davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
LEADING A HOPE FORLORN

Now that the special legal prosecutors on the part of the government in its action, civil and criminal, with respect to naval oil leases, have been confirmed by the senate. there is public desire that the process shall be thorough and vigorous. The public has not forgotten how the Veterans Bureau probe was mysteriously discontinued when it was found ito be leading to unpleasant discoveries, and demands that such con- sideraton be interposed in the present stua- tiOn Indeed, the hating of the Veterans Bureau inquiry was but to postpone the in evitable, for the relentless determination of Senator Walsh and his associates has merely exposed the same grievous situation from another side. While there are many honest men in official Washington, yet it is al ready apparent that there are too many in responsible position who are not honest. The welfare of the nation depends upon the detection and elimination from public life of all whose record, public or private, proves them unworthy.
 Already one cabinet member has felt called upon to resign. Although he states that his motive was not fear of any consequences to himself, but a desire to relieve the presi- dent of embarrassment, yet it is inexplicable how the president, in any way or in any de- gree, could be embarrassed by the continuance in office of an adviser whose official record has been right and proper. Therefore, if Mir. Denby regarded his retention of office embarrassing to the president he must have felt the consciousness of something in the record that was at least highly nadvis- able, if not worse The fact that the pres- dent accepted his resignation with unhesitat- ing promptneSs permits the inference that Mir. Coolidge found no basis on which to rest request that Mir. Denby reconsider. h. deed, Mir. Denby may have quietly received executive intimatiOn that his resignation would not be uncOmpromisingly resisted.
 Mr. Coolidge also has not demanded the resignation of Mir. Daugherty but any of fical possessed of any degree of sensitiveness would surely feel that the handing over to others outside of his department a function that specifically belongs within his depart ment is broad and unmistakable hint that the service of his department is not highly regarded The average man would find in the situation very urgent invitation to resign. 1t would not be surprising if Mir. Daugherty should have the significance of the appointment of special counsel made even more plain to him, before the week is done. The attorney general denies any inl- plication in the naval oil transaction. That is just the trouble. He should have been implicated in very intimate manner. He should have, initiated the inquiry that his neglect of duty has caused to dev0lve upon the senate. In official as in private conduct. the sins of omission are quite as serious as the sins of commission. Indeed. fin Mir. Daugherty's case, it iS doubtful whbther the sins of omission have not actual. Buried al other kinds
 In all this avalanche of devFlupb btuts it is noted that the presidents paEAy ,iead-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
BRANDON NEGLECTS EDUCATION

Probably no governor of Alabama in recent times has talked more about his interest in education and done less than Gov ,rnor Bran don. He is still making speeches occasion in which he lauds education and expresses his sympathy with educational progress. But, as far as any tangible and practical support he has given to this important public matter is concerned, the record is empty. Nor does the state escape scathless Many of our public institutions of learning find that the demands upon them are increasing and yet unprovided for, because of the failure of the Brandon administration to provide for the needs revealed by the Brandon recess com mittee on education.
 As an illustration of this failure and its unhappy consequences, a few months ago Dr. Dan T. Gray, one of the most valuable men at Auburn, resigned his position, not because he wanted a larger salary. but be- cause another state offered him a more lib eral appropriation for carrying on agricul- tural work at its agricultural school Now Dr. W. E. Hinds, for many years connected with Auburn, and a widely known entOmolo- gist, announces his resignation for the same reason as that given by Dr. Gray, namely, the states appropriation is so niggardly as to defeat his opportunity for results commen- surate with his lifetime of devotion to his subject and to the agricultural welfare of Alabama.
 Almost on the same day as Dr. Hinds resignation is announced, President Spright Dowell of Auburn issues statement revealing how inadequately Auburns appropriations provide for Auburn's inevitable requirements. Agriculture is Alabama's leading industry and principal resource, as well as the most permanent. Yet Alabama has failed to give the most ordinary attention to the normally expanding needs of it's chief center of agri- cultural encouragement and stimulation. Governor Brandon, through his lamentable tax policy and regrettable hesitation at the criti- cal moment, is responsible for impeding Ala bama's prosperity as represented by a more efficient agriculture. It would seem of fore most moment that the governor take prompt measures to remedy this delinquency, if his concern in education is genuine
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Watching The Parade
By JOHN PILGRIM

