davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Man Called as Judge
Thought Self Accused

In Germany the common courts
are composed of three professional
and two "lay" judges chosen like
jurors. At a court in Berlin re-
Gently the presiding judge noted
the uneasy demeanor of one of
the lay magistrates. During the
proceedings this man sat without
any show of interest, looking mis-
cradle and casting appealing looks
at the states attorney. When the
judges who had to pass the verdict
were about to leave the courtroom,
the president heard the unpaid
magistrate speaking to the police
sergeant. He approached and
heard to his greatest astonishment:
81 dare not go home, sergeant. I
dare not tell my wife, who is i'll in
bed, that I have been found guilty.
| have never been in cOur: before;
/ have all my papers and testimo-
mails with me; l was never asked
to show them. Really, I have never
done anything against the law in
all my life" The judges crowded
around, and under peals of laugh
ter the poor lay magistrate was in
formed that he had not been asked
to attend the court as an accused,
but had been summoned to do his
citizens duty as magistrate.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Something Lost When
Family Dinners" Went

This country should revive the
fine old custom of having family
dinners, when the extension table
was pulled out to its limit, rela-
tives or neighbors invited, and a
dinner fit for a king served. An APP
peal for a revival OF the art of
eating was made at recent conven-
tion of grocers in New York.
The family dinner social custom
flourished in the pioneer days. In
the modern day of rush and hurry
it has lost out. 1t is too easy to
telephone the restaurant and or
der a dinner for a certain hour.
Most people can recall family
dinners where JOY reigned and
sweet domestic peace was all
about. They helped make the
home the most popular place known
to members of the family, helped
build up family life and agreeable
understanding. The family dinner
has a place all its own and it
might be revived with good results.
Ohio State Journal.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
German Heroes Honored
in Temple of Valhalla

More than a century has passed
since King Ludwig I Of Bavaria
laid the cornerstone of Valhalla.
This white marble temple in the
style of the ParthenOn stands on a
wooded hill above the Danube near
Regensburg. King Ludwig con-
ceived the idea of a memorial tenn
pie to great Germans in 1907 dur
ing the Napoleonic occupation Of
the country, but not until % years
later was the work begun.
The monarch himself chose the
site, and also decreed that the tenn
pie should be named Valhalla, after
the name of the old Germanic abode
of fallen heroes. More than a hun
dred busts and memorial tablets
in the main hall of the temple com
memorate famous men and women
in Germany's history, beginning
with the time of the battle Of the
Teutoburg forest, which broke
Rome's domination in Europe.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Reasons for Scarcity
&C Batak Literature

Marco Polo and the emperor Of
China landed on the Batak coast,
to avoid a storm in the Thirteenth
century, and had to erect block
houses to avoid being eaten by the
natives. For the Bataks were and
are cannibals, eating renowned in
dividualS, not for dietic reasons, but
that his strength and wisdom may
be incorporated in the banqueters.
The choice cuts are the fingers, toes
and the palms of the hands; and
according to a cannibal chief who
confided in an explorer-the pop
ular term among cannibals for hu-
man flesh is '1ong pig" as the
general taste is like that Of the
pig.
This tendency on the part Of the
Bataks is probably the reason why
libraries are not usually furnished
with Batak literature, because very
few agents could be induced to look
for rare works within reach Of peo-
pie with such ideas. Indeed, the
Cleveland Public library is prob
ably the only library in the world
to possess a pustaka.-Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Spider Has Well Been
Called Natural Marvel

It is agreed by scientists that
the spider is supreme in cunning,
ruthless ferocity. inventiveness and
courage. Careful study of various
kinds of spiders has shown an in
telligence that leaves mankind
amazed, and their engineering skill
and inventive ability is FAR greater
than that of the average human.
A silken thread spun by a spider
is often as thin as thirty-twO mil
lionths of an inch in diameter. If
it were enlarged two thousand
times it would be as big as an or
binary horsehair. Human hair en-
larged the same number of times
is six and a half inches in diam
eter. With this transparent wisp
of line, spiders are able to bind ami
mails several thousand times bigger
than themselves, for they attack
tadpoles, frogs, lizards and bats.
A small ringed snake, nine
inches long, was found trapped by
a spider The spider, its body
hardly bigger than a good-sized
pea, had spun a web in the form
of an inverted cone, from the top
of which hung a silken cable. The
snake was suspended by this cable
still alive, its mouth muzzled with
multiple strands Of web and its
tail tied by silken cord.-LOndon
Tit-Bits.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Monarch's Burial Place
Not Definitely Known

