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SEPTEMBER 12, 1909.
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rOBTLIM), 61XDAT, SEPT. It, ISO.
"ixttre life" iv the old testa
mjext. That there Is no definite affirmation
In the Old Testament of the doctrine
of a future life, or personal Immortal
ity, is the general consensus of Bib
lical scholarship. Some endeavor to
read the doctrine (nto certain texts,
and profess to satisfy themselves; but
their rendition of the text is subject
to grave doubt, and their neglect of
other texts which plainly imply the
contrary, show clearly how insecure
the ground of their affirmation is.
The Jewish Tribune (Portland) has
been drawn into a debate or. this sub
ject, by persons of Christian faith,
who question a statement made by it
that there is no affirmation in the
Old Testament of the doctrine of a
future life, or of immortality of the
human soul. The Oregonian Is drawn,
to an extent, into the debate, by its
publication of a paragraph In support
of the position of the Jewish Tribune.
The latest Issue of the Tribune has a
close and somewhat extended exam
ination of the texts cited against its
position; particularly the texts in Job.
The texts are difficult, obscure arid un
certain, and into the translations
Christian eschatology has read its own
interpretations. The great text Ls Job
x!x:25-27. thus rendered In the King
James or authorized version:
For I know that ray redeemer Ilveth. and
that he shall stand at the latter day upon
the earth: and though after my skin, worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall
see God: whom I shall behold tor myself,
and mine eyes shall behold and not an
other. The passage ls highly elliptical; such
words as "worms,'" "day," "though"
and "body" are Inserted In the. text by
the translators, and other liberties are
taken with the text by them to make
It meet their demands. The -word "re
deemer" is not the equivalent of the
word In the text, which means "vindi
cator," or "one who will Justify me."
The editor of the Jewish Tribune
translates thus, which is close approx
imation to the version of scholars in
general:
And I know (I am sure) that my re
deemer (one who will Justlfy-roe) llreth. (It
may take a long time, eren) he may stand
the last on the earth, even after this my
kin will be shrunken (yet he will prove my
Innocence): and shall 1 aee God (God's
Justice) from my (afflicted) flesh? This
(my lnnooence) la what I see for myself;
It is what mine eyes have seen and not
some other (person told me).
In Froude's "Short Studies on Great
Subjects" (article on the Book of Job)
the translation is similar. Davidson
(Introduction to the Old Testament)
says the common version (authorized
translation) doesn't render the mean
ing at all. but changes or misses it.
The word translated "redeemer"
should be rendered "deliverer" or
"vindicator"; the last "day" Is not in
timated: "In my flesh" is wholly wrong;
It should be "without flesh." And "it
ls the extreme of perverted interpreta
tion to find 'the Incarnation,' as well
es 'the resurrection," in the passage."
Davidson continues: "That a Jew
could have held the Christian doctrine
of the Messiah's incarnation is a singu
lar assertion, betraying total ignorance
of Mosaism and of the Old Testament
generally. The patriarchs had no con
ception of the resurrection of the body.
The idea of it was unknown to them.
Their faith did not even embrace a
belief m the immortality of the soul."
Driver (Literature of the Old Testa
ment) In general agrees with David
eon on this and related passages; but
he suggests that "the thought of a fu
ture beatific life ls nascent in Job; It
ls expressed, not as a generally ac
cepted doctrine, but first as an aspira
tion, afterwards as a moral persuasion
or conviction on the part of Job per
sonally. Had it been a dogma at the
time it was written, it must have
formed one of the premises of the ar
gument, which is not the case." Again,
says Driver, the term "redeemer" In
the passage "is used in a sense the
very opposite of the Christian applica
tion, to denote, viz: a deliverer, not
from sin, but from affliction and wrong
not due to sin."
To quote Davidson again: "The Idea
suggested in Job was an extempore
flight of faith, which had no influence
In resolving the problem discussed In
the book; for the Issue of the whole
is that Job sees God on this side of
the grave and receives an attestation
cf his integrity. As a reward to his
faith the Deity comes down in love to
him before dying, to declare his inno
cence of the crimes laid. to his charge.
Thus the solution does not advance be
yond the point contained in the Penta- .
teueh."
The Idea began, however, to grow
later in the Jewish mind, and among
some of the sects it had gained a foot
ing before the time of Jesus. After his
death it became a fundamental doc
trine of Christianity. The astonishing
miracle of the resurrection was neces
sary to support it. But this is not un
der present consideration. The point
here Is the remark of Dr. Mosessohn,
of the Jewish Tribune, with which The
Oregonian expressed agreement, that
the- Jewish Bible contains no texts that
assert the doctrine of a future world.
Into the passages that seem to many
to support later doctrines new mean
ings have been read, since the rise of
Christianity meanings not known to
the historians, prophets and poets of
older Israel. To the scholarship of
the modern world no fact ls better
known.
