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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1900)
10 THE ST3OTAY QREGONIAN, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 30, 1900, Music Rich, celestial music thrilled tho air 2from bosu on hosts of shining ones, who thronged Eastward and "Westward, making bright the night. Arnold, "Light ol Asia." GRAU NEEDS COMFORT Some of His Trials En Route ."With. His Sonc Birds Across thr Continent The season of foreign opera. In New York under the Grau management opened December IS with a bouse that was not large or profitable, according to the Mu sical Courier, but with a well-filled au ditorium and a warmly enthusiastic body of first-nighters. If one is to judge from the various reports that appeared next morning Ip the New York Journals. Cer tainly Maurice Grau needed all the conso lation his Gotham friends could give him. for his path across the continent hab not been strewn with roses. Apart from the mishap that befell his stars, en route, of traveling In cars that were like Ice boxes, owing to a breakage of the heat ing apparatus, there was considerable pe cuniary loss, enough to try any man's temper. The following telegram to the New York World from Lincoln, Neb., at the close of its one night of Grau opera, will In part explain the situation: "For nearly two hours an Impatient audience fretted and wondered, and Mau rice Grau, the Impressario of the Metro politan Opera Company, facing a loss of $500 In his Lincoln engagement, stormed and threatened and thundered. Signor Mancinelli, the conductor, refused to al low the opera to begin until he had been given the word by Mr. Grau. "Grand opera in Lincoln uas a. losing venture for Mr. Grau, and .'or S. Kron berg, of Denver, and "Wlllard Kimball, pf Lincoln, Mho made the contract for the Lincoln engagement. "Kimball and Kronberg guaranteed $10, 00, but Grau was compelled to accept a trifle over $5000. because that was all thai was realized from the sale of seats. "The three men met in the parlors of the First National Bank at 1:30 o'clock, xnd there Grau was told of the fact that the sale of seats had netted only $1100. He threatened to take his company away If the guarantee was not immediately made good. Kronberg offered to pay hl3 half of the shortage, but Grau was finally Induced to take what cash there was, on condition that the balance be made good at some future time. A messenger was then hastily sent to the Italian conductor, and the opera began." Of the Grau Company in the "West, the Denyor Evening Post, at the close of Its season of grand opera, said: "After the curtain falls this evening Mr. Grau and his company depart -for green fields apd pastures new. They will go to the Mis souri River towns and take all the money away from those vernal cities they possi bly can. Fashion is a ruler as powerful as the grand Llama of Thibet. Right or wrong, its followers lay down or give up as fashion dictates, and It being fashion able to attend Maurice Grau's entertain ment, he will probably have large houses In Lincoln, Grand Island, Omaha and oth er way stations. He will give these peo ple an ordinary $2 show and charge them $5 or $0 or whatever he can get. He is a shrewd man of affairs. He sizes up the. different cpmmunlties. Some he charges $3, some $5, and some $7. Denver, after all, is lucky. It didn't pay the highest price. It probably will, however, again. As the houses have been crowded, with two exceptions, the Impressario is prob ably tearing his hair that he didn't make the Denverltes pay $7 and $S instead or $5. But he Is coming this way next sea son. And then, who knows?" A truly American commercial spirit seems to have taken possession of this music critic. But he forgets to mention one item of Information, viz., that the Denver prices were nearly three times as large as those in Kansas City. ANOTHER MUSIC HALL. The New Chlclfcrlnc Hall in Boston a. Superb Structure. Thp erection of the new Chickerlng Hall in Boston has attracted much atten tion, as many novel features are to be Introduced Into this musio hall. Like the strupture at the southerly cor ner of Huntington and Massachusetts avenues, Symphony Hall, which has late ly been dedicated to music, this other structure Is to be dedicated to the same use early in the coming year, when Ch!ckering Hall will have come Into be ing. Chief interest In the structure cen ters in Auditorium HalU The area of the hall will be 55xS0 feet not including the stage, and Its height will be 34 feet. The flopr will be somewhat pitched, while the balcony, extending arqurid three sides, will be banked. The seating capacity of theiiall will be S00. Natural light will be supplied by a large skylight In a pitched roof, while artificial light will be fur nished by hiden electric bulbs flanking the cornice around the top. While the schema of Interior decoration has not been definitely decided upon, the Corin thian order will be adhered to. But the principal and most original fea ture of the hall will be the stage, 19x3? feet, with its sounding-board of plate glass, which will be backed up by heavy planking and covered with felting. Tho aoundlng-board will be composed of glass plates, 3x4 feet, separated by metal bars. This, by itia bye. Is. the Idea of Mrs. Wil liam F. Apthorp, wife, of