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THE MOKXtXG OKEOOXUX. MONDAY,
13. 1901.
te rggomatt,
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Tacoma Postofflce.
Eastern Business Office 17, 48. 40 and 50
Tribune building. New York City; 4C3 "The
Eookery." Chicago, the S. C. Beckwltb special
agency. Eastern representative.
For sale la San Francisco by J. K. Coop'r.
5T4G Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold
smith Bros., 238 Sutter street: F. W. Pitts.
100S Market street; Foster & Orear. Ferrj
news stand.
For sale in Los Angeles by B. r. Gardner.
25U So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines. 10(5
6o. Spring etreet.
For sale In Chicago iy the P. O. News Co..
17 Dearborn street.
For sale In Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1C12
iarnam street.
For sale In Salt Lake br the Salt Lake Newn
Co 77 W. Second South street.
For sale In Ogden by W. a Kind, 204 Twen
tj -fifth street.
On file In Washington. D. a. with A. W.
Dunn. COO 34th N. "IV.
On file at Buffalo, N, jY-. In the Oregon ex
hibit at the exposition.
For sale In Denr, Colo., hy Hamilton &
Kendrick. 900-S12 Seventh street.
TODAY'S WEATHER-Frobably fair; north
erly winds.
PORTXARD, JIOKDAY, MAY 13.
CAPITAL TRUST ASD LABOR. TRUST.
In Ills testimony before the Fed
eral Industrial Commission, President
Schwab, of the steel trust, shows that
he approves of the trust principle for
capital, but disapproves of the trust
principle for labor. The advantages of
combination he almost takes for grant
ed, and this is well enough, as his views
have had recent airing in his article in
the North American Review. He says,
however, that the steel trust, for ex
ample, is "a. clearing-house to which its
constituent companies go for informa
tion." In other ways he indicates their
harmony and the benefits of combina
tion, as where he speaks of the vari
ous managers getting together as re
gards sales, and in the utilization of
every portion of their product. But as
regards combination of labor, he says:
If I -were -a laboring man, as I once was,
3 should not want to belong to a labor organ
ization If emplojed by a properly managed
corporation like the steel company, for I w ould
not -want to be put on a level with the poorer
workmen In the establishment. The tendency
la to glv e the nighest possible price for proper
fcervlces, and no member of a labor organiza
tion Is in a. position to avail himself of such
disposition.
-Now, it is a fact that the labor trust
and the capital trust occupy positions
of great similarity. The members of a
craft have pooled their issues. Strong
factors have taken in weak factors, it
is true, precisely as strong plants go
into a trust with weak plants, and the
idea of the strong in each case is that
by sinking the superiority they might
assert they nevertheless gain compen
satory advantages in the unification of
the whole and the strength that comes
through organization. The steel trust
will fix a minimum price per ton, and
the labor trust will fix a minimum price
per thousand ems or ton of coal or
day's work, but the swift workman
will get paid for his 50,000 ems, while
the slow workman will get pay for only
his 32,000 ems, just as the busier steel
plant will get more for its large output
than the slower steel plant will get for
its smaller output. When it comes to
marketing its product, the steel trust
wilL act in unison, and -w hen the labor
trust -comes to market its product, It
also will act In unison. In each case
competition, with its rewards for the
strong and penalties for the weak, has
given place to combination, with conces
sions from the strong and protection for
the weak.
But the parallelism goes much deeper
into the subject than this. The funda
mental principle, pernicious as it is, is
the same in each of these two forms of
trust. That principle is the elimination
of individualism and the enthronement
of communism. It is an imperfect ap
plication of communism, to be sure, but
it is communistic in Inspiration. It is
the antithesis of the competitive prin
ciple, which has built up not only vege
table and animal life, but skilled labor
even, and potent capital. It was
through struggle with his rivals that
Mr. Schwab, when he was a workman,
grew strong and efficient. It was
through struggles with rivals that Mr.
Carnegie became a great captain of in
dustry and made fortunes to give away.
The workingman who belongs to a
labor trust, therefore, can take Mr.
Schwab's arraignment of unionism and
turn it into an answer to him, thus:
If I were a steel plant. 1 should not want
to belong to a trust. If I were managed bj an
efficient owner, for I should not want to be
put upon a level -with the poorly managed and
worn-out plants in the trust. The tendency
Is to rain for the well-managed steel plant
the highest possible profits for Its product,
and no member of a steel trust is In a position
to avail itself of such disposition
It is a serious proposal for the indus
try of the country to set aside the
method of Nature and the system under
which we have grown strong enough to
defy the world. Competition has made
our great captains of industry today.
The trust is able now to select from a
bountiful supply of keen and forceful
managers, but they are not the product
of peaceful skies and calm waters of
non-competitive combination. "What
kind of men the trust era turns out
we shall know better in another gen
eration. The labor and capital, the sa
gacious methods and wonder-working
machinery put into the glad hands of
the trust today have come up through
the toil and struggle of the competitive
system. They are a gift to the trust,
and it is hard to see how it can keep
themfrom deteriorating in its hands.
