davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
QUICK WITTED ROGUE.
Only a Rapid Thinker Could Have
 Planned So Clever a Trick.

Harry Furniss in the January Strand.
 Mons. Claude, chief of the Paris police, was ordered on one occasion to arrest an escaped prisoner who had defrauded the government At the time Paris was wild over the songs of Pierre Jean de Beran- ger, which were heard everywhere, though the poet himself was little known. In his hunt after the convict Claude en- tered the famous Closerie des Lilas, where he found his man surrounded by 2. swarm of pretty girls, the bewitching danseuses of the Latin quarter.
 The escaped prisoner saw him and turned pale. Quick as lightning, however, he nut his lips to the ear nearest to him and whispered, Tt is Beranger." In a moment all the beauties surrounded Claude, hemming him in. They bowed to him and embraced him, and threw bou- ouets of flowers over him. The music stopped, the dancers joined the throng, and with one voice cried "Vive Beran- get! vive Berangerl" The delight at finding their song writing hero in their midst intoxicated them, and poor Claude was powerless. He was so embarrassed by their embraces and the flowers and compliments showered on him that he could neither move nor speak, and the convict managed to escape before the clever trick was discovered.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
My endeaVors Have ever come short of my desires. king Henry VIII.
4 Full Normal Crop Defined

The statistical bureau of the depart ment of agriculture has just issued a circular explaining what the term "a full normal means. A full noraml con dition in a growing crop does not mean a record breaker is coming, but it does point to something more than an average crop. It indicates an out turn between an average crop and a possible maximum. Let us, however, give the department of agriculture the benefit of it's own explanation. It says:
 The full normal may be described as a condition of perfect healthfulness, unim- paired by drouth, hall, insects or other injurious agency. and with such growth and development as may reasonably be looked for under these favorable condi- tions As stated in the instructions to correspondents, it does not represent crop of extraordinary character, such as may be produced here and there by the special effort of some highly skilled farmer with abundant means, or such as may be grown on a bit of land of extra ordinary fertility, or even such as may be grown quite extensively once in dozen years in a season that is extra ordinarily favorable to the crop to be raised. A full normal crop in short, is neither deficient on the one hand nor extraordinarily heavy on the other. While a full normal condition is but rarely re- ported for the entire corn, wheat, cotton or other crop area at the same time or in the same year, its local occurrence is by no means uncommon, and whenever it is found to exist it should be indicated by the number 100.
 This makes plain what is meant by the phrase as it appears in government rop bulletins Full normality is, in short, crop health both in respect to cultivation, the soil and the weather in which it grows. It does not often be- come a general condition or a general outturn, but it may appear in spots any year.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14

music appeals to greater number of people, and hence is more far-reaching for good than any other moral or up- lifting agency after the church and the public school.
 Birmingham has had music festivals of high artistic value in years gone by. Some of them were financially success ful, while others were not well at tended. But Birmingham is a much larger eity than it was when MT. Guck- enberger organized and conducted fes- tivals here several years ago, and not only that, but the musical spirit is stronger now than it was formerly. The festival planned for next May will be on a much wider scale than any pre- vious musical event and it should arouse lively interest not only here at home, but throughout the state. It promises to be a splendid affair in every respect and as for the business end of it no undertaking of the kind was ever in abler hands.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
THE CONQUEST OF OPIUM

1 HE edct from Pekin, reducing the lU period within which the opium
 evil shall be completely eradi- cated in China, expresses the de- termination and the confidence of the central government in the work 1t has set about China is to be con- graduated upon the progress that has been made in this great crusade during the past two years. In September, 1906, an imperial decree was published order ing that within ten years the opium evil, and with it the use of all opium, whether foreign or domestic, shall be completely eradicated. The measures which the government council was or dered to frame were published two months afterward, and were rigorous and far reaching.
 The world was not slow in taking China at her word, and she has been assisted on many hands, Great Britain in par ticular set about to make amends for the perpetuation of a vice for which she had been so largely responsible. An English writer in the current North American Review declares that but for the propulsion of the house of commons, neither the authorities in India nor the governors of Hong Kong, Ceylon, the Straits Settlement or the federal Malay
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
MODERN LIFE AND BABIES.

