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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1912)
THE MORNING OREGOXIAX. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1912. PORTLAND. OUCOX. Eotered at Portland. Oreion. Foetomoe as Pccnd-c:j Matter. iuMcri;u KsLee Inrarlably la AtniM BT MA.IU) tal:e. Sandey Included, ana year .. I-eil. Buadif Incl a 00. eis. months..... 4-Js I l.jf. Sunday Inaluued. IhrM moot. . L'eUy. Suadav Included, eae moita I'i.jr. wlinout guadar. w esr l.:y. vitneat Suader. eis moftthi Xaiiy. wtttwut Sunday. lores months... 1 13 1 ally, without KuoUsy. eae moata...... -SO weekly, ose year. .......... Sunday, aa year. a aaday aaa Weekly, one year. BT CARRIER) nal!r. Sunday Included, ena year lastly. Suadsy Included, oaa month . Haw ts aWvilt Send PoetoMlee moaar or Ser, express erder ar persons! caeca oa year local ban. Stamps, euia or erreney are at tha sender r;a Olee poatofflca eddreae La foil, lacludinc county and stats. Pastace Rates 1 to I psfee. I eent: li ta 1 p-.a f eente; ta 4 pacee. I eenta: e to (M. 4 casta, rora.ca postage. Cesble rata. EMrra Borfae-ae OffWe Verre Cn'k I!n .New Tark. Brunesilesi kuiluias. Ctu csc. fetecer binding. EorapMi OUIce No. Recast streak . London. rOKTUXn THTBSPAI. JAN. la. IS 11. I nrrn econokt program. While the Democratic leaders have been talking economy. President Tuft, through the Economy Commission, has been Inquiring how economy can bo effected In tha Government service and efficiency at the same time In creased. The fruits of his work are displayed In bis messase to Conrrtu, in which he shows that a saving of 12. 000. 000 a year can be effected and the efficiency of the Government serv ice Immeasurably Increased. The picture which the President gives us Is anything- but flattering to our National priUe. We boast of lead Ins; the vanguard of progress, we speak with contempt of other nations as low-going, yet our governmental ma chinery, which expends 11.000.000.000 a year and employs an anny of 400.000 persons, has no more system than a crossroads store. The commission has so far touched only the fringe of Us work, yet at every point it tells how money can be saved and efficiency at the same time Increased. The Gov ernment, as described by the President, resembles a village which has grown In size to a city but Is sUll governed by village methods. Bureaus and de partments have been created without any regard to whether their functions overlapped those of some other bu reau. All along the line things are being done In an archaic, time-consuming, wasteful way. In the first few pages of his message the President names four Items alone on which 11. 260. 000 a year could be saved. How much of this responsibility for this mortifying bungle of our affairs rests on CongTess can be conceived from the President's statement that many local offices exist by virtue of laws passed nearly a century ago. that a large number of them are useless and should be abolished, that the Ex ecutive has repeatedly recommended this course and that his recommenda tions have been unheeded. He an nounces that he will abolish useless offices so far as his authority allows, and he rightly Imposes on Congress the responsibility for continuing offices which can be abolished only by legis lative enactment. He renews and emphasizes his rec-ommend.-atlon that all local officials be subjected to civil service rules, that such officials may no longer draw the salary while other men do the work, that men may be continued In office once they have proved their fitness, that the Government may get the benefit of their training instead of "breaking In" new men every four years, and that the President and members of Congress may no longer be required to devote to matters of patronage time which they should de vote to questions of policy and admin istration. The President's present recommen dations In this line go even farther than those made In a former message, for he proposes to treat all the dis tinctly administrative officers at Wash ington aad In the field In the same way as Inferior officers have been treated. - He would at the same time provide pensions for superannuation. Some of the examples of waste rtted by the President approach the ludicrous. On such routine, mechan ical work as the handling of mall In the departments he finds the cost to range all the way from S5.84 to 114 40 per 1000, and to aggregate nearly 15. 090.000. a considerable percentage of which he thinks can be saved. He finds that letters are still being copied by hand at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars a year; that $250,000 a year Is wasted through the follow ing absurd method in handling depart mental publications: Tha praralllnir prartlta Is handling de partmental pub.iestiona la to have them manufactured at the Government printing ofAre; each Joh when completed Is deliv ered ta tae department; here tha eoelts or pamphlets ar wrapped and addressed; they are then sent to the poatofflca: there they are assorted and prepared for shipment throuta tha mails: from tha postoffl'-e they are sent to the railroad station, whlrh la mle a few atepe from the Government pnntins of flea, whence they started. The departments are badly