THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, JUNE 24, 1917,
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POKTLAXD, SUNDAY JlE 4, 1817.
WANTED A WAR SLOGAN.
Although it has failed to produce
on the spur of the moment a new
patriotic song deemed worthy of gen
eral adoption, the budding genius of
the country still has work to do. Now
a war slogan is wanted a battle cry
for our soldiers abroad. There will be
no reward but the consciousness of
duty done. There is no doubt of the
inspirational effect of a slogan pitched
in the right key. But a slogan is like
a song: its acceptance will depend on
the humor of the soldiers themselves.
No rules will govern it, and no man
date of the Government will force it
upon them. Its value will depend upon
Its spontaneity.
It ought to be borne In mind that
the American slogan must carry with
it no idea of revenge. "Remember
the Maine" failed to " measure up to
the full requirements of our situation
in the Spanish War, for whatever may
be said as to the effect of the destruc
tion of our battleship in precipitating
the conflict, the undercurrents were
vastly deeper than that. As a Nation,
we were truly stirred to our founda
tions by the atrocities perpetrated in
Cuba.
It is too late to regard "Remember
the Lusitania" as a fitting battle cry
for this war in which we are now en
gaged, for various reasons, among
them being the fact that the Lusi
tania represents only' a small part of
our own grievance, and the further
circumstance that we are as a matter
of fact fighting not only in defense
of our own existence but in a broader
sense for the preservation of democ
racy in the world. How to compre
hend our mission in a few words, that
will be something more than mere
rhetoric and at the same time not
overshoot the mark, is a problem that
well may engage serious attention.
At the time of the French revolu
tion a song was woven around the cry,
"Ca ira," that fired the fighting men
with enthusiasm. The literal transla
tion does not do justice to the French.
"It will come out all right in the end,"
from the mouth of an American,
might mean about the same thing.
But no parallel to the "Gott strafe
England!" of the Germans is wanted.
It is quite clear that we are not in
this war . to take vengeance on any
nation, or any people. Our motive is
much higher than that.
We have our memories of outrage
and injustice, as did the Teians who
were aroused to fury by the Alamo,
but no one sentence can be made to
include them. We remember our
women and children who have per
ished at sea, but also the murdered
innocents of Belgium and France. We
know that our relief ships have been
sunk on their way to perform errands
of mercy, and also we are moved
when we read of the funerals of some
scores of baby victims of German sub
marines in England.
We know that the Armenians have
been almost exterminated by the
Turks, and that the laws of nations
and the rules of war have been vio
lated on every hand by our enemies.
We have been moved by all these
things. Our motives are cumulative.
The whirlpool of our emotions is made
by the meeting of many currents.
So, in view of the difficulties pre
sented, we may be forced to do with
our a war cry, even as our allies have
failed to find one that seemed to stick.
But it is still worth trying. One never
can tell what genius may be able to
accomplish.
WAR LOANS OF THREE COUNTRIES.
For a people so unaccustomed in
the mass to investments in Govern
ment bonds as are the American peo
ple, it is no small feat to have found
about four million subscribers to the
first war loan. This is an evidence of
the financial wellbeing of the people
in general, it shows that they are
quick to learn the value of this kind
of investment and it augurs well for
a far larger number of subscribers to
the next and succeeding loans. The
belligerent nations had had nearly
three years experience in war finance
when Americans' education began, and
we have made a much better begin
ning than Britain made or than others
would have made with like inex
perience. The number and amount of small
subscriptions to war loans is a good
guide to the financial endurance of
a nation, at war. The British began
with a loan which was subscribed in
large sums by a few rich banks and
other institutions,- but they soon
learned to draw on the small investor.
There were about 1.100.000 subscrib
ers to their second loan in 1915, and
of the $3,000,000,000 only one-third
was taken by the banks. This and
subsequent issues Increased the popu
larity of government bonds, but they
were far from draining this source of
capital, for the last great loan of
about $5,000,000,000 was subscribed
by 5,289,000 persons.
The British have organized the
small investors into 34,199 war savings
associations, which are constantly buy
ing certificates at 15s 6d which the
government agrees to redeem after
five years at 1, interest included. In
the week ending May 5 these associa
tions bought 1,278,968 certificates and
they had bought an aggregate of 101,
690,189 to that date.
While the number of subscribers to
British loans is increasing and is sus
tained by the associations, a compari
son of the fourth and fifth German
loans shows a directly opposite tend
ency. The total number of subscrib
ers decreased from 6,279,645 to 3,
809,976, and the decrease was largest
among subscribers of small sums,
while there was a decided increase of
persons who lent large sums. The
decreases were: 1 to 200 marks, 25.4
per cent; 200 to 500 marks, 29.6 per
pent; 500 to 1000 marks, 31.6 per cent;
1000 to 2000 marks, 35.6 per cent;
2000 to 5000 marks, 26.4 per cent;
5000 to 10,000 marks, 18.1 per cent;
10,000 to 20,000 marks, 3.7 per cent;
20,000 to 60,000 marks, 6.1 per cent.
