davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
BOIL WEEVIL NOT
 ASSET TO SOUTH
(Houston Postl

The fact that in an Alabama town monument has been erect ed to the boil weevil in memory of the pests alleged service in raising the price of cotton, leads to the conclusion among some Northern observers who fear ths cotton farmer is getting too much TOT hls product, that the net loss rom the weeYips depredations is not as great as has been repre- sented, either by the cotton farm CTS or by the government. The coming of the weevil, 1t is pointed out, has both cut the production resulting in higher prices. and has induced the farmer to diver sify his crops. This is undoubt- ediy true. But it does not dis pose of the fact that the cotton farmer must plant a much larper acreage to reap an adequate SUD- ply or cotton for the worlds needs, than he would have ,o plant If the weevil were not pres- ent.
 Production when cut by de- struction over a wide area is es- sentially loss. The farmers must pay taxes and the cost of onerat- . ing on many acres to get a cron of certain size which, without the weevil, could be harvested from A much smaller area, and the sur- plus land put to other purposes. Even though the present prices Tor cotton pay the taxes and up- Keep on those additional acres. were the land to be producing nor mally without the weevil. the farm CT could curtail acreage and stiu get the price, and grow other profitaple crops on the other acres.
 Temporarily, the weeyil may have helped the farmers by bring ing higher prices and forcinp. them to new methods, but funda : mentally boil weevil destruction IS permanent economic loss. and any other view of 1t fs a rank fallacy. One might as well say that destructive pests in corn wheat and other crops should he welcomed, or that industry would profit by having part of It's nro-
 HNt hSu uP tdCn wear. in order to create an artificial short age and get higher prices.
 It should be borne in mind alec that the boil weevil is not solely responsible for the higher prices The present high levels in the cotton market are dictated not only by the prospect of a maagsr supply, but by an active demand both at home and abroad. En, rope is not buying much grain and foodstuffs from America bnt she is buying cotton freely Evsn re Germany is actively in the mark e+ for the South's cotton. The ar sument that the boil weeyil nro- notes Southern prosperity. when fully analysed. appears too ridioA ulous for intelligent consid.re tion. It should not influence san tlment In any section of the coun. try against a nationwide drive to eradicate the pest. Unless tbe menace is removed the industrv in the South will in time he ex tlnguished, and some other conN try will take precedence in cotton t production. ''oii
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
PROTECTING HIGHWAY FUNDS

In strict accord with it's record in seeking to conserve the public interest at every turn, the state highway com mission has turned down all bids for the construction of the bridge at Eu- faula, on the ground that they were too high, and will undertake the con- struction with the states forces in the belief that thereby it can save money. The application of business methods to such stupendous business as the expenditure of fifty million dollars in construction is vital. The only regret is that the policy was not adopted be- fore two-fifths of the money was spent and doubtless, to some extent, wasted. The remaining thirty millions, how ever, appear likely to be more eff ciently administered.
 It remains for the commission also to adopt policy with respect to au- thorizing only such road types as will give maximum of service with q minimum of upkeep. It is believed that some of the commissioners, ir- cluding the commissioner of construc- ton, MT. J. H. Scruggs, firmly favor such policy. Economy in highways does not lie in cheapness of first cost, but in inexpensiveness of upkeep. This is cardinal principle of high way administration that was lost sight of before the new commission took l hold.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
POOR BOYS WHO
 BECAME FAMOUS
Christopher Columbus
By Frederick Houk Law

