davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

subjects, and they want to tell the New
Yorker that he doesn't know real life,
such as Is lived in Buns Crossroads. It's
really no use, you know, New York has
been receiving too many visitors for too
many years. If there is really anything
new in what a man thinks, or has to
say; if a visitor has something original
in ideas, talents, impressions-or any
thing-New York will find it out and
he will be able to market it proftably
Don't worry about our visiting friends
depression. 1t is temporary. Nothing can
change them but time, and that time
No man who wants to live alone, or to
enjoy a lot of special privileges is exactly
the kind OF man he ought to be. No her
init is a broad minded man, no recluse
can be other than selfish one Crowds
depress only those who think too much
of self, and Manhattan is one of the
best cures for this form of egotism and
selfishness to be found in the world"
Go to IT. is the name of play that
opened this week at the Princess thea
tire. Thirty-eighth street near Broadway.
Reviewers speak with some favor of its
merits, but in the absence of the Gus
tomary" courtesies'' | couldn't Go To IT.
fixing Sister, is the title of William
Hodges new play, in which he is ap-
pearing at Maxine Elliotts. This vehicle
is said to be the best he has had since
1.-THE Man From Home" which many
southern cities remember most pleas
antly.
John D. (not Rockefeller) who used
to live in Atlanta, but who has been a
resident Of Manhattan for 10 years, and
who is thoroughly sophisticated and all
that sort of thing told me the other
day, he had met one of the choicest
things in femininity it had ever been
his pleasure to lay eyes upon.
Yesterday he came to see me again
and his opinion was bit altered-and as
I said, he is quite sophisticated too.
1t seems that John took the fair Miss -
to a tea dansant at Rector's the other
afternoon. He said she behaved as if
sh. had never entered such nice place
before. She had to slip away from home,
too, he said, because she wouldn't let
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29
BMRNGTQGEEAMYS PUBLIC GOLF LlN1KS--By Bill Vines

~ ~ lSTUR EDDITUR: see that your valew-
INAWl abull paper is aggtatng a publick golf
UVJl links for the plain peepul of Birmingham
am glad to see this. If There is emmy
thing that the plain peepul of growing and thriving
city like Birmingham needs outside of an incum grow
ing in proporsions to the city and There Families
1t is, perhaps, golf links Golf links air crate boon
to the tired bzness man-and they mite likewise be
CRATE boon to the ordinery citizen who makes his
living working for sumone else-or working some
one else, as the may be- There is nuthing that
will do man moor good than to be abull to brake
away frum his annoyenses-whatevver they may be-,
and wander out to the golf links and beet pill
over the SCENERY. The fammery fisssian will tell
you that what you need for that down condision
is plenty OF outdoor exersise and fresh air. Nine
times out OF 10 when you go to him feeling all shot
to peeses, with coat of varnsh inch thick your
tung he will look you over thump you in the Stats
feel your temperature and ninsal standing and then
advise you to take up golluf 'Gouf seys the Termed
doctur viii take your mind off bizness, give you
laxason, arouse nturrest in the geografy of the
immunity and environs test your religion sooth your
high strung nurves and provide meens of escape
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

him call for-just met him on a Times
square corner.
When John suggested champagne-he
is quite prosperous these days-the little
lady was absolutely shocked Couldn't
think of such thing-pever had thought
of anything OF the l1ind-and tea was
quite strong enough to suit her.
They had a delightful afternoon to-
gether, and after they left Rectors shd
asked him to accompany her to a certain
department store and leave her there.
she had promised to pay a bill for a
friend-yes, the girl friend had given her
$40 to pay it with, and she had the ~
right in her-heavens!-no, she hadn't
how on earth could she have lost it, and
what in the world would she do. She
had to pay the bill for her friend, of
course, as she had promised to- and
though she could get the money from
her mother when she got home, that
would call for another trip, and the
store would be closed and-oh, she
couldn't think of taking Johns twenty
because-well, if he felt that way about
it, why, she could, OF course, return it
and she was the most grateful little
thing you ever saw.
Naturally, John felt quite proud OF
himself-that is, proud of the fact that
he had twenty dollar bill in his pocket
book, ready-just like that-to pass it out
whenever it was needed In SO gooo Il
cause. BY s o'clock he was in his dress
suit, silk hat, cane and everything and
on his way to see the little lady, and
to his credit be it said. he wasn't even
thinking of the twenty. and didn't intend
asking her for it at all.
Having arrived at the address she had
given him, he could hardly understand
how so nice girl could live there. He
discovered the number, which was 5S3 to
be over the door of a corner gn-rlill
Summoning his courage he made an in
qury at the bar. and was laughingly
told that no such person lived over the
saloon, or near it, so far as the wise
bartender knew.
And John was sophisticated, as I told
you. But hold-are you laughing at him?
Poor John deserves your sympathy rather
than your jeers. At his office the next
morning he found scented envelope in
which was enclosed a $40 bill, and an irate
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

