davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
STATE EXPERIMENT FARMS

There is an apparently well-founded ! impression that the recess agricul- tural committee will recommend to the legislature the establishment and maintenance of a number of expert ment stations at appropriate places to stimulate and aid the agricultural progress of the state. It is under stood that the plan contemplated is for these stations to be so located and operated as to serve the various con- ditions of soil, climate, distributing facilities, and the like, with the gen eral purpose of helping the farmers to solve their problems through knowl- edge of new and improved methods of planting, cultivating and marketing. Such a movement promises large benefits to the consuming centers as we'll as to the farmers themselves. One contemporary says in this connec- tion: "To the agricultural experi- ment station more than any other agency do the great agricultural states of the Middle West attribute their progress and development, and all who hold places of leadership in agricultural work are emphatic and united in urging the building up of these centers of study and research and guidance at favorable localities for the uplife of agriculture and the service of the farmers. Whether the legislature will see the advantages and benefits that would flow from these institutions and will appropriate the money for building and operating them is another question; but their far-reaching value in the service of agriculture cannot be questioned"
 It is proposed that these stations be under the general supervision of Auburn. Their work, however, would be so broadened as to make them of large benefit to the various sections where peculiar local needs exist and special problems call for solution. One of the most promising features of the plan is the provision for practical demonstration work on or near the soil where it's application is needed. It is in the nature of carrying scien- tific knowledge to the doors of the farmers.
 Alabama is essentially an agricul- tural state. Not only is it a great producer, but it possesses all the ele- ments for large increase in quantity as well as distinct improvement in quality of production. With these experiment stations properly located and operated in determined pur- pose to build up the agricultural po- tentialities from every practical side, the cost of establishment and mainte- nance would be a wise investment earning constantly increasing returns.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
POOR BOYS WHO
 BECAME FAMOUS By Frederick Houk Law
Phil May

A tramp lay asleep on a park bench. He had no money; he had no place in which to sleep except the park; he had no education; he had no trade nor occupation. He was simply down and out" A few years later, and everyone in England knew his name and did him honor. Crowds of fashion able people flocked to great gal leries to look at the pictures he had made. People eagerly bought his books. Everyone loved him and respected him. That tramp, whose name Is still a household word, was Phil May, the great comic artist whose drawings amused all England; Phil May. the celebrated artist whose work in creased the circulation of Punch, the English comic weekly.
 As mere child May had been thrown on the world without money, education or friends. ~ He had simply to shift for himself. and thrive or starye. For a long time he starved. He did every thing that a boy could do, worked at anything, and gained little or no money. When he went to Lon don he was so poor that he was a mere tramp, frequenter of park benches.
 In one of his many jobs he had played a small part as a child actor. Now he turned to the thea tre and found a position suggesting costumes for characters in plays. He had a quick jencil, and could dash off a suggestion in a few brilliant strokes. To this work he added the making of picture ad- vertisements. Little by little he came into his own as an artist though an artist of the rougher sort.
 From drawing advertising pie lures he turned to the drawing of Illustrations. He knew the poor intimately, and he drew pictures that were at once laughable and tender. People saw in Phil Mays pictures not only the comic side, but also the deep heart of hu- manity. For that reason he found his way into popularity and be- came one of the staff of Punch. His work has never been sur passed. Out of the very misery that had surrounded him he had built an imperishable fame.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
lCLEARINCs SHOW PROSPERITY

Although there are those who at ten1pt to belittle the testimony or bank clearings as to community progress, yet such remarkable ana steady increase as has been uniformly \1lown by Birmingham banks for many months cannot be regarded as without icep significance. Every month ot
 923 has shown a marked increase Tn Yclearings as compared with the same month of 1922. The first six months of 1923 show an increase in cleaTlngs over the same period of 1922 of forty two per cent, represented Tn figures by S2OO.S67,0O0. If bank clearlngs for half-year period nearly double, is that an indication of gain or loss in community prosperity? Even those who regard clearings as ot hTIe significance would hesitate to dis >parage such testimony of prosperous
 tiyitv. The banks are the mirror of community activity, for business, com morcial and industrial operations are reflected in bank dealings doubly and t1ebly, in deposits, in loans, in dis counts, in withdrawals and in ac- counts. Whenever the banking busl- ness shows an increase, the inference is sound that all other business has shown propol'tionate increase. Bor- rowing from banks indicates new eX- tensions and new ventures, while hqul- dation of indebtedness indicates vol une of business and consequently of receipts. The people of Birmingham are content to accept the bank clear ings as prima facie evidence of the prosperity which so visibly surrounds them on every side.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
THE BAR TAKES ACTION

