davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Cost Of Living

The February index number pre- sented by the London Economist stands 15 per cent below the high mark of June 1, 1907. But it is not claimed that the average consumer is paying 15 per cent less for the goods he consumes. The reduction is largely due to the decreases in the prices of metals, and the average householder does not buy metals. Wheat, coffee and oats are higher.
 The index number has been prac- tically stationary since September of last year, and its course in the remain ing months of the year will largely de- pend upon the haryests. We need great grain haryests this fall. The harvests of 1907 and 1908 were not large enough to feed a hungry world, and the cost of living cannot be great. ly reduced while our grain harvests are insufficient. No information will be of more general interest than the crop news of the next six months in this country.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Ash Wednesday.

Tomorrow will be Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent In churches of the Aglican communion, as well as the Rom an Catholic, the day will be observed by special services.
 In the Catholic churches ashes will be blessed by the priest and distributed to the faithful. Catholics kneeling at the altar rail are signed with the ashes on the forehead, the priest reciting the words, Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou must return" These ashes are obtained by burning the palms blessed on last Palm Sunday.
 The Protestant Episcopal church does not use the ashes, but the "commination" service is used on Ash Wednesday as a provisional substitute for the "Godly dis cipline to which of old offenders were subjected. In ancient times penitents ap- peared in the church covered with sack cloth and ashes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
IN HOTEL LOBBlES
Twenty.second of Eebruary.

Tt may be that in the multiplicity of legal holidays some of the older ones and most revered historically are neg leeted by the general public" said a Confederate veteran last night. Twenty years ago the 22nd of February-W ington's birthday anniversary-was made much of especially in the south and in each of the states in the east that be- longed to the patriotic group of 1S col- onies, but little observance of this hol iday is in evidence now except in the matter of closing banks and public build ings. Here in Birmingham l saw flag flying on the government building, but none on the city hall and none on the county court house.
 "On mercantile buildings the Jacobs pharmacy was decorated with flags and Loveman, Joseph & Loeb. J. Blach X Sons and a few other business houses displayed national colors. From the top of the Steiner bank large flag was disporting itself on the breeze as usual, but the point l wish to make is that the 22nd of February should be periodically, earnestly and very widely observed
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
THE OLD MANS PRoWEss.
"Professor" Mike Donovan Passes
 Punches to Three Brawlers.

New York Correspondence Times-Star.
 Shriveled and gray-bearded and 70 years old. Professor Mike Donovan is about as good a man today as whea he whipped Nonpareil Jack Dempsey. He keeps in condition by knocking, out the young ploods of the New York Athletic club In the ring and with the padded gloves he observes all the rules, but when he gets into street fight he forgets them. If you're fighting on the street." said he the other day, always hit the other man in the pit of the stomach. It don't hurt him, but it takes his breath and he sits down gently. If you hit him in the head he might crack his skull against the pavement"
 Which is merely introductory to one of Donovan's recent adventures. He was walking along the street when he saw three big huskies in fight Being of an observant disposition, he stopped to look on. One of them told him to move on.
 NO" said Donovan. T want to see how you do it."
 So the husky swung at him. Donovan sde-stepped, landed on the solar plexus, and the big man went down. The second big man started to eliminate Mike. Mike pol1ed him in the same old place, and he sat down. The third man, uttering blood curdlirs oaths, charged the professor. The professor hit him and he went down. Then Donovan, seeing no chance for further adventure. moved on. The three big men picked themselves up, and. their previous cause of quarrel quite forgotten, went to the nearest police station. We have been held up and brutally beaten by a great big ruffian," said they.
 Pressed for details, they only remem- bered that he wore a high silk hat and a gray beard, and hit each of them in the stomach. Donovan's son is a lieutenant of police, and happened to be in charge of the station that night. Why said he, open-eyed at the recognition of his dads old-time prowess, that's papa"
 The three huskies, enlightened, moved on. As they went out, they were heard to mutter to each other: Papa, huh?''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
PERFUME DEBAUCH.
Husband Drowned Sorrows In Brim-
 ming Measures of Cologne
Chicago Inter ocean.

From the Chicago 4nter Ocean.
 Don't drink perfume.
 You might get jagged on it, like George A. Osborne, 296s West Indian street did, and lose your happy home.
 Osborne started drinking perfume three years ago, when he couldn't get whisky, according to relatives. He became so addicted to the habit that he couldn't stop drinking the cologne.
 Every time he took drink he was pos sessed of a desire to walk. The more he drank the farther he walked. He became so intoxicated that he decided he would walk to New Orleans. He started out on July 29, 1907, and, so far as his wife knows, he Is walking yet for he never came back.
 Yesterday Mrs. Osborne appeared be- fore Judge Ball in the supreme court
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Democratic Simplicity.

