8
THE MOHNIXG OEEGOXIAJT, "WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1910.
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PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY. JAN". 26, 1910.
DISPOSAL OF THE PUBLIC LANDS.
From a recent official report we
learn that up to June 30, 1909, a total
Of 116,124,295 acres of public lands
bad been entered under the homestead'
act. This would make one and one
half millions of farms of 100 acres
each. Under other land laws a large
total of lands has been entered in
small bodies by individuals. The de
velopment of the country has been
Immensely promoted by the policy, as
well as by the donation of lands in
large aggregate totals for educational
purposes In all the new states. Th3
policy was long opposed by the Demo
cratic party of the country, under the
domination of the slave-holding aris
tocracy; and the free homestead law,
though constantly pressed and several
times passed by the House of Repre
sentatives, was not finally enacted till
the second year of the Civil War, when
the absence from the Senate of pro
slavery men from the South and de-"
feat of pro-slavery men in the North
enabled the advocates of the home
stead bill to carry it through the
Senate. It became a law in May,
1862.
The free homestead law was one of
the most beneficent ever enacted.
More than all other measures it
brought about the settlement of the
great region known as the Far West.
It practically superseded the pre
emption act, by which lands during
many years preceding' had' been sold
at low prices. Under this law 25,696,
419 acres had been . sold, mostly to
actual settlers. To the wide distribu
tion of the public lands under the pre
emption, and homestead .laws may be
attributed the rapid redemption of the
Great West from the conditions of an
uninhabited wilderness; and, to the
special donation land law, for the
Oregon country, was due the migration
of Americans who soon outnumbered
the British subjects here.
The policy of making grants of lands
for railroads began as far back as
1850. In 1852 grants for railroads
were made to Missouri, and in 1853 to
Arkansas. In 1856 and 1857 further
grants were made, In every case to the
states themselves; and the states dealt
with the corporations building tho
railroads. With the beginning of ac
tive effort to build railroads across the
continent Congress changed the policy,
.and thereafter the lands were granted
directly, to the corporations. The total
grants since 1&60 for railroads have,
reached the prodigious total of 159,
125,134 'acres; of which, up to. June 30,
1909, 113,879,674 acres , had passed t.i
the railro'ads by absolute title from the
United States. ' Very large areas in- ad
dition had been granted for wagon
roads, most of which merely were
marked out, but have been of no use
whatever to the country.
This policy now seems to have been
all wrongs and it is almost natural to
Bay that the lands granted to the cor
porations have been wasted. It is
one of the cases wherein men are wise
after the event. Inaccessible lands
Were regarded as of no use and of Ut
ile value. "Give half the lands
away and double or quadruple the
value of the remainder," was an easy
nd attractive argument. It was true,
too, that large areas on the elevated
and arid plains are of little or no value
to this day. But there has been a ter
rible abuse, through the lieu-land sys
tem, by which high, rocky and pre
cipitous areas. Included in reserves,
have been exchanged for the best and
most valuable timber and agricultural
areas In other and distant localities
This has been the worst of the land
abuses. It grew out of greed of appli
cants and out of the stupidity of Con
gress, which proceeded on the aa.su mo
tion that all areas of public lands had
. equal values.
Another abuse almost equal in mag
nitude was the policy of allowing per
sons to make entry of timber lands, on
the supposition that they would hold
them for their own use and benefit.
Immense numbers made the entries
for no other purpose than to sell the
lands for what they could get; and in
many, perhaps most Instances, men
were hired by speculators to make the
entries, and as soon as possible the
lands were conveyed to themselves, at
prices but a fraction of their actual
value. Here again the country Is wide
after the event. Ingenuity has found
ways to evade the Intent and purpose
of most of the land laws. The intent
of all of them was beneficent, and th-i
evil consequences of their perversion
should have been arrested promptly
as soon as seen. But Congress is al
most an immovable body, on any mat
ter where the public interest only is
concerned, and then perhaps in but a
doubtful or abstract way. Our Con
gress is by nature the most indolent
body In the world. What most moves
Its members is the appeal of those
who have private interests to be
served. These persons always are In
defatigable, and their influence with
the Senators and Representatives from
their states always has been vert
great. Yet this is not to say that the
members of Congress were intention
ally or consciously aiding the perpe
tration of fraud. They were anxious
to serve constituents and make them
selves strong at home.
The awakening has come too late
to save the best part of the public
lands. But the awakening of the pub
lic conscience In one direction is use
ful in all others; and the work of the
federal government has had Its effect
on state and municipal administration,
Jn all its branches, throughout the
United States.
' I
The shipping community and a
great many others who take an in
terest in the weather and in newa
from the sea -ought at least to pass
a. vote of thanks for Captain Bridgett
of the oil tank steamer Asuncion.
