5
TITE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND. JULY 14. 1918.
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PORTLAND, SINDAY, JtLY 14. 1918.
BASTILE DAI.
American citizens who today dis
play the tri-color of France will do
no more than return the compliment
paid to our Nation when the French
people ten days ago observed the
Fourth of July throughout their coun
try with as much' enthusiasm as if it
had' been their own Independence day.
France and the United .States now
think as one in contemplating the
common problem before them. France
is greatly heartened at this time by
the fact that America has gone to its
aid in the war against the oppressor,
just as we were cheered in our dark
days by the coming of Lafayette.
There always has been a bond of
sympathy between the two peoples,
and it is fitting that we should recog
nize it today in every appropriate
way.
July 14 is popularly known as
Bastile day." On that date, in 1789,
the famous dungeon of Parts capitu
lated to the forces which besieged it.
As a military achievement, its capture
was next to nothing, but its fall was
a. symbol. All Europe hailed it as a
sign of the doom of absolute, mon
archy. Politically and socially, the
consequences of its fall were momen
tous. It marked the beginning of the
movement toward . the abolition of
privilege and establishment of the
parliamentary system on the conti
nent. It was followed by uniformity
of laws of which the common people
of France had not even dreamed, and
for which some of them were not
even prepared. Although Napoleon
afterward established a monarchy
more absolute than that of Louis XVI,
the spirit of equality had been awak
ened by the great revolution and could
never be suppressed. The France of
today owes its existence to the events
of July 14, 129 years ago, notwith
standing the evil times which fol
lowed. That much is plain to those
who view history in perspective. The
Bastile was the turn of the tide; the
excesses of the Terror were only
waves.
In our own country, thirteen years
previously, we had initiated a move
ment for independence, and had fol
lowed it with a revolution conducted
In temper far different .from that
which marked the subsequent civil
strife in France. There is no doubt
that the comparative ease with which
we achieved an orderly state of gov
ernment gave impetus to the similar
movement for liberty on the other
side of the Atlantic, and enlisted under
its banner many who would have
hesitated If they could have foreseen
the events which immediately fol
lowed. But fortune had prepared us
better to enjoy our liberty than it
had the French. The American
colonists were st selected group, to
whom the problems of freedom were
not altogether new. There were, on
the other hand, a great number of
Frenchmen who had not given the
subject a serious thought; who were,
indeed, illy prepared for the freedom
which was thrust upon them. The
philosophy of history had no appeal
for them, and if it had had, precedents
were few. The wrongs which they
sought to redress were greater than
ours; the upheaval of the social order
more searching. But it is worthy of
especial note that, with all its blood
spilling, and with all the cruelties of
civil discord, France remained na
tional to the core. Its amazing re
covery in the face of peril from with
out exhibited consciousness of funda
mental unity which is bearing fruit
today.
The blunders of the French revolu
tion are as instructive as its achieve
ments, and they are viewed with
charity by students of the event.
There were those excesses of "democ
racy,"- which practically removed by
legislation all chance for effective dis
cipline in the Army and Navy. There
was extreme imprudence, if nothing
worse, as to colonial affairs. There
was grave meddling with foreign prob
lems by newly fledged politicians who
had no conception of the requirements
of statecraft or the intricacies of in
ternational law. The attempted dec
laration that no treaty should be bind
ing without the consent of the people
left existing treaties in a condition so
chaotic as to increase the menace of
war. Financial bungling was even
more grotesque. There was, for ex
ample, the threat of capital -punishment
for refusal to accept the as
signuts at par, in spite of which
nssignats sank to as low as 1 per cent.
But these will not even now seem
inexcusable to those who bear in mind
the queer proposals of some of our
own tinkers with natural laws in more
recent times. The Girondins, who
wanted law and order but were un
willing to trust their leaders, and the
Jacobins, who believed they could
maintain power only by constant vio
lence, have their counterparts in our
own times.
Wholesale decrees, issued by men
too unskilled to be apprehensive of
possible results of their own igno
rance the proposal for a "single
chamber" government, which Mira
beau denounced as more dangerous
than the tyranny of Constantinople
the transfer of property without in
demnities, which only substituted one
class for another these were among
the mistakes of the revolutionists.
With our superior hindsight, we see
them now; that is, some of us do, who
liave minds receptive to the lessons
of the past. But as has been said, the
French in that day had less to guide
them: they groped In the dark: it was
because the dominant idea, of the peo
ple, which would have been lrresist
ible In itself, was unorganized and in
coherent, that the first revolutionary
era was shortlived. Yet the old order,
hateful to the growing spirit of de
mocracy, was destroyed by the revo
lution and the seeds of the new were
planted, never to die.
