davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Winter Fighting

In following the titanic operations in the eastern field of the war, which have been the center of interest for the last three weeks, one is in danger of overlooking conflicts in the western theatre, which are even more im- portant than the encounters of Prus- sian and Cossack.
 The allies have maintained a slow, cautious offensive that has gained ground steadily even if measured in yards on some days. On both wings of the German army stretched across Belgium and the north of France are vital operations progress of which the world is still permitted only glimpse.
 The most important fighting in the western field again has been in Flan- ders, where the Germans have been forced back across the Yser canal, which ran red with German blood before foothold on the left bank was gained. Thus the Germans lose what cost them tens of thousands of men to win. The fighting here is pro- gressing slowly and the allies are making themselves secure in all posi- tions taken.
 Such fighting may be expected un- til the early spring, when major off, fensive operations will be begun by both sides. As yet the allies have not sufficient numerical superiority to permit of attempts to crush the Ger man army and the remainder of the winter will be used to remedy this de- feet. Of the vast number of English
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Efficiency In Marine Corps

The United States marine corps, an independent branch of the military establishment serving under the Sec retary of the Navy, has long been noted for its efficiency and it's stand ard of discipline was never higher than it is today.
 The marines are the soldiers of the navy and are called upon for active military duty oftener even than the men of the army.
 The marine corps includes only about 5000 enlisted men. The ranks are now full and that being so the vacancies as they occur are filled by men who have passed an exceptionally fine examination. The rules govern ing. enlistments are ordinarily rigid, and now they are particularly so.
 A man, in order to become United States marine, must be physically perfect, must have a good English education-if high school graduate SO much the better-and must be of exemplary character. The marine corps is, in fact, picked corps anc is surpassed by no similar body oi soldiers in the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24

cotton loan fund was raised for the purpose of enabling farmers to carry over the surplus cotton until 1916. A 50 per cent crop would put the price up and the surplus would be needed two years hence.
 It is hoped the farmers will avail themselves of the opportunity of bor- rowing money from the big fund on a cents a pound basis. They should not delay. If large numbers appeal to the loan fund committee millions of dollars will pour into the south which would have the effect of new capital and would at the same time enable farmers to pay their debts and hold their cotton for high prices.
 The crop diversification movement is progressing with enthusiasm. Large crops of grain and wheat have been sown. More attention than ever is be- ing paid to live stock, and the corn crop next year will probably more than double that of last.
 This time next year the farmers of Alabama should be enjoying record breaking prosperity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
THE MEN OF THE "EMDEN,

By Thomas R. Ybarra.
 What matter if you
 Be stanch and true To the British blood in the veins of you,
 When it's hip hurrah.' for deed we'll
 done,
 For fight well fought, and race well run What matter if you be true? Hats off to the Emdens crew. Theirs was the life of the storm-gods folk, Uncounted miles from the Fatherland With a foe beneath every wisp of smoke. And a menace in every strip of strand Up, glasses! Paul Jones was but one os these, Hull. Bainbridge, Decatur, their broth- CTS, too! QHa! those pirate nights In ring of foes, When you douse your lights And drive home your blowsD Hats off to the Emdens crew! Erect on the wavewashed decks stooo they And heard with vikings grim delieht The whir of the wings of death by day And the voice of death in their dreams by night
 Under the sweep of the wings of death, By the blazing gun. in the tempest's breath,
 While a world of enemies strove and fumed, | Remote, unaided, undaunted, doomed. They stoodIis there any, friend or foe. l Who will choke cheer?-who can still | but scoff? l No. no. by the gods of valor, no,
 To the Emden's crew
 Hats offl
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Quail Shooting Disappointimg

"The season for quail shooting thus far has proven very disappointing" said sportsman, and I say this after mak- ing inquiry of most of the tribe with whom I keep in touch.
 Several of my friends have gone here and thereto north Alabama, to the famed prairies-and all tell the same story. It is my opinion that some disease has at tackled them. A party of four hunters went some 30 miles below Selma, to a country of splendid prospects. where there had been but little shooting for several years They carried six of the best bird dogs in Birmingham. They had poor luck. It is true that they made fair bags after two days hard hunting and riding, but birds were not by any means plentiful.
 ''The pump and automatic shotguns, the all-the-year hunting bird dog and the rab- bit dogs are killing out the birds rapidly in many parts of the state. Legislation is neded to protect the quail from becoming as rare bird as the pheasant"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Keeping Policemen Healthy

