davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
HOUSE AGREES TO
 FURTHER REDUCE
 SIZE U. s. ARMY
tContinued from Page one)

year. By the end of the fiscal year t can be clearly seen that it will not Sll below 100000"
 Representative Dent of Alabama, ranking minority member of the com mittee, said Congress was morally bound to make ample provision for the soldiers and that this could not be done "by blindly slashing the ap- propriations" The War Department is just as anxious to rush demobiliza- tion as the people are, he said, and will do so regardless of what appro- priation Congress makes
 Following passage of the amend- ment providing for the reduction in the pay of line officers, an item of s24.60o.0o0 for the pay of staff officers was reduced to S17.434.000 without d.s- cusson and an item of $106.795.000 for the pay of enlisted men was cut to s75.72S.00. The total reduction which will result from the decreased army appropriation will amount probably to about $100, ,000, ,000, it was stated, low ering the total appropriation to about &710. 900. or $500. 100000 less than the original army provision.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
THE WEAT THEIR
Weather Forecast

Weather forecast for Alabama and MIS- sissippt: Generally fair Thursday and Friday.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12

tains many Alabama men, in a letter
 addressed to Major General Charles J. 1 Bailey. The letter follows in full: | My dear General Bailey;
 IL gives me great satisfaction to eN- | tend to you. the officers and men of tho 1 S1st Division, my compliments upon ! their appearance at the review and ln- spection on April 10th. at Chatillon-svr- l Sein. The Transportation and Artillery of the division were in good shape, and the general bearing of the men was up l to a high standard, and worthy of division which. though in France for comparatively short time, has made splendid record
 Arriving in this country towards the middle of August, your period of train ing in the area near Tonnere was inter rupted by the necessity of sending the division into the line to relieve for the
 active battle. veteran organizations. The S1st was in the Die sector rom the 18th of September to the 18th of Octo-
 Der, when it was withdrawn and pre- pared for it's participation in the Meuse-
 Argonne offensive.
 It entered the line in this operation on the night of November 6th, relieving
 the S5th Division as the right flank division of the First Army and attack ing on the morning of November 9th against strong enemy resistence, the advance covering 51l kilometers. The bearing of the Division in thls' it's first experience in battle, showed the mettle of officers and men, and gave promise of what it would become as veteran. With such a record, the dl- vision may return home proud of it's service in France as a part of the | American Expeditionary Forces. Sincerely yours.
 JOHN J. PERSHING.
 The official history of the Wild Cat ! Division follows:
 | The division arrived in France, via. | England, on August 16, 1918, and pro-
 ceeded to the training area at Tom nerre CYonne), except the 156th Ar 1 tillery Brigade. and the 306th Ammu- milton Train which were sent to Camp | Valdahon (Doubs).
 1 After a months training. the division | less the Artillery Brigade and the Ammunition Train, proceeded to the St. Die sector (vosges) arriving on Sep 1 tember -9th, and occupied the same un- 1 til the 18th of October It formed a I part of the 33rd Corps (French), and later, the 10th Corps (French).
 During the month of service in the
 sector the division was engaged III
 and repulsed raids, preceded by long
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12

completed and presented to the council Of four second report containing certain qualifications of the league covenant in favor of the Germans but the fate of the report is uncertain.
 The first report was submitted after it had been adopted unanimously by the commission. It was rejected by the council it is said. on the instance of NJ Clemenceau and was sent back to the lcommission to be toned down. Any in- formation whether the second report pro- vides for the entrance of Germany into the league at the first meeting next Oc- tober was refused today.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
Local Data

Local data for the A hours ending at p. m, June il, 1919:
 Highest temperature .................... e9 Lowest temperature .........-.......... o9 Mean temperature .................--... f9 Normal temperature .........--...-..... tS Deficiency in temperature since Jan. PAT Rainfa11 Q Total rainfall since Jan. 1. .25 .31 Excess in rainfall since January 1 -... l.zo Relative humidity: a. m- ...........- "A ps r1 -...-.-.......Ae e...'........'.''' eo
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
DESPAIR IN AUSTRIA

