davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
cAm.E1JaMaM0us1I
APARTMENT HOUSE MUSIC
,,,, tha Washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
 When the Star noted the other day in its news columns the fact that in one of the apartment houses in Washington leases were being writ- ten in terms to bar reproducing mu- sic machines as well as dogs cats parrots, etc, some apprehension was created lest this was a general eon- dition. But t has proved upon in- quiry to be only a sporadic case af- fectinr a limi ed number of tenants. Apartment ho, owners, it appears are not so exs sting in their stipula. tions as a rule. They are Sympathetic with the musical tastes of the ter- ants True. they are subject to pres- sure on the part of some who do no' care for nedamusic. or, in fact' any other music, 9and who want the machine owners. regulated Soms landlords stipulate the hours between which music can be ground on the machines. Very, few, perRaps nohs outside of the single case noted' are so heartless as to ban the boxes en- tirely This Is rood news to those who like synthetic opera and Jazz The lovers of Caruso. Galli-curci' Nc >Cormack, De Gogorza. Gluck, kreis- Ter, Hofmann. Heifetz and all Fthe other great artists. vocal and instru- mental. can go ahead ana grind them out and get new records and entertain gtha;r friends without fear of eviction. But, really. there sAouid hs sense con sideration for others ili the arrange ment and renderlrg , these needlel made melodies anu nasrenss ss and dissonances and shiniry tunes. At alf~ events. the soft nesaie after a certain hour. The more lsal consid- eration shown In the repeoduction of apartment house music the less dan ger that future Leases vii carry the clause that has caused ae present discussian
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Hygiene in Fairyland
,p,..tb e pittshurg Dispatch.

From~.the Pittsburg Dispatch.
 Those who have been distressed by the popularity of fairy tales and have been deploring this "deluding of childhood into unreality will have something else to worry about when the new hygenic fairy tales are in- troduced into the schools to displace e,[other Goose" and Jack O the i8eanstalS- The Child Heaith Councih of New York has approved the book which the board of edoca- tion win have used in the schools
 Six little "Get up Early Fairies chant thS invocation at the begin ming of the day:
 In the morning when you' rise,
 DO your daily exercise:
 Bending, stretching, chest held high
 Jump up quickly. Come and try!
 Germs are portrayed as bad gob- lins that will get you if you don't watch out; they ride on flies and hide in the dirt, they climb to your mouth, which for them is d door, and go into your Dody to stay.
 once there was d naughty germ
 That had no place to go,
 But soon 1t found a hollow tooth
 And there began to grow,
 The children hear fairies hymning the importance of bathing;
 My skin is very wonderful
 If has so many pores,
 And I must scrub and keep 1t clean
 To open all the doors.
 Before they went to the table, the fairies gave Peg and Jack this verse to remember;
 Sing a song of coffee. rich food and
 cakes.
 Those will make sick children with
 bad stomach-a aches
 Good fdiiies call on good children who keep their windows raiseA at night and honor those who walk Tight. breathe properly. brush their teeth and have ildi, idual drinking cups. some of the old-time fairybook figures are dragged in with a. new moral. For instance Humpty Dumpty feli because he forgot to sit up straight" Wonder If the. hygienic fairy land will ever be as popular as the old. It is doubtful.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
WHO READS NOVEL s?

From the New York Tribune.
 ITS it the woman in the hammock whose taste for the happy ending has "debauched" American best sellers, or is it the man in the smok- CT chuckling over the exploits of Tarzan?
 It is a close contest between the tired business man and the feminine nuisance, recently pilloried by Joseph Hergesheimer as the cause of the woeful state of fiction. Both, of course, are guilty of an enormous consumption of saccharine and virile characters. At the present moment, however, the feminine nuisance has bit the better of it, and the last word, through an ardent young champion, Frances Moves Hart, win Ter of the second prize in the o. Henry short story contest last spring.
 She makes the point in the cur rent "Bookman" that while there Is doubtless an enormous reading of ln1erIor novels among the ham, mock-swung and chocolate fed" there is a corresponding devotion to swaggering virility among readers who are subway swung and Pullman fed but that for the class of women who are alert and appreciative for the best in modern literature there is no corresponding class of men readers; that the work of Wells and Walpole! and even Hergesheimer, would perish unread were, it not for the indefatigable and discriminating and unappreciated woman.
 Men of the same intellectual cali bre. leisured or harnessed to work, do not read the modern novel of the better class" she says. They are
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Some Conclusions Drawn
 From the Arbuckle Case

