davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
Important Questions

At the meeting of the board OF
directors of the Chamber of Com
merce yesterday afternoon several
matters of practical interest to Bir-
mingham and the Birmingham dis
trict were considered, and facts of
vital interest were set forth in two
reports.
The committee on finance and taxa
ton presented an exhaustive report
on the present financial condition OF
the city of Birmingham, pointing out
the causes of our present municipal
embarrassment. After that report is
digested something tangible should
come of it.
The transportation committee pre-
sented data showing that Birming-
ham is Disseminated against by the
railroads in certain freight rates,
based on advantages that Nashville,
Memphis and other cities situated on
rivers enjoy because of alleged water
transportation. This is an old ques-
ton, but the older and more impor-
tant Birmingham becomes the more
serious is the discrimination. If river
towns utilized river transportation in
receiving and dispatching freight over
long distances inland cities would
have to bear with the situation, but
since the river rates amount to prac-
tically no more than theory, it looks
hard indeed that Birmingham should
be made to submit longer to these
conditions.
A very important step has beer
taken in bringing the matter squarely
before the Chamber of Commerce ant
through the chamber to public atten
ton, and it is hoped and believed thai
relief will before a great while bs
granted.
/ Eastern carriers, which include thu
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
AN OLD TIGHTWAD
From the Kansas City Star.

L rom the Kansas city star.
Bert Walker writes, in the Osborne
Farmer Not long ago was in a Pull
man car at the dusk of evening. A tired
old man and his still more tired wife
came in and asked the price of a berth.
Two dollars to the place he was going
and they would land there the next
morning. Il won't pay more than soc
for both of u.s. snapped the old fellow
back and he and the tired wife dragged
themselves back to the crowded chair
car to pass the weary hours of the
night That man., said a fellow near
me who knew him, is worth 800. 900.
Then in pranced a careless young fell
low with about So in his pocket who
TOOK the berth the rich old fellow had
turned down. He smoked a cigar and
went to bed with a laugh on his lips
Up In the stuffy chair car the old man
and his weary wife tried to doze the
dull hours away and when they reached
their destination they were exhausted
But the old fellow had his So in his
pocket and weary bones and burning
eyes faded before the Jingle of th.
coin. When he crosses the bar he will
leave every dollar, every acre of land
all earthly possessions behind. Ther.
are no pockets in shroud"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24

How else than by force may the citizen
be taught to love law and order?
The presence of this girl upon the po-
lice force has worked a practical reyolu-
ton in police procedure. Emphasis Is
no longer laid on clubs, revolvers and ar
rests, and strange though it may seem
TO those who fear the worst from every
new departure, the elimination of brutal
ity, insolence and violence has resulted
in a larger degree of peace and good or
der than Denver has ever known before.
From the start. Miss Roche was an
amazing sort of cop. for all her energies
were devoted to avoiding all necessity
for arrests. When she made the rounds
of the amusement places she didn't say,
do so and so or I'll lock you up What
she did was to talk long and quietly with
citing instances of assault and seduc-
ton growing out of the nightly swarm
ings of mere children about rink and
show and hail. showing the stain of
shame and tears on many dime, and
appealing to their sense of decency and
love of family.
Wholesale arrests would have only ac-
stion Miss Roche's policy turned every
proprietor into an active supporter of
the ordinance. and girls and boys under
16, unless accompanied by parents, are
no longer seen in the dance halls, skat-
ing rinks and moving picture shows of
Denver
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
The Districts Expansion