Paris, Thursday, June 1o-Karl Renner, Austrian chancellor, and head of the Au- strian peace mission, has sent letter to the peace conference complaining or the hard conditions imposed upon his country, which. he says, lis overwhelmed with despair" and pointing out the com plexity of the Austrian frontier question The latter will be laid before the council of four tomorrow
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
HIGH PRAISE GIVEN
 W|LDCATSF FINE
 RECORD IN FRANCE
Some Facts About Eighty. First Division, Containing Alabama Boys, Now
 En Route Home

Columbia, s. C., June 11.-(Special) With a record the Division may re- turn home proud of it's service in France as part of the American Ex- peditionary Forces"
 This is general John J. Pershing's praise of the eighty-first division. better known as the Wild Cats,' which is now returning home and which con-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12

d'Or) reaching there December 3, and remained there, with headquarters at Mussy- sur-Seine. The artillery bri- gade then joined the division which formed part of the Eighth corps. The First army and the Eighth corps were discontinued on April 20. 1913, and the division then joined the Ninth corps. On May the division passed to the S. O. S.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12

D. m. .................... ..........''..'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-12
To Transport 375,O0 in June; Germans Get Reply Friday
(continued From Page one)

pleniary conference with the smaller pow es before the reply is sent to the Ger mans. The revised treaty and memor- apdum accompanying the treaty will be sent to Count Von Brockdorff -Rantzau, head of the German delegation, by mes senger without ceremony.
The sun., 1919-02-23

Yes, music is to-day, when 1t con-
tains both design and color, 4 richer
and more natural art than poetry.
admit while saying this that a great
poem. employing our common speech,
may be the trembling bridge that binds
our thought to heaven--but don't you
agree with me that great dramatic
music is winged by its sensuous ap-
peal to carry us over the bridge?
There Is no vital reason for opera
in English, any more than there is in
French or other vernacular. II It Is
big and full 1t can tell its story, it can
move the listener without words.
Don't we get pure sensuous pleasure
from certain effects of melody. har-
mony, rhythm and Instrumentation
when there is no word to distract us?
On the other hand, IL the listener is
straining to hear the slightest shades
OF meaning from the words, then he
must feel the music to he but an i'm
Fortunate distraction. The passion
ate duet at the end of Carmen might
be sung without words and it would
be just as passionate"
Miss Garden laughed as she said
ms anu do'tA~aNS tlkk y 1911 "a S'ilbSi
afflicted with lapse of memory who
doesn't take advantage of this fact.
She makes up words or sings vowels,
and the wise folk in front may know,
but the music lovers up high don
care. They get the true reaction.
Converted by Dcbussy.
II know what you expect me to say
after that confession, and | shall not
| disappoint you. Yes, that great genius,
dream drugged Debussy, vitaliZed the
new aesthetic and converted me.
wander Willingness, joyfully-in
that beautiful tapestry country he
created and filled with his musical
| haze. Master of the fine nuance, he
gave me what unconsciously wanted
and unaffectedly / would give myself
| to any work of his. Unfortunately
'Pelleas ct MaIisande is his only score
for the opera house. There exists an
other, but 1t Is of slight account.
"My introduction to Debussy came
before the circle of his admirers. still
a restricted one, was large enough to
be noticeable in the artistic life of
Paris. They had brought me the first
act OF 'Pelleas' to study and it caught
me at once. worked hard, but. oh, so
lovingly, on II. Then the manager OF
the Opera Comique told me there was
a grand row on and might not get
a chance to sing it. At that time ]
was glad to sing anything they gave
me. and accepted the decision philo-
sophically enough. Still he told me to
continue my study. and did for pure
love Of the score. Maeterllnck was
making tho attempt to force Debussy
10 give Meiispndo 10 Maeteiiinck'
wife. Georgettelle Blanc. although De
The sun., 1919-02-23

