6
THR SUNDAY OEEGOXIAX, PORTLAND. OCTOBER - 21, 1917.
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21. 1017.
OIR ANTI-BRITISH SCHOOL BOOKS.
We are hampered in our study of
the history of our own country, it
seems,, not only by the studied propa
ganda of pro-Germans, to which pub
lic attention has only recently been
called, but by the anti-British ten
dency of many of our school books.
However we may have been able to
escape, in the writing of histories for
the more mature, from narrow par
tisanship which borders on jingoism,
we have not always, in most of the
textbooks prepared for the very young:,
been wholly free from sins of com
mission and omission. The latter pre
dominate, it is true. There are not
many histories worthy of the name
which make actual misstatements as
to facts, but there are not a few which
fail to make a faithful impression of
the underlying- spirit of events. A
common example is the history of the
war of 1812. which many of us read
when we were young. By such liter
ary devices as the glorification of the
battle of Lake Erie and the glossing
over of the affair at Bladensburg they
create a superficial, and at least partly
erroneous, idea of the relative courage
and patriotism and efficiency of the
peoples of the countries then at war
and now allies in the great struggle to
re-establish the world in peace.
It will not be denied that in the
present war our sympathies were most
largely with France, and, also, with
Belgium. We have been taught con
sistently that we owed a debt to
France, and we know that the actual
performances of the French, without
consideration of the motives of her
leaders at that time, multiplied our
chances of success. Our sympathy
for Belgium was the natural feeling
Inspired by the plain story of her
wrongs. But our reluctance in the
beginning to be whole-hearted in our
support of the British, who were
fighting the same enemy, was not due
wholly to the Irish auestion, which has
complicated our internal affairs, or to
the pro-German propaganda to which
reference has been made. It lies
deeper than that. There is a good
deal of justice in the contention that
much of it can be traced to the man
ner In which the story of our own
War of the Revolution is told in the
books of the intermediate grades.
In "The American Revolution in
Our School Textbooks," Charles Alt
schul, who is not a professional his
torian but is a business man, says that
much of the feeling of the average
American citizen toward Kngland can
be traced to things which have not
been said in the school histories. He
has no quarrel with the pride which
we are taught to feel in the achieve
ments of the colonists who fought
against oppression by England. The
triumph of liberty, the establishment
of a free Nation, the bravery of our
heroes, the exactions of the Govern
ment of the mother country all are
impressed upon us, as they ought to
be. We are taught the truth that
our forefathers were oppressed but
only part of the truth as to who the
oppressors really were. Were they,
in fact, the "English people," or only,
or chiefly, the element represented by
the King? Was the Government that
oppressed the colonies a representa
tive Government, as we now know
representative Government, or did it
ptand for a small minority? Were the
fair-minded men of England for the
colonists or against them? These
questions, Mr. Altschul believes, de
serve sober consideration, because
they constitute a basis for all discus
sions of the relationships of the people
that are to follow. Pitt, and Fox, and
Burke, and others, he points out,
"were in spirit the allies of Franklin,
Adams and Washington."
"The responsibility for the Ameri
can Revolution," he adds, "lies mainly
nt the door of George HI and the
'Kings friends. " Parliament was
not then, as it is now, representative
of the great body of the people. The
population of the country was about
8,000.000, and only about 200,000 had
the right to vote. Many of these were
influenced by "illegitimate, disrepu
table methods adopted by the King, in
order to get control of the legislative
body." The people of England as a
whole ought not, under the circum
stances, to be held responsible for the
devolution, or the oppression which
led up to it. In his introduction to
the book, written before the United
States entered the war, Mr. Altschul
says:
In spite of the controversies which have
lit times rag-d between the two peoples, we
speak the same language as the English; our
customs have been fashioned alter theirs;
their ideas of government and their concep
lions of liberty are ours as well. In spite of
the wars we have fought against them,
have never thought of turning to any other
nation as a model for what is most essential
in our public and our private life.
"Why. then, have we not in a much greater
measure rallied to the moral support of Eng
land in this world upheaval?
It has occurred to me that the explanation
of this phenomenon lies in the way in which
the facts of history, superficially studied
without due regard to surrounding circum
stai4ces. determine our views in after life;
especially if lodged in that mysterious store
house, "the subconscious.' during childhood,
when the spirit in which instruction is given
leaves a more indelible mark than tho facts
themselves.
