davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
The Cofton Situation

A prominent New York cotton broker age house in it's Saturday review of the cotton situation says in part:
 'The strained relations between this country and Germany overshadowed every other feature in the cotton market and were responsible for further liquidation and generally weak tone. Traders gen erally are inclined to stand aside await ing developments. although 1t is the all most unanimous hope of the trade that a friendly basis can be maintained From cotton producers standpoint this is but natural. as Germany is one of our best customers. Last fall when the staple was selling around cents it was Ger man buying that absorbed most of the distressed offerings, and it was those pur- chases that started the recovery that finally resulted in an enormous advance. Aside from discussion of the delicate in- ternaticnal situation with which we are confronted, interest centers in the prog ress of the new crop
 The first condition report of the sea- son will be issued on June l. which is only short time off The report will be as of May 25. so it is very natural for estimates to be made now The improve ment in the weather throughout the belt has been so marked that the trade is pre- pared for a report of a comparatively high percentage. The condition at this time last year was 74.3 per cent, and as this was considerably below the average for that date it is reasonable to expect, in the light of recent favorable growing conditions that these figures will be ex- ceeded'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
Beware of limitations

New ways of getting into trouble are being invented every minute, at least so thinks A. E. Wall of Okla homa City, after peculiarly trying incident. Mr. Wall is also equally em- phatic in denouncing imitation jew elry. This is how it came about:
 Mr. Wall, according to newspaper reports, purchased a jeweled scarf pin for the nominal sum of 15 cents. He dressed himself with unusual care, stuck the scarfpin in natty tie and hied himself out to enjoy the Shriners' carnival
 But Mr. Wall was not accustomed to wearing imitation jewelry, and in addition he is a sensitive man. So, whenever anyone glanced at him he felt, sure they were appraising his -phony" tie pin. Becoming more and more embarrassed, he finally stealth fly slipped the pin from his tie, and with an effort at careless unconcern, dropped it into his coat pocket. But he played his part.
 His act attracted so much suspicion to himself from members of the police department that he was landed in the city bastile and detained all night.
 Now MT. Wall threatens to sue the city-but he has not stated what re- venge he proposed to take upon the man who sold him the pin. 1 From this incident may be deduced lesson.
 And the lesson is: Do not wear imi- tation jewelry--or, at least, if you do so, wear it with such nonchalant poise that people will be moved to remark upon the passing along of million aire.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
Europe Faces New Peril

With the arrival of warmer weather tainted winds are blowing down on Paris from the north and new fear clutches at the hearts of the French people. An odor that will grow stronger and more sickening as the summer advances comes from the heaps of unbuiied dead on the battle fields of Compiegne and Sossons, and from hundreds of thousands of sol diers who are barely covered with earth. It is hoped that science, which has made such remarkable progress in the past 25 years, will be able to combat this new peril successfully, but the dread of a devasting plague is present. The French authorities are taking every precaution to prevent the spread of disease, devoting at tention to the extermination of the fly, warning people to boil their wa ter and have themselves inoculated against typhoid and strongly reeom- mending vaccination.
 Already typhoid, typhus and spotted fever are quite common, and the warm weather has hardly begun. However, X it is hardly possible that any epi- demic comparable to the plaques that have devasted Europe during and after previous wars will ever be en- counted again. One important reason for this, aside from the progress of science, is the fact that the people. themselves are better informed about such matters as hygiene and .<sanita tion and may be dependedr on to help the health authorities, in preventing disease.
 The dead, however heroic, are the most loathsome and often the most dangerous part of war. Not only are battles being won now, it is said, by the stench rising from dead men, but retribution has always followed in the wake of war in the form of dis ease, as if an offended Power would finish the dreadful work man himself has started. From all reports, the number of unburned and half buried dead in Europe is enormous and is  being increased from day to day. It remains to be seen if pestilence is to add to. the horrors of-a situation al ready bad enough.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
An African Colony