Does that throng along Broadway
there depress you? No, because you have
lived among them long enough to under
stand them, and it is no longer a source
of pain to you because they do not look
at you and say to each other: There
goes ........" Then, too, consciously or
subconsciously, you have gone through a
psychological change. The thoughts Of a
crowd have a way of communicating
themselves, in a sort of general average,
to each member thereof. He feels the
thought of those about him unless he
has acquired the art of resisting when
the general average is unpleasant.
The whole cause of the average visit
ors hatred of the people here lies in the
fact that he does not understand them.
When one knows them, understands
them, he cannot hate them. 1t was a
famous writer of other days who, in a
cafe one evening, pointed out man
at another table and remarked that he
hated the fellow cordially.
why said one of those at the ia
BILE with him, you do not even know
the man.
piled, if knew him I would not hate
him. cannot hate anyone I really
know"
Such is the case with our visitors.
The fact is generally known and under
stood here. Those who understand like
us, and like the city. The New Yorker
frequently does not like the smaller cities
he visits. but, as a rule, he hides that
feeling, and it is easier for him to hide
because he feels that his best move is to
make the natives think he likes the city
and its people immensely. And that is
just another little diplomatic move that
New York city life has taught him.
None is more susceptible to flattery
than the New Yorker. If our visitors
Were all clever, they would tell the New
Yorker how they admire his city; how
they appreciate its wonders; how they
marvel at the throngs, the great systems,
the great buildings, everything here
and as a result they would be shown
more. smiled upon, and would get bet
ter first impression.
But as a rule they come here with
chip on their shoulder They seem to
think that New York knows ABOUT them,
and is ready to challenge them on various
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

little sentence or two accusing him of
breaking engagement after the most
objectionable fashion. And what he called
to see me about was to ask me not to
tell the folks down in Atlanta that he
might get married as soon as he can
fix it up again with the Little Lady of
the Twenty dollar Bill
One of the most important religious
celebrations that has been held in New
York in many years will be presided over
by a clergyman well known in the south.
and formerly rector of Christ Church,
Nashville, DIR. William T. Manning. The
celebration will mark the one hundred
and fiftieth anniversary of the opening
of st. Pauls chapel, Broadway and Full
ton street.
This church is the oldest of the chapels
of wealthy Trinity parish, and is the old
est public building in New York city
1t is also the only personal---very.
church building in the city. 1t was opened
for divine service in 1776, 10 years before
the Declaration of Independence.
At the ceebrat ton October 30 President
Wilson will occupy the pew so often oc-
cupied by Gen. George Washington, and
Governor Whitman will sit where Gov
ernor Clinton used to worship. The vet
eran corps of artillery of the Sons of the
Revolution will attend in full dress uni
forms and will bear the same banner car
ried at Washington's inauguration as
first President of the United States
DR.. Manning will deliver the sermon,
and in his congregation will be many
other notables besides the President,
members of his cabinet, tho two ex-
Presidents and Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood
Admiral Usher will be there, the mayor
OF New York city and his staff, every
borough president and number of Epis-
copal bishops.
Dr. Manning, who has received many
honors from his church and from New
York city. declares that he still loves the
south best of all and considers it his
home.
OF course you knew Billie Burke is a
mother. The child is said to be a beau
tiful little grill haven't seen it, and
couldn't tell If should-and she will call
Il Gloria" because she has been appear
ing in the movies in "Gloria's Romance"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29
Electricity on the Farm
From the Electric Newa SerrIca.


