davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New Britain herald., 1924-04-25
IRISH BOUNDARY
 STILL INDEFINITE
No Agreement Reached; Nor Is
 'One Likely

Belfast, April 25. -- pr,m!,r Sir James Craig in a message received here says:
 "I think both sides of the boundary conference conducted the meeting with credit, but agreement was im- possible. We shall continue to main tain tho same attitude on tho boun diary question as we have always done. There is no suggestion of a further meeting"
 Captain Charles Craig. speaking at GarrickforGns last night said his brother would not give away m eighth Of an inch" of Ulster territory.
 Dublin. April 25.--The Irish Times says the failure of the conference will cause regret and anxiety throughout the whole of Ireland, and asks;
 How will the Frce State govern ment profit if. by insisting at this time on its full rights, it destroys every charter of tho states existence or plunges if once more into anarchy and Civil War? How will postority judge the government Of northern Ireland if by Its refusal 10 budge an inch 1t throws away the security and peace which are the first conditions of industrial progress?"
 "lf the two governments" it com tinuos "cannot come together or even resolve that whatever may happen. the door of compromise shall be kept ajar both will deserve censure. Surely it ought to be oDyious 10 them, as it is obvious 10 thousands Of good lrishmen on both sides of the border that there are many matters Of na- tionai concern which invite imme- diate cooperation and that in the broadened progress CT cooperation the ac.rcf nf nnii.- l. t.. l.L. f......I
New Britain herald., 1924-04-25
GERMANS BLAME AMERICA
Prohibition Here l. Tsrswmsii,Ic for
 High Prices OT Coffee There

Berlin. April 25.-American prohf- bition is responsible for the high price Of coffee in Germany. in thp opinion of many contributors to local news papers. Since the Americans cannot have alcoholic drinks they use more coffee. it is argued: hence the high price of coffee in Germany.
 Germany now uses only about g per cent of the amount ol coffee she used to drink. Coffee which costs i 60 marks before the war n-E costs S.ZO marks.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
CLUSTERING THE NAVY

The passage by the house of the ex- traOrdinary appropriation of one hun dred and fifty million dollars for addi- tiOnal naval repairs and construction is indication that congress is duly and wis ibly impressed by the naval decline due to failure to adhere to any program or to take proper care of the equipment already afloat. It should be mentioned that the entire sum IS not to be spent all in one year, but is to be distributed. The fact that 1t Is appropriated insures the carrying out of the program. Perhaps the sum Is greater than would have been necessary had the plan been carried out to elevate the guns on battleships to give them greater range, and had there been available when needed the sums neces- sary to keep ships in condition. When repairs are neglected beyond a certain
 point, the cost of refitting is greater than if repairs are made as needed and to keep the injury from accommodating.
 The measure takes cognizance of the fact that the president may call another arms limitation conference and em- powers the president to reduce the pro- gram or halt it to conform to any agree ment that may arise out of such confer ence. This IS a sensible provision and effectually Rullifies any statement that the act reveals a militaristic inclination or attitude. We have permitted our navy to decline to a point where its efficiency is graveIy imperiIled The house has done well to make provision for correc- ton of this unwise policy. We might
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
Are You ObseSSed?
By JOHN CARLYLE

How are your nervesq Have you an ob- session.
 An outstanding characteristic of severe cases of nervous ailments is the "obsession.' ' The patient nearly always suffers from some sort of obsession. He cant get it out of his mind"
 Over and over again the unhappy thought blows through the same old grooves. Finally it penetrates the sub-cOnscous part of the mind The troublesome idea becomes fixed
 The patient then has what the French call the ''idee fixe"-or the fixed idea. Then the idea has become an obSession. It dom. mates
 People are usually afraid of obsessions The fixed idea is so often dangerous 'tC health and peace of mind
 But let us look into this thing that the experts call an ObseSsion. Perhaps we shall find it a powerful weapon for the getting of powerful results.
 Why isn't fixed idea that has success fully penetrated the sub-conscious mind a mighty force for good results?
 Dr. Coue told us something of the value of the fixed idea.
 But he didn't tell us any more than we can find out for ourselves. Dr. Coue sim ply knows how to make an obsession do good work.
 If you become obsessed with the idea that you are in good health it will take great deal to get you out of good health.
 If you become obsessed with the idea that you can accomplish difficult task, it will take great deal of opposition, it will take tall barriers to stop you.
 If you become obsessed with the idea of success, you are pretty sure to succeed.
 You simply let an idea become dominant It becomes fixed.
 And To, the thing that sometimes has such vicious effect on health and well-being when aimed the wrong way. becomes our most powerful servant for good.
 Our appettes, impulses, habits o5ses- sions and fixed ideas are fraught with terri. ble power They have within them the seeds of ruin But they also have within them the seeds of success.
 Our business is not to fear them. Our business is to use them. Our business is to make them serve us for good.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
THEY VISIT WILSON'S TOMB

