9
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN," PORTLAND, JANUARY 26, 1903.
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PORTLAND. SUNDAY. JAN.
2, 1908.
THE HELPFULNESS OK CASUISTRY.
All women and most mn are in
rurable casuists. We mean casuists
like Rip Van Winkle, who salved his
conscience for taking a drink after he
had signed the pledge by agreeing not
to count it. Both sexes display a sad
facility in slipping out of contracts
marie with their own consciences, but
women excel in the art. No matter
what they pledge themselves to do Ih
the way of sacrifice or reform, they
will find a way of escape If they really
wish it, whilec in at least three cases
out of ten a man would feel irretriev
ably bound. The science of eluding
an- inconvenient duty, obligation or
pledge without wounding the con
science is called casuistry. It is per
haps the only science which can be
mastered sithout study and whose
practical application requires nothing
more than that native skill which
the good Lord gives to. everybody.
But while we are all born casuists,
let no one think that study does not
Improve' us in this as in other accom
plishments. Compare the simple ef
forts of a farmer to shirk a profitless
bargain with the deft skill which a
lawyer displays in effecting a similar
evasion, and it is at once evident
that, although nature Is mighty, art Is
mightier.
Certain religious bodies have ac
quired a great reputation for casuis
tic craftsmanship, though they mod
estly disclaim the honor, protesting
that It is . undeserved. The famous
Pascal sought to fasten upon the So
ciety of Jesus the credit, or reproach,
of being able to prove that any course
of conduct whatever was right or
wrong according to convenience; but
the fathers, in these latter days at
least, declare that Pascal was a slan
. derer. The "Provincial Letters' in
which he took the Jesuits to task for
their real or imagined obliquities
form one of the great monuments of
French literature, and if they are not
Just they are certainly witty, which is
often much more agneeable in a book.
There was a belief in England at one
time that every Jesuit was more or
less aberrant from strict veracity in
his dally walk and conversation.
Even to this day the belief persists,
nor is it confined to British lands.
Throughout Europe the followers of
St. Ignatius are often compelled to
defend their reputation against accu
sations of sinuosity, and there are
few countries which have not thought
it safer to dispense either permanent
ly or temporarily with the advan
tages of their residence.
Just now it is said that the Society
. of Jesus is much in favor at the Vat
ican. There are those even who at
tribute the late pronouncements
against modernism to a quarrel be
tween the Jesuits and a rival order of
monks. This may or may not be
true, but if it Is. it simply shows that
in the elder church as in its younger
sisters there is something which
vastly "resembles secular politics. All
the sects are driven to casuistry at
times. When the duty of revising
their belief befell the Presbyterians
not long ago, they were hard put to it
to make their old creed express the
new doctrine. It was only by dint of
the most exquisite logic that they suc
ceeded. To cling, for example, to a
creed which declares that the great
majority of infants who pertsh go
straight to perdition and at the same
time believe that they go to .Abra
ham's bosom demands a casuistic ex
pertness which a Justice of the United
States Supreme Court need not de
spise. Our Methodist brethren are becom
ing famous casuists in their efforts to
escape from the rigors of John Wes
ley's discipline, ' a code of ecclesias
tical law which is found ill adapted to
the exigencies of this age of bridge
whist, theaters and decollete toilets,
it Is a pretty problem wh,ich con
fronts a woman born in lowly circum
stances and early admitted to fellow
ship In the Methodist Church whej.
after rising to riches and high sod-
cty. she is compelled to reconcile her
youthful vows with her social duties.
No diamonds, no silks, no dancing, no
frivolity whatever, cgmmanda the
stern John Wesley: but how can a
woman "bloom in society without these
things? No woman ever lived, or at
any' rate very few women ever lived,
who would not give up their hopes of
heaven for social success; hence the
precepts of the church would fare but
hardly with these women were it not
for the skill of their consciences in
harmonizing contradictories. Of
course the most expert casuists In the
world are those amazing geniuses who
reconcile the contradictions in the
New Testament. No difficulty appalls
them. Let Mark say one thing and
John the opposite and the harmoniz
ers are not frightened as ordinary
mortals would be. They lick their
chops as if they were sitting down to
a feast, and undei their deft manip- :
,
ula ion opposmg statements are pres-
ently seen to mean precisely the same
thing. ' I
ie..e..um;. U1 ,
longer passages in the New Testament ,
which all scholars have known to be
spurious for many years. Some of '
Vll V 114, v I V J t ill O..L Ll vn ia3111Wllti OVlllO
after another, but they have no right
to a place in the Bible. The eighth
verse of the fifth chapter of I John is
an example. So is the conclusion of
Mark's gospel . from the , sixteenth
verse to the end. All educated min
isters know that these passages and
others like them are spurious, ytlt
they go on serenely taking proof texts
from them, reading them in church
and treating them in every way as if
they were equally Inspired with the
genuine Scriptures. Many who know
all about the matter even pretend to
be scandalized when anybody states
the truth concerning these spurious
verses. How can an educated minis
ter persuade his consicence to teach
that a biblical passage is genuine
when he knows it is not? He does
it wpith the aid of the soothing art of
casuistry, which flourishes among the
clergy today in a quiet way.
