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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1903)
6 THE MOKNLNG OREGOXIAN, SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1903. foe vzgixuian psteieS at the Postoffice at Portland. Oregon as second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. B V Mall fnAHfflfA nran4M In n tMA KaHr 5lth Sunday. per mo'nth ; $ S5 Pally. w;th Sunday, per jear.......".7."J 8 00 bpiday, per year 2 00 ITfae WooVlv r- .. ..... Rl? Weekly. 3 months 00 iTa City Eubscrlbers- PaUy. per week, delivered. Sunday excepted.lSo pally, per week. delivered. Sunday lncluded.20c POSTAGE RATES. TJr.lfpfl fitot.. rono -, t '9 t0 M-page paper .". lc M to 28-page paper 2c ieign rates double. JCWS or dLseusslon lntAnrinA n11Mlr.1t Inn In The Oregonlan should bo addressed invaria Ply "Editor The Oregonian." not to the name lit any Individual. T-pltora rftUtlne to ndvr- fclefrg, subscription or to any business matter .iuuiu oe aaarcssea simply "The Oregonian. The Oregonian does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. Eastern Busin M rtflloa. At AA AK At AO A' fTrlbune bulldlmr. "Vtt- 'Vriflr rMt.-. rin.lli prlbune building. Chicago: the S. c! Beckwltb r-iu.4 Agency, Eastern representative. J?Or Bale In San Francisco hv T. V Tj Til. pee. Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros!. 230 putter street: F. tv Titt inno ,-.,. r- Cooper Co., V40 Market street, near the palace Hotel; Foster & Orear. Ferry news Ktand: Frank Kmtt ra tmh. t.w, nr. "v WheaUey. 813 Mission street. loptn0 1 Ix)s AnSeIes by B. F. Gardner. 1259 South Snrlntr ntrrrt nnrt Dllmr - TTinae 1205 South Spring street. I or sue m Kansas City. Mo., by Ricksecker Co- N,nth "Walnut streets. For Sale in Chtenrrn V,f tVifc T - -v--,. - S17 Dearborn street, and Charles MacDonald! wasningioc street. For cale in fhnfiki k.. ti.i raraam street; Megeath StaUonery Co.. 1303 Farnam street For sale In R.iit T.nir v.. r.i. Co.. 77 "West Second South street. For sale in TficWnrt t o .v. . ... House news stand. trf0!-.8?? In renve". Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrlck. ooc-012 Seventeenth street; Louthan JT rC Book and Stationery Co.. Fifteenth and Lawrence streets; A. Series. Sixteenth and v-urtis streets. TODAY'S WF1 A TTTT". 17 r ... , . . I - . uvtooiuuui iuw; cool er, winds shifting to westerly. TESTERDATS TYEATHBR Maxi mu m tem perature. 57; minimum temperature, 45; pre- - v. men. PORTXAXD, SATURDAY, JAX. 3, 3903. FORWARD OR. BACKWARD ? Is It too much to ask of the Orn Legislature that every member of It will do his duty by the state and by poster ity Are there not In the Legislature men enough who will treat the Lewis aod Clark Centennial celebration fairly on its merits, without Reference to petty personal or sectional considerations? It Is of the utmost importance that Oregon have a building at St. Louis The state should appropriate $100,000 for this purpose, in addition to the $500,000 for the home Exposition. A creditable building and exhibit at St Louis will help the Lewis and Clark celebration more than any other one thlnsr. This will doubtless seem to many a large eum. But only a large sum will be of actual service in the way of attracting attention to 'Oregon, and securing the co-operation of the St Louis officials and the states west of the Mississippi River. The members of the Legislature are shrewd enoucrh to irmm fact that Oregon must bestir herself if It Is cot to be distanced entirely by her rivals. Mr. Harriman's preoccupation with San Francisco Is manifest The strenuous activity and enterprising di plomacy of Puget Sound cities are everywhere and unremittingly mani fest Shall we press forward or go be hind? There Is a tide In the affairs of men which, taken at its flood, leads on to fortune. And so there is a tide in the affairs of communities. It now de volves on Oregon to help herself. "We must choose -between eminence and subordination. Sacrifices, heavy sacri fices, made now, will bring inestimable rewards in ten, twenty and thirty yeara But If we weakly quail at the chal lenge fate has thrown down to us, the award will be that of the weakling and the Inert Above all, let us have done with jeal ousy between city and country. The farmer needs a great market at Port land, just as much as the merchant needs a large farming population in the country. A thickly settled state will make a rich city at Portland, and a rich city at Portland will create de mand for land, labor and products In Oregon and Southern "Washington. The thousands of dollars subscribed in Port land for Immigration work wjll Inure to the benefit of Its donors, no less because the Immigrants attracted will settle In the country. This obligation, of public spirit rests not only upon the Legislature, but upon the people. The Lewis and Clark ap propriation is menaced by the mooted invocation of the referendum, which means delay if not defeat No citizen with the states Interests truly at heart should join in or temporize with a de mand for the referendum on this ap propriation. The referendum was adopted as a step In progress. Let not its first application be made in opposi tion to progress. TYPICAL TENSION INJUSTICE. It looks as If the pension sharks had caught a Tartar In the new Commis sioner of Pensions, for Mr. "Ware, In a recent communication to the New York Evening Post, asked the aid of that journal In opposing the bestowal of pen sions upon persons convicted of infa mous crimes, and he also asked the Post to favor the repeal of the joint resolu tion of JUly 1, 1902, which was a bill to pension the deserters of both armies. This joint resolution provides that in the administration of the pension laws any one who was honorably discharged from his "las" contract of service "shall be held and considered to have been, honorably discharged from all similar contracts of service." That is. udder this law a man may have desert ed a dozen times from the Confederates or Federals and have been a perennial "bounty-jumper," but If he stayed six months in the service the last time