lighted, though by making some simple im provements they could be well lighted at an annual saving of SO to 0 per cent; specifications for supply con tracts are so Indefinite as to raise prices and discourage competition; though the Government Is the largest user of transportation. It buys one-way tickets instead of mileage books; the affidavits to expense accounts cost IS0.000 a year and are useless; there is no uniformity in advertising and contracting for supplies: more than ninety acts of Congress require nearly S0O printed reports annually. In asking for an appropriation of JJ30.000 for the continuance of the commission's work the President gives some Idea from the experience of oth ers of the possible economy. lie states that the three large insurance com panies spent more than $500,009 In putting their business on a modern basis, but saved more than tenfold that sum in the first year, and that several large cities are spending sums on econ omy Inquiries out of all proportion to the sum he asks. He well sums up the end to be sought In the following words: We want arcnomy and ef.rlen?y; we want eaviBe. aad savin for a purpose. We want to aave money to enable the Government to co into soma of the beneficial projects whtta we axe debarred from taking- tip now because are cannot Increase our ex -pendlturea. Projects atrsctlns: the public health, new public works and other ben eflclal artrvltlea of government can be fur thered If we are able to get a dollar of slue for every dollar of tha Government's money whira wa eapend. Contrast tjj unsparing manner In which Mr. Taft lays the ax to the tree ef waste and Inefficiency and the sys tematic manner in which he proposes to introduce economy and efficiency with the hlt-or-mtes methods of the Democratic leaders, the boasted apos tles of economy. They save $188,000 by discharging a few clerks and quietly slip them back into their places. They talk of saving $225,000 by abolishing the Tariff Board, which has for the first time let In the light on the dark places of the tariff. They would cut off the President's traveling allowance of $25,000 a year, whereby he is en abled to meet the people face to face and tell them of their affairs. On the other hand, they pass a pension diii which will soon add $"5,000,000 a year to the Government expenses and thoy clamor for more money for rivers and harbors and buildings. Even If all the President's economy plans were approved by them, they would spend in one session all the enormous sums which he could doubtless save. But their style of economy Is well Illus trated by their threat to deny the Pres ident the appropriation by means of which real economy can be effected. tub mxiLunnx or habvet. Consider for a moment, if you please, the sorrowful case of Colonel George B. Harvey. That eminent Jour nalist and talented man of affairs has for many years been editor of Har per's Weekly, a reactionary publication with a progressive editor. Surveying the world at large from his lofty seat in the editorial sanctum. Editor Har vey discovered In Professor Wood row Wilson, president of Princeton Univer sity, first-class raw material to be a Democratic nominee for the Presi dency. It was an original find, a unique and memorable exploit. There Is no Dr. Cook to contest with Mr. Harvey the honors of the great achievement. He alone did It. he alone proclaimed It. and he alone possessed It for many moons. Dr. Wilson was among the first to concede that Mr. Harvey had per formed a meritorious service to his party and his country, and In due time set about to do his part toward realiz ing the brilliant Harvey dream. The rest is well known. Dr. Wilson etitered politics, meantime thought fully applying for a Carnegie pension, became Governor of New Jersey and a candidate for President of the United States. All went well. Being no Maecenas to a budding literary candi date, but only a modest publicity man. Editor Harvey kept up his Incessant editorial ding-donging, gracefully sidestepping or Ignoring all the Wilson fads, fancies, furbelows, flip flops, turn, coatings and Idlosyncracles and ex plaining as best he could to the skep tical owners of his iaper. Then " something unpleasant hap pened. Somebody was it Colonel Bryan? told Dr. Wilson that the ve hement support of Harper's Weekly was hurting his candidacy, and the Impressionable professor promptly no tified Editor Harvey to quit. He did. tm em-aTlfWei hie nrMs end CATarerl ... - r . his humiliation as well as he could. ! hauled down the Wilson flag and re tired to a Journalistic monastery, where doubtless he will pass the re mainder of his days in giving sound advice to the younger clergy on the wickedness of the world and the in gratitude of politicians. It is an extraordinary episode. Who will say that It reflects credit on Dr. Wilson. wljo thus led to the door his loyal friend, his firm supporter, his po. lltlca) creator, and unfeelingly kicked him out for no reason except that he had ceased to be useful? daxcixo mm a cohttt fiddler. State taxes reach an unconscion able sum. and one or more counties of Oregon threaten to "secede." It Is a silly threat, of course, but It typifies a state of mind. We want the state to do everything, and impose upon