6 THE SUNDAY OREGOMAN. PORTLAND, DECEMBER 17, 191 G. PORTLAND. ORECOS. . Entered at Portland (Oregon) Postofftce as second-clans mall matter, ftubecription rates Invariably in advance. (By Mail.) Tally, Sunday included, one year $S.OO l aily, Sunday included, Hlx months A.-h Tail, SuniUv included, three months .. Daily, Sunday included, nnu month ..... .75 iJaily. without Sunday, one year ........ 6.0O 1 .i11y, wit hout Sunday, three months ... 1.1' Xfcally. without Sunday, onu month ...... .0 Weekly, one year 1.50 Sunday, one yt-ar -.50 fcumlay and "Weekly 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday Im ludled. one year 9.00 Daily. Sunday included, one month ..... -To How to Remit Send postofflce money rjer, 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. Po-dase Rates 13 to 16 pages. 1 cent: 18 to o2 pa-es, '2 cents; 34 to 4i pages. 3 cents; 50 to pages, 4 cents 62 to 76 pages, 5 cents: TS to S2 pages, 6 cents. Foreign post age, double rates. Eastern Business Office Verro & Conk 1 In. Brunswick building. New York; Verree & Conklin, Stenger building. Chicago. San Kranclsco representative, K. J. Bldwell, 74 Market street. PORTLAND, SfSUAY. DEC. 17, 1916. SUNDAY CENSORSHIP. With all their censorship troubles, the movingr-picture theaters of Port land are not in such straits as the same interests fincj themselves in New York. There they have encountered a more rigid censorship affecting:, it is estimated, 25 per cent of their in come. This censorship is the venerable Sunday blue law of the state. Sunday movies have been declared illegal by a lower court and the managers have hastened to appeal. New York's blue law is considerably older than the one recently repealed In Oregon. It is more sweeping in its inhibitions. In Oregon there was an exception in favor of theaters, but, after all, that was not important, as the statute was not enforced in any particular. But in New York pro fessional Sunday baseball is unknown. Theaters, it appears, may open for business only if the offering is on the order of the sacred concert. Presum ably a film theater might present the Passion play, but could not lawfully offer Oliver Twist, while attempt to put on a Chaplin comedy would bring out the police reserves. Sunday customs in New York have their own tinge of comedy. The century-old law has been consistently upheld by the courts, though reasons for sustaining the law have changed since the earlier opinions were ren dered. New York decisions once pro nounced the sanctity, solemnity and holiness of the day and declared the right of the state to establish a re ligious Sabbath. But invalidity of laws to enforce idleness on purely religious grounds is now no longer questioned. For a time need to preserve in peace and riuiet the right to worship seemed to impress the courts; but later the Sun day law has been upheld as expression of a proper authority to safeguard so cial welfare. Courts thus ostentatiously depart from religious grounds in upholding the law. yet custom or law, we know not which, permits solemn or "sacred" diversions but prohibits secular amuse ments. The Metropolitan Opera House, for example, may present, with due legality, a so-called sacred con cert. "Sacred ness" is maintained -by the appearance of soloists and chorus in everyday clothes, and in the ren dition of classical or intricate selec tions. It is quite lawful on Sunday to sing from the stage, before an audr ience which has paid admission, the chorus from Die Meistersinger, the only one of Wagner's operas or music dramas which contains a touch of comedy, but it would be unlawful to render in or out of costume the entire production. The law, be it re membered, is not now sustained on religious grounds. It simply is the understanding that unless Sunday di versions are solemn or inspiring the people's social, economic or physical welfare has been impaired. To the ordinary mind it will ap pear unreasonable that physical or economic influences are any different in the Metropolitan when European artists sing than in the Winter Gar den when a bare-legged chorus en livens. Many will discern a moraj distinction, but it must be remembered that the validity of blue laws no longer rests on moral grounds. Deeds in hibited on Sunday are presumably moral on week days, because on those days they have legal sanction. There is no less of hyprocrisy in Sunday observance than in prohibition. The opinion of one fraction of the population that that which it enjoys may not harm it but that which the other factions enjoy is thoroughly deleterious and must be prohibited comes plainly to the fore. Quite like ly the Tiian who demands the right to store his cellar with intoxicants, to be drawn upon whenever the spirit moves, but denies the masses oppor tunity to patronize a public depot in similar way, upholds Sunday grand ' opera for the highbrows and condemns Sunday comedy for the lowbrows. There ought to be a middle ground on which those consumed with bigotry and those desirous of license could be made to compose their differences. , There is virtue in one day of rest in seven. Those who desire to spend the day in worship have a right to freedom from the interference of boisterous conduct. But a theater is not a disturber of its neighborhood Just as many employes are required to present the film of a Bible story as one depicting a modern comedy. Physical health produces a clean mind and a clean mind, we fancy, will or dinarily find the