davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
AN ADEQUATE PARK SYSTEM

One after another of the nationally known landscape engineers who visited Birmingham expressed themselves most favorably on the possibilities for development of an unusually attractive park system for this community. A landscape engineer of national repute is now making a survey of all the city parks and of undeveloped lands acquired by the city for future park development, while studying the advantages of further purchases This is one of the first and most important duties of the park board. Birmingham has a few parks partially developed, and consid- erable area in the rough. Additional lands are needed, as we'll as extensive development work, to round out a system that will be a real public benefit. The task of selection requires vision. Nobody doubts that within a few years more lands will be needed if this community is to have park system worthy of it's importance and growth. It will require foresight and common sense, as well as careful study, to select for purchase such additional lands in such localities and under such conditions as will prove practical in the development of the system as a whole for the largest public benefit.
 One of the important factors in connection with so large a public improvement project is realization of the fact that years will be required to carry out the enterprise even as a substantial basis for ultimate completion and success. No city which has undertaken a pretentious program in park development achieved worthwhile results at the outset. It is a gradual process, and takes time. Hence the importance of vision by those who undertake the laying out of plan, and the value of definite purpose towards future end. Coordination and system are essential in the task As results are achieved and the progress and benefits are unfolded to the public eye, interest will increase, and sooner or later the public recognition of the value of the project will stimulate public pride and enlist public cooperation in advancing the enterprise to meet the public needs and wishes.
 Birmingham is, generously favored by na- ture. Its scenic beauties are equalled by those of few cities in this country. Its eli mate and environs lend themselves to the de- velopment of an adequate and unusually at tractive park system. Its expansion and de- veIopment in every field of worthy endeavor invite special efforts for the establishment and maintenance of recreation facilities. An adequate park system is not only needed in this community, but it would be one of the city's largest assets materially as well as morally and aesthetcally. There is no req son why Birmingham within a few years Shonld not have one of the most complete and attarc.ive park systems in the country If t neglects it's opportunities in this respect, the day will come, and not far distant, when the people of this community will realize and regret their mistake.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
Po,ver Of 4 Ne,u Idea
By DIR. FRANK CRANE
A new j,lea is real contribution to Ilie.1'

N A new idea is real contribution to iiie',s
 X new idea stimulates us. fecundates ine mind, sets the soul in new vistas' anu pro foundly alters one's whole being.
 The man who can give me new ide. has put me under obligation. He has dropped a seed in my garden, and there no khoWinb what may be the fruit thereof He has sn's- ten the dull rock of my imagination anu anu !. fountain gushes forth E It takes two to make a new idea-a hearer and a speaker. I may go to book fuii ot great thoughts but they pass before my eye and find nothing in me-" And then may meet farmer and pass quarter of an honl and get frous hiss shrewd talk precisely the spark to explodelpy powder
 V It Is curious how some people find you. and others move always spiritually at stellar dls- tances from you. It is wholly matter oi intellectual elective affinity and has nothlng to do with literary taste; it is personal matter. I like Maeterlinck for the same res son that like ham and eggs, and do not Ike Browning for the same reason do not ilke mutton Yet I recognize the religious ana dietic superiority of mutton. But don't like it.
 Horace Bushnell has been to me a well inspiration, yet l never could find anythmg in Beecher Far be it from me to make literary criticism out of what is pure mat ter of personal appetite. .
 I adore Montaigne and Emerson and Tro-- reau.g All of these have upturned my life and raised crops in me- such as they are x
 Hence my library goes on decreasing Fl used to buy books for what the world thought of them Now I select them by the test of what they can do to me. l have given away my Tennyson he is doubtless great, but not for me. have sold my nice row of Balzae books for the same reason it may be bias, phemy, but he bOres me. On the contrary my soul leaped to Flaubert, and to Amiel; Oscar Wilde's '.De Profundis' shattered and thrilled me.
 All this is of no particular value except to illustrate that for a new idea to germinatr there must not only be a sower but suited soil. We must respect the appetencies of the soul.
 }. But when the new idea comes, how .it lodges, burns and glows! How old and set notions topple over like the stage scenery of an old wall How ones own invention and creative power is invigorated
 Yet. and this is curious, very many people, sometimes think the majority, do not like new ideas. That is why a fresh and pro ductive personality has a hard time of 1t in the pulpit. He will have few followers who enjoy his ministry but he will find that most people appreciate the general herding of the dear, old shibboleths. tst
 But to me the man who comes with new idea is epochal. shall never be the sam, again. He has uusealed my eyes and showed me "the armies of the Lord round about the city,; He has given me of "the water of life" Forevermore he has property right in my soul.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
Are Yo1e Going Ahead
By wICKEs wAAIBOLDT

