davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
ANCIENT SUPERSTITIONS

it in the pocket always. In America if you trim your finger nails regularly on a Friday morning you will never have the toothache. In Ireland Chris tian pilgrims who visit the holy well of Tubber Quan on the last three Sun days in June, to worship St. Quan, are required to give an offering of hair as a charm against all possible danger of toothache in the future. To get the best results it is necessary to go three times around a neighboring tree on the bare knees and then cut of lock of hair and tie to a branch of the tree. This tree. fringed with human hair, Is sight, but, nevertheless, is an object of deep veneration.
 In Lincolnshire If a girl is suffering with the ague she cuts off a lock of her hair and ties it to an aspen tree, im- ploring the latter to shake in her stead In good old Rosshire, where every once in while a rooster is buried alive as a remedy for epilepsy-not in the rooster, but in the person who does the burying some of the hair of the patient IS generally added to the offering.
 A fine cure for the whooping cough is made of offerings of hair, in Sunder- land The best way here is to shave the crown of the head and hang the hair on bush, or small tree, preferably and as the birds or wind carries away the hair. the cough will disappear A still more potent remedy for whooping cough IS had in the Northumberland idea, which is that the cough can be cured by putting the head of a live trout in the patients mouth and letting the fish breathe into the latter. still more strenuous way is to pass hairly cater pillar through the mouth after which the worm is to be put into small bag and tided around the victims neck. The cough ceases when the caterpillar gives up this early life. The whooping cough is not so bad, after all, is it?
 In Ireland spiders are largely con- cerned in the cure of ague; in many To- calities the sufferer Is advised to swallow living spider. This ought to make one shake nearly as bad as the ague and no doubt the better way would be to put a large black spider in a box and leave it to perish, as is the vogue in Somerset and some of the nearby counties. A lingering faith in this Old World superstition must have been alive until quite recently, for the making of spider-web pills is not an uncommon in dustry in New England, and Longfel- low tells of popular cure for the fever ''by wearing spider hung around ones neck in a nutshell
 This was one of the most approved remedies of our British forbears for 'chills and fever" and even now, in 1909, in Sussex a live spider neatly rolled up in butter and taken inwardly without examination is considered good in obsti- nate cases of jaundice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
PROSPERITY OF SPORTS.

From the Washington Post.
 The man who Is on his feet at the count of 10 will have won the lions share of s260.0o0 and the title of heavyweight champion of the world, to say nothing of race supremacy in fistic science. The under dog will have lost much, but still will have fortune coming to him from the stakeholder; his share will be cool $l00O0o, more than the winner of a fight ever got before. The promoters expect to reap a harvest. not from the gate so much as from the motion picture priv ilege The films will command higher price than any ever put on the market, but the managers of moving picture the atres will experience keen disappoint- ment If the investment does not prove the best they ever made. The circle will be complete should the ultimate consumer think he got his moneys worth.
 The talkfest between Jim Jeffries and Jack Johnson has resolved itself into a more tangible proposition, and with so much at stake the outlook for swat fest in Utah, Nevada or California within the next six months looks bright to pa- irons of the manly art.
 Baseball is growing more prolific of div idends and salaries each recurring season, and the coming year doubtless will wit ness another record-breaker. We hear the usual midwinter rumor and gossip of war to the knife between the big leagues, but this will fade Into nothingness as usual with the first suspicion of spring. Racing has been passing through a time of travail, but last season closed with good prospects of revival Of the game on its former scale. The courts have lifted the ''lid' on speculation, and this means much to the sport of kings.
 No single event of 1910. however, will ring up so much prosperity to the world of sports as the Jeffries-Johnson match.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
undertone Encouraalna.