narrow road to heaven without legal admonition. Wholesome recreations that do not interfere with others' rights or liber ties or tax the physical capacity of those whose service is required to pro vide them deserve no statutory in fliction -on the Sabbath. MADISON SQUARE OARDEX SAVED. Madison Square Garden is saved! New York City is not to lose one of the objects of its pride. The property has been bought In by the insurance company which held a first mortgage, and the new oiVners will .improve it and continue to lease it for great assemblages. Until the sale was held, it was feared that the building might fall into the hands of some capitalist who would tear it down. New York is now relieved. "The Garden" has been for many years the scene of great assemblages and great shows. Vast meetings were held to hear political speeches or re ligious revivalists or the champion of some new cult or cause. All manner of shows were' held there, from the horse show, which affords fashion able beauties an opportunity to display themselves and their costumes, to six day bicycle races. Expositions of various kinds have been housed in it, particularly those of special pur- pose. One week there may be a display- of safety devices, another week one of electric appliances and a third week a demonstration of everything connected, with tuberculosis. A great city like New York needs such - an institution, and its destruction would have been a' public misfortune. The building has not been a paying investment, for it is difficult to make such a property pay. Interest runs on whether it is in use or not, and many other expenses are continuous. A nightly rental that is high enough to make the owner safe might com pel the lessee to make admission charges so high that he could not fill the building. So large a building can only attract the crowds needed to fill it if the admission fee be moderate and the attraction strong. It is no easy task to square these requisites with the necessity of paying interest on a mortgage. The property was assessed at $2,850,000 and was under a first mortgage of $2,300,000, while the late J. P. Morgan held a second mortgage for $650,000. The first mortgagee bought it for $2,000,000, wiping out the second mortgage and all other claims. It must now be made to pay if the purchaser is to get his money out. That insurance com pany needs a man with the genius of Barnum. the mayor's rowmts. At this time, when there is a gen eral inclination by all citizens to pay renewed attention to our novel form of municipal government, it -may be well to bring to public attention the powers of the Mayor under our latest charter. It is all quite clearly set forth in article 3, section 54. The executive and administrative powers, authority and cruties, not otherwise provided for herein, shall be distributed among the departments as follows: (a) Department of Public Affairs. (b) Department of Finance. (c) Department of Public Safetv. (d) Department of Public Utilities. (e) Department of Public Improvements. The llttrlhutlon of work among them shall be made and may be changed from time to time by tlie Mayor by order which shall be filed and preserved as an ordinance. The names of the departments may be changed in like manner. The following section (55) confers on the Mayor authority to assign his associates to departments, and to "transfer commissioners from one de partment to-' another . . . when ever it appears that the public serv ice will be benefited thereby." It appears quite likely that His Honor, the Mayor, has, in the midst of his onerous and multifarious duties, not lately found time for examination of our most interesting charter. It will bear rcperusal by him. FOR TIFE riTBLIC GOOD. The little city of Rochester, Minn., has achieved Nation-wide, even world wide, fame through the Mayo brothers, physicians and surgeons. They have established there a great hospital with a skilled staff of operators and an army of competent assistants, which attracts the lame, the halt and the blind from all quarters of the globe. An almost endless procession of sick, diseased and helpless pour in upon the Mayos, and are treated; and pov erty is not their commonest attribute. Indeed, it is a fact that the reputation of the Mayos is so high that the mil lionaire who is ill, or fancies that he is, and has great trepidation about what, will happen to him, goes with due haste to Rochestert yet no one in need of medical or surgical help is turned away merely because he is poor. . The Mayos have been frequently solicited to go to a metropolis; but they have wisely refused. Let the man or woman who desires their serv ices go to them; they will not seek him. Obviously, a high-class' hospital, or medical and surgical center, may be established in a - comparatively small community. Portland has just such an opportunity. Already, through lo cation here of "the medical department of the University of Oregon, and of sundry sanitariums and hospitals. public and private, it is easily first in that line of science and benevolence in the Northwest. Now it is proposed to establish for all time Portland's pre-eminence, through the location of the medical school and the County Hospital, and sundry associate institutions, on a 25- acre site, in South Portland. The j state has appropriated $o0,000 for the purpose, conditioned on certain pri vate donations. The sum of $25,000 is needed before December 31, 19t6; arid all but of a few thousand