7
SPOTLIGHT OF PUBLIC THOUGHT IS CAST ON MANY LIVE ISSUES
Forum Brings Together Various Views and Conflicting Ideas on Questions of Importance to Portland and the Nation at Large Teachers' Tenure Views Given.
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JANUARY 9, 1921
50 YEARS AGO RECALLED
Early Settler Tells of Dreams and
Experiences of Distant Days.
TILLAMOOK, Or., Jan. 7. (To. the
Editor.) A reader of The Oregonian
based on .this philosophy. They will
put to the test the sincerity of the
three nations indicated concerning the
declarations of their governments'
peaceful declarations. The resolutions
appear to have been conceived and
composed with calmness and fore
thought. No one, I dare say, compre-
for more than SO years offers I , , . . , h k- kw I
,.ik,.,i.. .m an i
" ........ ...... - r ' .
following
article in The Oregonian December
5U. old ocnooimaies w .-.. 1 must instill hone in the soul of every
' in innpr -
hors" the record under title "i
PLEA IS MADE FOR HEALTH
Correspondent Would Teach Disease
Prevention In Schools.
PORTLAND, Jan. 7. (To the Edi
tor.) In The pregonian, December 26,
Dr. A. E. Rockey offers a very cred
itable article In defense of Increased
hospital facilities and thinks we
should be grateful to providence that
standable nature of the resolutions ,"T' wim.s
oiu hi an era. ul uv ut-x c t. g .-oh i-
tion. I also read in the next issue your
-. . . . r , t JU'Cr ui urate iu inc iiativu. --v --
Davs-Hfty Years Ago, which If you what ,. b the politics of Sena
think worth publishing, may 'nt" tor Borah, all people must see in this
your u- ;". "", ' proposal of his the first common
sense suggestion for universal peace
He seeks to substitute for platitudes
those of "Auld Lang Syne."
The writer 50 years ago, was a
member of a surveying party in and e aDstracti0Ila a showing of
charge of John Hurlburt, long since nands a contact of mlnd, tn6 real
dead.- civil engineer, father of the cltanre for covenanU openly ar-
present sheriff of Multnomah county, rlyed at. -
which was engaged in making a pre
liminary survey for Ben Holladay for
a railroad to start at Astoria, and
through the Nehalem valley to Port
land. At some point in the Nehalem val
ley, myself and one other of the crew
deserted, for the reason that the
That Senator Borah will find op
position to his plans for peace goes
without saying. Secretary Daniels
has already started the attack. Others
will follow. Had the step been taken
by a less powerful advocate than
Senator Borah its ultimate failure
would cause no surprise. By this time,
ook persisted in washing his feet in noweVer, the nation has learned that
the only pan In camp, and lie one , the tenacity, tht stnighlforwirdiiess,
used by him for a bread pan. vvnen the energy and tne statesmanship of
cud t . 4i ..... .....
Baici cook to explain, he with arms
akimbo, looking at us with disgust
remarked:
"Well, what does these young chaps
think this cook camp is, Delmonico's?"
and returned to his work deeply In
sulted at our "kicking, up a row" at
o small a matter.
We then "hiked" over the trail for
Astoria, which took us two days in
rain and mud. Before leaving the
Nehalem valley we each "located" a
homestead claim, and after putting
up our notices on a tree marked for
the purpose, left our roll of blankets
and camD outfit, including letters
Borah are at all times and in all cir
cumstances to be reckoned with. It is
to be hoped that not alone the people
at large, but the press generally, will
in some practical way manifest their
approval of these Borah peace reso
lutions. BARTLETT SINCLAIR.
GREEKS STILL FOR VENIZELOS
Pro-German Sentiment Not Strong
in Spile of Constantine.
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eu
gene, Jan. S. (To the Editor.) I
from our best girls, at the foot of the I read with pleasure In The Oregonian
notice trees. We never returned and the editorial entitled "The Story of
Constantlne's Treachery." I was In
terested to see that and I thank you
for the information regarding the
political situation in Greece, my na
tive land. You are stating clearly the
treachery of King "Tino" and his
tools; you are enumerating the blun
ders of France and England toward
Greece during the first three years
of the great war; you are speaking of
the hypocrisy of imperialistic Italy
and. of the greed of Russia; you are
speaking of the cowardice of the
courts of Europe in regard to little
Greece and in a way you are con
demning all that. Your criticism is
Just; it is praiseworthy. The allies.
France included, did not accept the
unconditional offer of the Greek army
made by the Great Cretan In the fall
of 1914. They would rather have
Greece remain neutral when they
knew that the Greek court and the
whoever found our outfit, no doubt
syere amused In reading said letters.
At Astoria we received our time
ehecks, to be paid In Portland, with
transportation by boat to that city,
but no money. Neither of us had a
dollar. The boat landed us in the mid
dle of winter at about 3 A. M., ragged,
yp worn out without sleep for 3t hours
and covered with crusted mua. Mere
my companion and I separated and
have not seen him since.
I had a room In the home of Mr.
Burrage. then city engineer of Port
land, where that good "mother in
Israel," Mrs. Burrage. at the request
of an old friend of our family, Dr.
T. L. Eliot, had taken me into heart
nd home on my arrival from the east
alone and without funds. I shall never
forget them. Their home was at the
corner of Fifth and College streets.
arrived in Portland August 4, 1870,
an the old steamer Orinamme seven i Keneral staff werfi either - ermang or
lavs and six nights out from "Frisco.
It may be interesting to know that
on that day the St. Charles hotel was
opened for the first time. 1 was slay
Ing at the Occidental and that even
ing, sitting on the porch of the sec
ond story of said hotel. I listened
to a political speech by George II.
Williams, standing In the end of a cart
opposite the entrance to the St.
Charles hotel.
Mr. Williams was afterwards mayor
tf Portland, and is long since dead.
