Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-08-23
Daily, One Year $500, i'm Advance
Daily, -Four Months %1.oO. ir Advance
weekly, One Year S1.o0, I'm Advance
OREGON IN LITERATURE.

What's the matter with Oregon ed
ucational institutions, that they are
almost barren Of literary products
Why do their students so seldom be-
come graceful writer's for the pressf
Why do we almost never hear of them
as journalists, ora tors or contributors
to the literary magazines? Why are
noliterary people employed In our
colleges who can inspire our boys and
girls to become devotees OF literature
and lovers Of the classicsY The few
writer's we have who contribute to
current literature belong tc the
pioneer generation. We have not a
college president who can write a
force.ul public address in polished
vigorous English equal to those pro-
duced by the retiring Governor Ly'
dell Baker, who belongs to the tradi
tions of she past, is about the only
younger writer who has distinctive
literary style as writer and orator.
President Chapman has labored to
build up literary culture at the state
University, but with no marked re-
suits upon our young people.
Oregon has a writer Of almost Ches-
terlieldian elegance In the person Of
Judge John b. Waldo. He has a
mind richly stored with the beaDties
OF classical litera1..ssssGs..l ..lAnIs ss r,,slissa
pioneer son. II. S. Lyman Of Astoria
has written beautifully of the folklore
of the natiYe Indian and Is most
charming naturalist. He belongs to
a cultured congregational missionary
family. We search almost ln vain
for young man or woman OF the
present generation whose mind has
touched with the divine "afilatus" OF
letters, or whose imagination has eyer
been fired with passionate enthus-
iasm for the classics OF English litera-
ture. Is this the result Of our schools
colleges aud universities ?" Can't
we show one bright young mind cap
able OF writing story, volume OF
essays, or booklet OF yerses9 Then
indeed there Is something rotten In
the machinery OF our spiritual and in
telleciual development for our young
people are naturally as we'll endowed
as any In America.
Some hlRh.mlnded men and women
at Portland have undertaken TO rescue
Oregon from literary obligation.
Since the days of Elisha Applegate
and Sam Simpsons immortal "Beau-
tiful Blue Willamette" there has
been an almost invisible niche In
the temple OF letters for the land of
WebfooG. Books have been written
about Oregon like Butterworth'
Scho0lhouse on the Columbia, Nixon's
How whitman Saved Oregon. and
Banks's An Oregon Boyhood. "But
these productions by n-resldednts
can't be called Oregon literature.
The romance of the Indian, the |
legends OF our coasts. rivers and |
mountains. poetry OF our birds. lakes
forests aud everyday life, are now to |
be gathered aud the sheayes aud |
bouquets garnared in printed page. |
The first number Of the Oregon
"Dnft" contains notable articles
that are typical Webfoot art, like
Tslltcoos. i0ldson the Siuslaw, DR..
Mclaughlin, besides stories, lIteray
articles and real wealth OF poetry.
or local interest are two poems by
Mrs. England, and Mrs. Cartwright
OF Salem, one native oregonIenne,
the latter native Californian. Our
literary people would do themselves
credit by subscribing for Drift.