the well-known, music critic, and it is understoood she has patented, her Invention. Home of the Itneiscl Quartet. Over the doorways leading into the cor ridors are transoms of cathedral glass, which In turn will be surmounted by busts of prominent composers surrounded by some effective decoration. The general stylo of the exterior of tha building will be the Italian Renaissance, and the materials to be used in its con struction will bo several light shades of terra cotta, with marhle disks at Inter vals and considerable fancy ironwork. Primarily the new hall Is designed as on auxiliary to Symphony Hall, and it is understood that the management of the latter has been in perfect harmony with all the arrangements from the outset, and It Is not improbable that both halls may be placed under the one management. Tho purposes to which the new hall will be put are of that character that might find Symphony Hall too large. It is more than likely that the Knelsel Quartet will claim the new hall for Its future home, while the concerts of other clubs will be held here. The Handel and Haydn Soci ety will use it for rehearsals, giving their concerts in Symphony Hall. Local musi cians havo given their heartiest approval to the arrangement of the now ball. C H. W. Foster, who Is trustee of the Wil liam H. Hill estate, which is putting up the building, is constantly In receipt of letters from prominent musicians highly commending the plans. Mr. Foster als6 is president of Chlckering & Sons, and thereby has a double interest In the new structure, and he has been the prime mover in every detail. The building, which will he completed by February L will cost bcttrecea floO.OOO and ?175,pOQ. Stories About Joachim. Mr. Joseph Bennett, In the Dally Tele graph, gives the following amusing anec dotes of Dr. Joachim's experiences with two famous authors: Robert Drowning and Joseph Joachim once foregathered with others In a friend ly salpn. The violinist had "obliged" without satisfying certain ladles, who en treated the poet to obtain from him an other solo. The poet, feeling the delicacy cf his task, discharged it diplomatically, and spake, as sometimes he wrote, so as to conceal his thoughts; while the violin ist, not understanding bowed and smiled, and did not play. As they left the house, the violinist queried, "What did you mean Just now?" "Oh." said the poet, "I wanted you to give us some more music;" and to him the violinist "Then why did you not come and say, 'Joe, pld boy, glvo us another tunc? " A second story, this time of a violinist and a sage they were walking together in Hyde Park they being Joseph Joachim and Thomas Carlyle. The sage. In amia ble mood, discoursed pleasantly of great Germans, and the violinist, to repay com pliment in kind, spoke of famous English men, mentioning Sterndale Bennett. "Eh!" said the sage, forgetlng, or not forgetting, the vocation of his companion, "I don't like musicians wind-baggy sort of people!" Tableaux. More Pretty Compliments. "Gayety, always the best of good hu mor, brilliancy, esprit these appear to be tho most striking characteristics In the American," says the new favorite Gabrl lowltsch. In the Criterion. "I suppose it appeared a stronger ole ment than it really Is because the observ er is of that Slavic predisposition to the somber and the pessimistic which Is nat ural with the North Russian, and more over, I arrived here while the country was in the throes, of a great national election such a thing as is unheard bf in my country. For a time I could not seem 'to understand what transformed such ap parently intelligent beings Into very ma niacs for joy; but it soon dawned upon me that here there was no king, and it was as 'If 70,000,000 people had ascended the throne at once. It was a revelation overwhelming, quickening, delightful. I felt myself Instantly mada welcome In a new hemisphere. I said to myself, 'Such a joyous people will not only be Just; they will be generous, they will be responsive, they will be Russians to me Russians with that somber tincture of sadness eliminated Russians in the ideal future." Musical H)och. Jean Gerardy. the celebrated Belgian 'cellist, who has not been heard In .Amer ica for several years, just opened his tour in this cquntry In New York, and his first recitals were conspicuously success ful. Concerts were booked for Thusday evening, December 27, and Monday after noon, December 31. in Kimball Hall Build ing:, the New York studio of William N. Burritt, by Miss Villa Whitney White, soprano, of Boston, and Miss Josephine Large, pianist, of Chicago. Leon Marx and Wllter Unger to assist. Mrs. Florence French has just Issued the first number of the Musical Leader, a weekly record o'f music, which. It Is promised, will faithfully and honestly represent the interest with which it is allied. Edward MacDowell has sent to his pub lishers, as one result of his Summer's leisure, the manuscript of, a sonata for pianoforte, In E minor. This is his fourth composition In that form, the first two being the sonata "Traglca" and the sona ta "Erplca." Neither the third, npr, of course, the fourth, Is yet familiar in New York concert -rpoms, and it is possible that Mr. MacDowell will glvo a recital before the Winter is over, including them In his programme. Mr. Huneker tells