mZ MOUSING OKfiGOXIAN. WLDNlialJAf, lUAY 1, 11101. to rggomoiL Entered at the Poctoffice at Portland, Oregon, as second-class inatter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Booms M6"4 Businees Office.. .SGvrj REVISED SUBSCRIPTION HATES. By Ma.ll (postage prepaid). In Advance Sally, -with Sunday, per month...........? S3 Sally, Sunday excepted, per year J J) Sally, -with Sunday, per year. 00 Sunday, per year ............. ........... 2 OO The "Weekly, -per year .....,....-..... 1 50 The "Weekly. 3 months ,......... 50 To City Subscribers- ' Sally, per week, delivered, Sundays exeeptefl.l5s J Sally, per week, delrtjered, Sundays includcd-ioc POSTAGE BATES. TTnlted States'; Canada and Mexico: 10 to 16-page p&per... ............... ........lp 10 to 32-page paper. ...................2c Foreign rates double. Xews or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan," notto the name xf any individual. Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business inatter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot -undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. Jfo stamps .should be Inclosed tor this purpose. ' Puget Sonnd Bureau" Captain A. Thompson, offloe at 1111 Pacific avenue, Tacoma. Box 053, Tacoma Postoffice. Eastern Business Office 17, 48, 49 and 50 Tribune building, 2ew York City: 4C0 ""The Rookery." Chicago; the S. C. Beckwith special ftgency. Eastern representative. For sale In San Francisco by J. X. Coop-r. 74G Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold smith Bros.. 23C Sutter street; F."W. Pitts. 3008 Market street; Foster & Orear, Ferry Sews stand. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 259 So Spring street, and Oliver &. Haines. 103 8o Spring jBtreet. For Bale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co , 217 Searbofn street. For hale pn Omaha by H. C Shears, 105 N. Sixteenth ptrect. and Barkalow Bros., 1012 yamam street. For sale in Salt Lake by the -Salt Lake News Co , 77 TV. Second South streot. Onflle la "Washington. S. C.. with A. W. Sunn, 600 14th N. W. For sale 'in Denver. Colo, by Hamilton &. Xendrick, 90G-&12 Seventh street. TODAY'S "WEATHER. Partly cloudy, with occasional showers; south to west winds. PORTLAAD. WEDISESDAY, MAT 1. CARE OP THE IXSAXE. "Taxpayer" writes us from Salem: Since the commitment to the asjlum of James G. Clarke of Souglas County, a number of newspapers have renewed the discussion in Jaor cf requiring that the expense of keep ing patients be paid b their families when they arc able to do so It seems to me that after a man and his family have paid taxes In this state for 00 years, and have thus aided In tho support of an asvlurn for the insane, they are entitled to the benefits of that Insti tution free of charge, should one member of "the family become mentally deranged. If a man is not to have the use of a public Insti tution when he needs It, why should he be taxed to support It? "Taxpayer" loses sight of the reason lor the establishment and maintenance of an asylum-for the Jnsane. The pri mary objectis not a'charitable one, but such an institution is necessary for the protection of the lives and property of the people from the violence of ttiose "Who become mentally unbalanced. The object is not only to protect society irom the attacks of the insane, but to protect the unfortunate from himself. An insane man is a part of society, is entitled to the protection of government, and must not be permitted to Injure himself or others. To accomplish this end a place of restraint Is provided at public expense. The whole public is taxed for the support of the institution, for all persons and property receive the benefit of the protection it affords. But the person who loses his mind receives a double benefit He already had pro tection from the violence of others, and "Upon commitment to the asylum has medical treatment, food, clothing, shel ter, nursing, and in general Is supported at public expense. He Is getting- some thing that his neighbors do not receive, and It is no more than just that he or those who are In duty bound to support him should pay for this additional ben efit, if financially able to -do so. The institution under consideration was founded for the purpose of restrain ing those -who are not criminal, but jwho are "dangerous to be at large" dangerous either to themselves or to others. A man who does not come un der this classification is no proper per son to be committed to the asylum. Dne "who is so mentally deranged that Jhe cannot make a living and has no means of support Is dangerous to him self, for he would starve, and is there fore a fit subject for public support One "who can make a living and won't dhould be allowed to starve. There are scores of patients at the Oregon Insane Asylum who should not be there, but should be cared for by those who are Tinder obligations to give them support. There are many others who are right fully confined in the asylum but whose upport should be paid for from their wn property pr by their relatives. A lrd class have no means of support, d this burden Is cheerfully borne by e taxpayers in general. To say that there are scores of per- ons in the asylum who ought not to be ere is not necessarily a reflection pon the management of that instltu- on, but is a criticism upon the reaal- ess of County Judges to lend their ofll- IeI sanction to acts of Injustice. When patient Is taken to the asylum with commitment in regular form, the au- orltles have no alternative, but must ccept the charge. When a, man Is once the asylum, it Is not an easy matter ,0 discharge mm, ror the asylum au- orltles are responsible for evil conse- uences that might follow his dismissal. e "who Is harmless and yet Is unable :o provide for himself cannot be turned ut TFith no one to care for him. It is o be remarKea with regret tnat reia- ves are less anxious to resume a bur- en of tnis Kind tnan tney were to ve