Not many of them follow the ex
ample of Dr. Crapsey and justify
themselves by open argument for
preaching wjiat they do not believe.
The majority carry on the process in
a quiet way in their own minds; but
t seems likely that without the help
of casuistic expertness to sustain their
faltering occupants there would be an
extensive emptying of pulpits In this
country. Casuistry is more essential
to the comfort of our ministers than
it is in Europe, for we permit to our
religious guides far less liberty of
thought than the benighted Germans
or Scotch do. Of' course this indi
cates that we are a great deal better
than our brethren in foreign lands,
but it causes more or less inconven
ience to ministers who wish to exer
cise their intellects and drives them
to become casuists or leave preach
ing for some other business.
Casuistry has its use in every exi
gency where it is desirable to prove
that wrong Is right or right wrong.
Hence its applicability is especially
frequent in politics. When it befalls
a spellbinder to prove that the farm
ers are enriched by the Dingley tariff
he at once betakes himself to casuis
try and the task becomes deljghtfully
easy. He can demonstrate that we
grow rich by taxing ourselves, that we
can make the foreigner pay the du
ties on the goods he sells us, that it
lines the pocket of the American con
sumer to pay twice as much for his
tools and clothing as the hated for
eigner pays; there is nothing under
the-sun in the way of idiocy which a
deft tariff casuist cannot prove,
though the late panic interferes some
what with his hitherto triumphant
demonstration that Dingleyism -cre-ates
prosperity.
THE GKEAT JOHN MILTON.
John Milton was born December 8,
1608, in Bread street, London. Prep
aration for celebration of the ter
centenary in London has begun.
Doubtless it will engage the attention
of the whole English-speaking world.
Milton's place in literature is so
great aa to forbid conparison with
any other. No one can say that any
other name is greater. For there is
no rule of comparison between such
men as Milton, Shakespeare, ' Cer
vantes, Dante and Homer. Of each
of these it may be said that he is
"primus inter pares?' " One universal
reader or another might put two or
three more Immortals in the same
list. The decision would depend on
the mind and temperament of the
person who should give the judg
ment. It is an easy criticism that Milton
was doubly overladen with the. spirit
of Puritanism, rife in his times, and
with his vast learning. But no poet
whose fame is co-extensive with the
wnoie worm, except foiiaicespeare,
ever has been -greatly in advance of
his times. Homer and Dante and
Milton used materials that lay about
them. So did Shakespeare; but they
had not Shakespeare's supreme power
of penetration into the secret springs
of the human mind. Classing Milton
with Homer and Dante and above
Virgil, Shelley, himself among poets
supremely great, says that "Milton is
the third poet the series of whose
creations bear an intelligible relation
to the knowledge and sentiment and re
ligion of the age in which he lived, and of
the ages which followed it, develop
ing itself in correspondence with
their development." Yet it is only
the few special students who under
stand fully such a poet as Milton, or
Dante, or Homer. To them, how
ever, either of these poets is an ever
increasing wonder. Yet Milton's vital
relation to the religion and politics
of his age, which have been carried
forward on many streams to our
own times.-makes it possible still for
every one who. Is willing to accept
the study, to understand him. It is
common to scout the belief in myth
ology and demonology. But observe
that the vital question for the poet
is his own belief and -the state of the
belief of his age, not the belief of his
present readers.
Milton's life was that of an ascetic,
suited to his religion and politics.
Todd, in his great account of the life
and writings of this supreme poet
says that "by controversy, and by the
indulgence of early prejudices, Milton
undoubtedly was soured." The same
was true of Dante. Hence these poets
often exhibit extreme as well as
lofty indignation. It is useless to
talk of consistency in a life so situ
ated as was that of Milton. Hence
the indignant inquiry how his love of
liberty could ".have been consistent
with his devotion to Cromwell, has no
meaning. The sympathies of Heine
and of all intense lovers of liberty
were with Napoleon, wnose despotism
thejr , felt was necessary . to the de
struction of preceding despotisms.
As the poet and defender of the religious-
and political transformation of
England, Milton holds g. place with
out a peer. That age and its results
are comprehensible only through him.
The results have been as great in I
America as in England though they
have been deflected and changed as
the rays of light passing through an
other and different medium. But the
influence and power of the English
speaking world, but for John Milton,
w ould not be what they are today.
