a
THE SU.NDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND. SEPTE3IBER 11. 1921
ESTABLISHED BY HENRY L. P1TTOCK.
.lublishd by The Oresonlan Publishing Co..
136 Slxib Street. l'urtland. Oregon.
,C. A- UORDCN. E. B. PIPER.
Mar.aaer. Editor.
Tba Oregontan U a member of the Asso
! would result from the convention's
i work. Others feared civil war. The
I accounts of the proceedings of the
convention are generally unsausiac
tory because of the oath of secrecy
by which the deliberations were gov
erned, but among the incidents which
have been preserved there is one
elated Proa The Associated Prew ia fx- which especially deserves to be re-
cluaively entitled to the use for publication j lated:
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of, publication or special dispatches herein
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president's chair, on the back of which
was cut a sun. said to those about him that
painters had found it difficult to dis
tinguish between a rising and a setting
sun. 1 have, snid he. "often and often in
the course of the session, and the solicitude
of my hopes and fears as to its Issue,
looked at that behind the nresident with
out being able to tell whether it waa rising
or setting. But now ft length I know that
It la a rising and not a setting sun
government .would be $1,203,374,- est through Portland, passenger
686. That does not take into ac- traffic through this port will grow
count the taxes which Mr. Ford at equal pace. It being admitted
would not pay and the rental of that the passenger vessels wllloper
waterpower which he would escape, ate at a loss. It devolves on the board
though other power companies would to run them where that loss will be
all find a bond of sympathy not
only In Riley's fellowship in letters,
but in sympathy for children for
which all have been conspicuous.
! THE MAKING OF A CONSTITUTION.
'. The altogether human aspects of
the processes by which the consti
tution of the United States was
framed 134 years ago, so that it was
ready for the signatures of the dele
"gates to the constitutional conven
-tion on September 17, 1787, a date
forever memorable in our history,
aeserve more than passing mention
- because of a present tendency to as
limine that in the past all has been
tperfection, while the present is in
'competent and degenerate and the
future dark and gloomy. It is worth
while to consider that the forefath
.ers. when they framed that epochal
.instrument, were quite as much dis
turbed by factionalism, and con
flicting interests, and selfish parti
sanship as are statesmen and econo
raists today, that the document
-to which they set their hands on the
-day which we are about to com
Tmemorate was but the framework of
the instrument which we now
. possess, and that it has taken more
'than a century and a third of
'amendment and interpretation to
adapt it to the needs of a free peo
Z pie such as ours.
; The futility and the weakness of
;the articles of federation under
which the government was operated
from the close of the war of the
revolution until the constitution was
-framed and put into operation were
.apparent to most patriots for some
'time before the constitutional move
'. ment took form. The country was
; in debt, the treasury empty and no
power existed under the articles of
confederation by which congress
--could raise money to pay the ex-
. penses of the war. Individual states.
"appealed to for funds, encountered
. internal opposition everywhere to
; any system of direct taxation that
; could be devised. There was no
- executive head of the republic and
no general form of Judiciary. Lack
.ing the power to enforce its de
; crees or even to compel payment
' of interest on the public debt,
' congress was held in growing con
; tempt, not only at home, but abroad.
- The levies made on American
. commerce by the pfrates of the
" Barbary coast, which we were com
; pelled to endure because the states
; could not agree on action to sup-
; press the sea outlaws, and because
we did not exist as a nation com
macdlng the respect even of buc
' caneers, were only isolated examples
'. of the humiliations to which we were
subjected constantly. Great Britain's
. refusal to send a minister to the
United States was another. We
r were tending toward dissolution
'. Four million people realized, more
; or less clearly, the direction in
: which they were drifting, without.
however, possessing very much un
derstanding of how a remedy might
. be applied
1 Yet. even with rjrarlicflllv universal
desire for unity, by which alone
; could national greatness be attained,
community jealousies arose which
came near to defeating the purpose
of those who were attempting to
frame the first written organic act
under which a nation was ever gov.
erned in the history of the world.
The less populous states were fear
ful of the power of the greater ones.
Commercial and agricultural inter
ests were then thought to be funda
mentally opposed. North was ar
rayed against south. There was a
common belief that the people were
incapable of self-government, out of
which arose the proposal that
Washington should be made king, a
suggestion which Washington, as
young students of our history know,
refused to entertain.
Success of the constitution and the
future of the nation were repeatedly
endangered by the petty bickerings
of the representatives of conflicting
interests. It is now particularly in
teresting to recall that at' one period
in the deliberations1 of the consti
tutional convention 'it was virtually
decided that the national legislature
should consist of a single body only,
its membership based on population,
and that when a bicameral legisla
ture waa conceded both branches
were at first based on population.
The plan by which all the states.
large and small, were given equal
representation in the senate was ulti
mately adopted as a compromise, in
the view that the smaller common
wealths could not be ignored if the
union was to endure.
These and other propositions which
engaged the attention of the consti
tution makers from May until Sep
tember make curious reading today.
