The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, February 04, 1917, SECTION TWO, Image 33

The Sunday Oregonian., February 04, 1917, SECTION TWO, Page 13, Image 33

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Newspaper Page TextTIIE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTXANT), FEBRUARY 4, 1017. 13 MILITARY TRAINING, MUSIC AND OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED PORTLAND, Feb. 8. (To the Edi tor.) A lengthy and able edi torial favoring military training: appeared in a recent Issue of The Ore KonlBJj. but the editor Is fortified en tirely by quoting- a neurologist, who affirms that muscular activity, prop erly directed, has much to do with de velopment of the brain. This is un deniably true. but The Oregonian wanders far afield when It affirms that military training Is the proper di-1 rccting of muscular activity; In quot ing one lone nerve specialist It looks as though The Oregonian were clutching at a straw In a desperate effort to en list physicists In Its behalf. I have some literature of the Ameri can Union against militarism, wherein pnysical training experts from Har vard University down, condemn military training because of the harm It In flicts physically. Quoting Physical Director Dr C. E. Ehinger, "That mil itary training does not give the best physical training is evidenced by the act that for years our military schools at Wi st Point and Annapolis have em ployed instructors in physical train ing to overcome the disastrous results of the practice of the manual of arms and Cher military drills." Agreeing with this are IT college , and university presidents, with 80 rec ognized leaders in education, child wel fare, social welfare and child study unreservedly condemning military training because of its destructive psychology. To quote Dr. Aked: "Make a man a master of an art and he thinks of his art. is proud of his art. wants to exercise his art: the capable sur geon, the successful writer, ought to exercise their art; but teach trie boy the use of weapons, and he will wait for the day to come when he can use weapons, as he thinks, legitimately. Military training for beys means mil itary desires for men and military poli cies for nations, and war for the world." And Dr. Fisher, of the T. M. C. A., and military tr.Uning commissioner of New York, says: "In the camps cf Eng'vnd it takes a year to get tl e men in condition. England's experi ence indlcatea that the big problem is not training in military tactics or drill but conditioning the men." Well-conditioned men cannot gradu ate from half-paid toil in factories, due to bad nutriment, and consequent ly cannot develop their full mentality. Militarism, like all vice, can be checked by substituting a moral equivalent. The problem being one of social wel fare, poverty must be eliminated through a co-operative commonwealth, and once the capable people now urg ing militarism urge co-Operation, mil itarism will vanish for lack of sup porters, for this is the moral substi tute for this form of civic vice. louis honstkin. whiter to visit priseville Klve Acres of Tillable Laai Koough for Any Family, lie Says. LA GRANDE, Or.. Feb. 2. To the Editor.) In reply to Albert Ramble's letter of January 27 I will visit Prine vllle myself this year to see if It is possible to be surrounded by land where no one can do well on the land except the sheepraiser and the mer chant who sells them their supplies. I believe I will find the wolf in the cheep's clothing, who never saw what they do in Europe nor much of the United States. All that is worrying Mr. Ramble is 'he large sheepraiser on Uncle Sam's domain at the publio expense, and some of them may not even be United States citizens. Now, the minimum price of the pub lic domain is $1.25 an acre, and Uncle Earn gives that free as a homestead once to each citizen, even at his own selection. That is Uncle Sam's mini mum value of a United States citizen. This Inducement makes many a good citizen who will stand up for the United States, because he has some thing at stake which no European government has offered him. The homesteaders are soon to pay taxes. Improve the roads and most of them raise a family, and usually a credit and a benefit to any community, and to uphold and defend the country, and any able-bodied man of good char acter who right then declares his in tention to become a citizen should be admitted. The time may come when we will want them, the same as "a tltch in time prevents nine." Uncle Sara offers to loan any farm er 5 per cent of the value of his farm. Any one who is industrious and raised on a farm can make a success of it. I know that Europeans can, for a good industrious common laborer or farm hand is Independent, because ft is steady work all the year round and all gain is his own. Besides the best place to feed and raise a family Is on the farm, as It keeps them out of mis chief and away from bad company. where there is plenty of healthy air and exercise. Uncle Sam has seen al ready how many sheepraisers have ent their boys and few herders to en list last year. Uncle Sam wants foreigners to he- come United States citizens and this is a grand inducement, even for the American workingman. The fact is, five acres of good till able land Is enough for any family, and Uncle Sam gives you from 40 to 640 acres at your choice. I know land In Mischberg, Bavaria, which is not over six inches deep, of almost nothing except small rocks not over one-third soil. At the same time they raise first-class barley crops, but they cultivate these lands, dry farming. I have seen in localities where they have cut steps in the mountains and carry manure up the mountain on their backs and have raised good crops. There Is no comparison between the rich United States free soil and that in Europe, where there is no land to ret. Here we just come to it, take up the land and stay with It. J. L. MARS. titled to defend them, if they need de fense. This land of the almighty dollar is not much concerned with "truth" what we want is "trade" the world's trade, ne plus ultra, except the grave. We, being a very rich nation (in spots), expect to contravene any mere natural or spiritual law that gets In our way, either by bribery or outright purchase. We expect confidently to sow the wind and reap not the whirl