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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1914)
THE SUNDAY OREGOyiAN, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 8. 1914. roRTLAND, OREGON. Entered at rortlnd. Oregon. Postotfice a eeond-class matter. (subscription Kates Invariably ' tn Advance: (BY MAIL) Dally, Fundsy included, one year I8.U0 Isliy. Sundap included, six months .... 4.'25 Daily, Suriuay Included, three months ... 2? JJaily. Sunday Included, one month ..... .i Iai1y, without Sunday, one year tt.oo X)a!ly, without Sunday, six moiltllB I-'aily, without Sunday, three months ... 1-75 I'ally, without KunUay, one month 6 Weekly, one yuar 1.51) Sunday, one year 2.i Sunday and weekly, one year .'. 8.&0 (BY CARRIER) Ually, Sunday Included, one year l'J.00 iJaily. Sunday included, one month .75 How to Remit Send postotfice money or der, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender's risk. live postofftce address tu full, including county and state. Pontage Katea 12 to 18 pases, 1 cent; 18 to U2 pages, -J cents; II to 4s pages, 3 cents; CO to bo pages, 4 cents; ti2 to 76 pages, & cents; 78 to U2 pages, 6 cents. Foreign post, age, double rates. Eastern Business Offices Verree'As Conk lin, iew York, Brunswick building. Chi cago, steger building. f-aa 1 ranclsoo Office R. J. Bidwell Co., 742 Market street. - rOKlXAND. SCNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1914. CENTRAL, AMERICA PROTESTS. The Nation generally approves the policy or securing to the United States control of routes for possible canals in competition with that at Panama, but H will not approve at tainment of this end in a manner to conflict with the interests and arouse the antagonism of Central American nations. In negotiating the treaty with Nicaragua, Secretary Bryan had this laudable end in view, but he ap pears to have ignored the interests and ambitions of the Central Ameri can states in his manner of going to work. A manifesto addressed by the peo ple of Salvador to those of the United States reveals the view of our pro ceedings in Nicaragua taken by Sal vador and other Central American etates and sheds light on th motive of Salvador for accepting so steadily Mr. Bryan's offer to submit to a com mission of Inquiry all disputes be tween the two countries and to defer hostilities or military preparations during the inquiry. Salvador consid ers she has a serious grievance against the United States and by the new treaty she has bound us not to take advantage of our superior trength, but to be guided by abstract justice in its adjustment. Salvador's complaint goes back to the beginning of the revolution which deposed Zelaya and to the action of the Taft Administration in aiding the revolutionists and in suppressing the later revolution against President Adolpho Dtaz. It accuses us of hav ing, "through diplomatic intrigue and military force set up a satrapy of native hirelings for the purpose of negotiating a treaty in flagrant vio lation of the public opinion of Nic aragua and of the other states af fected." This relates to the acts of the Taft Administration and to the Dawson treaty, whereby American bankers were to lend Nicaragua $16, 500,000. provided the custom-houses were placed in the hands of American agents. Adolpho Diaz' seizure of power is called usurpation and "the fruits of dollar diplomacy." Admiral Sutherland 1s accused of having taken charge of Nicaraguan affairs "like a military conqueror." These proceed ings are explained by Salvador in these words: The Ignited States is seeking a bargain In the form of a treaty with Nicaragua that grants to the aforesaid power the following: The exclusive right In perpetuity to build a canal through the San Juan River and l.uUr of Niraragua or across any other part of its territory that it may choose: the rental to United - States,, for ninety-nine years, of the Islands of Great Corn and Little Corn. In the Atlantic, and of any point It should select in the Oult or Fon seca for naval stations; the privilege in per petuity to navigate, not only In the route of the canal, but also in all of the lakes, ports and throughout the coast of Nicaragua with the rame advantages as are allowed to Xlcaraguans, and other unusual privileges. In compensation for all, the State Depart ment, at its discretion, will pay Nicaragua S3.00O.000 gold. The rights conceded are declared worth vastly more than $3,000,000. The canal rights alone are said to be worth Ht least as much as those at Panama. But "a compensation more rational and just" is held to be the improvement by the United States of the San Juan River into Lake Nica ragua, so that the largest ships may enter the lake and use it as a harbor. This would compensate Casta Rica also, which hius rights in the San Juan River recognized by the United States. The grant of canal rights in perpetuity 3s. however, held to be such as no government would ever think of yield ing. The United States is said to have "proclaimed the doctrine that no na tion has the right to monopolize for ever such an Important pass of com munication in the Panama Canal af fair." Tt Is suggested that a coalition of nations might "decide that the opening of the Nicaraguan route was world necessity, while the United Slates has no intention of digging a canal there. The manifesto says the United States should have an option of not over fifty years on the route, for after that period "Nicaragua and 'osta Rica let us hope the United States of Central America" may be able to dig the canal themselves and "exclusion ' from 1 this opportunity would be an atrocious injustice and a denial of their sovereignty." The proposed grant