davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

You see Indians everywhere, and Indian babies swarm Nearly every woman has a baby at her breast or on her back, ano inc boys and girls go along with babies hung to their backs as they do in Japan The children are put to work early. see Indian boys of six carrying burdens and girls of the same age trotting along with loads on their heads.
 From the Top of the Cathedral
 But come with me and let us take 8 look at the ruins. I have met here Father Rossbach, delightful priest who has charge of the old church oi La Merced. He is an American who Is doing missionary work among the peo- pie of his faith in Central America, and he has provided a guide for us in the person of a Grand Rapids boy who has come here for his health. The boys name is Lawrence Henner He speaks Spanish and he can show us about
 We go to the plaza and entering the cathedral wind our way around and around up the narrow, dark steps of the tower until we come out on the mighty roof of the structure. It Is formed by IA great domes, which make one think of the buildings of Egypt Back of these is the court, nov in ruins, the walls and roof having been torn away and only the great columns with their carved capitals still intact This building covers over an acre and it was full of worshipers when we had only log churches
 The view from the roof s ma agnifi- cent. We can see how the city lies in a circular nest in the mountains. Out side the basin is covered with coffee plantations and within the buildings have patios whose gardens and orch ards make the setting beautifully green. It is town built in forest and garden with these mighty ruins rising out of the green.
 Just next to the cathedral is the old university. We enter the court which is surrounded by areades where walked the students of 200 years ago. A part of the building is now used as a college, and in the court the schoolboys were drill- ing The teacher, with two whips In his hards, is directing the marching, and phographed the boys as they tramped.
 The Convent of San Francisco
 We take a carriage and drive to the Convent of San Francisco. Here are the ruins of a mighty church and monastery which in their prime must have been oi great beauty The entrance gates had statues of marble and above them are tile coats-of-arms of the King of Spain We pass in through great pillars beauti- fully carved, enter a court yard and thence go on to the body of the church. This is a mass of ruins, but the Indians have made homes in the walls. and they have carpenter shops and blacksmith shops where the monks once muttered their prayers Right over the arched door is a beautiful statue of the Madonna, and in the niehes on the church front are If statues of saints. The decoration with in is wonderfully beautiful but there are trees now growing in the main hal and moss and bushes cover the walls
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

taken up by King Edward. This was largely due to his wife. for whom the late monarch had a very sincere re- spect. At Invercauld, the daughter of Marshall Field became one of royalty 8 hostesses and King Edward who knew so well how to reward those who looked after his social comfort, made Beatty his naval A. D. C. Then, one day, he called the erstwhile Chicago beauty aside and told her of his determina- tion to give her husband a handle to his name,
 Please don't" said Mrs. Beatty am sure David would rather remain plain Mister and have no wish to be Lady Beatty"
 Some years later King George. not having heard of his fathers offer, made a similar proposal to the naval officer. Beatty dutifully took the offer home to his wife. That staunch democrat would not entertain the idea for a moment.
 We are much better off as we are than We would be with the motley crew the politicians are making into knights at the present moment. I would much rather have you know as David Beatty. the distinguished naval oificer,' than to have you lose your identity under some high sounding but meaningless title. No, let's remain as we are
 Before King Edward died Beatty had attracted the attention of that clever half-American who plays so large a part in the present government-W ston Churchill. He has confessed to friends that what he likes about Beat ty is his strong personality and the serious way in which he takes his pro fession. There are admirals in the British navy who have never even smelt the smoke Of actual warfare. Beatty is not one of these and Churchill. himself a man of action, likes Beatty's record of actual achievement. When. about a year ago. after McKenna had made mess of the navy, Churchill busted him and began his reforms which have added greatly to the fight ing strength of the British navy. 1t was to Beatty, largely. that he went for advice. And. in order that he might have the constant counsel of the youth . ful rear admiral, Churchill made him his naval secretary Now that the work of reformation is almost com pleted and the hour of actual test seems close at hand he launches his protege on the high seas in command of powerful squadron that he may win everlasting fame and glory in ths coming struggle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