wind, but soft, fragrant zephyrs. We shall soon have the necessary Army and Navy to cope with these matters. How diabolically stupid it all Is! Still. I suppose we can only hope on. In glancing over Hawthorne's splen did allegory, 'The Great Stone Face." it would seem that we Americans are Just now being jollied and foozled by the advent of Mr. Gathergold and the church people "bend the pregnant hinges of the knee" -as obsequiously as any. Mr. Gathergold will make way some time for his successors until finally "Ernest" will arrive Ernest, typifying truth, service and humanity "sans millionaires and Magdalene a." H. J. SPENCER. MINISTER'S VIEWS OPPOSED Writer Takes Isane Wltta Rev. R, XI. Sawyer's Recent Address. PORTLAND, Feb. 3. (To the Edi tor.) In The Sunday Oregonian I read with much interest the oration of the Rev. R. H. Sawyer, delivered in Chris tian Church in this city. ' It indeed possessed fine, flowery lan guage and high aspirations, but on the whole I. as well as many others, thought It sounded more like an ora tion delivered in a public ball In the city of London to a congregation of ex clusive Britishers than In the city of Portland, Or., to a mixed crowd of sym pathizers to both sides of the great Eu ropean conflict. The reverend gentleman seems to forget that he Is a minister of the gos pel and Instead of Imitating, by words if not by deeds, the divine savior whom he Is supposed to follow, he flings him self into the role of a partisan Brit isher. He translates the prophecies accord ing to his own inclinations and thereby pictures the British nation as destined to bring the erring nations out of dark ness and bondage. He gives no credit whatever to the great achievements of the great Teutonic race. He speak eth not of their great achievements in the high arts, such as music, their great conservatories of art, which have been famed the world over; the benefits of which have been sought by students all over the globe. He credits them not for their many achievements In which they excelled every nation in the world. He apparently wishes to disarm cer tain nations and render them helpless to defend themselves against the world famed navy of England. He calls Eng land a helper and not a destroyer of nations, stating that whenever the British made war against a weaker na tion it was for the purpose of better ing the condition and enlightening that nation and not for the glory of con quest. The reverend gentleman failed to Il lustrate his point here. He did not tell us in what way the East Indies were enlightened, or of the helpless Boers, What about Ireland or in fact any of the countries in which England had a hand in governing? We are all subject to error, but we think the Rev. Mr. Sawyer took, a poor place for the nature of the oration he delivered. Very truly yours. JAMES ASOEKSOX VICE PROBLEM IS DISCUSSED Paterson. Washington, Resident Ex presses Ills Views. PATERSON, Wash.. Feb. 2. (To the F.dltor.) May I have a little space at this time of trust prices for print paper to express a thought concerning a certain "divine adventure" some times called "humanity"? The Oregonian informs- us that "Bar bary Coast" has been to church in San Francisco not the Chamber of Com merce. on top, but the chamber of vice commerce, at the bottom of our soci ety. The two chambers, however, are connected by devious ties. A Magda lene, a branded woman (branded by whom?), has stood up bravely In a so- called house of God and said so; 500 or them said they were driven to the life by economic conditions, most of the women have children and this is in the United States and 'Frisco is said to be the most "American" city we have. The evangelist. Mr. Smith, said it was the saddest moment of his life. There are reasons why Mr. Smith will not make it also the greatest moment. Jesus, confronted by one Magdalene gave mankind the "law"; Mr. Smith confronted by 500, will Ignore the law, the cause, and putter with the effects yet his chance to serve humanity Is perhaps 500 times as great as In the case 20 centuries old. Early in the present war Charles W. Eliot, of Harvard, saldr "Christianity is impotent in the face of the interna tional struggle now going on in Eu rope, because for generations It has al lied Itself with the powers that make war." So-called Christianity is inex tricably interwoven with the powers that make Magdalenes and million aires. No preacher has the right to accuse these women1 few would be en- LABOR PRESENTS ITS VIEWS prove it. We have the facts and figures to show that the wage scale has con siderable to do with it. They would also have the publio believe that we are a dangerous lot and are asking for un necessary laws. We know of one gen tleman who claims he has run a woolen mill for many years and claims he has never had any trouble with his em ployes, and we learn that there is sel dom a month goes by but what he has an unorganized strike on his hands in fact, he now has a small strike on. To show how fair he really is, we find that these men are capable men, men who . can repair machinery and electrical appliances, and he is paying them the princely wage of 25 cents an hour for a lfr-hour day. We find that many of the worst strikes that have oc curred In. this country are unorgan ized workers. In localities where men are organized very few strikes occur. We find very few strikes on the rail roads and most of them treat with or ganized labor. The men of Portland want as good conditions as are enjoyedt at other places. They do not want to be at the mercy of any employer. Give us the same right the locomotive engineer en Joys the right to confer with the em ployer, the right to have something to say abou the rules of the shop, the right collectively to say how much w are worth, and if this Is done we will guarantee not to cause any strikes. Any employer who will sit down with a committee of his employes or their representatives and talk over the mat ter will get along all right, provided he Is willing to consider that they have a right to a voice In the affairs of the shop. They are Just as necessary in fact the most necessary factor in the business. The employer claims he has a right to run his business to suit him self. We consider that the men who do the work are considerable of the busi ness, and they consider the business is their