davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

If these people would not come to the for themselves It's real spirit, MT Stray CT thought it would be worth while to see if the message could not be taken to them in way to invite and command a hearing. He consulted with many both in the ministry and in the labor move ment and the outcome was a series of 20 meetings in the largest theatre in Koch ester, called the peoples Sunday evening, but commonly abbreviated into the P S. E. With him in the planning and as- sociated with him in the ministry were Prof. Walter Rauschenbusch of the Roch- ester Theological seminary, author of Christianity and the Social Crisis, and the Rev. Dr. Henry H. Stebbins, known as Rochester's social missionary-at-large These selected to counsel with and assist them oommitte of 14. striking in the di- versity of interests represented
 The chairman of this committee had been a college professor and president but is now a successful manufacturer The vice chairman is the business agent of a labor union. The secretary is the editor of a labor journal. The treasurer is the general manager of one of Roch- eSters largest industries. Two of the committeeman are leading physicians; one Is president and the other was until re- gently secretary of the chamber of com merce; one Is president of the central labor organization, representing 13,000 unionized wage-earners; one, a paper job Der. is also the most active civic worker In the city; one Is a small merchant, and one is the editor of one of the daily newspapers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

Personally conducted excur- sion to Cumberland Island via Atlanta, Birmingham & Allan tic R. R., August 14th, 1909. $12.0O Round Trip. Tickets good 10 days, returning on any regular train within limit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

Special excursion rates to points in North Carolina on Aug. 14th, via Southern Rail way. For all information ap- ply at City Ticket Office, Nor ris Hotel Building.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

MT. Strayer's church freed him for these 20 meetings and loaned its quartet. Friends in his congregation voluntarily contributed nearly one-third of the ex- pense. The meetings cost, in all, a little less than $175 apiece, for rental of the atre; advertising, which followed the atrfcal precedents; programmes, music and one other item to be referred to later. Before a meeting was held, those not known to be contributors to any church were solicited for funds until there was in hand enough to finance the series pro- vided the theatre audiences Should con- tribute an average of $40 an evening" The audience did little better than this, and the great bulk of their offerings was in pennies-often the collection produced as many as 1900 coins. The only sal aried person connected with the series, aside from the orchestra members, who were included in the theatre rental, was a secretary. who charged for only half her time, although she gave it all
 The meetings were unconventional The orchestra played for half an hour before the curtain rose. Ministers, members of the committee and guests occupied the front of the stage, while behind them was massed chorus choir to one side were a piano and the quartet In every way the endeavor was made to have the
 
 ipation In the meetings.
 The subjects treated during the 20 meet ings covered a wide range. For illustra- tion, one night was given over to a dis cussion of the public health of the city. Physicians told of the fight on tuber culosis and other diseases and the health officer threw upon a screen pictures of local bad tenement conditions, accom- panying them with timely warnings. The problem of unemployment occupied one evening, the speakers being an unem- ployed man who told of his search for work, large employer who told how ! difficult 1t was to provide work in a i time of business depression and a speak 1 who explained in detail just what the l organizations of betterment In Rochester | were doing to cope with destitution. A 1 debate on what to do with the saloon, be- l tween the attorney of the Greman-Amer- ican alliance. who advocated more strin- | gent regulation, and former Governor l Glenn of North Carolina, who recom- l mended prohibition; two evenings of dis | cussion upon phases of socialism, twu evenings given over to explanations of
 the labor movement, one of them ad- dressed by Raymond Robins of Chicago | two evenings to phases of school work | with pictures; and. finally. two evenings l of earnest, heart -to-heart talk about the
 churchs place and work in society, witt | urging to outsiders to get In and push
 One of the first things discovered wal l that faith without works did not i'm ] press congregation of non-churchgoers
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08

(Editor Rochester Evening Times) (EXclusive Service The Survey Press Bu-
 reau.)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08
Cheap excursion rates via. SEABOARD.