Perhaps the hardest task any group \of citizens is ever called upon to per orm is the purging of itself of mem-
 .rs unfit for their association. This
 especially ha nd in the legal profes-
 not lecauk ke of the difficulty of (draSkag the liYt~~ but because there IS
 professional courtesy deprecating cSiticism of fellow-mehahersN unless their .misdoings have become overt and uninistakable. Nevertheless, when it becomes reasonably certain that illegal and unethical practices are followed by members of the profession that, above all others, should hold the law in deep regard, the members of the bar have no option but to pursue searching inquiry in order to appre- bend the guilty and to expel them This tas}q the bar of Birmingham has set itself, having become convinced that there are attorneys here who have forfeited their right to practice law and to be longer held in professional esteem by their colleagues.
 The resolutions passed by the local bar at recent meeting indicate the Rarnestness and thoroughness with which the investigation is to be con- iucted. and assurance is made doubly sure by the purpose of raising sum |of money adequate to reveal the situ- ation and to bring the guilty to justice. The practice of using a knowledge of the law for the purpose of working up cases for profit, cases in which there is no justice, cases that help to bur den our dockets and to add to the cost of maintaining courts of law, is a practice that strikes di- rectly at respect for law itself. No persons are better qualified to find out the facts, detect the guilty and successfully prosecute them than the lawyers who respect and abide by the l ethics of the profession and who per Sceive that only in maintaining public respect for the law and the profession Ian the profession endure. It is not,
 the resolution states, a quarrel
 nong lawyers, but it, is a matter
 eply affecting the very texture and Efficiency of our laws and our courts he people have the hope that the bar
 Ill not falter until it has fulfilled it's
 y;i purpose.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
JEWISH LAUGHS
Honor To Whom Honor Is Due
By Jacob Richn-n

In a Jewish community of Rusz sian Poland there lived wealthy lumberman. He was tender-heart ed and open handed, helping the poor and befriending the lowly.
 By virtue of his wealth and mo- bility of character he was recog nized by his townsfolk as the lead ing citizen in town. No celebra- tion was held without him and no entertainment was complete with out his presence.
 Then the cruel wheels of fortune began to turn in a different direc- tion, and In a short time he lost his wealth. The once most opu- lent and most popular man in town was now reduced to poverty and obscurity. His position among his once admiring and reYering CO., religionists was now less than of secondary importance.
 Once the president of the syna- gogue gave a banquet, to which all prominent Jews of the community were invited. But the ex-lumber magnate was ignored. In sorrow he sat in his impoverishe house breeding over his pitiful condi- tion. Then he decided to go to the banquet uninvited, just to see who the present men of affairs were. Unnoticed he came in and seated himself at one of the back tables. But with the arrival of new guests he was shifted by the host from one seat to another un- til he was deprived of his last seat. Deeply humiliated, he rushed out and went home.
 In the course of time conditions changed. His business began to prosper even more than In the past. Again he became the local magnate and the leading citizen, and again people felt honored by his presence.
 Once he was invited to a party by the same man who had mis- treated him in the days of his pow erty, and from whose house he had departed with shame and ig- nominy. Now, of course, he was seated at the head of the table, and everybodys eyes fixed on him. Whatever he said was thought to be wise and funny, and whatever he did was considered a stroke of diplomacy.
 It was very festive and jovial occasion, celebrating the gradua- tion of the hosts son from the Pe- trograd university. There were all varieties of wine and whisky and the best of food.
 When the leading citizen was h 1 f1d a6 p1 nf oh o ha instantly poured 1t on his gar ments. Then the fragrant, saf- ron-colored "gefilte fish" was placed on the table. The idol of the community crushed his DOT ton in his hands and daubed it on his frock and trousers. The assembled guests stared at the magnate In dismay. It looked as If he had lost his mind. But mo- body ventured to say a word.
 Don't be astounded." dramat- ically exclaimed the guest of honor, noticing the bewildered look of the guests. 'I am perfectly sane. When 1 was poor and broken you ignored me and when l once came to this very house you were all laughing and drinking and re- joicing; you did not even allow me to retain my seat at the table more important guests had to oc- cupy 1t. Now I am the guest of honor. The finest portions are mine. Why? Because I am rich; because l wear expensive gar ments. In other words, you don't respect my person but my clothes. Then let my clothes eat the fish and drink the wine. I won't taste anything. I detest you and your company. Good-by."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
MOTHERS OF FAMOUS
 MEN
Mother of John Keats

