TIIK MORNING OREGOXIAX. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 191Q.
A
13
-,t-rd at l.rtl.4. Oreoo. H-tolAc- "
LiS?ii,.w" iV.VU.rar.t!r In Advance,
(BY HAIL)
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llr. Sund-r Inrl.i.l-l. fvrea anontas.. - f
. i i . mnn!Il.. ' -
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allr'. Hun.lr lDi-:ulJ. en, monttl
F ...... .!,.....- M mtlar. en
' iIy! without SiO'lar. mon-h .... J-;'
ally, without sun-iar. -
allr. nltr.out Bun-la. rov-
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anrla. na yr , .j
dunday lad -tr. on- J
lilt CARtllER
Pa'lr. Sij-'sr imli-l 1. on ..... -J
Lrr. tundtv i .-iui-. n,"i,"'-;,;;
.i- 54rwl pot-filc- roon-y
. to . p.. 4 cnt. rorio p..t
dM rat. . -,...
r..t- nai-e- of. t'r "-"r-
lln ...- ..r. H-un.-i.K t-ullJln. Chi
cago. tieT lw:I4.ni. .
roRTU5D. THinnr. pr.c. is. t-
mr. Roo-r. r ir ynn. nriE-
If men could be trusted to act con
trary to their ow Interest.. Mr.
Roosevelt's new plan fr promoting
progress would be extremely attrac
tive. What this plan Is niBy be stated
best In his own words. "I am a radi
cal." the Colonel declared t his dis-
-... 'i. n.-e at New Haven.
1 .m r.i.ll.al a ho Hios-l ear
nestly denres to sec a radical J r-
gramme carried out by ootsrrmmu.
1 wish to see itreat Industrial reforms
carried out. rit by the men who will
profit by them, hut by men who Mill
le by them, by Just such men s
.... - urnnm.4 me I bli'VC mtxt
mphallal!y In rrorrv. whi-h !.hall
be sane. The imineniate inierem-w
.ki.t, ln.vlr.il.iv draws from tli!
In that protre.i when It Is carried out
by Ita friends Is aure to dc insane.
But tre do n"t Lh to ru.h Into
hasty ronrtuaion. Mr. ISoiwevelfa
remarks merit attentive examination,
and. to far a. we are concerned. It
shall not be denied them. me
ft...i. nf hu aif.lr. in the New Haven
Chamber of Commerce lay the pos
tulate that wealth win nt 01 hm-h
attain to an equitable distribution.
Wa thought at one time mat it '.
i . ..nnr-to rtf hlstOTV haS
shown us bw erroneous this suppo
sition was. 1 ne nnuai ..ir.n"
of the natural la or wnnonum
piled up our wealth In hue maisf
leavinr multitudes of people In want.
Va must therefore interfere wnn
those natural la and ex.-rt human
Intelligence to brlns about a better
tte of thlnirs.
This Is what Mr. noo-evelt seems
to understand by progress. The defl-
rlrlon might pojwmiy m
upon, but It d'es very well. It will
serve. lUvlrir thus mudo up our
min.u what nrocress Is. naturally tho
next step is to determine how we
shall bring It to pass. Shall we en
trust the protiiem or uisiriuuwuu
tha friends of equity or to lt ene-
I l- lnnVlr KAS. "TO It
inirv . . " .... .
enemlet. because they wi:i carry It out
aanely." The conclusion Is haxnrd
eir. History rather tends to tench
as that that would not carry It out
at all. It la a common trmrai i"
measures of reform. In order to be
made effective, must be committed to
k rii.v in them and the
opinion is irroundrd upon centuries
of almost ur.rnnlfS experience. Mr.
Roosevelt a nspirauon to see r.iw"
principle put In practice by men who
will lose through their operation t
beautiful. It shows that In his heart
he cherlshea a touchlns confidence in
human nature. The somen hat un
kindly vicissitudes of Ilia later career
.mliliiirr.l his soul or
wrecked his simple faith In his f.-l-
low-men. This la a loveiv aiaie
mind. In which we hope Mr. Itoose
velt will continue to dwell, but we
"fear It haa betrayed him Into poiltlcnl
conclusions which will prove tnus-
leadln If Ihrr are widely auopteo.
It baa happened now and thn In the
course of history that some er.-ep-
iji.l.l,,Bl hat n.'Ied In tollttcS
'una iiniii ...
contrary to his private Interests. Men
have occasionally a.irocairi U' iriii-
which they knew would destroy their
fortunes ard Imperil their power, but
nhin r the kind haever been
dope by a sroup. or class, of men.
The jrlaxtna- weakness or air. i.oo.fj
velfa a. heme lies In the fact that It
asks a Urt;e tln of Individuals to
abandon their rn c. onoml.- advan
tage and work heart and soul for that
of their cs forttmare f. 'low-iilien.
N' plan of rrl 'tm can le carrn a out
unlesa sor-ieh-lv works In art and
! tain.. r. 'Arm Is always
dlfflmlt and perpl. xli and Its dM.ills
demand pntlenl ilrmiRery una timui
less sacrifice. Mr. Hoo.evelt epe. It
thLs drudaery and s-tcrlflce to be of
fered bv the enemies of the purpose
to be italned by It. Was there ever
a wilder prvposal ma.ie ty a nai-a-
man? If history teacnesj nay r-e.-on
with unerring clearness It Is this, that
no elua of men n ever anen no
voluntarily an advantage which It has
one acquired. individual, as
- . w . uim,HmM .lone so under
U III II. II"'!1 .
the lnfluem-e of phllcaophy or relicion
r "trong emotion, put a social t,-m.
