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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 1916)
6 TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTTiAND, DECEMBER 10. 191G. PORTLASD, OREGON. Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postofflce as second-class mail matter. 0 Subscription rates Invariably in advance. (By Mail.) Ia!!y, Surdav Included, one year. .... .$8.00 Dally, Sunday Included, six months.... 4.25 rally, Sunday Included, three months.. 2.25 Dally, Sunday included, one month 75 Daily, without Sunday, one year 6.00 Daily, without Sunday, three months. 1J3 Daily, without Sunday, one month. .60 Weekly, cne year ............ 1.50 Sunday, one yar 2.50 bunday and "Weekly ........ 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally. Sunday included, one year...... 9.00 Dally. Sunday included, one month. ... .75 How to Item it Send postoffiae 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. Poatage Rates 12 to 16 pages. 1 cent; 13 to 3a pat-es, 2 cents; 34 to 4 pages, 3 cents; !0 to U pages. 4 cents; 62 to 76 pages, 5 cents; 79 to h3 pages, tt cents. Foreign post. L&ge. double rates'. Kawtern BuUirf Office Verree & Conk lln, Brunswick building. New York; "Verree & Conklin, Steser building, Chicago. San KranclHco representative, K J. Bldwell. 742 Market street. PORTLAND. SUNDAY, DEC. 10, 1916. BLEAK I KCE MB i.Tt. December is a month that taxes our optimism. Last month of the year, time of hail and snow and storm and stress, it too often is forced to the pitiful subterfuge of borrowing glory from its holidays a glory that on Its own account it seldom can be said to deserve. Meteorologically speaking, It is a failure. Even January has more friends, for January at least stands at the thresh hold of the year, and symbolizes hope and better things to come. Kinder words have been said of March, while as for the months that follow, they are In Spring, and Summer, and glorious Autumn, and it is easy to be cheerful then. Pitiful in her loneliness, De cember, "unloved and almost unsung, waits sadly for the end. Even the poets employ her chiefly for the pur pose of antithesis. "-As soon seek roses in December ... or any other thing that's false," says Byron in his bitterness. "Men are April when they woo, December when they wed" was intended as a compliment neither to the month 'nor to the sex. If there is Joy in December it is joy of the inner consciousness, that owes nothing to externals. Whtttler's pleasing picture derives its fascinating quality from the kindly Bpirit of the characters the poet has made us see as if in life, while without them we should have such a day as Thomas Bailey Aldrich describes: Only the sea Intoning. Only the wainscot roonw, Only the wild wind moaning,. Over the lonely house. On Its own account, it Is a month of which few kind words have been, or can be, said. Yet it is a tribute to human fortitude and innate grace that we contrive to make the most of our situation and extract from it some measure of cheer and satisfaction. For however impossible it ma.y. be for .a recluse to be happy in the last month on the calendar, those of us who en joy the society of our fellow-men can defy the bitterest of seasons. As Scott has said in "Marmion": When short and scant the sunbeam throws. Upon the weary waste of snows, A cold and profitless regard. Dike patron on a needy bard. "When such the country cheer, I come Well pleased, to seek our city home; lor converse and for bookB to change The forest's melancholy range. .And welcome with renewed delight The busy day, and social night. Luckily, we have ourselves, and one enother, and are gregarious by nature, or December would be hopeless and full of gloom indeed. She has no natural grace. But something comes to her from far away Out of the past, and on her cold decay The beauties of her childhood you can trace. So says a Scottish poet of recent day. He, too, had the gift of seeing the best in things. "December" and "remember" make a significant rhyme. It is the month of memories. BEEF STEW AS A WAR FACTOR. News that the British government has contracted in the United States for 600,000,000 cans of beef stew for use of the armies in the field has precipitated discussion in scientific circles of the influence of this ration upon the efficiency of the soldier. As a contribution to the store of infor- mation on the subject, a Philadelphia physician has made an analysis of a can of the product, and, as reported in the New York Medical Journal, has ascertained that It Is composed of six ounces of cooked beef, four ounces of rice and an ounce each of beans, carrots and onions. Its value In util ized elements Is equal to fifty grams of protein, sixty grams of fat and thirty-seven grams of carbohydrate, and it yields 914 calories. This is criticised by comparison with a ration worked out in America In which there are fifty grams each of protein and fat and 200 grams of carbohydrates yielding 1490 calories. It is asserted that a serviceable ration must contain four times as much car bohydrate as protein; fat must be a fifth of the other two. The vegetables In the British ration are designed not altogether for their food value, but in part are intended to make the ra tion more palatable. The onion has some value as an anti-scorbutic, but there are individuals to whom its taste Is altogether unpleasant. To these Its addition must be accepted as an other of the horrors of war. Commenting further on the British ration, however, the critic is impressed