6 THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JULY - 29, 191)6. Bw$mnn Entered at the Postofflce at Portland, Or., as Second-Class Matter. SUBSCRIPTION BATES. IT INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. "CI (By Mall or Express.) DAILY. SUNDAY INCLUDED. Twelve months IS. 00 Fix months 4-25 Three months One month Delivered by carrier, per year 9.00 Delivered by carrier, per month....... -75 Less time, per week. -20 fcunday, one year 2.50 Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday)... 1.50 Sunday and Weekly, one year 8.50 HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money oraer, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, cola or currency are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The) S. C. Beckwith Special Agency New York, rooms 43-50, Tribune building. Chi cago, rooms 510-012 Tribune building. , KEPT ON BALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postofflce News Co.. lb Dearborn street. St. Paul. Minn. N. St. Marie, Commercial Elation. , Denver Hamilton & Kendrlck, 906-812 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, 1214 Fifteenth street; I. Welnsteln. Goldfield, Nev. Frank Sandstrom. Kansas City, Mo. Klcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut. Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh. 50 Souta Third. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw, 307 Superior street New York City L. Jones & Co., Astor House. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnston, Four teenth and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley. Ogdrn D. L. Boyle. Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1612 Farnam: Mageath Stationery Co.. 1308 Farnam;" 240 South Fourteenth. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co., 4u9 K street. Salt Lake Salt Lake News- Co., 77 West Second street South; Miss L. Levin, 24 Church street. Los Anrelee B. E. Amos, manager seven street wagons; Berl News Co., 32tft South Broadway. San Diego B. E. Amos. , Pasadena, Cal. Berl News Co. San Francisco Foster & Orear, Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand. Washington, I. C. Ebbitt House, Penn sylvanla avenue. PORTLAND, SUNDAY. JULY 2. 1006. KEUGION AND ITS INTERPRETATION. Some thirty years ago a book ap peared "Literature and Dogma" which excited great attention in the literary world. It was one of the books of a series, in which a celebrated writ er dealt with some of the literary prob lems of the Bible. As such the book also was a contribution to the study of the philosophy of religion. It was re ceived by the thinking world as the book of the time, and it has permanent value. New editions of it are still mak ing their appearance, in all countries where there are readers in English. Matthew Arnold's literary Judgments were of the highest order. As critic and master of literary style he holds a permanent place in general litera ture. With the subjects treated in this book, and others that followed it, he dealt in a profoundly reverent spirit As a contributor to the literary study of the Bible, and to historical interpre tation of it as literature, the world owes him an Immense debt, which is acknowledged from year to year by multiplication of his readers. His work also has borne immense fruit through use of it as stimulation for other writers. In "Literature and Dogma" Mat thew Arnold wrote: "An inevitable revolution, of which we all recognize the beginnings and signs, but which has already spread further than - the most of us think, is befalling the re ligion In which we have been brought up." Since this statement was written the revolution basVproceeded further than its author could possibly have an ticipated within so short a time. That is to 6ay, the old orthodox view of the Bible and the theology of which that view is the expression is already for saken by more minds than can be counted; for, by necessity, with the relinquishment of this view goes by the boa rcl the great mass of theology dependent upon it. But the reconstruc tion proceeds at equal pace with the dissolution, for man is always and everywhere a religious creature, and in these times he is the truest guide who recognizes the change of attitude towards oid theologies, undertakes to lead the people safely through it, tries to occupy the new standpoint, and, while tossing aside the old and out worn material, grasps firmly the vital truths of religion and proclaims them. "There is no surer proof of a narrow and uninstructed mind," says Arnold, "than to think and uphold that what a man takes to be truth upon religious matters Is always' to be held and pro claimed." We should say there was liability to injustice In this remark. for the ablest and best Instructed minds often take a cast or color from the environment in which they have been formed. That they do so is not eur prising. It would be more surprising if they did not. - The tenacity with which traditional views are held though such views may contain ele ments of error Is one of the chief bonds of human society. It forces men to re-examine new opinions, and ar rests the destruction of any system of life that has good in it, until something better can gradually be built up to take the place of that which can no longer command assent. Such changes are constantly taking' place in all sub jects of human thought and action yet are held back by the conservative instinct till they have proved their right to exist and prevail. But religion- docs not stand with the old view, nor fall with the new. For religious principle sremalns a perma nent factor in human life. But the speaking must be done from a new standpoint, and with a thorough recog nition of the modifications that science and