davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
SENATOR UNDERwoOD's BREAK.

Senator Oscar Underwood of Alabama, has number of loyal friends in this stcte, but we believe that his warmest friends will re- gret the blunder, which, if newspaper reports can be relied upon, he made while in Maine.
 We do not belong to any secret order ex- cept the Masonic Lodge. We hold no brief for any secret order. In fact we are not primarily concerned against MT. UnderwOod's 8 attack upon any secret order. These men are able to defend themselves against all attacks. But we are, and always have been, interested in the good name of Alabama. We do not like to hear our grand old state slandered. Our desire, therefore, is to utter a most re- spectful protest to the extravagant way Mr. Underwood handles the language. Our peo- pie sleep well at night. We have not heard of any 'shuddering at night where there is q knock at the door,"
 Of course, we have our troubles-such as worldlines selfishness, materialism and sin. We have our shortcomings -laziness, lack of vision and the like. We have our diseases measles, appendicitis, bilious fever and such like. But our people are not suffering over much with insomnia. They sleep pretty we'll
 We regret that Alabama's senior senator has given expression to any such statements. We Opine that this will not add to his popu- Iarity in his home state, but that many of his former friends will awake to his leaning to- ward the Roman Catholic hierarchy, and will look for another as the standard bearer of mocracy.-Alabama Christian Advocate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
A DISTORTED POINT OF VIEW.

Mir Clarence Darrow's remarks on the Hove pact" in accordance with which an Illinois minister murdered his wife, and one of his congregation murdered her husband, because of the so-called love existing between the defendants, indi- cate how very unsound and unsafe the attorneys principles are. Says MT. Oar row: "There is nothing strange about this pact into which man and woman entered in order that they might free themselves of persons who stood in the way of their romance" Nothing strange, no. The same impulse has been exhibited among savage peoples from the earliest generations. But civilized people have banned this sort of thing, both in senti- ment and in law. Furthermore, the law provides a way by means of which mar ried persons may free themselves from each other when the bonds become unen- durable.
 It appears that eminent criminal law yers, after a lifetime spent in defending criminals from just penalties, sometimes come to accept the criminal ratheI than the legitimate point of view with respect to crime. To hold society responsible for such crime as above referred to is to decry and to condemn punishment for violations of the law. It seems that the time is near at hand when there will be demanded such reform in our processes as will make particeps criminis an attor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
GROWTH DEMANDS TELEPHONES.

Birmingham's growth brings on more talk. Anyhow, the telephone company is preparing to spend considerably more than a million dollars on extensions in this community during 1924 so as to give that talk plenty of scope. The telephone eompany's program for the next several years is quite definite. The plans are al ready adopted for extending the service to a population increase which the com pany has already carefully calculated in advance. Even the company officials, however, admit that their calculations are conservative, and that the growth of this city may far outstrip their estimates. Nevertheless, the program is quite elastic, anG can be modified and extended to meet the emergencies as they arise.
 Like some other utilities, the telephone service was considerably disturbed by the war and by conditions prevailing imme- diately thereafter. In many ways the service deteriorated and it was for time almost impossible to get new installations promptly. There is now noticeable im- provement throughout the service, not only on the switchboards, but also with respect to repairs and new installations. It is evident that the telephone servic ? was as much behind in it's work as the building industry. New businesses, new industries, new apartment houses, new homes, coming so rapidly On one anothers heels, so piled up the orders and the de- -mands on the tel phone service that pub lie disappointment often vented itself in public complaint. But the telephone company, being very we'll organized, was soon able overtake it's delays and to bring it's installations more nearly in line with the current demand.
 Nevertheless, it is good indication of the growth of this community to know that the company is still hard put to # to provide the full service demanded by the people.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27