he enlisted, he Is to be pensioned along with the man who served from Sumter to Appomattox. Commissioner Ware 3iaa submitted to the Attorney-General of the United States for his opinion a case Involving this joint resolution of July 1, 1902. This case is that of a man living in jUIseouri, who served two years in the Confederate army, but finally deserted, joined the Union Army prior to Janu ary 1, 3S65, served more than ninety days, and was honorably discharged. This man made application In 1S94 for pension because of permanent disabil ity, but It was not granted. Under his joint resolution of July 1, 1902, this mer cenarj' veteran of both armies Is clearly entitled to a pension, provided he make a new application. This he refuses to do, claiming that the joint resolution is retroactive, and that his pension should be granted, together with arrears since 1804. amounting to $1200. Commissioner Ware denies that the resolufion is retro active, but If the claim Is decided in this applicant's favor It would cost the Government about 510,000,000, there be ing many similar cases on file. But the natural question Is, Why should Congress ever have passed this joint resolution of July 1, 1902. reward ing deserters and Confederates? France treats her veterans better than Great Britain, and still her pension payments are not a third of what they are In the United iStates. MR. DUNBAR'S RECOMMENDATIONS. The Secretary of State's recommenda tion that the small amount now contrib uted to the support of the Oregon His torical Society be withheld was prob ably made upon insufficient considera tion In his report it is grouped with such charitable undertakings as the Crittenton Home. Now. philanthropy can take care of social unfortunates, but the state's duty toward preservation of historical relics cannot be shifted to philanthropy. The obligation is one that must appeal to every patriotic cit izen. It would be more fltting to give the Historical Society 55000 a year, in stead of the $3000 it gets, than to cut It off entirely, as Mr. Dunbar proposes. The themo of greatest interest in the Secretary of State's report is his study in new sources of revenue." The Ore gonian has discussed this subject for years and Mr. Dunbar has considered it in his every report all to no purpose, because the Legislature has had more important matters to attend to than the business of the state. This year the recommendations are In ample time for due consideration by the members, and we hope to see some attention paid to them. It has been suggested that a tax com mission, be appointed to report to the next session. With due respect to the Legislature and to the lawyers who would serve on the commission, it Is extremely doubtful If any commission would reach any better results than Mr. Dunbar has reached. His recommenda tions should be examined and weighed. ana a bill passed at the coming session putting the corporation and Inheritance taxes Into effect at once. An additional $100,000 a year can be raised without serious hardship on any business, from corporation filing fees and license taxes alone, and probably an equal amount by means of an Inheritance tax and In creased assessments on the property of express, telephone, telegraph, sleeping or Pullman car and transportation com panies. The valuation of property rose be tween 1901 and 1902 from $117,000,000 to $141,000,000. The valuation for 1903 and 1904 should increase at a much greater rate by reason of our rapid gain in pop ulation, production and wealth, due to development and Immigration. The state's revenue for the next few years will naturally be very large, especially if the possible new -sources of revenue are utilized. This fact may console the taxpayer soinewhat for the heavy ap propriations which-are certain, to be made by the Legislature this Winter. GIVE HIM TIME. Governor-elect Mickey, of Nebraska, from all accounts, takes himself quite seriously. Perhaps he could do worse things than take strait-laced ortho doxy into the. Gubernatorial office, but he could do few things that would make him more ridiculous a few years hence, when, having succumbed to the bland ishments of politics and the intoxication of public honors, his present attitude in regard to the sinfulness of worldly pleasures Is recalled. Times changre and people change, and It Is needless to say politicians change with them. Take, for example, Mr. William Jennings Bryan, of Mr. Mickey's own state. His speech before a Chicago convention about "a cross of gold" is not so many years old. We all remember how the so-called "plain people" went wild over it Who would then have supposed that the great apostle of free silver, the man who strove to array the poor against the rich, to discredit wealth and to ar raign luxury-as the root of all evil, would in a short space of time be living in a $50,000 mansion with a small army of servants to do his bidding, and an income, reckoned upon a gold basis, of nearly $50,000 a year? "This leap from proletarlanlsm to plutocracy," says a Kansas City paper "was made by Mr". Bryan in the briefest space of time, and now he would never be known for the perspiring evangelist of agrarianism who formerly Wured the country in an alpaca coat" Jerry Simpson, erstwhile of Medicine Lodge, Kan., Is cited as another object lesson of the allurements of political success. From a humble though zeal ous tribune of the "plain people" he has become opulent and exalted. The ener vating habits of the sybarite overtook him speedily in Washington to that ex tent that from no socks et all at the opening of his political career he took to silken hose, and from a diet of corn bread, sorghum and salt pork he turned with avidity to the expensive hotel fare of the National capital. Again, there Is ex-Governor Hogg, of Texas, who cher ished the most violent hostility for money until he struck oil, and now he hobnobs with the nobility of Europe with as much ease as If he had been to the manner born. From these and many similar exam ples it Is argued that all that Is neces sary" In the case of