THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 21, 101D.
CENSOR SHU KING IN
OF FAR EAST
Ai
While They Last
Allies Let America Know Only
What They Choose.
"The Rochester"
A Genuine Cowhide Bag
Walrus Grain Black Only
Eighteen-inch, full reinforced, double
catchee, spring: lock, steel leather-covered
handle, full fabric lined.
Special This Week $7.25
NEWS WILL NOT BE BOTTLD
"Grapevine Telegraph" Flourishes
on Sands of Desert Uncle Sam
Hastens to Rescue Americans.
6
LANDS
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
(Copyright by the New York World. Pub
lished by Arrangement.)
CONSTANTINOPLE. Aug. 20. One
fact affecting all facts, and more mean
ingful than any other fact in the near
east, is the censorship. News about the
censorship really should take prece
dence of news concerning any other po
litical conditions here. It is the story
which explains most other stories. Even
after the censorship ' conditions have
been described the average American
reader will not have grasped the sig
nificance of it all. so foreign ia .this
censorship Idea to us.
Bluntly put, censorship Is an effort
to keep from the world all the facts ex
cept those which serve some govern
ment's policy. Political purposes take
precedence of the truth. The censor
ship is an Invisible Chinese wall, to
keep out or in all news alien to the.
ruling interest.
Censorship aims to conceal from the
whole world what Is done with or by
or to a part of the world.
All such dangerous ideas as "pitiless
publicity" and such radical teachings as
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free," are completely
blue penciled by the censor. His doc
trine is that all people may learn only
what a few persons think Is good for
them to know.
All sorts of methods are adopted to
keep news shut up within territorial
borders. For example, American Ked
Cross and r-elief workers In Syria,
Palestine and Egypt have been required
to sign a pledge that they will send
or take out no uncensored news or
communications. Even . information
concerning strictly American activities
and interests must pass through the
sieve of old world polities., - Americans
may know 'concerning America's in
terests In the orient only what our
political allies and commercial rivals
want them to know.
America, Through a Glass, Darkly.
Of paramount interest recently In
Turkey has been the presence of the
American commission upon mandates.
Nothing else in all the world has in
terested the people of the near east,
for the time being, so greatly as this
commission. Its story is told in an
other article. I mention it in con
nection with the censorship only be
cause Its objects and limitations have
been adroitly presented to the Syrians
In a way that suits the purposes of
certain powers with Interests In this
part of the world. The Americans have
had to watch their step at every mile
of the road. They stood for some
thing that Is popular Just now with
everybody In Syria except the foreign
interests who do mot want that thing
called Americanism to be popular! -
Of course, the natives, accustomed to
news via censorship and propaganda
channels, are wary and suspicious. They
have the real Missouri attitude. So
Tvhen the local papers announce that
the American commission Is purely a
personal enterprise of President Wil
son, and that It has no authority, and
that the treaty of London takes prece
dence of all its recommendations, the
Syrians merely stick their tongues In
their cheeks and slip off to some
trusted American friends to ascertain
the facts.
flf Yon See It In the Eart!"
Because on a reads an important
statement In a newspaper In the near
east is almost prima facie evidence
that It either is not so, or else that it is
put out for some hidden purpose. Since
it bears the stamp of the censorfas ap
proval. It is guaranteed "safe," and
therefore either innocuous or sinister.
Real news, supposedly, is what circu
lates from mouth to ear.
One curious result of this Is that Im
portant news Is often to be heard in
the cafes as much as 48 hours before
the newspapers carry It; If they publish
It at all. Censorship naturally retards
publication, in order that all the pos
sible bearings of the facts upon gov
ernment policies may be weighed care
fully.
Thus, In Cairo, I learned of the with
drawal of the Italians from the peace
conference a full day betore It was
printed. I took It to the American
diplomatic agent for confirmation, and
he had not yet heard It, although he
corroborated It within a few hours.
Yet the American who told me the
etory had. heard It from one or nis
servants I
Often facts never come out. The
"first Intimation we had In Cairo of the
Greek masacres in Smyrna were the
dispatches protesting how well the
Greeks had behaved and how pleased
the Turks were with them! Any old
hand in the orient, possessed of a
knowledge of background conditions,
could read between the lines of these
"communiques" and British, French,
Greek and Italian news bulletins, or
"communiques" are regularly put out
In the hotels, clubs, cafes and other
popular centers of cities like Cairo and
Constantinople. Dealing in propaganda
news Is a regular branch of government
activity In the near east. .
Censorship Often Beaten.
No invention has yet been perfected
which will Berve as a news-proof .con
tainer. All the bottles ever devised by
censorship are sure to leak. How they
leak is one of the romances of the
orient. Every correspondent who . has
not passed his word not to doso feels
free to beat the censor, for the news
paper man Is a servant of light, and the
censor is a servant of darkness, and
light cannot be subject to darkness.
