davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
WHEN KINGS ARE DEAD

From Tazlitt's Essay on Shakespeases
 Henry VIII"
 The character of Henry VIII is drawn with great truth and spirit. It Is like a very disagreeable portrait sketched by the hand of master. His gross ap- pearance, his clustering demeanor, his vulgarity, his arrogance, his sensuality, his cruelty. his hypocrisy, his want of common decency and common humanity are marked in strong lines.
 Kings ought never to be seen upon the stage In the abstract they are very disagreeable characters; 1t Is only while living that they are the best of kings Death cancels the bond of allegiance and interest; and seen as they were, their power and their pretensions look naenstrous and ridiculous.
 No reader of history can be a lover of kings. We have often wondered that Henry VIII. as he is drawn by shake- speare. we have seen him repre- sented in all the bloated deformity of mind and person. is not booted from the English stage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
THE VIPER AND OTHERS

From the Kansas City Star
 "Mormanism: The Viper on the Hearth" Is the title of stirring article on the evils of polygamy in the current issue of the Cosmopolitan. Why not | complete snake series? For instance:
 'Inefficiency: The Python in the Front Parlor."
 Food Adulteration The Rattlesnake Tn the Dining Room
 Indigestion: The Adder in the Kitch- en-
 "Infectious Diseases: The Copperhead in the Living Room"
 "Overcrowding: The Cobra in the Cham bers.'
 After these were completed an entire menagerie would naturally follow-lions, tigers, vultures, hyenas. What more could a magazine desire?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
SAYING THE RIGHT THING

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 q don't seem to be able to say the right thing to women,'' a bashful young man confided to us the other day, and that's why I don't shine in society I'll tell you an instance of 1t. Not long ago met woman hadn't seen for years, and I could see that she was trying to keep young So thought I'd say a graceful thing to her.
 You carry your age remarkably well.' says I. .z..s.
 Well. the moment I said 1t I could see that I was in wrong. She was looking chilly and getting red, so said
 Don't mind my little jokes-I never mean what I say. As a matter of fact you don't carry your age bit well.'
 And then she killed me with a naughty look and sailed away without saying gooc-by. Say. how should have put it?"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
From the Louisville Courier-J Journal.

From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
 THE fiction of writers of detective
 stories is eclipsed by the still un-
 A solved mystery of the death of Charles E. Twgg and Grace Elosser, who were found dead in the parlor of the Elos- ser home in Cumberland December B. The couple were to be manfred that day. The bridegroom was worth s40,000, andNhad no debts or reasons for unhappiness that have been discoverable. The bride-to- be $ believed to have had no troubles of any kind. When the two were found sitting upon a sofa dead it was thought that they some unexplained reason. The latest the cry is that coal gas escaping from stove in an ily-ventilated room killed them, but instantaneous death from coal gas with out a sign of suffering or struggle seems an improbable solution. u,
 Upholders of the poisoning theory are sustained by the discovery of traces of cyanide of potassium when an autopsy was held. Those who hold the coal gas theory are strengthened in their belief by the fact that a cat confined in the room died of coal gas poisoning. and physicians examining the blood of the dead bodies found conditions indicating the possibii- ty of death from carbon monoxide.
 If the two persons. were killed by coal gas the case was, of course, one of acci- dental killing, but if this is true how does it happen that both bodies showed traces of cyanide of potassium? On the other hand, even if the poison was administered by one with intent to murder and taken subsequently, with suicidal intent the car- Ton monoxide in the air might have pois- oned their blood simultaneously with the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
Educated Men Needed

< The college attendance in Alabama ;. much larger than it was few ears ago, and as the farmers con- inue to prosper the number of stu ients will naturally increase. While se demand for technically trained
 ,n in the south is larger than the
 sply, education with scientific side
 t is of such absorbing interest to
 average boy of good mind that sA University of Alabama and Au- urn will, before many years. have to snlarge their facilities in order to ac- increased matriculation.
 Agricultural chemistry alone will
 Ing many farmers son to college might otherwise be satisfied with sager edueation. In former years osera. and metallurgical chemist
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
THE LAST JOURNEY
By Frances Berine.

