TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, JULY 4, 1920
3.
CUDGELS ARE TAKEN UP IN DEFENSE OF
SKUNKS AS ANIMALS OF SENSE AND VALOR
Adventures and Catastrophes Detailed With Innocent-Appearing Animals Which Are Held to Be Help In
' .1' stead of Hindrance and Honest With Farmer's Poultry.
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skunks taken during every month In
th year was marie.
Nearly half of the skunks had eaten
largely of grasshoppers and crickets.
Fifteen animals had eaten injurious
rodents, such as mice, rats, ground
squirrels and pocket gophers. But it
was found that the most important
Item of food was beetles and their
larvae, most of them being injurious
species. One stomach contained the
feathers of a bird, and another from
an animal taken in a henhouse parts
of a domestic fowl.
The ease with which the skunk is
kept in captivity makes fkunk farm
ing a rather pleasant and profitable
occupation. And ' there are . many
skunk farms in the United States and
Canada that may be considered suc
cessful enterprises.
A very simple operation requiring
only a few minutes' time, performed
before the little one is old. enough to
scent, makes it entirely harmlees,
when it grows up' an Interesting and
engaging pet.
It is to be hoped that men will learn
more of the habits of the skuns and
finally realize and appreciate its
great value to the agriculturist, in
order that it may be better protected.
Unless the skunk is protected, the
skunk farm alone will be obliged to
furnish all furs of the United States'
second greatest fur-producing animal,
the skunk.
Loveless, Scientific Mating
Held to Be Big Job.
Recently Advocated Idea la Ilr
aonneed by Popular Novelists
and Others.
BT GEORGE F. SYKE. ;another
Processor of ZooIokv, Oregon Agricultural
- College.
FACE to face I was going to say
face to face witn a skunk, tut
that would har-Uy explain the
situation. It was really a little worse
than that.
A youth of 12 or 15 years was on
hip hands an4 knees beneath a thicket
tf blackberry bushes, searcht'.iK for a
b!?d's nest. Suddenly he found that
l.e was facing and ony a few feet
auiay from a well-pla.;el and accu
rately aimed battery and that this
battery was about to discharge its
full load of liquid fire and mustard
gas. It was certainly a delicate situ
ation. Had it arisen J 5 years later
that same individual would undoubt
edly have intuitively given the ul:irm,
Eael
As it was. he withdrew quiet. y and
aa . swiftly as the blackberry tangle
would permit, but even before na had
KQt well out he had determined with
the promptness and spirit of boys of
his age to capture that skunk alive.
-it- was a pretty little black and
white fellow, about half grown. And
it. too, had decided to retreat to a
more distant region, possibly to a
thicket concealing a burrow or a
hollow log. But the young chap
headed it off into a clear stretch of
land, and there they stood, actually
fce to face.
Wetting a finger and holding it up
to the breezes, he determined the best
direction for an approach, which he
Immediately made.
- That little bunch of fur harboring
her 100 per cent efficient load began
to clamp her little front paws in a
threatening manner and sniff her
warning.
By a series of advances and re
treats, accompanied by much tipping
up -behind and twisting to the side,
she made, a slow withdrawal toward
a thicket. Something must be done,
. and - quickly, too. A wild grab for
that upturned plume, and the bos
held his prize dangling in the air.
She had misfired, the breeze was
tslrong and in the right direction, and
a hasty getaway completed a perfect
ly successful capture of a wild, live
skunk.
Can anyone conceive of anything of
which a youngster could be more
proud?
- - Slater's Talcum I'sed.
Of course that skunk must be taken
horie, .and home it went a distance
of- nearly a mile through the woods.
The boy was fortunate in having
some knowledge of taxidermy, and he
decided to show his capture to the
boys and then "put her up." He got
to- the icehouse without any mishap.
Holding the skunk by the tail while
all his pals looked at it and at him
with admiring eyes, and with plenty
of willing help, he proceeded to "ret
up" his first skunk. With much
twisting of the neck and tipping of
the "head a little to one side and then
to the other, elevating the back a lit
tle and turning the tail to give it a
lifelike appearance, the job was done.
Heads were cut from a pair of shawl
ptjis and Inserted for eyes,
.That skunk was. in the opinion of
every youngster present, about the
most remarkable demonstration of a
young taxidermist's ability that ever
existed. One little tow-headed chap
"kind of thought" she might "stink"
a;"tittle, but the rest all decided after
much sniffing that "she didn't have
any more smell than a yeller dog."
