davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

So cries Eugenie aged widow al Louis Napoleon. In her retreat al Bologna she necessarily demands the latest news from the front of battle and takes the most excited interest in every development
 My revengeln she cries, What of the French peasant, moved down by machine guns as the sickle mows the grain? Were the Emperor only here now." Louis Napoleon, who fatuously believed that France could conquer Ger many and rnthlessly plunged his na- tion into war because he thought that by a conflict with a foreign power he could smother the growth of rellbli- canism!
 Some good day this o>> world will have done with kings and emperors and their parasitical satellites. Thui will the sword be drawn only when a cause is just. There will be no death and misery and want and wce beca,ie some crazed occupant of throne wishes for little excitement. For 25 years the Kaisers reign was one of peace. His people made giant strides in agriculture and manufactures in the arts and in the sciences. But all the while he had the army as his plaything, year ago the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign was celebrated in Berlin Chauncey NJ. Depew was among those to ao the Kaiser honor, and his speech at trscted international attention. MT De- pew's ideas have changed. A copyrighted dispatch from London to the New York World quotes him as saying;
 This war is the crime of all centuries It is crime Of ambition. It is the dream Of man who thinks himself another Napoleon. Ten million men will die as a result, directly and indirectly, of this crime. and for generations Europe will suffer incidentally.
 Tt Is almost incredible to think that one man could throw the whole world back
 into the sixteenth century. Something is wrong with the Kaiser. Either his en- vironment is at fault, there has been complete reversal of his mental pro-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

~ ERMAN-AMERICAN have entered
 r strong complaint against bias in 0 the news dispatches dealing with the war and there is in creasing evidence that their protests are in large part justified. The news papers have been careful to make it clear that most of their cablegrams have had their origin in the capitals of the allies and, of course, these dispatches have been cer sored by officials unfriendly to Ger many. Such a condition IS not the fault of the newspapers, although some parti- sans have been so silly as to insist that it is. The newspapers would be glad to print al lthe news as it develops. giving it without color and without prejudice This is impossible, however. Guarding lines of communication is just as impor- tant to a belligerent as guarding lines of march. Alphonse and Gaston have no place in war.
 Berlin has felt the sting of criticism on this side of the water. and of late efforts have been made to allay some of the apprehension that has arisen through exaggeration rendered possible because of the absence of authentic news. For a time the newspapers were filled with ac- counts of mstreatment accorded citizens of this country caught in Germany at the outbreak of hostilities It is now demonstrated that most of these stories were balderdash, pure and simple. Mr Huntington and his wife were not mal- treated by the authorities at Nurnberg. Their automobile was made to do service for the war office for a while-an en- tirely natural occurrence-and that was all. Likewise definite and specific de- nial has been made of numerous alleged ''outrages," accounts of which were pub lshed during the period of mobilization.
 At a meeting held in Berlin, announce ment was made that many German fami- lies were ready to take s.randed Ameri- cans into their homes without cost. and the first on the list of those willing to do so was Adolf Wermuth, lord mayor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

sion in his eyes Then he seemed to realize that the glory of battle was no more for him. and he walked totteIing away and lay down and died. The men declared that it was broken heart. not his wound. that killed him.
 During fierce charge of Confederate cavalry at the battle of Murfreesboro an officer was among the killed in the charge and the cavalry was driven back Tho horse the officer had ridden was a mag nihcent animal and he had not been taught to retreat Rderess. he kept on his way and as he dashed through our battery the sight of him was indescrib- ably grand.
 His ncstrils were extended wide, his eyes flashed, and he clutched his bit de- terminedly in his teeth as he came on like the wind. his saddle flaps flying until 1t seemed as If he were himself flying instead of madly runaing. Every man gave him room as he dashed along. An officer shouted that he would give S100 to any one who would capture that superb animal, but all seemed so hypnotized by the sight of the noble beast and his rider less charge that no effort was made to stay him. and he sped on his way, dis appearing in the blue distance
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

