davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25

industrious men, otherwise desirable. The junior New York senator main tains that our country is enriched every time an honest, able bodied man enters the Pnited States, and if quail ifications must be made, he insists that it must be that of character and not of educational attainments.
 This is a matter that should not be left to the Lodges and Roots of the eastern states. The western and southern states need more white peo- pie. They are all thinly populated, and they will surely be heard from when the proposed literacy test comes to final vote.
 Underlying the Dillingham-Lodge bill is the fetish of Teutonic superb ority and Latin degeneracy, and even of the ancient jealousy of all race mixtures as danger to the American stock and to American ideals. These notions were long ago disproven. This country still needs and long will need all the honest, able bodied men it can secure, no matter what European country furnishes them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Delegates to Chica %

The Chicago Tribune in presenting the list of republican delegates to date puts Roosevelt in the lead with B un- instructed and 149 contested.
 This is a remarkable statement. If Roosevelt gains control of the national committee large changes in the make up of the convention would follow, for the Roosevelt side is contesting the seats of nearly 150 delegates, while Taft contests but four seats all told.
 Much depends indeed upon the hear ing to be begun next month before the national committee to settle the numerous contests. Delegates from 15 states will have to appear before the national republican committee at Chicago in order to gain seats in the convention.
 In this respect the Chicago con- vention is to be unique and spectacu- lar; and the national committee will do well if it succeeds in clearing it's calendar before the day of the con- vention in June.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
BELAsCO AND THE BOOKS
the Popular Magazine.

fGoHl tiie fOpuldr MdSdZlne.
 David Belasco is famous for his at tention to minute detail in the staging of the plays which he produces. He even passes on the kinds of nails and tacks used in the building of his scenery. But he surpassed himself this season when he put on "The Case of Becky" a play which deals with hypnotic suggestion. The first and second acts of the piece take place in the office of sanitarium. and the physician in charge is noted as a great authority on hypnotism.
 Soon after the first production of the play, Belasco was showing a friend all the scenic effects of the production. On the desk of the physician was stationery stamped with the fictitious name of the sanitarium.
 This explained the producer, lis merely a small detail to create the inn pression in the minds of the actors that they are in a real santarium, instead of on the stage
 He then threw open the door of large bookcase which ordinarily would have con tained dummy volumes.
 There he explained, in a matter of fact tone, lis the best library in this country on hypnotism and suggestion. Ii contains 400 volumes on those subjects and I have been collecting them for the past two years. It is much better to have the real books in the bookcases. Ii makes the man who plays the specialist believe that he really knows something about the subject'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Help the Flood Sufferers

The Red Cross society makes earn est appeals for clothing for the flood sufferers. Many thousands are desti- ute of food and clothing. The United States government is supplying rations, but the Red Cross society is sending to the flooded territory the needed wearing apparel.
 The people of Birmingham have been prompt and generous heretofore in helping the destitute, and it is sim cerely hoped that the same generous spirit will be manifested at this time. Money is also needed and any cash contribution sent to w. H. Manly at the Birmingham Trust and Savings bank will be greatly appreciated. Mir. Manly is the treasurer of the local chapter of the Red Cross society, and will forward promptly to the proper Red Cross authorities on the scene of suffering all funds contributed through him.
 In thousands of households in this prosperous city are clothes that have been cast aside and these clothes should be sent to the destitute. The Salvation Army has rendered the use of it's wagons to the Red Cross chap ter, and they will call for clothing when requested to do so.
 The local quarters of the Red Cross society are in the Chamber of Com merce building. Let all who can do so help and help promptly.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Direct Election of Senator's

The Senate, by vote of 42 to 9e insisted on it's amendment to the House Resolution looking to the cleo tiq of United States senators by x.yffect vote of the people. This amendment is known as the Bristow amendment and gives the federal gov ernment possible opportunity to in- tervene in such elections.
 As matter of fact it affords those who are at heart opposed to the direct election of senators a chance to give the reform a whack. No one of either party considers the opportunity req sonable probability. The federal gov ernment does not desire to supervise such elections and never will.
 The action of the Senate sends the proposition back to conference again. The democrats of Alabama are solidly in favor of the direct election of sen ators, and they did so declare in the platform adopted in the recent con- vention at Montgomery. The people will speak out plainly on this subject in November if Congress fails to act on it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
THE NEW CATCHER

