The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, April 22, 1906, Page 6, Image 6

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    e&tcres at the FoitofTIea at Portland, Or,
as Stcssfl-Class Matter.
8UB6CHPTZ0X RATES.
CT dVARIABLT Uf ADVANCE. "C
(By Vail or Exprasx.)
DAILT. 8UKDAT INCLUDED.
iwelr month W-&0
Elr mofithi 4.S5
Three onths. ....,..... ...... .......
One month 78
Delivered by carrier, per year.......... 8.80
Delivered bjr carrier, per month...... .7S
Lett time, per -week M
Sunday, one year... ...... ............. 2.M
Weekly, one rear (leaved Thursday)... 1-60
Bunder and Weekly, one year 2-M
UOVV TO REMIT Bend joitefflM money
srder, express order or personal check on
your local bank. Stamp, com or curreimy
at the sender's risk.
EASTKKX BCSBfESS OITICE.
The 6. C. Beckwtth BpecUI Agvaer Kw
xoric, room 43-S9. Tribune buliaing.
tago, room 010-512 Tribune building.
KEPT ON SALE.
Chicago Auditorium Annex. Fostotflc
Kewa Co., U8 Dearborn street.
BU Paul, Mian. N. EC Marie Commercial
Station.
Dearer Hamilton & Kendrtck, 806-9X2
Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, X21
Fifteenth street; L Welnstela.
Goldfleld, Kc-r. Guy Marsh.
Kansas City, Mo. Rlckiecker Cigar Co,
ilnth and Walnut.
Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugb. SO South
Third.
Cleveland. O, James Puihaw, S0T Su
perior street.
ew iork City U Jones Co, Astor
acute.
Oakland, CaL W. H. Johnston, Four
teenth and Franklin streets.
Ocden D. L. Boyle.
. Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1612 Famam:
Mageath Stationery Co, 1S0S famam; 26
couth Fourteenth.
Sacramento, Cat. Sacramento News Co,
29 1C street.
Salt rake Salt Lke Newa Co, 77 West
eccona street South; Mis L. Levin.
church street.
Los Angeles B. E. Amos, mansrer seven
Jtreet wajjocs: Berl News Co, 226 hi South
Broadway.
6 an Dice o B. E. Amos.
bants Barbara, Cal. B. E. Amos.
Pasadena, Cal. Berl News Co.
San Francisco J k rnm a- rv 748
Market street: Goldsmith Bros, 286 Butter
uu .noiei Bt. Francis News Stand; L. B.
Lee, Palace Hotel News 8tand; Frank Scott.
BO E11U; I,'. Wheatlev Movable News Stand.
corner Market and Kearney streets; Foster
c vreer. irerry News Stand.
TTaihlnirton, D. C Ebbltt House. Penn
rylvanla avenue.
PORTLAND. SUNDAY. APRIL 22, 108.
OCR QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC.
If It -were thought that San Francisco
had consisted merely or chiefly In her
material display and In her grandeur of
appearance. It might be admitted that
San Francisco had been annihilate.
"VVe might say, then, that San Francisco
was. or had been, but Is not The epi
taph of San Francisco then could be
m ritten. But San Francisco did not nor
does exist in the outward display of
magnificence. Her greatness is in her
position; in the energies behind her;
above all, in the spirit of her people.
This spirit will never yield to adversity
or to discouragement.
The outward glories of San Francisco
have been destroyed for today. But the
catastrophe is only a check, or inter
ruption, to her career. The position of
San Francisco makes it necessary that
fhc shall be a great port, and therefore
a great city. The spirit of her people is
equal to the rest to all that the situa
tion, or any emergency, may require.
San Francisco, therefore, will be re
built. Not, indeed, as before, but in the
ultlmates greater. Even the forces of
Nature are modified to an extent by the
Intelligence of man. Or, rather, man
adjusts himself through experience to
the operations of Nature, and learns
thereby, to an extent, to command
them. In the rebuilding of San Fran
cisco the possibility of earthquake will
be considered, and buildings and streets
and water mains and gas and electric
c onduits will be constructed accordingly.
Selection of materials and methods of
construction will play parts never
known heretofore. Yet San Francisco
Is little liable to these disturbances, in
any serious way. Building will be
studied with a view to minimization
of their consequences. Steel frames
-well and strongly fastened, will have
approval. incc they did not give way
under the recent shocks; and prudence
ft ill require that the height of buildings
should not exceed four or five stories.
There must be a great city, and as the
enturlcs run on. always a greater city,
at San Francisco. The position, the
harbor, the production and greatness
and wealth of California, and the rela
tion of this great port to the commerce
or the Pacific, require it. In the de
velopment of our Pacific states, nothing
can pupercede San Francisco. It is im
possible, therefore, to suppose that San
Francisco can be extinguished, or even
dwarfed by this calamity. The city of
Naples, that has stood and grown these
eighteen hundred years, is built upon a
site that was once the crater of a vol
cano. Profoundly touched by the great
misfortune of San Francisco, our
Pacific states and cities, with one ac
cord extend their sympathy and sup
port, and fervently wish, while thev
hopefully believe that she will rise, and
rise soon, to a greater height than ever.
