6
TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JULY
1916.
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PORTLAND, 81NDAV, JULY 23, 1816.
COMMUNITY OPTIMISM.
"Standing up for the home town"
Is a form of patriotism not less to be
esteemed than the more spectacular
variety that shoulders its musket on
occasion and marches away to the
sound of trumpet and drum, to brave
the perils of war. The one Is contained
within the other; the other, we be
lieve, cannot exist in its highest sense
without the one. Town and community
patriotism lie at the foundation of
our domestic life. The sentiment is
one with love of home, and it is love
of home that ultimatelj' makes men
fight and die for country. Much is
embodied in it. There are neighbor
liness, and friendship, and optimism,
and sense of proportion, and more.
No man who is loyal to his commu
nity is going to be a traitor to his
country. It is no part of the scheme
of things; and he is not built that way.
It is for reasons such as these that
we ought to cultivate the spirit that
found voice in the "community talks"
made on Wednesday night before the
first convention of the Interstate Real
ty Association. One meets enough
pessimists, enough of the class that
are expressively called "knockers" in
the course of an everyday round of
business to grow instinctively to dis
like them. Perhaps they are thought
less; that is the most favorable con
struction, for their sakes, that can be
put upon them. But there are no two
opinions about the man who always
has a good word for the home folks.
We like him and we always shall.
For there Is much to be said that
Is good. One needs only to read the
news reports of the convention we
have mentioned. Twenty-six commu
nities were represented formally by
their orators. There were no "big
gest cities" among them. There are
other things to be proud of besides
population, if we look for them. It
will be remembered that the spirited
little town of Warrenton won first
prize and that Canby came second, be
cause of the optimism of their repre
sentatives. There Is merit in new
ness, in freshness of ajpirit; there is
merit in age, if it has been well spent;
there are advantages to be claimed for
the widest unpopulated area in the
-country, if its potentialities be pointed
out; the essence of it all is to make
the best and the most of the things
there are.. This is right doing, right
living in its best sense.
Klickitat County; for example, said
its orator, has the best dirt roads on
the Pacific Coast. A plain and simple
statement of an unvarnished 'truth.
and eloquent of the spirit that makes
communities great. It Is no reflection
on Klickitat that it was not chosen
for the building of the Appian Way.
The point is that with the material at
hand it has made the "best." A best
dirt road is an achievement to boast
about; not as much could be said of
bad macadam or unkempt asphalt.
The claim of another locality that it
grows the "best fruit one ever tasted'
starts no ill-natured controversy: of
course it is the best, because it grew
in the home community of the man
who boasts of it. What more clearly
proves that he loves the place? It is
for the same reason that mother's pies
were the most delicious ever made
The Wauties of Nature grace the val
ley of the Molalla, great shipbuilding
plants help to make Grays Harbor
what it is; dairying is one of the
"blessings" of, we shall not attempt
to say. how many communities, and
one optimist finds especial inspiration
in the happy circumstance that he
lives within two miles of the largest
ocean in the world.
These are the little things of which
, the sum of much that it is good to
live for is made. If mention is omitted
of a single one of them. It is only be
cause there are so many things that
could be said all true and all de
served. But best of all are the people
themselves who thus refuse to deny
their own blessings, as the grouchy
pessimist would have them do. They
are strong in the faith. They keep the
commandment, and in loving their
neighbors and their neighbors' neigh
bors they perform one of the highest
civic duties immediately before them
The possibilities of good fellowship
are tremendous. If it achieved no ma
terial results, it always would be worth
while. Behold, said the Psalmist, how
good and how pleasant it is for breth
ren to dwell together in unity. What
tie can bin-d more closely the people
of a community than mutual belief in
and understanding of their common
blessings? There are uplift and in
spiration and everyday comfort in life
passed in such an atmosphere. With
this substantial addition: That If there
be merit in growth and development
which there is. the community whose
people are united in pride of it, who
hold a good opinion of themselves and
theirs, and who are not ashamed to
tell the world, are doubly equipped for
achievement. Real optimism is con
tagious; it even yields dividends in
dollars and cents.
It matters not so much, after all
whether a town be situated at the
head of navigation or at the mouth
of a creek; or whether its people grow
watermelons or dig coal; or whether
it sits on a hill or ties ties in a dale. It
is those who dwell in it who make it
or do not make it one's "home town.'
There should be more community
orations, for the inspiration they are
to others: but no one need wait for
the special occasion of a convention to
put the principle into action. Oppor
tunities are before us every day. Look
for the good, and tell of it. It is
simple duty that brings its own re
ward just the little duty of "saying
a good word for the home town."
The death of W. L. Waugh. tele
graph operator famous all over th
country for his "beautiful 1 Moose,
will be mourned by all who respect
craft pride. Here was a man wh
honors a profession by givins it the
best that was in him. instead of de
voting his life to "getting by with it."
as the practice of doing just enough to
hold one's job is sometimes called.