By Frances ber1ne. The little traveller set forth
 With one last smile of sweet content There are no footprints, south or north, To show to us the way she went No tiny footprints in the snow,
 No flower for token backward thrown. Sweetheart" we wept, why must you .. go?'
 Smiling, she went her way, alone. The little traveller went her way
 And left us all who loved her so. She journeyed forth at break of day A long, long way she had to go. The stars were paling in the sky Their kind eyes must have seen her
 start
 We could not see: we could but cry, Come back to us dear heart dear
 heart!" The little travellers tiny feet Have found a path that we must find. She was so little and 50 sweet!
 We cannot finger, left behind, We stumble. seeking. day by day,
 Q little travelerl Who will send A guide to point ous out the way To ind you ltt the tournsy's snds
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
The Financial World

Henry Clews in his Saturday review says in part:
 'The event of the week was an import ant change in the management of the Gould system of roads and the turning Of them over to prominent banking inter- ests. The talk of q contest for Missouri Pacific was unfounded for the reason that these negotiations have been going on in friendly manner for some time past. This transaction eliminates one more weak spot from the financial situ- ation. And now that the Gould properties have fallen into exceptionally strong hands, the probability is that an era oe reconstruction and upbuildng is in store for these lines. Whether they will be re- moulded into an independent system or whether they will be parcelled out among other systems is not yet divulged; but 1t may be accepted as probable that the new managers have important plans in prospect which will ultimately affect the railroad world favorably. In any event this deal removes an important element of uncertainty to the market and
 
 important group of railroads.
 Following the advance of 10 points, which has taken place since early Decem- ber there was continued realizing and taking of profits. This distribution of stocks heretofore held in strong hands naturally weakened the technical position. Money is plentiful and outside conditions show an improving tendency, but owing to the continued conservative attitude of banking interests there is no disposition tc foster undue speculation.
 Tn general business the outlook is more cheerful. Trade at the west shows signs of recuperation and the impress sion is gaining that the tide has turned. Wheat and cotton are declining from their recently abnormaly high level, a. factor which will help foreign trade, stimulate business activity and aid in re- ducing the cost of living. There are signs of oncoming activity in the steel busi- ness, more liberal orders having been placed during the past two weeks; and now that the railroads are securing funds it is practically certain that they will soon become larger buyers of needed ma terials. The season is also approaching when constructive work will begin in our large cities, and this also will be an important factor in stimulating demand.
 "The prompt passage of the reciprocity bill in the House at Washington was en- couraging. The concessions in this meas ure upon either side are not very great but the movement is a step in the right direction. What the action of the Senate will be it is impossible to determine at this writing. Should that body by any means fail to act, there is a strong prob- ability that President Taft will call an extra session. This, however, the Senate does not desire, and for political reasons it is not considered good tactics to preGipi- tate a general reopening of the tariff question such as might easily happen in event of a special session.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
Early Peach Blooms in the South

Early Peach Blooms Tn the ooutn
 H. Hale. who is Georgia's oldest most extensive peach grower-a an who has forty years of experience
 peach growing behind him-says one need worry because the peach ,ees are in blossom three weeks earlier than the normal date this year. pIach trees have bloomed as early in devious years and borne fruit.
 I And then as to frosts, says MT. Hale, the mercury can drop to "A degrees, md yet leave enough blooms intact h make a good crop. All in all, Geor- ria's peach grower thinks the five million-dollar crop of that state is req sonably secure. He proposes at any rate to remain optimistic until kill ing frost does come, and he is in- ined to think it will not come. He yes at Fort Valley, and he has made preparations to ward off frosts from is broad acres with thousands Of oil owes. They do that in the Kansas ,ple orchards, but no one proposes &efeat Jack Frost's designs in that y in the peach orchards of Georgia.
 feasible, perhaps, but expensive,
 MT. Hale and his fellow growers
 never applied it. Mr. Hale simply
 ges in hope and lets the weather
 do the rest.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
Dockstader As Reporter

