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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1916)
6 THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, , PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 12, 1916. PORTLAND, OREGON. Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postofflce a second-class mail matter. Subscription rates Invariably in advance. (By Mail.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year $3.00 Xaily, Sunday Included, six months..... 4.2o Daily. Sunday included, three months. . Daily, Sunday included, one month..... .To Xally, without Sunday, one year. ....... -00 Daily, without Sunday, six months..... 3.25 Daily, without Sunday, three months... 1.73 Daily, without Sunday, one month .t0 Weekly, one year. ................ .. . t,, Sunday, one year 2.50 Sunday and Weekly 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday included, one year 9.00 Daily, Sunday included, one month . 3 How to Kemit Send postottice money order, express 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. Postage Kates 12 to 16 pages, 1 cent; 18 to pages. 2 cents; 34 to 4S pages, 3 cents; 50 to ttO pages, 4 cents; 02 to T6 pages, 6 cents; 7 to 82 pages, 0 cents. Foreign postage, double rates. Kaotern Business Office Verree & Conk lln. Brunswick building. New York; Verree & Conklin, Sieger building. Chicago. ban irancisco representative, R. J. Bldwell, iMarket street. a PORTLAND. 81NDAV, NOV. IS, 1018. ROCMANIA'S NARROW ESCAPE. The allies seem to have barely saved Bou mania from the fate which was visited upon Serbia through their un preparedness. It is evident that no adequate concerted plans had been made for Roumanians part In the war. The Russian army, which should have stiffened King Ferdinand's green army, was not ready to rush across the frontier immediately upon the dec laration and either to hold back the ' enemy or to drive him through Bul garia. The Salonikl army was still tied to its base by fear of attack in the rear by Greece and by lack of munitions for a general advance, also of transports to carry those munitions to the base and to keep open commu nication. Roumanla seems to have been left to its own devices as to when it should declare war and as to how it should conduct the campaign. The struggle between the peace and war parties in that kingdom had continued so long "that, when the war party found it had the upper hand, it ignored all con siderations of strategy and got a de cision on war when it had the chance. The same disregard of strategy marked the decision to invade Transylvania. A triumphal entry into the unre deemed territory struck the popular imagination. It was regarded as good strategy for the reason that it Was believed to force an extension of the Teuton front to a length beyond the resources of the centra? empires. Yet events have proved the invasion of that province to have been as great folly as the French invasion of Alsace in August, 1914. In war, as in other affairs, the longest way around is often the shortest way home. King Ferdinand and his advisers probably realize now that they would more quickly have acquired Transylvania, and at less cost, if their army, strengthened by the Russians to the point where it could overcome any opposing force, had advanced from the Dobrudja into Bulgaria with the object of cutting the railroad and, if success continued, of advancing south ward till the Bulgars found themselves enveloped between the Russo-Rou-manian army and the host of many nations which has been camped around Salonikl doing practically nothing for the last year. Had this movement succeeded, it would have put Bulgaria out of business, cut off German aid from Turkey and Turkish aid from Germany, thereby facilitated the Russian advance through Asia Elinor upon Constantinople and made the reconquest of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro much easier. The entire allied army might then have closed in on Transylvania as part of a gen eral attack on Hungary from the southeast, and at the same time on Constantinople. , The misfortunes of Roumanla are as much due to over-estimate of the weakening of Teuton man power as to lack of co-ordination among the allies' several campaigns. The French and British have been congratulating themselves that German reserves had been exhausted by the terrible losses at Verdun, on the Somme, and in Galicla and Volhynia, while Austria has been regarded as a cripple, held upright only by Germany. They thought the central empires had no strategic re serve available for a new enterprise. Hence the appearance of Von Macken sen's army in a furious attack on the Dobrudja and of an entirely new army hurling back the invaders of Transyl vania was a staggering surprise to them. This unanticipated turn of af fairs found almost the whole Rou manian army tangled up in the Car pathian passes or spread through the enemy's country and the Russians only beginning to debouch from the Danube delta. Troops were no sooner hurried from the mountains to the eastern front than the kingdom itself was in vaded on the west. These events so confirmed the faith of King Constan tine in German invincibility that after receiving one of the allies' numerous ultimatums he is reported to have said: "I am convinced that in fif teen days Roumania will exist no more." Had the allies been fuily pre pared to aid Roumania and had they held that country to wiser strategy, Greece might ere now have been in the alliance and they might have had a victorious Balkan campaign in full swing. Russia seems to have come up just in time to stay the advance of the