davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Sub-Port and Sub-Treasury

The government is about to erect new public building in this city. Some call it "a new postoffice," but it is already plain that it will be cus- tom house and a sub-treasury as well. Already MT. Underwood has put the sub-port bill through the House and what he could do in the House Sena- tors Johnston and Bankhead undoubt- edly can before adjournment do in the Senate The sub-treasury matter goes over to the next congress, but in view of the centrality of Birmingham in the cotton belt and of it's increasing strength as an industrial center there can be little doubt of it's enactment in the next Congress. Birmingham is fortunate in it's representatives in both branches of Congress. This good fortune will give Atlanta . chill if it gets in the way. ff'f
 The housing of a custom house and sub- treasury should be taken into consideration when plans are made for a new government building in this city, and if need be those plans should wait upon the action of Con gress in the sub-treasury matter. The people of this decade are engaged in building a great industrial city, and they should not be unduly nasty. When the government builds a home here it should build one that will meet the public needs of 500,000 peo- nla
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
sHELIEY,s FATHER

From Jefferson's "The Real Shelley"
 It has been. the fashion of biographers to decry this gentleman. Readers, how ever. should decline to accept the poets estimate of the second baronet of Castle Goring. though the much maligned gen. tleman wrote comically ungrammatical letters, thought too highly of himself, talked boastfully over his second bottle, swore well up to the mark of Georgian good breeding and believed himself the originator of every strenuous argument in Paley's Evidences. The good landlord and kindly patron of aged servants, the squire whose virtues blossomed in the dust. the amiable father whose parental excellences were gratefully remembered by all his surviving children. was neither the fool nor the barbarian his eldest son thought him.
 The Sheleyan enthusiasts have little charity for the poets sire, even the most discreet of them regarding him as a de- plorably ineonvenient father for so mar velous a son. It is not clear. what kind of father would have won Percy's filial loyalty. In fairness to this sire, 1t should be remembered that, if he was not the right kind of father for the poet, he proved an excellent father to all his other children; and that. if the poet should have had a more congenial father, Squire Timothy could not well have had a more trying son than the boy of latent genius, who lived to cover his house with glory.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
WHY THE CREAM ouRDLED

From the New York Telegraph
 "I went to a show last night" said Neverthink, the clerk, at, the boarding house breakfast table. as he dropped four Jumps of sugar into his coffee. Pomander Walk"
 q think I shall go down and see il soon," said Miss Chunky, the fat school teacher, reaching for the toast.
 "No hurry,'' came from Wheat, the grain man. Pomander Walk is going to have a run"
 Listen to him, will you" Neverthink said, letting his hands fall to his sides. 'IIe means that for joke. walk is to have run! Excuse me while laugh.'
 q wonder how Excuse Me is?'i said Professor Pitts, the high school principal.
 "They call it "A Pullman Car Comedy I believe" said Miss Chunky.
 "Oh, if that's the case, Porter, the Latin instructor, should be able to tell me about it." said the professor.
 "Does the comedy have an orchestral" asked Miss Primm tie little old maid.
 "Undoubtedly," replied Wheat, ''since every Pullman Car has conductor. In fact. I guess they
 Gee, this creams sour," came from Neverthing. He had poured some In his coffee.
 Tt wasn't a moment ago." said Miss Chunky. No wonder. Those lame jokes have probably curdled it."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Say as you think and speak It rom ~our souIs. - King Henry VI.
Alabama's S Fruit Crop

