The Sunday Oregonian., June 10, 1917, SECTION THREE, Page 6, Image 40

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THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JUNE 10, 1917.
omnn
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PORTLAND, SCNDAY, JUNE 10, 1917.
WHEN GERMANY WILL LOSE.
The recent victories of the British
and French on the western front are
brilliant and important; but they are
not decisive of the war, nor indicative
of the collapse of the Germans. They
have real military value, and greater
psychological value, for they clearly
Indicate that the tide of success, run
ning for more than two years strongly
against the entente allies, has turned,
and that Germany has lost the great
advantage of the offensive, and is
clearly on the defensive. But Ger
many is not whipped, though she will
be whipped; nor is the end In sight,
unless there shall be an internal col
lapse, due to political and economic
conditions, and not due, except In
small part, to the military operations
on, the western front.
The new Hindenburg line Is no
myth, but Is a great strategic and
military fact. The British and French
have not broken through it, and prob
ably will ' not, by any sudden ma-'
. neuver. But they may cause it to be
re-formed indeed they have under
powerful pressure, persistently applied
along the entire front or at key posi
tions thereon.
Now we hear that the British have
achieved an Immense triumph In Bel
gium, in the region of Oostlaverne
and 'Messines. So they have. They
have driven the enemy out of fortifi
cations held stubbornly for two and
one-half years. They conducted their
preliminary movements in full view of
alii- It was definitely known that they
would attack. The defense was thor
oughly prepared. The Germans had
a great advantage of ground and posi
tion. They had plenty of reserves.
They knew exactly what was going to
happen, and they were ready. - Tet
they were driven back. Why?
The determining reason, after mak
ing due allowance for the valor and
experience of troops on both sides. Is
that the trenches and fortifications
had been made well-nigh untenable
through two and one-half years of
bombardment by artillery. The lucid
Associated Press account adds:
At 1:30 A. M. 19 deep, mines ware exploded
simultaneously beneath the enemy's defenses,
lay which large portions of both hla front and
support trenches, including extensive dugout
and mining systems, were completely
wreoKed. Immediately upon the explosion
of tM mines, our guns opened and our in
fantry assault was launched.
Again there is a further explana
tion: The armies had been facing each other on
this latest front of attack so long that it
had been possible for the British to carry
on marvelous mining operations. It was a
far cry from tho first mines sprung in the
war with the impulse of three or four pounds
of powder to the veritable volcanoes which
went up in flaming fury at dawn yesterday
each of GO ton or more of a secret explosive
beneath it. The effect of these mines was
imply tremendous
Here we get a clear Insight into
modern offensive methods of warfare,
and one or its most tremendous wea
pons the mine. It is doubtless true,
also, that the British and French have
a great superiority in artillery and in
munitions and in men. When great
batteries of howitzers and other Im
mense cannon are concentrated on a
specified sector, and when further
more it is extensively mined, after
months of labor, and when all the
operations of artillery, infantry, engi
neers and aircraft are carefully timed,
the objective is certain to be gained.
But it takes time, men and munitions.
Now at this point, and at all other
points on the western front and else
where, the artillery must again be
moved forward and a new operation
begun. There must be mines, new
preparations throughout for a grand
assault. The plan is systematic, but
successful; but time is its essence.
It ought to be understood that the
net. result of all the recent successes
of British and French in the west Is
to gain about one-seventh of French
territory occupied by the Germans. If
it has taken two and one-half years
to repossess one-seventh, how long
will it take to get the -total ? The al
lied advances in the past few months
have of course been more rapid than
in the beginning; but now again they
are up against a new ;-not an old, un
tenable, thoroughly mined German'
lines.
The Oregonian observes that there
is a; growing impression that Germany
win soon quit, or collapse. Those who
think so grievously misunderstand the
real situation. The recent military
movements indeed are hopeful, and
augur final success but not soon.
It will be long delayed, indeed, unless
German's resources fail. They are
falling.
The real hope of success, and the
only hope of a comparatively early
success, is in the breakdown that will
certainly occur through the processes
of starvation and through the failure
of German war supplies.
The victory is not going to be won
by General Haig, or General Petain,
or General Pershing. It will be by
General Starvation and General Pov
erty. "The Nomad," who writes regularly
and-' entertainingly for the Boston
Transcript, has found the reason for
the apparent phenomenon that when
a man walking downtown meets an
individual possessing some peculiarity,
such as a limp, or a green hat, or a
blue umbrella, he is almost certain to
encounter another before he has ended
his journey. He has checked it up
and found it to be quite generally the
rule. . But the explanation is to be
found in same mental process that
studies the weather almanacs and dis
covers that when one forecast made a
year ahead comes true, others are
likely to follow to justify the weather
sharp. It is due simply to the fact
that when one's attention is directed
to something out of the ordinary, one
is put on his guard, as it were, so that
the next one attracts his attention.
and if there should be a third It Is
more than ever impressed upon him.