"We of the Pacific States, all of us, have
been proud of San Francisco. She has
been our metropolis of Pacific States,
and her name has stood for all of us.
Her position, her bay, her harbor, her
relation to Internal and external com
merce, her central place in the country
behind her and on the ocean before her,
the great railway lines that converge
upon her. and her position as a focal
point in the commerce of two hemis
pheres make San Francisco indispens
able on the map of our Pacific States,
of the United States, and of the world.
Cheer and encouragement and support
and help then for San Francisco! From
the greatest calamity of modern times
she will rise, she must rlte, she must
be helped to rise, above her unexampled
misfortune.
Maxim Gorky, novelist, poet and
emissary of the "Social Revolution" In
Russia, who is in this country soliciting
financial aid for his cause, has put upon
himself a heavy handicap. He is ac
companied by a woman whom he repre
sents to be his wife but who legally
does not occupy that position. For that
cause he was ejected from three hotels
in New Tork In one day recently. His
apologists argue that because he and
his wife did not live happily together
he is Justified in assuming relations
with another woman. He provides for
Madame Gorky and their two children.
She has made no outcry against deser
tion and Russian society does not pro
test under theso circumstances against
open companionship with a mistress.
While this country does not assume the
attitude of a. Pharisee, it looks with
different eyes upon this social irregu
larity which must seriously hamper
Gorky in "hie missionary work. Like
Koeeuth and Garibaldi, he evoked much
sympathy, -now dying down. A much
greater man than he, & constructive
statwraaii, kilted .himself peHtkally by
Involving himself In "a scmxVlI with a
Woman. If Pxrnpll miM m tlaai fk
force ef pjifeHc kidtotfttlen, what
"wave Kjrvtl iLy l
THE OCCULT.
Sir Oliver Lodge remarks In the Fort
nightly Review that every man of
science who has, seriously undertaken
to investigate the "eccult" has ended
by believing- in It' 'By the "occult" he
.means 'those occurrences, real -or al
leged, like spirit writing, table tipping
ana an .sorts of communications from
the dead, which the ordinary nrlnclrjles
of science do not -explain. Sir Oliver
Lodge Is himself a man of eminence
among British scientists. His writings
on electricity and magnetism rank high
and his membership in the Society for
-rsycnicai Research has undoubtedly
lent prestige to the labors of that In
dustrious and courageous body of
pioneers. Still his statement that
scientists who Investigate the occult
invariably become believers In it Is not
so important as might at first appear.
for very few trained investigators have
ventured Into that dubious realm where
fact and fiction, honesty and fraud, sin
cere curiosity and morbid superstition
seem hopelessly mingled. And those
who have ventured have lost in reputa
tion what they gained In faith.
People of well-balanced Judgment
whether learned or not are inclined to
look askance upon those who have deal
ings with the spirit world. Some be
lieve that communication between the
living and dead Is possible, but wicked.
Others, while their faith is firm that
life continues after death, hold never
theless that the gulf between the two
worlds can never be recrossed by those
who have once passed over, and that
no message can traverse Its dark Im
mensity. Still others believe that death
ends our existence utterly; there Is no
future life, no world of spirits, and
therefore all phenomena purporting to
ne caused by the disembodied dead
necessarily originate In some other
way. None of these opinions is hfeld by
the sternly scientific mind like Dr.
Osier's, for example. In his well-known
Ingersoll lecture that distinguished phy
sician and graceful man of letters
comes to the conclusion that we do not
and never can know whether there is a
future life or not There is absolutely
no evidence looking either way, and
there never can be any such evidence.
To his view and to all the others one
may easily find objections.
The belief that communication with
disembodied souls Is wicked is a mere
superstition derived from the ancient
Jewish laws against witchcraft With
them, as with all primitive peoples, a
witch was one who, like Glen
dower, could call spirits from the
varty deep, and ,the reason for dis
couraging the practice Is perfectly
obvious; It set up a dangerous competi
tion with the regular priesthood and. cut
off their revenues. The Jewish priests
had a prescribed, orthodox method of
consulting spirits which contributed
handsomely to their income and it was
scarcely to be expected that they would
tolerate the piratical competition of
hideous old women like the Witch of
Endor. Hence that command in the
law of Moses. "Thou shalt oiot suffer a
witch to live,'.' which has been the cause
of so much cruelty and bloodshed. If
It is right for a priest or minister to
communicate with the other world, it Is
right for people in general, provided
that they can do It Most things that
infringe upon the special privileges of
priestly and royal castes have been
called wicked at one time or another.
It is wicked to question the divine au
thority of rulers, for a servant to dis
obey his master, for a woman to speak
in ptfblic. for a scientist to investigate
the strata of the earth, for a critic to
point out the errors in the Bible. The
dread of falling Into wickedness of that
sort need not deter anyone from talk
ing with spirits If he can get them to
come when he calls for them.
The opinion that we never can obtain
any evidence touching the reality of the
future life of course begs the question.