business as well as the employer's business, and that they should have something to say. The locomotive engineer has some thing to say as to the conditions and pay, and the engineer that does not belong to the Brotherhood has nothing to say. We want a square deal and we are going to have it. -When you wish to start something, always remember we are part of the business and want some thing to say about It. E. H. MISNER, General Organizer for the International Association of Machinists. APPROPRIATION STATUS TOPIC the construction work, then started 1 from Celilo to Wallula Junction. When that stretch of grading for the railroad was done he went back to California to bring his family to Oregon. After his return with them he bought a home for them west of Beaver Creek. In the Spring of 1881 he resumed work on the Oregon Railroad & Navigation, work ing until Fall, when he was transferred to the Northern Pacific. He worked for that road during Its construction period both In Montana and in the Cascades, and later was em ployed at the lskiyou tunnels by the Oregon & California Railroad. There after he was steel sharpener on the Celilo Canal works. He Is now blacksmithlng in his 61st year at the trade and is nearing his 75th birthday. He Is at the quarries, whence the rock Is taken to the jetty at the entrance to the Siuslaw River. He has reared a family of nine chil dren, all living. The youngest Is 82 years old and the oldest 50. He has 20 grandchildren and six creat-grandchil-dren scattered from Alaska to Michi gan, but most of them are In Oregon and Washington. Such has been his portion so far toward the development and population of Oregon during the 37 years that his home h-a been in the state. If they will not let tho old men work what are they going to do with them? A WORKER. Writer Discusses That Concerning Agricultural College. PORTLAND, Feb. 3. (To the Ed tor.) Permit me to draw your atten tion to the fact that the statement you received from the ways and means committee regarding the so-called con tinuing appropriations "which appeared in last Sunday's Oregonian" Is some what misleading. Since this subject will receive the early attention of the Legislature, it may be well to get at the actual status of these appropria tions, at least those concerning the Ag ricultural College. This college received for the last bl ennium. aside from the millage tax. From the state For experiment sta tions, $56,000; for extension work, $80, 000: for other purposes, $29,000. From the Federal Government For experimental purposes, 1889, Hatch act. $30,000; 1907. Adams act. $30,000; dry farming and Umatilla project, $13,000, or a total of $76,000. with this differ ence: That the first $30,000 does not need to.be covered by the state, while the last two, of $43,000, have to receive at least an equal amount from the state In order to receive this amount from the United States. The Federal appropriation for exten sion work is of such recent date that the provisions of same should be of general Interest. On May 14. 1914, Con gress passed the so-called Smith-Lever act. which provided for the first year an appropriation of $480,000. or $10,000 for each state of the Union. The second year $600,000 was to be added and for seven years thereafter $500,000. until a total of $4,900,000 was reached. These appropriations are to be distributed proportionately to every state of the Union for extension work, which means the dissemination of agricultural Infor mation and instruction to the farmers and their children going directly to their homes through co-operative ex tension work. For the biennium 1917 18 this state will receive from the United States approximately $45,000, or $20,000 more than for the last, thus it will be seen that the last state appro priation of $80,000 can be easily cut down to $60,000 without interfering with the efficiency of the service. Thus the Legislature is In a position to save the taxpayers $20,000. State institutions and extravagance seem to be synonymous as a rule. The Agricultural College apparently Is no exception. The tremendous and grow ing demands of this institution make it a. problem for the state and taxpay ers. If the directing board seeks to emulate the example of agricultural colleges of such rich and populous states as New York and Michigan it is time to curtail such ambition. The col lege Is primarily for the education of the people of this state and not for the world at large. We have barely 800,000 Inhabitants. The growth of the college should keep pace with the growth of our population. It should devote Itself to the interest of the state. It should be creative In practical work and suggestions as to the best develop ment of its possibilities. Flax culture now being developed by the peniten tiary and commercial bodies of the state, should have long ago passed the experimental stage, considering the fact that the college has $130,000 at its disposal for experimental work. The same refers to the loganberry, the broccoli and other articles. The col- legs should march at the front of practical progress, not rn the rear. FRED TOPKEN. RECORD OB" LOXO AND BUST LIFE Blacksmith Wow Working; In His Sixty- first Tear at His Trade. POINT TERRACE. Or.. Feb. 2. (To the Editor.) This Is a story of an old man who la still at work. He is a nat uralized citizen of the United States. He first made his appearance In this world in Denbighshire, in North Wales, on April 10, 1842, where he thrived without hygienic regulations except those dictated by the maternal nature of a loving and healthy mother. At the age of 16 he started to learn the black smith trade. He came to this country in 1869, landed at New York, went on to Wis consin and made his first stand at Randolph Center, In Columbia County. His assets were a wife and two babies. He stayed there three years and was away from his anvil only three work ing days In the three years. He moved to Minnesota, and was the first blacksmith to work for the North ern Pacific Railroad Company at Brai nerd, where the company built its main shops. He was put out of work there by the panic of 1873. His next place was Central City, Colo., where he worked until the big fire burned Cen tral City almost clean on May 21, 1874 That fire started him again on the road toward Oregon. He landed in Portland from