most deeply by what he terms its de ficiency of mineral constituents, the importance of which in diet has only recently begun to be appreciated. The beef stew is found to contain a grain and a half each of calcium oxide and magnesium oxide. The average dietary of an American home has been est! mated to contain ten and a half grains of calcium and half that quantity of magnesium. The Philadelphia phy sician adds incidentally that when these proportions are reversed in creased susceptibility to illness fol lows. Recent investigations by the United States Public Health Service have made it appear that the clftef cause of pellagra is insufficiency of lime salts in the diet. Deficiency of cal cium also Is a factor in the production of "rickets," and in creating suscepti bility to tuberculosis. It is in this respect, and not with reference to the relative proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrates, that the British beef stew (made in America) is most se verely criticised. Of course, the ultimate effect must depend on the duration of the war, since nature is so accommodating that for a brief time almost any ration can be consumed without serious results. In the case of the British army, there are certain other compensations, since the stew Is supplemented by bread as a matter of course, and British sol diers are large consumers of marma- lade and jam when they can get them. Occasional relief from the army ra tion is given in the case of soldiers who are able to obtain leave, and thus far no serious results have been ob served from the supposed lack of mineral salts to which reference has been made. Should the war continue another two years, a different report might be obtained. FORCIBLE DEPORTATIONS. President Wilson protests "in a friendly spirit, but most solemnly, against this action' (German depor tation of Belgians r "which is in con travention of all precedents and of those humane principles of interna tional practice which long have been accepted and followed by civilized na tions in their treatment of non-combatants." ' The generally accepted view of th German reason for deportation has been, that it is, first, to relieve the labor shortage in Germany, and, sec ond, to release German soldiers in Bel gium from guard or garrison duty, made necessary by the hostile actions of many Belgians. , ... But now we have the German rea son for their deportation project, and it must be admitted that it is plausi ble, not to say impressive. There are much idleness and destitution in Bel gium. There are 505,000 Belgian men wholly without work, and 150,000 Bel gian women: and these, with their dependents, make a grand total of 1,560,000 persons who are subjects of charity. Before transport to Germany, says the statement, "every idle person is offered the opportunity to accept profitable work, . on contract, and compulsion is resorted to only when the laborer stubbornly refuses." Fam ilies are allowed to accompany the men. Good wages are paid. If it be conceded that Germany was justified as awar measure in invading and occupying Belgium, it must also be conceded that Germany is justified in finding employment for unemployed men and .women. Indeed, It is clearly a duty. If it be denied that Germany was warranted In invading and occupying Belgium, it will follow that Germany is not to be justified in making forci ble deportations. more: about "pork." It is puhllcly charged that the cry of "pork" in rivers and. harbors appropria tions is for the benefit of the railroads. It Is probably true. The railroads, in a short sighted policy, have always opposed water way Improvement. They opposed the build ing of the Panama Canal. A cry of "pork" In river and harbor improvements in servile newspapers serves the railroad purpose ad mirably. This is a charge that distinguished Senators of the United States Burton, Cummins, Borah, Kenyon, and others ; have made war on the pork barrel for the benefit of the railroads. It is made by the Portland Journal, which regards "pork" as the only concrete expression of a Congressman's service to his state, though it pretends to ab hor collusive and crooked political deals of any and every kind. The war on the pork barrel was led by Senator Burton, who is an author ity on the subjects of rivers and har bors; and it was ably seconded by Representative Frear, of Wisconsin, who collected a vast amount of infor mation on the dishonest character of many of the proposed appropriations for the Improvement of unimprovable streams in the West and South. It is noticeable that in the long list pre pared, by Mr. Frear there was no at tack on or criticism of any Oregon appropriation.- It is noticeable, too, that no member of Congress ever made on its floors, or anywhere, any specific attempt to reply to the charges of Frear or Burton. The whole business was indefensible and scandalous, and the only response of the majority in Congress was to shove it through, any way. The railroads have Indeed opposed waterway improvement. But what excuse does their inexcusable attitude afford a Congressman or newspaper to approve an unmerltorious and un worthy project? The Oregonlan has been more than once reproached because It is against "pork." It is. It will be. Let the Congressman or the newspaper who thinks otherwise take his stand with pork. He belongs there. It exhibits his caliber. MODERN DETECTIVE METHODS. It will be remembered that Conan Doyle once explained, in answer to an inquiry why he did not make him self rich detecting