10
THE MORNING OREG02?IAN, MONDAY,. JANUARY S, 1900.
THE OTHELLOS AND IAGOS OF STAGE HISTORY
(Copyright. 1SC9.
THE ORECONIAN'S HOME STUDY CIRCLE:
POPULAR STUDIES
IN SHAKESPEARE
Contributors to this course: Dr. Edward Dow
den, Dr. 'William J. Rolfe. Dr. Hamilton W.
liable. Dr. Albert S. Cook, Dr. Hiram Coiwon.
Dr, Isaac 3. Demmon, Dr. Vlda D. Scudder and
others. '
IX. OTHELLO.
Tlie Play as an Acting Drama,
Considered simply as a dream of pas
sion in action, "Othello" Is Shakespeare's
greatest play, and the greatest play the
world has seen. "Hamlet" may send its
dom and philosophy, and may also rise
to much higher flights of poetic expres-
sion. "'Macbeth" and "King Lear" may
reach their tragic culminations by a sub
tler evolution of their dramatic motives.
But "Othello," In its swift and certain
Thomas Betterton.
development of theme from simple begin
ning to awful end, stands supreme. As a
tragedy of elemental human passion it
Is un equaled in literature.
The history of '"Othello" as an acting
play justifies these statements. Its popu
larity in this respect, with the possible
exception of "Hamlet," is without rival.
"Othello" was popular in Shakespearean
times when Burbage played the Moor.
And, except in the puritan and Crom
"welllan epoch, when all plays were for
bidden, it lias been popular ever since.
From the time of the Restoration (16G0)
down to the very present there has never
been a year In -which "Othello" has not
held its place on the boards as one of the
best "drawing" plays, in the theatrical
repertoire.
And in one respect "Othello" has out
done "Hamlet" in its hold on popular fa
Tor. ''Othello" has never been "adapt
ed." It has always been presented, with
the exception of some shortening, practi
cally as Shakespeare wrote it. This can
not be said of "Hamlet." Even Garrick,
Shakespearean lover as he was, altered
Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to suit his fancy.
And other adapters and improvers of
"Hamlet" there have been of lesser fame.
But no playwright, great or small, has
ever presumed to lay desecrating hands on
"'Othello."
Fine as "'Othello" is as an acting play,
its quality as a play for reading only Is
equally fine. No other play that Shakes
peare has written holds the attention of
the reader from beginning to end with
such, enthrallment of mind and sense. Its
spell is continuous and complete.
The acting editions of "Othello" do not
present the play in its entirety. Theatri
cal representations In Shakespeare's day
were much longer than those of our day.
ICono of the time of the spectators was
taken up with cceneshlfting, orchestral
performances, etc. A play as Shakespeare
wrote it has, therefore, to be consider
ably condensed to make it fit the condi
tions of a modern representation.
Notwithstanding that this is so, "Othel
lo" as It was originally written is so log
ical and complete in Its dramatic con
struction that scarcely a line can be
struck out without -weakening it. Hence
John P-hllip Kemble.
those who know "Othello" only from see
ing it played do not know It completely.
No person should go to see "Othello" up
on the stage without first reading and
studying the play in printed form.
"'Othello" has the distinction among
plays of having two parts of almost first
class importance for male actors, and one
part of almost first-class Importance xor
a female actor; while several of Its minor
parts- call for acting of more than an or
dinary character. It follows, then, that
the history of ""Othello" as an acting
play would be a history of the entire Eng
lish stage. This consideration will show
how Imperfect a treatment of Its history
is possible here.
A point worthy of remembrance is that
it was In "'Othello" in the part of Des
demona that the first woman impersonator
of a Shakespearean heroine, the first Eng
lish woman to act any part of any sort,
ever appeared. This was December 8, 1660.
So extraordinary was the Innovation that
i-t was thought necessary to apologize
for It in the prologue A part of this pro
logue ran as follows:
"'In this reforming age
We have intents to civilize the stage.
Our women are defective, and so eiz'd
You'd think they -were some of the guard dls-
guls'd;
For to speak truth, men act. that are between
Port- and fifty, wenches of fifteen;
With bone as larg. and nerve eo uncompliant.
When you call "Desdemona.' enter "Giant.' "
TMs, it must be remembered -nrnc in th
fls few months of the Restoration pe-
ric'
u iae uays or anakespeare and af-
tcrward until puritan Ideas became so
dominant that all playing Tvas prohibited
the parts of women in plays had been
taken by young boys, du'.y apprenticed
and trained. It was from the ranks of
these boy players that the players of
men's parts were generally recruited.
Theatrical playing was then a respectable
ad lucrative profession. The puritan
rfflme changed all this. When the Re
storation again allowed playing to be
doe tire apprenticeship system was no
longer in vogue. As a consequence fe
n ale parts were scon generally assumed
by women.
AH the great players in tragedy known
to the hiftcry of the stage have taken
r-art in "'Othello." either as Othello or as
Iaro. and in ome cases as both. The?e
rrat pyetc In "Othel.o" form a regular
succession of "kings of the drcaia." n-
tinrHiic with Shakespeare's Burbago, the I
wflm! JlliiL
Sjflfe
- A frff iff I
(W v
by Seymour Eaton.)
