davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

run IAl-4oAt1
 lN OGGEREL they may be considered by some people. but there Is no A> doubt that much amusement Las been caused and many customers attract ed by the quaint and curious rhymes which are often to be found adorning the walls and signposts of our old inns. Poetical signboards for public houses, of course. are no novelty. For centuries, in fact, it has been the custom of poetical publicans to crack jest in rhyme for the amusement of customers, and examples of these effusions are still to be seen.
 It is not often that public house signs warn people against the evil of drunken ness, but the little village of Great Bud worth, in Cheshire, has such a curiosity. Over the doorway of the George and Dragon is inscribed:
 As St. George, in armed array, Did the fiery dragon slay, So fiayest thou. with might TO less, Slay that dragon, Drunkennessi
 There are several inns which display the following lines on signboards which take the form of a painted five barred gate:
 This gate hangs high
 And flinders none.
 Refresh and pay
 And travel on.
 A noted inn in England. the White Horse, bore on it's sign this allusion to four other inns in the immediate locality: i: My White Horse shall bite the Bear
 And make the Angel fly; Shall turn the Ship bottom side up,
 And drink the Three Cups dry.
 Very often, however, rhymes take the form of warnings to customers who seek to drink but not to pay. Here are two or three examples to be seen on sign boards in various parts of the country: Pay today and trust tomorrow,
 You never know what man to trust;
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

These states he cannot lose II ne is to carry any at all. It is all these or none. The table herewith printed leaves out all problems, whether they be in New England, in Pennsylvania, in Illinois or in the far west, and sets down those states only that Wilson cannot lose.
 This table may be said to present Wilson's minimum vote. His maxi mum vote is presented by William Jennings Bryan when he says the democratic standard bearer will carry every state in the union. The reader will not have to wait long to ascertain where between this minimum and max imum the tabulation from AS states will stand.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

and the northern Baptist conven- tion. Also it is understood that the Greek church will have some part in the movement. Chairman Manning says: "The world conference proposal is that a definite effort should now be made to bring together representa- tives of all Christian communions throughout the world. It is hoped that this conference may include represen- tatives of the whole Christian world, both Catholic and Protestant. It is to be for the avowed purpose of consid- ering together those things in which Christians differ and which separate them one from another"
 There have been many important international conventions of Protest ant Christians but nothing like this "get together" or unity conference has ever been attempted. It is sure to make a profound impression on the world at large and all right minded people, no matter what their attitude toward creedal religion may be, can readily appreciate the mighty influ- ence for good of united Christianity. Actual organized Christian unity IS far in the future, no doubt, but be 1t never so remote, most important step is now being taken.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
Racing from Funerals

,In my walks these lovely afternoons my way lies along route traFsiea quite often by those who have been to la negro .burying, said an observant man, 'and I have been impressed witn
 the benefit to hack drivers of such af- fairs.
 q do think that there should be some feeling shown for the living horses while returning from the last rites of dead negro. There IS otten road race between hackmen, with
 an overload very often. in one-horse
 vehicle. . Also the leyity of the occu- pants, the loud. boisterous talk, and the
 general department on the return, IS in marked contrast to the moekery or respect attempted to be shown by sucn
 attendants on a funeral. The predilic-
 ton of the negro to go to funeral
 and ride in a hack, is as characteristic las dark skins and kinky hair.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

cent years it has been going up by leaps among those under 20. French statistics show that there were as many suicides under r years of age in single year at the beginning of the twentieth century as there were in five years at the begin ming of the nineteenth century. In other countries the condition is nearly as bad; in Prussia it is said to be worse.
 The causes are mainly sexual precocity and premature overattention to the ser- ous side of life. Boys and girls of 15 and Is are often deeply affected by sex stories and sex crimes. Our modern large city life with its intense preoccupation with these subjects makes an especially unfav-
 orable environment for sensitive young folk.
 Unless we can modify present condi- tions in this matter 1t is probable that our suicide-rate among what are practi- cally children will go on increasing out of proportion. The only hope for the mos
 ment is that special precautions be taken in family life to avoid such sexual pre- occupation among young folk by careful oversight of their reading and associa- I tions. "The greatest reverence," Quin- tiian said, lis due to children"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
The Church Unity Movement