The Independent has been entertain
ing criticisms on methods of church
service. The worship of the Catholic
Church first received attention from
Protestant contributors, and kindly
suggestions were, made for Improve
ment. A reciprocal criticism 4y a
Catholic writer on the Protestant serv
ice has now appeared. His suggestions
show clearly his predilection for Catho
lic methods. He does not go into the
question of creed or tradition, and
treats only present-day conventions.
He takes Protestant churches to task
in four particulars music, style and
matter of preaching, conduct of wor
shipers and interior decorations of
churches. He says fully 30 per cent of
the hymns are worthless, spiritually
and poetically. Further, music can do
better, than to take on the airs of the
opera. Preachers should teach the gos
pel as true apostles of their belief In
stead of engaging in political, social or
literary subjects. Sensationalism in
sermons needs to be replaced by the
fervor of the gospel. The writer re
bukes worshipers for their talking,
laughing and ogling. Reverential si
lence and pious eyes are due the sol
emnity of the occasion. Finally, the ar
ticle advises that the interior decora
tions of churches contain the symbols
of religion, to Invoke religious feelings
and. to lend a spiritual atmosphere.
Memorials of Jesus and his mission
should keep before congregations the
purpose of their meeting. The criti
cism concludes by saying that Protes
tants would have less difficulty in lead
ing Christian lives if the suggested
changes were made.
THE MISCHIEVOUS MARGIN.
The business of buying and selling
stocks on a margin will lose some of
its attraction through the recent turn
over in "Wall street, and the drastic
methods adopted by the professionals
in the big game may eliminate to a
certain extent a following which is
far from beneficial. The operations of
the "margin" men, when finances are
easy and prices are holding their own
with but narrow fluctuations, have no
serious effect upon business, but dur
ing violent upheavals like that through
which "Wall street is now passing they
become a serious factor in the gen
eral disturbance. The man who has
bought and paid for a block of good
railroad stock or any other investment
security obtainable at a figure which
admits of a fair percentage of profit
can watch the wild fluctuations of a
market like that which was in evidence
last week with a fair degree of equa
nimity. He can rest secure in the same
judgment which prompted him to make
the investment, knowing full well that
when returning reason supplants the
temporary insanity which accompanies
and perhaps creates these panics his
investment will still be reasonably safe.
"With the operator whose investments
are confined to margins the situation
is different. If there is a profit in his
transaction, It Is so much greater in
proportion to the amount invested than
that secured by the actual owner of
the stock that he Is always much more
reckless In his buying and selling. This
recklessness frequently and, it might
be said, generally leads the . margin
man to assume greater risks than he
is able to carry. The result Is that the
first sign of an approaching storm
throws him into a fever of excitement,
and he becomes an element of violent
disturbance. A loss which would not
ripple the serenity of the actual owner
of a stock may mean the wiping out
of the entire capital of a heavy margin
operator, and to guard against a total
loss of his money he dumps his hold
ings on the market with a reckless
ness which frequently upsets all cal
culations of the men who are trying
to steady the market by legitimate
means.
The general public is prone to lay the
blame for the .ruin which follows in
the wake of a panic like that of last
week at the door of the big professional
operators. This class of speculators
is perhaps responsible for creating
these periodical booms, but in recent
years the outsiders have got beyond
control of the professionals so quickly
after a boom was started that the Mat
ter could never stop them until it was
too late. The general demoralization
which attends the process of "shaking
out" this undesirable following unset
tles values in all directions, and it is
the erratic and excitable actions of
the margin men themselves which
carries the demoralization to its great
est limits. It does not necessarily fol
low, of course, that all persons who
operate on margins lose their heads,, and
incidentally their money, in time of
crisis. By confining their operations to
an amount which they could afford to
lose without ruining themselves, they
do not become unduly excited during
panics, and will not aid In the disturb
ance by throwing over their holdings
at a time when their retention would
have a beneficial effect on the market.
The losses suffered by margin men
of this class will never aid in the pro
duction of a panic, and are not apt to
influence the general temper of the
community. The elimination of the
margin from financial transactions may
not easily be accomplished, but the dis
astrous work of the speculators who at
tempt to swing an Immense business on
a very small investment is becoming
so far-reaching in its effect that it may
require limitation. A liberal increase
in the amount of margin demanded
from speculators might help matters.
This Increase should be great enough
to bar out the small fry, who, as re
cent experiences have shown, not only
lose their own money, but assist in de
preciating the value of legitimate hold
ings of people who buy stocks outright
as an investment.
STREET ASSESSMENTS.
In another column The Oregonian
prints a very full extract from the re
cent decision of the United States Su
preme Court, upholding the courts of
last resort of the various states in de
ciding that the Legislature has power
to impose the cost of improving streets
upon the abutting property, and that
said assessments are conclusive upon
the courts and property-owners, unless
Invalidated by fraud or mistake. This
sentence contains the pith of the de
cision: But the Legislature has the power to de
termine, by the statute Imposing the tax,
what lands, which might be benefited by the
Improvement, are. In fact, benefited; and if it
dees so, its determination Is conclusive upon the
owners and the courts, and the owners have
no right to be heard upon the question whether
their lands are benefited or not; but only
upon the validity of the assessment, and its
apportionment among the different parcels of
the class which the Legislature has conclu
sively determined to be benefited.