"THAT ABOMINABLE RACE."
At the beginning of the' court term
in Clackamas there were one hundred
Iand sixty divorce cases on the docket.
By this time perhaps most of these
1 people have been unyoked. Marriage
I in PlailrosTioo aa slsawhara m a r Tint-
, . , . ...
be wholly a failure, but It is nearly
sQ struggle on the choice
pr,u wfco don.t ,ike tQ admU -fle
feat.
Tne of marri is main.
tenance and perpetuation of the
faml And th famil js said b
writerg,to be the basis of society
civilization and government. But are
society, civilization and government
worth, the effort? Evidently our
couples who, after more or less ex
perience, are seeking divorce think
not. ,
And probably Frederick the Great
was right in his rejoinder when some
body said to him that he ought to do
a particular thing, then before him,
because it would conduce to the hap
piness and support and perpetuation
of the families of the kingdom..
"What!" he answered, "for that
abominable race?"
Perhaps everybody would better be
divorced, and all warn their children. ) The stronghold of the Democratic
This would be a beautiful planet, j party in the Northern states these
swinging in space, without life, as ! fifty years has been the great City
our astronomers suppose the planef j of New Tork. The metropolis has
Venus to be. But beautiful if there j been the main factor of all Demo
were no intelligent life to look orutic success in the State of New
upon it? ; York and in the adjacent states of
; New"" Jersey and Connecticut. .New
REFORMING WALL STREET.
Walter Wellman writes to the Chi
cago Record-Herald that AVall street
"feels a sense of shame and remorse
for its vicious methods and evil poli
cies." This is encouraging, for if such
a hardened offender as Wall street
has been brought to a conviction of
its sins and led to repentapce, there
is great hope that the Avorld will
speedily be reformed. Mr. Wellman
is a competent observer and undoubt
edly there is ground for his statement
or he would not have made it. Still
if; is possible that he has mistaken the
temporary effect of chastening events
for permanent conversion. One may
still entertain a suspicion that . Wall
street's shame is not for its vicious
methods, but because they have been
exposed; and it feels 'remorse not so
much that its policies were evil as
that they will no longer work as they
once did.
The principal business of the Wall
street financial artists is to sell what
they do not own to people who can
not pay for it. Their transactions are
all soul; they are destitute 6f bodies
and substance. Nothing passes from
the buyer to the seller. Each trans
action is essentially a bet. 'One side
wagers that shares will rise, the other
that they will fall, and whoever hap
pens to bet correctly wins the money.
It is not the method of this business
which Is vicious, but-the business it
self. The only way to eliminate its
evil side is to abolishit. A thorough
going reformation of Wall street
would leave most of its offices without
tenants.
The worst effects of Wall street
upon the community are not the pan
ics Which occasionally result from Its
crazy speculations, but the steady im
pulsion toward the gambler's habits
and ideals which it gives to every
business man in the country. The in
fluence of Wall street acts as a cease
lessly renewed Infection which poi
sons the methods of business every
where. It makes a ceaseless assault
upon the conscience of every man en
gaged in trade. If it can make him a
gambler it does so. Only those who
are especially fortified in habit and
opinion can resist its relentless appeal.
The United States can never boast of
its morals with sincerity so long as
Wall street and its 'lesser imitations
in other cities are fostered by the law.
The Louisiana lottery was harmless
compared with these enormous gam
bling institutions.
They are especially pernicious to
the young. When the youth is form
ing his ideals and establishing the
habits of his life the allurements of
Wall street are constantly before him
to snislead and pervert. This peren
nial spring of iniquity does more evil
by its example than millions of ser
mons can correct by precept. We
must always have a place where evi
dences "of ownership can be bought
and sold," but we need no place de
voted to their use as gamblers' count
ers. Wall street would cease to be a
pest to the country if no sale were
legal where the actual property did
not pass from buyer to seller; but if
the law made this requirement Wall
street would cease to exist. .
HELP FOR COUNTRY EDITORS.
One would think there was an old
country editor in. the Postoffice De
partment, making laws and regula
tions, a good fellow of the Tom Rich
ardson order, who is bound to give
the boys a boost andrlng them into
their reward. He must be a man of
experience with the frailties of the
delinquent subscriber, that terror of
the editor and despair of the editor's
wife, w'ho in most cases is the finan
cial "man" of the firm. For lo, and
behold, comes the ruling that papers,
to- get into the pound rate, must
hereafter be paid for by subscribers
in advance, or at best canhot run
more than a year behind. Well, why
not? All the prosperous, city publica
tions adopted the rule years ago, and
it should be enforced by the country
weekly as a matter of plain business.
