davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

yielding down, or ehrunches through the
icy surface, he thinks of the entire scene
of .wintry splendor, and breaks the silence
with his own voice saying, What an
artist is Cod l am not surprised that
nearly all the great poets We're reared
amid the scenes and simple employments
of country life While it Is true, as
Cicero said, Agri non omnes frugiferi
sunt, 1t Is equally true that rural life
opens up TO ones mind and inspiration a
vaster world of poetic possibilities than
streets and avenues of brick and mortar
can. and in this sense though Cicero
meant not this, every field is fruitful.
As We tramp through the snow we
notice the absence OF birds. except tho
partridge, and he having heard muffled
footsteps In the snow, has taken rapid
flight to the low furze fringing the field.
A startled rabbit springs from his covert,
and, flinging flakes as white his
Gotten tair' behind him. darted down
the snowy ravine, apparently delighted
that my dog was not with me and that
had no gun. l do not think that 1
should have fired at him even if l had
brought my gun. used to hunt, but have
about abandoned the sport Sometime ago
I killed a bird by mistake, and when L
picked up the poor little thing
found 1t to be a singing bird. ] have
lOSL all dnDlliOn Sluce TO DecOine an
expert Nimrod, There's room enough. in
the country for the birds and me.
Yet One can but notice the difference
in the country between the spring and
winter. In the spring the song birds
are everywhere, and some of the sweet
est that / ever heard are right here
in these fields and woods when the
ieayes begin to unfold and when the
early buds awake from their long win
ter slunber and thrust their heads
through the yielding earth. The woods
to the west of the field where L
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

1t clearly has its intellectual outlook, be-
cause it is the outgoing Of a being whose
life is largely an intellectual life. But
faith is of all the soul a part. an act, an
exercise. You shall find faith in every
thing that your soul and mind conceive
or do.
(a). II is the essence Of understanding.
For faith correlates all phenomena in the
assurance that they are somehow frac-
tons in a greater unit not bits of a crazy
quilt called doctrine. but parts of a
vaster whole, called truth: not notes in
a haphazard wind-puf. but notes of
most harmonious music whose very motif
it is not quite impossible for men to gain
some divine suggestion.
6b) Faith also is the foundation stone
of all that fabric which We call love 1t
accepts a relationship beyond what 1t can
nationally explain, destiny into which
this or that man WAS born. He did not
choose to be born Japanese, an English
man. a civilized being. But being here
and having faith. he accepts his environ
ment and yields himself to its service.
which is love. the outgoing of self for the
others. the bearers with him of the COM
mon lot This is not an intellectual pro-
cess. but what we call instructive, intui-
tional But 1t is at least as human as
any effort of the philosophic brain, and is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

side. The greatest happiness of country
winter is not to be found outdoors. 1
cordially agree with Cowper. in The
Task" when he said;
II crown thee King Of intimate delights
Fireside enioyments. home-bon happi-
ness,
And all the comforts that the lowly roof
OF undsturbed retirement. and the hours
OF long uninterrupted evening, know"
All those long. uninterrupted even
iugs of winter and of undisturbed re-
tircmenti Who that has ever eNper-
fenced them can forget them? The sun
went down a little after o'clock. BY
$50 the wood was in place for the
night. sturdy oak sections split into
four pieces aud conveniently placed on
the side gallery Then an early sup
per, not dinner or even tea, hut an
old fashioned wholesome supper, then
followed the long evening for conVer-
sation, for music, for a game of whist
or for reading. as one was inclined
l am sitting at the centre table
Smoking my pipe. and glaneing over
the engaging pages Of the Upton Let
ters, though my reading time has not
come yet. Lady Silverlocks Is sitting
ut the piano playing an old favorite.
"Shells of the Ocean" The music mys-
tfcallN sets in motion the gentle ma
-ohinerY of memory Dead years live
again and the past comes slowly out
of the mists of the Long Ago. The fa
miliar bars Of music mingle with the
ascending circles of smoke from my
tobacco and live in the pleasant land
of Yesterdays, In dreamy reminiscent
mood and frem the shadowy past /
summon many a face. many song,
many a scene. and some pathetic
graves. in which friends of other years
were laid away. Now she plays a mod
ern song. And | think of friends of re-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

