davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
THE CLIMBING CRICKET

By Madison Cawein. The summer hears you where she swings
 Among her poppy pods and dreams, While overhead the redbird sings.
 The blue jay screams; She hears you by the garden fence, A twilight sound, that takes the sense With drowsy incidence. Deep in the meditating wood,
 Where August sits with sultry eyes. Thinking of leaves and solitude
 And lazy skies, One listens, searching grass and ground For your cool crystals'of green sound, That glints around and round. And on the hills, when sunset glows,
 Red as the rose that tints a shell Of azure pearl, your music grows
 A fairy spell; And at its sound Day lays her down To rest, in gold and russet gown, Crowned with her starry crown. And lying there, as in dream,
 Hearing your flute note, at a glance She seems to see, where moonbeams
 gleam,
 The elfins dance; And. searching nearer, 10. she sees Your airy wings at vibrant ease Among the weeds and trees And on a finger tip of dew
 She lifts you, singing, to the moon; And ghosts of magic Boyhood knew,
 To your frail tune, Rise from their graves, like mists, and
 stand
 Around you, hand in tiny hand. Reckoning to Elfnland. .-.a
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
FISH THAT TRAVEL ON LAND

From the Popular Science Monthly.
 That certain species of fish are able actually to flop over the land is the remarkable discovery of Johns Hopkins professor.
 In the course of his investigations the professor noticed that such fish as min nows are often found in the little tenn porary pools that are left in the sand by the retreatlng tide. If the minnows are so unwary as to be caught when the en- trance is blocked, they actually leave the sea. The professor has often seen scores and scores of these fish leave large pools and travel over sand bars more than F feet wide and half foot high.
 A remarkable feature about this dis covery is that the fish never take the wrong direction for any great distance. When fish travel on land, the professor asserts, they spring like snakes or kan garoos by sudden bends of the body. AL though in it's fall the fish may find its head turned the wrong way, it neverthe- less makes it's next leap in the proper direction.
 These researches raise the question Is there some mental machinery at work in the tissues of fish, which may be in- stinct, which may be seen, and which may be something allied to memory? .
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
Gallant Montenegro

The heroism of the Belgians has been equaled by the Montenegrins, whose unconquerable spirit keeps them fighting when all hope seems lost. The Montenegrin consul in New York recently issued a statement de- lending King Nicholas from the charge that he had "sold his country to the enemy"
 Even in comparatively peaceful times the conditions prevailing in Montenegro are hardly credible to a person who lives in a reasonably prosperous and we'll fed country However, Montenegro has had little ueace for five hundred years. The
 od is rocky and poor. There is nc Agriculture and there are no indus tries. The people have been forced to lead a frugal life and in very short while they felt keenly the pres sure brought to bear on them in the present struggle.
 The consul states that at the be-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
 The five-foot shelf we have had with us for sometime; now we have the 10-foot kiss, the longer kisses having been shelved by the moving picture censor ship of Ohio and Pennsylvania. That is to say, the movie hero and heroine have 10 feet of film in which to accomplish their osculation. The Nethersoulful kiss is no more. The clinging, cloying tear fitness that detained Prince Charming till his necktie had changed it's spots and her hair was disheveled is in the discard. The referee says Break away!' and Cupid must comply. Ten feet sounds like a. good deal of kiss. but at the rapid rate of moving celluloid it winks by as briefly as a view from a car window. The course of true love cannot run smooth, it seems, even from the reel. The lovers must battle not merely against parental opposition, but against Breitin- ger and company. An Artemus Ward would say. this is mutch' for true love to endure.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
PRINT THE TRUTH
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: I wish to say that I enjoy the editorial columns of The Age-Herald because of the
 confidence I have in its truth It is no evidence of disloyalty to party to tell
 the exact truth as one sees 1t, and the reading public regardless of political opin-
 ion prefer this method to the one in vogue by some others who insist on wear ing a blind bridle.
 We pay our money for the news and | many if not all of us like 10 put conf1- dence in the editors personal views, no
 matter what his politics may be, and our respect for him increases when we find he will not blind himself to the truth.
 The criticism in an afternoon paper of recent editorials in The Age-Herald, from a narrow. prejudiced point Of view, may be right; but 1t is certain that editorials which seek to evade or hide the truth have very little force, and people soon lose faith and become disgusted with them.
 Those in position to know, either from reading or observation, recognize the cha otic conditions in our country, politically, and no one can predict what the future may hold. To be blindly partisan and | close our eyes to truth doesn't better | things any, and to attempt to lead others 1 by keeping them in the dark as to the real conditions, is not only futile, but a | very silly proceeding.
 | I know quite a number of others who
 like myself, place great confidence in Med Brace,' and greatly enjoy his writ | ings because of his plain manner of tell ing the exact truth as far as his knowI-
 edge goes, and this adds very greatly to
 the popularity of The Age-Herald among all classes of people
 1 "No blush of shame can tinge the brow l Of him who speaks the truth" l R. F. LACKEY l Rrnin
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

