davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
FACTS ABOUT NEW YORK

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 New Yofk-"I found out several inter- esting things in the few days I spent Tn New York before l sailed for Paris said County Prosecutor John Cline.
 Do you know that you can't buy play ngs cards at John Wanamakers big store? Such is the fact WanamalSer doesn't believe in card playing, and he refuses to sell them, although he sells roulette wheels.
 Do you know that the clocks at the Waldorf are always kept five minutes fast? Ever since the hotel opened they have been kept that way. Nobody seems to know why, either I set my watch three different times by them. only to find that they were fast, and that it was custom which had been established when the hotel was built.
 Do you know there is one restaurant in New York where you can get splen- did dinner absolutely free?
 Well, at Demonico's you can dine without money-if you are we'll dresed and without even tipping the waiter When the waiter brings the check he al- ways bring a pencil for you to sign it and all you nave lo uo IS to put your John Hancock on it with your address and sign tip for the waiter. too. Your signature is unquestioned.
 ''The first of the month the bill will be sent to you. whether you live in Omaha or Eighty-sixth street. Delmonicos es- tablished this rule many years ago for the benefit of patrons who were temporarily without funds and they also have a rule of never suing a patron. If the patron hasn't the decency and honor to remit the account is stricken from the books
 But the head walters have wonderful memories and anyone who beats the time. -
 However, it is comforting to know that you can get a good dinner in New York. even if you areswithout cent, and I m sure very fewtpeople are aware of it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
Atlanta's Spite Figures

The returns from the rural counties of Georgia show that the farmer vote favored Oscar Underwood everywhere almost without an exception. And the negative votes in Macon, Savannah and Augusta were not heavy. Macon is in Bibb county, and its majority for Wilson is set down at 100. Savannah is in Chatham county, and the entire county gave Wilson but 237 majority. Augusta, Wilson's old home, is in Richmond county, and it's majority in favor of Wilson may go to 400. It was in Atlanta only that Wilson boiled an overwhelming vote. His majority in the county (Fulton) is fully 24OO! Why, oh, philosopher, should Fulton county so deeply disagree with the other counties in the state? It stands alone in the depth and ln- tensity of it's vote against Oscar Un- derwood.
 Can it be that it dislikes anything that Birmingham and Alabama love? :? Can it be that it's votes are based on prejudice rather than on patriotism and love of the south?
 All that can be said is that the vote of Atlanta, notwithstanding the Con- stitution's splendid work for Under wood, stands in the tables almost by itself. One hundred out of the 146 counties of the state cast Underwood maiorities, and none of the dissenting counties expressed strong dislike for Alabama's choice except Atlanta's.
 The Age-Herald prefers to leave that city and county in the hands of newspaper readers. Every man can draw his own conclusions and every man in Alabama will proceed to do that very thing.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
Railway-owned Ships and the Canal

The House committee on interstate and foreign commerce has agreed on an amendment to the pending Panama canal bill which would deprive rail road-owned ships of all right to use the canal.
 There is really no other safe rule, and the democratic House should stand firmly by it's amendment, who'll ly regardless of action by the present Senate. The present Senate is still controlled by the magnates and stand patters, and it's action on the amend ment should. be disregarded The House can better afford to await the results of the November election than to accept compromise.
 The transcontinental railroads are strong and rich, and they are allied with the lines and with eastern rail- roads, and if they are permitted to use the canal under any disguise what ever the monopoly that has long ex- isted would simply be rendered per- petual, and no one on either sea would be benefited by the enormous expen- allure of the general government.
 The transcontinental railroads are building large and numerous ships, and by the time the canal is opened they will be ready to underbid all rivals, and the undertaking would go on until those rivals were driven off. Then the old rates would be restored. The one way to defeat this scheme for rendering the canal valueless to con- sumers and the people in general is to keep out of it all railway-owned ships.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
INCREDIBLE.
THE ART OF LISTENING