municipal authorities to appropriate one hundred thousand dollars additional for the same purpose. The mayor of Sa- vannah has been authorized to appoint a committee to look into ways and means of raising the fund through an equaliza- tion of property values.
 Birmingham has many advantages. Its rapid growth, large industrial and commercial interests, adequate transpor tation facilities, ideal climate, educational benefits, scenic attractions, residential advantages and many other factors would make much stronger appeal to investors and desirable residents if properly made known to the world. Mil lions of people have heard of Birming- ham and its rapid growth, but are not informed of the further opportunities the city offers. It remains for the rest of the country to be "sold" on Birmingham as it's people know it. Intelligent adver- Using planned to emphasize the residen- tial, as we'll as the industrial advantages of the community will inform them. If Savannah can afford to invest hundred thousand dollars in telling about its op- portunities, it would seem that Birming- ham can spend something to present a true picture of this community to the outside world.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
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X German Guy Hawkes..

TOR the second time in three months a F large destructive bomb has been dis
 covered in the basement of the Berlin stock exchange, and authorities are taking the necessary precautions The boy who found the smoking deadly missile has been given Il 10O00-mark note. Way back in the seven. teenth century a similar incident happened ill the Amsterdam bourse. A boy, inmate of all orphan asylum. who had been frequently warned to stay away from the bourse, clambered through a cellar window to rescue some marbles that had rolled down. He dis covered huge quantity of gunpowder, with the necessary time clock attachment. When asked what reward he would like, the orphan made the singular request that the orphans of Amsterdam should have one day a year set aside to play in the halls and corridors of the stock exchange without any interference. Even until this day this custom is in vogue. The merchants and spectators take day off and the orphans take possession.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
OUR SUGAR DUTIES.

President Coolidge is now feeling the i'm pact of conflicting influences exerted by va rious sugar interests" He has before him the report of the tariff commission on the sugar schedule and he must have in the back of his head pretty intimate knowledge of what happened when he was the presiding of- ficer of the senate during the pulling and hauling on the sugar schedule under Fordney- AIcCumber tariff debates. It was pretty clear at that time that there had been a definite bargain between the western sugar senators and some of the refining interests as to what they should do about the rates on imported sugar, while there was more than little to indicate that a cabinet member had been a party to these rather objectionable negotia- tions
 The history of our sugar tariff has been one of doubtful and at times disgraceful juggling and bargaining. Under the Wilson regime the schedule was put upon a revenue basis sufficient to give a substantial amount of protection to domestic growers and at the same time to yield comfortable revenue to the government. MT. Wilson had planned to demand free sugar, but changed his mind when he became more familiar with the treasury situation. A reasonable rate on sugar is not overburdensome to the community. An ex- cessive rate results in financial manipulation, the advancing of prices to the consumer and objectionable conditions in many directions.
 Our most recent official investigations show that the sugar tariff is excessive and unneces- sary It has been thoroughly reviewed by the tariff commission. There is no reason why the president should not act in the matter. Full power has been granted him under the law and he is not likely to have a clearer case, or one in which he could better make a show of tariff reduction without hurting any legitimate producer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
THE TRUE PROGRESSIVE.

From my point of view he only deserves to be called a progressive who cannot see a wrong persist without effort to redress it, or a right denied without an effort to ppotect it; who feels a deep concern for the economic welfare of the United States, but realizes that the making of better men and women is matter greater still; who thinks of every governmental policy first of all in its bearing upon human rights rather than upon material things; who be- Heves profoundly in human equality and detests privilege in whatever form or in. whatever disguise, and who finds the true test of success in the welfare of the many and not the prosperity and comfort of the few. The civic unit of America Is not the dollar, but the individual man. All that goes to make better and happier and freer men and women is progress; all else is re- action.-John W. Davis.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Companionship m paNu ruAx1,
T1HAT which is beneath me destroys me