a comical story of Dohnanyi's ability to "hustle" American fashion: "Ernst von Dohnanyi had a narrow escape of It before leaving Hun gary for the United States. The day pre vious to his departure he was surprised tp learn that he. might be summoned for military service You may Judge of his consternation! By the" evening matters had cleared sufficiently for the Hunga rian pianist to rush around to the resi dence of his fiancee, explain matters, rush for a marriage permit, wire for a cabin in the Campania, get married and sail for America. The whole business was conducted at such a breathless tempo that Mme. von Dohnanyi a good-looking, musical girl of Budapest naively re marked: 'Why, it was all so sudden that when I woke up I was In New York.' Young von Dohnanyi Is a man of actions, piano and otherwise.' Despite tho fact that the American troops have been busily engaged in "sup pressing" Filipino rebels, a striking de mand for musical instruments from this country Is being made by the people over whom Aguinaldo once ruled. Consul Win ter, writing from Annaberg, referred to the fact that there aro few natives Filipinos who do not play some musical Instrument, and that the musical talent among them is exeat Tho instruments for which they care most are mandolins, guitars, violins and flutes, and they havo derived most of their supply thus far from the Americans. Tho average Filipino does not lavish, money on his musical ed ucation, however, and is not able as a rule to buy expensive instruments. The Tagals prefer instruments with a showy exterior, and Consul Winter believes the archipelago offers a fine opportunity for the man who -sets there soon with a large supply qf musical Instruments. OWNED ENTIRE TRAIN. Solitary Passenger Made Himself Very Much at Home. "At certain seasons every line carries passengers at an enormous loss," said an old railroad man, in a gossiping group in front of one of tho hotels a few evenings ago. "Sometimes all the machinery of an Immense corporation is put into motion for the benefit of one man. I have only had a single experience of the kind my self, but it was rather amusing. "A good many years ago, when I was a conductor in the service of the Atchi son, Topeka and Santa Fe. we put out of Kansas City for Denver one evening with nobody on board for through passage but a cadaverous-looking chap, with long chin whiskers and a linen duster. We had four Pullmans that we were carry ing to the other end of the line, and this fellow had the run of the train. He waa the most cantankerous and troblesome passenger I ever handled. "He wandered from car to car, pujtjpg his grimy boots on 120 different velvet seat cushions, an.d kept the whole train crew on the keen jump attending to his various wants. I think he must have gotten the Impression that he was presi dent of the road, riding pn a special, and before we reached Dodge "City, he became so haughty and dlctatprial that I had hard work keeping down a- mutiny among the boys. "They wanted to accidentally drop him oft of the roar platform. I figured qut that the chin-whiskered gentleman's ride was costing the read almost exactly $1100, and, to can the climax, I got a telegram just before wo reached Denver, directing me to turn him over to the police on the charge of forging and altering railroad tickets. He had worked oft! a fake paste board on me, and we didn't get even the price of his fare. I never heard what became of him. but I hope the Judge gave him $9 years." Kansas City Times Democrat. Making; Silk Gnt. The production of what s known as silk-worm gut for fishing lines is a cu rious industry that has followed the de cline of silk culture in the vicinity of Murcia, Spain. Tho grub is fed on the usual mulberry leaves, but before it be gins to spin is drowned in vinegar, and the substanoe that would have formed the cocoon Is drawn from the body as a thick silken thread Tho threads are treated with chemicals, dried, put up la bundles of 100 and sold along the Mediterranean. According to the American Lawyer, there are In the United States no fewer I than 220,000 habitual criminals. NO PLUTOCRATS' CLUB HARDLY A RICH MAX IN SENATE OWES HIS PLACE TO HIS MONEY. Fevf Senators Who at Some Stage in Their Careers Have Not Met Wlti Popular Indorsement. i A Congressman Is usually a man who has worked his own way up in the world, and this is as true of the Senate as of the. House. The Idea that the Senate Is a millionaires' club Is fictitious. There are several Senators who are millionaires, and others who are independently rich. That is, they have an Income outside of their salaries upon which they might live luckily for them, as the Senator or Representative- who doesn't spend every cent of his salary and something more, while In office, is very rare. Indeed. The talk about the millionaires In the Senate is largely guesswork. It must be, in the nature of things, for a "millionaire" 13 a very vague and ill-defined creature. The lists which are sometimes published giving names of Senators with seven, of eight -figures attached, preceded by the dollar mark, are always Imaginary. There is hardly a rich man In the Senate who owes his place to his money. Thus writes L. A. Coolldge In Ainslie's' Magazine. Common repute would probably put the following In any list of Senatorial