Teutons from the west. Von Macken sen did not advance more than about forty miles north of the Constanza Railroad, perhaps being cautious of getting involved among the various channels of the Danube delta. Winter, too, may check the Austro-German armies in the mountains. But Rou mania has had a narrow escape, and the allies have had one more lesson In the danger of under-estimating their foes and in the necessity of pur suing a common plan of campaign. From the entry of Turkey into the war they have constantly under-rated the importance of the Balkan theateT of war. Germany has as constantly kept an eye turned to the east and has compensated for the extension of its front by drawing thence many corps or Turks, who, when well trained, equipped and fed, are as valiant sol diers as there are in the world. Advance of prices of kid leather is awakening interest in the raising of goats in all parts of the United States. Heretofore there has been a some what feeble propaganda in favor of this productive animal, especially be cause of its value as an adjunct to land clearing, but this has been handi capped by the fact that men engaged in carving farms' out of a wilderness do not always have the capital re quired to buy the goats and build the necessary fences to confine them with in bounds. The fence problem is a serious one, in view of the propensity pf the goat to breach almost any or- dinary barrier. The goat industry has been making some, progress in New Mexico recently, and now, according to a New 'Jersey newspaper, it is about to become popular in that state, which has a great area of lands unfitted for a high type of agriculture. New Jer sey growers propose a co-operative method, by which bands of consider able size will be held under a herd ing system, and one writer on the sub ject hails fche goat as the solution of the problem of putting to use thou sands of acres now fit for nothing except as sites for bungalows. Inci dentally, hope is expressed that "the leather supply will be augmented, but it is admitted that in this respect we have a long way to go. SHE BKOCGHT HOME THE BACON. It is reported that the Democratic brethren of Pendleton have procured two small pigs, crated them and ex pressed them to Mrs. E. B. Hanley. It is Mrs. Hanley's story that a Demo crat paid her more than the market price for two other pigs, which en abled her to attend the meeting of the Hughes Alliance in Portland, there to enter upon a career which upsets all traditions concerning women in poll tics. Well, pigs is pigs, and doubtless Mrs. Hanley will find room for this other Democratic gift on the Hanley ranch. There they will live in fatted ease, become too proud to fight and finally be slaughtered to make an other G. O. P. holiday. It is probably assumed by the Demo cratic jokesmiths that Mrs. Hanley is grieving her heart away over the de feat of Mr. Hughes. Doubtless she does have some regrets, but unless she is more modest concerning self-accomplishment than human nature is gen erally credited with being, she is gain ing some comfort from the signal as sistance she gave the Republican cause in Oregon. Oregon today stands as the Western outpost of Republicanism. With one exception, it is the only Republican state west of the Missouri River. That this is true is due in no small meas ure to the enthusiasm put into the party by the little golden-haired wom an from Medford. The annals of political history can produce nothing like it. Mrs. Hanley has been called the "Billy Sunday of Politics." We do not exactly fancy the title. Rather call her Joan of Arc. Here was a rancher's wife, content with home and babies, who sud denly felt a resistless call to enter the fight for her convictions. She who had never made a speech in her life found herself possessed of the quality of leadership and of an eloquence and magnetism that could bring thousands to her feet. Accompanied only by two women, Irs. Anderson and Miss Baer, she went out into the state and endured the hardships that exhaust the seasoned campaigner. Cowboys came a hundred miles across the desert, lumberjacks came out of the woods, staid business and professional men flocked to hear her. She spoke -to crowded houses and nightly people who tried to get in were turned away. She sold her pigs, but she brought home the bacon. There is only one Mrs. Hanley, and she's ours, and we're proud of her. Had one other state California had her like, there would be no red fire tonight on Democratic hilltops. FORTY TEARS AGO. The election of President this year recalls the memorable Hayes-Tilden contest, just 40 years previous. The field marshals of the two parties were Senator Zachariah Chandler, of Michi gan, for the Republicans, and Abrara S. Hewitt, of New York, for the Democrats. These men were, respect ively, chairmen of the National com mittees. They were both astute poli ticians and men of great influence. Perhaps Senator Chandler was one of the bitterest partisans of his day. There were three Presidential can didates in the field, Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio, Republican; Samuel J. Tilden, of New York, Democrat, and Peter Cooper, of New York, Greenback. The latter cut no figure in the contest, receiving only 81,787 votes in the entire country. When the returns began to ckme in on election day it seemed apparent to almost everybody that Tilden was elected; as the evening passed and later returns were tabulated the result seemed to be. practically certain. By early morning on the day following even the most ardent Republicans con ceded the election of the Democratic nominees. But it was not so