davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

it is said his mind has frightened since he was chosen Emperor, now only a lit tie more than year ago. He IS man of no education to speak of, and his life in the palace, where he has been sur- rounded by eunuchs and the vicious serv- ants of a depraved court, has not been conductive to mental growth. His first wife was only 12 years of age when she married him, and the present empi ess Is only few years older. At the time of his marriage he was crown prince, and when a wife was sought for him. ac- cording to custom a notice was sent out to all the nobility of the empire that they must suspend giving their daugh- ters in marriage until the Emperor's son had selected a wife. Coupled with this was an order for all who had eligible daughters to send in applications, describ- ing the maidens and showing what they had to offer
 At first only 15 of the noble families responded and this, I am told, was on account of the weak mind of the crown prince and his apparent unftness to man. age a household. Then the government officials sent out second order urging more applications In reply to this 50 were sent in, and from these the old Emperor picked out 30. The girls repre- sented by them were directed to come to the palace, and in due time they appeared in great state. Each was borne In gorgeous closed chair. consisting of box, about three feet square and not more than that high, in which the maid- en sat cross-legged. on the floor. These boxes were carried by servants in liv- cry The man servants of each girl went in front and her slave girls followed behind.
 When the procession arrived at the pal ace the 30 maidens were carefully looked over by the Emperor, who has since been deposed, and the poorest ones to the num- her of 15 were weeded out and sent home. A day or 50 later another inspection was made and the marriageable ladies re- duced to seven or eight. After this there was third examination, and young girl of about 13 or so belonging to the noble Yun family, was chosen. Con- trary to the usual custom in Corea. which provides that the groom has nothing to do with. the selection of his wife, the crown prince himself made the final de- cision. The girl picked out was the youngest of the whole 30. She was small for her age, and when the crown prince pointed her out as his choice, his rather said: "You had better take one or the others. That girl is too smal.'
 "Oh. as to that" was the reply of his majesty, "she will grow" He insisted upon her at the second selection. and also at the third, and finally got her. He was right as to the growing. She IS much larger now, and has developed into a fne-looking Corean woman. She Is very bright, and the Japanese are giv- ing her an education which is in ad- vance of that of any Corean queen of the past She is studying Japanese under the wife of the vice minister of the house. hold department I am told the Em- peror likes her much, and that the two live together.
 Before I go farther, let me tell you
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

, to make her what she was. Her sur roundings had calloused her heart and stunted her mind Society made her what she was and then killed her for being what she was and doing what she did!
 Is that too strong?
 But can you expect anything but degra- dation and disease and crime from the Mary Farmers whom society feeds with the measly crumbs thrown from it's sump- tuous tables?
 Mary Farmer went to her own place the place the world made for her. Under provocation she did just what might have been expected of her.
 To say this Is not to condone her crime, but-the pity of 1t!
 When the history of our times is read by the people of 2009 they will be hor- rified to learn that commonwealths of eficially killed ignorant and erring women Without distressing incidents
 Remember how brave Kate Shelly crawled across bridge in Iowa several years ago and saved the Northwestern limited.
 Her heroism has been celebrated in song and story.
 A fit companion piece to that heroic deed, heroically done, is the story of the rescue of nine children by Mary McCann recently awarded a medal by Congress. It was five years ago, and Mary was then but II years of age. She sat in her invalid's chair that day on the veranda of cottage on North Brother island convalescing from an at tack of scarlet fever. | Listlessly the girl watched an excursion steamer loaded to the guards with Sun- day school children. colors flying and band playing, as it cut the blue waters. And then came an awful explosion.
 Fire and flame seemed to burst from every part of the big boat. And then clouds of smoke enshrouded the scene, The fearful cries of women and children arose. The boat was turned and beached on the sands far out from shore.
 A crowd gathered. and a few boats put off to the rescue. People on shore wrung
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09
NELSON w. ALDRICH-By SavoyarC

accepted it and 1t is the law of the land today but it would take a search warrant to discover or bring to light any bless ing that has come from it; but the eoun- try was in a frenzys now happily in q measurable degree composed, and the rate bill is in the courts to undergo the touch of the Constitutions Ithuriel spear. I doubt if the railroads care a cuss what the result of the test may prove.
 The senator from Rhode Island is also the author of that patchwork, the present banking law. It is not such law as he would have made, or such a law as he in- tended to make; but 1t Is the best that could be extorted from Congress in whose veins ran the fevered blood of fiatism. It is the ambition of Aldrich to give his country banking law that will make New York what London has been for more than two centurles-the worlds clearing house; and he knows better than anybody else that to do that every shade of every shadow of every suspicion of fiat must be banished from our banking system, and that means gold not bonds, behind every paper dollar.
 But at present, MT. Aldrich has the job of his life on his hands. The G. O. P.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

