davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

pressure of gas defying restraint
 burst forth with terrific power wreck.
 ing drilling machinery and towers. Sc
 great was the force that it ignited l from the friction Of the materials
 cast forth by it's own energy, and be-
 came a real volcano, burning for a
 week ere it could be brought under
 control. Wonder is wide section of
 land covered with crude oil from an other well that for @ time flooded the
 vicinity. But these are only incidents,
 work goes right on.
 Santa Fe Springs, few short
 months ago not even village is to- day, a marvellous field overlying a
 lake of oil, a mile below the surface,
 whose extent no human being knows. We know that wherever the drill has penetrated to a sufficient depth, oil has always been struck, oil of high gravity commanding top market prices.
 And the best thing about it is that man does not have to be a million- aire to take advantage of the oppor- tunity. Any person who possesses a hundred dollars in cash can reap some of the benefits. The great corpora tions are there, of course, but the man of small means has chance among the independent producers that seldom comes to the average man in q lifetime.
 And the small fruit farmer, the man who had lot in the village, the poor man struggling to make home, has shared in this wonder working Alad- din's fortune that was undreamed of only short time since. A lot that sold for eighty-five dollars, twenty four months ago could not be bought today for a million dollars. A man who was land poor twenty-four months ago now gets a royalty of two thousand dollars day.
 The first we'll brought in was "1'he Bell" driven in the widow Bells five acres which relieved her of worry of how to get along that she had been under since her husbands death. She is now touring France.
 A Mexican with a small holding has given everyone of his relatives, includ- ing his grandmother, Ford touring l car, and entertains them royalty from 1 time to time.
 Seventy wells produce daily over 100000 barrels of oil. Nearly three | hundred new derricks are up. Ma i is being put into place and irilling going on. New wells are com ng in with increasing frequency. This ield is now one of the three largest producers in California. and bids fair 0 outstrip all competitions in a brief pace of time. Santa Fe Springs, only name on the map in 1921, whose and, all told, could have been bought or less than a million dollars, today would bring five hundred times that mount
 It is of greater value than all the 1; ranges harvested in the state since i range trees were first planted The 1 ellow gold of the era of 1s49 would { e but small compared with the value { f the Black Gold" flowing from the i arth through a thousand faucets in i alifornia of the south. It
 Who says the days of miracles are I asst? Who says that men must bury [ 1emselves at constant risk of sud n death to mine coal when liquid pr
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
By JOHN aARaErsEE
THAT is child laborf Whs

V THAT Is child laborf Where \A7 is it foundl To what ex-
 " tent does thls long fought
 economic evil still exist in so-cailed free Americaf What class of little unfortunates are still It's victims?
 In answer the average reader sees at once vision of factory towns, of squa.id. crowded city tenements, of pale. uniformed mites of human fly toillng hopelessly for long 6renry hours in changing mills. In mines or in quarries.
 This avercage reader Is some years behind the times. As a mat ter of fact out of the two million children ten to fifteen years of age engaged In gainful occupations in the United States according 10 the census of 1910. those laborlng in factories, mines and quarries Were only about 15 per cent. In other words the average readers impress sion was never more than one-sixth correct. Today 1t is even less true as the result largely of the work of the National Child Labor Com. mittee. organized in 1904. This minor phase of the problem has been pretty well solved. at least as far as the enactment of laws goes. Most states of the Union have adopted at least a fourteen year-old age limit for the employ ment of children In factories. if not in all occupations.
 The federal tax on child labor has further cllnched the matter. It Is at last well established in this country that children under four , teen years of age shall not be em- ployed in mills, factories. canneries and workshops.
 In short. It Is the American farm | and not the factory which Is the stronghold of child labor. Of the l
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
TALL SPTRE LEANING.

London, Feb. 26.-Heavy traffic is threatening the famous spire of Salis- bury cathedral the tallest in England. Engineers found that spire, 404 feet high, leaned 23 inches from the per pendicular. A police order has been issued prohibiting heavy trucking, in the immediate vicinity of the church.
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

two million child laborers In thls country between the ages of ten
 and sixteen years at least 70 per cent. or nearly one million Ave hun. dred thousand. are at work on the
 farm and practically every state specifically exempts agriculture
 from the provisions of It's child
 labor law. And unfortunately in some sections, notably in the sugar beet fields of Colorado, Michigan and other states, this army Is still further augmented by a consider able contingent of little laborers under the age of ten.
 While the evil of child labor exists generally throughout the farming section of the country, one of the most fragrant examples of t at the present time is found in the sugar beet fields, the source of the raw material of one of the largest American industries.
 One of our general readers with the usual stock of wrong impress sions suffered his first rude awak. ening while travelling through Colo. redo. Passing by a great field of sugar beets he was amazed to find much of the work being done by young children, boys .and girls alike. some of them under eight years of age. He found that from early spring until the late fall, ex. cepting for a slight let-up in mid summer, these children worked some of them eleven hours a day, thinning out the small beet plants in the spring, hoeing the crops through the summer and pulling up the beets and cutting off their tops at harvest time.
 While the conditions in the Colo rado beet fields are particularly fragrant, they, are in no way excep- .ional. The National Child Labor Committees investigations in the 'ame industry in Michigan showed | equally bad. Other lines ]
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
s0,0OO,OO0 PROJECT.

