CHE SUNDAY OEEGOXIAX, PORTXAXD, JAXTJAKT 25, 1914. 4 !l UK li l 1 i?itiTiTT2X1i i : ! 1 ' i -m- PORTLAND, OREGON. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postofflce aa tecund-class mtttw. 6sfcscrlptlon Rate Invariably In Advance: (BY MAIL) really, Sunday included, on year ....... f8. 00 Uailv. Sunday Included, six months ..... 4.25 JDall.v. Sunday included; three months ... Daily, Sunday Included, one month ...... .'5 r.'ail.v, without Sunday, oca. year ........ tt-OO l&ii, without Suna& bus months ..... S.23 'all. without Sunday, three months .... 1-73 Lally, without Sunday, one month . . . . -u Unwly, one year l-oo huDaay, one yar l-50 fcunaay and weekly, one year ...... 8.50 (BY CARRIER) Tally, Sunday included, one year ?9.00 Daily, Sunday Included, one raoDth 15 How to Remit Send postofftco money or !r, express order or personal check on your locaj bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at -tender's risk. Give postofflce address In" fXiIl. including county and state. Postage Kates 12 to IS pages, 1 cent; Is to.SC pages, 2 cents; 84 to 4s pages. 3 cents; CO t 6u pages. cents', 62 to 76 pages. S rents; 7S to U pages, 6 cents. Foreign post. Hgj double rates. Eastern Bufcloe Office Verree A Cone )lnrf New York. Hrunswlclc building. Chi cago, teteger building. ban 1'ranriM-o Office R. J. Bldwell Co., 74- ( Market street. lflijlUSD, SIND.VY, JASIABV 25, 114. BILXS TO KILL MOXOPOir. "The anti-trust bills introduced in the. House are in line with the policy proposed by President Wilson and oil id as nearly as possible, in deal ing with a subject open to many un foreseen contingencies, break -up and prevent monopoly and restore compe tition. They would . specifically pro hibit the methods by which two cor porations which should compete "pur sue.a common purpose through holding companies and interlocking director ates. They remove cause of complaint as to the uncertainty of what is and what is not lawful under the Supreme Court's rule of reason by defining the methods of carrying -on trade which Congress holds- unlawful. -They re move another cause of complaint by creating a trade commission to which business men may go for -information as to whether their plans are within the law, which shall initiate proceed ings against offenders, which shall fa cilitate dissolution of combinations that voluntarily submit to the law and which shall carry out in detail decrees of the courts. They make proof by the Government of the fundamental fact of monopoly ground for damage ruits by injured individuals or firms. The- plaintiff in such a suit would eimply be required to prove the fact and the extent of the damage. This provision would render the risks of monoply so great that none would lare to take them. But there are dangers of making the prohibitions of the law too sweep ing. The bill defining monopoly would apply to combinations which are gen erally regarded as beneficial to tho public as well as to those which are injurious. It would apply to those or- ganization of farmers and fruitgrow ers for co-operative packing, distri bution and sale of their crops, which have benefited both producer and con sumer. The producer has received a better price, while the consumer has paid less or no more than under the former every-man-for-himself system. Markets have been supplied which were formerly neglected, and markets which were formerly glutted now re ceive an adequate supply and no more. The rule of reason recognized by all men requires that these organizations be,. continued and' extended, but. the proposed law would break them dp. The same bill speaks of combina tions "which purpose" to restrict trade. How is the purpose to be proved, such proof being essential to establishment of an offense? . Is Uhe fatfe that a certain act produces mo nopolistic effect to be presumptive evidence of a purpose to produce- that effect? Perhaps the conduct of a com bination as judged under the provi sions of the trade relations bill is to be the basis of Judgment, but here agpln the element of intent enters. ThJt bill says' it shall be "deemed ni;,attempt to monopolize trade or commerce to discriminate- in ' price with the intent to injure a competi tor. Can such Intent always be rroved? There are other motives for discrimination in price besides intent to injure a competitor. For example, low prices are; a-means 'Of invading new territory, -or one manufacturer may be willing to sell at a closer mar gin than another, or may have ad vantages which" enable him to sell at a lower price, jet at the same margin. When the accused might set up any of these reasons, the Government might find difficulty in proving price discrimination toT be prompted by in tent" to injure a competitor, beyond such Injury as is necessarily inflicted on an unsuccessful competitor. Eastern newspaper" are" perturbed by the introduction of a -bill-by Repre sentative Stanley abrogating the rule of reason, after a conference with the -President, very little thought on the subject - of combinations is necessary to convince an unprejudiced man that a rule of reason must be laid down, if the law. is not to hound men at every step, but it should be laid down by Congress,, not by the courts. Tho making of such a rule is a legislative, not a judicial, act. The several bills introduced by Represent ative Clayton, taken together, lay .down such a rule, and-careful revision will make it definite enough to become ii sure guide to business and to pjo hibit injurious combinations only. The utterances of the President and his close co-operation with the leaders in Congress warrant the belief that he favors a. new definition of this rule by Congress, not its abrogation. 