davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

stands erect as nature means he should stand. And why should we not be erect now. seeing the millions of years, the uncounted processes through which man kind passed in the making? Let us leave to his toll and his building him who understands his needs If effort without volumes of theory suffice for him--serve his end. whatever that end is. so it be lawful and sane-leave him alone.
 We products of systems, schools. uni- formed living, have much to learn from this kingly child of nature, the Free Lance. For the Free Lance swears he will be uniformed no more; please God, he will be rightly clothed from now on, with garments not borrowed: braveheartedly will believe in himself forever and ever.
 Alas, the most of us are followers trailers. For the most part we drift. and when we summon a bit of strength feel spiritually and mentally chesty, as 1t were-we look about us to see whom we can most cleverly mimic. It is bitter thought that we who plead for liberty of thought. work, ex- pression, are really gaoers of our own dungeons. Having lost the key, we ac- custom the bowed soul to half-duties. the nearest tasks. the hollow mimicries of the days and nights-whereas. to quit the prison walls we could spend our marginal hours" in no wiser manner than in search of that which would lib- crate us.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

with which I close this sentence. Tn or der to see that such a mistake as this could be easily made it is only neces- sary to have an elementary knowledge of the telegrapher's alphabet. I here spell it for the reader, just as matter of technical interest, and bracket each letter so that they may stand out in indi- vidual distinctness: Note, C ) {. ) @
 O That is to say, N Is dash and a dot; is two dots; T is a dash: E is a dot Leave off the final dot, as small as it is, and you change mote" to not It takes only small thing sometimes to do great wrong-a word, a Whis- per, a shrug of the shoulders, even silence, when the right word should be spoken, may have a sequel of calamity, compared with which, an material losses are as nothing. Reputations may be in volved and needlessly destroyed forever.
 l give another illustration: On a cer- tain election day, in DeKalb county, Ind, many years ago. there was a man unde- cided whether he would go to the polls and vote or take some grain to the mill for grinding. He debated the question within his mind, and finally concluded to go to the polls. He voted the democratic ticket. A democrat was elected to the
 e legislature from that district by ma jority of one vote. That legislature elected a United States senator. and by the deciding vote of the member from DeKalb county, MT. flanagan was chos- en senator He took his seat in the Sem ate at Washington. He was made presi- dent prot tenn of that body and was in
 in the chair when the vote was taken on
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

r HAVE written a number of papers
 on the greatness of little things ! seem to have gotton into the habit of so doing as l find myself at it again. There is much in almost everything that is small Small, insignificant incidents have preceded and caused most momen- tous events in history in the affairs Of nations, and in the lives of men, as I showed in a former paper. Likewise, achievements in art, in mechanics, in discoveries, and indeed, in all the high CT attachments of civilization much" has grown out of the little"
 Truth to tell, the words small and great do not designate absolute condi- tions They describe relative proportions as we see them upon their surfaces. What is bulk when compared with many of the silent, unseen and unheard forces that color the rose, that give fragrance to the violet and that tip the grass blades with liquid diamonds? What is insignificant? A word has thrilled na- tions and accoutred armies. An idea, one mans thought, has dethroned kings and revolutionzed empires. A book, with Its dynamic thought of liberty, has broken the shackles of serfdom and led millions out into loftier living
 There is nothing insignificant to him who remembers that every atomic par ticle is a factor in the balancing of worlds Each thing, act, word, song, bird, flower and smallest star is con- stituent part of stupendous whole.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12
MULTUM IN PARVO-No. 1-By Dr. w. E. Evans