Nebraska's new Gov ernor Is to give him time for develbp ment in a political and social atmos phere Being human, and a politician with a place to maintain, he will fall into line and do as others do when power and place come to them. Not only will he In due time array himself in the now-despised swallow-tall coat, but he will send to New York for It, so as to be sure that he gets the latest cut and the most elaborate finish to his garment His voice will become feeble In the amen corner at prayer meeting, and finally die away; and though he now repudiates the suggestion of an. in augural ball, It is not beyond probabil ity that he will be taking private danc ing lessons before the close of his term in order to start out on a hoped-for sec ond term In good social trim. Men as a general thing are dreadfully human, and when they get into the political swim the blood is very likelyi to -be flung- Into their heads with a transforming force that soon Induces them to enjoy the luxuries and even the frivolities of life with' their fellow-men. Give Mr. Mickey time. THE PACIFIC CABLE. Great events crowd upon each other In the new world of the Pacific Ocean. The extension of Russian ambition and national Initiative to the eastern coast of Siberia; the advance of Russian oc cupation to the all-year harbor of Port Arthur; the Japan-China war, with Its sequels; the virtual break-up of China; the annexation of Hawaii and the occu pation of the Philippines by the United States; the great mineral discoveries In Alaska and British North America; the amazing development of Australia and New Zealand; the American National project for an inter-oceanic canal; the Pacific cable project these events which have marked the past seven years, are matters of the first mag nitude. Taken together and con sidered in relation to their effects. Immediate and remote, .they imply such progress within a brief time as the world never saw before; and they tend to give new consideration and re spect to the famous prophecy that the Pacific Ocean Is to be the seat of the world's greatest commerce. The rapidity with which these events have come about with the further fact that the modern world is so used to wonders as to give little heed to them, makes us almost Insensible to the Im portance of great Incidents as they pass before us. It comes, for example, quite as a matter of course as a thing ex pected and therefore little notable that cable communication has been estab lished between Honolulu and San Fran cisco, and that within a few weeks the line will be laid to the Philippines In other words, that the United States and its outlying possessions In the Pacific are being bound together by the power ful tie of the electric wire. But whether the world takes note of It or not, the circumstance Is one of the larg est Importance. Modern commerce is conducted almost exclusively upon the basis of immediate Information sa much so that any part of the world beyond the range of the telegraph might nearly as well, so far as com mercial purposes are concerned, be out of the world altogether. The forces of commerce men and capital hesitate In these days to venture beyond the range of immediate intelligence upon which the success of their operations depends. And In this connection the Pacific world has long lain under a serious handicap. Its western coast has, to bo sure, had a telegraphic service by. way of India and Europe, but it has been a crippled and inadequate thing, dependable for nothing, as the world learned during the 6iege of Pekin two years ago. And even this poor service has extended only to a relatively small part of what may be called the Pacific Ocean territory. The cable whose first section between San Francisco and Honolulu has just been laid is an American enterprise, and Is designed to establish a depend able telegraphic connection between the Eastern and the Western- worlds. From Honolulu It Is now to be extended to Midway Island; from Midway to Guam, and from Guam to Manila, with branches to other parts of the Orient It Is a private enterprise on the part of the company which owns and oper ates the Mackay-Bennett cable across the Atlantic and the Postal Telegraph lines in thi9 country private in the sense that it Is wholly a work of private capital, though it is under the definite patronage of the Government, which Is pledged to give it a certain amount of business annually. When completed, as It will be In the course of a few months, It will have cost approximately nine millions of dollars. It Is and ought to be a little humiliating to American vanity that this great Amer ican enterprise is being carried out by foreign engineers and with foreign ma terials. In the bidding, under specifi cations prepared by the Mackay-Bennett people, the American competitors w.ere outdone by Englishmen, and to them the contract was accordingly awarded. They are to get $1100 per mile for providing and laying the cable, with special allowances for facilities, machin ery, etc., at the shore ends of the line. It is an interesting fact that while In a direct line on the surface of the ocean the distance between San Francisco and Honolulu is 2403 miles, it has taken 2610 miles of cable to cover It The differ ence is due to the up-hill and down dale character of the ocean bottom, making It 207 miles longer by land to Hawaii than by water, so to speak. The depths encountered have been vari able and at some points very great The deepest point was 18,000 feet and It Is directly from this great depth that the Island of Oahu rises. Westward from the Hawaiian group even greater deeps will be encountered, the' island of Guam rising from a depth of 29,500 feet Through these dark recesses of the ocean's bottom It Is hoped to estab lish communication from Manila by next Fourth of July. With eminent propriety this Pacific cable has been christened "In mem ory of John Mackay," by whom it was planned. Mr. Mackay, whose death occurred only a few months back, was much more than a very rich man.' He was a man of the largest conceptions. Asked a year or two