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About The Maupin times. (Maupin, Or.) 1914-1930 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1915)
ft F the war in Europe changes the t outlook for the better of any cause more quickly and more radically than It did that of Zion ism among Jews of America and Of the world, that cause, whatever It be, has not yet been discovered. A year ago a few Jews were Zionists; the vast majority were not. And they were rather zealously not. They fought the plan, often by ridicule, a deadly weapon. Today almost all Jews are Zionists. The change was brought about by the war and by the probable fall of the Turkish power in Syria. American Jews are leading. Jews of the world are watching what Jews here do and say. In Boston there was recently held a Zionist week. The Federation of American Zionists held a congress and various other Jewish organizations held congresses, conventions, confer ences. These other Jewish bodies in clude the Knights of Zlon, strongest in the middle West, and composed chiof 1y of laymen; the Order of Sons of Zion, Hadasseh, composed of Jewish women. Poale Zlon, Mlsrachl, and the Young Judeans. Conventions sat in the old City club and In the syna gogues. The remarkable growth of Zionism is shown by the fact that the American federation has 155 or ganizations affiliated with it, all grow ing, and all in favor of the new move ment in Palestine. It is now claimed that three in four of all American Jews are Zionists. It may well be asked: Precisely what is Zionism among the Jews? The answer is that it is an effort to satisfy that longing among Jews, a longing centuries old, for a national and re ligious home; a home that is their own; a home that is in the land of the Bible; a home where there is not only polities, but whore religious Ju daism asserts itself and grows. All Jews agree that with the end of this great war must come a solution of the Jewish problem that will Btay solved for all time, and most Jews hold firm ly the point that a homo in Syria will furnish such a solution. Looking Here for Leadership. Jews do not reckon that all of their number, about 14,000,000, will mi grate to Palestine. That Is not their Antioch, Whose Glories Are to Be Revived. thought or expectation. Some Jews now in America desire to go there. Many more In Russia, in Poland, in Austria, in Germany, in England, are looking to Jews in this country to lead in plans that may make it possi ble for them to go there. The expec tation is that Palestine can become a Jewish Btate of 4,000,000 besides other races remaining there. Mere Jows may have a home, even if all Jews do not reside in It. Here Jews may demonstrate Buccossful govern ment, based on those Ideals of Jewish jistrlnrchs with which Christians are familiar, but which tlioy do not fel low. Here, as one Zionist leader. Rev. Dr. H. Pcrelra Mcndes of New York, inits it, "there may be established a Kreat Ilebrow university for the study of world questions; ono that will era phaslzo the spiritual state of the world existing for the world; and thnt goes further even than Lincoln's program for a nation, and teach government of the people, for the peoples of the world, and under God, by the peoples of the world." American Jows have already en tered into Zionist plans. Jews of St. Louis have Just bought S.000 acres of land quite near to the shores of the (Sea of Galileo. One hundred and fif ty Jews of New York, Joining in a plan, have Invested I lf.5.000 In a tract near Haifa. Some Chicago Jews have ourchased a tract not far from Cnna. where was the wedding feast mentioned by St John. Blxty Jews of Winnipeg have bought a vast tract near the Sea of Joppa, and Pittsburgh and Cleveland Jews are Interested In a tract of 1,800 acres not far from the Armageddon about which so much Is heard in political literature of our If on consults a map, possibly the map found In the back of his Bible, he finds that desert fills the very cen ter of the region that Jews must oc cupy if they call Palestine home. The fact is that until a few years ago almost all of the Holy Land was des ert in the sense that it was treeless, and its acres raised next to nothing in the way of crops. But all that has changed. Deserts are no more des erts in Palestine than in our own West. Expert tillers of land have Been to that. Trees now grow in Palestine, and the land raises great crops of grain and harvests of fruits. Very large numbers of Jews already live in Palestine, of course, and there are considerable cities. True Jerusa lem has barely a population of 45, 000, but Damascus is a thriving city of 140,000, Beirut one of 120,000, and Bagdad, away off in the East, 145,000. Joppa has 