to Americans of equal rights with the Nicaraguan mer chant marine in Nicaraguan waters is held unjust unless Nicaraguans are granted the same rights in American waters. The rights conceded to the United States in the Gulf of Fonseca are con demned as contrary to international law, as that gulf washes the shores of .Nicaragua. Honduras and Sal-vjador and hag been, since Spanish times, under "the exclusive domination of the contiguous states" in common. Hence no o:ie of these states can part with Its rights without consent of the others. The concession is held to vi olate the principle of international law "that a nation must abstain from those acts that might Jeopardize the security of Its neighbors." The grant of a naval station on the gulf is pro nounced "in contravention of the con stitution of Nicaragua and - of its treaties and tacit understandings with other Central American states." The treaty is said to "nullify the independence and autonomy of Nica ragua" and to foreshadow an Ameri can protectorate and to violate the treaties of Washington among the Central American states. It would be an obstacle to the cherished design of federation, for it would isolate Nic aragua from her neighbors. These slates have been steadily working to thst end. '. The State Department is asked to "break off negotiations with "the spu rious Diaz government" and to use. its influence to induct into power a gov eminent "of the people." by holding an election under the auspices ot a commission of representatives of the United States and , the five Central American states, to guarantee freedom of suffrage. Revision of the treaty so that there will remain no potential or Implied Impairment of Nicaragua's sovereignty is asked. The United States is asked to give full value for concessions and to come to terms with Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. We are warned that If we insist on the present treaty we shall augment distrust and animosity toward us, while, if we deal out exact justice, our flag will be loved where It is now feared and we shall hasten the com ing of a Pan-American brotherhood. SLOW TO DO THEIR UTY. ' , On Tuesday, February 3, 130.00,0 women registered In the city of Chi cago, to vote at the forthcoming Feb ruary primary election, where city Aldermen alone are to be nominated. It was the first epportunity the newly enfranchised citizens of Chicago had had to prepare officially for the bal lot. On the previous Sunday a mass meeting of women was held to stimu late interest in registration. It was attended by thousands of women and was presided over by Jane Addams. It is worth while to quote from the speech of Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, president of the Illinois Equal Suf frage Association, who addressed her self to the woman who says she is "not interested in politics." Said Mrs. Trout: "She Is interested In politics whether she knows it or not. Every woman who rides Is interested In good roads. ."Every woman who walks Is Interested In good sidewalks. "Every woman who works Is Interested In a living wage and reasonable hours of lasHr. "Every housekeeper is Interested in good water, good light, and good air. "Every woman who eats Is . interested In pure food and the high cost of living, or the cost of high living, whichever way you .want to put It. "Every woman who has children Is Inter ested in good schools, or If she Isn't she ought to be. And If she has no children of her own, she should be Interested in other people's children. Every woman with, a spark of humanity in her heart must be interested and must want to 'annihilate the white slave traffic that is sending thousands of young girls and men every year into corrupted and dishonored graves." In Portland 4000 women have so far registered in a total of 17,000. Yet there are nearly 50,000 women In Multnomah County qualified to vote, and required to vote, if they do their duty as citizens. WE SHOULD GIVE THANKS. It is almost a matter for regret that Thanksgiving falls on a day so late in. the year. About this, season every bi-annium- when election looms in the distance we have so much more to be thankful for; there are so many un selfish efforts begun to promote the welfare of the common people. Regularly Joseph Fels, of Phila delphia, elects himself savior of a be nighted people and contributes liber ally from his hard-earned wealth that we may all be assured the delight of an economic heaven. Now to add to our already overflowing cup of grati tude another Great Leader promises to devote wealth and talent to point ing the way out of the hardships we have brought upon ourselves in our own ignorance and dense stupidity. Our new Guide is William Randolph Hearst. Truly we have much to be thankful for. It appears that Portland is only "a way station between San Francisco and Puget Sound," but Mr. Hearst with the aid of the San Francisco Examiner, the Oregon initiative and a wise Congress, will make Portland the "regnant seaport of the Columbia Gateway." W7e were quite halted and thoroughly bewildered "until the Hearst newspapers began to investi gate the matter." Now we know just what to do. It is very simple. Portland can be made a "regnant seaport" by wiping out private titles to some. $60,000,000 worth of water front, thereby abolishing say 800,000 in yearly tax income and by there after bonding the city occasionally for several million dollars to provide funds for erecting public docks and more public docks. According to the Oregon Supreme Court the water front at present Is subject to municipal regulation. Rates and service and type of im provements can be controlled by the public. We have all the essen