davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
FORD IN DETROIT

, ping of the war should be all very simple, he thinks.
 When many thousands of the women of Canada, understanding that the existence of their country and their empire is at stake, protest through the officers of the Daughters of the Empire against his peace plan, he inadvertently insults them with the reply that they represent a mill itary group, and tries to make them be- lieve that the men wno ''are piling up wealth out of range or shot and shell'' are the same men "who caused the war; The most modest possible measures pro- posed for the defense Of his own country against attack he describes as ''the rep- tile that is creeping through the country carrying the deceptive and dangerous word preparedness written upon its back and hires a congressional lobby for $20,o0o to prevent any enlargement of the military and naval establishment of the United States
 But there has been an extraordinary change in Henry Ford in the last year. from the time, be it noted that Presi- dent Wilson sent for him to interpret tho state of the country. MT. Ford, we un- uSTStdnu, neItuer dQueQ to nor SuDIraCteQ from the sum of the Presidents knowl- edge, but he came home a changed man. Before that fately day he was always modest in expressing an opinion about things he did not know or understand, thus conserving a large portion of his
 leisure hours for other things; but since then he seems to have been talking with increasing velocity and variety, barring
 neither the cigarette nor the National Guard in the whirlwind of his denuncia- tions, nor neglecting the humble convict
 in his reform of penology. Today he pre-
 diets the end of the war. much as Dowie predicted the end of the world. How
 much he means of it we do not know, though we recall that Dowies end came first.
 MT. Fords entire stock in trade is parcel of documents srown him by Mrs. Rosika Schwimmer of Hungary, and pur. porting to be signed statements from all the belligerent governments showing that they are disposed to discuss peace. To estimate the value of documents we need not question their validity. They have been laid before the President of the United States and the President of the United States has refused to act on them, and yet the President of the United States is known at home and abroad as
 a man of peace.
 Few Americans, understanding the
 Presidents sources of exclusive informa-
 l tion and his desire for peace and the del-
 icacy with which the foreign policy of
 the United States must be handled in this crisis. have been willing to butt in and
 embarrass their government, as the roll call of MT. Ford's small but select party of free excursionists booked for the Oscar
 II will show. The world, praise be, will
 take note of that, and so far as Satur-
 day Night may speak for the people of Detroit we want the world to under stand also that this city is not breed-
 ing ground for busybodies, that it respects Henry Ford as a successful manufac-
 turer and admires him as philanthropy
 ist but that it would regard his peace ex-
 petition as joke were it not such hu- initiation to this city and his country
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
----. ------------------- <--1-,-.--
wew Chinese Monarchy

The expected has happened and Yuan Shi Kai, president of China, has "agreed' to become it's Emperor. There may be some skepticism as to Yuan's motives being disinterested and it is notorious that elections" ;" such as recently held, are mere farce, but there can be little doubt sS caina's unfitness for republican form of government at this time.
 While the country is slowly but surely realizing it's tremendous power and responsibility, it is still the jelly fish among nations. The ignorance snd indifference of it's enormous population make the form of govern ment by which they are ruled of little consequence. It is no exaggeration to say that there are doubtless mil lions of Chinese who know nothing of what is going on at Pekin, nor do they care to find out. Under such conditions, where the electorate" is more or less mythical, China could only be a republic in name. For the present, at any rate the problem has been solved as well as it could be by a return to a monarchy, with a s'''Cu- larly astute and far-seeing statesman as Emperor.
 No one who has followed Yuan Shi KaIs career can question that mans ability. He has retained his grip on affairs, in spite of internal dissen- tions of every sort and political con- ditions so chaotic that they would have daunted a western mind. He has brought some sort of order out of chaos and has moreover so cleverly hidden his ambition or else has so imposed his personality on majority of thinking Chinese that he will step from the presidency to the throne and scarcely create ripple by so doing.
 The Chinese people are not yet capable of liberal government. That seems certain. It may be that before one of Yuan's numerous sons sue ceeds his father, China may have found herself, but it isn't likely. To the oriental mind the monarchy, which is an elaboration of the patriarchy, is the only natural form of government.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
Elections Many

