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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1909)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 5, 1909. Ps Fllrkenger"e f olk, by Bern! B. Hoover. Illustrated. II. Harper A Brother. Sew York City. Hail to a genial new humorist who has arisen In the person of this Michigan girl. Miss Resse R. Hoover, author of the one dotrn stories each one nearly complete In Itself making up the novel Pa Flicktnger's Folks." No better dollar's worth has appeared for, oh! ever so long. If you know anybody who Is possessed of the erroneous Idea that he or she Is specially selected for ill luck or trouble: or a weary millionaire slowly coming to the. knowledge that his money is not hap piness: or a grasping miser who only lives for dollars give them this novel as a medicine, and It ought to make them well. It la midway between the smile and the tear, and lovingly does It portray "the simple annals of the. poor." Well has Miss Hoover quoted on her title page the Immortal saying of Abraham Lincoln: "God must like common people, or he would not have made so many of thera." The Flicklngers are common that Is. they belong to the bone and sinew of our American life, the common people. They are real home folks; so real . that you know Instinctively that they are live f Americans and not creations of fancy. ' Honestly, now. What Is your interpre l tation In your heart, your unspoken yet I frank thought of the loved, phrase. 1 "Home. Sweet Homer" By a home. I I don't mean an hotel or a boarding-house I but a real house with a father and I mother and at least two or three children; I and a dog. In a good, old-fashioned home i of this sort, one feels that home is "the" place where the folks tell the absolute ' truth about each other. In fashionable I romances, especially those In which gen ' teel life In New England is depicted, the reader finds to his astonishment that , homes are places where all the characters f have cultured minds, that they all agree '. with each other on every conceivable sub- (Ject, that they seem to live exclusively on sugar, and that butter could not pos sibly melt In their mouths. "Pa Flickinger'a Folks" shows a Mlchl , gran home of many a laugh, many a i squabble, and '"many a labor, many a ' tear." Massachusetts. Maine and New Hampshire must, for the present, resign the stage to Michigan. Who are the Flicklngers? Listen: Three dirty, yellow tenement-houses, with dingy white trimmings, like soiled linen, thrust their peaked gable toward the street " on Loretta avenue. In the suburbs. They were all built on the aame plan long, narrow. sTory-and-a-half houses, -with each main en trance opening- upon a side porch. It could be seen at a glance that they were made to rent. Ma and Pa Flickenger. two oni. Bill and Jed. who worked with their father In a factory, and a 10-year-old daughter. Opal, lived in the middle house. Opal's married sirter. Elvle. occupied the build-In-r north of them, and Elvie'e baby. Beu lah. was one of OtmI s charges. On the south side lived Mandy, another married sister, whose husband had gore .to the Klondike, and whose little -son. Clarence Augustus, nicknamed Butch, assisted opal In babv-tending at such times as he could be pressed Into service. 9o the families In the three dirty yellow tenement houses were really one family. Further down the street In an equally depressing row of rented houses. lived Julia Peebles, Informally known to her small world as Jule. also a married sister of Opal. Jule was the mother of twins. Janice and Jasper. lsty babies. s yet too young to express their deep re pugnanre to their namea except by their vociferous waillnga. It was in this backyard that the mar ried women of the family freely discussed the provoking qualities of their own "men folks." and the numerous short comings of the grocer and the milkman. Opon was encouraged to keep on running back and forth with the twins in the cart so long as they seemed to like It; was instructed to stop bouncing Beulah in the cab. as the young one wasn't in need of churning, and to keep the babies out of the dirt "for one clean dress a week was all they were going to get." Opal was an unusually busy girl, for she "washed and wiped dishes for her mother, swept, dusted, and did a hundred and one things about the housekeeping at home, and often helped her married sisters with their work. Besides, they depended on her In a great measure to look after their children, and she lifted and carried fat babies, soothed fretful ones, fed hungry ' ones, and rocked sleepy ones at all hours of the day. Yet, Opal's mother was al ways scolding her and complaining that Opal never did anything but play and gad about." The best drawn character and the most lasting one Is Pa Fllckinger, working every day, lovable and human. He is a man! Next to him comes his daughter, Jule. who