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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1901)
THE MOANING OREGCXNIAN, TUESDAY, APBIL 16, 3901. PI$g gomon Cntered At the Postofflce at Portland, Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms 1G6 I Business Office.. .657 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Br Mall (postage prepaid), in Advance Daily, -with Sunday, per month .-$ S3 Daily, Sunday excepted, per year......... 7 30 Dally, with Sunday, per year 8 00 Sunday per year " The Weekly, per year 1 55 The Weekly. S anonths B To CKjf Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered, Sundays excepted.lac Dally, par week, delivered. Sundays lncludeL20c POSTAGE RATES. United States, Canada and Mexico: JO to 18-page paper.. ......................lc 10 to 32-page paper.... 2c Foreign rates double. News- or discussion intended for publication In The0?cgonian should be addressed invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan," not tc the name of anyynBlvldual. Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business matter should bo addressed simply "The Oregonlan." Tije Orectmlon does .not lny poems or stories from individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be Inclosed lor this purpose. Puget Sound Bureau -Captain A. Thompson, office at mi Pacific avenue, Tacoma. Box 855, Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office 47. 48. 40 and BO Tribune building. New Tork City; 403 "The Hookery," Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special agency. Eastern representative. For sale in San Francisco by J. K. Cooper, 74C Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold smith Bros., 230 Sutter street; F. W. Pitts. 1008 Market street; Foster & Orear, Ferry Hews stand. For sale in Ios Angeles by 3. F. Gardner. 253 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100 Bo. Spring street. For sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street. For sale in Omaha lay H. C. Shears, 105 N. Blxteenth street, and Barkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 W. Second South street. On file in Washington, D. C, with A. W. Dunn. BOO 14th N. W. For sale In Denver, Colo., by Hamilton & gendrlck. 000-012 Seventh street. TODAY'S WEATHER. Fair and continued Warm. PORTLAND, TUESDAY, APRIL 1G. "WORK AXB LOXGEVITY. That the average longevity of men, es pecially of the highly civilized races. Is increasing, Is a fact which is beyond dispute or cavil. Scientific methods of prevention of disease are the chief agencies through which this result Is reached. Sensible effects also are pro duced by more rational methods of treatment and cure than prevailed in former times. It is no unusual thing to find our most active men and most earnest thinkers living to very old age. The average of years for persons of sound morals and temperate living is high. It is not intensity of effort that kills, "but lapses from judgment in the Way of living. In the whirl of modern life men live their lives quickly and pass away early, if they are not mindful of right ways of living; but it was so in former times, and even to greater extent, when life, as compared with life today, was inert and stagnant The enormous, half tor pid population of the Chinese Empire would offer excellent opportunities for long life, if mere stagnation were en couragement to continued existence. "While there are no sure statistics as to China, it is, however, believed that the average length of life in that country falls much below that in the active na tions of the Western world. No Chinese is ever in a hurry; yet he seems to live no longer in consequence of his immo bility; and if he did, we should still say, "Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay." It is often said, indeed, that we of America .are killing ourselves hy the in tensity and strenuousness of our effort. But in no general sense is this true. Hard wofk kills nobody, or extremely few. But there are sports that kill, and liard work often is forced to bear the name and blame. "WE MUST EXPECT REPRISAL. It is a bitter pill St Louis has to swallow in the appointments that have been made for United States Commis sioners of the Louisiana Purchase Ex position.' There is a Tailroad president on the commission, and there is an Ar kansas storekeeper; but the other ap pointees are statesmen out of a job. Such "utterances as they have made about the exposition indicate that they regard their appointments as political plums for which no return needs be made except to recommend certain friends of theirs for subordinate posi tions, and occasionally to drop in at St. Louis to attend a perfunctory meeting. Here is an instructive comment from the St Paul Pioneer Press: When It is remembered what grand work a commission of nine really suitable men might have been expected to accomplish, not only for the success of fhe exposition, but lor the In dustrial and art interests of the country at large, the throwing away of such opportunity is extremoly Irritating. ... The whole success of "the exposition must now depend. It would seem, on the character of the local board of directors at St. Louis. There politics will cut no figure. The very best business tal ent and artistic taste of the Valley Metropolis will be enlisted in that board. The St. Louls lans are "on their mettle," and are putting an amount of earnestness Into their prepara tions that augurs well for the outcome. But the more's -the pity that the Nation's official share in the work should be mainly in the hands of a group of men who, however good In their place as political leaders, as exposi tion directors Impart to Its officialism a tawdrl uees akin to opera bouffc. St Louis, of course, will try to look pleasant and not complain at the sort of commissioners the President has picked out for her. At no place where he is soon to be a guest is any severe criti cism to be expected. Meanwhile Oregon may as well bear in mind that in the person of ex-Senator McBride we are a beneficiary of the St Louis arrange ment