davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

produces the utmost pleasure. I say,
proper and appropriate; for some words
may be most proper in themselves and
yet not appropriate for certain subjects
and occasions. We should cultivate yhe
habit of selecting our words as men Sc
lect jewels, with the greatest care and
with the closest inspection. For words,
in truth, are jewels, they enrich one with
ability to please and to instruct. Happy
is he who always uses the right word,
which many of use seldom do.
Perhaps the wittiest of Barrie's Scotch
stories is Sentimental Tommy, and
therein the reader will find one of the
best Illustrations of the subject of which
| am writing, the use of proper and APP
Iropriate words. Tommy and another
Scotch boy, Mclaughlin. are competing
for prize to be given the best essayist.
They have but two hours in which to
write. Within the time limit McLaughlan
hands in his essay; but Tommy is halting
in the middle of the second page But
here | give the authors language.
'iIe had brought himself to public scorn
by the lack of a word What word9 they
asked testify, but even now he could not
tell. He had wanted Scotch word that
would signify how many people were in
church, and it was on the tip of his
tongue but would come no farther. Puckle
was nearly the word, but it did not mean
SO many people as he meant The hour
had gone by just like winlxing he had
forgotten all about time while searching
for the word.
You little tatie doolie,' Cathro roared,
were there not a dozen words to vile
from If you an il-will TO pucltle? What
allied you a NANCY, and"
II thought of many" replied Tommy.
woefuly. for lie was ashamed of him
self, 'but-but manzy's swarm. II
would mean that the folk in the kirk
were buzzing thegither like bees, instead
of sittin' still" Even if 1t does mean
that" said Mr.. Duthie. with impatience,
what was the need Of being SO particu-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

knowing the precise word to use, 1t is so
easy to dash off combination of letters,
or phrase, and hide our verbal poverty
behind it. This recourse may do for
while, but 1t becomes tiresome. We ex-
pect to hear slang from certain iliterate
people. 1t would be remarkable if Kip
ling's "Romany lad and Romany lass"
spoke pure English instead of the cor
rupted dialect common to gipsies, and so
inflated with slang We expect the class
to which Sam Weller belonged to know
slang better than good English So we
are. quite prepared when Dodson and
Fogg's clerks are spying upon Mr. Pick
wick to hear Sam announce, They're
twiggin' of you, sir On the streets and
in the slums we are prepared to hear
slang; but we finch when we are treated
to it in polite society. There are many
words which began life as slang terms,
which after a while were admitted into
the select copia verborum, where they
have remained to this day. But many
others have appeared and vanished like
Burns snowflake on the river" or Sir
Walters bubble on the fountain
While, what I have said of the birth
place of many slang words, is true gen.
efdllY, tnere are some WoruS spelOnSlnS 10
this class of terms that have come down
to us from the very best literary authori-
ties Said the foreman of shop a little
while back: 'Ill have 20 fire that boy"
Later in the day the boy gave as his
excuse for idling. i've been fired" I
thought this word fire quite clever in
its application. For when a cannon is
fired it is discharged" The boy had
been discharged. But the word carries
with 1t the idea of velocity. celebrity,
swiftness, like a nash,' And this is
what the policeman meant when he said
to a young man at Rickwood park last
summer, IF you don't behave I'll fire
YOU out of these grounds that is, "You'n
find yourself on the outside as quick
ball is shot from cannon" Now,
Shakespeare uses the word. near about as
lovers of slang do. In one of thea Son.
nets. the one hundred and forty-fourth,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

