davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Dental Hygiene In Africa.

The manufacturer Of a popular den
tai powder advertises that "Savages
lead q different kind Of life from Us.
and therefore nature takes care Of
their teeth without artificial help"
weIlerburn, the wanderer In remote
places, saw this and laughed. u know
Of at least three African tribes" he
said. that brush their teeth regularly.
Each person carries q twig Of a certain
fbrous tree. They chew the end Of II
into q good bunch Of brstles and
spend a quarter-hOur every morning
cleaning their teeth thoroughly. They
tie a string to the twig and dangie II
from the waist cord. II they have no
ether clothes to fRsten It on II b IN
important thing to them
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Wh.r. Loot" oriaIn,tsd.

The word loot" came into the Eng
fish language by way Of India. and is
supposed to be derived from the San
scrit 'lOtra," signifying booty. 0rigi-
nally all booty taken from the enemy
In war pertained to the crown Of the
victorious nation, the title thereto be
ing regarded as indisputahle The
crown was supposed to dispose Of
these spOIls of war according TO its
pleasure. bearing In mind the services
Of the captors Of the matter. This
was, indeed, the basis Of prize law at
sea. But at every international con-
gress at which the laws of war and of
mutual relations came under discus
sion IT was agreed to exempt from
seizure private property on land and
10 restrict cOnhscation to the national
property Of the foe.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Better HAN COAT OF ARMS
Symbol Of Pennsylvania Family Had
Origin In Gratitude fer ProVi-
Dental Help.

There Is q quaint symbol engraved
on the silver plate. the library book
plates and the note paper Of q family
In Pennsylvania, but II isn't q crest or
q coat Of arms, by any means. In fact.
II has no connection with the heraldry
Of the old world but IL typleally Ansri-
can.
The design Is Of O cat carrying Q
rabbit IN its mouth, and there Ia an
interesting legend to account for II.
The FIRST Of the family to emigrate to
this country was the father Of ten
children. He sailed the same year as
Penn and died on the voyage, leaving
bis wife to land alone with her help
less flock. She had q grant Of land.
e II said, but no money, and % was
obliged, like many Of the nrst immi-
grants to our shores, to take refuge In
q cave dug out Of the side Of q hill.
The unfortunate family had q hard
winter; provisions failed, and the
! widow was In despair a. she saw her
| children grow pale and weak for want
Of food. The day came at last when
there was not a grain Of meal In the
barrel. The poor woman spent many
hours In prayer. When she arose, the
story runs. she smiled. as her children
put Il, as II she had seen an angel
coming to help her." II was no angel
however. that the good woman beheld
but a cat with q freshly killed rabbit
In its mouth. This rabbit provided
good meal. wherein. Of course. the cal
had its full share. And 50 the descend
ants OF this woman, forming a pros
porous and influential family, preserv'
to this day this old symbol Of theil
early history.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05

People Have a Curious Method Of Get.
ting Rid Of q Caller Who Out
Stays Welcome.

Once in q long while q caller comes
70 ones house or ONCE or study and
overstays his welcome, writes Cleiand
B. McAfee, In Forward. He Of course
Is not conscious Of this breach All
he needs Is something to remind him
he has stayed long enough. So far
no device has been discovered for end
Ing the call without risk Of ofrense,
though various formulas have been
tried out A few years ago q friend
told group OF acquaIntances that he
always received his callers standing.
and saw TO Il that there were no
chairs In the room Needless to say.
the calls were always short II was
the common opinion among his listen
ers that this would be harder on him
than on the callers. But that was his
affair.
Perhaps the japanese have come as
near as any to solving the problem
A missionary to that land tells how,
when a person makes too long a call,
and apparently doesn't know II Is time
for him to leave. they stand q broom
upside down somewhere In the house.
This Is q charm, supposed to throw .
spell over the caller, and all unknown
to himself he is compelled to 60 home
The broom doesn't have to be seen By
the visitor; any obscure corner VII
do. The missionary tells Of her OWL
cook, not yet a Christian. who was SC
annoyed by callers who interferet
with the dinner hour that she was
just starting to turn the broom upside
down when the callers left. OF course
that confirmed the superstition. II
America brooms have been known Il
rid a house of visitors, but ordinarily
we adopt more drastic ways Of han
ding II to gain that result.
1t Is not clear whether the japanese
method IL more interesting as a super
stition or as a courtesy. Certainly !
Is not peculiar to that nation to con
meet things which can have no real re
lation, but II is Of the very essence o
the race to think of a way to &c
things done without offending. At an.
rate there is the custom.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
"ANY FOOL CAN FIND FAULT"
Phrase 10 a. True Today a. When
Great Man Said II Many
Centuries Age.