with Zach Chandler. In the forenoon he issued his celebrated manifesto, "Hayes has received 185 electoral votes and is elected." (There were" 369 electoral votes. ) As later returns came in it was found that Tilden had received a popular plurality over Hayes of 157,394 votes, and apparently had a few votes to spare in the electoral college. But Chandler had his eyes fixed on South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, where the vote had been, at the least, irreg ular, the time being what is known as, the reconstruction days, when the newly enfranchised colored voters had a hard time getting their votes in and a . still . harder time getting them counted. The first step taken by Chandler was to have a committee of leading Republicans attend the meetings of the canvassing boards in those three states. John Sherman, James A. Gar field, E. W. Stoughton and E. F. Noyes were selected for this task, while the Democrats sent J. M. Palmer, Lyman Trumbull, Manton Marble and Smith M. Weed. All were men of National importance. The South Carolina mat ter was quickly adjusted, for it was soon shown that Hayes had carried that state by a small plurality. It should be mentioned that during these proceedings there was a feeling of great unrest throughout the coun try. Civil war seemed imminent. But Ulysses S. Grant was in command of the Army and he vouchsafed peace. Large bodies of troops were in the South and he sent extra detachments to the capitals of the three states with instructions that all commanding of ficers "preserve peace, protect the can vassing boards and denounce fraud." As a result of Grant's quick and em phatic action there were no physical disturbances at any point. The Florida matter was also rather quickly settled, or rather, the returns were tabulated and certified for Hayes. To this, of course, the Democrats did not agree, and two sets of returns were sent to Washington, which was also the case in South Carolina. . Louisiana was the great battle ground, for it was there the hosts were arrayed against each other with the greatest bitterness. On the face of the returns that state had given the Democratic electors a majority of more than 6000. But Chandler and his followers maintained that the en tire election was tainted with fraud, and in a final canvass they, the Re publicans, claimed the electoral vote. There is no use to argue for or against that decision. About half of the people of the country think there was fraud on both sides, and it is not the intention' here to uphold either side; this article is simply to recall the strenuous days of forty years ago. But even after the settlement in the three Southern states there came the Oregon trouble to vex Chandler and encourage Hewitt. Oregon had gone Republican by 1057. but one of the electors. Watts, was a postmaster, and under the strict letter of the law was not eligible to act. L. F. Grover, a Democrat, was Governor. He took the matter up with Hewitt, and a certifi cate was issued to the highest Demo cratic candidate, Cronin. a he Repub lican delegates met, fgnored Cronin and cast three votes for Hayes, so nothing came of the matter. But Ore gon had the front pages of the news papers for some days. Just the same, and Cronin received much publicity. As to final settlement of the matter through the electoral commission, that is not germane to this article. But through that law, enacted to cover the case by a Democratic House and a Republican Senate, Hayes was seated and served his term. WHICH IS THE GREATER NTTSANCE? Has a man a vested right in quietude and solitude, not only on his own ground but in adjoining streets and even on adjoining property? That is an interesting question in which moving-picture companies have been en tangled. William H. Barnard, a capitalist, who lives in a "swell" neighborhood in New York City, has sued for dam ages the owner of a girls' school, which has been established next door, alleging that the school "will destroy the privacy and exclusiveness of said street and more particularly of plain tiffs residence." The schoolma'am has retorted by charging the million aire with permitting a moving-picture company to stage "scenes of crime and violence" in and about his prem ises. The rich man admits that he did this just once, and now the con troversy is on. Which is "more destructive of pri vacy and exclusiveness a swarm of gabbling, laughing schoolgirls or a movie company in full operation? How could the young ladies be ex pected to attend to their studies while a drama was being enacted in the grounds of the next house? How can a tired business man rest from the labor of gathering dollars, with girls fluttering up and down the street, going and coming morning and even ing in honking autos and with much chatter? Suppose the business man has a young son, how is he to be pre vented from making a fool of him self with a case of calf-love for one of the girls? There is material there to keep the lawyers arguing till the cows come home. PSTClIOtOGY OP BETTING. Why do men bet on elections? No doubt many do so for the same rea son that they bet on football games or prize fights or other sporting events. With them betting is a habit. They have such full confidence in their judgment as to who is the better man or which is the better team that they regard betting on it as a good way to make money. Men of this type will as readily bet on an election for the same reason. With them betting is not prompted so much by opinion as to which is the better man or the better party as by opinion as to which is the more likely to win, and that opinion is based on a