10 .THE 3IORNTXG OTIEGOXIAN, FRTDAT. JANUARY 12, 1912. STfr (Dwircmtan Bntered at Portland. Oregon. Poatofflce as cond-c!us Uautr. SuDecnpUoa Kiw Invariably Advaata (Err mn.) rM!:r. gaaa'af' faaiade4. an aemr. ...... M.M Da.:r, lunlay include. a:x montha .... 4.21 Ia:7. Sunday kneaded, thrao moatal. . 1. -S Ia;.y. Sunday Included, oaa aosca..... .TS Daily. w::Aoul Suatlar. oae rear. ....... IM Da.;r. witaeut Sunder, eta naaf ha . . . . a-3 Pally, without Suiwlay. three months... 1. pe::y. without Sunday, ana moata 60 W oaa rear. ........ ...... ....... 1-43 r0lr. ona rear. ........ J.a tSandas aad Weekly, oaa yamy. . ... ..... S tT CABJUiat) De !y. flandiy Included, ana year. ...... e!,y. Sun Jar Included, ona month .l Haw ta Itesmle aand Poateffjc manor or aW. exsreoa nlr ar nayaoaal caeca oa raal aal aar.k. stamps, outa or currency ara a taa mqiti rc uiva poetorrica auui la fa.L fnclu.ifi count and stata. riataie Baaaa la to la aaaea. 1 coat; 1 ta Duel 1 aaata: t ee aaaoa. mu o ta ee g . ranfa Forelaa pasta oauole rata. Eaaura Biilml OffWaa Varra J One lm w Tork. HrunewM:' bull Jlnc Chlr- aero. staves' kulldlas. Ennan OCAae Xa. 9 Bnnl ecreot. W, London. IQaTLaAO, WDir. JAJtl ART IS. 111. ' WBT T V1T 19 "COMIX! B.CK. ' Protor Arnold HaJI. of the trnlveraity of Wisconsin. Is a Lav Fol lette man In Wisconsin, but a. Tart man In the country at large. Stung to speech by a ruimlng Are of criticism, of the President, he mad a a telling rrotv which baa set many a man to thinking; along now lines. The Oat tk. I. vhtlt ttnm mv "hoeitafoii ta criticise TaXt when criticism seemed to it ta be due. has nothing but praise for his tariff policy and for the many measure proposed in hia recent mea miM. The Washington correspondent of the New Tork Tlmos. Philadelphia Ledger and Springfield Republican all sea that Taft la coming back into pub lic favor. The Times correspondent applauds his fearless enforcement of the law against friend and foe alike, and cites as illustrations the Indict ment tinder the anti-trust law of a member of Toft's class at Yale and the fining under the same law of a Na tlonal committeeman who had pre sumed so far on his political services to Tsft as to svek his advice on the legality of some- monopolistic con tracts. He cites also Taft'a refusal to pardon Morse In spite of tremendous pressure, in some cases expressed in insolent terms. Taft'a position ia well slated in the following words of the Ledger corre spondent: Mr. Taft la e-ndently determined base? kis appeal ta tlia Banpt of tha Inrted state upon tha record of bis actual arbleve eaaata. upon tha aa-nlty of hia profraajw for ine conduct of at f sirs of the Nauon. . . Tie country la areaiU'y drtftlns ta Atr. Taft'a punt of view oa tha majority of tha Uaura aooa which tha Presidential campaign moat ee fousht. "The rebound toward popular favor aad prestige of live President" ta at tributed by tha TTCpondent of tha Republican to reabxatlon "that much of the alleged dissatisfaction with tha President and hia Administration was daa to a great deal of selfish talk for mi Dvuaill VI prievuu (ur auu ure progressive cause and Its Presidential aspirants." He sayas that "it la being more and mora felt that a square deal has not been given tie President" and that this has served tu torn the tide In his favor. Taft's methods have been such that be has not secured Immediate credit for his good work. He has left his good work to speak for him, and, though it gains a m n due credit In the end. that end is sometimes long delayed. Ia the mcauytime tha public ear Is filled with the clamor of self seekers and those who cannot conceive of a publlo servant tuurlog no other motive than to render good service to the people. Aa with ona of hia predecessors, tha people should love Taft for the ene mies he has made. Con over the list and see If they are not the right kind af enemies for a man whose sole aim Is to enforce the law as It stands and amend It In such fashion that it shall nore closely conform to Justice. He has prosecuted violators of the in II-trust law with such impartiality '.hat political associates and college classmates are not spared. He has put such life Into this law that these oi en. who sroffed at It as a dead letter, sow beg to have It extended, that the Government may protect them against their own tn-oneness to wrong-doing. These men who have felt the scourge jf the law are his enemiesi Ife has consistently adhered to a :riff policy which will cut out tha graft without Impairing the rational protective features of the tariff; which III relieve tha consumer from extor tion without hardship to the producer; which will make each schedule stand on Its merits, as defined by an Impar tial bo.vd. instead of allowing those Interested in exceswlve duties to pool their Interests In order to perpetuate such dutl.ts. Py securing the Insertion In the Fayne-Aldrlch law of provision for the Tariff Board he Insured that that should be the last tariff bill pre pared under the eld-log-rolling system nd that all future tariff bills should be based on ascertained facts collected by a non-partisan body. So clearly did ha sea that this was the only rational policy that he did not fear to awaken s roar of denunciation by vetoing the Democratic bills which did not con form to tt. The general approval with htch th report of the wool tariff has met. Its a."cevtanee by the standpatters as a guide, tbe embarrassment of tha Irreconcilable- Insurgents and the cries of Democrats for the abolition of the