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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1909)
7 THE STJXDAY OREGON! AX, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 31, 1000. FOBTLAXD. OREC.ON. Entered t Portland. Oregon. Fostoffte. a Second-Oasa Matter. 6aber1etHm Rate Inyartably la Ad-ranee. By Mali.) Dally. Sunday Included, on year. .. 2'ni Ii:t. Sunday Included. 1 montlwi. ... a- !.:. un.ly Included tbree month... Iai:y. Sundav Included, one montn -M? I'ally. without Sunday, ona year ,.. J Iai:y. without Sunday, 1 month. Imllv. without Sunday three month.... ! I-aily. without Sunday, ona month J Wt-ekly. ona year " Vo Funday. one year r - 6unday and weekly one year (By Carrier.) Tally. Sunday Included, ona year. -o" rally Sunday Included, one month ' How to Remit Send poatofflce money ..; ei areas order or paraonal check on you, -locarTank. Stamp, coin or currency kr. at I h .end.-r". n.k Give P'",- d uren. In full. Inrludln county and tate fcMnxe Kln-10 to 14 pajrea. 1 cent; 19 to :s p7c. 2 cent.; 30 to 40 page. 3 cent, is to So pae. 4 cent. Foreign postal double rata Eaatern Bnameaa Office The S. C Tteck-e-ltn Special Asency New Ttrk. room. 4H f." Tribune bulldlns. Chicago, room, (.IO-oU Tribute bulldlnc. PORTLAND. SIM'AV, OCTOBER 31. 109. OBEGOX LEADS THE WORLD. The Importance of Oregon In the reat world Is truly astonishing. We all glory In it- Oregon letula the world. But when the bucolic pi-ess of Oregon declare that Parliament and people of Great Britain are about to abandon their method or system of representative government, and adopt Oregon's system of Initiative and ref erendum, primary law and holy state ment, we must admit -with, fear and trembling that the probabilities are at present against It. It would, however, be a wonderful achievement for Oregon, if the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the head and heart of the British Em pire, should adopt Oregon's system as its own. Doubtless it would be some thing to the discredit (temporarily) of The Oregonian, but since this news paper finds tts chief rride In the achievements of Oregon, It would, nevertheless, quietly reap its share of the general glory. At least It could oin in the shout on the back seats, and wave a red bandanner. But will the British do It? We are told they. will because -Oregon has shown them the way. That would be a proud result. Indeed. But there are doubters, even among ourselves. There were those who doubted, indeed, some years ago. whether we of Oregon could compel the British empire to ac cept our Judgment as to the value of diver and Its position as money. Tet we felt we could crush the British em pire. If tt didn't. We are told, however, that Oregon must continue to pitch her aim high. Her next achievement must be to force the English people to abandon repre sentative government. Oregon leada the way. Oregon leads the world. The British show signs of surrender. Their white flag is on the wall! But perhaps (there always will be skeptics) It's an optical illusion, a phantasy of ourwn subjectivity, not unknown In Oregon heretofore. Nevertheless, what a proud thought it Is that Oregon leads the world! ' In one particular undoubtedly it does. In proportion to Its whole pop ulation Oregon has a wonderful num ber of provincial and ill-arranged In tellects; who, from their caves of phil osophy, up towards the heads of the hollows, believe they are giving new discoveries, new principles and new laws to the world. "Mens agitat roo lem": but these people never heard of it though It is the motto of the Uni versity of Oregon. They are superior to all learning and to all experience. Can there be anything superior to Man. in the Forks of Santiam, for whom great newspapers are published at Albany and at Portland? PHASES OF GEN. HOW-UUVS CAREER. General Howard combined with sin gular skill the meekness of the Chris tian and the aggressiveness of the rad ical reformer. Before and during the Civil War he was an abolitionist. Through the discouraging reconstruc tion period he Btood at the helm of the Freedmen's Bureau and powerful ly aided the early pioneers In the cause of negro education. Howard University, now a flourishing college for colored students, was founded In Washington largely through General Howard's efforts. In the course of the Ku Klux outrages In' the South great numbers of the sohoolhofises he had been instrumental In building were burned. When those stirring days were over the indefatigable old soldier of the cross plunged with zeal un dimmed Into the war upon King Alco hol. Howard was bom in 1830, on one of those Maine farms which fond recol lection envelops in a mist of endear ing memories but from which wise youth never falls to flee. The loose stones In front yard and garden had been piled Into fences. The- fixed boulders permitted scattering vegeta tion to reward Incessant toil with Just enough to keep soul and body to gether. Youth's twin Jailers, low birth and iron fortune, conspired to bend the boy's will and clip the wings of his ambition, but by resolute endeavor and undaunted defiance of all hard ship he escaped them. Providence blessed him with two of the choicest gifts to a boy, an unshrinking soul and a brave mother. Together Howard arl his mother faced the world and conquered It. At the academy in North Yarmouth, where he prepared for college, the young men he clubbed with were too poor to eat butter on their bread on weekdays. In place of it they had molasses, which was sup plied In Individual bottles. Butter and meat were luxuries reserved for Sunday. Their mess bill never ran over a dollar a