There is a sentiment among people which leads them to visit the final rest ing places of their great men, or of the worlds great men. WashingtOn's tomb and Washington's home have always at- 5tracted hundreds of thousands of visit ors annually. The same thing has been true to some extent of other tOmbs or relies of the illustriOus dead, notably of Roosevelt in recent years. And although Woodrow Wilson has been dead only a little more than four months, seven hun dred visitors a day climb to the chapel, where his body rests, to do him rever- e4ce. It is predicted that a quarter of amillion people will have made the pill grimage by the end of his first year in the grave. Patriotic and other societies include Wilson's tomb in their formal Itineraries, marches and ceremonies
 Although it is usually said that th;s is in respect to the departed, in reality itis a sort of renewal of faith or inspira- ton on the part of the living. for the dead are beyond any eXaltatiOn at the tribute. The truth is that the moral and Intellectual forces set in motion by Will son are in no wise affected by his death, but still elevate and encourage his fel- low-citizens. Because the principles for which he stood and to which he gave
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
If the choice were left to me, whether to have a free press or a free government, would choose a free press.-Thomas Jefferson.
READY FOR THE SHOWDOWN

There is public hope that the deter minatlon to proceed at once to grade crossing separation as expressed by members of the city commission and the city attorney will turn out to be the one thing needed to bring about action on this project. According to City Attor- ney Wynn: 'I have searched all the authorities in controversies of this char acter, and am confidently of the opinion that the city can force the railroads to protect these dangerous crossings Many decisions of the United States supreme court on the subject are clear and em- phatic. The bulk of the preparatory work has been finished, and the relief movement will take definite form in two more weeks"
 Months ago The Age-Herald cited opinions of the supreme court as to a city's authority in such matters invOIv- ing the public safety, and asserting the railroads responsibility in the cOnnec- ton. It is not believed that the city attorneys findings on this point are re- cent, for there have for a long time been intimations of compulsory Ordi- nances in preparation, and such action would not be meditated did the commis- sion not feel itself fully fortified by law. Perhaps the city has delayed action pend ing complete exhaustion of all efforts to induce the railroads amicabIy to ac- cede to a grade-crossing program If 50, then the city has evidently gone as far in that direction as its responsibility and answerability to the people of this community will permit Patience and its allied virtues have ceased to be such, for they now defeat the purpose
 rsThe principal object to keep in mind Is the general welfare. To be sure, the railroads should not be crippled in their capacity to serve this great center of production. But there is good reason to believe that proper cooperation in the elimination of grade crossings would confer upon the railroads total benefit far in excess of any specific damage that might be alleged in this particular or in that. Further, it is quite evident that the railroads are considering only their own purposes as in the opposition to the construction of viaduct or under pass at Twentieth street and the Objec- tons to the opening of Nineteenth street, south. There is only one item to con- sider in these cases, and that is whether the major public welfare demands the protection of the thoroughfares- It is hrIeved that the public welfare does so demand, and there is public expectation that the commission will act accordingly. Enasmuch as innumerable conferences Nave not given relief, the people are Ready for the showdown.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
l Recredtioi, Progress
By n. ADDrNGroN BRUCB