Tariff Board are the vindication of Taft's policy. But he haa made ene mies) of the manufacturers, who sea the end of their tariff graft approach, ing. and of the politicians, who wish tp keep tha tariff in politics for political purpose. Are they not tha tight kind af enemies for a faithful public serv ant T Ha baa conserved the public, domain bv setting aside forest, coal and phos phate land and water-power sitae, and has proposed reform in tha land laws which will conserve this wealth from the exploiter, but will permit Its use. He has thus made enemies of both the exploiters of the publlo domain and the conservationists, who would pre vent Its use. - Ha has approved a plan of mone tary reform which has won the In dorsement of bueineea man. little as well as big. but by so doing he haa In curred tha enmity of those who "see red" at every mention of money, and cX all those in whose disordered brains the greenback and free silver crazes still linger. Ha has secured tha creation of pos tal savings banks In face of bankers protects, and proposes a parcels post, thereby making enemies of tha express companies. He has given a free hand to Colonel Goethala, the canal-digger, at Faoama. and urgeev Congrese to hasten settlement of tolls and manage ment. Ha proposes to abolish use ness navy-yards and custom-houses, though he thereby antagonizes a num ber of petty local Interests and their re presents trees In Congreee. He pro poses a wholesale extension of the civil service system, which would de prive Congressmen of much power and patronage. He saves millions by econ omy in administration and proposes to pot system into the National finances by means of an annual budget. President Taft's enemies are those he has made by dpina- his duty to the X at Ion those who have fallen foul of him because they are enemies of the public good. The kind of enemies he has made are his strongest recommen dation to the publlo confidence. Be ing unpopular with such mew, be should be popular with alL the rest of os. As the people review his work, they more and more realise this fact. That Is w hy he Is "coming; back." oTDtTlAI. WISDOM. TAa may have thought we had something unique when we discovered that in Oregon It ia a crime for a public officer to accept a bribe but not a crime for him to soloclt one. But fully as strange an anomaly exists In Indiana. A dairyman there, we learn from tha Journal of the Ameri can Medical Association, has escaped the penalty Imposed by the pure food law for the sole of filthy milk because the milk In that particular instance was purchased by milk inspectors for purposes of analysis. The Legislature foolishly made It a crime to sell filthy milk "for food." The officers whose duty it was to enforce the law pur chased a bottle or milk to test It, not to drink It. .And so, forsooth, the dairyman committed no crime. The Oregon and Indiana cases are very similar. In each the plain pur pose and Intent of the law is sacri ficed to the sacrednesa of phraseology and the fetich of technicality. There Is very little demand for milk except for use as food. Probably the use of the word In the statute was wholly unnecessary- But there It was. It gave Just as great a psychological tempta tion to the judge to smash It as does the high hat to the boy with a snow ball. Human nature simply overrode common sense. And so, while Indiana has a very good pure milk law appar ently the only way to catch a trans gressor Is to clout some dairy patron over the head and take away for-test- lng purposes the milk the dairyman has sold to him for food. In Oregon the Legislature enacted a statute declaring it a crime for a judge to accept a bribe. Obviously the pur. pose of the law was to Insure Justice to litigants or persons sccused of crime. The Judge who solicits a bribe from a litigant closes his eyes to jus tice. If the litigant pays, the de cision is favorable to him. If he de clines to pay the decision is against him. Justice Is mocked, derided, cast down and trampled upon whether money passes or Is withheld. Tet we are told by a learned and upright court that It Is not a crime, under the Ore gon statute, for a judge's decision to be Influenced by the refusal of a liti gant to pay. It Is only a crime when the decision Is Influenced by his will ingness to pay. Of course this was never the intent of the Legislature. But what does plain Intent signify in the face of un skillful phraseology T Tbe error, when the light of profound judicial wisdom is cast upon it. appears almost ludi crous. Our lawmakers had sought to aafesnaard Jtastice virtue. Instead they enacted a law to prevent wear and tear on United State currency. MXO CXJLLECIC Reed College takes another forward step today. Work will begin opon the first of its permanent buildings situat ed on the grounds where it is hoped the Institution will remain and flour ish as long as people dwell in Port land. The trustees of Reed - College have waited until they were thorough ly prepared before beginning the library and other buildings In which tbe Institution will be housed. Noth ing has been done hastily either In laying plans or in carrying them out. The Reed bequest was secured aftei a tedious legal contest which was conducted with admirable skill to complete success. The president was rhosrn solely because of his fitness for the work which lay before him. A man of great promise and consider able achievement. Dr. Foster has an opportunity to work out a problem which will make him remembered forever. The members