10,000, ancient Antioch 17, 000. Hebron 10,000, and Tarsus, where St. Paul came from, 22,000. Region Jews Want. The region which Jews covet for a home extends from the sea eastward to the Euphrates, and perhaps beyond, taking in not only Syria, but perhaps part of Mesopotamia. Possibly it may extend into Anatolia, and north ward into Kurdistan and Armenia. An cient Babylon will then be within its borders, and so many parts of the great Bagdad railway line, which Con stantinople in favorable hands is to be the route to India by the way of the Persian gulf, rather than around Spain, through the Gibraltar straits, the Suez canal, and the Red sea. Here is a region considerably larger in square miles than France, and so far as territory goes, therefore, compe tent to make a Jewish one of the great states of the world. A few months ago there was tenta tively formed in England a Christian committee on the Holy Land that im mediately sounded tholr acquaintance in America on the subject of creat ing, should Turkey fall and the coun cil of war at last have the disposal of Palestine in its plans, a great educa tional resort. Its aim was not a po litical Btate at all, but a center of In struction and inspiration for Chris tians of the world. Fortunes of war not going England's way altogether, V Wfl nothing of late has been heard of this plan. These English Christians were, however, sufficiently alive to business to say to American Chris tians that a first need of the proposed Palestine resort would be the devel opment of rapid transit lines, al ready beguu, so that electric railways would cover every part of the fa mous region. There were also to be comfortable hotels. So equipped, the stutement in theso English letters was to the effect that the whole world besides does not afford a place that would actually attract so many visit ors. Development Going On. Developments of banks, of farms, of hespltals, of sanitary homes and of many things thnt go to make up comfortable living, have been put into Palestine. Jows now feel that with tho end of the war, and laud- ques tions uppermost, there will be tremen dous strife for possession of Palestine. They argue that they are the logical heirs to It, and they purpose, through consolidation of their Zionist forces, to be In position to accept It and to guarantee Its wise use. They will argue that the Christian development as proposed by the English Christians need not be shut out; that it Is not Inconsistent with their ambitions for a Jewish home state. Jews urge for a Palestine that Is entrusted to them a neutral government, somewhat after the pattern of Swltierland, and hero the Jews want to apply the principles of the Jewish law as found In the Tul mud to modern conditions; a larger adaptation and use of religion to mod ern education and life. Jews believe that such a state will do away with discriminations, social and other, against Jews everywhere PURITY OF JUDICIAL ERMINE Termed as Rabbit Skin by Redoubt able Advocate Who Was Defending Prisoner at Bodmin Assizes. At Bodmin assizes once, a barrister, while pleading, was Interrupted by the. Judge: "Mr. Carter, yon are wasting the time of the court." "Time of the court!" retorted the truculent veteran, glaring fiercely at the bench. "Your lordship means your lordship's dinner!" The Judge threw up his hands in despair, and Carter continued his harangue In peace. The same redoubtable advocate was on another occasion defending a man charged with obtaining money under false pretenses. "False pretenses," said he, with fine scorn. "Why, we all make them every day, barristers and solicitors and Judges the whole lot of us. Talk about the purity of the Judicial er mine!" Here he pointed derisively to the learned Judge, who sat cowering on the bench. "Why, it's only rabbit skin!" Shouts of laughter greeted this to reverent statement, which investiga tion would probably show to be literal ly true. HIS CHANCE. Mrs. Henpeck This paper says that a man in Italy sold his wife to a blind man for 20 cents. iBn't that awful? Mr. Henpeck Yes. Anyone ought to be ashamed to stick a blind man. Psychological Effect. "Do you think it pays to keep chick ens?" "Yes," replied Farmer Corntossel; "a few chickens are a good adver tisement.' They keep the ' summer boarders cheered up, thlnkin' mebbe the first thing they know they'll see a couple of 'em on the dinner table, A Doubtful Compliment. "I didn't Just like the way he con gratulated us on the engagement of our daughter to the count." "What did he say?" "He kept reminding me that we weren't losing our daughter, but add ing a Bon to the family." On Her Brow. "Before we married you promised me rings and brooches and beads to wear." "Well, what of it?" "I was thinking that the only beads I've ever worn since are beads of perspiration." Chopping Him Off. "Hello, Grimshaw! Don't you re member your old sidekick, Smartel lick?" "Your manner is familiar," replied Grimshaw coldly, "but I am glad to say that I have forgotten both your face and namo."