davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
GATHERING BIC OCEAN GAME

From the London Magazine.
 Mounted on the bow of the vessel is a heavy cannon, which shoots a harpoon weighing over 100 pounds, and having an explosive head, or point, called the "homb." It was invented by one Swen Foyn, Norwegian, and is the most deadly weapon ever devised by man for the pursuit of helpless animals, for the whale although of immense size, is one Of the most nervous and timid of crea- lures. It is with this instrument, of course, that the quarry is captured, of ten without any difficulty whatever.
 Leaving the station before dawn. the vessel makes it way to those waters where whales are to be found. A man is then stationed in the "barrel," or lookout, at the masthead, whose busi- ness it is to sight the whales. Presently one hears the cry: Whale on the port bow.' By peering hard one may be able to observe slight dark spot on the water nearly half mile ahead. "She blows,' comes the report from the mast head, as a cloud of spray shoots up into the ar AL once lne NeSSel IS Stll lui speed ahead in pursuit, and only stopped on the smooth patch of water called the slick which invariably follows the whale dive By this time the gunner is at his post as calm as a well drilled sol- dier, swinging the muzzle slightly from side to side, ready for instant action After what seems an interminable pe- riod of waiting the creature reappears, the lookout informing those on board on which side of the ship the animal has come to the surface. Half stopping, the gunner swings his heavy weapon into rosition, sights along the barrel at the great purplish body and pulls the trigger, when an explosion shakes the little ves- sel from bow to stern. But the aim was true killing the animal outright.
 Instantly all is commotion on board The steam winch is started and the whale drawn to the side of the vessel, an operation which may take from 15 to 20 minutes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Germany'S Potash Monopoly

After the American fertilizer factories had made contracts with German potash mine owners for a supply of potach the government levied a tax on potash, chief ly because no doubt Germany has a mo- nopoly of potash mines, and the price of the article to the American fertilizer factories was advanced just about 100 per cent
 This advance in price is not drawn from the net profits of the fertilizer factories, for they promptly transferred it to the oonsumers-the farmers in the south pay lng large slice of it. It is a new tax, in short, on cotton production.
 The cotton farmers have appealed to the President and to Congress, and thus far they have got no relief from the new potash tax. The German manufacturers are permitted to send their products to this country, paying thereon minimum rates, but when this country wants a square deal in the matter of potash the thing is stood off and delayed because the President and Congress do not want to start tariff war with Germany They are willing to see southern cotton farm CTS heavily taxed, but they are not will ing to bring Germany to an act of justice in the potash contracts male year or more ago.
 It is. a new complication ol the trea,t- A
 ment of southern farmers whei the re-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

IF you would see the rich Russia of the
 middle classes spending her money | in luxury and meaningless excesses you should go to manufacturing Moscow. There is the money. There they made it and there they spend it. There is, indeed, a fairly close approximation of the life of the people of this class and the mil- lionaire descendants of the early million aires of the United States.
 Some of the best judges declare that even in Paris the Moscow ways of pre- pairing food are hardly bettered. "Cochon de lat Moscovite,'' or sucking-pig, is seen on nearly every dinner table. Hundreds of these young pigs. only about week old and ready for the oven, are seen in every market, and they are roasted whole as a bird would be.
 Caviar is served with specially made little cakes, crisp and dainty. But better than this is the sterlet, which the epi- cures of the world know to be the finest eating fish. It is a condition for the en- joyment of the sterlet that it should be eaten fresh, and at one of the chief res taurants in Moscow the sterlets are kept in a tank, and the diner catches his own from it and has it cooked for him.
 We do not have sterlets in London, but they have been as far as Paris, for the Czar's chef, Cubat, got them there by filling their gills with breadcrumbs which had been soaked in brandy. They were unconscious during the journey, but re- viveds when placed in water again in Paris.
 The cellars of Moscow contain the best vintages of wine that are known. and the prices do justice to the vintages as they
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
ALL PRESENT

From the Washington Herald.
 Hannis Taylor. minister to Spain un- der President Cleveland, was in Raleigh when President Andrew Johnson went there to speak to old friends of his boy hood, whom he had left as a tailor's ap- prentice, and he tells the following story of the occasion:
 Tt was Johnson's first visit to Raleigh since he left as boy and he was ex- pected to make a tremendous speech. He didn't After being introduced as the former tailors apprentice of Raleigh who had become President, he started in. He rambled around. stopping every few min utes to raise his hand above his head and excaim: Where are the friends of my childhood? Echo answers, "Where?" '
 He made this observation half a dozen times. Then an old man who sat in the front row arose and said; "Oh, -, Andy; we're all here. Go on."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Feast Of the Epiphany

