THE SUNDAY OKEGONIAN, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 28. 1919.
WOULD YOU LIVE LONG ? MARION HARLAND TELLS HOW
On Her Eighty-Ninth Birthday This Famous and Old-Fashioned Expert on Household
Economies Tells Us How to Prolong Our Days and Wm Success and Happiness
This fine, -white-haired old lady In lavender and lace still finds pleasure and
profit in the pursuits and pastimes of our grandfathers and grandmothers.
MARION HARLAND, the writer,
out of an experience of nearly
fourscore years and ten, knows
of no substitute for the fundamental
Issue of life over and above the things
that maintained three-quarters of a
century ago.' As against the Utopias
of the parlor socialists and the "little
heavens" of other moderns this fine
little white-haired old lady in laven
der and lace, sitting quietly with knit
ting needle in hand in her New York
home recounting the glories of the
daya back there when Longfellow,
Whlttier, Lowell and Holmes were in
their prime, still finds pleasure and
profit in the pursuits and pastimes of
our grandfathers and grandmothers.
She is of the opinion that work
alone will keep the universe alive.
She points out that no super scientist
has as yet found it possible to nourish
and sustain the human body except
by recourse to the standard food
products of the market places. Sleep
is the only means to rejuvenate the
tired body; fresh air and sunshine
surer tonics than any prescription
materia medica has ever written. In
an age when men and women are
chasing many wild will-'o-the-wisp
phantoms to a jazz-band accompani
ment evolved out of a mist of "isms"
and "istics," the fact still remains to
this famous litterateur that men and
women must eat, sleep and work to
day as they always have done in order
to keep body and soul together and
to find real happiness in life.
Mrs. Edward Pay son Terhune,
known and beloved for more than
70 years as Marion Harland, writing
in a language that can be understood
and interpreted according to the life
of the humblest reader, was S9 years
old on December 21. She wrote her
first poem at 10 years of age and
her first short story at 14 years
and her first book at 18 years. For
three-quarters of a century work
has been her fetish, and in and
through it she has found a realization
of her fondest dreams. And now on
her 89 birthday one finds life's great
est joy in her work.
"If I had a message to give to all
the people at this time, she said the
other evening in the course of an
interview, "it would be to extract
the real joy out of your work. It is
there there for the finding if men
and women would only seek it. Get
into your work, lose your heart and
soul in it and don't give up until you
have accomplished what you have
started and reaped the results of
good, earnest labor."
Marion Harland is yet a worker de
spite her age. When she is not writ
ing she is knitting. When she Is
neither writing nor knitting she is
spreading her philosophy of life a
rich life of service not alone for what
one may obtain for himself, but for
what one may do for others. Ten
years ago she fell and broke her
right arm just above the wrist. It
incapacitated for all time the good
right hand with which she had guided
a pen or pencil through the many
score of. manuscripts that she had
given to the world. Many a person
under such circumstances and at such
an age would have considered such
an accident the inevitable ending of a
life work. But not Marion Harland.
Although past 75 years, she took
up the typewriter. With her left hand
she began picking at the keys until
she had mastered the keyboard. It
was tedious work for one of her years,
but with the persistence that has
marked her every endeavor she tri
umphed over age and accident. To
day she is still writing at 89 picking
out the words letter by letter with
her left hand! Her lest book Is as
much of a success as any of its pre
decessors. "The Carringtons of High
Hill," reflecting plantation life in the
heart of the Old Dominion, a quarter
of a century before the great civil
war, is a delightful refutation of the
ragged old theory that the producer
ceases to produce after a certain age.
Marion Harland ticked it off the type
writer after she was 88 years old,
and it Is as pretty a picture of the
fine old south as any word artist has
ever painted at any age.
And, good friends, it is by no means
her swan song. This lovely old lady
is going right ahead with her writing
as long as the good Lord gives her
sight and strength for her writing.
What a spectacle for those lazy bodies
who today seek some way out of
work altogether!