DIRECTED BY PROF. SEYMOUR EATON
succession or "dynasty" may be set down
as follows: Burbage, Betterton (who In
1709 .played Othello forth'e last time at
the age of 74)t Barton Booth, Quin, Mack
Hn "(who,' however, played only Iago),
Garrick, Barry (sometimes Garrick played
Iago to Barry's Othello). Thomas Sheri
dan (the father of Sheridan, the drama
tist), John Henderson, John Kemble,
George Frederick Cooke (who, like Mack
lin, also played only Iago), Edmund
Kean, Junius Brutus Booth (who played
Iago to Kean's Othello), Edwin Forrest
(who also played Iago to Kean's Othello),
Macready, Samuel Phelps, Edwin Booth
and Henry Irving. Booth and Irving' at
one time played Othello and Iago togeth
er, alternately. Of distinguished foreign
ers who have played Othello, the more
1 noted are the Frenchman, Charles Fech
. ter (with whom, however, the part was
much inferior to his Hamlet) and the
g.'eat Italian Othello, Tommaso Salvlnl.
Interesting notes could be written on
the parts taken In the play of "Othello"
by all these players; but on the principle
that something about one thing Is a great
deal better than nothing much about
many things, let us confine our attention
to that greatest of all Othellos, that
greatest indeed of all Shakespearean act
ors, Edmund Kean.
Though Kean's genius for the highest
form of acting was so transcendent, it
must not be understood that it was with
out limitations. His art was not uni
versal. Nor was it without many blemishes
that actors of far less ability and fame
have been guiltless of. Moreover, Kean
was not physically well qualified for
the realization of many of the great roles
he essayed. His figure was not com
manding. His voice was harsh and un
pleasing. But In his best range, and es
pecially when he was in the full plenitude
of his powers, the fame of Edmund Kean'3
acting eclipses that of every other actor
in tragedy. The only actor or actress whose
fame is at all comparable with his is Mrs.
Slddons.
Othello was Kean's greatest part As to
this there is a fullness of evidence. The
elder Booth told Edwin Booth that "no
mortal man could equal Kean In the ren
dering of Othello's despair and rage"; that
"his voice when he spoke the words, 'Fare
well, Othello's occupation's gone,' sound
ed like the moan of the ocean or the
soughing of wind through cedars."
One characteristic of Kean's Impersona
tion of Othello Is worth noting. Actors
prior to him, even Garrick, Barry and John
Kemble, had represented Othello as an
African, or. In other words, a negro. There
is nothing in the play of "Othello" as
Shakespeare wrote it to Justify this. The
ascription of negro cnaracterlstics to
Junius Brutus Booth.
Othello by other characters In the play
Is the outcome of jealousy and hatred.
The Othello of Shakespeare is dark
skinned, but not necessarily a negro. Kean
represented Othello as a "Moor," a
Maurltanian, and nothing more.
Coleridge said of Kean that "seeing him
act was reading Shakespeare by flashes of
lightning." This lightning-like genius had
scarcely displayed its full brilliancy be
fore It began to be. consumed by Its own
heat and flame. Edmund Kean's life was
as sorrowful a tragedy as any he ever
enacted upon the mimic stage. He who
was able to transport thousands by his por
trayal of Imaginary passions, wh'ch he
could assume or throw off at will, be
came the victim of a passion of his own
which he could throw off only with his
life.
Kean's last appearance on the stage was
in Covert Garden theater March 23, 1S33.
He was then only 46. But for yeais the
glory of his genius had been waning, and
its power by this time, except occaional
ly In flashes, was only the mere wraith of
what it once had been. On this night he
was playing Othello to his son's Iago. It
was the first time father and son had
appeared together. Expectation was on
tiptoe, and in answer to the applause
which the performance of his favorite part
evoked, the great actor seemed to be him
self once more. But In the third act,
at the fatal words "Othello's occupation's
gone," while the applause seemed even
deeper and more fervent than it had ever
been before, he hesitated and stammered.
A moment later, in tottering toward Iago,
to. utter the injunction, "Villain, be sure
thou prove it," he fell Into his son's arms.
"Oh God," he cried, "I am dying! Speak
to them, Charles," he Implored. These
were his last words. The career of the
greatest Othello, the greatest Shylock and
the greatest Richard III the world has
known was ended. A few weeks later he
was in his grave.
Questions for Research and Review.
1. Are syou prejudiced against Othello
at the outset? Why? Are you still preju
diced at the close of act 1? By what
means docs the poet cause Othello to grow
in your esteem through the remainder of
the play?
2. How does Shakespeare keep us
from sympathizing much with Brabantlo?
3. What Is the dramatic purpose of he
Bdfrin Forrest ns Othello."
var'ous scenes in which great affairs of
state are introduced?
4. Is Desdemona equally great with
Othello wht n both are on trial in the pres
ence i f her father? Docs Brabantio's de
scription of Desdemona's character show
complete comprehension of her?
5. Is Desdemona's lie concerning the
handkerchief a flramatjc necessity? Hpjy
WJi
is her lie just before her death to be re
garded? 6. What is Othello's motive in killing
Desdemona? Is it jealousy?
7. What use is made of race differences
In bringing on the tragic conclusion of the
play? Is there anything unnatural in Des
demona's love for a Moor? Does Othello
show race peculiarities?
8. Does Iago become either better or
worse as the play advances? How explain
Othello's esteem of him?
9. Do you think lago's face and form
completely belied his character? Is ho old
or young? Has he any real excuse for
his villainy? Any real motive?
10. How do Iago and Richard HI com
pare as villains? Which is the more
artistic? Which the more cruel? Which
the more plausible?
1L How does Iago gain his ascendency
over Othello in act 3, scene 3? Does he
take lower moral ground apparently?. In.
the reunion scene (act 2, scene 1) what
Is the significance of lago's part?
12. By what means does Iago keep
Roderigo On the road to ruin? What are
the successive steps in Roderigo's degen
eration? How often docs Roderigo serve
the main plot? At what point does he
cease to be necessary?
