Bridgeton pioneer., November 08, 1906, Image 4

About Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919

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5bc JBrtoacton Iptoneer.
Published every TburedAj morning at No 10
North Laurel Street.
This paper ia entered at he Poat Office, Bridgetcn
5. J., as second-cia»s mauu.
G. W. McCOWAN, Editor
Exidgeton, N. J., Nov 8, 1906.
Tne >ew i'uot of Frauce.
Ever since >1. Clemeneeau entered
the French cabinet the saying, "Where
MacGregor sits there is the head of
the table,” has been applicable to the
sittings of that body. Clemeneeau was
the ruling force in the ministry. By a
ehift of titles he has become the rec
ognized head of the executive council.
Before ever ha entered the cabinet,
which was only seven months ago, he
had long been recognized as the strong
est statesman in France. His advent
as premier may work a revolution in
the social and official life of the sec
ond republic.
The rise of Clemeneeau to the height
of power in France has been due to
an uncompromising radicalism which
displayed itself in bitter warfare
against every ministry in power. Some
will have it that he has helped to create
the crisis now confronting the govern
ment. Six months ago he appeared be
fore the country in a new light, facing;
with guns and troops, the uprising of
socialism, “labor” and all the wide In
fluences that make for revolution. His
recent pose has been that of a con
sistent reformer. He has openly at
tacked militarism the while he vigor
ously repressed labor uprising. But he
passed the Sunday act. giving rest to
labor; urged the heavier taxation of
wealth and inheritance, resisted the
law of the separation of church and
state and repudiated the extreme rad
ical social programme, that the in
crease of the functions of the state
must be brought about as a cure for
ail the ills of the people. If Premier
Stolypin of Russia had all along been a
Constitutional Democrat and were now
trying to square former professions
with the limitations Imposed by the
imperial will his position would be
analogous to that of Premier Clemen
ceau in France.
Orleans and Panama Traffic.
The commercial interests of New Or
leans, speaking for their own city and
for the entire Mississippi valley, have
raised a vigorous protest against the
decision of the canal commission to
furnish transportation for contractors,
employees, employees’ families, sup
plies, materials, etc., to the isthmus of
Panama and across it over the Pana
ma Railroad company and by its
steamship lines for one-half the regu
lar tariff rates. The Panama railroad,
which is now owned by the federal
government, operates steamship lines
to New York and San Francisco. By
cutting the rates all persons going to
the Isthmus to work on the canal and
all supplies furnished will be carried
at half the tariff charge from the At
lantic and Pacific, the government
standing the loss in order to encourage
the business, whereas contractors, em
ployees, material and supplies going by
way of New Orleans, the nearest porf
to the isthmus and In every way, its
champions claim, the best one, will
have to pay the full tariff. This act of
the government the New Orleans
Times-Democrat calls rate discrimina
tion. Says that paper:
Private enterprise enabled New Orleans
to compete for the Isthmus business.
Now comes the government, through the
canal commission, and, not satisfied with
giving New York the advantage of a gov
ernment line, cuts rates one-half In ita
favor. Against government discrimina
tion of this kind It is, of course, impos
sible to compete. The fullest competition
Is needed and must not be denied. Th«
many commercial interests that center in
New Orleans and the railroads which
have built here or improved their ter
minal facilities in order to get a portion
of that isthmian trade which every po
litical economist said ought to come and
predicted would come to New Orleans will
be injured by any discrimination against
this city, the natural port for all Amer
icans and ail American goods going tc
Panama.
Colonel Winston Churchill’s latest
novel, “Coniston,” is said to be away
up In the list of best sellers all ovei
the country, yet we hear of folks who
call it less interesting than his othet
books and some who have found it
positively “unreadable.” This Is not
strange, of course, because few books
suit all tastes, but the secret of the
widespread popularity of “Coniston” is
believed to lie in the fact that people
of New England origin are to be found
all over the land. “Coniston” is de
clared to be an intimate, authentic pic
ture of certain phases of New England
life.
Two young experimenters in aero
nautics are said to have solved the
problem of aerial navigation, which
they are keeping a secret for some rea
son that is not fully explained. They
claim to be able to fly when they want
to, but perhaps they are like the toper
who can stop toping when he wants
to. He never wants to.
