davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Col. E. M. Houses Mission

While every President has many close personal friends, there is usual ly one whose relations are exception ally intimate. Col. E. M. House of Texas is, it is generally believed, President Wilson's closest personal and political friend, excepting per haps Son-in-law McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury.
 As Colonel House is now in Flu rope bearing a letter setting forth that he is the personal and unofficial representative>of of the President he will be in the "spot light" more than ever, especially since there is gossip in diplomatic circles abroad to the ef- feet that the colonel will seek to in- terest the belligerents in plan look ing to peace negotiations.
 During the civil war many semi-of- ficial representative from the south. ern Confederacy and from the Wash. ington administration were kept ir Europe for the purpose of trying te work up sentiment in favor of theil respective governments. Germany anG Great Britain have had semi-official agents in this country recently tc "sound out" public sentiment touch ing the war now raging, but Colonel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

House is the first representative of President Wilson sent to Europe with a view, if possible, of promoting a peace movement. At any rate, the in- ference to be drawn from the eau tiously worded dispatches from Lon don is that despite other duties with which the colonel is charged his main purpose will be to "sound out" the bel ligerent powers as to peace conditions.
 While Colonel House has been for a number of years prominent in the councils of the democratic party, par ticularly in Texas, he has never been a candidate for any office. He is one of the few men of influence who hav- ing given both time and money to his party, has never sought office either elective or appointive. Politics evil dently has a fascination for him, and he finds pleasure and honor enough in being power behind the throne," as it were.
 Should he succeed in ending the war he will spring at once into interna- tional fame and will be world hero, greater even than our own Hobson.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

from his charger, filings down his gaunt- let, and challenges to mortal combat anyone who should deny the Kings right to the throne.
 Nobody had ever taken him up until he tried to bluff the robust suffragette in his own kitchen. Then here's what hap pened as related on the witness stand:
 According to the testimony given in the police court in Horn Castle. the champion came home after stepping into four diff fering bars on the way, and found his wife in an altercation with the cook. who had been discharged. Marion Noel, the cook testified that the champion en- tered her bedroom and caught her by the throat, but was routed by an rm- brella which she yielded with good ef- feet
 Superficially, though considerably, a triumph of suffrage over the adverse sex including Kings and their buffers Qook out George. be careful Asquith), but pro- foundly and essentially victory of the plain people over pomp and pretense. an epochal exaltation of democracy which we do not hesitate to put beside Runny. mede.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

It is reported that Geraldine Farrar, famous prima donna of the Metropol- itan Opera company, Is planning to quit that organization when her present contract expires. It Is said that she is dissatisfied because the management has refused to increase her salary more than $500, which she now receives for an appearance. Miss Farrar Is said to have demanded a salary equal to that of Caruso. She made her first appear ance in New York in 1906 and Is a great favorite, not only in the metropolis but in other American cities where she has appeared. She Is extremely pop ular among southern people. Her beauty and her talent have made her one of the most conspicuous stars in the Metropolitan company If she leaves the Metropolitan company it is said that the prima donna will make a con- cert tour of the country under the management of Boston man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
DISAPPOINTED

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 The statistics of the oil business of
 the nation. which show how greatly the
 products of Ohio and Pennsylvania wells have decreased, recall the gorgeous ca- reer of that child of sudden affluence who was familiarly called Coal Oil Johnny.
 The young man was known in Cleve- land, where his visits were hailed with great delight by expectant beneficiaries of his open handed generosity. On one occasion 1t is related that he
 was guest at the Weddell house and en- trusted the shining of his shoes to an | overjoyed employe of the hotel barber shop
 ] It was a good job and when the fin l ishing flourish was made the sinner drew l back with smile so capacious that it threatened to cut his visage in twain. Johnny thrust his hand in his pocket
 and drew out g bill and tossed it to | the boy.
 l Just how much the latter expected for
 the job isn't known, but he stared from
 the bill to the young paaD and back
 again, and his smile faded. "M-my goodness. Mistah Johnny, he
 stammered, Ifs de wells dried up?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Farm For WOrkmen

