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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 1915)
H(ttvHe Bt,ig St. Johns Is Calling You Hai seven churches. Hai a moil promiiing future. Distinctively a manufacturing city Adjoint the city of Portland. Hat neatly 6,000 population. Haa a public library. Taxable property, f4,5O0.00O. Hai large dry docks, saw mills , Woolen mills, iron works, Stove works, asbestos factory, Ship building plant. Veneer and excelsior plant. Flour mill, planing mill, Box factory, and others. More industries coming. St. Johns is the place for YOU. St. Johns is Calling You Is second in number of Industries. Is seventh in population. Cars to Portland every t6 min. Has navigable water on J sides. Has finest gas and electricity. Has two strong banks. Has five large school houses. Has abundance of purest water. Has hard surface streets. Has extensive sewerage system. Has fine, modern brick city hall. Has payroll off 95,000 monthly. Ships monthly 2,000 cars freight. All railroads have access to it. Is gateway to Portland liatbor. Climate ideal and healthful. ST. JOHNS REVIEW Devoted to the Interests of the Peninsula, (be Manufacturing Center of (be Nortbweit VOL,, ii ST. JOHNS, OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 1915. NO 12 COUNCIL MEETS Matters of Importance Receive Attention . AH members were present at the regular meeting of the city council Tueaduy evening, with the exception of Councilman Gnrlick, and Muyor Vincent presiding. A petition for the improve ment of Swonson street between Oswego and Myers streets, by four foot cement sidewalk and grade, was referred to the en gineer to check up, as was also a petition for the improvement of Seneca street between the east line of the city and Charles ton street, by five foot cement sidewalk and grade. A notice of proposed assess ment of cost for sidewalk at Whitwood Court, presented by the city of Linnton, was re fcrred to the city attorney to se cure more definite statement. Bills amounting to $225.75, a large portion of which was for wood cutting, were allowed and ordered naid. The engineer stated that the remonstrances against the pro posed improvement of Tyler street totalled almost '1!) per cent. The matter was referred back to the engineer to ascer tain if the property would stand for the improvement. A resolution directing the en gineer to prepare the plans and specifications for the improve ment of Oswego street between Smith avenue and Columbia boulovard was adopted. It was decided to refer all weed penalty remonstrances to the chairman of the finance committee and city recorder for recommendation. G. L. Pcirino discussed the censorship ordinnnco to some length and suggested that tho council consider it more thor oughly and bring it up for fur ther discussion next Tuesday evening. lie expressed his dis pleasure with some of tho pro visions contained therein. Mayor Vincent and Council man Gradcn also mado in teresting remarks on tho sub ject, in which the latter ex pressed his willingness to vote to amend any obnoxious pro visions contained in tho or dinance. Michael Kello. representing the East St. Johns Improve ment Association, asked that polico protection bo given that section of the city in greater degree than now obtains. No definite action taken. Will Produce Sugar If the present plans do not miscarry, Oregon will in a Bhort timo bo listed among the im portant sugar producing states of the Union. While Eastern Oregon has been more or less active in the raising of sugar beets for a number of years, it is only recently that the move ment has oxtended to tho Wil lamette Valley and the counties in the south end of the state. Approximately 5.000 acres have been signed up within tho past few days in the vicinity of Med ford and Grants Pass, an acre age sufficient to warrant ihe erection of a beet sugar factory. A corporation backed by Oregon, California and Utah capital has been formed to carry through the project. Visited the Woolen Mills City School Superintendent Alderman .and the principals of the respective Portland public schools yesterday visited the Portland Woolen Mills and for several hours inspected the var ious processes of the plant un der the direction of E. L. Thompson and Mill Superin tendent Carter. The efficiency system recency installed at the mill was of particular interest to the principals. The trip was made according to a plan for mulated by Mr. Alderman to bring the schools in closer touch with the outside world and fos ter the made-in-Oregon idea in the hearts of school children. Other large Portland industries will be visited from week