Within the past 50 years the CO., operative spirit among the evangelical churches has been distinctly manifest. Several of the larger Christian bodies have held steadfastly to their doctrin- al standards, but controversial tactics have given way to practical evangel- ism, and within the past 25 years there has been a marked tendency to- ward Christian unity.
 Many persons still living can re- member when the Calvinists and Ar minians-Presbyterians and Metho- dists--clashed over predestination and free will, and when theological leaders on the either side of the question be- came acrimonious in their debates. The Evangelical alliance, organized in London in 1846, has brought together on a common platform delegates from most of the Protestant churches. In the alliance all agree on what are termed the essentials, putting aside non-essentials for the time being. The alliance was, in some sense, the fore runner of the Lambeth "Quadrilater- d." which in turn was the forerunner of the present church unity movement. There have been many suggestions touching general church unity, cur the most definite step in that direction was taken at the last general conyen- tion of the Protestant Episcopal church !. of the United States, held in Cincin- nati in 1910. The idea was brought forward by the Rev. Dr. w. T. Man. ming, rector of Trinity church, New York. J. Pierpoint Morgan, an Epis- copal vestryman, pledged at that time s1O0,000 to further the movement. The committee has done considerable preliminary work and preparations are now being made for a grand church unity conference. The Rev. MT. Manning, chairman of the com mittee on plans and scope, announced the other day that he had received Mir. Morgan's check for S100,000. This, in conjunction with other con tributions, will serve, it is said, the financial purpose of the unity com mission until the conference is actual ly held. According to the New York Sum-, if more money is needed il is understood that MT. Morgan is willing to contribute further. The Sun says that the most recent recruit to the world conference idea is Cardinal Gib- bons, and that his support has greatly encouraged the commission.
 Among the religious bodies that have already agreed to name repre- sentatives are the Episcopal church, and it's mother, the Church of Eng land; the Reformed churches hold ing the presbyterial system,. the Methodist Episcopal church, the M. E. Church south, one or two hEanches of the Lutheran church,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
DEATH OF THE "BEEF-AND" MAN


 From the New York World.
 Johnny Meehan, regretted today by la host of valiant trenchermen ranging from bootblacks to statesmen. was not the original "beef-and' man but the nephew and successor of the famous Dolan of Dolan's, Park row. Yet he had been the 'beef-and' man for the best part of a generation.
 Dolan's is an institution. Its owner was a public character Honors beck oned to him. Congress would have welcomed him; but with wealth ample for ambition he was most at home be- hind his counter, slicing beef True greatness he showed by slicing 1t after the unvarying Dolan tradition, no thicker, no thinner, year after year, ob- livious of beef trusts and tariffs. His devotion to business meant profession al pride. not greed, as many poor fellow temporarily embarrassed could testify His "sinkers" artist his night cashier, his walters, stayed by the place year after year. There were reasons. And when the entire force followed, through commissioners, the track for tunes of the "beef-and' race horses. Dolando and Meechanus, all Park row shared their subsequent elation or chagrin.
 The charm of Dolan's was constancy and good company. The brief bill of fare never changed. Damask and Persian trappings profaned not it's polished tables. Innovation-proof, dem ocratic. actual, plain. it was of the real New York; more characteristic than the newest and noisest of all the hectic lobster palaces of the Great White Way. MT. Meehan will be missed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
supERMAN or THE BALKANS


