davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09

The liquor license fees paid into the
state treasury amounted to $97,1Sl. "a for
the year ending June 30. 1911, and $40,
6.o'S2 for the year ending June 80. 1912.
The only payments made from windham
county We're $500 from Vernon in 1911, and
80 In each year from Wilmington. Pay
ments for the last year by other coun-
Ties Were as follows: Addison $l1ls. 40,
Bennington $4,000. Caledonia nothing.
Chittenden $1S6i5.sS. Essex 1910. Frank
lin $500 Orange $780, Orleans SIS, Rut-
land sls'57O. Washington s45. Windsor
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09
WHiTINGHAM.
Mrs. Mary A. Blckford's Birthday Ami.
versary.

Mrs. Mary A. Bickford of Turner's
Falls, Mass, formerly of Nottingham,
celebrated her 6Sth birthday anniversary
very pleasantly Thursday, July %. A
few invited guests took tea with her
and spent the evening with her.
She was the recipient of several useful
presents, including a dress, from her
children and friends. She also received
a shower of postcards, 80 in number; IS
of them were from her son, o. S. Bick-
ford of Greenfield, Mass, on which ne
had written a birthday letter, a single
word on each card, and the numbers
from l to 6S so that the letter could be
read without trouble. 1t was an original
novelty closing with the sentence, "If
you were older, your letter would be
longer See?"
This and all the tokens of love and
esteem were greatly appreciated by Mrs
Bickford. who wishes each and all of
her friends many happy birthday ami
versaries
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09

And when the prodigal son came
home what happened, Tommy"
His father ran to meet him and hurt
himself"
why. where did you get that?"
1T said his father ran and fell on his
neck. bet 1t would hurt you to fall on
your neck Telegraph.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09

Trainmen on the Delaware & Hud son
railroad found the body of Robert
Roach. about 30. lying beside the tracks
east of Castleton Tuesday morning He
was evidently run over by train Mon
day night. Roach had been employed
recently as a farm hand in Castleton.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09
ADVERTISED LETTERS.

Men-Fred Longyear.
Women-Mrs. Joseph Btselb Miss III.
N. Galloupe, Miss Edith X. Herber, En-
la Savoy, Miss Adelaide Streeter 2.
Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-09

AS matter Of fact, woman doesn't
hesitate a minute between marrying for
money or brains She Is always willing
to furnish the brains.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
Lean faced Envy in her 1Oafhsome cave, - King Henry VI.
Impounded Animals

The city pound impounded last year 1466 cows, 133 hogs, 240 horses, 153 mules, 3141 dogs and 14 goats. Cats and hens were not molested. But of the 3141 dogs impounded 2836 were killed. This is pretty high rate of fatality and if it can be maintained the city may be relieved of vast number of useless CUTS, to say nothing of the rabid members of the big ca nine family. Every town has too many dogs, especially of the humber sort.
 If the pound of the city government had no other work to do it would jus tify its existence by it's work in catch ing dogs. It catches daily between IA and 15 dogs, and every time it catches a prowling worthless dog it adds to the city's happiness. Our dog population should be decreased even more rapidly than the city pound has been able to cut it down.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21

no right to say what is good and what
 is not as a public policy. The people
 are left through their representatives to say what they want. It is we'll to
 have the line between the courts and
 Congress distinctly drawn, and Chief lJustice. White does this when he says the initiative and referendum method is question of public policy which must be decided by the people and their representatives. A state can, in other words, adopt the method and yet maintain republican form of govern ment guaranteed by the federal con stitution. The method is in it's very nature republican. It is to certain extent direct government by the peo- D1e
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
HOW DEEP SEA FISHES SEE
rom the New York Evening Sun.

From the New York Evening Sun.
 Nature is pretty thorough workman. In her production she generally provides just those functions which are needed, and they are always the best that can be devised to do the work The eyes of fishes are a case in point
 In the deep sea, below POO fathoms, where very little light from the sun reaches the bottom, fishes and shrimps are found with eyes of enormous size. They require a large lens to collect what little light reaches them, and as we go deeper, and even side by side with the large eyed kinds, we find fishes and shrimps and crab like creatures with no eyes at all! It seems as though they had given up the attempt to see as a bad job, while some of their fellow deep sea inhabitants are still struggling by aid of enormous lenses to get glimpse of the almost sightless world around them. Many of these deep sea fishes and crus- taceans have no trace of eyes at all: others have what were once eyes convert ed into flat, plate like structures, the use of which is unknown.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
The Republican Situation