is described as a feminine cyclone. She is a half-baked young wo . man, who acts as if she were a giddy miss of 14 years old. Instead of being I the mother of twins, or "twlnses." as she calls them. , She is also a human ! dynamo of talk, 'ever on the outlook to dodge home and seek what she calls a I good time. Opal and Butch witness a circus parade, : and when he sees dogs in harness drae- gtng wagons, he asks: "Do dogs that ' draw wagons jest like horses eat bay like ' real horses? Say, ma, do they?" Quite gay are the Flicklngers when they are excursion-bent on Lake Michigan, and very pleasant is the love story and consequent squabbles of ' Bill Fllckinger and Mtss Sophie Budzbanowsky, a Polish girl. The Flicklngers may fight more ; than is good for them, but it isn't for ; long, and a little trouble draws them ' closer together. It is a master touch, I that incident which brings Butch Panner home from the Klondike, not the owner of a gold mine, but the possessor of sense enough to steer straight for home and remain there. "I met all kinds of fellers." said the returned one. "but though I mixed in queer company. I never was what you call a hum. never touched liquor, no cards, nor worse; but If temptations did get a-lonmln' up through my be'.n" extra b'.u". I'd say: "Panner, there's your folks.' Then I'd work to git a little rt'srer 'em. ... I never knew what it was to have folks afore this experience; ' of course, I had 'tm, but I didn't appre ciate 'em. I'm a poor man, but I'm rich , In folks." If Panner had returned wealthy, some how th tale would not have so pathetic a setting but it rings true, especially where Pannor pays his debt to Jule and her husband. When tiis Flicklngers get into comfort able circumstances not through any sud den windfall, but by sobriety, patience and industry the reader feels as if he could congratulate them as friends. Well done. Miss Hoover, for a new writer. Henry Hodon. by Thomas A Janvier. 75 cents. Illustrated. Harper Brothers, New York City. Mr. Janvier has written In scholarly, condensed style a short account of the aims and achievements of this great ex plorer, Henry Hudson, and the estimates given are Just. Much new material Is given for the first time, dug from the researches of K. G. Marsden in the- Rec ord Office, London. England, material re lating to the trial of the mutineers by whom Hudson and others were aban doned up North. It is to be regretted, however, that nothing has so far been discovered showing that Hudson's mur derers were punished. Mr. Janvier's book on the subject Just differs a little from others already favorably known. Jonathan and David, by Elisabeth Stuart Phelps. Illustrated. 60 cents. Harper Brothers. ,w York City. This la a story of the devotion between helpless, abandoned old man and his 'His life was gentle, and the elements -So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up And say to all the world: 'This was a man!'" Scene V. Act V. 'Julius Caesar." -' -,V?:-'Y A:r.'y..-.'jLL '.;At fv' - -: -' ' ' ' - '- ' v -' ' n i ii .1 :. . i . - ' - r- dog, a story so moving In its human nature and pathos that at times It dims one's eyes. The publishers deserve credit for rescuing the tale from what was probably fast-advancing oblivion, and I hope it will help the lives of thousands as a permanent American classic, show ing the gentler side of life. Jonathan Perch, 68 years old, becomes a pensioner : With (Dmt nf nJl "There was a man In the land of Us, whose name was Job." x Job 1, L . O. ancient poet, we stand today . ' And hear your song through, the centuries! Upon what Instrument did you play. That you could charm tn so many Keys? Who drew the curtains of time for you. That you might looK through the thronging years And see the men that you saw and Knew Would live to-day. with their hopes and fears? What light had you. In your dusty tent Of whence the voice o'er the olden plain That all your dreamings in cadence blent And made your fancyings not in vain? Who held your hand as you traced each word. And what is the' power that bade you give Your time and toil to the song you heard The song that, marvelous still, shall live? O. ancient poet, or prophet you Who had no scepter nor purple robe A Kingly deed it was yours to do. To tell all men of the man named Job I To show all men that the flame called life Is but a taper of feeble gleam t To sound the hollowness cf our strife And rouse the sleeper from out his dream. We do not Know If you sang afield ' Or chanted low by the city wall. But this we Know, that your song has pealed With the" insistence of trumpet calls That it is balm for the weary heart A soothing message, and 'comforting lifts the soul with its noble art O. bard of old. even yet you sing I t.Vhy need we cnilbble of name or date. When In your song you have pictured thus The hearts and hopings of mean and great. And left it echoing on to ws? Elach man may build him a monument Of things he fashioned, or says, or does. And all sufficient this call you senti "There was a man in the land of Uz!" tCoejTia-tiV US, kj on the bounty of his native town, and Is. sinking Into lonely, forgotten old age, and apparently the only friend he has on this earth is David, a sable collie dog. Sud denly the,' pound-keeper calls to take away the dog because the dog-tax of 12 hasn't been paid, and Jonathan has only been able to save 76 cents. There's a hint of tragedy in the air affecting this canine Tsam W. a. Osspmas tax-dodger, and the theme is most artisti cally handled. Famous Men of Modern Times. By John H. Haaren. LL. D., and A. B. Poland. Ph. D. Illustrated; price. 