davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
ADRIFT WITH THE TIMES
BATTLING VISITOR
2e.-s39ueQ-

DAT T ll4%NN NARth O'N Who's the mysterious stranger in town?"
 "I hear he's propagandist" said Squire witherbee
 For what?"
 T dunno. He ain't tryin' to bor- row any money, he don't get no mail an tn clerk at tn Eagle House haSn t been able to draw him out yet, Blamed if I see how we're goin' to find out what tn cuss is up to-
 HIS HoNeR's LITTLE JEST whats the charge, officer?" "Reciting 'Curfew Shall Not Rns Tonight your honor.1
 That isn't against the jaw, Tin sorry to say"
 But he had one arm around ths neck of a drayman's horse and was reciting the piece to, the poor brute" ''Umph! This case should be prose- cuted by the Society for the Proven tion of Cruelty to Animals"
 STAGE LADIES The lovely ladies of the stage
 Who cut such pleasing capers. We fear would not be such a rage
 Without the daily papers To hold them up to public view
 And freely advertise them, Although the moralistic crew Delights to criticise them.
 PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
Why Stars Twinkle
Fly ISABEL M. LEWIS,

(of the U. S. Naval Observatory By Science Service.
 The remarkable steadiness of the light of the brilliant white star Vega when seen near the zenith in the early evening hours of September. as con trasted with the twinkling and flash ing of the bright reddish st4i Are 1 rurus clos etc the western horizon at the same time illustrates lcw great Is the effect of the refraction of light by the earth's atmosphere ui on the general appearance of the stars. Ii the conditions we,f reversed, that is if Arcturus were overhead and If Vega were near the horizon, Arcturus would shine steadily and Vega would scin- tillate and flash.
 The twinkling of a star Is 2ioduced by the variable refraction of It's light llby air of uneven density and by in terference of rays of light from the star following slightly different paths. As a result of thls irregular
  concentrated continually at slightly different points-that Is, the star wrinkles and through interference oi light rays, one color is temporarily o8literated and another intensified For Instance. the green ray may be plotted out for the moment andA the red nay strengthened so that the quail ity of the light received from the star varies continuously to slight de- gree. A star near the horizon. where refraction effects are greatest owing to the highly variable density and unsteadiness of the air close to the surface of the earth, wrinkles con- tinually and often flashes light of different colors. On the other hand there Is practically no refraction of the light of star lying near the zenith and consequently no twinkling. The rays then enter the atmosphere in direction perpendicular to the surface without being bent from their course, and so we see none of the ef- fects produced by refraction.
 The same atmospheric effect can be observed, of course, with all stars, but 1t is most noticeable for the brilliant and highly luminous first-magnitude stars. In the telescope this scin- tillation and flashing of light of dif- ferent colors is more pronounced. especially for bright stars, and at times very troublesome. since the stars dance up and down as well as twinkle and flash. On nights when the air is particularly unsteady these disturbing atmospheric effects are the despair of the astronomer striving to make accurate determinations of star positions.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

They say that the cry of the baby is the same around the wide, wide world, and I am sure of one thing and that is the wall of an infant never fails to touch the heart of either man or woman in whose veins flows the milk of human kindness.
 From the time Mother Eve held close in her arms the first child that ever suckled at . mothers breast on down through history until Mary, the mother of the infant Jesus, cradled it if a manager. to this good day of ours, there has been a halo around maternity and a sanctity about childhood.
 Every child born into the world ought to have the right to open it's eyes in the atmosphere of home, and if possible be nurtured under the care of it's mother or one with a motherly heart; and yet in too many cases this Is an impossibility. The Luck of Roaring Camp with the tenderness of the miners to the babe which transformed the camp struck famous short story place among the classics.
 As long as men are brave, women tender, and the world good, babyhood | will not be neglected. The greatest evil charged against drink was it's l toll on the lives of the little ones, The most damaging indictment of war is the sacrifice of the innocents The worst charge against any country is It's neglect of childhood. The thing which goes to the heart of America quicker and surer than any other appeal is the cry of hungry children. have handsome, gallant, dash ing young friend, who did his bit overseas. who came into life handi- capped as "hotel baby" and every one predicted because he was born and bred in a hotel that he wouldn', be worth killing when he got to be | grown; but there must have been something in him and in his parents which could overcome such . handi- (cap, for at present he Is making good by helping his father manage a grea; modern hostelry. Yet "hotel baby. l ia n be pitied. i Some straight-laced persons think that show people should be childless
 or if children come to bless their lives and relieve the hard monoton, | of che routine of travel and weari- ness of performances. the littls
 ones should be farmed out among
 relatives or placed In the care ,,
 some institution; but hold no sucf opinions. for I have seen "show
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
To Maintain Order
 During Semi-Centennial