Some political reformers have talked about the advisability of re. ducing the number of elections ir Alabama-state, county and city but counting special elections and un-offs, the number increases. Ex- citing campaigns sometimes have a demoralizing effect on society or a halting effect on business. But oui recent elections have been without bitterness and it is hoped this tenn. perate rule will long continue.
 Birmingham's run-off commissioner election, to be held today, should bring out large vote. It is a very important contest, but, fortunately the four candidates in the race are known to be men of character anc capacity Yet as it is a nonpartisar election it is the civic duty of every qualified elector to vote. The mer who stay away from the polls wher commissioners are to be chosen art usually those who criticize the city administration most severely.
 Two weeks from today another election will be held, and, as it will bs for the ratification of the Birming ham tax amendment, there should bt an overwhelming affirmative vote.
 h January there will be another
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
PERENNIAL CHRISTMAS PRESENT

From Vanity Fair
 That Smokers Ideal Companion which I received on Christmas, 1903. was given to me by the wife of an old college friend, and it had everything, including brass cigar cutter, which makes smok- ing a loathsome impossibility to the right ly constituted man. I hesitate, for am not quite sure of my facts. but rather think the beastly thing included a velvet smoking cap. gave it away in the autumn of 1904 to another old college friend and thought no more of it. What was my surprise, on Christmas morning, 1908, to receive it back from a distant cousin I gave it away once again, Christi mas 1909, only to unpack it in my home on Christmas morning, 1914-this time as the gift of my old friends wife who had first given it to me in 1903.
 The thing had completed the full circle and looked as good as new, though il contained no smoking cap. In month from now it will be starting out on its travels again, but on a different route for I am sending it to friend in Aus trala, wither. l feel sure. it has never vet penetrated.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
What a Good Newspaper Means


 If communitys best newspaper is the real index to the ideals, ambitions and activities of the people among whom it circulates, then the people of Alabama should have been congratu- lated yesterday, for The Age-Herald of that date was in every way worthy of great and happy people.
 Yesterdays Age-Herald reflected the artistic ideals and longings of Alabamians in it's beautiful Roto- gravure Section and the thoughtful, constructive articles on many sub- jects. It's news columns reflected the spirit of an active, energetic and am- bilious people, while it's advertise ments, in volume and contents, showed a liberal appeal to a people who are generous in their patronage
 Yesterdays Age-Herald contained 570 separate and distinct advertise ments occupying 38S3 inches of space, a gain of 800 inches over the same Sunday last year.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
EXPANDING FOR CHARITY

From the New York Sun.
 Because there is sense and honesty
 in the question which it puts, and be-
 cause others may share the doubt ex- pressed by Its writer. the Sun comments briefly upon the subjoined communi- cation:
 "To the Editor of the Sun-Sir: Was
 that moral act of the~ Atlanta preacher who, pyramiding an invest
 ment of $100 in cotton, and holding as the market stands today $3O,0O0 worth of the staple, intends to devote his
 profits to supplying industrial educa- tion for poor children? It seems to
 me the end does not quite justify the means. H. A, New York, December g. Since the need is so worthy, our puz- zled correspondent must consider the 1 means peculiarly immoral. There is scriptural precedent even for the use of what some opponents of fine spun morality have called tainted money But the money which the Atlanta cler- gyman proposes to devote to his enter 1 prise of practical usefulness bears no taint. He has shown both shrewdness
 and courage in turning his smal. in vestment into respectable working
 capital. His profits represent le-
 gitimate increment. He did not hoard
 his money, but went forth and traded with the same' and made money. | Casuistry and sophistry may make of
 this act an offense, and organizing is
 not to be commended to all who have charitable impulses; but for settlement
 of his qualms we should like to refer "H. A." to a committee of the pros-
 pective beneficiaries of the profitable speculation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
From Detroit Saturday Night.