and so we must not complain if 1 Bryan should be elected in 1904 and ap point as commissioners for the Lewis and Clark exposition men like Sulzer, Lentz, Altgeld and George Fred "Will iams. ASTMSM BISIXGESTtJOTJS. There has never been any doubt that the Filipinos would be vanquished If the United Btates -utilized its vast resources in subjugat ing the natives. The only question was wheth er public opinion in this country would Justify the use of sufficient force to overwhelm Agul naldo'jaraiy," Baltimore Sun. Oh, "ys, there "has. If we had the files of the Sun and the New York Evening Post, we could adduce a good deal of spirited contention that the Filipinos never could be vanquished. The block might soak their gore, their heads might sodden in the sun, but conquer them never! The second point, however, is better taken. The only difficulty In the way of American success in its war with Aguinaldo has been his American allies. The insurrection, in short, has been here. Just as the best .friends of the American colonies were among British statesmen, just as the hope of the South in our Civil War lay with the copperheads of the North, so the only serious obstacle in the way of Ameri can arms in Luzon has been in the ranks of the Nation's enemies at home. Anti-imperialism restrained the' Ad ministration from summary measures at Manila, which would have been cruel only to be kind, -which would have pre vented the insurrection and spared the bloodshed and turmoil of nearly three years past Antl-lmperlalism founded the Tagal resistance, Instructed it in its "campaign of education," wrote its doc uments, gave it all possible aid and comfort, spread what discontent il could In the American ranks, held out false hope to 'the insurgents, praised their prowess while belittling that of our own forces, and sedulously incul cated the idea over there that the American people would rejoice to see the Tagals drive our soldiers into the sea Yet as it has been forced to abandon one position after another, antl-imperl-alism has denied its own utterances. The Sun's recognition of the ultimate defeat of the insurgents and its denial of a contrary position is on a par with Senator Teller's assertion that nobody has ever proposed abandonment of the Philippines. JEFFERSON'S GREATEST WORK. Of the many speeches made at the Jeffersonian banquets held throughout the country on Saturday last, it is doubtful if any orator pointed out the fact that Jefferson's greatest glory was not the "Louisiana purchase, but Its prompt exploration by Lewis and Clark. The admirers of. Jefferson make much of his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, which fell to him by ac cident simply because Richard Henry Lee was suddenly summoned home by the dangerous Illness of his wife. The scheme of the declaration, according to John Adams, had been carefully thought out and discussed by Lee and the other members of the committee, and nothing but the sudden departure of Lee made Jefferson the draughtsman of the great document So far as any glory attaches to its authorship, it is the superficial dress of its rhetoric, for its logical scheme was framed chiefly by Lee. "We owe the opportunity for the Xouislana purchase to the far-seeing statesmanship of Napoleon Bona parte, but to Jefferson's statesmanship we owe Its exploration by Lewis and Clark. It has been truthfully said that "the vast region was virtually thrown at us by Napoleon." "What Jefferson originally sought was the purchase from Spain of New Or leans and the Floridas, but when Spain reconveyed Louisiana to France, Napo leon promptly decided to sell the United States all of Louisiana instead of the small territory we wished to buy. Na poleon knew that he was on the eve of war with England; that he could not hold Louisiana, and he decided to sell it to the United States, upon the ground that it would be more useful even to the commerce of France than if he should attempt to keep it, because it would "strengthen forever the power of the United States and give England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride." It was a great stroke of prompt statesmanship on the part of Napoleon, and Its history proves that we drifted into the Louisiana pur chase without' any preconceived Inten tion on the part of Jefferson or any one else. The chief credit really belongs to Livingston, our Minister to France, and to James Monroe, who, unadvised by Jefferson and his Cabinet, assumed the responsibility, promptly accepted the unexpected offer of Napoleon, signed the treaty and sent it to "Washington for ratification. The real glory of Jefferson is the fact that the idea of the exploration was original with his capacious and far seeing mind as early as 1792, more than ten years before Louisiana Territory be came ours by purchase. In January, 1803, before we had purchased Louisi ana, Jefferson sent a confidential mes sage to Congress which resulted in an appropriation of $2500 for this explora tion across the country of a foreign power' at that time France and Jeffer son's original instructions were based upon the theory that the country be longed to France. It does not detract from Jefferson's historical reputation that the purchase of Louisiana was not due to any diplomatic exertions on his part, for neither he nor any of the statesmen of Europe could have antici pated that Napoleon would part with so magnificent a possession on such easy terms. Had the British Government suspected Napoleon's intention, it would certainly have dispatched a for midable fleet to New Orleans, as it did when it sent a fleet to Copenhagen, a neutral power, and destroyed the Dan ish fleet, fearing that France would seize it Napoleon ceded Louisiana April 30, 1803. Congress ratified the treaty in October, and by December 20 the Stars and Stripes were waving over New Orleans. Had Great Britain known what was going on, she would have promptly Interfered; but the work was done so quickly and so quietly that England did not hear of It until It was too late to prevent the consummation