davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
GROWING OLD A HABIT.

Orison swett Warden. in Success Maga-
 zine.
 Not long ago the former secretary of of justice of the New York Supreme court committed suicide on his roth birthday.
 'rhe Statute of Limitations; brief essay on the osler Theory of Life" was found beside the dead body. It read, in part:
 "Threescore and ten-this is the Scrip tural statute of limitations. After that. active work for man ceases; his time on earth has expired. .....................
 q am seventy-threescore and ten and I am fit only for the chimney cor ner ."
 This man had dwelt so long on the so-called Osler theory-that a man is practically useless and only a burden to himself and the world after sixty-and the Biblical limitation of life to three score years and ten, that he made up his mind he would end it all on his sev- entieth birthday.
 Leaving aside Dr. Oslers theory there is no doubt that the acceptance in a strictly literal sense of the Biblical life limit has proved a decided injury to the race. We are powerfully influenced by our self-imposed limitations and convic- tions, and it is well known that many people die very near the limit they set for themselves. Yet there is no proba- bility that the Psalmist had any idea of setting limit to the life period, or that he had any authority whatever for so doing. Many of the sayings in the Bible which people take so literally are merely figures of speech to illustrate an idea. So far as the Bible is concerned there is just as much reason for setting the life limit at one hundred and twenty or even at Methuselah's age thine hun dred and sixty-nine) as at seventy or eighty There is no evidence in the Scrip lures that even suggests the existence of an age limit beyond which man was not supposed or allowed to pass. Inf fact, the whole spirit of the Bible is to en- courage long life through sane and heathful living.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
TO A GREEK GIRL.

By Austin Dobson. With breath of thyme and bees that hum: Across the years you seem to come. Across the years with nymph-like tread. And wind blown brows unfilleted; A girlish shape that slips the bud
 In lines of unspoiled symmetry; A girlish shape that stirs the blood With pulse of Spring Autonoe Whereer you pass--where' CT you go I. hear the pebbly rillet flow; Whereer you go--where CT you pass, There comes a gladness- on the grass; You bring blithe airs where CT you tread--
 Blithe airs that blow from down and
 sea;
 You wake in me Pan, not dead
 Not wholly dead!-Autonoe! How sweet with you on some green sod To wreathe the rustic garden-god; How sweet beneath the chestnuts shade With you to weave a basket-braid; To watch across the stricken chords
 Your rosy-twinkling fingers flee; To woo you in soft woodland words,
 With woodland pipe. Autonoel In vain-in vain! The years divide; Where Thamis rolls murlky tide, I sit and fill my painful reams, And see you only In my dreams;- A vision, like Alcestis, brought
 From netherlands of Memory A dream of Form in days of Thought
 dream-a dream. Autonoel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

to good information. everything has been settled, except signing the papers.
 This large piece of ground, which con tains one of the most beautiful Italian gardens in this country, and the houses, which are filled with noted masterpieces, cost Canfield over ss0O,OOO. The price to be paid by the Saratogians is said to be $17500o, which represents a loss of S625ooO to canheld. The fame of the casino was al its height three years ago, when John W. Gates, John A. Drake, and other we'll known millionaires were making fabulous bets on the horses, and also trying to se- leet the place where the elusive ball would drop after the dealer had spun the wheel.
 Two years ago Garfield had some trou- ble with the villagers, and during that season hung out a sign offering the place for sale. Last year the dining halls were kept open. and when the short racing season was over the announcement was made that the place would never be opened again.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
 You needn't try to convince me that the world is selfish to the core" said a commercial traveller. 'I have just come from city in the middle west where this happened: A teamster nearly 70 years and fast losing his eyesight had saved some $500 to buy him a little cottage and with his wife, took the money from the bank to close the deal Like most uneducated persons, he couldn't understand having a check, but wanted the money itself to carry. In the elevator he was robbed of the money. He did not make an outcry, neither did his wife, they. were too stunned
 ''At the police station, where they re- ported the loss, every man on the force was touched at the pathos of it. They impressed upon the police reporters the worth of the aged teamster and his an- guish over the loss. The police reporter of one paper wrote the story just as it happened. In 15 minutes after the noon edition of the paper was on the streets the telephone on the city editors's desk began to ring. Of course, you'll start a fund for that man. put me down for $10 Well, money poured in without any begging for It. and in less than three weeks the amount was raised and the identical cottage bought
 There was no scheme or graft about this. The public heart just opened to the old man and his good wife. I saw them when they came to the newspaper office to thank the paper. and 1t was better than a sermon The grasp of the mans hard ened, brown hand. though he could. not speak made you wish you could help some one every day"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
Reminiscent of Poe.