Ten years ago central station electricity
in some communities, and was not obtain
able at any price in most farming dis
tricts. Since then improvements in cleo
trical machinery, the extension of high
power transmission lines and the develop
ment of great power projects has brought
electric power into hundreds of farm
homes at price within reach of the
humblest farmers purse. The rate Is
usually between 10 and Is cents per kiio-
watt today. and recent improvements In
motors and lights make the consumers
money purchase more light and power
TINA 1t ever did before
At 10 cents per ldlowatt-hour the price
usually charged, engineers of the General
Electric company have figured that tho
price of a postage stamp win buy enough
electricity to-
Milk 10 COWS,
Churn 20 pounds of butter
Separate 400 pounds of milk in a cream
separator,
DO two large family washings
Heat an electric flatiron for half an
hour,
Run a sewing machine for four hours
Make griddle cakes on an electric grid
die twice,
Pump water enough to last the family
two days,
Sharpen an axe or scythe on the grind
stone six times,
Thresh five buhels OF oats, four bushels
of barley and two and one-half bushels
of wheat,
Light a 4o-watt Mazda lamp (about "a
candle powep an hour day for five
days.
Make FIVE slices of toast every morning
for four mornings.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

Is mixed with silver and is not worth
more than s13 an ounce. Other gold dust
may be worth $50 an ounce. When the
dust comes to Mr.. Beraud it is assayed-
that is, it is melted and its gold contents
tested.
The assay is made after the gold is
cast into bricks From each brick a
corner is cut off with chisel the amount
taken being about the size of a marrowfat
pea. This is hammered out on an anvil
and run through rollers until it is as
thin as the newspaper on which this let
ter is printed. A little strip of this gold
leaf is then taken off and weighed on
the fine scales above spoken of. 1t is
so treated by melting in a furnace that
the impurities are taken out and a little
button of purse gold is left. This button
is weighed and it's weight subtracted
from the weight of the strip before it
was melted The result shows the amount
of pure gold to the brick; and there are
tables giving its value in dollars and
cents.
/ asked the assayer whether he did
not covet the metal he handled. He re-
plied
.T never think of the value. ! have
been working in gold SO long that the
stuff seems to me just like corn or oats
in the hands of a farmer. 1t is like the
raw material used in machinery. 1t was
different when first began to assay at
Dawson. / had never seen gold dust
and nuggets in quantity before and
almost went crazy. liked the look OF
the gold and 1 bought nuggets and had
gold pins and chains made of them. ]
wore a nugget as scarfpin and had
nugget cuff buttons. After a time
away A
| asked Mr. Baraud about his early
experiences in Dawson. He described
those days when fortunes were made
in week. detailing some Of the ex-
travagances Of the miners Said he:
1.-THE gold came so easily that they
I almost threw it about. The miners
would go with their gold from saloon
to saloon treating the crowd and
throwing the poke to the bartender
to weigh out the amount of each treat
They were so careless that a man
might take out double the quantity and
not be detected A miner might have a
thousand dollars worth of gold in his
bag and spend it all in an evening
Now and then one would come into a
dance hall and, taking his seat in the
gallery. call one Of the girls to stand
under him while he poured gold dust
into her hair, A dance hall girl might
thus clean up $50 in a single. sham
poo. l remember miner named Hau-
ser, who fell in love with girl and
got her to marry him by paying heI
what she weighed in gold dust. She
stepped on the scales and kicked the
beam at 135 pounds avordupois. Shs
weighed over 200 ounces, which, at 81,
an ounce, cost him over $3s,000."
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29
The Mechanics of shopIifting

