davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Secret Of Christmas
By DIR. FRANK CRANE

"N HEN, be human; it is your first duty"' WI said Rousseau.
 AVA What a powerful, penetrating sig nificance in that word "human"
 It means something nearer and dearer than all families
 It has in it more passion than the bangs of lovers.
 It is closer to the heart than all brother hoods of the elect. .'
 It is more divine to feel the thrill of hn- manity that binds us even to the lowest or strangest of men than to feel the pulse of patriotism.
 It links us to the men of the grim past, and makes Homer sweet Socrates fellow, and Buddha intimate. Not by their greatness, by their super-humanity, but by their human quality, they grasp us.
 It is better to be human than to be good.
 Only that goodness which is human has the militant, winning, irresistible fire.
 When badness is human it is half redeemed.
 It is the human element that makes great literature Because of it 'Les Miserables," "Tristram Shandy," David Copperfield," and Treasure Island' live forever.
 The influence of Jesus is due to the fact that the red pulse of the world beats in His lips.
 No American stands so high as Lincoln, be- cause Lincoln was most wholly human.
 One touch of genuine sentiment warns the world.
 Be human for that is the secret of real success, whether on the playhouse stage, on the political platform in the court room be- fore jury, in the pulpit, in the newspaper, ill book.
 When all is done the world keeps the hu- man part of your work. The rest is slag and waste.
 Be human and cut out all Gordian knots, so you will solve the problem of capital and labor, even of mistress and kitchen maid.
 What divOrces might have been avoided, what arrangements between parent and- child might have been mended, what frictions in the schoolroom, the shop, and the union might have been smoothed, if we had remembered to be human!
 The baby rules the house because he alone is utterly human. He has not yet learned the artificial inhumanities of civilization.
 The vices are human. But the cure for them is to go deeper into the heart. For the virtues are more human than the vices. Love- self-sacrifice, courage, and cheer are more human than all black perversions and beasty selfishness
 And here you have the secret of Christmas of mankind in the year-long war of getting on at two points-birth and death. There, rank and pelf and class disappear dissolved in the humanities.
 As a race we touch our great humanity at but one point, Christmas. Then the Gospel emerges from the debris of creeds, and from the scorn of our worldly wisdom. Then, once, we listen to the sage, who says:
 Men, be human! It is your first duty"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

by those who bear it now. Taxpayers meet any deficit in the postoffice depart ment. They will meet any deficit of those who are forced to pay additional taxes. Taxation is taxation whatever the form. An indirect tax is as burdensome as a direct tax. The government must decide whether it is better to disrupt the channels for dissemination of .informa- ton through the imposition of an indirect tax, or to continue the present method of taking a direct tax.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

Vice is always punished-on the stage.
 A very young man likes to be taken for a cynic.
 To the pure all things are not delivered in milk wagons.
 NarroV minded men and women talk about persons instead of things.
 A man is foolish to go around looking for trouble unless he is strenuous enough to take fall out of it.
 And many a girl has been able to support herself and large collection of relatives by marrying the right man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
The CrOss-WOrd Puzzle.

Walton and Davis walked into the restau- rant together. :, Well Davis, luck's against me today Walton exclaimed
 "What's the trouble?" Davis asked
 Well I promised to meet my wife here and have lunch with her." Walton explained, and then hastened to add: "No, don't laugh yeti l don't mind having lunch with my wife But she has that Mrs. Mosby with her who is perfect bore! Mrs. Mosby talks about the most impossible things you could imagine Why her conversation would drive wooden man to desperation!" A moment later Davis decided the time had come to laugh, for as Walton came up to the table where his wife and Mrs. Mosby were seated he heard Mrs. Walton say Hello Fred, dear. Mrs. Mosby and were just talking about you
 Mrs. Don Ferguson.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Brief Nature Studies
>N COLD, frosty mornings at Rock
 , Lonesome, when films of shining crystal S
By J. OTIS SWIFT

ON COLD, frosty mornings at Rock Lonesome, when films of shining crystal ~> cover brooks and sphagnum bogs, old stumps are frosted with white, and black loam along the trails is thrust up by under lying needles of ice, frost-flowers bloom in lovely fantastic shapes about the root-stalks of sere Helianthemum canadense, or frost weed. These are not yellow flowers of the rock rose but masses of ice crystals shot out woven and spun by Jack Frost's sprites, dur ing the night, from the cracked rootstalks of the weeds just above the ground.
 Frost-weed is the best known plant from which these ice masses spring, but is not the only one Frost-flowers are found about the feet of thirty or more different plants, herb aceous annuals and perennials, and sometimes trees.
 When the life in the stem croops down into the roots, leaving the stalk sere but roots in the warm ground still alive, osmotic pres sure continues pumping water up the dead stem where, freezing it bursts the stem, and the escaping sap, congealing in the open air, forms lovely crystals and convolutions called frost-flowers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Holly

The holly in tho wiGtef wood In dark and som5er shadow stood, e All suddenly a gnorne came " With merry twinkle in its eve, And dropped tear uf joy to see So glossy and SC 70 a ere" And then the hoilg turned 'tS head And all its berries blushed $ red That everybody now excl"irs How bright and beaurfui flames
 B. E. in 8. .imOre SHu.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Ain't It the Truth.