But to "return to our muttons." 1
was too dirty to go to a hotel and
had no money. Neither could I think
of disturbing the Burrags at that un
holy hour of the night. So I passed
several hours wanting the streets oi
Portland from end to end. That was
not so far then, as Portland had
about 8000 Inhabitants.
This trip I made aeveral times and,
utterly worn out and dead for want of
sleep, I finally sat down on the steps
of the old Harrison school building
and Instantly was sound asleep. Now
for the Incident "dehors the record."
While asleep I dreamed I was In the
Nehalem valley and that a big bear
was standing in front of me anointing
my head with his saliva preparatory
to swallowing me whole, a la ana
conda. This dream was repeated over and
over again. Finally, just as dawn was
breaking. 1 awoke and saw, or tnougnt
I saw, a large dark object standing
by me, my mind on tne Doraer lana
between the known and the unknown.
and only partially conscious, I seemed
to sav to myself "I am too tired to
care, so swallow away old bear, and
,be done with it"; and off to sound
sleep again. The same dream was re
peated over and over again as be
fore. At last I awoke and this time
wide awake and there standing in
front of me, it being good day light
now, was a full grown buck deer,
licking my face, evidently for the salt
with which it was incrusted. I moved,
and h. with a snort, threw up his
bead and bounded for the canyon to
the south, which then was all trees
and brush and I have never again seen
kirn, either.
JOHN LELAND HENDERSON.
BORAH OX WAR IS UPHELD
Resolutions Are Expected to Meet Op
position, However.
MEDFORD. Or., Dec. 21. (To the
Editor.) Whatever doubt there may
exist concerning any other political
subject, the detestation of war Is one
about which the American people are
In perfect accord. This status is not
the outcome alone of the war of na
tions, now happily .ended, but Is a
natural outgrowth, the seed sown by
the fathers of the country and re
ferred to by Washington in his fare
well address. Our people are ready
and anxious for any practicable move
that will make future wars impossi
ble. This is the one temperament of
our people that cannot be misunder
stood nor gainsaid. It Is recognised
by our statesmen, our writers, our
teachers, our diplomats and the press
throughout the country. Now is the
time such a move is apt to meet with
popular favor. Never In our history
has the season been more opportune
for the entire abolition of the causes
of war and the construction of bar
riers against future hostile outbreaks
amongst civilised nations. This fact
is a mllepost of our civilization. It
constitutes the strongest argument
against the pessimism of those who
Incline to despair of the sisterhood
Of nations and brotherhood of man.
These remarks have been suggest
ed by a reading and study of the res
olutions recently introduced in the
United States senate by Mr. Borah of
Idaho and printed In The Oregonian.
The resolutions are of such far
reaching Importance that they have
been printed at length in all the
great Journals of the country. Their
Introduction in the senate was
prompted by something more than a
rumor that England and Japan were
desirous of entering into a tripartite
agreement with the United States for
a reduction of naval armament. These
three nations are the only ones In a
position to precipitate another great
war. They realise that without a
g flee
would dare engage in a protracted
warfare All nations unite in the be
lief that the strongest incentive to
hostilities is the means to make war
affectively. Take from the seas the
great array of fighting, death-dealing
craft, and nations of the universe
will at once seek the peaceful meth
ods of diplomacy to compose and set
tle international controversies.
Senator Borah's resolutions are
pro-Germans ready to betray them to
the kaiser.
Later on when they needed the
assistance of the sons of Leonidaa
Miltiades and Themistocles," Instead of
treating them in a manner befitting
the Greek national pride, they offered
Lireek territories to cowardlv Bu
garia. leaving poor Venizelos alone to
combat a pro-German court, an In
sincere opposition and the drastic
German propaganda spreading rap
idly all over the land. But in spite
of all these obstacles the liberal
party, of which Venizelos was the
trusted leader, returned victorious in
the elections of May. 1915
Having elected Venizelos the Greek
people expressed clearly their desire
and their Intention to fulfill their na
tional obligations and to fight for
right against might. Unfortunately
tne allies, even in the eleventh hour
tortured the poor Venizelos by insist
ing on Greece's ceding territories to
Bulgaria that Infamous nation that
would offer itself to the highest bid
der regardless of its honor and its
reputation in the eyes of the civilized
world. Deserted by their friends and
deprived of their national leader, the
Hellenic people became the prey of
the Infamous Baron Schenk and his
German propagandists In Greece. The
minds of the people were poisoned
and their consolence perverted hv the
German intrigues. The morale of the
army was broken down by the lies of
tne sold-to-Germany general staff
and the Gounaris party. And despite
all these calumnies the Greek peorle
remained faithful to their obligations.
They finally came in. fought and won
with the allies. Their national leader
acquired for them more benefts than
they ever expected. He made real
ties out of dreams which were
thought impossible ten years ago. He
built up a nation sought In vain by
the most optimistic Greeks of all
ages.
Unfortunately the vote of Novem
ber 14 was cast against Venizelos. It
wasontrary to all expectations. You
are accusing the "fickle Greeks."
therefore, as being ungrateful to
Venixelos and to the allies. I hope
you will excuse me If I say that It's a
mistake. The Greek people love Ve
nizelos and are very grateful to the
allies, but what could they do to the
raging German propaganda directed
by "Tino" and his accomplices? What
could they do to the notorious Mrs.
Inez Leeds, who would spend all her
"millions" to win a title? What could
they do to such an unprincipled
group of men as Gounaris, Sratos and
Rallis who in the absence of Venize
los and his principal colleagues used
every trick to break down the popu
larity of the national martyr?
The Greek people were tired of -
lltlcal intrigues and they have tried
to bring about reconciliation . ....
the opposing factions. They thought
that the best way to rid themselves
of the constant troubles was to bring
uniiv me waiiurous i ino wno may
have changed during his trying days
in Switzerland, and by persuading
. vu.ii - lo remain in pontics. If
they have failed in this, they will
soon correct their mistake. They do
not know tho real state of affairs.
