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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 1904)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, POBTLA$I), 'iUGUST .23,. 190 Entered at th Postofne at Portland. Or., as second-class xnattter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION- KATES. By mail (postage prepaid In advance)- Sally, -with Sunday, per month $0.85 Dally, with Sunday excepted, per year 7.30 Dally, -with Sufcday. per year 0.00 Sunday, per year 2.00 The "Weekly, per year 1-30 The Weekly, .3 months - 30 Dally, per -week, delivered. Sunday ex cepted - loo Sally, per -week, delivered, Sunday In cluded 20o POSTAGE KATES; United States, Canada and Mexico 10 to 14-page paper lo 16 to 30-page pape ...............2c S2 to 44-page paper.. ...... .......3c Foreign rates, double. The Oregonian does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot under take to return any manuscript sent to It without solicitation. No stamps should T Inclosed lor this purpose. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICES. (The 8. C. Beckvrlth Special Agency) -New Tork; rooms 43-50, Tribune Building. Chicago: Rooms 510-512 Tribune Building. KEPT ON SALE. Atlantic City, N. J. Taylor & Bailey, Sews dealers. 23 Leeds Place. . Chicago Auditorium annex: Postoftlca News Co., 178 Dearborn street. Denver Julius Black, Hamilton & Xend rick. 905-912 Seventeenth street. tthtb City, Ho. Rlcksecker Clear Co.. Ninth and "Walnut. Jjob Angeles B. F. Gardner, 259 South Spring; and Harry Drapkin. Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh, 50 South Third; E. Regeleburger, 217 First Avenuo Eonth. New Xorlc City Jones & Co., Astor House. Ogden F. R. Godard. -Omaha Barkalow Bros 1612 Farnam; McLaughlin Bros., 210 South 14th; Megeath Stationery Co., 1308 Farnam. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co., 77 "West gecond South street. St. Louis -"World's Fair News Co., Joseph Cqpeland, "Wilson & "Wilson, 217 N. 17th St.; Geo. I. Ackennann, newsboy. Eighth and Oltve sts. aa Francisco J. E. Cooper Co., 746 Mar ket, near Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear, Ferry News Stand; Goldsmith Bros.. 236 Sut ter; t. E. Lee, Palace Hotel News Stand; F. "W. Pitts, 1008 Market; Frank Scott, SO Ellis; N. "Wheatley, 83 Stevenson; Hotel St. Francis News Stand. Washington, D. C Ebbltt House News Stand. YESTERDAY' S WEATHER Maximum tern- Xerature, 72 degrees; minimum temperature, 58 degrees. Precipitation, trace. TODAY'S WEATHER Unsettled with show, ers, slightly cooler, southerly winds. 0PORTLAND, SEND AX, AUGUST 28, 19M ON THE CARNAGE AT PORT ARTHUR. L Realm of the rising sun, -where erst arose The printed page and War's explosive spark, What mean -these fires on thy horizon dark, O'er hills where brave men's -Wood In rivers flows? It Is God's vengeance on an age of woes A million serfs, knout-tortured as they toiled, Poland the war-swept, Finland the despoiled, Poor, Weeding Kisbinef, fell Siberia's snows. It Is God's blood-atonement; He re quires "Vicarious victims by the thousands - piled In the blue sea and o'er Manchuria's wild, From Harbin's hills to Arthur's funeral pyres, "Where Jap and Cossack blend their alien gore. To shrive the sins of centuries gone be fore. IL On deepest night another steadfast star Fed by the fires of freedom, Bethle hem-bright, Burns in the East, a beacon bold to light Dauntless defiance to a tyrant Czar. O fair Japan, nurtured in chivalry, Free from old fears that haunt the Saxon mind. Fashioned for Art and all things true and kind. Glad as old Greece, dream-bathed as Italy To thee we look "as from a gathering storm. E'en as we bend the knee at Mam mon's shrine, And tremble as the fiend-lit fagots ehine In fury round the black man's quiver ing form; And then rejoice In cleaner hands to see, - Upborne as here of old the torch of Lib erty I A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. It may be that the recent visit to Oregon of men having authority in that part of the Harrlman railway system lying west of the Rocky Mountains will be productive of good results. In a let ter published on page 29 of this issue of The Oregonian, Alfred Holman, editor of the Sacramento Union, writes freely of the impressions this state made on the visitors. "What he says concerning "William F. Herrin, head of the legal department of the Southern Pacific, and the change in his view of Oregon, is interesting, perhaps significant. His eyes have been opened. Facing facts that cannot be misunderstood and con ditions that cannot be ignored, he finds himself obliged to reverse former opin ions of Oregon and her relation to the transportation companies. He admits now that the Columbia River Is one of Nature's great highways of commerce. It may be that through him the atti tude of the Harriman system toward Oregon "will undergo changes beneficial alike to this country and the railroad. Mr. Herrin is Harriman's "big man" on the Pacific Coast, not in the matter of rates or the operation of trains, but In wide-reaching affairs vitally affect ing the railways and the country that supports them. His position may be likened to that of the late Joseph N. Dolph in the "Villard corporations dur ing the period of construction from 1S79 to 18S4. Senator Dolph was more than the head of the Pacific Coast legal de partment; he was Villard's personal representative and man of affairs, Since Huntington's death and the change of control in the Southern Pa cific, Mr. Herrin's "bailiwick" is en larged. The Columbia River Basin may be regarded as now within his jurisdic tion. In Huntington's reign there was only one Pacific Coast terminus. Los Angeles and Portland were stations on the line. To the business Interests of Portland and to the rich