various flowers; and soon the roses
viii garland the wreck of winter and
the air will be filled with music of
birds, enrapturing, enhancing, and the
song Will be heard again. | write in a
parable. God sends silence that We
might be prepared to hear the better
when the music breaks upon the ear
| have thus far written of winter in
the daytime. But the night when the
earth is frostbound mas its own delights.
Winter night in the country is sublime
1 think there seem TO be more stars in
the sky than shine out in the summer,
and they are certainly more brilliant.
During the past summer Jupiter was
long the evening star, and it was quite
brilliant Many a summer night have
| remarked upon the splendor of Venus,
brighter than Jupiter ever was. But to-
night in the eastern heavens there Is SHIN
ing a star not merely planet like Jupi-
ter and Venus but star. 1t seems to
be Il shapey mass OF molten gold throb-
bing and tremulous and flashing far ous
into the clear. cold sky rays of pulsating
fire, 1t is all splendid life. Venus and
Jupiter never twinkle, nor does any
planet pulsate But this star is alive
and is nearly as bright as Venus IN
addition to the sRlendor of Sirius in the
MintrY heavens. There are above hln, to
the north and west. a score or more of
the best defined golden consultations. 1t
must have been ON such a night that
Byron wrote,
"The blue sky
So cloudless clear, and plgely beautiful
That God alone was to be seen in heaven
While all this charm of winter in the
country is appealingly fine. yet ii Is
surpassed by the joys OF the winter ingle-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

faith is concerned with things impossible
or at least. highly improbable. To be-
live is understood as meaning to accept
for true what is apparently not true.
Faith for instance, accepts the miracle
Of the Resurrection of Christ from among
the dead, while unbclief rejects that al
legged fact And preachers are in the habit
Of vainly imagining that they can super
induce faith by arguing that the improb-
able, or impossible, or unheard of event
is not so unlikely after ALL
But all this debating proceeds upon a
false conception of the difficulty. The
opposite of faith is not unbelief of a
fact, but wrong attitude toward the
whole world of facts. No man was ever
argued into conviction that Jesus rose
from the dead, as no man was ever con-
WINGED by argument that God exists. TO
attempt that task is as foolish as to feed
a donkey on old shoes in hope of his grow
ing horse hide and horse sense. The pro-
cess is not adapted to the END sought 1t
is childishly savage manner like beat
ing backward boy to make him learn his
lessons. or like feeding a coward on the
heart of a dead brave. hoping to instill
courage into that poltroon heart through
that pig-stomachl
I find in faith so much more than a set
of opinions or convictions of the mind.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