This decision would seem to estab
lish the validity of the Portland charter
upon street assessments In the United
States Courts. In the Portland charter
the Legislature has determined that
abutting property shall pay the cost of
street Improvements, and this has been
held valid by the Oregon State Courts.
Thus Portland has "an orderly pro-
cedure "under a scheme of local improve
ments prescribed by the Legislature and
approved by the courts of the state as
consistent with constitutional prlncU
pies," and this is what Is held valid.
This city Is entering upon an era of
development and growth, and It is of
the utmost importance that our streets
be improved. There Is no way for our
streets to be improved unless the char
ter method provided by the Legislature,
and which is the method that has been
used in Portland ever since Portland
was a'town, Is upheld and enforced by
all the courts. The state courts have
heretofore upheld and enforced these
assessments, and it now appears that
the Federal Courts will do likewise.
PRUDENCE IX PROSPERITY.
President McKlnley has, since
his
tour began, said many pleasant and
complimentary things and some things
that bear the stamp of wisdom. Among
the latter is the following expression
from one of his speeches to an enthu
siastic and well-to-do crowd of people
that gathered at one of his scheduled
stopping places In the South to honor
and welcome him. After reference to
the evidences of thrift and prosperity
on every hand, he said: "What we want
to do now is to be prudent in our pros
perity save while we can and be
strong If the storms should come, as
they do now and then. "Whatever comes
let us be fortified by the practice of
economy while we are so well em
ployed." This Is sound and salutary advice.
"We need only to review commercial his
tory to find that revivals of industrial
and trade activity are usually followed
by business excesses that have in recent
years taken the name of "booms." Tne
constituent" elements of the boom are
Inflation, speculation, public and pri
vate extravagance and commercial and
industrial recklessness. The first of
these elements has been surnamed "the
trust," and it has been literally holding
carnival over the country for some
months. That the second is now run
ning wild is shown in the stock quota
tions in "Wall street from day to day, in
which speculative frenzy seems to have
utterly dethroned common business
prudence. The third Is rife both in pub
lic and private life to an extent which
proves that the lesson of prudence in
prosperity has yet to be learned. No
croaker Is he, but a sound philosopher,
who, seeing these things, reasons from
cause to effect and sounds a warning
of probable disaster as the result of
recklessness in prosperity.
Experience has shown In its stern,
unrelenting fashion that the way to
prolong a period of prosperity is to cor
rect, In Its earlier stages, the tendency
to extravagance and reckless financial
ventures. The confirmed optimist can
scarcely assert with teriousness that
the present financial situation is free
.from boom features. That it Is heavily
laden with them permeated by them
Is plainly apparent. ' Public extrava
gance plays no unimportant part in
the general trend toward recklessness.
It may, in fact, be said to "set the
pace" for private expenditures. Hence
the words of the President above
quoted are wise and timely. No one
questions, or can question, the truth of
the declaration that a wise economy of
resources is the most assured means of
providing strength for the future. This
utterance at this time indicates that
the President, though on a pleasure
tour and primed for saying things that
will please, also takes thought of
weightier matters, as becomes the Chief
Magistrate of the Nation. Perhaps,,
also, it permits the hope that his power
within constitutional limits will be ex
erted to secure material reductions in
the great volume of Federal appropria
tions In which the extravagance of
prosperity sets the pace for private ex
penditures. However this may be, his
caution is a timely one, and its sug
gestion of possible collapse as the result
of the absence of prudence from pros
perity should enable the careful man
to "foresee the evil and hide himself."
POPULATION MOVING WEST.
A bulletin prepared under the direc
tion of Henry Gannett, chief geographer
of the Geological Survey, gives the lo
cation of the center of population of
the United States, excluding Alaska
and the recent accessions of territory,
on June 1, 1900, according to the rec
ords of the Census Bureau, with a dis
cussion of the movements of the cen
ter, decade by decade, during the past
century. The center of population, as
defined by Mr. Gannett, Is the center
of gravity of the population of the
country, each individual being assumed
to have the same weight.
In 1790 the center of population was
about 23 miles east of Baltimore, and
in 1800 about 18 miles west of that city.
From 1800 to 1810 it moved to a point
about 40 miles northwest by west of
Washington. The southward move
ment during this decade appears to
have been due to the annexation of
Louisiana, which contained extensive
settlements. From I860 to 1870 the cen
ter moved westward and sharply north
ward, reaching a point about 48 miles
east by north of Cincinnati, O. This
northward movement was due In part
to waste and destruction in the South
consequent upon the Civil "War, and
in part probably to the fact that the
census of 1870 was defective in its enu
meration of the Southern people, espe
cially of the newly enfranchised negro
population. During the decade from
1870 to 1880 the Southern States made
a large positive increase, both from
natural growth and migration south
ward, and the center of population re
turned southward. In" 1890 the center
moved northward on account of the
great development In the cities of the
Northwest and in the State of Wash
ington, and also to the increase of popu
lation In New England. During the
decade 1890-1900 the center moved west
ward a little over 14 miles, and south
ward a little less than 3 miles. This
is the smallest movement that has ever
been noted. The slight southward
movement was largely due to the
great increase In population in Indian
Territory, Oklahoma and Texas, while
the great decrease in the westward
movement was -due to the large in
crease of population In the North At
lantic States. It also showed that the
population of the Western States did
not increase so rapidly as in former
decades.