of that amount has been raised. This is not a matter alone for the physicians and surgeons of the city and state, but for all citizens. They should see that the plans of the un selfish and highly competent men who are promoting the enterprise do not fail. NOT ENOUGH FOOD PRODUCERS. A very simple explanation of the higher cost of living may be found In the changed ratio of producers to consumers of food. This is roughly indicated by the census reports on proportion of rural to urban popula tion, though towns of less than 2500 people are regarded as rural. On this basis there were in the year 1900 forty-four producers of food for every thirty-one non-producers, but in 1910 there were forty-nine producers to every forty-two non-producers. An other way of stating it is that, while consumers have increased 34.8 per cent in number, producers haye in creased 11.2 per cent. If the ratio of food production per capita of rural population has re mained the same, less food is pro duced in this country to feed a much larger number of non-producers; that is. workers in the cities. We did not feel the effect on prices very markedly until short crops the world over synchronized with abnormal foreign demand and with more liberal con sumption in the cities enjoying war prosperity. While the ratio of pro duction per capita of rural popula tion may have increased, it evidently has not increased sufficiently to over come these influences. There is a possibility of an increase to such an extent, however. If every farmer mixed science with practical knowledge, so that he farmed inten sively and with proper crop rotation; if he had modern machinery to op erate his farm and a proper organiza tion to market his crops; if he had rapid autotrucks to haul his crops to market and paved roads to run them over, the same number of people might produce a vastly increased sup ply of food. There might be enough to supply the urban population in old-style abundance and yet to leave an increased surplus for export. The price received by the producer might be fcaised, while at the same time that paid by the ultimate consumer might be lowered. The improvements sug gested might make the farming busi ness and country life so attractive as to draw many people to argiculture until a proper balance between urban and rural population would be re stored. That is the Utopia toward which we are striving, but it is still a long way off. SLOW PROGRESS. The official announcement that West Virginia cast its electoral vote for Mr. Hughes in the late election by the narrow margin of 2721 carries no novelty; but the additional news that woman suffrage was defeated by a vote of two and one-half to one (161. 607 nays, 63,540 yeas) shows con vincingly that the sovereign male vot ers of West Virginia do not propose to surrender any of their privileges to mere women. The cause of woman suffrage has not greatly prospered in the past two years, and it may be feared that the results of the recent election have been to weaken rather than to strengthen the caue. West Virginia, Iowa and South Dakota have just voted against extension of the fran chise; and in 1915 Massachusetts, New Jersey, .New York and Pennsylvania refused to heed- the appeals of the women. Last June both great parties adopted substantially similar declarations on suffrage, designed to convince the women that they were to be favored. But it may be feared that there was no intent of a definite committal. Now the Republican party sees that all but two suffrage states, nearly all of them Republican, went for Wilson and elected him. The Southern Demo cratic states see in suffrage a menace to their continued control. Where are the women to turn? To the Wom an's Party? LITERATURE AND THE WAR. There seems to be a peculiar war mentality that does not make for the best in . either letters or art, or, for the matter of that, ' in statesmanship or constructiveness in any form. So far as the pot-borers are concerned, the war has neither helped nor hin dered them, and it would not have mattered if it had done either one. Merely putting a. war background to a mediocre tale has been a matter of no mechanical difficulty, nor has it been of any moment. The world has the high price of print paper to thank for the fact that the output of this class of books, at least, has been cur tailed. As for literary work of con sequence, there has been of it less than usual in the year now drawing to a close. Many writers are in the trenches; others, like Conan Doyle, Arnold Bennett and Sir Gilbert Parker, are engaged in publicity work for their governments; some, like John Gals worthy, are giving their whole thought to the help of the maimed and the blind. And from those who have had the heart to write, little has come that is at all likely to endure. Quite naturally, the great conflict has been the subject of a large pro portion of the books that have been written recently. These books divide themselves into three great classes, the histories or near-histories which are being turned out to meet a real or fancied "popular demand"; works of philosophy inspired by the war, which include discussions of the motives underlying war and of plans for the preservation of peace a?ter the world shall have become sane; and romances, with or without their "problem" accessories, with a war background. - - The historians are clearly ahead of their time. The name of Hilaire Belloc will carry great weight and insure a hearing to