The fact that lame men and green
hats are not particularly rare has
previously escaped his notice. The
same factors entered into the ancient
superstition about the red -headed 'girl
and the white horse, which, however,
we do not hear so much about since
automobiles crowded all horses from
the streets, while Titian-haired girls
are as numerous and as beautiful as
ever.
SUrFOSB AVE STRIKE?
Prior to the recent election The
Oregonian published recommendations
on twenty-four city and state meas
ures. With one exception, the vote of
the people of Portland last Monday
coincided with the recommendations
given. Whether this was due to pure
coincidence or indicates a strong con
fidence in the good Judgment of The
Oregonian, we shall leave to others
less modest to say. - The purpose now
is to discuss the one disagreement.
Therein the majority of voters
throughout the state voted as did the
majority of voters in Portland. The
measure consolidates city, state and
county elections. Its sole recommen
dation is that it will save a little
money. But what a job the people
have voted upon themselves that is,
if they intend to do the work them
selves! Under the terms of this amendment
the next Portland city election will be
held in November, 1920. At that elec
tion we should in any event have had
to choose five Presidential electors,
a United States Senator, Representa
tive in Congress, Dairy Commissioner,
Railroad Commissioner, Secretary of
State, two Justices of the Supreme
Court, three Circuit Judges, Sheriff,
Clerk, Surveyor, District Attorney, two
County Commissioners, County Treas
urer, Assessor, School Superintendent,
Coroner, Constable, five State Sen
ators and thirteen State Representa
tives forty-four officials In all. Now
we have added not only two City Com
missioners and a City Auditor to the
list, but a great array, in all probabil
ity, of charter amendments and city
ordinances.
In the. past, on one state ballot.
there have been as many as thirty
eight constitutional amendments and
proposed laws. In the last city elec
tion eighteen charter amendments and
ordinances were presented in addition
to candidates.
The 1916 state and county ballot
carried the names of 120 candidates
for office. The recent city election
brought out sixteen candidates for the
two places in the City Council. In
1920, It Is not an exaggerated proba
bility, we shall have the names of 150
candidates on the ballot and the titles
of fifty measures of all kinds. The
ballot will be something like a horse
blanket in size and election boards in
the larger precincts will probably not
be done counting for a week after
election.
The average voter probably did not
give the amendment any other thought
than that it would save a little public
money. If he had he would have
known that he would have neither
the time nor inclination to give so
great a number of candidates and
measures proper study and considera
tion. Of course the press will still be in
existence and it will be simple enough
to turn to one's favorite newspaper
for guidance. It has already been
said by men not in journalism that
an outcome of the Oregon system Is to
turn elections over to the newspapers.
It is a job that The Oregonian, for one,
does not covet. Its opposition to the
latest trend in that direction found
in the amendment just adopted is an
earnest of its sincerity. Just at the
moment we are wondering what would
be the result if all the newspapers
should . go on election strike. Could
they catch us with the anti-conspiracy
ordinance?
. A GENERAL WHO HAS MADE GOOD.
Major-General Pershing, who will
command the American expedition to
France, is a man who has made good
and will therefore have public confi
dence in his ability to measure up
with the French and British Generals,
Petain and Haig, with whom he will
co-operate, and with the German Gen
erals, against whom he must contend.
He has to gain experience in a new
style of warfare, but he has shown
such adaptability to varying conditions
in his past campaigns that he may be
expected quickly to master the pe
culiarities of trench war.
He no sooner graduated from West
Point than he took part, as Second
Lieutenant of the Sixth Cavalry, in
the campaign against Geronimo. He
won praise from General Miles for
having marched his troop with a pack
train 140 miles in forty-six hours and
for having "brought in every man and
animal in good condition." In the
Spanish war he won his Captaincy by
gallantry at the battle of El Caney,
where he fought in the Tenth Cavalry.
He was then sent to Manchuria as
military observer with the Japanese
army and won high praise for the
valuable report he made.
General Pershing's rapid promotion
has been the subject of much adverse
comment as an example of gross fa
voritism, because he was the son-in-law
of Senator Warren, chairman of
the military committee, but the facts
prove that the criticism was not Justi
fied. In a message to Congress on
December 7, 1903, President Roosevelt
condemned the rule of promotion by
seniority and mentioned Captain Per
shing as a gallant officer who had
been held back by it. Miss Frances
Warren heard the message read and
expressed a desire to meet the officer
who had won such commendation. An
acquaintance followed, which led to
their marriage two years later.
In 1906 Mr. Roosevelt wished to
make him a Colonel, but found that
the law forbade, though it permitted
appointment as Brigadier-General. In
his characteristic way he took the bull
by the horns and jumped Pershing
from Captain to Brigadier. Though
this promotion was made after his
marriage, he had been picked for it
on his merits before he had even
formed the acquaintance of Miss
Warren.