Frank X. Finnigan in the Popular Maga-
 zine.
 I remember one time in the old days when ''Bazaza" I<ilroy was pitching for Chicago at the time they were called the Colts, and Tom Burns who was manager just then, had a new catcher he wanted to try out
 This fellow had been shooed in from the prairies somewhere with a letter from one of Toms scouts, telling him the kid was the find of the season, could bat just as though he wasn't a catcher, and could whip the ball out to center field while he was squatting behind the plate, and all that line of bunk that every new player brings along as ex- cess baggage.
 He had been sitting around on the bench for about a week with his mouth open, when Bridget" Donohue busted thumb nail in the fifth inning one day and had to quit. Up bobs the long legged Reub to do the catching; and Bazaza had scarcely started to wind up for the first ball when the new fellow signaed to him to hold on, and walked the path to- ward the pitchers box. Kilroy drilled halfway to meet him, and they put their heads together for few seconds, and broke away. But the Reuben never opened his face while he and Matty were together; and Kilroy thought he had stage fright or something, and went back to the box.
 After a couple of men had been cleared away and Bazaza was bending 'em over, the same business came off again-the big fellow raises his mitt, stalks down the path, winds his neck around Matty's ear, and stalks back again. When the half was over and they got to the bench, Kill roy was hot ali through and he landed on the new boob in a minute.
 Say! Whats the matter with you?' he says. You come down there and de- lay me as though you wanted to tell me something and then you never open your trap"
 T know it.' says the Reub, with his eyes bulgng out "Ain't that all right?'
 All right?" Matty yelps at him. What in Sam Hill do you do it for if you haven't anything to say?"
 q don't know the big yap says; but seen Donohue doin' it."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Proposed Immigration Legislation

The Dillingham-Lo bill now pending in the Senate proposes to ap- ply to the immigrant literacy test. It provides that "all male aliens shall be excluded 16 years of age or over who are physically capable of reading and writing, but who are unable to read and write in some language of dialect, such aliens to be tested in this regard in accordance with methods and rules to be prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce and Labor" The only exceptions are those of an admissible alien who may bring in or send for his father or grandfather over 55 years of age, or son not over Is years of age, otherwise admissible, whether said father or grandfather or son are able to read and write or not; and citizens of Canada,- Newfoundland, Cuba, the Bermudas and Mexico, as also the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, Guam, Porto Rico and Hawaii.
 In round proportions one-quarter of the immigrants that have come in sin e the war with Spain could not read and write any language. Sena- tor Root is an earnest advocate of the literacy test. He thinks we are taking in new corners more rapidly than We s.n assimilate them.
 Senator O'Gorman of New York is, however, opposed to the proposed lit eracy test. He says it would exclude thousands of able bodied, honest and
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25

From the Atlanta Constitution.
 It would be difficult to find a more com- pact analysis of the national political sit- uation and of the advantage held by the democratic party than that contained Tn the following recent expression from Os- car Underwood:
 "Our adversaries are torn asunder in tive camps, one side fighting to maintain the old standpat fallacies of the repub-
 ican party and the other side abandoning everything else in it's efforts to overthrow a representative form of government and destroy the federal constitution. Yes, we are going to win. The preservation of our republic, the protection of the rights of the people and relief against the present burdens of taxation are dependent upon democratic success" That simple creed is clinching testimony that oscar Underwood is the sort of pro- gressive that does not progress, crab wise, backward.
 His statement of the republican position is well night perfect The standpatters on the one side, and the apostles of vagaries on the other
 As between these two, comes the su- preme sanity of the democratic policy molded by Underwood-giving the country that emphatic reduction of the tariff it universally demands, but steering clear of extreme and nebulous doctrines upon which even their advocates change front from day to day.
 Underwood has enunciated the creed which will win in the doubtful states. Himself embodying that creed as does no other democrat, he is the logical candi- date to carry the party's cause to the people.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
THE cHIENsE MARRIAGE

Marriages in China are celebrated at the home of the bridegroom, not of the bride, says a writer in the May Wide World Magazine. Before quitting her own house the bride is arrayed in her best dress and jewels her hair is elabor ately arranged, and she wears a large hat. mantle is then thrown about her and red silk cloth placed over her face. Her mother then puts her in a gilt sedan chair, used only for weddings. and locks her in, giving the key to one of the at tendants, who delivers 1t to the bride groom when the procession arrives at ,he latters home No priest or magistrate officiates at the marriage. The happy pair, the bride still yelled, enter the an- cestral hall together and bow three times
 to the family tablets, afterward sitting down to table on which are two cups of wine-an offering intended to propitiate the ancestors of the family. They next enter the reception chamber. where the husband removes the veil and mantle from
 his wife-seeing her face. perhaps, for the first time. The guests and friends then enter the room, gaze upon the blush ing bride, and convey their felicitations to the happy pair. A wedding banquet is held in the evening at which the bride very tactfully, pays special attention te her parents-in-law.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Growth of Old Cities

