davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

wv HEN Sir Robert Peel, head of a
M/ tory government, passed up to
the House Of Lords the bill
which he had put through the represen-
tative chamber, abolishing duties on ce-
reals, he asked the landlords to surrender
their right to squeeze profit ont of the
tenant farmer and the hungry multitude.
This crisis came in the year 1876, when
nothing less than stern necessity was
driving statesmen. 1t was not merely
that the hungry multitude was angry
and menacing, but that the logic of facts,
the teaching with which Golden had sown
the nation and which Bright's eloquence
had fructified, had now convinced Peel,
himself, and many others, wings and
tories. Peel was put in and kept in power
by coalition of members of both parties
but his only opposition was from his
own party. The venom of tory hatred
called Peel a traitor. But no statesman
could be found who would assume office
as premier with the confessed policy of
maintaining the food monopoly. 1t was a
whig leader, Lord John Russell, who per-
suaded the peers TO accept the radical
programme of the tory prime minister
The supremely interesting thing in those
days is that the Golden people were try
ing to hide from themselves that their
work set class against class. Golden to
the last deprecated any appeal to class
feeling. Only six months before the final
victory, at great meeting in London,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

poor boy and toiling girl; to many
laboring man and weary woman, there
can be no recreation except on Sunday.
Shall we who have our time at our COM
mand deny to others the right of recre-
alton on the only day that they can
claim as their own?
The hour for service was over, and 1
joined hundreds of New Workers flock
ing to the steamer for an excursion on
the river. On the deck I noticed sitting
near me a poor woman with a delicate
baby in her arms 1 addressed re-
mark to her about the baby, but found
that she was a foreigner and spoke En-
glish only indifferently. We conversed
in German I found that she was a
poor woman engaged constantly with
her employment in the great city Every
day except Sunday she and the little
baby were shut up in the close atmos-
phere of their small rooms. She had
no servant to care for the baby, and her
husband was away at his work nearly
all the week She had grown thin and
pale, and was sadly careworn. Sunday
afternoon was her time for recreation.
All work was laid aside and the pale
little baby-Margaret- carried to
the street cars, thence to the steamer,
and out and away upon the water for
the pure air and the rest so much need
ed. She had bought an orange or two,
and cents worth of bananas, which
she ate. / thought as | sat near this
sad faced woman: There are people who
would call you a sabbath breaker"
first, because you have come on a sun
day excursion, and secondly, because
you have bought fruit on Sunday; but
/ believe you are doing the will of God
as surely as IL you were ministerine
in the sanctity of some holy ecclesiasti-
cal service. Later, as the sun was going
down, we returned to New York and
was made very happy to sec the joyous
meeting OF the wife and husband, the
latter taking the little bundle of a baby
into his strong arms and looking down
into the white face as If he hoped to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
Spoonerisms

The announcement that Miss Spooner.
a daughter of the warden of New Coll
lege, oxford, is engaged to be married.
has recalled some of the stories that
are told by her famous father says
Pearsons Weekly
DR.. Spooner has enriched the English
language with a new word "Spooner-
ism,' which is used to describe a trans
position of letters of words In a SEN
tence. The warden is rather prone to
this form of mistake, and he is said to
have once asked a cabman. Can you
give me change for a peeshilling
tooce2"
Another story which oxford has laid
to the credit of DIR. Spooner refers to an
occasion when he was seeing Mrs.
Spooner off by train.
First of all, on arriving at the station
he called porter and said, put this
rag and the two bugs in the old drainr'
What he wanted. of course, was to have
two bags and a rug put in the down
train, and the porter knowing the war
den did as he was expected.
Then just as the train was about to
start and DR.. Spooner was saying good
bye to his wife. the porter came along
for his tip. Dr. Spooner Immediately
gave his wife a shilling and kissed the
porter! That at least. is the story
they tellyin Oxford.
Perhaps one of the funniest Spoons
erisms" told is the story of the pen
perry old retired major who marched
into church one Sunday and found a
stranger occupying his favorite seat
Choking with indignation, he splut-
tered out:
"sir. are YOU aware you are occupew-
ing my pier y 4 u 4
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

peace. These facts became proeerbiaI
among the pioneers.
The condition to which one may be-
come Injured or accustomed, was abund-
antly illustrated in pioneeE life. oecas-
ional danger would have made life we'll
nigh unbearable, but when It was per-
petual, when one did not know when he
was to be pounced upon from some CO.
vert by an Indian, it came to be matter
of constant expectation and was no more
dreaded than any other ordinary con-
dition of life. OF course, with danger
always impending, men went armed. and
the constant expectation of attack re-
duced the condition to one of the most
ordinary. Men generally felt but little
concern about themselves, but they We're
gravely concerned about their depend
able families These hardy men of the
frontier usually became Indifferent to
personal danger, which fact greatly i'm
pressed the savage. While he hated the
pale face, he feared him. Only under
conditions of advantage, or when so
penned that there was but slight hope
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

