THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, POKTXA3TD, AUGUST 3, 1919.
; ESTABLISHED BI HESBT L. PITTOCK.
Published bv The OresonJan Publishlne Co..
. 135 S!xth Street, Poruand, Oregon.
C. ,A- JlORDEN. J. B. flPER,
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WRITER'S ITCH.
Henry Ford on the witness stand,
testifying that he wrote books by
proxy, reveals nothing new as to the
itch for authorship that possesses even
those who have neither talent nor
technical equipment for writing. It is
a curious trait of human nature that
makes every man unwilling to confess
that he cannot put words together in
readable sequence. One will admit that
he .cannot repair an automobile, but
not that he could" not, if he but had
the time, write & book. Talent for
self-expression does not exist in all
men in equal proportion, but desire- to
be regarded as literary is practically
universal.
Mr. Ford has been too busy to write
books. This has not, however, im
paired his ambition. What could be
easier in his case than to hire them
written for him? .He could not have
foreseen, of course, that he would be
called to the witness stand and there
embarrassed with questions as to
whether he had read them. He had
been too busy to read the quasi-pro-Uuctions
of his own pen, but if it had
not been for his shortsightedness in
bringing a libel suit it might never
have been known that all of his liter
ary work had been done by proxy.
And such is the power of a thought
to make itself a reality that we can
easily imagine Jlr. Ford in his later
years taking greater pride in himself
as an author, which he was not, than
as the genius who put several million
people n all parts of the world in
automobiles as he undoubtedly did.
The millions who would - like to
write and who persuade themselves
that the only reason why they do not
do so is that they are too busy with
the sordid business of making a living
will wonder, perhaps, why Mr. Ford
did not, as soon as he had accumulated
a fortune, allow himself the leisure
which they, if they had it, would em
ploy at writing. The commonest ex
cuse for procrastination in this matter
is that leisure is lacking. But the fact
is that leisure is least provocative of
literary production. Tennyson was
stimulated by a moderate civil pension,
which did not quite keep the wolf
from the door, but not by a contract
with his publishers which left him
free to think of nothing else but his
chqsen work. The most prolific au
thors have been busy men, commonly
spurred by necessity. We should, for
example, have had no O. Henry If
Sydney Porter had inherited a fortune
in early life. Some of Mark Twain's
best work was done under the stimulus
of a heavy debt. Instances may be
multiplied, with hardly - exceptions
enough to test the rule.
I4r. Ford lost his chance to shine in
authorship in his proper person when
he made himself an income of several
miljions a year. That which may be
termed "avocationat authorship" sel
dom if ever amounts to much. It is
possible, having acquired the knack,
to 50 on writing after the products of
one's pen have put him on easy street,
but' hardly probable that one will
make a beginning after having arrived
there by another route. If the itch
does not manifest Itself with sufficient
intensity to impel a man to make the
necessary leisure in any and all cir
cumstances, it is safe to say that he
is not very deeply affected. He only
thinks he is. Our literature will con
tinue to be created by men and women
who think more of writing than of
anything else, and who do not wait
until they are rich before setting about
the, task.
1K MORT11S NIL NISI BON CM.
Since it is conceded that, whatever
devices may be employed to evade the
spirit of the prohibition amendment,
the open saloon has gone from us to
stay, it Is natural to discover a ten
dency to speak good words for the
bartender now out of a job. It was
a common argument not long ago that
prohibition would work an economic
hardship by throwing out of employ
ment a large class of deserving people.
Enmity- for the saloon as such never
quite assumed the quality of personal
hostility to the individual behind the
bar. It is agreed that he often was
not only an agTeeable, but a sympa
thetic personage. If. one after another,
thai lodges barred him from member
ship, this was not due to objection to
his! person, but embodied a protest
against the business in which he was
ensjaged.
fow with prohibition a full month
in effect in the whole country, it is
being discovered that the bartender
is among the last to require, or even
to &sk for, our solicitude. There is
occasional talk of unemployment here
and there, but nbwhere any organized
movement to provide work for ex
bartenders. The reason is that the
bartender is taking pretty good care
of himself. If he Is wedded to the
business of dispensing refreshments to
the thirsty multitude, his superiority
over the old-time dispenser in the soft
drink establishment is generally recog
nized. In particular, he has always
understood (which many others do
notj the high business value of friend
ships. He has been pre-eminently a
master student of human nature.
Knowing when to talk, and when to
listen, when to offer counsel and when
merely to let the customer unburden
himself of his private woes, he had
developed the art of salesmanship in
the hishest possible degree.
Now that there are so many other
things to still besides liquor former
bartenders who possess any adapta
bility at all are finding themselves in
demand.' There are life insurance and
real estate, to mention only two ex
amples. But there is work to do wher
ever there are goods to sell. All the
writers on the "psychology" of sales
manship agree that the whole art is
summed tip in creating desire and then
persuading the prospective customer
that he should gratify it without delay.