of the faculty are distinguished for their ability- to teach. No college in the world aver set out on Its career with fairer pros pects. To none has the future ever ofi'ered a more inviting task. Much independent courage has been displayed In the preliminary organiza tion of Reed College. The resolution to exclude intercollegiate athletics will naturally turn to other Institutions students who care more for sport than for study. Wholesome athletics are encouraged by the faculty, but the mmoraJ rivalry which arises from In tercollegiate games has wisely been precluded. There Is nothing In inter collegiate athletics which can claim approval from a real teacher and a great deal which he must deplore. So far as a spectator on the outside of Its counsels can perceive. Reed Col lege will make Intellectual and moral culture Its aim and purpose. Students will be held to the good old Ideals of intellectual accomplishment. It will be emphatically a place for study. Literature will be esteemed above football and science will be of more Importance than college politics. We suppose there Is something in the common talk that the best thing a student gets from college la associa tion with comrades and the friend ships he forma, but why can he not get all this and at the same time do a lot of studying? Is It not rather a confession of failure on the part of the colleges to admit if they admit It that their teaching ta a thing of minor Importance only? At any rata Reed College makes no such admis sion and we expect that its history will demonstrate the correctness of its position. Mrs. Eva Emery -Dye, of Oregon City, Is weaving a tender chapter of historical romance about the name and endeavor of Charlotte Cauthorn, the first wife of Peter H, Hatch, an early missionary of Oregon and for many years a resident of Oregon City. Char lotte Cauthorn Hatch, hailed by Mrs. Dye as a "forgotten heroine," passed out in her early womanhood a victim to tha hardships and trials incident to the lot of the pioneer mother and mis sionary. Two Infants survived her a daughter, who died many years ago at her father's home in Salem under the tender care of her second mother, and a son who died at Stevenson, ! Wash., a few years ago. Early stu- , rnu u. "'J - - ! University at Forest Grove will recall the weatherbeaten paling fence -tipped with faded black that marked the early grave of Mrs. Hatch on the college campus. A heroine this young woman undoubtedly was. and "forgotten" from the fact that of her co-laborers of that far-away time when Oregon was still a beautiful wilderness, not one survives. But her memory, ten derly resurrected by Mrs. Dye, will "smell sweet and blossom In the dust." SOMR FACTS BUT.! lOXORES. W. J. Bryan continues to assail President Taft's appointees to the Su preme Court as friends of the interests regardless of their record as judges. In Mr. Bryan's estimation any lawyer who has ever taken a fee from a cor poration or who has ever opposed a bill aimed at a corporation is thereby proved a lifelong slave of corporations, with a bias In their favor which can not be overcome. He finds In Judge Van Devanter"s seven years' service as attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad ground for the statement "that the Impression then made upon his mind in favor of the railroads has not had time to wear off." Tet Judge Van Devanter, sitting in the Circuit Court at St. Louis. Joined in the decision dissolving the Standard Oil Company, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court, Frank B. Kel- Iork's experience as counsel for sev eral railroads did not prevent him from prosecuting that suit for the Government to a successful conclusion. P. C. Knox' services to largo corpora tions in Pittsburg did not' prevent him from forcing the dissolution of tbe Northern Securities merger. Attorney General Wlckersham's mind did not become so warped while he was attor ney for the sugar trust and the steel trust as to prevent him from prosecut ing both those trusts and becoming the most successful "trust-buster" In history. Nor was J. jr. Dickinson's long service aa counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad any deterrent to his becoming special counsel for the Gov ernment against the steel trust. It would seem from the record that long service for corporations gave them such an aversion to their em ployers as to create a bias and Inspire a desire to change sides and "swat" ths corporations. Justice Hughes is held up to repro bation because, as Governor, he vetoed the 2-cent-fare bill. His persistence In securing the passage by the New Tork Legislature of the bill creating the Public Utilities Commission, which has slashed fares, freight rates and gas rates, prevented stock-watering and enforced adoption of safety appliances and track Improvements, is ignored. So also is Justice Hughes" record In divulging the sins of the New Tork gas trust and the Insurance companies. Hughes once upon a time vetoed a bill reducing fares that Is enough in Mr. Bryan's estimation; what else he did counts for nothing. By such assaults Mr. Bryan once more vindicates the wisdom of the people in thrice refusing to elect him President. They prove him to lack one of the qualities requisite In a man' big enough and broad enough to be President. That is, that he should be a fair fighter. CHILnREX Or TtTB RICH. The world accuses America of mak ing at least two bad failures. One per tains to city government; the other to rearing children. We seem to be learning