davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

as seen by anyone of score of more or
 less sincere southern novelists eludes the
 search of many visitors from the north
 But still there are many visitors to
 Paris who find the Latin Quarter fasci-
 hating, colorful, atmospheric. devilish and
 not in the least sordid or disappointing. There are many visitors who find life in the Montmartre cafes and to whom the only disappointment is that there are not more cafes, or more evenings to spend in them. There are travellers who see
 Kipling's characters all the way from
 Bombay to Calcutta and from Tuticorin to Simla. and who would be grieved if
 anyone should maintain that the Hindu juggler who haunts the hotel entrance, waiting an opportunity to perform for a
 few annas, is less capable in the tricks of his trade than his American colleague,
 who is a headliner in vaudeville. There
 are visitors to Japan who do not find in Japan and the Japanese all of the charm that Lafcadio Hearne saw, or declared that he saw. and put down in his books
 as fact. There are Kentuckians-many
 of them right here in Kentucky-who
 never read book by James Lane Allen
 that of the iconoclast, those phases of with an idealist's idealizing brush, and the south is full of southerners to whom
 no romance of the south is more brightly colored than the south they know.
 Changes due to the passing of time do
 not change conditions so much as they
 are changed by differences in point of view. Beauty is not the only quality that is in the eye of the beholder.
 And then it must be borne in mind that if the writers who make phases of life famous painted their scenes just as they
 would appear to the average eye, or to that of the iconoclast those phases of life would not become famous, and the l, depicters would not become writers known to fame. Something must be allowed tc
 the ability of Kipling who makes India a country fascinating to millions of read
 CTS; to Hearne who awakened enthusiasm for Japan; to Du Maurer, who introduced American novel readers to the Latin Quarter, and to the fellows of the baser
 sort who have proclaimed the Vaccinations of Montmartre.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
WEDDING RING LORE

From Ilt-BltS
 In the Isle of Man the wedding ring was formerly used as an instrument of torture Cyril Davenport, in his book on "Jewelry," remarks that there once ex- isted a custom in that island according to which an unmarried girl who had been offended by a man could bring him to trial and if he were found guilty ste would be presented with sword rope and ring.
 With the sword she might cut off his head, with the rope she might hang him or with the ring she might marry him It is said that the latter punishment was invariably inflicted.
 The wedding ring was anthema to the early Puritans, who regarded personal adornment as one of the many snares oi Satan In the old English marriage ser vice it was the custom for the bride groom to put the ring on the thumb oi the bride, saying, Tn the Name of the Father" then on the next finger, say ing. ''and the Son. and then on the sec ond finger, saying, and of the Holy Ghost" finally on the third finger, with the word Amen"
 The ring was left there, because, as the Sarum Tubric says, "a vein proceeds thence to the heart In the modern marriage service the ring is placed at once upon. the third finger, the invocation to the Trinity being understood.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
Unnecessary Arrests in This City

Police Chief Bodeker will serve hu- manity and justice and fair play if he puts his foot down against frivolous and unnecessary arrests by patrol men. He should put his foot down hard, and the harder he does it the more he will please all who desire to saA some protection thrown around the weak and the helpless in this city.
 Twice as many arrests per 1000 of population are made here than are made in other American cities, At lanta alone excepted. Chief Bodeker may not be able to reduce the num- Der of arrests to the general average in American cities, but any progress in that direction will be welcomed. Our chief of police has friend in the police chief of Cleveland, Ohio, and when he puts Birmingham on Cleve- lands high level in this respect, he will have accomplished a great reform. This may not be immediately possible, however. It is not easy to restrain
 patrolmen from making arrests that involve small responsibilities and no
 possible retaliation. The city jail is overcrowded with cases of that sort.
 Chief BodelSer cannot make his forth coming statement to the force too ex- plicit so far as unnecessary arrests
 are concerned Nor should the patrol men become too much of prosecuting attorney when human being without money or friends or lawyer is brought to the bar of the police court.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

