davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16

feet of water Such craft can make
the same speed as the deep-draught YES
sells. and carry more freight and do It
more economically.
The Mississippi. Missouri, and Ohio are
erratic rivers. They are like spoiled chill
dren. And. heretofore, paternal govern
ment has sought to cater to their whims
This has proven practically impossible,
and river traffic has shown a great de-
crease from year 10 year, while rail
transportation in the same section Of the
country has multiplied many fold. AL Of
which is evidence that our system in
regard to navigable streams and their
care is wrong. The more Federal money
appropriated. the merrier has been the
cry for more. until It has become an end
less chain affair. Why should not the
cities along these rivers follow the Kan
sas City plan and adapt themselves 20
natures requirements. thereby solving a
problem that has been veXatious for a
quarter Of a century. Germany. and
France have done this. SO why not we?
Let us show some of our boasted enter
prise and ingenuity and make our river
transportation methods modern.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16

From the Chicago Record Herald.
'Y--. the old town has changed n great
deal since I left. miss many OF the old
faces. What ever become Of the Virgins
boys2'
They're both livin' here yit."
Are they? Have they ever amounted
to anything"
We'll. Sim amt ever seemed TO be able
TO do anything worth while. He's bought
a farm just south Of town and has the
old folks livin' out there with him Oh.
guess he's doin' fairly well. I understand
he had sixty hogs that he sold at purity
high prices in the fall and he's buildin'
a new house with a bathroom and lot
Of other fool flxin's in it, and has one
of these automobiles, and don't do nothin'
much himself but boss other people
around. But Tom turned out to be a
genius. The paper had q whole column
about him not long ago"
Indeed? How has his genius mani
tested itseif2"
Amt you heard about It? He wrote
the Declaration Of Independence on a
postal card"
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
COUNTRY NOT DECADENT.
World Is Not Half Bad, Though
Many Things Have Changed.

Norid II Not Hair Bad, Though
Many Things Have Changed.
Prom the Richmond TmeyDispatch
Then. the world is swearing less than
in the good old days. 'and getting drunk
less than formerly. and is more careful
OF its language than aforetime. and. con-
sidering the methods OF doing business
and the volume OF business done, a care
ful comparison would doubtless show that
the situation is not quite so black as
Brother Judson has painted II. We are
sure Il IS not when Il comes 10 war. The
nations are much nearer together for
peace than ever before. That IS why the
colonel told them how they could get out
OF actual hostilltles n they wish 20. and
why the method Of arbitration is grad
ually but surely taking the place OF the
sword in this so-called decadent age. The
nations are finding that the economic loss
far outbalances the military glory. and
creat international issues are settled now
by conversation rather than by shot and
shell
Il was not so IN the early days. We
are informed that man by the name OF
Samson slew heaps upon heaps OF the
PhiAsunes, and by the use of a weapon
that is rarely used nowadays except in
public speaking. and then without fatal
results. Then there was Joshua. who.
dghting by divine command. killed IN one
engagement all the inhabitants OF Al
1900 in one day. both Of men and wo-
men" On still another occasion his same
doughty warrior "smote them from
Kadesh-barnea even unto GAIA. and all
the country Of Goshen. even unto Gibeon. %
There has been nothing Ike It since that
time. There is nothing like u now. The
so-called improved implements OF war
keep people from the bloody work they
used 20 do when Greek met Greek
All. no. Brother Judson: the world IS
not half so bad as you think. and there
IS no use IN saying so. II reflects upon
all OF Us, and, working as the world IS FOR
the bettering OF conditions. lt is dlscour-
aging to find the head OF a great educa-
tiOnHl Institution down in the low grounds
while the rest OF US are marching along
ia sight Of the Delectable Mountains.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
The Last of the Medicis.

