davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
WAR ECHOES

New York Sun: In speculating upon the consideration must be the ability of the allies on both sides to keep and maintain
 large armies in the field. Up to the pres ent time the struggle has been a draw. and there is no prospect of decisive cam paign either in the east or west The problem is one of men and money, but mainly of men. The last casualty list published in Berlin brings the German total of killed wounded and missing up to 1,196969 after nine months of war. In the Franco-German conflict of 1s7O-71. which lasted seven months and a half. the German losses were 17,572 killed. 96.1S7 wounded, and 14,13s missing, total of 127,S79s The deaths from wounds brought the number of killed up to 2S,277. The strength of the German armies was Ss7.- S76 from first to last.
 | How many soldiers Germany has put into the field in the present war there is
 no means of ascertaining from official
 publications, but it may be assumed that
 the total is not five times that of the strength of the armies which conauered
 France in 1S70-n; yet the German casual
 ties in the present war are more than nine | times greater than those suffered in the ! war with France alone 45 years ago. And both sides calling all available men to
 the colors, pause only for an opportunity
 to renew the slaughter. Being so evenly
 matched exhaustion of military resources
 must apparently determine the struggle. | Russian losses are probably on a larger
 scale than the German, but Petrograd
 gives out no official figures. France and Austria also conceal their losses, but it
 is known that they are tremendous Eng land, which still has millions of men at
 home, very large number of whom have
 not volunteered, can afford to publish her casualties, but is supiciously backward
 about it, adopting the instalment system
 to soften the blow-the others who may
 be needed must not be mortified by too big
 a butchers bill at once. In every capital
 of combatant nation the conviction gains ground that the deadlock will end
 and peace be accepted only when the count shows that the trained fighting ma. tterial on one side or the other Ia in . 1 ropelcaH pinofits Dev6r7 *rs~ ft t- rc' ts on ...t... ..s. tll .. ..-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
What Pluck Will Do

The late John Cudahy, one of the founders of the Chicago packing in- dustry, enjoyed unique distinction. Within three years after his arrival in Chicago he had accumulated a for tune of $1,000,000. His business had grown to large proportions when the panic of July, 1893, came along. He failed for $6,O00, ,00O, and it was found that his unpaid obligations amounted to $1, ,50O,O00 He said if he were given five years time he would pay every cent he owed. No one believed he could do this, but the indomitable will of Cudahy and his business abili- ty were equal to the task. He went on the Chicago Board of Trade and worked for five years with tremend- ous energy and resourcefulness. At the end of that time he had paid all his indebtedness and was richer than ever. It is said that his achievement has never been equaled in the wheat or provision trade.
 Not long ago a former banker who had failed died with the comforting knowledge that by years of toll he had paid back all his depositors. This man did not regain his fortune, but he earned enough to pay all his obliga- tions and the story of his life, pub lished after his death, was as fine a tribute as any man could aspire to. Mark Twain was another man who toiled to pay an indebtedness for which he was not legally responsible.
 Cudahy was, of course, an excep- tional financier, and recouped his for tunes in a remarkably short time, but he was none the less honest. The cynically inclined may say that all men are rogues, but there never was a more absurd belief, nor one so easily refuted by the examples of thousands of men, some of whom have spent a life time in paying debts for which the law did not hold them responsi- be. Some have died at the completion of their self-imposed tasks, others who are to be truly pitied, have passed away before full restitution had been made, but all had those admirable qualities pluck, and integrity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
Railroad President and Scholar

All great corporate properties railroads and the like-can be made profitable when ably and honestly managed, no matter how near bank ruptcy they may have been by reason of questionable policies in the years past.
 An example of how a well nigh wrecked road has been rehabilitated and put once more on solid basis is found in the New York, New Haven and Hartford under it's new president, Howard Elliott.
 The "probe" of the affairs of the New Haven, which furnished sensa- tional reading less than year ago, revealed methods of financing calcu- lated to shake ones faith in the in- tegrity of men of hitherto high stand ing. The facts that were disclosed were enough to make cynics of those by nature amiable and trusting.
 But President Elliott has within twelve months wrought wonders. He had earned an excellent reputation as president of the Northern Pacific dur. ing his ten years of service with that line. The battered and discreditec New Haven needed a strong man il the executive office and MT. Elliott was selected as the one who would fill the bill.
 He has proved to be an ideal presi dent. The road has been virtually reorganized; it is being put in splen did physical condition, and it's earn ings are increasing rapidly. It' stock, which had dropped in value tt 2s low level. is climbing right up ane
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHDAY

From the Louisville Herald.
 TT is comforting to reflect that there
 is still Shakespeare It is not dis A comforting to believe that he was played while yet Wilde was in vogue and may be confidently backed to out last the vogue of Shaw. In the par lance of the insurance men William Shakespeare is very good risk. Never yet has it been necessary t1 build little theatres to keep him from being forgotten, and he has not fIourished a bit more Justify or de- fiantly amidst the Irvingian magnifi- oence of the Eighth Henry than in the modest setting of the Winters Tale in some worthy Stadt theatre of ( quiet, unfashionable German university town A playwright who can survive the surgical operations of Cibberi attempts by French classicalists to ii; him to the Procrustean bed of the unities as "Falstaff" and Romeo ard the one crowning crime, is likely to be read while yet the English language suffices for the commonalty.
 In these days of education for the million it is disturbing to be reminde d that the great man changed the spell ing of his name every time he wrote it and was as little a precision as
 could be allowed to one whose con Slant practice it was to get by tri-
 umrhantly. But, such allowances
 made, where else shall we find cause
 for complaint?
 He knew something of human na-
 ture. and most of us have learned all we
 know of certain periods of English his tory from the chronicles and fables int
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27

which he breathed life. He borrowed shamelessly, we hear, and he paid back the debt an hundred-fold. His observa- ton was better than that of the most experienced reporter and he so put it down that we, who are of another and more critical day, observe and feel 1t with him. His gift of song was not exceeded by Burns, who had little else; nor his philosophy by my Lord of Yer ulam with whom he had no affinity. He was English through and through, and has helped, more than ever yet has been recorded. to keep England loyal and sat- isfied with England-has Kipling done more? Finally he meets the one distinct i've test which is at once American and English-he got on in the world and put money in his purse
 Shakespeare is not all there is to Eng fish literature any more than those spa cious and spendthrift Eizabethans are all there is to English history. But he Is very large part. The King James Version, perhaps. the other What went before and what was of his time-Chau- cer, Spenser. Kit Marlowe-he rounded up and completed. What followed after derives from him. And his influence knows no distinction of race. Schlegel and Tieck laid loving hands upon him and today-in all the bitterness and an- ger, in all the lying beaboring-he need give place only to Goethe and Schiller, neither of whom would be quite the same without him
 We celebrate his birthday, or his puta- tive birthday, on this, the 23d--day of April And we may say, as did Ben John son to Drummond of Hawthornden, that We love the man and do honor his memory, this side idolatry as much as apvn
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
Good for TallapOosa

The people of every county in Ala bama would do we'll to follow the eX- ample of Tallapoosa in indorsing Governor Henderson in his efforts to relieve the states financial distress and calling upon the legislature to follow the governors leadership. There has been a tendency on the part of some of the lawmakers to oppose the governor and embarIass him in every way possible. Such a course would not only be unpatriotic and unbusinesslike; it would be cx- tremely detrimental to the best in terests of the state.
 Governor Henderson is clear headed business man and a high minded Alabamian. Because he was outspoken for local option as against statutory prohibition some of the smaller calibred prohibitionists felt inclined to disagree with him on everything, but the unanimity with which the people of Tallapoosa, re- gardless of party, adopted the resolu- tions at Saturdays meeting will have a splendid effect and should cause the would-be contrary faction to get in line with the governor in his financial policy and all other policies for the welfare of the state.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27

More than 5000 members of the Sal 'aton army are now arrayed against each other In the armies of Europe Less than two months before the war began great international congress of the Salvation army was held in London, at which there were delegates and representatives from oo different nations and colonies. The rep fesentation from Great Britain was natur- ally the largest. the United States delega- ton being next in size with more than TOO From Canada TO embarked on the i'll iateo Empress of Ireland which sank in the St. Lawrence river, carrying down many of her passengers There were about 200 officers and soldiers from Ger many, some of whom have since been dec crated with the Iron Cross. Some mem- bers of the Salvation army are fighting. but their efforts are for the most part be- Ing directed toward mitigating the evils of war. Many have been made chaplains. The chief task of the army in the war
 '~ -S eo ioSo e'iiu Sheittr clFlllans, carry messages between the soldiers and their families, make the men more comfortable If possible and at the same time not over look their spiritual welfare Salvation army women have proved efficient nurses, particularly in the eastern war zone. The salvation army is strongest In Great Britain, with Germany next In Italy the army has won royal favor. start has been done also in Austria No attempt has yet been made to enter Turkey, al- though in India the government has given the army the work of looking after crimi- nal tribes in Simla.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
The Cotton Market