The German propaganda has pene
trated eo far In their minds that the
allied support to Greek rights and in
terests has been unable to root it out.
As soon as they find out the truth
however, they will punish the guilty
and among them, unfortunately-, will
be an American woman, the notorious
Mrs. Leeds the "dollar prjncess"
Anaskasia who killed democracy at
Us very foundation. W.J RUSSIS
very moderate reply, from the view
point of the taxpayer's burden, which
I am quite certain the taxpaytag
public, will duly appreciate.
While both the Rockey communi
cation and reply were Interesting
reading, I do not believe, however,
the last word has been said. Dr.
Hockey's present idea and the scope
of his vision reaching at least 1000,
to say nothing of 2000 years forward,
is decidedly pessimistic If evolution
is true and progression is indelibly
stamped upon the face of all nature,
the future should be blessed with lens
equipment for caring for the sick and
there should be less sick to care for,
instead of a great concrete structure
in 1000, not to mention 2000 years,
hence being a credit to the intelli
gence and maganimous spirit of these
times. I opine these now ciwditable
hospitals would more than likely have
just the opposite effect and furnish
tangible and concrete evidence of a
semi-primitive age in which it gives
cure of disease by drugs and the
knife and first in the mind of those
who stand high in the healing art, in
stead of methods and means to pre
vent disease and accidents.
I truly believe that accidents and
sickness could be very noticeably re
duced in our generation if one-half
of the funds was devoted to the dis
semination of practical instruction by
the printed page and oral counciL If
prevention of disease was made a part
of the curriculum in the common
schools, as well as in the higher in
stitutions of learning, 50 per cent less
disease and as much reduction in ex
pense could be realized in the near
future. There is an old saw which
says a man is cither his own physi
cian or a fool, at 40. Forty Is al
together too late to become one's own
doctor. As a matter of fact, no pupils
education is finished when he or she
leaves school if they are not well in
formed and in every way competent
to fake proper care of their health.
This is not a world of chance, but
a world of law and order. Nothing
just happens. Cause and effeot is a
maxim in natural philosophy. It is
the part of good sense to remove the
cause rather than wait for an oppor
tunity to cut out the effects. The
regular's big dose and the homeopath
lst small dose and the electic doses
of all sizes and all kinds have signally
failed. All treatment is a mere make
shift that does not, however, argue'
against the use of the makeshift until
such times as the people, or at least
a part of the people, should so live
that the mistakes of man will be con
spicuous by their absence. God did
not make sick men. Men have made
themselves sick, and it is up to man
to find a way to forestall the ills
from which he suffers learn the
truth "and the truth shall make you
free." That's it learn the truth.
Ignorance makes slaves of us all
Know ledge is man's savior ignorance
his greatest enemy. If Ingersoll had
written the mistakes of men instead
of the mistakes of Moses, he would
have rendered a greater service to
mankind.
Shall we go on and on in search of a
material cure for a mental mistake,
or shall we take our cue from the
command of the Master and preach
the gospel first and do the healing
later, if indeed there is any healing
to do after the good effects of the
gospel has soaked in?
Everyone should become more self-
reliant. Man has forgotten that God
helps them who help themselves.
Franklin said, "If you want anything
half done, send someone to do it, but
if you want It done right, do It your
self." Fred Douglass said he wished
every day and prayed every night
for freedom, but the only prayer that
was ever answered was when he took
his foot in bis hand and made a line
for the north star.
That's the correct Idea don't ask
God to do for you what it Is your
plain duty to do for yourself. When
you pray, pray with the axe and hoe
and the dlshpan and the broom, and
by so doing make your prayer a
howling success.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN PRUDEN.
ified and irresponsible teachers. We
don't require a new law or an
amended one either to get rid of those
500 and by so doing we would un
doubtedly expel 95 per cent of this
much discussed inefficiency. Issuing
permits so lavishly to unqualified
teachers has a degenerating effect on
the profession And lessens the respect
MOTHERHOOD SACRED DUTY
Complaints of Women Held Moral
and Spiritual Bankruptcy.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To Ahe Edi
tor.) A complaint is voiced by a cor-
unfashionable is viewed with alarm
as dangerous or immoral.
Anger is a short madness. The
wcrd mad Is almost synonymous with
crazy and madness with insanity.
Therefore Ill-temper, profane or in
temperate language and all violent
passions and emotions are phases of
respondent against the hardships and , Insanity. This is recognixed in law.
due it which in turn keeps many of sufferings imposed upon women by j where temporary insanity is offered
th best people away from it. Nearly
all of those permit teachers are com
pelled to teach for the smallest sal
ary and many of them are frozen in
to do the janitor work of the school
besides for the minimum wage. I
was going to say the majority but'I
will say a large number of the coun
try school districts search for cheap
ness rather than efficiency, some of
the directorates being composed of
uneducated and illiterate people op
posed to modern methods.
I deny that school teachers can In
variably get a square deal from either
the school boards or their superior
officers. I have positive knowledge
where at times they have preferred to
cater to the vote instead of the best
interests of the schools. School
teachers don't have the support from
tho people that Is due them. Next to
home and parents, school teachers
have more to do with shaping; the
destinies of our children and conse
quently that of the nation than any
other source. Who else but them dur
ing war times didn't take advantage
of the situation to boost their salaries
and create other conditions favorable
to themselves? Why didn't they do
so? Their Inherent love of country
and their philantbrophy, naturally a
part of people who adopt schsol
teaching as' an employment, re
strained them. I think the same qual
ities can be trusted stllL
GEORGE COCHRANE,
DUTY IS HELD OVERWORKED
motherhood. This is an age-old griev- as an excuse for crime
ance which now and again finds ex- This reasoning can be extended to
ireeslon. To find it voiced so fre- all the affairs of life. To forget to
quently and so bitterly as nowadays . mall a letter, to neglect to pay the
Is not a wholesome sign. It suggests I grocer may be considered evidences
RAIL SPEEDOMETERS are irged
Engineer Should Know Rate He Is
Traveling, Suys Correspondent.