week. Often It dropped to 80 cents. Through his four years at Bowdoln Howard followed the same regimen, pinching his stomach unspar ingly to feed his brain. Before leav ing home ' he promised his mother never to touch strong drink, and he kept his word faithfully through a long life. His room-mate at North Yarmouth was an athletic youth named McArthur, handsome and mag netic, who blighted a promising career by looking 'too constantly upon the wine when It was red. This bad ex ample would have enticed some boys to their ruin. It only fortified How ard's resolve. His choice of a career was purely fortuitous, as it Is with most men. We follow the paths which seeming ac cidents open for us. Far-sighted plan ning has littlto dowlth it. Howard's uncle In Washington offered him a cadetship at West Point. He. put aside his early aspiration to be a law yer and Jumped at the offer. His-first years at the military academy were made unhappy by his steadfast fidelity to his principles. He would neither swear nor drink, and he read his Bi ble with unwearying persistence. For this conduct he was persecuted -at first and finally ostracized. The Southern coterie at West Point, which was then predominant, took the lead in this petty behavior, but on the other hand Justice requires us to remember that It was a Southern man, J. E. B. Stuart, who stood his friend. In time Howard's 'essential manliness over came the hostility of his fellow-students. In his last year at the acad emy he attained promotion and be came popular. He entered the Civil War at Its beginning and fought to the end. General Howard was an American of the old and worshipful type whom circumstances cannot baffle nor diffi culty daunt. A self-made man in the noble sense, he made fidelity to prin ciple the guiding star of his life, and never from boyhood to old age did he set Interest above duty. His country will ever honor him as a competent soldier, good men will praise him for his service to all high enterprises, and generous youth 'will make him a hero and an exemplar as long as ambition calls and duty has power to charm the soul. NEW YORK CITY -8 ElECTIOS. The contest in New York's munici pal election has features of Interest for the whole country, yet has no ac tual bearing on National affaire. AH, however, are Interested in phases and problems of municipal government. There Is widespread revolt against Tammany; the revolt would certainly be successful if united. But against the Tammany candidate (Gaynor) there are two (Bannard and Hearst); and the probability seems to he that Gaynor will obtain the plurality. Still, there is a degree of uncertainty. On the tripartite division of the vote either of the three might win. But Caynor probably will win. He is, however, a weaker candidate than Tammany usually presents; not weaker In personal merit, but little adapted to -present conditions In the- politics and affairs of the city. He bears Tammany's name, yet is not In fact Tammany's man. But in the voting there will be little attention to party designation. The primary thought -of the majority of the vetors in the me tropolis is what they call personal liberty; that is, least possible Interfer ence by the authorities of the law. Gaynor has- bid high for this vote. It probably will elect him. Yet It would not, if all who oppose Tammany for various reasons could "or would unite. But they neither can nor will. NO WORRY ABOUT THE COURT. Oregon has two surplus Supreme Justices, who profess to obey the con stitution and the will of the people. But the constitution forbids them seats In the Supreme Court, and so did the electorate last year by a negative ma jority of 20,000. In plain words, the law and the people have ordained that the Supreme Court shall consist of three Justices. Yet two additional members of ' the court, appointed thereto-by Governor Chamberlain, thus suspend the mandates of law and peo ple in their own cases, and pass upon questions of life and property and equity of law-abiding citizens. In this business is glaring Inconsist ency; but quite In keeping with bun combe professions of many "shall-the-people-rule" politicians. Mark you, the two surplus Justices are the fruits of Chamberlainism and Statement Onelsm, each of which lays claim to superior political virtue. This matter should not be taken seriously, however, because the Su preme Court in the wind-up passes upon the qualifications of Its own members and Its orders are supreme over government and people. Already It has Indicated plainly eno.ugh what its decision will be as to the extra Judges. However, for purposes of philosoph ical discussion, the subject may be not wide of the mark, even though it be fruitless and bootless. Nobody need worry about accepting the decrees of Oregon's Supreme 'Court. They will hold valid, every one, as the court will presently malre clear. THE PENSION OUTCRY. . Helen N. Packard, secretary of the Woman's Relief Corps of the Depart ment of Oregon, In a communication published today sets forth in customary terms of criticism and reproach the attitude of men and women who are in close touch with the present pen sion system. She Is in error when she says that the statement of The Orego nlan In regard to the pension allow ance to the minor Orphans of veterans "Is misleading." It Is a fact well known that each minor child of a de ceased veteran receives 2 per month up to the age of sixteen years. T,his The Oregonlan considers generous treatment, since It certainly provides quite a sum In "unearned increment" to a family of children under the earn ing age. It Is not a "munificent sum," truly, but It is a fair and. even