davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL
 WATER POWERS

An Albertville farmer has. done what The Age-Herald pointed out as feasible of accom- plishment by individuals and communities in using the power of small streams in their vii cinity. This man has built dam across a creek in his neighborhood and is lighting his home with homemade electricity The venture promises so we'll that he intends enlarging the dam to gen. crate power to operate his farm machinery.
 Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas are dotted with small water power plants located on creeks near the communities which they serve The plants be built large or small, accord ing to the flow and the money available.
 What this farmer has done can be done by other individuals, and by small communities Any town close by a stream of water should ascertain the feasibility and cost of developing power. There is no mystery about it. There is power wherever there IS water flowing down stream
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS

If Birmingham in recent months has had diversity, then Sweet are the uses of diversity, for never before has Bir- mingham shown such spirit on Christ mas.
 The kindly acts, the sweet remem- brances, the generous giving, the true Christmas spirit were never so evident, so universal and so far-reaching. Gifts and remembrances may not have been so elaborate, but their multitude showed the spirit permeating the com munity. Individuals, organizations, so- cieties and groups have striven nobly, have sought out those whom Santa Claus might have overlooked, and have made the Christmas spirit felt in the most remote places.
 For most people the past year has been one of unusual trial. Men and women have been brought face to face with suffering. The experience has softened them. Men have recognized their dependence upon each other. And so, at Christmas time, they find that they add to their own happiness by helping to make others happy. Their messages of good will spread in ever widening circles even as the chimes from great church bells.
 The effects of this lofty impulse will be felt for many day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
BERNARD SHAW ON LIBRARIES

Bernard Shaw, in the New Republic.
 The moral is clear: Let us have the libraries whether they are empty or full. And do not confuse their high function with that of the reading divan which polices our cities for us, enabling people to read about crimes and vices instead of going out into the streets and prac- ticing them.
 Do not forget, either, that though this is R very desirable substitution it is the reverse of desirable in the case of good deeds and virtues Just as reading about crimes does not make us criminals, but rather causes any propensities we may have in that direction to waste themselves harmlessly through the imagination, so reading about high virtues does not make us heroes and herones; it wastes our heroic impulses in pre- cisely the same manner.
 Therefore, it is very questionable whether reading rooms should contain any good books Rather should they be stocked with the Newgate Calendar, detective stories lives of Cartouche Lacenaire Charles Peace Moll Flanders and all the most infamous characters, in fact or fiction And when the readers, in the disgust and satiety produced by a debauch of such literature, go to the reading room librarian and say "For heav- ems sake, give me a book about a saint or hero: am sick to death of those stupid male factors" it should be the duty of that librarian to say, "No, my son Cor my daughter the case may bel, the proper sphere of virtue is the living world. Go out and do good until you feel wicked again. Then come back to me; and I will discharge all your evil impulses for you without hurting anyone by batch of thorough ly bad books"
 Moral: Do not listen to the people who wish to purify public bookshelves; they sitters on safety valves.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
MILK FED SONS OF
 MARS
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.

From the Louisville Courier-Jou
 That milk is for babes, and meat for strong men, has been accepted by lovers of good red steak, but the physicians declare that too many red steaks destroy the man. Now comes a writer upon diet to declare, in a journal devoted to the dairy industry, that milk makes men, and makes them terrible in battle.
 The romantic notion that imbibes cour- age at the breast of courageous mother has iss grain of truth. What. he imbibes is milk, and milk is the foundation of the fighting man.
 Why are American soldiers hard fighters?
 Because, the student of diet replies, they live largely upon cows milk in their youth. In the United States Naval academy, he pionts out, each boy in the athletic squad is required to drink quart of milk day. All of the boys have plenty of milk,
 Thus we produce naval heroes, men who when the occasion presents itself, say: Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead"
 "Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he hath grown so great?" reflected igno- rance. The question should have been: Upon what milk was Julius reared that he oertops the rest of us?
 A board of inquiry, representing the breeders of dairy stock, should ascertain whether Ser geant Alvin York drank in his growing years the milk of the Jersey, the Holstein, the Ayeshires, the Brown Swiss, the Guernsey or that of some stalwart mother of beeves Shorthorn or a Hereford.
 Perhaps if we should standardize soldiers would be even more superior to those of nations in which the dairy industry is not as well developed as it is in America. Let find what sort of cows were pastured upon the commons of Sparta when that city needed no walls because her men-at-arms served instead.
 What breed of cows was popular when Leoni- das and his gallant 300 defied the hosts of Xerxes at Thermopylae?
 Full of milk of course, but of what milk, was Deneces when he told that the Persian arrows darkened the sky, replied: Good; then we shall fight in the shade"?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
WILL WELCOME FORD