There is nothing however good but
a person may find some fault IN Il II
he is determined to do so. There Is
nothing perfect that is Of mans max
ing. There is nothing that man orig
mates or performs but what contains
more or less Of his weakness. Worth,
like water, must stay below the level
OF its source. II is quite natural that
q person should dissent The scien-
lists dispute as much as the theolO-
gians. Every time one obtains q new
standpoint he changes his opinion.
Every time he meets a friend he finds
that he differs.
So we must make up our minds to
disagree, but this disagreement may be
Of advantage II We disagree In the
right spirit. II we don't do that and
our disagreement falls into Ill Will and
anxiety. then We become enemies OF
the truth and social pests besides. The
person we earnestly and candldly dis
! agree with may be right and ourselves
wholly wrong. II would make us fee
very absurd sometimes, In the midst
Of a violent controversy, to have a sud
den light let In on the controversy and
show our adversary entirely right The
safest thing. SO far as ones conduct
toward him Is concerned, is to remem
Der he may be right and treat him &C
cordingly-Ohio State Journal.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Why SOCKS HAVE CLOCKS"
They Were Originally Made, i 10 A.
serted. to Held the ssams
IN Hosiery.

II Is surprising how much Of the past
stiIl remains, more especially In regard
70 the clothes we wear.
Or the backs Of most gloves WIN Be
found three thin strips. These marks
correspond to the fourehette pieces
between the fingers In earlier times
gloves were not made % neatly rs
they are today. and the stitching Of
the fingers was carried down part Of
the way on 10 the back Of the glove,
braid being used to conceal the seams
To q practically similar reason does.
the clock on q sock owe its origin, nyS
London Answers. In Ehe days when
stockings were made Of eloth hs
seams occurred where the clocks are
now displayed. the decoration being
utilized to hide the seams
The little bow which viii invariably
be found In the leather band inside
q mans hat - Q survival Of the time
when q hat was made By taking .
piece Of leather, boring two holes
through Il and drawing Il together with
q piece Of string.
HandkerehIefs were not always
square. At one time they were shaped
to the users fancy. Il CHANGED that
this lrresularity displeased Queen Ma
RE Antolnette. who suggested one win
ter evening at Versailles that . uni
form shape would be an indication q
good taste The result was q decree
By Louis XVI. Issued IN the early dSIl
Of 17S6, enacting that all pocket hand
kerehIefs should have right-aRgIed
edges heneeforWard
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
ISKILLFUL m USE OF POISON
eouth African Bushmen Had Weapon
which In Other Hands Might
Have Been InVIneible.

me bushmen. Africa's pygmies q
the South. who succumbed 30 quickly
10 civilization. are becoming rarer
every day. Famine. wars and the white
mans Entertainments have killed on
thousands.
The one great achievement Of these
children Of the woods IL their skillful
use Of poIsons. In the hands Of . more
subtle people the poisoned arrow might
have been an invincible weapon. but
for the bushman Il only delayed ineV-
table defeat.
The bushman's arrow II q toy OF
light reed until he turns II into Q
certain death dealer BY covering the
tip with one Of his favorite polsonS-
A certain caterpillar Of the jungle, the
most ven0mous snakes and spiders,
poisonous roots and leaves all yield
their power 70 kin to the use Of these
natives.
SPECIAL men Of the tribe prepare the
polsons for their purpose. usually heat
ing them In q dish before dipping the
dart into them. While waiting for their
poisonous brew to cook, the poison con-
coctors dance about the IRE In excite
ment at the coming hunt or combat.
SkulkinR In breathless silence upon an
imaginary enemy. they suddenly leap
up and discharge the fatal arrows
after which they shift easily to the
part Of the victim. and writhe and
howl with all the agony Of the hunted
Exhaustion and the completion Of the
poison put an end to this vivid re
hearsal.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Rattle Of the Giants.