A man of thirty-five said to me the other day with troubled expression, q do not seem to be getting along in the world as fast as l should. I am barely holding my own and l have come to the age where should be looking out for the future. It makes me feel sort of panicky when think about it.
 It is quite usual for a man of thirty five or forty to think of himself as getting old and to grow panicky at the idea It is around that age that he begins to fret if he has not made success, or does not see where he is going to make a success He begins to cast up accounts to find out if he is getting ahead in the world.
 Getting ahead in the world, care not how old we are, consists of gaining knowledge If we are doing that, we are getting ahead. If we know more this year than we knew last year we have gone ahead. Perhaps not finan- cially-perhaps the time for our financial ad- vancement has not come. It is not for many men until after they are forty or forty-five and often later.
 Advancement in any direction depends on Knowledge. Ii there is a man above us he is there because he knows more than we do. Just remember that Therefore, if we want to get above where we are now, we must know more than we know now.
 Every man should give a certain amount of time to his intellectual advancement, to broaden himself, and to make himself moro part of the whole world. He will enjoy life more, and be more enjoyable, and be a better citizen. When it comes to getting on in this world, it is necessary to know those things that have to do with making the wheels of progress go around. ..sssy
 If a man has profession he sohuld study unceasingly the principles and methods Of that profession. If he has a business he should study unceasingly the principles and methods of that business If he ms job he should study unceasingly the pflueiplcs und methods of his employers business. He should learn not only everything possible pertaining to his particular part in the business. but his aim should be to get an intelligent conception of the business aS a whole. That ls the at
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
Watching The Pdrade
By JOHN PILGRIM

It seems to be a good idea to keep your guard up as you go through life. Or the first thing you know fate will plan waflOp on the unprotected jaw. Which leads to talk of Bill Divines hard luck.
 Bill is good scout. He is not hard-boiled, but he is straight forward sensible, with a clear eye that looks right into yul. One Of the .::ll. Horde, clean, well-groom Il youE.'- sters who do so well on the magazine covers. The old criminal who owns most of the com pany Bill works for rumbles fondly when be s.,es the yortg mnn walk down the stres |.
 "1'he best man ;v. got" he says in :,n emotional undertonc. Although be is young"
 Bill met Oliver Peptic a few weeks ago. He was well dressed, he had travelled widely, he could sing, twang the uke, dance like . Belgian count and play a good hand at bridge. The meeting was a rather casual one in the smoker of a Pullman. The young fellows found many things in common, Peptic was bound for Bills home town and they dined together that night. Somehow, Bill sort of stood sponsor for Peptic.
 You gave him card to the club?' groaned Bills heavy boss
 That was true. He had dined at Bill s home and met several of the younger set. They had golfed together, bridged together, and when Bill bought a runabout Peptic rode with him several times down Main street. Bill cashed several cheeks for Peptic, quite publicly, and they were made good. Other checks, for much larger amounts, given to other men, have not been made good. Loans, bad stock, this and that make up a total of several thousand dollars that Peptic cleaned up in few weeks. The police want him. But then we discover that other police have wanted him for long time.
 Bill will make good to every man to whom he introduced MT. Peptic, of course. Next time he will know more about a stranger be- fore he indorses him. One owes that much to ones fniends
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
On Stars And Crosses
Bx JOHN CARLYLE

Did you ever hear of a star that is 215,- 000,0 0,00OO miles across? What do you know about that heavenly giant which the astrono- mers call Betelgeuse? recommend your con- temptation of Betelgeuse when you find your affairs resting too heavily upon your sagging shoulders. When the small matters of every day living pile up so fast that they threaten to get your goat" think about Betelgeuse.
 This titan of the stars srthe largest that science has located. It is so far from the earth that the distance is inconceivable. Light travels at the rate of 1S6,O00 miles a second. Yet it takes 160 years for the light of Betelgeuse to reach, the earth.
 Perhaps the earth seems big to you. It is only seven or eight thousand miles in diame- ter. The diameter of this monster star is more than two hundred millions of miles.
 The circumference of Betelgeuse is almost too great for thought to encircle. Suppose boy fourteen years cd should stand upon the surface of this star and fire rifle bull let. Suppose the rifle bullet should proceed around the circumference at the ordinary speed of rifle bullets. The bullet would strike the lad in the back of the head when he was an old man of seventy years. Fifty six years it would require for the bullet to traverse the outer edge of Betelgeuse
 It is good for the mind and the soul, now and then, to think about the immensity and the magnificent distances of the universe. We rest ourselves from the grilling, drilling worries and perplexities of life. We reshape and fresh our perspective. We see our own petty affairs more nearly in relation to their true significance
 Mans character is largely influenced by his conception of the supreme force of the uni verse, whether he calls it God or whatever he calls it. His idea of God will be as big as he. himself, is. If he never lifts his eyes to the stars or strains his vision to peer into the illimitable spaces of the universe, he must be ever spiritually near-sighted. He will for ever lack great conception of great matters.
 It is not sufficient for man. if he really has an immortal soul and if he is actually on his way through eternity to have merely an ade- quate conception of this earth He must see this golf ball on which we live in relation to the limitless links of the universe.
 Think of Betelgeuse. Think of giant stars beyond stars It will do you good
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