Of other passages cited to prove
that the Jews had the idea, the doc
trine, the dogma, of future life and
Immortality of the soul, and that the
Old Testament carries it and expounds
it, we say nothing here. It would
Involve too long, too tedious, too close
examination and statement. From the
Book of Job the principal passages are
cited. Christian exegesis has produced
wonders with them, and with other
parts of the old Hebrew Scriptures:
and the errors of the citations and
analogies and fulfillments, seen In the
later literature, are easily detected
now and well understood. The Chris
tian world has taken great liberties
with the old- Hebrew Scriptures, for
support of its own ideas. But, after
all, why shouldn't the Jews be heard,
In the interpretation of their own
Scriptures, their own literature and
life ? They have sown seeds that have
taken root in other soils, and ideas
started by them have been carried far
on many of them sadly changed, and
even perverted and distorted. But It
may be supposed the Jewish people
know somewhat better than others
what they have themselves always
thought and believed, and what is the
truest and best Interpretation of their
own historical and literary and relig
ious life. From the parent stock
Christianity has more lessons yet to
learn, for correction of its ownmisap
prehensions. Why should it at once
worship its origins and despise them?
PEARY'S STOBV.
No one who has read the epitome of
Commander Peary's march to the
North Pole will think of doubting its
genuineness. It is a plain, straightfor
ward tale, with less exultation than
the achievement Justified. Peary is
generous in publicly recognizing the
services of brave men in his command
who obeyed orders with zeal and fidel
ity. The conqueror who sets out to
chronicle his own victory should as
sume modesty If he has it not. In this
respect Peary shows good taste. He
plays the man by paying full tribute
to man's best friend among animals,
without whose service the expedition
would have failed.
It is an Intensely human document.
Peary wastes no time attempting to
describe the absolutely desolate region
north of 84. He carries his reader
with him In the forced marches, the
blinding sun, the piercing winds, the
bitter cold, the awful thirst, the care
of the men In his command, the al
most superhuman fight against sleep,
the buckling, crunching ice, the fears,
the hopes, and finally the indescribable
Joy of victory complete. It Is one of
the rare stories of human achievement,
that does not invoke sympathy for the
conquered.
We shall have the - story later In
book form, more elaborate and colder
and heavy with details; yet the tele
graph narrative is told with sufficient
fullness to be presented this week to
millions of school children too young
to read it for themselves. They should
not be made to wait until publishers
have time to revise primary geograph
ical textbooks. Incidentally it is per
tinent to say that the Pacific North
west would have waited a long time
for the Peary story except for Mar
coni's great discovery and the very
expensive newspaper undertaking of
carrying it across continents and
oceans by telegraph.
WELL IRRIGATION.
Mr. R. M. Brereton's pamphlet on
"Well Irrigation" deserves studious at
tention from those who wish well to
agriculture In the Willamette Valley.
Irrigation from wells is usually
profitable, as Mr. Brereton points out,
only on small farms, but inasmuch
as large farms have been one of the
worst mischiefs which Oregon has
known, thiss no objection to the
project. Anything "which presents a
motive for dividing up huge tracts of
land among many families ls a benefit
to the state. Irrigation is essential
to successful farming in the Valley. At
least it increases the yield of a great
many crops. If it can be applied from
wells better than otherwise, then, by
all means, let wells be dug and pumps
installed.
There ls a sad lack of information
among farmers about the expense and
efficiency of pumps. How to gear
them, what power to employ, how to
manage the water after it Is raised,
are questions which they find puzzling.
The Agricultural College will doubt
less find a way to transport a simple
pumping outfit from place to place be
fore lortg and send somebody with it
who can explain its action in minute
detail. Instruction of this kind is
what the farmers must have before
Mr. Brereton's brochure can be very
valuable to most of them. Hundreds
of men who are convinced of the value
or irrigation are still perplexed by
simple questions of ways and means.
OS JTJMiTSO POETS.
A grave writer In the New York
Evening Post thinks it worth while to
discuss the question "whether a poet
ought to be judged by his best work or
by his poorest." A moment's reflec
tion shows that the principle Involved
ls a great deal broader than a mere
law of literary criticism. It must ap
ply not only to poets, but also to men
In general and to all human Institu
tions. In asking whether Shakespeare
lso be Judged' by his "Titus Andrgni
cus" or by. "Hamlet," we -impllclily
ask whether John Marshall's ability is
to be estimated by the flimsy reason
ing In the Dartmouth College case or
by the argumentative power he dis
played In discussing the extradition of
Jonathan Robblns; whether our judi
ciary ls to be admeasured by its futile
efforts to punish criminals or by de
cisions like Mr. Taft's in the Narra
more case; whether the common
schools are to be condemned because
they ruin children's eyes and give
them tuberculosis, or praised because
they rear, upon the whole, an Intelli
gent body of citizens: whether the
church is to be Judged by those minis
ters who run away with other men's
wives or by its Savonarolas and Wes
leys. To everything and everybody
upon earth there is a bad side and a
good one. Which we shall choose as
a standard of Judgment depends very
much upon our own, taste and temper
ament. It is possible to say that a poet's
best work, like Wordsworth's "Ode on
Immortality," for example, was merely
a flash In the pan, a sort of passing In
toxication which gives no indication of
the true strength of .his genius. To
discover that we must look at such
works as "The Excursion," especially
the duller parts of that formidable
production, and from those weary
pages we must assiduously select the
prosiest In order to get at the genuine
flavor of Wordsworth's poetic gift.