For generation after generation, so far as is known, thar had been
 no sailor in the family of Colombo of Columbus" as we call him
 today. Without exception every
 member of the family hat sat within doors and had worked with tools and implements, using the hands very skillfully, and never Venturing very far from home. So far as is known there had been no spirit of adventure shown in the
 family. no call to go to the remote places of the earth. So far as Is known Christopher Columbus him.
 self, up to the age of about 22, showed no spirit of adventure. Those who saw him about 1473,
 saw a young weaver who went about his business very soberly
 and very faithfully. Then some thing happened. What it was, no man knows. What 1t resulted in
 was the discovery of a new conti-
 nent, the great land of America. The decisions of youth are often | tremendous in all reality, but this decision of the young Italian weaver to leave his home and his loom and go a-roving was one of the most momentous decisions ever
 made. Where are you off for?" someone asked the youth. of down the Mediterranean, away to the Island of Chios!" Columbus may have answered. That, appar- E>ently, was his first voyage-mere- " Q hn 11
 mean to the Greek Islands. It Is an interesting picture to think of the young weaver standing at the rail of the strange old sailing ves- sel, looking off at the tapping waves. and saying to himself: T should love to sail on-and on and on-beyond the edge of mo-
 where!" When he was 25 he sailed
 in the other direction, passed out of the Straits of Gibraltar, and was captured by pirates. Perhaps, after all, Columbus owed his greatness to his mother-in-law. That good lady one day showed
 her sailor son-in-law some queer papers about the sea. Christopher studied them, bent over them, and was away in imagination. They were papers about the unknown oceans, and the lands that lay be- yond. That was the beginning of Columbus dreams of sailing to a new beyond. America owes it's dis covery to a mother-in-law! Ev- eryone knows how. at S1, Colum- bus began to try to interest the rulers in his great project, and how at last, at fl, he was the first to sail across the unknown seas. Few remember that at 49, after many famous journeys. he was sent back from America to Spain in chains. He was a man who ex- perienced poverty, hard work, dangers, wrecks, pirates, prison and the favor of princes, and who won immortal fame. Even after his death he crossed the ocean
 twice, for his body was carried
 back and forth. All honor to the weaver boy who dreamed his dreams and set out on his trayelsi
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
THE HEN
Washington PostA

NWashlngton Post)
 Consider the hen: She produoas eggs aggregating approximatelS S1,o0O,000,0o a year. She is large contributor to natio,aI wealth. She runs her affairs smoothly. She does not comnlair or low prices for her -products nr Of the high prices of what sbe consumes. She does not ou.rra1 with the weather. Nor does sha work herself into economic situ- ations from which escape is diffi- cult. She does not revise her liy- ing standards upward with evarv rising market, and therefore is not subject to financial and other am parrassment when markets fan Nor does she call on the govern- ment to aid her in dealing win conditions over which 1t has no control. She does not mix in noIi- tics or class movements. She da. mands no special privilege. When she makes a fuss. 1t is over what she produces, not over what she wants.
 The hen shows many points that are worthy of emulation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Education in Farming (Anniston Star)

In time the farming industry will be regarded by all farmers as more of profession than merely making crops" The science of agriculture is being Heudied more and more by the youths of the rural sections. Tech nical knowledge has been found an immense benefit in advanced agriculture, and those farmers who have received technical train ing in agricultural schools and colleges are to be found in in- creasing numbers in charge of farms, and almost invariably their training equips them to attain t higher measure of success than the untrained men around them can reach.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Menu Reform
wv a Shinoto Sta

(Washington Starr
 T propose" exclaimed Senator Sorghum, ito lend my influence to any movement to end this perni- clous practice of printing menus In French"
 What for?"
 My daughter is the only one in the family who has studied French and I can't get anything to eat except what she happens to know the name of. And the way 1t sounds always makes me feel as if I'm not going to be able to eat it."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
0CTDErLIGHTS faL fnan AG%
 IA A\NATIONAL- sSSf IO CAPITAL ~EESs.t sSB x M

