THE SUNDAY OEEGONIAN, PORTLAND, MAY 11, 1902.
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TODAY'S WEATHER Partly cloudy, with
probably an occasional light shower; south to
-west winds.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem
perature. CO; minimum temperature, 50; pre
cipitation, .10 Inch.
PORTLAND, SUNDAY, MAY 11, 1002.
PERSONAL, AND SO INTENDED.
To the voters of Oregon The Orego
3iian would say, as did Mr. Tate in his
laddresa at the Young Men's Christian
Association Friday evening: Your bal
lot is not your own; it belongs to your
country. You are the sovereign, people
of this state and Nation, and you have
sio more right to neglect your duty in
'directing governmental policies at the
ballot-box than the President has to
neglect his duties in the "White House.
jThe vote of a single individual may be
of little consequence, but a thousand or
ten thousand individuals staying away
irom the polls may change an election.
It is estimated that nearly 20,000 vot
ers will not be registered when the
books are closed next Thursday even
ing. "When the people thus disregard
their own political obligations, what
ought they to expect from those who
may be elected to represent them in of
ficial positions?
"Without regard to the political affilia
tions of those who are yet unregistered,
The Oregonlan would urge again, as it
has many times in the past three
months, that every voter place his name
upon the list of qualified electors. It
Is probable that the apparent diffidence
of the voters is due largely to the prac
tice which has grown up of sending out
notaries to visit the farmers at their
iomes and make for them certificates
of registration. Both political parties
Slave followed this plan, and it is quite
4o be expected that farmers will wait
Sof the visit of a notary rather than
Seave their work to go to the county
iat But this should not be the means
-of leaving nearly 20 per cent of the vot
ers of the state unregistered.
To whatever party you claim allegi
ance, or if you have no party affilia
tion, your country has a right to your
ballot It is your duty to study the is
sues of the political campaign, to form
your opinions carefully and candidly,
and then vote your opinions. Only in
this way can the will of the majority
HOf the people be ascertained.
A place at the ballot-box is a post
iof honor. The elective franchise is the
greatest privilege and safeguard of the
U&merican people. To fill that position
and to exercise that privilege will carry
ftwlth the action a duty which no man
fcan honorably avoid. You should go to
fethe polls June 2, divest your mind of
pevery prejudice, disregard every per
gonal interest, and then cast a ballot,
Jaot for the purpose of favoring a friend
pr punishing an enemy, but as your hon-l-cst
judgment tells you is for the best
interests of the city, county, state or
fcNation.
If you can do that you are worthy the
sovereignty that was bestowed upon
you by Ihe men who framed the Con
stitution. If you are derelict In your
duty you are unworthy of American
citizenship.
DIALECTS, HIGH AND LOW.
"We had supposed that the Celtic sense
of humor would have been sufficient to
deter all Hibernians from proposing
to rob society of the legended Irish po
liceman with a sand-paper wig and
scarlet whiskers encircling his visage
as with an aureole. Can it really be
possible that any one regards this de
lightful caricature as the sober ex
pression of Intelligent opinion? It is,
apparently, for the dispatches say so,
just as they said a while ago that Ken
tucky women proposed to abolish De
gree by Legislative enactment.
Now it is said by intelligent Irishmen
that they never heard "begorra" and
"bedad" till they came to America.
"Hoot mon!" is alleged to have been
unknown by our Scottish citizens on
their native heath, and it Is cer
tain that the familiar caricature of the
Hebrew clothing merchant or pawn
broker is as gross an exaggeration as
our Irish friends complain of in the wig
and red whiskers. Usually there is
enough cosmopolitanism in all of us to
laugh at these extravagances, without
malice either in performer or observer.
Usually there Is discernment enough
and if not, there ought to be to teach
us that no nationality is free from its
' peculiarities. Irish brogue or Scotch
accent has nothing more ridiculous than
the dialects of our owa "mountain
whites" or the patois of our American
street arabs. French immorality has
nothing more shameful than the almost
promiscuous intercourse -which obtains
in some Isolated and degraded sections
of our own country.
There is- another side to this matter
of "accent," and that is the foolish pride
that hases itself on certain provincial
mannerisms. If the Irish brogue or the
Scotch accent is to be smiled at, so is
the Boston Intonation and the soft
Southern, "a" or "r." English is Eng
lish. There is a standard pf pronuncia
tion as well as of spelling, and In "Web
ster it tells you how to form your vow
els, consonants and dlphthonga It is
said that the finest English is spoken in
Dublin, and the finest French at The
Hague. Perhaps this is true. Certalnl
Parisian French and London English
leave something to be desired. In Ger
many every little district has its own
pronunciation, which it will fight for as
the only correct one. Each, of course,
is equally wrong. The vocabulary and
the pronunciation that ore irreproach
able are those without geographical pe
culiarities. Sir Henry Irving and the
Dublin purist and President Eliot speak
alike. They who exploit peculiarities of
speech only advertise their own prd-vlnclallsm.
CRANKS, 31IXUS TITO MICROSCOPE.