There " are Frenchmen buried on
American soil who gave their lives
for us long before the present war
began, and. now Americans lie in
graves in France who died to save not
only France but all the world. The
new cause is making both' the Fourth
of July and Bastile day world holi
days. The love and admiration which
the ; French inspired in American
breasts nearly a century and a half
ago, and the reverence which has been
intensified by their steadfastness in
another conflict which is without a
materialistic goal, make it fitting that
we should celebrate today with enthu
siasm surpassing that with which
France hailed our National holiday
ten days ago. It will be a compli
ment to our ally, and an earnest of
our determination to support her by
every means at our command until
the victory is won.
WHERE DOES HE BELONG?
PORTLAND. Or.. July IS. (To the Edi
tor.) If alien neutrals who have taken out
their first American citizenship papers are
to be exempt from the selective draft, why
not give them the privilege of working for
a Government for which they will not fight?
My Idea Is to create an Industrial army of
them and take half their wages and give
it to the Ked Cross. Our boys have
given up their $3. 4 and $5 per day. jobs
and are In the trenches at $1 per day.
while these fellows are privileged to stay
at home and take their Jobs.
OCTOGENARIAN AMERICAN.
' Some one many some ones will
take their jobs, of course: and there
will be no dissent from the demand
that the place-fillers should serve
somehow the allied cause.
The idea of our venerable friend is
worth consideration. We submit it
with full approval of its sentiment,
though with some doubts' as to its
entire practicability. If it is not work
able, we have an idea, of our own as
a substitute.
Any alien neutral who has taken
the oath of allegiance to America,
swearing to support and protect the
Flag, and who repudiates his oath,
should be denied the opportunity to
take any absent soldier's job, and
should be deported to his native coun
try.' Wherever he belongs, he does not
belong here.
HE SHOILD SEE IT.
The thought persists that the tour
of Mr. Schwab will not have been
complete if he departs from the West
without having visited one of the ship
building centers that are close to the
heart of the great Coast forest and
devote their energies solely to wooden
construction.
There would have been mutual profit
if he could have seen what Coos Bay
and Astoria are doing and can do, but
plans have been laid which would per
haps suffer serious derangement were
either Journey taken now. But there
is another community which is barely
off his prescribed route which ha3
been founded and built upon the lum
bering industry.
The thriving- character of the cities
of Grays Harbor has from the first
rested in its great trees and in the
unrelenting effort of its citizens to
convert them to industrial use. Com
merce has developed therefrom and
the plow is following the logger, but
the lumber mills, the shipyards and
their corelated industries are the back
bone of a growth and sturdiness phe
nomenal. The shipyards on Grays Harbor
were the first in Washington to build
and launch a Government wooden
ship. They have not lagged in subse
quent construction permitted them.
The district produces more airplane
spruce than all the rest of the state.
-Grays Harbor is anxious to do more.
It has the timber close at hand and
the facilities for furnishing the ship
building companies promptly with
everything that they need.
Grays Harbor invites Mr. Schwab to
give it one day's close inspection. The
Oregonian hopes that he will accept.
It can assure him that not anywhere
esle can a person in one day acquire
such intimate information as to the
enormous timber resources of ' the
Northwest and its wooden shipbuilding
possibilities.
DELIVERING AIRPLANES BY AIR.
New significance is given to the
projected airplane flight across the
Atlantic by figures which show the
enormous quantity of shipping which
would be required to transport the
machines which would be needed to
give us the preponderance on the
western front which is so much to be
desired. It is possible that the sug
gested trip,, which has come in for
much criticism by persons who think
it an unnecessary risk, may be the
forerunner of an effort to deliver a
great quantity of aircraft under their
own power, just as automobiles are
now being moved from factories to the
seaboard in the East.
The Aircraft Production Board once
set its mark at 22,000 airplanes and
50,000 motors ready for use on the
battle front "before the Summer is
over." An Eastern airplane manu
facturer who has given much thought
to the subject estimates that this
would require the equivalent of 5.00.
000 tons of shipping for delivery, or
2,000,000 more than the country ex
pects to build this year.
It is the opinion of some strategists
that the bombing plane will prove the i
deciding factor in bringing peace.
They dream of the time when the
allies, will be able to sweep the Ger
man air fleets from the sky and bom
bard munition plants and lines of
communication behind the German
lines at will. Undoubtedly, if this
could be done, it would greatly re
duce the task of the soldiers. Ten
thousand bombing planes, it is said,
could do it. But could they be deliv
ered in time?
Bombing planes take up more ves
sel space than the scout and fighting
planes. It is estimated that to deliver
10,000 of the first named would re
quire 2,500.000 tons of shipping. This
would be equal to the total displace
ment of 60 Vaterlands, almost 100
Lusitanias, or 400 of the 8800-ton ships
which are being provided by the
Emergency Fleet Corporation. Mean
while the transportation of troops and
of supplies for them could . not be
stopped, and the total call upon our
shipping would be greater than we
could answer.