But to play the safe game, the sis
ter's talcum powder was smuggled
out from the house and used freely,
v At a favorable time the skunk was
slipped tnto the house and placed in
the living-room, with the idea of
surprising mother. But sometimes,
a we all know, the unexpected hap
pens. Feminine voices were heard,
the doorbell rang and in walked a
half dozen of the women of the town
dangling sewing bags front their
arms.
A consultation was Immediately
held and the boys decided to put off
their fishing trip. He low and watch
the fun. After a time one woman
who had seen a box delivered at the
house that morning began to look
things over a little. Suddenly, as if
she had been a bombshell, she ex
ploded, pointing to the top of the
piano, where, peeking from behind a
vase and with striking artistic pose,
stood that terrible beast, the skunk,!
And there the women stood, holding
on '.to a variegated assortment of
noses, declaring by their actions, if
not by words, that It had a terrible
smell.
Women 'Imagine Odor.
i The youth had been watching his
mother, and finally aw the expected
smile replacing the expression of as
temlshment. He took this as his cue
a4d entered. Taking his artistic at
tmpi down with the air of a re
nowned painter he dusted a little
jwwder from its fur and explained
with a confidence that made his ar
gument convincing that it was not
the- -naturalndor of the skunk that
the artie smelled, but rather the odor
fm his sister's talcum powder which
he had used on its fur. One aftet
the women saw he joke
until there remained but one indi
vidual who saw nothing funny. Since
then she, too, has become quite fond
of that "sachet kitten."
Within the last year I have seen
young women on several occasions
admire with feminine enthusiasm a
pen of black skunks and talk a good
deal about their beauty. They would
say some awfully nice things, then
suddenly exclaim, holding their noses:
"But. olv that smell!"
Now, of course, I dlQn't have the
heart to disillusion the women, but
as a matter of fact those Innocent
little black balls of fur had way
back in their infancy had their ecent
glands removed before they had
hardly discovered their latent possi
bilities. On one occasion I happened to hear
a big happy-go-lucky chap say .to
another who also took things rather
easy: "Say. I wonder what she really
smells?" The other chap replied:
"Well. I don't know but I reason it
might be she got a. whiff of this stuff
they call perfume.
Indians Have Table.
It may be interesting to know that
the skunk received his peculiar ability
right here in the northwest. At least
so says an old Indian legend of the
upper Columbia valley,, recorded by
Thomas W. Symons as follows:
"In the long ago a skunk, a coyote
and a rattlesnake each had a farm
on top of the white stone. Those
were the days before the skunk was
as odorous as he is now, but was
esteemed as a good fellow and pleas
ant companion by other animals. As
in some other small communities,
jealousies, dissensions and intrigues
arose in this one. The result was that
the coyote and the- rattlesnake took a
mean advantage of the skunk one
night when he was asleep and threw
him off the rock away down into the
river. He was not drowned, but
floated on and on, far away to the
south and west, until he came to the
mouth of the river, where lived a
great mediefhe man and magician. To
him the skunk applied and-was fitted
out with an apparatus warranted to
give immunity from and conquest over
all his enemies. Back he journeyed
along the river to his old home, where
he arrived much to the surprise of the
coyote and rattlesnake, and com
menced to make it so pleasant for
them with his pungent perfuming
apparatus, the gift of the magician,
that they soon left him in undisputed
possession of his rocky home, which
he has maintained ever since."
When men discuss the "skunk," and
I have heard it talked In nearly every
place possible, they generaTly hinge
their conversation on two main
points that terrible odor and chicken
thievery. Sometimes very good stories
are told.
The last one and the best one I have
heard was about a man who lived
back in Missouri.
Farmer Haa Disaster.
This man had just married an gone
out on a little place and built his
wife and himself a cabin. Later he
put up a little chicken house, bought
a nail dozen hens and started fan
ing.
One night along In the email hours.
he heard a disturbance in the chicken
house and went out, wearing his night
rooei. e took with him a pitchfork
wnicn Happened to have only two
tynes. There was Mr. Skunk, sure
enougn. v
Now he had heard that If one cin
pin a skunk's back c'ose to the ground
and hold i there It can't throw scent,
so he decided to straddle the skunk
with the fork and leave him pinned
to the ground until morning.
He stole up on his victim and made
a lunge. Unfortunately, the skunk
was standing on a two-Inch plank
partly imDeaaea in the soil. Not hav
Ing lunged with quite sufficient force
to pierce the plank, the farmer was
left directly above the skunk, which.
having free use of his spinal cord,
proceeded to play his hose with con
siderable ekill and accuracy until out
or juice.
