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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1917)
TITE MOTIXIXG OREGOXTAIf, TUUUSDAT, DECEjIBEIS 20, 1917. mum rOBTLAKD, OBEGOJT. Entered at Portland (Oresoa) Postotflos as second-class mall mtur. Subscription rates Invariably In ad -vane: (Br Mail) 3ally. Sunday Included, one year. ......SS.OO Iai:y, Sunday Included, liz month..... 4.25 pally, Sunday Included, three month... 2.25 X'aiiy, Sunday Included, on month.. . .75 3al.y. without Sunday, one year 6.00 iJaily, without Sunday, six inonths..- . S-25 JJally. without Sunday, three months.... ' Ially, without Sunday, one month.. .... .60 "Weekly, one year....................... Sunday, one year ........-.. Sunday and week!y 8.50 (By Carrier.) Daily, Sunday Included, on year. ...... .oo Pally. Sunday Included, one month. ... Ijatlr. without Sunday, one year T-?? Xally, without Sunday, three month.. Xally, without Sunday, one month 1.B5 65 How to Remit Send postofflce money or der, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at owner's risk. Give postofflce addreaa In lull. Including- county and state. Postage Bates 12 to 19 paces. 1 oentj 18 to 8 pages. 2 cents; 84 to 48 pases, 8 cents; CO to 60 pages. 4 cents; 62 to 76 pases, S cents: 78 to 82 pages, 6 cents. Foreign postage, double rates. Eastern Banlnnu Office Verree Conk lln. Brunswick building New York: Verree Conklln. Steger building. Chicago: Ban Francisco representative, R, J. BldwelU 743 Alarket street. 1IKMBFE OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. The Associated Press la exclusively en titled to the use tor republication of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credited In this paper, and also the local cews published herein. All lights of republication of special dis patches herein are also reserved. PORTLAND, IHCRSDAY, DEO. 0. 1917. KEEP OREGON FIRST. All obstacles at Washington to the maximum production of ships, both of eteel and wood, on the Columbia River, as In other Pacific Coast districts, Jiave at last been removed, and a di rect appeal from Chairman Hurley, of the Shipping Board, comes to the shipbuilders of this district to do their utmost in increasing production dur ing the coming year. This appeal Is a triumph to the local Industry, for It is an Implied confession that other districts, on which the Government has hitherto chiefly relied, have fallen down and that the Board looks to the Pacific Coast to make good their shortcomings. It Is certainly no mere coincidence that this call to the Pacific Coast for help follows Immediately upon re moval of the last naval bureaucratic official of the Board, with the excep tion of Admiral Bowles, and upon its reorganization under the management of business men with whom Admiral Bowles is In full accord. Charles Picz, the new general manager of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, has learned at first hand, on a tour of the shipyards, what each district is doing and can do, and upon bis return Chair man Hurley pronounces conditions on the Pacific Coast excellent, throws overboard the men who bad refused to make full use of this Coast's ca pacity, and calls upon the Columbia Kiver for full speed ahead. " This ef fect has followed so closely upon the cause that we may safely Infer that the Board Is no longer a mere debat ing society. This is a summons, as it la an op portunity, for Portland, as the me tropolis of the Columbia Valley, to do a splendid patriotic service, and to put Oregon first once more. The Army, the Red Cross, the Food Administra tor all unite in the cry: "Build ships. Give us ships." Without ships our Army cannot cross the ocean to drive back the Prussian hosts, food cannot be sent to the allies to sustain their fighting spirit by filling their stomachs, medical supplies, food and houses can not be sent to relieve the sick, starv ing, homeless wrecks whom the Ger- mans are driving from the occupied districts at the rate of - 600 a day, Without ships the war cannot go on and Germany cannot be beaten. Port land is called on to play a leading part in supplying this vital need. The city has never yet failed to respond liberally and in full measure to any call of country, and It must not fail now. It devolves upon the business com munity of Portland to get behind the shipbuilding industry with capital and every other kind of aid, that it may be expanded to Its full productive capacity. The new policy of the Board gives assurance that work will be provided for all the ways which can be built, hence there need be no hesitation on that score. There is no doubt that by additions to existing yards and by construction of new ones, for which capital is ready, the pres ent capacity for building both steel and wooden ships can be doubled, ft should be done with the patriotic spirit which has distinguished Port land from the outbreak of the war. Since the worst obstructions have been placed in the way of letting con tracts for wooden ships, discussion has hitherto revolved around that type of vessel. Now that those obstacles have been removed by the call for ships of either material, equal atten tion should be given to those of steel. Although steel is not produced here, this district has several advantages in building vessels of that material. Sev eral plants already exist for the pur pose, which can be expanded at slight cost in money and time, while the new standardized ship plants in the East had to be built from the ground up. There is a heavy balance of eastbound over westbound tonnage on the rail roads, so that steel can be hauled west without use of many additional cars, and