Taxation of exports, limited prohibi
tion of the importation of slaves and
the power of congress to regulate
commerce and navigation, issues
long since adjudicated, divided the
whole country. There was bargain
ing and counter-bargaining. In which
the atmosphere of the modern log-
Tbe main object, that of union
was thus accomplished. But it is as
Important also to realize that the
constitution, which was formally
signed on September 17. 1787, was
wanting in many of the features
which make it the complete and sat
isfactory instrument which it is to
day. It still lacked guarantees of
religious freedom and of the right
of free speech and assembly, of trial
by jury, of due process of law and
those other elements of the bill of
rights which are as important as the
constitution Itself, and it waa not at
length ratified without much op
position in the participating states.
It was two years before North Caro
lina consented to join the union and
more than two years and a half be
fore Rhode Island came in. the lat
ter under the threat that if she did
not do so she would be treated as a
foreign power and that the revenue
laws of the United states would be
enforced accordingly. In Pennsyl
vania the instrument was ratified on
the day set for adjournment, and
only after two . opponents, whose
presence was necessary to consti
tute a quorum, had been carried
forcibly to the legislative chamber
by the citizens. The picture of a
constitution spontaneously, arrived
at and confirmed by acclamation,
which is left in th minds of too many
young students of the history of our
country, is as far as possible from
the truth.
It will be borne In mind also by
those who are concerned with the
evolutionary phase of the develop
ment of our government that inter
pretation of the constitution has
pl-.yed quite as important a part in
its adaptation to the needs of
growing nation as did its framing in
the first instance. The constitution
now in force is the product, not only
of thj labor formally completed on
September 17, 1787, and of sundry
amendments which were adopted
later, but also of some fourteen hun
dred decisions by the supreme
court, which, if printed separately
'would constitute a good-siaed library
in themselves.
pay it.
The government is poor and strug
gling to make ends meet, therefore
wants to get rid of loose ends of
property. Mr. Ford offers it $5,000,
000 cash, for which tt must bind
itself to spend $58,000,000, and it
must accept a leas percentage as
rent than it would pay as interest
As a business man Mr. Ford is a
wizard. . The government wants to
get out of .business; but if it prac
tices more business than it has of
late years it will be wary of Mr.
Ford very wary.
HARDING HEEDS WARNING OF HIS
TORY.
President Harding, in appointing
Senator Underwood as one of the
delegates to the disarmament and
far east conferences, follows the
wise precedent established by Pres
ident McKinley In appointing
democratic senator among the dele
gates who negotiated the treaty
of Paris in 1898. This would be
practical recognition of the fact that
the working of the constitutional
provision regarding ratification of
treaties by the senate requires sup
port of at least a large proportion
of the minority party.
This accords with the opinion that
foreign policy should be lifted above
the arena of party controversy. In
such affairs the nation defends its
rights and Interests in dealing with
other nations, and, in order that it
may do so effectively, it should act
practically as a unit. Successful re
lations with other nations also re
quire that one policy be consistently
pursued without regard to change ot
administraion, and be changed only
to meet new circumstances to which
domestic politics have no relation
That implies that an administration
must adjust Its course to overcome
objections from the minority, and to
insure that, when that minority gains
power, it will make no radically new
departure.
The confused state of our foreign
relations and the misfortunes which
have befallen both this country and
the rest of the world in the two years
following the armistice have taught
our statesmen a useful lesson at ex
cessive cost that if they try to ride
to fame by making a party issue of
a foreign question, they ride to a
fall, and that we must present a
united front to other nations in bar
gaining with them as well as in fight
ing them.
A GOOD PROPOSITION FOR MR.
FORD.
The spectacle of Gifford Pinchot
pulling the snakes out of Henry
Ford's Muscle Shoals proposition and
exposing them to the public gaze Is
most refreshing. Each man is an
idealist in his own field, but how. far
apart are their ideals!
Uncle Sam has- spent $17,000,000
on a dam and $85,000,000 on nitrate
plants and wants to get out of them
as much money as possible from
some man who will run them and
sell the product to him when he
needs it in war. Mr. Ford replies
with a proposal that the government
finish the dam and build another
with power plants at a further cost.
which the Electrical World esti
mates at $58,000,000. though Mr.
Ford estimates the total past and
future investment at $48,000,000,
and lease them to him at the equiv
alent of 3.6 per cent for double the
term permitted by the waterpower
law; also that the government sell
to him for $5,000,000 nitrate plants
which cost $85,000,000.
The rate of . interest offered by
Mr. Ford is 6 per cent, but that is
only on the cost of completing the
dams and building the power plants;
he offers no Interest at all on the
$17,000,000 already expended; that
is to be rent-free and tax-free, and
the entire dam and ' power plant
would be tax-free. When the total
Investment is included the rate is
only 3.6 per cent. This offer is made
when railroads pay 7 and 8 per cent.
PORTLAND'S RIGHT TO SHIPS.
1 No criticism will be made by
Portland of . the shipping board's
plan to curtail freight service, as
announced by Meyer Lissner, pro
vided the reduction is pro rata on
all lines and from all ports, not
leaving this port without service to
important countries which com
peting ports are given. If the vol
ume of business to any taans-Pacific
country Is not sufficient to justify
operation of the present number of
ships on that line, no objection will
be made to reduction in that num
ber, provided It is not so drastic as
to cause further loss of business or
out of proportion to the reduction
from other ports with which Port
land competes.