People of Tennessee are hopeful that Henry Ford will acquire Muscle Shoals, as it will mean great deal to our state if he does," says Col Harvey H. Hannah of Nashville, member of the Tennessee state railway commission, and cand- date for nomination governor on the demo cratic ticket.
 Eastern Tennessee already has many water power plants, but the one planned on the Ten nessee river would be much larger in compar- son to anything of that kind now in the state.
 "Ihe railway commission is also the public utilities commission, as well as body of con sutation in tax matters, and we are kept very busy with our duties.
 Tt is possible that some of the extension which would be outcome of the Ford Edison proposed plant at Wilson Dam would come un- der jurisdiction. We would welcome any added duties it might bring"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago Daily News.
 The who says nothing is never mis- quoted.
 A wife is seldom Jealous of her husbands first love after meeting her
 Even a wise man and his money are apt to be separated just after Christmas.
 If charity that begins at home is the real thing, it soon contracts the travel habit.
 If girl becomes engaged to young man who doesn't know how to kiss she has cause so congratulate herself.
 The average political orator who howls about tho independent life of the farmer doesn't know aniox yoke from horse collar.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
SERVICE MEN ENJOYED SELVES

"The ex-service men who participated in the American Legion Christmas exercises and feed as well as those who were recipients of the hospitality, enjoyed themselves thorough ly Christmas Day, both at the Chow House and the Hotel Hillman," says Legionnare H. E.. Jordan.
 About 50 men took advantage of the Christ mas dinner and about 75 were at the Christmas tree exercises and received gifts from the Christmas tree
 Scoop Kitsinger an eleventh-hour Santa Claus and did his work well. About 20 dis abled soldiers were hand and several who could not leave their beds at the hopitals were delivered their gifts. In all it was an enjoyable day"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
BENARD SHAW ON
 LIBRARIES
A PATTERSON EDITORIAL
Iontgomery Advertiser.

From the Montgomery Advertiser.
 The late Henry Watterson called the turn oR Prussan militarism from July 1914, to ths end of the struggle. In 1914 he began conclud- ing his war editorials with the famous excla- nation, "To hell with the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzolerns1 He was pro-ally and pro Amer ican from the first.
 Now that the great master is dead, it should interest the newspaper reader to peruse again one of the more celebrated Watterson editorials, April T, 1917, the day after America had de- clared war; Colonel Watterson wrote an ed- torial article which won the Pulitzer prize of $500 as the best American editorial of that year. Under the title, "Vae Vcts' ("Woe to the Vanquished) the old master said
 "There are times when feeling must be sent to the rear; when duty must toe the line; wheo the aversion brave have for fighting must yield to the adjuration, Give me liberty, or give me deathp That time is now upon us.
 "Unless Patrick Henry was wrong-unless Washington and the men of the Revolution were wrong, that time is upon us. It is lie to pre- tend that the world is better than it was; that men are truer, wiser; that is escapable, that peace may be had for the planning and the asking. The situation which without any act of ours rises before us is as exigent as that which rose before the Colonists in America when a mad English king claiming to rule without countability, asserted the right divine of kings and sent an army to enforce it. A mad German Emperor, claiming partnership with God, again elevates the standard of right divine, and bids the world to worship or die.
 From the beginning the issue was not less of he tr;a eb may have had ends of it's own to serve. Nor were these ends precisely alike At least France ito whom we owe all that we have of sov- ereignty and freedom, and Belgium the little David of Nations-fought to resist invasion: wanton, cruel invasion; to avert slavery, saw age, pitiless slavery. Yet, whatever the ani- mating purpose-whatever the selfish interests of England and Russia and Italy-the Kaiser scheme of world conquest justified it.
 First of all on pended knee we should pray God to forgive us. Then erect as men, Christian men, soldierly men, to the flag and the fray wherever they ad us-over the ocean through Flanders-across the low countries to Koln, Bonn and Koblens-tumbling the fortress of Ehrenbretstein into the Rhine as we pass and damming the mouth of the Mozelle with the debris of the ruin we make of it-then, on to Berlin, the Black Horse Calvary sweeping the Wilhelmstrasse like lava down the mountain side the Junker and the saber rattler flying before us, the tunes being Dixie and Yankee Doodle the cry being Hail, the French Re- public, Hail the Republic of Russia-welcome the Commonwealth of the Vaterland-no peace with the Kaiser-no barley with Autocracy, Ab- soutism and the divine right of kings-to Hell with the Hapsburgs and the Hohenzolernsw
 It was characteristic Wattersonian editorial. Always a patriot and peace-loving warrior, al ways setting thought to music-so was "Marse Henry"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
VIRTUES OF AMERICAN HUSBANDS

