davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Dawn and the Darkest Hour.

"The darkest hour is just before
dawn" is an old English proverb which
expresses more POLITICALLY the homelier
adages, when things are at their
worst they soonest mend" when gale
is highest boat is highest" THE long
est day will have an end" After a
storm comes q calm" and finds an
equivalent in other languages, as in
French, by dint of going wrong all
will come right" In Italian, ell is the
eve of WE'LL" In Persian, 1T is at the
narrowest part Of the defile that the
valley begins to open," and in Hebrew,
"When the tale of bricks is doubled
Moses comes"
That the nights, as a rule, are dark
est just before dawn Is doubtless true,
for the moon has then reached far on
to the western horizon, while the sun
Is still below the eastern horizon.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Government Crop Estimates.

Nearly 100000 schedules are han
died each year in the bureau Of crop
estimates Of the United States depart
ment Of agriculture in making up the
government monthly crop reports, &C
cording to the annual report Of the
chief Of the bureau Of crop estimates.
Nearly 100000 names are on the vol
untary crop reporting lists; forty-four
paid agents are constantly making per-
sonal investigations, one agent cover
ing a state, and a force Of 105 clerks
is employed in Washington to handle
the large number of reports from the
voluntary crop reporters and to keep
records of crop information Of this and
foreign countries. The work of crop
reporting has been so improved and
systematized that estimates of produc-
ton of important products can be made
with a close degree of accuracy. The
most complete record in existence is
kept in the bureau of the estimates
and statistics relating to the world
crops and live stock.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
fixing the cSrpstIswssp.r.


The revolving brush OF the ordinary
carpet sweeper Is driven by the fric-
ton Of the wheels on which the sweep
er runs against driving wheels on Ell
ther end Of the brush axle. To insure
good friction the peripheries Of all Of
these wheels are covered with tightly
fitting rubber rings. In time these
rings wear out, or the rubber becomes
hardened and loses its grip. An eff
cient method Of repairing a sweeper
having imperfect or worn rubber rings
Is to cover the wheels with common
electricians tape, such as is employed
for covering joints In wire. The tape
should first be wound around the
periphery of the wheel until a covering
nearly equal to the thickness Of the
original ring is attained. This should
then be secured in place by passing the
tape around the ring and between the
spokes Of the wheels. The gripping
power Of the tape is fully equal to that
Of the original rubber rings, and the
sweeper will be good for service until
other parts wear out.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
How They Are ssluted.

Salute to the national flag, the presi-
dent and ex-president of the United
States and the presidents or sovereigns
Of foreign states, twenty-one guns;
vice president Of the United States and
foreign ambassadors, nineteen guns;
the president of the senate, speaker of
the house Of representatives, cabinet
officers, chief justice, governors within
their respective states or territories.
governors general Of foreign states,
civil governors of the Philippine Is
lands, general of the army, admiral Of
the navy and same ranks in foreign ar
mics and navies, seventeen guns; Unit
ed States and foreign ministers pleni-
potentiary, vice governor of the Philip
pine Islands, assistant secretaries Of
war or navy, lieutenant general or ma
jor general commanding the army and
corresponding ranks in the navies, If
teen guns; ministers resident, major
generals, rear admirals and correspond
ing ranks in foreign armies and navies,
thirteen guns; charge d'affaires, briga-
dier generals and corresponding ranks
In foreign armies and navies, eleven
guns; consuls general, nine guns.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
McTavish's Compromise.

A canny Scot owned a wonderful
badger it was reported no dog could
tackle. However, a friend of his had
a dog he proposed to back against the
badger, and match was in due course
made for f10O, to come off in two
months time.
AS the time drew near there were
rumors that all was not right with the
dog, and the Scots friends were max
ing sure of victory for him.
Imagine their surprise and disgust
when they heard that McTavish had
accepted ESQ as a compromise in lieu
Of the f1O0.
you've been done, MACY said one
Of them. 1.-THE dog is so NANCY and
unfit he could not kill q rat"
"Ah," said McTavish, 81 dare say, I
dare say, but my badger is dead.*--
London Globe.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
The Grea. Exs1nasr.

