davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

thought that maybe the buoyant spirit here will be buoyant spirit there and the smile that we treasured on earth will dwell on the face of our departed friend through eternity. As Nathaniel P. Willis has said, if there is nothing more to birth and death than the sorry scheme of earthly ex- istence, with it's sorrows and it's disap- pointments. what thrice-mocked fools are we! Poor dupes, indeedl It IS bet ter to think that all will be well. and rest constant in that. In taking leave of Bobby" as he was known to some of his most inti- Hp1ate friends, I can think of nothing more appropriate and more expressive of my own feelings than those beau tiful and impressive lines of Robert Bridges, entitled
 THE UNILLUMINED VERGE" They tell you that Death s at the
 turn of the road, That under the shade of a cypress
 you'll find him, And, struggling on wearily, lashed by
 the goad
 Of pain, you will enter the black mis.
 ptAiH0 HILL q can walk with you up to the ridge
 of the hill,
 And we'll talk of the way we have
 come through the valley Down below there a bird breaks into
 trill.
 And a grooming slave bends to the
 oar of his galley. oxo,, a ra ,,r on +bo bo;on,s ~o.-
 pity the slave Poor soul. how fate lashes him on
 at his rowingi Yet it's joyful to live and it's hard to
 be brave
 When you watch the sun sink and the
 daylight is going. we are almost there-our last walk i19l
 this height I must bid you goodbye at that
 cross on the mountain. See the sun glowing red and the pull
 sating light
 Fill the valley, and rise like a flood
 in a fountainl And 1t shines in your face and illun-
 ines your soul; We are comrades as ever, right here
 at your going; 
 If the goal,
 While I must return to my oar and
 the rowing. we must part now? Well, here is the
 hand of a friend; I will keep you in sight till the road
 makes it's turning Just over the ridge, within reach of
 the end
 Of your arduous toil-the beginning
 of learning. You will call to me once from the
 mist on the verge, 'Au revoirl and Good night' While
 the twilight is creeping Up luminous peaks and the pale stars
 emerge2
 Yes, I hear your faint voice: This Is
 rest. and. like sleeping!
 PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
MOTH AND THE FLAME

From Man as a Mechanism" in the
 November Metropolitan.s
 In analyzins the instinct in living creatures Prof. Jacques Loeb found that it was composed of many responses or reflections which he called "refiexes' D "Kicking against the pricks," translated into scientific language, is ''re-action upon stimulus" That is reflex-an instinct is a gang of reflexes.
 Ibe flight of the moth into the flame Is a typical reflex" action. The fly laying it's eggs on fresh meat so that the larvae can eat as soon as they ap- pear, is reflex" action. The plant turning it's growing leaves toward the window is another reflex" action. And, different as these actions are, Loeb saw in them one law at work-a law operative in the vegetable as we'll as animal kingdom. He saw that pro- toplasm. stimulated by an outer force (either physical or chemicaD was set in motion. This motion seemed intel ligent and purposeful in the fly laying it's egg, or the plant seeking the light, but far from intelligent in the moth. Yet he bound the acts, different as they were. into a bundle which he labeled "tropisms -(turnings) and then he proceeded to study the protoplasm which had reacted chemically upon light, heat, or, as it seemed, upon the smell of raw meat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
TYPICAL AMERICAN HOME

"Presbyter Ignotus," in the Living
 Church.
 I was talking the other day with an expatriated American whom years in Paris had turned into something not easily labelled; and I found that his idea of Americans in general was based upon the incredible snobbery of the yellow newspapers, the reports or lynchings in certain sections, and the admitted corruption in too many Of our city governments. l sketched has tily a typical American home: in an Iowa town of 5000 people, the father a bank cashier with salary of $25OO, the mother a college graduate but quite capable of performing all the house. hold duties when the one maid was absent. All the children go to the pub lie schools, and in consequence grow up wholesomely democratic. There are not many heirlooms about the house; but the best books and magazines much more than supply that lack They live simply, comfortably, unaffectedly, on a street that is like bit of park way, with its green grass, flower beds, masses of cannas and hydrangeas, and tennis courts that seem common prop erty: and they and the scores of thous- ards of others in much their case are the typical Anericans-not the absurd "smart set at which everyone smiles except the ultra -demagogic newspapers which report it's doings in prodigious detail; nor the revolver-carrying sur yiyals of the dark ages, nor the pro fessional politicians. l grew almost lyrical before l had finished, and my quasi Parisian acquaintance said, T never knew there were such people as you describe on this side"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
Curious Facts

