davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

dwelling there, native as concerns the
congenial soil to which the deep roots
chung. That is a great tree.
So clearly Leo Tolstoi Is a great man.
AS 7 write these words he is attracting
the eyes of the world to little flag sta
ton on a Russian railroad, whence in all
likelihood his soul will take it's flight
to the unseen within brief time He is
a Russian in every fiber. He, too, is
deep-rooted in Russian soil. The heart of
the moujik, the peasant, reverent, almost
superstitious, intensely direct, throbs in
that aged breast and looks from those
kindly eyes Even the arbtrariness of
the Russian is essentially Tolstoian
characteristic, linked, however, with reas-
on by wilful force. as one man may be
handcuffed to another A Muscovite of
the Muscovites is he, this hereto, this
practical idealist. With one arm around
his peasant brotherhood, its hand toucn-
ing the imperial throne. he filings the
other arm around the dying Christ, and
cries, brothers, here Is the way Of lfe!'
And the peasants, numb with the dull
years of oppression and want. neverthe-
less believe him.
The Emperor, nurtured in autocracy
and self-laudation, nevertheless believes
him. Why? Because this is supremacy
the Russian who speaks. But when he
proceeds to scott at the ell1ons and the
liturgy, to mourn over the solemn cathe-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20
IN LAND OF THE EAST-By Dr. w

tured. AS was the case IN the Cnar8S
of the Light Brigade when someone
Numbered, SO, likewise, great blunder
was committed at Tunis. Charles deposed
the ruler of Tunis, and then relnstated
him as his vassal, upon the condition that
thereafter no Christians should be held
in slavery. Charles released 10000 slaves.
but was inconsistent enough to carry
away with him 10000 Mohammedans in
the bonds of slavery.
The example set by Charles at Tunis
was bad. He dealt too leniently with The
Tunisians The freebooter nation was not
hurt much. The old horror broke out
again, this time in Algiers. The disaster
at Tunis served to inspire an Internal
vigor in perpetrating deeds of wrong on
land and sea. Again the world was APP
palled, and once more Europe looked to
Charles V to destroy the Barbary pir-
ates. Pope Paul III addressed a letter
to Charles in which he implored him to
sail against the pirate states and de-
stroy Algiers.
Charles was still thirsting for glory, and
soon equipped a fleet equal to the first
one. He had 500 ships, an army of 1900
men; 150 Knights of Malta, besides noble
men and gentlemen volunteers. Opposed
to Charles there were only 800 Turks and
5000 Moors and Moriscos.
| When Charles arrived at Agiers he
demanded the surrender of the city
and surroundings. He was laughed at.
He then began the attack. which was
doomed to meet the most disastrous re-
suits. Charles army was landed and
ready for serious business, but there
arose a gale on the sea which soon be-
came bowling tempest. 1t was evil
| dent that arms, ammunition and ships
would soon be utterly lost. Defeat was
| evident.
On the second day OF the attack the
Christians were in sorry plight. and
were totally routed. Two hundred ships
were driven ashore with 5000 men. The
King himself barely escaped Hundreds
of vessels were lost and thousands of
the Kings army were captured and
thrown into slavery. Being enriched
with slaves, valuable stores and treas
ures, the arrogance of the Algerines
knew no bounds and their depredations
became more horrible than ever. From
this time they flaunted their pirate
flag not In the Mediterranean only,
but, sailing northward. they terrified
the coasts of Spain. France and Eng
land Indeed the English channel be-
came one Of their richest cruising wa
ters.
Upon the death of Charles. Philip
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

