davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
EVIDENCE OF SINCERITY

The effort that has been made by certain forces in Alabama to misinter- pret and discredit the clear-cut and un- equivocal position of Senator Underwood in the matter of the enforcement of the eighteenth amendment should now be completely nullified by MT. Tunstalls restatement of the declaration in Sena- tor Underwood's letter to Dr. Crumpton, and that the delegation chosen from Alabama is to be definite in its opposi- tion to any modification of the Volstead act. That former Governor Conner, one of the leading prohibitionists of the na- tion, is to name one-half of the delega- tion and the member of the platform committee but evidences the sincerity of the declaration that Alabama will send men known to be against any platform declaration to the contrary. In the ab- absence of. direct vote of the people on the delegation, rather than on the candidate, these declarations and as- curances present the most certain method of assuring that the overwhelm- ing sentiment in this state for prohi- bition will be recognized and respected.
 In acceptance of the compliment paid him by the Underwood campaign com mittee Governor Conner clearly defines the overwhelming sentiment in Alabama when he emphasizes the, duty of the citizenship to accept as a finished fact principle when embodied in statutes, evidencing in his statement explicit rec ognition of,swhat he terms the Under wood principle" He also shows clearly the duty of Alabama citizenship when he urges that, when Alabama has citi- zen holdingg the confidence of party members in other states of the Union all minor. differences or disagreements should be set aside and notice served on the nation sthat Alabama is fully con- scious of the high capacity of the dis tinguished Son whom this state is to present to sthe party as candidate for the presidency.
 Holding no antagonism to any other aspiring party member; passing Ala bAma's claims for its own citizen upon his fitnesseand high capacity, and not upon the demerits of some one else; prepared in sincerity and persistent pur- pose. to keep his name before that gathering of Democrats who shall make the@@ choice-such should be the desire of all Alabama in it's en- couragement of Senator Underwood'' ambition. Sass Ss.ss: -a.+ as -...-..
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
sTATEeUNDERTAKEs UPKEEP

The stats highway commission de- serves puBTic commendation for its pur- pose of proNiding for state maintenance of the roads it constructs in the coun- ties. Maintenance is a responsibility properly laid upon the commission by the law under which it operates, and recognition of this responsibility is in- surance of such maintenance. It of course is essential that the commission devote its funds to such types of con- struction as will call for the smallest maintenance expenditure, which will mean also the smallest total of cost during the period of the roads service. The commission has already revealed a high grade of intelligence in dealing with it's road problems, some of which are an inheritance from period of more or less tentative endeavor. The counties may well believe themselves favored by this decision and may well utilize their gasoline-tax, revenues in efficient high way construction of their own.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
AS fo NATURE STUDY
By ADpiNeToN BRUCE

Once more, according to reports from the various sources, the Gradgrinds are demand ing that nature study be dropped from the public schools. They denounce it as fad and frill. non-essential useless in helping to a successful life.
 Which only goes to show that the Grad grinds have a sadly curious notion of what constitutes successful life For the mat ter of that even on the Gradgrind basis of working ability and money-making as the criteria of success there is every reason. not for dropping nature study from the schools, but for giving much time to nature study. Working ability and money-making depend on the development of sundry qualities, not the least important of which are patience, thoroughness, accuracy of observation, and ability to think logically. All of these quali- ties are insistently cultivated by nature study.
 As will be appreciated by anyone in the least familiar with the requirements for ef- ficient study of trees and flowers and rocks, of beasts and birds and insects, of land and sea and sky. In addition, thanks to the in- stinctive interest of children in nature, the cultivating of the "suceess-winning' quali- ties through nature study involves neither drudgery for the children nor coercion on the teachers part.
 Of course though, there are other, and conspicuously important reasons for finding d place for nature study in the curriculum of every school. Some of these reasons have lately been we'll stated by one who has hlm- self profited much from nature study
 "The average child is not going to travel widely-his life is bound to be rather monote- nous, the daily tasks will be necessarily re- peated. c
 If we can give him some appreciation of the wonders of the night sky. of the marvels of flowers and trees, birds and insects, rocks, minerals and the forces that are at work all around him, he will realize in a measure that the commonplace things are very won- derful. He will have at his disposal a con. stant source of enjoyment and means of increased culture"
 And more htan this, as phrased by parent justly indignant at hearing that the school might banish nature study as not being a practical" subject:
 'There is hunger of the spirit no less than hunger of the body, and any subject of study that tends to satisfy that hunger is of practical value-immeasurably so. Nature study will do this in considerable measure when properly carried on."
 When properly carried on-there's the rub Not to drop nature study, but to insist upon it's being taught in such a way that it's highest implications will be realized is indeed, point worth urging. The time should cOme-may it come soon-when every school will have at last one nature study specialist, teacher alive to the spiritual as well as intellectual and recreational possibilities of nature study, and trained to transmit these to the little ones in his or her charge.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
BRANDON COULD STOP IT

