THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 8, 1912.
PORTLAND. OBCGOX. '
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Portofflc as
Erond-elase Matter.
Subscription Rate Invariably la Advance.
BT MAIL.)
Paf.y. Sur.dav Included, one year
Xal!y. Sunday Included, six montha.... Ji
Dally, Sunday Included, three month!. .Z.ZJ
Dally. Sunday Included, one month -i
Dally, without Sunday, one year........
Dlly. without 3unday. six month. ...
Dally, without Sunday, three month...
Daily, without Sunday, on month
Weekly, on year. .-........-.
Eunday, one year. '
Sunday and "Weekly, ona year.
BY CAKRIER.)
Dally. Sunday Included. - one year......
Dailv. Snnilsr Included, one month. ....
.00
S.2S
1.15
.60
1.K0
J. SO
.so
l 00
.TS
Bow ta Remit Bend PoetoKtce money or
der. express order or personal check on your
local bank. Stamp, coin or currency are
at the eender-i risk. Olv postoffloe address
In full. Including county and state.
Peetaae Rate 10 to 14 pages. 1 cent; i
to 28 pare, i cents; 80 to 40 pages.
M ID M pace. 4 cent. Foreign postage,
double rate.
Eaetera Baalneaa Offleea Terre Cotik
lln New Tork. Brunswick building, cni
caxo. Steeer building.
San FrmortMO Office R. J.-BldweH Co,
Tel Market street. D
European Office No. X. Recent street, a
W-. London.
PORTLAND, SUNDAY, DEC. .
1912.
THE COMPENSATION BILL.
The workmen's compensation bill
prepared for submission to the Legis
lature by a commission appointed by
the Governor, might more properly be
termed a state industrial insurance act
In brief, it provides for contributions
by employer, employe and state to a
fund to be administered by a salaried
body and fixes rates of compensation
for injuries to workmen.
It is termed "elective," but it is not
elective in the -strict meaning of the
word. The employer or employe may
elect not to come within the scope of
the act, but unless he gives written
notice he is presumed to accept Its pro.
visions. Upon the employer it is prac
tically compulsory. While It is gen
erally admitted that the common law
defenses wort, to the grave injustice of
the employe, their complete abroga
tion goes to the other extreme by turn.
ing the injustice against the employer.
The compensation law in theory treats
Injuries as a Joint fault; the workman
makes his contribution in the form of
Injury while the employer makes his
contribution In the form of money paw
to the workman. The proposed Ore
gon law says to the employer. "Take
this or you get something worse," for
If the employer elects not to come
within the terms of the act he is to
be deprived of all common-law de
fenses assumption of risk, fallow.
servant and contributory negligence
rules. Extreme liability is imposed
upon him if he declines to enter into
an arrangement for the ' employe and
state to share liability with him.
Indirect compulsion to accept the
provisions of a properly framed com.
pensatlon law If complete "would per
haps not be objectionable. Conipui.
sory Industrial insurance Is likf.ly to
promote low rates and distribute the
risks more equitably than an elective
law, and benefit the general public in
the saving in court costs, but the bill
permits the employe also to withdraw
from the provisions and benefits of the
act As we read the bill the employe
who declines to 'accept Its provisions
has preserved for him the right to sue
for damages for personal injuries un
der the terms of the existing employ
ers liability law. This liability law
was adopted in 1910 by Initiative, was
aroDosed bv organized labor and is in
t nnprarionn tavoraoie to tne cauae
or me injured wornmsn. m eu-ci.,
therefore, the bill is compulsory as to
employers and elective as to employes,
alternative, while the former have not
In an introductory statement made
to the Governor the commission leaves
the Inference that it was favorably dis
posed toward a compulsory law, but
adopted the "elective" feature as be
ing more certainly constitutional. Two
court decisions are referred to as bear
ing on the case. One Is the opinion of
llrT I'll w Ia IV I ,UU1 a. SJ1 .A. u UVCaW SaUlU
Ing the compulsory compensation law
of that state unconstitutional; the oth
er is the opinion of the Washington
State Supreme Court declaring the
compulsory compensation law of that
state not in conflict with-fundamental
law. "It was enough to know." says
the commission, "that a grave and se
rious question of constitutionality must
fexist if a compulsory law should be
enacted, and a question -which could
alone be determined by the Supreme
-Court of the United States, and-then
'only after a lapse of a long period of
uncertainty."
; But has the Governor's commission
found the real constitutional danger
and avoided it In its bill? The New
York case, according to our under
standing, hinged largely on the at
tempt of the Legislature to abolish
wholly the defense of assumption of
rink and not on the mere fact that
the law was compulsory in form. The
assumption of risk defense Is two-fold.
The New York Court held that it
might be abolished so far as avoidable
j employer liable for injuries result-
b to workmen from the Inherent risk
.the occupation, and where the em-
Iyer -was not at fault would be to
property without due process of
A and therefore be unconstitutional.
e Oregon bill, while termed "elec-
le." specifically abolishes the defense
assumption of risk and makes no
ception that we can discover of risks
herent to occupation. It thus crosses
e danger line which the commission
parently sought to avoid.