of the state where violations of the fish and game laws are reported, cannot employ a bookkeeper, and cannot expend the $25,o00 for fish cultural work in the absence of the governors approval All money derived from licenses and fines is accumulated in the state treasury. It amounts to neatly $40,O00 now. The inevitable result of this arrangement will be destruction of the purpose and efforts of conservationists and sportsmen, not to speak of the misuse of large license fees and fines which were intended for fish and game pro- tection. The $400O0 is more than has ever been accumulated in the department, owing to the work of the Alabama Fishermen and Hunters Association, which created the state wide sentiment for hunting licenses and for reporting and prosecuting violations of the game and fish laws. Jefferson county issued 2,7OO more licenses in 1923 than in any pre- vious year. Large increases are reported from many of the other counties.
 Commissioner Quinn is reported in hearty sympathy with the conservation movement, and with the purposes and efforts for game and fish protection. But his hands are tied. He can do little or nothing while the funds derived from a special tax for, special purpose gre withheld in the absence of the governors approval, and transferred to the general fund. Such is the situation. It is calculated to arouse strong resentment and protest from every conservationist in Ala bama, because it is not only subversive of the laws intent, but obstructs the comment- able efforts to protect game and f.sn from those who would ruthlessly destroy these large and valuable sources of food and pleas ure in Alabama.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
A Word To Young Orators

TO tbe Editor of The Age -Herald
 l sincerely hope you will give me space on your editorial page at your convenience and my words will be of influence to all.
 For the young men and women of tomorrow lies the greatest opportunity that has been made possible for school attendants to enjoy. It may mean hard path of difficult possi- bilities. with defeat in the end but a trial to reach life's greatest goal---"Better Educa- tion. The national orstorical contest. Oh {! if I could just creep back in the ole back seat on the last row and know that this contest was in existence to help all those who were trying to make a future. Oh {. no one could feel just as would feel. but. alas, 'ts all in vain. This opportunity awaits those of today not those of years back. The ole sign that mother taught when we were all just children still stands at it's post in the distance. Stop! Look and Listen Maybe it has saved you from the wheels of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

many a motor car. It is surely this same ole safety and security mark that beckoned you Ito grasp the opportunity before another step" or else be lost from the path that went to your better education. It was not in tended for individuals to read their futures as the fortune-teller reads the lines. Make for yourself your own fortune, leaving the fortune-tellGr behind. It makes no difference even today; you can be one tomorrow. What your life will be in the future can be deter mined by only you. Make it today-live it tomorrow. Many a man and q woman of today could have been of greater value to their cOuntrymen, if only in their days the opportunities were of as great q value as the ones which are existing today. Just in time tot help all those who are helping themselves. To the boy or girl who's been wondering of some way to gain that goal (that many are reaching and passing through without even a thought, as to whether it was beneficial or nOt) here is your chance. Make an at tempt; if you fail try again. Would it not be great thing for someone in Birmingham or vicinity to try the orators game reach it. receive it and have the highest honor paid any student in the whole United States! Oh you high school students, leave your idle thoughts forever and make an earnest at tempt for something that will benefit you all through life to come. Help Birmingham to be a wee bit prouder when the national ora torical contest comes to a close. Yours for Birmingham.
 MARGARET MATTHEW CULBERSON.
 Ensley, Ala.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
NO PREJUDICE TO UNDERWOOD


 In his candidacy for the Democratic nomi- nation for president, Senator Underwood can not be classified as prophet not without honor save in his own country" as some of his political opponents have suggested. As a statesman of character with an enviable record for achievement in the public service, no less eminently fitted to perform the high duties of the nations chief executive, he is very generally and sincerely admired in Ala bama and the South. Such efforts as have been made to deprive him of part or all of Alabamas support is understood by those who realize the purpose of opposing candi- dates in the presidential primary.
 There is evidence, however, that Senator Underwood has not received as enthusiastic support from a number of prominent South ern editors as their personal confidence in which he aspires, woull dictate. This has created no little surpi.s: in the North and East, where Mir. Underwood is held in high esteem, and where it is reported that there
 