before his death why he was busying himself with troublesome enterprises, he replied: "A man of my disposition must have some thing to dp. Naturally, I prefer big things to little onea The big things In transportation of commodities have al ready been done. The big things iri the transportation of intelligence are yet to be done. I have girdled half the world, and before I die I hope to girdle the other half. And in doing- this I believe I shall do more for my country my country mind you, for, good Irishman as I am, I am a still better American than - could be done in any other way. We are at the head of the world in ma terial transportation; It remains for us " to achieve the same distinction In the transportation of Intelligence. Whether or not my operations shall return to me In my own time a profit or'not long age became a secondary matter and has ceased to interest me." All of which Implies that John Mackay was much more than a mere fortunate miner, and that there Is no blunder In the senti ment which dedicates this mighty en terprise to his memory. Accompanying his recommendation that no more vessels be sent to the Bre merton navy-yard until the social abominations Immediately thereabout shall be removed, Rear-Admiral Stirling further recommends that facilities be afforded the men within barracks for entertainment and recreation, "Includ ing allowance of beer and light wines In' the men's clubs under proper regula- tio'ns." Admiral Stirling; In accord with the "commanding officers of the receiv ing ships and marine barracks," be lieves that it is better for the men of the Navy to have their own clubrooms with the privilege of using light wines and beer under regulations designed to maintain decency and sobriety than to be left to shift for their own entertain ment amid the" abominations which flourish just outside the navy-yard. It is the "canteen" question over again this time with respect to the Navy. And, as In the former Instance respect ing the Army, all the officers men fully acquainted with the conditions and tendencies of barrack life and under moral responsibility for the conduct and welfare of the enlisted forces are on one side. They stand for the system which experience teaches them Is best calculated to keep the men from excess and to maintain their character. On the opposing side we shall have a body of sentimentalists without knowledge of the tendencies of barrack life, with no acquaintance with its problems and no responsibility of any sort, clamoring against the "canteen" and all uncon sciouslyIn the Interest of the grogshop, the gambling hell and the dens of pros titution which invariably spring up out side military limits when the cleanly and decent military clubrooms are closed. The Tacoma Ledger Is still throwing spasms over the delay to the Mada gascar, caused by a broken windlass and a broken anchor chain. "There is no tendency to exult," says this good journalistic friend of Portland, "over the circumstance that the old Portland pretense of being In the same class with the ports of Puget Sound Is being rid dled." If Portland ever made any pre tense of being in the same class with Puget Sound ports, it is not on record, and It Is to be hoped never will be. In the search of Ideals in an advanced class, the metropolis of the Pacific Northwest never considers anything that Is of Jess Importance than herself, consequently Portland has no desire to be classed with the "City of Density" or other ports with Cottomless harbors, where a Bhlp can never lie snug except several hundred feet under water. In cidentally the attention of th Tn-orrto. main Is called to the fact that "poor, old Portland" for the first half of the current cereal year has shipped 500,000 bushels more wheat than was shipped from Tacoma and all other Puget Sound ports combined. Portland has also shipped more flour to South Africa for that period than has been shipped from all Puget Sound ports combined. Port land has also made fairly good ship ments of flour direct to the Orient, and has supplied every steamship line run ning out of Puget Sound and San Fran cisco with flour shipments, which .ap parently thej- were unable to secure in their own territory. As to a continua tion of the business, the Ledger Is re ferred to the fact that, exclusive of the ships now cleared but not yet sailed from either Puget Sound or Portland, there are loading or under charter for grain loading in Portland fifteen vessels and at Tacoma four vessels. It has been a frequent criticism of the State Land Office that Its records were not in such shape as to show read ily the base that has been used by the state. This is one of the discourage ments that have met the ordinary citi zen desirous of buying a piece of school land, from the state. Not knowing what tracts have been used as base, he Is at great disadvantage. He may bring for ward many and find all have been used. The marvel has been that a clerk of the School Land Board should be un able to give Inquirers this information, though after going out of the office he has been able to make use ofthe knowl edge to the great thrift of himself. It was supposed, when the office of State Land Agent was created, that he would find lieu land for the state to sell. But he hasn't done 4t, and the private deal ers in lieu land scrip have continued In business at the old stand. It has been asserted, even by the present Governor, that the lieu-land base was practically all gone, but recent operations of the scrip dealers show they are able to find It In large quantities. It cannot be said that the State Land Department has not been administered with Intelligence, but it can be said that this Intelligence has been largely devoted to feathering pri vate nests and the public Interest has had to shift for itself. The tracts of land which Assistant Commissioner Richards suspects the State of Oregon as having dealt Im properly with He in Western Lane County, in a region where there has been great activity in timber. One tract consists of 160 acres and the other of forty acres at least