Tall, with a fine, shapely figure, face of rich oval beauty, lively. passionate, extremely fond of pleasure, Frances Jennings, who married Thomas Keats, seemed the daughter of some aristocrat, woman born to position. In real ity she was the daughter of a stable keeper. Not only that, but her home was In the stable itself, though it was a sort of glorified stable. Her father was pros porous man who looked after his horses and carriages with care ful eye. His was no run -down-at- the-heels stable, but a stable of the better sort. Thomas Keats came to work in the stable-and To and behold-there was the nerry-hearted, laughing, mischiev- lous daughter of the proprietor, Frances Jennings. She was as ready for romance as was Thomas Keats, and so they were mar ried. From that mother, without doubt, John Keats, the poet, in- herited the love of beauty, the del- icacy, the grace. the fineness of his nature. From her he inherited his passion, his deep impulses, the very fopnts and sources of his poetic nature. Frances Jennings was of Welsh descent.
 It Is interesting to note that it Is said that Shakespeare drew from his mother the poetry and fancy that illumines his great plays, and that mother also was of Welsh descent. There was kinship between John Keats and his mother that made them both exceedingly fond of each other. Once when his mother was sick, little John Keats, only child, took an old sword and guarded her door with an absolute devo- ton. Fun and laughter and pleas ure were the chief delights of John Keats mother but her life had much of sadness. Her stable home faced an open square, 1t Is true, but 1t was only a stable. She married again most unhappily and separated from the second hus- band. Into her life, as into that If her famous son, came sadness. There Is 8 feminine spirit in the ,Oetry of John Keats-and in it we feel the breath of pleasure loving Frances Jennings.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
JUST A SUGGESTION
(Milwaukee Sentinel)

Mrs. Grandways was calling upon Mrs. Cassidy. whose hus- band was well-to-do. and whose daughter had therefore been sent to college.
 By the way" said Mrs. Grand ways. when the two had been gossiping for a while, where is Clara? I haven't seen her here for an age"
 Mrs. Cassidy swelled with pride. Clara Is at college" she replied. with grandeur. And then added: And I am so worried about her. I haven't had a letter from her for nearly two weeks."
 That Is where you made the mistake" was the prompt rejoin- der of Mrs. Grantiways. Instead of letting her go to college you should have sent her to one of those correspondence schools"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Keeping Things at Homo

(Greenyille Advocate)
 Cotton grown in Butler county is shipped to the East and to Europe, there manufactured into cloth and sent back to merchants of this town and sold to those who grew the cotton at from three to six times what the far- mer got for his raw product. A cotton mill in this county would handle all the cotton grown here and no freight charges would have to be paid on it either foEd the raw material or for the fin( ished goods. Abundant labor the mill could be secured at cheaper rate than that paid byI the New England mills or thos@l in Europe, because the climatic conditions are better and living cheaper and labor more abun- dant.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
APPLYING A REMEDY

