davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Sea Level.

Sea level In the scientific sense
means theoretical mean or average
from which elevations or depressions
on the earth are calculated. The coast
and geodetic survey. which Is govern
ment authority on such subjects, says :
Mean sea level may be defined as the
surface which would be assumed by
the water Of the oceans at rest II there
were no action by the wind or by the
ddes due to the attraction of the moon
and sun The sea level surface is at
all points at right angles to q free
swinging plummet."
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
@IEWELRY" OF MASM WOMEN
Telegraph Wire Considered Choice Per
soaal Adjournment by Females Of
British East African Tribe.

OF all Africa's many tribes none Il
more distinctive than the Nasal, that
wariIke race Of British East Africa,
whose women are regarded as the best
looking Of all negroes They are slen-
der, well formed, and lack the abnor-
NAL hips 50 Characteristic Of many 9TH
er natives sPride In personal adorn-
ment Is shown by ornaments Of q re-
markable nature. telegraph wire being
coIled about their arms and limbs In
spiral fashion
So awkward Is this remarkable jew
elry that the wearer cannot walk prop
erly. nor can she sit down nor rise like
other human beings. Round her arms
she has wire coiled both above and be-
low her elbows while still more wire Is
coiled round her neck horizontally, TIL
the head seems to sit on an inverted
these ornaments must remain unless
they arr, sawed on. As a result Of this
compression the limbs remain like
mere stilts, the wire frequently be-
coming embedded into the flesh Be
sides this iron wire. often weighing 30
pounds or more, great quantities OF
beads and iron chains are hung in va
riOus ways round the neck.
During the period Of engagement the
girl wears round her head band COW
cred with cowries from which hang q
number Of strings forming a bridal veil.
For the first time she dons real clothes,
consisting-o Of an apron in front. sus-
pended from the shoulders behind The
hairs Of the eyebrow are pulled out to
further enhance her beauty.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
perfume n the EsFIy 1o.s

Prom the very earliest ages man has
soyeo sweet doors. In the Bib we
read OF the burning OF incense on the
affairs and the very word perfumery
tunder which head we may include
al delicate fumes or snells) comes
rom tne Latin fumus, smoke or vapor.
Inc early Egyptians knew the use of
tne Sun, and adapted II to the separa-
uon OF the odorous principle from
fragrant plants. but the most ancient
odors were drawn from natural gums,
such as camphor. myrrh and CHINA
mon.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
NtKE MRHVEIS IN CHIIDH0OD
Those Whom the World Has Reeoo-
nized ss Men Of Genius Remark
able for Preeoeity.

One character common to genius
and to Insanity. especially moral In
sanity. is precocity. Cesare Lombroso,
professor of legal medicine. University
OF Turin. relates that Dante, when
nine years OF age, wrote a sonnet TO
Beatrice; Tasso wrote verses at ten.
Pascal and Comte were great think
ers at the ages Of thirteen. FORMER at
fifteen, Niebuhr at seven. Jonathan
Edwards at twelve, Michel Angelo at
nineteen. Gassendi. the Little Doctor,
at four, BOssut at twelve. and voltaire
at thirteen. Pico de la mrandOla knew
Latin. Greek, Hebrew, Chaldean and
Arabic, In his childhood; Goethe wrote
story In seven languages when he
was scarcely ten; Wieland knew Latin
at seven, meditated an epic poem at
thirteen, and at sixteen published his
poem. die vollkommenste Welt"
Schiller was only nineteen when he
wrote "Rauber." Victor Hugo COM
posed 'Irtamene" at fifteen. Pope
wrote his ode to solitude at twelve,
and Byron published verses at eight
cen. Moore translated "AnacreOn" at
thirteen. Meyerbeer at five played ex-
cellently on the piano. Claude Joseph
Vernet drew very well at four, and at
twenty was a celebrated painter. At
thirteen Wren invented an astronom-
zeal instrument, and offered IL to his
father with a Latin dedication
Raphael was famous at fourteen.
Beethoven composed three sonatas at
thirteen. Eichorn, Mozart and Eybler
gave concerts at six. Weber was only
thirteen when his first opera, -Das
Waldmarchen." was presented. Bacon
conceived the 'Novum Organum" at
fifteen. Charles XII manifested his
great designs at eighteen.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
scrsss Wldows-"

The term "Grass Widow" very like
" originated from the wording Of q
Canon law Of the eleventh century,
which ordained that q widow should
remain under Gods protection and
grace" for a full year after her hns-
bands death, and then marry II she
pleased. Such women were widows
Of grace" and In later parish regis
tiers they are described as -Grasse
widOwes." In the time Of Sir Thomas
More the term grass widow" was ap-
piled to unmarried mothers, and In
this sense IL was used In most Of the
Teutonic languages. In modern times
the term lost that reproach. and has
been applied to the wives Of men long
absent from home. Another explana-
ton Of its origin Is found here In the
United States. During the days Of
gold rushes Il was common for men
to board out their wives until they
had made enough to start q home In
the West, and this, In the picturesque
speech Of the time, was termed put
ting ones widow out to grass"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
BLUFF THAT FATHER MAKES
Siberian Daddy 10 Supposed to Be In
No Hurry to Get Rid Of Marriage
able Daughter.

