davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
His First Failure.

The FIRST failure in this mans life was, as
Is too frequently the case with men who do
not keep at least even with the game, a do
mestic failure. He married before maturity.
and long before his tastes had been formed.
winning disinheritance and detection from
those who had been most anxious to forward
his interests and advance him IN a noble
career. His life was his own experiment. His
relatives were shut out from even advising
him how TO handle his talents.
II a man allows his wife and children to
hold the upper hand. as this man did. allows
himself to be unmatched. then scorned, and
then turns elsewhere for consolation. he has
all the time yielded to a weakness in him
self that is almost inexcusable. Nine cases
out OF ten. also. you will find him setting up
wrong standards of behavior. standards not
in harmony with the better part Of him.
The behavior of such men is as irritating
to their friends as is the behavior Of some
Of the characters in Trollope's novels. An
thony Trollope. perhaps better than any
other novelist. has shown US men behaving
in the most pigheaded ways imagina BILE. turn
ing neither to the right nor left in wrong be-
havior and never Influenced by the things
that might save them, II they were not too
ridicuIously absorbed in working out their
own experiment, their own way. regardless OF
the demands OF the materials with which they
were working.
Since men and women were created there
has been an Inevitable relation between tie
two in home and society, and more lately in
business. The experiment with life cannot
leave out what this relationship involves.
There is no escaping It For this reason the
he hes ocfa md S,rde
ing the inevitable. will so order his life as to
save loss OF many sorts from this situation.
The fire is there, you need it. and you have
but the sense Of the infant II you put out
your hand and get burned. The chances Of
life. very complex life, may bring you burns,
but you do not need recklessly to burn your
self
There is q remarkable difference between
the judgment men, and especially women,
have about this man and woman relation,
from which so much Of human deterioration
comes this inevitable material Of the expert.
ment which so few handle wisely.
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

= scanning the want ads He was look.
ing for a Job. as the fact that he needed
il was easy to discern.
Tough going, right now he said. Moth.
;as going on in my line Of bushes. and here
Lam about as good as there is
He was window trimmer, or used TO be
when he was working every day He had
held many good jobs, but every one of them
had passed out OF his life and he left them no
better on than when he started He had a
pretty clear idea, too, as to why he had failed
to make good
You see, I am sensitive That sounds
funny, maybe, but it's a fact The last iob
l had was about the best I can ever hon. 70
get. but I threw II up quick as a fash tust
because couldn't stand for the boss criti
cism. I'm like the eye. A million particles
Of dirt can hit you in the face and you will
never notice them, but just the minute On.
hits you in the eye IT hurts.
Then you get the idea that you are always
getting something in your eye. Well, you're
not. but I've become possessed with the idsa
that every employer 1 have is there to frd
fault with my work and simply can't stand
II. think I'm too good
Not long married. the man fell into IN. Iob
that he admitted was the best he had ever
held or could ever hope to hold. He was
associated with a big Chicago store and was
admittedly a clever man in his line of work.
As long IS his IDEAS were accepted and favor
ably commented upon. he would work nirht
and day. but as soon as a spark of dissatis
faction appeared he lost his Courage and
found II hard to recover.
The climax came one day." he said, when
I wasn't looking for It. Only the day before
the manager had complimented me on the
appearance Of one of my windows, and I went
home light hearted. full Of hope and with my
pay in my pocket. My wife and planned our
vacation. for 1t was coming on summer.
The next morning thought was DOM
especially good work. and 50 it was a shock
to me when the manager came to me to say
that the window would have to be changed
didn't like the way he told me about 1t. 7
told him how I thought the window should
look and he laughed at me as though were
a mere novice In window trimming instead
Of having spent ten years at It. Well. the
upshot OF It was left the window unfinished
and went home to my wife. We had no va
cation, and We never will have one at this
rate"
That Is the brutality of the sensitive ma
ture. To the right kind Of man criticism
helps and urges him on to greater endeavor.
This man was out Of job because he didn't
want mis- employer. to tell him how the work
should be done or how he wanted IT done.
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Easy Philosophy No Excuse.