hho 1~F6h9eEs
In 1884, after an exciting debate Of
several weeks, congress passed a res
olution censuring President Andrew
Jackson for removing the public de-
posits from the old National bank.
The resolution as passed by congress
declared that the president In the
late executive proceedings in relation
to the public revenue has assumed
upon himself authority and power not
conferred by the constitution and laws,
but in derogatiOn Of both" The &C
ton of congress made Jackson and his
friends very angry, and Senator Thorn
as Benton of Missouri gave notice that
he would bring forward every year a
resolution to eXpunge the resolution Of
censure. After struggle of three years
Benton's resolution was finally passed.
and black lines were drawn around
the resolution of censure, with the in
scription, 'Expunged by the order Of
the senate this 10th day of January,
1887" Senator Benton was nicknamed
''the great eXpunger." His service to
Jackson on this matter was considered
the more remarkable because many
years before he and Jackson had
pistol fight in hotel at Nashville, in
which Jackson was wounded and Ben
ton was pitched headlOng downstairs.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Arsenic Absorbed by Hair.

New light has been thrown on the
legal side of arsenic poisoning, says
the Scientific American. 1t has been
found that arsenic compounds are abb
sorbed by the hair Of living persons,
though not absorbed after death. In
the hair of man arsenic has been
known to reach a concentration Of one
to five parts in 100000. The deposit
takes place in the hair after it has
been absorbed by the abdominal or
gans, liver and kidneys in particular
Therefore in cases of acute, quick
poisoning a chemical analysis Of the
hair would show no arsenic, while 1t
would be found in the liver and kid
neys. On the other hand, ii slow ar
senic poisoning were suspected anal
ysis would show arsenic in the hair,
but not in the liver and kidneys, and
it could safely be assumed that the
poisoning was not recent. The legal
value of such evidence is apparent.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
HTo Give Him the Sack"

Two noblemen In the reign of Maxi
milan I.-1564- 1566-one a German,
the other a Spaniard, who had each
rendered a great service to the emperor,
asked the hand Of his daughter in mar
rage Macmillan said that as he es-
teemed them both alike it was impos-
sible to choose between them and
therefore their own prowess must de-
eide it; but, being unwilling % risk the
loss Of either by engaging them in
deadly combat, he ordered large sack
to be brought and declared that he who
should put his rival into it should have
his fair Helena. And this whimsical
combat was actually performed in the
presence Of the imperial court and
lasted an hour. The unhappy Spanish
nobleman was first overcome, and the
German succeeded in enveloping him
In the sack, putting him upon his back
and laying him at the emperor's feet.
This comical combat is said to be the
origin of the phrase "Give him the
sack" so common in the literature Of
counting.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
First FEEDING Bottle.

Possibly a hollow gourd constituted
the first baby's feeding bottle Torn
from its parent tree, its edible interior
would have found its way to the stom-
ach Of its adult plucker, after which
the hollow shell would be filled with
milk or other liquid refreshment for
the satisfaction Of the infant. In
tropical countries, again, the cocoanut
would constitute natural feeding bot
tie, already filed with the necessary
nourishment.
Without, however, INDUCING in spec
ulation Of this kind it may be noted
that the archaic vase room at the Brit
ish museum contains specimens Of
feeding bottles-tetinoe, archaeologists
call them-dating back to between 600
and 100 years before Christ. These
very early babies bottles are usually
globular In shape, are deliberately dec
GRATED and are covered with small
knobs which, it is conjectured, were
used to hang tiny bells upon. In short,
the feeding bottle of those days was
also q rattle and a picture book COM
bined.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Sugar.

Our word sugar" is said to be de-
rived from the Arabic "sukkar," the
article itself having got into Europe
through the Arabian Mohammedans,
who oyerran a great part of the world
in the seventh, eighth and ninth cen
turtles. According to DR.. Van Lipp-
man, a Dutch writer, as a result of the
Arab invasion Of Persia sugar found
its way into Arabia, whence again its
culture was carried to Cyprus, Rhodes.
Sicily and EsXpt. In the last named
country the preparation of sugar was
greatly improved, and the Egyptian
product became widely famous. From
Egypt the industry spread along the
northern coasts of Africa and so enter
ed Spain, where, about the year 11JO,
some fourteen refneries were in opera
ton. Columbus introduced sugar cane
into the new world.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30