Ain't It the Truth. It must be truthfully stated, Modern life's so complicated Husbands now must have more lives than any cat; For at fancied irritation, With no chance for conversation, Wives await them with pearly-handled gat' "Yes, I drilled hole through hubby; He was getting much too tubby." That's the alibi that has jury won. And she smiles upon him sweetly As the foreman, most discreetly, Makes his little speech and hands her back her gun.
 F. w. Sinclair.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Economy of Words.

Now, boys," the teacher said, T want each one of you to write an essay of about 5O0 words on the automobile" Silence followed in the classroom, broken only by the scratching of the youngsters pencils. Before the others were fairly started one little chap had his essay finished! This is what the teacher read, over hls shoulder: My father had an automobile. He took it out the other day and went for ride. One of the front wheels came off and It mt a tree"
 Teacher was surprised.
 Why, Frank" she said, you haven't written 800 words. This is less than 5O." II know" the little chap replied, but father used the other 450 words when he had to walk back to the garage and tell them to tow his car in.'
 ". Barlow.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
THE WONDER STATE

North Carolina is a wonderful State. Over in Hickory the other day the register of deeds and county treasurer, recently elected by the citizens of Catawba county to serve two years, took the oath of office and immediately re- signed. They stated they did not feel capable of filling the jobs.-Twin City Sentinel.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

which are nothing but confirmation of opin- ions they held before they set out on their tours to write "the truth about Russia" Com munists find it a paradise and others either a hell chaos. Only once in a while an unprejudiced mind comes with real news. As, for instance, Dr. A. A. Johnson, of New York. And such man tells wholly dif- ferent story. A s... d
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

The longer the average man'lives the more he realizes that the greater part of the worlds conversation is both waste of breath and attention.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

An official probe into the tragic death of the air mail pilot may be of some sat- isfaction to others in that service; but | it comes too late to benefit the victim.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

One of the notable Christmas features was the usual contest to determine who could send the biggest gobbler to the White House.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

In her latest proposal to join the League of Nations Germany again demon strates that whatever she lacks in ma terial things, there is no shortage of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
JOuNpS A FINE EEIJOW

There's another thing for which we like John w. Davis. In addition to taking his defeat like real man-and in defeat we may best judge man-he hasn't showed the slightest inclination to write any memoirs Marion Star
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Grateful,

The Christmas carol sweet and clear Does sound so grateful to the ear. With me it always makes a hit,- They haven't syncopated it.
 -Athos.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Holland and Belgium.

Now, and again in Belgium a discussion arises over the provinces of Brabant, Flanders and Limburg which lie across the borders in Holland and which the nationalists would like to see added to the kingdom of Belgium. It will be recalled that the congress of Berlin drew an arbitrary line separating the Meth erlands into Belgium and Holland. The Bel gians claim that Zealand Flanders and the other two provinces should have been awarded to them. There is little doubt if the matter was left to the choice of the people living in these provinces, that they would unqualifiedly vote in favor of remaining part of the Dutch kingdom. But the Belgian imperialists for even small country may have such class, would not hesitate to make few demonstra- tions on the Dutch border. In case of a conflict the forces would be about evenly di- vided, though Belgium would, in all probabil- ity, have the moral, if not the physical sup port of France, as she had in the war of 1880. The wisest contribution to the discussion in this matter comes from a society of Belgian veterans, who declare that they are opposed to any armed conflict or even a mere ref erence to it. Those ex-soldiers incidentally verify the words of Julius Caesar, who re- marked upon one occasion that ''old veterans were the most cautious when it concerns talk of a new expedition" So they should, they have the experience.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

The gift of hundred thousand dollars to help young lady musical students by a Cincinnati lady apparently did not in- clude those whose voice prospects are perfectly satisfactory to doting mothers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
ANT SCIENCE WONDERFUL!

Science is now learning to make sugar from the artichoke. thus at last providing an excuse for growing the curious weed.-Chi- cago News.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
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 lAnSA9 M4XsOW FQKlH4kk NDEZL
Passing the Buck.