It is probably true that all the
essential facts are set forth in the
fullest of our histories: but as to the
briefer school histories, the same can
not be said. To account for our Na
tional sentiment now, the author has
made an examination of forty of the
school textbooks in use twenty years
ago. He found that all dealt fully,
as they should, with the grievances of
the colonies; four gave credit to prom
inent Englishmen for the service they
tendered, to America-is; lour . niade
some reference to general political
conditions in England at the time:
eleven do not refer to general condi
tions in England, but make favorable
mention of several prominent English
men: seven omit discussion of general
conditions but mention Pitt, and four
teen neither outline ' conditions in
England nor give credit to any Eng
lishman for friendship toward the
colonists. Conditions have improved
in later years, but
The children now studying; American hls-
? ' yuuni: scnuDiB nave a lar greater
number of textbooks available which give
relatively complete information on this sub
ject; but the improvement is by no means
sufficiently marked to prevent the continued
growth of unfounded prejudice against Eng-
It Is the sins of omission with which
the historian in this instance is most
concerned, for they constitute the
"spirit" of the whole. It Is, indeed,
possible, as we are lately coming to
realize in dealing with our own Civil
War, either to create a wrong impres
sion without misstating a single fact,
and so to present the facts as to instill
proper feelings of patriotism while at
the same time giving recognition to
such high motives as were possessed
by the enemy. How far the tradi
tional individual who never finds out
that the "war is over" is kept in his
cave of darkness by the school his
torians is a matter for each to meas
ure for himself. But if is at least
encouraging that we are making
progress in the right direction. It is
an augury of better feeling in the
world. It means, perhaps, not only a
recasting of some of our histories of
the Revolution, but, after this war is
over, of the writing of a history-of it
in which in the very beginning appro
priate distinction will be drawn be
tween the Prussian apostles of junker
dom and frightfulness and the body of
the German people toward whom,
even in the midst of war, we feel
little or no bitterness.
ABOVE PAR.
The Oregonian knows of a banker
in a country town, patriotic and astute,
who acquired at par ten thousand
(510,000) dollars in Spanish-American
war bonds, floated by the United States
Government in 1898. The bonds bore
three (3) per cent interest, and were
sold to the public at one hundred cents
on the dollar.
In due time the war was ended, and
the banker sold the bonds at 1.11, or
eleven cents per hundred above par.
It is easy to see that it was a profit
able transaction for the investor, both
in patriotism and in finance.
The market quotation for United
States registered bonds (4's) yester
day was 1.05, or 5 per cent premium.
The market quotation for United
States coupon bonds (4's) yesterday
was also 1.05, or 5 pA- cent premium.
Yet the 4 per cent liberty bond sells
at par. It is worth precisely the same,
and in the end must sell for the same
as the existing Government - bonds
(4's), registered or coupon.
A Government bond is the best In
vestment in the world, for it is backed
by the best Government, with the
most ample resources, in the world.
If the security is impaired, and the
bonds depreciate, what other security
will be better, or as good?
If the bond investment is a failure.
for any reason, will some one say what
investment will not also be a failure?
THE RECORD.
When the indictment against Ger
man autocracy shall be made up, it
will be found that it includes the fol
lowing transgressions against the laws
of humanity, the recognized rules of
civilized warfare:
1. Violation of treaties, beginning with
Invasion of Belgium.
2. Execution of hostages.
3. Enormous exactions under guise of
fines.
4. Enslavement of people, including boys
and girls.
5. Exploitation of women for gratifica
tion of soldiers.
t. Destruction of churches and libraries.
7. Pillage.
S. Frightfulness in many forms.
i. Poisoning wells.
10. Imprisonment and punishment of non
combatants; 11. Destruction of- orchards and - fields,
with their ripening crops.
12. Ruining mines after abandonment.
13. Sinkiug merchantmen without warn
ing. -
14. Ignoring neutral and non-combatant
rights. .
15. Blowing up industrial establishments
In neutral countries.
Ifi. Poison gases and flames.
IT.
IS.
11.
boats.
20.
Sinking hospital ships.
Starving and slaying prisoners.
Murdering innocent people in small
Aerial warfare on undefended towns.
21. .Bombarding hospitals.
22. Spreading- disease - through anthrax
and glanders germs.
23. Criminal diplomacy based on treach
ery, falsehood, bribery.
24. ' Conspiracy against sovereignty of
neutral nations.
25. Complicity in Armenian massacres.
There are more to be added: but
was there ever such a record of in
famy achieved - by any other power,
ancient or modern?
A GERMAN POLITICAL TRICK.
In measuring the importance of the
naval mutiny as bearing on the war,
Americans would do well to remem
ber that1, the German government
never does anything, never permits
any fact to become public, and the
Chancellor never says anything with
out having in view the effect on the
political situation within and on the
military situation without the empire.
By considering the mutiny in this
light we may arrive at a correct esti
mate of its value to the allied cause.