From Dickinson's "Education of a Music
 Lever"
 IN songs, piano pieces, religious music, operas, chamber music, symphonies the poyphonic method plays so huge a role that without the ability to discover and trace the movement of simultaneous parts whole treasuries or expression will be locked in darkness, and the key that might open the casket lost beyond re- covery.
 In view of these facts there is no more useful practice for the music lover who is training his perceptions than listen- ing to string quartet performances. Here are no sensational effects no dazzling displays of tone color as in orchestral music, no overwhelming masses of sound, no vivid contrasts, nothing to bewilder, nothing to distract the attention from the melodic outlines; the physical materials are reduced almost to the lowest terms Each instrument carries on a silver thread of melody; each has an equal right to con sideration. Success in string quartet writing involves the ability to handle four meiodic voices with the utmost skill of the contrapuntist's art. The pleasure that the mind of the nearer receives greatly consists in tracing the ingenious and graceful lines as they interweave into a tissue of intricate and constantly varied patterns. He must follow four voices at once, so that no grace of melody or deli cacy of shading on the part of any in strument shall escape his notice. This affords conclusive test by which the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The warehouses would have to be lifted up and so would all freight houses of the railroads. Turn what ever way we will there are obstacles.
 The railroads and City Engineer Kirkpatrick are, however, considering the problem, and the hope is that they will be able to let new light on an ex- ceedingly complex and serious task. The dangers of the grade crossings are confessed, and the manner in which those dangers are to be elimi- mated will tax the skill of the best ex- perts that the city holds.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
RACE DECAY AND SOCIAL HYGIENE

naSb Dheai AND sOClAIl HfG1ENE
 From the Journal of the American Med- 1 ical Association.
 l The cry about race suicide" which is
 so frequently heard nowadays is taken by some to represent a serious sociologic problem demanding earnest consideration
 on the part of far seeing nations. There
 can be no doubt that a fall in the birth
 rate has been spreading in Europe for
 several decades; but the quetsion arises
 whether the undeniable statistical facts justify the alarmist statements and pro- l tests which have gone forth from time | to time. Are the nations involved and
 the world at large threatened with dire
 consequences from the failure of certain
 classes to replenish the earth with suc-
 cessors of their own kind?
 | Discussions of this sort are primarily
 of interest to the sociologist rather than
 to the physician. But they can be elimi-
 mated only with difficulty from the more distinctly biologic aspects of the talk
 about Trace decay" The scientist must take a position toward this question, and 1 the physician in particular is often ex- | pected to contribute an Illuminating opin- ion on such topics Shall he champion
 the cause of those whose motto is ''in-
 crease and multiply" or shall he pause to examine the ideals of the modern
 study of eugenics which embraces those
 agencies by which the human race may be improved?
 | In the past the efforts to elevate man
 kind were largely fostered by various I types of social reform which aimed 10 | improve the conditions of life. to perfect
 our environment The future calls for programme which will be directed toward the very sources of life. Our generation carries heavy and complicated social bur dens which are inflicted on it in the form of an increasing dependent class | typified in the feeble minded. It is to be
 some movement to control life. This Is
 work for the social hygiene of the future.
 Regarding the proposed plan of requir- ! ing certificates of health before marriage, | the Journal of the American Medical as- sociation says that while it is easy to pick
 out a few extreme cases of degenerates
 on the one hand and of exceptionally
 sound and healthy young people on the | other, no one is at present competent to divide the mass of possible candidates for | marriage into the fit and the unfit. It | would, however, have a good effect if men and women contemplating marriage were compelled, before taking that step, to consider seriously their fitness for parent hood Private initiative, like that of the l Chicago clergyman who refuses to marry any couple not provided with medical cer- tifcates of health, might in time create
 a force of public opinion which would make disease a mark of social bad form
 "a. thing to be ashamed of in oneself and certainly not to be tolerated in ones chill dren. This may seem utopian; yet with in a few generations social ideals have undergone greater transmutations than this would involve. One thing is certain: the creation of public sentiment may l seem slower method of racial improve
 ment than the enactment of laws. but
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
The Dallas Trip

