davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
BACK TO COFFEE HOUSES

From the New York Independent.
 The saloon as social and economic institution seems to be doomed. Its condemnation rests not only upon moral grounds, but upon increasing evidence of it's tendency to destroy the most bene- ficial social institutions and to check in- dustrial and economic progress. If 1t is justments and arrangements must be made to supply it's place. For there is no doubt that the saloon has ministered to certain characteristic human wants
 The need of some stimulus has so far been a persistent force in the develop nlent of society, and the instinct for as- sociation in a common place of meeting under exhilarating conditions is a part of mans nature. Alcoholic drinks and the public house have proved to be cas- fly accessible means to meet these ends Where these social requirements have been overlooked or neglected the enforce ment of prohibitory laws against the sa- loon has been extremely difficult. Where they have been met or substantially min istered to by other agencies alcoholic eXcesses have been materially reduced.
 It has long since been noticed that countries using literally such infusions as tea, coffee or cocoa have been able to combat more successfully the excessive use of alcoholic liquors. It is, there fore, significant that at the recent meet ing of the National Coffee Roasters' as- sociation announcement was made that the consumption of coffee had largely increased in those states which have in recent years gone into the prohibition column. The association considered the advlsability of establishing coffee houses in the more thickly populated cities of the country in competition with the sa- looms.
 The development of tea, coffee and cocoa houses, in connection with which might be found other accessories of so- cial intercourse, would satisfy reason ably well some of these human cravings which operate powerfully in society and are met by the moving picture shows, the recreational centers, the open forum, etc.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
RITEs OF LEAVING CARDS

II IOIl lut 1NcW IlcpuUuC.
 To be attractive to women society life must impart a sense of achievement. Staying in society as we'll as getting into
 it must be arduous and ealing for enter prise and skill. The American society life answers these requirements That art of conspicuous wasting it relies upon is in itself exigent. Other "social duties" are laborious. often exhausting. They re- quire a kind of self devotion which verges on asceticism. They appeal to the ener- getic and the sef-denying spirit of the American woman. Take the ceremonial, for example, of leaving cards. Afternoon calling gives woman I believe, a quasi mystical sense of acquiring merit I re- member driving one lovely spring after noon in Washington with lady who was leaving cards. She paid little or no at tention to the charms of forsythia or maple-tree blossoms. but each of the 25 calls she made appeared to give her the kind of satisfaction a Catholic or a Buddhist takes in telling the beads on his rosary.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
HOTEL LOBBTEs
shouId Not sIncken Up

While it is true that business has been exceedingly brisk all during the week before Christmas" remarked Willard J. Wheeler. q see no reason why it should slacken up much dur ing the following month, as is some times the case.
 As has been remarked before, the pre-holiday shopping has been very brisk, but it would seem that no more than the normal demand has been sup piled. Money is apparently plentiful in Birmingham and it's environs and most of the purchasers did not great ly inconvenience themselves financially for the Christmas celebration. It is, of course, much better for business generally that matters should be thus; for it must be remembered that Bir- mingham merchants and business men must remain in business the year round and the overhead expense must be reckoned with whether trade is good bad or indifferent"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
MAN WHO REFUSED MORGAN

''Yes, there is. You can turn around and take that desk and go to work" said MT Morgan very emphatically as he pointed to a large desk at the other side of the glass partition.
 MT. Perkins did not comprehend. He looked at MT. Morgan quizzically.
 q mean, come in here as a partner" explained MT. Morgan.
 Mr. Perkins, to MT. Morgan's great astonishment--for he was not in the habit of having young Napoleons refuse to join his cabniet-replied: 'T can't do that I am with the New York Life and must spend my days there.'
 It was not until nearly a year after that MT. Morgan finally induced MT. Per kins to join the firm, and then MT. Per- lxins consented only on condition that he be allowed to retain his position with the New York Life.
 Knowing this story, I asked MT. Per- l1ins why he did not at once grasp the opportunity to become a member of the greatest international banking house in the country, a position regarded as the Ultima Thule of American banking. Because I never have been in this world merely to make money" replied Mir. Perkins in a tone that suggested there should be no amazement over his action T early learned that any man who starts out simply to make money never gets very far, for he will ruin his health or sacrifice his friends or drive so hard that there is nothing in it. I was brought up in the life insurance business It is not a charitable institu tion, but it is business in which you deal with human beings and where you are doing something for people. You work in cause which you believe 10 be helpful to other people.
 'T had worked up from office boy to the highest salaried insurance position in the world-$75.O 600. My heart was in the work
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
Another Year of
 Prosperity Ahead