Berer. Social classes do not feel
strtire emotion except when their In
. . inTiHi.H. Thev arc not
undents of rhllosophy and they are
never cop verted to reupion. - mini
rtasa. as a class, has feeling and In
telligence for ono ohj-ct and no more.
That fhjevt Is Its own welfare.
To Mr. Rooseevlt'a scheme of turn
ing reforms over to conservatives for
execution there Is an obvious correl
ative which woui.l be to deliver con
servative measures up to the radicals.
If only conservatives can carry out
reforms sanely, then it follons as a
matter cf course that nobody but
radicals can carry out conservative
Ideas sanely, and we easily deduce
the remarkable general rule Tor what
we may call perhaps 'The New Toli-tles.-
ef a!was entrusting your meas
ure to their foes. In that way alone
will von insure their sane execution.
For example. If you wish to revise the
tariff downward, call upon the mag
nates of the Steel Trust to do IU
Revert experience tells us how beau
tifully the Idea works out In prac
tice. It seems Irreverent to apply the
wort childish to the deliberate utter
ance of a revered citizen, and yet no
other flu Mr. Roosevelt's project so
exactly. He has been a.cied of
dealing In platitudes m ofton that
perhaps In this New Haven speech he
made up hi mind to say something;
porei ir he died for It. Certainly he
achieved his ambition as far as nov
elty Is concerned, but the lack of wis
dom Is so plentiful that one almost
seskst ha bad stuck to Ui familiar
er-i.r. ipr, er-l-r or pr. nl ; ';"
J.ur loral kJr. Sla-ina. coin or "'J J
cMr. In f-'i. lnrl--t!r eo.ir-T ar... '-
maxims and salutary moral aaws
with which he has heretofore favored
and edified us.
If Mr. Roosevelt loses his reputa
tion In bis obvious effort to travel In
two opposite directions at the same
time, the spectacle will be sad, but It
will not be unprecedented. Other
men ss great as he. or greater, have
tried the same trick and suffered the
same fate.
IT IP .XI OtT.
Is there any doubt about the char
acter of Cliff Inn? It la a roadside
house associated In the public mind
with disreputable goings-on and night
ly assignations. A majority of the vot
ers In the precinct, offended by the no
toriety of the place, are asking the
County Commissioners not to renew
the Cliff Inn liquor license. It Is to be
hoped that the Commissioners will
comply with their request. The Cliff
Inn ought to go; so should nil other
Cliff Inns In Multnomah County.
The saloon business in Oregon is on
its good behavior Just now. It pro
fesses to be anxious to "clean up."
rioubtlees It la. 13ut the way to clean
up is to clean It up. The Commission
ers have a duty to perform, and that
Is to require d.-cctvey and ord.-r In th"
sale of ll-iuor. Ju?t as the City Council
has.
One further remark: The saloon or
roadhouse or Inn that excites special
controversy, or invites the particular
attention an 1 criticism through
operations of the people in its neigh
borhood, oucht for that reason to be
deprived of Its license without hesita
tion or scruple. Why should the out
rased people of any community have
to organise and mnke out cu-e
nealnt such a place? Why- should
not tlie saloon have to slow by Its
record tliat It is orderly, law-abiding
and decent?
aim.kntink-s cirE-r wire-tr.
The world's wheat crop for 3 910
was the largest on record, and. while
a good many million bushels were re
quired to bring depleted reserves up
to normal proportions, the surplus
over and above these requirements
should have been sufficient to war
rant much lower prices than have pre
vailed. The high prices that have
ruled throughout the world's markets
for the past two years nave pruiru
so attractive to the foreign competi
tors or the Amencnn mnmiii"--that
there has been no hesitancy
shout selling. For the season to date
Russia. Including the imnuoe. is m.
i ..i ..!,....! nr l.-mt vear at
VUU.VV'J Uil.'II' 19 U"' -
ku -i . Th. vre.mtlne eron is now
coming on the m irket. and if It sells
freely the ofTerii.gs will bo sufficient
with those from Russia to render the-
Kuropean markets in a large nii
Independent of the American wheat
growers. But even the Argentine, which a
few years ago was heralded as the
e ih. anrhl Is showing signs
of weuknesa und with the exception
of the great Canadian Northwest
there is nothing In slht outside of
Russia to make up ror tne iof ui
vieid which the Southern
country was expected to show. The
Argentine, with Its anegea encsp .ou
and cheap labor, seems to be passing
i. ,v.a .una since through
lliroilBtll -
which other countries have passed.
Instead or there being nn unlimited
area of cheap land w hich will turn oft
big cr-ps. a decrease in tne ioiui out
put Is already being discussed.
The Buenos Ayres Standard, In urg
ing the farmers, landowners, railway
companies and .millers to Improve the
standard by the application of better
farming methods and use of better
ii,iii "throua-h the narrow
ing of the scope for extensive cultiva
tion, the exhausting or tne son un"
the keen competition with other coun
tries in the markets of the world and
the greater cost of production brought
about by the increase in the value of
., i i n.i the alterations In the
conditions of labor, the time has ar
rived when the Argentine inrmer can
tia longer afford to look upon a yield
of 1 1.43 bushels per acre as the cli
max of his ambitions."
While tho yield mentioned Is con
siderably less than that of the United
Stales, when the price of land and la
bor Involved In the production of
wheat In the Argentine is considered,
i. i. ..n.innhiedlv vastly more protlt-
nhie to Ibe grower than American
wheat Is to tho grower in mis coun
try. ,
FTB AND the prtia r.
