davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

privy council of the empire are not
 school boy enthusiasts. They know
 that the one supreme need of Japan is
 peace, time for peaceful development.
 time for the growth of wealth, so that
 when the crisis of national existence
 next becomes acute she will not be de-
 pendent on Europe. as she was in 1906;
 and so that she will not then be des.' perately risking her whole fortune on
 one throw of the dice. But will it be
 America that she will be confronting then? It will still be Russia, probably Germany, and almost certainly China.
 used once more as a cats paw by those European diplomats.
 Hence, 1t seems to some of us who have watched Japan's progress with human sympathy and care. that no deadier wickedness could be con templated by America than war with that people whom we ourselves first started on their international career. We should be in the accursed business of playing the game of Russian autoc- racy and militarsm. which may prove the game also of German ambition. Are we then so weak that we are afraid to see another free people grow strong? Are we so blind that we cannot sec that imperial Japan Is almost the only hope of democratic liberty in Asia? Are we so deaf that we cannot hear the voice of the people of Japan as they. awaken to the mastery of their own destinies? Are we so sodden with greed that we would sacrifice so hope ful a prospect. so promising to the hu- manity of tomorrow? Do not these considera tions all unite to cry to us, Hands off?" If Japanese liberty is to be murdered, let us at least have no part in the nefarious scheme.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

WHERE is one consideration that
 should ever invest home with an
 atmosphere of sacredness, but a sacredness absolutely compatible with happiness. It is the consciousness that here character is being formed for fu- ture years in the world, and for the life in eternity. The most impressionable period of life is bounded by the first 10 years of the child. As rule, what a man is to be in his mature years, is determined by the impressions of dis clpline, integrity and honor which he receives in the first 10 years of his life in his home. No sensitized plate more quickly receives the flash of light than does the child's mind receive and hold impressions
 The word spoken, the movement of the body, the glance of the eye, the acts performed in the daily round of incon- sricuous duties, the frown on the face, the sunlight on the countenance, the songs and hymns, the tales told in the soft twilight hour, and thousands of oth- CT things that we think were long ago swallowed up in the dark waters of ob- livion, still live in the minds of children and help to make them what they are and what they shall become in the years to be.
 If an occasional act or word may thus impress the child and contribute to the quality of his character, all the more deeply engraven upon his nature are the constant and habitual acts, words, tones of voice. and countless other things which he observes in the usual life of his home. Faithful examples of religion and honor beautiful truths taught, tan gible illustrations of lofty ideals, cheer full and sunny words of love, tenderness,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

for the battle of life. Here should be formed those characteristics and prin- ciples that the worlds best men count of most value. Here should be illus trated in the life of the parent and counts after all that 1t Is of vaster worth than money, and that in the cae- gory of human possessions. heres noth- ing to compare with it. It was said of Alexander l., of Russia that his charac- ter was equal to a constitution. England used to say: Delhi was taken and h. dia saved to the British crown by the character of Sir John Laurence, his char scter being equal to an army" Home should be the Rugby in which a great Waterloo is already won by the instilla ton of the best principles in the hearts of the children
 They will not always be with us, these boys and girls. They leave us as the years come and go: and if the father and mother come to old age, in the ordinary course of things they will be as at the beginning of their mar ried life-they two alone before the hearth of the winters fire. dreaming dreams. The gamesome boy gains height and weight, and departs from home for college or business. The gen tie daughter, who, all unobserved by her parents, has grown into young wo- manhood, treads down the path of life, leaning upon the strong arm of youth, to a home of her own to which love invites her. Or there may lie under the shadow of the willows the pathetic dust of one or more who once romped through the home in childhood's merri- ment in the long ago. They are all gone now; and the old home can never be as 1t once was.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26
How Women Build Roads

From the Louisville Courier-Journal
 Everybody is in favor of good roads as an abstract proposition, but when 1t comes down to the concrete-that is to say, to sand and gravel-there are differ ences of opinion. Some Kentuckians there are who declare themselves strongly for good roads, but say they do not know how, to go about getting them.
 One way to go about it has been ex- empifed recently by the Federated Wo- mems club of Brandenburg. The members of that live organization felt the need of good road from Brandenburg 10 Weldon, station on the Louisville Hen 6erson and St. Louis railroad Branden- burg has no railroad and when the citi- zens of that town go travelling they either take a steamboat or drive over to Well don to take the train.
 Meade county mud possibly is few de- grees worse than the mud anywhere else
 in Kentucky. The male citizens of Meade have been handling the road question in the same way that many other Kentucky counties have been handling it. Mud multiplied by mud produces more mud, hut the male citizens of Meade didn't seem to know it.
 The women woke up to the situation first and they determined to pike" the road from Brandenburg to Weldon. They raised more than $1200 by private sub scripton and they asked the fiscal court to do the rest. The court came across with an appropriation of 5000 as an evi- dence of good faith. The road will be completed by the early summer. Next winter it will be possible to travel from Brandenburg to Weldon without breaking a hanmestring or straining a singletree. A wagon will not be a load for a four-horse ieam. and walking will not be an imp0e- sibility when a big thaw comes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