gener ous allowance toward supplying he necessaries of life in a dependent fam ily. " Mrs. Packard, in referring to the at titude of The Oregonian In the matter of pensioning of the young widows ot aged veterans, cleverly dodged the fact that the Grand Army of the Republic, at Its recent annual meeting, urged by resolution the repeal of the law which makes widows of veterans married subsequent to 1890 Ineligible to pen sions.' She says "It Is not likely that this law will be repealed, or even mod ified, for some , time to come." The Oregonian Is free to say that it should never be repealed, or even modified, since it has put up a necessary bar against a transparent and Indecent fraud long practiced against the Gov ernment. The case Mrs. Packard supposes, and which she says a law should be enacted to cover. Is not one that calls for relief by means of legislation. "Suppose." she says, "that a soldier's widow, re ceiving a pension of $12 a month, gives it up to marry another veteran. If she outlives him she is not eligible for a pension again. This is rank injustice." To agree with this estimate one must be so steeped In the pension Idea as worked out under the present system as to be unable to see beyond it. It may be well to remember that there Is no compulsory marriage law In this country where! y an aged woman would be forced into this predicament. If a woman la receiving, as the widow of a veteran, u pension of tit a month, she need not place her allowance In Jeopa-dy by marrying again. If she does so, and Is again-widowed. shaJias nn reajion to comDlaln if the Govern ment does not the second time corrre to her relief. The trouble is that the element of personal responsibility la lost sight of In all matters in which Government aid la demanded. But for this the pension roll would now be but a matter of com paratively a few thousand names, rep resenting men who were really dis abled by army service and widows who, while this service was being renderd, were the wives of soldiers. There would, in this case, be no minor chil dren now, nor would there have been for many years past, to claim the aid of the Government, and through such aid to be grounded In the first princi ple of dependence. The tolerance of the American peo ple for the pension Idea, as worked up by politicians and pension agents for their own benefit. In the name of pa triotism, Is wonderful. Their patience t ih face of the often far-fetched and ever-inqreas'ing demands in this di rection Is sublime. Yet the siigntest criticism against the abuses of the sys tem Is met by a storm of indignant protest from its beneficiaries as unjust, ungrateful and unpatriotic. The hold that these abuses has upon the system is disclosed by this insistent and Indig nant outcry. It measures the distance between the legitimate workings of the loyal pension Idea, which is prompt In rendering relief to men who were dis abled In tftelr country's service, and to their properly dependent ones, and the bold demand for a pension for every body who can, upon any pretext what ever, be given one. SUCCESS AT HOOD' RIVER. The people of Hood RJver have rendered two essential services to the fruit industry of Oregon, and for these they should receive credit, no matter how much rivalry may arise as to quality of fruit and prices. In the first place, they have demonstrated the superlative value of proper cultiva tion, spraying, pruning and thinning of the fruit. .They led the way in each of these processes. Others may do It all now. Just as well as the Hood River men, but a proper sense of gratitude compels us to remember that, If. they had not set the example, nobody would have followed It. Intelligent study of conditions and the faithful application of scientific labor (to over come difficulties comprise the whole secret of the excellence of Hood River fruit. . But the Hood River" men did am other thing which is of more practical value than the mere production of good fruit. They Showed how to mar ket it at remunerative prices. To raise a fine crop Is comparatively easy, es pecially -when, one knows how and Is not afraid to work. But to sell it after It Is raised is an art which few farm ers understand thoroughly. Here Is where they almost always fail. The Hood River producers gave up trying to make each individual orchardlst an expert packer and marketer. Realiz ing that this was a hopeless ambition, they had the supreme 'good sense to pool their interests and hire compe tent specialists to do the work for them. The specialists demanded large salaries, but the orchardlsts made money by paying thorn. The first thing they did was to make an absolutely honest pack. This won Its way in the market and now the Hood River crop Js bought purely on Its representation. The buyer Is never deceived even in the minutest particular, and In return he can afford to pay prices which yield the farmer very large returns. We may say, then, that the secret of the Hood River men's financial suc cess Is co-operatloa. If they had not been able to pool their interests and work together for a common end, they might have produced superb apples, but they never would have grown wealthy by doing it. Co-operation has saved the profit for the producer at Hood River and it will do the same thing everywhere else. MALE AND FEMALB CHI LDREX. Nature' exerts, herself to insure the perpetuity of life in many Ingenious ways. One of Darwin's most attractive books describes the intricate devices by which Insects are made to carry pollen from one orchid blossom to an other and thus fertilize the seeds. Re cent Investigations prove that most seeds and fruits