davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17

ample, would. but for her crimes, now be at her command, and could, by her. be easily denied her foes, of whom the principal depend upon ocean traffic for almost everything Germany would never for a moment think of letting foreigners cross her territory for the articles with which to equip and main tain their armies at war, yet she clam ors for freedom afloat which she would not allow on shore. demand for the freedom of the seas might to be logical be coupled with an equal de- mand for thatsof the land, but the mere statement of such proposition carries it's own refutation, so that I need mol labor a grotesque point. Again. when the Prussans besieged Paris. they were merely waging war according to the rules, but when the allies blaca ded Germany. they were fiends in human form, It requires reasoning powers be- yond those of an average man to un- derstand this distinction
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
HUMAN SOULS CRUCIFIEp

And as they cross the desert the Turks point out to them as a solemn warning against future attempts to escape supreme horror-the cult of the Germans--nothing less than long line of girls naked on crosses, nails through their hands and feet and vul- lures perched above croaking against the time when they shall feast.
 Such almost becomes the fate of Aurora Mardiganian. But she and Miss Graham, once more with the aid of An dranilS, escape and make their way at last to an American mission.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
RAV1SHED BY DESERT BANDITS

At last, aided by the watching young shepherd, Miss Graham and Aurora es- cape. For time they travel on by night. trying to escape not only the Turks. but the even more savage Kurds who ride the desert knowing no law. It is inevitable that the girls are cap- cognize in 'them-after they have them selves taken advantage-rich prizes for the harem of a notorious Moham- medan chieftan.
 So the girls are sold and become inmates of harem. Here they suffer indignities sufficient to break the heart of Western women But again they manage to escape, and become fugitives of the desert world. After a time they are recaptured and sent to the slave market, where thinly draped, they are offered for sale. In disguise Andranik buys Aurora and Miss Gra- ham, each for eighty-five cents. They start north once more That night they get three steeds from a Turkish camp.
 With the Turks at their heels they take refuge in an ancient monastery Turkish forces arrive before the mon astery. Refused entrance by the holy men they break their way into the monastery, and take the girls captive. Then once more, their original clothing in pathetic rags. their hearts filled with terror at the prospect of new trials, and the hope of ever getting back to their people again banished--the girls
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17


 can feel that you are looking at scenes of fact and not fiction. Aurora Mar dinSanian, the sole survivor of half million Chyi dian girls plays the lead ing role in this production and the story is the story of her fife. She was more than two years in Turkish harems nd again renacts her experiences and the suffer rings of her fellow countrymen. Tbere is nothing like "AuctiOn of SouIs'' on the screen and there never will be again. The first perfor,pance will be- gin tomorrow at 10 o'clock and arrange ments have been made to accomodate unprecedented crowds.
 EVERY WORD IN THE
 SYNOPSIS IS TRUE
 Aurora Mardiganian, young and beautiful Armenian girl, lives with her parents in the Turkish city of Harpout. The Mardiganians. like the other hum !. .dreds of thousands of Armenians living here, within the shadow of MT. Ararat and -industrious..s quiet. intelligent peo- ple,N forming the oldest Christian na- ton.
 For Ncenturies the Armenians lived a life of, terror and constant fear, be- cause of she murderous attacks of the fanatical Turks. For some time before the openingNof the story, however. the
 
 had been growing prosperous, and her father was preparing to send her West to be educated.
 But into this serene picture creeps East the hand of war which had begun to devastate Europe. Matters reached the pass where the Turks openly tell the American ambassador in Constanti- nople. Henry Morgenthau, that the Ar menians were giving secret support to Russia, the enemy of Germany and Turkey
 Consequently his plea fails to prevent the issuance of an order that hundreds of thousands of Armenians must be moved southward from their fruitful homeland into the desert. The Turks know this virtually means the eXter- imitation of the Armenians l. Passelt Pasha, Turkish governor of the province, comes to the home of Aurora's father and demands the hand of Aurora in marriage. The father re- minds him that his daughter does not wish to give up Christianity, as she, would have to do so to marry him, and the Turk leaves in anger. BRUTAL DECORATIONS BEGIN Then goes forth the order that all Armenians shall prepare to march. The men are separated from the women. i, Soldiers in the Armenian uniform are forced to disarm and dig trench, whereupon Turkish soldiers shoot them down. Mothers are torn fpom their children, and fathers from their fam lilies. All are marched away into the desert where famine, thirst fierce heat by day, and worse terrors by night for the young girls. stalk
 In her efforts to escape, Aurora goes
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
Most Stupendous Film >OfAH Time Featuring
 Aurora Mardiganian
Beautiful Armenian Girl Sole Survivor of Half Million Girls Sold Into Slavery in Leading Role-World's Greatest Historical Photoplay Deals With
 Facts That Are Verified