There are such men in every craft and
if all others would learn the lesson our
economic problems would resolve
themselves into their simplest terms:
besides which all would get more
pleasure out of living as we go along.
AN OBSOLETE DOCTRINE.
The Democratic party adheres ob
stinately to its free trade theory at
the very time when that theory is
being abandoned by its most poweejul
and determined advocate Great Brit
ain. Even before the war that coun
try derived more per capital revenue
from customs duties than did the
United States. In 1905 the amount
per capita was $4.01 for Britain, t3.ll
for the United States, but in the year
ending March 31, 1916, the British
ratio had increased to J6.77, while the
American ratio had fallen to 82.08.
That our present prosperity is due
to the war and is in spite of the Un
derwood tariff can be seen at a glance
in the reports of our exports for the.
last fiscal year. The vast bulk- of the
increase is in iron and steel, explosives,
meat, copper, automobiles, brass, min
eral oils, chemicals and cotton manu
factures all of them either for use
in war or to replace commodities
which neutrals usually obtain in coun
tries now excluded from commeroe.
Federal Trade Commissioner Hur
ley has warned us that not a smoke
stack in Britain, Germany or Italy has
been destroyed, and only a few in
France, and that "unless we take ad
vantage of the opportunity, we shall
find that ninety days after the war is
over the European nations will be on
their way to a position In the markets
of the world even stronger than they
occupied before." When the war ends,
not only will our munition trade end
but we shall be compelled to compete
intensely for the new trade we have
built in both belligerent and neutral
countries.
While the war has been in progress,
we should have 'been- strengthening
our economic defenses for the pro
tection of our home markets and for
the retention of our foreign markets.
ORGANIZE WAR ON DISEASE.
Though country life is popularly be
lieved to be healthy, investigation
proves that it is not. Typhoid fever,
malaria, pellagra and hookworm are
extremely prevalent in rural commu
nities, and the Country Life Commis
sion reported in 1909 that "there are
numberless farmhouses, especially of
the tenant class, and even numerous
rural schoolhouses. that do not have
the rudiments' of sanitary arrange
ment. Speaking in support of a bill
providing funds for investigation and
encouragement of improved methods
of rural sanitation. Senator Ransdell
estimated the total economic loss In
1913 from sickness and death through
malaria and typhoid fever at more
than $900,000,000. Yet Congress is
far more liberal in appropriations for
prevention of plant and animal dis
eases than for the conservation of hu
man life from disease.
The present epidemic of infantile
paralysis has impressed on many the
necessity of a Nation-wide war on epi
demic diseases. Measures for preven
tion and quarantine are as truly inter
state in their nature as those for con
trol of interstate commerce. An epi
demic no sooner breaks out in one lo
cality than danger arises that it will
spread to many states. Quarantine by
the several states should therefore be
harmonized and directed by Federal
officials. Study of disease and sani
tation can also be conducted with ad
vantage by the Nation. General direc
tion of such work by the Government
and uniform quarantine and sanitary
laws by the states should make it pos
si ble to war on disease without too
great surrender of the states' activities
to a great Federal bureau.
The case is one for hearty co-opera
tion, free from jealous insistence on
the limits of authority by either state
or Nation.
WILSON'S GIFTS TO OREGON.
Oregon rightly expected to profit
greatly from the Panama Canal, espe-
cially from the law exempting coast
wise vessels from tolls. Mr. Wilson
had not been in office a year when.
in direct violation of a platform pledge
which he had reaffirmed on the
stump, he forced Congress to repeal
that law. He thus dealt a blow to
Oregon's lumber and wool trade with
the Atlantic Coast.
With the Underwood tariff Mr. WII
son and his party opened to Canadian
lumber the American market upon
which the Oregon lumber industry de
pended for its prosperity. Thy opened
to foreign wool the market which had
been enjoyed by Oregon wool. They
reduced the duties on dairy products
and forced Oregon dairymen Into com
petition with New Zealand butter, Dan
ish cheese and Chinese eggs.
By keeping Oregon's watea resources
locked up until they could force
through Congress bills which place
water power under control of a Fed
eral bureaucracy and which impose a
Federal tax on the state's ownership In
waters, the Democracy has obstructed
development of Oregon. It has blocked
irrigation and manufactures which
could have progressed through use of
cheap power. It has laid an embargo
on Oregon progress.
Prosperity has come to other sec
tions of the country through a great
war, but the Pacific Coast has had
small share in it and that prosperity
is not in any degree the product of
the Administration's policy. The wool
industry alone has profited by obtain
ing war prices, but the fact that wool
Imports in the last two and one-half
years have more than doubled as com
pared with the last corresponding pe
riod under a protective tariff is a
foretaste of what may be expected
when peace returns, if a Democratic
Administration remains in control.