K FIEWED from any angle, the Ar
 " buckle case is nauseating, but the kind of testimony" that has been given thus far would not have weight with an intelligent jury. There was a drunken orgy in the comedians rooms which terminated fatally for one of the women present. The attempt to picture her as an in nocent victim won't quite go down.
 The women who attended Ar buckles "party" were not unsophisti- lcated little country maidens. In fact, they appear to be rather seasoned rounders. One of these women, who seems to have had husband at some time or other, and was loudest in her denunciation of Arbuckle, admits she had 10 drinks, but claims to have a perfect recollection of everything that happened. Her own conduct and that of her companions was not such as to win respect for them or cre- dence for their garbled and conflict ing statements.
 While Arbuckle probably deserves no sympathy, the tragedy in San Francisco may safely be put down as differing from many other affairs of the same kind in the movie world only because it ended fatally.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15

tearrui of experimenting with strange food and drink. They ,vi,l read anything from Pater to Pepys from Aeschylus to Addison. rather than risk a modern novel. The only men who read modern novels of the better class are those who writa them, or write about them, or mar
 ket them"
 The balance of blame having been. thus restored to equilibrium. it seems proper to offer the suggestion that perhaps both the tired business man and the feminine nuisance are suf- fering for the sins of a third party namely, the voracious teens. No adult, man or woman, can comnete With the noveI-hungry, library haunting girl of 1s Romance after romance, classic and best seller and pure drivel, is sucked into her glue tonous young mind and still each Friday night finds her at the public library eager for more It would be interesting to turn the statisti- clans loose on her to find out how many dozens of star-eyed hero ines and broad -shouldered galIants this young cannibal devours in the course of her reading period ana 70 know just how long the spasm lasts. Some take five years, some 10. Only few are born with that dlscrimina- fnr
 which enables them to discard the piffle after the first taste. Most of them simply grow up. And life itself takes care of the novel-reading habit The woman who is face to face with the problem of twentieth century married life seldom dwells long on the My queen, My hero." school of literature
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Final Chapter In
 Battleship's History

@NCE the pride of the navy, the " battleship Alabama will end her career as target for bombs off the Virginia sCapes. There could be no stronger argument for disarma- ment than the spectacle of once mighty vessels that cost millions of dollars becoming in comparatively a few years fit only to shoot at in tests of markmanship.
 Launched in 1898, the Alabama won fame for her builders and the navy by establishing speed rec ord of IT knots an hour, a slow pace nowadays, and her gunners smashed the worlds record in 1903 by scoring bulls's-eyes and targets at the rate of 1.26 a minute. Only 23 years ago the Alabama was one of the most powerful battleships afloat. Today she is useless hulk, hopelessly out of date and far surpassed by the ship that was launched yesterday.
 Worse still, it does not take g years for battleship to- become ob- solete. The changing fashions in women's hats are hardly more rapid than the improvements in battle ships. Every time new dreadnaught goes into service the vessels that have preceded her are surpassed in lighting efficiency. A battleship is scarcely off the ways before arma- ment experts have made discoveries which must be incorporated in new craft, or the race for naval suprema- cy is lost.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
THE BACKS OF BOOKS
From the Youths Companion.