fifteen miles far ther to the southward. The bases al leged for this selection were all In East ern Oregon, one almost touching the border of the town of Canyon City, Grant County another twelve miles far ther east, and the third on the eastern border of Baker County. All these bases having been previously used, of course the state cannot use them again. General Odell appears to have had other business- In Washington than the driv ing of his Eastern Oregon lieu land de'al through the Interior Department How ever, it should be noted that the Irregu larity complained of by the General Land Office Is chargeable against that end of the state land Eervice which Is controlled entirely by the Governor. It Is an error to hold the State Land Board responsible for the Ileu-Iand Ignominy. Morocco has an area of 314.000 square miles, inhabited by a little over 6,500,000 people. The present Sultan Is in his 25th year, and succeeded to the throne In 1894. Spain has In the past made re peated attempts to conquer Morocco, but without success. France was able to subdue Algiers and Tunis, but Spain had neither money nor military skill sufficient to conquer Morocco. No change in the government of Morocco could be for the worse. The present Sultan is a cruel, Ignorant despot of vicious temper. Fez, the capital of Mo rocco, has about 140,000 inhabitants, mostly of mixed blood, Arab and negro. The largest pension awarded to any old soldier In 1902 was received bj- Major E. C. Moderwell, of Chicago, who served through the Civil War in the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry. He was wounded three times once In the abdomen, once In an arm and once in a shoulder one result of his disability being a partial loss of memory. It was an Increased pension, from $25 to $72 a month. Nobody grudges the payment of such a pension to a gallant man disabled by wounds. but why should a man amply able to take care of himself be given a pension which belongs only tathoso who cannot take care of themselves? AilliKlC.-iA lilxilia li UlEKAiUKb ilia ouuooK. hat iecurt-Q uu expression ot opinion iroin several persons of eminent attainments as to tne 10 books which they I coccflUer most characteristically American. The question was not, which are the greatest productions of American writers, but which are "the 10 books or parts of books, in prose or verse, most cnacater- lsuc or American senlua and lite, wnicn could not have been written on any but American soil?" Among those whose opin ions are printed are: Thomaa Wentworth Hlgginson, Edward Everet. Hale. Owen Wlster, Hamlin Garland. Brander Matthews, Professor Woodbery, and two eminent foreigners Professor Dowdcn and Professor Munsterberg. .Lmerson's essays, Lowell's "Blglow Pa pers" and Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" are mentioned In almost all of the lists. "Whittier'a "Snowbound." Mark Twain's books, "Huckleberry Finn." "Roughing It" and "Life on the Mississippi," Cooper'a 'Leather Stocking Tales," Longfellow's, "Hiawatha" and Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" are almost as great favor ites. It Is worth noting: in oasslnc that "Hiawatha," which waa so often sneered at a few years ago. is being given a high place In American literature. Mr. Hlggin son, for instance, remarks: "The tem porary criticisms called out In Its disfavor by the novel theme and the unwonted measure, have long passed by, and It stands as the epic of a departing race whose traditions and pictureequeness he was, of all men, best fitted to appreciate." Professor Woodberry remarks in the same strain: "It Is the fashion to decry this poem, principally because of the flowing, easily parodied meter; yet this Is a part of its winning charm; sorrow sighs through the melody as in the forest. At all events the .world has found this white man's epic of the dying race of the forest dwellers the single poetic embodiment of the In dian world." Other books or bits of literature Included by one or more of the writers in their lists are: Thoreau'e "Walden Pond," In which Professor Munsterberg asserts "America's deep sense of nature finds its most unique expression"; Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," from which Professor Dowden selects "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd'' as "one of the loftiest and most poignant dirges in all litera ture"; Bret Harte's stories, Howells' "Silas Lapham," Franklin's "Autobiog raphy," Grant's "Memoirs," Lincoln's "Gettysburg Speech," Page's "Maree Chan," and Harris' "Uncle Remus." There Is a difference of opinion as to the essential Americanism of some of these books. For instance. Professor Dowden thinks that "Hiawatha" might, under favoring circumstances." have come from an old-world author. Poe Is regretfully ruled out as not manifestly an American product, and there is an Inclination to ex clude Cooper and Washington Irving for the same reason. These lists have a good Idea of what their makers regard as characteristic of the American spirit. The fact that a vol ume deals with an American subject does not necessarily make it thoroughly Amer ican In tone. Professor Munsterberg re marks that he excludes all the historical novels because he has not found one that strikes him as different from a hundred German romances. But he includes the "Scarlet Letter" because Hawthorne treats the New England life, in the New England temper. For tho same unity of content and treatment he regards "The Last of the Mohicans" and "The Luck of Roaring Camp" as typically American. A foreign point of view is always sugges tive, so it Is Interesting to observe that Munsterberg, the acute German critic, and Dowden, tho Englishman, agree as to one American trait "The often veiled Idealism" which finds In Emerson Its "noblest liter ary document," Munsterberg calls It The "fusion of a very keen perception of fact and of a lofty, sometimes a rarefied, kind of Idealism," Is Dowden's phrase. An ad mirable illustration Is the motto, "Hitch your wagon to a star" which combines the practical wagon with the Ideal star. Another