A writer In the St. Louis Globe-Dem
ocrat has discovered that very few wo
men stutter. He wisely concludes that
they are less liable to the disease than
men and that when they find they
have It they start right In and cure
themselves.
Whiskers la Novels.
A London critic of John Olivei
Hobbes’ last novel, “The Dream and
the Business,” vigorously objects to the
expression “side whiskers” found in its
pages. He thinks “side” in this case
is redundant. From the point of view
of an Englishman maybe it is. 'Die
term “whiskers” is defined as meaning
the growth of hair on the sides of a
man’s face as distinct from that on lip.
chin and throat. In England, however,
this use is not so distinctive as to drive
out special synonyms for the various
fashions of side beard as “mutton
chops.” “Piccadilly weepers" and “Duu
drearys.”
But Mrs. Craigle, American though
she was. is in good British company
when she carries our colloquialism in
literature written for both peoples.
Dickens. Richardson, Bronte and oth
ers used the expression “side whiskers.”
and Scott came pretty near stamping
the adjective as good form by writing
of “whiskers on the upper lip.” anoth
er way of saying “lip whiskers.” How
ever, be it classic or not, the style of
today in fiction is to put a picture on
the page clear cut and strong. Thp
reader reads the man’s character in his
facial contour. The flowing, pointed
whiskers on the side stand for one
makeup, the cropped side beard for an
other. the mustache, the tuft or neat
ly trimmed point on the chin for other
types. Shakespeare never wasted
words, but when he drew the word pic
ture of the soldier—
Full of strange oaths,
he must give that further realistic
. touch,
And bearded like the pard.
Shakespeare’s generation no doubt
understood that "pard” meant the or
dinary leopard and that, as with this
animal, a backward sweep of the hair
of the lips lent fierceness to the war
rior’s countenance. As well slight the
description of the heroine’s eyes and
features as to leave the hirsute adorn
mbnt of the hero largely to imagina
tion.
Those Newfoundland Fisheries.
Last summer Newfoundland passed
a drastic law bearing upon our fisher
men taking fish in Newfoundland wa
ters, and when the winter herring sea
son opened there In October the whole
colony was in uproarious demonstra
tion against the United States. The
law related to the vexing question how
the fish must be caught. The new law
would compel our crews to abandon
the prize altogether, and this govern
ment went over the heads of the colo
nists and arranged with the British
foreign office In London to modify or
remove the restrictions In the interest
of the American crews. Naturally the
Newfoundlanders are incensed because
the imperial authority has overruled
the colonial parliament, to the advan
tage of outsiders.
The arrangement between London
and Washington is only temporary, and
American fishing in Newfoundland wa
ters may continue if American crews
wish to risk broken heads or perhaps
arrest by colonial authorities for what
they term “unbridled invasions of colo
nial rights.” This fishing dispute is an
old one and has been touched upon by
treaties going back to 1783. Since 1883
American rights In the fisheries have
rested upon a treaty concluded in 1818,
which was never satisfactory. Among
the many matters with which Secre
tary Root has to deal few, if any. are
as perplexing as this ancient dispute
over our rights to catch fish in New
foundland waters.
President Roosevelt's cabinet minis
ters always keep their grips packed.
They never know at what time there
will be a general moving. No other
president ever made such a record for
the shifting around of portfolios.
Whether this Is merely an Incident of
the president’s restlessness or of the
wear and tear of the most strenuous
of administrations upon its principal
subordinates is of no especial moment.
The fact that matters most Is that In
all his selections of advisers the pres
ident has made few, if any, mistakes.
While we are getting “hot under the
collar” over the treatment of our sol
diers and sailors by the proprietors of
theaters and hotels let us not fail to
note the fact that enlisted men of the
army are frequently barred from res
taurants where commissioned officers
happen to be dining.
Thirteen estates of dead millionaires
have paid into the British treasury
within the year $122,500,000. This
beats all records, the next highest sum
realized in any one year being $05,000,
000. In more ways than one a grad
uated inheritance tax can be its own
justification.
General Picquart, who defended
Dreyfus, is the new war minister of
France. Colonel du Paty de Clam will
now lose all confidence In the French
army.
If there is anything In the theory that
nature adapts man to conditions, then
a larger race should be developed to
wrestle with the blanket ballots.