Moreover. the commission has
ssed another danger line in requir-
an affirmative act by employer or
uploye to secure avoidance of the
(ligations and benefits of the act In
the absence or notice this law would
presume the existence of a fact that
I he. contract of employment included
fhe compensation features of the act
rhe Alabama Supreme Court has held
'iat presumption of fact or liability
gainst a litigant Is not due process of
Aside from the possible legal dan-
r In enacting this form of elective
w. It would seem that there are some
ore or less practical every-day ob-
tions to it In its present form. What
the Isolated casual employer? The
it should be stated, applies only
az&rdous employments, but In the
of thos? declared hazardous are
ien well Jigging and building con-
ictlen-. It cannot be presumed that
board which collects and admin
Vt the fund will seek out every
I employer in building construc
ted well-digging. But unless the
river or employe In such isolated
fk fcives written notice, he is en
led to the benefits or the act. The
bable result would be that many
bloyers who should properly con-
ate to the compensation fund
-Id not do so. The small, casual
yer would .not be heard from
one of his men was injured,
t event the Injured employe
would be entitled to compensation
from the state fund and the Industrial
Commission could proceed to collect
the overdue fees from-the employer.
The final result would be that only
those casual employers whose work
men suffered accidents would pay
while the larger and continuing in-
dustcies would ' contribute whether
they had accidents or not
Another feature of the act that may
arouse criticism is the relief given em
ployers and employes, under certain
conditions, from contributing to the
compensation fund. This exemption
occurs when three per cent of the an-
nual payroll of the employer has been
contributed and no charges for acci
dents have been made against him and
the fund itself remains in condition to
meet all obligations. It would. seem
that such a plan would finally work
to the exemption in part or in whole,
after the exDiration of one year, of
many employes who labor In perman.
ent occupations. But there are tern
porary occupations also deemed haz-
ardous. The laborer on temporary
Jobs and some classes of trades work
ers would no doubt be perpetually
paying into the fund. They would pass
from Job to Job where tie employers
had not previously been affected by
the act It may be said that sucn
workmen may give notice that they
reject the act but if the bill proposes
benefits for workmen it ought not to
make those - benefits cost the work
men whose Jobs are necessarily tem
porary more than they cost the per
manent workmen who as a rule are
better able to pay,
Legislation Involving workmen'
compensation for injuries is at best a
perplexing subject As the Governor's
commission says, it would be impossi
ble to draft a law that would meet
with unanimous approval. There, are
certain moot questions that Invari
ably arise. They include the form of
the act, the method of administra
tion, the schedule of compensation,
the matter of requiring state and em
ployes to contribute to the fund or
imposing the whole burden on the em
ployer, and others. The proposed act
will therefore not escape criticism or
perhaps amendment But the princi
ple involved Is sound and It is a proper
subject for careful consideration by
the Legislature.
YOCB WISE LEGISLATOR.
Sir weeks cover the biennial legls.
lative sessions of Oregon. Six hundred
to eight hundred bills, or more, are
introduced and one to two hundred
are passed. The others are left on
the calendar, or die in committee.
Along about this time, just before
the Legislature meets. It is ojustomary
for the newspapers and .other public
economists to begin a campaign to
shorten the forty-day sessions. But
they are never shortened. The first
three or four weeks are spent in pre
liminary work; the final two or three
weeks are devoted to real business.
The wise Legislator has his bills
ready at the beginning of the session,
or very near the beginning. He pro
cures for them early action by com
mittee. They get advanced positions
on the calendar. There is early final
action. Thus he gets results.
The unwise or inexperienced Legis
lator waits to see how the land lies.
He is not ready when the session
opens. He begins to get busy after
he learns the ropes. He is frequently
too late.
If ithe members of the 1913 Legis
lature desire to make a good record
for themselves as individuals and for
the entire body, they will be ready
for active work when the Legislature
is organized.
VtlLL TH35 TARIFF BE BEVISED?
President-elect Wilson's decision to
call an extra session of Congress to
revise the tariff has met with almost
universal approval. Democrats say
there should be no delay In carrying
out their pledges. . Republicans say
that, since revision is to come, the
sooner it Is over tne better, iven
those protected manufacturers whose
Interests will be most affected express
anxiety to have the agony ended, pre
ferring to know the extent to which
they must suffer rather than to remain
in prolonged suspense. Only here and
there . do we hear the old standpat
wailing " that tariff reduction means
closed - mills and thousands of men
facing starvation.
While Underwood, the chief tariff-
slasher, so fully controls the House
majority that he can surely carry
through his programme of passing a
series of bills reducing individual
scheduled, regardless of the local in
terests which some members of his
party desire to protect there is great
uncertainty about the Senate. The
forthcoming Senatorial elections can
give the Democrats, at most, so slen
der a majority that they must muster
every vote in order to secure approval
of the Underwood programme. It is
a foregone conclusion that the two
Louisiana Senators would vote against
a bill putting" sugar on the free list or
nariner to the bone duties on that com
modity. and they would probably be
joined by ' the two Democrats to be
elected in Colorado, who will wish to
shield the beet sugar interests- of that
state from the effects of free trade.