Those flat and dismal lines show what
the real Wordsworth was. The lines
on Tlntern Abbey were the fruit of a
species of automatism, and the poet ls
no more entitled to the credit of writ
ing them than if he had copied them
from some other person. Indeed, it
might be said that he did copy them
from some other person, for when he
wrote "Tintern Abbey" Wordsworth
was not himself. Thus the sordid
critic might reason. In our opinion,
however, a man is more himself when
he is at his best than when he ls at
his worst. An American worklngman
on a strike, frenzied by hunger and
confronted with the agony of a starv
ing family does not represent the true
genius o? our institutions, nor does his
condition accurately sum up the in
fluence of republican Institutions upon
the common people. His wrath and
disobedience to law are exceptional.
His habits o,f quiet industry and loy
alty are the rule.
Nor is it any fairer to judge the
church by the Holy Rollers or the
fanatics who pretend to speak with
tongues. Such phenomena are but ex
cresences. They are more like a dis
ease than a normal outgrowth of re
ligious life. Even when a poet's mood
Is habitually sour and self-conscious,
like Kipling's, It seems more just to
estimate his genius by the scattered
lines of pure beauty which he pro
duces than by the bulk of his somber
ravings. Kipling is an example of a
highly gifted poet who has spoiled his
work by taking himself too seriously.
He imagines that the whole weight of
the British Empire rests on his poor
shoulders, and the burden so bows
him down that he rails at everybody
else in wrath and sorrow because they
do not help him bear it. In reality
his part of the burden is but small,
and. If Borne kind friend could only
convince him of it, his verses would
Instantly gain in Joy and lightsome
humor. For all that Kipling has writ
ten fine poetry and it is by this he
should be Judged, rather than by such
things as his "Recessional," 'which
calmly assumes the Lord God to be an
asset of the British Empire. -I
With some exceptions people In gen
eral are disposed to Judge institutions
by the best they do or have done,
while they Judge their fellow men by
the worst that can be said of them.
Fortunately this is not true of poets
and other writers. It ls their good
fortune to have their foolish produc
tions forgotten and their wise ones
treasured for the ages. Nor is it true
of such men as Washington and Lin
coln. TJie tendency of the American
people Is to fprget that either of
these heroes was afflicted with human
weakness or ever guilty of the slight
est foible, bn ordinary men are not
so lucky. Our friends are more dis
posed to remember the mean actions
we have committed than our deeds of
generosity. Poor humanity ls . in
clined to think as hardly as it can of
its own kind. On the other hand,
institutions are usually adjudged with
great charity, with too much some
times. HoV many political parties
have lived on ' year after year with
nothing to warrant it but the deeds of
half a dozen founders generations be
fore? To all criticisms the -present
inheriters of power reply, "Our
mighty progenitors some hundreds of
years ago did thus and so.- In at
tacking us you blasphemously attack
them." Commonly the reply is suf
ficient. When the church is criticised
for Its feebleness today, it answers
that the church in the time of St.
Paul was a miracle of energy and
martyrlike devotion. So it was. Why,
therefore, take the trouble to be ener
getic now or to be devoted to anything
in particular? It would be well, one
might venture to think, If mankind
would reverse the principle by which
it makes Its judgments and use a little
more harshness toward institutions
with a great deal more leniency
toward individuals. Institutions we
have ourselves made, and it would be
within our power to correct their
faults as they transpire if we could
only get over the awe which our
handiwork Inspires In us. Individuals,
on the other hand, with all their
faults are made by the Almighty and
since cruelty cannot correct their
fallings why not coyr them with
charity? If we could only fall into
the habit of doing so, the world would
run more smoothly, but whether It
would go upward or in the other di
rection it is not easy to say.