Despite all the talk of politicians about our imperialstic tendencies, this is still very democratic country, as will be evidenced by the inauguration cere- mones on March l." said J. V. Hendrix of Washington, D. c.
 There will be an immense parade of military but all the exercises connected with the inauguration will be as simple as they were 40 years ago. The inaugural ball will be brilliant but nothing could be more democratic. Our republic was erected to stand and it will be practical ly the same old republic in the long years to come."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
The Festival Question.

q quite agree on most points with Stephen Allsopp in his discussion of music festival matters in The Age-Herald of Sunday" said an old citizen of large festival and orchestra experience.
 MT. Allsopp has proved himself to be a chorus trainer of decided skill and force. His idea about having chorus societies in Birmingham and neighboring towns and bringing these sections to- gether and massing them under a festival director as the time for a festival ap- preached, is good That plan is followed successfully in Great Britain, and has been successful in some of our American festival cities.
 ''But I differ with MT. Allsopp in his suggestion about local orchestra in con- nection with a festival. Amateur orches- tras should be encouraged. They do much toward developing a taste for music est in the Apollo club orchestra, which has afforded great pleasure to music low CTS in times past, but for high-class festival only a grand orchestra, made up of professional players of artistic educa- ton, should ever be considered. In only the very large cities are such orchestras found; and nothing worthy of the name of grand orchestra is possible nowadays without considerable endowment. We have here 20 or 25 good orchestra musi clans, but most of them are employed in the theatres.
 "The only way that Birmingham can hear a festival orchestra is to avail itself of the Damrosch organization or some other high-class band that happens to be on tour. I hope MT Allsopp will push his chorus scheme. That is the important question at this time in view of festival proiect for 1910"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR From the New York press

There's hardly anything man can be so ashamed of as having nothing in his life to be ashamed of.
 You can tell by the way a girl slides down the banisters where she thinks the bean poles in the family aren't
 Every man Is conceited enough to be ridiculous, especially the one who is con- ceited enough to think he isn't.
 Nearly every time a man is swindled in bargain it's because he thought he was smart enough to swndle the other fellow
 If a woman can't think of anything else to be proud about her husband she can about how he probably wouldn't ap- preciate his children if he weren't mar ried to her.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
WONDERFUL CAPACITY.

Herbert Corey, in the Cincinnati Times
 Star.
 It is odd that no wine agent has hired that dear Tom Lee, who calls himself the mayor of Chinatown. He Is the original trans Pacific tank. It is safe to say that his performance at the peace dinner of the Tongs the other night was the most marvellous since Fulton steamed up the Hudson. There were approximately 200 guests at that dinner. The tipple was champagne, and Tom Lee occupied some sort of an Ori- ental seat of honor, which required him to take a drink with every guest. An Occidental host would have wholesaled that performance. He would have made some foolish little speech and said "Hoch" in Chinese, and every one would have tossed off a bumper. And then the
 job would have been done. That isn't the painstaking Chinese way of doing it. Tom Lee drank a drink with every
 individual guest He began at his
 right, and he worked his way around that long table until he got to the man at his left. During the first of that performance Tom Lee drank full drinks, too. Toward the latter part the atmos- phere became so bleared, according to witnesses, that they couldn't see what
 he was drinking. He might have been
 eating mush and milk. so far as they could tell. Now, one would reasonably think that Tom Lee would be in a hopeless state of disrepair after that feat. Especially when one recalls that he is 70 years old, or thereabouts, and not an athlete. But after entombing the200 glasses of hampagne-according to the witnesses-he got up, stood by hie chair without holding on and made fine little speech. And he hadn't brought his music either If that per formance doesn't deserve to go down among the worlds records, what does Tom Lee is Chinatown's candidate for
 the Hall of Fame
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
killinu the Dous,

If all the dongs in town which are not muzzled are to be killed,' said a res ident of South Highlands, T hope the officers will be little more consider ate for the women and children than was the case on Tenth avenue this afternoon Three officers came out there with their pistols and shot a pet dog and they were accompanied by numbefs of boys who also had guns and rifles. After the dog had been killed in the presence of num- erous children of the neighborhood the officers went away and left it.
 Perhaps the dog ought to have been killed. I am not saying anything about that The thing I object to is to have these men with their big pistols come around and do their bloody work before my children. If We are to have whole sale slaughter of dogs in town let us at least be considerate of the women and children"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Branch" still hangs ire, Emporia has more people and more money now than it had in the boom days in the sos, and is really in the midst of a distinct uplift.
 The people of Emporia are sociable and like to go about There are many folks there in society who are not possessed of automobiles and who find it rather far to walk to their bridge clubs and other func- tions. The chances for street car line in Dmporia are not half bad, even with the recollection of how lonesome the little bob cars on the old line used to look and how rusty the tracks were.
 There are plenty of general arguments in favor of the enactment of public util- ities bill at Topeka, but the prospect of lighting company and street car line in Emporia adds materially to the demand for such an enactment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
CAN'T KEEP AWAY.