Senators from Southern lumber states
would be likely to take the same posi
tion regarding a deep cut in lumber
duties. The same prediction may be
made as to the attitude of Senators
from Southern cotton-spinning states
towards lower cotton duties. Although
a combination of these Senators for
mutual defense of their pet interests
would have to be made more in the
open when schedules are revised by
separate bills instead of by a general
bill, they might not hesitate to com
bine In a logrolling agreement of mu
tual defense. Reports from Washing
ton say . that a quiet poll is already
being made with this end in view.
In order to carry out any pro
gramme on which they may agree,
Wilson and Underwood therefore will
be compelled to make terms with
these Senators or to force them Into
supporting the will of the party ma
jority. Should they make terms, they
can do so only by a sacrifice of prin
ciple which will expose them to the
onslaughts of their opponents and to
the wrath of an oft-disappointed body
of consumers. Should they attempt
to force the dissidents Into line and
should they succeed, they might ause
a revolt In the states affected which
would split the solid South and drive
those states into the Republican party.
Should they fall In this attempt they
would be compelled to choose be
tween finally accepting the terms of
the bolters and abandoning all effort
at tariff revision. -
Either outcome would be a wide de
parture from the policy outlined by
Wilson In an article published In the
North American Review in October,
1909. He then spoke for "a process
of alteration, steadily and courage
ously persisted in," a principle "fol
lowed with courage, intelligence "and
Integrity." He has since reaffirmed
his belief in the same policy, though
in different words. In his speech of
acceptance he declared for revision
downward, "unhesitatingly and stead
ily downward." He has. declared for
Incidental protection to those indus
tries which are as yet undeveloped or
only Imperfectly developed. How could
he reconcile a surrender to the South
ern Democratic protectionists with
persistent following of a principle
"with courage, intelligence and integrity,"-
with revision, "unhesitatingly
and -steadily downward" beginning
with "the schedules which have been
most obviously used to kill competi
tion"? All the finesse of the man who
pushed his progressive measures
through a New Jersey Legislature, one
house of which was controlled by his
opponents, will be required if Wilson
Is to secure tariff revision in accord
ance with the principle he has laid
down. If he should sacrifice the prin
ciple In order to get something done,
he would have to meet the same storm
of, discontent which has made tariff
revision the graveyard of political
fortunes, a fate from which McKinley
was saved only by the. Spanish War.
If he should adhere to the principle,
he would be Impelled to veto the com
promise bills with a "perfidy- and dis
honor" message which would rend his
party.
So long as the Republicans were
able to thwart any move to reduce the
tariff as proposed In Democratic plat
forms, the Democrats went forward
bravely to put their professed princi
ples in practice, knowing, as Under
wood has said, that their bills would
not become law. Now that they are
soon to have the opportunity to make
their bills law. they are already balk
ing. Can Wilson drive them or coax
them to take . the Jump, knowing- as
they do that the majority of the vot
ers, though divided on other issues,
was of one mind In favoring protec
tion? If Wilson can do this, he has
greater power to bend men to his pur
pose than was displayed by the
strong-willed Cleveland or the strenu
ous Roosevelt ' -
WHERE IS THE LIBEL COMMITTED?
A friend at Seattle has taken the
trouble to send to The Oregonian the
copy of an opinion by Superior Judge
Ronald, deciding a case- of criminal
liber, wherein it was sought to hale a
San Francisco editor to Washington
for the purpose of holding him amen
able to the laws of that state. The
contention of the state was in essence
that the offense of libel is committed
wherever the newspaper is circulated;
the position of the defense was that
the prosecution must be at the place
where the newspaper is published.
The case presented certain variations
from this general principle, based on
the particular statutory provisions pf
Washington; but they need not be dis
cussed Jiere. Judge Ronald properly
held that the libel, if committed,
could not be punished in Washington.
Presumably It might be in San Fran
cisco.
Judge Ronald has laid down no new
doctrine of law; but he has, on the
contrary, made a ruling in accord with
the well-nigh uniform attitude of the
courts. If a newspaper may be prose
cuted for libel wherever it circulates,
it may be prosecuted or sued in any
or all places where it circulates; or,
If not In all places, certainly in every
state.
Fancy a newspaper of Nation-wide
circulation being called on to meet a
criminal prosecution, or defend .: a
civil suit, In every, state in the Union
for-the same alleged libel! It' would
be a travesty on Justice.
Colonel Roosevelt learned that, with
all his great power 8.nd authority, he
could not choose the exact method, or
determine the place, where he should
proceed against the New York World
and the Indianapolis News for libel in
the Panama cases.- His contention
was in effect that in libeling him they
had grossly . slandered the United
States Government . and ne sought to
take the cases into the United States
Courts, and to try at least one of them
at Washington. He failed. He should
have failed.