It is hardly necessary to explain
that he was not permitted entrance to
the cabin again that night, but was
advised to bury himself in the garden
until morning.
Skunk Smell Fade Away.
No one will ever attempt to prove
that the skunk does not make use o
a very repulsive smelling spray as a
means of protection, though it is true
that he seldom makes use of this
means until he is considerably dis
turbed. It is also true that he does
not and cannot throw the spray with
his tail. As a matter of fact, he is
very careful not to get any of It- on
his tail or elsewhere on his fur.
The substance Is held in two gland
each about the size of a filbert. These
thin-walled sacks are inclosed in
lemon-shaped muscular sheaths situ
ated wen Deneain tne skin, one on
each side of tbe vent. A very shor
tube or duct leads to tne vent, oner.
ing in small teat-like protuberances.
The yellowish liquid is squeezed from
these small openings by the contrac
tion of the muscular sheath about the
gland. It apparently diffuses very
fast and is carried by the wind for a
considerable distance. If the liquid
misses its mark and is discharged
into the air, it requires only a short
time for it to pass off. If it falls
upon any object. Us lingering ability
is quite marked, but not s6 great as
Is usually beileved, and it ib folly to
dispose of clothing scented by it. A
few days in, the air is usually suffi
cient to rid the clothing of the odor.
Men who have had considerable .ex
perience with ekunks really helieve
that the attitude generally held
toward skunks is little short of erro
neous, but it i certainly true that
SKunKS still nave tne aouiiy to pro
tect themselves by liberating a fluid
which is to most people disagreeable,
to eay the least.
Sknnks TVot Real Thieves.
Now what are the facts in regard to
the skunk as a chicken thief?
Skunks have certainly been known
to take chickens. Only this winter a
family of Rkunks made their head
quarters beneath a henhouse in this
vicinity. Not -one, but a great many,
valuable hens were taken. The owner
was puzzled, and didn't know what to
do. Finally a trapper who knew the
customs of Mr. Skunk and his family
set a few traps, and within a week
had been successful in getting skins
which will probably net him $30 to
J75. This would have been done with
out any odor if a dog had not at
tempted to remove one of the skunks
from its trap.
we cannot determine the status of
that skunk family. It may be that
hey were all chicken thieves, but it
is more likely that only one of them
was a thief, the others willing accomplices.
We hardly condemn every man he-
cause a few have been caught now
and then on a dark night with a
chicken. And yet that in Just what
we do with the skunk.
Having spent over 20 years on a
farm where hens were kept and
where skunks were plentiful, and
never having known of a hen or a
chicken on that place being molested
by a skunk. I suspected that oossi-
bly all skunks were being con
demned because of the bad habits of
a few, and were obliged many timee
to shoulder the responsibility for
thefts made by the fox. weasel or doh.
sibly a neighbor'a cat if not the
neighbor himself.
To make sure that I was r.ot mis
taken and that I was not protecting
a guilty party, I recently procured a
native skunk, put it in a pen and
placed a hen in it. To date they are
getting along at least comfortably.
The old hen has a desire to get one of
the skuni: s eyes. The skunk has an
eye out rr the old hen's eggs, but is
usually entirely unsuccessful in her
attempt to break them, having no
definite method and succeeding only
when by accident she happens to hit
a nail with them or roll them against
some other hard object.
CHICAGO. The Woman's Christian
Temperance union was instru
mental in giving old John Barleycorn
the knockout wallop, but, according
to two popular novelists, a Judge of
the divorce court, a minister, an ac
tress and the clerk of the marriage
license bureau, it has its hands full
when It undertakes to "elevate mat
ing to a science instead of an emo
tion."
The opinion of all Is that romance
shall not perish from the earth. '
Why. it would put us novelists out
of business." Indignantly asserted
Emerson Hough.
"No, no," he continued. "I think
this is just one more Instance of the
current hysteria of America. Things
cannot be changed by resolutions.
The process of natural selection of
men and women contemplating matri
mony will continue to exist."
Henry Kitchell Webster was more
optimistic. "We novelists need have
no fear," he said, "it will take the
W. o. T. U. much longer to extract
emotion and romance from mating
than It did for it to put John Barley
corn out of business."
"Just another manifestation of the
fad habit'," said Judge John F. Mc
Goorty of the circuit court, who has
heard hundreds of divorce cases dur
ing the last year. "I can only think
that a scientifically mated couple
would end up before me in the
divorce court."