Ordinarily fathers Of manageable
daughters are very much awake at the
approach Of a prospective son-in-law,
and are not at all given to being asleep
when the actual request for the young
lady's hand is made
But In far-off Siberia, among the
SamGyed, q people who huddle close
about the arctic circle. things are
different, and the father Is, or pre-
te16s to be, more or less asleep when
the matchmaker arrives, and has to
be awakened
The girls father always assumes
a pensive, taciturn attitude, a sort OF
drowsy, unInterested air, even II the
terms offered are entirely to his Tx
ing. AS one gift after another Is prot
fered, he still preserves his silence.
and even mods as though the whole
thing made him tired and sleepy.
Finally, the matchmaker, apparently
al the end Of his patience, strikes the
uninterested parent with the eeremo-
NAL iron stan which he carries.
Then the father, thus rudely
awakened to d sense Of his obliga-
tons, promises to consult his son or
other male relative about the mat
ter. This he does. but only as q mat
ter Of form, for when the proceed
ings have reached this stage ii Ii al
ready certain that the marriage VIII
take place.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
HOW SAILORS FAY GHOSTS
Men Of the Sea Give short shrift 70
matter-of-Faet spooss That
Annoy Them

The first lieutenant had Just been
relieved. writes II. s. T." In the Lon.
bon Mail. and was vending his way
from the destroyer's bridge to his
cabin. II was fairly calm, but very
dark, and. there was little to be seen
but line Of waves on each side and
the dim form Of a second destroyer
In station astern. Even for this "No.
l. had no eyes, for he had had a
weary middle watch and bed was his
only interest. But he did notice a
weird figure. apparently human.
crawling about near the 'bandstand"
Of the after gun.
He went to investigate and found
the surgeon probationer, clad In a
chamois leather overall suit. In which
he had been sleeping on the ward
room couch below-for every one
must sleep more or less clad, ready to
turn out al a moments notice. He
was feeling about In the dark, ap-
parently in search Of something.
what on earth are you doing,
Door he asked, and got the brief an
swer, Laying a gnost." The first
lieutenant grunted and disappeared
below. leaving the doctor to insert a
paper wedge between a loose rafting
shell and the side of the stand in
which II was placed.
A ghost, in naval language, is
noise which cannot be accounted for.
In a destroyer one becomes a con-
nOisseur IN noises,
The steering gear elanks heavily at
intervals and the rhythmic beat of the
engines is always there, changing only
when the speed is altered. In heavy
weather the washing and beating of
the water makes a hundred noises.
But ghosts are extra noises and
should be avoidable. Some misplaced
or ill-fitting article or a loose screw
may cause the noise, and with the
ships vibration 1t will knock or rattle
with regular persistency that will
drive the most placid mind nearly to
frenzy, and sleep will rarely be the
victims portion until he has left his
warm bunk and found the cause Of
the trouble and the ghost is laid.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
DO YOU THINK IN PlCTURES7
According to Men Who Have Studied
the Subject, Most Of Us Uneon-
seIousiy Have That Habit.

A writer says: "a good many men
and a larger number Of women and
children think In pictures without
knowing It II some one speaks Of =
tree, an oak or an elm. or a pine-do
you see q composite tree Of your own
design, or a particular tree you knew.
perhaps, In childhood? Do you see 1t
bare or In full leaf? II you are one
Of those who think In pictures, you
viii find that you always see the
same picture for the same words" Prof.
Francis Cation, F. R. s., is the
expounder Of this belief, and after
all, Is II not merely a return to
the very origin Of our written Ian
guage, the hIerogiyphs Of Egypt? In
that primitive time II Is possible that
a word brought so clearly to mind a
mental vision Of an object or an action
that II could easily be summarized into
an Telegraph. In our more complex
life we have, Of course, lost sight OF
the fects and no longer realize that the
word stree" means to US a well-de-
fined object probably fixed In the brain
by one Of the minute lesiOns-Or its
cieatrix-whieh science tells rs are the
sources Of memory.
We unconsciously assemble these va
rsous memories and unconsciously form
of them pictures which. II we are sud
denly brought to ourselves, we mighs
still retain on the minds retina for a
time, Just as We retain dream images
wildly on suddenly awakening.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
puttino Il Plainly.