1HILD HECKLING INVITED. A civic forum on the lower East Side of New York announces that ad dresses will be followed by open dis cussion and questions. That is about the closest approach to heckling that an American audience ever makes but the genuine article on its native soil consists in interrupting a speaker with denials of his statements, ques tions that are hard nuts .to crack' or that seek to pin him down on points which he would rather evade, jeering and often insulting remarks, calculated to Irritate and "rattle" him and cause him to lose the thread o Ills argument. Heckling has great terrors for a slow-witted, nervous or ' diffident t-peaker, but a man of quick wit, ready tongue and self-confidence often turns the tables on -the heckler and even wins over a hostile audi ence. During the last campaign in England a stalwart baronet was so exasperated by the interruptions of one man that he challenged the hec kler to a fist fight then- and thereN A ring" was formed in the hall and the baronet soundly thrashed his antag onist..; then finished . his speech- in peace. ' When -Joseph Chamberlain was at the. height of hU power. in Birming ham, ba resigned tho Mayoralty to :ts atterrtlorr to- National- af fairs. His admirers erected a hand some monument to commemorate his services to the city. A short time previous the city had bought the gas works, dismissed somo old employes and put good Liberals ion the job. An election shortly followed at. which Captain Burnaby, a giant cavalry of ficer, was the Tory candidate. The Tories rounded up the discharged gas men at their first meeting and Burn aby's first mention of Chamberlain called for the shout: "Stick him on top of his bloody monument."" The Liberals took their revenge-'at another meeting by making such an uproar that Burnaby gave up the attempt, to speak. He lit a clay pipe, jumped from the platform and, towering head and shoulders above the crowd, forced his way to the door. Heckling has its uses, as well as its abuses. Spellbinders would hesitate to make many a wild statement or specious argument if they were as li able to be heckled in this country as in England. -THE PITCHER AND THE WELL. ' . The Residuary Legatea": announces his candidacy for Governor, in the Democratic primary. Governor West gives his gracious permissron, and the war is on. The cry is to' be . law-en forcement law-enforcement by pub-j lc omciais as against- jaw ooeaience by public officials, no doubt. The name of the Residuary Legatee is, Dr. J. Smith, late of Pendleton, and now of Portland. V '. Let all other Democratic candidates note the frame-up. Judge Bennett, John Manning, John H. Smith, Bob Miller all of, them who have borne the heat and burden of many a Demo cratic battle and . all their faithful Democratic followers are to be ig nored in the task of naming the suc cessor of the Only Honest Man. He will do it himself. The true function of the Democracy is to perpetuatl the succession. Chamberlain, West, Smith! Re-election for Chamberlain as Senator, something equally as good for West, and a nice comfortable job for the complaisant Smith. Judge Bennett has already had notice that he is to be punished for ese majeste. With the announce ment of the candidacy of the obliging ex-Pendleton doctor is made public a manufactured letter from "a Demo crat" attacking Judge Bennett for his failure to support Oswald West for Governor in 1910. The ostensible in dictment against tho Judge is that he declined to vote for the Democratic nominee; the real charge is that he would not bend his neck to the yoke. Is Governor West a Democrat, or is Dr. Smith a Democrat? Do they, lay down the rule that the cardinal polit ical sin Is failure to abide by the ac tion of a Democratic primary or to subscribe to the declarations of a Democratic platform? If so. Demo cratic partisanship is to be the pri mary qualification of the Democratic nominee. If not, what business have they to haul Judge Bennett on the carpet for a single act of political in dependence? the doctrine that Chamberlain, West, Smith and all the other office-hunting Democrats have preached early and late in every part of Oregon, with most conspicuous suc cess and with most painful and obvi ous insincerity. The old game is to be played again. Dr. Smith is to be nominated by Democrats because he is a . Demo crat, and Judge Bennett is to be denied' a nomination because he is not a Democrat; then, when Dr. Smith shall be nominated by Demo crats, the threadbare guff about non partisanshipis to be spread every where, and he -is to .be elected on the plea that he is not very much of a Democrat, after- all. Alas, poor Copperfield! Sacrificed to make a Democratic slogan! NEW YORK SQUIRMS. ' Appointment of John Skelton Wil liams as Controller of the Currency has caused -opposition a,mong some New Tork papers, for the ostensible reason that he harbors grudges, hence cannot exercise impartially the great power vested in the Controller of the Currency; also because he is accused of exceeding his power as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, by sending a bank examiner to National banks in Richmond and Chattanooga to obtain correspondence between those banks and a bank in New York. There is also said to be an unexplained mys tery in the absorption of the United States Trust Company, of Washington, by the Munsey Trust Company, of which Mr. Williams' brother is a di rector. The Senate committee on