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(OLOCL KOOoCt ri.TS Mi Tit la
The Uonsevett threat of a bolt U the
club that will be helJ over the Nation
al Kepublli an convention to force hla
nomination. It has not been made In
plain wurds or express terms, but It
appears clearly enough through the
dr.phic sememes and ominous mut
trrlrgs of the battlln Colonel and the
mora- explicit and significant state
m.nli of his unrimxsled followers. That
i i,,mel Kooeevrtt tray actually bolt
N. of rnurw, not certain: but that
he I willing to have It understood
that the convent!" n meets under the
ha low of a certain pllt In the party.
If he shn'l not be nominated. Is obvi
ous enough. Colonel Roosevelt's tac
li. a are coerc ion. lnt!mtia:ion and
panic. Thev had to be. In no other
way could he have made the astound
ing progress he ha made In hla cam
pa. en; and in no other way could he
bae made an Impression on the dele
gate already elected by the Taft or
gaciatloas. especially from the South
ern states.
The tplral Southern delegate to
Republican National convention Is a
political eheep: and thouc who are not
sheep are Urly mercenaries. They
are bnuicht alth political patronase.
Thev are a band-waon reiriment of
T-nlitl-al lieulans who fight only on
the side of the rlrtor'.ous general. If
the lwe a I'renldential battle, they
l.e eer)thlnc Jobs, prestlpre and alt
but honor, which they never had. They
are largely colored men herded by
abler hlte men. who are willing: to
Ine In the South In defiance of the
n.UI rtraclm usually visited on
them bv the dominant white South
ern sentiment and feeling. It takes a
white nian of a peculiarly Indifferent
spirit and caj".lron epidermis to run
Federal political machine In the
South, t f course, not all Southern
Republicans are officeholders and not
all Ked.'ral office holder In the South
are mere pin. e-hunter and pclt-rlcl-r.
Hut the delegates from such
states as Mississippi. Alabama.
tieorsUi. TexTs and Arkansas mostly
are. anil they leaven the whole South
ern representation.
It m.v be easily understood, then,
how Col.ncl Itooet-velt and his man
agers expect to break Into the South
ern delegation at Chicago, though
many have previously been tied up to
Taft. That many Ta(t delegates from
the South are already In touch with
the Koivsevelt machine is not to be
doubted: and that they only await the
opportunity to get In the Roosevelt
bandwagon Is unquestionably true.
They 1 ve a winner: thry hate a loser.
They ftht for bread and butter only.
They are for the old llag and an ap
propriation. The greatest danger to President
Tait at Chicago la the knowledge that
lie controls the convention only by a
narrow margin. If he shall carry
hlo with a substantial majority of
the delegates. It will be difficult for
the Roosevelt managers to demon
strate that he can be beaten for the
romlnailon. and the President will be
able to hold the wavering delegates;
but If h!. shall be lost it will be a
lieavy blow to the President, both be
cause he in-ill suffer severely In pres
tige through loss of his home state,
and because of the actual gain In
delegate by lit principal competitor.
Hut the Southern delegates will not
be the only Republican at Chicago
who are deeply anxious that the con
vention shall name a successful candi
date. Kit wholly creditable reasons
many erons will be there who will
seek to promote harmony between the
belligerent factions and. If need be to
i hoo?e n new candidate whom both
can gracefully and willingly support.
Such persons see In continuance of the
present tremendous struggle not only
the defeat of the Republican party
this year, bu' Its complete dismember
ment and ruin.
If Colonel Roosevelt shsll be noml
rateJ. a Urge number cf Republicans
who have never before voted for a
Ivmocrat mill vote for Clark, or Wil
son, or Bryan, or any other Democrat.
With Roosevelt comes the deluge, they
think: and they might a well precipi
tate the flood by accepting the alter
ratlve. There are many Republicans
who will under no circumstances vote
for Taft. and they on their part are.
rea.ly to follow Roosevelt wherever
he leads them and whatever conse
r.nence are to follow.
If Taft shall be nominated. It ts cer
ttln tht he cannot be elected, unle.
Rooseveit supports him and unless the
Ivmocrat make a f.ital blunder in
their eictton of a candidate.
If Roosevelt shall N nominated by
:h Republicans, he cannot be elected
un'e.s Taft shall support him and un-..-.
the IM-mocraLs make a stupid
choice
if thre should be two conventions
t Chicago, and Roosevelt and Taft
iouM both run. nothing but the in
tervention cf divine providence can
prevent a pemocratic victory, with
snxbody as the nominee.
We get from the Seattle Argus the
disconcerting Information that "tha
North Bank road l pushing through
! Astoria as rapidly as possible and
to tsr as freight Is concerned will
make Portland simply a flag station."