Cuba is talking about starting a good
government club. As a matter of fact,
the club was in working order tbe day
Mr. Taft arrived on the Island.
Two Views of tlie Canal.
Many men in a position to know
wliat they are talking about, among
them the late Collis P. Huntington,
have expressed the opinion that a
canal across the South American isth
mus would in the end disappoint the
hopes of ail who anticipate immense
benefits to tlie nation from a waterway
between the oceans. Perhaps those
oracles have spoken their real aiiuds,
and then again interest or other mo
tive may have colored their opinions.
As a success the canal must seriously
interfere with the colossal investments
in transcontinental railroads. As a
failure it will swallow up millions of
the people's treasure and blast the ex
pectatious of those who look forward
to the opening as a revolution in the
marine transportation of two bend
spheres.
in direct opposition to the pess!
rnistic view cited above stands that
of the people of this notion, n view
wherein sentiment largely mingle
with practical considerations. It is a
national enterprise, one which by its
boldness and magnitude is worthy of
the American spirit. After weigh::.-'
all the arguments for and against the
c-anal the consensus of opinion is tha:
the project is worth while and must
be put through at every hazard and al
any cost. But the typical American is
as thrifty as he is daring. He wants
his money's worth whether the invest
ment be made for a return in kind or
for a dividend of glory. The canal will
never lack for popular indorsement
and support so long as the appointed
agents of tlie people are digging dirl
and doing it with as little money as
possible. In the end the people will
not cavil over the sources of supply of
labor and material, provided these
vital factors in the undertaking are
put to good use and the canal Is dug.
Those Sensitive Japs.
A couple of years ago the little
trown men from Nippon were carrying
off all the honors of the world by their
marvelous deeds in Manchuria. No
limit could be set to their achieve
ments and progress. Naturally the
spirits of these ambitious people feel
hurt over anything in the nature of a
snub administered just as they have
carved out a place in the family of na
tions. The treatment of Japanese chil
dren in the schools of San Francisco
looks to them like a setback. Stand
ing alone it might be passed over as a
regrettable incident, bnt there are
things back of that to stir the blood
of any one in a state of mind to bunt
for grievances.
It is not strange that the jingo ele
ment of Japan makes out a case
against the United States. The Japa
nese have heard that the citizens of
this country do not welcome them as
laborers in Hawaii and generally on
the Pacific slope. They look upon ns
as interlopers in the Philippines and
cannot forget that the peace settlement
with Russia which dashed their lofty
expectations was concluded In this
country. But this is only one side of
the question. Americans are prover
bially tolerant of foreigners who bid fair
to become useful citizens here. If dis
crimination is made now and then It
is no more than a people's right. No
one can say the choice Is not based
upon experience. Every race on the
globe which applied has been given a
fair trial, and whether we welcome or
whether we repel certain new faces it
is our own affair, and we have the
right to be sensitive and even indig
nant over the way our attitude is ac
cepted by the races involved.
The postal department of Berlin has
just given an order for 200 automobiles
to be used in Its service with the sub
urbs of that city in place of horses.
Consul General Richard Guenther of
Frankfort says that In Germany and
many other European countries the
postal service includes the transporta
tion and delivery of parcels and small
freight which In America are carried on
by express companies; hence the larger
number of mail vehicles required by
the postal departments in Europe.
The wood and all the paper and cot
ton to be used in the buildings of the
Maritime exposition at Bordeaux next
year are to be treated with a new
liquid which has been proved absolute
ly preventive of fire. Calamities from
fire that have marred the success of
some notable exhibitions in recent
years can hardly occur at Bordeaux if
the plans of the managers are carried
out.
The situation in Morocco Indicates
that the day is not far distant when
France will be obliged to take an ac
tive hand in the suppression of the up
rising. And it may easily be that all
the powers which are parties to the
Algeciras treaty, concluded less than a
year ago, will be drawn into the tur
moil.
At the same time there are American
girls who have married foreign title
bearers and are living happily with
them. But these were not the matches
that papa’s mi.lions brought about.
Burbank has produced an apple that
Is red and sweet on one side and yel
low and sour on the other—just like
the home and company manors 01
some people.
Work aLd Play.