| While it is undeniably true that many municipalities still fail to provide adequate public recreation facilities, it does not fol- low that no progress has been made in this important phase of town and city life. On the contrary, most gratifying progress has been made.
 Today, according to statistics gathered by the Playground and Recreation Association of America. there are more than 6,6OO civic playgrounds and recreation centers in the United States. This compares with some ?, 400 ten years ago, or upwards of three fold increase in a single decade.
 And the progress made becomes even more impressive when it is recalled that it was as recently as 1885 that the first public plaF- ground-Boston's sand garden for chil- dren' opened in the United States.
 Originated as a health measure, the recrea- tion movement has justified itself in many ways.
 For hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, it has added immensely to the joy of living. It has made for greater secial solidarity. Through the self-expression it affords it has helped to an appreciable de gree in offsetting tho deadening effects of our machine industrialism.
 This. in fact. is one of the ontstanding values of organized public play. As it has
 
 ponent of the social significance of play:
 Under our modern industrial system men and women are often automatons. tenders of fool-proot machines. Expression of the ere ative instinct must be found outside the 5ob if the worker is, in any true sense, to lire.r
 Given recreation ceHterS available for all manner of leisure pastimes, from the playing of games to taking part in musical or theat- rical performances, the machine worker promptly gains relief from the routine of his monotonous task. This manifestly is to has benefit-and to the benefit, too, of his em- ployer and of society at large.
 Society as we'll as the individual gains likewise from the part played by recreation centers in affording safe and pleasurable out lets for energy that otherwise might be di- verted to harmful ends. It has already be- como almost proverbial that wherever play grounds and recreation centers are opened under competent leadership, there soon is a decrease in juvenile delinquency.
 In some places it has been possible to close juvenile courts altogether, following the opening of directed playgrounds. In others, months have gone by without single case in court This means. of course. that there has been a desirable depopulating of re- form schools.
 Hence, if only on the score of economy, money appropriated or donated for the puo- viding of public play facilities, is money in- vested to real advantage. Increasing appre- citation of this accounts for the headway the playground movement has already made. and it's promise of making still greater headwag within the next few years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
To Overcome Enemy
By DR- FRANK CRANE

Souls are always FeRchanS cut for heIpA And little of it do they get The Rhyxit1am g1vEs uhem prescriptions, the pars0n FladItHdes- the uRaeIer xExaeu1S. and the philosopher phrases But what they wamt is Efe- life amH p0Wer- Also vision If 0u@ eam EvA and be strong and sses mn1hmsg sThs mztterxs much
 OAn yUn show me amy way" writes a woman to me, flor person of nnHalnre yearS to Acqulre am eazyp Kenceful disposition ?. In other words. how cam I kesp frum SgttTnss worked up so eRSIHy2 There Es a cause of. unhapP1ness tlhnt fuHqnemuHy aWPRarS i'm my aifes a member of Glhe flnn1lF drinkS to ex- cess the Gre1d of iii Rs hn@ en@u=M5 when it comes I ause mgzRaf emairsIy~ my hend is reatly to b1rrst- \ chmn0E SAeePl" There you hHEe a very Qad hunam urvb- lems life spDllea by the PrEsemee of a uain-- giving Gnct to which 1t eHmmnE adiusE frzqIf
 There aue anmImneT1a1e wlEiaElnmS of the theme5 the wife with tile umEa5thfzI huS- banas the fnaher and the wzFwzu1 boy, the soul anywhere c0mfrUmhR1 hT the weak wickCds or unaliragUs arWGhle mGker. Few cam m1ma%s the sIrmzH5am mnhIy- Some are hnSHEed mE0 irrInzhigm and rebel lion. some are hEmllEzhB& to despair, some suffer dully znd haEeaGsxay, s1me are tkam-
  tRke usGugH nm usIRgNn- and sume harden themselves an1D z1nde HnlHifereneG-
 The problem Rzs whnE Is GnA to @B with : the dsT1, dRxdllsh ReaRaeu and dEEiIEzh deefxI
 There IS but 3ne Eefuge 1t 5s t9 be ereat.
 When the Fartlrll1r aSsRiRs me my only salvation is tD hEve HennUEse to the general
 Whether Efn arEumVas GIT mt is a- ques-l fion of resUEnres. The only things that dEfeaE US are the Ay-sT ness of sOul sImFaF mEams the power to rise above and eERae the dRRlemHHG Gewzztztiug ef- feet of the eva that bEsaTRs uk Es Blindness IS nm aFEaIlInS calamity to mast but Huber escapea by devu1mg kfmaaIf to the stnay of bees Many zmaGheE Elfnd man is cheerful and zWdrTHuaEly triumphant be- cause he has had this CT sume 0th@r inner refuge. F5 An rnature furmRshRs daars of esEzpa fsR the soul The sgTe ef zESs Ge lIsErztnres eE matuTe, all aue 80 nanny axemuRs tB freedom and pence The rEliyiuus feeHaEg has beem peeuTarIy valuable to uesrne the mfmd frum the tnr~ ment of some vGriUUs f1r1-
 Above am a SRmzs Gf the w6damess and depth of life. Ef the vazrnRzE of aneTx per- suraIifF s8Rnds to Elfr @m.s un and aFer the particularly dishRmrusming sruUhEe
 It seems seuue1amEs disuhGfmH if WIZ ean divide pegFle Inb0 the twU eIzzaEE. good and had, for we are aIl mE.Ch nzExElas but n very real IiEisiam Gf mem is Imtw naaEe and EgunhIe great and Emal
 The m0ile cannot -$e dsEs1asz TENT may suffer. they eRHm0t he FlRshed inE1 6espair Something in thsm Es grgnrar tham nm the universe euasile EF tihEm
 To the gaeRt thETe is mo reaH tra=edy- They conquer mysaEa1ealfaF sTgh in deahh Cam siaer Socrnres amd Ra-unms | TheTe is but Ums tEagsEy It is t8 hs petty. to give up. and to hs EfnRiA
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
MORE OIL TESTIMONY