Lew Dockstader, whose name and fame as an entertainer of the first rank
 is known all over America, was at one time a reporter said a personal friend,
 and while his term of service as news gatherer only covered period Of about two hours the impression which he made put him to the trouble of writing various letters of regret at being unable to take advantage of the numerous positions of fered him.
 "Dockstader's ramble into the repertorial ranks happened in Columbia. s. C. He was booked there for one night with his minstreal company, and during the day was being entertained at the Com. mercial club by A. c. Banks, managing editor of The State, one of the oldest and most influential newspapers in the south. , .s During the afternoon telephone call reached Mr. Banks advising him of a wreck on the Southern railway within the city limits and he asked the min strel man to accompany him to the scene.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
SOME BOASTS

From the New York Telegraph.
 Milwaukee boasts that it hasn't seen a first robin yet.
 Wooster. O.. boasts of a man who eloped with his divorced wife.
 Kansas City boasts that Dorothy Ar- mold has not been found" there.
 Effinghan. Kas., boasts of Q young man who has become an expert auction eer, through taking correspondence school course.
 Kelton, Wyo., boasts of a society girl who can shoot water through her teeth 20 feet and hit person in the eye every time. ....-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
THE SUICIDE

 From the Washington Post.
 The front page of the newspaper Tor single day carries It's mournful testimony of the stress and strain of life True 10 a death pact, a woman waits only few moments after the demise of her husband to fulfill her written pledge to Kill her son and herself. Another allows Tour years to elapse, while her babies are growing 10 the age of intelligence, before .carryihs out the plan of self-murder, forinuia'eu at the beginning of her sorrows. young collage professor of 30, dreading the slow encroachments of an incurable disease, re- iects the offer of useful service In prom inent university and blows out his oraihs'
 The whole thing is mess. It Is apnor- nal and unnatural. But then IL IS the abnormal and unnatural that attracts a'- tention. Be good and you will De nap nv said Mime. de Stael but you won't have a good timev' "Bo good. and you will be lonesome" wrote beloved Mark Twain. Happy Is the country whose nls- tory is uninteresting'' was the dictum of the sage and practical Franklin. Ana thus the story runs, from the individual to the mass. Tread the beaten path, bearing your griefs uncomplainingiy' ana you will be overlooked. Rebel ana end them. and for a brief moment the narra- five of your overt act arrests the eye of the multitude The one absolutely unique figure in history was man or sorrows acquainted with grief. While He bore the enrnity of the wicked, His was feion's death. And the picture of Saviour cru- cifed between two thieves has furnished dramatic contrast that has appealed to the art sense of the gifted. even when the higher meanings Of the divine tragedy made no impression.
 In the olden days the suicide was buried
 where the four roads &ossed, with a stake through his body. Stevenson's St.. Ives, fleeing from Edinburgh prison, w.t. messed such an occurrence, and pondered over it's meaning. It meant ignominy Tn
 that day, but the practice was carried on long after its purpose had been lost. IL
 began at time when the instinct to live
 was so universally implanted in the hu- man breast that self-destruction could not
 be understood. The primitive mind halt ed before the phenomenon. and attriputed
 the extremity to the control of demon
 Vampires were realities then. and the stake was to prevent tho foul spirit from afterward using the body of the afflicted as a habitation.
 In early Roman history there was no law against parricide. The deed was un- thinkable, hence no punishment was or
 dained. But at the same time the philos- ophers argued on immortality, and Seneca opened his veins in bathtub. Suicide
 is mark of decadence. The primitive mind looks out: the overcultivated mind | is introspective and dwells upon itself. ghs woman whoss husband died thought
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20


