40
THE STODAY OREG03SIA2?, POBJLAM), JANUAEY 29,
WHEN WINTER'S
rO OONSCIKNTIOITS man In
ch&rg f - sentwgieal jwrk, er f
aay ether eUeUw ef !f&b ani
mals. cjl. rest ea-ry hy M own areolae we
a cold Winter" ntgnt unless he kami
that the awimnlg nafler la chtfKe are
ebeliered and onaaartaJae."
Ttw wra -war- ftko by the bead
ol on of the hisgeat zeelegieai nark ta
America, er. indeed, la the wW. whM
be tu asked the other day whet precau
tions were taken t nafaganrd the health
and ccmfrt of the xnlmals earing the
Winter
GencraHr fiaVflar. the animate In
American rattiel parks are wM cared
Tor fieri jr the eM wntiwr." be said. Jt
! the flm ear ef ta huui in eharge. In
the old a&rk riora.tc pravMea has been
niade at vrr)' great exaoase: ta the ew
park, wck kH mm yet Wok done is
the way arevtsteir j4wtr far aN (teum
of aalmiht -"a at) need H. Ink. St is
twins done Jnet a ojnVkly a they eaa net
the HKJW-J' t iend
When you sn the routte of a xeetoglcal
iJ ch&rze ef a zeatocical nark, or f I yau are Hkelr to meet with many sar-1 map. ' I i.tSr Jlv . v . " I
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND HIS OFFICIAL FAMILY
WASHINGTON. Jan 3 - Sfal
1 'umm yenennct' of The Sunday
OrucwntMi -Nfiai) stmt Friday
nmtaci at U w'ofeek. whenever tn Sag
it tyitkg over the WMu Hmm, the
Prr j4omt jU hfcs Canto 1 antoani ntt
lr conference la tjirtanyrtaa of tMa
xcoBwatous want. Hma are IHrwtr oa
these daps Marine tUm nMas konns.
The Preaiaent reachm nU 4k a s
fcatf haw earner tfcaa oa othrc er He
most )oek over Ma ntaal ana 1 r4r tn
r-K hU MtntaCM wwea tbey arrive Mr.
1vrfe. the MoriMnr) U twe PretMent. oaes
nt letter over Ma eS and chop on
TtMMtejr ana Prtoa winaigt. hat bo
txr in. anuttniw watte tn tHckat servi
tor Ss j4H ralalar: a aaot at tite executive
oSre Tn vncaMe oaar keener of the
lYmUiaUel eaW. Cantata LeaSer. nU
oa a vary Wok aad taeariaM) if ft a
bright re earnaalon 00 Can hunt ajr Ht
dek is sweat a4 pai awiliml. ana nftttaaes
4erne ta Wnrk of .nV. Okcfca
harry aheat wttB care written en tfeetr
aca ait k an anrioati la
atahait way. a two axeettoK a jayat
jCM i inn war.
IHi; the exjwrtea canst arrive wtla
proud MpwWnian itnatalritr n tnam
Ike Mr. Wlawa. tn Serrvtary Art
enttnre. wa iSe at naai a aate
fjvav the H'nM Hone, nanus ia a eeoca
and t oar TfcU yrnilnWr raoJil crally
Xs refvtweated r the rtnnjie "ovmnifat
carriage arawo b a alneW hoc. 34r.
Hfttcheock. Seeretao of tn Interior,
an exception- M always mbm tn mat.
He rceatc4 eartata eitticainaT at Caasna
a beet the ne ? tiwuniMH rarrwE
mti4 aar V inttttnwaa 'avt atari I.
rs he an al at taeaugaarea ana
a arrix that ntayad nan In tater
aattaaal aaceaai wfean he was AariMuaa
nr te R3"te AM the etaar 1 tMiialliai 1;
' tar rtaef eaerattae tmmt oa Umot awn
mor ar let etaeay au'i aiatti n. though It
U m( fey AUreey- uanral Mdrp at
leajrae tnat ha is never ware waetaer he
rn.il'. fcofct nat Sa rn tn WTha !.