If ever the laborer Is worthy of his
hire, it is the editor and publisher of
the local weekly, plugging and boost
ing "year in and out for his home town
and county, often worried into sleep
less nights by visions of bills due and
payable and nothing on hand or in
sight to meet them. It is safe to
venture saying there is not a country
paper in the land that has not, at this
date, from 3500 to $1000 on its books,
owing by "good fellows," most of
whom are honest of purpose, yet care
less -or shiftless about paying up.
These same "good fellows" have
plenty of money on circus day, and
when they attend the county fair, or
other public diversion, or when they
think of it at all, say to themselves
they will pay some .day. They meet
the newspaper man. with a cordial
shake of the hand and -compliment
him on the good worjie is doing, but
that is all, . while- he wonders if the
Creator gave some men a double al
lowance of gall. In mistaken fear he
hesitates to ,.cut them off.
The day of deliverance is at hand;
henceforth the sign goes up "Cash up
and no grumbling."
BRYAN AND HIS PAKTY.
The Bryan-Parker- controversy, not
important. in itself, is an indication,
of the irrepressible conflict in the
Democratic party which has existed
ever since Bryan came "to ' the fore.
Beyond doubt or question the larger
masses of the party stand with Bryan,
for what Bryan represents. But there
is a powerful body that opposes him,
and never can be brought to his sup
port. The real significance of this
fact lies in'the strength of this op
position in the all-important states.
We may look for the whole South,
including Missouri, Maryland and
Kentucky, to cast its vote for Bryan
again. For Bryan's partisans are
strong there, and his opponents,
though numerous and uttering dis
approval, stick to the party because
of "the nigger." Most of the repre
sentative journalism of the South Is
unfavorable to Bryan, .yet will make
no opposition after his nomination.
But in the Northern States, where
there is no negro bugbear and where
financial and economic questions are
deemed vital, the independent Demo
cratic press cannot be. whipped into
support of Bryan, nor can. his Demo
cratic opponents of the general elec
torate, who constitute large bodies of
voters In great states that Bryan
must carry or have no chance fo win.
York City, indeed, controls all three
states. But it is practically certain
that Bryan cannot get the full Demo
cratic vote of New Tork City and its
environs, by tens of thousands. Yet
he may get the votes of this group of
states in the nominating convention;
for his partisans represent the ma- i
jorlty of the Democratic voters, and
the tremendous defeat of Parker four
years ago adds strength to the claim j
tf their right to control the party.
The party division is on a very sim
ple principle. Using the names of
two men to designate the generic dif
ference in the party, it may be said
that the Bryan men- will support no
candidate of the Parker men, and the
Parker men will support no candi
date of the Bryan men. In particular
this last applies to Bryan himself.
Of course there will not be in either
case a general bot, but very many
certainly will, as heretofore, refuse to
be bound. The question then arises
or will arise after Bryan's third
nomination how is the loss of these
Democratic voters to be made up to
him? The only resource or help that
can bo had must come from the
ranks of Republicans who hitherto
have voted against Bryan. Will there
be any such? Probably. Many?
That seems unlikely, yet no one can
tell.
Bryan will be the Democratic can
didate; but so unusual is the state of
the public mind that no one can say
Bryan cannot be elected. Such con
sequence seems, however, improbable.
Will he be able to carry New York,
Jersey and Connecticut? Or Indiana
and Illinois ? Or possibly Ohio? Con
jecture is not quite so useless as
predicti6n. Away with prediction,
therefore, and let us guess that the
chances are against election of Bryan.
The New York Times, an independent
Democratic journal of highest intelli
gence says: "It is a truism that
parties advance by victories, not by
defeats. It is sheer blind folly to
pick a candidate with whom the
party would be beaten from the first
day of the campaign. Indeed, his
defeat would be desired from every
point of view, for it would be worse
for the country, worse for the party,
if he were elected." No Democratic
paper of high rank in New York
supports him. Nor any Democratic
paper of high' rank anywhere. Yet
he will be the candidate of his party.
We quote 'from the Times again:
"We have during the last three
months witnessed appalling evidences
of the danger to the country's com
merce and prosperity from the inces
sant agitation against great business
interests that "is the breath of Mr.
Bryan's nostril. From a Republican
administration a continuance of this
dangerous warfare upon confidence
and prosperity would not be ex
pected." This 'will be - the basis of
the campaign ih the pivotal states.
RIVE"R IMPROVEMENT.
River improvement is always a
timely . topic for the simple reason
that it is vital to the commercial in
terests of the state. Our waterways
were dear to the hearts of our pio
neers,, for they were here peady for
traffic long before the dawn of the
transcontinental railroad era. In fact
they were so utilized from the time
that the settlers of the Willamette
Valley and, a few years later, those of
Eastern Oregon began to have even a
small surplus from their" fields, or
chards and flocks to send to market.