The public fails to be impressed with the arguments put forth by various proponents of the use of the lash in dis ciplining convicts. Not only is there noted disposition on the part of one or more members of he Jefferson county board of revenue to defend the use of the lash, but the grand jury of Shelby county recently recorded its opinion in favor of the lash in "ex- treme cases" The trouble is that mod ern methods of penal administration have come to halt in Alabama, and are even actually slipping backwards. That is because those now in charge of such affairs are reactionary, instead of pro- gressive. Convicts in Alabama are no worse than convicts elsewhere. Yet there are penal institutions in many states where the discipline is far and away above that of Alabama, and still where the lash and other barbarous and inhumane means of punishment are not resorted to. Quite the contrary.
 The most serious objection to the use of the lash or the doghouse among con- victs is that the punishment is inflicted without fair trial, and is administered often by those who have a personal animus to gratify in addition to satisfy ing the supposed demands of justice. If the lash were applied only as the re- suit of court sentence after fair trial and by agents of law not connected with the supervision of convicts, then it might be defended. But as an opening for the venting of personal spleen against individuals unable to help them selves, it is travesty of justice and not
 be tolerated by decent citizenship.
 Then who is to judge whether or not a case is "extreme?" A case might appear to warden, whose pride of authority has been injured, as far more serious than it would appear to 'an impartial ob- server. Besides, does not the law ex- pressly provide that extreme cases shall be regularly tried by the circuit court? The report of the jury says that since the lash has been abolished in Alabama the two mutinies, one at Banner and one at Aldrich, have occurred. It is true that the one at Banner occurred before the use of the lash was restored, but the one at Aldrich occurred after the lash was restored, so that argument falls by its own weight Did it not oc- cur to the grand jury that the most significant factor in both cases is that both mutinies took place among leased convicts driven to work in the mines for private profit? Let the basic fact not be ignored that Alabama's leasing sys- tenn is brutalizing and indefensible, and that it's essential inhumanity breeds de- fiance of the man-drivers and not re- spect for discipline. Besides, is the real basis of the mutiny not resentment at uncalled for mistreatment by ignorant guards or wardens? It need not be analysed as primarily a revolt against state authority.
 Why not say that Governor Brandon, who has it within his power to halt con vict leasing at any time, is i'll some measure responsible for these outbreaks? ? He, whose heart bleeds for the individ- ual law violator whose appeal for mercy is before him, finds his heart flinty hard against wholesale cries for mercy and justice. NoA are the people de-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
: .SeIf-Reverence
By m. FRANK CRANE

