davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
oNE oF THE LOST

From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
 The personality of young Widener lost aboard the Titanic, was one of unusual charm. Graduated from Harvard In lsos he was but e6 when he suddenly beheld life's morn decline.p The family had known great wealth through generations and it's members had long since ceased to pride themselves upon it. or a retir- ing disposition, Harry most of them all seemed wholly unspoiled and unassum- ing. His passion for books-old and rare indicated the refinement to which he was born and reflected the culture that scholastic training had given him. Singu- lar in A mere youth under any circum- stances. but specially so in one who had means to gratify his every wish, this fondness for volumes that were scarce first editions of the masters in litera-i ture and for tonnes once a part of fa- nous libraries in other days-was a ruling passion strong in death" With a high enthusiasm for his art he sat at the feet of Beverly Chew, now the honored dean of American bibliophies, and strove to emulate the achievements of the late Robert Hoe, prince of latter day collectors.
 He offered s19,00O for the Gutenberg Bible on velum and paid s1s,000 for the Van Antwerp first folio Shakespeare. He owned Coleridge's own copy of his Lay Sermon, with the authors annotations to explain how the publication had led to his dismissal from Oxford. He owned the ssUr bod the wade mecum of the unfortunate Eng fish monarch. Charles I. He was the proud possessor of a presentation copy
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

have been made, Harmon man or a
 Wilson man rust remember the
 names of those delegates pledged to his particular candidate and put crosses before their names. There
 is no label on the ballot and no guide,
 the law presuming upon the wisdom
 of each individual voter. If, then, tne sentiment of the voters of Ohio is to be expressed in the contest for the 42 district delegates with any de- gree of accuracy, there must be care ful study of sample ballots and of other data bearing on the preference problem. Voters must know for whom they are to cast their ballots before they enter the polling places, if the result is to be in any degree conclusive or satisfactory. As re- gards the election of the six delegates at large to each of the big national conventions the democratic situa- tion-thanks to the state commit tee-is much simpler than the re- publican. On a special ballot the democrats will have an opportunity to express their preference between Governor Harmon and Wilson-the state wide preference thus recorded the pledge which is to bind the delegates at large to the Baltimore convention"
 This is not straightout preference law at all, and Ohio should take her politicians by the neck and compel them to pass law, one that enables each and every voter readily to ex- press his preferences.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
1onnth of the Single Term


 Tn both branches of Congress minority favors a four-year single term in the presidency, while the ma jority stands by a six-year term lh either case an amendment of the con stitution would be necessary, ana ratification by three-fourths of the states would be essential.
 So far as public sentiment has been expressed six-year single term has been approved. It is compromise betweer four years of service and eight years. All, too, desire fewer elections, and Congress will act wise- ly if it stands by the six-year propo- sition which was the basis of Con pressman Clayton's resolution.
 A single term of six years would be a happy solution of a problem that needs settlement. Ohio can testify today that it needs solution that will forever bar out the scenes and speeches and campaigning which that state is this week the scene of.
 But whether the single term IS to be one of four years or of six years, let the resolution be passed and laid before the states. It is the only way to prevent recurrence Of ia1t Roosevelt campaign, and the country impatiently awaits it.
 Not a voice or newspaper has as yet expressed opposition to the single term plan, and the resolution may therefore be unanimously ratified.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
REvEREs OF A COUNTRY pARsoN