completed ships can relieve the railroads by taking cargoes to the At lantic Coast or direct to Europe. While the rigors of Winter cause frequent suspension of work in Eastern yards, operations continue practically with out interruption in the mild Oregon climate. There is scope for several new steel ship" plants In connection with existing fabricating plants, and there should be no difficulty In. dou bling the output within a few months. The only limit to the expansion of wooden shipyards should be the limit to convenient sites, to the capacity for producing ship timbers and to the pos sibilities of manning the yards. There are Innumerable good sites along the Columbia and Willamette rivers, as well as on the Oregon coast streams. It has been said that the sawmills were already producing all the tim bers possible to supply existing yards, but when a call came for 40.000,000 feet to complete vessels on the ways In the East and South, the material was supplied. Lumbermen cite the difficulty of selling or shipping side lumber as an objection to increasing the output of ship timbers, but that Is an outgrowth of the scarcity . of cars for shipments to the interior and of vessels for shipment by sea. There Is a large demand for lumber on the Atlantic Coast and In Europe. Hun dreds of millions of feet could be manufactured here into knock-down houses for the Army and for ruined towns In the war zone of France. As ships are completed, some of them can be loaded with this material, to the advantage of both the lumbermen and jfh0t consumers, Revision Of railroad rates to the Middle West would help lumbermen materially In getting rid of the by-product of ship timbers. The case Is one for co-ordination of the activities of lumbermen, shipbuilders, railroads, the Shipping Board and lumber consumers. If attacked In the true spirit of patriotism, it can be ar ranged to promote the main purpose of building ships without Injury to any Interest concerned. The proposed increase in produc tion of tonnage will require enormous expansion of the labor force In both steel and wooden shipyards. This may seem impossible' at first Impression, but so it may have seemed two years ago, to Increase the forces to their present proportions. What has been done can be done again. There la al ready . a long waiting list of men anxious to wjrk at the existing yards structural steel workers, black smiths and machinist for steel yards. carpenters and other woodworkers at wooden yards. Large numbers of men of- the same type, can be recruited In the Middle West, where building and other work on which they are usually engaged is practically at a standstill. The present force of skilled men can be so distributed that they can train the green hands, and the force can thus be gradually expanded, to the point where two, and then three, shifts can be employed. It Is as necessary that all work connected with produc tion of ships, from the logging camp to the machine shop should be con tinuous as It Is that production of spruce for aircraft be hastened; In deed, as necessary as It is that the trenches should be constantly manned. for in the end everything depends on the shipbuilder. The Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen should ex tend Its activities to production of ship timbers as well as spruce, and it should be followed up by a Loyal Legion of Shipbuilders, inspired by the idea that every blow of a hammer Is a blow at the enemy. The call has gone out to Portland, to all of Oregon. Others have been tried, and have failed. Oregon must not, and will not, fall. Keep Oregon first. In shipbuilding as It has been In performing every other duty to the republic. TOM AND BILL When Tom Jones and Bill Anderson, friends and companions, enlist In the Army, they may be, and are, still friends and companions; but If one of them becomes an officer, their rela tions automatically change. But the change affects their official, not their social, relations, nor their personal friendship. It is not to be expected that it will be still "Tom" and "Bill." when Lieu tenant Tom meets Private Bill, in the line of duty. The necessities of disci pline and command must govern, and the private must salute and obey the Lieutenant. What Lieutenant and pri vate may say to each other, In their private relations, or away from the Iron rigors of army life, is quite an other matter. Clearly, they are still, and ought to be, Tom and Bill, friends and companions. Secretary Baker makes it clear that social distinctions do not exist in the Army, but official distinctions do. Otherwise, there could be no Army worth the name. The officer who re gards himself as of superior metal to the private, and thinks that he Is a being apart, and not Interested in the soldier's welfare, except to see that he is well fed and well housed, has no place in a democratic army. There is a happy mean which both officer and private may achieve. If both have sense and a conception of their respective duties and places. The French have It, and the officers and privates mingle freely; - yet It is not forgotten that each has his relative position. Doubtless an American Army, being an Army of the people, can get along without caste, or cliques, or a display of the odious militarism which has made the Prussian unique and solitary. EXIGENCE THE DOUBTERS. Those meticulous citizens who in slst upon the right to discuss the ques tion, whether we were right in going to war. what should be our war aims, whether conscription is constitutional and whether we should not make overtures for an early peace, would do well to read what General von Ludendorf, the