Dr. O. F. Jordan, pastor of the
Evanston Christian church, asserted
that there can be no mating without
emotion.
"Love Is what counts, after all." he
said, "although, of course, the study
of sex hygiene is a good thing."
Amelia Bingham, the actress, who
has been married oh, so many times,
threw up her hands In dismay.
"Science! Science!" she cried. "There
is entirely too much science and not
enough emotion! Why can't people be
natural? They are acting, acting all
the time, repressing their emotions.
What America needs Is to let emotion
rule for a while."
raV4y 'wast.thecmother o,pM8iohwo
"L,et 'em rave." said kouis C. Leg-
nor. chief clerk of the marriage
license bureau. "We're having the
biggest month in our history 3!!00
licenses issued in the first fifteen
days. They can tslk science all they
want to we'll still be doing business
at the same old stand."
Black Variety of Pepper Is
Tropical Plant.
lint of Supply Comes From Went
Indies Rambling Shrub.
HE black variety of pepper usu
ally found in the table pepper
Knemles Are Few. 1
Skunks have few enemies with the
exception of man. It is probably true
mat coyotes, wolves and foxes are
frequently successful in combat with
them, and some dogs succeed In kill
Ing them. Usually, however, the dog
proves the victim. I once saw a dog
make a wild dash after a skunk that
was just disappearing beneath a boul
der. I arrived Just in time to S"(e him
make a grab for the skunk, which
discharged his full load Into the dog's
open mouth.
I have never seen the fight taken
out of any animal so qhickly and en
tirely as it was taken out of that dog.
He demonstrated the old saying, "As
sick as a dog."
I later owned a fine collie and St.
Bernard dog which was a remarka
ble hunter. We frequently found dead
skunks on the farm, but as the dog
was always free from the odor of
skunk, we hardly thought it possible
that he was responsible. It re
mained a mystery until early one
morning the dog suddenly left the
cattle he was. taking to the capture
and ran down a side road for a little
distance. Here he stopped, peeked
over the tall grass, turned partly
sidewise to the object he was pursu
ing, backed close to It, made a spring.
gave a growl and a ferocious shake
and landed back in he road.
I Investigated and found a ekunk
lying in the grass dead. The dog had
grasped it by the back and probably
had been able with those massive
jaws and powerful neck and shoulders
to kill it almost instantly.
Our native narrow-striped skunk In
prime condition was quoted during
the last year at $12.50 to $2.50, ac
cording to the size and quality, while
the best black skins were quoted as
high as $18. With their skins selling
at such prices it will take only a few
years for this animal to become en
tirely extinct, unless protected for
certain months in the year by state
laws.
Food Habits Studied.
The federal bureau of biological
survey has revealed some very inter
esting jiaets regarding the food hab
its of these animals. A study of the
contents of the stomachs of 62
shaker is a tropical plant and most
of it comes from the West Indies. It
grows there as a rambling and climb
ing shrub whose smooth and spongy
stems are often more than 20 feet in
length, to which are attached very
broad, leathery leaves.
This black pepper, or common pep
per as it is usually called, is a fruit
about the size of a pea, changing
to a bright red when fully ripe and
gathered just as it begins to turn
from green to red, for when allowed
to get more ripe it loses a great deal
of its pungency.
When in cultivation the pepper
plants are supported by poles, or
sometimes dwarf trees are planted to
give the. vine a support, the second
method usually proving the more
satisfactory. It Is propagated by
means of cuttings and comes into
bearing within three or four years
after being planted. After beginning
to bear the black pepper yields tfo
crops annually for about 12 years,
after which the vine loses It vitality
for production and another must be
planted to take Its place.
Pepper was known to the ancients
and used by them as a medicine, while
in the middle ages it was one of the
most costly spices and a pound of it
was considered a fitting present for
the king. In these enlightened times
nothing is thoug of Its old-time
preciousness, as it now eo com
mon and comparatively cheap.
The black pepper you use today for
seasoning your food Is nothing more
than the dried pepper berries which
have been ground fine.
White pepper, the kind usually
served in restaurants on account of
its color, is made from the eeed of
the pepper berry after the skin and
fleshy parts have been removed by
soaking the dried berry In water.
Red pepper is obtained from a spe
cies of plant, such as is grown in
local market gardens, and it is the
hottest variety, too. It does not re
quire a. tropical sun to give it Its
"kicks," but right here in the United
States the farmers and gardeners
know how to put the "pep" in it.
Stephen Collins Foster, by Harold Vincent
Milligan. u. SchJrmer. New York city.