ample of so doing. Strictly "circum-
stance'i means that which surrounds
But my hats off to the fraternity of
southern reporters for preserving to us a
word that is not used anywhere else in
the world except in Dixie--"tote" first
used by slaves and originally meaning
Ito carry on the head" Mr.. Roosevelt's S
square deal is a good phrase; but our
tote fair" is better
Certain words come into use just as
certain fashions of hats, cloaks and skirts
become popular; and, like certain styles
of hats cloaks and shirts, they have their
day of popularity and are soon forgot
ten. 1t is the same way with some
phrases In a little while after Presi-
dent Cleveland uttered his famous phrase,
'inocuous resuetude," you could hear it
everywhere and read it in newspapers
from all quarters. One rarely hears it
now, and it is seldom seen. in any news
paper.
There was time when it was the vogue
to use "diferentiate" and environment
They We're heard on every hand. They
are rarely used now, except in techni
cal speech; the old familiar synonyms an
swer every practical purpose, AT this
time we are afflicted with an old word
that has long lain in the dictionaries at
perfect rest. 1t is now used by many
writer's and speakers of all descriptions,
although / have not seen a report of a
lawyer employing it when he was seri
ously addressing a jury. The word is
"obsess' so far as the verb is con-
cerned, and ''obsession" is the noun. 1t
means to "beset' "to compass ito at
tack" as by an evil spirit from without;
the noun sets forth the state of being be-
set. 1t may cost word or two more 10
express the thought contained in this
word by the use OF familiar terms that
everybody uses, but, in my opinion. the
little circumlocution is quite pardonable.
May "obsess'' soon find its way back to
the dictionaries and stay there.
In conversation, as in books, the en-
ployment OF proper and appropriate words
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

the scene OF desolation, nothing to finish
the picture of horror.
About the grounds lay heaps of the
dead, many burned TO blaekness, while
around the walls without bodies were scat
tered like leaves. The wide plaths leading
to the city from different directions were
paved with the dead, while along the
neighboring streams they lay still grasp
ing their bows and tomahawks. Wound
ed unto death they had dragged their
bodies in burning thirst to the streams,
had slaked their intense desire for water,
and had lain down to die. squaws and
babies were intermingled with brave war
riors, while maidens in their tawdry re-
gala worn to greet the Spaniard and his
men, were stretched in death. The leaves.
grass and low underbrush about the once
proud city were painted in the blood of
its brave defenders, now no more.
To DeSoto 1t was a victory dearly
bought He had won by dint of discipline
and of orderly evolution. by means of
powder and bullet and encasing armor,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

was not without a modicum of preeaution-
As he had westward gone. the tribes had
increase in intelligence and in formid-
ableness. What lay before him toward
the further west he knew not. He could
not sustain another Maubila- After all,
would 1t be wise or not TO seek again the
fleet In Tampa bay? Here was per-
plexity with which to wrestle. He must
act. and that soon, but how. was the
question that harassed bis mind.
One ray of hope pierced the gloom OF
the silent and morose Spaniard-the In
dian tribes westward and northward,
on learning of the fate of Maubila, sent
ENJOYS of peace to DeSoto, attended with
assurances of good will and of frienship.
Stricken with terror by the feat OF the
valiant white invader. they were anX-
ious to placate him in advance. What
ever may have been their sentiments be-
fore, they were now sycophantic enough.
Among the Indian visitors IL was said
by some that the Chief Tuscaloosa had
fled during the battle, but the general
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06
Working in the Air :

From the New York Sun.
washington Heights people residing in
the vicinity of the High Bridge tower at
West 175th street, sandwiched between
High Bridge on the east and the reser-
voir on the west were surprised one
morning recently when glancing toward
the tower they saw a gang of workmen
erecting a scaffoldng around the upper
portion.
It was hazardous work. for the men
We're a couple of hundred feet up In the
air under the shadow of the weather va
at the extreme top. To pedestrians the
workmen appeared to be pygmies, so di-
minutive did they appear on their high
perch. The fact that the ground to the
cast Of the tower. on the opposite side
OF the Harlem river, is somewhat lower
than the ground on which tho tower is
built tends to accentuate the tower 5
height, as the only background the tower
has Is the sky
The workmen who had nerves strong
enough 10 permit them to labor at such
dizzy height were engaged in replacing
the existing roofing with new copper and
painting the exterior woodwork of the
lookout, as the upper portion is called.
The tower Is situated In such an exposed
position that 1t Is necessary to make peri
odical repairs to keep 1t In good condi-
ton.
The High Bridge tower, which Is 200
feet high. is one of the attractions of
Washington Heights. Not only is 1t yisi-
BILE from all parts of the heights but also
from Harlem. the Bronx and as far north
as kingsbridge. Passengers on incoming
and outgoing trains on the east side of
the Harlem consider the tower the north
ern boundary of New York city
While Washington Heights people are
aware the tower Ii high, few OF them
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