The centenary of Edgar Allan Poe oc-' CUTS today and will be celebrated at the University of Virginia by the unveiling of bust of the poet, while at the Uni versity of Alabama and perhaps at other institutions of learning fitting exercises will be held.
 ''The centenary will cause a fresh dis cussion of Poe's rank as man of letters," said a member of Birminghams Virginia coloney. "and many interesting stories and anecdotes will be told of the un- happy genius. It has been said that the hundredth anniversary will start a re- vival of interest in Poe's works, but revival is hardly the right word, for there has never been a time since the
 Raven and other poems and the Black Cat and other stories were published that Poe has not been read and appreciated. It Is generally conceded that Poe is our greatest American poet. As he died young only four or five persons are known to be now living who ever saw him.
 1T met an old friend in Richmond the other day-George Canning Wilde-who heard Poe read his famous lecture entitled
 The Poetic Principle at the Exchange hotel in the Virginia capital. MT. Wilde is now S3 years of age and he said that
 he was about 21 years old when he heard Poe. He described the scene as singular ly weird. The hall or assembly room in the hotel where the entertainment took place was dimly lighted. Only tallow | candles were used. The distinguished au- | thor read his lecture by the light of | two fiickering tallows. His manner was | quiet but profoundly impressive, and his recital of those beautiful poems with which he illustrated his lecture was in a l voice at once sad and musical. But MT Wilde said that the finest effect of all was when Poe, In that wondrously eloquent l English of his suggested what some ot the elements of true poetry were-the
 mirroring of deep wells, the signing of | the night winds, the subtle perfume that
 comes from far distant islands; the beauty
 of woman, the grace of her step. the har. mony of the rustling of her robes, the altogether divine majesty of her love. MT. Wilde recalled the audience as | large and cultured, but all but three oi
 those who were present on that mem.
 orable occasion have long since passed | away"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
MERCY? No!l


 Aha! you plead for mercy, Luke Dand- ruff-you who have never shown mercy to your innocent victims. You shall die the death-a fate more horrible from the fact that nobody knows just what the phrase means.
 Mercy? Were you merciful to that young woman, Jessie, the Lovely Plumb CTS Daughter? Did you not corner the lead-pipe market and bring her aged father to within s20O,0 of the verge of ruin? We saw her, Luke Dandruff (Act ID-saw her reduced to the terrible straights of mercerized goods through your fiendsh machnation.
 You shall machinate no more. Your minion, George Wallingford (who might have been an honest Independent League candidate had it not been for your devil ish guile), has turned against you. In another moment Hugh Stanton, who loved her even from the time when they were playmates at Public School No 27s, is coming to the rescue. He will throw you around the stage as though you were samply copy
 You have overreached at last, Luke Dandruff Now about that dying the death, of which we spoke. You cringe? You plead? Well, we reconsider-we do not want your worthless blood on our hands. But
 You have on your pocket permit which allows you to stand on the corner of Forty-second street and Broadway and | tell how you taught Mansfield all he knew about acting. Give me that permit Now Luke Dandruff-Go! You are adrift
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
SOME LONG FEASTS.
From the Chicago News.