There is some uncertainty as to
the final resting place of AleXan-
der the Great, who died at Baby
lon. The body was prepared for
transportation to Macedonia, and
Philip Arridacus, whom the army
chose to succeed Alexander con-
Jointly with the latter's post
humous son, was entrusted with
the funeral rites. He left Babylon
with the body, intending to convey
it to Greece. The accounts as to
what happened after that are con-
flicting 1t seems that Philip
learned that during his life Alex
ander had expressed a desire to be
Inferred in Egypt. Philip there
fore altered his course and went to
Egypt. Lagus, one Of Alexander's
favorite generals, who was satrap
of Egypt, got possession of the body
and placed it temporarily at Mem
phis Later. it is supposed, it was
inferred with great pomp at the
now city of Alexandria.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
English Poppy Fields

The poppies not only bloom in
Flanders fields. There Is a great
poppyland in England. Right be-
side the cold North sea, stretch
ing for miles and miles between
and about ruined church tower and
ancient manor house, encircling the
villages about the Norfolk broads
and near to the city of Norwich,
you will find the warm colors which
make a Californian envious. 1t has
been called the Holland of England.
for 1t has inland seas, windmiAs,
dykes and poppies. This great
poppyland, like others that we
know, is in the most restful sense,
the most charming sense, a gar
den of sleep and its silent fields
and fens are beautiful.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Foundations Purpose

The Judge Baker foundation was
Incorporated under the laws of
Massachusetts, on April &c, 1917,
"for the purpose Of promoting the
better understanding Of juvenile de-
llnquents which admit Of desirable
development and the ways and
means by which to develop them.
establishing and maintaining
clinic, medical, psychological or
other kind. which shall study, ex-
anime and make diagnoses. prog
noses and reports on Juvenile de-
llnquents." The foundation aims
to carry on civic and educational
purposes. thereby establishing and
maintaining a living memorial to
Harvey Humphrey Baker, first JUS
tica Of the Boston Juvenile court.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Invocation on Prescription

The science of medicine had its
origin in the very depths Of ignor-
ance and superstition, and even to-
day it has not entirely shaken off
all the hereditary beliefs and SYM
bols which have adhered to it
down through the ages. For ex-
ample, the capital r with the line
across its foot, to be found on
every prescription, is thought by
most physicians to be an abbrevia-
tion of the Latin word Recipe"
but DR.. Howard w. Haggard, asso-
ciate professor of applied physiol-
ogy at Yale university, has traced
it back to an invocation to the god
Jupiter, a prayer for his aid to
make the treatment effective. In
many old medical manuscripts all
of the RS occurring in the text are
crossed.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Mirror Superstition

Lillian Eichler says In her book,
~Customs of Mankind": "Since very
early times the mirror has been
Hsed IN divination, in attempts to
read future or past. An early be-
lief was that one saw the will of
Ae gods In q mirror. To break
one accidentally, therefore, was in
terpreted as an effort of the gods
10 prevent person from seeing
iAto the future. This was con-
gerued as n warning that the fu-
turs held unpleasant things. Among
highly supersitious people the break
Mg Of a mirror came to be looked
upon az q death omen. Somehow
tAn superstitious belief has pre-
vailed and still exists, even among
educated people"
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
"Naturopathy"?

The term "naturopath" isn't to
be found in dictionaries, so the
District Of Columbia commission on
licensure to practice the healing
arts made up its own definition. 1t
naturally took quite a bit of study,
and in Washington the practice
must be confined within the defni-
tion. Here is the commissions Off
cial definition: "Naturopathy in
the practice Of the healing art is
the use of such physical force as
air, light, water, vibration, heat,
electricity, hydrotherapy, psyche
therapy, dietics, or massage, but
shall not include palpating, analyz-
ing and adjusting the articulations
of the spinal column. the admins
tration Of drugs and medicine. sur
gerry or the application Of X-rays
or radium. "-Pathfinder Magazine.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
How Volcanic Islands
Act as Safety Valves