weakened the Turkish power by his
great victory at Lepanto. Over 500
ships and 200, 900 men were engaged
in this battle. The world had seen
nothing like the fight at Lepanto since
the days of the first Punic war when
the Romans and Carthaginians met in
the awful clash Of battle.
But Philip did little else than weaken
the common enemy of Christendom. La
ter, various powers formed alliances
against the Turks In general. and espe-
cially against the Turks of the three
pirate states. in particular. But the eff
forts of the allied nations served only
TO check the Barbary marauders tenn
porarily. Very soon, though apparently
overcome, did they renew their dastardly
depredations with vengeance rendered
more heartless by their past mortifica-
tions.
They finally laid claim to the Mediter-
ranean sea, and demanded tribute from
all Christian nations whose ships sailed
It's waters If the tribute money was
rot forthcoming, they would hurl them
selves upon passing ships, seize their
cargoes, and enslave their crews. 1t,
therefore. in the course of time, became
the humiliating practice of the European
nations to pay the tribute demanded. The
| flags of England. Spain, France. Italy.
| Venice, Scandinavia and all the others,
even iHcluulrB the papdl nag Win us
| PAX" and Mitre, were constantly humii-
lated by the blackmail of the pirate
states of Barbary.
1t remained for a new flag from across
the sea, with its stars and stripes fly
ing from the mast heads of it's ships from
out the western world to show the flags
of ancient Kingdoms and hoary empires.
how to sail the Mediterranean as un-
molested as the eagle in his far-away
flight to his nest In the mountain crags.
For the people behind the flag OF the new
republic. composed of Yankee daring and
hot southern heroism, of Puritan per-
sstance and the dash of the cavalier,
these determined that the ships of tho
republic should plough their way through
the Mediterranean yea, with shot and
shell II need be. and sweep forever from
the sea those races that dared to trifle
with a liberty that had been bought
with freeman's blood. shed from Concord
to the Cowpens, and from Valley Forge
to Yorktown. Well might the European
powers, as they saw this flag of the
young giant republic for the first time.
have asked:
what is this that looketh forth as the
morning. fair as the moon. radiant with
stars, bright as the sun, and terrible
as an army with banners?"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20
THE GREATNESS OF TOLSTOI-By George Eaves, d. D.

them back their own utmost ideals
wrought out into actual life, into terms
Of passion and patient victory. He mir
rors by his wide sympathy the whole
host of the nations and makes the Rus
sian the cosmopolitan. and all the world
a Russian moujik. With his frank ra-
tionalism and unbeief he wins more
to the way of the cross than all the
Russian priests with their oratory and
their eilSons. His discipline of revolt
is more terrible than the old discipline
of the cloister. For the problem of
the age he substitutes the problem of
the ages. In exchange for dogma he
gives the spirit In him, excommuni-
Gated and feared by the clergy, men of
all creeds find the saint alike In look
Barnabas, twentieth century Saint
Barnabos, twentieth century Saint
Francis Naked he canes from God;
naked he gives himself to God. his
soul for the life of the world, Just
his personality. so potent because so
absolutely unconventional. Money? He
fears, hates. derides 1t. He sees with
clear vision that in the last resort man.
kind needs not money but manhood.
And though he die this week or next
or n year hence he will still stand
above Bismarck or Gladstone or
Browning or any other of his time,
Supremacy modest and supreme high,
the grand old man of the latter days.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20
NOTES AND COMMENTS-By ]. c. Hden D. D:

Indeed, I did, for though no dis
courtesy was intended 1t being only
the manner of rough personality. 1
felt that my being there under the cir
cumstances was reprehensible!
And he was right in feeling thus.
The old millionaire no doubt felt that
1t was his wealth that attracted the
crowd, and though he was weak enough
to enjoy having his Importance en-
HANGED by his wealth, he also enjoyed
giving the followers a thrust
now and then"
This story brought to mind one that
haG read. oh! so long ago. when l was
a child, and by which I was much i'm
pressed. 1t was written by Goodrich, ami
/ think was called 1.-THE Nephew" but
of the name l am not certain. The story
was a severe satire on fortune-hunting
or seeking the rich. l will give a synop-
sis of 1T; but in doing SO will state that
/ have no disposition to reflect upon
these who possess wealth, or to depre-
oiate riches rightly obtained and wisely
used.
A very wealthy man had become much
disgusted at the flattery he received from
his neighbors: he wisely concluded that
everything he did and said could not
be perfect, and yet he was praised and
approved of on every move or decision
that he made. He concluded that this
was due more to his wealth than to his
wisdom and determined to teach his
neighbors a lesson.
He caused a report to be circulated
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

