THE MORNING OHEGONIAN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1901.
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PORTLAXD, 3IOXDAY, DECEMBEIUKi.
SATAX KEIHJKING SIX.
Obscure and elusive at the best, the
trust problem is not notably cleared up
ty the denunciation of trusts offered
before the Chicago bankers Saturday
night by the president of the steel
trust As everything Is to be gained by
sharp discrimination in terms. It is
worth, while to look carefully at Mr.
Schwab's definitions. "We can distin
guish the trust, he says, by three things.
It restricts trade, it raises prices, and
It throttles competition. The "consoli
dation," however, which term Mr.
Schwab affects, expands trade and low
ers prices. If you find a business com
bination that seeks to eliminate compe
tition, reduces output and raises prices,
that is a trust If you And one that
does the opposite, that is a consolidation-Persons
who are engaged In -disreputable
practices do not like the termi-
nology popularly applied to their craft
"Scab" and "rat" are repudiated by the
nonunion workman, but for ali that
"both have passed into the vernacular.
American Catholics resent the expres
sion "Church of Rome," but the most
careful editor cannot altogether keep
It out of his paper. The old "American"
party passed into history by its derisive
nickname, "Know-Nothing." Nobody is
at pains to find a euphemism for "cop
perhead," and all languages grow oy
accretion from terms originally coined
by hostility and scorn as -well as by
complacency and pride.
The trust by any other name -would
smell as rank. Its essential nature is
objectionable, and the hope of the
trusts to escape odium by convicting
the popular name for them of inaccu
racy is vain. Mr. Hanna once said
there are no trusts, and while he may
ixaxe been technically right, he was In
reality as wrong as Mr. Schwab is to
day in seeking to draw one of the worst
of the trusts out of the general cate
gory. The sole fragment of truth In
what Mr. Hanna contended for was
that the old trust method of deporting
shares of independent concerns In a
common "trust" fund has been super
seded by the modern trust method of
forming a central stock company and
purchasing the independent ooncerns
outright The nature of the beast Is the
same, though he is working with a new
tool. And so, when Mr. Schwab pre
tends to differentiate trusts and con
solidations on the basis of raising or
lowering prices, he most dismally fails,
because everybody knows that a trust
or "consolidation" or "combination" or
"community of ownership" will raise or
lower its prices, not according to Its
name, but according to what It 'thinks
will increase the dividends.
Trust arguments destroy each other.
"We have constantly been hearing about
the beneficent function of the trust in
destroying competltibn, that enemy of
progress and bane of public morals,
when along comes Mr. Schwab and says
that trusts that is, "consolidations"
don't destroy competition. He doesn't
explain just how they promote competi
tion, and that would really have been
worth while, inasmuch as the steel
trust Itself, for example, has combined
a large number of independent com
petitive plants under one non-competitive
ownership and management "We
have been hearing how the beneficent
trust had saved industries from ruin
by rescuing thetn from a paralysis of
lnsupportably low . prices, and now
comes Mr. Schwab to assure us that
the way In which the trust really does
get on is by reducing prices.
Tnere may be trusts or consolidations
that aim to promote competition, and
discourage restriction of output, and
fight desperately in the direction of
lower prices on their own goods; but the
steel trust is not among them. If the
trusts would actually do these things,
Instead of talking so much about them,
no doubt the popular antipathy to
them would be measurably assuaged.
Then the term "trust" would not be
the one of opprobrium Mr. Schwab
now correctly conceives it, but a name
of honor he would be proud to claim.
Other things the trusts could do to
mitigate the undesirable significance of
their name would be to cease to close
up independent plants they acquire, to
offer to forego a protective tariff on
the wares they freely export, and to
sell their product at hdme as cheaply
as they do abroad. Practical demon
strations of this sort would goon re
move much1 of the popular discontent
with the trusts. There would still re
main a matter of sentiment which may
never be overcome, and that is the con
viction that the trust is essentially mo
nopolistic la ambition and tendency
and that this property must always be
false in principle and pernicious in
practice.
SCHLEY CASE PROBABLY OVER.
Common law has ordained, that the
prosecution always has the last word.
In spite of all the safeguards the Indi
vidual accused has been able "to wrest
from hostile Government this one pre
rogative of closing the case has been
regarded too dear to be foregone. It
seems a little hard, perhaps, that the
instigator of trouble, whether criminal
prosecutor or civil plaintiff, should be
given the superior opportunity to make
his accusation stand, but so it is; and
in domestic Issues the rule is still the
same, for the last word In this field ajso
Is by universal consent awarded to the
feminine author of agitation and dis
pute. The Navy Department seems to have
an idea there is no limit to this good
old rule. As to Schley, it began on
him, and now it is determined to have
"the last word." The court of inquiry
decided "Schley's wrong, we are right"
and now let no more be said. Secre
tary Long approves the majority report
He has his say, and observes, "Now let
no more be said." Who has not heard
the bully-ragging disputant announce
his conclusion of a heated argument
and then say, as if to bear all before
him, "and let that be an end of the mat
ter"? The Navy Department is well advised.
Further discussion of the Schley case
is not good for It. The affair is a mess.