Scientific men have pronounced a great
many things Impossible that have since
been accomplished,. One eminent pundit
declared that a steamship could never
cross the Atlantic. Others have said
that we should never know what the
stars were made of. Nevertheless we
do know the elements of the stam and
fleets of steamers traverse all the
oceans. When science says a thing can
not be done experience proves that she
speaks prematurely almost always. We
may as yet have no evidence of the re
ality of a future life, but that by no
means demonstrates that we never shall
have such evidence. A century ago we
had no evidence of the X-rays, of the
telephone, of the new theory of non
atomic matter. That men have been
trying from the beginning of time to
demonstrate another existence and
have always failed Is of no significance.
Perhaps they "have not tried in the right
way. It took from the beginning of
time to the beginning of the last cen
tury to learn how to use steam, and
longer still to master the secret of elec
tricity. Failures have no evidential
value whatever. The dynamo was not
possible until Faraday had found the
invisible lines of magnetic induction.
which are Just as incredible as disem
bodied spirits. Some genius may dis
cover tomorrow an Influence between
living beings like the induction between
two electric currents. We have only
Just begun to learn what there is in the
world. Each new discover shows bow
little we really know of fundamental
facts. It does not do to dogmatlre.
Moreover, it Is not quite certain that
we are entirely without evidence of the
existence of spirits. The facts claiming
to testify to it are abundant and, even
when we have discarded most of them
as fraudulent and a large proportion of
the residue as irrelevant many remain
which insistently demand an explana
tion. The explanation, when It Is dis
covered, may have nothing to do with
spirits, and again It may. ,
The objection that most of the things
purporting to be said and done by
spirits are absurd or trivial has no
weight The only way to And out how
a spirit will -act under given conditions
Is to place him under those conditions
and watch the results. What seems
absurd to us may not seem so to him.
If he exists at all. his norms of worth
may be. and probably are, very differ
ent from ours. According to the valu
ations of the spirit world, rapping on a
table may be as exalted a faactlon as
heading an army is with us. A priori
we have no means of deciding these
questions; but as a matter of fact
granting that there are disembodied
spirits and they try now and then to
communicate with us. the botch they
make of It may be entirely for want of
suitable apparatus. Hew silly it was
for Galvanl to make a. frog's leg twitch
with h4s bits of zinc and cepperi Tet
SMKetMa Hu ctme ef ft. Bew trtMng
a thing was the .fall ef Newton's apple!
Tet ;h,cq4sc.,ln itjthe revolutio of
the stam. Perhaps, mmk ay aj&tfKr
jsewtem appear -who cast dfecera
some Jaw- of wilversal Import in those
trifles of the ecult which now merelr
puazle wlthest edifying us. As the
coarse -C the falling we is voire the
trajectory of ArctHnw, so the foolish
raps upon a kltobea table wMck mystify
a pcrtkJo circle of devotees juar
jHpy iJie Rnmorcanty or me sotu. Let
us ttvjul ana see.
DOCTORING STXFTOMB.
Colonel Watterson's suggestion that
the President wishes to found a new po
litical party upon the Idea of a progres
sive tax on transfers of wealth may be
dismissed as fantastic. Mr. Roosevelt
had no such thought In mind. Like all
other reflective and patriotic citizens.
he Is disturbed by the manifest evils
which unreasonable fortunes have
brought upon the country and the
greater evils which they are likely to
cause unless some method is devised to
keep them within saft limits, and the
tax upon transfers probably seemed to
him the most practical and efficient ex
pedient It was not worth while for
him to discuss the desirability of a
graduated Income tax, which many
have proposed for the same end, be
cause the Supreme Court has pro
nounced it unconstitutional.
The President's suggestion Is of some
thing more than an Inheritance tax. it
includes also a progressive tax upon
gifts In life. This Is, of course, essen
tial, since one may always evade an
Inheritance tax by disposing of his
property before he dies. But a little
reflection will convince anybody that a
tax on gifts in life could be evaded quite
as easily. A -valuable consideration, no
matter how small, would transform the
gift into a sale and the transaction
would thus escape from the letter of
the law. Mr. Roosevelt's purpose is to
Impose a tax which shall make It im
possible for dangerously large fortunes
to be handed on from generation to
generation. At present such fortunes
may pasa by gift, by bequest and by
collusive sales which amount to gifts,
and, to be effective, the tax must be
levied whenever the transfer takes
place, no matter by what name It Is
called. His plan, therefore, Includes by
necessary Implication a progressive tax
upon all sales where the consideration
Is so small that they are practically
gifts. Such a tax could not be collect
ed without an Incessant scrutiny into
private affairs which no free people
would tolerate.
The business of most corporations
ought to be public, for they are created
by the state and their very existence
should depend upon their strict obedi
ence to the law an obedience which
can be ascertained only when all their
transactions are open to public view.
But the affairs of individuals stand
upon a different footing. An Inquisition
by the tax-gatherer into the terms of
every sale would be intolerable; and yet
without such an Inquisition a law to
levy a prohibitory tax upon gifts and
collusive transfers of millionaire for
tunes would be constantly evaded. The
evasion would be particularly easy In
this country because our highest courts
pay so much attention to verbal techni
calities and so little to the soul and
spirit of the law.
