davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
Birmingham Death
 Rate Much too High

:N NMORTUARY statistics compiled Ml by the census bureau and pub nshed every week by the department of commerce show that Memphis and New Orleans have the highest death rates in the United States, and that Birmingham comes third
 As told by The Age-Herald's Wash ington correspondent, the high death rate in the south is attributed in part to the large proportion of negro popu- lation, but he says census bureau of ficials, whose attention has been drawn repeatedly to Birmingham, are sinclined to believe that something is wrong there
 nc Jefferson county health de-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
Additional Cabinet
 Officer Not Needed

TT HERE will be no addition to the
 2 cabinet. A department of mu- nitions, proposed in House and Senate bills now pending, is not only not needed, but as President Wilson right ly holds, such measure, if adopted, would tend to disrupt existing ma chinery of the war and navy depart ments.
 The President has absolute confi- dence in both Secretary Baker and Secretary Daniels. They have done their work we'll and will continue to be great factors in the winning of the war. MT. Wilson's opposition to new department proposition ends the matter, of course. It was entirely out of place for the patrons of the bills to introduce them without first con fering with the President. Had this been midsummer, instead of midwinter, the proposition would have been characterized as dog-day folly. As it is, it is regarded as a species of mischief making pure and simple.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
PLAYwRIGHTs GALORE

New York Correspondent of Cincinnati
 Times-Star.
 There's Spanish American operetta playing at the Park theatre called 'The Land of Joy" The play has astonished the theatrical wiseacres by drawing a large patronage, despite the fact that it's original construction was so weird that it has been rewritten a half dozen times since it's production at the Park. Its funny. isn't it. said Charming Pollock, the playwright, to Rennod Wolf his regular collaborator, that that Span ish piece up at the Park keeps on filling the house..
 70. mo- replied Wolf. nothing funny about it. All the authors drop in every night
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
]NED BRACE TALKS ABOUT WOMANS SUFFRAGE q AND THE PRESIDENTS PART IN THE FIGHT

| that privilege; and few congressman, de- string continuation in public life. dared to oppose them.
 As a matter of fact, this world war has made many wide changes in the govern ment, and has shattered the principles which have prevailed in the acts of statesmen for generations. New methods of obtaining ends have been adopted, such as the prohibition constitutional amendment, voted for by men who would not have dreamed, two years ago, of re- sorting to such means of accomplishing an end They would then have voted as they did for the pure food act and the drug act
 As it is now, with the President for the suffrage amendment, the Senate will probably adopt it and women will vote
 The method by which the right of suf- frage is to be accorded to the women of this country has not been clearly gallant on the part of our men statesmen, nor has it been consistent with safe methods of conducting great democratic govern ment But we all must admit that wom en of education and property should tt~ ,-;r men. We must trust to the state legisla- lures of the south maintaining present laws as to the qualifications of their voters, and hope that Congress shall not interfere but permit the application of them to women as well as to men.
 # * #
 From a purely political point of view the President has gone far to- ward saving the present democratic congress from an overwhelming de- feat in the elections next fall.
 Representative Cantrill of Ken lucky, a democrat, in arguing the matter declared that for the south ern democrats in congress to say to the millions of patriotic women of the nation that suffrage will not be given to them would bring down upon our heads such condemnation from the suffrage states that we would be driven from power.
 He referred to the fact that ten Southern states are now in control
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

