davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

vHE girl who plays basket ball
in the high schools has little
heyond her love of the game
and her desire to benefit physi-
cally from the exercise IL af-
fords 10 induce her to try for the team.
She is not supplied with her uniform as
the base ball men are, she is obliged, in
some cases. to play in cramped and un-
suitable quarters. she must play in match
games without the support of a large
f,evy of rooters and fans 10 cheer her on,
and her achievements are unacclaimed
and unsuns. once the game is over.
And Yet the basket ball interest. labor
ing under disadvantages. attracts many
girls from each school, with the exception
of Eastern High. who make up in en-
thusiasm whatever they may lack in sup
port and equipment.
Unlike the other school teams. no sched-
u!e OF games is arranged for the various
girls basket ball teams. The authorities
do not encourage the arrangement of
such a schedule. and in consequence the
girls ''varsities" play their outside games
with teams representing the several
private schools and seminaries of the city
Many of these games are marked by ex-
CeiiSnt NOFh on bOln SlOeS. anu
genuinely hair-raising plays and brilliant
bits of teamwork are pulled off. but the
game. as played by the girls. does not
permit of the fast and sometimes danger
Gus work of the boys teams.
This modificatio in the girls style of
pay is due to the general adoption,
throughout the rival schools, of the
special official rules applying to the game
for girls which provide for the elimina-
ton Of the most Objectionable features
present in the game as played by men
and toys.
The girls game is played by teams COM
posed of seven members instead of the
customary five. the two additional players
being stationed as side centers. The
practice too of dribbling is taboo in
this form of the game. the ball being ad-
vanced solely by passing. The adherents
o. this style OF game claim many advan-
tages for il over the old style. when con-
sdered as a girls game
The additional players. il is asserted
save their teammates the strain of cover
Ing territory formerly unprotected, and
thus obviate excessive fatigue in long
and hard-fought contests. They also give
opportunity to two more girls to receive
the physical benefit of playing with the
team. whereas under the former rules
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

service comes when for the first time. the
new member hears the roll call with his
name standing out among those In his
letter. The roll call is not monotonous
to him then, no matter how much SD 1t
may become in future years He listens
with deep attention to the long list OF
names. Finally. the reading clerk gets
into his letter. Nearer and nearer he
comes down the list until the buzzing
ears of the new member hears miles away.
it seems. "Mr. Blank" His own voice
sounds faint and indistinct to him as he
responds AYE" or nay, as his judg-
ment dictates on the question at issue.
Later. roll calls in the midst of an exciting
filibuster become the bugbear of his con-
greSsional life from which he seeks refuge
in convenient cloakroom But the
thrill of that first roll call remains one
of the pleasurable memories of his serv-
ices in the national House of Representa-
tives.
ten is that in which the new member
rises to his feet to make his maiden
speech. My father says his knees knocked
together. he was certain he heard his
teeth rattle. although they are very
sound. and his tongue Glove to the roof
of his mouth and the words refused to
come when he essayed his maiden speech
on the floor of the House. But TO break
the ice he told an anecdote and found
by the laughter of his colleagues watch
ing the agonieS of the maiden speech that
the members of the House We're mere
mortals. From that day to this. he says
it has been as easy for him to talk on
the floor of the House as in his own
home.
Sometimes a maiden speech makes a
man famous. For instance. take the
case of LATE Pence, who came to Con-
gress in 1874 from Colorado He was
so boyish looking that Representative
Bourke Cochran, mistaking him for a
page. ordered him to bring him book
What was Mr.. Gockran's chagrin the
next day to hear the supposed page rise
to his feet and make free silver speech,
al the same time making himself ma
tional figure.
Apropos of this same subject a laugh
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

Office. He may be pardoned gasp as
the full glory of his new possession
bursts upon him. Uncle Sam has done
away with any possible discomfort by
making these offices identical in size and
furnishings save for the individual tastes
of the occupants Each is twenty-five
feet deep and sixteen feet wide. The
only variety in furnishings is in the mat
ter of rugs. These may be green, red
or blue, lust as the new members artis-
tic inclnations direct Otherwise all the
apartments are as alike as two peas.
The new member finds the following
conveniences installed:
A sufficiency of solid mahogany furni-
ture a combin ration wardrobe. bookcase
and file cabinet, in which several suits of
clothing could be kept besides coats and
hats; a library of several hundred vol
umes and all a congressman's CORE
spondence and other documents. For his
Uncle Sam. with SYM
pathy toward his epistolary habits has
provided fourteen upright files, twelve
drawers and five card index compart-
mentS
The working equipment includes roll
top desk for the legislator. typewriter
desk for his secretary, mahogany table
five feet in length. desk chairs. leather
back and leather seat chairs. and last.
but by no means least, an easy chair up
holstered in leather, in which many a
maximum amount of rest may be en-
joyed Ice water is on tap in every office
and in each is telephone, with local
and long-dfstance connections. and cleo
trically regulated clock. By an ingenious
device the new member is able to keep
in touch with what is transpiring in the
House chamber by turning on the new
autophone device
His secretary. who has preceded the
new member to his Office has been hav-
ing some thrills of his own but neverthe-
less he is the cause of the next big mo-
ment in the new members career. He
places before his chief some, official cor
respondence with constituent whose
wisdom has led him to beat the new
member to Washington with letter.
The member reads it carefully, more than
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