The impassive-faced Indian or Egyp
tian servant behind the chair of the
British officer is believed to be "per
fectly safe," yet how else did the news
of that important conversation get so
quickly to Moslem headquarters.
A common trick Is for the servants
to profess to know ho English what
ever, and since the oriental finds It
easy to mask his face' with blankness
all sorts of state and military secrets
find their way quickly to the quarters
where they will be best appreciated.
TVhlle an expensive staff of censors
and. intelligence officers Is searching
Mailed to any address at this price. Satisfaction guaranteed.
S. & H. Stamps with all Leather purchases.
Wooelard, Clarke & Co.
Wood-Lark Bldg.. Alder at West Park
SEES
the malls and the persons of passen-,
gers an Ignorant and deferential native
perhaps a charcoal burner, returning '
to the mountains of Mount Sinai with
his camel or donkey is slipping across
the border unheeded. What can a
camel driver know of politics? Well,
what he knows .is quickly communi
cated to wiser men than himself, per
haps with documents.
I have had incontrovertible proof that
news, essential news, high political
news, seeps out of every country in the
east, carried by humble traders or pil
grims or servants.' ' Even the veiled
woman may have concealed beneath
her voluminous raiment a paper more
dangerous than dynamite. The route
is easy and open between, say, the ;
pasha in Egypt, his servant, a native j
in Constantinople.
Grapevine Telegraph on the Desert.
Also the desert ways are open. AI- i
geria and Tunisia and "Morocco and Tri
poli are all accessible to the Arabs
who thread the apparently pathless
wastes or sand. One may hear more
news within & week in Syria or
Constantinople concerning what the
French and Italians are doing in North
Africa .than he will read in. the press
of the world in a year.
This is the supreme nullification of
the censorship. The east gets the news
which it believes by channels that
were old a thousand years before the
art of printing was invented. It is not
what is published in the subsidized
newspapers of the orient that shapes
rublic opinion east of the Adrlatio and
the Mediterranean, but what is said in
the bazaars, the cafes, the khans and
by caravan campflres. As I have
watched Arabs colloguing half a night
around a little blaze of camel-thorn, on
a acsciri. far from human habitation, I
nave jwondered what they found in
their barren life to talk about. But if
there was a stranger, among them I
3 -t 1 . 1 . 1 ' . . . , . . T
luuim Liieir Knuwiauge 01 political con
ditions increased and their surmises
quickened!
That is the way trie east forms its
opiniors. Every oriental, especially in
the Levant, has a elear-cut conviction
concerning the relative merits and
qualities of the great powers and their
nationals. Even the educated west has
no such jablt of sweeping generaliza
tion. Ask the nsxt American you meet
what he thinks of the English, the
French, the Italians, the Greeks, the
Germans, and he will probably answer
concerning at least half the list, "Oh.
I danno." or, "I never thought about
it." Yet your donkey boy or carriage
driver in Cairo or Jerusalem or Da
mascus or Aleppo or Constantinople
can give you shrewd appraisal of
every one of these nationalities. And
that opinion, which runs so close to
the ground. Is what makes history.
Uncle Sam to the Rune,
It is common report that political
censorship is so intimately related to
the commercial Interests of the cen
soring power that valuable business
information is communicated to the
nationals of the government in con
trol. In Constantinople It is openly
declared that a fair and equal oppor
tunity at the trade of the near east
is not given to all the a'.lies.
So serious is the disability under
which American business men out here
feel themselves laboring at the hands
of the allied censorship that the Amer
ican government now permits them to
make their communications with the
homeland through the channels of the
American embassy. Presumably em
bassy messages are safe from prying
eyes. This is an extraordinary privi
lege, but Admiral Bristol and Consul
General Ravndal, the American com
missioners, are real patriots, of the
sort who do not hesitate to cut red
tape in behalf of their countrymen.
At a certain port In the eastern
hemisphere I was told by an Ameri
can this Incident of "friendly" cen
sorship: He had been In confiden
tial communication with Washington
concerning a certain Important com
mercial concession for the American
government. . Recently the expected
message came from the state depart
ment, in ono of its simpler codes, in
structing the consul to secure the con
cession in question. That official
message. In code, was five days on
the way although cable conditions
were such that it should have arrived
within a few hours and during this
interval representatives of the friend
ly power which controls the censor
ship sought to secure the concession
in question for themselves! Only the
ardent enthusiasm of the native popu
lation for America kept that deal from
going through, to the serious discom
fiture of our country. The incident
illustrates the perils of censorship; no
nation can be trusted with the un
limited power and confidential knowl
edge which the censor possesses. Cer
tainly the institution Is not in har
mony with the spirit of democracy and
fair play.
0 Important v
y Diamond
Purchasing j
Ireland Loses Tourist Traffic.
DUBLIN", Aug. 29. There are nu
merous protests in the Irish press
against the abandonment of Queens
town as a port of call ror great Amer
ican liners. In future only the small
vessels are to call there, and it is
pointed out that this meanrthat the
profitable tourist traffic from America
will be taken direct to England.