They who saw Minnie Maddern
twenty years ago or less singing in
short dresses the "Blue Alsatian Moun
tains' and "Little Fisher Maiden" in
the fresh youth of both singer and those
melodious ballads will take a pleasur
able pride in the appearance of Mrs.
Flske in the International Monthly for
May as the author of a paper on the
modem drama. No synopsis could do
justice to her admirable essay Its ap
preciation of Shakespeare, its strictures
on "problem" plays from Ibsen to "Ca
mille," Its loyalty to the traditions of
the old school of faithful actors, Its dep
recation of didacticism and coarseness
alike, its freshening breeze of optimism
and health. But there is one passage in
it which Is apt to st the .newspaper
maker and newspaper-reader to think
ing. "We refer to her clever thrust at
the critics who forever insist that the
play shall preach a sermon or point a
moral.
Mrs. Flske says that there 1b a con
siderable body of current opinion which
scouts the conception of the theater as
a fllace of amusement, rest or recrea
tion. But she also says that this noise
is made by a very few persona. They
are always In evidence in the news
papers, but they make a showing high
ly disproportionate to their numbers.
They aro almost lost In the rank and
file of theater-goers. Most of them
never go to the theater. The few that
do go are generally deadheads. No
manager need cut out his course with a
view to their support- A very little re
flection will convince the most casual
observer that Mrs. Flske is right. Peo
ple who spend money for theater tick
ets do so out of a desire to enjoy them
selves. They are not looking for mental
and moral Improvement. If they want
sermons there Is the preacher. If they
want to study venery or neurology
there are the professor and the hospital.
This discovery of the numerical value
of the theatrical moralist affords a hint
for the overworked interpreter of pub
lic opinion that may be utilized 4n other
fields. The Oregonlan has printed in
the past five years a great many let
ters on the adoption of blmetallsm by
the Republican party and the prosper
ity which therefrom resulted. The un
initiated reader may have formed the
Impression that this Is a widespread
popular conviction; but, come to think
of It, these letters all came from the
same source, under the various expres
sions of "S. Pennoyer," "X.," "Citizen,"
"Fair Play," etc.
There is a man in Portland who must
have married injudiciously, for when
ever matrimony Is up for discussion he
writes a letter In tremendous derogation
of womankind. There is a good woman
on the East Side who always comes to
the front when prohibition is attacked.
There is a man in South Portland who
writes an anonymous letter to The Ore
gonlan whenever the Portland Savings
Bank is remotely referred to. Two or
three "common-point" fiends can make
more noise than a whole stateful of
farmers, and our devoted band of so
cialists would fill the paper up every
day with public opinion on their own
lines if they were permitted.
Let us then be reassured. If any
have wondered why the theatrical man
ager has dared to defy the strident
public sentiment that demands ortho
doxy from the leading man and repent
ant homilies from the "heavy," they
can find it In Mrs. Flake's assurance
that this same public sentiment occupies
about one seat by the manager's cour
tesy on the second night. If any have
been momentarily perturbed by the loud
call for abolition of everything existing
and the establishment of all things un
known and untried, let them reflect that
the true reformer, eccentric and irrec
oncilable, has to be multiplied to about
1000 diameters to deserve any numerical
recognition.
Perhaps this is one reason why the
reformer permits himself such latitude.
He knows hlo radical proposals have no
chance of adoption. Otherwise, as a rea
soning being, he would desist and tread
the road as steadily as the rest of us.
Be charitable, therefore, with the crank,
He feels called upon, to diversify the
landscape, and would doubtless depre
cate it ruefully as any one if he were
to be taken seriously. If there were no
men with long hair .or women with
Derbys, how could we appreciate the
delights i of civilization at their true
value? .
PURITY FOR MEN.
A very suggestive remark was made
by an evangelist In Portland last week
In the course of his addresses to young
men. "There are no brothels In any
city," he said, "until iirst there are
brothels in the hearts of men." Truer
wmd was never Bpokep, and it is worth
while to commend the public teacher
who so far departs from the beaten
path of professional reformers as to
recognize that reformation lies in the
heart rather than In punitive pressure
upon the establishments that minister
to unrestrained appetites of the various
kinds represented in vice. If there were
no evil-minded men, there would be no
fallen women. And if all the fallen
women on the face of the earth could
be swept away In an instant as by a
Martinique upheaval, man's unregen
erate heart would quickly' people the
TVhltechapels of every city with fresh
victims of his force or cunning.
The nature of man tprovides an ex
planation for his abuse- of womankind,
but no Justification. The proof that
purity is within masculine as well as
feminine reach Is afforded in the lives
of countless men, brave, virile and vig
orous as any, but dominated by the
power of conscience or an inborn love
of goodness ark truth. He who has
not known such men In every walk of
life has employed hl3 gregarious capac
ity to poor purpose. He has lived in a
far more dark and sullied world than
the natural one In which every man
is -permitted to dwell.. Such examples
of pureyet robust manhood as come
within the view of every life should be
cultivated by all, especially by the
young. A man's character ia largely
forme.d by his acquaintances. He molds
his- destiny when he selects his friends.
