THE SUXDAT OKEGONlAX. FOniXATflJ, AUGUST 13, 191G. PORTUND. OREGON. Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postofflce as eetjond-c-iass mail matter. EuscMptlun rates Invariably in advance. (By Mall.) Taily, Sunday Included, one year...... Uaily, Sur.ua- included, six months.... ljaily. yunuay incluued, tared months.. Liiiily, Sunuav included, one month.... Jjaily, without Sunday, one year Laily, ullhout riunuay, six months.... Jiaily, without Sunday, three months... Ijaiiy, without Sunday, one month..... "W .-t-kly, one year Sunday, one y-ar. .... (Sunday and Weekly (By Carrier.) Tai!y, Sunday Included, one year. ...... 9.00 J-ttiy, Sunday included, one month..... .75 H'ttv to Kemit Send postofflce money n.er, rxpresj order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at sender s risk. Give postofflce address in full, including county and state. 1'ostaa-e Kates 12 to 1S pages, 1 cent; 18 to pies, -J. cents; 'A to 4.S pages, 3 cents; f0 to fcu panes, 4 cents; 02 to 7t pages, cents; 7b to h2 pages, 6 cents. Foreign poBtage, double rates. KaMem Uusiiiess Office Verree & Conk lln, Brunswick building. New York; Verree Hi Conklin. SLecer bulirtlnir PhlMtrn Sun 3-rancisco representative, K. J. Bid well. 742 Market street. . .ss.oo . . 4.25 . . 2.25 .75 . . 6.00 2.25 1.75 .60 l.ou 2.50 o.50 JOKTLAD. SIXD.4V, ACGC8T 13, 1916. I ' WOSIEX AFTER THE AVAR. Women of Europe are finding: their economic position already strength ened, as one of the results of the war, and it is interesting: to note that Mme. Madeleine Pelletier, a prominent French, suffrage leader, believes that the war, when all its re sults have been weighed, will prove to have been a real benefit to her sex. She does not, of course, count the grief and suffering of the present day, but she views the situa tion with reference to its bearing on the future. She believes, for instance, that women have begun to learn the value of specialization and of organi zation, and that this lesson never will be forgotten. Other women no less well known for their devotion to their sex are giving the subject a great deal of attention,. .mere is tne Duchess or Marlborough who sees in the war an opportunity to advance the cause o women in Eng land. This former American woman differs from the militants of artte bellum days in the respect that she de pends solely on the force of argu ment to win her cause. The war has accomplished two things, she says. It has awakened reverence for the hero ism of men, and at the same time it has taught respect for the efficiency of women. The professional pessimist has been silenced by the ready adapt ability shown by women in the crisis. Quick adaptability has been proved, The Duchess is devoting herself to ob taining for women a share in the local government, leaving: the broader ques tion to take care of itself. Mrs. Humphry Ward has pointed out that women were "making good" in the munitions works in England Since the publication of her book, how. ever, in which she estimated that there were a quarter of a million women employed in this industry, it has been announced by an official in the muni tions department that there were three-quarters of a million women so engaged. This enormous increase since last Spring indicates that official Britain has no misgivings as to worn en's capabilities. Another authority figures that there are now no fewer than seven million women at work In war and, peace jobs in England alone. Men, too, are devoting time to dis cussing the future of women after the war, and some are sincerely trying to fiolve the problem on the basis of preater liberty for the sex. Sir Rider Haggard has gone to Canada to see whether he cannot find openings for the surplus women, whom, he says, must be provided for when the soldiers return from the front and ask for their old jobs back again. M. Eugene Brieux, a noted French academician, believes that in his country, as in oth ers, women will cease to look to men as prospective protectors, but this gloomy view from the point of view of the male is not shared by his fel low academician. Marcel Prevost, who thinks women will not be so keenly the competitors of men as has been predicted. Maurice Donnay, still an other noted Frenchman, finds comfort in the thought that "there will be so much to do that all that will be needed will be a proper division of the labor." The predictions of Mme. Pelletier, referred to before, are of exceptional interest to American women because she sees, as a direct result of the war, emancipation from the slavery of washing dishes. There will be, as she sees it, a complete transformation of the household, to put it in accord with the new conditions. Women have had their taste of work outside the home and it. has proved not altogether dis agreeable. This is particularly true because while the new work has been arduous nobody denies that it has been freed from much of the "drudg ery" that has made housewives com plain. She believes that dirty dishes, in the new dispensation, will be laid on the doormat, to be taken away by "specialists," who will deposit them, when properly cleaned, in the same place. Whether these specialists will be men or women she does not venture to say. Probably this will be settled by experience and trial of which is the better fitted to, do the work the most efficiently. But there will be other "specialists." Cooking will be done by them, as well as general household work. This will be done so that woman will have more time for the shop or the factory that she is now learning to love. She will not stay at home to darn socks when she can earn the cost of darning two pairs in the time she would be taking to mend one pair. "Specialization" is the answer also to