R Y authorizing Chief of Police ID Shirley to employ 50 former service men as extra policemen dur ing the mi-centennial celebration, Commissioner Taylor has made a wise provision for the crowds which are expected, to be in Birmingham on that occasion. It is announced that an additional >aQ-lnen will be employed for the day President Hafding spends here.
 The extra policemen and the, Boy Scouts may be depended, on not only to prevent disorder and help regu- late the crowds, but to give needed information to strangers. They will supplement the regular police rorce and serve wherever needed.
 1t was a commendable idea to give these jobs, even though they are only temporary, to former. soldiers, many of whom will be glad of an
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
mnizing New Frlends

q must congratulate The Age Herald staff on the bright and newsy paper that is being gotten out" says r. W. Dixon
 My wife is just back from a visit in Georgia, having been to Rome and Griffin and several other towns and sine says that wherever .she was her friends were eager 10 see hei Age-Herald, and were enthusiastic over it's many attractive features ana classy make up.
 T was glad to know thar'a DIT mineham paper was creating such favorable comment out of the state It ought to spur it to renewed ettor's 10 widen its already wide territory
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

Arbuckle has been arrested for yio- iating the prohibition law. If that were the extent of his wrongdoing 1t would not he regarded as a blot on his escutcheon.
 general Wood says he sees no req son why America and Japan can't adjust their differences. That's the way you'd naturally expect him to talk in Tokio.
 *f* # / In summarizing the sins of the Harding administration the demo- cratic national committee seems to ! have overlooked "normalcy" and 'hcspitaliEation." ,
 * x <
 Unemployment is causing concern in England, We are perfectly willing to let our British cousins have Urbain Ledoux to help them solve the prob lem.
 $. Ys <
 Despite the fact that Charley sehwab and Sam Gompers can rub elbows together, we fear the trou bles of capital and labor are not yet erced..
 John L. Sullivan is still figuring in anecdotes. Our poets pass on. but our grea, pugilists live in the grate- full recollection of their countrymen.
 E * *
 People who have laughed at Char ley chaplin's antics win be painfully surprised 50 hear that he went abroad to talk to cieorge Bernard shaw.
 < * z
 The ico rer cent fan cant help thinking there is something wrong with the man who won't even hesitate at baseball matinee"
 Turning poison gas into perfume makes il decidedly less wearing on the respiratory organs.
 * * E
 Secretary Weeks says If be were playing politics he would accept Hen Fords offer instanter. We'll
 4N what Is he playing?
 < E a Lloyd George may decide to attend the disarmament conference at the last minu,e-bul he won't fly over.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
NED BRACE TALKS ABOUT CRITICISM AND
 ABUSE HEATED UPON LOCAL CANDIDATES