Indications the of the beginning the engagement the worlds greatest historical photoplay Auction of Souls that all attendance records in Birmingham will be broken Telephone calls letters and elegras Trianon theatre office seeking information and details the presentation of this mammoth production The Souls the mightiest photopay of the dealing historical
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
Freedom of the Land"

Rear Admiral c. k. Goodricil. in the
 Review.
 If freedom of the seas. the great neutral zone, why not the freedom of the land. the lesser neutral zone? Let us take the case of Germany. situated in the heart of Europe. She can draw ' freely upon adjacent countries. not hostile to her. for whatever she needs and they can supply. The vast products and raw materials of Russia, for ex
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
Drug Legislation in Mexico

Mexico City. July 21.-The federal department of health has announced that a vigorous campaign will be con- ducted against the use of habit form ing drugs in the republic, practice which is alleged by several newspapers to be widespread
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
Mexican Mails to Germany

Mexico City, July 21.-Mexico re- opened postal connections with Ger many. on July 1a. coincident with the resumption of such relations between the United States and Germany.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
Deuout Faith in Christ Brings Death to Half q
 Million Young Girls

The Start of Deportation

Never the long history of Christian prosecutions of Christ the burning plains south of Armenia years
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17

to mission school which is taught by Miss Graham, pretty English girl When soldiers surround it Miss Graham protests II the name of the English flag. Her only answer is the dragging away of her Armenian girls by the Turkish soldiers, who trample her flag Determined to remain with the girly and do as much as possible for them, Miss Graham disguises herself as an Armenian, and goes with them into ba dacar+
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17
DESERT THEIR DESTINATION

They are followed by Andranik, a young shepherd who has been attracted by the beauty of Aurora. Fsrom this time on he is her protector. several atln~s managing to save her when she 'lS Tn grave straits. Aurora's parents are killed by the Turks. Like hundreds of thousands of others, she, Miss Gra- ham and her sister are forced on into the burning desert. their feet blistered from the hot sands, and their lips knowing neither food nor water.
 Other refugees tell them fearful stories of towns where the Armehians fared even worse than they In one place hundreds of men were lured into barn ito register" as the Turks said only to be burned to death. By night the girls have opportunity of seeing the Turk in all his infamy. Only those who are buried in the sands by the older women escape misuse by their hrIIfa1
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Sketch from hallucinati0n
(Skctches in page from Professor Hyslop's book)

political institutions. In all cases its
value depends on the existing state of
knowledge and on the belief in many
other things. If mans moral nature
is rightly developed without the belief
in INN mortality, proof will be moro an
intellectual than an ethical concern:
but in an age when the affections are
highly developed, and the intellect has
adopted conceptions which virtually
nullify the influence Of the affections
it will be matter of some Importance
to learn whether nature is as careful
of personality as it is Of atoms and
matter We may play the part of
stoics in this respect, when we have no
grounds for belief, but stoicism itself
is, in most cases q tribute to that
which it comedies cannot be obtained.
Few natures can live a purely stoical
life The most ethical impulses are not
cast in that mould; and we welcome
that attitude only when it conforms to
what the affections teach, though it has
given up the beliefs that fostercd them.
Ii is true that we have to submit if
VIC do not have evidence for either
faith or knowledge; but the loss will
mos. people viii seek for light beyond
a horizon which seems to hide the fut-
nrc from US
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Takes Place of Stoicis1sa