It always has been. It has blasted two
noble careers In our naval history, em
bittered the Maryland man's memory of
gallant victory, and broken Sampson's
heart as well as mind; it has clouded
the administration of Secretary Long,
whose superior talents and high char
acter deserved a better fate; it has
been a blot upon two Presidential
terms and has embroiled both Army
and Navy in a discreditable feud. All
this is reason enough why the Navy
Department should wish an end of the
controversy. But the complaint Is not
Justly directed toward the persecuted
Admiral and his friends. The offense is
with those who set out to asperse his
record, and who counted on, as they re
ceived, the aid and comfort of the
Navy Department It comes with bad
grace from the Sampsonltes, therefore,
to deplore the controversy and bewail
Its devastating effects. They should
have thought of that before.
Not that we wish to be understood
as predicting a persistent agitation on
the part of the Schley partisans, or a
widespread popular sympathy with
them in such effort Far more likely
is their appeal for satisfaction to be
in vain. The people want Justice, but
they don't want it badly enough to put
themselves out for it It is fair to con
clude that the public is tired of the
whole affair. And if it Is, Schley's at
torneys may .be Interviewed and Schley
papers hurl black letter and double
leads at the verdict and Congress and
the Navy Department in vain. The av
erage man is red hot for justice when
his Barometer is high and the wind
fresh. But he will not be bored. Past
the point of ennui no National crime
need hope for redress.
RESPONSIBILITY FOB, DISASTER.
The decision of the court of Inquiry
In the case Of the abandoned ship Pin
more, while somewhat of a surprise to
people who had formed their opinions
from a casual reading of the stories
given out at the time of the wreck, is
undoubtedly just The court was com
posed of H. B. M. Consul James Lald
law, who has listened to testimony in
scores of shipwreck cases; Captain
Froggatt, and the venerable Captain
Porter, who was commanding a ship
when the PInmore's master was a babe
in arms. It was. well fitted by age and
experience to judge rightly In the case,
and the verdict will be accepted with
the consideration to which It is entitled.
On sea or shore, In time of disaster,
the saving of human life Is paramount
to all else, and the testimony brought
out at the Inquiry showed that the lives
of all on board the Pinmore were Im
periled to such an extent that death
was staring them in the face for hours
"before they decided to take to the boatB.
An older and more experienced man
than Captain Jamleson might have re
fused to heed the clamorings of his
cr"ew and remained with the ship, but
would hardly have been credited with
superior judgment by so doing. Had
the anchors failed to hold, the unman
ageable ship might have drifted into
the breakers, where escape by the small
'boats would have been impossible.
That portion of the verdict which has
the most Important bearing on the Co
lumbia River's maritlirie interests Is
found In the tenth section, which reads
as follows:
The evidence before the court justifies It In
expressing its sense of the necessity for the
Improvement in the towage and pilotage 'serv
ices on the Columbia Rler bar, and also the
better marking of the channel to enable ves
sels to enter by night as well as by day.
This testimony, supplemented by the
statements of the captains of a num
ber of ships which have been delayed
off the mouth of the river through the
inefficient tug and pilot service, will
carry considerable weight, and should
be heeded. A few years ago, when the
traffic in and out of the river was not
one-half as great as it is today, both
Oregon and "Washington supported pilot
schooners, which were kept cruis
ing off the mouth of the river all the
time, there being as high and fifteen
pilots engaged in the work. The rivalry
thus engendered caused the cutters to
cruise twenty to forty miles off shore,
and any ship showing up within a ra
dius of thirty miles off the mouth of
the river was sure of picking up a
pilot The Pinmore came up off the
mouth of the river and was unable to
secure a pilot or a tugboat It was
Captain Jamieson's first trip to the Co
lumbia, and, being unfamiliar with the
course of the current or the prevailing
winds at this season of the year, he
drifted hither and thither at the mercy
of the wind and tide. Had any of the
Columbia River pilots been on board,
they could have kept him out of the
northerly drift that set him in to the
beach, or, failing in that their familiar
ity with the locality would have en
abled them to sail into Gray's Harbor.
A little more efficiency on the part of
the pilot service would probably have
prevented the Ernest Reyer from get
ting north of the Columbia River.
The court of inquiry, however, does
not discriminate. It recognizes the ne
cessity for an improvement In the tow
age as well as the pflotage service at
the mouth of the river. The Pinmore
was twice within hailing distance of a
Columbia River lug, but secured no rec
ognition, and it was four days after her
presence at anchor near Gray's Harbor
was known in Astoria before a Puget
JLSoucd tug camo down, within five hours'
run from Astoria, and rescued her.
Under the old Flavel regime, when the
bar was in much worse condition than
it is at the present time, commerce
groaned under the burden of the ex
cessive charges levied by tugs and
pilots, but the service rendered was ef
ficient There was no loafing around
Astoria, but Baker's Bay and Fort Ste
vens were far enough away from the
ocean for Flavel's tugboats and pilots,
and when ships were reported in dis
tress the boats remained outside for
days at a time searching for them. A
happy medium of the old Flavel tug
and pilot service and the modern sched
ule of prices is what is needed at the
mouth of the river. Portland has much
at stake in this matter, and no effort
should be spared to correct the evils
which have reflected so seriously on the
port within the past six weeks. '
LESSONS OF BEREAVEMEXT1.