A sidelight on the official record of Albert B. Fall as secretary of the in- terior was given Wednesday by officials of the emergency fleet corporation. These officials testified that in 1922 MT. Fall refused to renew contracts with the corporation for fuel oil for government ships, in spite of the earnest representa- tions of the officials and the showing that the refusal would cost the govern ment millions of dollars. With this pro- test before him and with the obvious requirements of the navy for fuel oil, MT. Fall went ahead with the Sinclair and other leases, regardless of the public cost of such action. Although MT. Fall and others testified that the purpose of the leases was to save the oil from being drained out through seepage wells To- cated outside the reserves, the result was to turn over directly to private in- terests the oil it was alleged they were getting indirectly through the seepage wells. The navy's portion of the oil pumped was insignificant in comparison with what was to be administered to the private advantage. The merchant fleets portion of the oil was nil, with the added burden of being forced to buy from pri- vate concerns at a great advance in price.
 The testimony of disinterested engi. neers is conclusive to the effect that the oil that would have been lost through .seepage was so little as to be of no moment in counselling the policy fol- lowed by Fall. In fact, one geologist said that his survey was not completed because the original findings showed the seepage so small as to be negligible. Thus it appears proved that the whole trans action was a plot to deprive the nation of resource essential to the welfare and the public defense, in order that pri- vate oil companies might reap millions. Therefore, the efforts of the govern ment to recover title to the reserves should be directed with the utmost en- ergy and dispatch. It is eminently de- sirable also, imperative even, that any criminal actions of MT. Fall and those with whom he dealt should be established in court and severe punishment imposed The guilty should not be allowed to go scotfree.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
Watching The Parade
By JOHN PILGRIM

My British neighbor says that we Amer jeans are too soft. We have been uplifting and sun-shining and smiling and being sweet to each other, he says, until we have gotten rid of the natural iron in our systems.
 "Or else,' he says, you all have guilty conscences"
 The British. he says, are not that way at all. The British he says, are all that is true and beautiful and good-of course-But also they believe in having their rights. And if they do not get them they raise ned. Where as, we Americans smile and smile
 "Bah," says by British friend. "Bah!"
 What stirred his Anglican wrath was re- cent event in our small town. One of our neighbors was confused by certain detectives with another. man of the same name. So they tapped at the door and when he opened it they began to rough-house him.
 You gotta come clean, BO," said the larg- est of the detectives, titing his hat farther down over a pair of cold blue eyes. And make it snappy;" ~
 When our neighbor said he knew sfiothing of the events they were interested in, they twisted his wrists. Then they went through his desk and the drawers of theFvaFious ar ticles of furniture around the house. When his wife protested they told her to be quiet. They did call her Lady" it is true
 Lady" they said, you keep your trap shut-see?"
 And when it was all over and they were convinced that they had the wrong man they voiced q sort of an apology. ,s'eas'
 No hard feelings" they said. "All right, ain't it., hey?"
 And this poor, spineless mutt said yes, it was all right. He did not bring suit, or re- port them, or stir up public indignation, or do anything at all. He supinely permitted set of ruffians to treat him as Simon Le- gree never treated poor old Uncle Tom and stood for it The British neishbor says that we lack something somehow. We're all alike, he says. Soft.
 That was why he got the black eye out at the Country club that night.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
The Right Word
ON THE CROAKING OF FROGS (Find the Error in This Articls)
By CURTIS NICHOLs0N