undeveloped sections east of the Cascade Mountains the rail road's duty and self-interest are clear. As Mr. Herrin says, a fair understand ing, a close sense of sympathy, with absolute co-operation between those who supply freight and those who carry It, cannot fail to lead t.o the largest andmost profitable results all round. Oregon, including Portland, is ready tfor this co-operation, has been ready for 'years, and now is Impatient. "Whether the needed development shall come soon by extension of the Harri- man lines a good start has been made on the Arlington-Condon branch or later by Independent roads, cannot be predicted, but it is certain to come. In the meantime, there is some satisfac tion in knowing that on the railroad side there Is .a better understanding. THE PRODIGAL PARTY. The Democratic party Is like a cer tain son which wandered oft Into a far country and filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat. But when he came to himself he said, I will arise and go back to the .home of Eense and honesty which I left and will ask to be taken back as a hired servant on probation. I will admit that I was wrong and have now seen the light and I hope to be restored through good be havior to my former place In the confi dence of the folks at home and decent people generally. That is to say, the Democratic party could be conscientiously likened to the prodigal son If It had acted on the lines just laid down. But the attitude it' actually assumes Is something entirely different. "Without explaining. or repro bating his actions of 1896 and 1900 when he voted for Bryan, Judge Parker asks the support and confidence of all gold- etaridard men because he somewhat patronizingly recognizes the gold stand ard as "irrevocably established." He does not animadvert upon his own con duct in leaving liome or even upon the quality of the nutriment which the far country of populism afforded the Demo cratic paunch. As near as we can make it out, the Democratic idea is that the Elder Brother should be thrown out on the world and the Prodigal Son installed as manager of the estate. PLAYING AT 'fLONG BOWLS." Japan's victories at sea have already influenced naval designers, as shown by a dispatch from London in yesterday's dispatches. The British Admiralty, it is reported, has decided to abolish 4.7 and 6-lnch guns In "battleships and heavy cruisers, substituting therefor 9.2-Inch. This is an important decision, and can only be attributed to the suc cess of Admirals Togo and Kamlmura in their matches at what Drake called "long bowls" with Admiral Wlthoeft now in an ocean grave and Bear-Admiral Jessen, 6'f the Vladivostok squad ron. "While Admiral Togo has not hesi tated to expose his smaller vessels to risks of all kinds, he has nurseo" his battleships and heavy cruisers With a care commensurate "with the importance of the 'fate depending upon them. "When the Port Arthur squadron emerged, the Japanese battleships en gaged it at a distance of from five to eight miles, and at the former range succeeded in striking the Czarevitch with 12-Inch shells three times In fif teen minutes. Firing at these extreme ranges, the Japanese were enabled to inflict a signal defeat upon the Russian squadron. Rear-Admlral Jessen, in his report of the fight with Kamimura's cruiser squadron, says that the action was opened by the Japanese at a range of 12,000 yards, at which distance their 8-inch guns did serious damage. Contrasted with the ranges at which the Japanese-fought the Chinese at the Yalu, these figures are astonishing. The Ting-Yuen, of the Chinese squadron, opened fire Ineffectually at a range of 5700 yards, and the Japanese began when steaming across the Chinese line at a range of 4400 yards. This was fre quently diminished 111 the course of the action to 2000 and once to 1000 yards The Chinese cruiser Chih-Yuen at tempted to ram, as was the intention of the Infanta Maria Teresa at Santiago "When the latter vessel sheered to the westward she was at a range of but 900 yards from the Brooklyn. It Is evident that engagements in fu ture will be fought at long range be tween ships of the line, and that the daring enterprises will be left to the less valuable vessels. Consequently the long-range heavy guns will assume an even greater value, and the British Ad miralty, in recognizing and acting upon this view,, are falling into line with the American practice, which has run in the direction of heavier metal than the British. The British cruiser Terrible, built to offset the Russian Rurik, had a lighter armament than the Rurik on a much greater displacement. The abandonment of the 6-Inch gun, which has hitherto formed the second ary battery of every one of Britain's monster battleships and cruisers, shows the effect of Togo's success in this par ticular. In other respects the naval fighting has taught nothing new. The importance of torpedo craft, if not for their actual accomplishment, at least for the effect of their menace upon the enemy's nerves, has been amply dem onstrated, and the traditional American cry of "shoot straight" has again been proved, as In every war in which a gun has been fired. - THE BALTIC FLEET AND THE NORTH EAST PASSAGE Rear-Admiral George "Wallace Mel vllle, U. S. N., has the leading article In the current number of the North American Review, and gives therein his views as to the practicability of the use of the northeast passage through tne Arctic Ocean by the Russian fleet in transit from the Baltic to the Pa cine This question he-considers solely from the standpoint of an Arctic ex plorer, who for. almost two years, ice beset, in the Jeannette, drifted to and fro over perhaps the most exposed and dangerous portion of this possible route The only question to Admiral Melville's mind is