Very little publicity has been given the fact that negroes are struggling back to Africa, but recent communi- cation, made public in newspapers, from Chief Alfred C. Sam, recalls the fact to mind.
 A shipload of Oklahoma negroes were taken by Chief Sam last fall to the Gold Coast. Africa, and this lit tie band of colorej folk forms the nucleus of colony which promises to become permanent. Chief Sam, in the letter which reached his organiza- ton at Weleetka, Okla, says he will return soon for another shipload of colonists.
 The colony, according to Chief Sam, has located along river about sev- enty-five miles from Salt Pond, West Africa, and owns about four square miles of land. It is reported that the land is very fertile, fifteen acres pro-
 
 ducing enough to support family in comfort.
 About thousand Oklahoma negroes expect to join the colony, being en- couraged by the reports of prosperity and contentment which have reached them from the African coast
 There is vast amount of the most fertile territory in Africa, capable of producing enormous wealth. But much of it lies in the heat belt, covered with forest and jungle, and of such climatic conditions that the white man is unable to withstand them. The ne- gro. however, is peculiarly adapted
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
A CHANGE OF HEART.
HOW TO PRODUCE GENIUSES

ability in the boys from the nonprofes- sional homes. But it doesn't get directed into scientific channels. Too often, in the case of boys from families of slender means it finds no opportunity for develop- ment.
 Different parts of the country show great diversity in the number of leading scientific men produced. Massachusett, for instance, is far ahead of western and southern states. But in a list of younger scientific men, states like Minnesota and Michigan show a great relative gain. There is no reason to suppose any differ ence in the natural capacity of men born in different parts of the country. But there has been great difference in sur roundings and opportunity.
 This condition is illustrated in the Orient A generation ago Japan had no scientific men. Now it has several of in- ternational fame, while China has none. A Darwin born in China in 1909, as Dr. Cattell points out, could not have become a Darwin. The most exceptional ability may be suppressed by circumstances
 As for ability just below the highest, this Investigator concludes that there are now living in the United States probably th sands of men with such ability. The opportunity to develop it has not come to them.
 Certainly it is true that the feeble- minded should be kept segregated and that the unfit generally should not be per mitted to produce their kind. But the big job before the country is to see to it that the ability that exists is not sup pressed, and that opportunity is offered for the enormous amount of capacity now wasted to make itself felt.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
A REA1 ., ,PIEIjPIPER
A :.

Tom Bodne in the Paris (AIo) M cury.
 C ONE folks without eithe sense or
 imagination affect to h ''sve that o the Pied Piper is myth, but he isn't at all He reappears periodically in every town in the Cnited States with
 squeaky old hand organ and dirty mon-
 key and was in Paris last Friday mornF
 ing Joy of joys. It was a beautiful
 morning, a May morning, with violets
 futtering at every curb and the yards velvety with grass, and he didn't miss a street. Up and down and all around, over over here and far away, under the arching naples, beneath the spires, he went. and never was such music. It foated over the housetops, came stealing in at the window and quavered in the sunshine
 And at it's approach, as if by magic, the doors of all the houses flew open and lit tie children, clad in garments of spring trooped forth and followed it. Sometimes it was here and sometimes there. but ever as it went grew the chorus of childish voices. There were pale little girls With streamers. dirty boys but happy, nigger boys looking timidly on with dark ana questioning eyes, rich little children, poor little children-and all followed the piper up the street, down the street, around the block far away For an hour Hamilh town awoke from its long sleep and an ancient legend was re-enacted. Ana the nonkey-a most marvellous monkey! He | tipped his red cap, rang bell ana clashed tiny cymbals You might LOOK the world over and not find his like And the towheaded boy who fed him vnoie
 rickers worth of caramels-the last nickel
 he had and who let hirn look through
 his hair for 'boogers!' Never was such a boy, dirty though he was. So the monkey
 tried to say, and the monkey was right
 whatever fastidious people may think
 After all, boogers are not 70 bad, and the I monkey did his best. Conscious that ht
 was rendering actual service-the children never failed to laugh-the boy submitted without shame. And all the time tht piper played, and as the music fioated 1T the window and the spirit of spring wrapped hill and town in its glad en
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18

from the Kansas City Star.
 VVYHY is it that genius appears un- , A/ expectedly here and there and
 fails to appear in places where it might be expected? Why should the American colonies with a population no larger than Missouri today have produced a group of men of permanent eminence, while there isn't a state in the union that in the past generation has reared such a sroup as Washington, Jefferson, Ham, ilton, Franklin. Madison, the Adamses?
 This is question that has been dis turbing scientific men for a good many years. If the world could only find the secret of producing genusesl
 Prof. J. NJ. Catten of Columbia uni versity, in the current issue of the Pop uar Science Monthly has made an in teresting study of the history of thou sand men of science whose names appear in the Biographical Directory of Ameri- can Men of Science His study empha- sizes the immense importance of oppor- tunity. About half of the scientific men, for instance, come from the professional classes. who constitute only 1 per cent of professional man is 50 times as likely to become a leading scientific man as a boy taken at random from the community.
 That means, of course, that the son of the professional man is more likely to become interested in scientific things and to be given training in science than the boy from the nonprofessional home. He may not have the ability to improve his opportunities But there is evidently enough native ability scattered around, So that if the opportunity offers. it can be developed. There is just as much native
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
GOSSIP IN LONDON