"No, I am not through yet." she said
quietly. "I may write more books;
indeed, I think I'll sit down in the
twilight and address myself to the
American girl," she said rather wist
fully. But we will take up the Ameri
can girl as Marion Harland sees her
a little later.
Work seemed a natural beginning
for an interview with this remark
able little lady. Upon being admitted
to her apartments just off Riverside
drive in New York city, the inter
viewer found her seated by a reading
lamp in her "den," busy with her
knitting needle. Her desk was still
open, and upon it were books and
writing materials ready for the trim
little typewriter in the opposite cor
ner. The interview had been set for 8
o'clock in the evening an hour most
folks think is "bedtime" for folks
nearly 90 years old. But here Is a lady
remarkably virile for one of her years,
who sits by the lamplight and chats
, . 1 .11 ,A - - ' - a
trace of fatigue. In her white lace
cap and black silk dress she was a
fitting picture for a master.
"I have to be busy all the time,"
she was saying apropos of the knit
ting. "During the war we all got so
in the habit of JPhlttlng that I don't
seem able to get away from It. And.
besides. It Is a relief from other work.
One cannot write all the time."
What was the secret of her happi
ness and her success? How had she
been able to keep so mentally alert
and vigorous despite the years? She
a writer of recipes known all over
the world for her recipes what rec
ipes would she write now for success
and happiness and good health?
"I have found the greatest happi
ness always In being busy," she said,
laying aside her knitting. "And I
have always managed to keep an In
terest In my work. So many people
are miserable because they fall to find
the real pleasure that Is to be found
in work of every kind. Think of the
very power of producing something!
People are too prone to pass over that
thought. Man stands alongside his
God and I say it In reverence In the
power to produce. If folks would only
dwell on that phase of life they would
find more happiness Instead of chas
ing aimlessly from one thing to an
other. "You must put your whole heart In
your work if you would succeed. Life
becomes monotony to many people be
cause they are going along without
any heart In the particular thing they
are doing. In my own life I found it
easier to accomplish a thing when I
gave it my undivided attention and
got Into the very spirit of it with all
the energy and concentration that I
could command."
"What would he your advice to young
writers?" was asked. Mrs. Terhune
turned the question over for a mo
ment before replying.
"My advice, first of all, would be
not to take up writing as a life work
unless one felt the all-consuming
urge to write," was her rejoinder after
a moment of meditation. "One should
feel It as a calling. Writing Is a gift
the gift of expression and unless
there is the urge to produce and to
keep on producing one should not
take it up.
"Once In it, you should write natur
ally of life1 all around you. Characters
in books are characters right out of
life. Writing should mirror life. When
one paints a picture he goes directly
to nature and reproduces It. Yes. In
my own experience, the characters of
my books have been for the most part
those people among whom I mingled;
incidents and personalities one sees
every day Incorporated In the story to
SOME RECIPES FROM MARION
UAELAXD'S COOK BOOK
OP LIFE.
For Happineaa
Live simply.
Have something to do.
Keep your conscience clean.
Have faith In yourself and man
kind In general.
Look forward and not backward.
For Health.
Study yourself and do the things
that are proved good for you.
Exercise your body and mind
systematically, but not too rigor
ously. Get plenty of fresh air and good
food.
Don't -worry.
For Success.
Put your whole heart In what
ever you do.
Live right In your work.
Have a particular aim In life and
stick to it.
Exalt the Inherent power to pro
duce and dignify your work as
part of the great plan of creation.
bring out the thought that the writer
has in mind.
"To write successfully one must
live directly within the manuscript
you are producing. You must feel the
living presence of the characters and
move along step by step with the life
that you are picturing. First of all.
the call to writing; second, mirror
life Itself, and. lastly, get. right Into
your manuscript and live there until
it is accomplished."
What did Mrs. Terhune think of
current literature? Did she agree with
some critics that it was exotic and
sensational? She was loath to critl
else, but did. Indeed, believe that
much of the literature of the day that
has been taken up by the public was
trashy and of the undesirable type
But she was inclined to think the
public bought this kind of fiction not
because they particularly desired it
but because It was foisted upon them
by a market that had persisted In en
couraging the salacious or the sensa
tional product.