Henry Clews, in his financial review ot Saturday, says in part:
 "As the year draws to a close there Is an improved undertone in financial cir cles. Uneasiness Is gradually disappear ing. and more hopeful feeling pre- vails. Congress has been fin session for nearly two weeks, and thus far there is no indication of seriously hostile leg islation against either corporations or railroads. President Taft is shortly to issue two messages, one dealing with the railroads and another with large cor porations. Nothing is yet known con corning the Presidents purposes on these subjects, but his well known views, which have been repeatedly expressed in the past, afford assurance that no radical pro- posals will be offered. It Is not likely that the railroads will object to any req sonable regulation, nor are the corpora tions likely to any longer resist rational application of the anti-monopoly law. A good deal of discussion must be antici- pated, and more or less radical talk may be expected, but no disturbing legislation seems probable at this date. The rational action of the courts. moreover, in re- cent antitrust matters is assuring. and in all probability new legislation will in due time be shaped to more closely con- form with the action of the courts.
 "The general trend of values of com modities is upwards, and the necessary process of adjustment to the higher cost of doing business and living is perplex- ing and uncomfortable. Food and cloth ing are now very high, with little pros pect of declining until the next harvest brings relief, as 1t probably will. The present high prices for cotton grain and other products should induce very large crops during 1910, assuming that no dis asters interfere. The acreage of winter wheat already shows a large increase, and every acre capable of growing cotton will be brought into requisition next spring Of corn also the acreage in 1910 is sure to be heavy; and the meat supply must soon increase. Farmers both west and south are now enjoying prosperity to a degree which they never anticipated, and the effect of this is already being felt in an excellent demand for al classes of merchandise. The Christmas trade thus far surpasses all records. and the year is ending in satisfactory degree of in- dustrial and mercantile activity created by our agricultural prosperity. The out look for 1910 is, therefore, distinctly en- couraging."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
ON THE COCAINE PEND

 ures! Strange ways and strange people these who dwell in Cokeland.
 A buyer enters, and approaches one of the gray wraiths. Now that you are in good standing you may see how deftly the sale is made. Not much flake around here,' says the wrath. Cost you 70 cents for what there is.,'
 A bottle, with only a teaspoonful of flake remaining, comes apparently from nowhere-the seller had been leaning against the wall, and that bit of flake was fished up from some recess in the plastering. Hands are outstretched, palms under-no one can see anything but handgrip, but in that instant the bottle and the 70 cents are shifted. The buyer hangs around for few minutes and then climbs the moidy stairs. The seller. like wise. fingers a little while. and then counts up his coin. He has enough ohl joyous total-for a whole bottle of flake, and out he goes into the night to get 1t.
 Oh, well, life is a curious game, and the cocaine fiend is only one of many curious factors in the pastime.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
 Man Is controlled largely by his su- perstitious fears. s."-Professor Dorsey.
 S ERHAPS nowhere else in all the " range of human life has super stition played u greater role than in the providing of means for the alleviation of all the ills that man is heir to-
 We in this modern day of Knowing things" pride ourselves on cur superior ity Yet who of us has not avoided crossing through funeral procession to avert i'll luck; who has not walked around an open ladder rather than under 1t, for the same purpose; what good mother has not refrained from begin ming a new garment for the children on Friday. in the fear that she might not live to finish 1t; who has not la- mented the death of a canary or the breaking of a looking glass, because they were sure precursors of a death in the family; who has not dreaded to have a black cat follow them home, because 1t was bound to bring them bad luck; and how about the carrying of rabbits foot? And who has not at some time or another worn little bag Of asafetida around the neck to ward off some innocent, unsuspecting disease? Call to mind how you always had your mother rub her plain gold band ring @ wedding ring was best--on your eye lid seven times in order 10 remove the sty that was always corning? In Eng land the proper way to remove these whelks or pimples from the eyelids of children is to pass the tail of a. cat nine times over the afflicted part There is no end of these little. real born-in- the-blood, age-to-age superstitions.
 Remember how your good old mother rubbed a piece of ham rind or bit of rotten potato, or a strand of yarn from an old homemade sock on that big wart of yours, then buried the ham, or the potato or yarn in the back yard near the blackberry bushes or under the drip ping caves Of the COW shed, and when the ''charm'' decayed the wart disap- peared? Certainly, but over in England today they remove warts differently. In Northumberland a cure for warts is to take a large snail, rub the wart well with it, and then impale the snail on thorn hedge As the poor snail wastes away the wart will disappear. Over in the west of England eels blood serves the same purpose.
 We are not so given to these supersti- tions, however, as are the people of the mother country, where wen or goiter may be reduced by rubbing the hand of a dead child over the lump nine times, or better still, the hand of a suicide may be substituted.
 A good remedy for tooch ache in De- vonshire, England, is to bite a tooth from skull in the churchyard and keep
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
Spectacular Rise of General Wood