13. Is Casslo necessary? At what points
In the play?
14. In what scenes Is Emilia most serv
iceable to the plot of the play?
diaries Albert Feeliter.
15. Is Othello's suicide a dramatic ne
cessity? 16. For what sins do the various offend
ers against moral laws pay the extreme
penalty?
Ohio state university.
APPEAL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS"
Moody's Charitable "Wort: May Suf
fer If Not Assisted.
EAST NORTHFIELD, Mass., Dec. 29.
(To the Editor.) You will be glad to have
the accompanying authentic information,
which corrects many current misstate
ments and answers inquiries as to the fu
ture of the work D. L. Moody left behind.
Any publicity you can give will be appre
ciated and will no doubt help in the work:
"I have been ambitious not to lay up
wealth, but to leave work for you to do,"
were almost the last words of D. L. Moody
to his children.
At a meeting of Mr. Moody's friends,
held In Northfield on the evening of hls-
funeral, It was resolved that a statement
regarding the Institutions founded by him
be given to the public.
These institutions are unique In charac
ter, and offer an unequaled opportunity
for young men and women of limited
means to secure an education that will
thoroughly equip them for Christian life
and service.
They consist of the Northfield seminary
and training school for young women,
Mount Hermon school for young men, and
the Bible institute, Chicago. All are Incor
porated. The Northfield plant consists of about
1200 acres of land and about 30 buildings,
beautifully situated and excellently
equipped. With present endowment it Is
valued at $1,125,000, and Is practically free
Edwin Booth as "Othello."
: from debt At Chicago the buildings, land
and endowment exceed $250,000 in value.
The Northfield schools have about 400
students each, who are charged $100 per
annum for board and tuition. The actual
cost Is about ?200. At Chicago the amount
required approximates $150 each for 300 stu
dents. In brief, therefore, a sum of about $125,-
000 is annually requirea to maintain the
work inaugurated by Mr. Moody on the
principles successfully pursued for the past
20 years.
This sum has heretofore been largely
raised by his personal efforts. We believe
his friends will now wish to express their
appreciation of him and their gratitude to
God for his accomplished work by sharing
the responsibilities bequeathed -to his chil
dren by raising the present limited endow
ment to $3,000,000, the interest on which,
at 4 per cent, would guarantee the per
petuation of his work In all its present
prosperity. Such an endowment would be
a monument to his memory more enduring
than brass or marble, and just such a me
morial as he himself would have most de
sired. The appeal is therefore made now to Mr.
Moody's friends throughout the world to
contribute, without curtailing their sup
port for current expenses, to a Moody
memorial endowment, notifying his elder
son, W. R. Moody, East Northfield, -u.ass.,
of the amount they are moved to give.
H. M. MOORE, President.
o
Not a Dying: Race.
Providence Journal.
German newspaper talk about the deca
dence of the British empire 13 as silly
and impertinent as the talk in the same
quarters about the military and naval inefficiency-
of the United States was two
years ago. It is an old cry, and it is as
futile as it is old. The English-speaking
race is not in a period of decadence. Even
If It should meet worse reverses than
any which have yet befallen it, the spirit
that has built upon a world-wide empire
would not be broken. Like the compan
ions of -Ulysses, that race is "one equal
temper of heroic hearts. . . . strong in
will to striye, tp seek, to -find, and npt to
yJeld."
a
DEFECTS IN CALENDARS
IiIXE ALIj HUMAN INSTITUTIONS,
THEY ARE IMPERFECT GROWTHS.
The Evolution of Our Present and
Gregorian Arrangement of
Times and Seasons.
Anno Domini 1S99 is now history, and
the eager question is, "Is this year to be
or not to be the beginning of another cen
tury?" But whether the 20th century
starts off with 1900 or 1901, what matters
It, for are we not living under a most
arbitrary and unreasonable calendar any
how? I venture to say this because the
new calendars are In, -and those of the
dead year will soon be buried out of sight,
says a writer in the Boston Transcript.
There is nothing much to regret in this
substitution of "new lamps for old"; in
deed, the fresh ones will be far more use
ful in our studies, our counting-rooms,
our shops and our business marts. Be
sides, they are radiant with bright hopes
born at the approach of A. D. 1900.
These calendars are of all shapes and
sizes, and often Include many colors. They
can be purchased "most anywhere," but
generally speaking they are given away,
tc serve as "ads" for banks, printing of
fices, apothecaries, insurance companies,
etc. Thus "business" Is aided by ephe
merides, and as from time to time we look
at them to see the correct date of our
reply to a club invitation or to some dis
creet billet-doux, our eyes are attracted
to industrial and commercial things which,
while quite prosaic, are decidedly useful
and well to remember. Each firm or cor
poration has its own kind of cardboard,
and prepares its own miso en scene. A
shoemaker offers a calendar made up like
a baby's boot; a manufacturer of fluid food
presents us with the Image of a rather
stylish-looking woman tasting of cocoa, or
with the "presentment" of a hearty-appearing
individual enjoying a glass of beer.
Perfumery distinguishes itself with dainty
almanacs, while soap is quite as esthetic.
The printer's gift Is a fine specimen of
the art that will never die, and the "old
and reliable" that longs to underwrite
a policy which will protect property or
life agalnBt this or that accident orna
ments its contribution of times and sea
sons with pictured casualty of dreadful
sort, or of some conflagration, burning
volcanoes having the preference.
But why call them calendars, these al
manac "mems" of the coming year, since
we no longer count by kalends? I suppose
it Is a question of word only, and yet
words are everything to many people.