it greater and greater burdens of ex pense through numberless new schemes of legislation and govern ment, and then we yell with pain when the tax collector comes around. We blame the Legislature, the Governor, the politicians, everybody but our ex travagant ways of living and our ex orbitant demands on government and our superheated Imagination as to what the state can do for the individual. If the Legislature is to blame, why don't we elect sensible and prudent men to the Legislature? Instead, we kei.' for the most part our sensible and prudent men at home, defeating th-m overwhelmingly, and send other men to Salem whose sole qualification is that they are willing to sign State ment One. If the Governor is to blame, why do we not elect a Governor of experi ence. Judgment, determination and weight? Instead we elect a Governor whj claims supreme merit because he vetoes the bills of his personal critics and enemies, some of them carrying appropriations, but permits other bills with no greater merit to become laws because they came from his friends or allies. The Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, -or permitted to be come laws without veto, all the bills earning appropriations that are now a burden on the taxpayer. The re sponsibility rests equally upon each and neither may fairly blame the other. If we would dance we ought to be willing to pay the fiddler. AJf Aflll L MAKE S NEST. The Heights Improvement League of Hood River has stumbled upon a mare's neat of truly frightful aspect. It has found that the "fictitious stories in the school reader excite children's minds and cause a degree of nervous ness which breaks down their health." Sad Indeed la this to think of. Th noxious schoolroom atmosphere, long hour In an unnatural position at desks, late hours at home, badly cooked food and too much of It eaten at the wrong time, dancing parties, premature romancing between the sexes, none of these nerve and stomach-destroying factors are at work in blessed Hood River. The nerves of the schoolchildren are going to wreck there, as everywhere else, but it is the "fictitious stories" In the reading books which do the business, and nothing else contributes. It is astonishing to see a recrudes cence of the old Puritanical hatred ol fiction In a community so renowned for Intelligence as Hood River. Sen sible parents and teachers understand that the child has a natural craving for stories, that properly chosen fic tion does not "excite" the young nerves, but soothes and calms them, and that no mental nutriment la upon the whole, so excellent for a child as stories of adventure either In fairyland or upon the earth. ' We have made no personal investi gation of the state of the children's nerves at Hood River and so cannot diagnose their trouble with eclentiflo accuracy, but we can make a shrewd guess at it. They are probably kept indoors In bad air when they ought to be out at play. No doubt they are kept out of bed studying their lessons when they ought to be asleep. Very likely they are allowed by their par ents to go to parties and return at all hours of the night after filling their stomachs with Indigestible dainties. Here Is the seat of the trouble with the nerves of the Hood River children and not In the poor little pieces of fic tion they find in the school readers,. To cut them off from this bit of men tal nourishment would be outright cruelty. What they need Is more stor ies and more fresh air. VEXATTOIS REPETITION. It seems to be reasonably clear that there will never be a government upon a stable basis In Cuba until the United State Government completes the work that It began In 1898 in that Island. That is to say, the United States Gov ernment must assume power where responsibility is Imposed for the main tenance of peace in Cuba as it has done In Porto Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines. It is absurd, this thing of Cuban broils which this country is called upon, at longer or shorter Inter vals to settle by issuing orders or ul timatums and sending troops over to enforce them by Intimidation If they can. by compulsion If they must. Ego tistical, undisciplined, unreliable, this old-young child of Spain is defiant of authority and frequently obstreperous: Incapable of self-government, she ap pears In the role of a republic; with out any true conception of liberty, she prates of freedom in pompous tones and is willing at any time to begin a bushwhackers' war without regard to consequences. Having once espoused the cause of Cuban liberty and being looked to to preserve the peace in the island, the United States Government feels a bur den of responsibility Imposed by these conditions and circumstances and again face the possibility of sending over troops to secure the stability of a republican form of government In Cuba. One thing of two must happen be fore another decade passes. Either the Cubans must be left by the United States to fifht out the governmental question among and for themselves ac cording to their own ideas and capa bilities, or Cuba must come under the dominion of the Stars and Stripes. This thing of being responsible for the peace and well-being of a people with out having political authority over them Is