THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, JUNE 7, 1908.
11
"If instead of a gem, or even of a flower, we could cast
the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that
would be giving as the angels, I suppose, must give. "--George
MacDonald.
ft - r Z s k s jV
v ,v:- Vv Is
1 & . :
Ijif and Iftrr of Herbert. Kpnr. - Tty
Pavld lunoan. IL I. Illustrated. 1.
Appleton & 0., New1 York City.
AV'hen the voluminous autobiography of
Herbert Spencer, accepted as one of the
most original and influential of modern
thinkers, was published', tho reading world
almost took it for granted that this was
the last word of a remarkably busy life
and that r.one of his intimate friends
would care to write after him. But those
. on the inside, so to speak, knew that
about 2S years ago Spencer obtained a
promise from Dr. Duncan . to write his
life. The busy years Intervened and the
world of thought was turned upside down,
but Spencer's mind recurred to the orig
inal idea of a biography and this para
graph appeared in his will:
I request that the said Oavtd Duncan will
write a blogTaphy In one volume of mod
erate size. In which shall be incorporated
such biographical materials as I have
.thought It beat not to use myself, together
with such selected correspondence and such
unpublished papers as may seem of value,
and shall Include the frontispiece portrait
and the profile portraits, and shall add to
it a brief account of the part of my life
which has passed since the date at which
the autobiography concludes.
Dr. Duncan has not obeyed his friend's
request in confining his observations to
ono volume, and the result is two hand
some volumes, the first of 411 pages and
the second of 441 pages. It is not too
much to say that the books are most In
forming, educative, and take rank among
the great biographies of our decade. Dr.
Duncan has edited wisely and well and
in addition to presenting the scientific
Spencer, he constantly allows the human
one to peep out the Spencer who liked
children and "plenty of outdoor games
lawn tennis, bowls and quoits with bil
liards in the evening."
Spencer, It seems, was impressed with
the truth that one's estimate of one's
self is sure to err on the side of excess
or defect, and he shrank from parading
the more attractive and lovable aspects
of his character thus permitting an ap
parent Justification for the opinion that
he was "all brains and no heart." It will
be remembered by those who have read
the book, that Spencer's "Autobiography"
covered 62 years o.f the author's life.
These books now under review cover the
remainder, though of course the road
traversed by Spencer has had to be trav
ersed by Dr. Duncan. Still, a complete
narrative Is evolved without weary reiter
ation. In the kernel, the view given of Spen
cer appears here to have been obtained
from voluminous letters written by him
self and those of- his friends to him.
Spencer, born April 27, 1S20. was descended
from French Huguenots who were driven
by religious persecution from Lorraine,
and their legacy to him appears to have
been a fierce resistance to arbitrary au
thority. His later ancestors were Wesley
an Methodists who were characterized by
individuality almost amounting to eccen
tricity, by pugnacious tenacity In holding
to their opinions and by self-assertlve-ness
It was In the pleasant English town of
Derby that the future philosopher first
saw the light, and In the baptism and
naming of Herbert Spencer the latter's
father was not a man to be led by cus
tom. He was keenly alive to the bearing
of his non-conforming attitude on the fu
ture of his son. The boy Spencer -was
reared without the companionship of
brothers and sisters for though four
brothers and four sisters succeeded him,
none of them lived more than a few days
except one sister, Louisa, who died at
the ace of two years and nine months.
But she lived long enough to permanently
disfigure him for life, as she cut him on
the nose with a carving knife. The boy's
surroundings must have been depressing,
because of his father's continued ill
health. In 1S2S, his father wrote: "I shall
either from this time be tolerably com
fortable In my circumstances and health,
or else I shall soon be reduced by HI
health to a state of wretchedness border
ing on Insanity."
Left much to himself, the boy Spencer
contracted the habit to dwell on his own
thoughts for strength, and on the Intellec
tual side one of the chief results of his
father's training was the habit It fos
tered of ever seeking an explanation of
phenomena. Instead of relying on author
ity. Young Spencer shared little In games
with boys of bis own age and was much
with grown-up people. At first, his edu
cation at his uncle's school was stormy
because of his dislike for restraint, and
he ran away, only to return a more de
voted student. Bchool teaching first oc
cupied his attention In preparing for the
serious work of life, and In succession he
rapidly became engineer and draughts
man, author, newspaper man, scientist
and philosopher.
" It Is not my purpose to further specify
the better known details surrounding the
Spencerlan system of logic, nor Is It ne
cessary to give an -exposition of the phi
losophy of evolution. His biographer does
not enter very deeply Into the latter sub
ject. Spencer's career la remarkable when
ono considers that his teaching has left
deep Impress on the world of thought, and
that It has made and unmade theological
reputations. It ought to be an Inspiration
to the youth of this age to reflect on the
life lessons left by Herbert Spencer, his
profound learning, his meritorious Indus
try, although suffering from continued ill
health, all the work of a man who did
not have the advantages of a university
training as we know It today. It Is worth
while to note that his nicely balanced scl
aaUflo mind was bitterly opposed to so
cialism and that he regarded the individ
ual man as the highest specialization. As
for Spencer's psychological doctrine, it
may be summed up as an- argument that
"mental faculties and powers are ac
quired by the slow modifications of living
organisms influenced by environment, ex
perience, heredity and selection."
On page 87, volume one, of this biog
raphy, appears this curious statement
taken from one of Spencer's letters:
Did I mention to you when In Derby last
the new poet, Alexander Smith? I consider
him unquestionably the poet of the age
Though a Scotchman (and I have no par
tiality for the race), I am strongly Inclined
to rank him as the greatest I.oet since
Shakespeare. I know no poetry that I
read over and over again with such delight.
Which goes o show that for once
Spencer's earlier Judgment was defective.