Among the many good stories con
tanned in the private papers Of Ad
miral Sir william Hotham, Is ont
about Gen. O,Hara. who. as governor
Of Gibraltar. discovered that an ON
Ger who had lately Joined had come
on parade with an umbrella
The wind that day was easteriy
and the general perhaps was unduly
affected by this circumstance. but In
very unmeasured terms he ordered the
delinquent to throw away the offend
ing implement; and after adding other
comments. concluded thus: -And pray,
sir. IN future understand that you ara
not to appear upon this parade with
an umbrella-nO. not II II Il RAINING
pixies with the sharp points down
wartisF-London Tit-BitA
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
WHERE FLApPER IS UNKNOWN
Life IN Japan Seems Largely Matter
Of Negations for Both Girls
and Women.

In Japan the -fiapper" has not az
rived. The majority Of japanese
young girls never exchange a word
with q man Of manageable age out
side their own Immediate family.
There Is no masculine audience for
young feminine eoquettes and there u
no masculine eye to admire the little
personal adornments, the choice OF
which ILLS such a large part Of the
frivolous western sisters exciting life.
II would seem indeed that life for
the young japanese girl Is mainly q
matter Of negatiOns, observes the New
East Magazine. She has no real clothes
problem. Her dress has been designed
By some mysterious power long be
fore she was born It has been de-
creed that at a certain age she shall
wear certain colors, which must be
changed at certain seasons. Her
kimono shall have longer or shorter
sleeves on this or that occasion Her
obi shall be so high and Of such and
such colors. She has not even to think
Of how she shall arrange her hair, for
the same mysterious power has decreed
that the hair shall be oiled, stiffened,
combed and twisted into a given pat
tern. As this mysterious power has to
be obeyed, a hairdresser has to be en-
ployed regularly for the right fixing
Of this couture.
A japanese girl is scarcely an indi-
yidual, but Is rather part Of a plan,
and her silhouette must correspond
with the plan. A husband having been
obtained for her. dowry provided, her
wardrobe filed. she has not even TO ex-
ercise originality in the furnishing Of
her home. The same mysterious pow
er has decreed how this home shall
look.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Broom Corn In Argentina.

In Argentina the cultivation Of
broom corn is conducted along simple
lines not differing much from that Of
ordinary corn The broom corn Is
frequently sown after the wheat, fax
or oats crop on the property has been
harvested, and IL there Is abundant
rain and If the frosts are late a good
yield may be obtained. thus giving
two haryests in the same year from q
single piece Of ground.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
COIN TOOK FANCY OF ARABS
Austrian Maria Theresa Dollar Has
Long Been the Principal Money
Of That Region.

The only coin in general circulation
In Abyssinia is the Austrian Maria
Theresa dollar, Of silver. 1t is also
the principal money in Arabia. AMI
the story of its introduction in those
regions and all the neighborhood Of
the Red sea Is quite interesting.
More than a century ago trading
Arabs got hold Of some Of these dol
lars and found the effigy Of the queen
(which they bore on one side, the re-
verse showing the Austrian double
eagle) so attractive that they sought
to obtain more of them. for sale as
jewelry. Later on they became highly
popular as a medium of exchange In
mercantile transactions in Arabia !:
and when at intervals the Turkish
government prohibited their impOrta-
ton a large and profitable business
was done in smuggling them through
Alden and other seaports-
They are all dated 1850. being even
now minted from replicas of the orig
lnal die, which Is Of rather crude
workmanship. Any change would not
be understood by the Arabs and
AbyssinIans and would render them
less acceptable.
Bankers and merchants In the Red
sea region import the Maria Theresa
dollars in bulk from Trieste. selling
them at a good profit or exchanging
them for native merchandise. They
are somewhat larger than our silver
dollars. but weigh less than an ounce
and are only little over four-fiftln
silver.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Animals strono Instinct.