develop better under cross-fertilization. We might have suspected this from the fact that so many calyces contain honey which lures bees and other winged lovers of sweeta to vlsltHhe flowers and thus be come unconscious dlffusers of pollen. The Oregon Agricultural College has lately published a bulletin which ex hibits the .benefit of cross-fertilization to the apple. All varieties, it seems, produce larger and finer fruit under Its influence, while some, like the Jon athan, remain sterile unless provided with pollen .'rom trees of another name. Those who have studied the subject", are often in doubt whether Nature has been more ingenious In In venting devices to perpetuate, life for vegetables oranimals. Of course the main outlines of her plan are the same in all living creat ures, or at any rate in all which have evolved to a certain stage. The pol len of the flower which is essential to the development of the apple, peach or grain of corn has Its parallel in the animal kingdom, and so has the fruit Itself. In the more advanced forms of life the two elements which must combine to transmit the principle of vitality are not found in the same In dividual as they are In many flowers. There must be a contribution from both the paternal and" the maternal side, and it stands to reason that there Is some law concerned with the union of theoe two elements which would en able scientists to predict the sex of off spring, if they only knew what it was. Their efforts to discover It have ben untiring for many centuries, but until very lately they have been almost fruitless. One or two pertinent facts have been known for a long time. For example, scientists are agreed that af ter a -destructive war we may expect more boys than girls to be born. Na ture seems to desire to keep their re spective numbers about equal, and the effort to repair the slaughter of males on the battlefield Is apparent. Under normal conditions the number of adult women in a given community slightly exceeds that of men, but this is not Nature's arrangement. It must be attributed to the greater hazards which men run in the'Ir activities and the higher death rate which usually ensues. ,, The same fate befel the hypothesis that the food eaten by mothers af fected the sex of their children. It has proved to be groundless. So have a dozen other more or less plausible conjectures. It is needless to say that the .silly superstitions connected with the cubjeot are innumerable. As In many other cases, the explanation o the sex of offspring turns out to be ex tremely simple in spite of the long time physicians have taken to discover It. An English physician, E. Rumley Dawson, seems to have hit upon the secret. At any rate, his little mono graph on the subject proffers a good deal of evidence which appears con vincing. His reasoning is easy to fol low. The maxim "Omne vivum ex ovo" applies to human beings as welT as all other members of the animal kingdom. The ova which originate human life are contributed by two structures marvelous! like labora tories which have been placed one on the right side of the maternal frame, the other on the left. Dr. Dawson's hypothesis is that life originating from the right Is male, that from the left Is female. Paternal Influence has nothing to do with the sex-of progeny. This explanation is so simple that we wonder why It was not advanced long ago If It Is true. But very often the most obvious inductions are the last ones which science succeeds In mak ing. It happens that Dr. Dawson can produce some strong evidence for his theory. Surgeons occasionally extir pate the right or left ovary, leaving the other Intact. Dr. Dawson finds that when the right one Is spared all subsequent children are boys. The re verse Is also true. He formulates laws which'must prove of great inter est to physicians, whereby it can al ways be known upon which side the ovum originates,' so that the. sex of a child can be determined before it Is born, Of course it follows that the numbers of male and female children can be regulated to suit social require ments. THE NEW RELIGION. Dr. Charles W. Eliot's discourse on "The New Religion," which is printed in full today in The Oregonlan, is so sensible and catholic that It surprises one to think anybody should have been antagonized by It. Part of the hostil ity it excited no doubt arose from the mutilated statements of his thought In fragmentary reports which flew over the country as soon as the address was delivered. Another flood of "antag onism nay be attributed to the In eradicable hatred of many theologians to the principle of flux as applied to their science. Dr. Eliot begins his .dis course' with the unqualified- assertion that religion is as fluent as any other thing on earth. It'is not the same to day as It was yesterday, and tomorrow It will be something different from what It is now. This tendency to change Inheres in everything, and re ligion cannot escape from it. The ef fort of theologians has always been to fix a set of beliefs so firmly that they never could be altered. The attempt Itself is absurd, since the natural changes in language vary the signifi cance of creeds as soon as they are written, while the Inevitable advances In our knowledge of man and nature continually give new contents to the verbal forma. An unchangeable relig ion la a contradiction in terms. Admitting this undeniable fact. Dr. Eliot seeks to set down somewhat ex plicitly an account of the beliefs which men are likely to hold for the next generation or two. The principle of authority he thinks is losing ground everywhere. Its Impairment is no less visible in