First Cop :'"This guys been poisoned by narcotic of some kind. Slap him, and keepa slappin' him, to keep him awake"
 Second Cop Gan ex-pugilist) You slap him. If I slap him I'll put him ter sleep
 F. K. Koch.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Official Silence.

Editor: q want you to go over and Inter- view Senator Dormat." Reporter: "But he says he won't talk for publication" Editor: "An right, I'll send along stem ographer to help you"
 -G. W. Watford.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Foresight.

Mildred didn't lose any time in announcing her engagement, did she?' "No, indeed. She had the announcement cards printed before Jack proposed"
 Mrs. Hugh Baer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

The stealth of hundred thousand
 dollars worth of heavy furs reported in
 Chicago might be better understood if it had occurred in the midst of the heated season.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
A ToUCH OE sAvACERy

The civilized peoples are those that pay the highest prices for beads.-San Francisco Chronicle
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

What a great thing it would be at the close of the year for the ship of state to be on an even keel, with nobody rocking the boat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

If the choice were left to mo. whether 70 have . free prsss or . free government. wouio ehooss q free prosA-Thomas Jefferson
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
The Way nf All Flesh.

The Way Of All Flesh. First Fat Woman: What are you doing to reduce?"
 Second F. w.. Worrying"
 e. B. Loughbridge. Women like to go into beauty parlors be- cause they make so much of a customer. Copyright 1924. Reproduction Forbidden.l
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
All, THEY DO IS TALK

ALL IIIEH IIU To AEALN Some candidates would not worry about say ing something new if they could only say any thing at all.-Indianapolis Star.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
Truth AhOut Russia.

Captain Francis McCullagh, who is writ ing columns and columns of observations on
 Russia, but who really tells nothing new, reiterates the charge that the bolsheviks are determined to stamp out religion in Russia. He quotes Lunacharsky and other leaders as denouncing religion in words of bitter oppo- sition, but words which, after all, pale in
 strength of denunciation compared with state ments upon the same subject by Rene Viviani, Aristide Briand, Georges Clemenceau or even Edouard Herriot. But Captain McCullagh admits that "the Baptists were graciously allowed to hold conference in Moscow" and that the Methodist evangelical work is doing rather well. There is also a Roman Catholic mission in Russia, which has extended it's sphere of influence "beyond expectation" in the words of Osservatore Romano, the Vat jeans official publication. Now Baptists or Methodsts or Roman Catholics were not al- lowed in the Russia of the czars. They came in after the revolution, along with the Sal vation Army which boasts of having more than 40 corps in the republics. It was indeed graceful to allow these people to carry on their religious work as the Holy Orthodox church was supreme and alone in the days before the atheists got i'll control. The trouble with observers who go to Russia or who merely hang around at Riga or Reval, ever watching for a chance bit of gossip from travellers, is that they write impressloRe
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
POPUIAR IDEA OF SAFETY

Most everybody's ea of safety first is for the other fellow to take all the precautions.- Peoria Journal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
LnYA and Politics.

Though it seems now clear that Leon Trot- zky's illness is due to wholly natural causes, first reports had added q little touch of romance with the statement that in all prob ability the man had been poisoned. The Ger man papers even went so far as to declare that the poison had been administered by a woman, whose love the war commissar had scorned in the day of his phenomenal sue cess. It would have made an interesting anecdote for later historians, who like to show how the feminine element and love af- fairs have played their parts upon the des- tinies of mankind. There is. for instance, the case of Robespierre, the Incorruptible. When he was fast heading for the imperial or royal crown, it was not the opposition of his polit- ical antagonists that curbed his ambition, but it was Tallien. After Robespierre had thrown Therezia, Tallien's lady love in jail, the young deputy did what Robespierre's enemies would not have dared. During one of the sessions Tallien rushed to the tribune, where the In corruptible was speaking, seized him by the throat, threw him to the ground and later fired his pistol at him. It was the end of Robespierre's power. Not all his security police could protect him after that. Love was stronger than violent politics.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
THE ~5xSxsas w~~ '%W2iiSaRBkSsfia;ilIIl| i;ilIIl
Church Union.
THE conferences at Malines

THE conferences at Malines in Belgium
 between dignitaries belonging to the
 Roman Catholic, the Greek Church and the Anglican body are to be resumed. The patriarch of Besarabia, Mgr. Germanos, who has attended the conferences along with Lord Halifax, Cardinal Mercier and the chancellor of Oxford university, said recently at Oxford that the spirit of agreement in the conference room was remarkable, but that he feared there would not be such a response among the masses of adherents of the various Christian bodies He added that Christendom was ashamed over it's division. Bishop Gore of the Anglican body remarked upon the en- thusiasm with which the churches had thrown themselves into the war and contrasted with that warlike spirit their extraordinary leth- argy with regard to the insistence on inter- national peace. The reports of the Anglican and Greek representatives made it clear that all parties were in agreement on the necessity of Christian union. '"The Christian church is one and indivisible," remarked Mgr. Ger manos, but it was also apparent that though all parties in the conference room had be- lieved in the fact of one fold, they had not been able to agree on the shepherd. Though the conferences will be continued, and they are wholly unofficial, they will probably break down upon the same old question, the su- premacy of the Roman pontiff.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
THE AGE.HERALD