But Portland does contend that
operation of all the trans-Pacific
passenger and freight steamers from
San Francisco and Seattle to the
exclusion of Portland is discrimina
tion against this port which cannot
be justified either on business prin
ciples or by the law which-the board
administers. It is more in accord
.with the policy of the great steam
ship companies, which can see only
three great ports . In the United
States, and is in conflict with the
direction of the law that the board
develop the handling through each
port of the commerce that naturally
flows to it. Those ships are ad
mittedly operated at a' heavy loss to
the board, and they can be made
profitable only by steady building
up of business and by reducing cost
of operation. We maintain tha
there . is much present and much
more prospective business in Port
land's field, and that the record fo
economy in operation made by th
Portland company will stand com
parlson with that of any other
operating manager for the board.
Portland now ranks tenth among
United States porta in value of ex
ports and imports, domestic and
foreign, and is rapidly gaining, while
the two Pacific ports to which pref
erence is shown are losing, and Los
Angeles also is gaining. Exact fig
ures cannot be given from customs
statistics, as they are prepared by
districts, but all know that the bulk
of Washington business is done at
Seattle, though a large amount
done at Tacoma, Everett. Belling-
bam. Grays Harbor and Willapa. Al
most all business in Oregon is done
at Portland and almost all in the San
Francisco district at San Francisco.
The figures for 1919 and 1920 are
least, and to divide their advantages
fairly among all first-class ports.
Otherwise the favored ports would
be subsidized at the expense of those
which got no service.
It is not to be expected that. If
the board should Ignore Portland's
claim, this port will be without serv
ice or that Its shipping companies
will go out of business. They would
charter foreign vessels and make ar
rangements with foreign lines, of
which plenty are in the market. That
would intensify competition with the
shipping board vessels, and would be
done only as a last resort, for Port
land would prefer to carry Its com
merce under the American flag. The
severity of foreign competition is in
dicated by the fact that only one of
five steamers sailing from Portland
on Thuraday was American. in
calling upon the board to provide
ships for its commerce and to carry
passengers, Portland simply asks the
board to get down to 'a business
basis, for it fears nothing from such
a test.
FARMING IN ALASKA.
The news from Alaska that two
societies have just been incorporated
for the purpose of "devoting their
means and energies to the agricul
tural development of the territory"
is a disconcerting reminder of the
lallibility of encyclopedias. A work
of that kind to which we instinctively
turn when in quest of knowledge on
almost any topic save, for example,
that "Alaska is too far north to be
of any importance as an agricultural
country." The soil, says the same
authority, is very fertile, but the ex
pense of preparing it for cultivation
is enormous. And even as we read
the words, written some fifteen years
ago, we know that the territory has
so far taken farming seriously that
it has formed one organization for
co-operative marketing, with a cap
ital stock of $100,000, and that
livestock association, capitalized for
a similar amount, has had its stock
largely oversubscribed.
Nature knew what she was doing
when she put the Japan current on
the map, and also when, in a strange
OREGON'S INDUSTRIAL GROWTH. I mood or giving compensation wnere
Inrreajw nf 234 nr r-fint in value e-aacus oarusiiipa, suo urnue in
1 aitmmaaais rlavn T - c anrl tiinntr
ot v.c6U., u..uUU.. """ ."V5 atone for the intense cold and th
live years irom isi to ii is ( intermlnable nights of winter. The
an evidence of decidedly healthy! census of 1900 showed only 159 acres
growth. Though building of ships devoted to farm crops in the entire
ordered for the war continued Into territory: already there are thou
peace and swelled the totals, other
new Industries have come which re
main permanent, and more have
come since shipbuilding was sus-
sands of acres "under the plow" and
many more awaiting only- the enter
prise of new settlers for their de
velopment.
The pioneers on those 159 acres
penaea. An army oi os.vuu persons hBr1 ,f ha .- Thev nrnvpl. ,hat
engaged in manuiacture is a source the Darrjier, quick-growing vege
of solid strength in the community. tables coui,j be grown to perfection
Growth of manufactures indicates Aiaakan 8oll and season, but In
progress trom we primitive conai- particular that grasses of enormously
lions ox a pioneer state to muse ot r,ourishlne oualitv could be erown
full, well-rounded development. In f1rnishine excellent feed for cattle
when the treat rerjublic nf Rraill
rolling convention prevailed. When i offers 8.15 per cent and when the
within two days of the final comple
tion of the instrument the delegates
whose wishes had not prevailed re
newed their protests, it again seemed
as If a summer's work had gone for
naught. Sixteen members refused to
the last to sign, and thus missed an
opportunity to gain undying fame.
A single member, Hamilton, signed
for the state of New York, then re
garded as one of the "smaller" com
monwealths of the union. A Mary,
land member quit the hall and went
home in deep disgust. There were
others whf predicted that tyranny
United States cannot borrow below
4 per cent; but what is their credit
compared with that of the flivver
king, which is gilt-edged?