There is little town near Washington called Lomond.
 Through the heart of this little town a railroad runs, and has for, lol these many years.
 It may continue to run through the heart of Lomond for another century. For Lomond is not more progressive, more determined, more jealous of it's municipal hon. or than other towns and cities of the United States.
 And Lomond, it must be remem- bered, compared with certain cities which suffer railroad domi- nation throughout all the years, is very small and weak and humble.
 Twenty years ago railroad train running through Lomond from Baltimore to Washington, smashed into a picnic wagon and killed many people.
 This section of the country, perhaps the entire country, was mortified. Everywhere there de- veloped agitation against grade crossings. Indignation meetings were held and municipal authori- ties forced by popular opinion, proceeded to legislate.
 drawn up and served. Prepara-
 Demands on the railroads were tions were made for legal battle.
 And tben the funerals were held. The poor victims, some of them little children, were put un- der the ground. And then
 The snows of winter were melt ed and the grass returned to the fields. The attention of men was centered in other things, and the trains continued to roar through Lomond.
 It was inevitable that in view of the imperfection of the world exact another toll.
 that train would, sooner or later,
 It did-quite recently.
 There was renewal of agitation against the grade crossings. In- dignation meetings were held. Authorities, driven by popular opinion, threatened with statute and lawsuit.
 The wonder is whether history. as it has ever done, will not re- peat itself, and that when stran- gers, gone fifty years hence, re- turn to view the landscape at Lo- mond, they will not see the train. searching for its prey, roaring through the heart of the town. and the populace scattering in ali directions, with great speed. for the preservation of their lives! For we are only poor weak mor-
 tals, after all;
 Sons of apple-eating Adam, prone
 to fall!
 Resolutions? Yes, we make them Not to keep them but to break
 them;
 For we are only poor weak mor-
 tals, after all"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
THE HUGHES PLAN

Since the Hughes plan for settlement of the separations question was off, fered some ten months ago, because of it's bearing upon recent efforts for better understanding among the Allies as to German separations, it is we'll to review it's main features. Sec retary Hughes has firmly held that the solution of the European situation lies in the settlement of reparations sepa- rate and apart from any question of allied debts. Former Premier Lloyd George indorsed in general terms the Hughes proposal for an international commission of financial experts to in- quire into and. report on Germany's ability to pay. Other students of the European situation in it's bearing upon American economic interests have ex- pressed willingness that this plan be tried out with or without Frances consent.
 The Hughes plan is more interesting now than when it was set forth in the New Haven speech, because it's sub stance now appears more likely to form basis for definite action in the solution of the great problem than ct any time since it's enunciation. A sig nificant passage in the speech fol lows:
 If statesmen cannot agree and
 1fv Tt,io lro
 their course difficult, then there
 should be called to their aid those
 who can point the way to a solu-
 ton. Why should they not invite
 men of the highest authority in
 finance in the respective coun-
 tries, men of such prestige and
 honor that their agreement upon
 the amount to be paid and upon
 a financial plan for working out
 the payments would be accepted
 throughout the world as the most
 authoritative expression obtain
 able? Governments need not
 bind themselves in advance to ac-
 cept the recommendation, but
 they can at least make possible
 such an inquiry with their ap-
 proval, and free the men who
 represent their country in such
 commission, from any responsibil-
 ity to foreign offices and from
 any duty to obey political instruc-
 tions.
 If there is to be an investigation along lines of the Hughes plan, as now seems possible, the United States would logically be expected to partici- pate for the reason that this country is among the few which have financial experts whose opinions regarding Ger many's financial condition would com mand the confidence of the contendina parties as unbiased. A commission charged with such duty would ac- complish little of practical and perma- nent value without the participation of American experts. Meantime pos abilities of settlement of this mo- mentous question appear more promis- ing than at any time since the Armis- tice.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Dishonest Maids
New Haven Registe

(NeW Haven Register)
 You simply can't trust anybody nowadays. Everybody seems so dishonest. My maid, in whom I had the utmost confidence, left me suddenly and took with her my beautiful pearl brooch"
 That's too bad" sympathized her friend. (Which one was it?" "The very pretty one I snug gled through last autumn"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
SMILES
Cause md Effect
(Reynolds Newspaper)