distinctively American quality Is the humor best set forth, perhaps, In tho writings of Mark Twain. As Brander Matthews says, this has a larger meaning than mere witticism. Often it is a part of tho "veiled Idealism" of American life. It signifies a broad toleration, a disposition to see things in their true perspective, a perception of the sano and wholesome side of existence that belongs to the Americans as a people. The democratic spirit of the United States appears most strikingly In tho poems of Whitman, In the "Blglow Papers," In the novels of Howells and In the speeches of Lincoln. John Fiske is al ways American In thlB sense Jefferson Is one of his heroes while Lowell at times, even In his essay on "Democracy," is an aristocrat A literature which stands for such qualities as these for Idealism, sanity and democracy Is contributing an Important sharo to the world's stock of ideas. The Call Torn in. Christmas. San Francisco Call. Rarely can even CaIIfornian3 hope to' see a holiday season so perfect In every respect as this has been. The rains came just at the right time to clear tho sky and brighten the earth; then they gavo way to day after day of sunshine and pleasant ness, so that no hour of tho day or even ing was disagreeable to the shopper or the pleasure-seeker; and they culminated yesterday In a day that realized a poet's dream of Elysium. It wa3 a day pro pitious to every and any kind of festival to which the heart or the caprice of man might Incline him. It was fair enough for picnics in the open air. Garden parties would have been as comfortable as dances within doors. Whether one sought tho churches or the parks, ho found a glory of flowers and a sense of an ever-present beauty that made a gladness for the eye. The enjoyment of the people was equal to the occasion. There wa3 no single charm or tho day that did not have its fine Influences on the minds and tho hearts of old and young alike, and the Christmas was as Joyous as ever fancy painted. Men nave Been Abased. Boston Herald. One sentence In Judge Gray's ruling ap pears to us to have great significance with reference to the impression made upon the commission by the evidence to which Its members have listened: "We think, with God's help, we may be able we sincerely pray wo may bo able to as sist all parties in this region to arrive at a better understanding and at moro lib eral conditions than have obtained here for years past." This Is saying In ef fect that the conditions that have pre vailed in the anthracite region for years have not been just and commendable, and that important reforms should be insti tuted. The Commissioners, looking back beyond the circumstances of the recent quarrel, discover chronic conditions that should not longer exist, which they hope to be Instrumental In causing to be changed for the better. If we read aright this notable utterance, it means that there have been wrongs that must cease. It gives assurance of the commission's earn estness and hopefulness. To this extent It is full oT encouragement Why She Conldn't Sit on the Fence. Washington Post Representative Sibley, of Pennsylvania, has a big Summer home on the shores of Lake Champlain, near Plattsburg, N. Y. He took Representative John Sharp Will iams, of Mississippi, the poet of the Ya zoo, up there with him once. The 'other day Williams went over to Sibiey's desk and said: "Joe, do you re member that fine park back of your house up there on Lake Champlain?" "Indeed I do," replied Sibley. "Why?" "Well, I'm writing a beautiful poem about a lovely girl and a handsome young man sitting on the fence there In the gloaming making love." "That's Impossible," protested Sibley. 'Why?" Inquired Williams, indignantly; "are the young men and women of North ern New York so cold-blooded that they do not make love in the gloaming?," "No," snickered BIbley, "but the fence you're putting in the poem la made of barbed wire." WORTH OP THE SMALL COLLEGES San Francisco Bulletin. For football, for social pleasures, for prestige, tho big university Is more at tractive to students than the smaller col lege, but for effective teaching and actual learning It may be doubted whether the advantage is not with the small school of higher education. The trend of the times, as nobody can denv. is toward the great universities such as Yale, Harvard. Ann Arbor and Califor nia, and the smaller institutions, such as Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Oberlln, Lafayette, Union, Santa Clara, pale In the effulgence of the brighter luminaries. Wealth pours Into the treasuries of the great universities. They put up noble buildings and employ renowned men as teachers. Students flock to their halls and a very pleasant university life, with Its cultured homes of professors, Its fraternity houses. Its stu dent meetings, Its class hops, its farces and other theatricals and Its eports gath ers about the campus, which is always the center and heart of a university. Keen competition has arisen among the universities of the land. Their presidents may or may not be scholars usually they are but must be expert beggars, skilled in eliciting donations from the rich, and must be clever In keeping their respective schools before the public by well-bred ad vertising. A great university in these days which has not a fairy godmother or a guardian angel, in tho person of a Mrs. Stanford, a Mrs. Hearst, a John D. Rocke feller or a Vanderbllt. is in a pretty bad wav. Tho football team is a matter ol much concern to the modern great univer sity, faculty as well as students, for a weak and beaten eleven means a distinct loss of prestige and a falling off of attend ance in the succeeding year, and a victori ous team does more to make the school Illustrious and to draw students than all the renowned names In tho faculty. The greatest university. In the modern esti mate. Is the one that has the most names on its register. There are certain advantages for "a stu dent who forms; part of a large student body. He meets many people of various kinds, and the tendency Is to rub off