crime instead of laboriously writing books about it, that the success of Sherlock Holmes was due chiefly to the fact that the problems he solved were made to or der for him. Yet modern investiga tion of crime has developed a Sherlock Holmes who was not so favored, but who accomplished results as wonder ful, seemingly, as any ever described by the author who created him. There is, for example, the recent feat of Sergeant Brennan, of the New York police department, described in Motor Life. A foreman of the New York street- cleaning department, driving home at midnight In a light buggy, was run down and killed by a speeding auto mobile. There was no witness. The autoist fled. A patrolman had the presence of mind to search for every bit of possible evidence before the street had been disturbed. He found several fragments or glass, a nickel plated lamp rim and a piece of auto mobile tire. Sergeant Brennan found that the pieces of glass were from three kinds of lenses. By measuring the curves of the glass, he arrived at the diameter of the lenses. Examination of the soot on one lens showed that it was from an oil lamp. A mirror lens he knew to have been from a gas lamp. A date on one of the glass fragments and examination of the patent records disclosed the name of the maker of the lens. The rubber tire, by measure ment, was shown to have been from a tire four inches in diameter. A bit of gray paint on one of the shafts of the buggy gave a clew to the color of the automobile. From these facts the name and model of the automobile were ascertained. Since a car that had been in an accident would be likely to need repairs, the police drag net that ensued was only a matter of taking enough pains. . The car wanted was found in a repair shop in a New Jersey town. Evidence being still lacking on which o convict the owner of crim inal carelessness and desertion of his victim, the police sergeant asked him self what a man In that situation would do. He concluded that after a time he would become nervous and consult a lawyer. He ascertained the name of the legal adviser of the owner of the car in question and set a watch on the law office. In due time the car owner appeared, as Sergeant Bren nan had believed he would, and was arrested and held in "heavy bail. There was not in the case from be ginning to end any of the abstract nonsense with which the writers of the cheaper sort of detective stories regale their readers. There was, after all, nothing marvelous about it. It was mostly what we call common sense, but it showed the value of tech nical education for. police work. Every mechanical problem presented was capable of solution by simple rules, but it was necessary that someone, should appreciate the value of those rules. Determining the size of a lens from the curvature of a fragment is an interesting and not a difficult task, to one who knows how. The same was true of the reconstruction of the tire from the rubber fragment. The iden tification of the car from the associa tion of lenses of a certain type, gas headlights, oil sidelights and a gray color was a mere matter of cata loguing the peculiarities of cars, and modern police records are becoming more helpful in that regard. Hard work, patience and thoroughness did the rest. , These facts do not detract In any way from Sergeant Brennan's accomT plishment. Not every man could have done what he did. Yet it is en couraging to know that the detection of crime does not depend upon a spe cial genius that few possess. It would seem as if the principles could be taught to men of ordinary basic men tal qualifications. Society will sleep all the more soundly by reason of any assurance given that detection of crime is at least keeping pace with its perpetration. THE UPLIFT AT TACOMA. A single worry has intruded upon the happy minds of the Tacoma citi zenry, in their jubilation over the prospects of having 70,000 acres of more or less arable land, near that thriving city, occupied by a divisional Army post, or "cantonment," as the Tacoma phrase has it. (We seem to remember that classic expression in our Juvenile readings of Caesar's Com mentaries, and it must be all right.) .The doubts of Tacoma arose over the attitude of the Tacoma clergymen. What would they have to say about the presence of thousands of soldiers In blue or in khaki, and what would be their ejfect on the moral tone of their super-moral city? The esteemed Tacoma Ledger is able to assure them on that important point. It prints a symposium from fifteen Tacoma preachers, including a bishop or two, and in that number only a single one had the slightest misgivings, though there was one careful preacher who wanted time to think about it. But the thirteen Join in one grand chorus of acclaim over the project. v "The Army post," says the Rev. Lemuel H. Wells, "will mean a great deal to the trades people of the city and to owners of real estate. It will help the churches, too." "I think," says the Rev. F. T. Webb, "I have already noticed a change In the spirit of the men and women of the city. They seem to be bracing up." "It is going to be located some where," says the Rev. E. R. D. Hollen stedt, "so why not- here?" "Morally, it might not be of any particular uplift," says the Rev. Her bert Livingston, "but it could do no harm." Thus we see that the preachers have caught the Tacoma spirit. But that is not all. The Ledger, lii a glowing article, describes the colorful and attractive scenes the presence of men in uniform will have on the streets of the city. We are glad for Tacoma. One may wonder a little as to just what Brother Livingston meant when he said there is no moral uplift about an American soldier, and one may be surprised that some patriotic citizen did not rise to resent the unjustified imputation. But Tacoma wasn't thinking in terms of the uplift except to real estate.