Maybe my conscience is little loose in the joints. Anyhow, when I noticed that John T. King was looking rather closely at the angle of my jaw began to get restless. At last couldn't stand it any longer. squeaked protest:
 Whats the matter with you?'I de. manded. What are you looking at me that way for, anyhow? Anything wrong?" s'I was just noticing that you use an old fashioned razoE" said he.
 It didn't seem to me that it was any of his business if shaved with drawknife, and said so,< although l wrapped the thought up in deferential language. He differed with me. He said that he had trained himself to observe all the fine points about people he deals with He began it as a memory cor rective. he said. He had had four or five talks with one man, but when he was asked to describe him later he could not recall whether his acquaintance wore a mustache or not.
 Matter of fact" he said, "he wore little corn-silk beard'
 After that he made it a rule to impress the salient points of strangers on his mem ory. He had always had difficulty in re- membering faces, and this helped. Then he found that he was able to draw certain con- clusions from his observations. Rundown heels began to mean something to him, Badly cared for finger nails carried a moral as well as other items The too-welI dressed man always had some sort of a kink in his character. Not necessarily an unpleasant kink. Sometimes quite the contrary. But he was always out of the ordinary He found that he had not been using his eyes to more than ne-tenth their capacity. He had been looking but not seeing
 | He had a good idea. said But he should wear dark glasses. That BertilI0n system of his Is apt to make people unhappy iiss
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
DAUGHERTY ON ENFORCEMENT

Attorney General Daugherty has submit ted to President Coolidge a detailed report of prosecutions by the Department of Justice of violations of the prohibition laws during the last four years, in which the Attorney General takes an optimistic view of the sit uation. In his summary, which shows that more than 115,0OO cases have passed through the courts, Mir. Daugherty says: "It may be that the maximum number of violations has already been reached, and that from now on there will not be so many prohibition cases" He adds that the department has under taken to go after the big fellows, rather than the small fry
 Mir. Daugherty, in response to resolu- tion sponsored by Senator King, also for warded to the Senate Il detailed account of war fraud activities of the Department of Justice, though this is not especially ilumi- hating in the absence of names identified with these frauds, under the Attorney Gen erals policy of withholding them from the public because of the possible injustice to men whose dealings with the government have been and are honorable.
 The Attorney General speaks in high terms of his department. The trouble is that comparatively few people appear to have much confidence in Mir. Daughertys ability efficiently to conduct the department of which he is the official head. He has never peeh ulstlHsuisheu dS resoufcelul ana ac- complished lawyer. He is essentially poli- tician. His record in the prosecution of big interests which have apparently successfully evaded the laws in their selfish aims has not been marked by determined purpose or notable success. Grafters and profiteers have not manifested any special fear of the Department of Justice under Mir. Daugherty's S administration.
 The fact is while success of the prohib tion law is partially dependent on cooper ative aid from the people, that aid will not be forthcoming until the people have more confidence in the purpose and capacity of the Department of Justice to enforce tho law than that department has manifested under It's present directing head This lack of public confidence for which Attorney. General Daugherty is in no small measure responsible, is largely the basis of the strong
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
As To Ones " eak,less
Rv,DR. .1YRANKs OnANH