their hands as they saw women and children drown before their eyes.
 And Mary McCann, invalid?
 Why, the physicians had said that in her weakened condition she must be kept very quiet.
 And this was the answer of the little maid: She ran to the water. waded, leaped swan through the surf. She caught a child that had jumped from the burning vessel into the water, dragged the little one ashore and turned 1t over to willing hands.
 Then she turned back on another mis- sion of rescue.
 Nine times did the brave girl go. and each time she brought back a half drowned childi
 This did Mary McCann, heroine, that June day, 1904.
 And after five years Congress, which is as slow about awarding hero medals as 1t Is in revising the tariff, presented. through its presiding officer, a medal to Mary McCann?
 She has grown since that day of the explosion of the General Slocum into a woman and Is student nurse at a Wash ington hospital.
 Isn't it fine?
 And do you wonder that old Jeo Can non when he gave her the medal stopped and kissed the lips of Mary McCann2
 "A boy should be kept in barrel an6 fed through the bung until he Is H years of age"
 Thus Mark Twain. And of course Mark exaggerates his statement for the sake of humor. A boy is a boy, always will be boy until he is a man, cannot help being a boy all the time and everywhere. You cannot put an old head on young should CTS.
 An incident:
 He comes home from school, drives in the front door like a catapult, raises an Indian warwhoop, throws his books on a chair and his cap into a corner and dives into the depths of friendly couch.
 Whew! And the protests-"Don'tv' Don't yell soi' Don't crush the cush-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

as this merchant clerk, who would doubt less be bored by Burle's speech on the Nabob of Arcot's Debts, or by Webster and Calhoun on the scope of constitution al prerogative. or by the speeches of Douglas Sumner, Toombs, Fessenden, Benjamin or any other orator of that day on the slavery question.
 In 1883 Congress enacted the "commis- sion tariff" Aldrich had more to do with the making of 1t than any other indi- vidual though John sherman had a good will to kill it for the advantage the wool and woolen schedule gave the wool spin ners of New England over the wool grow CTS of Ohio. Aldrich made the Senate s response to the Mills bill. He perfect ed'' the Mckinley tariff of 1890 He wrote the metal and cotton schedules of the Wilson bill He made the Dingley bill. He will make the .'revised" tariff of 1909, if it is made. In short, Nelson W. AL drich has made every tariff this country has had since and including 1883.
 Aldrich made the famous rate bill' there was such a row over while ago, for he was the author of the famous "Allison amendment" that got every vote in the Senate except three-Morgan's Pettus and F'oraker's. The President
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

Seoul, 1909. \ HAVE just returned from an audi
 ence with his imperial majesty Vi \ Chok, the Emperor of Corea. It was held in the East palace, one of the four great establishments which his majesty owns in and about Seoul, and as weftalked I could hear the hammers of the carpenters who are building a great audience hall nearby for the re- captions of the future. My meeting with the emperor had been arranged by viscount Some, the acting Japanese res 1dent general, at the suggestion of Prince Ito, of whom had requested an audience when met him at his villa near Tokio, some months ago The Emperor of Corea Is now under the absolute control of the Japanese gov ernmont. Pince Ito is his adviser, and the country is ruled by Japan, with his majesty as the nominal head. In other letters shall show whether this is for the good or i'll of Corea. Today write of his majesty alone and of the royal family to which he belongs. |
 If blue blood means anything Vi Chok ought to be one of the strongest monarchs on earth. There is no doubt but that he is the weakest. Neverthe- less his veins are streaked with a cerulean fluid which began It's royal flow a hundred years before Columbus discovered America. Many generations before Shakespeare was born, hundred years before the first Bible was printed and two hundred years before Luther stirred up Germany with his preaching the ancestors of this young man sat upon the imperial throne and governed nf -foo ond o1 A. eyed subjects. VI Chok is the thirty first ruler of the present dynasty, which began to reign in 1892 His father was Vi Hung, the man whom the Japanese forced to abdicate in July, 1907, and his mother was the famous queen whom the Japanese assassinated shortly after the close of their war with China.
 The King and Queen were somewhat related to each other, and Vi Chok Is the offspring of the intermarriages of many cousins during these past generations He came into life a weakling. mentally and physically. One of our early min isters to Corea, writing to our state de- nartment concerning his audiences with this mans father, mentions in footnote having seen the crown prince. When the state paper was printed footnote, which was intended only for the secre- tarys eye, was added to the bottom or the message It stated that the crown prince was weak mentally, and that. in fine opinion of the minister this was an evidence of the evil effects of the inter marriage of near relatives
 His majesty's father has never been noted for strength of character, and he has evidently inherited nothing from his mother, who belonged to the Min family, and was one of the most forceful women who have ever been connected with an Asiatic throne.
 The weakness of the Emperor's mind has long been matter of remark among both Coreans and foreigners. He has lit tie more intellect than baby, although,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