ALBANY. Or, Dec. 24. (To the
Editor.) For the safety of the trav
eling public and in fairness to the
railroad engineers of the United
States, laws should be enacted re
quiring speedometers to be placed
on every locomotive in plain view of
the engineer Such speedometers
would enable an engineer at all times
to readily see if he was complying
with required speed limits in passing
through cities and towns and In
obeying rules imposed on conductors
and engineers In making required
schedules by railroad officials. The
sist
on such legislation on the grounds of
saving human life and the elimina
tion of railroad wrecks.
It would not be amiss to Include
all automobiles and airplanes in this
proposed legislation. I trust that the
members of the next legislature may
be wise enough to pass a law at
least requiring speedometers on all
railroad engines.
GEORGE WILLIAM WRIGHT.
TENURE CHANGE OPPOSED
Present System Declared Adequate
Enough for Time Being.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To the Edi
tor.) I am not going to enter into a
discussion of the merits or demerits
of the teachers' tenure law or of the
Drooosed amendment thereto, but I
have an idea or two which I wish to
express. I think, to say the least, the
proposal Is premature and inoppor
tune in the face of existing condi
tions. The teachers seem to be satis
fled with the law as It Is and the peo
ple can ill afford at this time further
to incur their dissatisfaction as i
view it, the desired ends can be ac
complished, or nearly so. as It now
stands. Some people seem to forget
that the common laws of the land can
reach school teachers as easily as any
other class. Besides, we would not
and could not afford at present to use
any more stringent laws in this rela
tion if we had them; so why spend
time and money creating them? In
the Journal a few evenings ago I read
an authoritative statement to the ef
fect that there is an actual shortage
in this state of 500 teachers besides
other 500 unqualified ones now teach
ing in the schools of Oregon.
Why such a disgraceful state of af
fairs as that? Go to any successful
Man's Judgment Not Always Safe
Guide, Says Correspondent,
OREGON CITY, Dec. 24. (To the
Editor.) Recently on the front page
of The Oregonian was a headline
"Duty, Not Glory, Harding's Vision."
On the eighth page was a headline
"Let Us Dare to Do Our Duty." I
feel that many people overwork the
word "duty," giving it a talismanic
power to keep them in proper relation
to God and man. The Romans all but
deified the word and many moderns
are falling into the same error.
Among the Jews'what we mean by
duty seems to have been unknown.
The translators found it possible to
use the word but three times, in Ecc.
xii:13, Luke xvii:10 and in Romans
xv:27. In the first the word is mis
used; in the second the word is again
misused and In the third it Is an un
pardonable mistranslation.
The revised version does not use it.
Paul had In mind gratitude and not
duty. Duty signifies that a man
must act in a given way regardless
of his wish to do otherwise; while
gratitude is a feeling expressing it
self in many naive ways. Our Ideas
of duty are the conclusions of our
discursive judgment, and as judgment
is liable to err. doing one's duty may
not mean doing wisely or for the best
tor all concerned.
History has many illustrations of
men who faithfully walked in the
path of duty as they saw it, but whose
course was the extreme injustice as
we see it Duty is the whip our con
science uses to drive us to follow the
conclusions of ou? discursive judg
ment. Caiphas dared to do his duty,
as he saw it, when he contended for
the death of Jesus. Paul dared to do
his duty, as he saw it, when he caused
the death of Stephen. Calvin dared to
do his duty, as he saw it, when he
condemned Servetus to the stake.
Queen Elizabeth dared to do her duty,
as she saw it, when she persecuted the
Puritans. The Puritans dared to do
their duty, as they saw it, when they
w-hipped the Quakers, imprisoned the
Catholics and banished tho Baptists
to the swamps of Rhode Island.
Roosevelt dared to do his duty, as he
saw it, when he split the republican
party and gave us a president who is
an uncompromising devotee of the
god of duty, as he sees it. Duty can
not be an infallible guide for human
conduct.
Perhaps there Is no infallible guide
for erring man to follow In the serv
ice of his fellow man. I am persuaded
that duty cannot be, as its path
becomes known to us through our dis
cursive judgment. Let me suggest
that If we start with the idea that
God is love, then we can understand"
that love is God in us; and to the ex
tent that we demonstrate that love,
to that extent Is God manifest in the
flesh. If love Is the author of our
thoughts and acts we can walk with
assurance that we are in the right.
If there be a monitor that can keep
a man in the strait and narrow way,
in his -conduct with his fellow men.
it is love for his fellow men; for love
is God manifest in the flesh.
F. W. PARKER.
a moral and spiritual bankruptcy
In truth, it is not men who are re
sponsible for the sufferings of ma
ternity. It is the order of nature that
it should be so. For religious per
sons and others of intelligence, there
is a world of profound meaning In the
third chapter, sixth verse of Genesis,
which says: "I will greatly multiply
thy sorrows and thy conceptions; in
aprrow thou shalt bring forth chil
dren; thou shalt be under thy hus
band's power and he shall have do
minion over thee."
I believe in doing everything to
minimize the hazards and pains of
child-bearing. But after human power
has done all it can, there still re
mains an Irreducible amount of suf
fering and hardship that must be
bravely faced and endured if human
life is to go on. That seems to be
the will of God, the design of Pro
vidence, the invincible and unchange
able order of nature. Call it what
you will the phrase makes little dif
ference. The thing Is to recognize
that pain and suffering, in varying
amounts, are inseparable parts of life.
Some persons, it must be admitted,
are more fortunate. They seem to be
able to escape all but a little pain.
But mankind taken in the mass as
must be done to maintain present
economic and social values must
reconcile itself to a great deal of
hardship and pain, because these are
necessary parts of the universe
To deny pain, to seek always to
escape it, to be unable to endure it, is
to deny life itself. That Is a lesson
which many thousands of the half
educated or zniseducated among us
still have to learn. It is a funda
mental lesson that is not 'emphasized
or even alluded to in our superfieis'
public school instruction.