ling of familiar names in new relations Fitz Lee and young Grant, on his staff Joe Wheeler and Shafter; Butler, of South Carolina, and Roosevelt of New York, and long list that my space will not permit me to mention The result of it all was the establishing of the Cuban re- public And all this from a beet, and that beats all" Multum in Parvo.
 l close this paper with two or three mechanical illustrations which may in terest the curious.
 ] remember well seeing in the ancient palace of the Saxon kings an illustra- ticn of this subject. In the Greek Vault in this palace where for many centuries the Saxon princes have been gathering countless jewels and curious, there is q curiosity which is about the size and precisely the shape of an egg. It is made of silver, to represent the egg shell. You touch a spring, the egg opens and dis oloes a yok of gold. Upon opening the golden yolk, you see a beautiful bird on her nest Her wings are made radiant by brilliant precious stones. You toucn another spring, the wings fly apart, and you see a perfectly shaped and :nost resplendent crown The last spring is touched, the crown parts. and you gaze upon a flashing diamond, pulsating in it's own marvellous splendor. doubt not, that many of my readers who have vis- ited Dresden have seen this marvellous egg.
 He that has travelled into Geneva through the Vale of Savoy route can never forget the little homes of the watch makers They are all picturesque and daintily adorned with flowers. Here live the watch makers The work of one of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

of Egypt; but offtimes we confuse the two and get them tangled And that is the monstrosity of politics. the bane of governmental polity.
 And yet we can't stand still as Cullom would have us, and hence a people must have Jeffersons and Hamiltons, to iden- tify our Hamans and cruelty them, and recognize our Mordecais and enthrone them. And as a party could not get along without it's sages, so it would be over whelmed without its men- -at-arms. These latter make the majorities and keep the pot a-bilin'. A political party cannot be a select body of men--all saints and no sinners, Tn the matter of vulgar and fla grant bribery. Sir Robert Walpole was the most corrupt ruler England ever had but of all Englishmen then living he was the best fitted to rule.
 However, we have got beyond that in this age, and corruption in the caucus must give place to purity in the primary.
 Perhaps it was about hog killing time in 1890 that the Illinois legis- lature set about the election of a Unit ed States senator to succeed a MT. Farrell. who was a senator because he was a millionaire. About corn plant ing time, after 10l ballots. John M. Palmer. democrat, was elected. Here Is what I once wrote about that epi- sode, that is become more or less per tinent now:
 Tt was more than 10 yeara a~n. The bleak wind of March made the night surly; but the underlined de - ocracy of Illinois did not mind the weather Not they. They were full of enthusiasm and St. Louis whisky, perhaps. They were there from Egypt:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

they were there from Elgin; they were there from Pope county; they were from Jo Daviess and prom Coles. Paris, Edgar county, was represented; so was Quincy, Adams county. In mos. charming narrative Sir Walter Scott makes Roger Wildrake bear the good news to Charles II that "the king should enjoy his own again And that more appeared before his royal master very hilarious and very drunk, and an nounced the flaming of bonfres III London, the playing of music, the roasting of rumps, the drinking of healths, the blazing of lights, and the clattering of tankards.
 "These are some of tne things the democracy of Illinois did the night following the election of John M Pal mer a senator in Congress. They made progress through the town of Spring field and they sang something like this:
 Were after Shelby Cullom next,
 Cullom next, Cullom next;
 We're after Shelby Culom next,
 You bet we're after Shelby"
 But they didn't get Shelby and all because the democratic party was too much of donkey to follow the lead of the President they had elected.
 If Illinois is to be represented in the senate by republicans, 1t were well for that imperial state as well as for the republic that they should be men after the order of Cullom rather than men of the clan of Lorimer
 Cullom is no Solomon. but he is no grafter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

III. IN PRAISE OF THE INDIVIDUAL. KNOW a man who reads books. He
 has tinkered and dabbled with most 4 literatures from Beowulf to Brown ing-from the Morse sagas to Henry James novels He is wise with wisdom at second hand: the wisdom of a clever computing machine that will register po- etry, sociology, ancient history, philoso- phy, as any curious questioner touches the keys He is man truly obsessed by the past; he is no more than sounding board for the performances of the pasta bibliophile of the most virulent type. Prod him, and you will hear Seneca, Mar GUS Aurelius, Euripides. speak. sort of spiritual Victor-Vctrola he is. with all of that reverence and soft speaking that one finds in men that are only half Grown-an intolerable repeater, with that orthodoxy that classifies as good all that Is called classic, and that rejects all that is modern as dangerous and of no worth.
 A cultured person? Yes; but I would rather have measles than room with him, say, spend five hours each day with him. I would fear for the salvation of that crude self of me that must be going about in it's own way, gathering it's meager crumbs as itself needs
 Now, this boo<-man I dare say, more nearly befnds himsef-lives his own life more nearly in ransacking libraries than
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