to week. Sunday's Journal. Htiftn 4k la fail on vAiif1 Buif. Public Ma Like,y So it appears to be reasonably assured that wo are to have a public defender. Judge Steven son has presented to the Com missioners the benefits that Will be sure to accrue from the creation of that office, and in support of the Judge's presenta tion is the experience of sonic other cities in this country, notably Los Angeles. The public defender puts tho man without means, who has come within the grip of tho law, and the public, in a new and a juster relation. As we under stand it is to be the province of this official to see that every such man charged with public olFcnBO may have his legal rights before tho court. As a matter of theory he is supposed to get those at the hands of the public prosecutor whether an attorney appears in his defense or not; but as u matter of fact the average public prosecutor is more interested in making a record for himself than he is in the fate of any particular cuprit. We do not understand that it will be the dut: of tho public defender to acquit every man charged with ofTense, simply be cause he has no money with which to pay an attorney, and it is sincerely to be hoped that in discharging the duties of the office such will not be the case. Justice is the aim, and that means that tho prime effort will bo to establish the truth. If there should be the right sort of cooperation between the public defender and the public prosecutor, few cases wherein the defendants were penniless would pass through the grind of tho court wherein justice would not be done. The civic aim can bo no higher than that, and n a matter of fact, in Los Angeles, whore the services of this official have been given a moro thorough trial than in any other Amcricnn city, the univer sal testimony is that the cause of justico has been well served. Telegram. Lewis Gets Off One A measure was up in tho House tho other day for con sideration and many earnest and eloquent speeches had been made pro and con. At last Rep resentative D. C. Lewis rose and spoke ns follows, "The argument on tho ques tion under discussion reminds mo of tho story of tho old colored lndy who had died and been tak en to her heavenly home. When living she weighed 250 pound dressed. There was erected over her grave a monument bearing tho following: 'Here lies Aunt Polly Ann At peace in the arms of Abraham. Some wag thinking he could improve the inscription changed tho same to read as follows: 'Hero lies Aunt Polly Ann, At peace in the arms of Abra ham. It is all right for Polly Ann. But how is it with poor Abra ham?' " Evolution A little maid, A little glade. A balmy night in June: A little meeting, A little greeting, Beneath the silvery moon, A little walk. A little talk, A little time to woo; A little Spring, A little ring. A little babe or two. A little bauble, A little squabble, A matrimonial snare; A little fee, A little decree. An alimonial pair. Life. Building Permits No. 4 vTo Anton Kleuser to erect a residence on Fessenden street between Richmond and Oswego streets; cost $1000. No. 5. To G. B. Darowish to erect a store and residence on Dawson street between Bu chanan and Burr streets; cost $1800. Frank Jones of St. Helens was a St. Johns visitor the first of the week. HIGH SCHOOL Incidents of High School Interestingly Told The Senior class can now be easily spotted by tho underclass men, dun to the class pins they received last week. The boys have tic pins, and the girls the usual stylo of pin. Thoy are of diamond Shane with J. J. H. S. '15 inscribed on them in block letters. A committee has been ap pointed to look into the matter of the annual Senior piny, which is to be presented to tho public Inter in tho year. Watch for it and don't miss it when it comes. Another committee has been ap pointed to choose cluss colors, class flower, and class motto. Having secured these, we shall havo all the essentials of a Senior class. Last Friday night a basket ball game was played in the High School gymnnsium be tween the Groshnm and James John teams, both boys and girls playing. James John won both games, the girls' score being G0-2. and the boys' 22-11. The teams all played well, and it was only owing to better team work that James John won. This is tho sixth gamo of the season; our girls have won each tunc, and our hoys havo lost only the one gamo to Forest Grove. Saturday night the fourth pro gram of tho Dramntic Society was given in the High School auditorium. The vice presi dent, Ethel Hufford, presided in the absenco of tho president. Minnie Nolcn, the secretary, read the minutes of tho lust meeting, nfter which tho follow