Price of wheat has advanced, but high
ocean freights have appropriated the
increase. The war has deprived both
wheatgrowers and lumbermen of ships
to carry their products abroad. As a
remedy Mr. Wilson offers the seamen's
law, which has driven American ships
from the Pacific Ocean, and the
shipping bill, which cannot add a sin
gle ship to our merchant marine until
two years have passed.
Mr. Wilson and his party' took pros
perity away, from the entire country;
the war brought it back to other sec
tions, but not to Oregon or to any
other part of the Pacific Coaft. Peace
may bring temporary prosperity to the
lumber industry, but if the Wilson
tariff policy should continue to pre
vail it will revive the destructive com
petition which prevailed before the
war, not only in that but in other
Oregon Industries. The Wilson policy
has been destructive, and not even the
war has suspended its destructive ef
fects on Oregon.
The hope of this state Is a new
Administration pursuing a construct
ive policy a . policy, which will give
American industry the first chance in
American markets, which will open
foreign markets to our products and
which will build up an American mer
chant marine to carry those products
abroad. As Governor of New York
Mr. Hughes proved himself to be a
constructive statesman. He Is the
chosen leader of the Republican party,
which brought about the tremendous
industrial development of the last half
century by its constructive policy. This
leader and this party have proved
their capacity to cope with the tre
mendous economic problems which
must be solved during and immediate
ly after the war. Oregon voters must
decide whether the men and the poli
cies shall prevail which brought dis
aster on Oregon and every other state,
or the men and policies which brought
prosperity whenever they prevailed.
OREGON'S LATEST INJCRY.
The Democratic leaders at Washing
ton have not disguised their opposition
to any effective plan to give Oregon
its proper share of the proceeds from
the sale of the Oregon and California
land grant. The Sinnott amendment
to the land grant bill, proposing that
4 0 per cent be spent on reclamation
in Oregon, is not Mewed with favor,
yet it is true that a friendly attitude
by the Administration at Washington
would guarantee the adoption of Mr.
Sinnott's proposal. If it shall be de
feated, it will be because the Adminis
tration and the House leaders are op
posed to it.
Any scheme to make political cap
ital out of the disposition of the land
grant is inexcusable and indefensible.
Yet for many days recently the peo
ple of Portland were amazed to note
that a conscienceless and; unscrupulous
Democratic paper. of Portland was en
gaged in a vehement?" campaign to load
upon Governor Witbyconbe the entire
blame for a prospective failure of the
state to get any substantial, financial
benefit from the sale of the lands.
James Withycombe is .Governor of
Oregon, and he is not the United
States Congress, nor the Oregon dele
gation therein, nor the Secretary of
the Interior, nor the Secretary of Agri
culture. The wholesale abuse of the
Governor was an unblushing attempt
to shield the two Cabinet officers and
congressional favorites and some
how to involve the state's executive to
his hurt and discredit. Politics, and
nothing else, inspired this shameless
Plot.
Senator Chamberlain introduced the
original bill for the disposition of the
Oregon rand grant and The Oregonian
promptly approved It. It Indorsed also
the plan to apportion a part of the
funds to the port districts of Oregon.
Senator Chamberla.n proposed that
80 per cent of the surplus funds from
the sale of the lands should go to the
state of Oregon, 40 par cent to the
counties for road purposes, 4 0 per cent
to the school fund and 2 0 per cent to
the Federal Treasury.
Secretary Lane demanded that the
state's share be cut in half.
Secretary Houston objected to any
present distribution of the funds what
soever.
The land grant in its present shape
will give a total of 50 per cent to
the state, 25 per cent to the counties
and 25 per cent to the school fund.
Ten per cent will go to the Federal
Treasury and 4 0 per cent to the .Fed
eral reclamation fund.
The Oregonian sees no reason why
any of the proceeds should be taken
over by the Government. It Is virtual
confiscation. It is the kind of ex-
ploltation of states for the benefit of
the Federal Treasury against which
The Oregonian has long protested.
The equities of the state In the land
grant are so great and so obvious that
It Is astonishing to find them denied
by anybody anywhere. These lands
in the heart of Oregon, were granted
to a railroad company fifty years ago
on the explicit condition that they be
sold on certain defined terms to
actual settlers. The Oregonian for
years demanded that the lands be
sold to settlers, and then made the
rirst proposal that the grant be for
feited. The Legislature adopted reso
lutlons to that effect, and the Gov
crnment Intervened. The grant has
not been forfeited, but the Govern
ment has sought to make of the grant
an "enforceable covenant."
Now the "conservationists" are busy.
They have seen an opportunity to
minimize the primary interest of the
state in lands within its borders and
to work the old game of exclusive
control by the Federal bureaucracy.
It is but another phase of the Pln
chotism which has dedicated a large
proportion of Oregon to Federal res
ervation, and which has taken the
moneys realized from the sale of pub
lic lands in Oregon to the developmen
of Federal reclamation schemes in
other states.