brains of the German army, said about the way in which modern wars are won. He said that in these days, when wars are fought between peoples, not between armies, an enemy people Is defeated through becoming demoralized as the conse quence of an unsuccessful and disas trous conflict, and he points to the breakdown of Russia as an example. Although Russia was actually win ning when Germany produced de moralization by corrupting her minis ters, it is no less true that demoraliza tion is a powerful cause of defeat. For that reason all persons who per sist In continuing discussion of ques tions which were decided when Con gress declared war and adopted con scription are, in fact, working for the enemy. Uy inspiring qoudi wnetner we ought to have fought, whether we should not now stop fighting, how long we should fight and as to whether the alms for which we fight are just, they help to Inspire the very demoralization of which the Prussian General spoke. These doubts might remain silent at present, but if we should suffer a seri ous reverse, they would become vocal and would spread. They would make the people restive under the sacrifices of war and unwilling to make further sacrifice. They would weaken the will, and, therefore, the nerve and the arm, of our soldiers In battle, and thus might turn victory into defeat. "Thrice la he armed that hath his quarrel Just." By -the same rule, he who doubts the Justice of the quarrel In which he is engaged has already been more than half disarmed. Such doubts have disarmed Russia. He who spreads such doubt in America is an enemy, for he does the work Von Ludendorf sees to be a means of our defeat. He should be silenced. An Interesting situation has devel oped in Holland, which formerly de pended wholly upon England, Ger many and Portugal for its supplies of salt and which is now cut off from all these sources by the war, even the German supply having been curtailed by lack of workmen. This has re sulted in attempts to develop salt beds which have long been known to exist in the provinces of Gelderland and Overyssel, but in which many tech nical difficulties have been encoun tered, and prospecting has revealed the presence of coal beds beneath the salt deposits. The situation is anala- gous to that of many Western mining districts in the United States, in which the presence of valuable metals was discovered only by the development of others less valuable. If Holland is able to put itself on a self-supporting basis both as to coal and salt, which 1 regarded as not Improbable it will be able to reimburse itself in consid erable measure for the loss to trade caused by the cessation of commerce and the sinking of ships. WHY A TINSELED TREE? Ingenious Americans evidently will not worry much over the famine in supplies of tinsel and colored glass balls for ornamentation of the Christ mas tree this season. The suggestion of a correspondent that various sub stitutes are available is not only timely, but In keeping with the spirit of economy that should prevail every where. Popcorn and cranberries were In vogue long before the more brilliant affair of glass was thought of, and any old-timer can recall the merry times he had when a boy around a home tree which bore not a single ornament bought at the store. We used to eat the cranberries after they had served their artistic purpose, and the popcorn as well, thus practicing food conserva tion In the highest degree. Aid rose hips, which the correspondent sug gests, are plentiful this time of year. As to the angel made from cotton batting and the paper cornucopias, however, there will be objection to them because of their inflammability. The occasional tragedies that once marred every holiday 6easoh ought to have taught their lesson. Santa Claus must either wear asbestos whiskers or keep away from lighted candles. He has been a long time learning, but that much should by this time have been borne in upon him. The precise nature of the gay trifles that we employ for adornment is un important. The spirit of the company is everything. It Is the least of our troubles that the war has cut down the supply of gewgaws from Germany. WORK FOR THE RETIRED FARMER. There is plenty of work for the re tired farmer in these times of food scarcity and National necessity. The fact has been emphasized recently by J. C. Scott, state farm help specialist of Washington State College, who Is preparing a bulletin on the subject. His suggestion that the "retired farmer cease from retiring for the period of the war" is timely and full of interest. Precise figures as to the number of farmers who have rented their proper ties and gone to the city to live, or have abandoned the industry for other reasons, are lacking, but the number probably is large. A good proportion of them, at the same time, are well within the working age, and they are the best . farm labor available for emergency. Men between 40 and 60 will profit by returning to the soil, where their experience as well as the work of their hands is needed, and It would seem to be a patriotic duty, when not a financially profitable un dertaking, for them to give their serv ices in this manner. These men are beyond the draft age. but with plow and reaper they can do as much in 1918 toward winning the war as they could do with rifles in the trenches. There seems to be no pros pect of a serious movement of con firmed city men back to the land for some time to come, and every possible bit of help Is needed. . It is believed that there are not far from a thousand retired farmers in Oregon and Washington who are not incapacitated for work. An army of a thousand trained