Increases begin at 60,000 marks and
are: 60,000 to 100,000 marks, 7.1 per
cent; 100,000 to 500,000 marks, 24.8
per cent; 500,000 to 1,000,000 marks,
32.3 per cent; over 1,000,000 marks.
26.3 per cent. The amounts obtained
from each class of subscriber closely
correspond.
This contrast points either to ex
haustion of the ability of the German
middle and working classes to save,
or to unwillingness to invest in war
bonds: in either case, to the drying
up of a fruitful source of war funds.
In Great Britain the people are still
saving large sums and are willing to
stake their money on victory. The
United States has only begun to draw
on the source which is still so produc
tive in Britain, but which is running
dry in Germany. Adaptation of the
British plan to American conditions
would keep up a teady flow of funds
into the Treasury to supplement tax
revenue, and would be a valuable in
centive to thrift and to economy in
consumption, which would conserve
our food resources.
TOO RECKLESS.
There is a growing carelessness in
the handling of automobiles, apparent
to one who but scans the newspaper
columns for accidents. We do not
now refer to those who go out and
injure only themselves on some se
cluded grade or hairpin curve, but to
those who not only place their own
lives but those of careful persons in
constant danger.
There is a laxity in enforcement of
the traffic ordinance. Drivers cut
corners, dodge around streetcars,
jockey for places on the bridges,
crowd the speed limit, employ glar
ing headlights and are daily found
comporting themselves as if there
were no traffic laws.
It is true that arrests are made
daily for. speeding, but to get into
court one must really be speeding.
And ten miles above the limit on a
secluded street is more likely to get
one into trouble than the more dan
gerous five miles above the limit in
the crowded business section. ' There
is also considerable sternness em
ployed toward those who forget to
turn on lights or those who park in
unlawful places.
To enforce the traffic laws thor
oughly would probably require a much
greater police force than Portland
would care to maintain. Automobiles
are everywhere and policemen are not.
There was one year la which the
members of the Automobile Club
constituted themselves traffic officers.
Similar activity is needed again.
A TRUE NON-PARTISAN- JUDICIARY.
The unexpected death of Judge
William L. Bradshaw the other day
terminated a service of twenty-six
years on the Circuit bench. During
the period throughout which he served
so faithfully and so well, Oregon wit
nessed not a little agitation in favor
of non-partisan election of the judi
ciary. It was argued that because of
the preponderance of one political
party the public was deprived of the
services of those of other political
faith whose attainments would grace
the bench.
Yet in Judge Bradshaw's case was a
living example of the indifference of
the public to political affiliations in
election of men to the Oregon bench.
For more than a quarter century.
Judge Bradshaw presided in a district
in which the political party of which
he was not a member controlled con
sistently the machinery of public of
fice. His continued retention in of
fice was not only a testimonial to the
fair, painstaking, conscientious qual
ity of his justice, but a proof that the
public does appreciate, does reward.
There is more or less non-partisan
ship in election of Circuit Judges
throughout Oregon. True, there are
more Republicans on the bench than
Democrats, but there are more Repub
licans to select from, in the first place.
Above all, the courts of Oregon are
maintained at a high standard. Though
essentially rural outside of Portland,
the up-state has produced not the or
dinary conceptiort-frpf country jurist,
but men profound in learning, pro
gressive in thought and firm in the
path of duty. It is customary to ele
vate men from the Circuit bench to
the Supreme bench. It is not wholly
a matter of coincidence that such ele
vations in the past have almost, if
not quite, invariably been from the
country districts. It is evidence that
there is at least no inequality as be
tween city courts and up-state courts
nor inequality of public apprecia
tion.
Judge Bradshaw was typical of Ore
gon judges in his learning, industry
and impartiality, and also in the non
partisan quality of his election and
the virtual life tenure of his office.
He was one whom state, bench and
bar could ill afford to lose.
COMPLETING BRITISH DEMOCRACY.
One of the longest steps . in com
pleting the democratization of Great
Britain is the suffrage bill now before
Parliament. It is revolutionary, by
comparison with the existing order,
in the fact that it gives votes to wom
en and also in the fact that it' gives
votes to practically all men. Another
change, little less revolutionary in
principle, is the almost complete aboli
tion of plural voting. That practice is
to be limited to one vote in the dis
trict where a voter resides and a sec
ond in that where he does business.