ErOm the BOStOU NTlODS
 New York city's birth rate for 1908 was larger than for several years, although it's marriages were fewer, owing to a new license law, which makes it harder to be "spliced" in @ hurry, thus giving many impetuous couples time to change their minds, or forcing them to take the alternative of a trip to New Jersey.
 The increase in babies is encouraging, and a contradiction of the belief that modern city life-particularly in so great a city as New York-discourages the rearing of families.
 Flat-house proprietors, who draw the line on babies while merely discounte- nancing dogs, will have more troubles than ever now, in the befiatted city of Gotham.
 AS for the new babies. their lot will not be a pleasant one, at least the lot of those born in flats.
 With improved rapid transit, due to tunnels, bridges and other accessories to speed. tho babies have chance, how ever, of getting out into the suburbs. where they will have chance to play with mud pies and grow fat.
 Babies are the hope of any community and great and. wicked New York has reason to congratulate itself on it's course and its evident responsibility.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
Hear TiIlman's Speech.

q was trifie disappointed" said Rich mond Lowe, an attorney of Washington city who is in Birmingham, when Ben Tillman had completed his reply to the charges of Mir Roosevelt. I was satis- fled with his subject matter, and believe that he put forth his case excelently.
 But what I expected was rip snorting speech, filed with words that are spicy, and others that cause one to sit up and take notice But the 'pitchfork was never more careful than on the 6ay of his reply. He was as cool as a cucumber, too cool to please the gallery. He spoke his words calmly and distinctly. But they did not come raspingly through his teeth. He did not shake his head and stamp his feet. He did not wildly gesticulate, as is his wont, nor did he say the hard things that people expected
 "While was disappointed, I was withal pleased. Ben Tillman revealed another phase of his character He can be digni- fled when the fire has been turned in his direction. If he had been defending a friend against the attack of Mir Roose- veIt. he would have been more vitupera- tive But when defending himself, he was calm. patient, and even dgnified. His language was strong, but not scathing. He said just et.ough, and not too much.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
STORIES ABOUT WORDS.

FrOm the Cn1cagO News.
 During the presidential campaign 64 years ago certain whig newspapers pub lished an absurd statement derogatory to the democratic candidate for President, James K. Polk under the caption, Baron Roorback's Tour Through the Western and Southern States" The statement was easily disproved. and probably did little or no harm to the man 1t attacked. Ever since then, in American political par lance, the 'roorback" has been the cam paign lie, particularly the one uttered so soon before election as to make its an- swer matter of difficulty.
 Few languages are so free from foreign elements as German, in which even medi- cal and scientific terms are expressed by great polysyllabies instead of the far more concise Greek and Latin forms in At the present time, however, when the Berlin papers are full of the Austro- Turkish crisis, the word "boicottiren'' is freely used. In addition to the German verb, Captain Boycott is immortalized in the "boycotter'' of the French. 'boyco- ten' of the Dutch, and "boycottirovat'' of the Russian.
 As used nowadays by the newspapers, the word interview is said to have beeen the invention of Joseph Mccullough of St. Louis, and, according to the Ency- clopaedia Britannica, it became popular in England in the early nineties. But il was known before that A writer on the subject in The Nation of 1869 was possibly the first to use the word in its present sense of talk with representative of the press.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14


 After a lapse of year. France this week will return to the use of the guillotine M Deibler, who thought his occupation gone, resumes the role of official execu- tioner.
 President Fallieres has been an ob- stnate opponent of capital punishment His policy has been to commute death sentences to life Imprisonment. But the frequeny of the crime of murder and tine increase in the number of condemned murderers in French prisons, especially cases like those of the infamous Soleil- land and the Pollet gang has produced a popular reaction against the president S humane methods. Before adjourning last month the chamber of deputies, by ma jorty of 127 votes, decided against the abolition of capital punishment.
 At the time there were IS nurderers in prison under sentence of death, but reprieved by President Falieres. It was questioned if he would give way before the chamber of deputies Under the French constitution the president cannot minister of justice, but he may refuse to sign the death warrant submitted by that minister and so impede the execution of the decree. In the circumstances, how ever, President Fallieres has abandoned his position and has already approved the death penalty in certain cases.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
HEADQUARTERS FOR DIVORCE.
Ten Per Cent of Sioux Falls PopuIa-
 ton Applicants.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post
 Sioux Falls, s. D., has a population of 15.oo0. and 10 per cent are applicants for divorce" said Norman F. Rose of New York, a guest at the Ebbitt, last night. T had business in Sioux Falls. and the colony O. divorce applicants was enumerated when I was there, and there were 15O0 of them The business is so common that none of the natives pay any attention to it. Half the litigants are from New York, where divorce de- crees are almost impossible, except for the most fragrant violation of the marital vows.
 "It is no trouble to pick out the di- vorcees," continued the New Yorker. "They are divided into two parts-the newly come and the old residents of two weeks and more. When the train brings in new squad it rushes to the leading hotels, registers, goes into immediate re- tirement and remains in seelusion for ten days or two weeks. Then the room doors are opened and the colony Is augmented at once There is also the old resident, who breaks the newcomer in. Men do not quite take the ten-day limit.
 Three or four days gets them posted, and they are out making the best of their exile before the first week is ended. The tinid woman, who thinks it is awful, and does not want to get her picture in the home papers, Is discovered by some other woman who has got over being timid and then the pretense is off. It is horseback riding and rowing with other plaintiffs, mostly women. but enough men to go round.
 There are two women divorcees to one man divorcee up there. The native wom- an can be told from the imported article by her features. Most divorcees are blonds with expensive shoes. The natives are demure and retiring. Nobody invites them to go horseback riding. There are few churches for the natives. no chil-' dren with the divoroees, and the bland est lot of lawyers ever gathered within the corporate limits of a town. All of them are specialists on divorce. Every body, on being introduced, Is asked, When does your case come up? and nobody gets lonesome after meeting the barbers the manicurists, or the old residents who know the folly of grieving, where mo- body else grieves.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
MT. Taft and the Cabinet