Perhai the Argus meant pulling"
t.-steaJ of "pushing. for tho North
Park has been "pulling" trains
through to Astoria nearly, if not quite,
as rapidly ss possible for several
ie.tr. To be more definite, the As
toria 4t Columbia River Railroad has
been In operation between Portland
and Astoria about II years, and for
a considerable portion of that time
l as been owned by the "North Bank."
which in turn Is owned In ejual pro
portions bv the Northern Pacific and
tireat Northern. The North Bank is
sol bulliiing a railr--a J to Aston. On
the other hand, it has applied for
certain franchises preparatory to the
Initial expenditure of $J. 500.0(10 In
additional freight terminals in Port
land which ta some expenditure for
a 'flag station."
BRIANS BALOiClNQ ACT.
Bryan Is doing the great political
balancing act. sitting on the fence,
walking the tight rope, or whatever
one may be pleased to call It. between
Clark and Wilson. He has declared
he will have none of Underwood or of
Harmon, but as between the two -progressives-'
be professes to have no
preference. He emphaslies his Im
partiality by saying- this to a Balti
more Sun reporter:
I have trfa!iy avoided taking any posi
tion, eeperlally In Nebraska, wb-rs 1 havs
c"fitmully rler:d my refusal to lake
.dr.. Ths only pl In which I tried to
exert any Infls.nc. In my own precinct
In Lincoln. I n afraid a on.-idrd vote
thers as between lisoa and Clark might be
token an Indication tltat I either
f.r tbo man wha ld or that I had no ln
fluoncs anions m neighbors So I HUM
tno workers thoro to try to get the vole as
near.y ss post. bio snd suetd Inst
tno ijemiKTrsls aires among themselves to
t.tt hslf and haX ... I was glad to
find tno tois In tho proctncl almoot a tl.
c:ark sot IS anJ Wilson la. Bo am proud
of my prscincl.
Mr. Bryan Imagined that the whole
advanced wing of Democracy was
walling for a word or a hint from him
and that on receiving It his faithful
followers would flock to one or the
other candidate. To such a point did
ho carry this tribute to his own great
ness that he saw In his mind's eye the
Democracy of the Nation awaiting In
breathless suspense, the result of the
primaries In his own little Nebraska
precinct, of which no man beyond a
radius of a few miles would have ever
heard but for the advertising he has
given It. This Is the man who aspires
to handle the great problems which
come before the President of the
fnlted States.
But there is a motive peeping out
from behind Bryan"s attitude of Im
partiality aa between Clark and Wil
aon. Being a candidate has become a
habit with him. Should Clark and
Wilson go to Baltimore with about
eiual strength, and should neither be
able to win enough votes from the
minor candidates to secure a two
thirds majority, the resultant deadlock
would be Bryan's opportunity. He
hopes that the weary delegates, swel
tering In the Summer heat, will turn
once more to him. Bryan will keep
his eye fastened on the Presidency as
long a he Uvea. Just as Tantalus
stretched out his hand for the brim
ming cup from which he was doomed
never to drink.
Bryan denies In the Commoner a
rumor, of which no one else has heard,
that he will be a compromise candi
date before the Republican conven
tion, but nowhere In the Commoner
doe he say he will not be a compro
mise candidate before the Democratic
convention. This denial and this si
lence combine to give a hint to the
Democrats that he is willing to lead
them once more.
THE TXACIIEIW RETIREMENT TSI.
The teachers retirement fund, qui
escent for some time except for month
ly dues deducted from the salaries of
teachers who have subscribed, was
Increased by a contribution ef 1300
from the Meier Trank Company r.
few days ago. In connection w-lth the
acknow lodgment of this gift it Is stated
that the committee In charge of the
fund is endeavoring to bring the Irre
ducible fund for the payment of an
nuities up to 150. 000. this being nec
esssary before payment of annuities to
teachers who have served thirty years
as provided by the rules of the associa
tion, can begin.
The object of this association is a
most worthy one. It Is necessary,
however, owing to lack of fund, to
proceed carefully and slowly In order
that the stability of the fund may not
at any future time be menaced by
withdrawals In the way of annuities
that It cannot support.
It Is provided In the by-laws of the
association that before any teacher
who has taught the required thirty
years can become an annuitant he or
she must have paid Into the fund the
sum or $00 In dues. While there are
several teachers, half a dozen perhaps,
in the city schools who are entitled to
retire, and who could do so by pay
ment of the sum above named, the
f ct that the irreducible fund is not
now sufficient to warrant the payment
of annuities compels them to keep on
teaching. Since It will require some
thing like six years to bring the en
dowment up to the required sum
through the payment of dues by the
teachers who are members of the as
sociation It Is earnestly hoped by the
committee In charge that contribu
tions to the fund may be made by gen
erously disposed persons to the end
that annuities may be made available
as soon as possible. The object Is a
worthy one and well deserves support.
TV F.1RD. WOVDERITL, WIRIIJIIS.
In selecting or designating the seven
wonders of the modern world the fac
ulty, graduates and seniors of tha
chemists seminary at Cornell Univer
sity headed the list with wireless teleg
raphy and closed It with the telephone.