Entered at Birmingham, Ala. post office as sec
 snd-class matter. act of Congress March 6. 1873.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

Telephone (private branch exchange connect Ing all departments). Main +soo
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF NORTH AMERr' CAN NEWSPAPER ALLIANCE IN ALABAMA
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25
TO THE POINT

Copyright. 1924. Reproduction Forbid
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

Depicting American People.-The Stone Mountain memorial will depict the hardness, the determination of the American people. History does not record greater persistence than that of the armies of the Confectionery, which fought through four years and against overwhelming odds. The memorial is not in- tended to rekindle the hatreds of those years. If such were the purpose, the citizens of the south would be the first to protest.-Mont- gomery Journal.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

A Discouraging RecOrd.-Birmingha1 which city already stands near the top of the list of those in which automobile accidents occur frequently, established new record during the day and night Tuesday, when nineteen persons were injured in various ac- cidents. One need not spend more than a day around the Magic City to understand the reason why so many accidents occur there.-- Florence Times + ~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-25

ZEN, be human; it is your first duty !' VI said Rousseau. What a powerful, penetrating sig
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-10
lyey-J Jackson
 Engagement ]. Announced

LAKE JUNALUSKA--An event of interest Wednesday was the afternoon reception given by Mrs. J. Dale Stentx to compliment, members of the younger element summering at Lake Junaluska, and announcing the engagement and approaching marriage of Miss Rather inc Ivey, daughter of Mir. and ndrs. U. B. Ivey of Charlotte, and Irwin Jackson, son of Mir. and Mrs. F. M. Jackson of Birmingham.
 The engagement announcement came in the nature of surprise and was declared to be one of the most unique ment ever witnessed.
 The guest list incruded approximately 1O0 friends of families of Miss Ivey andJ Mir. Jackson and several visitors of ihe two families.
 For the occasion the beautiful home of Mir. and Mrs. Stentz was profusely decorated in summer flowers of the va r1ous shades of yellow, dahlias, golden glow. sunflowers and "cut-and-come- again" being lavisly used in cornuco- pias, baskets and vases on porch and living and dining room. Yellow can- dles and yellow shades on the electric fixtures were used on the mantels and tables, and the yellow note was further carried out in the confections and ices Receiving with Mrs. Stentz were Mrs J. B. Ivey of Charlotte; Mrs. D. s. Maffett, Lott, Texas; Mrs. F. M. Jack son, Birmingham; Mrs. George R. Stu art Birmingham; Mrs. Archer Jetti- john. Lynchburg, Va; Mrs. James Preston, Louisville, and Mrs. Thurston B. Price, Lake Ju4aluska. Presiding over the refreshment table and pour ing coffee were Mts. Mary Gunnell, Dallas: Mrs. Andrew Hemphi1l and Mrs. Robert E. Ezzell, Fort Worth, Texas.
 Preceding the engagement announce ment short musical program are rem dered. A violin number by Miss Aure- lia Adams and Miss Ora Mizell, ac- companist, of Tampa and reading by Mrs. F. M. Jackson, Jr., of Birming- ham, were pleasing. As the bridal cho- rus from 'Lohengrin" was given and 70 Promsise Me" sang by Mrs. Pruitt, Miss Bernice Req sounded Mendels- sohni's wedding march and little Jane and David Stentz, 3 and 5, respectively, dressed as bride as groom, entered to the strains of the wedding march.
 The miniature bridal pair marched across the length of the living room to the stairway, where the groom, in full dress suit, kissed the little bride as she prepared to ascend the stairs. At the head of the stairs the little bride turned and threw her bridal bou- Quet, which was caught by Miss Kath- crime Ivey, who was declared to be the next bride. Upon investigation it was found that the bouquet contained a wedding announcement written on a scroll, announcing the engagement and approaching marriage of Miss Rather inc 1vey to Mir. Irwin Jackson, Septem- Der 10. Nh
 The marriage will take place in the chapel of the mission building here and the ceremony will be performed by the Rev. George R. Stuart, D. D., of Bir- mingham.
 This marriage will unite two of the most prominent families in North Car olina and Alabama, and since the an-