bility of riding. IN physical prowess.
therefore. the Indian was the superiors
while IN eoolness and in calculation.
and in the rapid outstanding of re-
source, the white man was at an i'm
mense advantage, and this made him
the dominant factor.
This last element stood the whites well
in hand in their intercourse with the
Indians. Treacherous to the utmost limit
the Indian, in his pretepsions of friend
ship, came to be a study to the from
tierman. and rarely was one thrown off
his guard by the pretended warning Of
an Indian. Oftener than otherwise given
advice of impending danger by an IN
dian was reversed, and savages were
often intercepted in fell design by the
whites who came readily to detect the
treacherous purpose of the Indian. When
suddenly foiled, no people were more
easily demoralized than were the In
dians. OF these characteristics as fire.
quently displayed, we shall have occas-
ion to take note in these sketches.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

But they can dofmore and better. They
can live their ideals.
So can you and I.
And by living our ideals we do more
good than by merely putting them into
words.
In measuring the devotion of a man to
a cause, to an ideal, to any movement
which he believes to be right. this is the
Standard
How far is he willing to sink himself
in his cause?
If he let's the tincture of self color the
fluid of his devotion, he is lulxewarm he
is of those who give the right hand and
withhold with the left
The waters of work and willingness and
sacrifice that are poured out for whatever
you believe to be right must be crystal
clear; they must now show traces of self.
Thus it has ever been with the great,
the truly great of the earth. Above them
selves they have placed the cause for
which they toiled and fought.
The army Of the Potomac needed a new
commander. in the opinion of the north
anu llie uiillldIJ duliOlillSS III w aSnl1S-
ton. One man after another was sug-
gested. Lincoln decided to appoint
Fighting Joe" Hooker
What Hooler!'' said the friends of the
President why, that man has been
going about criticizing YOU
And here shown out the greatness of
the soul of Lincoln.
Hooker is a good general" he said.
He has the confidence of the people. 1t
makes no difference what he %hinks of
me-
In appointing Hooker Lincoln wrote to
him:
II have heard, in such way as to be-
lieve 1t, of your recently saying that both
the army and the government needed a
dictator. OF course it was not for this,
but in spite of 1t, that 1 have given you
the command"
Despite his faults, Hooker was good
general and a firm union man. Tn few
things was Lincoln more great than in
his power of judging men and their mo-
tives.
But the moral Is this:
A smaller man than Lincoln would have
resented Hooker's criticism of himself
He would have placed himself above the
task then set to do. that of saving the
union. To replace Burnside. he would
have appointed one of the many other
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

generals of the north willing and anxious
to take up the burden.
But he thought Hooker the best man.
So he chose Hooker. lie placed his coun-
try, his cause, above himself
When you have work to do you must
choose your tool according to the task,
not according to it's difficulty of handling.
You must ask:
''Will it enable me to do the work."
That is the true test.
Mrs Mabel Plumbe, an employe of the
telegraph company for % years, killed
herself at Joliet Ill. She had been made
insane by the constant clicking of the
sounder. She left a note saying:
MY head hurts. My eyes are growing
DINNER The click OF the Instruments is
maddening News Item.
II you know the strain of long continued
work without needed intermission-and
who does not? you can sympathlze with
the poor woman.
There is, of course, no absolute excuse
for suicide-it is, as a rule, a cowardly
evasion of the responsibilities Of life-but
il any colorado justification for it could
be found. probably it would be in the long
strain such as Mrs. Plube could stand no
longer.
Click Click! Click To the inexperi-
enced ear there are few things more insis-
tent in the world of sound than the sound
ing of the telegraph instrument 1t is
like the continual dropping in a very
rainy day of which Solomon wrote
Do you notice the click in your daily
life?
If you do, and you value your peace OF
mind and your health, seek change. Be-
fore it wears you out and drives you TO
the point, or near it. to which it took the
poor woman in our text, get relief
When things go well with us, and our
daily lives run in straight, well ordered
lines, we do not hear the click 1t is part
of the hum of easy running machinery
that is so pleasant to hear.
But let the work become wearisome. let
the brain or the body be tagged, and the
click rises superior to the music. 1t is a
note of discord, an indication of a daily
life thrown out of tune with its surround
ings.
Time to rest, TO let upl
Have you ever noticed a veteran tele-
graph operator, with his feet perched on
a cesk, reading a newspaper and smoking
a pipe? At his side the telegraph sounder
ticks away busily, but he pays no atten-
tion to 1t. for the message is not for him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
l WISH IT WASN'T SUNDAY"-By DR.. W. E. Evans