It is not likely that there will be a
dissenting voice In all the realm of
science to the first choice. The cur
rent or element or messenger that
On Tlewlees feet, o'er rth by man untrod.
Hun. on strange errands for Almighty God
makes every day and hour a bid for
wonder that human intelligence is slow
to satisfy. The value of this Invisible,
Intangible power, that speaks in whis
pers through the air to the listening
ears of those who can interpret Its
sign language, was never made mani
fest more fuily than when It lisped the
horrors of the latest shipwreck, to a
shuddering world. It is doubtful
whether, but for the whispers of wire
less calling help to this great leviathan
of the deep, the story of the wreck of
the Titanic would ever have been told.
Wounded unto death, her engines
groaning, her timbers creaking, the
supposed Invincibility of her structure
proving a delusion and a snsre. this
mighty ship with all on board would
have gone down Into the depths of the
sea leaving no one to tell the tale of
her undolrg but for the hail cf wire
less, which brought the Carpathta to
the rescue of the few who got clear of
the ship In open boats and who would,
but for this, inevitably have perished
upon the Inhospitable waters of the
ice-beset Atlantic.
I'r.hampererl by human greed, un
trammeled by human selfishness, wire
less would have brought its message
of deadly menace to the great ship
much more fully and more quickly to
the world: bat utterly without wireless
the fate of the Titanic would have
been one of the unsolved mysteries of
t-e deep.
The wonder of wireless is abroad
over all the earth, jet so simple is the
THE SUNDAY
principle upon which It is operated, the
added wonder Is that its availability
was so long undiscovered and un
known. Truly we cannot dissent from
the Judgment of the pundits who head
the list of the seven wonders of the
modern world with wireless. Notwith
standing Its proclaimed simplicity;
notwithstanding the fact that it has
been playing hlde-and-go-seek In the
air. uncaught during the ages, its whis
perings continue to antonlsh. even
while they enlighten us: indeed, the
wonder of wireless grows rather than
diminishes day by day.
MAKE THE AIIOB FKKE AIXJ.
A new aspect of the Titanic disaster
is brought out by Andrew Kuruseth In
a plea for not only free ships, but free
seamen. He declares that the safety
of passengers at sea depends as much
on the efficiency of the crew as on
the stanchness of the ship, but that
an efficient crew is impossible under
present law. which allows any man
on the docks to be picked up to man
a ship and then be held In Involuntary
servitude. Kuruseth speaks on behalf
of the Wilson bill, now before the
House. This bill aims to Improve the
condition of the seamen in all the
branches of the service so as further
to Induce the American boy to so to
ea and the American man to remain
at sea when he once has gone there,
to Increase safety of life and property
at sea by providing an efficient crew:
and to prevent Astatic competition
with white seamen.
Furuseth says that there are two
reoulsltes for the restoration of the
merchant marine free ships and free
seamen. He would secure the first by
allowing the shipowner to buy ships
wherever he caught them, specifying
a standard of excellence. He would
secure the second by making seamen
as free as other men and specifying a
standard of excellence below which
the shipowner cannot go. He defines
the requisites for safety at sea thus:
Fifety st sea Is promoted: first, by a good
x. staunch and well f und: secondly, by
good boats snd enough of them: thirdly, by
a crest sufficient In number and skill to
handle tho vessel hllo alio is nflost. to
lower, man and handle tho boats when th
vessel trutat bo nbsnnonrtl. The hosts must
bo j.ronerly equipped: but abovo all there
must bo sufficient number of moo, and they
must be of sufficient skill to bo ablo to
lower the boats in a seswsy and to handlo
them when In the water.
In order to get a good crew and
keep one. he urges:
That at least 75 per cent of tho deck
crow, exclusive or licensed officers, be up
to a hih standard of efficiency ln.lst
that those men shall havs a clean
rilaco to live, eat and sleep In and that It
hall be so situated that they can all com
on deck quick.) when needed.
This Is no more than should be given
to any man. It la no more than Is
required on land. A railroad train Is
not manned by a crew picked up at
random. Why should any less care
be tnken In manning a ship?
Our shipping laws are out of date,
both as regards the ships and the sea
men. We cannot own ships because
our laws exclude our cltlstens from
competition with other nations. We
cannot train up native Bailors because
our laws subject seafaring men to con
ditions which keep them in slavery in
an age of freedom and make the cap
tain a despot. Such, laws are a cen
tury out of date and only the dregs of
the population will continuously sub
mit to them. The whole code of our
shipping laws needs a thorough over
hauling. WOMEN'S ATTITIDB TOWARD LIKE.
