

ton was underestimated. Sanitation will cost by the time the canal is completed s170O0,00O.
 Colonel .Goethals still thinks the canal will be completed by the end of the year 1914. The real struggle will not be at the big dam or in the construction of the locks, but it will be found in the great Culebra cut where the rock is very hard, and where the cutting is enormous in size. That is the big obstacle to be overcome, and Colonel Goethals, who is in Wash ington, is confident the work can be completed by the end of the year 1914
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
PAYS EARL s4o,ooo A YEAR.
Price Which the Countess of Var
 mouth Gives To Be Free.

Pittsburg Dispatch in New York World.
 The price the Countess of Yarmouth pays to be free is the continuing of the allowance she settled on the earl when they married" it is stated positively. The income from her private fortune is sSO,0oO a year. She set aside sufficient sum to pay the earl s40,oO0 a year while he lives. Besides, she has maintained and refurnished the earrs home. But outside this sSo.oO0 a year the countess draws a large income from the coke trust. estab- lished by her fathers will. in which all the children, including Harry K. Thaw, are joint heirs. The countess is expected here within a few weeks. If Harry K. Thaw is freed from the asylum, his mother, his sister and he will pass the rest of their days in seclusion In a for eign country, so their most intimate friends say. Whether Mrs. Harry K. Thaw will go with them is not definitely settled.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
DINNER AT THE OPERA.
Queen Sets New Fashion Which May
 Be Popular.

From the New York Times
 London. February Sly having her dinner brought from Buckingham palace and served in the rear of the royal box during the-interval between the first and second acts of the opera on Thursday night the Queen has set fashion that society believes will not only become pop ular for the charm of the idea, but will also solve the practical problem of min istering to the appetite at early perform ances without missing parts of the opera. Owing to the increasing demand for the rendition of operas without cuts, the eat ing problem has recently become very acute at the long performances The sit- uation becomes especially annoying when the performance begins as early as 6:S0, as was the case with "Siegfried" in Eng fish at Covent Garden on Thursday.
 During the general scamper to neigh boring refreshment bars and sandwich depots between the first and d'second acts four attendants carefully carried into the rear of the royal box small table, all ready set, and containing the queen S favoHte dishes. The food had been pre- pared at the palace and kept warm by means of patent heat retaining devices.
 Thus Queen Alexandra, with one or two friendH was able to turn from the stage to dinner, which they had time to enjoy heartily before the beginning of the next act. When the curtain ascended the at tendants disappeared with the dinner table as silently as they had appeared.
 Many persons believe that box dinner parties will be accepted as really smart and sensible functions at Covent Garden in the future.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Musical Attractions.

ssWhen the amusement season of 19OI-' 0S opened the prospects were not very bright for high-class musical attractions, but as the season draws to close it can be seen that Birmingham has fared bet ter than in some recent years, said music lover. We have had three Of the famous prima donnas-Bessie Abbot, as- sisted by large company of artists; Schumann-H -Heink, and Calve, the latter assisted by a fine violinist and bril- liant pianist. We have had the Savage opera company in Madam Butterfly, supported by an excellent orchestra We have had two concerts by the Treble Clef club, assisted each time by a vocal ar tist and there will be third concert be- fore the season is over. sousa's band gave two concerts week before last, and his programmes were symphonic enough to interest educated musicians. Next week we are to have Kubelix the great vio- linist, and before the month closes Madame Bloomfield-Zeisler, the piano virtuoso. Harold Bauer, one of the best of the piano virtuosos now living, is now on a southern tour but he will not play Birmingham. This is greatly regretted, but Bloomfeld-zeisler has few equals and as she appeared here several years ago before a large and delighted audience, it is reasonable to suppose that she will have even a larger crowd this season.
 'Damrosch will make festival tour in May. He has two days still open, but unless some of our enterprising citizens make up a guarantee fund, we will miss his symphony programmes
 Birmingham has several musical clubs, believe. Why is it that the leaders of these organizations do not get to- gether and bring at least one symphony orchestra here each season? With con- certed energy the musicians and music lovers should be able to devise some scheme by which enough tickets could be sold in advance to cover the expense of one or two grand orchestra con- certs"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
Cost of Canal Going Up