Kit uaehaarteg vriee whan he jaatttj-
lark in Winter and talk with the keepers
yau are Hkely to meet with many sur
prios. In particular, you will bo sur
arteed te learn which animals like the
aU weather best and which foel Its rigor
the meat.
It might naturally oe supposed that the
Peter hear would revel la the snow and
lee, n&d would think that they were just
beginning to live again when the thor
naameter went down below zero. But It Is
Mt so. Ttte Ice hear likes the Summer
taat of all the season when he is trans
pkutted te this country. He does not suf
fer In the attghtaet decree evon in the tor
rid weather of the hottest cities, provided
he has a pool in which to bathe occa
a a aally. lie feels the heat much less than
the native block hear does, with his thick
aad heavy far. The latter is liable to sun
stroke; the former is not. Ob the other
hand, the Polar bear sometimes finds the
Winter too ooW. just like the Ksklmo who
eaaw down from Gtvealand to exhibit
themselves at the St. Louis Fair, and
who KttbseMntJy went on show in several
of the hie cities.
"How does the climate of this country
agree with youT' one of tbera was asked
iaercenes the Mees of the Department of
Jtfcrtlc is: "Driver. I think I hall walk
tat HMratag; but you just follow along
, behtad. for fear I change ray xnlad."
All Are Prompt.
The Cahtaet members are the souls of
proBtptaestf, and so nieeJy do they time
tn memest of thir arrival that Mr.
Wtteen. whe come the greatest distance,
t drfviag wp. while Mr. Shaw, whe drops
aown from the Treasury building, across
the way. la Uil struggling with the collar
of his overcoat, hastily donaed a he
watka. Mt. Hay. the premier of the Cabi
net, leaking eeel and unperturbed as a
1 seed dtaiemat shouM, saunters over from
!tfce State Department on the etroke of
the heur. He dlrdaias U carry a folk,
as the other councillors do but sends his
Mkrs & Htth in advance by his trusty
I messenger Bddie "the Gevemmeat boune
j er " Tht title wai bestowed on the
I faltafwl African because he gave three
1 affanatac dtokMnat tbir pasnaorts and
instructed them te get out of the country.
IAN the Cabinet members are clad in the
BMst severe and coaveHtienal attire and
an wear high sttk hats, irreproachable
I Kleves and jaoc "which rival the sun.
I Xx. Shaw, the Secretary of the Treasury.
- and. Jthig Taft. the pertly Secretary of
i War. oace manifested a disposition to
. ward working clothe, hut the blameless
ratiaent of Messrs. Hay. Morton. Moody
aad the others soon shamed thm iato
Mao,
President Reoevelt. as a rule, is in
the Cabinet chamber slightly before
' ht sarata arrive. Tats room is in the
, northeart front ef the Executive Of
. ace hutUHng. a structure which has
. provaked no nd ef mirth and sar
. cam in the irrevercBt. The Prei
1 aeut uffiee ia aepuratcd from the Cab
j tact ream by a narrow hall, wherein
I U statinaad the vlgttoat le trior. A
I tongaTmaaogany table stretches from
aorta i muii. at me end or wnicn tnc
!re44atent 4t. At the ether end 1
tented the holder ef the newest cabinet
HTfoMo, Mr. Metealf. the sereiary of
caaamarea and Labor. There is no
1 room far him next nls colleague, Mr.
COLD GRIPS THE
in New Tork City a few days after Christ
map. '
"It is much too cold for us." the. little
fellow answered, between chattering tcoth.
"We set no frost as bad as this, even in
Greenland."
Winter Dampness Injurious.
The Polar bear appears to be of the
same way of thinking as his neighbor, the
Eskimo. The dampness of the American
air is apt to be dangerous to him, unless
ho Is taken care of. Three Polar bears
have died during the Winter in the mena
gerie at Central Park. Xew Tork City.
The cause of death in each case was pneu
monia, and the last death only occurred a
few weeks ago.