gradually how to eliminate waste and corruption from our mu nicipalities, but so far as the child problem is concerned, our Incapacity becomes worse and worse apparently. The St. Louis steel magnate who gave his son a 130,000 playhouse for a Christmas present Illustrates a com mon tendency which flows from a common error. The error consists In believing that the more elaborate and expensive playthings a child has tha happier he will be with them, or that the more he Is coddled and indulged the more he will enjoy life. The con sequent tendency Is to heap on chil dren everything that money can buy, to gratify all their whims, to give them their own way in everything and to leave out wholesome hardship and discipline altogether. The $30,000 playhouse which the St. Louis million, aire gave his spoiled son is described as a miracle of luxury. It has a ma chine shop, which of course the flabby little fellow will never enter, a sun parlor, a billiard room and marble baths such as the degenerate sons of the Old Romans used to loll about In with their female slaves for company. This pampered urchin will play with his costly toy for a while and then get tired of it. Just as he would with any other Christmas present. Where a boy obtains everything under heaven without thought or effort he cares for nothing very long. A crowd of farm ers boys will get more fun on a Sum mer afternoon at the old swimming hole In the back pasture than this young mollycoddle ever tvIII from his marble bath. A playhouse made with his own hands out behind the barn would give him more enjoyment than the sumptuous structure which his foolish father has given him. If all the good things of life are thrust upon children as soon as they are past babyhood, what Is there left to interest and amuse their riper years? The world is a sucked orange to them. Life becomes stale, flat and unprofitable at the very period when it ought to be rich with new experience and passion ate zest. Nothing so spoils life for a human being as to live prematurely. Paul tells us that when he was a child he thought and acted as a child. It was only when he became a man that he began to look at things man fashion and do the deeds of a man. Our American practice with children is not to make them wait till they are men for mature experiences, but to toss everything before them In their babyhood. What comes of it is shown by the conduct of the millionaire's son at Orange, New Jersey, whose father gave him a big and powerful automo bile for a Christmas present. The Springfield Republican narrates the sequel. The boy invited his chums into the car and down the street they started full tilt, in defiance of the law and reckless of the safety of footmen. Their first exploit was to run down a young woman. As might have been expected from their training, they did not stop to see how badly she was In jured or to help her If she was dying. On they rushed and shortly after wards ran down and killed a little boy whom they left lying in the road. It was only when they collided with the curb and wrecked their machine tha the youths were seized by the police. We hope not many millionaires' sons are as bad as this, but it is only the native goodness of the human heart that keeps them from it and not the training they get. The common opin ion seems to be that the luxurious American home Is about the worst place In the world to bring up a boy in. His mother spoils him, body and soul, and his father, who sometimes has more sense, is too busy to bother about what is going on. The result is a youth who thinks of himself and his wishes as the sole affair of any im portance in the universe, a world weary, pelf-Indulgent, prematurely old young man for whom nothing Is new, nothing Is true and nothing matters except the gratification of his pam pered senses. The foolish American mother thinks, of course, that she Is following the habits of the old world aristocracies when she coddles her son to his ruin, but she Is mistaken. It Is a rule which aristocracies have always observed that boys shall be reared ascetlcally and made to feel the hard contact of real things. Girls may be babied and pampered, but boys, who are depended upon to do the severe duties of the state, must learn to suf fer without complaint and bear up under deprivations. This was the rule in ancient Sparta, which held the headship of Greece for eight centuries without fortifications and It Is the rule In England today. Whatever faults the British aristoc racy may have It does not spoil its boys. They are bustled away from home to austere public schools where their fond mammas have no chance to baby them and they are obliged to hold their own in a rough, unflinch ingly democratic environment. This experience makes the bone and sinew of the British nation, which never has bowed to a foreign foe for a thousand years. What Is to become of the United States if those of our citizens whom fortune favors most, who ought to be our thinkers and leaders, are blighted in their boyhood and turned into cruel sensualists by parental In dulgence? The exact Justice of the universe requires much of those to whom much is given and if in the long run they prove unworthy of their trust the pitiless process of evolution has an effectual way of obliterating them. What would have become of the Goulds If their great fortune had been destroyed in the Equitable .building fire? They have shown incapacity to prevent it from shrinking, and If they had to begin again at the foot of the ladder, they