 Mail.
 K NY earliest literary recollection Is MI the alphabet; my next. should " \ say, Charles Dickens For the coming to my fathers house at each new monthly installment of the joy that was to last till the advent of it's successor was such an even in my memory Mother Hubbard and Tom Thumb are nowhere bv comparison. An accumulation of evidence fixes my readership of Boz at seven years old. Others might reject this evidence. Still. even the most in- credulous of my friends grants me over 60 years of acquaintance with the works of the great writer whom I never saw in the fesh-alas, 1 did not once see Shelly plain, and I might have done so. I might have heard Charles Dickens read his own works, and I missed it. Think of it.
 I am sure I was saturated with them at II years old, and have continued so til now. I first read them whose thou sand characters, no single one of the re- petition of another. wove themselves in- to my heart almost as living friends, the errant shuttle or Wnose iNeS ids shot weft across the warp of mine. How their words hang in one's memory, almost the tone of voice in which they spoke!
 Picture to yourself-I assume that l am writing for Dickens lover-what a gap there would have been in your life if none of these words had ever been written. Exclude from It's span the happy hours of perusal and reper- usal. the latter the happier of the two, as in all books worth the reading. Think only of the treasure trove that memory refused to relinqush, the humor fraught with laughter even to the fever isb victim of sleepless night. that king Of laughter slayers the tragic power as- serting itself through what seems the simplest of unvarnished tales; the pathos stoicism itself cannot read aloud un- moved.
 Can you dispute it? Can you rereao' for irstance-I cannot-the story of now David Copperfeld met Dora spenlow in the conservatory and not-suppose we say feel proud of having kept your eyes dry; of having successfully suppressed some- thing almost like sob? Fiction' as
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

A touring car covered the distance in rec ord time and once on the ground Banks asked Dockstader 10 report the wreck.
 "A hasty glance satisfied Lew that the damages to rolling stock were trivial as the only incident of the mix-up was that a passenger train had taken exception to dilapidated switch engine. blocking the right of way and bumped it off into the ditch, so Dockstader undertook to find out if there was any isss of life.
 Tn this he met with some opposition The railroad men very blnntly referred him to the general office for informa- ton, and as Dockstader learned from the comments of some of those in the crowo that there had been two people killed he was determined to get the facts. Pres ently a yardmaster came along. recog- nized the minstrel man and was quickly asked if there were any fatalities. None to speak of was the reply We only killed two Chinamen.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR
From the New York Press.

From the New. York Press.
 The devil knew his bushes when he in- vented idleness.
 A college eductaion takes a good many years afterward to sprout.
 A girl is pretty sure man loves hei till he begins to try to prove It.
 It's the sorrow a woman hides tha; makes the joys she reveals so beautiful
 We love people because of their feelings toward us; we hate them because of their feelings toward us.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

If King George would appoint those J09 new lords right away many American heiresses would see their way to get 10 the coronation in good shape.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

should reject it, demanding instead the application of a parcels post ser vice to all rural routes, the four big express companies and their senator ial supporters to the contrary notwith- standing.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
I.ookins for Improvement

Tt is generally felt that business Will be better in the spring than it Is now' and that it will be exceptionally actiVe the last half of the year, said Joseph T. Hughes of Chicago. "The Standard Oil and the Amerocan Tobacco cases will he decided very soon. and the interstate commerce will be almost sure to make a ruling In favor of the railroads con corning the right to advance rates. If the United States supreme court and the ln- terstate commerce commission both de- eide in a way favorable to the financial worlds viewpoint this country will see A genuine boom."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
Orchestra Players In Demand

