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ASTORIA, OREGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1904.
PAGE SIX.
THE NARRATIVE OF A VISITOR WHO SAYS
THAT BEING "USED TO IT' IS THE SECRET
OF ASTORIA'S PRESENT WRETCHEDNESS
Grand Free Offer, to Readers of
Our Municipal Shortcomfngs Pointed Out
by an Observing Gentleman Who
Scores Our Carelessness.
Our Miserable Thoroughfares Startle Him and Cause Him toWon
der if We Are Lost to All Sense of Civic Duty. While Un
sightly Woodpiles Greet His Astonished Gaze
as He Goes About Sightseeing.
Astoria, Oct. 1. (Editor The Astorian)
Out here I am an easterner. Where
I came from I am a westerner. From
, those statements you may rightly con
clude that I came from what Is gen
erally called the middle west.
Back In my state, Wisconsin, the
people have heard of Astoria. The lit
tle boys and girls there read about As
toria In their geography books. Be
fore deciding to visit your town I looked
up Astoria in the encyclopedia and at
las and found out some hard, cold facts
About location, population and natural
advantages. Then I boarded a train
nd started west.
"Ever been in Astoria?" I asked a
fellow-traveler.
"Tep; once," he said, dryly. "Never
join" axain."
"Why not 7" I asked.
"Ever there r
"No."
Then you'd better turn back."
The conversation I have quoted Is an
actual one. The man I questioned told
me more, but I decided to come on
nevertheless. I was determined that I
should like Astoria.
I heard that Astoria was built on
piles and on a sidehlll. The sidehill I
saw at once, but it was a whole day
before I discovered the piles. I walked
up and down your main street Com
mercial several times that first day,
but It was almost dinner time when I
discovered that It was paved with
planks supported by piles. Before that
I had supposed the street was macad
amized and the work done poorly. I
lived a year in Chicago and I have seen
streets at their worst there. I have seen
sand streets where the wheels sink al
most to the hubs and mud streets where
the slime Is a foot dep on the level and
two feet deep In the holes, but 1 never
saw such bad streets as you have here
In Astoria. Down town It Isn't so bad
as It is In the residence parts. But all
over it's bad enough. I walked over
Eleventh street to Duane Friday after
noon. Looking west on uuane i saw
several boards lying lengthwise on the
street and 1 walked up to Investigate.
I saw that the boards covered holes.
Then, too, I saw that there were holes
that were not covered. I looked down
one of these and saw dirty water 10
feet below. The hole was wide enough
for me to put my foot through.
"Why don't they fix thaf holer I
asked a man who was standing on the
sidewalk.
"Oh, I don't know; they will after
a while, I guess," and he yawned and
started to walk away.
"Don't people ever get hurt by step
ping Into these holes?" I called after
htm.
"Xaw," he said: "they're used to
them."
In that last statement It seems to
me, lies the secret of Astoria's wretch
edness.
I went riding the other day. I sat
on the front seat as we drove down one
of your steep hills. The wooden pave
ment was broken in numerous places,
and the horses stumbled and threat
ened to fall, while the carriage lurched
like a ship In a storm. The driver
kept looking down at the pavement
"Trying to dodge the holes?" I
asked.
"No; trying to ride on the girders,"
he sM. "The trouble Is the blamed
things don't run the same all along.
They ought to fix this street, but, then,
we're used to It."
You're used to too many things out
here in Astoria. Tou ought to get over
being used to things and make a few
changes.
I stood on the corner of Eleventh
street and Franklin avenue yesterday
afternoon and looked at the woodpiles. I
To the north I saw, by the Cole, one
big woodpile that occupied the gutter
for half a block. To the south I saw
five piles of various slies. To the
west I saw two woodpiles and a dilap
idated wagon. Looking toward the
east I could see only one woodpile, but,
then, the street was torn up after al
block. I walked down to tbe corner of
Duane street. There were a plledrlver
and four wagons In sight to the east,
and sis wagons and four woodpiles to
the west.
"Why the wood piles r 1 asked an
old man. i
"No alleys," he said.
"But why don't the people move the
wood Into their yards?" 1 persisted.
Oh, they will after a whtle. They're
used to having It In the street."
There you have It again "they're
used to It." Astoria will have to get
over being "used to It" and begin to
do things.
But 1 don't want to be a "knocker."
Astoria Is a good town, better than
most towns; and It's growing, and
growing fast Anyone can see that.