whether heavy armored vessels of high power can face the northern ice successfully at this season and round Asia In safely. Summing up the experience of navl gators In far northern, waters since Behrlng Strait was first passed In 1646, and adding to this record his own ex perience in those seas as cartographer of the lost Jeannette, he does not hesitate to assert that, when there is need to face its dangers, the northeast passage must be regarded as a prac ticable route for a determined and able commander. Russia's Baltic fleet, available for ser vice in Asiatic waters, consists of from fifteen to twenty ships of large ton nage. The majority of these are battle ships and armored cruisers. Their presence in Asiatic waters Is urgently needed. The route, as carefully mapped out and minutely traced by Admiral Melville, which they would take in forcing, the northeast passage, Is beset with ice and warred over by mighty winds. Yet he believes that such a passage is entirely feasible. In support of this assumption he cites that the vessels which It Is desired to move are armored to four feet or more below the water line, stiffened from end to end by the protective deck, nd have massive bows fitted for attack by ram ming. Details as to the coal supply, eta, are carefully gone over, and the conclusion is that Russia, by taking the risk, might astonish the world with her daring-and prowess and let loose a formidable fleet In Asiatic waters as by a miracle. Admiral Melville does not discuss the military advisability or necessity of such an effort. He believes such an effort entirely practicable, and con cludes an article that is of Intense in terest to naval and scientific men and of general Interest to the world under existing circumstances with the follow ing words: "In facing the possible dangers of this passage a determined commander would find Inspiration not only in the national need of his service. but In the memory of the fidelity and fortitude of men like Wilioughby, Chan cellor, Barents, Behrlng, Nordenskjold, and a long line of explorers, whose names shine "brilliantly on every page of the history of the northeast pas sage." ON THE SAC REDNESS OF LAW. We as a nation are a nation of lawbreakers. It's a habit, this disregard of the plain stat utes. Nobody thinks anything of It. Sheriffs take oaths and don't keep them. Never have any idea of keeping them. Mayors and Dis trict Attorneys and Chiefs of Police all do the samo thing. Oaths of office are a farce. Per jury In this line Is a flourishing felony that nobody thinks anything of It ought to be stopped. Sheriff Brown; of Baker. "What the redoubtable Sheriff has in mind is the undeniable fact that some of the laws that get on the statute- book are slightingly treated by officials. The reason, which he ignores,ls that they are not supported by public senti ment and are passed with their neglect in full view. Such Is human nature that legislators weakly yield to impor tunate lobbyists and -dishonestly enact many a law which they fully expect to be a dead letter. It says in the constitution of Oregon that no negro shall come into the state or own property; that the Governor's salary shall be $1500 a year; that no state institution shall be located away from Salem; that the Secretary of State shall receive no fees; that the Legis lature shall create no liability exceed ing $50,000; that no county shall run In debt over $5000. Efforts have been made to change these provisions, but none of them hs been changed. They stand as. the law; yet nobody, not even Sheriff Brown, is before the public or the courts In complaint because they are violated every day. Now. the sacredness of law abides not In the fact that it is law, but in the in herent justice and feasibility of Its pro visions. It is the universal custom of poor, sniveling, hypocritical humanity to point with every assumption of out raged feeling at the violation of some law In which the pointer is especially interested. The prohibitionist, who stands awestruck before the majesty of the anti-canteen law and then de nounces the canteen when It Is the law, Is no better or worse than the rest of us. "Who ever heard of a trust prompter calling on the President to enforce the Sherman law with the same fervor he shows over suppression of riotous strikers? How the majesty of the law would- loom up In the labor leader's vis- Ion If Congress should declare eight hours to be a day! "Where Is the Demo crat to refrain from denouncing protec tion as robbery, merely because it is written on the statute-books? How much sacredness did the abolitionist find in the fugitive slave law? How much shame do the descendants of the Covenanters feel at the actions of their forefathers in suffering their right hand to be cut off rather than obey the laws and orders of Charles? The defense of all these lawbreakers Is that of St Pefer, that they choose to obey God rather than men; and as God always commands a man to do what his judgment or sometimes his self-interest prescribes. It Is the habit of serious-minded folk to regard un palatable laws as concoctions of evil and agreeable laws as solemnly binding on everybody. If Sheriff Brown will turn his attention to the Oregon code he will discover a multitude of statutes that are. more complete dead letters than the saloon and gambling leglsla tlon which has impressed itself so forci bly upon his mind. In all this we do not wish to be con strued as criticising the good Sheriff for his manly stand or as extenuatin wrongdoing In Baker City or elsewhere. "We merely seek to remind him, gently as in keeping with the dog days and the dangers of overexcltement and the de slrablllty of poise, that when he talks of perjury in the entire official life of the Nation, there, are