There are a number of steamers with
wireless equipment plying in and out
of Portland, but among the fleet the
Asuncion Is the only one that keeps
us thoroughly in touch with weather
conditions up and dowa the . Coast
beyond the reach of the land-weather
stations. Other steamers send- occa
sional reports, but the Asuncion makes
full use of her wireless at all times.
Last week when shipping was tied up
along the river by a thick fog, wireless
messages from the Asuncion afforded
the only possible means of locating
the delayed craft, anchored along the
river, as the oil tanker, flying light,
picked her way through the fog.
RECKLESS GIVING.
Dr. D. K. Pearsons' resolution io
give away all his property before he
dies is not without wisdom. Even
those millionaires who do not care to
endow colleges might imitate him with
advantage. His plan saves the trouble
of making a will and forestalls the pos
sibility of an expensive contest among
quarrelsome heirs. It also evades the
inheritance tax, which in some states
is rather heavy. Dr. Pearsons has the
satisfaction of hearing himself lauded
by the presidents of half a hundred
grateful colleges, and, if he scatters
another batch of gifts next Spring, as
he now promises, more praise will en
sue. Still there Is something to be
said on the other side.
Dr. Pearsons will be 90 years old In
the Spring and he probably thinks he
will not need any money much longer.
Hence he feels safe in giving away all
he has. But he may be mistaken. He
may live fifteen or twenty years yet,
and, If he alienates his last dollar, he
must pass that long stretch of his life
in complete dependence on charity.
That will not be a pleasant experience
for one who has been for many years
a fountain of charity, but not a re
cipient. It would come hard to a man
of Dr. Pearsons' character to beg his
bread, and yet that is the fate to which
he exposes himself by recklessly giv
ing away all he has.
ELECTING A BRITIHH PARLIAMENT.
In electing a new House of Com
mons the -British voters perform a
much more important function than
Americans do in choosing the mem
bers of the. lower house of C0ngres3.
The British Parliament is both theo
retically and practically the supreme
authority of the empire. The Congress
of the United States has powers which
a-re narrowly limited. Its acts may be
vetoed by the President and annulled
by the courts. The King of England
has an antiquated veto which he dares
not use and the British courts must
recognize acts of Parliament as the
law of the land. In practice .the
British Empire does not know the veto
power.
The parliamentary elections would
be strange to us in some particulars.
Candidates for the House of Commons
need not reside in the districts they
seek to represent. A man defeated by
one constituency may often secure
election from another. The vote is
not all cast on the same day. One dis
trict 'after another elects, thus pro
longing the agony for three or four
weeks. This enables the land-holders
to vote In several districts. The law
gives them a vote wherever they own
land. If the elections all came on the
same day this privilege might not be
worth much, but as thlng3 are they
have plenty of time to travel about and
make It count. Since there are 175,000
of these plural voters they form an
important factor in a close election
like the one now in progress.
A NEWSPAPER CONTROVERSY.
. We do not think that the San Fran
cisco Chronicle Is conspicuously suc
cessful in defending the newspapers
against the strictures of Byron C.
Matthews. There is an easy and suf
ficient defense for them but It seems to
have escaped the Chronicle's research.
Mr. Matthews, who published his
rather severe opinions of the news
papers in a late number of The Inde
pendent, grounded them on some sta
tistics which seem to be perfectly fair.
From one of the more respectable
New York dailies he gathered all the
news Items for three months and
classified them as "trivial," "unwhole
some," "demoralizing," or "worth
while." A very heavy preponderance
of the Items fell under the first three
heads, 60.8 per cent, to be precise.
Only 39.2 per cent could be accepted
as "worth while."
What surprises us is that a granny
ish critic like Mr. Matthews should
have found so manjf Items which he
could conscientiously stamp "worth
while." If he had found only one in
a hundred, we should have smiled with
complacent satisfaction had the case
been ours, for what is food to one
mind is poison to another, and Mr.
Matthews' mind seems to be one of
those which almost everything nause
ates. To have furnished him for three
months with an . intellectual . diet of
which he could digest 39.2 per cent is
a signal triumph of moral journalism.
In its argument for the defense the
Chronicle makes two disastrous-blunders.
First, It admits "that Mr. Mat
thews figures "come very near to be
ing a demonstration that the dally
press" Is an abomination. Second, it
falls back on the feeble plea that even
if the papers are purveyors of id!e
gossip and vile' scandal they are no
worse than Motley, 'Gibbon and Grote,
who did the same- thing in their his
tories. Neither of .these positions
shows much mastery of' defensive tac
tics. To a sane mina the fact that
89. 2 . per cent of a newspaper's con
tents stands above all possible criti
cism can 'hardly be evidence of de
pravity. On the contrary, it is con
clusive proof of shining integrity. It
shows a strong predilection in the of
fice of that newspaper . for sapience
and virtue. Its reporters must have
stringent orders to select untarnished
events for their stories and eschew
tainted ones, for the actual proportion
of wise and uplifting occurrences in
the pell-mell of the world falls far
below 39.2 per cent.