the weaker ones. who most need the
training and exercise, are pushed to the
wall and sooner or later drop out. Since
we introduced the present system or IN
terclass and section team matches at
Business the number of girls coming out
for basket ball has actually quadrupled.
Before we made the change fifteen or
sixteen girls at the most were all that
could possibly take very active part in
the work but now every one that comes
out plays on either section or a class
team. 1 believe that within the next few
years the old outside game system will be
completely abandoned by every female
educational institution in the country and
j am sure that the pupils will gain by the
change
At Central, one of the schools that has
not yet given up outside match games. a
double method is employed which en-
braces both the outside matches and the
interclass team games Mrs. Walton and
Miss Weber, physical directors have in
troduced a rule whereby girl not in
her senior year can become a member of
the varsity.
Under this rule the best Of the seniors
are given positions on the first senior
team which is, ex-officio the varsity
other seniors in the game make up a sec
ond senior team and the girls of the jul
nior, sophomore and the freshman classes
are divided up into class teams. first. sec
ond and sometimes third, which play to-
gether frequently.
Thus. for three years the girls on the
lower class teams trained in practice
games that when they finally enter
the senior year they are so thoroughly
familiar with the fine points of the game
that if chosen to play on the first team
they will need very little attention from
their coaches. the latter are thus left
free to develop the new material in the
lower classes.
This method of managing affairs has
proved so successful that the Central
authorities do not as yet contemplate a
change to the new scheme of abandoning
the varsity team entirely and developing
class teams only.
The Central team this year was cap
tanned by Miss Theodore Seibold who
graduated with the midyear class. TO
fill her place Miss Genevieve Thomas
was elected by her teammates and is
proving a capable successor to the late
captain, who is now coaching girls
team AT George Washington University.
Miss Priscilla Alden is upholding the
team at the business end as manager.
and she arranged attractive schedule
Of outside games for her charges She
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06
Protecting Monument During Electrical Storms

at any and all times. Therein lies the Sc
cret Of its continued success. Lightning
rod systems are efficient when kept in
perfect order. but disjointed wire rem
ders the system worse than no precaution
at all. for ii attracts and centers the
force of the electricity on the edifice IL
aims to protect, thereby causing damage
instead Of conducting the force. to the
ground The lightning rod idea. which
had its birth in Franklns mind in 174a.
is suggestion which solves the problem
of protection but its installation must
be followed up with inspection.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

big moment in the life of each new
congressman is that thrilling second III
which he learns beyond any shadow
of doubt that the people of his dis
trict have chosen him for their stand
ard bearer under the white dome OF
the National Capitol-the mill where
Uncle Sam grinds out his laws. some
times slowly but always surely.
Neither Napoleon nor Caesar at the
moments of their greatest victories
had anything on Mr.. New Congress
man at that time. The world is his
with no more rubicons TO cross. And
he is quite right Kingdoms may rise
and fall. Presidents come and go. poil-
cies be born and die. but the people
of his district will take but an alb
stracted view of these world happen
ings. They know their congressman
at first hand and his doings are more
important than any of these. The new
member comes into the world of ma
tional politics with a ready-made au-
dience-the folks back home. True,
this audience may be an untiring one.
it may believe in continuous perform
ances. but. nevertheless. the new MEM
Der is the star.
=
When my distinguished relative. Speak
er Champ Clark. brings down his gavel
in resounding fashion April Z and re-
marks The House will be in ORDER or
words to that effect, a hundred and
ninety-seven new members will feel the
second big moment of their congress
slonal lives their first session of the
House. / am happy to he able to say
that democracy has stalwart contin-
gent in the new membership, which
makes the party of Jefferson and Jack
son an overwhelming majority in the
lower House. Miss Democracy will be
there in the mothers, wives, sisters and
shall / say sweethearts, for there are a
number of bachelors among the new
members.
There is an added joy in the second
big moment because of the presence of
admiring femininity in the galleries.
Might l say i'm passing that the lions of
the House sink to insignificance besides
the majesty of the new member in the
rose-colored glasses OF his womankind.
In vain kindly guide may point out the
mighty chairmen of history making COM
mittees. The one question will remain
firmly in their minds, DO you happen to
know where Jack is stfing?" And when
he is discovered. as embarrassed as a
boy in new school with a hundred cal
culating eyes upon him. the excitement
is terrific. 1t seems as if every one in
the gallery must he looking at that MEM
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06
Height of 0bstinacy.