It is more important to reckon with UreF
 weakness than with one strength. x. l It is well to know what you can do.vy Al | is better to know what you cannot do. Every one of us has limited powers. WI are little fractions of efficiency; T got drunk once," said Al Hawes, "enS made fool of myself. Since then hay' never touched a drop. I am not telling oths 1 people what to do, but I know can't drink Another man I knew was fond of playinl poker. He discovered that he was becomini too fond of it It began to, lure him,:.t1 make him uncomfortable, and to interfsrI with his business. He recognized his weak ness and quit. s'4s
 When desire grows to the point when il begins to lead you around by the nose it \ a good thing to starve it to death
 l An unmastered weakness is an inwart enemy, traitor in your own house. In less you meet it, conquer it, and kill It sooner or later it will humiliate you. .-l 1 do not say 1t is bad thing to have. .a
 few amiable indulgences; but I say 70, must be continually on the watch; up te. \ l certain point they may promote sociabilitJ and tend to humanize you; but past a cer tain point they drop you out of the fellow ship of self-respecting people,. they redue. you to the underworld of slaves and weak lings. 5s{ s.s Any persons first duty is to be strong And the very first place decent people ex l pect you to show force is in control O1 l yourself. <. s Prohibition. total abstinence from al , things that the general opinion of moralisti consider dangerous is by no means .. [ kcure-all. s4s
 A man may indulge in no one of the com
 moner forms of dissipation, and still may never have learned the secret of self-mas tery. general wins the battle by knowing the weak points in his position and forces. sss A merchant succeeds in business by keep ing always in mind his limitations.
 A mind is improvable only when it is ac- curately aware of its ignorances
 And in the same way there is no hope ui forming strong character unless one hai clear consciousness of its clements of spir- itual failure. -.
 It is not implied that we should dwell on our shortcomings, talk of them, or advertise them i; simply that we should know them We should usually conceal them. Pooling others may be pardonable occa sionally ii is unpardonable to fool yourself.
 The person who refuses to acknowledas his weaknesses. ashamed to discover them, and unwilling to reckon them will develop into either ridiculousness or stupidity.
 He will, perhaps, become that all too com mon combination of the two-an egotist. z-
 He will merit the verdict Bishop Creigh- ton pronounced upon certain type: He has nos grasp of ideas, no sense of propor- tien. Indeed, he has no mind at all he has only hereditary obstinacy."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
The Spirit Of Success
By WICKEs wAN6BOLDT

Some time ago attended a vaudeville per formance. One act caught my attention. It was billed as Three Feet of Comedy" They were two dancers. The man had one leg and the woman had two. The man was ex- traordinary in that he seemed to be inde- pendent of and indifferent to physical linn itations. He floated and fitted over the stage with his one leg as though he had wings instead of a crutch and did jigs and break downs in way to make two-legged men en- vious. Then he threw away his cruteh and took his partner for a fox trot with a grace and skill which I doubt could have been equalled by any man in the audience
 calculated that a one-legged man who would adopt dancing as profession must have fine courage and a high degree of op- timisni. His views on life might be helpful to discouraged able-bodied people. So made an appointment with him and his dancing partner, who is also his life partner. found this couple as interesting as I had antici- pated. You know, you cannot tell very much about people when you see them on the stage It is when they step out of their parts and get theis make-ups off that we really see them"
 Well" said the young man, T do not consider q handicap an excuse for failure My leg was taken off close to the hip when was nine years old. While was lying on my cot in the hospital, vowed was moi going to let my one leg keep me from doing things that two-legged people do. So, as soon as was up l set out to learn to run, jump swim, skate, and enter into all the sports with my companions. Dancing seemed to challenge me, so I practiced that indefat. igably.
 Eventually, I joined a minstrel company and did one-legged dancing act. Then took up acrobatics and joined a circus. have done about everything that one-legged man IS supposed not to do And here am '' One day he met little girl, fifteen years old. who was just over from Europe. She had lost her parents, she could not speak our language, and the world looked black to her. He married her, taught her to speak English. taught her to dance, and it is she who today is his dancing partner
 There is saying that a one-legged man mas not much show at kicking frolic. but l saw this one hop across the stage and kick box out of the hands of his wife, who was holding 1t as high as she could reach. asked him if he wished that he had fol. lowed some other calling. His face glowed Not for the world" he replied If I had my life to live over again, I'd do just as have done He laid his hand affectionately on his wife's. May and are happy. w. are giving a clean show. We are makinp people feel better. And we believe that Z loving Heavenly Father is smiling on us." That is something to think about, isn't if;
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Ride Dudley's Rhymes
My New Book.

