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.
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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..