If I were ssled what trait more than an other would rathsf tee in child of mine I would sayz Self ltsverence. Life is most surely sv,oiled by thinking too low of oneself. Self Reyefence is m the more valuable b. cause it is 50 difficult to attain, and because it can be so easily confused with things that are not good. The line between Self-Rever- ence and Self Conceit may be hard to see, but there is line. just as there is between animal and, vegetable. You know . horse fss different from cabbage, even If 1t may be. impossible to tell to which natural kingdom some deep-sea organism may belong. And Self Reverence is wholly consistent with that crowning grace of soul grandeur, humility. That great teacher who most realized His divine quality was humblest of men. 's r It is Self Reverence that keeps the com mandments in the dark. It is thousand times better to be held back from doing q wrong thing by, our self lf-shame than by the shame of being found out. Self-Reverence is the only reliable exhaustless fountain of wo.., mans virtue No woman goes down. until she tespeises herself. Self-Reverenc is as inl7 portant as reverence for God; it is the other half of it. One who honestly reverences him. self must reverence God and vice versa. ,,
 And the tragedy of the soul is Self Con tempt. ttilof ]
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
pAROrEs AND VIOLATIONS

Time and" again it has been demon strated that the more widespread the impression among criminals and those who are tempted to violate the law that there are good chances to escape pun ishment through lax or technical court procedure or through generous use of the pardoniig power, the more violation of law A Jefferson county criminal convicted of burglary, grand larceny buying, recAiving and concealing stolen property, and sentenced for two to three years, was .paroled last June. He is now back in Kilby prison to complete the maximum sentence because he was re. gently arrested on charge of embezzle, ment, and was reported to have con- fessed. ..as{
 Whether or not he figured on being
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
MORE TRUTH THAN POETRY
 (Ry E. F. KiaeP)

They told me that the radio
 The able salesman sold me Would never squeak or squawk or show A single fault-they told me! That radio, the salesman said,
 Would be so entertaining That I'd forget to go to bed,
 Nor ever be complaining. Tt works so simply" said the man
 who urged me till l bought 1t, That you will soon become fan
 And nightly glad you got it. No complicated things to spoil
 Your confidence or pleasure, No need to fool with tube or coil, No currents you must measure. Just turn Ter on and let Ter go,
 The salesman told me gayly You'll never sicken of it-no,
 You'll like it better daily. It's simple, as I've said before;
 A child can start it going-- A turn or two, and nothing more,
 Whatever wind is blowing Yes, you, perhaps have heard it, too The story I've been telling; One seldom meets a salesman who
 Condemns the thing he's selling. They told me that the set l bought
 Would keep me feeling jolly That it was perfect to a dot And they were right, by golly
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
WATCHING THE PARADE
By JOHN PILGRIM

It happened that the other day picked up De Quincey's Opium Eater,' and chanceda' upon this sentence {. ~Certainly. Mir. Shelley is right in his no.a ticns about old age; unless powerfully coun.' teracted by all sorts of opposite agencies, it, ;s A miserable corrupter and blighter to the genial charities of the human heart. s1i
 Certainly Messrs, De Quincey and Shelley, were about as wrong as they could be. Or else they met different sort of old men and women than the sort run across every day. A more genial, generous, kindly lot II have never known. They may not pc quite as bubbling and bursting with merriment as are the kids of twenty. They may not be quite as tolerant of folly. r so
 Pups are taught more by m old dog x; growls," a, dog trainer once told me, than a master can teach them:' as
 But the old folks that know are the salt that keeps the rest of us from spelling. Theif' Think over the old folks you know. Almost without exception the old ones will suggest that one withhold judgment-temper criti= cisn,-be kindly until all the facts are known and then be merciful. They speak for gen. erosity-4not a wasteful extravagance-fork for wide latitude of opinion and fair hearing-and for a delayed Judgment It iss youth, it seems to me, that is
 "A miserable corrupter and a brighter to the genial charities of the human heart.
 Most of us, I think, soften and mellow and grow more kindly and genial as we in- crease in age. It is only the disappointed, vexed, soured, envious oldster who lives up to the opinion held of him by Messrs. Shelley and De Quincey. And. nine times out of ten. you can pick out that man when he is eighteen years old as well as when he IS eighty The fact is that his aged crabbed- ness is simply failure to rid himself of the miserable blight and corruption of youth.7 Call up your old folks for review. If they are not more kindly and genial and forgiv- ing than the young ones 17.
 We'll. then, you've got the wrong sort of old folks. !' 'ii
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
Conceived the Great Drama