tTOln lHe OHlcdSO NEWS.
 Sir Robert Hart, the veteran inspector general of the Chinese customs, speaking at dinner in London the other day, said that he once, in Pekin, sat at a banquet that lasted for 1T consecutive hours. There were 124 courses, and he can envoy to China, who tried to secure the interview with the Emperor Hieng Flung in 1s59 tells how he was entertained at a dinner that lasted from noon one day until o'clock on the evening of the day following. The total number of courses is not given, but Ward mentions that he had to give in after partaking of 13s different dishes. "whereupon his hosts wondered greatly" at his ab- stemiousness.
 Probably, however. the Eskimo banquets last longer than any others, and the quantity of food swallowed is also pro- portionately greater. Ross records that seven of his party of natives once ate continuously for 3S hours, during which time they consumed 200 pounds of seal meat. Europeans, exposed to the same climatic conditions, act in much the same way. Captain Scott of the Discovery, on his return from his long sledge journey over the inland ice of the Antartic conti- nent, did nothing but eat and sleep for the space of three days and nights, and even then he was still hungry.
 Commander Peary and his party, re- turning famished from their futile dash for the pole in 1906, slaughtered a herd of seven musk oxen on Hagen Island, off the extreme North of Greenland For two days and nights thereafter they crouched inside their snow huts, eating continuously, and when they had finished the pile of bones outside was "as high as al ,,oaptS obir,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
SELECTION OF A CHAUFFEUR.

From Harpers Weekly.
 The heavier the chauffeur, the sooner the tires will have to be replaced Few automobilists realize how greatly the wear upon the tires of a car depends upon the weight of the passengers carried, and that 5O or 100 pounds more or less will make an appreclable difference
 An English expert has accumulated data and statistics bearing upon the life of tires of motor cars, and his tests show remarkable results. He concludes that the tires upon six horsepower runabout should last running distance of 1000 miles. With a 140-pound chauffeur this machine would cover only 6426 miles without necessitating a change of tires, and with man weighing 210 pounds the distance would be reduced to 6173 miles When we consider that on such a car the tire cost is about s20 for every 1000 miles. it will be seen that our heavy chauffeur adds approximately s5 more to the run ming expenses than does the lighter man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
WONDER WHY
Money ne'er will make you happy
 Maybe not; Yet, somehow, it always seems to / Hit the spot.
A FRIENDSHIP CALENDAR.

"A F1RlbNpS1lP CAi4ENltAR.
 While L. IT. Robbins, who writes the up in the Air" column for the Newark Star, was out west for his health his friends in Newark conceived the idea of parts of the country to cooperate in mak- ing for him 1909 friendship calendar A greeting for each day in the year was con tributed by each of 365 newspaper workers and others and after the calendar was compiled 1t was presented to MT Robbins. It did him a world of good and he ex- pressed his gratitude in a eulogy of friendship, from which the following par agraph is taken:
 You may not have smiled for years: you smile now. You love your neighbors up the street and down, and you love the people in the calendar as David loved Jonathan, and then some more. You may have been feeling no account and unde- sirable Suddenly you are made aware that S66 good people and true hold you in highest esteem-in high enough esteem, at least, to write 365 pages of gentle josh and suitable sentiment for your exclusive enjoyment. Immediately your stock rises away above par. You feel about as un- desirable as Theodore Roosevelt feels. You experience all the pleasant sensations of matinee idol. You make heroic re- solves and the gratitude wells up from your heart into your eyes. In the words written in familiar hand on the page for January l. True friendship is no one night stand. It covers S65 days in the year and stretches out to all eternity"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
Beautiful Railway Station.