Pneumonia, indeed, is a serious enemy
of the zoological park, not alone in Win
ter, but at all seasons of the year. The
hoofed animals are liable to catch it in
Spring and Summer, and so are the mon
keys. What with bronchitis, tuberculosis,
pneumonia and a score of other ailments
always threatening them, it is hard work
to keep the monkeys alive at alL
While the ice bear of Greenland fre
quently objects to the rigors of the Amer
ican Winter, the sloth bear of India, al
Hitchcock, so he Is compelled to face
the Executive, a circumstance which
has led Mr. Roosevelt to ask Mr. Loeb
to provide a longer table.
This is the second recent request in
regard to the furnishings of the coun
cil chamber. The other was for a spe
cially large and specially strong chair
for Judge Taft. the "big man" of the
Cablnot. Judge Taft's great weight,
coupled with the fact that he laughs
a great deal and laughs all over,
threatened the destruction, ono by one,
of all the other Cabinet chairs.
At the Cabinet Table.
At the President's right sits John
Hay. the Secretary of State. At his
left is Leslie M. Shaw, the head of the
Treasury, which ranks next to the De
partment of State. Next to Mr. Hay is
Secretary of War Taft. Next to Mr.
Shaw, Attorney-General Moody. Judge
Taffs neighbor on the left is Robert
J. Wynne, who forged his way from
successful journalism to the headship
of the Postoffice Department and a
seat at the Cabinet table. Next to Mr.
Moody sits Paul Morton, Secretary of
the Navy, whose distinguished sire sat
it) the Cabinet of a Democratic Presi
dent. Mr. Wynne's ' companion on
down the table Is Mr Hitchcock, tho
solemn man, and "Uncle Jim of Tama."
the Secretary of Agriculture, brings up
the left side.
A Cabinet meeting is one of the
most informal affairs under the Gov
ernment. The men meet and greet
each other heartily, and as a rule some
one of them has a distinguished guest
wiiotn he wishes to present to the
President and his colleagues. On a re
cent Tuesday, the President presented
Whltolaw Reid. and that distinguished
exponent of American journalism and
diplomacy- had quite a chat with the
Cabinet men before the meeting was
called to order.
Hitchcock Is Dull.
Calling the Cabinet to order Is really
the only formal .part' of a Cabinet
meeting. Mr. Roosevelt has a way of
i . . .Jsmzz mist
though used to a tropical climate, can
stand them quite comfortably. He stays
out in the open, as a rule, all Winter
through, only going into his den to sleep
at night. AH bears can be kept out of
doors, with the exception, of the sun bear,
another tropical animal.
The young of the Polar bear and of
most other bears are born in Winter,
usually In January. The mother is given
a huge bundle of straw when her time
draws near. She carries It into her den,
fills the place so full of It that she can
hardly burrow into the middle, then lies
down and waits patiently for the little
one to arrive. She keeps It in the middle
of the warm straw until It can stand
cold weather as well as herself, and the
cub seldom suffers.
All bears are sleepy and dull during the
Winter. They seldom play the amusing
pranks which delight visitors at other
getting Secretary Wilson Into an earn
est discussion about the condition of
crops if Mr. Hay becomes restive over
a point in our foreign relations. The j
present Executive likes to branch off
Into frivolities when matters of huge
import loom on the horizon. This ten
dency never falls to bring forth a pro
test from Mr. Hitchcock, who regards
the wasting of time as a cardinal sin.
An instance to the point occurred sev
eral weeks ago, when the Land Office
frauds were of paramount importance.
The Missouri member of the Cabinet Is
a fine man and an able one, hut his
manner of imparting knowledge on
any subject Is, to say the least, not
absorbingly entertaining. Mr. Hitch
cock droned along about Oregon until
Mr. Hay frankly showed impatience,
and pulling out a document from his
pile, began to peruse It. Judge Taft
shook with suppressed mirth, and
catching the eye of the head df the.
Nation, gave him a slow, solemn wink
and nodded across the table to whero
sat Paul Morion, struggling manfully
but with indifferent success against
the embrace of Morpheus. The Presi
dent looked, and then Impulsively ex
claimed: "I say. Morton, what is the natter with
you? You look well, I never saw you in
this fix before. What is it? Own up like
a man."