In the liturgical churches January 6. tomorrow, is observed as the feast of the Epiphany. It commentaries the manifestation of Christ to the Gen tiles and the visit of the wise men Of the east to Jerusalem to adore the iii- fant Savior. It Is one of the four great festivals with what is known as priv- ileged octave, the others being Christ mas, Easter and Pentecost. There are several other first-class feasts, among them Ascension Day and All Saints, but they do not rank quite up to the four named. This feast of the Epiph- any celebrated in Rome and oth- CT Catholic centers in Europe on a scale of splendor surpassing even that observed for the feast of the Nativ- ity-Christmas. In Europe Epiphany is often referred to as the Gentle Christmas"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
TYPICAL CASE OF "JANE.

fTOn1 tHe hdHSdS Clty 0tdT.
 The experience of "Jane." recorded in 8 letter to The Star, printed this morn- ing, is doubtless that of many sensitive women. When Jane set up housekeeping ten years ago she soon discovered that she hadn't money enough to give elabor- ate dinner parties. She felt that she couldn't repay in kind the invitations of her wealthier friends, so she dropped out. As she puts 1t, she couldn't play the so- cial game the way her friends were play ing It, so she felt she had no business to stay in.
 The trouble with Jane and other dis appointed ones, is failure to see things in perspective. They get values mixed. Some people have a foolish notion that the possession of motor cars and other luxuries somehow has a magical effect in transforming human nature. They get the idea tha. people who have all these things don't need friends and belong in world apart. Nothing could be further from the truth.
 There was no reason why Jane should not have continued to repay social obli- RatlOnS With 1nNltdtlOnS to ulHHeTS Ol her own cooking, or with little bridge par ties. Her friends doubtless enjoyed com ing to see her. If they were persons of ordinary sense-and presumably they were-they didn't expect her to do what she obviously couldn't Indeed, there is nothing more ill-bred, nothing that makes guests more uncomfortable, than strain to do more than one can afford.
 Where Jane failed was in the excessive modesty that made her think that her friends would care more for flowers and tableware and elaborate dinners than they did for her She may even have made them i'll at ease by her apologies when she had nothing to apologize for. Event ually they may have decided that they were making Jane unhappy, just as she was embarrassing them. So they may have let her drop out without protest.
 This is only speculation so far as Jane s particular case is concerned. But her ex- perience Is so typical that it can be an- alyzed with confidence The pity Is that so many James are needlessy making themselves unhappy and cutting them selves off from friends whom they ought to have simply from false notion oi human nature. A superfiuity of money is the merest incident
 People are just folks after all.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
FUTURE OF ELECTRICITY

From the New York American
 Many great problems. said Thomas A. Edison recently, have been solved during the past few years, principally by the application of electricity. but even a more notable achievement is the ad- vancement of surgery to the stage in which it is now practiced in the Rocke- feller institute.
 ''The vacuum house cleaner is great gift to the home and boom to health. There have been many new electrical cooking vessels perfected The propelling of street cars by storage batteries is g. distinct step forward in this field. The progress that has been made in the building trades by the use of cement has been of great benefit and gives promise of better, safer and cheaper buildings in the near future.
 .The use of cement for building con- crete bridges, sewers and subway walls has increased wonderfully, and will go forward more rapidly by the use of steel models for this work. Blaw & Co. of Pittsburg are working their steel plant night and day filling orders for these models. They are my own invention, and by their use bridges. houses and other structures can be built at saving Of about 75 per cent, and the models can be used over and over again.
 q am perfecting the speaking pic- tures," continued MT. Edison. These pictures re-enact perfectly any event caught by the camera. For instance, Colonel Roosevelt will be shown life-slze on the screen delivering a speech, his words being reproduced clear and dis tinct. I hope to have a demonstration of the speaking pictures in New York during the coming summer.
 T am also working on color photog- raphy. This is a long. hard pull, but am going to perfect It. do not expect to accomplish anything definite in color photography for year at least, as can devote only part of my time to the subject at present" Aa
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

publicans are in power. Well, it is a
 long road that has no turn, and the turn in the tariff road is almost in sight and we may be sure that the southern farm
 CTS will not have to pay two prices in vain for potash when the democrats write
 ! tariff bill. The Germans will then do their share of taxpaying.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Excellent Business Conditions

Business conditions in the south are excellent; relatively better than in some of the very large northern cities,' said John S. Eckermann of Philadelphia.
 q have travelled a good deal in the mid dle west, and I am somewhat familiar with the far west, but the south is not only more prosperous today than it ever was, but I think it ahead of any other section when population is taken into con sideration. The south has splendid fu- ture. and in the next ten years it will be the marvel section of America. The tide of population is already turning this way, and the ratio will be accelerated year by
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

certainly good idea. Bank clearings of various cities are often misleading, but the actual transactions would indicate something real. If this suggestion is adopted and put into operation Birming- ham will make. believe, better ex- hibit, week in and week out. as to the volume of banking business than any city in the south between Louisville and New Orleans. It will certainly give a far better idea of our banking activi- ties than do the check elearings. Tues day, the day after the New Years clos ing holiday, was naturally a rush day with the banks. But the clearings were less than s7oO,0O0. while the actual busi- ness items of one bank alone totaled, I am told. S10. ssS, ,671. TO"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Mercantile As Well As Industrial