as on. She turned to the new opera
'Gismonda," in which she created the
name part in its world premiere last
month.
when a composer brings mo his
libretto 1 may or may not be reused
to interest in 1t. Usually I am not.
and when he insists on reading the
words to me I am invariably uninter-
ested. He chants, intones, gestures.
weeps-whatever he does leaves me
cold. I simply can't take in script
unless I read 1t myself and then. too
frequently for my own good temper, l
see little in 1t. But If he brings me
the finished score l wake up at once.
Carried n Beautiful Score.
"Fevrier already had my ear for I
had done his Norma Wanna a beauti-
full melodious score. Perhaps 1 was a
little carried away by a recollection OF
the success OF MaeterlinCk's exquisite
Wanna, and carried over into the new
score some of my passion for her. But
think that the strong character OF
the Duchess of Athens appealed to me
histrjonicallS Here was woman who
could STAY with her own hands. Here
was a period of fever unto passion
we'd and / must have hoped to make
a medieval woman live. l am not go
ing to say whether or not did fill up
her veins with real live pulsing blood.
That is the business of the musical
critics with whom I never interfere.
But may repeat that II I had not had
the score along with the words l
shouldn't have attempted the trans
fusion.
For I am a singer, not an actress.
They come to me and say, How ver-
satlle you are; you could go on the
dramatic stage and make great
name It Is absurd; I should fail,
fail, fail. I am not an actress and
do not wish to act IL my material were
only words.
1.-THE modern aesthetic OF music Is
not the eighteen or even the nine
teenth century aesthetic. Once music
was the hand maiden OF poetry, later
she was advanced to be an equal
Now music surpasses poetry. A
great French philosopher, Saint Eve
monde, who is. fear. greatly neg
lected, thus described opera, Magnih-
cent nonsense. but still nonsense. And
Il was SO even in the day Of Gluck
Music drama has saved opera for us
moderps. Words are Che moEients o,
capitalization of song. they are IT.
supports. ana until music rises with
out words to the same mood as a greai
and lofty strain Of poetry. 1t has not
attained its zenith. Wagner taught u,
this. and 80 did Debussy, each in, hi,
particular school. These are the twC
J modern geniusss who have saved opers
TO the world.
The sun., 1919-02-23
Photos g b Mof3e77 S1udio


busy had tho libretto almost ten
years before the pair had met.
"One day my director came to me
and said, VIII you go with me to De-
busy and sing Melisdnde for him.
The composer was living then with
his adorable young and pretty wife
in little fiat near the Pare Monceau.
There were only three living rooms,
but each was a gem. Debussy had
the most exquisite taste and wherever
he was a scene of subdued beauty
blossomed.
Stranger Almost Frightened Her.
The strange man almost frightened
me, who am not easily frightened. He
had great overhanging forehead like
the caves OF an ancient building, and
across 1t he pasted down his heavy
black hair in a straight line. From
beneath his brow there stared at one
two black eyes like those of Wild
beast in a cavern. His hands were
slender as woman's and he had let
his nails grow so long that they turned
under, and ratified on the keys as he
played. For all that he was a magnifi-
cent pianist.
IL sang for him. When finished
there was IA painful pause. Debussy
buried his face in his hands and leaned
his head on the piano keys. ! said:
at was not TO your liking,
Maestro?'
He looked up and said. Where do
you come FROM
Scotland
"'Mon Dieu!' he exclaimed, that n
woman from the north should come to
sing my MeliSdndeP But he said
almost at once, You and you only
shall create JfeliSdnde.'
1.-THE first night OF that opera I need
scarcely say shall never forget, how
ever old grow or how many parts l
assist to bring to life. 1t is as Arm
in my memory as the first night of
That's I'll never forget the behavior
Of the people in the parterre who did
their best to damn 1t. There was in
particular a handsomely dressed man
with two youths with him whom
tried to slay In his seat with my big
MeIisGnde eyes. Cor he deliberately
took a silver whistle out of his pocket
and blew 1t vociferously.
1.-THE battle would have seemed lost
but that the spectators in the loft
heard the music reverently. They are
the judges whose verdict tells. At the
second representation there were few
admirers Of Debussy downstairs and In
the boxes, at the third there were
more. and SO the success grew until
II was acknowledged.
Later in your New York tho Same
thing happened when Hammerstclr
produced THAT'S Again an apparent
failure. The critics iid not know how
! to treat the opera, neither did the PEG.
The sun., 1919-02-23