workers is not to be despised. Probably, as realization dawns that upon victory over the Huns depends the title and fee simple of every farm in America, a Mr. Scott suggests, this army will take the field. It will do well to begin thinking about it now, for Spring will be with us almost before we know It. SOME FLOODS AND OTHERS. Continuous rains are more than an annoyance; they are a real danger, for the Immediate effect is flood condi tions in the numerous streams of the Paclflo Northwest and the loss and wreckage which come from overflowed farms and settlements and Inundated docks and manufactories on or near river banks. The characteristic feature of the present flood is its suddenness. The people In the towns adjacent to the streams were not ready for it. They were not ready, because they had not known anything like it in recent years, for they had passed many Winters with rain and rising waters, and no harm had been done. But the unex pected happens, and the might and waste of swollen waters have asserted themselves and will not be denied. Probably the danger will pass without serious disaster, and with only Inci dental damage; but. If so, it will prob ably be because Nature, after all, is kind, and 1 the facilities for rescue of people and property are better than they used to be. On such occasions the great fact that Oregon and Washington have three large rivers Willamette, Colum bia and Snake and numerous minor rivers is tremendously emphasized. Nowadays most people in Portland think only of the Willamette when they have to cross it; but it has not been so many years since the thoughts and fortunes of every citizen had a direct relation to the river. In earlier days, a flood was of Immediate mo ment to everybody. Now It Is only bothersome to most people, and Is material for the news reports. Most, floods in the Willamette River at Portland occur in June, and later. and are directly due to the melting snows of the Rocky Mountains, affect ing the supply streams of the Colum bia; and the rise at Portland and as far as the falls at Oregon City is di rectly due to back-water. There are no swift currents, but merely a slow and easy rise, and it has the same effect as too much water in one s basement. No bridges are taken out, no particular damage Is done, except that everything gets wet unless it Is taken out of the way. There is a record of a June flood so long ago as 1844, and others oc curred In 1862, 1876, 1881, and last and greatest in 1894, when the streets of Portland near the river were im passable, and a maximum rise above low water mark of over 83 feet was attained. It has been more than twenty years since that event a longer interval than there was be twen the other June floods. There is reason to hope that the deepening and straightening of the Columbia's chan nel, and other factors, have reduced the likelihood of another event like 1894 to the minimum. It may never happen again. But the Winter floods are quite a different matter. The waters at Port land do not rise so high as in June, but they come up more rapidly, and, being accompanied by swift currents, they do damage here and all along the course of tie stream and its tribu taries. But such floods are, happily, rare. The worst Winter flood In Oregon occurred in December, 18 61, It was a disaster so astonishing and memor- able that tt stand out as the one gen eral tragedy of the Oregon territory, due ' to natural "t?w. The rains in November were very heavy; then the weather became very warm as now and the melting snows contxibtued a large share of the - swollen torrents. The rivers burst their bounds, and the entire Willamette Valley was In undated. Mills, factories, farmhouses and buildings and stores were swept away, and there was loss of life. One citizen, leaving Oregon City in a steam boat, rescued forty people from trees and other places of refuge. There were hundreds and thousands of such stories. The river at Oregon City reached a height of fifty-five feet, and there was two feet of water at First and Stark streets, in this city. Prac tically the whole town then was built along the waterfront, so that no one escaped distress or damage. The result of the '61 flood was im poverishment of the population in the Willamette Valley, not relieved by the heavy snow storm which followed. In the next Spring the Salmon River placer mines were discovered, and there followed an Immense emigration of Individuals and families from Ore gon, seeking new means of livelihood. Indeed, the population turned largely to mining, and there were opened up the placers, of the Powder and John Day Rivers and other places. The town of Auburn, on the Powder, springing up over night, had at one time many thousand people. Who hears of Auburn now? In 1862 La Grande was founded, and the valleys of Eastern Oregon were for the first time settled, all the Immediate sequel of the flood of '61 and the discovery Of the Salmon River mines. There was another Winter flood in 189J), accompanied by considerable loss, such as the carrying out of the Salem bridge. No prediction of a simi lar episode Is now made; but It is well for the people along Oregon and Washington streams to take every pre caution against further trouble. BTtMTJXAXXSO KESBUtCH. Announcement that a professor of biochemistry in the University of Cali fornia has discovered a substance which can be used to stimulate the growth of bodily tissues Is important not only because of its practical use In promoting the healing of wounds, and also because of its bearing upon the theory of cell proliferation, but by reason of the scientist's announcement that all profits