the sphere of politics than In religion. Men no longer think of government as something or somebody from which we are to take orders, but as an instrumentality for service. Like wise organized religion seems likely to see In Its officials not persons who are to be adored and obeyed, but merely men who have large opportunity for benefiting their fellows. Such senti ments as awe, obedience, worship, are to give way to mutual sympathy, wide understanding and the desire to serve. With the principle of authority will go, Dr. Eliot believes, the Idea of a God who personifies some of the more repulsive aspects of nature and some of the more cruel Impulses of the hu man heart. God, as "he conceives of him, resembles somewhat the univer sal energy which we see at work around us in the motions of the plan ets, growing vegetation and the lives of men. He does not separate the deity from the world, but repeatedly speaks of- him as "Immanent," and It is impossible to draw any clear dis tinction between Dr. Eliot's concept of God and the "Evolution Creatrlce" of Henri Bergson.' The deity Is simply the power that does things, that Is the long and short of It. He does not say explicitly that there is In each indi vidual man a spark of the immanent God glimmering more or less brightly, but he implies it clearly enough and thus we are brought to identify Dr. Eliot's God with the "Will to Live." In fact, the distinction between the Immanent deity of the New Theology, Bergson's Creative Evolution and the Schopenhauerian Will to Live Is every where thin and elusive. They all come to the same thing. But Dr. Eliot waves aside specula tions of this sort. He accepts a con cept of God which Is frankly anthro pomorphic and has the spunk to glory in It. "What other concept could, we possibly form?" he bravely inquires. The only choice we have Is between a God made-up of our worst qualities and one made up of our best ones. Dr. Eliot prefers -the latter and lets t" ) former slide. Hla mind is fixed on the things of this world. He draws a les sor from the incessant striving of the universal will to live and preaches to men the gospel of what Dr. Saleeby calls "Divine discontent." One of his finest and most characteristic sen tences contains the thought that "the new religion will not attempt to rec oncile men and womn to present Ills by promises of future blessedness, either for themselves or others. Such promises have done infinite mischief in the world by Inducing men to be patient under sufferings or depriva tions against which they should have incessantly struggled." This ,1s gen uine optimism. The theory that this world is "the best possible" and that human conditions admit of no Im provement. sometimes parades under the title of optimism, but the name does not belong to it.- Such preach ments are sordid pessimism. Dr. Eliot In the sublime courage of his old age and long experience, pro claims the battle cry of hope. The Ills of the world are curable and man Is adequate to solve the problems which confront him. Moreover, he need not wait till he reaches another world to do It. . All good things are possible here and now, and we are moving to ward them with blessed speed. . He finds the key to much that is desir able in the new time in the growth of goodwill among men. Nothing seems to repel Dr. Eliot more in the tribal religions which we are outgrowing than their disposition to foster hatred among the nations. Each prays to its God to bless his own people and curse the rest of the world. The God he be lieves in loves all men alike, not mere ly in formal phrase, but In actual deed. Good will is to increase from- day' to day and gradually transform all our civic Institutions. He foresees a time when there will be no such things In the world as "work for daily bread without any interest in the work." He thinks It is possible to get the work of the world done wlthout,unhappiness to those who do it. Surely when one thinks it all over ft seems woeful that those who do the Indispensable things for us should be penalized with scorn and pain. A relig ion which could relieve them would recompense us fairly well for the lpss of a few vain formulas and empty creeds. Very likely Dr. Eliot's address will be accepted by reflective men as the finest statement of the rower and loftier religious thought of the world that has ever been made. It rings with encouragement. It vibrates with hope. It expresses more adequately than any other discourse we have read the novel confidence in the universe and in him self which science has Imparted to map. Of course, the new religion will be based on knowledge and will deem the supernatural, or that which is be yond knowledge, as of no consequence. Dr. Eliot exemplifies this brave and manly attitude with admirable com pleteness. THE PORTLAND WOMAN'S UNION. The Portland Woman's Union the oldest organization of its kind in the city or in the Pacific Northwest de voted to the interests of working girls will hold its quarterly meeting at its boarding home, on Flanders and Fif teenth streets, tomorrow afternoon. This is an "open" meeting" In the sense that the entire membership of the union, and all others who are Inter ested In the work, are invited to come In, enjoy Its hospitality and learn of Jts work. v . This organization represents the self-denying and -more or less exacting labors of those engaged in carrying on Its work for years. It la an industrial and educational organization, the founder of the Woman's Exchange, which Is still one of its auxiliary work Ing forces, and It conducts a boarding home in which, to the limit of Its ac commodations, working