Niuafou is one of the Tonga, or
Friendly islands, situated halfway
between Samoa and Fiji in one of
the most restless geological areas
in the world. Stretching across the
South Pacific from Samoa to North
island, New Zealand. there is a
huge fssure in the earth's crust.
Volcanic islands, such as Niuafou.
strewn along this gigantic crack,
act as vents for the molten mass
within the earth. The jack-inthe-
box island of Falcon has popped
up from the oceans bottom at least
twice, only to be washed and blown
away each time b. sea and wind.
Only recently ii has made its re-
appearance again in larger size,
acting as one of these famous safe
ty valves for the earth's mighty in
ternal furnace.
To passengers Of steamers pass
iug close, the island looks like any
other tropic isle, green with vege-
tation and coconut palms. Clean
white houses and matched native
churches set in grass lawns dot
the hillsides. When wind and sen
are quiet, landings are made in
small open boats which are guided
skillfully into n nook partly shell
tered by fingers of lava flow. Such
landings are dangerous and excit-
ing. because the boats hob up and
down with the incoming rollers and
snrane against the steep Jagged
Gifts. 80 National Geographic So
ciety Bulletin.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Valuable Invention

The autOgiro was invented by
Juan Cieva. In the autogiro there
is a fuselage 10 feet long and an
air-cooled Genet major engine of
100 horsepower Two small wings
have bent-up tips to increase the
lateral stability while in the air,
and the "windmill' has four blades
which are set in motion by air
thrown up to the horizontal propel-
Ter by q deflector, maintained about
the horizontal stabilizer. placed at
the end of the fuselage. The
power thus developed gives ro-
tation of 130 r. p. m. to the vane, a
speed which must be maintained be-
fore the plane takes off.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Might Be Excused for
Using Strong Langua g


A few nights ago a spectacular
fire left a warehouse a smoking
ruin. Five alarms were sounded
Eleven reporters-two working and
nine out to enjoy the fire-rushed
to the scene. A columnist, who
had no business there but loves to
rur after the engines. got his feet
wet and caught cold
The conflagration was the de-
structive sequel to a minor blaze
that had scorched the establish
ment a few hours earlier. The first
FIRE was discovered by the owner
of the building, who sent in the
alarm, watched the fire-fighters ap-
parenuy eXtinguiSh the flames, and
then went home.
Before retiring he telephoned a
contractor to call around the next
morning to see about repairing
few windows, painting the doors,
and otherwise touching up the
place here and there.
At seven o'clock the next morn
ing the contractor called upon the
owner at his home and together
they went downtown. Arrived
where the building should have
been, the contractor looked at the
smoking pile of debris and then at
the owner. Just what was it you
wanted me to do?' he asked, puz-
zled.
Because Of the owners fine Sun
day-school record, we don't like to
tell what he replied.-Pittsburgh
Post Gazette.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Curious Cockpit Country

The cockpit" country is known
only to those who have taken a
West Indies cruise and not all of
those. 1t means a trip to Jamaica
and a journey when there to Bala-
clava and the glades of the Black
river, Jamaica's longest navigable
stream, famous for its dye woods
and alligators. Between Appleton
and Breadnut valley you will see
number of lovely waterfalls and
at Ipswich, about ninety miles form
Kingston, the Cockpit country be-
gins, a land of conical limestone
hills. banana-laden glades. 1t is a
region never fully explored and the
Maroons had their businesses here
in the days of runaway negro ad-
ventures.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Earlv missionaries"

Before there was a dictionary,
people literally did without" Over
$500 years ago the Assyrians had
one of their languages pressed in
cuneiform characters on clay tab
lets. One authority says: "The
Arabians, the Greeks, and the
Romans, too, complied dictionaries !;
they did not make any attempt at
giving all the words of a language,
but contented themselves with list
ing rare or difficult words" LeXi-
cons were a development of the
Middle ages. The first English die
tionary which aimed at complete
ness was that of Nathan Bailey,
published in 1921, and called the
Universal genealogical English
Dictionary"
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Watches in Havana Set
When Old Gun Is Fired