banking and currency has heard objections to Mr. Williams' confirmation and has reported the appointment favorably, but the New "York Sun intimates that bankers are "cowed" by his present and potential authority and that this explains the lack of "witnesses before the committee. It alleges that the banks have been "thrown into a con dition of terrorism by the administra tion of the law and by the tremendous power of proscription which is con tained in the new law." , The New York Tribune finds "some Indications that Mr. Williams was dis posed to be influenced by personal animosities." It says: "Bankers in Washington stand in fear of him" and that "a man who can excite such ap prehensions is the last man in the world to be selected." - Both the Sun and Tribune call upon the Senate to refuse confirmation of the appoint ment. Mr. Williams' appointment has probably excited alarm in New York, less because of the objections named than because it is one more evidence of the Administration's purpose to wrest financial power from that city. New York has long been the financial dictator of the country, but feels its power gradually slipping. The cur rency law would have done much in this direction, even if Mr. Vanderlip's scheme of a central bank had been adopted. It will do still more by building up from seven to eleven oth er . finarftia.1 centers. Secretary Mc Adoo has shown his hostility to New York banks on several occasions, as when he accused them of bearing the price of Government bonds and when he received with marked coolness the suggestion of a regional bank at New York having 40 per cent of the total regional bank capital. The appoint ment of Mr. Williams, of Baltimore, as administrative head of the banking system is one more blow to New York Had any other man from any other city and holding the same, opinions as he been appointed. New York would have squirmed as much. ' The alleged incendiary has rot been apprehended at Copperfield: the Mayor has not been indicted or punished for his reported crime of selling liquor to minors; the gamblers who it is said openly and notoriously violated the. law are etill at liberty; tho Governor -writ" not j-ettrast- the civil authorities of Baker County o enforce the law, but keeps his soldiers on duty. If the "Governor had evi dence to warrant martial law he has evidence sufficient to send the male factors to jail. If the Governor has evidence that the Baker County offi cials will not enforce the law he has evidence sufficient to suspend them and the power to appoint successors who will enforce the law. But then such procedure would make martial law no longer necessary and end all this gratifying whoop and hurrah. Shall we not have some real and permanent law enforcement when all the notoriety possible is wrung out of the Copperfield Incident? HOT SETTLED. The Oregon Society of Engineers knows exactly what it wants, and the State Grange knows nothing about the interesting and important subject of technical engineering Instruction at the State University or the State Agri cultural College. ' President Graves quite plainly makes clear the position and purposes of the engineers, in his letter, published elsewhere today, and Just as pointedly serves notice on the State Grange that it is an imperti nence for that organization to inter fere. Has not The Oregon Society of Engineers spoken? The plan of the Board of Higher Curricula to divide the engineering courses between the Agricultural College and the State University suits the engineers and therefore it ought to suit everybody. . But it does not. It might, if the engineers alone were concerned, and if they alone were paying the bills; but they are not. Undoubtedly the Slate Grange or the Arming element represented by the Grange pays far more in taxes to support the two state schools than the engineers, or than any dozen societies like the engineers; and they purpose to havo something to say as to how the public moneys shall be expended, whether it pleases the engineers society or not. ' It does not settle the question as to the engineering courses to make a showing, with a distinguished air of finality, that the Board of Higher Curricula and the Society of Engi neers understand each other and have fixed up the whole business. Not at all; not at all. It should, no doubt, but it doesn't. That is what The Oregonian in a mild way has hereto fore sought to indicate. The public really ought to be consulted. It is quite clear that it intends in this case to be consulted. THROWING MOSEY AWAY. Appropriation by the city of $7500 for. an independent valuation of . the property of the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company, is inexcus able waste. The Statj Public Service Commission, which is no less a ser vant of the people than is the City Commission, is preparing the same valuation on its own motion. It has been engaged in the work for ten months and for the purpose has em ployed1 experts whose character and ability are beyond question. Why should the expense be duplicated? The public's ,real interest is in whether the company is deriving an undue profit from its entire property. The public also has some interest in whether the company has properly adjusted rates between the large and small consumers of light and power. The State Public Service Commission has undertakerf to ascertain these things in a careful and systematic way. The people are paying for the work and are now to be compelled to pay for at least a part of it a second time, with no prospect that the State Commission will accept the