it up. and It is perhaps not prac- cable for the officers to go about the tate hunting for those who should be arlng for certain patients. The root of he evil lies with the County Judges, ho should refuse to commit any person o the asylum unless sufficient evidence produced to prove that he is "dan- erous to be afclarge." There axe many the asylum who should be In poor ouses, but thesexpense of maintenance about the same in one institution as the other. AX INSURANCE DILEMMA. I In the development of modern indus- rial and financial organization, fire ln- irance has dropped behind the proces- i;n. Toe Business is apparently un ite to keep paoe with the demands Jon It A fire loss of 5160,000,000 last ar and the awful experiences with itty structures so common nowadays ive shaken up insurance circles pretty sc!eotly, and it Is freely predicted by aerts that within a few months sev- il more companies" will be -compelled dr ep out of the -race. Great fires are fashion, now as aforetime. In New srk the Hoboken steamship holocaust and the destruction of a large hotel within half an hour, despite the best efforts of thirty engines, are examples on a large scale of what .has been going on in every large city of the land. In Paris the danger of wooden structures for (thronged resorts was .demonstrated fcln. the loss of 124 lives, and the Cripple- gate disaster in London enforced the game lesson. At Berlin next month will 'occur the International Exposition of Fire Prevention and Fire Protection, at which exhibits and discussion will en deavor to throw what light they can on the'danger and Its remedy. Nobody seems to be able to show defi nitely what Is needed for fire preven tion or for protection of fire insur ance companies against ruin. The ex pedient of a trust has been suggested, but experts tell us that the business does not lend Itself readily to combina tion. Few if any of the strong compa nies could be persuaded into a stock deal such as our industrial concerns have been passing through, and the most that could be hoped for in any event would be a distribution of the fire loss over the 'whole field of underwrit ing. This would equalize the loss, but would not reduce it, and it is fair to suppose that the strongest companies would fancy their own methods too well-advised to justify jeopardizing them in a combination. Rates may be advanced, it Is true, but present close relations are adequate for that, and every advance means a decline in poli cies. Fire insurance is, we may be sure, too much at the mercy of municipal politics. Great loss can be Indirectly ascribed to the control of fire depart ments by bosses. How little compunc tion Is felt at this practice was shown by the recent Oregon Legislature's sum mary destruction of a force here in Portland which had the overwhelming commendation of property-owners. If the fire departments of our cities could be taken out of politics, there would be fewer fire losses for Insurance compa nies to worry over, and rates would In time be lower. It is money in the pocket of every policy-holder, every time he helps advance the merit system among municipal employes. HOLD THE PAREISTS RESPONSIBLE. It is astonishing that acts of youthful vandalism, such as were described in The Oregonlan of last Sunday by Mr. r. C. Freeman, of Mount Tabor, as hav ing taken place on his premises a few evenings ago, should be permitted In any civilized community, and amazing that any man, even a parent of one of the destructively mischievous gang of youngsters, should attempt to palli ate the outrage by accrediting It to the natural exuberance of youthful spirits the traditional desire, excusable if not distinctly laudable, of boys to have "a good time." There is an explanation of the matter that is not in any sense an excuse in the defense entered by a father of one of the lawless lads who created such a disturbance at Mr. Free man s home, wrecked his dooryard fence and defaced his dwelling. Other wise it is inconceivable that boys in any civilized community should dare so rudely and scandalously to Interpret the word "fun" as did these boys upon thai occasion. "Veritable demons of mischief are boys who go out under semi-parental sanc tion to commit acts af wanton mischief, whether simply to annoy neighbors whom they may happen "not to like" or mallclously to Injure property for the same to them good and sufficient rea son. Only a few months ago a resident of this city was forced to defend him self in court for inflicting injury upon a boy who, with others, or In the com pany of others, was endeavoring to throw down his woodpile. Becoming enraged through vain attempts to make the boys desist from their outrageous "fun," he wrathfully and Imprudently discharged a gun as he supposed, in the air wounding one of the number more or less seriously, and subjecting himself to prosecution for dangerous assault Of course this man was inex cusable, but if it comes to that, so was the assaulting party, and doubly so were the parents of the lads. Let the public be emphatic upon this point un til delinquent parents are forced to confess judgment and set themselves diligently to the task of preventing oc currences of this exasperating and wan tonly destructive type. The plea of "young blood," as based upon a recollection of a man's boyhood days and pranks, Is one that any parent should be ashamed to make. If, unfor tunately, he was untaught In the com mon principle of equity and behavior that bids each member of the commu nity respect the personal and property rights of everx other member, he gains nothlng.uStEtflfor his own cause or that of his obstreperous son, through recital of this fact In half-boastful, half-apologetic strain. Back of it all Is the sim ple fact that boys In this age should be taught to respect the rights of oth ers; or, to use a common term, to "school themselves," whether their fathers were so taught or not. The Idea that