The truth is that even the most
sordidly sensational newspapers do not
depict the world half as bad as it is.
They are all mendacious, but it Is on
virtue's side. They misrepresent by
suppressing horrors, "not by exagger
ating them. A paper which printed
nothing but accounts of what was
profitable, instructive, edifying, would
wickedly mislead its readers. If they
trusted its account of the world, they
would be helpless Imbeciles in the
struggle of life. Evil would get the
better of them at every turn because
they would not know enough to be on
their guard. Ignorant good Intentions
stand but a slim chance in the world.
It is not always agreeable to learn the
wickedness and cruelty ot our fellow-
men, but It is necessary if we expect
to understand them. Hence a news
paper which records the events of the
world day by day as they actually hap
pen merely fulfills Its plain duty to its
readers. It is wrong, of -course, xo
make things out worse than they are;
but it is no less wrong to make them
out-better than they are.
A sensible reader does not want to
be deceived, for his soul's good any
more than for his soul's harm. He
wants the unvarnished facts so that
he can build a course of rational con
duct upon them. The trivial, unwhole
some ancl demoralizing items which I
Mr. Matthews found in his favorite I
daily were a part a small part of the I
life in which Its readers had to mingle.
The paper would have dealt more fairly .
by its patrons if it had not suppressed j
so mucn or tne dark side and had ex
aggerated the bright less deceptively.
There Is no safety for the world in the
concealment of truth.
The plea that newspapers ought to
present a false and misleading ac
count of the world "for the sake of
the young" has no merit. The young
will learn the facts of current life
from one source or another. If they do
not obtain the knowledge In temperate
and Judicious form from the paper,
they will obtain it distorted and defiled
from their companions. To dep-rive
the young of decent sources of Infor
mation does not make it certain by
any means that they will go unin
formed. Why not try to recognize
the fact that young people have to
live In the real world, not in an Im
aginary one, and that they will get
along better If they know something
about it?
AMERICA CAN BUILD SHIPS.
In competition with 25 shipbuilders
of England, France, Italy and Ger
many, American builders have se
cured the contract for two- Dread
noughts for the Argentine Republic,
the contract price being $22,000,000.
This transaction is a notable one. It
has a direct bearing on our economic
conditions and policies, far and away
greater than is shown by the mere
distribution among American work
men and manufacturers of the sum
involved.
The shipbuilding industry is at low
ebb throughout the world. General
stagnation In freights has left a great
surplus of tonnage. Only abnormally
low rates quoted by the builders will
induce the placing of orders. Under
such conditions, nothing but the keen
est competition could be expected
when such a prize as the building of
the two big Dreadnoughts was at
stake. The contract came to this
country because American . builders
with the cheapest raw material and
the most skilled workmen in the world
were In a position to underbid foreign
competitors.
On the Great Lakes where we are
actually compelled to build ships be
cause we do not have the tonnage of
the world to draw on for moving our
freight, the mammoth carriers are
turned out more rapidly and at less
cost than anywhere else in the world.
Not only that, but the cost per ton
per mile of moving freight in these
American lake-built craft averages the
lowest reported anywhere in the world.
A Boston 'dispatch in yesterday's Ora
gonlan states that a semi-official esti
mate of the cost of the two Argentine
Dreadnoughts places the amount that
will be paid for labor at 90 per cent
of ' the total cost of the ships.
In securing this contract In the face
of such conditions, the American
builders have dealt the sacred idol or
protection the most staggering . blow
it has yet received. If American lab:r
with its superior skill can wrest from
the cheap labor of Europe a $22,000,
000 contract in which 90 per cent of
the total goes to labor, what becomes
of that absurd theory that our infant
industries and overgrown trusts must
have an outrageously high tariff
solely for the protection of American
labor? It is particularly unfortunate
for that hungry band of ship subsidy
pirates, that a plain ordinary business
fact should throw such a bright light
through their transparent theory just
at this time when unusual effort Is
being put forth to force the subsidy
bill through Congress in the Interest
of American labor.
Here is a plain question which the
subsidy seekers must answer: If Amer
ican builders can secure contracts for
building warships for which the whole
world is competing, and in which SO
per cent of the cost is for labor, can
any logical reason .. be advanced for
their inability to build on equaljy ad
vantageous terms vessels for the mer
chant marine?
THE SLUMP IN STOCKS.
Union Pacific sold down below $183
a share yesterday. It may seem
Btrange to mention any stock that is
still selling $83 a share above par
as selling "down,", but yesterday's
quotation represented a decline of
more than $30 a share from the high
point reached last September. A sim
ilar decline was noted throughout the
stock list. Union Pacific being specially
mentioned because it Is one of the
best railroad securities in the market
and is thoroughly representative of
the higher class of railroad, .stocks.