"TNHAT which is beneath me destroys me ;
 that which is on my level bores me; it
 is only th1t which is higher than I that sustains me and lifts me out of myself" wrote Mile. de rEspinasse.
 Every one of us is conscious of a fatal inertia of character. We naturally slide into inefficiency, slump into good-for-nothingnes and poor work. It takes constant effort to go on up. Eternal vigilance seems to be the price of anything that is of any account.
 One reason for this is that we naturally like inferior environment. It is pleasant to be with those to whom we are superior; it flatters us, coddles our pride and gently strokes our self-esteem. It is so nice to be the biggest toad in the puddle.
 Also we are comfortable among our equals That Is why one does not want to marry one who is too superior That is why we gather in clubs, lodges, churches, and social circles where we are all about so-so.
 We can get along with interiors, we pre- fer our equals, we resist our ybetters.
 And therein we make mistake; for the secret of growth and expansion in life con sists in consistently choosing for companions minds that are richer and souls that are higher than our own. se.-~
 I will tell you a secret; originality and genius are not your own, they are what you are able to get from those higher than you.
 "A mans personality" writes J. w. Scott of the University of Glasgow, lis q thing which needs to be made. He does not bring it full-fledged into the world with him. Strange as it may seem, personality is thing which a man absorbs from his environments as plant absorbs air and light. We are all plagiarists. In the last resort everything we have or know is borrowed"
 Hence, it must follow as the night that if our environment is as rule worse than ourselves we gradually degenerate, and if it is commonly better than ourselves we steadily improve.
 No mind is first-class that is not continual. ly reading books and conversing with men that require an effort to be understood. The novel-soaked intellect, gormandiZing upon easy reading, grows flabby.
 No one becomes a first-rate business man who is a better business man than all he meets The best things worker learns he gets from better workmen.
 The truth grows more lambent in the inner realm of character. There is only one way to grow nobler, stronger, gentler, more cul- tured, and altogether greater souled, and that is to have some companionship with soule greater than we.
 Even if we cannot meet such in our daily doings, we can find them in books. We can have an inner companionship of superiors, evenswhen all outer fellowship is low. The ear of the soul, if one will listen, can aways hear "the choir invisible"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
The End Of The GondoIa.

Will some of the romance of Venice vanish now that the gondola must be superseded in two years time by the motorboat? It must be a hard blow to the gondoliers, with their inherited skill and inherited cries as they skim through the narrow channels. More than Ruskin have had occasion to lament the carelessness and destructiveness of the Ital- ians in regard to their own treasures. and although the gondola is not piece of stat uary, it has helped to make Venice one of the liveliest places in the world. The same gov ernment that has decreed the end of the gon- dola has ordered all fiacres and cabs from the streets of Rome and has set the period of one year for the supercession of cabs and hacks by the automobile. If you don't know what to do in Italy there is always govern ment which knows it for you and advises you for your own good.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Sooner Or Later,

Die Schuldluege" (the responsibility lie) is what the German papers, red and conserva- tive, call that clause in the treaty of Versailles in which Germany accepts responsibility for the outbreak of the war. The nationalists are in favor of having it out with the world and to disavow guilt of war right now, but there are others who counsel moderation. They say history will vindicate Germany The lie will be nailed sooner or later. The latter position seems more sound, for at the con gress of the British labor party recently it was stated boldly and definitely that the re- sponsibility of Germany was the greatest historical lie of the age. Premier Macdonald fully agrees with that sentiment. As mat ter of fact, he advanced the idea long before it agitated the Germans themselves. That was way back in 1917 when it was not healthy to make such a statement in Great Britain. The labor party is an influential body. At the present it'controls the destinies of a great impire. If the Germans bide their time, oth- CTS will fight the "Schuldluege" for them, it seems.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Ride Dudley's Rhymes
SIS Campaign Cigar

