davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
"LITTLE GIFFINs

From the Nashville Tennesseean. Southern editors, those of them who have been discerning enough to see, linear and appreciate homely things about them, are laughing at those New Workers who would eliminate the negro dialect from Dixie" They are singu- larly in accord upon two points-frst, that there is no negro dialect in Dixie" and, second that the tune counts for everything and the words for nothing in Dixie
 One of them, discussing Albert Pike's effort to provide suitable words for the spirited tune, says this:
 At the beginning of the civil war Gen. Albert Pike endeavored to pro- vide martial words for Dixie and pro- duced poem entirely in keeping with the spirited temper of the day. It met response in the south at the time and has a fixed place along with Randalrs
 Maryland and Tichnor's Little Gif- fin in war time southern literature"
 That is not entirely accurate. Little Giffin" belongs to an entirely different type from the other two. Pike wrote his poem to be sung to the tune of Dixie" James Ryeer Randall worked 1 "Maryland' out of the model of the old German Christmas song, Der Tan nenbaum." Both are primarily songs. Secondarily, they may be poems. Little Giffin" is a perfect gem of lyric poetry. It does not rely upon any martial swing for it's effectiveness. As a poem purely, it takes it's place in the worlds literature.
 Out of the focal and foremost fire, Out of the hospital walls as dire;
 Smitten of grapeshot and gangreen, Eighteenth battle, and he sixteenD SpectreI such as you seldom sec Little Giffin of Tennessee!
 There is no finer poetry than that. It is read with delight by those who ap preciate poetry, north and south. It is the greatest poem produced by the war of secession-unless, perchance, Will H. Thompson's High Tide at Gettysburg may be entitled to rank with it.
 I sometimes fancy that, were I king Of the princeiy Knights of the Golden
 Ring,
 With the song of the minstrel in mine And ,ne tender legend that trembles here,
 I'd give the best on his pended knee-~- The whitest soul of my chivalry- For Little Giffin of Tennssee. When Dr. Francis O. Ticknor, hard working country doctor in Georgia, wrote that, he made himself place with Gray.
 Randalrs Maryland, My Maryland" and Pike's martial words to Dixie" stirred many a southern heart in the days of war They hold tender place in the memory of thousands. They bring thrill now when they are read or heard. But Little Giffin" is & poem of the ages. It will endure while Eng Ilish verse Is read.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
EFFECTS OF THE ZEPPELINs

From the New York Globe
 Samuel S. Mcclure is not generally rated as pro-ally. Not long ago the Brit ish government threatened to deport him because of the pro-German bias of his writings Yet MT. Mcclure makes the following statement in regard to the ef- fects of the Zeppelin raids:
 "One is absolutely astonished at the insignificance of the damage done by the Zeppelin raiders I have made a thorough investigation of this matter Comparing the British and German com muniques and personally visiting the places where Zeppelin bombs have been dropped, I can only say that the British communiques seem to me to be strictly accurate and the German ones utterly n- comprehensible."
 The German people have been fed with misrepresentation in regard to the ef- feet of the Zeppelin raids just as they were fed with misrepresentation in re- gard to the submarine raids. When pressed it was tacitly acknowledged that Zeppelin warfare was barbarous, but it was thought to be successful barbariSm, and Germany was fighting for her life. :" London was described in the German press as a wreck, and it was declared that streets leading to hospitals were blockaded by ambulances carrying the wounded Railroads, bridges, docks and intuition factories were said to have been INaduced to ruin in the attack on what was called the fortress of London"
 MT. Mcclure now underwriters the ac- curacy of the British commiques. Great excitement has been caused by the raids, but the damage done has been small. Four or five hundred civilians, including large number of women and babies, have been killed by attacks on such "fortresses' as Hammersmith and Stoke Pogis The military effect has been neg ligble. Yet the docile German people developing 8 virtue into vice. believe what they are told. It is inconceivable that their junker masters, gentlemen ali would deceive them. Will the German people ever wage up, and. if they do what will be their action?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
HOTEL LOBBIES
Should Not Lose Temper