Klsewhcre In Tho Oregonlan there la
published a communication from a
spirit!.-! citing tin alleged Incident in
Portland, as placing another plank
across the gulf between tho temporal
and spiritual worlds.
The evidential value of the Inci
dent Is Impaired by a number of con
siderations. For one thing. It is de
scribed too vaguely. The writer mis
overlooked many essential details
without which his story Is worthless
so far as evidence Is concerned.
There are a vrust number of tales of
this kind floating about. Some or
them are much morn wonderful than
th one narrated In this letter. Here
and there one of them may possibly
be true. W e do not wish to dogma
tiio on tho subject. Rut the lack of
proper evidence renders them utterly
unconvincing and no donbt puts spir
itualism In a worso position than Its
Intrinsic merits deserve. It l.s a plly
that believers do not provide some
wav of furnishing unimpeachable tes
timony to the occurrence of the nu
merous miracles they observe.
Rut grentlng that the details given
are true In every particular, ft seems
to The oregonlan that there Is a
phase therein as worthy or pondering
over as the evidence It provld-s of
spirit communication. U leads one
into the mystic realms of fatalism.
We derive the understanding from
this highly interesting letter that Fate
picked one Weesmon for severe chas
tisement and that with the aid of
spirits a medium wrested the secret
from the Goddess and conveyed Us
Import to the unfortunate victim.
This information was not in the form
f a warning to the unemployed
man not to accept a position In a
bakery. It wa positive and definite.
He was ta be burned severely In the
near future.
Certain questions-naturally arise In
this connection. Could the baker by
plunging three fingers Into a pot of
boiling water so soon as he heard
the dire 'news have warded off the
severer chastisement Fate had reserved
Tor him? If he had declined the. Job
In the bakery would he have escaped
and proved the Inaccuracy of spirit
communleatlona or would someone,
for example, have dumped hot ashes
on him from a second-story window?
It would appear that circumvention
was impossible. The victim was a
spiritualist and apparently placed
some reliance on the forecast of com
ing disaster. Certainly his wife did,
for we read that she frequently
warned htm to be careful. Jt Is to
be reasoned that, under the circum
stances, he was careful. Tet there
was no use to kick against the pricks.
He was to be burned and burned he
was.
Surely to accept the Incident as
proof of the genuineness of spirit
communication one also must accept
fatalism as a tenet of the faith. But
If the main thing that spiritualism Is
to give us Is forecasts of Impending
good fortune or disaster. It would bo
better for the world If we let these
gossipy ghosts go their own way while
we go ours. Ixmg anticipation dulls
the edge of keenest delight and the
poignancy of sorrow Is only Intensi
fied by knowledge or Its forthcoming.
The Incident if true embraces a lesson
for all who accept that scriptural ad
monition. "Sufficient unto the day IS
the evil thereof." and this lesson may
be expressed In the words, "Keep
away from tho mediums."
XtlV RAILW AY AND NEW POM Kit.
Tho .Mount Hood Railway Is about
to become something m-sre substan
tial than a long-cherished dream. Fur
several years the enterprlt-e has had
a precarious existence. Now It Is
obviously backed by men of means,
reputation, energy and purpose. They
are building a railroad to Mount
Hood via Uresham and they will de
velop an Immeiit-c water power on
Bull Run for the purpose of supply
ing Portland and Its suburbs with
light and power.
The power project U not second to
tho railroad In value and Importunce.
It Is indeed highly desirable that en
couragement be given to the com
pany to develop all or the possibili
ties and potentialities of Bull Run
River or any other stream tributary
to Portland. Light and power can
not be too cheap or abundant.
The Mount Hood Railway and
Power Company Is asking for a
franchise over Portland streets. A
rranchlse sareguardlng the city's In
terests and the company's Interests
. ,A ha Brnni-H. The out
line of the proposed franchlso already
published would seem to be reason
ably satisfactory. Probably it will be
well enough to change It In some of
its details, but In substance and form
It seems to he fair to all concerned.
We think the company Is acting In
good faith. It should be met by the
city on that basis. "
Hit: FARM'S RKTAKIHNO INIXl'ENCK.
Columbia County, Washington, has
been producing too much wheat and
barley. The gangplow and the com
bined harvester have made possible
the cultivation of land oh such an ex
tensive scale that the big farms have
swallowed the smaller ones. This sys
tem of absorption hua proceeded so
far that during the ten most prosper
ous years the county has ever known
Its population has actually decreased
131. As the population of Dayton, tho
principal city of the county, has In
creased more than 800 In the same
ten years, it is not difficult to trace the
drift from the country to the city.
Columbia County, pointing with pride
to its reputation as the greatest barley-producing
county in the state,
and also to its heavy production of
wheat, apparently does not regard the
record In this particular as dlsaflvan
tageous to her general prosperity.
But within the confines of Columbia
County there are already located fruit
and vegetable farms which produce
greater net Incomes from ten and
twenty acres than are taken from
grain farms of ten times the size. The
economic advantage in the small farm
does not cease with creation of as
much real, tangible wealth from ten
acres as may be derived from a grain
crop on 100 acres. The fact that ten
families can make a living in fruit and
diversified farming on the same
amount of lund needed to enable one
grnlngrower to keep even shows the
tremendous advantage of the small
farm to the community and the state.
(.rningrowlng for many years has
paid largo proilta on comparatlvely
smnll Investments. Not only In Co
lumbia County, but In other portions
of Oregon and Washington, has the
small settler with, his little ramily
been replaced by the hired man of
the bonanin grnlngrowers. Every lo
cality where this change has taken
place has been loser because the soil
was not making, and never will make,
the maximum returns when used ex
clusively for wheat. The grain traffio
was formerly very attractive to the
railroads, but experience has shown
railroad men that for both passenger
nnd freight tmfllc a thousand acres of
wcll-teniled small farms are worth ten
thousand acres of wheat land.