G. R. Trppe, an official of the Cable Piano company of Chicago, has been spending few days in Birmingham. q am making a routine tour of the principal southern cities where We have branch houses and I am glad to see that the business outlook is ex- ceedingly L-ight," said MT. Trippe T was in this part of the country six months ago and while conditions were looking good then. I believe they arc even better today.
 Birmingham has kept up steady pace along commercial lines. This is not only an important industrial cen ter, but it has come to be known in the north as one of the south's most commanding financial and mercantile cities. It has exceptional advantages for 1t not only has rich mineral re- sources. but it Is in progressive agri- cultural country and these two facts taken together, will make this citys growth phenomenal during the coming decade"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Volume or Banking Bushes.

'I read in The Age-Herald recently suggestion made by member of the Chamber of Commerce that if the Bir- mingham Clearing House would ascer- tain the sum total of the transactions of each bank and combine and publish them for statistical purposes the effect would be highly creditable to this city as financial center" said business man.
 q understand that this matter has been taken up by the clearing house. It is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
PEEv1sH BusHYHEAp.

There's no telling what will happen in Oklahoma. One distinguished citizen late ly scorned wearing dress suit at a public function. Now comes Butler Bushyhead the Beau Brummel of Musko- gee, with a trail of trouble ahead of him for pulling his knife on his tailor for not having the Bushyhead dress suit fin- ished in time for holiday dance.-Kan- sas City Star.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

The Union League club in New York has honored Collector Loeb by refusing him admission. The smugglers in the club say MT. Loeb Is a Jew. MT. Loeb stands higher now than before.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
A MEAN MAN.
.olng to gIve a poodle

Mrs Flubb is going to give a poodle party"
 q wish could furnish the .refresh- ments."
 What would you suggest?" Arsenic"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

It has been suggested that those who did not sell their votes in Adams county, Ohio, should come in and make an af fidavit to that effect, and then in one or- der the rest could be disfranchsed
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Uneasy lies the head of Professor Braga, provisional President of the For tuguese republic, even If he does wear an old felt hat instead of crown.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Speaks Well For Negro Labor

We hear much talk in these recent years about the character of labor best suited to the south," said E. J. Dunn or Dunn & Lallande, the prominent con- tractors. After long years of experi- ence can say with emphasis that for ordinary work the negro is the best. We have done & great deal of heavy construction in various southern states ana we have always found the negro especially desirable for the service We required.
 There has been a good deal said about the deterioration of negro labor, but think on the whole there has been improvement instead of retrogression. We have a good many colored men in our employ who have been with us for years They are sober and indus trious, and in every way reliable. Of course there Is a large percentage of negro labor that is unreliable, but that same thing applies to white labor I have always been an advocate of en- couraging the negro instead of com blaming of him and the more the la Dor demand increases the more i'm portant it is for us of the south to cultivate friendly relations with the negro"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
PROOF ENOUGH.

"Is she an esthetic girl?'
 You just ought to hear her say, T cawnt imagine how some people can be so vulgah.'''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES

Never Would Come Back,' "TIe Loved Her So He Gave Her Another Wad of Gum." What Is Home Without a Motto on the Wall?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Every man in Adams county. Ohio. who officeseeler.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

The cost of the New York barge canal was put at $16l,OcO 900. and the state en- gineer now expects to complete it at cost of s99, OO,OOO
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Mrs. Cathey,s Musical Celebrities