This is a radical change from the
theory that votes represent property.
either owned or occupied, although
extended to the point where the tenant
of premises having a rental value of
only $1 a week had a vote. Under
the old system a man bad a vote in
every district where he owned prop
erty, and many men spent several days
at election time in traveling from dis
trict to district to cast their ballots,
the voting being set for different days
in various districts for their accommo
dation. Another exception to the rule
of one man one vote is made in favor
of the universities, which are to have
distinct representation for their grad
uates, though the latter will have a
second vote where they reside.
The present electorate comprises 8,
357.000 men. The bill will add 2,000,
000 men and 6.000,000 women, almost
doubling the total. Sex discrimina
tion is to be abolished, except that the
franchise is restricted to women over
30, while all men over 21 vote if they
have the qualifications of occupancy.
Notwithstanding its radical character,
the bill has the support of all parties
except a small remnant of the Tory
element in the Conservative party.
This bill will complete the transfer
of political power to the people which
has been in progress for nearly a
century. Prior to IS 32 the ballot was
limited, to freeholders, and old, de
cayed towns still had as many repre
sentatives as in the days of their pros
perity, the seats being in effect the
property of great land owners, while
new centers of population were totally
unrepresented. The first reform act
removed nearly all of these abuses and
began to make Parliament truly rep
resentative, but not until 1867 was
household suffrage in the boroughs
granted, to be followed by a similar
measure for rural districts. The open
ballot, which was caricatured by Dick
ens in his story of the election at
Eatanswill, was not abolished until
1872, long antedating the same reform
in the United States. Great steps in
purifying elections were made when
Parliament delegated to non-partisan
commissioners trial of contests and
of corruption charges and rigidly re
stricted election expenses.
When the new bill passes, as ap-
pears certain. Great Britain will be
more truly than ever a republic with
a hereditary President, who does not
govern but serves as a link with the
past, as a stabilizer and as a symbol
of unity for the far-flung empire.
WASTE OF WAR VERSE.
It is a pity that we have no way to
transmute into foot-pounds or calories
or some other measure of energy the
prodigious efforts that are being ex
erted to produce bad war verse. There
Is a vast amount of this, as any edi
torial waste basket would testify, if
it could talk, and the most sorrowful
feature is that it represents' a truly
enormous amount of sincere, hard
work.
The time it takes, to say noth
ing of gray matter drawn upon, to
indite the average ode to the patriots
in the trenches, or apostrophe to lib
erty, or sonnet on any old war topic
would be sufficient on the average to
hoe at least three rows of carrots each
120 feet long, or to dig two bushels of
potatoes, or cut poles for a sixteenth
of an acre of string beans. And if
these budding authors are bound to
write, they could serve their country
by putting their thoughts Into such
prose as they are able to compose and
digging in the garden the rest of the
time.
Bad prose is not much better than
poor verse, but it has the ever
lasting merit of not wasting so much
time in proportion to the ink it con
sumes.
THE MIND AND THE LAW.
Two recent but widely separated oc
currences in England the death of a
former vicar of a" village church and
the rendition of a judgment by the
House of Lords serve by association
as a reminder of recent changes in
the interpretation of the law. The
judgment of the peers, given last
month, upholding a bequest to the
Secular Society, Limited, in effect was
a reversal of the position taken in
1878 by the British high courts that
opinion? such as are said to be held
by members of the Secular Society
disqualify a mother for the custody
of her own daughter. It is a curious
coincidence that the Secular Society,
Limited, should have figured In both
cases, divided by nearly forty years
of time.
The vicar in question was the Rev.
Frank Besant, who for forty-five years
had filled an inconspicuous niche in
a town in Lincolnshire. It is not like
ly he would ever have been heard of
if it had not been for his wife, Mrs.
Annie Besant, a widely known writer
on theosophical, religious and scien
tific subjects. The Besants were mar
ried in 1867, and in 1878 a judicial
separation was arranged by the terms
of which Mrs. Besant was to have the
custody of their only daughter.
Mrs. Besant subsequently pursued a
varied career, an incidental but sen
sational feature of which was her
association with the propaganda of
Charles Bradlaugh, and in course of
which she joined the Secular Society,
Limited, an organization of Free
Thinkers. This x led her husband to
begin proceedings for the custody of
his daughter, on the ground that her
mother's opinions would be "detrimen
tal to the future prospects of the child
in society, to say nothing of her eter
nal prospects." Mrs. Besant argued
her case in person, but lost it. British
courts awarded the child to the father.