wrote book called Fools and Fools " l thought it was a dandy took it to a publisher whose offices were handy. He read my book and gave it back invited me to din- ner and said the tale should be a play-that it would make a winner. 1 made a play of Fools and Fools" thought it was a won- der. took it to a manager who said I'd made blunder. That play should be a Sketch," said he. "As such 'twould make you wealthy. There'd be a laugh in evry line. Its plot is clear and healthy"
 l made a sketch of Fools and Fools and showed it to an actor. Said he: You've got a great idea. But listen! Here's factor This ought to be in films, I think--a one reel augh-prOvOker Put in girl whose husband takes a sack of salt to soak her. '' l made movie skit of it and showed it to a screen man. He said it was first-class tale; then muttered, But you're green, man This thing should be jazzy song-a chorus and two verses" landed seven blows on him, accompanied by curses.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Coal And History
By JOHN CARLYLE

Have you ever stopped to think about the astonishing part that coal has played in the history of human activity? Without coal the story of mankind would have been in- cOnceivably unlike what it has been.
 More than n hundred and fifty millions of years ago Nature began to lay up those de- posits of vegetation which today we call coal. And when Nature ages ago filled her cavernous bins she filled them once and for all. There will be no more coal. When it is all gone man will learn to do without. He is learning today as witness the great oil burning engines of power.
 Coal, since the great industrial era of the earth began in the middle of the eighteenth century, has illuminated the stories of war and the stories of peace. Military supre- macy and the more glorious but peaceful tri- umphs of commerce have both rested on the coal supply. It has burned into the rocky bypaths of war and back into the main roads of peace. Only since the age of the great consumption of coal has man grown into his gigantic industrial stature.
 Men have always speculated on the en- durance of coal. It is a subject which for ever fascinates. Scientists ten us there are four thousand billions of tons of coal in the United States alone. That is more than half of all the coal in the earth, they say Seven thousand billions of tons would cover it all
 Bituminous, or what we call soft coal is mined in 31 states though most of it comes from the middle west and south. Hard coal is concentrated in about 800 square miles of the state of Pennsylvania. Altogether coal lies under about one-sixth of the surface of the United States.
 Coal will be mined for as long as any of you read this will live and, for as long as your children will live. But the end of coal will come. No replenishment is observable
 What then! Perhaps it is not so serious matter-this exhaustion of the supply of coal-as you might think. For there is a factor that is constant, without which no safe predictions can ever be made That factor is the limitless resourcefulness, the immea asurable ingenty of man.
 Burning coal has illumined the pages of mans chronicle. But when it is gone he will light the pages of history with something else.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
THE WORD "MAGNANIMoUs,

There is a vast deal of philosophy and imagination in the word magnanimous It means "big-souled' (from the Latin magnan- imus, from magma" great, and "animus, ? souD. Almost all languages except the Slavic and Germanic have borrowed it, with slight notifications, from the old Latin tongue.
 A big soul is soul Cor, mind) that will not descend to petty things, such as haggling over cent or disputing thing that does not involve a principle.
 And person incapable of these pettinesses is appropriately characterized as magnani. nous or big-souled
 But it is recognized that magnanimity has its limit, and that limit is the line that di. vides right from wrong.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
HELLO, MARS; THAT YOU.
Los Angeles Examiner)