Americans have the newspaper habit
 10
 It is said that one of MT. Balfours s peculiarities is that he does not read the papers As an American, can say that hardly blame him for pass ing up the English ones, but I feel sure that when he was over here re- gently he read some of the nice thinrs that were said about him ard his mission.
 Mn Ralfour is the philosopher who drifted into politics and made a name for himself by retaining a certain dis tinction of mind amid the confusions and ignoble influences of political life.
 am willing that he should abstain from reading the news of the day and give himself to the study of history, philosophy and politics. if he will not boast about it as something which others should do.
 would hate, however, to put in this column all of the dreadful thinGs which Matthew Arnold has written about the low plane on which most American Journals are conducted, though sometime I may give some of his jabs just to keep our journalists from getting the big head.
 About 20 years ago book appeared in this country purporting to have been written by Frenchman, but somehow in reading between the lines it seems to me that whoever wrote .t knew our weaknesses too well to have been reared in a foreign cline.
 I am going to give some of the things he said about our papers. In the first place he was quick to realize that to a greater extent than in any lea are read and talked about. He not only pays them this tribute. but Is good enough to say that some of the most entertaining men he met were editors.
 I am not going to give you the sta tistics of the more than score of thousands of papers printed or wear; you with the statistics of the millions of subscribers and the fortunes spent In getting news and then in putting. lit into readable shape. It is conceded Ing as well as in displaying news.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

succintness. A Parisian likes his news paper to read itself as he turns its pages. (The Age Herald, I am bold to proclaim, in this is like the Figaro) Now, as hinted above, the American is willing to delve, and seek, and founder, in order to get the little ore really cares to know from day to day. TO the direct and orderly mind of
 Frenchman the average American newspaper founders about in crime, gossip, accidents, sensations, personal
 ities, fiction, pictures and news, ap- parently unable to decide just what it wants to do, without having any idea or sense of proportion. The dailies are bad enough but the Sundays are nightmare and are padded to a gro tesque extent, with the evident inten- tion of giving their readers the ini- pression of a wealth of news for their money.
 He thinks the yellow Journals will have much to answer for in feeding filth to an already vitiated public of untrained minds; that they are doing an awful injury to the state in re- tarding the development of that only possible safeguard of republicans educated suffrage He wisely says: "'n an empire or monarchy it is not, perhaps. necessary that the people should be students, but in republic
 1t is prime necessity.
 believe there is such thing as newspaper responsibilty There is lit. tie doubt but that the Frenchman is right in warning us that it is wrong to give people too highly seasoned fare. thereby making plain diet of honest thought distasteful. The tuth is we are cursed with superficiality and disinclnation to think hard about anything.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

| 1N war times the President of the 1 United States seems to believe as S did Tim Campbell, congressman from | New York, who could see no reason why the Constitution should stand between friends
 Many years ago the fedoubtable Tim was arguing for a matter in Congress which was clearly unconstitutional. Some one called attention to it's being unconsti- | tional.
 why let the Constitution stand be- tween friends?" exclaimed Tim, in dis gust.
 When the matter of an amendment to the Constitution declaring for woman suffrage was about to come before the House of Representatives last week, delegation of democratic congresmen called upon the President and asked his advice as to how to vote.
 The states right question was sug- gested to the President-a matter he had formerly upheld. He promptly replied that suffrage was policy and not principle, and, therefore, advised the several congressman to adopt the pro posed amendment for woman's suffrage
 Tba Dras;dapt r1aiplv dpcl9rp for the women. He didn't let the Constitution or anything else stand between him and sentatives passed it, as war measure, extending to the woman her full share in government.
 The wording of the amendment as passed by the House is unfortunate in that Congress shall have full power in enforcing the rights of the women to vote in the several states It gives to Congress the right to abolish the several state laws providing educational and property qualifications for the exercise of the ballot. But the hope is that Con- gress will not exercise this privilege, and will not interfere with the laws of the several states providing the qualifica- tions for voters.
 # sS 4.
 It has been evident for a long time that intelligent women of this country are aroused and are determined to exer- else the ballot however they must get
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
Admiral Won Tirpitz
 Paints Gloomy Picture

