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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1918)
TTIE STJXDAY OREGOXIAN", PORTLAND, APRIL' ' SI,' 1918. Sfie (Dronmmn rosixAxo. OREGON. Portland (Oregon) Poetofrire aa wcoad-clu, mall matter aaetxlpuoa nua Invariably la advance: (Br M.U. City. Snndar Included, om rear $10 I-el r. Xuoday Included. i:l months .... 4 21 fiai T. Suadajr Included, tore, roentba .. 2.2S Imtly. Sumlav Included, an month 73 Iat:r. wlthtmt Munday. on jprar Auo Illy. without !un1ar. six months.. Ieiir. without Sunday, on moath .uo "Weemy. ana year. l.w Sand, ena year. ........... .......... fcudty a&4 Weekly .......... 4-iA By Carrier. ) Je.fTy. ftunday Included, on, yar. ...... .$3. w Xai'r. Sunday Included, one month...... .73 i'ellr. without Sunday, on, yar T.V Illy. without KundaT. three months . .-." XJai.y. without Sunday, ono moata. ... .. . Mow to stoaait S-nd poetofflc money roVr. expreee or personal check an your local bank, atampe. coin or currency are at waer-e run. tie poaiorflc, address in foil. Including county and atate. rH, Bates 12 to 1 pagea. 1 rant: l to p-tgee. 2 ccnta; Z4 to as pgea. a cents: (4 to pares. 4 canta: J to TS pages. & seats: 74 to j psges, casta. Fnra.ga poal ega, dean., rates. (Mm Boeiaeea Office Terra, Conk -I'e, BnuMvirK Oui.dtna. New York; Verree at oak la. leaver auiidmc. Chicago: Verree A loan.:. Free Preee building. I Lroll, M:rtL. in Franeieca represeataUie. R. J. Bldwell. "43 atarael atraat. aTB OF THE ASSOCIATED TKT.S. To, Associated Preae I, exclusively eotl tea) to tb, om for republication, of a:l newe :ep&tmee credited to It or not atnerwlae credited t, thia paper, and a.aa Uia local aews published berets. A.I r-.ghta of republication of special dis pute ns herein an, a-ao reeerved. the country Is large, but has not won Uia sympathy of the Inhabitant. It Is also outnumbered by the Italians In the southern part of the country. J-OKTLAXD. HMU. APRIL tl. ISIS. tONMICNTE AST DITT. MRTUND. Or, April S. Te the Edi tor. Tb public la told that a Llaarty Loan bond la an Inveetroent- All right. 1 agree. w, ara also told that It k, tb, doty of eocyaody to buy who la ablo to buy: and wo nro also- told that wa "ouch I t, buy till It hurt and then buy till It ulta hurting." I rrt. I am not ao cloar. bowmr. that 1 ho decision aa ta what 1 shall do raata wltb oenjarn. If I am willing to buy till It hurta. e doaa't burt. la not that my btiataam ? It at bar worda. If a bond la aa Investment. wby bovo 1 not tha optloa of maktnc that lavaatmaat. wltbln my m,aa,7 rrukly am mlxod na to what 1 am fro, to do In t ho mattar and what 1 moat do at tb, da nnaad of th public, waatbar I ncrro or lot. Will you oaplalnz READER. If w a understand our friend, lie Is entirely willing' to do his full duty In th purchase of bonds; but he objects to Any compulsion. legal or moral, bout it- It Is. In effect, tha same old pacifist argument that support of the war Is a matter of conscience: arid that conscience is one's own. and the public ts neither Its keeper, mentor, nor guide. Conscience. It may be conceded, be longs to Its owner: but It would be a poor thing. Indeed. If tha moral standard every man or woman, con sciously or .unconsciously, sets up for his or her guidance, were not to bo measured or corrected or strength ened by the thoughts, experiences. Idea4 and determinations of others. A poor thing. Indeed. What a world, with every one doing: as he pleased. unmindful of the opinions, good or bad. of others, and quite certain that ha was right, and all others who did not have exactly the same kind Inner voice, and the same moral and spiritual outlook, were wrong. Tha cave of Adullam would be considered a haven of rest and concord In com paiison. Conscience and duty are as wide apart as the poles: yet the main trouble with your conscientious ob jector Is that he regards them as Iden ticaL To him the act his conscience requires him to do. It Is his duty to do: and If his conscience dissents, h doty Is to dissent. In other words, there caa for him be no definition or determination of duty except by him. self. Duty Is obligation, obedience, sub- nilartton. It Is tha moral compulsion to do right, and no man may do other wise without transgression. Th standard of right or wrong may not be erected by him. but by the unl versa! Judgment of society, which means all others and himself. Now, if one's conscience directs him to per form an act which all others say wrong. It Is quite clear that such conscience Is a perverted conscience. There Is nothing else to say about it Conscience, rightfully considered. tha power from within which de mands right conduct by the con science's owner; but he may not also say what is light conduct. Duty calls for light conduct, whatever con science may say. It Is. therefore, the first essential of conscience that shall find Itself In accord with duty. and not duty with conscience. Here Is where your conscientious objector gets off the track. The Nation la at war. It was the judgment of the Nation, through its representatives, duly authorized to speak and act. that It was th coun try's dnty to go to war. Clearly. It ts the people's duty to support the Na tion In Us action until the war la at an end. There are various ways of support by enlistment in the Army or Navy, and by providing funds and supplies and the like. It cannot be conceded that the citizen may take his own method of service, any more than It can be conceded that he may or may not serve at all. for the Gov. ernment has determined Its duty, and It may also determine the citizen's duty. If he may say that he will not aubscrib to a loan, solely because