A summary of the whole proposi
tion has been made by the Electrical
World. . It starts with the amount
that the government would be re
quired to expend, adds interest at
4 per cent for 100 years, deducts the
sums . which Mr. Ford would Tay,
thus arrives at the ' deficit, com
pounds this at 4 per cent for 100
years and discovers that the total
cost of the Ford proposition to the
District 1919. 1920
Ban Francisco... $478.557. 826 $437,736,058
Washington . 488.1ns. 1--4 SL-o.85S.4Sl
Oreaon 47.610.191 69.648.337
LiOS Angeles 31.033.UOS SO.434.013
San Francisco, decrease. $ 40.801.74(8
Washington, decrease : . 161.134.643
Oregon, Increase .-. 22.038.146
Los Angeles, Increase... 4.V01.4-
War business caused the big totals
of San Francisco and Seattle in the
war years, and its effects extended
beyond that period into 1919. The
war took away almost all of Port
land's commerce, and since it ended
this port has been building up again
In handling the normal production,
the normal purchases and sales of
seaborne goods, in its territory,
Portland has ' already built up its
commerce to several times the pre
war totals, winning much from its
competitors to the north, while the
latter struggle desperately to hold
what they have. Notwithstanding
depression in the lumber trade, ex
ports from this port in the first eight
months of 1921 already amount to
$39,936,874 at a far lower valuation
for wheat and lumber than that of
1920. Exports for August alone
were valued at $6,234,471, and the
prospect is that that -rate will be
maintained, if not exceeded, during
the remaining four months, for ex
ports of wheat alone on one day-
September 8 were worth $1,408,-
000.
There is good cause to expect
further increase, for the differentia
in railroad rates from the Colum
bia basin began to have effect only
In July, and is not yet in full effect
from points in Washington on the
Northern Pacific. Under that dif
ferential wheat shipments to Port
land since July 1 are more than
double those to Puget sound, and
what is true of wheat will be true
of many other products as they come
into market. Low freight rates will
attract them to Portland.
If the shipping board pays due re
gard to the requirement of the law
that it "investigate territorial re
gions and zones tributary to ports,
taking into consideration the econo
mies of transportation by rail, water
and highway and the NATURAL
DIRECTION OF THE FLOW OF
COMMERCE," it will recognize that
the commerce of the inland empire,
comprising all of eastern Oregon and
Washington, all of Idaho, western
Montana and the Willamette and
Cpwlltz valleys naturally flows to
Portland in accord with the natural
law which makes the waters of that
vast region flow past Portland's
docks, and that any part of that
commerce which goes over the Cas
cade mountains to Puget sound is
like water forced up bill in viola
tion of natural law. The mountain
haul spells waste the vice against
which the whole nation must be ar
rayed and which the shipping board
must eschew, if it would cease to
earn deficits. The board's policy
should be based on the facts and
tendencies of the present and future,
not on the abnormal conditions
which the war produced, and they
clearly Indicate a constantly swelling
volume of commerce flowing through
Portland.
The flow of ocean freight traffic
is a safe guide to the direction which
passenger traffic will take. Busi
ness relations lead to personal busi
ness intercourse between ports in
different countries as naturally as
between cities on . land, and social
intercourse follows. Though exclu
sion of coolie immigration deprives
Pacific steamship lines of immigrant
traffic corresponding to that of the
Atlantic liners, business men and
tourists will cross the Pacific ocean
in increasing numbers as commerce
grows. As that growth will be great-
its youth Oregon shipped its prod
ucts raw to be manufactured in
other states, many -of them then to be
shipped back for consumption. The
farther toward completion we carry
the process of manufacture, the
more work we as a community do
for ourselves and the more we save
in transportation charges. On that
which we sell outside the state we
take for ourselves the price of added
value which was formerly paid to
others. By increasing the variety of
Moreover, in the short space of
decade much has been learned con
cerning the breeding of new varieties
of grain which are adaptable to par
ticular localities. It is no longer
true, for Illustration, as it was
short while back that oats cannot be
brought to maturity, and the exten
sion of the silo has atoned for th
difficulty in some sections attending
the curing of hay. Determination to
co-operate in making the most of
these new resources is one of the
occupations, many of them requiring most enC0uraging signs of all.
high skill, we raise the average
standard of intelligence, which calls
for more and better schools and col
leges and for higher technical train
ing.
One advantage that Oregon en
joys over the eastern states is the
abundance of waterpower that is
In area Alaska covers about 590,
000 square miles, which is greater
than that of the original thirteen
colonies and Is equal to about one
sixth of the entire United States.
The importance of its utilization to
the fullest extent possible is obvious
In view of the growing demand o
used in industry. Many eastern cities the -world',, population for food, but
measure their industrial importance lt ls especjaiiy significant in its rela
by . the number of smokestacks, .inn to th- livestock Industry in i
which suggests a pall of dense smoke. peri0d in which the extent of the
Portland enjoys the distinction of caUie ranges ls being constantly
oeing an industrial city wnere smone i curtailed.
does not hide the sky, lor its smoke
stacks are few, though its factories
ar-s many and busy. In addition to
its economic advantages, hydro
electric energy attracts manufac
turers and workmen here because
they can breathe pure air and see
the sun.
THE SECRET OF OLD AGE.
"Uncle Joe" Cannon, representa
tive in congress from an Illinois dis
trict, denies at the age of 85 the
rumor that he is about to retire
from politics or that he will decline
a renomination for the office he has
held so long that he is regarded as
part of the official scenery of Illi
nois. Senator Carrol S. Page of Ver-
NARCOTIC EXPORT TRADE.