6H HE Birmingham district has
 J known prosperity in large measure in past years, but never have iron and steel workers received such high wages as this year, and never before have the industrial corpora tions made such fine profits. It has been a year of bonuses for many of ficials and men in the mills and shops, and perhaps no Christmas can be re- called when wageworkers received such substantial presents.
 It would be hard to beat the 1916 record of production. The year started off with an extraordinary demand for steel and the output was increased month by month. All industrial cen ters have suffered during the last quarter of the year by car shortage, but notwithstanding that fact the net results of operations have been be- yond the most optimistic expectations
 While the large circulation of money here this month has been traced pri- marily to the big pay rolls, mercantile business has contributed it's share to the making of flush times.
 Prosperity will continue. The out look for 1917 could not we'll be brighter. A new year usually begins with lull in trade, but it will not be so in the coming year. Business will hum next week and it will keep on humming. We'll may the merchants feel happy,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
Regular Army and
 Slow Recruiting

M7OW that Senator Chamberlain's J N universal military training and service measure has been sidetracked the question arises whether an ef- fort will be made on the part of the war department to put into effect that section of the army reorganization act increasing the regular establishment to 175, 1000 men on peace footing.
 The enlisted strength of the army is now less than 100000. Prior to the passage of the general defense bill, which provided for an increase, Congress adopted an emergency bill authorizing the enlistment of 10000 men. That measure was precipitated by the situation in Mexico. War seemed imminent and when President Wilson asked for more men Congress gave him prompt and practically unanimous support.
 But recruiting was slow, and con- siderably less than 10000 men have been added to the ranks under the pro- vision of that special measure.
 As has been often explained, it is difficult to obtain recruits in times of prosperity. Only men of decided lik- ing for military service measuring up to the high standard of character and intelligence can be induced to join the army.
 And one reason why the advocates of universal training felt encouraged to push their plan was that no large body of men ready for war could be secured unless there was a compul- sorry law.
 l Some day public sentiment will de- mand universal training service, but
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
POE OF SLANG

rub it in'' And the Greek verb from which the word is derived means to rub We used to say of a crazy person that he was "off his trolley" And the word delirious meant substan- tially the same thing in an earlier stage of civilization. It came from the Latin words de and lira, which means off or out means precooked, or, as we say, half baked Capricious means like a goat, and the slang correlatives here are in- numerable.
 Imagine some worthy, refined and grad uated soul, being offended by a young upstart, and responding somewhat as fol- lows: Ut seems to me you are a trifle capricious. I would hardly expect anyone to inveigh against me in this delirious manner delivering such diatribe. Is it essential to your precocity to insult your elders?" And then suppose we translated this somewhat according to the ety. mological dictionary: You goat! You must be off your trolley to sail into me like that and then rub it in! Just because you're half baked you needn't think you can jump on your el- ders'
 
 serve the family party. After tea the lady who served was presented with a handsome souvenir-an Olympian cup and saucer, neatly packed in a box.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
By c. Forbes in Leslie's.


 N NLY one man ever refused part Il nership in J. P. Morgan & Co. W The partnership was offered the first time the late MT. Morgan saw the man. It came after only a few moments conversation on nonbusness subject.
 More extraordinary still, the man had never had a days banking experience.
 MT. Morgan's engagement of H. F. Davison, banker and known to him personally, was dramatic enough; but his proffer of partnership to George w. Perkins, as here described for the first time, constitutes perhaps the most dra- matic episode in the annals of high finance.
 MT. Perkins, then a vice president of the New York Life Insurance company, had been named a member of the Palisade park commission and wanted to raise money. A Morgan partner had several times asked MT. Perkins to come into the office and meet MT. Morgan, and about this time he again suggested an introduction MT. Perkins, with an eye NS ton. agreed. MT. Morgan greeted him in his private office. separated from the office of his partners merely by glass partition.
 MT. Perkins at once unfolded his scheme, told the banker that they wanted to raise $125,0OO and that MT. Morgan's name among the contributors would facilitate the raising of the fund.-
 q will give you $25,OO0" MT. Morgan replied without cavil
 MT. Perkins thanked him cordially-and asked if MT. Morgan could suggest others that might be approached.
 Look here," MT. Morgan immediately countered, T will give you the whole S125,00O if you will do something for me?''
 Astonished, MT. Perkins stammered There is nothing I can do for you, MT. Morgan"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
Was Statewide

"The holiday trade throughout the entire state seems to have been sur prisingly good" said w. E. Bonham, a prominent business man of Tusca- loosa, who was in the city yester- day. "Following the serious losses to the cotton crop from the depredations Of the boil weevil and the severe dam age to all crops throughout the state from the floods and the heavy rains of last summer business men generally expected very dull Christmas trade.
 "No county suffered more from these causes than did Tuscaloosa, but our merchants report by far the best trade they have ever experienced. And this is in spite of the fact that the cotton crop this year was only one fifth of normal and heavy declines were shown in many other crops. The fact that all our industries have been running full time, together with the heavy sales of timber and the clear ing of large tracts of timber land giving employment to hundreds of farmers and tenants during the dull season, have made business conditions good in spite of the gloomy outlook of some months ago"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
q A .
Rights of Baby Carriages