What a field for ex-bartenders the
automobile field affords! Or. the new
business of selling airplanes for pleas
ure riding, or a score of other fields.
The technical part of the business of
bartending was the smallest part of it.
All that the successful bartender knew
about the mixing of drinks he can
afford to cast into the scrap heap. In
confidence that he owns better things.
The infinite tact and patience re
quired to serve customers on the other
side of a bar, in all stages of inebriety,
and serve them well and keep them
coming, are marketable commodities.
It is not an accident that we do not
hear any outcry from bartenders out
of jobs. They have been first to adapt
themselves to the new order. And if
prohibition should continue for only
a year, we venture that the saloons
would find difficulty in getting help
to reopen them. A great number of
interviews with former bartenders dis
closes that they are happy over the
change. The best of them always kept
sober themselves. In their new occu
pations they will not be compelled to
associate with those who imbibe un
wisely. And the stupidest company in
the world for a sober man is one who
has taken on more alcohol than he
can carry.
ROLE OF LAUGHING STOCK.
The interesting symposium of news
paper and community sentiment on
republican candidates for president
and issues of the forthcoming cam
paign, published today in the news
columns of The Oregonian, will be
discussed formally on another day.
The purpose now is to point out that
nowhere is any suggestion made as to
a candidate for vice-president.
In fact the editors solicited for their
views were not asked for sentiment as
to vice-president. Though considered
when the letters were sent out by
The Oregonian, the task of finding any
opinion anywhere at this time con
cerning second place on the ticket
seemed hopeless.
Tet in Oregon the presidential pri
mary law calls for a vote of the mem
bers of the party on that nomination.
It will be recalled that the law was
used in 1916 by a person whose name
is now lost in absurdity to gain a tem
porary notoriety. Nobody here had
ever heard of him. Everybody has
now forgotten him. Tet he offered his
name to the republican voters of Ore
gon as that of a suitable candidate.
There was no other formal candidacy
for consideration of the republicans,
so they rushed pll-mell into the camp
of the unknown. The Oregon delega
tion to the national convention was
thus pledged to support one who
might as well have been a savage in
the heart of Africa for all the chance
he had of the nomination. The in
dorsement became the joke of the con
vention. In the absence of avowed can
didacy for the vice-presidency by
some republican of merit and national
prominence, it would be well if a suf
ficient number of republicans in the
state would get together and present
the name of a man of that caliber.
The role of laughing stock is one to be
avoided.
ALL-TEAR SCHOOLS.
The favor with which the National
Education association now views the
proposal to rearrange the school year
into four terms of twelve weeks each,
with a vacation of one week at the
close of each term, is bound to give
new impetus to the all-year school
movement. The movement may be
misunderstood, as it has been in the
past, but tb,e economic advantages of
the plan will be made more and more
clear. It is hard to escape the con
clusion, in times that call for effi
ciency and saving in every depart
ment, that a plan to make the school
plant 20 per cent more efficient will
have a respectful hearing. The re
arrangement does not, as some have
supposed, mean a flat increase of
sctoool costs corresponding to the in
creased number of days on which
schools are in session. Whether pu
pils continue to take long vacations,
as they do now, or remain continu
ously in school and complete the
course in a shorter time, material
benefits will accrue from constant use
of public facilities which represent a
fixed investment. .The cost per pupil
for teacher, janitor and supervisory
service will be little if any greater
for the continuous school than it is
under the present system.
Early opponents of the change have
argued that continuous school was
too great a strain on the youngest
pupils. The spirit of the plan indorsed
by the national association does not,
however, contemplate overworking
any pupil. The four-term unit, with
the course of study adjusted to it,
would not only permit three months
of vacation in each year for those
who desire it, but would give a choice
of terms in which to enjoy it At
the age at which pupils begin to earn,
this would constitute a distinct ad
vantage. Not all find it equally easy
to find work in a particular month.
Opportunities -ary according to the
pupil and the locality. Summer, the
present universal "vacation time, is in
deed a slack period in many indus
tries. Vacation is for only a part of
the pupils a period of rest. Those
who find it necessary to work part
of their time will often prefer the
holiday season to the summer. Op
portunity for choice exists. It makes
no difference as to teaching cost, in
considering a body of some thousands
of pupils, whether all study continu
ously, completing their set tasks in
20 or 25 per cent less time, or some
of them are constantly out of school.
reducing in due proportion enrollment
in-classes for which provision must be
made.
Indorsement by the National Edu
cation association, coming from a
body of teachers presumably inter
ested somewhat in their own welfare,
indicates that not all are opposed to
an all-year job, with corresponding
emolument. Other workers have all
year jobs, and not many of them have
a week off in every three months.