builder, the man of war, the thinker
with sword, But he also has the
irenic temperament, and dying, thinks
of the earth as pacified and distributed,
ready for infinite adaptation to spirit
ual ends, certain to adjust itself to
the common needs of a worldwide
commerce. AS soldier he was of his
time. As a statesman he was brill
liant contrast to the narrow minded
sectionalists whose world was bound
ed by the Aegean Sea.
The same is true of Shakespeare, or
Washington, of Cromwell, of st. Paul.
Rooted deep in their own age, like an
elm In the forest of elms, behold them
lifting themselves like some tall poplar,
some wide-reaching, glorious oak; some
vivid maple, alone, surprisingly alone;
so that the afterworld wonders whence
they came, what was their miraculous Or
igin, what wind of God waited, what bird
bore the miraculous seed and planted 1t
Just there In the woodland depth!
Passing over a ragged forest-strewn
hillside the other day my attention was
attracted by a tree I could not recog-
nize-tall and brave but of strange habit
The driver noticed my questioning look
and said That's a wild cherry But
were there others in the woods? He
thought not This was aged, strong
alone, persistent in a world both alien and
native, alien as concerns the other tribes
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

Roman was in the land, and he finally
wrested it from its rightful owners, and
passed it down to the descendants of
the people who were sucked by the wolf
on the banks of the Tiber.
Then followed centuries of protest
and war. The Berbers were backed
by the Vandals in the fifth century,
when Rome retired from Mauritania
again in CAT and In 673 came the Arab
invasions whose onslaught upon the
Romans was joyously hailed by the
Berbers. The last element of Roman
rule was finally destroyed by the Mo-
hammedans and Berbers fighting to-
gether against the common foe.
But the unhappy Berbers were not
to be masters of their own land. The
Mohammedan invader became dominant
and before his aggressions the Berber
swas driven to the mountains of Atlas
there to die or to lose his identity
among other nations or tribes.
In Barbary the Moslems flourished
and became proud and ambitious. They
called the world their possession
though in other hands. In the year
I'll vast hordes of them started out
into spain, and, fighting as fatalists
they beat down all opposition and
dwelt in the land for centuries. Here
in spain, or in some parts of the king
dom, they were dominant until the time
of Ferdinand and Isabella. When they
were finally expelled from Spain they
shipped for Barbary and came under
the domination of the Turks along
with Egypt and other parts of north
ern Africa.
The defeat of the Moors in Spain
awakened their modification and fillel
them with devilish, vindictive passion oil
hatred towards all Christian nations
Revenge and cunning. cruelty and dis
homer chiefly characterized their relations
with men and nations holding the Chris
tan faith. All Christians were their enc.
mics they assumed, and by the same
token they were the sworn foes of al
Christians. They became the revengefu
and rapacious scourage of the sea, and
so continued for more than 800 years
Their Moslem fathers had made Europe
from the Danube to the Pillars Of Her
cules, and from the gates of the Cauca-
sus to the Atlantic, turn pale and tremble
at the grossness of their crimes of blood
and worse; and now, the sons of those
butcher fathers, began to show the worth
mess Of their national and religiously
fanatical descent.
The sea was to become the scene oil
their crimes and ships of Christian lands
their play, no matter what the cost. The
cities along the coast of northern Africa
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

oral professions or over the vast armies
marching-o er the miracles attested by
the clergy or the misrule enforced by the
government, he stands out alone. As a
mystic and man he Is a Russian, he
Is of his time and place. AS a thinker,
a nationalist, critic, a challenger of
a world-order, Tolstoi rises in solitary
grandeur, at once awful and benign. This
Is his contrast, his Handicapped peak
wrapt by the ceaseless waves of light
and music pulsing from potent sun and
moon-swung seas.
Hence his greatness Is not that he Is
a thinker a patriot, a radical, a mys-
tic, nationalist, warrior battling
against war with the sword of the truth
Rather his greatness arises from the har-
nonious union in himself, in one we'll
directed manhood, of all these contrary
forces. The greatness of Cromwell con-
slsts of the like harmonious complex of
opposites. He was the reverent, tender
hearted, lowy-minded saint. But he was
the stern, implacable soldier. the social
surgeon with an army for his knife. He
was dreamer and poet on the one side,
practical statesman and astute diplo-
n.atist on the other. He was almost
little Englander,' so intense was his
concern for the islands welfare. But
he was the first modern imperialist.
warning the Spaniard, the Frenchman and
the Holander alike that now the Eng
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