Harold Vincent Milligan, now or
ganist and music director of the Fifth
Avenue Baptist church,. New York1
Jlty, and who has won distinction as
a valued,' creative force in the larger
field of American music, is well re
membered in this city, where he has
many warm personal friends.
Mr. - Milligan's mother, Mrs. James
V. Milligan. lives at 975 East Taylor
street, this city. Her son formerly
was organist and choirmaster of Cal
vary Presbyterian church, this city,
and left Oregon several years ago to
become Identified with the larger
musical field in New York where he
has won much success.
In addition to his labors as organ
ist of the Fifth Avenue Baptist
church. New York City, Mr. Milligan
also occupies the same position in the
West End Synagogue. one of the
largest and oldest Jewish congrega
tions in -that city, which has always
been noted for its music. He was
for a few years head of the theory
and organ departments in the Von
Ende School of Music, but practically
has given' up instruction as his writ
ing occupies most of his time, and is
now sufficiently remunerative. He
has a nu-an-ber of original composi
tions published, with more coming
out all the time, published principally
by Q. Schirmer and The Arthur P.
Schmidt Co. He has been especially
successful with songs, which have
been sung by such artists as Bond,
t , ji 4
Seagle, and others.
For years Mr. Milligan has made
a specialty of American music, and
particularly in research historical
work in that line.
For instance. Mr. Milligan deter
mined to write a new study of a
much-abused American song com
poser, Stephen Collins Fraser. and for
two years he worked at that duty,
collecting material, only stopping in
his search when he was sure he had
exhausted every source of available
information. The present book, now
under review, is the result of these
labors. The hook. of 116 clearly
printed pages, is a handsome looking
volume, and is embellished with vari
ous pictures of the subject.
in this presentation of Foster. Mr.
Milligan is fair, kind yet critical, and
always informing and . educative.
There are many facts in dispute con
nected with Foster's , life and espe
cially hie bohemian habits, facts that
have been twvsted and distorted by
various other biographers until the
observing reader Is bewildered. Mr.
Milligan's estimate of'Fo6ter also
presents facts that are new, or not so
well known. Mr. Milligan is to be
credited with having done good work
in this direction in clearing away
myth and fable connected with Fos
ter, the composer of such American
song favorites as: "Old Folks at
Home." "My Old Kentucky Home,"
"Old Black Joe." "Come Where My
Love Lies Dreaming," and others.
Stephen Collins Foster was of
Scotch-Irish ancestrjron both sides of
the family, and was born in what Is
now Pittsburg, Pa., Juty 4. 186. 94
years today. Hp was the ninth child
of his parents there were ten Foster
children in all and Stenhen was
spoken of as the baby of the family.
William Foster. Stephen's father,
was a merchant in Pittsburg, and
during the war of 1812, he was a
real patriot. He loaned' the govern
ment $.",0,000, which, it appears, is yet
unpaid.
William B. Foster, Jr., a brother of
Stephen, became a noted civil engi
neer, and one of the builders of the
Pennsylvania railroad. Stephen was
an erratic boy, and his mother said
"there was something perfectly orig
inal about him." When Stephen
was five years old, he was taken to
an Infant school conducted by a Mrs.
Harvey. But when called up for his
first alphabet lesson. Stephen's pa
tience gave out. and "with a yell like
that of a Comanche Indian, he
bounded into the road, and never
stopped running and yelling until he
reached home, a mile away."
Stephen's other schooldays were er
ratic and often stormy, and he deter
mined early to take as his vocation in
life that of being a song composer.
His musical education was crude, yet
lie managed to play the flute and
piano. His career as a student at
Jefferson college was brief.
Foster, as he had better now be
called, developed as a composer of
American negro songs that really won
renown, but curiously enough, al
though he. In his songs, created
charming Southern atmosphere, he
only visited the South once, and that
in 1852 when he visited New Orleans
(p. 72).
Foster married Mies MacDowell
da'ughter of a physician, in the year
1850, and one daughter was born to
them. Marian, two years afterward
As may be surmised from a man of
Foster's erratic and impecunious
habits, his marriage was not a happy
one, and Mrs. Foster and he separat
ed. His enemies said Foster drank
liquor to excess, but Mr. Milligan
passes this as gossip.
There is no space available in this
review department to speak of Fos
ter's songs in detail. The critical
part of Mr. Milligan's biography is
not reached until page 109. He says.