The fact of the mutiny was not
announced in the Reichstag until sev
eral weeks after it had been sup
pressed. The announcement was then
made in connection with the charge
that three Socialist members had in
cited it. Michaelis being a reaction
ary, chosen at a conference of the
Crown Council with the military
chiefs and the Crown Prince, and op
posed to renouncing annexation, his
double object may be inferred. He
wished to discredit the anti-annexa-tionist
Socialists and to cause division
between them and the Center party,
which also opposes annexation. He
also hoped that Germany's enemies.
particularly the United States, would
be deluded into believing that Ger
many was weakening and would be
tempted to relax their efforts against
her.
He failed of the first object, for
his attack on the Socialists has driven
the two factions together. If the
American people relax their efforts .he
will, at least partially, have attained
the second. If we fail to raise the
full amount of the second liberty loan,
if we do not speed up construction of
ships, we shall have been the dupes
of a German trick, and there will be
joy in Berlin.
How little the efficiency of the Ger
man navy has been affected by the
mutiny may be judged by -its recent
success in the Baltic, by the continued
sinking of ships by submarines and by
the sinking of a returning transport.
Internal discontent and military de
feat produce no disposition to yield
on the part of the military masters
lot Germany, Such.- incidents, .only
cause them to close their ranks, to
tighten their grip on all who are In
their power and to commit more deeds
of ruthlessness.
. FOR THOSE WHO DOST SEED IT.
Some'' day some statistician "will
doubtless point to Oregon's so-called
"eugenic marriage law" and the ab
normally large number of Oregon di
vorces compared with the number of
Oregon marriages. The inference that
the law promotes divorce is not accu
rate, but the futility of that interesting
statute is disclosed.
An illustration appeared In the news
columns the other day when it was
noted that of six new divorce com
plaints filed in the Circuit Court the
parties involved in five of them were
wed in the state of Washington.
The Oregon law requiring a medi
cal certificate from the male is evaded
by about 50 per cent of -the Portland
persons who wed. Those who select
Vancouver as a wedding place for the
sole reason that a medical certificate
is not there required are quite likely
to be those who give scant thought to
the responsibilities of the marriage
lation. The mere fact that the man
is anxious to escape the medical ex
amination and the woman is willing
that he should, makes them potential
material for the divorce mill.
It may, of course, be remarked that
if there were no "eugenics law" in
Oregon these persons would marry in
Portland and that comparative sta
tistics are a small thing to worry
about. But the point is that they
marry in spite of the law. and that It,
therefore, is a financial burden and
inconvenience placed almost solely
upon men who have solemn regard for
the marriage obligation and who,
without the law, would see to it that
they were fit before they wed.
WESTERN APPLES.
A good deal has been said about the
comparative flavor of the apples of the
East and those of the West. It used
to be a favorite contention of the
croakers that whatever the West
pmight do, it could never duplicate the
indefinable something that the New
Yorker detected, for example. In his
up-state Baldwin, or his 'Sopus, or
that the New Englander found in the
Roxbury . Russet. There .was some
charm in the alchemy of Eastern soil
and sunshine, they would have it ap
pear, that was lost from the soil and
sunshine of the West. But more
probably It was simple, unalloyed ap
petite of youth. The "good old days"
are always the days when oii was
young. So Leslie's is right when it
remarks: '
There Is no reason for the constant asser
tion that the-- Western apple, magnificent
as to size and beautiful In appearance, does
not come up to our Eastern apples in juici
ness and flavor. .Tho Western growers
make apple production their chief business.
They take Infinite pains with their or
chards and send to the market a product as
perfectly packed as science and skill make
possible. Tho few New Vork growers who
do the same thing command a market as
ielect and high-priced as that of the Wash
ington and Oregon producers. If the West
ern apple Is to be crowded out of the East
ern market, let It be done by this sort of
excellence, and in no other way.
This Is the true basis- of the right
kind of competition. Natural advan
tages being equal, or nearly so, the
market belongs to the grower whose
enterprise has enabled him to culti
vate it. The Northwest has found out
what apple-eaters want and has
striven to meet the demand for a
high-grade product. It has .stimu
lated apple consumption by eliminat-
ing the moth and the fungus and by
catering artfully to the higher senses.
It claims no monopoly of the bounties
of nature, but deserves credit for
human ingenuity and progresslveness.
It has shown the way, has done the
work of the pioneer, and has neither
patent nor copyright on the process.
Everything that there is to be known
about Western methods has been
widely published. Eastern growers
will win their markets back only on
merit. The embargo will not work.
And the Northwest, with a long run
ning start and constantly developing
possibilities, has little to fear as to the
outcome.
RIOTING OVER THE SCHOOLS.
School children are rioting in New
York, in protest, it is said, against the
introduction of the so-called "Gary
system." That is the ostensible reason
for the outbreak of juvenile lawless
ness. .But there is nothing in the Gary
plan, per se, to start a riot. The trou
ble in New York is the direct out
growth of. making a question of edu
cational administration an issue of
partisan politics. .