Among interesting features of modern cities like Chicago and Birmingham are their rapid growth and improvement. ? said travelled man. T like to watch chicago's growth for l have visited that city every year since 1s73-two years after the great fire. The lake metropolis, as 1 call it, was about as large as Louisville is now, but it did not present as sub stantial an appearance as Louisville. Even as late as 1880, when Chicago's population had reached 500,0O0 there was something very crude about the city. Now, with a population of 2.250,00o it is one of the most elegant cities in the world.
 Birmingham is. growing at a rapid clip and everybody is glad to see it. It will be in the 50O,000 class by the time the 1920 census is taken. It Is easy to account for what is called the phenom- enal growth of Chicago and Birmingham, but what is particularly noticeable in the progress of cities is the rapid growth of old southern communities like Rich mond, Memphis, Nashville and Mobile
 '1 was in Richmond a few months ago for the first time in 10 years I hardly recognized the city. It seems to be growing as fast as Atlanta and almost as fast as Birmingham. The last census credited 1t with a population of 127000. and the population of Richmond as an urban center Is set down at 175, ,00O-only 5000 less than Birmingham's urban cen ter population. According to the census bureau Birmingham and its environs in 1910 lacked only a few souls of having 212,000 Many years ago I was familiar with Richmond and used to take de- light in its historic landmarks. It had enough modern progress to make it look prosperous, but many of the quaint old streets were there as our forefathers spirit is as much in evidence in Rich mond as it is in Atlanta or Birmingham. Old St. Johns church, built in the mid dle of the eighteenth century-about 1751-- is still a place of worship. The Masonic hall, built in 1792, is still in a good state of preservation, and the stately Mon umental church, built in 1S14 looks as imposing as ever. Those are about the only landmarks left.
 Mople ls Just peginnlnS to grow 1aSt. In the next census it will easily be in the 100000 class Mobile is quaint city and it is a charming place of residence. I hope the citizens of Mobile will or ganize society for the preservation of it's landmarks. Richmond has such a society, known as The Society for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. It was organized only about 15 years ago. If it had been in existence earlier it might have saved one or two landmarks with which Edgar Allen Poe's name was intimately associated"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
WHITE GHOST OF DISASTER ]"

She was slipping away-away to her grave below.
 The liner suddenly shifted, leaned to starboard, heeled far over and her bows slipped from the berg, sinking down clear to her decks, clear down until the seas washed to the foot of her superstructure. Masses of ice fell from her into the sea. The gringing, splashing noise awoke the panic again among the remaining pas sengers and crew. They strove with man. fac fury to get the rafts and other stuff that might float over the side. Two boats drew away full to the gunwales with people. The air below began to make that peculiar whistling sound that tells of pressure-pressure upon the vitals of the ship. She was going down.
 A cracking and banging of ice blocks and the ship raised her stern higher. Then she plunged straight downward, straight as plummet for the bottom of the At lantic ocean.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
RATTLE SCARED HUMOR
the Popular Magazine.

From the Popular Magazine.
 There is lot of humor, real humor, to be found on battlefields," said Gen. Nelson A. Miles at dinner one evening. "I remember the case of retreat which was really a rout.
 "In this retreat the commanding gener- al, as he galloped along like the wind, turned to an aid. who was urging his horse to the limit, and asked:
 Who are our rear guard?
 ''The aid. without the slightest hesita- tion, replied:
 Those who have the worst horses ei ir
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
WILL pE Goop FoR BoTH

From the Mobile Register.
 Tho New York Times comments the fol- lowing plank of the Alabama democratic platform that was adopted at Montgom- cry last Wednesday. and says that both the national political parties would do well to adopt it as their own:
 eWe believe that the honest business, farming and working classes of the coun- try could be largely relieved from panlcs and consequent unemployment by dem oeratic and non-partisan revision and cod iflcation of our antiquated banking laws which would create an elastic note and credit system, while preserving our in dependent banks from any dominant tinan- cal or political control.'
 The Times recognizes that, although the name of the author Is unknown, the plan suggested is MT. Uhderwood's, and the plank accurately represents the views Of that statesman. The Times calls the plank q keynote. and says there is good politics as well as good business in it. The democrats gain greatly in public estmatoii under the leadership of thoughtful and aggressive man. The Times says:
 "The democrats are adopting the ideas which the republicans are rejecting through weak concessions to prejudice. If the republicans do not reconsider their position the democrats will gain leader ship which will put the republicans in false position regarding opposition to gov ernment issued paper money, and the reconciliation of existing banking condf- paper as the basis of credit currency or asset currency and the institution of a central national reserve. If these essen tials are adopted by the democrats the plan will, nevertheless, remain the idea of the man who first put it into form, and the republicans will lose the oppor- tunity to join their opponents in making the new departure purely economic and impartisan. We rejoice that the demo- crats have set the excellent example, and hope that the republicans will see light and act wisely"
 It is natural for the republicans to go slowly in changing their own measures, which they have so long offered as the product of their superior wisdom. There should be no surprise if they should let the democrats oust them from leadership in this regard. The country will be the beneficiary when Underwood shall be com mssioned to bring in a scientific banking and currency law.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
The Music Festival