What she particularly noted was
that the present school of writers in
America were producing no Longfel
low, Whittier. Bryant, Holmes, Thack
eray or Emerson. Mow dia she ac
count for this? Was it because we
were living In a too materialistic age?
Perhaps so, since this seems to be
commercial era. It may be due to the
fact that the people no longer appre
ciate real art In prose and poetry or
because their tastes have been per
verted by the sentimentally exotic
word painters. She was careful not to
cross swords with any particular
writer, but felt Inclined to note the
distressing fact that America had now
no great author of the kind that ob
tained a half or three-quarter cen
tury ago.
"Oh, for another Charles Dickens'."
was her lament as she pointed out the
quaint and vivid reality of life pic
tured in such characters at Little Nell
and Barnaby Rudge, and In such vol
umes as the "Christmas Carol" and
the "Old Curiosity Shop." She grew
reminiscent of the old masters and
told with a trace of emotion of a
letter Bhe had received from Henry
W. Longfellow at one time In which
he noted that one of her first books
had reached the sixth edition and pre
dicting "that she was on her way to
great career." She. has the lettet
today and, needless to say, it is one
of her treasured possessions.
And what was the secret of Mrs.
Terhume's long life? Had she, like
Ponce de Leon, discovered some foun
tain of youth in which she had kept
her spirit and body submerged
through nearly 90 years?
"1 have to keep up to my family
record, you know," she smilingly an-
fwered. Some of my people lived to
etter than 100 years. But it Is all so
simple " she grew grave.
"Looking on the bright side always
helps. Looking forward and not back
ward. It is rtght, of course, to look
hack at the mistakes and profit by
them; but it is better to keep your
mind -on the future and on what you
can do while life lasts. In the matter
of health people should observe the
general rules. Exercise and good
food. Enough sleep to 'res; the body
and mind. It Is a sin to transgress
these laws. But above all else keep
In good mental and spiritual health."
Mrs. Terhune stresses the Idea of
"feeling more useful" as the years
come and she regards the "twilight
of life" as the most beautiful period
of life.
"Life never held more beauty and
worth to me than It does now," she
Bays. "It should be that way with
every woman, and it would be if she
Is possessed of the blessed heritage of
health and an understanding of what
real beauty old age can hold If It is
genuine old age. Many years ago
I resolved that old age should be the
best part of my life. I decided that
instead of reaching the top of a hill
and then slipping down there was a
tableland that would be mine for a
long time. I am still on that table-
land. If women would only realize
that these later years hold more and
more for them they would get mora
out of life. There la nothing- more
sweet than to live over life In the
children of our children."
The profession of home-making Is
the finest profession that any woman
can have, according to Marlon Har
land. Home is the foundation of our
life and she avers never was there a
time when women have a greater
trust to fulfill than in this day when
so many extreme thoughts are strik
ing at the very roots of modern civil
ization the home and the family.
And thereby hingea Mrs. Terhune's
appraisement of the modern woman
hinted above. She tries hard to be
loyal to her sex, but It is evident that
this sweet little old lady disapproves
of the modern woman.
"She Is making herself too promi
nent," said Mrs. Terhune. when asked
her opinion of the modern woman.
'She is seeking something that she
calls a career, and it is the best way
to characterize it. Our girls are
they not a wee bit too flippant? They
seem to patronize old age and to
flout the advice of old age. Oh, bless
their hearts. If they would only stop
and realize that wifehood and moth
erhood are the high calling of
women."
On the point of suffrage Mrs. Ter
hune takes the ground that women
are not yet ready to do man's work
In the world. For the future, she is '
not prophesying; but it is plain to
see that this little lady who was
reared In the fine old school of south
ern chivalry and chastity cannot ap
preciate the aims and ambitions of
the modern woman.
"I think I will sit down in the twi
light and talk to this young girl of
today," she said, apropos of a possible
new book. Not that Marlon Harland
will scold the American girl, for she
believes the woman of today has ad
vanced mentally and physically but
she thinks woman's high destiny Is
the home and motherhood and she Is
apprehensive lest the trend of mod
ern thought takes woman away from
her high calling Into strange fields
of new endeavor.