 be nominated or elected than there is in tine South. Information from the committee Q. Washington in the interest of Mir. Under wood for president is that, because of some nominated or elected which exists in the South, it is harder for the Underwood m,n- agers to arouse sentiment in his fa7": in tie South than in the East.
 There is no such misgiving in the North and East according to trustworthy reports. In that section not only is Mir. Underwood highly regarded because of his public record, but he is looked upon as one of the most sub White House. It appears that the South attaches more importance to the issue of sectionalism and it's possible effect on the party than does the North. Mir. Underwood, in his speeches. has given good reasons why the South is entitled not only to consideration as regards the presidency, but to proper rep resentation in the government departments and functions. His position in this matter
  doubts and hesitation among those in the South who attached undue importance to the alleged prejudice against Southern candi- date.
 There is no reason why a candidates as- pirations to the presidency should be dis counted because of his residence South of the Mason and Dixon line. Those who hold to the contrary, even though their attitude be founded on fancy rather than fact, are un- consciously magnifying a sectionalism whose embers are presumed long since to have been smothered beneath the national spirit. Sem ator Underwood's public record and qualifi- cations for the position to which he aspires are widely recognized in the North and East, as well as in the South. There is no sec tional prejudice against him. Two inter national conflicts in which the American nation had part have destroyed such preju- dice. If there should be any remaining dis unity whole-hearted joining of Demo- cratic forces the country over to nominate a Southern man for president and his election by the nation on the basis of his pre-eminent fitness for the exalted position, would do more than anything else forever to eliminate from the minds of the American people any momentous decision on purely geographical grounds
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
THE WORD CURRENCY"

It is curious, although perfectly natural. that one of our words designating money. comes from the word ito run" Currency" is a term of which the root is the Latin "curro," to run.'
 The average man and woman readily grasps the significance of the relationship between money and the verb, ''to ruu," For speedy motion away from the man and woman who have earned it iA one of the most strik- ing characteristics of currency, whether ill the form of paper, gold, silver, nickel or cop per
 The most pressing pfoblem of government is to retard as much as possible the running of currency, and make 1t abide longer in the pockets into which 1t has been beguiled by much artful effort titude that makes for the presidency of en organization. fr..
 SO if you want to know wbethe" you in getting ahead in the world. regardless of the relation of your present pay check to last years pay check. ask yourself If you kpoM more this year than you did last year nbnut your business, the world in general and about the higher things of life. If you dn then yon are getting ahead and vol need not fret about the future. It will take care Of itself.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

but the fathers firm decision not to loosen up in favor of the worthless son-in.law, may render a bit less bold the attempts Of un- desirable foreign title-hoiders to get much for nothing H4tH sf,'St
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
ANLuNFAIR PRnP0sAI.

It is extremely pleasing to announce thnt the spirit of charity which now envelopes hu- manity has completely obscured the outrage ous proposal made by Utica girl to have all married men tattooed.-Milwaukee News Journal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01
His Power Is Not Used

In Garst Garrett's latest novel, "Satan's Bushel," mingled with a lot of mysticism that some readers will find absurd without being amusing, there are certain economic ideas that at least are the results of thought and are provocative of it. The author is particularly interested in the case of the farmer in his relation to the grain market, and he notes as a strange and significant fact that. though the farmer, by being the only producer of the worlds first necessary, food, ought to have the world at his mercy, he does not oc- cupy that position, but is himself at the mercy of those dependent from day to day on him for life itself.
 That is because the farmer, when he has something to sell, takes what is offered for it by those who want to get it as cheaply as they can, while when he buys anything he gives what is demanded by those whose effort is to get all they can for it.
 To this peculiar state of affails and rela- tion to markets the author ascribes in great part the farmers present plight, waich, after all. is only an aggravation of the plight in which the farmer almost always finds him self.
 Why should this be so? The obvious an swer is that the farmer has himself to blame for his own woes-that, if he were more intelligent and shrewd, he loag since. by some form of cooperative selling would have gained control of the market in which he now has so very little to say. That explanation. however, is far too simple as solution of problem 50 complicated as this one. Far mers, middlemen and consumers constitute each a very ancient institution, and there is more than a chance that each of them is what he is because, in the nature of things, he cannot be anything else.
 It even may be that the consumer is not bit more dependent on the farmer than the farmer is on the consumer, and that the middleman is the inevitable link between the two. Certainly the middleman oply takes another name when he is the manager of the cooperative storehouse and it's distributing agencies. The. difference then is that he be- comes a hired man instead of working for himself, and perhaps, taking smaller risks, he is willing to work for smaller wages.-New ] ork Times. -
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

The Brooklyn '. Nj. c. A. has established a six-weeks' course in how to select wife. It might we'll be supplemented by practical course is how to provide the resulting family necessities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

It is not surprising that Europeans com plain of difficulty to understand American politics. Americans themselves have the same thouble.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-01

The extent to which congress makes mess of tax legislation will best be tested by the next election returns.