THE ' OREGON SUNDAY JOURNALS PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 9,
1908.
HORSE -SENSE POLITENESS
; AS LEARNED FROM THE STAGE
Mr. Cohan jends" George Washington, Jr." tojeacti Us
h Manners We NeedltAiherlcans Generally Pick '
: -;i - Thtlr Teeth IV7f A Ielr ' Flflgen V t ;"-V-
HERE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMMI IN CANADA
r
Vr '.
T WOULD seem that at last George Cohan' raison d'etre has come to
light. , J t is brought out most clearly by hi Utit production, -"George
Washington Jr.," which aome of you possibly saw t the. Ileitis last week.
: , jur. uonan nas come to teach tia manners, t,' "v ,
H If, from time immemoriajthe theatre has. been. esteemed-for-one thing,
that is that it is the, best schopl for polishing and improving the manner of
- - t - i ' t. ' i Lj.' . ' ' .1:. .L.i n;l
pcuyie mai is at mo popular cprnmino. it was entirely on ii)ii(iuii wg
coboni based his claim that whatever tended toward its improvement mast
be allowed to be an act. of public spirit. ' . "
' Most plays, it will be generally admitted, are written by. persons- who
nave more than the common knowledge of the graces and: courtesies pi life.
The very fact that the art of the dramatist appeals to them makes it prob
able that they are conversant with the gentle art of dealing with one's fellow
snen. :. :". ' A i - ,
; The theatre has a great advantage;over reading, in this, matter of instruc
tion, of course, because it 'presents the actions as done by living people,
actions that are oerfornied befofe the eyes of the audience.' "One might read
how gracefully .Therese DeMegee poured tea as described by Paul Jlervieu
and never have the remotest conception of how to go about it oneself.
But. watch Olga Nethenole,' the living, breathing" Therese; waiting on her
guests and you carry away with you an unforgettable impression of the exact
manner of performing that little social-act. -You will carefully improve
your own methods and .a veritable blessing will have been bestowed upon
you and your acquaintances.
- . . , . . . , . .: .
- An enormously large part cf the people who' attend theatres has very
little conception of what the polite usages of fashionable society really are.
"These people go to a play and are impressed one way'or the other. It is
natural for us to' ape those whom we admire.. , " .
..Clyde Fitch has more to answer for in the way of, spreading the. cus
toms of New York society people broadcast over the land than have all the
books Mrs: Burton Harrison and her confreres ever 'wrote on the subject.
So the coming of "George Washington Jr." the other day naturally
brought up the point that the outrageous manners displayed by Cohan's
chief characters could not fail to have a bad effect on those who witnessed
the performances. The fact that the play was a cheap collection of vulgar
dribble did not alter the other fact that it glorified an unspeakable little
'whelp. . . .
i . Boiling with righteous indignation that little" Mr. Cohan should have
Idared to set up such an individual as the picture of .a patriotic and admir
able young American I unburdened my mind to the first friend I came
across. It happened that he also had attended the opening performance.
I "But why this rage?" said he. "It's perfectly true. It is the first trait that
impresses itself upon the mind of any educated foreigner this thing of
women displaying their bad breeding in public places and of impudent
children openly insulting their parents. The most vivid impression I gained
of America was seeing a family on the steamer, evidently people of wealth
and position in this country. There were three children, all of whom had
reached the age where they knew how to behave to strangers. They all
showed the most utter lack of respect for their parents that I had up to
that time ever dreamed of.
1 "As I saw more of Americans and America my amazement grew--the
total disregard for parents shown by children of all classes seemed incon
ceivable. I have since learned that it includes schools as well as the homes
that teachers are regarded with no more respect by their pupils than is
a father by his son. There may be some respectful American children but
I have yet to run across them."
He had unfortunately seen only the most glaring examples of American
rhildren. But the Cohan play did nothing to relieve the picture he had
Falsely conceived.
This matter of manners seems to be constantly growing worse. We
earn from early voyagers as well as from modern explorers that most of the
-imple and so-called savage races are much gentler than are we. Ethnolo
gists say that frequently they are amiable, peaceful and kind. Eskimos,
'apuas, Ostyaks, Zunis and others they describe as being the gentlest, kind
iest races on earth.