From the Century Magazine.
 MIDDAY one is doing only the proper
 and conventional thing, when ap-
 | preaching a middle aged woman to accost her by saying, "Fve been wonder ing who this young girl was coming up inc street., form of salutation occasion- ally varied, with special favorite' py such light pleasantries as tonight you look 32, marked down to S.' on the other hand, any reference of her own to the number of years she may have hon. orablv lived is frowned upon. 'The only vu,sar thing you do,'' said one kind New York woman to another, lis to tell how old you are. Nowadays nothing is old ex- cept furniture and bric-a-brac,:" writes Lillie Hamilton French in the October Century. discussing the passing of "Old Ladies.
 Perhaps she would class as bits of bric- a-brac the few genuine old ladies still left us. There are not many l my self can count only one. Indoors her hair is covered by white lace. and out doors by bonnet that. tied under her clin,. frames race shining Witn Wisuohi and serenity. To my mind, no young maiden is more beautiful. Reverentially say it. I wish I could buy her just as she is, her gracefully gathered skirts falling about her feet, and her hands which have helped many a stumbler. fold ed gently on her lap. lovely picture to put over my fireplace. What study Ii would be for all who came and went the sweet mouth, the thoughtful brow, and the lines that years of laughter have left lingering just under the eyelids.
 On the other hand of the ought-to-pe- old ladies I know great many. One whom I recall is, after nearly half a cen tury, so well preserved in color and out line that, seen in her chiffons across the room, she conveys every semblance oi dewy freshness. But the dismay that follows on nearer approach is like bend- ing to inhale sweet fragrance, and dis covering yourself deceived by an em' balmed rose, It's decay arrested, but its perfume and vitality gone.
 know, too, as you must. that porti1
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

From the Louisville Courier-Journal ATE KAREN. visiting Paris with N note book and sketch book in 4 \ hand, finds the Pre- Catalan a foregathering place for English and Amer jeans. Crossing the Seine to find puls- ing, throbbing Parisan life in the Latin
 quarter, she finds none of the old easy good fellowship of Bohemia in the Ire. putedly mad and merry little cafes. " Still hopeful she tries Montmartre. The restaurants served good food, but lacked
 atmosphere:
 halls where Paris is well paid to enter
 tain her visitors-the restaurants of l Heaven and He'll the Cafe of Death,
 and many of the others.
 Here there was gayety of sort--gay- ety bought and paid for in English gold
 and American dollars. gaycty mechanical and forced.
 My chaperon was becoming depressed
 himself by this prolonged search for the Paris that was, and, like the old lady
 who enjoyed poor health, he had a fine tline toIlffilScttth6 niIiStil oi tilc WOCo of his native city.
 " 'Helas. he groaned. Madame is
 but too right. The gayety of Paris is
 now the melancholy of Paris. We are
 not sincere or unconscious any more. We sold our light heartedness to yoh and les
 Anglais. and. behold It has vanished from us as the foam on the wave. Travellers, and especially those who are of an Investigating and appraising turn
 of mind. spend great deal of time ir
 India without discovering Kipling's India,
 and without seeing the marvellous feats
 of magic that Indian jugglers have been
 reported as performing. Visitors to Ja- pan fail-unless they have an abundance
 of temperament and imagination-to dis cover the Japan of Lafcadio Hearne, or the Japanese of Hearne. Bret Harte' g
 gamblers and miners were searched for in vain in California even before condi-
 tions had been changed by advancing
 civilization. The Kentucky of James Lane Allen is undiscoverable to some
 persons who visit Kentucky. The south
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
How sharper than a serpents 'ootn '' '' To have a thsnl<Iess childI
 king Lear.
With an Eye to Panama

