davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Bees and Fruic.

An agricultural society Of Florence,
Italy, has recently carried out a thor
ough Investigation Of the alleged In
jury OF fruit by bees and has COM
pletely exonerated the latter. Bees are
unable to perforate the skin of the
fruit, and it Is only incidentally that
they suck the juices of fruits injured
by other natural causes. The damage
sometimes attributed to these insects
Is due to poultry, wild birds, wind and
hail, and even more frequently to hor-
nets, wasps, vine moths and ether in
sects. Instead Of being harmful to
orchards and vineyards, bees perform
the useful service of effecting the
cross pollination Of flowers, and hence
the setting Of fruit as well as the de-
struction Of damaged fruits especially
grapes) by sucking the juice and pulp
and thus preventing fermentation and
rot extending to sound individuals.
The orchards and vineyards frequented
by bees give the most constant crops
Scientific American.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
The ideal Kitchen

The kitchen is the real workshop of
the family. Most Of the work there
has to do with preparing food for the
family, cleaning it up and putting it
away. The old fashioned kitchens
never took into account economy of
steps and time, but today this is al
ways done. There is a logical order
for the arrangement of the equipment
Things that belong to each process
SHOULD be together, within the reach
OF the worker. The icebox, cold pam
try, kitchen cabinet, stove and serving
table are used together and should be
In close continuous line. This is the
food preparation side Of the equip
ment. For the cleaning up of the same
economy should be practiced. The sink
should be near the china closet or in
a buffers pantry, the track should be
straight for clearing up. Always have
plenty Of table room near the sink. A
drain board on each side is the best
plan, or at least a set Of hanging
shelves, a hinged shelf and extra tas
BILE or wheeled table at the right If
the drain table is porcelain a rubber
mat will prevent breakage.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Tact and Success.

Tact Is a combination OF good tenn
per, ready wit, quickness q percep-
ton and ability to take in the e1igency
Of the occasion instantly. 1t is never
offensive, but is a balm allaying sus-
picion and soothing. 1t Is appreciated.
1t is plausible without being dishon-
est, apparently consults the welfare OF
the second party and does not mani
fest any selfishness. It is never antag-
onistic, never opposes, never strokes
the hair the wrong way and never irri-
tates. Tact, like a fine manner, eases
the way, takes the jar out Of the jolts,
oils the bearings, opens doors barred
to others, sits in the drawing room
when others must wait in the recep-
ton hall, gets into private Offices when
others are turned down. 1t admits you
into exclusive circles, where wealth
abounds, even though poor. 1t secures
the position when merit is turned
away. Tact is a great manager. 1t
easily controls people, even when COM
bined with small ability, when genius
cannot get along.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Little THINGS Count.

The more complex life grows the
more these little things count One or
two men at the pumping station could
produce a water famine for 100000
people.
Cut a very thin wire, and city Is in
total darkness.
Five cents worth Of calico is enough
to eclipse RaphaePs finest Madonna.
When everybody walked to his ap-
pointed place Of work nothing short Of
a universal calamity would keep ev-
erybody away from work. Now a de-
fectiye feed wire will halt a hundred
thousand in trolley cars.
And because these little things do
foot up to such big totals the human
element remains important despite all
our inventions.
Most failures are men and women
failures, not machine failures.-Phila-
delphia Ledger.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Tokyo's Prolific Slums,

No tourist crosses the Sumida river
unless it is to visit the great amphi-
theater for a wrestling match or a
chrysanthemum show, yet there is
where the real secret Of Tokyo's fu-
ture lies. 1t is the factory and slum
sections of the city, and the population
there has increased in the last decade
ten times as fast as has the population
in the district Of Kojimachi, which
surrounds the palace.
In the last generation the population
Of the five greatest Industrial and COM
mercial cities in Japan has increased
by 314 per cent as against an increase
in the whole empire of 15 per. cent.
The trend in Japan is cityward, and
the visitor to Tokyo, seeing the streets
crowded with people, does not realize
that in the suburbs the growth in popu-
lation has run from $50 to 500 per cent
In the last decade.-Christian Herald.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Our Fishing Presidents.