TIT is the aftermath of war that is 4 giving Germany most concern just now. While she may boast of territory held by force of Teuton arms and adopt dictatorial attitude to- & 2 EEse bolshaviki of Russia, gazing sfa Esse satare, Germany sees herself reastpss'g an invidious place in the society of nations. It will be many years before Germany regains her lost prestige in the markets of the world.
 Admiral Won Tirpitz, who has be- come somewhat pessimistic here of late, voiced in recent speech deliv- cred at Essen, the sentiments of many German leaders regarding the eco- homie war that will follow the termi- nation of hostilities along the battle fronts. The admiral is quoted as say ing:
 "Imagine the position if we simul-
 taneously have to bear the burden or
 taxation which must fall on every
 German and, despite the fallen value
 of German money, we still have to
 buy the most necessary food and raw
 materials from abroad. Can anyone in
 his heart of hearts really believe
 that in these circumstances without
 an increase of power, without indem-
 nifty and without security, we could
 avoid Germany's ruin?
 "Not only has England taken our
 colonies and Mesopotamia, but every
 where she has made deeper and firm
 CT bases for her maritime and colo
 nial supremacy. She has tarnished
 and trodden down the prestige and honor of Germany by unprecedented
 calumnies. In the whole transatlantic
 world we are considered as conquered
 and done for
 While Admiral Won Tirpitz may : have intended to show that Germany is ruined unless she wins military ~ victory and the junkers must there fore support the military party to the bitter end, or lose all they have been fighting for, he draws an accurate picture of what will probably happen. z Germany realizes that she is already beaten and she further realizes that she will have to pay the penalty for her misdeeds. If every mans hand il turned against her, she has only herself to blame. She played for the world and lost.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
LUKE M'LUKE SAYS

When 8 girl has choice between marrying money and marrying brains she always decides that she can fur nish the brains.
 What has become of the old-fash- toned white horse that used to come down the street every time you saw a red-headed girl?
 The only reason why the knockers have never formed union is because no knocker is willing to quit after knocking for mere eight hours.
 When a girl discovers that her voice is 80 powerful that 1t fills a hall she gets it cultivated and discovers that 1t can empty hall
 Love is never blind when strange blonde makes goo-goo eyes at the male member of the sketch.
 When you see a girl looking like the last rose of summer, it isn't al- ways because she loved and lost. Maybe she loved and got him.
 Are you one of the men of whom others say: He's fire fellow when he's sober, but he's an awful post when he's drunk!'
 And what has become of the old fashioned photograph that used to play: Die Yacht Am Rhein?" A man may not be able to think of a single reason why he should go to church on Sunday morning. But he can think up million excuses for staying away.
 The President of the United States can't afford to act like he is the gov ernment. But it is different with 2 | marshal in a yap town. There wouldn't Do so many mar riages if the young men called in the | morning instead of in the evening after all of the props and special A girls llfe before marriage con- sists of 12 years of school. three years of music lessons, one year of dancing lessons, one year of paintirg lessons three years of society and two weeks of cooking lessons. And then we won- der why we have divorces
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
must be honestly adhered to.

must be honestly adhered to.
 We have to win the war and among the ways of doing it are increased production this year and conserving the food now in sight.
 <. < #
 How long will it be before meddlesome reformers learn that the United States army is not composed of schoolboys who are not safe from temptation when away from home?
 Wouldn't it disgust you with things in general if you were an eastern million aire and fled to Florida for little sum- shine and ran into a snowstorm?
 < 4: %
 Nick Longworth opposes votes for women, which Colonel Roosevelt vigor- oIsly supports. "Nick" always was an independent sort of son-in-law. # < # We'll have to give Secretary Baker VI ioi oiiC tiiliS. TIC Cdl SlaHQ a gruelling cross-examination about as well as any man in the cabinet # # x Food conservation can be carried to an extreme Nobody wants to eat the scraps of bread in a restaurant the other fellow fingered, but failed to eat.
 I: < #
 There's no getting around the fact that single cruiser submarine can do more damage than John Bull feels like putting up with # # * That Minnesota woman who threw acid in her sons eyes to make him unfit for military service didn't raise her boy to be a soldier. It is now Major Mitchell of the United States army. Judge Hylan is probably content to wear the inconspicuous clothes of civilian
 con ,,, * * * Germany Will put the blame on Russia if hostilities are resumed. It is natur- ally impossible for faultless nation to be at fault. The bolsheviki probably take this point O. view; "We didn't make Russia s debts. Why should We pay them?" < * I. lis an i'll wind. etc. The butch" al- ways sells out when his train is stalled for hours in snowdrift # # 4 This may be the sunny south, yet the oldest inhabitant is beginning to have some doubt about it. * The thirty-third degree optmist is the ! man who can smile these days when his coal bins empty | # s. # l General kaledines is apparently not yet convinced that the bolsheviki will win a place in the sun 1 + # x | It is positively thrilling to hear that the mysterious Madam H." is about to be identified
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
SONS