Circuit Solicitor Joseph Tate expressed the opinion yesterday that when an at- torney lost his case he should maintain an even temperament, as by losing his temper he gained nothing.
 T have lost many cases" said solici- tor Tate, fin the early days of my legal practice through the methods I used to show my displeasure by heckling the wit nesses and bulldozing the juries, but l nave since found out my mistake. In these days my experience tells me to allow the juries to do the deciding and l get better results There is really no need for an attorney to lose his temper In any case. for, after all, it all comes In days work and the next day may bring joyous victories to take away the bitter taste of defeat, if a man has the right temperament and the courage to stick cheerfully at his task"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
"PURIFYINGv DARKY SONGS

From the Montgomery Advertiser.
 We learn from The Birmingham Age Herald that New York music teachers have started out to purify negro dia- feet songs and .tamper with the Star Spangled Banner" The music teachers ask the public school teachers to elimi- nate all negro dialect from songs ap- bearing in textbooks. The purists, says The Age Herald, object to ''de' for the" "nebber' for never ''ribber'' for "river,' and other words commonly found in folk songs of the negroes.
 This is silly, of course, and won't get anywhere. Why purify negro dialect and the Scotch lyrics? Why not purify Irish dialect songs, and revise the Road to Mandalay' and the other poems that Kipling wrote?
 If New York school children should not be permitted to sing and read negro dialect, why should they be permitted eo iS"uy any hiiIu OI uidiCSt' W ny should dialect be allowed to appear in our literature at any time and under any circumstances?
 "Marse Chan" should be translated into pcrest English, Uncle Remus' Tales should be burned in the public square and the memory of Joel Chandler Harris obliterated or at least made ignobe. The Foster songs-up to now the sweetest ne gro ballads in the world--do this day de- and should be tabooed.
 Let us run the blue pencil through al
 literature and strike from it what the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
THE SWIMMER


 George sterling, in Golfers Weekly And down through the pines I went to
 the shore sands warm and white, Till I saw from the oceans verge the
 gulls in shreking flight Till the wind was sharp in my face, and
 pure and strong in it's sweep From the smokeless dome of the world
 and thousand leagues of the deep. The breakers rose before me where the
 hard wet sands were gray Each in it's colored robe fronting the
 newborn day;
 The singing waves of the sea, clean be-
 yond all of clean,
 Beautiful, swift, alive, undulant, apple
 green. NY e
 And flung me forth at their strength.
 at their might of motion and sound, Till the foam bolts stung my brow and
 the foam chains ringed me around, And the hissing ridges ran like dragons
 driven by gods
 Mad with the battle cries and their un-
 seen lashes and rods. From fighting nostrils to feet the ocean
 clad me in cold. Tingling, thrilling. and sweet, a raiment none could behold, As I rose with urging of arms to tho
 shattered foam crests' rain, To look far over the deep and sink from
 the wind again. o hills of voices and snows. o valleys of
 sapphire and calm, That smote and wrenched and released
 to moments of respite and balm! Splendid. young, and eternal from bridal4
 of wind and sea! Though I sleep, at last in your vault &
 yet first ye shall war with me! Y
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22