of the bargain. The fact that In the "War of 1812-14 the most formidable expedition organ ized by the British was that sent against New Orleans shows their ap preciation of the military Importance of the control of the navigation of the Mis sissippi. It was no discredit to Jeffer son that he did not originally negotiate for the cession of Louisiana, for a .very mediocre President would, of course, have been prompt to ask for Louisiana Territory, had there been any hope of obtaining it; but it was greatly to Jef ferson's glory that as soon as we ob tained it he at once proceeded to ex plore it and the Oregon country from St Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Had Jefferson been an ordinary President, there would have been no exploring ex pedition as early as that of Lewis and Clark. Jefferson had anticipated all other politicians of his time in earnestly urging the early exploration of this Northwest before it came under our authority, and sending forth the ex pedition of Lewis and Clark proved him a man of enlightened statesmanship., It would have borne good fruit promptly had it not been for the second war with Great Britain checking the enterprise of Astor that followed on the heels of the great expedition. It was undertaken at a fortunate time for suc cess, for, had it been delayed twenty five years, it would have been far more difficult of accomplishment with a small force. Much was said on the texts of mouldy toasts on Saturday.last con- Jcernlng the glory of Jefferson as an I "expansionist," but his greatest glory Is that which attaches to him as Jef ferson the explorer; for while the unex pected decision of Napoleon to throw the apple of Louisiana into the lap of the United States would have made any sane President perforce an expan sionist, the prompt exploration of the new territory by Lewis and Clark, directly ordered by Jefferson, is the brightest rose in his chaplet, for it stamped him as a man of most capa cious and far-seeing mind. Other men would have waited until population got ready to follow the flag, but Jefferson instantly sent the flag forward with entire confidence that the report of the exploration would be the best means to persuade population to follow it. TRUSTS THAT FAILED. The California fruit market is full of prunes, and the owners thereof are en gaged in the difficut task of forcing them on a public which has already supplied its needs from other sources. With the season for green fruits ap proaching, the California Prunegrowers Association is staggering under the weight of about 30,000,000 pounds of prunes for which there is no demand. The price has been cut to 2 cents per pound, in a vain effort to make the public eat asso ciation prunes, and still the stock moves very slowly. In the California prune combine's experience there is a striking similarity to that of the Oregon Hop growers' Association in its endeavor to regulate the hop market of the Coast, or in the larger operation of Mr. Joseph Letter to force the wheat market of the world to a price not warranted by the natural law of supply and demand. Mr. Leiter bought all of the wheat miM hnlrt nt for th ex that he could get hold of for the ex clusive purpose of creating a scarcity 1 of which he would take advantage and force prices to an abnormal height. Unfortunately for Leiter, while he was forcing the price up to a dizzy height the poorer classes of wheat consumers were temporarily driven over to a, diet of rye, corn and rice, and the remain Ser of the consumers bought wheat from outsiders who were satlsfiedto sell at the Inflated prices created by4 Leiter. This Napoleon of the wheat pit made a very good showing of control of the bulk of the wheat held eait of the Rocky Mountains, and he cut off the European supply from that direction, but at the same time' improved prices throughout the world. - The wheat growers, of Australia, Argentina, Rus sia, India, and In fact from every part of the world, took advantage of the situation and scraped their bins. .The end came in due season. Mr. Leiter held the market up until all demands were satisfied, and when he attempted to unload, the price melted away like the mist of the morning. The same result on a smaller scale followed the attempt of the Oregon Hopgrowers' Association. By practically taking their crop off the market except at a fancy figure, they permitted the growers of the rest of the world to sell at a rate warranted by supply and demand, and at the close of the season found themselves "holding the bag" with an enormous quantity of hops act ing as a drag on the market for more than a year afterwards: The California prunegrowers made strong efforts to get the Oregon and "Washington growers into their combine, but-failed. The con dition of the market at the present time shows how fortuneat'e the northern growers were in keeping out of the combine. Had they joined forces with the Callfornlans, they would now have been confronted with a 2-cent prune market, which may sink still lower be fore the stock can be moved. The man who can secure absolute control of the world's supply of any great staple which the public must have, and for which It will not accept a substitute, is pretty certain to make a success of his trust or combine. If he attempts control without a good, tight grip on practically all of the sources of supply, however, he will meet with the same failure, that has been the distin guishing feature of all of the wheat cor ners, hop corners or prune corners that Tiave ever been formed. Each of these failures points a moral, which will save" money for the producer who observes it. THE MINNESOTA PLAN. The Minnesota Legislature has ex tended the Minneapolis primary election law with some changes over the state for all elections save those for Gov ernor and other state executive officers and for Judges of the Supreme Court In town, -city, county, Congressional and minor judicial elections the law will apply. Representative conventions to this extent will all be abolished along with the separate party primary or cau cus, and on one day and in each voting precinct the people will directly make the nominations. The distinctive feat ures of the new Minnesota law are thus described: 1. Common primaries for all parties concur rently and under compulsion. 