Some animals are remarkable, In
deed. for the wonderful development
Of love and devotion they possess and
show toward men. They are so acute
In the sense Of their affections that
they seem to perceive the feelings Of
their master In advance Of his express
sions- Masters Of dumb animals have
often been heard to declare that their
animals were quicker to detect In them
a spirit Of anger than were their fell
low men
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
-..n~ "a a Elne Al

a'thr IS one of the ine arts II
enrich, not impoverish (;
s'ol u.nen not weaken; inspire while
s'sorrs 1t is easy enough to say
srs sorry. 1t is easy to grieve with
90 lend over his trouble and pity
IOOi a. his mishaps. But the sympathy
~ a. a fine art does not encourage
w. - give way to despair. II stimu-
~ If puts hope in place of heart
# points on and up. Do not
ioe your friend with the sympathy
IS.s will make him feel like plying
Hmself
The broad ax., 1919-03-22

Many complaints are heard because
Christmas trees were 30 scarce this
sefsOn that only few could buy them
Railroads could not haul them until
the eleventh hour. and high prices. a.
wen as the small supply, barred trees
from many homes
Trees adapted to Christmas use hays
survived the Ills and perils Of infan-
life. Barring accidents. they are sure
to 1--we. grow and freshen. Il n saw
sgery. II one views Il rightly, to de-
strOy them. Yet men who would noe
h51u 0 fuIl-rown tree hack down tree
iipzs without pity or remOrse- But
II we are TO have trees for all time.
young trees must be saved.-Al-
waakee Journal
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Josephu&

u.v,us Josephus, the most celebrat-
- Jewish historians. was born at
s0s.lem in 81. As a mark of graft
:. Cor favors. he assumed the family
- FIavius. Of the Roman emperor
S-rssisn. The date Of his death Is
Nsrovn. His most important works
sHistory Of the Jewish War" The
.'.,,Tities of the Jews" two treatises,
s,.sinSt Apion of Alexandra" and
:, nscourse on the Martyrdom Of
:. v,ccabees," and en- account Of his
sss Ite.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Frost Eor>rsn

One beautiful use his window had,
one glorious use. one enchanfment
In the depth Of winter sometimes Of
mornings when he got out Of bed and
went to open the shutter. on the
windowpanes would be q forest Of gilt
tering trees The frst time he beheld
sueh q forest. he stood before II spell
bound; wondering whether there were
silvery birds singing far on amid the
siivery boughs. and what Wild erea-
lures crouched In the tai. stiff frost
grass From the ice-forests on tie
vindowpanes his thoughts always re-
turned to the green summer forest On
the distant horizoH--James Lane A.
len, IN The Kentucky Warbler"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22

Pens made Of feathers were common
In the seventh century. but 50 inyeter-
ate was the old habit Of writing with
reeds on parchment and paper that IL
continued a long time after the first
use Of quilts. The custom Of carry
int q pen behind the ear Is ancient. as
may be seen In the life Of St 0dO:
He saw q pen sticking In his ear In
the manner Of q writer"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Trinidad Lizard Farm.

On the island Of Trinidad there Il
today q veritable lizard farm which
has all the equipment for the success
full breeding Of these none too numer-
Gus members Of the reptile family
which are now known to be IndIspens-
able to the sugar planters In add
don to this enterprise q wider search
II being made for toads TO help In
crease the worlds sugar output
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Modern Slavery.

There is no legal and formal slavery
now In any Christian country. 1t sur
wives in a mild form In most Moham-
medan countries. The peOnage system
Of Latin American countries is not
much different from slavery, but rests
upon a different theory. The peon is
not supposed to be owned as property;
he Is supposed to be working to pay q
debt which he owes the master.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Species of Fern.

The island of Mauritius, less than
one-third the area Of Delaware, has
235 native species of ferns; Java, a
little larger than New York. has 400
while Brazil contains 3S7. All Europe
furnishes but sixty-seven species, the
arctic zone, %; North America. north
OF Mexico. has about 175 native
species.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
The Black Diamond.

Although white diamonds come
chiefly from the Transvaal, the black
diamond is found in its greatest purity
In Brazil and especially In the Prov
inee Of Bahia. For its finest speci.
men so far discovered a price Of So.
600 was paid-quite Insignificant when
compared with prices paid for white
diamonds.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
nird. Not Man,s Enemies.

ffsa fact that II II were not for
A. bird life we would starve to death.
ne great natural enemy Of man is
,uv force that viii destroy his food
suns Every field is the home of
tsOusands of insects, and agricultural
rsUOrts will verify the fact that each
var millions Of dollars worth of
rCps are destroyed by insects. And
the birds are the natural enemies of
he insect pest.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Her Excuse a Good One.

Carrie was invited to a party. Her
mother cautioned her not to begin eat
ing her goodies until all around the
nble had been helped Carrie was
bOnored with the first helping to Ice
cean. In a few moments she said:
sE1cuse me for eating my ice cream
before it melts. enjoys It best while
his freezed."
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Is u q Real One7

Here Is quite an easy way to tell
whether diamond is q genuine one or
not Make q small dot on a piece Of
paper with a lead pencil and look at
II through the diamond II it shows
only single dot it is a genuine stone,
but II it shows more than one ddt
you've been had"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Herodes, subnermaI Son.