A plan that has been successfully tried in New York, and might be equally beneficial on smaller scaie in other cities of the country, seeks to build up the health of New York police department by looking after the men when they first begin to show signs of disability, instead of waiting until they become seriously ill.
 It is said that many policemen s6f- fer from broken arches of the feet and are flat footed. The surgeons ot New York's police department are de- voting much attention to such cases and are trying to remedy defects by advising the men to wear the right kind of shoes. A soldier who IS not nroperly shod soon becomes prac- tically useless, and policeman who has trouble with his feet is almost Tn the same plight, although his walking is done under less trying circum- stances than the marching of sol dier.
 There are 9 surgeons attached to the New York police department and they care for the health of 1O,76O members. They are subject to the same rules and regulations as other members of the department. In emergency cases they do valuable work, in addition to being called on at all hours of the day and night to attend members of the department y,U may be ill.
 In 1913 police surgeons paid 53,854 visits to members of the department on sick leave and 5000 visits to po- licemen who were suffering from minor ailments and were still on duty They have many clerical duties te perform and are. frequently sum- moned to station houses where police men have become ill. As result oi their efficient work the health o1 New York's police department is bet ter than that of the United States army.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
As to Prohibition

With regard to the liquor question, l am local optionist; am a democrat and local optionist in principle" said r. II. McCurdy of Cincinnati, and I think that statutory prohibition has run it's course for time but there are young people with us today who will probably live to see natlon-wide prohibition in a modified form The Hobson resolution in the House of Representatives received a large vote Tuesday, and in about four years the national prohibitionists will renew their efforts to have Congress submit a constitutional amendment to the state leg islatures; but before an amendment for nationwide prohibition can ever be adopt ed exception must be made in favor of beer and light wine. If the leaders of prohibition had made such exceptions half the states would have been in the all dry column before now.
 Drastic prohibition is what hurts the cause. One reason why it was easy to carry Virginia dry was because wine and beer can still be made and shipped out of the state legally"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Appreciation of Birmingham

Anyone who has lived in Birmingham appreciates the city all the more after an absence of few months" said James T. Bostick. an expert accountant of the interstate commerce commission.
 "I have been stationed in Savannah since early in the fall and will probably be there for sometime yet. Savannah is a good, solid city, but it is small and quiet compared with Birmingham. One fine feature of Savannah, however, which puts it in class to itself is a system of around. l have never seen such beauti- ful roads anywhere.
 Speaking of cities some people think that Atlanta is the most metropolitan
 place in the south, but really Atlanta is not up to Birmingham when it comes to
 the characteristics in the makeup of
 great cities.
 Being connected with the interstate commerce commission. I am naturally pleased to hear the favorable comments
 on the commissions recent. decision al- lowing the eastern carriers to advance their freight rates. l hear that the de- cision has had a decidedly stimulating effect on business generally. Call it senti-
 mental but the effect is substantial just | the same"
 1 MT. Bostick will remain in Birmingham ] until Christmas at noon, when he will | leave for Columbia, Tenn, his home town. ! where he will finish his Christmas yaca- | tion.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
MERCHANTS VIEW

MT. E. W. Barrett, Editor Age-Herald:
 read very carefully your editorial by Ned Brace of Sunday, December 20, and could not help from writing you what I think about same
 l think that every point you made in your editorial is correct; that is the only solution to relieve the financial trouble of the city of Birmingham; if everybody in the city of Birmingham will pay the taxes they should and not have any pets in the collecting of same, and the city administration to be worked in a business way, I cannot see why thf city would not be able to pay it's ex- penses as well as any business. I think the administration of city is not any more than any other business institu- ton.
 What would you or I think about any big corporation if they would not be able to manage their own affairs and would be forced to call upon 100 citi- gems to straighten out their business af- fairs?
 I think the idea of two separate coun- ties would never accomplish anything First, 1t will be like you say, major ity of business people in Birmingham will have to leave their business and go tc Bessemer or somewhere else to attend court all the time. I am one that hal been caught nine times already this year The only thing two counties can accom- plish is some more offices and some more jobs for politicians. Yours truly. LOUIS PIZITZ. Bjrmingham December 22 1914
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Big Crop of Cotton Linters

Tn the estimate of 17Ooo, ,0O0-bale cot ton crop, there is an estimated crop Of linters, of some 100000 bales" said for
 mer cotton man.
 Always there is an unaccountable | amount of cotton seed that does not come to market. Of the last crop there was something over 6,000,000 tons of seed crushed with a probable gross prodpction of 7,5O000O tons
 "Ldnters do not enter into the spin nable crop because too short staples. The modern, up-to-date cotton seed mill runs the seed through two different gins, the first takes the outer coat and the sec ond makes the seed 'bald-headed, so to speak.
 Tt will probably be interesting to many
 to know approximately the products of a
 ton of cotton seed It is as follows: Of
 meal $50 pounds; hulls, $50 pounds; oil,
 300 pounds, equal to fl gallons; linters,
 75 to 100 pounds; dirt and trash, 100 to lz5
 pounds"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
GOOD NATURED ELEPHANTS