From the Philadelphia Evening Tele-
 gram.
 The annual report of the Scottish Foot ball association shows loss on the year Of fa47o, which includes contribution of el25O to the war fund. over G5O00 was also given by the affiliated clubs to the var fund. and collections realized an- other s1oOo
 Fifteen hundred players have enlisted, as well as over POGO nonplaying members. The balance to the credit of the associa- ton, including property. is nearly fl2,5oo.
 The King and Queen, Princess Mary, queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria, with many ladies of the court attended a patriotic concert at the Royal Albert hall, London, one afternoon recently m aid of the funds of the professional classes war relief council and the lord Iayor's recruiting bands. The huge building was packed, and thousands of people assembled outside to await the ar rival of the royal party, being entertained for full hour by one of the pipers bands which the lord mayor has raised, headed by Pipe Major I.insford and brass band of the same special unit.
 Maj Gen. Sir Stanley B. Wn Donop, master general of ordnance, visited a number of munitions factories in Birming- ham recently. Addressing a number of 4k.o Ar,,1s company's works. he expressed the appre- c.ation of Lord Kitchener, the army coun- cil and the whole army of the excellent work done by the men in Birmingham, and said that large as was the output of rifles, they wanted not twice or three times. but four times as many, and even then he did not think they would be as many as they would want.
 He compared the British nation work ing for the British cause to football team, led by a very admirable centre for ward, Sir John French. the other for wards being the British army. You and l." said Major General von Donop, form the back and half-back lines The for NdFu il1e CcIf Qt lOtiinS uIitSS they al v properly fed and. kept going by the backs and half-backs. Our business is to feed the forwards with guns, rifles, ammuni- ton and equipment necessary to conduct the war The goallSeeper is necessary 10 keep out the opposing team and to pre- vent them breaking through. He must be man of large stature and with far reaching mind to see and understand what the opponents are going to do. Our goalkeeper is Lord Kitchener. in whom We all have such confidence"
 He added that with hearty cooperation and thoroughly unselfish play on the part of the whole nation they should be sue cessful He knew that what they were doing in Birmingham meant working ar great pressure, but he wanted them to work harder and harder so that the army at the front could be made to feel that l they were giving them all that they re auired.-The Times.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
The Crops and Business

Last years crops were bumpers. ords, and in no instance was there failure.
 The total money value of the grain crops in 1914 exceeded that of any previous year, but as great as were the harvests the outlook for 1915 is even greater. This months govern ment crop reports are extremely favorable. In most states weather con- ditions are all that could be desired.
 In the south the cotton acreage has been considerably reduced and the use of fertilizer on cotton lands has been curtailed; but notwithstanding these facts the crop will probably total 12,0O0,000 bales, and its lis be- lieved the price will be sufficient for the farmer to realize good profit. In view of the splendid outlook for | this years harvests trade conditions are remarkably stable. Business re- coverS from last falls depression, slow in the early part of the year, has been rapid during the past few weeks. A prominent New York paper says: Whatever interval of readjustment of enterprise and endeavor the events of the near future may occasionr enough evidence of fundamental soundness has been furnished of late to increase the sturdy business confidence al. ready exhibited"
 There was marked improvement in the steel trade last week, and further
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
Xaricella Cnntariaus

Yaricella is becoming a very common disease in Birmingham at the present time, remarked pr. Howell T. Hefiin as he sat with friends at the Newspaper club
 This disease is contagious, and in it's most severe form resembles smallpox. I have seen several cases lately in this city, and it is in truth no respecter of persons It is especially dreaded by the ladies' who avoid it as though it were deathly plague, for sometimes the scars left in the wake of the disease prove most obstinate and can hardly be removed by the most skillful treatment by the accomplished beauty specialist"
 Up to this point the doctors audience had been held spellbound, while he re- counted in hushed tones the quick spread ard alarming tendencies of this as yet al- most unknown disease within our midst; but at this juncture the good natured physician found it necessary to respond to persistent questioning with an explanation as to the nature of this latest horror in disease form, and could only say that ''varicella" was the technical term used by medicos in referring to chicken pox. This familiar household word was men, toned with a deep chuckle and a hearty laugh convulsed the circle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18