From the Youths Companion.
 It was a saying of Dr. Johnson's that after their younger days most men read little That was probably true then, and is probably much truer now, so far as reading standard au- thors Is concerned. The rush of cur rent literature, especially of period icals and newspapers that must be daily scanned, crowds out the classics and the immortals, and we are lucky them in the past and not that we merely meant to read them. The wise struggle to get a<few moments from the pressure of today to give to the undying truth of yesterday.
 pr. Johnson said also. that he sup
 posed there were few people who were as familiar with the backs of books as he was. The remark may seem trifling, or even satiricaL It Is not. The acquaintance with the backs of books Is precious. It means that we know where knowledge is to be found when we are in dire need of it, that we are familiar with the classification and system that will lead us at once to the sources of wis., dom without long struggle and con- fusion and blundering.
 Moreover familiarity with the backs of books usually means rever- ence for bookssis vastly commend able thing. It seems to be fading from the world, and much good goes with it. To be sure. the fading is natural. We have far too many books. The greatest lover of them cannot deny 1t; in fact. is the first to admit 1t. with sigh. We are crushed. smothered, with books. In- calculable folly and tediousness are daily getting gravity, if not perma- hence. from print. and there seems to be no means of checking the flood. or even of diminishing 1t.
 Yet. after all. If books contain the pitiable folly of the world. they also COutdlu itS Wl3uOu thdt HdS not perished, and they are worthy of all honor on that account. The Turks will not tread upon scrap of waste paper. lest it should have the name of God upon 1t. It would be well to teach our children to respect a book, since the spirit of God may be within. Keep your books clean. keep them orderly. In the house of one who loves books they stand neatly ranged upon their shelves. not In and out and upside down, and tattered and be- drageled. as If they were waiting for
 the junkman to carry them away. Touch your books, handle them.
 Know the outside of them. Knowing the outside leads to knowing the in side. A large, wise spirit longs to know the faces of many people and the backs of many books.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Will Anarchists Choose
 Exile Over Prison?

1T T remains to be seen if the four J prisoners who, it is reported, will be offered communication of their prison sentences in this country pro- vided they go to Russia, will ac- cept the offer.
 Of the 200 persons serving sen teces for violating the laws of this country many are foreign-born and deportation by their consent would seem rather a boon than a punish ment. If this amnesty is offered the number of acceptances will indi- cate how much these people really like the places whence they came and how much they care for the country which they sought as a haven and later embarrassed at a crisis in her existence.
 Complaints made by men and women already deported are. not en- couraging to those who would adopt this means of getting out of jail. Some of the deportees have indi- cated that the worst in America is better than the best in Russia. Even, when they have made feeble at- tempts to vindicate bolshevism, one has read bitterness between the lines.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Unusual Temperatures
 An Interesting Study

-N0 HEATHER OBSERVER ED WV GAR c. HORTON, whose long service as meterologfst, lends weight to what he says, admits his inability to account for the unusual change that has occurred in Bir- mingham's temperature this sum- mer.
 The heat has been prolonged, in- tense and almost without variation since early June. Birmingham s temperature has frequently regis tered higher than the temperature of places that usually register two to four degrees more heat than Bir- mipgham. The other places do not seem to have changed, but Birming- ham has.
 MT. Horton is waiting Non the weather report of the entire state, soon to be compiled by the Montgom- cry station. When that is at hand he will make observations of the tenn peratpre record of places near Bir- mingham, such as Cullman, Tusca- loosa and Jasper, in order to deter mine if they have been affected the same as Birmingham during this remarkable summer. Upon that data he may be able Ito build some tangible explanation of the Birming- ham record.
 The one thing that MT. Horton is impressed with is that Birming- ham has not been affected by in- coming weather currents this sum- mer. It seems to have played lone hand and to have been removed from the influence of inflowing clements affecting it's temperature.
 Inexpert weather observers have noticed that the wind has blown dry out of the east and hot out of the north. The direction of the wind has meant nothing and gone con trGry to She observation of years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
AUSTIN DOBSONS PROSE