The United States Steel corporation
since it acquired the Tennessee COM
pany has already expended in i'm
provements and new construction in
the Birmingham district nearly $780,
100000 and many more millions will
be expended along finished product
lines within the next few years.
The recent action of the Steel cor
porations finance committee looking
to the completion of the American
Steel and Wire company's large mill
at Fairfield is renewed evidence OF
the corporations abiding faith in Blr-
mngham as an industrial center and
as strategic point in relation to the
immense traffic that the opening OF
the Panama canal will develop.
Birmingham needs more small in
dustries and in order to attract and
hold additional manufacturing inter-
ests there must be readjustment of
freight rates. Whatever causes have
held Birmingham back must be re-
moved as speedily as possible and 1t
is felt that the time will soon come
when anything like discrimination
against this district will have disap-
peared.
In the meantime the fact that the
Steel corporation is not standing still
but is going ahead in spite Of con-
gressional politics is matter for
much rejoicing. Real estate values are
unquestionably stronger here today
than they were just before the Steel
corporations favorable action of
Wednesday. Every business interest
has been happily affected and there
is every reason to predict that the
summer of 1918 will witness an un,
commonly high degree of prosperity
hereabouts.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
TELEPHONE
BelJ (private exchange connecting al
aHepartments), No. 1900.
We must everyone be man of hi'
own fancy.
ALPS Well That Ends Well.
The Baptists and Education

The Southern Baptists have long
been active in advancing education.
Their colleges have taken high rank
and their theological seminary at
Louisville, where the lamented
Broadus was for many years the in
spirational head, keeps well to the
front.
That was an important step which
fhe Southern Baptist convention at
st. Louis took the other day looking
to the founding of a theological
seminary for colored ministers, to be
located at Louisville in close connec-
tion with the seminary for white min
listers. This, it seems, is only one of
several seminaries of the same char
acter to be established by the Bap-
lists.
1t is we'll known that the Rev. DR..
B. F. Riley of Birmingham has been
devotingF much time and study to the
race question in the south and it is
reasonable to assume that this new
seminary movement is the direct out
growth of his efforts. His book, THE
White Mans Burden" reviewed by
The Age-Herald last year, has done
much, it is thought, to cultivate fa-
vorable sentiment for the colored peo-
pie.
AS prominent educator points out,
s'the proposed seminary means the CO.
operation of the best elements of the
whites and blacks of the Baptist
church and will doubtless do much to
stimulate like efforts on the part of
Others"
1t is evident that a wholesome SEN
timent favorable to the colored race
is growing in this country and this
sentiment, it is believed, will increase
in proportion to the continued worth
of the negroes themselves.
DIR. Riley, in rendering valuable SER
vice, deserves the encouragement of
representative citizens inside and out
side of the Baptist denomination.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24

southern transportation lines, are ask
ing for an increase in freight rates.
The interstate commerce commission
has compiled figures on revenues and
disbursements of steam railroads
to support the contention of the car
riers. 1t is shown that operating eX-
penses have increased far IN excess
of income. The carriers ask for an
increase of only per cent, which GER
tainly seems only reasonable, The
total operating revenues of all the
steam roads of the country, taken al
together. for the month of March in
creased in round numbers $10,000,000
over March, 1912, while the total
operating expenses for March, 1913,
exceeded the total operating expenses
for March, 1912, by more than $14,-
100000. The net operating revenues
of the carriers for March, 1913, is
stated at not quite S63,000,000 as
against $67, 100000 for March, 1912.
If an increase of per cent in
freight rates is allowed for the east
ern and southern lines, shippers and
consumers would feel it only slightly.
but, on the other hand, it would be a
very material help to the railroads,
and indirectly it would have a buoy
ant effect on business generally. The
railroads would be in position to
spend more money for betterments.
Their borrowing power would be in
creased and everyone knows that when
the railroads can go forward
needed improvement and expansion
general prosperity follows.
But Birmingham is chiefly inter.
ested just now in the rate discrimina
tion which the Chamber of Commerce
is considering.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
BASEBALL PITCHING GUN.