The center of population in its rapid
westward movement has clung closely
to the 39th parallel of latitude. The ex
treme variation in latitude has been
less than 19 minutes, while the 110 years
of record have accomplished a move
ment In longitude of a little over 9
degrees. The total westward move
ment between 1790 and 1900 was- 519
miles. The sudden acceleration of
movement between 1S50 and 1860 SI
miles was due to the transfer of a
'considerable body of population from
the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, 12
individuals in San Francisco exerting
as much pressure at the then piyotal
point the crossing of the 83d meridian
and 'the 39th parallel as 40 Individuals
in Boston.
The center of area pf the. United
States, excluding Alaska and 'Hawaii
and other recent accessions, is In
Northern Kansas, in latitude 39 degrees
55 minutes, and longitude 98 degrees
50 minutes. The center of population
is therefore about three-fourths of a
degree south and more than 13 de
grees east of the center of area.
The median ppint is the point of in
tersection of the line dividing the
population equally north and south
with the line dividing It equally east
and west. It Is the central point of
the population, and differs from the
center of population In the fact that
distance from the center Is not consid
ered. Its movements from census to
census bear no relation to the move
ments of population, since only move
ments by which bodies of population
are transfererd across its parallel or
Its nierldlan have any Influence upon
its position. 'From 1890 to 1900 the me
dian point moved west 10.8 miles and
north 2.4 miles, while the center of
population moved west 14 miles and
south -2 miles.
One of the echoes of the recent relig
ious controversy in Portland is the as
sertion that there are no degrees of
truth. Such a .declaration would, be
natural for a purblind dogmatist to
make, but not for one who has synthe
sized the facts of religious and rocial
phenomena If the person who made
the assertion meant absolute truth, he
was right. But absolute truth Is Infi
nite and impossible of comprehension
by a finite being. Truth, therefore, as
we conceive It in our limited way and
for a particular ambition, can be noth
ing else than a matter of degree. Ex
pressions, of truth clothed In the verbi
age of creed and dogma are finite, and
not absolute, and as all moral and pious
precepts vary In intensity or extension,
so they are degrees of truth. This has
been the rule of every creed and con
vention man has set up; It Is the rule
yet, and will be the rule until that mil
lennium when this finite being of ours
shall become merged with the- infinite
truth. Is any creed fixed forever? In
our own day one is revised. It is then,
indeed, only one degree of 'truth, for
absolute truth is eternal. Is any dogma
immortal In an established expression?
We change unconsciously even when
we try to keep cur conscious bell'f rig'd.
Truth is identical with well-bping. Re
ligious or social well-being today will be
different tomorrow. Everything
changes, even since the time when
the Greek philosopher could not put
his foot twice Into the same stream.
Everything changes, as It Is bound to
do In a state of imperfection. This
was known long ago to a sage who said:
"They must often change who would
be constant in happiness or wisdom."
What shall it profit a man to declare
a tenet of today truth absolute, in the
face of transitory experience? What
shall It profit a .man to declare his
sect has discovered the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, when he
knows human limitations? The only
truth he verifies in so doing is that
man is always blind until he truly
sees the Infinite, not In his own way,
but In the, way of the world's experi
ence, and not only that, but until he
truly sees the flniteness of himself.
The Hepubllc of Haytl Is moving
steadily toward a gold basis in finance,
and is gradually reducing its national
debt. This debt, foreign and domestic,
amounts to $27,000,000 In gold. For the
first time in many years, as shown by
official statement, the government has
not had to resort to a loan to meet its
current expenses, but has managed to
bring them within its resources. The
reduction of the debt last year amount
ed to $901,673. Accustomed to the enor
mous proportions of our own National
debt, these figures are insignificant,
but when it is taken into consideration
that for years there has not only been
no reduction of the island republic's
debt, but an Increase Instead, the show
ing is important. This improvement In
finances has been brought about large
ly by the government In changing the
floating debt, which was largely of Hay
tlan currency, to a gold basis, and is
suing a new series of bonds to cover this
debt, in which both principal and In
terest are payable in gold. The policy
of the government Is to reduce its paper
currency by withdrawing It gradually
and not placing new notes in circula
tion, thus eventually bringing the cir
culating medium to a gold standard.
When a man of Mr. Burrell's characl
"iter and standing avers that employes
in his department are hired, not for fit
ness, but through political favoritism,
it devolves upon somebody to show the
statement false or else confess mal
feasance In office. It Is a poor solution
of a clash of this kind for the man who
is standing up for civic honesty to re
sign and leave the street-cleaning de
partment to the spoilsmen. He ought
to stay In and let the other fellows do
the walking. As fpr complete reform
of the city's working force, that is not,
of course, to be expected. Theoretical
ly, the city contemplates a body of em
ployes drawn from the most powerful
and energetic athletes in the city, shov
eling up In ah incredibly short space
of time almost lipiltless piles of dead
leaves and horse-droppings, but In
practice such a thing is not nor yet to
be realized. Yet It Is sad, in a clean
cut issue, to see the victory go with the
plunderers.