Go down to the waterfront any day and see the foreign crews on the
L-essels that come to, Portland from India and Japan and China. They may
!.. " ..i . - r u - -t ..I- , 1 ... r-:t: 1..
tut appeal iu ua tii'in me aaiiuaiy puuii vi view, wui wicy mc uiiiaiimgijr
entle and courteous, whether dealing with one another or with us.
Observe the Hindus, who are becoming a more and more frequent sight
hn the streets ot i'ortland. ihey never make themselves obnoxious, as
So many travelera from the dominant nations of Europe.
I In the German illustrated periodical, "Das Album, which is noted for
pictures that are pungent if not polite, there recently appeared a cartoon
Bepicting a family of Americans traveling in Germany. It was not a pretty
hing but it showed how, too frequently, we impress those whom we en
counter when we arc abroad. All the members of the family were there,
including the mother, the father, the daughter and two sons. The drawing
Ivas malicious, but it had in it the fatal element of truth.
1 The comfort of knowing that we are no worse in this respect than are '
mt English or the Uermans themselves for that matter who that has eneoun-
efed German travelers abroad can forget the impression! is small balm.
o those who care about such things.
We are not running a column on etiquette nor are we hoping to work a
wform in the habits of Portland theatregoers but in the Providence (Rhode
sland) Journal a short time ago was printed a few rules for those who
ttend theatres, the observance of which would tend to make life in the
layhouses more tolerable. Here they are: -
m.km ma; cij pvotuit ivi i iu itavii inc iiiau yjli lime
"To remain quietly seated until the curtain finally descends and make
o preliminary fuss and disturbance with hat and wraps. If earlier departure
necessary, leave ai me ena 01 an act wnen it win nor cause a aisiurDance.
"To ait nuietlv and sauarelv and not twist around and loo over so as to
like one third of the space paid for by the occupant of the adjacent seat.
Not to beat time to the music against the floor, or whistle or hum an
ccompaniment.
lo bear in mind that an accompanying, friend or relative probably pos
sses faint gleams of intelligence and refrain from repeating every second
ne and explaining every situation in the play in a more than audible voice.
thers in the vicinity are also probably partially intelligent.
K"To refrain from discussing loudly and vivaciously the .domestic affairs
I friends, or the details of the pink tea or the dinner, party or what not that
receded the theatre party.
lo abstain as far as possible from behaving inconsiderately, and to re-
ember that some of. the other persons present have-paid, to be entertained
id not to suffer foolish afflictions.
They are worth thinking about as an antidote for Mr. Cohan, if for no
ttier reason.
Ml .... . . : . . . , xy rirtfmm I
in . ' . .;-:t-v-;r.i'--..'-;tt2tJV - m
II . . - "- -ry'-J I
I I 4 vy y ( I
, ' 1 V;. -v:x xxy''-f-' - -w J
sss-P El I3t3 EHiOLBT HOOD. N
T
HE quest for the. most beautiful woman in Canada has just come to
an end. There in the liftle coast town of Yarmouth which stretches
from the ocean back to the "murmuring pines and hemlocks" that still
stand "like Druids of old" along the coast of Nova Scotia, a young
woman has been discovered whose beauty is so remarkable thai she has been
chosen to represent Canada in the world's beauty contest. Her name is
Violet Hood and her beauty is distinctly of the Canadian type.
So enthusiastic are the Canadians over the beauty of Miss Hood that they
feel certain that the world-wide quest for the most beautiful living woman
which now is being carried on in nearly every country in the world will end
in the little coast town of Yarmouth. The Chicago Sunday Tribune's chal
lenge to the world to discover a more beautiful woman that Marguerite
Frey was accepted in Canada by the Standard, the most important illus
trated weekly in the dominion. The Standard is published in Montreal and
as soon as it accepted the Tribune's challenge it undertook the task of find
ing Canada's most beautiful-woman. Photographs of Miss Frey and Delia
Carson were published in newspapers in every quarter of the dominion and
a number of the best known men and women of Canada were constituted a
board of judges, ' Photographs began to pour into the office of the Sta'ndard
immediately after the announcement of the contest was made. From every
section of Canada, nearly every large city and every little town, came photo
graphs of the beautiful women of the dominion. Finally the judges met and
after spending weeks in looking over the different photographs Miss Hood
was awarded the beauty prize.