The cold wave has eliminated and is packing up to depart across or rather to the broad Atlantic. It tar ried fin our midst" three days and what it did to vegetable and fruits in Alabama is still a debatable ques- ton.
 The mercury fell on Wednesday morning to 21 degrees in Birming- ham; to 26 degrees in Montgomery; to 30 degrees in Mobile; to 20 de- grees in Knoxville, Atlanta and Mem phis.
 MT. Hale of Fort Valley, Georgia's chief grower, says he has had or chards pass through temperature of 24 degrees leaving all the peaches on the trees that they could properly and fully mature. The temperature of Wednesday at Fort Valley and Ma con probably did not fall below "A de- grees. If so, the peaches in Georgla's s best peach districts will come through practically unharmed.
 In this state reports are conflict ing. Anniston is hopeful; Huntsville full of despair; Montgomery is on the fence; Selma considers it's fruit and vegetable crops but slightly dam aged. Decatur thinks it will have three-fourths of crop of peaches. At Bay Minette the strawberries were killed, but in Cullman no blooms had appeared and the crop is intact.
 Close examinations of peach trees will doubtless disclose the fact that buds which were not open and even those partially open escaped damage by the freezing weather, while blos- soms fully open were killed. This would leave in all sections of the state enough blossoms to insure a good crop. The blossoms even at Huntsville should be closely exam ined. The little peach is shut up in- side the bloom covered several times deep by nature. The wind blew on Tuesday night and the air was dry, and the natural wraps of the young peach may have carried it safely through the weather even of Wednes- day morning.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
New Treaty With Japan

The treaty of 1894 contained severe restrictions upon the immigration of Japanese coolies to this country. The new treaty now before the Senate contains no such restrictions, leaving to the national honor of Japan the prevention of the sailing from her own ports of emigrants known to be undesirable in this country. The pend- ing treaty may be renounced by eith- CT country at the end of six months if it fails to operate as expected. The Pacific states do not favor the new treaty, but the administration is con- fident it will work we'll.
 The Senate committee on foreign relations has favorably reported the treaty, and it will undoubtedly be ratified. No immigrant from Japan could then enter this country unless he had passport issued by the Jap anese government. The whole matter of Japanese emigration would thus be committed to the honor of the Jap anese government, and it is pretty plain that no undesirable coolies would be permitted to sail from Jap an bound for this country. Besides, both countries recognize the value and efficiency of our own laws and regulations. In an emergency we are left free to exclude whom we do not want. Between Japanese passports and home laws there seems to be no reason for opposing the retifi. cation of treaty that is drawr upon the lines of other treaties made by Japan with other countries. We should not unnecessarily endeavor tc humiliate the Japanese. They arc sensitive, and the pending treat! does not wound their pride.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
CONCERNING ELzEvIRs

From Andrew Lang's Books and Book
 men,
 The late MT. Hepworth Dixon intro duced into one of his romances a TO- mantle Elzevir Greek testament, worth it's weight in gold" Casual remarks of this kind encourage a popular delusion that the Elzevirs are pearls of consid- erable price.
 When a man is first smitten with the pleasant fever of book collecting, it is for Elzevirs that he searches. At first he thinks himself in amazing luck. In Booksellers Row and Castle street he picks up for shilling or two Elzevirs, real or supposed.
 Now the moral is that only the tall Elzevirs are beautiful, only tall Elzevirs preserve their ancient proportions: only tall Elzevirs are worth collecting. Dr.. Lemuel Gulliver remarks that the King of Lilliput was taller than any of his court by almost the breadth of nail, and that his altitude filled the minds of all with awe. We'll the Phlistine may think a few millimeters. more or less, in the height of an Elzevir are of little impor- tance. When he comes to sell he will dis cover the difference.
 An uncut or almost uncut copy of a good Elzevir may be worth s250 or $500 or more;, an ordinary copy may bring fewer pence.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
HOW PATTI SANG

From fhe St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
 Lafcadio Hearn had rare faculty for discerning a words shades of meaning, and one of his keenest pleasures was, by taking advantage of every subtle sug- gestion in a phrase, to produce vivid effect in a minimum of words. For me" he writes in the lately published Japan csc Letters of Lafcadio Hearn." words have color, form, character. They have faces, ports, manners, gesticulations- they have moods, humors, eccentricities; they have tints, tones. personalities" A good instance of this power appears in a description of Paths singing: There was a great dim pressure. stifins heat, a whispering of silks, weight of toilet perfumes. Then came an awful hush; all the silks stopped whispering. And there dead hot air clear, cool tense thread gust of melody unlike any sound I ever heard before save-in tropical nights from the throat of mocSingbird. It was Aud Lang Syne' only-but with never a tremolo or artifice-a marvellous, au- dacious simplicity of utterance."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24