And right here, according to DR.
Hyslop, spiritualism comes in to sup
ply the need which neither stocism
nor materialism can fill in the long
ings and desires of striving, suffer
ing humanity.
Professor Hyslop's work gives some
Interesting illustrations of spiritual
ISM. involving the personalities Of the
late Professor William James, Mark
Twain and others. He describes mi
nutely seanccs at which these literary
and scientific lights t'appeared,n and
az which DR.. uyslop himself was pres
cnt- A good part OF the Conversations"
narrated seem to lack conference and
clcarness. This. however, one gathers
from the book, is due to the necessity
OF evolving some definite set of laws
by which TO interpret the revelations
Of people who choose to reappear be-
fore their friends from the other world.
A number of Incidents in telepathy
and similar phenomena are also given.
In this connection DR.. Hyslop has some
interesting things to say on the proc
es5 of communicating:
"The popular terms for the method
Of communicating with the dead are
automatic writing, raps, table tipping,
planchette writing, spelling by ouija
board, impressions and the more tech
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Professor Hyslop Writes Of the Spirit World

of to-day, is irrelevant to the question
II may be true that we have spiritual
bodies not perceptible to sense and
only occasionally accessible to super
normal functions of the mind, when
conditions arc favorable
Il en- neither upholding nor denying
such view. 1t is simply no part OF
the scientific problem before US. Even
il one assumes this spiritual body, one
does not necessarily accept the spirit
istic theory of the mind. What we
want to know is whether that spiritual
body is conscious or not, and conscious
viii the same memory that the per
son had when living his earthly life
II the spiritual body has no memory
cf the past, ii the stream OF conscious
ness or personality does not survive
with it, there is little interest in the
iaC. of survival either as spiritual
body OF in the form or rcincarration
The Interesting and important thing is
the survival OF personal identity, which
consists wholly in the stream of CON
scioIsuess with its memory of the past,
and not in any spiritual body, no mat
ter how necessary this latter may be
TO the survival OF the mental stream
itself
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Help For I3 Mothers

Among those who have found
satisfaction in spiritualism are
thirteen mothers, stated by SIR
Arthur Conan Doyle to be persoc-
ally known to him, who are in co..
respondence with their dead sons
Sir Arthur says: "In each case the
husband, where he is alive, Ia
agreed as to the evidence. In only
one case, as far as I know, was the
parent acquainted with psychic
matters before the war"
In the belief of many spiritual
lists the great war has been instru-
mental in some occult sense in
thinning the wells between this
world and the next.
Sir Arthur in his latest book, "The
New Revelation" quotes in his pref
ace statement by Mrs. Piper ut
tered in 1899, and recorded bv
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Photograph from actual scene

she cked when you see Captain N. Sir
H. B., with two other specialists, ex-
amined him yesterday; their opinion is
that it is phthisis. If we could get
him out to Switzerland within the next
forty-eight hours there might be some
Improvement, but l must tell you the
doctors are not very hopeful.'s
ut was we'll the spirit friends had
warned me to be calm. When I en-
tered my brothers room I hardly rec
ogrized the object in the bed, though
| lad seen him few weeks before.
The skeleton fingers never ceased pick
ing at the counterpane. I could just
catch the words: Afraid -I'm-done'
A sort of incrcdulous smile came on
the drawn face when I said: 'Oh, but
youre going to get all right"
The lady then tells how circum-
stances helped her to get hev
brother off to Switzerland immc-
diately and Of another visit to "Sun-
shine" who said, owe have been
with you. We will be with yo4r
brother on his journey You will
soon hear of his safe arrival :"
Sunshine" then told the lady to
write to the doctor about her
brothers fall, prophesying that she
would soon hear from Switzerla nd
that her brother was getting fat.
The doctors replied to her letter
that they had been puzzled by her
brothers case until they received
her letter telling of his fall. Soon
afterward she heard from her
brother that he was "getting as fat
as q Driac+O -
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03