There is an easy philosophy of life. which
a man expresses when he tells you he Is no
saint, or that he is human, in order TO
excuse himself for inexcusable lapses OF
conduct. for behavior that not only Injuries
himself but society. And right here. II he
could only see himself others see him.
his deterioratfons might stop. There Is
a whole world of stored experience for him
TO be guided by. but he is neither guided
by it nor will he tolerate suggestions. e
am my own boss. This experiment Is mine
is what he acts II he does not say these
very words.
The. chain OF a mans life. the whole thread
OF his character is no stronger than that
place where there is a serious flaw and
weakness. When the years Of real pulling
come. the years that must pull a man safely
over the ferry from youth to settled middle
age. the strain begins to tell on the chain.
The links were all strong to start with. but
here and there has been indulgence, a link
has been soaked in the deteriorating acids
of life, which even wrought steel could not
endure. and now when the pull comes, the
hardest pull Of the lifetime. It is unfit for its
work.
All the preventive teachings Of today are
his mental chain, his spiritual chain. The
old foolishness OF eat. drink, and be merry,
for tomorrow you die" means under modern
conditions Of comfort and amelioration, eat.
drink, and be merry, and drag out years of
miserable existence afterward, because OF
your excuses.
Excuses Of every kind. unless remunera-
ton is very soon made for them. cause
deterioration. Weak indulgences bring
deterioration. The signs OF loss may not
for a long time be evident A tree which
is rotten at the base may stand seemingly
fair and handsome for some years. You
have to have sense enough to know what
you have done to yourself II you want to
recover lost ground and stop doing such
things You need to bring yourself up stand
ing now and then. and see whether the losses
or the gains have Il.
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Sold Competitor for R evenee.

Just how he should revenge himself did not
occur to him at the moment. He walked along
the street revolving projects in his mind.
Presently he hit upon the IDEA Of reach
ing him through his business. He would get
somebody in that town to feature his hats and
make the old fellow squirm through compe-
tition. 1t would be hard work, and would
require lots of enthusiastic talk. but he would
do 1t or break his neck in the attempt. He
would let Congdon know that he was nat
one to be ignored and snubbed like that,
He would have him eating out OF his hand
in a year.
In the first enthusiasm of his anger and
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

store whipped. You would have gone out of
there like a beggar that receives aims You
would have lost your self-respect and your
fighting spirit would have been destroyed.
You would have gone from me to the next
man with your tail between your legs, so to
speak. whining for an order. And you would
have lasted about two months on the road.
Am I right"
Goodrich did some quick thinking. The in
cident had never presented itself to him in
that light He felt conscious and ashamed
He opened his mouth to speak. "I guess
haven't-hayen't seen 1t squarely before" he
faItered.
Congdon. smiling once more. held out bis
hand a second time. Come and see me-"
he invited. We'll have some good talks.
And I'll promise not to try TO buy any Of your
hats" he added. whimsdcally. II guess there
will be a few heads left for me to cover.
There's chance for all of US If We fight for II.
Good-by."
Goodrich gazed after him as he disappeared
down the street, thinking many wholesome
things.
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

bedrock, have been built in New Hampshire
cemetery to AFFORD foundations for grave
stones in land too marshy to support them
itself.
Russia has granted a seventy-five year con-
cession for utilizing the water powers of
the Caucasus and transmitting high tension
electric currents throughout that region to
British engineer.
In digging for the foundation for a hos
pital at Msyence. Germany, veritable .treas-
ure house of Roman coins, jewelry, and
other priceless antiquities was discovered.
Colombia is to have a German school, coll
onists furnishing the land and building and
the home government sending out and main
tanning the teachers.
The United States has held first place
among the coal producing countries Of the
world since 1899, when 1t first exceeded Great
Britain's figures
The recent installation Of 500 light cleo
trio plant in the palace Of the sultan Of Oman
marked the introduction Of electrical ma
chinery into Arabia
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

,,y., n. w., 80 No. % u,.
,h. -. -.
,n., ,n,r., -.
:. -. -.
=, n.'1sN
sNaeF
e uieta his ae io'
hope can get boy VINO can 40
'ihss WITHOUT having 10 zen MN
eaen une' certainly DO need bright boy
70 taAe an active interest around mere
linen ne oroered his stenographer to teie-
phone the ad TO the paper, with instructions
10 set IL In double space.
At o'clock the next morning the passage
way TO this mans outside office door was
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
You Must Stop Deteriorating
to Make the Most of Yourself.
By c. S. MADDOCKS.
By c. S. MADDOCKS.