From Detroit Saturday Night.
 N ETROIT owes it to herself and to the country to say whether or not
 - Henry F'ords peace expedition represents public opinion in his own city. A friendly people to the north, unable 1 to understand why the American repub- | lie has shown no active interest in the cause of human liberty as they see it, angered by the dynamite outrages per petrated on some of their border cities by missionaries from Detroit, and already irritated by MT. Fords aspersions on the Anglo French financial commission, are still inclined to take MT. Ford seriously, and to visit upon Detroit, and on the U>ted States as a whole, contempt which might possibly be aggravated into the first breach of friendship. Our repu- tation throughout Europe today as self respecting nation, except for our philan- thropies in Belgium and Servia and else where, is not one to inspire self-admira- tion; nor does the open hostility of the British press to MT. Ford's peace project, or the significant indifference of the Ger man press on the same subject, indicate any improvement. Insofar, therefore, as
 Saturday Night represents Detroit thought, we propose to do our duty, dis agreeable as it may be.
 It will help others to understand De- troit's attitude toward MT. Ford's peace programme if they know MT. Ford as his rieighbors know him. And it is, we be- that he is a mechanical genius of sweet H. x,,,+I a1,.x + boundless ignorance on almost every sub ject of human knowledge outside of his | mechanical specialties. He never had the advantage of an adequate education at school or college, and he has succeeded in reaching middle life with far less of the fruits of self-education than many men | of the same age with less opportunities. On education, in fact, he is half agnostic. He does not believe in college education at all except for doctor or a lawyer or something like that" He has read l less than the average schoolboy. He | would never win prize in spelling, and
 what he says so frequently and so yer l loosely in the newspapers of late months l is what others say for him, and write 1 for him, and in large measure think for I him. Asked at the beginning of the war what effect the devastation of Belgium would have on the purchasing power of Europe he replied, quite seriously: What | difference would it make if all Belgium fell into the sea tomorrow? Who would | notice it in business?"
 | Perhaps it is unnecessary, yet it is il- l dominating, to add that with this sort of
 comprehension of the movement of eco-
 homie forces MT. Ford combines an ap- ] proximately complete lack of information | on human history. ancient or modern. Anybody endowed with sufficient patience | to attempt to analyze and digest any of l his numerous utterances on the defense of his own country. on the present war, on 1 his method of stopping it, will of course have suspected as much. It is revela- I tion to him that people do not love war and that the men in the trenches do not yearn to be killed. Therefore, the stop
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
ON THE ROAD TO CHoRRERA

By Arlo Bates. Three horsemen galloped the dusty way While sun and moon were both in the
 sky; An old crone crouched in the cactus
 shade,
 And craved an aims as they rode by. A friendless bag she seemed to be. But the queen of bandit crew
 was she. One horseman tossed her scanty dole, A scoffing couplet the second trolled; But the third, from his blue frank eyes
 and free,
 No glance vouchsafed the beldam old. As toward the sunset and the sea, No evil fearing, rode the three. A curse she gave the pittance small, A gibe for the couplets ribald words But that which once had been her heart At sight of the silent horseman
 stirred
 And safe through the ambush band
 they speed
 For tho sake of the rider wh0
 would not heed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
Buying Southern Crops