The blessing he picks out for himself
when he seeks the society of the great
and good is Inestimable; and when he
permits his leisure hours to be domi
nated by men whom he knows, how
ever gifted and winning they are, to be
unworthy a. pure woman's love and re
spect, he starts on a downward path
whose end is lost In deepening shadows
of an endless night.
Humanity, let us say, is an experi
ment. "What Buckle and Spencer,
Gibbon and Draper have, written on the
power of climatic and racial forces is
largely incontrovertible. Yet equally
true and of vastly more compelling
meaning to the soul are the Infinite vis
tas of choice opened, up before the
Human "Will. . The destiny of humanity,
whether upward to the stars or down
ward by retracing steps again to the
beast, is in the keeping of the individ
ual consciences" of the multitudinous
units of the race. w It is an inauspicious
token that so nfany men of brains and
force of character are disposed to look
with lenience upon the submerging of
the higher nature under whelming
waves of self-lndulgenco. "Whatever a
man's heredity, whatever his early nnd
late environment, an obligation is laid
upon him to lift his better nature up
and keep his passions down. On each
there rests, accordingly, a measure of
responsibility for the outcome of crea
tion, and in the surrender of the noble
to the false In any life there Is a dis
tinct betrayal of the eternal plan which
made the world so beautiful and created
man In the image of his Maker. The
man whose baser passions are not dis
ciplined xInto perfect control may be
wise and great and otherwise good, but
there is a blemish on his character
which extends to other Uvea The mis
ery of the half-world lies at the door
of men who ought to be pure.
EARTHQUAKES, OLD AND NEW.
In the history of disaster involving
the loss of human life, earthquake ac
companied by volcanic action takes the
lead as an element of destruction.
Briefly stated, 13,000,000 of people have
perished from this cause during the
period covered by authentic data, while
the loss in property for" all practical
purposes exceeds computation. Going
back to the first century of the Chris
tian era we find the people of the an
cient City of Pompeii arrested in the
full flow of a wickedness that was dis
torted Into the guise of pleasure by this
greatest of calamities. The city was
slowly but surely invested with a gray
shroud of ashes, in preparation for a
burial that was accomplished when
Vesuvius disembogued lava In a fiery
stream, overwhelming and obliterating
it. The neighboring cities of Hercula
neum and Stablae shared with Pom
peii the fate of extinction as cities of
the living through this great convulsion
of Nature, which was literally the open
ing of a valve through which the con
tending elements of fire, water and air
vented their power and their wrath.
The number of lives destroyed by the
burial of these cities can only be con
jectured. It is sufficient to know that
they numbered many thousands.
All along the track of history we find
records of earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions coming suddenly, causing
helpless consternation and leaving
death in their wake. Superstition In
past ages found In them a terrible" ex
pression of the wrath of God, or of the
displeasure of the gods, and puny hu
man hands and terrified human voices
Were lifted In supplication In the des
perate pious hope that thereby this ex
pression of offended Deity might be
turned aside. One of the most notable
of the relatively modern earthquakes
was that of Lisbon in 1775, which took
into the awful maw of earth and sea
60,000 human beings. Japan has In
later years and at various times been
in the throes of this prodigious power
by which she herself was projected out
of the sea, and her people by hundreds
of thousands have been swallowed up
by the yawning earth and engulfing
waters. South America has been fre
quently the scene of disastrous earth
quakes, that of Caracas in 1S22 being
familiar to the students of geography
half a century and more ago, illus
trated as It was by pictures, purely
Imaginary, yet sufficiently graphic, of
yawning fissures Into which reeling
houses and despairing human beings
were sinking.
The United States has been relatively
exempt from disastrous 'earthquakes,
though not entirely so. Early in the
century in 1811-12 prolonged seismic
disturbances occurred near the head of
the Mississippi Delta. This was known
as the New Madrid earthquake, and the
series of shocks extended over a period
of about two years, but owing to the
sparse populatipn of the area affected,
no loss of life occurred as the result of
the protracted' disturbances. Minor
shocks have occurred from time to time
In California, and tremors of very brief
duration have extended along the coast
to Alaska, but' there have been no vio
lent or destructive shocks in this region
In recent years. The earthquake of
Charleston, S. C.; in 1886 is the only
destructive earthquake that has taken
place within the United States. The In
cidents of this event are still fresh In
the public mind. These were of terror,
apprehension and loss of property rath
er than of Joss of life. The prqperty
loss amounted to between $8,000,000 and
$10,000,000, while the loss of life was less
than three-score.