Among the worlds odd time
pieces is that by which Havana
sets Its clocks and watches. Never
has 1t lost minute, run down or
chimed the wrong hour. Nor has
Its face necessitated the periodic
washing that all clocks seem to
need.
In fact it really isn't a clock at
all, but a battery of q old Span
iSh guns, mounted on the parapet
Of Cabanas fortress overlooking
Havana harbor, one of which is
fred nightly at nine o'clock, Gus
tom that has prevailed for nearly
four centuries.
Though Havana may hustle with
activity throughout the day, hear
ing a thousand noises and sounds,
1t listens intently at nine o'clock
for the rumble of one of the guns.
The electric timeplece In the old
fortress is controlled by the ada
cent Observatorio Nacional. Each
night a few seconds before nine
o'clock bugle sounds the ap-
proach of the hour, the gun is
rammed and then fired on the dot.
Years ago, before Cuba won its
independence, the Spanish fired
the gun twice daily-at twelve
o'clock noon and at nine, when the
gates of the old city of Havana
were closed for the night. How
ever, after Cuba became its own
master, II was felt needless-and
q trife expensive-to fire the gun
at noon, when the city's natural
noises drowned the boom of the
gun. So the noon shot was discon-
tInued, effecting a saving of 81 a
day at the time.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Beauty Now n Science

The invention Of q device to
measure beauty is claimed by Jose
v. Coriano, student in the Univer-
sity Of the Philippines.
The machine consists Of a circle
divided into more than twenty
parts and angles in which the beau
ty Of the fair one can be mathe-
matically determined for purposes
Of comparison.
The girl is viewed from different
angles and her score is the sum
total Of the grades taken from the
various angles.
The highest grade that can be
made Is 1000 points and the low
est $50 points.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Beds in Closets Once
Matter of Necessity

This hygienically minded age
which SCOTS so readily at the Eu-
ropean notion that fresh air at
night is unhealthy may be cha
grined to realize that the open beds
on which we sleep nowadays are
a natural evolution of the beds
with doors which can still be found
in peasant quarters in Europe, says
the New York Sun.
The last vestige of the old no.
tion of sleeping in a closet was the
four-poster bed which, to antique
collectors, Is a very desirable OBJ
ject.
II was from sheer necessity that
people used to sleep in closets.
without central heating it was the
only way TO keep warm at night,
but as houses were better built the
closet doors changed to heavy cur
tains. The next development was
leaving off the back and sides and
substituting four posts with a can
Opy from which curtains hung.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Yellowstone in 1867

"An exploring party, which has
been to the headwaters of the Yel-
lowstone river, has just returned
and reports seeing one of the
greatest wonders Of the world"
said an article in the Montana Post
on September II, 1867. For eight
days they travelled through a vol
eanic country. emitting blue flame
and living streams Of molten brim-
stone. The hollow ground resound-
ed beneath their feet as they trav-
eled, and every movement seemed
10 break through. Not a living
thing was seen in the vicinity. The
explorers gave 1t the significant ap-
pellation of He'll"
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Kamehameha's Conquest

After King Kamehameha had
gained control of his own island,
Hawaii, he was eager to rule the
whole group. He first conquered
the Island of Maui, then Molokai,
after which he sailed for Oahu,
landing at Waikiki, in February.
1875. The Oahu soldiers were
posted in Nuuanu valley and here
the great battle was fought The
enemy, or Oahu men, were driven
over the pail. Kauai and Niihau
were later ceded to him and in this
way he brought all the islands un-
der his guidance or rule.-Wash-
ingtOn Evening Star.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Division of Virginia

The social conditions in western
Virginia were entirely unlike those
existing in the eastern portion Of
the state The rugged nature Of
the country made slavery unprofit-
able, but as time wore on the So
cial, political, and economic differ
ences between tke eastern and west
ern parts, that were then Virginia,
became more pronounced. In 1776
a petition was presented to con-
gress for the establishment of
"Westsylvania" on the ground that
the mountains made an almost i'm
passable barrier between the west
and the east. The Civil war finally
furnished the occasion for separa-
ton Of West Virginia from Vir.
ginia.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Jewish Emblem

