Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, September 12, 1906, Image 8

Morning Oregonian., September 12, 1906, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page Text8 THE MORNING OREGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1906. Entered at the Postofflee at Portland. Or., as Second-Class Matter. - SUBSCRIPTION RATES. VT INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. "3 Br Mall or Express.) , DAILY. SUNDAY INCLUDED. Twelve months.. ?'S2 fix months : Three months.. - a- Ona month Delivered by carrier, per year Delivered by carrier, per month. teas time, per week .-X Sunday, one year f ? Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday)..- Sunday and Weekly, one year B 0U HOW TO REMIT Bend postoffics money erder. express order or personal check on your local bank, stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. Tha 8. C. Beckwlth Special Agency New ixork, rooms 43-50. Tribune building. -iu-aaao. rooms M0-&12 Tribune bulldln. KEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex. Fostofflca Krt i Co., 178 Dearborn street. St. Paul, Minn. N. St. Marls. Commercial Station. Denver Hamilton . Kendrlck. :Ji Seventeenth street: Pratt Book Store, lil fifteenth street: 1. Welnsteln. Goldfield, Nov. Frank Sandstrom. Kansas City. Mo. Rluksecker Cigar Co.. Klnth and Walnut. . Minneapolis. M. J. Kavanaugh. BO South (Third. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw. 30T Superior Street. New Xork City L. Jones Co., Astor House. Oakland. Cal. W. H.' Johnston. Four teenth and Franklin streets: N. Wheatley. Ogden 1. L. Boyle Omaha, Barkalow Bros.. 1012 Farnam: Mageath Stationery Co.. 1308 Farnam: 24d feouth Fourteenth. Sacramento- . CaX. Sacramento Newa Co.. 39 K street. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Second street South; Miss , L. Levin. 21 Church street. Lob Angeles B. E. Amos, manager seven street wagons; Berl News Co.. 3-0 ii South Broadway. San Diego B. E. Amos. Pasadena, Cal. Berl News Ca. San Francisco Foster & Orear. Ferry ei Stand : Hotel St. Francis News Stsnd. Washington, D. C Ebbltt Bouse, Pew aylvanla avenue. tORTLAXD, WEDNESDAY. SEPT. 12, 1906. PERSONS AND PAPERS. That The Oregonian's supreme posi tion in journalism w ill provoke mean fiines t It is quite to be expected. Now and then it notices euch flings, but sel dom. But It now finds the Eugene Itegister saying: The Oregonian has brrn a great paper In Its' time and Is so still despite the venom and vitriolic temperament of its editor ia chief, who now, especially in these latter daya. seems disposed to pay more attention to settling personal scores than to printing the news. Ateo. that by its "unwiee course In late years" The Oregonian "naturally has lost in circulation and prestige in the field it once occupied completely by its morning and evening editions." If, however, prestige attends circulation; and again if the attention The Orego nian receives from all quarters ie any iproof of prestige, then The Oregonian's prestige is greater than ever before; for its circulation has grown more dur ing the pa6t year than in any year of its history, and it has doubled completely throughout the Pacific Northwest dur ing the past five years. The same is true of the Evening Telegram. What business they are doing in advertising their columns show. There Is the further assertion that The Oregonian has wantonly availed "representative business men of Port land," because they "believing that (Portland would prosper more rapidly with two newspapers than one, saw fit to lend their influence and eupport to an evening paper." What is the real ity, the fact, is just this, which we state once more because it has been misrepresented so often. The paper published by these "representative men" devoted its main efforts, during nearly three years, to unprovoked, ma lignant and continuous attacks, of the most virulent description, upon The Oregonian, its editor and its manager, without receiving notice or reply from The Oregonian. Finding it was not likely to cease, and discovering that these same representative men had been engaged in transactions with the public franchises of Portland, out of which they had converted to their use and benefit millions of dollars that the city had been Juggled out of, The Oregonian reported upon them and their newspaper, as was its right and duty to do. If they and their newspaper are content with the position in w.hlch this exposure has placed them, it merely proves that they have large resources in in durated sensibility. But we think they are not happy about It. One more re mark from the paper at Eugene for we are going to clear this all up at once. Quoting a general statement from Trie Oregonian about the recent exposure of corruptionists, the Eugene paper says: It 1 easy enough to read between the lines that The Oregonian refers more specifically to a. United states Senator now dead and gone, whom that paper fought continuously for 20 years and then finally failing to down him climbed Into the band wagon with him, patted bim on the back as a good fellow, hoping that the change of front might bring the editor of The Oregonian the political re ward for which be had persistently fought, but which he never did, apd probably never will, succeed in landing. If after a quarter of a century of warfare against Mitchell Editor Scott was convinced that In all things 3ditchell was his equal and a worthy politi cal companion. It Is as little as- The Oregon ian could do to let Mitchell, with all of his 91ns, whether great or small, rest in peace. It ie only because of the meanness and falsity of all this that we shall notice it. Editor Scott did not make Senator Mitchell his political compan ion, didn't climb into any band wagon with him, neither sought nor expected any political favors from him, knew from his own Hps that he was support ing Mr. Fulton for the Senate, and never expected him to do otherwise. He never "persistently fought" for that position, nor fought for it at all, nor ever will. He once was willing to ac cept it as an honor, had it come to him, hut wouldn't be again, doesn't think of it, and nobody else has occasion to think of his name in connection with it. 