- FIRST. ELIMINATE THE NEEDLESS. It is known and admitted that there nust be a curtailment of state ex penditures or new sources of revenue devised by the Legislature in order to get within the newly adopted tax-limitation measure. Although there is duplication of departmental work and needless expenditures for commissions. the common point of attack is the millage tax for highways. To be sure, counter proposals for raising road money are made, such as an increase in automobile licenses. But if automobiles can properly be made to pay more for road construc tion and upkeep their contribution can be expended to good purpose In addi tion to the proceeds from the millage tax. It is good, hard, common sense, that if money is being expended needlessly that particular waste ought to be eliminated before there ig curtailment in needed expenditures. There is one item of $126,882 in the list of biennial appropriations pub lished in the 1915-16 state Blue Book. It is a contribution by the general tax paying public to the insurance risk of certain not all industries. The state of Oregon has adopted what is known as a compensation act. It is a state-administered, state-aided insurance system. Broadly speaking, certain industries insure themselves, by paying premiums into a state-ad ministered fund, against claims for personal injuries that may . occur to their employes. It is a legitimate and necessary form of insurance and properly subject to public regulation. But it is not en titled to exclusive financial aid from the tax-paying public. There is no more reason for the state's paying the administration cost and part of the premiums on this form of insurance than there is for the state's contribut ing to the cost of the farmer's fire insurance on his house and bam, or to the cost of a business building's liability insurance on its passenger elevator, or to the cost of the liability insurance incurred by many automo bile owners. Many states have compensation in surance, state administered. Only one other West "Virginia contributes to the payment of claims. Some which are most successful are self-supporting as regards administration. This is conspicuously true in California, Michigan and New York. Industry is able and in other states is willtng to meet all its insurance obligations. It ought to be required to do so in Oregon before road build ing or other essentials of progress are sacrificed. An interesting discussion of the rela tive merits of the Chinese and the Japanese languages by a representative of each of those countries in the United States, has been precipitated by the "charge," made by llain Jou-Kai in the New York Times, that the Japa nese have been restrained in their mental development by the inadequacy of their alphabet to the expression of philosophical ideas. Mr. Kanzan Sho Fu. a Japanese, retorts with the state ment that Nippon possesses a lexicon of 220,000 words, while the Chinese, he says, have only a third as many, and he taunts the Chinese with the statement that they have been com pelled to "borrow the Arabic cardinal numerals, for use in telegraphic com munications." He admits that Japan has borrowed numerous Chinese words, but cites the example of Eng lish, Germans and French, who have levied freely upon the Greek for their scientific terms, and declares that the Chinese, too, -have taken freely from the Japanese. In this respect he com pares them with the Greeks, who in modern times, he observes, have bor rowed more English, French and Ger man words to meet new conditions than in ancient times they ever lent. USELESS SERVICE. There are men in Troop A and Bat tery A whose families need them at home. There are men in the two or ganizations whose long detention on the border has deprived them of chance to resume the positions they leftwhen called into service. One specific instance is related of a sol dier whose wife was compelled to go to her people in Canada for support, while he, denied his request to resign, deserted out of agony of mind over the plight of his family. These thing's are not conducive to good soldiery or patriotism. But in addition to those influences is the un doubted deleterious effect upon the mind of -useless labor. And that ap plies to all of them. In most instances knowledge that he is performing valuable service to his country would keep a Guardsman content under trying circumstances. But the troop and battery are guard ing a locality not threatened by Mex ican violence. They are marking time on a ' desert waste. Their" dally rou tine is almost parallel to an old form of prison exercise. Convicts were once employed in carrying stones one at a time across the prison yard. When the task was. completed they were compelled to carry them back. When that was done the operation was com menced again. The task had its physical advantages. It was good ex ercise. It "set them up." But it pro moted a sullen, rebellious spirit. Oregon soldiers on the border are said to be in fine physical trim. Doubt less they are. But the purposeless, deadly dull, daily routine of their lives . is bound to turn them against military service in disgust. Some have deserted. Most of them, naturally, de sire