from its manufacture. If it shall prove Its merit, will be de voted to the advancement of research. The professor in question Is Dr. T. Brailsford Robertson, of whose dis covery a writer in Science says that tests made in Army hospitals in Eu rope and in civil hospitals in. America have shown that it causes wounds to heal promptly which for months, and even for years, had obstinately re fused to yield to treatment. The sub stance has received the name "tethe lin," and has been isolated from one of the lobes of the pituitary body, which is a small gland attached to the base of the brain. Physiologists have believed ttyit it played an important part in the regulation of nutrition. The Importance of tethelin at this par ticular time in the world's history can not be overestimated, if time shall Justify the hopes of its discoverer. It is not unusual for scientific in vestigators, working under the pay of educational institutions, to give the results of their work to the public. Dr. Robertson has done this, in effect, but has shown a desire that his work shall not be abandoned where he leaves It. He has relinquished all per sonal profit to the university, stipulat ing only that his present salary shall be continued while he lives, if he should become disabled, from the pro ceeds of the trust he has created, with provision for a pension to his widow. His example is further encouraging evidence that men are still moved by humanitarian motives, and not solely by the commercial spirit. If tethelin accomplishes all that is hoped for it. the fund which It will provide for further scientific research is likely to be exceedingly large. The blood of the "Stalwarts" of long ago shows well at the front. The latest to be decorated for gallantry is a grandson of Roscoa Conkling. Tet the son of the average American will do aa well if he has opportunity. British Socialists are telling the labor element It is getting nothing from the government, and that Is the Hun of It. What British labor would get from Germany would be given 'on the point of a bayonet- The rascal who buys a soldier's card will get a room at McNeil's Island, and the military people will attend to the seller. His offense is not as great as that of the man who tempts him. The tallest man in the Army is former Portlander, six feet seven Inches, in the aviation corps. He can look over the top without stretching. According to testimony of the col lector, police graft In Chicago was less than a thousand dollars a month. Cheap skates for a big city of vice. The Governor of California was not bombed because -of the war; that is unreasonable. A better clew may lead to the state prisons. It needed war time to show Port land how to make $1000 a month on garbage, and not first-class garbage at that. Santa Claus does not look the same in all places, but looks are nothing. He "gets down the chimbley" Just the same. Think of all the people you know and recall one you are sure will be forgotten Christmas unless you do the rest. Start the little fellow right with a drum, and twenty-five years from now he will not be a slacker. Walter McCredle will be managing the Bees, but his mind will stray to the Beavers. Be early about mailing the packages to those who cannot come home for Christmas. One hundred per cent of Red Cross money Is effective for its purposes. Portland shines as a Good Samari tan, speedy and sure. Think of it! Just little drops of water did all this! Would you prefer snow and freezing weather? - Is the sign of the Red Cross in jrour window! Stars and Starmakers. By Leeno Caaa Ba. A . newspaper aooounting of it. says that Mrs. Vernon Caartlo pre fers to be known as "simple Irene Castle." Possibly she means simply. However, It doesn't make a lot of difference.- Just now the lissome Irene is having on awful mess with the Century Theater management, and it Is provid ing Broadway (New York's, not ours) with a new topio of conversation. Irene says she reported at the theater at the usual time for her danoe In "Miss 191T." and that the stage doorkeeper' denied her ad mittance, and she hadn't been told one blessed word about her dismissal from the company. The theater manager says that Irene Insisted on changing the time of her dance so as t.ot to interfere with her moving picture en gagements, with no regard to the Cen tury schedule. Irene has a lawyer and promises a nice fight over the matter. Arthur Cunningham, who . used to come to Portland In Its early-day opera seasons, and has come to us since in revivals of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas and in vaudeville, had a place in "Miss 1917." the Century revue we were Just speaking about. But he was let out. along with George White, Flora Revalles and Adolf Bolm and a lot of Russian dancers, because, the Century Theater folk say, they have to economize in salary output. e Winter garden chorus girls will not only pay for their Christmas dinners this year, but each one of them will Invite a soldier boy to be her guest. This announcement will doubtless start stampede for enlistment, and the men who are singled out for this event will be looked upon as heroes before they even face battle. The girls are now sending out their Invitations and those who have sweethearts are in forming therm that they have already ade engagements for Christmas din ner. WelL between having my hero in the trenches or eating Christmas tur key with a Winter garden vampire, give me the trenches every time. I'd stand more chance of getting him back. The Boston Grand Opera Company played under great disadvantages at Grand Rapids, Mich., on December 4, and abandoned the tour. Members