his "The Great War." in which he has only reached the battle of the Marne, but it is conceivable that after the war is over and its perspectives are somewhat clearer he will wish for the opportunity to unsay some of the things he has said. The records are hardly available as yet even the records of any one belligerent, and the historian must have his records if he is not merely to give further Justi fication to the cynicism that "history is fiction agreed upon." When one considers that after more than half a century the "great his tory" of our own Civil War still awaits the author, the futility of attempting a comprehensive review of the vaster Kuropean conflict will be clear. The "White Books," and "Blue Books," and books of all the other colors is sued by the Various governments, do not answer the purpose, even of a groundwork for discussion as to who is to blame for it all. The years to come will be rich with revelations, all bearing upon the truth or falsity of the arguments of statesmen, and only time will bring them out. There is. happily, an abatement of the flood of observations by men and women who were caught abroad when the war broke out and whose impa tience to write could not be restrained. It is noteworthy and this may give a key to the settlement some day that every writer, almost without ex ception, is a partisan of the country in which he or she happened to be dwell ing at the time. It. shows that all sides have their favorable points, if only they could be understood. There is another line of books by writers who have ventured into the war zone to make studies of special ' phases, but these are for the most part incon clusive. In .our country the war naturally has aroused interest in the twin sub jects of prevention and preparedness, and, so far as the informative essays on these topics may be called litera ture, there have been some not dis creditable contributions. Of this type are "A Citizens' Army," by Julian Grande, with an introduction by the military critic of the Journal de Geneve, which explains the Swiss sys tem and discusses its adaptability to the United States; "Trained Citizen Soldiery." by Major John H. Parker, U. S. A., in which the author sets forth the views of a regular Army officer on the subject without taking much account of the fact that the body of the people eventually must approve any plan that succeeds; and "Universal Military Education," in which the author. Dr. Lucien Howe, takes the position that universal peace is only a dream and that America should be prepared for any eventual ity. There are many others in this class, some thoughtful, nearly all sin cere and all more or less informative. And, quite naturally, also, there are many books dealing with the way to permanent peace, for there are many who persist in believing that this Utopia is not impossible. Two books stand out at this date among the products of the year, one by a German, the other by an English man. Dr. Naumann's "Mitteleuropa" is not precisely a war book; it is a dream of empire from the German point of view, not, however, in the strictly military sense, but voicing ambition for the organization of the people and the resources of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Tur key, under a competent and far-seeing directing head, which Dr. Naumann, as a patriotic German, naturally be lieves ought to be in Berlin. On the English side, by far the greatest book of the year, is Mr. Wells' "Mr. Britling Sees It Through." The character of Mr. Britling is a mastecpice of literary craftsmanship. It depicts a man who is utterly set at naught by the vast ness and the suddenness of it all. His lack of logic while he is lamenting the absence of logic in others, and his failure to be rational while criticising his government for not managing things rationally, constitute a strong summarizing of what must have been the feelings of many' men; while his letter to the father of his dead son's German tutor would have redeemed the book if the latter had been other wise short of the mark. The fact that on the whole the out put of books in 1916 has been rather under that of recent years does not, however, mean that less reading is being, done. Libraries report greater demands than ever, and the books that are being printed are receiving more attention. Curtailment of physi cal output is not without its compen sations, on the whole. EXPLOITING THE SARGASSO SEA. In the search for more potash' with which to fertilize our lands, or may hap to make explosives with which we may kill one another, the veil is to be torn from the Sargasso Sea. Ac cording to the plans of a Florida skipper, this vast deposit of floating seaweed is to be exploited commer cially. The world will be richer in dustrially, but its stock of fiction will sniffer if the scheme succeeds. It would seem that there is to be no shortage of potash, in any event. To be sure, the Cuban deposits did not ihaterialize, but we still have exten sive prospects on the Pacific Coast, and the country has not given up hope of discovering something worth while in the form of mineral deposits in workable form. Still, anything that promises to add to the world's supply of this important substance is bound to create interest. it has been widely accepted as a fact that the Sargasso Sea was a place from which no traveler ever returned once he became involved in its ten tacles. The legend accepted by mil lions is that it is' practically floored