The act of an American vice-con
sul at Chang-sha, China, in seizing mont who '.9 78, has let it be known
a consignment of many tons of tnat ne wm eave public life at the
opium for which the protection of cj08e 0f his present term, by which
the American flag had been fraud- time he will be 80: but he is a re-
ulently claimed is worthy of com- min(jer that his colleague. Senator
mendation in Itself, out it is also I Dlllineham. who is only a few
a reminder that while the United I months younger, has nearly 6ix years
States is attempting oy domestic of his term t0 serve and that he will
legislation to control the use of dan- be 83 before he needs even to make
gerous narcotics at home it Is leav- up mjn(j whether he will become
ing open the door to a nefarious a candidate to succeed himself. Yet
trade by which the safety of our I ttiese . octogenarian - statesmen , are
own people, is endangered. . I ot the only examples in the country
While licensing of sales under the of youth that refuses to be denied.
Harrison act has. accomplished I There are others less conspicuous.
something at home, aitnougn not an but not less successful In their own
that was hoped for, there is prac- wayB in staving off the ravages of
tically no limit, to manuiacture tor ag.e
export, and It is a notorious tact mat Almost a century of life, and by
the United sstates is last Decoming faP the ereater rart of it a working
the source of supply ror dealers in centUry, is placed to the credit of
opium and cocoa leaf preparations jQhn A. Stewart, of a New York trust
throughout the eastern nemispnere MmnMV. about whom a brief news
and to some extent throughout the ltem appeared in the newspapers the
world.. In 1918, for example, ac- other day Mr gtewart had just
cording to the New York Herald, passe(: niB ooth milestone, and It was
1Z.304 ounces or morpmue were noted of him that he was at his desk
manufactured and shipped from usuai hale and heartv fieure
New York, while manuiacture aur- working., not perfunctorily, but along
ing the first nine momus ot -ta-u wjth the Dest ot them. For him
was at the rate of 81,656 ounces for the gaunt, grim specter of old age
the year. For cocaine, the figures baa no terrors. He works because
for the same periods were 43,521 he iiltea t0 and not because he has
ounces and 108,056 ounces, respec- not amasseri a competency. There is
tively. The increase tor morpnme i just one remarkable fact about him
was 562 per cent; tor cocaine isi and that is he has no recipe for
Der cent. . I longevity. Annarentlv his own sue
Large quantities or Doin procucis C6SS m Hvine lone has not made a
are shipped to Japan for sale in the I deep enough impression on him for
Chinese markets, and consiaerame him to have formulated a set of
amounts go to China direct. That rules. Nevertheless it is fair to as
leaders in China are meanwhile sume that his secret is much the
bending every effort to shake off rame as that of the others referred
the shackles of the opium nabit to. He has kept rather busy attend
which once threatened the future I jngr to his own affairs, has thought
of the nation has had no consiaera- i comDaratlvelv little on the subiect
tion in the growth of the traffic. of hio own health, and he is not
There Is, moreover, anotner aspect given to worrying.
of the situation wnicn ls alarming I yet the oldest member of the
to neoole on this side of the ocean, British house of lords makes "Uncle
and that Is that large quantities of joe" Cannon and both the senators
narcotics so exported eventually from Vermont seem mere vouths.
are smuggled back into the United although he is still so active that he
States, to be sold illicitly under con- ia regarded as a leader of the con
dltlons which render tne narnson Bervatives, or "die-hards." He is
act inoperative. the earl of Halsbury, now preparing
The United States is party to a to celebrate his 100th birthday and
treaty by which China is guaranteed occupying his spare time in super-
assistance In her efforts to remove I vislng. the publication of a twenty-
the narcotic curse,- but tne treaty is i volume work interpreting the whole
nullified by absence or legislation jaw 0f England. He became lord
of Venice had a - habit of chewing
citron hark daily, to which he at
tributed the circumstance that be
lived to be 116, but historians be
lieve that the true secret was that
he was busily employed until the
very end. The case of Madame
Uoviro is less supported, but she wa
survived by a son whose 116 years
are credited by investigators, and
she herself must have been remark
ably long-lived. Peter Yarden, who
died in Edinburg in 1775 at the age
of 131, suggests the reflection that
the Scotch, who are noted for the
simplicity : of their regimen, have
furnished rather more than a pro
portionate share of centenarians to
the world.
There is a famous death roll of
the slaves of Carthage which shows
that 5 per cent lived to be more
than 80 and 1 per cent passed the
100 mark. The third legion of Au
gustus had a record of 17 per cent
still in service after having passed
the age of 70. "The year of our
Lord seventy-six,' says Pliny, "is
memorable, for in that year there
was a census, from which lt appears
that in the part of the country lying
between the Apennines and the
River Po there were found fifty-
four persons 103 years old, fifty
seven 110 years old. two 120 years,
four 130 years, four 135 years and
three 140 years. In the eighteenth
century there was published a list
of forty-r.ine persons who had died
in Europe between the ages of 130
and 175. Not all of these, it is to be
presumed, were authenticated, but
early day conditions, which imposed
labor'on the classes tncluded In the
tabulation, favored long living. A
long-standing British mortality table
estimated that of every million per
sons born, aeventy-seven males and
147 females would live to be 100.