Ranking with the terrible calamities
of Lisbon and Caracas, and. approaching
in fatality those of ancient Pompeii and
of modern Japan, is the calamity that a
few days ago befell St Pierre, on the
French Island of Martinique. Accounts
tell us that the earth and sea In the
vicinity were for a time obscured by
vapor and ashes; that following a ter
rific explosion the scene was lighted
suddenly by a livid glare as a volume
of molten lava rolled from the open
crater of Mount Pelee to the sea, bury
ing the city of 25,000 people so that as
far as known not one escaped; laying
waste the neighboring country with a
fiery rain, and causing the death all told
Of at least 40,000 people. The Imagina
tion of a Dante would halt In the at
tempt to describe such a scene, and
from such description as Is possible horror-stricken
humanity turns shudder-
Ingly away. A calamity against which
human power, either of strength or
forethought or flight, can offer no de
fense1; of the causes of which even sci
ence refuses to speak with its accus
tomed positlvenes3; dreadful In anticipa
tion, terrible beyond words, in its real
ization the world can only hear with
wonder and pity the dictates of this old
new catastrophe that adds 40,000 human
lives to the long casualty list of violence.
The Salvation Army In this country
has planted three colonies In pursuance
of Its plan to elevate the people of the
Blums In cities by giving them a chance
to work in the country. These are lo
cated at Fort Amity, Colo.; Fort Romle,
Cal., and Fort Herrlck, O. Together
they contain nearly 400 people, who were
utterly destitute when taken from the
city slums. These people have greatly
Improved In condition and morals, are
comfortably housed and clad, and well
fed. This they compass for themselves,
being simply given the opportunity.
They have paid back to the army near
ly $13,000 of the money advanced to
them In the beginning, and want noth
ing, except la the way of a loan, that
they cannot earn. The idea is not to
make them subjects of charity, but to
give them a chance to support them
selves and encourage them In habits of
thrift and Independence. This Is In di
rect line with Intelligent charitable ef
fort here and elsewhere. Mr. Thomas
Strong set this principle out in strong
la'nguage in these columns recently,
and people who are genuinely, "sorry for
the poor" will do well to follow the sug
gestion that the City Board of Chari
ties be allowed to dispense their alms.
If the Northern Securities Company
does not control the parallel transcon
tinental, Great Northern and Northern
Pacific, as the answer in the "anti
merger" suit Implies, how does the ex
istence of that "trust" have any bear
ing on the situation of the Burlington?
And would Mr. Harrlman, who said con
trol of the Burlington by the Northern
lines a year ago produced a situation
unendurable for the Union Pacific, be
pacified by an arrangement that leaves
him no voice In the affairs of the Bur
lltfgton? Harrlman Interests are ade
quately represented on the board, of the
Northern Securities, and In that manner
only Is the Union Pacific protected from
the Northern combination. But if the
Northern combination is not dominated
by Northern Securities, where, is Mr.
Harflman's protection? In that case
the Union Pacific Is In an "unendur
able situation"; but It doesn't seem to
be suffering. The serenity of the Har
rlman people Is a strong argument that
the Northern Securities Is doing Just
what it was organized to do, and that
It does govern the Northwestern rail
road field and reduces the competition
therein. '
The names of a number of men
notable In the various walks of pub
lic life have been added to the list of
the dead within the past week. Among
these is that of Amos J. Cummlnga,
member of Congress from New York;
Admiral Sampson, of the United States
Navy; Archbishop Corrlgan, of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of New York;
Bret Harte, the American author, whose
tales of the mining camp formed a dis
tinctive feature of the early literature
of 'the Pacific Coast; Paul Leicester
Ford, a etory-writer of recent fame, and
Potter Palmer, of Chicago, prominent in
the world of finance. For a time it
looked as though the name of "Wil
helmina. the ygung Queen of Holland,
would be added to this list, but the dan
ger that threatened her life seems to
have passed. Death came to each of
these men suddenly, to one tragically,
and all have been borne to the grave
with eulogy, and some with pomp and
circumstance. The record Is a remark
able one as covering the mortuary
events of a single week.
There Is a bill before Congress pro
viding for the payment of an annuity
of $5000 to Miss Clara Barton. Miss
Barton's services in behalf of humanity
In stress of war, pestilence or famine are
well known. Their value Is above all
computation, and they have been given
often at great Inconvenience, suffering
and expanse to herself. In view of
these facts she Is much more Justly
entitled to an annuity from the Gov
ernment than is any wealthy woman of
ease whose sole claim to such consid
eration is that she married a man who
in the course of years became Presi
dent The public, however, of whom
Congress is supposed to be the echo,
does not view the matter in this way,
andf bound by precedentl'contlnues to
favor women whom circumstances
have favored, and leave those who have
worked their way to distinction through
heroic deeds or deeds of mercy to work
their way still. This Is the way of the
world, whereof it is useless to complain,
and against which it is Vain to strive
with words.
It is said that within the past six
months 4000 Immigrants who have land
ed In Canada, hoping to cross over Into
the United States, have been stranded
there, as our immigration Inspectors
would not permit them to pass. A great
many of these people are suffering from
Infectious diseases which are the direct
result of filthy and unsanitary habits
and conditions, hence our Inspectors
would not accept them. Of course, Can
ada does not want them, but, having
effected a landing within her borders,
she finds It difficult or Impossible to dis
place them. The remedy, if there is to
be one for this state of affairs, lies in
holding steamship companies to a
stricter accountability in the matter of
allowing the destitute and defective to
be "assisted" to America over their
lines.