criticism have wrought in the ma terials aud combinations that have en tered ' into the structure of our old systems of faith and opinion. The old machinery and the old doctrine will not avail In this contest. It is pre cisuly those that are the subjects of Inquiry and dissent. A teacher who has nothing but these with which to meet the- assailants of religion may as well retire from the field. But behold what progress a better conception of religion is making, when under the new system, of which Mat thew Arnold was so noted an apostle. men held apart by creeds of long standing can' unite on the new and higher ground,' throwing aside the old garments In which their religion was accustomed to clothe Itself as in the parable of Peter, Jack and Martin, in Swift's "Tale of a Tub" and drawing nearer to vital truths in the conduct of life. The vital truths of religion are all one, whether preached toy Chris tian or Jew. toy Protestant or Catholic. This is made clear, as the progress of the- modern methods clears religion of extraneous doctrines: and indeed time comes, as the edifice grows and rises to fuller proportions, when the scaffolding used In its construction will be gradually removed. There never will be a perfected or absolute religion, feecausa sua is incapable,.?;: JlU fiJiti though we may never hold the truth in its purity, we may hold enough of it to make it invaluable for the pres ent and fruitful for the future. It ought not. however, to grieve any one that religion, always finding new mat ter to work in, and toy necessity taking on new material, is continually slough ing off the old. We began with what Matthew Ar nold said over thirty years ago on' lit erary and rational interpretation of the Bible and the necessary effect on the theologies founded on the old but no longer tenable view. We shall stop, for the present, with a quotation from editorial in the current number or the Outlook, on study of the New Tes tament, which as well applies to the Old. "The student, says the writer. should always remember that the spiritual value of the writing does not primarily depend on the question w hen and by whom it was written. The question is interesting and it is im portant. Was the Gospel according to Matthew written by the disciple of that name, or is it composed of vari ous incidents in the life of Jesus, and sayings attributed to him. collected and edited by Matthew, or toy come un known editor? But the spiritual value of the direction 'Love your enemies' does not depend upon either the date or the authorship of the Gospel in which that saying is contained." A VACATION HINT. Involuntarily as one peruses the thrilling account of Dr. Short wander ing unshaken, unenticed, unterrified, through the gilded mazes of the Oaks, he recalls the picture of Daniel serene ly eating his baked beans and sipping his glass of water in the lions' den. The story that Dr. Short wore tan shoes on this terrible adventure is a scandal; it seems, such as often dogs the steps of the pious and the great. He wore cowhide boots with copper toes as usual. Clothed with his virtue as with a mantle of triple steel, Dr. Short invaded the glittering haunt of sin, and pure as the driven snow he came away. As Elijah passed un scathed through the fire, the whirlwind and the earthquake, so Dr. Short passed through the Oaks. He saw peo ple dancing, but he did not dance. He saw them drinking beer, but he -did not drink. He saw them squeezing girls, but he did not squeeze. Forti tudinous Dr. Short! There is a crown waiting for him in the better land. But if he neither danced nor drank nor squeezed, what did he go to the Oaks for? Certainly not, like the vigi lant Dr. Brougher, to catch sinners in the act. If that had (been his pur pose he could have accomplished it quite as well or better in his own church. Indeed, Dr. Short, though he detected a good deal of innocent gaiety at the Oaks, beheld nothing in the shape of vice. The trees were pretty in the electrlo light, the lemonade was cool, the music was charming. One may fancy that he said to himself, as he eat and listened to the band, "He who finds sin here must bring it with him in his own heart, pace Dr. Brough er." It may be Imagined that the kind ly doctor went to the Oaks to have a good time; and if he did, what of It? Jesus used to sup with sinners. If his ministers did ,the same thing oftener they would preach all the better for it. Dr. Edgar P. Hill might profitably put in part of the vacation to which he will slip away, at rhe end of August seeing the Oaks or some other place where sinful men and women gather and disport themselves. It would im prove his sermons wonderfully to learn something about that part of the hu man race which is less holy than him self and his plutocratic congregation. He could intercede for fallen man a great deal more effectively at the throne of grace if he knew exactly what sin was and how sinners looked. It must Seem so lonesome to be the only truly good man on the Pacific Coast. Think of the awful isolation. We advise Dr. Hill, therefore, to imi tate Dr. Short when he slips away on this latest well-earned vacation and spend part of it at the Oaks. CAN CANCER BE CURED Science cannot say. Perhaps one year from now, or two years, an af firmative answer will be given to this question that interests all mankind. Public revelation of Dr. John Beard's experiments during the past twenty years made through the current num ber of McClure's Magazine Is certain to arrest attention of the world's phy sicians, surgeons and embryologies. It will set about further Investigation; let us hope with beneficial result.' In this day of wonderful discovery and Invention it will not do to be In credulous. Scientific