The suggestion made in hotel lobby q few days ago that the students of all the schools and colleges in Birming- ham attend the opening performance of the musical festival Friday afternoon, May 3, was a good one" said member of the Chamber of Commerce.
 "The programme for that afternoon is made especially to interest young peo- pie The music festival concerts in pre- yious years have been well attended, but there has never been any organized move ment to bring out the school children or the young men and young women of the colleges and seminaries
 The Jefferson theatre, where the fes- tlval Is to be held should be filled to overfiowing on Friday afternoon of next week. Symphony orchestras, such as the Minneapolis organization, come high. In order to secure tho Minneapolis orchestra large guarantee had to be raised.
 If the schools and colleges will show an interest in the festival those who give their time and services to provide high class attractions will be encouraged to do bigger things in the future"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Mhnt Min Come Nextf

What will we have next?" said a Birmingham man. Sensations have been coming so thick and fast here of late that I am curious to know what the next one will be.
 We have had the Allen gang sen- sation; we have had the Titanic wreck sensation; we have had the Lewisburg sensation; we had powder mill ex- plosion last night; we have had the floods in the Mississippi valley; we have had the aviation meet; we have had the Mexican war sensation and sev- eral other sensations that I can mem tion.
 Now. what will be the next one? Will some great man be killed or will 1t be big fire entailing both great loss of life and property? There is one big thing which will happen this fall but it will not be a sensation for ev- eryone in Alabama knows it now. Oscar Underwood will be elected President ot the United States"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
sKyscRAPERs BUILT ON aUIcksANn

SA1 SCHAfEhS DOiLi oN atithsAND From "AnNhoring a slxyscraper," in the
 May Strand.
 Quicksand, to the popular mind a turk ing monster that swallows up the unwary, while often treacherous, has been safely built upon, and several of the second class -outdone-skyscrapers in New York rest directly upon it. It is necessary at she ouicksand. The engineers definition of quicksand is any loose friable material saturated with water. There are diefer- ent kinds of quicksand just as there are different kinds of wood, varying from nearly as treacherous as the popular idea of it to a material that may be safely built upon. The ground in the lower end of Manhattan Island is quicksand cx- tending from the surface to a maximum depth of 80 feet below Broadway. 1t will bear three tons per square foot, and the foundations of many tall buildings rest upon it. F'illed-in ground Is one of the poorest materials on which to build, as for years after it has been deposited it will continue to settle, and obviously any structure it carries must settle with it.
 Ordinary ground will bear safely from two to four tons per square foot, dry clay from four to six tons per square foot, good gravel from six to ten tons, and bed rock from 50 to 100 tons per square foot. Sand, if confined, will stand very large treasures, and similarly water, the moss unsuitable of all, if it could be restrained " would be capable of resisting an enormous pressure Certainly, no force man has produced Is sufficient to injure it's struc- tn
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
Purchasing Power of Wages

Although strikes as a usual thing oc- cur without any regard to the cost of liv- ing, the men can, this year at least, plead higher costs as a Justification for their demands says a writer in the Wall Street Journal
 ''The general tendency in the past, both here and abroad has been for strikes to increase in times of prosperity. as a result of the widespread desire for moro luxurious living; and to decrease in times of depression in consequence of the fear of losing positions. Never before. how ever, did we pass through business de- sonal expenses for comforts and luxuries; and labor has remained so we'll employed that the poor condition of trade has not had the usual tendency to diminish strikes
 But the extent to which the rise in the cost of living has served as an incentive for demanding more wages. and as an ex- cuse for striking, is disclosed by estimat- ing the recent fall in the purchasing pow CT of the average yearly per capital wage. This estimate is obtained by dividing the index number representing wages by that representing the purchasing power of wages. The calculation is very readily understood by letting the index of wages stand in ones imagination for the actual sum paid to the laborer, and by letting the index of commodity prices stand for the price of bread. for example-in which case the index of purchasing power shows the number of loaves of bread which the wages will buy.
 The high prices which caused the high CT cost of living have not in general benefited the largest employers of la
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-25
IN HOTEL HOBBIES
Judge Rich nf Mohlle

Judge J. c. Rich. one of the prominent members of the Mobile bar. is in B1r- nlinsham. He has many friends here who are urging him to make Birmingham his home. Judge Rich is we'll known and popular throughout Alabama and as lawyer he ranks second to none.
 l hope sincerely that Judge Rich s friends will be able to induce him to come to Birmingham to live" said Pres ident w. w. Crawford of the American Trust and Savings bank. Not only is he a great lawyer, but he Is gentleman of most attractive personality, and he is just the type of citizen that we are looking for. 1 know that Judge Rich would like Birmingham, and Birmingham would certainly like him."