ginning of the war now raging in the
 Balkans the total population of Mon tenegro was about three hundred thousand, with an army of twenty thousands, increased by ten thousand recruits from America. These soldiers were of all ages from IS to 50, and it is estimated that a third have been lost. Two weeks after war was de- clared with Austria it is said that there was no flour to be bought in any of the small markets of Montenegro and sometimes the army fought for four days in the trenches without bread. It is also stated that the Mon tenegrin artillery is antiquated and the infantry is armed with old Rus sian repeating rifles, or guns taken from the Austrians and Turks, while much of the ammunition on hand when the war started was so old that it was useless.
 There is good reason to believe that conditions in Montenegro have not been exaggerated. Yet the brave little kingdom, led by it's aged mon arch, Nicholas, soldier and poet, has doggedly resisted it's stronger foes. There is no humiliation in the re- verses of the Montenegrins. They have upheld the splendid traditions of their country in battle.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
Begin Work on River Road Now

Let's have an early start on the highway from Birmingham to the Warrior river.
 County Engineer George H. Clark having submitted his report to the board of revenue on route surveys with complete data as to cost of con- stuction, according to whichever route may be selected and the char acter of the road material to be used, there should be no delay on the part of the board in reaching definite con- clusions.
 Public sentiment has thoroughly crystallized on the main question. Birmingham and the Warrior must be connected by a highway. Regarding details, various opinions have been expressed; but as the people have confidence in the board of revenues judgment the course it adopts will meet in the end with popular ap- proval.
 But the insistent demand now is for prompt beginning on construc- ton work.
 A large part of the road leading from Birmingham toward the Warrior is already macadamized, and while we should have ultimately highway as hard and smooth as any boulevard in- side the city, the proposition to con- tinue the macadam construction to the river and make this suffice for the present, is regarded with favor by many. This work could be done for about $160,0OO, and could be financed by the board out of the current rev enues of the county.
 Engineer Clark has called atten- tion to the fact that the macadam could be used as foundation for an x asphalt or brick roadway if it is de- cided later on to use material of the highest class. Nothing would be wasted. The members of the board are inclined to adopt the macadam plan as an experiment for a year at least; and action will probably be along that line.
 But to accommodate all classes of travel-heavy haulage as well as pleasure driving-the best roadbed that can be built will be needed, and this the county will be expected to provide in due time. And in order to get Birmingham on the river right the county must build a railway as well as highway.
 Now is the time for action. Let not the board put off this road matter vuhNl after the election. Proceed now. ceed now.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
NEWSPAPERS DECREASE