Birmingham will be largely repre- scented at the convention of the Asso- ciated Ad clubs to be held in Dallas, be- ginning May IT," said a well known ad writer.
 That convention will afford an ex- tr.ordinary opportunity for boosting Birmingham Seventy persons go- ing from this city will entitle the party to a special train. There will be 75 and twice that number. l think. l believe we can have two special trains. or rather one divided into two sections. The trip Is inexpensive and it will be
 in every way pleasant"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
WORLDS GREATEST MIIITAR'
 SCHOOL

Mrs. c. R. Miller in Leslie's.
 The selection of West Point as the place for the national military academy was due to it's advantages from a military viewpoint, for it's rugged beauty and it's severe climate were calculated to be bene- ficial in the foundation of that sort of character so essential to a successful of- ficer. The academy was formally opened on July 4, 1902, with 10 cadets and five officers as instructors. Its success is said to be due to the administrative abil- ity of Gen Sylvanus Thayer, who be- came it's superintendent in 1877 and served as the father of West Point. Since the opening of the academy, including the class of 1911, more than 5000 officers have been graduated.
 A cadets education costs the govern ment about sS5O0 All cadets are on the same footing. The pay of a cadet is $500 per year and one ration per day, or com mutation thereof at 20 cents per day. The total is about $709. 50 to commence with his admission to the academy. Immedi- ately after his admission, the young man must spend about $160 for uniforms.
 After graduation the cadet is eligible to the rank of second lieutenant and Is ap- pointed to whatever branch of the service his record entities him. Those who are highest in class honors are generally ap- pointed to the engineer corps
 An act of Congress authorizing the ex- penditure of s5,SOO,000 for the reconstruc- ton of ths United States Military academy was passed in June, 1902. and at a later session of Congress s1,7oo,00O additional was allowed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
The Georgia Press

Nearly all the Georgia papers sup ported Underwood, and the result of Georgia's preferential primary Wednesday in favor of the Alabamian was due largely to the able work of the press.
 The Atlanta Constitution fairly sur passed itself. From the day the Con- stitution came out for Underwood un- til the polls closed, it's editorials day after day were broad minded, vigorous and telling, and they influenced many a voter throughout Georgia.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
THE roRruNATE DEAD

Clark McAdarrs in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
 They are thek fortunate dead That never cbme up in the sea, But now are forever to be Asleep on the deep ocean bed There where lthe sun never brings The beauty pf day at it's birth, Nor ever lmoclSingbird sings A song of the glories of earth. How dreamfessly are they to sleep In the quiet and peace or the sea Where the spirit would scorn to be free From the Sceans inviolate keepl There where the requiem sung By the waves shall requite them for aye, The sands and the lichens among Till the e{earth shall have perished away. Dear 0od, what wonderful tomb, Made (hoary with things of the sea- Wher& the fortunate dead are to be In tie maze of eternity's loom. The{e where the sea grasses throng Thrkugh the beautiful home of the dead, An4 the sleeper is stilled by the song Thft the wild wind sings over his head.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
RErLECrIoNs OF A BAcHELoR

From the New York Press.
 It's easy for people to disguise few thought in many words.
 A woman guesses a mans secret right and he reasons out hers wrong.
 Suburbs are too much like the parsley around the edge of the broiled steak dish
 The way for d man to make a con;- munity hate him is pretty much to sup port it.
 The reason girl needs so little seei after late dances is she stays in bed all the next day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES
A HOPELESS CASE.