The General justified the President's
action by his success in his first com
mand in active service. He was sent
to finish . the campaign against the
Moros in Mindanao and Jolo and be
sieged them in their supposedly im
pregnable fortress in the extinct
crater of Bud Dajo on Jolo. They
made several dashes to break through
the ring of steel, but were cut down
or driven back at each attempt. Final
ly, on Christmas day,' 1911, the re
maining 400 surrendered. Subjuga
tion of the Moros was completed, at
the battle of Bagsag in June, 1913.
This achievement marked out Per
shing as the logical- man to lead the
punitive expedition against 'Villa in
1916, and he distinguished himself as
much by the patience and endurance
with which he performed that Irksome
and inglorious task as he would doubt
less have done had he been set free to
hunt the bandits to their lairs. He
now reaps his reward by receiving a
command where he will not be held in
leash, but will have full swing to ham
mer the foe and to prove that Amer
ican soldiers are the equal of British,
French and Colonial troops.
TURNING THE NEEDLE TO ACCOUNT.
Women with taste for needlework
will find food for thought In the sug
gestion of the Federal Bureau of Edu
cation that they devote their energies
this year to war work, rather than the
making of articles of personal adorn
ment. Tatting and chenille embroidery
and crocheted doilies will seem rather
trivial when It is understood that the
Red Cross has practically unlimited
need for such practical articles as
operating, gowns, wash cloths, hot
water bag covers, pajamas and gowns
for convalescents.
War preparation is an intensely
practical affair. There is not much
time to waste In art and there is con
stant call for pure utility. However
much the soldier may be cheered by
the thought that someone's loving
hands have worked a monogram on
the corner of his handkerchief, he
will be a great deal better served by
the larger quantity of plain necessi
ties that can be produced In the time
wasted o' "fancywc " This applies
not only to home sewing but to classes
in colleges, high schools and elemen
tary schools. The Government strong
ly urges co-operation between local
Red Cross chapters and the public
schools with this end in view.
Otlser mean:;. that may not have
occurred to those inexperienced in war
relief work are also suggested. For
example, there is a tremendous, waste
of rags in the country. There will be
a demand for every square inch of
cloth that can be saved. Business will
be kept going as usual if citizens of
both sexes will continue to purchase
clothing according to their means but
will use extra care to save every gar
ment that can possibly be put to use.
There should be no sending of cloth
to the incinerator. Every cutting
should be preserved. Use will be
found for the final remnants, and the
tiniest scraps of colored textiles will
eventually find their way to the paper
factories.
The Government appeal emphasizes
the fact that little things count. It is
right for us in this regard to profit by
the example of our enemy. It is prob
able that German attention to minutiae
has made it possible for that country
to prolong the war until today. If the
Germans had been as wasteful from
the outset as some of our allies were
In the beginning, they would have been
whipped long ago. We must not make
the mistake of scorning to save, and
save, and save.
SUBMARINE LOSES ITS PUNCH.
The power of the submarine for evil
has been reduced in the week ending
June 3 below that for the week end
ing April 1, Judging by the report of
British losses. As the British mer
chant marine before the war consti
tuted about two-fifths of the world's
total and as it now constitutes about
the same proportion and has been
most persistent in keeping the sea, its
losses are probably a fair Indication
of the whole. The figures for British
losses during the last two months are:
Ships Sunk
Above Below
Week ending Ittoil tnna ikiio inn.
April 1 18 13
April K J7 2
April 15 1 !1
April S2 4(1 15
April 2f 1:t
May 0 -J4 2s
May l:t is a
May 20 18
May 27 18' 1
Juno 3 13 8
The loss in the last week falls be
low that for any of the preceding
three weeks, during which the de
struction shrank to about the rate
which prevailed in the last week of
March and the first two weeks of
April. During the last two weeks of
April the totals reached alarming pro
portions, which caused a great ecare
and prompted an American naval of
ficer in British waters to write to a
friend on May 6:
The situation Is really getting out of con
trol. The American public has been fed on
lies for so long that It will be doubly dif
ficult to impress it with the facta. The
simple facts of increasing danger and Im
portance are;
First More ships are sunk per month than
can possibly be replaced in the same interval
of time.
Second An Insignificant number of sub
marines Is being destroyed.
Third Not one-tenth as many have been
accounted for to date as we have been led
to believe.
That letter was written in the light
of losses which In one week totaled
fifty-five British ships alone, esti
mated at 400,000 tons. If this rate of
destruction had been sustained, it
would have meant the loss of 235
ships a month by Great Britain. Fig
ures are not available as to the losses
of the other allies and of neutrals,
which may have equaled those of Brit
ain, making a grand total of 470 ships
a month, or nearly sixteen a day. Had
this rate of destruction continued, it
would have been beyond the power of
the non-German world to replace the
lost tonnage, even If every shipyard
had been worked with feverish speed,
and the loss of cargoes might easily
have left the allies short of food and
have crippled their armies for lack
of arms and munitions.