50 . cents. American Book Company, New York City. In concrete form are given, 23 sketches of great figures In the world's history soldiers, sailors, statesmen and rulers, from Lorenzo the Magnificent to Count Bismarck and the facts are skilfully ar ranged lor both teachers and ' pupils. Every incentive is used to make popular the study of history, and the book Is strongly bound and the printing very satisfactory. Dr. Haaren is associate su perintendent of schools in New York City, and Dr. Poland Is superintendent of schools. Newark, N. J. The sketch of Oliver Cromwell Isn't heroic, and is luke warm In treatment. The Master of Life. By W. D. Llghthall. A. C. McClura & Co.. Chl- ) cago. 111. " Marked by sentiment and exquisite sympathy for the strange, melancholy, chivalrous' lives of old-time Red Indians of forest days. The Indians here pre sented are not the natural born fighters whom the Oregon lava beds knew, or the kind of heathen who gleefully sacked emigrant trains. No, they are- the good Indians those of romance. Mr. Light hall has shown creditable skill in weaving together this interesting collection of In dian legends, and offering them in book form. The Seven That Were Hanged, by Leonid Andreleft. S cents. A. C Fifleld, London, England. ' . A cheap copy, in paper covers, but at such an economical price that surely any one can buy It, of a Russian novel that is a protest against bureaucracy, but so splendidly dramatic thab It has become a classic. The canvas portrays the emo tions of seven Russian revolutionists Just before they were hanged for their at tempt on the life of a high official.. If you wish to be amused don't read this little book it lsn t meat for Danes, it awes and almoEt terrifies with Its stern realism. ' Happy Hawkins, by Robert Alexander Wi nn. Illustrated. S1.50. Small, Maynard - s Co., Boston. Maas. A praisworthy attempt and it succeeds to lighten up what is already a hack neyed subject, for ranch and wild West yarns are many. The story, sparkling with philosophy and shrewd humor. Is much above the ordinary, and ought to be read to the end. The hero Is Happy Haw kins, and his doings on the Diamond Dot ranch, particularly the romance of Bar bara, the daughter of his employer, all leave a pleased and refreshed sense In the memory. Judge Fltinoodle. By Martyn W. Strouse. Illustrated. Price. $1.25. Koxborough Publishing Company, Boston. Mass. Possesses human interest and shows Judgment of character. The author de scribes the doings of German emigrants who came from Bavaria m the. early '60s, and established a settlement In one of the Middle Western states, during what is known as the free-soil period. JOSEPH M. QUENTTN. ' NEW BOOKS RECEIVED. . Number Primer, by M. A. Bailey and George B. Germann, 30 cent; Dumas' "Le Comte de Monte Cristo." In French, edited by C. Fontaine. 40 cents, and New Physical Laboratory Manual, by Charles F. Adams. 60 cents (Am. Book Co.). Books Added to Library The following; Ijooks have recently been added to the Public Library: BIOGRAPHY. ' Carlyle The love letters of Thomas Car lyle and Jane Walsh. 1009. Carr Some eminent Victorians. J90S. Dumas My memoirs. 6 v. 1909. Hlr.chman A Gummere. Lives of great English writers from Chaucer, to Browning. l9Vlntle Story of Victoria, R. I., wife, mother. Queen. DESCR11TION AND TRAVEL. " Godwin Letters written during a short resirtenco In Sweden. 1894. Hoyer By the Roman wall. 1908. Marriott Spanish holiday. 1908. S.hopfer 7hrough Persia In motor-car. I90S' FICTION. Crawford Grelfensteln. Crawford The white sister.- 7roeketl The Black Douglas. . Glaspell The glory of the conquered. Godwin The adventures of Caleb Wil liams; or. Things as they are. Graut The Chippendales. The Inner Shrine. Lane Katrine. 'Leroux The perfume of the lady In black. Rhodes Will of Allah. Thomas Little gods, a masque of the Far Ea.it. Thompson Biography of a sliver fox. Weyman Wild geese. FINE ARTS. Dtchochols Industrial photography. 1901. Holme Colour photography. 1908. Lent Sensible suburban residences. 1894. FOREIGN. Masson La lyre francalse. Meyer Karl Helnrlch; erzahlung. HISTORY. Ferrero Characters and events of Ro man history. 