A fleet of 10,000 bombing planes
crossing the Atlantic challenges the
imagination. It will involve great
hazards, and It is a question whether
we could afford to take the risk of
loss of trained aviators, who are far
more valuable to us than their ma
chines. Yet the temptation, too, will
be great, if the war resolves Itself Into
a final death struggle in Belgium and
France. The British feat of sending
Thames River ferries to the Tigris
under their own steam is comparable
to the scheme of sending airplanes in
flocks across the Atlantic It was at-
tended by heavy losses, which were
justified by necessity.
So many precedents have been
broken since this war began that we
ought not to be surprised by any
thing. If the military commanders
decide that it is necessary, it will be
done. The route already has been
mapped out. It leads to New Found
land, to the Azores, to Portugal and
thence to France. Incidentally, the
voyage will exhaust about one-fourth
of the estimated flying life of a bomb
ing plane. But war is destructive in
its every phase, and when an object
is to be attained it takes little ac
count of loss.
THE DEMAND FOR SPECIAL, SKILL.
Hardly a day goes by that does not
emphasize the need of special skill
in some line of work, and the isola
tion of the man or woman who does
not know how to do some one useful
thing well. A recent illustration is
the call made by the Provost Marshal
General of the Army upon the draft
executives in all states for "certain
skilled men" for service in the Engi
neer Corps. The list Is fairly typical.
It is:
The following types of men are desired:
Auto repairmen, axmen, blacksmiths, boat
men, bridge carpenters, cabinetmakers, calk
ers. concrete foremen, concrete workers, con
struction foremen, cooks, draftsmen, electri
cians, gas-engine men. stationary -engine
men. farriers, horseshoers. lithographers,
machinists, buglers, photographers, plumb
ers, powder men. quarrymen. riggers, sad
dlers, shoemakers, surveyors, tailors, team
sters, telephone operators, llmbermeu and
topographers.
It will be noted that no demand is
here expressed for ukulele players.
.Spring poets, pool sharps, tango ex
perts or arbiters of fashions in men u
clothes. The "polite accomplishments"
may not disqualify one for service, it
they have been made a mere Incident
in a career, but the man who has put
off learning a trade or a profession
to acquire a superficial finish must
feel a peculiar sense of helplessness
in this time when every right-thinking
individual wants to do something to
help.
Other calls, official and unofficial.
are constantly being made for help of
every kind, except the unskilled.
Physicians, chemists, bacteriologists
the whole run of the professions are
contributing their quotas. The men
wanted are those who can be "left
alone with the job" if necessary, with
a reasonable prospect that it will be
turned out on time. One good black
smith may be worth a regiment of
parlor entertainers in a battle crisis.
Intimate knowledge of local real es
tate values Is not worth a fraction of
the ability of a good cook.
Our ideas of education are likely
to undergo a change as a .result of the
war. This was made apparent by the
drift of addresses delivered at ' the
recent convention of the National Edu
cation Association, which were singu
larly lacking In concrete proposals but
nevertheless indicated that teachers
everywhere are1 awake to the desira
bility of improvement in a practical
direction. The need of a better stand
ard for education . is beginning to
dawn upon us. When the uppermost
idea of the school is to fit the pupil
to do something of real use to the
world the details will work themselves
out. The trouble in the past has been
lack of a definite goal.
CHANCE FOB BCDDI.NO ARTISTS.
The rise of considerable numbers
of "non-professional" writers and mu
sicians to prominence since the war
began, and dissatisfaction with the
work of purely professional artists In
such fields, for example, as the de
signing of war medals, add to the
interest with which the outcome of
the shipbuilding poster competition
will be watched. The purpose of these
posters is to convey a message to
workers which will inspire them to
speed production to the topmost limit.
A dominating feature of the competi
tion is that it is open to every citizen
of the United States. Prizes will be
offered in four sub-classifications, so
arranged that most persons will find
themselves In two classes, which will
give them chances at two sets of
prizes. In addition to this, there is
nd limit upon the number of designs
which a single competitor may sub
mit. In fact, everything is subordi
nated to the main idea of obtaining
inspiring artistic work.
The power of the picture to awaken
lofty emotions Is undoubtedly tremen
dous, as Charles M. Schwab, of the
United States Shipping Board, sug
gested recently in an interview In the
New York Sun. "No Intelligent, sane
man," he added, "will question the
vital power of inspiring pictures."
This will be manifest to anyone who
will reflect upon the subject. As Mr.
Schwab went on to say. it does not
matter whether we call them cartoons
or posters, they have been stirring the
souls of men and mobilizing the forces
of justice and patriotism of the coun
try since the days of our National
Infancy.