during the transition period between boyhood and manhood covering a space of from three to seven years, boys must be "put up with" rather than brought by proper training to or derliness and respect for their elders, Is but the pitiful, cowardly refuge of par ents who find, or seek to find, In It ex cuse for dereliction of parental duty. There is absolutely no reason In boy nature why some boys of from 12 to 15 and 20 years should be an Infliction upon the neighborhood, disrespectful to their parents, to women and to their elders generally, and a pest and annoy ance to teachers. All boys are not pests popular opinion, based upon parental Irresponsibility, to the contrary not withstanding. None should be permit ted to be so, still less encouraged In being so, by parental excuses. The mother who takes an unruly schoolboy's part against his teacher and the father who harks back to his own unruly boy hood in defense of his son's playful habit of stopping his neighbor's chim ney with straw on a cold morning, over turning his store of wood, neatly piled for the Winter, throwing rocks through his windows, taking his gates off their hinges and hiding them, battering the fence and walls of his house with rails, filling the dooryard with rubbish, etc., are enemies to law, decency and order. If they cannot be Impressed with this fact by any other means, it Is well and Indeed necessary that they be haled before the court and brought to a sense of their own duty and the rights of others by the levy of heavy fines and cost of prosecution.- If tribute were thus exacted of fathers for neglect to control their boys, such acts of youthful vandalism as have been frequently re ported in this city durinxr tha nast few months "would cease. Otherwise, they are likely to continue until the Reform5 School at Salem becomes a burden upon taxpayers too great to be borne. OUR AMERICAN MISSIONARIES. President Tucker, of Dartmouth, writes to the New Tork Evening Post from San Francisco that he was mis quoted in the New Tork Times' report of his Boston sermon. He did not say that "the Christian church has been set back, nobody knows how far, ,by the behavior of missionaries in China." What he did say was that "the be havior of Christian nations in China" had retarded indefinitely the progress of Christianity In that country. The point he was speaking to was the lamenta ble "break between the faith and the morals of Christendom," in such a way that "Christendom has been exposed before paganism," and "the very na tions which have sent out apostles to preach the gospel have shown that they have not learned to keep the command ments." Taken In connection with Mr. Ament's defense, and Minister Conger's lndorse-i ment this denial of President Tucker's leaves the antagonists of the mission aries in unenviable case. Most of the' asDersions of American missionaries are referable to other sources than dispas sionate study of evidence. The antl, or course, needs no outside aid what ever for his intuition that whatever is American is wrong, missionaries in cluded. Then there are our religious Philistines to whom nothing appears so sweet and reasonable as carping at evangelical work, whether at home or abroad. Commercial circles, which mis sionaries have accused of stirring up hatred In China, are doubtless disposed to retaliate in kind.' Such trustworthy evidence as we have had goes to show that the missionaries have done about as the average American of spirit and of rough-and-ready action would have done. They were disposed to protect and feed themselves and their native dependents the best way they could, and they helped themselves to what was handy, wltheut any more breaches pf regularity than the peculiar occasion warranted, precisely as an American soldier or trader would have done un der similar circumstances. The rise of antl-ism in the United States has incidentally intensified an unlovely disposition to accept as true the worst possible charge against our representatives abroad. A little reflec tion will remind us here in Oregon how readily we were Inclined to credit slan derous stories against our splendid regi ment in the Philippines. An exaggera tion of this willingness to think evil is seen In the avidity with which some of our people snap up allegations of looting and cruelty against our soldiers In China, as well as in the Philippines, and in the magnification of saloon and social evils at Manila. Wholesale cen sure of our American missionaries Is of a piece with this aspersion of the Army. There Is a humiliating survival of su perstition In the View some people have of missionaries. We are ant to DUt the missionary, as we do the bicyclist, or the Mormon, or the Jew, or the Catholic, off In a peculiar and uncanny class by himself, forgetting that he Is, after all, just our ordinary American human nature In his own calling or society. Dr. Hunter Wells and Dr. Maud Allen, whose lives were humane and reputable here at home In Portland, cannot have changed, we may be sure, through a mere sea voyage, Into fiends or ogres. Credulity also Indulges heavy drafts upon Itself In picturing the missionaries as boldly endeavoring to tear out pagan religious ideas, root and branch, and plant orthodox creeds in their place as deftly as the dentist puts a Richmond crown on a decapitated tooth. Mission ary methods have grown apace the past few years, along with other things. In the books of Henry Drummond, Phillips Brooks and Lyman Abbott Is set out very clearly the modern evangelism for foreign work, which emphasizes educa tional, medical and sanitary effort among the "heathen," and seeks to utilize whatever good is in Confucian Ism or Buddhism. Mission boards do not, as a rule, pick out thieves or imbe ciles for the foreign fields. MUST PORTLAND "WAIT FOR NEW YORK CAPITAL? It Is not Inopportune to call the atten tion of Portland people to one fact bear ing upon the local railroad situation