city's values when it makes its rate rulings. The appropriation of this J7500 by the City Commission implies a lack of confidence in the State Public Service Commission. Yet the people, who rule in Oregon, expressed their confidence in the state board by a majority of 25,000 when they created it. More over the people of Portland have ex pressed their doubt as to the advis ability of entrusting such work to a local commission by twice defeating local regulation bills by substantial majorities. The City Commission never had and probably never will have a plainer mandate than in this particu lar. The expenditure is neither needed nor demanded. It is a plain effort to set up some kind of local control, no matter what the people want. AX EPOCH IX BASEBALL. Four times in the past has organ ized baseball been compelled to fight so-called' rebellions. Three of these insurgencies resulted in failure; one overcame vicissitudes and, after three years of warfare with' the then one major league, was taken into the fold and became a-factor in organized baseball. This early outlaw league, organized in 1900, is the same American League now yoked with its ancient enemy, the National. The American League suf fered costly lessons, bjtter experiences and numerous changes in its infancy. Only two of the cities now in the cir cuit were original members of the in vaders. Likewise the new independ ent Federal League, organized one year ago, finds arrayed against it the power of fortunes built out of dia mond successes. Its future as a major league is dependent solely upon its financial resources. In organized baseball the player Is "owned" by the club in which he plays. If his services are desired by another league club negotiations must be conducted with the owners. If the purchase is concluded the iowners pocket the money, or as is more likely, pay it to some other club for a player or players to supply the vacancy, and that club spenc" - what it has received to strengthen its own position, and so on down the line. Last season Chicago paid Milwau kee $18,000 for Chappelle; 'ten major leagues offered around $12,500 for Williams, of the Sacramento club, in 1913; St. Louis paid 2500 to Portland for Pitcher James. Had some inde pendent club offered, not Milwaukee, Sacramento and Portland, but Chap pelle, Williams and James, these amounts as bonuses for signing the scramble can be Imagined. . Thus, although organized baseball has the" power of wealth behind it, it is a fairly vulnerable target for the in dependents. Once the Federal invad ers get together the pick of the older leagues by offering bonuses direct to players little study is required to guess where the crowds will go. The play ers welcome such competition' because from now on they will get not what the magnates offer, not what they have to take, but the top bid, and the public will welcome the independ ent league jtrst as it welcomes com petition in any line of business activ ity provided always that the outlaws have the money to give the players and the public what they want. . Yet organization is necessary; the reserve clause -in the players' -con-tracts is necessary if baseball is to prosper from a business standpoint and as a national attraction. Ulti mately the Federal League will be forced to adopt the principle. Tet the athletes are entitled to their fair share of the prices paid the club own ers for their services. Success of the outlaw Federal League will get them that. But if exclusive power to sell his services to the highest bidder were possessed by every professional base ball player, the competition in each league would ultimately end in a bat tle of pocketbooks, just as it is such a battle in the small town leagues in unorganized baseball. j The club owners In the major league when they are offered a fortune for a single player must weigh the, price against the effect of the sale on gate receipts and agajnst their ability to build up the loss of talent sustained in the sale. Gate receipts are not a mat ter of larg0 consequence to the player if his salary is safely guaranteed and he cares little for the fate of the club he leaves. Without organization and reserve clause the club owners with the biggest purse to back up local enthusiasm would soon have the best players; games would be one-sided and interest and attendance would dimin ish and finally fade away. A shaking up, however, every few years has a wholesome influence on the game. Somebody always suffers when monopoly has "its own way un restrained. In baseball the players are the chief victims and they are the idols i of a, pretty large proportion of the whole community. The Federal League can do no harm to baseball and it can do a lot of good. More power to it! PSYCHOTHERAPY. The limitations of mental haling, or psychotherapy, are still asubject'of debate. Some claim that by proper application of "mind power" all the ills that flesh is heir to can be reme died. Others deny that it can improve any but nervous and hysterical trou bles. Still others, the obstinately skep tical, refuse to believe that mental healing is anything but humbug. The position of the last group is indefensi ble. There is plenty of evidence that mental forces can cure some diseases and more is accumulating daily. Per haps we have more "miracle cures' today than there ever were before even in the time when people staked their faith on witchcraft and demonic agencies, This Is well for the world because nervous diseases are increas ing with the pressure of modern life and many of them are inaccessible to ordinary