This most beautiful woman in Canada is a native of Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia. She received her early education in the common schools and the
seminary of Yarmouth. ' She is a member of a prominent Nova Scotia fam
ily. Her father is S. C. Hood, mayor of Yarmouth, and her mother is a
sister of Sheriff Guest of the same town.
From a comparatively early age Miss Hood was remarked as a singu
larly pretty child and grew up to be observed as the most beautiful young
woman in a community noted for the healthful beauty of its girls. Miss
Hood's especial charm is her modesty and simplicity of manner.
She is a little past 25 years of age and is of medium height and slight
build. Her features are described in the Standard as faultless. She has
that beautiful, cle,ar complexion so often seen on the Atlantic coast, deep
blue eyes and luxurious hair which shines like burnished bronze.
When entering a ball room with a number of women of Yarmouth at
St. Johns, New Brunswick, in 1901, at a ball given in honor of royal vis
itors, the Prince and Princess of Wales were struck with her singular
beauty and privately expressed the opinion that the fair Nova Scotian was
one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen.
s
No Rivers and Harbors Bill This Year, Says Senator Fulton
DEATH TO THE OPEN RIVER
House Committee Has Smothered the Appropriation for Work
Claire Allen, at r the- Lyric. h
Washington, Feb. . To the Editor of
The Journal In The Dally Journal ot
January J 8, you a sic "have the members
of the Oregon delegation consented to
the policy announced by Mr. Tawney
that there will be no aid for rivers and
harbor at this session of. congress?"
You then proceed to criticise, not se
verely I admit, bat nevertheless criti
cise the member of the Oregon delega
tion for what you deem to be their at
titude in the matter of a river and har
bor bill, and evidently you are of the
opinion that they have not been dili
gent U urging river and harbor appro
priation.
Were w really negligent or wanting
In earnestness tit this matter we would
certainly . merit the severest criticism.
We have not, however, been wanting
either in earnestness or industry., We
have all been anxious to secure appro
priation for the Oregon rivers and har
bors. I cannot conceive that any one
would believe otherwise, for not only is
it to the interest of the state that each
appropriations should be made, but it
would oe very much to our interest and
advantage to be instrumental tn secur
ing them. I
The trouble is, you do not understand
the ' situation here. In the first vlace
appropriation for. river and harbors
ill be toad enly in the general river
and harbor bill. The only exception to
this is where there is some emergency
such as existed at the mouth of the Co
lumbia river some years ago. when
succeeded In getting an appropriation
of 1400,000 at a session when no river
and harbor bill was passed. But you
will recall that the condition were ex
ceptional; a large stretch of piling had
oeen anven ana noi surnoiently rocked
and if left over, another session it was
believed the piling would go out and
new piling could not be driven through
the rocks, and hence another line of
trestle outside of -the old line would
nave to be driven and all the old tres
tie work and rocking would be lost to
the government, it waa estimated that
the loss would be from 1600,000 to
S 1.000,000. This was deemed an emer
gency which justified departure from
the almost Inflexible general rule.
While the Oregon rivers and harbors
need improvement at the present time,
we are not in- a position to contend that
there is an emergency in any particu
lar' case, which would differentiate it
strictly, from conditions existing in
other state. Now our is not the only
state in -sh river and harbor im
provements are deemed important. Two-1
imras or me states or me union are in
terested In appropriations for such
work. But. you must understand that
the house of representatives la so or
ganised that a few men determine
Whether, or not such bill shall , be .
brought in, and they have determined
at this time ttlat no river and harbor
bill shall be brought in at this session.
That MnttlM It. There is positively
and absolutely nothing that we canio to
change that determination. We regret
this as much as any can, but we are
helpless to change the situation. .
You must not suppose we have not
earnestly labored to create a sentiment
In favor of a bill at this session, for
we have. We shall, of course, continue
the work but the outlook for success at
this time is, J regret to say, not prom
ising. Truly yours,
C W. FULTON.
QUEEN A LOVER OF CATS.
Other English Ladies Also Have Ex-
tensive Feline Collections.