absurd. This Nation may worry along with Cuba for a few years yet on this basis, but It Is foolish to Imagine that this state of affairs can continue Indefinitely. The process Is too tiresome, and besides it leads to nothing. It is dull and vexatious repe tition merely a game for which neither nations nor Individuals in this day and age have time or stomach. A TEST Or EDCCATION. People of an introspective turn of mind now have a lovely opportunity to find out whether they are educated or not. The question Is one that trou bles a great many citizens in these days of revolutionary pedagogy. Some who when they left college supposed that they knew everything there was to learn and a little more have since found reason to doubt It- Some who in the good old days did not think they were educated at all discover by the new lights that they are far ahead of the college graduates. What Is an education? A lecturer at the Univer sity Club In Chfcago has answered tht perplexing Inquiry In a compact and conclusive form. He proposed twenty questions to his audience with the as surance that anybody who could an swer all of them was truly educated. On the other hand, of course, anybody who failed was uneducated In propor tion to the extent of his failure. Here are the questions: 1. Kama tha Vice-President ef tha United States 2. Name tha Tress urer of tha United States. t. Kama tha conductor of tha New Tork Symphony Orchestra. 4. Mams the leader ef Tammany HalL a. Name your Congressman. . Who la Hugo MunaterbergT 7. Who was Sir Christopher Wren T 8. Who U All Bats? 8. What la tha Pentateuch? 10. What la a seismograph? 11. What la a clevis? 12. Mow many Justices ara there oa tha bench of tha Supreme Court of tha United States T IS. Name flva of them. 14. Who said, "Tha child Is father of tha Stan ? 15. Who said, "Tha groves ware Ood a first temples ?" Id. Who said, "Onca mora unto tha breach, dear friends, ones more?" 17. Who was slommaen? 18. Who la president of tha Lake Ehore Railroad? 19. What la tha fourth city In also In tha United States? IS). Whst la a preposition? Modesty forbids us to print the answers. We do not enjoy displaying omniscience unless there is pressing occasion for It. Our purpose In ex hibiting the list to the readers of The Oregonlan is to Induce each one to apply the infallible test to himself and thus determine once for all to what degree he has been educated, if at all. The person who can. without running to the encyclopedia, answer all of them may plume himself on being completely educated. A man who can answer ten of them is half educated, and so on. Naturally It follows that If none are answered the candidate is totally Ignorant. If he cares about his intellectual salvation there Is nothing for him to do but go back to school and try to fill the Immense vacuum which exists where his brains ought to be. This Is not our own view of the subject. It Is what we suppose the Chicago savant who propounded the questions might say If he were courageous enough to be perfectly frank. In our opinion it la not pos sible to test a person's education by this or any other list of questions. One of the blackest curses which the examination fetish has inflicted upon the country is the belief that education consists in filling a person up with miscellaneous Information. The more facts you can cram into him the better he has been taught. If you can make a walking cyclopedia out of him he is a Joy forever and an ever lasting monument to the colleges. This Is all nonsense. An educated man Is one who has the capacity to think soundly for himself and to act with vigor and Judgment when action is necessary. He will also be master of some art or craft by which he can earn an honest living. The number of mere facts which he carries about in his head Is of no importance whatever, especially If they are miscellaneous facts. The reference books of the world are full of Just such items as those which the Chicago lecturer makes his silly fuse over and an edu cated man can go and find them when ever he needs them. He does not load his memory with that kind of rubbish. Just as dirt Is anything out of its proper place, so a fact carried in the memory when it Is not needed Is trash. In every trade and profession there Is a certain body of Information which must be committed to memory with absolute certainty. The blacksmith must know the practical qualiUes of Iron. The lawyer must know what constitutes a contract. This informa tion makes up the working tools of the various gainful callings and a man who lacks it is bound to be a failure. But outside Of these practical require ments mere miscellaneous accumula tions of facts are of little or no use to a person. A man might be unable to answer a solitary one of the list we have printed and still be highly educated. But this line of thought can be pushed too far. It is a mistake to condemn "mere information" fully as bad a mistake as It Is to fall down and worship lists of foolish questions. There Is a certain mass of Information which forms the basis of "the modern mind," and nobody can think In har mony with the age unless he has' it. The earth derives all Its useful energy from the sun. The animal species have been evolved by a gradual pro