N NICE the old Rolling Mill days. N when city elections were decid-
 ed in the bar rooms of the First ward, and when candidates were ac- cused of being all manner of rascals. home destroyers, and defaulters, there has never been anything like the present city campaign.
 F Men are paying for political adver- charges against their opponents. Dr. Barrett, good, Christian citizen and 2 proven, competent city officieJ, who has made a splendid record as direc- tor of the city's affairs. is singled out to be piiloried because of few mis- takes.
 Who is there among us who has not made business mistakes? Who Is there who will not make them?
 # # 4
 John Taylor, the commissioner of public safety. who has built up the most perfect fire department and the best organized and most competent police and detective forces that Bir- mingham has ever had. Is lacked up as though he was upon crime bent, because he co-operated with the war department at Washington and com piled list of every boarding house In Birmingham, making it include every person presiding over a house in which one or more rooms were rented. This was done to aid the war department in locating slackers.
 Yet there are those who have yelled aloud that this list was John TayI- lor's list of bawdy houses, or bad houses in which liquor was sold and all manner of going-ons permitted.
 We all know that good womeh. and true, conduct most of the boarding
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

houses in Birmingham. Yet it has gone abroad that all the boarding houses registered at the city hall are under suspicion, reflection which should rebound upon the loose tongued political melee hunters. With the funds at his command, John Taylor has done sood work not perfect; but no man can handle thoroughly every angle of law en- forcement with an abbreviated police department resulting from lack of funds.
 That Taylor Is a bachelor may have made him more easy mark for crit ics. But being a bachelor may not be hIs fault. Everybody knows that George Ward Is a, bachelor. and every intimate friend of George knows that 1t Is not his fault, that he has asked 
 bevy of good looking and popular 1 young queens to join him. Perhaps had he asked one not so good looking and popular he might have gone over the top.
 John Taylor may have played in the same luck, but the story now goes that his wedding day is set for the very near future, and that the bride-to-be halls from Mississippi. This story is merely told to show that John Is not so bad as some new ly qualified voters have apparently seen it to believe and herald to the public.
 s. * *
 Another man in the race for the city commission who has been harsh iy and unjustly criticised In double column cispiay advertising type, at the paid political advertisement" rate. is s. R. Retson. former county engineer, who, with Jerry Gwin, built
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
-----------------------se'-- POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago News. It doesn't fatten the hungry man to make him laugh.
 What some people don't know they are always talking about.
 Even the kangaroo Is unable to keep pace with the bounds of pos sibility.
 When public official imagines that he is a big gun it's time to fire him.
 A woman should never try to bang her hair by igniting the powder on her face.
 The average man is always willing to help you celebrate anything at your expense.
 At 40 man doesn't think he knows as much as he thought he knew at 20. but he knows that he knows more.
 Probably the happiest day in the average farmers lire is when his best pig takes a s prize at the county fair.
 Don't scold your wife in the pres- ence of others; they may think that you are afraid to do it when alone with her.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

the great system of good roads in this county-
 He has been accused of all man rer of errors and mistakes and po- nticzl favur11Isn- And yet the so- ciety of Engineers of Birmingham investigated his doings and his work and has not only put its O. K upon his estimates. but upon hts compe- tence and his efficiency; pronouncing him the highest type of enginer
 So there we have it Men, who as trained, practical engineers. put their stamp of approval upon him for engineer commissioner. Others who don't want anybody but an easy going good. fellow on the job don't want him. They would be willing to go along without new paved streets and proper storm sewers which would prevent water in the downtown stores and the city hall after hard rains. But those who suf- fer by such want an engineer com missioner who will handle the job and back up City Engineer Julian Kendrick in his efforts to make Bir- mingham a city worth living in.
 # < !.
 The writer is not urging the above men over others as being more conn potent or better fitted, but he be- lieves In Justice and in defending competent men who have made good, and who nevertheless have been un- justly and unfairly criticised
 These men have been dealt blows below the belt, and no man or wom- an who believes in fair play loves to view any but an honest contest where the best men are entitled to win.
 Z..ARo,oo
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
Recent Campaign Tactics
 Reflect on Birmingham