As the stock market almost .from Its
inception has been regarded as a very
accurate business barometer, it ap
pears paradoxical to find it suffering
weakness in 'a period of .widespread
prosperity. And yet that Is, exactly
what is happening, and the reason tor
It lies in the inability or failure of
the big Wall-street operators to take
heed of the great underlying causes
which produce values In stocks as well
as all other commodities that are
bought and sold.
When that wave of depression and
disaster swept over the country In
1907, thefe was an enormous shrink
age in stock values, and gilt-edge se
curities were a drug on the "market at
prices far below their intrinsic value.
Stock gamblers, thoroughly frightened,
neglected these securities, and the
upward movement was started by con
servative Investors who bought the
6tocks outright with a view to holding
them. This class of buying, not only
in this country but in Europe, soon
started prices on the up grade, and
the speculators trailed in. Within a
short .time we were again in the
throes of a wild speculative orgy. Ad
vances of $50 a share In railroad
stocks and even more In some of the
"Industrials, like Steel, common, were
not unusual.
Then the conservative element,
which had rescued the market from
the scrap heap and the bargain coun
ter, again "displayed its conservatism,
this time in a different manner. An
advance of $50 a share even on a se
curity that had been purchased for an
investment was too attractive to lose.
The process of unloading began. It
has continued for several months on
both sides of the ocean. Europe, ow
ing large sums of money to Egypt for
cotton, and to Russia and South
America for grain, stock, etc.; shipped
back our high-priced securities with
a request that they be converted into
gold, and the gold shipped away to
the countries to which she - was In
debted. This forced the high finan
ciers who were responsible for the
rise to abnormal levels to Bend out
of the country gold which was actually
needed at home, and at the same time
spend more millions in an effort to
maintain prices at the artificial level
to which they had been forced. The
task was too great, especially when
the small investor and speculator who
in the past could be depended on to
play the part of the lamb refused io
come In, said lamb needing all of
his funds to meet the increased cost
of living.
This country, is producing and cre
ating new wealth so rapidly that there
is but small prospect of an immediate
repetition of tho slump of 1907, but
there is evidence that some of the
Wall-street manipulators have "over
played their hands," and pending a re
adjustment of prices on a somewhat
lower level, pessimism will be more
pronounced than the natural condi
tions really Justify. (
"The commerce of our country Is
likely to suffer severely if Germany's
present attitude is maintained," said
President Frank J.- La Lanne, .of- tho
National Board of Trade now in con
vention at Washington. Surely there
must be some mistake about this.
Have we not received it straight from
the most eminent stand-patters in the
country that we are big enough and
strong enough and independent enough
to get along without asking any favors
of the rest of the world? Is It pos
sible that we have built a trade-proof
fence around our country, and de
clared that we would do as we pleased
regardless of what Germany and other
countries might see fit to do, only to
find that there are vulnerable points
at which we are liable to receive some
severe wounds? We must reprove
Germany for her actions, and if she
declines to buy our surplus products,
we will eat them ourselves, or else
keep them to look at. The protective
tariff policy is . receiving some rude
Jolts Just at this time and is slated
for. others.
The Portland Commercial Club has
closed another successful year the
most successful from the standpoint
of results in Its history. During that
period it had the good fortune to be
under the direction of Dr. J. R. Weth
erbee, who as president gave the club
a singularly energetic and efficient ad
ministration. The club has increased
In membership, despite a marked ad
vance in monthly dues, has greatly
decreased Its indebtedness and other
wise improved Its financial situation,
has enlarged the scope of Its activi
ties and has altogether become an in
dispensable factor in the onward prog
ress of Portland and Oregon". A large
share of the credit for this remark
able record is due to Dr. Wetherbee.
The new president, Mr. H. Beckwith,
is a well-known business man of ex
perience in large affairs, and It Is not
to be doubted that under him the
Commercial Club will prosper exceed
ingly and take even a greater part in
the promotion of the general welfare.
It is probable the Lords will yield
on the budget, but will not yield on
the proposal to grant a local legisla
ture to Ireland. .This last question
then would go to the people again. A
local legislature for Ireland can hardly
be "tacked" on a finance bill. ; And
perhaps the Irish party will insist on
the passage of their home rule bill
first before they will vote - for the
budget. This, with the Lords stand
ing out against the Irish programme,
would create -a deadlock, and the
whole subject would have to go to the
electorate again. It" Is clear that the
state of parties in the United Kingdom
creates a tangle that the most astute
politician cannot see a. way to un
ravel. Food buyers want too much, along
with the food they purchase. That's
one reason prices are high. They de
mand that shop-keepers have stores in
high-rent districts and that they keep
up delivery wagons and horses and de
livery boys. They wish the stores
brightly lighted and supplied with
abundant clerks. Moreover, they think
they are entitled to long credit. All
this applies to the grocery stores arid
the meatshops. There ought to be a
field for shopmen who will sell for
cash directly to buyers across the
counter, since this kind of tradesmen
can make . a living . profit . at lower
prices.
