Editor's Table

EDITOR'S TABLE, VALE GLADSTONE. In the demise of William Ewart Gladstone, who peace- fully died at Hawarden Castle, his home, about five o'clock on the morning of the nineteenth of May, one of the great characters of our great century passed away. For fifty years he has been a dominating intellectual and political factor in the affairs of the British empire. Even extraordinary men are considered fortunate if they succeed in any one particular line of activity; but on the scroll of fame where history shall write Gladstone's name and Gladstone's deeds, she will record him a statesman, an orator, and a man of letters—three difficult fields in which to attain success—yet he in all suc- ceeded! About the quality of his statesmanship there will be varying shades of opinion. Little minds who think the chief intellectual virtue consists in perpetual adherence to opin- ions once formed and expressed, will charge him with incon- sistency; for he dared at times even to change his mind, not only on one but many subjects. His state craft compared with that of his brilliant rival—Disraeli—may seem to fall somewhat below the all empire-embracing conceptions and daring execution of bold plans of the all-but-prophet-Jew. Yet when at last the contrast is drawn out to the finish it will be found that their statesmanship differed in kind rather than in degree of excellence, and about the quality and wisdom of each man's work, men will forever be divided. Of his power as an orator, of his learning as a man of letters there will be and can be no question. It was the good

612 IMPROVEMENT ERA. fortune of the writer of this to listen to him on one occasion in the house of commons, in the winter of 1887. He spoke that night in review of the County Government bill in- troduced by the tories, then in power, and presented by Mr. Richie. It was not a great question, that is, not one that in- volved very widespread popular interest, and Mr. Gladstone was waning in his physical powers, but for all that he held spell- bound the parliament, and if anyone in the visitor's gallery moved during the forty-five minutes which the great orator spoke, the writer failed to mark it by sight or sound. His personal appearance disappointed us. We looked for a man of massive frame, and sturdy build—a sort of duplicate of John Bright. It is so natural to associate physical with in- tellectual power; and as we knew there was plenty of the lat- ter in Mr. Gladstone, we looked for the former as well. But there was nothing massive about Mr. Gladstone—except his liead, and that was massive beyond all proportion with the rather tall, spare body to which it was attached. That night he sat on the first opposition bench with Sir William Har- court on his right and Lord Hartington on his left. He looked as if he were tightly squeezed in between them—and perhaps he suffered in physical appearance because of the contrast between himself and their sturdy frames. He sat with arms folded, and his head bent slightly forward, while his chin and lower part of the face seemed buried in the old- fashioned standing collar he wore. It was not his habit to sit with his legs merely crossed, but wonderfully entwined with each other by we know not how many twistings. And there he sat with his brilliant eyes following every movement of the man he was expected soon to answer. Once in a while, when some point of especial interest was approached, he would hold one hand to his ear and lean forward. Several times he suddenly untwined his legs and unfolded his arms, nervously clutched Harcourt ,or Hartington, hurriedly whispered to them, pushed them away again and then resumed his attitude of listening. And it might be mentioned in passing that he appeared to have the rare accomplishment of being a good listener. Mr. Richie's two hours' speech was over at last, and in the

