davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
On Fee System.

The best way to have a thing done and be sure that it is done right is to pay a man enough salary and then watch him. If he makes so much money that he can hire others to do his work, 1t is time to change the order of things" said P. c. Ratliff yesterday.
 'I believe the fee system should be abolished in this county because 1t en- ables most of the officeholders in this coun- ty to sit up and grow rich while their subordinates do all the work. The people might as well elect these subordinates.
 We must get rid of the fee system, but as yet have seen no feasible method of doing so, except the repeal of the amendment which the artistic lawyers stuck In the constitution. That will re- quire time and I think it would be a mistake to bring it up before the special session of the legislature. This Is not a time when the people want to be put to the expense of special election on a matter which most of the country people think belongs only to Birmingham"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
HeaYler-Than-Alr Navigation At Fort Myer

All the world is watching the rigor- ous test that the Signal Corps is con ducting at Fort Myer. The two young Ohioans are engaged in settling once and for all the problem of human flight unaided by gasbag. They are en- deavoring to establish the feasibility of overcoming the attraction of gravi- tation with no lifting power except their planes and their motor.
 The two tests are more difficult than anything they had to meet at Le Mans or Pau In the first place, they will attempt a flight of five miles and re- turn over hilly, wooded section at a rate up to A miles an hour. In addi- tion to this their machine must stay aloft one hour while carrying two men. If they succeed in meeting these tests they will receive from the government $35,000. This sum may, however, be reduced to 5,OO0 by failure to main
 
 tain rate of speed approximating 40 miles an hour. In the speed test the aeroplane is to carry gasolene enough for flight of 125 miles. It will thus be seen that the tests are by no means of a light or easy nature. If the Wrights succeed in meeting these tests their chief battle over the air will have been fought, and afterwards there will be simply long series of improve ments until aerial navigation is placed on a practical commercial basis Mans conquest of the air will become as- sured if the two brothers meet this week the government tests.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
All GnrnOratlOnS to Be Taxed

The fact should not be lost sight of that the Taft plan for taxing corpora tions is not confined to interstate cor porations. All corporations. intrastale as well as interstate, organized for profit and having an income exceeding S50OO are to be taxed per cent. This brings all corporations big and little under federal supervision by the taxa tion route The Springfield Republican declares it to be the most sweeping measure of industrial and political cen tralization put forth since the civil war
 Nevertheless it is destined to stand a lorg time. The mass of voters ould consider themselves untaxed, and even the passage of a constitutional amend ment permitting a general income tax might not crowd out the corpOrasion tax. Either would operate to under mine the vicious indirect taxation of 
 the custom houses, and for that reason either is to be welcomed. The cCrpo- ration tax will first be tried, and if 1t wins public approval it may never be displaced The corporations will be supervised and watched through the machinery of taxation. Every return of a corporation becomes public rec ord open to public inspection and prob ably subject to compilation and publi- cation
 A full collection of the corporation tax would probably bring into the treasury many more millions than have been estimated. A great deal of the business of the country is conduct ed by corporations. There are hun dreds of them in this district, perhaps thousands. How near full collection of the proposed tax can be secured re- mains to be seen. The federal ma chinery will no doubt be worked to it's full capacity to secure returns from every corporation organized for profit in the land
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

and an anti-Foster man in Cleveland. Both look alike to him. and so cosmo- politan is he in his views that he likes both of his pastors and accepts for the time being both of their views. He is eclectic in theological matters-in all matters, perhaps, except the winning of dividends.
 He may, however, be compelled to arbitrate the Bustard-Aked controver- sy if it continues to increase in heat and heresy charges. His two pastors are now so far apart that nothing less than an arbitration of The Hague sort can restore peace by bringing them together on points of doctrine. Profes- sor Foster started the trouble, but Pro lessor Foster seems to be in a cyclone cellar, where nothing will touch him. The protagonist of Fifth avenue and the even more aggressive protagonist of Cleveland are out in the open, and they may have to be arbitrated, and John D. is the man to hale them be- fore a court of peace.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
WORKING WHILE ASLEEP.
Man Who Had Wonderful Faculty of
 Dreaming.
From the Washington Herald.

