THE SUNDAY OREGON1AN. PORTLAND. SEPTEMBER 27, 1909.
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EMPIRE OF FOUR MILLION ACR&r,
THE MOT UNDEVELOPED LAND li
THE RICHEJT AND
EASTERN OREGON
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WHEAT riELD 1H . THE HARNEY GOUNTSfbT .
c BURNS
Br JOt-KPHI.NE LOCHER.
IN Kastern Oregon Ilea a Btretch of
territory that la In Itself an empire.
An emplra comprising; four and one
half million acres of land and capable
of supporting J00, 000 Inhabitants. This
territory la no other than Harney
County, the richest and at the same
time the most undeveloped group of
valleys In Oregon.
The question here arises, "If capa
ble of such possibilities, why so neg
lectedT To answer this it la neces
ary to repeat the history of like
- aectlona tn Washington, Oregon and
California. Teara ago these states
were largely the pasture ground of
vast herda of stock, owned by syndi
cates from other states whose Interest
It was to discourage the agricultur
ist and homebullder from entering
here, thereby maintaining thla vast
region as an unimpeded cattle range
as long aa poslble. Gradually the Idea
became prevelant that there waa no
farming land here; that the altitude
waa too high for the successful growth
of fruit and vegetables, even the har
diest; that the climate waa too rigor
ous: and many other drawbacks ..-ere
cited which convinced prospective
farmers that this was a good country
to stay away from. This accounts for
the long delay In the general settle
ment of this country. Doubt still
stares the stranger in the face when
lie observes how little haa been done
to assist nature In giving up even a
tithe from her storehouse of wealth.
To disprove the erroneous impression
that years have Inculcated in the
minds of those who ought to know
the real value of this land, one needs
but to visit a few of the fields and
farms of those who have for a mo
ment forgotten that this is a stock
country, and have convincingly made
manifest what the future possibilities
of this practically unknown region
are to be.
Rich, Enduring Soil.
1 With an altitude of 4100 feet.
little less than that of the Great Salt
Lake Valley, Harney Valley alone,
which la but one of the great valleys
In this region, ought to be capable of
aa productive development as the
great Mormon 'territory. Our climate
la pleasant and temperate In Summer,
and mild and healthful In Winter. We
are so altuated that frequent chl
nooka from the Pacific Coast region
temper our Winter weather, thereby
rendering It much more mild than in
corresponding latitudes farther east.
Cyclones are unknown, and while
there are frequent thunder storms
through the Summer, enough sunshine
prevails to ripen crops. The soil is a
rich volcanic ash, and Is very endur
ing. The opulent natural growth of
sagebrush, bunchgrasa and ryegrass
most assuredly proves the fertility of
the solL Fine drinking water can be
secured anywhere at a depth of from
18 to 30 feet, and stock water at from
six to ten feet. Comblnlg these na
tural blessings: viz., good altitude, fa
vorable climate, rich soil, and easy
access to water. Is there any reason
why this country should not be worth
the consideration of the homeseekcr?
Harney County has attractions other
than these above named. It Is not a
tractless waste of land and sky. From
an aesthetic point of view one could
find nothing more beautiful than the
majestlo snow-capped mountains, the
rolling hills, fertile bench lands, and
broad level valleys.
By referring to the map you will
find there is enough precipitation to
feed three principal water courses,
viz., the Silvies and Blitzen Rivers and
Silver Creek, besides innumerable
lesser streams and lakes. Malheur
and Harney Lakes alone are worthy
of a volume. Harney Lake Is saline
In nature, but Malheur is a fresh
water lake that forms a breeding
place for millions of birds. A promi
nent naturalist recently visited this
lake while making a tour of this re
gion and found that some of the rarest
species known to science abound here;
birds that from a commercial stand
point are almost priceless. In this
connection it must not be forgotten
that Harney County has the distinc
tion of belnfr the greatest game sec
tion In Oregon.
The natural topography of this
county divides Harney County into sev
eral valleys, the largest of which are:
Harney. Catlow, Blltzen and Silver
Creek Valeys. Harney, Catlow and
Blltzen alone have areas of SU0,, COO and
180 square miles, respectively.
Experiment In Dry Farming.