N2A1ut'AhV HIoNuVUE NIuIIyV .
 The fortunate fact is that though Wood row Wilson has departed this life, he has left behind him heritage that will continue to augment and to enlarge the scope of its benefits through all the ages to come. Though there have been those who scoffed. and still are yet the number of those who believe that the great vision can be made reality grows and grows. It is sad thing that the United States has played the role of a by stander in the great drama of human con quest over human habit and human baser impulses, a drama in which five-sixths of the governments of the world, and four. fifths of the earth's people are taking part Yet Woodrow Wilson conceived that drama and he cast therein a role that can be played only by his native land. and which even. tually his native land will come to play to make the company complete.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
A HEAVY TOLL
 Raleigh News and Observer

(Raleigh News and UbsefverJ
 Is industry as safe as war? Samuel Mccoy has been studying statistics and finds that one out of every 5000 workers in New York last year was killed while at work, or died from injury or disease sui fered or contracted at work. and that there was an increase of 25 per cent. over the number for the first six months of 1922 What causes this appalling list of killed and wounded? The answer given is that it is partly due to the speeding up of pro- duction in shop and factories and partly to the lack of appreciation on the part of the employer as to what can be done to insure safety for his workers, and partly to the failure of the worker to bear in mind at every moment of the day that any careless ness which results in injury to himself causes suffering not only to himself, but to those dependent upon him."
 There must be a remedy, an armistice to lessen this toll
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
Birmingham, Ala, Feb. $, 1924.
For Student. in Europe
To the Editor. of The Age-Herald ::

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 At this time when SO many appeals are being made to relieve the suffering in Germany, I want to offer to people who are interested in constructive help to their fellow men an opportunity to give through the Student Friendship Fund. This is an organization which has done much in the last four years to keep alive the intellectual life of Eu- rope. Help has been given by the stu dents of thirty-five countries to students in seventeen countries-in many cases actually making it possible for the uni versailles to keep running.
 The relief is not charity, but is given through student cooperative organiza- tions, which are run to help the students help themselves. It has fostered and made possible the new work-student of Europe. To save the lives of children is necessary, but we must also save the teachers who are to make these children worthy citizens. Surely help to the stu dent of today means better understands ing among the leaders of tomorrow Checks may be sent to the Student Friendship Fund, 347 Madison avenue, New York City. HELEN OGDEN,
 Executive Secretary. New York, Jan. IT., 1924.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
THE MASS MEETING

The city-wide mass meeting called for this afternoon to consider plans and pro- grams in connection with several pro- posed public Improvements IS ot far reaching import. It is hoped that this meeting will be representative of com munity thought, wish and purpose. Every group and interest, therefore, should be represented, so that some idea of what the people want. what they view as most important for community welfare, and what they are willing to do by way of providing such needs as m their view seem wisest and best may De obtained.
 The most purely democratic of all ac- tivities, the public mass meeting, to be truly representative, should afford an opportunity to ascertain full public sen- tinent. At least, after proposed meas ures are considered from every point of view, it would be easier to formulate a program on which the people could ade- auately express their will at an election, which, of course, must determine any issue that arises as affecting the public welfare.
 It is probable that several proposals for public improvements will come be- fore the mass meeting. That would en- able representative gathering to con- sider all conditions and angles of the subjects under discussion and prepare a way definitely to ascertain the peoples sentiments through a referepdum. In any event., where there is any marked difference of opinion as to plans, ways and means in mass meeting, such as that of today should be, the discussion should be valuable in developing 8 proper program.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08

cleared through technicalities, or on get ting . parole in the event of conviction on the original charge, he showed little appreciation, of his parole, just as many others do when paroles are seemingly easy to obtain, It is the fear of prompt and certain punishment that reduces violations of the law. Unwarranted use of the pardon and parole power may soothe the sentimental appeal, but it does not go far to protect society against those who would disorganize its The power of parole is too solemn a thing for it to be too freely employed
 by one who apparently does not fully understand its purpose. .
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
VETERANS BUREAU AGAIN