This has been a comparatively quiet campaign but several startling things have happened. among them the shoot- ing of Theodore RoosC the death of the vice president" obs.~.sed all old citizen. Among other curious facts is this: Within the past few days many men who said they would vote the demo- cratic ticket have expressed the belief that either Roosevelt or Taft would be tho next President. Within the past day or two I have met more men who were thinking that Taft would succeed himself than who thought Roosevelt would be chosen President again
 Tt looks to me like Wilson; still, l would not he surprised if Taft pulled The republicans are ringing the changes on prosperity and I am told that there has been a decided gain on the re- publican side since last Monday
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
Demonstration Farms in Alabama

Demonstration methods on 14,170 acres covered by actual official re- ports made to the state board of ag- riculture resulted in an increase of 126 per cent in the yield of cotton and in an increase of 100.6 per cent in the yield of corn during the year of 1911. Presumably 5000 other demonstra- tors and co-operators did equally as well, thus adding not little to the unexampled crops of that year.
 Could the 10,000,000 acres of culti- vated lands in this state be put on the demonstration basis, what state this would be! And them there would be small difficulty in finding white farm CTS in the middle west who would be- gin to cultivate the 20,000,000 acres in this state that now go untitled.
 This would make Alabama one of the richest states in the Union, but all this cannot be brought about in jiffy. It should, however, be possible through demonstration farming to do this by 1850, thereby increasing the value of every cultivatable acre to at least $100. There are many living today who will live to see all this accomplished.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
THE BATTLE OF THE ANTS

which I have particularly described were struggling, carried it into my house and placed it under a tumbler on my window sill in order to see the issue. Holding a microscope to the first mentioned red ant, I saw that, though he was assiduousis Iepawipg at the near fore)eg of his enemy, having severed his remaining feeler, his own breast was all torn away, exposing what vitals he had there to the jaws Of the black warrior, whose breastplate was apparently too thick for him to pierce and the dark carbuncles of the sufferers eyes shone with ferocity as war only could excite.
 They struggled half an hour longer un- der the tumher, and when looked the black soldier had severed the heads of his foes from their bodies and the still liv- ing heads were hanging on either side of him like ghastly trophies at his saddle bow, still apparently as firmly fastened as ever, and he was endeavoring with feeble struggles, being without feel CTS and with only the remnant of a leg. and I know not how many other wounds, to dlvest himself of them, which, at length, a1tef nalI an Hour UT Hiore, ho accomplished I raised the glass and he went off over the window sill in that crippled state. Whether he finally sur vived that combat and spent the re- mairider of his days in some hotel des in- valides, do not know, but thought that his industry would not be worth much thereafter. I never learned which party was victorious, or the cause of the war. but I felt for the rest of that day as If I had had my feelings excited and har- rowed by witnessing the struggle. the ferocity and carnage of a human battle before my door.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

able to form any definite opinion about the issue of the approaching contest, and the most daring party prophets scarcely venture upon any but very oracular ut terances. Numerous experimental polls have been taken upon which forecasts are more or less confidently founded in some quarters, but they do not carry conviction. It is Vaguely supposed that Dr. Woodrow Wilson has a good lead, that MT. Roosevelt comes second, and that Mir. Taft, though perhaps now gain ing little, comes third in the race But the old party ties are loosened. and all prognostications are thereby rendered un- certain, while there are no means of es- timating the effect of MT. Roosevelt's ap- peals upon members of either party. But a new element of uncertainty is now added. It is impossible to calculate the effects of the.wave of sympathy for MT. Roosevelt that is certain to sweep over the whole electorate Speaking after his wounding, he declared passionately that his own life gave him little concerns but that his whole heart and soul were in reforms which would lift burdens off men and women throughout the land. These words will carry conviction to thou sands who may now be wayering. Spok- en in such circumstances, they will ap- peal to human hearts even more than to political judgments. They will illumine Mir Roosevelt and his efforts with new light. and they will prove potent to turn the scale in thousands of cases where without such stimulus men would have gone on languidly weighing the pros and cons of ordinary political argument. The effect is quite incalculable, but all we know of human nature goes to assure us that it will be immense. All previous estimates and calculations are upset. and political prophets must begin again from the beginning to weigh MT. Roosevelts chances in conditions more complicated than before
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
CONVERSATION

Prof William McAndrew of the Washington Irving high school in the Worlds Work for November makes the observation that educators can't talk. 'T am appalled, at the barren ness of the conversation of school peo- fle. We are wretched listeners and poorer takers. We are rarely engag- ing or entertaining. One might reason ably expect scholarly professor to converse surprisingly well. He usually disappoints. The immature youth who spend so much time with us fail to gain habits of conversation. which are essential to the growth of a social be- ing like man. notice especially at school parties or when I overtake one of our youngsters on the street how pitiably clumsy they are in their talk. Not only has our education failed to bring out their social graces but 1t has suppressed what they have. The boys of meagre schooling, whom one meets on the city streets or in the Maine woods. show after you have ycoaxed away their shyness, a power of sustained conversation that makes their society a delight"
 "The reason for this lack is's' he says, that the topics of the school room are isolated. One cannot find an opportunity to use them in society No one will engage with us in a chat upon the clam's digestion, the ablative absolute. or Sir Walters style. It can Dc argued with some degree of truth that the things taught in school are what our best society ought to talk about, but so far are our school man agers from controlling the thoughts and conversation of the world that we usually find ourselves awkwardly silent in company because we belong to an ls4. 1aareod :,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
so WHY FRET.