According to Brewers Historic
Note Book" neither the battle Of Wa
terIoo nor the battle Of Austerlitz was
known as the Battle Of the Giants
but the battle Of Marignano was 80
designated. This battle was fought
on September Ii, 1915, and during
which the allied French and Venetian
armies under Francois and d'AlViano
defeated the allied Italian and Swiss
armies. The carnage was very great,
a. 1900 Of the conquered and 1000
Of the victors were left dead and dy.
ing on the field Trivulzio. who bad
been present in IS pitched battles,
called them all chIld's play compared
with this combat Of the giants"
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
IN HEART OF MOORISH CITIES
Housss to which Few Visitors PenO-
trats Are Frequently Luxurious
In Their Appointments

Through the narrow lanes Of Moor
Ish cities the water carrier. who has
filed his goat-skins at the nearest
fountain. piles his trade from house to
house. The town Of Morocco does noA
extend open. smiling arms to the stran-
ger. The houses present cold, forbid
ding fronts. The winding. irregular
streets twist and turn In beWilderfng
fashion, and the low arches, often link
ing house with house, convert the
streets into q series Of high-wAIled
semiOpen eOurtyards, still more con-
fusing to the uninItiated But IL one
Is privileged to enter through the mas
sive gates formIdably reenfEced with
heavy iron bands and heavily bolted.
one may step into eourtyards inlald
with mosaics and oFnamenteo with
laced arabesques, surrounded with
arched passageways, richly carved ana
covered with luxuriant hanHngs; into
q melancholy garden tagged with an
Client white stones, where . marble
fountain plays softly and great or
ange trees are outlined Voluptuously
against the white walls and the I'M
clouded sky. Who knows how many
wistful harem ladies have languished
there, what fantastic tragedies have
been spun on curiously fatallstie silken
eadsAFrom Through the Gates
Of the Moghreb," by Elsie F. Well, In
Asia Magazine.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
RemarkahI. chImpanzs. Dies.

A few weeks ago there died a chin
panzee who had spent the eight years
Of his life defying all rules laid down
for the well being Of chimpanzees. His
name was Antony, and he was the
enly one Of his tribe Of monkeys who
has ever managed to stand an English
climate Unmitigated by artificial heat
He came from uhe Congo In 1911, when
he was very young and small. At that
tine he weighed IA pounds, by last
summer he was just six tunes as
heavy. During the whole period Of his
civilized life he was kept In a brick
building facing southwest and unheat-
ed. and he slept in straw without
blankets. Chocolates and sweets-pol-
son to ordinary chimpanzees-were
the special treats Of Antony's dietary,
and he had q less comprehensive
fsncy for Observation-Disclosures Guard
ian.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Human FralIties

Our structure, both external and m
ternal, is full OF imperfectiOn; yet
there Is nothing in nature but what Is
of use, not even inutIlity itself.
There is nothing m this universe
which has not some proper place II IL
Our being is eemented with certain
mean qualities; ambition, jealousy,
envy, revenge. superstition. despair
have so natural a Judgment In rs that
the image Of them Is discerned in the
brute beasts; nay cruelty Itself. vice
so much out Of nature; for even In
the midst Of compassion we feel within
rs an unaecountable bitter-sweet it'll
Iation Of Ill-natursd pleasure In seeing
another suffer; and even children are
sensible Of it.-Montalgne.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Question fer Debate.

Judging by union standards, the
good lady In Proverbs. belauded a.
she has been for centuries. set .
most questionable example. Her
price might be above rubles. but
what business had she TO rise up
early In the morning. before II was
yet light" and continue al day her
Industrial paee-settingf II couldn't
have been good for her husband either,
for an We hear Of his activity f. that
he praised her" and that he sat In
the Eates"-whlch latter take to be
me Biblical equivalent o. sitting on
ne porch Of q country store with his
feet on the rail, taking al her labor
far Kranted.-Exchange-
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Art for Many.

Il do not want art for a few" said
William Morris, ANY more than edu-
cation for a few, or freedom for a
few"-and civic art is essentially pub
lie art. II has been Hkened to "a fire
built upon the market place, where
every one may light his torch; while
private art is a fire built upon hearth
stone which will blaze and die out with
the rise and fall Of fortunes.
Beauty In art is truth bathed In the
impression. the emotion that Is re-
ceiyed from nature. Seek truth and
exacttude, but with the envelope of
sentiment which you felt at first, If
you have been sincere in your emotion
Won viii be able to pass 1t on to 9TH
ers."-Industria Arts Magazine.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Snort In Haiti.

Boosters that crow night and dag
and have no sense Of proportion at ar"
is the way William Almon Wolff de-
scribes Haiti's only fowl Of any I'M
portance, In an article In Golfers In
addition he accuses them Of not being
educated. like the mass Of the popu-
latiOn." and Of being ignorant Of the
fact ''that a cocks business Is to let
an unobservant world which wouldn't
notice the phenomenon itself, know
that the sun has risen" when It
comes to cock fighting In Haiti" Mr..
Wolf writes, 'the rooster plays a very
important role. Sunday afternoon Is
the great time for that" he says. "and
all day Sunday you may see sporting
HaItians going about with a gameeOck
or two under their arms. There are
two rings in Port au Prince; thousands
Of men gather there every Sunday az
ternoon and bet on their favoriteS.
Haitian eockfighting Is not a very bru-
tai affair; the birds aren't spurred. It
Is the custom for the owner Of the los
ing rooster to cry quits before much
damage IL done"
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
1--WE IN PRIMITIVE STATE
Trless n lHtsrIor Of VeasxueIa HAVE
Had Little Contact with
clvlllzGtiea.