this. Sock darners who make a business of it naturally will do it more quickly. There is, however, a gap in her reasoning at this point. She does not take account of the number of pairs of stockings that are mended in the odd moments that otherwise would go for naught. Darning is a sort of pastime of the women of some homes with which we are familiar. It fills the place in mother's life that the game of pinochle and the post-prandial pipe do in fath er's. Women always have spent their little moments to better economic ad vantage than men have done, what ever may be said of their success in larger affairs. Being rid of the 'daily chore of dish washing, nevertheless, does open an exceedingly pleasant prospect for wotnen. It is, even in America, the bane of housekeeping. But one may doubt for the present the correctness of the conclusion of Mme. Pelletier. because, in spite of all the labor-saving devices that men have invented in the past to make housework easier, women have shown innate conserv atism about adopting-them. Women are noted for being finical about little matters affecting the household. Whether a mere "specialist" wilf be able to do the work to suit her nice sense of the requirements remains to be seen. .One guess is about as good as an other as to what will come to pass after the war; but these speculations are of more than passing moment, be cause they show that serious thought is being given to the question. About the only undisputed facts garnered from the mass of undigested data are that women have surprisingly proved themselves competent which is not now disputed by thoughtful persons and that they have been highly adapt able, which it has been said they were not. It is this proof of adaptability to new conditions that gives most promik3 for the future of women in the important readjustments that are to come. Possible changes in the costumes to be worn by women are of minor mo ment, except as they may affect the textile industries. It Is far from in conceivable that there will be, at least in the countries of the present bel ligerents, some approach to the sim plicity of men's attire and less obe dience to the uneconomic whims of passing fashion. But perhaps this will not have the far-reaching effect on in dustry that some now predict. In the new order there will be so much Te building to be done and so much less time for the foibles of dress that it is quite easy to believe that those who now are weavers and spinners will be something else in a generation or so. Napoleon is said to have favored trou sers for women, so the French, at least, have high authority for a change. There are said to be three million fewer men than women in England to day, and the war is not over. There is a great surplus of women in France. In Germany the women outnumbered the men two years ago, and the war is still killing man. Obviously, what ever else comes to pass, women will need to look forwarjl to something: else than marriage for a" "career." to have his attention distracted, even if only for a moment, from the man agement of his car. He may pause a fraction of a second to bite the end from his cigar, or for a passing Instant a puff of smoke may obscure his vis ion. In ninety-nine cases nothing hap pens; in the 100th a critical situation arises that should have been met on the dot. It is to meet the 100th emer gency that the regulation is being en forced, as is said, impartially and re gardless of protests as to the "righta" of individuals. HOW IXDIANIANS DO IT. The Indiana Congressional delega tion, or someone with apparent au thority to speak for it, has bluntly notified the United States .Treasury Department that serious political con sequences will follow if Bedford lime stone, an Indiana product, is not used in construption of the new Portland postoffice. There are two Democratic Senators from Indiana and- there are eleven Democratic Representatives out of thirteen, and they are accustomed to the ways of practical politics and do ' not hesitate to use them. The probability that Indiana limestone will be used in an Oregon building, there fore, seems to be imminent. Oregon also has two Democratic Senators. The Oregonian- does not make any violent suggestion of coer cion by them; but it would really seem that they ought to find a way to off set the political pressure upon the Administration being brought by the bold gentlemen from Indiana. The report comes from Washington that Senator Chamberlain has been in formed by the Treasury Department that local bidders cannot be preferred over other bidders. Perhaps not; but is there any sound reason why the product of an Indiana quarry should be- preferred over the product of an Oregon, or Washington, or Idaho quarry in a Federal building erected in Portland three thousand miles away? There is, on the contrary, a clear duty by the Government to prefer the mate rials of the locality or section where the structure is to be erected, provided they are able to meet the standard tests; and unquestionably the sand. stone from the Pacific Northwest is of first-class quality. A Federal building is something more than a "monument to the taste and skill of an architect in the Gov ernment service, or the object of the pride of all patriotic citizens, or even a testimonial of the good will of the Federal Government toward an in dividual city or state. It ought to be. whenever practicable, an example of what may be done with the building products of the favored state or sec tion. If those Indiana politicians make good their cheeky threat, at the ex pense of Portland and the Northwest, the boast of the Treasury Department that discrimination cannot be and is not practiced will require a lot of elucidation in Oregon. IX"3iGL"S