1909. Oman History of.tbe penlnsuu-r war. 1908. LANGUAGE. Fernald English synonyms and anton as. 1S90. LITERATURE. Fraser--Cheerful liar. Klelser How to develop' power and per sonality In sneaking. 1909. Swinburne Essays' and studies. 1901. Von Dvke Counsels by the way. 1908. Wilder The sunny side of the street. 1909. MUSIC. Lampertl A Heldrlch Technics of bel canto. 3905. Leoncavallo La Bohema. 1900. . , . PHILOSOPHY. ' Dubois Self-control and how to secure It. 1909. Edwards The liquor problem. 1906. King Laws of friendship. 1909. Munsterberg Psychotherapy. 1909. Westermark Origin and development of moral ideal. 2 v. 1908. -s , RELIGION. Bible -New Testament. -Mark. Beginnings of gospel story. 1909. Clarke Christian doctrine of God. 1909. r.!hnnn Am before Moses. . Jefterson ThlngB fundamental. 1903. Vacandard The Inquisition. 190S. SCIENCE. Bateeon Mendel's principles of heredity. 1909. bUl-lUUJlil. Allen Civics and . health. 1909. Ames Ames on forgery. 19 -I. Buckland Roman law on slavery. 1908. Demlng Government of American cities. 1909. Ilbert Legislative metnoas ana zorraa. 1001. Kldd Individualism and after; the Her bert Spencer lecture delivered In the Shel donlan theater. May 19, 190S. Merrlam primary elections, jwa. Morawete Banking and currency problem In the United States. 19(19. I arsons ana otners f rimer or airect leg islation. 1906. Srhults rcace or mongrel, jwu. Wilson Selected articles on direct pri maries. 1905. Chatlev How to use water power. 1907. Crichton-Browne Parsimony in nutrition. 1909 Decker Cheese making: Cheddar. Swiss, brick. Llmburger. Edam, cottage, etc. 190. Dukesmlth uoflern airoraKe practice, iia use and abuse. 1908. Fletcher- i ne a. ti.-z. or our nutrition. 1903- . . .... Forman Klghta or trains on single tracK. 1904. Judson Road preservation and dust pre vention. 180S. r Lamb Alternating currents. - iwu. Robb Nursing ethics; for hospital and private use. 1908. Robinson Common-sense poultry doctor. 1907. Rotlnson Keys for the practical elec trical worker of the U. S. A. 1902 ed. f oddy Interpretation of radium. 1909. Wagnei- Recipes for the preserving of fruit, vegetables and meat. 3 908. Whitehead Cooking for profit. 1893. Zeldler & Lustgarten Electric arc lamps, their principles, construction and working. 19o3. BOOKS ADDED TO CHILDREN'S DEPT. Baldwin American book of golden deeds. Baldwin Popular girl; a tale of school life in Germany. Bercy Llvre des enfants pour l'etude du f rancats. Bldcood Longman's illustrated -first French reading book and grammar. Bland Story of ths amulet. Hoxle Kindergarten story book. Ed. 2. Perkins Robln Hood. Holt. & Durton Fishing and hunting. OREGON, IDEAL LAND FOR HOMES . 1 - , 11 ' " "' 1 - ' 11 i Charm of the Wfflamette Valley, as Seen by One "Who Recently Arrived Here; No Such Combination of Beauty and Riches in Any Ot her Part of the World. (This appreciation is from the pen of a man who. on account of Impaired health, recently resigned the presidency of the Wis consin State Normal School, after years of eervloe and has made his home in Forest Grove. Or.l - BY J. W. LIVINGSTON. LAST Spring an Eastern tourist spent two months on the Pacific Coast enjoying the hospitality of three great states, and noting In turn the busy bustle of Seattle, the strength and sta bility of Portland, the homelike charm of Ashland, trie energy and bold courage of San Francisco, the beauty and prosperity of Los Angeles. The nsany attractions of this Western land have now lured, the traveler back, to make near Portland a permanent home. ' Varied are the advantages found in each Pacific state, but to the writer Ore gon seems best and Worthiest of all. Fair, Indeed, he found the sister cities ranged along the Coast, but he deems the Rose City worthy to be crowned their queen. In the horoscope of 'the future, Oregon maintains fruit rank and her metropolis remains the leading city of the Coast. What state metropolis of East or West can boast such view as that beheld from Council Crest? The pictured pano rama seen from every vantage point on Portland Heights baffles alike the brush of the painter and the pen of the poet. In the smooth, swift climb of a thousand feet, the electric car carries one past a series of charming vistas and'-a succes sion of beauteous homes, with roses everywhere. A graceful turn near the summit suddenly takes the entire city from view, and at once one looks down upon a quiet and peaceful valley Just be low the Heights. By a short climb from the electric station one quickly reaches Council Crest, where the glorious vision breaks upon the view. On every hand are seen the wild flowers of early Autumn. Just below on the steep hillsides stands bits of the old forest with its undergrowth as" fresh and wild as .was all this region ere these hllla had heard the sound of woodman's ax or the echo of hunter's gun. Farther down, the great city extends across