CAN'T KEEP AWAY. Man is merely human Pooling round a woman Is but courting danger cynics say; First she'll call you "honey," Then want alimony, Which is rather troublesome to pay. Man is merely human Pooling round a woman Unsafe is and well he knows it, too; Yet, in spite of warning, Cool discretion scorning That's the very trick he's bound to do!
 TERSE. Coming down to see me act this even ing?"
 "No."
 "Why?"
 'I saw you act once"
 WELL KNOWN CITIZEN.
 He often prayed
 In church. he did,
 But from the tax
 Collector hid.
 ENVIRONMENT ''Where are the scenes of this new comedy laid?' "In Hoboken, N. J." t'Ahl That makes it a tragedy''
 LEADS TO MATRIMONY.
 A little kissing
 Now and then
 Is why we have
 The married men.
 A FAMILY SECRET. Ma must be dramatic critic" What makes you think so. Johnny?' "She says pas a bad actor"
 REPLIES. A wedding announcement in a Missis- sippi paper headed, "Smith-Smothers, suggests a tragedy. A ''rat" was run over by trolley car yesterday and didn't let out squeal, not having one. "Come, come, Uncle Andy" says the Washington Herald. Come across, Uncle Andy" is the usual remark A French count offers to sell himself and his title for s750,0OO or more. He and his title would be high-priced at 29 cents. A number of people in Wisconsin who bought ascension robes at fancy figure haven't been able to use them yet. Gan a mule be silenced?" asks a pal pitating contemporary. It isn't his bray that is dangerous. When a show in Cincinnati isn't what it ought to be the Cincinnati Times Star comes right out and says so. The atrical managers have been so astonshed by the truth that they haven't been able to advertise in the Times-Star for long time.
 Twenty-four hours after he had mar ried a Boston woman a man was taken in charge as a lunatio.
 PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Ten Years Aqo.

"It vas ten years ago this week that Birmingham and the far south were in the grasp of the winter" said an old citizen.
 We had zero blizzard a few days before Mardi Gras. There was deep snow and the thermometer registered several degrees below zero for five or six days The streets of New Orleans were like glass and even Florida was ice bound A little of the cold snap of 1899 would be welcomed now"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Motion Is Reviewed.

Mobile, February 22.-The motion to quash the indictment found by the recent grand jury against Fleetwood Lester, charging him with obtaining money under false pretenses, was reviewed this after noon. Attorneys for Lester alleged that the indictment was illegal and demurrers to the ruling will be heard Saturday
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

J. Pierpont Morgan is not a member of the Ananias club, and yet he does belong to enough clubs to make his dues as a member amount to s7000 annually.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
Ho stand to your glasses steady! Iris all we have left to prize. A cup to the dead already
 Hurrah for the next that diesl

The verses have been attributed to Capt. Walter Dobenay, to "an Irish of ficer in the English service at Delhi" and, consistently, to Alfred Domett, a British poet and hymn writer. Contro- versy over the question having arisen afresh on the Pacific coast, the testi- mony is cited of the Rev. Father Crowley, who published Irish Poets and Novelists," that the song was writ ten by Bartholomew Bowling, one time editor of the San Francisco Monitor. Father Crowley was able to find a vet eran composer who rsmembered put ting the verse in type from Bowling s manuscript in 1858
 To a correspondent who writes from the Golden Gate on the subject the World can say only that the evidence certainly favors Bowling. To him Bartlett credits the song in his book of quotations. As to Domett MT. Ros- sitter Johnson of this city has written in a volume of collected verse: "1n a letter to me February 6, 1879, he says: I did not write that poem and was never in India in my life. I am as ignorant of the authorship as you can be-
 Neither had Bowling been in India, yet Father Crowley calls attention to the fact that he wrote "The Relief of Lucknow" In "Hurrah for the Next that Diesw he certainly produced the sort of verse that swings and lives.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

President Diaz's government has been more paternalistic than constitu- tional, and the old man may conclude to accept another term for the sake of strengthening his record.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

tie late for it now, for it's glory be- gins with the golden October. It must. be cooked with rich, fat beoon. If any be left at dinner-and that is a rare occurrence-it is grand for sup per cold: and If the miraculous should occur and some be left from supper, then fry it for breakfast, and not a scrap of it will ever see a chicken when the tablecloth Is shaken. But ham and cabbagel Never!
 Now the glory of cabbage is the pot Ticker. No vermifuge ever entered a house where the children had plenty of pot flicker that came out of the iron pot where cabbage had been boiled with bacon not ham. Would this benighted heather from Alabama recommend jowl and cabbage? Possibly; for there are no limitations to such a palate as his. He would eat poached eggs sorghum mo- 1asses, and snap beans out of one plate ham and cabbage, indeed!
 There are drop dumplings and drap dumplings-one is cooked after ham; the other comes in with chicken. Drop dumplings are made of cornmeal; drap dumplings are made of wheat flour.
 See?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Russia proposes to build 148,179 sohoolhouses, but unless she stops those drumhead courts there will be no one to attend them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Interviews with Worth, the Parisian dressmaker, are peculiar-are worse than that with Hamlet's father for Worth has been dead many years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Thus far neither California nor Ne vada has become alarmed over the possibilities of the Chinese navy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