+. w. Loitzer of Newark, N. l., writes as follows; "In commenting on the follow ing sentences in your column: I heard frogs croakjng in the distance on that still sum- mer night you imply that the sound of splashing, as made by frog, can be heard in the distance, (and you consider, there fore, that crOaking in the foregoing sentence is not superfluous).
 Permit me to remark that although the phrase, fin the distance is relative in mean ing, it surely is not associated with length of space so short as to make splashing audi ble-even on a still summer night
 "I. quite agree with you, however, that crOaking adds color to the sentence in ques- tion, although, logically, crOaking. while sn- perfluous, belongs in that sentence"
 If any one else wishes to discuss a frog Is crOaking, '"rhe Right Word" will be glad to hear from them.
 Got and Gotten
 Miss Ruth R. Hyman, Chicago: Kindly advise whether the word gstten is correct as in the sentence, I should have gotten 1t, or if this word is obsolete"
 Answer: Got and gotten are both used in the United States, got in England. Get is preferred.
 Yesterdays Error.
 Wrong: Let the correspondent try and find authority.
 Right: Let the correspondent try to find authority.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
THE JAPANESE ATTITUDE

q Although the Japanese government IS making solemn protest to this govern YAent over the passage of the exclusion act, it is quite apparent that much of the purpose is to pacify and mOllify those political clements at home which are seeking to capitalize the situation tb their own advantage In the first place, the Japanese government has no substantial technical ground to protect tke act as violative of any treaty, for our department of state is pOwerleSs to make a binding treaty without ratifica- tion by the senate. The Japanese gov efnment, in entering into the agreement with our state department, was well aware that such an understanding was revocable at any time, because the sen ate had never sanctioned it The sug- Restion made by some that the situation may lead to war is hardly to be regarded seriously, for the Injury to Japan is con- sETuctive and not real, while the damage of war would be incalculable-
 I, It is noted that, with unimpOrtant ex- captions, the press of Japan has now come over to the governments view that the eventual settlement of the question must be left to time and diplomacy. That is the policy Japan has followed Tor oecaQeS, since 1lrsC Sne OeclOeu 10 remodel herself along Occidental lines in order to remove the discriminatiOns that She regarded as artificial and due to her divergencies from customary world manners and practices. Her patience is not to be nullified by any rash act at this time. The resentment over the ex- ciusion act will gradually die down, and Japan will continue her amicable reIa- tions with us, seeking to forget past un- pleasantness in the brighter prospects of kha frIfl1re
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30
Forum Of Tue People
Making the Air Meet a Success

To the Editor of The Age -Herald
 The officers and men of the 106th Observa- tion Squadron join with me in thanking you for the part you played in making the air meet success. Your news stQries and your editorial comment did much to adver- tise the meet and focus the attention of the public upon the necessity of adequate air preparation in defense of the nation.
 The meet was made possible by the assist ance and cooperation, not only of every member of the squadron and of other mili- tary units of Birmingham, particularly Cap tain John C.. Carter, commanding officer of the Birmingham Sabres, but also by the help of a great many of the business men of Bir- mingham, and we take this opportunity of acknowledging our debt of gratitude for the splendid encouragement we received.
 VIM, V. NJ. ROBERTSON, JR.,
 Major, A. S., Ala N. G.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-30

Readers are requested to contribute: All humor, epigranis tor humorous mot toes), jokes, anecdotes. poetry, burIesque, sntires and bright sayings of children must be original and unpublished. Ac- cepted material will be paid for at sched- ule rates, which will be furnished on ap- plication. All manuscripts must be writ. ten on one side of the paper only, should bear the name of this newspaper, and should be addressed to the Fun Shop, care Age Herald. Unaccepted contribu- tions cannot be returned.