men will receive open-minded the facts presented by Dr. Beard's distinguished press agent. Dr. Salesby, who announces the record of the work, is a Fellow of the Royal Society, while Dr. Beard is of the fac ulty of Edinburgh University, whose standard is as high as any in Europe, Neither of these men -Is likely to give out a half-baked opinion; surely they have not colored the facts. Reading between the lines. It ap pears that these deep students invite both criticism and wider experiments and investigation. They have opened a new lead; others following It may mine until the precious truth is found, The result may unfortunately meet the fate of Koch's lymph or fortunately take a place with antitoxin. MISLEADING WORDS AND NAMES, Three words in the English language are especially annoying. They are "Remove," "recover" and "extraordi nary." How infuriating it Is, for ex ample, when one has been parted for ever from a costly umbrella to see over a shop window the -innocuous sign "Umbrellas Recovered." The loser knows, of course, that the honest gen tleman who conducts the establishment is using the word in the sense of "re,' again, and "cover," to put something on, but he wishes that the honest gen tleman would be more explicit. Hav ing in mind the sense of repetition in connection with the word recover, how senseless seems the word "remove," as used by the merchant who is about to vacate the premises where he is. and move to another place. One uncon sclously Wonders when he moved be fore. The displeasing feature about the word "extraordinary" consists in the possibility of a' reversal in Its meaning, should it -toe pronounced as some authorities give It, namely: "ex tra-ordinary." Ordinary means com unon, and extra has a meaning of more than usual. Thinking of it In this way, extraordinary, could mean "more than usually common." ' Using the word in this sense, the nomenclature prevalent in the Pacific Northwest some of it is extraordi nary. A beautiful spot that perspiring travelers occasionally reach is Inspira tion Knoll. The gifted Individual, who AmLisi ibaX flame, maz to bad. inspiration, but -it has never been seen n print. South of the beach that stretches northward along the Wash ington shore is Balrd's Hollow it may be Beard's Hollow, in which case its name probably has some reference to a man with whiskers. In any event the place is charming enough to be called by a more poetic name. Still further south, around by North Head, is as beautiful and romantic a spot as one would wish to see. Some not especially gifted ass has inflicted the place and posterity with the sickening name of Dead Man's Hollow." Why not Rot ting Horse Cove, or Sewer Inlet, or something equally euphonious and fit ting? SALT IN THE COFFEE. Years ago there was published in St. Nicholas, a young people's maga zine which still flourishes, a story en titled "The Woman Who Put Salt in Her Coffee." Her efforts to neutralize the taste of the salt and restore the coffee to its original flavor were the theme of the story. She tried all the chemicals and drugs in the house one after the other, a little catnip, a little soap, a pinch of ipecac, a few drops of vinegar, but without avail. Then she called in the neighbors. One recom mended hops, another smartweed. A bachelor friend tried tobacco; the doc tor threw in a dash of calomel. Still the taste of the salt persisted.. . The minister came and prajed over it. Tlje Christian Science healer gave it an ab sent treatment. The school teacher ex orcised it with a formula borrowed from Cotton Mather. The lawyer sued put an injunction. Still the coffee re mained salt, and the woman was In danger of hysterics when some one thought of sending for the Wise Lady from Philadelphia. She was in bed with the rheumatism and could not come, but she sent a message which 'did as well. 'Throw the coffee out and pour your self a fresh cup." This was the mes sage, and it was marvelous how well it worked. The woman did as sh! was bid. enjoyed her sapid draught, and went about her tasks in peace. The story was intended to amuse children, but, like all good art, it in volves truth of world-wide and eter nal validity. In fact, without too much strain upon the imagination, the good farmer's wife who put salt in her cof fee might be taken to typify the Amer ican Nation. Like her, we find our cup too bitter to drink, and very much as she did we try to sweeten it. For example, we have destroyed our do mestic shipping by barbarous naviga tion laws combined with an absurd tariff. The Lady from Philadelphia, could we consult her, would tell us that the best way to restore our mer chant navy would be to repeal the laws which have ruined it, but we do nothing of the sort. We put a little catnip in the cup, we add a few drops of smartweed tea. Among the anti dotes tried by the woman for her cof fee was chloride of gold. For our deep sea shipping some of our wise men propose to try the gold without the chloride. With an audacious defiance of common sense, which would be in credible if it were not so patent and persistent, they strive by every imag inable device to cure the effect with out removing the cause. Unfortunately for their success, this is a world where cause and effect are invincibly linked together, and 'if we get rid of one the other must go too. We cannot build up a merchant marine and at the same time leave in full operation the forces which work to destroy it. Examples of our disposition to deal with National evils by doctoring symp toms rather than removing causes lie so thick on every side that it is em barrassing to choose among them. Cups of salted coffee cover the whole dinner table. The overgrown fortunes which disturb our serenity so