The President-elects frankness is one of his characteristic and excellent traits. He has frankly told the people that MT. Knox is to be Secretary of State, and MT Hitchcock is to be Post master General, but there his frank ness abruptly ends. The remainder of the cabinet is to be kept a close secret until March 4.
 But it will not be. Cabinet making will go on continuously Facts or at least opinions will leak out at both Augusta and Washington, and when the full slate is announced there will not be surprise in it. So it ever has been, and so it will be this year.
 The country likes to assist in the work of cabinet making. All like to discuss the availability or fitness of this or that man for this or that port folio, and all will continue to do their accustomed work, and 1t would have been better no doubt if MT. Taft had decided to stay frank to the end of his freedom as President-elect. He should not attempt to deprive his fellow-citi- zens of the harmless but pleasing task  of cabinet making.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
This Years Anti-WeeVil CamDaidn

The department of agriculture and the Louisiana and Mississippi Senators and Representatives have matured a plan for fighting the boil weevil that calls for considerable appropriations. Dr. Knapp, who proposes to establish demonstration farms in every county in Mississippi and every parish in Louisiana, wants an appropriation of s250.000. With that sum he thinks he can bring the cultural methods of the department of agriculture before all the farmers.
 Dr. Howard, the entomologist, wants an appropriation of $300,00O. He is still looking for parasites that will make war on the boil weevil Few however, have faith he will find an in- sect that can successfully combat the Mexican pest.
 Senator Foster asks also for an ap- propriation of $250, 900, and if Congress votes it the money is to become i'm. mediately available, and is to be spent between now and July 1.
 The Mississippi and Louisiana mem- bers and Senators think all the appro- priations named are needed and could be spent this year to good advantage. The battle against the boil weevil is pressingly important, and Congress is being urged to vote all the sums named in order to keep the insect from ravag- ing the southeastern section of the cot fOn belt
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
WOMAN AND HOMICIDE.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
 It is becoming increasingly difficult to convict a woman of any degree of mur- der except under circumstances which admit of no doubt of guilt. The latter are few. In most instances where a woman is involved witnesses to the crime are absent and circumstantial evidence alone is relied upon for conviction. Now, although in some instances so-called cir cumstantial evidence is much stronger than that of direct eye-witnesses. there is a feeling quite common that where direct evidence is lacking the accused must be given all the benefit of the doubt. This is quite as true of men as of women, but homicides by men are more apt to be in the open than when committed by women.
 There is natural feeling of gallantry in man which makes him lean toward any woman accused of crime, especially if she be young and beautiful, as in the Nan Patterson case, no matter how wicked her career. All men are apt to judge the whole opposite sex from their own experience. They think all women are fairly well up to the standard of their wives and mothers or sisters and are willing to make allowances for dere- lictions on the probable ground that the woman was first abused. Now it can hardly be proved that women are essen tially better than men from an abstract point of view. Their view of life is somewhat different from that of the other sex. It is almost entirely subjective. The woman cares little about society at large compared with her own personal interests and those of her children. She is like the tiger, who will fight for her cubs. It is fine division of sentiment in the family that woman is almost an anar- chist. who is against everything that is not for the benefit of her children while the father is the representative of gen eral social order.
 Women seldom commit crime with long reconciliation, but they are impulsive and in a crisis care for nothing but the at tainment of their own ends. It Is certain that women are the conservators of morals, the light of the home and the perpetrators of the race. It is only the few bad women who come into the lime light while the great mass of patient, hardworking. loving women are little known to fame. But when a woman is bad she gives no hostages to fortune and her sole reliance in time of dire trouble Is on the chivalrous spirit of man, which seldom fails her even when she may not deserve it. 4.4en love the whole sex too much to punish individuals too severely. The number of male saints walking the earth is not overly great.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
Lowndes County Hunters.