. REPRESENTATIVE PUJO was talk.
~ ing about an obstinate financier.
This man. he said, els undoubtedly
the most obstinate man in Wall street.
may say. in fact, that he Is the most
obstinate man in the world.
why. he is so obstinate and contrary
minded that IL he sees a Newspaper adj
vertisement headed Don't Read Thisr
he doesn't read It.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

wear the school letter. AS there is no
varsity team to award the letters to. Miss
Sandeilin picks an all-star team from the
cream of the class teams, and to this
all-star team the is awarded.
The facilities for basket bail at the
Rhode Island Avenue School are far bet
ter than those at Central. the girls hav-
ing the use. twice weekly, of the school S
splendid gymnasium. which is large
enough to permit of two games being
played on the floor at the same time.
The girls seem to appreciate their oppOr-
tunities. for there are more of them de-
sirous Of playing than the coach can COM
fortably handle or keep busy.
The varsity team of the Western High
School is the only girls aggregation.
games with teams from other schools,
and even Western is about 10 give up
the playing of outsiders. After this year
Principal Westcott will put the ban on
all outside Games, so that If the Western
girls care to play basket bah in the flu
ture they will be obliged to stay at home
to do so.
The girls basket ball team at Western
is run in much the same manner as the
foot ball and base ball teams OF the
school. 1t has its coach. Miss Thomas,
its captain, Miss Louise Bridges. and its
manager. Miss Linda Stuard. books its
schedules of games with other teams. and
is financed by the athletic association to
some extent.
The squad has the use of the school s
gymnasium.
At the GEORGETOWN institution the meth
cd employed in picking the varsity girls
basket ball team is the same as that
used i'm getting the lineup of the other
school team: that is. any girl, unless she
be freshman, can gain position II
she plays well enough and keeps up in
her studies Notwithstanding the Tact
that lower class girls as Well as seniors
are permitted to play on, the first tenn.
it is nevertheless a fact that the team il
nearly always composed of girls from the
upper classes.
The. reason for this IS that the sopho
mores seldom have any among their num-
Der that can show enough skill to make
the. team. They are so.eiy In need OF
training and must spend two or three
years on the scrubs before becoming
worthy to represent the school on the
first team.
The school letter is awarded at West
ern to the girls who play in three full
halves of three outside games Last
year only seven girls were awarded the
letter. but a number of arm-band "W's'
were presented to players whose work
throughout the year merited a. place on
the second team. 1t is expected that next
year there will be no end of controversy
over the method of awarding the letters
since there will be no first team and no
outside games Letters will be awarded
however, and ii is probable that some
scheme similar to the one so successfully
employed at Business High will be
adopted.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

logically. Arriving in the subway, he
finds that House members are supposed
to be more democratic than the luxurious
senator's. and do not possess the funny
little subway train. like the senators en-
joy. He has to walk across through the
tunnel If he had been in the upper
House he could have gotten aboard one
of the cars. which hold ten passengers. and
be whisked in comfort and expedition to
the Senate office building Being a dem
ocratic member of democratic lower
House, he is obliged to resort to the most
ancient and inexpensive mode of locomo-
tion-walking
The trip to the House office building
occupies exactly two minutes and is made
through a tunnel lined with white brick,
arched overhead and brightly illuminated
by great numbers of electric lights. The
tunnel is artificially heated in winter as
we'll as ventilated, SO there is small dan
ger that the distinguished passengers will
catch cod. The distance Travelled is
short, just about one-seventh of a mile
or $50 feet.
The House office building reached, the
new member has another big moment.
Well he might by the sight of this three
Mathematician palace covering mere
ground space than any other office build
ing in the world. This edifice has up
"dfOS Oh ,"D TcofIS III IL anu is nOtHlnS
more or less than gigantic annex to the
historic white-domed pile. being linked to
ii by every known form of electrical COM
munication and connected besides by a
subway. 1t is only by taking walk of
one-third of q mile around this marble
pile that the average individual comes
to realization Of it's magnitude. The
building occupies a full city square.
From the back door view of it it has five
stories. This building is planned in the
form of hollow square. the open part
in the center being a court of diameter
of nearly three hundred feet. The offices
are arranged around the four sides of this
court in double row. separated by
corridor twelve feet six inches in width.
a real estate agent would delight in
handling this building, for every room
is an outside one.
The new member now comes to his own
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06
BY GENEv1EvE CHAMP CLARK.