From the Washington Herald
 Some people are not satisfied with hav- ing done fair days work at their regu- lar occupation" said pr. Winter S. Thur Der Of New York at the Arlington yes terday, but insist upon keeping busy even while they sleep. Most of this work, done unconsciously during the dead hours of the night is worthless, but sometimes intellectual feats are accomplished dur ing sleep which during waking hours proved quite impossible.
 From his early childhood Robert Louis Stevenson was a dreamer" continued Dr. Thurber, "and his dreams were horrible. Later in life he began to dream of jour neys wherein he would see strange towns. In the next phase he could read in his sleep, and such wonderful books that never afterward was he content with ordinary literature. At last he began to dream in sequence, and he would con- tinue the dream from the place where he left off the previous night.
 Tt is admitted that Stevenson dreamed the window scene in pr. Jekyl and MT Hyde added Dr. Thurber, and some oA HIS iIlenus are sure that the central theme of the strange book came to tho author while he was asleep His brownies showed 1t to him in the night"
 Dante Is said to have dreamed The Divine Comedy or at least the plot and characters and some parts of the de- tails. This vision appeared to him when he was only years old according to some of the stories while as others tell 1t, the dream came to another child dur ing a trance which came with long ill., ness. Yoltaire composed the first canto of the Henriade' while he was asleep. Ideas occurred to me- he says, fin spite of myself. and in which I had no part xUhatever n
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
SHADY STREETS OF DUTCH CITIES

TOH Harper E w eeKly.
 The average Dutch town is an attrac- tive place in the summer months since practically every street and canal is bor- dered with shade trees, which shut out the glare of the sun and offer cool and inviting avenues for the exploration of the tourist. The banks of these canals are generally terraced in two levels-the one for shops or dwellings, but each elevation Is planted with trees
 At best. a city is an exceedingly poor location for tree culture. Narrow streets with tall buildings, exclude the fe-giving sunlight; asphalt or closely paved walks prevent the necessary moisture from sinking into the ground and nourishing thirsty roots, and leakage from the gas mains is deadly poison to the growth of all vegetation. For this reason care should be exercised in the selection of the variety of tree for street planting. in order to get the best results. In Holland time has demonstrated that the elm and linden should be placed in the first rank for there many examples of these species in Dutch towns which have with l stood the ravages of more than two cen turtles. The elm appears to be the har- dier of these two trees, and will live un- der most adverse conditions.
 The Dutch municipalities expend large sums each year for the preservation oc their shade trees, but the results amply justify the cost of maintenance. In the past year the city of Utrecht taxed each inhabit 2l cents for Its trees (21h Dutch cents lalinQ an American cent1 and The Hague spent 2S cents for the same purpose
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.

From the New York Press.
 Hardly anything would be more foolish than for women to dress sensibly.
 The fun a man has at a summer resort is when his family are at some other and think he Is in town.
 A man has to be conceited about some- thing If it's only about what kind of razor 1t takes to shave his beard because it's so strong.
 The more friends man has the more 1t can disgust them for him to expect them to do for him what they expect him to do for them.
 Before her boy is out of his cradle his mother gets suspicious of how many women are plotting to marry their daugh- ters to him when they are all grown up.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Mir. ROCkefeller'S Warning Pastors

The war that has sprung up between the Rockefeller pastors will not lower the mercury of midsummer a particle. If it goes on Illuminating hot words 1t may on the other hand increase the burden of raging sun. But 1t Is not increasing John D.s midsummer bur den, for he is not hunting for heresy in the Rev Dr. Charles F. Aked of Fifth avenue, New York, nor yet find ing fault with the Rev. Dr. w. w. Bus tard of Cleveland, Ohio. When he lives in New York he quietly accepts Dr. Aked's liberal Baptist theology and action, and when he goes to Cleveland he has not a word to offer in opposition to Dr. Bustard's old-time orthodoxy
 He may be a Foster man in New York
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
TRAGEDY OF THE ABANDONED Q
 FARM.

