9 TAX ON BACHELORS J During 190 no fewer than 676 divorced persons were remarried, a notable in crease oh preceding years. Of these per sons 351 were men and 325 were women. Another interesting fact to be drawn from the return is the decrease of the proportion of d.aths from consumption. It Is unfortunately, more than counter Booth Would Induce Men to Marry. balanced by the , alarming increase in mortality due to cancer, amounting to 82 per million increase on the preceding year. The report notes that this one distase continues to defy medical re search and to increase its inroads upon suffering humanity. All the figures given for 1906 are based upon an estimated population in England and Wales of 31.547.016, the total popula tion of the United Kingdom in the middle ef the yiar being estimated at 43,6G1,W2- TONE CO DECLINE IN BIRTH .RATE THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 23, 1908. PRESSED MPANY Leader of SalvalHjn Army liases His Statements on Recent Figures tfljut Tend to Show the Eng lish Shirk Marriage. LONDON. Feb. 15. "All bachelors should, in my judgment, be taxed, if not absolutely compelled to murry. Men who are unable to select a wife for them selves should appiy to the Salvation Army." , General Booth, the founder and com mander of the army, is moved to say this by the declining birthrate, which, accord ing to figures just given out for I!i6, was the lowest since civil registration was established in Kngland and Wales. n4 the tendency to shirk marriage. Of the cause. General Booth says: Selfishness the Cause. The root or the difficulty Ilea undoubted ly in the selfishness of the aite. for which there la only one remedy, namely, the love H'iti aervlce of God and the recognition of his claimH. Among the contributory causes I vould name the ohontlnahle housing con ditions in. many of the large cities, and, in deed many of the villages, and the Insen Fute attempt to employ women, especially married women, to do men's work. The annual report for 1906 of the registrar-general of births, marriages and deaths in Kngland and Wales, has just been issued in the form of a blue book. The birthrate was 27.1 in 1000, the lowest rate recorded since civil registration was established. The total number of births registered during the year was 935.0S1. In 1S76 the birthrate was 36.3 in 1000, and since then has steadily fallen to its present rate, which is 1.6 in 11W0 lower than the average of the preceding ten years. Death Kate Also Lower. The deathrato during the same year was 15.4 in 1000, or 1.4 lower than the avurage for the preceding ten years. The total number of deaths was 531.2S1. Among the deaths for 1U06 it Is interest ing to note that there were 65 of reputed i rntenarians, 16 o whom were men and 49 women. Only 1.53 per cent of the deaths were uncertified. It is a significant fact that the pro portion of bachelors, both men and wo men, is increasing, while the proportion of widowed persons, on the other hatid, is steadily decreasing. Mr. Weller ap pears to have uttered his famous advice in vain. People do not marry so young nowa days. Ten years ago 59 bridegrooms out of every 1000, and 1SS out of every 1000 brides were under the age of 21. The 1906 returns show 47 bridegrooms and 155 brides out of every 1000 to be minors. The average age of those marrying, however, was not very high, being 28.45 years in 'the case of men (29.13 in Lon don), and 26,37 in the case of women. Age That Widows Itemarry. Most widows are remarried between the ages oS3 and 40; most widowers between 40 and 45.. One widow out of every 1w0 mat remarries is unoer me age oi 21. g Out of every 100 marriages that take place, si are solemnized in church and 19 in registrars" offices. The number of registry marriages is rapidly increasing. Delicious Dishes Hamburger Steak When Properly the Appetite of tlV LILIAN TINGLE. IN the early days of my housekeeping I asked an experienced old lady what she considered tiie most econ omical "joint" of meat to buy, and she promptly answered, "Hamburger stead."' And then she laughed until the tears came because 1 asked which cut of steak that was, for the name was new to me, and I knew the material only under the general title of ''minced beef." Unfortunately ' "Hamburger," like sausage and bread jiudding, has earned, in the hands of some makers, a very