NIT HILE Birmingham has re WV fused to get very much excited over the campaign which has just ended, there will be sigh of relief that the city is to be relieved from the unfavorable publicity that has been spread broadcast during recent weeks.
 Candidates and friends of candi- dates in their enthusiasm And hope of victory owe a duty to their city Some of them have been very unjust in what they have said of conditions in Birmingham. Much that has been said is not only untrue, but has been said in such way as to plant seeds of doubt and distrust about Birming- ham that might grow into bitter fruit In years 10 come.
 A striking example of the charac- ter of some of the attacks during the campaign have been those against a sterling young man, s. R Batson, former county engineer. Laymen-men who pretend to no knowledge of engineering--have made assertions and cited examples to prove this engineers incompe- tency. And yet the Birmingham chapter of the National Society of Civil Engineers unanimously in dorsed Mir. Batson for the position he seeks. A special committee of the society made a full investiga- ton ofs all MT. Batson's acts as county engineer, and then testified to his thorough ability and compe- tency. ~
 This is another of those cases where there was personal griev- ance. Men with axes to grind were behind the attacks. And the whole thing was reflection upon the man. ner in which Birmingham and lief ferson county. allowed their affairs to be conducted.
 The baseless things said about John Taylor have likewise been dag ger thrusts at Birmingham, while the charges against <Dr. Barrett, head of the city government, have been as unfair as they have been unjustified.
 Birmingham is glad to be relieved from this kind of campaign. It is hoped that by the time another city election rolls around, candidates will realize that such tactics not only do not pay, but on the other hand, de- feat the very end sought.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

babies" which turned out just as well as the "hotel baby of whom I spoke.
 l know an act in vaudeville where father and mother and sons and daughters give it. and every one of the handsome and talented sons and lovely and attractive daughters was born and reared while en tour. I had q talk with the proud mother behind stage one night while she was waiting for her cue to go on, and she told me how each one of her children had had for cradle the tray of trunk.
 got to thinking about babies and show people because of the visit during the fair of the Hurd sisters, two matrons who were born to parents in the show business and reared In the wake of circus. And now both of them are married and one has a boy and the other a girl, and both are as fond and affection ate mothers as can be found in the MAKING DIPHTHERIA CARRIERS
 HARMLESS
 By Science Service
 Wnshington.-The X-ray is now being used to make diphtheria car riers safe citizens.
 Those unfortunate persons who have diphtheria recover from it and are we'll and happy and yet carry and spread the germs to other peo- pie. are now being treated and cured by x-rays.
 The diphtheria germs remain in certain tissues of the tonsils. nose and ear passages of the victim. Dr. F. M. Hickey of Detroit. at the meet ling of the American Roentgen Ray society. reported that treating these tissues with light doses of x-ray rendered them uninhabitabie to the diphtheria germs. Eleven out of IS tonsil eases were cured in this way, while four out of i've nasal and two out of four ear cases were also cured. The x-ray treatment is comparative- ly mild and does not compare in sc- verity with that used in treatment of cancer.
 Diseased tonsils and goitre are also being treated with the Roentgen ray with successful results. according to lDr. w. D. witherbee of New York city. who told of his work at the convention. The treatment consists of light filtered doses of x-rays every two weeks. This allows the normal cells to recover from the el- feet of the x-ray. but the diseased l cells are moro sensitive and do not recover.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
THE THEORETICAL FARMER

 Abe Martin. h Farm Life. The feller that knows jest exactly how t. farm Is allus on tn lecture platform. s.es4.i> ,saA SENTRY OF SLEEPY HOLLOW Minna Irving. in the New York Herald.
 tOctoher. 17so-1s21.) Along the road that Andre came shadow lay at noon, The brooklet sang among the stones A melancholy tune. Though frost upon the wayside grass Had spread its silver sheen. The dusty tulip tree retained Its uniform of green. Three yeomen from the thicket rose Aud stopped the rider bold. Three simple rustics lowered with
 souls
 Of true heroic mold. Three patriots who held no brief For kings across the sea. But seized the traveller and saved The cause of liberty. Along the road that Andre came. October sunshine lies. The trees triumphantly unfurl Bright banners to the skies, And there immortalized in bronzeN The master yeoman stands On guard for freedom evermore, His musket in his hands.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
LETTERS TO EDITOR
, Appreciation From New York