he objects to war. he may also say that ha will pay no war tax. solely because he objects to war. The distinction, to be sore, la of moral or legal compul sion. Tha Government asks of the citizen a loan, and It ts his duty to comply. If he can: It demands of the citizen a war tax. and he must pay. That a war loan Is an Investment Is due to the act of the Government In making subscription by th citizen of funds to carry on the war easy, attrac tiv and profitable. It was the option of th Government to make It an In vestment, or not. If th citizen has also aa option. It Is purely nominal, for he has. and he must perform, his duty, within his means, to subscribe. If It be said that, while h may have such a duty, it Is yet within his light to subscrib or not. then It must be concluded that th individual may or may not do his duty, as he pleases. It is a position which cannot be sus tained. AIM TO MASSACRE ADMITTED. German airmen have abandoned the pretense that the purpose of their raids on cities in territory of tha allies is to destroy structures of military value. They frankly admit that their object Is to Inspire terror by killing women and children. That Is the sub stance of an Interview given by a cap tured German airman to an Italian newspaper. Me said: Wa do sot know and wa do aar aaak ta know thin ataff haadqnartera ara. ar wtwra th, great military drpota of our anemic ara. Whan wa bombard a city It la tha city Itaalf w, wlaa to deatroy and tha cltlscas tbamaalvM w, wish to hit. Our parpoaa la! to broak down tha realatanc of tb, cnamy countries, to weaken tha spirits of th, pub- iie. and compel a general longing- for peace. When w, bombard Paris. London or Padua, yoa will wall understand that wa do not look for military objectives. These are secondary It hi wealass. therefore, for yoa to tlnuo to lament If among th, victims there ta th, Inevltabla woman and tba Inevitable baby. If they cannot take car, of themselves so macn th, wore, for them. Experience should have taught the Germans that the barbarity of their raids Is equalled by their stupidity. Instead of terrorizing the people Into surrender to Germany, they have strengthened determination to fight to a finish. Before Great Britain adopted conscription" every Zeppelin raid was followed by a boom In enlistment, so much so that speakers for recruiting took their, stand on the ruins of houses wrecked by bombs. The taste of Prus sian Lim which free peoples have had In war has given them a clear idea of what It would be under a German peace as a permanent and unescapa- ble condition. They prefer small doses of it for a few years to adopting it as a steady diet for an Indefinite period. The Germans are proud - of their knowledge of human psychology, as proved by their application of that science to th uses of war. They un derstand the psychology of an tin educated, half-barbarous people like the Russians who have never been really free, but they are densely Ig norant of that of educated, civilized peoples who have long enjoyed free dom. It reacts to terrorism In a way directly opposite to the German ex pectatton and promises to be on of the chief Instruments of German de feat. Brazil has undertaken to stamp out rrussianism by the adoption of drastic measures, being confronted with a problem proportionately greater than that of the United States In the same respect- Wneraaa a large number of Germans came to the United States because of their love of liberty, those in Brazil represent a different genera tion with a different motive. They have gone to Brazil solely In their own interests and those of th Fatherland, have established their own schools and send their children to German uni versities, and seek only the society of their own countrymen. They have bven described by a Brazilian states man as seeking to build up a country within a country. Th Brazilian gov ernment has kssued orders for the trarbsng of Portuguese In the German schools and la bow preparing to take over Uia c'odr of German business Interests.' Th German population la WEAPONS READY FOR AX INVADER. Events of th war in Europe have Illustrated how Important a part Is played by control of the enemy's nat ural and industrial resources. Ger many's ability to continue th war and to win was greatly increased by conquest of tb coal and Iron fields and manufactures of Belgium, of the French coal fields In the department of Pas des Calais and of the French Iron mines of Brley. The Briey mines probably more than replaced the ore which was formerly imported but which was shut out by the blockade. Conquest of Russian Poland gave the Germans coal, lead and zinc as well as much grain and livestock: that of Serbia gave them grain and hogs. also a copper mine which they have doubtless developed with the labor of enslaved Serbs; that of Roumanla gave them oil, of which they were very short, the timber of the Transylvania Alps and much grain and cattle; that of Finland gives them timber and grain; that of the Ukraine opens the way to the coal and Iron of tha south, the oil of the Baku field, the cotton of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, and puts them In a position to obtain much grain as soon as they can put th people to work. By conquering the material resources of a country Germany obtains means to hold the people In subjection and to overcome her other enemies. The consequence of continuing the present defenseless condition of the United States on the Pacific Ocean would b that, if major hostilities war extended to the Pacific, all the resources of this region would not only be lost to th Nation, but would be at th command of the enemy, for use In war