While there are possibilities for the
conservation of enough water to irri
gate most of this vast area through Its
watersheds, lakes and streams, practi
cal demonstration has done away with
the idea that Irrigation is essential. In
fact it has been proven that too much
water la a detriment rather than a
benefit. Within two miles of Bums is
a striking example of what Yankee
thrift and ingenuity can do. Located
on a hillside on as dry" a piece of bench
land as could be found anywhere in
thla country. Is a dry land farm. On
this farm today can be seen an orchard
of 1400 trees, two years old, covering
16 acres that are the wonder and ad
miration of all passersby. The growth
during the last year has been remarka- '
i ble. On one side of this orchard Is a
20-acre potato patch the green, bloom
ing beauty of which can scarcely be
excelled anywhere. The yield is go
ing to be a source of pride to the most
pessimistic. On the other side Is a
grain field that last' year produced S3
bushels of Winter wheat to the acre.
The wheat this year has not yet been
threshed, but owing to this being an
oft season here as well as all over the
country, the yield per acre will not be
so heavy. The beauty of this farm Is
that all these results have been ob
tained not by one drop of irrigation,
but by careful tillage of the soli. This
may -seem paradoxical, but will bear
the closest investigation. This Is not
the only one of these farms and In the
not far distant future there will be
many as beautiful fields of growing
grain as only a few now possess. King
Cattle Is fast relinquishing his arbi
trary Bway and this region will no long
er be a vast stock range, but a net
work of farms and grain fields. Every
where throughout Harney County the
water levels are so close to the surface
that Irrigation can be carried on very
easily where necessary, by wells.
The County Sent.
Harney is the richest county, per
capita. In the state, and has no out
standing indebtedness. It is on a cash
basis with $28,600 In the treasury. The
tax levy last year was only 25 mills,
with an exceedingly low assessed
value.
Burns, the beautiful little city of
homes. Is the county seat of this in
land empire as well aa the seat of the
United Statea I .and Office. It Is a
thriving town of 1200 Inhabitants lo
cated In the north end of Harney Val
ley. It has a good line of up-to-date
stores, hotels, banks, two good news
papers and other business enterprises.
Bums is the educational center of thla
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country, having a county high school
and a public school employing eight
teachers. The most competent teach
ers are employed and students from
here entering higher institutions of
learning compare favorably with grad
uates from other high schools in the
state. All church denominations and
fraternal societies are represented
here. In fact It is quite a modem little
city. It has a good system of electric
lights installed and in operation, and
Is the center for a numbtr of stage
routes reaching out for the territory
tributary in every direction.
Few undeveloped regions have better
railroad possibilities than thla same
Harney country. In fact, they have
been definitely settled upon. Through
this great territory with .ts thousands
upon thousands of acres of tillable land
the Harrlman system has surveyed and
located the Oregon & Eastern Rail
road beginning at Vale, Malheur Coun
ty, Oregon. This road is destined to be
par of the transcontinental trunk line
reaching from the rock-bound Atlantio
to the Pacific Coast. This work has
been done at a heavy outlay of money,
but they have,gained by so doing one of
the best grades and straightest lines
of the whole system. This grade is
only 8-10 of 1 per cent and In the near
future will become the main line for
heavy trafflo and fast passenger serv
ice. Branching out from this line an
other road is proposed to San Francisco
via Lakeview. Pitt River and Sacra
mento Valley. Engineers are now lo
cating this line, which will give this
vast inland empire one of the best
markets in the Pacific, Northwest.
With the thousands of acres open to
the homeseeker under tne Government
land laws, with untold openings for
the investor why hesitate, when op
portunity no longer knocks, but opena
wide its doors.
THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGES IN OREGON'
AT PRESENT DIFFICULT TASK THAT OUGHT
TO INSPIRE VIGOR RATHER THAN INACTION
BT ARTHUR CLIXTON BOGGBPS.
WHAT the future of the Christian
colleges In Oregon shall be de
pends upon the thoughts and ao
tiona of those who work in them. The
task of today is to mold rather than to
predict. .It behoovea us. therefore, to
consider the purpose of the Christian col
lege, and to determine how, tinder exist
ing conditions, eucli purpose can. best be
subserved.
Eleven years of experience aa either
taaeher or student, in state schools and
Christian echools, respectively, of higher
learning, leads me to the conclusion that
there la a difference in the purposes of
the two, and that this fact constltutea the
chief reason for the continuance of the
Christian chooL In the reaching toward
the attainment of the highest standard
of scholarship the alma are Identical. Aa
a corollary the scholastic attainments of
the respective faculties, as also the re
quirements for the baccalaureate degrees,
may be the same. But the radical differ
ence is this: The Christian college
avowedly lays emphasis upon the creation
and development of Christian character
In Its students. The state school laya no
such emphasta. The words, "laya empha
sis" are used advisedly in order to avoid
any charge of having stated that state
Institutions are antl-Chrleiian. Few such
achoola are antl-Chrtstian. yet practically
all are .non-Christian. In each of the
four tate achoola with which I have been
Intimately connected. I have found among
both students and faculty Christian men
of sterling worth, but I have also found,
and again In each school, men whose in
fluence would blast any young Christian
life.