At the outset of the work at Pan. ana the cost of the canal was put at 1S4,OO0, 900. Colonel Goethals guesses that the cost of it will be $300,000,- 900, but he adds that he would not be surprised if the total cost of the ditch does not run up to $400 100000. He says there are no engineering difficult ties in sight, but the cost of the work cannot now be accurately estimated. At present he puts the cost at $3O0,- 100000, including the purchase money.
 Everything connected with the canal Is going up. The locks that were to sost ,se. e.ooo.ooo are now estimated at kso, o,ooO,ooo. The quantity of excava-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

praises of the King and his dead brother They were ideal young men," he said, and then told an anecdote Illustrative of the Kings gentle nature. As the prince he had always spoken of the Queen as Her Majesty" One day, however, he used the term 'mother;" then he turned to the tutor and said: "I think I like the word mother best. I read last night that the QueenSwas lost in the wife, the wife in the mother"
 King Manuel is especially fond of America and Americans. In May, 1904, when he was appointed naval appren- tice, an American squadron under Rear Admiral Barker, then at the Azores, has, tened it's arrival few days at the re- quest of the American minister, Charles Page Bryan, in order to be present at the ceremony. The prince was overjoyed at the courtesy, and seldom failed, when speaking to Minister Bryan since, to re- call the delight and pleasure he had at the presence of the American officers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
THE TRIALS OF PORTUGAL

over the commodities to Lisbon and let ting foreign nations come and fetch them.
 Napoleon also had designs against the Kingdom of Portugal. After his return to Paris in 1907 he ordered the French and Spanish ambassadors conjointly to declare to the prince regent of Portugal that he must concur in the continental system, viz, shut his ports against Eng fish commerce, confiscate all English property and imprison all English sub- jects to be found within his dominions, or they were instructed immediately to leave Lisbon. The prince and his min isters dared not openly resist the French Emperor's will In this extremity and relying on the friendly forbearance of England they strove to pursue middle course. Don John professed his readi- ness to exclude British ships from his ports, but declared that his religious principles would not allow him to seize the subjects and property of a friendly state in the midst of peace, and that prudence forbade his offending England until a Portuguese squadron, then at sea, should have returned safely home.
 Napoleon punished this imperfect obe-
 
 dience by seizing all Portuguese vessels in ports under his control, and ordered the French and Spanish legations to leave Lisbon. The Portuguese ambas- sadors were at the same time dismissed from Paris and -Aadrid.
 Soon after the royal family of Portu- gal went temporarily to it's colony of Brazil. Portugal had regents after John VT went to Brazil. Tn 1883 England and France recognized Maria de Gloria as Queen of Portugal. But it was not until 1857 that the charter was revised to suit all parties aud the era of civil war came to an end.
 The reign of King Luis was prosperous and peaceful, he dying in 1SS9 Luis I was succeeded by his eldest son, Dom Carlos, who married the Princess Maria Amelie de Bourbon, the eldest daughter of the Compte de Paris His accession was followed by the revolution Novem- Der 15, 1889, in Brazil, by which his great uncle, Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil, was dethroned and a republican government established in that country. This brief sketch shows that Portugal has not es- capped from many serious , oubles.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
A SLEEP MILL.
From the Philadelphia Bulletin.

from the Philadelphia Bulletin
 T call it sleep mill" said the man. ufactureT, as he led the way to his huge plant.
 He opened door into long room where two rows of girls were boxing instruments like electric fans, the wings of the fans being studded with small round mirrors
 Many insomniacs," he said, "can sleep at the window of an express train. The sight of the landscape rushing by them invariably brings on O refresbfpg nap. We'll, this machine with itf wFirl and glitter of revolving mirrors, a5Ns on the eye and brain in the same soothing manner, and the in . somniac whom a train ride helps is invariably helped by this.
 Here" he said, entering a smaller room, we turn out slumber halls.'
 A number of young men were round ing and polishing balls of bright metal, and he took one in his hand.
 Fixed high above the bed" he said,
  "so that it strains the eye to stare at it, this ball frequently brings sleep to insomniacs of a melancholic type.
 .'In this next room we make a small machine for clamping the arteries leading to the brain. It Is easy to ad- just, and it considerably diminishes the flow of blood to the brain centers. To certain nervous, feyerish insomniacs- authors actors, and other brain work ers-this machine brings sleep in a few minutes.
 And here we make a simple battery that, while the patient lies in bed, sends mild current up and down his spine. The battery treatment usually succeeds best with female insomniacs. We employ" he continued, "500 hands here. It Is tribute, isn't it, to the hectic activity of our 20th century ciy- ilization great mill like this, de- voted to the production of sleep for those who are too tird and nerve e-worn to rest naturally"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
Preparing for the Census