2. The combination of primary election day with one of the registration days, which for the purpose is set back seven weeks before election. 3. Regular Judges and Clerks of election serving aa Judges and Clerks of primary. 4. The alternation of names of the candi dates to eliminate all advantage of position. 5. All the safeguards of the regular election law as far as applicable. In the general state law the Minne apolis requirement that each aspirant for office shall present a petition signed by names to the number of 5 per cent of the vote cast by his party in the last election for the particular office aspired to is abolished, and he may now secure a place on the primary ballot by mak ing an affidavit that he is a member of the party whose nomination he seeks and a bona fide candidate, and by pay ing a fee of $10 for a county or city office and $20 where the office is voted for in more than one county. Another change requires the voter at the pri mary election to state on entering the polling booth what party he wishes to act with, when he is given the nomi nating ballot for that party only. In the Minneapolis law the voter was asked no questions, but was given a copy of all"the party ballots and in structed that he was to mark only one and then fold them together to be de posited in the box. If the voter marked two ormore ballots, only that one was counted which was most fully marked, and in case all were marked to an equal extent, the whole bunch was thrown out and the man would lose his nomi nating vote. The Legislature did not extend this Minneapolis law beyond local and Con gressional elections to state offices, be cause it felt it would be prudent to await the result of a trial of the system In local elections generally before ap- plying it to places jilled by nomination j by all the people of the state. It ha& locally proved a most satisfactory re form, for It sweeps away caucus and convention machinery, effects nomina tions In a single day directly by the people, and greatly reduces the power of the professional politician. The proposed acquisition of the Bur lington route is of vital interest to the Pacific Northwest, not only because of possible addition to our close traffic connections with Chicago and St Louis, but also because it is impossible to regard without some trepidation the miscarriage of this splendid railroad's long-cherished plans of extension to Portland. The difficulty In the way of the contemplated purchase seems chiefly to He In the high prices that will have to be paid for Burlington securi ties. The understanding in Boston It that the Burlington is to be acquired In the interest of the Great Northern Northern Pacific by means of an under writing syndicate that will stand be hind a proposition to take $242,000,000 of collateral trust 3 per cent bonds to be offered to the Burlington stockhold ers in purchase of their stock at $200 per share, the stockholders to have the right tp take either cash or bonds. In ordinary times it could be assumed that $200 per share cash would secure con trol of the Burlington, but when it is figured that at $300 per share cash it is still the cheapest railroad per mile touching the Rocky Mountains, and that no similar Investment can be held exciept at a higher price, the slowness with which the deal proceeds is nothing surprising. If the Burlington is thus acquired, and its Pacific Coast exten sion abandoned, Oregon and "Washing ton will have one very uncomfortable h, . . . . ..' , rtTT,1T,it,. Impression of what railroad community of ownership means in obstruction of its development Live pigeon shooting, the Imprisoned birds rising from traps and starting In a bewildered flight for their lives, to be winged or killed by "crack sportsmen,' Is at once the most cruel and indefensi ble of all "sport." The man who is not ashamed to engage in a contest so wan tonly cruel and unnecessary, the only, object of which is to enable him to boast his ability to "bring down" a large percentage of the bewildered, de fenseless. Innocent birds given to his gun, may fairly be considered one whose training in the simplest precepts of humanity in his boyhood has been sadly neglected. The contest near Van couver Sunday, In which one "crack shot" brought down 87 out of 100 birds and another 76 out of 100, was only less degrading to the moral sense than a bullfight, because of the absence of a crowd of spectators, while It was even more cowardly, since the creatures as sailed with .such deadly intent had not the least chance to defend their right to live. Out . upon such "sport" and shame upon such sportsmen!" "While by straining a point Mrs. Na tion's saloon smashing may be justified In some minds, so long as she confines her operations to Kansas, where liquor selling is forbidden by the organic law of the state, it is impossible to justify her methods in Missouri, where the liquor traffic Is carried on under the sanction and protection of law. The Kansas City authorities, therefore, in compelling her to 5'move on," may be commended for their decision If not for their gallantry. The spectacle this woman, presents Is rather that of a lu natic whom the law holds to be Irre sponsible than that of a person clothed in her right mind, but with an uncon trollable desire for notoriety. The mad house yawns for Mrs, Nation, and it would be well If she were conveyed to a convenient shelter of this type with out delay, and If possible nursed back to sanity by proper sequestration and kindly discipline. No Unitarian, Jew or Catholic need give to the Y. M. C. A., but hundreds of those beliefs do give largely to it be cause of its usefulness. It is partly be cause of its evangelical and devotional spirit that men of heterodox beliefs, so called, and men of no beliefs, have con fidence In it as a social agency that will never menace religion or morals. As a Christian organization, its controlling body doubtless requires Christian tests, but its fellowship and its ministrations know no creed or color. Nothing more, perhaps, could be asked In reason, and It is well for society that nothing more Is asked by the world of generous hearted and practical-minded givers. It is to be hoped that the subscription paper now in local circulation will meet with liberal response. The reorganization and enlargement of the Japanese Army Is proceeding, and will be completed at the end of the year, when the army will, on a peace footing, consist of 101,400 Infan try, 9766 cavalry and a total artillery peace strength of 23,237.