davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Title Fits the Duties.

The colored caretaker Of small
town library boasted the title Of
Custodian" which he had embroid.
cred on the front of his cap, source
Of lasting pride. Having marked
diplomatic ability, he deserted a
four-syllable title. One morning
while he was sweeping of the front
walk a wandering loafer, also Of Af-
rican extraction, paused in front of
him and scrutinized the cap closely.
"Cuss-todian he calculated.
Down whah / came from they calls
common nlggers, like you janitahs."
"Ye-es," observed the ebon-hued
diplomat, pausing moment from his
labors, "dat's all right in Memphis.
But on job like dis, custodian Is
mo- appropriate. You see, you hai
to clIss half de patrons and tOady f.
de rest of 'em."-Judge.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
SAW MIRAGE ON SIDEWALK
Observation He Made on the
Streets Of City.

A curious case Of sidewalk mirage
was described by Prof. f. w. McNair
Of Michigan College Of Mining. Prof.
McNair wrote in Science:
IL was walking eastward on a ce-
ment sidewalk on street running
nearly east and west, and moving up
O moderate grade which joins a nearly
level stretch of walk. On reaching
q point which brought my eye slightly
above the level portion, and at which
been seen in It's entire length. but
much foreshOrtened, I observed In
stead what appeared to be stretch
Of clear dark water covering the en-
tire width Of the walk and brilliantly
rctlecting moving persons and other
objects in sight beyond It.
''The sky was clear, the air cool
the sun high. 1t was about O'Clock
ate breeze. The angle Of observation
was very small, probably not above
three degrees. A step or two either
east or west, and the water was gone,
hut within the proper limits. the illu-
sion was definite and continuing. The
weather bureau report for the day
| Indicated that approximately 30 feet
above the spot where the mirage was
observed the air temperature was
about GO degrees F. and the humidity
about 63 degrees"
The resemblance between conditions
here described and those which pro-
duce the mirage on the plains Is Oh
viOus.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Words In English LANGUAGE.

The number of English words not
yet obsolete, but found in good au-
thors, or In approved usage by correct
speakers, including the nomenclature
OF science and the arts, does not
probably. fall short Of 100000, saws
George Per rkins Marsh. Few writer's
or speakers use as many as 10000
words, ordinary persons of fair intel.
ligence not above 5000 or 4,OUO If
a scholar were to be required to name,
without examination, the authors
whose English vocabulary was the
largest, he would specify the ALIEN
bracing Shakespeare, and the all-know.
ing Milton. And yet in all the works
OF the great dramatist there seem not
more than 1900 words; in the poems
OF Milton not above 5000 The whole
number OF Egyptian hieroglyphic SYM
bols does not exceed 800, and the. en-
tire Italian vocabulary is said TO be
scarcely more extensive.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
HAMLET MODEL YOUNG MAN
Writer Declares That Melancholy Dane
Was "Perfect Lady's Perfect q.
Gentleman"

We are told in so many words that
he was a model young man. He has
presented the English language with
two of its stereOtyped phrases for the
marking Of standardized perfection;
ne Is called "the glass Of fashion and
the mold Of FORM" The utterance of
these words by Ophelia Is as illumina-
tive as the words themselves. 1t Is
plain that the youthful Hamlet lives
up meticulOuSly, not only to conven-
tiOnal, but to feminine, to maidenly,
standards Of prOpriety and excellence.
He is the perfect lady's perfect gentle
man, o. w. Firkins writes in the North
American Review.
But we do not need Ophelia's testi-
mOny; listen to the young man him
self. His mother urges him not to re-
turn to college. 81 shall in all my best
obey you, Madam" he replies with a
tilial decOrum which Samuel Richard
son or Hannah More could not have
mended. Observe the nature Of his OBJ
jectiOns to suicide:
Oh, that the Everls sting had not fiJe
His canon 'gainst sclf-slaughter.
He condemns the act, not because 1t
is cowardly or simply immoral, but be-
cause 1t is uncanonical, unscriptural.
Here is young man in whom his
catechist or confessor> may rejoice.
With such person 1t is obviously
hazardous to joke. When HOratio, his
fellow student, calls himself truant,
Hamlet solemnly defends him against
the charge:
l would not hear your enemy say so.
Clearly this is d young collegian
who never "vext the souls Of DEANS"
We see him assiduOus at lectures,
methodical in his notes. Shakespeare
has not forgotten to inform US that he
kept a note book. Within two minutes
after his fathers ghost has ended the
appalling tale of the murder in the
garden, the young prince is jotting
down by moonlight an invaluable
memorandum about the relations of
smiles to villany. Do l mean that
Hamlet is fool? Not at all. Hamlet
has strong mind, but it's strength is
shown at the outset in the docility and
thoroughness of it's assent to the
proposition of its teachers.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
FIRST VENTURE OF Upton
Friend Tells How He Took Chance
With Patrons Of a Rundown
Grocery.