million aires: Aldrich, Depew, Elklns, Fairbanks, Foraker, J, P. Jones, Kean, Lodge, Mc Millan Proctor, Scott, Shoup, Stewart, Turner, Wetmorc and Wolcott. Common repute is mistaken in about 25 per cent of this number. But even supposing that it was right, there are only two or three in the list who would not have held In fluential positions in the Senate even had they been poor men. "Aldrich is one qf the shrewdest political managers In the United States. He controls the politics of his state by sheer ability, and most of the money he has made has been due to fortunate Investments, since he became a Senator. Depew is an orator- of won derful gifts, and a lawyer whose services to his party have been so great that the ! marvel Is ho was not made a senator De- fore. Elklns has had a National repu tation as an astute political manager for the last 23 years. Fairbanks Is the ac knowledged leader of his party in his state. Foraker was a distinguished Gov ernor of Ohio, a man .of National reputa tion as an orator and a party leader be fore ho was chosen to the Senate, and what money he has made was earned In the practice of his profession after he left the Governor's chair. Hale married his money after he came to Congress. When he was elected to the House he was a green country boy, with hair that need ed cutting and trousers that did not. He made hl3 reputation he Is one of the ablest men In either branch of Congress, Blaine took him up and introduced him into society, and his fortune was made. It is not his money that keeps him in the Senate. It Is too late now for any body to question Hanna's political ability. He may know how to put money to good use in politics, but he has shown suf ficient executive capacity to prove that, If necessary he could get along without j It. Lodge is the leader of hl3 party In Massachusetts, an orator, a scholar and a writer as well as a political success. McMillan. Is the best political organizer In Michigan. Proctor was a gallant of ficer In the Civil War, has been Gov ernor of his state, and Secretary of War. Turner of Washington Is accounted one of the most brilliant men In the Far West. Besides he Is a Populist. Wolcott of Colorado Is a brilliant orator and a flna lawyer. He would shine anywhere, even though he had no money at all. Aside from these who, whether rightly or wrongly, are sometimes classed among the millionaires, there Is another group of Senators who are "well-to-do" just how well-to-do it would be hard to say; but any one of them could lose his political ofllce without missing the salary. Alli son, Chandler, Cockrejl, Davis, Hawley, Hoar, Lindsay, McEnery, Penrose Per kins, the two Platts, Quarles, Simon, Spooner, Teller, Thurston, Turley, Wel lington Sewall and Warren are in this group. Doubtless there are others. Most of these men have been successful In law or In business and the fact that they are not dependent op politics for a living Is simply a tribute to their chosen ca reers. The talk about the Senate being a millionaires' club is midsummer silli ness. To be a Senator is to have the most delightful political position which can fall to the lot of an American public man. But those who have won it have earned it by strenuous endeavor as the culmination of their creditable political careers. They have not bought their seats. It has become a popular cry that members of the Senate ought to be chos en by popular vote, the plea being that the use of money in State Legislatures has become a scandal resulting In the choice of men who could not look for fa vor at the hands of the people. As a matter of fact, there are few Senators who at some stage In their careers have not met with emphatic popular Indorse ment. Of the membera of the present Senate, 12 have been Governors of States; SURE Dobson My wife enjoyed herself DO times mope this Christmas than last, Hobson Hqw do ypu know? Dobson Well, the bills amounted to fifty dollars more this year than last. 26 have been members of the House of Representatives, 32 nave held other elec tive offices. For instance, Ross of Ver mont was Chief Justice of his state; Chandler was speaker of the New" Hamp shire House of Representatives; Simqn was president of the Oregon State Senate. There are only 13 who have never held any elective ofllce, and only two or three of these are in the so-called "million aire" class. Among -those who are lack ing in popular indorsement are Butler pf North Carolina, the chairman of the Populist National Committee; Cockrell of Missouri, the Democratic watchdog of the Treasury; Beverldge of Indiana, who starting as a poor boy, is a Senator at 37; Baker of Kansas, whom, no one would charge with using undue influence on the Legislature; Pettus of Alabama, the soul of Integrity, and although one of the latest of Senators to be, elected, one of the most zealous of ancient Senatorial rights; Kyle of South Dakota, another Populist, and Turley of Tennessee. Talia ferro of Florida and Chilton of Texas. Improvised Military Boat. An interesting experiment In the trans portation of cavalry across a stream was recently made by the Fifteenth German Regiment of Dragoons. The problem was to ferry the regiment, men. horses and baggage, across a river in boats Impro vised of the troopers' lance3 and water proof cloth. A quantity