-r-Judge. No Objection. 'Do you think women are compe tent to run tho affairs of great na tions?" "I don't see why not," replied Mr. Growcher. "It might be a good idea, for a change, to substitute pink rib bon for red tape." His Calling. 'The follow who was superintend ing our loads of furniture when we went into a new house, had a very dramatic way about him." "Well, couldn't you see he is acting In. the movies?" Different Slant. Rankin I lust heard a new version af "The Moth and the Flame." Phyle What was it? Itnnkln A tnnn'n nvprcnflt hnnnlftff In a closet got so many holes in it ho had to throw It in the fire. A Possible Retraction. "I hear you are having a 'Take It Back' campaign in this town." "Yes," admitted the Plunkville cltl en. "Have you borrowed anything that you have failed to return?" "Oh, no. I want to see a man who called me a liar about three years go." Information Sought. The bookkeeper approached his em ployer diffidently. "Seven years ago, sir," he began, you engaged me on a week's trial." "Well, what of It?" "May I presume now that my posi tion Is permanent?" A Possibility. "Your I'ncle Batch appears quite overcome by the charms ot La Petite Louise." "Any woman with an encouraging mil can make a fool of him.' "I wonder! He may marry bar at that!" Judge, SNOWBALL ADOPTS MIDNIGHT "Well," said Snowball, as he looked out of doors, "this Is certainly pretty bad weather. I think I had better put on my sweater if I am going into the city with master this morning." And Snowball waB right; it was bad weather, for, neither snowing nor rain ing, it was a little of both, and every thing was covered with a glare of slippery, treacherous ice, and it was unusually cold. Kit and Puff looked with amazement when Snowball came out with the red collar of his sweater drawn as far as it would go up around his neck, completely covering his col lar and partly covering his face. "You are not going to town a morn ing like this?" they asked as Snowball started toward where the team was standing "Oh, yes," said Snowball, I'm no fireside cat like you and some of the other tabbies around here. When I have work to do I don't let a little ice and a little cold weather drive me under the stove," and, flirt ing his tail saucily, he Jumped up on the seat of the wagon to wait for his master. In town there were a number of long waits while goods were being bought or delivered, and one of the longest of them was in a, part of the town where Snowball did not remember of having ever been before. The houses were tumbledown in appearance, with here and there a blind swinging loosely on one hinge, and not a few windows from which the glass had been broken. "This must be the Blum district," said Snowball to himself, "and I sup pose there may be some pretty tough characters round about here. I shall have to keep a sharper watch than usual to see that nothing is stolen from the wagon." While he was walk ing about trying to watch both sides of the wagon at once he heard a faint "moouw" from the ground, and going over to that side of the wagon from which the sound seemed to come he saw the most disreputable little black kitten that he had ever seen. His little body was so small and poor that his head looked two Blzes too large for him, and his eyes were all watery with tear3 as he looked up at Snow ball and meouwed again. "What's the matter, kitten?" said Snowball; "why don't you go home where it's nice and warm and get something to eat? You look hungry." "I am hungry," said the kitten; "but I ain't got no home.1' Little by little Snowball learned the story of the kitten, how he had be longed to a little girl who had tired of playing with him and how he had "Did You Ever 8ee Such a Kitten?" boen put out of doors to shift for him self, and what a hard time he had had ot It In the storm. "Well," said Snowball, "when mas- tar comes back I'll see what we can do for you. Wait around a while." When the master was about to Jump on the team Snowball Btopped him and called his attention to the little kitten and told him the story he had Just heard. His master agreed with Snowball that something ought to be done, and ns It was about lunch time they agreed to take the kitten on to the wagon and carry him along to the place where Snowball got his usual saucer of milk. When Sncwball got his milk the little kitten got a saucer, too, and he ate it as if he had never had anything good