The Oregonian is and has been un
alterably opposed to the substitution
of Federal control for state control o
state affairs. Fundamentally that Is
the question involved in this land
grant matter. To be sure, a bone Is
to be thrown to Oregon, which is to
be given a share of the proceeds after
the railroad company shall have been
paid. But the principle of Federal
Administration Is asserted and Oregon
must take what it can get and not
what It by right should have. To the
extent that they have supported the
schemes of the Plnchotites, those local
advocates and supporters of a false
conservation are blamable for th
present attitude of the Washington of
ficials toward the land grant. It is
of little benefit and small consolation
to anyone that they have worked
themselves into a condition of frenzy
approaching heart-failure over Con
gress' attitude.
INSANITY CAUSED BY WAR..
Cold statistics still have their way
of upsetting preconceived ideas, as is
illustrated by insanity and the effect
of the war upon its development. In
the early stages of the conflict in Eu
rope much stress was laid on reported
instances of persons who had been
driven to madness by the horrors they
experienced. Army officers, soldiers,
civilians men, women and children
nope seemed to be immune. It seemed
as if a world had suddenly gone men
tally awry, and as if the human mind
might break down under the strain.
Predictions made as to the provision
that would be necessary after peace
used to take ample account of the new
lunatic asylums that it was assumed
would be necessary to accommodate
the growing number of unbalanced
ones:
But no such situation has come to
pass. Those whose intellects were so
delicately balanced on the dividing line
between the great wit and madness of
which the poet speaks have, perhaps,
lost their reason and have done
with It; but as the war continues there
are no continued reports of men who
have gone insane because of their ter
rific ordeals. Both German and French
physicians now agree that the war has
not greatly intensified, if It indeed has
Increased at all, the number of Incur
ably deranged. In the beginning Ger-
an physicians were Inclined to argue
that the war was showing on the part
of the Teutonic races a greater ner-
ous resistance than was possessed by
the Latins. Researches made in
France for the purpose of disproving
this, if possible, have shown that the
races are measurably alike. Thus in
both countries it appears that among
he mentally unfit, made so by the
war. only about 3 per cent are af
fected with so-called general paraly
sis a hopeless form. The remarkable
feature of this showing is that in the
average asylum, in ordinary times, the
proportion of general paralysis Is from
a tenth to a seventh of the total.
It seems to have been proved that
the human system develops resistance
o the burdens put upon it. It Is not
denied thar tremendous bombard
ments, the destruction wrought by
high explosives, the din and the in
cessant perils of battle have their ef
fect on the participant. This is indi
cated in the types of derangement
outwardly manifested by hysteria, loss
of speech and sense of feeling and
exaltation that for the time being un
fit the person for performing his every.
day duties. But thee manifestations
are temporary. Complete rest is a
cure for them. With few exceptions.
the patients become normal within a
short time.
A factor In the statistics of the pres
ent war Is the process of weeding out
those who were unfit In the begin
ning. It seems as if this class hud
been nearly eliminated from probabil
ity of future consideration. They have
been definitely "written off" as hope
lessly insane. Those who were alcohol
ics, or potential messlahs. or saviors of
the social system, or possessed by the
delusion of grandeur were upset by the
first shocks. The others have ad
justed . themselves to new conditions,
terrible as they are. The percentage
of new cases of insanity is growing
smaller as time goes on. So the statisti
cians say.
PIBSIED BY FATE.
The story of Albert Field Rhodes,
the former soldier who has been par
doned after serving thirteen years of
a fifty-year sentence in prison. Is one
of that class of tragedies to which be
long Hugo's "Les Miserables" and the
case of a young man In Staffordshire,
England, whose cause was championed
by Conan- Doyle when he was wrongly
accused of murder.
Misfortune seems ever to have lain
in wait for Rhodes, while justice came
to his rescue with lagging step, and
coincidence was his constant enemy.
Sole survivor of a massacred company
of soldiers In the Philippines he was
severely wounded. His long stay in
the hospital prevented him from
knowing that the leader of the band
of bolomen had become a "good citi
zen" and had Joined the constabulary.
When he recognized this man as the
one who interfered between two quar
reling natives, his mind returned to
the massacre and he killed the Fili
pino as a murderer. The law regarded
his act as the murder of a constable
In the performance of duty and sent
him to prison for fifty years. Coinci
dence had trapped him.
The exasperating reluctance of the
Government's military arm to relax its
grip on a convicted offender was dem
onstrated by the failure of twelve ap
peals for a pardon in as many years.
Probably a desire to impress Ameri
cans with the equal sanctity of Filipino.!
life Influenced the War ' Department.
When the thirteenth plea won.
the demon coincidence still pursued
Rhodes, for he reached Seattle Just in
time to become involved In the water
front strike. May no further misfor
tune befall him on his way to his home
in California.