From the Rev. Andrew K. H. Boyd'S
 '"rhe Recreation of Country Parson"
 You grow familiar with the internal ar engagements of poor mems dwellings,; you see much of men and women in those solemn seasons when all pretenses are laid aside; and they speak with confidence to you of their little cares and fears for this world and the other.
 You kneel down and pray by the bed- side of many sick; and you know the look of the dying face we'll Young chill dren. whom you have humhly sought to instruct in the best of knowledge, have passed away from this life in your pres ence, telling you in interrupted sentences whither they trusted they were going, and bidding you not to forget to meet them there. You feel the touch of the weak fingers still; the parting request Is not forgotten. You mark the spring blossoms come back; and you walk among the har- vest sheaves in the autumn evening.
 And when you ride up the parish on your duty, you feel the influence of bare and lonely tracts where, 10 miles from home. you sometimes dsmount from your horse and sit down on u gray stone by tilt way sluSs anu HUN ioi dh hOui dl lIit heather at your feet and at the sweeps of purple moorland far away.
 You go down to the churchyard ire qucntly, you sit on the gravestone of your predecessor who died 200 years since; and you count five, six, seven spots where those who served the cure before you sleep. Then leaning your head upon your hand you look % years into the future and wonder whether you are to grow old. You read. through the moss-coyered let ters, how a former incumbent of the parish died in the last century, aged 2S. That afternoon, coming from a cottage where you had been seeing a frail old woman, you took a flying leap over brook near, with precipitous strides; and you thought that some day, if you lived, you would have to creep quietly round by smoother way. And now you think you see an aged man. tottering and gray, feebly walking down to the churchyard as of old and seating himself hard by where you sit. The garden will have grown weedy and untidy; 1t will not be the trim precise dwelling which youthful energy and hopefulness keep it now.
 Let it be hoped that the old mans hat is not seedy, nor his coat threadbare. it makes ones heart sore to see that. And let it be hoped that he is not alone.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
No Successor in Dr. wiley's Place

No Successor in Dr. Wiley's Place
 Secretary Wilson is happy. He is rid of Dr. Wiley, whom he could not control when special interests rose up and demanded attention, and he proposes, it appears, to leave the place at the head of the chemistry bureau vacant. He does not feel that he needs chief chemist at all. He himself knows what the people should have, although he does not-know the ingredients of the cans and other vessels turned out for their consump- tion.
 He has a "pure" food board con- sisting of Doctors Doolittle, Dunlap and Mitchell, and McCabe is still so- licitor of the department. All these stand ready to obey Tama Jim Will son, and this is why the last named does not want chief chemist. The people may need one, but the canners who use benzoate of soda do not. This is an age of benzoate of soda, and all who need preservative are using it with great freedom and as- surance of protection. Dr. Wiley, who guarded the stomachs of consum- CTS many years, was compelled by circumstances over which he had nc control to resign, and Secretary Will son wants no second Wiley. The place remains vacant and no success sor perhaps will be appointed until Oscar Underwood selects a man who is not partial to benzoate of soda as an article of human food.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

by thousands of southerners, and all know him as a singularly modest gentleman. His book bears the im- press of the diligent, painstaking, open minded student, and it shows clear insight into the passions of liberty loving men. His style is pleas ant and attractive, and his volume should be read by all, and especially by the young of both sections. In his preface Colonel Herbert suggests how it is next to impossible for an annalist to get history straight if he relies mainly upon his own memory of things. "The author in the following pages," he says in his introduction, "has undertaken tc write a connected story of events that happened most of them in his lifetime, and as to mai y of the most important of which he has vivid recollection; but save in one respect he has not relied upon his own memory for any important fact"
 Colonel Herbert has used almost altogether for his material contem- poraneous written evidence. The 
 book contains 249 pages, including complete index of names and subjects. It is Illuminating from beginning to end.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
SWIMMING
By Lord Byron. asE
 How many times have I

By Lord Byron sEE
 How many times have cloven, with arm still lustier. breast mo
 daring, The wave all roughened; with a swir
 mer's stroke Flinging the pillows back from n
 drenched hair, And laughing from my lip the audacio
 brine, Af sft Which kissed 1t like wine cup, risii
 OCT The waves as they srose. and proud
 still The lofter they uplifted me; and oft In wantonness of spirit. plunging dowr Into their green and glassy gulfs, al
 making My way to shells and sea weed, all u
 seen By those above, till they waxed fearf'
 then Returning with my grasp full of su
 tokens As showed that had searched the dee
 exulting, With a far flashing stroke, and drawi1
 deep The long suspended breath, again
 spurned S The foam which broke around me, al
 pursued My track like seq biFas-I was b|
 then. -
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
CHAINS oF LITTLE USE