In a country like England, where
obedience to the Intent of the law Is an
almost Inviolate practice, a progressive
inheritance tax has worked welL In
America, evasion of the law has become
universal and highly respectable among
that very class of people who would be
most affected by a tax upon bequests
and gifts. There are few law? which
they feel under obligation to obey. Rob
bery Is their habitual occupation. They
perjure themselves without scruple to
escape paying their Just share of thofe
taxes which are supposed to fall alike
upon rich and poor. What arts would
they leave untried to escaDe from a tax
such as Mr. Roosevelt proposes, which
would confiscate all of their plunder
above a certain limit?
They would use every conceivable de
vice to evade the law and they would
probably succeed, for the "best lawyers
In the country are at their service and
Just as the winds and waves are on the
side of the ablest navigators, so. In the
long run, the courts are almost neces
sarily on the side of the most astute
lawyers. Threatening as the plutocracy
Is to American institutions and sin
cerely as Mr. Roosevelt desires to avert
the dangers of menacing wealth it is
safe to conclude that while a progres
sive tax on gifts and bequests may
prove to be a palliative It cannot be a
complete remedy for the evIL Diseases
are radically cured by removing their
causes, not by doctoring their symp
toms.
OUR DEEP-SKA FISHERIES.
It is announced that the Warren
Packing Company will build a large
cannery and cold-storage plant at As
toria In time for next season's opera
tions. Action of this kind by a pioneer
canneryman of the experience of Mr.
Warren discloses great faith in the per
petuity of the Industry. Prior to the
permanent establishment of the hatch
cry system it was feared that the day
would come when exhaustion of the
supply of raw material would end the
cannery industry on the Columbia
River. Artificial propagation, however.
has proven such a remarkable success
that there is no longer any question
about the permanency of the industry.
It has become simply a matter of keep
ing up the hatcheries and enforcing
the laws regarding the close season.
The output of the canneries and cold
storage plants for the past few years
has shown no decline in proportions of
the catch, and it is reasonable to ex
pect that not only can the supply of
fish be maintained, but possibly In
creased.
The cold-storage plants at Astoria
are becoming quite numerous, and. as
there is a good portion of the year
when, on account of the close season
for salmon, they cannot be utilized to
the fullest extent there is a possibility
that they might be of service and profit
In developing the deep-sea fisheries. It
has been demonstrated beyond question
that there are unlimited numbers of
food fishes on the banks lying west and
northwest of the Columbia River. It is
also a well-known fact that for the
greater part of the year It Is a difficult
matter to secure fresh supplies of these
sea csh. not only In interior cities and
towns, but right here in Portland.
where; on account of our close proxim
ity to the ocean, it might be expected
there would always be plenty of sea
food available.
2t has been many years since any at
tempt was made to develop the deep-
sea fishing Industry, and the -fact that
the feeble efforts roede the were et
altoffetfcor ccafttl.Is m eriieihm for
the reooHs which mffffct attewa at
tempts mao at this vtlK. Not only
has1 there to-eti aaTfesHlfwlKroaoe in
theparJo8, Umm widening the n
let. .but the cesd-otcraxe plant, with its
won4erfaL faeHKiee foe keeping sea la
perfect condition for an unlimited
period, has- come into use since any
eerloas attempt was made to develop
the deep-sea fisheries off the Columbia
River. la previous attempts to rapply
Portland and Interior Oregon cities and
towns with sea fish. K. was Impossible
with the poor facilities for icing and
handling- them to prevent the greater
part of the catch from spoiling before
it could 'be marketed. The halibut
banks Jying a short distance northwest
of the Columbia can he reached as
quickly from Astoria as they can from
Tacoma or Seattle, and there Is practi
cally no limit to the demand for this
most select variety of deep-sea fish.
With the Astoria cold-storage plants
handling these fish as they are handled
at Seattle and Vaacouve.r. B. C. busi
ness could he built up which would not
only give employment to a large num.
ber of fishermen the year round, but
would also supply the people of a large
area of country with an abundant and
cheap supply of sea fish. The deep-sea
fisheries have some advantage over the
salmon fisheries. In that the supply of
raw material seems inexhaustible with
out the necessity of artificial means for
increasing It Mr. Warren is one of the
few cannerymen who did not sacrifice
or abandon his Columbia River fishery
Interests when he engaged In the Alas
ka fisheries. He Is now a prominent
factor In both the Columbia River and
Alaska salmon industry, and if his new
cold-storage plant will offer facilities
for handling deep-sea fish, he will have
the distinction of pioneering a new In
dustry that Is certain to prove of great
value to the Columbia River territory.
WOMEN AS CENSUS ENUMERATORS.