the steamer J-. L. Stevens In July, 1874. and went to work in blacksmith and wagon shop at the cor ner of Front and Jefferson streets. While working there a convenient place to board was the then famous Thomson House, at the t,jer of First and Jefferson. Old man Ihomson used to invite his patrons to come and have the wrinkles taken out of their bellies by a good square meal. His stay was not long In Oregon at that time. He went to California, and Just enough for my own use. Naturally flour went up and the size of the loaf decreased. Men spent all they could earn to capture the tiny loaf. They had to have It, so ran In debt and then their families went hungry. In their despair men turned to other foods and found that they too had beep forced up in price by the scarcity of grain. Meat and eggs were beyond ordinary reach. Yet who dares to say that I have done wrong (according "to my friend's theory) by selling outside of the county the things my own people need bo badly? Are these conditions I pic ture distorted? If so. what Is forcing people to the extreme of boycotting? So are my friend's cases anything like the embargo some people want placed on grain, etc? I would say that they are absolutely opposite cases. Be cause we United States folks are living under one flag, in one county as It were. Common sense pledges us to the support of America first. We are not asking for an embargo that any fa vored portion of our land shall benefit thereby, but that the foodstuffs we boast of being able to produce, shall not be used to answer an outside demand first, and naturally force the price of what remains on our soli up and be yond the wallet of the wage earner. Let us remember that this embargo Is not for the purpose of spite or re talliation, but a matter of self-preservation. Can we blame the men who are gathering in the gold paid for export grain? It is Just business with them, and of course they are well supplied with tendencies human. So they sell abroad and the folks at home must do nate to pay for their prosperity. Did you ever consider that every ship load of aid given any belligerent., whether it is grain, or guns, or gold, proves the lie of our neutrality? Are we not more than any nation on the face of the globe helping prolong the war by feeding the fighting flames? No wonder the world laughed at the idea of America sending one peace ship to overcome the work of all of our ships laden with grain. Does anyone dare to say that we must not cut off England's food sup plies? Then we must admit that we are aiding a favored belligerent. Would we aid both sides if we could? Then the more shame to us, for It shows a spirit of greed ten thousand times worse than an honest favoritism. Could any nation object if we treated them all alike? Aren t some entitled to objec tions for our present attitude? Let us bear In mind that as a neutral nation we have no right to help any belliger ent. Of course to feed is to help. Les) us not be satisfied with the state ment that our "other embargo" was a failure and let that "prevent us from learning something about that em bargo. Was it protective, or was It to punish England and France for mis treatment of our marine? When you have satisfied yourself that the purpose of the embargo was entirely different from what we seem to need now, and that our first embargo kept every American vessel in port, one can easily read its failure. All that we ask now is that enough food be kept at home to prevent manipulation and conse quent prosperity prices. B. BUELL. Some Statements on Employment Situa tion Are Contradicted. PORTLAND. Feb. 3. (To the Editor.) Charles F. Swlgert. In his address be fore the Civic Club several days ago. made some statements that are mislead ing. We have waited for some time, hoping that sone one would answer some of his statements, but we find It has not been done, so we will have to do It. In his talk on the open shop he said!: "The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers always worked, under the open shop." This statement is incorrect and mis leading, and we feel we can prove to the entire satisfaction of anyone that the engineers do not operate under the open shop. With but few exceptions, the Locomotive Engineers of North America have agreements with all railroad com panies. The rate of pay and the hours worked are regulated by this organiza tion and no non-member has anything to say in regard to his pay. The brotherhood sets the rate of pay and all of the rules, so the non-member, of whom there are very few, must be gov erned by the rules of the Brotherhood. The open shop, so-called, has no hor rors for any union man, but the open shop as operated by most shops means that the non-union men are always in the majority and the employes have nothing to say as to how many hours they shall work per tte-y or for how much they shall work. He has nothing to say about the rules of the shop, and must submit to any rule set down or quit. Much has been said aDout the rates of pay In Portland and other unorgan ized places. One person said that the unorganized men were receiving a higher rate of pay than the organized. This is not true, and it is not necessary to go outsidie of Portland to prove It. Taking the machine shops of Portland, we find that very few get as much as Is being paid In union shops. It has been the policy to pay a few necessary good mechanics a high rate of pay and fill up the shop with semi-skilled men who aret whatever the employer chooses to pay them, which ranges from 25 cents an hour up to 45 cents an hour. Many of these men are skilled, and the em ployer, in figuring on a contract or making an estimate, counts these men in as skilled men and makes a big profit out of their work. It Is absolutely necessary to have a few hlgh-skllledi men In all shops, but the tendency among Portland employers is to fill the shops up with cheap men. We know what we are talking about and can prove our statements. There has been a system of blackmailing going on in the shops of Portland for years in fact, it exists in nearly every locality. The United Metal Trades As sociation has a record of every man who works in any shop affiliated with this association, and no marr can work in any these shops If this association does not want him. No man goes to work In any of these shops and