Sudden death has removed two of
Portland's well-known residents under
circumstances of most heartrending na
ture. It is hard to say which Is the
more distressing the cruel wheels of
the electric car, crushing out the life of
the busy man and faithful official, or
the dark hour of childbirth, carrying
away the devoted wife and mother from
under the very gaze of agonizing love.
Death Is the great leveler. Grief holds
impartial sway in the humble lodge of
the late keeper at the City Park and
in the stately mansion on Nob Hill. De
cember's rain falls' alike on the laurel
that Mr. Myers had planted with his
own hands and over the stately sward
at Twentieth and Hoyt December's
cold wind stirs alike the cedar boughs
that mourn their recent master and the
ivy clinging yet where Mrs. Mackenzie's
fingers had fastened it to marble pillar
and granite wall.
Probably few of us know how large a
place we fill till we are gone and sor
row sits alone to catalogue Its loss.
Each of these two occupied a position,
that no one else could fill, and consola
tion, unless it can restore the departed.
Is of no avail. What the one home
wanted was the husband and father;
what the other wanted and now so be
seechingly wants Is the wife and moth
erJust that and nothing else. Other
friends remain, but they cannot fill up
the vacant place. The world is just the
same, except for that one thing-, and
that one thing now seems all the world.
Nothing can be done but to perform
as unobtrusively as. possible the last
sad rites of respect, to summon the for
titude of resignation, and to live again
in fancy the experiences that have gone
before.
For Memory Is the only friend
That Grief can call its own.
Which Is the best judge of the de
parted the casual world of business or
society, or the Intimate sharer of the life?
Is the throng the nearest truth, who go
scarcely heeding, perhaps coldly criti
cal, on their way, or the bereaved one
who sees in his loss a great calamity?
Let us say It is the mourner, who has
had the best opportunity for judging.
Let us believe, as all of ua one -day
would like It to be believed of us, that
there is a great deal of good in all of
us, which only close and confidential
acquaintance can disclose. Let us think,
in view of the evidence, that what
passes for imperfection is our own de
fective vision, and that if we could
see beneath the surface we should find
goodness we dreamed not of, and de
votion that would put the careless criti
cism or neglect to shame.
We like to speak well of the dead, and
sometimes this propensity is accounted
an amiable weakness rather than good
sense or the highest morals. But per
haps the truth is that the merits we are
quick to realize when one is dead ex
isted in plain view all along, only we
were too blinded with bustle and care
lessness to see them. Both these two
led prosaic, humble sort of lives, not
lending themselves readily to heroica
Each was concerned about a multitude
of trivial details, one with his trees and
bushes, walks and sloping banks, birds
and beasts; the other with household
cares and making home beautiful, and
lately with an expectant dread of an
event so common that It happens some
where, they say, every moment of the
hurrying night and day.
But In all these cares shone forth that
single-minded devotion which hallows
even the meanest life If it is steadfast,
and without which the grandest career
is a dismal failure. Perhaps we do well,
therefore, to seek out and emphasize
the good that was in the dead. There
Is in every life, and all through our
common human nature, a great deal
that Is good and noble and worthy of
all praise. And he who goes through
life without finding anything to honor
and love only reveals the depths of his
own depravity.
HILL'S EXPLANATION CHILDISH.
President Hill's statement of the cir
cumstances that gave rise to the North
ern Securities Company Is a testimonial
to the power of public opinion. As such
no fault is to be found with it, for It
deals with matters of which It is proper
that the public should be informed. But
it is also a revelation of weakness, of
conscious weakness, on the part of Mr.
Hill, his friends and his enemies. This
revelation is presented in Mr. Hill's ar
gument, the essence of which is that the
great and good men who direct the des
tinies of the hew railroad trust hare
been forced Into this position at tre
mendous sacrifice to themselves for the
protection of the dear people. And for
this heroic self-sacrifice are they criti
cised by an unfeeling public!
One need not quarrel With Mr. Hill's
statement of facts in order to see the
fallacy of his insidious conclusions,
though it is news that the Harriman
people were first to attempt the cap
ture of the Burlington system. But the
Burlington having finally been secured
for thQ Northern lines, and at least tem
porary control of the Northern Pacific
having been obtained by the Union Pa
cific, seems no justification for the or
ganization of a new corporation, the ap
parent purpose of which was to crys
tallize in permanent form the extrava
gant "values" that had been manipu
lated into certain railroad shares. Less
than $250,000,000 of Northern Pacific and
Great Northern stock constitute the as
sets of the Northern Securities Com
pany; yet that company is expected to
earn between 4 and 5 per cent on Its
capital of 5400,000,000. By this process
the $250,000,000 Is made to yield a sum
that would be legitimate return on $400,
000,000, and it Is done In a way calcu
lated to protect the investors from pub
lic scrutiny.