OPERA IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
Why do not people go to hear
opera? For one thing, it ls a dis
tinct trial of the patience -to sit two
or three hours and listen to a lan
guage one does not understand. Of
course, the music is the principal
thing. The orchestra, the singers'
voices, the high notes and deep har
monies are all that ought to concern
us. The story Is but a trifle. Still,
humanity ls addicted to trifles and
nearly all would enjoy Madam Nor
elli's charming execution a good deal
more If they knew what she was waft
ing over or rejoicing about. When
her woes and raptures are expressed
in Italian, they are only half ex
pressed so far as an American audi
ence is concerned. Good sense long
ago taught those of us who enchant
admiring friends with our dulcet voices
in the parlor, not to deluge them with
foreign languages. The singer at so
cial gatherings ls thankful to be toler-'
ated when he warbles in English. If
he ' executes Schumann's Ich Grolle
Nlcht he is merciful to the German
and leaves it unattacked, whatever he
may do to the music. Opera singers
might learn a useful lesson In this par
ticular from the - drawing-room. If
they would use English on the stage,
even broken English, they would have
larger audiences, 'There Is genuine
pleasure in understanding what Is
sung In one's hearing.
Suppose an orator in the frenzy of
a political campaign should desire to
Inflame the patriotism of his audience
with a selection from Demosthenes.
If It were a Portland audience, would
he give the passage in the original
Greek? The tones of his voice might
excite some men's emotions If he did.
Here and there ,a susceptible listener
might fall Into raptures over the mellif
luous melody of the discourse, but
upon the whole, the orator would miss
his effect, for the sufficient reason
that nobody would know what he was
talking about. It is hard to be much
moved by mere noises, no matter how
beautiful they are intrinsically. In
spite of the abundant evidence to the
contrary, man is a rational creature,
and If you desire to excite his passions
you must first appral to his under
standing. That ls why "programme
music" is more popular than any other.
People have a key to it and it delights
them to know what the composer was
driving at. Transcendental artists
despise this sort of pleasure, but It
is more substantial a thousand times
over than anything they get out of
their ethereal vacuities of sound.
Rlgoletto sung in Italian to an
American audience is very beautiful,
of course, but it does not mean much.
The performers might Just as well at
tach some other series of words to the
notes. Few would be any wiser, or
less wise, if they employed the tongue
In which Monsieur Jourdaln was raised
to the rank of a Mamamouchl. There is
a trite story of an orator at a Chautau
qua assembly who was" advertised to
recite the Lord's Prayer in Sanscrit.
What he actually did was to recite the
English alphabet in sonorous tones
with passionate emphasis. The sus
ceptible hearers were moved to tears,
partly by religious emotion, partly ry
the consciousness that they were In
the presence' of profound scholarship.
Opera companies who sing in foreign
tongues rnJght. if they were shrewd,
spare themselves the trouble of learn
ing the libretto so far as Americans
are concerned. It would do quite as
well to repeat the alphabet over and
over. But. after all, there is a fair
retort to this. "If Americans do not
like to hear operas In Italian and. Ger
man," the singers might reply, "why
do they not compose some equally
good ones In their own language?"
Why not, indeed?
AN rNFAMTLIAR SIDE OF TENNYSON.
Professor Harry Thurston Peck,
writing in the Bookman for August
the centennial month and year of Al
fred Tennyson departs from the
usual routine of memorial writers and
uncovers a side of the character of th.
poet that all who have enjoyel Ms
poetry and who have regar.ied him
with profound reverence must wish
had remained behind the friendly veil
of silence. Feeling, it would seem,
that it was his duty to make of the
somewhat mystical Tennyson a "hu
man" figure. Professor Peck lays bare
alleged idiosyncrasies of the poet be
fore an ast nished and regretful world.
Under this rude touch the author
of "In Memorram" appears in pri
vate life as a self-assertive boor, care
less of the feelings of others; a man
whose guests were often appalled by
his grimness, his sullen silence, his
rude indifference to all the duties of a
host. Sometimes, we are told, he
would bear down all other conversa
tion In arr.ogant monologues upon his
own achievements, usually ending with,
what seemed to be interminable reel
tation of his own productions. This
is a not uncommon idiosyncrasy of
genius, and, though a heavy infliction
to his guests, was, after all, not un
pardonable. But when, further on,
this chronicler tells of a strong vein of
coarseness that belonged to the very
nature of the man; a way of uttering
coarse things in language that was di
rect and forcible; that when Longfel
low a man almost feminine in his
delicacy of feeling and expression
first visited him; the poet laureate en
tertained him for an hour or more
with" obscene stories; that he requited
favors- shown him by Edward Fitzger
ald, the translator of Omar Khajyam,
in his obscure and stuggling youth by
utter neglect . when he himself was
famous and Fitzgerald was a feeble
old man, we turn in quick revolt from
the disclosures, wishing the chronicler
had stayed his pen.
The portrayal Is one that Jars upon
the sensibilities of all who knew Ten
nyson through the subtle charm of his
poetry, the nicettes of expression that
contained not the faintest hint of
coarseness, the charming imagery that
was without fear of gross conception.
An unfamiilar side of Tennyson truly,
and one that we could wish had not
been revealed, since, while the charm
of his poetry remains, the personality
for which It seemed to stand and with
which It was associated has suffered
the blur of vulgar commonplace.