This is the sopen season for investiga- tion of fraudulent activities in high places. The prominence of the oil-Tease inquiry, to which has lately been added the treasury bond duplication charge, has quite overshadowed the Veterans Bureau allegations. Yet it appears that forces have been quietly at work for warding the case for the veterans and that now Chicago grand jury, specially convened i'll the federal court, will re- view the evidence. Federal Judge George A. Carpenter in his charge to this jury, said: If there is evidence of misconduct of officers of the Veterans Bureau it will be your duty to indict, regardless of whom you hit" To be sure, thatsis the proper rule. It is un- fortunate that it should ever be thought necessary to tell an American jury to indict, regardless of whom it might hit. But when there is such occasion it is we'll indeed. that the judge should so charge. A
 Although abere was much talk at the beginning of the Republican administra- tion about prosecutions for alleged ir- regularities during the war administra- tion of the Democratic party, it came to nothing. Now the Republicans find themselves4in the unenviable position of being forced to prosecute members of their own party and of their own admin istration. Singularly enough, they even had to go outside of the administration to discover the talent for such prosecu- tion. It is hoped that the Chicago grand jury will be able to make a complete inquiry, such as the importance of the ease demands
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-08
ON TEACHING PEACE
Teaching the world the way of peace is de' <,
By JOHN CARLYLE

Teaching the world the way of peace is des- a tined to be the sublime undertaking ot the ,iages Teaching is the exact word TOT tne'' | world cannot be made a place of peace in a day or yeaf or in many years But cSeIlssss tuaay the people of the earth can be taughts peace. That is the task for the present genz . eration to begin. y gs
 Is it any wonder that wars have. nevefs q gone out of fashion and are not out of fash ion today? From childhood men and women are brought up on war and the gay trapgs- pings of war. They learn as little ones wg9 talk in the language of war. Army ana navy life and all the glamor of military pageantry begin to appeal to the child before he IS aDie to think what it means. From ofrtn 70 oeasn Tr we live in the atmosphere of armament; The most stirring music is martial music. In our teens we are set athrill by gleaming steel and the gorgeous panoply of warfare. Schooi history books are full of war-its real and imagined glories. Boys and girls have been taught to believe that civilization has gone forward on a powder cart.
 It is true that having accepted warfare as d necessary adjunct to the cavalcade or civilization it can be said that there nave been just wars and wars fought for great causes. But all@ war comes from a raise premise. from an unsound understanding Of what human relationship might be. Having inherited the plan of fighting from our savage ancestors. we begin e children to accept it. to make it part of our program, to grow up into the DelleI that lt IN thS uAtiinnSe means of all settlements E Our great problem then is to substitute peace thoughts for war thoughts in the minds of children, Our difficult but inspiring, task is to make the cause of peace among the na- tions of the earth as brilliantly appealing as the cause of war has been through the ages
 All people-the American people especially have n passion for organization, for sys- tenn, for order. War appeals to that passion, for war is, a triumph of organization. Peace has been a negative motion. Peace has been constantly on the defensive, with war in the brilliant affirmative. We must find a way to put peace on. the offensive, to put peace in the saddle. to give peace the appeal ot militarism. There can be no way other than to confront schoolboys and schoolgirls with new appeals and new ideals. We must silence the music of war. we must forever put the soft pedal on the ancient and imagined giories of war. We must teach peace to the only ones who can bring peace to tomorrow's workable children of today.