There has naturally been much speculation as to which of the two men would be easier for the democrats to beat next fall, Taft or Roosevelt.
 If President Taft is renominated he might receive large popular vote, but thousands of progressives would elect to go a-fishing on November 5. If Roosevelt should be the nominee the republican party probably would be even worse split, for the friends of President Taft would resent what they have right to regard as unkind treatment, for according to custom MT. Taft should be honored with a second nomination. And the objection to third-termism would cut MT. Roose- welt out of very considerable party vote. The position of General Grant in 1880 and the position of Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 are analogous so far as the third-term question is con sidered Grant had been out of office four years. He was personally popu- lar. Roosevelt has been out of office four years and is personally popular. Grant failed of nomination and retired to private life.
 Roosevelt will probably fail of nom- ination, because of the strong senti- ment against third-termism. But should he be the republican standard bearer strong democrat would beat him on election day. If the democrats make the best of their opportunity they will sweep the country next fall. As to whether Taft or Roosevelt would be the easier to defeat is a proposition, therefore, about as broad as it is long.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
ORGANIZING FOR UNDERWooD
,ro,r Inc Providence Journal.

From the Providence Journal.
 More aggressiveness is being displayed bv the friends of MT. Underwood At meeting of the executive committee in charge of his campaign interests held in Birmingham on Wednesday, 1t was "the unanimous opinion that as the south for the first time since the war has an available candidate" it should get pe- hind him and bring about his nomlna- tion." and accordingly preliminary steps were taken to push his hitherto tentative boom along. From Washington comes the news. meanwhile, that Underwood head quarters will be opened in that city at once: within a few days, it is further re- ported. the chairman of the ways and means committee will formally announce his candidacy. This is, perhaps, wise course. though many of his fellow citi- zens have been attracted to Mir. Under- wood by his continued refusal to be dis s,iaded from the business immediately before him, namely, the advancement of the democratic legislative programme. If his failure to proclaim himself a candi- date is injuring his chances, as is all legged, he is surely entitled to say that he4will take the nomination provided 1t comes his way. Yet nobody doubts that. as it is.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
The InaanifarY Towel

T am not in favor of as much gov ernment regulation as some people are, but in this age of sanitary safeguard ing I would be in favor of legislative act prohibiting roller towels in hotels and other public places.'' said travel ing man. Tn all strictly first class hotels well laundered individual towels are placed in the publica lavatory TOT the use of all who frequent that place. These individual towels entail an. ex- tra expense on the hotel, of course, put it has been the custom for many years for first class hotels to go to that ex- pense for the benefit of the general public and for the hotels reputation, but if the individual towel is too eX- pensive the roller towel should never be used. Yes, man had better go unwashed than to use filthy toWel as every roller towel soon becomes
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
BirmInas,am,s Population

"This city has increased in population considerably since the government cen sus was taken nearly two years ago. said a member of the Chamber of Com- merce. Our population now is about 160,000. The city directory makes 1t more than that, but the figures l have given can be taken as a conservative estimate.
 Tt would be worth while for us to have a count of the population this coming summer in connection with the school census. The school authorities will ascertain the number of boys and girls of school age, and by multiplying the number of children by three and half we ascertain approximately the total populations; but for compara- lively small expenditure of money the city could have an actual count made of all the people. By next summer our population will prove to be, if care- fully counted. between 16o,ooo and 170,000."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
THE DULLNEss OF GENIUS
By Tobias smollett to Sir watl1in Phillip

By Tobias Smollett to Sir Watkin Phillips
 of Jesus College, Oxon.
 In my last l mentioned my having spent an evening with society of authors who seemed to be jealous and afraid of one another. My uncle was not at all sur prised to hear me say that I was disap- pointed in their conversation. "A man may be very entertaining and in- structive on paper,'' said he, and ex- ceedingly dull in common discourse. I have observed that those who shine most in private company are but secondary stars in the constellation of genius. A small stock of ideas is more easily man. aged and sooner displayed than a great quantity crowded together. There is very seldom anything extraordinary in the appearance and address of a good writer; whereas a dull author generally dis tinguishes himself by some oddity of ex- travagance. For this reason I fancy that an assembly of grubs must be very divert ing
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
DO ATHLETES LIVE LONGERs

From the New York World.
 pr. Anderson of the Yale gymnasium makes out good case for the college ath- lete after graduation, as respects his vi- examination of Yale alumni records he finds that of the men who wore the "Y" in the major athletic sports between 1855 and 1905, 5S have died, percentage of all graduates in that period if 129.
 This on it's face is an excellent general showing for the athlete, but some of the details in the table of athletic mortality statistics need further elucidation. Thus, consumption caused F of the 5S deaths in question, or slightly above one in five, while in the country at large for the cen sus year 1900 1t caused about one in ten.
 Heart disease was responsible for four of the deaths, or one in 14.7, while in the United tSates the proportion was one to 149. Typhoid caused five, or one in 11.6, as against one in % throughout the coun- try.
 Does severe athletic training, though it may fortfy the constitution against dis ease in other forms. predispose to con- sumption and typhoid? That might be taken as the rational deduction from the Yale figures, though neither these data nor those occasionally collected at other colleges are sufficiently comprehensive to justify positive conclusions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
Our Deadly Grade Crossings