The public is to be congratulated
upon the settlement that has been am
icably, effected between sawmill-owners
and their employes in this city. "We
are now at the beginning of a building
season of great activity and wide Influ
ence In the labor world. A check upon
this activity at this time would be dis
astrous, and its ill effects would extend
far beyond the present time. All con
cerned, including the general public, are
fortunate In this reasonable adjustment
of differences.
Cable dispatches have beenNrecelved
at "Vienna stating that the Dowager
Empress of China is insane. The story
should not be doubted. The cunning of
Insanity has been noticeable in Tel An's
actions for many years. But she man
ages to keep the throne for herself
against all comers; notwithstanding this
fact. Nothing less than? death will dis
place her. Insanity in her case does
not count
THE LAST- DAYS OF POMPEII.
From Bulwer Lyt ton's. Celebrated Novel.
The cloud, which had scattered so deep
a murkiness over the day, had now settled
into a solid and Impenetrable mass. It re
sembled less even the thickest gloom of a
night In the open air than the close and
blind darkness of some narrow room.
But In proportion as the blackness gath
ered, did the lightnings around "Vesuvius
increase in their vivid, and scorching
glare. Nor was their horrible beauty con
fined to the usual hues of fire; no rainbow
ever rivaled their varying and prodigal
dyes. Now brightly blue as the most
azure depth of a Southern sky now of
a livid snake-like green, darting restlessly
to and fro os the folds of an enormous
serpent now of a lurid and Intolerable
crimson, gushing forth through the col
umns of smoke, far and wide, and light
ing up the whole city from arch to arch
then suddenly dying Into a sickly pale
ness, like the ghost of their own life:
In the pauses of the showers, you heard
the rumbling of the earth beneath, and
the groaning waves of the tortured sea;
or, lower still, and audible but to the
watch of lntensest fear, the grinding and
hissing murmur of the escaping gases
through the chasms of the distant moun
tain. Sometimes the cloud appeared to
break from Its solid mass, and, by the
lightning, to assume quaint and vast
mimicries of human or of monster shapes,
striding across the gloom, hurtling one
upon the other, and vanishing swiftly Into
the turbulent abyss of shade; so that, to
the eyes and fancies of the affrighted wan
derers, the unsubstantial vapors were as
the bodily forms of gigantic foes the
agents of terror and of death.
The ashes in many places were already
knee-deep; and the boiling showers which
came from the steaming breath of the vol
cano forced their way Into the houses,
bearing with them a strong and suffocat
ing vapor. In some places, immense frag
ments of rock, hurled upon the house
roofs, bore down along-the streets masses
of confused ruin, which yet more and
more, with every hour, obstructed the
way; and as the day advanced, the mo
tion of the earth was more sensibly felt
the footing seemed to slide and creep
nor could chariot or litter be kept steady,
even on the most level ground.
Sometimes the huger stones, striking
against each other as they fell, broke Into
countless fragments, emitting sparks of
fixe, which caught whatever was combus
tible within their reach; and along the
plains beyond the city the darkness was
now terribly relieved; for several houses,
and even vineyards, had been set on
flames; and at various Intervals, the fires
rose sullenly and fiercely against the solid
gloom. To add to this partial relief of the
darkness, the citizens had, here and there,
in the more public places, such as. tho
porticos of temples and the entrances to
the Forum, endeavored to place rows of
torches; but these rarely continued long:
the showers and the winds extinguished
them, and the sudden darkness into which
their fitful light was converted had some
thing in It doubly terrible and doubly Im
pressive on the Impotence of human
hopes, the lesson of despair.
Frequently, by the momentary light of
these torches, parties of fugitives en
countered each other, some hurrying to
ward the eea, others flying from the sea.
back to the land; for the ocean had re
treated rapidly from the shore on utter
darkness lay over it, and upon Its groaning
and tossing waves, the storm of cinders
and rocks fell without the protection
which the streets and roofs afforded to
the land. "Wild haggard ghastly, with
supernatural fears, these groups encoun
tered each other, but without the leisure
to speak, to consult, to advise; for tho
showers fell now frequently, though not
continuously, extinguishing the lights,
which showed to each band the deathlike
faces of the other, and hurrying all to
seek refuge beneath the nearest shelter.
The whole elements of civilization were
broken up. Ever and anon, by the flick
ering lights, you saw the thief hastening
by the most solemn authorities of the law.
laden with, and fearfully chuckling over,
the produce of his sudden gains. If in the
darkness wife was separated from hus
band, or parent from child, vain was the
hope of reunion. Each hurried blindly
and confusedly on. Nothing In all the va
rious and complicated machinery of so
cial life was left save the primal law of
self-preservation I
Advancing, as men grope for escape In
a dungeon, lone and her lover continued
their uncertain way. At the moments
when the volcanic lightnings lingered over
the streets, they were enabled, by that
awful light to steer and guide their prog
ress; yet, little did the view it presented
to them cheer or encourace their path.
In parts, where tho ashes lay dry and
uncommlxed with the boiling torrents,
cast upward from the mountain at capri
cious Intervals, the surface of the earth
presented a leprous and ghastly white.