Labor bulletin No. 40. Issued in
March, 190$. by the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, contains among other
data and findings of more or less inter
est to the public a table showing the
relative character of work as census
enumerators done by men and women
In taking the last census of that state.
recently completed and published. The
public Is cot very familiar with women
In this capacity, relatively few having
been engaged In the work of census
taking. Come to think of It It Is some
what strange that this should be true.
since there Is no reason whatever why
an intelligent. Industrious woman
should not make a good enumerator of
the facts and figures which It Is the
purpose of the Government to gather
in census taking.
As noted by this bulletin the number
of women employed In this capacity in
the last census year (1505) in Massa
chusetts was larger than ever before,
being about one In six of the whole
number. The record by comparisou of
the work done ranged from "excellent"
to "very bad" for both men and women.
In the latter reckoning the per cent of
men was 2.13; that of women OAS; In the
second class the per cent of men was
6.73; that of women 12.72, while of a
total of 39, reckoned as "excellent" 2.62
per cent were men and 3.07 per cent
were women. The compiler adds: "The
work of women. Judged by Itself, was
better than that done by men."
If these figures and findings prove
anything they certainly show that
women as census enumerators are not
out of their "sphere." but on the con
trary, are a dependable clement in a
work for which they seem to be espe
cially fitted.
The work of census enumerators Is
Judged, as we are told, by the Superin
tendent of the State Census of Massa
chusetts, from two points of view. One
of these relates to accuracy of enumera
tion; the other to the character of the
work in regard to intelligence Jn In
terpreting its requirements. Industry
and persistence are the chief essentials
In the first instance. Intelligence and
diligence In the other. While the work
does not require any special talent it
does require more than a modicum of
common sense, a degree of tact unfail
ing good nature and conscientious pur
pose. There is an infinitude of detail
connected with It. which, according to
the showing made, women work out
with more patience than men.
The earlier censuses comprehended
merely the enumeration of the people.
The scope of the census has been
widened until now It assumes to tabu
late the most salient features, relating
to the political, physical, sociological
and industrial conditions of the people.
As stated In this bulletin: "The state,
like a great manufacturer, takes ac
count of stock once in ten years."
The work has become unwieldy
through Its great bulklncss. Further
more, especially as regards the National
census. It moves with a pace so slow
that Its findings when tabulated relate
to a period more or less removed from
the present and arc In no sense an ac
curate presentment of present condi
tions. Still there is much that Is worth
studying In the great volumes in which
these returns are finally printed, and
much more that is valuable as refer
ence. Telay Is harnessed to the chariot
of census taking by Interwoven In
tricacies of red tape, much of which
might be dispensed with profitably. But
slnce.lt Is not likely to be dispensed
with. It Is of interest to learn that
women excel in the deftness of handling
It and return their charge to the hands
from which they received it with less
bungling, relatively speaking, than Is
shown by men employed In the work.
The findings presented In this bulletin
may well be commended to the consid
eration of superintendents of census
taking, state and National, as a way
out of many of the difficulties with
which their endeavor Is beset from the
time their enumerators are placed in
the field to the completion of the work
in the public printing office.
The Government announces its aban
donment of the reclamation project on
the Snake a ad Malheur Rivers In Mal
heur County and the tract will be re
stored to entry In order that private
enterprise may undertake the work If
any company deems It feasible. After
extensive Investigations and repeated
efforts to secure satisfactory terras
with large land holders, the Govern
ment officials concluded that the rec
lamation work could not be conducted
with the funds available and with
Justice to the settlers, who mast
eventually pay the cost of reclamation.
It Is understood that Idaho irrigation
men are figuring upon cons trading an
irrigation system la the -Malheur conn
try under contract with the state la
pursuance ef the. provisions of the
Carey Act If this plan should he
carried out under contracts such as the
experience of the state would commend
rv . :
mm, wiee. the wooahtUti is that a. mm
eeeefui reciamaHon eutersrW tosM he
started m Malhonr Yaltey. Th Got
eminent w abandon its prelect
temporarily and perhaps resume it
again later if private enterprise does
not take up the work.
A prominent manufacturing firm of
-Manchester, England, has secured a
large tract of land in the state of
Tamaulipes. near the Rio Grande. In
.Mexico, and will engage In cotton grow
Ing on an extensive scale. The Mexl
can cotton crop for 19o5 amounted to
169.863 bales, and the quality Is said to
be superior to that of the Southern
States In this country. The experiment
or we Manchester firm will be watched
with considerable Interest for the
numerous cotton "booms" in the United
States have resulted most disastrously
to tee manufacturers, who have nev
been able to make contracts with any
great degree of certainty that they
wouia De awe to fill them exceDt at a
loss. With a wider field on which to
draw for raw material, the Industry
could be placed In a much better posi
tion from the standpoint of the manu
facturer, and It would be more difficult
for the market gamblers to JUKsrle the
market as they are now In the habit of
doing, to the detriment of grower and
cpnsumer alike.
Not all of the modern buildings that
are going up In Portland can lav claim
to architectural beauty, and for that
reason the builders do not get the
ruilest returns for their money, as
beauty, even In a commercial building.