In Florence. Italy. there passed away
the other day the last of the Medicis.
Nowhere on earth now is there a known
member OF this ancient and powerful
family alive-all OF the Medicis are dead
and gone; vanished to the shadowy be-
yond whence there is no possible coming
back.
No more terribly picturesque family
is known TO history than the Medicis.
From their line came princes, potentates.
queens, kings, emperors. prelates. states
men, civilians. artists, phEanthropists.
murderers. rakes. and philosophers Euro
pean history is bespattered with the blood
Of the Medicis and illustrated with the
glory and the pathos Of their deeds. They
touched the heights Of political power
and grandeur; they imbibed oft and copl-
ously Of sorrows cup. and 10 the very
dregs.
But their end has come. Long ago It
came so far as their sway among the
powerful or notable Of earth was con-
cerned. It has been many years since
one Of the NIedicis. good or evil. startled
the world with his prowess or the prom
ise Of his intellect. They have faded and
shriveled away, until yesterday there
passed the last OF the clan-a shrunken.
babbling. tOttering old man. The boast
Of heraldry, the pomp OF power-it is
always and ever tending toward oblivion.
a thousand years OF stupendous activ-
ity were given to the Medicis. Approx
mately, and In our human conception OF
things. that was a long, long time.
And yet it was as nothing in its relation
to eternity-the years that have gone and
the years that are 70 come. In the
broader aspect Of the question. the life
of the Medlcis was but a span-a trine.
They sprang up-they are gone. That is
all there Is 90 lt.
Gradually the Medicis will become
Legendary. and then more and more so.
and ultimately forgotten. There is moth
ing strange or unusual about It. Il is
the way all things 20.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
MIR. Payne's BIunder.

From the Philadelphia Record.
Just at the moment when Representative
Serene Payne undertakes 70 show his be-
nighted and unbeIieving fellow-ciuzens
that It IS not high tariff rates, but cheap
gold, that is responsible for the high
prices OF commodities, prices begin 10
drop. though the outflow Of gold remains
unabated. Under such conditions n5 can
not successfully work the gold cure as q
means Of stopping the tariff aEht OF his
party. Serene would have argued more
wisely had he fallen back upon the old
theory Of supply and demand for an eN-
planation Of the prices situation. Things
have been going from bad 10 worse u--
der the pressure OF high taxes and trust
extortion. until as explained by an irara
sufferer, they have got so d bad
that any change must be change for
the better"
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
TO-DAY IN HISTORY.
Wedding Day of Marie Antoinette- Is.

To-day. May Is. l77O. at Versailles,
Marie Antoinette was married TO the
Dauphin Of France, who later became
Louis XVI Versailles had never looked
as lovely, no similar ceremony in France
was ever attended with more elaborate
preparations, and no similar ceremony
in the world was ever accompanied with
more uncommon splendOr. But immedi-
ately after the ceremony a thunder storm
Of unparalleled violence broke over the
palace OF Versailles, darkenlng the sur
rounding scenery. and striking terror into
the hearts OF the people for miles around.
It was looked upon as an I'll omen by
the accomplished and beautiful queen
and her friends
This incident, however. did not deter
the people from continuing the elaborate
ceremonies and festivals they had ar
ranged. On May 30 the festivities al
Paris were saddened by a most terrible
accident; a number Of citizens being
crushed to death In the Rue Royale by
some mismanagement on the part Of the
proper authorities. Fifty-three persons
were found dead, and three hundred
more dangerously injured.
Marie Antoinette was the daughter OF
Francis 1 and Marie Theresa, and was
born at Vienna in 1855. Her accom-
plishments. talents. race. virtue. and un-
common loveliness fitted her for the
queen Of a gallant nation. and as such
she would have been honOred in France
had she lived before oppression had
aroused the people 10 madness.
Her mother. in a letter to her future
husband. after alludlns TO the care with
which she had formed her mind, says;
'Above all things, I have recommended
10 her humility before God, because I
am convinced that II is impossible for
US to secure the happiness Of the sub
jects confded 20 US without love 70 Him
who destroys the scepters and the thrones
of kings according TO His will"
The magnanimity OF Marie Antoinette
displayed itself soon after her elevation
TO the throne, on the death of Louis XIV.
An officer of the bodyguard, who had
given offense on some former occasion,
expressed his intention of resigning, but
the Queen forbade him. Remain" said
she. Forget the past. Far be it from
the Queen TO avenge the injuries Of the
dauphiness."
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
RHODE ISLANDS GRAFT.
Government StIu HopeIessIy Sink
Ing Money I'm Great Salt Pond.