The Freewater-Mllton fruit district
Is only a few miles from Columbia
County, which has made such a strong
showing In groin and such a poor
showing In population, and from that
district there has been shipped this
season nearly 1000 carloads of fruit
and vegetables a greater and vastly
more valuable tonnage than was. ever
moved out In grain In the palmiest
days of the Industry. Numerically,
Columbia County's loss of population
does not make a very heavy showing,
hm tho causes which are responsible
ror the shrinkage reflect a great loss
In tho failure of the farmers to make
the most of the opportunities which
the rich soil nnd good cllmnte present.
AN OLD MAN " PABADISK.
General Simon Bolivar Buckner, ex
tiOTenior of Kentucky and noted Con
federate leader. Is living in the log
cabin that his father built in Hart
County. Kentucky. 103 years ago. In
this cabin he was born eighty-eight
years ago, and he declares that he'
would not change his home and sell
his lands for all the wealth of the
Rockefellers. The ".simple life" lived
by the old General is thus described
by himself:
t mlpe own trtbsceo. and I have a
fin. m'nt l.eo. and rr.V old o,.c. G-norol.
Vols Ins tail Ty time I walk Into th.
?r"n! Vrd Tli.ro Is a roo.l aprlng Just
ouV. de th. door. Tho wal.-r jim anahes
?rom th. rocks. od It Is ru. cool nnJ pur.
iaanv (talrr In th. world. Alon the
!!nf. Br ih. little .trc.rn that trickles
from th. ...rmg grows Urn fln mint In
,lr world Thti w.r and this mint, wh.n
i,hln.d with a little of Kentu.-k's l.t
i.Trla? ttiak. th? finest mint Jul.,, In the
w rid T wouldn't Klve up this homo for
r.. palare of a klnn. Mr. YamWhllt ond
r tl.'ckrf.ll.r. wuh all of th.lr mon.y.
?,uMn buy my puo. up In llart bounty.
I would not trade It for all of th.lr plarMi
and all "f th.lr rich... Th.y n..d n.v.r
f-v to mk. me an offer bvi... I would
refuse all their property for thnt log cabin
and that soring and that mint ben.
Naturally, the estate of the old man
Is one of contentment: his home is the
best and dearest spot to Mm In all
the world. This lc especially true in
thu case of the aged maa -who live
where his father lived and died and
whose horizon has, practically speak
ing, been outlined by his native hills.
The contentment of which General
Buckner boasts would be Impossible
for a young man, were he to acquire
the Buckner lands by purchase and
nftemnr to settle down in the century-
old cabln( which fills every Ideal of
life for the aged nan who acquired
it by inheritance and to whom It is en
deared by the associations of a long
life. This was the Ideal state as sung
by Joaquin Miller:
Kr. man knew madness and learned to roam
From th. ' Easi to tile W.t. th whole
World wld.. . V".,...
Lived th.lr faih.rs had lived nd flien.
Lived so and loud for thousand years.
Here Is a key to the unrest that we
call progress tho wander-lust that
kent John Watson (Ian McLaren) out
among his fellow men and gavo him
the enlarged mental vision that en
abled htm to write of the "Simple
Iilfe": that sends Theodore. Roosevelt
In constant quest for smnct ning. while
he preaches Incessantly against rest
lessness and counsels to homebuild-
lnK- , n
"At rest in all this moving, up and
down," is (ietieral HUckner in his old
man s paradise, but only after he grew
old did he Mud Ihe honors of life
uenrlsomn and Its moving up and
down dIMMMcfiil. It would. Indeed, be
a linn thing If every old man had Such
a retreat during tho evening or Ufa
nnd wan content as he to abide there
in. Rut It will bo a ad day for the
race, foreshadowing decline and de
cay when Ihe young and middle-aged
arc as ready to fold their hands in
idleness, natlsflod with what Nature
brings to their doors.
The extent of the work of the Port
land Seamen's Friend Society is shown
In the annual report of the secretars".
Just issued. In It, it Is recorded that
more than SO. 000 seamen visited tho
mission In the past year. This Institu
tion is one of- the most deserving of
Portland's public organizations, and is
entitled to better support than it has
been given In the past. Aside from
the social and religious features of the
matter, the business interests of the
port are Involved In the success of
the work carried on by the society.
Anything that improves local condi
tions for the sailor enhances the repu
tation of the port and commends it to
favor with shipowners. The sugges
tion that the pastors in Portland
churches co-operate with the society
to the extent that the cause of the sea
men may be brought before all or the
people of the city Is a good one. Thus
far the burden of maintaining this
most important .Institution has fallen
on a few publld-spirited men, and It
is. only fair that It should be distrib
uted among a larger number who are
equally interested in the good name of
the port.
Persons who profess to see the hand
of Providence in many incidents which
"Just happen" will find something o
Interest In the O. R. & N. trainwreck
yesterday. The timely presence at the
right moment or a train ar loaded
rrelghtcars which were "slde-swlped'
and acted as a cushion for the mon
ster locomotive and the train that fol
lowed it Into the station at frightful
speed was one of the features of the
miracle, and the escape of the engi
neer and firemen from the mass or
tangled wreckage that was piled up in
the yards was another. The cause or
the accident has not been announced,
but the irony or fate was shown in a
prostrate safety block signal post lying
by the wrecked engine and splintered
cars. Block signals are useless when
the air falls to work and the train
starts to run away on a grade.