Steamboat building began ' early on
the Willamette in response to this
demand. - The river, as Nature left it,
was navigated by men with now and
then the loss of a boat at Rock Island,
or by impact with a hidden snag or
a rock- uncharted in- the mind of the
'igilant captain.
But for the stinted commerce of
fifty years or more ago the river, as
Nature made it, was adequate. Later,
when Eastern Oregon began to . bo
known as a "great stock country,"
and later still' as a bountiful wheat
proijucing section, and the mines of
Idaho and of Grant County were dis
covered, the Middle and Upper Co
lumbia River was levied upon for
transportation, purposes with such effect-
that there was one of the finest
fleets- of steamboats that, up to that
time, had ever plied inland waters.
The steamboat era, so callled, has be
come in its fullness and local gran
deur a thing of memory, but the rivers-retain
their place in the affections
of the. people and stand therein as a
perpetual guarantee against a hope
less monopoly of traffic by railroad.
It is in this spirit that river Im
provement is urged. It is not argued
more as a specific needfhan an in
alienable right of the people that
their waterways shall be kept In such
condition as will enable them to meet (foreign ships cost. The present see
the demands of a constantly growing lice on the Pacific enables producers
traffic. Nature,, ever tending toward i to get their freight to market at the
the restoration, of primitive condi-, ! lowest possible figure. Their gain
tions, sends down through freshets j ma' e lle Boston Towboat Corn
vast quantities of silt which shoal the ; pany's loss, but it is a case of the
river beds. Time Is too precious to I "greatest good -for the greatest num
spend in lining over shoals while car- i ber." - .
goes wait at each end of the route;
growing commerce demands quick
dispatch. Deep-sea vessels, coming 1S07 was 2,3o0,000 pounds, as com
into the Columbia under charter for pared with 50,000 pounds in 1906.
grain, the prompt delivery of which 1 Much preliminary work is being done
is pledged to the great commercial i toward opening up the mineral terri
ports of the world, demand a channel I tory of the state, and with the com-
of sufficient depth to insure them
against delay. The improvement
carried on heretofore by piecemeal,
so to speak, has been In a degree effi
cacious, but It has been wasteful and
unsatisfactory. Permanent improve
ment Is required, as both economic
and effective.
The committee of the Portland
Board of Trade, to which that body,
has delegated the matter, expresses
the opinion that to secure economy
and pefmanency in providing and
maintaining a channel of sufficient
depth to accommodate. the, commerce
of the wide region that seeks egress
and Ingress through the Columbia
river, it Is necessary .to commence at
the bar with a deep-draft dredge and
work steadily upstream. Whether
this opinion shall be indorsed by en
gineers, it furnishes a basis for de
bate upon the tjuestion of river im
provement, which all agree should be
of a permanent and, as far as possi
ble, of a continuous character, In ac
cordance with a, methodical and in
telligently devised plan.
Earlier Oregonians are Intent upon
this question through grateful mem
ory of what the rivers, as a means of
transportation, were before the com
ing of railroads; later Oregonians"
the business and commercial men of
today are intent upon it as necessary
to accommodate our widening doep
sea traffic. The question is one
against which no dissenting opinion
is heard. There may be a division as
to methods whereby the quickest and
most permanent results, may be ob
tained, but upon the question of mak
ing and maintaining our waterways
as necessary adjuncts to our com
merce practically all are agreed.
WORLD'S COTTON SCPFXY.
The Impregnable position of the
United States In the cotton trade of
the world is again demonstrated by
the failure of Great Britain to make
any headway in production of the
great staple in the Soudan. For the
past twenty years, England has been
sending agricultural experts up and
down the world in search of a new
cotton district which coUld be relied
on to relieve the English manufac
turers of their dependence on then
American planters. Africa has been
a great field for experiments and in
some small districts a fair measure of
success attended them, as - was also
the case in India, but at the inception
of the industry, the Soudan gave
greater promise of success than any
other field that had been exploited
by the British.
Now comes Sir Reginald Wingate,
Governor-General of the Soudan, an
nouncing that the maximum of pro
duction in the Soudan has been
reached and that even the present
output cannot be maintained, without
seriously interfering with the growth
of cereal- crops which are needed to
support the population.' The esti
mated yield for the season of 1907-08
Is much smaller than that of last
year, both in total output and in yield
per acre. Even this yield was ob
tained at fearful cost to the peasant
population, for, during the cotton
growing season, they were deprived
of the right to use the waters of tha
Nile for the growth of cereals, with
the result that large numbers starved
to death. The Assouan reservoir,
Which was supposed to have storage
'capacity ample for the needs of both
cotton and cereal farmers, could sup
ply only enough water for the cotton
growers, and the" peasant farmers
were unable to water their land.