The time, of which some teachers
make much, for study and research
is not denied those who still will be
permitted to take their vacations if
they desire to do so, and at no greater
cost to themselves than at present.
Incidentally, we wonder how many
teachers now devote their vacations
to study and research and how many
to wishing that they were gainfully
employed. " But the "study and re
search" opportunity will be retained
and the schools will go on working
their physical plants at 100 per cent
of efficiency Instead of about 80, as
they have been doing heretofore.
There is a drift among institutions
of higher learning toward constant
employment of their educational fa
cilities. The summer school is one
manifestation of this, even where the
four-term year has not been adopted.
There is a growing tendency, we
think, to regard time as something
more and more to be valued. The all
year school furnishes a way for the
earnest pupil to employ his time,
either by shortening his school period
or by obtaining more education in a
given number of years. It denies
neither to the needy nor to those
physically unequal to constant appli
cation the chance for vacations. The
old-time contention that summer is
not a suitable time for work or study
does not make a. deep impression any
more. It is confuted by every boy
who goes to work instead of staying
In school. No lad worth while ex
pects to remain away from work all
summer. There is no reason why
education should not be regarded
with equal seriousness.
THE HISTORY OF JEWISH PROGRESS.
Ex-President Taft, in a lecture which
is published in the National Geographic
Magazine, reviewing the "progressive
world struggle of the Jews for civil
liberty." reminds us that harsh and
repressive measures have not helped
the section of this great social and
moral question, but, on the contrary,
have only "strengthened the Jew in
his ancient customs, in his delusive
ness, in his use of cunning to avoid
outrage and in his adherence to his
religion and his ceremonials." The
ex-president is reminded of Aesop's
fable of the contest between the wind
and the sun in removing a man's coat
from his back. "The harder the wind
blew, the closer the man held the
coat to his body. It was only when
the sun with its warm rays increased
the temperature that the man removed
his coat." The fable is presented as a
reminder of the duty which the world
still owes to a race which has been
persecuted for more than eighteen
centuries, and whose rights are once
more presented for adjudication
through the creation of seven new
and independent states in central and
eastern Europe. Of these states, the
Baltic provinces, " Poland and the
Ukraine, as well as the Czecho-Slovak
state and the Jugo-Slav state, have
many Jewish citizens. They and also
greater Roumania, which is to receive
Transylvania from Hungary, will be
subjected to a new test of their ca
pacity to. administer justice in dealing
with an oppressed race.
Roumanians open violation of the
provisions of the treaty of Berlin,
made in 1878, to which Roumania, no
less than Serbia and Bulgaria, owed
their freedom, has on a previous occa
sion received the attention of Ameri
can statesmen. It was protested by
Secretary Hay during the latter's in
cumbency of office, without the suc
cess which it is hoped will attend
enforcement of -the provisions of the
treaties now being completed with the
new nations. Mr. Taft says the league
of nations, which is to be a continuous
body, will have power enough to see
to it that treaties of this character
are performed by nations which "the
war has in fact' created, and which
will continue to be dependent for
some years upon the league for their
own integrity and independence."
Roumania's violation of the obligation
which she accepted at Berlin was
flagrant. The Roumanian authorities
no sooner believed their independence
to be secure than they deliberately
framed a plan by which to evade the
requirements of the treaty. Though
their constitution provided that "dif
ference of religious creeds and condi
tions" should not create an obstacle
to acquirement of civil and political
rights, they proceeded to provide that
naturalization could be granted only
by law and individually. Their gov
ernment held that Jews were aliens,
although they had been living in Rou
mania for hundreds of years and had
been subjected to the draft and had
served as soldiers. Although they had
procured recognition by adoption of
the constitution referred to, they
harried and heckled the Jews by re
strictions imposed upon their liveli
hood, by limitations upon their ad
mission to the elementary schools and
in other ways. Bulgaria and Serbia
complied with their obligations. The
signatories to Jhe treaty of Berlin
never compelled Roumania to do so.
One of the tests of the new league of
nations may be found in its willing
ness to enforce its decrees iri this
respect.
Mr. Taft reviews the long, dark
years following the dispersal of the
Jewish people after the sacking of
Jerusalem. In only two or three coun
tries, he points out, and in compara
tively short periods were they able to
enjoy tolerance and prosperity and to
develop the genius of their race. They
once flourished in Spain under the
Saracens, where with opportunity they
developed trade, poetry, science, phil
osophy, literature and art. These fa
vorable conditions terminated with the
expulsion of the Moors from Granada.
Christian nations were conspicuous
among their persecutors. They were
expelled from England in 1290 by
Edward I, and from France in 1254,
in 1315 and in 1394, being .invited
after each' of the earlier expulsions
'to return.
The plague of the "black death," in
1348 and 1849, illustrated the benightld
condition of the people. "Probably
because of the hygienic effect of the
Mosaic and Talmudic law, to which
they conformed with rigidity, they
escaped the ravages of the epidemic."