his rough edges and give him a certain polish and self-confidence. Friendships formed at college often help a man In his career, and the tone and spirit of a college are good for a man. " But there is one severe criticism to be made of great universities the teacher is too far away from the members of his class. This criticism applies as well to tho German as to the American universi ties. In a small college a class may number 10, 12 or, at the most, 20 men. In a great university a class In any Important sub ject may contain from 50 to 150 students. In the small college the professor is close. to his students and knows them intimate ly. He can then tell when one is shirk ing or falling below standard. He discov ers the peculiarities of each student's mind, and the professor's personal Influ ence and companionship often do a great deal to educate a man. This is impossible in a great university where the professor can have little close contact with his stu dents. The small college gets little advertising and Is generally unendowed. It cannot employ celebrities In Its faculty, but that Is not a severe loss to the student for the majority of celebrities make poor teachers, and tho fest university teachers are usu ally the obscure Instructors who are paid poorly and whose names are printed In small type In the catalogue. But the small college turns out more than Its propor tionate share of solid men and leaders. It one takes the trouble to pick out the fore most men of tho various professions In this state the Judges, the lawyers, the doctors, the clergymen, the newspaper menIt will surprise him to see how many of them were educated In small colleges, Commercial Center ot the World. Success. ' The commercial and financial center of the world Is now no longer London, but New York City, according to Brooks Adams in his latest book, "The New Em pire." When Pittsburg, in 1S97, succeeded In underselling all the world In steel, the world's money center began to move slowly from the other side to this side, ot the Atlantic. Simultaneously the political center began to move to Washington, which is now fast becoming the political, diplomatic and social hub of the globe. The social life in Washington this season is no longer local, but National, and, in deed. International. Washington Is no longer the most uninteresting post for Europe's great diplomats, but this capital is now being preferred by them. So at tractive Is It that even our own rich peo ple are going there instead of abroad. National scientists and artists are tak ing up their abodes there, to be joined very soon by their international breth ren, for Washington Is a capital that will havo as good as the best In Paris, Lon don, Berlin and "Vienna. It is the city magnificent to be tho city beautiful, the house of pleasure, the home of ideals and the patron of all the best there is in tho world, and yet It must remain democratic. It should never forget that Thomas Jef ferson, the third President of the United States, hitched his horse to the White House fence when he arrived there to tako the helm of tho Government Demonfitratlon in Russia, London Leader. Tho predominant topic in academic cir cles hero Is the extraordinary revolution ary demonstration made a few days ago by the Seminarist students at Odessa. The seminary Itself, It Is here stated, has been closed by. order of tho synodal council. About 320 young men, all divinity stu dents, were implicated, and about 50 have been arrested. The seminary authorities endeavored to pacify the students, but were unmercifully thrashed and driven out of the lecture-rooms. It Is said that all tho rioters wore masks at the Outset of the affray. It was only with tho as sistance of tho military that order was restored. Sympathetic ferments are re ported today from the Kleff and Kharkoff seminaries. This Is quite a new proof of tho wide spread disaffection among the young Rus sians. The church is the greatest bul wark Qf the autocracy, and ha3 hitherto always been 'above suspicion. " It must, therefore, havo come as a paralyzing shock, so to say, to the Imperial authori ties to learn that the revolutionary prop aganda Is enrolling the young generation of ecclesiastics in Its ranks. Christmas Tree tor Every Family. New York Evening World. Every poor family In Plalnfield. N. J., will have Christmas trees as well as gifts to place on them, according to an under taking of the Plalnfield Relief Association, which has enlisted the aid of wealthy New York cdmmuters In the charitable project' The night before Christmas the agents of the organization will deliver the trees at the homes of tho poor, and with them will carry boxes of toys and candy for the little ones. Heretofore the association has had one large tree In Its building In West Front street and the poor children were annu ally Invited there. Presents were given, dinners provided and entertainment fur nished, but the new plan was arranged In order that the little ones might stay at their own homes during Christmas day. The Hand Tlint Used to Spank My Pa. f Chlcaso Record-Herald. "When I go down to grandma's where There's always lots of cake and pie, I spread my bread with Jelly there And stuff up till I nearly die! The greatest fun you ever saw ,1s slldin' from their steej-roofed shed, And the hand that used to spank ray pa Is the hand that pat3 me on the head. I tear around and yell and make All kinds ot noise, and they don't mind; They have no baby there to wake. And both of them are awful kind. The goodest man I ever saw Is- grandpa, with his hair all gray. And the hand that used to spank my pa Sows up my trousers every fiaj NOTE AND COMMENT. Good morning! Havo you a new um brella? In spite of the high price bf coal, hot air seems as cheap as of old. A New Year's resolution, like a horse, has to be broken before it will work. The weather man Is getting entirely too generous. He says "Keep the change." The man who Is waiting for something to turn up Is generally turned down. Men who say that marriage Is a falluro seem willing to go Into voluntary