Five per cent does not seem too large
an Income from legitimate Investments,
but 5 per cent on $400,000,000 is 8 per cent
on $250,000,000, and a combination hav
ing for its object the throttling of com
petition In order that such great profits
may be taken from the people very rea
sonably arouses public hostility. True,
as .Mr. Hill says, the railroad kings In
the Northern combination might have
sold their stock at a handsome advance,
but it will take Mr. Hill a long time to
convince the public that It was consid
eration for the Interests of the people
of Minnesota that deterred them from
doing so. They did what it was for
their private, selfish interests to do, and
if the interests of the public were to
reap benefit in any way, this would be
entirely incidental to the main object
of the deal. It Is nonsense for Mr. Hill
to seek to convey the Impression that
all this labored manipulation of colossal
railroad Interests was for the particular
purpose of keeping the spirit of the antl
consolidatlon laws, and at serious finan
cial los3 to the men responsible for the
action. It is all gammon.
f "Let time determine," says Mr. Hill,
"whether the public will be benefited or
injured by what we have done and will
continue to do." This is a specious
plea. It is the plea of a Gulteau or a
Czolgosz, not of the magnificent rall-road-bullder
and business organizer we
have been accustomed to recognize in
James J. Hill.- Time may be an essen
tial element In proving the wisdom of
some courses of action, but an act that
is morally and legally and economically
wrong cannot be made otherwise by
lapse of time. Mr. Hill's entire explana
tion Is obviously addressed to the peo
ple who take the view J.hat his railroad
trust is illegal and harmful. If it is so
today, time cannot justify it A plea
for tolerance, for time to entrench more
securely the new railroad policy of non
competition, will find small favor with
the general public, and will probably
move the people of Minnesota to more
determined action against the combi
nation. Professor G. F. Chamberlain, of Clark
University, proposes to make English
even more grammarless. He would
slough off the few Inflections we have
left do away with the subjunctive
mood, and. In fact, achieve the com
plete emancipation of English from
Greek and Latin models. He would no
longer say "If I were," or "If he go";
would sacrifice the Irregular and In
flected parts of verbs in the participle
and past tense and follow the usage
of such verbs as "lit" and "let"; employ
nouns and verbs In the same form as
in "telephone"; renounce such plurals
as "sheep" and "deer"; throw out the
feminine suffix "es3" and the apostrophe
of the possessive case; drop the adverb
ial form for the adjective, as "neatly"
for "neat"; give "but" and "as" the
prepositional use; make "who," "that"
and "which" Interchangeable, and ex
clude further importation of Greek and
Latin worda If he can accomplish all
this he may approach the simplicity of
the Chinook jargon, which from his
polt of view should be an Ideal medium
of expression.
Recent Orders sent to all business men
by the police department that ordi
nances are to be enforced forbidding
the sweeping of dust, bits of paper, etc.,
from store doors across sidewalks are
emphatically making a cleaner city. No
more are pavements littered with
broken bottles and the general sweep
ings of a store. No more doth the fes
tive porter wash his favorite cuspidors
at the corner, for all such offenders
are liable to arrest Since the order
went Into effect about eight persons
have been arrested and fined $5 each,
and, curiously enough, almost every of
fender pleaded In extenuation that he
had not been warned that the law was
to be enforced. The next move is to
Bpread the order In the residence por
tion of our community and educate the
householder and the boys and girls that
we want and Intend to have a new and
clean Portland. In this work the police
deserve hearty commendation, and
ought to get the co-operation of all
good citizens.
It is just as well to remember at this
Joyous, season that the combination of
candle-dotted Christmas tree and cotton-trimmed
Santa Claus is an exceed
ingly dangerous one. But a year or two
ago a well-known Portland man wasse
verely burned In Tacoma while playing
the role of the bountiful saint, and hard
ly a year passes without some accident
of this kind to mar the general festiv
ity. Either unusual precautions should
be taken to guard the tiny flames that
gutter and flare on the Inflammable fir
branches, or the presiding genius of the
occasion should wear asbestos fur. It
might not be a bad idea for Fire Chief
Campbell to inspect the larger, and con
sequently more dangerous, Sunday
school trees before they are lighted.
Families will have to take the risks of
household celebrations.
Salesmen and ship girls, postmen and
express messengers, delivery-men and
the drivers of the thousands of cartB
that are flying around town will
be truly thankful when Christ
mas Is gone. For them that one
day means two Weeks of the hard
est work of the whole year, 'of abnor
mally busy and consequently irascible
employers, and irritated and wrathful
customers. If those who buy and those
who sell will bear this In mind today
and tomorrow they will be practicing a
Christian charity that is In fine accord
with the right spirit of the season.
There are dehtlsts enough In Oregon
now. This appears to be the conviction
of the State Dental Board. And that's
what's the matter with Oregon. There
are enough or too many lawyers, doc
tors, merchants, manufacturers, farm
ers, worklngmen, if we take the word
of those already in possession of each
particular field. Through such enlight
ened theories have all stagnant com
munities reached their present exalted
state of self-satisfaction.
Senator Mitchell is pulling for an as
say office at Portland, and Representa
tive Moody is pulling for one at Baker
City. Would there be more chance of
an assay ofllce If they could pull to
gether? By all means leUthe Seventh Ward
record its protest against extinction,
loud and without delay. Better so than
that the charter should go to the polls
with a whole ward unanimously against
It
As to reciprocity with Cuba, we have
beep doing a great deal in that line In
the past three years. It's Cuba's move.