The fake cripple who has been so
liciting alms with one arm bound close
to his body, to give out the impres
sion that he had lost it, has been
sentenced to 15 days on the rock
pile. In order to make the punish
ment fit the crime, he should be com
pelled to break rock with one of his
arms pinioned in -the same manner as
he carried it while begging.
Attorney Citron talked for five hours
!h opposition to the Broadway bridge.
That's about the amount of time the
average East-sider loses if he attempts
to make two round trips a day across
the river with the present facilities.
Hugh Cannon, who wrote "Goo-goj
Eyes" and other songs, says whisky has
sent him to the poorhouse and ruined
his life. That will happen to anybody
who ruins a fluid that minds its own
business when let alone.
Walla Walla would solve the meat
problem by eating chicken. But all
cannot stay out so late and many have
a fear of bulldogs, traps and shotguns.
The Irish memhers of Commons will
hold the balance of power. That will
be better even than if the members
were policemen.
The meat trust, like the undertaker,
can smile at a boycott against high
prices. Either of them can wait.
Millionaire Pearsons says he will
die penniless. Only Andrew Carnegie
may doubt that he means it.
Any investigation ,of Increased cost
of living should Include show tickets
ranging from 5 cents to $3.
If many reports of loss of cattle
and sheep be true, the "eat-no-meat"
pact will be a necessity.
Comets, like some other things
greatly stimulate the ocular Imagination.
ERA OP SUPREME! HYPOCRISY.
The Day of Blatant Irresponsibility at
Washln&rton. .
Washington Telegram to Chicago Tri
bune. President Taft has thrown aside the
role of politician which has been so dis
tasteful to him, and hereafter will de
vote himself exclusively to the perform
ance of the duties devolving upon him
as chief executive.
The executive has made this clear to
men with whom he has talked during
the last week. All he can do, he said,
is to do the best he ean to make the
Government as good as he can.' to secure
as much legislation as he can in the
right direction, and, in doing so, to use
those instruments which are indispen
sable to the passage of laws.
The truth is, the President has said,
the country is passing through a period
of supreme hypocrisy, in which the men
who make the loudest protestations . of
hatred of monopoly, political corruption
and bossism have the great advantage.
The only person who is at a disadvan
tage is the one upon whom falls the- ne
cessity for affirmative action and the
enactment of beneficial legislation.
Those who are responsible and who are
unable to formulate an ideal, and then
make mouths before the publio in favor
of it, while blaming others for not com
ing up to that ideal in practice, have an
advantage.
The President presumes this frequently
has been so in politics, and that his fate
is no different .from that of others.
What Mr. Taft Is laboring to do Is to
do something, and the idea that he is
to stoop to make an enemy of Cannon,
and make an enemy of Aldrich, and J
mane enemies or those who In the present
Congress have power to bring about the
reforms he is advocating, does not strike
him with favor. He can afford to get
along with one term, which he does not
expect to add to, if he can point to things
done and not to a record of only a
hypocritical demagogue.
The difficulty of being President, he has
said in commenting thereon, is that the
public asks and expects him to do some
thing which he cannot do unless he has
the hearty support of the Republican
party in Congress. The general feeling,
which his correspondents seek to inter
pret, is that he enact laws without any
party.
The absurdity of this proposition will
be ultimately understood by the people,
perhaps not until the Republican party
has been defeated two or three times.
Then the real meaning of the mouthlngs
of the demagogues who are now talking
of what they call Cannonism and Ald
richlsra will be shown.
It is possible the commotion which has
been created by such persons may lead
to party defeat; bub, as stated, the
President is determined to do the best
he can in making the Government effec
tive in its enforcement of the laws and
better for the reforms which he hopes
to obtain. ".
'
.
The trouble with the correspondents, in
the view of the President, Is that they
are on the outside and do not take1 into
consideration the troubles tfiey would
have if they had to do something they
were charged to do and were to look
about to see ir they could do it and
how they could do It.
In other words. If they were to get
down to brass tacks and see how things
were to be accomplished they might pull
back their half pleasant method of de
manding everything and, putting aside
the clamor that prevails over, political
conditions, find problems that would
reconcile them more or less to such con
ditions. The President resents the Idea that he
is being used by Senator Aldrich or any
body else. In the case of Mr. Aldrich,
what he has been told by that lawmaker
always has turned out to be true. The
Rhode Islander never has misled him.
He has said what Congress could do,
and he has worked energetically to bring
it about. ,
The President differs with the Senator
on the question of the tariff, he being
a low tariff advocate, while Aldrich rep
resents the high tariff theory. v
With respect to the condition in the
House, the President has nothing to do.