ATTACKS PIJiK TREES. Serious danger threatens the whit pine of the Eastern states, unless pub lic spirit of a high type is shown by state officials and individuals. Dis covery last year in Massachusetts that the dreaded blister rust had arrived from Europe has been followed by demonstrations that pine trees in sev eral other states already are similarly affected. It appears now that all New England is in a danger zone and that evidence of infestation has been found as far west as the Great Lakes coun try. It is not possible to ascertain definitely how fast the pest is travel ing, since there are no positive data as to the date of its arrival at any particular point, but there is reason to believe that its rate is rapid and progressive. A serious feature of the situation is that in the nature of forest trees the trouble cannot be controlled by spray ing, which operation would be much too costly to be practical, even if it were not a physical impossibility In nearly every instance. It appears that the only remedy is to seek out and destroy infested trees wherever they may be, and if this policy is to be fol lowed it is essential that there shall be early discovery. Destruction must be complete, for the slightest bit of remaining fungus is sufficient to ren der all efforts naught. It will be seen. therefore, that unless whole wood lands are to be denuded in the at tempt, an early start must be made. It is a situation, therefore, in which. as we have said, everything depends on co-operation and local public spirit. Every man who owns a pine tree must be on the lookout in every state in which there is reason to believe the fungus has gained or will gain a foot hold. Government aid alone will not be sufficient to meet the situation, for a great army of inspectors could not cover the ground in time. One crumb of comfort is extracted from the fact that the infestation thus far is confined to the genus Pinus, and inquiries made as to its course in Eu rope give no reason for believing that it has yet attacked other trees. Ex perts are not pessimistic as to the pos sibilities of gaining control, but they frankly warn the people that they must be on the lookout if they would save the, pines. Precautionary meas ures promptly taicen are quite iineiy to prove "effectual, while in a year or two they would be of no avail. June 30, 1911. In that year the total was $887,674,975. The increase over 1911 for 1916 was J2I7.262.037 and for 1917 it promises to be $391.096, 071. This is the measure of Democratic ex travagance as compared with the Re publican extravagance which the Democrats denounced in their Balti more platform. The Reed Congress elected in 1890 was called by the Democrats the billion-dollar Congress. The present ses sion alone of this Congress promises to be almost a thirteen-hundred million session, let alone the extra cost of preparedness. That will make it al most a seventeen hundred million dollar session. FROM CALLAHAX TO LAFFERTT It is not a very long step from the reprehensible political status of Em mett Callahan to the, disreputable po litical status of A. W. Lafferty. Both pledged themselves, in accordance with statute, that if not nominated by the party from which they sought preferment they would not become candidates of any other party. Lafferty sought the Republican nomination for Congress, was defeated and now accepts the Progressive nomi nation in violation of his plighted word. Callahan was nominated by the Pro gressives for Presidential elector, but his party has disintegrated and has no candidate for President. But Callahan decides to stay on the ballot as a fifth wheel to the Democratic wagon. The impression prevails too widely that "politics" is a term of reproach; that elections are vehicles specially de signed for the benefit of self-seekers: that the candidate properly, may and does lay aside the tenets of truth, hon esty and uprightness that are de manded of men in everyday life. The Callahans and the Laffertys contribute Ignobly to this impression. noble excellency," and that it is not only not an exceptional word, but one that may be fairly called a sample rather than a specimen, remains to be seen. And when one thinks of being compelled to 'say "zdravst-vuie-tse" every time he means "how do you do?" he is inclined to wonder that people inqutre after the well-being of their neighbors at all. Both in Britain and in France these language movements have been start ed by the establishment of chairs in languages in leading universities and by provision for instruction in the minor schools. One of many endow ments for the purpose in England has been made by Sir James Roberts, in Leeds University, to foster the study of Russian: and there have been other similar provisions in both countries. Young men desiring to enter the Rus sian field are to enjoy special and lucrative privileges, on condition that they equip themselves thoroughly. Fundamentally the movement is com mercial, but naturally it has engaged the attention of litesary men as well. If there is merit in accomplishing a feat of extreme difficulty, or in over coming a great obstacle, young Frenchmen and Englishmen who stay with Russian and Chinese to the end are going to deserve much credit: per haps more than they will get. These things have been done, but they have never been common among English- speaking people, who are said to be. for some reason, the poorest linguists in the world. THE THIRTY-SEVEN HECKLERS. The person who has made a success at writing light fiction is doubtless just as much entitled to possess and express a keen interest in his coun try's welfare and its politics as any body else but no more. To be able to make a nation laugh over the em barrassment of