davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29

From the New York Evening Post ONHE question at this writing is no
 longer what is a classic? The
 = publisher settled that long ago. A classic is a small. dun book. dog cared with tomorrows assignment written on the fly leaf.
 The vital question is, how can classic be made? For, cautiously enough, in an age supposedly enamoured of the ephe- neral, classics are, financially speaking. an asset. They constitute the surplus of a publishing business, and reasonable percentage of each new generation of au- thors must be classicized, added to sur plus, SO to speak, if the business is to remain sound. But how can classic be made
 It was made in the old days by sweat ing brains and toiling imagination, until thought and experience were distilled into expression. It won it's way to rec ognition or it met instant approval; it was damned by the critics of was well comed by them; in any case, it survived,
 
 porary in its pages blurred and the per- manent gained emphasis. /
 But publishers nowadays have differ ent ideas. They believe in speeding up the slow processes of fame. Sweating labor, toiling imagination, the slow rip- ening of appreciation, these with them are vieux jeu, useful, but not indis- pensable. Go to, they say, we need a classic. And their procedure is not un- like the famous generations of the Bible: for advertisement begets publicity, and publicity begets notoriety, and notoriety begets puffery, and puffery begets fame, and fame begets a classic, which lives in the publishers list from generation unto generation.
 There must be seed of Jacob from which all this prodigious growth may
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
HOW CLASSICS ARE MADE

spring; there must be a good book, or. preferably, books, but with sound seed. good manure, and proper cultivation anything is possible.
 The experiment begins (to change the figure) with a gentle snow of press no- tices, whispering: He is great;" he lis famous;" Professor - approves him." ''the Review ranks him with Fielding;;'' Senator Harding is reading him." Follows a blast from the middle page of some weekly: Did you know that G- was an American classic? Read what they say.'
 Then silence for while to give the essayists, sluggish folk, time to turn un- easily in their desk chairs, hear that an- other writer is worthy of serious att tention." and write. Essayists are the priests of classic making. They pour the sacred oil But much is spilled, and much of it is water.
 Then, by prearrangenent, come mighty ccnfigurations on the rear pages of na- tionally circulated journals; family in- teriors with children in process of being cultivated, bookcases full of the works of G, pictures of G-- in boxes, pictures of his heroes, his he roines, in characteristic attitudes Also riddles as: If you were caught between floors in an elevator with bolsheyik and a vampire, what would you dor Read c. and learn what Joseph did. And then subscription offers, b1 sets, with a guarantee that signature brings you intellectual happiness for Ifa
 Last stage of all, some one lectures on G-at the French academy; he is reviewed with gross errors of locality and msspelling of his middle name) in the London Athena and the Literary Dd- gest reports him as having been heard in Oxford (though not in the Bodleian). The classic is made.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29

Despite the fact that 1t is on the out side lokoing in, America takes more than an academic interest in the League of Nations.
 Birmingham citizens are advised to protect themselves against criminals. But are there any machine guns available for home use?
 A prohibition worker says the "dlys'' were overconfdent In Scotland. Never theless they gained toehold.
 :. # <
 Lenine is said to have his genial mo- ments-doubtless when he thinks about what fools he's made of the allies. Calvin Coolidge is already beginning to realize that he will be simply the vice president of the United States In urging federal bureaus to eliminate red tape the American Legion is striking at the fundamentals of government.
 # # <
 Daredevils of the air and automobile racers compete for first honors at the morgue.
 !: # <
 Great Britain is clearly on the verge of hysteria when it barricades Downing street.
 The Sim Fein is said to have spies in London who are almost as efficient in that kind of ,deviltry as German walters. * # +
 Birmingham's overworked fire depart ment gets precious little time to indulge in the restful game of checkers
 x 4 x Another feather in the cap of Josephus Daniels The Navy trounced the Army in their annual football game. Most footpads seem to operate on the theory that the world owes them living.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29