Richard Wardling, writing for Les lies Weekly, gives an interesting de- scription of an experiment under taken by the Anaconda Copper com- pany in Montana, where the company has built a city and the greatest smelter in the world at the head of Deer Lodge valley. Fifteen per cent of the worlds copper is produced here. The site was chosen because of the ample water supply, 275,00O acres of mountains draining into the floor of valley within a radius of four miles.
 The officers of the company saw that their workmen wanted to have little-farms, because they made use of every available patch of land, numbers of them buying horses and driving to and from their work, some of them a distance of ten miles. The shelter runs day and night. Three shifts of men are employed One shift goes on at ' o'clock in the morning and works until 3 in the afternoon, another goes on at and works until Il o'clock at night. The third shift goes on at Il o'clock at night and works until ' o'clock the next morn- ing. As result of these working hours there are many employees who have time to do little garden work at home during the day. For these a block of several thousand acres of land was prepared.
 The plan contemplated a community center containing park of 65 acres, also a modern school and school gar dens. The land is divided into tracts of ten acres each, all tile-drained and supplied with an efficient irrigation system. Transportation between the town and the shelter are provided in such way that none of the 300 tracts is farther than a quarter of a mile from the car line. Every tract fronts on street sixty feet wide. The principal roads are being macadamized and other Improvements are being made on such an extensive scale that this modern industrial town, happily named Opportunity, bids fair to be- come one of the most popular, as we'll as one of the most successful all truistic undertakings ever attempted in this country.
 Opportunity stands as a symbol of the new relations existing between employer and employe. A great deal \ has been done in recent years by far sighted capitalists to make the home life of their employees in some cases almost ideal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
In Southern Ru.ines. Cepter.

'I visited several southern cities last October and found them all in a state of depression on account of the de- moralfzed cotton market, caused by the war. but now I find conditions great ly improved" said F. s. Ashton of Bos- ton. There has been a very decided improvement in business in the east and just as much improvement in the south. There Is far better feeling in Atlanta than there was last fall and as for New Orleans, where I spent two days last week. it seems highly pros- porous. Indeed, business in the Crescent City has not been as brisk in several years as it is now.
 Birmingham looks much brighter than 1t did when I was here last year and with the upward tendency vf the cotton market, together with the in creasing activity In the steel trade. this city has an uncommonly bright outlook. Before the first half of 1915 everybody hereabouts will be talking as though a boom had come"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Association Benefit.

Birmingham people appreciate more 1 each year the benefits to be derived from association endeavor and other forms of cooperative work here" said A. M Bruce.
 "A number of excellent clubs have been established in Birmingham, and within recent years membership in most of them has increased at rapid rate Indeed, several of these institutions have found
 It necessary to enlarge their quarters
 so as to accommodate those desiring en-
 trance; and I understand that one of the
 most exclusive of these has had its char
 ter changed so as to admit a larger mem bership. Birmingham people recognize the practical side of cooperative work along social and ethical lines.
 'I believe, however, that the Young Mems Christian association now has the most commodious quarters of any club or social organization in the city. It has an eight-story building and the general effect of the structure is excellent. The membership is quite large and its ac- tivities varied. I have been connected with the institution since it's organization here many years ago, and have noted with pride its increasing usefulness in the life of the community. Young business men are especially benefited by association work. Personally, believe I have en- countered no more effective influence for all-around betterment since I have been in Birmingham. and am willing to acknowl- edge that any small business success which I have achieved has been due in a large measure to asso- tons formed around that insti- tution, physical and moral recti- tude are most essential factors to the success in business life. suppose at least 1000 business students enter school in this city each year, and I know of no more practical and economical form of devel- opment than that which comes from en- tering actively into association work strongly recommend the Young Mems Christian association to all business stu dents of this city,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Regarding Crop Diversification

Arkansas had crop diverslfication campaign last year and good re- suits are already seen there,' said a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
 "The farmers of that state began to diversity on a scientific scale a year ago. More food stuff was produced there than in any previous year. That Is one reason why there has been less depression among the farmers and country mer- chants in Arkansas than has been the case of the other cotton growing states.
 "Alabama's crop campaign has aroused great interest in every part of the state. 1t promises to be the most successful campaign ever launched. It will do more for the upbuilding of Alabama than any thing undertaken in recent years. Fine results will be seen next fall and even grater results will be witnessed in 19i6.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
THE SONG OF THE BOW

 By Sir A Conan Doyle. What of the bow?
 The bow was made in England, OfUtrue wood, of yew wood. The wood of English bows; For men who are free Love the old yew tree, , And the land where the yew tree
 grows. What of the cord?
 The cord was made in England A rough cord, tough cord, art A cord that bowmen love-. And so we will sing s Of the hempen string And the land where the cord was
 wove. What of the shaft? zf Et 5f The shaft was cut in England: long shaft a strong shaft, Barbed and trim and true; l 7. So we'll drink all together To the gray goose feather And the land where the gray goose
 flew. What of the mark?
 An! seek 1t not in England: A bold mark. an old mark. Ia waiting over-sea, When the strings harp in chorus. And the lion flag is OCT us. It is there that our mark will be- What of the men?
 The men were bred in England: The bowmen-the yeomen. The lads of dell and fell. Here's to you--and to you, To the hearts that are true, And the land where the true hearts '"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Increasing Activity In Steel Industr.