'The only member of the Legislature he addressed on the subject four years ago was Senator Brownell, and he ad dressed Brownell because Brownell had opened the way. -Nor had "Jack" Matthews ever made any engagement with him. He never had a word with Matthews on the subject, and no offer or promtee from him. The simple truth was that he. did not, ' and does not, deem the office of United States Sena tor worth "making a fight" for; for he has a. position- that no man should wish, or even he willing, to exchange for it. One more statement. It was through ,the Lewis and Clark Fair that Mr. Scott was brought into a position that made it necessary to hold communica tion with Senator Mitchell. This It was that brought them together. Mr. Scott opened the way. It was neces sary that they should confer about this matter; and it was the sole matter of their conferences. They talked no poli tics: there was no request, pledge or xrorlse, on either side. Of course both knew well they could not co-operate in pontics, ana neitner coma jih-vo aaurea it. Their intercourse naturally was re served, but there was nothing in it in the least embarrassing to either. It was not for Mr. Scott to "forgive" Mr. Mitchell, nor for Mr. Mitchell to "for give" Mr. Scott. Neither was so im portant as to make the world too email for them. All these things are now perhaps un important. But, since they relate chiefly to personal matters, there is no danger they will not obtain readers enough. With these things, or most of them. The Oregonian thinks it is now done. "THE CHANGE IN, MAINE. There is Immense revolt in the State of Maine against the prohibitory liquor law. It has very nearly submerged the Republican party. Many years ago, when prohibition was ordained in that state, the vote for it was very strong. But forbears it has been losing ground. The Republicans, having ascendancy in the state, have been held; responsible for the law, and have been obliged to make it a party measure. Increasing diwattefaetion with the law, which stands in the Constitution 's a prohibi tory clause, and has been .reinforced from time to time by rigorous statutes, has brought on a loud call for resub mission of the question to a direct vote of the people. Against the attack the Republicans have nearly lost their ma jorities and have barely held the state. The result indicates great growth of sentiment ' against prohibition, and foretokens change, at no distant day, in the policy of the state, in its treat ment of the liquor question. This was the first of our states to try prohibitory legislation. A stationary population, largely of Puritanic origin, fifty years ago, was friendly to it. But the population has been changing rap idly, during recent yeans; much of the old stock has disappeared, and their room has been filled by immigrants from Canada and from Europe. Growth of manufacturing towns has been a great factor also in changing the hab its and customs and thinking of the people. Consequence was relaxation of the effort for enforcement of prohibi tion, and liquors were increasingly sold and consumed, from year to year, down to 1904, when the prohibition element rose and called for a law, extremely drastic, to stop the sale.' It was the protest against this law, and the effort to bring the whole question directly be fore the people for a vote, that pro duced the strenuous contest in Maine, in last Monday's election. We do not doubt that prohibition eventually will be repealed in Maine. The population of the state is steadily assuming a more cosmopolitan charac ter. In most of the New England States the influence and numbers of the old Puritan stock are being superseded; and whether the change is for the bet ter or for the worse is an inquiry or opinion that can have no bearing on the fact. In general it may be said that a heterogeneous stock has within it more possibilities of various progress than any single or stereotyped stock; for it is chiefly through contact of peoples with peoples and of races with races that new ideas and new methods have chance of progress and growth dn any community or state, or in the world at large. Prohibition is a policy that never will hold, except in isolated com munities, not subject to the intro duction of mixed ideas and inter ests through the various' classes and races that carry them. Changes in the industrial life of a people, introduction of a multifarious industry, among a people devoted hitherto to a few ordi nary pursuits, will' make changes in the manners and customs, and even in the general order of their lives. These are some of the reasons why Maine is passing out of the old conditions, that madeJier fifty years ago a prohibition state. And why Oregon is not a prohi bition state, yet has been nearer it than she ever will be