"
OTHER CONTROVERSIES.
The controversy between Cook and
Peary over the discovery of the North
Pole will be nothing novel In the his
tory of exploration. There have been
many such. The quarrels -of travelers
are only less numerous and perhaps
more entertaining than those of liter
ary men. The controversy between the
adherents of Columbus and Amerigo
Vespucci over the discovery of Amer
ica need not detain us now, for it is
probably too antique to be interesting,
but it is very well known that Vespucci
did his best to steal the glory which
Columbus had fairly earned, and actu
ally succeeded in affixing his dishonor
able name to the new world. Poets
in their more exalted fits speak of the
United States as Columbia, and there
are a river, an insignificant country
and some towns and counties named
for the most famous of all navigators,
but in the whole hemisphere which
he opened to mankind he has no suit
able memorial. But . it is perhaps
hardly seemly to speak of Columbus
In connection with the discoverers of
the Pole, for, though their achieve
ment is admirable and the difficulties
they overcame were great, still what
they did will not change the trend of
events very much. Now that we know
how the Pole looks, the world will
move on exactly as before, while the
discovery which Columbus made gave
birth to new nations.
There are plenty of parallels, trow
ever, to the dispute between Cook and
Peary. Perhaps as good a one as any
other ls the celebrated passage be
tween Speke and Burton over the dis
covery of the sources of the Nile. Up
to about the year 1860 the head of the
Nile was more of a mystery than the
North Pole Itself. It was vastly more
famous in literature and had occupied
the ingenuity of adventurers for thou
sands of years. As early as the year
50 of the Christian era a Greek mer
chant named Diogenes penetrated the
wilderness of Eastern Africa, and
brought back a story that the Nile had
twin sources In two great lakes near
a range of snowy mountains. This
was marvelously near the fact, and a
cetnury later the famous Egyptian
geographer Ptolemy quoted and be
lieved Diogenes' tale; but for all that
nobody else visited the lakes for more
than 1700 years, and it canre about in
course of time that the account was
taken for fiction. In 1773 a Scotch
traveler named Bruce explored the
Nile as far as Khartoum, going up the
river from Alexandria, and correctly
mapped its course. He naturally sup
posed that he had won immortal fame
by his labors. Imagine his chagrin,
then, when he was Informed by a
French mapmaker, D'Anville, that
certain Jesuit priests had preceded
him and given a more correct account
of the river than his own. The sad
experience broke down his health so
comjfletely that he did not recover for
a long time. One may hope that
Peary's bulletins will -not have the
same disastrous influence upon Dr.
Cook.
Afterward the Egyptian government
pushed its arms up the Nile to Gon
dokor&v, in latitude 5 degrees north,
but beyond that town the river re
mained an enigma to Europeans until
Speke and Burton began their explora
tions. They set out in 1854 from
Aden not Poe's blissful Aden, but a
speck of a city in the extreme south
western corner of Arabia, which Eng
land had seized upon for the sake of
her route to India. Thence the trav
elers, after some delay and bickering,
began their journey through Abys
sinia, but they got no farther than a
little way Into Somaliland, where they
were turned back by the natives. Then
the fun opened. Speke accused Bur
ton of mismanagement. Burton
charged Speke with treachery and in
gratitude. Both men, wro masters of.
the fine art of controversy, and both
were famous travelers. Burton before
that time had made his Incredible pil
grimage to Mecca disguised as a holy
faker, during which he spoke Arabic
so .well as to deceive the born sheiks
of the desert, and performed the Mo
hammedan, ritual with such accurate
fervor that he was everywhere taken
for an especial favorite of Allah. It
was this Burton that afterward edited
the "Arabian Nights" to the delight of
everybody who loves good ' reading.
Still, he seems to have been about as
good as spoiled by too much petting
when he began his travels with Speke.
In particular, the fond flatteries of an
adoring wife had debauched his soul.
To make matters worse, the defeat in
Somaliland wrecked his nerves so that
when he and Speke began another trip
across Africa from the eastern coast
Burton proved little better than a
drag. . Speke was an admirable trav
eler, a soldier, a diplomat and an all-
round good fellow whom the naked
savages fell in love with at sigljt. They
particularly admired the beard he
wore. When he reached the earthly
paradise of Karagwe, on the west
shore of Victoria Nyanza. in a sub
sequent Journey, it is said that his hir
sute beauties set up a new fashion
among the subjects of King Ruman
ika, who had theretofore shaved their
faces clean.
Burton dallied and lingered at the
coast so long that Speke finally left
him behind and started out alone.
Before a great while he actually
reached Victoria Nyanza Lake, which
is the true source of tlfe Nile. Natur
ally he hastened back to Europe to
make the announcement of what he
had done, and quite as naturally Bur
ton was filled with envy. The quar
rel between" the two travelers broke
l out with renewed vigor and in some
1 . i . . 1 1 . . 1. -11
quarters it its uui rnucu i"u6n cm
this happened some sixty years ago.