But people drew false conclusions
from the facts, and reports that the
plague was caused by the poisoning
of wells caused renewal of massacres
throughout Europe. The crusades, the
black plague, the Huss persecutions
in Bohemia of which Jews were inno
cent victims, and recurrent massacres
in Austria drove them to seek refuge
in Poland. Partition of the latter
country after many vicissitudes trans
ferred many of them finally to the
jurisdiction of Russia, where their lot
has been a continued hardship for
centuries.
The outlook for the future can be
deduced from the history of the past.
It is more encouraging.- as Mr. Taft
points out. because history shows that
in the countries in which a liberal
policy has been the-rule good results
have obtained. In the United States,
where there are now 3,300.000 of them,
by comparison with less than a quar
ter of a million in 1880, they have
succeeded in trade and in the profes
sions, in an atmosphere of political
equality, and although there are up
wards of a million in New York, as
they succeed "they move their homes
to less crowded districts and acquire
all the tastes and views and fashions of
their fellow countrymen." The ghetto
problem is a temporary one, as to
Jewish residents. They cultivate little
or no solidarity in politics and mani
fest a tendency to disintegrate as a
community. They retain loyalty to
race, but not strict adherence to form.
These are lessons which Mr. Taft
would impress on Russian statesmen
and on the statesmen of the new
states to be erected in the remaking
of the world map. The Zionist move
ment, which does not have the un
divided support of the Jewish people.
is in any event less important for the
present than that treaties now about
to be made shall be enforced with
greater vigor than was the treaty of
Berlin with Roumania. Abolition of
the Pale in every country will be one
of the by-products of peace.
HOW COLLEGE PAYS FOR ITSELF.
In the latter part of July, 1915, an
editorial was published In The. Orego
nian relating to experiments then be
ing carried on at the southern Oregon
experiment station, in the Rogue river
valley, near Medford. for ascertaining
the best fertilizer for alfalfa. The
article was founded upon results ob
tained in an old alfalfa field near
Medford which had been seeded for
several years, but the yield had fallen
so low that thte crop was hardly worth
cutting, the yield in 1914 being less
than a ton to the acre, and at least
half of that weeds.
In the fall of 1914 F. C. Reimer.
the director of the station, had gained
the consent of the owner of the field
to test various ingredients on an acre
of the land. This acre was divided
into plots of 16 square rods each. The
principal ingredient applied was sul
phur in some of its various forms and
In different quantities. When the edi
torial was written it had been found
by Mr. Reimer that in the ingredi
ents and mixtures used only the sul
phur was of great value, and the plot
that had around ten pounds of sulphur
spread broadcast upon it gave the best
results. That was at the rate of 100
pounds to the acre and the cost about
$2 an acre, ordinary commercial sul
phur then selling in large quantities
at about 820 a ton.
These experiments have continued
in the Rogue river valley on various
sorts of soil, and in that vicinity is
found as good soil as there is in Ore
gon and as poor. The experiments
have developed that on any sort of
soil the crop can be Increased from
25 to 500 per cent by the application
of 100 pounds of sulphur to the acre.
The labors of Mr. Reimer have come
to the stage where the owner of an
alfalfa field need no longer remain in
the dark when it does not give satis
factory and profitable returns: all
that is necessary to bring it up to four
or five tons to the acre is to spread
sulphur- upon it broadcast at the rate
of 100 pounds to the acre.
This discovery, for it is nothing less
than that, is sure to be of great ben
efit to every alfalfa grower, no mat
ter where located. It will go a long
way toward removing any anxiety our
agriculturists may have entertained
as to the value of the Oregon agri
cultural college and particularly the
work prosecuted by the college
through the experiment stations. This
one discovery ought to be, and prob
ably will be, of far more value to the
state of Oregon than the entire cost
of the Oregon Agricultural college
and its auxiliaries, the experiment
stations.
RE A SOX AN I) INSTINCT.
The wonderful instincts of animals.
described by J. Henri Fabre, who has
done so much to popularize nature
study, have their distinct limitations.
as ne snows in his latest work on "The
Mason Wasp." These wonders seem
never to end. We marvel continuallv
at - the "intelligence" apparently ex
hibited by the lower orders. Within
bounds, the extent of which we have
not yet determined, some animals
appear to be better equipped for the
battle for existence than most humans.
But presently our preconceived notions
as to their capacity receive a shock.
The author warns us that we are not
to judge by too isolated observations.
