davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
TRUTH ABOUT GOLD PLATE

London Letter to the New York Evening Post.
 Talking of silver-gilt plate, 1t Is often | spoken of as gold plate. One hears of the gold service at Windsor Castle, of the gold plate owned by sovereigns of Europe, and by other persons in this country, as well as abroad. As a matter of fact, these so-called gold services are sllver-gilt, and only a few pieces of pure gold are owned by the English crown or any other crown. It may interest our
 readers to learn how his fire. mercurial
 or water gilding-for it is known by all
 of these three names-is done. Pure gold
 and mercury are mixed into paste. The silver article to be gilded have been chem ically cleaned is rubbed all over with this
 paste, which has been placed in a silk
 bag, just as the blue used in washing Is
 put in bag. When the piece of plate has been rubbed over 1t Is perfectly white. It Is then put into an oven, and gradu- ally the mercury goes off in fumes, leav- ing on the article a deposit of pure gold, which has practically become one with the piece of silver, and will last for cen- turies.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
NovELIsT,s HIGHEST AIM

It Is interesting to study the evolution
 of the popular novelist. Tt would be a
 good subject for some literary critic to
 pursue to the end. In general there are
 several big steps in this evolution. First
 of all the novelist must gain his public
 and to do this there is only one means
 interest it. So we see in glancing back over the career of any one ofs our most
 widely read novels that no matter what they are read for now they were originally taken up by the public be-
 cause of this quality of interest.
 Take James Lane Allen for example. He first got his audience by appealing to their imaginations, by fostering that instinct in every cultivated mind to fol- low the adventures or life story of some other being.
 But-once the audience is assured how does the author hold it? In several
 ways, it would seem. One way is to endeavor in each new book to outdo the last in ingenuity of plot, to make the
 story not only the main but the sole object of concern. But now and again there comes a novelist who bends all his energies toward filling his books with | wisdom and thought and the underlying principles of life. Writers of this class,
 it must be generally admitted. are the greatest-through their work and theirs only is the real spirit of the age re- vealed.
 To return to Mir Allen. It would ap- pear that he has arrived at this stage | of development. Assured of an immense audience for whatever he writes, he is | not content to turn them away by mere ! ly satisfying their idle curiosity. '"rhe | Doctors Christmas Eve" his latest work, is full of a deep understanding of
 human problems. full of the wisdom ot | life, which he has successfully endeav- orded to show to others. Writing in the
 Gazette Times George Seibel emphasizes | this characteristic. He says: MT l Allen has just given us one of the
 deepest and wisest books of genera | tion. It is novel, by strict classiica- tion; yet it Is infinitely more than g novel, as Hamlet and Lear are in- finitely more than dramas. It shows a lit- l tie corner of the world, few acres of
 bluegrass Kentucky. moving across 1t g | few animate Jumps of the same clay; but
 like Ibsen's Norway village, this coun- | tryside is a contraction of equator and
 zodiac. summing up within its limited | circumstance the lore of generations 1 and the .epic of ages.
 Full of the mystery and tragedy oi life and love and death. the undertoY oi
 passion and the placid strength of re- | nunciation-full of the comprehension
 and pardon of human frailty, and cog
 nizant of the divine law of atonement MT. Aliens book Is distinguished above all his other books, and above most oi the books that are daily .born into this
 world, by its deep, rich and ripe wis dom. It Is more than a novel as Ham let and Lear are more. than dramas 2
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
Better Farming In Alabama

Farm demonstrators under the super vision of the department of agriculture at Washington are at work in 40 counties
 in this state, and the expectation is that every one of the e counties will become tbe scene of farm demonstration work. There is state farm demonstra- tor in North Alabama, J. T. Watt of Tal- ladega, and one in Sol/h Alabama, J. C.
 Phelps of Auburn. These men select county demonstrators. county dem onstrator must be an active, successful farms in the county upon which demon- stration methods have been adopted. The county demonstrator becomes paid offi- cial ofsthe government. He receives s75 a month. If the state will appropriate $25,000 in aid of this great reform dem onstration work will be prosecuted in ev- cry county in this state. In no other way could that sum be expended to equal advantage and profit of the state.
 The report of Commissioner Wilkinson of the state department of agriculture, on the corn contests, shows what good farming can accomplish Tn about 4C counties corn was grown in quantities to the acre creditable to the best corn state in the union. The prize winners are headed with production of 145 bush- els to the acre in Fillmore. and IS other prize winners in as many counties grew oyer 100 bushels of shelIed corn on ar
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
intellectual Work in old Age

"I was greatly impressed with the Rev. Dr. Evans article In Sundays Age Herald entitled, The New Year and Old Age" said a professional man '.It was full of healthy sentiment and sound philosophy. Most men begin to show the infirmities of age before they reach threescore and ten; and compar- atively few achieve any great intellec- tual feat after they are we'll advanced I in years. Of course there are some wonderful exceptions to the rule, as there are striking exceptions to all rules; and many of these are pointed out by pr. Evans. He omitted. however, one of the most familiar names-a man who accomplished enough before he was 40 to make him famous, but who did not begin to do his best until he had turned 60; and who did not at tain his full intellectual stature until he was past T5.
 q refer to Verdi. Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1913 and died in 1901. He be- gan to display exceptional talent for music as child and his first opera was written before he was 25. It was successfully produced in 1899. Verdi wrote 'Nabucco' in 1841 or AZ and with 1t his popular career began. By the way, the Overture to this opera at Capitol park last summer and seemed much enjoyed by the crowds there assembled
 Tn 1S44 'Ernanf was produced in Venice. It was an enormous success and verdi's popularity was assured. Rig oletti' was written in 1851, and Il Trovatore and La Traviata a year or two later.
 Aida, composed when Verdi was about 57 years of age, was by far the best work he had done up to that time and he grew and grew from then on. 'Otello, a magnificent opera and extremely modern from every point of musicianship, was first given in Milan in 1887, and Falstaff was composed when Verdi was in his eightfeth year. It Is the greatest comic opera ever written. These two works-'Otello' and Falstaff' are said by competent critics to embody all the best features of the modern school of music without Ios- ing touch with the great masters of the past.
 Verdi was over 80 when he wrote the Requiem mass, whoch towers above all the other requiems of the Catholic church. It is great festival work and it Is frequently given at Sunday concerts in big cities, especially where distinguished solo artists and grand symphony orchestras, as well as opera chorus, are available."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
CREDULoUs MARK TWAIN

From Scraps.
 "The Gilded Age" published in 1873, re-
 suited from the friendship of Warner and Mark Twain. The character of Colonel Sellers in that book has become immortal and it Is a character that only Mark Twain could create, for 1t embodies-and in no very exaggerated degree-charac- teristics that were his own. The ten doncy to make millions was always in- minent; temptation was always hard to resist. Money-making schemes are con- tinually being placed before men of
 means and prominence and Mark Twain to the day of his death found such schemes fatally attractive.
 It was because of the Sellers character setting machines which cost him nearly
 500, GOO, and helped to wreck his fortunes by and by. It was because of this char acteristic that he invented in numberless
 schemes of lesser importance, and no less disastrous in the end. His one success full commercial venture was his asso- citation with Charles L. Webster in the publication of the Great Memoirs, of
 which enough copies were sold to pay a
 royalty of $400,OO0 to Grants widow, the largest royalty ever paid from any single publication. It saved the Grant family
 from poverty, but even this was disaster
 to Mark Twain, for it led to scores of
 other book ventures, and eventually the firm went to wreck in the panic of 1893.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
THEY MEET AT LAST

"Poems in Prose- from the Russian.
 One day the Supreme Being took it into His head to give great banquet in His azure palace.
 All the virtues were invited. Men He did not ask-only ladies.
 There was a large number of them, great and small. The lesser virtues were more agreeable and genial than the great ones; but they all appeared to be in good humor, and chatted amiably together, as was only becoming for near relations and friends.
 But the Supreme Being noticed two charming ladies who seemed to be totally unacquainted.
 The host gave one of the ladies His arm, and led her up to the other.
 'Beneflcence." He said. indicating the first.
 "Gratitude!" He added, indicating the second
 Both the virtues were amazed beyond expression. Ever since the world had stood-and it has been standing a long |time-this was the first time they had met.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Back From Richmond