could not progress very far In acquiring a new fortune. The three brothers would not be able to give their wives $500,000 necklaces or to give their daughters dowries with which to buy English titles. The Duch ess de Sagan could no longer "make a splash" in Paris society nor Lady D fi des in English society. What would be truly regrettable Is that Helen Gould, the angel of the family, would be compelled to cease her work of practi cal philanthropy. Like other trust magnates, Andrew Carnegie did not know that pooling was illegal. until the courts had so de cided. Tet It was obvious that pools were combinations in restraint of trade. Too many men of his class make it a rule not to obey a law until they have made a determined efTort to have it annulled by the courts. Then, if they fail, they complain that it in terferes with what they are pleased to call business, and agitate for its re peal. How can we expect the law to be respected by the poor and Igno rant when many of the rich and edu cated set such an example of law lessness. The one appeal that should be met promptly and that can be met without the least individual deprivation is that which is made for magazines and oth er periodicals for men who go down to the sea In ships. The Seaman's Friend Society makes this appeal in behalf of sailors as a relief from the dull monotony of long voyages. In view of the fact that magazines cum ber and clutter the closets and attics of almost every home, this plea should meet with prompt response. It Is not often that a great drama tist has a wife who can sing as won derfully as he writes. Maeterlinck is fortunate In this respect, as he is In many others. Shakespeare's wife seems to have been a commonplace woman more given to scolding than singing. Maeterlinck's plays set to De Bussy's music have become world wonders. Some time Portland may have a chance to hear them. No American city is really comma il faut without a crime wave now and then. So Portland naturally feels a little complacent over Its deluge of murders and burglaries. It would be shockingly ungrateful to hang or im prison any of the heroes who thus benevolently contribute to swell the city's pride and therefore if any of them are arrested the courts will probably let them go again. Wifely devotion can reach no greater height than in the case of the St. Louis woman who yielded a piece of her shin bone to repair her husband's damaged leg. The probability Is, however, the first time the man feels a twinge of rheumatism he will blame It on tha graft. There Is nothing superstitious in Reed College, which will begin work on its first building today. Come to think of it, Columbus broke ground in America on Friday, and there is nothing unlucky about this great Nation. Scarcity of street lights, due to the tearing down of wires by the silver thaw, is a boon to highwaymen. With streets dark as pitch and the earth blackened with fog, thugs can appear and disappear in a flash. Watch old- Dr. Stork 'carry excess baggage by and by. Twin brothers in an Oklahoma town married twin sis ters and a few hours later the bride grooms had twin baby brothers. When male students learn to cook and women become Deputy Sheriffs and mallcarriers, the occupations of the sexes are becoming sadly mixed. ' Suppose, by way of diversion, the police arrest a few criminals and let innocent people alone. Brander Matthews' war that is to come in 1930 will find many of us dead. Send a "Don't Worry" card Brander Matthawav to Taft's Detractors Rebuked One of the most powerful speeches In support of President Taft was made before the Saturday Lunch Club at Madison. Wis., by Arnold B. Hall, as sistant professor of political science In the University of Wisconsin and a strong supporter of Senator La Follette In Wisconsin affairs, but a Taft man in National affairs. The Saturday Lunch Club Is a pro gressive organization, generally in sympathy with the La Follette: faction in Wisconsin. Several speakers im pugned the motives of President Taft, made light of his law enforcement policy and declared he was too judici ally minded even to make a President. Although he was not on the programme as a regular speaker, these spo-'rcheo. moved Professor Hall to protest. He first showed that by favoring the corporation tax. In securing seme Ju dicial reforms and advocating others. In securing the postal savings bank, in championing and getlng through Congress Canadian reciprocity, in lead ing all the rulers of the world in the cause of international peace, in his fearless demands for tbe parcels post, in his support of the ideas of a tariff commission and absolute refusal to sign log-rolling measures on tae tariff, Taft bad made more real and lasting progress than any two Presidents since the Civil War. That was the kind of progressiveness he was willing to fight for. As to Taft's law enforcement policy. Professor Hall contended that It was unsurpassed, both In its impartiality, its consistency and its success. Three years ago the owners of trusts scouted the idea of publicity of big business and Federal incorporation, while today they have abandoned their dictatorial attitude and are offering to stand for either or both, if only allowed to exist, with the result that we are having some sane discussion of the trust prob lem, and a possibility of getting a good measure through Congress. This has been due to Just one thing. The cour age and fearlessness with which Presi dent Taft has enforced existing law. He has brought big business to a realization