From the Layton NeWS.
 There are not as many newspapers in this country this year as there were last year. The directories issued by the va rious agencies show decreasing num- Der of journals, despite the fact that there have been a number of papers started.
 The decrease has been largely in the smaller cities and towns, although a number of papers in the large cities have gone out of existence by consolidation with other papers. But in the smaller cities and town the decrease has been very heavy through these consolda- tions.
 The number of papers in the country is going to decrease still further. The tendency is in that direction, and fewer and fewer new enterprises are started. It takes so much more money to start and operate a newspaper at this time than formerly that they are not started so readily.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
 ~ EEMINGLY incredible at the first
 careless reading, the elucidation 0 of the Baralong affair offered in a London dispatch to the Christiania is seen on more attentive examination to be necessarily true. It is for anybody good exercise in the weighing of evidence and probabilities, but there can be only one finding.
 The crew of the Nicosian, when their vessel was attacked by the German took refuge in the lifeboats With the crew were the American muleteers. Then the Baralong came up and sank the submarine. the Ger man crew of the underwater craft seeking safety aboard the Nicosian. What happened then is told in the London dispatch:
 "When the American muleteers, hav- ing returned with the crew to their own ship, discovered the members of the German submarines crew on board' these muleteers, not unnaturally, pe- came quite furious and fight ensueu' in which the muleteers wrecked their fury upon the men who, in attacking the English ship, were really guilty or attempting old-blooded murder
 It will be remembered that accord ing to the German story the British officers and crew of the Baralong were guilty of murdering the German SUD- marine men aboard the Nicoslan, such a story having been told by the Ameri- can muleteers. The slightest considera- tion of the probabilities disposes of that yarn. But see how the natural lm- pulses of human nature run wlth the story that makes the muleteers the chief actors in the tragedy. lneVltaoly their rage against the German supma- rine crew would flame up when they found the men who had sought to send tham to the bottom of the sea aboard their own ship; in what followed they would feel no restraining compunctlons' for the submarines attack was law less deed, the men guilty Of It were be- vond the protection of law. The deed once done, remorse would come, fear, and the desire to escape the conse- auences. What more natural than that in a hurried fo'csle council the story about the killing of the submarine crew by the Baralong's crew should be cooked up? The story is like the moral law, which has no contrary. The grip of Rants categorical imperative is not more sure.
 But the reasoning powers of all men are not perfected and there may be skeptics For their benefit it can be pointed out that at least this story is of higher verisimilitude than any one of the dozen German inventions put forward in explanation or palliation of submarine attacks on passenger ships. whether it will receive due honor and credit in Germany is doubtful. The inn perial government has announced re- prisals to avenge the slaughtered sub marine crew. That has not deeply moved
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
ADMIRABLE ALOOFNESS.

r don't know what's the matter,
 But, somehow, it seems to me There's too much idle chatter
 And ones life is seldom free F'rcm swiftly flying rumors
 That it's futile to deny, The work of spiteful humors
 And tendency to lie. Now, if you have a neighbor
 Who minds his own affairs, And should you loaf or labor, Iris not a fig he cares; Nor wastes the time surmising
 If things are thus and so With you, for aye advising
 What you already know, Then cling to him and carry
 His image in your heart; If Tom, or Dick, or Harry,
 It matters not-the part He plays does most commend him And proves him more than kind. And may the saints befriend him
 His like you seldom find.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
THE "sIJPER-KITCHENo

From the Rochester Democrat and
 Chronicle.
 A woman architect has designed a 16- story apartment house to be erected in the city of New York. She paid special attention to the kitchens, with dazzling results. These 'super-kitchens' are finished in white porcelain, and neither flame nor fire will burn within them Electric current will do the work.
 Stoves, ice, ventilators and, to large extent, human labor, are supplanted by electrical machines. Electricity will cook the meat and vegetables, freeze the des- sert, wash the dishes, wash and iron clothes and deodorize the air. Electric maids and cooks have not yet been de- vised
 These electrical kitchens are practical, but somewhat too expensive for ordinary use. They suggest, however, a mechan1- cal problem which is certain to receive much attention from engineers or the future-the production of cheap electric ity. If a way is ever found to supply. current in unlimited quantities and at a. low rate, there will be great changes in the mechanism of households. The hot and odorous kitchens will give way to cool ones where push buttons will work magical feats.
 It is not easy to foretell how cheap electricity will be obtained. It does not take long to reach the limitations Of water power, and tons of coal must be burned to turn generators. Undoubt- edly the puzzle will be solved in time. Such an alluring goal must set many fn- genious minds to work; and the achieve ments of the past 50 years make 1t easy to believe that no mechanical prob- lem except perpetual motion is beyond the inventive genius of man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