But M. Fabre, in selecting two illus
trations of the limitations af Instinct,
nas Deen nappy in choosing the Pelo
paeus, a common variety of chimney
wasp, and the Great Peacock, a large
mom aommon to M. Fabre s home dis
trict in southern France. He explains
now the Pelopaeus, after building
earthen cells Tor her larvae, and after
making all due provision for their sit
uation where they will be protected
from the weather, fills them with
spiders for the young when the latter
shall be hatched. But she does not
select her spiders indiscriminately. She
rejects the larger ones. The reason is
that if the large ones were utilized.
the young would scarcely have
begun their, meal before putrefaction
would have set in. The Polopaeus is
an insect that kills, not paralyzes, its
prey. The spiders chosen are pre
cisely of the size that the yoting
larvae can finish in a single- meal.
Thus unerringly the dangers of bad
sanitation are guarded against.
In the case of the Great Peacock, the
instinct shown, is almost advanced
enough to , pass for reasoning power.
In the caterpillar stage she builds a
cocoon with an inverted mouse trap
tunnel entrance. The entrance is situ
ated at her head, so that she can
emerge at the proper time, while an
enemy can at no time push its way in.
M. Fabre explains that other cater
pillars build their cocoons of uniform
structure all around, and when ready
to emerge soften the fabric at the
place of egress with saliva, which the
Great Peacock does not possess. The
variety of nature's devices seems end
less. The necessity for them is not
apparent to the common mind. We
can only record the phenomenon. M.
Fabre himself is not so daring as to
attempt to explain it. Nature is an
Interminable riddle. By the time we
have found the answer to the question
why all moths should not be equipped
with the same kind of protective de
vices, we probably shall have discov
ered the secret of life itself. The
passion for "standardization" is not
known in the natural world.
But M- Fabre leads us to wonder
why an insect possessing such wonder
ful protective faculties should not
have further endowment against emer
gency. He finds that the sagacity
which is exhibited in a normal situa
tion becomes fatal stupidity, in an
unusual one. Finding a Pelopaeus at
work, he removed the egg from its
earthen cell; the mother went on
storing up food for the non-existent
embryo as if nothing had happened:
he emptied the chamber as fast as it
was filled with spiders, and when the
mother had carried there the usual
number; she sealed the cell precisely
as she would have done if it had been
full. And when M. Fabre removed
the whole nest, the insect, "with the
pertinacity of many stupid persons,"
plastered over the site as she would
have done with the nest itself. One
fascinating quality of the study of ani
mal life is the analogy it continually
furnishes between animals and human
beings. We are permitted in the case
of the Insects to conclude with M.
Fabre that it has not the slightest
glimmering of intelligence. But we
may not so denominate the obstinacy
of neighbors of ours who persist in
disregarding the signs which call for
adaptation to new conditions, and for
changes of policy in keeping with new
emergencies.
The Great Peacock behaves no bet
ter than the Pelopaeus when a new
situation arises. Though the pro
tective trap at its entrance be re
moved with the shears, it continues
its work as if nothing had hap
pened. Our preconceived ideas as
to universal instinct of maternity re
ceives a shock in the light of M.
rabres observations. We had been
taught that this instinct pervaded all
animal creation. The French natural
ist believes that at least there is no
consciousness of it. "The stimulus to
labor is the bait of pleasure, that chief
motive power of the animal." One is
tempted to add that even on the hu
man plane we have not escaped this
wholly. He denies that the mother
has foreknowledge of her future
larvae: she does not build, he says;
she does not hunt, does not hoard with
the conscious aim of rearing a family.
The real object of her work is hidden
from her. But so is the real object of
the work of most of us, if we insist on
the final definition of "real object."
The accessory but exciting aim, the
pleasure experienced, is the only guide
to the labor of the wasp, as it is to
that of so many human beings.
As has been said, we find one great
charm of nature to be her infinite va
riety. Generalizations fail. We no
sooner conclude that there is no intel
ligence in instinct than we are con
fronted with the seeming exceptions
to the rule. The Osmia, a rnason bee.
usually utilizes a small shell as the
building place for its cells: however,
it will use artificial cylinders if the
observer provides them. Here M.
Fabre finds that animal resources
have a certain elasticity "within lim
its." There are certain latent powers.
held in reserve for use in emergen
ciesin the case of the mason bee if
not in that of the Great Peacock and
its companion in blindness of intelli
gence. Long generations can succeed
one another without employing them.
but should some icircumstance re
quire it, suddenly these powers burst
forth, free of any previous attempts."
To the philosopher there is profit in
nature study beyond the acquisition of
mere "information" as to the habits
of animals. The gift of making this
plain is not possessed by the old school
of scientists. The newer school is ac
quiring a better pedagogy. '
The New York philanthropist who
is trying, by establishing a chain of
vegetarian restaurants, to prove that
food profiteering is exceeding the
bounds of reason is proving nothing
at all so long as he is depending
upon "co-operative help" to perform
the labor of his well-intentioned enter
prise. It should be explained that he
has enlisted several volunteer enthu
siasts who are serving without pay.
and that by furnishing meals at cost
he has been able to make comparisons
that put the profiteers to shame. But
it is not charity that anyone needs
just now, and least of all do we
expect that the laborer shall work
for nothing. If this New Yorker
wishes really to enlighten us, he will
open a restaurant or two which he
will manage on sound business prin
ciples, and then will make' known just
what it costs him to do it. If a
vegetarian diet will reduce the cost of
living, a matter on which we have our
doubts, a good many people will be
willing to try it. But to be convinc
ing the experiment must eliminate the
eleemosynary phase, which is now its
conspicuous feature.