From the Chicago News
 MH HHEN one speaks of especially fer WV tile districts of the United
 States one naturally mentions
 the Yazoo valley.
 Yazoo brings to mind black bottom
 lands, tall cotton and the soft speech of Dixie. The shallow stream slides in lazy loops across the western part of
 Mississippi and joins the great river at Vicksburg. The Yazoo (say it slowly, whence steamboats paddle down to New Orleans, tying up here and there at some lonely landing scow to take on cot ton-the Yazoo drains rather ineffectively some of the richest soil within the boun- daries of the United States
 Over on the bluffs to the east white plantation owners look down on broad areas of cotton and woodland. A mesh of interwoven land and water, of cres- cent bayous and, slow coiling streams and tan colored lakes, out of which the cy- press lifts it's knees, and of dark, vine draped silences of the swamps, stretches westward to the Mississippi. Here and there towns soak like lizards in the sum
 shine, and on lower land groups of negro cabins appear. In the rich bottoms of the Yazoo, where the mosquitoes whine and the negroes strum melodies after sundown, there is wealth of dark, ever
 lasting soil.
 Some lands are given by the wind; s h~ c1 others were produced where they lie. The Ya-
 zoo valley soils are deposited by water. broad flood plain scooped out ages ago by
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
Came for PNinfcrS

T ran down to Birmin gham to get a line on the best way to slaughter cat tle," says c. c. Peake. "As Huntsville is putting in city abattoir, and as it falls to my lot to superintend it, I wanted to get some pointers. went out to tn Birmingham Packing company and was shown over the plant and greatly pleased at what I saw. I go back feeling as if had good idea of what is required in modern. up-todate slaughter house. I do not think that city can be and inspecting the cattle put on the market"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
The Canal Convention

T feel a great interest in the com ing conference to be held here on De- cember IA, with the Atlantic Mississippi Canal association" said W. D. Nesbitt. "Alabamians should of all people real ize the importance of this movement, because with canal cut across the Florida peninsula and the waters of the gulf and Atlantic thus joined, the port of Mobile and the Warrior river will be centrally located for enjoyment of the wonderful advantages presented The Mississippi Valley Waterwas asso- citation, which represents more than a majority of the voting strength of the nation, is behind this project and that means that the request for a new sur vey of the proposed canal to be pre- scented the next Congress will have right of way.
 Alabama should be well represented at the December 14 meeting"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
Good Indication

From the large number of houses that are being built in the Birmingham district the housing problem should soon be solved" said John R. T. Riyes. Almost every day one who travels much over the city finds a new house being built. This is mighty good in- dication for the town. It shows enter prise on the part of the real estate agents and those people of foresight who wish to own their own homes in Birmingham.
 There is nothing that gives a stranger in the city better impression of the town than to find new buildings erected, for where there is building there is certain to be growth"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
THE TWO IRELANDS

From the Washington Star.
 men to do justice to Ireland and
 S to remove all justification for Irish bitterness is illustrated by the speech of viscount Grey on the Irish question.
 In view of this utterance by a man recently Great Britains foreign minister and whs in private life exercises great influence it would not seem as if all or Ireland or that her only policy is to conquer and to oppress. Rather, it would seem that there is eagerness to do everything possible to arrive at righteousness settlement viscount Grey argues for autonomy for Ireland equal to that enjoyed by the self-governing overseas British dominions and would have no imperial troops maintained m Ireland. unless their presence was asked for.
 The practical weakness oi the plan. if it may se judged by an outslaer' is that it fails to face fact that mas wrecked other home rule plans. IL as- sumes that Ireland is 2eifhcai uniey and is inhabited by fn. one H. on. II is notoriously politieai discniE aid IS inhabited by two nf tlssas nanon wants independence whde aae other would have closer connections vsth Great Britain. Thus it s inposs hse to give salf -detsrminatfon ono sn nation without denyirs nTother.
 Both. of tne 0'A uioosh TUT contrary reusf opposed to the Lloyd Georg AQrmuia. mere is no evidea q would unite in favor of ula. Indeed, it may be assu less numerous Irish nation Tea.d alose bitterly oppose
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
A Waste of Liquor