But a review of the entire two
months suggests that In the latter half
of April Germany sent out an unusual
ly large fleet of U-boats in the hope
both of striking terror into the allies
and into those neutrals who persisted
In trading with them and of reviving
the confidence of the German people.
which had been so shaken by the
American declaration of war and by
their own sufferings that strikes bor
dering on revolt broke out in the in
dustrial centers.
This degree of submarine activity
could not be sustained, hence the de
crease in British losses to forty-six
ships in the first week and to twenty-
three in the second week of May. At
the same time the American destroyer
flotilla got into action and the num
ber of armed merchant ships, both
British and American, steadily in
creased. The decrease in losses dur
ing May Implies either that the theory
of a monthly spurt of activity by the
U-boats was erroneous or that the
allied patrol became more efficient
with the advent of the Americans, or
both. In either case, there is cause
for hope that the destructiveness of
the submarine has passed its maxi
mum and that it will steadily dimin
ish as more American destroyers are
brought into action and as new de
vices, both offensive and defensive,
are used against the U-boats.
There is, however, no justification
for us to relax our efforts to build all
the ships possible, to press the cam
paign against undersea boats and to
pour a constant stream of supplies of
all kinds into sorely distressed France
and Britain. At the reduced rate of
the last week, the Germans were still
sinking seventy-seven British ships a
month, which implies a possible total
of 154 of all nations. New ships at
the rate of over five a day would be
necessary to make good this loss. The
one new ship a day promised after
six months by an Eastern company
must be multiplied five times by all
non-German nations in order to do
this. But new tonnage should be pro
duced much faster in order to replace
that which has already been destroyed
and that which s rapidly deteriorating
under constant pressure.
In such an emergency there is no
ltlme to waste in debating whether
ships shall be built of steel or of wood;
our energy should be centered on pro
ducing as many as possible of both
materials. We have only begun defeat
of the submarine: to complete its de
feat will require unremitting effort.
THE DIRECTORY AS LITERATURE.
Happy is the reader who, cast away
in the desert of his hotel room, it may
be, can discover a romantic literature
in the telephone directory, for to such
as he there will never come an hour
of empty idleness. For such a man.
Professor Ernest Weekley, the Eng
lish writer on modern languages,, is an
Inspiration. His book on "The Ro
mance of Names" published more
than two years ago, has more recently
Deen supplemented by another, more
imposing, on "Surnames," of which
the London Times says that It appeals
to conflicting senses in us. We read
books on words and names with a
peculiar fascination. We are bored,
and interested, and irritated, "we
think them fantastic and absurd and
we cannot read them, and yet we can
not put , them down." But, as the
Times points out, interest in the study
of names is a fad that has one ad
vantage over all others. The botanist,
the ornithologist and the conchologist
must travel far to find their speci
mens; the student of names has his
material before him in every store
sign, in the city directory, in the ad
vertising pages as well as the news
columns of his newspaper, and even
In the city directory itself.
Professor Weekley, however, is a
philologist, and so he extracts more
from his subject than would the ordi
nary man. He says himself that "the
study of surnames may be regarded
as a branch of learning," and he adds
that while as a pastime "it is as Inno
cent as stamp collecting and possibly
as intellectual, as a branch of learning
it is an inexhaustible, and hitherto
practically unworked, mine of philo
logical knowledge." He proceeds to
illuminate this thought by explaining
that in the mere matter of the chro
nology of words, the study of sur
names is of great and hitherto unre
garded importance. He finds words
that had become common enough to
be used as nicknames three or four
centuries before the dates when their
first appearance was noted In the Ox
ford dictionary. The name of Robert
Pusekat, for example, appears three.
centuries before the word "puss" is
seen in any literary record. So it will
be observed that there is a romance
In names, after all. and that in them
may be bound up all sorts of secrets
of our progress as a race.
A goodly proportion of names, Pro
fessor Weekley observes, are occupa
tlve. In more primitive times, men
often called one another after the
trade in which they were employed.
The philologist takes especial interest
in the discovery that the name Miller
existed as an occupative nickname
some 300 years before the word Is
otherwise known to have been em
ployed. The six commonest occupa
tive names In our language are Smith,
Taylor, Clark, Wright, Walker and
Turner. But there are in addition to
occupative names a long list of nick
names that have been dignified by
formal adoption, and Clark is curious
ly, we are told, in both these classifi
cations, since it was once given not
only to those who were employed as
clerks, but also to others who could
read and write.