A hearty "Merry Christmas" doesn't
cost anything, and It Is worth many
times more than many a gift
There are a good many houses that
Santa Claus will not sse. Can't you
show hlm-some of them?
Some men take pleasure in Christmas
because It comes only once a year.
ANOTHER SOCIALISTIC FAILURE
Chicago Chronicle.
If the high-flying Socialists will peruse
the annual report of. Commissioner of In
dian Affairs Jone3 they will gain aonie
valuable information on the subject or
the practical workings of the system
which they admire so much.
The Indian Is a ward of the Govern
ment Just as everybody else would be
under the Socialistic regime. Individuali
ty is discouraged. The great father at
Washington provides for his children, and,
like most children of older growth who
are relieved of the responsibility ot look
ing out for themselves, the red men nat
urally look to him for everything and de
pend upon themselves for nothing.
Mr. Jones finds that the elaborate and
expensive system of education maintained
for the benefit of the Indians results not
only In a waste of money but In positive
Injury to the individuals whom It is
sought to Improve. He makes the asser
tion without qualification that Indian ed
ucation as now carried on runs Its course
unvaryingly from barbarism and Ignor
ance to refinement and luxury and back
again to Idleness and barbarism In prac
tically every case which the Government
takes in hand.
Some people will be disposed to attrib
ute the blame of this state of affairs to
tho Indians, but there Is reason to believe
that similar methods would produce the
same results ultimately If applied to any
other race or class. From youth to age
the Indian la subjected to tho process or
coddling by Government, and ho never
rises above it
Enough money has been Epent by the
people during the last generation for the
support of the Indian population to pro
vide every aboriginal In the land with a
comfortably furnished home. For educa
tion alone the people have spent money
enough to build and endow half a dozen
first-class universities or training schools.
I In spite of this the Indian remains as ho
was at the beginning lazy, thriftless,
without ambition, and, whether educated
or not, wholly dependent upon the Gov
ernment The Socialistic system was applied to
the Indians In this country In the lim
place on the theory that It was a necessi
ty of the case. It was held to be cheaper
to feed and clothe the savages than It
was to fight them. This alternative Is no
longer presented. The question now is
whether the Industrious whites aro for
ever to bo charged with the expense ot
maintaining in Idleness a'" race which. In
spite of all Ideas to the contrary, does
not materially decrease In numbers, and
which makes practically no Improvement.
Under tho policy now pursued there can
be no hope of progress.
It was the socialism of the Indians
themselves which made them objection
able and dangerous to the whites origin
ally. We have confirmed them In the de
bilitating habits of that theory by apply
ing to them the socialistic practices of the
whites. The average man, white, red or
black, will not work unless he finds it
necessary to do so. For a hundred years
we have put a premium on Idleness among
the Indians and of late we have sought
by higher education to develop nmong
men naturally lazy and unenterprising
qualities which never have been found
In any race except as a result of Individ,
ual energy and aspiration, promoted by
stern necessity.
The time Is near at hand when the red
man should be given an opportunity to
make tho solemn choice which sooner or
later falls to most white men. Shall he
work or shall he die?
SAVE THE OLD HYMNS.
Chicago Tribune.
It was a sorry day for the hymnals when
Professor Trlggs sent forth his sarcastic
opinions as to the merits of various pop
ular hymns. It seems to have aroused a
desire for revision among" some of the de
nominations. Curiously enough Us most
disastrous effects are visible among
Methodists, who, of all others, would be
expected to cling to the old hymns which
so often have been their songs of vic
tory. At the recent General Conference of that
church commissioners were -appointed to
revise the hymnal. Sub-committees have
been selected to carry out the details, and
they will report In March next. It Is
learned already that three of tho most
admired hymns, and the three pcrhaDs
which have brought more comfort to the
sorrowing and the grief-stricken than any
others, are doomed .o dismissal from the
hymnal. These are, "Lead, Kindly
Light," "He Leadeth Me" and " "Sweet
Hour of Prayer." It Is remarkable that
Newman's great hymn, "Lead, Kindly
Light," which even Professor Trlggs ex
cepted from his censure, and which com
mends Itself both as literature and as an
expression of devoutness. should be ex
cluded. This and the other two hymns,
which are universally popular, are to be
tabooed, It Is said, because they are not
definitely theological In statement of doc
trine. Cardinal Newman's hymn not spe
cially recognizing Christ; "He Leadeth
Me." a paraphrase of the well-known
psalm, because It makes no allusion to
the mediation of Christ: and "Sweet
Hour of Prayer" because Its closing lines
Indicate that prayer ends here. If these
statements be correct it would seem as
though the commissioners were growing
finical and laying more stress upon dog
ma than upon devotion.