tials of public ownership except the actual title to the land and the privi lege of spending the taxpayer's' money on it. But the people do love bond issues. They enjoy spending the tax payers' dollars. Grumbling over high taxes Is merely a new way of passing the time of day. They who are in quiring why taxes are 4 00 per cent higher than they were ten years ago are only joking. Wrhat would we not spend for the satisfaction of knowing that the water front was in our own name? Promise of assistance in this laud able enterprise is given in a special Portland Harbor edition of the San Francisco Examiner, offered on the streets at five centi the copy from purely unselfish motives on the part of the publishers. Therein are to be found signed articleiby and flattering pictures of local patriots. Dan Kel laher Common User Dan, whose pro found sympajhy for the down-trodden Impelled him to hold up by referen dum for two years any reduction in gas, electric or streetcar rates Com mon User Dan contributes wordily. Also "Dr" John Brownlow Zlegler, who divides his time between solving weighty water front problems in Portland and working as a druggist in nearby towns, supplies pithy argu ment. Mr. W. C. Benbow and Mr. Frederick Mulkey aid in producing the public demand after notice of which it, of course, was easy enough to gain the signed approval of our leading statesmen. "Dr." Zlegler. it appears, has drafted a bill that will wipe out all the private titles, and Senator Lane will introduce it in Congress. Mr. Mulkey has devised an initiative bill designed to recover for the public the unused portion of the water front, valued at $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. Both will have the enthusiastic support of the Hearst newspapers. They will save us and make us some port. But a really distressing feature of the business is disclosed. It is that a San Francisco newspaper has "stolen the thunder of the Portland Journal. While that newspaper has been aim lessly emitting loud cries over the spilt milk of water-front titles, its model and inspiration in a far distant city promotes and encourages a defi nite plan for mopping up the suds, But of course that need not worry the public. Between Mr. Hearst's happy thought on methods of increas ing taxation and MY. Fels' tender ef fort to crowd a greater proportion of the cost of government upon the struggling home-maker, the clouds ot adversity seem to be parting. All wc need is a little more intelligence in managing our own affairs. Mr, Hearst and Mr. Fels are able and willing to give the necessary educa tion. We should be thankful. v THE END OF LIBERTY. The retiring Chief Justice of the New York Court of Appeals is Edgar Cullen, a distinguished lawyer and a great Democrat. He left the bench because he had reached the age" limit seventy- years. His last important public service was to act as presiding judge at the impeachment of Gov ernor Sulzer. In the perplexing and sensational Incidents of that momen tous affair, Justice Cullen acquitted himself with such a calm and lofty sense of dignity and fairness that he easily dominated the entire proceed ing, controlling with ease even the prejudiced anti-Sulzer members who. were bound to find Sulzer guilty "at any cost. At the recent meeting of the New York State " Bar Association, Justice Cullen was honored with a great re ception and banquet. He delivered a remarkable address on "The Decline of Personal Liberty in America." One paragraph .will be, of peculiar interest in Oregon, in its interpretation of the Copperfield incident. It is: The lust for military Intervention in civil affairs grows on what it fee- s upon. It is becoming the common practice, in the case of any great disaster, such as fire or flood, to call out the military. Three years ago the State Capitol was partially destroyed bv fire. As sooir'ai the fire had been ex tinguished the building was guarded by soldiers in uniform and armed, while scrub women and cleaners, the only persons whose Immediate services were requisite, did not appear till a day later. Finally, in this very month, in the State of Oregon, a- young lady acting as secretary to the Governor, placed, the town of Copperfield under mar tial law and the control of the military because the civil authorities had failed to close the saloons as required by law. Thus, one violation of liberty and law leads to another till the practice becomes common, and I Imagine that a majority, of the pro hibitionists at leant, will be found to ap prove of the practice, as long as It is ex erted to accomplish ends which they desire. If it be true that .in this country order cannot be maintained and the law enforced by the civil authorities, but we must con stantly resort to military force, our boast of freedom is but idle and, at least, we should refrain from the expressions of In dignation In which wo have recently been Indulging at the Invasion of the rights of civilians by the army in Germany. The civil authorities did not refuse to close the saloons "as required by law." They were not so required by law. The sole provocation of the Governor was that the saloon owners were in control of the municipal gov ernment and had licensed the saloons to certain favorites. Governor West utterly Ignored the civil law and de clined to proceed against the saloons, through the courts; but he called on the militia to cure an offensive and Improper condition. , If law in the United States cannot be enforced except through the mili tary power cf uniformed soldiers, what becomes of the republic? Or if the civil law is to be ignored, as at Copperfield, for. any reason, or for no reason except that an end