That fools have an ancestory of which one might well be proud sounds strange in this boasted era of learning and cul- ture. and yet such is the case beyond oavil or doubt.
 In ages long agone no royal court was considered complete without it's official fool, and in such high honor was the pos sition esteemed that it was a berth much coveted, and it's occupant was more often the subject of envy than of ridicule.
 Many of these court fools became fam cNs and have left a fame and reputation that has come down to us on gilded pages. It is opportune here to speak of d rough and uncouth monarch who was converted to a Christian life by overhearing the sim pie prayer of his court jester. The hunch- back was discovered on his knees and as nis majesty listened he was struck by these simple words that fell from the lips of the mis-shapen creature: Lord, pity me, q fool"
 The King deemed himself the greater foo. of the two and ever afterward led an altered life.
 But 1t is the ancestory of the fool in literature that now interests us and his pedigree is most interesting. He of course starts with the Greeks who are the pio- neers of our literature which is eNtant anu he is the prototype which the Rom ans, who were borrowers. later developed into pronounced, popular and realistic individuality.
 Romans Liked Fool
 He was popular with the Romans, who while they excelled in everything else, failed in the drama or tragedy. It is a fact that Italy has given Us the world richest store in art, architecture, laws, music prose and verse but in tragedy she has ever been iaggard. There is d reason for this and a weighty one at that. q .9r~ in 1a1 fG Her history was a bloody drama and the scenes of both private and public life were sufficiently tragedical to glut and satiate Inc most austere. Then again the fool could shine in pantomime to greater advantage than in mere rehearsal. for the eve detects and relisles the ridiculous more keenly than does the ear, and in the great amphitheatres of the empire, where the acoustic properties were weakened by the uncovered stage the words Of tha actor could not travel very far. and soon became undistinguishable. In the coli scum with it's seating capacity of SO,@l it would be extremely difficult to detect the actors speech. Moreover the en- hire was composed of so many nations speaking a different language that even if the words of the player reached the ears of the audience they would be unin- telljgible to eight-tenths of the assem- blaze.
 No wonder. then, that the Romans took to the stage fool and soon made the Miles Gloriosus' of Plautus a popular idol. While this character was lash toned out of material stolen from the New Attic comedy, he is the initial pro- ,.enitor of our stage fool Punch and Judy, and modern circus clown. He possessed a swagger that was stunning; was great braggart yet withal an arrant cow ard
 He was long popular but finally gave way to his immediate predecessor who
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

sea lord in succession to the illustrious chosen ones. like Tug Wilson and Lord Fisher, who have helped to keep the British armada in the forefront of the worlds fleets in efficiency as well as in numbers. So determined arc those in charge of the navy to pass the young rear admiral through the intervening steps that, in one case, special order in council was necessary to override the regulation of the service which stood in his way It was when King Edward wanted to make him rear admiral. so rapidly had been Beatty's advancement that he had not been able to comply with the regulation, which sets fortn
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

bearing forests. rocks and earth in their floods
 That first city was founded by Pedro Alvarado only g years after Columbus first crossed the Atlantic. Alvarado was an officer of CorteZ and he was sent with an army of 250 Spaniards to con- quer the countries of Central America. He enlisted great hordes of Indians, subduing the natives He reduced tribe after tribe to slavery. branding them and selling them in the public mar kets. He chose this place as his capi- tai. and architects came over from Spain to lay out the city It was just about the time of his death that the town was destroyed and the Indians here believe that it was largely done as a judgment upon his wife, who com planed to the Lord because she had lost her husband.
 A Seat of Culture and Learning
 In rebuilding the city the Spaniards chose q site about two miles away and there erected their capital. This re- mained in existence for 230 years, when it was again destroyed by the same volcano which had brought on the flood. The new capital was laid out with the idea that it would be the metropolis of North America and egr generations ii was the center of culture and learning
  stroyed in 1773 by earthquakes and at that time it had 120,000 people. In 1900 Boston had only 24.0G0, and it was d city of wood.
 This old capital of Guatemala was | city of stone and stucco. It's streets were paved with stones, and it had buildings which covered acres. It had 49 churches whose priests were under the government, and the others had been established by tho SDaniards. who built them in gFati- tude for the prosperity given by the Lord There were also eight great monasteries five convents, two big hospitals and three massive jails There were palaces ga- lore, and outside the city were 70 In- dian villages surrounding it like the set ting of a diamond.
 In the center of the city was great plaza, upon which faced the cathedral 3e0 feet long and 12O feet deep. This Was lighted by 30 windows, and oyer it's grand altar was a dome 70 feet high, supported by 16 columns of ston faced with foe- t9ise shell and adorned by bronze medal lions of wonderful beauty,
 The monastery of San Francisco had more than SO0O people within it's walls, and the College of the Jesuits was even more beautiful. Further on 1 describe the ruins of these and other buildings, which give some idea of the magnifcence of the capital.
 It was a wealthy city. It's white inhab- itants had thousands of slaves, and gold and silver were brought in from the mountains and sent from here by the shipload to Spain. The land about was cultivated, and everything was prosper ons beyond the dreams of avarice
 Destroyed by Earthquakes
 Then came the earthquakes and erup- tinns In 155S there was a plague, and in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
Antigua, Guatemala.