In the more recent case, the Secular
Society, Limited, appeared as benefi
ciary under the will of a wealthy Eng
lishman who had died on the Isle of
Wight, and whose heirs-at-law con
tested on the ground that the society
was constituted for illegal purposes
the subversion of the Christian relig
ion and all other religions. The lead
ing purpose of the society was to "pro
mote, in such ways as may from time
to time be determined, the principle
that human conduct shall be based
upon natural knowledge and not upon
supernatural beliefs, and that human
welfare in this world is the proper end
of all thought and action." Mrs.
Besant's association with this group,
it will "not need to be explained, was
prior to her adoption of the tenets of
the Theosophists, as a leader of whom
she afterward became famous.
But the English court, in the last
named case, decided that the society
could inherit. The Court of Appeal
affirmed the decision. Further appeal
was taken to the House of Lords, and
by a vote of four to one the judgment
was sustained. The only dissenting
judge from the beginning to the end
of the litigation was the Lord Chan
cellor, Lord Finlay, who succeeded to
the post when Lloyd George became
Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The contentions of the heirs-at-law
were interesting. Their case was de
veloped on the first appeal, in which
they argued that notwithstanding the
repeal of the writ de haeretico com
burendo (of burning a heretic), the
power of the ecclesiastical courts to
censure remained, and also that not
withstanding the removal of the dis
abilities of dissenters, the toleration
acts had not legalized atheism. They
quoted Lord Mansfield as saying:
The eternal principles of natural religion
are part of the common law; the essential
principles of revealed religion are part of
the common law; so that any person revil
ing, subverting or riaicullng them may be
prosecuted at common law.
It Is clear, from the language of
the various Justices' who upheld the
bequest, that they were not prepared
to go to the length of defending blas
phemy. Indeed, this point is discussed
variously and at considerable length.
One of the peers said that the pur
poses of the society could not be con
strued as illegal, "because they 'did
not involve blasphemy," and that they
were not irreligious because they were
at any rate consistent with the nega
tive deism which had in another case
been upheld by the courts; while he
quoted with approval the words of
Lord Coleridge, to the effect that there
is nothing unlawful at common law in
"reverently doubting or denying the
doctrines of Christianity."
Another peer declared that, with, all
respect for the names of the great
lawyers who had used it,- the phrase.
"Christianity is part of the law of
England," was not law, but was only
rhetoric as truly as was Erskine's
peroration when prosecuting Williams:
"No man can be expected to be faith
ful to the authority of man who re
volts against the government of God."
"Thou shalt not steal," he added, is
part of our law, but "Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself is not.
The issue thus gravely discussed by
three tribunals resolved itself finally
into the proposition that the courts
will not be party to the infliction of
penalties in the Interests of theology.
Theology is left to take care of itself,
not in the belief that it will suffer
thereby, but because truth will en
dure without help from the courts.
The amount of the bequest involved
is not stated In the news dispatches
and doubtless was of little moment by
comparison with the main question
decided. The Secular Society, Lim
ited, gets the bequest, and it is of
sentimental interest, to return to that
other case in which the custody of
the daughter of the Besants was at
stake, to recall that the judgment of
the august judges thirty-nine years
ago made little difference in the end.
The young woman, when she attained
her majority under the law and was
free to choose for herself, went back
to her mother. There is a moral in
this for those who care to seek for it.
RETURNED GOODS.
The suggestion of the Council of
National Defense that the practice of
buyers of having goods sent home on
approval be abolished presents some
interesting considerations not uncon
nected with the problem of thrift in
general. It probably is not realized
that returned goods have come to be
an important factor In the high cost
of living. Together with the demand
that everything be delivered at our
doors in small amounts as wanted,
and that goods be put up in the most
ornate containers possible, excesses in
the custom of buying articles on ap
proval and changing one's mind about
keeping them are responsible for large
increases in costs of doing business.
Of course it is the consumer who pays
In the end.
Investigation has disclosed that re
turned goods vary from 4 to 30 per
cent of the total sales in establish
ments where the practice is permitted
and that in one instance where the
average cost of delivery was 25 cents a
package, a fourth of all goods deliv
ered were sent back, to the store. In
some of the latter cases special trips
were made to get them. The logic of
the figures is hard to escape. There
was one store in which 20 per cent of
goods were returned, in which careful
accounting showed that this entailed
an expense of $14,000 a year for cler
ical help in the office, $20,000 for
packing and $16,000 for delivery. The
total was $50,000, due to returned'
goods alone. Merchants cannot do
business permanently at a loss. This
$50,000 must have been paid for out
of the price of the goods that were
retained.
The whole custom is quite uncon
nected with the general willingness of
modern merchants to "make things
right" where goods prove unsatisfac
tory. By far the larger proportion of
returned merchandise never sees, the
adjuster's department. No complaint
is made that it is defective or not fully
as represented. It simply represents
the finical customer's now-established
privilege of changing his (or her)
mind. We got along without the privi-'
lege only a few years ago, when de
cisions made before buying were com
monly final. But If we Insist on all
the new frills of business, then we
must not complain if we are com
pelled to pay for them.