violently Just now are one among many cases in point. Perhaps the principal agent which has helped build up these for tunes is the prohibitive tariff, but in stead of laying the ax to the root and' repealing the schedules which have en riched Carnegie, Morgan and the un speakable herd of Pittsburg million aires, we throw in a little opodeldoc and podophyllin. We try an inheri tance tax, an income tax; we propose laws to limit private holdings of prop erty. There seems to be almost a mania in this country to remedy evils by imposing new taxes. To all the old we are joined like Ephraim to his Idols, and we are continually racking our brains to invent new ones. The tariff tax has pushed us into the fire. We invoke the inheritance tax to pull us out. Our current history is a sort of Internecine warfare of tax against tax. In National economy we are thoroughgoing homeopathists; we be lieve that like cures like. If the tariff tax makes us sick, an anti-tariff tax must cure us. The inheritance and in come taxes are useful devices for rais ing revenue. They may even serve well the end of limiting fortunes which have grown too great, but why depend upon these devices solely when a rem edy so much simpler lies at hand? Consider our corrupt municipal poll tics. We have tried to purify Jt by preaching, by registration laws, by the secret ballot, by prosecutions, but, for the most part, in vain. Meanwhile the prime cause of it 'all openly, notorious ly and flagrantly flourishes undis turbed except by an occasional timid peck such as a wren gives a marauding bluejay. This cause is the ownership of franchises by private corporations. Were there no such ownership there would still be corrupt politics, of course, but there would not be very much of it:- This single change in our civic polity would act like a thorough purgative on public morals. Most of those "conditions" which we hear so much about and which compel Ameri can civilization to drag at the tail of the world In the matter of municipal betterments ' would almost instantan eously disappear were all public fran chises to be resumed by the municipali ties which have alienated them, and all future grants forbidden. The scram ble for- franchises is to the munici pality, like Adam's fall to the Indi vidual, the spring and source of all corruption. Our American propensity to treat symptoms rather than causes cannot be accounted for as being a trait of the Anglo-Saxon race, for the English do not ppssess it. History shows that the English are as radical as the French, but their phlegm keeps them steadier under the outcome than their Gallic neighbors. Radicalism in poll tics, as in religion, is usually the con sequence of thought. Experience has shown that it is those sections of the American electorate which read and think most that are best disposed to go to the root of evils. Kansas, for example, is undoubtedly the most rad ical of the states of the Union In many respects, while Its voters are among the most Intelligent and best informed. One to almost tempted to trace a con aaljOUsa between pjic admioistxatiie inefficiency and our National depend ence upon machinery. Having Invented what we supposed was a perfect gov ernmental machine, we sat down In all complacency to let it run itself to the end of time, and now, when we see the accumulations of dust and grease which have gathered with the years, and feel the inevitable grind of friction on the wearing surfaces, we are still reluctant to think that it needs repair. We apply oil when new wheels are needed instead. We have put salt In our coffee and lack the courage to empty the cup and fill it afresh. WORTHY PENSIONERS. An increase is noted, of the Carnegie fund for the pensioning of aged college professors, from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. It is also noted that the aged widows of such beneficiaries are to be entitled to the benefits of the fund. The college professor and his wife or widow who comes to old age without means of support are fit subjects for the tenderest grace of benevolence. A man who has spent forty, fifty or sixty years, all, indeed, of his effective life, as a teacher of abstract sciences, is, when he is re'tired, as helpless as when he was born into the world, so far as earning his living is concerned. He has come to excite the pity rather than to command the confidence of his pu pils because of his. failing powers, and, yielding to the demand, the trustees of the university to which he came a young man, and to which he, has given the best efforts of Ms life, are forced to supplant htm with a younger man: Oregon .is young in university work, relatively speaking, but it is old enough to have witnessed more than one exam ple of this kind. The old college pro fessor, sensitive, refined, idealistic, is when thrown back upon his resources with his modest little home and gentle wJfe his only worldly possessions fully conscious of his situation and his limitations. He has earned a pension adequate to his simple needs, but the college for which he has long labored has no fund upon which he can draw for a support. His modest salary was absorbed as it was earned, in bringing up a family, in contributing to church and missionary funds, in community benevolences and in maintaining a home and dispensing .its simple hospi talities. His life, his service, his hu mane and charitable purpose commend him as a worthy and useful citizen a very present help in his day and gen eration. The results of his work cannot be measured by ordinary terms. They have been far-reaching, subtle, vast, of the ethical rather than the ma terial. But the work Itself has been so faithful, so untiring, so helpful, that it commends itself to the