Dr. Andrew M Woodson has returned to Alabama after visit to friends ir Virginia. He will be in Birmingham for few days and will then go to Oak man to be the guest of his brother
 T had a. pleasant time in Richmond, where I met many of my good comrades of the years past" said pr. Woodson. Richmond is a splendid city. It is now growing at a fast rate and if 1t had extended it's limits so as to include Bar ton Heights and other populous suburbs 1t would have come into the census with a larger population than Birmingham, or Atlanta. As 1t is Richmond made fine showing 900, a gain of a little more than 50 per cent over 19G0.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
TRUE MELODY.

On a frosty winter morning,
 When we waken from 8 dream, Oh, there's nothing half so pleasant
 As the -gurgle of the steam In a purring radiator,
 Which, somehow, just seems to say, Don't you mind about the weather Let me drive the cold away An, 'tis music even sweeter
 Than the swelling organs tones, If you dread the tooth of winter
 And chill Is in your bones;s For the organ lulls your senses,
 But the steam pipes make you warm; And, methinks, mid tempests bowling, Nothing else hath greater charm. Even like to hear them humping,
 If it doesn't last too long, For that shows they're getting busy And the steam Is coming strong. But to hear them simmer, simmer
 When the heat begins to flow, On a frosty morn in winter,
 Is the sweetest sound I knowl
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
I'll note you in my book of memory.
 -1 King Henry VI.
Rapid Advances ln Aviation

The tragic deaths of John D. Moisant at New Orleans and of Arch Hoxsey at Los Angeles were no doubt due to the circus features of aviation. These young men were spurred on by great crowds to daring feats They defied treacherous winds too freely. and their lives were sac rihced where more cautious men would have hesitated.
 But these lamentable deaths will lead rapidly on to the overcoming of the de- fects in the aeroplane. Its structural the untrustworthiness of engines will be met and remedied. These defects are being overcome. The coming aeroplane is to be heavier and it's power to be in- creased accordingly.
 Next summer" says GrahameWhite, first time people will be able to enjoy the sensation of air travel. Ready for trials in the spring will be the first type of a machine which one might call an air car. It will be a strongly built mono plane. A 1oO-horsepower engine will pro- pei it. It will have a body like motor car, with four comfortably padded seats, well protected from the wind. There is no reason why any wealthy motorist should not purchase such a machine. He may have an aerial chauffeur if he does not want to learn to drive him self. and enjoy aeroplaning in thorough ly practical way. do not see one insurmountable difficulty in the way of completely rewolutionizing by means of the aeropIane all existing methods of communication"
 This may seem a wild dream, but when we consider the achievements in aero uaut1cS or the year 15lo IL tues llot Seeii impossible. It is only seven years ago when the Wrights made their first flight They were able to rise above the earth a few feet in a few seconds. From that beginning has sprung the new art Even in 1908 Wilbur Wright could ascend but 90 feet. No height is now considered impossible Arch Hoxsey left record of Il, ,474 feet. In distance travel Chavez the Peruvian, sailed across the Alps, an6 a straightaway flight of 363 miles in eigh' hours has been made in France. In i90! the greatest distance made was 15O miles In view of these achievements almos anything is possible this year in aeria navigation. The tragedies at the end ol the year 1910 will not have been in vair If builders and aviators strive to pre- vent disasters hereafter. Aviation is tC be carried on and the hope is that tht tragedies which have gone with it car hereafter be to great extent eliminated
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
FATHER TIME