INty IIUIus 4NtWSPdptII
 Ancient Mariner-Once I was shipwrecked on an island where there were only mad women with no tongues.
 Seaside Visitor-Wo And couldn't they speak?
 Ancient Mariner-No, that's what made them mad.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
The Big Difference c
Alabama Courier)

\AidDdiHd SOuTicTJ
 Cattle are selling very low, vet the meat men get high prices for their steaks and roasts. Why is it that a cow on foot is worth only cent and a half to three cents and whSn she is on the meat block the lowest cut is worth twenty cents? Somebody Is not getting enough or somebody is getting too much. Which Is it?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Had Better Read the Law

ISyIdCduSd NeWSJ
 Parties who are using fish traps, nets or baskets on either river or creeks had better read the new law. There Is a heavy penalty attached and the game and fish warden may pick you up when you are not looking for him. It would also be we'll to read the law where the time has been changed tor hunting and the number one may kill in a day or during the season.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Packing Plants Wanted

The agricultural activities of Madison county and the entire Tennessee Valley section of north Alabama hold for that character of crop diversification that hold for extensive stock raising, es- pecially fin the daily production plus the general foods that will sustain both man and beast. This calls for packing plants and can ming factories. Let's have them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
A Lame Excuse

(wetumpka Weekly Herald)
 One of the stock excuses of the man who orders goods from a mail order house is that there are many things that he wants that the local merchants do not carry in stock, and that it Is necessary for him to send away from town to get them. This explanation may be all right on the theory that a poor excuse is better than none, but it fails to pass muster when it is subjected to a little scrutiny
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Fighting the weevu

Every farmer who expects to make cotton another year know that it is the weevil that he car ries over that destroys the crop, and not the weevils from his neighbours place. If he destroys all places where they may spend the winter, then he has cut the number down to where they do but little damage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
should Re Made mt Home

NAieXanuer Clty OutlOOK)
 The South is gradually manu- featuring all the cotton that she can produce, and why not? There is absolutely no reason why cotton should be shipped a thousand or twelve hundred miles to be man. ufactured and then shipped back South in it's manufactured form. We have everything necessary in the South for manufacturing and it should be the greatest manu- featuring center in the world for cotton goods.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
The ExasperatinE Side
(Talladega Daily Home)

VI dIIdUtBH DdIIy 11UHcI
 What eXasperates this country so is that after we had bought Liberty bonds to loan the proceeds to Europe to put her on her feet. she took it to buy more guns and war stuff, and accuses us of being tight wads because we do not continue to come across to in- crease armies and navies.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

An exchange says that tears are cumulative in their effects. It is pre- sumed that reference is made to the woman who possesses the art of crying at the psychological moment.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Quite Willing (Pathfindarl

Its shame" cried the young wife; mot a thing in the house fit to eat. I'm going straight home to mamma
 "If you don't mind. dear" said the husband. reaching for his hat, "Ill go with you"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Placing the Burden

VOHdI N OUlIHC1I IT JNaAV
 There Is nothing wrong with the proposition to place the burden of keeping up our highways upon those who abuse them most. Ever since the monkey used the cats paw to rake his chestnuts out of the fire people have followed his example.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

Anthracite coal is said to be selling at twenty-four dollars ton in New York. It seems that the consumer, and not Governor Pinchot, settled the hard-coal controversy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Mild, But Suggestive

The more than usual lack of in- telligence among the students that morning had got under the pro- fessor's skin.
 Glass is dismissed" he said, ex- asperatedly. Please don't flap your ears as you pass out"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

It is question whether some folks are suffering more from envy than from worry because their neighbors live beyond their means.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

esty in politics, tolerance in religion, patience and fidelity in industry, full measure in business, would prove as successful as they ever did, if given half a chance"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Passing the Buck

GA comedy in one gulp)
 Dramatis Personae The governor of Pennsylvania Clifford Pinchot The Secretary of the Treasury Andy Mellon Scene-Somewhere between Wash ington, D. C., and Harrisburg, Pa. Cliff: After you, my dear Andy. Andy: You first, my dear Cliff.
 (Curtain)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
INTEREST OF ECONOMY