- There will be also thirteen brigades of engineers and one brigade of railway engineers, be sides departmental corps medical, quartermaster, subsistence, etc. The infantry is armed at present with mag azine rifles of the Madja pattern, model of 1897, and the cavalry carry Marat carbines, model of 1894. The artillery guns are much' like the new Italian rifles, and many of them have shields. The arsenal at Talfa turns out smoke less powder of excellent quality. Contractors forty-four of them have refused to agree to the working rules of the Carpenters' Union of Min neapolis. As a result, 500 carpenters and other workers in that city are gen tlemen of leisure today. Details of the disagreement between the master builders and their working force are not given, but it Is probably the old story a demand by the latter for nine hours' pay for eight hours' work, which the former, willfully blind to the simple dictates of humanity, refuse to consider. The work of the women of the Patri otic League of Eugene In memory of the Lane County soldiers who lost their lives in the recent wars will be very suitably expressed in the erection on the Courthouse Square in that city of a memorial drinking fountain of granite. The deeds and sacrifice of the heroic dead will thus be commemorated by an enduring testimonial that will at the same time confer a benefit upon the liv ing from generation to generation. Dainty in all of Its appointments, and suggestive of lives of usefulness, refine ment and practical endeavor, Is the home of the Y. "W. C. A. recently opened In this city. The effort that Is behind It Is entitled to sincere commendation and generous support CQRBIN, WHO BELITTLED FUNSTON ) Kansas City Star. In 1877 Adjutant-General Corbin, then a Captain, was assigned to duty at the White House. Three years later he was transferred to the staff. He has been an office soldier in Washington for 24 years. It was reported in the Spanish-American War that he was offered a command In the field, but declined it to stay by his office in the War Department. This is the man who said to Congressman Long after Aguinaldo's capture: "I am mak ing Lieutenants out of better stuff than Funston every day. Funston is a boss scout that's all." Adjutant-General Corbin Is the incar nation of the bureaucratic spirit of the Army. General MacArthur, who has spent the last two years fighting, cabled to Washington of Funston: "His reward should be signal and immediate.'" Gen eral Wheaton recommended Funston's "retention In volunteers until he can be appointed rlgadier-General of the regu lars." Another fijyhtingr soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Jesse M. Lee, expressed what is doubtless a prevalent opinion in the line when he declared that Funston ought to be rewarded, and added: "He has done much more than many who have been made Brigadier-Generals, and much less than some who have not been advanced to Brigadier-Generals." It was not from the line, but from the staff in Its pleas ant Washington quarters, that the dis paraging suggestions and the sneers about the brilliant Kansan emanated. Continuous office work puts a soldier out of touch with the men who are do ing the fighting. Thirty years ago when Corbin was on frontier service he might have appreciated Funston's achievement A quarter of a century as an army clerk has brought him to viewing the military as simply a huge business organization in which soldierly exploits have little place. Secretary Root appreciated this spirit in the staff and worked for a re organization In which the staff officer, after a limited service, must return to the line. Corbln's influence blocked the Secretary's plans and he was obliged to compromise by exempting the present staff from the operation of the law. The attitude of Corbin and the staff has em phasized the need of Mr. Root's reform. A man who would belittle such an achievement as Funston's has no place In an influential position In the War De partment. His presence there continu ally discredits the army administration with the people. SOME ECCLESIASTICAL DOGMAS. Can Not Be Enforced on the Claim of Supernatural Authority. Pacific Unitarian. The ninth of the "Articles of Religion" of the Protestant Eplcopal church reads thus: "Original sin is the fault and corrup tion of the nature of every man that naturally Is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man Is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature Inclined to evil. And, therefore, In every person born into lliia world it deserveth God's wrath and dam nation," etc. Again, in article tenth: "The condition of man after the fall of Adam la such that he can not turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God," etc. We do well occasionally to look back at these old articles, for It reveals one of the causes of the decline of religion among the younger classes. It Is not likely that young persons read these old dogmas. It Is also true that very little attention to these archaic doctrines Is paid by the preachers In the churches. It is true, however, that these doctrines are ignored rather than combated. They are not openly denied, . and there is no step taken towards their repeal, or even their modification. It Is not enough for a bright, active, self-respecting young man that he should be assured that the church does not