extenuating cir cumstances which even a Sheriff, rough and ready and admirable mixers as all Sheriffs are, may properly take into ac count, and that there are euphemisms for felony more In consonance with sweetness and light, more becoming in the polished gentleman of the world, more in keeping with the great truth that all Is vanity anyhow and that 100 years hence it will all come out In the wash. NORTHERN PACIFIC'S AWAKENING. The purchase of the Weidler property by the Northern Pacific Railroad or by parties working in its interest is an other straw indicating the direction of the commercial wind. In the Pacific Northwest. The announcement in The Oregonian several weeks ago that the deal had been practically consummated was, on account of the previous atti tude of the .Northern Pacific, received" with incredulity, but yesterday's con firmatlon of the story has removed all doubts as to the Intentions of the big railroad company. In acquiring such an expensive piece of unimproved prop erty the railroad company offers indls putable evidence of the confidence that It feels In the future of this city. "Were it in the nature of things for the city to stand still or decline In prestige. It would be unnecessary for- any add! tlonal facilities to be provided for handling the business of the port. 'The warehouse room and terminal facilities already possessed "by the company in this city have thus far served to handle all of the business that was obtainable and If the gloomy predictions of some of our own pessimists were realized, the future would hold nothing in store that would warrant the extravagant outlay now being made by the railroad com pany. But the Northern Pacific, In keeping with the growing sentiment of a large number of our own business men, re alizes the possibilities of the future trade of this port, and is preparing to meet the demands that will be made on it. xnere was a ume, ana it "was not so long ago as to be forgotten when the, management of the Northern Pacific Railroad was bending all of its enerKles toward 'the unbulldlne of Ta J coma at the expense of 'Portland. Every move, made - by that management seemed to disclose a- policy in which the transportation business, of the organi zation was made subservient to its land-booming department. In the pur suance of this policy millions were squandered in the attempt to divert trade Into unnatural channels, not be cause the diversion of this trade re sulted In increased emoluments from transportation charges, but because it aided in swelling the private fortunes of the land-boomers. The railroad. Instead of following out its function of a public carrier serving impartially all communities through which It passed, was only a means to an end, and that end was the inflation of land values and the rapid accumula tion of wealth by a few who were for tunate enough to have control of the road. It has been several years since the Northern Pacific severed the larg est tentacles of the land-booming octo pus which held it, and it has been steadily gaining in favor since it es caped. The immense traffic that flows through Portland proved too attractive -to. be slighted. It would not follow the dictates of the Northern Pacific and pay tribute to Tacoma. wnen our grain men bought wheat east of the Cascade Mountains they Insisted that the wheat should be brought to this city for shipment, and that the flour which was ground from some" of this J wheat should, also go forward from tni3 port without paying tribute to any- other port. "When our merchants bought goods in the East they Insisted on distributing those goods from Portland, and not from any point In another state, even though that point be favored by the railroad company. The Portland moun tain would not go to the Northern Pa cific Mahomet, and after mai& years Mahomet began making tracks toward the mountain, and is now here. That the railroad company will receive due credit and encouragement from our "shippers is a foregone conclusion, pro vided always that we are given the service on even terms with other ports which are served by the same road. The O. R. & N. Co. Is one of the greatest factors In the commercial life of Portland. It has grown up with, the city and the city has grown up with It. There have been times when the self ishness, shortsightedness or stupidity of nonresident directors has injured Portland as well as the road. On the whole, however, it has extended so much better treatment to Portland than this city has ever received from the Northern Pacific that the contrast has always been "striking. The deter mination of the latter "road to come in and be one of us will place It nearer on a plane with the O. R. & N., and with both of the big toads working with Portland for the development of this; rich field for trade, Portland will pros per as they prosper, and will return in full measure any favors that are shown it. ROME FROM LONG ISLAND SOUND. From the work of the press agent there is always arhusern'ent to be de rived, and especially Is this true of the work done by the publisher's press agent. "We are Interested In actors 'as jnen and women, but our Interest in authors is more impersonal. There Is therefore a humorous suggestion of wasted effort in the items published about authors, for It is the books alone that count. "We have a place In our hearts for poor Tom Hood, "spitting up blood and puns," and the tea-swill ing Dr. Johnson; thevagarles of Byron are as pleasing to us as the domestic ity of Cowper. The book's the thing, however, and our Interest In Its author will never enable us to read one we do not like. It Is certainly curious to know that Ford Madox Hueffer, who collaborated with Joseph' Conrad on his latest novel, "always writes standing, with a tame