works very long before his record Is placed before the employer, and if the man happens to be one that has any Independence he is Immediately dismissed. There are several shops In Portland which will not employ a me chanic if they know he comes from a union shop. Many goodi mechanics have been driven out of Portland by these methods. The blacklist maintained by these people Is so covered up that It Is almost Impossible to prove that it ex ists. However., all mechanics of Port land know that this is true. The system adopted by many of our railroads is only a modified) form of the blacklist. Many of the railroads re quire a record of from two to ten years from any man who wishes to work. After these records are sent out for verification It Is very easy for a former employer to give an unsatisfactory re port of the man, and he is immediately sent on his way. We know that men are compelled to lie, and in many cases change their names, in order to get work. ' That condition has prevailed for years in Portland. The Chamber of Commerce and shopowners would have the people of' Portland believe that the onlv differ ence between the shopowner and the I returned to Oregon in 1880 and went to men Is the question of open and closed t work for the Oregon Railroad & Navl shop. This is not true, and we can ) galioaCuiupany sharpening steel on CHAMPOEG SHELTER IS INDORSED Pioneer Suggests That Provision Should Be Made for Visitors. PORTLAND, Feb. 3. (To the Editor.) The suggestion made recently by a correspondent of The Oregonian rela tive to providing a shelter for the ac commodation of those attending the an niversary exercises at Champoeg com memorating a very Important event which occurred at that place May 2, 1843. meets the approval of all pa triotic citizens. At Champoeg, on the date given above, occurred a 'momentous event In our National history, approaching, if not rivaling in importance, the Louisiana purchase, i. e.. the saving of the Oregon country, comprising the area lying be tween the 42d and 49th degrees of latitude and between the Rocky Moun tains and the Pacific Ocean to the United States and the organization of the first American civil government west of the Rocky Mountains: 'also, as a sequence, a quarter of a century later tne acquisition of Alaska, that vast storehouse of diversified wealth. It was an event that eminently Justifies annual commemoration. The annual celebration of this histo ric event occurs the first Saturday after the first day of May. The weather In Oregon is usually fine at that season of the year, but not always. In the event of the weather being unsettled and showery on such occasions those in attendance are subjected to unpleas ant experiences, and the literary exer cises are conducted, if conducted at all. under disagreeable conditions, as also are the social features which en liven such occasions. A structure that would serve the purpose, temporarily at least, could be provided at small cost. The structure need be only a shelter, somewhat 6im ilar to an unenclosed tabernacle, the expense of sldeboarding being avoid ed. There would be no expense for procuring ground for the structure, for the state owns about eight acres there, upon which stands the memorial mon ument containing the names of those who voted In favor of the provisional government, and It would occupy a por tion of that tract. In the fulness of time a more sub stantial and attractive building for the accommodation of those who make an nual pilgrimages to this patriotic shrine may be provided, for appreciation of the importance of the events it com memorates will increase with the pass ing years. PIONEER. PLEA FOR INDIAN WAR VETERANS Legislature Asked to Urge Congress to Take Prompt Action. PORTLAND. Feb. 3. (To the Editor.) Time has thinned the ranks of the old Indian fighters until now but a few remain of thoee heroic characters who hurried to the defense of our fron tier settlements in times when help was needed and appreciated, even though they went without much "uni forming" or organized preparation, and they have long been entitled to a more grateful recognition at the hands of our Government in the way of a living pension than heretofore has been given them. I can well recollect some of those stirring pioneer days of Indian upris ings those days when -Portland was thought for a while to be in danger of Indian attack, when George C. Sears ' ring to the present location: The old drilled his volunteers nightly on the j residence on these grounds, remodeled eron. The birds I know will forgive me, for I love them. too. Nature has made the cats and dogs and birds and there are good points in each and I believe It would work a real hardship on the cats to make them stay home constantly. Of course, if we could get the dogs to chat lovingly with the cats and the cats to smile less maliciously at the birds It would be very ideal, but everywhere in nature we find parasitical conditions and one thing attacking another. "Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em; and little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum." we must not overlook the fact tnat cats also kill rats, mice and other un pleasant and unhealthy vermin. I often think the working classes of cats, down on the river front, are really quite necessary to us. as they devour many mlcrobed rats, no doubt, which come Into our ports. Must these, too. have chaperons, I wonder, or shall we allow them to keep their offensive Job? It must be a real hardship to eat a rat with several billion bacilli In it, so per haps they would be glad to stop. Then what shall we do with the small boys who so love to kill anything and everything in sight, including cats and birds? Shall they, too. be accompanied on their little .pleasure-killing Jaunts In the woods? I am willing to wager that small boys kill far more birds than oats do. Then we must not forget that the birds kill the poor little worms and winged Insects, who also love to live and do no harm, and also eat the fruits and berries. Is not a lot of the present condition of things de to our own negligence and carelessness and could we not to some extent obviate It if each would keeping step only to the harmonies of unselfish motive and civio will, shun ning Jealousies, personal ambitions, avoiding bickerings of unionism and open shop, and trusting to the musicians themselves to see to It that love of good music shall level all obstacles. The subject is one that should Inter est the taxpayers who are building the city's Auditorium and hoping It may bo self-supporting. It was mainly for great musical entertainments and con ventions that this expensive monument to a city's generosity was conceived. and unless we here In Portland build up such an organization as the Port land Opera Association our great Audi torium is destined , to become a lone some place for about eight months of the year. C M. HYSKELL. KINDERGARTEN GETS PRAISE Authorities Are Quoted In Regard to Training of Child. PORTLAND. Feb. 3. (To the Edi tor.) Since the kindergarten measure has been passed by the Legislature the following from the United States Com missioner of Education, dated June 26. 