Commissioner Weatherly is confi- dent the railroads can be induced to do away with the grade crossings which imperil life and limb in this city daily, and he thinks patience, diplomacy and serious argument are better than bluster or even bull whips. No doubt he is correct. He knows the railroads and the forces at work in them, and he may be able to bring about action on the part of the rail roads without the intervention of end less lawsuits. His policy should be given trial.
 The Age Herald is glad to see that MT. Weatherly prefers subways to viaducts. A subway is not disfigur- ing, and it is enduring In nearly all cities subways are the first choice. Former City Engineer Kendrick says they would cost no more, and that they are preferable in other respects. A subway in First avenue at Twenty eighth street would be far better than a viaduct, and in the long run it would prove the wisest and cheapest means of overcoming series of grade cross ings.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
Value of Coal Lands

Prices paid for coal lands in Ala bama during the past 10 years nave been very low as compared with the prices paid in West Virginia and other states" said Leo K. Steiner, banker and land owner.
 There is not an acre Of good coal land in Alabama today that will not sell for very much higher price hye years from now than it is said to be worth today. The prices paid for large tracts of coal property in Alabama 15 or 20 years ago were ridtculously small. The men who owned and op- erated mines made fortunes, and good fortunes are in store for those who buy at present prices. All coal lands are certain to reach higher level of value in the near future"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
Southern Sentiment at Baltimore

It is very cheering to read how rap idly Oscar Underwood is gaining favor in the northern states. No one has word of personal criticism to of- fer against the indefatigable majority leader of the House and reviser in chief of the tariff. Alabama is simp- ly an unit. No democrat is opposed to Oscar Underwood in this state.
 But the time has come when all Underwood men should get behind Chairman Campbell in the work he has in hand. That work consists in securing Underwood delegates in the other southern states. This is the most important task in the Under wood presidential campaign, and everybody in this state should so con- slider it. Every letter sent into the adjoining states should contain an ap- peal for support.
 The south can break up an unjust sectional distinction by sending dele gates instructed for Oscar Underwood. It is one issue worth battling for, and if the entire south can be aroused to the importance of the issue Under wood delegates will be sent from the Virginia line to the Rio Grande.
 This is matter of great impor- tance to the south. The sectional boy colt should next June be forever abol- ished by the nomination of Oscar Un- derwood. To do this delegations are needed from every southern state. The appeal is to the patriotism and the good sense of the south.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
States Are Still States

Those who thought the justices of the supreme court could in decision knock out the initiative and referen- dunn now see that things political be- long to the people and their represen- tatiyes, leaving things judicial to the courts. In other words, the people act upon public policies, while court decides whether policy is constitu- tional when applied to a suitor No court has right to consider purely political question, says the United States supreme court. This is not a new doctrine of the court, for Chief Justice Fancy explained it in the Doris rebellion case. Chief Justice Fuller later indorsed it in Kentucky case, and now Chief Justice White clinches it.
 The supreme court has no right to consider . political question. It has
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21