titled to know the cause of every indi-
vidual case in order to benefit poster
ity. No one wills to be sick, unsound,
insane; if given proper help, no one
will be so unfortunate. The govern
ment will ultimately be so efficient
that it will be impossible for the
miseries that we now endure to exist.
The government will ultimately con-
Germ itself with the habits of the peo-
pie and will forbid bad habits by nip
ping them in the bud.
Bad habits are the cause of all dis
ease and it is the business of the
government to force the people by edu-
cation and by training to be efficient.
To teach efficiency and enforce it, all
branches of the government must be
efficient. The governments have been
guilty of getting revenue from the bad
habits of the people but the system is
destructive to the government itself.
The government is slowly but surely
cleaning house. Strong drink is con-
demned by nations; tobacco is the next
unhealthy habit for indictment and
condemnation.
The life insurance companies are
strong for health conservation and
they are a powerful factor against bad
habits. Tobacco habit and its effect
on health is being given attention by
some companies.
For the sake of health conservation
we must have the best mental and
physical training. We must have right
habits, good habits.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Sound Waves.

Science says that the loudness Of
sounds varies inversely as the square
Of the distance. This is merely another
way of saying that If you walk three
times as far away from the source of
the sound as you were before its loud
ness will not be a third what 1t was,
but ninth of what it was, for nine is
the square Of three.
On the other hand, the density Of the
medium which conveys sound Is very
important. On a frosty night the air
is dense. One consequence Of this Is
that an automobile runs better be-
cause the engine gets larger supplies
Of oxygen. Another result is that
sounds are heard more loudly. How
ever. the report Of gun high up In
the mountains is like the sound Of an
exploded flrecracker.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
SeIfshness.

1t is curious how little selfishness Is
understood 1t is generally assumed
to be an intense regard for oneself,
when In reality it Is a supreme disre-
gard.
Unselfishness, on the other hand, Is
q higher regard for oneself.
Self1shness is only form Of destruc-
ton. 1t is produced by soul avarice.
What we put into ourselves draws no
interest. 1t is constantly deteriorating
In value. Selfishness is an ingrOwing
shortsightedness. Selfishness Is also a
form Of sincerity. Selfish people de-
ceive nobody. They wear their selfish
ness on their sleeves. Their sincerity
about 1t is something so apparent as
almost to cause q sense of admiration
for its genuineness.-Life.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Orioin of aEusiliern

Fusilier was originally the name Of
soldier armed with a light flintlock
musket called the fusil. At the time
Of the English civil war Q642-52) the
term "firelock" was usually employed
to distinguish these weapons from the
more common matchbox muskets. Out
Of these companies Of "firelocks" grew
the "fusiliers." In the latter part Of
the Thirty Year war Q649 fusiliers
were simply mounted troops with the
fusil, as carbiniers were with the car
bine. The senior fusilier regiment in
the British service, the Seventh Royal
fusiliers, City Of London regiment, was
formed on the French model in 1858.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Father of English Poetry.

The first English bard to attain last
tng fame was Godfrey Chaucer. who
vas born in London about 1910. 1.-The
father of English poetry" was the
nn of a vintner named John Chau
Ger and in his youth served the king
ua soldier and was taken prisoner by
be French. The English king paid
SO for his ransom, which was quite a
high price for a poet. Chaucer's most
celebrated work, 1.-The Canterbury
Tales" was written between 1873 and
HOO It consists Of a series of tales
supposed to have been told by a COM
Rny of pilgrims to the shrine Of st.
Thomas Beckett at Canterbury, and
b its pages We get such pictures of
English life and ways Of thought as
r found nowhere else.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Early Marriage in China.

1t is nothing rare in China for boys
twelve to fourteen years old to marry.
The physical, moral and intellectual
development Of the contracting par
ties has nothing to do with the matter.
Other considerations entirely regulate
the affair.
An old Chinese aphorism says that
the great business of life is ended when
the sons and daughters are married.
The Chinese parents do not care to run
the danger of postponing the marriage
Of their children, especially of their
sons, until after their own death.-Ex-
change.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Little SURPRISES.

mister, here's them five tons Of coal
you ordered this morning."
mo, sir, this isn't the real, genuine
olive oil. That's the reason we sell 1t
so cheap"
you don't need to waste any sym
pathy on me, old peg. 1 am satisfied
with my job, my boss and my wages"
Gentlemen, the conductor is asking
US to move forward in the car. Come
on; there's plenty of room"
Young man, we find that we have
not been paying you enough. so we'll
increase your salary $40 week, begin
ming today."-Portland Express.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
How Easter Is Reckoned.

The Christian festival of Easter cor
responds to the Pascha or Passover Of
the Jewish faith. Easter day (from
which the rest Of religious movable
feasts are recorded) is invariably the
first Sunday succeeding the fourteenth
day Of the calendar moon which (four-
teenth day. falls on or next after
March 81. If the fourteenth day should
be Sunday, Easter day would be the
Sunday following.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Hot Cross Bun In History.

