davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
THE HAIR-CLOTH SOFA

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger
 "A Reader" enters his feeling protest because a recent caption in the Public Ledger poked fun at the haircloth sofa as a relic of mid d-victorian taste. He justly contends that the superior beauty and utility of many of the modern sub stitutes are questionable, at least.
 Cowper's poem, "The Task was in spired by a sofa assigned him at random as a subject. But whether sofa is provocative of poetry or not, there are other considerations apart from the aesthetic test or the utilitarian appraise- ment. There is a sentiment that clings even to insensate furniture.
 Taste changes, and the fads and fancies of one age are not those of another. At the Roolwood Pottery works, in -Cincin- natl, is case of ''art objects showing the progressive modulation in form and outline of their products from the time the first wheels turned. Rigid frigid, angular vases that were received with ecstasy as bridal gifts in the '70s would be haughtily discarded now; inkstands and bowls that were all very well then would be laughed out of court today; the
 whole trend in furniture (Which is a broad term) has been away from what soever things are bleak and hard and conventional to free-and-easy convolu- tions, sweeping curves, rounded corners and flexible, untrammeled patterning. But in every house of long standing
 where home not made with hands has been upbuilded through the years, there are old and homely and faded things that the light of other days makes al | most holy. Perhaps the room is not as | your modern mural decorator would have l 1t, but in that old chair by that decrepit l table under that ugly lamp there sat one we loved, and there are still the ob- I jects that his hands have touched. where.
 on his eyes have rested. Ask mother
 to discard a baby's slipper, on the ground 1 that it is just an old shoe after ali and you will arouse a feeling akin to the
 nameless, voiceless emotion that stirs il 1 the heart of one to whom old things ars
 beautiful and beloved though the world may not know why
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
A BRAVE MOTHER

From Here and There in Battle-Scarred
 France" Peter MaeQueen. in National
 Magazine for January
 One of the most heroic things [ saw was an old woman watching eight sons march past her to the war. My old com rade. MT Chritien of San Francisco. spoke French so well I got him to speak with this good woman. He asked her why she smiled to see eight sons go off to death.
 "Ah, Monsieur" she said, 'it is good to have eight to fight the sales pouches (dirty mouths). You saw me smile. I have waited A years. In 1870 was girl of 13 My father was killed by Prussian
 bayonets. The soldiers came to our house. My mother was i'll; they ordered her to get up and cook for them. The poor woman was not able to cook well. The soup was cold. The Prussians took me out and whipped me on the bare back, Mon Dieu, and I a girl of 13. Yes, it is good, Monsieur. to wipe out that foul 1 crime"
 l can believe this woman. l saw myself men whose fingers were cut off in 1870 so they could not pull trigger. General Pau lost an arm. When the war broke
 out last summer they offered him supreme command of the French army. Turning | to General Joffre he said, This is the man to lead our France to victory. I so to Alsace to get my arm back again."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
Industrial Activity

T have been wondering whether the people of Birmingham fully appreciated the steady gains in industrial activity in the Ensley division,' remarked member of the Chamber of Commerce.
 There has been, indeed, a decided im- provement throughout the district. The Tennessee company, the American Steel and Wire company. the Woodward com pany and other large concerns are oper- ating continuously and will do so right along. The Woodward company operated it's big furnace plant at Woodward to full capacity all last year; and during the greater part of this year it will, l understand, continue to operate it's Van- derbilt furnace, thus making an output of pig metal of 120O or 1900 tons day.
 After the depression of last fall im- provement started to be very gradual, but it is coming fast now. I believe that the year 1915 will be the best in the his- tory of the district. It will certainly be one of the best"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
Dallas County Prospects