The progress of industry has con
fronted tho intelligent modern woman
with a perplexing situation. If she
pursues her life strictly "within the
walls of tho home." as so many wise
advisers say she ought, she must pass
a large part of her time in vacuous
Idleness. If she endeavors to fill the
blank spaces of existence with effort
for the public welfare she Is re
proached for deserting "her proper
sphere." The only choice she has lies
between the domestic realm with its
long intervals of sterile dlsoccupatlon
and public life in a more or less vio
lent storm of rebuke from her less
adventurous slaters. It is now a mat
ter of common knowledge that tho in
dustries and crafts which once filled
the household with busy employment
have passed to other scenes. The
spinning, weaving, much of the laundry
work and cookery, as well as the sew
ing and tailoring, which were done in
the dwelling years ago. are now car
ried on in great establishments with
a marked saving of time and expense.
But their departure leaves the women
of the household with large spaces of
vacant time on their hands. How are
these spaces to be filled?
Many people persist In discussing
the "woman question" without any
reference to the obvious facts of the
situation. They urge women to con
fine themselves to the home and seek
no occupation .elsewhere. Just as if the
home were the scene of multifarious
activities as it was a century ago.
The changes which modern Industry
have brought about do not exist for
these blind leaders of the blind. When
they are forced by the stern logic of
facta to concede that the domestic in
dustries have disappeared they take
refuge in the invariable formula.
Then let the women busy themselves
with their children." This sounds a
great deal wiser than It is. Of course,
a woman who has children finds them
a sufficient care to occupy most of
her energy and time, but It is only
during a certain part of a woman's
life that Nature permits her this re
source. Unmarried girls are not com
monly assumed to have any children,
and yet they are often almost human
In their intelligence and they long for
some useful way to dispose of their
time and energy. There are thousands
of girls who find the ordinary fash
ionable methods of wasting life weari
some in the extreme. It seems wicked
to them to allow the years to pass by
without accomplishing anything worth
while for themselves and others. It
Is simply idiotic to tell these young
women to "stay at home and take care
of their children." and it is almost as
Idiotic to tell them to look around and
find husbands. Husbands are not so
easily found in these days of high
prices and slim salaries as they were
in primitive times.
There Is another point, too', which
we ratust not overlook if we would be
perfectly Just to the woman who seeks
occupation in civic affairs.' Even the
most prolific females do not bear
children all their lives. A period finally
arrives when by the decree of nature
this occupation ceases. No doubt in
former ares, when a woman passed
the period of rhtld-boaring. she was
the same as dead. Society had no fur
ther use for her. except as a drudge,
and the sooner she could be hurried
Into the grave the better, but that is
no longer the case. The modern wom
an has many years to live after her
peculiarly feminine duties have all
been fulfilled. Her mind Is trained,
her Intelligence is active, her badily
OREGOMAX. PORTLAND
energica are often unimpaired. What
is she to do with these years? Ia it
her duty, because she la fc woman, to
sink down into empty sluggishness
waiting for death with such patience
as she may? Or Is it her right as a
human being to exercise her abilities
for the benefit of mankind? The eld
erly women of this generation are
among its shrewdest and most capable
members. They are informed upon
political subjects. They understand
the problems of municipalities. They
have studied hygiene. They know by
experience the value of eugenics. It
seems absurd for the world to deprive
itself of the benefit of their knowledge
and experience merely because of a
superstitious dislike to be benefited by
women.
Dr. Sarah J. McNutt a distinguished
woman physician of New York, says
that the American men have an al
most invincible prejudice against per
mitting women to be useful. To them
the ideal female is a simpering doll
who craves continual petting and pam
pering without any ambition to exert
herself. This perverse preference on
the part of the men. Dr. McNutt con
tinues, has developed an abnormal
variety of woman. She characterizes
the typical American woman as "a
self-centered creature" who makes
heavy demands upon the world with
out being eager to make any particu
lar return for what she receives. The
phrase so often heard that the Amer
ican woman "is an uncrowned queen"
points to the same conclusion. Queens
are not In the habit of exerting them
selves a great deal. They have been
taught to expect nothing but homage
and flatttery from those around them.
This Is all very well In royal palaces,
but in common democratic life it is
abnormal. At least Dr. McNutt thinks
so. The law of Nature seems to be
that women shall share the hardships
of the world in fair proportion. They
are not by any means tho fragile crea
tures in constant need of dollish pam
pering which our current "chivalry"
makes them out to be.
The fact of the case is that modern
women find themselves with a great
deal of Involuntary leisure on their
hands which they are at a loss how
to use profitably unless they go into
public life. They have discovered in
themselves an intelligence at least as
acute as men's and a conscience which
cannot be satisfied with Indefinite
sluggishness and shirking of life's du
ties. When they have children they
are only too eager to devote them
selves to their care, but when the
children fcre grown such women de
cline to lapse into stupid sloth for the
mere lack of something to do. Since
the home offers no field for the exer
cise of their capacities, they are de
termined to find one In public life.
What sensible person can blame them?
THE rEOri.E'S BANK.
The people are In the saddle, or
are supposed to be, these days, and
their bank is tho postal savings bank.