that it must ba conducted according to the law. They are the ones asking tor mercy, and not the public It is the difference between the methods of the agitator and the statesman. Finally he said that what this ooun try needed was not the bigotry of the demagogue, not the blind devotion to partisan expediency of the politician not the short-sighted and narrow vision of the one-idea reformer, but the capacity to see all sides and all interests, the patience to examine all the evidence before acting, and the judicial poise to weigh carefully and discover justice. We have had enough of the man who makes his appeal to sectional pride, we have had enough of the man who appeals to the pas sions and the cupidity of our people, and we want, and the times and the problems demand, a man who will ap peal to democracy, not monocracy, who will appeal to reason, not to passion who will appeal to patriotism and not to greed. Our people are damning Taft be cause he does not play to the gallery. If he stands the slander of his ene mies Instead of organizing an Ananias Club, it Is because he lacks the cour age to lose his temper. He stops to carefully consider a question In order to pass intelligently upon the merits of it, and he is declared to be a spine less wonder. He has approved and dis approved of measures of both sections according to what he has thought was right and wrong, and each has damned him for not having the nerve to be a partisan, vve have had too much par tisanship, too many appeals to the superficial, too much vaudeville. we need men broader than tbe factions of his party or the sections of his country, courageous enough to spurn the unjust demands of either and brave enough to give Justice where it is due. regardless of its political ef fect Professor Hall's speech has opened the eyes of many men who have been strong opponents of Taft, and be him self has expressed surprise at the no tice given It. The fact that It has had such effect has caused him to think that we need a Taft campaign of education, which will educate the peo pie to a new era, an era In which we want justice, and not party triumph. deeds and not words, altruism and not greed, scientific analysis and solution of publio problems Instead of log rolling makeshifts. Year of the Ceatnxy. LEBAM. Wash, Jan. 10. (To the Editor.) A question has arisen among the people of Lebam whether .or not we are Just beginning- the 12th year of this 20th century or have we lived the U years and now beginning in the 13th year? Is time reckoned as our ages are? For Instance, when a child reaches his 12th birthday he has lived his 12 years and is then in his 13th year; still he is called 12. LEO MORRISON. Anyone who admits that this is the 20th century ought also to admit that this is the ISth year of that century. Why use a different reckoning for years than for centuries? The Ornatraeatal Second Husband. Maria Thompson Daviess in "Rose of Old Harpeth." "I look on a second husband as a good dessert after a fine dinner, and a woman oughter swallow one when of fered without no mincing. Of course, there never was such a man as Mr. Satterwhlte, but he was always mighty busy, while Cal Rucker is a real pleas ure to me, a-settlng around the house on account of his soft constitution. Mr. Satterwhlte, I'm thankful to say, left me so well provided for that I can af ford Mr. Rucker as a kind of orna ment' Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe The trouble is not in making an ex planation, but in having it accepted. People love to attribute their mis fortunes to others; nor are they very fair in doing it. This is the year you expected so much of last year. That which is known as public sen timent is three-quarters wasted, be cause it demands too much, and is too indignant, A man Ti'ho does a really charitable act is as modest about it as though he were receiving charity. Little questions are sometimes set tled; big ones rarely are. A man may not know how to make money, and may not know how to save it even if able to make it; but he promptly knows It Is when the laugh is on another man. A man seldom buys life insurance of the agent who convinced him that he should have it; he finally patronizes an agent who bothered him less. How soon after has a widower a right to take notice again? Or should he remain crushed all the remainder of his life? Old people are usually less confident than the young; probably because of long experience with themselves and JLnthars, SEW PKOXOITXS OBJECTIONABLE. Inaoyatloai In I-a n x MKr Moat Be Eb paonlous Te Sveceed. PORTLAND, Jan. 10. (To the Edi tor.) The Oregonlan says: "Teaching children the meaning and proper use of old words would be a more appropriate occupation for the schools than Inven tion of new words such as 'he'er, 'him'er or his'er.' " Agreed! Allow me to elaborate. Grammatical accuracy demands a sin gular personal pronoun for both the masculine and the feminine genders. All who have aspired to accurate ex pression of their thoughts have serious ly needed it and have been provokingly disconcerted by its absence. But cus tom, not theory, determines grammati cal authority. For "divers and sundry reasons" as in Lord Dundreary's co nundrum of the ducks, the plural form has been used for the singlar. as you for thou, the official and editorial we for L etc So, the plnral pronoun their, which is the same for all genders, could with equal propriety be used for either his or her(s). Many do carelessly so use it who know better. Many more who do not, follow