lror, while the second class of men are
acting within their rights by revolving
and protesting against mfsconception
of the purpose and privileges of the
Lords day.
Sunday and the Sabbath are not iden-
tical days. They do not commemorate
the same events. nor do they fall upon
the same day of the week. 1t is mis-
nomer to entitle Sunday the Christian
sabbath" There is no such thing as
the Christian Sabbath" Let Sunday
be what it may, it is not Sabbath in
the sense that it takes the place of the
ancient Sabbath. In the early days of
Christianity the dies Dominicus" was
never called the Sabbath. so far as I re-
member my studies of the church
fathers. 1 think the collocation "the
Christian Sabbath" had its origin in
comparatively modern times and was
first used by the Puritans of England, ,
and prior to the fourth century none of
the fathers based an argument for the
observance of Sunday on the analogy
suggested by the fourth commandment
As to the right of church councils to
recognize day that had already come
" We opsSlNeu py ClIlsllanS universal
ly, rather than the old Sabbath of the
Jewish church, l shall not write. This
would involve theories, while / choose
to state historic facts Certain it Is
that while Sunday was to be a day of
worship, it was also to be known as a
festival, accompanied with gladness. 1t
was never fast day, even in Lent, lest
the happiness and joyousness of the day
be forgotten. This characteristic of the
day was maintained through the ages
Even after the Protestant Reformation
on the continent. having first worshiped
God in the churches, the people resorted
to relaxation, to music and to innocent
games, as is now the case in continental
Europe. In England this view of Sun
day had long prevailed. In London, as
far back as the year II IL, in every Sun
day In Lent, church services being over.
1ousts with lances and shields might
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

THERE was well known meat pack
er in Chicago. nan of many mill
\ lions, which he had amassed largely
through the exercise of his shrewdness in
Judging men and their motives. He was
an expert in men. He>gained his knowl-
edge by hiring-and firing many of
them.
One day some one asked Philip d. Ar
mour his opinion of the relative value of
brain work and manual labor.
And this was his answer:
mo man on earth is worth more than
SIPS day, from his neck down."
The price of manual labor has gone up
somewhat since Armour's time. 1t COM
mands now more than sl.25 day. But
compared with the returns from the ex-
ercise of mental ability the difference is
negligible.
What difference does it make il we say
a man, below his neck, is worth only $1.25
a day, or $150 day, or 80 a day?
The point remains that what the world
values most and is willing to pay most
for is the work that is done with the
portion OF the anatomy that lies above
the cervical vertebrae.
In plain English. it is headwork that
counts
Ever since the days of the builders of
the pyramid of Cheops, when 10000 men
labored for whole year to move one Of
the stones that make up that great mon
ument to manual labor, the work of the
hauds had been held in lower esteem
tnan that of the head.
Men who can toll long hours with the
hands are common. Men who can labor
equally long hours with the brain are
rare
This is not to say that all are fitted
for mental exertion. AS the muscles of
the body are developed by exercise, SO
are the assures of the brain developed by
use. In the man of science the grooves
are numerous and deep; in the day labor
er they are shallow and comparatively
few
Not all may aspire to labor with the
brain, but all may apply the brain they
have to the task in hand.
In its way manual toll is as honorable
and worthy as the work which does not
depend entirely on bodily strength. OF
course even the brain worker must have
a sound body to support the lapors of his
mind IL he is to achieve great success,
since bodily illness and weakness react on
the brain.
6nt Ae world pays its highest price
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

Of escape, would the Indian dare in
open fight with a white man. The skill
of the Indian was limited, while the
cool calculation of the white man would
enable him the more readily to COM
prehend a given situation. In reen-
counter the Indian would always act
with precipitation, while the white would
act with calculation, even under a stress
of exciting conditions. This was often
illustrated in the difference of the con-
duct of the two races.
One chief advantage the Indian en-
joyed over the white mamie could easi-
ly outrun him. The Indian was trained
to feetness of foot from early child
hood. He could run with bent form
faster than the white could in an up
right position.
1t was almost incredible how rapidly
the Indian could penetrate the tangled
underbrush In fight or in seeking the
advantage of a foe. Athletic training
was common among all the tribes. On
just two things the Indians relied, one
of which was his fleetness of foot, and
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

thought would force the retirement of
the men.
Among the strange incidents connected
with the menaeing presence of the In
dian during the primitive period of the
states history. was that Of the conduct
of the horses and cows when a savage
would come within easy distance. Wheth-
er grazing or at work, these animals
would instinctiyely lift their heads and
raise their tails, while with protruding
ears. they would indicate the direction
of the savage. More than that, they
would frequently give demonstration of
their excitement, by running here and
there. and stop only to turn their ears
in the direction of the approaching or
lurking Indian. They did not see him.
but by some other means, perhaps, by
the keen sense of SMELL they could de-
tect the presence of the savage, even
when he was some distance away 1t
was thus that these animals became
danger signals which no one dared dis
regard. Not infrequently a horse would
stop in the plow. lift his head, snuff
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
HEART TO HEART TALKS-By lanes A. Edgerton