Pr. James Crichton Browne’s profes
sional talents are officially the property
of the English public, and he now and
then seeks to enlighten his masters
through a sermon on medical common
sense. His most recout contribution
in this line is entitled "The Gospel o(
Recreation." for which he found a text
In the daily habits of the great mass
of the English speaking people. The
rich have their portion of the gospel
Jose in the broad hint that they may
po on with their pheasant shooting to
•kill time" because their time and all
the rest of it are of no consequence to
human society anyway. It Is the mass
of toilers whose drudgery is unending
and uninteresting—people who bore
holes in buttons, put heads on pins
and watch a lathe turning threads on
bolts day after day, mouth after
month, year after year—whom he
would save from moral and physical
damnation by 1.' < g>sj>el of "time to
work and time tj play.”
Students in criminology declare that
the majority of the delinquents they
meet with never learned to play In a
natural and wholesome way. Their
lives are cramped, distorted and dwarf
ed from the cradle forward. In most
ad communities, whether English o:
American, there is a notion current
that recreation must be a formal cele
bration of some kind and cost money
in order to be worth while. Simply
because they cannot support silks and
diamonds and the luxuries these sug
gest some people pout and fret and
grovel through life, barren of joy, dead
to enthusiasm and strangers to good
red blood coursing through healthy
veins. These create their own tread
mill. They are willing slaves to rou
tine. One of the English charities foi
work folks is to teach them the inter
esting secrets of outdoors, the habit5
of butterflies, the mysteries of birds'
nests, the curiosities of minerals and
plants and the names and peculiarities
of trees. There are in America ten?
of thousands of men horn and bred iu
sight of forests who cannot name half
a dozen of the species of wood they
have handled all the.r lives when pre
sented to them iu a tree or log. City
folks are no better. They live for
years next door to free palaces of ari
and never step inside. You could make
them think that Velasquez had just
died and that Whistler or Burne-Jones
painted in the classic days of art.
Yet they’ll grovel in the shop and
scrimp in an attic just to pass twc
weeks in a crowded summer resort and
call it having a “good time.” With
all our talk about democracy we mod
eras are cowards in the face of simplic
ity. ashamed to be amateurs at any
thing. although we may be experts at
nothing, nud foolishly loath to go tc
school to learn common sense after we
have donned long skirts or grown a
beard. The doctor might have re-en
forced his medical gospel from the
holy gospel and told his audience that
the key to happiness is to approach life
and nature with the curious minds and
trusting hearts of little children.
Miss Braddon. one of the best known
of the English novelists, who has nev
ertheless always kept her private life
hidden from the world, has just cele
brated her sixty-ninth birthday. We
all know nowadays that she is Mrs
John Maxwell, that she dwells ai
Richmond, in Lichfield House of his
toric renown, and that one of her sons,
W. B. Maxwell, is a novelist of dis
tlnction. Miss Braddon has lately con
sented to talk about herself for pub
lication. Her first commission, -when
she was a mere girl, was to write n
long story “combining the humor of
Dickens with the plot construction of
G. W. M. Reynolds.” The book was
called “Three Times Dead," and she
received for it about $12.50. She gain
ed fortune and fame at a bound, bow-'
ever, when “Lady Andley’s Secret"
was published in book form.
Perhaps the most thrilling episode In
the late Sam Jones’ career as an evan
gelist was on the occasion of his visit
to a disreputable town on the ggilf
coast. On Sam’s arrival In town h«
announced his purpose to clean It oul
or up. Thereupon he was waited upon
by a committee of citizens, beaded by
the mayor, who told the evangelist that
he had better not try, enforcing their
advice by swinging a big stick. When
the dust had subsided sam had the
stick and the held for evangelistic
work was clear. Sam’s Christianity
was muscular.
Sir Robert Hart is to remain in con
trol of the Chinese customs, but the
government gives no assurance In writ
ing of the duration of his stay. There
Is no doubt that the Chinese would like
to throw out Sir Robert, bag and bag
gage, and manage their own affairs,
but they are not quite ready to take so
heroic a course.
Manuel Sllveira, absconding Cuban
banker, was, it is said, known In Ha
vana as the “Morgan of Cuba.” Fron,
now on his countrymen may decide U
refer to him as the “Stensland of Cu
ba.”
Later advices are to the effect tha>
Mont Pelee has been slandered. It I
just as calm and quiet as if it nev» i
bad au eruption.