a fancied express agent with a rapidly producing family of guinea pigs on his hands is quite an accomplishment. To be able to pro. duce fishy sea stories with invariably happy endings that people will rush to read is quite a feat. To be able to put into attractive form the in sipid love adventures of callow youth calls for admiration in a way. But wherein such creators above a hun dred "million other citizens have the right to heckle a Presidential candi date and demand his exclusive atten tion is not apparent. Certain writers of stories which are most enjoyed in connection with a box of chocolates by a Summer girl in a shaded hammock have collaborated with writers of adventure, muckrak ers and a few seriously minded auth ors in preparation of ten questions di rected at Mr. Hughes. It is asserted by some persons that Mr. Hughes ought to answer the questions. But whether for his own sake or to pre serve the egotism of men whose fame rests on the literary facility with which they present inconsequential imaginings is not stated. Whatever the reason why Mr. Hughes should reply, it must be re membered that there are numerous other men whose fame and importance rest on achievements just as remote from substantial statesmanship as the writing of fiction. There are our comic- supplement artists, our baseball play ers, our pugilists, our auto racers and others whose names are quite as prom inent in their own way as those of the thirty-seven literary hecklers of Mr. Hughes. Let the Interrogatory Club be democratic in its membership. What right have authors to demand the undivided attention of Mr. Hughes? To paraphrase the title of the most famous work of one of them, "pigglshness is piggishness." FARM LABOR. The problem of getting help to har vest the crops, new confronting the farmer anew, is closely allied to tlfe bothersome question of domestic help in the home. It always has been a wonder to many persons why girls. for example, seemed to prefer the grind of the store and the factory to the housework for which it was as sumed trfey were better fitted. Every year . there recurs the inquiry why young men will persist in seeking more or less unsteady employment in the city when there are so many chances for all-the-year-around employment on the farm. At least every Summer the farmer is put to it to find the help he needs, even in general localities where urban unemployment is by no means rare. An Ohio commission has reached the conclusion that in the case of the farmer the fact that his employe does not have enough time to himself is controlling. There axe some advan tages in city employment in the re spect .that when a man has finished his day's work he is his own master, if even for only a brief period. Farm ers from time immemorial have worked from sun to sun and then some. It is not altogether that farm work in the busy season is hard work. Loading ships and working in mines are even harder, yet there is no dearth of men for them. The work of the farmhand is not always ended when he comes in from the field. There is nothing particularly definite about the length of his day, except in instances that are not the rule. The Ohio in vestigators conclude that this uncer tainty, coupled with a certain lack of privacy which goes with being under another's beck and call at all hours, has much to do with the situation that now exists, just as it influences the issue of domestic help at home. Like most investigators, the Ohio body is stronger on pointing out the situation than in offering a remedy. It is admitted that particularly in har vest time, when the weather is favor able, crops simply must bo moved. It is hard to sacrifice a bit of daylight when the grain is in the sheaf and no one knows that the morrow will not bring forth a storm. Yet every self respecting man does want some time that he can call his very own not that he is indolent, or tired of work ing. but because there are certain de mands of his inner spiritual conscious ness that need to be satisfied. He probably has not analyzed the feeling, but that is what it amounts to. It seems as if, in the absence of of ficial counsel, it is up to the farmer to find his own remedy. But the necessity is quite plain. The lack of farm help becomes every year more serious. The "safety first" movement seems strangely out of place in the midst of a country torn by war, yet it is gaining 'marked headway in no less important a city than Berlin, which has just passed a municipal regulation for- bidding chauffeurs to smoke while driving their automobiles. This would seem to disprove, at least in part, the theory that war makes people more reckless and daring. The rule against smoking, which, with true German thoroughness, is enforced against all alike, whether Prince or workingman. is not based on the danger of having fire in juxtaposition to gasoline, but on the fact that the smoker is likely MM.IOX A THIRTEEN HUNDRED CONGRESS. One need go no further than the statement of Representative Fitzger ald, Democratic chairman of the House committee on appropriations, in order to substantiate Mr. Hughes' charges of extravagance against the Democratic party. In a statement to the House he gave the total 6f pro posed appropriations for the fiscal year 1917. With the addition of latest increases in Army and Navy bills this total is $1,665,082,267. Deduction of the increase over the Army and Navy appropriations for the previous year, namely, $386,311,221, makes full al lowance for the additional cost of pre paredness, which is incurred in re sponse to the demand of the people. This leaves $1,278,771,046 as the ap propriations for ordinary purposes and for Army and Navy on the normal scale. This total 'compares with 11. 