davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
Birmingham,s Large Growth

Among the many evidences of Bir- mingham's large growth the crowds and the new faces I see on the streets especially impress me-" said Dr. M. E Casey of Chattanooga, formerly a resi- dent of this city.
 When I left here 10 years ago knew by sight nearly every man pass ing along the thoroughfares, but not so now. I have been spending week here and have marveled at the strides the city is making.
 "When I became a citizen of Bir- mingham a good many years ago it was a bustling place, and I thought thai some day it would attain large size but I never expected to live to see the time when it would be the magnificent city it is now It is one of the most beautiful cities in this country as well as one of the most progressive.'
 pr. Casey was born in Boston, grew up in New York, lived several years in Washington and afterward in San Francisco. He has been. world-trav- eler, having visited Europe and the orient and nearly every state in the union.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
The Year Full of Promise

"The year 1916 finds things on a boom around the Birmingham Y. M C.. A." remarked Secretary Stallings, and it apparently holds many good things in store for the institution.
 "On the first three days of the month more thdn a score of young men 1n- dicated their desire to start the new year right by coming forward of their own accord to secure memberships and there has been steady stream of new memberships ever since.
 But, come to think of it, one need not be in any way surprised that the young men of the city are fast begin- ming to appreciate the full benefits to be derived from participating in the activities of the local institution; for one can hardly visit the association and fail to realize that new life has been thrown into the organization and that the great building with its eX- cellept equipment is kept up to the notch in practically every respect. New forms of entertainment and modes or self-improvement are constantly being planned and carried out; and the sub way with it's fine bowling alley, pool and billiard parlor and model lunch room are daily growing in popular Ia yor and esteem"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
Will Be Hot Campaign

''1t is reasonable to assume that the forthcoming presidential campaign will be one of the fever-heat sort" said J. c. Lyman of Chicago.
 Roosevelt will be tho candidate ot both the republicans and the progressives and President Wilson will be the demo- cratic standard bearer. MT. Wilson is great orator and knows well how to be aggr essive. Roosevelt will make the ef- fort of his life. He will be unsparing in his arraignment of the democratic party and of the Wilson administration, and mo- l'ody can be more vitrolic than the colonel. Yes, it will be hot campaign, and I will not venture a prediction as to the winner. I voted for Wilson in 1912 and will vote for him again next Novem- Der, but have met not a few democrats who have been much dissatisfied with tie Mexican policy throughout, and who will vote for Roosevelt
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
THE sERv1AN ExpArRIATEs

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 The Achilleion, a great summer palace on the island of Corfu, has long been one of the favorite residences of the Em- peror of Germany. Overlooking the blue Ionian sea, he has from year to year found time occasionally to forget the cares of state.
 Now, although Corfu is Greek territory, the British have seized the Achilleion and all the German property, and have trans formed the marble palace into an asylum for homeless Servian refugees. Here amid imperial splendor, women and chil- dren who suffered the long martyrdom of a winter march across the mountains of Albania, are being housed and well cared for
 These are the most fortunate of all Servians. They are but pitifuIly small part of the people who fled before the Teuton and Bulgar invaders, and who are now scattered in all directions.
 In Sentaria, an Albanian town which was much noticed in the Balkan war, hundreds of Servian women and chill dren are dying. The refugees have only the scantiest shelter and the most meager food. Nearly all the babies are already dead. Montenegro herself almost on the verge of annihilaton, has done her ut most to save and protect the exiles, but that utmost is not enough.
 Elsewhere throughout Albania are scat tered bands of expatriates dumbly won dering at the cruelty of their fate. In notheren Greece are many more, and some have reached Saloniki, and have claimed the aid of the French and British masters of that city.
 The fate of Servia is even more cruel than that of Belgium; for the Belgfans, though sullenly resenting the German Doverlordship, have mostly remained in their country. In Servia comparatively few have remained. The whole nation is practically in exile homeless in the cruel rigor of Balkan winter.
 The story of what the war meant to Serva has not yet been told. Its horror will surpass the horror of the stories of Belgium, of Poland, of Masurenland, and mayA almost equal the awful tale of Ar menia.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
AUTUMNAL DREAMS