Thla leads to a consideration of the type
of teacher that a Christian college should
employ. To me It eeems to be an axiom
atic truth that no one who la not an ac
tive Christian should be permitted to
teach In a Chrlatlan school. By an active
nr!stlan I mean a person who can con
duct a chapel service with the spirit and
with the understanding also: who cannot
rest at ease while non-Christian students
surround him: whose chief business in
1 re Is to be Christlike. The temptations
to employ teachers who are not Christian
.ire great, so great. Indeed, that many
"Tirtstian schools do not resist them. A
Mstory teacher may be found who la brll
I ant. popular, and a good drawing card;
h famoua athlete may be available aa
.-ach or director of athletlce: a person
who writes for magazines of fair stand
may be willing to teach literature;
r -te may be very Immoral; they may
ins; more students to the Institution;!
and so the fact of their being non-Christian
Is winked at and the mess of pot
tare is secured. Christianity ought to be
strong enough In the United States to
man its own educational institutions. I
believe that it Is strong enough, and be
cause I so believe I have for any Chris
tian school with one or more non-Chris
tian teachers less respect that I should
have for the same school without such a
blemish.
If our teachers must be Christian In
order to accomplish the purpose of our
schools, they must also be scholars.
Work done tn Christian schools will
not be respected unless It Is respect
able. Scholarship Is a marketable
commodity. Usually it is for sale to
the highest bidder. No one - who Is
well acquainted with the teaching
force of small Christian colleges will
deny that a number of teachers in
auch achoola might secure more money
elsewhere, end that they continue to
hold their positions from devotion to
the type of school In which they labor;
but, on the other hand. It la manifest
that some remain because they are not
wanted elsewhere. In the last cate
gory fall those teachers who from lack
of business sense or of aggressiveness
exert an Influence that la not helpful.
Wagea In amall schools ought to be aa
high aa In large schools. If work of
uniform excellence Is to be done.
There Is a limit to the amount of
work that a scholarly, well-paid teach
er can do. There is also a minimum
equipment for effective work. Any
teacher, of whatever endowment, who
must teach bo great a number of hours
that he either saps his physical
strength or deprives himself of time
for Belf-lmprovement. will degenerate
Into an uninterested, uninteresting, in
efficient machine. Illustrations of this
very thing are numerous, pathetic and
sometimes tragic One method of re
lief which seems not to have been
fully appreciated la to teach courses in
alternate years. In many achoola
classes are small and numerous. In
stead of six freshmen taking Ameri
can literature and four sophomores
taking English literature In the same
year, teach only American literature
one year and only English literature
the next year. This gives a double ad
vantage; the class work Is more Inter
esting and the teacher haa time to do
better work. It should neither be for
gotten nor overlooked that the num
ber of houre of classroom work as
signed to any teacher ahould be deter
mined by the character of the work. A
teacher of biology needs tim to pro- ,
cure specimens; a teacher of physics,
to arrange for experiments; a teacher
of economics, sociology or current lit
erature, to read such books and period
icals as shall keep him well informed;
while a teacher of undergraudate work
in Latin, Greek or mathematics needs
some, but not so much, time for prep
aration. The minimum equipment for effect
ive work consists of apparatus for sci
entific Investigations and a. library
Each must be sufficient to admit of
the same character of work as Is done
in courses of the Bame grade In our
gnaat institutions. This may sound as
if the enormous expenditures of great
schools must be duplicated by small
ones, but such Is not the case, because
much of the . equipment of the former
Is used almost exclusively In gradu
ate work. Permit me to say, paren
thetically, that I believe that no Chris
tian college In Oregon haa such an
equipment as makes It expedient to
give a master's degree for a year's
work done by a graduate in residence.
Work done without a library In such
subjects as economics, literature and
history simply is not of college rank.
A library Is to auch subjects what a
laboratory Is to biology. Use of the
library by the students must usually
take'the place occupied in large schools
by the lecture of the teacher. This can
be successfully done because . the
classes are sufficiently small to make
possible close supervision of reports on.
assigned topics.
With competent teachers furnished
with sufficient equipment. It still re
mains to be, said that If the Christian
college is to successfully compete with
the best non-Christian schools, the
work required for the baccalaureate
degree must be equal in 'one school to
that required in the other. At present
the work required for auch a degree
In Oregon Christian colleges varies
from six years or less above the eighth
grade to a maximum of eight years
above that grade. This maximum la
the minimum for high-class non-Chrls-tlan
schools. One wfll hardly teach
even two years in Oregon without
learning . that the subject of uniform
entrance requirements touches our
Christian achoola In a tender spot, yet
I do not forget that the more tender
the spot ttie more urgent la the need
for a physician. Obviously If the en
trance requirements remain as they
are, the exit requirements ought to be
changed. Most lamentable of all the
results of the present state of affalra
la the fact that many of the students
who attend the schools with low re
quirements do not appreciate the situa
tion, but actually believe that they are
as well educated as those who pursue
longer and richer courses. Thus con
ceited prigs who lack the substance
and, even more, the form of a liberal
education, are all too likely to be pro
duced. Since but one of the Christian
colleges of Oregon can meet the re
quirements of the Carnegie pension
fund, it Is easy to decry the standard
set by the administrators of that fund,
yet it must be recognized that that
standard is not higher than that of
many schools. According to the stand
ard referred to, at least 14 units of
high school Work should precede ad
mission to college. That means at
least four years of hard work. To my
mind, the completion of such a high
school course, followed by four years
of college work, should be the mini
mum requirement for the baccalau
reate degree.
I have nothing to say against schools
that are giving, and wish to continue to
give, a lesser amount of college work,
except that I believe that their finished
product Is at present falsely labeled.
Many persons rich In spirit but poor in
purse can spend five, six or seven years
In school, although they could not at
tempt the eight years. For such casea
the short course may be. a godsend. It
does not follow that the fact that they
took a short course should be disguised
by dubbing them bachelors of arts. I am
profoundly convinced that It would be a
great improvement to give diplomas In
stead of degrees In such cases, and to
frankly confess what is undoubtedly true
that when the student has completed his
course he is ready to enter the sophomore.
Junior or senior class of some university
or college of the highest rank. We should
thus win the respect of ourselves and
others. Instead of calling work of the
eleventh and twelfth grades the work of
the freshman and sophomore yeare of
college, reserve the latter designation for
the following two years.
Another reason than that of honesty
exists for the adoption of such designa
tions aa I have suggested. That reason
lies In the fact that our Christian schools,
with certainly not more than one excep
tion, are not universities. The freshman
and sophomore work of universities la
much the same In ail of the various col
leges freshman engineers, freshman law-
vers etc.. take about the same subjects.
Differentiation becomes marked at the be
ginning of the Junior year. Few Christian
schools among ua are prepared to give
much of the more technical work In en
gineering or medicine which Involves a
large expenditure for equipment. It nat
urally follows that students may often
come to small schools for the first two
years of their courses and go elsewhere
for the last two years. If the work of a
certain school closed with the sophomore
year, this transition would be an easy
one.
No one is more conscious than myself
that the ever-present need of the Chris
tian college Is money. Few educators will
disagree with what I have said concern
ing the maintaining of high standards of
work, but a greater number will regard
the ideal as Impossible of fulfillment
Courses are short, teachera are Inefficient
and overworked, libraries and other
equipment are lacking because money Is
not at hand. If tuition is high, few
students can afford to attend; if tuition
is low not much money is received. We
need money. Our only salvation from
becoming obsolete Is money. It is often
predicted that some of the numerous
Christian colleges of Oregon must be
come extinct There la an alternative
and that is get money. A college with
not more than 100 students could do work
of surpassing excellence If some one
would pay its bills. How to get the
money is an insistent question. The col
lege that held a May festival on last
May day and run excursions for its
friends did a wise thing. To have a
financial agent In the field; Is often prac
ticable. A conspicuous illustration of the
expediency of not despising the day of
small things was furnished recently by
the success of an agent in the East who
secured more than $25,000 for a Western
school, most of the subscriptions being In
sums of 25 or under. As an income from
an endowment Is permanent even small
gifts are Important In the case of de
nominational schools, experience has
shown that it is frequently practicable
to send an agent into portions of the
older states, where the denomination In
question is well represented. We are still
about as nearly on the frontier as we can
get, and our Eastern friends appreciate
the fact . even better than do we our
selves. Two things are precedent to gifts
by some wise philanthropist to colleges.