Or. J: II. OStrander, a personal
friend OF Sir Thomas Upton, tcld re-
Gently for the first time the story Of
Liptons initia business venture, an
exchange states.
Lipton's first business venture was
an event in one little corner of Glas-
gov. He bought for a few pounds a
Serry old rundown provision shop that
had changed hands a score of times {;
everybody had failed. 1t was in q
neighbOrhOOd where profits were
meager and housewives close traders,
and where sharp practice and indiffer-
ent ethics preCluded credit. SO when
Upton announced that he would trust
any decent neighbor once all fOresaw
his doom.
Upton, however. did not mean that
he would carry accounts 80 days, for
ut this period five such accounts would
lave swamped him. AS he himself
put 1t: "In misfortune / will carry
any decent chap till Saturday night.
l will be a friend to you in spite Of
prevailing business rules; but il You
break faith with me you will lose a
friend and ] will lose my business"
Thus he put them on their honor. And
1t won; won because sympathy and
fellowship dominated the boy and ex-
cited like attributes in others.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
HOW DOLLAR WORKS FOR you
Benjamin FrankIin's Fund Of $1,000
Grew to $431, 1888 In One Hun
- dred Years.

How the dollar invested works for
the individual himself has been best
Illustrated by that first great Ameri-
can teacher of thrift, Benjamin
Franklin. In 1871, he bequeathed
fl,O00 ($5.00O to the common
wealth of Massachusetts and to the
city Of Boston as mark of his appre-
ciation for having appointed him as
agent in England at the handsome"
salary of f2y000 (S10,0OW and to
make his bequest really valuable with
his great foresight, Franklin provided
In his will that this f1,00O should be
put out at per cent interest for one
hundred years; that at the end of
that time 31-131 of the fund accumu.
lated should again be put out at in
.terest for another hundred years and
then the fund be divided one-fOurth to
Boston and three-fourths to the state.
Let us show how well that $1,000
OF Franklin's has worked. At the end
OF the first hundred years 1t had
grown to $431 ,3S362. 1t was then di-
vided In accordance with the will +;
S329, ,300.4S was set aside for public
work" and $102, 2,0S3.14 was started on
It's course of earning interest for an
other hundred years. That was in
1891. January /, 1918, this sum had
grown to S267,S 7,S0J.15 and at this rate
Of increase the fund should amount
to at least six million dollars when
the second period is completed, and
may be considerable mOre.-WOrld's
Work.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
CUT OUT THE EAvEsDRoPPEs
New Device Is Expected to Eliminate
"Llstenins In" on Wireless
Messages.

Successful demonstrations Of new
wireless invention, which marks a
step toward the secrecy Of wireless
telephone and telegraph messages
have taken place In Great Britain
and SignOr Marconi is at present con-
Quoting further tests at sea in his
yacht Electra with view to It's wild
er application.
Details Of the invention are secret,
but it may be stated that, according
10 the Continental edition of the Lon
don Daily Mail, an apparatus has
been devised which, by what experts
call an electrical method of cOncen-
tratlon," propagates the electric wire
less wave In a "beam" in any desired
direction and IN, that direction only.
Hitherto the electrical waves sent
out from wireless stations have
spread out in all directions and all
who listened IN" could hear. The
new invention will mark the end Of
the wireless "eavesdropper." When
1t Is perfected a wireless station will
be able to send out Morse or spoken
messages which will be heard only by
those for whom they are intended.
The new apparatus which Is being
worked at an experiment station in
Great Britain with a short wave
length, has recently been demonstrat.
ed by number OF experts who ex-
pressed the greatest interest in the
discovery.
1t Is known that German wireless
research has been lately closely d.
rected to this problem of the leaves
drOpper," for the Germans realized
that we were able to pick up with our
listening sets much valuable infor-
nation about Zeppelin movements
during the war.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Not All Blind.