An eastern newspaper has been tak
ing a questionnaire to ascertain
women's preferences in men, and has
found that dark complexioned ones are
in favor, in the proportion of about
five to one. The pronounced blonde
young man with an equally pro
nounced bank account, however, will
prove the exception to the rule.
Even if we do not punish the higher
ups for the offenses that "Hard
Boiled" Smith is charged with, we
ought not to forget the German offi
cers resnonsible for outrages com
mitted on our boys in Germany.
There its, according to Maxim Gorky,
. . : . I- .- . .
a staruiug grnia ui 4cvoa.da ' '
Russia, which we modestly venture to
suggest may oner nope ui eiuiftaicu
ment in a land that sadly needs it.
Of course some people do not sym
pathize with a food dealer whose place
of business is raided, but if it came
to confiscating property that they
owned, it would be different.
The American temperance board
has made an appropriation for work
in Mexico, but we judge there is no
hurry about starting missionaries into
the field.
Heywood Broun speaks of the "pro
fessional geuial," as if any one could
be genial in the face of present costs
of living unless he made a profes
sion of it.
After fighting a war without any
selfish ends In view, it would seem as
if we might be a little less selfish in
dealing with our home reconstruction
problems.
Success of a one-legged man as a
burglar suggests that someone may
have been working the vocational re
habilitation scheme overtime.
Now we know why they Berve a glass
of water with the beverage we order
at the soda fountain. It is to make
the place seem more natural.
Chinese troops are being transported
in automobiles. Now watch for the
start of a great good roads movement
in the celestial empire.
Having gone through a war in Eu
rope, General Pershing still has an
ordeal of banquets in this country
ahead of him.
The number of secret treaties crop
ping out suggests that the open cov
enants were not openly arrived at in
time.
The soviet government executions
show that tyranny is tyranny under
any name it may assume for the occa
sion. It is a safe bet that when order is
restored in Russia the people will not
be clamoring for greenbackism.
It was thoughtful of Mr. Burleson
to change the color of the postage
stamp from wine to cider.
A
GEMS OF THE HOWE PHILOSOrHY
Haw ts Be Happy, Taona-a Married.
Shall Sin Be Forgiven T
K. W. Howe, in Howe's Monthly.
Why are so many married couples
opposed to children? I know a hus
band and wife who did not get along
during the first years of their mar
riage; I did not expect them to live to
gether long. But there was a marked
change for the better after a baby ar
rived. The baby made that marriage a
success: the husband is a better man,
and the wife a better woman. There
are thousands of other cranky married
people who might be useful and popular
had they not fought children to the
detriment of their health and morals.
We hear a great deal about forgiving
sin. I do not believe in it. Our trouble
is. we have been forgiving too much
sin. And we don't do It because we
have good hearts, but because we are
cowardly, and dread becoming all
mussed up in a fight. We must resent
the sin now being practiced asrainst
us. to the point of fighting to a finish.
Forgiveness of sin is an invitation to
the sinner to sin more, and impose
on us.
Diplomacy is a word of tremendous
Importance. Little Japan understands
it. It contributed almost nothing to
winning the war, but is getting tre
mendous returns. Other nations con
tributed to the point of almost bank
ruptcy, but are getting nothing except
the satisfaction of being told they
greatly helped democracy.
a
It needed no Bernard Shaw to dis
cover that the chief charm of the stage
is that most men go to the theater, not
to see plays, but to see pretty women.
But even Shaw overlooked a fact that
should be quite as obvious that even
the learned men who compose pomes
and treatises on the drama are chieflv
kept to the Job by sparkling eyes anil
graceful legs! Consider, for example,
a late critic of great eminence for
years a Broadway sage. Read any of
his solemn books and you will find Out
what was the matter with him. He
waa forever falling in love with some
prancing girl in grease-paint. Half
of his alleged criticism of the drama
was no more than a series of carnal
hymns to such charmers. He was an
Intensely respectable man but he had
an eye. It is surely no secret that I
allude to William Winter.
two fixe: park tracts named
Correspondent Calls City's Attention to
Vacant West Side Properties.