The years that followed did not stamp
Mr. Smith as a great poet he just be
longed to the . great army of Smiths.
About the year 1858 It appears from a
letter Spencer wrote to J. D. Hooker that
the Spencer books had no adequate sale,
and that their author then seriously
thought of applying for a . position of
foreign Consul, so that be could prose
cute various literary or, more properly,
scientific projects which he had been so
far unable to carry out, unconsciously
laying out for himself the political path
followed in after yards by James Kus
sell Lowell.-
In speaking of his rapidity In composi
tion. Spencer once remarked that his best
work was one page of print per hour.
i Ceremonial functions had no attractions
for such a scientific mind. He was once
Invited to attend an at-home at which
he was to meet the Emperor of Russia,
and In writing to regret that he couldn't
accept said: "The necessity of wearing
a levee dress to which Mr. Spencer has
an Insuperable objection, compels him to
decline the offered pleasure."
From this time on appear letters writ
ten to and received from the most cele
brated men and women of Spencer's ren-
I eratkm, and the reader's awe deepens
; at the mention of such names as Tyndall,
.' Huxley, Gladstone, Darwin, John Stuart
J Mill, O. H. Lewes, "George Eliot." etc
It was at one time rumored that Spencer
was In love with "George Eliot," and
the stories caused him great annoyance.
He protested that there wasn't a word of
truth in them. Spencer, although he
didn't love what he called the "lower
animals," had a most affectionate regard
for children, and on one occasion he was
Indebted to one, Mrs. W. H. Crlpps. who
kindly "loaned" him two of her children
for two weeks.
In a letter to Robert Buchanan, the
poet. Spencer wrote concerning religion:
More especially I want one who has the
ability to do it with sufficient intensity of
feeling, to denounce the miserable hypoc
risy of our religious world with Its pre
tended observance of Christian principles,
side by side with the abominations which
It continually commits and countenances
abroad. It might very well be symbolized
as "The Impenitent Thief." and I should
like you to nail It to the cross.
A delightfully Intimate view of Spencer
Is given. In a letter written by Lady
Courtney, of Penwlth:
My mother argued with him (Herbert
Bpencer) a good deal, my father never. It
is rather curious that, considering the af
fection between the two men, and Mr. Spen
cer's generous appreciation of my father's
practical sense and genial and expansive
nature, the latter never read Mr. Spencer's
books. My father loved an emotion or a
sentiment, and understood the concrete; but
he had a rooted distrust of abstract Ideas,
and not much confluence in deductions
which depended ypon sustained argument-;
and I can still hear him cheerily ending
one of these arguments with: "Won't work.
Spencer; won't work, my dear fellow."
After I was grown up I remember vividly
an incident illustrating Mr. Spencer's good
humored acceptance of this Attitude of hla
friend. My mother and I were sitting in
the garden at Standiah, when Mr. Spencer
came up to us with an expression half-annoyed,
halt-amused on his face and said to
my mother: "I could almost be angry with
your husband, Mrs. Potter, did I not know
him so well." "What has he done?" said
my mother.
Then Mr. Spencer told us how they had .
been standing together near a large pond
we had. of which my father was very
proud, when the latter said: "I - wish.
Bpencer, you would explain the main
points of your philosophy to me Just short
ly." To which Mr. Spencer replied:- "I have
been sending you my books these 20 years
back; I know you have not read them, and
it is a little hard to put them all into ten
minutes; however, I will try." And he be
gan to expound.
"Tour husband," continued Mr. Spencer,
"seemed to be listening intently, as he
gaxed into the water, and I thought I had
at least got my friend to give his mind to
my Ideas. Suddenly he exclaimed, 'I say.
Spencer, are those gudgeon?' and rushed
'round the pond."
Notable in the remaining pages are the
references to the valuable help Spencer
gave in drawing up the modern Japanese
constitution, and his well-known oppo
sition to the course Great Britain pursued
In the Boer War.
Sometimes the great philosopher spoke'
In a pessimistic vein about this country
to wit: "The Americans are beginning
to reap the far-reaching and widely-diffused
consequences of their admiration
for smart prigs and the general mercan
tile laxity."
An unsparing critic of others. Spencer
wan too ready to say that he had been
"misunderstood" or "misrepresented,"
and he was often Irritable. On one occa
sion, Tyndall, in speaking of this irrita
tion, exclaimed In Spencer's presence:
"He'd be a much nicer fellow If he had
a good swear now and then." Spencer's
democracy can be recognized from one
of his spoken sentences: "Be their rank
or position what it may, from Emperors
and Kings downwards, those who have
done nothing for their fellow men, I de
cline to honor. I honor those only who
have benefited mankind and as one of
tbem I honor Columbus."
Admittedly. Spencer would be the last
man from which one could derive hope
In the glory of a future life, and on this
subject he wrote: "The hope that con
tinually groping though in the dark may
eventually discover the clue, is one I can
scarcely entertain, for the reason that
human intelligence appears to me incapa
ble of framing any conception of the re
quired kind. ... It seems to me that
our best course is to submit to the limit
ations Imposed by the nature of our
minds, and to live as contentedly as we
may in ignorance of that which lies be
hind things as we know them."
The, two last letters Spencer signed on
earth were connected with one of the
main purposes of his life the promotion
of peace on earth and good will among
men. His Indomitable will asserted itself
to the last, and his farewell words were:
"Now I take this step for the benefit
of those who are to be my executors; my
Intention being that after death this, my
body, shall be conveyed by sea to Ports
mouth." Unconsciousness succeeded, and
early on the morning of December 8, 1903.
Herbert Spencer died.. His biographer
add3: "His end was such as his friends
desired, and -he himself wished."
"My Day and Got ration," "by Cha. B. Carr.