sup posedly desirable is to be attained through the militia, what becomes of the civil power? If we despise and neglect the courts and the authorized officers of civil government, how long tilK there is a general breakdown of all con stitutional guarantees and a complete usurpation by the military power? What then becomes of the republic? WHITHER ARE WE DRIFTING? The political changes of the last few years have come so fast and have transferred our attention from one subject to another with such kaleido scopic rapidity that -it is well to take a general survey of the whole situa tion, that we may larn the general tendencies which prevail and judge whither we are traveling. Such a re view has been made by ex-Representative Samuel W. McCall, of Massa chusetts, for the New York World. Mr. McCall cites the rejection of a measure which he proposed twenty years ago, because it was regarded as an extreme violation of the state rights doctrine and says he was then regarded as a radical, but now is branded as a conservative. He holds the war with Spain and our conse quent holding of colonies as the first breach in the "wall of oHir Constitu tional restraints" and says: We have reached a point where the Na tional Government feels itself justified by popular sentiment in leveling a Federal edict against any acts which displease it, with but slight reference to the existence of constitutional restraints. This device of stretching the Constitution will, if It per sists and is successful, put an end to all constitutional restraint, for Congress alone would be the judge of what could properly be Included under the term general welfare. He finds a change in the spirit of legislators, from "men who were apt to grapple resolutely with the ques tions before them and to exercise their own judgment as representatives elected precisely for that purpose and who go back into their districts and educate the people to their view," to men like John Alien, of Mississippi. who said that he often found it easier to do wrong than to explain why he did right." The growth of "a spirit of regulation among the people" gives him great concern, for he wants' 'to see the individual left alone as much as possible to work out his own salvation." He says: We have altogether too much government for our own good; we are being crushed under an excessive burden of legislation. The "New Freedom" looks to roe very like the old slavery, when w chained and di rected the Individual. The freedom of which we have made boast for a century and a quarter will dis appear if we shall strip ourselves of our per sonal liberty and substitute for the Impulse and purpose of the individual the hard and fast regulation of the state. It la vital that we should limit the Na tional Government to those things which are clearly of common concern. Through attempting too much Con gress is doing its work badly and leg islation Is more loosely drawn than in any other great country. Mr. Mc Call would have the balance between central and state government main tained and, "in the interest of free dom and self-government," would solve doubts in favor of home rule. He says "President Wilson should be able to do much to overcome the tendency' to over-centralization," but "political hysteria makes impossible a settled public opinion." He con cludes: If President Wilson shall show himself able to maintain the due balance between the central Government and the states, and if he shall display the sanity and skill needed to put our politics upon a basis where it shall become chiefly an Intellectual rather than an emotional occupation, he will In deed prove himself a statesman. Mr. McCall calls attention to a real danger that the pendulum, after swinging far In one direction, may swing too far in the other direction. Improved means of communication have rendered possible and desirable greater centralization of power than was contemplated when the Consti tution was framed, but Is there not danger of overdoing it? Impatient at the obstacles to needed reforms which have been interposed by those private Interests which had too great influence over Government, well meaning officials have taken short cuts which weaken the foundations of liberty. Impatient at restrictions which render Constitutional amend ment well nigh impossible, do we not, by removing all restrictions, risk the loss of all those restraints which guarantee freedom ,to the individual? Disheartened by the inefflcacy of the laws we have, we seek to cure the evil with more laws, like the drunk ard who, the morning after a de bauch, takes "a hair of the dog that bit him." Sorrowing over the young man who becomes a slave to alcohol, we protect young men from the sa loon, forgetting that self-protection is the essence of true manhood. See ing the individual worker powerless to bargain on equal terms with mas ters of great masses of capital, do we not swing too far toward making him a mere ward of the Nation or state? Mr. McCall does well to raise these questions in our minds and we need to look for men as public servants who will answer them fearlessly, not hesitating to forfeit temporary ap plause that they may gain lasting renown. FUTURE OF THE STAGE. Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson con tributes to the February Century the first magazine article he ever wrote. How he has managed to escape the rage for print during all the fifty years of his public life is a wonder, but he has. It seems that he has not even published a book, although he confesses to being a little out of the fashion in these days, "when every man is his own Boswell." Naturally Sir Johnston writes about the theater, whose prospects he regards with a hopeful eye. It must be a great com fort to him, just as he is leaving the stage, to see so much that is cheering in its future. The acting, the plays, the morals of the theater are all bet ter than they were forty years ago, in his opinion, and playwrights' have more liberty of thought and expres sion. The last is true If we look back no longer than forty years, but it is easy to think of periods when the liberty- of writers for the stage was much greater than it is now. In the reckless reign of Charles II, for in stance, authors were permitted to say about what they liked. Such men as Congreve and Wycherley worked un der hardly any restrictions except that they should shun decency. Dryden speaks out more freely than any mod ern author and it is well known that many of Shakespeare's expressions would shock our ears. - The new liberty that the modern writer enjoys pertains to ideas rather than forms of expression. We com placently tolerate many an opinion upon marriage, divorce, crime and legislation for which both actors and authors would have been mobbed half a century ago. Forbes-Robertson does not especially like some of these novel ideas, but he does not fly Into a panic over them, as certain other critics of the stage think they must do. Any subject whatever, he believes, may be fit for te stage. Everything depends upon the way it is handled. For his own part he prefers plays that deal with man's happier qualities and exalt the virtues, but there is a place as well for those whicli exhibit vice. He has small faith in any official censorship of the stage, holding, as the great majority of sensible and ex perienced people do, that the public is the best censor. Indeed, it is the only one that ever accomplishes any good. Those who mourn over the imag inary decadence of the stage base their despair on f hakespeare. "See how the great dramatist Is neglected," they wall. "Nobody goes to see his plays. Shakespeare means ruin for both actor and manager." Sir John ston laughs at this kind of talk. He says boldly that Shakespeare draws better audiences now than he ever did before, at least since the days of Elizabeth. Curiously, too, he tells us that the plays are better acted than in any former time. "There may be fewer stars" of the first magnitude, he concedes, but the whole conduct of the play has Improved. There is more team work and it is more ar tistically done. The stars are perhaps not quite so bright as of yore, but they have a far more competent support. He wonders what some of our theat rical Jeremiahs would say if they could see the miserable stage support that bewildered and distracted the older actors like Kean and Garrick. "If their companies could come to life today," he says with grim satire, "I am afraid that American and English playgoers and critics would have a very great shock." If all this is true it means that we are moving toward a more artis tic production of the Shakespearean plays. To the master himself every character was important. None of them could beslighted without mar ring the symmetry of the piece. Most productions of Shakespeare cut out some of the speeches and all of them belittle the minor characters for the sake of' the star. This process gives us something very unlike Shake speare's artistic concept and may par tially account for the reluctance of the public to patronize the plays. Thi Lrecent tendency to effect a rounded production instead of a mere trajec tory for the lonely star may help make Shakespeare pleasing to a larg er public. Forbes-Robertson says he never has had much complaint to make of his audiences. His Hamlet has made money for him from the first day he acted the part, but still he concedes that if he had acted nothing but Shakespeare he would not now be retiring with the comfortable competence he possesses. Shake speare, we may infer, made him fa mous, but lesser dramatists made him rich. To possess both blessings is the exceptional lot of men like Sir John ston Forbes-Robertson. He Is averse, however to blaming the crowd for its neglect of Shake speare. "Why should the man in the street support him ?" he exclaims, and wo are disposed to second his opinion. Shakespeare does not speak Vlie lan guage of our day and his thought is alien to us. The Germans, who play Shakespeare more than the English, have translations of the plays in their every-day speech. We must hear them in an antiquated form, which of. itself destroys dramatic illusion and dimin ishes the feeling of reality. Moreover Shakespeare is intensely aristocratic in his predilections, while the modern man of the street is a democrat. We all enjoy the spectacle of pomp and power, but we do not sympathize with Its point of view and we energetically reject its dominance. Every scene of Shakespeare's Is feudal in feeling. The mob he detests tnd the base mechanic he despises. It is asking a good deal, therefore, of the base mechanic to sup. port his plays. Those who really en joy Shakespeare in our days fix their attention exclusively upon his art, whether literary or dramatic. His language and ideas have entered into the same realm as Giotto's pictures. They are inexpressibly beautiful, but their beauty is no longer popular. To appreciate it one must have culture, historical perspective, leisure for un selfish reflection, none of which are j vouchsafed to the man In the street. The fact that Shakespeare actually draws good audiences and makes a little money for actors proves that there is a great deal more culture among the masses than some suppose. OCR EXPANDING BODIES. 