Almost every tribe and race has
found the secret Of fire, even though
civilization has not come near them.
Needless TO say. matches are unknown
except as they have been carried into
distant lands by white men, and IRE is
made BY rubbing sticks toeether. with
q sort Of flint and finder or, az In the
ease Of the AacaoS. With drin.
These people Of the mist" as the
explorers into the interior Of Venezuela
call them, keep their hres burning
steadily from one years end to an
other, but n q new one il needed II Is
started by drilling into wood until 1t
bursts into fame.
The MacaOs share the Indians love
Of painting their faces and. like them,
use bow and arrow for hunting, but 20
about swathed In heavy clothing, much
like hat. Of the Arabs, because Of the
cold Of the region in which they live.
TIE homes Of the Macaos are all
built on hilltops, and the average alti-
tude Of the settlement is 5000 feet.
They cultivate sweet potatoes, ba-
nanas and maize. out Of a combination
Of which they make q very strong fer
mented drink for use at feasts, and
they are also exceedingly clever al
basketry and other Weaving. but ars
among the most uncleanly Of all tribes
and never, 50 II is said, take q bath
| unless unexDectedly caught ont In 4
rain
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Consistency.

A foolish consistency Is the hobgoo-
lin of little minds, adored by little
tatesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has sim
ply nothing to do. he may as well
concern himself with his shadow on
the wall. Speak what yOu think today,
IN words as hard as cannon balls, and
tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks
- hard words again, though II contra
act everything you said today. An,
then. exclaIm the aged ladies. you VII
be SIRE to be misunderstood. 40 be
great Is to be MISUNDERSTANDING
waldo Emerson.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
.ssfETNG DOING" IN COTTON
-, Maids Of sultan u Aloroeoo
E.titIsd to Neither Garments
Of Expensive stun.

uItan of Morocco was always
.hsolute monarch. and In that e.
sty the revenues Of the country
his There had never been any
ssa.ction between public funds and
sc funds-An belonged to the sui
II was therefore no easy task
= ,rriye at an agreement ~ to which
-. state and which private debts, 30
',sTtricably mixed had they been In
=, mast. There was, for Instance. q
~ for some hundreds of yards Of
,ory expensive and very. nne crimson
dcth. Naturally the protectorate au-
,horities scheduled this among the pri-
v,te debts. The sultan protested. The
doth. he said. had been purchased for
governmental purposes-in fact for
ne trousers Of the imperial kitchen
maids; for there are several hundred
dsve-women employed In preparing the
nIace food. Tie protectorate govern
went refused to be responsible for
ths debt. The ex-sultan drew mp q
historical treatise 70 prove that I'm
perlaI kitchen maids were part and
parceI of the state, and passed, like
the palace Itself. from sultan 70 sui
tAn. The principle vas accepted, but
ne debt was disaIlowed on the ground
nat these good ladies did not require
such expensive stun for their neither
Grments. A cotton material. they AZ
EUed. would have equally well served
he purpose. The Sultan's reply was
unanswerable and crushing. I'm Eu-
rope" he said, 1T may be the custom
for the imperial kitchen maids to wear
cotton trousers, but In Morocco we
have more appreciation Of the dignity
Of their position" There was nothing
more to be said. The debt was paid
By the prOtectorate government
From The Liquidation Of Sultanate,'
By W. B. Harris, In ASIA" magazine.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
Old Moro rhan Com. saes,

James mamma left Jane home alone
for q few moments while she ran
around to the store. Before going she
told Jane that she positively must not
let the eat in before she returned. Jane
assured her mother that she would d
a. she was; told and not let him In
Ten minutes later James mamma re-
turned and Jane sat where she left
her, petting the cat
Jane said mamma. 4 tlIink,I tod
you not to let kitty IN until ] cane
hack"
You dBd. mamma" replied Jane,
en- I didn't let him In. he Openeo
the door hIsself and walked In"
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
FOLLOWED PATHS OF PEACE
kborISInes 81 Texas Unlike the Fierce
Tribes OF Other Sections Of
the Country.