By Bayard Taylor When the maple turns to crimson
 And the sassafras to gold; When the gentian's in the meadow
 And the aster's on the wold; When the moon is wrapped in vapor
 And the night is frosty cold; When the chestnut burrs are opened
 And the acorns drop like hail, And the drowsy air is startled
 With the humping of the frail, With the drumming of the partridge
 And the whistling of the quail Through the rustling wood I wander,
 Through the Jewels Of the year, From the yellow uplands calling.
 Seeking her that still is dear; She is near me in the autumn.
 She, the beautiful. is near. :, Through the smoke of burning summer,
 When the weary winds are still. can see her in the valley,
 can see her on the hill- In the splendor of the woodlands,
 In the whisper of the Till. For the shores of earth and heaven a Meet and mingle in the blue; She can wander down the glory
 To the places that she knew. Where the happy lovers wandered
 In the days when life was true. So. I think, when days are sweetest
 And the world is wholly fair, khe may sometime steal upon me ~ Through the dimness of the air. With the cross upon her bosom And the amaranth in her hair. Once to meet her, ah!sto meet her < And to hold her gently fast Fill I blessed her. till she blessed me.
 That were happiness at last; That were bliss beyond our meetingp < In the autumns of the pastI
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21

large reserve army, but said the
 present authorized strength of the
 regular establishment was ample for
 peace footing. Several officers
 known as experts have suggested that an increase in the regular army up to 10000 men would be sufficient. A few congressman who are com mitted to the Presidents defense pol .icy think an expansion of the navy is about all that should be attempted now. They say that two years hence will be time enough to enlarge the army But General Wood and the of ficers generally insist that what is to be done in the way of increasing the army should be done without delay. Judson Maxim, the inventor of the Maxim gun, expressed the idea in a recent interview that immediately after the war one or more of the bel ligerent powers would attack the United States. General Wood sug
 gested similar idea in his talk to the Senate committee.
 But when the European conflict is ended, all the belligerents will be too weak to fight a fresh country. They will have to stop long enough, at any rate, for rehabilitation. The prob ability is, however, that in the course of eight or ten years, possibly in five years, the United States will have to defend itself against foreign foe.
 Adequate preparation requires time, especially in the betterment of navy; and that is why large pro- gramme for the navy, covering five years, is deemed of vital importance.
 But unless there be unity of pur- pose and agreement on definite scheme, Congress will continue to mark time and do nothing. Never was strong legislative leadership more needed than now if the demo- cratic party is to save it's face.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
-----'$'------ JOKE ON ELDER SOT'HERN

From My Remembrances, by Edward
 H. Sothern, in the February Scribner.
 An old friend of my father. one Dr. Simpson, induced him to go out of town to play one matinee performance of Dun dreary My father, feeling that he was comforting rather a favor on the small community, went with his company. This Simpson was a great joker, and went about telling the rustic auditors that this man Sothern, being an eminent London actor, they must be careful about their demeanor in the theatre. This is no cheap kind of play" said he. You must not let this man think we have no man ners. Don't applaud, don't laugh; it isn't when you get home, but remember, the loud laugh denotes the vacant mind.' If you like this mans acting, say so quietly when you meet him at the reception after the play.'
 Never was there such a night. The house was crowded to the doors and not sound of welcome, not a sound of laughter at this most comic of characters. For two acts my distracted father en- dured torture, the fiendish Simpson run ming around to him every now and again, hitting him on the back and whispering vehemently Isn't it great! I never saw such enthusiasm! They're simply mad about it!"
 "The devil they are," said my wretched father. They are as dumb as oysters"
 It came to the third act, where there is a long and most arduous monologue ot nearly halfga hous Not sound. My father could endure no more. He arose from the stool whereon he sat, walked down to the footlghts, and said: Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't laugh cant go on. Pandemonium broke loose. Peo- pie shouted and wept. My father for once was nonplussed, but he caught sight ot Simpson in a box, self-possessed and snileless, and a light broke in upon his darkness.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
Why Not a Colonel?

It is related that when former President Taft visited Cornell to de- liver a lecture as professor of law at Yale, a solicitous reception committee asked by what title he wished to be addressed. "Call me anything but col onel," replied MT. Taft, beamlng on the committee with his usual eXpan- siveness.
 The title is one so easily acquired in the south that men have been known to go to bed plain "Mlster'' and wake up Colonel" Such cases are not common, 'tis true, but they are on record. The majority of southern col onels acquire their titles along with gray hairs and increasing adipose tissue in the region of the waistband. They wear their honors as matter ot course and with becoming dignity. Younger men who are called colonel have, as rule, figured as leading lights in the state militia, or else took part in the Sapish- American war.
 Majors are usually the genuine ar- ticle, whenever met. For some reason the title seems less elastic than that of colonel. None ever thinks to inquire into a southern colonels military rec ord, the presumption being that if he had any, he was private or non- commissioned officer at the time and freshening his memory on the sub- ject cannot but prove painful It real ly isn't good form. On the other hand, majors, particularly those with mar tial goatee, are popularly supposed to have earned the title.
 Now, it may be possible that MT. Taft appreciates the status of the average colonel in private life, espe- cially the colonel who has never smelled powder, except from the puff. Being a man of sound common sense he doubtless feels that the assumption of the title in his case would be ridic- ulous. But is there not deeper and more subtle reason? MT. Taft is not . great admirer of Colonel Roose- welt or Colonel Bryan, who may be regarded as our foremost colonels. Rather than be classed with these gentlemen, he would no doubt prefer Professor" although it is title that may be assumed by the proprietor of . flea circus.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
CIRCUMPOLAR MYSTERIES