the valley. Around her substantial business blocks flow the steady, rapid current of commercial life. The electric cars, like swift-moving shuttles, glide In all directions through the meshes of her well-paved streets. Handsome homes rest amid grassy lawns and graceful shade trees. Above the foliage rise domes and towers and spires pointing heavenward. Farther out lie the docks and the depots, the mllli and the warehouses, the foundries and the factories, and all the evidences of a thriving commercial and .manufacturing life. Through the heart of the city, like a great artery, bringing life, energy, beauty, there flows the, smooth and peaceful river. Along the banks of the Willamette are clustered the vast store houses of wheat and meat and fruit and all the manufactured products of the West. On the river's bosom are borne stately ships that come laden with treas ures from Orient and Occident. Beyond the city borders, the Willamette moves on toward the Columbia. This lordly stream comes with majestic sweep from his mountain fortresses, like some kingly prince, to claim his bride and carry her in his royal chariot to the sea. Broad stretches of meadow and farm and garden and orchard encircle the city on every side. Amid these - nestle neat homes, where health and peace and com petence dwell. In each direction radiate electric lines that carry out to scores of suburban villages and towns the pulsing energy and throbbing life of Portland. Encircling all this vast region are the ramparts of the everlasting hills. Far beyond and towering above these pro tecting bulwarks, rise Mount Hood. St. Helens, . Adams, Adams, Jefferson and Rainier." These rugged mountains with . WHITE GIRL IS MARRIED CJt&ZZf SJ& NEW YORK, Sept. 4. (Special.) A threatrleal, but none the less pictur esque, marriage took, place this week In New York City. Chief Deep Sky married Adele Rowland. The marriage of a white girl to a red man is nothing very new. but it is uncommon enough to attract attention. Chief Deep Sky is a dashing young warrior who appears in a Wild West show at an amusement park near New York. Miss Rowland is giving an exhibition of horsemanship in the same show and in this way met Deep Sky, and the romance began which culminated in their wedding this week. They were married at a benefit given at one of the baseball parks. their snowy peaks seem like hoary Titans, set as sentinels to guard for all time the homes of city rfnd valley and plain. It is approaching eventide and the bright light softens. . Like a great golden ball, the sun slowly sinks from right behind those Western hills, and the heavens are filled with a glow that gives added beauty to the scene. Iater, the tint changes to a rosy hue. and then to a deeper, darker-red. One by one the stars shine forth In the deepening blue, and in response to these heavenly lights there flash out lights from the windows of a hundred thousand city homes. In the peace and serenity of the growing twi l;ght, the far-away foothills and the dis tant mountains slowly fade from view. The watcher on Council Crest takes a long look down upon the sparkling lights X that gleam from city and river. He comes away carrying with him an in delible memory, and recalling, as he looks back, the lines of Bourdillow: t' The night has a thousand eyes And the day but one: Yet the light of the bright world dies With the setting sun. The mind has a thousand eyes, . And the heart but one; Yet the light ot a whole life dies When love Is dona. We Americans are slowly learning that beauty of scenery and charm of climate are assets of large commercial value. Tha beauty of ' Oregon scenery and the rare charm of her equable climate will more and more draw the tourist and attract the homeseeker to' her borders. The equab'.o climate throughout the entire year, - the regular recurrence of balmy breezes from the broad Pacific, the successive alterna tion of sunny days with those that bring the rain in showers of gentle blessing, the full freedom from all extremes of heat and cold, the entire absence of dan ger from the destructive force of fierca and violent storms, give Oregon weather a rare and constant charm. The double wall of the Cascades and the Rockies with their giant sentinels guard this fa- vorel region from the ravages of the Eastern s'torm gods that ride on the clouds -of the blinding blizzard, drive the wheels of dread tornado and deadly cy clone, or blow the scorching blasts that wither in a day the grass and grain and corn and fruit. Here flourish in fair and fertile valleys the plants and flowers of every clime. The sun-kissed fruits catch and hold the brightest tints of sunset and dawn, and retain wifhln their shapely cups the nectar and ambrosia of the godj. e The blending of valley and plain and slope give beauty everywhere, while the towering mountains add grandeur to the scene. The varied soils and varying