things In his grand rooms. where q
friend or two sees them now and than,
until they come to the sale OF dis
persal
Wouldn't he spend his money more
reasonably to build the house for mod
ern music? OF course, IL he builds II
expecting 10 per cent. on his money
he will be disappointed. But II he IL
animated by a true desire to help his
kind. 10 educate us all, he can efford
to lose this interest.
And in that opera dream there IL
always a large section set aside for an
opera school. The girls Of this coun-
try are of the most wonderful ma
terial for singers. I am asked every
week TO hear one and to advise IL she
shall go abroad TO study. If she seems
to me TO have the voice. am forced
by conditions to advise her going, while
all the time l am distressed for fear
she will take my advice. 1t isn't that
I think tho aspirant Is sure TO fail,
for II she has the will and the ability
to win she will win--nothing can
prevent. But I would prefer to see IL
possible for her to stop at home and
do hero all that she could do abroad.
The big, generous. modern music home
would give her as good opportunity
as Paris or Milan.
Excuse for Its Being.
Opera is eternal when It Is not too
affected to call itself music drama,
for that is its modern name as we'll
as its excuse for being True. as we'll
a
home that fondly vision, there must
be composers. But there have al
ways been epochal composers. They
come infrequently but they do arrive.
Gluck. Berlioz, Wagner, Debussy-
these were all innovators all founders
OF, schools. The pupils of the earlier
ones have disappeared. Wagners imi-
r.. tors wilI~.n tHDs turn disasselr as
| completely, and tho Debussy cult will
die. Time, time, AS l said. carries
everything away. good and evil alike.
But the new men will come to write
| opera out OF living hearts.
They have come. ! have two
| scores complete which am studying
now and shall create in Paris; have
/ two others on the way which, so far as
! have seen them, promise even more
| than those ] am under contract TO
| sing. All four are modern, ultra mod
ern, embodying Ideas impossible TO
| Wagner or to Charpentier because tho
men who are writing passed through
experiences that their forerunners
never dreamed of. Mixed of the mud
and blood OF this now century, It in
reasonable to suppose that they too
will have their daV
MY own immediate future Is as I
have outlined II. have the two new
roles that ! feel as strongly as any
have yet essayed. They must, am
confident, have more than a success
I'estime. Perhaps they will be great.
II these operas are great l want to
come back here with them, for this
is the public I ,ove the best; but I
should be utterly happy and content
IL only l were to give them in my
Imagined music drama home!
perhaps I may never come back,
who k2ows?' I ~, going 20 Rome 20
study the new roles; 1t may be that
In that city, where everybody feels
so unaccountably at home. l will decide
, to be the singing actress no more,
But let the capitalist build the houss
yoarn for. ard my resolution 20 CUE.
} the stage would yield like WAFER"
The sun., 1919-02-23

pie. The gallery liked it and told Ham
merstein TO have patience. There
were not 500 people in the Manhattan
Opera House on the second representa-
ton, but SOMEBODY told somebody else
who came and told others and these
came also and that work was sue
cess.
ITO go back to Paris and to De-
busy. Deny it as he would, he was
tremendously influenced by the modern
Russian music. In his journey to Rus
sia in 1879 he absorbed Moussorgsky
and the modern Russians until that
Inconsistencies for the ideal which had
been fitfully present in his music be-
came it's heart. He would play Nous
sorgsky for hours at a time.
~ came to know him very we'll.
He was a gourmand and loved to dine
at my house, where I gave orders that
his delicate appetite should be care
fully catered to: at length he had his
place there at table every Friday night
and made out the menu himself. In
many ways besides music Debussy
was interesting; he was n rare book
collector and possessed the flair for
prints and Pastels The remotest
reference in any literature to theme
wraithlike rather than human sent
him to the obscurest shops in Paris on
its trail. His genius, for he had II
needed the richest and most complex
setting composed of many deep and
strange colors. Nevertheless when he
was so housed genius faded away like
a dream.
Taken Up by Wealthy Woman.
but when we think how he acquired
that rich setting it is possible we have
| the explanation. There was In Pari:
woman, very rich, who took up the
Debussy cult. She made the Rcquaint'
ance of his young wife and sought his
At my own table I have heard Nine
Debussy arguing with him that 1t wa:
his duty to go to this woman's house
| Under her persuasion he did 81
| finally. He never came away.
"All of the Debussy worshippers hat
a sympathy for the little wife who haC
sacrificed herself to keep the sordit
everyday out OF his life. We did wha
we could to help her but she was pow
erless against desertion .huttressed b,
millions of money. and finally Debuss!
obtained what / suppose he called hi
freedom.
THE composer never saw any OF M
4 again. Every other day passed hi
/ automobile In the Bois WIFI his shor;
fat. blonde wife fifteen years his senior
sitting by him, but J. never received
sign OF recognition. And then hi
powers failed. or they were only exer
clsed in small things unworthy OF hi
genius-tinklinE water drops, tunes 10
tie kindergarten. nothings
Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-23
Little Bobbie and His Pa
BY WILLIAM +. KIRK.