cess from protoplasm. The Bible is a collection of the literature of the Jew ish race. These are some of the facts which are indispensable to an educat ed man. They areof "world-wide im port and fundamental to all our think. In sr. One who does not know, them will find himself bewildered at every turn in modern life. But what differ ence does It make whether or not you can tell offhand what a clevis Is? Who outside of poor, boss-ridden New Tork cares for the name of the leader of Tammany Hall? Practical benevolence is illustrated in the bequest of $1,000,000 made by the late Ironmaster Richard T. Crane, I of Chicago, for building country cot ' tages for the deserted wives and help less children of that city. Thousands ' nf ttrnmen nf linrlpht llfA ar Working: far beyond their strength to discharge the double duty of parentage left upon them by Irresponsible, selfish and con scienceless husbands. A home from which women and children of this class are not In danger of being evict ed; which Is theirs to occupy while the battle goes on within and without to keep the wolf from the door. Is an Incalculable boon. Rent is the greal problem of their lives the specter that haunts their dreams and the stern reality that drives them from one wretched shelter to another seeking, always seeking, and never finding rest and security. The title In the Crane cottages for deserted women and help less children will doubtless remain with the Crane Company or be vested In a directorate, but the assurance that the house is their own, to occupy as a home" while they need a home, will lift the heaviest of poverty's carking cares from the slender shoulders of the many recipients of this practical, thoughtful and substantial bequest. Tha Portland Oregonlan Is devoting many eoltimne to free advertising of the Seattle unlveralty, and at tha same time Is doing all It can to belittle and discredit Oregon's State University. That Is. to say the least, a prcullar way to build up a great state but It has always been Tha Oregonlan's way. Eugene Guard. This Is the little Eugene paper's method of retort to some remarks of a somewhat direct nature made by The Oregonlan the other day. There Is nothing easier than lying. False hood la the most ready weapon of a certain type of newspaper, of which the Guard Is a very fair example. The State University Is most unfortunate in its blackguard champion. It is to be hoped that the lawless element in the United States will take a lesson from what la happening to their brethren of the gun and bomb in Cuba. The stern arm of the law, reaching out from Washington, Is re pressing them with admirable firm ness. The law cannot act at home with this wholesome rigor, for divers reasons, but the effect of example may do some good. It is now Senator Vardaman from Mississippi, and a new star is added to the glorious galaxy which Includes Tillman and Jeff Davis. These blather skites ride into office on the race hatred which they create with their unscrupulous oratory. As long as "white against black" Is the only issue the South cares for, so long will It Le cursed with politicians of the Varda man species. The new plan for restoring Thaw to a rejoicing world is said to be so skill fully devised that the officers of the law cannot thwart It. If Thaw is sane. It seems ridiculous to detain him In the asylum. In fact, the whole affair is ridiculous. It shows what a farce can be made of legal procedure by a man who has plenty of money to spend. If butter goes to a prohibitive price in Chicago, there is a home-made imi tation much cheaper. If the truth were known, many eat oleo now and are not aware of it. With Fred Dubois directing Champ Clark's campaign, every bishop, presi dent and elder from the Snake to the Arlsona line will know how to vote. Any ruling or practice of the County Clerk that will make marriage harder for irresponsible applicants is of benefit to the community. Elaboration of Governor "West's "dead or alive" policy would be to avoid all publicity of escapes and kill the men when recaptured. Schoolchildren should be encour aged to grow vegetables on vacant lots. They will keep down the weeds, at least. Attention of those who overlook Portland as a port Is called to the city's primacy In wheat shipping. Women at Fresno marked errorless ballots, so the women voters of Fresno must be of Republican faith. The need of the Oregon Naval Mili tia is to be thrown overboard and laundered. A get-acquainted Junket by Port landers to Alaska will get the busi ness. ' Mr. Finley Is a sealous official game for any kind of fight. Butter will soon be as great a luxury as champagne. Stars and Star-Makers By Leone Caas Baer. Harry Corson Clarke and his wlfe who is also leading woman with his stock company and both of whom are especially known on the Pacific Coast, have gone to Honolulu to play a three months' engagement Nell Franzen, re membered as a local girl who was Identified with small roles with the Baker company, goes along as in genue. e e e Get Quick-Rich Walllngford, which is -to visit Portland this season. Is al ready headed in our direction via San rancisco. where It plays a fortnight beginning January 21 and ending Feb ruary 4. 