 oU have probably never heard of
 Y Antigua? Nevertheless it was
 4 long one of the great cities of the North American continent. It was famous 8 hundred years before any settlement in the United States began 10 be. It had it's tens of thousands when our Dutch ancestors landed on Manhattan Island, and it's colleges and its cathedral when the boys of the Pilgrims were first trotting the cow paths which formed the streets of old Boston. It had palaces and public buildings when we had only log cabins, and its ruins show that it far sur passed any other city of North America for two hundred or more years after the continent was discovered.
 The Old Capital of Spanish America
 I have seen all the ruined cities of the world, but l know none more in teresting than those of this old capital of Spainsh America. I alave tramped through the streets of Pompeh, and have explored the remains of zimbabwe in northern Rhodesia. l have explored Timgad, the once buried capital which is now being eXcavated on the edge of the Sahara, and have wandered about over the site of old Carthage. A few years ago I was in Baalbek, that old ruin in the mountains of Lebanon. and it is only few weeks since wrote to you about Quirigua, the city of the Mayans in tue Motagua valley, not far from here.
 The ruins of Antigua lie at the foot of two mighty volcanos They repre- sent a metropolis which was destroyed again and again by earthquake and eruptions, until the people of Guate- mala gave up in despair and moved their capital to where it is now.
 The site of the city is 30 miles from the railroad, and it took me 10 hours of hard riding on the back of mule to reach it. It was situated here in the mountains on the slopes of the Volcano de Agua and of the Volcano de Fuego, which, translated into English, mean the mountains of fire and of water.
 These mountains are symmetrical volcanoes. Each is as beautiful as Fuji- wanna in Japan, or the Moyon volcano of southern Luzon. Fuego now and then rumbles and it is said that 1t may at any time break out in eruption. The Volcano de Agua is now quiet, but 1 1 years after the old city was started it burst forth in deluge of water and reduced it to ruins. Some think the water came from a lake in the volcano, which the eruption threw out like d mighty cloud burst, and others say that fs came from torrential rains, Nvhich had been pouring for seven days and which rolled down the mountains,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

that, before he can be promoted to the position of rear admiral a captain must peace
 Beatty was born in 1871. Thirteen years later he entered the navy as mldship- man. His first real opportunity to dis tinguish himself came in the soudan in 1s9s and he lost no time in proving his bravery. In especially trying circum- stances he was quite unexpectedly called upon to command the gunboat flotllla and so well did he handle his little fleet that he attracted the attention of the greatest soldier of the present day. the grim, stern
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

the latter's high praise Beatty was raised to the position of commanders, awarded the distinguished service order, mentioned in official dispatches, given q medal decorated with the Order of Med. jidie. fourth class
 Then followed q couple of years of inaction. When the Boxer rising broke out in China, young Beatty was in the thick of it. Again he was mentioned in official dispatches, awarded a medal with clasps and promoted to the rank of captain for conspicuous service. In- cidentally he was wounded and laid up for some time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
THE FOREBEARS OF A FOOL--By C. F. Markell