According to the British Consul-Gen-eral
at Seoul, Corea, who writes an in
forming letter on Manchuria to the
London Times, Japan has a special,
even unique material Interest In Man
churia, because "she Is dependent on
that country for beancake with which
to manure her farms." What is a bean
cake? It Is "a large cheese-shaped com
pressed cake of beans 'after the oil has
been expressed," says the Century dic
tionary, "used largely In Northern Chi
na as food for cattle, and in the sugar
plantations of Southern China as ma
nure." This recalls Dr. Johnson's fa
mous definition of oats as "a grain
eaten in England by horses, but in
Scotland by men," and the Scot's ready
answer, "Ay, mon, but where will you
find such horses or such men?"
Mr. J. J. Hill went into the cage and
stirred up the animals. It is natural,
perhaps, but not altogether fitting, that
he should weep for his own and others
resultant wounds,
'SECRET OF AMERICA? INDUSTRY
Kansas City Scar.
The London Times has been printing
a scries of articles on the progress .of
American engineering which have
caused comment in England because of
the warning that the British manufac
turers were being outdone by those of
the United States. In the latest article
the writer explains the causa of Ameri
can superiority as lying In what he calls
"the human factor." In Great Britain,
he says, the young man Is repressed; in
the United States he is encouraged. The
result Is that the American employer
has the advantage of energy and new
ideas to a much greater extent than his
British competitor, Furthermore, he be
lieves the American Is much more apt
than .the Englishman to associate his
heads of departments with him in the
business. This gives them a greater In
terest in their work than they would
have as mere employes.
It 13 the practice in England, he says,
to pay young graduates of technical
schools wages far below the actual value
of their services. One Instance which ne
cites Is that of an accomplished technical
graduate who entered the drafting office
of a large English firm at a salary of
J2 50 a Wfek. The concern wanted to
bid on work involving a new branch of
engineering and the graduate was the
only man in the office competent to pre
pare plans and estimates. The contract
a large one, was secured and several
months later -the draughtsman's wages
were raised a few shillings' only. It would
have cost the firm several hundred dol
lars, the writer says, to have had the
estimates made outside its office. Such
a policy as this, in his opinion, has dis
couraged young Englishmen from ee
curlng technical training and has sent
many English technical school graduates
to the United States.,
The case of Mr. Carnegie, who took
.... .... . ... .M...Ma.M, ...... .
his heads of departments into the bust.
ness, -has evidently impressed the Lon
don Times writer. He believes British
manufacturers have failed' to make the
most "of their employes. "If American
steel works are better equipped than our
own," he say, "If American machine
tools are more ingenious; if American
electrical plant is commanding even our
own market; to .whatever "we turn we
find It is the human factorcharacter
that commands the situation." English
men, he continues, have thought them
selves secure and haye relaxed their
vigilance. They have kept back young
men until their best energies are gone
and they have tried to keep all labor at
an average of the lowest level. In Amer
ica, young men are encouraged and are
givon whatever placev their ability en
titles them toN This neglect of the hu
man factor, the Times writer finds, has
led to the Invasion of the British market
by American, engineering products.'
. .
vThe April Fire Lom.
New York Journal of Commerce.
The fire loss of the United States and
Canada for the month of April, as com
plled'from our daily record, shows' a total
of ?11,352.S00. The figures for April, 1900,
word $25,727,000, and Included $12,000,000 for
the Ottawa-Hull conflagration. The fol
lowing comparative table will show the
losses by months for the first four months
of 1S99, 1900 and 1901:
1ST0 1000 1001.
January ... .810.718 000 $11,755,300 516.574.950
February ... 18.4G3.0O0 13,427,000 13 002,000
March 11.401.000 13.iJ47.20il 15.01i5.25O
Aprl 0,21,!,000 25.727.000 11,352.S0,
Totals ,...X!Q,80r, 000 $GG,25S,500 $50,056,000
The Jacksonville disaster will just about
equalize the difference In favor of 1901,
so far, as will be seen when our tabula
tion for May is published.
During April there were 221 fires of a
greater deetructiveness than $10,000 each.
A detailed list of these fires will be found
on the insurance page, this issue, but the
principal losses were these:
St. Louis Mo, grain elevator $050,000
Baltimore, Md., wholesale drug house
and other ..., 200,000
Richmond, Va department btore 225,000
CMcago, in. grain elevator 200,000
Pittsburg, Pa , department store and
other 225.000
The 221 fires may be classified as be
low: 510,000 to $20,000 72
20000 to 30.000 S3
30,000 to 50,000 33
50.000 to 75,000 42
75.000 to 100,000 , 11
100.000 to 200,000 ,. 18
200,000 to 050,000 5
Total , . 221
The fire underwriters are clearly losing
heavily and more retirements must occur
within the next few months. There ap
pears to be little hope at present of such
a readjustment of rates as will put the
non-paying classes on a profitable basis.
Paymaster Fruden.
Army and Navy Register.
