davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1914-08-15
German Cruisers Safe.

In regard to naval movements there
Is little news except a report that the
elusive German cruisers Goeben and
Breslau have reached the Dardanelles.
where In accordance with interna.
tional law. they will be dismantled
and informed until the war Is ended.
Should this news be confirmed IL will
be great step toward the safety OF
British and French shipping in the
Mediterranean
In the political sphere are two in.
teresiine items According 10 the Co.
logne Gazette. Rumania has Joined the
Triple Alliance and will invade Ser.
via II Is reported from Settinge that
the Servian and Montenegrin arms
have effected junction NJ Plevlie
,Tashiial. ~ miles from Novibazar.
The London Times says Japan Is
acting on her own initiative and hopes
she will limit her action to Kiao-Chau.
as seizures OF German territory else
where in the Pacific might lead 70
grave Misunderstanding among our
kinsmen
Paris reports Montenegro troops oc
rupyiHg Tarabosch, overlooking Scu
tart Albania. where severe fighting
between Montenegrins and Turks &c
CURED In the Balkan war
a dispatch from Rome states that
the Moiteaegrins have captured Sou
lari.
Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1914-08-15
cossacks Defeat Austrlans

a dispatch 10 Rome from Trieste
saws two entire brigades Of Austrian
cavalry were destroyed by an over
whelming force Of Cossacks and artil
lery after invading Russia near Riet
geral
Austria has granted Italy's demand
for PREPARATION for the destruction OF
the Puglia company's buildings In the
bombartIment OF Antiyari Montene
gro. This Is expected 10 lessen the ten
sio nbetwcen Italy and the Austro
German allies and may pave the way
for Italy to maintain her neutrality In
the war
One salient point emerging from
the latest news OF the war is what is
described in London as the silent vic
tory This applies tc the fact that
the North Sea, over which almost alb
solute silence has brooded so long. is
now open to shipping without serious
danger The steamship services from
Denmark 10 London and from New
Castle 10 Norway are resuming. while
the steamship services between the
Hook of Holland and Harwich have
suffered no interruption.
These facts. In III" opinion Of Lon.
don authorities. imply that the Ger
man iieet. for the time being at least,
Is safely held in check
Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1914-08-15

The lines Of the opposing forces
are ~tretched along front OF 100
mil OF more. Both French and Gei
man war officer assert their forces
have been successful The one thing
tina; seem. certain in the contiieting
reports ana 81 tie official rcticenee OF
the various EARRING governments l.
that tie Germans are developing theiI
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
A NEUTRAL LION

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A lion in, Jersey City railway sta
ton wriggled out of his cage the other
day and created a mild panic. OF
course as the immortal weaver Justly
observes in the Shakespeare fantasy,
"a lion among ladies is a most dread
full thing" and the ability and hosiery
displayed upon the untoward occasion
seems to have been extremely hur-
ried and generous
1t is said by his keeper that there
was no danger The lion was an adj
vanced neutral. He was out for food,
but not for food of the primitive type
The glowing charms and smellincss OF
the railway restaurant had lured him
to the point of breaking his bonds.
With hop. skip and leap he would
have reached the lunch counter, and
in cess than three seconds by a Hack
ensack hour glass would have had the
place to himself.
When his keeper arrived on the scene
the unhappy king of the forest had
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
The Birth of Christ

Unto you this day a Savior is
born" Luke 2, IL.
The question for me at this Christ
mastide is not whether Christ was
born into the world at Bethlehem,
but whether He has been born into
me. Has He entered into the heart of
my life, and have | become sort of
new garment for Him?
am more or less abnormal. Thous-
ands and thousands of causes center in
me. They have run through the
crooked courses of many generations,
and must perforce have left me less
than straight. My own circumstances
and experiences, my own failures and
errors and sins, too, have added
further to my abnormality. l am
more or less eccentric. Being much or
slightly out of center has made me
revolve untruly, and my untrue revo-
lutions have thrown me further out
of center. / am more or less insane.
Certain twists have entered into me
and marred my mental makeup.
Now, Christ is the only normal
person. He is the norm Of life. He
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20