you have q dream OF beauty ana SUD-
Unity.
Nature has been prodiga1 in its gift
of fertility to this ancient land. Mar
velous are its fruits, flowers and vege-
table products. Here are lemons, olives,
figs and dates in abundance, as well as
all kinds Of vegetables. From these ports
are shipped cargoes of gorgeous feathers
plucked from birds of respondent plum
again the far east, bars of creamy ivory,
singing birds, nimble apes and parrots
of rainbow hues. At one time the Bar
barry states constituted the chief gran
airy of the world, Rome itself looking
to this fair land for It's bread Through
this country Agathoces led his army
after landing on the African coast and
at that time, as we learn from Didorus,
the land abounded with gardens and
plantations, all being watered by copious
canals. Opulence and elegance were Wis
ible everywhere. Fifteen years later,
Polybius wrote of the exquisite refine
ment of the people.
For many centuries after the Christian
era, the land abounded with sculptured
marble ruins, many of which were borne
away to Sicily and to Italy. 1t is said
that the leaning tower of Pisa was large
" constructed of ready-wrought marble
brought from the Barbary states. An
| imposing ruin, an aqueduct several miles
| long, still stands in its stately antiquity,
reminding one of the long. dark vine
mantled aqueduct whose ruins stretch
away across the vast field outside the
walls of Rome. There fingers to this
day an old tradition that, in this land
was located the garden of Atlantic, OF
which Scion heard about 450 years, B. G.
It's wealth and beauty attracted to this
Part of the world many nations whose
lands bordered upon the seas. Even the
Greeks coveted this rich Tunisian soil,
as witness their invasion. AS far back
as 100 years before the Christian era
the Phoenicians had established trading
settlements In Tunisia, which finally gave
rise to that warlike and powerful ma
ton known as the Carthaginans. This
mighty people founded fortified trading
POSTS all along the north African coast.
and along the Atlantic shore to and
through Morocco.
The early history of the Barbary states
and the history of Carthage, are sub
stantially one. The Berbers fought against
the Carthaginian invasion. but like the
Indians of our own land, their doom was
sealed. In the Punic wars the Berbers
became the allies of Rome. After Rome's
conquest of Carthage had been accom-
p,ished, Berber independence was en-
ioyed for hundred years. But the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

The young woman who f1irts will
strangers plays a risky game with hi:
Satanic majesty-a game in which she is
scheduled to lose She thinks she car
outwit the devil, and he let's her think
so. She has gone out of her way to meet
one who can outplay her.
The man who is dishonest In business
is playing checkers with the king OF
imps. He will get left, because his ad-
versary knows every move Of the game.
The devil fears nothing, except that he
who plays may quit too soon.
Don't get into the devils game.
Shy DEVIL He will play with you.
laugh at your jokes. weep at your sor-
rows and lie like the devil.
He may let you win a few games. But
don't think he is too busy to play or has
forgotten. He may even cry out that
you are too smart for him. He may tell
you that he is clumsy. But don't you
believe 1t.
The devil does not try to block your
game, nor will he let you block it. He
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

lie is now verging on four-score, but
he can walk the street with you or me,
brisk and alert.
But to get back. Page and Hazleton
brought out old Keifer for speaker, an
impossibility, but they elected him. It
was a bargain, and old Keller was the
poorest speaker Congress ever had, with
the exception of Dave Henderson, whose
chairman of ways and means, Serene
E. Payne, whom Reed would not have.
failed to adjourn the House on his mo-
ton on yea and nay vote. Anybody
else but Henderson would have abdicated,
and anybody else but Payne would have
resigned.
OF course ways and means was pre-
empted In the Forty-seventh Congress.
"Old Pig IRON was to be chairman of
that, in any and all events, when the
party of graft was in power. And right
here let me interpolate that pension
graft and tariff graft are costing the
average citizen at least $50 year. Put
that down in your knowledge box, for 1T
Is true.
Frank Hiscock was appointed chairman
of the committee on appropriations In
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