ing program was offered: Rebecca of bunny brook rarm. orchestra; solo. Maid of the Mill, Frances Miller, with piano accompaniment by Florenco Dnvis: reading. Aunt .Jane, Margaret Nelson: quartet. Gar land of Old Fashioned Roses, Carlyle Cunningham, Wyeth Jayne, Jennie McNiven and Margaret Rassi; reading, The McSwnts' Swear Off, Dorothy Schttffer; solo, Come Whore n Voico is Calling, Bcrnice Brown oy, accompanied on tho violin by Ethel Hufford; Shores of Italy, orchestra: Tipperrnry, or chestra; reading, Tho Owl Critic, Lulu Day; When I Lost You, orchestra. Tho entire program was much appreciated by everybody pres ent, but tho unique orchestra won most applause and com ment. Director Cunningham guided the nine instruments with marvelous skill nnd n cur tain rod. Tho to the unclaHsical ear the different instruments at times closely resembled each other, both in timbro nnd tone, tho owners of tho ears didn't betray their ignoranco; instead thoy encored tho orchestra und even invited them to return nt some futuro date, A week ago, or Monday, the eighteenth, tho cooking class from the sixth and seventh grades of the North School en tertained their mothers in the cooking labratory of the High School. Tho chocolate and cook ies, which were the refresh ments served, were made by the pupils under the direction of the teacher, Miss Twining. Reporter. In his message to the legisla ture Governor Withycombe sug gests that a portion of tho stato appropriation heretofore devoted to publicity work be used by a non-salaried commission that will investigate and exploit the opportunities open for manu facturing in Oregon as a result of the war and the shifting of trade centers as a consequence of the use of the Panama Canal. It is a business like proposal be cause there is a field here for the development of manufactur ing. It would be worth while to have an agency that could point out these possibilities and thus work for tho establishment of new industries in the various parts of the state. Mister, indignantly Jane, whatever did you mean by wear ing my low necked evening dress at the bus drivers' ball last night? Really, you ought to have, been ashamed of your self! Jane, meekly 1 was, mum. You never 'eerdsuch remarks as they made. London Sketch. The Cause of Crime Editor Review: It wns my lot to be temporarily in this community when the news was received of the death of a St. Johns young man of 17 while attempting a burglary in Port land, nnd involving one or two moro other young men of this place. The tragedy oi tne hard. unalterable consequence it is not possible to belittle or put aside. It has also happened that on several previous occasions in my life I have been placed so that 1 could not otherwise than ob serve the results to those most directly concerned when some young person, either boy or girl. had made a misstep that led to prompt disaster. More often than otherwise has it been young persons of something bet ter than tho average personality, force or attractiveness whom it has destroyed, ahd those who were under no desperate need economic need that drove them to the act. I have, in conse quence, been led to give these matters some thought. I trust I my be privileged to offer a comment upon tho present oc casion. For, surc'y, this is a time when it might be well to do some thinking. Unless .every ueing enuowcu wiui mu reason ing power has some well thought out nnd (consistent philosophy of life, he is not living the life of a rational being, but is with out chart or compass and drift ing upon tlie rocks with the certainty of fute. These painful events are not arbitrarily sent upon us by some malicious Power for its own cruel amusement. We live in a realm of cause and cilcct. And. most of us believe, in n realm where tho perfection of Love. Justice and Wisdom rule, though often enough it is beyond tho power of most of us to under stand its ways. Even so, the foregoing is the most reasonable hypothesis that lmii been offered. and all our philosophy of lifo is necessarily based upon it. So the only rational view is that all pain and misfortune comes upon us in consequence of error, nnd because it is the most elfcctivo means of stimulating our thought to search out the true course of action, that will avoid misfortune nnd both preserve nnd increnso our well being. Hie tragic fall of some loved young person, or of some young person grown older, is tnking plnco evory day in some com munity of tho world, and tho hurt of it is not cased at all to Mm hearts that mourn by tho fact that in this world wido view, such things are frequent. Those nearest of kin usually can not begin to understand