Fourteen of the twenty-seven presi-
dents of the United States have been
s,bprmen. When fishing and the pres
Npncv are mentioned the mind in
tsutiy recalls Cleveland, thee tshing
mesident. He is the one president
who wrote a book discussing angling.
his not generally known, but the first
urpsident of the republic was an en-
thusiastic angler. 1t may be Of inter-
s 70 the enthusiastic anglers Of the
nation to record the names Of the fish
M presidents. They are George
Washington, Martin Van Buren,, John
Tylr, Zachary Taylor, Willard Fill
more, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lin
uh Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Simp-
m Grant, James Abram Garfield,
Chester Alan Arthur, Grover Cleveland,
IheOdOre Roosevelt and William How
nj Taft.-New York Sun.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
PoliTies and Tobacco.

Something like half a century ago a
man named Dan Bradley started the
custom in little cigar store i'll Brook
Ign OF keeping q box of smoking to-
baccO or the counter, with sign
above it saying, ''Fill your pipe" Part
ly on the strength OF his popularity,
due in no small degree TO the free fill
ings Tor a pipe. Bradley ran independ-
emily for the state senate and was elect
ed as against the regular candidate.
Five thousand clay pipes did the
trick for Dan was a saying ar the time
a man would have to give away au-
tomobileS to get elected to the senate
nowadays" observed one of the new
school of politicians.
The days of the election cigar and
tobacco are gone fOrever.'-New York
World.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Work of a Microscope,

One of the newest of astronomical
instruments is the blink microscope.
The principle involved Is similar to
that Of the moving picture machine.
In the latter the film used consists of a
series of pictures, each a little differ
ent from its predecessor. If these are
presented in rapid succession the Sc
ries is fused into one picture in which
the succeeding differences appear as
motion. The blink microscope enables
one to compare a photograph of a por-
ton Of the heavens with another of
the same region taken several years
later. An ingenious continuance brings
first one then the other plate into view
In rapid succession. If In the interval
between two exposures a star in the
region has changed its position appre-
Gladly it will appear to move and can
be detected at once. Formerly it was
necessary to measure carefully the po-
sttions of all the stars on both plates
In order to detect those with large
proper motions. Such stars are some
times called runaway" stars.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Aroentina,s Military system.

Every native or naturalized citizen
of Argentina, at home or abroad, on
reaching the age Of eighteen years
must be enrolled. The federal execu-
tive power takes charge Of this nation
al enrolment, which serves at once as
a registration Of voters and national
defenders. A given individual, If at
home, Is enrolled in one Of the five
military districts into which the four
teen states and ten territories Of Ar
gentina are divided. If he resides
abroad he is enrolled in his consulate,
for the government follows him with
precision wherever he may wander.
With the exception Of these consular
registrations abroad the general en-
rollment is entirely in charge Of the
military authorities, who are counted
upon to get more thorough results than
a civil census enthusiastically Work.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Aluminium and Oxyqen.

Aluminium is in many ways a Won
derftl substance, albeit in the natural
world most of it is oxidized and turned
to clay. Its avidity for oxygen is one
Of its most salient characteristics. 1t Is
said that one never sees the metal, di-
rectly, in air, but always and only
through a veil Of superficial oxide
which forms on its free surface with
marvellous rapidity. 1t is statedthat If
a fresh surface of aluminium be pre-
pared by scraping with a knife the
oxygen Of the air runs in as fast as the
scale Is peeled of and keeps close be-
hind the knife blade.
If it were not for this superficial
scale Of oxide, which acts as a barrier
to further action, the metal would burn
up or defagrate in air. The large
amount Of heat developed by thermit,
a mixture of powdered aluminium with
oxygen giving substances, bears wit
ness to the activity Of the oxidizing
process when completed--Washington
Star.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
n,.stoes as q Food.

,,rh nrices the potato is not q
1t @ # is not at any price one of
goo w. civilized humanity existed
be Desr = for centuries, rising to its
rtn DO IN a a potatOless old world Habit
,elltn n - in storage have led to
OIetuST notato is three-fourths water
Ine O,Ifte one-ffth starch, which is
90 W. p;of food substance, an excellent
is Gu ~ outdoor workers in severe eli
one lOi II i less valuable for seden-
iD-v workers indoors.
nty g., ~" ope-ave hundredth part of the
Up .o Is fat; 8 per cent nitrogen, 2 per
p0Ia'O Ornor These more valuable sub
cent go are 50 slight that during the
staI.s of 1877 Irish cotters formed
nu rOhit Of cooking potatoes with a
te ~ the Iaiddle"-that is. of under
OoIe ;ng them 80 that they might delay
c o-+ion and stave off hunger.
o. go are substitutes, Of which rice
IL D,r anproaches the potato in values
pe.i Iofects. The correct instinct Of
snu caters has mended the latter by
n - inrention CT plat, in which rice is
ps snIamented by chopped meats or
sDprries-New York World.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24