qf this material sufficient for two boats was carried on the Tack of a single horse. The experiment, which was made on MEW -- TN0M MUU- NOMAH FIELD & 3 MP i?K si T5 Game called at 2:30 the little river 111. near Strasburg, was a complete success. The boats were put together In less than 20 minutes. Lance3 served as oars as wel as for the frames pf the boats. Each boat carried four men who held the bridles of their horses, which swam behind the boat. The whole reriment. about 900 strong:, crossed the srtream In about an hour, and a half. A few weeks ago a similar experiment was made on the Rhine near the floating bridge at Gamshelm. The river, which at this point is more than 600 yargs wide, was'crossed in less than three hours by two regiments, using the same methods and materials as in the Strasburg ex periment. AMERICAN COMEDY THE BEST French. Farces Objected to as "Raw" and Unsavory. ASTORIA, Dec 20.-To the Editor.) "Why Smith Left Home" and "That Man," are fair examples of the farce com edy as we find it on pur stage today. One derives Its humor from a source that Is clean and wholesome; the other, while not all bad needs to be put through a purification propess. The one Is a native. the ' French-Parisian' "naughtiness." Which is the roost preferable? I answer Qur native- farce comedy every time- Take the two plays I have mentioned as an illustration. The Broadhurst piece is essentially clean; bubbling over with fun unadulterated at which one can laugh and know that he is laughing at a square, above-board Joke or situation with none of your suggestiveness or "shady" play on words as will be found in Chartre's Frenchy piece. One loses patience with a clever plot by introducing such a lot of unsavory byplay. It is far too "raw;" there remains a bad taste In one's mouth after witnessing he performance. It is a bad sign not only for the local manager, but the attraction playing his house as well, when, because of the of fensiveness of tho play, a lady Is com pelled, out of self-respect, to leave the theater before" the conclusion of the per formance. The manager not only runs the risk, perchance, of losing a patron, put the lpcldent will act. as. a boomerang on the player and the theater as well. It not only has a tendency to cheapen the worth of the man who happens to be cast In such a play. In the eyes of those who delight in witnessing productions worth their while and pay well for the privilege, notwithstanding the actor may be a clever one and playing a difficult role; but It tears down and destroys what it has taken years to build up, a good name for the house of Thespis. This representative of an art which has beep misunderstood and Ill-treated since it's birth, hut is, nQw coming into its own, a recognized place among the arts of the world. Before t can raise Its standard higher there ore leprous growths which still cling tq It, and must needs, be cut away and destroyed: if impossible to destroy., then exile 'them from the best theater:, and put them in a playhouse of their own with a trademark thereon which all can read and know what will be. wit nessed on the rise of the curtain. The first thing that I would cjestroy or exile holds a prominent place in the category SIGN. of stagevevils; Jtjs the frqthy, flzxy French farce as adapted for (he stage. In th;a country. Amopg opr native dramatists are num bered some of the cleverest of farce-cOm-edy writers. Their products are the kina of which anjr self-respectlngman or wom an can laugh' without sanctioning vulgax Ity, for you know that at tlmgs even the coarsest joke has a vein of humo running through It, If one cannot en joy plays like "What Hapened to Jones," "My Friend From India," ''The Man From Mexlco,'r "Strange Adventures of Mlsa Brown," or "Why Smith Left Home,' all clean and native- comedies, then, that person Is blase Indeed, and It would take something stronger than even the "raxv est" adaptation from the "French to sat isfy such a one. S. TERRY MKEAN. Cement Fence Posts. Th.0 discovery has been made that most excellent fence posts can be made of sand and Portland cement, prepared the same as for sidewalk purppses, and molded to the required form. Before it hardens, holes rnay be. punched wnere It Is desired to Insert wires, or lats set in, to which boards may be nalleti. They are no more expensive than cedar posts. The pulpy mass called begasse, which, is left after the sugar-cane has been crushed and squeezed dry of Its sacch arine matter, and formerly was burned and cot rid of as a nuisance. Is now used for the manufacture o paper. YEAR'S " - The Salem boys play foothaH like a house afire. Their -friends belfqve that the Salem team can even out play the Stanford's. If they can, look out for a hot old game on Multnomah Field on New Year's day. Anyway, it will be a ratting good game. Take your wife, your sister or your sweetheart to see the great contest of skill and endurance The Last Gala Event of the Winter Season on Multnomah P. IV!. sharp. Price of THE "TELEPHONE" EAR MALADY "WHICH IS PREVALENT IN CHICAGO, Snapping- Sounds In the Receive? Aj:c Said to Disturb the Human' Hearing? Apparatus. "Telephone ear" Is the latest. It has struck Chicago with virulence, and In consequence there Is much complaining of deafness among persona whose dally duties require