in their lives, and none had ever run be- fore. They tried to beg off, and one or two attempted to hide. They were all dragged out. however, and made to run, while his majesty uproariously laughed.
 After leaving his majesty I met the vice minister of the household department, who has charge of all the palaces of Seoul, and is practically the business manager and advisor of the Emperor. We went together through the audience hall, which is now being repaired, and after ward visited the museum, which the Jap anese have established in one of the old palace buildings, and the geological gar dens, where his majesty has tiger, camel. and the beginning of collection of the Corean fauna. The audience hall Is several hundred years old. It is one of the finest buildings of Corea, but it was going to ruin when the Japanese took hold. They are now rebuilding 1t and adding many Improvements.
 Imagine great temple with double roof of heavy tiles, rising more than hundred feet apove the ground. Let 1t have ridge roof. curving after the old style of Corean architecture, and dec crate its many rafters with carvings painted blue and red Let wide stone steps, beautifully carved, lead up to the stone platform and on into a hall, and you have the back of this structure. At the front and on the sides are long halls surrounding a court which covers per haps a quarter of an acre. These halls are being reconstructed. and they are to be used for the imperial receptions and dinners. The court is to have a fine garden, in which fountains will play. The interior of the audience hall. which has a floor about 100 feet square. is being laid with mosaic flooring. It has ceiling, wonderfully carved, which rises about 75 feet above the floor, being upheld by many red pillars, each as big around as flour barrel but in one log as cut from the tree. The carvings and decora- tions were made by the Coreans of 200 years ago, but the floors are being put in by sapanese carpenters. When com pleted this structure will be one of the finest audience halls of the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

well up off the ground and they have arched roofs of heavy tiles which ak tend far out beyond the walls and make them quite picturesque. cannot tell you how many buildings there are in this palace, but the number Is enough to form commodious quarters for his majesty and his retinue. When l say that he has two thousand servants and that the most of these eat and sleep inside the walls, you will see that they must be extensive.
 The buildings of today are strange combination of the old and the new. on this spot for more than three hun dred years, and the buildings have been patched up and remodeled from time to time. Just now new structures are be- ing erected and the audience hall, in which his majesty will receive In the future, will be far different from that in which I met him today. The waiting room, where I was received by the court chamberlains in company with General Okesaki and a number of oth- CT Japanese officers was evidently the result of foreign graft and 1t made me think of the Pennsylvania state house wh ere the furniture was paid for by the inch. Outwardly it was Corean, but the interior was of the cheapest foreign style as to it's decoration and furni ture. It had green pine doors, such as one buys at a dollar each at our lumber yards, and the door knobs were of the plain white porcelain variety. The paper on the walls and ceiling did not actually cost those who furnished 1t more than 15 cents a roll, and the yellow velvet carpet on the floor would be high at $2 a yard.
 In striking contrast with this plain ness were the uniforms of the Corean officials and Japanese generals. All were of European cut, but they spar kled with gold lace and brass buttons. The master of ceremonies wore a gold hilted sword at his side, and he had a black hat trimmed with ostrich feath- CTS under his arm. The Japanese army officers were clad in fine cloth uni forms of @ khaki color, but wore decor ations, according to rank and service ranging in size from the diameter of a red cent to that of a pint cup.
 When the time for my audience came the master of ceremonies took me through long hall into the audience room proper. This was, I judge, about 50 feet wide and 100 feet long. The Emperor of Corea, several of his cab met and Viscount Some stood at the opposite end of this room facing the door The emperor was in the center of the party, and according to etiquette l marched forward 10 steps, and then bowed then went on until I reached his majesty, when I bowed again. To my surprise, the emperor bowed. too, and held out his hand. I took it and we shook I wish you could have felt that hand. It was as soft as cotton and warm and pleasant to touch.
 The man who had been received be- fore me had merely bowed upon his
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