From the New York Evening Post
 Something of historic interest Is att tached to the railroads known as Gould most picturesque episodes in American finance. In 1881 Jay Gould occupied, in the mind of Wall street and the pub lie, very much the place which Harri- man occupied in 1909 He was by no means the equal of the late Union Pacific chicftain in pure constructive ability; Gould was a wrecker in the long run, where Hartman vas builder. But the newspapers none the less called him the wizard of American finance.' While he lived, every one wondered where his pro- gramme of railway acquisition would stop. When he died, people wondered what would become of the Gould re- gime.
 Few people realize what the magni- tude, on the railway map, of this Gould stystem actually was. Very recently 1t was possible to say that the interest which controlled this system controlled more mileage than belonged in any other railway system in the country. With the Hartman system In the field, this sounds improbable. But, including the Southern and Central Pacific. the Union Pacific system comprises 17,5OO miles. As the head of the Missouri Pacific, the hold ing company for the Gould system, MT. George Gould at one time personally con- trolled nearly 19O00 miles of road
 With the appointment of receivers, ,ft 4b< init af !, Maryland, the Wheeling and Lake Erie, the Wabash Pittsburg Terminal railway. and the International and Great Northern, ths mileage, of the Missouri Pacific system was reduced to the extent of 2175 But even with that disputed mileage elimi- mated, the president of the Missouri Pa cific controlled the Wabash the St. Louis and Iron Mountain, the Denver & Rio Grande the Texas Pacific, the Colorado Midland, the Western Pacific and certain | smaller allied lines, which make a sys- tenn of 17,C0O miles. Since the death of E. H. Hartman, mo other man has occu- pied a similar position.
 l With the passing of the GouIu regime | in the railway world, the question is agair
 raised as to whether in time all of the railroads of the country will not be part of the three or four consolidated sys. tems. Certainly the trend of events dur.
 ing the past decade points in that direc l ton.
 1 Today there is only one railroad in tht
 country of any real strategic importanct which can be called independent in tht
 sense applied to that word 10 years ago | That is the Pennsylvania. All of the res | are either controlled by other companie.
 or allied with interests which control tn, | other lines.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
oLD-TIME TAVERN

From the Detroit Free fTeSS.
 Plymouth, Mich-When fire last October destroyed the old tavern four miles east of here on the Plymouth Road, there dis- appeared one of the oldest and best-Rho"h landmarks in this section. It was puii' in the '4Os by David McFarlan, who also oave to the crossroads where it stood the name it bears to this day, "Roush and Ready Corners" McFarlan was great admirer of Gen. Zachary Tayior' then in the height of his fame, and on guide post which stood near the tavern he mounted an image of old Rough and Readys' In each hand was sword and wbcn the wind bleVlAthe image would cut and slash with the swords
 In this house was born in 1855 James McFarlan. one of Flints leading lawyers James McFarlan's earliest recollections are that black men would come to their home and disappear. After the war was over his mother explained to him that the reason for the black men being al tneir house was that they were passengers on inc .1lnderground railroad" James Me- Farlan's father and grandfather both be- ,onped to the ''underground railroad.'
 This old house was the scene of stirring times in Lincoln's first campaign. Ihere was post near the west end, and on this post, during Lincolns campaign, was ,nlaced large beetle and wedge as an insult to David McFarlan for advocating the cause of the rail-splitter. In those days there was no communication by rali between Detroit and Grand Rapids. ana much of the traffic passed over the De- ,,o,r ana Plymouth plank road, which ran by this house. There was d marn- standing east of the house. near 'ie road, and this they rented during war times to the plank road company, WHICH charfked it's stage horses there. Ine SOL diers going to and from the war made this stopping place.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
\ New Industry Starring