All of us are compelled to accept certain
words whether we will or not. We are a
more conservative people than we sup
pose ourselves to be, aim in one form or
other we are as unyielding as so much pig
iron or a stone wall. Take this word cal
endarthe season of the year naturally
suggests the subject it Is entirely an er.
ror to use it now; and this is one of the
reasons why the very first day and the
very first date in every year are being
argued against and being earnestly con
tested by thoughtful men throughout the
world. '
The choice of January 1 as New Tear's
day Is wholly arbitrary, for certainly the
new year did not always begin with it.
But it seems "so natural" to associate
what we call the first day in January with
.the beginning of the new year. It never
occurs to most people that It would be
just as easy, if all of us were agreed, for
New Year's day to come the first of Sep
tember. The present system of almanac and cal
endar is, so far as some countries are con
cerned, only a very modern system any
how; and it is a singular proof of the re
luctance with which great masses of man
kind accept now Ideas and better ways
that, though the Romans who abolished in
all the countries under their sway the sys
tem of reckoning time by lunar months
and made the year begin on January 1, It
was not until the year A. D. 1752 that Eng
land conformed to that system. Scotland
had adopted it in-1600, the year which wit
nessed the birth of Oliver Cromwell; and
thus arose a strange anomaly. For while
both countries held that the execution of
Charles I took place on the 30th of Janu
ary, the year in England was 1648, but it
was 1649 in Scotland.
The Julian calendar, by which, up to
1582, dates were regulated throughout
Christendom, assumed ' the solar year to
contain 365 days 6 hours; the Gregorian
calendar, so called from Pope Gregory
XIII, under whoso auspices it was intro
duced, made the year consist of 3G5 days,
5 hours, 49 minutes, an estimate that dif
fers only by a few seconds from the true
value; and this small error, as well as the
excess of the true year over the year of
365 days, was compensated for by the In
stitution of leap years, which come, as
everybody knows, every four years, ex
ceptwell, that by and by. Notwithstand
ing the almost perfection of tho calendar
introduced by Julius Caesar (B. C. 46), it
involved an annual error of 11 minutes, a
difference which after a lapse of 1628 years,
i. e., in 1582, had grown to the porten
tous one of 10 days, so that the vernal
equinox fell on the 11th Instead of the 21st
of March, as it did at the time of the
council of Nice, 323 years after the birth or
Jesus.
If this had been allowed tpgo on, the time
would havo come when the. months would
no longer have coincided "with the sea
sons. Fancy sunny June being In mid
winter, and a celebration of Christmas in
the dog days! So Pope Gregory XIII con
sulted with mathematicians and astron
omers, and then he ordered that 10 days
should be deducted from the year 15S2,
by calling what, according to the old cal
endar, would have been reckoned the 5th
October, the 15th October, and in order to
keep the years straight for all time It
was further ordained that every 100th year
should not be counted a leap year, ex
cepting everj' fourth 100th, beginning with
2000.
This great reform was at once, or very
shortly afterward, accepted by all Catho
lic countries, but the Protestants of that
age were too much opposed to the "Rom
ish" church to accept even a purely sci
entific Innovation at the hands of tho
pope. Thus, while the Swiss Catholic can
tons took to the new calendar In 1584, the
Protestant cantons would have nothing to
do With It until 1700, and England attested
the fervor of her religious principles by
clinging to the old style for 32 years lon
ger. The last Protestant country to aban
don the Julian calendar was Sweden,
which followed the example of England
in 1753. The Eastern or Greek church still
refuses to adopt the new style, however,
and owing to the "year 1800 not having been
considered as a leap year, the difference
between the styles is Teally 12 days, bo
that Russians when they correspond, say
with Americans, double date their let
ters; that Is, If they write on the 10th
of December, they put down 10-22 Decem
ber. I have said that the choice of January
1 as New Year's day was purely arbitrary.
In the Middle Ages, Charlemagne decreec
that New Year's should bo fixed for Christ
mas, that Is to say, the 25th of Decem
ber, and the only reason which that hoary
bearded emperor had for doing so was the
desire for having an important holiday
open the new year. But "reformation"
did not stop there, and we all know what
results followed his peculiar fancy. Under
the Capetian kings the feast of Easter in
some parts of France replaced that of
Christmas; the year 1347 began with April
1 and ended the 20th of April the year
following, so that all the dates Included
between the 1st and 20th of April were re
peated twice in the same year, during
the first month and during the 13th month,
which is. still a source of error for chro
nologists. But all the French provinces
did not accept this error, preferring rather
their own, so that there were numerous
disagreements, all bad for commerce, as
wall as for judicial and administrative
!--. , ,
acts. jp many, unurieo lv, men xz. trara
of age, was induced to sign an edict :n
1563 fixing the 1st of January, the dale
already in use at Rome and in Germany,
as the beginning of the year 1564.
There are many defects In the Gregor
ian calendar actually In use almost any
where, as, for instance, Irregular months
of 31, SO and 28 days; the names of Sep
tember, October, November and Decem
ber; years constructed In such a way
that all the dates of anniversaries remain
fatally incomplete, Inasmuch as they cor
respond only every seven years to the
same days in the week; the holiday of the
renewal of the year placed in the season
the most disagreeable for that part of
earth Inhabited by most people, together
with numerous other imperfections. There
are a great many persons who would like
to have these things remedied or got rid
of forever, but how is it to be done, that
is the question. Of course, a large num
ber of inhabitants of this terrestrial globe
will hardly admit that there Is need of
making any change in the present alma
nac. Ever so long ago the same kind of
people were not willing that Julius Caesar
should reform the ancient and arbitrary
computation of the pontiffs from the time '
of Numa Pompillus, as later on there were
human beings opposed to Pope Gregory's
shortening the year of the 10 days that
had been accumulating since the period
of Caesar's reign. There are some folks
who are so conservative as to be forever
satisfied, even when the price of pota
toes Increases 50 per cent, and the tooth
some codfish touches 1Q cents a pound.