Ing Money I'm Great Salt Pond.
| From the Wall Street Journal
There are some items rich with humor
in the $52.OOoOO0 pork barrel" which goes
under the name Of the river and harboT
/ bin. We hope 10 bring a few OF them 70
/ light in the near future. One OF the
/ brightest ideas embodied IN that example
i Of the administrators desire TO econo-
mize IS the appropriation Of $4,000 for the
! conversion Of Great salt Pond. Block
/ Island. r. T.. into a harbor Of refuge
/ The conversion OF that interesting pud-
die into an absolutely supernuous harbor
was first preached as far back as 1865
I Engineers reported then, and in every
+ case where their advice has been sought
/ since, that money spent on such A pur-
/ pose would be wasted OF course. they
/ took a narrow and professional view of
/ the matter, as money which is spent IN
such a State as Rhode Island 10 political
! advantage would certainly not be called
wasted by the IlUstr0us senior Senator
/ from that State.
The project only slept, and IN 1893 Capt.
I Bixby. for the Federal government, made
| another investigation. in which he not
only condemned the project. but pointed
out that a costly harbor OF refuge was
/ under construction at Point Judith. and
that three good natural harbors existed
/ In the vicinity. The division engineer re-
/ ported 10 similar effect
! To most people this would sound final,
| but It is hard 10 keep down a Rhode
| Island politician. A survey was authorized
/ in the river and harbor bin Of 1S9L No
/ opinion was expressed IN the subsequent
report. but Congress knows more by in
! tuition than any specialist can ever know
! by education. The Improvement OF the
/ harbor was undertaken in the report We
! have now thrown $4,000 into the sea az
l that particular spot. We continue 70 do
| so under the present bill, without any in
/ dication that the so-Caned harbor viii be
/ completed IN the next half century. or be
/ Of the slightest earthly use 81 ever IL is
/ pronounced finished. The State OF Rhode
Island dumped $4,000 into the same pond,
and found out that there was no demand
/ for either an outer or an inner harbor
! The Great salt Pond docs not and can
! not serve as haTbor OF refuge" said the
! legislative committee, when il reported
unanimously against the project. The
State Of Rhode Island has abandoned Il.
! Even as late as December, 1909. the engi-
! neer department OF the Federal govern
ment reported strongly against further
| expenditures. Great Salt Pond IS too
| good 10 give UP. Great Salt Pond may
! be considered permanently on the pension
/ list.
/ No pump has ever been devised TO equal
/ the steady. continuous suck Of Rhode
/ Island on the teet OF the Federal COW.
Nothing but a Cleveland veto is equal to
/ the situation, and with all due respect
to Mr.. Taft, he is anything but a Grover
/ Cleveland
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
TEMPTED.

Just 20 see the dawning Of another country dav.
Just 20 SEQ the CLINT again on meadow mass and
clover;
Just 70 see the morning sun kiss all the dew away
And spread in golden patches all the smiling coun
Try over.
Just to tread the bank again where ros1ish waters
pass,
Just to hear their music like friendly fiddle
playing;
Just 10 be the target for a kill-deer's noisy ssss
That nests among the branches Of the Ieafy E1mscb
sWaying.
Just to stretch my length again beside the fishing
hole,
Somewhere in the silence where the stream has
ceased its prattling:
Just 20 feel the thrill again along an alder role
And meet the test Of patience in the simple knack
Of waiting.
Just 10 so and be 4 part Of what used 10 know
Just to tune my heart again with summers drowsv
hufnming-
This alone would tempt me TO forget my task and g,
When vaCant hreezes whisper through nv open
window: "ComingY"
John D. Wells, In the Buffalo NszA
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
Wages and High Cost of Living.