Ralph D. Paine in Golfers,
 The most conspicuous character in the last act of the humble tragedy of the abandoned farm Is very often the rural auctioneer. He it Is who rings the cur terous ject. Perhaps his burly presence has been menacing the household through long years of griping struggle with ad- versity. The land has been becoming poorer, the ambitious men of the family have gone away to seek their fortunes elsewhere and on the>heels of misfortune has followed the chattel mortgage. Un- sung heroism, incredible economies, toll unceasing, have not sufficed to check the steady decadence of the farm and it's affairs. Some day. when the ultimate dis aster can be no longer held at arms length, a printed bill announcing the sale at auction of stock, tools and household goods Is posted in the village store and the postoffice.
 The idlers scan the bill with curious in- terest, but with no marked symptoms of surprise. The auction has been fore gone conclusion for some time. The storekeeper remarks to his leisurely cus- toners:
 "Old Jonathan Woodman has been Twin. alone on the farm for years and years. He's the last of em. All petered out ain't they? He's going to live with his granddaughter In Newmarket, so they tell me. Hung on longer than I expected. the old man did. Too old to do much farm ing and no money to hire help
 On the morning of the sale the roads leading toward the Woodman place are populous with vehicles more serviceable than elegant-concords, democrats, bug gies, carry-alls and rattling wagons. An auction is a diversion, a mild excitement, and the woman folk forsake their spicy kitchens to enjoy days outing, with tho bulging dinner basket tucked under the front seat. Long before the auc- tioneer is ready to begin his task, the Woodman house, dooryard and barn are overrun by curious, shrewdly calculat- ing crowd discussing the family history and the values of its goods and chattels
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
OUR OFFICIAL LOTTERIES.
New York World,

From the New York World.
 The United States government frowns sternly upon all lotteries except its own. It forbds lotteries at home and by severe postal regulations discourages lotteries in neighboring countries. Good lotteries and bad lotteries are alike in disfavor.
 Since objection to the lottery rests upon moral grounds, how is it that when there is great tract of public land to be sold 1t Is usually disposed of by lot? Nearly everything else which the government sells is put up at auction. Why should not the 100000 acres of land soon to be thrown on the market in Washington, Idaho and Montana be offered to the high est bidders?
 Complaint Is made at frequent inter vals of the difficulty experienced by the authorities In checking the lottery evil. Special agents and secret service men, assisted by the police of the cities. are regularly employed on these details. Prob ably the government would find 1t easier to convince the people of the immortality of lotteries if 1t did not on occasion go into the business itself
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
THE MAN WITH THE HOE.

By Edwin Markham. (Written after seeing Millet's world
 famous painting.) God made man in His own image, in the image of God made he him. Genesis. Bowed with the weight of centuries
 he leans Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground The emptiness of ages In his face, And on his back the burden of the
 world Who made him dead to rapture and
 despair, A think that grieves not and that
 never hopes, Stolid and stunned, brother to the
 OK? Who loosened and let down this
 brutal jaw Whose was the hand that slanted back
 his brow? Whose breath blew out the light with
 in his brain? O, masters. lords and rulers of all
 lands. How will the future reckon with this
 man? How answer his brute question in that
 hour When whirlwinds and rebellion shake
 the world? How will 1t be with kingdoms and with
 kings With those who shaped him to the
 thing he Is When this dumb terror shall reply te
 God After the ailence of the centurias,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
kNIGHTING ACTORS.

