davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
ALCOHOL FROM sAwDUsT

From Tit-Bits.
 There Is a story of Mark Twain to the effect that he was once asked whether he was In favor of prohibition. and he re- piled that he vas not, adding. What is the use Of prohibition when man can saw off the leg of a. table and get drunk on ftz' He was. of course. referring to the fact that alcohol has been made from ga awdust.
 For quite century past chemists have been experimenting with view to seeing whether alcohol could be obtained from wood and other cellular substances quan- titles. Despite the many experimenters who have engaged in the task with a zeal worthier. perhaps. of better cause. their efforts have been hitherto unsuccessful. All they have been able to do has been to transform the wood into sugar by hy- drolysls and to convert the sugar thus obtained into alcohol by fermentation; but these processes are too costly to render them practicable from commercial point of view.
 The latest experimenter Is Mfr. T. Koer- ner, German chemist, who gives his re- suits in Cincinnati magazine. The ma- terials he experiments upon were saw dust a paper composition prepared with straw, and paper prepared with wood by bisuiphating process. These differ ent substances were treated with sulphur ic acid, and heated under pressure
 In most cases the percentage of aico- hol obtained was very smaIl-from to 12 per cent. Ten per cent was the highest obtained from sawdust. The process was as follows: The sa awdust was heated in an "autoclave' for three hours at 1s3-1ss degrees. under pressure of 7-9 atmos- pheres. This heating was effected in wa ter oxygenated to the extent of per cent. containing .05 per cent of sulphuric acid.
 Such results are practically negative, as 1t Is impossible under such conditions to manufacture alcohol industrially from wood. Mark Twain was, therefore, some what wide of the mark when he referred to the possibility of getting drunk on the leg of table or a fence-rail, though 1t Is. perhaps, not to be regretted that the manufacture of alcohol from wood Is not a commercial success, as the only raison d'etre for such a process would be its cheapness. aa" ---H=-zsz==.-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
TRAMPING ACROSS COUNTRY

and sweet to drink. that invited me 10 wade in t. and finally that began 10 talk as it tumbIed along of things hav- ins no connection whatever with dusty cities and toll and ambitious projects of the brain I ate my sandwiches while listened, and made toy boat of the wrapping paper. which danced over a cataract and carried a good many of my nerves with it down to the plain.
 Later I reached level height of rock, saw the trees open ahead. and a moment later stood looking from an eagle perch across the blue Tappan Zee to the hills Of Tarrytown As I scrambled along the edge of the precipice for spot where could See still more of this ma gnih- cent panorama, l heard a sudden rattle in pile Of loose stones almost at my feet. I jumped back, with a return of my nerves. The snake was lifting his distant observation I counted eight rat ties. Looking over him southward through the trees I could see a smoky haze that was New York The contrast was So sharply dramatic that I made no effort to kill the snake. didn't greatly fancy the job
 The stunt walk and the long vaca- tion tramp are not things I would con slider here. For either Of them you must be in condition. A friend Of mine walked 155 miles last summer in four days. He bathed his feet In every brook and bought fresh socks in the village stores along the way. Carrying no baggage and being naturally as tough as hickory. he came through all right. But such stunts are not for most of us.
 However. there are sober and sensible two and three days walks to be had. which require no special physical prepar- ation. and which can be accomplished in comfort and security. without carrying baggage, either. All that is needed is a little judicious investigation of roads. distances and hotel accommodations. For the man who lives chiefly an indoor life in city it is always wisest to reach a hotel or boarding house at night, especial ly in spring or autumn. In winter, of course, it is essential for any but the hardened woodsman.
 From any large city you can reach starting point in few hours. and few hours at the other end will bring you back to work. To secure complete eman- cipaton from modern life and lofty roads. you have to get well away from the big cities. But much closer to the cities, any city. east or west, are two day tramps that lead through pleasant
 
 comfortable lodging for the night, and that will add to the joy of not too violent exercise for untrained muscles or weak hearts. the joy of getting back for a space to the country. where nothing moves faster than the legs of an animal, and rush and machinery and nerves are forgotten.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
HOW WE PAY OUR BILLS

From November Everybodys Magazine.
 It takes billions to run nation. These billions are raised by taxation. To have someone else pay ones taxes Is the great est of all law-made privileges. When to this is added the right of using the taxing power to kill competition, and to fill ones own pockets. the privilege is colossal. It is too terrible to last. AL most all the insurgent movements of hiss tory have been protest against the privilege of unjust taxation. In the United States the burden of the tariff and the excise taxes falls almost wholly on the common people. Practically every cent of the $550 000, 600 now collected is paid by us. It Is collected from the things we eat. drink, wear and use in our homes It Is collected by being added to the cost of everything we use. No other civilized nation dares to go as far as our lawmakers and their masters have gone in shifting the cost of nation al government from their own shoulders onto those of the people. Germany does not and Germany is pretty nearly an absoluteism. Great Britain does not, and the ruling class there Is largely conn posed of an aristocracy of plantation owners and financial barons not unlike our own. Our ruling class, in distribut- ing the burden of national taxation. deals most lightly with its own members. It takes nothing from their incomes, or their business, save such moneys as are yielded through the recently imposed tax on corporations.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
TRY OUR PAJAMAS. NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL.