While going hunting the other day with a party of friends we had novel experience of being taken for police of ficers." said M K. Thornberry. All oI the members of the party had on khaki pants and leggings and one or two of them had on caps. Well. we were rid ing along and we saw two men coming toward us in a Ford. One looked at us very hard and in a second we saw @ bottle thrown from the car into the creek over which they were passing at that time.
 'One of the men in our party seeing the discarded liquor remarked what a shame to throw it away when it is so hard to get. When we passed the other car there was look of disappointment on the faces of the men who had delib- erately thrown their liquor away just because they had mistaken us for off, cers."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
Novel Treatment of
 Juvenile Offender

6THE judge of juvenile court in a Il western city recently sentenced a young offender to take out 10 shares in building and loan associa- tion and make his regular monthly payments on them.
 Here is form of punishment of di- rect benefit to the young offender. A building and loan investment is a monthly reminder of the sum to be deposited and of duty to be per- formed. At the trmination of his pay ments the boy will not only have the satisfaction of having redeemed him. self in the eyes of his community, but he will realize that he has made a positive advance.
 Compelling those who have been doing wrong things to do construc- tive things is the most progressive kind of human rehabilitation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
PEACEFUL CHICAGO

From the Kansas City Star.
 The Chicago censors have suppressed an Apache dance in an operatic produc- tion, saying it is "too violent" Except for few murders in the evenings, and a few race riots in the black and tan pie life, and. of course, it's nerves couldn't stand anything like an Apache dance
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
THE REAL CULPRIT

Arthur H. Folwell, in Leslie's.
 Said the Lokal-Anzeiger of Berlin. com menting on the result of the American election: We have got rid of Wilson. who. in the last analysis, was to blame for our misfortune" What a grave wrong has been done the Hon. Wilhelm Hohen- zollerni
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
Americans Handicap to
 Prohibition In Scotland

~ FORGE B. WILSON, political and O literary secretary of the United Kingdom alliance, an organization similar to the American Anti-Saloon league, says the participation of "Pussyfoot" Johnson and other Amer ican prohibitionists in the Scottish prohibition campaign was more of a hindrance than a help.
 Scotland quite naturally resented the interference of outsiders in what was regarded as a purely domestic matter. This sentiment was not con- fined to the imbattled "wets." Many ardent prohibitionists among the Scotch, so MT. Wilson says, felt the same way about it.
 A crusade is dear to the heart of a reformer. If it takes him into for eign land, his ardor groweth apace. He is fired with much the same kind of enthusiasm that sent the original crusaders to the Holy Land. But tam pering with other peoples morals is always a risky proceeding, particu- larly where they are perhaps fully as competent to judge of their behavior as the inspired workers who come from afar to show them the error of their ways.
 There is strongly developed pro- hibition sentiment in Great Britain. It was not due so much to the propa- ganda of American prohibitionists as to the lessons learned during the war and the economic effect of drunken ness which has long given concern to the British people. They can settle the question without the aid of our ~Pussyfoots." It might be well for the Anti-Saloon league to concentrate its efforts in America where there is still much work to do before this coun- try becomes, strictly speaking, "bone- dry"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
THE OLD SWEET DREAM


 THE OLD SWEET DREAM By Frank LNStanton. This is the street and the garden gate Where ghosts of Memory watch and
 wait, How long has it been? Oh, an
 age ago!- And loved you sol loved you so. How fares the world? Is it rose. or
 rue?- The breath of this beautiful morning
 to you How long has it been in the lives ol
 mem Are there tears for the years that have
 died since then? Does the garden forget?-Did the vio The flower you kept and kissed for mel Do the old dreams wake, with 2 passion
 new? The breath of this beautiful morning ts
 you, Faces strange at the gate I meet; A child runs in from the violet-street And kisses it's mother .f. The samf
 street?-Nay. Love, my dearest has moved away! J And I fade like the ghosts of 0
 dreams. from view; Good by. .-and the breath of Co4
 morning to you!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
A LIVELY CORPSE