The Impression Is again abroad that
Mr. O. In Pruden, assistant secretary of
the President, has been appointed a pay
master in the regular Army. Such, of
course, is not the case, although he will
eventually find himself in pessession of
a commission as Captain and paymaster
In the regular establishment. At pres
ent, however, and until June 30, he will
be a Major and additional paymaster.
There are no vacancies, of course, in the
grade of Major in the regular corps and
all the places of Captain In the corps
have been filled by designation. The death
of Major William Monaghan, additional
paymaster at Manila, recently, after that
officer had been designated for appoint
ment as Captain in the regular corps, will
make the vacancy in that grade to which
Pruden will be appointed. It does not
seem to have been necessary for the Pres
ident to appoint Pruden to volunteers as
a step to his appointment in the regular
corps, as some people imagine. There la
nothing In the law to prevent the ap
pointment of a civilian directly to the
pay department. Of course, es matters
stand, Major Pruden ge'ts the advantage
of a couple of months' pay as a volun
teer major before he receives his commis
sion as Captain and paymaster.
Extraordinary Fecundity.
Medical Age.
One of the Italian journals has recently
recorded an extraordinary case of fecund
ity of which It guarantees the authentic
ity. Flavia Granata, who, it appears, Is
well known at Rome, has recently given
birth to her sixty-second child. This wo
man Ik now 59 years old. She was mar
ried at 28 years of age, and has success
ively given birth to a daughter, then six
sons, then five sons, then four daughters,
and then a long series of twins annually,
and ended recently by having four sons.
It Is much to be regretted that this in
teresting woman did not marry earlier,
as she thus lost ten precious years of
her life, and so missed the distinction she
might have enjoyed of being the mother
of a hundred children.
First Love.
New York Press.
A woman is never so foolish as when
she Fs in love for the first time, nor a
man either. Mr, Joseph Jefferson at Yale.
First love, of course, Inspired the re
flection "Where ignorance Is bliss." Ahd
folly Is, after all, a very relative quan
tity. The pair Immersed in each other
are convinced at least of the folly of
striving to viease other people, which
convictioh Is at flic DOttom of much real
personal satisfaction. Mr. Jefferson might
have added that some people's first love
affair is the only really sen&lble one they
eyer have.
Memories.
Thomas Moore.
Let fate do her worst, there are relics of Joy,
Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot
destroy.
They come In the nlirht t'me ot sorrow and
care.
Ana brine; back the features that Joy used to
wear.
Long, long be my heart with such memories
filled.
Like the vase In which roses have once been
distilled;
Tou may break, you may shatter the vase If
you will.
But the scent of the rosea will clln 'round it
still.
AMUSEMENTS
"Hoanoke." a play founded on love. In
nocence, avarice, rascality, idiocy and a
few other things, wprked "up a large house
to a considerable pitch of excitement last
pight. The quality known as heart inter
est is so abundant that the tieoDle can
hardly get away from It long enough to
go out and get a breath of fresh and
calm air between acts. A blind girl,
whose father has been killed by a miser
who Is not altogether an upright man.
Jives In the home of her cousin and aunt,
together with her half-witted brother.
Her hand Is sought In marriage at one
and the same time by the miser and a
Captain in the Army. Feeling that it
mignt oe an act or questionable taste to
marry a man who has killed her father,
the maiden passes the miser up. but does
not accept the Captain right away, for the
reason that in doing so she would re
move the necessity for further continuing
the play. Later In the story she -starts
to cross a bridge, a plank of which the
miser has removed with the laudable in
tention of tumbling her a thousand feet
Into an abyss, but hears a bird sing and
goes back. Still later she and. her broth
er are sitting in a garret telling each
other hard-luck stories, when the miser
looks In through a window and takes a
pot-shot at the brother. The bullet re
stores the lad's reason, and he at once
sets about encompassing- the miser's fin
ish, which occurs In the last act. Mean
while the girl's 'sight Is restored, she mar
ries the Army officer, gives the laugh to
her erstwhile proud aunt and cousin, and
the curtain goes down to a wedding
march.
In the company arc Miss Iva Donette,
who does a song very cleverly; Louise
Carter, who makes a prayerful blind girl;
Oswald Roberts, who, as the miser, talks
in pairs and looks like an exhumed
mummy, and several others.
. Akucmviv nm uc tiic uiu 4ur mice
more niBnts. and If It is as pleasing to
"Roanoke" will be the bill for three
all who see it as it was to the house
last night it is likely to prove a de
cided hit.
SETOSf-THOMFSON TODAY.
Famous Author, Artist and Natural
ist nt tlxc Marqnnm.
Juvenile Portland ia on the qui vlve of
expectation today, for at 3 o'clock this
afternoon Ernest Seton-Thompson. "the
friend of wild animals." whose delightful
stories every boy and girl has read, will
speak at the Marquam Grand Theater on
"Personality of Wild Anima'n." In order
that every boy and girl may have an op
portunity to hear this remarkable man,
the puUic schools will be closed both to
day and tomorrow in ample time for all
to got to the theater before the lectures
begin.