against the Middle West, the East and the South. The enemy would gain a base on this side of the ocean for operations against the Rocky Mountain states and the frrcat food-producing area of the Mississippi and Missouri valleys, and. If he gained those sections, he conld take tha man ufacturing states of tha East In th rear, cut off their Western supplies of food and raw material and might starve them Into submission. The effect of our present condition of un preparedness to maintain a su perior fleet In the Pacific can best be conveyed by considering a single pos sible case. After winning a decisive naval victory In the Paclflo Ocean, a hostile fleet might force Its way past th forts at th mouth of the Colum bla River, steam up to Portland and force th surrender of the city by threatening a bombardment which would lay it In ruins. The enemy could then make this tha base of operations for an Invading army. His forces could move up th Willamette Valley, taking defenders of the Coast range In the rear, also up the Colum bia Valley. The gorge of th Columbia might be strongly defended. If it should be penetrated, the whole Inland Empire would be at the enemy's feet. If not. he would still be able to feed his army with the fish, grain, fruit and cattle west . of the Cascades, to selxe tha ships and shipyards and use them for transport of more troops, to occupy the forests and cut timber for ships, aircraft and trench construc tion, and to seize tha great spruce mill at Vancouver. In possession of our material resources ana or our manufacturing industries. It would not be long before he would be turning out ships and aircraft, made of our wn material, for further conquests. If he should break through Into the intermountain country, ha would find food for his army In th grain fields. cattle ranges and orchards, coal for his railroads and ships at the mines of Roslyn and Cle Elum. lead in Coeur d'AJene and Kootenai, and cop per In Butt and Kootenai to make ammunition. He could establish air dromes at the foothills of the Rockies, from which aircraft could raid the In terior grain and cattle states. Whatever Is true of the Columbia basin is also true with variations of other sections of the Pacific Coast. In th Puget Sound district he would rapture many shipyards as well as the Navy-yard at Bremerton, great saw mills, fish, fruit and meat canneries. coal mines, machine shops, vast areas f fir and sprue timber, and a base for attacks on British Columbia and Alaska. Tha Utter territory, which Is absolutely undefended, would sup ply coal, copper, gold, fish and rein deer meat. From San Francisco the rich valleys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento could be occupied, also the gold mines of the Sierra Nevada nd th big redwood forests. From Los Angeles he could advance into the citrus fruit belt, the vineyard", the bean fields and tha treat California I oil region, the Jast named supplying fuel to his fleet. Wherever he effected a'landing he would find material which could be forged Into a weapon for conquest of more of our territory. A Western In vasion would also relieve the pressure on the German army in France by forcing us to divert a large part of our forces to defense of our own country, and would thus add to the peril which overhangs democracy In Europe. Any man who says that( these dan- Bera sis tuo remote ana iiyputueuuu to occupy our attention while we are exerting our entire strength for the present struggle in France has not well learned the lessons of the war. It is only two years since the army of Grand Duke Nicholas was driving the Turks before it in Armenia and captured Trebizond. yet now the Turks are advancing through Russian Armenia to Transcaucasia and the Caspian Sea with a prospect of pene trating to Persia and Central Asia and a possibility of realizing their dream of a Pan-Turkish empire. It is less than two vears since Brusiloffs Rus sian army was driving the Austrians before him and taking them prisoners by hundreds of thousands; Russia now has practically no army, and Austrian and German troops march unimpeded to the Black Sea coasL A year and a half ago the Roumanians were ad vancing through Transylvania toward Hungary: they have now accepted the terms of a victor from the central empires, and have made their country a highway for the Teuton advance to Odessa, When Russia, which two years ago was a powerful ally, has become to all Intents and purposes a vassal of Germany. It Is not safe and It may be suicidal to treat any danger as too remote for Immediate consid eration or to rely on any strength ex cept our own. To meet this danger it would not suffice to send the fleet to the Pa cific. It might soon become impotent without adequate bases close at hand at which to repair and take on sup plies. . In a' measure it is true that a fleet Is no stronger than the capacity of these facilities. Those now ex istlng would provide. for only one fifth of the American fleet, as it now exists, and before the facilities pro. posed by the Helm commission could be completed Its strength will have been multiplied several times. The commission says that these facilities must be at least trebled to care for the existing fleet. Comparison of the present need with that which will exist when the big Navy programme has been carried out indicates how urgent is this need. THE EMCLATIVE SPIRIT. The Department of Agriculture has hit-upon a sound device for arousing the spirit of emulation among th food producers of the country by pub lishlng from time to time the records of production by individual farmers under- conditions which are described nearly as possible. The county