Two charming sisters are engaged
to two brothers, and their neighbOrs
have been Interested in this dual love
affair. The young girls live in the
second fiat Of house on the south
side Of the street, and the other day
the elder sister was stopped in the
street by the young scion of the fam
lily who occupy the second fiat in the
house just opposite.
"Oh, Miss Nliggs," said the Toy.
"my papa said last night that some
one ought to tell you 10 pull down
the blinds, cause If love is blind, the
neighbors are not !"-LondOn Tit-Bits.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03

New York, Nov. 1.-Reuuests from
all parts of the Unite,i States that the
great westward tide Of immigrants be
diverted from the fastly-growing cities
TO rural districts TO populate abandon
cd farms have led Commissioners of
immigration Wallis to reply that inn
migration authorities lack this power
Immigrants, hc said, plan their desti-
nation before leaving their home
countries.
Delegations from different states
nave called at Ellis Island to urge
mat steps be taken to prevent inn
migrants from going TO certain cities.
Representatives of the Chamber of
Commerce Of Detroit, which new
census figures advanced from the
ninth to the fourth largest city IN
the country, asked that immigrants
be sent to northern Michigan. Pres
"nt labor conditions in Detroit are not
such as to warrant an influx OF for
"ign labor, they declared, as many
Maltese, barred from entering Cana,
da by rcccut order, have located m
Detroit.
Louisiana delegation visited the
immigrant station in an cudCavor TO
induce Immigrants TO go to unOcu-
pied farms in that state.
commissioner Wallis has conferred
With railroad agents with a view OF
speeding tn" westward departure Of
immilrants to alleviate crowded con-
ditiuuS at the island.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Under the leadership of the sumter

Under the leadership of the Sumter
County Chamber of Commerce and
the Sumter County Fair association.
two bodies of "livewire'' farmers,
merchants, manufacturers, bankers,
professional men and women, SeeaL
estate and insurance agents, autofnoJl
bile dealers, and other business men.
Sumter county is going to put on what
the promoters believe will be the big
Gest and best county fair and bargain
and gala week ever staged in this
part of the country. These never saw
dies as they class themselves say
they will keep up the "old guard of
Gamecock county, that never ,surren-
dered" boosters to any foe or to any
conditions of times, and that they are
going to kick gloom out of Sumter
and clean out Of Sumter county That
is the Sumter spirit that has male
Sumter and Sumter county what they
are. ..
Every business establishment that
stays out of this procession of progress
and boosting will undoubtedly be talk
Ell about a great deal, some who have
played the role of "the quitter under
fire of threatened adversely are al
ready being talked Of with pity by nliS
merous live wires" who are willing
to fight against adversely and lust
create good times any how. II new
er pays to hang back against an over
Whelming majority. You just get into
kInd OF separate limelight of en-
barrasstng and Improbable publicity.
why not run with the crowd OF
democratic, majority rule, do it any
how boosters" .s. ...e-
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Berlin Taxicabs Idle

Berlin, oct. 81. - TaXicab end
drOshky drivers in Berlin, as numer-
Gus now as before the war, have so
little to do that many Of them stand
all day at their places without a sim
gle fare. They have increased their
prices 10 to Is times the old rate but
the cost of living has kept pace with
the increase and some of them I'm
abjeCt poverty. There are a few smart
equipa2es, the obvious pride OF the
owners, but most OF their vehiclts
present battered, forlorn aspect. sfe
a droshky driver, whose tall hat was
dirty and broken and whose clothes
were patched in many places, perlSed
up eagerly at the prospect OF fare
but when he discovered only guess
TONER lapsed into his customary leth-
argy. -
I've had only three fares in two
days and have not earned enough 20
feed my horse" he said. .a
Before the war wn were very busy.
People then went pleasure riding,
and always called a cab TO go TO their
offices. Now the Germans cannot at
ford it and the majority Of the f6fs-
eigners have their own automobiles"
On either side of tine parkway down
the middle of Unter den Linden huri-
dreds of taXicabs and roshkies are
parked, waiting for customers They
take their turn at calls from the no
tells and they consider they are lucky
to get one 'long-haur' customer a
HaV
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Straw Vote For
President
Nationwide Ballot by Rexall
Stores Indicate That Harding
Will Have a Walk Over