"Conditions in the black belt of Ala bama are not so serious as the public may have been led to believe was the case," said Col N F. Thompson. "I have just returned from business trip through the southwestern portion of Dallas, and the following facts will hest illustrate the condition of that county: The cotton crop of 1914 was about 60,000 bales as against 45,0co bales raised in 1913. This latter crop at cents, will bring about $150,00j more into the county than was received from the crop of 1913. Then, again, diversification has taken a strong hold
 on the planters and farmers of that
 sown, and it was quite refreshing to
 see carpet of green where formerly only the drear, dead cotton stalks every where met the perspective.
 q had the pleasure of spending two nights under the hospitable roof of Hon. | J. Craig Smith, who owns one of the largest farms in that end of Alabama. He has but recently moved into hand . some new home that occupies com
 manding prominence in relation to his broad acres of which he has some 3400 acres immediately surrounding his place. His house is the old colonial style and can be seen for miles around
 and sits in a grove of grand old oak trees, such as one seldom sees any where these days, as vandal hands have pretty near robbed us of these mon- archs of the forest for commercial uses | Mrs Smith, who was formerly a
 Birmingham society favorite, being the
 daughter of former Gov B. B. Conner
 was engaged in experimenting the planting of a number of pecan trees
 while they have fruits of all kinds, ol
 which she had preserved large quanti-
 ty of figs, the most delicious of all pre-
 serves Her table was almost entirely
 supplied from the farm, and with he: husband and two beautiful children--a
 boy and girl-she seemed perfectly con-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
Silver Letter Head

"I saw recently the letter head of prominent New York banking house which indicated in gold raised letters that the concern had been in pusi : ness 50 years and l was interested the other day in the new stationery of Steiner Brothers, which has in the center of it's letter head close to the top, 1S90-1915,' and underneath the figures. Twenty-Five Years'-al1 in sil- ver," said an old citizen.
 "The banking house of Steiner Brothers has been an institution here for about 30 years. but the silver let ter head design indicates the length of time that the Steiners have occupied their present home-the Steiner build ing. In old cities like New York and New Orleans it is not uncommon for mercantile and financial houses to eel ebrate their fiftieth anniversaries, but 1t is something to the credit of as young a city as Birmingham to have a banking firm that has been continuous ly in business for 30 years and that has occupied its present quarters 20 years"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
Liberal Rediscount Regulations

The new regulations issued by the federal reserve board few days ago governing rediscount of commercial paper is as liberal as any business man having occasion to avail himself of the reserve system could ask.
 The regulations first promulgated were very stringent in their require ments for information regarding the financial condition of borrowers from member banks. The new rule will not require statements of financial con- dition where bills for rediscount bear the signature of purchaser and seller of goods and present prima facie evil dence that they were issued for com modities actually purchased or sold.
 In inaugurating the new system the federal reserve board, constituted of able men, including several bankers of large experience, started out very cautiously. According to the an nouncements made when the members of the board entered upon their duties the rules in the early stages were tc be tentative with the understanding that changes would be made from time to time to accommodate the member banks and to meet the reasonable re 'quirements of the business public generally. Safety was the first thing to be considered and an accommo dating policy next.
 The board has made an admirable record, and this last action with re gard to rediscounts will make tht new system all the more popular. Int banking and currency law is. as ths
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31

ton south Jefferson will greatly re- duee it's cotton acreage when plant ing time comes this spring.
 What is especially needed in this county is a large increase in the num- Der of small truck farms. There has been a steady gain in truck farming hereabouts. Twelve or fifteen years ago there were not more than 50 or 60 truck farmers in the Birmingham district. There are now between 200 and 250. There should be 1000 or more, for Birmingham is the best market for all sorts of farm and gar den products south of the Ohio river
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
The Approach of Lent