undesirable reputation, and has been the subject of many jokes. But if made of sound and clean material, and if fresh and free from preserve tives, it la a boon to frugal housekeepers. It is most satisfactory, of course, to sen the- meal fresh minced, before your eyes, in a machine of undoubted clean liness; though the seeing is not always absolutely necessary if you are deal ing: with a clean, reliubU', conscien tious butcher. Or the meat can be ininied at home, for every economical ,liousckccpcr knows the value of the foodchoppcr in dealing with tho less lender ami easily carved pieces of muscle, either cooked or uncooked. The finely chopped moat is much more easily digested than a leathery fried steak, and. with a little knowledge and skill, many attractive and wholesome dishes can be made from it at a very low cost. Hi re are a few simple sug gestions as to what can be done with "Hamburger": For most purposes it is better to pass the mt-at a second time through the chopper, especially if it is to be used for meat balls, "Vaniu-lous."' .te. The meat for high-class dishes of this type is usually very finely divided by pound . ing, working through a sieve, etc., but for ordinary domestic purposes, such methods are too extravagantly labor ions. For ordinary broiling, "Scotch collops" and stews, one chopping will satisfy most people. In broiling "Ham burger," remember that, each "steak" should be well shaped and of uniform thickness not thick In tho mid dle and tapering off at the edges, and that a little onion juice, pepper and salt may be used in the shaping. Mole over, as with porterhouse, a little pat of "Haitre d'hotel butter" that U ......in tvoriteu up wnn a jittie lemon juice and finely ciiopped parsley, is an admirable addition on serving In a little town in Scotland, where a congregation wat discussing the min ister's marriage to an attractive and pre sumably undomestlcated member of his flock, I once hoard the case summed up as follows: "Ay, she"s bornie and weel put on (well dresseii) but, guld sakes. a'n does na" even know how to cook collops! She's r.a sort o' wife for a meenister!" Even though you may not be a minister's wife, the knowledge of "how to cook collops" may be useful on occasion. The method is simplicity Itself. You put a spoonful of fat In a deep pan and add an onion, whole or ciiopped as pre ferred. Then put In somo minced beef, and with a wooden spoon pound and di vide it. letting some of It brown slightly but preventing the formation of lumps. In Scotland, the wooden potato masher is often used for this purpose. Add pep per and salt and a spoonful or so of flour to prevent it from being thin and irreasv Browned flour is desirable but not es- I tcutial. Then add cold water enough to I ELIAS COX, PIONEER 1846 He Spent 39 Years on Donation Claim Xear Silverton. CAMBRIDGE, Idaho, Feb. 22. (Spe cial.) Elias Cos, Oregon pioneer of 1&6, who died at the home of his son, Irvin E. Cox. of this city, February 15. was born ! in Bartholomew County, Indiana, March 5, 1S23. in the Spring of 1S35 he moved, with his parents, to Illinois, and in ion) to Jamestown, Mo. November 23. 1S43, he was married to Jemima Griffin. With his wife and parents, Mr. Cox started across the plains for Oregon in the Spring of 1S46. His wife died en route. In October of the same year the party reached Marlon County. Oregon. November 23, 1S51, Mr. Cox was married to Lucia Tucker. To this union 11 children were born. For 50 years Mr. Cox preached the gos pel ol the Christian religion. The gold excitement of 164S took him to California. He returned, however, the same year. Mr. Cox was among the first Oregon set tlers to take advantage of the donation land claim privileges, and for 39 years .he resided on his claim of 640 acres near Silverton, Or. The health of his wife failing, he sold' his claim and moved to May View, Wash., where, with the help of five sons, he farmed for several years. His own health becoming poor, he sold his farm and went back to Oregon, set tling near Mehama, on the Santiam River where he took up a homestead and lived 21 years. Three years prior to his death Mr. Cox' eyesight gradually failed and lie finauy became totally blind. July 27, 1907, he moved to the home of his son, Irvin E. Cox, in this city, where he died Febru ary 15 of this year, aged S4 years, 11 months and 10 