champagne bottles came dancing into the
hall. They were followed by eight couples
of men and women. The chairman of
the music committee announced that he
begged to introduce u modern, up-to-date
cabaret show scene of iolity and care
free gayety, presented by the Band of
Hope the most optimistic crowd of
hopers ever gotten together. Then there
was displayed from the gallery q large
sign reading. "rhe Band OF Hope and
the walters arranged the, seats at twp
tables for the crowd of hopers. They
were Col. Theodore Roosevelt and Miss
Suffragette; Charles b. Murphy and Miss
Democracy; General Huerta and Mrs.
Grundy; Uncle Joe Cannon and Miss For
tune. Then the walters lined up behind
the tables and sang:
"Watchful walters all are we,
Just as watchful as can be;
You may think we are all on the bum,
But Just walt till luck starts to come,
DR. Munyon says there is hope,
And we think that he's got the dope;
We all want jobs; the same little jobs
will do
So watehful walters is tlfe role wen play"
Colonel Roosevelt declared that while
temporarily down and out yet they had
much to be thankful for and turning to
Mr. Murphy he told him to cheer up and
asked him why he did not'go to the White
House and demand recognition. Murphy
replied that they might recognize him.
You know the President, don't your
asked Roosevelt.
Inn .ft,ff y
piled.
He was told to cheer up and sing a
song, which he did in true sob fashion,
singing to the tune OF the Curse of an
Aching Heart" After this pathetic ap-
peal. Uncle Joe broke in and declared
that ne was having fine time and asked
the waiter to take the order The waiter
asked Roosevelt If he would take a little
stimulant but Uncle Joe said: mo. he
needs a sedative." When Murphy was
asked II he would have some grape he
replied, no, that he was on the water
wagon and to give him some mild cham
pagpe. Miss Democracy was afraid to
order anything until she looked around to
see II anybody was present who knew
her, and finally ordered some pineapple
juice. Mss Suffragette refused a glass OF
milk and demanded stein of bud ex-
claiming: Equal rights for mel" Huerta
demanded a magnum OF champagne but
the waiter demonstrated and finally said :
.'Pll get you small glass of Wilson,
that's all" Then the party at the tables
drank to Roosevelt as the leader of the
Band of Hope, and asked him to sing q
song. which h9 did, to the tune Of Take
Me Back" I've chorus of which ran as
follows:
Take me back to your ranks once
again, boys,
once again let me run the big show;
Take me back and you never will
lose me,
For am a winner, you know.
I'm tired of living outside of the ram
parts,
You need me Just as ! need you;
need you, | want you, | need you,
Take me back and Ill always be true
4 y y
Miss Grundy then began flirting with
the walters and declared that she rec
ognized ono as Albert jeremiah Bev-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

When the matter was submitted to tia
master. he replied that he did not wish
to prevent the greatest good being done
among the slaves. and admitted that Dock
was a tower of strength with his people,
but added that he regarded Dock indis-
pensable to his plantation. because he
was his chief driver and his only re-
liable blacksmith. After much discus
sion. the master consented to leave tho
matter for settlement to Dock himself.
Accordingly he and the committee Of
distinguished preachers repaired TO the
blacksmith shop, called Dock out. who
was wearing his long leather apron; had
his sleeves rolled 70 his shoulders. while
his face was begrimed with smoke and
SCOT. Mr.. Phillips remained silent. and
allowed the preachers and Dock to ne
sotiate concerning his purchase and
consequent freedom.
Dock listened in silence while they
proceeded TO show him the advantages
which would accrue to him in conse-
quenee of his freedom and the exercise
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

cent years see their kindly faces, and
hear their voices-and this until l go
TO my study.
The old Franklin fireplace, made In
1851, as the raised letters and figures
moulded in the hearth relate is a red
cave Of burning oak wood The old
brass andirons, little older than the
Franklin, shine like gold. The room is
softl, fragrant with the aroma of APP
pies. for on the hearth before the fire
there are roasting two winesaps. their
red skins have burst and the apples
scent tho air. There is not cricket
on the hearth, such as Dickens put on
the hearth in the story with which we
Slowbov; but there is a singing kettle
from whose capacious spout steady
stream of white steam is pouring
My a1m chair is placed near my
table ana here ! sit with rows of dear.
dear books looking down at me and
which always seem to bid me welcome
when | come l have never learned the
art of keeping my study in a state Of
tidiness. | wish l. could do az lit
erary friend of mine does. Whenever
n book has been read or merely con
suited IL is replaced upon the shelves,
and whcnover he has read a newspa-
per it is neatly folded up and laid away
WIN a. iNNE VI hih'i AhhAA w AhthN -
the proverbial "old maid" Not so with
me and my papers and my books.
Should you come into my study early
some morning you would conclude that
there had been a battle the night be-
fore between some of my books and
papers, SO scattered are they on the
floor and about the room generally.
Many of my books OH the shelves
positively look as If they might have
been sowing their Wild oats in a way
that would excite the indignation of
the Anti. Saloon league. Many are in A
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