The Hawthorne-avenue bridge is at
last readv for service, and it is a hand
some and well-built structure. The
lift draw, which is something new in
this city. Is a wonderful Improvement
over the slow-moving swing draws,
which at the present time contribute
so largely to the delays in traffic.
There not only will be a great saving
In time in opening the bridge for ship
ping, but, in the absence of a center
drawspan, much greater room Is given
for the handling of ships passing
through. The plan for segregating
cars, teams and foot passengers will
also contribute greatly to the racility
with which streetcar passengers can
get back and forth across the river.
The experiment with char-pitting
undertaken by the V. B. Holbrook
Company near Goble and detailed in
another column promises to be of
immense value to the owners of
logged-off lands in tho Pacific North
west. It Is indicated that tho work
Is In progress under so adverse con
ditions as to test thoroughly the mer
its or Ihe char-pitting process of
clearing land. It is Just such an ex
periment as has been needed to re
move the element of theory from the
process and put It on a practical basis.
President Butler, of Columbia Uni
versity, is a bit premature In putting
the t'nlted States in a class with
China and India. Uncle Sam will take
a good many censuses before our rich
soil Is cultivated with uch Intensity
as that of France and Germany. It
in well to remember that oor popula
tion must treble before the farmers
get to crowding one another.
Industrial reforms by men who will
lose bv the proposition, says T. R.
That's the stuff. For a committee to
reform the tariff on steel, we nomi
nate Judge Gary. V. E. Corey and tho
Laird of Skibo.
Fast Klghtv-second street Is to be
macadamized." Here is fact that did
not enter into the dreams of "Uncle
Jimmy" Stephens, one of the founders
of East Portland.
If Oregon were as thickly settled
as Rhode Island, Its population would
be close to 50.000.000. Rhode Island
leads all states with 514.4 persons to
the square mile.
. Part of Carnegie's new peace fund
could profitably be devoted to heal
ing the rupture between warring
stockholders in the Portland Hotel
Company.
Falling into Una with modern no
menclature. Klamath Falls may Just
as well begin now to drop the pos
terior half of its name.
Dr. Woodrow Wilson has already
shown that he isn't a practical poli
tician at least not one of the old
Democratic school.
Well, Portland geta a bit of free
advertising, if nothing more, out of
Millionaire Merritta skyscraper-
TALK OP DAT IS ABOUT APPLES
Every Maw Tow Meet KmVi All About
Orcharcllslna; In Oregon.
Chicago Post.
Fashions change in conversation as in
clothes. But we shOtiM fay that the
modet in talk at this season in Chicago
are anything out nooDiea. mosc one",
at any downtown club,' they run this
way : .
A (belligerently) Tou can grow 'em
Just as well in Michigan as you can in
Oregon.
B Yes, but you can t snip em.
C It's the cold weather that does it.
Uiunn ill i " " iLiiii-.
resist decay for weeks after they're laid
. t An.nn-.ttiT.. th.v can
down in Liverpool.
A Rut 1 tell you. there are trees over
near Bt. Joe that have borne for 40 years,
and been commercially profitable four
seasons out of live.
n ' I - naslnfAU VA i (' P I O lit
West t'hey make' It live out of Ave.
E (suddenly) They've liaa irosis
Michlcun. New York and Massachusetts
as late as May 20.
Tt The onlv thine to ao is to ko iu
Oregon and get land In ono of these pro
too. .I vtillavv at the nroner altitude. I
takes about six years to got your trees
bearing on a money-making bnsls. out
n.r that vnii fan eome bacU home an
live In luxury the rest of your life.
F. G, H, 1 and J then chime In with
statistics and vivid word pictures of the
exact state of things In the poniological
history of all Northern and Western
states. , .
All the talk is or "Apples." The inti
mate habits of this heretofore rather
commonplace and ill-bred fruit are now
known and openly discussed In ei-ery
spot where young university men gather.
Pears sometimes come In for a little
respectful notice, rrom 10 to 3V people
starting at once to tell how they should
be raised if they are to compare wltn
the exquisite product of trio Rhone Val
ley. Also, pecan nuts a;-e treated of in
an offhand way that suggests ihe experi
ence and authority of a Burbank.
If but one or two enthusiasts pos
sessed special Information on apples,
pears or pecans, and tho rest of us -oija
around as listeners, the situation would
not be so surprising. But. as it Is now
in Chicago, every man you me't seems
to know all about fruit farming. Not
one of them has ever farmed, of course,
but each is ready to tell Just what shoiila
be done in order to get the best results
and where Jt ought to be done.
Twenty years ago. before the nig
frost." orange growing in Florida was
the great big agricultural topic for ctjr
people. But during the hectic height of
that excitement we none of us pretended
to absolute knowledge as to proper
methods of treating the soil and caring
for the trees. We were content to take
these things on trust and concern our
selves only with the grateful-paper-certainty
of 1000 per cent profits.
It may be suggested this new habit
of talk is due to the recent land show.
But this we would be inclined to doubt.
The habit is too general. The show
doubtless helped some, but It did not
Start the frull-f arming bee to buzzing.
The thing that did it. In our iudgment
Is the marvelous development of the
technical jargon of the whole back to
the land- movement. In the old das
any man who talked about farming had
,io in terms to which the stage
Reuben" had given a "JajT conno u
tlou. Today if a man talks "d';
.. . i it Is snaom. new
ih?n,n2ort. that pre
to-date Business ii.-...w. t, .
big difference. Taken all in all it s the
best press agent the apple ever had
next to the story of its first appearance
in the Garden of Eden.
Onra a Better System.