again, these facte, conditions and considerations are a sufficient explanation. GREED OF SALMON FISHERIES. Such is the greed of salmon men of the Columbia River that, they find themselves in combat, as to proper methods of "protecting" the fish, not only with other men of two states, but also with themselves. Lower river interests, which take 95 per cent of the fish catch, demand that the up-river interests, which take S per cent, shall be put out of business this in order that the 5 per cent fteh may save themselves to spawn. Quite nat urally, the up-river men retort that if a 5 per cent sacrifice is to be made by any fishing interests, those which grab 95 per cent ought to make it. The salmon supply has been, greedily preyed on by all fishing interests, gill netters, seiners, trapmen and wheelmen being equally voracious. They have not hesitated to break the law, when it would have checked them and enabled seed fish to reach the hatnheries and natural spawning grounds. After they could not, as lawbreakers, face the peo ple of two states further, they have had the law changed and the fishing season prolonged, so that they could scoop out fish with nets or "pump" them out with wheels, just as long as any were running in the river worth going Into can or pickle. Protest against violation of closed season and extension of open sea son . has. been treated by the fishery, men with contempt. They have claimed to themselves all knowl edge of the protective needs of the industry. Legislatures have given them whatever closed season laws they demanded. All this has been a great menace to perpetuation of the salmon; the supply fails to increase as one year follows another and the hatchery work falls far short of expectations. It is not too much to say that the pred atory interests are chiefly those cen tered at Astoria, which have dictated not only the enforcement or non-enforcement of law, but the amendment of law. The only way to let salmon reach the hatcheries is to abstain from the methods that have been preying' on the seed fish. These methods are practiced by glllnetters, trapmen, sein er and wheelmen alike. All have been regardless of law or perpetuation of salmon. The fishery men will have to reform themselves in the eyes of the public be fore they can expect to receiv full con sideration from the people of Oregon and Washington. The people are dis gusted. They have heard this clamor between tidewater and up-river men many years, and beheld them both grabbing all the while . with both hands. Closed season, or rather enforcement of it, is the remedy for salmon decline. The closed season should last long enough for 6almon to pass from ' As toria beyond, the wheels.,. This restric tion on fishing now amounts practically to .nothing. The season is open now just as long as the fish can be caught or are fit to catch. The fishery men should stop quarrel ing and all together should shoulder the blame. Johnny's habit of putting the fault off on Jimmy by saying "He done it; I didn't," should not help Johnny out of a scrape in which they are partners. LEST WE FORGET. The special gas investigating com mittee meets today after a long vaca tion. The time is opportune. A young man" has jut been placed in jail for extensive peculations carried on dur ing many months, affording a most striking illustration of the inefficient management of the gas company. Is there another concern in Portland that could suffer the loss of hundreds and even thousands of dollars a month without early detection of the culprit or culprits and vigorous and intelligent effort to protect the public from sim ilar costly defalcations? We say the public because the gas company is a public-franchise institution and the loss will ultimately be borne by the public. It will not be borne by the negligent officers of the gas company, nor the stockholders, nor bondholders. It will come out of the gas, either Iri higher price or cheaper quality, or both. The course of the gas investigation last Spring developed many things of great interest and importance to every body. The gas company was serving the public poorly; it was charging an extortionate price; it was making great profits out of its franchise privileges; it gave in its organization and the con duct ,of its affairs the most notable example (save . one) of local high finance; it treated the public with con tinued and studied Insolence; it refused to give the committee proper informa tion about its finances; and withal it failed -utterly to meet the many grave charges made against it. But it pre tended, nevertheless, to be willing to tell the committee "and public every thing. "Very well. WTe shall see, when the committee makes Its report, how thoroughly it went into the question of the company's internal management, now again made acute by the Velguth transaction,' and how much the com mittee was able to learn of the rea sons for the bad service and gross overcharges, always the most conspic uous features of the company's policy toward its helpless patrons. MODIFIED SYMPATHY. ; Public sympathy with the gas com pany over its loss is necessarily min gled with amazement at its apparent system of keeping accounts. Does it keep any books at all? And if it does, how could a fast young man who dis played every external evidence of dis sipation and recklessness go on for more than a year regularly pocketing large sums of money without detec tion? Are other employes doing the same thing? Is there no supervision of receipts? Of course, a