cold-blooded survey of the political field. But many men bet on elections who do not bet on any other event. They are men of strong political convictions. They are so convinced of the merits of the cause they espouse that they cannot conceive of the possibility that it will be rejected y the majority of their fellow-citizens. Thus their en thusiasm clouds their judgment. Others are goaded into betting by the challenges of their opponents, who re gard a refusal to. bet as evidence that they are bluffing and have not the confidence in their party's success which they profess. The jeering ex clamation, "Ah! you're afraid to back up your opinion with your coin," has caused many a man to bet money he did not wish, perhaps could not afford to risk. Others there are who bet just for the fun of the thing. Such are the makers of freak bets to roll a, peanut down the street with a toothpick or to ride the winner in a wheelbarrow. Such bets are regarded as practical jokes on the loser, as well as expres sions of goodfellowship between friends of opposite opinions. So long as we elect public officials we shall have election bets. They are the expression of the sporting instinct of the people, which is aroused by every contest for supremacy, whether it be between rival parties, rival pugi lists, rival steamships or rival teams of athletes. STRAW VOTES. The most elaborate straw vote pro cured in the country, prior to a Presi dential election is that taken by the New York Herald. The Herald's sys tem is reduced to as near a scientific basis as is perhaps possible. In Ore gon, for example, it was designed to get 35 per cent of the vote from labor, 25 per cent from women, 25 per cent from general business and clerical em ployes and 15 per cent from profes sional men; the vote was required to be representative of the state at large and to show the drift, if any, of voters to new political allegiance, and a minimum of 800 votes per week for five weeks was asked. Doubtless the same system was fol lowed in other states, of course with elimination of the woman factor in politics in states where there is not equal suffrage. The result was a marvelously close guess on the general result, but a detailed prediction full of errors- The general result showed that there was an almost even balance between the two candidates, the shade being in favor of Wilson, but that the weight of a hair might turn the balance the other way. So it was in the actual result. But the straw vote erred in giving Hughes California, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming eight states outs of twenty one credited to him. It erred also in crediting to Wilson Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia and Wisconsin -six states out of twenty-seven credited to him. That there should have been error concerning close states like Minnesota, New Mexico and North Dakota is not surprising, but as to California the straw vote indicated a two-to-one ma jority for Hughes. This was so far out of the way as to invite comment, when one considers also the other states not close but which reversed the indications given by the Herald's poll. A straw vote, however painstakingly and scientifically arranged, must rely to an extent on the personal equation. Intense partisanship or inefficiency on the part of the person in control of a state poll or on the part of two or three of his subordinates may creep into the figures. Instructions as to percentages may not be followed: the poll may be intentionally taken in sections of a state known to be nor mally one way and be neglected in the portion of the state known to be the other way. It is possible that in the number of men engaged in the work there are those ready to fake ballots out of pure laziness or indifference. But in the long run the law of aver ages worked ut fairly well in this case. The errors committed on the Democratic side balanced the errors committed on the Republican side and the main result was correctly fore cast. If there was a uniform popula tion throughout the country and each state had the same number of elector al votes the law of averages could probably be relied upon lo give an accurate general forecast in each in stance that such a poll is taken. But this year there was seemingly an ele ment of luck in it. The elaborate straw vote may one year hit pretty close to the mark and the next year shoot wild. The casual straw vote taken without system is about as re liable as an individual opinion. A rOET ON THE BATTLEFROXT. Admirers of Gabriele d'Annunzlo, the Italian poet and novelist, were not surprised when they read in the news dispatches from the war front that he had been promoted for bravery while a member of the airplane corps, and also recommended a second time for the silver medal for valor. It is being demonstrated in this war that neither bravery nor courage is the attribute of a particular class; the ex quisite and the gutter-snipe have alike shown themselves heroes in varied and trying circumstances. D'Annunzio is an esthete, and has given evidence of this in erratic ways on many occasions, yet his writings do not indicate that he is what we might call "effeminate." There is more of the swashbuckler about him, with a touch of the jingo and the chauvinist, and a good deal of practical idealism of the kind that holds the end to justify the means, if the end be altru istic in any degree. His literary style is florid. He has aspired to be a Dante, and also a leader of political thought and action. He was inspired for years by the idea of Italian domi nation of the Mediterranean of an Italy not content to exist by