Aerial Mall Service to Congo Plan.
ANTWERP, Aug. 20. An aerial pos
tal service between LeopoldviUe and
Stanleyville In the Congo will be In
operation within the next three months,
if the plans of the Belgian government
are carried out. A steamer has Just
left Antwerp taking aviators, hangars
and 15 planes which will be used in
the service.
1
The guiding rule is purity
of color, .brilliancy and per
fection; but very few know
how to select without expert
advice.
That's .why it is best to
come to my store, where you
are sure to get only the bet
ter grade of diamonds and
prices are absolutely lowest.
Your money back if you
find any article different
than represented.
My Special $50 and $100
Diamond Rings Have No Equal
T r . t TManAnd Tlalev I n Omm.
834 Washington St Op p. Owl Drmc Ce.
DANCE Today
COLUMBIA
BEACH
EVFRY
ii'sday'apterxoox
. a o ktem.vo.
Buttertleld -Will Sing With Cotillion
Orchestra.
Bin Pavilion. Fine Floor, Rood Order.
Care at h'ltth and Wasalaa-ten.
CUSTOM
SHI R T S
Jacobs Shirt Co.
RALEIGH BLDC
327 Washington St, Cor. 6th
ESTABLISHED 1888
Tl I cf" J er yJfl rom e Philippine Islands a beautiful line of art baskets.
J L XVCCC CC LA These Baskets are made by the school children of these islands
for which they are paid by the U. S. government and sold In
the United States and the profits used to further advance this
instruction in the islands.
It is impossible to describe these exquisite baskets and do
them justice. They are made of the natural rushes, combined
in their natural colors. They outrival the baskets made by the
Indians in our southwestern states and "Mexico, whose work has
been proclaimed the height of art in basket weaving. The work
turned out by these Filipino children is surprisingly sturdy,
and the designs intricate. To appreciate them you must see
them. Do not neglect to come in and see this work whether you
come to buy or come for an education. The surprising part of
these baskets is the moderate price for such high grade work.
A Little Gallery of Art Goods
is the name we have given to a little room on our second floor. . In here you will find the popular
Easel Frames in several finishes and many styles, Book Ends of all kinds, Framed Mottoes and Framed
Parchments, and a few select framed pictures. Visit this little room for gift suggestions or when you
wish to add something choice to your home.
Ingersoll
Watches
We have just put in a
stock of Ingersoll
watches in all this fac
tory's varied styles.
Watches from $2 to $9
All watches guaranteed.
Photo Phil
In Oar Kodak Department ""
First floor
will be glad to coach you in
your fall picture taking. Let
him tell you what he knows
about light and other condi
tions of this time of the year.
8x10 black and white en
largements front your nega
tives, 254 each.
Flashlights
AND
Batteries
Kodaks and Kodak Supplies,
Safety Razors, Ever Sharp
Pencils, Fountain Pens of all
makes, all in this department
at our Third Street Entrance
on the main floor.
ggj o J 5
The J. K. Gill Go,
Booksellers Stationers
Off ice Outfitters
Third and Alder Sts.
Eight Honrs
Constitute a Legal Day's Work
Consequently Our Store Closes
at 6 P. M. Saturdays
We do this in deference to our employes, who
give to us efficient and loyal service, and we
are happy in return to give them shorter hours,
that they may have more time for recreation
and pleasure. We ask our patrons and friends
to bear in mind this early-closing hour and do
your shopping before 6 P. M. Saturdays.
MODERN EFFICIENCY is APPLIED to
EVERY DEPARTMENT of THIS BUSINESS.
Our profit-sharing, cash-selling policy is a real
money-saver to the man who buys his clothes
here.
COMPARE GRAY'S
COMPARE GRAY'S
COMPARE GRAY'S
$30
$40
$50
Suits and Overcoats
with those sold by other
stores for $35 and $40
Suits and Overcoats
with those sold by other
stores for $45 and $50
Suits and Overcoats
with those sold by other
stores for $55 and $60
GRAY'S VALUES WILL TELL
M. GRAY
366 WASHINGTON AT WEST PARK
.jit ff"""
Wr2l4 . T&ezh fxY sl vvvbeL
No fire tier gathered big
ger crowds than those who
hare waited to get In and
see "Doug" in this bijr 8
reel masterpiece. And so
we have broken every reg
ulation of our usual pol
icy and hare made ar
rangements to hold it
orer. We suggest that
you come as soon as pos
sible because other cities
are begging for the films
and we do not know how
much longer we will be al
lowed to keep them.
CECI L
TEAGUE
in
Wurlitrer Concert
Today at 1:30.
PROGRAMME
Military Polonaise. Chopin
Dancing Doll Poldini
Raymond Overture
Thomas
Songs of Italy
Arranged by Cecil Teague
American Patrol
.... Meacham
K I much longer we will be al- I ; l) ' - It American Patrol rrx