114.937.012 for the fiscal year 1916, an increase, excluding extra expense for preparedness, of $163,834,034. That is the measure of increase in Democratic extravagance in one year. It is by no mefttns the full measure of waste as compared with Republican expenditure. The last fiscal year for which appropriations were made by a Republican Senate and House with a Republican President was that ending IMPETUS TO LANGUAGE STUDY. Thoughts of perfecting a universal language that would represent, among other things, the aspirations of a world for a brotherhood of man are being put aside just now in the countries of the entente allies in favor of a more extensive study of the. languages of one another. Thus, the French have developed a revival of interest in Eng lish, with which they are being made more or less familiar through the presence of a million or so of English men on their soil. In England there has been for a good many years past a general familiarity with French among the educated classes, but this is being extended, and there is a move- ment, quite general in extent, toward learning Russian. German, partly through the chauvinism that seems in separable from war and partly because of the belief that international inter course will take new channels later on, is falling into disfavor. Both Eng. land and France appear to be looking with hopeful eyes toward the Orient, also, as is indicated by new manifesta tion of interest in Chinese. There is a minor movement toward Spanish but this seemingly has not attained general proportions, which would in dicate that the allies see greater pros pective profit in establishing connec tion with the more ancient civilizations and the more populous sections of the globe. How long enthusiasm for the study of Russian and Chinese will last it is of course impossible to predict with confidence, but if it is not -dampened by actual effort in a year or two, the people who try it will be entitled to new laurels for persistence and con tinuity. "Spanish in twenty weeks," said the old adage, "French in twenty months, but German in twenty years." It is noteworthy that no promise is made as to Russian, and, indeed, it has been a common belief that the Slav languages were quite beyond the ordinary man. Few Englishmen have obtained anything approaching a pro found knowledge of it, and they were, as a rule, uncommon men. more than ordinarily possessed of the gift of tongues. Its admitted difficulties have been a check upon its popularity, which has been perhaps one reason why Russians have lived so much in isolation, as compared with other great nations of the civilized world. Sub stantially the same thing has been true of Chinese. It is curious in this connection that the two languages hit upon for future study should represent, as do Rus sian and Chinese, the extremes of lin guistic construction. For Russian is highly inflected, while Chinese is not only without inflections but virtually without distinct parts of speech, as we know them. In Chinese the relation of a word may be recognized from its position in a sentence, and at different times the same word may serve as noun, adjective, verb and adverb. In Russian, on the other hand, construc tion is free, inflection obviating mis understanding. Chinese may be said to be without grammar, except as to syntax. Russian is to the novice a bewildering maze of grammatical per plexities. The prospective student. especially if he be one who grumbled over his Latin lessons, will be inter ested to learn that there are in Rus sian seven cases: three genders, which apply to nouns, adjectives and the past tenses of -verbs; two terminations for adjectives, and a practically endless variety of "aspects" of verbs, to atone for the fact that there are only three tenses. In addition to which, the ca pacity for compounds, derivatives, suffixes and affixes, the special forms for diminutives, for caressing, for con temptuous, for heroic ideas and the like, the extraordinary verbal felicities that are possible to the scholar and are snares for the uninitiated all these contribute to make Russian at once the delight of scholars who have nothing else to dr than master it and the despair of the man who is seeking it merely as the incidental means to a major end. ' It is impossible, said a Russian pa triot, to conceive that such a language was not made for a great people. But he could not haVe been alluding to the mere fact of its complexities, for Chinese is not without these, though they are of a different kind. Apart from the fact that the book language of Chinese has more than one form and that the mandarin tongue is in disfavor in many parts of the country, necessitating the mastery of many vernaculars if one would travel, Chi nese makes up for its lack of gram matical forms by being supplied with a great variety of tones, sometimes as many as seven to a single sound. This is almost as bad as conjugations and inflections, and when it is coupled with a vast number of idioms that dif fer widely in the written and the spoken language and in the various vernaculars, it may be said to be worse. These are the two languages, when there are so many easier ones, that the English and French are about to attempt to add to their accomplish ments. How they will fare when it is learned, for example, that one of the commonest words in Russian is vweso kourevo&lioditelstvo, meaning . "high For the first time in the history of the United States, this .country is han dling its own sealskins, a condition that should have been brought about long ago, but was not, largely owing to trade secrets connected with the dressing and dyeing of the furs, which were possessed exclusively in England. Seal furs are used more extensively in