1915, might be of Interest to the people. , "There are now In the United States 9000 kindergartens in which more than 400,000 children, mostly between the ages of 4 and 6. are taught." From Luella Palmer, Assistant Di rector of Kindergartens. Publio Schools, New York City. I quote verbatim the following extracts: "After years of trial and through al ternate opposition and encouragement, the kindergarten has arrived at a point where it is considered an integral part complete school system. do hi. share In theay of thoughtful- b; T'necesry Vradual step "in a child's development as he goes from MEDICAL CENTER IS ADVOCATED Objections to Proposed Location of County Hospital Answered. PORTLAND, Feb. 3. (To the Edi tor.) Not for argumentation, but to answer simply and concisely objections made to location of the proposed County Hospital on the heights near Terwilllger Drive. la the writer's object. Two oDjections have been raised, viz: First There will be exploitation of the county's poor. Second There are no street railways to the property. Accessible only by automobile. These objections are of but little consequence. The county's poor will certainly not be exploited any more in the new location than In the old. The hospital, in any event, will be In charge of the county's regularly em ployed physicians. There being no street railways im mediately contiguous to the site Is a feature greatly in Its favor. Because the sick, .as many of us know from actual hospital experience, do not wish to be annoyed by unnecessary street noises the rumble of wheels and ringing of car gongs being one of these. We wish to remind terprising citizens of well-known facts, viz: Dr. E. P. Geary, who was Multnomah County's physician for 13 years, stated in his last annual report that, refer ness and care to our feathered and furry friends? I live where there are lots of birds and have a cat and a dog who get along niceiy together, be cause I brought them up that way. The birds feed on my porches all Winter without molestation because I watch them all the time, so they will be able to do so. In Springtime, when the pretty harmless little garter snakes, all newly polished, come happily out of their retreats to enjoy the sunshine. I marvel how the children and grown ups go out of their way, anxious to mu tilate and destroy them and seem so happy after torturing them to leave them half dead. They seem to take real Joy In doing this, as much as a cat after a bird. Last Summer a tiny girl was happily beating a snake up while her mother stood by, warmly ap proving and urging her to kill the "baddy snake." Parents do not seem to begin in childhood to teach consideration and thought of all animals, but rather to encourage cruelty, or at least thought lessness, which is nearly as bad. If each child were taught to protect and think of the birds and animals might it not materially help conditions? The farmer Is keen in his well-planned re venge on the poor coyote which, driven by hunger, attacks his lambs, yet sees nothing In fattening lambs for the market price of a few dollars; or sells the elderly cow, who has given long service, to the nearby butcher because she has gone dry. And so it goes. There Is so much for us to correct In ourselves that it seems too bad to have It In for the poor cat, often driven to Its attacks by real hunger caused through neglect. How many people go to the beach In Summer and leave their cats to starve or hunt? How many men go out to shoot and kill the deer, the partridge, ducks and pheasants and any little animal that conies along, for the Joy of killing, yet claim It Is wrong for the animals to live as nature made them? KATHERINE IRVINE. Portland's en the following South Park blocks; when I, in common with other schoolboys of old-time Port land, filed by the casket of beloved General Canby as his body lay In state at the old-time Willamette Engine Company on Morrison street, the victim of that dire tragedy of the Modoo lava beds. These veteran volunteers are pretty aged now. It Is not my purpose to say what Indian wars or "frontier skir mishes" they participated In, but I do and enlarged, became what was In tended to be the temporary home of Multnomah Hospital." Portland is fast becoming a great commercial, financial and medical center. When a village casts off Its swad dling clothes and becomes a city. Its citizens, through. Its representatives, must plan for larger things. At a special election held on Novem ber 2. 1912 (in Portland), there was know the bill pensioning these rough- J passed an ordinance by the people and-ready boys of those early-time days of not so long ago Include service to extent of 30 days or more, and comes down to and' includes affecting our immediate Northwestern Indian affairs the Chief Joseph uprising and Ban nock wars, somewhere in the 70s, I think. Representative Slnnott recently wrote me concerning this measure as fol lows: . . . The Indian war veterans' pension bill Is no providing that the City Council In making public improvements shall take into consideration the Greater Portland plans prepared by E. H. Ben nett and approving and adopting said plans as the official city plans. There were 16.202 votes for and only 7996 votes against the measure. The late Daniel H. Burnham, famous architect of cities, said: "Make no little plans: they have no also In Conference mo trt ntlr man's hlnnl n nA nrnhohln and I am told has good prospect of get- I themselves will not be realized. Make ting favorable report. It provides $20 brg plans: alm high In hope and work, a month. 