with wrecks, which have been unable to get out of its circular currents and have been weighted d.own with ac cumulations of seaweed until at last they sank. Many an entertaining book has been written about it. The place was discovered by Columbus, who was involved in it for about two weeks on one of his voyages to America, but the fact that he escaped seems to have been overlooked by those who have given the place its -sinister name. It is situated in the vicinity of 30 de grees north latitude and between 40 and 60 degrees of west longitude. The seaweed originates in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, but after reaching this locality is held there by coincidences of wind and current. Curiously enough, the fact that the Sargasso Sea could he navigated safely was not shown .conclusively until 1910, when a scientific expedition was sent out on board the steamer Michael Sars under the patronage of the Norwegian government for the purpose. From the report of this expedition, the Flor ida skipper has taken courage. He proposes to build a floating potash reduction works, capable of making 200 tons of ash a day, and with ca pacity for storing a two-weeks' sup ply. So far as raw material is con cerned, there ought to be plenty, for it has not been disturbed in all the ages. And there are, too, other less known Sargasso Seas one north of the Hawaiian Islands, one off New Zealand and others south of the Falk land Islands and south of Africa. We are assured of potash, but much ro mance will be sacrificed in the mak ing of it. AKTKR 1X)RTV-HVE. The practical worth of a man past 4 5 years old has been too lightly con sidered in the midst of the hurly burly life we have been leading while building up a new country. The In dians had a saying "Old men for council, young men for war." which gave the elders a rather decent place in the world, but our trouble has been, partly, that we have not had much use for counsel. There is a strong feeling in each man's consciousness that he knows a good deal about it whatever it may be himself, and he is not taking advice from anyone. So one of the chief "wares that a man who "is getting along in life" has to offer has not been much in demand. But perhaps we are becoming more sedate: perhaps more humane; per haps the demand for labor has made us look around. At any rate,, promise was given at a conference in Chicago the other day that work will be found for men between 45 and 60 if they want It, and it was strongly asserted that a man remains in his "prime" until he Is the latter age. Some are good for more years than that. With the policy that proposes to shelve the veteran employe or to re fuse to employ the new one because he has reached a certain "deadline' people of progressive tendencies will have little patience, but candor "on the subject of why some' men past 4 5 find themselves in the discard will not do them any harm. These have lost their value because they have wasted too much of the precious time of youth, because they drifted when they should have pushed ahead, and because they some of them blamed "conditions" for everything that was not to their liking instead of cultivat ing the valuable habit of moderate in trospection. The country is full of men who spent their youthful days settling the money question on street corners and lambasting John D. Rockefeller when they ought to have been learning the rudiments of a trade. Thesa men are of no great value after 4 5 or 50 be cause it is true that in middle life muscular habits have been formed and it is hard to acquire new manual dexterity. The man who has nothing but the labor of a pair of hands to offer in middle age is out of luck There are, unfortunately for them, not enough jobs as watchmen to go around. As for the man who is old only in judgment and understanding, as Fal staff says, it is another matter. As suming that he has not wasted his youth, that he has not tried to put all his own shortcomings on either the National administration or the social system and that he has maintained a lively interest in his own future, he has not lost any essential part of his real value; that is, if he has kept alive. He may have lost some of his taste for wild adventure, but be is all the better on that account; and if his hand does not move faster he makes up for it by economy of motion that only experience can bring; while there are a thousand niches that he can fill better than a youngster of 25 or so. It is good to know that men of 45 and upward we shall not call them "old" men are receiving recognition at the hands of the Chicago commit tee or any other committee, and it is to be hoped that good will come of it. But we fancy that there are not quite so many middle-aged men. in mil possession of their faculties, who have made a sincere effort to do their share in the world, who are the vic tims of a conspiracy to keep them from working as some would have us believe; and it will be a good thing for some of the overconfident young sters of the present, who think that pleasure is everything and that there is nothing for them to learn, if they can be made to realize that by their neglect now they are steering a straight course for a brink that does undoubtedly yawn for some men past. 45. OUR NATIONAL MAIN STREET. In proportion to population, the states of the West have done much more toward making the Lincoln Highway the "Main street of the Na tion" than have their sister states in the East. An