America than in any other country on the globe, and the United States Gov ernment has done more to prevent seals from becoming extinct than all the other nations put together. It is due entirely to our initiative that there is now a growing supply of seals from which to draw. The present protective law will expire next year. and at that time there will be a large number of young male seals from which to draw a renewed supply. The total number in the Alaskan herd now is estimated at upwards of 300,000 and it is believed that 100,000 will be added this Summer, after which, un der moderate regulation, there will be little danger of extinction, such as faced them only a few years ago. EDITORS IN SOUTHERN OREGON SocnHful Meetlnsr of Awsclstloa, Wltk Fine Entertainment. The Ores-on Ptata Editorial Association baa Just concluded a successful annual ses sion at Medford. Thert was a large attend ance, tlis largest In tha history of th or ganisation. The entertainment of the edi tor bv Medford and all Jackson County eci:lonallv conslderat and generous. The local arranitements mere under the di rection of Mr. Ken Sheldon, who was ably seconded by Mr. t. S. 8milh. of the Medford Sun. and by many other eneraetlc and hos pitable citlxens of Medford. The ore.n fapers at hand abound with articles reporting- the editorial sessions and the many ao rtal affairs and descriptive of the Koaue Klver Valley, its thriving cities, the Siskiyou HlKhuay and Crater L. Anions; mi in- lied guests was Major It. w. taiion. en- or of tho Hoqulam Waslilnatonlan. Major Patton had In the Waahlnztonlan the lol- lowlng interesting account of lha event: When Mr. K. E. Brodie. president of the Oregon Editorial Association, in vited me to attend the annual, treei ng of that body, to be held at Med ford and Crater Lake. I accepted be cause President Brodie pad aurnaeo the meeting of our State Press Associ ation, and because he is such a fine fellow that I wished to tee more of liim. Glad, indeed, am I that I waa in fluenced bv theae motives and made the trip. It is the first time I have ever been in Southern Oregon, with the exception of passing through on trains, and this trip has proven a rev elation to me. In the first Place. I did not believe that any such wonderful thing existed ne Crater Lake. In the second place. "ind it hard to believe there are enough people In the world to eat up nil the pears raised In tne itogue River Valley. In . the third place. I had no idea there was euch a beautiful spot In the Western country as lathi Park at Ashland. Also I did not before think that it was possible for two towns the size of Medford and Ashland, situated as thev are within eight miles of each other, to be upon such friendly terms. In Medford we were furnished with literature descriptive of the town and county, and at least one-third or tne pages were devoted to extolling tne ad vantages and beauties of Ashland. In Ashland we heard only goon woras spoken of Medford. There are many towns In close proximity to eacn otner which might well take a leaf from the book of these flourishing communi ties in Southern Oregon. Ilsieams ibrough the mist I By Dui Collins- I When our boys come home from their mimic war adventure along the border, we are going to stop making fun of the wrist watch. Just why the jokesmiths should have picked on this convenient way-of carrying one's time piece, where it can most easily be used for reference, it being admitted that the watch is a useful thing, would be hard to explain, unless the necessity of strapping it on suggested the brace let, and the bracelet was looked upon as effeminate; but, in any event, the paragraphers are jbout to be robbed of one of their printable sources of material. The sole renaming objection to the wrist watch, its crystal, has been overcome by invention of a mate rial which may be called unbreakable glass. Thus, neither a fall, nor the bursting of a shell, nor any other ac cident will cause the watch to Imperil its wearer, and the obvious utility of the thing has done the rest. Every now and then a phrase is made that commands attention be cause it provokes thought anew, though the subject may be old. This is true, of two words recently spoken by Dr. E. A. Steiner and quoted In the Independent. Dr. Steiner says that every teacher should be able to speak English "contagiously well." This means more than merely speaking carefully and grammatically: it in cludes everything that goes with per sonality and the inspiration of a good example, and, considering the impor tance of language in influencing thought, it is particularly apt in this time of discussion of hyphenated Americanism and everything that goes with it. But the "contagious" teacher undoubtedly is born rather than made in normal schools, and the adminis trative and practical difficulties in the way of limiting employment to those so gifted are quite obvious. This was the largest and most suc cessful meeting the Oregon i-ditorlal Association ever held, and the pro gramme was one of exceptional strength and interest. President Brodie presided with grace and dignity and Secretary Batea left no stone unturned and saw that the proceedings pawed off smoothly and the comfort of the delegates was looked after in every regard. The sessions were held in the auditorium of the Medford Library, which is situated in the midst of a gem-like little park. The people of Medforr? and Jackson CouStv certainly outdid themselves in the line of entertainment. The dele- s-ste nnH visitors to this convention were furnished with good rooms at trie three splendid hotels In Medford free of charge. while dinner followed lunche6n In such quick succession that about all a man had to pay lor was a modest breakfast. ' Ota. Friday afternoon an automobile drive was made to the California line. Mrs. Patton and myself were so fortu nate as to be taken in the auto of Mr. Gctchell and had as companions on the trip Mr. and Mrs. Ediar B. riper, of Portland. The drive over the Stskiyous is one of surpassing beauty and in terest. The distance from Medford to the California line is some 35 miles. We stood at the line between Oregon and California, which is marked with an imposing sign post, and down blow us nestled the charming little iauro.