A. C. McClurg & Co... Chicago, ill.
A, short time ago a partial review of
Colonel Carr'a "My Day and Generation"
appeared in these columns and in a sea
son of a little more leisure than usual it
has struck ma that extracts showing the
California of the "49ers .would prove of
more than usual Interest in this section.
Here is "Colonel Carx's description of
"Billy" Ralston.-the well known but un
fortunate president of the Bank of Cali
fornia: The most potential man in San Francisco
and on the Pacific Coast at that time was
William C. Ralston, called everywhere and
by everybody "Billy" RAlaton. Whatever
Billy Ralston said went everywhere, and with
everybody. The great capitalists, all the "get-rk'h-qulck."
men, the bonanza men who had
squeezed vast fortunes out of 'the Cometock
lodee, and all -the Virginia City miners, laid
their money and stocks at his feet to be
invested or hoarded as seemed best to him.
He lived ilk a Prince and was the most
bountiful entertainer I have ever known.
Ralston was of little figure, and quick and
active in elucidating propositions, in com
ing to conclusions, and in carrying measure
Into effect. At our first meeting he told
us, our drafts would be honored for any
amount we chose to draw.
"You are far from home gentlemen," he
said, "and must not - be troubled about
money. Draw all you want."
It was a dangerous offer to make to so
young a man as I then was. and it encour
aged me to draw more than I otherwise
would have done. California was on a gold
basis, while our greenbacks were at a dis
count from gold of about 40 per cent. We
had to turn our money into coin, and it was
a great hardship for us to get only 60 cents
each for our dollars. The smallest coin
recogniz-ed was the 10 cent piece, which we
had to pay for a newspaper even, and noth
ing was sold for less than that amount
San Francisco had Just then begun to get
the benefit of the vast mineral wealth which
waa being developed in the mines, and to
realize what It meant to her. Men poor
today, tomorrow woke up to And them
Belves bonanza kings with millions upon
their hands, which they had no idea how
to dispose of, or even take care of. In
this dilemma they turned to Billy Ralston.
He man.xged it all better than any one
else could, but In the end it almost over
whelmed hlrh. He bore the burden for some
time after we came home, about six years,
when we beard that one afternoon, after
the bank closed, he went as was hiB custom,
for a swim in the bay. He did not turn
back as usual, but continued on until at
last he sank out of . sight forever. Mr.
Ralston' s heart and soul were bound up in
San Francisco and the' Pacific Ooast, to the
success and development of which he de
voted his whole mind and might and
strength. 'i
The spirit of '49 is stirringly reflected
In a description Colonel Carr gives of a
meeting with California pioneers of that
period: , . f
To' be a Forty-Niner then was. and still
is, a distinction. Being a Forty-Nlner in
California is equivalent almost to a seat in
the nobility, a sort of peerage, one may
say. These pioneers celebrated the anniver
sary of their emigration every year. Many
had gone to their reward at the time of our
visit, but many of them still survived. This
year, lStt&, was a great event,, as it was
their twentieth anniversary- Governor Yates
was aaked to address Forty-Nlners. and as
many of the pioneers had emigrated into
Illinois he was really de'iighted to have an
opportunity to appear before them.
Th meeting was held In Metropolitan
Hall, which was filled to its capacity by aa
tine and intelligent a body of men aa I
have ever seen assembled anywhere. I had
heard the Governor speak upon many occasions-
He was always eloquent, and I may l
say brilliant, but I never heard him when
h so approached sublimity aa in his ad
dress to those Fcrty-Nln?rs. I wish 1 could
do more than faint Justice to the splendors
of that remarkable address, especially when
the orator depicted the possibilities of the
future development of the Pacific Coast, as
in ihaginatlon he believed it would be at
tained. He told how the great cities of
KuroDe bad grown ud on the western coast i
of that hemisphere and predicted similar
development on the Pacific slope.
When 'M years later. I visited Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Portland and Seattle It
seemed to me that Governor Yates had been
moved by a spirit of prophecy. But the
brilliant climax of the oration came when
he pictured the possibilities -of achievement
in literature, art, and science among the
peoples th&t were to come In that region.
Toward theae ideals, if they have not been
attained, the people of the Pacific Coast are
rapidly advancing. Governor Yates" auditors
seemed to go mad over the oration. They
could not contain themselves. They rent
the air with shouts, cheering the speaker
to the echo. They shouted and laughed and
cried as he went on, and at the close there
was every possible demonstration of enthu
siasm. T 4
The Under Groove, by Arthur Stringer. The
McClure Company, New York City.
Imagine an educated burglar touring
the West and drinking In Its beauty of
prairie, snow-topped mountain peaks and
green-clad hills, and then obstinately
longing for the rush and roar of what he
calls "I'll ole Noo York." Yet that's
what the hero does In this novel of the
underworld, and he voices his longing in
this language:
"I wanted to go Bast. I began to get
homesick .and peevish for New York. I
wanted to snif th-e familiar old' ferry smell,
to her the rush and gutter of water in
the niarrowlixa slips where the piling yields
and shudders against the bumping paddle
boxes, to catch the metallic and familiar
ttnk-a-llnk of pawl-and-racbets as the land
ing floats lower to crowded dock-slips. I
ached for a sight of that old crust-thrower
of a town, where its skyscraper teeth bit
up livto the morning smoke, and It seemed
to whisper, with one eye winked: "Feed
me, or I'll feed oa you." I wanted to see It
laugh and shake behind Its eternal whine
tor more gold, its growls and. oaths against
the arm of the law. I wanted to get a
amff of the Kialto dust again, of the crowds
by day and the lamps by night, of the
bustle and stir of Broadway, with its crazy,
solemn, tangled and happy-go-lucky bub
bling of life. My ears seemed to ache for
its street sounds. Its roar of wheels, its
clatter ofhoofa, its clangor and pulse of
bells. Its whine of engln-es. Its drone of
power, Its show of wealth. Its rumble and
roar of hunger.