"The magnitude of the new passenger station in Washington startles the stranger and almost takes his breath away" said a travelling man, and 1t is work of architectural taste and beauty; but the Terminal station here in Birmingham is superior as a work of art
 ''This building is large enough for a city of 5OO,OO0 population and l have rare ly seen any large hall or reception room as beautiful as that under the dome of the Terminal station. The station as a whole is a magnificent ornament to Bir- mingham and a great credit to the rail- road companies that built it. It is ex- ceptionally convenient too."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
AUTOMOBILE IN PEkINc.

From Harpers Weekly.
 In Picking streets last year there ap- peared in use, for the first time, an auto- mobile which happened to be of French construction. Cars, of course had occasion ally been seen before in the Celestial capital. but they were the machines em- ployed in international contests. That the automobile as a recognized means of locomotion has been adopted in Picking is all the more significant of modern prog ress when it is remembered that the introduction of European vehicles into the Imperial City occurred but two and a half years ago. On the other hand, an Italian motorist has remarked on the indifference to the horseless machines shown by the Chinese, who saw in it nothing worth attention. "only an invention of men who tomorrow will invent something else" Hence the airship like the automobile, although in time 1t may come to be familiar object to Celestials, is hardly likely to awaken their enthusiasm.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES
THE DESERTED HOME.

THE DESERTED HOME. The roses bloomed and the roses died And winter brought its snow, And mantle wrapped the countryside But that was long ago, When happiness inhabited
 Its rooms so cold and still, And before grief-stricken love had fled From the house that stands on a hill. The wind walls round it's crumbling caves, The shutters idly swing And each storm-beaten chimney grieves Der lifes departed spring; On shattered roof and sprawling fence The rains have worked their will And the hearthstone blaze grew cold long
 since
 In the house that stands on hill. A story's told of spirits there
 And ghost-lilSe figures dim, And grlsly groans on the midnight air, When stars in the heavens swim. Mere vaporing of foolish brains'
 Some rustic heart to thrill Iris only the wrath of the past complains In the house that stands on hill.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
HOW ERASTUS FOUND LIGHT.

From Success Magazine.
 Election is over, and some of us are wondering whether we voted wisely. Voting is something of a hazard at times. if we do not happen to have the plain guidance of the old darky janitor in Princeton. Erastus, being asked how he had voted. replied, "in the mahnin', sah. was inclined to de republican cause, for they gave me three dollahs; but in inc afternoon de democrats gave me two dolloahs. So. sah. I voted de democrat ticket straiCht. because dey was de leas' corrup', sah-de leas' corrup, sah"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Cromwell must be treated respectfully, he being a recognized member of the inner circle of the government. The entire business will be closely watched for it may prove a new departure and a yefy important and far reachiag one at ikat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
ss25. .ooo LOSS FOR cANFlELD.

From the New York American.
 Canfields Casino, the famous show place of Saratoga Springs, where the elite dined and gambled in the heyday of past sea- sons will settle down to sober and re- spectabIe career in the future.
 A committee of citizens from that health resort has been in negotiations with the agents of Richard Garfield with the ob- ject of purchasing the beautiful grounds and houses for show place. According
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
WAUKEM1s GETTING WISE.

Some young fellows came up from Hem nessey Saturday evening and made an att tempt to give a picture show at the opera house. Their machine baked and refused to work and the picture part was a de- cided failure They had excellent music, however, and gave a dance after the show. The next picture show that comes this way will have to put up gilt-edge guarantee if they expect to get any one to attend. The last three have been very much on the bum and you can't fool the Waulemis people all the time; not much, you bet-Waulkemis, Okla, Hornet.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
WHY HE FAILED.