From the Chicago News.
 Those homesick walls of French war brides of American soldiers who implored Marshal Foch to take them back to France are not to be interpreted as reflection on American hus- bands, according to a French graduate student (unmarred) in Radcliffe college. In the opin- ion of this authority, the homesick brides, accepting the general European view that the United States is land of plenty and of pleas ure, married on the first opportunity to come to this country and now find themselves un- happy, largely because they cannot speak the language and are thus limited in theT circles of friends and acquaintances
 But for this the American husband is held blameless by this amiable young Frenchwoman. "The American husband" she says, ''is much more eonsiderate of his wife than is the con tinental who is too afraid of being laughed at to carry the baby"
 Appreciative as the American husband must be of European praise, he can hardly claim to be entitled to this full measure of it. For the American husband carrying the baby is not a familiar sight on the streets. Even the humor- ists of the New York newspapers have ceased to represent Brooklyn husbands in that atti- tude.
 The American husband feels it to be his duty to provide for the baby, but as to carrying the little dear-he prefers to wheel it in baby carriage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
ARGUMENT FOR AUDITORIUM

"The lack of attendance at the municipal Christmas tree exercises on Saturday and Sun day, due to nclement and cold weather, is just another argument fer the city auditorium, guess" says-Gordon Erickson.
 "At the San Francisco tree exercises two years ago, with which was connected, the pro- gram held inside the huge auditorium there when the weather stormy outside, but we had packed house.
 Everyone worked hard to make the 1921 tree big success, but rain on Saturday made it impossible for thousands of youngsters to be there and it was too cold Sunday to attract sA crowd"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
HAWAIIAN IS DISAPPEARING

Riley H. Adams in the Review of Reviews.
 Hawaii, once lonely and lovely archipelago inhabited by the brown Polynesans, serenely primitive in its native life, is today the worlds greatest experiment station in race-mixtures. Here orient and occident meet; here North America and Siberia and antipodes touch; here a current of Latin blood crosses current of Teuton; Anglo-SaEon and Asatic, Malay and Micronesian, Slav and Scandinavian mingle and influence each other.
 Hawaii has long been called ''the melting pot of the Pacific" But this is not broad enough. The island territory is not merely pot into which are thrown various clements to be fused by outside influences; but a lab oratoty, an experiment station in which human effort and intelligence striving to effect q combination of alien blood with American cit izenship
 The least ''fusible" are Japanese and Ko- reans. Others intermarry freely with the Poly nesian stocks and with each other. And the marriage with the Polynesians is fruitful of good results. valuable contribution to human kind has been made by the Hawaiian natives, who, while disappearing before the memorable impact of civilization sterner than their own, have bequeathed to the new citizenship of the Islands many or thelr own kindly and attractive qualities. The fullblooded Hawaiians are dis appearing, but those of all other degrees of blood from halfHawaiian down are increasing, and the Caucasian-Hawaian Chinese -Hawiian, and Portugese- Hawaiian are largely represented in the vigorous young citizenship of today.
 Even those races such the Japanese, which in the first and second generations of life in Hawaii have not readily fused with other races, are changing in type. The third-generation Japanese boy and girl in Hawaii are likely to bs of an ampler mould than the grandfather and grandmother from the hard-worn soil of the Mikados empire. The descendants are taller, straighter of limb; their more rounded outlines and heavier bodies testifying to the beneficial effects which Hawaiis equable, generous cli- mate, and Hawaiis far better living conditions, exercise on the offspring of immigrants.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
THE SECRET PACK