In part,-that Foster was not a com
poser of constructive ability and that
he showed many evidences of uncon
scions repetition In his songs. "Both
melody and harmony (of Fosters)
are of the utmost simplicity. He
could neither develop a melody, nor
vary his harmony. His melodies re-
neat themselves monotonously, and
he was content with a few simple
cords and modulations. Because his
songs are the- honest expression of
real emotion, they .found their way
directly and at once to the world s
heart."
In January, 1864. Foster was living,
practically with only a friend or two
who believed in him, in a flowery
New York, lodging house. He" fell
...........,... ..
t i - X t
f ;v,-';. V-' a " -.. r. ' ; - . " " V
T x T
1 - J J
t : J It
trical Engineers, the Illuminating En
gineering society, etc.
"Artificial Light" is helpfully Illus
trated from photograph.. It is the
second volume in the series, the Cen
tury books of useful science of which
the first volume was Dr. E. K. Slos
son's remarkable "Creative Chemis
try." ...
if:
v i .v:
1
thor of 'Stephen Collins Foi. i
ter," m new bloa-raphy.
out of his miserable bed, and his head
collided with a broken water pitcher,
which cut his throat. He was moved
to a charity ward In the Bellevue
hospital, where he died three days af
terward, January 13, 1864. He was
only J6 years old.
Mr. Milligan has placed this dedica
tion to his book: "To the memory of
my tamer. -
Artificial I.isbt: Its Influence on CItIII
zatton, by M. Luckiesch. illustrated. The
Century Co., New York City.
jur. jucxiescn is a director of a
research laboratory of the national
lamp works of the General Electric
company, is an international authority
on the subject of light, and chairman
during the late war of the camouflage
committee of the national research
council. .
This la the story of man's conquest
of darkness. It Is as fascinating as a
thrilling piece of fiction and it is one
of those extraordinary books with al
most universal interest. Most people
do not realize how much of health,
happiness and wisdom all of us owe to
out ability to merely dispel darkness
at will; and the book Is a stimulating
opener and quickener of the mind. The
vista of new developments of ljght
to come in tne future are entrancing:.
L,ignt paints picture. says our
author. decorates walls, moulds
architecture and models ornament.
Its great range of brightness, its won
derful purity of color and its mobility
combine to make it the expressive
medium par excellence. With all these
powers, lighting may become a fine
art. and If it does. It will contribute
ore to spiritual civilization than
any other art.
Mr. Luckiesh iti m native of low
was graduated from Purdue univer
sity. Iowa State college and the State
University of Iowa: has devoted him
self to the one subject of light for
years: Is the author of "Color and Its
Application," "Light and Shade and
Their Application," etc.; and is a mem
ber of the American, Institute of Elec-
The Second Place of Honor.
New York Evening Post.
To a friend who congratulated him
on the nomination for vice-president.
Governor Coolidge said: "The gover
norship of Massachusetts has always
been considered the second most im
portant office in the United States
Well, we don't know , about that.
Hereabouts the governorship of New
York has always been considered the
second most Important office in ths
United States. We have heard rumors
from Champ Clark's state that in that
region the governorship of Missouri
was considered the second most lm
portant, etc. There used to be a
pretty healthy tradition that the snv
ond mort important office in the
country was the speakership. Other
candidates for the honor of holding
tnis position are:
Premier pitcher- in tb National
league.
Ditto in the American league
Drum major of the circus band.
Bearer of the longest string of fish
. Boy with the most marbles.
. Old-fashioned Fourth of July orator.
Ocean Shipping, by Robert Kdwards Anntn
Illustrated. The Century Co.. New York
City.
This is the first volume in a series
of related books soon to be published
by this company, under the general
title, "The Century Foreign Trade
Series." The general editor is Dr. Wil-
1am E. Aughlnbaugh. foreign trade
editor of the New York Commercial
and lecturer on foreign trade in New
York university, a man of wide ex
perience and knowledge in the ex
porting field. Each book of the series
is to be written by an authority on
the subject.
Mr. Annin, author of "Ocean Ship
ping, is a Princeton graduate, is now
lecturer on economics at New York
university and has been for many
years and still is a member of one of
the great shipping firms of New York.
tor decades, ocean freighting has
been an important single activity of
Great Britain. For many reasons our
own country has been unable to com
pete with this trade, our own share of
which (except coastwise) has been
negligible. Therefore, the recent sud
den expansion of our merchant fleet
has found seaports without the per
sonnel which is even now urgently
needed for manning. managing and
operating of our freighters. Because
this vocation is both technical and
difficult, there has arisen a demand
for literature on the subject especial
ly adapted to suit the needs of the
present emergency.