days. A wife and rive children survive him. The children are: Samuel T. and Irvin E. Cox. of Cam bridge, Idaho; Mrs. Mary E. Rasmus, of Heppner. Or.; Mrs. Iva E. Dillon, of Mos cow, Idaho, and Mrs. Effle L. Adams, of Council, Idaho. KAISER SENDS FLOWERS In Token or Esteem for Work of Florence Nightingale. LONDON, Feb. 15. During the Kaiser's visit to England In November his majesty sent a present of flowers to Miss Florence Nightingale. It was accompanied by a letter signed by the German Ambassador the contents of which are just made public. "His majesty," runs the letter, "having brought to a close a most enjoyable stay In the beautiful neighborhood of your old home near Romsey, has commanded me to present you with some flowers as" a token of his esteem for the lady who, after receiving her education in nursing by tho Sisters of Marcy at Kaiserworth, on the Rhine, rendered such invaluable services to the cause of humanity during the Crimean war." Owing to her failing health and cye piijht. Miss Nightingale was unablo to reply personally, buu a letter written on her behalf expressed her great apprecia tion of the beautiful flowers and how much she valued the Emperor's "gracious expressions of esteem and good wishes." of Chopped Meats Prepared Can Be Cooked to Tempt the Most Exacting. make a sort of meat mUsh or porridge. Bring to the boll, cook a few minutes, taste arid give Anal seasoning: and your "collops" are ready. Some authorities, however, favor long, slow cooking, to make the meat more tender and full flavored. This can easily be done in the hay box or over the simmerer of the gas range. For serving, make a ring of mashed potatoes with a wall about three Inches high, and pour, the hot mines' in the .center, garnished with a touch of green if you have it. If you like you can brush the potato with melted drippings or butter and bnown the surface in the oven. In Scotland this mince is often served In a rather deep dish and garnished with toast points. Rice, macaroni, vegetables puree of "jardiniere" vegetables could also be used. A rather attractive dish is made by adding a good tomato sauee to boiled rjee. moulding it with the feid of the useful ."ring mould" and tilling the center with mince. The mince can be vuricd as to. seasoning or by using chopped vegetables and cooking all to gether in tiie hay box. You can make a simple curry with Ham burger as follows: Chop one onion and brown it in two or three spoonfuls of dripping bacon fat, oil, or butter. Add one sour apple also chopped; then, say, two lumps of meat, which may be in lit tlo balls the size of a large marble or tlnely divided as for "collops." When the meat turns color, add two tablespoons of flour and from one to fourlcvel table spoons of curry powder according to the kind of powder used and how hot you like things seasoned. Then water,- to make a thick mush. Cook until both meat and onion are tender, add salt and a dash of sugar, and a little lemon juice if the apple was not very tart. Shredded al monds, or cocoanut. or a few raisins are liked by most people as an addition to such a curry, but are. not essential. Well boiled rice is essential, however. You may serve it in a ring, as already de scribed, or lino cups with hot rice, put in a portion of curry, cover with rice, and invert on individual plates. - A Spanish stow Is rather nice, made in a similar way. but with chopped green peppers and tomatoes, in place of the apple, and Spanish pepper and a pint of garlic, instead of the curry powder. Or a sort of cousin of "Brunswick stew" can bo made with tomatoes, corn and steamed dumplings. If you have to make aMittle meat go a long way, mako a brown stew of mixed shred vegetables, and when tho gravy boils drop in small round balls of Hamburger and finish cooking in . the hay box. There are many kinds of meat-loaves, "cunnelous," etc.. to b,e made from Ham burgerthe chief differences being in seasoning rather than in method. Egg is often added to help to hold the mass to gether; a little pork or bacon for flavor and to prevent dryness, and bread crumbs for economical reasons. You may call the product "mock duck." or "mock h:ire." if you like, when you use the stuices and seasonings appropriate to the real creatures. Meat loaf baked in a ring mold with peas or creamed celery, or cauliflower in the center, makes a simple