$500 to Washington and re- turn, $15.OO to Richmond and Norfork, and retn n, August IA. Good until August 31. Phone 2382, office 1927 First Avenue.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
HISTORY'S LESSON

MFR. HICHBORN'S 'History of the
N Legislature" (of 1900 is really
4tA a skillful analysis rather than a
bald historical review In his preface
Mr. Hichborn says his purpose was
not only to show WHAT was done at
Sacramento last winter, but, what is
far more important, HOW 1t was done
To this end the several measures are
divided under three heads, namely
those dealing with moral, with political
and with Industrial issues. Instead of
scattering on all the measures intro
duced, or even a considerable part OF
them, the principal issue of each
group, that which meant the most to
the people, and upon which the ma
chine centered its efforts, has been Sc
lected for detailed consideration. This
history Of those thus selected for con-
sideration shows the machine-or, II
you like, the systen-at its work OF
passing undesirable measures, and OF
blocking the passage Of good measures
We quote from the preface: If the
story of the session OF the California
legislature of 1909 assist the citizens or
California to understand how this Is
done; If it give them that knowledge
Of the weakness, the strength, the pur-
pose and the affiliations of the senat-
ors and assemblymen who sat in the
legislature of 1909, of which the ma
chine managers have had heretofore
monopoly; if 1t point the way for
new method of publicity to crush cor
rupuon and to promote reform, the Ia
bor of preparing this work for the
press will have been justified"
Mr.. Hichborn's history Is of great
value, not only to the voters who wish
to take an intelligent interest in affairs
of the day, but to students of govern
mental systems in actual operation
No doubt political students in all parts
Of the country and of the world will
be highly edited when they read OF
the manner in which freedom was de-
graded and prostituted and free insti-
tutions were outwitted and misused In
California.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
ADVISORY COMMITTEE

TNASSAILABLE is the logic of the
position held by the Los Angeles
~ good roads advisory committee,
expressed in Mr.. Buffers letter to the
supervisors: 1.-THE committee O..
cannot consistently see how it should
be called upon to approve one member of
the highway commission and not have
the privilege of passing upon the other
two, and am therefore directed to say
to you that unless the three names are
submitted for approval or disapproval
to this body, we decline to act in the
matter. I am further directed to ask
you whether or not you will submit to
this body, for approval or rejection, the
three members of the highway COM
mission"
The good roads advisory committee
owes a duty to the public, and has
never been instructed that any compro-
mise or half measure will take the place
of that duty, and never will be in
structed to that effect If the members
of the advisory committee did not insist
that the supervisors keep complete
faith with the public by consulting the
committee on all appointments, as we'll
as on expenditures, the committeeman
would be condonlng the offensive atti-
tude and actions of the Solid Three. If
the supervisors wish to concede one
point to the advisory committee, they
should remember by this concession
they have acknowledged the committee
is In the right and the Solid Three in
the wrong, and should accept the stu
alton with the best grace possible, and
bring forth fruits meet for repentance
by giving the advisory committee the
representative public position and
authority with which it was invested
by the people.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
THE DESERT

~ ONE day the desert may be con-
~ auered. Some day.
~ At present it lies at the doors
of our civilization, Ike a great, tawny
monster, vast, silent, cruel, and waits
for victims. Week after week the des-
ert takes it's toll of the human race.
More greWsomely and tragically ro-
mantle than any story by Poe or Ste
Venson is that of an unknown, unfor-
tunate wanderer, who died on the
burning sands nea- Ls1exico. Bitten
by a rattlesnake, ne lay solitary, help
less, agonized through indescribable
hours.
Will the day ever come when man
will conquer the desert? Surely it is
of more importance than the conquest
of the air, especially as air conquest
seems to produce blood thirst among
the spuriously civilized nations.
Is it not worth while TO conquer the
desert, to devote as much time, inge-
nuity, money, heroism to this task as
to the invention and development Of
airships for military purposes?
The conquest of the desert regions of
the earth will add thousands of acres
10 fertile or habitable soil. l. will allie
yiate the social stress and pressure.
And it is mems work; giants work.
Let US hope that ere many years have
come and gone the great deserts of
North America and North kfrica will
20 only memories.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
SPAIN