As last resort went in and bought q suit of light pink shade. I took them home and put them on at once. The next morning I felt much better. In the short space Of one week I felt so much improved that I could stand stronger color, so I went back and bought a suit of crushed maroon, with light green stripes running both ways Two weeks later I found I was strong enough to wear a suit of chantecler red, with laven- der crescents. without overtaxing my sys- tenn
 Since then I have never been without a complete assortment of pajamas in the house. Although I have entirely re- gained my health and seldom find 1t nec- essary to wear pajamas in the daytime. still wear them at night as a precau- tionary measure
 I therefore unhesItatingly recommend pajanas to all sufferers, and especially to these who suffer from the heat. If these latter will put on a pair of pajamaa after each meal during the summertime they will find wonders worked thereby.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
Active Demand for stocks

Henry Clews in his Wall street review of Saturday says:
 Recent activity on the stock exchange has been in refreshing contrast with the stagnation of the last few months. The better undertone which was intimated in these advices as early as September 10 has at last crystallized into an active demand for stocks at advancing prices. As usual, the initiative was assumed by powerful financial leaders who recognized changed conditions, and each day the buying movement widened with a result ant advance of several points in all the leading shares.
 ''The most important single element of improvement was the positive assur- ance of a bumper corn crop. The value of good harvest is much more highly appreciated in the west than here As result of the big corn yield, our west ern farmers and merchants have each put on a spirit of renewed confidence, sa that already the business outlook through out the great corn belt Is showing real improvement. Pessimism, never so deep in the west as in the east, is now rapidly disappearing; for the farmers will be able to meet their obligations, and land spec ulation has received wholesome quietus through the timely efforts exerted by in- terior bankers. Incoming advices from the west are all of much more favorable nature than a few weeks ago. Corn is lower in price than last year, but this fact will he offset by farmers feeding more corn to cattle. As the latter are bringing high prices. 1t will prove more profitable to turn corn into meat than into any other marketable product. : While western sentiment has been, in-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
PeDrose's Candidate for Governor

John K. Tener. the Penrose candidate for governor, has disgraced the baseball players. for he once was a big league pitcher. He has not, however, disgraced the Pennsylvania machine for no man can disgrace that organization.
 The Philadelphia North American brings out the facts substantially as fol- lows Up to May last he was presi- dent of the National Public Utilities cor poratIon. and director Of 1t until 10 years ago, It was and is get-rich- quick fraudulent enterprise of an Alas nan exploration sort Tcner's salary as presidcnt was s50o0, and he received a stock bonus of s5o,o0o The corporation vas capitalized at s2,ooo,ooo, and while William l.. chrisman, Tener's successor os president says that only s50.000 of the stock has been sold. the North American presents q list Of the stockholders which shows that u,1a, 4so worth of stock dak- on at It's par vaiue) has been unoaded en the public. rho assets of this remark able corporation were the assets, or, as ths North American puts it the worth less remnants Of four other corpora
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
ReYiYal Of Business
supporter

The outlook for a great revival Of ous- iness immediately after the November elections becomes brighter every day. The railroads are purchasing almost nothing now. but they are in pressing need of steel products, and they are fully able to buy. Az an Associated Press dispatch from New York says. meyer were railroad revenues 30 great as they are today"
 It is further pointed out that because tine transportation companies are greatly in need of rans, bridge material and other equipment. the steel companies are ex- pecting large orders after the elections and following the settlement of the rate question.
 The big iron trade in the east has be- come active within the past three days, and price inquiries for southern as well as eastern irons were brisker than usual at the close of the week. A lively buy Ing movement seems in sight. Bumper crops, the basis of all solid prosperity. and the return of the railroads to the steel market as heavy purchasers will cause wonderful degree of thrift from one end of the country to the other.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
wal.er Priehara Ea,on b collIsr.s.