30 days or more of actual n,.mh.rlrl that . nhl ino-ir.i Service. I I trr-a m nncA rofnrH A rl will n v H 4 a Up to this date nothing further has i . . K J been reported on the bill. Through your ltvtng thing, asserting Itself with ever columns may I call the attention of growing insistency. Remember that the Legislature to this National bill ur Bon8 and sra.nd808 are golng to and to its Importance to quite a few of . d things that will stagger us. Let our. early settlers or the r sons and of r watchword be 'Order' and your the necessity of action in getting the ! Deflcon -Beauty." " Hill r.r.rtrrfl nnnlc frftm rftn for An a ! . . -- 00 j . - There remains upon Portland's It will dile: and then, too, a short memorial touching It quickly passed and quickly forwarded to the Capitol will doubtless bring the bill out and Into law before the present session of Congress expires. GEORGE L. CURRY. statute books a most forcible sugges tion, coming direct from the people, that uniformity be adhered to when developing civic or municipal centers. It may be true that the Bennett plan or scheme cannot be carried out, but a large majority of Portland's voters have declared a preference for 1 a definite plan to De applied in all . future public construction work. t Tirtiltnrtmah rnlintv whlfh fa rm B. Boell Wonld Keep Enough Food In of Portland. Is about to pass another Country to Stop High Prices. mile post In its civic development. (Shall tne county, wunoui expense to tne tnlf. unrmlt Its represents tfvaa tnl WRITER SPEAKS FOR EMBARGO. PORTLAND. Feb. 3. (To VALUE OF OPERA POINTED OUT Praise Given Association for Its Effort to Popularise Mnslc. PORTLAND. Feb. 3. (To the Editor.) With reference to a recent successful production of "Mignon" by the Port land Opera Association I have been asked to write something of the mean ing of this new movement from the viewpoint of a non-professional, plain lover of good music and to suggest. If I may, a few of its possibilities for great benefit to the city of Portland. While I may only revive and empha size views that often have been ex pressed by others in recent years. I shall address myself to the lay citizen, who perhaps would not be able to state the difference between a solfeggio and a Chinese schottlsche. but Just "loves music," meaning the harmonious com binations of sound from trained voices and musical instruments and It is from this class of citizens that any large support of opera in Portland must come. Music Is a big subject. It has de veloped the material prosperity and established the fame of some great cities in the Old World. It has done for little Italy what nothing else could have done; for Italian masters, from the maker of violins to the teacher of voice, have conquered the nations of the earth. Who could estimate the amount of money that has been paid for Italian violins, harps and strings? As an industry, music is by no means unimportant to Portland.- It gives steady employment to a vast number in its various ramifications, and thero Is no expenditure of money that gives a mora ceneroua return of pleasure than does the money spent for good music Especially- is this true to those who un derstand. What our public needs, and knows It needs, is a better understanding of the music we hear, for then the pleasure will multiply tenfold. The way to an understanding of music Is through the development of the philharmonic or symphony organisation idea by which a big. permanent musical organization Is built up and is engaged to produce cred itably the better class Of musical com positions on a grand scale at prices of admission so low that this form of en tertainment may in time compete even with the "movies The Portland Opera Association is a new angle of an old idea. It Is, per haps, the most utterly unselfish galaxy of persons that has strayed Into the environs of local limelight. Its motto is submersion of personality all for "a cause." These cheerful ana earnest the home Into the institution which acquaints him with the larger social group. "If the aim of the school. Including the kindergarten, is In accordance with the best educational ideals, the kinder garten will definitely prepare for tpe first grade, because It will help to de velop the child to the fullest at his Dresent stAee anri thf next s-rada will continue to aid this developing indi vidual." Superintendents, principals and pri mary teachers throughout the country rep-t that: "The child trained In the kindergar ten shows an advantage over the non kindergarten child in the following characteristics: "1. Formation of good school and life habits, such as regularity, punctuality, orderliness, cleanliness, politeness. "2. Power of expression. Involving fluency in language and also a -fund of Ideas, as well as dramatic expres sion. "'3. Power of observation, concentra tion and attention. "4. Perseverance or the energy to finish a task when once begun. "6. Control of the hand for manual work. "6. Self-reliance, Initiative, adapta bility, ability to cope with situations without direction. "7. Ability to work with others, wil lingness to wait one s turn, to co operate, to share responsibility. 8. Responsiveness, willing obedi ence and compliance with suggestion. "9. Knowledge acquired through ac tual experiences with the kindergar ten. "10. Ability to imitate, to follow technical suggestions. "11. Interest in taking up any form of school work. '12. Control over muscular co-ordination. "13. Musical ability and rhythmical control. "14. Initial entrance to school made easy and attractive. "15. Ability to read and write more quickly." Compared with these advantages the disadvantages mentioned in Miss Pal mer's book are few and unessential. One member of the School Board argued that there is "too great a ten dency for the parents of today to shift the reKponsibility of the early training and education of the child on the Gov ernment." This Is but one phase cf the mighty change brought about by the Industrial revolution. Became mat y parents today are obliged to shift the responsibility of training their chil dren to the state is one of the strong est arguments In favor of the kinder garten. Just as our social life has undergone a thorough and radical change due to