. The love of English women of rank
for cats is the subject of wondering
recognition In an article In a German
newspaper. It la recorded as specially
wonderful that Queen Alexandra 1 a
leader in the fad. -According to the
writer she I the owner of 60 cat and
has a special corps of servants to keep
them in order, . .
Sandy because tl waa born at Sandring-
nam nouse. in a ay ox me . royai
palaces it has the run of the private
apartments. When the queen goes
abroad it is part of her suite, always
in charge of a special groom.
The queen is fow of photographing
her pets; she has taken them hundred
of times, singly and in groups ''and in
all sorts of attitudes. She han also
had many of them painted .by the ani
mal painter, Louis Wain. The health of
the cats Is cared for by the veterinary
surgeon of the royal stables and 'a room
Is set apart aa a hospital for the sick
ones. , ,
Queen Alexandra is surpassed as a
cat fancier by Lady Beresford, whose
collection is said to comprise 160 speci
mens of all breeds. Including the tail
less Manx cats. Lady Beresford is the
luuuucr ui wis ciuo, wntcn since
1890 has held animal exhibition in
" . uuuiucr ner
cats inhabit a cottage specially built
for them at her country place. ; ; ,
The cottage can be converted Into an
open pavilion In hot weather; in winter
it is warmed by an electrio heating an-
kitchen, where a woman snenda h-
scullery maid - is employed to wash
their pretty Porcelain nlates ant .....
cer.' . fw.:':-- v-AT ;
Several servants are ' necessary tft
lounging cushions . In order. There ts
a llttla dalrv naar lw ,4l.
milk for the cati 'i ToUeUon 1.
sald to be of great value.. "
I ii i a i .,
Probablrjf or tha first i time In' tha
hlatory of ConsUntinople. J 00 workmen
went on strike a few weeks agoT de
manding an Increase of wages In order
to enaole them to meet the hure ta
creae in the cost of living. A ,
Tomorrow (Monday) wilt positively
be the last -day for 'discount on west
aid gas bills. v Portland tiaa company,,
PROVES EARTH
si'Jiis on axis
' - A."' , , . ' .'-- V - "
Pendulum Suspended From
Roof Gyrates in" Several
'Direction Four Hours.
Now , Tork, Feb.' I. An , Interesting
and Important scientific- experiment waa
conducted yesterday afternoon by sn
eminent astronomer who Is an squally
eminent priest . of the Cathorlo church.
The result was the absolute determine,
tlon of the hourly movement of the
earth on Its axis with, relation to the
latitude of New Tork. '
The "Foucault experiment" as It Is
known to scientists, was first conducted
by the famous astronomer of that
name at his observatory in Paris in
llll. Foucanlt waa Interrupted In his
work by the French coup d'etat and his
death prevented the conclusion of his
research. ,
Since then the experiment has been
performed by Camilla Flammarion, the
French astronomer, who thereby deter
mined to a mathematical nicety the ro
tation of the earth at th meridian of
i i ...
Father Oulcheteau conducted the ex
periment yesterday for the flrat time
In America. He Is an Intimate friend
of Camilla Flammarion and often has
tone to France to meet the eminent
Tench astronomer and engage in
study with him.
Father Oulcheteaa is a leader of the
Fathers of Mercy, being connected
.with the house of that society -at 120
West Twenty-fourth street. He has
been in the United States nearly 4 41
years.
Performed la Church.
The "Foucault experiment" was per
formed yesterday in the rotunda of th
church of Our Lady of Lourdes, at
Broadway and Aberdeen street. In
Rnuilrlvn 1'ha R.v Va t h f XI XT. 1iir
die, the paator, participated in the ex
periment, together with a few friends.
A piano wire was dropped from the
celling, 60 feet above. To the end of
t.ie wire was attached a 10-pound
weight, a counterpart of a modrrn
steel armor-piercing shell. Beneath
the weight waa placed a wooden
square, upon which was marked a
circle divided into arcs of 10 degrees
each, extending from the north pole
to the equator.
The pendulum being stationary when
the experiment was begun. It was the
purpose to prove that the earth - did
swing on its axis, and also to show
exactly how much this swing smounted
to at the latitude in. which the experi
ment was conducted.