The appeal of the poster is like that
of the cartoon, in that it awakens the
Inner mental processes through the
almost universally developed sense of
sight. The Dutch artist, Raemaker,
is perhaps the most consoicuous ex
ample of the present war: in a differ
ent way. other cartoonists have ex
erted a profound influence. Their
pictures possess the advantage over the
words of the orator and the' art of
the actor that they are not limited
by the range of the voice, and while
they may appeal to the same senses
that are awakened by the lines of the
poet, they have a wider field. Those
which employ allegory as their vehicle
of expression will be appreciated not
only by those who enjoy poetry, but
also by the large numbers to whom
verses are only boresome. The effect
of the picture ts instantaneous. Every
man in public life knows that the
brush or pencil of the cartoonist is
one of the most effective implements
in modern life.
While the "idea" presumably is to
be the chief desideratum of the ship
ping posters, it will be recognized even
by the utter novice that technic also
Is effective. It is noteworthy that
there are to be no restrictions upon
the artist's medium. Pen-and-ink,
chalk, crayon, oil, water-color or any
other method may be employed. The
field of competition, it will be seen,
is in no wise narrow. We do not
know how many budding geniuses of
the brush and pencil there are in the
United States, but the number must
be very large. The opportunity now
given them to help win the war is
obvious.
While it has been said that there
ire no official restrictions upon method
and medium, it is worth while to take
the temper of the judges into account.
A sidelight is thrown upon this by
the chairman of the board of judges.
Matlack Price, who intimates that the
time is appropriate for the complete
elimination of German influence. He
is not entirely clear as to just what
this consists of. and he disclaims In
tention of holding that true art is not,
in fact, universal. But there has been
seen in American poster advertising a
style which has come to be commer-
dally known as "German." Mr. Prlc
says that upon critical examination It
will be found that this is not an "art"
at all, but only a "technique." He
attributes its spread to the fact that
"masses of heavj- opaque color cover
op bal drawing and crude, violent
color schemes distract the eye from
poor line, faulty composition and even
from absence of idea." This descrip
tion will be almost sufficient for the
average, observant artist. It makes
plain enough the elements which
should be left out by the competitor
who desires to avoid a handicap at
the outset.
A word of caution to amateur ar
tists who Intend. to enter the lists may
be timely. It is that they will do well
not t attempt too much. The force
of the poster, like that of the effective
cartoon, lies, in the inevitableness of
its central truth. Too many messages
should not be attempted in a single
drawing. The board has furnished an
outlet for those upon whom thoughts
crowd thick and fast by providing that
they may submit as many separate
designs as they desire. But the main
fact is that there is a free -field and no
favor. Previous performance will
count for nothing in the great Na
tional competition.
WORELES8 DATS.
The demand In the Socialist plat
form for the six-hour day. which In
cludes the principle that no person
shall be either required or permitted
to work more than six hours out of
the twenty-four, grows out of the age
old notion that heaven Is a place
where nobody has anything to do.
Complete idleness is some people's
idea of the social Nirvana, But not
even a Socialist is prepared to demand
total abolishment of work Just yet
and so the six-hour plank represents
a kind of compromise.
The term, "labor-saving," which Is
applied to machinery and processes
and methods of efficiency, is inter
preted in two ways by two different
classes of people. One wants to savs
labor In order to be able to loaf; an
other looks upon a labor-saving de
vice as a means toward giving him
more time in which to work at other
things. There is no doubt that If our
wants had not Increased with our fa
cilities for gratifying them, we would
be able to live as well as our ances
tors of a couple of centuries ago did
with a fraction of the labor they ex
pended. But it seems to be a biologi
cal as well as a sociological fact that
man was meant to struggle, and that
life is a task, and ambition a mani
festation of an implanted desire for
improvement. When the ambitious
man invents a machine to do one job
for him, he straightway proceeds to
find another job to occupy his time.
Once people were compelled to work
long hours just to feed and clothe
themselves. The plow, the reaper,
the loom and the shoemaklng machine
would have gratified such desires as
they had then well within the six-hour
day to which it is proposed to limit
our productive endeavors. But now
we insist upon a thousand other con
veniences and most of us are willing
to work to pay for them. A workless
day, or anything resembling it. is not
the desire of anyone worth while.
A platform calling for opportunities
for more congenial employment, or
setting aside an island for those who
are contented with the primitive life
and permitting those who have no
quarrel with work to go on with theii
business might be visionary, but it
would not bring up such a picture of
a tramp's heaven as the Socialist plat
form seems to advocate. Especially
in this time of war, when the cry
ought to be for a chance to do more
rather than less, the movement toward
a workless existence seems more than
ever ill-timed and inappropriate.
HOI SING PROBLEMS.
The problem of providing housing
facilities for communities which are
growing out of bounds because of the
sudden development of war enter
prises is a highly complicated one
First of all. It calls for prompt action.
