davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
UNION OF BALL PLAYERS.
Samuel Gompers Sees No Objection to
Their Organizing.

oamuet SomPeFS SesS mo objection to
Their Organizing.
Ball players of the future may form
a part of the American Federation Of
Labor. President Samuel Gompers ap-
proves it, seeing no reason why, like
other labor, it should not organize and
tote union cards and work on Il union
schedule.
President Gompers saw the Browns
wallop the Tigers at st. Louis the
other afternoon. While he has new
er gained particular note as an en-
thusiastic fan, he is interested in the
national game. After returning from
the game Gompers was asked as to the
possibility of organizing baseball play
erS into union.
Il can see no reason why they
should not organize if they wish to-"
he said. Baseball playing has be-
come a skilled profession, and the
thousands who assembled to see the
victory prove it has become utility.
AS skill is required to play the game,
| see no objection to those of the craft
joining for mutual advantage"
If the ball players decide to form a
union the fans may be furnished the
delightful spectacle of strike" diff
ferent from those common in baseball
parks; also there may be "walkouts''
when some south paw shows up for
work without a card. The question of
the future for applicants on major
league teams may be "Do you belong
to the union?" rather than "What is
your batting average?"
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
WAR ON JACK RABBITS.
Southern California Farmers Planning
Big Drive.

Southern California armeTS Planning
Big Drive.
A great rabbit drive on Oct 6 is
being arranged by the farmers and
ranches of Delano, Cal, in Kern coun-
ty, and it is expected that anywhere
from 25000 to 100000 of the long
cared pests will be slain.
The drive will be made a big holiday
occasion. There will be a barbecue,
with all sorts of merrymaking. A
great inclosure will be prepared, and
the hunters will spread out 50 as to
form a line across the country for
ten miles or more. and the animals
will be forced to head into the trap,
where they will be slaughtered. They
will then be skinned and shipped to
San Francisco and Los Angeles mar
kets, where they bring a few cents
apiece.
There are hundreds of thousands of
jack rabbits in Kern county, and crops
have suffered heavily from them Eff
forts to establish vineyards this year
failed because of their depredations.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
MAGIC GLASS.
A Curious Mirror That May Be Made
Transparent.

transparent.
One of the most curious inventions
of this age Is what is called piatinized
glass A piece of glass is coated with
an exceedingly thin layer of liquid
charged with platinum and then raised
to red heat The platinum becomes
united to the glass in such a way as
to form an odd kind Of mirror.
The glass has not really lost its
transparency, and yet If one places 1t
against a wall and looks at 1t he sees
his image ms in an ordinary looking
glass. But when light is allowed to
come through the glass from the other
side, as when it is placed in a window,
it appears perfectly transparent, like
ordinary glass.
BY constructing a window of plati-
nized glass one could stand close be
hind the panes in an unilluminated
room and behold clearly everything
going on outside, while passersby look
ing at the window would behold only
n fine mirror or set of mirrors in which
their own figures would be reflected.
while the person inside remained in
visible.
In France various tricks have been
contrived with the aid of this glass.
In one a person, seeing what appears
to be an ordinary mirror, approaches
it to gaze upon himself. A sudden
change IN the mechanism sends light
through the glass from the back,
whereupon it instantly becomes trans
parent. and the startled spectator finds
himself confronted by some grotesque
figure that had been hidden behind the
magic glass York Tribune.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
The Century Plant.

The century plant. so named because
of the popular idea that it blooms but
once in a hundred years, in one sense
makes good its name, for it blooms
only once, then dies. In the genial
climate Of southern California 1t reach
es maturity and blooms in fifteen or
twenty years, while in colder climates
the period may range from forty to
fifty years. There are many species of
the agave family native to northern
Mexico, where 1t is called the maguey
The plant furnishes "pulque," the ma
tional drink of Mexico. at the time of
blooming the plant throws up single
stock of rapid growth to the height of
twelve to twenty feet. from which the
tassei-llke flowers sprout forth. This
great flower stalk draws all the sap
and vigor from the body of the plant.
which soon withers and dies.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
The Manical Mirror.