- nia village of Hilt- Even at that dis tance pictures of foaming schooners were visible to the naked eye. but Mr. Getchell turned a deaf ear to the hints of his guests and sternly reversed his auto and took us back to Ashland. TUB OLD SOGS. I cannot sing the old songs I sang long years ago; The ethics of the old songs Are out of dale and slow. It ought to be possible, however. to Inject a little sing into the morals and ethics of somo of the old sonars and brace them up so that they could set by with our present progressive and emancipated generation. F"rinstance, there's that colorless old ballad that they used to sing 20 year ago, soinethln' like this: How can I leave thee? How can I from thee part? Thou only hast my heart. Sister, believe. Thou hast this heart of mine So closely bound to thine. No other can I love Save thee, alone. Blue Is the floweret Called the forget-me-not. Wear it upon your heart And think of me. Floweret and hope may die. But love with us shall stay That cannot pass away. Sister, believe. In the first place, you gotta cut that constancy stuff and Inject a little of the spice of scandal into the song, or it's dead from the prelude. Then give it a title with a punch, and put it over something like this: "HOW CAX I LEAVE TIIEEt" Or. "Hait i the faulckeat tVajr to Get Avar "i'i limb by (omrif (The latest song success of Minnie Mazuma, the fifth divorced wife of Fighting Fahrenheit, the ex-world, a champion free-for-all fighter.) How can I leave thee, kid? What's the quickest way to get away, and hid? If your hubby gets me he will dent my lid. Sister, believe. Thou hast this heart of mine all right. But kindly tell me where I can get out of sight. I hear your hubby coming, so I'll say. good-night!" How can I leave thee, . Where's the quickest getaway? Blue is the floweret, hon. Forget-me-not you wear it, for Trm got to run. For I've heard your husband always) packs a gun And thinks of me. ' Floweret and hope may die, I'd a darned Bight rather they would die than I. So if you'll excuse me I will say 'Good-bye'." Sister, believe me. How can I leave thee? What's the quickest way to get away hay? With the death. of General David McMurtrie Gregg at his home in Penn sylvania the other day there passed the last L'nlon soldier who held the rank of General at the battle of Gettysburg. His military record was remarkable as an example of speedy advancement under the pressure of necessity of that troublous time. He was a West Point graduate, but had attained only a Captaincy when the war began. Within six months he had become a Colonel and .by the latter part of 1862 he was a Brigadier-General. He was then only 31 years old, At the head of 10.000 cavalry, he is credited by some historians' with hav ing turned the tide of battle by forcing General Jeb Stuart to retire from Little Round Top at a critical stage of the contest. Assumption that failure to impose a charge on water power would swell the profits of power companies is ut terly fallacious. Nearly every state regulates charges on the basis of actual investment and actual cost of production. Hence any rental charge would not be taken from the power companies' profits but would be passed on to the consumer and would dis courage use of water power. The Turkish excuse for not per mitting relief to be extended to Syria that the crops are better in that region than in other parts of the empire shows a peculiar twist of the Turkish mental process. People who are starv ing are not much comforted by the thought that others are worse off than they. Misery may love company, as the adage says, but it cannot live on it. It will be observed that the British mass meeting that demanded the exe cution of the German Emperor was composed of men who are not at the front. It is invariably behind the lines that the extremes of chauvinism are heard. The men who are doing the fighting are universally more mod erate In their judgment of their enemy than the stay-at-homes. Mr. Bryan's declaration that he feels no sense of shame over the exposure of his "deserving Democrat" letter only shows how fortunate the country was in 1896. in 1900 and again in 1908. - So far as words can give assurance, the new Foreign Minister of Russia seems to have disposed of those ru mors that he is pro-Teutonic in his policies. I wish T could spare about two col umns to describe the beauties of Ash land's park; suffice it to say that it is in a canyon Just south ot tne town, where nature has done its utmost, and its work has been supplemented by the expenditure of almost $200,000. voted by tne enterorislng citizens of Ashland. There are gushing springs of efferves cent Lithla water, sulphur water, and pure artesian water. There are grottoes and weterfalls. towering trees, greens-wa-ds, beautiful flowers, and at night when the banquet was given under tne spreading branches of the monarchs of the torest and myriads or electric lights flashed, it was truly a scene of enchantment- Saturday was devoted to business sessions, and the ladies of the party were entertained at luncheon Dy ine ladies of Medford. and taken on an auti. trio through the foothill orchards. At right a beautiful banquet was served at the Medford hotel, some 