Dust Dsnuera

An analysis OF the contents Of q
vacuum cleaner made recently showed
that the dust which had collected on
the bookshelves In library consisted
Of "hair, green wool, white wool, cot
ton fibers, celluloid, pieces Of finger
nails, fly wings, sand grains, wood, pa
per, string, metallic iron and leather.
The hair was probably derived from
soft hats, the wool and cotton fibers
from clothing, sand from the mud
tracked In on shoes and the gradual
pulverizing Of the floor, fly wings from
dead flies and paper from book leaves"
Curiously enough, very few germs
were found in this dust Yet there Is
no question that inhaling it might lead
to various diseased conditions. This
would not be the result Of any disease
germs contained In the dust itself, but
to the irritating effects produced by
the dust particles when brought into
contact with the bronchial membranes.
Thus it is evident that even germ free
dust may be harmful when inhaled
Los Angeles Times.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
An Exercise For Twists.

Is il of any value to know how to
say the alphabet backward? A CORE
spOnleIt saws: II think this is new, as
Ian the inventors and it is of some
use in exercising Oh the typewriter if
for nothing else. The twenty-six let
tsrS of the alphabet are used as initials
Of verbs divided into five groups of
four initials and one group Of six. The
EOlpS are connected as follows:
zbEas Solcj, Xylophones Whacked,
Voices Caitel To Sing.
Read Cuic.., Pass Oni
Nature My Lack Kindness:
Juices Inside hanging Grapes
Friends, Enemies, Dogs, Cats, Bats, Ants.
New York Sun.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Houses Made of Glass.

Glass is becoming more generally
used as a building material each year.
For some years glass bricks have been
utilized where strength and durability
as well as beauty were essential fea-
lures. Glass is used for wainscoting,
for partitions, for ceilings and for fac
ing the fronts Of buildings. 1t is also
being used for foundations.
1t has been demonstrated that the
crushing strength OF glass Is three
times that Of granite, six times that Of
ordinary brick and ten times that Of
concrete. Another advantage it has
over these materials is that 1t is abso-
lutely nonabsorbent, so that q glass
building can be perfectly dry inside, no
matter what the atmospheric condi-
tons outside.-Atlanta Journal
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Eskimo CARVING.

All Of the Eskimo carving today is
done with steel tools, but there is work
In existence that dates back to the
stone age. The older Eskimos say that
their ancestors used tools Of flint, and
it is known that they have been cary
ing ivory for many generations. Some
of the very poorest Of them and those
that live in the most out of the way
places are noted for their work Of this
kind. They seem to do it for pastime
and make many toys and dolls for
their children. They have a way Of
softening the bone, horn or ivory be-
fore they work it, and to make the
carvings more distinct they etch lines
on the surface with black paint made
of q mixture of gunpowder and blood.
This, when put on the freshly cut bone,
makes a permanent stain.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Clever Advertising.

r An ingenious advertisement recently
made its appearance on the walls and
boardings Of French town. 1t said:
"a wallet containing the sum Of 800
francs and a large number Of orders
has been lost by travelling salesman
Of the firm Of X. & Co. The finder Is
requested to return the orders to x. &
Co. and to keep the 800 francs as re-
ward for his trouble in so doing"
OF course everybody read the adver-
tisement. OF course everybody said to
himself that the batch Of orders on X.
& Co. must be a nice, fat one Thus
by clever stratagem x. & Co. man.
aged to diffuse among the public the
impression that theirs was a large
business, with an immense number OF
customers. Not even the Americans"
says the proud Frenchman who reports
this example Of Gallo enterprise, mot
even the Americans could have worked
the trick better."-New York Post.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
COMPLAINT of the Stupid.

1t is only stupid people who complain
that they are misunderstood. If they
were not stupid they would know that
there is absolutely no such thing as be-
ing misunderstood, and therefore that
there is nothing whatsoever to be gain
ed by complaining about 1t.
Wise people who want to be under
stood do not spend their time COM
planning, but in perfecting some means
Of expressing themselves by which
they may reveal to the world about
them some slight remnant, at least, Of
their souls or their minds or their ideas
or their discoveries or their eccentrici-
ties or whatever it is they want to
make known.
When you complain about not being
understood the only thing you make
clear is that you are a complainer.-
Puck.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Damascus CWorcls.