to be mustered out. It would be to the good of the Na tional Guard's future and to the wel fare of the men and their families to send them home. WHAT A BUSHEL OF CORN WILL BUY. The farmer, too, complains of the high cost of living. It is true that he produces a good proportion of his food, but he does not, as in the sim pler days of the first half of the last century, produce the greater part of the other things he consumes. Now he must go to the store for his cloth ing, his shoes and his implements, and when he adds to his buildings he pa tronizes the lumber yard, often of the city man. The art of tying a sheaf has been lost since binding machinery became necessary to keep up with the procession. Binding twine, too, has advanced in price. Except for his food, the farmer must pay more for practically everything. Yet an interesting little lesson In contentment is going the rounds of the farm press. It tells about a farmer who went to his implement dealer to buy a wagon, for which the dealer charged him $90. It was a wagon almost identical in pattern with one the farmer's father had bought thirty years before from the same dealer for $60. Naturally the farmer protested, as is the fashion when higher prices are brought to one's attention. The dealer countered with an argument that runs something like this: Thirty years or so ago, when your father bought that wagon for 60 they were burn lng corn in some parts of the West for fuel, it was so cheap. You would have needed to sell 300 bushels of corn to pay the $60 the wagon cost. Now, if you will put the transaction on the baBis of corn. ana will give me 300 bushels for the wagonfor which I am asking sw I will give youie sides the wagon a $50 buggy, a S20 suit of clothes, a- $20 dress for your wife, a dress and a crib for the baby, a box of cigars, five pounds of coffee, two pounds of tea. 20 pounds of sugar and 200 gallona of gas oline. This represents the present purchas ing power of duv bushels of corn. Clearly, the era of high prices has some compensations except for the man whose income is immovable. Just now, it appears, he is the chief suf ferer. COLORING THE FACTS. . An example of the manner in which information sought by Congress is col ored by subordinate officials to such an extent that it is distorted into an argument to impress their own opin ions on the lawmakers has been fur nished by O. C. Merrill, chief engi neer of the Forest Service. The Sen ate called upon the Secretary of Agri culture for information as to the own ership and control of water-power sites, showing what proportion Is In private ownership, by what companies it is owned and controlled and what proportion of this privately owned power has been ' developed, also any facts bearing upon the existence of monopoly. The report in. reply was prepared by Mr. Merrill. This report does not answer the Senate's questions. It branches out from water power to steam and gas power on the pretext that "only by such means can a clear understanding be had of the relation of water-power development to general power .devel opment and of the movement toward concentration of control in the electric power industry." The Senate did not ask for information on these points. If Mr. Merrill had confined his re port to the subject of inquiry, he would have revealed that the develop ment of water power has been almost at a standstill for many years, though more than 50,000,00.0 horsepower is available. Development has stopped because opportunities available at sites not under Federal control are nearly exhausted and because Federal laws practically prohibit development by imposing terms at which capital will not Invest. He wishes Congress to legislate in a certain way. He therefore seized upon the Senate's in quiry as an opoortunity to make a case for his favored style of legisla tion. ' - The information for which the Sen ate asked and which he neglected to give has been collected by the Water- Power Development Association and published. There is--in the United States 60,700.000 water horsepower, of which 4 6,900,000 is on sites requir ing Federal permits and 13,800.000 on privately owned sites. The latter is 22 8 per cent of the total. Mr. Mer. rill gives a table showing 226 separate and 'distinct companies which control 4,470,570 developed horsepower out of a total developed on January 1, 1916, of 6,538.434 horsepower. This figure, while not including numerous riparian owners, owners of mines, quarries and factories, shows great diversity of ownership. Mr. Merrill lists compa nies representing only 5,321,699 de veloped horsepower, which is only 8.8 per cent of the amount available. Of 1 the latter total nearly 3,500,000 horse power is on private sites and less than 2,000,000 on sites requiring Govern ment permits. While 3.9 per cent of the power requiring Federal permits has been developed, 25.2 per cent of that on private sites has been devel oped. The disparity is still greater in the West, for In that section less than 2 per cent of the power under Gov ernment control but more than 60per cent of that on private sites has been developed. The facts clearly show the paralyzing effect on development of the policy which has been imposed by Gifford Pinchot, bjr whose influ ence Mr. Merrill holds his office. Less than 3 per cent of the devel opment has been made by municipal ities and other public agencies. All the rest has been by private compa nies, subject 'to public control. The inquiry as to monopoly Is used by Mr. Merrill as an occasion for