• he Hat »• «hp Standard of lilvlng.
Recently a city woman whose hus
band hands her annually $5,000 for the
expenses of four people asked advice
through the press on how to make both
ends meet on that apparently generous
sum. She writes:
“Will somebody send a sample re
duced bill of fare for just one week?
And will somebody tell wliere a hat
may be purchased for less than $15?”
From a woman living out of town
come suggestive points on how to
maintain three people on $500 a year,
one-tenth of the sum which the first
correspondent finds too little for a
family group only one-third greater.
The suburban woman does her own
washing, ironing, dressmaking, cook
ing, mending, etc., but goes to a mil
liner for the trimming of her hats.
This last she concedes is a compromise
with economy. But she pays for this
one Indulgence by cultivating a garden
and keeping hens. In both cases the
important part which the hat plays In
household economy is emphasized.
It would be useless to tell the $5,000
a year wife that bargain counter hats
may be had ranch cheaper than $15.
Even $2,000 a year wives indulge at
that figure at least twice a year. Be
sides, a bargain counter hat would
mean all the rest of It down to vege
tables and groceries that had seen bet
ter days. If the troubled advice Beeker
cannot reduce her table expenses by
keeping a garden and hens there re
mains but one obvious way out of the
difficulty. A striking workman having
a large family on his hands fetched the
last $5 from the savings bank and
handed It to his wife, who waved It
before the eyes of the hungry brood
about her and said, "That shall all go
for bread.” The disillusioned striker,
alive at last to the bitter irony of the
situation as well as to Its pathos,
grasped the face of his home heroine
In both his hands to imprint a kiss,
approval of her devotion beaming in
his eyes and a welling In his heart, the
while his lips belied his emotions, and
said: "No, dear, buy a hat. What Is a
little matter like bread when great
principles are at stake?” The $5,000
a year woman must tackle the bill of
fare heroically and “skin the cat.”
Home Grown Quinine, Maybe.
It has always been believed quinine
could not be produced in the United
States. The cinchona plant was orig
inally found In South America, and
from It was produced the great basic
ingredient of all tonic medicines—qui
nine. A variety grown in India has
been developed by the Britlsh-Indian
government until its annual output of
marketable quinine reaches 300,000
pounds, valued at $3.20 a pound, and
yielding a clear profit of 40 cents a
pound.
Recently it has been demonstrated
that the hardier and best yielding qui
nine trees can be grown easily on the
islands of Porto Rico and Hawaii, and
there seems no reason why they may
not thrive in the gulf states. For a
century or more the Dutch and British
governments have endeavored to estab
lish the quinine industry In their is
land possessions. One reason for this
is the desirability of controlling a sup
ply In case of war. In our civil war
the United States government was
compelled at one time to pay $5 an
ounce for quinine. At the beginning
of the late war in the far east Japan
laid in a large supply of the drug, and
it is recognized among civilized powers
that quinine is as necessary for the
military outfit as gunpowder.
On taking second thought some of the
people of San Francisco are not so
eager to rebuild on the ruins as was at
first declared. There is little disposi
tion shown to build bouses for rent,
because owners of property and • of
money to Improve it are unwilling to
take the risk of making expenditures
for which they see no prospect of re
turns. They argue that the result of
free building will be to increase the
number of available houses to such an
extent In the near future that rents
cannot be maintained, and therefore
they would be losers. The effect of
this abstention from building will be
to keep rents high indefinitely.
There is no royal road to fortune, of
course, because the proverb says so,
but the fortunate lieutenant who has
just married the daughter of the found
er of the big German gun factory ac
quires a husband's interest in a for
tune of more than $100,000,000 and an
annual income of $1,125,000. Neverthe
less there may be some who think he
has no head for business.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has severed
his connection with the Strand Maga
zine, with which he has had a profit
able connection for several years. His
latest story, “Sir Nigel,” Is now reach
ing a conclusion in the Strand.
That diplomatic bandit, Raisull.
made no effort to get that $14,000
which Banker Stensland placed on de
posit In a Morocco bank. There must
be honor among them after all.
John D. Rockefeller says he Is always
glad to see a man live within his In
come. Mr. Rockefeller always lives
within his income.