medicine. There is no doubt whatever that psychotherapy cures diseases every day which "the doctors have given up." The gradual estab lishment of this great healing power on a scientific basis is therefore a .boon for which we must all feel grate ful since charlatanism has always been its baneful parasite. It must probably be admitted" that mental healing began with imposture. An article in the London Times on this subject remarks that among the ancient Greeks physicians were at the same time priests. This Is no more true of the Greeks than of all other ancient nations and modern savage tribes. In the beginning of history the priest was a medicine man and the medicine man was more Or less of a priest in all cases. The two profes sions were not wholly separated until science had developed farther fiian it ever did among the Greeks. The primitive priest was constantly called upon to show his power over the in visible world by curing diseases. Peo ple believed that their troubles were caused by evil spirits and -it was the obvious duty of the priest to relieve them. Lack of scientific knowledge compelled him to resort to incanta tions. No doubt his magic perform ances affected the nerves of his pa tients so much that ha often per formed real cures. It has been related by numerous .travelers that the medi cine men among our American Indians were not utter deceivers. They actu ally cured diseases now and then. Undoubtedly, as the London Times remarks, "devotional enthusiasm has occasionally obtained remarkable re sults" in relieving the sick. Any other kind of enthusiasm may produce the same effect. Whatever controls the patient's mind and brings psychic power to bear upon his malady will accomplish the cure if his disease hap pens to be one that is curable by such means. If it is not then neither de votional enthusiasm nor any other merely mental influence will help a great deal. It must not be overlooked that a person's mental state may help or hinder his recovery from any mal ady whatever, even from a broken leg, but we should not expect a bullet to be removed from a gunshot wound by psychotherapy. And there is another side to this matter. Devotional en thusiasm has often operated as a posi. tive hindrance to sensible medicine. In the middle ages the prayers and processions by which it was attempted to stay the ravages of the plague spread the infection broadcast while they blinded the people to the neces sity of hygienic precautions. Should the time ever come when the world relies on psychotherapy to the exclu sion of material medicine arid surgery mankind will find cause to regret it. Mental healing did not disappear from the w-orld with savagery by ay means. It has held its own with re markable tenacity down through the ages. Its feats have been reported "as miracles, charlatan's tricks, impos tures, witchcraft, but that Uiey have often been genuine cures of disease, men of sound sense no longer wish to deny. The problem now is to' un derstand these extraordinary occur rences and reduce them under the do. minion of scientific law. As long as they are not fully understood, quacks and fakers will make capital out of the mystery that darkens them. Mod ern interest in this subject began with the famous Mesmer, who began his career as a genuine practitioner and ended it as a - ran k Impostor. The name of "mesmerism"' which he be queathed to psychotherapy was so en cumbered with undesirable associa tions that it has been rejected in our time. We now speak of hypnotism, mental therapeutics, psychotherapy, and do on. The work of Freud and his colleagues Is gradually shedding light upon the whole subject. The basic fact is that in each of our minds is a gulf called the "unconscious" or "sub conscious," which swarms with rebel lious mental states, Freud calls them "unfulfilled wishes." Once the wlll, or the "inhibitions," are weakened by any cause, these rebels thrust them selves up into consciousness and pro duce mischief without end. They rack the brain in insomnia. They capture the personality in hysteria. Freud shows beautifully how they construct the .wonder world of dreams. Dreams are perfectly normal and the mind has provided a machinery for controlling tho "unconscious' while they proceed. But insomnia and hys teria are not normal. They arise from the lack of weakness of the inhibitive machinery. Here is iwhere psycho therapy comes in. It places the pa tient in a situation closely allied to sleep and supplies the same sort of inhibitions which nature herself -uses in dreams. By this means the "un conscious" is reduced to subjection and the patient is restored to health. But obviously" this process can apply only to troubles caused by the revolt of the "unconscious." In cases of wounds and fevers it can avail little. A JCST DIVISION OF WORK. The. educational world Is interested In the treaty of amity and alliance which has been concluded between Harvard University and the Massa chusetts Institute of Technology. Both institutions are 'ell established and highly respectable. For many years they have been flourishing side by- side without much reference to com mon or conflicting interests and with out any particular regard to the wel fare of the community. Each has gone its own haughty way-and let the outside world wag as it would. Of late years a new light has broken upon them. Somebody has ham mered a totally new set of principles into the venerable heads that control the two institutions. They are summed up in the precept that "educational institutions existing 'for the good of the community should