fair, especially in former days, showed how far the clement of competition and personal pride entered into achievement. The biggest pumpkin, almost from time immemorial, has been surrounded by admiring crowds and no grower was hardened enough to be quite oblivious to the comments made upon It. But the pumpkin is only a symbol of endeavor. It was useful for exhibi tion purposes because It was distinctly visible, was easily weighed and rip ened conveniently at tha season when county fairs are in their glory. There is not so much to be said of the pump kin aa a valuable article of food. But the competitive spirit which it typi fled produced results, and it is now regarded as desirable that this shall be stimulated on every hand. - What can be done with pumpkins is meas urably possible with the staple foods, with potatoes and corn and wheat not chiefly in the size of the individ ual unit, but in yield per acre and in relative man power employed and in cost and methods of production. The fact that stands out in these bulletins telling of remarkable In stances of high production is not that yield should be greater than the av- erage. but that It should be so many times greater. It is set forth that the average yield of corn for the whole country is twenty-fotir bushels to the acre, and one would not be at all sur prised on learning that this is ex ceeded considerably by some growers. But the statement that some mere boys, organized into clubs, have been able to produce as high as 170 bush els to the acre is bound to start i train of thought. Tha average production of oats for the whole country is given as thirty bushels to the acre. A few farmers have attained 140 Bushels as the aver age of their entire plantings. It Is true that they had some natural ad vantages, but their success is not at tributable to that fact alone. Their methods had a good deal to do with it. And. obviously, the mora widely these methods are copied the better it Is going to be for the country as a whole. WOMEN'S FITNESS TDK LABOR. The view that women present an Initial advantage In entering new fields of labor, by reason of their habitual abstinence from Indulgences which contribute to physical degenera tion in men, is expressed In an Inter esting pamphlet on "Women in Rail way Service as Viewed From a Surgi cal Standpoint," written by Dr. E. O'Neill Kane. As a railway surgeon, the author is- concerned primarily with the entry of women into railway work formerly performed exclusively by men, but his observations will ap ply to a wider field. He suggests that certain special forms of exercise will be required to fit women for their new fields, but he does not view the problem gloomily. The .musculature of women, for example, is admitted to be below that of men. . and this has led to accidents which previous training might have avoided. High- heel shoes, corsets, adornments which hamper freedom of motion, garments which may become entangled in ma chinery, and "similar female eccen tricities" are mentioned, but not as in surmountable obstacles. Even as against these temporary disabilities, which are likely to be corrected as women awaken to the seriousness of their new mission, there are compensations. Women. Dr. Kane haa found, require less Instruction in tha principles of "safety first"; they are naturally mora prudent. They are innately quicker in action and keener of perception. The "enervating in fluence of tobacco" seldom is encoun tered among them. They are found to b better adapted to dangerous em ployment than has been generally sup posed. Injuries "will be found to be less frequent than where men are em ployed." But some are bound to oc cur, and the surgeon considers wom en's relative capacity for recovery. Anatomically, women are found to possess a frame wont or npnter con struction than men, but the bones, on the other hand, are denser and more elastic. Where fractures occur there Is less tendency to comminution. There is less danger of Infection, be- cause clothing and skin are likely to be cleaner. Blood vessels and hearts of older subjects are better able to bear strain than in men of the same age, 'because of their "mora near ap proach to normality." The Burgeon has another rap at John Barleycorn. He says the tobacco and liquor habits are seldom met with as vascular degenerators. Once more this point is emphasized in connection with discussion of the induction of anesthesia .In men and women. The latter are safer patients, perhaps by reason of their more simple lives and "more temperate habits!" The tend ency to hysterical manifestations, cor rectly ascribed to many women, is off set by improbability that few truly hysterical women would undertake the kind of labor under consideration. The surgeon Is warned to treat women patients more tenderly than men, be cause of their mora delicate organ! zations, but Is also reminded that sympathy is not wasted on suffering humanity in any case. After-treatment doeSnot differ greatly from that given to men, except that women are more exacting of attendants, but this. too. is atoned for by greater desire to get back to work and avoid losing their Jobs. Finally, the surgeon finds that women are more adaptable if disabili ties prove permanent. They handle artificial limbs better than men do, and if placed In compatible employ ment soon show themselves as useful members of society as if physically perfect. Women themselves no doubt will be surprised to learn of their points of physiclal superiority. Upon the point of abstinence from liquor, they will need to look to their laurels, in a land that is rapidly going "dry"; but they are likely to maintain their lead as to