The enumeration of eighty millions of people is not a light task, and the permanent census bureau consisting of about 800 clerks needs a great amount of assistance. The pending bill pro- vides for the appointment of 4000 temporary clerks, and 60,000 men for service in the field-enumerators and supervisors.
 These temporary appointees have heretofore been appointed by the heads of departments. The President and the civil service reform associa- tion propose now to reverse the pre- cedents of over 100 years by requiring all these temporary appointees to take a civil service examination. The task of selecting 64,OO0 men by that method would stagger the govern ment, It could not be done by the present civil service machinery or by any speedy amplification of it.
 Nor would 64,000 men seek tenn porary places by that route. The task of getting ready for a civil service examination is not light one, and the result would be the government would not have a sufficient number of cen sus takers or even of clerks. The proposed plan would prove failure, and Congress would not perhaps be at hand to present remedy.
 The Crumpacker bill provides that the fitness of the temporary census appointees shall be ascertained by the government officials, and there is nc reason in the world for changing the plan All possible safeguards shoulC be devised, but a civil service exam ination would be safeguard tha would defeat the entire plan. I would prove obstructive and cumber some to the point of failure.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
From the Boston. Globe.

From the Boston Globe.
 @ HE assassinations and other de- @ plorable events which have oc-
 cured in Portugal have attract ed worldwide attention. Portugal has some strong men in her government. however, and it is probable that the new cabinet with the assistance of the army and the police, will be able to upset the
 plans of any reyolutionists, and that peace and Auet will prevail in the king dom in a very short time. The sympathy of the people of all nations goes out to young King Manuel, and it is gratifying from his wounds.
 The excitement over the recent tragic happenings recalls that Portugal has ex- perienced many disasters in the past and has been the victim of numerous quar- rels between rulers and nations. The story of Portugal is a thrilling one. The whole world is indebted to her for many discoveries, and her. history is replete with stirring events since she broke away from Spain in 1640, and under close alliance with England maintained a sep arate national existence during the eighteenth century. It is believed that union with Spain might have been possi- ble during the first half of the nineteenth century had not a generation of his torians and poets arisen, who, by recall ing the great days of the Portuguese monarchy, made it impossible for Portu- gal to again lose the consciousness of her national existence.
 Previous to the temporary independ- ence gained in 164O, ''The 60 years cap tivity." as the domination of Spain over Portugal from 1880 to 1640 is called, was time of disaster for the country. Not only did the English sack Faro in 1895. but Dutch, English and French all preyed on it's great colonial possessions. | The Dutch in particular after beating I the Portuguese in India, took from them | the largest portion of the lucrative Indian trade. This they did with the more ease | since, with the true commercial spirit, they not only imported merchandise from the east to Holland, but also distributed I it through Dutch merchants to every country of Europe, whereas the Portu- | guese in the days of their commercial
 monopoly were satisfied with bringing
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
PoRTUcAL's NEW KING.
Has Fine Traits, Is Fond of Music,
 And Likes Americans.

Lisbon Cable in New York American.
 The young soysreign's personality is de- seribed by those who know him as very winning. As a lsd he displayed fine, manly traits. He had considerable ar tistic talent, especially for music, and, like his father. was exceedingly fond of outdoor sports, such as tennis, riding and shooting. He was reared with great care by the devoted Queen, who took the warmest interest in the education of the princes, both of whom spoke English, French, Spanish and Italian perfectly.
 The Kings English tutor sings the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
LOSS OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.
By William Cowper.

By William Cowper. Foil for the brave!
 The brave that are no more! All sunk beneath the wave Fast by their native shore! Eight hundred of the brave Whose courage we'll was tried, Had made the vessel heel - And laid her on her side. A land breeze shook the shrouds And she was overset Down went the Royal George, With all her crew complete. Toll for the brave!
 Brave Kempenfelt is gone; His last sea fight is fought,
 His work of glory done. It was not in the battle
 No tempest gave the shock; She sprang no fatal leak,
 She ran upon no rock. His sword was in it's sheath, His fingers held the pen, When Kempenfelt went down With twice four hundred men. Weigh the vessel up Once dreaded by our foes! And mingle with our cup
 The tear that England owes. Her timbers yet are sound,
 And she may float again Full charged with Englands thdnder, And plough the distant main.
  But Kempenfelt is gone,
 His victories are OCT; And he and his eight hundred Shall plough the wave no moro.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
Henry watterson in the Louisville Gour'

