HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
A Page of Editorials for the Home and Farm Magazine Section
4
TO ADVERTISERS
Advertisers in this totality who wish
fully to cover all sections of Ore son
and Washington and a portion of Idaho
will apply to local publishers for rates.
General advertisers may address C. L.
Burton, Advertising Manager Home
aid Farm Magazine Section, Ore Ionian
Building, Portland, Oregon, for rates
and information.
TO READERS
Readers are requested to send letters
and articles for publication to The Edi
tor, Home and Farm Magazine Section,
Oregonian Building, Portland, Oregon.
Discussions en questions and prob
lems that bear directly on the agricul
tural, livestock and poultry interests of
the Northwest and on the aplift and
comfort of the farm home always are
welcomed. No letters treating of re
ligion, politics or the European war are
solicited. We proclaim neutrality or
these matters.
Comparatively brief contributions
are preferred to long ones. Send lis
also photographs of your livestock and
farm scenes that yon think would be
of general interest. We wish to make
this magazine of value to you. Hel
as to do it.
KNOW THYSELF,
, -t-tNOW thyself," says the phi-
I IosP'ier' an ms words
pass unheeded by. One
man in a thousand hesitates in the
busy maelstrom of modem life to
analyze himself, and his motives.
The others play their little parts in
the great drama of existence, never
stopping to ask the question,
"why V Yet often in the answering
of that query lies a sought-for hap
piness. The complexities of existence on
the farm or in the city are such as
to discourage the turning of the
mirror upon onseself. But, lest life
be futility, know thyself. A little
self-analysis may be surprising in
its ultimate results. The screen of
hypocrisy under which all of us
labor to a greater or less degree will
be pierced and the man that is seen
beneath may be a total stranger.
When are you yourself? Surely
not in the crowd of fellow-men when
you are doing your utmost to hide
that of selfishness, vanity and gen
eral cussedness that is in you. Why,
you are not even yourself when
alone. How many times have you
found yourself reasoning with your
own conscience, in an endeavor to
excuse to yourself some misstep?
Why not be yourself, and admit that
it is possible you were wrong? Have
you never felt disgusted with your
self the self you know to be a su
perficial one, but to all outward ap
pearances the real self? -
Casting aside shams and subter
fuges is not advisable in modern so
ciety. It isn't popular. But at least
be frank with yourself. Know your
selfand take care that you are not
ashamed of yourself when you have
found your true nature.
came in the last six months of the
year, after the European war had
thrown many people out of employ
ment and demoralized the financial
and business worlds. And not only
in the total amount of cash on de
posit but in the number of deposi
tors as well was there a marked in
crease, the banks reporting 27,000
more accounts as compared with a
year ago.
The New York superintendent of
banks gives figures which prove In a
convincing way; that the time when
people are saving most is not when
they are making the most money.
In boom times, when every branch
of business and every maker is pros
pering, the thought of thrift does
not intrude itself upon a large per
centage of the people. When money
is hard to get more thought is taken
of the future, and the inclination to
spend freely is checked.
To those economists who have
been advocating the general adop
tion of a "buy-it-now" policy on the
part of the individual the testimony
of the savings banks may not seem
pleasant. To. those who appreciate
the fact that the only way to woo
prosperity is to begin with the fun
damentals it affords much encour
agement. There is a difference be
tween saving and hoarding. The
money which is deposited in the sav
ings banks is sure, sooner or later,
to find its way into permanent in
vestment in conservative and con
structive enterprise.
PROSPERITY MUST COME.
(Editorial in Eugene Guard.)
THE Kansas City newspapers are
boasting that the bank depos
its in that city have increased
$28,000,000 in four months. This
gain in volume of money on hand is
attributed partially to big crops in
1914 and good prices. In other parts
of the country the bank deposits
have been increasing despite hard
times. In the state of New York tfce
amount due savings bank depositors
on January 1 last was almost $30,
000,000 in excess of that due them
at the first of the previous year.
Furthermore, most of this increase
THE LESSON OF APPOMATTOX.
THE celebration at Appomattox
of the great event which took
place there 50 years ago should
appeal strongly to everybody. What
more fitting, what could possibly do
more good, than to celebrate at this
time a -peace which came after a
long and bloody struggle, and when
hope of peace had almost died out
of many hearts? Repeated negoti
ations and the most fervent prayers
seemed to have failed.
But the dawn came after the
darkest hour. Grant and Lee met
by appointment at the obscure place
named, and the foimer by his gen
erous terms, and the latter by his
complete acceptance of the fortunes
of war as they stood revealed to him
as a soldier, laid the foundations of
the peace that followed, and of a re
united country stronger in the af
fections of the people than it had
ever been before.
Let those who are in despair
about present conditions in Europe
study the story of our fratricidal
strife and take hope. Men in arms
are swearing eternal hate; but the
spirit will not last. Cities and rich
farming stretches are being laid
waste ; but they will rise and flour
ish again. Peace looks distant, but
it may be close at hand.
When the guns cease booming and
the battle flags are furled, the com
batants will pull themselves togeth
er and address themselves to the
noble work of regeneration. To lend
a hand to that will become not only
a duty, but a happiness; and the
most active and effective fof peace
wilt be those who are now the most
active and effective in the war.