E. Torday, in the Wide World Magazine
 In 1905 I found myself near the Inzia river, an important affluent of the Kwilu. infested by herds of elephants, source of constant anxiety and frequent losses to the agricultural inhabitants. Tn d country like this, where he is not hunted by man in the ordinary way and the only means for his destruction are cruel but easily avoided pitfalls, the elephant is decidedly good natured. We were told by the mission boys at Pana that in the rainless season, when their usual haunts are dried up, the elephants frequently wander near the river and attack the plantations. The natives try to drive them away with sticks! But it is no good hitting them or throwing stones at them," I was told; they generally re- fuse to take any notice. Sometimes a mother with calf will turn on us and chase us for 100 yards or so. but no real harm is meant and the animal Is moi really angry, for all the signs of fury spread ears and raised trunk-are absent. All the same we do run away, although we know there is no danger. One day q boy fell when thus pursued, but the ele- phant only threw sand on niin.'
 As I have myself seen a man just pushed out of the way by one of these good natured monsters when the animal had more than enough provocation to kill him, was inclined to accept this account as true.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
------------s0s---~---- SIMPLIFIED BELGIAN NAMES
From the London Outlook

From the London Outlook.
 I spent the night-sleeping better than at home-on straw in a water surrounded post looking across to Dix nude, which our own soldiers aptly speak of as "Thickmud." It is true that our men are rather strangers this way They have their hands full over al Ypres, which they call, as a matter of course, "Wipers." There is, if you remember. Ypres Tower on the olc walls of Rye, at home in Sussex, which has been given the same pronunciation The British Tommy does not commonly carry maps, and consequently the pecu- liar, half-humorous twists he gives tc place e-names have a tendency to become permanent. There Is, for example, a place near Poperinghe called Watou which has quite easily become "What-O!" just as Wytschaets has changed with celerity to ''Whitesheet,' and F'leurbaix to "Fiower- Box" while Croix-au-Bo -Bois-impossible for a British tongue to circumvent-has become "Crossboys."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Great Future For the Steel Trade

c arles M. Schwab, president of the Bethlehem Steel corporation, just 1 back from England, makes state ment which will be found on the first page of today's Age-Herald. It is the most cheering and altogether the most stimulating announcement printed in many day.
 MT. Schwab is known as the semi official agent of the British govern ment and through the British govern ment as the agent of the allies. After an interview with Lord Kitchener a month or more ago he came back with his pocket full of orders for subma- rines and the like. But President Will son had something to say and MT. Schwab gracefully bowed to the ad- ministration's policy and told England that he could not fabricate and deliver submarines at this time. But as MT. Schwab's statement in today's paper sets forth he will more than make up in larger business for anything lost by not getting it.
 The large contracts that MT. Schwab has in view will keep his plant at Bethlehem busy day and night for many months to come. Whatever or ders he has are rush orders, and the contracts, therefore, will have to be filled as speedily as possible. That means that all the steel companies in the United States will have share in this business. Orders for many million dollars worth of steel products will come to the Birmingham district.
 Prosperity will be greatly in evil dence here between now and spring. The eastern railroads will soon be in the market for new equipment. There is hardly a railroad company in this country that does not feel pressing need for betterment, and orders for new rails and new cars will not be long delayed. Within the next month or two the railroads will be liberal customers of the iron and steel companies.
 In the meantime many facts con- cur to brighten the Birmingham dis trict. One is the announcement that the United States Steel corporation has decided not to cut wages; an- other is the announcement of the Tennessee company that operations at it's rail mill at Ensley would be resumed Monday, aha biggest of all is MT. Schwab's announcement.
 The pig iron market after very heavy buying movement continues fairly active. The price is still low barely above the cost of production but the fact that an immense ton. mage has been sold will be boon to the traffic departments of the rail. roads. On the whole, December has been the best month hereabouts since the European war began, and begin ming with January the improvement in the industrial field will be large and far-reaching.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24

From the Fables of Robert Louis Steven
 sen.
 A man quarreled with his friend. II have been much deceived in you." said the man.
 And the friend made a face at him and went away.
 A little after they both died and came together before the great white Justice of the Peace. It began to look black for the friend, btu the man for while had clear character and was getting into good spirits.
 q find here some records of quarrel said the Justice, looking in his notes. (Which of you was in the wrong?"
 ''He was,' said the man. "He spoke i'll of me behind my back
 Did he so?" said the Justice. And pray how did he speak about your neigh. bors ?'' W
 "oh. he had always a nasty tongue, ,' said the man.
 And you chose him for your friend,' cried the Justice. My good fellow, we have no use here for fools,' So the man was cast in the pit, and the friend laughed out aloud in the dark and remained to be tried on other charges.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
ENGLAND's WILD CATTLE