An ordinary mirror of any size or
shape a piece of French chalk pointed
so that it can be used to write and Il
silk handkerchief are the requisites.
Draw upon the mirror with the chalk
any design or words you choose. With
the handkerchief wipe the glass light
ly until it is perfectly clear and no
writing or design is apparent. Having
all this prepared beforehand, show to
some one and request that he breathe
gently on the face OF the glass, when
he will see a picture of his future wife,
for the design drawn will show very
distinctly. This can again be wiped
off, and If breathed upon the design
Will be again visible
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Fiji islanders Sugar Cane Dance.

A very curious and exceedingly clev-
er dance may be Witnessed in Fiji call
ed by the natives "the sugar cane
meke," or sugar cane dance. 1t rep
resents the growth of the sugar cane
In the first figure the dancers squat
low on the ground, shake their heads,
shut their eyes and murmur slowly
and softly an unintelligible sentence.
Gradually they all stand up together,
growing taller and taller, and as they
grow" they wave their arms and
tremble all over from ankle to head.
like the tall, tasseled cane waving in
the wind, and still they keep on chant
ing louder and louder The last fig
ure represents a series of combats
meant to symbolic the eXactions cf
the chiefs. who compel the "kaisi '
willing and unwilling, to come and cut
their cropS.-London Standard
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
SPEED LAWS OF 1916.
Coaches Goins Mine Miles an Hour
Frightened the English.

Coaches Gons Nine Miles an Hour
Frightened the English.
The outcry daily growing louder IN
England against the excessive speed OF
motor cars lends interest to the fol
lowing passage from the Annual Regis
ter for 1916:
A new coach was started in the
spring to run to Brighton. a distance
Of fiftytwo miles, in six hours.
This, however became alarming, par
ticularly in the populous neighborhood
of Newington. through which it passed.
and the parish officers there caused in
formation 70 be laid against the driv-
ers for driving furiously on the public
road so as to endanger the lives of his
majesty's subjects.
The result of this is TO be read in
Mansard's parliamentary Reports" +"
June 10, 1916.
The attorney general moved for
leave to bring in a bill the object of
which was the protection of the lives
and limbs of his majesty's subjects by
correcting the enormous abuses Of
stagecoach drivers. Within these few
days 1t would be hardly credible what
a number of applications he had re-
ceived on this subject.
Some accounts were enough to freeze
one with horror. A gentleman of We
racity had informed him that on Tues
day, May 81, at $50, the Trafalgar
and Regulator coaches set off from
Manchester and got to Liverpool At
$40, doing this journay in two hours
fifty minutes, at the rate of twelve
miles an hOur-New York Sun
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
An Cdorless Disinfectant.

If one objects to the odor of carbolic
odorless disinfectant prepared as fol-
lows: Dissolve half a pound of per-
manganate of potash In four gallons
of water and pour this carefully down
the pipes. This solution, IL allowed to
stand in bowls or basins, will stain
them purple. The stains may be re-
moved with weak solution of oxalic
acid. The acid must be rinsed off i'm
mediately after 1t has been used.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
A LINGUISTIC EscAPADE.
When Henry w. Lonsfeilow Shocked
intellectual Boston.


intellectual Boston.
In the original impression OF Long
fellows poem of 'Hiawatha" there
were found In the seventh book the
three lines following:
Straight into the river Kwasind
Plunged as IL he were an otter,
Dove as If he were a beaver.
How this offending preterit passed
the proofreader without protest is one
of those mysteries which have never
been revealed. But the form certainly
made Its appearance and can still be
found in copies of the poem which
were regularly published and sold.
Boston never received such n shock
since the days when Fenimore Cooper
insisted that 1t was only In the middle
states that the English language was
spoken in its purity. But that attack
came from an outsider. Here the Of
fender was of her own household, was,
in fact, her favorite son. What means
of suppression were resorted to Will
probably never be disclosed. mySte-
rious reticenRe has always been pre-
served In regard to this linguistic esca-
pade. The biographers of Longfellow
appear to be silent upon the subject
Measures of some sort must, however
have been taken at once. Dove" was
expunged. and the decorous "dived"
assumed it's place, and the whole trans
action was so completely hushed up
that no public scandal was created.
Let him who possesses copy of that
first impression continue to cherish it.
Whatever may be its worth now, the
time wifi come when It will reach the
value of the virtuous woman of Scrip
ture, and its price will be far above
rubies.-Pr Professor Thomas X. Louns-
bury in Harper's Magazine.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Mystery Of a Cookbook.
pnnh,l- ,,,antfanad nanlyhnaLrc