Walter Priehard Eaton in Golfers. 0TOR cars have not yet made MI walking obsolete. though they are M making it. in many places. dIff- cult Trampfng in comfort now is large Iy matter of keeping to the back roads or the woods But walking has it's pleas ures and rewards which are distinctly it's own. which no motor cars can supply nor take from It. And these pleasures and rewards can be secured not only on the summer vacation tramp, but during a week end the year round. or on 8 single day. and within striking distance of the largest city. Some of my own most delightful tramps have been of a Saturday or Sunday during the press of a New York season. and the work has always gone better of a Monday as a result.
 For the ultimate pleasure of walking. two things are chiefly needed-old shoes and an old friend. To attempt tramp with shoes that are not thoroughly brok- en in is the limit of folly. My own pref erence Is for rubber soled. heelless leather shoes But many people find rubber soles too flexible for the pounding of rough rocks. and need also the brace of a heel. Rubber heels however. are always an ad- vantage. To attempt a long walk with any but an old friend is equal folly. Long stretches Of silence are needed in tramp ing. when one is a bit cross with weari- ness. or taken up with his own refiec- ticns. or just enjoying the open road and the swinging pace. The old friend who understands and says nothing is es- sential. He who will be forever babbling of the view. or discussing Tbsen, or com blaming of his feet, or trying by hook or crook to keep conversation up. Is a pest. As mans oldest friend Is usually him. self. the lonely walk is not to be de- spised. It Is better than a walk with the untried acquaintance.
 One Sunday in early summer I set out alone. with two sandwiches and an orange In my pocket. and a bundle of nerves in- side of me that were behaving very bad ly. Oyerwork and undersleep, and the incessant, tyrannical pressure of brick walls on a spirit that was born in the open. had driven me into state of fret full incapacity. I took the West Shore railroad to Tappan, the little village where Major Andre was hanged-they still show you the stone tavern where he was con- fined-and started out aimlessly to reach the Hudson. Roads had no appeal for me. so I went north a couple of miles till the intervening Highlands looked mas sive and high. and then started due east up a logging road.
 I climbed between rocks where the red honeysuckle bells were swinging, crossed an upland pasture, with the Jersey plains lying wide and clean behind me. and followed a brook on up through the second growth timber It was a most companionable little brook. that was cool
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
An Experiment With a Collar Button
 That Proved Pet Theory

From the New York Evening World.
 George Gitbye was a firm believer in what is known as the Innate Depravity of Tnanimate Things.
 For example, he believed that when a collar button fell out of his hands 1t in- variably rolled under the bureau. and not out fin the open. where it might just as easily roll, to be more handily picked up.
 He believed that the last peanut in the bag infallibly was bad one, the invol- untary partaking of which left an ecru taste in the mouth.
 He believed that 1t was impossible for him to pick up his robe de nuit right side foremost so that he could pull 1t over his head that way without turning 1t around.
 He believed that the book he wanted always was at the bottom of the stack If the books were piled up.
 He believed that 1t would be impossible for human being to reach his corner to take a car and find a car just coming along. instead of just going away.
 And so on and so on. These ideas, which are grouped under the phrase known as the Innate Depravity of Inanl- mate Things. were so firmly grounded In the mind of George Gitbye that they amounted almost to an obsession with him
 One morning George Gitbyes collar button rolled out of his hand as he was attempting to insert 1t in the front but tonhole of his shirt. The collar button rolled under the dresser, and George Git bye had to kneel down on the rug and grope around in the dimness for the col lar button. inhaling a great deal of dust and lint and feathers and things, and finally, he had to move the bureau from the wall in order to find the lost collar button.
 George Gitbye was In considerable of a foam by the time he had found the lost collar button, and he made so much of a commotion grinding his teeth and giv- polite phrases that his wife entered the room to see what the matter could be.
 You know" he said to her, endeavor- ing to repress his extreme wrath, 'it ought to be just a plain. every day, even money shot that a collar button, rolling out of q mans hands, would fall in such a way as to roll away from a bureau, and thence out into the middle of the floor, instead of toward the bureau, and thence under the bureau. An even money shot is the mathematics of that gag. But does 1t ever work that way? It does not! It never has worked out that way for me In the course of the 40 years during which I have been using collar buttons and dropping 'em."
 "Oh, nonsense,' said his wife soothing ly. You exaggerate. You must not give way to these foolish notions. Now, just for instance, you stand right where you are in front of your bureau and drop a collar button in Just the way you do when you do 1t accidentally and see where it rolls"
 George Gitbye foolishly put his pet mo- tion to the hazard at his wife's sugges- tion.
 He made as if to insert the collar but ton in the buttonhole of his shirt and then permitted the button to roll out of his fingers
 It came out the same old way. The collar button roled under the bureau.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
Brother Chafley's Figures