Mayor Mitchel, who is a candidate
J.O succeed himself, favors the Gary
plan, and Judge Hylan, the Tammany
nominee, opposes it. It ought not to
be made the football of politics, but
this has been done. Much intemper
ance has marked the speeches of the
supporters of the candidates: all sorts
of charges - have been bandied back
and forth; the spirit of protest has
filled the air. It was not possible, in
a supercharged atmosphere like that
of the metropolis, that the children
should escape the infection. Probably
most of them do not know what the
row is all about, but they have been
told by one group that they were
being imposed , upon and all their
chances of future greatness sacrificed,
and by the other that the opponents
of the system are prevaricators and
worse, and the impulse has become
irresistible just to get outside and
heave a brick. The unrest of the mob
prevails, where if anywhere there
should be calm and studious peace.
The so-called "duplicate organiza
tion" embraced in the Gary plan has
nothing fearsome about it. It. pro
poses to inaugurate a division of class
time so that all the pupils can share
classrooms, playgrounds and work
shops. As one group of pupils moves
from one activity to the other, another
takes its place, and so on through the
day. Proponents urge that first of
all it increases the capacity cf the
schools and eliminates the "part time"
classes now made necessary by lack
of school equipment. They ' declare
that the varied activities of such a
school stimulate interest, and cultivate
ambition and initiative. Opponents
hold that the physical exertion re
quired so tires the children that they
are made unfit for proper mental
work, that the shop training tends to
confine them to industrial pursuits,
and in general that the system is a
"fad," and as such has no place in the
schools.
The New York .Board of Education
has expressed itself as believing that
the duplicate school is full of promise,
that it tends toward well-rounded de
velopment of the child, and particu
larly that it employs the available
school buildings to better advantage.
New York is always behind in its
school building programme. Demand
for classrooms seems to grow faster
than the willingness of the taxpayers
to foot the bills. The system has been
ill force for. gix moatns - jnore-ia
fourteen schools, and recently was ex
tended to others.
The pros and cons are proper sub
jects for investigation calm and dis
passionate investigation, of course. It
is true that the plan has been success
ful in large measure in Gary, Ind.,
from which it took its name, but it
does not follow that it is adapted
without modification to New York, or
some other city. It is true that some
pupils have complained, on leaving
Gary, because the system was not
universal, but It may be that New
York does not feel that way about it.
But these questions are not for settle
ment with sticks and stones, or by the
police reserves, or in the police courts
of the congested districts. The elders
In New York have been setting a bad
example to their youngsters, that is
all. Whenever they see the advantage
of keeping educational questions in
the non-political realm, the pupils
will forget all about their fancied
grievances and buckle down to work.
REAL EXPERTS NEEDED.
The difficulties that beset the f ramers
of a trade embargo are illustrated by
the situation arising from our recent
war restrictions and their effect upon
our trade with Latin-America.
It has long been realized that the
present offers a splendid opportunity
for development of commercial rela
tions with our Central and South
American neighbors, but trade is not
a jug-handled affair. We must both
buy and sell, and in each instance so
contrive that the exchange will confer
a mutual advantage.
So the shipping authorities must
consider not only today but tomorrow
every time they issue a regulation.
They can restrict Latin-American
trade with Germany by regulating the
supply of bunker coal, but they also
can foster our own trade interests by
establishing ,ship charter and freight
rates, and if they are especially adroit
they can make the advantages of one
offset the disadvantages of the other.
But it is no job for a novice, and
we have been so busy in recent years
with our own domestic affairs that
trade experts who are really expert
are by no means common.
THE TRAGEDY OF LEPROSY.
Discovery by a Montana State Sena
tor that he is afflicted with leprosy
marks the beginning of a real tragedy.
The world has not made much prog
ress in five thousand years toward the
cure of this dreaded disease. We have
improved our methods of treating the
victims, and in some cases our atti
tude toward them is more humane.
But ' the individual leper is still
shunned by society. In isolated commu
nities, where there is a tendency to
exaggerate all perils, extreme meas
ures are sometimes adopted to be rid
of what is a troublesome question at
best. No district wants a leper on its
hands.
The penalty of leprosy is still segre
gation, just as it was in the time of
Moses. It falls with tremendous
weight on civilized men, in whom the
social instinct is especially developed.
The Montana victim has been promi
nent in politics and active in good
works, and if the usual procedure is
followed he will miss the society of
his own choosing. He may busy him
self among his less enlightened fellow
lepers, but this will not be full com
pensation. One of the chief advan
tages of freedom Is the opportunity
It gives us to select our own asso
ciates. - It is hot generally known that there
are more than 1000 victims of leprosy
in the United States, in addition to
those we acquired with the annexation
of Hawaii, some 1100 more. But In
proportion to population, the number
Is far less than It was in Europe in
the time of Louis VIII of France,
when it was estimated that in France
alone there were 2000 "leper houses,"
and 19,000 in all Europe. The plague
has gone in waves.