tobacco. One by one, the obstacles to complete freedom of women are being swept away. Already tha day seems to have dawned when choice of voca- tlona will be left to women themselves. own jokes, but the reader saw the ap plication. It was a style peculiarly fitted to Americans of a particular era. It was untranslatable, even iifto "English." John Bright attended a lecture by Artamus Ward in London, and said afterward that "its informa tion was meager, and presented in a desultory, disconnected manner." He probably would have seen n humor in Mrs. Partington's statement, fr example, that "only rich men and ipecacs have gout," which was a spe cies of fun-making that was' giving us much enjoyment on this side of the water at about the same time But our professional humorists were real educators, although they probably would have disclaimed so serious an intent, and they did much good. Seba Smith, whose "Thirty Tears put of the Senate'' was forgotten long ago, was widely influential in. his day and way. The "Biglow Papers," let ters from "Confedrlt X Roads," and the lectures and writings of Artemus Ward had a more salutary effect than reams of tracts. JOSH BILLINGS AND OTHER BXMORI5TS. The centenary of tha birth of Henry Wheeler Shaw, better known as Josh Billings, will not be formally cele brated by tha literary world, but its occurrence this week serves aa a re minder that the professional humorist was distinctly a product of the nine teenth century, and that the epoch in which American humor relied upon the device of heightening wisdom by contrasting It with illiteracy, as did Josh Billings and Artemus Ward In their misspelled homilies, has passed. We have since passed through an era of slang, and have developed dialect to a degree undreamed of a few years ago, and now we are waiting for an other novelty. No people are so rest less as Americans. Even in their reading they demand constant change. The philosophy of Josh Billings is as profound now as it was half a cen tury ago. 'but it has ceased to impress us. His writings, once read by every one, are not now even to be found on the shelves of many public libraries. "The Farmer's Allmlnax," which had an enormous circulation in 1870, is treasured only as a curiosity. Josh Billings himself defined humor as a thing that is ludicrous and at the same time true." The definition left something to be desired, but it embodied the author's own literary policy. He employed incongruity in the manner and for the purpose for which others since his day have made use of exaggeration. But there was in Josh Billings' work a deeper moral purpose. "Next to a klear conshuns,1 he said once, "for solid comfort cums an eazy boot." And he gave a didactic NOT A QUESTION OP COST. Unauthorized estimates made in Massachusetts of the cost of employ ing tractors in farming operations, by which it was made to appear that con siderable economies would result, by comparison with work done by horses, have made it advisable to correct the erroneous impression prevailing. This has been done by the master of the State Grange, who warns farmers against false expectations which may have been aroused. At the same time he points out that tractors should be employed as widely as possible, even if they do not effect a saving in money. The essential fact is that they will accomplish more work. It is neces sary that as large an area as possible shall be put in cultivation. The crop area must be increased, even if not at a lower cost. No good purpose will be served by raising false hopes of financial econo mies, which experience may . dispel. creating distrust of the general move ment toward wider employment of farm machinery. Putting the issue on the broader ground of patriotic dirty leaves the farmer with no -unpleasant after impressions and makes It clear that quantity production is the first consideration- ' This appeal Is likely to be sufficient. For the present is not a time for quibbling .about a few cents an acre in the cost of putting In the crop. By taking the farmers into their confidence, the agricultural authorities cf Massachusetts are adopt ing the course most likely to Insure complete co-operation and to produce results. The policy of renting smaller ma- chine-driven implements is having the effect incidentally of giving farmers greater familiarity with machinery and ts popularizing its use. One ob stacle to the general use of motor driven machinery on farms has been lack of skilled mechanics to operate It and keep it in repair. But in that respect the farm motor is in a posi tion similar to that of the automobile less than twenty years ago, when most drivers were helpless in the face of accidents. The average autolst of th present day has confidence in his abil lty to meet all ordinary emergencies. The same condition is likely to be reached by farmers within a few years. This will be attained, as in the case of the automobile, by improve ment in construction, and also by edu cation of owners in the care of their machines. T 1 . ..1..1 tuouu oi a. utunaimiv-vuiKiKi Kiev U'lT uwillisnip n-r-,Kr s tjrenerai .rersmng. XT, is me auty ui . . . . . W1C1W3U) ui tilt; xuiiiLaiy ociih-c uvi. f only to perfect masks far present use, . Self and Others. but als to anticipate chemical sur- SALEM. Or., April 19. (To the Edi prises which the enemy may attempt tor.) I desire to obtain the -words of to serine ' a monologue so effectively rendered by lr1,1,1 firman n,Mt. If, ,11,11 mtWUirnO L WB Armory. . . ,,uw.w.u fin .n V. J.i . . LI.L 1 now boosting that even if their coun- aorsto'od... j rm,Deeve l am not try should fail to achieve her military alone ln my sinoer6 wish to procure