He is not concerning himself over the
fight on the Speakr or with the change
in the rules, although undoubtedly he
sympathizes with those who want the
rules changed. He realizes the party in
the House is disintegrating and he is
anxious only to maintain sufficient dis
cipline to insure the passage of the legis
lation he desires. .
In this connection it is asserted tonight
that Senator Aldrich has assured Presi
dent Taft the Senate will pass his con
servation bills and a bill ' establishing a
postal savings bank system.
Believing as he does in Mr. Aldrich,
the President is confident this legislation
will get through the Senate at an early
date. His problem then will be to have
the House take favorable action.
By dealing both with Republicans and
J Insurgents he is hopeful that the party
In the. House will stand by him, and
that when Congress adjourns he will be
able to show the country that he has
obtained all the legislative results for
which he reasonably could hope.
Wise Bird, Tbla Woodpecker.
Cleveland Leader.
In California the woodpecker stores
acorns away, although he never eats
them. He bores several holes, differing
slightly in size, at the Fall of the year.
Invariably in a pine tree. Then he finds
an acorn, which he adjusts to one of
the holes prepared for its reception.-
But he does not eat the acorn, for, as
a rule, he is not a vegetarian. His
object in storing away the acorns ex
hibits foresight and a knowledge of
results more akin to reason than to in
stinct. The succeeding Winter the
acorns remain intact, but, becoming
saturated, are predisposed to decay,
when they are attacked by maggots,
which seem to delight In this special
food.
It is then that the woodpecker reaps
the Jjarvest his wisdom has provided,
at a time when, the ground being
covered with snow, he would experience
difficulty otherwise in obtaining suit
able or palatable food.
Tiro Itoada to Heaven.
London ' Telegraph.
"Many a man," we find a speaker say
ing, "has got to heaven because his
wife was a good cook." And no doubt
the men in the audience thoughtlessly
applauded. But let us not forget the
case of those who have gone to heaven
from exactly the opposite cause. These
grave matters have to be - considered
from all points of view.
Wasting- Energy.
Philadelphia Inquirer.
A Cornell professor says that any
one can hypnotize himself. What's
the use . when there are any number
of corporations that stand ready at any
moment to do the job for us?
SHAKESPEARE) WAS SHAKESPEARE
Ben Jonson's Tribute to the Transcend
ent Talents of His Brother Dramatist.
Mr. John Munro bss this to say in "The
6hakpere Allusion Book":
Ben Jonson stands alone. He is the
Jounder of Shakespearian criticism. As
the friend of Shakespeare, one who
talked and laughed with him, as 'the
most solid, most learned. and the
strongest of the Elizabethan play
wrights, his utterances concerning his
superior in drama deserve our pro
foundest respect, Ben was too honest
perhaps I may be forgiven if I say
too arrogant also to give unstinted
praise to the man he says he loved;
but when we consider what he dis
praised we shall see that it does not
subtract from the honor of Shake
speare; and when we consider what he
praised we shall see it adds to the
honor of Jonson. He was a man of
different caliber from Shakespeare; he
loved learning in a way that Shake
speare did not; but as he loved learn
ing more, he knew men less. More
learned as he certainly was, he re
spected classical precedent and sym
metry in a way that Shakespeare could
not; and there where he thought his
strength lay, to us lies his inferiority;
for the free and happy genius of Shake
speare, which to him "wanted art,"
carried drama to a height where all
his art could not reach it. ...
The art of Shakespeare, like the art
of all great geniuses, seldom shows
evidences .of effort or difficulty; it is
direct and spontaneous. His characters
win us always with their human ap
peal, and pu'se with the warm blood
of life. And the whole of his work is
imbued , with the happiness and pathos
which come of keen sympathy with the
Joys and woes of others; is full of pity
and tenderness. Considering the work
and Ideals of. Jonson, therefore, and the
work and position of Shakespeare, we
see that the criticism that we have is
only such as we should expect; and
this, at all events, is certain, that
Shakespeare's works are not so remark
able for the absence or that quality
which Jonson called "art," as Jonson's
are conspicuous for the excess of it.
Where Jonson was original and be it
said to his everlasting honor was in
his praise of the great dead poet. And
his praise of Shakespeare, the man, is
all the more valuable when we remem
ber how difficult Jonson was to get on
with; how arrogant and quarrelsome
he was; how he was received gracious
ly by the King; afterward thrown into
prison; afterward was made poet
laureate; how he was masquemaker
with Inlgo Jones, with whom he quar
reled so; was finally expelled from
court and subjected to many misfor
tunes, but to the last he was invested
by the younger men with an authority
that must have greatly gratified . him.
Ben Jonson's lines in the Folio are the
first adequate recognition of Shake
speare's greatness, and though, like all
his praise, they are rather magisterial,
they eeem to be based on a proper
comprehension of those particular
powers -which made Shakespeare's im
mortality. DEVELOPMENT OF" CHESS.
la Its Present Form It la a Modern
Game.