The Chamber of Commerce is act ing wisely when it does all it can do to promote slacl1water navigation from Birmingham to the sea. The van Hoose-Weller committee is building better than many busy citizens know, for the great hope of the future in this district is centered in the canal at Panama.
 Director Barrett urges the business interests of this country to wake up and reach out for Panama canal trade. The Germans are already well in- trenched in Brazil. "We cultivate" said German delegate at a recent international convention, "the South American trade. Take Brazil; Ger many gets 25 per cent of the business there. The duties are high there, too. Germany sends her young men to Brazil to learn the language, study business conditions and make business friendships. Germany gives long credits t othe merchants of Brazil. The biggest advantage, however, is that the greatest of German banks have branches in the principal cities of South America, where the variation in the rate of exchange makes it difficult for a small bank to do business. We strive to meet trade conditions where ever we go. If Americans wish to get the South American trade away from the Germans, they must go after it." = This district is not ready perhaps to do in South America as the Ger mans do, but true progress will be made if we take steps to induce the government to extend slackwater nav igation to the central city of the dis trict. This will enable us to float to tidewater at the lowest possible cost the districts products, and when this can be done we will be in position to fight for even the trade of Brazil against the long-sighted Germans. Mir. VanHoose should be encouraged to gather and to lay before the fed eral authorities all possible informa- ton concerning the tonnage of this district.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
MOST DEATHS EASY

From a Letter to the Spectator.
 write to protest against the pictures which are given in Maeterlinck's essay on Death of the act of dying, ''thc tortures of the last illness.'' "the use- able memories of the chamber of pain. "the bangs of death," "the awful strug1 gle, the horror The truth is an immense majority of all die as they were born, oblivious. A few. very few. suffer severely in the body, fewer still in the mind Almost all Shelley's description fits:
 Mild is the slow necessity of death:
 The transqui spirit falls beneath it's
 grasp,
 Without groan, almost without fear. Resigned in peace to the necessity, Calm as a voyage, to some distant land, And full of wonder, full of hope as he.
 No death need be physically painful. aI Maeterlinck has been most unfortunate to be able to say, speaking of doctors, ;'Who has not at a bedside 20 times wished and not once dared to throw himself at their feet and implore mercy?" But this is the same type of hysterical statement as "ail Doctors consider it their first duty to pro- tract as long as possible even the most excruciating convulsion of most hopeless agony" There is no circumstance contra indicating the practice of Thomas Full ler's good physician: When he can keep life no longer in he makes fair and easy passage for it to go out"
 Nowadays, when the voice of fate calls, the majority of men may repeat the last words of Socrates: 'I owe cock % Asclepius'-a debt of thanlxfulness, as was his, for fair and easy passage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
uo,.,. ana Restaurant.

Birmingham is much better off in the matter of hotel accommodations now than it was three or four years ago, ana when the Tutwiler and the Roden are completed, some time next year. this will be known as a high-class hotel city" " said prominent man. "The Tutwiler will be ready for occupancy just about 8 year from now. The Roden may be opened a month or two earlier. When those two magnificent skycraper hotels are finished Birmingham will be able to entertain any of the large size national conventions
 At the present time Birmingham is better off in restaurants than any city in the south, except New Orleans. It is ahead of Richmond, which is the south s greatest hotel city, and it is ahead of Atlanta, which is also well off in hotels. Neither Nashville nor Memphis can be compared to Birmingham in the matter of first rate eating places"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

of the money market and by the cry or hard times. It Is not so in the present campaign which has been the most in- teresting political fight in half century
 q attribute the present normal ousi- ness conditions in this strenuous poiiucai campaign\to the confidence of the Amer ican people in the democratic nominee for President, Woodrow Wilson
 "rhe fight has simmered down to the progressive and democratic candidates, Roosevelt and Wilson respectively. Ihe more popular Roosevelt becomes the more sure will be the election of Wilson. The tariff, which is the real issue of the cam paign, the American people feel VIII pc safe in the hands of the democrats with such an executive as Woodrow Wilson in the White House. The change In the tariff schedule will be gradual and all other reforms made along busincss-hke lines, and the old ship of state will move along majestically.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
CAUSE AND EFFECT