Insist upon their accept ance. If they are true their acceptance should be Insisted upon. If they are not true, why not repeal them? If they are true why need any apology be offered for their retention? Why is not their ac ceptance as binding upon the laity as up on the clergy? If they are not true, why should not the whole world know it, and those who can not accept them be admitted upon an equality with all the rest? Surely man can not be divine by nature and still deserving (when he is born) "God's wrath and damnation"! Which is true? Both can. not be true. This Is a generation noted for Its sin cerity. The Oriental was a stranger to Its virtue. But sincerity has now con quered even diplomacy, so long as a training school for hypocrisy and de ception. The modern young person de sires to know exactly what is meant by all statements concerning life. The in quisitive mind of an educated young man can not be put down with the assertion that a man, or a church, has any super natural authority. Mystery, supersti tion these have permanently lost their hold upon the modern educated man. and the sooner this fact Is recognized in ecclesiastical circles, the better it will be for religion. The men who have gradually outgrown the old beliefs may be satisfied with a practice that disre gards them but still leaves them In the creeds; but the honest young man, who has Intellectual capacity enough to dis cern the Inconsistencies between the old creeds and the modern preaching will either refuse or avoid religious affilia tions. A PHILANTHROPIC METHOD. Building: Up Small Colleges Through out the Country. Louisville Courier-Journal. Dr. D. K. Pearsons, the Chicago philan thropist, has a very good plan for giving away his fortune. He bestows it upon small, struggling colleges, remote from the big educational centers. A great many small Institutions will accomplish more general good than a few great ones. The mute, inglorious Mlltons and guiltless Cromwells that sleep In the country churchyards were obscure because they never had the opportunity for develop ment. If anything can better provide such opportunity than a college which the farm and village children can attend, we do not know It. Only the most adventurous of the poor reach the great universities but other boys and girls with as good stuff In them as any languish In Ignorance be cause they cannot get away from home. Bring the college to them, and they will quickly avail themselves of Its benefits. Dr. Pearsons paid a fine tribute, and a true one, to his countrymen the other day, when he told the Illinois Legislature that the smartest boy Jn any of the col leges that he" had endowed was the son of a laborer, and the smartest girl was the daughter of a village mechanic. The common people of America are Infinitely superior to the peasantry of Europe, as all observant travelers have noted. To develop the acute Intellects that are hid den In poverty Is an object worthy any philanthropist, and Dr. Pearsons' plan of helping small and struggling colleges is as good as any, and better than most. A Coming: Family Fight. Washington Post The Republican party, as represented by the statesmen who will be the leaders of the majority In the 57th Congress, ap pears to be getting Itself in readiness for a fight on the tariff in its relations to trusts. . . . Are the Republicans go ing to test the efficacy of a family fight on that old question as a means of pro moting enthusiasm? Having noted the ef fects of the Democratic experiment, are the Republicans anxious to prove that they can do better? Do they want to show that their party discipline Is such that they can engage in the fiercest kind of scrapping among themselves In the face of the enemy without any impair ment of their capacity for carrying Na tional elections? AMUSEMENTS. That the frequenters of the Marquam have not forgotten the Nelll Company, and that the recurring visits of that ex cellent organization are regularly set aside as events to be awaited for with a patience seasoned by the pleasure of anticipation. wa3 abundantly demonstrat ed last night when a packed house spent the evening In enjoying "A Social High wayman." and in making the fact of their enjoyment known to those who deserved the credit for It. From the vim and precision which characterized every scene to the carelessness with which elegant furniture and bric-a-brac, which cannot be bought for stage money was scattered about the stage, it was distinctly a Nelll production, finished In every particular, free from jarring notes, with a care to relative values Of situations and that in describable smoothness which of Itself at tracts no attention, but the lack of which makes bad performances. The company has been changed in per sonnel since It last visited Portland, and has suffered a severe loss by the depar ture of Ben Howard, but it Is neverthe less one of the best of Its kind, and it wa3 never more warmly received than last night t "A Social Highwayman" is a play which depends for its Interest on its abil ity to excite an unworthy sympathy; It places upon a pedestal! one of the worst of blacklegs, a man whp takes advantage of a high social position to ply success fully the trade of a pickpocket and a thief, and, because he falls In love with an Innocent girl, the audience Is called upon to worship him as a hero. That the call Is not In vain; tha,t Courtlce Jaff ray, thief and confidence man though he Is, Is looked upon as the victim of cir cumstances and the creature of persecu tion proves that the play-Is strong. It also proves that the man who plays Cour tlce Jaffray Is a good actor, although as for that, Mr. Nelll has been before hand, and established that fact already. There Is nothing to Invite comparison with the Courtlce Jaffray of Frank Worthing, seen when the Fraweys played "A Social Highwayman" at the, Marquam some years ago. The character Is one which admits of many Interpretations, and, while Nelll's was not thesame as Worthing's. It was fully as enjoyable. He is perhaps a little too quiet In some of the