NAVY CONTROVERSY WILL REOPEN.
The battleship controversy In Con
gress will De renewed at tne present
session, when the report of Secretary
Meyer tomes up for consideration in
connection with the naval appropria
tion bill. Though at the last session
he had difficulty in squeezing money
for one battleship out of the hand of
a very reluctant Congress, he comes
forward again with a request for ap
propriations at this session for three
battleships, two battle cruisers and a
proportionate number of minor ves
sels, though the general board of the
Navy asks for four battleships. He
tells Congress that a total of forty-one
battleships and a proportional number
of other vessels Is -needed to keep our
Navy "on a safe basis In Its relations
with other world powers" and that,
having reached this number, the fleet
should be kept up to it by replacing
obsolete vessels with new ones by
uniform yearly programme.
Though this, request is backed by
sound argument as to necessity of pre
paredness for war, and though Meyer
answers in advance the objection that
the Panama Canal will . double the
power of the fleet he can hardly hope
to secure approval by Congress for his
whole programme. Still he will have
less trouble than he had In the last
session, for the Democratic majority
in the House was so divided and such
bitter controversy resulted that the
leaders have decided to make no at
tempt to bind all Democratic members
to support caucus action at this ses
sion; in fact they will have no caucus
on the naval bill and each member
will thus be able to vote as he pleases
without risking his party standing.
The attempt to deny any battleship
appropriation provoked such loud pro
test throughout the country that the
leaders abandoned It and the Balti
more .convention sought to overcome
the unfavorable Impression created on
public opinion by promising that "a
Democratic Administration would
maintain an adequate and well-pro
portioned Navy" and by indorsing the
scheme for a council of National de
fense, which is reepmmended by
Meyer. T
The Secretary makes a most satis
factory showing of the state of effi-
iency to which he has brought toe
fleet by reorganizing his department
and by putting the Navy yards on a
business basis. At the annual mobili
zation of the Atlantic fleet this year
he mustered thirty-one battleships.
four armored cruisers and eighty-eight
smaller vessels with a total ot-720,486
tons and with nearly 29,000 officers
and men, as compared with twenty-
four battleshlps.'two armored cruisers
and seventy-two smaller vessels, ag
gregating 576,634 tons and having
6.600 officers and men last year.
Since 1909 he has Increased the num-
ber of vessels in active service or
ready from 113 to 166 and has de
creased the number repairing from
fifty to twenty. He will hand over to
his successor a most efficient Navy,
and if it should deteriorate during the
next four years, the people will know
where to place the blame.
HODGES ......
ALBANY COLLEGE.
The public is now called upon to
contribute to the endowment of Al
bany College, an institution . that for
many years has had an important
place in the life and affairs of -the
Willamette Valley and that has been
under the special patronage of the
Presbyterian Church. The unthink
ing person, impatient of the frequent
appeals of religious, charitable and
educational organizations for financial
aid, is likely to declare that there is
no end to a practice that he care
lessly calls "begging." But it Is not
begging. .It Is. money, when obtained,
that is wisely and carefully, expended;
and it cays.
- It Is a good thing for Albany and
the surrounding county, for example,
to have the responsibility of a col
legp. It is a center of social, political,
educational and religious influence; it
tends to the uplift; it stimulates a
higher and better community spirit;
it radiates culture; it helps in every
branch of the general welfare.
There are many colleges, academies
and universities in .Oregon. It Is
struggle to keep them all going. But
the effort is worth" while. Albany
and Linn County would be the worse
off for the death of Albany College.
So would the Presbyterian Church.
The members of that great denomina.
tion particularly ought to have pride
and a greater interest in Albany Col
lege, and raise the balance of the pro
posed endowment.
;. .- CALEB CASHING.
The completion of the first fifty
years since the award of the Geneva
tribunal. In 1872, recalls to the public
mind the stately and Imposing figure
of Caleb Cushing. There is a: brief
account of him In the Green Bay for
December. He was the leading law
yer for the United States before that
International court, and no doubt it
was his scholarly eloquence which won
the cause. At any rate, he was the
most powerful factor in determining
the decision. The Geneva arbitration
will always be famous in history be
cause it was the first instance when
two great nations had formally sub
mitted a cause of contention to a reg
ularly constituted tribunal. Of course
arbitration was well known in the
world at that time. It has always
been a more or less common method
of adjusting international difficulties,
but not quite in the form it assumed
at Geneva. By submitting their trou
ble to a court constituted for the oc
casion, England and the United States
set an example which the world will
find It more and more profitable to
follow as time passes and war becomes
increasingly ruinous. Cushing had
prepared himself for the exalted serv
ice which he rendered to humanity at
Geneva by a life Of unremitting intel
lectual labor. He was one of those
men ' to whom toil is a delight and
achievement a habit.