showing the existence or danger of monopoly, but he conspicuously fails to prove his case. He shows ' that eighteen public service corporations control 35, per cent of the developed horsepower. Were these corporations under single- control, they would not constitute a monopoly. But they are independent corporations operating in widely separated districts, and they compete for the location in their ter ritory' of industries which use power. There seems to be no possibility of getting facts uncolored by the Pinchot pcppaganda from the officials who have to do with water power. They twist every fact into an argument for gathering the entire business under the control of a gigantic Federal bu reau. Much was formerly heard about swollen fortunes. We are now threatened with swollen bureaus. THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE. The Congress of Teachers of English which met in New York last week has undertaken a mighty and perhaps a thankless task, if .reports are true that it has essayed to stem the trend to ward the creation of what is called with unfriendly intent an "American language." For language Is often the outgrowth of circumstances, which must in their nature differ in coun tries so widely separated geographic ally; for instance, as are the United States and Great Britain. New condi tions produce new words; and some of the words survive, despite the ultra purists, to whom the final and utter damnation of a word is that it is a ne ologism. Yet if we are not to live al ways and altogether in the past, our words must and will keep peace with our development. Not until all men who begin by speaking "English" con tinue to develop along precisely the same lines will the time comevwhen their language will show nb points of variance. The trouble with the critics is that they seldom are fair. They seize upon the picturesque rather than the typical for their examples. Such as they take in all seriousness the "Dictionary of the Kansas Language," recently com piled by Judge Ruppenthal, of Russell, Kan. Judge Ruppefithal lists, for ex ample, "armstrong" as a Kansasism, when applied to an implement wielded or propelled by man power, as the armstrong- mower" with which some farmers, not necessarily from Kansas, are so familiar. Similarly be quotes local authority for the use of "Colonel" as the title of an auctioneer; "fine- haired," meaning more nice than need be; "opening one's heart," used in irony to describe a 'man who parts grudgingly with his money; "lower- archy," as a jocose antonym for hier archy, and "sound on the goose," for which there is found authority no less reputable than the Supreme Court of Kansas. Yet these words and phrases do not constitute the foundation of an American language, or even a reputable part of it. Even the Su preme Court of a state is not the ar biter of the manner in which its peo ple shall express themselves. Cecil Chesterton, an Englishman who visited our shores some months ago, observed that the bond of a com mon language, of which he previously had heard so much, did not impress him upon close examination as being very strong. But he, too, was prone to reason from isolated instances. He admitted that it was "no doubt easier for an Englishman to understand American than for a Frenchman to do the same, just as it is easier for a German to understand Dutch than it would be for a Spaniard," but his supporting examples were not con vincing. He noted that in Philadel phia a "square"- is a mass of build Ings, whereas in England the word is employed to denote an open space; and also that a mass of buildings is not always in America a "square," for when in New York he learned that the idea was conveyed by "block" in stead. Mr. Chesterton cited also a headline he had read in a Boston newspaper "He Says Politics Fea tures Fight to Stop Play" and defied the "ordinary Englishman" to tell what it meant. But in the one in stance he had utilized for his purpose a colloquialism and in the other a mode of expression that had not been seriously defended even by Americans, and he proved nothing in either case. Professor Lounsbury, of Yale, has said that a feature of American speech is the facility with which words pass from one part of speech to an other, but neither is this, as a matter of fact, peculiar to Americans. It is related that Benjamin Franklin re turned to America, after a protracted absence in France, to observe with regret that in his absence verbs had been formed from the nouns "notice," "advocate" and "progress." Franklin even wrote a letter to Noah Webster about it, but Professor Lounsbury points out that Franklin was really wrong, and that the verbs he criticised had been current in English speech centuries before, and were only re verting to type in the instances cited. "Fellowship" as a verb is often spoken of as an "Americanism" and as such condemned by purists, but it was so used by Chaucer. Some of the forms of Chaucerian English are preserved to this day by the mountaineers of Tennessee, although they have fallen into disuse elsewhere, even in Eng land, and are mentioned from time to time as "Americanisms" by writers on the peculiarities of language. "Loan," used as a verb, is similiarly criticised, but its chief fault probably is that it is wholly unnecessary. If there were need for It, there would be no doubt of its good refute, and It would take its place in spite of all ob jections. "Deed" as a verb, and "section," when employed to designate a distinct part of a country or community, are