before. "Tastes pretty good, don't It?" said Snowball as he smoothed his mustache a littlo after he had finished. "Won't you have a little more?" The klttii said he would and finished another saucer almost as quickly as he had the firsf one. While the kitten was drinking the second saucer Snowball was over In the corner talking with his master, and as the kitten finished Snowball said to him: "I have decided to take you along with me to my home out In the country if you would like to go." The kitten was quick to say that he would, and so Snowball helped him to get upon the seat of the wagon, his master took a corner of the horse blanket and wrapped It around him, and so with Snowball close beside him, Midnight, for that was what Snowball had already named him be cause ot his blackness, rode out Into the country to his new home. Kit and Puff were In the house an- der the stove when Snowball walked in with Midnight close behind him, and when they saw the kitten, they showed their displeasure by arching their backs and making their fur bristle up in the fiercest sort of manner. "Now, none of that," said Snowball; this kitten has come here to live. 1 have adopted him, and any unkind thing that you do to him you will have to answer for to me. Sit down," he said to Midnight, "and get warm, while I go and take this sweater off and get ready for dinner." Kit and Puff sat at the far side of the room and looked scornfully at Midnight. -- "Did you ever see such a looking kitten in your life?"- said Puff. Never," said Kit "Snowball must have taken him out of an ashbarrel. What do you suppose he brought him home for, and what is he going to do with him?" "What am I going to do with him?" said Snowball, who had returned just In time to hear the latter part of Kit's remark. "I'm going to make a cat of him, the kind of cat I would like to have been myself if I could have had my own bringing up. "Come on," he said, turning to Midnight, "we'll have dinner, then I'll show you where you're going to sleep, and tomorrow morning I'll give you your first lesson In being a real cat." OUR BOY AND GIRL FARMERS Different Clubs Have Come to Be Very Important Factors In the Economy of the Farm. Boys and girls on the farm these days are beginning to be spelled with capital B's and G's. There was never Testing His Seed. a time in the history of American agriculture when they received more attention. They are in the rays of the nation's, spotlight, agriculturally speaking. To their credit is must be Bald that they are taking the honors modestly. They are going ahead and proving in conclusive manner that they are justly entitled to the good things being said of them. What the boys and girls are doing today to promote better agriculture is of inestimable value to the country at large. Not only does it tend to in crease crop production, but it is mak ing life more attractive on the farm. Through the medium of boys' corn clubs and girls' garden and canning clubs the boys and girls are learning that there Is much that is worth while in country life. With education along these lines and the unfolding of the mysteries of plant life It is becoming more difficult to lure them from the farm. The boys' corn club work Is a defi nite effort by the United States de partment of agriculture, the state agri cultural oolleges, and other institutions to promote and encourage Increased production of corn at a reasonable cost on small areas and to offer a plan of vocational guidance by requiring club members to master a complete corn crop operation. This begins with the selection of suitable seed and follows the opera tion to marketing or feeding and in cludes the making up of a complete crop report of the work. Its cost and expenses. In this work the profit on the investment is as important as the matter of yield. The future ot American agriculture is largely dependent on the boys and girls of today, and it Is the purpose of this corn club movement to assist the other forces now at work to In terest, instruct and direct the boys of our villages and rural communities in the possibilities ot farming as a profit able and dignified profession. Corn growing on the one-acre basis is used as a medium of instruction and interest. As a field crop of In terest and cash value It has no superior. From the standpoint cf Its economical relation to farm manage ment it will encourage diversified farming, soil building by rotation of crops, the feeding of hogs, the keep ing cf other live stock, etc., and is considered one of the most profitable field crops grown In the grain states. The girls' clubs aro cenducted along lines Btmllar to the work of the corn clubs, enly the crop Is somo garden crop such as tomatoes which