Hush, little vineyard, don't you cry; youl make grapeiuice by and by" pr. Landrith, prohibition vice presidential candidate, said recently at Bedding, Cal. But the little vineyard" continues to weep at the thought of California going dry.
 What's the matter with Birming- hamT' Is a popular question these days, but it would take a card index system to keep up with all the answers. Another bank official who was known as a model man" has been arrested for embezzlement. Only had one bad habit, it seems, and that was stealing.
 *
 An advertiser pictures the far-famed Golden Gate as resembling a barn door An illustration like that would never do for a Southern Pacific folder.
 Y < Americans have contributed nearly S30,- 0Oo.OOO to war relief funds. A tidy sum, but individual Americans have made that much out of war contracts.
 4 < Great Britain has apologized for board ing the Cebu in territorial waters. That was small matter and therefore an apology was easy to make
 Y
 q knew God would catch me-" said a Chicago thief The detective who nabbed him probably felt that his skill was un- derrated.
 Villas supply of rifles and cartridges made in the United States seems to be ii -exhaustible. There's food for thought in that.
 A magazine writer thinks the class of immigrants to America will improve after the war. There is room for improve ment.
 General Funston's opinion of guards men who can't accomplish little hike of sS miles probably isn't fit to print. The Teuts can hardly be any prouder of their Zeppelins than the British are of their tanks made in America.
 * *
 Other democratic leaders may profit ably study the genial optimism of the Hon. Tom Marshall.
 *
 Hardly any class of business men view with alarm more continuously just now than the bakers.
 It will be several years yet before the tourist business in Mexico gets back to normal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
Paris Letter to the New York World

Paris Letter to the New York World.
 N GREAT civic movement for the
 AA cleaning up" of Paris is on foot C S under the direction of M. Urbain Confer. the noted editor of the Paris Journal, and other prominent men. No one in the future is to be given any pretext whatever to asperse the name of France or it's capital with the accusa- tion of decadence or degeneration.
 The Paris of the foreign tourist will be a. thing of the past after the war. The gay Babylon, the Vile Lumiere. the city of form of roystering gayety the very thought of which shocked prudish per sons the world over is to be cleaned up forever. That Paris is to die with the war. Its demise will be all the easier since, as a matter of fact, it never really existed.
 Paris, the great city of light, of mar vicious architecture, of art and beauty, and many attractions which no other city can rival, never in reality was any thing but serious city. The sinful mo- tions regarding it had their origin largely in the imagination of the foreign visi- tors ignorant of the elementary facts re- garding Paris, incapable of judging what their eyes beheld and unacquainted with the necessary variety of the modes of life of a great city.
 The idea was fomented also by the works of certain French novelists, usual ly. however, in a vein of satire which was lost on the duller foreigner.
 Paris, of course, had it's unconventional features, not because it was a French city, but because, regarded as the most the center of government of a nation de- voted to the most democratic ideas and respect for the liberty of others, it had tolerated the growth of amusement places of various kinds and of methods of con- duct which were allowed to pass on the apparent presumption that they were the native habits of the persons practicins them
 In all this the French people had no concern and took but little interest. It has often been said that the wicked per sons whom American tourists sat outside the cafes on the grand boulevards to watch were other Americans from the north or south of the hemisphere, ot Russians, Spaniards, Scandinavians or other foreigners.
 The French themselves, singularly serious and home and family loving peo' pie, could find no joy or amusement in the forms of pleasure which the foreign tourist seemed to find to his liking in Paris. The very famous cafes of the Boulevard Montmartre and of the Avenue de Clichy were almost without exception owned, operated and conducted by foreigners, and the tourist anxious to display his wealth was furnished in them opportunities for spending his money for forms of amusement which he would have
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
THE CHANGE IN PARIS