women and girls find a home suited to their needs at prices which they can afford to pay. It is not in a financial sense a charita ble Institution. Its object is to help se'lf-respecting working women to help themselves In such ways as their tastes and needs suggest. An -intelligent and energetic effort is to be made the coming year to erect a building of modern construction suit able to the growing needs of the soci ety, to supplant the frame building that now occupies the site and that has for many, years stood for all that the term "home" Implies to a larg num ber of working girls. The work is most worthy and the society will no doubt receive all the assistance it needs to carry out the long-cherished plan of constructing a building in ac cordance with its requirements. The society Is strictly non-sectarian and represents through its organiza tion and efforts the best that there is for the encouragement of working women in self-helpful ways and In the feeling of security and self-dependence that comes froiri conscious and recognized ability to secure a home for themselves, when necessary, by means of their own efforts. It Is t be re gretted that the name "Woman's Union" does not more definitely sig nify the scope and purpose of its work. MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE. ' Some statistics compiled by a writer in the New York Times from the last census, give the United States an un enviable pre-eminence among the na tions of the world in respect to divorce. We grant, it appears, 73 divorces an nually to the 100,000 population. No other country begins to approach this figure except possibly Japan. Up to the year 1898 that country granted the unexampled number of 215 divorces to the 100,000 population, but the scan dal has greatly diminished since that date because of remedial legislation. It is doubted by statisticians whether Japan now permits as many divorces as we do in proportion to the popula tion. The European nations which are our nearest rivals In laxity of divorce laws are Switzerland, France and Ger many in the order named. Switzerland is a country where Ideas of Individual liberity have long prevailed and ec clesiastical sanctions are not over whelmingly strong.. Some of the can tons are Catholic and very likely. If the statistics were to be examined critically. It would be found that In them the number of divorces Is negli gible, as It is In Ireland and Austria. The latter has but one divorce an nually to the 100,000 people, while Ire land has fewer still. One would natur ally expect the Protestant cantons of Switzerland to furnish a decided ma jority of divorces, Just as it Is in Prot estant countries that they become startlingly numerous.- Germany, which comes next to France, is not, to be sure, unanimous ly Protestant, and yet the provinces of Prussia are of that faith in the main and taken altogether its Catholic pop ulation is in a distinct minority. France would seem at first sight to offer a glaring exception to the rule that divorces and Protestantism keep even step. That country stands next to Switzerland In the scandalous list although the population for the most part belongs, in form at least, to the church of Rome. We must remember, however, that for some years past France has been in poltical revolt against the church, and this fact has without question reacted to loosen the sanctity of the. marriage bond. The French legislation, which has made di vorce comparatively facile, has been an outgrowth of the hostility between church and state, . and wherever the law permits married couples to separ ate we may be sure many will do It; Indeed they will separate whether the law permits.lt or not. In countries where divorce is difficult or Impossi ble old unions are dissolved and new ones contracted without the formal sanction of either ecclesiastical or civil law. It Is extremely doubtful whether the genuine condition of pub lic morals is any more commendable in Austria, where there is but one di vorce to the hundred thousand people, than it Is here, where there are seventy-three. In the United States the severed couples contract legal mar riages with other persons; in Austria they enter into concubinage. One who desires to form a true esti mate of the condition of morality in any land must look far deeper than the divorce statistics for his data. He must, for example, acquaint himself with the' statistics of wife desertion poverty, drunkenness, and many other circumstances. In South Carolina, where divorce is more difficult than elsewhere in the United States, mob law is widely prevalent, education is deficient and the general tone of civili zation Is low, while wife desertions are terribly frequent. Even in Austria it is hardly liitely that a candid observer would take the lnfrequency of divorces as a complete recompense for the pov erty, Ignorance and general wretched ness which prevail. It Is notable that in Switzerland and France, which are the two European countries where the general condition of the people is most enviable, the proportion of divorces is largest Parallel in interest with the divorce statistics which are published In the Times run some facts about the num ber of marriages. We learn from this very interesting account that the United States, in spite of all our panic talk about race suicide, has more mar riages to the ten' thousand marriage able couples than any other. commu nity In the world except Hungary. The, proportion Is least In old and non-pro-pressive states like Connecticut. It Is greatest In certain regions of which Oklahoma is a type, and in the South. These sections of the