From the American Magazine.
 Are the trains too slow for you? Caesar, with all of his court, never ex- ceded the speed limit. Are your wages too small? In Europe people are content with making a living.
 Are the lights too dim? David wrote his psalms by the light of smoky torch.
 Are you ugly? Cleopatra, though home- Iy, bewitched two emperors.
 Are you cold? The soldiers of Valley Forge walked barefoot on the ice and snow.
 Are you hungry? The children of India are starving for want of a crust of bread.
 Are you tired? Why fret about 1t? Jacob was tired when he dreamed of the angels pf heaven. Are you sick? Suppose you had lived 2000 years ago when sickness was fatal. Are you poor? The Saviour of men was not wealthy
 Cheer up! Praise God that you live in the midst of His blessings. Why fret?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
ApE,s TROUBLESOME NAME

From Affairs at Washington Joe
 Mitchell Chappele in National Magazine
 for September.
 George Ade has a name whose spelling has occasioned him great deal of trouble during his illustrious career. Some will insist that it is the name of the Red Cross organization, and suggest the elimination of George. who would be- come First Ade." When he buys dry goods and tells the young lady his name he always has to come to the rescue while she writes Aide" Aid, but never thinks of making a combination of the three letters "A-de-'' Then there are some cold Anglo-Saxons in New England who have read his works, but have seen him not-sometimes in the cars you hear them saying: "Oh. have you read the lat test by George Addr'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
TIE CRICKET

From the London Chronicle.
 The cricket on the hearth is still a welcome guest in many English house. holds. For the cricket is believed to bring good luck to house, while his departure is certain hamburger of evil tidings. It is unlucky to kill a cricket There is a local superstition in Lancashire that crickets are lucky about a house, and will do no harm to those who use them well; but that they eat holes in the worsted stockings of such members of the family as kill them" The writer adds that he was assured of this Ion the experience of a respectable farmers family"
 The cricket superstition is not con- fined to England: Sir William Jardine
 noted it's existence in Scotland last century More widespread, however, is the death watch superstition. I con fess that the ticking of death watch at night gives me an uncanny feeling. Sir Thomas Browne, in his Vulgar Errors" was probably the first to give A true account of this death watch {: |" the noise is made by lit tie sheath winged gray insect, found often in wainscot benches and wood work in the summer We have taken many thereof, and kept them in thin boxes; wherein l have heard and seen them work and knock with a little proboscis or trunk against the side of the box, like a picus martins, or wood becker, against a tree" But explana- tions, however clear, do not dispel Isuperstitions, and the "sheaf- wing in- sect still ticks terror into the hears of watchers about sick bed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
loyal to all that he had long sup

loyal to all that he had long sup ported.
 His amiable disposition won him many friends, and in the course of an active political career he scarcely knew what defeat meant. He will be deeply mourned in his native city and there will be a great number outside of it who will recall his attractive per sonal qualities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
RESTRICTIONS OF \ BACHELOR

From the New York Press.
 A man believes in principles so as to argue about them.
 The only time girl understands baseball Is at a football game.
 No bed could ever be built big enough to keep cold feet out of reach.
 People spend their money and then lplan the way they ought to have done it. The folly of giving women the balTo: would be they'd want to know what shey were voting on
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Col. Willis Brewer. who formerly lived in Lowndes county, is dead at the age of 6S He established the Wilcox Times and later the Haynevile Examiner. He won honors in both the literary and the political world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
HER FLOWING LOCKS

By Burns.
 Her flowing locks, the ravens wing, Adown her neck and bosom bring; How sweet unto that breast to cling
 And round that neck entwine her. Her lips are roses wat wi dew, o, what feast her bonnie wou'i Her cheeks mair celestial hue.
 A crimson still diviner.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The Women's Wilson and Marshall dance at the Waldorf-Astoria on Monday night, the proceeds to go to swell the democratic national campaign fund. The three daughters of Governor Wilson are expected to be present. Tickets are 5 a. pair
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The uper-dreadnaught, the New York, was duly launched, although the young lady at the bow could not break the bot tie of champagne as the ship slid into the water. It is too late to apply the recall to her.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

man who wished to practice Kneipp cure in Central park, New York, was told people whether they wore socks or went barefooted. He got no permit and he was advised to practice the cure surrepti- tiouslV
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
ALREADY THAT WAY HERE