There is no doubt at-all that Speke de
serves full credit for discovering the
source of the Nile, and there Is Just as
little doubt that Burton never helped
him at all, but rather hindered him.
Nevertheless the partisans of the
famous Orientalist deluged -Speke with
fiords of billingsgate, of which some
rivulets are flowing still. They even
went so far as to say that Speke was
"only half educated." What right had
a man who had never graduated at
Oxford and who knew no Greek to
discover the head of the Nile? It was
almost as impertinent as it was for
Shakespeare, who had small Latin and
less Greek, to write "Lear."
LAND VALUATION IN ENGLAND.
Tn the verv nature of things, land
under our system, will always be
obliged to bear the greatest part oi ine
weight and burden of taxation. As
fast as the value grows the land is as
sessed increasingly on "the Incre
ment." Values in Portland have been
raispd five- fold bv the Assessor within
a short time. This official doesn't
wait for any new system or method of
compelling the owner to pay. rie
i-n.uxi the valuations: and no one can
deny that the valuations for taxation
have been increased in our Northwest
tat! aa faat as the actual valuations
have mounted up. The Increasing tax
comes on the unearned increment, one
year after another.
rrTisiniipntlv we haven't the prob
lem here that they are wrestling with
in England. Official registration of
values there, for purposes or taxation,
is made at Intervals far between.
t fRtatps haven't been
revalued since 1872, and further
back. These, of course, are not pay
ing taxes enough. The bill brought
forward by the Liberal" party in Par
liament proposes revaluation. ine
work, it ls supposed, will require three
or (our years. The United Kingdom
niriM ho divided into about 120 districts.
arid the assessors are to advance or
adjust the values on an equal system,
to the true worth of the property, as
nearly as may be. On these values
there Is to be an equalized - rate of
taxation.
In our country this wouldn't be
tvmiio-Vir rovnliitlonarv at all. It Is
going on continuously from year to
year. Landed property with us is re
quired to pay every year on its In
creasing values. In England, it seems,
the opponents of fair taxation are dis
posed to call this system confiscation.
A very large part of the soil of Eng
land, .including metropolitan property,
is wned by a few' very wealthy men,
who pay but small taxes on 1U and
they call the effort to tax It upon Its
actual value a socialistic scheme, de
signed for seizure of their property.
The Tory aristocracy ls wholly against
it, and some of the Liberal aristocracy
is taking the same side. -
It ls universal, when men have had
special privileges for a long time, to
find them bitterly opposing change, as
completely subversive of government,
Justice and law.
- FLYING AND MOTORING.
It Is not a mere jest to say that
flying ls likely to prove less danger
pus than riding in automobiles. The
chances are that it will be sarfer both
for participants and spectators. Some
lives have been lost in experiments
with aeroplanes, but not nearly so
many in proportion as were sacrificed
before a generation of mechanics was
trained up to manage automobiles. At
about the time when the races in
the air were going on at Rheims,
there were motor car meets both In
America and Europe. The latter oc
casioned several fatal accidents to
spectators, while at Rheims not a per
son was injured out of all the gazing
crowds. Le Febvre, who was killed
on September 7, owed his death to
his own rashness.
It is really excessively dangerous to
be present at a race between automo
biles, for the momentum of the ma
chines is frightful, and the slightest
tremor of the chauffeur's hand may
send one of them plunging madly into
a throng of human beings. On the
other hand, even if an aeroplane goes
wild, there is nobody standing near
h crushed bv it. If it falls there is
plenty of time for spectators to run
away before It strikes. Many reasons
concur to convince one that flying will
not only prove to be a more exciting
sport than motoring, trot that it will
be far less perilous. Naturally one
thinks it terribly risky to sail about
high in the air, but reflection suggests
the more substantial dangers of being
transported along the earth's surface
In a projectile. It Is sad to fall plumb
down 100 feet, but it is sadder to be
hurled head foremost against a huge
oak at a speed of a mile a minute.
The chances of an accident in an au
tomobile are greater than in an aero
plane, while It is quite as likely to be
serious. If the engine breaks down
in the air one can use a parachute,
but he has no similar recourse when
the automobile plunges off a bridge.
Detailed information as to the rail
roads of iba world, furnished by the
Scientific American, shows out of a
total of 594,867 miles of railroad in
the whole world 268,058 miles are lo
cated in North America. This ls but
little less than the total for the three
continents of Europe, Asia and Af
rica; Europe having 199,385 miles,
Asia 56,294 miles, and Africa 18,519
miles, a total of 274,198 miles for the
Old World. South America has a
total of 34,911 miles, and Australasia
of 17,700 miles of railroad, which,
added to the figures for North Amer
ica, makes a grand total for the New
World of 320,669 miles.