them. Now, it would seem, that the recognition by grammarians of that as a legitimate substitute would solve the difficulty in the most direct way. Miss Eila-Flagg Toung's efforts to supply the need ls commendable, and, coming from her',, any educational proposition would receive respectful consideration. But any innovation in the English language from any living person must possess transcendent merit and fitness to be accented by the Eng lish speaking world. Such a pronoun, to be popular; must be a short, crisp, euphonious, phonetically spelled or else a familiar monosyllable. In the nominative case, for the phrase he or she, "he'er" (If such be its pro posed use) seems a far cry. For the possessive phrase his or her(s) "hls'er" doesn't sound right. What's the matter with hls'n? Neither does the objective "him'er" sound nice, and it will prob ably fall of adoption for that reason if for no other. Many also would reject for such use any hyphened contraction of two syllables that could be made. But if a hyphen Is to be used at all in the pos sessive, why not press into service our old familiar word self In its possessive case for the desired word thus: Let everyone buy self's ticket. Likewise in the objective, omit both him and her, saying, for Instance: Let each provide for self. We might do worse than to continue the ancient custom of understanding the masculine form . to Include both sexes in a mixed company: or, if In social and intellectual evolution the masculine form has lost its ancient precedence, substitute the feminine and let everybody, regardless of sex, do her duty. EDWARD D. CURTIS. EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE CITED "Aggies" Are Moo-ed at Wlsconaln TJnl verslty, Says Writer. MEDFORD, Or, Jan 11. (To the Ed itor.) I was glad to see Superin tendent Stone's article in The Ore gonian opposing the consolidation of the two schools at Eugene and Cor vallis. I am a comparative strang er here, and have no leanings toward either institution, although I am preju diced in favor of agricultural colleges. I can corroborate everything that Mr. Stone said by my own personal experi ence, and if the friends of the Oregon Agricultural College are wise and real ly care for their school, they will strenuously fight against any consoli dation of the two colleges. Mr. Stone made reference to Wiscon sin. I was a student there In the agri cultural section of that Institution, and was literally driven away from there by the taunts of the "literary fellers." Whenever a few of us "Aggies" or "Hayseeds" appeared anywhere, we were saluted with a lot of "Moo Moos" or "Baas," or there was an occasional change to the crowing of roosters or clucking of hens. The literary people, as a rule, looked upon us as an Inferior set of fellows and rarely associated with us, and very few, if any, of us were considered eligible to fraternities or sororities. This treatment became so galling to us that several of us left and went to the Agricultural College at Ames. The feeling there is Just as strong against the State University as It seems to be here, and as it is everywhere between the two institutions. If they were ever united, do you suppose luat any of the Aggies would go to the State Uni versity, or vice versa? If the university should be moved to Corvailis, hew many of the Eugene students would go there? Human nature everywhere is the same, and I think you would find that fully 0 per cent would go to Berkeley or Seattle. And the same thing would happen If the Corvailis school were to be united with that at Eugene. In California, a short time ago, the State Grange passed a resolution ask ing for a separation of the two schools, as the agricultural part of it seems to be entirely lost in the scuffle. In Idaho, where I spent a year before coming to Oregnn, they have the two institutions united, and u. you want to see what it means, send a committee of citizens up there to investigate, and they will certainly report against con solidation, for the feeling there Is so bitter that It is likely to disrupt the entire institution. New Hampshire tried consolidation and. after a dozen years of union, the feeling had become so hostile that the two schools were separated as far as possible, one being placed in the extreme 60uth and the other In the extreme north. Friends of either institute want to go slow in this matter. L. MARVIN. After Coffee and Cigar. Departing Guest rd gladly give you a tip, waiter, but I find I've only cab fare left. Waiter (benignly) Ah, sir, you don't appreciate the beneficial effect of a good after-dinner walk! The Oregonian a Home Paper There are about 40,000 homes in Portland. This estimate includes all classes of people in all quarters of the city. One hundred and forty-nine boy carriers deliver The Oregonian every morning into most of these homes. Every one of these homes would feel lonesome if The Oregonian failed to arrive. The housewife looks for the advertisements, almost, before she does the news. She wants to know what the stores are offering today. We shall be glad to show any advertiser or prospec tive advertiser just where our circulation is. We will show him district by district even block by block. The Morning Oregonian is probably the greatest sales force in the City of Portland. It carries the merchant's message right into the home of his clients, both present and prospective. The Oregonian's readers are as much in terested in the news of its advertisers as they are in the news of the world. Advertising