and accords its highest honors to the
brain worker. 1t recognizes in this way
the superiority of mind over matter
The hewers of wood and drawers of
water have ever been slaves to the men
who could organize them for their per-
sonal benefit for the worlds advancement
In the last analysis. that is what brain
work is-the organization and use of man
ual labor for selfish and unselfsh pur-
poses.
If you want to be worth more than $l25
day develop your brain.
Ideals are like stars; you will not sue
ceed IN touching them with your hands.
But like the seafaring. man on deserts of
water, you choose them as your guides,
and following them you reach your des-
tiny. CART. scuTrRZ
1t is the custom to think that only edu-
Gated persons. men and women of book
learning, have ideals.
Not SO. The power that fashioned the
human brain did not give the right to
dream, to see beyond the moment. alone
to the person who has studied the phil
osophies of Greece or has delyed in the
mysteries Of the higher mathematics.
Some of the finest followers of ideals
are found among the dwellers in the wind
swept prairies who have never seen the
walls of academy or college. Among the
shepherds on the lonely heights fighting
cold and snow that their charges may
live, are dreamed dreams that are akin
TO the wisdom of Socrates. the reasoning
of Aristotle, the specuiations of Kant.
The cobbler who puts an honest patch
on your shoe works a little of his ideal
on the line taken by his waxed thread.
The bricklayer, squaring his brick true
with the wall and laying his mortar prom
erly, realizes an ideal.
Sometimes these humble followers NJ
ideals can put their thoughts into words
Then, following behind the plow with the
man who holds the handle, we hear home-
y wisdom which, if we could translate n
into words, would add to the world !
store OF wisdom.
labor hard with their hands and still
harder to give birth to the children OF
their brains we hear worded poetry that
is kin to the expressed ideals of the best
of writers.
The ideals are there. Only oftentimes
the expression is wanting.
AS Schurz said, these men cannot touch
their ideals with their hands. They can
not give body and shape to them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17

But let the sounder send In a message
for him. The paper drops, the pipe is laid
aside, the hand jumps to the transmitter,
ready to break in and ask questions if
need arises.
The steady flow of telegraph talk does
not interest him. 1t is the unusual click
that draws him to his key.
When the constant click, not addressed
to the operator. holds his attention, he
becomes nervous and irritable. 1t is the
danger signal 1t is time to lay off and
rest.
There was time" says Mrs William
Fcrse Scott, a woman of national reputa-
ton, in letter to a New York news
paper, when a man went into his closet
and with prayer and bitter travail of
spirit investigated himself Today he goes
into the public press and investigates the
other man."
True quite truei
Investigation is the order of the age. We
want to know all about everything. Even
in the awakening days of the renaissance,
when the ordinary man first learned that
he had a mind wherewith to think, there
was no more of the spirit of Investigation
abroad than there is now
But we all want TO be the investigators,
not the investigated
! We are all willing to have Diogenes
turn the light of his lantern on the other
fellow, not on us. We do not need to be
Investigated.
SO we think. But is it so2
Instead of turning our searchlight on
our neighbor. would it not be better if we
switched it's rays on ourselves?
II do not need investigation you say
OF course you can bear all the probing
and prying that some one else can infict
en- you, but how about x-raying your own
life?
Self-examinaton is often the best kind
If you win sit down some day, when
neither business nor pleasure presses.
with your soul for your only company.
and eandidly ask yourself. rs there any
way in which / am lacking, in which | am
not living up to the best that is in me-
is there any way in which I am wasting
my opportunities or my timer" perhaps
the result would astonish you.
You know. of course, that very often
the most profitable conversation a person
can hold is with himself. when there is
no second person present. 1t does not all
ways take two persons to make talk
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
ROMANCE OF AABAMA HSTORY-NDAN TROUBLESB F Riley D.
.HE Indian viewed with envious

THE Indian viewed with envious eye
the pale-faced invader who dared
to squat" on his dominions, for
which he had slight use. save for that
Of hunting. The law of the untutored
savage is revenge, and to the Indian
revenge means murder. The safety of
the whites lay in the a community of
interest and a common bond of pro-
lection. In every large settlement, of
group Of settlements, there was a local
stockade of protection and defence, while
IN given region, there was a large
fort to be occupied in case of serious
danger or of general attack OF these
there was a large number throughout
the territory of Alabama. There was
no basis by which the Indian could be
judged He was a stealthy, treacherous
fellow who was constantly lurking about
the homes of the first settlers in order
to wreak vengeance on the women and
children, to massacre whom the Indian