No race which is really vital and
wholesome trembles before the cer
tainty of enduring pain. Society will
decay, the human race will die ut
terly, when men and women become
so soft-fibred and morbid as to fear
to face pain for a higher good.
There is a mystery in pain that
must be accepted as belonging to
the higher order of being. Suffering
trings with it a test of faith in that
higher order. If the soul can stand
that test, it is cleansed of error and
of dross.
If the men and women of the white
race cannot meet this trial, it is cer
tain some other race with hardier
men, with stronger and braver women,
will grasp the scepter of power and
world dominion and become the lords
of life. ROBERT PIERSON.
that the brain does not function
properly. A brainstorm is a violent
disturbance of function, but in for
petfulness, ignorance, stupidity, etc.'.
there is a lack or deficiency of
function.
Sane means sound. There Is a def
inite relation between sound and
sense. A bell that is sound gives out
a pure, clear tone, but if it is cracked
the sound is harsh and discordant. A
machine that is properly constructed
and firmly put together does not rat
tie nor clatter. When a machine Is
worn so that the parts do not fit
snugly then it is said to be crazy.
No mortal human being Is per
fectly sound or sane, for the state
of mortality is itself a state of evi
dent imperfection, subject to all kinds
of lapses and failures.
Then why should the spirit of mor
tal be proud? J. L. JONES.
ENGLISH SIMPLICITY DENIED
Student Says Italian Is Easier for
Foreigner to Master.
EDGE GIVEN PAINTED WOMEN
Reply to Widower Is That - Others
Make Them Cut Capers.
HOOD RIVER, Or., Dec. 21. (To the
Editor.) In answer to "Widower" I
have this to say: We women who
have spent our lives in faithfulness
and servitude and have thereby lost
our bloom well know what we get
from yotrand your kind, so why pub
lish it to the world. We know with
out your going to all that trouble.
We get but a sneer at best, but
Just let the dame who has been
through the divorce mill so many
times she can't tell her name and
who wears a drug-store complex'on
and curls made to order loom on his
vision and see that "come-thou-hlth-
ARMENIAN BELIEF INDORSED
America Should See That Succor
Reaches Suffering People
PORTLAND, Dec. 2-4. (To the Edi
tor.) The story of Armenian mas
sacres by the bloody Turk, and then
the call for millions to save the starv
ing of that unhappy land, are being
revived this winter and ought to ap
peal to every true American. In our
abundance let us not forget the poor
In other lands. And then, too, inas
much as America w.ill respond, it be
comes the duty of the government to
see that what is given reaches the
Armenian; not one particle of the
amount should be allowed to fall Into
the hands of the thieving and mur
derous Turk. Mr. Hoover should have
the millions he asks for and besides
he should have several American war
ships and 60,000 American soldiers
to accompany the gifts and see that
the recipients are allowed to enjoy
them in peace. The foulest blot on the
civilized world, America included, is
that we have forsaken the Armenians
and allowed the Turk to continue his
massacres. Shame on us! We talk of
a new day that has dawned since the
world war, of a league of nations that
will prevent war and yet this murder
of a defenseless people, continues and
will continue as long as we toler
ate it.
We think this country wisely re
fused to enter the present league of
nations, but there is nothing to pre
vent us as a nation from co-operating
with the league in this matter; in
fact, to be true to our past history,
we cannot hear the cry of distress and
refuse to help.
We went to the relief of Cuba and
abolished the Spanish bull pen. We
heard the call of Europe in the world
war. although it took the blowing up
of the Maine in the former and the
smile illumine his bovish coun-
business man and he will tell you , tenance, and if said dame should need
that we are trying to make progress , a eat. see hew quickly he will va-
by working the horse behind the
wagon. He will tell us to go to work
and make the school teaching profes
sion in different ways more attract
ive as an inducement to more of the
most capable and desirable people to
take It up a9 an employment; he
would tell us that we will have to in
crease our bid for educators 25 to 50
per cent to get them In sufficient
numbers. Then when all that has; day and age. Also you've got
been accomplished to bring on your , 5Crap to keep your self-respect.
cate his own.
One would think his old joints as
nimble as Charlie Chaplin or at least
equipped with the latest in ball bear
ings. I'm the mother of seven grown-up
sons and daughters. I'm a working
woman and I'm a scrapper, also. As
Widow says, you must scrap to live
with two-thirds of the men of this
to
I
sinking of the Lusitania in the latter
case to move us.
What better use could we put our
army and navy to than to let them act
as Santa Claus to the starving Ar
menians. The Armenians, left alone
soon will be self-supporting. Let us
hope that the present congress will
get in touch with the league of na
tions and manifest our willingness
to co-operate, both with men and
means, in this worthy cause. No need
to send our soldiers and sailors; there
are thousands who will volunteer to
go on a mission of that kind.
JS. McMURTRY.
WORLD BLAZES CRAZY TRAIL
Who Is Looney and Who Is Not,
Is Debatable Question.
ESTACADA, Or., Dec. 24. (To the
Editor.) Fromime immemorial the
j ,j ii, i i exDressive. but, my
"u" . ' j .j ' Hoadley, it ia not as simple as you
think it is. DOMINIC SALANDRA.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To- the Edi
tor.) A letter appeared In The Ore
gonian December 31 in which Rev.
Mr. Hoadley praised the English
tongue for its "simplicity." To prove
his statement Rev. Mr. Hoadley com
pared the English to two other lan
guages the German and the Italian.
To say that tho English is simpler
than Italian is to admit that one is
ignorant of tho Italian language
He declared that the German and
the Italian tongues are not as simple
as the English because the "moun
tains or trees and the names of other
objects" are "either masculine or
feminine." For a foreigner learning
Italian, this would not be a diffi
culty, because in Italian the word
ending denotes whether a noun is
feminine or masculine. One does not
have to think of gender at all when
he speaks Italian If he only knows
the words he is going to use.