consideration of all thoughtful people who live in the divided realm of mental and physical being. IS THE MANCHL'RIAX DOOR OPENf There appears to be a growing belief, which perhaps is not ill-founded, that the Manchurian door has been equipped with a Japanese tariff spring lock. For weeks complaints have been com ing across the Pacific charging the Japanese with taking advantage of their position and forcing their own products into Manchuria to the exclu sion of those of other nations. The Japanese deny that they are showing any favoritism; tout, making deduc tions from the old theory that where there is so much smoke there must be some fire, the denial does not receive the credence which it might otherwise have. It is, of course, but natural that all information which trickles out from' that almost unknown country through Russian sources should be colored to show the Japanese side of the case in the. worst possible light, and as yet the complaints that have been made are of too general a scope to make them admissible as evidence of value. Undoubtedly the original basis for the complaint of favoritism on the part of Japan grew out of the remarkable falling off in business since the close of the war. When a merchant who has for a long time enjoyed a prosperous trade suddenly notices a pronounced decline in Its volume, most frequently the reason that appeals to him as the most logical is that some one else is getting away with it. In the case of Japan this line of reasoning might be inaccurate, when all of the circum stances are considered. Whenever great battles are fought and war rages over a country for many months, there Is suffering, distress and great financial loss by others than the persons directly engaged In the conflict. A battlefield, or a country where battlefields are nu merous, is not the best place in the world for promotion of trade not while the conflict is on nor while the "muss" is being cleaned up in the succeeding months and yeaj-s. It will be remembered that during the recent war some of the greatest battles were fought in the most thicky popu lated and fertile portions of Manchuria. Vast areas of growing crops were de stroyed, cities, towns and villages shelled and burned, and even the do mestic animals used by the Manchurian termers were commandeered" for use of the army.- No country, regardless of its great natural resources, can make a quick, recovery from the rav ages of such a war as swept over the best portion of Manchuria, and it will be a long time before the purchasing power of the people will be restored to them on a . scale approaching that which was in evidence when the war began. There are certain characteris tics of the Japanese nature that are too pronounced to lead any one to be lieve that they will not make avery strict and literal Interpretation of the old rule which apportions the spoils to the victor. But the trade of Manchuria can hardly be classed as spoils to which Japan is legitimately entitled. Neither the United States, Great Britain nor Germany, the three countries most vi tally interested in keeping the trade door open in the Far East, have raised or will raise very much opposition to introduction of the Japanese financial system into Manchuria. , There was a pretty large issue of Japanese war notes floating around the country before the war closed, and Japan undoubtedly will retain . the banking prestige which it established at that time.- But, if It is true, as has been charged, that Japan is sending its products into Manchuria under a pref erential duty or free of duty, the other powers have a grievance -which should be corrected at once. The United States would, of course, join with Ger many and Great Britain and demand fair treatment- But, while we might force Japan to open the 'Manchurian door, we are In a fair way to have more trouble keeping the Japanese trade door open. The "Yankees of the East' are contemplating adoption of the tariff system of the Yankees of the West. If this system, which permits American monopolists to shut out all foreign com '4 P.eWin 18 a xl ne for us, why, not for the Japanese? They at least seem determined to experiment with it, and the American Government .has 6ent special agents across the Pacific to keep In touch with this threatened blow at our trade. Our extravagant and un warranted tariff system has made the United States the trade bully of the world, and bullies sometimes get licked. THE GOLDEN AGE FOR MEN OF BRAINS "We are groping upon the verge of another great epoch in the world's his tory." These are the words of Thomas A. Edison, as quoted by his friend and chronicler, James Creelman, in Pear son's Magazine for August. Sturdy, untiring, studious. . Mr. Edison has earned for himself a place among men "who have modified civilization without bloodshed." He is an optimist, accord ing to this chronicler, of the most cheerful type; a man who sees in the present a vast improvement over the past of any age,. and who looks to the future with confidence that it holds near or far such certainties in prog ress as will multiply the blessings of prosperity to the man of intelligence a thousand fold. He sees the world grow ing better and stronger all the time, and the invitation to think becoming almost irresistible in every Jine of hu man effort. . Mr. Edison is 59 years of age,, within a year of the Osier limit of human use fulness; yet he spends the greater part of every day and until far into every night in his laboratory vigorous, en ergetic and apparently tireless. He as sesses this as the golden age for men of brains, even of little brains, and ad vances the astonishing idea that the poor boy with his way to make In the world stands a better chance now than did