Workers cannot be expected to camp
outdoors while experts discuss the
relative merits of various forms of
arrangement and construction. Sec
ondly, it requires financing, and if
private enterprise is to be encour
aged there must be assurance of at
least a reasonable return. In the third
place, it must be approached pa
triotically. Pressure by various lo
calities upon the Federal treasury al
ready appears to have been moved in
some Instances by selfish considera
tions. Communities which seek to
take advantage of the situation to
create real estate booms, or to "milk
the treasury." not only defeat their
own ultimate ends, but also cast dis
credit upon the entire policy of ex
tending Government aid.
It would be ideal if cities in which
war enterprises are established upon
a basis which seems to Insure con
tinuance of Industrial activity in peace
time would seize upon the opportunity
to build model additions upon a per
manent foundation. The Bureau of
Industrial Housing and Transporta
tion of the Department of Labor has
recently recognized the advantage of
a permanent plan by deciding that
houses of a permanent character shall
be erected in established communities.
while those In localities which are
not likely to continue as manufactur
ing centers after the war is over shall
be temporary. But even this policy
has been found to have its drawbacks.
The value of good homes as a factor
in speeding production is being rec
ognized. Such homes are inducements
to many 'skilled workers who would
leave if only temporary quarters were
provided for them. This is particu
larly true in the case of married men
with children. Good wages have in
creased desire that families shall share
in the. advantages they bring.
The recent decision of the Govern
ment to bear the entire financial bur
den in certain instances, except where
Congress has stipulated otherwise, was
due to belief that valuable time would
be lost by waiting for the formation
of local corporations in communities
seeking relief. The fact that these
corporations would be likely to con
tain In their personnel many of th
manufacturers who are employers of
the prospective tenants operated as
an adverse influence. The Govern
ment properly recognizes the disin
clination of workmen to live in so-
called "company houses." Combining
employer and landlord In one indi
vidual is provocative of many com
plications, and is apt to engender bus.
piclon and distrust.
Under its present policy, according
to which the 1100.000.000 appro
priated by Congress is being expended,
the Government Is to own. rent and
control its houses while the war lasts.
This is at best a temporary expedient
It is hardly conceivable that the Gov
ernment will continue indefinitely to
act as landlord, or that it would make
a satisfactory one. The example of
England, where the government is
building permanent structures, which
I it rents to workers at a loss to itself,
does not encourage the idea" of per-
manent Government ownership of
homes. The projected plan to sell
these homes after the war, at an ap
praised value, is yet to be tested.
It its well that our own Govern
ment has decided to go ahead as
speedily as possible with the con
struction of houses to meet Immediate
requirements, but it would be well
also if. while first demands are being
met. it would develop a plan, in co
operation with localities or with indi
viduals, by which private initiative
would be encouraged. The present
bar to private building Is the high
cost of construction, with uncertainty
that rents based upon present cost
will continue after the war. Govern
ment aid. based upon a differential
between cost and permanent value,
would solve the problem if it could be
extended without involving graft. The
impermanent dwelling ought to be
avoided if possible, but the housing
question is not a simple one. It Is for
this reason that even while prelimi
nary construction is being provided,
the proper authorities should make a
careful study of the entire problem,
with a view of finding a permanent
solution.
STYLES IN FRIIT.
The proposal of the Pacific Coast
nurserymen, to "standardize" their
Dusiness rurtner by eliminating a
great number of sub-varieties of
fruits, is in line with the general
movement of the times, yet it is not
precisely analogous with the simplifi
cation of the threads of screws, reduc
tion of the number of kinds of plows.
and so on, which would be desirable
as a permanent measure. In peace
times, reduction of the number of
varieties of fruits could be trusted to
take care of itself, as It has done in
the past.
There have, been some four thou
sand named varieties of the apple ir.
the United States since we began to
cultivate It. and there are more than
thousand growing In the country
now, but only a relatively small pro
portion of them are propagated com
mercially. Many of the old favorites,
like the - Ontario and the Nonesuch,
are seldom seen In the catalogues, al
though It is not certain that they
could not be revived to advantage in
favorable situations. Styles not only
change in fruit, but sometimes they
also run in cycles, and old favorites
are rehabilitated.
It would be a pity for some of theso
like the trout pear, for example to
become extinct. Natural laws are
likely to be sufficiently regulatory for
the nursery business In the long run.
LEVER AND LOVER.
In the "Half a Century Ago" column
on this page the other day It was
recorded that "Samuel Lever died yes
terday at an advanced age." It was
an error of name which reminds us
of the fact that a great many persons
have fallen into the same error and
do so to this day. It was Samuel
Lover who died In 1868. Fifty years
ago the writer of the news item in
advertently confused him with Charles
Lever. The similarity always has
been more than a little confusing to
those, even among the readers of both,
who esteem the story above the author
of it and whose memories for minor
details are Imperfectly developed.