monopoly feels lees the necessity for careful accounts and strict supervision than a competing firm would because it can recoup its losses from the public. Such items as Mr.' Velguth's peculations can go into leakage, depreciation, improvements on the plant, extensions and the like. They need not operate to reduce divi dends, since all these beneficial expend itures may be provided for toy judicious readings of the meters, modifications in the quality, and pressure of the gas, and other benevolent devices. Seriously, it seems as if the gas com pany were morally-almost as much to blame for Velguth's peculations as the young man himself. The public, which is the ultimate sufferer, will holdthat there is a degree of carelessness in su pervision which verges upon complic ity in such cases. Just as the directors of the Trust Bank in Philadelphia are morally, if not legally, confederates in the crimes of the deceased Hippie, so the Portland Gas Company must be held morally responsible for those lax methods of accounting which seem to have made Velguth's embezzlement practicable. Directors must in some way be compelled to direct; and cor poration officers must be forced to pay attention to their duties. As long as they can so easily recoup all losses from the public this will be difficult, but perhaps it Is not impossible. And the time may come when it will not be so easy as it is now to go down into the pockets of the patrons of the com pany to make good the peculations of a dishonest clerk. . To prepare for these days of leanness, which already loom upon the horizon, it would be well for the officials of the company to pay some attention to the effective super vision of their employes. I THE MENACE OF TYPHOID. The report of the State Board of Health relative to the prevalence of typhoid fever in many sections of the state is not necessarily alarming. It is, however, necessarily disgraceful, since typhoid is a filth disease of a distinctly preventable type, and can become epi demic in an enlightened community only through the grossest carelessness on the part of the health authorities or of citizens themselves. The germs are water-borne, or liquid-borne milk be ing sometimes a carrier through a con taminated water supply at the dairies and they can only find lodgment in the human body through the mouth and stomach. Simply stated, they must be swallowed. Protection of the water supply of vil lages ,or farmhouses from surface drainage or cesspool seepage may not always be possible, but certainly a sin gle case of typhoid in a family and' two or three in a community should be suf ficient evidence that the wells from which water for family use is drawn have become contaminated. If the water must be used, it should be boiled as the only means of protecting the family or community from contagion. As to the rest, directions for prevent ing the spread of the disease from the patient have been so explicit and so often published that no .nurse, house mother or kindhearted neighbor lend ing a hand in the sickroom needs now to be instructed in regard to the mat ter. Disinfectants may not toe In full supply, or even obtainable, in remote country-places, but fire is always to' be had for the kindling, and .boiled water for the boiling, and heai destroys the germs of typhoid, whatever the filth in which they find lodgment. Expensive, painful, distressing and dangerous no effort that prudence suggests or sanitary science prescribes should toe spared looking to the preven tion of this most trying disease. The greatest danger, we are told, follows the first rains in the Fall at the close of a long dry season. Let farmers and villagers look to their wells and springs and the dwellers of Valley towns, like Salem, Albany, Eugene and Oregon City, that draw their water suppy from the Willamette River, which is at best but an open sewer, enter upon a course of boiled water until the menace from surface drainage incident to the first hard rains passes. Captain Cornley and - Lieutenant Preesy, of the battleship Alabama, will be ordered toy court-martial to tell why they allowed their vessel to run into and damage the battleship Illinois re cently oft Brenton's Reef. It will not be strange If inquiry develops the fact that they were working their great fighting machine In accordance with the best knowledge that they possess. The modern battleship is an intricate as well as a powerful piece of mechanism. It . is not every naval officer who an swers to the title of Captain or Lieu tenant who can successfully maneuver one of these monsters of steel and steam and great guns. There is rea son and excuse for this in the relative newness of the modern battleship. The development of naval officers skilled In these lines has,' not kept pace with the growth of the modern Navy. A Lieu tenant may be grayhaired, as is fre quently the case, and a Captain may be pressing the age limit for retirement from the service, and neither may have had the experience necessary for the control of one of 'these leviathans. How ever, they could hardly toe expected to plead ignorance in extenuation of an accident, though the discovery may be made upon due inquiry without the ne cessity of such a plea. Mrs. F. A. Wolfe, of Polk County, in conjunction with her' daughter, Belle, has an exhibit of farm products at the State Fair that is a credit- to the agri cultural development of the state and to. women as farmers. . The products shown in the exhibit are specimens of crops raised