In declining to allow the Virginian Railway to build a short line into a coal field where it is proposed to open new mines, the Interstate Commerce Commission has sounded a significant note. Full explanation of the cause of the refusal has not been definitely stated, but it is understood to be based on the surplus of coal mines already existing in the West Virginia field which this trackage was intended to reach. It was pointed out that for twenty-eight weeks last year the Vir- ginian Railway was unable to supply the mines already served by it in that section with more than fifty per cent. of the cars needed. The commission senses little reason for adding to the number of mines where car service is already inadequate and where ad- ditional ones would only add to the inadequacy. A diminished car service means decrease in average mine pro- ducton, and a decrease in production means more idle days for miners and more discomfort. The West Virginia coal field has been one of the hot beds of controversy and the commits sion does not see fit, it appears, to foster a condition which has been one of the leading causes of unrest. The irregularity of work in the coal fields is the undisputed cause of more trouble than all other causes put to- gether The commission seems to have fully grasped that truism.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
LITERARY MAGAZINE
Southern Literary Magazine"
 

Southern Literary Magazine" !"
 he'd by the Harman Publishing
 any of Atlanta, Georgia, has is led it's first number It is creditable Geographically, pictorially and in the lcharacter of it's contents. There is much interesting historical matter, with some meritorious poetry, perhaps too large a proportion of the whole. One of the most interesting features is the first installment of forty-three pictures from LeMoyne's famous paintings of early Indian life in Flor ida and Georgia over three hundred years ago. This is instructive. The editorial staff of the publication in cludes several writers and critics who earned enviable regulations through literary work.
 For a generation, efforts to publish literary magazines, in the South have not been successful. The field seemed encouraging, and many writers of this section had made literary regulations. For some reason, the ventures were
 ioned one after another. One
 fnGAthis may have been that Q
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Alabama's Fine Climate

NNIce1IVIII5 AuVVCdto1
 While the North Is simply bak- ing and dying with heat. over in Wisconsin the people arc almost freezing, frost and ice everywhere, and the people of the Sunny South are just glorying in tho fine breezes that are waited hero from the gulf. Who would live anywhere except in the South, preferably in Alabama?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
What They Would Mean
(Andalusia Star)

(AndaluSfa Starr
 Fifteen hundred additional pop- ulation would mean an annual ex- penditure for living costs of S300,OOO more than that now ex- pended, to say nothing of the money to be expended in building and furnishing homes for the new citizens.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02

The New Golfer The golfer of an older day
 Stood firmly at the tee And drove \the pellet on it's way Adown the grassy lea. His feet were /on the solid clay Just where they ought to be. But now he zooms across the glen Amid a gaseous roar And volplanes over hill and fen Where larks and swallows soar. The birds all run to cover when They hear his croy of "Fore." He loops the loop in reckless way Above the topmost tree And stays a robin and jay
 And breaks a sparrow's knee, And says: 'I'm goin fine today 1 made a birdie three."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
An Object Lesson
(MOnrOA JolrnaN

N4uVIII Ob JUuTIIdII
 The net income received by strawberry growers at Castle berry and vicinity for this sea- sons berry crop amounted to more than s20o.Ooo, according to the estimate of the Evergreen Courant. Here Is an object lesA son for Monroe county farmers contemplate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Some Good Advice

(Ozark Southern Star)
 There is probably not a more filthy and more common disease carrier than the ordinary house | fly. It Is our duty to kill as manl of them as we possibly can. swat in time may stop the conf, of about nine million or md flies.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
The motorist who goes touring on Sunday deserves it.
Wayfarers