De justlbus non est disputandum. Happi
ly, there are others, those who wish to
go from good to better, and who, with
out becoming pessimists on that account,
prefer that things should be well done
rather than done imperfectly. It was
one of these latter and his name is not
even known who eight or nine years ago
sent the French Astronomical Society a
sum equal to $1000, and asked that learned
body to offer the money as a prize for
the best plan of remedying the Imperfec
tions of our calendar. For this competi
tion some 50-odd papers were presented,
and the project for which the prize was
awarded remedies one of the capital ir
regularities (I will mention it more fully
further on) by arranging for a perpetual
changing of the days corresponding to the
dates of the year, and this by a process
which Is claimed to be "eminently prac
tical." The Irregularity of the years is produced
by the fact that there is not an exact
number of weeks in a single year, for
there are really fifty-two weeks, plus one
day. It is this supplementary day which
is the cause of all our present embarrass
ments, and what can we do about it?
One may "kill time" in some ways, but
not to such an extent as that. "Very well,
then, If we may not suppress this odd
day alt6gether as a fact, let us do so in
appearance by calling it January 0, and
having January 1 arrive the day after.
This, at any rate, is what the French
prize-winner proposes. According to his
project New Year's day is neither the
1st of January, not the first day of the
first week in the new year; It is nothing
more nor less than New Year's day, or a
day to which may be given whatever
name you please to call it. The year
would perpetually begin on Monday, so
too would the quarters, each of which
would count 91 days; that is to say, two
months of 30 days and ono month of 31
days. The months of April, July and Oc
tober are Identical with that of January,
and so on with the others. When usage
has made us familiar with the days of a
quarter, the days of the year will be
known, as at the same time, the days of
all the years will be also known. No one
is going -to deny that that would be con
siderable of a change, if not a desirable
improvement. The dates of historical
events, private or political, would con
stantly return the same days. Who
knows, for instance, that the battle of
Chickamauga, or of Mission Ridge, was
fought on a Tuesday, or that tho battle
of Waterloo was fought on a Sunday!
If you celebrate the anniversary of a
birth, a marriage, or a death, you do not
know on which day In the week that date
will fall until you have counted up the
days or have consulted the calendar. But
by this project the date of the month
would tell orfe the name of the day itself.
And if this reform were adopted no doubt
the Christian churches would In their
turn fix their religious calendars, that Is
to say, the date of Easter, which actually
is so mobile as to cover a space of 35
days, and which perpetual displacement
plays so great a role today in civil affairs,
In some countries, where so many things
end on Shrove Tuesday.
This reform changes nothing in tho
weeks or months to which usage is now
so intimately tied that it seems impos
sible to make any change, for they could
be so easily adopted that the difference
would hardly be noticed. An interna
tional commission might be appointed by
tho several governments of the world to
decide that at the commencement of the
coming century this reform would go into
Immediate and perpetual effect. Perhaps
the Russians and the Greeks, who are
actually 12 days behind us, even the Ma
hommedans, who still hold to the lunar
year, would be disposed to profit by this
circumstance and put themselves in accord
with the sun. As for the date of the
beginning of the year, this prize project
leaves it just where it is now, becauso
the inconveniences of a change would be
greater than the advantages which might
result therefrom. Tho revolution of our
planet Is a circle, and we may Imagine
the origin of a circle no matter where.
The geometricians might object that this
circle Is not perfect, that in reality It is
an ellipse, and perhaps they would pro
pose to admit, for the origin of this ellipse,
the point of It nearest to the solar focus;
that Is to say, the perihelion. But this
point is not yet fixed on. It makes the
circuit of a year in 21,000 years. Four
thousand years before our era it came on
the 21st of September, the day of the au
tumn equinox. In about 5000 years from
now it would come round to the 21st of
March. So you see even the perihelion Is
not a point of absolute datum. But this is
true, too, of all other astronomical points.
The ancient Romans had the year begin
with March 1, and simply gave to their
months certain numbers of order, of which
four are still In use by us. These we
misapply, however, by calling the 9th,
10th, 11th and 12th months by the wrong
numbers. What right have we to call the
ninth month of the year September, when
we know very well that that word comes
from the Latin septem, or seven? And
our present month, the 12th in the year,
why should it be called December, inas
much as tho derivation of that word is
decern, which is Latin for ten!
I have already stated what the eldest
son of Pepin tho Short did in the way of
causing each new year to commence at
Christmas, as I have also referred to tho
action of the Capetians, with their curious
double use of somo 20 days in April. Next
the Gregorian reform set in, the 5th of
October 1582, was called the 15th, and a
great many ladles, especialy those in Eng
land, were much annoyed when In 1752 it
was found necessary to suppress three
months so as to advance the beginning of
the year from the 25th of March to the
1st of January. Finally came this new
plan of eight or nine years back; and when
It added that besides dividing the year into
four quarters of 13 weeks each, and that
under this project one is obliged to add a
complimentary day, In ordinary years, and
two of them in the bissextile years, In
order to have each year begin always on
the same day of tho week, I think I shall
have presented that project fairly, and as
fully as is necessary at this time. It is
not my intention to say whether or not It
is meritorious, as that ts a question which
will serve for argument; but it can hardly
be denied that the present calendar is the
fruit of knowledge accumulated during
many centuries.