CAID Silas McGuggin, in Peeweeple's
 store: "The campaign cigar is thing N~ deplore. It's tougher than rope and 1t smokes like stick. It's strong enough, al- ways, to make a man sick. If l were to run for an office I'd get some twenty-five centers some good ones, you bet!-and pass 'em around in manner quite free. And praise would soon come from the smokers for me- We ought to have laws to make each candi- date quit giving out stogies to voters as bait Bill Henry just now, as l came down the street, was handing out smokes that could never be beat for toughness, and one of lem fell to my lot. kept the blamed thing, though the gift made me hot. I'll throw it away when I so out of here." Then Silas in- dulged in a frown and a sheer.
 ''Yer. right on that subject" said Grandpa McGee. "Supposin you give that cheap stogie to me! I'll try it tonight-oh, I'll smoke it, somehow" No, sir!" replied Si- Ias Wed get in row" MeGuggin then left and Jed Ueeweeple smiled. Said he: If Si heard me he'd get mighty riled but I'll make wager, in spite of his talk, he smokes it" Said Grandpa You'd win in a walk"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
 1Ng OVER
The 1924 Village Blacksmith.

Ane lUz4 tluage BiackSmiul. (Blacksmiths in annual convention, mourn passing of village smithy-Headline.) Under a spreading chestnut tree
 The village smithy ain't; A classy building stands there now
 With pumps of reddest paint, And the smith is one big Dus ness
 man
 With methods far from quaint.
 The strength in them has thinned His waistline, son, IS IvrIy-one
 He now is double-chinned; Gone is his smithy figure but He hauls the money in. Week in, week out from morn till night You can hear the grunts of pain As the patrons stop to fill their tanks And see him count his gain; The stuff he sells is gasoline
 But the price is for champagne. And bandits filing home from work Gaze on with envious lock- They love to see his methods and
 To put them in the book, For an oil man has q system that's A joy to any crook. He goes on Sunday in his Royce
 To some exclusive club To golf with friendly millionaires Immune from any snub: (For what he makes on Sunday would Give Morgan's gross rub.) The caddies stop and point to him And whisper, "See that bold! He Used to be a blacksmith at
 Least that's what I hold. But would he shoe horse today? Say, kid, don't be absoid! Oiling-rejoicing- -amassing it.
 Onward through life he goes; Each morning sees his gas price rise Delivered through hose; And his gallon is full pint short
 As everybody knows. Each week the oil trust does announce Another gas price cut !'' The smith he laughs just like horse And below, Tut tut! tut! And boosts his price fuil three cents The smith he is no nut! Thanks, thanks to thee my oily friend For the fine technique you show You stage a thousand holdups crude Each day and grab the dough; And you do not merely rob us
 But you make us love it so
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
RumblingS In Bengal.

The crisis in India is rapidly coming to a head. Bengal is the hotbed of opposition to the British India government. Not satisfied with a limited form of self-government, the natives, led by their ablest statesmen and scholars, declare they want complete inde- pendence, and threaten to boycott English goods, abandon English institutions and ostra- else the Englishmen in the country. The Brit ish are ready for all eventualities. They have a goodly number of troops, excellent machine guns, and their usual coolness. If the natives want war, war it shall le. George Bernard Shaw says somewhere, '"There is nothing so bad or good that you will not find an English man doing it; but you will never find an Englishman in the wrong. He does everyz thing on principles. He fights you on patri- otic principles; he robs you on business prin- ciples; he enslaves you on imperial princi- ples.' There is a spirit abroad in India that's not fit target for machine guns. It takes conciliation and the best British statesman ship to meet it. The English say proudly of themselves that they never shall be slaves. The same sentiment is growing in India.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Watching The Parade
M VTHEN the girl finally accepted Tommy
 NV Walker the other salesmen in his of
By JOAN PILGRIM
flee rejoiced. Tommy was a likable