suffer ance but taking as a right a share in the great affairs of the world. For a man who had a special name for every color and every odor and who claimed to find satisfaction for his sotfl in the delightful sensation of gazing upon a beautiful flower, he was strangely belligerent in his inter pretation of the mission of his nation. England was to some extent his model. Who could imagine, he once asked, an England in the situation of Italy in the Mediterranean, waiting supinely while others snatched the prize that the "waiting desert" contained? A few years ago in a remarkable poem exhorting Italians to imperialism he sang: With me toward the burning desert speed. Toward tbe sphinx-like desert-land with me. That waits the foot, the furrow and the seed. With me. O fruitful race, that rlrdest thee To walk upon the ancient ways again . Leading to selfhood and to destiny. With me where the warriors to reap remain. That In the coronal upon thy brow I braid the oak-leaf with the braided grain! BeioIdest thou me today upon the prow Erect in arms; tomorrow I incline My knra upon the glebe that waits the plow. While hare-brawn legions break the battle - line. And brat their spears to pruning hooks, and fill Thy hungry hands with corn, thy vats with wine. D'Annunzio before the war was a voluntary exile from Italy, although he always glorified it in poetry and prose. His novels were marked by the same grandiloquence; his, manners by constant striving after sensational effect. A few years ago he seized upon the motion picture as a vehicle for his emotions, and wrote for the screen a play he called "Cabrira," the production of which he superintended in person. So lofty were his ideas that a special gate for the temple of Moloch had to be constructed, a hun dred feet high, and ornamented like the jeweled tower of a satrap; one-of his scenes called for the destruction of forty Roman vessels, and in his Hannibal's army crossing the Alps he demanded employment of an unheard of number of camels and elephants. That was in a day when European managers had not had the example of lavish expenditure that since has been set in the United States, and it is said that certain producers were driven almost to distraction before they sue ceeded in getting out a film that would satisfy their poet-creator of scenarios. One reads with especial interest that d'Annunzio's promotion to a Captaincy was the result of his conduct in an air attack early in October, although details are not given. It will be re membered that at the outbreak of the war, when a lieutenant in the air plane corps, he made three flights over Trieste, dropping poetic messages Instead of bombs. One wonders that he would waste his treasures on a people of whom he had written sav agely in the past. One of the stanzas from a poem that was suppressed by the official censor before the outbreak of the war was a bitter attack upon the Austrians and their aged ruler, As a specimen of pure hatred ex. pressed in verse it was remarkable. It said: The filthy eagle of the double crest. Who like the vulture vomits from his maw Oohbets of corpses he cannot digest! Another miracle: they round, him draw The noose, now spotless girdle, to denote The old. decrepit hangman's pious awe. While evry night he dreams he feels his thr.iat Clutched by the -mutilated. Jeweled hand That stained m-lth blood the pocket of the Croat. This by the same man who wrote a "Song to Helen of France," in lauda tion of the Duchess of Aosta. Helen of Orleans, a cousin of the King, who had gone to Africa to care for Italian soldiers who had been wounded in battle with the Turks. He pictures her as bringing home a shipload of dead and wounded, and says: When yoi, bind the wound or broken bone. Or bathe the thirsty lips of him who raves; There is no tevr, no murmuring, no groan. He who was victor when the cheers were loud Wants by his silence to surpass his mates: He who lb dying feels the flag for shroud. And then O Helen, who aeea Rome's sacrament of grace Laid on the whitening; foreheads of our dead. Tou brtns a flower to bind the Latin race. The augural verbena on our head. It was said of him that notwith standing the. fact that he once was compelled to sell his household effects to pay his debts, he set out on a Jour ney to Egypt with a wardrobe that filled twenty-four trunks, and included six dozen lace-embellished shirts, a dozen walking sticks, ten green para sols and eight violet-colored ones, 150 resplendent cravats, fourteen pairs of shoes for walking and several other pairs for hunting crocodiles, two pairs of "soft and tremulous slippers" and a great quantity of Venetian perfumes. This was the equipment at that time of the man who is now enduring the hardships of life at the front and winning medals for his work. He has always been a strange contradiction part dandy, part patriot, part impe rialist, and all egoist. His constant ef forts to attract attention to himself have served to detract from belief in his sincerity and no doubt have made it more difficult for him to im press some of the serious lesions he tried to teach. It remains to be seen whether in the service of his nation at the front he will acquire the inward grace that his detractors have declared he has lacked in the past. PROSPERITY TIDE STII.I. RISING. The effect of this flood of wealth is reflected in new loans to belliger ent nations to establish credit for their Immense purchases; Great Britain is borrowing $300,000,000 and Russia $50,000,000, these amounts swelling the total of loans to belligerent na tions during the war to 000, 000,000. Europe has probably resold