alti tudes give marked diversity of products' By the climb of a single day one may pass from flowery Summer gardens. through the verdure of Springtime, to a mountain Winter that holds the snow of 1000 years. Down from these heights of Summer snow flows ice-cold water in the mountain brooks. These clear streams unite and furnish In their full the energy that drives the wheels of mill and factory, propels the electrio trains and gives the light to arc and Incan descent lamps. The mountain streams furnish the sparkling water for home and city use, lend a share to farm and gar den in irrigated lands, and at length merge with the peaceful river that forms the land-locked harbor, whither come the richly laden ships from every port. In valley' and on canyon slope and mountainside stand forest giants that tell the tale of 1000 years. Unmeasured wealth rests in the Oregon forests of fir and spruce and cedar and pine. The rockrlbbed mountains yield from their walls marble and sandstone and granite, to ripe again In stately homes and domes and towers. The ocean yields, through the Columbia, her tribute in treasures of food. Surely no land has vaster riches or greater blessings than are vouchsafed to the- favored people who dwell in the fair belt lying between the mountains, the Columbia and the great sea. ' The beauties of this commonwealth speak to the higher nature and nobler sldo of man with every voice that speaks through nature from God. Nowhere can be heard more plainly the call that comes from rippling brook, rumbling torrent and sweeping river. Nowhere else can be read more plainly the lessons of law inscribed on granite mountain walls or the calls for faith and courage graven on mountain summits. Nowhere els? do the giant priests of the primeval forests beckon more kindly to enter their peace ful temples, or outspread their hands In more gracious benediction. Nowhere do the airs of heaven breathe sweeter mu sic in the treetops. or bring balmier bieezes bearing the fragrance of the for est blended with the sweetness of the ocean. Nowhere else can one behold more majestic sweep of ocean or hear more plainly, and feel more deeply the message and mystery of the vast old s?a. Fitting for this region are these TO AN INDIAN CHIEE. aw a v x MHiWUaHlilHHHr Iff t w ' s5 I ;n I IV 3. ' I ! . f) i , , i. . ''-m -yii I . r -j snl aA-v -Th'rif irivnir ..ML.w,f. rtA (easm lines from Lowell in his vision of Sir Launfal: The great winds utter prophecies: With our faint heart the mountain strives; Its arms outstretched, the druld wood Waits with its benerticlte; And to our age's drowsy blood Still shouts tbe Inspiring sea. A half century and more ago, men came from the- East, lured by legends of thia fair land. They took months of toll to move slowly across the Western plains; to struggle up the rocky trails, to descend the steep declivities beyond, to creep over the bleak deserts, to scale again a second mountain wall as rugged as the first, to enter at length this land of promise. Their passage was marked by Indelible mem ories of toll, privation, sickness, suffering and cruelty incredible. Along the path way of these first travelers over the "Ore gon trail" rose many a low mound "that low-hung tent whose curtain never out ward swings." Today grandchildren of the generation' that gave these hardy pioneers come in fewer days than it took months these sturdy men to cross the prairies and mountains and desert plains. At the pres ent time a host of happy tourists and hopeful homeseekers pass through every gateway to this golden West. They come in tourist car and Pullman coach,, bring ing all the comforts of their home and buying at will the pleasures of a palace. They may sit In velvet-cushioned chairs and look through plate-glass windows at scenery along their route. Their tables are loaded with luxuries from every land. By night they rest in soft and well-appointed beds as safely and as peacefully Las in the quiet of their own homes, while the swift locomotives sweep the train on smooth steel rails across the yalleys, over the plains, up the slopes, through the mountains. No wonder visiting tourists are delighted with Portland and Oregon and come again as genuine homeseekers. Today each Incoming train Is crowded, the local hotels congested, and private hospitality sorely taxed. The vast multi tude has been lured by the natural beauty, the charm of climate, and the na tive wealth found here In this valley of the Willamette. They come largely as a part of the great new movement that turns from urban to rural life. Americans appreciate more and more the blessings brought by country envi ronment. They would gladly transplant their families from crowded city flats and streets unclean to reap in rural homes a rich harvest of freedom and health and competence and contentment. To live the life of a farmer boy means to breathe pure air, to