him. On the witness stand this man
tese9fied that he was unable to pay the
alimony.
He averred that 1t cost more to live
the single than the married life.
Which, at first blush, may seem false
statement and a plea in avoidance.
But said the witness:
The wife had been an economical man
ager and did the work of her household
SO that small sum Of money was suffi-
cient to pay the necessary expenses, But
now, being deprived Of the good manage
ment of his affairs, 1t took every cent of
his wages to live.
He was not Joking.
In actual experience he had been able
to get more out of his wages for two
persons than for one.
The statement is true.
And it is supported by the testimony
of most married men, who will tell you
that they were unable while single to
save money and that their financial pros
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

| wants to play you to the end-and beat
you.
When Lucifer invites you to sit down
| 10 his simple and harmless game OF
| checkers. why
Tell him to go to hades where he be-
longs.
You would scarcely suppose, would
you. that plants and flowers are SEN
sitive to human affection or hatred?
Or that metals may be poisoned and
restored by antidotes? Or that metals
may be overworked and restored by
periods of rest?
Science says so.
Recent experiments have shown that
certain flowers are extremely sentitlve
to words of praise or OF blame long
continued.
The flowers will expand In beauty
and sweetness under kind and affec-
Tomato treatment. But If they are
dsparaged or sneered at or abused in
speech they will languish and die as
CT a broken heart.
Human influences!
What a mastery Is In I'll The mys-
ferrous thing we call magnetism af-
fects the sensitive flower even as 1t
does the human. Things both organic
and inorganic are subject to human In
fiuence.
II SO. my friend
If so, should not realization of the
fact snake us wondrous kind to all
persons and all things?
And, IL one ought to be careful OF
his moods towards the little plant of
the woods that it may blossom into
beauty and fragrance, how much moro
careful one should be toward the ten
der little human plant that 1t may
bloom into fragrant and beautiful life,
For Is not a little child of more pre-
cious worth than many flowersf
The Head Gardener gives you the ten
der human plant and expects that
you will love 1t and shield 1t. And he
has so made the tiny plant that affec-
ton will open Its petals to the warmth
of your love and 1t will bend grateful
ly and graciously toward you.
Put
If you neglect 1t or chide 1t contin-
uousy or put 1t in noisome place Il
will droop and wither and ianguish
And may 1t not be that because the
little human plant is so tender and so
dependent and so submissive to your
influence the Master said you would
better put a milestone around your neck
than offend one Of these little ones?
Soul of mani Be careful, be very
careful, how you treat little human
flower.
1t is the Head Gardeners flowarl
! Be careful lest he hold you guilty Of
biishting one Of his favorite plants.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

wv HAT is meant by the phrase,
NA/ "A great mann" Does great
w ness bear any relation to fame
or to notoriety2 Is a man great be-
cause he Is greatly talked about? Or
is he greatly talked about because he,
like a huge mountain, impinges on the
horizon OF the world. photographs him
self on the retina of every eye? Yet
again, If this is the explanation of the
world, what Is 1t In a man that makes
him SO huge, so eye-compelling, SO
mountainous of bulk? Is 1t his nation
atty, his peculiar adjustment to this
age, the sense of contrast he pro-
vokes, contrast with his environment,
es the white cone of Mount Fugi darts
upward above the lower ridges and
dazzlingly hovers, shall I say, like a
wide winged eagle--nay. like white
winged arch angel, in the blue dome OF
heaven2
1 think 1t will be found that those
whom by common consent we call great
men and women have not only been of
higher powers than the average, but
that they have carried intensely con-
trasted elements in their souls. They
have been the mark product of their
age; they have also been the spiritual
surprises, the antitheses of their age,
Thus Alexander is the very embodi-
ment of world-conquest, the empire
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

perity dates from the time OF their mar
riage.
OF course much depends upon the sort
Of wife one marries.
There Is more truth than poetry In
the old saying that a wasteful wife can
shovel money out of the back door of the
kitchen with q teaspoon faster than a hus-
band can shovel 1t into the front door
with scoop shovel
But the woman who is extravagant In
household matters is the exception to
the general rule.
And rarer Is the wife who is poor
manager.
BY inheritance. instinct and training a
woman is fitted for household economies.
The average wife excels her husband in
getting value received for her money.
She can make dollar go farther than
he. She is the better bargainer, the
shrewder buyer.
And, when one Is married to wife
who excels him in these respects-and
the name of this woman is legion-it is