(WlnusOr, MO, RevieW)
 Pettis county should leave her jail doors unlocked. It would save the expense of repairs made nec- essary by prisoners who have a habit of saving their way out.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

A St. Louis contemporary says that anybody can write poetry. Fortu- nately there is no law to require any body to read it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

It looks as if the people of Okla homa are largely of the view that Governor Walton needs a nice long rest from his strenuous political ac- tivities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

It is reported that President Cool idge outwalked Mir. Wrigley on before-breakfast iaunt. Still, Mr. Wrigley could probably outrun the president for election if all the gum makers customers would stick to him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

Water, wind and fire have
 Voices to speak to men, But if the hills can hear us,
 They never answer when We ask them how they came to be So strong in their tranquility. have lived long with mountains, I know them all the year, Paths that lead through laurel And gray cliffs rising sheer. know where hidden fountains And where the landslides leave a
 scar.
 The mountains vait for morning, They see it far away, Eastward, across the river,
 Come the signs of day, Like some scar of amber light Laid upon the throat of night. The mountains wear the morning As they wear gold and brown And scarlet in October,
 Or let the snow fall down And shine under the winter sky While dark winds pile the white
 drifts high. Holding night on their shoulders As they might hold a cloud, They let the freshets hurry,
 And wild winds cry aloud, But mountains never seem to care What comes or stays or passes
 ther~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
THE ALABAMA PRESS
Value of Good Will

Good will is a great asset In business, and you can obtain that in no easier way than to have a good word for Tuscaloosa. A pleasant greeting to a stranger gives the right kind of an impress sion and it's just as easy as other wise.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
PLEASURES OF HOPE

(McCune, Kan, Herald) We always figure that we will have more money next year at this time, but we never do.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
It's All Wrong

It's All Wrong Oh, North is North and South is South and never the twain shall meet, For North is the home of ice and snow and South is the home of heat. But up in Alaska, the papers say, the days are exceedingly warm, And down in the so-called temperate zone is a regular Arctic storm.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Habit

Once upon time dramatic critic was sent to cover football game. And along about the third quarter hc hastened back to the office to write his story.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Ahead of Time

Hondon Opinion) "Is it lunch time, daddy?" "No, my dear" Then my tummy must be aw- fully fast" 0
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

This paragraph from the "EarIy Morning Observations" of the Houston Post is worth thinking about: "Hon-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05

If Cleopatra was not a vamp, as a British lecturer contends, history must have played joke on it's readers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Populae Song

Populae Song The sun was slowly setting on the hills of Hollywood, The evening shades were falling as they naturally should, A healthy mortal leaned upon his walking stick and wept, While down his fat and careworn cheeks flock of teardrops crept. The lemon spats upon his dogs were showing signs of wear, And taken all in all, he was a picture of despair.
 And as he turned away These words he then did say;
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
Vignettes

There are times, dear, When I love you; When I enjoy your companionship To the utmost. At these rare moments You are far removed From your natural self And the sordid things of life; You seem metamorphosed into A new being And life sings of contentment There are times when I love you And there are others-more fre-
 quent- When you are hungry.
 -Tatterdemalion
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
CLIO.

I'm poor old professional father; My kids used to shine on the screen. I raked in the berries and flirted with
 fairies
 And rode in pink lomousine. But now must hoof on the pavement Like one of the low, vulgar mob. Misfortune has came to the cinema
 game
 And my children are out of job. Eleanora Duse plays to $30,000 house, demonstrating that she is the greatest actress of all time by approxi- mately $4,257.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
MOUNTAINS

Nouise Driscoll in New York
 Times) Holding night on their shoulders, The mountains wait for day, And no man is so patient. Or so wise as they. They have seen men come and go AS seasons do with flowers and
 snow.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-05
OPEN roo LONG
(Arkansas Thomas Cat, Hot
 SnrinPSl

Some so-called open minds should be closed for repairs.