nARCELONA, the center of Spanish
X revolutionary disturbances, is also
~ the center of Spanish Industrial
ism. II the ranchers of Spain were IN
sympathy with the people of the manu-
featuring, mining and shipping dis
tricts. there would be a strong prob
ability that with the aid of the Carlist
legitimists King Alfonso might be de-
throned. But 1t must be remembered
Alfonso's opponents are divided not
only into two Industrial sections, rural
and metropolitan, but into two political
camps between which there is no love
lost.
In one hostile camp are the Carlist
legitimists, the Jacobites of Iberia, VINO
would like to see the fall Of Alfonso in
order that the TORY" royalists might
come into their own again. wrestling
power from the liberal" or constltu-
tional royalists. In the other hostile
camp are the representatives Of another
force that must be reckoned with, an
ever increasing number of industrial l.
lists" men and women who are Repub-
lican on Socialist lines. They wish to
have all the various rival royalists sent
about their business, and to establish
in Spain a Socialist Republic-the first
of its kind.
Alfonso's hope of safety and Of con-
tlnuation in his kingship lies IN the
unbridgable gulf between the royal rev.
olutionaries and the radical revolution
aries. With a wise, crafty counselor
a skilled, practical politician of a type
well known in the United States-Al-
fonso might play one inimical wing
against another and retain his throne
and his salary. But Spain is Platt-less
and Herrin-less. If Alfonso should be
dispossessed, Spain's troubles will only
have been begun, for the Carlist
legitimists will rally every reactionary
force, every representative of privilege,
every concessionary, in the endeavor to
crush out radicalism and suppress So
ciaHsm. This will have the effect OF
massing all the radicals-no matter
what '1sms" they may advocate-under
one banner and the history Of Cuba
will be repeated on a larger scale in a
prolonged civil war. And the military
leader of the conservatives will be none
other than Butcher" Weyler.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
GREATER Los ANGELES

n URING recent years the population
of Los Angeles has been increased
- by many recruits from the great
harbor cities of the Atlantic. To these
men 1t is hardly necessary to talk
harbor." They understand exactly
what a big harbor means, not only to
the coast, but the back country. Their
experience In other maritime centers
has taught them the consolidation OF
Los Angeles with San Pedro and VIII
mington is a vital necessity II the
metropolitan area dominated by Los
Angeles is to attain to its full growth
and to conditions of greatest efficiency
To such as they, General Arthur Muir
ray stated a self-evident proposition
when he said: Consolidation of your
cities is the only thing to make your
harbor what II should be. 1t is neces-
sary, If you are to realize the establish
ment Of a harbor of the character you
can build here-AND YOU MAY HAVE
ONE OF THE GREAT HARBORS OF
THE WORLD. But the thing to make
this is to consolidate as you are plan,
ming. and WORK TOGETHER for a
public harbor."
Consolidation means q consolidation
Of interests as well as of government.
The only argument against consolida-
ton that would be worth listening to
would be founded on proof it was
against the interests of Los Angeles.
This is absurd and preposterous on the
face of It, The Observation-Disclosures
who talks as if Los Angeles should
pursue an existence and plan career
without reference to maritime condl-
tions or the completion Of the Panama
canal is talking like a madman. More
over, the Observation-Disclosures who neg
lects the fact that, as Mr.. Call has
said, "the people of the Greater Los
Angeles area are all held in commercial
bondage by the railroad trust under
existing conditions" has the spirit OF
slave and not of a freeman.
For commercial, Industrial social
educational reasons and for the sake of
creating conditions that will provide
the greatest good for the greatest num-
ber in the old fashioned true blue
American way. Greater Los Angeles
will be established and the railway
trust smashed, and the prosperity that
will follow commercial freedom will be
the greatest and most general in the
history of Southern California.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
PEACE

NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER says
N the idea of two cultured peoples
4N like the British and the German
quarreling and tearing each other 10
pieces is revolving, and the mere
thought of it ought to dismay the civ
ilized world. We think the civilized
world is refusing to be dismayed by
the thought because it is refusing to
take it seriously. A collision of the
kind indicated by Mr.. Butler has formed
the subject for fantastic, hypothetical
sensational articles which any man with
a skill in words and a knowledge of
superficial facts may construct.
1t is very easy to create panic
anywhere at any time. Persons VINO
have brought about a war panic In the
United Kingdom, and are now attempt
ing to infect the United States with it
are reprehensible and irresponsible, and
occupy with relation to world-society
and "all people that on earth do dwell
exactly the same position that the gal
lery idiot who yells "Fire!" occupies to
the audience. They are nuisances.
The cordial Franco -British-Canadian-
American reunion at Lake Champlain
is being advertised to the anxious Ger
mans as a certain indication there Is a
secret understanding between the
friendly nations represented at the cell
ebration, and that this secret under
standing bodies i'll to Germany. What
nonsensel
DR.. Butler says 1T is the plain duty
of the friends of both the United King
dom and Germany-and what right
minded man is not the warm friend
and admirer of both these splendid peo-
ples?-to exert every possible influence
to promote a better understanding Of
each of these peoples by the other,
fuller appreciation of the services Of
each to modern civilization, and to
point out the folly, not to speak of the
wickedness, of allowing the seeds Of
discord to be sown between them by
any element in the population Of
either
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31

that 47O of the arrests during the first
year of prohibition were for violation
of the prohibition laws, and should thus
be added to the decrease figures of that
year-thus making the decrease 4949
for prohibition period.
The revenue collections on beer and
other distilled spirits for the eastern
district of Wisconsin for nine months
ending April l, last, showed a decrease
of $342, lis. This amount will go long
way in supplying bread and meat to
former drunkards' children; and the
figures discredit your statement as to
the per capita increase of drinking, as
shown by revenue receipts.
One of the parties sending to Wichita
for the beer was one who is now urg-
ing temperance, l presume, yet strain
| ing himself in an effort to defeat 1t.
1t was only dream, however; he had
gotten into prohibition territory and
thought he could get booze in Wichita.
/ know of two men at Woodward,
Okla, who never did any good the
greater part of their lives, back in In
diana, on account OF booze, and who
are now well fixed with fine farms.
We temperance people who are hon.
est In our efforts, and do not pretend
to encourage 1t while writing discour-
agingly about 1t, but prove by our ac-
tions that we are heartily in earnest,
would not think of taking the blood
money offered by the brewers for char
ity. We believe in keeping the brewers
from getting it from thousands who are
not able to keep their families COM
Portable for their amber-colored poison.
The more brewers and the richer they
get, the more people we have depend
Ing on charity. w. s. BURROUGHS.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31

him TO drink, even though he takes the
bread and meat out of his childs mouth
with which to get 1t, rather than to
interfere with his personal liberties
but what about the personal liberties
of the dear child he staryes in order to
get the drink?
You say you "urge temperance" Mr..
McMullin. / knew a man in Aurora,
Ind, who said thirty or forty glasses of
beer a day wouldn't hurt a man; but
for a man to make a hog of himself
he didn't believe in it; he believed in
temperance, too.
No, you think the evil of drink can
never be overcome because history says
1t has failed in the past.
Rev. f. z. Folk of Tennessee, a very
able man, thinks differently. He said
before a state gathering not long since
that 1.-THE whole south will be prohibi-
ton territory within five years, and the
entire Union In twenty-five years" ut
will not be many years until we will as
soon think of returning to slavery as to
booze selling"
In your former letter you said that
drunkenness was far worse throughout
the south since the adoption of prohibit
ton than 1t was before. In the city OF
Knoxville, Tenn, during the year end
ing November J., 1907, before prohibl-
ton, there were 5144 arrests made. The
following year, under pronlDluOn, Inere
were 2602-a decrease Of 2542. For
drunkenness alone during same length
Of time there were, for the year pre-
ceding prohibition, 2743; and for the
first year of prohibition only 1904 de-
crease of 1431. And the number of mur-
ders decreased from thirty-eight during
the last year of the licensed booze sys-
tenn to fourteen during the first year
it's sale was prohibited.
Here is what a booze paper has to
saw; "It Is not the Anti-saloon league
nor the preachers nor the fanatics nor
the women who are routing the saloon
in state after state, but the votes are
being cast by men who drink wine, beer
and whisky" This was proved by
the vote cast in the mining districts of
Illinois at the first election under the
local option law. We never counted on
knocking the saloons out of the mining
districts, but to our surprise the miners
declared themselves In favor of per-
sonal liberty to spend their money for
the benefit of their families instead OF
the saloon keeper, brewer and distiller.
In Birmingham, Ala, we find that
there were 11,S12 arrests made during
the year preceding prohibition, and 1888
the first year of prohibition, decrease
of 4479 in favor of prohibition; and to
refute what you have said about there
being more drunkenness In the south
under prohibition, Mayor Ward said
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
SPOOK FLUMMERY