that has not been given much consider ation. We have been striving to get Eastern capitalists railroad capital ists, of course to put up money for our railroad enterprises, meanwhile for getting that they have no particular In terests in Oregon and would rather favor the railroad or system with which they already have some sort of rela tion. In this way such an enterprise as the projected railroad between Portland and the Nehalem and Tillamook Coast, when taken Into the Eastern market, must run the gauntlet of great trans continental railroad financiers and per haps finally be lost In some vague but effective assignment of territory calcu lated to tie up the local project Indefi nitely. There Is little room for doubt that the Portland. Nehalem & Tillamook rail road enterprise Is meeting some such treatment as this In New Tork." To the men there It Is merely the question of augmenting "transcontinental tonnage, and they see no reason why the Neha lem country should not be drained to the East by way of Puget Sound or even by the Corvallls-Albany-Sacra- mento-Ogden route. What do they care for Portland? All they want Is the long haul to market at goodly freight rates. By keeping the Nehalem traffic out of Portland It would be kept from contact with competition among trans continental carriers. This makes it necessary for Portland to provide her own relief. Portland Interests will not be served by a road that shall take Nehalem and Tillamook commerce to some other point, passing around Portland. It is preposterous that so rich a region lying so near our very door should be drained away Off to foreign parts to the immeasurable detriment of both this city and the country to be developed; but this is what is likely to be done if present ap pearances are not deceptive. An Independent line btween Portland and Nehalem and Tillamook Bays is what Portland needs and should have. This would encourage the development of the vast native resources of that richest quarter of Oregon, and It Is only business logic that its trade should flow this way. But what bond of fraternity or reciprocity is there between the Nw Tork investor and the Tillamook dairy man and the Nehalem timberman? There are fraternal and reciprocal re latlons between Portland and the Neha-1 -lent Valley and the Tillamook Coast These interests would work together for mutual good. But the railroad that shall weld them together will probably fall to the lot of Portland to provide. Of the Union Theological Seminary senior class of thirty, the New Tork Sun reports that four at least have been refused licenses to preach after exami nation before various ecclesiastical bodies. One was rejected because he was unable to bring" the doctrine of evolution and Genesis into agreement, and one because he averred that not even Jesus' and Paul's belief in im mortality made it Incumbent upon him to hold such a, belief In order to make him fit for carrying on the ministry of Christian teachings in this world. The student who could not reconcile evolu tion with the story of the creation in the first chapter of Genesis inspired his questioners with the conviction that he put more confidence in the teachings of science than in the declarations of the Bible. The other candidate was re jected because he felt himself unable to say that his belief In immortality was identical' w.ith that of Jesus and Paul. Among other things, this young man said: I am In a ministry of this world; I hold that this life is worth living. I can only preach what I have mself felt and expe rienced. Nobody can preach anything else I can't take declarations of the Bible or decla rations of any one else except as my own ex periences and moral convictions reveal their truth to me They (his examiners) were ask ing about beliefs of the future, and as I say, I hold that there is a ministry for this life, and the only truths I know are those con firmed In my own moral convictions. If parents will not, and the police cannot lay for the unruly boys in the Central East Side district, the former with well-seasoned birch rods, the latter with warrants for arrest for acts of vandalism, property-owners and resi dents will have to arm themselves .with rawhides and go prepared to effect cap tures and lay the law down in gbod, old-fashioned style upon the backs of the culprits. No man should be com pelled to suffer without possibility of recompense the damage to his prem ises and the loss of labor Inflicted upon Joseph Klstler Sunday night, as de tailed In The Oregonlan yesterday, by a raid upon and defacement of his newly painted and papered house near the Central School building. Words have no effect upon these youthful van dals; it may soon become necessary to "try what virtue there 'is in stones" thrown with a determined albeit a re luctant hand. The action of the President In ap pointing one of his assistant secretaries, Mr. Pruden, as Major and Paymaster is not commendable. It is true that President Harrison appointed his pri vate secretary, Elijah W. Halford, to a Paymastershlp In the Army, but It Is a vicious precedent which Is more hon ored in the breach than In the observ ance. Such places belong to officers of the regular Army who have followed L the profession of arms for years and In curred disability for further service In the field, either through wounds or dis ease. To confiscate these Paymaster ships to pay the President's political debts or reward his personal friends is utterly wrong, for It Is bestowing the legitimate rewards of faithful service In the line of the Army upon civilians and making Paymastershlps part of the President's private fund of political capital distributed as Presidential pat ronage. ' A blizzard In all respects save that the air, the rain and even the snow were warm, swept over larsre areas of the great plateau Saturday, watering an 'immense drought-threatened section following the Eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains from Northeast Utah to the British Columbia line. Not in many years has a snow storm in April been so general In that region, and it may be added that not In many years has It been so badly needed. Spring lambs, caught out, suffered to a consid erable extent, but the Iobs thereby will be much more than offset by the abun dance of grass which the moisture in sures to the ranges. Stockmen and mlneowners are congratulating them selves and each other upon the heavy precipitation, as it Insures a prosperous season for both, and, indeed, through them, prosperity for all classes of busi ness and Industry In the state. .Pobledonostzeff, the Chief Procurator of theHoIy Synod, the highest priest of the Russian Church, is the bitterest enemy of reform and the principles of constitutional government, for which Tolstoi contends, in all Russia, and his Influence with the Czar Is supreme. He is a man of great learning, is familiar with the works of John Stuart Mill, Carlyle, Herbert Spencer and Ralph Waldo Emerson, but opposes with great vigor and bitterness parliaments, free dom of the press, the education of the masses and trial by Jury; deprecate, the culture and civilization of all West ern nations, which he regards as carry ing national moral and Intellectual death in their clothes. He is an ultra- conservative In everything that con cerns the state, with which In Russia the church Is closely joined. The dedication tomorrow of the mon ument commemorating the foundation of the provisional government at Cham poeg ""fifty-eight years ago should be largely attended, not only by pioneers of the Willamette Valley and their de scendants, but by those who came later to reap whathese had sown. The del egation from this city should be a large and representative one. It should In clude many boys and girls of the his tory classes In our public schools, who would receive thereby a most Important lesson in our local history at first hand. Chief of Police Ames, of Suffolk, Va., recently officially cowhlded Carrie Palmer and Lavlnla White, disreputa ble women, who were afterwards driven from town. Shakespeare was evidently familiar with this kind of a Sheriff, for he makes Lear say: Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand; Why dost thou lash that woman? Strip thine own back; Thou hotlji lust' st, to use her In that kind. For which thou whlpp'st her. The Vanderbllts have long been work ing for control of a through rail line from seaboard to seaboard, though tney have not made so much noise about it as have other schemers in the same field. If it shall prove true that they have obtained control of the Union Pa cific, this will be the first rail route from ocean to ocean, under one control. If the Injunction shall be found to be an effectual bar to railroad combina tion, it will reealn much favor in ouar- ters where it was recently not popular. WHITTIER'S PERICLES. New Tork Times. On March 16 we reported the sale at Llbble's, In Boston, of the previously un known Whlttler poem, "Pericles." This poem, which possesses marked Interest, on account of Its being one of the earliest poetical productions of the poet, is in broadside form and antedates by one year the poem of Whittler's long supposed to be the first published in a book, "J. G. Whlttler to the Rustic Bard." (print ed In Haverhill In 1S28 In Robert Dlns moor's "Incidental Poems.") This most Interesting possession, we have learned, is now In the collection of Joseph W. Stern, of this city, and, with the per mission of Its owner, a portion of It Is here printed for the first time since its original appearance. The poem contains four verses of 12 lines each, with a quotation of seven lines from Rollln at the beginning. At the top Is: "Pericles, by John G. Whlttler," and at the bottom Is: "Haverhill, Mass., 9th mo, 1S27." The quotation Is roughly print ed In this way: Pericles at the funeral of his son did his ut most to preserve his usual tranquillity, and did not show any outward symptom of sor row. But when he was to put the crown of flowers on the head of hla dead son he could -not stifle the transports of hlls grief, which forced Its way In cries, in sobs, and a flood of tears. The first veree of Whittler's poem Is as follows: Stand back! stand backl je mourners all. The father of the dead Comes up the long, resounding hall, With a slow and solemn tread. There's gloom upon hla lofty brow, There's sadness In his eye. But a hero's bride hath nerv"d him now, "With strength that cannot die. He will not weep, as ye have wept. But calmly gaze upon The funeral shroud ye have darkly wrapt Around his 'noble son. The following Is the fourth and last stanza: He wept the strong man bow'd hla head To agony's control. The memory of the past had shed Its blighting in his soul. Nor deem It an Ignoble part By that worn father shown, That pride was banished from his heart. And nature ruled alone. 'Twas nature's high and holy claim Upon his tenderness Should warrior pride, should dread of shame, That feeling e'er suppress? .This extract will give some Idea of "Pericles," which is undeniably the work of Whlttler, the born balladlst, who was only 19 when It was written. It Is not Included In the "complete and definitive" edition of his writings, and Is not referred to In the authoritative "Life" of the poet, written by his nephew-ln-law and literary executor, Samuel T. Pickard It Is, however, more striking and original than 6ome of Whittler's other early ef forts, which the poet printed in his col lected works, and which he called "the weak beginnings of a graduate of a poor county district school." It is important In both a bibliographical and a literary way, and is unusually interesting because it was probably the first of his poems to appear over his name. Mr. Pickard says that Whittler's early verses were pub lished over the names of "Adrian," "Don ald," "Timothy," "MIcajah," "Ichabod," and "W ," and then goes on to say that "The first' poem that appeared with his full name was a long one entitled 'The Outlaw,' printed In thf Gazette October 28, 1828 " The Interest possessed by "Peri cles" is increased by Mr. Pickard's state ment, as this new poem is a year earlier and also bears the poet's full name. aiUST PAY THE PRICE. Great Britain's Position Affords No Cause for Alarm. Chicago Record-Herald. Once again Americans are asked to shed tears over the blue ruin that threat ens the British Empire by reason of the Boer war. But if our lachrymal glands refuse to exude a saline drop our British cousins must pardon the seeming callous ness to their plajnts, because we have heard the same tale of woe before. We refuse to believe that the second wealth iest nation in the world is on the brink of bankruptcy because, forsooth, its chan cellor of the exchequer draws a long face over a war deficit of 53,207,000. There was much about the speech of Sir Michael Hicks-Beach to suggest Gold smith's immortal warning ill fares the land, to Hastening ills a prey Where wealth accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith died in the year 1774, and in that year the wealth of the United King dom, estimated by Young and quoted by Mulhall, was 1,100,000,000. In 17S0 the population of the United Kingdom was given as 9,561,000 and in 1763 the national debt was 147,000.000. Since that date the wealth of the king dom has grown to 12,000,000,000, the pop ulation to 40,000,000 and the national debt March 31, 1899, Including cost of Suez canal shares, 627,562,585. How much "ruin" Great Britain can stand and prosper under may be best shown by a comparison of Its debt and wealth after the Napoleonic war and now. in millions: Ratio of debt 390 52 Wealth. Debt 1815 2,200 861 1899 12,000 627 At the conclusion of the war with Napo leon the population of the United King dom was less than 20,000,000, so the na tional debt was then about 45 per capita, while the wealth was only 110. In 1899 the population of the United King dom is 40,000,000, and Its debt is only a lit tle over 15 per capita, while Its wealth Is 300 per man, woman and child. From .these figures It appears that the lugubrious speech of Sir Michael Hicks Beach is the squeal of the proverbial shop-keeping Briton under a deficit If John Bull will have empire he can't always expect to avoid paying the price. He must not complain if the Transvaal comes higher than Egypt and the Suez Canal. Millionaires of the Past. Chambers's Journal. Croesus was by no means the richest of the ancients, despite his having had his name adopted as the synonym for wealth. The glory and grandeur of Sar danapalus, the magnificence of the Ro man Emperors, the dazzling splendors of tha Pharoahe, of Cleopatra, of Darius, of Alexander, were evidences of material resources far exceeding those of Croesus. Yet the actual bequeathable wealth of even the Roman Emperors, with all their power of'absorptlon by conquest, taxation, confiscation, the exaction of tribute, and what not, did not represent probably half as much positive ownership as the wealth of many a millionaire of today who pos sesses neither title nor dignity beyond that which his self-made position confers upon him Tin. Emperor Tiberiu3 left at his death above 28,500,000, it is supposed; but LI Hung Chang of today Is reported to be three or four times as rich as the Imperial Roman, while Mr. Beit could have bought him up several times over. Nor is it likely that the fortunes of any of the living millionaires named will van ish as the fortunes of the ancients occa sionally did. Tlberlus's millions were squandered in les3 than a year by his dis sipated successor, Caligula, which is not to be wondered at when as much as 80,000 was spent on a single dinner; but it was "easy come, easy go," with the riches of the Roman rulers. Caesar was not given to parsimony, yet even before he attained supreme power he had feathered his nest to the tune of nearly 3,000,000, and In his later years had all the affluence he could desire, but riches did not mean stability even for Caesar. Cleopatra, at the height of her power, had command of an enor mous revenue, and was lavish In her giv ing as In her spending. Did she not on one memorable occasion make the favored and infatuated Antony a present of a dla mond valued at 800,000? AMUSEMENTS. There is something about a play m which the scenery assists in the action and a dooryard gate becomes a low come dian, while a windmill does a specialty turu that is irresistible to all classes of theater-goers. The element of sur prise, always an important factor In com edy, predominates, and the- spectator, making a wrong guess at what is coming next laughs at his own astonishment. "The Evil Eye," one of the best of this kind of plays, which was presented to a big house at the Marquam last night, is just as bright and amusing as ever, the action is just as rapid, and the Illusions just as Ingenious and bewildering. And the company Is by far the best whicSi has presented it in Portland, the changes made in the cast being decidedly for the better. The play has been brightened since seen here last year, all the specialties are up to date and clever, .while the songs are really new. Portland has waited long for new songs. It has weathered minstrel shows, comic opera, musical farce com edy and nearly everything else, only to hear the same old friends, and when a company comes along and omits "When the Harvest Time Is Over" and "The Blue and the Gray," and substitutes . a few numbers that have not been heard be fore, it should be held In grateful remem brance if for that alone. Of course the principal feature of the evening's entertainment was the work of BoranI and Elliot, two tongueless come dians who are Inimitable In their llne3, and who manage to have something doing whenever they happen to be on the stage. Charles Loder, as Peleg Kalsen helmer, the