dated his mental decline. And a few weeks ago he died in an insane asylum in New York
 Had the seeds of physical and mental decay been sown in his former days of dissipation? Perhaps. But
 The story of the rise of Owen Kildare and his progress from low beginnings the story of a soul discovered by wom- an-wil always be worth while.
 was much interested the other day in hearing an intelligent coored man tell about the coming celebration of the fftieth anniversary of the emancipation of his race.
 What a fifty years.
 A half century ago at least 3.Co,o01 human beings in this country were held as chattels.
 The signing of a name, "A. Lincoln. . broke their fetters.
 In a half century the colored race has progressed remarkably, everything considered. When the Hebrews got out of bondage in Egypt they wandered aim lessly for 40 years, and it was hundreds of years before they ade much advance.
 But now
 Who was freed in 1865?
 The black race? Surely. And yet m truer sense, in a higher significance of things. ancther race was liberated in a word
 The white race,
 Because the white men who held their slaves were really In bondage, They were in bondage to a creed which held that slavery was not only polite. but right.
 Who was libera ted?
 Not merely the slave. The white man was emancipated from prejudiced and unjust doctrine.
 In his great speech in the trial of Warren Hastings. Edmund Burke said:
 England is not strong enough, not mighty enough, to conserve the rights of the haughtiest dweller on the banks of the Thames river and at the same time trample on the rights of the humblest Hindu on the banks of the Ganges river"
 And just so-- -4s .- .e
 This country was not strong enough to uphold the rights of the haughtiest dweller on the bands of the Hudson river
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

<<1T is rarely safe to say to the well,
 will drink no more of your
 | watcr.'"
 And so tho Hon. Joseph Weldon Bailey withdrew his flamboyant and spectacular resignation-with a string tied to it.. Nothing like it had occurred in the Sen ate since the retirement of Roscoe Conk- ling 30 years earlier, and politicaldom is not all agreed as to whether the Hon. Baileys theatrical exploit was prompted by personal petulance or by political pol icy, or both. But lawyerdom seems to opine that a resignation in the civil ser vice once rendered to the proper author ity cannot be recalled.
 I will recollect that the Hon. Jake Col laday rendered his resignation as mem- Der of the Forty-first Congress by a tele- graphic dispatch to John W. Stevenson, then governor of Kentucky who indig- nantly refused to accept, and MT. Col laday sought to withdraw it, but it was held that the resignation was effective and that MT. Golladay was no longer a member of Congress. was one of that gentleman's constituency at the time, and am quite sure that my mem- ory of the transaction Is not at fault And it is logical to say that If one can withdraw resignation within an hour
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

hoped was to so conduct themselves that America and England, cut of sheer elimination for their gallantry, would, when the worst came, have hindered Russia from crushing her national life. So far as I know, few people have dwelt sufficiently on this phase of the conflict. Many recognized it at first, but her very success has obscured to most of us the magnificent heroism of Japans act when, for the sake of national independence she stood alone against the colossal power of Russia. She was taking the final stand. Elm peror and statesmen, generals and ad- mrals, even the common soldiers and sailors, were aware that they were be- ing baptised into death, and that in all die fighting.
 Certainly there was no blind fatalism or fanaticism in this. On the contrary the most careful preparation had been made. But could any sane man ex- pect that with such limited resources of money and men a long war could be waged successfully against such an infinite antagonist? And so in every camp. on every transport in every bat tleshlp and gunboat were knots or men calmly looking defeat in the face, not for themselves alone but for their na- tion.-calmly resolving to fall into the hands of God, not into the hands of Russia.
 I dwell on this because blindness to this Is the fecund source of most anti Japanese ranting in these days. What evidence is there that Japan wants to wage wars of imperial extension? Is it not plain thmat her interests lie in quite other regions and that she has only fought for freedom of self-develop- ment? I know nothing more brutal than coarse indifference to the splendid eX-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