HyIIE morning following the battle of
Maubila the autumnal sun broke in
4 radiance over the desolate scene.
The high oaken walls were gone. the
great buildings had vanished, the ances-
trail oaks that stood about the grounds
now looked like bare sentinels with arms
of nakedness-scarred. barlSless and leaf
less, the greenswarded square of the
morning before was a sheet of black.
When the morning before DeSoto first be-
held it, Maubila was busy hive of hui
manity, but 1t was now as silent as the
desert. The buzz of conversation was no
more the cane lutte was silent, the shout
of the warrior had died away, the voices
of the Indian maidens were hushed. The
warriors were now stiff IN death-the
nlaidens had perished From the smoul-
dering ruins of the burned city still crept
a slow smoke, while around the borders
of the horizon it shronded the fronting
woods Nothing was wanting to complete
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

but he had paid heavy toll. 1t wassthe
beginning of his own end and that of
the expedition which ne led. Eighty-two
Spaniards of the small band were either
dead. or a little later died of their wounds.
Forty-five horses had been killed, and
much of the clothing of the men had been
consumed in the flames, together with
medicines, relics and much other valuable
property There was not an unwounded
man in the party save among the priests,
who did not share in the fight Some of
the men bore as many as IL wounds, and
in not few instances the arrows were
still buried in the flesh, made difficult of
extrication because of the triangular shane
or the stones with which the arrows were
tipped. Every surgeon was dead except
ing one of the staff, and he the least
sSillful. Following the example of the
men under Cortez in Mexico, the Spanlards
cut away the fat part of the thighs of
the slain Indians ana bound the flesh
about their wounds. The camp was re-
moved sufficiently away from the scene
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

postpones the sanitation of districts il
forms a drag on the wheels of agriculture
al progress, it prevents community life.
And yet as the child said who had ler
the plate drop and smash Nanny,
didn't go to do itl' so says the accused
eeelesiast. The last thing he would "go
to do would be thus to let the church
drop and smash, but he has done It and
Is doing 1t. He is sacrificing the church
and the kingdom for the sake of his inn
mediate interests. The worst thing ever
done Is the abstention from doing right
and the leaders of Christian lie IN the
state have abstained from unifying Tor
general welfare the life of the rural COM
mEnity. They have assumed the fatal
position that their denomination is the
church. And so the rural people have
learned to regard with suspicion all sects
but their own, and to believe that the
way to heaven is peculiarly monopoized
by those who belong to 1t. The only So
luton of the divisions yet offered by
bishops and clergy is the proposal to
convert everyone to their way of think
ing. This proves utterly impracticable,
and the divisions continues there is no
center for the whole interest of the set
tlement, and a hundred benefits that
would flow fiom such a center are as far
away as can be.
With all respect and all diffidence, and
all sympathy, I propose to attempt an
answer to the great question here In
volved.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

lar? Surely the art OF essay writing con-
sists In using the first word that comes
and hurrying on"
That's how 1 did," said the proud Nc
Laughlan
II see" interposed Mr.. Gloag, that
Mclaughlin speaks of there being a mask
of people in the church. Mask is fine
Scotch word"
~ though of mask" whimpered Tommy,
"but that would mean the kirk was
orammed, and / just meant 1t to be mid
ding fun"
"Flow would have DONE" suggested
Mr.. Lorrimer.
Flows but handful said Tommy
"Curran, then you jacknapesI
"Currans no enough. wanted soms-
thing between curran and mask" said
Tommy, dogged, yet almost at the cry
ing.
Mr. Ogilvy, who had been hiding his
| admiration with difficulty, spread net
| for him. you said you wanted a word
that meant middling full. Well, why did
you not say middling full-or fell maskT'
Yes, why not" demanded the ministers,
unconscously caught In the net
II wanted one word" replied Tommy,
unconsciously avoiding 1t.
you jewell muttered Mr.. Oglvy un-
der his breath.
'1t is so easy, too, to find the right
word" said Mr.. Gloag.
IT'S no; it's as difficult as to hit a
squirrel" cried Tommy. THE lad is
only numskull." said Mr. Dishart,
idndly."
Gathro took Tommy by the neck and
ran him out of the parish school or
It.rs4
Tened. As they were preparing to leave
the school the door opened little aud
there appeared in the aperture the face
of Tommy, tear-stained. but excited. Il
ken the word now" he cried 1T came to
me a at once; It Is hantle."
BY referring to the text of the story,
the reader will see that | have condensed
the account of the incident.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