Sara Teasdale. in Everybody's Maga-
 zine. Men in brown with marching feet Like great machine moved down the
 street, And the shrieking of a fife Led that river of young life, Soldiers bearing kits and guns, Mothers sons-mo thers' sons. Out of the crowd a woman pressed Forward a little from the rest That's him." she said, "the third ono
 there, The third one with the light brown
 hairr' She caught my arm and then shs Swayed And whispered-I suppose she prayed. And still they passed with kits andI
 guns. s Mothers sons.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
WHEN HOOVER "sLuNG HASH,

From the Journal of Commerce.
 Times certainly change conditions and relations. as shown in the latest Hoover story, which comes from San Francisco. John Tait. who has made national rep utation as dispenser of food, and has one of the show places of San Francisco, used to operate q restaurant in Encinal hall at Stanford university. Being called to conference with Hoover recently and being introduced to the great food controller MT. Hoover said: q know MT. Tait we'll. I once worked for him."
 Hoover then explained that while working his way through college as q student in 1895 and 1896 he was employed as waiter, serving three meals daily for his board. The students were fed for s15 a month.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

of thirty-one of the sixty com mittee chairmanships in the House Of Representatives and that four of these ten states control eighteen of the thirty-one chairmanships. That the south would like to keep this control goes without saying. But it won't be able to do so in the face of the opposition it will encounter if these ten southern states vote almost sol idly against the federal suffrage amendment,
 In concluding his remarks he elo- quently said:
 How can we of the South ex- pect the confidence of the nation in controlling the great commit tees of congress unless we are willing to trust millions of citi- gems in suffrage and non-suffrage states who are asking us at this time to show our confidence in them by granting the right of suf- frage to millions of sincere, in- telligent and patriotic women? The men who are in the trenches carrying the burden of this war, when they were given the chance to vote on the question of wom- an suffrage, voted two to one in favor of it. If the boys in the 1r-l,o do ric ic1y lives for the national defense, are willing to trust the women to vote as to their welfare, certain ly the men who are fighting the war behind mahogany desks can trust the American women with the ballot"
 President Wilson in the suffrage contest proved himself a genius in his control of Congress. A mere state ment defining his views to twelve democratic congressman caused stampede for the constitutional suf- frage amendment in the House of Rep- resentatives The world awaits it's ln- fluence upon the Senate.
 In the meantime, here is to Mrs. Pat tie Ruffner Jacobs and the .inveterats women workers of courage and brains who have pounded out a victory after years of work with hard hammer and eloquent tongue.
 Why not send her to Congress?
 70
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES
THE PROsAIC SIDE.