Caleb Cushing was born in Massa
chusetts in the year 1800. He distin
guished himself by entering Harvard
College . when he was 13 and graduat
ing at 17. Even in our. days a boy
occasionally gets ready for Harvard by
the time ie is 12 or 13 years old,, but
the rule is to enter at about the age
of 20. At 17, when Caleb Cushing
graduated, the ordinary modern youth
is Just in the middle of his high school
course. It cannot be said that every
student entered college In: those times
as young as Cushing, but they man
aged it as a rule a good deal younger
than they do now. Nor can it be said
that upon the whole they were less
thoroughly prepared . or knew less
when they came out Cushing was
famed among his contemporaries as a
universal scholar. One admiring law
yer says of him that he took all kriowl.
edee for his realm, like Bacon. We
may discount this estimate of a pro
fessional brother without deprecating
Cushlng's genuine acquirements.
He was a gifted linguist, something
extremely uncommon among our pub
lic men before the Civil War, and not
too common since. When Tyler made
him Minister to China in 1843 he set
about his work by mastering the ex.
cessively difficult language of that
country'. ; He learned it so well that he
needed no interpreter during his years
of service. He even found the strange
tongue fascinating and formed the
best collection of, Chinese literature
there was In the country la his day.
Among other- unusual treasures he had
a copy of Ki Hang's Chinese dictionary
In thirty-two volumes, a monumental
work compiled by twenty-seven schol
ars of Pekin"at the command of the
Emperor. No doubt his knowledge of
Chinese stood him in good stead while
he was Minister to that country, but
his . real linguistic .'accomplishments
shone brightest during the sittings of
the Geneva tribunal. This august
body was composed of a Brazilian, an
American, an Englishman,, an Italian
and a German-speaking Swiss. Cush
ing was able to address all of them in
their native tongues. . He delivered his
closing argument on August 7, 1872,
in French, which his admiring con
temporaries describe as classic. We
do not know what Voltaire or Victor
Hugo might have thought of its mer
its. Perhaps it Is a case where ignor
ance is bliss, but at any rate his lin
guistic feats won unstinted praise" for
him in every quarter.
The Italian arbitrator interrupted
his speech with a question and Cushing
gracefully answered it In the speech of
Dante and Machlavelli. Lord Chief
Justice Cockburn, the British repre
sentative, took umbrage at a colloquy
thus carried on in a tongue which he
did not understand, and asked for a
translation. . Cushing crushed him by
remarking that the future proceedings
of the tribunal might be in any lan
guage. Cockburn chose to name, not ex
cluding Chinese. Nothing could have
been more glorious for Cushlng's native
land, which has not always shone in
the accomplishments of its foreign
representatives. Up to the outbreak
of the Civil War Cushlng's career was
almost continual sunshine. He won
victories at the bar, where he pleaded
side by side with Choate and Evarts.
He upheld the highest traditions of
his country as Minister to China and
Spain, though the latter position came
later. : He made friends in all direc
tions in private life. His wife died in
1832 and he remaned a bachelor all
the rest of his days, but nobody was
ever more welcome at banquets or in
social circles. He was as genially
witty as he was scholarly and eloquent
His physical presence is said to have
been endued with the highest charm.
But with the Civil War trouble came
into a life which had known compara
tively little of it before. Cushing was j
a Democrat of a rather primitive type.
He was one of those singular geniuses,
extraordinarily common In American
history, who set the written pages of
the Constitution far above any consid
erations of human right or public wel
fare. Thus Cushing as a private indi
vidual detested slavery, but as a public
man he favored it because he Imag
ined that the Constitution authorized
it. The idea of modifying the sacred
document never occurred to him. As
an antediluvian : Democrat, Cushing
naturally sympathized with the South.
Indeed, from the point of view -of the
constitutional letter-worshipers the
South was right and the North had no
excuse for interfering with secession.
.His predilections brought him into
sharp conflict with such men as Gov
ernor Andrew, of Massachusetts, and,
although Cushing finally decided 4 to
stand with the Union men, his serv
ices were not In request for some time.
However, Lincoln understood him and
believed in him, and before the war
was over he was again taking a lead
ing part in public affairs.
Caleb Cushing belonged to the best
type of American public men. Some
of his views were wrong, but he never
betrayed the public for private inter
ests and never lent hand or voice to
the enthronement of special privilege.
He died In 1879.
SMITH'S "BOCK DEU8."
The Oregonian prints this morning
another letter from David Rosenwald
on the question of the historic Jesus.
However perverse this gentleman's
views may be, he states them temper
ately and with a knowledge of a cer
tain school of critical thought which
makes them Interesting. Upon the
general subject- we have said all that
we think essential at present Speak
ing of Professor W. B. Smith and his
books, The Oregonian has received a
letter front him to which he thanks
this paper for its reference to him and
adds that his "Ecce Deus" has ap--peared
in an English edition and can
be procured from the ' American
agents. The Open Court Publishing
Company, of Chicago. By the way, is
it not -interesting to note that this
celebrated American scholar found It
advisable to write his critical books
In German and publish them in Eu
rope? Why did he not write them In
English and publish them in the
United States? In any case they are
now accessible to American readers.