Our forefathers did not have our
opportunities for education. For cen
turies people were Indifferent as to the
spelling of their names Shakespeare
being a noteworthy example and as
recently as 1870 a large number of
English people could not spell their
names at all. Wo have Professor
Weekley's word for this, and he sup
ports his assertion with the records
of many families, the individual mem
bers of which signed the official reg
isters of their parishes and spelled the
family name in as many ways as there
were members signing it. So he would
not deride the Smythes. whose ances
tors had as much right to their way
of spelling the name as did the Smiths.
And . the Smiths are a mighty army
because the name was at first applied
to all "smlters" of metal.
What our names would be like If we
followed the old practice of occupative
selection would be a fruitful field for
conjecture. The Smiths would con
tinue with us, of course, but they
would have a variety of company. The
beginning of the age of machinery has
long post-dated the fixation of our
name system, and nearly all the arts
and sciences have been developed
since that time. We should have a
vast array of chemists and auto-bus
drivers and electricians and loom
tenders and what-not from which to
draw, with suitable suffixes and pre
fixes to designate whether they were
good, bad or indifferent workmen. For
it was the custom of those ancestors
of ours to take all sorts of liberties
in their selection of names. They
were like our own North American
Indians, and quite frequently not any
more merciful. But It is a curious
fact that in seeking out peculiarities
on which to hang names, they made
liberal use of the head and hair and
eyes and legs, but passed over the
nose entirely. The French, who are
politer than we are, however, had
no such compunction, as appears to
be Indicated by the name Courtenay,
which Professor Weekley traces in
an old French epic to "court nez,"
short nose, an epithet conferred on
the famous Gulllaume d'Orange, when
the sword of a Saracen giant removed
that Important feature.
There are many surprises in store
for the student of names. The phi
lologist must be ever on the watch.
He no sooner finds that Bible names
were exceedingly popular at a certain
period, that Adam is responsible for
twenty-seven compounds, that his son
Abel has contributed almost as many
more, and is about to set down the
Kanes and the Cains as due to mis
guided reverence for another member
of the Adam family, than he Is
brought up with a short turn. Now
of . course no one would choose the
slayer of his brother to name a boy
after, and the true philologist dis
covers that the Kane family got their
name from the Norman town of Coen,
where at some time they lived. These
are typical of a long list of "local"
surnames, but they do not indicate
ancestrUl ownership in most instances.
In the case of small features of the
landscape, like "bridge" and "hill,"
the name might have been given from
the place of residence. But in the
case of counties, towns and villages,
the name usually was acquired after
the person had left the locality. "John
Tiler, leaving Acton, would be known
to his new neighbors as John Acton."
The author reveals that "English" is
a Scotch name, that "Cornish" first
became common In Devonshire, and
that "Cutler" was a rare name in Shef
field, where most of the cutlery was
made. '
All the linguistic streams meet' In
our composite names. We may spec
ulate to our hearts' content once we
have the tax roll open before us. We
may wonder, if we will, why the Eng
lish chose only Munday out of all the
days of the week, while the Germans
have their Sontag, Dienstag and Frey
tag; and why the English named no
one after God (Godde being traced to
a wholly different origin), while the
French, who were not behind them In
reverence, adopted Ledieu without
question. There is thus in names not
only an interesting study of the man
ners and customs of our ancestors, but
an epitome of the history of their
culture as well.
THE AUTHOR OF THE YAWP.
Controversy over the credit, or the
blame, according to the way one looks
at it, for vers libre is likely to be re
newed by the death of William J
Lampton, the kindly satirist, journalist
and poet, who is said by his admirers
to have been the first to make use of
that unconventional form of expres,
6lon. "The American Eagle Speaks,'
written at the time of our controversy
with Italy over the killing lay mem
bers of the Mafia of the Chief of Po
lice of New Orleans', defied all the
rules of literary art, as the rules were
established at that time. They ignored
meter and did not try to rhyme. But
it was appropriate that they should
do those things. The American eagle
would do them. Lampton believed, if
his mind were filled with his subject.
So "free verse" was born. Lampton
did not regard himself as seriously as
do some other free versifiers. This is
shown by the fact that his own name
for the free verse was the "yawp."
There are poets, as well as artists
and others, whose sole accomplish
ment appears to be the outraging of
conventionalities, whether or not they
accomplish anything by doing so.
Some of them call themselves Futur
ists, and they dabble in oils and cray
on and grease pencils, as well as in
words. They are the I. W. W. of liter
ature, and their chief delight is in
committing sabotage. Merely to
glimpse a "rule" is to inspire them
with a horrid desire to smash it. If
Emma Goldman were a poet, she
would write that way. They call it
being "freed from the trammels of
literary class consciousness," or some
thing like that. The result is mostly
uninspiring. Oliver Hereford, who
never made the mistake of overesti
mating inconsequentlalitles, satirized
the whole movement deftly when a
few years ago he devised the "rymbel,"
consisting of "ten, twenty and thirty
line stanzas," and also known, he ex
plained, as the "tent-twent-thirt" style
of versification. Pure iconoclasm,
which has no idea except to be differ
ent, is certainly not constructive and
it Is of dubious value In literature, or
any other calling.