"I do not know how long I will
live." she says, "but I am filled with
gratitude for the life that has been
mine. I am ready whenever the good
Lord calls roe and confident of the fu
ture life. This twilight of life is the
happiest of all to me, and my one
wish Is -that others may find happi
ness as I have found it. They can if
they will. Live right. Do something
for others and find the joy of serv
ice. That is my birthday thought."
MAYOR OF DALLAS, TEX., IS YOUNGEST CITY
EXECUTIVE IN WHOLE UNITED STATES
Frank W. Wozencraft Elected to Office by Two Political Parties Almost Immediately
From Military Service Overseas.
After Return
WANT to know a real live wire,
a genuine southwesterner
whose first, last and middle
name is hurry? If so, then meet by
all means Frank W. Wozencraft of
Dallas, Tex., the youngest mayor in
the United States.
Speed is the keynote in the life of
this youthful executive. The events
of his life haven't unfolded like a
budding rose as most men's do, they
have sky-rocketed out like the star
shells did on the French front only a
short time ago.
Ten months ago he had no more
idea that he would be mayor of Dallas
today than he had when he sailed
overseas to fight in the great world's
war that he would return home alive.
There is nothing about him that
betrays for an instant that he is a
politician. While not polished, he is
good mannered in an energetic, ob
viously in a hurry sort of way. But
there is none of the glad-h; :id, open
hearted, hail-fellow-well-met, what-
can-I-do-for-you-if-you - vote - for - me
manner in his makeup.
Rather lje suggests an excessively
energetic young business man deter
mined to make the most of his time
and not overly patient with those who
stand in his way. Briefly stated
Wozencraft gives the impression of
an unusual, out-of-the-ordinary poli
tician. By those who are optimistic
it could well be claimed that he is the
type of the American politician of the
future; in other words, a man 10 or
20 years ahead of his time, yet making
good under the disadvantages and
natural misunacrstanaings or such a
handicap. A man not content to sit
still and watch the normal progress
of a thriving American city, but con
stantly on the lookout for points re
garding new things and methods to
Improve current conditions.
Mayor la Only 26 Years Old.
When everything else is considered
it must be remembered that he is only
26 years old. only just arrived at
time of life when most young men are
just about beginning the serious stage
of their business career, with fame
and fortune still some years ahead
a pleasing but dim and distant pros
pect.
Because a good many folks consider
that, he is much too young for his job
does not bother Mayor Wozencraft
in the least. Ever since he has been
in office he has been much too busy
learning how to officially run a city
to give a thought to what people are
thinkiug about him.
This does not, however, get away
from the fact that he Is the youngest
mayor ever elected in the United
'
States, as was proved by a careful
investigation along these lines made
by one of the Dallas newspapers at
the time of bis election.
Other high spots of interest regard
ing him are that he was elected by
two parties, something of a novelty,
and that ever since he has been in
office he has been working to squash
the political spoils system and start
ing exceedingly up-to-date municipal
reforms.
Born in Dallas, the sen of General
in his father's law office war was de
clared. He was appointed lieutenant, then
promoted to the captaincy of what
was later the 144th infantry, company
B, the locally-famous "Dallas Grays,
42 of whose members were later com
missioned. To reach France earlier,
he took a position in one of the staff
departments. He unluckily broke his
ankle the day he arrived In France,
but finally, after a siege in the hospl
cal, succeeded in transferring back to
the Infantry. Ho was sent to the
army school of the line, and from
there to general staff college at Lan
gres, where the armistice caught him.
Back to Dallas in January last, he
Immediately resumed the practice of
law.
There was a brief space for breath,
then in February the trouble began.
Without any previous political am
bitions, young Wozencraft found him
self nominated for mayor by two fac
tions, the democratic party and the
citizens' association, a non-partisan
organization.
The campaign was as strenuous as
the rest of Wozencraft's carser. For
over a month he made several
speeches a day. A survey of Dallas
papers of the time will show that
in the opinion of the editors his
election was seemingly impossible.