of the company returned to the East. Mas. Rabinoff, directing manager. stated that they were financially able to continue, but that they could not get transportation for their scenery from the railroads, and that a large num ber of the male performers had been taken by the draft He further stated that the soenery had to be abandoned in several places on the trip from Bos ton to Toronto and thence to Detroit The company arrived in Grand Rapids with one baggage car and 36 people. Seventeen of the orchestra and many of the younger singers had gone to war. It was said by members of the company that nine theatrical com panies were tied up and could not move out of Toronto, Canada, on ac count of the railroad embargo. e . T. Daniel Frawley is in San Fran cisco engaging a traveling stock com pany for China and Japan, going by way of Honolulu. Katherlne Brown Decker is his leading woman. Mr. Frawley returned only a few weeks ago from a tour of the Orient. He married Peggy O.Neil. but Peggy sticks close to Mew Tork and lets T, Paul el travel. , see Jack Hazzard, who is responsible for the idea of the play, "Turn to the Right," has appeared in Portland in musical comedy and in vaudeville. He Is Just now careering in the Eastern company of the same "Miss Spring time" that we saw a few weeks ago. Mr. Hazzard writes all his own com edy, and one day It occurred to him that an admixture of the fly-crook play and the home-and-mother type of drama would hit the bullseye of public approval. 'He confided his idea. With the skeleton of a story, to Winchell Smith, past master In authorship and stage direction, who has garnered roy alties from "The Fortune Hunter," The Boomerang," "Brewster's Mil lions" and upwards of a dozen others- Result: "Turn J.o the Right," which. in the vernacular of the dressing-room. knocked 'em dead" In New Tork for a solid year and In Chicago for nine months. It would seem that Mr. Haz zard made a good guess. Portlanders who saw "Turn to the Right" in the Bast last season have been megaphon ing its praises these many months, and its opening tonight is awaited with more than passing interest. The com pany Is the one from Chicago. Lee Parvin, known as the "boy agent" among advance men, is In Portland ahead of "Fair and Warmer," coming next week to the Helllg. Mrs. Parvin, who used to be a. professional but retired from the stage after her marriage, accompanies her husband. e - Charles Ross, comedian, who visited us last with William Crane in 'The New Henrietta," is seriously 111 at the Fair Oak Sanitarium at Summit. N. Y. " Charlotte Walker will sail for Lon don soon to appear in a production of her husband's play. "The Woll. . Edna Aug is returning to musical comedy- She is one of the featured members in the "Words and Music" company, a new revue to be sponsored by Hitchcock and Goetz, and now in rehearsal. "Words and Music" ts the Joint work of a famous playwright and equally famous composer who have never been associated together in mu sical comedy. Their identity will be a surprise when revealed at the open ing performance, it is announced. The cast of "Words and Music" is headed by Richard Carle, Elizabeth Brtce, Wellington Cross. the three Dooleys, Marion Davles and Edna Aug. Willy Pogany has designed most of the costumes and scenery. Leon Errol is staging the piece. Loretta Wells, who played character roles with the Baker stock two seasons sgo, is appearing in "The Gypsy Trail," Arthur Hopkins" latest com edv oroduetion. recently presented for the first time at the Plymouth Theater In New York. e Frances White has departed for the nonce, from her usual variety of song numbers and Is doing a patrlotlo ballad called "When the Moon Is Shining Somewhere in France,"- and reviewers agree that she if "getting it cross" In great stylo In the "HitcKy Koo". revue, in which she is featured. The song was written by a soldier. Private Frederick Rath, PBOHISEs OF NAVT HOT BROKEN Pmtner of Yotrtk In Service Bays Freb-le-mjs Call for Patience. PORTLAND. Dee. 1. (To the Ed itor.) In The Oregonlan is a letter from Constant Reader in regard to Navy enlistments, which stated that "a special inducement offered was a three months' course In Harvard, Yale. Columbia. et&," and further stated that when this nephew "got there he found the university course all a Joke." As father of one of the boys who en listed for this gasoline engine work. I wish to say that if misrepresentation was made to these boys who enlisted in good faith those making them are open to sure and severe censure. But I cannot think that anyone of those enlisted were misled or that the or ders from the Navy Department were used except only as received. There is nothing finer In American tradition than the good faith of the Navy, and as I was present when my son enlisted and heard all the prelim inary information given him, I think I am in position to say that no mis representations were made. Orders from the Navy Department were read and explained, as follows: (c) Landsmen for machinist's mate (motor-boat) These men should have experi ence In the operation and repair of gas en- Sines. They are prlmaruy tstenoed lor outr on submarine chasers, but no promise of this duty shall be made. Transfer as en listed to the recelvlnc ship at Philadelphia for further detail. It Is Intended to form classes from among these men to po to Columbia University for further instruction; but It does not neceaearlly lollow mat au men enlisted In this rating shall be sent to Columbia, as other classes may be started elsewhere. Age limit for the above ratings. 