by the labor of these two women," and, in proof of the fact that farm labor or out-of-doors labor is not detrimental to the love of the beautiful that is characteristic of womanly women, this exhibit is most tastefully arranged. All women who have to work for a livelihood cannot be farm ers, or beekeepers, or poultry-raisers, or horticulturists, bat it is strange, come to think about it, that so few among those who might lead useful, healthful, independent lives in any one of these vocations rise to meet the op portunity. The two women, Maude Creffield and Esther Mitchell, will be arraigned to day before a Seattle court on the charge of murder. It is not likely that the evidence offered at this trial will develop anything new in the inexplica ble conditions that led up to and, it may be hoped, ended with the killing of George Mitchell. These are women who are not wantons and criminals by nature, tout by and thremgh associa tion. That they were part and parcel of the revolting practices of the Holy Rollers is true. This was an effect. The cause is involved in the unfathom able intricacies of the human mind. Sometimes there is administration of estates for the benefit of others than the administrator. In Clackamas Coun ty Heman A. Lee has just filed his final report of the administration of the es tate of the late Philander Lee. The decedent, dying in 1887, left a property consisting of real estate that was ap praised at $4310. Besides paying all of the expenses of administration, the re port 6hows a balance in cash of $10,500 that is to toe distributed among the seven heirs. This result, the statement adds, "was accomplished solely by careful management." Mr. Gompers undertook to defeat Mr. Littlefield, "not because he Is a Repub lican, but because he is opposed to cer tain labor legislation." Littlefield was elected, however, because he is a Re publican. If he had been beaten, we should have heard more about the Democratic victory in Maine than the Gompers victory. .The jail prisoners should by all means be given the kind of food they like. Our negligent and indifferent authori ties are apparently trying to make it not worth while for a lot of loafers, idlers and petty criminals to go to Jail. Our own Milt Miller has been to Lin coln, and he comes back with the pleasing intelligence that Mr. Bryan looks much the same as ten years ago. And the rest of us can testify that he talks and acts the Game. It does not appear that the labor vote hurt Littlefield much, perhaps not at all; since the majorities for the other members of Congress were cut about as much as his own. .. The Democrats of Maine came out against prohibition and nearly doubled their vote." Hare is a hint for Oregon if doubling would do the Democrats any good. If society could abolish all the evils. wine, women and automobiles, that led to the young man's fall, might charao ter be established and might virtue be secure The alleged discovery that the Rai nier robbery was done by amateurs is probably correct. They did the job and got away in- a most unprofessional way. Mr. Hearst wants it' distinctly under stood that he is for fusion with the pro viso that he has a word or two to say about the identity of the fusee. Senator Dick is quite sure that the Ohio Republicans will indorse him. If they do. Senator Dick stands ready to indorse Ohio Republicans. "I will do right if I go to hell for it," remarks Mayor Lane. The Mayor should have every encouragement al ways to do right. The Maine red-liquor Democratic party couldn't do up Governor Cobb, because it wasn't well enough corned, perhaps. Young Mr. Velguth had a good time while the money lasted.' But wine, women, automobiles and gas won't mix. , Mr. Oelriohs didn't give his wife any- thing in his will because "she has enough." Just like a man.' The widow of Herman Oelrichs wouldn't be a daughter of Jim Fair if she didn't fight the will. The way of the transgressor is on velvet until caught. Then prison fare is not decent. Possibly those astounding gas bills, or some of them, were "raised" by Vel- rutiu WHAT IS STATE OP PERFECTION Elder Snyder Telia More Fully What He Means. PORTLAND. Sept, 11. (To the Edi tor.) I have read with much interest and satisfaction your article calling at tention to apparent discrepancies in ray last Sunday night's lecture on the question of whether or not the Bible harmonizes with evolution. It was not my purpose at that time to defend the Bible, but now I feel that a' few words along that line are called for by your article. In the first chapter of Genesis the word "man" Is no doubt used in its generic sense, as you suggest; but that it means a "large number of indivi duals" does not necessarily follow. What it docs mean is pretty clearly stated by the text: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female creat ed he them." This, of course, means at least one male and one female. It might mean more to be sure, but whether it does or not should best toe told by the Bible itself. My position is that in the first chapter of the Bible we have- a general undetailed account of the crea tion of man; and that in the second chapter we have a reiteration of the same with additional details as to the manner of his creation. In the first chapter we simply learn that God cre ated man In his image, and that man was male and female. In the second chapter we learn how God did it. There is no need for the second chapter to restate that man was created in God's Image, because that fact is plainly