A blush suffused the rather boyish
countenance of the Navy chief. Mr.
Hitchcock looked over his glasses with a
scowl at the interruption, and then Mr.
Morton explained:
"Well, I thought I might as well live
up to the part you gave me, so when
Southcrland and a few other friends in
the Navy nsked mo to take a run down
the bay over Sunday, I said yes. I'm
just naturally a landlubber, and there's
no living down the accusation. I was
sick from the time that diabolical con
trivance left the Navy -Yard until It got
back. Thought I was going to die."
This confession caused such an uproar
that Judge Taft's new chair was In
Jeopardy, and the last chapter in the
'ZOO
seasons of the year. Early in December
they get stupid, and they do not recover
their high spirits until Spring arrives.
Nevertheless, the zoological parks have
proved to the satisfaction of scientists
that the hibernation of .bears is due, not
to a natural inclination, but solely to a
lack of food, supply in their wild states.
They do not hibernate In the zoological
park, where, of course, they are as well
fed in Winter as In Summer. The bears
in the north part of the temperate zone
have got to hibernate in Winter or else
starve to death, for they cannot find food
when the ground is covered by a foot of
snow. It is only another instance of
Nature's wonderful ability to look after
her own.
The supreme care of the keepers Is to
give the bears and other hardy animals
dry sleeping places which are protected
from draughts. If a bear has a good
Land Office frauds was consigned to ob-
livion.
Good Story-Tellers.
There are four splendid story-tellers in
the present Cabinet, and if the President
be counted In, there are five. Mr. Hay is
so good that when he was Ambassador
to London even the English were able tto
appreciate his jokes. Mr. Shaw Is the
boast of the West, and as a raconteur
his rival is yet to be discovered. Judge
Taft is inimitable, and Mr. Wynne had- a
fine schooling as president of the Grid
iron Club and In the press gallery. The
President is aggrieved if ono of these
four comes to a Cabinet meeting not pro
vided with a new tale.
Aside from the story-telling, the mem
bers of the Cabinet Indulge in a good
deal of plain "joshing." Judge Taft has
a way of taking down Mr. Mocdy when
that gentleman manifests a disposition to
show off his forensic ability by asking
gravely about the methods of instruction
at Harvard. Judge Taft Is a son of Old
Ell, and Is mighty proud of it. The Presi
dent, however, is from Harvard, and in
variably goes to Mr. Moody's aid, for the
Attorney-General Is no match for the War
Secretary when it comes to "jollying."
When Mr. Me teal f took his seat. Judge
Taft welcomed him solemnly and bespoke
support In his championship of Yale
against the aggressions of Harvard. Mr.
Metcalf is a Yale man. too. but he Is
coming to be known as the sllent mrrt."
He has never advanced an opinion in tho
six months he has sat at the Cabinet ta
ble, and he speaks only when spoken to.
He does not even enjoy tho Jokes, and
In this must be relegated to the clas3
dominated by the Secretary of the In
terior. Mr. Hitchcock disdains persiflage
and sits like a ramrod while Mr. Roose
velt gets off hl3 latest and best. He is
compelled to endure the President's stories
without protest, but when one of the
other Cabinet members grows facetious
the Secretary of the Interior makes no
attempt to conceal his Impatience. Mr.
Wilson is Scotch and is slow, like all of
his countrymen. But he really tries to
'Trocal AriimaLfe 'Arc Often
Weather; Hanf on
The liveliest animals in Winter timo
are undoubtedly the wolves. There is
no question that they thoroughly enjoy
the cold. They are usually In finer con
dition during- a hard Winter than at any
other season, and their spirits are "up
in G." All day long they are risking
about, rolling in the snow, if there is
any, and having a lively little fight with
one another every few minutes. Cold
seems to make- them unusually pug
nacious. Perhaps that 13 because they
know they would have to fight hard for
their dinners In Winter If they were back.
In a wild state. The buffaloes, also enjoy
frisking In the snow.