 He lacked the spirit needed for A winner in lifes race; No purpose bold to reach the top Was written on his face; When Opportunity appeared he didn't speak her fair, But when she turned away from him He mourned her in despair The morning brought no glow of hope To fire his heart anew, He couldn't paint the future fair When clouds oercast the blue, But moped along, complaining still, 'Oh, what's the use to try, Since man, whose life is but dream, Was only born to die?' No wonder that he never won To riches or name And happiness in any guise To his house never came. A man defeated yet may rise, Of honor have his fill And wear crown before the world But a quitter never will
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

M. Bunan-Yarilla and Colonel Goeth- als will never agree on the dam ques. tion at Gatun, but the latter is in possession of the field and will carry out his plans.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press
 Like money, people borrow courtesy and seldom pay it back.
 There's nothing makes man so brave as to be facing worse coward.
 The trouble with the money you give people for charity Is it brings them right back for more.
 The thing that makes every woman be- lieve in heridity is all the beauty the children got from her.
 The man who knows what handsome beard he could grow is the one who wears a smooth face
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Our last cold wave is firmly en- trenched, it is believed, between the capitol and the White House where it proposes to stay until the fourth of March
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

The closing days of the winter will soon depend upon the groundhog on Candlemas day. If he comes out and sees his shadow we may have good deal of winter yet.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Judge Landis refuses to accept in an individual sense the decision of the supreme court on that $29, 100000 case. He has turned the new trial over to another judge.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

No single indemnity can take all the war scares out of the Balkans, al- though Austria's proposed payment has taken away the chief danger.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Iowa. Missouri and Texas mean 1t when they say they propose to tax bachelors.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Some seem to think the members of the secret service should carry honk, but then they would not be se- cret at all
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

President A. Lawrence Lowell, liar yards new president, Is to the man. ner born in every sense of the phrase.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

The 'possum can never supplant friend chicken as the chief pride of southern menus.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

About 500 men met last week in their respective states and elected a president, but those men hardly had full freedom of choice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

The winter wheat is blanketed and that is comfort enough at this stage in the game of recuperation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

General Stoessel and associates in prison think they have served as scapegoats long enough.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

A fine lot of cabinet material is developed every day in the soft air of Augusta, Ga.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Baltimore is still indulging in cut funeral rates, but those rates do not seem to act as an inducement to per sons to die.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

The Presidents raid on Africa is be- ing used to boom Liberian real es- tate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

We have forgotten how Roosevelt came in but we can see how he is going out. The lion is outdone.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

France works its guillotine in the open air where all can enjoy it to- gether with the surrounding scenery.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

There are 57 varieties of men men, toned for the seven thrilled holes in the cabinet.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
INFoRMATToN wANTEn

It certainly sounds good to hear you
 say it.
 compliment is very sweet to me: Now will be expected to repay 1t, Or am I really getting something freen
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Statesmen are beginning to learn how to golf themselves into official positions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Thaw seems to need to be told that he is insane about once a month.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
REPLIES.


 An automobile by any other nam0 would break as many necks.
 Rooster a Real Hero is the headline over a dispatch from New Jersey. Most roosters are heroes in their own estima- tion.
 The difference between riding a horse, and riding a hobby is that riding hobby makes other people sore.
 Recent photographs of MT. Jeffries in fighting togs show him to look more like an alderman than a prizefighter.
 Some Telephone Angles is the title of a recent editorial No reflection on tele- phone girls, we hope.
 Pay up and look pleasant" says the Portland Telegram. Trot out the man who can do both at the same time! An old gentleman in Ohio went to the theatre the other night for the first time In his life and declares that he didn't know before that there was such fun in the world. The chorus must have been full of ginger. PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
9ING SOME, ANY WAY.

Did he set the river afire?'' No, but he's burning the road in his, automobile"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

The groundhog is the hope of the snow belt at present.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
GET UP.

Early in the morning,
 When the bold alarm, All your comfort scorning, Tries to break the charm Of sweet slumber's wooing, Don't quiescent lie. Sloth Is mans undoing,- That's the reason why!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
CONDENSED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

CONDENSED AUTOBIOGRAPHY Have you heard about the plan of Mr., worm?''
 "No; what does he propose to doY' Hes going to give to the world his career in a nut shell"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

An automobile by any other nam@ would break as many necks
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19

Washington Bureau Age-Herald. 142l c street. N. w.