 To the Editor of The Age Herald: May I congratulate you upon the splendid publicity which appeared in your paper relative to the open ing of the Business ~nd Professional Women;s club rooms. It was a great display and will do us all good. Being a southern woman I can ap- preciate something of what 1t means to secure so much space and ad- vertising in one of our papers. Thanking you for your share in the good 1t will do our national or- ganization, am, Sincerely yours,
 LENA M. PHILLIPS.
 Executive Secretary. National Federation Of Business and F Professional Wohen's Clubs. New York. October 6, 1921.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
JupICIAL DIPLOMACY

Your honor, my wife weighs over POO pounds, and I weigh only no. How could beat herr"
 "He beat me with words, your honor" sobbed the aggrieved woman. He called me a. -hip-hippopot anus"
 Well, we'll" said the judge. sooth- ingly. This isn't & case to be set tied in court. You go home with your husband and if he calls you a ip-hip--hip-excus me-a hippo potamus again you just tell him that Is one of the most valuable animals ir, nt;x.ifv
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
A MERE PRELIMINARY

I'm afraid those two citizens are coming to blows"
 ',No danger. l know who they are. That's John Jagsby having a talk with Sam Bibbles. They are prob ably arguing with an interior pur- pose"
 And what's that?"
 They're hoping they'll get so wrought up 1t will be necessary to adjourn and cement their friendship anew in the stuff the hootleggers sell"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
THE WHY AND WHEREFORE

HI W III AND W WIiEHEFORE
 'Is 1t true that public offices are bought in this country?'
 T wouldn't go so far as to say that" replied the practical politi- elan, "but it stands to reason that there will be, times when a liberal expenditure of campaign funds will assist a backward citizenry in mak- ing up their minds to voto for a candidate whose only fault-if 1t can be called fault--is the fact that he has wealthy friends"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09

opportunity to make little money. Men who have honorable discharges and uniforms are eligible. In the past Birmingham has had comparatively no disorder and few crimes when the city was filled with visitors attending reunions and oth- CT big affairs. That speaks we'll for the vigilance of the police de- partment. There is every reason to believe that the semi-centennial cele- bration, which will probably be the largest event. Birmingham has ever had, will be equally free from un- pleasant features.
 Birminghams guests will be enti- tied to every courtesy we can ex- tend and the best protection that can be given them, and they may rest assured that they will neither be victimized by local business con- cerns, hotels, restaurants and other establishments, nor left at the mercy of crooks.
 < *
 A Kansas man was granted df- voice because his wife smoked s1 worth of cigarettes day It wasn't the cost that ne ohj-ctod to so much as ;t was Icing walked lp at night when friend wife reached for fag.
 t x <
 Sturt flyipg at county and state fairs should not be criticized Steady gazing at a fat pig or a steer be- comes tirosomc after two or three hours anc some other diversion must be provided for visitors
 < * # ~
 It twouis De terrible blow to the southern half of the United states if Cuba were to break loose from her moorings ana drift in the general ai- rcction of scotland.
 2:
 Augo Shines has been accused ot dcf-auding the German government. This will afford great satisfactfon to the people who thought Hugo was getting rich too suddep'r.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-09
Sunday Blue La7ye

While we have not made any ueti- nite plans for fighting the adoption of the Sunday blue laws" said Dr' Courtney w. Shropshire, I've are urging every voter to either wrlte letters or send telegrams to the Jefferson county delegation urg- ing them to use their influence to ae- feat such a measure.
 "This bill will come up Wednes- dav and will be adopted unless a fight is made to defeat 1t. we are preparing to make this fight ana urge everyone interested to assist us l., doipor so