Father Oulcheteau ' brought the long
pendulum to a perfect standstill Im
mediately above the center of the disk
en which were drawn the circle and
arcs. He then attached a thread Sri
the weight, tying the other end to a
stationary post Immediately In ) 71 ne
with the equatorial line on the 'disc
He drew the -endulum out from a dead
renter about It Inches. This, paren
thetically, is the exact duplicate of
Flammarion's experiments. .
Tire Cuts Thread.
He then set fire to the thread, and
released the pendulum, which swung
across the disc, following th equa
torial line to a hair breadth. The
watchers then took out their sjop
watches and timed the swing. At the
beginning, the swing from aide to aide
was five seconds in duration and accu
rately along the equatorial line. .
Aa the pendulum awung from'. Its
lofty attachment It waa noticed that it
left the equatorial line and began to
swing away to the east and west. At
the end of one hour it had attained a
distance of 9 minutes 47 seconds from
Its original position along the center
line. It was then swinging northeast
and southwest. At the beginning Its
course had been absolutely north and
south. : "'
This certainly Droved to the unaMed -
human eva that tha anrfh hii iovt. e
from Its course from the time of the
beginning of the experiment to the
time wnen the motion of the weight
had attained Its greatest distance front
the central plane.
The pendulum swung four hours be
fore stopping V i ,;. .
ratner uuicheteau was deeply Jm-.
pressed and enthusiastically said ' the
experiment proved the absolute correct
ness of many scientific claims. , .
II
GIRL WEOTO ANOTHER
MAN SUES FOR $5,000
nBBBJBSWBSBSseeSBSBSB "
Courted Maid Since She Was
Four Years Old and :
Then Lost Her. , i
Allentowrk Pa.. Feb. 6. For the first
time In tha courts of Lehiah countv a
breach of promise suit with the woman
a defendant, was instituted here today
John Kerlachy of Ormrod instituted
proceedings to recover 15,000 damages
for the heartaches hs alleges were
Annie Pelat tn lran h.. nmmim
w WAT uw. v.VMM.nw . MW
wed him.
Kerlachy declares he had known Aunt
from childhood and that, despite her ten-
" mi n naa peen paying macaea at
tention to her and her alone for IS.
years. Last Saturday, he said, he pro ;
posed marriage and was accepted.
. gin ipeni last nignt in an, out
today Judre Trexler dlamlaaari tha
Northampton county and a minor, .
A MISSING LINK. 1
Vertebrae Classed as Oldest Human
Remains Found In New World. .
, Tha oldest human remains on the Am
erican 'Continent' have 1 been discovered
In the Argentine republic, according to
an article In a recent number of ths
anthropological review of Paris. Some ....
four or five years ago a vertebra was ,
dug up In the neighborhood of Monte
nermoso ana deposited In the museum
of La Plata, There is attracted the at
tention of the director, a German, rierr
Lehmann-Nltsche. , He recognised It aa
having strong resemblance to a human
cervical or neck .vertebra and also some r
relation to the nones of the hrgher apes,
without exactly corresponding with
either. " , . .
Then he compared it with some other
bones In the collection, and the result
of his study was the hypothesis of a
new. type,, neither human nor ape, but
related to both. - The curvS of the spine
InWcated by the bones suggested an
animal that walked upright, but the
Sise and formation of the bones made
it clear that the head they supported
was small and light, with very small
brain1 . capacity, ,-:? Af;'-- -
. Tha remains resemble certain bones
of a . primitive race . ef awn found In
Java more closely than any- other non
human or near -human specimens. The; ,
represent altogether the oldest type or
humanity, If human they are, ever
found In the Western continent. - - ,
MfS Birds 'That Bury Jfnt.
"I "Frbiri the Columbus Dispatch..
"Birds as well as squlrrfls bury nut
for winter use," said a Columbus teener-
who is an amateur ornliholoelst i
have watched jaybirds at work In oak
trees In the fall very, often, Jaymg :w
Stores tor winter use. -
"The were a busy as coul.1 be .
Ing the nut and burying thwn Mfi-f
thi leaves on the ground. 'Ihry r-.n
lo have instinct thI ea.l them to f I
the huta-ascln. In fact. -1 hie
a Jaybird fly down upon-'he sroiir-.t ai
fhmwlnf th- snow al(-;a Uftoovti a n s
aecure a buried avpl cor a." i