From the London Globe.
 It was a welsh minister who described the devil to a. little congregation in a re- mote Welsh valley. Said the minister:
 ''The devil is bound round the arms with chains and round the legs with chains. But John Jones', pointing to man in the front row, ''he can reach you; and you, David Jones' pointing to. one in the middle TOW, The can you reach, and,' pointing to one at the back. John Will Hams, he can reach you"
 And then man in the gallery called out. Why, he might as we'll be loose.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

From the Kansas City Times.
 A FTER all, the finest thing about "A Browning is his indomitable \ faith. At time when many wri- ters are sick at heart at the ills of the world, this great personality never fal- ters. There is a kind of courage-and admirable it is, too--that meets with de- fiance universe that it regards as es- sentially evil. This is exemplified in Hen ley's verse:
 It matters not how strait the gate,
 How charged with punishment the
 scroll,
 am the master of my fate
 I am the captain of my soul.
 But Browning knows that the universe is good. 1t is made in such a way that as he puts 1t, Its wiser being good than bad" And it isn't a play world that he lives in. He doesn't attain his faith by ignoring the evil. He sees that 1t failure is our portion. What hand and brain went ever paired2' he asks. The great sculptor labors for years on a Venus, yet we turn from it to look at a girl who lords the stream.
 All labor, yet no less Bear up beneath their unsuccess. Look at the end of work, contrast The petty done, the undone vast. This present of their with the hopeful
 past!
 But Browning is assured that this vis- ible world is only a fragment of the real universe. All these apparently futile la bors are somehow worth while. All could never be
 All men ignored in me, This I was worth to God, whose wheel the pitcher shaped.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
CATALOGUED

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 The Poet: Pardon me, but I haver seen my poem on the vernal season print as yet"
 The editor: Not as yet, eh? One m ment, please. We have just installed new card system. Name. please?"
 The poet: "Hyacinthe Gloom"
 The editor: 'Ah, yes, G-g-g- Glooi Here We are. H. Gloom, four verse 32 lines, beginning. Now tn crocl breaks tn mold" title When Natu Rises From Her Dreams." An. ye Section M, drawer 23 Lemme see. You Ted ink number is 97S. folio s. Look f your verses early in 1917. Good day.
 And the poet wearily stalks out
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
RESTRICTIONS or \ BACHELOR

From the New York Press.
 Tomorrow is better than today be- cause it has possibilities.
 Stick to the straight and narrow path and avoid the rush,
 A club can beat more ideas into some heads than reason can.
 boy needs to be whaled pretty often so as not to need it oftener.
 Married life becomes fairly comfort able for a woman when she gets to be widow.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Bath, Me, has proven true to Charles w. Morse. He was welcome back to his old home with all the honors cus- tomarily extended to a hero.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The British investigation of the Tl- tanic affair promises to absorb more whitewash than the Lorimer affair did with Uncle Ike Stevenson thrown in for good measure
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
Democratic Victory Next Fall

If the democratic convention in Balti- more acts with good sense it will make victory certain in November" said an old voter. q feel confident that if Un- derwood is nominated for the presidency he will sweep the country, no matter who may be the republican candidate.
 T cast my first ballot for Horace Greeley in 1872. Of course I was not surprised when he was defeated, because in the nature of things Grants re-elec- tion that year was foreordained. All of us in the south were terribly disappoint- ed when MT. Tilden was counted out in 1876. The democracy everywhere cele- brated with great spirit Cleyeand's cleo tion in 1884. I was living in Virginia city at the time, and the jollification there surpassed anything of the sort that I had ever seen.
 Well, we would have another jollifi- cation if Undeywood were to succeed President Taft. In the south the celc- bration would be on grand scale in- deed, for the Alabama statesman would be the first southerner elected chief magistrate since the earlier days of the republic. Something tells me that Un- derwood will be the man."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The maple sugar crop of Vermont is 25 per cent short, but this will not les sen the supply sent out to other states. pr. Wiley is out of office
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The farmers of Illinois still plant po- tatoes in the dark of the moon, and the Sears-Roebuck money cannot change their views in jiffy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

If the Titanic had been as strongly built as the great Eastern was 50 years ago it would still be afloat, but it would not be able to earn much money.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
SOME MORE oDEs.