portunity which middle age has OF entering
when 1t can stand before them and say,
open. 1 have something to bring IN"
To return to the lawyer In question. He
said recently: II do not have much play
time nowadays. Life has become rather
strenuous these days. and my practice has
almost completely changed. / used to be a
real estate lawyer. but title Insurance COM
panies and the Torrens system taken up by
the state have knocked that over the center
field fence for good and all. so instead of
having dignitied practice am pitched into
the hurly-burly Of court work. and when
court is not in session use up my time in
newspaper work"
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
EsaHssN Among Work ME5&k]
Selling Goods on the Road.
HouD Chance Landed the Order

"A ORION GOODRICH watched his
MI sample trunks tumbled onto the bag
~ gage car with an air of detected pre-
occupation. shrugged his shoulders,
picked up his grip, and climbed the
steps into the parlor car. where he sprawled
on a chair In a posture of redundancy.
He had been on the road with his line OF
hats for week, and had turned in just three
orders; this was the fourth consecutive day
on which he had been licked. and he was
almost ready to quit 1t had all seemed easy
enough to him, this selling goods on the
road. until he tried II. Working in the Of
fee. he had come into close contact with the
FIRMS statesmen; had seen them start out
with their samples; had handled their or
ders and relevant correspondence; had talked
with them when they returned. conquering
heroes. from their expeditions into the field
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

determination he reached the store Of Cong
don's principal competitor. He talked to the
man with a fiery zest he had never fek be-
fore He was wise enough to leave every
hint Of his animus out Of the proposition he
submitted to the merchant. He urged II
upon him merely as a device Of sheer business
competition. He convinced him Of the merits
OF the hats he carried before the man had
seen them. and sarished him concerning pros
pective profits. He gave him an assurance Of
consistent cooperation, and offered him the
exclusive handling of the line in that town
as one of the conditions of sale, agreeing
that IL his firm would not indorse the COM
pact the sale would not be effective. And
he went away from that town with an order
larger than all the orders combined that he
had previously written The house subscribed
to his arrangement. got behind the merchant.
and Gcodrich's hats were on the heads OF
fair proportion OF the young men Of the
town before year was over.
On the impetus OF that sale further ac-
CELEBRATED by the thought OF the suficient
vengeance he had laid In train for the dis
comfiture OF the hypocriticai Ezra Cong
don, Morton Goodrich began to sell hats in
earnest. and within a few months was max
ing steady progress toward Importance as
one Of the FIRMS statesmen.
II was more than a year before he saw
Congdon again. He met him one day passing
down the main street ofthe town on his way
to see his steady customer. Congdan greeted
him cordially :" I am very glad to see you
again, Mr.. Goodrich" said Mr.. Congdon. ex-
tending his hand. II was dificult to believe
that he did not mean It.
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
A Dining Car Incident.

Morton Goodrich's rumina tons were run
ming this lugubrious course when the dining
car waiter passed through announcing the
second call for dinner. Goodrich pulled him
self together and followed into the dining car.
eying the passengers askance as he walked
down the car aisles with the furtively defiant
air Of one who believes his apparent defeat is
a matter Of common knowledge and impu-
dent interest
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Learned Secret of Success.

Goodrich felt that he could afford to be
magnanimous and took the ptofrtred hand
in perfunctory grip. Expecting that Cong
don was maneuverins- to breach the subject
of buying some of his bats. which were be-
coming more and more popular In the city.
he wondered in the back Of his head how the
other would bring It about, and framed a
retort with which he would crush him
And how do you like selling hats now >
Congdon inquired.
Goodrich grinned spontaneously as he re-
piled that he liked Il immensely.
II am gladw Congdon rejoined. heartily.
a. am very glad. I thought you would" A
pause fell between them. " You don't come
TO see me any more?" Conedon went on, with
a lift Of the voice and the brows
Goodrich saw II coming. No" he said.
- have no occasion to come TO see you I
am just about selling hat for every head in
town now
Congdon expressed himself as delighted by
the fact. But that isn't what mean he
resumed. " You and ought to be pretty good
friends"
is that so?' Goodrich retorted- He was
beginning to wonder what the man was after.
Congdon smiled quizzicaily at him " You
seemed to resent 1t a little when 1 cid not
give you an order that time" he submitted
well, you weren't very civil. were your
the young man retorted.
II was more than that" Congdon re-
turned earnestly. DO you know what would
have happened to you II had bought Of you
that Gay? You would have gone out my
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Wasted His Opportunities.