duckling fast asleep between his feet." "We confess that further Information would be welcome: "Who tames the ducklings? And is "dope" used to make them sleep? "Very curious Information, Indeed, but shall we rush to buy "Ro mance" because of a duckling that were better in the pot? We mention Mr. Hueffer because he appears to have reached the zenith of accomplishment In the accessories of turning out mas terpieces, but our real object is to call attention to "Verglllus: A Tale of the Coming of Christ," written by Irving Bacheller; whose manner of life and manner of writing are minutely de scribed by an able press agent. Mr. Bacheller, like the author of a famous telegram, leaves hi3 bed at an early hour and dives in for a swim. Besides this he fishes, he plays golf, he has long walks with a collie, "of which he is very fond." All his writing Is done In a rough stone shack built over the waters of Long Island Sound. "When there Is "a lop on," the spray dashes over the roof of the shack, wherein Mr. Bacheller, as the Inspiration seizes him, works for hours at a stretch, careless whether it be night or day. Breezy surroundings these, and a "D'rl and I" seems a not unfitting outcome. "Vergilius," however. Is what the botanists call a "sport," a varla tlon that cannot be logically ex plained, even admitting Rome's baleful attraction for novelists. The splendor and squalor, the renown and corrup tlon, the glamor and horror, appear to offer a setting that will "carry" any story, however slight. The novelist usually forgets that to suggest the at mosphere of Imperial Rome is a task requiring Intimate knowledge and the power of broad execution. Dabs of "Io cal colour" are poor substitutes for the sweep of a sure brush, and "purple patches" In a story but weakly show forth the pomp and pageant of an 1m perlal city. Verglllus Is a young Roman who loves Arrla, a Roman maiden. The Emperor sends Verglllus on a mission to the court of Herod, where he Is tempted by Salome, and incidentally sees John the Baptist as a baby. Later he sees the Virgin Mary and her chfld In the stable. Arrla comes to Judea, and she and Verglllus decide to go housekeep Ing In a temple "and call It home That is the .story. The local color Is less tenuous. In addition to such small spatterlngs as a door upon the lintel of which hangs a brass plate, "bearing in large letters the word 'Salve,"' slaves taking a guest's "pallium," and a King with a "purple tarboosh and crown of wrought gold upon his head," there ar bllls-of-fare, descriptions of ballets when tights were unknown, and nobles employed in murdering and maiming slaves; "It had been a stormy day In the palace of Antipater (the tall, swarthy villain). He had crucified a slave-for disobedience and run a lance through one of his best horses for no reason Later in the stormy day a slave, in brushing Antlpater's hair, leans upon his head, ' whereupon the .villain I "jumped to his feet, black eyes, flash ing under heavy broWs, and, seizing a lance, broke the slave's arm with a blow." On another occasion "the ser vice at his table had not pleased the Prince. Leaping from his couch, he struck down a slave and ordered his crucifixion." Frequently in the face and attitude of this amiable character there Is a "suggestion of a monster cat," just as Herod "snarled like a large cat wEen the lance threatens." Antipater gives a banquet and his guests are offered syondyll, tunny fishes from Chalcedon, and muraenas from, the Straits of Gades. Slaves kept the goblets full of old wine, "in a aim light along the further side of the dln-lng-hall was a row of. figures, some draped, some nude, and all having the look of old marble. Two lay In volup tuous attitudes, one sat on a bank of flowers, and. others stood upon pedes tals. They were all the varying forms of "Venus represented in living flesh. None, .save Antipater and the slaves around him, knew that under each bosom was a fearful and palpitating hearty "When this banquet was over, "as they were rising, the young Gracus re marked: 'By Apollo! I have not taken my emetic' 'To forget that is to know sorrow,' said another." It is all very amusing. "We har bor no ill-will toward Antipater when he kicks a fainting slave girl; we know he must supply lo cal color. The fountain with "rows of naked maidens" on its circular terraces does not shock us; something must be done to attract attention. It is all, as we have said, very curious and very amusing, especially when we think of .Mr. Bacheller, under the Influence of a great inspiration, writing far into the night with the cold spray breaking over his rough stone shack. The 'Czarina, "who with much peril brought great joy to Russia in giving birth to a son, heard no doubt with pride and thankfulness the booming of the guns that announced that the boy had been christened. Common respect for the feelings of the mother would In any other nation and under any other religion than that of the ironbound Greek Church have caused this grand function to have been postponed until the mother could have participated In it, at least by her presence. The Em press' mother the typical' mother-in- law, who more than any other person in the empire has treated the Czarina's failure hitherto to become the mother of a son as an almost criminal offense- accompanied the Emperor on this great gala occasion. The English blood and English ways of the Czarina have ex posed her to sharp criticism in the Rus sian court, her experience in that par tlcular having been similar to that of her aunt, the late Empress Frederick, at Berlin. The son of the latter, the present Emperor "William, an obstrep erous, undutlful son in his earlier years, often referred scornfully to his mother as "that English woman," and, sue ceeding to