Tn Lowndes county said we'll known sportsman last night, there is a little colony of hunters which approaches the ideal. They have the best dogs in Alabama. the best guns; they know the country like a book, and the place which every covey uses;' they are hospitable to a degree. and the visitor is rendered ev- cry courtesy.
 T was in Lowndes county some days ago, and at the hands of the Dean boys, Cliff, Bob and Jim, and Uncle Bud Grant l fared exceedingly well. We spent sev- eral days in the woods, and when night fell always had as many birds as the law allows us to kill. My hosts were among the substantial farmers of Lowndes, and were exceedingly good fel- lows.
 The people of Lowndes believe and al ways did believe in having the very best of everything, and this rule goes as con- corning sports. They are all good shots, and their dogs are superb in the field. There are many birds in Lowndes this season, and sportsmen are having great time. If you have day or so to spare, go down into Lowndes, call for the Deans and MT. Grant, and a fine days sport is assured you
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
On the Culture Side

Most of the larger cities in the. south have arranged to hold music festivals this year, and Birmingham is included in the list. And it is noteworthy fact that in nearly every instance associa- tions have been organized on a perma- nent basis so as to assure a festival every year.
 The revival of the music festival spirit is significant and encouraging. It indicates that with the material progress of the south is coming freer movement for the cultivation of that which is humanizing and uplifting. Within the past ten years public libra- ries have been established in many cities in the south and in a few of them foundations are being laid for public art galleries. While all depart ments of art are refining and educa- tive. it is safe to say that beautiful
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Methods In Dry Towns.

Tt is of interest to see the varying methods in vogue in dry towns to supply those men who still drink liquor,' said Alex H. Darden of Baltimore. Tn three North Carolina communities l visited re- | gently the blind tiger was little in evi- l dence and the only sign of the liquor traf- hc was in what is generally known as bootlegging.
 Tn Charleston, S. C., liquor is dispensed without much effort at conceament, and in Savannah there seems to be no effort whatever to have prohibition laws en- forced. In Atlanta every visitor IS struck with the open sale of beer under the name of near beer, and the absence of whisky traffic. At one of the exelu- sive clubs In Atlanta where the locker had been installed, that method has recently been declared antiquated and the mem bers buy drinks over the bar and pay for the same just as they did before pro- hibition became effective. I am told that the social clubs of Birmingham not only use the locker but that the law is rigidly complied with.
 Everywhere l go in the dry belt hear complaint about the poor quality of H. quor that is found even where it is legal ly handled But such complaints are doubtIess exaggerated In blind tigers and among bootleggers, the whisky is pTooa- bly of a cheap grade, but in private houses and high social clubs. there IS reason to believe that as fine gods are kept as in former years"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
Railroads Hacing Orders

While the new year has not brought the large degree of industrial activity that was predicted just before the holi- days, yet signs of substantial improve ment are now in evidence. The Iron Trade Review of Cleveland, an accept ed authority in the industrial world. chronicles large inquiries for steel rails for the New York Central and orders of considerable extent placed by other railroad companies. There is lively inquiry for track fastenings, and alto gether the total tonnage of new busi- ness is decidedly encouraging.
 Cast pipe manufacturers have been fairly active for six months past, but what the country is waiting on for a full swing of prosperity is activity in the work of improvements and exten- beginning in that direction has been made this week, and while it may be early spring before all the roads are prepared to place orders for new ma terial yet the fact that marked move ment is in sight is of itself sufficiently stimulating to business to warrant ex- pectations of genuine prosperity with | in the next few months.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
TRAGEDY OF ExcLUsIvENEss.
BaItimore's Revived Blue Book Brings
 Woe to Banlshed.

From the New York Times.
 Is the cruel limitation of invitations 10 the first Baltimore assembly to >be taken as a symptom of a new outbreak of ex- clusiveness in American society? There is no doubt that social rules have been too generally disregarded by our first fam flies recently. A disposition to recognize notabIe achievement in the arts and let ters is safe only in society builded on ancient foundations of aristocracy and royal service. A deliberate selection of guests because of their conversational and entertaining powers is most dangerous in society struggling to preserve its purity amid the ferment of democracy.
 It has long been known that the Balti-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-14
THE MOONS MINIoN.

By Andrew Lang. Thine eyes are like the sea, my dear, The wand ring waters green and gray; Thine eyes are wonderful and clear. And deep, and deadly, even as they; The spirit of the changeful sea Informs thine eyes at night and noon. She sways the tides, and the heart of
 thee,
 The mystic, sad, capricious Moon! The Moon came down the shining stair Of clouds that feck the summer sky, She kissed thee, saying, "Child, be fair. And madden menss hearts, even as |; Thou shalt love all things strange and
 sweet
 That know me and are known of me; The lover thou shalt never meet
 The land where thou shalt never bel" She held thee in her chill embrace, She kissed thee with cold lips divine, She left her pallor on thy face.
 That mystic ivory face of thine; And now I sit beside thy feet,
 And all my heart is far from thee. Dreaming of her l. shall not meet, And of the land shall not seel