putting his rifle against the mans stomach. fired l heard other shots
 but closed my eyes, unable to bear more."
 Such stuff as this passes the censors at Paris and London. It must be looked
 upon as just a campaign yarn. The German character is too well known to
 Americans for them to believe that they are deliberately murdering non-
 combatants Such a policy would be
 entirely contrary to the Kaiser's spe-
 cialty of fighting for God.
 But because the necessities of wtf
 have made liars out of Brussels Paris, London, St. Petersburg and Tokio. it should not be inferred that Berlin and Vienna are addicted to truth-telline. Evidence is abundant that they are
 not. More than a week ago cames a
 dispatch from Beran setting forth the incidents of an interview between Elm peror William and American Ambassa- dor Gerard. At that time the Kaiser.
 serious but confident" had warm com
 mendation for his "bravc soldiers who
 had taken the forts at Liege at the point of the bayonetm The same dis patch tdd of the great enthusiasm which had been aroused over the talk ing of Namur. Longwy and other towns in France and Belgiuml The German government is trying to arouse the ar dor of its supporters by every possible
 means-and the other nations engaged in the war are doing exactly the same thing. As an instance of this it is re- ported that the German general staff has established not only a rigid cen sorship for the suppression of news but also has departmen for he dissemi- nation of false news. The purpose of
 this Is twofold. It is Soped to en- courage the popuasa by reports of vic- tories which have never occurred; also to mislead the enemy in regard to the operations of the army and navy
 This is my revenge, Were the Elm peror only here now, May God pro- tect Francei"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

earthly thing. the confidence which little children have in their parents But most parents do not lie to their children?"
 Not in most of the ordinary ways of life, perhaps. but in one respect many
 parents are woefully wrong in the treatment of their boys and girls. That is in the careless. indifferent way in which they treat promises made to the youngsters
 And if making a promise to . child and treating 1t carelessly, breaking it l whenever breach of the word seems convenient, is not lying. what is it? !, If you promise anything to a child,
 keep your word. A childs memory is keen when it comes to his own immediate, personal interests, for all children are selfish by nature They have not learned to control their de- sires by circumstances. Whey they want something, they want 1t very much.
 If daddy or mother promises some | thing to a child he expects to get it. And he is wounded when the parent | finds it necessary for some reason, be- yond his understanding. to go back on his word and break the promise The result in disappointment, heartache | and loss of faith in the parent. Often times these lead to more serious re- suits.
 The remedy lies in care in the mak- | ing of promises.
 Don't make promise that you arc 1 not certain you will be able to keep. Better to be finn in denial and tell the child, in language and reasoning that he will understand, why it Is that you must withhold from him something that he wants
 | He will forget the want in time. but lit takes a longer time to efface the memory of a parents, broken word. i In western Maryland there Is a stretch of railroad 2s miles long which | is delight to the eye of the behold : CT instead of the eyesore which so many railroad rights of way are. 1 Sometime ago a car carrying a ship ment of flower seeds was passing along the railroad when 1t sprang leak. and the flower seeds were sifted out on and alongside the track There had been copious rain just previously, and slight breeze was blowing. l Now the flowers bloom along the stretch of railroad
 | Innocently and beautifully they give pleasure to the eye and mind of the oeholder. Many a man wearied with work, many woman seeking to soothe i a tired child. has looked out of the car window and taken fresh courage from the sight of the flowers blooming 1 beside the roadbed
 l h 1t too farfetched metaphor to liken the train. scattering flower seeds along the railroad track. to . good life that is Iived7
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

occasion one of surprise. Tho old servant was the more amazed. however, when after three hours. servant from the mansion bore him the message from the colonel that the horses be taken to the stable, as he had decided to remain till
 the next morning. As Bishop led the horses slowly away. he was murmuring to himself what all this could mean
 when Colonel Washington was the most rigid officer in all the army on prompt- ness. The afternoon went by, night came
 the old mansion was unusual in it's bright ness as the wax candles burnt brilliantly in their silver candelabra. The next morn- ing after breakfast Bishop was ordered to fetch out the horses and have them at the door at given time. He was prompt in the execution of the order. He stood like a stature for an hour. another hour and still another. when a servant appeared and bore orders from the colonel to take the horses back to the stables
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

point lace ruffles. pearls adorned her hair. which was eombed straight back from her forehead. her necklace and earrings were of pearl. wide gold bracelet elasped her shapely arm. and as she ad- Vanced down the aisle there were dis played dainty satin slippers with high heels and diamond buckles. Ii was just such an occasion as would stir country community. Everybody was there. and the seats were literally wedged by the curious lookers-on, but space was re- served for those from the English army who were in attendance clad in their uniforms of crimson.
 The ceremony over. and the next oc- cssion was the infare at the White House. to which only special guests were invited. By encouragement, the bride and her at tendants rode In what was called the chariot. big. clumsy. open coach, drawn by six fine horses. while Wash ington and the groomsmen galoned on in the rear.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