From the New York Times.
 Birthdays honors" fall as thickly as ever in England, though the day of their bestowal is no longer the anniversary of the sovereigns birth. June 24 was chosen as a suitable day for general rejoicing in England because King Edward was born in November, when the fogs are at their worst and rejoicing of any sort is next to impossible. The custom of bestowing knighthood on actors is now established Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Sir Charles Wyndham, and Sir John Hare will inevit- ably be joined in the lists before long by George Alexander, Cyril Maude, Lewis Waller and Arthur Bourchier. Knight hood for Harry Lauder, we fear, is out of the question. He is a Scot. But he may console himself with the reflection that 1t was equally out of the question for Gar rick, kemble, Kean and Macready They were good actors, too but Tree is a good actor, frequently, and a fairly versatile one, man of the world, and a good fel- low with a saving sense of humor.
 The custom of knlghting the actors, which was begun with Irving, Is not to be frowned upon, but knighthood counts for little in England nowadays, and the actors who have been knighted discard the empty honor in their professional work So our actors need not envy them though they have no small titles to look forward to. With the drama lists the case is different Sir Arthur Wing Pinero will hereafter be Sir Arthur even on the playbills He is the second English playwright to catch a knight hood, the author of "Pinafore" and Patience" being the first, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was made a knight because he so bravely supported his government with his facile pen during the Boer war. Sheridan died plain Mr." but so did Congreve, while Shakespeare and Ben Johnson were plain Will and Ben. This may console MT. Clyde Fitch and MT Augustus Thomas, especially when they consider their enormous royalties, which in the case of MT. Fitch have made him tim of seekers for pecunary aid
 Among the other birthday honors'' Is knighthood for the veteran Journal ist, Henry w. Lucy, review of whose cheerful "reminiscences appears today in the New York Times Saturday Review of Books. It is significant that he Is identi- fled in all the newspapers as Toby, NJ P.' His supposedly comic paragraphs in Punch have given him most of his fame Yet they have formed a very small and insignificant part of his journalistic work
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
BAYARD TAYLOR AS A POET.

From "Old Friends" by William Win
 ter
 Taylor's rank as a poet will be deter mined after another generation of read CTS has arisen, when he is no longer re- membered as specifically a traveller and a journalist; and that rank will be high. He was distinctively poet. but under the pressure of necessity he delved in so many lines of literary labor that his mis- cellaneous publicity obscured him in the vision of his own period. It has taken America some time to learn fully the exceptional value and abiding charm of such noble verse as that of William Gull len Bryant and such exquisite prose as that of Donald Grant Mitchell, and to realize that 1t possessed in Fftz-Greene Halleck one of the strongest, sweetest poets that have swept the harp-strings of the human heart. Time will do justice to the fine poetic genius of Bayard Tay- Tor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Railroad Track Washed Out.

Louisville, Ky, June 2S.-More than POO yards of track on the main line of the Louisville and Nashville railroad was washed away by the heavy rainsterm yesterday afternoon, entaiing a heavy loss on the railroad company. The storm was at it's worst near Upton, 6S miles south of Louisville, and traffic was sus- pended for some time. All through trains were relaid by way of Illinois Central, leaving the main line of the Louisville and Nashville at Russellville and going to Central City, where connections were made with the Illinois Central railroad It was found necessary to operate Il passenger trains over the Illinois Central for A hours. The railroad officials be- lieve, however, that they will be able to resume operation on the Louisville divi- sion by tonight.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
The Memphis Reunion.

Confederate veterans are still talking about the Memphis reunion, and speak ing in unstinted praise of the conduct of the people of the reunion city. W. B. beedy, who was on the staff of General Evans, ommander-in-chief. was also chairman of the committee assigned to provide escorts for the sponsors.
 Notwithstanding the fact that the weather was excessively hot. the reunion was great success" said MT. Leedy.
 T enjoyed it very much and shall never forget the kind treatment which 1 re- eeived at the hands of the people of Memphis. Everybody was well cared for and was made to feel welcome. Never in my life, indeed have 1 seen more lavish hospitality. Not only were the veterans provided with bountiful meals three times a day but there was an abundance for all visitors no matter who they were. Twenty-seven thousand peo- pie were fed free and at the Wednes- day dinner alone there were 7200 diners.
 Memphis was beautifully decorated and all in all, the reunion will be remem- bered as one of the most notable and enjoyable in the history of the veterans
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Reuardino Prohihition.