to the United States an equal amount of American securities. As these sales still continue and as British purchases alone in this country are estimated at $8,000,000 a day, the balance of debts between the United States and Europe will soon be in our favor, if it is not so already. The plethora of money produced by the great wlume of exports, by ab normal profits on war munitions and by the resulting expansion of internal trade has brought about a great de mand for stocks at steadily rising prices. Speculation is rampant in both stocks and staple commodities. A rushing business is being done in bonds. First-Hen railroad bonds have been fully absorbed and second-grade bonds are now active. The car shortage has put money in the pocket of the farmers. Lack of cars and the work of seeding have delayed the marketing of wheat until the world scarcity of that cereal has pushed the price on the farm up to $1.50 to $1.60. Both Canada and Argentina have much less for export than they had last year. Wheat acre age in the grain belt is being mate rially Increased, and rain has given the new crop a good start. With the end of the war still re mote and with assurance of active foreign trade for two or three years after the war, the American people can look forward to a continuance of prosperity long enough to enable them to fortify themselves financially and industrially for the conditions which will follow. ' TOLSTOY ON THE AMERICAN STAGE. Notwithstanding extraordinary dif ficulties in the way of stagecraft at tending the production of a Tolstoy drama, Americans are to have oppor tunity to attend the production in English of at least one of his posthu mous plays. It will not, however, be the first performance on an American stage. A German version has been given in Milwaukee and in New York, and a Yiddish rendition was received with evidence of popular approval on the New York East Side some time ago. From these and from the com ments of the critics upon them we have opportunity to Judge whether Americans are likely to take with kindly spirit to the gruesome philos ophy of the great Russian. To begin with, the name of the new drama is quite likely to be a shock to most theater-goers. Tolstoy was not satisfied with one name he called his play "The Living Corpse or the Man Who Was Dead." The alternative title Is on the whole the less shocking of the two; the first may be chosen for its obvious advertising value. If there Is a desire to pander to the mor bid element among theater-goers. It is characteristic of Tolstoy that he has taken the social conventions as his leading motive and also that he does not appear to set much store by them. He at least departs from the bromidic order by making his triangle a quad rangle, but he does not, it will seem to most persons, make out a. strong argument against the order of so ciety. Dissatisfied married couples are an old theme. Unrestrained in dividualism has got people into trouble before and probably would do so in any system in which unhealthy souls put their fancied "temperaments" above all else and count sense of duty to others or the fulfillment of obli gation as nothing worth a sacrifice. The hero of "The Living Corpse" is an unhealthy character. His name is Fedia. and he has a wife of his own noble station. Lisa. We are spared the details of their early squabbles, for they have already parted when the action of the play begins. Fedia has a grudge against the world, which does not seem to have been made to order for him. He turns debauchee; the author makes It appear that he takes this course as a means of for getting his great trouble, but an Amer ican who did the same thing would be classed merely as insufferably weak and deserving of any fate. Among associates of a lower grade he conies upon the gypsy who is "the girl" for him. Meanwhile, to even things up, Lisa discovers that she is happier with a Prince named Victor. All the characters of the drama have ex tremely delicate sensibilities, it should be explained: otherwise there would be no drama. Persons of common clay might have cut the Gordian knot and have had done with it. Tolstoy elaborates the theme that the natural man, left to himself, will be honest and generous, noble and true, and everything else that Is good. It Is only when a Tolstoy character Is bound by requirement of society that he goes wrong. So in the play. Fedia Is by nature willing to resign all hold upon Lisa, to let her make her life over again with her Prince, while he finds room for all the soul-expansion needful to his exquisite temperament In the love of his gypsy maid. But here both encounter the hated con ventions not Mone the law and the church, but various members of the families of all of them, who have certain notions of their own as to the sanctity of the marriage vow. There Is a sister of Lisa who believes that romantic affection should continue to bind a wedded pair and make their situation bearable, even though they have persuaded themselves they are unhappy. Lisa's mother is of a dif ferent mold: she regrets it all, but only because her daughter will come to the Prince as a divorced woman, after public scandal in their courts and under the disapproval of the church. It is in utilizing his solution of the problem that Tolstoy proves himself a dramatist as well as a preacher. He has taken an incident from Rus sian real life which had been a cause celebre in the courts of Moscow and had ended in banishment to Siberia for everyone concerned. The hero simply disappears, after careful at tention to certain details that make it appear that he had been drowned. A body is claimed