can be disposed of net only as a fresh vegetable, but the product may also be canned. A Girl's Bank. There Is a kind of savings bank for girls in Germany which might well be imitated In this country. On the birth ot a girl the parents can insure her In one ot these banks for a sum that will give the child on tho completion of her eighteenth year, a small capital to start In life with, to follow her pro fession or finish her studies, or to serve as a dower In the event ot her marriage. The annual premium Is a fixed sum, and comparatively light, and scarcely proves a burden. It cer tainly must prove a great help to a girl when she arrives at the age of discretion to find herself mistress ot a snug little fund of her own. (PI -in. E QUEER POWER xtraordinary Electric Qualities of Many Plants. One In India Has Movement Very Sim- liar to the Small Hands ot a Watch "Vegetable Octopus" of South America. All nlanta are electric batteries. Some are weak, others are strong. According to Royal Dixon, author. or 'The Human Side of Plants," who lias an entertaining article in the Edison Monthly on the extraordinary electrio qualities of plants, the strongest is the well-known sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), but the Iris, nicotina, nastur tium and practically all the meat-eat ing plants produce a current of from ,005 to .02 volt, which can be meas ured with a galvanometer. 'A verv neculiar plant, writes Mr. Dixon, "and one which has tremendous East Indian Telegraph Plant. electrical powers, is tho 'telegraph plant (Desmodium gyrans). It is a native of India, and each of its leaves is composed of three leaflets; the larg er one stands erect during the day but turns down at night, while each of the smaller leaflets moves day and night without stopping. They describe by means cf jerking motions complete circles, not unlike the (.mailer hand of a watch." Then there is the Utricularia, or fishing plant, which lures small fish into its capacious mouth and sudden ly, as if an electric button were se cretly pressed, closes in upon its help less prey. In other words, it fishes with a net electrically wired!" Near Lake Titlcaca in South Amerl- ca and in the interior of Nicaragua is found a really terrible plant, a sort of vegetable octopus. This was first dis covered by the naturalist Dunstan, who heard his dog cry cut as if in agony. Running to his relief, Mr. DunBtan found the animal "enveloped in what seemed to him a perfect net work of what seemed to be a fine, ropelike tissue of roots and fibers." He cut the fleshy fibers of the mag netized plant only with great difficulty. The dog was covered with blood. "The twigs curled like living Binuous fin gers about his hands and it required terrific force to free himself from the plant's electric grasp, which left his hands red and blistered." "How's the Wind, Sergeant?" Every British soldier at the front is said to have become a close ob server of the wind since the Germans began the use of gas; if it veers to the north and east it is an almost cer tain sign of attack.. The respirators, or "muzzles," as the soldiers call them, are declared to give little pro tection from the gas. "Just get some one to throw a handful of chloride of lime in your face," says an officer In describing the gas. "That will give you a fair idea of the preliminary stages of the gas trouble." . Of the Second battalion ot Lan cashire fusiliers, 403 men are report ed to be "suffering from gas poison ing." Scientists are believed to have dis covered a means of combating the gas. It is planned to squirt hyposulphite of sodium in the air as the gas reaches the lines, thus destroying the dead ly effects of the fumes. No Hanoverian Orders. The duke of Cumberland, struck off the roll of the Garter, cannot retaliate by striking Englishmen oft rolls of his own as "rightful" king of Hanover. Hanoverian orders ceased to be conferred half a century ago, when Prussia extinguished the kingdom of Hanover, and the duke of Cambridge was the last surviving British Knight Grand Cross ot the Guelphtc Order. This order was es tablished in 1815 by our prince re gent, afterward George VI. After Hanover and Britain parted, King Ernest Augustus I established the Order of St. George, In 1839. But in 1844 we find Queen Victoria refusing permission to her subjects to accept Hanoverian orders, explaining to Lord Aberdeen that "it would not be ex pedient to give to the king of Han over a power which the queen herself does not possess, vis., that of grant ing orders as favors, or for personal services." London Chronicle. Getting Nowhere. "What a lot of energy we expend without making any actual progress!" "Yes! Especially line the dancing eras set In!"