ionsp' Don't come in with such dirty shoes!" Don't be so careless with your capl"
 Whereat the boy, who has come into the house heartful of boisterous gladness, grows sullen and savage. He goes out. slamming the door behind him, with a grievance against his home folks.
 The effect of that is dangerous on the boy, who cannot be barreled up and fed through a bunghole.
 The boy Is naturally rough and bolster ous. He is built that way If he is ever to be much of a man he must be loud and full of vitality-with a vent. And the boy brides himself on his roughness. It is his natural method of expression. What are to us faults are in his eyes virtues such, for instance, as teasing his sister to show his love for her.
 Now. what must be the effect of con- stant scolding and nagglng on boy thus constituted?
 Under his jacket arc keen sensibilities. Reproof for mere blowing off steam or fends him. Constant hostility by his household frets and hurts him to the core. And in order to ''get evenv he is likely to go wrong.
 There is a better way.
 It is sometimes difficult, but be gentle with the boy. You can lead him, but you cannot drive him-successfully. Drive him and you get sullen obedience and in- ward rebellion.
 Appeal to the boys manliness. He has a lot of it in him. Trust him and he will gratefully respond.
 Utilize his surplus energy by giving him a task or an errand And be sure to thank him when he does we'll That warns his heart.
 Give the boy a chance. Do not make his home too good for him. If he leaves tracks on the floors or musses the rugs or cushions, what of it? Is not your boy welfare more than rugs and cushions?
 You can't put your boy in barrel; therefore give him a chance.
 The trustees of a large church in Chi cago have asked the pastor to resign be- cause he is too old.
 The pastor is 60 years of age.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

Love!
 Earth and heaven are comprehended in the word. Without it earth would be but desert and there would be no heaven.
 Love has been greatly slandered. Prov erbs have been made about 1t, proverbs that have lived for centuries and that have been seldom questioned.
 Among these fallacies is this one:
 First love Is the only true love-
 Experience proves the fallaoy of this proverb First love may be true love. and it may be only puppy love. but it is not necessarily the only true love. Love flows from an inexhaustble fountain. If 1t is real affection 1t may give itself many times and be as true and as fresh as at first. Other things being equal. first love is apt to be immature and lacking in real depth and power-mere sentment-while the next love or the next may be fer vent and abiding.
 Another of these false proverbs is:
 Love is blind"
 Love is not blind. 1t is wide awake and alert to see Above all things. true love is insight. It sees the real It does not judge by eXteriors. Where others see only deformity and weakness the keen insight of love with detect both strength and beauty. Many of us would go through the world unloved and capacities would be unknown did not the keen eyes of love detect and reveal our virtues.
 Another false saying:
 True love never did run smooth"
 As matter of fact, it usually does run smooth. Why not?, It is not dangerous, like false love- Love calls for adjustment It concerns two persons It must over come difficulties inherent in finite people. It Is mostly in romances that true love gets into deep difficulties. True love may or may not run smooth; false love sell dom or never does.
 True love can never die"
 It can die. It does die-daily. It can be killed. It need not be murdered out right either; 1t can be killed by neglect. If love is not fostered and fed it will die of starvation Love, like everything else, lives and grows and tnrives by what it feeds on. False love cannot live; it must die sooner or later. True love may die.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09

ing dawned gloriously. The party met soon after breakfast at the pastors house.
 The lunch was packed, the bait was dug.
 and grand visions cf shining suckers. '' game perch" and vigorous "chub" were filling the vivid imaginations of the party,
 while they waited (not very patiently, am afraid) for the deaeon's double buggy. After some delay a boy brought a note from our deacon, expressing his regret that he was obliged to use his buggy that day. The Enoree river was ten long miles off The Greenville pastor had been close ly confined for weeks. and was spelling for a sight of his favorite stream. He desperately proposed that we should go by the safest, surest and most independ- ent mode of conveyance known to man i. e., IS he called 1t, "a foot back" So We all footed the 20 miles. and not one of us ever regretted the walk. The philosophy
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09
HEART TO HEART TALKS-By Edwin A. Nye

Having given 25 of the best years of his life-the very heart of his manhood-to the people of his congregation, he is to be turned out like an old horse.
 furthermore
 The trustees say, What We need is d hustlng business man who can raise money and a man who can preach ser mons that will attract, a man not afraid of notoriety."
 It is easy to see what sort of concep- tion of the church is held by these trus- tees. They want a church where material prosperity abounds, a church of influence and prestige and power.
 Their idea of successful church is that of an expensive plant, artistic music that will attract critical people, sensational preaching that will excite the comments of the press and draw the crowds
 In all this programme there Is not an iota of Christianity.
 If a church of Christ is anything more than an ethical society or a lodge or a club, 1t is a divine institution organized for a particular purpose. And that par tlcular purpose is the saving of the souls of men.
 The church is set for the cultivation of the spiritual life. All else is incidental.
 An expensive building is all right, pro- vided 1t shall minister to spiritual uses.
 Excellent music is good-if it does not degenerate into mere entertainment.
 And strong preaching is necessary, pro- vided 1t is gospel preaching.
 But
 When the church puts bigger premium on ambitious buildings of stone or high priced music that is more intellectual than heartful. or oratory in the pulpit, or social gifts and graces, than it does on the depths and sweetness of spirituality, why
 That church ought to go out of the church business and go into the show business.
 Men and women can get music at the concerts, oratory from the lecture plat form, society where they choose. They go to church for another purpose.
 Poor old pastor!
 He could still be of use in a church. But he cannot run circus.