A later authority places the figures
at forty-one and 112, respectively.
In America the proportion of those
who may expect to live to be 70 or
over is given by various actuarians
as from 24 to 32 per cent, and is
said to be increasing. Longevity pre
vails as a rule in proportion to the
simplicity of the lives of the people
and the rigor of the climate. In the
United States it is greater among
the white population in the north
than in the south; in Europe the
three countries furnishing the largest
proportion of Individuals living to be
75 or more are those of Scandinavia,
Norway leading with 337 in each
1000 births, or more than a third of
the whole number. Of all the coun
tries -In which attempts have been
made to keep a record, India makes
the poorest showing. There only
twenty-six In each 1000 live to be
75, and the number of centenarians
is negligible.
The Listening Post.
By DeWItt Harry.
Going "Horned
By Crare K. Hall.
AUT In one of the choicest sections Oh,
y of Portland, and you may knowi
from this that it Is a charming lo
cality, ia a beautiful little home, that
aiwaj-s bears the perfect air of
grooming and devoted attention. In
the window, on bright aunny daya
are several cages of canaries, care
fully chosen for their singing ability.
A splendid Airedale related to some
of the canine nobility suns himself
on the porch. A small chicken run in
the rear harbors a duaen of the best
Uying hens In the city. The mlatrees
has a clear globe In which rare gold
f h disport theniaelvea. The yard Is.
It anything, a trifle crowded with
shrubs and plants of fine variety.
The lawn ls always closely cropped,
the shrubs well trimmed, the rosea,
of the best varieties, properly pruned
and cared for and there is always a
seasonable selection of blooming
plants.
It is evident to anyone that a great
deal of care Is necessary to keep the
place up, and either the mistress or
her husband can be seen working at
nearly any time. Rain or shine tt Is
the game, the chickens have to be
fed, the garden cared for, the chores
about this house are many and the
couple seem always to be busy.
Friends next door also have a nice
place, a real home and own an auto.
Just before vacation time this year
they invited their neighbors to go on
an outing for ten days or. so. It was
not possible to arrange, for tha own
ers of the dog and chickens and fish
and birds and flowers refused. They
had to stay on the Job, slaves to their
pets, and go without the vacation.
In any event, the couple with the
many interests explained, they would
not enjoy being away from their
home. They had not been away for
mora than a few hours at a time for
over four years.
The fatal year in practically a
countries, however, is the first year
of life. Curiously, some of the lands
which abound in centenarians have
high rate of infant mortality, and
in nearly all the average expectancy
of life of all the people is greatest
for those who have reached the age
of 10. The average expectancy of
population is not to be' gauged by
the -proportion of very old peopl
among them, and the problem of the
future is to increase the average by
reducing the rate of mortality among
the very young.
Hiram Maxim predicts that th
day will soon come when power will
be transmitted by wireless, in which
prediction he is about two years
behind a young man from Seattle
who has strangely dropped out of
the public sight.
If the commissioners of Cowlitz
county persist in their determln
ation to make all prisoners work it
may be that jail sentences in that
locality will actually become un
popular.
The puzzling constructiqn of the
sentence does not deprive the Idea
of its merit when it is suggested
that "the best way to keep weeds
off vacant lots is to build homes on
them."
The short skirt but not too
short is approved by Dr. David
Starr Jordan. And if the line must
be drawn, why not leave it to the
common sense of the people In the
end?
Mexico is reported to be taking
p baseball, but the job of umpire
south of the Rio Grande will not
be very attractive to young men who
set a fair valuation on their skins.
The man without a job ls the
poorest kind of material for the
cheerful optimist with a theory that
too little to eat is better for the
health than too much.
Portland banks have -$30,000,000
cash on hand and a credit limit ap
proximating five times that amount
Prosperous old Portland, steady and
conservative always!
It has been decided at Atlantic
City that the most beautiful girl In
the United States lives in Washing
ton, D. C, but that depends on local
loyalty anywhere.
"Who is satisfied with normalcy,
now that we nave it t queries a
prominent democrat But would any
body like to change back again to
abnormalcy?
which shall regulate the sale of nar
cotics for export as it does the do
mestic trade. A bill on the subject
is now pending in congress and it
deserves consideration. In the ln-
chancellor of England when 63, and
served twenty years, leaving the
bench only to engage in other and
hardly less arduous work. The
earl of Ducle, at 94, is scarcely less
'.erests both or goon iann towara a i active as a member or the upper
sister nation and the fuller enforce- I house of the British parliament It
ment of narcotic prohibition in the wm be noted that in the entire list
United States. I every man has been a worker from
bis earliest youth. The fear that
Whatever may be said of the I they would wear out has never been
merit of a utilitarian memorial, in upon them; only belief that Idleness
many instances, there will be agree- is more likely to Invite decay than
ment that the plan to dedicate a employment The ancient adage
free children's hospital to the mem- that lt is even better to wear out
ory of the poet, James Whitcomb than to rust out applies to them with
Riley, embodies an idea that Riley peculiar force.