impressive reminder that the road movement is gaining impetus everywhere is contained in the recent report of the Lincoln Highway Asso ciation, but the fact that stands out is that the sparsely populated regions are the most enthusiastic of all. Road building in the plain and mountain states has received a tremendous stimulus. From coast to coast, the highway is routed through ninety-eight counties in eleven states. More than seventy five of these counties and a large num ber of cities and towns have united in efforts for road betterment. Indiana has done sufficient work to justify calling the highway an "all-weather road" in that state, having expended $706,000 in construction in the past year, but large as that amount is, it does not compare with Wyoming's $60,650, when inhabitants and re sources of the states are considered. Were the entire per capita expenditure along the route equal to that of Wyo ming, it is pointed out that the great ocean-to-ocean highway could be com pleted in a single year. There are interesting possibilities in connection with the future. Work in Utah and Nevada will involve several new engineering problems, especially over the long desert wastes. It is not to be expected that this will be com pleted immediately, since" the resources of the thinly populated counties are wholly inadequate, but the beginning has been made years in advance of the time it would have been made if it had not been for the enthusiasm stim ulated by the general road movement. It is interesting to note that out of the 24 6 miles of highway'in Ohio, there will be only twenty-two miles of dirt road by the time the tourist season of 1917 opens. Illinois will by that time have only thirty-three miles of dirt road along the route of the highway. Iowa has no permanently surfaced roads, outside the cities, except those improved with gravel, but has ex pended in the past year nearly a mil lion dollars for grading.and dragging. from this point West, the road prob lem becomes more and -more complex, but it is being met in a spirit of enthu siasm such as would not have been be lieved possible a decade ago. The de mand for good roads is one of the truly remarkable phases of development in all parts of the United States in the past few years. HANS RICIITKR. There died in Baireuth the other day a gifted musician who curiously linked the present with the past- He was Hans Kichter. who Just half a century before had attached himself to Richard Wagner as famulus, and who, because of the profound knowl edge be acquired of the spirit of that muster's works, through association that had so modest a beginning, be came one of the most famous con ductors in the world. That genius is international is shown by the fact that although Richter was a Hungarian by birth and had much of his early train ing in Munich and Lucerne and Vienna, he lijed thirty years in Eng land because it was there he seemed to find greatest appreciation of his work. But like Paolo Tostl, who also died the other day, and who. though a genius of a different mold, also found the atmosphere of England more hospitable than that of home, he, too. returned to the continent when his life had nearly run Its course. Applause and appreciation were worth seeking among strangers, but home was the place to die. Richter was a product of the age when thoroughness was the watch word ip eerything. In music as In the crafts. This is illustrated by a statement of a biographer that he won an important post as conductor at the Vienna Opera in 1869 because, be ing engaged to conduct the ftrst per formance of "Das Rheingold" and finding at the last moment that his Munich orchestra was. as he believed, not fully prepared, he postponed the performance at the" cost of his posi tion. Only the truly devout in music will understand the almost world-wide furore that was created and the triumph with which the conductor subsequently moved into "a field of larger glory to which, by his cour ageous act, he had opened the way. There ensued presently a period that still further illustrates the inter nationalism of art. through which those who are inclined to point a moral can draw their own conclusions as to the future of a now troubled world. It was in 1879 and many momentous events have happened since then that he was called to suc ceed Sir Charles Halle as conductor of the Halle orchestra at Manchester, and settled in England. In the same year he took Ixndon by storm. He retained some of his connections in Vienna, and he never was detached from Baireuth. but his attachment for England continued to grow. Perhaps it is because musicians are vain, as some say they are. but people are prett much alike in the respect that most of them do their best work un der friendly skies. It was written of him in Ixndon later that "England has at last an ' eminent conductor whom it can fairly call its very own." This was said of a man who, what ever his genius for taking pains in other respects, never succeeded in mastering the English speech. But It could almost have been said of him that he taught England to enjoy con tinental music, especially that of Wag ner and Beethoven and Mozart. It is still another curious fact about him that he was most at home in the smoky city of Manchester. from whence he went on his various mu sical missions but to which for thirty years he always returned. Conductors are rarer nowadays who regard it as a necessary part of a com plete musical education to