bama may never repeal it's pro- hibition laws but I predict that in less than five years Georgia will drop out of the prohibition column," said Frederick L. Hickman of Louisville. "I am not connected with the liquor business and am not much of a thinker, but in hot weather do crave beer. I got good beer in Atlanta and I did not feel that I was Violating any law, for the city council l understand, issued a near-beer license which is by common consent, intended to cover the sale of all kinds of brewed beverages
 Prohibition may minimize the evils of lntemperance in some places, but in most cities the men who indulge in social drink ing are in a large majority and will procure liquor as long as 1t Is mann- factured and sold anywhere in this coun- try.
 From what l hear there Is about as much whisky consumed in Birmingham since the prohibition law went into ef- rect as there was before and the city gets no revenue from it.
 The Anti-Saloon league was getting what was apparently a good start in Kentucky, but 1t Is safe to say that the state whose largest commercial interest is the liquor traffic will never have state wide prohibition. Public sentiment in Louisville and in many other cities in Kentucky is strongly against prohibition and among the farmers. especially in the Blue Grass region, there is a con- siderable undercurrent in favor of the distillers.
 A great many people have come to the conclusion that not only is prohibition in cities farce but that a large per- centage of hypocrisy is back of it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Charges of Peonaae.

Mobile. June 2S.-W. B. Kemp and two sons. W. B. and John L., of wilmer, were today placed under 5000 bond each by United States Commissioner Jones on a charge of holding two negroes, George Jones and wife, in involuntary servitude in Mobile county.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

Five-hundred-dolla gowns did not make Mrs. Gould happy, and unaided and unsupported they cannot. perhaps, make any woman happy; but still there are a good many who would like to test them awhile.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
TO HIS WIFE.

From Lippincott's. Perhaps the wife whose remains lie be- heath the following epitaph would be pleased at the sentiment. could she read 1t once; could she read 1t twice she would probably look for the broomstick- and her husband
 Thou has gone before me
 To thy last, long sleep;
 Tears cannot restore thee
 Therefore I weep.
 By her husband"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Texas Cotton.

Cotton in Southern Texas is looking well, said Albert B. McClary, who has just returned from a two weeks visit to relatives and friends at Cuero. "The weather has been favorable and a large crop will be made in that part of Texas where l was sojourning
 As to the state at large I am not especially informed but 1t seems to be thought that the crop will turn out all right"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
TIRED OF THRILLS.

l like to read the papers, yet cannot help but say. 1t wouldn't cause me much regret
 To rest for just one day And get my mind off murder trials And scandals and divorce, And high finance and sudden deaths And deeds of crime and force, And all this old worlds wlckedness Shown on the printed page In miles and miles of f1aring type,
 Attention to engage. Newspapers have to print the news, Or else subscribers lack, But when I want to calm my nerves I'll read the almanac.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

Congress will ascertain when it tries to curb the injunction that 1t Is not even halter broken. It has run wild ever since the war.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

The Wright brothers and Senator Aldrich are working on common plan. The former are revising transportation upward while the latter Is tanning a tariff bill in like direction.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
Killed Bv a Train,

Greenwood, s. C., June 28.-William G. Rudd, travelling salesman, was struck and instantly killed this morning by a Seaboard Air Line passenger train while crossing that railroad at Salaka, Green wood county. in an automohila-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29
The Iron Market,

The pig iron market Is strong and Is now quoted as high as SIP. .25 for No. 2, which Is the same as last week. It seems to be hardening at that price and 1t Is believed that it will touch s13 within the next week or two.
 There is a steady buying movement and the June total will reach a heavy tonnage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

Dealers in eggs are now assailing the pure food law. All interests get a hearing before the senile Secretary of Agriculture except the consumer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-29

The Sigel horror and the Gould di- vorce divided public attention in New York lest week and this week some new sensation is needed.