But worse remains. It is- Intimated that
Bishop Heber's two great hymns. "Bright
est and Best of the Sons of the Morning"
and "From Greenland's Icy Mountains,"
are also marked for condemnation, the
first because It Is an ode of praise to
the Star of Bethlehem and the other be
cause it instructs people only In - geog
raphy! Is It not time for the Methodist laity
to rise In protest, or at least to find out
whether these reports are true, for It
these hymns arc to go there Is no reason
why "Come, Ye Disconsolate," "Corona
tion," and the "Dpxology" may not have
to go also. They are no better and no
worse than the others marked for ejection,
from the hymnal. Is- there any surer or
more pleasant way of going from "Jor
dan's Stormy Banks" "To Canaan's Fair
and Happy Land" than to the music of
these simple old hymns of the old-time
"meetln'-house." ?
"Farewell."
Chicago Tribune.
"Farewell!" An6ther gloomy wort.
As ever into language crept.
Tis often written, never heard
Except
In playhouse. Ere the hero flits
In handcuffs from our pitying view,
"Farewell!" he murmurs, then exits
R. U.
"Farewell IV It is too slghful for
An age that has not time to sigh.
We say. "I'll see you later," or
"Good-bye!"
When, warned by chanticleer, you go
From her to whom you owe devoir,
"Say not good-bye," she laughs, "but au
Revolr!"
Thus from the garden are you sred;
And Juliet were the first to tell
Tou, you were silly if you said
"Farewell!"
"Fare well," meant long ago, before
It crept, tear-spattered. Into song,
"Safe voyage!" "Pleasant Journey!" or
"So-long 1"
But gone Its cheory, old-time ring:
The poets made It rhyme with knell.
Joined. It became a dismal thing
"Farewell!"
"Farewell!" Into the lover's soul
You see Fate plunge the cruel iron.
All poets use It. It's the whole
Of Byron.
"I only feel farewell!" said he;
And alwaya tearful was the telling.
Lord Byron was eternally
Farewelllng.
"Farewell!" A dismal word, 'tis true.
(And why not tell the truth about It?)
But what on earth would poets do
-ft'lUumt ut
AMUSEMENTa
N
"At the Old Cross Roads." opened a
week's engagement to standing room at
Cofdray's Theater last night, and more
than justified the claim made for It that
It Is the best play Hal Reld has yet writ
ten. Although melodramatic to a marked
degree. It Is almost entirely free from
the blood and thunder heroics which
distinguishes much of Reld's work, the
characters are cleverly sketched and con
trasted, the situations are unusually
strong and well Introduced, and the com
edy Is made Incidental to the play and
not dragged In by the ears. The com
pany Is thoroughly capable, and Is a
credit to manager Alston. It was, there
fore, small wonder that the play made
one of the hits of the season, that cur
tain calls followed one another in rapid
succession, and that no one In the au
dience seemed to feel that five acts were
too long.
The story's chief strength Is In Its con
sistency. The drop of negro blood that
makes a "nigger" out of its possessor,
however white she may be Is the theme
around which the plot has been woven,
and the hatred of Parepa, an octoroon
girl, for the husband who has ruined her
and been forced to marry her supplies
abundant material. The woman's daughter
Is brought up as a lady, and the secret of
her birth Is kept from her during her
girlhood, but when her father, Thornton,
a thoroughgoing scoundrel, at last tells
her the secret of her life, the outraged
mother can endure It no longer, and
Thornton finishes the fourth act with
a bullet in his brain. The trial and ac
quittal of Parepa, the Inevitable discovery
that she Is not a negro at all, but a Span
lard, her betrothal to a large-hearted
gambler who has loved her all the time,
and several other livc-happy-ever-aftcr
Incidents again fall Into the Reld styie,
but the play as a whole Is far ahead ot
his ordinary work, and well deserved the
reception It received.
Miss Estha Williams made a fine char
acter of the octoroon woman, and proved
for the severalth time to a Portland au
dience that she Is an emotional actress
of excellent ability. Mrs. Charles G. Craig
captured the house by her clever charac
ter work as a jovial old darkey. Edward
Martin contributed to the comedy as Doc
Martin, n. gambler. John J. Plerson an
swered the requirements of rather a heavy
vllllan. Thomas H. Ino made a good
tramp. Louise Valentine was a charming
pickaninny. Maurice Hedges was a clever
Southern major, and the remainder of
the cast was proportionately good.
The mounting Is excellent, the first two
scenes being pretty Southern landscapes,
which add much to the atmosphere of the
play.
"At the Old Cross Roads" will run all
the week, with a special matinee Christ
mas day.
"OLE OLSOX."
Ben Hendricks Crentei Enthusiasm
at the Ualcer Theater.
Hilarity ran riot at tXic Baker Theater
yesterday afternoon and evening, the oc
casion being the advent of Ben Hendricks
in his always welcome Swedish comedy
"Olc Olson." Mr. Hendricks Is easily first
among intorpretcrs of the Americanized
Scandinavian, and certainly no other ever
got a more rousing reception than he did
from two big houses The people laughed
energetically and persistently all the time
he was on the stage. They laughed when
he spoke, when he smoked, when he sat
down, when he rose. In fact they laughed
whenever their eyes fell upon him.
Mr. Hendricks has come this year with
a good company, and his comedy Is just
as much of a hit as It always has been.