A baseball pitching gun invented some
years ago by Prof. c. II. Hinton of
Princeton university is described, with
Illustrations, In the June Popular Me-
chanics magazine. This gun, resem-
bling a cannon in appearance, and hurl-
ing ball by means of gas shot into
its breach from an ordinary repeating
rifle, was not designed to take the place
of a pitcher in a game, but to give bat
ters an opportunity for unlimited prac-
tice.
actually throw curves and throw them
accurately. but there was one defect that
could not be overcome, due to the "hu.
man equation" The gun never failed to
inspire fear in the barter. That the bat
ter would know lust when the ball was
coming, an electric wire was run to the
batters' box, and by stepping on the
plate the circuit was closed and the
blank cartridge in the rifle fired. The
average batter would step on this plate
and then jump back about four feet, let
ting the ball go by Another drawback
was the fact that the hot gases soon act
ed on the covers of the balls and made
them as hard as bricks
An almost unlimited range of spe,.l
was obtained by making the tube con-
Meeting the breech of the gun. into wblc b
the rifle was discharged, telescope. The
shorter the tube, the greater the force.
Rubber-faced curving fingers, adjusta-
Bile to any plane about the muzzle caused
the ball to curve. ''out" or ''in,< or
drop. different sets of fingers givint,
different degrees Of curve.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24

attendance at Auburn this year has
been sos students. The student body
represents every county in Alabama
except one and II states of the Union
besides Alabama. This is strong
showing indeed and next year even
better showing will be made at Au-
burn. The student body will doubtless
number 1000 and as there is an ever
increasing demand for technically edu-
Gated young men the time should not
be far distant when Auburn's student
body will number 1000.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
President Wilson'S Currency Plans

The President has not explained
Just what he wants in relation to
banking and the currency, but the be-
lief prevails that he desires four
wear test of both a tariff and cur
rency bill. In big country four
year test is none too much. 1t is there
fore believed that the President will
soon send in currency message and
that he will make it plain in that
message what he desires as party
measure.
Some think that the House should
be asked to take up the currency
question while the Senate is discuss
ing the tariff. No one knows how long
the Senate will hammer away at the
IA schedules of the tariff bill and the
income tax. If it is ready to take final
votes by August 1 it will do very well
indeed. This means that the House,
guided by Chairman Glass of the
banking and currency committee,
could spend two months in considering
a comprehensive system that will meet
the approval of the Wilson admins
tration. The fate of the administration
and of the party would then be based
upon two great far-reaching and all
important measures. An administra-
ton and a party that is willing to
face the music on two such PROPOSE
tons cannot honestly be charged with
evasion or with desire to avoid just
responsibility.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The doctor examined the patient with
great care.
You must avoid excitement" he said.
You mustn't get mad. You must keep
away from irritating SURROUNDINGS
The patient grinned.
you wouldn't have me leave home.
would you, doc?"
mo, but you'd better cut out the ball
games
The patient frowned.
''Will l last through the season.
1T isn't as bad as that" said the doc
tor. Just remember. though, that when
the catcher makes a bad throw, or
fielder drops an easy fly, you mustn't get
up and screeeh and scream and yell 'rot-
ten "
The face of the patient hardened
Then let them remember" he growled
that they mustn't make bad throws and
drop easy 1es,''
And the doctor sighed and let him go.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
Technical Training

During the past 10 years a marked
advance has been made in the south
in technical education. 1t used to be
said that this section would always
be at a disadvantage in industrial de-
velopment so long as we had so few
schools of technology and those we had
were, as rule, inadequate in equip
ment.
Until very recent years southern
young men desirous of obtaining a
technical education went to one of the
well known institutions in the north.
But there has been great improvement
in the educational situation in this
section. While Cornell and the Mas
sachusetts Institute of Technology at
Boston and other institutions where
chemistry and engineering are thor
oughly taught have many students
from the south, such excellent work is
now being done in southern techno-
logical schools that there is no good
reason why the young man in this part
of the country need go away from his
state to become technically trained
Here in Alabama the Polytechnic
institute at Auburn has been steadily
reaching higher levels in the educa-
tional world and especially in the mat
ter of technical education. 1t had a
fairly good faculty 10 years ago. II
has much stronger faculty today
In fact, it is one of the best institu-
tions in this country for the training
of young men for engineering and the
mechanic arts and for modern eco.
nomic farming. The University OF
Alabama has made fine start in its
department of engineering and min.
ing and in comparatively short time
its engineering school will rank sec.
ond to none in the United States.
Reverting to Auburn, the Polytech
mic institute not only turns out bright
young men but right here in the Bir.
mingham district are scores of hel
graduates who have made good a.
chemists, craftsmen and engineers
In the student body at Auburn during
the session now ending jefferson coun
ty is represented by 90-nearly three
times as many as any other one coun
~. According to the new catalog the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
THE WAY THROUGH THE WOOD