Yet he won out with a majority of
930 votes over his nearest opponent.
Study Made In East.
Not long since Major Wozencraft,
feeling that studies of the city gov
ernment of New York and some of
the other big municipalities of the
United States might be productive
of worth-while ideas he could adopt
to the betterment of Dallas he de
cided to take a "vacation" and went
east to get such pointers.
While he was in New York he
took time from his many other activ
ities to chat In reference to hlmsell
and the projects he is now develop
ing to help the people of Dallas, for
the sole idea of this young man seems
to be service to the people who elect
ed hira.
"It seems to me," he said, "that
every city dweller at present Is more
interested in the housing problem
than most anything else. In Dallas
as -elsewhere, there has been a great
shortage of homes, but we are now
getting tne Dest oi tne proDiem. one
of my first acts, after assuming of
fice, was to assist In the organiza
tloo of what is known as a housing
corporation. It is not a zovernmental
Wozencraft, national guardsman and body 5ut was formed bv Dublic snirit.
prominent lawyer. the youngest i ed and far-sighted business men who
mayor in the United States leaped ' subscribed for the mutual stock in
through school, was graduated from
preparatory school valedictorian of
his class, went through the University
of Texas and finished with a law de
gree at the age of 21. In odd mo
ments he had made several trips to
Europe, one 01 them as a member of
the American commission for the
study of agricultural co-operation.
Just as be was settling down to work
order to make possible the building
of homes In these days of high prices
for the poor at prices which they
could afford. All holders of mutual
stock receive 6 per cent on their
money, and no other profit is made
by the corporation.
"To co-operate with this organiza
tion I appointed a board known as
the housing commission, it is the
duty of this board to investigate
housing and sanitary conditions in
the city, and recommend a model
ordinance which will prevent Im
proper construction and remedy any
present defects In those already
enacted. Under the direction of the
two commissions houses are now fast
being supplied for all who need them.
"One of the big steps, I believe,
my administration has taken Is the
separation of the departments of pre
ventive and curative medicine. A
captain of the United States public
health service has been loaned by
the government to the city, we pay
ing the larger part of his salary. He
is working to make, Dallas as nearly
safe from the standpoint of health
as any city of Its size can be. We
use the full system of public health
service reports ard are so organized
as to be able to detect and prevent
the spread of any new disease the
moment it may appear.
'The curative medicine department
of the city government is handled
by the hospital board and by the
superintendent of hospitals and the
director of emergency and the house
service. Our superintendent of hos
pitals is a woman of national repu
tation. She was an Inspector of hos
pitals for the Red Cross in France.
She is reorganizing the city hospital
along broad humanitarian lines and
Is giving charity patients who came
there as good treatment as any paid
patients can receive anywhere. The
director of emergency In home serv
ice has charge of the emergency hos
pital and the visitation of the poor
sick. In connection with the emer
gency hospital there is a dental
clinic, and a physician is always on
duty and ready to give adequate
treatment at any hour of the day or
night free of charge. The visiting
physician also goes wherever he is
needed.
Campaign Slogan Unique.
"The campaign slogan of my ad
ministration was 'No friends to re
ward and no enemies to punish.' so
when I was elected all boards and
other officials were appointed purely
on the basis of suitability for the
position and without reefrence to pol
itics, that Is to what party they
claimed to, vote for. The result has
been that we are giving the city 100
cents value for every dollar spent avid
all factions are joined together for
the upbuilding of the municipality.
"Since I have been in office I have
created an arbitration board for the
settlement of labor disputes, retained
a city purchasing agent, given the
flreeran a double platoon and secured
the services of a Wellesley graduate
for general welfare work who held
an important federal position doing
similar work during the war. I ara
also extending our park and play
ground system and making arrange
ments to have a splendidly equipped
play place within a half mile of
every child In the city. I am making
a special eftoi t to assist the board 9t
education In maintaining a splendid
efficiency in our schools and last
spring made funds available to In
crease the salaries of the teachers be
tween 25 and 33 1-3 per cent. I have
organised a city plan commission and
have retained a city plan expert. So
far we have worked In perfect har
mony for the good of Dallas.