It Is a financial Institution that deals
with the small things: that takes the
pennies of the newsboy, beginlng with
a single dollar, and the savings of the
factory girl; protects the small savings
oi the woman who toils over the wash
tub from the predaceous fingers of her
worthless or drunken husband, and
safely conserves the rainy day fund
of the teacher, the seamstress and the
shop girl: that takes care of the
meager hoardings of the young man
who Is saving up against college or
marriage, and that keeps strict and
accurate account with all of these,
paying on demand, with the small rate
of interest allowed.
' Such is the postal savings bank, the
people's bank. The total amounts of
its deposits up to March 31, as made
public a few days ago by the Postmaster-General,
approximated $16,
I'OO.oOO. There were at the date men
tioned 7163 postal savings banks in
operation and there remained at that
date $6,437,641 on deposit. This re
port deals specifically with thirty-two
cities, having a population each of
over 150.000. Very great differences
appeared among these cities with re
spect to their rank In population as
compared with their rank in deposits.
For example. Portland, ranking twenty-eighth
In population, ranks third In
deposits. New York, combined with
Brooklyn, and Chicago alone exceed
ing It In this comparison: San Fran
cisco is eleventh In size and fifth In
deposits; Cincinnati thirteenth in size
and sixth In deposits. Southern cities
show even greater differences in this
comparison, Baltimore, for example,
being seventh In size and twentj'
elghth in deposits, St. Louis fourth in
size and tenth in deposits.
As a gauge of the thrift of the
working people of various sections
this report is held to be quite sug
gestive. In this view we have reason
to be proud of Portland's standing in
the postal savings list. Taken in con
nection with the fact that thousands
of wage earners and salaried men and
women of this city are exemplifying
the spirit of Western thrift by put
ting their savings, from month to
month, in homes or In small tracts
of land looking to home-building in
tha future, the showing is certainly a
creditable one.
WAST EFT L, DIVISION OF RELIGIOUS
ACTIVITY.
The "Country Gentleman." whose
opinion upon all ordinary matters has
a distinctly practical value, has this
to say in regard to the "Consolidation
of Rural Congregations":
.There la so ranch common ground for
all creed that. In thesa days of liberal
thought and social reform. It Is unwise for
mail groups to bold aloof. Let country
congresations agree on a much a possible,
and then let Iholr union preacher slick to
tho subjects of common agreement. Even
In city churches, whora tho number of
creeds Is multiplied, strictly sectarian ser
mons are yearly becoming rarer. It la now
recognised, that conduct counts so tremen
dously In religion that wa should deal
-ht.riv with this rather than w-lth differ
ences of belief. That familiar remark of
a llh century tninser. -conouci is miw
fourths of life." I the key to tho wholo
problem of religious consolidation. Pride
in one's own. denomination Is a legitimate
and praiseworthy feeling: but it should not
stand In In way ot a mora ooeiicii re
ligious llf for our country communities.
In Kansas, where the progressive
political movement In the far-away-
days of Jerry Simpson may be said to
have started, a vigorous campaign is
now in progress against useless, and
therefore wasteful division of relig
ious effort, particularly in small vil
lages and rural communities. It Is
urged that if two or three congre
gations, each of which pays its min
ister a paltry $500 a year, and in beg
garly fashion ekes out his family's
living in donations of pork, soap, mo
lasses, etc. would combine they could
adequately support one good preacher
and keep one church building In a
state of self-respecting, gospel repair.
As It Is a mediocre preacher drones
out. ear-h Sunday.'an uninteresting ser
mon on a doctrinal topic In two or
three churches under different 4e-
t MAY 19. 1912.
..in,iin.i name, and is listened
to by a small congregation for duty's
sake, as represented by loyalty to a
church, name and creed, wholly with
out spiritual edification.
The aim of the movement for the
consolidation of religious activity in
relatively sparsely-settled districts is,
of course, to increase religious in
fluence in the community. Several
methods looking to th!s end have been
suggested In other states, but they
have not been acceded to as cor
dially as could be wished. The foun
dation of all success In this line is.
of course, the union service. To carry
this method out successfully a few
points must be strictly followed.
Fini i the avoidance of all sectarian
emphasis in the services. Reference j
. ... if.mnf o, nf creed i
to tne native
must, by common consent, be avoided
k . . nr.jnhpr who sf rvpfl the con
gregation whether he be a Methodist,
a Congregationansi, a rresujin mu i
a Baptist, and part of the plan is that
these be employed In j-otation for one.
tt-c thrM vears. as aeciaea upvu.
The building which would house ,
iiev, o eoneres-ation would be a gen
uine "meeting-house." Bickering ana
unprofitable rivalry would be tnings
of the past: but one "organ fund"
would be striven for; one choir, made
up of the best singers in the com
munity, would serve to swing souls
heavenward on the notes of old "Dun
dee," "Arlington," "Coronation. Am
herst" and the rest, and there wouia
bo no diminution in the religious zeal
of those who participated in this gen
uine union service. In this way waste
ful division of religious activity couiu
k. ,rnH.j and ft nrosoerous. con
tented church take root in a village
or rural community that can onu
support one church and pastor with
spiritual and material profit to itself.