San Francisco, Feb. 2G.--A pro- posal for the financing of system of elevated railways and subways in To- kio by American capital was an- nounced by O. Masuyama, Tokio busi- nessman who has just arrived in the United States. He estimated the amount involved at s3O,o00,00o, none of which would leave America.
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

fire flows free at mans command? Black Gold is worth more to the we'll being of mankind than all the hard yellow gold that exists on the earth today.
 And California, little more than a desert seventy-five years since shines now as one of the brightest stars in our union of states. It is a place in which the weary traveller may we'll say, Here l make my home. For Gods blessing rests upon it."
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

sage saFhsFs ia ths sity have bs.
 seshs easier There Is much wors
 lh lhess resi0ns that children esa
 ae The returns ia tenant farmers
 are sa lew that theY must have the
 sefs of children ID order 10 msks
 living ownsFs do aat provide
 modern maehinsFy faf farm fen.
 ants !, Is largely hand wsFt whlea
 children can do. fhis ssrk Is not
 lfslhlhg them 10 be any better
 farmers. il Is mere drudgefy sni
 me parents set the returns from
 lhelF lshers.
 Tenants move about continuously
 which inieFfeFes with schooling.
 such q changing population in .
 section creates an attitude Of in.
 difference toward the school dessl. apmeht In one community, for in. stance, the average schooling was f0nnd 10 be only six months q year. Owner parents. who are able, send Their children 10 town schools.
 Very generally in these one crop regions child labor is contracted for 10 family groups, This is partleu- larly true in the sugar beet fields.
 The general result of farm labor upon children in after life is strik. ingly shown hy the tests made upon soldiers In the army. it was found that the young men from ths farm not only are noi as well edo eated as young men from the eitieS but they have not the same degree of mental nler'ness.
 II was found that farm work over.deyeioned the major muscles while the finer muscles were neg lected. The surprising result was that the farm.reared young man tired out more quickly than tho rity.reared young mnn. under physi. cal strain that demanded the uss If the whole body. Tt was also found that the farm boys have q greater number of correcfabls physical defects than the city. -enred boys.
 When it comes to education It s we'll known that the percentage 'i illlteracy in the country Is twice hat In the city, one in every len ,f the rural population heinz class. 't ns illlterate. One investigator inds that of the sixteen states hay. ng percentage of illiteracy .reater than that of the United 'tates as a whole. fifteen have oreign population percentage far elow 14.7. that of the United 'tates as whole. the average be- ng only 20 per cent.
 These fifteen states include all ut one of the thirteen states which ave a child labor percentage in ex- ess of the average for the United tates as a whole.
 But aside from the wrecklng of ,e health and the educational luipment of the individual child farm labor. there is another se- ous effect upon the nation at rge. Oppressed by the hard and unsatisfactory life at home and the reater lures of the city. the coun- Y boy is leaving the farm. Every gar 1t is getting harder for the ,rmer to find labor to till his 'ops. At the same time, the sons farm owners are unwilling to ay on the farms their hard work lg fathers leave them, and the old me, substantial American farmer
 giving way to the migratory len tenant.
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
FROM SHIP BOY TO
 SENATOR, IS RECORD
This Was Remarkable Career Of
 (. C. Perkins, Who Died Today