HE falling of the
gavel, which to-
morrow calls to
order for a spe-
cial session the
Sixty-third Con-
Sress. will he a
big moment in the
lives of the hun
dred and ninety
seven new mem
bers of the House.
But l suppose the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

Der. BY and by. Mr.. New Member stops
looking at fly on the wall or regarding
the polish on his boots in an intent.
statesmanlike absorption, and let's his
glance travel over the crowded galleries
for the faces he knows glow for him.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06

LAUGHTER OF Speaker
Il Clark Classics Impor-
tant Events in a New Con-
CHEESEMAN'S Life-When the
Gavel Falls-The Face in the
Gallery-New Congressman
Sits on a Bench and Rides in
members Elevator-Select-
ing the Private Office, and
the First Speech-Furnishing
the New Office.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18

(and there is no way to get them out)
a safety lamp is used by the miners
which keeps the flame from contact
with the gases. The first one of these
lamps was made by Sir Humphrey Davy
in 1875. This lamp consists of flame
inside of wire gauze which makes 1t
safe SO long as the wire gauze does not
get to the combustion point of the
gas.
Many other lamps have been invent
ed since then, some of the latest types
being the wolf lamp This lamp indi-
Gates the presence of dangerous gases
by the lengthening of the flame. Car
bon dioXide and carbon monoxide are
known as 'g'ob." These gases are what
is known as the afterdamp, caused by
an explosion of dust or firedamp, and
are often the cause of the great loss
of life after an explosion; the victim
not knowing the danger until he has
succumbed to the gas. From this it can
be seen that to operate successfully
the mine must be well ventilated. This
ventilation is sometimes obtained by
a furnace at the top of the mine which
affords strong up current sufficient
to keep the mine we'll ventilated. Others
are fitted with fans which draw the air
out or force the air down in making
an up-current Various types of ven
tilators are used but the majority in
use at the largest and best mines are
notifications of the Guibal type.
Since the coal veins are only few
fleet thick and lie fiat or dip at low
angles in this country the mines can
be opened much easier than in some of
the other countries where the beds are
more irregular. The coal is taken out as
the mining proceeds, leaving air pass
ages and roadways protected by posts
or walls.
How Coal Is Sorted
Coal is broken from the face of the
seam by the miner who undercuts it
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18

No suitable definition for the word
coal exists. To say that anything dug
out of the ground that will burn is coal,
is too loose to be considered a val
liable definition: then again to give a
definition based on the chemical analy-
sis is not accurate on account of the
varied forms of coal, none of the prop
critics being identically the same.
Generally speaking, coal is believed
to represent the remains of plant life
which has long since been buried and
has eventually taken this form. 1t is
found in seams or beds, separated by
i. strata of shale or grit and limestone.
Since all forms of plant life depend
upon the energy received from the
sun which fixes the carbon or carbon
monoxide in a stable form, coal may
be defined as buried sunshine. This in
dicates the great heat and energy
given off by the coal fire.
Many theories have been advanced
as to the origin of coal, some being
that the beds are dried up petroleum
lakes others that they are sea weed
long since buried. but none of these
can be reasonably accepted. The most
logical theory SO far advanced is that
when the woody fiber of leaves and
stems of plants fall on the ground they
soon oxidize or decay and the oxygen,
hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen present
pass into the soil or air as gases, the
oxygen and hydrogen chiefly as water,
the carbon as carbon dioXide, and the
nitrogen as ammonia.
This process goes on until finally only
the ash is left, which is composed of
silica, aluminium and iron oxide. 1t is
for this reason that the residue of
thousands of years may be represented
by only few inches of vegetable mould
or humus.
A damp climate and land where the
water runs off very slowly favor the
formation of swamps, though In eli
mate as damp as that of Ireland the
moss will climb the hillside and bring
the water up for great distance by
capillary action, thus making the peat
bogs climb the hills also. The loss of
water and of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
and hydrogen causes a great loss of
bulk. The presence of the everything
strata which warps and changes the
From this 1t can be easily seen that a
coal seam one foot thick may have been
80 feet of peat In the ancient swamp
and the assumption may be made that
the average coal seam is not one-fifth
the thickness of the original peat bed.
Carbon Is the Basis
Since the chief heat producing ele-
ment in coal is the carbon, a classi-
fication in wide use is one based on
the value of coal as fuel; that is, on
the percentage of carbon present in
the coal and also the condition of Its
carbon.
Part of the carbon in the coal is
fixed and cannot be driven off by heat
!. ing in retort and part is combined
with the hydrogen as volatile hydro
carbon compounds which are easily
driven Off. The percentage of fixed car
bons is greatest in anthracites. The
percentage of volatile hydrocarbon to
the fixed carbon in coal is called it's
fuel ratio. On this basis the Goals are
usually classed as Ignite, bituminous,
semi bituminous, anthracite and semi
.antharcite. Camel coal in which the