The melodramatic side of It, while subor
dinated largely to the humor, has no
been lost sight of. and cheers were al
ways forthcoming when the honest Swede
refused to be the dupe of the vllllans, and
announced that he would rather die than
take a child from Its mother. But he
turns readily from heroics to the more
Important business of provoking mirth,
and hl funny dialect his stolid Indiffer
ence, his frequent exhibitions of strength
in hustling objectionable people out of his
presence, and his really artistic charac
ter acting was what caught the house.
Of the support Miss Nettie Trauband, a
bright and lively little actress, was the
star, her acting being cheering to the
hearts of the audience, while her spe
cialty was warmly applauded. Paul Jordon
and Jefferson Bassett, a pair of precious
vllllans, were "well played by Will B.
Wheeler and Walter Wilson; William
Ryan was a good G. Quintan Shingle,
Miss Belle Francis was an acceptable Mrs.
Jordon. and Mtes Annie Douglass made
a roistering Mrs. O'Flannlgnn.
The play Is well-staged, and the scenic
features of the scene In which Ole effects
a daring rescue from the teeth of a whirl
ing saw was one of the hits of the even
ing. The Swedish ladles quartet sang a
number of songs In a style that earned
fpr them repeated encores. The organiza
tion Is one of the strongest that has ever
been heard in Portland, and they more
than deserved all tho applause they re
ceived. Altogether the attraction Is one
of the best Manager Baker has yet
booked, and will no doubt crowd the
house through the week.
A srceiaT matinee will be given Christ
mas day.
COMIXG ATTItACTIOXS.
Prlmrone and DoelcKtntler Mlnntreln
nt the Martinam Tomorrow IS'Ijcht.
Tomorrow night, at the Marquam Grand
Theater, the big American minstrels or
Primrose and Dockstader. will open their
engagement, continuing on the Christmas
attraction both afternoon and evening.
These gentlemen are able actors them
selves, and are surounded by a com
pany of players any one of whom may
bc considered as topllner in his act".
Among these are Eddie Leonard, Will
iam Halett, in the comedy line; George
Pcarce, Harry Ellis, James Bradley. Fred
Gladdls. Frederick Barnes, Walter
Vaughn, vocalists; while the olio will In
clude Lew Dockstader. George H. Prim
rose, Zeno, Carl and Zeno; Olllc Young
and brother, and Claudius and Corbln.
Primrose and Dockstader are not biased,
by any false economy ideas, and hence
It is that they are able to give the best
of entertainments because they always
get the best entertainers. The scenic
equipment Is said to be unusually beauti
ful. The opening pcene Is something un
usual In the Introduction of a minstrel
company. The sale of seats Is now open.
"rttKSit Ferry.'
"Foggs Ferry," In a new dress, and
said to be better than ever, will come
to the Marquam Theater Friday and Sat
urday nights, with a matinee Saturday
afternoon. The play is said to be strong
dramatically, and a marvel of realism. A
good company Is promised.
Woman Senlptor to Wed Her Model.
Chicago American.
Akron, O. Mrs. Maude Nees Fox, a
sculptress and wealthy woman, has gone
to Washington to become the bride of
Dominic Corronl. Their love story Is ro
mantic. Mrs. Fox and her mother were In Italy
last year. Corronl was employed In the
house at which they lived. He wanted to
come to America, but had no money. Ad
miring both him and his ambition, Mrs.
Fox paid his way to her own home at
Unlontown. a village of this county, and
secured work for him on the Canton
Akron Electric Railway.
Coronnl was very grateful. He often
called to see Mrs. Fox at her home, and
Is said to have posed for her in her work.
Mrs. Fox had secured a divorce from her
husband, Louis Fox, well known to the
vaudeville stage as a bird and animal imi
tator, to whom she was married seven.
years ago, and she told Corronl she would
marry him.
Corronl is 25 years old and comes or a
respectable family. Mrs. Fox Is CO years
old and pretty. Her father was V. H.
Nees, and from him she Inherited prop
erty estimated at 5100.000. She has done
some fine work In sculpture. She and her
husband will live at her country home in
I TJnlohtotf n.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
Come early and znfcTup with the rush.
It wasn't any of Miles' business, any
how. v
Be sure to have your chimneys swept
out.
Santa Claus will haTe to come In a
gondola. v
The esteemed General la evidently sorry
he spoke.
The Navy is more in evidence even than
on May 1, 1S9S.
The President has one Secretary who
is a strenuist after his own heart.
General Miles probably looks on the Sec
retary of War as the Root of all evil.
You can't make the express messenger
see anything Joyous In the holiday season.
Snow, snow, beautiful
We didn't finish this, because tha weath
er changes on us.
Mnclay has been asked to resign. It
was supposed that he had the good taste
to do so long ago.
England Is dead slow. The smallest and
most despicable of South American Re
publics has pulled off 16 wars to her one.
Two more revolutions In Venezuela in
one day. The sons of the revolution
down there mu3t be too numerous to men
tion. It is worth something to be a private
citizen. You can't wear a $400 uniform,
but you can speak your mind once In a
while without running any risk greater
than that of taking a licking.
Savings bank deposits In this country
are now the largest In the world, reaching
J2.310.CCO.000. These deposits have doubled
In about 13 years. Germany Is the next
largest. 51,900.000.000; Austria-Hungary.