'Wail as we will over the woes of the world there are some encouraging cir cumstances too outstanding to be overlooked. It is acknowledged on all sides that we of this generation are a great deal more moral than our forefathers. Recent measurements have brought to light the equally cheering fact that we have bigger bodies. Dr. Minot refers , to this uplifting truth in his bookon "Age, Growth and Death," In these words: "Any one can observe that the younger generation of today tends to surpass its parents in physical development." Our. su periority in this respect has been brought to light by measurements made at Yale University in 1910 com pared with some made there in 1864, just at the close of the war. From these we learn that the av erage height of a Yale senior is now 68.1 inches, while 50 years ago it was only 68.09 inches. There has been a clear gain' of .01 of an inch. In weight the same individual has gained 16.2 pounds, a substantial Increment In 186 he weighed 136.1 pounds. Now he has acquired the splendid solidity of 152.3 pounds. In the same interval of time his chest girth has expanded about two inches. Fifty years ago the average New England farmer and clerk were bet ter men physically than college seniors. We know this to be true from measurements taken at the close of the war upon retiring troops. The college man was then a little more than an inch taller than the volunteer, but that was his only physical ad vantage. His we.ght was four pounds less, his neck girth .3 of an Inch smaller and his chest expansion fell short by the same amount. Today all this has been reversed and, as far as bone and muscle go, the college man is superior. The reason for this is no doubt to be found in the improved living condi tions at Yale and all the other col leges. The men exercise more than they did, live more 'in the open air and eat more wholesome food. Since their mothers have also become more vigorous by hygienic practices their better development Is readily ac counted for. THE BEST SHORT STORY. The New York Times has been making a commendable effort to fix upon the best short story in the Eng lish language. It did not succeed, ot course, for there Is no best story, any mrr) than there is a most beautiful rote or a greatest piece of music. Elusive things of this ort are most sought after by people of a pettily critical turn, who have not the capac ity for genuine enjoyment of litera ture and art. By instituting vain comparisons among stories, pictures and songs they provide themselves with an agreeable diversion and if they do not fall into the mistake of fancying- that their conclusions have real value they probably do no par ticular harm. The Times followed the fashionable modern method of seeking information.. It sent out to twenty-four authors the question "What do you think is the best short story in the English language?" Their answers were au diverse as age, sex, habit and environment could make them. To most of the authors who sent replies the best short stories seem to be those they read long ago, when they were young and imagina tion was plastic to fresh impressions. "There are no days like the old days" and no stories and songs like the old ones. A singular trait of the answers is the small credit they allow to women. None of the men who replied to the Times' inquiry deign to mention a sol itary story by a female writer, though they hit upon some peculiar choices from the pens of their own sex. One decides upon Mark Twain's "Jumping Frog" as the best short story in the language. This little skit is really nothing but a translation from the Greek. It no more belongs to English literature than does the "Book of Ruth," which another votes for. Mary Roberts Rlnehart casts a vote, but it goes to Edward Everett Hale, for his "Man Without a Country." Prob ably this tale holds its own more through patriotic sentiment than through literary merit. It is a good story, but the lesson it teaches Is so much, better that it has won a place in our National ritual of patriotism and nobody feels free to criticise it. Mary Stewart Cutting thinks Kipling's "Without Benefit of Clergy" is as good as any of the short stories. Alice Brown breaks the rule by voting for Dorothy Canfield's ''Gift of Oblivion," published in Harper's Monthly not long ago. She might as well, or bet ter, have named some of her own in imitable New England tales, which were completely slighted In the pleb iscite. Nor does Mary Wllkins Free man receive any mention, though some- of her short stories are among the finest in the world. Her "Revolt of Mother" is a perfect work of art and so is "An Old Arithmetician." An. other unsurpassed tale wriich none of the voters seem to have remembered Is Elizabeth Stuart Phelps' "Madonna of the Tubs." Upon the whole we cannot get rid of the feeling that our women authors received rather scurvy treatment in this election. Their male competitors showed them scant con sideration and their sisters did little better for them. The presupposition that the world of letters really belongs to the men sticks out from almost every answer the Times received. Moreover there is an amusing disposlion to stand firmly by the good old established judgments, which are safe and re spectable. Kipling receives far more credit than he deserves. We suppose the main reason for it Is the lasting hypnosis of his early vogue. Most of these active writers were caught in it years ago and they will never free themselves from the obsession. Kipling has done more to debase modern lit erature than any other man. Of course Poe receives a goodly number of votes. His "Gold Bug," "Fall of the House of Usher," and eo on, are the only great stories some authors ever read, just as some poets never heard of any flower but