From the New York World.
 Echoing the sentiments of Borah, Johnson and Harding, Senator Lodge. in the course of a funeral sermon deliv- cred before the Roosevelt club of Bos- ton, Saturday, declared in sepulchral tones that the league is dead" His post-mortem examination of the assem- bly which is presumptuously pretend ing to live and move at Geneva has con- vinced Coroner Lodge that the late 'la-
 mented' died of an acute attack of Will sonitis.
 The parliament of man" now assem-
 bled in Switzerland. with delegates from fl nations, suggests very little that Is funereal. If it really is a wake and not wedding, then the major statesmen from the five continents are master magicians who have managed to deceived the very elect, including them selves. They have certainly succeeded in galvanizing the disinterred league into a most extraordinary semblance of vitality. But, then, diplomats, and es-
 pecially old world diplomats, always were deceitful dissemblers, as we learned from the front porch in the campaign. Doubtless they are up to | their old tricks again and trying to | put something over" on the Senate. l TO facilitate business the working or ganization of the assembly has taken the form of six committees. one to deal with general organization. one with technical organization, one with man. dates and disarmament and one each
 with questions of administration, ad-
 mission and world court. The deliber-
 ations of these highly important com
 mittees, their submitted reports and
 the debates thereon will make extreme ly interesting reading. Senator Hard ing, notwithstanding, these men act as if they knew whfat they were doing
 and not as if they were Marionettes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
Teachers Urged to Join
 Ranks of Union Labor

61HE teachers unions of eastern u states, at the close of their semi annual conference in New York, adopted a resolution urging affilia- ton with organized labor.
 Protest has been made against teachers joining labor unions, but it s now recognized that some kind of organized effort to improve their con- dition is necessary. Unless an aroused public sentiment will come to their relief and demand that they be paid salaries large enough to support their families comfortably, they cannot be blamed for trying to do something for themselves.
 Joining the ranks of organized labor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
EXPRESSIVE CARTOON
rom the Houston Post.

rom The Birmin gham Age-Herald's cartoon
 showing MT. Bryans trying to, put the brdle on the democratic donkey who is
 struggling out from under the debris IS
 truly expressive. The donkey may be down. but he still has enough of vigor and sense left to kick against the Bryan bridt
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
x Quick Standardization of the Steel Trade

N BOUT week ago the chairman EA of the Steel corporation gave notice to the country that he would counsel the auxiliaries of that concern to stand by the present steel schedule. This schedule is known as the Red field scale of prices and was that sug- eested by Secretary Redfield and steel interests in March, 1919. The prices were lower than those afterwards charged by the so-called independent mills.
 Many of the independents, the smaller ones especially, charged what ever the spot market would stand. When the slump came this high priced business was disposed of and forward order books were bare. The Steel cor poration, on the contrary, found it's order books we'll supplied for several months to come because it had done business on the conservative Redfield base.
 The independents did not know very we'll where to drop to until Judge Gary indicated the saving ledge by his announcement of the maintenance of Steel corporation prices. The steel trade may be said to have been re- adjusted and is ready for the new busi- ness that will soon follow the stand ardization created by the uniform price.
 A Brooklyn undertaken convicted of stealing 1000 gallons of alcohol which was alleged to have caused 100 deaths, was sentenced to serve from three and a half to seven years in prison. One year for each of his victims would have been comparatively mild punishment.
 < x *
 The large number of women who voted the republican ticket in Alabama con- vinced old-fashioned democrats that equal suffrage is everything they said il would be.
 The mayor of Tokio has resigned as tke result Of a graft scandal Japan continues to take kindly to western civili- zation.
 Individuality will mark the styles fol next year. Anybody who suggests fancy bows for mems hats should be shot a, sunrise.
 A maiden lady 50 years old advertises for a husband, and says she's full oi pep" At any rate she has the courage to acknowledge her age. < a j. The lady from Oklahoma, who flec from photographers and reporters. has not been in public life long enough to know they are friends worth having.
 * * E
 Lord Bryce is not a whit more pes simistic than the situation warrants.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
A MORNING PRAYER