Oakland, Calif., Feb. 26.-Former United States Senator George c. Per kins, S4, died at his home here today
 From ship boy to forty-six years of almost continuous public service, twenty-two years of which were in the United States Senate, was the active life experience of George Clement Perkins. He was in his s4th year, having been born at kennebunkporI Me-, August 2S, 1889.
 At the age of thirteen, young Per kins left his home at kennebunkport to become a sailor "before the mast, his first voyage being on sailing ves- sel to New Orleans. Thereafter, Tor a number of years. he followed the life of the sea, visiting nearly every nort of the world. Touching, finally, in 1855, at San Francisco, he caught the gold fever and turned prospector and miner. He was the first to intro- duce steam whalers in the Arctic ocean. and operated numerous ships on the Pacific from Alaska to Mexi- co.
 Once Country Merchant.
 As country 1HeTcHdht III Ndiloi mia. Perkins became interested in pol itics and was elected to the state sen ate in 1869 and to the governorship len years later. In 1893 he was ap- pointed United States senator to fill the unexpired term of the late Le- land Stanford, the appointment being confirmed later by the legislature. he was reelected to three full terms.
 Mir. Perkins long experience in sea- faring gave him recognition as au- thority in the senate on the many measures relating to maritime affairs md the naval establishment. He was consulted on these subjects | md whenever a question arose on the 'oor of the senate regarding some | echnical point in shipping. by mu- nal consent it was usually referred to he authoritative judgment of the Call fornia senator, who was always sup ,lied with the fullest technical de- ails on such subjects. This led to his apid promotion to positions of in- Iuence on the senate committees on laval Affairs. Commerce and Appro- iations. During the four years pre-
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

ceding the democratic control of the senate, Mr. Perkins was chairman of the Naval Affairs committee, and as such became controlling influence in shaping naval legislation.
 The senator gave special attention to improving maritime equipment along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and his personal familiarity with the chief water routes led him to secure an exceptional number of lighthouses and warnings for sailors, studded from end to end of the coasts. The regularity of Mir. Perkins attendance in the senate was almost remarkable, for the record of his 23 years of serv- ice shows that he missed but few roll calls.
 Stood Before Royalty
 While he never, as distinguished person, was presented at any Europ- can court, Senator Perkins neverthe- less. once stood before royalty. It happened in this manner:
 As a young sailor, his ship, on one voyage, carried him to Christians, Norway, where he was granted shore leave in company with another boy of his own age. The American boys strolled outside the grounds of the 1 royal palace, but were refused ad- mission at all of the gates. Finally, | discovering a disused tunnel, leading under the moat, they crawled through | md continued their walk through the grounds. Soon a great shout was |
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
LIQUOR ORDERED DESTROYED

Stratford, Conn, Feb. 26.--Liquor said to be worth s17,000 which was seized in the home of Louis Sorchiotti here on February IA, was ordered de- stroyed in ruling by the town court today. The liquor was taken in a raid by local and state police. Sorchiotti declared he had rented storage space in his house and the ownership of the liquor has not been discovered.
New Britain herald., 1923-02-26

Old man business yells Give me liberty Or give me death." He would die natural death if he didn't use Herald" classified ads.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
Choose Own Way At Oxford
Saudents Find Themselves Left En-
 tIreIy To Their own Devices

Students Find Themselves Left En-
 tIreIy To Their own Devices
 The American student at Oxford misses almost all the academic ma chinery that he has been used to in his native university.
 At Oxford there are no "courses" in the American sense of the term There are no record cards in the reg istrar's office. no signing up" for the lectures he expects to attend, no required number of hours per week, no daily assignments, no midterm tests of hour exams
 The Rhodes scholar is little pug zled on his first Monday morning, and on a great many mornings there after, to know just what he is ex- pected to do at given hour and moment. Shall he read this volume, or master such and such a table of dates, or attend such and such lec- ture, or perchance wander down High street In search of tobacco, or shall he spend a few hours in the shop of one of the delightful Oxford book sellers adding to the riches of his shelves in exchange for the inferior riches of his purse?
 The world of work and of play, and of a thousand delightful pur- suits which lie midway between the two, is all before him where to choose. His only hard and fast aca- demic engagement is to call on his tutor once 8 week at specified hour to read an essay which he has writ ten on a specified topic.
 There is a list of lectures which he may, or may not, find 1t to his in terest to attend. To his surprise he will find his tutor frankly dubious about the value of following too many lectures, a doubt which the lecturer himself is likely to share. More than once I have heard Sir Walter Raleigh begin the term by explaining that his auditors would probably find his discourses of little value for schools"
 The lecturer keeps no roll of the members of his class, and it is the common practice of undergraduates tG sample various courses at the be ginning of the term and to continue only in those which seem to them worth while. This is the practice which ones tutor usually recom- mends. The result is that lecture courses at Oxford begin commonly with good sized audiences which ta- per off to a small and faithful few by the end of the term.
 The academic system at Oxford, If one may call 1t such, is wonderfully simple The method Is to prescribe not what the undergraduate is sup posed to take" but what he is supp posed to know, to allow him cer- tain length of time in which to ac- quire that knowledge, and then to examine him in order to see whether or not he has acquired it.
 Even the word acquire" is a little false to what Oxford expects of a man. Her theory of liberal knowl- edge is rather the development of power of thought, of grasp of cer- tain limited field of knowledge, than the acquisition of store of facts, though the latter is. of course, neces- sary tC the former Whereas the l American undergraduate takes courses, the Oxford man studies a subject-Frank Aydelotte, in Scrib- Iners Magazine.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14