What has become of the works of
these two fine Irishmen, portrayers of
everyday life and of the humor of the
Emerald Isle, which used to be found
on nearly everybody's shelves? Both
were story tellers of a wholesome type.
Both exhibited a critical sympathy
with the people about whom they
wrote. There was plenty of dash and
adventure and. "go" in the books of
both of them. Lever In . particular
was a literary raconteur, of whom
Trollope said that he "wrote just like
he talked." Lever was born in 1806.
nine years after the birth of Lover,
and the men were contemporaries
during the greater part of their pro
ductive lives, but'- it does not seem
that they formed a personal attach
ment for each other, such as might
have been greatly to the benefit of
literature as a whole. The humor of
Lover was a bit more subtle than that
of Lever. and the "dash" of Lever
more intense than that of Lover. Both
wrote books that it was good for the
young as well as the old to read, not
very enduring as events seem to have
proved, but perhaps that is the fault
of the taste of modern readers. Both
lent themselves to the compliment of
burlesque. Bret Harte's famous trav
esty upon the unfailing prowess of
Lever's heroes once made two con
tinents smile.
Lever's "Charles O Malley" un
doubtedly was what the boys would
call a "bully story." If it is still re
posing, unused, in any bookcase in the
country, it ought to be dusted off at
once and donated to some soldiers'
library. The same can be said of
"The Adventures of Harry Lorrequer."
which some readers regarded as the
most entertaining of all of Lever's
works. The latter was a mere string
of Irish stories, it Is true, held to
gether by a tenuous thread, but they
were lively stories, and the humor was
the humor of deep, sentiment, Tom
Burke of Ours" was a chap to stir the
blood. The story of the battle of
the Douro in "Charles O'Malley" Is a
classic. It suggests that as books ac
cumulate, making It impossible that
any one man shall enjoy the pleasure
of reading all of both the new and the
old. there ought to be some definite
effort to preserve the "'gems" in all
of them. Hugo's "Waterloo" has been
segregated for the profit of those who
cannot find time to read the great
volume in which It appears. Lever
and also Ixver wrote & good many
chapters that deserve to stand by
themselves.
Both these men were singularly
gifted. Theydo not seem to have
made hard work of their professions.
Ixv-er romposed songs, which he sang
himself: Lever lived a rollicking life
on the continent. Even when he tried
to settle down as a cquntry doctor, his
spirits were irrepressible. The popu
lar notion that a doctor ought to be
as solemn as an undertaker prejudiced
people against him. His sound and
kindly philosophy probably would
have cured as many people as his
physic, if they had given it a chance,
but it was perhaps just as well that
he turned all of his attention to writ
ing to meet his financial obligations.
There does not seem to have lived
since his time a writer whose fancy
was so crowded all the time. HU
characters entered a story and there
after moved of their own free will.
They were folks of action, of human
sympathy and in the main right
thinking. They certainly would be a
relief from the modern "rich people
spending lots of money" who form the
basis of so many profitless twentieth
century tales.
There was Lover's "Rory O'More."
of the times when the three-decker
novel was in fashion, and also the
song of the same name, which Is still
sung, but the best novel of all of
Lover's was "Handy Andy." a sketch
of a blundering . peasant, ineffably
kind of heart but dense of head, who
Insinuated himself into the affectionr
of all who reud him. "Handy Andy"
would make good vacation reading
today. "Treasure Trove" was more
ambitiously designed, but it did not
so greatly Impress itself upon the
publio. "Widow Machree." written
for "Handy Andy," survives In many
of the song collections, along with
"The Girl I left Behind Me." "How
to Ask and How to Have" and "Molly
Bawn." They were not poetry in any
critical sense of the term, but they
were the kind of songs a man or the
type of Chauncey Olcott would like to
sing. They touched a deep chord of
affection, delicately, and not too ob
viously, as do the popular hits of
nowadays. It Is hardly a generation
since "The Low Backed Car" went
out of date. One stanza ran:
I'd rather own that car. sir.
With Peggy by my side.
Than a cuach and four and gold galore.
And a lady for my bride;
For the lady would sit fornlnst me.
On a cushion made with taste.
While Peggy would sit beside me.
With my arm around her waist.
As we drove In the low-barked car.
To be married by Vather Maher.
Oh, my heart would bat high. '
Al her glance and her sigh.
Though It beat in a low-backed car.
There was a certain kind of optim
ism in all that either I -over or Lever
wrote. It will seem to many of us
that it Is better to see the bright
side of an humble station than to eat
one's heart out in envy of the rich.
Both men were unspoiled by their
associations. They got an immense
amount of pleasure out of life, and
passed It along. Lover painted minia
tures for royalty, and sang his songs
at the receptions of London's mightiest
social circles. Lever's travels were
highly romantic. Like the "Dodd
Family Abroad," whom he . wrote
about, he was always on the move.