Our occupation of the Philippines,
os well as the annexation of Hawaii,
has stimulated research. An impor
tant development of 1915 was that
continued use of chaulmoogra oil
"seemed promising." Patients so
treated have been permitted to return
to their homes, but have been kept
under observation, but- the Hawaiian
leper colony at Molokai has not been
disbanded, nor have cures been au
thentically reported in the United
States. Much remains for scientists
to do in this direction.
BATTLE DANGERS EXAGGERATED.
Authoritative statistics of the dan
ger to the individual soldier fighting
on the side of the allies grow more
and more optimistic. Colonel George
Harvey, editor of the North American
Review, after analyzing some of the
available official figures, has arrived
at the conclusion that if the percent
age of American casualties in an
American Army of 500,000 in 1918
does not exceed that of the French
last year, more Americans will perish
from intentional and accidental use
of firearms in the United States than
In Europe. "Nor," he adds, "Is there
apparent reason to doubt that this
will be the case."
The striking feature of the whole
array of figures is the disclosure it
makes of a constantly lessening death.
rate. The total casualties in the bat
tles of Charleroi and the Marne, at the
outset of the war, were 5.41 per cent
of the French troops. In the first six
months of 1915 casualties were 2.39
per cent: in the last six months of the
same year they had fallen to 1.68 per
cent. In the first six months of 1916
the rate was 1.47 per cent, and in the
last six months it had fallen further
to 1.28 per cent.
The figures of the battles of Char:
lerol and the Marne represent a high-
water mark. It should be borne in
mind that it is "total casualties" that
are recorded. Military experts agree
that the number of killed in action
and died from wounds never in this
war has exceeded 20 per cent of the
total casualties. This would give
108.2 casualties in every 10,000 men
engaged in the bitterest period of the
war. The figure would be 25.6 men
killed in every 10,000 engaged if the
rate established in the latter half of
1916 were maintained.
A correspondent with the Canadian
troops in the field in France has been
able to illuminate the subject further
from his own experience. After de
scribing some of the severest fighting
of the year, in which he was himself
engaged, he writes:
It Is wonderful how few the casualties
are now compared with the same amount of
fighting at the beginning. Our curtain fire
artillery barrage now preceded our men
with such absolute accuracy when they at
tack that I have seen soldiers following not
twenty-five feet behind without danger.
Allowing for some inaccuracy in the
soldier's calculations-assuming, to be
on the "safe side," that he may have
meant twenty-five yards instead of
feet the fact stands out that the
allies are growingly alive to the neces
sity of protecting their man power
, and . that . hq precautions are being
neglected. Everything that has been
learned by the British and French,
out of their costly experience, will be
placed at the disposal of the Ameri
cans and they will profit by it.
The recent battle of Messines, which
was a particularly desperate struggle
for possession of a ridge, in which the
defenders had all the advantage, in
volved casualties of less than 8 per
cent of the 280,000 men engaged, and
the fatalities were less than one
seventh of the total casualties. There
were several contributing reasons for
the relatively low death rate. Perfec
tion of the defensive helmet now worn
in action was one important factor,
but highly scientific methods of treat
ing wounds and development of the
medical organization also contributed
their full share.
The statistics, which are taken from
records the authenticity of which can
not be disputed, are consoling to those
who have relatives or friends in the
Army. War is still war, but every
thing that human ingenuity can devise
is being employed to make it as safe
as possible. The soldier's chances of
emerging alive are practically five
times as great as they would have
been three years ago.
THE ROCKEFELLER THRIFT.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., has been
setting a good example in his home
In the hills of New York by practi
cing thrift just as he would do If he
were a poor man. Recently, he boasted,
he had a pair of shoes half-soled In
stead of " buying a new pair. Mrs.
Rockefeller is busy knitting sweaters
for soldiers at the front. She has
just been having a hat made over, to
save the material in It, The Rocke
feller household is observing all the
regulations of the food economy board.
Nothing is being permitted to go to
waste.
Only the superficial, or the unchar
itable, will confound thrift with mean
ness in the case of the Rockefellers.
It is as much the duty of the rich
man to save leather, and of the rich
woman to save the materials that go
into a hat, as of the most poverty
stricken in the land. No amount of
money will buy non-existent leather
or wool to shoe and clothe our sol-
Idlers and help our allies to win the
war. The Rockefellers, for all their
wealth, would do a disservice by con
suming any essential commodity un
necessarily. There are many other things that
the Rockefellers can do to aid the
Nation, and doubtless they will do
some of them. But they are making
a good start when only they set the
example of economy to other wealthy
folk. The imperative duty to save
rests democratically upon every Amer
ican, In every stratum of society.