HerOdes, to overcome the extraordi-
nary dullness Of his son Atticus, edu-
Gated along with him twenty-four Lit.
tie slaves of his own age. he gave
each the name Of the letter of the
Greek alphabet. His son, in order
TO play with them, had to learn the
alphabet to call their names.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22

Bobby's father was q photographic.
and the little fellow had often seen
him take pictures and heard him adj
monish the people to Look pleasant.
pIehse.s One day he 0btaired q small.
uornout camera and pretended to take
his little playmate's picture Getting
her to stand for snapshot. he direct
ed: Nov. Hazel. stand SIN and LOOK
decent. pleasa"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Marion Coming On.

Lung on a farm, the children hear
nGr fathers talk of the differe1t
GpS Cur little neighbOr was over
% visit my 1-year-old daughter, who
has never had much hair. Returning
home, she said to her mother: Ma
non is certainly getting a fine crop
q hair now."-ChIeago Tribune.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Cnnldnlf aiak a.

A good story is told Of General
GasoOck Of Georgia When the hat
sf was, 20 years ago. elected a rep
nsentatiVe. friend asked: General,
ny l Introduce you to Henry Cayr
No. sir," was the prompt response; Il
an his adversary, and choose not to
subject myself to his fascination"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Wrought Iron From Ore.

Wrought iron Is not commonly pro-
duced direct from the orc. but Cali
fornia metallurgist. using petroleum
rs fuel, claims to avoid the usual trou-
bles and to obtain pure iron at a much
reduced cost. The ore. after grinding
to pass through q sixteen mesh sieve,
is mixed with some heavy oil. such as
asphaltum- The mixture Is made into
cylinders. each Of a size to yield about
$50 pounds Of reduced iron. and these
cylinders are placed In the furnace
and gradually heated to the welding
point Of the iron. then taken out and
compressed into blooms A little Sill
cate rock Is added to give Stag enough
to hold the semifiuid mass together.
To avoid reoxidatiOn-the great diff
Guilty in previous processes reduc-
ing atmosphere Is maintained in the
furnace, and the bloom IL compressed
before entirely removing from the fur
mace. The time required for heating
through and reducing II given a. four
or I'VE hours.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
n-.,m H.. Physical Basis.

ne failing from height" dream
- q physical basis, for scientists
I'VE shown that this form Of night
.,,p invariably occurs during the first
A. minutes after falling asleep. II
: suggested by the general muscular
..,,ution that takes place when we
..-tIe down. A change Of position Of
-, fraction of an inch, or the least
r,,ls slip of the muscles, is sufficient to
.rrey the idea of a fall to the brain
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
To Clean Aluminium.

Make q rather strong soap lather,
I'd while it IL warm put the alum
nun utensils into II and wash them
oean- Dry with soft cloths. and they
an be made as bright as desired. Oc-
oSonally polish them with whiting
made into a paste.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
The Fool Hen.

The lad went to the henhouse to
gather eggs He returned with only
two eggs and said a hen was on the
nest: He was told not to disturb the
hen, but wait for a time and maybe
he could find another egg. In half
an hour he ran excitedly into the
house, exclaiming: THAT fool hen
sat on the nest until the egg wss
boiling" and he held the egg up as
proof.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Her Ears Open.

A little girl who always has her ears
open for the conversation Of her el
ders, heard her grandmother diagnos-
ing q case Of the hives Later this
little girl noticed a red spot on her
arm. She ran to her grandmother, ex-
claiming:. ooh. grandma, see, have
the heaves, too"
The broad ax., 1919-03-22
Comnanlonehip.

II the boy Is not a companion to his
father IL Is generally because the IA
Their was not q companion to the boy
when the boy was little fellow. Com
panionship Is something which must
grow through the years. especially for
two people who live under the same
roof and share the same fortunes.
The broad ax., 1919-03-22

EGOI'cfB TEOEu - LAHp1s
An ordinary gas reading lamp can
be made over into q satisfactory cleo
Iric fixture nj very moderate expense.
The burner and attachment for gas
piping are removed and socket and
electric light bulbs substituted, the
electric wiring being passed up through
fbe standard Of ths lswp. TsD can
dlestieks may be also fitted with cleo
trie bulbs and such eandlesfickA with
small lighted bulbs instead Of ordI-
nary candle flames. are used at eifher
end o. TIE plano o. zIdeboarf