Moreover, Rev. Mr. Hoadley thinks
that it is an advantage to speak
about a "writer" and not to bo able
to tell whether the "writer" repre
sents a man or a voman. To my no
tion this Is rather a sad disadvantage
in the English language because in
order to make it clear that the writer
is either a man or a woman you
imply have to use more words or
-else leave the sex unexplained.
Today, when the woman is playing
such a big part in our social affairs
and organizations, I honestly believe
that the Italian tongue is better suited
to our modern needs, for it gives
the woman credit for the noble part
she is playing in our social life
especially here in America. Maestro
in Italian is the name for a "man
teacher." "Maestri" is the name for
a "woman teacher." Herein is shown
the simplicity of the Italian idiom
Br simply changing one character l
the word you have the sex explained
thus being fair to both man and
woman.
That the English verb has very
few changes of form is true, but how
about the complex spelling of the
English language? Rev. Mr. Hoadley
leaves this point untouched. The
Italians use no spelling books. They
write their language as it sounds
So do the Germans. The English
language has at least 15 different
vowel sounds. The Italian has only
five. The English alphabet has 26
characters. The Italian has only 21
The Italian language contains very
few foreign words. The English has
a multitude of words borrowed from
a multitude of languages which are
iard to spell and hard to pronounce
In the face of all these tacts now
can a man send a letter to a news
paper editor and speak of the sim
plicity of the English language;
A Reeri college instructor of foreign
languages has told me that, or an
the European languages the English
is the hardest to learn. From my
own personal experience in teaching
English to foreigners 1 nave iounu
that statement to be true in actual
practice. "All people who come to
our shores from other lands get very
discouraged and often disgusted at
the comolexity of the l-jngusn tongue.
Rev. Mr. Hoadley reminds me of a
gentleman of this city who made the
statement one day that the English
spelling is not any more complex than
the Italian spelling is. When 1 askea
him how he knew he replied that he
could tell that from reading Italian
names which he sees on the checks
he handles in the county treasurer's
office. If a statement like the above
does not show very poor and super
ficial judgment it shows, at least
abject and barren ignorance.
I reallv doubt whether Rev. Mr
Hoadley knows the meaning of the
werrt "simplicity." At any rate he
has given me the opportunity to sug
gest to him that he learn something
about the German and Italian lan
guages before he talks about "sim
plicity as a merit of tongue." He
will never learn Italian and German
by simply studying the English Bible.
I came from Italy in 1910 and 1
know what it means to learn English.
I love the English language even
better than the average Americans
do and as a proof of this I will say
that English is my major subject at
Reed college and that I intend to
teach this beautiful language when
I ze-t out of college. The English
tongue is beautiful, powerful, rich,
oar itev. air.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE BOY 5 7
Lark of Good Home Training Sus
pected by Girl's Guardian.
DALLAS, Or.. Dec. 24 (To the Ed
itor.) As I am often lonely I have
carefulljt. read the letters on this
subject.
Only a few years ago It was thought
any man could run a farm without
training and a man who took a farm
paper was laughed at. Girla did not
think of learning to cook except as
taught by a mother. Motherhood
needed no mental preparation. It was
expected people would lose about half
their children in childhood and raise
two or three cripples, through ig
norance. We have progressed along
many lines, but have we touched all
of the worthwhile subjects?
I have in my care a bright, pretty
Christian girl. She Is deprived of
many things which most girls enjoy,
but is attending high school prepar
ing herself to become a useful wom
an. She comes home with a new light
in ner eyear a schoolmate she Has al
ways heard well spoken of is paying
her special attention. The friendship
continues, but he keeps suggesting
the expenditure of money while she
always declines. Finally she ac
cepts an Invitation, but no sooner
has she accepted than he talka be
fore her of the Immense sum he will
expend if he attends said function.
At my suggestion she declines, but
he continues even more attentive
than before. She cannot go down
street but he is waiting conspicu
ously for her or running to over
take her. He talks to his boy friends
in a loud ton of his girl and is
Jealous if she visits with boy friends.
Another look comes into her eyes
she is older, she has spurned his
attentions. After a few weeks he
Jeers at her from a distance. Does
this boy, who lacks a few months of
being ready for college,, show the
marks of good home training? Should
boys, whose parents are able, be al
lowed to spend a penny on a girl
friend and at the same time be taught
how to conduct themselves properly,
or Is it best that there should be a
large mortality of little loves? Was
this your boy? I am sorry for him,
are you?
Take it from an old woman, girls
think more than they did 100 years
ago. To try out , this girl I said:
"Don't you think you made a mis
take? His people are well fixed and
he is the only son. Would you not
enjoy a farm home with electric
lights, where all you did was press
a button?" And the answer came
back l'ke a shock to me: "And when
I pressed the button the light would
not shine on a fine, noble, honest
man. but on one whose word I could
not trust. What good would elec
tric lights do in a home where there
war, no light of the Lord?"
A MOTHER.
ladies were walking right in the
path of the car, and we were right
on them before we could possibly t
them. And my husband turned quick
ly around them. Had we been going
fast they would certainly have been
killed.
They never stepped to one side or
gave any sign of knowing how very
near they came to being knocked
down and perhaps killed. We did not
go very far until we saw two more
walking leisurely along, carrying an
umbrella, and never made any at
tempt to leave the road. They wero
walking In the same direction wo
were going. It Is easy to go around
people if you can see them and do
not happen to pass anyone at that
time, but it certainly makes a very
dangerous situation If two earn bus
and dim their lights and people walk
ing In the path of the automoblla.
MRS. E. L. SCOBEE.
tenure law discussions if you want to. jove Bll things beautifuL Good books.