himself would approve if he could Nor has the principle applied alone
be .consulted. - The Indiana state to the age in which we live. Britain's
legislature has made a beginning by celebrated old man, Thomas Parr,
appropriating $125,000 for a building whose death the earl of Arundel is
fund, and friends of the poet said to have hastened by tempting
throughout the country have been him with the flesh pots after he had
adding' their mites, in the expectation attained the reputed age of 152, was
that ultimately a $1,000,000 instltu-1 an example of Industry, albeit au
tion. devoted exclusively to the med- I thorities now believe that his years
leal and surgical needs of little ones, may have been exaggerated by a
will be in operation. George Ade,
Meredith - Nicholson and -Booth
Nicholson, all Hooslers born, who
are among the sponsors of the
project, are reminders also of In-
score or more. ine cardinal ae
Salals, however, is well known to
have lived to be 110 and to have
recommended daily exercise regard
less of the weather as a recipe for
diana's prominence in literature, and ' good health and long life. John Riva
"Big corn crop practically sure,"
says a headline. Which will be fol
lowed in due time, no doubt, by the
little corn crop of bourbon not aged
In the wood.
That order enforcing the wearing
of kimonos over bathing suits in
Hawaii ls going to revise a lot of
people's ideas of the beach at Wal
kikl.
It ls good to reflect occasionally
that not all that Is going on in the
world is reflected in the news that
finds Its way to the front page.
Henry Ford values the good will
of the Ford Motor company at $20,
000,000. Wonder at what figure he
values his own good will?
The first week In school has been
survived by about 22,000,000 young
Americans and they are almost be
ginning to like lt again.
The man charged with killing the
priest at Colma pleads not guilty.
They all do it
Just yesterday a well-dressed man
stepped in a pawnshop and "hocked"
his watch. He signed the stub and
gave his address at a big downtown
hotel. Likely had an expensive room,
but not enough money to buy food.
Cutting rather close to the line, but
It is surprising what a man can do
when his back is against the wall,
Tals "cutting close" is not out of
the ordinary. There are many peo
pie walking the streets or driving
cars, apparently prosperous, who do
not belong to themselves. A dapper
young fellow was pointed out by a
dentist "He has a dosen of my teeth In
his head," the professional man said,
"over $100 worth of gold and a lot
of my time. They make it possible
for him to eat, keep him In health.
Improve his appearance, yet they are
mine, for he has not paid me for them.
Wonder if he ever thinks of his debt
from Just that angle?"
Many a tailor recognizes his clothes
as they pass by, his, because not
paid for. And florists see their choice
blooms adorning pretty girls when
their escorts owe an account. Install
ment houses have tbelr furniture In
many a lovely nest, rugs on the floors,
clothes on people's backs for which
they pay a few dollars weekly, some
times worn out before they com
pletely own them, and so on It goes,
even to the food they place In their
ktomachs.
Credit is a wonderful thing, but It
Is often difficult to distinguish be
tween the use and abuse of It
The ramshackle appearanc-s of the
waterfront Is in for a change, ac
cording to dock commissioners and
city building officials. Already they
have condemned a number of the old
docks and they are being torn away
to make room for new structures,
many of them of concrete. Preten
tious projects are under consideration
for the development of the shipping
and river passenger facilities of the
port Indications are that within a
few years the old landmarks will have
nearly all disappeared. The harbor
Is becoming a world port, flags of
all nations are seen dally.
One of the few well-known points
of old times yet remaining and whose
days seem to be numbered Is the gas
plant building at the foot of Gllsan
street The sailor boarding houses
are being torn away In this vicinity,
but this tall brick structure, a mass
of gaping windows, yet braves the
march of progress.
This season of the year always
serves to bring to mind the friend
who bad a wholesouled devotion to
corn on the" cob. There seemed no
end to his capacity and be would
strlo cob after cob. It was no effort
for him to eat and carry on a con
versation at the same time, seldom
even lowering the luscious vegetable
from his face.
His cure came about one night
when, intensely interested in a thrill
ing narrative, he forgot his occupa
tion, moved his Jaws faster as the
climax of the yarn drew near, and
at the totally unexpected ending
worked right off the end of the ear
of corn onto bis finger. Result, a
digit badly bruised and showing a
perfect mold of his teeth. '
fate has turned the pointing
hands
Upon the clock of lime,
And winds of chance from distant
lands
Have caught this craft of mine;
And 1 am going back to view
Those childhood scenes at last.
To search for happiness 1 knew
In youth-time's sunny past.
The stately trees that swayed and
suokt
With mystic voices low.
Shall kindle dreams their magic woke
Within me. lung ago:
The creek that flowed so Joyously
Around the wooded hill,
Shall whisper of Its mystery
And wake the same aweet thrill.
The beaten road that slips away
Hetween the fields uf grain,
I'll follow on, with laughter gay,
FurKettlng time and pain;
And If the schoothouxe still be there
Among the maple trees,
I'll catch the glint of foliage rare.
And sniff the pungent breeze.
Attain I'M see that farmlmube door
Where, on a care-free day.
My mother often stood ot yore
And watched us at our play.
The sunllBlu lingered softly there.
as in no other place
It looped gold ribbons in her hair, .
And gently touched her face.
Als! In silence I shall bow
By earth-beds green and low.
Where sleep my vanished kinsmen
now,
Who will not heed nor know
That i have stepped across the years
To bend above their clay
And whisper farewell through my
tears.
Because they went away.
The sickle sweeps the field of grain.