 Are Upheld in Mar1hattan NNIHAT that excellent newspaper w the Brooklyn Eagle, terms "the Brooklyn frame of mind," has been vindicated in New York, al though it must be confessed that the vindication is but temporary, in the form of court injunction.
 The owners of a large apartment house in Manhattan have been pre- vented by court from closing the main entrance to baby carriages. The crafty owners had a way, it is said, of slipping copy of "rules" under the door of an apartment after a lease was signed, ordering baby carriages propelled through the service en- trance, along with ask barrels, heavy packages and furniture.
 Indignant parents sought legal re- lief and the injunction was granted. Maybe it will be made permanent. Humanitarians, whether they have offspring or not, feel that babyhood's rights and dignities should be con served.
 What mother wants her infant showed through the rear or service entrance of an apartment house, as so much beer, produce or household stuff?
 Brooklyn has long been famous and justly so-for it's baby carriages. Its perambulators enjoy national distinction. New York should study the enlightened example of it's neigh bor across the river.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
FORETOLD MRS. GALTS FATE

Daisy Fitzhugh Ayres in the Louisville Courier-Jo Journal.
 The story is being resurrected at Wash ingtons afternoon tea tables that eight or ten years ago when the present Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was the wife of D. Nor
 man Gait, in the spirit of mischievous adventure one day, she went with bunch of young friends to the fashionable palm ist of Washington. Mrs. Gait obllgingly yielded to the urging of her friends and held ora her plump palm to be read. The fatalist tracing the lines, looking startled, declared in ominous tones that Mrs. Gait some day would become the wife of the
 most prominent man in the United States.
 And that palm reader nowadays has to hang out his IS. R. O. sign. His prac- tical prophecies are popular with the public. No telling where lightning may strike
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
English Soldiers
Had Their Puddin2g


 E7N HE newspapers of London did N thoughtful thing when they combined in raising fund to provide the English troops at the front with plum pudding on Christmas Day. Each soldier had an individual pud- ding. The cost of this holiday remembrance was s100,OOO, and the subscribers to the fund were prompt and generous in responding to the ap- peal.
 Plum pudding is an English institu- tion, and without it Christmas would have been a dreary day for Tommy Atkins. But from hygienic point of view some lighter delicacy might have served better for this time of war. All soldiers have been subsist- ing so long on plain food that plum pudding is likely to cause acute in digestion except on the part of super robust men. The mixture of spiced dough, suet, raisins, citron and brandy, boiled until solid and tough, is toothsome, but it is as heavy as lead when it gets into the stomach; still few can resist it at this season Certainly no Englishman would think Christmas was adequately observed unless he had the opportunity of eat ing plum pudding.
 Another English product greatly esteemed by most Britishers is Bass ale. A bottle of this food-drink would have cost less than a pound of plum pudding and would have caused no dyspepsia. But it would have been impossible to have provided both ale and plum pudding, and as there are some abstainers from liquor, includ- ing malt beverages, the committee acted wisely in centering upon Eng lands favorite dessert, which no sol dier would think of pushing to one side.
 That every member of the army feasted on Christmas Day goes with
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
Henry Ciews' Letter


 Stock market operations have been governed entirely by peace possibili- ties" says Henry Clews of New York. "The frank desire of Germany for peace has been freely admitted; while the unwillingness of the allies to grant would likely accept was equally recog- nized, and the possibility of peace therefore appears to be still remote. MT. Wilson's attempt to hasten pro- ceedings by asking the belligerents to name their terms may prove to be of some influence, or it may not. It is to be devoutly hoped that the Presi- dent will be successful in this effort, but the outcome cannot be foretold at this writing. The Secretary of States outspoken statement about this coun- try's exposed condition brought to the front a new situation which proved seriously confusing in the stock mar ket. The war stocks received a sharp profits had reached their high point and must in future decline. if not al together stop before many months ex- pire. Inside selling, profit taking, forced liquidation, powerful bear raids, and discrimination by banks against such stocks as collateral served to in- tensify the decline which at times reached the point of positive demorali- zation."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
what a gOOdIy outside falsehood hath. Merchant of Nenice'
 *

BEGINNING THE DAY. - My Father, save me from falling under the deIusiOn that to be callOus IS to be strong. Keep me tender, l pray Thee. Keep the wells of sympathy open. Dry not up the foundations of tears. May I be willing to have my heart touched. May not be ashamed to be moved. In Christ's name.-H. NJ. E.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27