THE PROSAIC SIDE. Let poets sing the beautiful, By which we mean the snow; These winter scenes do not delight One mortal whom we know. A carpet white of loveliness May fire singers soul, But surely he forgets about The scarcity of coal And who can fall on icy pave And get up with smile. Or with his feet nipped by the frost, Stay cheerful all the while? Not we, forsooth. To tell the truth, This life holds little charm When all ones thoughts are centered on The task of keeping warm.
 SPEEDY. Money has wings said the senten- tious man. "Cuite so,v answered the impecunious citizen. And I'm beginning to think that so far as I'm concerned, it is also equipped with a liberty motor"
 FOILED.
 Old Kaiser Bill
 Went up a hill And took look at France.
 He soon came down
 With quite frown And muttered, Not a chance"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

BEGINNING THE DAY-O God, the day is young. It lies all un- made before me. What a shame to use it's virgin soil to ignobIe or unworthy purpose! What chance to employ it alright! What gar den for good deeds, for high thoughts, for big purposes. Lord, help me. In Jesus name. Amen.- H. M. IL.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
STOMACH VERSUS SOUL

From the Houston Post.
 If you want to know the plain truth about it. the average mans stomach will exercise a great deal more influence upon his check-signing hand than his soul wifi.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
Call to His old Home

q had quite a compliment paid me recently" said Rev. J. H. Rife. who owns home at West End, but who has gone down near Benton and bought 40 acres of timbered land as a home site.
 T was recently up in Kentucky and was unanimously called to serve the years ago It was great temptation, but I could not stand the winters. I am going into south Alabama for healths sake, as I mtroubled with rheumatism"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
WHAT SAVED HIS LIFE.

WHAT SAVED HIS LIFE. eff I hadn't jumped like greased light ming you would have run me down cried the excited pedestrian.
 "You are very fortunate" replied the motorist, calmly.
 ''Fortunate. sir? What the devil do you mean by calling me fortunate?' ''You can jump like greased lightning"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
NOT HIS FAULT.

Your friend Dubson has an extraordi- narily good opinion of himself"
 There's nothing extraordinary about it."
 "Why not?"
 ''Dubson was an only child. His par- ents spoiled him to begin with, his wife is foolish about him, his mother-in-law thinks he's a wonder and his father in- law never makes an investment without first consulting Dubson. Really, you can't blame the man"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
prouo of West Point Nephew

My nephew, Lieut.. Col. Ralph Dick. inson, a graduate of West Point, and who saw service in the Philippines, but who is now stationed at one of the western camps, passed through Bir- mingham recently" said Dr. A. J. Dickinson, "and I was mighty glad to see and talk to him.
 There is something outstanding about the West Pointer that makes the average man proud to be an American. He was just passing through, but it was good to even get a glimpse of him"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
TRYING SITUATION.
Z,M}53,uee~

"Parson Goodly plays golf?" Yes
 How is his gamer"
 Just fair.''
 "Of, course he doesn't use profanity when anything goes wrong on the links?" Certainly not. But I've seen the par son look as if he would give anything to be layman for about five minutes"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
PAIR OF PERFORMERS.

] "Gadspur and his wife get along to- 1 gether pretty we'll considering." | Considering what?' 1 "The fact that they have widely diver 1 gent ideas of what should be done to
 make this world better place to live in. .
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
DRAWING THE LINE.

DhAWl lNG IHE LINE
 Henry said Mrs. Giithersby, The Grabcoins have a new chauffeur who can't speak English. We must have one. It's so stylish, you know"
 T positively refuse" MT. Glithersby replied, with some heat "As rule I don't protest against your extravaganza, but I'll be jiggered if I'll learn to speak a foreign language just to be able to tell our chauffeur to take me home
 PAUL COOK
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13

A TIME KILLER. 'Tis good to meet an optimist Along life's rugged way But not the kind who breezes in And talks for half the day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-13
War Time Supply of Shoes

'I was coming in on Lakeview car on Friday morning with my good friend, Henry Howze," said Frank Dominick, the lawyer and famous -four minute man"
 We got to talking about the un- certainty of the weather, and Henry said: Frank, I didn't know which pair of shoes to put on when I got up this morning.
 such trouble. as it was wear the ones under the foot of my bed or go bare footed I look on man now who can own two pair of good shoes as being in the capitalist class"