 Mrs. John A. Cathey of Memphis, well known in musical circles, under. whose auspices Madame Gadski was to have sung here several weeks ago, but failed to appear owing to a temporary throat trouble, writes to friend that she hopes yet to have the great prima donna in a recital in Birmingham; that, however, if Madame Gadski is not able to fulfill her southern engagements the money for tickets sold to subscribers will certainly be refunded.
 Mrs. Cathey states that in her all-star course, Francis Macmillen, the famous violinist, will give recital here January lS Macmillen is anNAmerican and is one of the few who has taken rank with the foremost virtuosos.
 Henry T. Finck of New York, the dis tinguished music critic and man of let ters, says in a recent article:
 When Francis Macmllen played in Carnegie hall about three years ago it was predicted that he would sooner or later take rank among the greatest vio- linists of this country. These prophecies were amply verified Sunday night when he made his first New York appearance of the season in Carnegie hall. Mr. Mac millen has travelled the length and breadth of Europe since he was last heard here, and during the interim his art has matured and broadened in a manner that must have been a surprise even to his most ardent admirers. With the excep- ton of Kreiser it is difficult. to recall I-iNliDiSf bpo rd in, oit in years who has played with more ravish- ing beauty of tone, intelligence. and emo tional warmth than Macmlllen exhibited last night. Indeed, he reminds one of the great Austrian more than does any other before the American public today, and there is every reason to believe that he will eventually become the American Kreiser.
 'Mr. Macmillen was welcomed by a fair sized audience, and that he had won many new admirers before the evening had come to close was strikingly evil dent by the character of the applause at the end.
 '"The big moment of the evening, how ever, came with the Bach Chaconne, which the player gave with superb breadth and a wonderfully rich and null ticolored tone. In the numerous passages of double stops one was tempted to look and see if two or three other stringed in- struments had not suddenly reinforced the soloist. It seemed impossible that such a voluminous tone and such clear-cut polyphony should proceed from single violin. In the tremendously difficult ar rangement of the Ave Maria there was a world of feeling, while the other num- bers on the list were each and every one delivered with a corresponding degree of excellence"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
WELL QUALIFIED.

"A man who has lived for 20 years in the same boarding house is going to en- ter vaudeville'
 What sort of speciality will he do?"1 "Oh, I guess he'll initiate a prune-"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

The Ohio vote market is much disturbed ayd no one knows what the ruling quo tAtions will be next fall.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Pittsburg is trying to annex about a dozen suburbs, and this is spurring Cleve- land to join the annexation movement also,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

In the Baltimore jubilee of January r swallow-tails will be permitted, but the wearing of them will not be compulsory.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
TO THE JIMSWINGER

wear both for daylight and evening oc- casions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

MT. Robin, the New York bank looter, does not like the idea of joining house party in the penitentiary.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

The friends of James Smith, Jr., in New Jersey are trying to rally the ma- chine men of both parties.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
HEARD ANY oF TuEsr,

HEARD ANY OF THESE? lowing new songs:
 q Know He Is an Officer Because He Has Badge,' Put a Funnel in the Keyhole, Fathers Going to the Club" "The Cat Was Called Jim Jeffries So It
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

A list of the unpurchasable voters in Adams county, Ohio, should be published. It would not fill much space.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Adams county, Ohio, may be compelled to adopt woman suffrage in order to get a quorum.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
FAMILIAR.

Said a bbulous printer, who is working
 this winter, But has often been known to get gay, As he leered at his cases with sundry
 grimaces, Those are types that meet every
 day"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
\ Most Difficult Dance

All great composers have used the dance form for the expression of some of their most beautiful thoughts, and there fore various waltzes and other dances are treated fully in musical dictionaries" !" remarked a music lover.
 ''In the old states of Europe the peas- ants expressed their emotions in the dance rather than in words. In Hungary especially the dances of the people have an important part in the literature as well as in the folk music of that country. was surprised, therefore. at not finding
 in the dictionaries one of the greatest of the Hungarian dances-the Kola. It is used most effectively in the second act of The Merry Widow It expresses love and jealousy, and is intensely dramatic. Sonia, the heroine in the opera, after de- claring that she would dance our national dance for the last time, proceeds to give an exhibition of the most difficult and artistically, the most stirring terpsichor- can feat in the entire performance. The omission of the Kola from the diction- aries was evidently an oversight"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

{ One-third of the voters in Adams coun-
 ty, Ohio, have been placed in cold stor- age for i've years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

All have an interest in the distribution of the Cudahy millions, for all contributed to them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
TAKING A CHANGE

"A poet says, I swoon on the ramparts of love.'
 That's bad place to swoon. The girls father might happen along in mood to kick him off,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
OUT OF CHARACTER

"Buffing is rather remarkable per- son."
 Why do you think SOP"
 Although he wears spats and side whiskers, he isn't at all narrow in his views"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Winter will certainly last until the groundhog has a chance to see his shadow.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
WHAT'S THE USE?

WHAT'S THE USE? There was a man in our town Whose head was rather bald, The source of undiminished mirth Most everywhere he called. He tried nine hundred recipes, But every one in vain; Next June the flies will use his scalp For a skating rink again.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Rhode Island is densely populated even when Nelson ". Aldrich is in Washing ton,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
A BAD CASE.

"A self-centered person, you say?'
 "Yes, indeed. He often writes letters to himself, recommending himself to him self" PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
PRosPERoUs TOWN

From the Baltimore Evening Sun.
 Birminghas is still in the bacon belt'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

The hobble skirt and the jimswinger coat should go out arm in arm.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Chicago is trying to furnish it's school children with 2-cent meal for l cent. l,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05

Adams county. Ohio, is trying to keep out of jail by the confession route.