have a single eye to the community's good." Their own pride should be left out of the question altogether and so should the local Interests which happen to cling around them. In pursuance of this new doctrine the Institute of Tech nology and Harvard University have redistributed their courses of study. The university is to retain, of course, the literary and classical branches. It is also to conduct those advanced theoretical studies which form the pride and glory of every genuine institution cf higher learning. Such courses are the theory of func tions and the geometry of position in mathematics, with differential equa tions and the modern theory of groups. In languages instruction will naturally be given in comparative grammar and philology.' In science students will be guided in modern laboratory investigations, taking up lines of work which in Europe have led to the discovery of radium and the germ theory of medicine. Such is the work of an honestly conducted university. It leaves the applications of science and art to the technical schools. Hence the Massa chusetts Institute of Technology is to take over all the engineering courses, civil, electrical, irrigation engineering and so on. These branches are not suitable for a literary university, while they are eminently suited for a tech nical school. It is believed that this definite division of work between the two institutions will be highly advan tageous for both. It will relieve the in. structors of many burdens. It will heal old dissensions. It will concen trate the strength of each upon its true mission. It will be economical for the community. To be sure, both Harvard and the Institute of Technology are supported by private subscriptions, but the bur den is felt nevertheless when two schools situated within a few miles of each other are continually demand ing aid for duplicated "work. The in stitute students are to have literary and economic training sufficient for their needs, but the main teaching at their, school is to be in applied sci ence. ; The university, on the other hand, is to drop all its engineering courses and devote itself strictly to university work. The solution Is a happy one. It might well be imitated in other localities. AXOTHER REM1XISCEXT. Sir William Robertson Nicoll has been a conspicuous figure in London journalism for many years. One of his principal occupations has been writing book reviews. This he finally expanded so widely that he was em ployed to review the same work in a dozen different periodicals, to the dis comfiture of the authors, who thought they ought to be dissected by a new hand in each Instance. ' Several of- them finally united to attack Sir Wil liam and his wholesale review meth ods but nothing came of it. On the contrary, his business enlarged until it became something of a trust. Ob taining a review of a new book in London Was like buying gasolene in this country. The article could always be traced back to the same source of supply. This prolific reviewer has now written a book of his own and perhaps his former antagonists may improve the opportunity to take their revenge. He calls his volume "A Bookman's Letters," but it is made up largely of his reminiscences of various men. George Meredith is one to whom he pays particular attention. Like every other critic he has a de cided opinion upon Meredith's style. That great genius never was popular In his lifetime and the restricted vogue he once had is now waning. It will not be long before his novels are rele gated to the top shelves in the libraries and the reason for it is his wilful dis regard of clearness. Sir William Rob ertson Nicoll says that he "cultivated a stammer," meaning, of course, that he made his sentences as obscure as he could. Meredith despised the pub lic and scorned to write for ordinary readers. He made a great point of addressing nobody but exceptionally clever people. Nicoll tells a story of orje of Meredith's books, that may very well be true of them all. When the first draft was completed it was in pure, limpid and intelligible English. Had It gone through the press as it was it must have pleased everybody. But before publication Meredith re vised the manuscript and "translated" It into his own peculiar dialect, which only a few even profess to under stand. An author who will play tricks of that kir.4 upon the public deserves the oblivion, which, hastens to swallow him up. Meredith gained a great name in literature' before he died and his fame is probably secure, but it Is a- verbal fame merely. It never will be vital like that of Dickens, which is a great pity for he was a powerful thinker whose weapons were always turned against injustice. Macaulay is an other literary man of whom Nicoll has a good deal to say, though his knowl edge of the historian was only second hand. Macaulay was addicted to poli tics, far too much so for the good of his history. He served in Parliament and plumed himself upon his ora torical powers. From all accounts he was much the same cort of a public speaker as our own esteemed Edward Everett Hale, orotund, elaborate and classical. Hale, as the reader well knows, was engaged to speak at Get tysburg on the' same ' platform with Lincoln and came first upon the pro gramme. ' When ho had finished his amtetdelress'..LineoJtt. hardly dared to deliver his brief oration, which was simple and homely. It scarcely con sumed five minutes, but it became immortal while Hale's effort has been pretty well forgotten. The length and elaborateness of a speech do not de termine its value. Nicoll describes