'see The Lambardi Opera Company is go ing Eastward, playing this week In Minneapolis. e e e Dot Bernard, who Is now Mrs. A. Van Buren, is visiting in Los Angeles, and rumor says she is to take up moving picture work while there. e e e The first stock production of that old stand-by "Way Down East," Is be ing given by the Burbank Theater players In Los Angeles this week. Our old friend Henry Stockbrldge is playing Hi Holler. a a a The Balalaika, the musical Instrument used by the Russian orchestra at the Orpheum this week. Is the Instrument of the home In Russia, Just as the piano i Is In our country. And It Is wholly due to women in the land of the Csar, that the balalaika became universally used; springing Into prominence during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. At that time Russian women were kept in strictest seclusion, and were not al lowed to participate In or enjoy any amusements outside their own domi ciles. The balalaika, manufactured by the peasants In Russia, was taken up by women, first as a time-killer and later cultivated because of the real music In It. Today It is recognised as the standard Instrument of Russia, a e e At the Belasco Theater in Los An geles another Bakeronlan, Robert Ober, Is playing this week In the title role of "A Gentleman of Leisure." Donald Bowles and John Burton, also former Baker players, are In the company, e e e A great galaxy of stars Is headed Portland way, among whom are Elsie Janis, Blanche Bates, Julian Ettlnge, Alice Lloyd. Maude Adams. John Drew, William Gillette and Mlzzi Hajos. the latter playing a return engagement of "The Spring Maid." e a a Clara Howard, one time soubrette with the Armstrong Musical Comedy Company at the Lyric, is playing In the same capacity with Charles Alphln's musical aggregation at the Olympic Theater In Los Angeles. a e e- Thomas McLarn, who for a brief while was leading man with the Baker company here, is new character man with the Morosco-Blackwood players in Los Angeles. He opens in "Alias Jim my Valentine," which has been re leased for stock, and will appear as Doyle the detective. e a a It's Interesting to conjecture Just how the prima donna In the "Girl of the Golden West" will sing the closing lines In the climax of the first act. Tou remember the girl is alone on the stage, following her big scene with the road agent in which he has declared his admiration for her and she softly repeats his words, then suddenly cries, "He said I had a face like an angel Oh, h 1" a a a The Allen players are making their annual Canadian tour this season. Verna Felton. who was leading woman with the organization when it was quartered In Portland four seasons ago, la still with them. Charlie Connors Is also a member of the company. a e e Wilson Mizner and Paul Armstrong's play, "The Deep Purple," which comes to Portland soon, is playing In Yakima, Wash tonight, and tomorrow evening and Saturday plays In Tacoma. e e e Anna Held will appear in "Miss In nocence" at the Tacoma- Theater this evening, having left Portland on her private car last evening following the performance. Calling; a Spade a Spade. PORTLAND, Jan. Id. (To the Edi tor.) In The Oregonlan January 12 I notice that F. L. Bold offers a sugges tion that the weather condition which has been referred to in Portland and vicinity as the "silver thaw," be known hereafter as the "sliver sheen," which appears to me to be equally as inex pressive as the "silver thaw." With out further comment, I would simply say that there are a large per cent of matter-of-fact people in Portland who are In the habit of calling a spade by Its proper name, who would be quite satisfied in having a similar condition of the weather in the future referred to as a sleet storm. This seems to me to be sufficiently expressive to the world at large, or Portland, either, what the nature of the storm really Is. Those who are prosaically or poeti cally Inclined can indulge their re spective talents In elaborate word painting descriptive of its various fea tures, beautiful or otherwise, as it may appear to them. J. S. MORRISON. Selling; Movement la Chinese Gold. London Standard. Sales of gold have undoubtedly been made by .the Chinese authorities, and from cables which are now coming to hand from China It would seem that there ia some prospect of the movement assuming rather large proportions. No one has ever known the extent of the hoarded wealth of the late Empress Dowager, though all kinds of rumors have been current as to the accumula tion of colossal sums. Now that, by reason of the present disturbed condi tion of the country, the meeting of the interest charge on the debt must im pose considerable strain, it would cer tainly not be surprising If sales were effected of some of this hoarded gold, if only with the object of facilitating the prompt payment of the coupons on the foreign debt, a matter concerning which the Chinese government has al ways displayed scrupulous care. Who's Who and Why." EUGENE. Or., Jan. 18. (To the Edi tor.) Kindly inform an anxious pub lic whether Samuel G. Blythe was the originator of the page in Saturday Evening Post headed "Who's Who and Why"; also whether he rs now the one who fills that page from week to week. E. S. ROLFE. Mr. Blythe is author of "Who's Who and