enas. sne would De in a position iu tnese verses, and that thev will be mor dictate term3 of peace through her control of the largest easily mined I readers. potash supplies in the worlds Pos session of potash would "determine exactly how productive the wheat, cbrn and cotton fields of a country would be permitted to be." The potash of the United States, theoretically plentiful, is chemically locked up;' its man appreciated by many of your MRS. ALICE LAMB. The verses follow: NOT UNDERSTOOD. N6t understood. We move along asun- e aer, Our paths grow wider as the seasons -creep segregation Is so expensive as to be I Along the years; we marvel and wonder Why life is Ufa, and then we fall asleep; -Not understood. possible only as - war enterprise. . Dr. Steiglltz regards the German boast as not altogether vain in present condi tions. At the lowest estimate, Ger- manv would hold a trumo card in making trade terms that would setNot understood. We gather false Im- Droiected trade embargoes at naueht. pressions Ana nil mem closer as the years This points to a field in which Ameri can chemists can labor to their hearts' content. It Is only one of many de partments in which the chemist of the future will have use for all his energies and Ingenuity and skill. go br. Till virtues often seem to us trans gress Ions, And thus men rise and fall, and live and die; Not understood. In the midst of a turbulent world, Not understood. Poor souls with stunt- Iceland has found a spokesman to remind us that although among the smallest in numbers of .the civilized nations of the world, never having had more than 70,000 Inhabitants, she has a language, a national char acter and a body of traditions all its own. This spokesman is Jon Stefans- son, lecturer In Icelandic at King's Not understood. The secret springs of College, at ixmdon. He says that of I action. wnicn lie Dencatn tne surface and ed vision Oft measure giants by their narrow gauge: The poison shafts of falsehood and d- - rlsion Are oft impelled 'gainst those who mold the age; Not understood. all the civilized countries, it is the" most wild and barren, nine-tenths of it consisting of snow mountains, gla ciers and lava beds, yet the people for a thousand years have been in tellectually vigorous and have pro duced a literature "both in poetry and prose- that stands among the primi tive literatures next after that of an cient Greece in quantity and quality." In 'recent years Its . political history possesses peculiar Interest for the rest of the world, for it has won autonomy from Denmark after a bloodless con stitutional struggle, and is practically independent. Notwithstanding Its com parative isolation, the people are con tented and seldom emigrate in search of happier conditions. the show. Are disregarded; with self-satisfaction We judge our neighbors, and they often go. Not understood. Not understood. How trifles often change us! The thoughtless sentence of a fancied slight Destroys long years of friendship and estranges. And on our souls there falls a freez ing blight; Not understood. How many breasts are Ah, day by THE DUEL OF THE CHEMISTS. The dominant role of chemistry in the present war is pointed out in an article in the Tale Review, written by Dr. Julius Stelglitz, who holds that Yi aoti 1 otrtr a Inn a m orlo Vi a tara t nna turn to the surprising association of "T. . ? "'" "K , m . . . ... ,. , . , I sible in the very beginning, and is now IrlAAK h V arlrline-- "Trv both!" "ThAral - .. .. responsible for tne continuance 01 its ravages. For Germany deliberately ideas by adding, "Try both!" "There is a great deal of religion in this world," he said at another time, "that is lik a life-preserver only put on at the moment of extreme danger, and then half the time put on hind side before." This was a favorite quotation back in the seventies, and one that served to punctuate many an argument over a religion and rela tionship of sinners and saints. But Josh Billings was himself a deeply religious man. He was concerned with leading people into right paths without arousing their combativeness by seeming to preach to them. He did not believe ln wasting time over non essentials, as ha indicated when he wrote: Mennv peopl, spond thsr tlms trlelng to rind th, hoi, whsr sin got Into th, world. If two men broke through th. Ice Into planned the war, and never would have dared to do so if it had not been for the recent development of methods of converting atmospheric nitrogen on a large scale into ammonia and nitric acid These discoveries gave assurances of ample and constant supplies of ex plosives and fertilizers. Without this aid. Dr. Stelglitz .declares, Germany would have been compelled to stake her national existence upon a speedy conquest such as she failed to achieve at the battle of the Marne. With Great Britain in control of the seas, there would have been neither food nor munitions for a prolonged war. There are other Interesting aspects of the chemical side of the conflict. mlllpond. thsr had better bunt for some I Although poison gas has received wide long argument about th, nolo ther cum to fall In. It Is said of Josh Billing that he was the first man in America to dis cover the "quaint drollery of inside laughter" that gave so much pleasure to the people of his day. His writ ings, like the personality of Mark Twain, heightened its effect by a cer- tain owlish solemnity. His figures of speech were such as fitted the dally Ufa of the people they required no research, no cultural groundwork, no previous smattering of the classics for their comprehension. There was a publicity, it Is not generally known that probably 20 per cent of all