two of Macaula3-'s ineffective orations which he had pre. pared with great ere. One was de livered on the street at Edinburgh during a political campaign.. It was grave, scholarly, and ought to have been convincing, but unluckily it was not. Macaulay -was followed on the stump by a Chartist speaker, one of the unwashed mob, who completely eclipsed him. Macaulay had accused the Chartists of being "conservatives," much as if someone should charge Mr. Eugene Debs with standpatism. This rough and ready opponent mounted the platform and sl'outed, "The Chart ists conservative? Many of them have not a bed to lie on. Many have no food to eat. The Chartists conserva tive? Merciful God. they have noth ing to conserve. The mob cheered and Macaulay was lost. His other geat oration described by Nicoll suf fered a similar -disaster. The-prizes of oratory do not always go to the orotund voice and the classical scholar, outside the colleges, at any rate. It often enough happens that a man with a little, wheezy voice and no manner whatever manages to Im press the crowd with his sincerity. They discover, in spite of his elocu tionary faults, that he has something to say and means it from the bottom of his heart and thenceforward he has his own way with them. Sincerity counts for a great deal more upon the modern platform than any mere rhetorical graces. A really good pub lic speaker is usually something of a mindreader. He gauges the mental agility- of his hearers and never goes too fast for them. Short sentences and slow delivery are his reliance. The ornamental style befits Senators like the late Mr. Bailey, who have much to explain. ' For almost everybody else it has gone out of fashion. Sir William Robertson Nicoll's long experience in writing book reviews makes his opinions upon the art of criticism extremely valuable. One of his shrewdest observations is that a critic never ought to review an en emy's book. If he does his spite is likely to poison all he says and may even lead him to pervert the truth. Nicoll cites an awful example of this in Robert Buchanan, who detested almost every other writer and pouttd out all his gall into his book notices. The product was a mass of stuff, some of which our author bluntly oalls "lies." "I hope it is not necessary to argue." says Sir William sagely, "that criticism inspired in this fashion is evil and that it brands the name of the perpetrator. Buchanan is a warn ing to all critics.'' It is molasses and not vinegar that catches flies. An Omaha high school boy has broken the world's heavy weight-lift ing record. It would be far raorf edifying to read now and then that some sort of scholarship record had been shattered. Another way to regard the Fels fund is that it can do no possible harm in this well-bnlanced state, while at the same time it will put a few thousand dollars into circulation. President Wilson will name the -officials who must pass on Wilson land holdings. But this rare privilege will be only an annoyance to President Wilson. Vancouver's -arriage license monopoly is losing its grip. Possibly the supply of Portlanders who want the free and easy license has run short. Colonel Goethals Is willing to be come a police commissioner of New York. He seems to have grown strangely careless of what becomes of him. - H that idle arm,y was -willing to expend half the energy in useful work that it uses up in marching it would quickly vanish for want of member ship. , A three-legged cat having won the highest award, we would recommend a special prize for someone who could breed a voicele . variety. Five thousand dollars having been paid for a rare flea, San Francisco has a new field of wealth at hand, or on foot, as the case may be. Children of the Woodlawn School have saved morj than $5000. Which is another interesting sidelight on Portland's prosperity. The population of Portland has in creased 14 per cent in three 'years. The rush to get in on a ood thing is still on, moreover. Indians in New Mexico are to pre sent their views of the order against sun dancing. They may point t.o our tango, for example. Huerta is now believed to be on the point of resigning. What wonderful speculative tenacity they have at Washington. Professor Taft boasts thirty-five pairs of trousers. This sedentary life is hard on them and demands a big supply. The state may adopt timeclocks. Yes, care must be taken- to see that none of the employes work overtime. Heavy frozen meat shipments are enroute from Australia. Enough to give the American beef trust a chill. President Yuan has ordered the metric system established in China. Now for a fresh revolution. If we sent several million as a Japanese relief fund would they build warships with the money? As to the plans Just elaborated for fortifying the Hawaiians, aren't we a trifle slow about it? All countries are planning to keep out the Hindu.' What will the poor Hindu? After the primaries comes the Rose Festival. Time surely has wings. This is a hard Winter on the deal ers in overcoats. The Bryan diplomacy is getting into deep water. But why aren't there- more women candidates?. , , . , Gleams Through the, Mist By Dean Collins. Ode to a. Modern Maid. Phyllis, my vision. Heaven-blest, You have a system, pedagogic, Ot handing to me to digest Of late, an awful bunch of logic. Since you lt-t china painting be. And dropped your music course, advandns; To tackle sociology Co-ordinate with, tango dancing. Glibly you tell me how the times Are out of joint and show me plainly. Oppressed mankind in many climes Is yelling for assistance vainly; The