 SOME MORE oDES. How can a man Bewail his fate, Who still has time To dig some bait And fishing go Down sunny lanes, Where birds uplift @ Their glad refrains? Fa
 -Birmingham Age-Herald. How can a man Bemoan his lot If he tolls in No garden spot, But has the time To sit and think And drink and smoke And smoke and drink?
 Chicago Record-Herald. How can a man At fortune swear Who rents a fiat And laughs at care? No garden spade His zeal doth sate; He strains no joints In digging bait.
 Cleveland Plain Dealer. How can a man Bemoan his life Who's not explaining To his wife, But restfully And calmly sits, With almost no use For his wits?
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
 SKEPTICAL. 'Bunson says he fell out of bed last night 'At what hour?' About o'clock in the morning" q don't believe it. Bunson is never Id bed at that hour" PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

There is a discrepancy between the tally kept by Chairman McKinely of the Taft forces and the one kept by Chair man Dixon of the Roosevelt phalanx The difference is beyond diplomacy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The Boston Browning club boasts a waiting list of 250 names. stay of a year or two in that waiting list is con sidered a good training for the inner circle in Boston.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

After Ohio will come New Jersey, and then Kentucky will hold one of those old fashioned things called ccnven- tion
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
rELEPHONEs

Reputation Is an idle and most iaise oft got without merit, hna lost without deserving.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

of Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson,'' an of Elizabeth Browning's own copy ( her epic, "Marathon." It was his goo fortune to procure a first edition of Bul tons Anatomy of Melancholy and
 first edition of Cowper's poems that one belonged to Mir. Thackeray. These vol umes are mere specimens of the book that constituted the vast library of Her " Elkins Widener at Elkins Park.
 The character test of an ancient sage Tell me what your books are and I wi tell what you are"-must be borne mind while lamenting the loss of th| young man. There have been scions wealthy families in America that abaH doned themselves to debauchery abroaj Can greater or more pleasing central be found than Harry Widener's love old volumes when compared with til master purposes of such debauchees? HI was a nature like Melancthous, who, d going as a student to Paris, said: 'eWhd I get money I shall first buy Cred books and then buy clothes.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Remittances can be made a. ,',ili Lot be responsible for money seH' through the mails. Adoress
 THE AGE-HERALD.
 Birmingham, Ala
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The weather sharps are predicting a cool summer Such philosophers do not know enough to come in when it rains.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Eastern business office. Rooms 4S .o 50. inclusive, Tribune building, New York city; western business o1ii1s' ~ Tribune building. Chicago. Ine D, V. Bsckwith Special Agency. agents lo eign advertising.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The Baltimore delegates will be ex- pected to sleep four in room So long as 1t is not four in bed all is well.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The colonel is engaged in his council campaign in Ohio, and it is to be the greatest effort of his life.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

No communication will be puoilsnedd without it's authors name. hele manuscript will not be returned unleSS stamps are enclosed for that purpose'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
AN EXTREMIST.

He brides himself on being open and above-board in everything he under- takes"
 That being the case, I presume he takes all his baths in the public square, .''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
AMBIGUOUS.