country must be studied separately, If we would under stand the reasons for their high mar riage rates. In the Oklahoma coun try, where land Is fertile and still comparatively cheap, the struggle for existence has not yet acquired those stern features which it exhibits in states like New York and Connecti cut. Inasmuch as it Is easy to support a family, the responsibility of mar riage is ' lightpy assumed and at an early age. The same is true in Ne vada, where wages are extremely high and the male population largely com posed of miners. This class of men Is not particularly occupied with worries about the future, and, as long as the pay envelope at the week end is com fortably full, they will not hesitate to marry. The high marriage rate in the South Is easily accounted for, and In spite of all that rosy-minded vision aries may say, It Is by no means en couraging. It Is the unmistakable con sequence of ignorance and improvi dence. The negroes are not to be ex pected to count the costs of marriage any more than of their other actions. The same is true of the poor white trash in even greater degree. In gen eral we may say that students of so cial conditions look for an abnormally large marriage rate In communities which are unusually prosperous or un usually thriftless. "Tag day," as Instituted by and conducted under the auspices of the managers of the Baby Home in this city, has proved a gratifying success financially. It has, moreqyer, brought prominently before the public the In stitution for which It stands and the work that it is doing. Best of all. It distributes the expense of the home evenly over the community In a way that does not tax the resources of any individual. The receipts from the effort made in this directoin promise to be quite substantial. Earnest, gentle, sincere,, forceful, and withal womanly, Eva Booth, com mander of the Salvation Army in the United States, pursues - her strenuous way, intent only upon the alleviation of human misery, the betterment of the human race. It Is thus that she passes from city to city, unscathed by criticism "a calm and gracious ele ment," beloved by the multitude that hails her as commander and respected by the public. The mother of eight children, the youngest a babe in arms, was recently committed to the insane asylum from Oregon City. She had once been an Inmate of the asylum In New Mexico and had manifestly been for years un fit for motherhood. What manner of man Js her husband? In deference to the prejudices of the Missouri University football team, Iowa University left a negro player out of Its regular line-up. Missourians al ways were a sensitive people. But it Is going to take something more than polite words to eliminate a oertain J. Johnson. Gus Lowit will now get a chance to try his Justly celebrated hypnotic spell on a trial jury. Gus may have Just a little trouble, for there will be no sus ceptible bank cashiers there. Bank cashiers are the great Lowit specialty. When Jeff and the negro were sign ing up their "articles" champagne was served. Whoever gets "licked" will lay his defeat to "booze." They say that's what knocks out nearly every fighter. It appears now to be agreed that It Is not a safe idea to start a bank in Portland when the sole capital of the 'TSankers" is nerve and generous opin ions about the use of depositors' money. Germany's grand Admiral von Koes ter likes reporters. So does everybody; but there are many ingrates who, af ter getting what they want, forget what reporters have done for them. Tin. great New York campaign is down-to the prediction stage. Hearst never yet failed to sweep everything before him up to the 'time the polls were opened. No question ever has been raised when Mazamas scaled a high moun tain. It is unfortunate that Mazamas have not climbed Mount McKinley. Tibaldo stirred up what might be termed a tempest in a Greece , pot. There have been men who with 300 Grecians accomplished more. Re member Thermopylae. - ' Even his most ardent critics will no-r admit that Jack Johnson Is handy with his fist. He can sign his name. What more can any one demand in a fighter? Oregon's State University now has two complete football teams with which to meet rivals. The cause of higher education is making big strides. Your pocketbook may be a little lighter this morning, but the babies in a certain East Side home are a lot bet ter off. . We verily believe Teddy R. could climb Mount McKinley without the necessity of bringing back an affidavit. Perhaps the mysterious doings in the Sanders home were those of the spirits practicing for Halloween. rrlapaaalonate niarnaaion, Thl. of Hra aotut For and Afralnat. The McMlnnvllle News Reporter. Already the question of holding ad visory conventions is coming to the front and is being discussed pro and oon. There are those who hold that such gatherings will serve to do away with the direct primary law, while oth ers .say it will do nothing of the kind. Some maintain that- the movement Is essentially one of the old bosses who desire to regain lost prestige. Othefm deny this. The next election is a year away, but It Is proper that the question should be thoroughly discussed In ample time. In discussing the matter, too, there should be as little prejudice as possi ble andv there should also be a rea sonable allowance made for the opin ions of others. Just because another does not agree with one is not by any means a sign that he Is dishonest or disreputable, and while there are some, it is true, who are not after the1 gen eral good, the greater number are. The News Reporter takes it for granted that the vast majority of Its reader are