Is an asset of value. The Commercial
Club building now seems assured, and
wnen the details are worked out an ef
fort should be made to secure as hand
some a ouiming as possible. On ac
count of the semi-public nature of the
project It is probable that every arch!
tect In the city could be Induced to sub
mit plans, and with competition of this
nature the very best could be secured.
Wbateverrls done In the matter It Is a
certainty that the building will be one
of which Portland may well be proud.
Taking only a sentimental view of
San Francisco's disaster and eliminat
ing the money loss, what a destruction
of things that men and women and
children hold dear has taken ntar
Thlnk of the family treasures in twen
ty-five or thirty thousand homes a prey
to names the evidence of love and
friendship between those tied by blood;
we countless keepsakes and souvenir
that have been gathered since the fam
ily was founded; heirlooms from past
generations, rich with affectionate re
membrances; the thousand and one
ornamental articles of value only to
tne owner; baby's first shoes and the
lace from grandmother's weddlnar dres
Oh. tears will be shed over losses that
can not be computed In dollars.
Fire insurance companies -have been
dealt a staggering blow by the burning
of San Francisco. Their risks on the
destroyed property are In the aggregate
enormous. The resultant calamltv Is
one that will draw heavily upon their
revenue funds and practically wipe
many of them out. The result is one.
however, that works both ways. It will
demonstrate more clearly than ever
before the wisdom of property, and In
a less degree only of life. Insurance, and
as a result there will be a revival in
insurance business that will. In due
time, much more than compensate for
Its late tremendous losses.
In reading of Santa Roa' rutrt in
the losses of the late frightful calamity
in uaurornia one naturally thinks of
me nome or Luther Burbank. the
"wizard of agriculture" near that
place. No mention has been made of
It In the flood of dispatches that has
surged over the wires, and we are fain
to nope mat .mature in her angry mood
spared the abode of her faithful son
and coworker the nunlnt urn vina.
covered cottage with which thousands
nave occome laminar through pictures
in agricultural papers and magazines.
Of the 1.000.000 Immigrants who cam
Into this country last year 317.006
stopped In New Tork. the State: 223.3SO
lodged In Pennsylvania. 73,060 got as
xar as iiunow ana only 20.000 went be
yond that State. The Immlmnix -x-
get now do not seek the land as they
did a generation ago. They hang about
large cities and factory towns and get
Into the coal mines, which Is not the
best thing cither for them or the
country.
Estimates of the consumption of
"drinks" In the United States during
the year 1S05 show the same steady In
crease as for years with the same de
cline In whisky drinking and larger
consumption of malt liquors. If this is
to be attributed to temperance workers
why is It not a good pbui to allow sol
diers to drink beer Inside the post limits
rather than bad whisky outside the
lines?
Note the vote for the first twelve
candidates for the legislature and then
say that numerical position counts for
nothing on an Australian ballot No
doubt hundreds of voters put an X In
front of the first dozen names and quit
Other things being equal In a popular
election, a man named Adams or
Brown will beat a man named Toung
or Zolllcoffer every time.
This modest remark from the New
Tork Sun: "When It Is possible to get
home from Chicago In ten hours and
from Boston in four, two important ad
ditions will have been made to the
number of New Tork suburbs."
Charity has no bounds. Such Is the
universal temper today that If San
Francisco were to ask the world: "Give
us enough to rebuild our city," the
world would do it
In this all Important legislation over
railway rates, what a pitiable figure
the great State of New Tork cuts with
two empty seats In the United States
Senate.
Oregon's first free-for-all race under
the direct primary law developed a long
list of "also ran.
Is the Key to the Position.
Chicago Chrenivle.
The new naval aid to the President
LSeutenaat-CeBunaader Albert L. Key.
seems to have been made to pose in a
hrnttaat military ualform. He Is mere
than 4 feet tall, bread in preeorCotu and
straight as an arrow. Standing at atten
tion at the side of the Precieeat on all
official functions at the WMte Keuse and
when the. President attends offtelal af
fairs eiaewhere. Lieutenant-Commander
Key never fans to attract faveraeie no
tice.
Tiff "PIESSIMiST.
.
t's.s jMSH man -tjhowea'tpay 5 cents
for . 3-cent newspaper, particularly when
they bayeJsuch a hard time getting their
It was rumored oa the street the other
day that, a daily pobllcatkm down m the
red-Ink dtetrict received a postal card
-from Buisun. Cat, with a special delivery
stamp en it Immediately on the receipt
ef it they got out foar extras.
,
No report of art, earthquake is complete
unless some mention is made of people
rushla out in the street in their nlght
cleth'es. Scantily clad means the same
thing.
a
While buildings are going down In San
Francisco, the price of sugar Is going up
In Portland.
a
The most cheering news from San Fran
cisco is the reported loss of the Cliff
House. In appearance that interesting
structure was a cross between a birdcage
and a wedding- cake. Many a person has
wanted to own the Cliff House so that he
could burn It
My friend and co-worker in Seattle. In
his May Issue of the Pessimist devotes a
little space to show that the future- of
Seattle Is not entirely dark:
"Seattle, the Queen City of the West,
arose Phoenlx-ltke from her ashes less
than a decade ago. In 17 years a city has
evolved Itself from chaos. Like Rome,
she sits upon the proud eminence of her
seven hills, a virile giantess In Nature's
lavish lap. Conscious of her brawn and
beauty, aba awaits that not far distant
future when the world will pay Its hom
age to a new and grander Carthage than
it has ever seen. . . . The march of
time and the genius of man will some day
build upon the shores of Puget Sound the
fairest and greatest metropolis with
which this planet has e'er been graced."