In April next MT. Roosevelt's crony Leonard Wood, will become the army's head. At the age of 49 he will then be chief of staff of the army. His rise has no parallel in the history of the regular army, for he was not educated at West Point, and he entered the army in 1886 as an assistant surgeon. The 23 years that have elapsed have brought him promotions by leaps and bounds. He was colonel of the Rough Riders in the war with Spain, and his services at San Juan hill brought him a commission as brigadier general Then he became a major general and governor general of Cuba. The con- mand of the Philippine division fol- lowed, and in April he will have reached the top of the military ladder.
 He can serve but four years as chief of staff. and then he must fall back among the major generals, where he will serve nearly ten years before he will be placed on the retired list. The rise of the assistant surgeon is simply remarkable, but then he had a power ful friend in the man who is now in the jungle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
Michlgan'S War Upon SparroWS

The Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette mentions the fact that the state spar row bounty law became again applica- ble on December l, and the state will all winter long pay 2 cents head for dead sparrows. The county in which Kalamazoo is located has several pro- fessional bird catchers," and these men came in last year for good-sized rake-off.
 The Gazette says the bounty law has already materially decreased the num- Der of English sparrows in it's county, and 1t believes the bounty law will soon have no sparrows in it's county to overcome.
 The English sparrows do make life a burden for other birds, and if all the states would follow Michigan's exam pie no doubt the pest could be mini mixed at least But if one state is to kill them of while the next state leaves them untouched, the general situation is not promising. They are not migratory, and yet they do speed fly spread themselves over vast tracts of the country. A single importation from England in 1850 fastened the pest upon this broad country. In about 25 years they were found in every state and in every beat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
A Caruo of Rabbits.

There is one shipment of 10000 rabbits due in Birmingham
 This reminds me-" said a prominent preacher, "of the snowy days in Vir- ginia.- If this snowfall keeps up I'll put on my boots. get my gun and go out after Brer Rabbit You know after a few inches of snow falls you can track the rabbits easily and it is great sport Then the rabbit likes 1t, too.''
 Speaking of rabbit hunting," said a former citizen of North Carolina, "re calls to mind the remarks of Eustace Hunt of Milton. N. c. He said he would rather be anything on earth. polecat not excepted, than a Jack rabbit in North Carolina, where there was a short corn crop and not much meat made. The negro will go out after the rabbit with an old musket loaded with slugs and birdshot. He will tear the seat of Brer Rabbits pants as he fees from the mixed pack of hounds, fees, cur dogs and settlers. If he doesn't kill him and 'Brer Rabbit goes into a hole in the ground he digs him out; if he climbs a hollow tree, he smokes him out; if he crawls into 'hol- Ter log the son of Ham takes a forked stick and twists all the hair off and drags him out He Is set by the settlers, 'pinted' by the 'pinters' and finally feeds a hungry negro.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
AN oLD-TIME BEST SELLER.