Charleston News and Courier.
Often it has been argued that our
system of representation Is poor, owing
to the impossibility of appealing to the
electorate Immediately on any great
question of the day. In contrast the
continental system of an appeal to the
country whenever a vote of want of
confidence In a ministry is recorded or
when the voice of the people Is desired
has been painted as a superb one. As
a matter or fact, had we the English
system our trade supremacy would be
greatly hampered. The present hnglish
elections follow closely on the Previous
ones, and it is quite possible that the
vote in Ireland, or even the vote in
England, may so confuse Issues as to
render another appeal to the people in
the near future imperative. The cost
of these elections -Is great, and they
are often wholly Indecisive. Moreover
the people are forced in many Instances
to vote on question before they have
had adequate opportunity in which to
study them. Business Interests in the
meantime do not know where they
Ttand. which means a want of confi
dence, the most dangerous of all foes to
business.
Crooks Disguise Teelb.
New York Press.
Slick criminals nowadays have a cer
tain class of dentists make for them
thimble crowns to put on and take off
In the bat of an eye. Such rroB9
an be swallowed without putting the
fingers to the mouth. Some mechanical
crooks take a thin sheet of gold and
make their own nippers. -Others wipe
the tooth dry and then put or, gold foil,
something like the way painters put on
window signs in gold letter ng. ,Th
makes Identification difficult. If not
Impossible, because complainants and
witnesses give, the description of an
offender with one or several gold teeth.
and when the rigni. crone. ,
the eons and brought In lor mspecuu...
ndPbcl"o there is not a sign of a
lo ana i" ii("'j. - , ,,.
gold tooth, so out he goes and makes
. . . .i.i. v.i w en 1 1 teeth.
un again wun """' , - - - .
Other crooks have a fine set of natural
looking china teeth and slip them in or
out to suit the occasion.
passion riay Yield. 4eT.150.
Berlin Cor. New York Times.
The gross receipts of this year s Pas
alnn Piav at Oberammergau are offi
cially reported as 1467.150. After de
fraying the costs of the production and
other Tncidental expenses
mains to be distributed, and $181,600 to
be divided among 860 performers.
The managers of the play, musical
directors, chief cashier and portrayers
of Christ. Pilate. Caiphas, ITe.rod and
speaker of the prologue will receive
6"i each for six months' service, the
other salaries to be In proportion to
the importance of the-respective roles.
The men and women who played so
vividly as members of the crowds In
the streets of Jerusalem will receive
i-0 each and school children $7.50 each.
Two thousand six hundred and twen-tv-flve
dollars will be given to the
loot, and the balance of $108,750 will
remain In the village treasury for com
munal purposes.
New Definition et Ckristmaa.
PORTLAND, Dec 14. (To the Edi
tor i want you to hear my sister's
definition of Christmas: I think you
til appreciate it: "Christmas Is the
reason of the year when you find a
tot Sf tired people at the Postoff ce,
each wtth a yard of tongue hanging
out of his mouth at the extreme end
of which is a postage stamp.
B. M.
Cblldhood Habit.
Philadelphia Inquirer.
A Louisiana postmaster has been
fined $500 for kissing a pretty widow,
just can't seem to get over the way
they used to play postofflce when he
was a kid, probably.
pterins One Should tne For Libel.
Pittsburg-Gazette-Tlmes.
A London paper calls Mr. BaKour 'the
William J. Bryan of English politics,
although he has led his party only
twice to defeat
SUCCESSFUL WORK
Actaal Experience In Bornlng Oregon
Kalns at an Eis.uk of 10 to
PORTLAND, Bee. 14. (To the Editor.)
We have read with much Interest The
Oregonian's recent editorial on cheap
land clearing, and were specially im
pressed with those sentences referring
to the conditions under which the flem
onstrator of the char-pit system usually
works, 1. e., the favorable conditions
under which the public believes he
usually operates.
Our firm has been very much inter
ested in the char-pitting process of rid
ding land of stumps, and recently at
tended a demonstration at Chehalis,
Wash., given by the Chehalis Citizens'
Club, at which both Professor Sparks
and Mr. Thompson were present. There
we saw the regulation process of "laying
the fire around the stump, covering it
properly and watching It as one would
an ordinary charcoal pit, and lo! tliu
J tnmg was none.
. 1 We saw that as many others did. and
esia. : 1 .i 1. . i. i.
vMim bax-kirz with a reasonable amount
of monev and trying the process on:
with common labor, to determine Its
commercial value. We own a large tract
of land near Goble, this state, to whieii
we repaired, and erected a bunk house,
a .cook house, hired a crew of in to 1"
men, and proceeded, as above described,
to char-pit stumps. Whil we succeeded
In the main, we had considerable trouble
with some of the tires, and promptly de
cided that the conditions at Goble were
not the same as the conditions at Che
halis. and began to "change" and "im
prove" the method to fit the conditions,
with the result that we got farther from
the real char-pit system with every
change or improvement we thought we
were making. We argued that at Che
halls the demonstrator had dry stumps,
drv wood and dry earth to cover with,
which would be the ideal condition for
char-plttlnc: while we had wet stumps,
ordinary wet wood rubbish to be found
on logged-off land for fire and wet soil,
that our conditions were so entirely dif
ferent that we better do a little think
ing for ourselves, and promptly thought
out trouble without end.