Strand Magazine.
Chess Is but a game, a pastime, a re
laxation; but it has at times absorbed
the faculties of the Intellectual in
every clime. It numbers among Its
amateurs the greatest names of battle
fields and thrones; it tells of warriors,
poets, painters, sculptors, statesmen
and divines; it possesses a literature
and language of Its own; It makes ene
mies friends, and finds a temple on the
ocean, in the fortress and by the peace
ful fireside. Perhaps the greatest
eulogy on the game was the remark of
Sir Walter Raleigh: "I do not wish to
live longer than I can play chess." It
is certain that those who do not play
the game are quite unable to form any
conception of the high Intellectual de
lights experienced by the chess en
thusiast. The origin of chess has been sought
in vain. The fact is, the game has so
changed, developed and improved down
the course of centuries that in its
present form It would not be recog
nized by its Inventor if there ever was
one. The oldest chess problem on
record is thought to be that contained
in an aftclent Persian manuscript, at
tributed to Caliph Kallfen Mutasin
Billah. who reigned in Bagdad, A. D.
833 to 842. But the reader would have
to learn the old rules before it was in
telligible. For example, the queen could
make a move of only one square at a
time, and that on a diagonal; but a
queen promoted from a pawn was al
lowed to make a move of two squares
diagonally. The bishop had no power
over any square except the third from
which It stood on Its own diagonal line,
but it was allowed to vault over any
space that happened to be between. In
short it was a totally different game.
Chess in the precise form In which we
know it and play, it today is a com
paratively modern game.
. Only a Painted Devil.
New York Sun.
Why theft make such a pother about
Cannon and his irredeemable wicked
ness? Simply because and this is the
meat and marrow of insurgency a
number of gentlemen from districts
once full of Populism and still smit
ten with Rooseveltism tremble for
their fences. By using poor old Uncle
Josephus as a bugaboo they hope to
make their nomination and election
sure. Cannon is but a painted devil.
The majority of the insurgents are
simply fighting to save their bacon,
fighting because they don't dare to
fight Taft and run the chance of los
ing their postmasterships.
Foolish Food Boycotts.
Springfield Republican.
Boycotts against the high food prices
are becoming quite the fashion of the
moment. Several - Ohio cities report
large groupings of citizens in pledge to
stop eating meat, or to boycott the
butcher shops, and some people are
trying to organize similar movements
on a National scale. This is all quite
foolish. If each family cannot of its
own motion be brought to live within
its means by such economies as will
overcome the high prices, what is likely
to come of these, group efforts? They
will not last long.
Cost of Indians.
BUXTON, Or., Jan. 24. (To the Edi
tor.) How much does the -United States
spend a year upon all the Indians of
the country? R. H.
In 1908 the expenditures were $14,
550,758. The' average for the past 20
years was about $12,500,000.
Nothing on Bryan. -
Denver Republican.
Norman E. Mack says his Democratic
magazine is a success. But It doesn't
seem to have built as many fine resi
dences de luxe and barns as the Com
moner. Two American Birds.
Chicago News.
The hen is a meek and lowly bird,
but she has done more for this coun
try than the eagle ever will do.
America's Tender Spot.
Washington Post.
The wound made by the 1907 panic
has healed, but it won't do to swat the
scar too hard.
Why Hesitate t
Louisville Courier-Journal..
The New York Press says that it's
"Cannon or Chaos." All Tight, Why
hesitate?
WHO SHALL MANIFEST THE TRUTH f
Christian Scientist. Defines Ideal Fol
lowers of the Nasarene.
PORTLAND, Jan. 25. (To the Edi
tor.) The brief extracts referring to
Christian Science in The Oregonian to
day quoted from Dr. Rader's paper on
"Modern Substitutes for the Religion :
of Jesus Christ," before the ministerial
conference yesterday, indicate the ex
tent that one may go in drawing con
clusions from a doubtful understanding
of any teaching.
To characterize any teachings as a
substitute for the religion of Jesus
Christ is serious business. Were one
able accurately to determine that any
would be declared by Jesus Christ to
be exactly what he would have it, in
case he were on earth, they would then
be able to say, after understanding
thoroughly various teachings and
methods of salvation differing there-,
from, wherein they were wrong. I do
not know of any individual on earth
today who possesses the degree ot
knowledge calculated to enable him to
do this or who with reason may so
claim- All anyone can do In the way'
of profession, is to endeavor from a
deep desire to know and manifest the
truth; to gain through spiritual under
standing such a knowledge of God as
will afford them a basis for a satisfied
existence the purpose of which is to
manifest God as the Nazareno did.
Anyone able to do this would be a fol
lower of Jesus Christ and believer in
the method of salvation he taught and
demonstrated.