Ocean Shipping" Is a record of
practices rather than a treatise on
principles. Its author has been en
gaged for more than, 30 years in ship
ping and export and is therefore able
to present the fruits of personal ex
perience. The book contains not only
wealth of stimulating sugges
tions, but also detailed instruction in
practice and methods. Briefly, the aim
has Included encouragement of self
help along practical lines, as well as
information and instruction in routine
methods. Types and values of ship:
wharf work, stowage, insurance, traf
fic marAgement and office organiza
tion (including accounts and records)
are all touched upon briefly, clearly
and suggestively. There 13 searching
analysis, clause by clause, of typical
forms of charters and bills of lading.
The language- is simple and direct
free from obscure technical or trade
terms. The legal side has been stu
diously kept down to make room for
more practical subjects.
I ' '
The Mynterr In tne Rltomore, by "Willi
Johnston. Little. Brown A- Co.. Boston.
A puzzling murder mystery. Inter
national plots and a love story, all in
one. Mrs. Betty Le Baron, bride.
opens a clothes closet In her room In
the Ritsmore hotel, when the body of
a well-dressed girl falls out. with
dagger In her heart. Betty's husband
is charged with the murder, although
he protests innocence. It turns out
that the murdered girl is Miss Olga
Ordlnoff and that with her disap
peared z,uuu,uuu.
To find the murderer is quite per
plexing. and what follows is quite of
the who-would-have-thought-lt kind
THE- LITBMRY PERISCOPE
F"
BY ETHEL R. SAWYER.
Director of Training Class, Portland
Library.
RANCOIS DE CUREL. member of
the French academy and writer
of plays In the extremely realis
tic vein for the Theater Libre, writes
thus of his method of composing:
When I write, the entrance of a
person who speaks to me does not dis
turb me. I am, on the contrary, de
lighted at having my attention divert
ed: I seek to retain the intruder, no
matter how insignificant he may be.
Upon his departure I find that my
characters have progressed: my facul
ties of production are doubled. If I
am alone for a long time I saunter
to the window to amuse myself by
gazing at the peasant working in the
distance, at the hares pursuing one
another, at the clouds, the herds, etc..
this without giving a thought in the
world to my plays. At the end of
several minutes my characters arise
within me. force themselves upon my
notice and lead me back invincibly to
my manuscrfpt." ' ,
The thought arises, couldn't expres
sion, apparently so largely a product
of the subconsciousness, be used psy-cho-analytically
with horrible effect
by Dr. Freud? Later M. Curel says:
"I have almost no sensation of being
the author of my plays. After a short
while I completely forget my works.
If, at the end of ten years, I re-read
them, I have very real surprises. I
feel myself absolutely free to censure
or to admire. I am hindered neither
by amour-propre nor by modesty. I
am not the author."
Mary Roberts Rhinehart and Avery
Hopwood, the combination that wrote
the farce entitled "Seven Days." have
a new play ready for production. It
is a mystery play called "The Bat."
-
It Isn't merely novels or dramatic
epics like Homer's "Odyssey" that are
food for the films, but travel books
also contribute their quota. No doubt
many people saw with enjoyment the
pictures of Shackleton's trip to the
Antarctic. Soon we are to be offered
a film version of O'Brien's "White
Shadows in the South Seas." This
book has been one of the best-selling
volumes of non-fiction of the last
several months. It has already been
dramatized by the author In collab
oration with Laurence Langner of the
Theater Guild, and will be given next
autumn at the Garrkk theater under
the title "White Shadows."
. Mr. Wells' "Outlines of History."
which has been for some time appear
ing serially in England, is announced
for publication by a New York firm
in the autumn. It will be a two-volume
work. Certainly its advent will
be welcomed with interest by the
many admirers of the versatile and
indomitable Mr. Wells. It is a not
unheard-of thing for a historian to
seek relaxation from his serious la
bors in the composition of a trifle in
to toss off a historical Interlude to
I his regular performance Is an event.
! the way of a novel, but for a novelist
M EMM
Don't Risk Your Material in a Poor Dye
Each package of "Diamond Dyes" contains
directions so simple that any woman can
diamond-dye a new, rich, fadeless color into
worn, shabby dresses, blouses, stockings,
skirts, ginghams, sweaters, draperies, cover
ings, hangings, everything, whether wool,
silk, linen, cotton or mixed goods.