how the ono fallen could have taken the step which tripped him into tho gulf. They can only sutrer deeply, uncomprehendingly, and in shamed silence, bomotimes one or more of them will move rinstilv tn rnnnnrvH tlinlr nwn standing in tho community by coldly denouncing the tragically exposed one, and say that he got no more than he deserved. And that, too, is the stereotyped verdict of tho community ns n whole, und has beon'in all ages. "Let the guilty suffer" is their ready motto and easy justifica tion of harsh words and actions. But if, ono unbelievable day, the blow strikes down one close to their own heart, then comes tho crisis. It is the trial by fire. And that heart will either harden itself and curse God and all his life, or it will be melted and softened into tho under standing which is sympathy. Will nothing less than the blast ing force of the lightning of Eersonal disaster soften your eart until it can understand? Can the heart not be ripened by thought? You may be sure of this that the heart is destined to be softened, sooner or later, and to be mado to understand, sympathetically understand, by either the one process or the other. It is yours to choose be tween them.' "Let tho guilty suffer." is the thought of the majority. And they accordingly build jails, keep tho statute books full of laws and ordinances, rigidly maintain all the conventions and proprieties, grow thrifty by the observance of another favorite motto, "Business is business," and are comfortable with pride in their own common sense. With common sense as their touchtone, they will give ready answer to any problem in economics, religion and, par ticularly, in sociology. They know what to do with the I. W. W. They have a solution for tho unemployed problem. (Ex ample: The unemployed ure in numbereoual to from five to tenlperlcent of the employed? men let every employer be kind and good enough to incrense his force'by from five to ten per cent and, lo, it is done. Easy. Thus a Portland editorial of last week). They know just what to do with the lazy, the vagrant nnd criminal. Let the guilty suffer." But these have travail ed in woe all through the cen turies, nnd the tide of delin quency is higher than ever. Read the authorities on criminol ogy and verify it. On the other hand, und con spicuously apart from thoso who count common sense" a suf ficient guide in social regulation and conduct, we find a small group who seek an understand ing of social probems, such as that otcrime, by means ot com prehensive, painstaking study that strive faithfully to take all circumstances into considera tion, that reads and considers with care the thoughtful borks written by those who have giv en the serious study of a life time to these questions. Two score books will cover the most notable und competent efforts to arrive at the truth concerning the real cause of crime, mesa two scoro oi tne world's leading students of tho question arc practically un animous in plucing tho responsi bility ior crime more, much more, upon society than upon the individual whom wo call tho criminal. Some of these books have been on the shelves of out larger libraries for thirty years, hut how little difference it has made in the attitude of the average man or woman toward criminals. Common sense is held to be sufficient equipment for passing final judgment upon our neighbor. Common sense will not enable us to properly wire a house for electric light, nor to plan and put in the plumb ing. Hero wo must havo a man who has fnadc a study of elec trical construction or of sanita tion. In thcBO lines of nctivfty tho chain of cause and affect lies out in the visible, tangiblo world of things, and our mis takes would quickly expose our Incompetence. But in the in visible world of mind nnd soul where lies the chain of cause and effect that shapes human social conduct, wo may moro bodily profess to bo competent in knowledgo without quite tho snmo risk of boing promptly ex posed by our errors. it is tune, indeed, to uo some thinking. Wo do not have to blazo tho way ourselves. Pioneers have not been lacking. Their richest counsel is await ing us in their books. It is for us to go to them and be taught. Can any one, who hns not read them, believe ho does not need what they have to teach? It would be strange if any ono should be rush enough to pro fess a knowledgo of the nature and properties of gases who had never studied and performed tho experimental demonstrations of Avogadro. Common sonso will not avail in this field. Will it, then, enable a man to judge, offhand, the laws of human nature and say what result will follow u given cause, or