400 guests being seated at the tables. At 6 o clock Sunday morning tne start was made for Crater Lake. 5 rollers up in the Cascade Mountain. On this drive we were the guests of Mr. Go'f. who is the proud possessor of a seven-passencer rackard car. ana whose sjn. Jay. is the best driver bouthern Oregon. We made the run to the lodge at Crater Lake in a little less than five hours, and those of our fellow citizens who have made the trip on the winding road through tne ror- ests and up the hill, will agree that this was remarkable time. Crter Lake Is a body of water of un bollevable blue; n fact. It is so blue that In gazing uprm It. one thinks It Is a sheet of deep blue glass. It fills the crater of an extinct volcano, and is about 15 miles In circumference and Is as rovnd as a teacup. The water Is 2-100 feet deep and the rim of the crater Is about 1000 feet above the water. At one place in tho lake there la a small island, or what might be termed cone, with another crater in the top of t. This crattr Is dry and last year! the Knights of Pythias of the state, to -he number of 300 gathered in this small crater and conducted initiatory ceremonies. It is uterly impossible for me to attempt to describe this wonder ful place, but I trust in the near future to print an article regarding It and disclosing the connection of Mr. Will G. Steel, president of the park, with Its preservation by the Government. At present I must content myself with saying that any person who makes the trip to Crater lake will' never regret it. and th it any money which the United States Government may appro priate for its preservation will be well spent. It is one of the choicest pos sessions of the people of the United States. In the course of a talk which I gave at the editorial session, I made the suggestion that In 1S18 the editors of Washington. Idaho and Oregon hold a trl-Scate meeting at some central point In one of the three states. The sugges tion was that joint programme and Jol.it entertainment be had and separ ate business meetings be held. This suggestion was first made to me by Mr. C. K. Ellinsrlcn. editor of the Che hills Bee-Nugget, and he Is hereby Informed thr.t it was exceedingly we'l received by the editors of Oregon, and no doubt it can be accomplished. In common with all of the visitors my heart is filled with gratitude for the abounding hospitality of the people of Medford and Ashland, and. In fact, of all Jackson County. Thce people have the spirit which builds up com munities and cny person who visits thete is bound when he leaves to chant the praises of Southern Oregon. Sir." said the Courteous Office Boy. "I pity the Police Judge from the bot tom of my heart, I do. His surgeon's bills must be something fierce " "Whaddaya mean, surgeon's bills?" I snarled, suspicloning that the C. O. B. was laying a trap for my trustfulness. "Judge Langguth told me the other day." said the C. O. B.. seriously, "that he had several new felons on bis hands every day, and " With a chuckling hoot the C. O. B. aeroplaned out of the eighth-story window closely pursued by a hunk ot linotype metal that I had norrowea from my friend. Dad Whiting, for Just such an occasion. As the bakers would put it, a double loaf Is better than no" bread. Ilia An" Legarr. Puck. Howard Did your, aunt remember you in her will? Henry She sure did Directed her executors to collect all the loans she had made me. WIIAZZAT. POPEf (Being more of the philosophical poems of the C. O. B.) Whatever is. la right!" sang Pope. W-hlle toiling up life's rugged slope But had his trousers felt the wrench, Of gum left on a nice park bench? Whatever Is. Is right!" sang Pope. To which I roughly answer: 'Nope! For lately, every day I've sen A higher price for gasoline. "Whatever Is. is right!" sang Pope. Strewing Life's path with heliotrope If so. why do they wish to kill So many chaps in vaudeville? "Whatever Is. Is right!" sang Pope. Did he e'er buy a cantaloupe For fifteen cents, and cut Inside And find the gracer man had lied? Ke Sock Place. Speaking of the new geographical names that turn up in the present war. we found one of the copy readers wres tling vith a map the other night and going .over Northern France with a readtng glass. "Whassamatter?" we asked. "One of the dispatches today tells about the French forces advancing in echelon." he muttered, "and I'm darned if I can find any such a place anywhere on the western front." SEE AMERICA FIRST. By F. P. Williams. A story is told Of a good man of old. Who died and who went to the sky. in l i life In his cell And his hair shirt as well. He had yearned lor tne tomi' " high. As the oortal he neared. To him Peter appearea. Wit-. tt e keys ot tne hand; 'Prr.y. good saint, let me in, "Long I've fought against sin, "And would reap my reward in this iara." But St. Feter replied. A the good man he eyed: "Though I doubt not your work or your worth. "On tha' planet down yonder. Yet I wonder 1 wonder "S y! what do you know of the earth?" The good man was nonplussed; All :1s life had been just: He had warred against sin with great seal: But he'd ne er been, by golly, lu Pullman or trolley. Or slgat-seelns automobile. 'Well then." said the Saint. "Xothln' doln". there ain't: "For the presen I bid you good by. "Pee the Earth. Mr. Monk. "Beforo checking your trunk. "!o4 taking a trip to the sky." There's a moral rlaht here. Tit should spread far and near. Among those sv-ho for traveling; thirst: When the wanderlust strikes you Dir. t take foreign hikes. You Should so your own natlvt land first And t.iat thing we abhor That awful world-war Is not all bad. as it might appear; For It keeps those at home V':o would otherwise roam; And the money they fipend. they spend here, gate in his