In the liturgical churches other than the Greek Orthodox, that is to say, the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran Ortho dox and the Protestant Episcopal, today is known as Septuagesima Sunday be- ing approximately 70 days before
 Easter.
 In the primitive church many pious
 ecclesiastics and laymen began the pen
 itential fast 70 days before the great
 feast, others 50 days (Sexagesima). ). still others 50 days Quinqua gesima)
 According to the Greek calendar East
 CT falls this year on April II, one week later than the Easter of the Gregorian calendar, which fixes the ecclesiastical seasons observed in America and the most of Europe. Our Easter falling on
 April 4, Ash Wednesday comes Febru ary IT.
 In the churches today the color of the sanctuary or chancel will be the peni tential purple. In the Catholic church all joyful chants, such as the "Te Deum,' "Alleluia" and Gloria in Ex- | celsis,' are omitted from the mass 1 Next Tuesday, February 2, is Can dlemas. It is the day on which the Cath ollie church blesses the candles used in | the services and In the homes of the faithful as sacramentals.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
-
A Large Garnishee List

The financial difficulties of New York's city employees were revealed by the large number of salary gar nishee executions recently made. On one day 40 garnishee executions were filed and the list, which now number 27O0 employees, includes Judges and other high officials" who have fallen into the tolls of the money lenders.
 There is an "antiloan shark bill pending in the state legislature of Alabama, but it is safe to assume that the chief sufferers from money lenders in this state are not pubic officials. Even in New York, where the stress of life is much greater and the expenses commensurate, 1t IS to be wondered at that so august per sonage as a judge should have to ne- gotiate such loan at an advanced rate of interest to "tide him over" It is also rather surprising to see how many of the city's employees have found themselves in such plight that they suffered the humiliation of hav- ing their wages garnisheed. Doubtless there are other city employees who owe money to the so-called "loan sharks" but have so far managed to stand off an execution.
 Needless to say, woman money lender who tried to make Comptroller Prendergrast supply her with list of garnsheed debtors, so that when a city employe comes to her for loan she can Hook up his record" failed in her purpose. It was stated: "lf lists of garnisheed employees were handed out to these money lenders to be pasted up where every Tom, Dick and Harry could paw them over, the names could be used for purposes of blackmall. The contention IS sound, but it does not alter the fact that there is seldom any excuse for the employees of a city like New York, many of them drawing comparatively large salaries, to have these salaries garnisheed. It reveals carelessness, perhaps, more than anything else.
 A stricter supervision of money lenders is generally favored. In some cities municipal loan offices are oper- ated in competition with the licensed money lenders, where person can secure loan at a moderate rate of interest.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
BACK TO THE OLD HOME TOWN

In the February American Magazine George Fitch, the famous Illinois comic Writer. contributes splendid and anus ing small town sketch entitled Home burg's West Enemy" in which he shows how the boys and girls of small towns go away to the cities. He says that Old Man Opportunity stands outside every small town and beckons the boys and girls to the cities. In the following extract from his article MT. Fitch makes some refer ences to visiting the old home town:
 Taking it all around you can't blame us for feeling little bit hostile to the big grabby towns that reach out like tax collectors every year and take tithe of our boy and girl crop. But of course we're enormously proud of our Homeburg people who go out and help run the world, and we watch their careers like hawks. When Chester Arnett was running for n state office out west, I'll bet 20 Homeburg families subscribed for a Denver paper to read about him.
 We're as happy over their success as
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago News.
 The lack of money is also the root of much evil
 Keep hammering away while awaiting results.
 Ever see an officeholder with retiring disposition?
 Riches may have wings. but poverty never flies very high.
 The man who knows himself knows how selfish other people are.
 Women are so tender hearted they will not even deliberately step on a mouse.
 Very little else provokes proud woman like the pride of some other proud woman.
 Sometimes food for thought is supplied by ones inability to get enough of the other kind.
 A word to the wise is said to be suf- ficient-but did you ever notice how many words people use in talking to you?
 Much of the average woman's unhappi- ness is due to the fact that she Is always trying to improve on the work of natura
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
HUMAN NATuRE

n MAN MAI UftE
 My landlady has the right idea about running a boarding house."
 "Yes?'
 You never hear anybody complaining of the service at her house. "Indeed?" That's the truth. Instead of giving her boarders a chance to complain, shs makes them think she's doing them fa- vor to let them stay there and the re- suit is that they would put up with ale most any inconvenience rather than leave"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
THE ONLY ONE