EDITOR'S TABLE. 613 chorus of voices which addressed the chair and claimed recognition, Mr. Gladstone's, clear and bell-like, rose above the rest, he was instantly recognized—scilence became in- tense and he who above all men has best claim among Englishmen of this generation to the title—"The Great Com- monor," began a careful but extemporaneous analysis of the measure just presented. It was all so calm, clear and business- like, that speaking of his; no straining after effect, no desire to be eloquent—and yet it was eloquent. Once only did the lightning flash that night. It was when he contrasted the happy condition of England even under what he regarded as an imperfect home County Government bill, with the wretched state of Ireland who but recently had been denied the home rule measure which he had but the year before successfully carried through the house of commons only to have it de- feated in the house of lords. But that one flash of lightning from the soul, those few trumpet tones of stern but suppres- sed indignation, were sufficient to reveal the power of that eloquence which on every great occasion, for half a century, had held the house of commons and the British nation entranced. Great as Mr. Gladstone was in the field of statesmanship and oratory and letters, we cannot help but feel that had he devoted himself to it, he could have been equally great in the ministry. There was much of the priest in him. And not- withstanding his labors in other fields he has on a number of occasions entered the lists and championed the cause of the Christian religion. But nothing he has written in support of the Christian religion will ever equal in force the splendid upright Christian life he has led, and the noble patience with which he has met the Christian's last foe—death. It is not our purpose now, however, to enter further into a consideration of this man's career. It affords us pleasure to announce that in the next number of the Era will be pub- lished an article on his Life and Character by Bishop O. F. Whitney. CAPTAIN R. W. YOUNG, THE ERA'S CORRESPONDENT IN THE FAR EAST. We are pleased to announce to the readers of the Era

614 IMPROVEMENT ERA. that arrangements have been made with Captain Richard W. Young, of Battery A., Utah Artillery Volunteers, to corres- pond with the Era from the Philippine Islands, to which the Utah Volunteers are enroute. The Era is gratified that it will have so able a correspondent in the "Far East"—which, by the way, to us in these latitudes is the "Far West"—as Captain Young. He is a writer of well-known ability, having written very many articles for the Contributor, the former organ of the Improvement Associations, in addition to his "History of the Nauvoo Legion," which was a series of articles published in that magazine, and by which perhaps, as a writer, he is best known. It should also be noted, in passing, that Captain Young is a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A., and it was his interest in this work which led him to become the correspondent of the organ of the Im- provement Associations during the campaign in the Philip- pines. The "Far East" has suddenly become a mighty theatre for the activity of the European nations, and the successful coup de Main executed by Acting Admiral George Dewey, by which the Spanish Pacific fleet was destroyed, has suddenly brought the United States upon the same theatre of action, where three months ago the European nations alone—except- ing possibly Japan—seemed to be the only arbiters of the far eastern situation. Not so now, however; for, as by an un- foreseen act of providence, the United States has been thrust upon the stage of action out there in the Pacific; and un- doubtedly from now on will have to be accounted with in any disposition that is made of affairs and nations whose shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific. And who shall say that it is not part of God's purpose to have the influence of the United States felt in the changes that seem destined for those Asiatic countries? We feel profoundly impressed that the "Far East" will be the storm center of international activity for some time to come, and the readers of the Era may be assured that in Cap- tain Young we shall have an occasional statement of the im- portant events transpiring there from one who views them on the spot, and who can intelligently indicate'their trend.

EDITOR'S TABLE. 615 PROGRESS OF THE WAR ARTICLE. We call attention to the Era's progress of the War art- icle. In it our readers will find a pretty full history of the American-Spanish war from the commencement of hostilities up to and including the splendid achievement of Commodore —now Acting Admiral—George Dewey, at Manila bay. The student will here find collected and arranged with as strict regard for chronological order as the incidents related would allow, the several official documents which bear upon the events of the war as they have transpired. As well as being intensely interesting reading at the present time, this article and the others that are to follow on the same subject—for it is our intention to write the current history of this war—will be found valuable for reference. Indeed we take the oppor- tunity afforded by this present war to point out the value of a magazine which not only deals with current thought, relig- ious, scientific and political, but which also deals with great current events—the revolutions within and among nations; the national and international plots and counter-plots; to- gether with the rise and fall and policies of leading states- men. It is true the daily press of the country deals with these questions, but the daily papers are casually read and cast aside. For individuals to keep them on file is out of the question, and soon one loses the sequence and the relation of current historical events unless he has some other medium more convenient than the daily press through which to pre- serve them, and to which he can refer. It is here that the advantages of a magazine such as described above are made apparent; and in a community where men regard it as a duty as well as an intellectual pleasure to keep abreast of current thought, and informed on passing historical events—the monthly magazine that supplies the means that will enable them to do this fills an honored place in current literature, and cannot well be dispensed with. Such a function as this, in connection with others, the Era is ambitious to perform, and we feel confident that it is succeeding.