frequent use of the ma chine that conveys articulate speech, says the Chicago Chronicle. Of three physi cians seen" last night, two had patients with the. new disease, while the third was himself suffering- from aural trouble, which he attributed to his repeated cajls to the, 'phone. The trouble is said to have arisen since the Introduction of the new method of calling, and" h? caused by the "heavy pull" current that Is responsible foe the snap ping sounds or miniature explosions that usually follow pressing the receiver to the ear. Through the air In the ear the sound of the snap is' conveyed tp the ear drum with such force that per sons of a nervous temperament are stricken with nervous deafness, for which no absolute cure is known. First instances of the new complaint were noted In New York and were there ascribed to the Introduction of the sys tem by which central was called up eimply by placing the receiver to the ear without the ringing of a bell. The same system has been largely adopted in this city. New Method Gauges Snapping, By it the lifting of the receiver from the hook, instead of ringing a bell in tho central office, turn? on an electric light. At the Instant there usually follows a startling clicking. This loud snap It Is that causes so many persons to remove the receiver with a grumble at the sharp attack on the ear drum. The cause of the "telephone ear," which Is the descriptive title that has come from the East with the new disease, was dis cussed last night by Dr. H. P. Pratt, pro fessor of therapeutics In three colleges, and who, aa an X-ray specialist, has de voted much research to demonstrating the therapeutic value pf the Roentgen dis covery. On matters telephonic he is an authority, having been one of the elec tricians of the Bell company and hav ing patented several valuable, telephpno and electric Inventions. "I must turn my rlgnt ear tQ you while we .talk," he explained "for I myself am an example of a man, with a 'telephone ear.' There is pot the slightest doubt In ro mind that niy aural trouble Is due tp the 'phone, to which I am called fre quently. I was not surprised when I be came affected, for several cases of deaf ness caused by use of the 'phone had come to Dr. J. B. Harper, eye and ear specialist at the college of Physicians and surgeons, and his assistant. Dr. J. L. Hammond, who have offices adjoining mine, on the 11th floor of the Masonic Temple. Terrific OJIckinfr Is Heard. "If you u?e a telephone frequently you must have often -noticed the terrific click ing that follows lifting the receiver from the book, which releases the lever, and. without the rjpglhg of a belC attracts the attention pf an operator at central. Jft this moment, as also when it becomes necessary further to attract the attention of the operator by moving the lever UP and down, you have been startled fre quentlyperhaps at each palf-y the ter rific click or loud snap, due to the mak ing or breaking of the connection, the battery being- pn the, circuits When the connection Is made with " pentral the heavy eleptric pqll lights a Jam? and n consequepce the diaphragm of t!e re ceiver Is drawn tightly against the mag net. This commuplcates, to the colunm qf air In the ear a vibration which, carried to the drum of the middle ear, causes a sound like that qf a miniature explosion. "Not only does this fend to derange the nervous system, but to persons of hyper- nervous nature it brings about the peril of nervous deafness. Owing perhaps to the newness, pf the disease, no absolute cure' has ijeeji 31scpvered. "As tho cause of" the complaints can be easily rpmedied by the telephone com panlSj it seems to me that they pught to make' a speedy change In their systems. If the operator be attracted by the ringing of a bell or some method which causes, quick vibrations of the diaphragm in the receiver. Instead of a strong pull, there would be no more noises to cause deaf ness."5 ' "I have had several cases of partial deafness caused by the telephone," said Dr. J. L. Hammond. 'The use of the 'phone renders, the hearing acute, but the Increased force at a battery on the cir cuit will cause a reaction and nervous deafness. The cases are highly interest ing, but as tey are new I am not pre pared to state what will probably be the result of treatment further than that they are showing Improvement." "We have n,ever had a complaint from any pn who asserted he had been made deaf by use of our telephones,,f said A. S. HIbbard, general manager of the Chi cago Telephone Company. "Our present signal system has been in operation for five years, and most of the 'phones now call the main board without the twist ing of a crank." Chines Not Brave. "1 have read and I have heard it stated." says John Rqssell Coryell, in Harper's Weekly, "that because of his perfect in difference to death, the Chinaman will, when properly led, make a formidable soldier. "It is an t-qconvlnelng statement. The Chinaman Is indifferent to death, and cases aro common enough of nla selling himself to die In the place of a convicted criminal, and then dying stoically. A criminal abl to pay 50 for a substitute VS. SAL general admission, 50c; grand stand, 25c. and something more to bribe the law, can usually escape. But It surely would be a sorry army that was composed of men to whom life was a hopeless, dull, almost in tolerable thing. "And life to the average Chinaman is that. He is not aggressive, not warlike, ' provided that iie whole Qf hjs body 6,hall be burled with suitable rites by his fam ily; hut ho fears nothing so much as death without those rites; and dismemberment is more than disgraceful and shameful, since it places him. at a marked disad vantage In that world to come In which he has been taught he will find indemnifi cation for his troubles in this."