COMMENCEMENT DAY.
Pretty nearly every college student
by the time his graduation day comes
round has framed for himself some
sort of an answer to the question.
"What Is It that makes life valuable?"
Ha may not have done It consciously,
but unless he is one of the rare ex
ceptions he has done it effectively and
for all the rest of his life he acts upon
the decision he has made. It directs
his energies and organizes his pur
poses. Now and then a man experi
ences a psychic explosion which causes
him to make a new estimate of life
and change his standards utterly, as
Paul and John Bunyan did. but that
does not happen very often. As a rule
the scheme of values which a person
forms in his youth remains with him
until he dies and Is the key by which ,
we must Interpret his career. Broadly
speaking, there are two such schemc-s. ,
By one of them the universal value
test Is the auestlon, "What is there
In it for me?" The other scheme
tests everything by asking, "What is
there in it for mankind?" The first
embodies the philosophy of hedonism.
The other, that of Christianity.
The philosophy of hedonism is. of
course, as old as selfishness and nega
tion. It is summed up In the maxim,
"Make the most, of life, for when you
are once dead you will be dead a long
time." The ancient expression of it
was. "Eat, drink and be merry, for
tomorrow we die." Edward Eggleston
caught Its spirit fairly well in the
"Hoosler Schoolmaster" when he
made one of his characters advise her
husband to "git a plenty while he was
gluing." Hedonism denies immortal
ity, makes no account of God and ad
mits no duty to mankind. It reduces
the human being to his sense organs.
Its watchword is "grab." The hedon
ist looks upon religion, like Machia
velll. as a useful means for keeping the
humble In subjection while their
masters rob them. The fiction of
heaven and hell is extremely conven
ient, inasmuch as it soothes the minds
of the oppressed and provides an out
let for energy which might make
trouble if it were directed toward the
affairs of this world. Goldsmith
elaborated this view of religion with
keen satire in the sermon which the
Vicar of Wakefield preached in prison
to his fellow debtors. "But Providence
Is In another respect kinder to the
poor than the rich," cried the excellent
Vicar, "for as It thus makes life after
death more desirable, so It smooths
the passage there. The wretched have
had a long familiarity with every face
of terror. The man of sorrows lays
him down without possessions to re
gret and with but few ties to stop his
departure."
And so on. This is the hedonistic,
or Machiavellian view of religion, a
salve to soothe the spiritual wounds of
the poor, to keep them quiet under
injustice here with the promise of
something better in the world to come.
There was a great revival of this phil
osophy, bcth In theory and practice,
during the latter half of the Nine
teenth century. . The theory of evolu
tion had, with more or less politeness,
bowed God out of tha universe. The
doctrine of immortality lost Its hold
upon belief. All analogy seemed to be
against It and science offered not a
solitary fact to sustain it. If any
reader Inclines to think otherwise we
recommend for his perusal the Inger
soll lectures on "Immortality," deliv
ered at Harvard University by various
leading thinkers in the scientific
world. Not one of .them permits us to
entertain a spark of hope. Material
istic science Invaded and subdued the
human spirit and an orgy of sybarit
ism followed. Emerson gave the
swinish world its slogan, though he
never meant to do it. "If not to be,"
he wrote, "how like the bells of a fool
is the trump of fame." How like the
chatter of a fool so it means is all
talk about obligation, duty to man,
care for the future. Tennyson prophe
sied in sad melodies that love itself
must perish In the drear desert of
sensuality and go the way of all that
is beautiful and divine. Neitzche, the
unabashed prophet of hedonism under
the name of anarchy, arose and for
mulated the ancient creed of the swine
in alluring phrases. The doctrine of
Jesus became in his books the philos
ophy of the slave and egoism was set
on a gilded throne for all men to wor
ship. In this country the new idolatory
swept everything before it. Life under
the starry banner resolved itself into
a tremendous game of grab. Every
man for himself and the devil take the
hindmost became our National motto.
Robbery under legal forms was prac
ticed on a scale of magnificence never
seen in the world before and our suc
cessful disciples of Nietzsche, with the
name of Jesus on their lips all the
time, heaped up fortunes which would
have made the Roman Sybarites gasp
with astonishment. Nietzsche had
taught the necessity of a "transvalu
ation" of all things. We proceeded to
transvaluate the Constitution of the
United States and make it the fort
ress of unscrupulous hedbnlsm. If
the lawyers and Judges of the latter
vinoiiith rpntnrv had had their way.
the Constitution would forever have
barred the path 4' aU Christian prog
ress in the United States. We should
have settled down with the snouts of
our privileged classes in the trough
and the mob howling around them for
food and never getting a crumb.