Take a particular man, a certain lawyer
and writer. now near or in the sixties He
will often tell you what he expected in the
way OF opportunity, but will add. a. am
afraid now that the door has been shut"
The sad business bout being too willful in
our experimenting and too vain in our quail
ties, with 1t all, is that doors do shut per-
manently. We commit the deteriorating act
that shuts US out OF the promised land OF our
vision. our expectations.
When you put certain liquids into a test
lube and a real chemical action takes place
you can never recover them. You do not
want to IL the experiment is a success and
the right thing happens But sometimes the
right thing does not happen, even when every
thing has been carefully prepared, and the
results are not anything that can be counted:
and again unexpected and disastrous re-
everything lost
When men learn to think out line of be-
havior before they start to live It, they save
themselves most such disasters. 1t is because
OF their willful refusal to think or be ad-
yised when the result is entirely OF the fu-
ture and unknown. as are the events of the
coming day, and they use too fast and too
recklessly. and for too low ends, the materials
Of life that were given them in their natural
endowm ents. These materials cannot be
got back Doors are shut with no sesame Of
youth to open them. Nor is there the op-
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Learn to Accept
Honest Criticism
By IRWIN ELLIS.

n PPROACHING the rather shabby
~ dressed man who stood on the corner
~ 1t was noticed that he was eagerly
scanning the want ads. He was look
ing for a fob as the fact tha- Re r..5.d
The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
BoyhoodI Is Time
to Make Good.
By DONALD SCOTT.

\ OY WANTED-Not a common boy,
Y but one with uncomm on snap and
courage, a boy who knows the
meaning OF that big word initia-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08
Clapp Introduces Bill

Washington, December f.-Sehalof Clapp, chairman of the committee ihVes- tigating campaign funds, today introduced a bill to prohibit the sending of campaign funds from one state 10 another 10 ala campaigns of candidates for President, vice president. representatives or seha- tors.
 The measure does not represent the concerted action of the Investigating committee. but was presented by Chair man clapp as his suggestion of the remedy for excessive use of money Tor campaign purposes. In q statement to tbe Senate he declared such law would prevent the dumping of great sums or money into outlying states by WeaithS ones like New York
 ,arhis bill is aimed 10 meet ,he vice of gathering funds in large cehtefs and then sending them 10 distant states to influence the election of President vice president, members of Congress or senator's" said MT. clapp.
 Al his request. the bill was referred directly 10 the investigating sub-eom- mittee. Senator Clapp said he hoped the measure would form the basis for a bill to be passed by the Senate at this session.
 The campaign fund bill world per init national political committees 10 gather funds from any state, to pay The expenses of travelling and special trains for candidates or speakers, to pay for inc distribution of literature end the placing of advertisements. Any eollec- tion of money in one state and it's dis tribution in another. however, by ..nerson. firm, corporation, association
 --~-~---------------------~>- ~>-s'|--~s-~>--->~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08
w. t. OAKLEY GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE FOR
 MURDER OF WOOD
Verdict Causes Surprise as Acquittal or Death Sen- tence Was Expected.
 Prisoner Calm

Montgomery, December 7.==tSpeeial.)-- Disregarding Will G. oakleys plea of not guilty due to insanity, and holding him responsible for the murder of his step father, P A Wood at the state capi- to October sl, the jury late this even ing sentenced him to life Imprisonment for first degree murder.
 Tile verdict created surprise, as 1t was expected that the verdict would be the death penalty or not guilty because of in- Oakley fired the shots that took Wood s life. but contended that he was mentally irresponsible at the time and had been greater part Of his life. The state in trodIced witnesses who testified that Oak ley talked rational before the killing and made many threats against his step father becat SC the latter had sued him for possession of property.
 Oaklaly showed no emotion when the verdict was read and did not take any in- terest in the report. When the court commanded him to stand while the verdict was read he stood tottered and braeed himself until the foreman had pronounced the verdict. He made no comment, but rubbed his face and stared at the walls and floor.
 6 It k understood Oakley's attorneys will opply for another trial and will then ap- peal 10 inc supreme court They stated after the verdiet was returned that they had not decided what action they would take.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08