No doubt those who peruse them, es
pecially the "Ecce Deus," will be rich
ly repaid. Of this book Professor
Smith writes The Oregonian: "Cer
tainly no one can understand the pres
ent state of the controversy who has
not studied this work," and he goes
on to say that "the most authorita
tive German theological periodicals,"
though they stand for views opposite
to Smith's, "now make such sweeping
concessions as to astonish one." He
concludes with the polite remark that
since The Oregonian is a newspaper
of uncommon intelligence and criti
cal attainments, it seems hardly like
ly" that we could read his "Ecce
Deus" without interest.
The . reader will perceive to his
amazement that here is a theological
controversy In ' which the disputants
hav come off thus far without tear
ing each other's eyes out. We are
willing to concede that . Professor
Smith is a critic of -rare scnoiarsnip
and exceeding' acuteness, though we
cannot accept his conclusions. On the
other hand we take his compliments
for what their are worth and hope that
we may continue to merit them.
" - THE NEW; ASTRONOMY.
Persons w"ho are properly interested
in their home will read with satisfac
tion a series of articles which the
World's Work has begun to publish on
Exploring Other Worlds." It is, in
fact an extended account of the uni
verse, the only home we have. The
series begins with a pretty thorough
clearing away of most of our common
conceptions about the starry heavens.
The famous nebular hypothesis, the
belief in the plurality of worlds, an
cient ideas of the creation, all receive
severe shocks if they are not totally
swept away. Here is a specimen of
the author's iconoclasm: "The com
mon conception of the universe has
been of a multitude of suns each with
its system of planets. There Is not a
particle of evidence that a single
planet exists in any system except our
own tiny one." Of course that au de
pends on our notions of evidence. The
writer of the World's Work articles is
William Bayard Hale. There are plenty
of astronomers as good and great as he
who see any quantity of evidence for
the plurality of worlds. Mr. Hale him-
self says in another paragraph that
space Is full of dark bodies, going
heaven knows whither, and he assigns
no very weighty" reasons for doubting
that many of them may De planets
with Inhabitants of some species. The
trouble with our astronomers is that
they lack Imagination. When it comes
to inventing "facts about dead matter
thev are expert enough, but the
thought of living beings seems to stu
pefy theirn minds. It does not seem
to us to be a very difficult trick to
people even a blazing star with Intelli
gent creatures. AU that is necessary
is to endow them with infusible bodies.
Their souls will take care of them
selves in any temperature.
Mr. Hale wishes his readers to dis
miss "summarily" another long-cherished
Idea. It Is the idea that astron
omers are a pallid race who spend
their nights with an eye glued to the
small end of a telescope and their days
maklntr abstruse calculations, so ab
sorbed all the time in their profound
investigations that they forget to eat
or drink. This he assures us is not to
be received any longer, though it may
have been true in former year3. The
modern astronomer does not glue his
eye to the telescope.. He fixes a pho
tographic plate there In its place and
reads the message the heavens imprint
through the stilly darkness at his leis
ure In the afternoon while he digests
a good luncheon. As a matter of fact,
photography Is rapidly - replacing the
old-fashioned star-gazing, though ob
servations of the sky will always be
taken at some" stations for practical
reasons. One of the most Interesting
studies of current astronomy is that of
the elements and motions of the dis
tant stars. Both of these subjects are
investigated with the spectroscope, one
of the most wonderful of human In
ventions and at the same time one of
the simplest It Is nothing more in
principle than an arrangement for re
solving light into the various colors of
the spectrum and observing them ac
curately. Crossing the colored spectrum there
are great numbers of dark lines which
give the key to stellar physics and mo
tion. Each of these lines corresponds
to a chemical element When the ele
ment exists in the flaming atmosphere
of a star the line Is black in its spec
trum. The vapor of sodium, for ex
ample, absorbs the bar of light which
corresponds to sodium in the sun and
leaves nothing but a black line. Since
astronomers know perfectly well
where the line of light of each element
ought to be in the spectrum, this gives
them a means of actually analyzing
the constituents of the stars. It also
gives them- a means of detecting ele
ments in the stars which do not exist
on the earth. Some have been named
and their properties indicated, of
which no human being ever saw a
specimen. ' Aided by the spectroscope,
astronomers have been able not only
to tell of what the starsire made, but.
more, -wonderful still, to ascertain the
nature of the distant nebulae. It was
formerly supposed that these extraor.
dinary appearances were ' Blmply
groups of remote stars. Being so ex
tremely distant their light merged
and presented the aspect of a dimly
luminous cloud. This is true of some
of the nebulae, but not of all. - The
spectroscope has revealed that nebu
lae" often .consist of attenuated gas.
"So vast are they that many of them
must occupy 'bllllons of times the space
of our solar system, though they are
so tenuous that they appear merely as
faint spots against the background of
the sky."