master practically every instrument In a mod em orchestra. Richter was almost a virtuoso on the orgin. and" he was proud of his skill with the kettle drums. Strings and reeds and brass he comprehended with equal facility. It Is said that this was because he was a conductor "bred in the orchestra and not in the conservatory." At any rate, his technical skill was in part at least the foundation of his fame. Most recently he had lived in the town made famous by Wagner, where for four or five years he had been In retirement. The breaking out of the war served to give opportunity for display of the passing bitterness that grows out of wars. When after thirty years in England he had for mally "retired" and announced his Intention of ending his days on the continent, he was the recipient of al most countless "tributes" and honors such as are bestowed upon those who have achieved fame in a chosen art. On the outbreak of hostilities he es poused the cause of his mother coun try and resigned rather obstreperously the degrees and honors 4hat had been conferred on him. Chauvinism of this particular kind was commoner at a certain stage of the war than, perhaps. It would be even now, and he was caught In the flood of It. His former English admirers responded in kind, and they who had been most extrava gant in praise, were loudest in their censure. He did not live to see this mutual bitterness softened by the posslng of time. If the people of Chicago want to enjoy the luxury of having their library books delivered at their doors, as at present are their milk and gro ceries and pretty much everything else they use. they will have opportunity to say so by voting "yes" on a pro posed bond issue of $500,000. The present plan is to construct three regional branch libraries and a dozen or so auxiliaries at the start. Increas ing the number of auxiliaries to an ul timate seventy. In each of the five regional branches there will be a permanent-library of 50,000 volumes and the central library would serve as the source of supply for all books not in the permanent collections. In. the auxiliary libraries, collections of a few thousand volumes would be main tained. The advocates of the plan declare it is "based on the city's needs," which reminds one of the fact that the luxuries "of today are the necessities of tomorrow. The latest proffered solution of the high cost of living problem is the post- office refrigerator, in which will be stored such mail as will not keep without ice while on its way "direct from producer to consumer." The Pennsylvania State Grange has taken a stand for the refrigerator system, as well as for cheaper parcel-post rates on farm products, and also makes the proposal that there shall be a school for instructing farmers how to pack their products to better advantage, to save loss in breakage and spoilage. Open hampers are now being employed In some parts of the East for the mailing of vegetables and fruit and have been found to be bet ter than the cartons formerly used. The Pennsylvania Grange represents 65,000 farmers who know the value of organization and are determined not to lose anything by not going after It. Richard Mansfield, son of thn rrpjit actor, is determined to follow his father's profession. He has just run away from school for the second time to go on the stage, but his mother has brought him back. Richard Mansfield II may yet play "Richard III." The allies are going to give Count Tarnowski a safe conduct strictly in consideration for the representations made by the American Government. There have been times when our rep resentations were not so well re ceived. Ten acres may be enough, or too many, entirely according to the in dividual who works them, but the high cost of food question will not be per manently settled in any other way than by raising more food. Count Tolstoi's creed of non-resistance is held by his son. Count Eli, but another son and three grandsons are fighting for Russia. Few In Russia consider Tolstoylsm practical politics these days. With Montana. Idaho and Wash ington , working together for good roads. It is only a question of time when every place worth going to will be within easy reach of Oregon. French saloonkeepers predict ruin for the nation as the result of re strictions on drinking. For real Me thusalchtlike vitality, that little cry seems to have all cries beaten. The new aeroplane stabilizer In vented by Orville Wright promises to make the aircraft as safe a? the ground but there might be an earth quake, even then. Peace Is in the air. Villa wants it. But it will be noted that what Pancho most wants is a chance to go after Carranza's scalp in real earnest. The Duma seems to have remem bered that Russia has not yet taken possession of Constantinople and the Dardanelles. The long-looked-for female burglar is making an appearance, and wives would better stay home for the holi days. The Red Cross seal on letter or par cel ornaments it and reflects just that much more of Christmas cheer. An unsolvable problem is why men in prosperous lines want legislative jobs that pay small. The jitneys run the gamut of the zones, from frigid to torrid, and little of the temperate. When anything extraordinary hap pens at Los Angeles it is charged to a bomb explosion. The grasping magnates would take all the joy out of life by abolishing the bleachers. Again it is demonstrated that only wealthy men are sued for alienation. The six-million bonus to Bell Tele phone