"My administration is co-operating
with the Chamber of Commerce and
other city bodies in order that there
may be no duplication of effort and 1
And that this co-operation leads to
materially Increased efficiency.
"I believe that the time has come
when the American public will de
mand of Its city officials an efficient
administration forward looking and
non-political and when the service of
any official will be rewarded by the
good he has done for the whole com
munity and. not by the favor he has
been able to bestow upon those who
supported him during the election."
When asked how he liked belns
mayor, he said: "Although I did not
realise It until after l was eelcted. it
Is a fact that my father had been
training me for a public- life ever
since I can remember. My mother
died when I was a baby and my
father aud I were always pals. We
traveled together In summer and in
the winter we read together and ho
directed my attention toward things
the value of which I was far from
realizing at the time. We went to
Mexico together, to Canada together,
to Europe together, out on the coast
together, and everywhere that ha
went he was calling my attention to
government, civic and economic mat
ters. He got me interested in debat
ing when I was very young and was
always ready to help me with his
counsel and advice. I owe my liking
and all the qualifications I may have
for public life entirely to the tore
sight and companionship of my
father.
"Out of service ln January, 1919, I
went back to practicing law with ab
solutely no thousht of politics and
had no political ideas. The first time
I knew I was being considered was
In February last, when a newspaper
rang up and I was told that I was
nominated for mayor by the demo
cratic party and that I was going to
run. In the next half hour two other
newspapers called roe, but I declined
to consent at the time. Later on In
the week both the democratic party
and the Citizens' association asked me
to be their candidate for mayor and
the following Monday I decided to
run."
MACHINE FOR WEAVING
BASKETS IS INVENTED
Method Employed by Adam Used Until Few Months Ago When Quicker
Way Was Offered by Ex-Mayor of Michigan Town.
THE first punishment inflicted upon
man was work, and the first work
was wicker weaving. From the
days when Eve wove her first skirt
out of leaves and twigs, man has
labored over wicker weaving with his
hands. Time and time again, down
through the centuries, attempts have
been made by Inventors o construct
a machine that would weave wicker,
but they have always failed.
The feat has been finally accom
plished by an American inventor. Mar
shall Lloyd, ex-mayor of Menominee,
Mich.
It now seems that the difficulty In
the way and the reason for so .many
failures was that all former Inventors
attempted to use the Biblical method
of attaching the weft to the frame of
the desired article and then inter
lacing the warp.
Inventor Lloyd started at the other
end and found a method whereby he
weaves the wicker Independent of the
frame and attaches It to It when com
pleted. His machine, the first of Its kind in
the world, does the work better and
thirty tiroes faster than skilled hands
can do it.
For some time his weavers operated
under the old method, but labor short
age drove the Inventor in search of a
loom. More months of study followed,
with the result that the loom came
into existence. It is the only weav
ing device ever made, textile or
wicker, which weaves fabrics of Ir
regular contour. It weaves the body
of a baby carriage 30 times faster
and more perfect than the hand
weavers.
The wicker, wrapped in spools at
the side of the loom, is threaded into
it over a tension wheel. Before start
ing the loom in its rotary movement
the stakes, or weft, are placed in
permanent positions. As the machine
revolves the warp is drawn from the
spools on two sides of the machine
over the tension wheel into stationary
shuttles. Just before the revolving
weft reach the shuttle star-shaped
wheels pass them alternately to either
side of the shuttles and as they do so
the warp is interlaced between them.
After the warp leaves the shuttles a
mechanical finger Is released, grasp
ing the warp and pulling it down
ward to its proper position. Each
finger is attached to an arm with a
weight at the bottom, which in turn
travels on a stationary cam. When
the arm rises the finger recedes, per
mitting It to pass behind the shut
tles, after which it comes forward
where the warp leaves the shuttle,
grasps it and presses It into position.
Each arm has the same weight, and
hence the wicker is woven with abso
lute evenness, ....... -