Another thing, our present' calendar has
not only an astronomlnal character, but It
also has a social, a moral and a religious
character, and from this point of view
alone it is susceptible only of a reforma
tion that must be worthy of the word. The
social importance of the almanac Is pro
digious, although, like ttaz of all the prod- J
ucts of civilization of which we make J
dally use, it remains unobserved to all j
those vho do not occupy themselves with '
the care of disengaging the philosophy of
things. The almanac, that 13 to say, tho
calendar, not only settles for us the return
and duration of the season, the course of
the moon, the respective length of the
days and nights, the period of eclipses, In
brief, a mass of astronomical phenomena
tho exact knowledge of which Is Indispens
able for the perfect accomplishment of
agricultural, Industrial, maritime, com
mercial and civil operations, for, thanks to
the numbering of the days and the group
ing of them Into years, months, and weeks,
it determines besides the employment of
public and private time. It introduces nu
merical relations into the least uniform
phenomena. It regularizes human Inter
courseboth national and international
labor, payments, business enterprise, hol
idays, In fact, all our everyday actions.
Indeed, It may be safely asserted that all
social life, peaceful or military, rest on
the calendar. Moreover, it permits us to
distinguish with precision, In the ensemble
of time long since elapsed, the rank whlcn
every event may have occupied. It serves
as the base for chronological history, and
in the appreciation of the different phases
of individual existence; and it delivers
from all uncertainty all consideration;) rel
ative to the future. Briefly the calendar is
a social Institution which permits us to
repass, in the past, the present and in the
future the successions of human events,
whether they be collective or individual,
for it is the primordial bond of the joint
responsibility of and continuity of human
kind. For the same reason the calendar Is
also a remarkable Instrument of morallza
tion, In this, that It so powerfully regu
lates personality, thought, activity, etc.,
and permits an Individual to eflicaclously
contribute by his co-operation to the gen
eral or the special functions of the na
tional and planetary life. This is why, and
since the very beginning, the great con
ductors of human kind, priests or politic
ians, have recognized and attributed to
the calendar eminent properties as regards
the regulating of our social and moral af
fairs. THE POET WITH THE HOE.
Markhnm's Production Won Its Way
by Its Fine Rhetoric.
' New York Sun.
Mr. Edwin Markham, of California, who
wrote five stanzas in blank verse about
Millet's "Man With a Hoe." is now tast
ing the sweets of easy fame. It camo to
him as liberty came to "Virgil's shepherd,
somewhat late in life, but it came easily.
The Illustration made the fortune of the
poem at the first. "Then it won its way
by its own rhetoric and by its appeal to
tho sentimental mind of the supposed
"wrongs" of labor. Suppose a Dollar Din
ner address of Colonel John Brisben
Walker's, put into English and versified
by a clever rhetorician; or suppose Pro
fessor George D. Herron, of Iowa, utter
ing his sociological oracles in blank verse,
and you have about the measure of Mr.
Markham'a pcem. He has, indeed, a finer
taste and Imagination than his brother
sociologists, but his psychology and his
political conomy are as false as theirs,
and make his poem no true poetry, but es
sentially a bit of heated rhetoric.
"Tonight." said the Minneapolis Tri
bune last week. "Mlnneapolltans will hear
the greatest poem of the decade discussed
by the man who wrote it." Mr. Markham
did read the 6ald greatest poem of the
decade to the Mlnneapolltans and was
much affected by It; and so, we dare say,
were they. In time, perhaps, they will
substitute "nine days' wonder" for
"greatest poem" and pass to new literary
diversions. It was a taking text to a pic
ture, but what is the value of the text?
Tho most poetical lines in it, it seems to
us, are these:
"What gulfs between him and th seraphim!
Slave of the wheel of labor, what to him
Are Plato and the swing of Pleiades?
What the long reaches of the peaks of song.
Te rift of daw n, the reddening of the rose?"
It is conceivable that there is a consid
erable gulf even between Colonel Bryan
and the Seraphim. What are Plato and
the swing of Pleiades and the long reaches
of the peaks of song to most of the world?
Are we to pity every man who has a deli
cate literary cultivation, a high imagina
tion, a knowledge of astronomy and a
feeling for landscape? Most of us are
slaves of the wheel of labor. Most of us
lack nearly all, and many lack all, those
gifts, the absence of which in a Frencn.
peasant moves Mr. Markham to a burst
of verse and indignation against "masters,
lords and rulers In all lands.
Mr. Markham has been a schoolmaster,
a noble calling, but perhaps he exagge
rates tho desirability of learning. Mighty
littlo of the real work of the world is
done by mooning on the peaks of song.
The French peasant has an education ad
equate to his needs. There Is no Immense
gap between his desires and his capaci
ties. He is not confused by multiplicity
of motive. He has strength If not fineness.
His power of action Is not paralyzed by
dawdling among neurasthenic sensibilities
and sham emotions. He eats when he 13
hungry, drinks when he is dry and sleeps
like a log. Brother to the ox? Well, the
ox Is a highly respectable, useful, strong,
and sensible animal, much better than an
ass or an esthete, for example. The Frencn
peasant known his business. Not being
a sociologist he doesn't bother his heaa
about that of other people. Ho works
hard, to better himself and his children.
In his heart, if you could see Into It
through his impenetrable face, you would
find, probably, a deep desire for land,
more land. If this1 is wicked, Mr. Mark
ham should build a rhyme of pity for tno
Astor family.
"Who made him dead to rapture and despair.