employes will spread thin. Wonder what name given to a shark steak would make it edible. It takes a real estate man to see brightness In the future. Rather than listen to peace, Russia has not begun to fight. A $2 bonus for Army recruits is a cheap proposition. Winter is having a hard time break lug lu. Gleams Through the Mist. II y Ormm Col Una. THE MISTLETOE BOl'GII, The mistletoe hung in the florist's rhop, And a man and his wife, they chanced to stop To look at the Christmas posies red: And the fellow's wife looked up and said: "Oh. the mistletoe bough! Oh, the mistletoe bough!" So he came inside of the florist's store. And he stood and he looked it o'er and o'er. And he slipped two bones to the man and said: "Just send "er around." And he nodded his bead: "Oh, the mistletoe bough! Oh. the mistletoe bough!" The messenger boy on his errand went. Hunting the home of the 'foresaid gent. And whistled low to the setting sun. As he looked at the house numbers one by one: "Oh, the mistletoe bough! Oh. the mistletoe bough!" Hours passed, as they will, to our great annoy. While we wait for the fleeting messen ger boy; And the man emitted a joyful yell As he heard the messenger ring the bell: "Oh, the mistletoe bough! Oh, the mistletoe bough!" He leaped to the door with a glad some spring. And seized on the box and cut the string And one little sprig lay withering there. With nary a white berry anywhere. Oh. the mistletoe bough! Oh. the mistletoe bough! MORAL. 'TIs strange, indeed, though the "Win ter woods Of Oregon teem with Christmas goods. When they get to the. florisfs and hang in view. The high cost of living hits them, too! Oh. the mistletoe bough! Oh, the mistletoe bough! "Sir," said the Courteous Office Boy. tying an olive branch on the chande lier, where the mistletoe ought to have been, "would you like to hear an old. o!d romance?' "Aye. that I would, right gladly," I cried. "Well." said the C. O. B., "once upon a time, a long time ago " "Yes, yes. go on." I twittered. "Once upon a time." continued the C. O. B., "there was a fellow started to Europe with the motto: 'Out of the trenches by Christmas!' " THREE SCRAMBLED EGGS. (Pathetic High Cost of Living Ballad.) "Give me three scrambled eggs, mother. Only three scrambled eggs. It will restore my strength, mother. And keep me on my pegs. The cost of living's In the high. But still my spirit begs: Give me three scrambled eggs, mother. Only three scrambled eggs." The mother took her sealskin coat. And eke her diamond rings. Her uncle went upon her note. And mortgaged all his things; From store to store she wandered. On feeble, tottering legs. And all her fortune squandered For only three scrambled eggs. (Poloroso. ) Then home. acain she hurried. To where her poor boy lay. And she was somewhat worried To find he'd passed away. How sad she felt to see his belt Cinched up at least five pegs. And on bis face a look which said: "Only three scrambled eggs!" (Note While we were still sniffling over the foregoing sad lines, someone touched off a mine under one of the entrenchments of the high cost of liv ing ejd when they ceased to crumble, we to ad ourself obliged to write an other stanza.) She started in a boycott Against the egg once more. The grocer's grin of joy cut Down to a smile no more. And quickly he skedaddled. On nimble, hasty legs. Before his stock was addled To cut the price on eggs. Speaking of "out of the trenches be- fore Christmas." the crusade that the muiiiers ii i ucuiiiu ana eatixe are starting in behalf of the troops along the Mexican border looks like, a good, opportunity for Henry to get out his banner and Jump into the ring again. And he might get 'em out this time, if his luck was good. THE BOMS-OHY S A KMil'R r'KST. Orr O. Smith, with his big bass bar leycorn bassoon, comes back again and wants to carol once more in the arils' Bone-Dry Saengerfest. But this is the day when the champions of dry ness have their fling and their sing, so we are obliged to pigeonhole Orr for the time being, and while threo otKer Jeremiahs tune their fiddles for lamentation and wait in the chiropo dist's parlor for their turn to sing, we bid the herald blow thrice for the dry heroes to come forth. Whereat William Trull unslings his lute and plucks out the melody to the following: ComradflN. Barleycorn and Jack were comrades Comrades many years ago But they wandered in the valley Where the trouble breezes blow. They were very warm companions. And they hit the trail together; But penury was their lot (tra-Ia!) And stormy was the weather. Now old Barleycorn is sleeping Sleeping in the frigid clay. And the cool, temp-er-ence" breezes Have blown all Jack's woes away. Note The "tra-la" Is supplied by us. arratis. to fill out the line in a place that William seemed to have over looked. Kd. Note also You've gotta accent it on that second syllable or we won't let you sing.it. Kd. Then comes a burst of wild melody, and "W. M. G." conies piping thus: A d iru. Drraoi. The Demon Rum. the Demon Rum, Has went away, no more to come; And Industry begins to hum. And gloom no more makes women glum. Whose husbands cease, to booze and bum. Ah. happiness, how great thy sum In states where Barleycorn la mum. And man has water for a chum. Or soft grape, juice or chewing gum! No more the foe cries: "Fl, fo. fura!" His victim's free; his voice is dumb. So beat the drum: "Tur-r-rumpty-tum." He s went, he's went, no more to come. The Dcrc.on Hum, the Demon Hum. A