From the New York World.
 Having seen the ease with which mod ern best sellers are exploited on the stage. an enterprising playwright has turned his hand to the dramatization of 'St. Elmo" which Augusta Evans Wilson wrote in 1866. Among older readers the name will revive memories of days when they were thrilled by the pages of Ala bama's most popular novelist; but how many of the younger generation that wor- ships the newer literary gods of today would condescend to pick up ''Beulah" or "St. Elmo"? Fashions in books change rapidly and in novels quickest of all The phenomenal success of last spring. which all the publishers hope to equal with some fresh literary sensation. is al- ready like last years bird-nest. Mrs. Will son died not very long ago, but her name as household word for years had been eclipsed by newer cancellations.
 More than 40 years ago "St. Elmo was one of the most popular books offered for sale. There were no Carnegie libra ries in those days, and not many others open to the public. so records of circula- ton are not to be had But the novel ran into edition after edition. So did ''Beu- lah," which was published seven years earlier. In 1902 Mrs. Wilson published "A Speckled Bird,' but 1t fell on different times. It was not reported among the best sellers The book dealers did not dress their windows with 1t. No towns were named after 1t.
 Yet in the lifetime of the same author grateful citizens in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Vir- ginia had named towns after the hero of her beloved romance. And no one knows how many baby "st. Elmos," now grown up, shamefacedly bury the "St. B." they bear as mere initial to Smith or Jones.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
sosToN's BLUE BOOK.
From the Boston Herald.


 The Boston Social Register, which forms part of the series covering most of the cities of the United States. has just been issued. The members of prominent families, wherever they may be residing, are grouped under the one aduress, with the maiden and Christian name of the married woman, the names of the daugh- ters and sons in the order of their ages, and the younger children from 12 to 20 years of age, who are placed beneath their elders under the title of juniors. The bankers address is given where resi- dence is abroad and the names of the ships and dates of arrivals from and departures to foreign ports.
 Married women who may only be re- membered by their maiden name may be traced by consulting the list of married maidens in tho back of the book. During the past year IA persons in Boston have married, as compared to 14e last year, and there are noted the deaths of s9 wom- en and 52 men, as compared to that of 4e women and 60 men last year, very slight variation. It may be interesting to know that during the past year there were noted in all the social registers cov- cred by the association the marriages of 21ss persons. 1928 deaths and B,29e changes of address during the year
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
Here Is a dear, a true industrious friend.
 -I King Henry w.
Cnmnleta Publicity Demanded

The trial of half dozen weighers in the sugar trust scandal does not meet public expectation. The men higher lip" go untouched. The great frauds go uncovered. Not one in a hundred has any just conception of the scope of these frauds. The New York World says the sugar trust is guilty in the following bill of particulars:
 1. Bribing political committees of both parties.
 2. Seeking to influence United States senators by stock tips and other financial transactions.
 3. Accepting rebates in violation of the interstate commerce law.
 4. Stealing from the United States government through weighing frauds.
 5. Conspiring to ruin indepedent su- gar refners.
 6. Violating consistently the Sher- man antitrust law.
 T. Using short weight scales.
 S. Establishing grocers who handled independent sugar.
 g. Importing cheap contract labor.
 10. Violating factory and health laws.
 And yet President Taft and the Can non-Aldrich machine are endeayoring to prevent a congressional investiga- ton of these colossal frauds of many years standing. Strangely enough. in this matter a congressional investiga- tion is not to be permitted, simply be. cause the interests are in control of both houses, but surely there are dem. ocrats enough in either house to put the squelching operation before the people in it's true light.
 For the public good there should be the fullest possible investigation. The robberies of the trust took money from the pockets of the people, and they are severely taxed on the necessities of life to make good those robberies. There never was a case in the history of this or any other government that more plainly called for congressional investigation, and yet the Cannon-Al- drich machine, backed by the Presi- dent, expects to prevent one. The rea- son why Is plain-it would end in a national scandal which would injure the republican party. This is the en- tire case in a nutshell.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
Tho 800 Club