The hot cross bun has both antiquity
and tradition in its favor Its history
traces back not only to the time of
Cecrops' and Astarte, but also to the
Jewish passover cakes and the cross
marked wafer or eucharistic bread
adopted by the early Christians and
mentioned in st. Chrysostom's liturgy.
The substitution of the cross mark for
the horn mark on the surface Of the
bun by the Greeks is supposed to have
been done for the purpose Of dividing
more easily the bun into four equal
parts. Similar cross marked buns were
found in the ruins of Herculaneum.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
PRACTICAL HEALTH HINT.
Do Not Lose Sleep.

9 DR.. Richard G. Cabot, the well
@ known physician, says in an arti- &
@ Gle on health in the American
g Magazine: q
9 ITO avoid overeating and alco-
@ hol sand the tobacco habit are &
9 matters of self control. To get
o the sleep one needs (Which means
@ all that one can possibly soak Z
@ into ones system within TWEEN Z
. ty-four hours often takes cour- Z
@ age-the courage to refuse invita- {
@ tons, to invite ridicule, to seem Z
9 odd or puritanic. believe that Z
6 more minor illnesses are due to {
Q lack of sleep than to any other z
q recognizable factor. A person Z
9 catches cold. gets lumbago, is Z
e constipated or headache ridden &
9 because his vitality is below par, z
O his physical expenditure beyond &
9 his physical income. Sleep would Z
9 set him square with the world, Z
9 but to get sleep means sacrificing Z
q the evenings fun. This he won't Z
9 do. and so he runs In debt and Is
= chemically edging toward a Z
= breakdown" =
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
uEALTH CONSERVATION.

oDe of our greatest contemporaries
- that the next advances in health
,,ration will be in matters which
fouuded on the habits of the peo-
;. We should study the effects of
=. habits of the people so as to
.to our lives sublime. Our children
= tbe men and women of the future
"a their habits will determine their
,stinv. Their habits are the result
= tba forces that are brought to bear
-,or them in the various ways of life s
',hoo or the school of experience.
u,.tb conservation should begin at
4. bepinning. 1t is easier to teach a
LA than if is to correct an adult.
A., schools are for the teaching of the
.b;H and our corrective departments
# government are for the reformation
3 admits. who we failed to properly
.dueate in the first place. If we are to
Al tbe work of education finally in cor
,etive Institutions, such as hospitals,
r6rmaries, asylums, jails, penitentia-
,ies and other penal institutions, it is
best to begin at the beginning and edu-
.,to the children in the conservation
If health. Our health departments
should be inseparably linked with edu-
,stiOnal and corrective departments in
r,Ser that the most effective work can
be done.
The criminal and insane are con-
ddered sick by those who are held to
be qualified to know. Society is en-
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
A Success After All,

"What became of the Yardle girl
who was ambitious for a stage ca
reer"
"She turned out much better than
her friends expected"
"You don't mean to tell me she's
starring nowr
mo, indeed. She's the mother of
six children and has a husband who
doesn't run around at night Dir
mingham Age-Herald.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
PRACTICAL HEALTH HINT.
Typhoid Fever.

@ A noted English sanitarian has g
@ said that every time one dies 9
O from typhoid fever some one 9
@ should be hanged. Aside from 9
@ this view and in the light Of Q
@ modern medical science. typhoid 9
6 deaths are now admittedly the 9
g result of sanitary blunders or g
@ criminal carelessness. The eX-
9 istence of typhoid fever bears 9
9 the stigma Of disgrace for two g
6 reasons-first, because we know e
@ more about its prevention and
9 its filthy source than most any
9 other disease and, second, be- e
o cause its presence betrays filth, Z
@ either as to our food and drink 9
o or as to our personal habits. q
q Ignorance Is no longer a cloak Z
O under which to hide the disgrace Z
. Of typhoid fever. Keep your Z
y home and surroundings absolute Z
= " clean. keep yourself and your Z
. clothing absolutely clean, keep z
q your food absolutely clean. and q
= you will have no typhoid fever. Z
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Area of the Moon.