21 to 85. The order says "they are primarily intended for duty on submarine chasers, but no promise of this duty shall be made," and none was made In my hearing. The order says: "Trans fer as enlisted men to the receiving ship at Philadelphia for further detail." and they were so transferred. The order says: "It is Intended to form classes from among these men to so to Columbia University for further In struction," and classes are being so formed, we are informed. The order says: "but It does not follow that all men ellsted in this rating shall be sent to Columbia, as other classes may be started elsewhere." and there is no reason to believe that such other classes will not be formed for other available schools. It takes patience and time to work out a problem of the magnitude of that cut out for the Navy, but there is no occasion to rush into print with such a nasty insinua tion as .contained In "Constant Read er's" query, which Impugns the good faith of a naval order. This Is a good time to practice self- restraint, even though our hearts are bleeding to see our sons and nephews go. It is no time to attack the orders of the Navy Department until and un less we are very sure of our ground. There is Just as much need for loy alty at home as in the service, and speaking for one of tne boys wno leu for Philadelphia November 23, I hope he will never have eause to question the patriotism and loyalty and good sense of those he left behind. O. G. HUGHSON. PRESENT RAINS PRESAGE FLOOD Records of Winter Iligh Water 1b Willamette In Years Past. PORTLAND. Dec 19. (To the Edi tor.) This rain. longer continued, means high water In the streams of Western Oregon and Western Wash ington, and especially in the largest, the Willamette River. Four big floods of the Willamette have been recorded, as follows: November 4, 1S44. height unknown. December 5-7, 1861, 57 feet below Oregon City falls; 69 feet at Canemah. January 6, 1881, 21.4 feet at Port land. February 6, 1890, 24.4 feet at Port land, 68.6 fee below Oregon City falls, 71.1 feet at Canemah. These floods were very destructive In the Upper Willamette Valley. Many persons will remember that the river in 1890 threatened Morrison-street bridge (the one river viaduct) and swept over the north end of the city. The river at Portland has been consid erably narrowed with East Side fills and bridge piers since the flood of nearly 28 years ago. The Winter freshet of the Willam ette should not be identified with the June freshet of the Columbia. The latter made the highest record June 7, 1894 33 feet. The Columbia reached high stages in June, 1853. 1859, 1862, 1871, 1876, 1880, 1882, 1887. 1894. History is mute when asked to fore tell the length of our present rain period. Oregon's Civil War Governor, John Whlteaker, in commenting on ths bad flood of 1861, in a message to the Legislature September 10, 1862. con soled the lawmakers with the thought that If the rain had oontlnued longer, the flood would have been worse. Said he: "Had It rained for two weeks and continued warm as it is, the . whole Valley of the Willamette would have been covered with water from moun tain to mountain, when the whole country must have been desolated and, in a measure, depopulated." So we see again that the worst never happens, or Is always yet to come. LESLIE SCOTT. TOO MANY SEEKING EASY JOBS Farmer's Wife Says It Is Time to Put All Idlers to Work. PORTLAND, Dec. 19. (To the Editor.)- We hear on every side about economizing on foods and saving. It Is true we must, but it is also true we have to plan to produce more. Then the question arises, how are we to produce more without the help (at a llvlng wage) to produce it? There is complaint everywhere of high prices, but I fear the day is not far in the distance when there will be no milk, butter, eggs or poultry at any price If . help cannot be procured to produce it. The good book tells us "man shall earn his living In the sweat of his face." Every pleasant day how many idlers are in the parks? How many are doing nothing and consuming food produced by farmers and farmers' wives? I am willing to work from early in the morning until late at night and Hooverlu in every, way necessary, but I am not willing to work from 5 o'cloak in the morning until 8 o'clock at night to feed those who will not work. Look the advertising columns over and note how many are wanting some easy job at big pay for a few hours' work, but where are the ones who are ready to go to work and raise vege tables and food to supply our needs? Where are the women ready to take the boe or milk the cows or raise the poultry? What is to be done with the idlers? Let us hear from others along these lines. It Is getting time to make plans to produce more; at less cost also. FARMER'S WIFE. Egypt's Wneat Bearded. London Echo. Egypt in the most ancient times was celebrated for Its wheat. The best quality was all bearded. The wheat was put Into the ground in Winter and some time after the barley. In the Egyptian plagues of hall the barley suffered, but ths wheat had- not ap peared, and so escaped injury. No Charge Is Made. PORTLAND. Dec 19. (To the Ed itor.) please let me know If the Red Cross gives the Army and Navy boys hand-knitted goods free or will they have to buy them. READER. Articles made by Red Cross workers are distributed free. In Other Days, Half a Centmry AsT. The adjourned railway meeting neia uecemDer is at the court Douse, A. L. Love; Joy. Chairman, presiding. A, P. Dennlson. Secretary, called the meet ing to order. The object was to take public action to learn what measures were necessary to reconcile conflicting Interests, in railway projects for this district. There are now four or five projected