riant of Scaramuoca who boasted of the soubriquet of Pantalon.
 When the French adopted the Italian fool they accredited him with low cum hing that was a considerable improve ment upon the mental qualifications Of his prototype. They took the Seapino or Berramo as a model and nicknamed him Scapin. This was a conceit of Moliere and so successful was it that name has been turned into provcrb. The Abbe de Pradt called the First Napoleon Jupiter Scapn. in allusion to his dispo- stion to employ triekery.
 scaramuccia appears to have never wandered beyond the confines of France but Harlequin strayed over into Germany and England welcomed Pantalon whom they dubbed Pantaloon. He was noted for his agility as well as his gluttony and he always carried a lathe for sword.
 Hanswurst in Germany
 Germany received Harlequin with open arms and gave him the German name of Hanswurst (Jaek Sausage9, under which title he even forced his way into Hamburg opera. At other places in Ger many he was Enown as Pickelhering. Here he was versatile to a remarkable degree, being a servant, messenger, spy. intrigant and conjuror. He always ap- peared arrayed in motley garb and was provided with a cracking whip like the gleemen of old. He was obscene and vulgar. a great eater and immoderate drinker, a braggart and coward. In fact he became the hero of farce and the jester of tragedy. So completely did he ensross the public taste that a Ger man theatre was established in HOS in the imperial capital, which was Vienna, for the express purpose of exploiting his repertoire and enhancing his prestige. The founder of the theatre was Sileslan named Joseph Stranitkzy, who made ex elusive use of the plots and characters of Italian farce and even took upon him self the interpretation of the role of Harlequin whom he christened Hans wurst But this title did not originate with Stranitzky for it. was soubriquet born by the clowns of the earlier drama. He did. however. improve and widen the versatility of his prodigy and so shaped his interpretations that they appealed di- rectly to the Viennese. His Hanswurst was variant of Arlecchino and portray ed all the provincialism of Salsburg as his Italian prototype was steeped in that of Bergamo and both weres made to speak in their native dialect.
 Arecchino had his own special cos- tune made of triangular patches of cloth and Hanswurst was always as distnc lively arrayed as a Salzburg peasant with the characteristic green pointed hat of which our modern dunces cap and circus clowns headgear are legitimate descendants.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

devices in avoiding these objects of his terror that endeared him to the hearts of the Italian populaee.
 It seems that Venice in her continual Jupiter scapin, in allusion to his dispo- tween Austria and Italy possessed a va
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

was even known in the comedy of France prior to the days of Moliere.
 But the Italian stage as well as the Italian nation suffered it's irvasions and when Charles entered Italy a Spanish capitan was introduced who dealt in spanish bravado and kicked out the Ital-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

ian capitan. The newcomer was still a coward and was known as Scaramoueh and when Spanish influence ceased in Italy the Scarmouch remained for the Capitan of old was no more.
 The Italians called him Scaramueeia and by that name he was introduced into
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

France as early as 16i0, the Italian actor Fiurelli being his sponsor. Scaramuccia had his comrades who were as silly and almost as popular as himself These were Ssnnio (Zany), Polichinello and Harlequin oe whom he was always in abject fear and it was his grimaces and
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29

was known in early Italian comedy as Captan. This Capitan was for many years the conventional ridiculous braVado who came upon the stage to buster and talk of murder and bloodshed, but who eventually submitted with great meek ness to punishment and buffetng. He
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
How Punch Came About

In England Pantaloon's career was not so long-lived and he soon deterioated into the Punch of the side-show and street faker His very name proclaims his an- cestry for it is nothing but a corrup-
 (Continued on Next Page.)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
Destroyed by Earthquakes

Then came the earthquakes and erup- ions. In l55S there was a plague, and in
BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1912-08-03

ninguna de las islas Sc VIC libre de elias.
Los roedores "devoraron todo 10 que
encontraron su paso. frutas, plantas
hasta arboles . de modo tai que dn-
rante I'm ailo apenas encontraba la gen
tie que conner. Sc aprob6 una ley obi
gando todo hombre residente en- las is
las a tener siempre II ratoneras arma-
das A pesar de todos los esfuerzos los
animales continuaron aumentando, has
ia que desaparecieron fnalmente de un
modo tan repentino, que hay que supo-
nener que debieron haber sido vlctimas
de alguna epidemia
(Contin1a en- la Ia pagina)
BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1912-08-03