PORTLAND. Aug. 1. (To the Edi
tor.) I noticed in The Oregonian a few
days ago that our city commission
ers and a committee were going about
the city looking for additional Dark
and playground properties. There is a
tract or land on the west side of the
river which should receive thair attn-
tion and serious consideration. I refer
to tna vacant property located west of
North Twenty-fifth street, between
Pettygrove and Quimby streets.v The
northern half of this tract has a growth
of majestic fir trees, which it would
be a crime to remove. This property
especially should be acquired, together
with as much additional land as the
commissioners think advisable and de
veloped as part of the park and play
ground system. This district, particu
larly to the north and east, is populated
by working people, who, of course,
have the usual families of small folk.
There is no park or playground in the
northwestern part of the city except the
park rjiocKs, and the ground surround
ing the forestry building, and this dis
trict is certainly entitled to considera
tion. Another tract of land which should be
acquired is what is known as the
"Scotch Nubbin" on Willamette Heights
located east of Aspen and feavier streets.
This property I understand has been of
fered to the city by the owners for a
very reasonable consideration as a site
for a park and school. A school is
badly needed in this district, as the
children from Willamette Heights riow
must go a' great distance to any of the
public schools. This knoll should also
be acquired, and placed in condition for
a site for a school and also developed
for park purposes, for which it is so
well suited.
I recall the beautiful trees and creek
formerly at East Twelfth and Haw
thorne avenue, which have been re
moved, and note that the city is now
considering purchasing this barren
waste. Probably this district needs a
park. How much more attractive it
would be had tt been allowed to remain
as nature made it? Will those in au
thority miss another opportunity, by
failing to acquire the two west side
tracts to which I refer? T. H.
Function la to Disturb Unjust Rates.
PORTLAND, Aug. 1. (To the Editor.)
At the rate hearing before the inter
state commerce commission the other
day a railroad expert testified in the
Warrenton case that any change in
present conditions as to rates "would
result in a demand to break down the
rates to the next point beyond." And,
further, that "if benefit of rates were
extended outside of blanketed territory
it would have a tendency to disturb
rates in other places."
Well, there is a well-grounded opin
ion among the common people that one
of the very first reasons that justify
the existence of the interstate com
merce commission is to "disturb" rates
when found to be unjust to any terri
tory or section. That is why the sub
committee is now in Portland looking
Into the matter. It was tacitly admit
ted that what Warrenton asks is rea
sonable and just but there is opposi
tion to granting It lest It would dis
turb other unjust conditions! Goodness
knows we don't want any disturbance
in rate conditions. No, no.
T. T. GEER.
Pay for Hop Picking.
LEBANON. Or.. July 31. (To the
Editor.) I would like to say to Hop
Grower that I have raised hops In Ore
gon for years. I paid 1 cent a pound
for picking, 82.50 a day for yard hands,
when I received 26 cents a pound for
hops. I had a young fortune at the
present price of 50 cents a pound.
Growers can very well afford to double
the pay for picking and yard hands.
Everything- the picker has to buy has
doubled and more than doubled in price.
How pickers can come from Portland
and pick hops at 60 cents a box and
make anything is more than I can see.
I doubt very much if pickers could
break even, know they couldn't if there
were a few days of rain during pick
ing, when expenses would be going on
and the picker not making anything.
RETIRED HOP GROWER.
Soldier's Admission to Citizenship.
THE DALLES, Or., July 31. (To the
Editor.). An Italian discharged from
the United States army at . Camp
Lewis on or about January 1, 1919,
after about one year's service,- claims
that he was advised by one of the camp
officers when he was leaving that full
citizenship papers were made out for
him and could be. had on application.
Where must he now apply to get these
citizenship papers? E. L. F.
He should make application to the
United States naturalization service,
Postoffice building, Portland.
Soldiers Educational Aid Bill.
WARRENDALE. Or., July 81. (To
the Editor.) Kindly tell me whether
the soldiers' educational bill has been
passed? If so. please tell me how best
may 1 apply for It.
EDWARD R. DING.
The state aid bill was passed by vote
of the people. Write to James Con
vllle. Liberty temple, Portland, or to
the attorney-general of Oregon, Salem.
Youth and Age.
By Grace E. Hall.
Call him not old though three-acore
years and ten shall pass him by and
leave his mind unfilled, hie eoul un
developed, his imagination unkindled
and his heart unripened.
And call him not old though three-score
years and ten shall pass him by and.
leave his mentality unimpaired, his
interest undulled. his soul unembit
tered, his heart unburdened.
For many a man of full stature and
mature years is but an Infant still.
and an infant he shall forever re
main: his hair may be like frosted
floss and yet his mind be but the
blank surface of uncomprehending
babyhood;
And again, oft there is one scarce past
his twenties, with raven locks and
crimson lips, whose eoul may know
the blighting wither of many decades:
may be old and shriveled and heavy
beneath the weight of maturity
pressed upon him.
No two shall live the same span of life
and bear upon the soul the same
marks when at lensjth shall coma the
time of reckoning; for one may live
longer in a single day than another
in a dozen years.