Damascus swords. whose fame at one
time made them almost one OF the won
derS OF the world. were made Of al
ternate layers Of iron and steel, so
finely tempered that the blade would
bend to the hilt without breaking, with
an edge so keen that no coat of mail
could resist it and surface so highly
polished that when a MoSlem wished
to rearrange his tur5an he used his
sword for looking glass.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
RattIino WindovUs-

In some houses the windows have an
unpleasant habit Of rafting at all times
Of the day and night when there Is the
least wind. In such case an ordinary
clothespin is most effective. 1t must be
split in half and one half inserted on
each side between the framework and
the window or between the sashes. A
good plan IS to paint the clothespeg the
same color as the window frame and
secure the pieces by cord and screw
to the frame so that they will be in
readiness when needed.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A Helm To the Soil.

A French chemist attributes to car
Donate Of manganese In very minute
quantities the power OF rendering fer
tilizers more readily assimilable with
out undergoing any change itself. Ex-
periments have tended to show that
with the use Of an ounce to about
seven square yards termination was
more free, growth more rapid and yield
better-that is, used with other fer
tilizers. By itself it Is supposed to have
no effect whatever.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Fish Versus Mosquitoes.

Myriads Of mosquitoes used to infest
the rice plantations OF Madagascar.
DR.. Legeudre, a savant well known in
scientific circles in Paris, conceived
the idea of freeing the region of mala-
rial trouble by the Introduction into
the watercOurses Of cyprin, or red fish,
which are very fond of both mosqui-
toes and their eggs. Within five months
500 fish multiplied to 10000, and these
destroyed nearly all the mosquitoes.
The fish besides being a malaria de-
stroyer became very important as an
addition to native food.-London Tele-
graph.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
What He Didn't Know.

Peyton r. Hayden was long a con-
spicuous figure among the lawyers Of
Boone county. While he was fond OF
studying lawbooks, he cared little about
literature.
During recess one day in the Boone
county courthouse a lawyer named
Field from Lafayette county asked
him what he thought Of Byron's
"Childe Harold" Hayden replied:
"Egad, sir, did not know that By
ron had a child named Harold."-
sBench and Bar of Boone County, Mo-"
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Self Training 10 Best, Says Armour.

-" training 10 Sest, says Armour.
In the American Magazine Is an arti-
Gle by ]. o. Armour entitled armour
Men Who Got Ahead-and Why" in
which Mr.. Armour gives his opinion Of
the qualifications that make for bust
ness success.
"One Of the truest axioms I know"
ne says, sis the business saying that
the best trained man is the self train
ed man. 1t is my belief that no man
developed by formula in a business
organization can ever reach the power
or one who is put on his own response
D1l1ty, knowing that his advancement
depends on his own brains, foresight
and application.
by this do not mean that a bust
ness leader should let his men go along
Dl1ndly. He must always give some
thing OF himself. He must teach them
the overland and crawl strokes where
they knew only the breast stroke be-
lore. But in any Office organization
the man who has never had to stand
squarely on his own feet is never in a
position to march ahead"
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A Prohlam.

'1That is my hired man asleep up
there in the crotch OF that oak tree"
said honest Farmer Harnbeak. you
are entitled to one guess as to whether
he clumb up there to slumber or went
to sleep on the ground on top Of an
acorn which grew up with him.
Kansas City Star.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Smiled the Wronu WAY,

"Weil, my boy" he asked cheerfully
at the breakfast table the morning aft
er Cholly had taken the leap, "hOw did
things go last evening? Did she smile
on your proposal?'
''No," said Cholly family, pushing
away q breakfast roll. "She smiled at
t."-Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A WAY the Dutch Have,

The Dutch have a delightfully."- orig
"a way Of collecting their taxes. If
rief the notice has been given the
laney is not sent the authorities place
e or two hungry militiamen in the
nlSe, to be lodged and maintained at
@ expense of the defaulter until the
mount of the tax is paid.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A GiXeaWaY.

Mrs. Blabbit-I don't like her at all,
dear. She's q deceitful woman. The
other day she tried to get me to say
something against you. Mrs. Gaddeigh
She did! How? Mrs. B.-Why, she
asked me to tell her confdentially
what 1 really thought Of you-Boston
Transcript.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
His Idea.