We are sorry that some of the peo
ple of Clark County, Washington, add
a superfluous, unnecessary, redundant
and unhistorical letter to the name of
their county. The Clarks never added
an "e" to their name; and of a dozen
Clark Counties in the United States
named for the noted brothers, the one
t in Washington is the only county that
misspells the name. It is spelled prop
erly also on Clark street, Chicago.
The New York World rightly says
that Forester Pinchot should calm
down. If, as he says, "President Taft
ls solemnly pledged, with all his Ad
ministration, to carry out these Roose
velt policies" as to water-power sites,
why is he engaged in an underhand
attack on the Administration? Perhaps
Pinchot will be Pinchout, pretty soon.
Assessed values this year in the City
and County of Los Angeles exceed
those in the City and County of San
Francisco. In Los Angeles, $585,000,
000: in San Francisco, $539,000,000.
But of course the values about the Bay
of San Francisco are far greater.
Had Roosevelt gone to the Pole and
contended with Cook and Peary for
the honor of .discovery, there would
be two men more life members of the
Ananias Club, you may depend.
Mighty hard, as it Is, to tell who has
been at the Pole: who hasn't.
Lest, Oregon apple-growers who
have not kept up with the procession
may feel discouraged because the
Hood River-Mosler crop brought over
$2.50 a box, let them recall the fact
that the culls from some Oregon or
chards sold last year at 85 cents.
At the Seattle exposition yesterday
New England day was represented by
the arrival at Plymouth Rock of 102
pilgrims in small boats, who were wel
comed by 100 friendly Indians. Every
thing lovely. Subsequent events were
not shown. '
The newspapers are the first vic
tims. They must "put up" to get the
Peary and Cook stories. But each of
these explorers will soon be in the lec
ture field. Then the craze at $1 a
head will cost money.
According to Captain Robert Edwin
Peary, we have been "gold-bricked"
by Dr. Cook. There was a time vvhon
officers of the United States Navy em
ployed language becoming an officer
and a gentleman.
,The Brooklyn sewer ls to do its
work at last. . It takes time to
straighten out the follies and blunders
of the Lane administration; but
something is being done in that direc
tion. Work has begun on Multnomah's
new courthouse. There is no telling
when the expense of this grand house
will end. But that doesn't concern
officeholders; they don't pay the price.
"Not a bumpier wheat crop this year
In the Northwest" james J. Hill.
"Only about 50,000,000 bushels
larger than some previous years.
The truth Is good enough. I
The chief question in the Linnton
road tragedy is not so much whose
auto killed the woman as who were
speeding the road that night and on
what business.
Mr. J. P. Morgan has stepped into
the breach, and it is said to be his in
fluence that is sustaining the stock
market. We hope Mr. Morgan's health
is good. "
The impression seems to be growing
in Seattle that what Dr. Cpok really
discovered was the Seattle totem pole.
Isn't It In the exact center of the
earth ?
Query: Why cannot one whjte
man, two Eskimos and a bunch of
dogs travel just as fast over a stretch
of Ice as. more men and seventy dogs?
There is still another discoverer of
the North Pole to reckon with. Don't
forget the colored gentleman. Matt
Henson, who was with Peary.
Undoubtedly the six best sellers for
September will be geographies, arith
metics, grammars, histories, spelling
books and readers.
Without expressing an opinion as to
airships, we think neither Cook's nor
Peary's route will ever be popular with
automobiles. '
. Walter Wellman is wiser than either
Cook or Peary. He started back home
before any possibility of dispute could
arise.
Taikinar mav undo a hero, but Mr.
Peary and Dr. Cook have passed suc
cessfully through many dangers.
Divorce is easy these days in Mult
nrfmah County. Five Circuit Judges
are devoting themselves to it.
Sooner or later, accidents to avia
tors will be reported, but, fortunately,
with no long list of names.
In view of Peary's comment on
Cook, the Ananias Club will have to
seek larger quarters.
The silence of all-those big red auto
mobiles in the Linnton road tragedy
looks ominous.
Ti. ha milto ns conclusive if
XL IIIO.J
Peary and Cook settle it in a 24-foot
ring.
ti ,.-. h'ardlv be "divine vengeance"
when the devil plays so big a part.'
Now, Dr. Cook.
Some Few.
Washington Herald.
That lite has been a failure
Some hasten to admit;
They'd rather yelp and ask for help
Than strive a little bit.
That life has been a failure
They willingly confess.
They'd rather shirk than go to work
And make It a success.
TOPICAL VERSE
Da Saftee Kai'.
I had a gooda customer,
Com' free time week for siiav;
Bimeby he gatta een hee head
Idea for wunta save.
"Can't pay for shave free time a wsxek,"
One day to me he says:
"DIs week w'en payday com' I gat
For me da saftee rai'."
He no com' een my shop, I theenk.