eccentric German, created con siderable merriment by his comedy, and in his specialty number sang nls songs so well that the audience forgave him for the rather patriarchal character of his Jokes Mayme Mayo, as Adora van De Vort (under which Imposing name the soubrette of the comedy struggles), possesses a pleasing stage presence, which she en hancpi by some stunning costumes, and she knowj how to use a good voice effect ively. Her song, "My Rainbow Coofi," was one of the hits of the evening. The Phasey troupe gave a prettily-costumed military dance, and their electric ballet in the last act is certainly the most beautiful dance ever given at the Marquam. Charles E. Flynn sang a bal lad with considerable expression, and Lora Lelb displayed a clear soprano voice to much advantage whenever opportunity was afforded her. It Is more concerted than Individual work which gives the play its charm, how ever. Every member of "the company knows what Is expected of him and when to do it, and so rapid is the action that a panorama passes before the eyes of the spectators so swiftly that it is really confusing to try to follow it. The scenic effects are remarkable In their in genuity, and the costuming is all bright and, new. "The Evil Eye" will be repeated at the matinee today and tonight. COMING ATTRACTIONS. "The Adventures of Nell Gwynn," at Cordray's Theater. "The Adventures of Nell Gywnn," a Nell Gywnn play which Is said to be the strongest comedy founded on the story of the beautiful actress of the time of Charles II, will be presented at Cordray's Theater Friday night and the remainder of the week by the Belasco and Thall Company. Miss Florence Roberts, who has been so successful in the role of Sapho, will play the name part. Thus fir ' Sapho" has proved one of the strongest attractions of the season and has firmly established the reputation of the Belasco-Thall Company in Portland. The Y. M. C. A. Carnival. Over 100 athletes will take part in the T. M. C. A carnival, which Is. to be held at the Marquam Theater Friday night The programme has been so arranged as to provide a- rapid succession of marches, drills, feats of strength and tricks, inter spersed with music, which, the manage ment 'promises, will be unusually good. At the rehearsal Monday night the num ber by the young women, the "Brownies." number by the little boys, and the inter esting and difficult work by the young men athletes were all seen to be excellent features. As neither pains nor expense are to be spared to make the carnival a success, the friends of those who are to take part are eagerly looking forward to it. The sale of seats will open at the Marquam box office at 10 o'clock thi3 morning. "Nathan Hale." "Nathan Hale," Clyde Fitch's stirring dramatization of the story of the noble patriot spy of the Revolution, will be seen at the Marquam Grand Monday, TueBday and Wednesday nights. May 6, 7, 8. Clyde Fitch, the author of the play, is a Connecticut boy, having been born In Hartford. Nathan Hale himself was born In Coventry, Conn., and graduated from Yale in 1773. One of his stanchest friends, who was also a Continental Cap tain with him. was William Hull, also a graduate of Yale In 1773. Alice Adams, Nathan Hale's sweetheart, was born In Canterbury, Conn., and her father, Colo nel Adams, was one of New England's contributions to the Revolutionary causo. The early scenes of the play are laid In New London, Conn. It may not be gen erally known that the Rev. E. E. Hale, the author of "A Man Without a Coun try," is a grand-nephew of the Revolu tionary martyr. Notes of the Stage. It Is said that Frances Wilson will tour the Pacific Coa3t next Summer. Honolulu is beginning to be figured as a part of Pacific Coast theatrical routes. The engagement of the Frawley Com pany In Seattle, has, it Is reported, not been as successful as was expected. Blanche Bates lately distinguished her self by knocking down a man who tried to address her on the streets In New York. Thomas Q. Seabrooke recently made himself so unpopular In Detroit that the manager of the local theater promised that the actor should never again appear on that stage. Ben Howard, who was formerly with the James Nelll Company, Is playing Shakespearean roles this Summer. It Is Mr. Howard's purpose to study every form of the drama. How Roberts "Won the "Victoria Cross "The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts," by J. Maclaren Cobban. Roberts noted that a sowar of the squadron with which he rode was In great danger from a Sepoy with a fixed bayonet The contest of sword against bayonet would have ended disastrously had not Roberts intervened and disposed of the bayonet That was barely done, when he noticed in the distance two Sepoys fleeing with a standard. He galloped after the rebels and overtook them, and then he had a close, light for the possession of the standard. He cut down Its chief bearer. While wrenching the staff from the man's grasp with both his hands the other Sepoy turned his musket on him and fired. The muzzle was within a few inches of Rob erts' person, and there would certainly havo been an end of him had not the muskt refused to go off. As it was, he rode away unhurt with the standard, and "or those two courageous and gallant acts in close stccesslon Roberts got the Vic toria truss. Should See the Columbia. McMinnville Reporter. President McKlnley's only stops in Ore gon as he passes through will be at Sa lem and Portland. It is to be regretted that he could not have visited the mouth of the Columbia River, where the Gov ernment will be asked to expend vast sums of money in Improvements. A per sonal knowledge would prove beneficial to the President In making recommenda tions to Congress. X0TE AND COMMENT, Of course you have forgotten it but this is Dewey day. Speaking of red-hot Imperialists, la.thera anything the matter with Emillo Agulnal do, of Manila? Captain Carter naturally wants to get