Good! Glad to hear It.
The occupants of the upper stories of
the Alaska building la Seattle felt a alight
swaying of the structure, "accompanied by
a muffled' roar from the lower regions.
This was on Wednesday. At first it was
thought to be an earthquake. Later it
was found to have been an explosion of
hot alr In a real estate office In the base
ment a
It is. reported that New Tork Insurance
men are complaining that the law will not
permit them to pay earthquake losses In"
aan jr ranciaco. Every one knows the high
regard that New Tork financiers have
for the law.
Professor Cesare Lombroso, a noted
Italian criminologist, has been Investigat
ing the American millionaire. Quoting
from the Literary Digest here are a few
things that Professor Lombroso has to
say:
"The American millionaire Is a social
apd physiological freak, at once a prodigy
of turpitude, an avaricious monster, and
a benefactor of his employes. The ordln
try millionaire Is destitute of moral sense,
kindliness or Justice. He will borrow
money from a banker and employ It to
ruin the lender. The Insatiable thirst for
money renders him absolutely 'unscrupu
lous. A successful money-getter must not
mind ruining ten or twelve of his friends,
or even breaking his wife's heart, as
GIrard did. through his avaricious mean
ness. Sometimes only an Infinitesimal
line divides the millionaire from the
thief."
a a a.
Sometimes an exercise U called - an
"etude." However, that does not dis
guise the fact that It is an exercise. An
exercise by any other name would sound
as bad.
Some day Just before the world comes
to an end a pianist will come along who
will be able to play so well that he will
not have to practice in public
Of course, everyone who is un In these
matters knows that an etude, particularly
a Chopin etude. Is a difficult thing to do.
After the thing is finished, the audience
Is oerfectlv satisfied that It can be done.
Nevertheless, most of-them would be-will--
lnr to take the Der former s word tor It
ana listen to a real tune wunout tne pre
liminary demonstration.
a a
When one listens to a fiddler with a
HO.eeO fiddle, he knows that it is all right,
because no one but a real fiddler could
afford to have a $10,CCQ fiddle.
When the "Strad.." worth so many
thousands, ceases to sing and throb un
der the compelling stroke of the master's
hand, the audience can lean back and ap
plaud unreservedly. It is all right
This tip Is for the benefit of the uncul
tured and the low-born, those who do not
know the difference between a D Major
Concerto and a sheet of tanglefoot fly
paper. The others there are others, our
first families, whom a beneficent Crea
tor evolved during a mood of special gra-
clousnes the others, they know all about
these things.
a a a
Once in a while, however, the F.'F.'s
rise above the source of their special Illu
mination and act for themselves, and then
they get left
Not many years ago a virtuoso with a
hasty temper and hair Just the right
length came along and got three bones
apiece out of our best ones to hear him
play. Something happened that made the
virtuoso madder than he had ever been
before. His performance on the piano
sounded like the effort of an amateur on
his first appearance. Was It fierce? It
was; but the three-dollar ones did not
know it. They were wild with delight
Their whole souls were filled with rapture.
The divine harmonies that the furious
pianist was supposed to be clawing out
of that thump-box caused the f. f.s to
rise up en masse and throw bouquets,
handkerchiefs and gloves at him.
Bid they get next?
Tea, they did.
When?
Why. next morning, when they saw that
It took the. virtuoso's manager a column,
and a half to explain why the perform
ance was so rotten.
Although it is contrary to medical ethics
for a doctor to advertise what he has
been doing, it -has become known In Chi
cago that a doctor killed a dog three
times and the dog is still alive.
It was not a neighbor's dog that was
being operated upon; the feat was ac
complished in a clinical laboratory. Just
to shew what the doctor could do. A
man hi now being looked for who will
ceases t to part tamperarHy with his mor
tal coll and let the doctor shuffle with
It In the interests ef science. If he sur
vives the third shuffle, the rules of the
game will permit him to call for a new
deck" and do his own shuffling.
a a a
An endneer In France can nreduee
team without are. If ho could produce
IMuminatmg-.ffss without a smell he would
he truly Messed.
M. B. WELLS.
CHICAGO"
The great Are at Chicago wan from
the 8th to the leth of October, 187.-
JOHN QREENLEAF WHITTIER.
Men said at vespers "All is welirt
In one wild night the city fell;
Fell shrines of prayer and marts of gala
Before the flery hurricane
On threescore spires the sunset shone.
Where ghastly sunrise looked on none.
Men clasped each other's hands and
said:
"The City of the West Is dead!"
Brave hearts who fought . In elow re
treat The Rends of fire from street to street.
Turned powerless to the blinding glare
The dumb defiance of despair.