THE NEW SALESMANSHIP.
Recent advances in what may fairly
be termed the "science" of salesman
ship have kept pace with the broaden
ing of other departments of industry,
as was pointed out recently by Charles
M. Schwab, head of the Bethlehem
Steel Corporation, in an address to the
World's Salesmanship Congress at De
troit. Mr. Schwab summarized the
spirit of the new era in the statement
that "the highest salesmanship con
sists In making a buyer understand
the true merit of the article you are
seeking to sell."
He added that'his own experience
had taught him that the effort to make
a man buy something he does not need
in the long run defeats Its. own pur
pose. -, "
This is a long step forward from the
time when the motto, "caveat emptor,"
governed the largest as well as the
smallest transaction. It prevails now
in only the narrowest sense, in a few
Isolated instances of horse trading, and
In some parts of the old world. Mod
ern business takes , a far. more en
lightened stand; it builds for the fu
ture as well as for the present; it rea
lizes the identity of interests of the
producer and the consumer, and the
fact that the introductory sale is a
small part of the business. It is part
of the general awakening of the com
mercial conscience, also reflected in
the one-price system, in equal treat
ment of all customers, and in other
ways, and there is no doubt that it has
had the effect of vastly increasing the
total volume of business done.
There are many persons still living
who can remember the time when -the
smallest transactions were subjects of
Individual bargaining. The seller com
monly mentioned a price far in excess
of what he was willing to accept and
the buyer made it a point to disparage
the quality of the goods, to minimize his
own need for them, and to assert that
he would pay only a fraction of what
the seller demanded. Thus the battle
of wits began, and the victory was
won by shrewdness and cunning. The
fittest survived, of course, and in the
end the seller had the better of it. But
it bred falsehood and mutual distrust.
The profit of the particular sale did
not always compensate for the busi
ness lost when the buyer discovered
that he had been worsted, and took his
future business elsewhere.
Commerce has learned quite gener
ally, and largely within a generation,
that truth pays. This has made pos
sible the enactment of ethical legis
lation penalizing the sophistication of
staple commodities, and especially
misrepresentation by advertising, by
labeling and otherwise. It has re
sulted in forbidding any preferential
treatment in quasi-public service. Only
a few years ago even so staple a
commodity as transportation was sub
ject to private haggling and shrewd
shippers were able to exact better
terms than their less cunning neigh
bors and rivals. "Salesmanship," of a
different kind than that which is
taught today, was the cause of much
ill feeling. It gave the book canvas
ser his bad name and made the lightning-rod
agent anathema in the land.
There is no doubt that people buy
more freely now. that the element of
L:hance has been removed from' buy
ing, ureal commercial enterprises are
built up not only on Integrity but upon
the principle that the buyer's interest
receives first consideration. It is no
longer regarded as sound business pol
icy to trick the consumer into buying
beyond his needs. Business is being
broadened, as It increases in volume,
and it is increasing because of its
broader methods. The same practices.
applied to our foreign trade, are also
operating in our favor and are making
the American business man the most
prosperous in the world.
HOE AND CCXTIVATK.
It is important for the amateur gar
dener to remember that his duty to
his country did not end with the plant
ing of his seed. It is one of the laws
of nature that weather that is favor
able for the growth of desired plants
Is equally favorable to the propagation
of weeds. These must be kept down
or they will capture the ground, and
the soil must be kept in a fine state of
tilth if the crop is to mature to the
best advantage.
The principle to be kept ever in
mind Is that a little weed makes- only
a fraction of the trouble of a big one,
but this simple fact is too generally
overlooked. Rank weeds not only re
quire more muscle for their removal,
but pulling them causes disturbance of
the soil around the roots of the food
plants. Besides, they have already
robbed the soil of much moisture that
ought to be conserved. Good farming
looks ahead. There may be a long
dry spell later in the Summer, and it is
possible by keeping the top soil finely
pulverized to hold sufficient water in
the ground to furnish a constant sup
ply. The ideal garden is dusty on top.
The test is whether damp earth can be
turned up from a few inches below the
surface.
Farmers know that the ideal time
for cultivating ground is just after a
shower, but in the case of such crops
as beans not until the foliage of the
plants has become dry. Corn shows
Its gratitude for attention paid to the
soli around it, and rewards the
grower by taking care of itself pretty
well after it has become tall enough
to shade the ground. But the potato,
upon which we are relying so much
this year, will bear more cultivation
with profit than any of them. Weeds
should be put down as fast as they
appear, and after the tubers have be
gun to form care should be taken not
to hoe deeply enough to cut the feed
ing rootlets. Shallow but thorough
cultivation. In fact. Is a good general
practice with all vegetables.