but pretty dish. If the "loaf" is served cold, potato or other simple salad could be placed in the center. Little balls of Hamburger can also be baked in batter as old-fashioned "toad-in-the-hole." Such balls make a good filling, combined with strips of bacon thin sliced potato and chopped onion or onion juice, for a plain meat pie, or the meat turnovers known as "Cornish pas. tius. IP TO BE MADE IN CONCRETE Concrete is the best building material today. It competes in price with lumber and brick, and is the most endur ing building material known We have sufficient orders now on hand to run our fac tory night and day for the next four months. Don't you know that more money is made in a legiti mate manufacturing propo sition "of this kind than in, any kind of a real estate investment? Concrete building material, properly combined, is per fect in appearance, wonder ful in strength, moderate in cost, and impervious to wa ter and frost. !a& Stone Co. bids. OREGON. ID TUN shjStoheCo. To enlarge its plant and facilities, to handle its rapidly increasing business, offers its new issue of DIVIDEND-PAYING GILT EDGED STOCK AT PAR A SAFE AND SANE INVESTMENT TO BE GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC IN BLOCKS TO SUIT PURCHASER A Commercial Institution Des tined to Become the Most Gi gantic on the Pacific Coast THE BLUE DIAMOND PRESSED STONE COMPANY was organized the 26th clay of December, 1907, for the purpose of erecting, and operating the largest factory on the Pacific Coast for the manufacture of concrete building materials, and today over . 83 of Its Stock Has Been Subscribed for Because people have recognized in it the safest and best-paying investment ever offered to the public. The profits for this year will reach at least 15 per cent of the capital stock, and within a very short time the manage ment is confident of being able to pay dividends larger than anything equally as safe. This is not a speculation, but is positively a safe and sane investment, and means a fortune to all who can buy shares while they are to be had at par. Our present factory has a capacity of 44,000 brick per day. When you read this, remember that our profits are large that is why we are in the business and that the management of the company is in honest, capable hands, and that success of the company as a dividend-payer is assured by these facts. The unsold stock will be quickly taken, and that makes it necessary for you, if you want to get a part of this good thing, to act quickly. You will be doing both yourself and those dependent on you an injustice if you allow this opportunity to pass by without at least finding out more about it. One Dollar Invested in the Stock of the Blue Diamond Pressed Stone Company Will Bring You in a Larger Annual In come Than Five Dollars in the Savings Bank, and Will Be Equally as Safe Remember, only 17 per cent of our stock remains unsold. This limited amount can now be had at its par value, $10.00 per share, by making immediate ap- plication at our office. CONCRETE FACTS Hollow block construction introduces a saving of material over brick and stone masonry. The cost of laying concrete blocks is less than for brick work. Concrete blocks', being hollow, tend to prevent sudden changes of temperature within a house, being cool in Summer and easily heated in Winter. Concrete blocks, being easily molded to any desired form, have proved to be far more economical building material thau stone, which has to be dressed'to shape. WE MANUFACTURE all kinds, sizes, faces and colors of building blocks; all kinds of brick, both conunoh and fancy- . faced, of all grades and for all iurposes, and sell them at a price with which clay brick cannot compete; a full line of common and fancy posts, porch columns, friezes and other ornamental works in all colors; and also make sills, lintels, water tables, doorsteps, balustrades, burial vaults, tubs, and, in fact, a full line of building, ornamental and other concrete products. ' . The profits on all these goods are large, and the market is ready. It is really DEMANDING these goods, but it wants the highest quality obtainable, and that is what we propose to furnish. For Particulars Call at the Offices of the Company, 218-222 Abington Build ing, or Inquire of L. I. Pot ter, Fiscal Agent, 215 Com mercial Building jpjjfflSlOHE CO. IsdStoheCo.