TERRA adentrO a la costa cada mes de
octubre. Sc sabe que este coincide con
La termination de La temporada Ell que
sc verifca la pesca de arenque Du-
rante la epoca de la pesca los roedores
Sc dirigen EN- gran n1mero a la costa,
atrafdos por los despojos que resultan
de la limpieza de la arenque y cuando
Sc ACADIA este alimento, ell animal Sc apre-
sura a regresar sus fncas aldeas
En- la America del Sur las plagas de
ratas son frecuentemente peri0dicas, y
Sc suceden en- Parana, Brasil, por in
tervalos de un0s treinta amos Y EN- Chi
lie cada ounce veinticinco amos. Sc
ha descubierto que estas plagas EN- las
tierraS cultivadas siguen a la epOca de
madurez Y caida de la especie dOminan-
te del bambl en- cada pals La semi
lla madura ofrece durante dos o mas
amos lm alimento favorito para las ra-
tas en- los bosques, donde los animales
Sc multiplican mucho. Cuando Sc aca-
ba este alimento. estan obligadas a di-
rigirSe a las tierras cuItivadas en- bus
ca de alimento En- 1873 casi todas las
cosechas de maiz, arroz y mandioca del
Estado del Parana fueron destruidas por
las ratas. 10 cual di6 origen a I'm pc
riodo caIamitoso de hambre
En las islas Bermudas ocurri6 una IN
vasi6n aa ratas ALA por el ano 1915. Du-
rante dos amos aument6 el ndmero de
estas de un mcdo tan alarmante que
BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1912-08-03

Durante una playa de raras en- la IS
de Jamaica en- 1888, ell nGmero de las
Iue mataron en- una sola plantation du-
rante un ano lleg0 "A $4,000 FL dano
.ausado por estos animales en- esa epo-
ga a las fincas de cana Sc calculo en-
medic million de dollars anualmente.
FL nforme enviado al Parlamento
ingl6s por la Comisi6n del Hambre de
a India presenta uno de los mejores
cjemploS del nGmero de ratas que pue-
lc infectar un pals Tn eXtraordina-
lio nlmero de estoS animaleS puluaba
cn esa epoca por la region Sur del Dec
can los distritos Mahratta de la India
La coSecha del otono de 1878 la de pri-
lnavera de 1879 fueron ambas inferi0res
q la que pOdia calcularSe como prone
dio y una gran parte de ella fu6 des-
truida por las ratas La escasez de Vi
yeres que este produjo fue causa de
cue Sc ofrecieran premios por la des
trucci6n de estOs animales Y Sc mataron
mas de 100000.
Sc han dado muy menudo casos de
emigration de ratas. La rata obscura
es conocida generalmente EN- Europa Co
mo una rata emigrante Los alemanes
Ia llaman Wanderratte. Pallas cuenta
cue durante el otono del ano 1927 lego
a Astrakhan esta especie procedente de
Este, en- tai cantidad tan repentina-
mente que NADIA pudo hacerse en opo-
slci6n a eSta invasion Cruzaron ell
Nolga fernando numerosos ejercitos Y
asi inyadieron ell sur de Russia
La causa de esta emigration general
Sc atrlbuye un terremoto, pero en- Wis
ia de semejantes emigraciones de esta
mlsma especle 0curren a menudo sin
que haya terremotos es probable que so
10 la necesidad de buscarse alimento ha-
va sido la cauSa de la emigration que
por vez primera llev6 este animal a
Europa
En- primavera ocurre un movimentO
de ratas de las casas graneros los
camp0s, precisamente cuando va hay ali
mento verde vegetal suculento para
elias. FL moyimiento de regreso ocu-
rre en- otono. Este movimiento emigra-
torio es notable a1n en- las grandes ciu-
dades
Sin duda que la mayor parte de las
llamadas emigraciones de roedores 81 pu-
dleran conocerse todos los hechos, po-
drian atribuirse excesos de reproduc
ci6n, ,muy grandes a escasez de ali1nenta-
ci6n en- un sitio, 10 cual obliga un cam
bio de residencia. En- Inglaterra ocu.
rre un moyimiento general de ratas dt
BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1912-08-03
La rata y su relacion
con la salud p1blica

TRABAJO ESCRITO POR OFICIA-
LES DEL t. S. PUBLIC HEALTH
AND MARINE HOSPITAL SERVI-
CE. Y FUNCIONARIOS DEL DE
PARTAMENTO DE AGRICULTU-
RA.