Help me, God, to be true anu faithful, for there are those Who shall never see truth nor faith save as they see them in me- Amen'-M' 5. E.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
ERsKINE QUELLED A RIOT

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Henry Erskine, lord advocate of Scot land, was born in 1746, and died in 1877. On one occasion his presence of mind
 and ready wit prevented 8 riot and saved the life of at least one man. Strangely enough, this occurred not during moment of public unrest, but at the theatre. During the first act of a play given in
 Edinburgh a young man--whose motive
 undoubtedly was to impress the rest
 of the audience with high idea of his fashion and scorn of lesser beings made himself conspicuous by standing the first act of the play. His, neigh bors were too polite at first to insist on his conforming to the regulations.
 They merely whispered to him that he was inconveniencing those behind him who were seated and could not see the
 stage. But the foolish young fellow paid no attention.
 At last the audience began to testify to its displeasure loudly. Cries of
 Throw him out!" were heard from all parts of the house. Still the man stood
 his ground. and the indignation of the | audience grew. A riot. and perhaps a stampede, seemed imminent. Erskine turned to one of his friends
 and said:
 I'll get you any sum you care to wager that I'll make that fool sit down with single sentence"
 Erskine's friend accepted the chal- lenge Then Erskine addressed himself
 to the persons who were trying to force
 the obstinate youth to compliance. ! Leave him alone, gentlemen" Err
 skine shouted. Tt is only 8 weary tailor resting himself"
 i The audience howled with laughter.
 the young man sank into his seat and I the play went on.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29

the Grey plan than it does the Lloyd George plan, and it is doubtful whether the more numerous Irish nation could be induced to favor it.
 No solution of the Irish question seems likely until all sides agree either to corn- promise or to abstain from claiming rights not conceded in full to the other side. As things now are. there seems to be little spirit of compromise. and Ulster ipvokes against South Ireland the prin- ,iple of self-determniation which South Ireland invokes against England.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29
THE NON-UNION ARMIsTICE

From the American Legion Weekly. The armistice has been signed" shrieked T.s. runner from headquarters as he cant, bursting into the billet on the edge of the Argonne two years ago. ''The war is over at Il o'clock this morn- ingn'
 l But the crap king of the regiment reg istered only disgust
 "Looka here" he retorted with a great show of belligerency. Maybe 1t was over at Il. but I'm gonna see that get a full days pay out of it just the same" |"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-29

TROUBLE IN GREECE From the Atlanta Constitution. Marathon looks on the sea-" as calm1 ly as ever, but the Isles of Greece" arc fighting mad again.
Norwich bulletin., 1920-09-29
A Bulletin Want
 Advertisement Will Gel, Ii
NOTICE
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING


 The legal voters in town Iteeiing In the Town ol SDraEue, state O. Connecticut are hereby no.lned and warned To meet m the Town hall ID Baitic. m said town. on Monday. october 4th, 19-V. at g o'clock m the forenoon
 To elect by hallot the officers of said town for the ensuing year. vlz. One as- sessor for three years, three members or the board of relief, three Eeleclmen, TWO auditors, six grand jurors. seven con- stables, collector of town taxes. reg tstrars or voters and r1embers Of the town school committee and any other said time.
 And at said hall at three o'clock in the afternoon. to hear and act upon the re- port of the selectn-n and their recom- mendations and the reports of other town officials to be presented to said town meeting
 Also. to determine whether the town will approprlate sum not exceeding one hundred and twenty-five dollars for supplying text books for the scholars at tending the public schools
 Also. to grant salarles. to lay a tax to meet the expenses of said town and for the support of common schools and to fix the compensation of the collector Also, to authorize the selectmen to borrow such sums as may be needed to meet the obligations of the town arising prior to the payments of town taxes 1 in 1921; and 10 execute notes or other writings of the town therefor. The ballot boxes will be opened st | nine o'clock a. m, and will be closed l at three o'clock D. ID. Dated at Sprague. Conn. this 25th day | of September, 1920.
 RAYMAslD J. JODON, ARTHUR ROY, ALBERT S. CULLEN.
 selectmen of the Town Of sprague