From the St. Louis Times.
 We hear nothing as yet from Columbia relative to the fitness of the "Houn' Dawg" Song to become the anthem of our commonwealth; but neither do we hear that any progress is being made in the promulgation of a more conventional song. It begins to occur to us that Pro- lessor Pommer and his associates may have msgivings as to the work of se- lecting a state song which shall catch the fancy of the child that Is in us all, and at the same time conform to those rules which all of us, in our adult and high brow moments, hold to be involable. Cannot the Ozark song, even though it be doggerel-and houn' doggerel at that be tidied or spruced up a little, so that it may suit us all in all our moods. What would the song of the Houn' Dog have been had the theme been handled by Robert Browning? Let us see: "Whene'er I come to town-oh, joyous
 mission
 For me there is the bitter, bitter cup, Which puts to flight my glimpse of fields
 Elysian-
 The boy the insipient brute, will kick
 my pup"
 Or how would Tennyson have said it? Here we find the rising infection of the true lyricist: "If you waken, call me early, because l
 am going to town And they've got to quit kicking my
 houn, mother they've got to quit
 kicking my houn'."
 Kiping, too, would have had a word to say-a word ruggedly swinging: What makes the population of the city
 pause and think?" They've got to quit, they've got to quit"
 declared the Ozark Gink. I'm goin' to call 'em down so hard their
 faces II git pink,
 And Bulger shan't be pestered in the
 mornn'."
 Again. we can imagine Pope saying: Strange cozenagel None will love an
 others Spot,
 Though all take pleasure in the dog
 they've got;
 And deck their pets with garlands made
 to suit
 And chide their neighbours dog as thus,
 Thou brute! "
 There are American singers who might have essayed the task of putting a glam- or upon the homely song that has come out of the Ozarks Whitman would have said:
 q go to town, sedately, hopefully, seek
 ing trouble from no one. My dog follows at my heels, he also
 walking sedately, attending strictly
 to his own business, Is it not, then, a proof that human na-
 ture is perverse and wanton, That the youthful members of the human
 race apply their booted feet to the
 unressting body of my companion.' Longfellow would have thought of this: Tn the spring from out the Ozarks, From the blue and silent OZarks, Forth he came with faithful houndog, Houndog walking in his footsteps. Met them, many city urchins. Met the youth and met the houndog, Straightway kicking at the houndogi' The theme lends itself to any style. Shall we not, then, stay with it until it can be made to suit our taste and our needs?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
THE PLUMP LADy,s RETURN

From the St. Louis Republic.
 Having duly recorded the fat mans exodus from fashion, we say farewell also to the pathetic figure of the lean and emaciated woman who sadly accompanies him to the limbo of out of date style. She has been doomed, and the dressmak- CTS announce that henceforth the female figure to be modish must be plump.
 It was an ascetic ideal which the thin lady symbolized. She was a martyr al- most, a famine sufferer in any event, a wrath and mere rack for clothes. Her floating existence suspended as 1t were from pair of shoulders the thickness of an ironing board, and below them she had no reality and scarcely an imaginary be- ing. She was but a ghost in the cur tains.
 We think we can trace the refncarna- ton of the plump lady to the demands of the Oriental styles which the slim la dies themselves introduced. The Orfen- tals require something more than art fads and poster figures in their women. and oriental styles something more than a zephyr to animate and round them out.
 Persia, where the styles came from. has always been the paradise of the fat princess, and hard by in the Garden of Eden, Mother Eve herself, who was no mere svelte suggestion. established the first fashions on the correct princi- pie that clothes should be subordinate to women and not women subordinate to clothes.
 The clothes made women of a clothes mad world have got long way from Mother Eyes wholesome simplicity, but they do well at least to remember that the woman comes before the raiment, and that a merely human and healthy figure is not to be despised Indeed, there are those who admire 1t.
 We politely salute the incoming era of bonbons and embonpoint. The Venus of Milo herself would have had to diet to fit the late fashions that have, we are told, so happily passed away.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
HADN'T NUMBERED THEM YET

From the New York Herald.
 Eddie Foy, the size of whose family is a standing joke on the Rialto, has a story to offset any jokes that may be thrust at him about his children. He tells of the census taker who, working in lower New York on the East Side, came to tenement crowded with young sters. Said he to the woman who was bending over the washtub:
 Madam, I am the census taker, how many children have you?"
 'Lemme see," said the woman strengthening up and wiping her hands on her apron. There's Florence and Mary and Angelina and Lucy and Charlie and Bob and Will and Hortense and Jim and"
 Madam said the census man, .'if you could just give me the number" Number" she replied, indignantly, "we ain't got to numbering 'em yet; we ain run out O names"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21

walking over. A person suffering from tuberculosis hawks and splits and in- mediately the expeetoration is covered with flies, everyone of which carries away the germs of the disease.
 During the approaching summer there should be constant inspection ot restaurants. meat markets, livery stables and places where flies inrest' and rigid, enforcement of the screen ordinance and such other means as may be necessary. If a vigorous campaign were to begin right now there would be little trouble later on."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-21
President Taft's New Court

In a court of nine President Taft has in less than three years named five, namely, Messrs. Lurton, Hughes, Vandeventer, Lamar and Pitney. Two are democrats, and three republicans. No previous President had been called upon to appoint majority of the su- preme court.
 The latest appointee, Chancellor Pitney of New Jersey, is considered a good lawyer. He has been a mem Der of the highest courts of New Jer- sey since 1891, although he is but 54 years old.
 The five justices named by Presi- dent Taft are each and all considered capable men well versed in the law, and the court is now pretty well equipped for a long seige. The four justices who held seats before MT. Taft became President are Chief Jus tice White, 67 years old; Justice Me Kama, 65 years old; Justice Holmes, 67 years old, and Justice Day, 6a years old. Justice Lurton, new ap- pointee, is 66 years old