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 The Cook Peary controversy is not at an end, and perhaps never will be- IL is about to have a rather vigorous re- vival.
 The Washington governments latest or ficial map of the Arctic regions will omit
 many of the geographical features report
 ed by Peary and hitherto consclentlously
 recorded by the cartographers. Peary channel. Peary Island, East Greenland sea, Crocker Island-these are among the Peary discoveries to be rejected by the government. The rejections are based on explorations by Danish and American expeditions which failed to find trace of
 these and other feature4 reported by Peary
 On the basis of this cartographical de- cision, Representative Helgesen of North Dakota, who is a Cookite, says he will at | tack Peary in Congress. Peary's friends will declare that the errors, which are now admitted were only errors, and not intentional deceptions.
 | On the whole the discussion seems quite profitless Apparently it can benefit or harm no one but Cook and Peary. The world is too busy and too excited Just
 now to care whether or not there IS a Peary channel or an East Greenland sea- The pole itself, or who discovered it, or whether there is a pole at all, is not a
 matter to occupy general attention. | Geography is indeed being changed, put
 the changes of political lines in Europe and Asia and the converting of prosper ous lands into barren deserts is of In i tinitely more moment than the learned
 operations of. the limners of the circum' polar seas and their more or less sup
 positions islands
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
From London Tit-Bits.

From London Tit-Bits.
 A FINE of a1OO or six months i'm
 "A prisonment is the maximum pen X alty which can be inflicted on that despicable type of swindler who' posing in the uniform of private or or ficer. dupes tradespeople, hotels,~ char itable organizations and girls, and incl dentally escapes awkward questions as 10 why. being physically fit and of military age. he has not joined the army.
 In spite of this penalty, however, Lon don. to quote the words of the assistant provost marshal is "honeycombed with bogus soldiers,j and it is possible that the penalties which can at present be inn posed will be substantially increased
 A few weeks ago a case was brought before London magistrate in which bogus soldiers obtain their uniforms Found masquerading in the uniform or a Sussex regiment, suspected sol dier" was questioned by the police and. as he had no Identification papers. was taken into custody He then admitted that he was not a soldier, and had never been one.
 He ultimately told the military authori- ties that he had exchanged his clothes with soldier, and as all Identification marks on the uniform had been removed, it was impossible to trace the real owner. Other bogus soldiers obtain their uni forms from persons in the East End who do a good business in this direction It is a favorite dodge of these men, when they have got uniform. to call on the various charitable aid societies, and on the plea of distress obtain money and food.
 More serious, however, are the swim dies carried out by plausible rogues who maso,ierade up and down the country as officers, stay at the best hotels, and dis appear without paying their bills Giving false references, they call upon jewellers, tailors and alfsone else whom they think lthey can swindle. order goods to De sent to the hotel where they are staying and vanish without paying at the most favorable opportunity. Impressed with the fact that the swindler is an officer and staying at one of the swagger hotels, while his references seem above sus- picion, many tradespeoeple have fallen victims to these swindlers.
 
 A common dodge is to obtain complete officers outfit from a West End tailor. giving him the name of some prominent officer serving abroad as reference The tailor, making inquiries. finds there is such an officer, and it is not until he fails to obtain the money for the goods supplied that he discovers that he was not dealing with a genuine soldier.
 The audacity of some of these bogus officers is strikingly illustrated by the lease of one man who. posing as an of hcer, lived at the rate of e100o year at other peoples expense. One official told
 the writer that the only way to deal with
 this type of swindler is to make the I penalty much heavier-e1Oo is nothing l to some of these rogues and for tailors to
 make it more difficult for impostors to obtain uniforms. which can only be done
 h by insisting on bank and other refer Ienees. M
 The worst feature of these swindies is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
Should Have River Boulevard

Tt seems plain from the interviews with representative citizens that public of highway and railway from Birming- ham to the Warrior by the county, but a highway equal to city boulevard" said J. E. Donelson.
 "The road should be 40 feet wlde-cer- tainly not less than 30-and it should be smooth and hard. Such a highway will cost a considerable sum of money of course, but it will be economy in the end ard will give the county just what it needs.
 "The board of revenue should select the route at once and decide upon construc- ton plans with as little delay as possi- ble'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
HOTEL LoBBIEs
A River Outing Club

We hope to be able to organize shortly the proposed river outing club, clun for boating. fishing and swimming" said Charles G. Davis. The club is to be limit cd, at the start, to 50 members, and about 39 we'll known citizens-all of them mem Der of the Southern club-have already signed the roll. We have an option on a beautiful site near the Maxine bridge We propose to erect a large and modern boat house and our equipment will include skiffs, nlotorboats and fishing outfits.
 Those of us who are organizing the club intend to make it one of the most attractive features of Birmingham's social life"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
Varying Views on Preparedness