l Owin0to the bountiful crops prices al | the present time are slightly lower thar at this period a year ago. l This is the opinion or w. H. Maxim president of the Tennessee Mill and Feed company, prominent iobber on Morris
 avenue.
 MT. Maxim is also of the opinion that | there is a good market for southern raised foodstuff
 T buy whenever possible southern raised stuff and preferably Alabama goods" said Mr. Maxim "of course, many of the jobbers are under the im- pression that everything has to be pur- chased in the open market from northern states, but it has been my experience that l can purchase at just as favorable prices stuff grown right at our doors, and l say let's patronize the folks at home.
 As for prices at the present time, they are slightly lower than at this period a year ago. There have been bountiful crops throughout the country, and prices have in consequence fallen a little How ever, things are not apt to fuctuate either up or down to any considerable extent, as I am sure the prices cannot go down, and they have reached such a height that they cannot go up any fur ther without causing serious embarrass- ment
 uoh thlnk the European war brought on this wave of prosperity, as two successive years of bumper crops simply could not be resisted by the calamity howlers. But, of course, the heavy steel business brought on by the war helped''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
TYLER MARRIED IN OFFICE
From Vogue.

From Vogue.
 I suppose the story of k2resdent Tyler's wedding-nearly 75 years old-will have been resurrected by now.
 The ceremony took the public a bit by surprise The President was widower of about year and half's duration, and he was muchN older than his bride, who was Miss Julia Gardiner of New York. The wedding took place in the Church of the Ascension on Fifth ave- nue, New York, and a small reception followed at the home of the brides fam iy in Lafayette Place. It was June wedding and it concluded with page ant; the President and his bride made a tour of the harbor, where many of the war vessels were anchored.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
HOTEL LOBRIES
Regarding Cotton and Iron Prices

I never like to see the iron market advance beyond S5 nor cotton above 12 or B cents" said M. V. Joseph.
 Inflated prices in any line create un- healthy conditions as a matter of course.
 Twelve cents for cotton is enough If 1t goes to 15 cents the farmer is tempt ed to plant increased acreage and the speculation fever is sure to spread. Everybody should want to see the farm CT make all he can, but he will be better off in the long run if prices keep within rna son :,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
A BUSY EDITOR

From the Pittsburg Sun.
 Tt is part of my daily work to read the editorial pages of 200 or 800 news papers."-S s. Mcclure. The remaining hour and a half of the 24 the veteran editor must put In recuperating for the next days grind. When he gets time to work is the wonderful part of it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
ExPED1TING SUICIDE

From the Louisville Courier-J ournal
 The 'landlady' of his boarding housekeeper saved the life of a Phil- adelphia who was trying to commit suicide. The moral for boarder is: Pay the boarding housekeeper promptly and she will let you die in peace.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

It is estimated that there are nearly l. 000,OO0 girls in Great Britain, between the ages of 16 and 20, who must give up all hope of ever becoming wives, because of the war They might marry if polyg- amy were practiced, but not otherwise. Another year of the war will mean ap- proximately 100000 more young women placed permanently on the retired list,'' so far as matrmony is concerned. A campaign has been started in England by cignitaries of the church to persuade healthy women to marry disabled soldiers. Advertisements are inserted in the lead ing newspapers for this purpose and physicians examine the British war vet erans to determine the nature of their wounds and their physical condition for matrimony. A large number of women who have no wish to go through life un- wed have announced themselves ready to marry soldiers under these conditions, some of tnes women having fortunes To avoid future embarras ssment, all letters written by young women to church of- ficials in charge of the marrying move ment are returned to the senders after being read and considered.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
MINCE PIE REFORM ,

hibition mince pie of Colorado will be. If they are going to leave out the dash of
 brandy or something of the kind, why not reject the fruit. the sour and sweet and the spices. add potato and onions and call it hash?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

The German Crown Prince, who has
 been reported killed a number of times will doubtless also survive the report that he was insulted by crowds in Berlin clam bring for peace
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

BEGINNING THE DAY-Every normal day ought to have in ii some work. some play, some rest some touch of the elbows with people, some contact with world move mcnts through papers and mas"- zines, some converse with the Sre"e souls of the past through poohs' some quiet, clear independent thinking and some talking with GOd.-H. M. E.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Every day or two some enthusiastic in- ventor perfects an instrument of war so deadly that it will put a speedy end to
 fighting, but the war goes on.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