CoohDOchSs
''It takes n good deal to make me
wonder" said the publisher, but
received a jolt in the culinary line the
other day that set me thinking. In
looking over the manuscript of n cook
book that had been submitted for our
approval l was struck by this intro
duction to many of the recipes, Good
for boarding house table
'Now, why that discrimination &?
Isn't anything that is good enough for
boarding house table good enough
for any other table, and isn't anything
that is good enough for any other tn
BILE good enough for a boarding house
table? Judging by the way those par
ticular recipes read, they may result
In some rather tasty dishes. Then
why limit them to boarding houses
New York Globe
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
PLAIN JOHN SMITH.
How His Name Changes In Various
Parts of the World.


John Smith-plain John Smiths not
very high sounding; it does not sug
gest aristocracy; it is not the name OF
any hero in die away novels. and yet
it is good, strong and honest Trans
ferred to other languages, it seems to
climb the ladder of respectability.
Thus in Latin it Is Johannes Smithus (;
the Italian smooths it off into Gioyan-
nj Smith; the Spanfards render 1t
Juan Smithus; the Dutchman adopts #
as Hans Schmidt; the French fiatten
it out into Jean Smeet, and the Rus
sian sneeZes and barks Jonloff Smit-
towski When John Smith gets into
the tea trade in Canton he becomes
Jovan Shimmit; if he Chambers about
Mount Hecla, the Icelanders say he Is
Jaime Smithson; If he trades among
the Tuscaroras he becomes Ton GA
Smittia; In Poland he is known as
Ivan Schmittiwelski; should he wan
der among the Welsh mountains they
talk Of Jihon Schmidd; when he goes
to Mexico he Is booked as Jontli
FSmitti; If Of classic turn and he lin
gers among Greek ruins he turns to
Ion Smikton. and in Turkey he is ut
terly disguised as Yoe Seef.-Phreno
logical Journal.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
TO TEACH POSTAL WISDOM.
School Children TO Learn How to Mail
Letters and Study Postal Laws.

Postmaster General Meyer issued an
order the other day directing all post
masters to unite with their local school
authorities with the view of adopting
the most effective method of instruct
ing school children as to the organiza-
tion and operations of the postal serv-
ice, particularly the proper address
ing Of letters and the Importance of
placing return cards on envelopes.
Postmasters are also directed to ar
range If possible to deliver personal
talks to the pupils and give teachers
access to the Postal Guide and the
postal laws and render them every as
sistance in securing necessary infor
nation.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Queer Furs.

This Is cat fur" said a furrier.
1--WE use 1t for Innings. An excellent
lining cat fur makes too. Dogs, calves,
colts, coons, opossums, bats, rats-any
animal that wears fur, in fact. Is sala-
bic in the fur market. Bat hair is
felted up with other stuff into an imi-
tation skin. 1t is also used, believe,
in rope plating The dog, the coon
and the opossum yield fur that, prop
erly treated, makes a very handsome
lining. Rat skins are employed in GER
tain delicate repairs, and they also
serve to form the thumbs of cheap
gloves. \ queer thing about the fur
business is that the furs must be taken
In the dead of winter. The trapper
must work under the cruclest climatic
conditions. Only thus IS the fur ut its
best. The dresser, on the other hand,
who could work best In cold weather,
must do all his work in the heat OF
summer or otherwise he would not be
able to keep up with the changing
fashions. Exchange.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
THE PALACE WAITED.
A Suggestion That Changed the Plan
of a Pope.