Apotheosis of the different has led
writers to some queer extremes. The
staccato style seemed to have run its
course when one Signor Marinetti, for
example, produced the following, in
the effort to go originality one better,
with what success the reader can de
cide himself:
Hohohohowllng of 1500 sick men at car
riage doors locked before 18 Turkish gun
ners tattered to pieces
rags, tatters, caps
officers thrown upon the
network of Iron wires pass at all costs an
guish writhe with the shot bayonet tear the
malls, rage, mousetrap
This was not the product of an in
mate of a certain institution at Salem,
or one like it at Steilacoom, but of a
man at large, seriously engaged in
the business of writing and attempting
to describe what we are permitted to
surmise was probably a grave situa
tion. But this Futuristic method
wholly ignored the dictum of Addison,
to the effect that the first purpose of
language is to yield its contained
thought while at the same time exact
ing a minimum of mental effort on
the part of the party of the second
part. It required a special knack of
Interpretation which we may believe
that even the author's co-Futurists
may not always possess. For example.
If anything could be worse than Signor
Marinetti's effort, it might be this:
tlactlac 11 II gailll
t rrrrrrtrrrrrr
talatatoo tallalalatoo
currrrrrrrr
cuhrrf
- guhrrrr
. The super-Intelligent reader, of
course, will recognize this bit of free
verse at first glance at the struggle of
a locomotive to express the thoughts
within him or it but there must be
many others among the poet's pros
pective audience who will not com
prehend the inward- soul of the thing
without the help of copious footnotes
and explanations. The man who said
that "rhetoric is the art of dressing
up some unimportant matter so as to
fool the audience for the time being"
opened a veritable Pandora's box, as
Is the way with so many who general
ize indiscriminately, and with others
who sacrifice truth to make an epi
gram. For as to getting away from
the practice of dressing up unimpor
tant matter so as to fool people into
giving attention to it, the vers librlsts
are worse than the formal rhetori
cians. Their antics are as amusing
as those of the clown who puts green
pantaloons on a four-dollar calf to
get a laugh, but seldom commands an
encore. His task is ended when he
elicits the first outburst of surprised
applause. He has succeeded in being
different." with all that this form of
originality implies. If verse writing
has a higher mission than clowning.
the future of the Futurist is all in
the past.
Lampton, however, labored under
no delusions and did not run the
'yawp" into the ground. His notion
that the eagle would not scream to
the cadence of conventional verse was
allowable enough, but not - all verse
writers, are eagles, by any means.
There was nothing in the books that
seemed quite to fit the eagle's situa
tion; but this all happened more than
a quarter of a century ago, before we
had gone mad in pursuit of original
ity, and he had some trouble getting
his eagle verses printed. The editor
of the Washington newspaper on
which he was employed turned them
down because he feared to Imperil the
literary reputation of his paper. But
Charles A. Dana, who had a talent for
uncovering genius, accepted them on
merit. Whether he would have done
so if ho had known what he was
starting may reasonably be open to
doubt. "The American Eagle Speaks,"
however, was one of the most widely
copied conceits of its day.
Lampton also was a pioneer in top
ical verse. He wrote a vast quantity
of it, in satirical vein, but in the ex
treme of good nature. He was noted
for his inconspicuous benevolences,
and in this he showed himself a true
poet, whatever may be said of his
technic. One somehow does not asso
ciate poetry with bitterness and gall.
In love of his fellow-man, Lampton
deserves to rank with the best of
them.
That there are still plenty of places
for us to conserve our supply of horses
is shown by the final banishment of
horse-propelled boats from the Erie
Canal. The New York Legislature has
made an Appropriation for maintenance
of motor-driven towboata. for which the
owner of the barge pays at the rate
of only 20 cents an hour, a sum far
under the cost of maintaining horses
or mules, to say nothing of the wages
of the driver. Formerly it took a
month to make the round trip be
tween Buffalo and New York; hence
forth the trip will be made in eighteen
days. Thus the state not only saves
horse and mule flesh, but a lot of pro
fanity as well, for canal-boat drivers
from the beginning have been famous
for their picturesque and voluble oaths.
There is a tradition that the reason
James A. Garfield failed as a canal
boat driver was that his religious
training forbade profanity, while the
animals he was hired to handle had
learned to respond to nothing else.