The straw vote conducted by the
more thap eight thousand Rexall
Drug stores located in all the towns of
any size In all the states gives decid-
ed majority to the Republican ticket
and indicates the election of Harding
and Coolidge. In every state the ma
j0rity for or against Harding is very
decided, except i'm W. Virginia where
Harding and Cox run neck and neck
with only II few votes in Harding's
favor. According the ReXall straw
vote the electoral vote will be as fol-
lows:
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Of the Eye Of q Froo.

The smallest camera In the world
which has actually taken" pictures is
doubtless the eye Of the frog, says
Boys Life. 1t has been found that II
a frog Is kept in the dark for some
time the retina Of the eye, on being
dissected, is found to have purple
reddish color which fades away or be-
comes bleached on exposure TO day
light. If the eye be placed in front OF
a window and left there, or Exposed"
for some time, and then fixed In a 4
per cent solution of alum the OPTIC.
gram is partially fixed and retains an
inverted picture Of the window. 1t is
claimed that by similar Photographic
process the last picture or image re-
tained by the eye Of dead man or
animal may be preserved.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Modern Words Traced to Trees

while the ancient Greeks fancled
that every tree was possessed Of It's
own peculiar spirit, and nature lovers
insist that trees have personalities
even rs men and women, it Is only nat
ural that men have paid tribute 70
The tree. The leaves Of Dlauts
named the leaves Of books, and the
word "folio" traces back TO "foliage."
The word paper comes from the old
papyrus plant. and the word Bible"
Is the Greek name of the plant, accord
ing to the Minneapolis Journal. The
word "book" is derived from "beech."
ana the "c"deX" originally meant tree
trunk, 1t Is because men have found
The trees kind friends and interesting
subjects that they have been paid 20
much tribute.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Natural Thermometer.

1t was wonderful sapphire, so 1t is
said, that led the celebrated Doctor
Sorby to the discovery Of the nature
Of the liquid sometimes found in
closed in the cavities Of crystals.
The gem in question contained q
tube-Shaped cavity, a quarter Of an
inch long and an eighteenth Of an inch
In diameter, which was so regular in
It's bore that it served, by means of
the liquid partially filling it, for a
thermometer. The contained Iiouid
haIf-filled the bore at so degrees r.
and completely filed 1t at 80 degrees,
A study of the rate Of expansion OF
the liquid led to the conclusion that 1t
must be carbonIc acid.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
BELIEVE DEVIL RULES EARTH
Probably Queerest Religious Faith Is
That of Tribe Of Kurdish and
Arabian Blood

One Of the strangest religious sects
In the world is known as the Yezedi,
a race Of mixed Kurdish and Arabian
blood. They worship the devil, and
believe he will rule the earth for
10000 years, 1000 of this number hav-
ing already passed. On the theory
that Jesus Is good, and will not harm
them, they give most Of their devotion
and sacrifice to the devil who. they
assert, will at the end of the next
5000 years, be put into hell, where
he will weep so hard he will put out
the fires, and then will be pardoned
and given back his rightful place In
heaven.
The Yezedi believe that there were
II Adams and a similar number of
Ewes. and that the originals once had
great dispute as to who was the
most important, the man or the wom-
an. 70 prove the matter the women
spit in one great jar and the men in
another, and the jars were the sealed
Tor nine months. At the end Of that
period they were opened. and from
the women's jar leaped pile of
SNAKES and worms. while from the
mems jar came a beautiful boy and
girl. In spite Of their strange beliefs
they are very Industrious, honest, hos
pltable and kindly. although steeped
In dense ignorance, one phase of their
rellgion forbidding them to learn
letters.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
A Pious Mans Consolation.