- ACTUALLY SAW SANTA QLAUS Chicago Lad Wh,p Had a Sleleh Ride With KrJs Krln&rle. 'Tm going to writo my Santa Claus story, 'cause I like It best of the things that happened when I was a little boy. I'm a big boy" now, more than four an' a half, and It happened before last Krls' mas. "Santa Claus took me riding w"th h big" reindeer an' gee it was fun! My mother said I dweamed it, but I Jus' know I didn't; 'and she believes it now, since ) 'splalned it to her. "Well, the way it happened was that I took a long walk all by myself my motn er didn't know ot, you see and I begun to look for Santa Claus. By and by- 'twas 'down on Sixty-first stweet I saw Jus the cutest, prettiest little white house all made of snow. I hadn't thought ot Santa Claus being there, but I Jus' peekea In the window an' oh, ge! Santa Claus was Inside with lots of beautiful things. .But. I jus' looked an' looked, an' after a while Santa Claug saw me, anq insteaq of saying, 'Go wayl little boy!' he sala, Hullot Edsalll prawl In the window." An I answered as bwave as I couldi an' said. Hullo,r Santa Claus, I will!' "When I was Inside Santa Claus let me see all the toys, but he didn't give me any. gad they were for different chlld en. He asked me what I'd have Kris mas, an I said real bwaye hook an' lad der, an elephant with- a head that bobs, an lots of other things, an he promised mo to bring them to me if I'd be a good boy. Then he said if I'd like a ride he'd whistle for the reindeer and sled. When he whistled they came down the snow chimney an there was a lovely fire In the grate, hut it didn't burn them. Then Santa Clan's an I took a ride, Jus by ourselves, right through the air. "Then Santa CJaus playpcj. me a trick he did. The reindeer went right down the skylight of the house, and Sapta Claus took me In his arms, and before I knew where I was he'd left me right on my little bed an gone! I jumped out ot beds n I h.ad on "my nightie wasn't that strange? 'cause I was dressed before but Santa Clauses are funny people. I ran to find old Santa but oqly found my mother an' father at pweakfast. said, 'Whe.ro's ganta Claus?' But they only smiled. "Santa didn't come back, and It's too bad, but the snow house was gone when we went -to look for It. But Santa brought my Krls'mas things, an when I got up Krls'mas day, oh, gee! the ele phant was standing on the hook an lad der podding Its head, and the candles on the Krfs'mas tree were burning, an' San ta had left me ever so many more tos than I told him to bring. Some of tho boys have told me since I'bq so big tba, there isn't any Santa, but they can't fool me 'cause I know!" "Edsall," Jn Cblca jp Times-Herald, PNEUMONIA'S HARVEST TIME Winter a aa Ally ot the Disease, In Its Dread Attacks. This Is. he time of year when coughs and colds begin o make their annual ap pearance In the household. Maref and rmiph more serious than that, however, it Is the time when pneumonia begins to claim Its large annual quota of victims.. Every year there are probably scores oi families which are plunged Into anxiety. If not sorrow, through the attack of one of its members by this disease, whlph la often neglected at the outset. According to the newest Idea of the medical world on the subject, It Is due, in part at alL events, to a gpnrt which ex ists in the mouth. This, was discovered, nearly 20 years gq, and curiously enough, in healthy individuals, so that although, the. seeds pf the disease are with us al ways, the soil is ordinarily not favorable for their growth and development In such numbers, at all events, as- are necessary tp produce the characteristic symptoms which doctors recognize as belonging to pneumonia. " CoI -Lowers the Vitality. The reason why the disease occurs so much more frequently In the cold weather than in the warm Is aseribed by a writer in the New York Journal to the fact that cpld lowers the vitality, and In that way renders the body" less able to re sist the effect of the outside conditions. Thl3 so makes the system liable to be stormed by microbes in exactly the same way as' a cltadpl, half of whose soldiers have Been removed to another place, would be liable to be attacked and taken by an Invading army, which could be kept at "bay were the original force In Its place. For this reason pneumonia Invariably attacks people whpse vitality is lowered from some cause or" other excessive ex ertion, excessive worry, even excessive grief, which Is a very potent factor in The 'lqwerlg of -vitality. Sometimes a neglected cold will help to produce the disease, and so will the missing of a meal while one Is roOre or less run down through the strain of business or other excitement- In the ordinary way, pneumonia by it self does not prove fatal, except In h? case' at very old or very young people. TBALL NEW YEAR'S DAY Field mm The danger arises