NA<oc AHSCAcS L4auA0erJ
 Another attempt is to be made by so-called scientists" to communicate with Mars. They are going to climb the Alps and use the great fields of snow as n reflector to send rays of light to the planet.
 We'll, supposing they receive some answering gllmmer and feel that communication has now been established, what is the first message that they will attempt to send? Will they indulge in idle persiflage and ask the health of MT. and Mrs. Mars and the little Marses ? Or how the weather is up there?
 Or will they try to convey through the ether the latest news on earth? Ford has come out for Coolidge. Lotta Knocknees has signed up with Ziegfeld. Standard Oil stocks are going up. The supply of good liquor is going down.
 Or will they try to give the Martians some idea of the intelligence and wisdom of our portion of the human race: That wouldn't t take very long. 9f'
 If you recally could communicate with Mars and had only time to make one statement about conditions on this earth and to ask one question, what would you say and what would you ask?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Forum Of The People
ELEVATOR JOY.RIDING.
Editor of The Age-Herald:

To the Editor of The Age-HeraId:
 Wonder if it would do any good for the City Commission to pass all ordinance re- quiring public elevators to stop on signal ? It takes three or four signals on an average to stop the elevator in the building work in and the same condition appears to exist in all the other office buildings here Ap- parently the time of a tenant or his clients is of no concern to the arrangements or their joy-riding employees. Mild complaints do no good and if I make complaint too strong, my lease will not be renewed; therefore l sign this, A TENANT.
 Birmingham, Ala, Fob. g, 1924.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25

ership has been quite unshaken. Mir. Coolidge apparently still stands the best chance of re- ceiving the Republican nomination. Senator Johnson had an opportunity to advance him self by aggressive demand for a party clean up; but he made the serious mistake of at tacking the president instead. But, even at the head of his party, Mir. Coolidge will be
 leading a hope that grows daily more for lorn. It is not Mir. Coolidge, but his party that is on trial before the people. And since nobody can be president without a
 party, it looks as if it were the best course for the president to restore his party to fun damental integrity.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
TO THAw MOTOR RADIATOR
(Popular Science Montbly)

IPOpuIar Science Monthly
 A frozen radiator of motor car often can be thawed out in an emergency by reversing the fan and blowing the hot air surroundins the engine through the radiator framework Loosen the nut that holds the fan arm ii, position and lower this arm sufficiently to the arm until the belt is tight on the pulley and fasten it in place. When the engine is running, the hot air will be blown against the radiator cells and any ice will soon be melted
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25

With about a hundred cases of smallpox reported from nineteen counties in Alabama, the travelling public might well accept the common-sense advice of health authorities and cooperate in the work of suppressing the disease by vaccination. It is a duty the people owe the public, as we'll as themselves indiyidually
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
Everybody Should Have Known It

Everybody might have known something was going to break loose It is mighty dangerous to be too unanimous When seven millions got into a majority it was evident that somebody wanted something, and that somebody was iir the way. They are' out and somebody got theirs, and the country is paying the bills.-Talladege Daily Home fl fI,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25

Mir. Vanderlip appears to have given some soft-pedal political partisans something to think about in connection with their ap- peal to justly suspicious public for votes to keep in power a party that showed no disposition to clean house until the necessity accumulated to the danger point
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25

sentiment for his retirement from the cabi-
 net. If he can successfully resist that senti-
 ment much longer, he will have proved that he possesses more purpose and capacity to retain high official position than he has shown in performing the duties which it in-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
One Test Of Good Citizenship

citizen of Etowah county paid $34 back poll tax this year in order to get in good stand. ing as citizen. May his tribe increase" "
 With which we heartily agree and make the same wish for the tribe of those who don't let their citizenship standing lapse even for a year-Gadsden Times-News. s'-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
HAS HIGH IDEAL OF LIVING

(Boston Transcript
 If there is anything more distressing to the earnest thoughtful man than to see so many people live without working, it is to see so many work without living
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
NEVER CONTRIBUTED PEACE
(St. Louis Post.Dispat.b)

Looking back over a lon~ ant fairly active life. Senator LnFollette can tfuthfully say that he has never knowingly pntributed to the peace Sr happiness of ta, Grand Old Party