world in silence. 'Only themselves un- derstand themselves and the like of themselves" sang Whitman. Not even that great lover of mankind could sure ly fix your value in this world. But he knew certainly that you were not an antomaton.
 In the development of nature granting that the outer influences and the inner groping work toward different ends-the teacher is ill-advised who sub ordinates that inner groping to the outer influences. But the guide who can accurately determine the bent of the groping mind needs to have a seers grasp of things. Above all else he should know that culture gained without inner opposition is one thing, and culture en- forced as curriculum requires, distinct ly another. That which the mind must stoop for cannot be a large and lasting benefit. That training should be en- couraged which has for it's aim, not the remoulding of a temperament. but the highest development of the exact ele- mentary tendencies. From coercion of native powers to specified formulas-the native powers rebelling the while-we may look for slipshod citizenry.
 Thms is the only quarrel l have with the public school system; because of this disregard of the individual need this ignoring of native tendencies.
 The master of a class, say, in physiol- ogy, finding a pupil quite unable to ap-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

these Swiss mechanics may be seen in museum. It is a tiny watch. which meas ures 3-16ths of an inch in diameter. It's little dial indicates seconds, minutes, hours, and the days of the month. Think then, how tiny must be the plates. the screws, the wheels, the posts, and springs
 In the city of Turin, Italy, there is cutious boat on exhibition: to sec it clearly one must use a magnifying glass. It is made of a single pearl. The hull is perfectly shaped. The little sail is made of bit of beaten gold leaf, studded with diamonds and precious stones of various sorts. The pinnacle light Is perfect ruby. and tiny emerald serves as the rudder. This little craft. for splendor. beggais Shakespeare description of Cleopatra $ barge with its purple sails, and it poop of beaten gold
 have read of a Persian mechanic who has invented a machine so delicate and accurate. that it can split a single strand of hair into 36 strips. l call that some hair splitting. 1 didn't know that any one was so proficient at hair splitting. but theologians. This beats Butler, in Hudieras. who tells us of one.
 "Who could distinguish and divide
 hair 'twixt south and southwest side
 But bless me. it is time l had gone to bed; yet, I have just begun my subject. so wide is its scope. History, literature, art scierce, music, medicine. and all things else abound with illustrations of my theme l shall get me to dreamland, where l expect to find Mercutio's friend. Queen Mab." who comes,
 ''ln shape no bigger than an agate stone
 On the fore-finger of an alderman,
 Drawn with team of little atomies
 Athwart mems noses as they lie asleep"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

chain, if you have one, and venture to enquire of the Count of Turin, if he has enny "ham and eggs,' he shows the whites of his eyes in manner that seys as plain as if it had been beloved on a grapherfone, Red Neck" and brings you in the desired which sets you back 50 cents and tip for his services.
 Testimony cums to us frum all ovver this broad land about the con- stantly increasing cost of living. There is Uncle Ike Stephensun frum Wis. He testifies that try as he did to be ekonomical and saving, doing evvery reesunabul thing to hold down expenses, and at the same time not develop reputasion for being tite- wad, and with able and perfectly hon. est gentleman managing his bizness, with all that he was unable to pur- chase a perfectly ordinary Toga, for cent less than 107,000 samolions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12
MADE MABAMA-0SEPH BALDWLN-By B. Riley