wv
 flee rejoiced. Tommy was likable kid, and had been suffering divinely, from chills and fever. It had been apparent for months to the other salesmen that she was going to marry him, but Tommy had never penetrated that glorious fact.
 She's too fine Cor me-" he used to say, which was probably the truth.
 A little later a new man bought the auto mobile agency where Tommy was employed. No one knew him. No one had even heard that the old agent planned to retire. The new man appeared on the floor in the guise of prospective buyer. He was peevist, engagement breaking, unreasonable prospect. Man after man gave him up, but Tommy finally sold him car.
 Il was so elated because the girl had ac- cepted me" said Tommy, candidly, that I was better than my true speed. l could have sold any one that day.
 When the was delivered, Tommy took the new man for final test. It ran beau tifully except that the new-fangled brakes needed constant adjustment The car should have been sent to the shop to have the work done properly, but Tommy did not want to confess a possible weakness ill the glittering new structure. So he tinkered with the brakes himself.
 Now they're all right" he said at half past five o'clock that afternoon. All they needed was to be set They're fine''
 The truth was that Tommy had a date with the girl. But the unknown boss took the new car into traffic, and because the brakes would not hold, damned into taxi cab and Tommy lost his job. The marriage has been postponed until he gets another one.
 It was just little thing. But this life is made up of little things. Sometimes lit tie thing is the biggest thing on the horizon.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
The Right Word
A CLEAR ANALYSIS.
By VI. CURIlS NICHOLSON

F. H. of Brooklyn, N. J., writes as fol- lows:
 "'Always verify your references.'-N. Y Sun, 1S70-1SS0 A. D.
 Diversity is not inconsistency'-Ras las.
 Not guilty Will Mrs. .. D. D. please read my remarks regarding collective nouns again, and notice l did not say, A plural verb should never be used% I did say, and still say, When speaking or writing of an aggregate or collection of individuals desig- mated by collective noun of singular form. As unit it is proper (not obligatory to use a singular verb.
 Now in my phrase that c. D. D. quoted, The first group are singular I referred to all the collective nouns had named as sepa- rate entities not connected with or related to each other, and not considered as a unit or collective subject.
 My original contention was sustained by the excellent authority whose rule you, Mir Nicholson, quoted subsequently, and wherein he makes the very same distinction that l make. That distinction is nicely made, also by the writer of two expressions quoted by Mrs. c. D. D.. from another newspaper: A group of men are standing in the corridor talking; The group is composed of Southern Delegates:
 Not inconsistent, just different. Both are correct expressions. In the latter example the collective noun subject designated unit. In the first sentence the group of men are so considered. Selah Also Q. E. D."
 F. k. is right. In the first sentence group is considered plural; in the second it is a unit.
 Yesterdays Error.
 Wrong: The first with the second, fourth, and sixth sentences are correct.
 Right: The first with the second, fourth. and sixth sentences is
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Brief Nature Studies
By J. OTIS SWIFT

VVTHERE a new road is being cut through w Fox Meadows at scarsdale by the
 Bronx Parkway Commission, work men unconseiously shoveled out evidence of, one of America's earliest industries. Bits of shining, waxy chalcedony, resembling mo- lasses candy, resin, sometimes with reddish carnelian shades and sometimes with a bluish bloom, were tossed out from a sand bank under which is a ledge of this massive quartz. The spot was an ancient mine and workshop of the AlgonQuins, where they got out material for arrowpoints, knives and axes. They probably made beautiful imple- ments here in the long ago.
 Chalcedony, q crystocrystalline, transpar- ent silica, generally pale blue or gray, of uni form tint and wax lustre is often stained diff ferent colors by the lapidarists, but was used by the ancients in the natural shades. Long fellow says in Hiawatha '"There the ancient arrowmaker made his arrowheads of sand stone, arrowheads of chalcedony, arrowheads of flint and jasper"
 Very rought hammers and pecking imple- ments at the Scarsdale mine indicated this great antiquity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-27
Break, Break, Break

Break, break, break,
 On thy cold gray stones, O sea And l would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me. o we'll for the fisherman's boy,
 That he shouts with his sister at play! O we'll for the sailor lad
 That he sings in his Boat on the bay. And the stately ships go on
 To their haven under the hill; But o for the touch of vanished hand, And the sound of a voice that is still Break, break break,
 At the foot of thy crags. o sea But the tender grace of a day. that is dead Will never come back to me.
 ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON.