THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, DECEMBER 20, 1S03.
ADDRESS GIVEN BY W. D. FENTON ON
"FATHER WILBUR AND HIS WORK "
Paper Bead at Celebration of Sixtieth Anniversary of Founding of Taylor-Street Methodist Chnrch of Portland.
ST the celebration by the congre
gation of Taylor-Street Meth
odist Church of the SOth anni
versary of the church, last Sunday
night. an address m delivered by
Hon. W. D. Fenton on "Father Wilbur
ar.d Hia Work." The text of the ad
dress follow:
James IT. Wilbur, familiarly and afiec
tlonatly known as Father Wilbur, was
born on a farm near the village of
Lowvllle. N. T.. September 11. 1S11; was
married to I.ucretia Ann Stevens. March
. 1SC1. and died at Walla Walla. Wash..
October IS: 1SS7. In his 77th year. These
three events, as related to his Individ
ual life, were the most Important, his
blith. his marriage and his death. The
tf of the biographer mrgr and en
larges itself into the work of ttie his
torian. The simple anil short narrative
common to the lives of most men and
womn emu-ems but few. and It is only
when n life In Its la-g-r development
has touched closely the affairs of men
and hs caused or been a part of the
T1ms that the narrative becomes histori
cal. Wilbur was the m of Presbyterian
parents, but did not himself become iden
tifiel with any church until after his
marriage, when he and his wife were
converted and became members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in the vil
las of Lowvile. N.' Y. At the age of
2 vears the presiding elder of his dis
trict. William S. Bowdish. granted to him
a license as an exhorter. in accordance
with the customs and usages of the
church at that time, and within two years
thereafter Aaron Adams, as presiding
elder, granted him the usual license to
preach, and In July. 131'. he became a
member of the Black River Annual Con
ference and entered upon his life work
as a Methodist minister. It Is recorded
that he traveled the circuit of North
ern New York until lie was called to this
then remote field of his future labors, thj
t'h-egon Country- George Gany was then
superintendent of the Oregon mission,
and was a former presiding elder over
Mr. Wilbur In the Black River Confer
ence. On September 17. 1S4. In com
pany with William Roberts, who had been
appointed superintendent of the mission,
he sailed from New York on the bark
Whitton. coming by way of Cape Horn
to the Columbia River. and landed at
Oregon City, June 22. 1847.
You will recall that the treaty of
Washington was signed June 15. 1S41. ny
which the United States and Great Brit
ain settled the Oregon boundary, and al
though a provisional government had
been established for the government of
the then Oregon country. It was not unt:l
August 14. 1S4S. that the Congress of the
Lniied States created a territorial gov
ernment embracing this vast region of
country between the 2d and 43th paral
lels and the. Pacific Ocean on the west,
nd the Kockv Mountains on the east.
James K. Polk was President of the
Cnited States, and James Buchanan was
Serrctarv of State, and acted as pleni
potentiary for the United States, ex
ranging ratification of the treaty of
Washington with Richard Packenhara,
representing Iter Majesty. Queen Vic
toria. Wilbur and Roberts arrived 13
years after Jason Lee had established
the Methodist Mission a few miles north
of Salem, but Wilbur and Roberts came,
not so much to extend and enlarge, the
work begun bv Lee In an effort to bring
religion and civilization to the Indians
In this section, but rather to establish
the foundation of a Christian civilization
In this far-off country by the establish
ment of missions and churches and
schools for our own people, who w3.-e
then In Increasing numbers coming to
this section. Some of his cVworkers of
that early date who have left their Im
press upon the institutions of the chur-rh
and of the state, were David Leslie.
George Garv. A. F. Waller. Gustavus
Hincs. William Roberts and T. F. Royal,
all of whom have passed away excepting
Thomas F. Roval. Wilbur's only daugh
ter was the wife of Rev. St. Michael
Fackler, first Episcopal clergyman In the
Oregon Country. Mr. Fackler was a na
tive of Sl.uinton. Va. He resided on a
farm near Butteville. Marlon County, for
time, and conducted services at Cham
poeg. Butteville. Siringtown. Oregon City.
Portland and on the Tualatin Plains. He
married Miss Wilbur in 1S4D. aV.d she
did in ISiO. and was buried in the lot
In the rear of where Taylor-Street Church
now stands. She left an only child and
daughter, who survived her but 11 years.
Father Wilburs wife died at 'Walla
Walla. September 13. 1SS7. in her 7th
year, and thus, upon the death of Father
Wilbur, no lineal descendant of his fam
ily survived. H and his wife were
biiried in Lee Mission Cemetery, near
Salem. Or.
When Wilbur arrived at Portland In
June. 1847. there were 13 houses in a
dense forest, where now stands a city
of nearlv 250.000 people, and at that
time Salem and Oregon City were the
chief centers of business and popula
tion and influence. Salem was but a
missionary point In a country inhabited
chleflv by Indians: Oregon City was
a trading post with a few hundred
population, and Portland did not exist
as a municipality. In 1819 Wilbur was
appointed to the circuit embracing Ore
gon City and Portland, and in 1S50
built the first church in this city. It
is estimated that the parsonage and
church o constructed cost ioOOfl; me
chanics received $12 per day, and lum
ber was J120 per thousand. The first
sermon was preached In this city by
William Roberts, then living at Ore
gon City, and the services were held
in a cooper shop on the west side of
First street, between Morrison and
Tamhill. This was on the first Sun
day in November. 1S47. It is recorded
that on the preceding Sunday Rev. e.
O. Hosford rode to a point on the east
side of the river, and was ferried
across the stream by James B. Ste
phens. In an Indian canoe, and landed
at what Is now the foot of Stark
street: that he clambered up the muddy
bank and entered a dense forest of fir.
and looking southward, entered an
opening in the woods, crawling under
and climbing over newly cut logs. . At
that time this pioneer preacher, who
bad been sent by Superintendent Rob
erts to arrange a religious service,
found scattered about 14 log cabins
and a few families. This was on the
last Sunday of October. 18 47. and on
the succeeding Sunday William Rob
erts held the first religious services
and preached the first sermon In what
is now the city of Portland, and James
H. Wilbur preached the first sermon
in Taylor-street Church in the Spring
of 1S50.
Until the General Conference of 1S4S,
Oregon had been considered a foreign
mission, but during tho session of that
body in May of that year, in Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, the Board of Bishops
were charged to organize during the
qnadrennium, what was to be called
the, "Oregon and California Mission Con
ference." and the territory to be em
braced therein was to Include all that
portion of the United States west of
the Rocky Mountains. California, as a
result of the war with Mexico in 184,
had been added to the territorial pos
sessions of the United States. The Ore
gon country, comprising now the
states of Oregon. Washington. Idaho,
the western half of Montana and a por
tion of Wyoming, had been acquired by
the United States by right of prior dis
covery and occupation as well as by
purchase, and Its chief Importance lay
in the fact that the United States had
claimed this vast section of country
from the discovery of. tho Columbia
River by Captain Gray. May 11, 1792.
more than a half century prior to our
acquisition of California, and Its pio
neer missions and settlers were chiefly
from the United States.
7 the erring of 1MJ Bishop' Waugh.
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HON. W. D. FKNTOK.
to whom the Board .of Bishops en
trusted the details of organization of
the "Oregon and California Mission
Conference," gave explicit instructions
to William Roberts, then superintend
ent of the Oregon Mission, directing
Its organization, and accordingly the
first Conference was held in the chapel
of the. Oregon Institute In Salem on
September 5, 1S4!. There were present
as participants. William Roberts, of the
New Jersey Conference: David Leslie,
of the Providence Conference: A. F.
Woller, of the Tennessee Conference:
James II. Wilbur, of the Blnck River
Conference: James Owen, of the Indi
ana Conference, and William Taylor,
of the Baltimore Conference six .men.
two from California and four from Ore
gon, charged with foundation work for
the great church of which they were
official representatives. Owen and
Taylor, of California, were not present;
Roberts was elected chairman, and Wil
bur secretary; William Helm, an elder
from the Kentucky Conference, was re
admitted, and J. L. Parrish. who had
been received on trial in the Genessee
Conference In 1S48. was recognized as
a probationer in the Oregon and Cali
fornia Mission - Conference, and J. E.
Parrot. John McKInney aW James O.
Raynor were admitted on trial. It will
be interesting as indicating that they
were in the days of small beginnings
to note the record of membership at
that time. Oregon City reported SO
members and six probationers; Salem
circuit 109 members and 25 probation
ers: Clatsop, eight members and one
probationer; an aggregate of 34'i mem
bers and six probationers; there were
fourteen local preachers, and only
three churches, one at Oregon .City,
one at Salem, and one on the Yamhill
circuit: there were , nine Sabbath
schools, with 21 scholars.
At this conference William Roberts was
appointed superintendent, and James H.
Wilbur and J. L. Parrish were assigned
to Oregon City and Portland. For tho Sa
lem circuit. William Helm. J. O. Ravnor
and David Leslie: Yamhill Circuit, John
McKInney and C. O. Hosford: Mary's
River, A. F. Waller and J. E. Parrot: As
toria and Clatsop were to be supplied.
The Oregon and California mission con
ference met one year later, in Oregon
City, on September 4 1S50. and there was
a reported increase of only 47 members
and 20 probationers. James H. Wilbur
was appointed to Oregon City and the
Columbia River. The third meeting of
the conference was. held in the Oregon
Institute on September 3. 1S51, and Rt that
time there were 473 members and 170 pro
bationers. The last and final meeting of
the Mission Conference was held at Port
land on September 2. 1S52, and .thereafter,
by order of the General Conference held
In Boston in May. 1S.12, California and
Oregon were separated, and each state
given a separate conference.
Wilbur was a strong man mentally and
physically, and he was not only a force
ful preacher, but a great executive. In
ured to the hardships and privations of
pioneer life, he worked as R common
workman in the construction of old Taylor-Street
Church and in the building of
Portland Academy, of which he was the
founder. One of the earliest cares of the
Methodist Kpiscopal Chnrch in the Oregon
country was the establishment of educa
tional institutions, the oldest one being
the Oregon Institute, now Willamette
University. It was in the mind of Wilbur
to feed the university by the establish
ment of academies and schools In differ
ent parts of tho state. With this end in
view, and to serve it immediate constitu
ents, he established the Portland Acad
emy from a fund arising from the dona
tion of three blocks of land in this city,
one of which was used as a building site,
and the other two of which were to con
stitute an endowment. The Portland
Academy was opened in 1S51. in charge of
Calvin S. Kinssley. Father Wilbur also
founded the Umpqua Academy at the
town of Wilbur, in Douglas County. Or.
In September. 1831. Chapman, Coffin and
Lownsdale were then the proprietors of
the townslte of the city of Portland, and
recognizing the demands for the estab
lishment of educational institutions, do
nated block 205, upon which the Portland
Academy was first built, and block 224,
Immediately west of this, for this pur
pose, and deed to which was made to
Father Wilbur "In trust to build a male
and female seminary thereon and there
with," and It was intended that this
should be held In trust for the Methodist
Kpiscopal Church, of the state of Oregon.
At that time these blocks were covered
with heavy flr timber, and it is recorded
that Father Wilbur personally cleared the.
ground and hewed out of the native fir
the timbers for the frame of the building,
and assisted in its erection. He solicited
subscriptions, advanced and borrowed on
his own credit, about 15000, and the build
ing was completed November 17, 1S51. In
June..lS54, the Territorial legislature In
corporated the school, with a board of
trustees, of which Wilbur was president,
T J Dryer, vice-president; C. S. Kings
ley, secretary and W. S. Ladd treasurer.
Many of the children of the pioneer
men and women of those early days were
students and graduates of this Institu
tion, called Portland Academy ana re
male Seminary. The building was con
structed at the corner of West Park and
Jefferson streets, and stood there a mon
ument of the devotion and xeal of these
earlv settlers until within recent years.
The Willamette University was incor
porated by act of the Territorial Legisla
ture January 12. 1833. and Wilbur was
one of the first trustees. Tou will recall
that the Territorial -Lsljriat!vr Assembly,
In 1ST.1. passed an act incorporates mo
City of Portland, and that the first elec
tion was held on April 7. 1S51, Hugh D.
O'Bryant being elected Mayor by a ma
jority of 4 over J. S. Smith. In June,
1S31. the territorial election for Delegate
to Congress took place, and as an indica
tion of tho population of the city at that
time, it mav be noted that Joseph Lane
received 162 votes, and W. H. Willson 60
votes, or a total of 222 votes.
Tavlor-Street Church was incorporated
under the laws of the territory by spe
cial act of the Legislative Assembly on
January 26, 1S33, although the church had
been organized before that time, and the
building constructed. The original struc
ture was a frame building fronting on
Taylor street, near Third street, and the
present brick structure was erected In
1S66. It will be remembered that the first
Protestant Church erected on the Pacific
Coast, from Cape Horn to Bering Strait,
was the Methodist Church in Oregon City,
begun in 1812. by Waller, and completed
in 1844 by Hines, and that Bishop li R.
Ames, who visited Portland in March.
1853, was the first bishop who presided
over an Oregon conference, held at Sa
lem. March 17 of that year. The super
intendents of the Oregon mission were:
Jason Lee, 1834-1844: George Gary, 1844
1847: William Roberts. 1847-1849, when the
Oregon mission was succeeded by what
was called the Oregon and California
Mission Conference, under the strong and
intelligent hand of William Roberts, wio
conducted the work of the Oregon and
California Mission Conference until it
was merged in the Oregon Conference, in
1833. In all of this work Wilbur was an
active participant; his duty led him into
close contact with public affairs, and his
activities were not confined entirely to
the immediate work of the Christian min
istry. On September 11, -1563,- a joint conven
tion of the L?gislative Assembly of the
State of Oregon was held at Salem, Or.,
to elect a successor to Benjamin Stark,
whose Senatorial term would expire
March 4, 1S64. and Benjamin F. Harding,
of Marion County, was chosen. James
H. Wilbur was nominated as a candidate
before that convention. He was appointed
superintendent of teaching at the Yak
ima Indian Reservation in I860, and was
continuously in the Indian service for
about 20 years. From the position of su
perintendent of teaching he was promoted
by President Lincoln to the position of
Indian Agent. It will be remembered that
SKELETON OF THE GREAT SYSONBY IS PRESERVED IN NEW
YORK MUSEUM
4-
.eiCEiBTON or
SYONBY
.AMERICAN
JMU&EUM ory
VUSTOR.Y
NEW YORK, Dec. 19. (Special.; wnvu tn-; great sysonuy died, the
American Museum of Natural History made arrangements immediately to
have the skeleton preserved, and it has just been placed on exhibition. There
Is a horse skeleton at the National Museum. Washington.
tho Yakima. Indian Reservation was es
tablished near old Fort Simcoe. an aban
doned mintary fort, and that the Indians
there assembled were from various tribes
of Western Washington, but chiefly the
Yaklmas on the north bank of the Co
lumbia River.
Wilbur had the confidence of the au
thorities at Washington, and in 1S73. dur
ing the Modoc Indian war. he was ap
pointed peace commissioner with A. a.
Meacham and T. B. Odeneal, charged
with the duty of attempting to neg&tlate
a treaty of peace with the Modoc Indians.
They were to meet at Linkville. Febru
ary 15. 1873. but Meacham declined to
serve with Odeneal or Wilbur, or either
of them, and Jesse Applegate and Sam
uel Case were appointed In their s.ead
t that time Wilbur was Indian Agent at
Fort Simcoe. Applegate accepted his
commission, but subsequently resigned,
and he characterized the peace commis
sion as "an expensive blunder. It is
enough to say that it failed in its mis
sion, and there are those who believe that
If Wilbur had been allowed to serve
with Meachem. his knowledge of
Indian character would have enabled
him to negotiate the peace treaty, and
would have avoided the subsequent
treachery of the Modocs and the mur
der of General Edward R. S. Canby.
Wilbur devoted himself to the In
dian service for about 20 years, and as
it seems to mc, made a sacrifice which
not only did him an injustice, but de
prived the commonwealth of a, larger
service which he might have rendered
if he had continued in his work as a
great preacher and constructive, build
er of Christian civilisation among his
own people. At this distance. and
from this point of view, missionary
efforts of' the early churches, both
Protestant and Catholic, seem to have
been devoid of permanent results.
Jason Lee and his associates, as early
as 1834, were inspired with the pur
pose to convert to Christianity the In
dians in this great, unsettled and un
developed region. The Methodist
Church for a generation devoted its
great energy to this work. A like
ambition inspired the mission of Dr.
Whitman, Father Desmet, Archbishop
Blanchet and other devoted men. both
Protestant and Catholic. It may be
that their work in some measure acted
as a bridge over which the early pio
neers could pass to a riper and better
civilization. These missionaries to the
Indians, in anticipation of the probable
failure of their work in that direction,
turned their energies toward the es
tablishment of educational institutions
and of local churches for the develop
ment of our own people, and in this
work Wilbur was a pioneer builder
of strength and character. The found
ations laid by bim in this city in the
building of Taylor-Street Church were
broad and deep, and the influence of
what he did in the early '50s. in the
work of his hands here, far out
reaches any work that he did or could
have done in his self-immolation in
the service of a passing and perishing
race. The American Indian, while un
civilized, was not entirely without re
ligion. While it Is true that he had
no special knowledge of religion as
we understand it, and especially of the
Christian religion, he was not barren
of all religious instincts and traditions,
and was not entirely without guidance.
The work done in his behalf has been
transitory and without permanent ef
fect. This perhaps could not be fore
seen, and i'et- as civilization has ex
tended its influence over that vast In
dian territory which at one time em
braced the entire United States, it will
be seen that the Indian race itself has
vanished, and that but a fragment here
and there now remains. Wilbur, when
he retired from work among his own
people and devoted himself exclusively
to the Indian service, was in the prime
of a vigorous manhood, and had not
yet reached the age of 50 years. If
he had remained in the work of Chris
tian education and in the work of the
ministry among his own people, it is
impossible now to say what might
have been the record of his successful
life. There are men and women still
living, here and elsewhere, who were
co-workers with him, and who testify
to the sterling qualities with which he
was endowed. He was a type of man
devoted to the ministry of the church,
that has in large measure passed
away. In his day he had much to do
of detail, of preparation, of control,
that could not now and ought not to
be done by his successors. These men
were forerunners of a different era,
and did the work which times and con
ditions required them to do. They
were all men of strong natures, vigor
ous in thought, forceful in debate, ag
gressive along all lines, and unused
to the gentler methods and diplomacy
of the modern pulpit. The work which
was here to be done required such men,
it was foundation work, under trying
(Concluded on Page 6.)
a
Christmas
MERELY AN EXCHANGE OF COMMODITIES, SAYS AN EARNEST
PORTLAND WOMAN WHO DECIDED TO ABANDON THE PRACTICE.
Portland. Dec. 19. 1908.
MY DEAREST NELLE. This is the
first time. In years that I've had a
chance to write s ou a letter In the
last days before Christmas, and in doing
so I recall your favorite expression:
"There must be a reason'w Indeed. I
not only recall It, but I have a distinct
picture of your face as you say It. Every
degree of experience prompted it, from
the falling of Nan's wedding cake to
your discussion of immortality with that
superannuated fatalist, Professor Tate, it
was your concluding phrase: "There
must be a reason!" I see your frown,
I perceive your lifted brows and feel that
shrug of yours, even now, and I Implore
you not to say a word until I have a
chance to give you the reason.
You know for years from the time when
Thanksgiving was safely passed until
after Christmas. I have been fairly
swamped in the effort to buy. beg, manu
facture and invent suitable gifts to cover
my Indebtedness to friends and relatives.
You remember the Winter I had nervous
prostration in January and bad to go
to California, and the time my eyes faited
so abominably? Nelle, I verily believe
all that is past.
Yes, of course there is a reason. I'm
coming to it. What if it is in a round
about way? Isn't that the woman's way.
and doesn't that mean variety and isn't
variety her chief asset?
Y'ou see, I've met a remarkable wo
man. Now, remarkable women are not
uncommon, praise be! but such un
usually remarkable ones as the one I
have in mind are exceedingly scarce. I
shall not tell you her name, for I have
an impression tha!t I shouldn't talk her
over, even to you, so let us call her Mrs.
Blank. She has traveled, but does not
tell you about it the first time you meet.
She is highly educated but 'says that
books have not taught her. She has a
beautiful homo but you get an effect of
extreme simplicity when In it and near
her. She is self-controlled to a remark
.ablo degree, and yet you don't begin to
estimate her power. In short, she is a
real woman, an individualized spirit such
as each of us must some time be. But
there. I'm not going to fill this letter
with personal details. This Is what she
does not do: SHE DOES NOT GIVE
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!
She ceased doing so four years ago and
at that time there were over 100 names
on her list. She has abundant means
and could give what she wishes, but
does not give a single gift.
When the holidays approach she takes
herself out of the stress and hurry and
does not mix with it in any way. And
she claims that since she has taken this
step a clearer understanding of the real
Christmas spirit has come to her. more
happiness in the understanding, and in
estimably greater peace. And surely un
dertsandlng. happiness and peace are
needed at Christmas time, if ever.
. I suppose her thought is that gifts
cease to be an offering of love and
become a mere exchange of commodi
ties. And. in truth, one afternoon's
shopping in the midst of a Christmas
crowd is enough to convince the most
skeptical that this is true. To be
sure, no sensible person would say it
is true of everyone, but it is true of
the majority. For love, that love
which human beings feel for each
other,' is spiritualized in degree, and
self-love is infinitely greater than
that pure outgoing emotion which
seeks the good of the beloved and
asks no return.
If this is true, it is but natural that
I should plan to give you a gift equal
in value to the one that you bestowed
on me. and in the wake of this ic is
as human to shrink from giving any
thing of less value as it is to feel the
necessity of giving again, however dif
ficult it may be to do so. I've gone
through this in an agony of appre
hension, and I will confess to you
here and now, that, at the last moment
before mailing and distributing my
packages, I have even been guilty of
changing the addresses on some of
them, in order to be quite sure that
justice was done in specific cases.
How base, when one stops to ana
lyze it.-
Therefore, I am going to do as Mrs.
Blank does not give Christmas gifts,
and it follows as the night the day
that I shall have plenty of time. Not
one creature shall have a tissued,
blue-ribboned, holly-adorned parcel
from me save the children, and they
must have.
It makes me a bit nervous wonder
ing "what my friends may think,
though I'm sure they're too sensible
openly to comment. I'm going to be
lieve they'll give me credit for the
best intentions, but it is an open ques
tion whether they'd be flattered if they
knew I do it for the sake of freedom.
I've always thought of Christmas as
a time when the soul should stir and
tremble with a very passion of under
standing, when the . mind should be
trimmed with beautiful thoughts, and
the stomach left to grumble a little.
Why "I have dreamed dreams" of a
time' when I should actually live the
Christmas spirit, enthusiastically,
deeply, trustingly. Who could do this
in the maelstrom of shopping, cooking,
baking, decorating and gasping for
more time? Do you suppose Jesus
would have gone about the shops
pu-hing to buy something "marked
down for Christmas shoppers an. ar
ticle that a hundred hands were reach
ing for? Would he have killed thou
sands of turkeys that the people might
gorge -themselves one day in the year
and probably not taste again in 364?
Would he have raced madly from
range to pantry, from pantry to range?
t know it is ridiculous to make such a
comparison, tut the record of his life
is so profoundly human that it is
quite spontaneous. '
But I must close. What a lot of
vaporing-! ... Wo are all well.
William is more than unusually busy
the Christmas activity even invades
the sacred precincts of the law. .
The bovs and Kitty are a very syllabus
of whisperings; they lurk, they listen,
they behave as angels! . . . Yes,
Christmas is most for the children
for the open heart, unmarred by sor
didners. Faithfully, yours,
dianer. j MARIANA.
The same day; bedtime.
fLAY DEAR,: After writing to you this
Pj morning one might think that I'd
said all there was to say, and more,
but several things have happened since
then, and I've been thinking of you
all day. Now I'm merely telling you
about It.
Y'ou know Ve always could get at
the ins and outs of a subject when we
were together. I miss our talks more
than anything else since coming to
p . j. and. . Uierefore.. I'm pretending
you are here, warm and close on the
rug by the fireplace. How you always
liked to stretch yourself out in front
of an open fire, to turn and toast, to
talk, "to let the words flow." as you
put it- I can see you as you used to
thrust your hair out of your face, raise
on on elbow and shake your finger at
me, violently defending some absurd
hypothesis. When we mixed salad In
Aunt Jane's lovely old bowl, do you
recall how seriously we conversed as
vou cracked the crab and I cut the
cabbage and trimmed the celery?
Those were "heavenly days and the
mind gives them an enticing glamor.
In looking back upon. them.
William came in late to dinner to
night and had to dress ftnd attend a
dM-ectors' meeting Immediately after.
Ho looked so tired that I felt ashamed
Giving; The Reason Why
of the rose in my hair. He has so lit
tle time for the things he likes and
I have so much. Why is it, I wonder,
that we think ourselves so important
as women if we bear a chird or two
and keep a little menage going? It
is more to face the world, to be a com
petitor in the -big game and come out
with results worth while. And we
have so much and are constantly plan
ning to have more. I'm sure that
William has ordered a four-cylinder
Cadillac for my Christmas gift, and I
can't help wondering how he found the
time. His one hope is to write a book
which shall modify certain rulings of
tho Juvenile Court. This book is a
passion with him. but he has so little
time for it outside of his regular work.
I laughed at . him at dinner, for he
stopped eating to make a memorandum
about a little deaf boy who was before
him today.
"It gives me an idea for a chapter,
he explained, and there Tvas actually a
gleam in his eyes.
"Goodness, Billy!" I teased. "Your
mind turns to that book as a lover's
to bis maid."
"Only more uninterruptedly and
with greater faith." he said, dryly, get
ting up to go with his dessert untast
ed. He is a rare combination of de
termination and enthusiasm, and I feel
quite sure that the book is as good as
written.
Do vou know I was all abloom with
good intentions when I wrote to you
this morning? A long forenoon
stretched before me to do as I pleased
in, to write, to read, to think, and I
was planning to cut some flowers for
the hospital, when my neighbor
came in.
This particular neighbor is a woman
of the old school. She is warm-hearted
and delightfully drawly, and also as
tightly conventional as a society
woman in a sheath corse Her ideas
are cut dried and laid away in laven
der. She brought me a jar of lU'"6
preserve and seemed surprised to find
me at leisure. .
"My de-ah!" she exclaimed, and I
love to hear her say it; "you are the
most . remarkable woman! All tne
Christmas gifts made and put away,
and sitting reposefully with paper
pencils and a book of that delectable
dreamer. Emerson, before you. 1 al
ways said I was a most fortunate per
son to have you for a neighbor!
Whereupon I told her my resolution
in as plain speech as I could muster.
She looked at me, horrified.
"Not give any Christmas gifts! Why,
mv deah madam, you must be matt.
i never heard her quite so direct and
forceful before me and it pleased me.
"Yes"" I said. "This giving remem
brances to sd many people I ??H,
nractice I've worn myself out at It lor
vears; my eyes have fairly turned from
blue to gray with lace-mak&B and em
broidery. NOW. I have stop pe d. All
I shall do will be to write a few letters
-a few loving messages to some close
fn"But my de-ah Mis' Grange," was all
she could' say. She gave the imPre.on
of one gasping for breath. She sank
Into a chair. .i,n
There was silence between us -nlule
we regarded each other. Then she
bl"Please overlook the seeming rudeness,
Mis' Grange, and tell me-how are you
going to forget the obligations you are
already under?"
"Obligations? That's just it! Didn t
I sav the whole affair became a question
of give and take, and that the real beautj
of giving is lost sight of?" .
"O but the entire social fabric would
fall apart if everyone thought as you do.
We couldn't even make calls. I couldn t
ever have my friends to dinner; and you
know what a real pleasure it is for my
husband and me to have our friends to
dine. I should have to cease accepting
invitations: in fact very soon there would
not be any to accept. I- ! "e
wisdom of such a decision? I cannot
""But the fact that you do see how un
neccessarlly complex our ordinary life
has become, is proof that each of us
should try to simplify it where we can,
1 She rose up in dignified silence and
went home. 1 could see that she had suf
fered an upheaval and that her good
opinion of me had collapsed like a torn
balloon. For a moment I felt gm ty.
Was I interfering with other peoples
rights by trying to secure my own
I was genuinely distressed until it oc
curred to me that she is entirely too con
ventional. She- was brought up on this
catechism: "Do this, my child, for it is
proper: behave so, my dear, it is the cus
tom. I have lived longer than you and
I was taught by my mother whose
mother taught her," and so on ad In
finitum.' Hers Is the attitude which Her
bert Spencer gravely deplores-a w img
ness to accept and follow an established
order. And then this sentence, of Swe
denborg's flashed into my mind: To
be able to discern that which is true Is
true, and that which Is false is false, this
is the mark and character of intelli
gence." , ,.
It isn't such a simple problem as it
might be. I can see that it is beautifully
complicated.
In deciding not to give gifts at cn.isi
mas time it never occurred to me that I
was doing something unconventional. I
have never been one to defy the conven
tions. It uas always seemed to me that
established forms and customs are good,
that they make life easier, that many a
man and woman is what he or she is be
cause thev are hedged about by an estab
lished order. Though, also, I can see
that to be so protected is often produc
tive of but ordinary results. The great
life Is the free life, and the free life
to the life of struggle, of breaking away,
of pioneering.
One thing that strengthened me in my
resolution was a letter from a little 16-year-old
niece. She hadn't written to me
for seven months until today, when I
received a long girlish effusion in which
parties, dresses and boys were somewhat
incoherentlv written about. The conclud
ing sentences interested me. They ran
like this:
"Dearest Auntie, what can I give you
for Christmas when you have so much?
As for me I want an all-wool blue
sweater like all the girls are wearing,
a diamond ring and a jeweled aigrette
for my hair!"
Did vou write anything like that when
you were a girl? Poor child! I can't
help being sorry for her; she is full
of tho qualities whereby her sex has won
the victory over man in many a bloodless
battle. And yet I feel as though I
couldn't even answer the letter.
As I sit here the clock strikes 11, the
coals fall apart and darken, and there's
a chill In the room. I must go to bed or
build the fire. This time I'll choose the
o.oier wav and co to bed, deterring my
salvation until tomorrow.
Poor William! How tired he must be!
I wish he were home.
Lovingly,
MARIANA.
The next day in my own room after
breakfast.
iyY DEAREST NELLE : Whatever
II has sot into me that I keep scrib
bling to you? I dreamed about you last
night It seemed that I wakened and
turned over In bed and there, looking
in at the door, stood you. Your eyes
were blazing at me. While you stood a
gust of wind swept in through the open
casement, catching your gown hack and
swirling It about you in lines like that
Victory of mine on, the shelf in the li
brary. I was puzzling over your blazing
eyes when the door slammed and you
were one.. . 1 -don't believe that I was
asleep, either, for I lay there waiting
for you to come back and wondering
why you were angry, for ever o long.
Can it be that your appearance thus is a
sign of how you will look when you lind
that I'm not sending you an antimacassar
in exchange for the scarf which you gave
me last year? OUT upon such a possi
bility! I'll not believe it!
Kitty almost went to school unhappy
this morning. She wanted to buy a
china plate for her teacher for Christ
mas. "But dearest," I said, "your teacher
hasn't any use for a china plate; she's
boarding!"
"Why, mamma, they're just lovely to
put upon a shelf and make a border
around the room!"
"Nonsense, child! A border of china
plates round a bedroom wall is absurd."
Whereat she came out with her real
reason.
"All the other girls are giving her
something, an' I wan' to! Besides, she
keeps me in for laughing, an' if I don't
give her something she'll think' I'm
'fended, an" don't like her, an' I do,
even when I have to stay in; most
then, 'cause s'.e helps me do my 'rith
metic." I capitulated and gave her money
enough to buy a Sevres plate, telephon
ing Mr. Justand to assist her choosing.
So you see. If I do not give gifts I am
still responsible for the giving of one
and where there was no obligation.
William stopped long enough this
morning to ask if I had sufllcieiit
money to buy my Christmas presents.
I assured him I had, not daring to tell
him of my resolution: but something in
my glance must have convinced him to
the contrary, for he sat down and
wrote me a check for a ruinous sum.
And I'll have to cash It or confess.
Which shall I do? Shall I choose the
easy way again, I wonder? I haven't
the languor of night time to influence
me now, but the broad light of day,
for the sunshine is pouring in through
the window, warming me and dislodg
ing an array of icicles along tho eaves.
Do you know, Nelle, as 1 s:t here and
scribble these poorly adorned thoughts,
I have an Impression which amounts
almost to a conviction, that If I fail to
live up to my resolution I shall fail In.
something far more important the
power to carry out an idea, the capac
ity to realize truth for myself. We
are all hero-worshipers. Each of us
follows a leader, until we are strong
enough to choose a path for ourselves.
And yet. side by'sido with my capacity
for idealizing, there has always been a
tendency to express myself, to cast off
other people's ideas and evolve my
own. And the only reason I hitve nut
developed 'he latter tendency is be
cause I don't like to bo lonely, and
have not lived enough to find happi
ness within, as some do the lovely
woman of whom I told you in the first
letter, for instance.
But the tendency persists, and will,
I Imagine, while I am held In the body.
It reminds me of nn experience, a
friend of mine had or has. This
friend has a hard life, at lenst you
and I would call it hard; no help, small
means, five children and only a moder
ately strong body. Sometimes she gets
horribly down, and then che cries hard
for a long time. Finally she says,.
"There is no God! If there were"
and she never gets any farther, for her
mind is incapable of expressing what
would happen if the statement were
true. It is then that she conies to her
self and dries her eyes. She confessed
to me. but lately, that she would die It
she could complete that sentence in a
way to satisfy her intelligence, but the
fact that she cannot do so leaves her
something to stand on.
So it Is with me in my tendencies.
The fact that they persist in the face
of all the experiences of life makes
them a very foundation for my feet.
I used to believe that old saw, "There
is more pleasure In the pursuit than In
the possession," but I don't any more.
It is not true to me. not if ten thousand
tongues shout in the affirmative. The
only high and Imperishable delight lies
in the soul's knowledge of and ac
quaintance with truth, be it in spite of
the truth, by means of it, or by not
attaining to the expression of it in the
bodily consciousness. Life is simply
the process of realizing the God with
in us.
So with this qticstion of Christmas
giving. I can put by tho superficial
discomfort of what my friends and rel
atives may think and say when no re
membrance comes from me, but I can
not put by the alluring possibility
which lies behind the simple act of
ceasing to do as the world does.
This to me is pregnant with possi
bilities of understanding and happi
ness. If I can be serene in the home,
loving to every member in It, from my
immediate family to the help: if I can
fill my place successfully and still find
time to sit in quiet and let the whirl
and babble of Christmas, shopping pass
by unheard, am I not lessening it by
just that much? Am I not helping hu
manity to comprehend the truths that
Jesus so matchlessly taught just in the
degree that I am wholly reverential
and simple? And will not my soul
sing its shepherd hymn and see the
Star shine? Oh, I believe it will. I
believe the individual avenue of ex
pression, of understanding, is common
to all, and that an equal development
of all is only possible as the individ
ual crows in the God consciousness.
How we grope and yearn and reach
toward the truth, ami in what wise and
loving ways we are taught! Lovingly,
MARIANA.
(Several hours later.)
This is only a postscript, Nelle, to
tell you that I'm not going to write
any more!
I want only to ask you this question:
Hew can we judge another's personal
need by our idea of his capacity? This
bothers me when I fondle my resolu
tion. I'm going down to see the friend who
cries and ends her abjurations with a
dash which isn't a bad word. She has
sent for me to come and wr.rd off an
attack. As I inft of it, in asking mc
to talk she is. also offering mo a pleas
ure. But I am hanging heart and hands tn
my resolution, though I have decided
to send the aigrette to my niece. If
the "thoughts of youth are long, long
thoughts." the desires of youth are
deep, deep ones, and dollars nro more
than a purchasing agent when they
fulfill the dreams of youth and post
pone the awakening. A happy Christ
mas to you. Faitlifullv yours.
MARIANA CKAXtlR.
Where Mould Man Jct Off?
Nftshvlllo Amerinn.
If she ennui tlk In iuM;r.
Proclaim tilings in a hall
The v,ay phe taiks In prlvale
Say. voiildn't men lock small?
Deliver mrtain Ircturc
To voters Troin the tunp.
Then wouldn't man. tho m.irvel.
IxKk like a shrivcler! chunnr?
If she could rise In meotinz
And there lay down the law
As when in homo contentions
She esitatrs her jaw.
JShe'd make In juet a minute
Important noiy gents
Look as thev tat and listened
Like less than thirty cents.
For there Is something dolnir
In language, less or more, '
Quite pointed and emphatic
When mother takes the floor. .
And in the family circle
No one atteniiita to scoff
When- she informs ea. li member
Where he or rhe sets off.
So If tn public places
To arffify eho rose
And to affirm some q"stl"n
Then woe.be to tlie "noes,
Provided phe was feellue
Quite well and In the form
She uses on tho homefolk
To quell a family storm. ; ,