" 'I want It all, Dlnney" I said to that
puzzled son of the Sucker State, who knew
nothing of life or living beyond the range
of the Hooelers. "I want it all, from the
Greek peanutman with hiB barrel-oven and
his little steam whistle to the flash of the
afternoon sun on some wine-colored tonneau
as it dips and melts away up the avenue!
I want it all, from the old newswomen, and
the passing street faces, and the night
hawks of the tenderloin to the groups of
well-built and bright-eyed girls, in velvet
and feathers and furs, with muffs as big
aa cash boxes, Dtnney, and bunches of vio
lets ths size of a cabbage the girls who
come laughing and talking down Fifth ave
mi every afternoon and make me wish I'd
kept out of the Under Groove.'"
To be sure, jthere is no accounting for
tastes especially when the person pos
sessing such opinions Is a Raffles who
looks upon the valuable contents of houses
and banks as his own peculiar property.
If he can reach them without coming in
contact with a meddlesome policeman.
Most of the characters In this enterpris
ing novel are yeggmen, demi-monde,
knockout artists, chloral drinkers, co
caine users, drunkards and neurotics.
Yet- the story has a certain attraction.
It will arouse the most jaded novel
reader to brush the) cobwebs from his
memory, and to look out for what hap
pens next.
Raffles meets the heroine, in an origi
nal manner. One evening, while In a
car, he feels a hand searching his pock
ets. A thief stealing from a thief! Raf
fles was astonished. He looked up and
saw that the daring one was a most
beautiful girl so beautiful that she
looked as If she had Just stepped out
of a picture. But she got away with
about $600. Raffles followed her to her
home and discovered that she was a per
son of dual personality, a mental neu
rotic who was sometimes a respectable
member of society, but at others men
tally Irresponsible. She worked with "a
third arm," a bit of Jointed and buckled
mechanism which appeared to contain
"her other self."
The Romance of the) Reaper, by Herbert N.
Oassoo. 1. Illustrated. Doubleday, Page
& Co.. New York City.
Surely this is the story of one trust
which is "good," the International Har
vester Company, which grew out of the
reaping machine for cutting grain, an
invention of Cyrus Hall McCormlck In
the year I83L It Is proper to recall that
the harvester trust was In trouble the"
other day at Kansas City, where It was
summoned to answer for its misdeeds,
and pleaded that the price of imple
ments had not been raised and that in
reality such prices are lower than be
fore the giant combination was effected.
Be that as it may, I desire at this time
to review all ilie. good things the book
mentions. The style in writing the story
is singularly attractive and It reads like
a modern tale of the "Arabian Nights."
There's no magic In evidence only the
plain, unvarnished experience of Ameri
can pluck and work.
Mr. Casson says that the reaper was
America's answer to the world's demand
for democracy, particularly at a time
when England was seared into abolish
ing the corn laws by the proclamation
that the ultimate check to. population is
the lack of food. It Is remarked that If
Marcus Aurellus had Invented the reaper
or if the Gracchi had been inventors in
stead of politicians, the story of Rome
would have had a happier ending. But
Rome said:" The first thing Is empire.
Egypt said: The first thing is fame.
Greece said: The first thing is genius.
Not one of them said: The first thing la'
bread.
On- the old European plan snlp-snip-snlpping
with a tiny hand-sickle, every
bushel of wheat required three hours of
a man's lifetime, Mr. Caason goes on to
say. Today, on the new American plan
riding on the painted chariot of a seif
blndlng harvester, the price of wheat has
been cut down to 10 minutes & bushel.
"When I first went Into the harvest
field," once said an Illinois farmer, "it
took 10 men to cut and bind my grain.
Now our hired girl geta on the seat of
a self-binder and does the whole busi
ness." . '
It must not be thought, however, that
Mr. McCormick's path to glory and dol
lars was easy. It was In the Fall of
1831 when the hitched four horses to his
then unwieldy machine and clattered out
of the barnyard Into a field of wheat,
nearby. Horses, shied and pranced at
the strange apparition, dogs barked and
a noisy crowd of white laborers followed
the reaper with boisterous enmity. For
here was an invention which threatened
to deprive them of the right to work
the precious right to work 16 hours a
day for 3 cents an hour. But McCor
mlck was a fighter and the story how he
and possibly 100 others worked to per
fect the reaping machine as we see It
on Oregon farms today Is more like a
fable than real, sober truth. But It's so.
The McCormlck selling agents or drum
mers have sold so many of the reapers
all over the world that It must be always
harvest somewhere. "They are reaping
the fields of Argentina In January, Upper
Egypt in February. East India In March,
Mexico In April, China in May, Spain
In June, Iowa In July, Canada In August,
Sweden In September, Norway In Octo
ber, Sbuth Africa in November and Bur
mah In December."
It is remarkable that the quick ways
of American farmers are seldom found
In other countries. "A Swiss will put a
big stone upon a land-roller to give It
weight and then walk behind It to ride
on the roller himself does not occur to
him. A South German will usually take
the reel oft his reaper and handle the
grain by hand operating five levers is
too great a tax upon his mind. An
Argentinian wastes his pesos by hiring
drivers one on the seat and another
astride one of the hOrEes."
One more view: "The whole world
takes dinner at the .one long table and
the reaper is now more necessary to the
human race than the railway. The fear
of hunger is dying out of the heartB of
men and the prayer of the Christian
centuries is answered: "Give us this day
our dally bread, "
Edgar Allan roe, by John Macy. 75 cents.
Small, Maynard & Co.. Boston, Mass.