A Suggestion That Changed the Plans
of Pope.
At time when there was great suf-
fering among the people from lack Of
food and when famine in its worst
form was threatened Pope Alexander
VI. had made arrangements for the
erection of magnificent palace. The
best architects had been employed, and
the plans had been submitted and ac-
ceptcd and an accomplished builder
had been sent for to come from Venice,
n man whose work had won for him
reuown and who was known to be 4
just and upright man.
The builder had arrived, and at an
appointed time he waited upon his
holiness to receive the plans and make
his estimates. There is one thing yet
to be done" said the pope There
has been no proper inscription or leg
end thought OF to be placed over the
main entrance of the palace. 1t should
be put above the great gate. You have
had experience. Do you think of an In
scription that would be appropriate"
eff your holiness would pardon me
for the liberty, l might suggest one
most appropriate at this time"
you are pardoned in advance" said
the pope. smiling. "Now. what shall
it be?'
Sovereign pontiff, let it be thus
Command that these stones be made
bread"
The pope was visibly and deeply af
fected. He paid the builder muniti-
Gently for his expenses of coming ana
going. and instead of building his pal
ace he fed the hungry ones of his
children.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Tricks of the TrSde-

Buyers of patent leather should look
out for skins in which holes have been
neatly covered with a piece of thin
paper which is vanished over, the un.
finished side being puttied up with
mixture of glue and leather dust
Shoe Manufacturers Monthly.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Genius.

AS diamond cuts diamond and one
hone smooths a second, all parts Of
intellect are whetstoues to each other
and genius, which Is but the result
of their mutual sharpening, is char
acter too.-Alfred Tennyson.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
Unmasked.

81 was introduced TO your wife to.
day, and she glared at me-"
81 can't account for that"
81 can. | s'pose I'm your scapegoat,
you old fraud. kansas City Journal.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
painful kHar,oriss

Mr.. Jorkins-I wish he wouldn't sing
that song about Failing Dew" Mrs.
Jorkins-Why not? Mr.. Jorkins-It re-
minds me too much of the house rent
Baltimore American. E
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26

Suburbanite-You are half an hour
late this morning. Letter Carrier-Yes.
ma'am. The sections of stovepipe
have to wear inside my trousers legs
on account of the dogs you keep along
this street hamper my movements,
ma'am."-Chicago Tribune.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
why She Held on TO IL.

Mrs. Willful-My husband told me If
1t for me. Jeweler-Certainly, madam.
I'll be only too glad. as four different
ladies of YOUR set want It.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26

Try to be something in the worlr
and you will be something. Aim at e.
cellence and excellence will be at
tained.-Roileau
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
The Waist Buttoner.

on. sing all ye husbands and overworked
maids
Who button up waists in the back.
No matter what may be your ages and
grades.
Who button up waists in the back.
For now n device there is coming to town
Which will chase from your faces the
scowl and the irown
And the shirt waisted problem do up very
brown
For it buttons up waists in the back.
With one sweeping touch it will 60 at Its
work
And button up waists in the back
Its labor it never will shuttle nor shirk
In buttoning up waists in the back.
But twill so at slim damse or corpulent
dame
AS though it were playing a lightning
skin game
And have In a iiny neat fastened the
same,
Their waists buttoned up in the back.
No more shall hiatus of widening space
In waists buttoned up in the back
The haste OF the dresser in cruel plain
ness trace
When buttoning their waists In the
back
And no more need stray pins lover
alarm
When feeling entranced with fair ones
sweet charm
tie puts with mlsgiving an embracing
arm
Round the waist buttoned up in the
back
Josh Wink in Baltimore American.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
In Africa,


A shadow clouds the endless sky
In Africa.
The jungle echoes with sigh
In Africa.
The poor benighted Hottentot
No longer roaIns the sandy plot.
But iurketh in his bamboo cot
In Africa.
The lion sxulks with trembling tread
In Africa.
The tiger wishes he were dead
In Africa,
And, chattering with grinning faces,
From bough to bough I'm each oasis,
The monks no longer run the bases
In Africa.
Loud walls the hippopotamus
In Africa,
''Oh, why did they discover us
In African
The pallid boa constructor skips
Unto the gum trees tallest tips
And Kisses through his whitened lips
In Africa.
Within the deep depths OF the Nile
In Africa
A pang assails the crocodile
In Africa.
No more he sunneth on the sand,
Unterrffied, blase and bland.
A-SnappinB mes 10 Deat the Danu
In Africa.
What means. you ask, this boding hush
In Africa?
This ducldng to the uncut bush
In Africa7
Quite soon upon that blighted shore.
Toting his faithful "forty-four,"
lambeth the good King Theodore
In Africa.
kGrantland Rice IN Nashville Tennessean
Nor THE Long Green"
Hicks-They say that the blind can
distinguish colors by the sense of
touch. Wicks-That's nothing. One
doesn't have to be blind to feel blue
Boston Transcript.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26
An Interesting Railway