For one week, maybe two;
I tlieenk perhap' I losa heem.
For w'ich I liata do.
Baycause da barber beaziness,
Een Summer time ees bum;
Da people off on da vacash'
An' no for shava com'.
One day my customer com' een
An' taka heesa chair;
Hees face look lika. scratch weeth cat.
An' scratch you call "for fair."
Bayfore I speak for heem he say,
"Don' ask, for eef you do,
I breeng da saftee raz' een here
An' try for shava you"'
Boston Herald.
The Necessary Element.
"Will vou sail with me on the sea of
life?"
'Twas thus he asked her to wed.
"You bet I will if you raise the wind,"
The maiden succlntly said.
Young's Magazine.
Lyrics L'Africanlque.
(In this the peculiar songs of the
desert are admirably reproduced.)
The ostrich speeds across the sand;
Gay beplumed is he, and grand;
He careth not for Teddy and
His slauRhterously inclined band,
Gluschee, gawawa quaee-cooka-es!
Gawawawa!
The zebra zigzags o'er the zade
And joins the zooful serenade:
Where, resting In the zephyrous shade.
They fear no Teddine fusillade.
Zulopopewa! Zillopopewa!
ZstluscU!
The amphibious hippopot,
Who lives where it ls very hot,
Will have to hide an awful lot .
To hide the hide that he has got.
Woo huboo! Woo buboo!
OO-OO-OO-plubobupp
Zade. A kind of pluff.
This is the kind of noise the hip
popot makes when dead or dying.
Puck.
The Homeless Husband.
I look across the table to her favorite
rocking chair.
And it seems almost uncanny not to see
her sitting there
With a pair of baby stockings or a little
waist to mend,
Forever sewing, sewing at her task that
has no end.
Hero ls her wicker basket, with its nee
dles, tape and thread,
There is her household magazine that al
ways goes unread.
Here her last birthday present, securely
laid away
I used to give her diamonds, but scissors
do today.
A man whose wife is at the shore may
properly carouse.
But 1 remain all evening in the still and
empty house.
And while I would not mention it to any
one but you,
I'm lonelier than Crusoe and I'm feeling
mighty blue.
I try to read the paper. I light my friend
ly pipe. -
But smoke clouds bring no comfort ami
there's little balm in type,
And though I looked with gladness to
this week of bachelorhood,
I'm surely not enjoying it as I suppose
I should.
O husbands young, who have not known
the lonesome feeling yet.
Be warned in time, 1 pray you. and es
cape untold regret;
And harken also, all ye wives beside the
ocean foam
To him whose wife is out of town there s
no such place as home.
Newark, N. J., Evening News.
' September Reflections.
Ol' September comes along
No mo' roses, no mo' song;
No m' bees a-buzzin' soft;
No mo' singing' birds aloft!
T will miss each ol'time friend.
But dese tears is jes' make 'tend;
Sumpin' whispers, "Hallyloo!
How about dat oyster stew?"
I suppose I ought to be
Singin' in de lonesome key,
"Good-bye, blossom! Good-bye. all!'
But dar's other come to call.
An' when I stahts in to frown
'Long dar comes dat whisperin' soun'
Till I'se laughln' through an' through
"How about dat oyster stew?"
Washington (D. C.) Star.
Our Army A Color Study.
Long years we knew the Boys in Blue,
Who ended human slavery.
We cheered their fight for truth and
right.
And eulogized their bravery. ,
The Blue went down, and Khaki Brown,
To which we could no thrill award.
Was proper dress, when, to suppress
Revolt they moved Manilaward.
Now comes this stab at Olive Drab.
To stir satiric merriments.
While bloodlessly they fight or flee
In gay war-game experiments.
In conscience fight the Blue seemed
right;
Hard force the Brown epitomized;
But Olive? Say. that does for play.
Its use ls thus legitimatized
Brooklyn Eagle.
Nellie's Kisses.
When NeHie wants another gown, .
She kisses me;
When Nellie wants a dress for town.
She kisses me;
whono'er she craves a bonnet new.
Or shoes to match her stockings blue.
A pair of gloves, a veil or two.
She kisses me.
Whene'er my Nellie wants a fan.
She kisses me;
Whene'er she wants a sash of tan,
She. kisses me.
it oUa uran-rs monev for a coat.
Or underwear.. I always note
She throws ner arms aoout my mrosi
Ana KiDses me.
Detroit Free Press.
A Land Lubber.
I do not care to aviate,
To run an aeroplane;
I'm satisfied If on the earth
I only may remain.
I have no wish to fly about
From fleecy cloud to cloud;
I have a face, two less, ana arms
Of which I'm very proud.
And while It may be very nice
To sail the azure blue,
I do not care to break a leg
Or e'en a rio or two.
I do not care to aviate,
On earth I m glad to stop;
Where if I fall I still may live
To take another drop.
Detroit Free Press,