The melancholy brother
 Sees little to applaud; The world is but a den of thieves,
 Where trickery and fraud And many other sins abound,
 And virtue is so rare, Iris very seldom to be found
 Though sought for everywhere. The melancholy brother
 Bewails his earthly lot And vows he thinks the human race Has simply gone to pot. But never lend an ear to him,
 Whatever he may say; He's just a sort of barnacle
 And always in the way.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
BEHG,s TERRIBLE POWER

From Mary Elizabeth Jennings trozen Mountains of the Sea-
 By 10 o'clock l had counted nearly one with absorbing interest a large square mass of ice, fully 600 feet long, and from 80 to 100 feet high, which lay directly in our path. It's white sides gleamed and sparSled in the sun, as though set with countless diamonds, small but of purest water. As our steamer turned to pass it, large mass of ice weighing, accord ing to the captains estimate, fully D tons, broke away near the top. and with an instant a still larger mass was hurled downward, and the berg. with noise like thunder, split into three pieces. The crashing and grinding of these huge masses, tossed about by the suddenly risen waves, was awesome, yet it was as nothing compared with the mountain of ice that was slowly turning over in the water. Would it's submerged end reach us when 1t rose? Grasping an iron sup port and holding to each other we waited with that huge solid wall of ice resting ulfecLly uHuef our SltdHleI.
 A grinding jar, stop, and we lay over to one side as the frozen leyiathan lifted us up and up, until the steamer was out of water Would the berg turn complete ly over and hurl us down amid the grinding ice? It seemed almost inevita- ble. So curious is the working of the mind that in this moment of suspense, though fully realizing our danger we most carefully noted the noises of crash ing dishes. falling chairs, as well as heavier things. the angle atwhich we lay upon the ice, and the massiveness, if can so express it, of the motion of the berg.
 One feels power in the dashing waves, but this was as if the whole were being slowly swayed to and fro. At this crisis. fortunately, the ice beneath us sank down little in the water, though tired of it's burden, we were struck by a heavy wave. With shudder the steamer start ed, slid little on the ice, then plunged into the seething waters, going down, never, it seemed to me, to come up again. But thanks to her stanch timbers, she did come up, though with ice from the berg upon her decks. A moment is a great thing when crowded full," and this lasted two moments.
 The lifeboats on the port side were quickly gotten ready, officers and crew working quietly and rapidly.
 When it was found, however, after re- peated soundings, 1t was not leaking, we turned back for a last look upon the wyeckage of the berg that covered the water for yards around in all directions. Tha great mass of ice over which we slid was now stationary, the streak of rust and paint across it's face, the mark made by the steamer as it took its plunge, was yet plainly visible, and we were filled anew with astonishment at our marvellous escape
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
AT THE CAFE

From Flesende Blaetter.
 "I have been waiting for the paper two hours and a half. Hasn't the gentleman finished with it yet?"
 s"Oh, he's read 1t through some time ago Now he's trying 10 solve the pug zles in it."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

music lover may know how far the tran- ing of his ear has proceeded.
 The practical conclusion to be drawn from the discussion of technique ard form which has hitherto occupied us, is that the proper hearing of music demands the ability to hold the attention fxedly for considerable periods of time upon one or der of impressions. No argument is re- quired to show that the power of close unwavering attention is the prime condi- tion of any worthy intellectual acquisition Most people are defective in this power of sustained observation, and there is no more efficient corrective than a conscien- tious, determined study of musical works difficult to attend to a succession of audi tory images than to visual images. This is true even in single impressions; where- as in music there are many simultan- eous attacks upon the ear. Consider what
 it means to listen to an orchestral per formance-to observe the concurrent threads of melody with the multitude of rhythmic figures. the resulting harmonies, modulations and changes of tonality; to identify the different instruments and seize the ever shifting gleams of tone color in their multifarious combinations. In the concert hall the eye must sus- pend it's usual activities the mind must cease that aimless wandering which is it's usual occupation with all of us. Care flu. listening to music is an exercise in mental athletics, and the ability, which grows with discipline, to hold the volatile thought in the firm clutch of the will is not the least of the serious music stu dents gains.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
OF COURSE NOT.