From Judges Library.
 The great man had returned from a tour. of .'the provinces" and was joy fully greeted by the members of the club on his first appearance.
 Well, well. we'll" cried Little Binks, shaping him cordially on the back. Look who's here. Old Greatness him. self, returned from scenes of conquest! Have good time, old man?'
 Finer said the great man, with a modest blush of pleasure to find himself not without honor in his own country. Everybody was just as nice and cor dial as could be-
 .wined and dined everywhere sup poser" said Little Binks.
 "wincd and dined?" echoed. the great man. "Wined and dined? I guess I was wined and dined. Why. l was wined and dined until was wound and downed!'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
IN THE SOLID SOUTH

From the Kansas City Times.
 Since tho days of reconstruction these eleven states have never cast their electoral vote for any other than a democratic candidates:
 Alabama, North Carolina, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia. Texas,
 Louisiana, Virginia, Mississippi.
 As a result these states have vir- tually ceased to have influence in na- in a block for the democratic nominee. It has been known that no matter who was the candidate they would not bolt. Therefore they have received no con- sideration.
 In 8 democracy national campaign is a great educational influence. Men are interested in the nations business and get to thinking nationally. Not in 50 years has the south had a national campaign until this year.
 The shadow of one issue has lain thick across the southern states for more than a generation. It has forced progressives and reactionaries into one party. It has prevented a natural divi- sion, and has blocked progress. For unless progressives can weld them Selves into a solid fighting force standpatism wins.
 But in the south as Senator Bever- idge said at Chicago, they vote dead tradition and local fear. not a living conviction and a national faith"
 From this condition the progressive party opens the way of escape. Fir the first time since the war, if memory serves alright. progressive candidate for the presidency has made a cam paign speech in New Orleans.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
Fairs Here and in Montgomery

After declaring that Montgomery is "the proper place to hold a'state fair, , the Montgomery Advertiser says the Montgomery State Fair association "puts on better show than can be seen anywhere else"
 Now the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and beginning tomorrow the people of Alabama will be put in a position to compare the Birmingham State fair with the Montgomery State fair. If the former does not beat
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
A TRAVELLER TELLS THE TRUTH ,vov,, Tuduo'a Tibrary


 Knights of the grip will appreciate this yarn, which is told of one of their number He had been summoned as a witness in a case at court. his employ CTS having sued a delinquent customer and the lawyer for the defense was cross examining him.
 You travel for Hooque & Crooque Co, do you?" asked the attorney.
 "Yes, sir"
 How long have you been doing it?''
 About ten years"
 Been traveling all that time. have your
 Well, no. sir" replied the witness, making a nasty mental calculation; mot actually travelling. I have put in about four years of that time waiting at railway stations, functions and wa tering tanks for trains
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
conc-rn,ug the solid south

wilson will be elected by a large ma iority, according to the estimates of con- servative political observers, but I would be almost willing to bet that in 1916 the nominee of the national progressive party will be clected,' said Henry s. Grafton of Philadelphia.
 'T do not think that ex-Presdent Roosevelt will ever be again President The third term prejudice does not amount to as much as some people were disposed to think it would, but there are various reasons why Roosevelt will not be able lto win. Had he been a little better orr ganized than he was prior to the repub- lican convention he might have been nom- mated instead of Taft.
 q intend to vote for Wilson but I am not as strong a democrat as I used to be. I have never voted the republican ticket but if the new party holds its own through the next four years some strong man against whom there can be no serious charge will be nominated and probably elected. In 1916 it should be easy to break the solid south with a popular third party candidate and third party slogan.
 'Southerii people, taken collectively, hate tho name republican and |. as a northern man, cannot blame~ them for it was theIepublican party that was re- sponsible for the horrible reconstruction days in the south. No republican candi- date, no matter how attractive he might he, can carry the states that formerly constituted the southern confederacy. but with a new party and an able man as its standard bearer, North Carolina, Tennes- see, Georgia and probably Alabama will lave the democratic column"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
PASSING OF FOLD LADIES"