Joseph Freund of St. Louis. vice pres ident and general manager of the Amer ican Cement Tile Manufacturing con- pany. is registered at the Hiliman. His company Is large manufacturer of tile and is one of the leading concerns in its line in the United States. It has just completed plant at Corey. which will be ready for operation today.
 Birmingham Is an attractive city and it's future is most promising" said MT. Freund. "The plant which we have built at Corey will start with a working force of about 60 men. This number will be increased as the demand for our output increases"
 MT. Freund will continue to make his home in St. Louis, but he said yesterday that he would visit Birmingham fre- quently to look after the Corey plant. In speaking of his home town MT. Freund said:
 St. Louis Is very prosperous, and while 1t does not increase In population as fast as some other cities its growth is always substantial We had popu- lation of 6S7,0OO in the recent census, and it Is safe to say that the population of the city today is about 100000. Kansas City, with a population of about 25o, ,O0O, Is growing at a rapid rate, and while 1t will be some time before 1t catches up with St. Louis, 1t is gaining on it stead fly. The larger city, however, will in it's conservative way, always hold it's own and rank as one of the great com mercial centers of this country"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Virginia Military Institute

"The dismissal, of T cadets from inc Virginia Military institute has caused great stir in the Old Dominion" said a member of Birmingham's Virginia colony
 General Nichols, commandant of the institute. is one of the best men that has ever been in charge. While he is firm and cool, he is always reasonable and never harsh in his discipline The Virginia pa- pers, l understand, indorse his action The Richmond virginian says:
 'Seventy-seven is a goodly number of students to be expelled from state insti- tuition of learning with one sweeping or der. but better seventy times seventy than for those vested. with authority to supervise and maintain discipline to countenance such breaches of order and government as is charged to the third year men of the Virginia Military insti- ute.
 Insubordination and rebellious conduct is to be tolerated at no institution for mental development and culture, and least of all at an institution where the military feature is emphasized.
 Tn dismissing from the institute 77 ca dets who were guilty of the most fragrant disorder and disrespect, the superintend- ent of the institution expresses his regret that such drastic action was made neces- sarv bv the conduct of those whose duty it was to respect offices if not men, General Nichols, in an official order, said: : The superintendent is conscious of a feel ing of personal distress that so large a body of young men, many of whom have heretofore been so exemplary in their de- pertinent, should so far forget their duty to themselves, to their parents, and to the honorable institution with which they have been connected. No just cause eof grievance is even alleged and even if such existed, ample recourse is to be found in the provisions of military law In a moment of thoughtlessness these young men have combined to defy author- ity and are attempting by concerted ac- tion to dictate to the governing authori- ties of this institution. An assault upon these (the authorities) constitutes the most grievous offense known to our law. Im- mediate dismissal must necessarily ensue in such cases, and this, whether one, a hundred or the whole corps, is involved I"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24

come wide awake to the value and even necessity of good roads. Dele gates will come from every state and the holding of the congress in this city would give the cause a great inn petus in this state.
 Whatever action is taken toward securing this congress should be taken today. Expenses are to be guaranteed, and telegrams inviting the congress to come to this city should be sent, all this today. The meeting of the congress here would advertise the city and promote the good roads cause, and surely these results are worth working for today.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Southern Cities

Jacksonville, Tampa and Pensacola are the most fourishing cities of Flori- da," said G. T. Hodges of Chicago.
 "I was in Tampa last week and was glad to see that city recovering from the effects of the long cigarmakers' strike. The town made such a fine show ing in the census-3S,52 an increase of 14S.2 per cent over 1900-that great deal will be expected of it between now and 1920. I was in Tampa early in the fall when civic conditions were disturbed and business conditions depressed but I was told that the day after the strike was over trade began to revive, and now there is a very decided air of prosperity about the place. Merchants are all op- growth during the next few years.
 Jacksonville is headed for a popula- tion of 100000 and it is generally be- lieved that it will cross the 100000 mark within the next three or four years. Pensacola is one of the smaller cities, but 1t is one of the most solid in the south. It has many new and handsome public buildings, and few cities are so clean and fresh looking as Pensacola.
 The entire south is more prosperous now than it was a few years ago and every southern city seems to be growing fast Birmingham is a marvel of prog- ress, and Is generally talked about in the north as the great future metropo- lis''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Dippers National opera Plan