The baseball columns afford evidence that spring is about to butt into our midst.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Russia is content ito call Maxim Gorky Nijni-N9rgorod house painter. He is presumably worse than a gar goyle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Twins will be born to the union if New Mexico and Arizona are both ad- mitted, but Aldrich, Hale & Co. will never consent.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

The weather man should have mercy on the beauties gathered on March 4 as a national display.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Chicago papers say that St Louis girl masqueraded as man to secure a. seat in a street car.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Farmer Jim Wilson is to stay in the cabinet as the sole and only leftover.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

The homing fleet was sure to arrive in the nick of time, or a little ahead of it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
"HuRRAH FOR THE NEXT I"

From the New York World.
 Among the famous poems concerning the authorship of which there has been much dispute is "Revelry in India" a song of the plague in which appears this quatrain:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

MT. Maxim should drop his noiseless gun and give his undivided attention to the invention of a noiseless fire cracker.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

The star of Benzoate MacVeigh is not so bright as it was. He has not called his catsup in.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

MT. Taft is said to feel little like a girl who is about to become a bride.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

The New York Sun is confident the world will grow better on March 4.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Servia is preparing for war. So is Nevada, and the two should be left to fight 1t out
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

It begins to look as if Mir. Taft is to be thoroughly inaugurated.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Winters vertebrae has been here and there jolted a good deal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES
FALLINa ro RIsE AeA1N.

FALLING TO RISE AGAIN. No matter how often defeated, he rose And plunged in the battle again, Regardless what lessons grim fate might impose,
 What shadowy hours of pain. And the troubles that came to him left him unbowed And sorrow but sweetened his heart A thrall of oblivion and lost in the crowd Yet dauntlessly playing his part.
 RHYMES OF CHANGE. Are you writing any verse these days?'
 Only chance rhymes" When the spirit moves you, eh?" No; I had reference to some poker jingles I'm writing for club calendar"
 VICTORY.
 He held his own
 'Gainst every fate,
 Content to labor
 And to wait.
 And ere the sod
 Lay on his breast
 His honored name
 Led all the rest,
 While weddings stood
 Agape to see
 How brave and true
 A man may be-
 How well a heart
 May learn to bear
 And make a jest
 Of life's despairl
 RESULT OF HIS CALLING. He doesn't seem to have much conf- dence in himself" Well, you can't blame him for that" What business is he in?" Hes a weather prophet
 AT THE BROWNING CLUB. Mrs. Quidder read a paper Twas before the Browning club; All the cultured lady thinkers Came and raised a great hubbub. Mrs. Quidder was applauded For her effort-many said Twas the very finest essay That they ever had heard read. Mrs. Quidder, flushed and happy. Told her husband what she'd done, All about the gratulations And the praises she had won. Lucky twas she didn't hear those Lady thinkers roundly score Goodness me!-the gown she had on And the style of hat she wore!
 FORTITUDE. The umbrella was told to shut up by the hat. Why" remarked the latter, a bool1keeper's derby, 'I spend most of my time on the rack, and yet I never complain
 SURD SIGN. How do you know he is the author of a best seller ?'' ll.A ''He smiled in a superclious way just nnnr rrhan rio1-ar1. .-n. ..A-.a..aI, [,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

No laundryman ever joins a smoke abatement club.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

SURD SIGN.
 Flow do you know he is the author of best seller? ll4Gl ''He smiled in a supercilious way just now when Dickens was mentioned"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

RHYMES or CHANGE. Are you writing any verse these days?"
 Only chance rhymes" When the spirit moves you, eh?' No; l had reference to some poker jingles I'm writing for club calendar"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
RESULT OF HIS CALLING.

RESULT OF HIS CALLING. He doesn't seem to have much conh- dence in himself"
 Well, you can't blame him for that" What business is he in?"
 Hes a weather prophet
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
'PossUMs FOR TAFT.

Our battleships belong to the On Time class.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23
AT THE BROWNING c111E

FORTITUDE. The umbrella was told to shut up by the hat. Why" remarked the latter, a bool1keepers derby, "I spend most of my time on the rack, and yet I never complain
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-23

Entered at the Birmingham. Ala, postoffice as second-class matter unoer act of Congress March 8, 1879.