Why." We are not informed whether the Post maintained such a department prior to Mr. Blytbe's con nection with the magazine. I Half a Century Ago From Tha Oregonlan. January IS- 1882. The amount of gold dust brought to Portland during the last Summer and Fall and up to the first of January, Inst., Is estimated as equal to $3,000, 000. Of this amount Wells-Fargo & Company alone shipped $1,198,773.82. The Portland assay office of Mr. Agrell has assayed since May, $95,567. These sums make $1,297,010.32. Added to this sum, the amounts now In the hands of merchants, citizens and miners, will reach the sum of $3,000,000. Of all the rumors of incredible atrocities, of Polish outrage, of those worst acts of cowardice that are born of cruelty and of barbarism that Just stops short of cannibalism, to which the expedition of John Brown into Vir ginia . two years ago gave rise, the story that the skin of his son was taken from his body and tanned seemed the most unnatural and im probable. But read this letter from a General in the United States Army, now serving in Virginia, to a friend In this city a witness on this point as im partial as he is distinguished: a "Camp at ' - ., Va., October, 1861. To show the refinement of Virginia gentlemen I enclose to my friend, the Rev. B. N. Martin, professor New York University, a piece of the skin of the thigh (tanned by these gentlemen), of the son of John Brown, who was killed at Harper's Ferry. "This is a fragment of the skin which, thus prepared, was distributed In pieces over the Southern country, and was presented to my present aid In Richmond last April by a Captain Sommers, of the Confederate States Army, and a friend of the doctor who has tha skeleton and who flayed and tanned the skin. "My friend informs me that every preparation was made to treat the re mains of John Brown in the same way by having them thrown from the cars before reaching Baltimore and substl tut'ng a false coffin, but that the plan was frustrated by the sickness or flinching of the railroad conductor." It is customary every two weeks at the Portland Academy for the pupils to have exercises in reading, composition and declamation. We paid this insti tution a visit yesterday afternoon and spent an hour or two very pleasantly. The Institution Is under the direction of Professor Hall, as principal, and Mrs. Johnson and Miss Pentland, as assistants. Space will not permit us to do justice in speaking of the pupils, but we will say that we have never seen a better conducted school, better order the first requisite in a school anywhere. It is right that we should encourage scholars by noticing their qualifications and for that reason we especially commend Misses Elvlna Hol man and Leonora Blossom for the abil ity shown by them In writing and read ing essays; also Masters Dufur, Card well, Aiken and McNamee for their recitation and Mr. Cornell for a re markably well written essay, which was read by him. The Academic Jour nal, edited by the young men, was read, followed by the reading of the Wreath, edited by the young ladies. The river at this point is now frozen over from shore to shore. We noticed quite a number of men and boys yes terday walking over on the Ice, some with skates and others with long poles in their hands. Several farmers brought produce over on sleighs and one man pulled over about 400 pounds of beef on a sled. The services of the ferry boat, usual ly so. requisite for the accommodation of passengers, are now dispensed with by the bridge of Ice. Is this an In fringement of the ferry charter? A young man employed in this office proposes to go to Oregon City today on skates. He desires company. Who will go with him? Eatablislilng Line Fences. PORTLAND, Jan. 18. (To the Edi tor.) Please give advice on the fol lowing: Two houses are built on lots on the town plan. Nothing is between, neither fence nor hedge. One tract is sold and the new owner decides Imme diately to put up a fence. He does not consult or Inform the next-door owner, nor does he have his newly-acquired lot surveyed. Merely has the wire fence builders measure off what he thinks is his width and puts up the fence. One year after a question of opening a street arises and the City Engineer surveys lots for the viewers. They place their stakes and tell one owner that the later buyer has placed his wire fence a foot over on the other's ground. When the owner of the fence is in formed of this be merely laughs and says it is nothing of the kind, nor does he then have It surveyed. -How long would It be before he could legally claim that foot of ground, and what re dress has the Injured party? If in jured party gets It surveyed and his surveyor agrees witU City Engineer and he wants to build, can he take down fence so builder can build over to what is legally his line? Is there a stated time in the laws of Oregon after which It is impossible for an owner to get back his ground after It has been bodily taken away from him In this manner? What is the best pro cedure? Would It entail an expensive law suit? H. W. K. Adverse possession is not acquired until the lapse of 10 years. Lot lines In such cases can be permanently and le gally established by agreement between the parties In interest. If this