"Binks has an idea that he expects
to make a lot OF money out Of"
"What is it?"
IAN electric piano with a slot ma
chine attachment"
There's nothing new in that"
"Oh, yes, there is. The coin you put
In stops the playing."-Buffalo Express.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
That Held Him.

A Yankee clinched his heated argu-
ment with an Englishman as to the
relative size Of the Thames and Mis-
sissippi by saying:
"Why, look here, mister, there amt
enough water in the whole Of the
Thames to make a gargle for the mouth
Of the Mississippi"
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Oddity of the Sturgeon.

The sturgeon has no skeleton. This
fish has many tubercles fixed in the
skin along the back and sides. If these
tubercles are boiled with little soda
it will be seen that they are beautifully
ornamented, somewhat resembling very
fine Chinese carving.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A Confirmed Taste.

I'm blest If I can see what Blabkins
finds to admire in that Miss Jorkins,"
said Hinkleigh. "Why, she's wholly
made up"
that's 1t, I guess" said Harkawey.
"Blabkins always was crazy about f1c-
ion."-Harper's.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
A Cent.

The habit Of calling the cent piece
Of our American coinage a penny" Is
utterly without foundation or excuse.
We have no penny In our coinage. At
one time half cent pieces were coined,
but now the unit is a cent, the hun
dredth part Of a dollar.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Romance and Fiction.

When a very rich man marries q very
moor girl, that's romance. When a very
rich girl marries a very poor man.
thst,s fiction.-Galveston News.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
EIannauan's Way,

Cassidy-Flannagan's thinking of 60
In into the haulin' business. He bought
a foine new cart today. Casey-But
shure he has no horse. Flanagan
No, but he's goin' to buy wan. Casey
Well, that's loike Flanagan. He al
ways did git the cart befoor the horse
PHILADELPHIA Ledger,
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Too Much TO Ask.

"Bliggins is a little annoying In man.
ner, but his heart Is in the right place"
"Yes," objected Miss Cayenne, but
you can't be expected to perform q
surgical operation on every disagree
able person to ascertain where his
heart is."-Washington Star.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Its OdditY.

There is one thing in a lawyers pro-
sSlOn which is different from any
Eer."
What is that?"
IAe longer he Is at 1t the more he
~ OF a brief career."-Baltimore
American.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
PRACTICAL HEALTH HINT
Rheumatism.

= Foe acute articular rheuma- :
, tism the following treatment Is :
= recommended by a writer In the :
= Medical Adviser, quoted by the :
& Medical Record: An ointment :
= made Of four drains each OF ich- :
= thyol, methyl salicylate and oil :
. Of turpentine, mixed with four .
= ounces Of lanoliD, Is applied to .
= the affected joints and covered .
. with cotton and oiled silk. The I
= patient Is put to bed In flannel I
= nightclothes and between blan- .
= kets for absolute rest. .
. His diet must be liquid, prefer .
= ably milk, together with fruit I
= juices and plenty Of water. I
= Elimination through bowels, skin I
= and kidneys must be attended to
. carefully. At the beginning Of I
. the treatment q dose Of calomel
= and bicarbonate Of soda Is given
. and followed after four hours by .
= rochelle salts or O seidlitz pow I
= der. Rhubarb and soda may be .
= given to advantage until the =.
. tongue Is clean. Throughout con- .
. valescence the patient must alb .
= stain from all animal foods and I
. alcohol ,
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Wonderful.

In the art department few days ago
one Of the students drew the picture Of
q hen so lfelike that when she threw
II into the waste basket 1t laid there
Liverpool Post.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Severe Treatment.

Howell-Why did Rowell allow him
self to die of starvation? Powell-He
said he wouldn't humor his stomach
any longer, as 1t was getting to be a
regular grafter.-New York Times.
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Compensation.

Life Is compensatory to this ex-
tent: When a man reaches the point
at which his wife Is compelled to make
the living for the family he has also
reached the point at which the fact
ceases to humiliate him.-Topeka Capt.
tai
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
Doing Her Part.

~Wife, will you thread a needle for
me? I want to sew on a few buttons"
"Why, certainly. There you are.
Now you can sew on your buttons
while I go to the bridge club. Some
times wonder how you managed be-
fore you were married"
The broad ax., 1917-03-24
In His Line,

DE is building an immense artif1-
- ~ mountain on his country estate"
well, l guess it comes sort of natu-
= LOT him to put up a bluff" Puck.