There presently will e a "good
roads movement" in China, for the
Orientals are awaking to the pleasure
and profit of automoblling, but use of
motor cars is practically limited to the
towns, especially Hongkong and
Shanghai. Government reports show
that American manufacturers export
ed 6624 cars to China in 1916. which
was three times as many as in the pre
ceding year and ftve times as many as
in 1914. In most of the interior of the
country, however, travel except by ox
cart Is impossible in the rainy season,
and the roads are poor under the most
favorable conditions. Recent expert
ences in more civilized regions have
shown that the automobile is a tre
mendous factor in stimulating road
construction, and this will be further
aided throughout the Far East by the
new prosperity of the people, which
has in part grown out of the demand
for such staples as rubber, and has
made money more plentiful than it
ever has been in history.
Denmark is holding its position of
pre-eminence in the raising of seeds
and promises to be in a position to
supply a good part of the world at
highly remunerative prices as soon as
agriculture Is generally resumed. The
development of seed culture In that
country was due in the first place to
a fortunate combination of soil and
climate, which favored the develop
ment of strong and hardy strains,
especially of the cruciform varieties
of plants, but the business has been
built up by infinite taking of pains,
Seed selection and the fixing of strains
is essentially the task of men who
love their work and are in not too
great haste for returns, and the Dan
ish temperament is peculiarly suitable
in this regard. Reopening of com
munication with the world and impor
tation of much needed chemical fer
tilizers will result in a seed-growing
boom such as Denmark has never be
fore experienced.
Men ambitious to serve their coun
try In the air will be glad to learn that
the demand for aviators is still greater
than the prospective supply, although
they are being turned out of the pre
liminary schools at the rate of 150 a
week. Applications are made to the
Personal Section, Signal Corps, Wash
ington, D. C. Primary aviation schools
are being conducted under Govern
ment supervision at the Universities of
California, Texas, Illinois and Ohio,
and at Cornell and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Physical,
mental and moral requirements are se
vere, and the candidate passing these
tests receives eight weeks' instruction
in one of the Government schools be
fore being sent to another school for
actual instruction in flying. As our
part in the actual war increases there
will be greater and greater need for
aviators, with no presont prospect that
there will be too many of them.
The homes of the Danbury hatters
are to be sold next month to satisfy
the judgments. Much has been paid,
but more than $250,000 Is unsatisfied.
These men lost on what they held to
be a principle, and the basis of labor
organization is a principle. That they
must lose their homes is a hardship
that should appeal to organized labot
generally. There are more than 2,
000,000 individuals in the American
Federation of Labor and a dime apiece
will save loss to the misguided hat
ters. If "standing by" means any
thing, this is the time to show it and
to show that organizing is not con
fined to "chewing the rag" and trying
to raise the scale.
Signs multiply that the I. W. W. are
not going to meet with the tolerant
treatment good-naturedly accorded to
them in the past.. The man who Is im
bued with a desire for fighting now
has a place to go where he can exer
cise himself to his soul's content.
With utter disregard of all conse
quences, Berlin has broken with Haiti.
A few more enemies more or less
counts for little, with so many already
on the list.
More power .to the shears with
which the War Department is said to
be cutting red tape. There is a lot to
be cut before the country will be free
to extend Itself.
The Kaiser urges his men to "hasten
the exhaustion of the enemy's forces."
But this is a game that more than one
can play at, and highly expensive, be
sides. Germans have been reduced to an
egg apiece every thirty days. Unfor
tunately for them, the day of the syn
thetic egg has hot yet arrived.
If only It could be impressed on
those Russian soldiers that now Is the
psychological moment for real action
on the eastern front!
The French government evidently
does not agree with Colonel Goethals
as to the utility of the wooden ship.
Now for the last few millions of Ore
gon's share of the liberty loan.
EGOTISM OP SLACKER RELIGIOJT
Pro-Germans In America Should Read
History of World, Including Bible.
VALE. Or., June 2. (To the Editor.)
Are the opponents of the volunteer
system, the selective draft system, to
any system which embodies war with.
Germany and who point to the BJblo
as the fundamental groundwork for
their opposition to defense of liberty,
sincere in their near-treason? Are they
not rather genuine pro-German tym
pathizers who are attempting to play
upon minds of the people with insin
uating Slackerian logic?
These professed followers of a God
created, by the human mind, who Is ,
pacifist god when needed for protec
tion from some disliked duty, or at
god of vengeance wi.n needed to pun
ish the enemies or disbeliever in th
tenets of Slackerian religion, should
lay aside their egotism and read tha
history of the world, of which the Bi
ble is a part, and apply it to the pres
ent situation.
The God of these Christians has been
a. God of war since the creation of his)
universe. All we know is strife from
man to dust. Destruction from which,
arises life and life which yields to
change, immutable and unavoidable,
either in organic or inorganic crea
tion. The record of the ages, including the
Biblical, discloses no security for tha
defenseless, no hope for tho pacifist, no
gain, either mental or moral, spiritual
or material, without some opposing?
agency creating human strife.