It Is prosaic work, hoeing in the
garden, but it is highly necessary and
patriotic. It must be. continued until
the crop Is assured If most of our labor
of planting is not to go for naught.
REMINISCENCES.
There is always a certain amount of
joy in reading the reminiscences of a
personage if. happily, the writer hai
that great gift of the imagination
which tells him what to omit. Certain
experiences are common to mankind
at least some parts of them are
and it is in comparing them and not
ing the points at which they impinge
upon our own that we find our chief
pleasure In this form of reading. This
thought Sir Rablndranath Tagore
makes quite clear, in his Oriental way,
in "My Reminiscences." only recently
published, when he draws the distinc
tion between the painting of memory
pictures and the writing of history.
There is this difference between
reminiscence and autobiography: The
one records events of greater or less
Importance; the other depicts a state
of mind, or a series of them; and in a
world that is still far from being
closely knit together It is especially In
teresting to compare the mental proc
esses of one who was reared In the Far
East with those of the reader who per
haps, and. probably, believe that there
is something altogether so mystical
about all things and all people com
ing out of the East that It is quite a
waste of time even to try to under
stand them.
"Life's memories," says Tagore, "are
not life's history," and he adds that
while there is no event In his reminis
cences worthy of being preserved for
all time, "what one has truly felt, if
only it can be made sensible to others.
Is always of importance to one's fellow-men."
And so . one Is prepared
against surprise when It is revealed
that India is not all unlike America,
and that human nature has a good
deal in common everywhere. Many
of Tagore's memories are of his early
childhood, and he was like the chil
dren of our own land, and his play
mates were like them, too.
"Looking back on childhood's days,"
he says, "the thing that recurs most
often is the mystery which used to
fill both life and world. Something
undreamed of was lurking everywhere,
and the uppermost question every day
was: When, oh! when would we come
across it?" This mystery was one of
the childish delights of the child of
a far-away country. Just as It is of
the children of a Western land today.
Tagore says:
There was ye another place In onr house
which I have even yet not succeeded in find
ing out. A little girl playmate of my own
age called this the "King's Palace." "I have
Just been there," she would tell -me. But
somehow the propitious moment never turned
up when she could take me along with her.
That was a wonderful place, and Its play
things were as wonderful as the games that
were played there. It seemed to me it must
be somewhere very near, perhaps In the first
or second story; the only thing was one
never seemed to be able to get there. How
often have I asked my companion. "Only
tell me, is It really Inside the house or out
side?" And she would always reply. "No,
no. It's In this very house." I would elt and
wonder: "Where then can It be?" Who the
King might be I never cared to Inquire;
where his palace Is still remains undiscov
ered ; this much was clear the King's pal
ace was within our house.
So it is plain that the far-away
children have their "Wonderlands,"
the same as we do, and that the Orien
tal has his own way of knowing, with
Emerson, that "though we travel the
world over to find the beautiful, we
must carry it with us. or we find it
not." These dream palaces of the
mind are every bit as real and as beau
tiful to the children of one corner of
the world as to those in another. The
only joys it is impossible for nature
to hold in store for such as they are
the thihfes they have no idea of. There
was in Tagore's childhood a custard
apole seed which he had planted and
used to water every day. The thought
that the seed might grow into a tree
kept him in a great state of wonder.
"Custard apple seeds," he says, "still
have the habit of sprouting, but no
longer to the accompaniment of that
feeling of wonder." And he adds,
sagely: "The fault Is not In the cus
tard apple, but in the mind." .
Tagore was reared mostly, it seems,
in an atmosphere of what he graph
ically calls "servocracy." The ser
vants In that early period were his
masters. "There were frequent
changes of king, but never a change
In the cede of restraints- and punlsh-
l ments." As a young child he accepted
as one of the laws of the universe that I
it is for the Big to hurt and for the
Small to be hurt. But this view, too,
has been changed. "It has taken me ,
a long time." he says, "to learn the
opposite truth that it is the Big who
suffer and the Small who cause suf
fering." Which Is another issue upon
which. It would seem, the East and the
West can find common ground. The
trouble seemed to be thatthe whole
burden was thrown upon the servants,
"and the whole burden is a thing diffi
cult to bear, even for those who are
nearest and dearest."