person, the dull substance of whose flesh has first been gripped in @ merciless hold by the straight front" then covered by a single garment that, when pulled into shape, suggests a balloon anchored by her feet. The hair Is dyed and adorned with jewels. while the touched up cheeks mock at lips that no art can make lyrical with gladness again.
 And then there is that blithesome per son, with "the figure Of a girl,'' who is so pleased to be told that you thought her the younger sister of her grown sons. sometimes wonder who first invented the phrase. It has tempted half the middle aged women one knows into wearing dresses hardly proper for self respecting debutantes. AS for the hats she affects, with their farcical forms and fantastic adornments, Savonarola himself would have found his store of invective taxed had he had such creations to assail.
 Now and then, the weather at zero. come from behind upon one of these hats, under which, in buckled slippers and silken hose, female form is moving with sprightly step. What are the mothers thinking of in these days l muse "al- lowing their young daughters to go about in such fashion." Then turn Is made. and with shock l catch sight of wrinkled face.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
1.-THE THOUGHTS OF YourHs

By Tennyson, 'Locksley Hall.'' Many night from wonder ivied case
 ment, ere went to rest. Did l look on great Orion slooping slowly
 to west. Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising
 thro the mellow shade. Glitter like swarm of fireflies tangled
 in silver braid. Here about the beach I wanderd, nour-
 ishing a youth sublime With the fairy tales of science, and the
 long result of Time; When the centuries behind me like
 fruitful land reposad; When chung to all the present for tho
 promise that it closed: When I dipt into the future far as hu-
 man eye could s01s Saw the vision of the world, and all the
 wonder that would bo.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

Job E. Hedges proposes to go through the gubernatoral campaign in New York without calling any one liar He will need all his wit this month if he avoids the Roosevelt contagion.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

A barefoot club of women Is proposed club of republican ladies. The bare feet cannot be mercerized. They are the real thiuc
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

To succeed in politics. said Tom Cor win. one should "be solemn ass" Job Hedges is not willing to accept the for mula.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02

Senator Works of California was elect ed as a progressive.S He is supporting Wilson. although he still says he is a republican, It is difficult to locate him, but his vote is definite and valuable
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-02
, University Education

T am glad to hear that all semlnarles, colleges and other institutions of learn ing in Alabama are prospering. sald a professional man. 'In addition to the ex- cellent high schools that are found in our cities there are many fine preparatory schools and several colleges that have able faculties.
 "A great deal of interest attaches to the University of Alabama. pr. Denny, the new president. achieved much at Washington and Lee, Lexington, Va, and he will achieve much more at Tuscaloosa because of the splendid support that the state gives the university. Upwards or 300 students are at the University or Alabama now and the number will in- crease considerably between now and Christmas. The university did a good thing for itself and for the state. in fact, for the whole south, when the trustees agreed to take over the Birmingham Med- ical college as a postgraduate or poly clinic school.
 'sF'rom this time on the university Is to be exceptionally strong in it's engineering department There is more demand now than ever for well educated civil en- |
 gineers, mechanic engineers, mining en- eineers and electrical engineers. Me chanical engineering schools should, If possible, be near great iron and steel works, and the school of mines should be as near as possible to coal and ore. There is large blast furnace near Tus- caloosa and modern coal mining is car ried on near the university. And then, the students of mechanic engineering can come to Birmingham every week or so and spend a day inspecting large plants here including the steel works at Ensley. and the students of mining will find 1t profitable to visit frequently the up to date ore mines of the Tennessee company.
 "As everyone can readily understand the future success of all large iron and steel making companies will depend chief ly upon the economies of mining and of treating the ores after they are taken out of the earth. Improvements are be-
 ing constantly made in mining engineer ing and the time will come when a branch of the university's engineering de- pertinent will be established right here in Birmingham"