Our New Battleship^ N
Much adverse criticism l9 h'
the proposition of Colonel/8**
braith of the regular arJ'7'^
term of enlistment be redu
year. It is assumed offhanri u 'M
eritics that a year is too short by «i
m which to make a good so,^8^
a recruit. The object of a
the term is said to be to r '*"•
"opposition of labor unions to
man signing away big time t7
term of years.” ‘ IOr a S
Whether it Is wise to re*,,
t^rm of a soldier's enlistme^? tif
Ing to the views of labor union,T*
question, and the relative
service of a long or short ter/ ^
other. Views of military /t?"'
.'hanged radically upon this J?
within the past few years „ “ ]ect
bating from civil war experlencj?
that crisis some companies an? ^
ments. not to speak of indlvid^
took to soldiering from the start n?
Individuals and organizations nev!?
tained to the ideal nor arrive/ 8
where near it. Needless to sav 7
the nature of raw material, the/?
tions of leadership and enviroJ£
during the crucial first weeks JJ
mined the matter largely. Arm/?
cers have paid much attention to £
matter of initiation of recruits
past years, and It Is contended ?
many that the raw boy can master £
technique of his calling la the eon?
of a few weeks-that Is to say he?
master It in that length of time If L
ever can. ue
But it does not follow that a sol
dier’s period of service must end with
one enlistment of one year. Soldiers
are now encouraged to re-enlist If tw
are desirable, and if they are not suit
ed to the service it will be demonstrat.
ed to the satisfaction of themselves
and of their commanders during a one
year’s trial. In one sense it Is a waste
of value to have a stalwart young
man wedded to comparative Idleness
In the army. The soldier should not
be allowed to deteriorate either la
morals or efficiency as an economic
factor. The government could secure
all the soldiers it wants in time of
peace by making the service attractive
as a training school for the recruits.
They could be taught something useful
to equip them for the battle of life
when they shall cease to be soldiers,
Such a process of training would mate
it worth while to a recruit to re-enlist
at the end of one year and continue re
enlisting until he had completed bit
training. He would then be a good
soldier, ready for his country's call in
an emergency, and also a competent
worker in the industrial sphere.
New Lines In “America.”
Dr. Henry Van Dyke, professor, es
sayist and poet, spoke not long ago In
behalf of the sufferers by the Sai
Francisco earthquake and fire. Hs
referred to the “love of the land” that
forms part of the love of country and
suggested that the touch of New Eng
land scenery in the good old hymn
“America” might be supplemented by
some other lines in praise of the na
tional glories of all America. The
lines that Dr. Van Dyke repeated were
original with him, but were inaccurate
ly reported and widely circulated.
Thousands of school children have been
singing them all over the country. One
enterprising firm of publishers has
tried to copyright them iu their incor
rect form and without a particle of au
thority. There is not and will not be
any copyright on the verses. Any one
who loves “America" is welcome to
use them, but the author naturally
prefers them to be used in their content
form as follows;
I love thine Inland seas.
Thy groves of giant trees,
Thy rolling plains.
Thy rivers' mighty sweep.
Thy mystic canyons deep.
Thy mountains wild and steep,
All thy domains;
Thy silver eastern strands,
Thy Golden Gate that stands
Fronting the west;
Thy flowery southland fair,
Thy sweet and crystal air—
O land beyond compare.
Thee I love best!
Dr. Van Dyke’s verses were written
to follow the second stanza of the fa
miliar hymn.
In the course of a laudatory study o! ,
Charles Dickens that robust London *
critic, Gilbert K. Chesterton, arrives#
this definite statement: “Whatever #
word ‘great’ means, Dickens was wba
it means.” Mr. Chesterton takes *
whole book for the exploitation of
views and arguments, but seems #
miss his goal, which is to “account for
Dickens. Lovers of Dickens will do
attraction in the book and lay It dow®
with a feeling that after all genius
unaccountable.
Sickness and starvation have bee
added to the horrors which the PL°P
of Russia are compelled to face at
beginning of their long winter. Isn .
about time for the civilized powers ■ j
tell Czar Nicholas he must straigb' ^
things out quick or some one else
be put on the job.
The death of the original i
Twain’s “Tom Sawyer” brings oil
fact that he had been for twen L
years of his life a saloon keeper, r n
ably some more public library a
agers will exclude “Tom Savvy
from their shelves new.