Musicians, like other toilers, receive much better pay than was the case 10 or 12 years ago." said B. Fl. Atwell manager of the Imperial Russian Ballet company. This is especially true of first-class or chestra men. First violin players. who used to be considered we'll paid when they got $45 to $50 week, now command $60 to $65. All principals on wind instruments brass or reed-are paid about the same as violinists. Flute players of the first clas are in especial demand this season. The fine ones are scarce. Many of us can remember the time when there were only three large permanent orchestras m this country; now thre are 20 or more, and that fact accounts for the brisk de- mand for good musicians and the conse- quent advance in their pay"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Best selected eggs have been marked down to Is cents in Chicago. but the news spreads reluctantly throughout the consuming district of the interior.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
The CommissiOners-tO-Be

There has been great unanimity of ex- pression touching the three men who arc to form Birmingham's first commission. Practically everybody who has spoken has said that Mayor Exum, Judge Lane 
 board. James F. Hawkins, who is taking a little rest at French LICK, Indiana, tele- graphed yesterday: T have just received copy of The Age-Herald conveying news of an agreement to appoint Judge Lane and Harry Jones as commissioners to serve with Mayor Exum. Can't get news"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20
LIFELONG LOVE OF DICKENS

known to me. contains no passage more spontaneously pathetic than this. And yet there is surely none more simple in It's treatment. more easily familiar in de- tail of daily life. Can you recall without shudder that hideous scene at the pot house where Bill Sikes snatches his cap from the vender of the Eradicator who has captured 1t to test his nostrum on the stain of Nancy's blood-or another passage that stain suggests, where the two lawyers clerks in Bleak House." who' have opened the window for air, are disconnected by the black grease upon their hands that is due to the old rag dealers holocaust below? Or yet another pothouse scene in "Our Mutual Friend'.- a work it is the fashion to undervalue nowadays unless indeed I myself over estimate it-where Rogue Riderhood and the decent schoolmaster. with. fend in his heart, are each trying to best the other. Says the schoolmaster with all uie chafing of his murderous soul in his evil face: "Listenl--these are my hoil- days" Says Riderhood to himself, with his eyes upon it: Your woking days must be stiff uns then If these are your holi- udyS. Dlu ever peu WIltt duy- thing more grisly?
 Conceive the English speaking world, this 40 years past. without Sam Weller's legend of the crumpet lover who shot himself on principle that he might not die of indigestion and confirm the medical prosnosis without his fathers tribute to the usefulness of death '.What'd be- come of the undertakers without 1t, Sarnmy?" without the immortal Peck sniff's version of roystering. Come, let us be merry.'' Here MT. Pecksniff took captains biscuit; without Mrs. Camp and Mrs. Prig, "Wotever you do, drink fair, Saireyr above all without Mrs. Har- ris, whose name is probably always an some definite number of lips throughout the world.
 If I were dying and were suddenly told that an unsuspended posthumous work of Charles Dickens had come to light and was in the printers hands, firmly believe that I should wish to go on dying long enough to read it. Anyhow. that is good way of expressing a love of his works that has lasted through a lifetime, and a motive on the surface. and why Seek for others when these abound?
 
 to. x,,,,b of bar l,,chap5 and bor cl,ild.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

If radium is to become the rival of coal as heat producer the coal producers think that their article should be nearer
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Rockefellowis pastor, for reasons un- known, threatens to resign and to so away off to San Francisco to. harder work and less pay.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

The people of Fl Paso are enjoying the Mexican revolution even more than they do their moving picture shows.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Let no one say we have no use for our battleships. Look at the Texas. She IS now the national target
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

George M. Conan has been asked to take charge of the Mexican revolution. He knows just how to pull off such a move ment
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Reciprocity is popular and it may soon become worldwide.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Jail sentences should not be confined to women smugglers. The male wholesalers should get their share
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Vernal weather in mid-winter is be- coming chronic. It may conclude to set tie down to stay all summer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Some think there is a lack of reciprocity at present between Oyster Bay and the rest of the country
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

With an Irish home-rule bill will come an Ulster war scare, but it will be all scare and no war at all.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Those who have spoken slightingly of February weather should begin to hedge before 1t is too late
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-20

Our timber supply should be conserved but not our timber monopolist.