 The solid south has 1e9 votes. By the solid south, politically speaking is meant south that includes Delaware, Mary land, Kentucky. Missouri and Oklahoma. If New Mexico and Arizona are admitted the electoral vote of the solid south would be carried up to 175.
 Two hundred and forty-two votes are necessary to choice-246 in case New Mexico and Arizona are admitted in time to take part In the election of 1912. These figures would not be materially changed by a new apportionment next winter under the census of 19lO
 Now suppose" says Brother Charley s Cincinnati TImes-star. "Just for the sake of argument that republicans and demo- crats should change positions in the next presidential campaign, With the repub- lIcans fighting for a. radical and the dern= ocrats for conservative candidate and platform, what chance would there be for conservatism, which on a straight issue carried all of the north for the re- publcans in ls96 1900 and 1908, carrying enough of the north to give the demo- erats, with the solid south, majority in the electoral college? New York. Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Illinois would turn the trick So would New York, Massachusetts, Mary land, Indiana and Ohio New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri and Rhode Island would be more than enough"
 Plainly speaking, Brother Charley argues that the republicans must not nominate MT. Roosevelt who is a radical but they should In order to escape de- feat, nominate William Howard Taft, who is a conservative, who naturally | affilates with standpatters and whc never accepts of free choice, the advice or cooperation of insurgents.
 Brother Charley says figures are always interesting in politics, and he fires those already quoted at the insurgents as a warning against 1912 and danger in following today the insurgents. These | figures presented in this way pretty plain y show where William Howard Taft stands. He proposes to be the conserva- tive or standpat candidate of his party | in 1912.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24
THE TRUTH ABOUT JUMBO

unpublished facts about his namesake. When sent from Paris to the London Geological gardens in exchange for a hippopotamus, he was placed in charge of Scott. who remained his keeper until the elephants death. MT. Davis has photograph of Scott and his charge as they appeared at that time. Jumbo reaches just to his keepers shoulder. Scott Is character In himself. Until he came to this country with Jumbo he had not. in the recollection of man, been outside of the Geological gardens. He was Jumbo's inseparable compan- ion. He slept in the hay loft above Jumbo's quarters and took all the care of him. This intimacy could not fail to have It's effect upon one or the otter and. as a consequence, Jumbo con- tracted some of Scott's bad habits. The keeper was an inveterate chewer of to- bacco. Jumbo acquired the habit, and to the day of his death had to have his allowance. He also regarded onions as a great delicacy.
 "Jumbos exact helght was II feet and four inches te the shoulder, and 12 feet five inches to the top of his
 
 circus bills as 10 tons, was seven and half tons. This country did not seem to agree with him at first, and he lost flesh, but he soon began to gain until he exceeded his English weight, and though he did not grow in height con- tinued to increase in weight until the day of his death. The increase the re- ceipts of performances in New York during the first week that Jumbo was exhibited there more than paid his en- tire cost tq his new owner. and during the 10 days that he was first exhibited here in 1883, the receipts were the larg- est in circus history" The above evidence will unquestion- ably correct many erroneous impress sions, and serve to prove question over which many heated arguments have arisen.
 MT. Davis was born in South Bend Ind, on September 25, 1852, and prac- ticed law in that city until the time he was engaged as foreign agent for the Barnum & Bailey circus. He died September IT, 1886, in Cincinnati His death was due to pulmonary ailments contracted while transporting Jumbo from the Geological garden, London, to the sailing point, distance of II miles. In order to be in time for sailing, it was necessary for him to tramp through a heavy fog at o'clock in the morn ing. and on this juorney he took a cold, from which he never fully recovered.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-24

lions. organized and wrecked by the same suindlerz. uhleh had fseced numerous investors" TO sell the stock Of this fraudulent Teaer company two fake banklnz concerns were formed eHalnez C Co. Bankers.s one Of these concerns. la composed Of Llnzood Hsanes. described as convicted aWiadIer. and Thomas Bromley. IT.. bankrupt, who escaped conviction On a technicailty. The real man tn the Tener company is Frank L. Smart. whom the North American DOT trays az "cioae friend and business as- sociate Of John K. Tener. and profes- sionaI promoter of a1lndles."
 rener attempts a defense i0 which he bangs the North American news paper without making single effort 70 defend the get-rieh-quiek company that he was president Of up to May 2 last. when he became the machines choice as candidate for governor.
 Tn any other state than Pennsylvania these disclosures made by the North American. newspaper Of high standing in Philadelphia. would drive the offender out of the canvass. but in Pennsylvania oh, no-not for moment will such thing be considered. Tener is fully as good as his associates and the machine