From the Houston Post.
 Memphis, Atlanta and Birmingham will kindly take notice. The Houston town builders are preparing to puncture tbs sky in five more places. The Armament win soon look like sitter in this vi- cinA.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
HEARD NEAR SUBWAY ENTRANCE

Paper, sir?" called out a newsboy The man stopped and fshed out nickel Never mind the change" he said, fold ing his paper buy cake of soap with it and wash your face. By the looks you haven't did it for a week.
 The fyoungster looked at him an instant. then handed back four pennies with great dignity Keep the change yourself, mis- ter," he said. and buy book on grame mar'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Something ails the Czars only son, who is years old Some accident or trouble has come to him, and all particulars are withheld from the public.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

In the monthly review issued by the First NationalN bank of Birmingham. which will be found on another page Of tcday's Age-Heraid, Is discussed. among other things. the reason why we will probably have an extra session of the legislature in the early part Of next year.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Get in training at once to mark your ballot right for President and for the Alabama constitutional amendment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The elephant, the donkey and the bull moose are marching toward the White House, and one of them will dodge into it to stay four years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

At the grand costume ball of the Will Marshall women in New York every body will be dressed in the fashions of Washington'S time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

While Kansas men are growing taller the feet of all American women call for larger stockings than mother wore, and the limit is unknown.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Pauline Wayne, the Presidents stand pat COW, is standing bravely up to the administration in the matter of milk.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The strain of politics will be over in an individual sense when you cast a vote for Wilson and Marshall.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Georgia proposes to roll up a big vote for the national standard bearer who sprang from her own soil.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

No one in the absence of pronouncing voeabularies can talk gilbly about the Balkan war.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The last bit of campaign literature has been sent out and 1t Is up to the voters now
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
Great Need of Auditorium

Now that we have two large and elegant hotels in course of construction we should start movement soon for raising funds to build a great audi torium, such as Atlanta has, said a public spirited man "A suitable site might be acquired for comparatively little money, for owners of adjacent property could well afford. to chip in and practically donate the ground.
 An adequate building could be erected for $90.O0 or $1oo,ooo. A very costly part of any large building is the interior decorations. But an audi torium need not be much finished as flags and dsbunting could be used on all gala occasions and such decorations would hide the walls.
 with an auditorium we could have grand opera on the same scale that At llanta has it, but until we have such a building we must go without an opera
 season. The Atlanta auditorium is owned by the city, but the city of Bir- mingham is not able to afford such a building, and whatever is done, there fore, will have to be done by stock company"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The republicans are not trampling on each other in their haste to place bets on Taft
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The stores stand ready right now to sup ply all corners with Christmas gifts at regular prices.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

The steam roller has now been called off. It cannot be applied with success to the people at the ballot box.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

MT Taft expects every fourth class postmaster to do his duty on Tuesday next.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Both the Sun and World of New York say there are few takers of the short end of the to 1 bets offered on Wilson.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Mir. Taft feels sure he will carry Utah unless the hierarchy suddenly cancels it's agreement
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
From nn EngIlrh point of View.

For many years I have been a sub scriber of the London Times, and have been struck with it's improvement in the matter of American news,' said a club man.
 ''when I was last in London, in the s0s, no London paper had any news from the United States worth speaking of, but now the Times shows enterprise in getting cablegrams from this country cov- erlng important news-especially political news In 1908 the Times political corre- spondent in this country was remarkably keen and clear-sighted. His forecasts made at different stages of the campaign turned out to be correct. But I think the Times editorial writer has missed 1t somewhat in this campaign. In its is- sue of October IS it has this editorial "'The dastardly attempt to kill Mn. Roosevelt at Milwaukee arouses in this country universal feeling of keen sym pathy with the victim, thankfulnQss for his escape from death, and stern reproba- tion of the author of the outrage. The presidential outlook before the attack upon Mir Roosevelt was exceedingly ob-
 scure The shrewdest observers are un-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

Today is about the last chance to rally round the spellbinders
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01
kGE-HERALD

at the Birmingham, Ala, Ie as second class matter under Congress March 3. 1879.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

E. E. Morgan and ". G. Wharton are ke only authorized travelling represen- Yatives of The Age Herald in it's circu- Ration department
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

No communication will be published without it's authors name. Rejected manuscript will not be returned unless stamps are enclosed for that purpose
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

land Sunday Age-Herald.. $500 and Sunday, per month.... .1O and Sunday, three months. 2.O0
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-01

lay AEe--HeFaiu NsV kly Age-Hel aid, per annum.. '5 Subscription payable in advance.