We walked down the dusty white road, my little son and I.
 Wild roses bloomed by the wayside and mocking bird sang in the hedge.
 Cace motor car hurtling out of space with demoniacal roar, and the occupants favored us with half-con- temptuous, half-amused glances in passing.
 Queried little son: Father, why do they travel so fast that they can not see the wild roses nor hear the mocking bird? Are they, perchance, racing to some ones deathbed?"
 "Nay, little one," answered I. "It is not considered seemly for high priced motor cars to travel leisurely so that their owners might enjoy the rare June days. Suppose some one driving faster should pass them Then, too, their private stock might be exhausted before they could reach the next oasis, or the hot summer wind tan the lovely ladies complexions. !"
 "But why, father, did they look so at us as they passed?"
 Because, Lad, they pity us, being but humble wayfarers, journeying down the dusty road"
 "How passing strange" quoth lit tie son.-Madison.
 ..rr
 "Kenosha Is Notified It Must Quit Daylight Saving"
 And we suppose, if it persists in it's evis ways, it will be thrown into jail.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
The Way They Do It

IhnOXNlIIG StNlINeI1
 It is asserted that when Presi dent Harding returns from his trip he will iron out differences within his party. The way the old guard usually irons out such differences is with the steam roller.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
All Together
(Huntsyilla Timssl

Huntsville Times)
 Let's everybody join hands anu go to it 100 per cent. in a genuine town cleanup. And along with this battle to victory lets include a general cleanup, grass cutting and doing away with the insight ly hunting grounds creeping into and along certain streets and alleys.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
A Dangerous Business
(Florence Times)

If radical political leaders can successfully pass legislation which would curb the power { our final courts to render asel sions based on law and due ~ liberation, the first hole will bored in the bottom of our ship state. Instead of country law and order and secure title to real and personal property, VI would have a country of changing political agitation where property titles would be about as stable as the shifting sands.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
10 FAVORITE BOOKS
(As Chosen by Harold MacGrath, Novelist and ShOrt-stOry Wrftcr)
Shake espeare.

Shakespeare. ~"Pere Goriot" (Galzao).
 '"The Three Musketeers" (Du- mas).
 "A Tale of Two Cities" (Dick- ens).
 Les Miserables" (Hugo). Autobiography of fBenvenuto. Cellini. 7
 Life of Johnson" (BoswelD. "Nocturne" Crank Swimmer ton).
 Tom Sawyer" (Twain).
 French Revolution" (Carlyle). Copyright. 1928. in United States and Great Britain for The Age-Herald n the North American Newspaper eAsAnce. All rights resirveI
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
The Taxpayers View

est. Louis Post -Dispatch)
 The president says in the next war we'll draft dollars as well as men. The taxpayer whose dollars are being drafted for past wars isn't even getting any credit for it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02

lively little enthusiasm is that a large part of his speaking is based on the party record, which to many of his hearers is invisible.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Crop Looking Fine

(Talladega Daily Home)
 From the present outlook, If tho bool weevil and his family do not thrive and grow fat this year, it will not be because his pasture Is scanty. An extra large acreage of cotton has been planted in this county, and the crop is looking fine,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02

The announcement that Austria is approaching normalcy recalls that she recently revived her habit of increas- ing her indebtedness.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02

There is talk of starting a news paper of character in New York with a capital of S3,5o0,0O0. Is there such a close relationship between capital and character?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Approaching the Millennium

(New York Herald)
 When the summer resort book lets tell nothing but the truth about the places they mention then the millennium will have come.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
A Fine Showing
Alabama Co,,rierl

NAIdDdma COurlerJ
 For the first time in the history of Birmingham, the revenue from the Birmingham postoffice runs over million dollars per year. This is a wonderful showing and is fine indication of the business of the greatest city in the South.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
"Women Will Transact Worlds Busi-
 ness in 2O23

FFAti Voh Ill . 1oSA-
 ness in 2O23
 'Lissenw interrupted Cleopatra, reading the Morning Flame on the veranda of the Styx Country Club. "Lissen to this: Earth, June 25.-All the business of the world will be transacted by women within cen- tury if the trend now indicated by the census continues
 "Ods bodkins" said Elizabeth of England. "Where do they get that stuff"
 "Hot caviarv replied Catherine of Russia. "You said mouthful."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-02
Can't Suit All
(Dothan Eagle)

It doesn't matter what sort of weather conditions we have, they dou't satisfy everybody. One good farmer says if the rains hold up his corn crop is goner, and if they continue, he makes no cotton. There you are.