Few movements inaugurated by the Chamber of Commerce have promised so much for the expansion of Birming- hams industrial interests as the 500 club. This club is stock company be- ing formed for the specific purpose of assisting new manufacturing concerns of merit by loaning them money for a term of two or three years secured by a lien on their plants. It frequently happens that a company of men equipped by training and experience for conducting a certain manufactur- ing business have considerable cash, but not quite enough capital to erect and operate a mill or factory. The 800 club will supply the needed money by making a loan for term of years and taking lien on the property.
 Conservative men regard the 800 club as safe investment, to say noth- ing of the helpfulness of it. If pru- dently managed. it should prove profit able to each shareholder. It would certainly go long way in augmenting Birmingham's pay rolls.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
A Good Reading Light.

q have been giving much attention to the effect of electric lights on the eyes, reading by them," said man of studious habits.
 ''If persons who read much by artificial lights will take care to bring the light down to proper distance from the print ed page and will use the "rantalum' bulbs they will not feel that strained condi- ton of the eyes caused by using the high, overhead light. For general illu- minating purposes the Tungsten is ideal, but it Is not good for adjustable lamps. as the coils will break with jar or vibration, and only when hanging per- pendicular do they give full satisfaction. On the other hand. the 'Tantalum' may be adjusted to any angle and moved at pleasure.
 Another point desire to impress upon users of electric lights: Wipe of the bulbs every evening before beginning to read; the reason is apparent
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
Uniform Price for Coal.

At conference of coal operators from all over the country, now being arranged to take place the latter part of this month," says the Railway World, "a committee will be appointed to present to President Taft, and through him to Congress, a plan of the operators to es- tablsh a uniform price of coal through out the country. The advisability Of es- tablishing coal commission with func- tions similar to the interstate commerce. commission, the principal duty of which will be the regulation of price and of tariffs, will also be brought to the Pres idents attention
 "It is believed that the new plan will do away with the waste and aid In the conservation of resources. The waste caused by a production of 40o,000,0oo tons last year was 25Oooo,OOO tons, all due to severe competition"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-20
WASHINGTON.
One City in All America Where Titles
 Count for Something.

Spencer Harley in January Smart Set. and simple, where everybody bluffs and everybody knows that everybody else bluffs, and yet the bluff is kept up It is better to have bluffed and lost than never to have bluffed at all. There is no longer snobocracy. Washington Is the superla- tive degree
 It is the one city in all America where titles count. To be anything you must be something. You must be senator or a congressman or the Hon. This or Mir. Commissioner That, which is not only your own credential. but serves also for your wife and your sons and daughters. But better still-oh, the very heaven of snobocracy!-to be the subject of an effete monarchy and have real title that can't be taken away because the free and independent voters have no longer any use for you. We are not nicely discriminat- Baron Smith or the Count Spaghetti or the Duke of Wienerwurst. So long as he's got handle to his name and a coronet on his head and we call him My Lord' we don't care cent what he is. Of course we are too democratic, and of course too sensible, really to care about such silly things but there is satisfac- ton in saying to that chap Brown-in- sufferable snob-at the club in a careless sort of way:
 Had a most interesting talk with the duke" You pause just long enough to notice the effect on Brown, and go on indifferently: Its quite true what those wretched yellow papers are saying about the princess. Of course am not at lib- erty to repeat what he said but and that is all you condescend to tell Brown
 And think how it sets your wife up for her to be able to say with a blase air to Molly Black, who married a s12oO-clerk in the red tape office: At the embassy last night the duchess said to me- and to know that Molly would give her husbands salary for a year to be al- lowed to put her foot inside the Patagon- ian embassy
 The Washington bluff is as different from the New York or Chicago bluff as terrapin is from chicken in a chafng dish, with some cooking sherry to take away the taste. In New York they bluff in public; in Washington the bluff isn't worked where everybody can see 1t. That's vulgar. We bluff each other in the privacy of our own mansions
 There is only one person in Washington who is bluff proof. That's the boarding housekeeper. She's seen too much of 1t to be taken in. It has got to be pretty slick member of Congress who can blum her out of a months board.