The dear Mrs. Bender, You wish you could lend her
 The price of the loveliest hat; But such is convention, There's no need to mention
 Her husband would not stand for that.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

Another naval ship is going up the Mis- sissippi to St. Louis. and there is plenty of water in the channel.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

very active now and the future of the trade being bright, coal tracts VIII prihs much more money now than formerly
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

All who are troubled with ennui should secure ticket for Mexico at once. It ef- fects cure every time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

Vincent Astor is weighed down with a fortune of s6O.oOO,OOo and his young shoul- ders will grow to the task.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

Senator Bailey says Governor Wilson is too highly educated. This is criticism of a brand new sort.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The presidential primary coming in a
 Taft Roosevelt year has filled the country
 with a great deal of politics to the square inch.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The colonel and the President should subside, for all the primaries that are marked 'ithe crisis have been held.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

President Taft's salary of s2Oo or more a day runs right along. There are no deductions as there are in New Jersey.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The Man from Pike. as he is known in Missouri, continues 10 gather in delegates. His latest lot lives in Colorado.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The democratic party has no ex-presI- dents, and it rejoices.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
HER OPINION.

Here is an interesting article in this newspaper. Miss Tightly, on presidential fsures."
 Dear me! think MT. Tafts figure is the limit"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

Floods are driving deer into the streets of Natchez, but they bring no currant jelly along strapped to their neeks.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

And yet how quiet the country will be on November G. the day after election!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The average age of the members of Cbina's new assembly is 3s years. Elder statesmen are a misfit in it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The night court in New York city han des on Sunday night large crop of Sunday hoodlumism.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

Emma Goldman is headed southwest, and the hope is expressed that she is go- ing to Mexico.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

A Pennsylvania cat is keeping an estate Of S25,000 from distribution. While that eat lives the estate must remain intact.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

MT. Ismay can be trusted to stay in England hereafter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The "crucial' states have all suffered for the common good.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

it is a far surer and more thorough one; and it avoids the dangers involved in hasty sweeping legislation based on crude genrzcialtanst fioatihmtairftaihmaip generaliza tions from insufficient data.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
Development of Public spirit

Few phases of Birminghams civic life are more noticeable than the de- velopment of public spirit" said a well known citizen. The old Commercial club did much to start this develop ment
 When I first came to Birmingham to live about 14 years ago I found a number of enthusiastic prophets of the Birmingham district and a few who were earnest in their efforts to create a get-together spirit here. But not until the Chamber of Commerce. evolved from the Commercial club, was fully organized on larger lines did this city have anything like effective public spirit which enters into the making of all great commercial centers.
 "The erection of the Chamber of Commerce building in 1908 marked the beginning of a new era and ever since 1908 there has been decided advance year by year. The Chamber has large membership now, but it should be even larger. Notwithstanding the fact that we have good deal of public spirit we need much more of 1t. We need more of the get-together spirit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The wool tariff is still 'indefensible," and yet, on account of Mir Taft, it con- tinues to exist.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

According to the New York Sun, a suffrageur is the husband of suffra- gette.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The unloaded revolver kills more than the unsuitable ship, for it never rests.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03

The harvester trust Is now engaged in threshing out big crop of presidential candidates.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
PA. THE ARTFuL popGER.

'Pa, what is a llama?'
 "A llama, son? HumI Let's see A llama is-er-you'd better look the deflni- tion up in the dictionary If I were to tell you, you would forget it the next minute
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
THE POINT OF VIEW

Do the Bronsons lead an ideal married life?p
 Well, the answer depends on what you consider an ideal married life. They sell dom see each other''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-03
A DECEIVER.

He praises her biscuit Oh. yes, he can risk it;
 He never does eat one at all: And when she's not looking The pride of her cooking
 Into his coat pocket lets fall.