He was an honored guest at ducal
castles and In the salons of the con
tinent. There is no trace in his work
of any bitterness arising from con
trasting his circumstances with those
of others. He was a "good sport."
He spent his own money recklessly
In his own way, and bothered no one
with his troubles when it was gone.
"Charles O'Malley." "Harry Lor
requer" and "Tom Burke of Ours,"
by l.ever. and "Handy Andy" and
If one likes a long story "Rory
O'More." by Lover, are worth pre
serving. So are the songs that Lover
wrote. It is reasonable to suspect
that they have been submerged by the
practice of publishing "complete
works." I.ever. for example, wrote
thirty novels, but it is too much to
expect one nowadays to give shelf
room to all. Still, any one of tliem
would approximate, in the quality of
giving wholesome entertainment, the
average novel of today.
One secret of the popularity of
Gipsy Smith, who is doing effective
work arousing the patriotism of the
people, is to be found in his book,
"Your Boys," recently published.
"There are some people." he says,
"who think you are not doing Chris
tian work unless you have a hymn
book in one hand and a Bible in the
other. I'm glad I don't have to live
wlfh that kind of people. I call them
the Lord's Awkward Squad." The
evangelist holds to the notion that re
ligion in times like these is best ex
pressed in works. He has been appeal
ing to the soldiers by placing emphasis
upon the things in which they are
most interested, and they have re
sponded by listening receptively to his
preaching. Formal religion, he con
tinues to assert, will take care of itself
if the fundamentals of unselfish serv
ice are instilled, and it is being brought
out by the war that there is not nearly
so much selfishness in the world as
some people thought there was.
England is raising 900,000.000 bush
els of potatoes this year and there is
no -complaint about oversupply. This
is about three times the quantity, for
about one-third the population, pro
duced in an average year in the United
States. We have some distance to
travel before we exhaust the possi
bilities of potato appreciation.
That draft deserter who quit be
cause they vaccinated him on both
arms has little idea what a soldier
may be compelled to endure in the
service. "If thou hast run with tho
footmen and it hath wearied thee, how
wilt thou contend with the horses."
It is assuming a good deal to say
that a man is "happy" because he
spends a night singing German songs.
It seems on the whole to be an appro
priate occupation for an I. W. W.
doomed to die on the morning after.
Herr Oldenberg-Janulchau tells the
Reichstag that the members of the
house of Hohenzollern have "ever edu
cated themselves and their people to
fight and die for the state." Prin
cipally their people, however.
When Dr. -Rumely reads that the
death sentence on Duval has been con
firmed, he will realize how narrow an
escape he had through not receiving
any Oerman money after the United
States declared war.
As Judge Rossman suggests, it
is
wasteful to keep work slackers in u
cell. Work Inside of jail ought to be
made hard enough so that they will
be willing to chose the harvest field in
self-defense.
As to the imminent collapse in Aus
tria, while we shall continue to hope,
we also shall go right on pushing the
war just as if Austria were at the
height of her strength.
The war is now costing Americans
50 cents a day apiece, and the way
our boys are acquitting themselves at
the front, the news alone is worth the
money.
Time spent in argument over the
merits of different colored golf balls
adds to the interest of the game, per
haps, but It doesn't help win the war.
Anyway, we do not expect to hear
the Turks complaining of the inhu
manity of bombarding the fortified
town of Constantinople from the air.
The beauty of being a farmer nowa
days is that one can eat high-priced
food without feeling the tug on the
pocketbook.
A million men in France and we
have only begun! How many will It
be by this time next year?
The Grand Ronde learned that we
wanted more wheat right away and
responded nobly.
Harvest is ahead of time In some
sections. Speed up the vacations and
save the crops!
The college-bred hen is also demon
strating the value of education for
efficiency.
The Peripterous.
Perlpteroos A Structure Hsvtnr. R
of Columns on All Sioee. Dictionary.
(Synopsis of preceding synopsea)
Ths Oregonian. a great rooming news
paper, employs a distinguished literary
architect to construct a perlpteroua.
He does It It has rows of columns o
east. west, north and south.
The Peripterous becomes a Free soans
rium for the expression of incompetent. Ir
relevant and Immaterial opinion. new
verse and anecdotea
HIS I.OVKLV MILTAOMAH NELL
(Passed more than unanimously by the
National Society for Suppression of
the Metric System.)
By the silvery-sprayed cliffs of Mult
nomah famed falls.
Where he bade Nature's gem of his
heart, pood-bye.
For to answer his Native Country's
heroic war calls.
And honor her with his courage
'neath far distant sky.
The dew was glistening on the wild
lilies and rose.