Stone implements found In ancient
workshops In Texas, antedating
French, Spanish or American settlers,
prove that the original settlers Of this
rate were not like the fierce tribes
neountered In modern times by the
white settlers.
Little Is known about the aboriginal
population Of Texas, which lies be-
tween the Pueblo and mound builders
area, but DR.. J. Walter Fewkes, chief
Of the American bureau Of ethnOlogy,
aided by Professor Peace Of the Uni
versiU Of Texas. have located some
lOng-fOrgotten village sites. Their In
veStigations lead to the belief that the
original people Of the middle part of
the state were hunters, while those OF
the eastern part near the timber belt
were followers Of agricultural pur-
suits and were skilled In the niAnufac.
ture of pottery. They resembled the
mound builders. The western part OF
the state was a more elevated and
less and plateau Here the people re
sembled the Pueblos of New Mexico
Some Of the tribes are reported tC
have been cannibals. In the opening
Of the eighteenth century Apaches
Comanches and other savage tribe:
rOamed over Texas, following the buf
falo, or raiding across it into Mexico
There seems to have been constant
hostility with these Indians. In which
many smaller tribes were extermI.
mated.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
The HAmen corner.R

3, The phrase "amen corner" il said to
have originated In London. where, at
the end Of Paternoster row, the monks
at one time finished their recitation Of
the "Pater Noster" as they went In
Procession on Corpus Christi day. to
St Paul's cathedral. They began In
PateruOster, row with the Lords prayer
In Latin, continuing 1t to the end Of
the street. and then said -amen" at
The corner Of the row. As used in this
country, the phrase described the cor
ner Of a church where the elderly mem
bers sit and pronounce the word
amen" at intervals.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05

A mascot to which deepSea fisher
men attach great importance Il a tiny
Nat stone or bone found In the ear Of
plaice and other ash. The Wearer Of
one Of these stones IL supposed to be
Immune to the danger Of drowning.
It Is easy to AND these stones In the
ears Of FISH. although they are no big
ger than q split lentil. Anybody who
ares to look for one and to examine
Il will see on its surface light and dark
rings similar 70 those found on q
larger scale IN tree trunks The mum
Der Of rings tells the are Of the ilsh
q . new ring appears each year.
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
n.Hinh.r LEARNING.

The sehoolmaster was calling on an
indignant mother.
For my part" babbled the good
voman, Il can't deceive what on earth
eddi6eation Il comm toll When ] was
vounR. 4 q gal only understood the
eIimens Of distraction. provision. re
pleuishing. an the common doaina-
tor an knew all about the rivers an
she,r obituaries, the currantA an the
dormitoories. the provinces an nm
C1rea hey had eddineation enOushF-
SueeesE
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
The Needed LubreatIoa.

A fervent. but unlettered- preacher
among the mountain whites Of the Car
oIInas was exhorting his flock to come
forward and take advantage Of the
means Of grace
ct air pride that's keeping you set
Tin, IN yOre seats." he cried. Come to
the altar and get down On your
benders. and II they air too sin with
pride, Ne en-. Ne 'em. AZ il says N the
scriptur' with lie Of PatmoA"-NsE
YOrk Evening Post
The broad ax., 1919-07-05
LIES FAR BELOW SEA LEVEL
FerbIddIns Death Valley. In California.
Was Formerly the Bed Of
q Salt Lake.

Death valley, California, Is said to
be the lowest dry land In the United
States; Il Is 2T6 feet below sea level.
The name Of Death valley is gruesome
enough In itself, but to enhance this
effect the mountains whereabouts are
called the Funeral range.
While Death valley II the lowest
dry land In the country Mount Whit
neg, which Is less than eighty miles
from the point Of lowest depression. Il
one Of the highest points Of land In
the United States. its summit being
14.501 feet above sea level.
Death valley was formerly the bed
Of a salt lake and Is 80 miles In
length. A small salt marsh still oc-
cupIes q part OF II. There are few
places In Death valley where fresh wa
ter Is obtaInable. The best known are
Bennett wells and Saratoga springs.
For the greater part Of the time
Death valley IL q gigantic furnace Of
burning hot shifting sand dunes. Al
times this strange desert Is filed with
wonderful colors. The air Is very dry
and at dawn the light Is very white
and minus the mist usually associated
with that time OF day. Gradually q
faint azure tint appears and deepens
above the gray-tan dunes. As the sur
rises over the desert the pastel tints
Of sky and sands burn into brighteI
shades until at noon the very atmos
phere vibrates into hot vividness
Toward twilight the reds Of sky and
desert shade into deep puppies AMI
black.