In other places, cinder and rock lay mat
ted In heaps, from beneath which emerged
the half-hid limbs of some. crushed and
mangled fugitive. The groans of the dy
ing were broken by wild shrieks of wom
en's terror now near, now distant
which, when heard in the utter darkness,
were rendered doubly appalling by the
crushing sense of helplessness and uncer-
talnty of the perils around: and clear and
distinct through all were the mighty and
various noises from the fatal mountain;
its rushing winds; its whirling torrents;
and, from time to time, the burst and Toar
of some more fiery and fierce explosion.
And ever as the winds swept howling
along the street they bore sharp streams
of burning dust, and such sickening and
poisonous vapors as took away, for the
Instant, breath and consciousness, .fol
lowed by a rapid revulsion of the arrested
blood, and a tingling sensation of 'agony
trembling through overy nerve and fiber
of the frame.
Suddenly, as he spoke, the place became
lighted with an intense and lurid glow.
Bright and gigantic through the dark
ness, which closed around it like the walls
of hell, the mountain shone a pile of fire!
Its summit seemed riven In two: or rather,
above its surface there seemed to rise two
monster shapes, each confronting each,
as demons contending for a world. These
were of one deep, blood-red hue of fire,
which lighted up the whole atmosphere
far and wide; but below, the nether part
of the mountain was still dark and shroud
ed, save in three places, adown which
flowed, serpentine, and irregular, rivers
of molten lava. Darkly red through the
profound gloom of their banks, they flowed
slowly on as toward the devoted city.
Over the broadest there seemed to spring a
fcragged and stupendous arch, from which,
as from, the Jaws of hell, gushed tho
sources of the sudden Phlegethon. And
through the stilled air was heard the rat
tling of the fragments of rock, hurtling
one upon another as they were borne down
the fiery cataracts darkening, for one
Instant, the spot where they fell, and suf
fused the next In the burnished hues of
the flood along which they floated!
And meekly, softly, beautifully, dawned
at last the light over the trembling deep!
the winds were sinking Into rest the
foam died from the glowing azure of that
delicious sea. Around the east, thin mists
caught gradually the rosy hues that her
alded the morning; Light was about to
resume her reign. Yet still, dark and
massive in the distance, lay the broken
fragments of the destroying cloud, from
which red streaks, burning' dlmlier and
more dim, betrayed the yet rolling fires
of the mountain of the "Scorched Fields."
The white walls and gleaming columns
that had adorned the lovely coasts were
no more. Sullen and dull were the shores
so lately crested by the cities of Hercu
lnneum and Pompeii.' The darlings of the
deep were snatched from her embrace!
Century after century shall the mighty
Mother stretch forth her azure arms, and
know them not moaning round the sep
ulchres of the Lost!
MUSINGS BY THE WAYSIDE.
How many people, I wonder, who did
not know him, except through his stories,
feel a personal loss In the death of Bret
Harte? After winning high and per
manent place in American literature, he
went into congenial exile across the
waters and. It may be assumed, found
amongv another English-speaking people
full content He tried it, but he did noth
ing notable In a foreign country. His
fame rests on his California stories and
some exceptionally clever verse. The
foundation Is secure. And though he
chose to forsake his native land, he left
us the best that wa3 In him. What a
charitable man he was! "Where Is there
another writer who puts Into the hearts
and minds of social outcasts the manly
and womanly attributes which are tho
priceless heritage of mankind? It Is very
evident that Harte believed that accident
as often as intent made gamblers and
Magdalens out of those who, under other
circumstances and in other environment
could have led honorable lives. He never
excused crime nor put rainbow tint3 on
immorality: he did not make preachments,
but throughout his whole writings he
taught that no man or woman Is entirely
Iost; that the divinity in the human be
ing can not bo killed.
Harte delighted to tell by indirection
the beauty of sacrifice; he created real
heroes. True, they did not carry swords,
nor look forward to stars on their shoul
derstraps, and their pictures on the front:
page of every newspaper between two
oceans, but the stuff out of which real
heroes aro made was in them. And his
heroes were always modest, seeing their
duty and doing it without the aid and
Inspiration of the flag and brass bands.
He makes "Mother Shlpton," the tough
est woman of Poker Flat, starve herself
to death In order to furnish food for an
innocent girl. For atale of life-long
devotion, read "MIggles." Alwaj-s to be
consistent Harte never' holds out hope
of reward. There Is only the sweetness
of sacrifice.
Bret Harte, notes in the rude life of
every California mining camp a deference
to pure woman, which amounts to rever
ence. They are always under protection.
That Interesting old fraud. Colonel Star
bottle, whose worship of the weaker sex
Is stamped with Southern chivalry, is not
more courteous than the driver of the
Slumgulllon stage. Mr. John Oakhurst
gambler, though he never presumes to
address folk outside his own craft de
velops a knowledge of proprieties equal
to that of Mr. "Van Bibber, gentleman.
Fifth avenue, New York.