Not the hours but the agonies, the Joys,
the hopes, the disappointments, the
heights of bliss, the abyss of despair
these measure time, and these alone.
Not the days but the deeds; not the
learning but the knowing: not the
speculating: but the experiencing: not
the wondering but the living; not the
placid plodding but the passionate,
aggressive leading
Oh. how shall anything become old
which has not lived, which hat scarce
known beginning, has achieved no
advancement and ehall never realise
fruition?
And yet, count not as old that one
whose soul has compassed and com
prehended all things in full, and
who yet looks upon life eagerly and
gladly because of well-known and
appreciated values.
That one alone is old who, fully com
prehending the good and the evil, the
joy and the sorrow, the privilege and
the handicap, yet moves about laden
with the cumbersome impedimenta of
outlived philosophies, discarded theo
ries, threadbare dogmas and ridicu
lous superstitions;
And who. with mentality thus cluttered,
deliberately steps aside from the
thoroughfare of progress and, shift
ing his burden to other shoulders,
weakly declares "Tea. verily. I am
weary of it all!"
While he alone Is forever young whose
mind, equally comprehending, yet lin
gers tolerantly upon all things, dwell
ing most upon that which waa joyous,
good and beautiful along the way;
And who bids farewell to life reluc
tantly, declaring emphatically to the
last that it was a "bully" game and
well worth the playing!
THE GRANDEST SIGHT.
PORTLAND. Or. Aug. 2. (To the
Editor.) A wounded Canadian soldier
told my brother that the grandest
sight be had ever seen was the Ameri
can army at the time described in the
following poem. It was written by
my brother. MRS. H. L. WRIGHT.
You ask the grandest sight Tve seen
In war in northern France,
Of battle scenes of valor
And the dread Teuton advance.
Well, listen and I'll tell you.
'Twas eighteen months ago.
That time when we Canadians,
Bent back before the blow.
The crest lay there before us.
Fast held by countless Huns,
Our orders were to take it
And still the roaring guns.
Before we went in action
The colonel gave a spiel
And said the Yanks would back us
With lines of burnished steel.
He told us and we only laughed.
We'd heard that joke before.
We knew there wasn't any Yanks.
The thought plumb made ua sore.
All knew that we could take the crest
But each one knew as well
That we could never hold the place
Though every soldier fell.
The order came at sunrise.
As the shadows turned to gray.
And well do I remember
The men who died that day
We took the crest at awful cost.
With ammunition low.
And held it with the bayonet
Perhaps an hour or so.
They slowly pushed us backward.
In that shell-stricken strife,
'Til every last Canadian
Was fighting for his life.
I had engaged a Prussian,
Well over six feet tall.
Who battled like a demon,
I saw that I must fall.
Just then I heard an echo.
Like a lost soul's howl in hell.
And I knew It -in an Instant
As the fighting Yankees' yell.
I glanced back o'er my shoulder
And I remember yet.
Those lines of charging khaki f
I never shall forget
But the price of that last vision
Came near to being all.
My smoulder caught his bayonet.
I was the last to fall.
On came the charging Yankees,
Past us and on and on.
Fighting like hell's own demons.
eYtontbeirlipsasong
Yet on their lips a song.
The grandest sight I ever saw.
Was that brown line so near.
And the sweetest song I ever heard
Was that ringing Yankee cheer.
THE LAND WHERE DREAMS COMB
TRUE.
Picture to yourself a pretty woodland
where the noble firs and pine
trees seem to rise.
Far above the sordid things below them
and aspire to rear their branches
to the skies.
Here the handiwork of God ie all ap
parent: here the moonlight pure
and cool comes ftlt'ring through.
Here I love to stroll through evening
twilight, and ponder on the land
where dreams come true.
Picture then a narrow trail a-windins-In
and out among those stately
aged trees;
Picture to yourself the mellow moon
light, enjoy with me the gentle
cooling breeze
Laden with a wond'rous woodsy odor,
and moistened by a bit of heav
en's dew.
Come wander with me down this wind
ing pathway, we'll vision that
fair land where dreams come true.
Unprofaned by hand of man, for profit;
here's a glimpse of Mother Na
ture at her best.
Here I come for total disenthrsUment;
here I come to calmly ponder,
dream and rest.
Nothing here detracts from ad-miration,
of Luna's reign o'er starry skies
of blue.
While we in blissful fancy are trans
ported, to realms of that fair land
where dreams come true.
In fancy then we wander down the vis
tas, exploring pleasant valleys of
the moon.
While dimly in the distance gleams the
- planet, which mortahs call the
earth, where all too soon
We realize our evanescent fancies will
leave us; still so long as hearts
beat true,
I'll cherish hopes that you'll be close
beside me, when all my fondest
dreams at last come true.
R. E. URE.
f