TTOPIAS THAT FAILED.
' There died in New England the.
other day a romantic and engaging
man whose passing serves to remind
the world briefly of the futility of
efforts to demonstrate that the char
acters of men are the product of their
environment, which is a favorite
theory of would-be social reformers.
He was William Lane, of Auckland.
editor of the New Zealand Herald
and founder of the communistic set
tlements known as "New Australia'
and "Cosme." It is a curious fact
that Lane should have left Australia,
which since then has become a battle
ground for social "freedom" of va
rious kinds, and have gone to Para
guay in search of a place in which to
establish the ideal- community of
which he dreamed. But it is not so
strange that he should have failed.
He might have foreseen his own doom,
if he had been a reader of social his
tory. "New Australia" and "Cosme"
foundered on the rocks of imperfect
human nature. Their industrial prob
lems had been well thought out, but
there was failure to take account of
certain frailties with which, it would
seem, we must be born.
There have been a good many ex
periments of the kind in our own
America, but none which depended
upon secular considerations made any
thing but failure, and those in which
there was also a religious purpose to
sustain them cannot be said, to have
fared conspicuously well. The Shakers,
who were both communistic and re
ligiously devout, and who. strove to
attain high spiritual ideals and had
their own peculiar ideas on such mun
dane subjects as matrimony, are i
declining sect. The Rappites made a
failure of the New Harmony com
munity before the Owens took it over
and later placed still another failure
to the credit of communism. That
the "New Harmony Community of
Equality" did flourish for a time seems
to have been due to the rare executive
ability of Robert Owen, and without
his personality it could not persist.
It was his notion that mankind is
"crushed by a trinity of oppressors
private property, irrational religion
and marriage." He hoped to save ui
all by instituting a system of exchang
ing all products on a basis of labor
for equal labor. No account was to
be taken of skill, or zeal, or con
scientious preparation. The labor of
the plodding, unambitious and ineffi
cient, clock-watching workman was to
be exchangeable for that of the pride
ful artisan, hour for hour, at par.
Somehow, this failed to reform the
world.
One of the peculiar features of the
experiment of William Lane was that
It took the fancies of the land-owning
classes of Australia. Most other ven
tures of the kind have depended for
their recruits upon those who owned
no land and were impatient at the
plodding methods by which the ordi
nary man acquires a competence. But
Lane induced men to sell their lands
and place their contributions ir a
common fund, with which the co
operative colony obtained concessions
in a new world. South America. A
thousand men and women journeyed
in search of the end of the social
rainbow, a' thousand miles up the
Parana River and many more miles
by bullock carts to the land set apart
for the settlement. And then
Jealousy, suspicion and distrust
broke out. The Paraguayan police
were called in to restore order. Lane
and those whe were loyal to him left
"New Australia" in disgust and
founded "Cosme." To strengthen the
new colony more immigrants were
sought. Lane went this time to Eng
land, being particularly moved by de
sire to get prospective wives for the
Cosme bachelors. Among those whom
he enlisted were several young Eng
lish women, who reached Cosme at
tired in the latest English mode. That
was the last straw. The women who
had been fighting the Paraguayan
wilderness until their wardrobes had
fallen into a sad state of disrepair,
revolted. The men were unavoidably
drawn into the controversy. Utopia
faded then and there.
Sixty or seventy societies, having
for their main purpose the abolition
of private property and the establish
ment of the communal principle in
some form, nave- existed at one time
or another in the United States. Most
of them decried "capitalism" and
some tried to put all forms of labor
on a common basis. Their average
life has been estimated at about ten
years. Every conceivable form of
co-operation" has been tried. The
North American Phalanx inaugurated
a system of co-operative feeding, but
this was found to entail certain sac
rifices on the part of the members.
and sacrifices- are always easier for
the other fellow to make. The vege
tarians and the meat-eaters and the
dietary freaks of various kinds fell
out, and everybody was glad when
the community established a restau
rant at which each patron ate what
he liked and paid for It In a bona fide
circulating medium. The Amana, of
Iowa, which had 1800 members and a
few years ago figured in the Iowa
courts in litigation over their right
to hold property, conceded the right
to each familyto live separately and
privately, but formed "eating groups"
In a vain attempt to solve the house
work problem. It boasted a commer
cial rating of AA Al. and gloried in
having no lawyers, no Sheriffs and no
beggars. Its members were sure of
enough to eat every mealtime, but
that was about all they were sure of.