haved and Industrious prisoner and
had become a trusty, was prompted
by the desire to see his mother, who
was dying and calling constantly for
him.
In February, 189S-and this is the
course of drink Smith got drunk
with some companions in Columbus,
o., saloon. One of the party was
man named Zeller, who was found
that night murdered. Smith was ar
rested, tried for the crime and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for life.
Soon afterward his father died of
grief.
In all penitentiaries there are I'M
fortunates like this man who endure
a lifetime of suffering for a mo-
ment's folly. For many of them the
door of hope should be held open.
Doubtless something could be made of
Smith, although he will soon be old.
Weakened by years of confinement,
unable to resist the biting cold, he
lost his nerve and gave up the strug-
gle. The prison doors will shut him
In, but he will at least be sheltered
and warm and have food.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
Sulzer Would Like to Run

While prohibitionists have won vic
tories IN many states by working in
side the organization of one of the
two old Understandable or re-
publlcan-the national prohibition
party has never been strong enough tn
be reckoned with by the others.
Notwithstanding the fact that its
political methods have been at all
times straightforward and the further
TACT that every four years its ticket
has been headed by man of char
acter and ability the party has polled
a ridiculously small vote, as votes in
nationals elections go. 1t reached
high water mark in 1904 when Silas
c. Swallow received a popular vote
of 25S, $50 out of total of 13,611.348
In 1908 there was slight falling off
in the prohibition vote and in 1912 a
considerable falling off.
But the national prohibitionists
have chance to elect President in
according to Ex-Gov. William
Sulzer, the deposed executive of New
York. Yet when he was turned out of
his high office he did not quit politics.
Last fall he ran for governor on the
American ticket. He was the "same
old Bill" but his vote, while larger
than his opponents thought it would
be, was not quite up to his claims.
Sulzer now makes overtures to the
national prohibition party for
coalition of the American party and
the "drys." He suggests that if the two
parties merge and make him the
standard bearer a great victory would
be theirs. But if this country is to
have prohibition President in 1916
what's the matter with Richmond
Pearson Hobson of Alabama?
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20

alone is not eccentric. He is per-
fectly centric. And He is the abso-
lutely sane. He is incarnate sanity.
This Christmas l want Him to be
born again in me. want Him silently
and unseen to grow up in my soul,
until | shall be made over after the
form of His normal life. | want His
nature hidden in mine to draw me
in and stretch me out and readjust
me until l shall be properly conferred.
l want His clear, straight, strong
mind, lying alongside my own, to re-
fashion my thinking, until I, too, shall
be sane.
In His perfect presence | acknowl-
edge the inequalities of my spirit,
which have found and made answering
inequalities of mind and body. AS
His fingers touch the strings of my
life some of them vibrate duly.
find indifference to spiritual values.
| find vulgar love of praise. | find
a worship of appearances, less than
honesty. | find jealousy, envy, covet-
BUSINESS. l find fear. I find pride.
| find hate. While the bells are ring
ing, the children shouting, the mem
cries and associations pouring through
the flood-gates, I should like to be
silent for a moment to submit all my
abnormalities, my eccentricities, my
insanities to Him for His gradual.
slow, wonderful curing.
/ am glad that I do not have to
build myself over again, with nv
inability to stand away and look. or
to see clearly and judge wisely, even if
| could stand away and look. I am
glad that l can simply trust Him to
grow up in me and give me the SYM
metry and harmony of His own life.
l give Him my heart, then, as a
new manager for His borning, give Him
my lie as temple for His abiding
place, | give Him my body as a gar
ment for His spirit; for this is Christ
mas and He would come again.
HENRY NJ. EDMoNDs.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
Haydn's Great Oratorio