through insidious devices. We still Ire member the Maine and marvel at the upblazing of the whole people in an ac- however, back of that sudden blaze of national anger, long lived conviction that Spain in Cuba was an intolerable incubus of cruelty and superstition. Americas ancient puritanism went into alliance with her national vengeance at that time. The question now is wheth- CT circumstances can arise which will en- list the American conscience in an az gressive war upon Japan. Her passions may be aroused. Will the cunning of spiritual corruption, reaching us through Asiatc correspondence of our newspapers, make it seem righteous that we should smite Japan as we smote Spain? If campaign of lies and misrepresentations is to be waged, when appeals to our sense of justice will run parallel with appeals to our commercial interests, shal, we be in danger of national madness and unloose the dogs of war?
 The danger is apparently far to seek. Let observers say whether it is wholly visionary, unreal danger. We have an army whose ambition must always be to prove its value. That is the dan ger of armies. May God keep America from taking the position of aggressor! Democracies die by armies.
 On the other hand will Japan be the aggressor? With Russia on her flank, waiting for an easy revenge, with no hope of financing such a war except in MT. Hobson's replete imagination: with no national necessity driving her into such a war; with all her future economic independence waiting on the development of national wealth through peaceful com merce, will Japan attack the United States?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

l dusty path of life. And nothing matters much because nothing matters. long. 1 This, too, shall pass away" | Owen Kildare is dead.
 And who was he-Owen Kildare?
 First he was waif of the New York streets who. slept in barrels in the back alleys Sometimes he sold newspa pers or blacked shoes.
 i He grew up Bowery tough who fought bloody prize fights and served as "bounc- err for low dives. At the age of 90 years he could neither read nor write. And then one day a woman found his soul.
 mere slip of a girl, school teacher and city missionary, who was compelled to pass by some of their resorts. W-hereat a chivalric impulse famed up in Kildare.
 He fought the crowd away. rescued the girl and escorted her to her lHarding place And the girl. Mamie Rose, saved this man from himself
 She patiently taught him to read and write, caused him to give up his prize fighting and to enter honest employment. And he persuaded her to become his wife.
 Within week of the wedding day his promised girl wife died.
 And that almost killed Kildare s soul. He went back to his vicious life.
 But he could not forget
 One day a newspaper offered prize for the best love story. Owen Kildare seized some brown wrapping paper and wrote his own wonderful and sad love story-the first draft of his later booE, My Mamie Rose"
 He won the prize.
 That was another turning point. He wrote for the newspa pers and maga- zines. wrote several books and made name for himself. r..s.
 My Mamie Rose his first book. is one of the most stirring and vital tales of American life. ra.
 The book was dranatized under the name of The Regeneration, but for some reason failed to make hit.
 From the time of that failure was
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26
K TOT all heroes are human.
 INT There is such thing as nero J ism in dog.

K Tor all heroes are human.
 N There is such a thing as hero ] ism in dog.
 And because of it New York woman's league is pSnning a scheme of reward for tine life-savng dogs. It is proposed to give every dog hero bronze medal to be worn about his neck.
 Why not?
 The dog doubtless would prefer bone. But the medal is intended to win for the dog more care and kindness.
 Since the proposal was made the secre- tary says she has received newspaper clippings from every part of the coun- try telling of heroic acts by dogs.
 For instance
 A dog saves an entire family from burning building, risks his life to save boys and girls from drowning. pulls a child out of the way of a runaway team keeps a drunken master from freezing in short, the annals of dog heroism are crowded full.
 Of course
 Some of these rectals may be some what exaggerated. Every owner thinks his dog the smartest and best dog in the world.
 One fine thing about the proposal of the woman's league is that in the application for medals neither ownership nor pedi- gree will count.
 Just any dog will do.
 The poor stray in the back alley who sleeps in barrel and feeds on garbage, and who has had his wits sharpened by misfortune his heart remaining good, if he has hero stuff in him may be a can didate.
 Isn't that fine?
 Do you own a dog or the tender mem- ory of one?
 If you have never known the friend ship of dos you have missed much, NO one can invest his surplus affection in that way and be cheated.
 On the dogs part the friendship never fails-never
 True, he can only tell it by his eyes and his tail. hut there is complete un- derstandlne between you and him.
 ''C,reater love hath no man than this. that he lay down his life for q friend.'l And atfst Bound up in that shaggy coat of hair is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

Scotch verdict" The average man knows that if Lorimer had been innocent he would have resigned and appealed for vindication to the 4,000,e00 free and inde- pendent citizens of the empire state of the Mississippi valley. On the contrary, he acted precisely as a guilty man would act and as no hgh-minded man could. But what else than he did could one do whose seat was secured as his was?
 And what also could the country do than try the case as it did try it? The Scotch verdict" no more obseured the black in Lorimer's record than the waters of old ocean make white the swans black legs. MT. Bailey was the savior of Lori mer, whose case he made his own, though without dispossessing the interests" that bought it of the corrupt gang at Spring field. The senator from Texas rescued Lorimer from official chastisement, though he was powerless to relieve him of public odium. The country was heard from, and every wave was freighted with virtuous indignation. What was to be done? A grandstand play. Hence the resignation.
 Arizona came along with a pretex-, and the Honorable Bailey found himself one of small minority of the minority, a condition that he ought to be accus- toned to by this time, as witness his
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