Interesting experiments have been made by the public health service in conjunc- tion with the health authorities of the state of California, regarding the best methods for destroying the plague bear ing ground squirrel. The susceptibility of this little animal and other creatures to poison has been found to vary consid- erably. For instance, it was feared by the officers of the California state game commission that quail might be killed by eating poisoned barley, which is the principal method used for destroying ground squirrels A series of tests were recently carried out with squirrels and quail by the public health service. The strychnine suphate employed will kill taken, while quail, which are apparently less robust, can swallow large quantities of the poisoned grain without any ill eff fleets. It was found that in order to kill bird three times as much poison was required as the fatal dose for a squirrel, or 10 times as much in proportion to the body weight. The poison acts with such rapidity on the rodents that they are killed by merely holding the poisoned grain in their cheek pouches, while the quail withstand much larger doses of strych- nine, despite the fact that it is taken di- rectly into their digestive systems
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

When I was a youth I was held up as a. shining example for all the other lads in the neighborhood remarked the melancholy man.
 "Oh, yes. But you have no idea what a quantity of wild oats I had to SOW be- fore I convinced myself that I was 8 regular fellow.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

Minority Leader Mann's ringing speech in the House of Representatives yesterday in favor of preparedness was on nonpartisan lines, and was heart ily applauded by both sides. Re- garding cost of army and navy ln- crease, Mr. Mann said: Tt would be millions now, but better that than bil- lions later" And this aphorism might be we'll used for a national defense slogan.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
TOO ABSTRUSE.

"Your boy seems to know all the scien- tific ends and outs of farming
 Yes" answered old MT. Cobbles, But I don't see that it does me any good"
 "Why not?"
 "He spends so much time in what he calls elucidating his theories that me an the hired men never do get full day S work done.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
TOO MUCH TALENT.

Boss, I'll be perfectly frank with you. I'm just out of the penitentiary and I want job"
 Well, I was president of the prison bank member of the dramatic club, pitcher on the baseball team and mem- Der of the Intramural quartet
 "Uh. I'm afraid I can't do anything for you. The only job we have open just now is a janitorship and I'd be ashamed to offer you that"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
ONE OF THE "PEEPUL,

From the Louisville Courier-Journal. A really democratic man is one who whittles with a barlow, eats at a dairy
 lunch restaurant, wears a dollar watch, drives a tin automobile and does not brag about his pedigree
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
Industrial Activity

trom all indications, business and in- dustrial conditions in the Birmingham district are on par with those of north ern cities,' remarked c. K. Maxwell, formerly of Birmingham, but now of New York, who will return Wednesday to the metropolis where he holds a responsible
 position with one of the largest banking
 institutions of the country.
 For the past month have had leisure,
 and was glad. indeed, to return to old
 Alabama and renew ties of friendship
 after an absence of two years. When l
 left New York short time ago the holi-
 day spirit was having full sway and in
 business and banking circles there was no
 sentiment expressed that might mar the
 enjoyment of the occasion. The great in-
 Aux of war orders and the renewed &C.,
 tivity of the stock exchange has been suf-
 ficient to make the financial pulse of the
 nation bound with healthful vigor; if the
 of Wall street are to be given full ere
 dence
 From time to time I had received
 news and rumors indicating that things had become rather dull in the southern states, and feared that my Birmingham friends might have been badly affected.
 But upon reaching this city I could detect TO sign of departure from the old time period of industrial activity and pros- perity. And Birmingham, ill fact from all that I can gather, is now experiencing a degree of industrial and commercial activity seldom equaled in any city of its size.
 "As I mentioned before I have spent a part of my time in the southeastern part of the state, and while the boil weevil is said to have played havoc with | the cotton crop in that section planters everywhere express the hope that the
 damage may be greatly minimized by
 broad policy of crop diversification. 1T have certainly enjoyed my visit to Alabama, and it is with feeling of regret that I bid my many and kind friends here au revoir"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
THE TRUTH AT LAST"