Miss Grace James and Miss Pauline Powell have returned from visit to Blount Springs. A
 Miss Verna Laird left recently for an extended visit with relatives in Cleveland and Detroit.
 Mrs. T. F. Moore has as her guest her sister, Mrs. J. w. Sutton, and her niece, Miss Nittilene Sutton of Null berry, Fla.
 Miss Flora Walker, who has been the guest of Miss Ruth Price, will leave this week for her home In War ren, Ark.
 Mrs. C. Woffosd and daughter, Mrs. F. M. Jackson, Jr., and little son, Fred Mitchell, left Tuesday for a visit with relatives in Washington and points In Virginia. They will re- turn September 1.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
SOUND TAPS FOR ROTH
Iowa HOnors Lieutenant Who Died
 In Balloon Race

CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia, July 13.- Taps sounded here today for Lieut.. l.. J. Roth. Cedar Rapids Own," who lost his life last week when his balloon dropped into Lake Erie.
 High above the grave in Linwood cemetery, an aviator circled, and when a bugle sounded taps for the dead lieutenant, roses fell from the air on the mound. the final scene in the touching tribute paid by the city throughout the day to Lieuten- ant Roth.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
ROAD AUTHORIZED

Citizens of Fairfield were much gratified with their trip to the board of revenue Friday, when they were successful with the representatives of the Bessemer Kiwanis club in ob . taining the authorization of a new road from Aldrich Villa, on the Montgomery highway into Bessemer, The delegation from Fairfield was asked to attend the meeting and as sist the citizens of Bessemer in get ting the road authorized. It will be three miles long and will provide one of the most attractive scenic routes in the entire country, it is stated. Besides the road will be a connecting link with all other paved roads entering Bessemer. c. J. Don ald Gf Fairfield headed a delegation which assisted in getting the meas ure passed, composed of Mayor M. W. Pratt, F. l.. Hargrave, A. c. Esslinger and others.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
4 COUPLES BRAVE FRIDAY, THIRTEENTH, AND PLAN MARRIAGE

Friday the thirteenth, held no ter TOTS for four Jefferson county couples. Friday the probate court of ficials thought that a slump would be apparent in the marriage license market. On the contrary the depart ment issued the average number dur ing the day. Following are the couples who braved the matrimonial couples who braved the matrimonial venture on the day of mlsgivings, in the eyes of the superstitious:
 T. P. Kendrick, 21, and Addie Par ham, 19.
 Harry S. Kussman, s1, and Katie Brunerm, 25.
 Colbert V. seef, 22. and Clarkie Ziegler, 20.
 Garrett L. Wolsey, 20. and Fannie Woolsey, 26.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
FLAMES UNLUCKY DATE

Robert Sikesy, negro, was arrest ed early Friday morning and placed in the county jail on the charge of assault and battery with weapon and with unlawfully having a pistol in his possession. Sikesy's bond is placed at $500 and he is awaiting trial in Judge Abernethy's court. Officers, Wilson and Shirley made the arrest ~Sikesy was the only pris- oner placed In the county jail Fri day morning. rather unusual for Friday, the thirteenth, but just my luck" says Sikesy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-14
MOBILE PORT BUSY AS SHIPS COME AND GO
Four Ships Leave During Day And
 Couple Enter

MOBILE, Ala, July 13.-(Speclal Leased Wire. )-Friday saw somewhat of an increase over the ship move ments of Thursday, there being four ships to leave the port and a pair to come in, with two ships being scheduled to arrive during the night some time With that even, however, a comparatively quiet day was eX- perienced as compared with earlier in the week. Three steamers left port and one schooner, taking in as ports of call, Matanzas and Sagua, Havana, Cuba; Boston, Puerto Barrios, Belize, Livingston and Stann Creek. The steamers arriving came from New Orleans.
 The Munisla carried a good sized cargo to the three ports of Matanzas, Havana and Sagua, containing large number of items, ranging from shoes, raincoats, hosiery and blows to jute waste, lumber and mosquito bars Flour was the biggest commodity carried, with 1A50 sacks, or total of 126 tons. Thirty-fiv tons of blows and parts was also carried to Ha- Long Island, New York, and trans mitted directly to an automatic tape machine. t
 By employing a supplementary ap- paratus consisting of a series of low frequency valves, Marco eliminated obtruding sounds one by one, with the result that the message is re- ceived as clearly as though there were only one operating station in the world. Besides eliminating parasites" the Frenchman's appa- ratus suppresses every interfering message being sent from other sta tionS