scenes, for, while the parr) Is one which requires the constant regression of emotion, the audience very naturally desires to hear all an actor has 'to say, and many of Mr. Nelll's speeches, were Inaudible In the rear part of the house. This, however, Is the most severe1 criti cism that can be made of his acting, and If he does not lose his own individuality, that Individuality Is strong enough to be Interesting, no matter what the dhar acter may be. The part of Senora Caprices, the woman who learns Jaffray's secret and Is foiled In her attempted betrayal of It by his knowledge of a skeleton In her own closet, becomes one of much strength In the hands of Miss Edythe Chapman, who does well whatever she undertakes. While her opportunities are limited, she makes much of them, and in quiet Intensity and strength her acting rivals that of Mr. Nelll. Julia Dean, who played Eleanor Burnham, the young girl for the love of whom Jaffray tries to reform, has made, a very decided Improvement since her last visit here, and. In the rather small part which was given her, gave promise of some very pleasing work when other plays shall give her a better chance. Robert Morris made of Hanby, Jaffray's servant, a character second in importance to that of Jaffray. Donald Bowles and Frank E. Camp, as Livingston Remsen andMertonHarley, made their Initial bows to a Portland audience, but the parts were not such as to enable them to show what they could do. Frank McVlcars, as Gordon Kay, was the same easy, nat ural actor the friends of the Nellls so well remember, and John W. Burton, another old acquaintance, played Carleus Despard effectively. Maude T. Gordon, as Mrs. Pyle, filled In the chink allotted to her very accept ably, and Mary Elizabeth Forbes, In the role of the Dlchess of Clayborough, proved herself an -earnest and ambitious student of her profession. The remaln rer of the cast was good. The play was suinptuoualy mounted, the first act being one of the handsomest parlor scenes ever set on a Portland stage. Mr. Nelll has the faculty of making a. stage picture a work 'of art. and he never employed It better than on that scene. Tonight and Wednesday Daly's comedy, "The Lottery of Love," will be the bill. Meneley Trio. The Meneley Trio Concert Company and W. E. Knox, the king of .impersonators, who appeared in Portland for the first time on the evening of March 25, at A. O. U. W. Hall, will appear again on Friday evening, April 19, at the Metropolitan Theater. Judging from the enthusiastic manner in which they were received on their first visit, they will have a crowded house on Friday evening. They give a clean, bright, wholesome and catchy en tertainment. Notes of the Staff. Florence Roberts will open a two weeks' engagement at Cordray's Theater Sunday night In a repertoire of strong plays. She will be supported by me well-known Belasco-Thall company. "The Widow Bedott" will be the attrac tion at the Metropolitan, beginning: Tues day' night. The play Is a mirthful farce comedy, and will be presented bya com .pany which Is said to be excellent In every respect l J. D. DeWolfe, In advance of Blanch Walsh, who will play "More Than Queen" at the Marquam In the near future. Is at the Portland. Mr. DeWolfe was last here as business manager of the Sells Forepaugh circus, five years ago. Sam Mott, who has been coming to Portland ahead of shows since the day of the old Newmarket, arrived last night in advance of La Lole Fuller, who, with, a company of high-class specialty people, will be seen at the Manniam Monday and Tuesday. She has several new dances, which are the most gorgeous .she has ever given. Klnalns Queen Victoria. Anglo-American. Apropos of presentations Is an anecdote illustrating the Queen's tact and kind ness. An American debutante, who was both young and pretty, m making her court courtesy, committed the error of kissing the Queen. Instantly realizing her blunder the poor girl nearly fainted, and hurried home In a most distressed state of mind. Next day the American Minister was asked by her parents to present her apologies through (he proper channels. Simultaneously there reached the lega tion a note for our Minister from Her Maj esty's secretary, stating, that, compre hending the young American's embarrass ment, Victoria sent her an invitation to a state dinner. Needless to say that this kindness not only silenced adverse criti cism, but gave our fair countrywoman an open sesame to the London season. Another Diplomatic Victory. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Of course, the United States Is safe In accepting Russia's word about Manchu ria. The promise which that country has made to us to get out of that province when the pending settlement with China Is made has evidently been given In good faith. Some of the European powers seem to be skeptlcaL as to whether Russia will keep the promise, but the United States has no reason to apprehend any evasion of the pledge. Another great diplomatic victory has been gained by the McKInley Administration. The Way to Learn a Trade. Chicago Chronicle. Once more the ladder upon which abil ity climbs In this country Is shown in promotion of Corey, general superinten dent of the Homestead works, to succeed Schwab as president of the Carnegie companies. Corey did not spend time at college learning how to make steel. He went Into the works at IS. NOTE AND COMMENT. Aguinaldo is buying diamonds- Has he accepted a position "as clerk In a sea side hotel. The resemblance between Mrs. Nation and Banquo's ghost is growing stronger every day. President McKlnley's private secretary seems to have neglected to make a book ing at Lincoln, Neb. At all events, we shall not again meet with that conundrum about Queen Vic toria and Oregon weather. There were 633) novels published to America last year. That ought to hold ; aspiring actors for awhile. The Czar must be beginning to havo a haunting suspicion that he Is unpopu lar with some of his subjects. General French has found Dewat, and It will not be necessary to send an army corps or two to