Eliminate as near as is practically I good music, flowers, the sunsets, the
Possible all politicians or would-bes glorious mountains. I'm a fairly good
from school and educational affairs. housekeeper, a good cook, can do all
une correspondent says it is up to kinds of fancy-work, milk the cows,
the people to express themselves, drive a team when necessary and, in
What does he suppose they are do- short, make such men as Widower
Ing now when they deliberately no- take a back seat, yet I can't compete
ploy 600 unqualified and Inefficient with the dame who wears a made-to
teachers and let 500 schools go with-j order complexion, though mine is not
out them if not asserting themselves , bad by any means My hair is not
and it is being done contrary to stringy, my face is not weary, neither
school law besides. who composes1 is my heart, and I can smile no mat-
this bunch of unqualified teachers
anyway? While a country school di
rector an instance came under my ob
servation of one who procured a per
mit to teach and when it came time
she took the examinations and failed
to pass them but nevertheless got an
other permit to teacjl. Any respecta
ble teacher probably beats none and
under stress of war conditions was
justifiable but now It Is not. The
practice is being abused of issuing
permits so promiscuously to unqual-
ter how rough the road. Yes, I'm
scrapper and my verse in the holy
book reads: "She layeth her hands to
the spindle and her hands bold the
distaff." Now, Widower, take this
advice: Stand before your mirror and
pee the wrinkles In your own face.
Then search your heart and see why
the sneer is there for the woman of
your own age. It won't take much
effort on your part to tell why yon
are a widower.
MERELY JANE.
us that this is a mad world and old
fashioned folk, for the most part,
have accepted the statement; indeed,
many of them go further and com
fort themselves with the cheerful re
flection that it i getting crazier
every day.
On the other hand, there always
has been a popular belief that the
Opoets themselves are mad, or at
least they are erratic or eccentric,
which is a milder way of putting f..
There is much historical evidence
that the popular belief Is well
founded. Indeed, poets always are
flighty, for poetry itself is a flight
of fancy. n
Poetic frenzy Is a state of mind
closely akin to religious rapture, or
ecstasy. The masses do not go into
raptures about religion or poetry.
Their enthusiasm is reserved for
prizefights or moving picture shows.
Prophets always are crazy when
they tell the truth. Profiteer are
sane and safe.
"Wherefore came this mad fellow
to thee?" was asked of Jehu when the
prophet anointed him king of Israel.
How is it that the worshipers of
ephemeral political deities escape be
ing called maniacs?
They are indeed, called so by
their opponents, but the whole prop
osition may be reduced to its least
form in the statement that whatever
Is popular is safe and sane and
moral, while the unpopular or tee
ANOTHER WIDOW WRITES ' IN
Afternoon of Life to Be Accepted
Cheerfully.
CARLISLE. Wash.. Dec. 24. To
the Editor.) I can imagine "Touthful
Widow" emerging from the water
after a mile swim, her superb body
clothed in a bathing suit (from the
cast), her feet planted about 18 Inches
apart, a cigarette between her pearly
teeth, her uncontrollable eyes flash
ing as she throws her hat in the
ring.
Methlnks I can ses "Widower" Just
wither down like a cabbage leaf
after a "warm frost" al! caused by
her fearful "poo-pooing" him, and it
would havebeen much worse if she
did it in Spanish or French.
I, too. am a widow, can swim, dive
and shoot cannot hit anything. I
am good looking, glad of it, too. I
have perfect control of my eyes at
all times. I find life full of inter
esting things after Tve reached the
50th milestone
The property I own I helped a
mighty good man to earn it. If I
am to go down the afternoon of life
alone I'll not whine, but go cheer
fully. A NOT TOO YOUTHFUL WIDOW.
FAIR PLAY FOR TEACHERS
Portland Citizens Also Demand
Best Service for Children.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To the Edi
tor.) Widespread investigation shows
that Portland citizens wish to do the
fair thing by their teachers. The
public as a whole realizes the value
of the teachers work, and the inade
quate reward. They wish, above all,
to do the right thing by the children,
and to that end are' interested in
tenure.
The following quotations are typi
cal statements by intelligent, well
infermed parents:
"Tenure holds experienced teachers
in the schools and that is what we
need."
A leading lawyer of the city said:
"The proposed amendments are a
poor substitute for the present ade
quate law and would throw the
schools into confusion and litigation."
Another prominent in public life
said:
"Teachers should have the right of
appeal. Civil service provides it. for
all municipal and federal employes
and our schools need protection from
political manipulation more than does
any other department."
Under the present tenure the effi
cient teacher is protected in the per
formance of her duty. The ineffi
cient or unfit teacher may be dis
missed or demoted by the board, and
the vast majority of dismissals are
so made without appeal by tne
teacher.
Multnomah legislators should In
vestigate the school situation for
themselves and not be unduly influ
enced by a few board members who
are anxious to deprive the teachers
of any right to appeal from their de
cision," however unjust or biased it
might be.
My two daughters have been in
structed by no teachers except those
under the tenure law, and I am more
than pleased not only with the sub
stantial education they are receiving,
but also with the advantages along
special lines.
A PATRON.
SONG REFLECTS JOY OF LIVIM)
Working Girl and Lark Give Pleas
ure to One Woman.
PORTLAND, Dec. 24. (To the Ed
itor.) I was out on the court of a
certain apartment house feeling
somewhat lonely. It was dark, but
the theater lights were shlnlnR
brightly. In a room near me I heard
the notes of a piano. Several instru
mental selections were played. Then
a very sweet voice sang several
pieces. I was thrilled with pleasure.
I knew of her as a girl who worked
evtry day over In the city, but Laid
was Sunday evening her time of
rest. 1 had never seen her nor
spoken to her. I felt like going in
and thanking her. Unconsciously she
had gladdened the hearts of all who
Could hear her.
A few days later I was walking
down a street in a suburb and heard
the cheerful song of a lark. Although
In December, this bird could express
his "joy of living," and all who heard
him was reminded that some day
spring would be here, and we would
forget the chilly days of December.