"The cotton market is holding up well, ,, said Birmingham broker.
 Tuesdays quota tion on good mddling is 9l4 cents f. O. b. Birmingham. While this price is slightly under that quoted at Mondays opening, there is not more than an eighth of a cent difference and this will in all probability soon be recovered. For the past three or four months the cotton market has been seeking higher levels, and there is no indication that the advance has cea sed.
 True, there have been many fuctua- tions. but as whole the upward ten dency has been consistently adhered to. At times the market has made spectacu- lar advances only to slide backward in the face of heavy selling. As rule however, portion of the gain in price has remained in force. At the beginning of the war the price went-as low as ( cents here, and todays quotation is more than cents above that. This means mil ! lions to the south and to the southern farmer
 l One of the most prominent cotton brok- craze concerns in New York in its Satur- day review says in part:
 "Bullish sentiment continues to domi- | nate the cotton market although there were no new developments during the lively outside of an unconf1rmed rumor that agents of the Russan government were making inquiries for a good sized | block of spots. As a matter of fact the | factors in the situation which are now being used as an argument for higher prices those which have been acted upon for several months past and consti- | tuted the basic reasons for the uplift that has been witnessed since the reopenine of the exchange. The real attention oi the trade should now be turned to ths ops will, in our opinion. depend the flu | ture course of the market Up to the present time acreage reports have beer more or less confusing. Some interests | still contend that heavy curtailment will l be witnessed. but the majority of tn, most dependable of the advices are revis | ing earlier estimates until now it looks as if an average reduction of About 12 pel cent is all that can be counted upon. Prom Texas come reports of greai
  l farming activity, and in many counties o that state it is believed that the full cot ton area will be planted. Advices iron | Georgia and the Carolinas are equal, l optimistic it being quite evident that ths tremendous advance in the price of tn, staple has stimulated activity, and plan | ters, instead of talking curtailment, ar, 1 now preparing as much soil as possible a | this late date for cotton seed. Although l 1t must be admitted that the season ha
 been backward and that the usual early preparations havnsbeen neglected still i
 must not be forgotten that cotton can b planted up to the close of May provided weather conditions are propitious. Tn, past week has been favorable one s, far as climatic conditions are concerne, and farmers everywhere are reported al taking full advantage of this improved opportunity. The government weekly re port makes note of abundant moisture il the southwest, although the ground in tn eastern states was said to be in need o rain for the purpose of germination."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
Regarding Proposed Paved Highway

'i was very much impressed with the communication of Armstrong Cory in The geHerald urging a paved highway from Birmingham to the Warrior" said an enthusiastic good roads advocate
 T note that Los Angeles, Cal, has brought the sea to it's gates by the construction of such highway-some S5 miles-about the same distance as is required to reach the Warrior from the corporate limits of Birmingham.
 "A brick paved highway would cost approximately, s12.000 per mile for a 20-foot roadway, this by contract I believe that with the util- ization of certain class of convicts in making paving brick-with machin- cry in use, of course-that this cost can be cut to s7000 per mile.
 ''In constructing the paved high way it would be well to provide for q railroad track or either side--double- trackage--all to be owned by the city and county
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
Oh. What a Package.

It was evening in the First Metho- dist church at Anthony, Kan.-early evening, just about time for the Ladies' Aid society reception to open. Everything was ready for the re- ception, in fact, except that con- signment of flowers ordered by eX- press from Wichita had failed to ar- rive.
 "They must have come in on the 6 o'clock train," said one prim sister, "and they should be along this way 1 in a few minutes; don't think we will be disappointed" Just then another sister, peering l through small hole which some mis- chievous boy, sometime or other, had knocked through a frosted glass memorial window with a pebble, or perhaps marble, exclaimed: "There are our flowers now! see the congressman coming with pack age"
 True enough, the congressman un- loaded square pine box, much after the fashion of the container in which crackers are shipped. Most of the women being suf- fragists, the mere masculine task of yielding a hammer and nail puller came easy to them, and the box was soon opened.
 l* !
 The foregoing stars represent a hiatus-a decidedly panicky hiatus while the good women of Anthony's 8 Methodist Aid society recovered from the shock that followed the opening of the package.
 Yes, it was package, and if yer nacular's common usage of package as synonym for a case of acute in- ebriety may be pardoned, it was a whole flock of packages, for, To and behold (mostly behold in this case) the consignment from Wichita was not flowers at all-it was jug of whisky.
 Some people in Anthony are blam- ing the express delivery man. Others of more judicially trained mined are inclined to find a mitigating rift in the social storm cloud owing to the fact that Kansas is prohibition state where drinkers must buy their whisky in bulk quantities.
 The very fact that Kansas is dry seems to kindle thirst and, therefore,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
WON THE ARGUMENT.