bathe In bright sunshine, to feel the freedom of the sod, to rejoice In the exercise that brings hearty appetite, produces refreshing sleep and creates the rich red blood that gives courage to dare and grit to endure. The life of the farm begets men broad of chest, sturdy of -body, Btrong In limb. The doing of daily chores and the constant contact with practical problems bring out In the farmer boy the power to plod away patiently, and later in life to meet bravely and success fully the daily demands of a business or a profession. The oldtlme Isolation and lonelln?ss of the farm home is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. There Is now no three mile trip to the country postoffice to get the weekly paper, foy today, through all this region. Uncle Sam's postman takes his routine round to drop Into the box at each farmyard gate the morning news paper which tells the Intelligent farmer what wao yesterday's thought, said, and done in the remotest part of the civilized world. Along the country roadside runs the telephone line that enables the farmer to call up his neighbors for a so cial chat, speak with his grocer in the distant town, do business at the county seitt. without rising from his own chair. Better country roads- are gradually com ing and already the farmer boj' spins over them on his bicycle or rides to the city in his father's runabout. Cream eries, cheese-factories. canneries and milk condensers are all forming centers, from whiih radiate systems of Improved roadways. In each direction there now runs out from Portland well-built elec tric lines, and still more are coming to make possible In all this valley the priv ilege of suburban homes and to bring each farm home Into more direct and vital contact with the good market, the stirring life and the larger outlook found In the great city. All these advantages render the conditions offered throughout the great basins of the Willamette and the Columbia almost ideal. However, there is one great and vital lack that makes the homeseeker hesitate and causes him to Talt on the very threshold of the home that he was about to makehis own. The beauty and charm and comfort and promises of this fair homeland count with him for naught when weighed against the welfare of his children. Must his boys nnd girls bo sent away from home or else be doomed to a life of ignorance? The prevalence of crude and weak country schools and the very sight of these rude boxcar buildings, with their bleak grounds, with their unsightly outbuildings, with their utter lack of vine or shrub or tree to hide the utter nakedness, with their bare inside walls, with their poor furniture and scant equipment, with their raw and untrained teachers, convinced the home seeker that here his children cannot get even the rudiments of a good common scnool education. For this reason alone,: thousands who come seeking In Oregon homeland go back again or push on to renew their quest in other and less fa vored regions. Oregon must awake to the urgent need of better country schools. The enterprise, the intelligence of this great state must agitate, in vigorous campaign of pulpit and platform and press the consolidation of rural schools and the transportation of the children. Indiana and a score ot other states are moving far ahead In this plan to give the country boys and girls a fair deal In the matter of winning an education. The privilege of gaining in the vicinity of each home a good high school education should soon be made- in Oregon the birthright of every boy and girl within her borders. Every where the crude little country school must eventually be displaced by an attractive central building, with all the. appliances that make for good health and strong work, with a course of study closely touching the life of the home and the practical problems of the farm, with well trained and cultured teachers capable of inspiring the boys and girls of the farm and leading them to win an education that shall help make a living, while it also meets the far larger problem of help ing each one to make a life. WThen the youth on the farm can remain at home until he has won his high school diploma. the one great lack in rural life will be remedied. Many states have clearly dem onstrated that this very thing can be done. Speed the day when this shall be accomplished in Oregon, and thereby make complete that circle of rich bless ings that render this favored common wealth the ideal homeland for resident of city and country alike. In Reading AVar Stories. Atchl-jon Globe. In reading war stories, we have noticed this: There will be a perfect hail of bul lets: shot and shell turn the position into a perfect hades. After the charge, the account will state that ne man was wounded. Brazilian scientists have succeeded In developing a new variety of coffee, with unusually large, fine berries, which ripen very early..