Not less remarkable than the relent
less pursuit of fate Is the determina
tion with which this soldier has fought
fate. During his long illness he did
not forget the slayer of his comrades.
During his long imprisonment he did
not cease to strive for vindication. The
success which rewarded his persever
ance should serve as encouragement
to every victim -of misfortune and in
justice never to give up hope and ef
fort for a change of luck in his favor
and for Justice, however tardy It may
be.
BOOSEVELT ON SOCIAL VALCES.
A discussion of "Social Values and
National Existence" before the Ameri
can Sociological Society developed
Into a discussion of "Preparedness
versus Pacifism" because it was opened
with a paper by Theodore Roosevelt.
He began by bluntly saying that, vif
an unscrupulous, warlike and militar.
istlc nation is not held In check by the
warlike ability of a neighboring non-
militaristic and well-behaved nation
then the latter will be spared the
necessity of dealing with 'moral and
social values, because it won't be
allowed to deal with anything." As
an example he cites Belgium, whose
social values "existed only up to the
end of July, 1914" because It "had not
prepared its military strength." He
cites ancient Greece as a country
which preserved its social values by
war from destruction by Persia. He
tells the Sociological Society that it
Is able to meet at Washington "only
because the man after whom the city
was named was willing to go to war,"
that "if Lincoln had not been willing
to go to war." the society would have
been considering "the social values of
slavery and of such Governmental and
industrial problems as can now be
studied in the Central American Re
publics."
The papers in which Colonel Roose
velt's article is discussed show that
the controversy between champions
of preparedness and pacifism arises
from a conflict between-those in whose
minds is uppermost the necessity of
preparedness for defense of a nation's
life, and those in whose minds the
aspiration for peace and the horror
of war take first place. Both .classes
of people desire the same thing
peace but the one party regards
peace as not worth having without
certain conditions to maintain which
war may be necessary, while the other
party hopes somehow or other to avoid
that necessltj-, and therefore shrinks
from preparation to meet it. Colone
Roosevelt Is as emphatic as the pa
cifisms in his denunciation of war,
though he occupies himself chiefly in
demonstrating the necessity of readl
ness for war. He says: "Nobody wants
war 'Who has any sense. No lntelllgen
man desires war." But he adds:
No intelligent man who la willing- to
think can fail to realize that we live in
a-reat and free country only because our fore-
fathera were willing to wage war rathe
than accept the peace that spells destruction
Yet John Mez, of the American
Peace Society, classes Colonel Roose
velt as a militarist. He says: "Mosi
militarists think merely of defense,
never of attack," and quotes Jacques
Novlsow, a Russian philosopher,
saying:
That the As should be obliged to defend
their rights with their Uvea, there must
perforce be Bs who violate those rights, also
at the risk of their lives. Defense necessar
ily Involves attack.
Since American advocates of pre
paredness. as represented by Colonel
Roosevelt, are agreed with the pacifists
that defense presupposes attack, the
pacifists can cut the ground from
under their feet by persuading all
other nations to Join a league against
aggressive war. In addressing their
arguments to Americans they waste
their energy, for all of us are already
converted. The din of battle is now
so great that Europe could not hear
them, but when this war ends they
may have some prospect of success in
advancing the cause of the League to
Enforce Peace. If that cause should
win, they could reasonably ask all na
tions to reduce their armament to the
dimensions of an International police
1 would 1oln hands with them, for then
the conditions essential to a desirable
peace would be assured.
In the course of centuries the world
might reach the blessed condition of
those New England nd Tuchee vil
lages which Colonel Roosevelt men
tions as having no policemen; It might
even dispense with the International
police force. But that time 'is not
yet. The ardent desires of the pacifists
have closed their eyes to facts which
champions of preparedness refuse to
ignore. Both travel the same road, but
the pacifist makes for the goal in such
haste that he is bound to fall over
some obstacle which his more cau
tious companion will see and avo'd.
SAVE NIAiiARA BY ALL MEANS.
A proposal of a Canadian corpora
tion to dam the Niagara River below
the falls to a height of 100 feet for the
generation of electric power has caused
loud uproar in the East, because the
proposed dam wcfuld dVown out the
famous rapids and whirlpool. On the
one side are the jractical men, on the
other the nature-lovers and those who
erive profit from the sightseers.
Speaklntr for the practical men. the
Engineering Record says:
If Niaeara v ere the only spot In the
lilted state wher. people could enjoy the
eautiea of nature there might be aome war
rant. - When, however, nature haa been moat
lav lali, it is a mawkish sentimentality that
allows n.Ot'O.fmo horsepower to go to waste
at a cost of something over $100 a look fur
each visitor.
Men who express these sentiments
are styled nature-robbers, gross mate
rialists and industrial exploiters by the
men who would let Niagara rage un
controlled through its gorge.