is not possible the best plan is to consult a competent lawyer. There are too many legal complications In such controver sies for The Oregonlan to give more definite advice. Identified by an Old Habit. London Tit-Bits. "It was a clever Job," said the chief. "How did you spot him through his woman's disguise?" "I happened to see him sit down, replied the detective, "and noticed that he gave his skirt a little twitch with both hands, as If to keep It from bag ging at the knees. Then I nabbed him." Start in Small and Grow Advertising pays, and pays big. No other sales force can produce results at near so low a cost compared with the net profits gained. We have many advertisers using pages of space now who used only inches when they started. The inches produce profitable sales. These profits were put into large space and larger sales resulted more net profits. These advertisers have continually increased their space in The Oregonian as their sales and profit? grew. There is no business that cannot be profitably adver tised ia The Oregonian. That is, no business which de pends upon the public for support If you are in a line that appeals to the people at large, if your proposition is one that requires selling to the public, The Oregonian will carry your message into most of Portland's homes every morning. And you can make sales at a low selling cost The Thankless Foster Child By Dean Collins. (Popular song; model 1!U2; style X; No. 9S7. 643.247) Beside the Boulevard of Politicians The Harpers Weekly sat. With eager eye. She scanned the faces of the passing people And looked for Woodrow Wilson to go by. At last surrounded by a bunch Of stylish Young men, who ranked In Presi dential class. She saw the object of her adoration Upon the Dem. bandwagon slowly pass. "Muh foster cheeild," eagerly she shouted. "I raised you right and hoped your pathway led Where you are now a Presidential prospect." Then Woodrow frowned and unto her he said: Chorus: "Can't you see you'll spoil my prospects? I'd rather that you don't shoot off your face. If I ehould openly dare recognize you My candidacy might come to fell dis. grace. You injure me by butting in and boost ing. I hate to wound your pride and make you sore. But when you see me with this bunch ,of fellows, . It's best you don't address me any more." "Those are harsh words" the Harper's Weekly answered, "And I've a right to be a little riled. Oh, sharper than the tooth of any ser pent It Is to have a thankless fostei cheeild. But though you scorn me, still you may remember That even I may keep my humble pride; And so I'll never, never more address you. When by me In the band wagon you ride. To think, when I had done my best to raise you To move where high society spread. That you should turn around and cruelly scorn me As ,you did now, when harshly thus you said: Chorus: "Can't you see you'll spoil my prospects It may queer my chance of nomina tion If you butt in the swell crowd where I travel And tip it off that you are a re lation. I'm traveling with Presidential Pros pects. Don't hang around and make your self a bore; But when I drive by in the Dem. band wagon. It's best you don't address me any more." Portland, January 17. Country Town Sayings by Ed Howe A woman will do a thing all her life because her mother did it, but a man never has much confidence In the ways of his father. A fool cannot find out much, but he can find out when you are busiest. Never bother a busy man, unless it ii to tell him his house is on fire. The more talk of culture there H around a man's house, the fewer good things he has to eat. No one should worry because he doee not understand all that is going on in the world. There Is only one thing that pleases a woman more than to be referred to as a dove: to hear a man referred to as a hawk. It is pitiful to hear old people talk about their ages. "Why," they say, when told that any one is 65 or 70, "he is young yet." Keep any letter you write long enough, and you will want to burn it. No man ever went without anything he wanted very much, if it was possi ble to borrow it. What has become of the old-fashioned boy who carried his school booki home at night to study? Sale of Film Scenarioua. PORTLAND, Jan. 15. (To the Edi tor.) 1. Can you publish the address of firms who buy scenarios for movlng plcture plays? 2. Should scenarios be copyrighted before offered for sale? S. Do you. think a $3 correspondence course worth while? A SUBSCRIBER. 1. Nearly all manufacturers of moving-picture films buy scenarios. Con sultmagazlnes devoted to this industry for lists and also read articles con tained therein regarding. 2. It is not necessary. 3. No. Yes. PORTLAND, Jan. 15. (To the Edi tor.) If a man with a grown family I deeds real estate to his wife, then after his death, without leaving a will, does she have a right to dispose of or mort gage the property without the consent of the heirs? Does the deed take the rights and privileges away from the heirs? SUBSCRIBER. Yea. PORTLAND. Jan. 15. (To the Edi tor.) At an annual meeting of a club when its directors are to be elected may proxies be voted? The bylaws of the club do not mention or provide either for or against. The club is a corporation, but no stock. F. H. V. A.