II EsPITE the fact the raid Of the
fake spook seance was success
~ full and convincing, some Of the
hide-bound believers in Spiritualism
who attended the meeting which was
rudely disturbed by various prosaic and
practical ofIicious and official persons,
were heard to say the spiritmongers had
been duoed and tricked by the sons ot
Belial who had Interrupted the
psychic pow-wow. This shows that
Barnum was correct when he said peo-
pie dearly love to be fooled; nay, more
that when disillusioned they are apt
to turn on the disillusioner and $50 10
speak, rend him limb from limb.
No one regrets more keenly the sue
cess of the raid than the newspaper
representative who was engaged in 1t.
If he had been enabled to return to
The Herald office with the statement
the spirits had really appeared unto
him this newspaper would have an
nounced with enthusiastic joy the lat
est and most important of all scien-
tifc discoveries.
We would have opened up wireless
communication with the spooks and
would have put Horace Greeley on our
consulting editorial staff and asked
Ben Franklin to inspect the printing
presses and give us some new wrinkles
But. alas! it fell to the lot Of our
representative to be disappointed; to
witness another tawdry example of the
wretched mummery-hu which
must be as disgusting to bona flde
spooks as 1t is to human beings,
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
DIR. BURDETTE

n .TIZENS of Los Angeles. IRE
spective Of church or creed, unite
~ in congratulating Rev. DR.. Rob
ert ]. Burdette on having completed
sixty-five years of useful life. We
have no doubt many of our readers
will be astonished to learn that Bob
can count so many birthdays. He has
drunk of the fountain of perpetual
youth: is not old. but young: and
young will ever be.
No matter how many years may be
added to his life, they will be years
of youth, and not of age. His heart
is young, and the thoughts OF his heart
are young, and "as he thinketh in
his heart, SO is he"
The people of Los Angeles are justi-
fed In holding to the belief DR.. Bur
dette is a young man. We hope he
may live to see many more birthdays,
and to enjoy many more years of
useful, youthful activity in lovely Los
Angeles.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
MARY MAGDALENE
ON QUESTION OF PURITY

LOS ANGELES, July 29.-[Editor
Herald: The man signing himself
MARY Magdalene,' in Saturdays Let
ter Box, says: "The purity of woman
makes the world a fit place to live in.
For the love of heaven, leave her as
she Is" I believe in the purity of
woman to such an extent that would
like to live to see the day when every
woman of the world is pure, regard
less Of the rights" Of fallen men. AS
fallen men claim that they have
right to be immoral, it would no doubt
work a hardship on them If some
mothers daughters did not go astray,
but nevertheless / valoue the purity of
my neighbors' daughters more than
do the rights" of fallen men.
VERA FIDELIA.
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31

Kind o. queer, isn't 1t, to read of
lawyers appealing for mercy for their
whisky over the clients7 And of men
with criminal propensities or with
ranking grudges consuming liquor un-
til their courage Is at the sticking
point, and then numbering someone?
And to realize the provocative. whls-
ky, is on open sale, while the weapons
with which to commit crime can be
purchased without difficulty?
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
AT THE THEATERS

AUDITORIUM-DRrk.
MAsoN-"The Merry Widow"
BELASCO-"The College Widow"
BURBANK-"The Man on the Box"
GRAND-"In the Shadow OF the Gallows."
MAJEsTIC-"A Runaway Girl"
ORPHE HEUM-Vaudeville.
Los MISUNDERSTANDING.
Notwithstanding and musical comedy.
EISCHERS-Allen Curtis company in
"Jakey, Ikey and Mlkey."
Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31

Los Angeles bank clearings for the
week show the largest gain recorded
by any city in the state. Los Angeles
is the most flourishing city in the civil
lied world And when it becomes
Greater, it will continue to hold its
leadership and will extend 1t to sea
as we'll as land.