it is all wrong, that it is all barbarous,
 that however heroic it may be 1t is un-
 Christian and unnatural Some things
 truly inspiring are to be disoerned in the welter of blood and ambition.
 pr. Alexis Carrel of late ranked as the
 most successful of the worlds experi-
 mentors In surgery, has gone to the front
 In 1912 Dr. Carrel. through his research work for the Rockefeller institute won the Nobel prize in medicine. Dr. Carrel is a Frenchman and has volunteered his services to his nation as an army sur geon. He has gone to the front. He
 has exchanged the quiet of the laboratory to the strife and horror of the battlefield | Dr. Joseph A. Blake, the noted Ameri- can surgeon, Is believed By his friends in New York to have given up his valu-
 able research work and his wealthy prac- tice to become an expatriate for the cause
 of humanity. Cables say that he has left Paris to join the French army of defense in order that his surgical skill
 may be available for the wounded.
 It all must end It all may be for tho best, though such view Is almost im-
 possible of attainment al time when innocent humans gaily wheel into battle linc to he slaughtered for the whim of
 monarch. It is hard to conceive that
 the teachings of generations are alto
 gether in error, Rather would one believe with Victor Hugo:
 "A day will come when the only battle field will be the market open to com
 merce and the mind opening to new ideas day will come when bullets and bomb shells will be replaced by votes, by the universal suffrage of nations. by the ven erable arbitration of great sovereign senate, which will be to Europe what the Parliament Is to England. what the, Diet Is to Germany. what the Legislative As-
 sembly Is to France. A day will come
 when cannon will be exhibited in pub
 lie museums. just as an instrument of torture is now. and people will be aston ished how such a thing could have been. day will come when these two immense groups. the United States of America
 and the united states of Europe. shall be seen placed in presence of each other l extending the hand of fellowship across the ocean,.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

of armies. When they bid their people petition heaven for the safety Of their own nation. God Is preparing an answer in the elimination of national boundaries
 There are millions of socialists who are as worthy of being considered as the thousands of titled persons. Out of the great melee must emerge a divine society. fulfilled democracy. a world of good will And so it appears to the present writer, that wars, and rumors of wars. and all the catacysms and agonies and endeavors, all the courage and all the genius and all the heroism of human his- tory pay tribute to the gospel and the kingdom of which the gospel speaks. The ethics of the individual Christian are becoming the ethics of the whole world. The innocent men being slaughtered in the fair valleys of Europe, or bidden mur- der one another on lonely mountain ridge. or in the air. or on the bosom of the deep, are. after all, perpetuation of that Call vary which Is the price of brotherhood.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

cesses. The war will mean the greatest impulse for socialism that history records, 1t will mean an end to all kings with real powers and an end to all bullying bureaucracies.
 If MT. Depew is right in his predictions the war will not have been entirely in vain.
 It becomes increasingly clear that Elm peIor William believed firmly that Italy would stand by the triple alliance in the debacle that he precipitated Italy's re- fusal to join her allies has been bitter blow to Austria and Germany. Had she done so, the task of England and France would have been d much greater one. Now France Is not compelled to keep force on her southern frontier to guard the in- tegrity of her territory. Every soldier is available for operations against the Ger mans. Then there is no necessity of guarding Italys tremendous stretch of sea front The French and English fleets are free to roam where they will Italy's participation in the triple alliance was the work of her rulers. It has never been popular with the people who have the deepest hatred for Austria. Had Victor Emmanuel attempted to comply with his promises he might have had serious re- belllons among his own eountrymen
 Frederick the Great of Prussia, Cath arine of Russia and Maria Theresa of Austria partitioned Poland and plotted out its nationality. Twelve thousand dead and one captured" So ended the last battle. And the captive was the noble Koscusko, sorely wounded Since that fatal day Poland as state has had no existence. Napoleon promised restitution and thousands of heroic Poles fought under his banners in the fatal Russian campaign in 1872. Pom iatowski was marshal of the empire and might have ascended the throne of his native country had Napoleon conquered. He fell in the retreat from Leipsic. Since then Poland has been utterly without hope.
 Now Russia promises autonomy to the Poles should they remain loyal to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

as he decided to remain till after din- ner. Bishop was dumhfcunded and failed
 to comprehen the situation, but he was too good a soldier not 10 obey. so again with a quizzical brain he replaced the horses in their stalls. After dinner was over the horses were again ordered and again the faithful orderly stood holding the reins al the gate. An hour crept by, second came and went, and for the first time since the the morning of the preceding day Bishop got sight of the gallant colonel He walked slowly down the steps of the mansion, the very move ment of his feet indicating spirit of reluctance and just as slowly mounted his fine charger. At the parlor window stood a young woman gazing after the uniformed officer who after gracefully mounting his horse. refined him up so that the horse dropped back on his launches, while Washington gracefully lifted his three-cornered hat, bowed and
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