Seton-Thampson's engagement In Port
land is under the auspices of the Woman
Club, which fact alone is a tufficient guar
antee that the lectures will be worth any
one's time and'-money. In all, four lec
tures will be given. The subject this even
ing will be the same as the title of one of
Seton-Thompson's famous books, "Wild
Animals I Have Known." Tomorrow aft
ernoon the subject will be "Wild Animals
at Home;" and tomorrow evening the clos
ing lecture will be given on "Mind In
Animal Heroes." The afternoon lectures
will besin at 3 o'clock, and those of the
evenings at 8:15.
. Gymnastic Exhibition.
One of the leading new features of the
Y. M. C. A. gymnastic carnival and exhi
bition to be given at the Marquam Grand
Theater next Friday everlng, for the bene
fit of the Y. M. C. A. building fund, is
the Greek mirth drill, by 11 young women,
who have been and still are being trained
by Professor RJnglcr, This drill Is some
thing new in Portland, and it Js promioed
that all who witness It will unite In de
claring that It is pretty and entertaining,
as well as novel. The participants al
ready have mastered their task nearly to
perfection, and by Friday evening will be
ready to give a highly finished exhibition.
All the features of the last gymnastic car
nival, which proved so popular, have been
retained and strengthened, and an evening
of unalloyed pleasure Is in store for all
who attend next Friday evening. The sale
of seats will open Wednesday.
Npteti of the Stase.
Richard Carle Is to replace Dan Daly in
"The Whirl of the Town." when the lat
ter production to given in London.
A hit equal to that made by Edna May
abroad Is predicted for a new favorite,
Ella Snyder, who is said to be a singu
larly beautiful brunette.
May Holahan, a daughter of the well
known Tammany polltican, has gone upon
the stage. Her sisters have already ap
peared In the profession.
Ethel Wintrop has Joined Amelia Bing
ham's company to replace Annie Irish,
who Is playing Nerissa In Nat Goodwin's
revival of "The Merchant of "Venice."
Very high praise Is given Nat Goodwin's
first essay in the character of Shylock at
Syracuse, Monday evening. May 5. Max
ine Elliott is also credited with a hit as
Portia.
Rostand, the author of "L'Aiglon," Is
working on his play, ""Le Theater," for
Sarah Bernhardt, a part being especially
written for Coquelln. The play is baoad
on modern stage life, and is written in
verse.
The Earl of Yarmouth, professionally
known on the stage as Eric Hope, ia suing
a newspaper in New York for libel in as
serting practically that he was hunting
for an heiress. He claims damages to the
extent of $25,000.
The Old Man Benevolent.
New York Mall and Express.
Mr, Russell Sage benevolently explains
that the "calls" that he has lately been
selling, and which have been quite cheer
fully returning to him, were for the pur
pose of inducing activity in the market
and "enabling worthy young men to make
money and help support their families."
Mr. Sage Is a truly benevolent man, and
aims to help the "lamb" to drive the
wolf from the door.
Practical Reform.
Washington Star.
Mayor Harrison, of Chicago, has been
trying to clean up the streets and en
courage the police In suppressing- crime.
Mr. Harrison's reform movement has an
advantage In the fact that It does not
have to lose time hearing the minutes
read every time It holds a meeting.
When Father Goes to Church.
H. P. Rodney.
Pa's playing: In the hardest luck.
And now Is most a wreck:
They Josh him when he carves a duck
And when he writes a check,
Or slng3 a lullaby, and how
He. swings a hefty birch.
But no one goes him one round now.
When father goe3 to church.
The old man's sleep Is very bad.
He lies awake and thinks,
And in the night he's often had
Just forty-se'ven winks;
But when old Sleep has winged his flight
And left him In the lurch;
He gets his cat-naps in all right
When father srocs to church.
There, tenors sing exquisitely.
And prima ddnnaa fling
Their cavatlnas up to G.
And slang sky-pilots alios
Anathemas aloft galore
Of heaven he la not in search.
But keeps the tenor of his snore,
When father goes to church.
He'll take a short cut, if ho can, i
To heaven, like as not, "
Upon the European plan,
Or nickel In tho slot;
But when the preacher fires a prayer.
Fa settles In his perch
And lifts his chin to Morpheus there,
When father goes to church.
MOTE AND COMMENT,
Has any one beard of Com Paul lately?
Let us hope- that President McKlnley
wlll not write a book, of travel when
he gets back home.
Here's hoping that the author of "Shore
Acres' may ring up the curtain for an
other long act before Its final fall. .
An ex-President of Peru has died a
natural death. As a rule they never get
a chance to become ex-Presidents down
there.
Nothing has been heard of Funston for
some time, and it is believed that he has
set out on an expedition to kidnap Hon.
Mark Twain.
It the Ohio Congressmen were desirous
of shining they should not have allowed
themselves to become the tall of tha
Presidential comet.
What will Mascagnl do In the way of
dago profanity the first time he gets a
request to play the Intermezzo from
"Cavaleria Rusticana" In ragtime?
President Schwab says the steel trust
is a good thing. From the point of viaw
of a man who gets a million dollars a.
year out of it, he is making a very rea
sonable statement. -
A New York banker says ministers Sik&
too many vacations. He should remem
ber that. It Is necessary for them to get.
out of town once In a while In order to
dodge donation parties. t
The American soldiers in China wero
too vulgar to suit the European troops.