Belonging to the pocketbook edition of
the Beacon biographies, this critical esti
mate of Edgar Allen Poe is a valuable
one for Its fairness, truth and literary
polish. There has been doubt expressed
as to where Poe was born, but Mr.
Macy affirms that the event occurred In
Boston, January 19. 1809. The author says
that tl: Celtic strain In the poet's blood
accounts for his melancholy, sentlmental
lsm and the magic of his poetry, while
"perhaps his want of humor may be
ascribed to his English mother."
It is not necessary to quote at any
length from events marking so many
milestones of this Boston-Baltimore
poet's life, for his unhappy, erratic story
Is now well known but for the benefit
of some young folks who seem to think
that the -pursuit of literature and es
pecially poetry pays, I copy one para-
graph detailing the poverty ana desola
tion surrounding the deathbed of Vir
ginia, one of Poe's wives, the date of the
occurrence being January, 1847:
There was no clothing on the bed. which
was only straw, but the snow-wblte coun
terpane and aheeta. The weather was cold,
and the sick lady had the dreadful chills
that accompany the hectic fever of con
sumption. She lay on the straw bed.
wrapped in her husband's great-coat, and
with a large tortoise-shell cat In her bosom.
The wonderful cat seemed conscious of her
great usefulness. The coat and the cat were
the sufferer! only means of warmth, except
as her husband held her hands and her
mother her feet.
Young Lord Straaleigh, by Robert Barr.
Illustrated. D. Appleton He Co., New York.
Through the columns of a weekly
periodical whose sales are, in Its class,
about the largest in this country, and
the mention of whose name is worth
about a dollar a line, so I won't name
It the younger, wide-awake reading;
public has become tolerably familiar,
with the name of Lord Stranlelgh, a
young English aristocrat who is al
ways faultlessly dressed, smiling, and
never passionately in love with a
woman. He Is also a hero of the ultra-,
rich set who often use his millions to
make panics to crush the predatory
rich and save victims from being gob
bled up. He's new in current fiction,
and very welcome to the jaded novel
reader in search of something; new,
with a laugh or two thrown in. Lord
Stranlelgh is "it." Take him with you
as a companion to the serslde for Sum
mer reading. . , '
K. J.'s Mother and Some Other People, by
Margaret Deland. Illultrated. 1.S0.
Harper & Brothers, New York City.
Mrs. Deland has recently won so much
literary fame through her old Chester
folk portrayed in "The Awakening of
Helena Richie" and "Dr. Lavendar'a
People,'? that there has been an Insistent
call for more of her enjoyable "homey"
tales. Her publishers' business sense
has also been awakened, and the result
Is the presentation in book form of these
six stories which have appeared at In
tervals, Borne of tbem In magazine form:
"R. J.'s Mother," "The Mormon," "Many
WHY PORTLAND IS ROSE CITY
Frederick V. Holman Reiterates Its Superiority Over California
Cities in the Matter of Climatic Advantages arid Rose Culture
Last January, at the request of the man
agers of the Sunset Magazine. I wrote an
article on "Portland as the Rose City." I
cheerfully furnished this article gratuitous
ly because it was to appear in the June
number of the magazine, which was to be
largely a Portland number. This article was
signed by me, but it is badly mutilated and
changed as It appears la the June Sunset.
The article as printed omits almost every
allusion to the superiority of Portland for
growing roses over California, and is only
a part of the article I wrote. In addition,
some editor of the magazine took the lib
erty of Inserting a number of absurd sub
heads. As the Sunset Magazine has advertised It
as being my article. I ask in Justice that
the article which follows, arid is the article
as I wrote It. be published in The Ore
gonian. FREDERICK V. HOLMAN.
Portland. June 3.
PORTLAND, THE ROSE CITY.
PORTLAND, Oregon, has the name
of "Rose City." Tho mere assump
tion by it of the name would
amount to nothing if it did not deserve
the name, but Portland is justly en
titled to the name. It Is not alone
that one sees roses in Portland every
where, except In the business districts;
It is also because of the unusually
luxuriant growth of the bushes, the
number and beauty of the blooms and
the long; time of blooming, usually
from May to November. There are few
places in the world where the fine
varieties of roses reach perfection when
grown in gardens, without protection.
Most varieties do well In parts of
England, particularly In the southern
part. There are favored localities In
France and in Germany, where roses
grow well in the open. There are places
In the Southern states where roses
thrive, but the heat and the dryness
often Interfere with the full develop
ment and beauty of the blooms of some
of the hardy varieties.
The two reasons why roses reach
such perfection at Portland and in
almost all of Western Oregon are the
soli and the climate. The ordinary soil
is a rich' yellow clay, which Is one of
the best soils for roses aa well as for
most of the agricultural products of
tho temperate zone. The successful
growing of roses In the open is an In
dex of such other agricultural prod
ucts. But the best reason is the beau
tiful, soft, mild and even climatic
conditions tho conditions In which
roses thrive, and which seem absolutely
necessary for their perfection In
growth color and fragrance.
It is popularly supposed that these
weather conditions are caused by the
Kiro-Siwo or Japan Current, but this
is not true, for thatcurrent goes far
north and becomes cold, and the waters
of the Pacific along North America are
very cold, even as far south as Mon
terey Bay. The real cause for these
climatic conditions in Western Oregon,
in the Winter, are the mild Bouth winds
from the tropics, moisture-laden. The
heat given oft by this moisture in cool
ing, and particularly when it is rain
ing, produces the mild temperature
In Winter. This wind and also
the northwest wind In Summer, being
lower in temperature than the ' usual
Summer heat, cool and temper the
sun's heat, and thus give the mild and
even conditions, and what I may call
the moist atmosphere as compared
with the dry and arid air of Califor
nia. In Winter, at Portland, It is not
unusual for the variations In 24 hours
to be less than 10 degrees. I take from
the dally meteorological report of the
United States Weather Bureau for last
Sunday, January 6, 1908, maximum tem
perature 53 degrees, minimum temper
ature 44 degrees. This Is not unusual.