BY Rudyard Kipling.
They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone 1t again.
And now you would never know
There was once road through the
woods
Before they planted the trees
1t is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ringdove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through tho
woods.
Yet, il you enter the woods
OF summer evening late,
When the night air cools on the trout
ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
tThey fear not men In the woods
Because they see so few)
You will hear the beat of a horses feet,
And the swish Of skirt in the dew.
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes, =
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost read through the woods;
But there - no road through the woods.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
DENvER.s LADY COP

From Women of Today" in the June
Metropolitan.
The "best man. on the Denver police
force happens to be woman So says
Felix ONeill. and since he is the CHIEF
of the department, he ought to know
Yet, at the time he pinned the shining
star of authority upon Miss Josephine
Roche, and vested this sweet-faced CIR
with full police power, this same O'Nei
groaned aloud and piteously demanded tf
know what the world was coming to.
Nor was the idea of a lady COP mucs'
less of a shock to the people OF Denver
than to the tradition-loving chief himself
In the first place. such thing had never
been heard of before. and what was more
1t was not job for woman, because, as
everyone knows, the prime duty OF po-
liceman is to arrest. to beat and 10 Kill
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
summer Concerts

IF We are to have band concerts
in Capitol park this summer there Is
no time to be lost in finding ways and
means" said a music lover who has al
ways contributed his mite to the open
air music fund
"We have had park concerts three
summers in succession and 1t would be
too bad if this summer had to pass
without music in Capitol park.
IF the city commission could start
this years fund with an appropriation
of $1,000 l believe that $4,000 or $4,000
additional could be raised. Nashville Is
spending $4,000 this year on its paris
concerts. A band of 80, men is en-
poyed to play daily for Is weeks. Bir-
min CHAM ought certainly to be able
to do half as we'll as Nashville"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
BRIGHT EXPECTATIONS

From Everybodys Magazine.
A charming young woman walked into
the stationer's shop in a village and asked
to see some typewrting paper. After
making her selection she hesitated for
moment. DO you make any reduction to
clergymen? she inquired.
Yes" replied the stationer promptly.
Are you a clergyman's wife?"
MOO" she answered.
"A clergyman's daughter, probably"
said the man as he tied up the pack
age.
NO" was the young woman's hes-
tating answer. "But'-and she leaned
over the counter and spoke in a conf
dental whsper-'if nothing happens, |
shall be engaged to theological student
as soon as he comes home from college
next term"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
THE KING OF MONTENEGRO

lighted candles in their hands. The Kings
face is white and his eyes are full of
thought, and the candle trembles ever so
slightly between his vibrating fingers. He
says the Amens" for the soul of his
cousin and ally, the King of Greece, who
has fallen in the hour of victory at the
assassins hand.
The chant is taken up by the small con-
gregation. "Gospodar pomiloi. Gospodar
pomilof.P Lord, have mercy on us'
Into the sunshine again, and the King
draws on his white kid gloves and is
swept past crippled and wounded loyalty,
with a hand to- his cap. The representa-
tives of the powers come out in a pea
cock group with their fantastic uniforms
and swords a-ratting down the steps. The
crowd filters away; the bell suddenly
stops
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
WHERE LIauoRTcE COMES reou

From the June Wide World Magazine
Very few people have any irea where
the familiar liquorice root comes from.
As a matter of fact, the bulk of II halls
from Syria Here 1t is gathered and
piled into great sacks, where it remains
until it is thoroughly dry. 1t is then
taken TO the factory to undergo certain
processes The finished product is used
for havoring confectionery and beer as
well as entering into the make upsof many
brands of tobacco. Some idea of the ex-
tent or tue industry may be gathered
when II is stated that. on an average, 5000
tons OF dry liquorice root is shipped from
Aleppo annually, while Bagdad Yields an
other 5000 tons, Antioch 1000 and Damas-
Gus 800 tons. With the exception of the
Damascus output. the whole trade is in
the hands of a single firm.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
st. Clair Visitors