Modern composers have produced
treat works. Richard Wagner with
his music dramas revolutionized art,
and his ideals and advanced ideas, not
accepted at first by certain reputable
critics, are now appreciated and fol-
lowed. The Wagnerian school was the
school for the future, and the ultra
moderns, while not as universally APP
proved by musicians as Wagner, have
nevertheless ready appeal
Within the past twenty years many
large works for chorus, soil and or
chestra-some of them with sacred
words-have been written and pro-
duced at the Birmingham, Eng, festi-
val; but the old oratorios, such as
Handel's Messiah" Haydn's "Crea-
ton" and Mendlessohn's elijah"
have not been surpassed by any of the
composers of the recent years, when
it comes to religious" music.
In Boston and in several other cities
of this country the messiah" is pro-
duced during Christmas week every
year in festival style with great So
loists and grand orchestra. The per-
Torrance of this grand work at
Christmas time was an established in
stitution here in Birmingham for sew
eral years, and there was revival of
it last year. But the oratorio Christ
mas programme will be varied this
year by the substitution of Haydn's
Creation" which will be sung by the
Birmingham Choral association at the
First Methodist church this afternoon.
As is proper, these Christmas per-
formances are free to the public.
Haydn wrote the Creation" after
his visit to England in 1870, and it is
constructed after the English style.
He began work on the oratorio in the
latter part of 1875 and laboring stead
lily on it for more than two years COM
pleted it in 1898. Handel composed the
messiah" in "a days, Haydn was
usually a rapid worker when the in
spiration was present. Many of his
symphonies were composed with great
facility, but it was in the oratorio
that painstaking manner became al
most passion. Notwithstanding
Haydn's advanced age the Creation"
is fresh and youthful in spirit, and
whenever it is well sung it will al
ways be delight to music lovers. The
text includes description of the Gre
alton of the world drawn both from
the narrative in Genesis and from
Millions Paradise Lost"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
In the Denths

Leon Smith is his name. Who or
what he was in early life doesn't mat
ter now, for he is a convicted muir
derer of middle age and rather than
endure any more New York's bitter
cold, that nipped his half-starved
frame and tore at his vitals, he has
renowned his liberty and returned to
the Ohio state penitentiary to serve
out life sentence. Sitting in a Bow
cry lodging house, "Smithy" spoke to
some fellow derelicts. 81 can go with
out the eats" he said, "but this cold
has got my goat. I've done my bit.
and I'd rather go back to jail than
stick it out any longer" His COM
rades say that he himself sent word
Of his whereabouts to the police
through a friend so that the latter
might get reward.
This mans life story holds the usual
Dordid tragedy, but it varies in some
particulars from the ordinary Grim
inals history. There is some good in
him--there must be great deal of
good in him, since he Was anxious for
q "pal" to receive the price that was
put upon his own liberty and his es-
cape from the penitentiary, where he
had spent sixteen years as well, be-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
A LOVE SONG

From the London Bookman
lis dawn in the sky of the world
lis dawn in the sky of the heart
And earth is the bud of a rose
Whose petals are trembling apart;
So l come to your door in the dawn,
And I breathe you my life In word
You would smile, you would lean from
your window, my queen.
If you heard--If you heard
The air is all throbbing with fire.
And 1 am, pulse of the flame.
All breathless the universe beats
Like heart that is turned to your
name,
AS the stars in their courses last night
Kept time in each breath that you
drew.
But our passion is dumb-O my love
you would come,
If you knew--If you knew.
You would glow in the flush of the
dawn *~S
You glitter SO coldly above;
You would lean like. a rose to his cry
Who yearns to the lips of your love.
You would raise him who faints at
your feet. 500
To height that his hope never dared
You would warm the poor clod in your
arms to a god.
If you cared--If you cared.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20

During the three months ending October
81, 1914, nearly 100000 pounds of domes-
NC refined sugar We're exported from the
United States. or more than 100000 ood
POUNDS in excess of the exports in 1910
The sugar consumption of this country
has almost trebled in 25 years. In 1889
the consumption per capita was 30 "A
pounds, and in 1914 it is Sc. Go pounds.
cuba's contribution to the domestic mar
ket IN the past rs years has increased from
LUZ U00O pounds to 1927. 100000 pounds.
Hawaii. the Philippines and Porto Rico
nave increased their shipments of sugar
to the United States from 511 900 900 to T.
Sl3,ooo'ooO pounds The imports fror7 Fill
rope, the Dutch East Indies and other
foreign countries have decreased from l.
2l9,oOoo0 pounds in 1889 to %. 400 900 in
l9l4 The domestic production of supar
has increased from 349 100000 pounds 70
1,sh 100000 pounds in the year ending June
80 1914.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
VILLAS "FIRsT DRINK