The' daily variation Is often 'less than
five degrees. On January 1, 1908, I had
more than a dozen roses in bloom In my
garden. I always expect to have a few
roses in my garden on Christmas and
New Year's day. In May and June, of
course, the tamperature Is warmer
than in Winter, but Is correspondingly
even. From' May to October, Inclusive,
the Portland climate has no superior
In the United States.
It is to be expected that the climate in
Oregon varies somewhat in different
years. All climates do. But in Western
Oregon there are always the mild and
even conditions, except in occasional
Winters when we have freezing weather,
when the thermometer may, at times,
for a few days, fall as low as 10 or 14
dern-ees above zero. . This Is an unusual
Winter condition in Western Oregon.
That these mild and even conditions
have existed for more than 100 years is
shown by the Journal of Lewis and Clark
In the Winter of 1806-06. which Is the
earliest record, and by the books of early
travelers and residents of Oregon. There
was no freezing weather in the Winter of
1805-06.
Gabriel Franchere was one of the Astor
party, which founded 'Astoria in 1811. He
stayed In Oregon three years, most of the
time at Astoria. In his "Narrative," pub
lished originally In French, at Montreal,
in. 1820. he says that during the three
years he spent In Western Oregon the
cold was rujver far below the freezing
point, nor the neat la excess of 76 de
grees. Dr. John McLoughlln came to the Ore
gon country in 1824, and died at Oregon
City in 1857. He lived at Vancouver,
Washington, six miles from Portland,
continuously from 1824 to 1846. He was
familiar with the conditions In Western
Oregon. Shortly before his death he
wrote a document giving a brief sketch
of his life In. the Oregon country. In this
document he wrote: "In 1825, from whet
I had seen of the country, I formed the
conclusion from the mildness and salu
brity of the climate, that this was the
finest portion of North America that I
had seen for the residence of civilized
man."
Rev. Daniel Lee came to Oregon, as a
missionary, In 1834. In 1844 he, together
with Rev. J. H. Frost, published a book.
entitled, "Ten Years in Oregon." In this
book It Is said about Western Oregon
that the young grass is frequently as
fresh, green, and forward "in February
and March, as it is In New York on the
first of May;" and also, that on the 25th
of December, 1S40. he plucked a straw
berry blossom near his cabin on Clat
sop Plain.
Governor Peter H. Burnett came to Ore
gon in 1843. In letters written by him,
in 1844, for publication in the New York
Herald, he says of the Winter of 1843-44,
that about December 1 strawberries were
In bloom in what is now Washington
Waters," "The House of RImmon." "A
Black Drop" and "The White Feather."
The most powerfully told of these is
i'R. J.'s Mother," being the wooing of a
widower and a boy's mother, the kernel
of the plot being that the woman has
not been married to the boy's father.
A meddlesome old maid, for whom I
entertain lasting contempt and rejoicing
In the name of Miss Frances Blake, tries
to stop the wedding, because of her ani
mal selfishness, but she doesn't succeed.
Her charactor Is skilfully drawn, so
much so that the reader Is aroused to
silent Indignation. "A Black Drop" ts
the most pathetic tragedy of a pretty
girl named Lily whose sweetheart
wouldn't marry her because she had
negro blood in her. All the stories have
that undefinable Deland quality mark
about them.
Ths Happy Habit, by Joe Mitchell Chappie.
The Chappie Publishing Co., Limited., Bos
ton, Mass.
Mr. Chappie, the next time you per
petrate a book, please, please see to
County (immediately west of Portland),
and as early as February 20, 1844, the wild
flowers were blooming on the hillsides.
These have not been unusual Winter con
ditions ever since.
In the last week of- November, 1907, 1
saw a number of wild strawberry blos
soms east of Portland. On the same day
and in the same vicinity, I ate delicious
cultivated strawberries grown near the
same place. In the Morning Oregontan of
today, January 8, 1908, there is an item
saying that in Portland there was shown
yesterday a branch having nine ripe red
raspberries, and that the bush, grow
ing In Portland, had several branches
with ripe berries.
While Western Oregon has the reputa
tion of having an excessive amount of
rain, this is a reputation it does not de
serve. It is called a rainy country as
compared with -the semi-desert conditions
of Southern California. Tho average pre
cipitation at Portland for the last 20 years
is 40.4 Inches. These figures are official
and have been furnished me by the cour
tesy of the United States Weather Bureau
at Portland. Precipitation at Portland Is
less than In a great msnf cities In the
Eastern States. Louisville. Ky., Washing
ton, D. C, Buffalo, the city of New York,
and Boston. Mass., have about the same
average annual precipitation as Portland
has. But Oregon escs.pes the hot Sum
mers and the cold Winters of the Eastern
States, and also their extreme tempera
tures of heat and cold. Oregon's climate
Is somewhat similar to that of Southern
ISngland. It is better In everything In
which Southern England's climate Is good.
Oregon has more clear, fair days, less
rain, and lees freezing weather than
Southern England.
The annual rainfall is ono of the sources
of wealth of Western Oregon. It never
falls. It makes the grass green most of
the year. The crops. Including fruits, are
relied on with unfailing certainty, and are
grown without irrigation. ' It has made
and maintains the great native forests,
with their magnificent trees, for lumber
and for beauty. It ornaments these for
ests with wild flowering shrubs and
bushes, such as the Oregon grape, the
currant, the syrlnga, the spiraea, the dog
wood, the finest of Its kind, besides the
profusion of wild flowers. This rain makes
perennial springs and never-failing
streams throughout the country, including
the large rivers. It makes the continuous
water-powers great and small. So that
the rain not only produces the crops, and
the power to manufacture them Into suit
able commodities, but supplies the water
to transport them to the local markets,
and thence to all the great ports of the
world. The annual rainfall Is one of Port
land's best friends. It has made Portland,
more than a hundred miles from the
ocean, one of the world's great ports.