what cause brought about a given result.' Can a man by common sense alono judge tho causes of vagrancy nnd petty crime and prescribe tho remedy? Ihere was at ono timo a test experiment performed on a largo scale in the study of the human nature of the vagrant and petty criminal classes. This test proved a fact in regard to hu man nature that is quite as im portant in the science of sociol ogy as Avogadro's Law is in tho science of physics. It distinct ly points tho way to the prac tical abolition of petty crime. The experiment wns conducted over a century ago. Tho ac count of it has been in every important public library for many years. But tho principle of human nature which it proved and called upon the world to accept and practice was so little in harmony with the "Let the guilty suffer" doctrine which is so deeply rooted in the prided common sense of the 'common masses of population every where, that it made little head way and iB little known today. I should be surprised to find that an average of two persons in towns of the size of St. Johns had read it, or that five had ever heard of it. It is known as Count Ruthford's experiment in abolishing vagrancy in Bavaria and a good account of it is given in tho appendix to Wm. Booth's "In Darkest Eng land." A circumstance which should ,' be significant is that tho prac tically unanimous judgment of the world's most serious stu dents of sociology, standing con spicuously for the idea of social responsibility more than in dividual responsibility, and for tho principle of tolerance and respect for others' thought and nets, is found to be very closely in harmony with the spirit of Christ's teaching. "Judge not that ye be not judged." "Let him thnt is without sin among tfnn nnof tnn ftKt ntnun ' ' "Love your neighbor as your self." These two scoro books, in their exhaustive analysis. lead us unfailingly in the direc- i r a! r nun oi uiese principles oi con duct as the net conclusion of all their wide studies. These au thors align themselves with the urcnt readier, unrist, in ap proval of his teachings. But the men and woman who deem common sense sufficient to equip them for n Judgment in this field are still running with the crowd that handed the cup of hemlock to Socrates, that car ried slaves and jabbered with malicious hate on the slopes of Calvury, that lit the fires around tho religious martyrs of the Middle Ages, burned the witch es at bnlem, und in our own time persecute and discredit tho lenders of the working class movement, ostracise the uncon ventional who dare to sincerely go about their quest for well being in their own way, nnd, in many an afternoon hour of zealous gossip, brew and quaff nothing with such zest as a Mother Grundy brow of furtive, cultivnted, porfectly correct slander, social envy and spite. Envious, narrow minded, in tolerant hate is tho one torch that has lit all these agonizing fires. Sympathy, tolerance, or even a plain minding of one's own business is unknown to them. II is m this crowd that tho davotccs of plain, hard, in herited common sense fraternize together. For them it is au thority enough. "Let the guilty suffer," they repeat, "and wo will do our duty by providing the implements that torture and the thoughts and words thnt burn." But Christ said." Let him that is without sin among you enst tho first stono." "Lovo your neighbor as yourself." Ami tho ripened minds of tho world's greatest thinkers, in two score of faithful, earnest volumes, counsel us thnt social rcsponi bility is greater than individual responsibility. Thoy stand firm ly for justico rather than mis giving, for restraint nnd sym pnthetic instruction rather than punishment, for emmltyy of op portunity instead of the monop oly of tho means for affective effort in life by ton per cent of our population, for the Monies- son system ol "delight and lib erty" in education, and in life, rather than tho deforming and repulsive discipline of "Don't." Tho writings of Wm. Booth, Rowntrce, Tho Duko of Argylle, Loinbroso, nro among the best. No student of crimonology ex cels Loinbroso in accurate knowl edge Do you know what ho names as tho ono prominent, characteristic quality of the feminine delinquent, us n class? Virility. Just tho God-given endowment of abundant lifo. And our social rules and cus toms so restrict and deny the normal demands of thoso pos sessing this abundant capacity for life that it is these highly endowed ones who oftonest break over those social bounds und become whut tho world calls criminal. Another significant fact: Lom- broso's studies establish that the "respectable" classes of wo men, who submit to all the