This Christian's God gave over tho
beautiful land of Canaan, "flowing
with milk and honey." to rapine and
destruction that his chosen might en
Joy their country, ravish their women,
and they endured until enervating lux
ury handed them over to Babylonian
virility, and Rome, which finally scat
tered them to the four winds, fell from
her mighty estate through and by the
Fame luxurious civilization, suffering
almost the same ills from the ancestors
of the present Goths and Vandals, who
are today razing cities, destroying the
old and young and ravishing the
daughters of Belgium and France.
These Christians, as well as some so
called Socialists, refuse to consider the
advancemont in war power through the
agency of air and sea control and ob
ject to our defending ourselves from
the savage beast running amuck in
Europe.
I would have no quarrel with these
Christians (so-called) were they, and
the pro-German Socialists who wear
buttons with treasonable legends, to be
tho only sufferers In the great catas
trophe which would overwhelm the
world should autocracy prevail. But I
protest against the course which will
destroy my country, my home, my lib
erty and my religion and will oppose
such course to the bitter end.
Let the Germans have Germany and
let the sea be free.
Let the sea be free and Belgium be
restored.
So much for the Christian who cloaks
his fear behind his religion and points
to the bloodiest record of history for
his reason.
We have In our midst, from sea to
sea, another dealer in Slackerian logic
fully as dangerous and far more open
than the Christian (so-called), and that
Is the pro-German wing of the Social
ists. The are numerous, bold and
genuine troublemakers. They are ad
vocating forcible resistance to the se
lective draft. They are sending out
treasonable literature by the ton. Their
devotees are decorating their coat lap
els with buttons on which Is Inscribed
the legend: "Not a dollar for the war.
not a man for the war." They are using
every possible unfair argument to pre
vent the success of the liberty lpan.
Definite action should be taken
against these people. Freedom of
speech is one thing; treasonable speech
another. From tho one we must suffer
some inconveniences, but from the lat
ter we should be immune.
To these people I might suggest that
they remove themselves to the country
they love. This country is ours; ours
who love liberty of speech, liberty of.
action, opportunity for advancement,
and we are In the majority; we are
living under a democracy where tho
majority rules; we love the country
governed by the people for tho people.
Is our education all to go for noth
ing? We see the rich and poor giving
and suffering side by side to defend
themselves from the terror which haa
arisen In Europe. They are doing
more: they are defending us. Had it
not been for the fleet of England our
cities would have been destroyed or
under tribute long since.
The men or women who will refuse
to defend their homes deserve little
consideration: but those who will not
only fail to protect their own liberty,
but Insist In dragging down their
neighbors, need severe consideration.
JOHN RIGBY.
the: tramps the: thing,
(A plan to compel hohos to enlist, pre
pared by Alderman D . was submitted to
the City Council lsst evening. Newspaper
Item.)
0 ruler, good and great.
1 haste your scheme to celebrate!
Till now, enlistment speaks of daring
mind;
Henceforth, of Aldermanic push behind!
Economy's the word.
And. pray, what thought is more ab
surd Than that the orderly, industrious
strong.
Should leave their gainful ways to
fight with wrong?
Let sloth with wrong engage!
Who cares how wide the battle rage?
Charge, hobos, charge! Get old wrong's
ornery goat!
Be brave, you wear our colors on your
coat!
If dying must be done.
Assuredly, it best should come
From those who no good thing for man
have wrought.
Who never once of sacrifice have
thought!
Of course, the tramps would fight.
And hunger, thirst and bleed for right!
I see them cling to Thessaly's blood
soaked slope
And welcome long-drawn death for
Grecian hope!
And Weary Willies follow Tell
With bleeding feet o'er rooky fell!
Indomitable, they march with glorious
George
The dreary way that leads to Valley
Forge!
Teddy's a played-out scream.
His mental preparedness a dream!
Just give the tramp the drill-ground
laws.
And you can save your Warrens, Hales
and Shaws!
O, Alderman astute!
You sure have trumped war's leading
suit!
At once you break war's spell on young
and brave
And thrust the hobo in the patriot's
grave!
Shut shop, and take a long, long walk!
There'll be delay beyond thy wildest
dream.
So, Congress, cease your talk.
With tramps 'we smash the Prussian
war machine!
Eugene. Or. S. D. ALLEN.
Government of Canada.
PORTLAND, June 9. (To the Edi
tor.) To settle a dispute please advise
if Canada has a separate government
or if It is tributary to England.
A SUBSCRIBER.
Canada has an autonomous govern
ment. The Governor-General Is ap
pointed by the King, but In all legis
lation affecting domestic affairs Can
ada Is self-governing. The only mat
ters referred to the Imperial Privy
Counsel are those which appear to con
flict with the policies of the empire,
or Imrslr imperial fnrplfn relations.
Open season for slackers is now on.
V