Bret Harte was 'the prince of story
tellers; the master of the short story.
Professor Brander Matthews, In "Pen
and Ink," has a chapter on the philosophy
of the Short-story. He defines It thus:
"Tho difference between a Novel and a
Novelette Is one of length only; a Nov
elette Is a brief Novel. But the difference
between a Novel and a Short-story Is a
difference of kind. A true Short-story is
something other and something more
than a mere story which is short. A true
Short-story differs from the Novel chief
ly In Its essential unity of Impression. In
a far more exact and precise use of the
word, a Short-story has unity as a novel
cannot have It A Short-story deals with
a single character, a single event, a single
emotion or a series of emotions called
forth by a -single situation. ... I have
written Short-story with a capital S and
a hyphen because I wished to emphasize
the distinction between the Short-story
and the story which Is merely short The
Short-story is a high and difficult depart
ment of fiction."
In a little corner of my own mental gal
lery of authors, very close to Thackeray,
I hang a picture of my favorite Short
story writer. Edward Everett Hale was
there first, and I have often wished he
would write another story half so good
as "The Man "Without a Country." Aft
erward Bret Harte occupied the place of
honor. He was never removed, but for
several years Kipling hung to the left of
him. Perhaps if Richard Harding Davl3
had conceived another story equal o
"Her First Appearance," he, too, would
have had a nlace. A few years later,
when I finished "Domsle," "A Doctor
of the Old School" and "Drumsheugh's
Love Story,' I took down Kipling and
hung Ian Maclaren. Measured by the
pleasure I have received, I put Bret
Harte first of all, and I wish to record
my sense of personal loss In his death.
"When an Insane brother murdered Paul
Leicester Ford last Thursday, American
literature was robbed of a creative gen
ius. There Is no telling what he might
have done. Ford was young. In his early
30's" he wrote "The Honorable Peter Stir
ling," the best American novel of recent
years. Best? Without question. Per
haps some reader of the clever and some
times fascinating "historical" novels with
which we have been deluged the past four
years will "prove" by the number of tons
sold that "The Honorable Peter Stirling"
holds only the eleventh or twelfth place.
Borrowing his argument I retort that
the New York Journal or the World sells
10 tlme3 as many copies as the New
York Evening Post; yet the Post for
ability and character, is easily the best
dally newspaper in New York.
Who Is to succeed Sol Smith Russell?
He was sul generis. He never reminded
you of any one else, and no one else could
remind you of him. Off the stage as on,
he was quaint simple, affectionate, hope
ful, patient, with strong love for chil
dren and a reservoir of humot as large
as the world. "While his speech lacked
wofully the musical quality, I cannot re
call a more charming voice not one that
pleased the ear, but some way or other,
stirred the latent emotions and put you
on better terms with yourself. And his
funny legs. They were so long and so
slcnier and so eloquent in their awkward
ness. He did not use them acrobatically,
like Tom Seabrooke, but like an over
grown boy, who did not know exactly
what to do with them. I always think of
Russell as a loving uncle of adopted or
phans, who in stress made a brave fight
and got his just reward.
Now that Admiral Sampson Is dead,
the American people may safely begin to
make their final and permanent estimate
of him. They could not do this so long
as he was alive. They did not do It with
Lincoln or with Grant Now they will
collect and weigh the evidence, and they
will listen to the opinions of naval ex
perts of other nations, and a few years
hence will bring In their verdict Some
future Captain Mahan will put the facts
and the findings into a bound record.
Temperamental failings which hl3 con
temporaries observed with regret will not
be known to the rising generation. In the
course of time Admiral Schley will pass
away and present acerbities will vanish,
and it will be written that Sampson was
the greatest all 'round man in the Amer
ican Navy. L.
SLINGS AND ARROWS.
To a. Dollar.
Bright disc, whose strange and unaccustomed
weight
I feel but lightly In my welcoming hand.
Thou talisman of weal or woe. what fate
Has placed thy services at my command?
To Rockefeller thou tiouldst seem a thing
In many million, worth no thought, alone.
But 1 consider of the Joy3 thou'lt bring.
And deem thee wealth that I am proud to
own.
I've seen the time when thou wouldat look to
bo
Tho size and value of a dented dime;
I've seen the time when thou wouldst seem to
me
Far larger than the moon in harvest time.
That hatchet- isaged goddess holds the key
To food and drink, and whiffs o .grateful
smoke,
A rich reward of princely luxury
Well earned by weary days of living broke.
I shall not speculate upon tne ways
Which thou wilt take to leave my company.
Enough that I may gratify my gaze.
While thou art" still sojourning here with me.
For though It Is thy -wont to come and go
As bidden back and forth by other men.
To me thou art a stranger, and I know
I ne'er may look upon thy like again.
It Didn't Work.
"Portia,' said Brutus, as he bade her a
fond farewell, "I may return home late
this evening. Assassination Is rife, and I
have been urged to attend a meeting
which has for Its purpose the murder of
our old friend, Mr. Caesar. "We meet to
decide on the weapons."
"Nonsense!" answered his spouse, indig
nantly. "You are going out for a time,
and you are just Inventing an excuse.