or the testimony of trustworthy sub
Ject, will decide whether person is
writing automatically. Many people
suppose that automatic writing is al
ways the act Of some foreign intelli-
gence, but it is not necessarily so. It
may always be the unconscious act of
the subject himself, even though we
suppose that the instigating cause Is
foreign. Popularity, however, it is as
sumed to be due to the direct action Of
spirits, and even some scientific men
maintain that, if spirits are connected
with it at all, they are the direct cause
of it. The matter, however, is not so
simple as it seems. The factor that
makes it appear to be the direct act
of foreign intelligence is the exclusion
of normal consciousness and intention.
We naturally assume that anything not
done by us voluntarily is not done by
us at all, and if our ego were defined
by our conscious and voluntary acts,
as the Cartesian philosophy would have
us believe, this view would be cor
rect. But since the time of Descartes
we have learned that there is whole
territory Of unconscious actions insti-
gated, at least apparently, by uncon-
scious processes Of the mind.
"Thesc acts may not be due to spir-
its at all The subconscious is pre-
suped to lie between the fields Of
spirit agency and the normally con-
scious and voluntary actions of the
mind. Whether in this region mental
states and acts may be originated with
out foreign stimulus is debatable, but
in the absence of evidence for
this instigation we have to assume that
subconscious acts explain the facts, es-
pecially when the knowledge mani
tested or action performed is entirely
within the range of normal ACQUISITION.
But if information not normally &C
quired is conveyed by this automatic
writing, the subconscious certainly
cannot be more than the vehicle or
medium of it's transmission. It is this
foreign origin that gives the impression
Of direct control by spirits, and so
leads to the supposed significance of
automatic writing.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
A Change of Thought

Then, during the last few years,
great change of thought has oc-
Cured regarding these questions.
Science itself maintains its posi-
ton of negation, but many scientists
have been found who, after invest
eating psychic phenomena, declare
their belief in survival after
death. Among these are Sir
William Crookes and Sir Oliver
Lodge, whose services to science
are well known. They are men
whose Investigations in other fiel IS
would be Immediately received with
credence. Moreover, science has had
to admit many things, whose tenabil-
ity it at first denied, such as hypuo-
tism and kindred phenomena. It has
hypothesized the ether and will
probably have to accept telepathy.
TO the man in the street it is
small step from these things to ex-
istence after death, and if few
scientists lead the way many of his
kind will be only too willing to
follow
In these circumstances and un-
der conditions resulting from the
great war great wave of spirit
ualism, theosophy, anthroposophy,
occultism, mysticism, as we'll as
many other isms too numerous to
mention, is sweeping over Eng
land and Europe. The movemeat
is accompanied by the appearance Q
of an enormous number of the
most startling publications on SINH
lar lines to w. I. Stead's Letters
from Julia" or "After Death" and
Elsa Barker's Letters from Liv-
ing Dead Man" They are mostly
produced by automatic" writing
or are "inspired." They go through
edition after edition. "The Occult
Review the spiritualist weekly
Light" and other such periodicals
have lately experienced an enor-
nous increase in circulation. Books
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Popular Ideas Are Wrong

There is another popular conception
OF communication with the dead, which
gives rise to the errors regarding the
physical means Of communication. This
popular notion is that the communica-
ton is quite like our own communica-
tlon with each other. The circumstance
that it comes in speech or writing or
some use of the physical organism
creates the impression that the process
is mere substitution of the discarnate
spirit for our own in the use of the
human organism. This is Rot true, de-
spite the appearances to that effect.
Superficial characteristics make it ap-
pcar as if the spirit simply took hold
Of the physical organism and used it
jNat as the living personality uses it.
IN the contrary, the subconscious does
acs cease to function; and when the
formal consciousness is made the
vehicle of the communications, no part
c living control is lost.
"The popular misconception leads to
.he Interpretation of messages as if
hey were not colored by the mind
which serves as the medium of trans
mission, an assumption which is prov
ably false. There is nothing clearer to
Investigators than the fact that all
messages are affected by the mind of
the medium, notmal or subliminal, ac-
cording to the conditions under which
communication takes place. II the
messages come through normal con-
sciousness, the form of the message
will be affected. Memories, interpreta-
ton and language determine the form
of the message. To some extent the
subconscious will affect it in the same
way in trance, when normal con-
sciousness is suspended. Control of
the living organism is either indirect
or totally wanting when the communi
cations are going on, except, possibly
in exceptional cases."
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03
Help From, Medium,