An interesting railway will be open.
ed in Moscow. Russia, In the near fu-
ture. The line forms an irregular
oval around Moscow at various dis
tances from the city barriers. 1t In
tersects all nine of the Moscow rail
way lines and will be used for trans.
ferring goods from one line to another,
thereby saving carriage and also con
siderably relieving the congested state
OF the streets Of Moscow. 1t will also
tap a whole series of factories which
have hitherto been off any line
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-26

The only serious and formidable
thing In nature Is will.-Emerson.
The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-03-05
Murdered in Barber Shop and Body
Hacked to Pieces by Assassins.

pocket two letters addressed to Saliva
tore Marchinne. and postmarked Pal
ermo. They were addressed to the
care of Antonio Sessa, As Union street
Brooklyn. One was from Antonio
Marchnne, the father of Salvatore,
the other from one Antonio Coma.
Their contents were material in the
solution of the case.
Inquiry at the address given re-
vealed the fact that Antonio Sessa
was the owner OF a small Italian bank
He told the detectives that some time
ago Salvatore Marchlnne came to him
and asked the privilege of having his
letters from Italy addressed to the
bank. Marchinne called there again
on Tuesday last, said Sessa. and got
two letters. He did not know wheth.
er they were the ones found in the
coat pocket.
Aside from that meeting Sessa said
that he never had seen Marchinne and
knew nothing OF him. lie could not
identify the body.
The ollcloth wrapped about the
two bundles found on the dumps is
the detectives believe, a possible aid
to the apprehension of the murderers
II Is of garsh pattern, cheap, and en-
tirely new.
The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-03-05

been but one result under such a con-
dition. The final score was 22 to 0
in favor of Dartmouth. Effective
team work and the inspiration Of the
enthusiastic support of devoted and
loyal constituency won the victory.
''The point which I desire to i'm
press upon this membership is, that If
the Paducah Commercial club is to
win any victories during the ensuing
year, it must develop the same de-
gree of excellence in team work on
its directory. and II must be inspired
by the same quality of support from
its constituency, as that which made
the result of the Dartmouth Harvard
football game a foregone conclusion.
''The lessons which We may draw
from the recital of this brief bit of
sporting history are two-fold. First,
that the force of properly concerted
effort is practically irresistible ana
second, that while all of us cannot
play on the team. everyone of us can
root for the team, either from the
grand stand or from the bleachers.
But besides all this. there is yet
a vital element to the success of om
undertaking, and that element is not
money. Strange as 1t may seem,
do not regard money as a very i'm
portant factor in the equation. We
shall have no high sslaried officers
and the only demand upon this MEM
The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-03-05
PRESIDENT EARL
PALMER OUTLINES
CONTINUED from page one.)

In fact. every man who has cast his
lot in this city and who is Interested
, to any degree in its welfare and future
development.
'In order to maintain such an organ
ization. It is of prime importance that
n policy be adopted for the work
which Is TO be accomplished, and 1t Is
also necessary, that the policy SO
adopted. shall bear the stamp of prac-
ticability and carry with 1t a reason
able hope for the final contamination
of its objects, or else, the organization
is foredoomed to arrive at an untime-
~ and disastrous finish.
Before permitting my name to be
ballotted on by the board of directors,
| insisted upon submitting to that
body my views as to the functions,
which in my judgment. this club
should exercise and the objects it
might hope TO achieve. | did so be-
cause had the views 80 announced. not
been In accordance with those held
by the directory. that body would
still have been In position To I'LL the
Office OF president of the club with
another. the ideas of whom might
have more closely Appropriated
those entertained by the directory.