opinion was that he had perlshed in the
battle. These same Indian ENJOYS told
DeSoto that the great chief had long been
planning for the extinction of the Spanish
host, and that his plot was deeply laid,
which news served to encourage the Span
iards with the belief that he had COM
mitted no blunder in overthrowing him.
These ENJOYS gave partial nerve to De-
Soto in his growing perplexity and des-
pondency.
While the commander sat alone in his
tent meditating on what course he should
pursue. his men nursed their wounds.
and with returning relief they became
the same volatile spirits as before Up
to this time their confidence in their
leader was supreme. While they did not
comprehend his unusual moroseness, and
while no one would venture to approa CHI
him with any degree pf familiarity, they
confided in his judgment, aud loled the
days away in utter Indifference of the
future. Sprawled on their rough pallets
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

IN my first paper on this subject l ad-
verted to the marvellous growth of
the English language. / suppose that
the photographers who claim about S0o,-
010 words as embraced in English are
not far from the exact number. If we ad-
NIT that all the words contained in an
English lexicon are English. And the
language is still in a state of expansion.
Many older tongues show signs of decay,
and the Romance languages, once so uni
versally popular. disclose no recent
growth, except in the introduction of a
few new scientific terms. I think we
may safely claim that English is the
most vital of all the languages on earth.
Notwithstanding, however. the vast lin
guistic thesaurus at the command of the
English speaking man, how few words
does the average person employ Three
thousand or four thousand terms answer
all our needs, and we are told that the
scant vocabulary of the illiterate peas
ant contains only about 400 words, and
that he finds this number sufficient for
the narrow limits of his needs and con-
versation.
There are only 6oO0 words used in the
Bible. Shakespeares works contain 15-
ESQ, 500 of which are now obsolete. man
must understand many more words than
he. uses. else the Bible, Shakespeare and
well nigh the whole of literature would
be sealed up against him. But literature
is open to us, because we all understand
a vast number OF words that never occur
TO us to use and which are employed by
writers, and byIother persons in conver-
sation. We do not use them. but we
know them. and they mean to use pre-
cisely what the user of them intended.
TO verify this statement, | reached over
TO my books and took out one of the
nearest to me and opened it at random.
Without turning a leaf. / counted 10
words, and with my pencil underscored
them, that / have rarely heard in con-
yersation, and yet everybody knows at
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

to escape the stencil of the dead. the
Spanish slain were buried, and DeSoto
was left to plan for the future. Forgetful
of his own wounds. he was intent on the
comfort OF his men. He would seek to
cheer them with visions of fortune yet to
be realized and with promises never to be
fulfilled
In the solitude Of thought. DeSoto kept
we'll within himself. He realized the Sc
riousness of the situation, was half in
clined to abandon the quest for gold.
but his proud spirit revolted against ae-
acknowledgement OF failure. Yet a serious
breach had been made in his ranks, his
resources were impaired beyond reenper-
alton, winter was coming on, he knew not
the condition of thescountry ahead nor
did he know what the temper of his
troops would be after the reaction from
the battle He talked to no one, for the
very excellent reason that he did not know
in whom TO confide. The Spaniard is
wary, suspicious. Every one suspects
every other. Daring as DeSoto was, he
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

! Truth crushed to earth shall ris,
again
The eternal years of God are hers
But error wounded writhes in pain
And dies among his worshipers.
The peoples party fused with the
democrats in order that its ideas might
PRINCIPLES might live.
Whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall find it,
Men sneered at what they called pop
uIism, some because they did not under
stand it, some because it was-new, some
because its ideas would destroy their
special privileges and some because
they had heard others sneer
Many of the lips that sneered are
been driven \ are now being driven
from public &c. Multitudes have
ceased to sneer and now praise.
Through it all the truths have gone
on winning the nation.
Is there anything more inspiring than
the power of an ideal?
Is there any force greater than that
of right thought?
Time proves all things Time has
proved these principles, and after 20
years the scales are falling from mems
eyes and they are seeing both these and
other things in new light.
We who fought for these ideas in the
old days gained nothing in return but
opprobrium and hard knocks.
Yet some of us have lived to see
these brain children of ours hurl the
mighty from their seats and capture
the conscience Of nation.
Beside that any mere personal tri-
umph would be puny and trifling.
Politically speaking. we lost our lives
for truths sake and have found them
gain.
And some of us are fairly young and
vigorous, thank you, and expect to
dive until these and other good things
are accepted of all men.
To succeed In anything 1t Is necessary
that you be interested In that thing.
The lackadaisical, Indifferent attitude
gets nowhere.
If your work Is raising potatoes you
must be Interested IN raising potatoes
This means that you will find out every
thing possible about the subject; that it
will be your especial pride. to have the
biggest and best crop in the neighborhood.
II 1t is selling calico 1t means that you
must have your heat In selling Calico
that you will know all about weayes,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