as his and buried. His former wife and her Prince are married without scandal; he has his gypsy companion, though he has to assume another name to get her. Then enters the blackmailer: Fedia refuses to meet his demands; the lawbreakers are betrayed. Such a tangle could only be unsnarled for dramatic pur poses by a death, and Fedia, the "self-sacrificing," supplies the climax by shooting himself. His former wife and her Prince are "free"; the con ventionalities have been observed once more. Yet one cannot say that the rest of the characters live happily ever after, for the gypsy girl has been forgotten. She arrives on the scene just in time to see Fedia die. Fedia no doubt had persuaded himself that he was making a supreme sacrifice for the happiness of the wife he ap parently did not try very hard to make harpy in the time before the play begins; but he reveals himself more clearly as an unsocial, spoiled individ ual, whose supreme conceit is his dominant trait, and whose implied superiority to the "conventions" is lit tle more than a querulous "I-won't-play-if-you-don't-play-my-way" atti tude toward life. One gets the im pression from this, as from so many other "problem plays," that a modi cum of common sense, or even the timely and old-fashioned application of a school strap or a shingle in the hands of an untemperamental parent would have solved the problem. Tolstoy presents unheard-of me chanical difficulties to the producer. Here he also .disregards the conven tionalities. "The Living Corpse" is a short play, yet it is divided into six acts and these into many scenes. Char acters are introduced lavishly, often only to listen to the preachments of the leading characters. Scenes jump from place to place in utter disregard of the nervous constitution of the stage manager. Through it all the episodes require that they shall fol low each other speedily if the audience is not to lose the interest that is de rived of intensity. It is possible that the revolving stage will be required for its production; or if not this that we shall need to call our inventors to our aid. However, for those who delight In the drama that rails at the established order, there always will be the book, while it is extremely probable that it will be a long time before "The Living Corpse" gets itself into the road-show class. A sad blow to the theories of eu- genists has jiist been dealt by the Judges of a baby show In New York. held In connection with a benefit bazaar. They found that the 3-year old child attaining most nearly to physical and mental perfection was little Adelaide Atherton. whose father, Eddie Atherton. for years appeared as the living skeleton in a circus, while her mother "doubled" as the bearded lady and the snake charmer in the same show. The New York Tribune, commenting on the surprising fact. notes tnat little Adelaides life una contained a nicely balanced assort ment of Joys and sorrows, for what ever painful memories she may have of being Jonnced on papa's knee will have been offset by the fun she had playing with mama s whiskers. The child, however, scored almost 100 on the scale of points and gives no prom ise of being cither bearded or bony in later life. Installation by a Brooklyn Methodist church of an automatic assistant pas tor helps further to fix the status of Americans as lenders in mechanical Invention. The latest device is de signed to reach the thousands of per sons who pass by churches frequently but for various reasons cannot be in duced to enter. It shows pictures at Intervals and accompanies them with appropriate vocal explanations, em ploying for the purpose a motor, a projecting lantern, numerous slides, a screen and a talking machine. To the objection that the machine tells the same story over and over again answer is made thnt many preachers even bishops have been known to do the same thing. The pictures help to "hold the crowd." while the talking machine combines explanation with exhortation and does not grow weary. Sherman County, as usual, was first in Oregon with complete and official returns of the election. The feat Is one in which Sherman County people justly hftve pride, and the Sherman County system of gathering and tabu lating returns is something that might well be studied and then emulated in other Oregon counties. Whatever may be said for the thirst for knowledge, there seems to be a limit to the capacity of the corre spondence school. A brakeman who received his preliminary training In one of these lost a foot the first day he worked. There is something to be said in favor of lunatics, who. an expert ex plains, reason correctly, but from wrong premises. A man who with the right premise reaches a wrong con clusion cannot claim much superiority. The car shortage in Oregon is 3224; with exercise of patience for a few years there will be plenty, perhaps filled with another Ooxeys army. Just to illustrate how a name clings to a thing, -they are still calling Per shing's force a "punitive expedition." That Montana blizzard was uncom monly considerate, putting its visit off until after election day. "California Feels Quake," headline In news, we discover has no reference to election events. It took a prohibitionist candidate in Florida to break the solidity of the solid South. It is safe to say that suffrage will be voted on again soon in South Da kota. The Grand Old Party Is consider able on' the come-back. Also it was some election from the viewpoint of the "drys." Will Lafferty now consent to stay politically dead? Sure! Investigate and make It all the better. A5f INFORMAL. INVITATION TO TUB ; .NATIONAL