railroads started or con templated with Portland as a center, or an objective. London There was another'attempt to blow up the city Jail the other day. There are a number of Fenians im prisoned there. David Troy and Mrs. Ellen Blaine were married last month at Summer villa, Union County, by Rev. J. F. Roberts. On December 6, at Summer vllle, Amanda M. Glenn and Louis B. Rinehart, of the firm of Rlnehart Bros were married by Rev. Mr. Rob erts. A H. Johnson informs us that he has started a couple of men to Yamhill County to get fat sheep for holiday slaughtering. The main dam of the Harris burg flouring mill has been carried away by the high water. " Twenty-Five Years Axe- Washington It is announced that Ex-Secretary Blaine has only a few days to live. Doctors refuse to say just how long life can be sustained. The census reports show the mortgage debt o Iowa to be $104 p 5C capita and that of Alabama to be per capita- John R. " Rathom has taken entire charge of the Astorlan's editorial, local and telegraph departments. He is an experienced newspaper man. He Is using a Merganthaler linotype ma chine, the only one on the coast. Wallace Henderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. W. Henderson, fell from a wagon yesterday and was painfully hurt. The Boyer Glee Club will give a concert at the Marquam Grand Thea ter this evening. Miss Susie A More land will be at the piano and Slgnor R Rebagllatl will play the violin. Joe Day, who gained quite a reputa tion for himself as a detective while attached to the local police department, left last night to Join the Plnkerton Agency in Chicago. NATION MUST HAVE CHABACTF Writer Deplores Indifference of People to Spiritual Things. PORTLAND, Dec. 19. (To the Ed itor.) It was a member of a visiting clerical delegation who ones remarked to the immortal Lincoln: "I hope, Mr. President, that God is on our side," to which the President replied: "I have not concerned myself about that ques tion." After the shock to their feelings, he added: "But I have been very so licitous that we should be on God's side." That is the whole thing in a nutshell. It Is also the difference between a. righteous and an unholy cause, but It is not llmled to a time of war. The character of a people is its soul and the nation exists so long as it has character, but no longer. An ancient city was once threatened with destruction; 'It would have been saved If there had been 10 righteous people In it; It was utterly destroyed and the fact Is a matter of history. At another period Nineveh was warned; the entire city, .from the King upon his throne down to the most humble subject, fasted and prayed; the very animals were compelled to go without food for a time. It was an honest re pentance, and the city was spared. Indifference Is the fault of the age. In what way Is our indifference to spiritual things superior to that of the heathen living up to the light within them? Is it really a small matter? To those who have given it deep thought, "all that we are and all that we hope to be," both individually and as a Nation, are in their finality dependent upon God. "And what doth the Lord require of thee but to do Justly and to love meroy and to walk humbly with thy God?" "Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord." LOUIS G. DRAKH. ADORNING THE CHRISTMAS TREE We Need Not Depend on Tinsel for Color and Ornamentation. PORTLAND, Dec. 19. (To the Edi tor.) Your editorial concerning the shortage of tinsel ornaments for Christmas decoration Is noted. Why should we use tinsel and other rubbish for our decorations? If we must hark back to barbarism, let us go farther back than the Huns away back along the corridors of time to the day when the artistic sense of man in its baby- and colored pebbles. The prettiest Christmas tree I ever saw was draped with snowy popcorn, cranberries and glowing rose "hips," hung with cornucopias mat of maga zine covers and filled with home-made candies and the' branches tipped with popcorn balls. Oh, my! right on the very tiptop was an angel made of cot ton wadding. What fun It was to string the corn and berries! How graciously the hillside yielded of their wealth of color! How gorgeous it was! And not one bit of it "made in Ger many." MAE CELESTE POST. Pronunciation of Russian Names. PENDLETON. Or., Dec. 18. (To the Editor.) For the Information of nu merous readers who have no knowl edge of the Russian language, please state the correct, or accepted, pro nunciation of the word "Bolshevlkl," which so frequently occurs in the news dispatches from Petrograd; also the correct pronunciation of the name, changed at the -outbreak of the waor, of the Russian capital, "Petrograd." C K. C. The accepted pronunciation of the term, and that used ny tne n-uasuim emissaries who visited Portland re cently, is "bol'-she-vC-ke." Of fre quent occurrence in news dispatches is "bolshevik," which appears to be the singular. form. The name of the Rus sian capital is pronounced phonetically, "Pet-ro-grad." - Population of New York and London. DALLAS. Or.. Dec 17. (To the Edi tor.) Which is the larger. New York or London, counting the suburbs of both? READER New Tork is the larger. Official es timates are: New York. 5.602.841; Lon don, 4.623,964. Including Westchester and New Jersey suburbs New York Is estimated to have a population of 7, 600,000. That of London, including all metropolitan and city police districts. Is estimated at 7,252.000. Six Years. PORTLAND. Dec 19. (To the Edi tor.) Please Inform me through the columns of your paper as to the num ber of years elapsing until a promis sory note Is outlawed In the state of Washington. L. i M.