Whenever you want to embark on a spree
lately you tell me you are merely going
to assassinate somebody, or dynamite the
Coliseum, or hang Marc Anthony. I know
very well that no such Innocent object
would take you from the house at this
time of night"
And with a feeling of one unjustly ac
cused, but nevertheless up against it,
Brutus went forth on his purely harmless
'and gentle errand.
A Job-Like Gardener.
There 13 no Joy which fitly can compare
"With delving In the bosom of the earth.
Constructing pansy beds and trenches for
The radiantly blossoming sweet pea.
Besmearing tracts of ground with unslaked
lime,
That eats Insidiously at your shoes.
And is In turn devoured greedily
By that sly. slimy insect called the slug,
To poison which you spread it on your beds.
v
I've planted popples, peonies and peas,
Nasturtiums and verbenas in my time.
And compassed them about with lime and
sand;
Besprinkled.' them with soot and other things
Inevitably fatal to the slug;
And seen the slugs grow sleek as aldermen.
Establish homes adjacent to the lime;
And, heeding what the Scripture strict enjoins,
Hear families of most colossal size;
And tv hen the lime and flowers both were gone
Sit hungrily upon their nether limbs
And clamor that I furnish them with more.
I've watched with eager eyes the tender shoots
Put forth above the surface of the ground.
Rejoicing In their rapid, healthy growth.
And picturing ecstatically the time
Whn all my ard should blossom as the rose.
With flowers like my mother used to grow.
I've seen tho dews of evening kiss the beds
Ana gioriea in tne promise mat tney gavo; j
And when the sun Illumed the Eastern skies
I've seen the guilty cutworms hie them homo
Distended far beyond their normal size
With all the goodly increase of my plants.
There are. I know, upon this smiling earth
Verbenas, popples, peonies and pease,
And fair nasturtiums, too, that sprout and
grow.
And blossom In their due, appointed time,
Molested not by slugs, and cutworm shunned.
But I suspect, as seasons come around.
And never blade of greeii of mine appears
Abovo the earth that Is not seized upon
And borne away to feed some slug's foul brood.
That those who have such gardens must em
ploy Policemen, to patrol their beds all night.
Equipped with Mauser rifles, who will shoot
Tho first base slug who dares to show his head.
As such a force to guard one's plants comes
high,
I still continue, as the Springtime comes.
To plant the seeds, contented if they reach
In sprouting to the surface of the ground.
And making garden simply for the Joy
One finds In delving In the fragrant earth.
The Statesmen of the South.
From tho Pike County Incendiary.
The South Is letting the rest of the coun
try know that It Is on earth. In the Sen
ate chamber yesterday Senator Tiller chal
lenged any man from Massachusetts of
twice his weight to meet him in front of
the president's desk, and when no one
took him up, he blacked the eyes of both,
just to let them know he wasn't afraid of
them. We breed statesmen In this coun
try. From the Alabama Alligator.
Our distinguished .senior Senator Is mak
ing a record for himself in Washington.
When approached by a correspondent yes
terday for soma information, he thrashed
the fellow within an inch of his life. This
Is statesmanship of a k'nd that counts.
From the Mississippi Boomerang.
The quality of Southern statesmen is not
strained. Senator Cash rebuked a street
car conductor who questioned his right to
ride without paying his fare by slicing tho
upstart's hand Into ribbons. Perhaps
after awhile the riff-raff around "Washing
ton will dlsrnver that the Southern gentle
men who have been sent to Washington J
are there to transact the Nation's business,
and not to pay street-car fare.
From the Carolina Moccasin.
Again has the superior ability and grasp
of National, affairs of our Senators been
vindicated. While Senator McLaurie was
in a hotel a day or two ago he was ac
costed by a person who presumed to criti
cise some of his recent utterances. A
short-arm jab soon laid the ruffian low,
and no further test will be required to
prove that our Senators know how the
country should be run. "While we do not
agree with our Senator In politics, we are
fully In accord with his methods, and feel
convinced that he is imbued with the true
Southern spirit. " .
From the Georgia Cracker.
Our representatives in Washington may
not be long on popularity at the White
House, but they certainly know what
measures are best for the country, and to
their presence the Nation owes a large
measure of its prosperity. There Is not
one among them that can be given the lie
with Impunity, and should any occasion
arise for a mix-up they will be found
right 1n the shuffle. "While such a stand
ard' of statesmanship is maintained there
Is hope for the country.
A Rise.
There's a flash like the glint of silver
On tho riffles that foam below,
And a thrill is sent down the rod that's beat
In a slender, tapering- bow;
There's a wild and sudden mingling
, Of the voices of stream and pine
With the Joyous peal of the singing reel,
As it yields to the vibrant line.
And the hand grow firm and steady,
And the eyes can only see
Where the waters close o'er the thread that
goes
To the prize that Is to be.
A gleam in the golden sunshine.
And you know that the fish Is fast.
Now skill meets-sklll, and will meets will.
For the battle s on at last!
J. J. MONTAGUE.