that speak of Mother and "At Rest Oh, the tears we waste and the year: we waste because we do not understand Art thou weary, brother? This I say Be comforted Thy grief shall pass away Art thou elated? An. be not too gay! Temper thy joy. This, too, shall pass
 away.
 Art thou in danger? Still let reason sway And cling to hope. This, too, shall rass
 away Paul Hamilton Hayne.
 It is a widely told story, that of the king whose jester was told to remind him, both in scenes of gayety and in sorrow, that
 This, too. shall pas~ away"
 There is more beautiful story of an- other king who sought for some philos- ophy that would bring him quetness ana comfort and peace And his little child (so the story goes) gave him ring in which were cut in Arabic the words:
 This, too, shall pass away"
 And the king remembered the saying, and it wondrously helped him in all his ways .
 It is a good philosophy.
 Because most of the things we suffer pain, griefs, burdens, trials. what not are evanescent. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy oometh in the morn ing"
 In the morning, when eve have slept, it may be with tear laden lashes, we shall plainly see how short lived was the thing we feared or suffered.
 This, too, shall pass away
 Wretched? Does the road seem long and weary, and do you go limping on the way? You may be nearer to your goal than you think. Plod on,
 This, too. shall pass away"
 Tired? Your weary shoulders bear some load that gals them? Keep going. Ahead Of you is rest, refreshment.
 This, too, shall pass away 4t4y Tomorrow you will forget What is to- day with all its wracks? Let be. Wonder lies the way,
 Live today up in the citadel of your own serene spirit. h. it's corridors is the quiet of the dim centuries. Looking from it's towers back to the dawn of your soul and outward to the purple shadows of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26
Said the little old mother:

1 Said the little old mother:| s1f I could live my life over again l should bring up my daughters differ ently."
 There was pathetic droop to the old shoulders and worn look upon the faded face She had been little less than a humble rug upon which her daughters had put their feet. And, sorrows crown of sorrows The old mother knew that mostly 1t had been her own fault It is easy to fill the outlines-when the girls heard mother get up they turned over to take another nap; while mother burned her face ironing their dainty shirt waists they wept shallow tears oyer the fate of some heroine of fiction.
 Mother calloused her hands with broom and mop stick daughters manicured plexions.
 In short
 The girls were taught by their mother from the first that they must have the best of everything, while mother would get along with the remnants.
 Misguided mother.
 Having a totally wrong conception about the need of Accomplishments for girls in order to give her daughters "a chance" she made of herself common drudge.
 Cruel daughters?
 Not necessarily. Their selfishness was the result of their training. Mother had always done things for them. and they thought nothing about it. Mother had always kept the morning coffee warm, eaten the scraps and worn the made-over garments.
 Voluntarily making the sacrifice that led to her daughters sef-indulgence, how could the mother expect them to be self abnegating?
 And the pity of it.
 There in plain view on mothers face were the erosive lines of care, deep trail marks of weariness. worn by the bur dens she had borne for them.
 And
 some day those daughters will look down into a coffin at faded little old woman with care etched face and poor krotted bands folded over tired breast. And, though through tears of remorse they shall look at the flower wreaths
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26
THE JAPANESE BUGABOO-By George Eaves, D. D.

This is a question which admits of only one answer to rational and temperate minds. The bugaboo may serve some use is urging an enlargement of our navy, but strictly speaking it is 8 bugaboo, not a legitimate object of terror. Like MT. Riley's little maid, the alarmists are screwing their cherubic mouths in to becoming rotundity of cherubic awe, while they stretch infantile forefngers and aver:
 'rhe goblins Il get you
 If you don't watch out"
 But that is not the source of our peril. We shall never fear a goblin whose stuffing is put in so badly that 1t trails the floor as he wabbles before us. Any intelligent man may easily convince himself in five minutes con nected thinking that Japan cannot be- come an aggressor against the United States She has even swallowed her pride concerning her nationals insulted on the Pacific coast. Why? Because, irritating as such insults are, they are not matters of national existence. There's not an ounce of steel or lead or powder in Japan that is not kept in readiness for the next phase of her struggle for existence When it comes she will have all that she can do. and may go down in melancholy ruin China may become the tool of Russia and Germany to compass that destruction. There is Japans present peril. But she has ma energy to waste on senti- mental schemes of imperial expansion, at the expanse of America, Great Brit ain or even China. That astute group of men whom she has the pride to call her elder statesmen" the practical
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

and at the same time trample upon the rights of the humblest slave on the banks of the Mississippi river.
 l am not saying that mistakes were not made-poltical mistakes-in the events that followed emancipation.
 l am saying what is patent 10 all 30 years afterward--that in higher sense-- The white man was freed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

eternity stretches between the short and dusty path of life. And nothing matters much because nothing matters. long
 This, too, shall pass away
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26

something that would willingly die for