I took a long walk the other day and
saw new houses being built every
where, and good houses, too. I went
through one of your mills and one of
your canneries, ana saw nusue unu
business. Tour stores look busy; there
are few loafers on the streets, and
everything looks lively and business
like. Astoria has had a past. I am
sure It Is to have a future that will
be a surprise to the people. But the
good citizens of Astoria will have to
wake up. They will have to get over
being "used to it"
I may write more later. There are
lots of nice things I have omitted to
say In this letter.
AN EASTERNER.
H
LIVING FOR OTHERS IS
THE HIGHEST AIM OF LIFE
The Rev. Dr. Dean Babbitt, of the Church
of the Epiphany, New York, Says So
ciety Is Responsible for Itself.
"Neither you nor I know the tremen
clous powers locked up In us for moral
advancement and for doini? good, real
izing high Ideals and making a large
sucess In life. There are some of the
young here who possibly have no plan
of scheme of life. Morally, they are
Just living from hand to mouth, with no
definite objects, no particular aims, Just
taking life Idly, a kind of shiftless, In
dolent way from day to day, subject
to any temptation, enjoying In a bap
hazard way any pleasure that comes
along, living for the day or the mo
ment, Just like those Insects called
'ephemera,' which exist for a day, flit
In Its sunlight, or drive before its storm,
then are gone forever, for their nature
9 to die with the day; these young
people 5ra Pt doln8 their be3t with
a purpose, . j l';"t" ." Jjifci'MtiJiu. ,
- "jfcjfiw, Tst we are to consider th5
treat basal fundamental fact that to do
cur best, live our best, realize tfie be
n Us, we must get out of ourselves and
dd good to other.
'Now, take this , basal, fundamental
truth Of living for others, for self-real-;
Izatlon, for doing our best In the church,
In society, and In the family, and see
the bracing power of this golden band.
of unity and harmony,
"First The Church.r Look at what
that Is, what It' stands for, and what
are Its fundamentals, and then see how
necessary St. Paul's principle Is to Its
proper working and the accomplishment
of Its human and divine purposes. The
Church, by Its nature and constitution,
Is an embodiment of the principle of
ation we should manifest for the faults
and fallings of each other? What effort
we should make to help and please each
other, and by all this we come to our
best selves.
But this teaching of the Gospel, as I
have already Intimated, reaches out far
ther than the church, to all society. It Is
Impossible to have this truth sink deap"
Into the heart and life without It pro
foundly affecting our relations to all
men, women and children. The Chris
tian meddles, so to say, with all things,
all Institutions, all reforms, because his
relationship takes in all men, for so
ciety Itself has been built on this great
truth, that 'we are all members one of
another,' that one class cannot suffer
without another class suffers. If a sa
loon keeper ruins young men or boys,
th Christian must be Interested, pro
foundly Interested, In that and try to
prevent it If corruption exists In city
government and officials are bribed,
Or the police ply blackmail or graft
the Christian cannot keep away from
Interference In these matters, because
'we are all members one of another.'
'If lawlessness, mobs and lynchlngs
attack and undermine the fabric of gov
ernment and make havoc with private
and public rights, lessen the security
of all men In thelf homes or business,
or overthrow the fair fabric of civllt-
zattoh and reduce society to its primal,
savage lutit for revenge and blood, the
Christian, In the pulpit or In the pew,
cannot refrain from acting and setting
his face as a flint against all this
mobbtshness and violence against so
child of God, a member of the social
order, a brother, end we are all mem
bers one of another.
"And, then, this same principle of
service and self-realization applies to
the members of a family living together.
The father, the mother, the children
will live In gentleness and love, In the
richness and Joy of a fellowship un
known before, when they see that the
altruism they are called upon to prac
tise has such a profound basis In great
fundamental facts of organic unity."
IB KI1 CUlWW'tll'-tf m - ,
of organic unity stated by St. Paul 'cial and government order, because we
when he says 'we are all members
one of another," and the Church Is the
body of Christ
"This calls for a special kind of liv
ing of Christians In the Church. If we
be the body bt Christ,'" It we be mem
bers one of another;' what love, tender
ness, sweetness, gentleness we should
have todard one" another t 1 What
tlmate acquaintanceship we should
have with each other? What conslder-
are members tme of another. If ne
groes are hunted, hounded, persecuted
on acount of their color or racei de
prived of protection, made the football
of lynching madness, stripped of their
political rights, mad a byword and a
reproach all en acount of the black
ness of their skin, the weakness or dif
ference of their race, -the Christian,
whether In the pulpit or the pew, must,
will intermeddle, for the negro is a
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itself, a prize for the
complexion,
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