/ Investigators into industrial conditions
can do no better than turn TO Germany
/ for statistics. The methodicaI German
! political economist and statisuclan is
above all else accurate. He investigates
the subject thoroughly. painstaklngly.
and IN an absolutely unbiased manner.
These qualities in no other nation on
earth are so well developed, nor can the
same reliability he expected from hap
hazard, happy-go-Iucky effort. especially
II 1t has a political bias.
| Herr Kautsky the literary leader OF
the orthodox Marxist majority OF the So
ciallsJic party in Germany, IN a pamphlet
depTecaung the trades union action, as
| serts that all the advance in recent years
/ in the matter OF wages has been more
than counterbalanced by the Increased
cost Of living. This Immediately starts a
! controversy, and Herr Kautsky cannot
! support his assertions with conclusive
figures. Hence it is taken for granted
throughout Germany that his contention,
made for political purposes. is false.
Herr Calwer. tho well-known and com
petent statisticlan, gives the following
! series Of index numbers regarding the
general price movement:
With 100 as a basis in the year 1895.
prices had risen TO rs in 1900; to 10 in
1905, and TO 1T in 1905. These index num-
bers include the various commodities and
contain at least e. per cent OF the articles
entering into the workman's budget. CAL
wer's figures are probably as trustworthy
as any that could be obtained anywhere
on earth.
Now, as 20 wages. The various great
trades unions throughout the empire
were asked TO submit figures in detan
and in the gross. and the greater number
Of them complied with tho request. 1t is
shown that in the years 1S95-l90S the in
crease in wages averaged 80 per cent,
while the days labor was shortened al
most an hour; in some few trades there
being no change in hours, but in the
great majority there being a shortening
of the day. The figures show that a
large number Of workingmen obtained an
increase Of remuneration materially larger
than the increase in the cost of their
living
Next the question Of high rents was
taken UP. According to a carefully drawn
statement, it is shown that rents have
increased only from 10 13 per cent. ex-
cept in such cases where modern i'm
provements were such as to make a rela-
tive rating impossible Higher rents IN
such q case do not mean a deteriora-
ton in the condition Of the workman.
According to Herr Calwer, they mean
exactly the opposite Throughout the
entire German empire an improvement in
the kind Of house being erected is OBJ
servable. and this shows a growing de-
mand for better conditions.
These figures are convincing. mas
much as they We're collected without anv
thought OF political controversy or OF
trades union influence. They demonstrate
that in Germany the high cost of living
is simply a synonym for improved con-
dltions. Whether the same is true in
America or not. IL would be difficult 70
prove, for in this country we have no
such accurate methods Of gathering data
as the German statistician possesses.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
We Are Easy Marks.

From the Baltimore American.
Americans are the particularly easy
marks for the bunco counts and mar
QuiSes who work the picture swindIe The
assertion Of a French editor that there
are 1900 bogus Rembrandts owned IN the
United States is possibly only a wild
guess; but his positive statement that he
once inspected a collection Of pictures
which had cost a "confding Yankee"
$4,000 and that not a single one Of the
canvases was authentic is a bit OF eye
witness testimony which cannot be re-
iected
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16