We then sent for Professor Sparks with
a view of calling him to account and
seeing what he could do with the un
favorable conditions suc!h as we were
encountering, and we wanted to see him
bum some wet stumps and rotten
stumps. The professor came, promptly
looked the situation over, told us of all
our troubles before he attempted to char
pit a stump, and then actually did pre
pare a dozen stumps for utter destruc
tion In not to exceed one-fourth the
labor we had expended In all our fires
or char-plts, and with an ease and con
udence that would certainly have reas
sured any doubter that there wa3 at
least o-.ie man in this community who
had absolute confidence in the char-pit
svstem of removing stumps under any
and all circumstances and conditions.
These fires were set by Professor
Sparks December 1 and 2, and. barring
the fire around one stump, the balance
are all burning exactly as desired, and
the one poor tire is doubtless the result
of some Inattention on our part. We
wish to sav that this work was done
during the last 10 days of Incessant ram
every one knows has been falling In
this country. We are of the firm belief
that we can actually remove stumps at
a cost df 10 to $50 per acre and much
less, practically $10 to $35 per acre. Wo
are making arrangements to have Pro
fessor Sparks visit our place at least
once a month and help us to get this
method down to a system whereby com
mon labor may be employed, ar.a every
farmer may learn Just how to handle
the char-pit method and succeed Id re
moving stumps.
-Where the bulk of the cost of clear
ing land' Is removing stumps, a method
of this kind will be worth, as The Ore
gonian says, millions of dollars to the
"while the method Is being promoted
by a man of Professor Sparks' type, who
is not only a thorough demonstrator but
a real teacher, one of those rare men
who know no difference in persons, and
whose only mission at this time Is to
spread information concerning the char
pit method, we can assure any person
PIGS' BOXES WITH THOSE OP K-lVG
Dl9,nterment of Henry T. -- Be-
lief He Was Murdered
TCew Vork Press.
The remains of Henry vi " '
who died (probably murdered) in tha
The remains of Henry VI of England
Tower of London on May 21, 1471, were
recently dug up again, for inspection,
from beneath one of the arches in St
(ieorge's Chapel at Windsor. The bones
of this unhappy monarch have been
of this unhanpy monarcn navo "
mUed aboriost as much as be wae
r.,....i- jwnc- his 50 vears of life.
As a result of recurring attacks of
insanity and constitutional timidity, he
spent a considerable part of his life In
the tower, and between times was
hustled about England from battlefield
lo battlefield by his nobles and hla
wife. After his murder in 14il the
boilv was embalmed and taken up the
Thames to Cliertsey Abbey. Richard
III dug up the bones in 1484 and placed
them in Windsor Castle. In the inter
vening 400 vears the chapel where they
hud heen refloored and
considerably changed, and some doubt
consinerauiy mis ""ii-, the
to -exregardlnthe
rct site of the grave. The recent
resurrection was for the purpose or
setting these doubts at rest. -
The things of chief Interest In con
nection with the event were contained
in the report of Dr. Macallster. pro
fessor of anatomy at Cambridge, the
only scientist present. Extracts from
his official statement are given:
"The bones were those of a fairly
strong man. who was at least 6 feet 9
inches In height. The bones of the
head were much broken. They were
thin and light, and belonged to a skull
well formed, but small in proportion to
the stature. It was clear from a por
tion of a lower Jaw found that its teeth
were lost some time before death Some
of the bones of the body were missing,
tost probably at the time of the trans
fer from Chertscy. By some strange
nHschance the humerus of a small p !
was found with the King bones in
the casket. On one of the pieces of the
Mia little brown hair still clung,
and there were blood stains on other
The' s-nashed condition of the skull
S(,ems to Justify the belief that Henry
VI was murdered, and probably in a
brutal way. The small size of the head
in relation to -the body may hare ac
counted for his mental deficiencies.
These and the fact that the King had
brown hair appear' to constitute the
entire scientific results of the investi
cation A competent morallzer might
use some ink to good advantage over
the pig's bones, by some strange and
grotesque mischance laid carefully
awav in this royal tomb by the side of
an English King. The bones, except
that of the pig, were placed in a new
casket and reburied In the same crypt.
A Charter For a Family-
, New York Cor. Kansas City Star
BT?kl5;? J t0h.ar.a " lVZfot
family- Under the name "The Jacob
son Family" 85 relatives have applied
for papers Of Incorporation "for the
purpose nf obtaining co-operation in
social, family and business affairs.'
The heads of the organization are Mr.
and Mrs. Abraham Jacobson, who are
i. 4 lift
The corporation will hold monthly
11 hold montniy
may eventually
entertainments, n
undertake some business venture.
AT CHAR-PITTING
Fir Stomps Daring Steady December
33 an Acre How to Do It,
that if he will follow the method Pro
fessor SDarks teaches, it simpiy cannot
be a failure.
We are running a crew of 10 men, com
mon laborers hired at Second and Bum
side streets, paying $2.50 per day wages;
are keeping a careful account of ex
penditures, noting exactly the number
of stumps in every tract and the size
of each of them. This Is the first com
mercial test of this kind ever made in
Oregon. While we haven't completed the
clearing of the first tract undertaken,
the results today show that we will b
able to keep within the cost above
stated, and it to include tho losses in
cident to failure to observe the method
taught by Professor Sparks. We doubt
if there be an acre of stumps in Oregon
that could not actually be burncii out,
including all their roots, save possibly
a few small ones that any one team
could remove, for less than $"5 per acre
where the soil conditions have anything
like the per cent of clay that is found
around the Columbia River Valley.