'Ere he kissed the sweetest flower
that bloomed in the doll.
But the Joya in his breast turned to
sadness and woes.
When he lift his lovely Multnomah
NelL
No more by the lake sides elysian blue
waters.
Where the ocean' mild Summer
breezes ceaselessly rave.
May he ever wander attain with Ore
gon's fairest of daughters.
And vii-w the amiling-lipped crater.
Mt, Hood In the wave.
Ho'U dare the while surges that hide a
soulless foe.
To join Columbia's conquering heroes
somewhere round Neuve Chap
pell, But his heart will fly back to Oregon
wherever he'll go.
And his lovely Multnomah NelL
He'll see palaces resplendent where the
Huns have been crowned.
From their minerets he will help Old
Olory to wave.
The cots on the mountains where the
Heroes were found.
The fields that they fought on for
liberty to save.
He'll see no place like Oregon's scenes
rich and rare.
Laughing rivers and valleys where
the purest of patriots dwell.
And no queens of great lineage ever in
beauty compare.
To his lovely Multnomah NelL
Edward Killfeather.
Vox ropull.
Nothing has created so much con
sternation among the masses as the
15-cent shine.
A well-known evening newspaper is
expected to announce at any time now
that the Shoe Blacking Trust is making
Portland a Jay town.
Old Tom Moon, the blind newsboy,
discards the suggestion made by The
Oregonian that everybody go barefoot.
Mr. Moon remarks cynically that If
everybody did that a crest deal of
nanicuring would be necessary and
manicuring costs more than 15 cents.
Numerous meetings of protest will be
held at school houses and in the Pub
lic Library.
The following illuminating sugges
tion is presented by one indignant
citizen:
"Portland. July 12. Kind Sir:
" "If the shoe shiners could devise a
name something swellcr. they could
tilt the price once more.' says The Ore
gonian. "Possibly the following will serve
this de-serving Industry:
"Pedal Tegument Illuminators.
"Pedal teguments artistically illu
minated for the infinitesimal remuner
ation of 'All the traffic will bear.'
"R. M. Phillips."
A Faint Hope for Relief.
A combination of farmers living tit
the vicinity of the enterprising village
of Mule, being In need of farm labor
ers and other things In spite of and
because of the prolonged drouth, write
to ask whether among the prisoners
at the County Jail who have volun
teered for farm labor any moonshiners
or bootleggers are available.
A Bird in Cnge Worth Two Dsns 1st
the Lap.
"I notice," remarked Senator Gluten
yesterday, "that a Portland evening
newspaper says that the fine lady
who has been in the habit of requir
ing a separate delivery for a biscuit
for her lap dog, may suffer some in
convenience at first from the one-delivery-a-day
system, but if she will
apply her mind to the subject she will
rind that she can get along.
"Thus does the plutocratic press ex
tend comfort only to the Idle rich.
There are countless more who require
a spec-la! delivery of one bind seed
for the canary. They are of the com
mon people. My heart is with them,
A canary in a cage Is just as essential
to the masses as a dog In the lap to
the -wealthy. The inconvenience will
be far greater because the poor can
not afford to lay in a large stock of
food for the pets that comfort their
somber hours.
"1 feel strongly about this matter
and insist that if we cannot equalize
the burdens of war we should at least
strike a fair balance in extending our
sympathies."
Mistaken Ideality.
ANTELOPE, Or., July 11. Kind Sir:
Kindly let us know the origin of the
gulf stream and cyclones on the edi
torial page of your morning paper.
SL'BSCKIBEK.
You must have been -reading some
other newspaper.
The Reel Battle Zone.
EDEXBOWKR, Or., July 12. Kind
Sir: Uermany persists regularly In
sending out her threats of a naval
collision with the allies. I was under
the impression there had been many
already between the German navel
and what little remained of the Hun
backbone, J. W. TOLLMAN.
Gentle Thoughts.
ASTORIA. Or.. July 12. Kind Sir: In
reference to Professor Pupln's state
ment that Dr. Morris has made dis
covery of the cause of ruthless disposi
tion of the Hohenzollern hounds of
of hell, we wish to say that after
deliberate painstaking study of his
diagnosis we agree with the doctor
when he says It is owing to the
decadency of the Prussian prototoon,
resulting in protoplasmic senility,
which procreates the species known as
the heartless Hun.
We have for some time past been
trying to develop a correction for this
ruthless propensity In the so-called
kultur class of Germany. liave not
been able to evolve anything that
seems to be fully satisfactory. The best
we have been able to do up to date
is the following:
Capture the entire horde, scalp them,
then make them beat it back to Berlin
and butt their beastly brains out
against a brick wall: cremate them;
load the ashes In submarines and sinA
the outfit In midocean, a thousand
fathoms deep.
PROFESSOR JOSH ALLGUYEL, .