It is the mild Winter weather which
gives Portland's rosebushes the best dor
mant conditions, when they gently rest
and become prepared for strong growth in
the Spring and for the blooming season.
Being unhurt In the Winter, they are
ready for the best results In the Spring
and Summer.
e
It Is in May and June when Portland's
roses are at their best. Then the bushes
are lusty with their strong Spring growth.
There are the long days, and the charm
ing twilight, giving the proper light and
warmth. There are ths even, mild tem
peratures, with the air neither too dry
nor too moist. There are gentle, cooling
winds, assisted by the clouds, correcting
too much of heat from the sun. There
are enough of the direct rays of the sun
to give the proper colorings to the roses,
from the purest white to the darkest red,
and to develop fragrance, one of the
greatest charms of the rose. These are
the ordinary, the usual May and June
weather conditions at Portland. They are
the ideal conditions to produce perfect
roses.
It is then that tha residence districts of
Portland are magnificent with their beau
tiful roses. They adorn every home, In
cluding the humblest. They are every
where. They are in small groups, in great
masses, and in hedges. The climbing
roses cover fences, and trellises, and are
against the sides of bouses, often up to
the roofs. There are the riot and the
blending of the colors of the roses ana
tho air Is scented with their fragrance.
It is a scene both beautiful and fascina
ting to residents as well as to visitors
and strangers. It la nature's annual fes
tival at Portland. Is it to be wondered at
that Portland is pleased with Itself as the
Rose City? It may bo said that this is
village-like, but It is homelike and Port
land ts a city of homes.
Again, In September and In October,
comes another distinctly rose blooming
time. There Is less profusion, but al
most equal beauty, for some varieties do
not bloom well in the Fall. But there
are many varieties, as beautiful some
more so as in May and June. Visitors
who were present at the close of the
Lewis and Clark Exposition In October.
1!05, will recall the beauty of the roses
at that time. While July and August
are the hottest months, the roses con
tinue to bloom, although they are not the
rare specimens produced earlier and later
In the season.
The rose is the flower of the dominant
white races of the world, and It has
been from the beginning. It is interwoven
with their traditions. It is in their poems
and In their songs from the beginning of
civilization. Consciously, and at the same
time unconsciously, the rose, In its per
fection, quickens the beauty-love, and
satisfies the beauty-hunger of every
normal human being. It assists in mak
ing life worth living. This explains in
part the local pride and patriotism of
the men, women and children of Port
land. e
As this article is written to show why
Portland Is the Rose City, I shall not go
Into the question of varieties, and of the
cultivation of' roses in Portland. I shall
say, however, that all varieties of roses
thrive and bloom In perfection, In the
open, In Portland. From the most deli
cate teas to the hardiest hybrid perpet
uals, the conditions in Portland are perfect-
In most places in California, while
tea roses do well, the air is too dry and
too hot for the perfect blooming of most
varieties of hybrid teas and hybrid per
petuals In the open. In San Francisco
and elsewhere on the coast of California
from Monterey Bay north, the cold
winds and fogs, in Summer, are even
more deleterious than the hot and dry
conditions In Southern California.
It is particularly the climbing roses.
It that It Isn't one of the great "uncut."
The author says that these fugitive
sketches tell of the first happy years
when he visited among his "own peo
ple" as editor of the National Magazine.
The man with a grouch is warned
away from this book It will make him
smile In spite of himself. It Is chock
full of sentiment and sketchy, laughing;
humor.
J. M. QUENTIN.
IN LIBRARY AND WORKSHOP.
"Portland" and "Hoses" are the two- mag
ical words which form the text of the June
number of tle Paclnc Monthly, and this city
lot paid many well-deeerved compliments in
skilfully worded description and artlstlo
pictures. The cover represents a rose in
bloom, and is- a bit of pleasant work.
"Wanted Two Million Hogs." an article
written by Forrest Crlseey, ts especially
readable at the present time, now that Port
land Is about to develop into a meat center.
"Mount Hood." a new poem by Harry
Murphy, haa dignified sweep with keen ap
preciation of the sublimity of the subject,
and "Monaghan's Brother," a railroad
the hybrid teas and the hybrid perpctu
als which grpw so luxuriantly And bloom
so magnificently that have given to
Portland the name of the Rose City.
It may be thought by persons unac
quainted with Portland roses that what
I have written is but the enthusiasm of
a Portland man. I quote from the opin
ions of some experts concerning roses at
Portland.
Mr. E. G. Hill is one of the best pro
fessional rosartans In this country. He
lives at Richmond, Ind., and sells
bushes to the trade only. He introduced
the famous rose Richmond. He was In
Fortland in June, 1903. He was so pleased
that when he returned home he wrote,
a long article on Portland's roses. It
was published In the Weekly Florists'
Review, a trade paper, to which .profes
sional florists only are allowed to sub
scribe. In this article, speaking of roses
in and near Portland, he said:
"In the first place, It seems to me that
climatic conditions are all that could b
desired' for growing the hybrid tea and
hybrid perpetual varieties to perfection,
and these conditions - are not materially
different from those in the more favored,
parts of England and Central Germany,
where roses grow and luxuriate most
satisfactorily.
"Having seen at Benjamin Cant's, In
England, some of as ittte La France as
could be desired, I was quite surprised
to find this famous os& variety growing
and blooming in our own Northwest, even
better than at Mr. Card's or at any other
place that I have visited In Europe."