The winds of life blow far.
The tollman takes bis tax at pain.
No matter where we are;
Yes: I am going home at last.
But Btrangers wait for me
In countless places of the past
Whefe loved ones used be.
At least one Columbia River high
way picture should be on that series
of postage stamps for the 1925 fair.
The price of shingles Is lower, but
the barbers don't seem to take the
hint
Because they wear glowing com
plexions, bobbed hair, abbreviated
klrts. massed brilliants on ineir
fingers, plucked eyebrows and alj of
the many artificial trickeries of this
fast age cannot necessarily mean
that young girls are aitogetner too
rapid. Many of us can remember our
Isters and the books they read, les-
erday one of these tricHsed-out girls
read Louisa M. Olcotfs "Little Wo
man" as she rode In the car. Her
xterior seemed to, warrant reading
E.lnor Glyn, but apparently she was
Just an overdecorated flapper.
"Concession" Is the magic word
ow. that the 1925 exposition Is as-
ured. Breathes there a man, or
oman, with soul so dead who does
ot have dreams of a fortune to be
harvested from the horde of visitors?
One man identified with the fair stat
ed yesterday that he had already
been approached by over a score of
acquaintances who wanted to get In
on the ground floor. A check of
Portland people would likely show
that every other one has some scheme
for catching the odd dime In HIS.
.
Window trimmers have humor
a-plenty. Down on Third street Is a
store dealing In rather ornate milli
nery. The decorative artist placed
the following sign in the window:
'Chic hata for chickens."
THE SCOUT.
TORTAL OF rEACE.
I.
Hold wide thy doors. Oh Portal.
Where heaves this northern tidal
Let power and faith abide
And every hatred hide
While sons of brave men live!
W'e know a human ocean vast
W'lll surge round thy strong wsJU: "
We know that' we may hear the calls
By day or distant night
When our allotted hours are passed,
And so to thy strong arms we give
That children yet to be
May here receive from thee
A century's quenchless light
To make the glow of peace Immortal.
1L
From river gulf, from harbor rock.
Men seized the fringe of land:
The edge of new world peopled,
Each village crowned and steepled.
They faced the hill and plain.
No fear of savage shock
Nor thrust of hostile hand
Could swerve their onward way.
Blue skies of hope were arching
While Britannia's sons were marching
From sea to beck'ning sea.
Ah yes, those sons were free:
But Oh, the mother heart could pray
And bless them all again.
We crave that blessing now
And lift this filial vow;
To bid all harmful babbllna- i-m.
Our sons for other centuries of peace.
III.
How glad our miles of willing soil
When stirred by warm, strong hands
of toll!
How clang our myriad wheels aad
yet above
Their noise how clear each Joyous
song.
Song of home, of native land,, of
mother-lands! '
Our patriot hearts their warmth pro
long
To greet true men from other land
And ask them only that thtre be
rtespect ror laws that make us free.
We know how Lincoln calmed a wnrM
When angry passion-daggers hurled
Their challenge bold of blood and
death.
Then oh, the neighbor bond we cher
ish.
The brother bond where cUmors ner
ish.
When hero to hero, a heart blossomed
wreatn
For Columbia's Lincoln, gieat Laur
ler's lovel
IV.
Shall we now pluck a roadside lower;
Shall we only bask In lowland, friend
ly sun.
Our purpose here, shall It be held sn
llghtr
No! No! We'll scale the utmost crags;
From sea to sea we'll twine beloved
flags
And pledge anew this sacred, hallowed
hour
A steadfast faith In all the treaties
white.
In honor given, In honor held with
hope and power.
That faith we pledge, two nations
bound as one.
And dedicate, not graceful pile of steel
and stone.
But lives, human lives, each soul and
heart
In purpose firm till guns and awordi
depart
While rivers to the seven oceans run.
While dawns illumine caverned night.
We'll lift this faith to Cod's eternal
throne!
EDMOND S. MEANT.
(Written for the dedication ef thai
peace portal at the international
boundary between the United States
and Canada, near Blaine, Wash., Sep
temoer o, 11.11.
PROF. CODDARD'S MOO.V ROCKET.
The realm of sclentiflo thought la
rar removed rrom me.
In fact the things most common-place
are an 1 ever see.-
I've never sensed like soma folks have
beyond a recluse mood.
Much lens concerned myself about the
klghrr altitude.
Those four-score million miles or more
betwixt the earth and sky!
When I consider these cold facts It
makes me darned near sigh:
Bow be It If the mileage runs the
same as railroad rates.
Who else besides my friend John D.
could skirt the outer gates?
I'm passive, reconciled, in fact, to
Fates pronounced decree.
In requlescent mood 1 muse and wait
resignedly;
I care not what the years unfold, or
do 1 care how soon
Migration postures on a tube and
seeks the bloonvin' moon
ORR O. SMITH.
I. EM US.
A spark was struck from God't own
quenchless fires;
Was struck to light the firmament
of man.
Was shaped to lead souls out of
darkness
And help unfold eternity's deep
plan.
A prince was born; a peasant looked
on lift
AcroHS a gulf that lay between the
twain
Of rsg"; of poverty; but lo! the spark
Fout.d lodgemert in the peasant's
brain.
HITT1' MAU1NN.