616 IMPROVEMENT ERA. NOTES. As indicative of the world's consumption of electrical conductors, it is interesting to note that the total length of the world's telegraph system has reached 4,908,823 miles, ex- clusive of 181,440 miles of submarine cables. This mileage is apportioned as follows—Europe, 1,764,790 miles; Asia, 310,685 miles; Africa, 99,419 miles; Australia, 217,479 miles, America, 2,516,548 miles. A farmer who should sit still and hope for a rich harvest when he had neither prepared the ground nor sown the seed would justly excite our ridicule; yet we do exactly the same thing when we hope that the months or years may yield to us fruits which we have never planted, and benefits which we have never earned. In the United Kingdom and the United States the an- nual consumption of alcohol averages one gallon per head. Give the world the same faith in God that Napoleon's rank and file had in their general and the millennium would be here in the twinkling of an eye. Our faith is too refrigerat- ing, and our trust is so much like distrust that it is hard to tell whether it is the one or the other. Enthusiasm for the Almighty! You may not like the phrase, but you need what it represents. It is said that at the birth of a Japanese baby a treeps planted, which must remain untouched until the marriage- day of the child. When the nuptial hour arrives the tree is cut down, and a skilled cabinet-maker transforms the wood into furniture, which is considered by the young couple as the most beautiful of all ornaments of the house. It is a very crude and mistaken classification which separates men into thinkers on the one hand and practical men of action on the other. No one can be practical in any- effective way without much thought, and for want of it many excellent enterprises break down and come to naught.

EDITOR'S TABLE- 617 IN LIGHTER MOOD. "Three different waiters at an hotel asked a prim, precise little man at dinner if he would have soup. A little annoyed, he said to the last waiter who asked the question, "Is it compulsory?" "No, sir," said the waiter; "I think it's mock turtle." A schoolboy was asked to explain the formation of dew. His answer was, "The earth revolves on its axis every twenty-four hours, and, in consequence of the tremendous pace at which it travels, it perspires freely." This reminds us of the ready reply the Prophet Joseph Smith is said to have made at a dinner party at Springfield, Illinois, on one occasion. Quite a number of members of the state legislature, and prominent jurists of the state were present. Many questions were asked the prophet, some for information and some with a view to puzzle him. Finally someone asked him what caused the ebb and flow of the ocean tides. "The earth breathes," was the quick response, "and the alternate expansion and contraction of her surface occasions the tides. "" "The people around the little mountain town called him 'Old Comparison,' and I knew in a general way, why the sobriquet had been given him, but I did not, during my month's stay, have an opportunity to test it, though I had a speaking acquaintance with him. One day I was passing his house, and he was sitting on the steps of the little vine-clad porch in front. 'Good morning, I said. 'It's a lovely day.' 'Finer'n silk,' he responded. 'How are you this morning?' 'Friskier'n a colt.' 'How's your wife?' 'Pearter'n a pullet.' 'The weather is very hot and dry for the season, don't you think?' 'Hotter'n a run horse, and drier'n a clean shirt.' 'I suppose you went to the wedding last night in the meeting- house ? A pretty bride, I thought. ' 'Putier'n a speckled dog. ' 'The young man is rich, I hear.' 'Richer'n fertilizer a foot thick.' 'By-the-way, are you willing to sell me those sawlogs Brown couldn't take off your hands?' 'Williner'n a girl to get spliced. ' 'When can I get them ?' 'Quicker'n a lamb can shake his tail.' And the old man grabbed his hat and stick, and led the way to the river, offering no remark, but answer- ing all inquiries as usual."