DR.. Lyman p. Powell gives some
examples of the lengths 10 which pet
ty bitterness between sects will some
times carry men. "A visitor I'm n Ger
tain town which had four churches
and adequately supported none asked
Il pillar Of one poor, dying church
'How's your church getting on" MOI
very %til,' was the reply. but, lhanE
the Lord, the others are not doing ans
better. "~Chrlstian Register.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Frances Birth Rate

Paris, Oct 13.--France's efforts TO
raise the birthrate and lower the
death rate, by means of the new min
istry of hygiene, are too recent to be
judged by comprehensive statistics.
The Importance of the problem, how
ever, is given pessimistic prorni-
nence anew by publication of labor
ministry's statistics for 1919.
There were three deaths to two
births last year. In only one depart-
mcnt, Finisterre, did births exceed
dea ,hs. In number deaths were
double and even nearly treble tile
number of births. r.. .. ss!kEE
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Smuggling
Dutch Government
Dead Line on German

The Hague. Oct 3f.-f
government has established
line 300 yards wide along the
border in an effort to curb tiis
Eling which has assumed trefne
proportions, particularly in foodSS
ana rubber goods going into German
Soldiers are constantly on watch
the dead-line but, in spite of tha
measures, the smuggling continues
Dutch stores in all the frontiI
towns have been prohibited by col
.crnmcnt order from carrying mo,
stock than is necessary to supply II
Outch villages and the holding
markets in the streets has been 10,
hidden.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
From Ear 20 Gar.

Willie was away from home for the
FIRST time, staying with some fricn,'s.
He was allowed to "Slt up" for dinner.
The servant came round with plate
OF slices of melon, and the hOSte IS
noticed Willie hesitate about helping
himself. Don't you like melon" asked
his hostess cncouragingly. every much,
thank yOu," replied Willie, "only they
make your ears 50 wet"
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03

Man wants but little here below
nor wants that little long" Is what
they sang soiue years upo but n,
now nhother sobg. The words we us,
hfe dinercnt Quite. though fully a,
suhilIe. "Nlnn wants every ding Il
sight, anu wants 1t al the time"
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Tungsten In PORTUGAL.

tungsten generally Is called wolf
ram In Portugal md * sold hy the
mines as tungsten trIoXtdo on the ba
'lS o. ttS richness In tungStic ucld. ThC
pr"dnc'lSn has been from 300 to I.5W
IONS year, rs near as can be nHcrr
Ialncd.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Submarine Coal Mines.

There are many submarine coal de.
posits of the British isles. but so far
they are not much worked. The tun.
nels OF the mines at Whitehayen ex.
tend some four miles frOiu shore under
the Irish sea, howev,r. and there also
IL some submarine conl mining at
3olneSs near the Firth ~ Forth and
~ MOnkwenrmnntir ~ pLrhnnL
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Tyrol Joins Italy

Innsbruck, Austria Oct 31.-The
commune Of Raechen which is bisect.
Ell by the Tryol boundary, has Just
voted to be Incorporated into the Itai-
ian South Tyrol. Under the law the
Austrian government must accede and
lose this community. ~.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Men Not Practical.

Men are sentimental gossips. They
are not practical enough. Women are.
Since the beginning Of time It's wom-
en- that have had to do tire practical
things.--George Bernard Shaw.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Purltans Used No w.sdi,, ,s,,,

The Purtans OF the seventeenth
century used no ring az the wedding
ceremony, rs they considered 1t "a
pagan symbol and superstitious con-
trlyance." All they required was that
The man and woman should join
hands when stating their purpose to
iNe together I'm wedlock. ...
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Africa's Bio Rivers,

or the African rivers the Zambesi,
1000 miles In length, is the largest
river In South Africa tho Orange riv-
r comes next with 100 miles and the
LImpopo next with 800 mIIo
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Reurst

There Is such thing as noble re-
gret, and there Is one which Is igno-
bic. for there may be virtue and vice
even In memory. Beware Of "chew-
Ing the cnd" of part wrong doing
Dnrnton. r,r. ...,.t
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
On the Dry Bathino Beach.

Mahel~-That's n lovely bathing suit
you're wearing. But aren't you utraic
water Vill take the color Outl
JOaH-lt might, 50 always have
u dry cleuned.--Detroit News.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
kilsnlaced Symnathv-

Many wife dusts the billiard chalk
from her husbands coat and steds
tears OF sympathy because OF the late
hours he must spend at his desk close
TO a whitewaShed wall.--Exchange.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-03
Aorrow-bls

Calico Rock Progress (reportlns H.
mstrated lecture). "You would be hor
row stricken To see some of the pic.
tures TINT are full of blood Wld hor
row."-Boston Transcript.