the lad thus situated twenty years ago. '-. This view of the situation is probably the reflection from the life of a success ful man. The ability of Mr. Edison ran in a special line, and he had the intel lectual energy, the physical strength and the opportunity to push his way. Plain, matter-of-fact, a light eater and sleeper, he has been able to pursue what seemed at first to -toe a fad with a persistence that developed the incan descent electric light, the phonograph, the kinetoscope, the quadruplex tele graph, the electric railroad, the tele phone transmitter, the megaphone and other marvelous contributions to the progress of the age. This man, whose mind is in touch with the subtleties that wait upon the development of mighty forces, says there is an unprecedented demand at present for intelligent men in every line of work. iHe sees, with the rapid cheapening of power and the certainty that it will become very much cheaper, a diminishing value m physical strength and an advance in the value of knowledge and thinking qualities. A significant evidence of the truth of this estimate he finds in the fact that, while the hours of muscular labor are growing shorter, the hours of brain work are growing longer. Life, as Mr. Edison sees it, is growing easier, not harder. The condition of the man who rises above the deadline of mental mediocrity or inertia, im proves each year; the hope of the man below that line is in the schoolhouse. We must protect him," says this man of mighty achievements, "by good laws honestly enforced, and see that the means of education are open to him. Beyond that no one can help him but himself." The truth of this last remark is so manifest that it does not need the in dorsement of an Edison. While prac tical, observant -men may differ with him in regard to the statement that a poor boy can get on easier now than he could when he himself was a. boy. the value, the lndispensabillty, of self- help in making a success in life is be yond dispute. It is well to put a lad upon his feet i. e., to extend to him the help without which he could not take the first step forward. Mr. Edison himself was thus helped to help him self more than once while a poor lad seeking an opening for his efforts in the world: If this help is in the line of self- help; If it encourages and assists the lad in the pursuit of knowledge which is first aid to power, its mission is ful filled wisely and well. As large capital and organization were necessary to produce the magnificent results of Mr. Edison's endeavor, so is the knowledge that can only be acquired by the out lay of some money, and, in the case of the boy without means,, of financial help, a necessary equipment precedent to self-help of the type that the age requires, as shown in the growing de mand for intelligent, thinking, well- prepared men in every line of work. The story that comes from the South of the cruel condition under which men white men, friendless and forlorn are held in slavery in lumber camps of Alabama and Florida, is but another illustration of man's inhumanity to man under conditions that favor tyr anny. The story is centuries old. Its chapters have been written and rewrit ten until nothing new in the devices of cruelty remains to be told. We shudder at the bloody recitals that come from Russia; are appalled at the tales that reach us from the Congo; and recall the incidents of slavery days in the South with horror that the years do not mitigate. From this latest tale we can only turn away with a feeling of personal helplessness, but in the hope that the spirit of civilization that has been up in arms at the recital of Russian atrocities -will turn its atten tion to conditions that are a disgrace to our own Nation in Southern lumber camps and ther places where lowly labor delves under an infamous con tract system, or a system of peonage, with the determination to correct these hoary abuses. Alfred Beit, the South African Croe sus, made public bequests of $9,000,000, two-thirds of this sum being for the development of railroad, . telegraph, telephone and wireless systems on the southern section of the Eastern hemi sphere. The other three millions go to educational and charitable purposes, mostly in South Africa. . These legacies from a man whose life was devoted to potting money and the reported use to which Russell Sage's widow will devote his fortune are striking illustrations of the tendency of the age. Few very wealthy men, outside of Portland, die nowadays without some provision for the public benefit. The water famine that prevails on the East Side from -Mount Tabor to the Peninsula will not be relieved until the Fall rains come and lawn sprinkling is over for the year. This being the situ ation, due to delay In the construction of the high-pressure pipe line from the Mount Tabor reservoir to Portsmouth, owners of lawns that are well estab lished would do well to let them "go dry," since the October rains will revive them without damage, while those who are try Ids to start new lawns should abandon the effort until Jupiter Plu- vius sends the moisture, which he can be depended upon to do on time. It is more essential for the many to have water for culinary purposes and for bathing than for the few to have green lawns. The spirit of neignborliness should rule in this matter. Gambling is a vice that merits uni versal reprobation, and receives it. But all the gambling ever carried on In Portland, through the common games, could not, if put together. equal a moiety of-evil created and ex erted among us by those who have en gaged in such operations of "high finance" as gobbling franchises, swal lowing estates and crushing everybody who wouldn't pay the tribute demand ed and required. These estates, boast ed by the first families, have been built up by operations infinitely worse and more immoral than betting on cards and horses. The opposite side of the picture is a record of broken hopes. partial or utter failure, with here and there colossal monuments of ruin and despair. See Marquam for an example, and Colburn Barrel! for another: and watch the outcome of the Johnson es tate for another.