Europe is losing heavily in men.
So did we lose. Her best are offer
ing themselves freely. Such was the
offering of our best. Sections tram
pled by the contending armies are
being deeply scarred.. So were ours.
Appomattox is in Virginia; and no
state suffered so much during our
war as the Old Dominion. She was
the cockpit of the colossal struggle,
and at the end was. wrecked and
prostrate. But look at her today
fair again, prosperous again, and
better built than before, and her
farmers are getting a larger yield
from their lands than before,
BEYOND BELIEF.
THE stories set afloat in Petro
grad to the effect that Austria
Hungary is seeking a separate
peace with Russia should not be
taken seriously. They are far too
improbable.
The dual monarchy may be in
distress and its rulers, may be more
disheartened than they let the
world know, but they will not turn
against the great empire which went
to war for their sake. It would be
dishonorable and also full of peril.
Germany had no quarrel with
Russia except as ally of Austria
Hungary. War came to Berlin
through Vienna. For Austria-Hungary
to quit the field now and leave
her ally alone, except for Turkey, to
" fight against enormous odds would
leave the empire-kingdom in the
Danube valley without a real friend
in Europe.
Then Germany would feel greater
bitterness against her former ally
than she does now against any of
her present enemies, even Great
Britain, and the nations allied
against Germany and Austria-Hun
gary would have no- respect for the
power they made use of to isolate
their strongest foe.
The position of Austria-Hungary,
under such circumstances, would
necessarily be very insecure. Sur
rounded by enmity and contempt,
the future would look black to the
most sanguine of the empire-kingdom's
people.
For these practical reasons, not
to speak of national obligations and
honor, it cannot be tune that
Austria-Hungary has even hinted at
a separate peace, disloyal and de
structive to Germany.
REAL NEUTRALITY.
THE United States is neutral in
the present. war, but no one
pretends that it is not interest
ed vitally in its course and issue,
says the Portland- Oregonian. Neu
trality does not mean that we should
be indifferent to what happens,, or
in what manner, and to whom it
happens; but it does mean that
there shall be no interference by us
as between the belligerents, and no
partiality, open or secret, by the Na
tional Government.
It is undeniable that there have
been from individuals and from
newspapers definite expressions of
support or opposition for or against
the one side or the other," but they
have not in any way affected the
correct and consistent policy of
President Wilson toward all the na
tions at war nor the fixed desire of -all
the people that we shall not be
involved.
If any attempt were to be made to
interpret the real National feeling
of the people of the United States
toward the whole dreadful European
tragedy, it would doubtless take the
shape primarily of a definite hope
that the war should end speedily.
The average American citizen's idea
runs about in the following fashion:
He does not wish to see the Ger
man empire dismembered'' and de
stroyed, nor the German people pre
vented from achievement of tlieir
natural and proper destiny in the
commercial, intellectual and scien
tific world
Heroes not wish to see the Brit
ish empire conquered and over
thrown, nor its people humiliated,
nor its place in the sun lost through
crushing defeat.
He does not want to see France
overrun by an alien enemy, nor its
capital seized, nor its treasury
mulcted, nor its national influence
lessened by subjugation.
He does not want to see Belgium
blotted out, nor its men, women and
children starved, nor a fair and full
opportunity denied to the Little
Kingdom again to come to its own.
He does not want to see Servia
swallowed by Austria, nor held pros
trate before the aggressions ef its
larger neighbor.
He does not want to see Austria
Hungary torn and divided, nor its
territory captured by any ambitious
power, nor its right vetoed to a free
development of its own civilization
and national growth.
He does not want to see Russia
over-run Germany, nor Austria, nor
any other part of Europe; but hi
thinks that Russia has a right to an
outlet through the Dardanelles and
to an elevation to the standards of
other nations.
He does not want to see the terri
tory of any unwilling people given to
any conqueror as the spoils of war;
and he has no relish for the possible
plan of any victor, or combination ef
victors, to remake the map of
Europe.
He is opposed to the whole bloody
and horrible business of war, and
if it could be stopped, and if the
several nations could resume the re-"
spective positions in which the con
flict found them, and in the pursuits
of , peace and industry strive to
achieve their various aims, he would
feel that an ideal solution had been
found.
They've prohibited hunting in a
Delaware county to prevent the
spread of cattle disease. If it weren't
for the epidemic, the gunners could
go ahead shooting themselves with
out interference.
"Not one step backward" is the
Kaiser's command to his troops.
German officers ordering a retreat
will be careful to say : "About face,
forward march!"
Among the various fraternal so
cieties not on the increase is the
somewhat theoretical organization
commonly known as "The Brother
hood of Man."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer says
that "Ohio twins were born in dif
ferent places." There ought to be a
cash prize for the correct answer. ,
If it takes five months to learn
of the British success at Ypres, how
long will it take to find out that
peace has been declared?
A eertain Portland daily newspa
per front page headline says:
'Bumpas Hellhole Erupts.' What
else could you expect? ;
The Mayors are discussing public
ownership. Some cities could, with
profit, apply it to the Mayors them
selves. .
Philadelphia municipal hospital
reports that the" fox trot soothes
the insane. We suspected this long
ago. .