Buy "Diamond Dyes" no other kind
then perfect results are) guaranteed even if
you have never dyed before. Druggist bas
"Diamond Dyes Color Card."
16 Rich, Fadeless Colors.
Mr. Wells' utterances on the subject
of education and the teaching of his
tory have prepared us to expect som
original ideas In the way of treating!
historical matter.
Henry James had a great dm!nw
tion for the work of H. G. Wells
which seems a trifle strange, as they
would appear to be at the opposite)
poles temperamentally and artistic
ally. But in letter after letter to Mr.
Wells we find such appreciative ut
terances as "the most interesting and
masterful prose painter of your Eng
lish generation. ... Your blir
feeling for life, your capacity for
rhewing up the thickness of tho
world in such enormous mouthfuls.
Your temper and) your hand
form one of the choicest treasures ot
our time."
And then Mr. Wells, with no better
excuse than t ofind "escape from ths
ohsession of the war," wrote "Boon."
which Wells himself characterizes a
"just a waste-paper basket" in which,
under the character of Mutineer, the
once perfect butler, he parodies Mr.
James' own style. Moreover, he sent
a copy to Mr. James! Indeed, it does
seem almost as though the charge
were not unfounded that Mr. Wells is
a little lacking in good taste, "a bit
of a bounder," I believe it was some
one once called him.
The original manuscript of Charles
Lamb's "Dissertation Upon Roast Pig"
was recently old in Philadelphia for
$12,600. From Lamb's letters we de
duce the writer of the manuscript re
ceived five guineas therefor. Again
the middleman! The treasure now re
poses in the J. P. Morgan library
along with many other much-sought-
after manuscripts.
Mark Twain's home In Hartford.
Conn., for possession of which tho
society of Connecticut artists has for
some time been waging a war with,
speculators, seems to have been as)
unconventional as was the owner him
self. The kit-hen was on the top
floor front so "that servants might
see the parados and funerals without
running through the house." Clemena
lived he-re for 17 years after his mar
riage, from 1674. when he built it, till
1S91. During- these years this cele
brated house was the stopping-otf
place for all sorts of artists and act
ors, writers and other famous men
traveling between New Tork and Bos
ton. The public-spirited men of tha
city and indeed throughout the entire
state have been roused to action to
preserve this house as a monument
for the American people. The specu
lators in question bought the property
for $55,000 and are now demanding,
it is said, $300,000.
If cosmopolitan experience 1a a con-
siderable factor in authorship there
should bo a. great future for Myriam
Harry, whoss eighth novel. "The Lit
tle Daughter of Jerusalem," has re
cently appe.irad in France. The pref
ace is written by Jules Lemaitre, In
ternationally honored critic. Daugh
ter of a Russian Jw. converted to the
English church, and a German Lu
theran deaconess, she had for a nurse
a Bethlehemite woman and for com
panion a Soudtncse slave. Her early
youth was spent in Jerusalem, poly
glot as New York. Berlin was th
home of her later education and here
she developed her literary talent b.r
writing stories for the Tageblatt. She
receive. I instruction in nearly every
European language except French
And then we have a bit of personal
1 istory which remind one of Conrs-l
and bis attainment of literary fnmc In
a tongue unfamiliar to him throuclt
all his early years. At 17 Myriatn
Harry went to Paris, added French to
her remarkable lirguistic acquire
ments, and not merely the French lan
guage, bat sh also developed ths
Latin rpirit. Her work is said to be
in the style of Flaubert and Chateau
briand with an emotional kinship
with the oriental.
It is well to have a sens-e of humor
even when th joko is on you. Booth,
Tarkincton tells the following story
on himself with apparently real en
joyment: "I was strolllr.e around an artists?
Red Croji fair v hen two pretty "flap
pers' of 16 or so cam up rnd asked
me for my autograph. 'I haven't got
a fountain pen.' I said, much flattered.
'Will a pencil do?" 'Yes,' said tha
other flapper, md so I took cut mir
pencil an! signed my name in tho
morocco-bound book that she ha'i
given me.
"The flapper studied the signature
with a frown. Then she looked uo
rnd said: 'A-on't you Rohert W. Ch.-m-brs?'
'No, said I. "I'm Booth Tar
klngton.' "The flanp-r tarred to her friend
with a shrug if dl.gust. "Lend m
your -rubber. Mir.' h said.
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O
pfll
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Handy tin boxes of 12 tablets cost but a few cents Larger packages.
Aspirin Is the trad mark of Bajtr Manufacture of MonoaeeUcaddaater of Eallcylieacid
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i