When such natural wonders are in
the midst of a dense population which
s not excessively blessed in that re
spect, and when there is such a clamor
for power, surely some compromise
should be possible. Coal is so cheap
around Niagara that only the great
volume and cheap transmission of that
river's power renders its development
more economical than that of sleam
power Why not set th West free
o develop its limitless pjwer and let
Niagara run unharnessed until all
other sources of power are exhausted?
The West has so many waterfalls -that
it can spoil three out of every four
with power plants and yet have enough
eft for the delectation of the nature
overs. Of course Oregorlans simply
dote on scenery, but after having been
regaled on it by Mr. Pinchot and other
votaries of cold-storage conservatism
for many years they find it rather un.
substantial fare.
THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.
We pass from credulity to skeptl
cism and back to credulity again. In
tellectual "tolerance" marks the spirit
of the age. Once more, like the an
dents, we are almost ready to believe
anything. At least we are not pre
pared to say that any undertaking, h"o
matter how chimerical it may seem, is
mpossible. The search for a method
of transmuting the baser metals into
gold, which occupied the attention of
such scientists as there were in the
early ages, has passed through its
period of discouragement. It appears,
arid Is to be renewed again. A Spokane
woman, dispatches from Washington
record, has succeeded in obtaining ac
cess to the technical laboratory of the
United" States mint to make good he
assertion that she can make gold from
silver. Even a generation ago she
would, have been turned a way from Its
doors without a hearing. As to he
preliminary explanations, which hav
awakened the interest of Government
scientists they would not have been
listened to at all.
There Is no more ancient occupation
of record, perhaps, except sheepherd
lng, than the profession of the alche
mist. The derivation of the word itself
indicative of Its great antiquity.
Long before the search began for the
materia prima of which Plato dreamed
men were seriously engaged in trying
to transmute the baser metals Into that
which was the most desired of all.
The ancient philosophers speculated
from the first as to the origin of mat
ter just as we do now and upon
the relations of various forms of mat
ter to each other. They were won by
theory that all the universe funda
mentally was built out of a single ele
ment, that this element had undergone
changes as a result of contact with
visible forces. They were the original
synthetic chemists. Obviously If they
could work Nature's formula back
ward, if they could discover the ele
ment that was at the base of every
product known to man. they would
have been on the trace of the greatest
secret of all, perhaps even that of life
itself.
Thales considered that water was
the primal element, which shows
how much he knew about it. but he
was a pioneer the value of whose re
searches to be measured truly must
take Into account the Inspiration they
gave to others, including those who
finally resolved water Itself Into sim
pler elements. Then there was the
Arabian chemist who announced dog
matically that all matter consisted of
three elements. He specified mercury
sulphur and arsenic, the first two of
which he asserted occurred in all
metals. He was quite positive
about it, too. i
There were long ages in which this
was the chief work of the laboratory
The very fact of research begot belief
that there must be something in the
thing which the philosophers sought,
which shows how little human nature
has been changed by the years. In
our own day. here and now, we feel
the same way about a good many
things. For example, the feverish
quest for a method of making human
nature perfect by city, state and Fed
eral legislation has led to unques
tioning acceptance by many of the be
lief that it is attainable. But research
has not been without its benefits to
the .world. Bacon compares alchemy
to the story of the man who told his
sons he had left them a great sum of
gold buried in his vineyard. They dug
over the entire ground and though
they found no gold, their bucolic in
dustry resulted in the greatest vintage
they, ever had known. "So," says
Bacon, "the search for and endeavors
to make gold have brought many use
ful Inventions and instructive expert
ments to light." It is of incidental
interest ttst tli-s discovery of the water
bath was- the direct outgrowth of the
work of an alchemist. Perhaps It is
even true that it was the mother of
all modern chemistry, as we know it
today.
Efforts to transmute base metals
nto gold deserve a place In advance of
he search for the elixir of life. They
led to belief In tne existence or me
philosopher's stone, which was cred
Ited with the power in itself of trans
mutation. It was 'not alone gold that
was sought. Sometimes it was silver.
The philosopher's stone of antiquity
took many forms. At one time there
were supposed to be .three of them.
One was a red tincture, endowed with
the power of changing any metal into
gold. Another was a white tincture.
hat changed the baser metal into sil
ver. The third was the elixir vltae of
all times, which restored youth and
prolonged life. What wonder, with
such a prize before them, that the best
thought of those times should have
been devoted to winning it. There were
the usual credulous ones in those days.
too.
The expressive aphorism that "a
sucker is born every minute" seems to
have been as applicable then as now.
There undoubtedly were some Intensely
sincere workers among the chemists
of that day, and also there were many
merely greedy ones. Cagllostro was
not the original gold-brick man, but
he was one of the famous ones, and
his sensational operations, if subjected
to the pitiless publicity of a modern
age, would make not altogether un
familiar reading. He numbered mon
arch! and nobles among his victims
and he duped the learling savants of
the time in which he lived. Supersti
tion and astrology became Intertwined
with the pursuit: the art was used for
extortion as well as for honest pur
poses of investigation and scientific
advancement.