It would be very hard for us to give
a plain and simple description of how
to char-pit a stump other than to repeat
the general Instructions first to remove
the bark from llio stump from the ground
up to about 18 inches, leaving a part
of this litter on (he ground cioe to the
stump, to protect the tiro and 'tinrtluig
to be laid from the damp e.irth. Then
a small amount of split wood or lry
rubbish of any kind that the kindling
can ignite Is placed over it, being care
ful not to get too much. Then cover
slichtly with slices of soil spaded very
carefully, each slice about Lute Inches
thick and laid carefully against and on
the wood, so as to leave tame opentns"
around the bottom for dralt and other
openings part way up to lo: the srfiokn
and moisture escape, but ihe upper part
of the covering, say about 12 inches from
tiie stump down, to be npt'.y tight to
conserve the heat.
It is always well to cover the wood
next the stump with a Utile tine bark
or weeds of any kind to keep thrj top
covering from falling on tho wocd 1 e-
tween the fire and the stump. Aner mi
lire lias ucmi ugmcu , .... -....e
the side of the stump from which the
wind is coming, it suuuiu
carefully, and as soon as the kindlin-J
is ignited all around the stump, if th.i
wood is good, it will soon catch, and it
Is surprising what a small amount is
necessary to oxidize or char the side of
the stump to a degree where fire will
catch on it. as tne woou aim wmi"i'n
i .v.a y,nt earth automatically
falls down against the fire of the stump.
ana it it is not coveieu iuu we,"- j"
may expect the fire to continue eating
and charing on until- xnn iup ui
stump falls off. By keeping a little di.t
pushed on as the fire proceegs. yon will
r .!- ,lnr, r-auarad With S.
nave tne eimic iiuiuuu
thin covering of dirt, about the (ami
amount as Is used to cover a cumhi.i
l I, n.n.etn'l ha too tlirht Of the ttaSC
cannot escape or the air will get Into
the fire ana it. win aio urn,
mass of charcoal. It is right here m
this part of the work that requires the
best Judgment of the operator. 1. e., Ju.t
the proper amount of wood and covering
properlv to fire the stump and no more.
You will understand that it is hard to
express this on paper, but It is easily
learned when one sees the work done.
We are still working a crew of 10 men
and shall continue for at least a year
trying one five and 10-acre tract after
another: keeping a careful account of
the labor as regards removing stumps
as well as the expense of the ultir-iate
preparation of the land for the plow. V e
shall do as much of this work as pos
sible under the direction of Professor
Sparks, that the best results may be ob
tained. We make .a careful count of all
the stumps on the ground, taking note
of their size and condition, and beueve
we will soon be able to make a report
on the commercial value of this mel.iod
applied to land clearing where large
stumps are a considerable proportion of
the cost of clearing. The main feature
Is that no cash outlay is required and
really any one can do It. A person may
not be able to make charcoal and yet
would be an adept at char-pitting : stumps.
ASOTHER SPDHTIIAUST PLANK.
lZ'
tAt ATM-rv nr. Dec 12. (To the
A Wll ijj . . ... .
Editor.) On December 4 The Oregoman
I devoted space Tin the editorial columns
ao p New on
to an article entitled "New Ugbt oh
the Spirits," and seems to glory 'n tne
fact that through the supers and en.
lightened brain of "G. Stanley Hall, ably
assisted by Dr. Amy E. Tanner there
i was crai." - ,,
with but : . . exception tore minute
was conducted a series or
WlLll OIK. uiw '1'" " . ,.
.i,.a,io tho hnrir unon which the spirit
ualists were stanamg o.u ... . ..
between them and the deep ocean, there
remained only one plank.
That one plank so kindly left for
us to stand on by the two able scien
tists who have striven to shatter all
belief In spirit existence and return Is
the statement that they were unable
to explain bv any test why answers
were given by the medium to hidden
questions or, to use the words of The
Oregonlan, "we understand that Mrs.
Piper has answered blind questions and
subsequent investigation found her to
be correct."
As the two scientists have made tests
so satisfactorily to themselves we
would like to have them give an ex
planation of the following occurrence,
which Is absolutely true and can be
vouchee for. In our own city of Port
land on Sunday. October 30. Mrs. Flora
M Lyons predicted to a gentleman who
sat in the audience at a meet'ng of the
Medium and Ministers' Spiritists So
ciety that he would meet with a severe
accident by burning, but added that,
while it would be painful and eevere.
it would not prove fatal. The gentle
man was a stranger In Portland, and
while himself a spiritualist" laughed
at the prediction, because he at the
time was out of employment.
A few days later he secured a posi
tion with a bakery company on the
East Side, his duties requiring the run
ning of an oil furnace and every day
his wife cautioned him to he careful,
reminding him of the warning. Bit
regardless of his care. Just 13 days
after the prediction was made, the ac
cident occurred, and he was severely
burned on the hands and face by an
explosion of gases In the burner
This gentleman, whose name Is V ees
man. has been disabled about 10 days
and Is rapidly recovering.
Thus It remains for a medium of our
city to substantiate a fact that no scien
tific brain can master and adds another
plank to the one left us by The Ore
gonlan. '
Daddy Long-Legs An Old Settler.
Harper's Weekly.
Everybody is well acquainted with
tho insect called daddy longlegs, but
not everybody knows that there is evi
dence to show that this strange little
creature, towering high upon its
threadlike stilts, is probably a more
ancient inhabitant of America than any
representative of the human species.
'"Modern world, its ancestors lived.
we are told, in ..great numbers in Col-
Far back, In tertiary time, ai in uai.
we are told. In .great numbers In Col
orado. The fossil remains of these in
sects show the characteristic features
that mark them today, although new
species have taken the place of the old;
for even daddy longlegs knows what
evolution Is, and has attained to some
thing that in his view-- Is perhaps a
kind of civilized existence suitable to
i "- -
the exigencies of ; life
in uio uiu
J