A thing that grieves not and that neer hopes?"
Mr. Markham, not God. The French
peasant, any French peasant, can grieve
and hope reasonably. Rapture and de
spair are a little beyond him. He is not
a poet, but a shrewd, level-headed peas
ant. His place in his family and his pow
er over his family are greater than tho3e
of an American father. He Is really the
head of a small clan. He may not be ex
cessively sympathetic. Hard in money
matters, probably. But he is laboring for
an object, and there are some holidays
and gay little festivals on the way. Life
Is not all black bread to him. He may bo
hazy, as to the Pleiades, but he has not
studied tho sky for nothing. He has ac
quaintances among tho stars and ho knows
the weather.
In short, he is a sufficiently accomplished
out-of-door philosopher. Probably his lit
erary knowledge doesn't extend much be
yond the catechism. He is not literary.
and "down all the stretch of hell to Its last
gulf, there Is no shape more terrible than
this," but he is not aware of his defll
ciencies. Perhaps, after all. even in the
hands of men entirely small, the hoe Is
mightier than the pen. If our peasant
could conceive the idea of a poet, he would
haw-haw until the emptiness of ages left
his face.
We needn't bother about Mr. Markham
as he "cries protest to the Judges of the
World" because a French peasant Is not a
poet, artist and astronomer. In such
phrases as "immemorial infamies," "im
medicable woes," we see that the hoe poet
Is promarlly a hoer and cultivator of
words.
o t
Youth and Asre.
Philadelphia Record.
"When a man's young he's anxious to
show his knowledge," said the Manayunk
Philosopher, "and when he gets older he's
just as anxious to conceal his ignorance."
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears tho
Signature of
THE'PALATIAL
ODII BUH
Mi
ffiiii
not a darlc office in the bnlldln;
nhsolTitely- llrcproof; electric ll&rhl
ana artesian water? perfect aanltn
tlon una thorough -ventilation. JEU
vators run day- and night
. Rooml
ABKAilS. W. R.. Cashier Mutual Life-.... 4J
ANDERSON. GUSTAV. Attorney-at-jLaw ul
ASSOCIATED PRESS: E. L. Powell, ilgt ...
BANKERS LIFE ASSOCIATION, of Dea
llolnes. la.; C A. McCargar. State Asent,.o02i
BEHNICD. H. W Ptln. Ternln Shorthand
School ......:
tszxiJJLXaSf. R. W.. Dentiat... ...... ...31
BINSWANGSR. DR. O. S., Phys. &. Sur..4UU
BRUERE. DR. G. E.. Physician 412-tli-li
BUSTEED, RICHARD. Plus Tobacco. ...C02-t
CAUKIN. G. E.. District Agent Travelers
Insurance Co...... ................. ...
tM.ItDVSIiL. DR. J. B 3(
CLARK. HAROLD. Dentiat .31
CLEM. E. A. & CO.. Minlne Propert!e3...B15-fll
COLUitBJA TELEPHONE COMPVNY...
604-C05-OC6-60T-013-OI4 Ol
CORNELIUS. C. W.. Phys. and Surgeon.
COVER. F. C., Cashier Equitable Life JCi
COLLIER. P. F.. Publisher; 3. P. McGu're.
.Manager ...... ....... 415 41
DAY. J. O. & I. N 3ij
DAVIS. NAPOLEON. President Columbia
Telephone Co........ ....
DICKSON. DR. J. F.. Physician . 713 Til
DRAKE, DR. H B.. Physician 512-51o Cll
EDITORLVL ROOMS.. EistU,i flje
EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY:
L. Samuel. Manager; F. C Cover. Cashier 30
EVENING TELEGRAM 325 Alder atred
FALLOWS. MRS. M. A.. Manager Women's
DepU Mutual Reserv Fund Life, of New
York
FENTON. J. D.. Physician and Surgeon..0C9-s:i
FENTON, DR. HICKS C. Eye and Ear Ell
FENTON, MATTHEW F.. Dentist ...501
FIDELITY MUTUAL LIFE ASS'N; E. C.
StarK, Manager ............. .. zo
FOREST. MRS. E. R., Purchasing Agent... .71
FRENCH SCHOOL (by conversation): Dr. A.
Muzzarelll. Manager ................ ...."OB
GALVANI. W. H., Engineer and Draughts
man co
GEARY. DR. EDWARD P. Physician aid
surgeon .................232 211
GIESY, A. J.. Physician and Surgeon. .709 Til
GODDARD. B. C & CO.. Footwear. grounJ
floor 120 Six"! s-rse
GOLDMAN. WTLLIAM. Manager Mam.at aT
Life Insurance Co.. or New York.......2CD 2ll
OHANT, FRANK S.. Attorney-at-Law Cll
GRENIER. MISS BEATRICE. Dentiat 70 1
HAMMOND. A. B cJ
HEIDINGER. QEO. A. & CO.. Pianos a-i
Organs . 131 Sx,v Sj
HOLLISTER. DR. O. C Phvs. & Surg...3CJ 3-
IDLEMAN. C. M.. Attorney-at-Law. ,.41i:17-li
KADY. MARK T.. Manager Pacific Ncrt .-
west Mutual Reserve Fund Ufa Asso...6Gi-Cu
LAMONT. JOHN. Vice-President and Gen
eral iianagec t-oiumDla. Telephone, Co COS
LITTLEFIELD, H. R.. Phys. and Surgeon...2rl
MACRUM. W. S.. Sec. Oregon Camera Clu .2
MACKAY, DR. A. B., Phys. and Surs....711-7li
MAXWELL, DR. W. E.. Phys. & Sjrg...71 2 ;
MeCARGAR, C. A., State Agent Bankers'
uiia Association ............. ,. ......302 333
McCOY. NEWTON. Attorney-at-Law .7ll
McFADEN. MISS IDA E.. Stenographer 2ul
Hcuixjh. iUSNitx E.. Attorney-at-Law..311 311
McKELL, T. J.. Manufacturers' Repreaen-a-
ve ,M, jjrj
MILLER COLLECTION AGENCY .. 3o
MILLER. DR. HERBERT C. Dent!3t ani
oral burgeon CC8-6CI
MOSSMAN. DR. E. P.. Dentist 512-513 3.