This hedonistic ideal was the one
which our young people used to bring
with them from college, but it is not so
common nowadays. It is giving way
to the Christian ideal of service. Not
what a man gets but what he gives
makes the value of his life. The test
of -worth for college studies is not at
all how much they will bring in but
how much they will enable one to
ovnonri fnr his fellowmen. God Is re
turning to the world as the Sun of
Righteousness and the healing In his
wings is for earth and for today. The
student who has caught the spirit of
the new time wants to fight a good
fight instead of lolling through life
in luxury. He has found a faith as
deep and Inspiring as Paul's and he
wants to keep it, as that old warrior
did. unwaveringly to the end. Wheth
er there be prophecies they shall fail,
and whether there be knowledge it
shall vanish away, but the love that
will fight and die that the world may
live is from everlasting to everlast
ing, i
May Sinclair, the novelist, believes
that men, as a sex, are more emotional
than women. There are many facts
which support her opinion. Mobs,
which are maelstroms of emotion of
the? grossest kind, are usually com
posed of men At old-fashioned camp
meetings ten men "got the power" to
one woman. Twice as many men as
women kill themselves for love. Wars,
which almost invariably are mere out
breaks of emotion, are initiated and
fought by men who get so excited
fighting that they die without know
ing it.
Excavators in Egypt have recently
found sheets of linen in tombs that
date back to the eleventh dynasty, or
2500 years B. C. The cloth is still
clean and white and the fiber as sound
as it ever was, although it must have
been woven 4500 years ago. This
linen is older than the Iliad. It was
woven 2000 years before Confucius
was born and more than 1700 years
before Rome was founded. We speak
of some of our institutions as "venera
bl ." but they are all in their baby
hood compared with these linen scraps.
The Chicago man recorded as hav
ing gone mad of grief upon the death
of his wife, merely found in that sad
incident a snapping point In his un
stable mentality. Men seldom. If ever,
go violently mad in un hour, a week,
or a month. Their Instability gen
erally dates from birth, or is tho
growth of years, and some crisis in
the affairs of life throws upon them
a stress w hich brings impending mad
ness to a climax.
The "See America First" boosters
r-ake one mistake. They assume that
Americans go to Europe to see the
beauties of the scenery. They do not.
They go because it is fashionable; they
go to see the old masters, the old ab
beys, castles and cathedrals, and to see
the new Kings, Earls, Counts and other
social ornaments we do not possess in
this country. Scenery is a mere side
issue with most American tourists in
Europe. "
The spirit of law and order permits
itself some remarkable indulgences in
San Diego. We are not among Dr.
Ben Reltman's admirers, but it occurs
to us that law and order have been
preserved in the British Empire for
several centuries without the help of
tar or mobs. It is fairly questionable
whether love for our institutions is
promoted by making them pretexts for
lynching picnics.
Perhaps the discrepancy between
the number of delegates claimed by
Taft and Roosevelt and the total num
ber in the Republican convention is to
be explained by the fact that some of
them have promised their votes to
both men.
Governor Foss' calm statement of
the reasons for refusing clemency to
the monster Richeson serves as a good
model for a certain other Governor
who allows the tears of a child to In
fluence his Judgment.
An aerial fire department is not so
visionary as it might seem. Think of
the thrilling rescues to be made from
skyscrapers! That is the only kind of
apparatus to use on Seattle's forty-two-story
building.
Taft still refuses to corroborate
Roosevelt's speeches by his acts. Ac
cused of serving the interests, he con
tinues to drag the Interests into court.
He is most ungrateful to his alleged
friends.
There has been a lull in actual fight
ing in Northern Mexico, but the fed
eral press agents continue firing whole
volleys of superlatives across the
border.
La Follette assured a Kentucky audi
ence that he Is certain of the nomina
tion. Odd how a normally normal
man can lose his perspective in the
mazes of a political campaign.
Vancouver has declared war on
frogs, having wearied of their croak
ing. Sounds as feasible as a campaign
to control the elements or to discour
age the stars from twinkling.
The new half-cent piece will prove
a hardship on that class of heirs who
In the past have been drawing a full
penny upon the demise of seme
wealthy relative.
"With One concern making two
thousand gallons of ice cream a day
and dozens of others of less capacity,
the appetite of the Portland girl will
be satiated
Seattle men have enough -pencils to
stock a newspaper office and the Or
thopedic Hospital has their small
change.
Church conferences this year are
dull and uninteresting by comparison
with the dally exchange of compli
ments between Taft and Roosevelt.
The promotion given Captain Wel
lander, of the Yaqulna Iifesaving
service, was well earned by good serv
ice. Obviously the craven wretch Riche
son hasn't the single redeeming qual
ity of normal courage.
So far as the rose crop is concerned,
Portland coald open the annual Rose
Festival this week.
Scraps and Jingles
By Leone Cass Baer,
It's the last Panama straw that
breaks the husband's back.
o
The root of all evil is routine.
so
On music ancient and modern.