the throne after his "father's short reign, did much to embitter the few remaining years of her life. This Is too often the lot of royal and imperial mothers, and the Czarina of Russia will, no doubt, If she lives many years. have as devout cause for-thankfulness for personal reasons in that she is the mother of daughters as she now feels for reasons of state because she is the mother of a son. It has been made clear by the man himself that Jack Munroe, of Butte, Mont., in the pursuit of an unworthy ambition spoiled a good miner to make a very poor prizefighter. This fact came to Jack slowly, as he dizzily tried to pick himself up after a four minutes' bout in the prlzerlng with James Jeff ries, the world's, champion slugger. No doubt this was the best thing that ever happened to Jack. Once upon a time a sturdy young man who had gained some notoriety with the boxing gloves attempted to stand up In the prlzerlng against Jack Dempsey. The Nonpareil quickly took a fall out of him that proved to be the making 'of him. This Is a. matter of local history, and It may serve to encourage the real friends of Munroe to believe that he may become a permanent and useful factor in the industrial world by a forced return to the honorable vocation of mining. The Oregon building at St. Louis has made a decided hit with a staff corre spondent of the Indianapolis News, who writes his paper from the Louisi ana Purchase grounds as follows: The Oregon people are here booming the Lewis and Clark Exposition, to be held at Portland In 1003. These Westerners havo a picturesque building, and if a weary woman or a tired child happens In there is a cup of cool water and a- soft couch on which to rest. And it is free. This hospitality, say tho Oregon folk, will be the kind dealt out to their guests next year. It Is worth while to read on page 40 of this paper what the Chicago Record Herald has to say on the awakening of Oregon, "Washington and Idaho. "While there is nothing in the way of Irrigation enterprises In the Pacific Northwest that readers of The Oregonian are not familiar with, It Is gratifying to note that so, able and widely circulated a paper as the Record-Herald deems them of enough Importance to devote generous space to their exploitation. A new paper at Bellingham Is an nounced the Puget Sound American. In the able hands that have made the Seattle Times so great a success, the new Journalistic venture cannot fall to achieve great things for the thriving community where it is to be published. "We congratulate Colonel Blethen on hjs new departure and Bellingham on its new accession. "We think that when Judge Powers gets back to Salt Lake he will be sorry that he went up In the air as he did at the Mining Congress and ashamed of his ungallant attack on Portland women and his ridiculous proposal to boycott the Lewis and Clark Fair. And this Is probably all that needs to be said about his lapse from sound taste and good sense. The traditional man whose superla tlve meanness was embodied in the declaration that he would "steal cop pers from the eyes of a dead nigger" has'been outdone in real life. A "Wash ington County man, late of Hillsboro, one Edward R. Austin, recently robbed his aged mother of every cent she pos sessed In the world and fled the coun try. - The triumph of Denver over Salt Lake' in the, contest for a permanent home for the Mining Congress made glad the hearts of the Colorado dele gates and was correspondingly depress Ing to the delegates from Utah. Be yond thl3 it is insignificant. ON VARIORUM EDITIONS. (To the Editor.) I- have been very much disappointed of late years when, upon examining the new edi tion of a classic author, I have found above half the volume taken up with various readings. "When I have expected to meet with a learned note upon a doubt ful 'passage in a Latin poet, I have only been Informed that such or such ancient manuscripts for an et write ah ac, or of some other notable discovery of the like importance. Indeed, when a different reading gives us a different sense or a new elegance In an author, the editor does very well In taking notice of It; but when he only entertains us with the several ways of spelling the same word, and gathers together the various blunders and mis takes of 20 or 30 different transcribers, they only take up the time of the learned, reader, and puzzle the minds of the ignor ant, I have often fancied with myself how enraged an old author would be, should he see the several absurdities In sense and grammar which are Imputed to him by some or other of these various readings. In one he speaks nonsense; in another makes use of a word that was never heard of; and Indeed there Is scarce a solecism In writing which the best au thor is not guilty of, If we may be at liberty to read him in the words of some manuscript, which the laborious editor has thought fit to examine in the prosecu tion of his work. I question not but the ladles and young swells will be very anxious to understand what It Is that I have hitherto been talk ing" of. I shall therefore give them a notion of this practice, by endeavoring to write after the manner of several per sons who make an eminent figure In the republic of letters. To this end we will suppose that the following song Is an old ode, which I present to the public In a new edition, with the several various readings which I find of it In -former edi tions, and In ancient manuscripts. Those who cannot relish the various readings will perhaps find their account in the song, which never before appeared in print. My love was fickle once and changing, Nor e'er would settle in my heart; From beauty still to beauty ranging. In ev'ry face I found a dart. 