This little creature was not dread
ing the possible days of stormy
weather which could chill him to the
marrow; no, be was happy in the
present and enjoyed giving out Ms
sweet notes of music to anyone who
would hear him.
If we love anything good we can
puss it along to others. We lose
noihlng and someone may gain by It.
They may find a "Joy In living."
MATTIE B. ROSS.
DEFENSE VOICED FOR MARKET
MANY HELD OVEREDCCATED
Youth Spends Too Much Time in
School, Says Correspondent.
Why Doen Public Bay and Cnrryt
Asks t'orreapondent.
PORTLAND, Dec. 24. (To the Ed
itor.) Why a public market? Ac
cording to Mr. Bigelow's statement
it is maintained "for the benefit of
the public and for the outlet of farm
produce direct to the consumer. It
should benefit both the vendor and
the customer." That is what this
market has been. If the customers
were not satisfied why such crowds?
Prices do average much cheaper on
Yamhill otherwise men and women
w.ould not buy and carry home.
Housewives would not make spe
cial trips with their baskets if prices
were not better than elsewhere, vege
tables and poultry fresher and quali
ties higher. Competition regulates
prices o nthis market, for the stall
with the best produce at lowest prices
gets the trade.
The buyer has a chance to com
pare prices by walking a few blocks
and noticing tags, at the grocery
store one can't do that. If prices at
the public market heed to be con
trolled, why not at other retail
places?
I am surprised at The Oregonian,
sanctioning that cartoon. The pic
ture clearly shows a stand on a street
corner witn a typical uago sales
man who sells apples for 5 cents
each. The two profiteersmen fat
and sassy flirting diamonds and bags
of gold should be labeled wholesaler
snd commission man with the insert
"We must stop this soon or we will
gef no chance to beat the farmer.
Let Cartoonist Perry go to the mar
ket also to the farmer and sketch
real conditions.
EUNICE M. BOTHWELL.
PORTLAND, Jan. 8. (To the Edi
tor.) Dr. Cllne's article in The Ore
gonlan certainly carries a lot of facts
for our educators to reflect on. I
have been under the Impression that
50 per cent of the young manhood
and womanhood of the United Mates
of America are overeducated: trtnat Is
to say, they spend too much of their
lives gettiag their education.
usually young people stay in scnooi
till they reach the age of 18 and
sometimes 20 years. This in a meas
ure spoils them for the practical bat
tie of life. All except those who have
the brains and Intelligence to be
come literary or scientific should
commence to learn the work of carry
out their life endeavors at 15 or
IS years of age.
A young man with a good eauca-
lon but without any practical In-
elligence and will to make an honest
living is to be pitied, no matter how
ich or poor his parents are. our
penitentiaries and county farms hold
sad evidences of this fact. Work is
the moral solution of both sexes. It
is a true saying that "Satan finds
some mischief still for idle hands to
I fear our school and college
fraternities which teach social caste
in lieu of hard work are a great
detriment to the real advance of our
youth. THOMAS WITHYCOMBE.
AUTOMOBILE! LIGHTS PROTESTED
Motorist Has. Narrow Escapes on
Highway.
HOOD RIVER. Or.. Dec. 24. (To
the Editor.) I would like, through
Th a Ore-ronian. to sound a note of
warning to people walking along the
highway after dark.
Recently we left Portland at 5:30
P M It was dark and raining. Go
ing between Portland and Troutdale
we met just one car after another
going into the city. Our lights were
dimmed most of the time. The driver
of one car we passed dimmed his
lights, but had two very bright spot
lights. It was raining quite hard and dark.
The windshield was wet, and just as
we left the glare of the two spot
llshta and brightened our own, two
CHUnCII CENSURE RESENTED
Dciioiniuationalism Declared Cause
of Low Pay for Pastors.
NAHCOTTA, Wash., Dec. 24. (To
ple censure the church because
preachers' salaries in many cases re
main low?
The many fine church buildings,
hospitals and theological schools
built by the church, to say nothing
of the great sums of money con
tributed to various kinds of mis
sionary work, surely Is evidence that
the church is reasonably willing to
support the cause.
The Cleveland Judge who told a
preacher to cease preaching for a
pittance surely believes that "'he who
does not provide for his own house
hath denied the faith and is worse
than an infldeL"
Denominationallsm Is the cause of
the low salaries complained stout,
but it seems that even starvation it
self will be Insufficient to enable
some preachers to locate the trouble.
Why should church unity be con
sidered a big problem? Or why should
preachers consume time and money
going about with such a message.
Preachers of any given community
Portland for example- should rise up
In the beauty of holiness and unite
their churches at once, if it is true
"that a divided church means an un
believing world." Why In the name
of reason should this matter be de
ferred "two years." or forever.
Now Is the accepted time as always,
to rid one's self of sin.
We are worrying about our dally
bread The Lord will provide tf we
plow the corn. A. B. M.
Qneatlona urn to Manancrlpts.
PORTLAND," Jan. 7. (To the Edi
tor.) 1. In mailing manuscripts to
magazines Is It customary to nave
them registered at the postofflce to
Insure their safe delivery? Or would
this be considered too painstakingly
careful on the part of an uninitiated
author?
2. When a pseudonym Is used. Is It
necessary to give also your real
name? How do magazines generally
rav for stories received? By check?
And if so, how much trouble would
one encounter In cashing it at a bank.
If pseudonym were used?
FEMININE SUBSCRIBER.
1. Probably no one would have any
thoughts on the subject.
2. You are worrying over a trifle.
Give your true name to the publisher.
Red Croaa Work Grows.
Exchange.
Red Cross courses in hygiene, nurs
ing, and dietetics are being given to
school girls, factory women, and col
ored servants In various parts of the
United States. A California chapter
reports that business men who tried
a hand at nursinr during the influ
enza epidemic are eager to share this
popular education.
i