From the New York Times
With much circumstantial detail the
Mexican Herald pictures General Pan
cho Villa in the act of tasting intoxi-
eating liquor for the first time. The
place was Xochimilco, suburb Of the
capital, and the occasion was a meet
ing of Villa and Zapata, who embraced
each other, dined together and talked
privately over their Joint plans for
the pacification of their country. In
offering a toast to Zapata, Villa raised
glass of mescal to his lips and drank
most of it, with so painful an express
sion on his face as to make the well
seasoned man of Morelos laugh. Villa
explained that "as it was the first time
in his life that he had taken a drink,
the liquor scorched his throat"
Mescal is powerful stuff. 1t is rarely
recommended to beginner in the prac-
tice of intemperance, and after one
drink only hardened sinner yearns
for more. While we have been told
in this country that villa has always
been man Of temperate habits. SO far
as the use of intoxicants is concerned.
we had not thought of him as a tee
totaler or as a man with o throat
so sensitive that one swallow of mes
cal would "scorch" it. We have thought
of him as frequently Incorporate in
speech and action, or. dangerous pas
sions and violent ways. The report
of the historic meeting at xochimilci
presents him to the world in new
light.
Some other famous soldiers hav :
gone through hard campaigns without
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
This Christmas Week

In many churches Sunday schools
will hold celebrations today. In re-
cent years it has come to be more
and more the custom for non-liturgical
churches to have Christmas music on
the Sunday preceding Christmas Day.
This year the Sunday school Christ
mas celebration will be of an excep-
tionally attractive character. The
white Christmas" has become ex-
tremely popular throughout this coun-
try and in several Birmingham
churches interesting white Christ
mas" exercises will take place.
Children and adults alike will make
white gifts or love gifts-gifts of ser
vice and acts of conservation for all
that is high and pure. The spiritual
will be exhalted above the material.
That is the lesson of "White Christ
mas" 1t will be the endeavor of the
teachers to bring to the mind of the
children in their charge the life of
sacrifice which distinguished the Mas
ter, and while children of the Sun
day school world have before them the
Chrlst-life every Sunday in the year
and every day in the year, the story
of the Nativity will be impressed es-
pecially at this time.
In all households this will he
week of preparation for the great
Christmas festival, and the spirit of
love and neighborly kindness should
everywhere prevail.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20

VEN George Ward and Jim Wealth
erly admit that Birmingham, fl
nancially, is like unto a paper
shell boat on the waves of the ocean.
They say something must be done i'm
mediately and they are gracefully watt
ing upon the people to tell them what
to do. They are, indeed, in a very seri-
GUS situation as business men-flounder-
ing around, so to speak.
But. as a matter of fact, they do de-
serve the aid and advice and active work
of the practical business men of Bir-
lens of this community.
There is much discussion in regard to
separating Jefferson county and maxi
ing Birmingham city a separate county
and separate taxing district. This would
relieve the situation financially, but
would involve seriously many of the in
terests of the community, and it would
be particularly embarrassing to the cor
porations and those of us who are occa-
sionally sued for damages. 1t might re-
quire a corps of three lawyers for each
concern instead of one. And there are
other and more serious objections which
would be difficult to justify or remedy
It is absolutely necessary, however, that
Jefferson county and all the counties of
the state, for that matter, have a board
of equalization of tax assessments. For
instance, in my old town of Augusta,
Ga, there is a city tax assessor and
each year three prominent and respected
citizens are employed at so much a day
to assess the property of the city and
place the taxation on an equitable ba sis.
These men do 1t in a thorough, bust
ness-like way and every piece of prop
erty is assessed and taxed equally with
every other piece. In other words, John
Smith is made to pay as much in pro-
portion as Bill Jones pays on his prop
erty.
This is not the case in Birmingham
and it has not been. There are favored
ones and grasping and unfair ones here
There are even artistic liars here. AL
most every man is seeking advantage
over his neighbor. and the city as
business concern is the sufferer.
If our property were assessed fairly
and equitably there might be sufficient
funds to properly administer the affairs
of the city government
Y y y
Certainly this board of three well re-
munerated city commissioners can de-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
,eJ63oueo
''...''.''..'.....................
TIN ES
REAL WARFARE