From the Indianapolis Star.
 Say, paw, what's a captain of indus try?'
 Ut is a term that the head of a grind son.
 And what is 'robber baron?' Its term the dear public applies to the same man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
AFTER TWELVE

Does your father ever comment on my staying so late at night?2
 NO, Algernon."
 That's good"
 "But he sometimes makes sarcastic re- marks about you staying so early in the morning.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
TEMPERAMENT

 In winter time I stand the gaff, When blizzards blow I simply laugh And boast about how well I can Endure the cold for any span. But when the calendar declares That spring is due. with gentle airs, Yet. nothing tempers winters breath, By love, 1 nearly freeze to death!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27

out saying, but it would be interesting to know what percentage escaped an attack of cramp collie.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27

| life of the next Congress remains to be seen. With large deficit star ing the government in the face, no member of Congress or no member of the administration will be willing to see Uncle Sam burdened with any expense not absolutely necessary.
 The war department is glad, no doubt, that men are not offering for enlistment. Keeping down the pay roll will be the rule until Uncle Sam catches up. Rigid economy is to be insisted upon during the remainder of the Sixty-fourth and perhaps through out the Sixty-fifth Congress. At any rate the pork barrel must go. | General Pershings troops made a gall | lant attempt to celebrate Christmas in spite of sandstorm. Some of those homesck guardsmen along the border failed to enter into the spirit of the oc- casion
 , While the President is wrestling with the problem of trying to make both ends meet, it isn't personal matter with him. There is no scarcity of supplies in the White House larder. l There are any number of adult per- sons in the south who have never seen an Uncle Toms Cabin" show. For obvi- ous reasons, Uncle Tommers" don't tour the south.
 | President Wilson's appeal for peace in Europe has apparently not increased his popularity over there, but the President has been highly successful in living down unpoplarity.
 Santa Claus showed a partiality for Ford cars this year, but it should be remembered that Santa Claus doesn't al- ways feel, look and act like a millionaire. 1 * * * | Maybe one reason why German states men have so little to say about the economic pressure in Germany is because they hate to think about it. l *
 Maybe you think Villa won't receive any New Year cards from the United States, but he probably will. His family is in this country
 So long as Tommy Atkins is able to enjoy his Christmas dinner, he's reason ably sure that the world has not gone to pot.
 | A turkey lon the hoof' is cheaper. but getting turkey from the ''hoof' to the oven calls for great skill and dexterity.
 New York is generous to its poor. That isn't consoling to the lambs re- gently shorn in Wall street.
 The only grain of comfort left to the Rumanians is the fact that they have been able to keep moving. l
 Maybe there isn't much chance for peace to be declared, so long as the British call the Teutons Huns" Still, it isn't absolutely necessary to toast the glad New Year in innumerable glasses of champagne.
 Alabama drew heavily on Memphis and Chattanooga for it's supply of Christmas cheer in liquid form.
 Still, there is some difference between carols across the border and hands across the sea.
 What small boy would object to operat- ing a big gun all day long on Christmas
 TT ALL DEPENDS
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES

NO. They are professional economls'sf who are combating the high cost Of nv v ing. The prisoner is charged with having kept up three domestic establishments at the same time. They want to find out how he did it."
 WEATHER PEssIMIsTs You'll often meet with people Who drearily complain; They care not for the sunshine And still lament the rain. When'er a wind is blowing It vexes soon or late; And when no breeze is stirring They nearly suffocate They find the heat depressing The cold less comfort yields; They'd growl about conditions In the Elysian fields.
 SOUL VERSUS SYMMETRY This dancer says she puts her soul into her art"
 "She probably thinks so, but if she didn't have alarmed good figure, her soul wouldn't help her much"
 QUICK CONVERSION Santa Claus brought Grace Spatsworth { a beautiful coupe" 'Yes?"
 "she has had it only about AS hours, but to hear her talk, you'd think she had never ridden on a street car in her whole life"
 REMARKABLE My words will cause you great sur
 prise,'R Said Henry Arthur Quackly; But I received some Christmas ties That suit my taste exactly.'
 PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-27
Here to Stay

"The Birmingham Magazine is one
 year old this Christmas" said Frani.
 S Req, editor and publisher. "I have
 had a hard fight to keep the period
 ical going during the past 12 months
 but with the coming of the new year things look brighter than ever. The
 business men of the city are doing all they can to foster my ambition to have one of the finest industrial periodicals in the south here
 "The Birmingham Magazine is de- voted solely to the development and advancement of the Birmingham dis trict and Alabama. The Birmingham | Magazine is here to stay and the new year will find it better each month as time goes by.''