lent place to play the fool. But faith Is
the name we give TO that inherent tenden-
ey to a sane being. which is another way
Of saying. n harmonious. or whole being,
when makes understanding and love. and
conscience, and will step together, march
in time, beat the same tune. the same
rhythm Faith is the larger harmony
of all the souls activities. the unifying
factor of all normal manhood. In some
sense God is it's pivot and foundation.
though Il may have no theory or theology
to satisfy those who hold doctrines con-
corning God
You shall not dictate to faith. You shall
not compel it's adhesion. IL must grow.
TIL then YOU must wait. And when It
is fun grown. be sure that you are your
self big enough to recognize it. You shall
not sketch out a system of doctrine and
say: "rhese are the absolute eertainties,
and you must believe them or perish ever
lastingly." Rather. you must love and
obey, and will and understand your own
self, side by side with him In whom you
would induce faith. and you shall find the
germ Indigenous to all humanity. flourish
exceedingly in your neighborhood. For
faith, however individual and unique is
notably gregarious and makes great head
way under the influence of It's own highest
examples.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

| the men not to use nautical terms, the
first jackie replied that the captain
stood on the front porch. and the first
dow, while the admiral was downstairs
trying to find out whether to steer
TO the right or the left. Another ques-
tion was, what were the best ships in
the navy land Bluejacket "Slim" an
swered: "The North Carolina and the
Raleigh" When asked what their ar
mament, Sailor Percy hesitated mo-
ment and then, pulling out paper
said: "Mr Bryan says it's compass is
the heart. its shells carry good will
and its missiles are projected by the
srnokeless powder of love-"
| The professor then asked what was
naval strategy, and one of the mer
answered: Carrying John Lind from
Vera Cruz to Pass Christian withouI
letting anybody know it," When asked
to name some of the great men oi
American history, one of the sailors re
peated long list of North Carolinians
who had become Secretaries of the
Navy, ending with Josephus Daniels
Commander Needham S. Jones' aid to
Secretary Daniels, then appeared and
said he was directed to read Secretary
Daniels new rules for equality in the
| navy He then read:
Social rank is abolished. Sailors and
officers shall eat together. Any off,
Ger who is impolite to a sailor shall
be reduced to the ranks. No sailor shall
move unless he is called mister. rear
admiral dining with crew must eat
! with his knife. The initiative, refer
endum and recall are established. No
rear admiral shall give an order with
out permission of the crew. The crew
| i'll secret caucus shall decide whether
TO fight or beat it,
This was greeted by loud cheers from
the blue Jackets but was interrupted
by the appearace of an old time pet
ty officer of the navy who asked
what was all this CUFF? When told
by the professor that he was giving
the blue Jackets the uplift. the petty
officer shouted: "Avast there, the Of
f.cers can lead the men to fight, but
taey can't make them eat with them
70 you think the navy is pink tea
lou sap -heads, grab a grease pot and
ponsh them brasses I'll give them the
uplift with this cat -ninetails" and
sWlnslng the old instrument of torture,
ne shouted git and drove the en-
tire crowd out of the room.
= 4 4
great commotion was heard outside
the banquet hall soon after this and
there was clanking of bells and ma
oh1nery. 1t was announced that the
fire department of Pass Christian,
MISS, had arrived to see their hon.
orary chief, and asked permission to
enter. This was granted and the Pass
Christian fire department then filed
INTO the room dressed In red shirts and
firemen's helmets and carrying axes
and a long ladder, dragging a minia-
ture engine and hose cart. 1t was an
the department might call on the Pres
ident Wilson for there had not been a
single fire in Pass Christian since he
left. President Walker suggested that
the department might caal on the Pres
ident at the White House on Monday,
but the chief fireman announced thai
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

way. baptised, as were the others, and
sharing in the communion alike When
the slaves were freed they were encour-
aged to found their own churches and
other institutions, the friendly whites aid
ing them in every way possible.
So far back as 1873, before the agitation
of the slavery question began in earnest,
in the press, the schools, and in the Con-
gress of the United States, much atten-
ton was given to the christianization of
the slaves. This spirit was somewhat
later checked by the establishment of
the underground railroad, and by other
methods clandestinely employed by the
abolitionists to liberate the southern
slaves. These secret methods called into
exercise counter means as those of cir
convention. Among these last mentioned
was that of the legal imposition of a
penalty on anyone who would teach II
slave to read or to write, which law was
generally enacted in the slave states,
and the other was that or the fugitive
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