Americanisms for which no apology need be made. Doubtless both: owe their present position to their early frequent use by conveyancers. "Section,"- originally a subdivision of the public land, has broadened its mean ing, as many another word has -done. Fall," our word for one of the sea sons, enrages many English purists, who pride themselves on their Au tumn," but Fall was classical English long ago. Occasionally a British cousin amuses himself at our expense because we say "rare" when he would say "underdone," but he has forgotten that Dryden said: New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare. "Jeopardize" is branded, too, as an Americanism," although it has found its way into some English dictionaries and is at the same time shunned by many Americans, including President Wilson, who in his address to Congress last week conspicuously avoided its use when he said, in urging the passage of certain bills now before the Senate, that "even delay would seriously jeop ard the Interests of the country and the Government." Another British fling at America used to be that the difference between "ride" and "drive" was not recognized, but Richard Grant White turned that against them neatly by quoting from the King James ver sion of the Bible, "And Pharoah made him to ride in the second chariot." There are, nevertheless, some real Americanisms, in the sense of words that originated on this side of the At lantic, or were revived here after hav ing fallen into- disuse in England. "Caucus" is said to be derived from a North American Indian word, "caw. cawwassough," meaning "one who pushes on," but it has come also to hold a definite place In British speech, while Australians have given it a spe cial significance. "Chump" is famous partly for the ludicrous efforts of some British critics to define it. One Eng lishman who published a dictionary of Americanisms thought a "chump" to be "one who is cheated of money, especially by the gentler sex." "Bal ance," for "remainder," is peculiarly a Southernism," but threatens to in vade the North and West; "settle," for "pay," belongs to us; "repeater," for a man who votes more than once at an election, is another; "roorback" is pure "American," dating back to the Polk campaign; "waterhaul" in its limited sense of a fruitless undertak ing, "boost," and many other words prove that the American language as a matter of fact does have its own peculiarities. Whether there shall always exist a bond of language is not a matter of deep political concern. Absence of such a bond does not necessarily count against the maintenance of good relations. It has been well said: "Nations do not quarrel because they do not understand one another. Humility on one side, adventitious curiosity on the other, favor friend ship. Real trouble comes when they are quite certain they .understand, and as a matter of fact do not." The recent return from the coast of Africa, in tow, of the steamer Liberia, which carried "King Sam" and his ill fated party of colonists from the United States, has served to emphasize the fact that tropical Africa is not only not a "white man's country," but that the American negro fares no better there. "King Ram" had a chimerical scheme for the recoloniza tion of the tropics with people of his race from the United States, and he reasoned that since it was the land of their ancestors they would thrive there. But jungle fevers took their toll, proving as deadly as in the case of Europeans and white Americans. The expedition had other tragic set backs. Twenty-five were drowned in an attempt to land through the surf, and the majority of those who started met one untimely fate or another. The survivors were practically forgotten when the war broke out. "King Sam, in his new home on the Gold Coast, still swings the scepter of authority, but his subjects are fast dwindling away. Although in the month of October this year the United States exported nearly $10,000,000 worth of horses and mules, mostly to the war zone, a more serious feature of the situation is that in recent months importations of fine horse's from Europe have been prac tically cut off. Previously we had been getting considerable numbers of heavy draft sires from France, Bel gium and Scotland. The only remedy would seem to be the raising of our own stallions, but this is not so sim ple a matter as it may seem, since there are comparatively few who have given the subject the attention it de serves, and it is a task for specialists of rather high order. Even at the present rate of exports of horses and mules, we are not in serious danger of exhausting our supply, since the value of those animals in the country in 1915 was estimated at $2,695,373,000. In our shipments mules amount to about a third of the whole, in value. Texas is trying to help solve the high cost of living with a jackrabbit drive, but until someone invents a jackrabbit sausage it is going to be more or less difficult to conserve the supply. It is denied that either Secretary McAdoo or Secretary Houston will leave the Cabinet. Is there anything ominous about the fact that nothing is said as to Mr. Daniels? That Burns pastor who lost every thing he had in wild horses should have known that a shepherd had no business in wild-animal business. California will be without a Lieu- tenant-Governor when Hiram John son goes to the Senate. Well, it can be done, as Oregon knows. It seems that the switchmen are not to be taken in with "molasses to catch flies." They want a real eight