Although she devoted herself to the
interests Of the people, she became OBJ
noxious TO the court party. and her char
acter was assailed IN every shape and
quarter. She was accused Of setting on
foot conspiracies which never existed
and OF entertaining views which never
entered her mind. She was termed the
Austrian, and It was inslnuated that her
heart was estranged from the country Of
her husband.
The long gathering cloud broke in
storm in 1928. on the 6th of October the
mob broke into the Palace Of Versailles
murdered some OF the bodyguard. and
threatened the Queen in the most fright
ful language. She was advised to flee.
Instead she and the King appeared on
the balcony with their children and tried
to appease the runlan assembIage outside.
Silence was broken by a thousand
tongues: NO children. No children, The
Queen, The Queen alone"'
1t was a trying moment. The Queen
placed the children in the arms of her
husband. and advanced alone into the
balcony. a spectacle like this filled the
fierce people with admiration. and thun-
dering shouts OF Long live the Queen
succeeded the imprecations Of the preced-
ing moment
The fate Of Queen Marie Antoinette
darkened rapidly. however. and with
her husband, she was placed on trial
charged with having squandered the pub
lie money and with leaguing in secret
with the foreign enemies Of the country
She was doomed to die on the scaffold.
On october 16, I793, she was beheaded.
As she ascended the scaffold. MY Godr'
she cried. "enlighten and affect my exc
cutioner, Adieu, my children-my beloved
Ones-fOreveri I am going 10 your ia
ther"' Louis XVI had been EuilIotined
on January q. 1793
May l6 is the birthday Of Sir Dudley
North, traveller and author C6il); of VIII
liam II. Seward, Secretary OF State under
Lincoln QS0D; Levi P Morton. Vice
President Of the United States dS2D: and
Norman J. Coleman. Secretary Of Agri-
culture under Grover Cleveland dS2O. on
this date Daniel OConnen. Ireland's
great agitator, died in 1926. and Felicia
Dorothea Hemans, the pOetess. in 1885.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
PEOPLE THINGS.
Best Sleeping Hours.

The first sleep IS said to be the sound
est-after the first hour the intensity OF
sleep slowly diminishes-hence the value
OF forty winks after dinner in quickly
recuperating shattered powers. Tempera-
ture and vitality are lowest at about 2
a. m, so that two hours sleep before
midnight are worth four thereafter. Ma
ture has no rule as 70 the amount OF
sleep 1t requires. except that men can
get along with less than women. Women
are the more sensitive creatures Of the
Two and woman's heart beats five
ufhes ottener per minute than a mans.
Our sleep should be just so long that
"heh we wake in the morning a stretch
ana a yawn only are necessary 70 land
US IN daytime Of bounding vigor. AS
70 early rising. it IS comforting to learn
from an eminent physician that this
haolt has gone Ear 20 wreck the constitu-
ton Of many a growing youth.
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16
Names of Kings.

From tho Cleveland Plain Dealer.
There are at present four European
monarchs named George. Everyone knows
about George, Of England, and George
/, of Greece But there is no reason 10
ignore George II. Of xe-MeininEen. and
George I, Of Schaumburg-Lippe- The only
other name as popular among monarchs
is William, which Is borne by the SOW
ereigns Of Russia. Wurtemburg. and
Brunswick
The Washington herald., 1910-05-16

Belgium has a prosperous colony OF
gunmakers. who buy and reconstruct dis
carded weapons. according 10 b ?. John
son. Of New York, who is interested IN
the industry and has just returned from
q visit TO Belgium.
owing 10 the many. and at times
somewhat radical, changes that have
taken place in the equipment OF the
armed forces Of the leading nations Of
the world, large quantities Of war mate
rial hardly the worse for wear. hut hay
ing become obsolete, must from time 70
time be discarded as uuserviceabIe and
disposed of. as a rule. al a decided pecu-
mary loss. This fact Is particularly no
ticeable IN the case OF small firearms,
as few implements Of war have been
more largely Influenced by inventive iu-
genuity than the military rifle.
The purchase Of these discarded weap-
ors usually sold at public auction" con-
t-nued Mr.. Johnson. their subsequent
transformation. and eventual disposition,
form rather an important element Of the
dTearm industry for which Belgium is so
well known. II is quite generally sup
posed that none but new firearms. the
product for the most part Of the larger
factories-are shipped from Liege, but a
visit 90 one Of the several transforma-
tion workshops affords convincing evil
dcnce Of the facl that the export trade
Of firearms crom Liege is far from be-
ing exclusively confined TO the newly
made article.
out of the 500 gunsmiths who ply
their trade in their own homes a large
proportion are engaged in producing an
tiquiues. so 20 speak, as fully Sd per
cent Of these transformed guns that ars
exported from Liege are hintlock pieces
4 large profit in this business is also de-
rived from making use Of the undauageI
parts Of these secondhand Euus-Qa-ts
that are usually in a condition 10 bs
prontably utilized. and substituting in
their places parts Of q decidedly Inferior
grade"