sion, renders no opinion of his own. never moralizes, but is content to hold himself steadfastly to a description of scene and character in a manner most diverting to the reader. A work like this was not le- void of a mission, and thousands laughed while they read the record of their own stupidity and folly.
 more dignified work from the pen of Judge Baldwin was his Party Leaders, ' which embraces the records. policies and conduct of such men as Jefferson, Hamil- ton, Adams. Randolph, Clay and others The stamp of originality is as clear in this work as in the one already com- mented on, while the latter reveals the possession of a vast fund of information relative to the private lives of the distln- guished characters named. More than that it displays a power of nice discrimi- nation of character Sharpness of analy- sis and felicity of parallelism of character are wrought with the finishing touch of the verbal artist, in clean. elegant En- glish and with dignity free from stilt or stiffness. This, too, proved to be a popu-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

vestigated and to take the coin, and evvery day we ''bust" trust in Con- gress only to find that the grocery man has raised the prise of bacun.
 The only hope for large major rity of us is to go back to the farm and go to raising hog and homory, and desert the bizzy marts of trade. Back when the Peerless Willium was barking free silver at us, they ur- gured that it would reduce the pur- chasing power of a dollar, and make things high for the pore labroring man, but they defeeted this free sil- yer thing and saved the pore labor ing man, so they could skin him themselves I guess, for sure thing they make dent in your weeks gro- cry bill.
 Sumboddy better go to raising sum- thing to eat, things air getting squally, believe me. Yours trooly,
 BILL VINES.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

ors. Private banking institutions sprang up like mushrooms and with about as much solidity, the stock of such institu- tions consisting of real estate on mort gage, upon the faith of which notes were issued for circulation, payable in gold or silver within 12 months. The prospective realization of the latter seems not to nave been thought of, nor was it cared for by the masses, so long as money was plenti- ful. The reaction from a condition like this, entailing endless litigation and crash on crash, Is easily seen.
 With a business and legal acumen, for Judge Baldwin had both, he watched with sharp interest the trend of the period, and his work. "Flush Times in Alabama and Mississippi is a clever hit describing the scenes attendant on the time when money was flush. With an evident relish for fun he presents the hubbub in the courts, in the places of business and else- where when the notes fell due. The diff ferent characters portrayed with master ly skill. the questions and answers, the indignatiOn and COnsternatiOn. the rulings
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12
BILL VINES ON THE COST OF LIVING

times of high finance it takes a man in John P. Morgan's class to purchase a saloon license. He must be a stockholder in varius and sundry Head pipe cinches" in order to get the proper introduction to the man that knows the man who's uncle loaned the secretary of the Excise Commis- sions wife's bruther bird dog last fall was a yeer ago, and who is in consequence Aces" with the Commis- sion and can fix things so you can get in speaking distance of reel saloon license whether you evver shake hands with .t or not. Not only is a meel ticket out of the reach of the most of us these days, but, we must keep both eyes peeled and club handy to keep the "Get Rich Quick Wallingfords" who are con- stantly on the trail of the unwary, off our grass. In the meen time the pore millionairs continue to be in-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

lishments, as also all other fundamen- tals.
 Students of nineteenth century re- ligion in England who approach the subject from outside can only with the utmost difficulty realize the exceed ing popularity of the fierce debates that ragged, for instance around the Gorham controversy. The English are not so deeply immersed in manufacture and commerce but that they can read fly turn aside to discuss with some in telligence phases of new thought in politics. litrerature. theology. Least of all can they forget their centuries of churchly polemics. They appear to have been foreordained to dispute with ec- clesiastical authority. Where church touches kingdom the bulldog bares his teeth and stiffens his forelegs for a leap. When Roman Catholic emanci- patton was so far completed in 1S2g as to prove that England was really a free country, it was inevitable that frank re-eXamination of the claims of the church should be undertaken. Side by side with this it was equally inevit- able that the traditional interpreta- tions of scripture should be re-exain- med. to prove the validity of Protest antism. pr. Pusey brought to his tasi, the same reverence for scripture that Darby presently brought to his sim- liar task. But there the likeness end cd. For while Pusey was constantly overlapping all sorts of barriers to the use of scripture in support of exist ing institutions, Darby was driven to give up the institutions in fidelity to the scripture. So. on the other side Newman was driven to give up the au- ,thority of both institutions and scrir- ture in surrender to what he con- ceived to be the final authority of a still higher institution. But with these champions variously uttering the truth as they saw 1t, each one intolerant of contradiction, and all somewhat con temptuously eyed by the rationalists and Broad Churchmen who sat upon the fence with Maurice. middle class England, the -conformists and the evangelical churchmen as much as any read the books, the tracts, the news papers. and shot arrows at the follow CTS of this or that champion. I sun pose that theological and ecclesiastical ->~~~~~~~~>~~~>~~~~~
 (CONTlNUED ON PAGE 3Ol
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