the Industrial revolution so also our educational world is passing throngn on equally complete transformation. We ftand upon the threshold of i new era the sge of the child, and in the words of Dr. John Dewey, of Columbia University, "What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child that must the community want for all of its children. Ia every profession men look to their leaders for inspiration and advice. Co lumbia University, the Deacon ligdt of all lesser institutions Js a place wnere new theories are tested. In connection with Teachers' College Model School is an Ideal kindergarten where scores ef young women are trained for the serv ice of the ever widening field of kind ergarten work. Hundreds of skilled graduate students leave this Institu tion each year trained by master minds ready for service wherever they are called. Information upon any question relat ing to kindergartens may be obtained free upon application to the Commis sioner of Education, Washington. D. C ALMA THELANDER. Glenhaven School. effort have sought neither glory nor profit. All they have asKea is success for the cause of good music. To the credit of Portland they have conspicuously won three "bouts." the first being the "Romeo and Juliet" pro duction: the second. "Fra Diavolo," and third. "Mignon." A few more successes like these and the Portland business public, as well as the music lover, will H.oin f . lum-i results. The draw- - ; . - . noeii, permit its representatives to - . , tor.) A few days ago I was asked by override the expressed wish of its power of this s ort of entertainment will surety io icn. i.-o -- - cific Northwest. It is said to be the ambition of the Portland ODera Association to give and artistic manner. Krand opera productions at Prices not t professional advice exceeding 50 cents for all seats There r world travelers, familiar with Euro pean productions, who heard "Mignon" sung by the Portland Opera Associa tion January 24 and who calmly stated It as their opinion that the production equalled any of the popular-priced Eu ropean operas they had heard. It is well for Portland people to take this matter seriously to their hearts. When Portland can produce opera like that, with 60 to 100 trained voices in the chorus and a symphony orchestra In the pit, at maximum seat prices of 50 cents, and keep it going Trom year to vear, this city will have taken and held the musical leadership of the west ern half of a continent. No city on the Pacific Coast today Is in so good a position as Portland to accomplish this result. We have the artists, the voices, the orchestra, the leadership. Now let'a move forward. a friend Just what I would do If I were voters by ruthlessly setting aside a selling wheat and a man in the next pIan to beautify the city, carried by county offered me double the money a majority vote of over two to one? mat any man in my county couia ar- Shall a medical center, developed In iora to oner; jl course oeing aencient a jnogt sanitary in mat Drancn or entnusiasm which under the highes supports nome inaustry, x saia x would De rejected? sell my grain in tne next county. Point , The people have already plainly one for the opposition. , Bpoken. Will Its representatives carry "Suppose, now," said my friend. "It out the peoples' wishes? was a horse you had to sell instead of All civic organizations should take a bushel of wheat. Wouldn't you feel action in this important matter, for pretty bad if the sheriff notified you getting self and keeping ever before tnat you couw not boh tnat norae out- them a Greater Portland. ROBERT H. BLOSSOM. side of your own county?" Indeed I would. I On the face of It. ray friend's reason- TOLERANCB FOR ANIMAL KINGDOM ins w txo iiijc, ui iuv n n a wvcreu Writer Defends Right of Cats, Garter Snakes and Coyotes to Live. PORTLAND. Feb. 2. (To the Edl with talcum over freckles. Let us go back over his picture and paint in a few of the trimmings that are served with our National affair. Let us suppose that I owned most of tor.) I hasten to take my typewriter the wheat in my county and took ad- in my hand and rush to the defense of vantage of the high prices in the next the cats, seeing by the paper that a county and ordered a car from the Mr. Wright wishes to wrong them by Southern Pacific and shipped my grain restricting their freedom so they can across the county line. I would keep only go out if accompanied by a cbas- COLD WINTERS ARE. RECALLED Correspondent Seeka to Refreshen Memory of ex-Governor Geer. PORTLAND. Feb. 8. (To the Ed itor.) Governor Geer"s memory la short on dates concerning years "when cold killed wheat." In a recent issue he says, after debating the facts occurring February. 1883. "It is well to recall that that Is the only Instance since the first settlement of the Willamette Val lay. more than 70 years ago. when there was a universal killing of Fall sown grain." When the Governor was a wee boy. In linnorr ISKfi all thA Fftil-iavil givers of time, money and intelligent I wh.at ln tne Willamette Valley north of Linn County was Winter Klllea. South of Linn there was a light fall of snow that protected the crop. As to cold Winters. I beg to state that during the month of December, 1852, the deepest fall of snow since 1850 occurred, but not the heaviest. It was very cold, but there were no ther mometers that I know to register the degree. The Winter of 1855-56 was very cold, but there was a light fall of snow; 1861-62 was the phenomenally hard Winter and longest cold; 1868-69 was the coldest Winter In the 66 years of my residence in Oregon. Since 1870 the Weather Bureau has kept the records, giving the Winter of 1888 as the coldest on record. I have no thermometer . ecord to verify the statement, but rumor, somewhat after the Administration "leak" at Washington, gave the degree of cold at 12 below zero. I know the Willam ette River was frozen over and the Ice furnished safe passage for travel. W. H. ODELL. An Appropriate Hymn London Globe. A correspondent of the Yorkshire Post writes: "Even a night Ze-jpelin may have its humor. On a recei Sun day evening air raid alarm signals were given Just a the vicar entered the pulpit of a Yorkshire church and gave out the hymn. ' By an extraordi nary coincidence the congregation found Itself Slngtng to Welcome the Pilgrims of the JSight.' "