- The City of Portland can stand the steal, of Its franchises, though the steal amounts to millions; but private individuals, lacking the re sources, are not so fortunate. The Oregonian doesn't know and doesn't care what was said in its col umns about the franchises and the charter from September, 1902, to Feb ruary, 1903, when the mongers and grabbers were making their- adjust ments, secretly, for their own purposes. Besides, the editor was in Europe dur ing that period. But The Oregonian does know who worked up this business and why they, did it, who fixed up the charter to fit each other, so as to carry their game through; who 'worked' the charter and the franchises, the Common Council and the Legisla ture, got away with the property of Portland and "banked the swag" for themselves. These are the relevant facts. They stand, beyond contro versy. No attempt to engage The Ore gonian on personal or irrelevant ques tions will succeed. The Oregonian has told everybody, till everybody knows, who got away -with the franchises and the proceeds, how they did it, and all about it. The community is in sympathy with Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Olds in the loss of their only son, Kenneth, whose death after many months of decline, occurred Friday night. The young man was the victim of football brutality, having been injured in that game some two years ago. He was, previous to this occurrence, of sturdy physique and perfect health. His injuries were of the chest and side, affecting both the lungs and heart. A Winter in Arizona and the best medical and surgical treatment failed to bring relief from the injuries suffered. The case is a peculiarly sad one, and is one of many that have pro duced the reaction against the un necessarily rough and brutal features of football. Lightning played some mischief around Portland yesterday, and the oldest Inhabitant is at a loss to under stand it. Perhaps Tom Richardson can explain It. Such things never hap pened before Mr. Richardson came here to spread abroad the fame of the land where it never lightnings nor thunders, nor is in any way ever subjected to the misbehavior or displeasure of the ele ments. Judge Parker Is disposed to frown on the suposed ambitions of Mr. Hearst to be Governor of New York, and he hasn't yet moved to make the nomina tion of Mr. Bryan unanimous. With the calm and accurate judgment which has always controlled the Judge's opin ions, he sees that the Democratic can didate for President will not be nomi nated In 1906, but in 1908. . A considerable portion of the Repub licans 6f Idaho are sending delegates to the state convention at Pocatello, in op position to the idea that United States Senators should be nominated by the people. Justifiable, doubtless, from their standpoint, for, if this .principle should prevail, many excellent men will think it not worth while to go to the Legislature. Senator Bailey was renominated by the Texas Democrats at the primary, yesterday, without opposition. Evi dently they didn't . believe in the charges against Bailey, or hadn't heard of them, or thought that a penniless statesman who had absorbed a $250,000 farm during his term of office wouldn't need to absorb another. Mrs. Sage will undoubtedly be re minded, early and often, of the pro found esteem in which her late hus band was held by various educational and charitable institutions throughout the country. They might even be willing to confer on. him a post-mortem degree or two. Dowie objects to leaving the choice of an overseer to a plebiscite of Zlon, be cause he; is the "only overseer through divine appointment." Nevertheless, Judge Landis removed him, and he hasn't been struck dead yet.' Messrs. Miller and Kincart, who will go to McNeill's Island for a year, prob ably expected Instead a testimonial of appreciation from the court for telling the truth on the witness-stand for the first time in their lives. The railroad cannot take freight from Portland to San Francisco and the Harriman coast steamship line isn't fit to. There is nothing left for the ship per but to try the log raft route. John D. Rockefeller is safe home again, greatly relieved no doubt to find that nobody has taken advantage of his absence to grab the unappropri ated remainder of the country. A Milwaukee Judge let a trio of timber-land sharks go because "the evi dence submitted wasn't sufficient." We suppose that Judge wanted the trees they stole produced in court. No one can object to the friendly ri valry that will be certain to ensue be tween Mrs. Sage, Mr. Carnegie and other kind old ladies in disposing of their millions. Dr. Billings has filed his claim of $25,000 for attendance on the late Mar shall Field, on the valid ground that his professional presence was worth It to Billings. There are 177 jobs now unexpectedly at Mayor Lane's disposal, and nearly enough Democrats in Portland to fill them. What is the-Mayor waiting for? THE PESSIMIST. The Czar has dissolved his Douma, and John Alexander Dowie has risen from his deathbed to tell what he is going to do. Nicholas and John should .let their jobs out to private contractors. . In a small Western town where the rain seldom falls and ths souls of the inhabitants need constant attention, the Episcopal church and the rectory stand on the same