stated in the first chapter. In the first chapter we merely see that man was created male and female. In the sec ond chapter we are told how many males and how many females there were. I will not occupy more space on this point until it seems necessary. Now as to what I mean by saying that man was created in a perfect state, or in "a state of perfection." I believe I am better able to tell than anyone else. I do not mean that he was created ab solutely perfect, as you seem to Infer. I do not blame you for this inference, for I will admit that I left it a little open to criticism as to the exact mean ing of the term "a state of perfection." I am somewhat of a novice In trying to maKe myself understood in print, but I hope to improve under the light of criticism. We speak of a babe as being the very image of his father, and say that he is a perfect child. We mean by this that he is in a perfect state or a state of perfection with the possibility of being still further perfected in that state, and also with a possibility of defection from that state. With proper care and nour ishment he should become "more like his father every day" ; but he may be the vic tim of disease or accident, and degenerate into an invalid or a cripple for life. This illustrates man s original state of perfec tion from which he degenerated, and into which he must be regenerated before he can go on and become more and more like his father. There is a sense in which a babe is perfect, and yet he is not perfect In the absolute sense; so there is a sense in which man was created perfect, and yet he was not perfect in the absolute sense. Man was created in a similar state to that in which a babe is born, with this difference: Man's future advancement or retrogression was to be determined by his own volition. He chose to pursue the downward course, and brought upon his posterity an inherited condition of degen eracy from which nothing but creative power can save him; Man still retains the power of volition, and if he chooses to let God renew the work of making man in his image, God will regenerate degenerate man and reinstate him to his lost estate. where he can go on to still nobler heights of perfection. It is useless for me to argue the question of the credibility of the Bible record of the creation of man. My position is that God was a competent eye-witness of the creation, and that it does not matter so much about who - wrote the account or when it was written so long as It was dictated ' by the eye-witness. You may question the inspiration of the Bible rec ord and pick at its seeming flaws; but I believe it will stand the test of all honest inquiry and come out first best in the final decision. With many thanks for your courteous consideration and for the opportunity thus afforded for friendly Interchange of thought, I remain, GEORGE A. SNTDER. We agree with Elder Snyder that the Almighty was a competent eye-witness of the creation, and if we had his testimony concerning that interesting . event there would be nothing more to say. Unfortu nately, we have neither the direct testi mony of the Almighty nor anything that claims to be such. There is absolutely no claim made by the author of Genesis that he wrote by the inspiration of the deity. Much less is there the remotest hint that the book or any part of it was dictated by him. The belief that it is Inspired or was dictated is pure ly an assumption, without an atom of scriptural foundation. The author, who ever he was, never says that the Lord spoke to him or inspired him. He gives accounts of the Lord appearing to others and talking with them; but in no case does he assert that this favor was granted to himself. Elder Snyder's theory of reconciliation for the two conflicting accounts of the creation is fascinating, but fallacious. The first and second chapters of Genesis are radically different in origin. The first, for example, is polytheistic, the second mono theistic. The first speaks, not of "God," as the incorrect translation has it, but of "Gods." with the pronoun "us" referring to them. The second speaks of one Lord, Jehovah, the tribal deity of the Jews. For an adequate discussion of these ques tions the reader must go to the scholars who have made them a specialty. These scholars differ among themselves on many points, but not one of them would agree with Elder Snyder that Genesis is to be taken as an authentic historical document or that the first and second chapters can be made to harmonize. Talks to Monkeys) In African Janglea. Philadelphia North American. News from Professor R. L. Garner, who is isolated 150 miles inland In the jungles of Africa learning the language of mon keys, and who has not been heard from for a year or more, was received today in a letter to his eon, Harry E. Garner, of this city. In order to develop his theory that mon keys talk like human beings, the professor has built himself a house about 150 miles inland from the port of Fernan-Vax, in the French Congo. He -is the only white man within many miles of the spot. He is a great favorite with the natives, who call him "God of the Gun." In the letter just received, the professor writes inter estingly of his life in the Jungle. "I recently lost the dearest little girl monkey that I ever saw. I called her Dinkle. I bought her when she was about two days old and reared her by hand. She was very affectionate, and never left me for a minute when she could avoid it, "I learned more of the speech of mon keys from Dinkle