[ regarded as trivial and ridiculous at l home.
 i In Paris the great serious centers of at-
 traction are conducted by Frenchmen,
 and there the tourist gains profitable
 knowledge and experience in the appre-
 citation of the beautiful and in the de-
 velopment of his artistic instincts, l When the war began, the shady re- sorts run by foreigners were promptly put out of business but gradually they 1 began to be reopened. and, with the re. | turn of certain volume of the non critical tourist traffic, they expanded and
 gradually began to assume the aspect of
 the old days. The local government, still
 chiefly preoccupied by the war, had not
 in many cases taken the measures which were threatened against those who would
 not observe the law, and recently large section of the old-time questionable
 amusement places had been running al- I most In full blast series of raids by
 the police during the last fortnight has
 put most of them out of business. 1 The movement now on foot aims to put an end to them and to begin at once that policy which, it is understood. the French government has already decided on, of
 making Paris if possible still more attrac-
 tive for the clean minded tourist and of i eliminating forever the features which
 had given the city an undesirable name among the ignorant and untraveled in
 many lands. The leaders of the cleanup
 movement declare the thorough combing out of the city is taking place. | During the first part of the war
 Paris was dignfied, tranquil and clean
 Urbain Confer says in the Paris Journal. ''The bad social element had deserted
 it; thef good Frenchmen, the honest peo- ple remained the only masters of the
 city; the Apaches and the spies had run
 into their holes This was a unique
 period in our memories.
 The foreigners who in the past had thought themselves justified in compar- 1 ing this great center of courage and pa l triotism with Babylon in her palmy days were struck with respect and admiration.
 Now the normal life has begun again.
 That is to say, the malefactors of all kinds have reappeared and they have
 started their bold actions with impunity. | "Complaints have been made by the decent part of the population who had, | hoped that the evil clements were ban ished forever. The darknes which envel- | ops Paris after sunset is no longer merely the effect of an economy of fuel or a pre-
 caution against Zeppelins; it has the value of symbol. He who sees noth- | ing can say nothing There is shadow | and silence.
 "The evil elements quickly understood
 the advantages which this condition off l fered them to begin again their unde- sirable operations. Never was the mo- ment more favorable for the cleaning
 up which all honest people are now sigh ling for.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
NAIVE MIR. GOMPERs

New York Correspondence Cincinnati
 Times-StaA
 Samuel Gompers, arriving here to give the transit strikers the benefit of his in- fluence, advice and personal presence, remained two days in conference with the strike leaders, and then issued the following statement: ''The people of the city of New York, though inconvenienced, are appealed to to refrain from patroniz- ing cars and railroads involved in the strike until the companies agree to come to an adjustment with mutual honor and advantage"
 Then Mir Gompers took taxi and started back to Washington to resume his neighborly relations with diplomats and other devotees of elegant ease, anc language Though inconvenienced, is particularly good The average distance which separates New Yorker from his daily work is about 15 miles. And if thu average New Yorker wants to keep hi' job he has to be there on time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
TIMIDITY
Lord Chesterfield.


 Timidity is generally taken for stu pidity, which for the most part it is not,
 but proceeds from a want of education in good company. Very awkward, timid people, who have not been used to good company, are either ridiculousiy bashful or absurdly impudent. I have known many man impudent from shamefa cedness endeavoring to act req
 sonable assurance and flashing himself up to what he imagined to be proper and easy behavior. A very timid. bashful man is annihilated in good company, es- pecially of his superiors. He does not know what he says or does. and is in a ridiculous agitation both of body and mind Endeavor to possess your
 self with coolness and steadiness. Speak
 to the king with full as little concern
 (though with more respect as you would
 to your equals. This is the distinguish, ing characteristic of gentleman and a man of the world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
LUKE M'LUKE SAYS
Copyright, 1916 by the Cincinnati

Copyright, 1916, by the Cincinnati En-
 quirer).
 Winter may bring it's disappointments. But we won't have any opportunity to get our mouth set for real cantaloupe and then get a spoonful of something that tastes like laundry soap
 And what has become of the old-fash- toned Cyclorama?
 We didn't mind it so much when the girls merely wore invisible waists. But now that they have added invisible corset covers to the waist. it behooves a modest man to wear smoked glasses when he is out.
 We are pretty brave about some things. But we draw the line on eating salted peanuts in the dark.
 We would hate to live in a prohibition state when aeroplanes get to be as plen tiful as automobiles. Imagine having to dodge a shower of empty booze bottles all the time.
 The things that come to those who wait for them are pretty we'll shopworn when they arrive.
 When you are giving thanks for what you have don't forget to be thankful fol some things you haven't.
 The main difference between an aviator and a chauffeur is that an aviator sell dom has more than one accident.
 A woman shouldn't expect too much fl om husband. If she can train him to change his socks once week and to use the cuspidore when he wants to spit, and to empty the pan under the ice box every night, she has done pretty good job
 Why does man always take a second look at a red-headed girl?
 There was time when girl would rather have freckles than paint on her face We said there was a time.~ What has become of the old fashioned housekeeper who used to put little vanilla in everything she baked? Our idea of borrowing trouble is tc elope with another mans wife Some men work with their heads, some work with their hands, and others work with their mouths.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
A WELCOME CHANGE.