 From Current Literature for November. In the assumption by Ferdinand of Bulgaria of the dignity of chief of the
 united armies of the Balkan states those liberal and democratic European organs which hold him up to the ex-
 eeration of mankind profess to see an- other display of his characteristic and lunblushing audacity The friends CT
 Ferdinand behold in what he has just done fresh evidence of the sublime genius which, now that a supreme crisis threatens all Europe with dis laster. will work the salvation of the Balkan world. But whether the im- pressive and achieving Ferdinand limned in the portraits drawn by loving hands be disregarded for the sinister studies of those who scorn him, there seems little doubt that this Bulga- rian Czar Is himself the crisis. Dailies abroad damn him when their stand point is democratic. They find no
 phrase too fulsome in his favor when they comment from the angle of feac- tion The duality is traceable to the artistry, the brilliance, the charm Of |his absolutism. Here Is a ruler who frankly despises the people without op- pressing them, who regards democ- racy as academic and outworn. He has put into the body of his strange politi- cal system the soul of the superman, complains the Paris Humanite. state craft Is to him that realm beyond good and evil of which the famed Nietzsche spoke. Morals. rights, duties--these things correspond to no realities or which Ferdinand recks. That we are asked to believe, is why, in 25 years. he has transformed himself from pet (ty vassel prince to one of the worlds great independent soverigns.
 Corruption-the diversion of the tide of revenue from the coffers of the state to the individuals pocket-has proved a pillar of the glory of this potentate. There is no secret about it. The policy lis avowed openly in statements having
 almost the authority of inspired com munications. The explanation, we read lin the Libre Parole, is found in the necessity of transforming backward, primitive and agricultural Bulgaria. the
 
 modernized state as finds its monied class a backbone. The monotonous dead level of ruralized and pious obscurant- | ism found by Ferdinand when he aban- doned his Austrian elegance for his present throne made Bulgaria, as he said. hell to him. There were none
 of the trappings of monarchy in the
 land-no aristocracy, no solidly sub stantial bourgeoisie, no vested interest even. His court, in it's first few years. was as grotesque as a play staged by country pumpkins. To evolve the rich
 and the lordly, the great ones of his empire, he made administrators of the most venal and let them rob right and ! left In less than a generation he had
 filled his quaint capital with million
 aires. all with fortunes of doubtful origin. -
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
Republican Alarmists

The republicans have been asserting on every stump that a special session of Congress will be called in March to revise the tariff and prosecute the trusts. No authority for such state ment has come or will be apt to come from the democratic standard bearer. No doubt widespread popular de- mand for an extra session would be needed, but the country is tired of extra sessions. Congress has been kept in almost continuous session, and the country will probably welcome a re- turn to regular methods. This would give the whole summer to preparation for a revision of the tariff and cur rency system in the long session be- ginning in December, 1913. A great deal of investigation and study is needed.
 If Wilson is elected he will act with caution. He will consider the effect of every action on general business, and it is altogether too early to say that another extra session will be called next spring. No word has come from the democratic standard bearer on that subject, and none is likely to come before inauguration day. The republican spellbinders are too previ- ous. They speak without knowledge and without reason. They are alarm ists only.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

From the Washington Herald.
 HNHE Japapese at this time of year | have sort of Halloween of their
 \ own. When the autumn leaves be- gin to drop off the trees. the children are told that witches are throwing them down; and there is one particular night when sort of congress of demons as- sembles and it is imprudent to venture abroad, lest mischief befall.
 The worst of all the witches in the Mikado's realm Is Hannyan. She is a kind of witch goddess. and is supposed to be the arch representative of feminine envy and jealousy. Sometimes, in Japa- nesc art, she appears holding in her hand the head of a murdered infant, and grin ming over the accomplishment of the dreadful deed.
 Hatred and treachery, in Japan, find their favorite symbol in the serpent, which there assumes the character of a demon. It's silent and stealthy mode of getting about coupled with it's ponsonous charac ter, may perhaps justify the choice of this reptile as the emblem of malice But there are in that country other types Of fiends and goblins with which we are not acquainted. For example, there are gob- lin cats. and even goblin rats, which it is most unsafe to encounter after nightfall- As in our own land, the supermatured creatures of Nippon do not venture abroad customarily in the day time, the noctur- nal hours being more appropriate for the exercise of their alarming activities.
 Decidedly of Halloween character is story of a poor woodcutter and his wife. who dwelt on the edge of a forest
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
Interest in Arti.tic Mu.ie