The latest report from Mexico is that Villa has lost his reason. "Pancho" may
 proudly reply to his enemies, "All is lost
 save reason.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Yuan 5hi Kai did not emulate Caesar. One refusal of the crown was all he felt called upon to make.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

If the Serbs, the Poles and the Bel gians could hold a reunion somewhere they could establish a record for telling hard luck stories.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Winter brings untold suffering to the men in the trenches, but 1t at least gives them a respite from fighting.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Chicago is learning how to worry along without Mrs. Ella Flagg Young. Luckily, it still has Jane Addalns
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
The Financial situation

Henry Clews, in his Saturday review.
 says in rart:
 f'While the agricultural, industrial, mer-
 cantile and transportation outlooks are
 each promising, the same is to be said
 of the financial outlook. Our banking in
 stitutions are in exceptionally good posi-
 tion. The new reserve system works
 smoothly and has vastly increased the
 supply of credit. So, too, has the tre-
 mendous influx of gold, amounting to
 about $4O0,000,000 so far this year. There
 Las been an amazing expansion of credit,
 as is strikingly shown by the loans of
 New York banks; many of the larger in-
 stitutions in New York having shown
 an increase of over 100 per cent in about
 a year. One concern alone has deposits
 of over $500, 0O,0O0 or double the deposits
 of year ago. and several others are
 carrying deposits of over S100, 100000, $200,-
 GOO, GOO and $SOo,oOO.OOo. This growth of de- pCsits is, of course, largely due to the expansion in loans which have in turn
 been greatly augmented by operations connected with the Anglo-French loan and other important international issues. not to mention the extensive credits grant ed to several of the European belliger- ents. In spite of these extraordinary operations, the money market continues abundantly supplied with funds at easy rates. The stimulus of these conditions should not be overlooked. We are already in a period of imitation, and this has much to do with the prevailing rise in values and the activity which that tend- ency inevitably promotes. Conservative bankers are alive to the dangers which tho monetary situation invites.
 January dividend payments promise to be larger than usual as a result of trade revival at home and the effect of war profits. A year ago the January divi- dend and interest payments recorded amounted to about s240O00,000, or $15,000, coo below the previous year. This loss will be more than made good next Jan uary for the reason that many dividends v;tlI be restored to their former level. new dividends will be started, some have been resumed which had entirely stopped, other regular dividends will be increased or ex- tra ones paid, while not a few cumula- tlve dividends temporarily passed will be paid off. It is safe to say the January disbursements will be more satisfactory than any since the depression, which is
 LOW rapidly disappearing. began.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
Bessemcr Is Prosperinp

Bessemer, in common with the re- nainder of the district, is prospering,'' said George Ross, president of the mu- nicipal council of that city. ''We are work ing more men in the plants of the dis trfct at present than we have in years. All but one furnace is in operation and all are making capacity runs every day. Bessemer is peculiarly situated, in that she depends entirely fer business on the industrial plants of the district. When these are idle. conditions in the district are distressing and the state of pros- Ierity may be accurately gauged by the number of plants at work.
 "Bessemer, with an eye to the future, lately has been acquiring a number of small industries, offering the smaller plants many inducements to locate there. We have been very successful in this re- spect and it is safe to say that the aver age citizen does not know just how di- versified is Bessemer's roster of small in- dustries. An unusual feature is the fact that several of them have been financed with local capital"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

The allies are still wrestling with the Turks on Gallipoli and will doubtless con- tinue to do so for sometime. Wrestling is a game in which the Turk seems to excel.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Although Germany tells the world she is we'll provided with all necessities of life, the food problem continues to assert
 itself with surprising persistence.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

When Von Papen and Boy-Ed get back home it will no longer be necessary to play the role of injured innocence
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

Greece has made strenuous efforts to gard her with suspicion. British and French diplomats seem to judge the Creeks according to Homer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13

America is probably the only country on the globe where Santa Claus scatters limousnes right and left