when it Is complicated by heart or kidney disease. If these or gans are healthy at the time the disease sets in, the patient invariably recovers, unless he has exhausted himself at the he ginning of the attack by being about tha house whep he should have been In bed. Absence of Defenders. It has bgen found by experience that while the harmful microbes grow In, the inqqth, many others also have their habi tation there whose offices are to protect the body, as it were, from these micro scopic foes. In the Winter these "beneficent nfi prohes," as they have been called, do not flourish to the same extent as they do In the warmer weather, so that the mouth, and through the mouth the rest of the body, is left without Its protect ors, and if the individual does not by pare come to the rescue of his body, he renders himself liable to be attacked, not the les3 seriously because his foes are Invisible. While the ordinary "beneficent" mi crobe does not flourish in cold weather so well, the microbe of pneumonia does, and grows active at a temperature whch is practically fatal to the others. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON. Surrounds Its Students With the Best of Influences. EUGENE, Or., Dec 27. (To the Editor.) I wish to say a word to parents and guardians seeking a suitable school on this Coast for their children. While I do not purpose to make invid ious comparisons or detract from any oth er Institution, that Influence or patronage which they may enjoy by right of hone3t merit, yet I would, at the outset seek to correct misapprehensions and put people right on a few things that may have been said about State Universities in gen eral, as applying to this one in particular. It is generally supposed that If univer sity students do not Indulge In excesses and riot generally that it Is the excep tion and not the rule. Whatever may be truthtfully said along'thls line of other Institutions, It Is not true of the Univer sity of Oregon. Excess In any irregular ity here Is the exception and not the rule. A more orderly and well-regulatea body of students it has not been the priv ilege of the writer to be associated with, this being the sixth Institution where he has been associated as a student, apd for eight years Just previous as principal of a denominational school, where we had every opportunity to study college Ufe and Influence. We understand the cheap reasons ured against state universities, and wish to say that none applies tQ this one. The faculty arc men and women of high mor al and Christian character, and a re markably high morale is maintained among the students, as wH as fine schol arship. The Y. M. and Y. W. C. A. have splendid organizations, apd are wielding the right influence here. No student need want for Christian guardianship In this city since the churches are highly spiritual, and the Christian students are in the majority. Bible study, prayer-meetings and othec helpful services are constantly main tained; suffice to say that upwards of 40 students were led to profess ponver slon to Christ during thp past term In this institution. Linked with this are tha splendid advantages of library, gymna sium and laboratory privileges, such as only the better and larger institutions can furnish on this Coast, and which we trust the coming Legislature will enlarge. AH this is for the very small fee of J10 per year. Board and rooms and Incidental ex penses are fully as cheap and even less than In roapy Qter stafps. A student 'can get wprk that will almost always quite or nearly keep him in gchopl here, and he Is not Ineligible tq thp best so cIeiypor less" a roan hecause he has tP toil- Just a word In closing about our presi dent. He is a man pf. large, perceptions and manly sympathies, fully in accord witft Christian Influenpes, Interested In every student, able to touch and meet the need of the lowly and at the same time to command the respect and love pf all. Do not fear to entrust your sons and daughters to the University of Oregon. - E. A. CHILD. Rustic Repartee. Some time ago a well-known barrister bad under cross-examination a youth f rpm the country who rejoiced in the name of Sampson, and whose replies were th causes of much laughter In the court. "And so," 'questioned the barrister, "you wish the cqprt to believe that you are a peacefully disposed and inoffensive kind pf person?" "Yes." "And that vpu have np desire to follow the steps of your namesake, and smito the Philistines?" "No. I've not," answered the youth, "and If I had the desire, I ain't got the "strength at present.1' 'Then you think you woqld he unable to cope" successfully with a thousand ene mies and utterly rout them with the jaw bone of an asp?" "Well," answered the ruffled Sampson, "I might have a far when you have done with the weapon." Logdon ?pare Mo ments. She Would. I found her will so very strone I dared not hope that I Could ever conquer her or turn her pretty little head. TChene'er Ud eay she shouldn't ray assertion she'd defy With firmness and decision and "I will" was all she. said. That nothlns less than strategy would wla her I opined. And. so In guile I said, though with the air ot ruling still "You'll never be my wife, too obstinate ara you. I flndt" DeSantly she stamped her foot and firmly Towed, "I wllU" Detroit Free Pien.