Folks most divided are.
While some folks like Bach's music.
My taste don't run Bach that far.
Woman's bread of repentance is al
ways made from the wild oats sown
by some man.
e
A chemist, his wife tried to sound.
"What's salt? You can't tell. I'll ba bound."
Said she "Stupid man,
Y?u Just bet I can.
It's not Quite one cent a pound."
o
The only value arithmetic is to a
woman is to help her add up her hus
bands and clothes.
e
What can't be cured must be endured,
as the man said when the waiter
brought him a piece of poor ham.
m e
Air1 good egotists hate one another.
.
The literary pursuits of most women
are confined solely to fashion books.
e
Truly the child is father to the man.
I've Just read that David Belasco 'as a
young lad was very fond of play.
e
WHY I WON'T.
I.
Nay, dearie, shun the hammock's lure.
Nor tempt mo to tho Morris chair.
Some other time I'll gladly go
But ah. tonight, 1 do not dare
Sadly I watch your pretty face
Tempt me with smiling, roguish glee.
Ah. dearie, that I might embrace
This opportunity and thee!
II.
I know this bar betwixt us two
May at one blow our dear love sever,
And for my seeming coldness I
May parted bo fiom you forever.
But firm my resolutions are.
Though jt u.j.n-clizlnff love. I ween.
I cannot spoon v. i.li you tonight
For I ate a in, if onions green!
Man's affections may hang on a mert
thread, but too often it's the thread
that failed to keep the buttons sewed
on.
Ethel Barrymore's first success sal
in "Captain Jink of the Horse Ma
rines." Her latest success is a HttU
Colt.
Favorite author for wife-beaters
Nox.
(RAILROAD) LINES ON A DEAD COW.
Here rests her head, upon a hard fence rail
A cow. to cattle shows and prize lists known
Only the shocman and tho butcher knew
her worth.
And the Northern Pacific claimed bet
for its own.
It's all right to hold your tongue, but
if you do it all the time, some day
you'll own nothing else to hold.
From what I can glean aristocratic
officers are all quite devoted to the
service dinner service.
In Shakespeare's day
They were wont to say.
"Ho, marry comeup 1 pray."
But It's changed somehow
And the version now
Is, ''Marry come down and stay."
s
With health it Is as it Is with love,
we rarely bother to look after and
guard it until there's very little of It
left to look after.
Uneasy lies the head that sleeps in
kid-curlers.
s
Also uneasy is the head that wears
curls in a gale of wind.
MAT!
The sky leaks.
The wind shrieks,
The blooms shrivel up in folds.
The little birds
And bleating herds
Have all got nasty colds.
And all my bones
With rheumatlz groans
And my nose
Is almost froze
While my teeth keep chattering away.
Bud led uz Big
Ob lubly sprig
O-O-O-O-O you bizerable Bay.
Most men regard their own marriag
as an event that makes hundreds of
women unhappy to make one woman
ungrateful.
R-e-m-o-r-s-e is the tight shoe thai
presses too hard on the soul.
Half a Century Ago
From The Oregonian of May 19. 1862.
Cairo, May 11. The desperation oi
the rebel cause culminated yesterday
in an attack on our flotilla by the rebel
fleet from Fort Wright. The rebel ram
Louisiana attempted to run down the
gunboat Cincinnati, which threw a Vol
ume of steam and scalding water into
the midst of the rebel crew, placing all
who appeared on deck hore de combat
and causing the craft to withdraw in
haste. The rebel ironclad steamer Mal
lory approached with the same design,
but the Federal gunboat St. Louis bore
down upon her with a full head of
steam and struck her amidships, cut
ting her nearly in two, causing her to
sink in a few minutes. The other boats
of our fleet engaged the remainder of
the enemy's fleet and a most terrific
battle ensued. Two of the enemy's
gunboats were blown up by the shells
from our gunboats having fired their
magazines. The remainder of the rebel
fleet retired.
Mr. Strong, the builder of the Oregon
and California telegraph, had a number
of hands engaged In erecting poles on
Saturday. Some 24 were erected on
Front Btreet.
Washington, May 8. The bill estab
lishing the Bureau of Agriculture
passed the Senate today.
Among the passengers by the
steamer Oregon came two celebrated
Individuals, both well known to the
citizens of Oregon Skookum John and
his son, Adam, chiefs of the Rogue
River tribe of Indians, It will be re
membered that John was a bitter foe
of the whites during the Rogue River
war. On the passage down John and
his son made a desperate attempt to
take the Vessel and nearly succeeded.
They assaulted the officers with knives,
but were finally overpowered and heav
ily ironed. During the fight Adam had
one of his legs cut oft by a cleaver in
the hands of one of the crew.
Chicago. May 12. Norfolk, Ports
mouth and the Navy-Yard are ours.
The Merrimac was blown up by the
rebels, . .. .