Pa was setting In tho front room
looking out of the window & he
wasent saying word.
Thare is lot Of lockiaw going
abound I hear, scd Ma. e | am wor-
ricd that SUM OF my loved ones VIII
De took down with il, Sod Ma.
| suppoas YOU moan ne. Sod Pa.
Wen I talk YOU think shud keap
still, e. wen kcap still you think {
lave the 'numps or lockjaw. . woman
in our hour Of case. you ccrtinly have
queer idces. sed Pa.
Eut why tho grim silence, like the
silence that falls over the Crate
Northwest wen winter Gums with icy
grip, scd Ma.
jest doant feel like talking. Sod
Pa This ttccty hiZncss has me up
tree. scd Pa. q labor is showing I'm
rest, too. Eeven l. scd Pa, walked
out OF my offs this morning & rec
fused TO toll.
lest think OF my bizzy !neero walk
Ing around with al that dimTa-n tie
The old d:nma mite force Is lack
Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-23
The Rhyming Optimist
Flannels.
.lannels.

When I see the forest wearing au.
tumn robes OF scarlet hue, am car
RED back to autumns when ! donned
this color. too. Down the path O:
chlldhood memories I am taken back
70 Gays when the hills were garbcd
IN scarlet. wrcathed in mist and gold.
en- maze. And along with all this beau.
~. all this charm OF gorgeous tint
q gentle. wintry hint. Just about the
time that ioretastcs came 10 give lifc
fresher Zest mother'd Journey to the
attic to ncr great old cedar chest
Dclving deep within it's fastncss, she
would Eaily bring to light. vcsturc Wy
Ing with the NAPLES when Il came to
being bright. Though we made an ar
dent protest. pleas OF warmer DAYS to
come. sage predictions on tho weather
we'd as we'll have been quite dumb
For OF all forcordination nann.ls
were tho one best bot: | can sec their
vivid color. ! can feel their pricklos
yet SO | never welcome autumn. with
it's glow OF golden haze but think o,
winter nann"ls that | wore IN good
old days; and never sec tho bristlcs
on the portly porcupine. but ! wonder
II his shirt can stick AS did those
II vanished. that red garb o. other
times? Can IL bc It has been banishcd
to the fricid Arctic ciimes. aud docs
every North Pole Riddle. every fat
young Es1t.in.au. have TO climb INTO
his hannels at the bidding of his ma,
Then. in truth, I'm sorry for him and
I'm mighty glad I'm through hopping
into scarlet garments just because the
forests do.
Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-10-23

ing these days. sumhow. .ed Pa.
Everything is SO upset. sumhow. /
can't seem to see ware ii is all going
10 end. But ;harc is no usa worry
ing. scd Pa. Everything ends soon
enuf, including this here life be-
neeth them cold & silent stars. sed Pa.
l.sscn TO my little Gustaf Gloom.
sed Ma. In tie old days you were
Jest full OF cunning little Joaks along
this time Of day. Ma sed Strange
Did Blue Laws. sed Ma.
with my present staff of Unrest. as
far rs know. sed Pa. Malt meens
nothing to me, Sod Pa. No. aed Pa, i;
is about the strange -certinEty OF
human life th:t | was thinking wen
! sat here gazing out az the endless
blue lorry -zong. Pa sed The shift
ing sands OF Life is falling. one sand
at time, Sod Pa. & wither we are
drifting no gent can say. let alone a
woman. scd Pa.
Well forget it. Sod Ma. Supper is
nearly rcddy &, tho label will be groan-
ing with good things 10 Get That is
Sroan-ing, cnun for ono governing. Ma
Sod.
You arc eternal suubcem. sed Pa.
| am much -ohlidScd to have met you.
Pa Scd.
one mite as well be clipper. Ma sod
cant help feeling clipper with that
new FUR cote cumming up tomorrow.
1t is camcls hair, Ma sed.
Ana, sed ia. Gay & clipper we
snud he the camels arc cumming. G.
and looked out at tho gray sky sum
r,,nD