Their lives, although untrammeled by
capitalistic oppression, were not at
tractive enough to cause a stampede
to the colony. The Topolobampo ven
ture of more than thirty years ago,
organized by an American engineer
and having the indorsement of Presi
dent Diaz, of Mexico, overlooked
nothing "except," as one of its his
torians has said, "a few of the most
fundamental qualities of human na
ture." One of the striking phases of
every communistic movement has
been the failure of the most vociferous
advocates of the system to put their
own capital into it. And it frequently J
has come to pass, as it did at New
Harmony, that utter financial collapse
has been prevented only by return to
Individual ownership. When Robert
Owen saw the light and began dispos
ing of property to thrifty members
of the community, new energy, was
immediately instilled into it. That
convinced Owen of the hopelessness
of his original scheme.
No plan has been found that was
practical in modern society that did
not require organization, and organi
zation means leaders, while leaders
mean that there are some "Ins" and,
as a consequence, some "outs." The
"outs" have always rocked the boat.
Their characters do not seem to have
been sufficiently changed even by the
environment 'of their own choosing to
make them philosophical when they
are in the minority. It takes a cer
tain amount of mutual self-denial to
make co-operation successful, and
self-denial is the last thing most of
the self-appointed reformers are cap
able of. Probably if they had sensed
the necessity of giving and taking in
the fi'st instance, they would not be
so keen for reform.
The fundamental moral earnestness
of Russians of the better class Is
shown by their fondness for Emerson
and Whitman, who are among their
favorite foreign authors, according to
David A. Modell. a writer in the Rus
sian Review. Their mysticism is in
dicated by their interest in the world
of Edgar Allan Poe. and their optim
ism by the popularity of Mark Twain
and Jerome K. Jerome. - American
authors covering a wide field, in fact,
are familiar to educated Russians,
whose diversity of taste is shown by
the sale even in war tirje of such
works as "The Scarlet L9ter," "The
Crisis," "The House of Mirth" and
"The Call of the Wild." English
writings share favor with those of
America, and there is a decided Dick
ens cult. The writer intimates that
Anglo-American influence on the fu
ture of Russian literature is certain to
be noteworthy. He observes that "ab
solute independence in literature is as
impossible as the human relations
with which it is concerned. Interde
pendence, in other words, is the rule
here as in everything else dealing with
the life of men."
Keep in mind the words of Lord
Reading: "Pour out your money.
Help the Administration to shorten the
war." That means that the more
money we pour out, the less blood we
shall pour out. We can make more
money,' but we cannot bring back the
lives that will be lost.
No man will dare to say that the
drafted men are unwilling victims of
compulsion, for they are backing
Uncle Sam not only with their bodies
but with their money. They proudly
regard themselves as the elect, not as
conscripts in the commonly accepted
sense of the word.
Knitting is to be taught in the Chi
cago schools, and the mother who
didn't raise her boy to be a soldier
ought to be particularly pleased with
his opportunity to become proficient
in this essentially peaceful occupa
tion. Finland Is preparing a new consti
tution, but it will not be worth much
if the Germans land on those shores.
People must defend themselves before
they govern themselves.
The Russians with their 170,000,000
population ought to be ashamed to
accept help from the Italian navy, but
its disorganized elements are just now
a little short on pride.
The Russian government is moving
to Moscow, hoping, no doubt, that the
Germans will be deterred by Napo
leon's example from attempting a raid
at least until Winter is passed.
The poet who wrote about the
"melancholy days" of Autumn cer
tainly could not have had an Oregon
October in mind not one like this, at
any rate.
We hesitate even to try to predict
what would happen to those Germans
If every American regiment should be
led by an honest-to-goodness jazz
band.
New York saloons are coming to
two-bit whisky, which will do no
harm. The less a man gets for his
money the better it is for his health.
Albany high school boys are re
quired to take two girls apiece to re
ceptions, but we do not hear any of
them complaining about their lot.
Every time we read of a short crop
in an allied country, as in Canada, the
lesson is impressed upon us that we
must save save save.
Alsace-Lorraine has no illusions on
the subject of liberty bonds. It knows
they cannot be made in Germany.
No matter how much yeast it re
quires. Uncle Sam. tiruply has tot to
raise the dough.
The Peripterous.
Perlpterous A Structure Having Rdti
of Columns on All sides Dictionary.
(Synopsis of preceding synopses.)
The Oregonian, a great morning news
paper, employs a distinguished Uteraj-y
architect to construct a peripterous.
lie does it. It has rows of columns on
east, west, north and south.
The Perlpterous becomes a Free Audito
rium for the expression of incompetent, re
relevant and immaterial opinions, news, vers
and anecdotes.
The Peripterous discovers five wonders of
Oregon and gives the first authentic explana
tion of the presence of Professor U. H-ee-p.
lecturer on Appreciation of Bathtubs at Guff
University, with a party of train robbers.
"Wonders of OreROa, No. 5.
A shecpherder who owns an auto
mobile. This unprecedented wonder of Ore
gon exists in the Cascade National
Forest. Every Sunday ho cranks up
"lizzie" and travels 70 miles over tho
old Immigrant road to Wapinitia to
see his best girl. His pardncr hords
the sheep until he gets back.