"There goes the Rev. Dr. Fourthly, one of our most prominent ministers. He stands on a pinnacle alone.''
 Because of his great sanctity?"
 "No. He's the only minister in town who hasn't preached an anti-tango ser mon." PAUL COOK.
 
 if they were our children-but it's always embarrassing for a little while when a Homeburg man who has made good comes back to visit in the old town. We're ach- ing to rush up and wiring his arm off. but we want to know how he feels about it first. One or two experiences have made us gun-shy. We can't forget Lyla En- bright who moved away with her family years ago and married a national bank or something of the kind in the east. She didn't come home for 10 years, but finally sell off some property. A lot of us had made mud pies with Lyla, and while she hadn't shown any great genius in that or anything else, she was jolly and we liked her, so we tried to rush up and greet her rapturousy.
 q was one of the rushers. Lyla waited until my outstretched hand was within reaching distance, and then she pulled lorgnette on me- If my turn ever comes to face a gatling gun I hope to march right up to it like little man, but lorg- netteso No' Any hostile army can lick Homeburg by aiming lorgnettes at it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
NED BRACE TALKS ABOUT THE LEGlSLA1 URE
 AND THE "WILD ASSES COLTS" THEREIN

- HERE are of course some intelli-
 gent, and even some strong men
 in the present Alabama legisla- ture, but the political ignoramns is there too. And there is more than one of him. for a committee of the senate has actually reported a bill providing a maximum rate per inch that newspapers shall charge for political advertising.
 Had it not been for the fact that newspapers by custom are compelled to accept display advertising from puny political pirates who below in bold type to the people falsehoods about theil virtues and ability some of the Lone heads who now occupy seats in the leg islature would not be there.
 Such law would stand in the court about as long as one fixing a maximum price of s10 for a suit of clothes sol in Alabama.
 It would be better to make law
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
WAR ECHOES

By stephen Graham in Golfers: One of the commonest heading in Russian papers is Holy War" A war, if IL IS gong to have any success in Russia, must be holy war The Crimean war was a holy war to protect the Russian Pilgrims from the prosecutions of the Turks. The Japanese war never succeeded in getting thought holy-that was why it failed so dsastrously. This war is holy to every one and its motto is: getting rid of the German spirit in life, getting rid of the sheer materialistic point of view, getting rid of brutality and the lack of under standing of others.
 The great spiritual power of the war has worked miracles in the social life of the people.
 1t reminds me of the crisis in the drama of Peer Gynt." You remember when the button molder came and said to Peer that his day was done and that lie must be put into the melting pot and recast as someone else. Peer searched in his history and in his life for some thing that could redeem him. Only in the peasant girl Solveig did he find refuge from the molder. So with Rus s.a-to her also the button molder has come and offered to melt her up with strong alloy of Germany into some- thing new. She must go to her peasants | if she wishes to remain herself. In the | hour of distress it is our peasants who | will save us. For Russia, above all things, is fighting that she may go on | being herself.
 Everyone who loves Russia believes in her personal destiny.
 She is the youngest of the nations; she has a great life before her.
 | She fights. and as she fights the year grows colder and more bitter. Commits saries have visited Moscow, buying heavy overcoats for the army for the winter, and we know that the war be- comes heavier, gloomier.
 i Yet now and again we spare a glance beyond winter and ask what it will be like when the foe is beaten.
 Will not Russia emerge greater thar
 before-the true mother of the Sla, races?
 Will not the Eastern church remaii
 unshaken, surer of itself, with all it. 1 nclttnSe or edTly SuIlStidH tidullioH dlls it's present day spiritual strength? St. Louis Post Dispatch: All the worl' is now taking a studious course in thu law of contraband. The baffling com piexities of the law are revealed in thu shifting of status that follows the seiz ure by the government of all breadstuff in Germany. Foods are not contraban' u.iiess destined for the military force of an enemy or his fortified places. Un der this usage St. Louisans dispatched
 the grain laden Wilhelmina with elabo rate precautions to reserve her carg
 for the civilian population of the empire
 Eut the taking over of all wheat am flour by the authorities renders 1t i'm
 possible to discriminate between supplie destined for sailors and soldiers and fo none om batants. The Wilheliaina' loa
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
DISSIPATION