Increasing Activity In Steel Industry
 If business recovery has not been as rapid as had been expected there has been very substantial improvement within the past five or six weeks.
 The gain in the industrial field since the first of January has been especially marked. Every week witnesses in- creased activity in the steel industry. At Gary yesterday 1000 men who had been idle for several months were put back to work. There has been a large increase in operations in that indus trial center since the first of January.
 Many of the railroads have made large purchases of equipment recently and the indications are that the buying movement will be accelerated. If busi- ness improvement continues at the rate that has been noted since the first of the year the first of May should find conditions in the east as well as in the west normal again.
 The government crop reports next month will have direct influence on many branches of trade, and when the April reports are issued, assuming they will be favorable, the effect on the financial and industrial world will be very stimulating and will cause a buoyant tone in trade circles. An early return of old time prosperity seems as- c,1rod
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
TO HIS MOTHER

From the Youths Companion
 In France the relation between a son and his mother is very sweet and tender. Even the boys of the least cultivated class show an almost invariable courtesy and unselfishness to their mothers.
 was in Paris during the first two months of the present war, writes Mrs. Lillian Hayden Hieston to the Compan- ion, and woman who worked for me spoke often of her only child, a boy, who was in one of the very first regi- ments ordered to the front. have never seen anything so sweet as the letters he wrote to her to allay her fears. The last of them ran as follows; I borrowed it of her that I might copy it. In translating it literally I have kept much of the charm of the original.
 Little Mother So Dearly Loved. The boy is gay and joyous as the birds that sing. Dost thou hear that, little one! Thou must not worry. not in the very least, my mother. Indeed thou canst not imagine how happy me have been nor what delicious things we have to eat. We caught rabbit to put in our stew and we found potatoes in a field.
 Thy boy grows fat, my mother! Why shouldst thou worry? Thou must not mourn when we are laughing. Give to all the friends my loving greeting. and thou. dear heart, look not for letters It is 50 seldom that we can write. Re- member that am safe and that I love thee.
 1T send thee 8 thousand kisses and ] am thy son.
 This letter. sent to the mother by a ccmrade of her son, had been written on a scrap of paper with a pencil while he was in the trenches before the engage. ment in which he lost his life. He sait nothing of the horror of the bloodshed nothing of his own weariness and dread
 nothing of the agony and cruelty ana death that he had seen. He wrote only of what he knew would reassure ant ! comfort her.
 The letter did strangely comfort th' lonely, sorrowing mother. It made he forget the war and think of her boy as { gay and laughing child again. There hat
 been no funeral. She had not seen hin dead. These joyous written words wer' l far moro real to her than what she knev of his death. His loving thought has Lifted her into that realm of the gpirt
 in which there is no death.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
BAYONET WORK ExAGGER ArEn

Gregory Mason in the Outlook.
 The bayonet, lance and saber especial
 ly the first, are still far from obsolete.
 But there is little doubt that their prom
 thence in this war is being exaggerated
 by writers with a perchant for the spec
 tacular.
 One of the great lessons which this
 great war has for military experts is that
 the importance of missiles, constantly
 growing since the invention of gunpow- der, is still increasing. This war empha-
 sizes the superiority of missile weapons revolvers, rifles. hand grenades and ar ! tiilery) to what the French call armes blanches (swords, lances and bayonets)
 In military parlance, the war illustrates
 the increasing moment of fire" and the
 decreasing consequence of shock &C., tion."
 The Germans who are right in most
 matters of military technique, are right ] again when they say in their official in- fantry regulations:
 "The offensive consists in bringing the fire nearer and nearer to the enemy, right
 up to the shortest ranges. The bayonet
 attack confirms the victory gained over the enemy
 Frequently. however, an assault is won or lost before the attackers reach the
 trenches of the defenders; and. in any
 case, even at close quarters, is not & | reserved clip of cartridges worth more | than bayonet? In the Spanish American war dismounted United States cavalry
 assaulted and carried Spanish trenches without bayonets; the Boers in South Africa preferred firing at close quarters to using the weapons that stab and
 slash; and in two months with the armies
 of Villa and Carranza in Mexico never saw a bayonet and never saw or heard of situation that demanded one, al- though close fighting was common. Cold steel' still has its uses: but they are not so frequent. so decisive. or % fearful as the uses of powder and shot. :.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
TIPPERARY.