of that kind, and like this journal desire to get at the real facts and act accordingly. a a In dealing with many questions, theories and facts often fall to har monize, and It Is not always eaRy to discover Just where the two diverge, at least until after the theories have been given a fair trial. So It is with the one before us now. To start with, the question for discussion Is, should or should not advisory conventions be held. That depends on several things. Does the holding of these conventions affect the direct primary, and If so to what extent? If they do. will the re sult be gain or loss? Is the direct pri mary all It should be in the way it has been carried on in the past? If not, why not, and how can it be bet tered? Will these advisory conven tions secure desired results? Right now it is safe to say that direct pri maries, and direct primary laws will be maintained. After several years' trial, the people of Oregon are con vinced that while there may be some flaws In the way it has been carried on In the past, the principle is all right, and eventually any weak points will be itrengthened. It may be that the present law can be bettered, or pos- sibly that there is some other way of accomplishing desired results. a That the results obtained so far are not altogether satisfactory (to the peo ple In general) has become self-evident as has been fully demonstrated. It has been proved to the unprejudiced mind beyond any question of doubt that thousands of the minority parties have registered as members of the majority party in the State of Oregon, as is shown in that Bryan received about 10,000 more votes than the registered -Democratic strength; and the Socialist candidate vote was about the same proportion. This is one great ' fault with present conditions. Another is that the nominations are not well dis tributed over city or state under the disorganized plan in existence. There appears also to be an aggravated ten dency on the part of defeated candi dates to knife successful ones. The last Is perhaps of less consequence than the others. The second, however. Is such that those from more remote parts of a district have little show to win a nomination from almost any can didate who may announce himself from the most populous center. This second reason, then together with the disor ganization of parties, is the cause of the advisory conventions. a a Now what power would these con ventions have, if Instituted? No doubt ordinarily they would, in general, strengthen the person so named, unlesg some of the old-time disposition should assert Itself too strongly, when it would doubtless prove a boomerang, for the people will have and hold the power to nominate In their own hand3, and can turn down any or all those named by the conventions. In fact, any one who had gone into the conyentton could appeal from that decision if he so desired, and he would" be justified In doing so If chicanery was used In his overthrow, and he might be Jus tified anyway. THE CONTEST IN NEW YORK. It Is a Breeay Contest, a You May Judge From Theae Remarks. New York Sun. Maquereau Is a French word to which Mr. McClure has imparted a' certain familiarity by printing it quite recently in his magazine. Ordinarily it means mackerel; but as used by Mr. McClure it denotes something very different. Our impression is somewhat vague, hut it seems to us to smack of Murphy. Can it be that Murphy Is a maquerenu? And If Murphy Is a maquereau what Is the lcthyological equivalent for Crnm? We can form no opinion as to the particular moral procedure of the mack erel or as to its personal habits where by It Is taken to be typical of Murphy. He does not look like a mackerel, although we confess that the profane press has occasionally pictured him in attire affected mackerelwise, not to say striped. He has, it is true, an ancient and a flshllke smell. Cram too, doubtless; but what one in the noble army of fishes familiar and diversified Is that which stands for the new co parcener and accomplice, the transpon tine and illustrious Gaynor? Fishes there are that look like people and people that look like fishes, but where is Gaynor? Murphy says that Gaynor will be elected chief mackerel next week. Murphy's mackerel money proclaims the Issue loudly in terms of two to one in the hotel corridors. It is Murphy's well-known way of expressing his con victions. There is Joy unaffected at the prospect. The upper strata of crime cannot dissemble their exultation; Murphy's deputy maquereaux proclaim Gaynor everywhere; Gaynor and per sonal liberty; Gaynor and faro; Gaynor and Lutetla; Gaynor and cakes and ale! There is not a mackerel between the East River and the North River or between Dan I-'lnn and Spuyten Duyvil that can contain his feelings. A few weeks ago these merry bawds looked askance at Gaynor. Their fas tidious stomachs revolted at him. They had heard of him most unfavorably. A man addicted to much talk of decency, of the rights of man, a roller of omi nous phrases about evildoers and the need of measures Draconian. But Gay nor has talked to them In person, the head maquereau of Tammany has winked his reassurance and they have taken him, new fish scales and all to their bosoms. We doubt if even Gay nor himself ever realized, until just lately, how bad a man he could be once that he let himself go. And so Gaynor Is to be elected Mayor of New York next week! We take Murphy's word for It- To believe Mur phy is to believe that New. York do serves Gaynor. It is to believe that the opportunity and the duty to elect a man of clean life, ability and honor are alike revolting to the citizens oC this town.