social system you dissect And classify, and in your booking Show all the things we must correct, Which lawmakers are overlooking. Familiarly the names you cite Of authors on those subjects sotemn; You quote the hefty things they write By lengthy column after column; You hit the thing in every phase Of poor humanity's oppression. And knock out every point I raise. With the sarenest self-possession. Phyllis, you do out-argue me. And rout completely all my forces; Make me admit that all things be According to your reading courses. Yet I'm not broken; only bent; I cast your logic in a flurry. With my one. master argument; Thus I express it: "I should worry 1" - Hfstorians -tell how Rome was once saved by the squawking of a flock of geese and varied cults of amateur re formers have been trying to apply the same system to society ever since. (This jibe is not directed at the afore mentioned Phyllis, however.) . Solemn Thought. Japan aa!n hath come to make A rather sharp Interrogation About what steps will Bryan take On antl-alien le-islation. Orc.-it Bryan, fix this question vexed; No further let the pesky thing go; It furnishes too good a text For the forever-talking Jingo. mm "Sir." said the courteous office boy, "I have here a merry quip, as follows: "When you get tired of dancing at the seashore, come back to the city and watch the tan go.' " "Boy,." T chlded. "that jest has been cribbed out of the August pigeonhole, and " "True, master: but I was afraid it wouldn't keep till August." "Correct, as always," I concluded, "for of a truth this tango stuff is growing wondrous stale." (For a warning and an example to myself and the courteous office boy. I reprint the following from the prolific pen of Anon: A wise man once said to his son; "'Whenever you thinlr of a pun. Go out in the yard. And kick yourself hard And let me begin when you're don:" "What do you think of a man whose) name is Archibald Cecil' Smith?" "Well, if he's a regular good fellow," replied ray friend, Bim. judicially, "T take it that he has not lived up to the 1 ideals of his parents.'" If Eongfellow Came to Portland. The day is cold and damp and dreary; It rains, and the wind is never weary: The limpid stream in tl;e gutter sloshes Over the tops of my goloshes. And the day is damp and dreary. Chiik up a bit. and smile, old fella: You've got a raincoat and '-umbrella." This rain that vexes your spirit so Makes roses bigger than cabbage grow. So you should gurgle with Joy. although . The day may be damp and dreary. It was the session of the Circle of Silence among the Yoga. The Swamt Bugahadhur, that non-ref lllable bottle of universal truth, raised his eyes and projected into the vibrations of the universe the following remarks: Which nobody can deny. Passing It On. Our granddads make a lot of noise. On how they won prosperity; But there ain't no use talkin', boys. Things ain't quite what they used to be. Salt Lake Herald. Our granddr.ds make :i lot of noise. While traveling on nimble legs; But not one of those old. old boys E'er saw such prices paid for egss. Los Angeles Express. Our granddads make a lot of noise Concerning how they got their dough; Cash registers, when they were boys. Had not yet been installed, you know. Chicago Record-Herald. Our granddads make a lot of noise Of how they saved and made their piles But grandma didn't ask, my boys. For tango teas and Paris styles. m Approximate History. 41,827 B. C. Jethro Wolfbristle says: "I don't recollect when we've had such a mild Winter since back in the season of 42,469." 3420 B. C. Methuselah publishes in terview in the West Eden Gazette on "How to Diet and Exercise for Longev ity." 1121 B. C. Daedalus and Icarus found the aviator's club, of which Darius Green later became president. 931 B. C. Dido, Queen of Carthage, brings suit for divorce against Aeneas on grounds of desertion. Italy refuses to grant extradition papers. 693 B. C. (or thereabouts) Lars Porsena. of Clusium. establishes the long-distance record for profanity. George W. Horatius is commended by the Roman Aldermen for his faithful services as a bridge-tender. 1521 A. D. Martin Luther summoned to the Diet of Worms, and amateur his torians thereafter suffer considerable confusion as to medieval fashions In breakfast foods. Quotation "Nobody loves me, I'm going to the garden, etc.," erroneously attributed by some to aforementioned M. Luther. Mr. Shepherd'a Fifth Race. PORTLAND, Or., Jan. 22. (To the Editor.) Please state in your columns the number of times George S. Shep herd has run for the Republican nomi nation, for Congress and the results of the races in which he has participated. VOTER. Mr. Shepherd has run four times for the Republican nomination for Con gress. In 1906, 1908 and 1910 he ram in the old Second District, which em braced Clatsop, Columbia and Multno mah counties and a large portion of Eastern Oregon, and in 1912 he ran in the Third District, which embraces Multnomah County only. The vote for Congressman in each of these primaries was as follows: 1900. W. R. Ellis, of t-matllla 7.7154 George S. Shepherd, of Multnomah... 5,TU W. J. Lachner. ot Baker 4.STt:t John L. Rand, of Baker S.'JOS 19 (18. W. R. Ellis, of Vmattila 11.813 George S. Shepherd, of Multnomah.... T. T. Geer. of Umatilla S.273 1910. A. W. Lofferty, of Multnomah .92 W. R. F.llis. of Umatilla 7.3'JK J. Reed, of Multnomah r,0H4 George S. Shepherd, of Multnomah.... 11. Gull 191?. A. W. T.afferty. of Multnomah 9.SSS t Gantenbeln, of Multnomah 8 2rtt Ralph C. Clyde, of Multnomah ., 4.K47 George s. 6b.epb.erd. of Multnomah.. . 8.SSZ 0