"Oh, dear. I wish this dreadful war.
In Europe would stop" said Mrs. Was
serby.
L feel the same way" answered
Mrs. Twobble. my heart bleeds for
the sufferers"
"Of course, I'm sorry for everybody
who is victim of the war;" said MRS.
Wasserby, "but what 1 was thinkine.
ABOUT at the moment was the effect it's
having on our children My SON.
Tommy, is leader of the Belgian army
in our block and the last time they had
a battle with a German army down
the street he came home bruised from
head to foot"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
LUKE M'LUKE SAWS

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A girl may forget to go out without
her jacket, but she never forgets her
coat of talcum powder
Many a kalsominer and painter takes
look at friend wife's face and dis
covers that he Is welded to his art.
young man doesn't know Il. but
he will be whole lot better off If
he marries healthy girl who has her
own shape and her own complexion and
who can keep house and cook than he
Will be If he marries a girl who has
nothing but her pawpaw's bank ac-
count to recommend her.
This isn't prohibition lecture. 1t
is cold fact. The meanest man, aside
from the man who robs poor boxes
and sets fire to orphan asylums, is the
lad who robs his family to buy drink
for another man.
A woman may do a whole lot of pray
ing for her husband, but she never for
gets to keep one eye on him just the
same.
II they have been married long
enough 1t often surprises man to see
how agreeable his wife can be when
they have company and she has 10 put
on her company manners with him.
Most people expect the Lord not only
to provide, but to also clear off the
table and wash the dishes.
If it is woman's duty to be good
looking, the one best bet is that the
women of this country certainly trytro
do their duty.
A good scare will do a married man
more good than a bunch of good ad-
vice.
After listening to crowd of men
growing when they are away from
home you would imagine that there
were no henpecked husbands in the
world.
man may not know a whole lot
after he has gone through the mill.
But he has sense enough to look for the
string when he is offered something for
nothing.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20

warfare and get the good water which
We are blessed with to the people cheaper.
1t can be done. Let US have it
A very clever little story is told
about the well known firm of Dick and
Dick, composed of two volubly popular
citizens of Birmingham.
I would not swear to Its detailed ac-
curacy but it is worth telling, at any
rate
A very well dressed gentleman hall
ing from a city not far distant from
Chicago appeared in Birmingham re-
Gently to buy a site for a business
house. He was shown an attractive
site and the property was priced to
him at sixty thousand dollars. After
the usual preliminaries he agreed 10
purchase and gave a certified check for
one thousand dollars to bind the trade
pending the approval of the titles.
The next day another prosperous
looking man approached Dick the First
and wanted a similar piece of pronertv.
He was shown several but the prop
erty sold the day before seemed TO
strike his eye. After preliminarics 10
was agreed to sell him this property
for seventy thousand dollars. He Of
fered to put up certified check for
one thousand dollars to bind the trade.
Dick the First. seeing a big profit,
Immediately went to the original pur-
chaser. returned his check for a thou
hand dollars and gave him his personal
check for five thousand dollars to let
him out of the trade. He then closed
with the other man at seventy thou
sand dollars, taking his certified check
for one thousand as the first payment.
The papers were to be signed up next
day and the trade closed.
The next day Mr.. Second Purchaser
disappeared and has never since been
located. Likewise the man with the
five thousand dollar check had the
same cashed and disappeared.
The firm of Dick and Dick are now
wondering how they can ever recover
that four thousand dollars of good
money.
A rather novel scheme of money
making and some lawyers say there is
no way to recover even though the
smooth pair be apprehended. The Dick
boys took their medicine like men and
merely say. "The idea of our being bum
coed!''