the rose and no bird but the nightingale. Poe's great ness is incontestable, eo much so that it suggests lack of thought to vote for his stories in an election of this sort. That he is at the head goes without saying. ' Bret Harte also receives many votes, but we cannot believe it is because he is still very widely read or greatly liked. His stories once In terested everybody, but do they still? Who cares for the annals of Poker Flat since we have acquired the cow boys with their chaps and revolvers? Owen Wister, prince of cowboy chroniclers, vote- for the "Cricket on the Hearth," by Dickens. The choice Is judicious, but it Is a pity that mod esty forbade him to select his own story of "Em'ly," the Wonderful Hen, which now figures as a chapter in "The Virginian." In its way this is as good a story as you will find in any language. Mark Twain wrote some really exemplary short stories, though these authors do not seem to have read any of them. "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" is prob ably his best effort in that line. It is wonderful that none of our living au thors seem to think highly of it. One of the best stories we have seen for a long time appeared in the Atlantic Monthly not long ago. It was called "Capital Punishments" and described the unavailing efforts of a conscienti ous father to awaken the contrition of his little daughter. This story has the Invaluable quality of humor, which so few nowadays possess. Perhaps few ever had it. Humor is the rarest and most precious' of all the literary val ues. Montague Glass, father of the Potash and Perlmutter brigade, ought to have received some? votes, but he did not. His best stories make good reading. It is hard to find better, though Mary Kelly, who died so young, runs him a close race. Our conseratlve authors do not think it proper yet awhile to recognize the im migrant in literature. He has en tered the sacred portal, but for some years to come he must be quietly ig nored and the authors who deal with him and his dialect cannot hope for elegant praise just yet, but no doubt posterity will rectify matters and do them justice. Quite a number ot" readers have of fered communications to The Oregon ian on Dr. Aked's sermon of last Sun day. While admitting that the views of Dr. Aked on the birth of Christ arc interesting, there are reasons why The Oregonian cannot open its columns to a general discussion of the subject. Already more letters have been of fered than space Is available lor, yet if only one were printed it would draw out many others in repjff. Doctrinal controversies are invariably endless and re.-tilt In a combat of religious opinions in general in which the original question at issue is finally overshadowed and never set tled to anybody's sa.isfaction. The Oregonian must respectfully decline to print the contributions offered on the subject, because space limitations make that course the only way in which all contributors can be given the same treatment. Evidence was eaten by a local bad check artist, thus weakening the case against him. There is the chance, however, that the evidence of his in famy will lodge in the appendix where it can be duly recovered. While a single painting has been sold for $700,000 in New York, it is one of Raphael's, which lea(es intact the rule that a painter must remain dead for a few centuries before get ting much for his work. Now a Berlin experimenter an nounces a method of detecting false hoods by the breath. Wives have been practicing that method since rum was invented. According to a London authority, book reviews often are better literary products than the books. We have occasionally found that to be the case to our sorrow. When the season of plenty opens up in a few wet I:-, put aside a few dollars out of your wages, boys, and you will not have to depend on charity next .Winter. According to the findings of the Coroner, an Oregon City man ate him self to death. That shduld neue as a stern warning to "gourmands. Bob Fitzsimmons is grooming his son for a white hope. You'd think he'd try to make .something more than a bruiser out of the boy. A noted German engineer belittles the Panama Canal. At a late hour, however, there were some indications that the Canal might survive. Chicago bachelor girls have organ ized for the purpose of insisting on ideal husbands. But where on earth will the supply come from? Western -jobbers oppose the bushel as a standard of measure. You see, everybody has learned Just how much a bushel should be. A Pc Ell girl who married on twenty-four hours' acquaintance now wants a divorce. Which confirms the old adage. A n n) h r- r- rnnn il'plat la feareil rv IrTuerta. In short, he fears someone will serve him as he served Madero. Yes, Harold, tl.e articles of war are to be revised, but the principal articles will remain the gun and bayonet. A Los .Angeles woman has married her son's young chum. Wonder if stepfather will spare the rod? Strange that with the many de mands for Goethals, nobody ever seems to try for Teddy. Twenty poles fell on Schuyler street. Almost equals the casualties at Warsaw. Competitors arc going after the drug trust. Surely there is a cure for this evil. English militants are now fighting themselves. Anything for a continual rumpus. Man 88, bride 68. elope. Why, the groom is old enough to be her father. Turkish women go in for university educations. Exit the harenf. Soon the crack of the bat will be heard around the world. The elements have the weather man guessing again. Our "watchful waiting" is entering on its final stages. Shortly work will be looking for This Is a hard season for the fans. That groundhog Is surely a fraud. Gleams