One is high standards of scholarship;
the other is a tendency to grow. A hope
ful sign for the colleges of Oregon is the
Increasing number of public schools that
are doing ninth, ten, eleventh or even
twelfth-grade work. A continuation of
this transformation will result In the pub
lic schools doing much of the work now
done by the preparatory departments of
the colleges. The tendency of the college
proper to increase and 'of the preparatory
department to decrease la already marked
In some oases. The time may not be re
mote at which It will be practicable to
discontinue our ninth-grade work.
There ars those who feel that there
must necessarily be antagonism between
state schools and Christian schools.
Honestly I do not think so. Since the
two kinds of schools have been In ex
istence there have been some parents
who preferred to send their children to
the Christian school merely because it
was Christian. State schools know this
to be true. Then there la a belief that
a amall school has advantages over a
large, one, and Christian schools are
usually small while state schools are
usually large. This fact also aeema ob
vious. These two reasons for the sup
port of the Christian school are of such
a character aa to lead to' the belief
that they will long persist and that
Christian colleges are to be a perma
nent factor in higher education. Differ
ent, but quite as strong, reasons exist
for the support and the oontinuance of
state universities. The very fact that
they are state universities la profound
ly significant Because they are state
schools their adequate financial support
Is almost assured. This means that
auch teachers can be employed and auch
material equipment can be furnished as
will make possible work of the high
est order. Further because they are
universities they are prepared to minis
ter to the needs of all types of stu
dents, both undergraduate and gradu
ate. Almost all state universities now
have, and all will ultimately have, what
ever advantages oome from the attend
ance of a large number of students.
These advantages are real, notwithstand
ing the fact that there are certain ad
vantages arising from a small attend
ance. Among the things to be said in
favor of the large attendance are the
following: A student meets men of
many types, thus giving valuable train
ing for the work of life: lectures, concert
courses, museums and the various
means of enriching one's college work
are more numerous and varied than In
a smaller school; the presence of grad
uate students tends to enable the un
dergraduate to estimate undergraduate
work at Its true value: positions for
graduates are usually more easily se
cured by large schools than by small
ones. I suppose that no well-informed
person takes seriously the statement so
often made that the state university
stands at the head of the common school
system, if the Implication la that any
high school graduate who enters a
Christian oolege is in a sense a traitor
to the state. An analysis of the rea
sons for the existence of the Christian
school and the state school, respectively,
leads to the conclusion that each will
be permanent It is the part of wis- ,
dom to accept thla fact whether It be
a palatable one or not
Within a few yeara a new element haa
come to affect the future of the Christian
colleges of Oregon. The conditions prece
dent to the granting of Carnegie pensions
to retiring teachers are such as to place a
premium upon the abandoning of any
legal affiliation between a Christian col
lege and any denomination. No teacher In
a seotarlan school will be placed on
the pension list except aa a special lavor
and no aeotarian school will be placed
upon the accredited list The only Chris
tian school In Oregon which can meet
the other requirements for these pensions
has formally dissolved all legal ties be
tween itself and the Congregational de
nomination. Adverse criticism from both
friend and foe has resulted, although
m general the separation was accepted
almost without comment because the Con
gregatlonallsts declare that the school will
remain as distinctively sectarian as before
while persona of other secta care very
little about the matter. It Is not how
ever, with these local details that we are
concerned. To my mind the Important
facts for us about the Carnegie pension
fund are three: First, Christian colleges
tend to Increase their endowment to the
sum requisite to becoming beneficiaries;
second, they will raise their entrance re
quirements to the prescribed standard;
third, they will in all probability sever
themselves from their respective denom
inations. As to the salutary effect of these
changes no question will be raised except
as to the last. It is too early for the
effects of the loss of the technically sec
tarian character to be historical, although
several colleges in various parta of the
United States have within a few years
divested themselves of their sectarian
bonds. I do not regard the change with
grave apprehension. To my mind the
essential characteristic of the Christian
college, over and above the essential char
acteristics of other colleges. Is that It
shall be Christian. That college would
seem intolerably narrow that had about
it such an atmosphere that students of
but a single denomination could thrive in
It. Those who become alarmed - at the
passing of denomlnatlonallsm fear that
with denominatlonalism will go Christian
ity. My opinion as to the reasonableness
of the fear is tentative, but at present It
seems to me that the danger of filling
denominational boards of trustees witti
non-Christian church members is quite aa
great as the danger' of filling Christian
boards of trustees with non-Christian
members. Short-sighted, Indeed, must be
any board of trustees of a Christian col
lege that falls to know that the chief
CConcluaed on F&s 11-1
1