is news. And if you would spread your news to the homes' of Portland you may do it most economically and thoroughly through the columns of The Oregonian. LAWS FOR THE GENERAL GOOD Attorney Raises Qnestlena as to Dtveree TILLAMOOK. Or, Jan. 11. (To the Editor.) In The Oregonian December 29, under the head, "Laws for the Gen eral Good." I note two queries by your readers. One is: Aatorla. Or, Dec 27. (To the Editor.) (1) Does the owner of land bordering on a river own the water front, or riparian rights, where h knowa tha river haa washed away the banks? (2) Haa any per- . aon a right to file on this water front aa lata land? I. U. To -which you anawer. (1 Whera a river cuts Into a man's land he certainly owns that part of th river frontage- (2) No. These answers are Riven with tha under standing that the land In question is up land, and not tide-land or accretions. It seems to me that your answer la correct in part only, and may be true as to lands in Oregon, but how about the State of Washington? The same rule does not apply there. Then, have we in Oregon any riparian rights as owners of the uplands on water courses? Have not late decisions of our Su preme Court, divested all lands in Ore gon of riparian rights as understood under the common law? The other query is: Newberg. Or, Dec. 26. (To tha Edi-tor.)-tl How long .must a person reside tn this state before he or s'he can bo granted a divorcer (2) How much time, must elapso before either can legally marry again? (3) Can a person divorced in this Stale of Ore gon go to an adjoining state and legally marry In a shorter period than that named by Oregon'a law? (4) If the defendant in divorce proceedings should tail to appear against plaintiff, does that instance allow plaintiff to remarry at an earlier date than if suit had been contested? CONSTANT READER. To which you anawer: (1) plaintiff, ona year. (2) Six months. (S) No. (-4) No. To these answers I take issue as fol lows: (1) Is correct All the others may or may not be correct, and no lawyer in Oregon knows whether you are correct or not. The Supreme Court of the State of Oregon has recently de cided a case, that of Wallace V. Mc Daniel et al, 117 Pac. p. 31.4. which does not carry out your contention, and Just what the Supreme Court has de cided in this case is past all finding out. Lawyers do not know now wheth er to advise a client that he or she can marry within the six months' pro hibitory period or not, or whether a decree procured on default makes the parties free to marry any time after the entering of the decree. As this is a matter of great moment to the public, I wish you would pursue the question further, and get the opinions of other lawyers, and let us see if we can find out what the law is. I confess -1 do' not know what it Is. JOHN LELAND HENDERSON. The Astoria question was incomplete ss to facts, the inquirer not stating whether the stream was navigable or subject to tidal flow. If not navigable he would own to the center of the stream. It is true that under the re cent decision of the Supreme Court any person who gained legal access to the stream could appropriate for beneficial uses all the unappropriated water therein. It was inferred that the writer wanted to know about Oregon laws. The Oregonian admits that there la controversy among lawyers as to the right of divorced persona to marry within six months after a default decree has been entered. Some con tend that there is no appeal from a Judgment by default and that there fore the judgment of the lower court is final. But how about the period In which an original action may be com menced to set aside a Judgment on the ground of fraud? What of section 69, Lord's Oregon laws, which in the event summons is by publication, gives the defendant the right, upon good cause shown within one year after entry of Judgment, to defend? The theory that divorced parties may not remarry is based on the assumption that a decree of divorce is not a final Judgment until the right to reopen the case or appeal has expired by time limit. In the case Mr. Henderson mentions the court in effect denied the state the right to appeal unless it had been entered as a party in the lower court. Lawyers had theretofore con tended that the right of the state to appeal from a default judgment with held the finality of the divorce de cree for six months. There are still other obstacles to dispose of, as pointed out. As it Is a matter of some doubt and one of grave Importance to divorced persons contracting new mar riages, it would seem wise to advise postponement of ceremonies in all cases until six months have elapsed from date of the decree. Queer Tale of Lost Amethyst, New Tork Tribune, "Almost too- strange to be true," said a woman who had lost and found again a piece of jewelry a few days ago. On arriving at her husband's of fice in the Wall street district she dis covered that an amethyst was missing from an ornament which she wore. The prongs which held it had evidently worn away and the stone was given up for lost. She went on a shopping tour, and when leaving the Seventy-second-street subway station on her way home dropped her muff. She stooped to pick it up, and close to one of the iron pillars saw her lost amethyst. "I was so glad to find It," she said, "but people don't believe the story even my husband made a queer face when I told it." A Sermon en the Mayflower. Life. "You can carry germs across the ocean, can't you?" "I should say you could; look what the Mayflower did to this country!"