MANHATTAN LIFE INSURANCE CO.. of
New York; W. Goldman. Manager.. ....209-211
McELROY. DR. J. a.. Phys. & Surg701 -7G2-70
McFARLAND. E. B., Secretary Columb a
xeiepnone 1.0.... ......... ...... ,,....ooi
McGULKE. a. P.,. Manager P. F. Collier.
Publisher ... .... ......U5-l
McKlil. MAURICE. Attorney-at-Law ...50
MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.. of New
York; Win. S. Pond. Stat Mgr..... 404-103-40 j
MUTUAL RESERVE FUND LIFE ASS'N;
M. T. Kau?v Mgr. Pacific Northwest.. ..CCl 601
NICHOLAS. HORACE B.. Attorney-at-Law ."Id
NILES. M. L.. Cashier Manhattan Life In
surance Co.. of New York .............
OREGON INFIRMARY OF OSTEOPATHY
Dr. L. B. Smith. Osteopath.. KS-401
OREGON CAMERA CLUB 214-213-210-211
PERNIN SHORTHAND SCHOOL: H. W.
Behnke. Prin .......... .....211
pond, vvm. 3.. state Manager Mutual Life
Ins. Co. of New York 404-400-40t
PORTLAND EYE AND EAR INFIRJIARY..
-... .Ground floor. 133 Slath strosl
PORTLAND PRE3S CLUB 7ij
PROTZMAN. EUGENE C. Superintendent
Agencies Mutual Reserve Fund Life, of
New York ..... ...........
PUTNAM'S SONS. G. P.. Publishers 3W
QUIMBY. L. P. W.. Game and Forestry
Warden ..................... 71C-711
REED & MALCOLM. Opticians. .133 Sixth strecl
REED. F. C. Flah Commissioner...... 40,
SAMUEL. L., Manager Equitable Life 30(1
SANDFORD. A. C. & CO.. Publishers Agts. 51J
SCRIBNER'S SONS. CHAS.. Publishers;
Jesse Hobson. Manager ..... ..315-31 3-31:!
SHERWOOD. J. w.. Deputy Supremo Com
mander. K.. u. i.. ja. .Bi-
SMITH. DR. L. B., Osteopath . 408-40C
SONS OF THE AMERICAN" REVOLUTION 50(1
STARK. E. C. Executive Special. Fidelity
Mutual Lire A?sociauon ot .t-niia.. ia 305;
STARR & COLE. Pyrography 402
STUART. DELL. Attorney-at-Law.. .613-0:G-Gi;
STOLTE. DR. CHAS. E. Dentist... 704-70;
STRONG. F. H. &. G. M.. General Agents
Union Central Life Ins. Co..... 402-40
SURGEON OF THE 5. P. RY. AND N. P.
TERMINAL CO 70;
STROWBRIDGE. THOS. TT.. Executive Spe
cial Agent iiutuai .iie. or .New xorfe 4oe
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE 3
TUCKER. DR. GEO. F.. Dentist. 0ID.611
UNION CENTRAL LIFE INS. CO.; F. H
& G. M. Strong Agents 402-401
U. S. WEATHER BUREAU 000-007-C08-9bS
U. S. LIGHTHOUSE ENGINEERS. 13TH
DIST.. Captain W. C. Langfltt. Corps of
Engineers, u. a. a....... 8C3
U. S. ENGINEER OFFICE. RIVER AND
HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. Captain W.
u. langntc -orps oi .engineers, u. s. A.. ..810
WALKER, will. iu. President Orer-n
Camera Club .-..214-213-210-2171
WEATHEKRED. MRS. EDXTH. Grand Sec
retary iaiive .uaugniers .......... ...,718.717s
WHITE. Mias l. e. Ass't See. Oregon Cam-
WILSON. DR. EDWARD N.. Phys. & Sur'fcVsl
WILSON. DR. GEO F.. Phys. & Surg. . .7CS-7C:
vi.u3u.m. jjxw X3.UL.X c:.. i'nvs. & Surg ..507 5'di
WOOD. DR. W. L.. Physician 412-41J-4 4
WILLAMETTE VALLEY TELEPH. CO 0131
a lew more cletrnnt office mny bo J
had by npplylnc to Portland Trustf
Company o Oregon, 100 Third st.. o
to the rent cleric In the bnUdlnjr.
MEN NO CURE. SI
fAl -1M.K ilUl'EK
AJ'i'i.lAJNt.E A DOS i.v !
wnv 10 Derrprr m.nn' -rut
Everything lse falls. Tho VACLVM TREAT
MENT CURES jou without medicine ofl
ail nervous or diseases of the generative organs. 5
such as lost manhood, exhausting drains, var!;
ceie. impotency. etc. Men are qu ck y restored ', J
perfect health and strength. i
Write for circulars Correspondence conflden-i
M8J. THE HEALTH. APPLIANCE CO . r0O5B j
iiws sale Deposit building. Seattle. Wish.