than I ever learned from any other specimen. "If you will come here and sit down in my jungle you can hear some voices of animals without going into the jungle. I have stood here at my door perhaps a hundred times and shoutedl to chimpanzee and monkeys in the bush and had them answer me as often. Not an hour of the day passes that I fail to hear them talking in the forest as I sit here writixuz.". HOW LANGUAGE IS MADE. Publishers of Webster's Dictionary Dis cuss Spelling; Reform. Spelling reform is not a new subject, but has been argued for and urged by scores and hundreds for scores and hun dreds of years. The spoken language is bound to vary. Fashion in speech changes a class of words as fashion In dress changes the cut of a coat. When the spoken tongue., becomes widely different from the written record then comes the need of a change, and with the need comes ultimately the change itself. The language of today differs so widely from that of Chaucer that it is difficult for the ordinary man to comprehend this great poet, while even Milton and Shakespeare usually appear in texts with modernized spellings. It is reasonable to suppose, then, that changes will continue, and, ap parently, changes will result from the present widespread agitation of the sub ject. The position of dictionary publishers at such a time of change Is one of peculiar difficulty. All who remember or have seen the literature relative to the spell ing agitation that swept over the coun try in the fifties and sixties will appre ciate how much Webster's dictionaries have done in forwarding simplified spell ings. To them are due, in large meas ure, the changes from "colour" to "color," "centre" to "center," the drop ping of the double letter in words like "traveling," the elision of the "e" from "Judgment," the use of "ize" in place of "ise" in many word3 from the Greek, etc. These changes have become char acteristic of American spelling, and many of them, notably those in "ize,'1 are now the accepted forms in Murray's Oxford English dictionary. We mention these facts because they seem to us to indicate that Webster has always been a leader in the movement of spelling reform. This position the publishers of Webster hope still to maintain, and trust that their support of all the efforts to simplify and make consistent English spelling will be taken for granted. The following facts show that this position has been con sistently maintained: As a result of recent spelling reform agita tion the publishers some years- ago inserted in Webster's Dictionary auch of the 12 words recommended by the National Kducatfonal As sociation as were not already Included. Some of these forma were not new and had been the Websterian preference for a long time. Others were Inserted as soon as usage seemed to In dicats that they were not merely ephemeral spellings, hut were destined to persist for some time. With reference to the 300 words now pre sented for acceptation by the Simplified Spell ing Board, some 184 are already authorized by the latest edition of Webster, and of these 153 are, and have Ions: been, the preferred Websterian forma. With a very few excep tions, all of the remaining forms are already given in a separate list In Webster's Interna ttonal Dictionary, where they can be readily consulted and used. So fast as these or other forms receive the sanction of a considerable body of respectable usage, they will be entered In the vocabulary proper. The only basis for authority in lan guage is the usage of intelligent, cdu cated people,- and any dictionary that looks for reputation as a standard must faithfully reflect such usage. The fact that certain forms are recommended by a small group of men, even if they be leaders in linguistic study, is, to our mind, hardly sufficient warrant for any dictionary's giving these forms as its preference. They must first be tested by the English-speaking world, and after trial the words that bid fair to receive general acceptance may become the pre ferred dictionary form; those that are less widely used should be noted as sec ondary or alternative spellings, while such as are discarded may safely be dis regarded and sent to the lexicographical scrap heap. From some newspaper accounts there seems to be an erroneous idea current regarding the purpose of the board. We think it is not striving to bring about "phonetic spelling," but merely a more simple and rational English spelling. Its efforts to this end can hardly be con sidered radical when it is remembered that of the 300 forms recommended near ly two-thirds have already been generally accepted. If the moderation of Its first steps continues to characterize Its rec ommendations. We think that this move ment may prove the most successful of the many that have sought the same end. If the American committee could gain the co-operation and support of a considera ble body of the scholars in England and if the English and United States Gov ernments could be brought to unite in their advocacy of certain disputed forms it would be very desirable, as in this way the two English-speaking countries would be kept together. At the same time, we feel that. In spite of the propagandists, to whom we wish success in their rational aims, the body of educated people is the tribunal that will ultimately determine these questions and that usage will rule. G. &. C. MERRIAM COMPANY. Springfield, Mass., Aug. 31, 1!J6. Is Jailed for Blowing; His Nose. Berlin. Germany, Dispatch. Dr. Schmidt, a lawyer, has