The most Interesting part of the
reminiscences of the poet is not the
development of his literary career, but
his life as a child. His schooling was
not unlike that of other children, ex
cept in matters of inconsequential de
tail. They have teachers In India, too,
who do not understand their pupils,
and pedants who fall to grasp the idea
that "to be clear about the meaning
of words" is not the whole function of
the human understanding. It seems
not altogether unfamiliar to read that
"the main object of teaching is not to
explain meanings, but to knock at the
door of the mind." Tagore says this,
with all due gravity, and adds:
If ny boy Is asked to rive an account of
what Is awakened within him at such knock
ing, he will probably say something very
silly. . For what happens within Is much
bigger than what he can express in words.
Those who pin their faith on university ex
aminations as a test of all educational re
sults take no account of this fact.
One is often stirred quite deeply by
things he does not yet fully under
stand. Tagore illustrates this thought
by an incident in his childish experi
ence. Before he had a proper under
standing of English a profusely illus
trated edition of "Old Curiosity Shop"
fell into his hands. He read it all.
although at least nine-tenths of the
words were unknown to him. Yet,
with the vague ideas he conjured up
from the rest, he spun out a variously
colored thread on which to string the
illustrations. "Any university exam
iner," he observes, "would have given
me a great big zero, but the reading
of the book had not proved so empty
as all that." But it ought to be ex
plained that the poet's strictures
upon university professors are in
spired by a limited experience. He
would perhaps be surprised to know
that there are many, especially in
America, who are not so unsympa
thetic as he would have us believe.
Use of the wooden shoe In England
has introduced a new element into
life in the factory towns where the
workmen are. wearing them for rea
sons of economy, and societies for the
suppression of unusual noises have
been compelled to modify their prop
aganda to meet the new situation. In
the United States Commerce Reports,
which usually are devoid of humor, one
of our Consuls tells of an American
visiting an English., city who was
struck by the great clatter In the
street below his window and arked
his host the cause. On being told
that It was the factory operatives go
ing to work, he observed that they
were the most prosperous workmen
of whom he had ever heard, to be able
to ride to work on horseback. There
was a time in Holland, and even in
England, however, when this sound
was not at all uncommon, and the
"clang of wooden shoon" was part
of the life of every town. "Courting
clogE," which are especially ornate,
as the name would Indicate, are be
ing revived in some parts of Lan
cashire, and in some instances are
quite as expensive as the more com
fortable shoes of leather that are be
ing discarded.
It is not surprising, when one thinks
it over, that It should be easy to raise
a mob in a community such as that
in Missouri in which a baby was mur
dered recently, to lynch the men sus
pected of the crime, while at the same
time there is no great rush to enlist
for service to avenge the deaths of
thousands of children who have been
starved to death in Belgium and other
parts of the world. The fact Is that
mob courage Is not the stern stuff of
which real soldiers are made. Two
or three hundred men chasing a small
party of criminals, and keeping at a
safe distance from the guns of the
deputies guarding them until the force
is sufficiently large to overpower them,
have a task that does not even re
motely resemble a charge on the Ger
man trenches. The kind of men who
are readiest to lead a lynching party
would have small stomach for real
fighting, and the kind that make the
best soldiers would be found among
the upholders of the law.
The camping season will give the
Boy Scouts a splendid opportunity to
practice some of the arts that will
come in good play when they grow
up to be real soldiers. Discipline and
first aid and resourcefulness are good
things to be familiar with, whether
the boy ever has actual need for them
or not.
Kansas wheat crop shows improve
ment and it also appears that the
shortage of farm help in the Middle
West is not as serious as was at first
reported. With the help of the home
gardens, it looks as if the American
farmer might be able to save the day,
after all.
There are still a few back yards
that have not been planted to their
full capacity, and the householder
who neither bought a liberty bond nor
subscribed to the Red ' Cross fund
would better begin studying the vege
tables that are good for late planting.
About every country not fenced in
by the iron ring of the allies has sent
a mission to this country, and It is to
be hoped, in the interest of our knowl
edge of geography, that San Marino
and Andorra will not forget us.
It looks as if the search for the
man of te hour in Russia would
have to be abandoned, but a few min
ute men might still do excellent serv
ice in an emergency.
Austrian schoolchildren no doubt
are writing most of their graduating
essays this June on the familiar topic,
"Beyond the Alps Lies Italy."
Germans are warning Russians that
they are going to fight, and, judging
from the temper of the Duma, the
desire is mutual.
Judging from the weather reports
from Switzerland, Constantino will
have no trouble in keeping cool among
the Alps.
The Roumanian, who wants to go
home to fight for his country will
have no trouble getting his passport.
There Is no such thing as "too much
of a' good thing" when it comes to
helping the Red Cross,
Gleams Through the MUt,
By Deaa Colllma.
THE l"NIV ER5AL TOPIC
'All roads lead to Rome," said the
proverb of old;
And In application we find ltwlll hold
About conversation throughout the
whole Nation
Its trains all bring up at the 'same
union ' station.