the English, for their obvious reply was that inasmuch as Germany from the beginning of the war has carried it on by methods which embraced pret- ty nearly every imaginable atrocity, all the violations of the laws of God and man that fell in Germany's way to com init, the proclamation of reprisal is merely way of saying that Germony will continue as she has begun.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
DEADLY STUFF

From the Boston Herald
 If the Russian government wants to make the most effective use of the 200,- 100000 gallons of vodka that it has on hand. it should send it to Germany.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
A FIC FOR PANCHO!

From the Cincinnati Times-Star.
 It must be terrible for the administra- tion at Washington to ponder on the depths to which it's former favorite, the excellent MT. Villa, has fallen.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
COULDN'T BE WELL INFORMED

From the Youngstown Telegram.
 A Missouri woman says she is going to run for vice president. Too bad. just when women are forging ahead, that one of them has to slip back that way.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

MT. Bryan denies that he will trail Still, the impression prevails that the Commoner has meat ax buttoned up in the bosom of his coat
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
PROLONGING THE WATT.

PROLONGING THE WAIT. See here Dubson, how much longer must I wait for you to pay me that ten- spot you owe me?'
 Patience, man, patience. I'll pay you just as soon as I get around to it." Well, for heavens sake don't make such a wide detour."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
CRUELTY TO FATHER

From the Cincinnati Times-Star.
 Tantalus experienced no torture equal to that of the man OF a diet who is forced to watch his family consume a thick, rich, brown-crusted mince pie.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

President Wilson will have a hard time explaining just what he meant by saying nation may be too proud to fight-ex- plaining it in terms that can be grasped by the average voter
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
WILLING WORKERS.

"Is this government of the people and by the people?" asked the foreign visitor.
 "Oh yes," answered the practical poli- tician That's what it is in theory, but we endeavor to promote the happiness of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
UNFAIR TO HELL

From the Knickerbocker Press.
 "In the great warfare for a sober na- tion the gates of hell, Terre Haute, Cin- cinnati and Philadelphia combined can not prevail against the warriors" says the Anti-Saloon league. Why drag in hell?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

BEGINNING THE DAf-My Fath- CT, need wisdom today. More ana more | feel that I know not. A nun
 drcd voices call, hundred paths invite Which shall I choose am1d so manys How shall I know the hest. How shall I make my time and my strength weigh the most' q God, | come to Thee; guide me. For Christ's sake. Amen.-H. M. E.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

The bottom of the Chicago river is blamed for the Eastland disaster. The idea seems to have gotten out, somehow, that the bottom of the boat was more or less to blame.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26
ASK THE COLONEL

From the Youngstown Telegram.
 Army experts say it would take at least 27C,000 men to clean up Mexico. Wonder if that is with or without Colonel Roose- Yelt2
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

And people are beginning to wonder how they ever passed the time away be- fore the advent of moving pictures,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

The condition of Franz Josef is again reported grave" Even if he should drop off, the Kaiser might be able to worry along without him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

The erstwhile Sick Man of Europe is not only taking on flesh and gaining strength, but he smiles dreamily every time the allies are mentioned.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

The grippe epidemic seems to have abated somewhat, but there are plenty of germs yet lying in wait for the unwary.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-26

Indignation should not blind this coun- try to the fact that all the outlaws along the Mexican border are not Mexicans.