From the Toronto Star.
 Lord Tankerville has given the royal geological gardens in London pair of his wonderful white wild cattle, on re- ceipt of a pledge from the eociety that it would not dispose of the animals or of any progeny that they might have.
 His white cattle form a herd absolutely unique, and have been inclosed in the huge park around his castle of Chilling ham, in Northumberland, at any rate since the beginning of the thirteenth cen- tury, and probably even still longer.
 They are the only survivors of the wild cattle which roamed throughout Britain in the days of Julius Caesar-that is to say, nearly 2000 years ago, and have been kept during all these hundreds of years of seclusion in Chillingham park, of the herd in Chillingham park ever hav- ing given birth to a black calf.
 The cattle are small with very straight backs, rough and curly coats, and up- wardly directed horns. The insides of the ears and muzzles are red, while the hoofs and tips of the horns are sym1 metrically marked with black. They are exceedingly fierce and wild, keep them- selves in the remote portions of the park as far distant as possible from the castle and have resisted all efforts to tame them even in ever so slight degree.
 Now and then the herd has to be thin ned out by shooting. and the shooting parties for this purpose, given by the Earl of Tankervflle, have always proved extremely exciting. Thus, during the life time of the late Lord Tankerville, King Edward, then Prince of Wales. narrowly escaped losing his life through a charge of one of the wild bulls, while shooting at Chillingham castle. The superb head and horns of the bull in question still are on the walls of Sandringham.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
A Small Cotton Acreage

For the first time in many years the south's cotton acreage next spring will be greatly reduced. When farmers organizations began to adopt resolu- tions in -avor of crop reducing people smiled and said that big crop would be planted nevertheless.
 But the low price of cotton made much more serious situation than was at first realized. The banks took the matter in hand and adopted a policy not to lend money to farmers next spring unless they agreed to raise lit. to or no cotton. The $135,00O, ,00t
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
Must Have Patience

While there is more activity in the mercantile world now than there was a few weeks ago there has been much complaint of hard times, and the mer- chants of the large cities have not had the holiday rush they had hoped for" said G. l.. Marion of Philadelphia
 "But unless all signs fail there will bo great improvement in every branch of business early in the new year. Some people say they have been hearing about improvement for sometime, and few are skeptical as to any great improve ment in the near future, out such peo- pie should exercise little more patience. There is hardly manufacturer or banker in the east who does not proclaim his belief in the coming of new era of good times in 1915'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24

recruits now in training in England, the majority will be sent over to win ter in France and see something of real campaigning, thus gaining double the experience in one-fourth the time which it would require in camp.
 Actual facts as to operations in Po- land, Galicia and East Prussia are still hidden in a mass of contradic- tions. That the Germans have won important successes is evidenced by the fact that the Russians have been forced to abandon, temporarily, at least, the siege of Cracow. How ex- tensive these successes have been can only be determined by time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
WHY PRESIDENT MET THEM

From the Columbus Dispatch.
 On the return of the members of the Buckeye Corn Special to Columbus the story of how it came about that Presi- dent Wilson met each member of the party was told. One year, ago when the boys and girls who won prizes in contests conducted by the state agricultural com mission went to Washington, the Presi- dent found that it would be impossible to meet them In his place Mrs. Wilson stood in line for an hour and took each boy and girl by the hand. Before she left the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
WeIcb's Fine Apple Crop

tThe apple crop on my waynesvflle. N, C., farm, where my summer home is To- cated," said Mr J. L. weleh, ..is mag nifieent this year. have D acres in Albermarle pippins and Stayman wire saps. I am selling quantities of these apples in Birmingham. North Carolina is the place for a man to go who wants to take life easy and make money in fruits''
 MT. Welch brought with him practical testimony of his apple crop in the form of basket of fruit
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-24

New Years Day in the trenches will be httlngly celebrated by the French sol olers M. Millerand, French minister of war has drawn up menu for a New years dinner that will consist of ham. sausages, apples, oranges, half a litre of wine and a cigar extra for each man serving in the ranks. There will also be a bottle of champagne for every four sol- diers. Supplies are easily carried to the French troops at the front and in what is called the western theatre of war; there is no reason why all the balligerents should not enjoy New Years dinners. as both sides have their lines of communi- cation open and facilities for transporting supplies of every sort are excellent