5 The gaseous nebulae occasionally in
close stars in their substance from
which the tenuous cloud extends out
ward in enormous spirals. Astrono
mers have fancied that these curious
aggregations may be universes in the
process of manufacture. We must
say "manufacture," not "creation," for
Mr. Hale assures us that no such event
as creation ever occurred. "The fact
is," he writes with some justifiable in
dignation at popular inaccuracies,
"that the universe was never-created.
It is being made, destroyed and re
made all the time. The telescope and
the spectroscope bring down to us pic
tures of parts -of it in all the stages of
growth and decay." The stars inclosed
in the nebulous spiral are pernaps
somewhat condensed and may in the
course of time surround themselves
with inhabited planets. Such worlds,
if they ever come Into existence, will
enjoy four or five suns and bring to
pass -the promise of Revelations that
"there shall be no night there." When
one sun sets two or three others will
be rising.
The spectroscope ' can be applied
most Ingeniously to detect the motions
of the so-called fixed stars. None of
them is really fixed, but the old name
still, clings to them. When a star is
approaching us the "pitch" of its light
rises just as if it were sound. The
waves are piled up and seem to be
more frequent. - Hence the spectral
lines crowd toward the ,vlolet end.
Similarly when a star is receding Its
spectral lines crowd toward the . red
end. The test Is probably Infallible,
and by its means astronomers have
already ; detected and" measured the
movements of many stars so distant
from us that they appear to be mere
motionless points of light.
Following ayoung woman upon
whom he had centered his affections,
from Oklahoma, and escaping from
the .police only to risk his life in
flying leap for the departing boat
bearing his beloved, an Oklahoma
youth of twenty-one displays the com
mon hysteria . that is popularly ciassi.
fled as love. The girl doesn't want
him, appealed"'to the police to keep
him- away, and yet he persists In an
unbaffled attempt to win her hand.
He laments that he cannot live with
out her, whereas it is likely, being ob
viously ill-balanced and weak, hej
couldn t live with her.
. Canadian riflemen came here re
cently and took all prizes In a mill
tary rifle competition. Now they lift
the scalp of every mother's son of our
craftiest wrestling and boxing experts.
The sad part Is that It was all done
so fairly, clearly and decisively .that
we have no excuses to offer.
Tv. Wilson says he Is disappointed
that Oregon women. have been given
thn ballot. Women should see to it
that future 'elections do not Justify his
position. -" --
Repudiation of Blease by the Gov
ernors' Conference will bother him
little. He's piaylng to the lynch mob
and the basest elements in human
nature.
Women may wear pheasant feath
ers again. Still, it would be inadvis
able to wear them in the vicinity of
any hunting district during the open
season.
- Motor trucks in large numbers have
been purchased for the Turkish Army,
Probably the Turks wish to facilitate
their retreat in event of furtherwar.
fare. "
Mexican rebels have captured a
dynamite factory. Now how grateful
we'd be if. they'd mobilize their entire
force therein and apply a match..
Ragtime prevented a fire panic In a
Chicago theater. Supposing the
pianists had merely struck up one of
Liszt's rhapsodies.
Twenty thousand skilled Navy work
ers have been put on the Civil Service
list. The . pie supply Is being rapidly
depleted. - -
Wilson's Bermuda vacation Is about
over. .He shortly must take up 'his
arduous post behind the pie counter.
. , , .
J. Plerpont Morgan has taken a
cold. ; Also pretty much everything
else lying loose this side of the moon.
' Deputy Sheriffs are having a sweet
time of it no doubt, now 'that five
candy shops are under attachment
If Greece gets a setback in her at
tempt at - naval warfare the Greeks
may become more reasonable.
Oregon hotel men want good roads.
So" does everyone else. So why not
get together and have them?
Morbid and perverse is the person
who would voluntarily seek admission
to the impending killing bee.
A local man has established the fact
that lusty lungs are an excellent anti
dote for highway robbery. -
The, defendants in that "Do beans
make a meal?" suit should insist on
a Jury of soldiers. . "
Procrastinators will be looking for
open stores along about 11:68 P. M.
December 24.
It would seem that the dog's owner
now goes to the pound.
It's almost too
early shopping.
late now to urge
The annual gown show was a great
success.
Scraps and Jingles
Leone Caee Baer.
Seasonable greeting Yule be mine,
a a a
I'd like to serve on a Jury to- try the
Individuals who curtail Christmas to
Xmas. I'd give 'em life and ten years.
- t
Stenographer excused her Inability to
spell on the ground that her employer's
voice was so eloquent it awed her. Ex
actly! Spell-bound, as it were.
a
When of Chrtatma day
Children chant. -
W'hen the wlndowa all dieplaj
Counterfeit ot Sant,
When the grate'e grateful fire
Show areater brlffhtneaa
And all -the help acquires
Extreme politeness;
When resolvea or montha ago
You now remenrber.