By Samuel Minturn Peck. My memory hath a secret pack
 Wherein I store the loveliest things; And in my heart not on my back,
 My dear and guarded treasure swings. With every passing year it grows,
 And as it grows life fairer gleams; And lesser weigh my daily woes,
 And brighter, rarer shine my dreams. My memory hath secret pack;
 It steads me, cheers me all the while. Within it enters nothing black,
 But each kind word, each loving smile. It matters not if darkness fall,
 I never let my heart be dumb, For love knows not until it call
 What faithful echoes back will come. My memory hath secret pack;
 When l am sad I open it And soon of solace I've no lack,
 And all my soul with joy is lit; And over land, and over sea,
 My thought flies swifter than dove, For are not those who smiled on me Still keeping bright the lamp. of love,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
DOES EFFECTIVE WORK

''The appraisal work done by committees of the Birmingham Real Estate Board has been eff fective during the year" states o. H. Horton, secretary of the board.
 "In instances where the property which is ap- praised may be brought into condemnation pro ceedings for public the appraisals are of great value
 While it is cheaper to get individual apprai- sals, the report of committee of three of the best informed real estate men in the city as a group brings with it authority and prestige. In matters where it is very important the findings are reviewed by the entire appraisal commit tee of the board"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
AN EDITORIAL WORTHY OF
 "MARSE HENRY"

The affectionate esteem in which Henry Wat terson was held brought forth remarkable tes- There Is not newspaper office in the land where "Marse Henry" was not loved and ad- mired. He had become almost a tradition when he went into retirement.
 Of the many tributes paid to the man who made the Louisville Courier-Journal famous, perhaps none would have pleased the veteran editor more than an editorial published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Anyone who knew Colonel Watterson could not fail to be im- pressed, in reading this editorial, by the under standing it reveals of his character. Columns have been written about him without bringing out what was Colonel Watterson's salient char acteristic, the zest he had for life and whilo making it pay him rich rewards, his ability to give happiness to others.
 The Post-Dispatch editorial is worthy of preservation. It follows:
 A shining figure left us yesterday when Henry Watterson died. But his death occasions grief. Grief and 'MRrse Henry" were and will be. incompatible. Gifted prodgiousy he his greatest gift. 1t seems to us his incomparable genius for toying in life and making life joyous Unique his place in journalism which he decorated avshly, his greatest success like to think a liver. He lived superbly, glorious 1y. He had been everywhere. He had known everybody worth knowing. Those dazzling memoirs of his which appeared couple of s romance that swept and down the world. The readers linked with a gay companion before whom s door locked. Into the vaulted chambers of state affairs authoritatively ushered. into tho arcana of solemn political council, behind the of ventons: hobnobbed with the elect of Thespis chatted with dowsgers. flirted with debutantes clinked glasses in many languages, under many flags, stood before kings. left marble halls be- times to wander into dingy street where a luck less artist took his place in the brilliant pageant of Henry Watterson's friends-and always through nights of wide and starry skies" and days of glowing
 As power in polite. which, he alway. insisted "the ne-blood of journalism" a shaper of history Mir. Watterson may have been less ef- fectual than the others of that "old school to which tradition has assigned him. There that element of Responsibility about him that did fit into the scheme of ponderous things But writer he far surpassed those early contemporaries who have since become tHe patrarchs of the Amer ican Whatever his touched instantly enriched His knowledge seemingly boundless, his culture fathomless Alusion bubbled sponta- neously, apt quotation bestrode his winged pen, and with boundless imagination and vivid imagery he words into gorgeous brocades As edi- toral writer he entertained three generations with his charm and indomitable grace and spirit
 He "eternalist rather than journalist" He scorned He wrought beauty. He a prince of letters elegant He King of Life" Across the chasm let drink to him. It will be merrier Christmas the other side because of his presence there
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS

"There has been much monkey business at the Blue Ribbon Shoe repair shop during the past week. due to recent arrival in the family of monkeys which occupy the glass enclosed cage outside the shop, on Fourth avenue" says D. J. Gates, manager. "The newly born mon key is attracting much attention. It is unusual for monkey to be born in captivity, and l think this is the first instance of monkey be- ing born in a show window.
 "The mother is a 2-year-old ringtail species, secured in Chicago by me from an animal show. ?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
SMALL BOYS ARE TRUTHFUL
Fred c. Kelly, in Leslie's Weekly.

Freu D. NefIy, m LesIIes 5 eeKy
 Generally speaking, about the most reliable person from whom to get information is small boy. Any family possessing boy knows that he is observant, ."gets into everything" and has no motive beyond satisfying his inordnate curi- osty. He likes to pry into things for the sheer joy of finding the facts as they are. When he grows older he may find it not so easy, for busi- ness or social reasons, to tek an accurate story But when he becomes an old man, he Once more may be like boy-too mellow to have violent prejudices;- interested in telling the truth-for truths sake.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
AYE, THERE'S THE RUB

From the Washington Star.
 Beer might be considered with favor by economists if a means could be devised to re- quire people to pay taxes on it without dri.s- ing it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26
A FOoTNoTE TO HISTORY

From the Kansas City Star.
 The French and English will fight for each other, but they draw the line on loving each other. .y
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-26

President Harding was asked not to put Christmas candles in the White House windows, because of the fire risk. There must be times when MT, Harding yearns for the independence he enjoyed when he was merely publish;ng the Marion Star.
 American boys under age who enlisted in Spain's foreign legion will be brought back home. It must be humiliating when the career of fledgling soldier of fortune is interrupted by his parents.
 It is rumored that General Dawes will be suc- ceeded by another man. Surely, the man who made Hell and Maria" famous isn't going to admit that he tackled job too big for him? Prohbtionists resent "coarse jibes"sat prohi bition, quite regardless of the fact that Amer icans' of humor is what enables them to grin and bear it.
 If Debs returns to the lecture platform he ought to speak good word for the home-like environment of the federal penitentiary in At lanta.
 While it may be true that Lenin is the 'brains of Russia it should not be forgotten that the average of intelligence in Russia is pretty low. Attorney General Daugherty says housewives can stop profiteerng, which looks like another attempt to ''pass the buck"
 Surgeons can remove the traces of grief from a woman's face, but balm for broken heart is to be found only in law courts.
  The report that Carl is resigned but Zita isn't, is probably true European chancellories should keep an eye on Zita
 Persons with claims against the alien property custodian will have another year in which to make his life miserable.
 A magazine writer says Lloyd George is "hope- lessly middle-class" That's no longer fatal n England.
 The French may be taking to bull fights to console themselves for what happened to M. Carpenter.
 General Pershing wants his boy to fight if his country ever needs him. That's practical pacifism.
 The outcoming of Eugene V. Debs will take away the socialists strongest talking point Another encouraging sign of the times is the gradual disappearance of ''parlor pinks."
 
 As an interpreter of the four-power pact MT. Harding has not been a conspicuous success.
 
 Germany will stand for Won Ludendorff but draws the line at Emma Goldman.
 
 Democrats are beginning to smile broadly for the first time since the cataclysm of 1920.