'Twas first a charming shape enslaved me, An eye that gave the fatal stroke; Till by her wit Corlnna saved me. And all my former letters broke. But now a long and lasting anguish For Belvidera I endure; Hourly I sigh, and hourly languish, Nor hope to find the wonted cure. For here the false unconstant lover. After a thousand beauties shown, Does new surprising charms discover. And finds variety in one. VARIOUS READINGS. Stanza the first, verse the first. And changing.) The and in some manuscripts is written thus, &; but that in the Cotton library writes it In three distinct letters. Verse the second. Nor e'er would.) Aldus reads It ever would; but as this would hurt the meter, we have restored It to the genuine reading, by observing that synaeresls" which had been neglected by Ignorant transcribers. Ibid. In my heart.) Scallger and oth ers, on my heart. Verse the fourth. I found a dart.) The Vatican manuscript for I reads It; but this must have been the hallucination of the transcriber, who probably mistook tho dash of the I for a T. Stanza the second, verse the second. The fatal stroke.) Sciopplus, Salmaslus, and many others, for the read a; but I have stuck to the usual reading. Verse the third. Till by her wit.) Some manuscripts have it his wit, others your, others their wit. But as I find Corlnna to be the name of a woman In other authors, I cannot doubt but it should be her. Stanza the third, verse the first. A long and lasting anguish.) The German manu script reads a lasting passion, but the rhyme will not admit it. Verse the second. For Belvidera I en dure.) Did not all the manuscripts re claim, I should change Belvidera into'Pel vldera; Pelvis being used by several of the ancient comic writers for a looking glass, by which means the etymology of the word is very visible, and Pelvldera will signify a lady who often looks In her glass, as Indeed she had very good reason. if she had all those beauties which our poet here ascribes to her. Verse the third. Hourly I sigh, and hourly languish.) Some for the word hourly read dally, and others nightly; the last has great authorities of its side. Verse the fourth. The wonted cure.) The elder Stevens reads wanted cure. Stanza the fourth, verse the second. After a thousand beauties.) In several copies we meet with a hundred beauties, by the usual error of the transcribers, who probably omitted a cipher, and had not taste enough to know that the word thousand was ten times a greater compli ment to the poet's mistress than an hun dred. Verse the fourth. And finds variety In one.) Most of the ancient manuscripts have it In two. Indeed, so many of them concur in this last reading that I am very much In doubt whether It ought not to take place. There are but two rea sons, which Incline me to the reading as I have published It; first because the rhyme, and secondly because the sense Is preserved by It. It might likewise pro ceed from the oscltancy of transcribers, who, to despatch their work the sooner! used to write all numbers In cipher, and seeing the figure 1 followed by a little dash of the pen, as Is customary In old manuscripts, they perhaps mistook the dash for a second figure, and, by casting up both together, composed out of them the figure 2. But this I shall leave to the learned without determining anything In a matter of so great uncertainty- SPECTATOR. Fat-Frying Days Have Come. Washington Star. The fat-frying days have come, the saddest of tho year for both the big and little corporations. It takes money to make the mare go, and the campaign collectors know where to apply for it. They have their little lists and are con sulting them. The Injunction is, let no corporation escape. It Is not.a case of begging. Not hat-in-hand humility Is necessary to secure attention or con tributions. The corporations are ex pecting the visit, and the great major ity of them are ready to "come down with the dust." It is business. They have become accustomed to it, and re spond without dllly-dallylngs or grumb lings. "Why resist? "Why make an en emy, when a friend at court is at times so necessary? "Who knows which side will win? What, therefore, does pru dence teach? Contribute to both sides. And that, as a rule, Is done. Here's Another View. Coburg Cor. Harrlsburg Bulletin. Once there was a man who lived in a heavy timbered county, and every Spring whenever he found a bunch of fern or leaves that Would burn he touched a match to it, and as a consequence he had small fires In the timber nearly all the Summer. His neighbors threatened him with the penitentiary, but he set fires all the same. Two years ago, when the for est fire destroyed so much valuable tim ber, the fire burned all around this raan3 timber and died out, and today his quarter-section of heavy green timber stands -surrounded by a lot of burnt snags, a liv ing monument to the folly of the United States Forestry Department In the course they are pursuing In regard to the put ting out of fires. NOTE ANDjXOMMENT. Samovar and Samisen. Our great serial story of the 'Russo Japanese War: (Summary of previous chunks Michael Popoff Falls In and Is Out a Rouble. Dis guised as a Bale of Hay, ho makes his es cape from a Japanese Prison, and is on 'his way to Nluchwang when there Is a Terrific Explosion and Popoff Is thrown into a Cloud, which carries Him to St. Petersburg. He wakes the Czarevitch, and his Fate is Trembling In the Balance when Port Arthur Falls. Sliding into th Yellow Sea. FoDoft discovers a Mine, the sale of which brings him a Fortune, and he proceeds to Japan to buy a suit of Satsuma Ware. By settling a disputed race between Kurokl and Kuro patkln. Popotf wins Great Honors from the Czar and the Mikado. In the meantime Count Serge-Suit, the dreaded Chief of the Third Section, forces his Attentions upon Mrs. PopofC. Furious at his Rejection. Count