$1,201,240,000: France. 5S54.220.000. and the
United Kingdom 5S29.020.000. Comparisons
of this kind are not conclusive, because
ravings in Germany are placed in co
operative banks. Building associations
both in this country and In European
lands carry also a. large share of savings.
In this country these hold 5700,000,000 of
savings.
A lady appeared as a complainant in a
New York court the other day against a
young woman who had persistently accost
ed her on the streets, asking for alms.
It appeared from the evidence of the
young woman's own mother that her
daughter had refused to work, saying she
could make money easier by begging, and
that she sometimes got 53 or 54 In a day,
which she spent on dress and amusement
generally. The fraudulent character of
her occupation was further exemplified
when, after the court had mercifully let
her off with a fine of only 510. she coolly
sent for her bankbook to pay it
The Emperor Francis Joseph ot Austrli
Is very plain In his tastes and habits. At
C o'clock in the morning he takes his
breakfast, consisting of some cold meat,
coffee and fresh-made bread and cake.
Between 12 and 1 o'clock he takes his de
jeuner, two dishes of meat and some ordi
nary pastry. Dinner Is served In his li
brary at his writing desk. Not even a
tablecloth is spread. The Emperor does
not care much for wine. He prefers a
glass of beer. ZCor- does he indulge In ex
pensive cigars. A plain home-made cigar,
the so-called Virginia cigar, long and thin,
with a straw running Hhrough It, Is his
favorite smoke. These cigars cost only
5 kreuzcr, about 5 cents apiece.
Alexander McDowell, the clerk of the
National House of Representatives, had a
singular start in life. As. he tells the
story, he was setting type one day In a
printing office In Oil City, re., when ho
saw a steamboat stop at a wharf near by.
"I have set my last type." he said to tho
man next to him. "Why?" asked his com
panion. "Because," said he, "I'm going to
Pittsburg." McDowell, true to his word,
was a passenger on the boat When he
landed at Pittsburg he saw a man on the
wh'arf selling cheap Jewelry. He bought
the mnn's stock for a very small sum and
went back to Oil City. The oil boom was
then at Its height, and McDowell had no
trouble in selling his gold-plated rings and
his gaudy bVooches at a price far beyond
the few dollars they had cost him. When
he had sold out he was over 5500 ahead of
the game. He Invested the money Ju
diciously and made more. Now he Is a
banker and well off In this world's goods.
The Work of the DcBTer.
Everybody's Magazine.
Standing on his hind legs, tho beaver
begins by tearing off the moss and bark,
his sharp teeth crunching through across
the gialn of the wood Rauqd and round
he goes, cutting deepest Into the side
nearest the water, In the direction he
wishes the tree to fall: and, strange as it
may seem, nearly every tree felled In this
vicinity had been successfully dropped
walerward, and. Judging from the trees
still standing, there Is really no reason
for supposing that they inclined naturally
in that direction. If the tree selected by
our beaver Is a very large one. It will re
quire many hours of patient work to
gnaw It through, but a small poplar, of
perhaps 12 Inches In diameter, fills after
about one honr's work so, at least, say
the trappers. Let us Imagine the beaver
as he gives the final cut. The tree trem
bles slightly in the gentle night breeze,
and then, leaning over, commences Its
downward fall, crashing through the
brinches of Its neighbors, shaking off
their few remaining dry leaves and fill
ing the woods with the fierce echoes of lt3
dying struggle.
PLBASAXTKIES OF PARAGRAPHERS
Servant Pleas, ma'am. I'd like to give you
a week's notice. Mistress Why. Mary, this is
a surprise! Do you hope to better yourself?
Servant (blushing) Well, not exactly that,
ma'am. I'm going to get married. Tlt-Blts.
Nothing to Do. "Yes. she's dreadfully dis
appointed. She married him to reform him.
you know." "And she couldn't do it?" "On
the contrary, she did It in six months, and
now she feels that she Is bereft of a mission
in yie." Chicago Post.
WSildn't Do. "Is my hat on?" began Mrs.
Colftnirwood. when her husband interrupted:
"Yes your hat's on straight. Come along, or
we shall be latel" "If it's straight it won't do.
Walt a mlnuto till I go back into tho house
and tilt it a little." Detroit Free Press.
Power of the Press. Famous Scientist (ex
citedlySomething must be done to stop the
spread of the opium habit among women.
Great Editor (calmly) Very well, sir; I'll put
In a paragraph saying that a hankering for
opium is a sign of old age. New York Week
ly. The Football Girl. "Have you got a lock of
Jack Halfback's hair?" asked the sweet young
thing, rooting for Princeton. "No," responded
the girl In the Yale sweater; "but he gave me
a piece of scalp and a lock of hair from Mr.
F.ushcr. the fullback on the Columbia eleven."
Puck.
Curate (highly delighted) I've had a great
compliment paid me today, sir. A member of
the congregation asked to be allowed to see
the manuscript of my sermon. Vicar That's
very gratifying. Who was it? Curate (more
pleased) Oh. Johnson. You know Johnson, the
Inspector of Nuisaace3? Glasgow Evening-Times.