While the masses in this country may show little discrimination In the matter of music, many men and wom- en do enjoy artistic performance and are elevated when they listen to the works of good composers" said an old concert goer.
 There has been very marked in- provenent on the part of the public in the evidence 1t gives of interest In high class music This Is so In New York. It is so in Birmingham. There is a larger percentage of gen. uine music lovers in this city today than was the case 10 years. or even five years ago-a much larger percent age of the total population.
 All children should receive solid in- struction in music. so that every com
 munity would have in time a large body of people who could follow a son ata or a symphonic poem with intel ligent appreciation. But the pleasure of all music lovers who attend con- oorts, whether they ever studied mu-
 sic or not. is greatly enhanced by that familiarity with beautiful com pVSlttoHS WHICH COIneS tiolil ifcquche hearing. The advance which has been made in musical appreciation Is largely the result of the concert-going habit.
 Birmingham music lovers have too few
 opportunities of listening to musical
 artists of the first rank. Therefore.
 they should not miss hearing those
 who do come to us. The Pasmores--
 three sisters noted for their fine en-
 stmble work-were in Birmingham last
 season and they have been secured for
 another appearance this season. They
 will be heard at the Jefferson theatre
 Sunday afternoon, November 24, under
 the auspices of the Birmingham con
 cert committee Any music lover who
 tails to hear them will miss a rare
 treat indeed. can recall no chamber
 music performance that ever delighted
 me more than did the playing of the
 Pdsmores"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

Mrs. Cleveland is popular among the Princeton boys, and the latter are now demanding that the faculty make Thomas J. Preston. bridegroom-elect. professor on the spot.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
PADDy's REPORT
From Tit-Bits,

From Tit-Btts. 3 $
 An Englishman. thinking to astonish an Irlshman. told him that he saw an s-year- old boy driving motor car through the crowded streets of London.
 That's nothing" said Paddy. T saw motor car going through the streets of Dublin, and there was not single person in it. They were all married.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
QUAINT PUBL CANS SIGNS

Take my advice, don't ask or borrow, Since man to man is so unjust. Two other verses run as follows. My beer is good. my measure just Excuse me. friends, l cannot trust.
 Free to call, free to think,
 Free to talk, free to drink,
 Ere to pay free to stay
 Yet another runs:
 Friendly Advice.-Drink moderately, pay honorably. be good company, part friend ly, go home quietly. Let these lines be no mans sorrow; pay today and trust tomorrow.
 Until very recently in Red Cross street, Leicester, there was sign depicting two idiotic looking. individuals drinking pots of beer, with the wording beneath, We three loggerheads bei' Who and where the third '1oggerhead' was has puzzled not Q few, and caused many hearty laugh when the solution dawned upon the questioner.
 little village inn outside Gloucester has a double sided sign bearing the foix 
 Before the hill you do go up,
 Step in and have cheery cup On the other side 1t is: You're down the hill, all dangers past, Come in and have a friendly glass E The composer of the rhyme inscribed on the Chequers inn, Yorkshire, was not a dunce in his busihess. for the alluring invitations:
 Be not in haste,
 Step in and taste
 Ale tomorrow for nothing, suggests beandless possibilities to thS thirsty, Things, however, are not always what they seem, and the customer coaxed inside by this generous call learns to his sorrow that tomorrow is always to come
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

Seven vice presidents have died in office as against five presidents. One of the former was William R. King of Alabama, who died before he had presided over the Senate. Four ex-vice presidents are. how ever living. namely. Oliver P. Morton. Adlai E. Stevenson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Charles w. Fairbanks.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
EATING HORSES AND DOCS