KOHESTJ. Come out to the Nation's forests. Bring along the babes and wife: Spend the Summer in the open Back to nature is the life. No toll roads obstruct your progress. All the forest ways are free; You can use your automobile Without any charge or fee. There's no angel at the entrance Standing with a flaming sword. To prevent your free admission: t "llse the forests" ia the word. Tou can bring along your shotgun. No one will prevent its use; Also don't forget your flshpole Big trout make a good excuse. No restrictions block the camp grounds. Camp Just anywhere you please; Only bury all your tin cans. And keep fire out of the trees. No skilled guide Is greatly needed. Sicnsmark trails and tell the way; Get a map from any ranger, He's around 'most every day. Bring your pick and gold pan with you. lou may prospect where you will; The mine will be yours if you find it. Try your luck on some side hill. See the elk wTth branching antlers. Roaming wild the forest glades: Hail the ruRsed mountain climbera. And knickerbockered mountain maids. Scale the snowy peaks at sunrise, Oet the vista that they give; Catch the spirit of their vastness. Learn up there the way to live. See the white coats on the ledges Of the heaven-kissing hills: How their hoofs and black horns twinkle. Skipping 'round the mountain rills. Is your wish for human interest? See the shepherd with his flocks; Mary's little lambs by thousands Grazing 'midst the meads and rocks. And his packtrain of cayuses. Ambling slowly up the trail. With his month's supply of canned stuff. And his intermittent mail. Look at him. his trade Is oldest Save the hunter's trailing woolles. On a thousand hills he feeds them. Lets his flock rest when It full is. See the stolid Indians camping Where the mountain heather blows; Their tepees' all white and golden. Where the huckleberry grows. Bee the dark-skinned Indian maidens Picking berries near the cliffs: tlear the whistlers on the rooks: Ides Quarreling in their family tiffs. Listen! Hear that clear-toned bugle. Sounding through the forest glen! Boy Scouts are on a hike trip Sturdy youth to make strong men. Breathe the pure air of the forest. Erlnk the water, crystal clear; Tramp the trails and climb the look outs You'll enjoy it never fear! All these joys are for your using. Camp among them if you wish: In the limits of the game laws You may hunt and. you may fish. Build your house of logs or split shakes. Or sawn lumber from the mill; And in Summer take the family. And of nature drink your nil. You wlU have now health and visor. Far from city dust and noise; In the freshness of the forest. For self and wife and girls and bovs! A G. J. OREGON. TUB LAU OK TODAY. Don't sing to me of a day thnt Is past Nor a day that is to be, I want to live in the present time. Today is the day for me. Don't sln;r to me of a distant land Th.it I must go far to see. The beauteous land that I call my home Js pood enough for me. Don't sing to me of flowers rare. For the rarest flower that Brows Dellshts my eye the whole year 'round. My own dear Portland rose. Don't sine: to me of Alpine peaks And Rlaciers ever untried. But sins me a sons of dear Mount Hood With tho moon rising, just by her side. And sin? to me of the rosy gleam That falls on her snowy crest And lingers long when the Summer sun Has sunk in a roseate vest Oh! sing to me of a falling spray. So dainty and fine a screen I fancied I saw the face of a bride Hid deep in its misty sheen. Sing me a son? of a winding stream. Fed by tumbling falls. The scent of pine in the bracing air. The lure of nature's calls. A soothinir sonjr of the gentle rain. That falls like a shower divine On fertile fields and verdant hills Crowned with fir tree and pine. A thrifty song of a city that's cleft By a river broad and free. Of busy marts that steadily hum And ships that go down to the sea. Don't sing to me of Joys to com!'. Nor scenes that call me far. I want to live in the land of today And revel in things that are. Don't ask me to roam in distant climes. Don't lure me on and on. But let me bide in the land of today. The land of Oregon. NELLIE A WARNICK. Adam and the Apple Again. PORTLAND. Nov. H. (To the Edi tor.) Opinions freely expressed by many men come to us. the women voters of Oregon, that we are indirectly responsible for the re-election of Wood row Wilson to the Presidency. Now this may be a compliment looked at from a Democratic viewpoint, but when these accusations come from a Repub lican, decidedly not. Just let me nsk these gentlemen, how about Ohio and Kansas, where there is not woman's suffrage. Then again how about South Dakota and our Oregon. Did we go Democratic? Let these men ask themselves how they voted and what about the so-called "eiKht-hour law" and also perhaps the slogan "He kept us out of war" may be a fitting coat and not from any paternal feeling in many cases. But It is human nature to place the blame upon the woman and yet since the creation of man we have been taught that the male Is the stronger. Yet how he wems to enst his burdens upon the ker sex (so-called but ac knowledged). Why? You men? ROSE T. K1NNE. AVfcere Aliens May Vote. PORTLAND. Nov. 10. (To the Edi tor.) Statement Is made that In some states a person who is foreign-born, hut who has declared hiei Intention to become a citixen and has secured his first papers is entitled to vote at a gen eral election. Are there anv such states in the Union? SUBSCRIBER. Aliens who have declared intention to become citizens may vote in Ala bama. Arkansas. Indiana, Kansas. Michigan (If declared prior to June 8, 1892). Missouri. Nebraska, South Da kota, Texas.