This declaration brought a retort
from a lady whose experience is
worth quoting as typical of hun
dreds Of stories Of guidance or AL
legged guidance from spiritualism
She writes:
May I give an instance of help re-
ceived through medium? A brother
mad oeen alllng off and on for a wear
or more. He was suddenly taken worse.
he had been spending the autumn in q
coHvalescent home for officers. One
evening l received a telegram to saw
nc had been moved to nursing home
IN London; would | come at once .
Next afternoon, before going to the
home, l called upon friend NOT nm
known to spiritualists. A few mo.
mcrts after entered her control
Sunshine gave me this message: sDo
nc. be alarmed when you see vour
brother; he will get quite we'll again
we sense this trouble is caused bv
crused blood, which interferes with
'ne digestive organs. Did he not have
fall? Was he riding on horseback %
IN the previous year he had been
.nrown from his pony playing polo.
.nc pony had rolled on him, and he
nsa been badly crushed. I told Sun
shine' this. 'Ah, that is the cause of
Tins trouble, our doctors say; he will
recover, but he must get out of mis-
present condition Immediately. There
must be no delay. You have to SEQ to
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03

it. You are wanted in that house at
once. We will help you. Everything
Will be arranged, but you must keep
calm. Show no sign of dismay when
you see him. Be cheerful. Come and
see us tomorrow Remember, we can
not fail you. God bless you
"I wondered whatever could I do.
Arrived at the home, l was shown to
the matron's room. She did not keep
me waiting. 4 fear you will be very
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03

sarily as attesting the nature, or any
sensible conception, of spirit"
"The Importance Of belief in sur
vival after death depends partly on the
conditions Of the age and partly on the
have been ages in which the idea of
immortality has exercised little infu-
encc on the ethical and social life, and
there have been ages and races in
which it was central, determining even
New-York tribune., 1919-08-03

declare they have been convinced
of the personal survival after death.
But this, it seems, is not all.
Spiritualism has also invaded the
churches, and many a priest and
pastor confesses his leanings tow
ard a belief in life after death
somewhat similar to that recorded
by the spiritualists. Recently the
King and Queen of England listened
to a sermon which spiritualists
claim was tinged with their doc
trines. This was at the great Cathe-
dral of St. Pauls last month dur
ing a memorial service in honor Of
cavalry and yeomanry killed in tn,
war. There were present the King
and Queen and other members Of
the royal family, Sir Douglas Ha!g,
with many of his generals, besides
other officers of all ranks and a
crowded congregation.
Il congregation Unseen
The following is one of the re-
markable passages of the sermon
preached by the Rev. H. W. Blacl-
burne, D. S. o., M. c., assistant
chaplain general:
eve are conscious of CONGREGATION
unseen, but very real, which has gath
cred in or near this building to-day. 7
like to feel, l do feel, that there is one
very near to me now, my own splendid
brother. And I hasten to add that I
only dare use that term because not
for one moment is it forgotten that our
dear ones are splendid, too. There is
an ache in every heart to-day, an ache
that we shall feel perhaps until the
end of time
There is joy, a real joy, in the
thought that we are compassed about
with great cloud of witnesses, that
their presence is very real"
The spread Of spiritualism has. on
the other hand, alarmed some mem
bers OF the clergy, such as the
Bishop of London, who at a recent
memorial service at st. Martin's-in-
the Fields declared he wanted to see
people free from that superstition
of perpetually visiting mediums for
the purpose Of getting into commu-
nlcatlon with the other world. He
said he had never seen any informa-
ton which had given them the
slightest help, and such proceedings,
in his opinion, were a waste of time
and made persons restless and un-
happy.