lot. Besides administering to the wants of the morally weak. It was the duty of the rector to mow the grass and keep It well watered. This matter he attended to with diligence as regards the grass which immediately surrounded the rectory, but the ground around the church became parched and covered with ' weeds. "How do you like the looks of the lawn?" he asked of a sarcastic parish loner who was strolling by. well," replied that individual, as his eye swept over the velvety surface, and then to the neglected, weed-tangled, por tion surrounding the church, "your half of the lot is fine, but God's half is rot ten." e e Many times has the story been told re- lating how some person of vast import ance has died, winged a rapid flight to the golden-gated Jerusalem where he was given a seat at the right hand of his Creator in a chair which the Son of Man was compelled to vacate. These stories were mostly fictitious. However, things were doing the other day, according to a local clairvoyant, who witnessed the arrival In the regions above of a prom inent soul from Puget Sound. Upborne on a current of hot air, the Seattle spirit broke the record to the pearly gates. "Pete," said he, "if you want to do business with me, trot out your maps and plats. I'll buy all the corner lots and tldelanda you've got.' "I am afraid, dear friend," remarked St. Peter with dignity, "that this Is not the place you are looking for. You will find the elevator to the left." "Up or down?" "Down," replied St. Peter with em phasis. But I Just came up," expostulated the shade from the shores of Elliot Bay. "I thought I would look the town over, and, if I like it. I will stay and make things hum." , "Yes, I know," said St. Peter with a note of sadness in his voice, "we had a man here from Seattle for a few days not long ago. He said he was going to make things hum. Well, he didn't. He wouldn't stay. He said that this place was worse than Tacoma, and that he was going somewhere else." "Did he go back to Seattle?" "No; he went further down. If you hurry you will catch him before he melts. The elevator boy will fit you with an asbestos suit on the way down." "Good-bye, old man; take care of your self. I may see you later. If you feel a wave of extra hot air coming up the shaft, you'll know it's me. So long." "Rather warm, isn't it?" ventured the elevator boy as they ncared the bottom. "Not so very. Ever been In Seattle? No? That's too bad. Seattle's a hot town, and don't you forget It." "Is this the place?" asked the Seattle spirit as the elevator came to a stop. "Who's that standing by the gate?" "Oh, that's Creffleld," replied the boy. "They won't let htm in." "What's he going to do about it?" "I dunno. .It's against the rules to take anybody up. Here comes the old man.", "Oh!V exclaimed the Seattle spirit with relief.'. "I thought it was Rockefeller." "Come to think of it," said the boy, "that's what they are going to do with Creffleld. When John D. comes they are going to build a place for the two of them." . . "That's playing it rather low down on Creffleld, isn't it?" "Mebbe It is," sighed the boy, "but he may be able to do John seme good." "You stay where you are," commanded his Satanic Majesty as the Seattle spirit attempted to slide through the gate. "What's the matter?" "You can't come in," answered Satan, "that's what's the matter." "I haven't done anything." "No, and you won't either. That last man that St Peter sent down has d6ne all the things that are going to toe doing. I'm a son-of-a-gun if he didn't organize a chajnber of commerce the first day he was here; then he wanted me to dig a canal from the Styx over to Lake Brim stone, so that Charon could take his ferry over and get the barnacles burned off. He Is now getting up a bond issue to buy up the tidefiats before Harriman gets here. I've had all the Seattle spirit I can stand. Sklddoo!" "You are not going to put me in with Creffleld and Rockefeller, are you?" fal tered the soul from County of King. "No, I wouldn't do that. I am mean as the devil, but I am not so mean as that. You'll havu to go back." "But the boy says its against the rules to take anybody up." "Peter and I got those rules up, and this is the time they are going to be broken. I'll go along and have this thing out with Peter. I won't stand for any more of it." "Look here, Peter," said Satan, as the elevator arrived at the top, and they saw that saint standing by the gate, which was fastened with three new padlocks, "you'll have to take this man In." "Who, me?" "Yes, you," returned Satan with come asperity. "Well, I guess not," said St. Peter. "You haven't forgotten that last one, have you?" "You won't let me," said Peter. "You've telephoned 16 times already. I probably remember him." "I'll toss with you for this one," sug gested Satan. "Heads he's mine; tails he's yours," agreed St, Peter. Satan extracted a red-hot dollar from his wallet and tossed it spinning into the air, but it never came down. Swi-s-s-s-h! With & movement of in conceivable rapidity the Seattle spirit had seized the dollar; with it he vanished, never to return. M. B. WELL,5!. The Summer Bachelor. Houston Post. The house Is big; and empty As a barn; And its master doesn't hardly Give a darn Whether he stays there at all. Where the phantom voices call; It's a long, long- time till Fall; That's no yarn. He can't find the poker bunch Any more. He can't go the lonesoma ways As of yore. He has lost the old know hew. Lost the wish for rowdy-dow. Lost the old companions now, . And he's sore. Baby voices lilting, laughing Call, him call! Baby footsteps seem to patter Down the hall! It's a lonesome time o year. It's a long, long time and drear. When the babies aren't here! Darn U all I . It.