As to what Mrs. Eddy has given to
the world, and which is responsible in.
numberles Instances for the healing of
sin and disease, and an Increase in the
hope of complete salvation, she says
on page 9 of the preface of Science and
Health: "Today, though rejoicing In
some progress, she still finds herself a
willing disciple at the heavenly gale,
waiting for the mind of Christ."
On the question of the reality or un
reality of sin, the confusion of the gen
tleman is due to failure to recognize
the standpoint taken by Christian
Science. It may be suggested that any
evidence of sin of any kind indicates
a lack of obedience to God who is
good and whose design could never be
anything other than good since cre
ation is for the purpose of manifesting
him it may properly appear that the.
motive for sinning does not emanate
from the mind that is God and Is there-,
by not deserving of the recognition as
real that right ideas are; in other
words. Ideas expressive of the nature of
God, life, truth and love. From this
standpoint, the attitude of the indi
vidual toward sin is to recognize its
claims of bringing him any good or as
being In accord with law, as false, un
true, and so unreal.
HOWARD C. VAN METER,
Committee on publication for Oregon.
Garfield Plnchoted.
Columbus 'Letter to Cincinnati Com
mercial Tribune.
James R. Garfield's defense of Glf
ford Plnchot and his declaration that
Plnchot was one of the strongest sup
porters of the Roosevelt policies is
taken generally as a criticism of Pres
ident Taft and serves to eliminate him
as a possibility in the securing ot the
Presidential Indorsement for-Governor
Perhaps Mr. Garfield is not looking for
President Taffs indorsement and may
want to run on his own account with
out regard to whether the President
wants him to run. At all events, his
numerous printed interviews uphold
ing Plnchot, in the face of President
Taft's disapproval of Pinchot's course,
have not popularized him among the
President's friends in Ohio. Many be
lieve Mr. Garfield has given up all idea
of being a candidate and feels fre
to speak his mind without fear of the
result.
Dr. Bell's New Word "Drome."
Chicago Post.
There is much to commend Professoi
Alexander Graham Bell's advocacy ol
the word "drome" as the verb to sig
nify flight in an airship. It is not
bad, too, as the noun meaning the shir
Itself. But It has an unpleasant tinge
of barbaric abbreviation It sounds too
much like "phone. Also, however Pro
fessor Bell's Canadian friends maj
use it. It has on this side of the lin
a static, rather than a dynamic sug
gestion. To us an aerodrome is a rac
course devoted to aerial contests, Jusi
as a hippodrome is a course tot
horses. The International Aeronauti
cal Federation is to discuss the phrase
ology of flight in Paris this month.
Professor Bell ought to take his new
word over there for a starter, remem
bering all the while that usage, not
scientific approval, must finally deter
mine its fate.
Airship Trips at the Passion Play,
Baltimore News.
One of the interesting features con
nected with the Passion Play, which
will be held at Oberammergau, Ger
many, will be the proposed airship pas
senger line which is to run between.
Munich and Oberammergau from May
1 to October 1. When weather Is fa
vorable it is proposed to make two
trips dailv between the two cities. The
time which is will take is figured aa
being about three hours.
Euphemised Advice.
Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph.
President Taft's advice that the fac
tions in Congress cultivate harmoni
ous relations should be fully as ef
fective as the famous admonition to
Kansas to "raise more corn and less
helL"
The Decision Stands.
Boston Globe.
No protest having been made by Col
onel Henry Watterpn, President Tafts
decision that whisky is whisky may
be allowed to stand.
What! In Ltaht
Salt Lake City Deseret News.
The operation for divorce is becoming
even more common than the operation
for appendicitis.
Cyclone in the Mint Bed.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The Washington Post has said, "Oh,
fudge!" to Col. Watterson. Watch out.
BOHEMIA.
The following poem was written by
John Boyle O'Reilly, the Irish patriot,
and was published in an edition of his
poems. The book is not at present in
print:
Oh. I long for the glow of a kindly heart
And the clasp of a friendly hand!
And I'd rather live In Bohemia
Than in any other land!
There are no titles inherited there:
No hoard nor hope for the brainless heir;
No glided dullard, nobly born
To stare at his fellow with leaden scorn.
Bohemia, has cone but adopted sons:
Its limits where Fancy's bright stream
runs
Its honors not garnered for thrift or trade.
But for Beauty and Truth men's souls have
mads.
To the empty heart in a jeweled breast
There is value, maybe. In a purchased crest;
But the thirsty of soul soon learned to know
The molstureless froth of the social flow;
The vulgar sham of the pompous feast
When the heaviest purse Is the highest
priest.
The organized charity, scrimped and Iced
In the name of a cautious, statistical Christ;
The smile restrained, the respectable cant
Where a friend In need Is a friend in want!
Where the only aim is to keep afloat
And a brother might drown, with a cry In
his throat!
Oh. I long for the glow of a kindly heart '
And the clasp of a friendly hand, ' v 1
And I'd rather Uve In Bohemia ' I
Than. In any other land! ' (