And speaking of the roses grown by W.
S. SIbson. at his home In one of the sub
urbs of Portland, Mr. Hill wrote:
"Mr. SIbson succeeds in growing t"
almost perfection varieties that require
the greatest skill and care to do even
moderately well In other favored loca
tions sorts that do not thrive under any
but the most favored conditions."
And speaking of Ulrtch Brunner he
said:
"This vsrlety cannot bo equaled a
grown at Portland by even the mot
skillful culture under glass In the east
ern part of the United States."
Mr. Hill. In his article, further said:
"A word about porch and cllmhlns;
roses- in this same section. Mme. Alfred
Carriere Is unquestionably the first on
the list. This rose is a marvel and qulta
fills the Ideal of a climbing variety, such
a wealth of blooms and every flower
perfect. One of the sights that I shall
never forget was the fine bush adorning
the house of Frederick V. Holman, at
Portland. Fortune's yellow, white and
yellow, literally covers his porch and
wall, as well as their own foliage, with
their great wealth of bloom."
In closing his article Mr. Hill men
tioned the Lewis and Clark Exposition,
which was subsequently held In Portland
In 1905, and iald:
"It would be well If the florists could
hold our National meeting in Portland
at that time. It would give the profes
sion a fine outing; they would see the
finest rose blooms that America can pro
duce; they could measure up the possi
bilities of our great and glorious country
as In no other way."
In 1905 Mr. Hill made another trip to
Europe. August 2. 1905, he wrote me
saying that he wished to verify his opin
ion of Portland's climate and other con
ditions for the growing of roses In com
parison with tho conditions existing, in
Great Britain and on the continent of
Europe. I
Alex Dickson & Sons, Limited, of Ncw
townards, Ireland, are noted as being
among the greatest rose-growers and
originators in the world. Many of tha
roses of recent years have been origi
nated by them. In the Summer of 1903 I
sent them photographs of the climbing
roses, Mme. Alfred Carriere and For
tune's Yellow, In bloom In my garden.
In a letter to me of August 27, 1903, they
wrote: "Your plants of Mme. Alfred
Carriere and Fortune's Yellow must have
presented a wonderful sight when in full
bloom. Such specimens it would be Im
possible to grow in this climate." And
yet Ireland grows roses as well as in any
part of the British Islands.
A half-tone of this photograph of For
tune's Yellow was printed in The Gar
den, a well-known English horticultural
paper. In its Issue of April 2. 1904. Un
derneath this half-tone was printed .the
legend: "This rose flowers in warm cor
ners of our southern counties. A plant In
a sunny nook in a Berkshire garden is
quite a success." .Fortune's Yellow 5s
the true name of the rose, nicknamed In
California "Gold of Ophlr," "San Rafael
Rose," "Requa Rose" and "Beauty of
Glazenwood," and possibly some other
names. -
Prior to 1902 there were many rose
bushes growing In Portland gardens.
There were a few amateur rosarians who
had fine collections, and an occasional
rose show was held in Portland. In De
cember, 1901, I wrote an article, which
was published in The Sunday Oregonian.
suggesting and urging the planting of
large numbers of rosebushes to make
Portland beautiful for the Lewis and
Clark Exposition in 1905. and for all
time; and thus to give and to establish
for Portland the name of the Rose City.
The idea met with popular approval.
Since then tens of thousands of rose
bushes have been planted in Portland.
Instead of lessening, the enthusiasm has
Increased, until now there is hardly a
garden or a front yard in Portland In
which there are not roses growing, most
of them being very choice varieties. Tha
professional florists have assisted, and, in
the Fall of each year, one can purehaso
in Portland strong, dormant bushes of
the choice new roses of that year's In
troduction In Europe, as well as the best
of the well-known varieties.
No city in the United States has a
more beautiful situation than Portland.
It lies in a valley with high hills on th
west, giving it a beautiful background.
The Willamette River runs through Its
center. To the east, to the north and to
the south. In the distance, are the Cas
cade Mountains, with their sublime.
snow-clad peaks visible at Portland every
clear day. Its people have a pride In
their city. In its beauty, and in Its sur
roundings. Portland Is proud of Its
name. Rose City. The name betokens
not only the delightful climatic condi
tions,, particularly In the Summertime,
but a people who, In this commercial
age, are taking time to make Portland
a home city a city beautiful. The grow
ing of roses in Portland is not a fashion
nor a fad of Its people. It Is a manifes
tation of their pride in and of their love
for their city.
FREDERICK V. HOLMAN.
story, told by M. B. Wells, has a human
interest well developed. C. E. S. Wood
writes attractively on "Portland's Feast of
Roses." Hie article Is valuable for Its
reminiscent vein.
New books received: "The Victory." a
collection of popular Sunday school songs
edited by Charles H. Gabriel, 20 cents; and
"Social Plans for Young People." by Chris
tian F. Reisner, 7 cents (Jennings i lra
ham, Cincinnati, CO. "Cowboy Lyrics," by
P.obert V. carr (W. B. Conkey Co., Chi-'
cago). "Stories of the Struggle." by Morris
Wlnchevsky (C. H. Kerr Co.). "Materials
and Methods of Flotlon." by Clayton Ham
ilton (Baker 4 Taylor Co.).
A graceful acknowledgment of the work
Charles F. Warwick, ex-Mayor of Philadel
phia, has accomplished In the literary world
was made recently at a complimentary din
ner tendered him by his many political and
other friends in that city. Each guest was
preuented with a copy of Mr. Warwick's
"Danton and the French Revolution" In a
special souvenir edition, handsomely bound
and boxed, ehowing Mr. Warwick's portrait
on the cover. Every copy wan signed by
the author and was inscribed with the name
of the recipient.