The aristocratic Thomas Atkins is mada
quite 111 by the spectacle of a soldier
eating pie for breakfast.
Recent experiments by railway officials
in Berne with an automatic ticket ma
chine. Invented by a Swiss, have given
entire satisfaction, says a Berne cor
respondent. The machine Is similar to
the ordinary automatic machines, but the
glass cases contain the tickets on which
are printed the names of the stations and
the price of the ticket. By dropping In
the right amount and pulling a handle
the ticket Is set free. The machinery is
so constructed that an Insufficient sum,
or any base coins will not work the spring,
and there Is no danger of the purchased
losing the whole amount.
"The destruction of the City of Jackson
ville is most lamentable, but it will un
doubtedly prove In one way an advan
tage," observed a Florida man, now on a
Northern trip, a day or two ago. "It will,
or at least ought to. Insure the construc
tion of modern buildings there. I -was In
Jacksonville Just one week ago. The best
hotel there was of wood, and built many
years ago to accommodate tourists who
came South In the Winter. It was not a,
hotel worthy In these modern times of a
city of that size. From the standpoint ofj
.the material growth of Jacksonville the
sweeping away of so many wopden struc
tures will mark an era for a more beau
tiful city."
A copy of the "Boston Almanac for 1S33"
contains some amusing information, some
of which. selected at random. Is as fol
lows: "Miss Mary Clark, of Medway, on pass
ing through a pasture, was attacked by a
young heifer, with tremendous fury. Sne
barely escaped with life, having had htr
clothes literally torn off. It was supposed
tVinf Vtn rpfl Aroti ah hart On was the
soln cause of exciting the rage of the
animai.
"London Is said to contain 30,000 thieves,
20,000 beggars and 10.000 professional gam
blers. "As two black men were cradling wheat
near Medford, Del., lightning struck the
scythe of the foremost, glanced off and in
stantly killed the other.
"Two young men went Into the river at
Castle Green. N. Y.. to swim, and at the
very moment they leaped Into the water
a salute was fired from some heavy
pieces of cannon, which were contiguous.
They remained undtr the water for some
seconds, and on rising to the surface were
observed to act in so fantastic a man
ner that it was evident something- of un
usual nature had happened to them. A
boat was, therefore, Immediately pro
cured, and on their being taken out of
the water and brought to the shore it
was found that both of them had lost
their senses; and so totally and entirely
as to be unable to give any explanation
of how they had been affected or what
aensatlons they felt at the moment."
PLEASANTRIES OF PAnAGRAFHERS'
Charlie Loveday L"m. ah. Er, r er! Er e
hel he! Jeweler (to. his assistant) Bring
that tray of engagement rings here, Henry.
Tit-Bits.
His Limitations. Joser It Is unfortunate
that Captain Lozzet never smiles from ear toj
ear. Glbley One of, .hljiftrs fJn 4he Ehll
lpplnes Harper's Bazar. - -
Elderly Lady Was that your sister I saw
you with yesterday Johnny? Johnny (aged
6) Do I look like a fellow' who'd waste his
time on sisters? Boston Transcript.
Strong-WIHed. Kind lady It must be hard
to get along without working? Tramp In
deed it Is ma'am; yer have no Idea how strong
de tem'tation ter go to Work Is, sometimes.
Brooklyn Life.
A Life-Long Treasure. "Clara, that Is &
hideous vase." "Yes, it Is; it was one of our
bridal presents but we never have any luck
getting ugly things broken when we move."
Chicago Record Herald.
A Tender Point. "I am surprised that a man
like Basso should have married a girl who
had no music in her at all." "Nothing- sur
prising about It. She was wllllnjr to listen to
his singing." Town and Country.
Base-Hit Percentage. Miss Musyck Do you.
thing Wacner leads Liszt? Mr. Pittsburg
I'm posltiie. I was readinjr recently the Na
tional League batting averages, and Wagner
leads the list. Judge.
Exception. Teacher As I have been telling
you, there are two general classes of workers.
Tommy, does your father make his living" by
using his brains or by using hu musclei?
Tommy Neither one, ma'am. He's a police
man at the big railroad deepo. Chicago Trib
une. A Philosophpr. Wife There's a burglar down
cellar, Henry. Husband Well, my dear, we
ought to be thankful that we are upatairs.
Wlfc But he'll come up here. Husband Then
we'll B0- down cellar, my dear. Surely, a 10
room house ought to be big enough to hold
three people without crowding Detroit Free
Press.
The Weary River.
Lewis Morris.
There is a ceaseless river.
Which flows down evermore
Into a. walllnjr ocean.
A sea without ft shore.
Broken by laughing ripple.
Foaming with angry swell, t
Sweet rousio as of heaven.
Deep thunder as of hell.
Gay -fleets flow down upon It,
And sad wrecks, full of pain;
But all alike It hurries
To that unchanging main.
Sometimes 'tis foul and troubled.
And sometimes clear and Buret
But still the river flows, and still
The dull sea doth endure.
And thus 'twill flow forever,
Till time shall cease to be,
O weary, weary river,
O bitter, barren sea.