We go back to the original concep
tion of the ancients as to the existence
of a primal substance when we accept-
the theory of atoms of radio
activity within atoms of matter and
thus we stand again on the threshold
of a new-old idea. Modern scientists
credit Sir William Ramsay with hav
ing, as lately as 1903. "created" helium
out of radium, and again in J 907 with
creation" of the same substance from
the radio-active elements actinium
and thorium. The word "create" is
used with as much exactness as possi
ble. Helium was supposed to have ex
isted before: It had been shown to be
present in the gaseous envelope of the
sun, the chromosphere. So, with -the
"creation" of helium, with acceptance
of the atom-wlthin-atom theory, it is
not surprising that the authorities of
the United States mint should have lent
a willing ear to a project, presumably
advanced by one who could talk Intel
ligibly on the rudiments of the subject.
to resolve sliver Into simpler elements
and out of them bring gold
It would be Idle to speculate upon
the commercial aspects of the pending
investigations. We probably are a long
way -from the necessity of altering our
financial structure to meet a new cor
dition. Besides the subject is so full
of possibilities that it would, be cruel
not to leave a period in which every
body may let his imagination have full
way.
Reported cancellations on a large
scale of munitions contracts In the
United States by England and Russia
are denied In Important financial cir
cles, and in this instance the grain
of truth in the rumor has been sepa
rated from the chaff. It appears that
notice was given in certain instances
that deliveries would be refused un
less the time limit of the contract had
been fulfilled. Heretofore the allies
have made certain allowances for
lapses: their new attitude means only
that they feel that American manufac
turers have had time enough to adjust
themselves to requirements and can
expect no further lenity. It is de
clared that these cases represent only
a trivial proportion of the whole num
ber and that there is as a matter of
fact no indication of abatement of the
demand for munitions. First reports
as to cancellations had variously repre
sented the nations mentioned as be
lieving present supplies to be suffi
cient and as having been impelled by
motives of economy, both .of which
were highly Improbable on their face.
Effect of the blockade An our trade
with Germany is shown in shrinkage
of our exports from 352.9 in 1913 to
11.9 In 1915 and of our Imports from
185.2 in 1913 to45 in 1915. A large
part of the difference In exports is
no doubt accounted for by increased
sales to neutrals. These have In
creased, comparing 1915 with 1914.
from 105.1 to 150.1 for Holland and
its colonies, from 31 to 84.8 for
Sweden, from 19.6 to 4 6.9 for Norway
and from 42.8 to 74.3 for Denmark.
Much of our sales to these countries.
however, represents goods which re
place those which Uiey can no longer
buy from belligerents, chiefly Ger
many. Austria's trade has become so
trifling as to be included in "all
other."
Senator Lane's conception of a new
warship type that would be,patterned
after the submarine liner Deutschland
except that It would carry, perhaps.
some 14-Inch guns, ignores certain
constructive problems such matters
as ability to withstand the shock of
gun fire and still be submersible at
will. But this is a mere detail, it
would seem, if the Oregon Senator is
serious in his own proposals, with
which naval architects do not agree.
The fact that a Nebraska man has
only recently fallen victim to the an
cient wire-tapping swindle sho.ws that
there are a few left in the United
States who do not read the news, or
if they do so, fail to profit by it. How
ever, sympathy is wasted on the vic
tim, for a man not inspired by the de
sire to get something for nothing is
little likely to fall Into a trap of the
kind.
The Marshfield Evening Record did
not wait until the end of the year to
issue Its big paper. The time was ripe
and it seized the opportunity two
weeks ago by publishing a special
number of many pages dealing with
the resources of Coos and Curry coun
ties. Advent of the railroad was the
Inspiration. The exploitation by text
and illustration was masterly.
The demand reported on the part
of certain Belgians for a state In which
both Flemings and Walloons shall have
recognition and that the form of gov
ernment extsting before the war shall
not be continued bears the earmarks
of a propaganda conducted not with
out guile.
Unearthing in New Mexico of
house 1000 years old suggests that
builders of ten centuries ago were not
engaged in the "building-to-sell"indus-
try, as some are nowadays.
A blind pig never fattens.
With Oregon PoeU
SPAHKLIMi RICKIIKALI-
(Tho following Is a revised copy of
former poem under the above title.
LTlle author hnnes that his oresen t t ion
la an Improvement over the original.
and his only excuse for publishing it is
to help perpetuate, in so far aa r.e can.
the euphonious and significant Indian
name of this beautiful little atreara.
J. T. F.)
Leaping from dark canyons.
Thy bright waters flow.
Roaring down the mountains.
Where the tall firs grow;
Waltzing through 'he valley,
So proudly, 1 ween.