The outlook for the future is so
hopeless that it is now generally be
lieved that the industry at the Nile
Delta will be practically abandoned.
As the demand for cotton and its
products is steadily increasing, and
there is no great Increase in the out-
put anywhere except in , the United
States, it would seem that the South
ern planters were pretty firmly in
trenched in their position as dictators
of the world's prices.
The problem of finding something
for the man" to do who, though will
ing to work, is physically unable to
perform the hard labor which the
Board of Associated Charities pro
vides for the able-bodied unemployed,
is a difficult one to solve. Appeal
has been made by a correspondent
M. Potter through The Oregonian,
for some work that a man thus situ
ated can 'do, whereby he may support
'himself and his. mother, who is de
pendent upon him. Here is a. man
who proclaims that he -is willing to
work at anything that he is physically
able to do; one who would willingly
saw or carry wood if he could. He is
self-respecting, with a record of
twenty years' work in offices behind
him- a period of sedentary occupation
long enough to soften the muscles and
sap the strength of any man. He is
deserving, doubtless, of the chance he
asks to make his way in some voca
tion that he can fill, though .his pres-
-ent stress after twenty years at work
of his own choosing is a'" sharp ar
raignment of his disposition or ability
to take care of his earnings. This
aside, however, this man needs work
that he can do he is willing and even
anxious for work. What have you
for, him, brethren of the Associated.
Charities ?-
The periodical sale of th'e Boston
Towboat Company's American liners,
that jun out of Seattle, is again an
nounced. These steamers are sold
through the newspapers every time
there is any prospect- for a ship sub
sidy bill. By a strange coincidence,
the same, reason is always given for
the sale. That reason is the inability
of the owners to compete with the
foreign steamships on the route. The
Seattle despatch in yesterday's Ore
gonian stated that the owners of the
Boston Towboat Company -could not
operate the steamers "with white
crews and meet traffic handled by
Orientals." Very few of the trans
Pacific steamers carry any whites ex
cept the officers, and the Boston Tow
boat Company is not barred from em
ploying Oriental labor on its vessels-'
The competition of foreign steamship
owners can never be successfully met
until American owners are permitted
1 to use ships which- cost no more than
The copper output of Wyoming in
pletion of many new lines of railways
the year 1908 promises to be the most
active thus far in the mining history
of the state. It isydifficult for those
who followed the old emigrant trail I
over the Black Hills, half a century
and more ago, to realize that a vig
orous young state, with its abounding
Industries and resources, has been es
tablished In the beautiful wilderness,
peopled then only by roving bands of
Indians, pastured by immense herds
of buffalo and given'" over utterly to
tenants of the wild. To those who
crossed it in those early and yet late
days, and who have not since re
crossed it, Wyoming1 stands in mem
ory as a sunny expanse of hill and
mountain and plain; of swift, un
bridged rivers, sweet springs and
clear blue skies. The memory is a
bright one and worthy "to be cher
ished even in a utilitarian age.
The colonist rates that will be in
force on all transcontinental lines
from March 1 to April 30 may be de
pended upon to bring to . the Pacific
Northwest a large number of thrifty
folk, intent upon bettering their finan
cial and industrial conditions. . The
records' show that a very large per
cent of men with families who come
hither seeking homes and enlarged
opportunities become permanent citi
zens of the state and add, as the years
go on, a generous allotment to the
prosperity and material progress of
the commonwealth. Escaping from
the rigors of an Eastern or Mississippi
Valle,y Winter, and coming hither on
the verge of the beautiful Oregon
Spring, intending settlers can scarcely
fail to be charmed fwith the prospect.
TheTnore colonists the merrier, pro
viding they bring with them energy
and determination, and a settled pur
pose in life, without which success Is
not to be attained anywhere.
A young man was brutally mur
dered on Railroad avenue in Seattle
Thursday night while endeavoring to
save his money from footpads- who
had attacked him. That there have
not been a number of similar mur
ders in' Seattle and also in Portland
is due to the willingness of victims
to hand over their possessions. This
reign of terror is becoming a serious
matter, and the numerous highway
men might do well' to recall that it
was a similar murder brought about
the lynching of a few undesirable
citizens in Pioneer Square a number
of years ago. It has been a long
time since the official gallows tree
has borne any fruit, but these unpro
voked murders and hold-ups will, if
continued, provoke vengeance.