,y Mrs. Mary Ware. From the realms of dark chaos Of old, I was born: I lit the first beams Of Natures fair morn. I measured the distance The sun should advance. And clipped his bright rays With my glittering lance. I plumed the first flight Of young virgin Spring, And stole the last hue From her rose-tinted wing. I wave but my wand, And summer comes forth, From the east, from the west, From the chill, frozen north. The moorland, the meadow, The forest and field, Their bounty of treasure Reluctantly yield. From the land, from the sea, From the regions of air, Gay pennons I gather As trophies of war. On the field of black carnage I gather my spoil, And I reap my reward With the sons of the soil. The proudest, the bravest. The loftiest quail;
 The check of bright beauty Before me grows pale. Hol ho! I'm a reaper A reaper, you see; Who bows not in homagA Trail mortal. to mel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES

these ubiquitous flowers forming colum- mar effects in every archway and door. Delicately tinted place cards, also significant of autumn, and dainty pump kin ramehins added to softly glowing tap CTS, lent a distinct charm to the oc- casion. The reflection consisted of four courses, one in which tiny candy pump- kins, like sentinels, stationed on each bit of frozen cream, seemed guarding the dainty dish to it's ultimate disappear ance. Like fairy garden dotted with small tables, in a perfect labyrinth of choicest flowers, one was impressed by the suggestion, and each seemed to lend herself to the charm which 1t cast Every one was lavish in the praise of the de- lightful evening spent in the Butler home. Warsaw Qnd.) Times.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
Cotton Situation

Henry Clews in his review of cotton con- dtions says in part;
 'The generally unsatisfactory conditions in the cotton trade were emphasized last week by a decision of the most import ant New England manufacturers at meeting in Boston to drastically curtall production shortly after New Years, pro- yided no material improvement was shown in the goods market by that time. This policy was decided upon only after a careful consideration of every phase or the situation and repeated efforts, uni formly unsuccessful, to secure an advance in the price of standard goods It has been known for some time that the cur tailment in the production of print cloths had extended to a point where the mills were manufacturing only about B 1-3 per cent of their normal output, and now everything seems to indicate a propor- tionate curtailment in all the New England mill lines. As has been repeatedly point ed out, there Is no profit in manufacturing ordinary cloths and goods on basis of 15 cents for spots, and this applies as much to southern mills as to those of New England. It is reasonable to sup pose, therefore, that the action of the eastern mills will shortly be followed by those of the south unless an improvement in trade condition is near at hand, all signs of which are still lacking.
 Stocks continue to pile up at both in- terior points and at tho ports, in almost unprecedented volume. The certifcated stock in New York Is now more than twice as large as at this time year ago, W hile at Memphis it is larger than ever before known in the history of the staple. It is suggested, and is beginning to be believed, that large part of the stocks at interior points is unhedged cotton held speculatively.
 ] "A strengthening factor at the close of number of January notices issued against holdings of spots, which was accepted as n sign that the bull interests are mak- ing a determined effort to support the
 market; whether they will be successful
 in this respect in the long run remains | to be seen.
 .sTo sum up, the weeks market factors were a continuation of the heavy receipts
 rains over the cotton belt where moisture
 was badly needed for the next crop. the probability of curtailment by New Eng. Hand spinners and evidences of prepare
 ton by planters for one of the largest acreages for 1911 ever known in cotton
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
roLsToY,s INTENSITY
? rom the London Times

From vthe London Times.
 We quoted the other day an interesting description of the count by an eminent Russian writer. Everything in Tolstoy's character, he said, attains Titanic pro- portions "As a drinker he absorbed fanstastic quantities of liquor. As gam b,er he terrified his partners by the bold ness of his play. As soldier he ad- yanced gayly to bastion four, the bastion of death at Sebastopol. and there he
 made dying men laugh at his witty say ines. He surpassed everyone by his prodigious activity in sport as well as in literature"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
COCKNEY CHIVALRY
.om the London Chronicle.