Most of tho felines are kept carefully
under cover In heated houses during the
Winter months, but there aro some of
them that seem to revel in tho cold
weather. Among these hardy creatures
are the snow leopards, the pumas and the
lynxs. The Siberian and Manchurlan
tigers might -be added, but at present
there are none of them in this country.
Tho snow leopard, coming from the icy
slopes of the Himalayas, 13 naturally used
to cold, and he does not seem, to mind the
dampness of the American climate so
much a3 other animals habituated to a
low temperature. He would die, Indeed,
If he were shut up In a house during
Winter; and both the Canada and the red
lynx would undoubtedly suffer seriously
1 they were kept indoors, even in the
coldest weather. They thrive during the
Winter, and get a very fine fur.
These animals, of course, sleep in pro
tected places. All animals In a zoologi
cal park seem sensible enough to do that,
except most of the Polar bears. The latter
do not seem to like their dens, and very
rarely visit them. They prefer to sleep
out In the open all the year round. This
is undoubtedly because, on their native
Ice packs, there are no dens for them to
shelter In.
n Antelope Keep Indoors.
The antelopes cannot stay out in their
yards all Winter, but In most zoological
parks they are allowed out in tho open
on fine days and they greatly enjoy their
freedom. Tou could not find anywhere a
more joyous and gladsome creature than
an antelopo taking the fresh air on a
sunny day at this season. He seems
much livelier than In Summer.
In all zoological parks It is a problem
what to do with the big tropical deer
In Winter. In ono of the best of these
parks there is a very fine Asiatic deer
house. It is a model of its kind. It is
a tightly-built barn with a large skylight
that throws tho sunshine, when there Is
any. Into every stall. All animals should
have plenty of light In Winter, even If
they cannot go out of doors. Dark cages
and stalls are the bane of too many
zoological parks.
g0
Sidelights on the Members of the Cabinet and Their
Doings. d d
enjoy the feast of reason and flow of
soul prepared for him twice a week by
his colleagues. Judge Taft avers that if
a joke is told Mr. Wilson slowly and
with emphasis on Tuesday, by Friday he
win see the point and laugh as heartily
as the nex't. It is a frequent occurrence
that Mr. Wilson joins a sociable chat
after tho meeting has adjourned, and
sometimes he will congratulate Mr. Hay.
Mr. Morton or Mr. Shaw on something
said.
"That was a good yarn you told, Shaw,"
said the venerable Secretary of AgrlcUI
turo a few days ago. y
"I am glad you enjoyed It," answered
Shaw cordially, "you see, It mixed up
John Knox and Presbyterianlsm some,
and I was afraid you might not like it."
"Oh, I didn't like that foollehness you
told today," retorted Mr. Wilson: "I mean
that story last week afbout the farm boy
and the way to water corn."
Mr. Wilson Is the dean of the Cabinet.
He began his service with tho commence
ment of the first "McKInley administra
tion, and if he rounds out a full term
under Mr. Roosevelt he will have the
unique record of 12 consecutive years at
the head of one department. Mr. Wilson
likewise is the oldest member of the Cabi
net, and If he lives until next August he
will have reached three scores years and
ten, the allotted age of man. Mr. Hitch
cock is but a month and a half younger
than Mr. Wilson, and will be 70 In Sep
tember. The youngest member of the
Cabinet is Judge Taft, and he Is just
eight months younger than the President.
Mr. Morton Is but a few months older
than Mr. Taft, Mr. Hay will soon be 75.
and shows more plainly than do the Sec
retaries of the Interior and of Agricul
ture the evidences of passing time. Mr.
Hay takes great pride in his small grand
children, and in his Jokes and comment
on current events there Is a tendency
to quote nursery rhymes. Mr. Wynne
and the President have great sport over
the number and attainments of their chil
dren. The genial Postmaster-General is
the proud father of a family of ten. Mr.
Morton, although the youngest-looking
man at the table, has recently become
Least Affected by-Severe--
Polar Bears
The deer in this particular house
could stand the Winter without any
artificial warmth, but as their coats aro
coarse and thin, a stove has been put
in to take tho chilliness .oft the air.
While this is not absolutely necessary.