Henry watterson in the Louisville Cour-
 ier-Jonrnal
 T HE search for winter sunbeams
 ]" has become an incident of mod
 ern life in what may be called the northern countries, and, with the haut ton of those countries. 1t Is a profession Many must seek the south actually and solely for their health. In Europe, and quite into February. there Is no climate to speak of north of Spain. and, in Spain, but a single city, Barcelona where the living arrangements are tolerable, though at Agiciras and across from Biaritz, they are beginning to learn the rudiments of the value of making people comfortable.
 The bright skies and balmy airs of Italy, of which we read so much in Eng fish song and story, are delusion and Naples, even at Palermo. The English drew their contrasts from their own de- testable weather. A hundred years ago consumptives were sent to Montpelier mostly to die-albeit Montpelier is close upon the Spanish border. Then the French Reviera was discovered, and Nice and Cannes became the headquarters of tu- berculosis and fashion. Let Genoa, only 100 miles away on the self-same coast. is almost as Variable and as bad in point of atmospheric conditions as the valley of the Ohio. Over Monte Carlo and Mentone and \Beaulieu the snow-clad mountains hang, and it is well through January be- fore the spring opens.
 East of the Rockies, in the United States, there is nothing but Florida, and South Florida at that. Fifty millions of people, more or less, must pay sanitary tribute to Florida, or freeze at home That is goodly clientele for a strip of sand some 500 miles in length with a varying
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

Cannon and Payne are not men who believe that revision should revise ex- cept in the interest of the grafters and the further robbing of the con sumers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

The Pacific coast delegates to Chi cago may spring the name of Bob Evans on the convention at the psy- chologieal moment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

Printer Stillings always was man who put on a great deal of style. It was he who ordered all employees in the printing establishment to address each other as Mr., Mrs, or Miss.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

New York state is not only enlarg- ing the Erie canal, but she is also get ting ready to furnish one million horse power which will bring in an income of $6,000,000 a year. A great scheme if plants are at hand to absorb the power.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

FrOm the NeW UfK fTeSs.
 A girls idea of a miracle is if she shouldn't get married.
 When people like singing it's in their own flat instead of the one next to theuas
 A woman can be proud of a man for marrying her. even when she is sorry he did
 What a man likes about politics Is he can believe in principles without knowing what they are.
 The enjoyment a woman gets out of ge- ing to a lecture is trying to understand somebody's explanation of it aftsrward,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

The change in the manner in which MT. Bryan is held is bringing to his support numerous clergymen. These clergymen are after all but keeping step with the laymen of their flocks.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

The letter that was received 53 years after date cannot, it appears, be blamed on "the old man." Some one else had pigeonholed it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10
denunoiation, which may easily do much harm and no good"
optlmlstlc over Euture.

fe"HsoAaL ONCF
 While it is true the insurance busl- ness has suffered to a great extent from the financial depression, condi- tions are gradually improving and in- dications point to a full recovery in a very short while" said F. NJ. Butts of Atlanta, manager of the Cotton h. surance association, and one of the most cheerful optimists in the entire south, just after his arrival in Bir- mingham last night.
 "Of course, I am not in a position to make any kind of predictions on the future of the cotton market but it is my personal belief that the farm CTS of the south will see their hopes realized and receive a fair price for their product this year. Cotton insur- anee was dead for a while and there was much complaint among the in- surance people about the falling off of premiums, but this condition is rapidly becoming a thing of the past"
 MT. Butts spoke eneouragingly of the situation in Atlanta, saying:
 Atlanta is getting along well un- 0Oi pAOhADAllOHs EN6Iy one get HIS bottle if he cares to send off for it, but the blind tiger is a very scarce animal in the Gate City. The places formerly occupied by saloons are being rapidly filled by other business houses, and there is no apparent dull business on account of prohibition.
 T suppose Birmingham would natur- ally feel the depression more than At lanta anyway, though I don't see how anything could affect this town for long at a time. The failure of the Neal bank in Atlanta was. of course, unfortunate. but 1t is surprising to note how little effect 1t had in soaring people, Busi- ness generally is very good and no one remembers the panic"
 About Persons.
 H. H. Kyser of Talladega is at the Morris.
 R. B. Walker, Jr., of Blocton is at the Morris./
 G. K. Little of Tuscaloosa is at the Morris.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-10

The old ice skaters. up north are showing the young folks how they used to cut the figure 8.