Garlanded in the Springtime's
Witchery of green;
Sparkling 'midst the meadows.
Singing 'mongst the. trees.
Wafting sweet melody
On the soft sea breeze.
And. kissing the pale moon
When painted softly bright
On thy limpid bosom
In the clear, calm night;
Rippling o'er the pebbles.
Splashing through the lea.
Flowing on forever
To the moon-mad sea
O cay, rollicking Wueen
Of the West-Side streams.
Thou mystical enchantress
Of my boyhood's dreams'.
i
Rushing o'er glacial drifts.
Piling up the floe.
Leaping down Cambrian fens.
Aeons long ego;
Carving thy rugged path
Through sandstone, and loam.
O'er the Pliocene plain.
Where the giant herds roamed.
Ere human thought was here
To reason and plan.
The wild world to conquer.
The Infinite scan;
Strange voices were chanting
The triumphant lay.
That intellectual man
Was coining some day.
On thy shady green sward.
One. bright Summer moon,
A coy. dusky maiden
Hummed a sweet love tune;
A gallant warrior bold
Came at her low call.
And they softly named thee
'"Sparkling -Uckreall."
O lovely mountain stream.
Limpid as the air.
Playing the cosmic game
Impartial and fair:
Purling through vernal groves..
Pouring o'er high falls
And luring the wild birds
With sylvan Joy calls;
Rushing down the gorges.
Oloaming in deep pouls
And swirling in eddies.
Where the. game trout schools.
Rickreall. Kickreall.
"Swift flowing water." .
Thy Indian synonym '
Will live for ever!
Flow on, beautiful stream.
Flew on to the sea;
Untcld generations
Will sing paeons to thee!
FJow on, beautiful stream.
Lown the aisles of Time;
No vandal hand shall still
That sweet voice of thine.
J. T. FORD.
Dallas. Or., May 24.
KITlllKNKK.
A tribute to the late rrlm and steely-eyed
wan lor, the modern personification of
Mara.
When Britain counts her men of might.
Who led her legions in the fight.
And struck for liberty and right.
She will remember
Kitchener.
For him her manhood grasped the gun.
And boldly to the fight did run.
Where battle raged beneath the sun.
They'd follow mighty
Kitchener.
He won Omdurman. took Khartoum,
Pursued the Mahdt to his doom.
And pacified the Soudan soon
The bold, laconic.
Kitchener.
In the Transvaal through that long
campaign.
Where he .won everlasting fame.
The warlike Boer still hails the name
Of ardent, forceful.
Kitchener.
From Afghan frorftler to Bombay.
Across Bengal to Mandalay,
And every military road and way
The paths were known to
Kitchener.
He was Britannia's surest shield.
In council or on battle field.
A force that ne'er was known to yield.
The grim and dreadful
Kitchener.
He organized five million men.
From Erin. Wales and hlgniana glen.
And from Cape Wrath to the Land's
End
They'd live and die for
Kitchener.
The mothers, though with tear-dimmed
eyes-
Were steady in their sacrifice.
It filled the world with vast surprise.
The magic nnme of
Kitchener.
His name forever will endure.
Indomitable, gallant, sure.
The heurt was great, the soul was pur.
Of Britain's great Karl
Kitchener.
CAPTAIN T. J. MACOEXN".
A SOLDIER BOY'S PRAVKR.
Oh! Lord: the rattlesnake is colling
On the scorched and barren hills.
And the crazv Greasers' bullets
Fills our hearts with angry thrills
Here the centipede Is crawling.
Poisoned legs we cannot count:
While all kinds of buzzing insects
Nip the horses that we mount.
Here tarantulas are stalking
On either side our path.
And the hideous gila monster
Wags his tall in deadly wrath.
All the houses that we enter
Are made of 'dohy bricks.
And our clothes, and all our blankets,
Are alive with bugs and ticks.
The sad old sun is sinking
Back of hills you made for men:
But the devil came and filled the place
With Greasers hell could ken.
The dove of peace is gasping,
"Neath Bryan's grape-juice vine.
While Henry Ford is selling cars
Along the border line..
It Is now my thoughts go wandering
To the place I love the most.
The cleanest, dearest city
On the whole Pacific Coast
Where Mount Hood looms in the dis
tance; The Willamette we can see.
And the dear old grand Columbia
Sails her ships out to the sea.
Where the breeze crept from the ocean;
'Twas sent by you. I guess.
When I told her that I loved her;
For she smiled, and answered, "Yes."
So just take me hack to Portland
Dear old Portland, once again.
Where there's roses, rain and sun
shine And the girl I love. Amen.
H. N. BEECHER.
Justifiable luteal Pride.
Buff aid (N. Y.) Express.
"Is this & first-clasa postoffice?" in -qtifried
the stranger. "It's as good as
you'll find In these parts," retorted the
native with Justifiable local priUe.