From the New York Herald.
 N the tributes to Austin Dobson
 which have been printed since = his death it is almost invariably as poet that he is considered. That is natural, for within his limitations he was true poet, and probably his verse will longest preserve his name "a name. which is likely to endure as long as those of Sucking, Her rick, Lang and Locker. all poets of the lighter vein, though Lang at least essayed a higher role. And when one reads the numerous ballads, ron deaus, rondels, triolets. pantoums, villanelles, virelays and other forms of verse of which he was 8 master it is matter of wonder that this muse of Mayfair should have ever found time or inclination to write in prose-
 But there were times probably when. as it seemed to him. no other means of expression than prose was open to him. As he says in his lines to Brander Matthews, with vol- ume of verses":
 "He will not canter. walk or trot,
 My Pegasus l spur, l beat,
 In vain today"
 At such times when his Pegasus would not aid him he turned to prose, and in doing so frequently found themes and inspiration for verse. De- spite the fact that his verse all ways has charm and distinction, probably most of his readers are glad that occasionally his Pegasus re- fused to be saddled and bridled. otherwise we should not have had s, oh charming and lifelike portray als as Dobson the prose writer has given us in Thomas Bewick and His Pupils his lives of Fielding, Steele. Goldsmith, Fanny Burney, his -Four Frenchwomen" and his "Eigh- teenth Century Vignettes," portrait ures such as only lover of liter ature and of the past like Dobson could write
 All of these, when read by the well informed student of those times. seem to have been the product of vast reading and leisure. Yet for 45 years, Dobson did his daily cler- ical task in the board of trade. where he finally became principal tcierk. e Of these studies. portraitures and monographs. as well as of other papers found in his volumes of mis- cellanies. the title might we'll be that which the Saturday Review once fe- licitously placed over, review or some of his writings, "Gay Erudi- tion." As Johnson said of Goldsmith, he touched nothing he did not adorn. and under his skilful touches. as un- der the brush of a matter artist. the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
. Smallpox Increases
By Science Service.

By Science Service.
 Washington.-The increase in tho prevalence of smallpox in the United States during recent years has been marked and definite, according to a statistical investigation just com pleted by John N. Force and Dr. James P Leake of the United States public health service.
 There has been an extraordinary increase of smallpox on the Pacific coast, the results of the investiga- tions show. In the last three years the cases per thousand inhabitants have increased from 0.1S to 2.3S. Fig ures for the central and southern states in spite of fluctuations, show that there has been decided upward tendency in the prevalence of small pox, although the central states main tain a level almost twice as high as that of the southern states. The east ern states have had remarkably constant rate of smallpox during the
 
 has been little deviation from an av- craze rate of 0.04 cases per thousand Twenty representative states. in- cluding the District of Columbia were considered in the investigation. Of these states New York, with 0.026 cases per thousand of population. had the lowest rate. while Kansas, with 200 cases, had the highest.
 In addition to determining from the official figures the prevalence o1 smallpox, the investigation showed that the increase of the disease varied with the laxity in the enforcement of vaccination laws.
 Tt is evident that smallpox lin this country is dependent on the popular vote" the report says. Tn general, the people obey :. laws which they have made. If popular sentiment in a state Is behind strong centralized compulsory vaccination act. smallpox is negligible in that state. If local authorities are given discretionary powers in the matter of vaccination enforcement, the rate tends to rise. even in the most favored sections of the country, whereas in the absence of compulsory fettures in the law, or where there is no law at all, small pox reaches high rate"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
consideratiOn, and Service a second-