The way of the transgressor is hard
and young ilr. Nordstrom, after a
brief fling with other people's money,
is now in the hands, of the law with
long years of Imprisonment ahead of
him. The young Astorlan who, on
short notice", plunged from an hon
orable position in the business and
social circle in the city of his birth,
has not only wrecked his own life, but
has brought sorrow on his highly
respected family and disappointment
to his friends. . This tragedy of life
preaches an eloquent sermon on the
advantage of honesty and a proper'
regard for the- rights of others.
Ever since the first settlement of
Oregon there has been dispute over
the enigma furnished by the wax
found in the sands of Nehalem beach.
This mystery has perhaps been solved
by Professor O. F. Stafford," in charge
of the department of chemistry. Uni
versity of Oregon. By historical re
search and investigation in the lab
oratory he has laid bare all the ob
tainable facts. For those interested
in the subject it is worth while to
read Professor Stafford's article pub-
' lished on ?a?e 2 of. magazine sec-
tion of this issue of The Oregonian.
The Executive Board of the city
may be supposed to know how to do
the .business before it, without sug
gestion from those who have no re
sponsibility .of action. Yet it seems
not out of place to mention that
when the bid of a local company for
construction of a steel bridge over
Sullivan's Gulch, to cost about $65,
000, is only 137 higher than the bid
of an Eastern company, the local
concern might well receive consider
ation. Many a man has made charges
against ' his wife in a divorce suit
which he would not have permitted
any other man to make without a fight.
Perhaps if District Attorneys would
make a practice of going dissatisfied
husbands and wives one better by
making a few additional allegations of
unfitness, misconduct and general cus
sedness, the quarreling couples would
get together for mutual protection.
A message of dire import came
rumbling under the sea a few days
ago, all the way from Londonto New
York. It was from the syndicate of
the former city, that controls the en
tire output of diamonds from two of
the great diamond mines of Africa, to
a diamond importing company of the
latter, saying that the present price
of diamonds will be maintained at all
hazards.
- A Polk County farmer has set out
175 acres of Efiglish walnuts and has
planted the trees forty feet apart one
way and sixty feet the other. ' While
this seems a long distance, any one
who will observe the spread of the
limbs of a full-grown tree will see at
once that it is none too far.
This country would be infinitely bet
ter off if the money expended in auto
mobiles were invested in improved
waterways.
A strange arevelation of the trial In
the Federal Court is that Mr. Brow
nell was "hot-aired" himself.
Consider the financial situation inj
Portland two months ago, compare it
with today and rejoice.
Japan has learned that it takes
money to make warships and ar
mies go. -
1
; .
Edmund C. Stedman's Poems
' The. Htllnlde Door.
Sometimes within mv hand
A spirit puts tne jHlverj- key
Of Fairyland:
From the dark, barren hfath he beckons me.
Till by that hidden hillside door.
Where bards have paesed before,
I seem to stand.
The portal opens wide; x
In, through the wondrous, lighted halls.
Voiceless I iclide
Where tinkling- music magically falls.
And fair In fountained gardens mova
The heroes, blest with love u
And glorified.
Then by the meadows green.
Down winding waiks of elf and fay.
I pass unseen:
There rert the valiant chieftain wreathed
With bay: t
Here maidens to their lovers sing,
And happy minstrels sins.
- Praising their queen.
For where yon pillars are.
And birds with tuneful voices call,
There ahines a star
The crown she wears, the Fairy Queen ef ak.ll 1 i
Led to that inmost, wooded haunt
By maidens ministrant.
I halt afar.
3 joy! she sees me stand
Xouoting, and calls me near her throne.'
.mi waves her wand.
As In my dreams, and smiles on me alone.
0 royal beauty, proud and sweet:
1 bow me at her feet
To kiss that hand.
A woe! ah. fate malign!
By what a rude, revengeful gust.
From that fair shrine
"Which holds my sovran mistress I am thrustt
Then comes a mocking volce'a taunt.
Crying, thou, fool, avaunt!
She is hot thine!
And I am backward borne
By unseen awful hands, and cast.
In utter wxirn.
I"orth from that brightness to the mi-.tilght
hlast;
Nut mine the mlnrtrel-lover's wreath.
But the dark, barren heath.
And heart forlorn.
Refuga In Nature.
Mora wise, betake thee to those sylvan haunts
Thou knewest when young, and. once again a
child. ,
Let their perennial loveliness renew
Thy natural faith and childhood's heart se
rene. t
Forgetting all the toilsome pilgrimage.
Awake from strife and shame, as from a
dream
Dreamed by a boy. when under waving treea
He sleeps and dreams a languid afternoon.
Once more from these harmonious beauties)
gain ,
Repose and ransom, and a power to fet
The immortal gladness of inanimate things.
There Is the might Mother, ever young
And garlanded, and welcoming her sons.