"Andreas Dppel is the greatest organ iber and manager of grand opera in this country, andI am glad that he has under ham and a number of other cities opera on large scale every season." said a member of the Oratorio society. MT. Dippels project is at once comprehensive and feasible. He proposes to utilize a local chorus and number of focal or ists and a number Of orchestra musicians from headquarters at Washington.
 Large opera companies like the Metro- politan of New York and MT. Dippels company of Chicago are necessarily very expensive, but the high salaries paid to the principals form only a part of the heavy expense involved in presenting operatic works. A great part of the ex- pense en tour is made up of railroad fares for chorus and orchestra, to say nothing of the wages paid to chorus singers and musicians. It is readily seen
 therefore, that with local chorus and with greater part of the orchestra re. cruited from local musicians there would be an immense saving.
 According to MT. Dippels plan there would be a local chorus conductor and local conductor for the orchestra, with an operatic conductor sent from head ouarters several times during the year to rehearse the local sections; and as the time drew near for a season of week
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
Mechanics Night school

T am glad that a mechanics night school is to be started in Birmingham" !" said manufacturer.
 That is an institution that has long been needed here. Such a school will afford worthy young men who are working as apprentices in local shops an opportunity to supplement their limited education by studying mathe- matics, natural philosophy, draw ing and English under compe- tent instructors Mechanics in stitutes have been maintained in a number of cities smaller than Birming- ham and excellent results have been obtained"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
SOUTHERNER WHO SAW GRANT

Col. John s. Moseby, in McClure's Mag
 azne.
 HAVE mentioned the fact that I had | strong personal reasons for being = friendly to General Grant. If he had not thrown his shield over me I should have been outlawed and driven into exile. My battalion Yas in northern Virginia on the Potomac, a hundred miles from Appo- mattox. when General Lee surrendered. The Secretary of War, MT. Stanton inn mediately issued an order directing that all Confederate soldiers in Virginia should be invited to surrender, and offering them the same paroles that were given to Lee s army, but the order excepted me person. ally. General Grant, who was then all powerful. interposed, and sent me an offer of the same parole that he had given General Lee. Such a service I could never forget.
 He also did another thing which showed the generosity of his nature. A few weeks before the surrender small party Of my men crossed the Potomac one night and got into a fight, in which a de- tective was killed. One of the men was captured and sent to Fort McHenry. After the war he was tried by military commission and sentenced to be impris- oned. The boys mother went to see President Johnson to beg pardon for her son, but Johnson repelled her.
 In her distress the mother went over to the war department toA See General Grant. He listened patiently to her sor- rowful story, then rose and asked her to go with him. He took her to the White House, walked into the reception room, and told the President that there had been suffering enough, and that he would not leave the room without a pardon for the yVnng southerner. John son signed the necessary paper.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
NELL GwYNNE's SECRET DOOR

From the LUHuUH MdII.
 During alterations on the first floor of the Neil Gwynne tea rooms. High street Epson, there has been discovered a se- cret door in the bedroom that was used by Nell Gwynne, who was one of Ep- soms fashionable visitors when the town was noted for the health giving proper ties of it's waters.
 The house is the one to which Pepys refers in his diary "To Epsom by o'clock to the well, where much com pany And to the town to the Kings Head; and hear that my Lord Buckhurst and Nelly are lodged at the next house and Sir Charles sedley with them ant keep a merry house.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
4 REQUIEM

From Ada" by William Winter Spring will return. and woods grow greer From shore to shore; But she, unseeing and unseen, Returns no more. She was more kind than slumbers are To eyes that grieve; And, like the constant Northern star. Could ne'er deceive. There was no sorrow on the earth But touched her heart: And in all gentle, childike mirth She bore part. SsH There was no goodness but 1t won Her reverent praise, And full of kind deeds. simply done. Were all her days. Sleep softly, softly, true and tried, Where troubles cease: And take at last. what life denied, Deaths gift of peace