It is humano. Some heads of zoological
parks seem to think only of keeping
the animals alive during the cold
months, but tho directors who are best
known and most successful also aim at
making them comfortable and happy.
The animals which have to stay in
doors chafe under the imprisonment
and grow low-spirited, anyway, so
that everything possible ought to be
done to lighten the burden of their
irksome confinement.
Tropical Deer.
The axis deer is a wonderful animal.
Though born in the hottest part o the
tropics India it stands the American
Winter beter than, any American deer,
and seems to revel in the cold when
It is let out on fine days. It is amaz
ing to see how well many tropical spe
cies stand the cold. Fow birds are to
be seen In tho aviaris out of doors at this
season of the year, but among- them are
all the tropical vnltttres and many of
tho eagles. They enjoy a low tempera
ture when birds of tho Northern tem
perate zone have to be kept indoors in
steam-heated houses.
In this respect they resemble th
human. Inhabitant of "the tropics. Con
trary to the general belief, a man or
woman from the tropics can almost
always stand a severe American Win
ter better than people who have been
born to it.
Sea lions appear to enjoy the Winter
and seldom suffer from any ailment. It
is necessary to keop their pools free
from ice and to provide dens littered
with straw for them to sleep In. If
these things are done, they will be as
happy as sand boys all Winter long.
Elephants have to bo kept Indoors
during Winter, and they don't like it
at all. They get exceedingly cross at
tho confinement, and sometimes their
tempers grow so fierce that it is even
dangerous for their keepers to go near
them. This is true of many other ani
mals, and it Is the reason why fights
are common in the cages during;
Winter.
Thoro. is practically no trouble, ex
cept on this score, with the animals
that are kept Indoors. So long as their
houses are free from draughts and an
even temperature Is maintained, they
are just as well off in Winter as in
Summer.
In answer to a question, the head of
a big zoological park declared: "We
have no more cases of illness among
the animals in Winter than in Summer.
I think we usually have less. Certain
ly, the hoofed animals fare better, as
a whole, in Winter than in Summer."
BASoETT STAINES.
(Copyright, 1905.)
a grandfather, ana' has been much con--gratulated
in consequence.
MARGARET B. DOWNING.
The Northman's Christmas Tale.
, ester Firkins, In Uppincotfs.
In southward lands, where, holly bright
Glow happy hearts at Christmas-tide,
I've watched deep in the starry night
Tho warm snows wrap my countryside;
In tropic climes all summerwlse
I've seen Yule roses twine and pale.
But once I saw the Christ Child rise.
With dawn, on an Alaskan trail.
Blue-cold the north-night walled us round.
Lost exiles from all human kind;
Tho fagots flared with sputtering sound.
And In his sleep a sledge-dog whined.
Eight weeks from somewhere in the snows.
Sight weeks beyond the call of man.
I lay that night, where. Heaven knows
Some place 'twlxt Skagway and Spokane.
I lay that night beside the flame;
I slept; men tell me that I dreamed.
But. Mary llother. by Thy name!
I saw him when the dawn light gleamed.
I saw nlm in his baby gown.
Stooping to warm him o'or the blaze
And since that night I've knelt me down
And prayed upon my Christmas days.
Shivered the little one. and crept
Cuddling beside me with a cry.
I "vcapt him warmly till he slept
-The Christ Child slept and so did I.
The wind howled through the leaden night.
Out of the dark the wolf yelp rang.
But in ray dream a star shone bright.
And o'er the manger angels sang.
Sualexs tbp dawn slid into day.
I wakened to a world new born;
And lo! the smiling baby lay '
Beneath my furs on Christmas mornV
Oh blessed Heaven, pity those
Whose Saviour Is a king- to dread: ""
I slty thm, as one who knows
The Christ that shared a trapper's bed.
To east and west and southward far.
In wltdering ways, my paths have lain,
lly life hath known no holy star.
No churchly guide, no sacred fane";
Bat, under bright er barren skies.
On Christmas eve I tell my talc.
For one 1' saw the Christ Child rtss. "
With' dawn, on an Alaskan trail