out of jail so be can begin to invest his money In a Senatorial prospect v ilarj had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow; It looked still fairer la & dish "With rich brown gravy, though. Perhaps Admiral Sampson was right after all when he intimated that Gun, ner Morgan was not a gentleman. Now Mrs, Nation is going to tackle the cigar store. But she may find-a for midable adversary of her own sex in "My Lady Nicotine." A Kansas evangelist recently made 555 converts. There must have beenjlsome ground and lofty backslidbag there forfthav next few weeks. In the Spring- the young- man's fancx turns to thoughts of gladsome rags. In the Sprins the soulless poet springs all sorts of mildewed gags, & In the Spring, when balmy zephyrs fanned the trees with gentle breath. Tennyson composed a poem that's been paro died to death. The grave and the toil-stained Kansxa- Goes forth at early worn And spends the day In labor To raise the golden corn; But wily Mr. Phillips, Sans labor. In a trice Doth make It pay still better To simply raise the price. In the morning call me early, call ine early, mother dear. For at the peep of dawn, mother, the landlord will be hero. You know It's the first of May, mother, and we haven't a single cent; Tls cheaper to move than pay rent, mother, cheaper to move than pay rent. The latest statistics of the Salvation Army show that there are 732 corps now In the United States, with 24 food depots, which have furnished 110,000 monthly meals, and 190 social institutions for the poor, with a total daily accommodation in the same for 7200. The worklngmen's hotels number 66, and the working women have six, with an aggregate of 6325 inmates. Five labor bureaus and three farm colonies are established, the latter having 240 laborers. Other minor institutions and slum settlements num ber about SO in alt The expenditure on all these institutions in 1900 was 5253,000, oC which 5210,000 wa3 raised by the work or the payments of inmates. Chief Engineer Melville, of the United States Navy, la In the enjoyment of; ro bust health, and has every reason to hope for many years of life; yet he has, caused hla own. tomb to be erected in Arlington cemetery, Arlington, Va., and has had the following lnscribtion engraved thereon: : GEORGB "W. MELVIIXE, U. S. N. J : Born July 30, 1841. : Died , The Admiral decided some time ago that when he should die he would like to be burled in Arlington cemetery, and In or der to prevent any miscarriage of his plans after bis death he ordered the tomb to be prepared and placed in position. The Opening Day. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph. -"Play ballt" Again the cry goes up From where the umpire stands. And forward strides a husky chap, A willow In his hands. A sphere of horsehlde cleaves the air Like missile .from a gnn; The batsman swings and looks amazed. The umpire says, "Strike one!" Again the batsman makes his pose. The pitcher throws a fit; Then with the bat the ball collides. And thousands cheer the hit. The rooters yell till they are hoarse. The cranks their score cards dot, "While peepers at the knotholes smile. And those who bat wax hot Another husky chap appears, And at the pitcher grins; Again the ball la fiercely banged. And to the shortstop spins. Two men are sprinting down, the lines, While watching thousands shout;. A rapid double play Is made The umpire calls both out. Then from all sides come hoots and Jeers, And howls of rage and grief; The rooters at the umpire scowl And Join In shouts of "Thleft" There's woe among the bleacherites. In grandstand there's a kick; And urchins on the fencetop yell; "Say, swipe dat umpire qulckl"" The storm Is hushed, the game proceeds Though oft the umpire's Jeered; The ball Is banged, and thrown, and tossed. And players oft are chceered. u. The rooters' spirits rlaeJfiaa f&U - The cranks note everyplay. And if the game ends well all Join In one great, glad "Hooray!" The season's on. and now for months All hands wilt talk baseball, And pennant hopes will often rise, And often take a fall. And to the front again now comes The old. familiar bore, "Who never goes to see a game, But asks about the score. Cleaning: House. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph. The air vibrates with slow and measured thuds, And o'er the landscape oft a dust cloud scuds; For In the back, yard gloomily now stands A man with face begrimed and blUtered hands. Across a rope the parlor carpet hang3, And on It with a club he feebly bangs: Hlo eyes are filled with dust, his ears th same, . , His arms are sore, his back is stiff and lame. But often comes this cry across the yard "Why don't you beat that carpet real hard? His Ire Is roused, but no retort goes back; In-tead he hits the thing a fiercer crack. And pounds away with grimness of despair. While still the dust ascends to spoil the air. At last, ere darkness hides his task from view. Again he hears the voice. "I'll make It do. But don't Imagine that your work s complete For there are tea much worse than that U beat." The carpet from the rope is meekly tugged And slowly to the parlor It Is luggad; And then, though back and arms and handi . are sore. The wearied man must tack it to the floor. And oft he growls about his aching- back. And oft he hits his thumb Instead of tack: But there he toils until the Job Is done. , Am! gets to bed Just as tha clock strikes one. And there's a week or more of such distress. Of ansulsh that no words can e'er express; Confusion dire Is reigning everywhere. And soap and whitewash odors All tho air; Tho meals are late, and often fall to please. Aid een when In bed there's lttle ease. For not an hour of comfort can be sleum J Until the house has been complexly cleaned. Why wonder, then, that hubbies rol ani frown When everything is thus turned upiide down? The wonder Is they don't go far and fast i Until the time for cleaning noma has passed. gjtsLAba-'A !&