Mai. Gen. Leonard Wood, former chief of staff of the United States army and now commanding the de- partment of the east, tried to impress the Senate military committee, when he appeared before it Wednesday, with this country's utter weak ness in all that constitutes the na- tional defense. He reminded the com mittee that the ocean was not a barrier to the landing of an enemy's army, as was demonstrated in the experience of the allies when they landed 16,000 troops on Gallipoli, de- spite the fact that the sea was a net work of mines.
 In General Woods opinion the regu- lar army should be maintained at a minimum strength of 210,000 men, which is 10000 more than the admin istration programme calls for. The general favored the continental army plan so strongly urged by Secretary of War Garrison, but when he dis. cussed Qualifications and munitior details he was at variance with thu war department; and one of the dis tinct difficulties confronting Congress in the consideration of preparedness is the varying views of army officers and military critics.
 One of the brigadier-generals, 1T submitting recommendations to the department few days ago, wanted g
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
MANY WOMEN USE CIGARETTES

New York Correspondence Pittsburg Dis
 patch
 Women puffing cigarettes in restaurants is so common here that it no longer at tracts attention, but when they do their smoking in hotel lobbies mere man is sure to give them the once over Yesterday
 afternoon an attractive young woman
 was engaged in an animated discussion
 with a man in the foyer of the Wander
 bilt hotel She gesticulated with grace ful waves of the hand and tapped a neat ly shod foot impatiently against the
 floor. He fumbled for a cigarette case, extracted a cigarette and lighted it..
 Then, as if remembering his manners, he extended the cigarette case with an apol- ogy. The young woman smiled her thanks, took a cigarette, rolled deftly be- tween her fingers and perehed it between her lips. She motioned her companion to give her a light. which he did Then she took deep puff and returned to the subject matter in hand. Of course, every body in the lobby tried to appear uncon- scious. They looked at the palms. ad- mired the cut flowers on the desk and
 then went back to discreet and yelled contemplation of the absorbed couple, enmeshed in their own problems and ci- garette smoke.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21

The Russian army, operating in Persia,
 has seized and occupied Hamadan, city that figures in Biblical as well as early
 Greek history. Tn ancient times it was known as Ecbatana, a treasure city, cap tured and plundered by Alexander the
 Great. In the Bible it appears in the
 Book of Esther as Shushan, where Ahas-
 uerus, misled by Vashti, fell beneath the
 womanly charm of Esther and was in-
 duced to relent. Pious Jews still point out
 the tombs of Mordecai and Esther at
 Hamadan They stand in a wooden
 domed building in the center of the town.
 However, the authenticity of these tombs
 has been questioned, although there is no doubt that they are very ancient. They
 bear two Hebrew inscriptions, one said to
 date back to about A. D. 557 and the
 other to A. D. S41. There is a large mound
 near the city, which is said to have been
 the site of the palace of Ahasuerus. A
 single crudely carved lion is all that re-
 mains of whatever structure formerly oc- cupied the mound. About five miles from Hamadan there is a mountain gorge con- taining a famous stone with inscriptions in the Persian, Median and Babylonian languages, which is thought to have been placed there by Xerxes The natives be- lieve treasure lies hidden under this stone. In former times Hamadan was famous for it's white wines Its chief business now is in leather, which is In great de- mand throughout Persia for harness and saddles The stench from the tanning pools is said by residents to prevent clocks from keeping correct time. The population of the town is about 4O,00o in- cluding 1000 Jews.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
IN -MEMORIAM

From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
 Frank D. Gildersleeve, assistant gem eral passenger agent of the Baltimore and Ohio, is trying to get by" with this one:
 Pat, newly created section boss was taking his old friend Mike over the route. They passed mile post. It reads:
 Baltimore 42 miles,"
 "Phwat does that mean?" Mike in quired.
 NOW says Gildersleeve. Pat did not know, but he would not betray his ig- norance. With true Irish aplomb he rose to the situation'' Yer ignorance is horrible" he told Mike Take off your hat to the dead. Sure, his name was Miles. he was 42 years old. and he lived in Baltimore. and they buried him where he was kilt
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-21
GREENLAND,s ONE EXPORT
Chicago Journal.


 American commercial interests in Greenland rest wholly in obtaining sup plies of cryolite from there. The quar- ries at Ivigtut, at the southern eXtremi- ty of the land, furnish nearly all the cryolite used in the world. The United States is now importing considerable quantities of this cryolite, its use be- ing in manufacturing opaque glaze for enamelng ironware (the imports of which from Europe are now cut off) and in the fiuxes for electrolytic alumi- mum and white Portland cement