.As acs,- the wonder and mystery of chldhs returned. And as ever it went. lp the ;, down the street, all around. ai.-. f nay. the ancient longing came to bolt -o sn the steps and out the door into the heart of May to weave garland md follow the piper far away. You were sorry you were a man and wanted TO ue the towheaded boy with a nickels worth of carames to feed them to the monkey and hear the children laugh. Or, maybe you wished you were the pale little girl with streamer her hat with the length of May morning before her in- stead of a woman. And all day long the music was in your ears. and you wondered about it al-how, with the violets hutter- ing on a thousand hills, the yellow sun- shine warming the earth, the piper play ing and the children shouting, men could go forth to maim and slay.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18

The French soldier has immortalized the bayonet and is putting it to good use in the present European conflict. The French consider it pre-eminently their weapon of war, although it's origin is shrouded in obscurity. According to some authorities. the bayonet was intro duced into France from Spain, but the only basis for this assumption seems to be the fact that there is word in the Spanish language, 'bayoneta,' which means small scabbard." However. it's origin is popularly attributed to Bayonne. According to the story from the south of France. in 152S when the city was at tackled by the allied kings of England and Aragon women invented the weapon to help defend it's ramparts. Another ac- count says the Basques invented the bayonet under heroic circumstances. They had been fighting the Spanish for hours until their ammunition was ex- hausted. To overcome this handicap they affixed their knives to the ends of their guns and put the enemy to rout There Is historical proof that the bayonet was used as early as 1641. The French soldier has won undying glory by his proficiency with the bayonet. In the effective use of this weapon the British soldier is his close rival. Although it was thought that long range guns would make the bayonet been frequently used with such success that on numerous occasions it has turned the tide of battle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
.rhe Servant in the House,

Tn the New York public library IS group of dra mas called Plays of Thirteen Countries, - said lover of dramatic art ''These thirteen Countries are Russia Italy. England, Norway, America, Spain, Ireland Germany, China, France Bel gum, Austria and Sweden. Others by the same dramatists and by other dramatists are in the library.
 "A compact list of these plays was de- sired. The Drama League Of Amerlca was called upon to make choice of them The Servant in the House. by Charles R. Kennedy, was one of the representa- tive plays selected.
 "It is noted with interest that bull letin from the playgoing committee or the Birmingham center was issued few days ago calling attention to this play which is to be presented here by William owen s company next Saturday evening at the Redpath chautauqua.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
FOR THE KIDDIES

Alexander Prtsburs Plain Folk They tell he wealthy but he might been stone hroke clan When he down to he sized up lots of Man!
 he didn't holler none
 life would be done
 He imply give a he Come
 wddies!" He was one of ma a stricken ship And al humanity a tip where hercely home.
 They never had nc n
 [7ohes or local 1diF and
 th1nAks nnl1hty 0oo4 o1v1co:
 Let Ii
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18

to withstand the drawbacks of the country.
 Obviously, upon the success of this colonization experiment, there rests possibilities which can scarcely be re- alized. The cheap lands of this coun- try are well night exhausted-but there lie millions of acres in Africa awaiting development.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
DI.tempcr the Bane of Doxdom


 The deadliest foe of well bred dogs is distemper." said Percy Clark, and the common cur seems immune it would seem, else why such crop, ever com ing on to prowl and depredate.
 This malady is the bane of the breed CTS of fine dogs. Some of the finest dogs-setters and pointers-worth any where from $500 to s50o0 have died within the past few months with dis temper
 "Aalking with Dr. A l. Jones. the veterinarian. he tells me that distemper is in no manner akin to the 'epizootie in horses. It is an infectious disease and requires very careful handling. es- pecially dieting. It often leaves lasting defects on dogs that it does not kill The seat of the disease Is in the nerves of the bronchial tube and from that the whole system becomes involved finally affecting the brain. Frequenly corbea-jeriing of the limbs ma spasms-supervene Carbea in a dog is similar to St. Citus dance in the human Dogs may be immunized by inoculatien with serum If ultimately the dog so treated falls a victim to distemper' it checks the deadly effects and tenn pers the violence to minimum of dis tress and danger.
 "It is well for owners of valua ble dogs to have them immunized before taking them to bench shows and field trials where there is more or less danger of them being exposed to the disease. have in the past two weeks saved valuable setter puppy which was given the treatment by Dr. Jones when the very first signs began to show them selves"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-18

would be large percentage. when it is remembered how many survivors of the war are now decrepid.
 Added to the veteran contingent that will attend the Richmond reunion will be thousands and thousands of Sons and Daughters of Veterans. to say nothing of visitors in general"