Top can't head it off. throw a switch. 4
or just stop it;
Ton can't back it up; you cant leave i
or drop it. (
No matter what object you start it out
for.
All topics In talk lead you straight ta
the war.
The text of the sermon the preaches
intone
la a good starting point for the sub
marine zone;
Baseball, with Its pitchers, releases and
trades.
Leads straight to the trenches and
throwing grenades.
A chap may start talking of frolic and
wine.
But the talk will veer round to the
Hlndenberg line.
Tour whole destination's a certainty,
for
All topics in talk lead you straight to
the war.
Ton may start to make love to the girt
you adore.
And conscription's the theme 'ere. the
subject Is o'er;
Tou may try to buy Bibles in book
stores today.
And the ManuaUs yours when you fin
ish your say;
On the wings of the morning you may
fly away.
But you'll light on a war talk at the
close of the day.
Tou can't miss the finish there's only
one for
All topics In talk lead you straight to
the war.
Prose, poem or talk, it's all one in the
end;
So why conversational effort, my
friend?
All, all conversation we might simmer
low
To: "War! Sherman had the right dope.
doncher know!"
For all conversation throughout all the
Nation
Its trains all come In to the same union
station
No matter what object you may start
out for.
All topics in talk lead you straight to
the war.
"Sir," said the Courteous Office Boy,
emerging from his private padded cell
In one corner of the office.
"Yes, my son." I encouraged.
"Did you read the report from the
Stettin Insane Asylum, in Germany?"
said the C. O. B.
"No," I cried. . "What new echo of
kultur comes from the nut groves of
the Fatherland?
"The report from the Stettin luna
tic asylum," continued the C O. B
"declares that "the asylums of Germany
are proud that their Inmates are al
lowed to serve the Fatherland.' mean
ing, I presume, to express the neat Idea
that I have embodied In the following
pome, which I Just dashed off:
KEEPER, GET THE KEYS.
Since there are many nuts at home
And on the land and 'neath the foam
line Kultur nut, the kultur nut
No civ'lisation quells.)
Since all about, the Fatherland
There's many a nut on evry hand.
We're glad to see so many nuts
Out here among the shells.
WELL, FISLEY, WHADOABOUTITf
Dear Ed Please let me abandon my
work as pote hound until we can settle
a dispute that has arisen about the
pome a girl sent me last week about
"The Wren."
Mrs. J. A. Hyde, of St. Johns, writes
denying that a wren sings "tweet
tweet," and she says that she knows a
wren in St- Johns that has a trained
voice and sings quite difficult pieces,
such as "rm So Happy" and "Me, Me,
Look So Sweet!"
And' she says the pome must have
meant an English sparrow.
Perhaps It did mean an English spar
row. If it had meant a fillyloo bird.
the moral pointed out In the pome
would have been the same.
But the question that has been stirred
up in my bosom by Mrs. Hyde's letter
Is this, or rather are these:
1. Do wrens sing?
2. If wrens sing, do wrens sing lit
St. JobnsT
S. If so, why?
Won't you please refer this matter to
W. L. Ftnley, for I am worried about
It, particularly the last question. Tours
agitatedly,
G. PYTHAGORAS BIMELACK,
Pote Hound.
SEARCH FOR THE LAST ANALYSIS.
Important directions have Just been
received and the starting of the expe
dition to discover and explore the
LAST ANALYSIS has been halted until
the subject can be investigated thor
oughly.
A. W. N. has sent In a statement that
to her best belief and Information the
LAST ANALYSIS is through the look
ing glass. She says that she Is coo
vinced of this because, dealing with a
looking glass, the deeper you go into
It the further you have to get away
from It.
"In the LAST ANALYSIS." oor ven
erable friend. Ted Lansing, remarkea to
us the other day, "this whole enter
prise of yours is plain nut stuff."
This gives us an added incentive. for
seeking to discover and explore the
mysterious realms of the LAST AN
ALYSIS. Address all communications to the
Expedition to the LAST ANALYSIS,
care of the PRESENT CRISIS.
THAT NEW SOCIETY.
The new society that was announced
last week is to be organized at once
with as many charter members as we
can get.
The patron saint of the organisation,
as most of our readers have guessed
already, no doubt. Is the late Little
Jack Horner, of whom it will be re
membered: "He put In his thumb and pulled out a
plumb
And said: "What a great boy em IT "
The constitution and bylaws of the
new society are comprised In those
ringing words also the quallf texrtions
for membership.
Right off the bat, we have an In
clination to nominate Tom Lawson for
charter membership, and we oan thftik
of several others that we will mention
later.