"Blinks seems to be- in a peevish mood this morning."
 No wonder. His little boy and the small son of Gadsby. next-door neigh hor. had an argument as to whether au- tomobile tires were filled with air or water
 "I see.'
 And to prove his contention young Blinks bored into one of his fathers new tires with an awl"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27

effectives and not of numbers of men who might be trained in course of time to take the field.
 There is one factor in the situation that has not been brought out. it is the pro- portion of wounded to killed. On the German side in the war with France alone there were 5.4 wounded to one killed; the proportion of wounded to killed and mor- tally wounded was 3.02 In the present war the ratio may turn out to be greater, for recoveries from wounds inflicted by common Nevertheless, it may prove to be a serious matter for an army when thousands of men are invalided home TOT several weeks after heavy fighting IL is most impressive to compare the casual ties of the Union army during four years of civil war with those of the Germans in nine months of fighting, The Union losses were 11007O killed and died of wounds and ,175 wounded, total of dead and wounded sS5.245. How long can the combatants in Europe stand the drain of ca asualties in the millions?
 New York World Intensive lombard ment'' is weak phrdse to describe the furious artillery fire of the Germans at a critical point in the fighting early this month near St. Mihiel. In one brief sem tence in his account the official French eve-witness tells how fin 90 minutes upon this corner of the (hilly) woods, over a front from $50 to 400 yards deep. 2O,0Ot shells were fired" During that period German 4 and s-inch guns rained shells at the rate of 22o minute upon narrow angle of the line. What wonder that men under fire that morning lost their req son!
 wsth even greater r~cSira'.s ilis TIiS
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27

1t is easy to understand how the over worked congressman made the blunder of delivering the whisky to the Ladies' Aid society while a well known deacon in the church got the flowers.
 The deacon sent the flowers to the church and they arrived in time for the reception, but when leaders of the aid society offered him the whisky, explaining that they had found his name on the box after they had opened the receptacle, he said he guessed some mistake had been made.
 All of which goes to show that in Kansas you cannot tell what a pack age contains until you open it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
IN HOTEL HOBBIES

Within the past two weeks I have visited every town in Alabama south of Montgomery, and I am glad to say that business conditions are improving every day" said Hugh M Brown of Birming- ham, who Is the agent for a large shoe factory in Cincinnati.
 Tn March l spent several weeks in Georgia and on my return reported i'm proved conditions there. Well, since then improvement has been more rapid all through the cotton country. In south Ala bama business is not only improving, but it is now very good indeed. I had q fine trip"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27

From the Kansas City Times
 A MAN in Newark, N. J.. abandoned A his wife because she could not make pancake like those his mother made, and he returned to the home of his parents. Thereupon the de- serted wife sued her mother-in-law for $50, 900 damages alleging that, with her pancakes, she enticed him away
 In court the wife wept as she told how she had struggled with those pancakes. She had even gone to live with her moth- er-in-law three weeks to try and learn how to make as toothsome pancakes as hers were.
 The husband testified that his wife was good woman: the only thing he had against her was that she could not make pancakes like those his mother made, and he could not live without them.
 The jury decided in favor of the moth- er-in-law.
 The newspapers of Newark had good deal of merriment over this lawsuit, and none of them gave any sympathy to the wife or a serious thought to the tragedy that came into her life because she could not provide pancakes Hike mother used
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-27
The Success of the Fe.tival

T have attended every performance of every music festival held in Birming- ham since the first one given by MT Guckenberger in 1899, but I never en- joyed any concerts as much as the7 two last week given under the auspices oi the Birmingham Choral association" saio an old music lover
 The Damrosch orchestra. always fine seemed to have surpassed itself on this occasion. And that was the general yer dict. The chorus was great and the Golden Legend which 1t rendered was of rare beauty, albeit too long by hall hour perhaps.
 "The festival was a decided financial success. It came out s60O ahead. l un- derstand that we will have a festiva next year of at least four concerts. A children's chorus would add interest tc matinee programme"