Old Stuff.
Mrs. E. R. sends by special delivery'
the announcement that this Hoover
business Is nothing new in her young:
life.
She began Hooverizing when she
married Ed 12 years ago.
War Garden Note No. 3.
H. H. H. writes to say that In re
sponse to patriotic demands last Spring
he planted his first garden.
He succeeded in raising some caln
with the neighbors' chickens but that
was about all.
Exchange of Compliments.
The poetry editor just dropped In
to say that he has received a bound
pamphlet from Hawaii containing four
war poems. He promptly reciprocated
by sending his Hawaiian friend 150 war
poems unbound.
Vote of Confidence In Prof. Herp.
WHOOPLA, Or.. Oct. 10. (Special.)
A petition for retention of Prof. U.
Heep, Saturday lecturer on Apprecia
tion of Bathtubs, who participated in
the robbery of the Overland Limited,
was circulated today among the faculty
of Guff University.
The petition expresses abhorrence of
crook literature, condemns the robbery
of the Overland Limited, and asserts
faith In Prof. Heep's conversational
adherence to Lord's Oregon Laws.
For some mysterious reason - the
names of the signers are denied pub
lication. It is now assured that future hear
ings of the regents will not be dis
turbed by Mr. Bill McGinnis, of the
Whoopla Commercial Club. Mr. Mc
Ginnis has become obsessed with the
strange notion that he is the college
fool-killer and has bean placed under
restraint.
Great New Humane Society.
The humanitarian efforts of the
Peripterous to protect the titles of all
Colonels by Courtesy is receiving com
mendation from all quarters.
The idea is rapidly coming into favor
that these men who have for many
years enjoyed the distinction of com
plimentary military rank should not at
this late day be deprived of them,
merely because the Government is
creating so many real Colonels.-
One of the most enthusiastic In
dorsers of the movement is a well-,
known manufacturer of the gray. cam
paign hat universally known as the
insignia of rank of Colonel by Cour
tesy. This manufacturer is now so
wealthy and has Invested so heavily in
liberty bonds that his motives may not
be questioned.
"It would be cruel," he writes, "now
to deprive so many elderly gentlemen
of a cherished and unsullied honor. Let
us mitigate the horrors of war as
much as possible."
The League for the Preservation of
Colonels by Courtesy will soon, it is
expected, have a membership National
in scope. The only avowed hold-outs
are a few dollar-chasing dealers in
safety razors who have a selfish ob
jection to the cultivation of goatees.
It Was No Circus.
Mitchell Sentinel.
Arthur Winebarger returned from
Prineville Sunday. They all report the
fair at that place was much better
than it was advertised to be.
Spring;.
To demonstrate on this fine October
morning that this is an absolutely free
Auditorium, there is therewith pre
sented a poem on Spring, offered for
our August columns by E. W. P., of
La Grande:
Awakening comes! What cheer!
Bluing skies.
Robin's cries.
Myriad blooms appear.
Spill of fount.
Joy of mount.
Echoing shepherd's mere.
The greening time! What fun!
Grass spear's dress.
Leaflet's caress.
Pussywillows in sun.
Bulrushes out. ,
Weir "plash'd shout.
Remodeling times begun. ;k
The blushing time! Sol's boastt
Blood-roots spring.
With red'ning wing.
Willows blush their toast. l
Wind-flower blows.
Blossoming rose.
Red'ning Winter's ghost.
All earth awakes!" What joy!
Birdletts fly.
Laddies cry.
"Nature's melody enjoy!"
Bub'ling brook.
Quiet shade nook.
Glad'ning Spring's sweet alloy.
All the Modern Conveniences.
Skullspring Sentinel.
Beside the road that leads from
Prineville to Burns, in the Blue Moun
tain Forest Reserve, stands Buck Moun
tain Hotel. It is nothing but a scorched
juniper tree and there is no habitation
for many miles around. This Is bow it
got its name:
Four railroad men traveling In an au
tomobile were wrecked near the spot.
Another automobile carrying Colonc
Bill Hanley. the guide of the party, and
Louis W. Hill, was in advance. They
knew nothing of the plight of tho oth
ers, but went on and on and on.
The stranded ones found Colonel Rill
and the railroad president at Burns 34
hours later. They had a tale of won
and were sore over their ciescrtion.
They told feelingly of an all-night
camp around a burning juniper tree la
the cold air of a mountainside, sere
naded by snarling coyotes, and of th
rain that made cute llttie rlvulats
about their reclining forms.
"I see." broke in Colonel Bill. "All
outside apartments, open fires, musio
by the band and running water in
every room. Whatlnell do you cxpocj
150 miles from, & railroad 2"