restrictive demands of custom, show almost exactly double the percentage of gruy haired per sons at a given age thut is shown by the "delinquent" classes of women, who have re fused to submit to the imprison ment of their own lives within th bounds of convention. To .any one who is interested in the conditions ot social well being these books arc most in teresting rending. They solidly establish the conclusion thnt tho ways of doing things, indus trially and socially, which we find entrenched among us today in unyielding custom nnd law, ure not udapted to human na ture. It is impossible for men and women under their severe handicap to make anything like the best of their lives. And, on the other hand, these customs do make it certain that a con siderable percentage of oach Construction News The Union Meut Company is planning $500,000 worth of im provements to its Portland plant, between $100,000 und $150,000, to be spent before Fall. The Wealthy Shell Oil Com pany has bought five more acres at Willbridgc, near Portland, for $25,000, and has laid plans for a large plant and dock that may cost moro than $500,000. The School Bonrd bus ordered plans drawn for the $100,000 i-rnnklin High school. Announcement has been made thut the $00,000 Blaka-McFall building will be started on the East Side soon after February 1. The East Side Business Men's Club is planning the erection of $200,000 building. The Doornbccher Manufactur ing Company has ordered a large addition to its plant, and hns announced plans for the ultimate erection of a six story concrete annex to its furniture factory. The above items toll the best bit of construction news of last week. Saverul other large projects ware sent forward during the week, und others were crowded nearer the stage of formnl announcement. A'tor entertaining the mem bers of the Realty Board Friday with a talk on "Optimism and Confidence." C. C. Colt told a reporter that his company wan preparing plans for extensive enlargements to its largo plant in North Portland. Ha said ad ditions costing between $100,000 and $150,000 would bo made be fore r nil. und that the ultimate expenditure would be $500,000. The principal sum will bo spent on the erection of u large hog- house, borne of tho work is now under wny. Representatives of the Shell Oil Company of California, which is backed by tho Roths child interests, last week pur chased about five acres of fund near Will bridge, on the Linnton Road, on which the company will build a plant to handle ils lubricating products. On land recently acquired from the Port land Gas & Coke Company, north of Willbridgc. a largo dock will bo built, and G. S. Reams, local manager of the company, said that a pipe line would bo extended from the dock to the plant at Willbridgo. It is understood thut two tanks of 55,000 gallons capacity ouch will be erected at the plant and thnt about half a million dollars will bo spout by the concern. The company paid J. B. Hol- brook nbout $25,001) for the land at Willbridgc. Bids for the construction of the tanks are now being received at San Frnncisco. Tho preliminary sur veys have already boon mude.- Sunday's Orcgonian. generation shall bo tortured with vital needs unsatisfied, shall become tangled in serious difficulties in their blind, un instructed search for what is needed, shall bo crowded beyond their power of resistance and overwhelmed by disaster and "disgrace." And yet, Count Rumford'a experiment has prov en, for all time, that this riff raff and scum of failure, if rescued from the merciless socinl machine that has broken thorn down und cast them out ns worthless, and given a fair, honest chance, under assured protection, will respond in a mnrvaloiiB wuy and seek with industry and zeal to establish themselves in the ways of liv ing that promote individual and social well being. These hooka demonstrate quite conclusively, I beliove, that tho reason for this social wreckage is not that the Designer of hu mnn nature has blundered, but thut tho social customs which havo unconsciously grown up about us, throughout tho ages, do not permit that human nature to attain its normal development under them. As well hope to raise a garden of thrifty vege tables and lovely, fragrant flowers on a slope where tho biting gases discharged by a chemical factory ure drifted in the poisoned winds that were meant to carry them vigorous life instead. G. The Luncher Look here, waiter, I'm very sorry, but I'vo only just sufficient money with me to pay the bill, and nothing left for a tip for you. Tho Wait er, confidentially Would you mind just letting mo 'uve an other look at tho bill, sr? Skotch.