Of MT Yeats had written it.) l will arise and go now, and go to
 Tipperary: The roads are intending. 'tis a long.
 long way to go. A cloud-pale maid I'll find there. a
 glimmering. glamouring fairy. And life will be one grand purple
 glow. will arise and go now, and go to Tfpperary: Long, long is the way there, and the
 roads in bad repair. But midnight here Is martial, and noon
 is military, And evening filled with the trumpet's
 blare. .- I will arise and go now, the nights are
 getting chilly; The wind weeps in the sedge by the
 curlew-haunted shore. No curlews are in Leicester. no sedgs
 in Piccadilly, Only the fife and the deep drum
 corps.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

concert and in each case the concerts are limited to seven or eight during the seaeson. Where the orchestras have to be made up chiefly of theatre musicians the only time available for concert purposes is on Sunday afternoon. Birmingham Is a city of something like 20A0oo popula- tion, and the percentage of those per sons who enjoy good orchestra music should be large enough to insure Sunday audiences that would fill the Jefferson or the Bijou theatre"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago News.
 Bachelors always call a baby 'it.
 No man is so ignorant he cannot give advice.
 The law of gravity is never to laugh at your own jokes.
 AIS well that ends according to your diagram of the finish.
 When a woman marries for wealth she sells herself to the highest bidder.
 An old bachelor is a man whom no widow has made a strenuous effort to marry.
 The conversation of most people is go unimportant that when they stop talking you wake up.
 Some men are so busy trying to re- form everything in general that they Aaven't time to reform themselves.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
Larger Army Needed

Notwithstanding Secretary of War Garrison's recommendation for defi- nite increase in the regular army and his earnest advocacy of his proposition when it was being considered by the Senate military committee, this Con- gress, it is seen now, will adjourn without adding a man to the regular establishment.
 Congressmen who have given any attention to the national defense ques- tion cannot fail to appreciate the inn portance of strengthening the army as well as the navy, but appropriations agreed upon by the democratic ma jority have already reached the billion dollar mark and Leader Underwood and others who have mind to the governments revenues and to busi- ness-like economy have protested that appropriations in the total have been much too large.
 The republicans have begun to ring the changes on charges of democratic extravaganza, but this country is growing at such a rapid rate and the thigh cost of living" is entering so much into the expenditures of the gov ernment that appropriations would in crease in volume, no matter which party were in power. Recalling the extravagant record of republican Con- gresses, it is safe to say that if the republican or the progressive party were in control now the appropriations wuold have been billion and quar- ter dollars or more.
 The Sixty-fourth Congress should take up broad national defense pol l icy and do what is necessary for pro- noting efficiency in the army or navy. Even if the Sixty-third Congress had been willing to make an appropriation for increasing the army the war de- partment's plan would hardly have been adopted because some of the ablest officers of the War college have, it is understood, ideas at va riance with those of Secretary Gar rison. At matter of course the war college cannot take public position in opposition to the head of the de- partment, but Congress should not do anything in the way of materially strengthening the army without hear ing from the college. Wien the time comes Congress will ask that a bill be drafted in the war college and ap- proved by officers of unquestioned ability along specialized lines.
 The enlisted strength of the army today, staff and line, is about 86,OOC exclusive of the provisional force and hospital corps. The present law pro. vides that the total number of enlisted men shall not exceed at any one time 100, ,000. A large part of the army i. quartered in this country's insulal possessions. When the Sixty-fourtl Congress takes up an army measur, something large and comprehensive should be accomplished. We do no need regular army of 500,00O men but we do need something like 150, ,OO( to 200, ,OO0--maybe 250, ,0O0-to make thoroughly efficient military establish ment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
LOOKING FORWARD.

LOOKING FORWARD. We're glad the time will soon be here For circus shows in tents, And bloodperspiring behemoths In pictures on the fence.
 Youngstown Telegram. We know the time will soon be here, We've passed through 1t before, When fans will call the office up, To ask the latest score.
 jamestown Journal. The lood-perspiring behemoths, (Whatever that may mean), Are very often seen upon A moving picture screen. -Painesville Telegraph Republican. You should not visit picture shows That sort of films to see, Which make a fellow think he's been Upon a six months spree.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
A DRY LAND BOAT RAGE From the February Wide World Maga-

zine.
 A dry land boat race took place at some sports in the north of England last year, and caused much merriment. The 'crews'' sit astride a poie. and run backwards round a course. steercd by a "cox," who faces in the right di. rection. Tumbles, needless to say, Hre very frequent, and when the leader hap pens to lose his footing he generally "shipwrecks' the whole crew, to the vast enjoyment of their rivals and the spec tators.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

There goes an irascible old gentle he's in favor of votes for women"
 well! We'll That's a compliment to the persuasive powers of the fair sex"
 'I don't know whether it Is or not He says he'd give them anything to keep them quiet"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
THROUGH.

All his life he kept on hoping That the luck some day would mend, That he'd cease to know misfortunes
 And his troubles all would end. We'll, his wish at last was granted,
 Though in truth he knew it not When his earthly couch was fashioned
 In a cemetery lot.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09

Complete anarchy Is said to reign in Albania. When the big powers are
 setting Europe by the ears, a little
 state should not be expected to be- have.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-09
MORE SERIOUS.

Another poor fellow hard pressed.v said the man with the newspaper
 'Hoity! toity" exclaimed his tray cling companion 'aThe world is full of men like that nowadays"
 q think not. This man was run over by a steam roller"