Just as the oak, from which
came the navy that made Britain
mistress of the seas, became the
national tree of England so did the
beautiful lofty palm, which gave
oil, timber and dates to its people,
become the national tree Of what
we like to call the Holy land.
Judah Maccabaeus, had it engraved
on his coins as a symbol of Jewry
victorious. Vespasian. the Roman
emperor under whom the Jews
were finally defeated. engraved it
on his coinage as a token that he
had vanquished Judea The palm
tree was we'll understood to repre-
sent the Jewish people in ancient
days, as. indeed, it does in a sense
today.-Montreal Star.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Toledo Moorish City

Toledo is very much today as the
Hoors left 1t centuries ago. When
you pass through its gates and find
your way amid the network of cob
bled alleys, encountering numbering
OK wagons, 1t is easy to imagine
ones self back in the Middle ages.
II Is one Of the oldest cities of Eu-
rope. Toledo, Ohio, has a popula-
Hen ten times as large as its Span
ish godfather, but has it he lovely
tower Of Santo Tome, or the medic
val bridge Of San Martin, or the
ancient gate of Puerta del Sol?
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
The Old Mohawk Church

The old Mohawk church, the old
est Protestant church in Ontario,
Is on the Six Nations reserve near
Brantford, Ontario. The grave OF
Chief Joseph Brant is alongside its
walls, and the church Is proud OF
the silver communion service and
Bible presented by Queen Anne.
The service is inscribed: "The gift
of Her Majesty Anne, by the Grace
of God, Of Great Britain, France
and Ireland, near Her Plantations
In North America. Queen, to Her
Indian Chapel of the Morawks.
1872" The church is pOpuhs
mecca for tourists.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Chinese Immigration

Prior to the discovery Of gold in
California in 1S4S there were no
Chinese laborers in the United
States. From 1910 to 1850. accord
ing to immigration records, only
50 entered the country, but during
the next decade 41,397 came to the
port of San Francisco. About 1870
Chinese coolie immigration began
to be a political issue and the
treaty signed November II, 1880,
gave the United States the right to
regulate, limit or suspend the i'm
migration of new Chinese labOrers,
but not to prohibit it altogether.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Obeying Instructions

Farmer Smith had a supply Of
winter cabbage to plant.
Arriving at the farmyard, he
called over one of his labOrers.
George" he said. 81 want you TO
plant these cabbages. but remem-
ber to plant them well apart"
"Ay. sir" replied George, and
went about his task.
The following day the farmer
again went in search of George.
well" he said. when he found
him. did you nlant those cabbages
as I told you?"
"Yes. sir" was Georges reply.
81 planted some in your garden and
some in mine. Is that far enough
apart T'-LondOn Answers.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
ChivalrY in 1867

"When you tread on lady's
train in the street, you are not re-
quired to apologize" observed the
Providence Or. I) Journal on
July 1S, 1867. you have right
to be in the street. So has the
lady; but she has no more right
to carry her train with the eX-
pectation of having 1t respected
than she has to bring her cradle to
Market square and rock her baby
in it. You have a right to stay
on the sidewalk. and if any foolish
woman chooses to lay five yards of
satin between your feet and the
flags. it is her risk, not yours. y
Kansas City Times.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Close Acquaintance

Mrs. s. had gone down to
her precinct voting place to vote.
She noticed another woman also
waiting.
1--WE always voted straight
ticket before" Mrs. S told the
woman, but this year l don't think
/ will because l don't think much
of Mr.. - Of that party. Do you
know much about himY
"Weu, rather" replied the wom-
an. You see, I'm married to him ~
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
Furniture of Aluminium

Chairs are being extensively
made from an alloy into which
aluminium enters very largely and
it is said that they have the
strength of the steel and weigh
less than half of a similar chair
made of wood. For use on air
planes they are stronger than
the wicker furniture now in use
and consume less space. The lat
ter is an important consideration.
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
FORGET Troubles

Troubles magnify themselves too
largely in fearful anticipation. The
result Is wasted worry. Remember
the adags of the ancient philoso-
pher who remarked: II am an old
man and have had many troubles,
but the most Of then 4aXNR hap
Enanad. ."-.Grlt. -''-'-
The Coolidge examiner., 1930-12-26
When They Stick

The best way to remove the
feathers from wild ducks is to dip
the ducks in boiling water and then
wrap in a heavy cloth. The steam
will soon loosen the feathers and
the "pins" are very little trouble.