Take It from me all are algna
it 1 1 E C K M B K K.
e e a
. Newspaper account tells of man who
went to Monte Carlo to win enough to
defray his wedding expense, and then
at the end of the article naively re
marks, "The wedding has been post
poned two years."
a a
"How distressing," walls an article,
"when an actress realizes she baa lost
her voice!" Yes, but how distressing
when she doesn't realize it
When women begin to tell one of
their sisters "how young she's looking"
she may know she's getting old.
e
"Eggs are indigestible." says n ar
ticle on dietetics. Only when ova
boiled. I think.
e . a
When dancers rag and turkey trot, .
It gives me Just one notion;
,'1'd like to-he a learned Judge
. And overrule the motion.
e e
I.
For Christmas cards good tlma I've spent
I'm almost dead.
O'er countless countera I hav bent
My weary head.
I seek -good wishes aptly writ
And fancy blends,
phrases that maybe -will most fu
My friend.
It
Carda for mull friends! It's right.
But goodness knows.
Love's labor don't end there, as ona
Might suppose
T would be much finer I would add
Thla la no pose
By some remembrance to make glad
Ona'a foe. .
' -. . lit
That's why I want om ugly card
'Bout ninety-three
To send some people I regara
With antipathy.
The the - I must hunt for words
For you don't know
The fiends who stop me. Just to ask.
Say, how' tha show?
"' IV.
For such; Christmas carda In vain
I've sought. v
From store to store with toll and pala
I've fouffht.
I wish the days of Auld.Lang Syna
Were here once more
I'd buy them comic valentines
'Twould make 'em roar.
a ' a e
Reviewer says: ' "Miss Hlghnote
proved to her audience that jho nad
good voice." Yes but I don't like that
"hSJ3.' It's too ambiguous.
Ballad of the Late Shopper
By Dean Cslllna.
Spirits of Christmas tide attend.
The while I do relate
The ballad of the gink who did
His shopping late.
rne day oi (.-nnscmas guts arew nign.
But, dour and surly .
He rnocked at those who did advise
For shopping early.
And always, though the nearer drew
The Christmas chime;
"I'll do my shopping soon, he said.
"There's lots of time."
The people came, the people went
And dally bought
The cream of Christmas goods that
could
Be valued aught.
And it was even Christmas ev
When he, awaking.
Perceived what rapid rate of flight
Old Time was making.
Forth to the stores he fled amain.
But woefully.
Perceived 10,000 in the same
Sad plight as he.
'Twere past the power of facile pen
Or clever brush.
To picture all the horrors of
That Christmas crush.
The mob surged - here and likewise
there,
In maddened rout.
And hundreds fainted In the mess
Were carried out.
He plunged into the surging throng.
With zeal aglow.
And lost his hat, and someone trod
Upon his toe.
He lost his collar, tore his coat
And all the while.
The fainting shopgirls right and left
Blocked up the aisle.
And when at last he staggered forth.
Dismayed and hot
Three, postcards and a statuette
Were all he'd got.
Nay, worse! The toe they troa upon
And ground to mince;
Developed lockjaw and the mans
Not spoken since.
Attend my moral: .Dodge the rush
And hurly-burly;
And, pronto, forthwith, now, at once,
Go shopping eariy.
Portland. Dec. .7.
What Baata Did.
Clara Putnam. In Llpplneott'e.
'Twas tbe night before Chrlstmaa, and Jacob
and Gretchen
Lay snug In their bed In tbe Dornhoefer
kitchen. ...:
Not a sound save the song that the gay
cricket sings, .....
And a faint, sleepy murmur, lop aicaia
my shins."
Could be heard In tha Dornnoeier Kiicnen
ihr ntrht:
l3ut there by the fire. In tha moon's llvr
light. .
In" a short, straggling row lay lour queer
little shoes,
Left there for the Jolly Kris Krlngle to use.
Then suddenly Gretchen sat up with a atari
AndT rubbed jacooa ejn uw -
- them apart,
Those Dornhoefer twin, in in ongniesi
H.vllrhl.
So how could poor Gretchen to sure In tha
night?); .
And they laughed as they thought of th
words Santa 'd use.
For they'd hidden a mouse-trap in ch of
their shoes.
Well, Banta Claua came, and th mouse
trap went slam, .
And Santa said something that sounded Ilk
"sham" ;
And the Moon said she saw Just tne
strangest of things: .
Twas Santa Claus spanking tha Dornhoeier
. twins.
Iloga Rob Per Tree.
. Salem (Mass.) Sunbeam,
Do animals reason? Well a Lower
Creek farmer's hogs pasturing, in
pear orchard apparently do, for tney
take turns in going to low "f"1"
limbs of the pear trees, graap with th
mouth a limb containing pear. t on
their haunches and shake
pears fall, which the other hogs com.
and eat -
-W hy the Widow H Hop,
Judge. , .
" Louise Why do you think the widow
wants to marry again?
- Julia She keep her aga dark: ana
her hair light ,