When autumn breezes start to blow And summer suits no longer show, 'Tis comforting, methinks, to know The hot and sultry seasons on the
 wane. Pedestrians more briskly walk, More hopefully promoters talk And obstacles no longer balk
 Which formerly caused people to com
 plain. It may be something in the air Forsooth, 'tis felt most everywhere And toilers erst o'ercome by care Begin to think they'll last another year. The poets may say what they please About the melancholy trees And blighted blooms along the leas But cooler weather brings no little
 cheer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
At late hour he was still alive.
Business Improvement

Marks of prosperity are being shown in Birmingham in the life insurance busi- ness" said Curtis Hasty, local insur- ance man, yesterday. We have experi- enced a considerable increase in business during this month, and prospects get bet. ter every day Taking this as an indica. tion, I believe much better times are in store for Birmingham.
 Not only in my business do I see in- dications of increase but in practically all other lines. Stores of all kinds are putting on larger forces and the shop pers are more numerous on the streets A retail shoe dealer told me few days ago that his firm sold more shoes last Saturday than they sold any one day during last fall and winter"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
Miners Not Successful

Alabama negroes do not make satis- factory miners in West Virginia" said c. E. Smith, United States marshal of the northern division, who was in Bir- mingham yesterday T understand that more than 1900 negroes have been trans ported from the Birmingham district to the coal fields of West Virginia, but from what I am told by other miners in that state the Alabama miner does not know how to mine that coah there fore is not very successful.
 The coal mines of West Virginia are running full blast and since so many negroes have been transported there, la bor, while not too plentiful, is sufficient to insure regular operations of the mines. The coal seams in West Virginia average about nine feet, and in most instances the coal is soft"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
NO DANGER!

From Life.
 Some few years ago the country was
 more or less startled by the news that a
 boy named Sidis was entering Harvard
 college at the age of Il. Thereupon en-
 sued an animated newspaper discussion
 over the merits of this prodigy, followed
 by statements on the part of his father Gan eminent Harvard psychologist de-
 claring his boy was no prodigy at all,
 but educated from infancy by a perfectly
 proper and emnently natural process.
 Many critics scoffed at this. Other cases
 were cited tending to show that wonder full results in education could be pro-
 duced in any child, if he be taught early enough. Then the critics fell back on the
 apparently impregnable position that it would, in the case of young Sidis, be
 necessary to wait lifetime before any
 guarantee of permanent results could safely be made And then came Henry
 Addington Bruce, who introduced us to a prodigy who learned any number of lan- guages at eight and lived to be S3. who matriculated at college at Il and was a professor at 16, and yet who was an or dinary child, educatdd by his father from infancy by system the secret of which is no secret at all.
 The name of this boy was Karl Witte. His father wrote a book about him. In common with Dr. Sidis, it is claimed by the author of this book that any or dinary child may accomplish what these boys have accomplished, if you begin with them as soon as possible after they are born. Furthermore, that their health, instead of suffering, is in reality con- served. because it is developed properly. There is. however, no danger what ever that this new idea in education will ever become popular in this country, and for very simple reason it necessitates the father giving up his time to the job. No American father can afford to do this. He is too busy earning enough money to keep his wife in clothes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22

characters actually said and substitute say through an Esperantist, what the characters should have said.
 Of course we should be muttonheads to do 1t, but it would tickle the vanity of the purists; besides it is possible for the world to- survive and prosper without real literature.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
A LIMITED OUTLOOK.

Has your son made any plans for the future. now that he has finished col lege2"
 NO" answered MT. Grabcoin. About all that boy has ever learned to do with any skill is to drive a motor car, and for the sake of the family pride, his mother won't let him be a chauffeur"