From the Popular Science Monthly.
For sheer cleverness the professional
shoplifter deserves the iron cross of
thiefdom. TIe or she (there are just as
many men as women in this vocation),
must work under the vigilant eyes of
detectives. Yet shoplifters ply their
trade with seeming indifference, pilfering
finery that totals hundreds of thousands
of dollars year.
Although department stores reluc-
family admit 1T, the fact is that shop
lifting is as profitable as ever. There
are reasons enough The professional
shoplifter has his regular customers for
whom he steals The customer selects
the article in thes tore, the shoplifter
steals it. obtains fair price for it-plus
his cleverness, and the deal is closed
and forgotten. 1t is purely a business
transaction--cash only, and no questions
asked. There is no dickering with a
fence" or secondhand dealer. con-
sequently the police are thrown off the
usual beaten path.
Unfortunately for our stores the
professional shoplfter has found time
and opportunity to turn inventor. His
tools are ingenious mechanical contri-
vances One of these Is the false bottom.
hinged flap travel bag, recently found in
the possession of a Hungarian team
two young men and woman.
Innocent looking in itself. the bag is
veritable storehouse for purloined ar
ticles. The thief places the bag on the
counter over the article to be stolen BY
leaning carelessy on 1t enough pressure
is exerted to force the article up past the
hinged flaps into the false bottom. II
the thief is apprehended the bag is
opened and reveals nothing, unless the
searcher suspects that there Is false
bottom.
when a thief is caught with the
side-flap suitcase, conviction is almost al
ways sure to follow. However, the con-
trivance is very effective in stealing rib
bons, gloves handkerchiefs and hosiery.
The bag is placed on the floor and the
articles are simply rolled off the counter
on to the flap as the thief calmly looks
the salesgirl in tho eye. The flap Is re-
turned to its position by the foot.
Then there is the subtle third arm used
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29
JEW YORK, October 2S.-(Special)
1t was my friend from Dixieswho
| put the question into my mind.
You will rememher wrote VOL

O 7EW YORK, October 8.-(Special.)
IN\II 1t was my friend from Dixieswho
IL Nj put the question into my mind.
You will remember I wrote you
that he hated New York city after a
brief residence here hated it just like
nine out of 10 visitors and newcomers
hate it-with the hate of misunderstand-
ing. So, after listening attentively to his
outburst against the life and people OF
Gotham, looked UP the-man- who ought
to-know.
"Hates New Yorlz's crowds and cold
ness, does he" said the M. w. Q. T. *.
well, that's easy to understand. You
know, / used to live in a smaller city
myself, way back in the days of which
you know nothing. Yep, used to live in
southern city, too, where had a large
circle of friends and acquaintance, and
where 1 think I had right to feel my
Importance a little.
You see, it's this way: the majority Of
us are selfish to begin with. We like spe-
ciaI privileges, special favors, honors and
the like, and where there are a lot of
people in on the same thing, we like to be
in a little better than the rest of them
that is, until after we get cured of the
habit.
Look down Broadway, there. See that
mass of pedestrians? Now to the OUT
slider that sight is distinctly depressing
He feels that he must get into that throng
with mo moro special privileges than the
least among them all. He has come from
a town, we'll say, where he has been ac-
customed to meet friends as he walks
down town; where great many people
tip their hats to him and where he is ac-
corded a sort of right of way.
THE contrast with what he finds him
self up against on Broadway hurts him
1t doesn't really hurt him, you know.
No. on the contrary, it does him good, but
it hits his egotsm right where it thrives
best and he feels the blow severely. He
immediately feels that there is a
kind of injustice being done him. He
would find it difficult to explain just
what it is, but he feels it, and instinc-
lively he concludes that, in some mys-
FERROUS way, these great masses Of
human beings are responsible for it all.
HE then proceeds to dislike them. In
most cases the dislike grows to real
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29
NEW GOLD MINES I'm AlASKA--By Frank c. Carpenter