~ ECH@sT contributions to this column
re lead by many paths to considera-
\ - ton of what we really mean when
we talk or think of faith But of any
half dozen men who use the word it is
probable that no two mean quite the same
thing. In some sense all have faith. In
some sense no two have faith of the same
sort and the same complexion. For faith
is the outgoing and expression of person.
ality in its relations with practical life.
AS no two faces are alike, or as no two
characters are identical, so it must fol-
low that the elements that go to make
one mans faith are different I'm what may
be called the analysis of their spiritual
chemistry from those that make the faith
of all other men.
To one man faith is the last refuge
when knowledge fails. So Tennyson:
''we have but faith, we cannot know,
For knowledge is of things we see;-
But vet we trust it comes from Thee
A beam In darkness. Let 1t grow
Let knowledge grow from more to more,
And more Of reverence in us dwell,
That mind and soul, according we'll,
May make one music, as before,
But vasterl
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

they had come on an excursion and
had been delayed on the road four days
and the train was to start back at 2
would not have time to call. When
asked what caused the delay, the vari-
Gus firemen announced the following
reasons:
First the conductor of the train had
been served with an injunction for talk
ing reduced railroad fare. Then the
interstate commerce commission called
the engineer off to give him fnstruc-
tions as to what his duties were. Soon
after the fireman was ordered to quit
by his union. Then one of the inter-
state commerce commissioners side
tracked the train to make physical
, valuation of the locomotive and cars
| Then a North Carolina sheriff board
ed the train to see If there was any
| liquor aboard.
"And we had" chimed in one of the
| firemen.
Then an officer of the public health
came in to see whether we were using a
common drinking cup. and found them all
drinking out of the same flask. Thef
they ran across a state law requiring
trains to be on time and them some jay
constable arrested them all for exceeding
the speed limit. Then the President oi
the road who was aboard had the trair
stop to be served with a bill of particulars
in a suit brought under the sherman anti
trust act, and finally at Culpepper, Va,
Coonle Hansborough stopped the train
and insisted on shaking hands with the
chief and his men. Then the fire chief
heaved a great sigh and declared that
he wished the Secret Service men could
discover another fire SO that they could
show the people In Washington what
they could do. Just then it was discov-
cred that there was blaze In the gallery
over where the Marine Band was sta
toned, and the attention of the fire de-
partment was called to 1T. Immediately
all was hustle and the ladder was ordered
placed to the gallery and the firemen
began climbing. Finally, one of them
announced that he had found a large
bundle which he stated was suit of
clothes of former President Taft. which
wanted it's waist measurement reduced six
inches Another fireman declared to
throw itdown, we can make it over into
clothing for the entire fire department.
Then Martha Washingtons will was dis
covered, but the firemen disguised, ex-
claimed: Throw it back. There are
dozens more of them" President Walker
became impatient ana declared mat the
fire was gaining hoodway and that the
Pass Christian party was dong nothing
TO nut It out and the chief replied that
the policy Of this department was:
''Watchful waiting If you wait long
enough the fire will put itself out" Just
then one of the firemen in the gallery
shouted: "Ti, chief! there's man in
there in the flames"
sWho is it?' the chief asked. and the
fireman replied:
"Chief, I think it's Col. George Harvey"
President Walker was about to make a
remark when the chief said "Quick man.
take that ladder away. Let's get back to
Pass Christian and the fremen removed
the ladder and left the hall in great
hurry. Then President Walker, turning
to Colonel Harvey, who was one of the
guests at the table, said: Colonel Har-
vey, II your burns are not too severe, the
Gridiron Club would like to hear from