DR.. j. T. Brown and John w. Mcneil
of Ragland spent yesterday in Birmina-
ham. Mr.. McNeill is engaged in the
lumber business, and he and DR.. Brown
are among the best known and most
esteemed citizens of st. Clair county.
THE crop situation in my county is
good" said Mr.. McNeill. THE rain came
just in time and there Is gne outlook
for crops. The farmers of st. Clair are
prosperous and have been for several
years.
THE town of Ragland was never SC
thriving as 1t is today. 1t is growing
steadily and will give a good account OF
itself in the next census"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
The Lieutenant Governorship

II am glad that Senator w. I Brown
of Ragland is being urged to announce
for lieutenant governor" said Jeffer-
son county man who takes an active
interest in Alabama affairs.
"Mr. Brown is we'll and most favor
ably known throughout the state He
Is a good business man and has made
one of the best of legislators. He is
known to be a strong friend of edu-
cation and has been tireless in his ef-
forts to improve school conditions.
Many good men may offer for the
lieutenant governorship but l know OF
none more popular than Wat Brown
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24

WHY NOT HAVE A HOUsEBOAT.


Homer Croy, In Leslie's.
The word houseboat has milionarish
sound. But that's wrong; dead wrong.
You don't have to have a seat on the
stock exchange to own houseboat. They
run UP and down in price about the same
as automobiles. Goodness knows, If you
want to stick fortune in one you can
there's always hole for the money; but
If you have to keep your eye on the
money bag, as most of us do. you can
own a houseboat and still not worry about
where the next meal is coming from.
A houseboat is floating home on the
water; it's squeezing up the kitchen, fold
ing up the sitting room, compressing the
bathroom and putting a hull under them
Then you can knock around anywhere
you want to. One girl | heard about
bought a houseboat for $500. She picked
up an old hull from a fishing man.
calked up the holes, built a cabin, named
the craft and 1t was home.
A houseboat doesn't cost much un-
til you do one thing; as soon as you put
power into one then 1t begins to demand
money. BY power, is meant, of course,
an engine to run it.
The natural houseboat floats. There are
three kinds of these craft-the hoater, the
one that you sail and the one that has an
engine. The one without any power at
all you have to tow around with another
boat 1t floats with the current and that
is all. The second kind gets around un-
der spread of sail. When you put an
engine in you don't give whoop about
the weather.. W'hfrf afsd pot WIND rms y
then.
A houseboat has it over yacht in a lot
of ways; it's not so expensive and 1t has
more room.
If you have 5000 tucked away in an old
wooden sock under a stone in front of the
fireplace you can have perfectly cork
ing time this summer on a houseboat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-24
THE LITHIA WATER FRAUD

From the Journal of the American Med
ical Association.
1t has long been recognized by ply
sicians that one of the greatest frauds
perpetrated on the American public is
the exploitation of the so-called "lithia
waters"-some of the most widely sold
of which contain less lithia than does
the water of most of the rivers of the
United States. Millions of collars have
been expended on these waters and now
the United States government. under
the federal food and drugs act, is spend
ing large sums in an effort to compel the
dealers to lebal their products truthfully
and the dealers are spending still larger
sums in an effort to perpetuate the pres
ent labels.
Who is really responsible for the "lith-
ia water delusion? I'VE regret to have
to state says the Journal of the Amer
lean Medical association, Dthat it Is
chiefly the medical profession. 1t orig
mated in the medical profession, 1t was
founded on some crude and unscientific
experiments and perpetuated by men,
bers of the profession blindly accepting
the statements of exploiters of all kinds
of waters dubbed 1ithia waters to meet
the demand originally created by ply
scians. In a similar way the profess
sion is largely responsible for many of
the 'lithia' nostrums which are being
fosted on the public as uric acid solv-
ents.
1.-The medical profession should recog-
nize its part in the origination and per-
petuation of such frauds as that of the
'lithia waters, and our medical schools
should realize that graduates of today
in their attitude these important SUBJ
jects are often relatively no better off,
n indeed they are as we'll off, as grad
yates of two three decades ago."