been sen tenced by court-martial at Magdeburg to ten days' light arrest for blowing his nose while in line among other reservists un dergoing periodical inspection. He urged that a cold in his head ren dered it necessary for him to blow his nose, but the officer who was conducting the inspection stated that this was done in a manner betraying either scorn or disrespect of military command. THE NEWS OUGHT TO FORESTS OF THE PHILIPPINES. Fully Ninety Per tent of Natural Growth Uoinn; to Waate. The World Today. The natural growth of the Philippine forests Is computed by Major Ahern, chief of the Insular Forestry Bureau, to be 1,400,000.000 cubic feet three times the cut for 1900 in the entire United States. At the present time fully 99 per cent of this natural growth Is going to waste, and the world is clamoring for the woods the ebonies, mahoganies, ironwoods; construction woods, all manner of pre cious woods, that need only modern meth ods, a maximum of machinery and a minimum of handling to make Monte Cristos of the needed lumbermen. There are many millions of cubic feet In the forests of the Philippines that should be cut In order to thin out the dense growth; for instance, where there are three or four trees growing on a space required for one, that one so freed would put on more good wood each year than the four together. The question as to whether ;100 or 3000 trees should re main on an acre Is where the real value of scientific forestry is shown. Then, too. there are many more millions of feet which reach maturity and pass on to de cay, never thrilling to the woodman's ax. There are, however, very few com panies In the Philippines properly equipped to handle large logs, and with out master mechanics', expert gang bosses, in fact all the ' skilled labor re quired, ami without a full stock of the best supply material. It would be hazard- Lous to move the large logs which must oe cue ana Drought to market lr tne forests are to bo properly exploited. A good price Is paid In Hongkong for every stiok of timber from the Philippines, and the American lumbermen with modern methods can solve the problem, and in so doing they will not only help to edu cate the adaptable Filipinos as to prac tical tilings, but will Insure him cash wages, something unusual in Spanish days. !Vo 1'honrllo For Fair Harvard. Northeast Harbor. Me., Dispatch New York Sun. Harvard will not stand for the Carnegie-Roosevelt innovation, according to President Eliot. Mr. Eliot says the new style of spoiling does not in the least appeal to him. "I suppose that President Roosevelt has a right to write his messages in any style of orthography to which he may incline.'' lie remarked, ''but. I think it will be a long time before such a style as that proposed becomes very popular or takes a great hold upon the public. "I do not myself care for it, and it is my opinion that the same view Is held by the majority of leading educators. There are some distinguished men. such as President Butler of Columbia, who have long favored It. but I do not see that their work has brought much, of accomplishment. "The English will hardly adopt this new system. It would mean not only that the publishers would be obliged to make two sets of plates, but that all the present plates of standard and popular works would be rendered in correct and without value. It will he found that the public will not like the looks of 'thru' and 'tho' and words similarly spelled." Captured Spanish Ships Auctioned. Washington, D. C, Dispatch'. Three Spanish ships raptured by Ad miral Dewey in Manila Bay May 1. 1W. have been sold by the Navy Department for $103. These ships were advertised at several Asiatic ports, the total cost of advertising being and the Navy De partment Is quite well satisfied that the bids were sufficient to cover the expen.se of advertising. The three ships are the Albay, Mani Ieno and Mindanao. They have been stripped of everything movable and are simply old hulks practically useless for any purpose of the navy. Mournisg Don- Ends Ills Life. Gloucester, N. T., Dispatch. Passengers on the National Park camp meeting car were startled this morning when a bird dog deliberately committed suicide by laying down in front of the trolley. Motorman Shaw put on the brakes, but the dog was too close. The animal, which lost its master several days ago. became despondent and loitered around the station before deliberately committing suicide. It was given decent burial. A Sons; of the LIkM. Frank I Stinton in Atlanta Constitution. I. Trouble never comes to stay World like thunder sliakln': Darkness ever dreams of day:. Look! The light's a-breakin' ! See It shlnln' from the hills; Fee it dancln' on the rill; All tho world with Joy It fills: I-ookt Tne light's a-breakln'! II. Though the Night seems with us Ionf Solid comfort takln'. Still we hear Life's Mornin' song: Look! The light's a-breakin !" Farewell, then, to sighin" Night Welcome to the love an' light! . Brethren, this old world's all right- Look! The light's a-breakin'! Hla Satnn-Song. Frank L. Stanton in Atlanta Constitution I. DIs is de lesson. I tell you. On de Ian, or on de sea; Ef Satan ain't black ez he painted He mos' too black fer me! ir. He stay down dar. whar de firs Is makln' a blazin' track; V It des so hot In ever spot. It's de fire what burn him blackl nr. So, dis Is de only lesson En de bos" one what kin be: Ef Satan ain't black ez ho painted, He, mos' too black fer me! WHET HIS CURIOSITY From the Chicago Record-Herald.