Through the Mist By Deaa Collins. The Resurrection Sign. The -wind of the North may whistle keen. And whiffs of the snow may fly abont. The frost may whiten the parkways green. And Icicles hang on the waterspout. And Spring- may appear from day to day, Lingering weeks and weeks away; But I have never a care or doubt. Kor I have seen On the branches lean. The pussy-willows a-peeplng- out. Prophets,o!d In the weather's ways. May shukc their heads and may read tn signs. Predicting Wintry weary days Eefore the sun of the Springtime shines; But I've seen aliens that are more complete Boys playing marbles upon the street. And I have seen in the woods about. On branches brow n. The soft, gray down Of pussy-willows a-peeplng out. What, though today the sky be stern. And Winter tosses his hoary locks? The fires of life In the branches I urn; Tha hand of Spring at the doorway knocks! I taka no note what the prophets say; My message comes In another way. For 'spite of the bonds of Winter stout. On the smooth brown bark Of the branch, I mark. Where the puss y-wllrows arc bursting; out. a " Seeing the rise of the "furlana" and the "maxixe" as substitutes for the Argentine importation, one Is inclined to think that tangoing, after a little tangoing, will be efitirely tan-gone. One never reaches tlie heights of consistency until he has achieved tho habit of being consistently incon sistent. A Politician's Garden of Verses. In the campaign, till late at night. I'd work for votes by candle light: But after 'lection's rush and flurry. W hen votes are voted I should worry. The friendly voter. O indeed. I love him tenderly. And if I say so, when 1 need Ills vote, he'll vote for me. "Sir," said the courteous office boy, '"a fellow showed me a centipede to day more'n a hundred feet from head to tail." "Impossible." "Nope." retorted the c. ' o. t... "t " counted 'em and there was fifty on one side and ' "Boy," I said, hastily, "1 am very busy. Run along and tell it to the bug editor." I'awlni It On. The fiercest thing on earth. I wot A thins to call for gibes Would be a bapebull game between A lot of basebull scribes. Denver Republican. Another most appalling thins, Wa hero arise to fay. Would be a drama acted by The critics of the pluy. ' Youtigstown Telegram. Of all the things, the worst indeed. Surpassing all the rest, Would be a hotel managed l.y The loudly kicking guest. Seattle Post-lntelliyencer. There's still another awful thing. To help you bunch of gibers. And it's a paper written by Dissatisfied subscribers. Indianapolis Star. But worse than any mentioned yet, tUreat heavens, how we rue it! Would be a child, trained up by those Who tell you how to do It. Peoria Journal. But worse than those, than that, than all Of earth's most dire afflictions. Would be the weather made by those Who rail at the predictions. Nashville Banner. Perhaps. All these are tough, we know. But what could worse be seen Than the stufr in print, rejected by A funny magazine. Judge. But the fi.-ice".'. il juu pl.-ase. When once they start to race up. Is how fool verses, such as these. Will fairly eat the space up. X. B. This has got to stop somewhere. Mexican Soe-iely .utrs. From 101 Toro Gazette. Announcements from the fashion centers of Mazatlan indicate radical changes in Spring styles for federal troops. Since the entrance of tho in surrectosi it is said that very few of the best federals are wearing head.i this month. Social affairs of the present pre Lenten season promise to be the most brilliant in many years. His Excel lency President Huerta announced lately that he may even go into se clusion before Lent, owing to the ex hausting whirl of social events. Gen eral Villa is planning an attractive assassination in His Excellency's honor but many believe titat the guest of honor will not be able to attend. letters from Peru announce that a pieasujit deposing party was held in compliment to lite President at Lima, this week. It is thought that tile, bril liant and polished customs of assassi nation, which have made Mexico un rivalled in the Hocial world, may be introduced there soon on a small scale. Miguel Tamalc Is said to have re tired permanently from social activ ities. He departed for the zenith yes terday when a federal shell dropped Into the wagon of dynamite bombs which he was bringing from the United. States as favors for the cotillion which General Villa plans for next week in honor of the lifting of the embargo by Senor Wilson. Miguel did not stato how long he would be. out of the coun try, and his friends ate still hoping that he may drop down almost any week-end. m If Holme Lived in Portland. Build thee more tall skyscrapers! Build thee more, Kach taller than before. Leave tho low-vaulted 14-story; Tet each new building, for the city's glory Rise a' notch higher, till traditions hoary Of old New York must flap Flat, and we've bucked the Wc-olworth build ing off the map. Approximate History. 45271 B. C. Blackstone first cited s legal authority, when George Bone club uses a hunk of it on John Think sktill in a suit to culet title on the most productive fishing pool. 53S B. ('. Daniel c;i!ied in to twtify as a hand-writing expert in t- case of Cyrus, Inspector of Weights and Measures in Babylon, vs. Ke'shazzur. accused of short weight. 1840 A. i. Hudson Maxim inventor of effective methods of reducing nieces, and prominent advocate to of peace, born. 1S89 A. D. French Panama Canal Company gtts out, so that u reg'lar ditch -digger can have a chance. A. r. Army canteens withdraw from competition with bootleggers. 1912 A. f. 1'nited States troops or dered to the Mexican border. 1914 A. D. United States troops atUl there., t