be the terminus Of this branch of the
railroad.
The Innoko district has Is or 80 mines
now working. The gold output Of the
Iditarod annually amounts to $1,000, 600 and
upward The placers are on or near the
Tditarod river, a branch Of the Innoko,
about 100 miles southeast of Fort Nc
Grath. The gold is found in the beds of
the creeks. A great part of the output is
that of the Yukon Gold company, which
is working the creeks with dredges driv-
en- by gasoline or electricity. There are
several hundred men employed there.
board.
Another rich placer district is at Ruby,
close to the Yukon. 1t produced five dir
ferent mines which are operated during
the summer. In the Hot Springs district,
which lies near Tannana river, between
Fairbanks and Fort Gibson, 40 mines are
being operated, and not far away are .he
Talovana and other new gold fields
In all of these gold regions, the out
put depends on fuel to operate the ma
chinery and to generate the steam
needed to thaw the mass of frozen
gravel and ice in which the gold lies.
The gold may be SO, or even $50 feet
below the surface. 1t has been held
there in it's frozen vault for thousands
Of years, and heat is the only key that
will unlock the door and let the gold
out.
In the mines about Fairbanks they
Win y1nu ri a
cord for the wood from the spruce.
birch and cottonwood trees nearby.
This wood is soft and of small heating
value. two cords of 1t being equal to
only one ton of soft coal. When the
railroad is finished the miners will get
coal for S. or Sc a ton, and this will
represent heating value for which
they are now paying from $50 to $50.
1t will give them a clean saving OF $25
in the cost Of their fuel. This saving
alone means big dividends to many
mines that are now wavering between
profit and loss
The coal for the Fairbanks mines will
come from the Nenana coal fields.
through which the railroad will pass.
These are the largest in the basin Of
the Yukon. They have many veins
which run up to 20 feet in thick
ness Nand there is one that shows by
actual measure so feet Of coal. There
is an area Of more than 10000 acres
that is known to be underlaid by this
coal and coal is found here and there
over $4,000 acres Many of the out
groupings have not yet been tested, and
no one has estimated how much coal
there may be- The Nenana coal is not
as good as that which comes from Ma
tanuska; but it is Ignite with good
steaming qualities, and it will be Of
great value to the gold miners.
Travelling through gold country
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-29

one thinks gold, talks gold, and, con-
sidering the prices at the restaurants,
I might almost say, eats and drinks
gold. You see SO much gold in the
mines and the banks that you feel like
the beggar boy with his nose flattened
against, the glass window of the candy
store. There is plenty to be had were
it not for the barrier between you and
the taking. At the clean-ups Of the
camps l have handled gold nuggets as
one handles shelled corn, and at the
assay offices / have held up $4,000
worth of pure gold in one brick While
at Dawson I saw 100000 worth of
bricks wheeled about on a truck, such
as you lind at a country railroad sta
ton. The gold bricks were heavy. They
were worth from $4,000 to $50, 900
apiece. AT the same place saw ton
of amalgam, consisting of quicksilver
mixed with gold. which will be shipped
out to be reduced to gold bullion. The
amalgam is put into a furnace, a gall
lon or SO at a time. An intense heat
is turned on. This melts the amalgam
and turns the quicksilver to a vapor,
which passes off into coil where it
condenses and runs out as quicksilver
again. The pure gold alone remains in
the furnace.
1 met here at Fairbanks a man who
has melted more than $4,000, 900 worth of
gold dust and nuggets, and who is now
making bullion to the amount of S. 00O, 900
a year. This is Mr.. G. e. Beraud,N the
assayer of the First National bank. He
is chemist and metallurgist of note,
and was the government assayer at Daw-
son when they gere getting out gold by
the millions
All of the banks here buy gold. and
each has its melting pots. where the dust
and nuggets are turned into bricks for
shipment outside You see these gold
bricks on the bank counters. Some are
as small as cake of sweet chocolate
and others are SO large that if one fell
on your toes it would crush them to
jelly.
The assaying and melting is usually
done outside the bank. Mr. Beraud' 5
shop is rude zinc shed not much bet
ter than the portable houses used for
automobiles. 1t contains a little furnace
and the various implements of the as
sayer, including molds, bone-ash and
scales. The scales are SO delicate that
they will weigh a pencil mark on a sheet
Of fine tissue paper or a single silky hair
of baby.
The gold dust is brought in to the banks
by the miners in bags of buckskin as big
q q q rt- s,l, fs1sf nf
long. Such bags are called pokes. The
banker takes the poke and pours the
metal out ON the scales, and then either
pays cash outright for the gold according
to weight or gives the miner credit
slip. which entities him to its actual value
after it has been turned into bullion.
The gold dust is os difssr.st values. Some