bank ruptcy. The man who will dock his horses' tails may properly be described as a horse docktor. We are led to Infer from signs un mistakable" that a sound sleep Is where a man snores. Young man, when she looks at the clock and says gently, "A penny for your thoughts!" It's time to go. The woman with a strong will Is known by the ease with which she breaks her husband's after his demise. Now that President Roosevelt has his picture in an almanac, ho may be de scribed as prophet with honor In the country. That Oregon man who was arrested in San Francisco for kissing the girls on New Year's eve gets his just deserts. Ho should have better taste after living la Oregon than to condescend to osculatory greetings to the ladles of the South. The new member of the company was reading the dramatic criticism and hunt ing blusbfully for hl3 own name. Ho found It down toward the end of the column and walked proudly over to tho man who did comic old men. "Look here." he said, beamingly, "the paper says I was acceptable In the part of Tinkers Dam. I told you I could act" The Comic Old Man took his pine out of his mouth and scowled at the fledgling. Says you're acceptable, eh? That means the house didn't throw eggs at you." And he resumed his pipe while tho young act or sought comfort In a drink of water. An inouisitlva visltnr ""President Roosevelt the other day. After the formal greetings the visitor drew tho resident to one side and in a stage whis per asked for a little confidential Informa tion regarding the probability of this Na tion's being plunged into war with Ger many and Great Britain by the "Venezu elan crisis. The President listened to the question attentively, and finally said In a voico which reached all over his office: "Why, of course, there Is not going to be any war." Tho visitor was not satisfied, and he Insisted that the President tell him why he was able to make that assertion. "Do-you suppose that I would permit any war," asked the President seriously, "whllo I am penned up hero in the White Houso and could not get Into It?" Here Is a story that contains more ele ments of tragedy than the most fertile Imagination could Invent In Its few lines there is laid bare a human heart, and the grotesque ending deserves deeper emotion than tears: Andrea Vadonda. the most beautiful girl of Barcelona, committed sui cide under tragic circumstances. When at tho height of her career as a society girl her father died suddenly, leaving his wife and daughter unprovided for and In debt This caused Andrea's intended husband -io withdraw his suit, but the girl went bravely to work, earning money for-herself and mother by painting and by the. needle. Recently she became blind on ac count of long-continued, excessive work and misery. An eccentric Englishman heard of their plight and also of the fact that Andrea possessed the most beautiful black hair in the kingdom. He wen to the girl and offered her 5000 francs for her hair. She accepted, had herself shorn, turned the monoy' over to her mother,- and then fired a bullet Into her heart. There Wn Xo Choice. Cleveland Plain Dealer. A distressing story comes to us from a Kansas town. It concerns a certain club of bachelor maids and an unmarried youth. The latter is a good-looking young ster, and clever enough to be considered an excellent catch from the matrimonial point of view. It further appears that the young clubwomen so frequently rallied him upon his single wretchedness that presently, being a youth of spirit he promptly offered to wed the member of tho club who proved to be the choice of the other members for matrimonial hon ors. Mark the result and note the keen knowledge of feminine human nature pos sessed by the uncanny youth. There were nine members of the organization, and at the next meeting each girl secretly wrote her choice on a scrap of paper and care fully slipped it into the ballot-box. And, of course, there was just one vote for pn.eh erlrl. V Such coincidences have occurred before, but this fact had no ameliorating effect upon the nine club members. On the con trary, the club is dissolved In tears, and each member is furiously embittered against all the other members. The youth no doubt smiles In a superior way and metaphorically applauds himself for his SolomonliKe shrewdness. It Is a painful story, and would be quite beyond cre dence if It wasn't for the fact that It la vouched for by an unquestioned Kansas authority. Millionaire to Build n. Chnrch. Chicago American. W. H. Moore, the New York millionaire, and founder of the match trust, has ar ranged to build a church at RIchford, N. Y., for the use of his great-grandfather's parish. Mr. Moore regards thl3 as a lasting trib ute for his forefather, Nathaniel Ford. The church has struggled for years, until now it has a good-sized congregation. Ode to America. (From the unpublished writings of, P 1 M s en.) Chicago Tribune. 0 wondrous land of coin and fame. The future shall revere thy name. And in my heart shall linger warm The country where attachments form Attachments that are great and strong. Unchangeable as any rock, Which hold us through tho ages long, Unless we skip by 12 o'clock! O, wondrous landl I pull the 3tops And play a fanfare to thy cops! (Bass drum agitato. Tenor drum furioso. Trombone fortissimo.) O, wondrous land! so rich, so fair; Appreciative of long hair; Imbued with culture: music tossed Intent on art at any cost! I praise thy men and maidens, too; I praise the cheer that loudly comes Although a shiver rends me through , At thought of demon-laden bombs! O, splendid landl Abode of peace! 1 tune my lyre Xo thy police! (Bassoon gracioso. Fugel horns crescendo. Xylophone pizzicato.) O. land where the Injunction grows; "Where law and art In conflict close: 1 lift my feeble voice to thee Each time the ticket booth I eee. O, wondrous land! Vni ever .prize The tokens thou hast given me Thou taugh'at mo how to advertise. And how to gain publicity. O, wondrous land! It Is enough For me to say: "Tou are the stufEl" (Cash register appasslonata. Steamship 4c 6eler&ado.i