find General French. If the American officer who bribed seven Filipinos with seven cigars used the cam paign variety, he need not be surprised to wake up some morning with seven bolos In his back. General A. B. Leeper, of Owaneco, Ill has started a paper called the Lunatic Herald, designed for circulation among lunatics. In his salutatory he says that he has the best record In the country as a first-class lunatic, having been de clared Insane three times and having been committed five times to the Il linois Central Hospital for the Insane. He Is also about to take a post-graduate course. Therefore, he ha3 decided to Is sue a 32-page Illustrated monthly maga zine, and will push its circulation with Insane zeal In every lunatic asylum In the world. The paper will advecate amendments to the lunacy laws of the various states, and will strive to eoun teract the prevailing sentiment that it Is a disgrace to have been insane. The declaration ends as follows: "A fool never goes crazy or gets baldheaded. Sub scription price, ?1 per year. In advanoe. Single numbers. 19 cents. A first-class ad vertising medium." "The oft-quoted phrase 'That would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer,' and kindred phrases, are said to have originated In the famous Stephen GIrard will case." as serted an attorney from the City of Brotherly Love the other day. "Its origin In that case, a3 far as I have been able to learn. Is not very well defined, but came about from the arduous and success ful defense of Mr. IGrard's will by At torney Harry Blnney. When the will, by which vast sums of money were disposed of for educational and philanthropic pur poses, was attacked, the general opinion was that it would be declared Invalid by the courts. But Mr. Blnney threw himself vigorously Into the case, which offered many Intricate and knotty prob lems of law, and studied It lndefatlgably. till every point was at his fingers' ends. He even visited England and searched among the legal archives there to inform himself thoroughly regarding the sources of testamentary law as bearing upon the Girard will. His legal triumph was a very notable one of that period and as sisted In establishing the fame of Girard as a great public benefactor and as the founder of a very remarkable college." The imanly sport of slaughtering live pigeons Is being extensively practiced In Portland- There Is something so refined. so ennobling, and so gentle about this pursuit that It warmly commends Itself to alii high-minded marksmen. The pig eons have a hard time during their lit tle lives; they are forced to hop about the streets in search of food, to make their homes In narrow, cramped cotes, and to be often exposed to the violence of the weather. It 13 therefore a kindness to kill them, and It Is especially charitable to give them an opportunity to die an ex citing death, flavored with terror and ao companled by a reverberent knell from the mouths of innumerable shot guns. Of course .the pigeon has no chance to es cape unharmed, and If wounded, he has the rare privilege of fluttering helpless ly to cover somewhere and reflecting on the sublimity of man while he slowly starves to death. And yet there are peo ple In the world so heartless, so unrea soning and unfeeling as to assert that the men. who shoot live pigeons are cow ardly, and mlght feel uncomfortable If they were cooped up by a kindly company of giants and shot at with grape-charge3 cannon, when, upon being liberated they tried, as best their fear-paralyzed wits permitted, to make off to a placo of safety. It is clear that the merciful character of this sport Is not fully un derstood, and that those who follow It should use every effort to show the pub lic how much good they are doing, and how really humane and courageous it la to pay boys to catch pigeons on their roosts at night that they maHa-'be put to death or wounded on '"' the 'shooting grounds the following day. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS The Annual Farce. "Well, how did your Easter bazaar go off?" "Oh, Juat aa usual; every woman In It vowed she never would get mixed up In another one as Ions as she lived." Brooklyn Life. In China. First Native And the mission aries want compensation for their property. Second Native Dear mel Haven't they a text that If a man takes your coat you are to give him your cloak, also? Puck. Her Blighted Easter. Mr. McSwat (at tho fot of the stairway) Lobelia. It's time we were oft. Mrs. McSwat (In a faint voice, from the.' floor above) I am not going to chureh this morning. Bllllger. The hired girl has g-gone and got one exactly like m-m!not Chicago Tribune. Brlggs How absurd It Is to dress policemen in such heavy gear as they dot "What with his big overcoat and clumsy Bhoes. the policeman would fyave a hard time to catch a nimble footed robber. Griggs But why should you suppose that the policeman has any desire to catch the:, robber? Boston Transcript. "You have Quite a number of the poeiB," said Goodby. who was Inspecting Woodby'a li brary. "Ah.! There's Browning. Do you un derstand him?" "No, I don't." said Woodby. "Ah!" said .Goodby. continuing his examina tion, "have you Praed?" "Certainly not. What's the use of praying? I ain't anxious to understand him." Philadelphia Record. Don't Bore the LeglMlature. H. F. Rodney. They sit two hundred In a club, A parliament of women. They draw up thejr plans fresh from tha Hub; For baths for u to swim In; No handicapping men deride Them when they jagltate a Reform In matters far and wide Based on the sourfdest data, i In plans of Cyclopean size They call for man's assistance. And gallant man won't Harveylze His heart nor make resistance; Especially when women sigh For parka and for-long-dlatance Electric cars, hotels up high. Rock-terraced with Insistence. O woman In your place footalk (And that Is where your club Is) Please plan for ornate asphalt walks Untrammeled by jour hubblsa. Don't lobby for a vote and toll For things against your nature, h But Ju3t pitch In and bore for oil Don't bore he Legislature.