win fitted himself for life by individual effort and private study and became one of the most eminent citizens of the state, and later distinguished justice on she supreme bench of California. His quail ties of character were sterling, his rela- tions to others uniformly courteous, and his disposition one of perpetual sunshine.
 In politics whig, he was ever ready to champion the cause of that party. He was a skillful tactician, and as one of the Whig leaders in Alabama he often occa- stoned concern in the ranks Of his oppo- nents. On the floor of the legislative hall he was formidable disputant, and while he often dealt herculean blows he held himself in courteous readiness to receive them in return. Familiar with parliament tary principles he held himself scrupu- lously within limit but stoutly demanded that this be returned by his opponent. He was greatly admired for his manliness and uniform courtesy, but was dreaded as an opponent. He could rise to heights of greatness, but could never sink to levels of littleness. This reputation Judge Bald
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

lar work and was eagerly sought and read throughout the country. It bears the label of the self made scholar. the finish of the author who works first hand, and is an embodiment of finished diction and of wide research.
 There was that in the presence. bearing, and intercourse of Judge Baldwin that impressed one with his superiority, yet he was free, often even to abandon. affable and always companionable. He made ready friends of strangers. and compelled by his bearing the highest respect of his opponents.
 Living for many years in Sumter coun- ty, he yielded to the alluring reports which spread over the country in 1S49 con- corning the newly discovered Eldorado on the Pacific slope, and removed to Cali forna. Without trouble he fell into the rough and tumble conditions prevailing at that time in San Francisco, entered on a lucrative practice, and later was chosen by popular vote to judgeship on the au- preme bench of that state. He died In California in 1866
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

win established and maintained alike in legislative hall, the court room and in the social circle
 His was fertile brain and his command of a chaste and varied diction was un- usual Possessing an acute discrimina- ton and relish for the udicrous, he was one of the most jovial of companions. Living at an exceptional period. and amidst conditions which often occasioned merriment to himself, he was induced to embody his impressions of the scenes about him in his famous work-"Flusn Times in Alabama and Mississippi" It was a time when credit was practically without limit and when speculation pro- cceded on a slender financial basis, and not infrequently on no basis at all
 It was a time of wild financial experi- ment, and ventures Of divers kinds were numerous. To withhold credit for any amount was a mortal offense, and to pre- sent a bill was an act of discourtesy, as such act carried with it the question of the honesty of the debtor. Loans were freely made by the state banks to debt
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12

Think of that? In the days of Henery Clay and John c. Calhoun they used to give these Togas away, and now they air bringing s107, ,000 in the open market. Verry few folks will be seen waring Togas next spring un- less sumthing in dun to reduse the prise. Congress should look into this grave matter. We think that this rich bug Lorrimer is responsibul for rasing the prise on Togas. There air too menny peepul that gets there hands on the goods before they reach the ultimate consumer. Evvery one must have a commission, and evven if they have nuthing to do wit hit, they make the final purchaser think so. The prise of an ordinary legislator ranges enny where frum $500 to $10,000 and in the good old days quarters wurth of creemos and bot tie of splits would be about enuff to turn the trick. In these trublus