Serge-Suit visits the Popoff cottage and raises his pistol. Popoff In the meantime Is reminded of his Wife by a blow on tjie head, and plunges into the Trackless Forests of Central Wisconsin. He makes his way to Havre, "when he Is confronted by one of the Third Section hands Mrs. FoDOff. after Count Serge-Suit Is killed by falling upon a bullet he fired at her, wanders to New Tork, where Russell Sago takes up a collection and ships her to Havre.) V CHUNK X. On landing at Havre, Mrs. Popoff dis covered her Beloved Husband In the grasp of a Third Section hand. She quickly drew a sharp-pointed copeck from her hat and jabbed the hand until It fell, covered with blood. Then, In her joy at meeting Popoff again, she scratched his face, and even, in the exuberance of her gladness, tore out a couple of handfuls of hair. Popoff, equally delighted, responded by alternately kissing and walloping hl3 wife's face. At this moment a burly pomme de terro approached and placed the loving couple under arrest for fight ing. Angered beyond endurance by this unwarrantable Insult, both Popofts turned upon the meddlesome official, and, al though he peeled off his jacket, they soon had him looking like a boiled spud. "Back to Pjoxtnsky, Munroe," cried Popoff to the Wife of his Bosom. "Dub," said Mrs. Popoff, scornfully, and the pair began to make further demon strations of affection. It was at this moment that the ringless bell of a wire less 'phone began to ring. Popoff took down the Invisible receiver. "This Is the Czar, Popoff," came the message. "We need you at the front. Kuropatkln can't stand up to the Japan ese." "Right, O," answered Popoff. "Send him out my chair and let him sit down to them." "C. O. D.?" asked the Czar. "I should smile," replied Popoff, who at once called a franc from the nearest hackstand, placed his family inside, and ordered the driver to make full speed for Pjoxtnsky, promising him a pour-boire under the ear If he did not cover the dis tance In 15 days. (To be concluded.) A sore subject Munroe. Portland's prisoners are to become thistle-downers. What airy trifling for hobos. Up in Seattle they fined a Deputy Sheriff because he acted as look-out for a poker game. To such lengths are people carried by these reform waves. Judge Reld Is to be congratulated upon the eminently, judicial manner in which he decided the question of kenolalt gambling or not? He referred It . Yo a higher court. A certain species of fecund and unde sirable thistle is termed In the United States the "Canadian" thistle. In Can ada the same unpopular plant Is disowned under the name "Scottish" thistle. Won der what they call It In Scotland? The New York Sun reprints this Washington dispatch to the Nottcero Sevlllano, a Spanish newspaper: Washington. July 26. Public opinion is very busy with the approaching elections for the Presidency of this Republic. The Democrats support Mr. Farquex, follow ing the advice of Cleveland, who In a manifest published recently recommends the aforesaid candidacy. Judging that to vote for It Is a patriotic duty. The persona aspiring to the Presidency who have the most probable chances of success are Parquez and Roosevelt. A correspondent sends ns a lurli sketch entitled, "Future Punishment in Store for Those Who Wilfully or Carelessly Start Forest Fires." A large cage of barbe;! wire Is placed over a number of very active, vocanoes, and a gang of imps with pitchforks Is en gaged In throwing the wicked through a trapdoor In the top of the cage. It seems to us that a better plan would be to have Satan the Sorrowful pre sent each of tho guilty with a valuable timber claim and then compel the owner to start fires on it. ' When a faithless lover skips out of town, leaving behind him the girl whose heart he won with honeyed words and iced drinks, what is the Jilted damsel to do? Shall she let con cealment, like a worm i' the bud, feed on her damask cheek, or shall she go about, like the girl in the Song of Solomon, chasing her "one among ten thousand"? As a rule the forsaken damsel does neither of these things. In stead, she chases up a new purveyor of cream and honey, and the sun shines as brightly for her as of yore. There Is yet another line of conduct that the girl may pursue; it has been indicated for her by a young lady of Greenhorn, who was recently left by a young man who had won away her heart. The young lady of Greenhorn, so called ap parently because there are no green horns there, saddled a horse and loaded a gun. Then she set out after the faithless one, determined to bring back a lover alive or a deceiver dead; but alas for romance and poetic justice! the deceiver had a faster horse. Because mice in the Postofflce at Pen zance ate some pigeons that were being sent by parcels post, the department had to compensate the sender. Some time previously the Postmaster at Penzance had applied for an official cat, but the Postmaster-General had refused to supply one. This recalls a story of red tape in the British army. A Quartermaster was asked to explain the loss of certain stores. He replied that rats had eaten them. He was ordered to report on the best means of getting rid of the rats. He replied that a trap seemed suitable- His reply was marked "approved" by the general officer commanding- and, after passing through a dozen offices, was indorsed by some official with ten titles, who Ordered a trap to be supplied. After an Interval of three months the Quartermaster was ordered to report on the -working of the trap. He re ported that not a single rat had been caught. He was ordered to report why. In his opinion, the trap was unsuccessful. To this the Quartermaster answered that he believed results would be obtained from the trap if he were supplied with bait. , WEXFORD JONES. S