you will find IT, and in King Lear, fifth
act. In the latter, the metaphor is
changed, and there is given an allusion
to a Biblical story Says Lear to Cor
della:
HE that parts us shall bring brand
from heaven,
And fire us hence, like foxes.'
Beyond doubt. the newspaper reporter is
responsible to large degree for the cur
rent use of many words that have never
been admitted to the society of the verbal
-Four Hundred The reporter wants to
tell his STORY" as quickly as possible,
therefore he avoids circumlocution.. He
tells us. Mr. Y. suicided;" that t'Mr.
BIS house was burglarized;" that "Bill
Nix, an old offender, was arrested for
and being shy s1o was locked
up" that "Mr. FTohman's offering at the
Jefferson theatre will be, etc. yet, the
price of a ticket makes the play anything
but an Offering" The newspapers have
entirely forgotten the dear old term
sweetheart" which is associated with
the tenderest memories of life. We have
now the French word, ''fiance" or
''fiancee.' Oh, give us back the old fash
ioned word that our fathers and mothers
used, Or, if the person sis engaged to
be married. let us have "betrothed. y
Do you remember James Whitcomh
Riley's poem, THAT Old Sweetheart OF
Mine? And elders exquisite little gem
Sweetheart" in which he sings,
''You are the whole wide world to me,
Sweetheart, sweetheart
Suppose you were to substitute "fiancee
for sweetheart" how would you like the
poetry?
Some reporters tell us that Miss Blank
made her debut at a most opportune
time,'' as if "opportune" lid not carry the
idea of timeliness They write of the
surrounding circumstances and some
good writer's have set them the bad ex-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

picture of an Indian chief 1877 years Of
age. At least he said he was that old
and he looked it.
A European prophet recently expressed
the opinion that in the not distant fu-
ture men would only begin to understand
life at the age of a hundred.
Laugh and live a century is the latest
adaptation of laugh and grow fat"
If any one asks you how to live a CEN
tury, answer something in this wise:
"Why, that is just easy! Don't die too
soon; that's ALL" Dying is really bad
habit and should be discouraged.
To say that "the good die young
should be called by "a shorter and uglier"
name. If goodness consists in behaving
yourself, keeping regular hours and eat
ing only what agrees with you, then the
good live long and flourish like the green
bay tree, whatever that is.
Laughter is not only an answer to alb
surdities and incongruities, but is better
for the health than a medicine closet.
People who can't take a. joke are usual
ly the ones who have to take drugs
1t is no wonder undertakers look sol
emn. They are trying to set an example.
Solemnity helps their trade. 1t furnishes
them more victims to bury.
If we ever establish national health
department one of its first acts should be
to pension the jokesmths. They are the
best health promoters we have. The doc
tors only heal the sick. The jokesmiths
keep people from getting sick
Laughter not only makes us live a long
time but makes living a long time worth
while
A long face means a short life
Cheer up and join the centenarians.
Poetry IS going to dominate the next
age lust as a great historic religion domi-
mated an age that passed some time ago
and a shirt of scientific research after
facts dominates the age that Is passing.
Now. in a certain pesslmistic philosophy
which poets will always resent there is a
disposition to see in the creation of our
earth a mere accident in which the power
behind its harmonies is an eyeless blum
derer, hideous grinning novelty, blood
stained lester. The poetry that is to COM
mand the spirit of the next age is to
have nothing to do with this spirit. There
are central philosophy and harmony
to life.
The future of poetry is is-immense,s be-
cause in poetry, which is worthy OF its
high destinies. our race asltime goes on
viii come to feel an even surer and surer