The moon always presents the same
face to US, as Is evident from the per-
manency Of the various markings on
her surface. This proves that with re-
spect to the earth she revolves on an
axis, and the time Of rotation Is exact
~ equal to the time of revolution
around the earth-viz, a little over
twenty-seven days. The moons sur
face contains about 14,6S5,OO0 square
miles, or nearly four times the area Of
Europe
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
BRIGHT Youth,

Caller-So your son Willie has start
ed work as an office boy. How is he
getting along? Fond Mother-Splen-
didly! He already knows who ought
to be discharged and is merely waiting
to get promoted so that he can attend
to it.-Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Both Buffers.

eff 1 rejected you, would you COM
NIT suicide?''
81 don't know, grille. Your sixteen
year-old sister is very attractive. In
a few years.
But she accepted him forthwith, and
he Is working hard now to meet the
installments on an engagement ring
Louisville Courier ournal.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Air and Aunuer.

Experiments have shown that the
air Of an unventilated. occupied room
contains substances which in some way
and without producing conscious dis
comfort and detachable physiological
symptoms diminishes the appetite for
food.-Exchange.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Proved His Case.

Mother-The whipping you0had yes
terday does not seem to have improved
you. Your behavior has been even
worse today. Willie-That's what 1
wanted to prove. You said I was as
bad as 1 possibly could be yesterday.
I knew you were wrong.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Busy.

"Loaney tells me he hasn't been 80
busy for years"
Nonsense! That job he has Is a
cinch. He never has to work hard
there"
"That's just 1t. He's been fired, and
he's chasing around after another Job
now."-Exchange.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Brevity.

Robert Louis Stevenson was a close
Eudent of style and has left more than
one interesting discussion of the tech
aque Of writing. In a letter to R. A.
L. Stevenson. dated October. 1888, he
R!s:
There Is but one art-to omit! Oh,
III knew how TO omit / would ask no
enef knowledge. A man who knew
VOW 10 omit would make an 'Iliad' of
idaily paper"
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Satisfied.

81 was brought up on a farm, and
I'm glad of it."
"Yes?"
"You bet your life! Whenever I
think I'm working too hard just stop
and think Of the time when 1 had to
get up at o'clock and work like a
slave until dark."-New York World.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Thu Method,

willis-what kind of school Is your
son attending? Gillis-Very fashion
able, one of those institutions where
you develop the mind without using 1t.
Life
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
No Previous Experience.

Traffic Cop Ito autoist whose car
has just been in a bad collision)-
That's the most complete smashup l
ever saw. Autoist proudly)-Thank
you. And, would you believe it, it's
the first one l ever had!-Puck.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Hia Inheritance.

Askitt-Did young Dodge inherit any
thing from his father? Notifies, I
believe he inherited the old mans de-
sire to avoid work.-Exchange.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Just So,

Hubby, diamonds are said to be the
same as cash."
what of it,"
81 wish you would buy me a few
rings"
your idea is that they will be cash
on misunderstanding COurier-JournaL
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Headaches.

A u these modern times q head
sue Is just rs necessary and
-'eui as fire alarm. 1t is a
asning that something is wrong
I, w mat somebody had better
|. .a On the job instanter and
alter conditions.
, "nat Is the commonest cause
|, A. a headache? There are q hum
or more different causes.
. S4tatlgue, not enough sleep.
. ,'s pus In Stuffy room, over
, as Or eating something that
I,as s'eeS with the stomach, some
t eye defect. an infection or
,Ds sstiOn of the nasal passage
,ms by cold-any Of these
many more things bring on
IT." Chronic inf1amma-
.us. within the nose itself and
sSs WIN. within the bony cavities Of
,ss. 'euLI which open into the
stb. VIII cause intense head
,,sss at times. Persistent head
W. sre danger signals that
Ou to consult a physician.
WOO o o o o o o o {
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Forqetful,

y bronson as fOrgetful as ever"
more so. Why. that fellow has to
va. va himself up in the directory every
WI before he goes home from bust
10Y ForgetS his address,"
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
EarIy Precept.

Kind Lady-How'd you learn to pick
pockets? Pickpocket-By watchin' me
mother fishin' fer change in tn old
mans trousers-Albany Knickernock-
er Press.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
When Pressing Silk.

Always press silk under a piece Of
uuSlln to prevent the silk from be-
~uns hard ana crackly. First damp
q tAe muslin and use a moderately
'"fOn till tie muslin is quite dry.
The broad ax., 1916-12-30
Just a Shade.

81 come of a very old family. We
have family ghost"
I'VE have two"
81 guess that gives you a shade the
best of it."