hour day, not a. basic one. Sacramento has launched a move ment for the encouragement of back yard farming. The idea seems to be gaining ground everywhere. Stanford students want to eliminate the long vacations. Is it possible that they have the idea that going to col lege is a serious business? Cottage Grove now has a white robin, after having harbored in pre vious seasons a white blackbird. And this is in dry Oregon! With radium down to a mere $40, 000 a gram, it is not out of the reach of owners of war-munitions plants and other well-to-do folk. If Carranza's note is not forthcom ing soon, there is danger that it will be outlawed. Liquor is now contraband in Ari zona and subject to being sunk with out warning. The big Christmas drive is about to begin, - Gleams Through the Mist By Dean Collins. A BUSY WEEK. Great Scott, but it has been indeed A busy week, it seems to me; Events have moved with mass and speed. Momentum and velocities The shattered Ruman armies flee. The livestock men the Stock Show seek, Lloyd George accepts the ministry- Great Scott, It's been & busy week. The Russians rush, attack and bleed. But Bucharest must yielded be; And Umatilla's city's freed At last from mere male dynasty; The bandits murder two or three In Mexico, with bandit cheek; The poultry raisers show we see- Great Scott, it's been a busy week. The songs of victory are freed Where- Wilson's campaign workers be; The Alpha from the ways with speed Is launched at last to seek the sea; Dan Lively's back two days or three; The Grecian pose becomes less meek; Campaigns are launched for char itie Great Scott, it's been a busy week. L'ENVOI. Fellows, the season sure is free With news of any sort you seek; I read the paper o'er with glee Great Scott, it's been a busy week. "Sir," said the Courteous Office Boy, will you lend me a stamp?" "With ease." I said, and taking- si stamp from the Political Editor's desk. I gave It him. "To whom are you writing?" 'Santa Claus!" licked the C. O. B. 'And what are you groins to ask for. my little man?" "A Deputy Sheriff's commission after the bone-dry law goes into effect," And the C. O. B. rolled away down the hallway chanting the following from the Wells-Fargo Anthology. Oh, father, dear father, come home With me now. The clock in the steeple strikes nine. Come home -darling father, and fodder the cow. And I'll hold your place in the line. "The chickens are loose in the garden, says ma. . "The neighbor's big dog has killed one. Run down to Wells-Fao and hunt up your pa. And tell him: j'Come home on the run!" CHORUS (Doloroso). Come ho-o-o-nie. come ho-o-o-ome, dear-r-r fa-ther-r-r; Dear-r-r fa-ther, come ho-o-o-o-o-ome. Oh father, dear father, come home with me now; The clock in the steeple strikes ten. Let me take your place and I'll get it somehow And bring it right home to you then. The landlord is waiting to ask for the rent. He's in a bad temper, I think. He's waited two hours, though he ought to have went. And I think that he wants a small drink, j Chorus (More Doloroso). Come ho-o-o-ome. etc. . Oh father, dear father, come home with me now; You're still eighty-fourth in the line. The clock in the steeple strikes 'leven, I vow. It's better you come home to dine. Come back after lunch and I have a good hunch. That the shipment will still be on tap. And maybe you'll get it in time for the bunch At home all to have a night-cap. Chorus (Still more doloroso). Come ho-o-o-ome, etc. (Business of shoving the clock around five hours). Oh father, dear father, come home with me now; The clock in the steeple strikes four; You've stuck to your place like a tick to a sow But before you are still thirty more. Your home will be wrecked If you don't come away. And father, you'll be all to blame, For mother is angry because they do say You used the stenographer's name. Chorus (Still more and more doloroso). Come h-o-o-ome, etc. (Business of skipping another stanza. Aria Jjy the clerk at the express window) Oh father, dear father, go home with her now; The clock in the steeple strikes six; We close at this hour, and I hate it I vow. To leave you in such a bad fix. Come back in the morning; your pack age is here; Come back as the clock's striking? nine. It's big and it's square, and I think it is beer And you're still seventeen in the line. All of which was merely by way of leading up to the next number in the great Bone-Dry Bard's Contest. The Bone Dry SaengrerfeMt. No new. entries have appeared since three days ago, but we still have sev eral sweet singers on the waiting list and the line will move as rapidly as possible. Cometh now M. C. Armstrong, of 426 Alder street, and smiteth his dulcimer and answereth the bone-dry lamenta tion of Orr O. Smith, as follows, namely, to-wit, with some slight alterations by the board, of censors: Oh! Mr. Orr, I must admit To tune the LYRE you are unfit. The ancient brands of distilled ryes No more bring tears to mother's eyes. I've traveled 'round a bit myself. O'er many different maps. And when I wasn't sober. May have hung on streetcar straps. - I have searched the empty cupboard Of the fabled Mrs. Hubbard I have evenr hit the -back-doors for a chaw. I've seen a human being drinking, and to my way of thinking. He really wasn't worthy of a decent mother-in-law. The rattlesnake of habit Is lurking In the shoes Of the man who pawns his self respect And sells his soul for booze. The walls of hell are honey-combed With arguments flke yours,- While Bull Run's aqua pura i Is the draught that really cures, "U