the shells fired on the western front are charged with chemical poisons or irri tants rather than with shrapnel "When Germany let go the first wave of poison gas, ln contravention of all International agreements," says the writer, "it is said that the British General in command wired to London that if relief were not sent within three days the whole British lines would be compelled to retire. It Is now seen that the Germans again underestimated the resources of kind of universality in the appeal of their foe. For although employment his commonplace subjects. He wrote no fewer than three paragraphs at different times to express his opinion of dogs and people who owned them. Even lovers of animals chuckled over: "I don't keep but one dog; no one but a pauper kan afford to keep three," or "If 1 had 4 fust rate dogs, i would name the best of them Doubtful' and all tha other 3 'use less.' " It is a curiously interesting his torical fact that Josh Billings' ro ot tha gas was a complete surprise, it is said that within only thirty-six hours a million and a half of the "first crude but sufficiently effective gas masks were delivered at tne front." These masks have since been improved upon, and adapted to meet the new poisons employed by the enemy, but the point is that chemists on the line of defense, by their prac tically instantaneous action, held back the enemy at the most critical period marks on dogs ara believed to have I of the war. led directly to the enactment by the The adept in chemistry regards it Massachusetts legislature of a law de- I as best on the whole that the mate voting the proceeds of a tax on dogs to rials used shall not be named. He the support of public libraries. A hint recalls an incident in a London mur of the provocation of the author may der trial when a chemist was asked be gleaned from the fact that the I whether all poisons could be detected, town in which he lived was said for and answered, "All but one." The long time to have had tha biggest Judge forbade the chemist to reveal library In proportion to its popula-1 the dangerous secret- From similar tlon of any city ln the state a library motives, the War Department chemists relatively larger than eyen that of are reticent as to the details of their There are two departments into which the emulative spirit should en ter in the coming season the use of fertilizers, either natural or artificial. and the intelligent employment -of farm machinery. It is generally ad mitted that for some time to come the labor problem will be a serious one. It is possible, and even probable, that this will operate against increased acreage. The call for more wheat, if answered upon the old basis of acre- averages, would demand that 22,000,- 000 more acres be planted than last year. But the etfect would De tne same if the yield per acre could be sufficiently increased, and costs would be relatively smaller. It is recognized that this is not an academic issue and that no farmer In the past has delib erately held down his yield per acre. But if it can be shown that in a given neighborhood, under fairly typical conditions, one farmer has made his acres produce in increasing amounts, it is hoped that his neighbors will be induced to study him and his ways and profit accordingly. Not understood. aching; For lack of sympathy day How many cheerless, lonely hearts are DreaKlng. How many noble spirits pass away? Not understood. Oh, God! that men would see little . clearer, Or Judge less harshly where they cannot see; Oh, God! that men would draw a little . nearer To one another; they'd be nearer thee. And understood. Wisdom of the almost hypercritical tests to which candidates for the avia tion service are subjected Is shown by revelations that many of the accidents occurring on training fields are now ascribed to physical defects which even the most searching examination has failed to detect. The British Royal Medical Service has made a series of investigations and has re. ported that many accidents probably have been due to temporary loss of consciousness during flight, brought on by previously undetected disablli ties and aggravated by high altitude. To prevent needless sacrifices of Americans, a group of more than a dozen of the best-known trainers of college, athletes have volunteered to take charge of conditioning men In the aviation fields, their services being offered from purely patriotic motives. Those who pass the double ordeal of examination for admission and condi tioning by the trainers will find avia tion, it is said, one of the safest branches of war service. It was at Collinsville, III., that Robert Prager was lynched by a mob on suspicion that he was a German spy. It was at Collinsville, Okla., that Henry Rheimer was strung up on suspicion of disloyalty but cut down before death ensued. Why the Col- linsvilles should take such steps in advance of other communities is not quite clear, but a precedent seems to have been established. It would be well for inhabitants of the other Col- linsvilles to be guarded in speech and act. There are nine In the United States. THE GREAT BANK. There Is one great bank wherein all human beines are interested: Wherein each man, some time, deposits something to his credit. There are those with large accumula tions booked beneath. their name; And others with moderate amounts, a mere pittance, or a "closed ac count"; . , But each man, ln his time, must be a . customer at this great Institution. Many times each year comes the indi vidual who hopes, by Tluff"ito gain advantage. He asks payment of checks that have no real value nor "backing." He endeavors, futilely, to collect Inter est on what