T wish I could raise a hundred bucks somewhere.
 ',The man in the street would know what you mean, but visitor from for eign country. who was little acquainted with our language, would think you want- ed to start deer farm.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Daily and sunday Are-Herald. :. $500 Daily and Sunday. per month.... " Daily and Sunday. three months. S'vO S'v Sunday Age-Herald. ........... S'oO S'o Weekly Age-Herald, per annum.- 'oV
 Subscription payable in advance.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
Poor Crop conditiens

Farming is distressingly backward this spring. said Lee Long. "In my neighbor- hood in Butler county the farmers have
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

z- E. Morgan and w. c. Wharton are the only authorized travelling represen- tatives of The Age-Herald in Its clreu- lation department.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Champ Clark is running so we'll he may conclude to buy a new collar for his campaign dawg.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
IN HOTEL HOBBIES
In the Southwest


 "Crop conditions in Texas and Okla homa are very good indeed" said Thom- as F. Patton of Illinois. T was in Okla homa City about six months ago and again last week. There was a great diff ference in the business situation. Okla homa City, which had great boom three years ago, looked dead last fall. Now it is picking up. People are feeling buoyant once more over the crop outlook The depression there was due to crop failures two or three years in succession. What the state of Oklahoma needed was rain and 1t has had a plenty of it in the recent months.
 Texas, too, had suffered from drought, but the rains there have put the ground in prime condition and fine crops are expected this year. All the Texas cities are wonderfully prosperous at this time. Within the past 10 days I have visited Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston and Gal weston, and have found a high degree of prosperity in each of them.
 T have not been in any southern city that is not prosperous, but Birmingham just now seems to take the lead l have been here several times within the past 10 years and Birmingham now seems 90 per cent more of city than it did exen in 1900, just after the census was taken.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES

WHAT SWEETNESS IN THE FLOW. What sweetness in the rippled flow
 or some embowered, rustic stream, Where lilies fair sway to and fro.
 Or else in golden shadows dream;
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Entered at the Birmingham, Ala, postoffice as second class matter unoer act Of Congress March 8, 1879.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

And where, through interlacing leaves,
 Is caught a glimpse of cloudless blue And where no way-worn wanderer grieves
 That life could hold so much of ruel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The discard is overcrowded at pres ent with deposed bosses.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

DESTINED FOR MANY TRIPS.
 q have written short story" said the amateur literary person. What is the first step to take in selling it?'
 Buy ten dollars worth of stamps" ad- vised the old hand at the business.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

A MOTOR GOD. Dan Cupid doesn't get the call, These latter days, I ween, Unless he has the wherewithal To pay for gasoline.
 THANKS.
 Ismay absolves
 Us from all blame
 For giving him
 A hated name.
 A SAD RAKE. How cheerly sings garcon Girard, When day begins to break, While other wights are sleeping hard Ho doth his joyance take. An early riser? Truly, no; We say this with regret. He's been out for 'time," you know, And hasn't slept as yet.
 PIECING OUT. Writing story?' the caller asked the busy author. 'Yes; in dialect.'' q didn't think you ever made use of dialect" 'I don't, as a rule, but I have to now. Several letters are broken on my type writer.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

As the price of hay goes up so goes the price of breakfast food.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

"The get together'' spirit begins to prevail among democrats from Maine to Texas.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

The fool who rocks the boat kills more than the icebergs do.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

been unable to do very little on account of the incessant rains. In coming up on the train this week noticed that in field after field the cotton stalks of last year were still standing. If farmers in some localities have been favored by enough dry weather to plant their experience is the exception to the rule. have never know1! a more backward spring."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Martyrdom to a woman is to be com pelled to wear last years hat
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

~ EXPLAINS RENO. The matrimonial ship
 Doth sail a stormy sea, And woe attends the trip
 When hearts can not agree.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
MOST LIKELY.

MOST LIKELY. 'If l should plant three or four base balls. what would come up?' "A passerby would probably come up and say you were a fool.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

MT. Bryan announces that he will be on the inside of the Baltimore conven- ton.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16
INGENIOUS HOOK ACENT

The rain barrels begin to feel over. worked.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-16

Nearly every statesman considers that he himself resembles Lincoln.