A sudden impulse thrilled each wire
That signalled round that sea of fire;
Swift words of cheer, warm heart
throbs came;
In tears of pity, died the flame!
From East, from West, from South,
from North
The messages of hope shot forth.
And underneath the severing wave
The world, full-handed, rushed to save.
Fair seemed the old; but fairer still
The new, the dreary void shall fill
With dearer homes than those o'er
thrown. For love shall lay each corner stone.
Rise, Stricken City! From thee throw
The ashen sackcloth of thy woe;
And build as to Amphlon's strain, -To
songs of cheer, thy walls again!
How shrivelled in thy hot distress
The primal sin of selfishness!
How instant rose, to take thy part.
The Angel in the human heart!
Ah! not in vain the flames that tossed
Above thy dreadful holocaust;
The Christ again has preached through
thee
The Gospel of Humanity!
Then lift once more thy towers on high,
And fret with spires the Western sky
To tell that God Is yet with us
And love is still miraculous.
Song of the Jlother Range.
Bliss Carman in the Header.
Do you know now I have waited through
rajn and sun and blast
For your coming. O my children, while the
countless aeons passed?
For the heart within me cried,
I should travail but abide.
To become the mighty mother of races la
their pride.
And the fruit of all my longing should com
to ma at last
The desert wind might mar me, the sudden
flood might change.
And time make all my beauty fantastical
and strange.
But now from many seas.
With their large, triumphant eaa.
My hardy, handsome children are gathered
to my knees.
To know me and to love me. their enduring
mother range.
For my cry goes far to find them; the
echo of my calt
Crosses the prairie, rivers and pierces- door
and wall.
Till the dwellers of the street
Feel the slackened pulses beat
Till a 4ongtng for the nlll-trall Ukes hold
upon their feet
And the old way. the tried way, Is naught
to them at alL
Their hearts have heard the trail-call, the
word that bids them wake
From the tyranny of cities; the bonds of
custom break.
And they are slaves no more
To chair and desk and store.
But free and great and restless as adven
turers of yore.
With a hunger for the open and a. wander-thirst
to slake.
Are they worldly, are they weary, are they
broken, xad or worn?
Are they sick with money-fever, disillu--loned
and forlorn?
They shall walk beneath my skies
In a rapture of surprise.
The long-forgotten love-llght rekindled In
their eyes:
And every beating heart in them be glad
that It was born.
Through my thousand purple canons, where
the giant shadows ride.
INaki th. Hm nf f V. . arrnvn. fmm th wflfth
to the divide.
There Is healing, there. Is lure.
There Is health for sorrow's cure.
Where strength Is born of gladness and the
winds are soft and pure.
Lo. your v-elcome Is made ready and mv
blue teepee Is wide!
From Day to Day.
McLandburgh "Wilson.
Wlf hunger knockln at the -do",
A-waltln fo' de crumbs,
IVe got ernough ob hoecake left
Until tomorrer comes.
Wlf sorrows lyln' all aroun
Acrushln out de fun,
IVe got ernough ob smiles to last
Until de settln sun.
Wlf Satan doggln all my steps
A-spllin fo' a fight.
I'm got ernough ob grace to last
Until de stars am bright.
And so I git erlong right smart
A-puttln" ob my trust.
But If two days should come at once.
My golly, but I'd bust!
A Question.
Mabel Mahln In McClure.
I rtudy the faces of old women
And ask myself a question, new and strange.
To my own features will there come that
change?
That look of meek submission? Am I. thea.
So different from the others? And again,
I ask. have I no power to arrange
The course of mine own life? Must I exchange
My outlook on this world for theirs? What
gain
If I aspire and hope? Perchance they .too,
Have hoped and seen their dreams fade In the
air:
Perchance they, too, have loved as bow I do.
And lost that love which seemed to them so
fair.
Shall I at last, when all my struggles .cease.
Wear not a crown but Just a mask of peace?
City Children.
Charles Hanson Towne in Everybody's.
Pale flowers are you that scarce have known
the sun!
Tour little facea like sad blo&ooms seem
Shut In some room, there helplessly to dream
Of distant glens wherethrough glad, rivers run.
And winds at evening whisper. Daylight done,
you ralsa the tranquil "moon's unfettered
beam.
The wide, ureheltered earth, the starlight
gleam.
All the old beauty meant for every one.
The clamor of the city's street you hear..
Xot the rich silence of the glad Spring- glade:
The sun-swept spaces which the good God
made
Tou do not know; white mornings keen and
clear
Are not your portion through the golden year.
O little flowers that bloasom but to fade! ,
The Doll.
Ioulse ' aforgan "Bill, lrj Harper's Weekly.
A raan said to a woman.
"Lovely Indeed thou art!
Give me thy charm, thy witchery, i
But not thy woman-heart.
"Give me they sussy hours,
Bat not thy secretttars;
Give me thy hope, thy happiness, "
But not thy woawn's fears."
The woman's pride was mighty
Uke to the pride of raea. - v
Bet new her soul went weeplsg, "
Nor ever emHid agate. .'.