Dogs! The sign of a horses head in front of a butcher shop in Berlin means that horse meat Is sold inside. There are hundreds of such signs in that city. Mrs. Elmer Black. president of the Progress sive and Economic club, who has just been Investigating the cost of living in Europe, says she found the cost as high as, if not higher than, here, consider ink the wages paid abroad. She also says that in Antwerp she saw 100 dogs sold as food in the public market In one day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
nreed,ns Fine Hor.e. Preatabie

"The breeders of fine horses are not hurt by the automobile" said W. L. Jones of Columbia, Tenn, who formerly lived in Birmingham but now owns a stock farm in the Volunteer state" There is a good demand, steady and increasing. for fine saddle horses for planters in Alabama and Mississippi particularly. These horses bring from s250 to $500. The running walk Is the preferred gait and brings top-notch prices, all other points being satisfac- tory. Then there are fancy saddle horses, with the short trot and other gaits. well trained to the touch of the crop that bring s1ooo or more These are the horses usually seen In the bridle paths of parks in large cities.
 The harness racers-trotters and pacers-bring fancy prices as year lings and '2-year-olds' The breeding of runners. the thoroughbred is almost abandoned as the ban on betting on races has killed the business.
 "Yes, the raisers of fine horses and fine stock of other kinds are prosper ing, and life on such a farm Is the ideal one for those who love it.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

One campaign bet will either require a young high school teacher to wear low white hosiery throughout the winter or else her beau will have to wear straw -hat all winter
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
YOUNG SUICIDES

From the New York Herald.
 The suicide in this city last week of a boy of 15 over a love affair and in Wash ington Sunday of lad of 10 recalls at- tention poignantly to the fact that while suicide is increasing ct all ages in re-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

All are not experts when it comes to modern foundations. Modern foundations are complex affairs, and those of the Tut wiler hotel are coming alone as we'll as could be expected. The placing of the steel frame will be begun this month.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04
JAPANESE HALLOWEEN

i, under the shadow of the Honorable Mour- tain-meaning Fujiyama. They were childless, and the woman besought the mountain for a baby. That night there appeared on the mountain side a strange light, which seemed to hover over and finally rest upon a branch of tall bam- boo.
 The woodcutter hastened to see what 1t was and found moon child, tiny and fragile, sitting on the bamboo branch. My name Is Princess Moonbeam,'' she said. "and my mother is the moon lady
 The woodcutter took the little princess to his wife, and she lived with them until she grew up. The emperor's son, meeting her by accident in the forest. fell in love with her, and she loved him; but she told him that she could not marry him, because her life on the earth was limited to 20 years. In vain her princely sweet heart besought the gods. When the ap- pointed day arrived her mother, the moon lady, caught her up in silver moon- beam and carried her off.
 All the way to the moon the little prin- cess wept silvery tears, which. as they fell, took wings and hoated away. look ing for her beloved, who could see her no more. But the silver bright tears are seen this day floating about the wales and marshes of Nippon. Children chase theEl- with happy cries and say, "See the fire hies!'
 Then their mothers relate to them the legend and say. Those are the tears of the little moon princess, fitting to seek her beloved"
 And over all calm and eternal. smiles the Honorable Mountain.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

It is downright cruel to top the an- nouncement of 25-story skyscraper with one 30 stories high. Atlanta is sensitive on this subject and such announcements get on its nerves.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

Recent polls show that the young men are not turning to the republican party as they once did. Five to one is the dem ocratic proportion in Boston.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

The st. Louis be-Democrat says ther, are 40oo poets in this country. This il worse than even an Indiana estimate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

oscar Underwood came home from , tour of four eastern states tired but op timistic, travel weary but content.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-04

In Mesapotamia a statue 5000 years old resembling Chauncey Depew has been discovered This seems to account for the age of Chauncey's jokes.