he once possessed. But which has long since been squan dered and dissipated ln foolish ways.: And he goes away, incensed at the refusal of the bank to accede to his demands! This bank is Life. It pays back to each Investor only according to his Investment. It yields to those who enter worthily into its aims and purposes A high rate of interest on every de posit made, be the depositor prince or peasant. But to those who will not and do not place to their credit Such services to mankind, such quali ties and traits of character As go to make up a sum total sufficient to secure a rating There is no interest accruing and no balance upon which to draw ln emergency. And that man, once worthy, who fails ' to remain a part of the best citi zenship 'v. May not, later on, offer as defense or recommendation his now "closed account." Dally depositors at this bank, with the largest accounts on the ledger. Are not those who come with display of gold, silver or precious gems; But those who, inspired by high ideals and lofty aspirations. Go forth into the highways and by ways, forgetting self, and minis tering cheerfully Wherever human endeavor counts most for human weal: GRACB E. HALL. THE HELPFUL. BOOK. Today I was In a downtown store, And as I passed through the big arched door I saw two smiling girls: The report that Germany is build- in-, tinn nnn Ann wnrfh nf mprchant shipping 'for 'use after the war is en- And they both wore the coif of white, couraglng to those who think she - ang. looked at you uugui. w uo tumycuwi w ...t..vw I And quizzed: the losses caused by her unlawful U- voll r"eaa the little book?" boat warfare. It will come handy to I And somehow I was compelled to look. find those ships already built. The world is pinning its hopes just now on that "army of maneuver' which Foch is said to be holding in tact behind the lines, and Americans are hoping that we will have at least million men in line when the real march forward begins. Two things we can lay away with out being charged with hoarding, it seems, are coal and liberty bonds. And the more sparingly we use the coal the more liberty bonds we shall be able to afford. Boston. There will be no serious quarrel over who made widest, or first, .use of what the reformers of the present day might call "phonetic orthogra- work. But it is Interesting to watch the duel of the chemists now that the allies have accepted the new gage of battle. Skilled minds are engaged in the effort to "surprise the enemy by phy." Even Lowell did not disdain some ingredient which cannot be ab- to employ it for his purpose, and sorbed by the common reagents of the Artemus Ward, Petroleum Vesuvius gas mask." At the same time chemists Nasby and the creator of Mrs. Part- are stationed at the outposts and in ington worked various changes on It. I the trenches to detect the first signs The method seemed to fit a time when I of a chemical attack and to make education was neither as common nor I speedy identification, if possible, of the as much esteemed as it is now. It I materials used. pleased the vanity of those who scof fed at books and made light of cul ture. We realize now that these writ- It is illustrative of the humane I spirit underlying our own entry into the war, Mr. Steiglitz points out, that ers understood their readers better I our own Government at first thought than those readers understood them selves and that they led them by easy paths over roads upon it would be possible to -refrain from this method of attack. Our first or ganization of chemists was concerned which they could not have been I with defensive measures only. It hav- driven. The feature of the old American humor was that it was rood-humored. It left no sting. It I was pleasantly impersonal. tb author made himself tha butt cf his ing become apparent that we must not fijrht on unequal terms with air- un scrupulous foe, we now have organ ized divisions of gas offense and gas defense, A chemical unit under com-J The joke seems to be on Austria, which Is sending flour out of its own meager stores to feed those soldiers who went to gather the mythical food stores of the Ukraine. Mexico ought not to worry about a "food crisis." All she needs to do is to put the people to work, in a land where two crops a year can be grown almost anywhere. It is a good time to mention the fact that one good way to get rid of dande lions in the lawn Is to plow up the grass and plant a war garden. a Those American engineers were only giving the Huns a foretaste of what is coming when more of our men get into action. All that glistens Is not gold. It may be platinum, which is even more essen tial to the winning of tha war, And as I nausea. They told me why the many reasons I should tiuy The little book that held a message from The boys "over there" From Oregon. Then, In defense erf my purse, I said: "I do not care to buy today, For I have a boy who is on his way." Again They smiled and made reply: "More reason Tou should want to buy: The little book will teil to you The things your boy will have to do." Right then They struck a tender chord. I bought the book; And as I read I thanked my Lord I had a son Who was brave and strong, and that he had gons From Oregon- PEE. VE. L. FREE! SERVICE) AND INFOR HATION. The Oregonian has established a bureau of Information and serv ice at Washington City to- th benefit of Its readers. No charge Is made for a reply to any ques tion relating to Governmental af fairs or for procuring any avail able Government publication. For reply send 2-cent stamp. Address Frederic J. Ha skin, director Oregonian Information Bureau, Washington, D. C Do NOT writ to The Oregonian at Portland.