1 Of course the train, being a non
 sentient thing. did not know that i
 performed a good deed in seeding thu
 railroad right of way. But the goot
 effects followed
 | It is certain that many person coul, take a lesson from the sight of th
 blooms. As we pass along the track O 1 life, let us scatter flower seeds, no
 weed seeds Let those who come after LII
 have reason to say: Some one with love of humankind has passed this way
 Here are the flowers of kindness and be
 nevolence blooming in his track. Who soweth good seeds shall surely reap The year grows rich as 1t groweth old And life's latest sands are it's sands oi gold.
 Every one knows persons who seen to take delight in planting weeds 1T the lives of others. They are the scof- fers, the disbelievers in goodness, the pessismists. the opponents of all prog.
 ress. They are not sparing in scatter. ing the seeds of the plants which kill
 useful growths and serve no good pur- pose.
 How much better to SOW the useful grain or the pleasant flowers! As the flowers that were scattered by the railroad train will reproduce themselves in an ever widening zone radiating from the railroad track, sc grows the influence of the flowers oi good planted with intent by one human heart in another.
 Overhauling the records of the pris- oners in a state hospital for the crim- inal insane in a middle western state il was found not long ago that four pris oners had been held unlawfully for years after their prison terms had expired They had been sentenced to the pen. itentiary for varying lengths of time In prison 1t was learned that they were suffering from insanity and they were transferred to the state asylum In tha; institution they we're lost about as eff fectually as though they had been buried One man served 8 years too long. An.
 other was kept in 20 years after hs should have been released. another g years and the fourth 34 years. The, were transfe red to their respective coun. ties to be let out on probation-
 Four lives wrecked by error! IL Is (
 strong commentary on the way in whicf
 some of our American public institution, are managed.
 ] It is to be assumed. of course. fha
 the original sentences of these four mer
 to the penitentiary were deserved tha
 they were guilty of the charges brought
 against them. But when they paid tn, , penalty which the law had decreet against them they should have been re- lea sed.
 To confine them unjusGy in q stat. asylum for the criminal insane. whici
 differs little from . prison and is II
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23
SOME SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR-By Harry J. Burney

who declared that he would be glad to entertain three Americans as long as they cared to remain. Furthermore, it was made plain that the most important of the banks of the German capital were ready to grant credits to Americans. the president of the largest financial institu- ton of the city declaring that ne would advance I,250,000 on adequate security.
 Here is one of the wild yarns which has been given wids publicity. Jean Gaudefroy Demombynes aged 16. is the originator. and he makes affidavit of it's truth. It might be remarked, however. that there has been no confirmation from any other source. Demombynes swears he was on the frontier of Baden at inc outbreak of hostilitiG. He and 30 other F'renchmen, he says. were arrested at Lorrach. a frontier town August 1. They were marched to the police station there searched amid insults from the popu- lace. and marched back 10 the railway station. When they arrived there. (. French commercial travcler name. un- known) cried, Viva la France He was immediately seized. held against the sta ton wall and shot dead. Demonbynes goes on:
 Many among the Frenchmen shouted This was an act of assassins The most vehement were three young fel- lows. apparently students. They also were seized and roughly bidden to shut tneir mouths. Attempting to protest they were placed against the wall. Two rows of soldiers were drawn up on each side while group of other soldiers faced them at distance of 10 yards. The order five" was given and a volley followed. The three young men fell dead.
 New tumult broke out among us the women Ca true Frenchman never forgets the women) weeping hysteri- cally Another of my countrymen. a tall man with a great black beard cried Towards; assassins' The sol diers seized him without orders and thrust him against the wallx Then one
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23

] was the spring of TBS. Washington
 had been on the Pennsylvania from
 tier engaged with General Braddock in lighting the French and Indians was . colonial colonel in the British army, and was passing through a part of Vir- ginia on his way to the capital at Will liamsburg, the bearer of important mes sages. He was mounted on a superb charger, a gift from Braddock, and was attended by white orderly, who had been the body servant of General Brad. dock till his death. when the orderly be- came the attendant on Colonel Washing ton. At this time Washington was about 20 years old, was tall and erect and a, he sat his beautiful horse he was an ideal cavalier.
 Riding leisurely along the highway washington followed several yards behind by the old servant, Bishop, the two reached the region in which was located