From "Hempfeld," by David Grayson,
 in the American Magazine.
 l think sometimes that our common definition of dissipation is far too mar row. We confine it to crude excesses in the use of intoxicating liquor or the crude qualification of the passions; but often these are only the outward sym bols of a more subtle inward disorder. The things of the world-a thousand clamoring interests, desires, possessions have got the better of us. Men be- come drunken with the inordinate desire for owning things, and absolute with ambition for political office. I knew man once, a farmer, who debauched himself upon land; fed his appetite upon the happiness of his home cheated his children of education, and himself went shabby, bookless, joyless. comfortless. that he might buy more land. l call that dissipation tool
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
MY CUP OF LIFE

By Julia Nicely Finch.
 lift 1t up and look, and lo
 There are no dregs below.
 No sediment to slow un-coil
 And cloud its purity and spoil:
 But clean and clear as truth;
 Simple, sweet as youth
 It's fragrance comes to me.
 There is the blessedness of love; The sustenance of friendliness. i The consciousness of duties done; 1, Of strength and courage hardly wons But mine by promises divine. A high belief in One above Who knows nor change nor altering. All these give fragrance fair and fine To this dear lifted cup of mine, And then the happy memories That ripple, sparkle. burst and rise Like beading bubbles to the brim, And seem to fill 1t; rim-to-rim! An. me! That day; that hour When life was at it's full and flower! And glorious joy its gift, it's clover! I An, well! That hour, that day is pass | And low the level sinks at last. | But fragrant, fine the empty cup Fearlessly lift it up! | There are no dregs: no lagging beees
 Just love and hope and metnories!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
INNER PROMPTING

Yes, it's hard to keep on hoping
 When the world is dark and drear And it seems the shadows never
 From your path will disappear. But some morning in the future
 You shall wake from troubled dreams And voice shall lead you onward, Past the pitfalls and the schemes Set to trap the weary plodder
 Who has stumbled on his way, And success at length shall crown you On a better, brighter day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31

providing a penalty upon advertising political candidates for office who fail to make good their promises to the peo- pie. Many of them can be proven far nore guilty than the quack doctor or patent medicine compounder. The lat ter are mostly harmless. but the qaack statesman in public office is rank poison to the body polite.
 But the wiflful ways of this Alabama legislature, which seems to be stcered by outsiders or lobbyists, is amazing. All sorts of bills are before it--bills which make it necessary for manufac- surers and others to employ attorneys md influential individuals to represent hem to prevent the passage of such.
 Bills to prevent the sale of coea-cola
 nd cigarettes and all manner of things
 re up and about. Why not one to pre- vent the sale of cigars in Alabama?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Florida Travel Increases

"Our passenger business, and what is true of our line is true of others, has been smaller this month than it was year ago; but our cheap rate to Tampa is stimulating our Florid a travel,' said J. P. Thomas, city passen- ger agent of the Southern railway.
 "Our round trip ticket to Tampa this season is lower than it has been in 10 years. I am expecting a very large Florida travel in February"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-31
CONCLUSIVE PROOF
1m the Boston Globe.

From the Boston G1obe.
 Additional proof that Col. John A Joyce was not the author of the poem Laugh and the World Laughs Witt You" as he claimed, is given by the in. scription that he had carved on the mon ument to himself which he had erected 1T Oak Hill cemetery in Washington eigh months before he died:
 Strew golden flowers upon my life
 And do so very often;
 I'll need them in my daily strife,
 But not upon my coffin.