 ary one.
 In the east men earning salaries of $10,000 year during the war were with difficulty made to see that changed conditions called for real work at $6,OOo and $7,O0O a year.
 Somebody Is always taking the joy out of life. German frauleins are be- ing warned that the pay of an Amer ican doughboy won't support wife in the Gnted States.
 # # # It's true we never do hear about the good quiet inhabitants of Cali fornia's movie colony Maybe it's because they are not prominent enough.
 Mir. Hughes is said to have grown a. crop of whiskers in order to adorn professorship. It seems to have created an incurable aversion to razors. A New York paper says MT. Chap lin is at present our ambassador to Great Britain. Well, we don't see any rifts in the entente cordale.
 * < < T ask only one thing" says Clem- enceau-"to be let alone" That is the desire of every bootlegger and moonshiner in the country.
 a < < Recent developments in California have quite overshadowed Mrs. Oben- chain, who Is no longer in position to dispute the spotlight
 # + < It is announced that the San An tonic flood will be "probed.' We probe everything else in this coun- try, why not floods?
 # < # SVhen> women voters begin to ask questions it stands to reason that male candidates are going to squiri-l.
 # * x The Garbage Can" is said to be resort we'll known in New York's night life" The name seems to fit.
 < # i. SAny woman who maintains that her memory is good after 10 drinks has a wonderful capacity.
 # 4. # Regardless of the ribaldl comments on his game, President Harding still shows weakness for golf.
 #. < as Nothing has yet occurred to wipo the smile from the cherubic counte- nance of MT. Babe" Ruth.
 x x * There's a demand for scenario ma tcrial. Whats the matter with the daily press?
 Methodist women want John buli to go dry. The crusaders are closing in on John.
 # # # On his present visit to France, Gen eral Pershing is not expected to sa- Iute Lafayette.
 l. # :. Why people go to Zion City is getr ting to be a greater mystery than relativity :.
 By retaining his self-esteem Judge Landis finds it easy to weather the storms of criticism.
 # # E Japan is showing commentators desire to clear the decks.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
nANDITs WON'T nELIEyE IT

From the Pittsburg Dispatch
 It seems that every time the post office department reports desrease in mail robberies since the force was armed with guns a bunch of bandits sets busy the next day clean ing out postoffice or . mail car.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
SECRETARY HUGHES wHIsKERs From the Columbia Dispatch

FIOin lnt (oidHipid DicpdtNh.
 Charles E.. Hughes, Secretary of State, gave little indication to his teachers and classmates at-Brown
 university that he was to become . Header in the nation, though it is true that he had his bachelor degree be- fore he was 21. It was his intention to make teaching his life work, and he did devote some years to that oc- cupation. His first application for 2 job was as teacher of Greek in a small eastern college. The head of the department received him klndlW but evidently regarded his youthful appearance as making him an impos- Isibility in that line.~
 Why" said he, you have no more hair on your face than an egg If a beard is necessary I can raise one," said Hughes, who knew his own ability in that line. and soon was able to qualify for the job and got it. And. by the way. he has the same whiskers yet He has never worn a clean shaved face since.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Mob Violence Denounced By County Grand Jury

pfNHE Jefferson county grand I II jury's scathing denunciation of lmob violence reflects the public sent Sjment of this community.
 The particular case which was mentioned in the jury's report in- volved the whipping of white man md white woman by a band of masked men. The perpetrators of fluis outrage were never caught, nor xns anw satisfactory explanation
 eiven of the offenses with which the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Profitable Adyersity

'I believe the recent increase in the price of cotton is one time when adversitv turned into advantage" said J. D. Moore. "The cotton crop of the south has been damaged and we will not produce as much as we es- pected, but this very fact made the prices higher, and will make more money.
 "The psychological effect of higher cotton prices has helped business in the south"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
Geese Flying south

At last 1 look for cooler weather, said pr. Wyatt Heflin. Many signs fail, but when the geese come flying back to the south for winter quart CTS the cold wave Is not far behind. I heard them several times last night high up in the air. l was raised ih the country and know the sound.
 Like others suffering from the prolonged heat I was beginning to give up and l was tossing restlesslY when 1 heard the passing of the Wild geese It was the sweetest mustc l have heard in many day ana l lapsed into sleep dreaming of cool CT time coming"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15

reader sees issue portrait, char acter or a scene which contains the distinguishing features of times. per- sons and places of the long ago.
 Perhaps there is no better illustra- ton of Dobson's exquisite style in prose and his skill In portrayal than his Peg Wellington" and "The Grub Street of the Arts" in the second se- ries-of his, miscellanies. After read ing these and others Of Dobson's es- says in which the past is revivified and-.glorified one may we'll be glad that Dobson's Pegagsus was at times turned out to. browse upon the flow cry slopes of Helicon while his mas ter was employed upon prose.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-15
PROSPEROUS BEGGAR

From the Columbus Enquirer-Sun.
 A Chicago beggar seems not to have any cause for worry on account oi the unemployment situation. It k said that he pays his chauffeur $40 a week and lives in one of the bes, hotels in the city.