From the London ChronfcIe.
 There was crush in the pit and the anaemic- looking girl stood with the late-comers behind the last bench. The young man in front of her, comfortably seated, was not too absorbed in the mu- sical comedy to note that the girl look ed tired as she doggedly stood out the first act He rose when the curtain fell. Would you," he asked, pushing past her, like to mind my seat while I go out for a drink?" The age of chiv- airy is not past.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
Good Southern Outlook

q am expecting to see good deal of genuine prosperity In all parts of the south this year" said Beaufort Cheno- weth, who. with his father. Henry P. Chenoweth, represents large hardware in- interests. My father and I, between us, get over almost the entire south-from Richmond to the remotest town in Texas.
 'T will start out in a few days for the southeast, and from advance information I am confident of a successful commercial trip.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
CARRIERS DO WE'LL

From the Knoxville Sentinel.
 A Kentucky newspaper has taken tue trouble to look mp the records of its for mer carriers. and 1t has found that, with almost no exceptions, they have made honest, sturdy, self-supporting. and law loving citizens. Probably this would be found true of any newspaper in an aver age medium-sized city. Carrying news papers is steady, hard work. It takes grit and stickativeness to go out day by day in rain and storm or sunshine and deliver the paper faithfully, passing no subscribers. A boy that can do that can be trusted to find his way in the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
REFLECTIONS OF A BAcHELo1

From the New York Press.
 A womans dearest religion is sacrifice.
 Men calculate their blessings in money; women in children.
 Everybody can instantly detect conceit in everybody but himself
 A man will let his barber talk him to death, and get furious with his wife for saying tenth as much.
 Self-control in child begins exactly where parental discipline does. conse- quently there Is no self-control in chil. dren.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
SLIGHTLY IN ERROR.

How did you enjoy the professors vio- lin solo?'
 Was he really trying to play?' "Why, of course" By love! I thought he was initiating animal cries. the way violinists do in vaudeville"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

The Japanese do not get the news until they read about the American war scare
 in American papers They know nothing
 of the matter themselves.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

As soon as the New Years resolutions have a clear track and no opposition.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
AN AFTER THOUGHT
From the Tuscaloosa News.

Jefferson county is as inviting to the truck farmer as any county in the south. Soil and climate are ideal. and Birming- ham is always hungry market" re- marks The Age-Herald. And thirsty. might be added. incidentally.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

The boil weevil compels the southern the corn down the throats of cattle and hogs until the cost of living slides down hill.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
A "T,ARaEu EvENING

A LARGE" EVENING.
 Like one last breath of autumn, with fragrance steeped In perfume, one was greeted by an amassed wealth of the sea- sons offeripg-the lovely chrysanthe nuns. In the reception hall and parlor an effulgence of roseecolored chrysan- themums satiated the most fastidous,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

New Yorks largest hotel Is to cost s17,- 0o0,0O0 It is to be built on Herald Square at Twenty-fourth street and Broadway
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

The jimswinger coat Is pronounced au fait at Oklahomas inaugural bill. It is a cross between an ulster and sack coat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

Chester H. Aldrich, governor-elect of Nebraska, is a Methodist, and he says he wants no inaugural ball in his'n.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
wEDDrNG BELLS
he Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star. Dottor Wiley's years of research on the subject of pure foods seem to have re- suited in . verdict in favor of home cooking.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

All war news from Mexico is now cen- sored by the Diaz government.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

Those who indulge in war scares forget that we alone have a mononopoly of the Missouri mule.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

Some would have us believe that vote buying in this country is confined to Adams county Ohio.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

Adams county's male population would be jailed en masse if the trial judge would stop suspending his sentences.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
NEW USE FOR THE TELEPHONE

From Success.
 Cecil was accustomed to hearing his mother telephone for nearly everything she needed. One day as he entered the pentry a little mouse scampered across the floor. Very much frightened, he jumped up and down, screaming "Oh, mother, phone for the cat! Please phone for the cat!'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

The Cape Cod canal is to be completed next year and two Massachusetts towns are fighting for exposition honors.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

In fashionable schools for girls the broad "a is regarded as the true test of erudition. .i.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03

Christmas came twice this year, but il will not repeat the trek in several years to come.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
WE woNDEI

"I'm color blind" said sweetest Dot Funny. Somehow, she never failed to spot Money.