1-OutIook for peace in Europe bright. Few senators hear evidence
 No attempt to reorganize party for
 another year.
 Oakley given life sentence. .2-Plans for Tutwier hotel. s--Office seekers puzzled. 4-Gorman on present convict profits. 6-Financiers visit may mean big thinge. Denies mandamus to compel erection
 of Bessemer depot.
 Education beard fayors Parkes library
 plan.
 Will city primary next spring be in
 accord with law? e-Who's Who, politically Of Alabama S-Tennessee muddle attracts attention. s-Tight money cause of break la-Church services. l4-Sports. i5--Additonal sports. 1e-M E. conference session lively --2-- Bank currency based on trade best for
 nation. .s-Weakley declines 10 serve. -6--So-iety. 27-Why Crane will not be appointed 2s-Ned Brace talks about the cheerful
 things of life
 Editorial comment 1-Men Who Have Made Alabama-By
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08

E. F. Riley D. D.
 Building the New City-By A. B.
 Beale
 "The Sign of the Son of Man"-By'
 George Eaves, b. b.
 Heart to Heart Talks-By Edwin A..
 Wye ol-Hawaii proves good investment S2-Gridiron dinner is joyous. s5-New York police investigation. I-Literary gossip of Europe. 5J-The London stage 3b-Car shortage bad In Germany 57-Another American enters peerage. ss--Automobile gossip. 3s-True stories of children 4o-Real Romances of the Business World i1-Figures wealth of English nation. 42-Church news of the world i3-French election January IT. 44--How Bivins Won a Medal-By Charles
 H. Mandy. i5-Markets. 46-IIow 10 resiscitate person shocked by
 electricity, 47-Dolly Dalrymple.
 Tine Book Shelf. 4S-Theafres. 43-Local Legends of Saintiy souls-By
 c. r. Markell. J0-A buffet scarf. 51-59-Magazine section 60-6i-Comic supplement.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08
TAFT OFFERS WILSON BIG BATTLESHIP TO MAKE TRIP
 OF INSPECTION TO PANAMA

staunton, Va, December s.-President- elect Woodrow Wilson probably will be entertained on December B. the fifty sixth anniversary of his birth. ia the house where he was born in this city. Soon after his election a delegation of citizens waited upon the President-elect and received from him d promise tnat he would visit his native city this month. Plans have been made to make the oc .a- zion d home coming week and jubilee.
 The citizens committee have sent sev- eral cablegrams to Mir Wilson in the Bermudas asking him to name the ex- act date of his arrival. but owing to interruptions to cable communication no reply has been received.
 It is assumed that Mir. Wilson will come on his birthday as was suggested when the delegation visited him at Sea grt, and preparations are being made for that date The Presbyterian man. sion occupied by his parents here when the President-elect was born. has been put in first-class condition, and its present occupant. Dr. A. NJ. Frazier. will entertain him on the visit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08
LIVES SHORTENEDbY
 TITANIC DISASTER
K. w. Daniels Badly Shocked by News of Death of
 Col. Oracle

New York, December 7.-Many Titanic disaster survivors are agreed, according to one of them, that their narrowing ex- periences in that calamity will have the effect of shortening their lives. R. w. Daniels a bond salesman. who was one Of tie last men to leap from the deck of the sinking steamer with the late Col. Archibald Oracle, and, and who arrived on the Cedric today. had an engagement to dine with Colonel Oracle, of whose death he was ignorant until informed by a newspaper man. pr. Daniels nearly col lapsed when told that Colonel GracIe's funeral had just been held.
 Tt is hard for me to express just how terrible that news is to me. over and be- yond the respect and affection I had for Colonel Gracie." he said, 'ali of IS who came through that experience have felt that eur lives were shortened. Taere is a great fear and apprehension in Dur minds which will follow us for the rest of our lives. 1 have talked with survivors of La Ronrgopne Most of them who were brought to snore from her were short lived"