There are her thousand charms- to soothe thy
pain..- ,
And merge thy little. Individual woe
In the broad health and happy fruitfulneiis
Of all that smiles- around thee. For thy saka
The woven arvhes of her forests breathe
Perpetual anthemM. and the blue skies smllfi
Between, to heal thee with their Infinite hope..
There aie her crystal waters; lave thy brown,
Hot with long turmoil. In their purity;
Wash off the battle-dust from those poor
limbs
Blood-stained .and weary. Holy Bleep shall
come
I'pon thee; waking, thou shalt find in bloom
The lilies, fresh as in the olden days;
And once again, when Night unveils her stars-.
Thou fhalt have sight of their high radiance.
And feel the old. mysterious awe subdue
The phantoms ofthy pain.
Flood-Tide.
As the darkened earth forever to the momlns;
turns again.
Aa the dreaming eoldier, after all the perilous
campaign.
Struggling 'long with horse and rider, In his
sleep smites fiercely out.
And, with sutiden pang awaking, through tha
darkness peers about
Hearing but the crickets chirrup loud, be
neath his chimney-stone.
Feeling but the warm heart throbbing, in tha
form beside hie1 own
Then to knowledge of his hamlet, dearar for
' the toll he knows.
Comes at last, content to nestle in the sweetfl
of his repose;
So fell I from those high fancies to the quiet.
qf a heart
Knowing well how Duty maketh each one's
share the better part.
Aa again 1 looked about me North find South
and Kaft and W et '
Now of all the wide world over still my haven
seemed the best.
Too Late.
Crouch no more by he ivied walls.
Weep no lor.g.-r over her grave.
Strew no flowers when evening falls;
Idly you lost what angels gave!
Sunbeams cover that silent mound
With a warmer hue than your roses red;
Tomorrow's rain will bedew the ground
With a puwr stream than the tears you
ehed. ' '.
But neither the sweets of the scattered flow
ers Nor the1, morning sunlight's soft command.
Nor all the songs oT the Summer showers.
Can charm her back from that distant land.
Tenderest vows arei ever too -late!
She. who has gone, gan only know
The cruel sorrow that was her fate.
And the words that were a mortal woa.
Earth to earth, and a vain destpalr;
For the gentle spirit has flown away.
And you can never her wrongs repair.
Till ye meet again at the Judgment Xajr.
What the Winda Bring.
Which Is the Wind that brings the cold?
The North Wind. Freddy, and ail the snow;
And the sheep will scamper into -the fold
When the North begins to blow.
Which Is the Wind that brings the heat?
The South Wind, Katy: and corn wUl grow.
And peaches redden for you to eat.
When the South begins to blow.
Which is the Wind that brings the rain?
The Bast Wind, Arty; and farmers know
mat cows come shivering up -the lane
When the Cast beglna to blow.
Which Is the Wind, that brings theflower?
The West Wind. Bessy: and eoft and low
The birdies sing in the Summer hours
When the West begina to blow.
Pajamas Worn at Society Function.
San Francisco Dispatch in New York:
World.
When Dr. Albert C. Kellegg celebrated
his 42d birthday, his wife had a Chinese
party in the" evening at their home an
Oriental entertainment at which the cos
tumes, color and music were Chinese. The
guests bad ibeen asked to attend suitably
attired. Four of the guests, after dining
at the Cosmos Club, donned silken paja
mas, tnoased the same in overcoats and,
appeared before the guests already as
sembled. '
From the burning of punk in the simu
lated opium joint on the upper floor to
the gay decorations in the supper room,
where nearly everything Chinese was
served, not to mention funny Chinese im
personations and mimicry by Millionaire
George Steiger, everybody had a good
time. And there, was a real Chinese, or
chestra. The women who didn't wear
Chinese costumes wore Japanese kimonos.
Hntber Rouen on Mr. Bryan.
Wall Street Journal.
The following are several ctfbice sen
tences from the speech of Senator Davis,
of Arkansas, in Cooper, Union:.
"The old ship of state is on the verge
of sinking."
"There are 51 magnates in this country
who own over l-3th of all the wealth In
the country. How did these men get
such vast fortunes?' By robbery and
thievery."
"A trust is a combination of crooks."
"Down in my state you could not con
vict a nigger erapshooter on the testi
mony of an editor."
"I can't believe that any man ever niada
a million dollars honestly."
And then this: "William J. Bryan l
the greatest man this country has ever
produced."
And yet Mr. Bryan is an editor and Is
rapidly getting rich.
Only the Incidents.
Chicago Evening Post.
The Boston Transcript records a
Providence wedding "which unites two
of the great manufacturing families
of Rhode Island, and which also unites
two of thfl three great fortunes of the
state." The bride and groom ' are
properly only incidents in this great
industrial merger.