--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Hull, Thomas collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 1 number: 11 published: 1898-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Thomas Hull, "Events of the Month," *Improvement Era* 1, no. 11 (September 1898): 862–864.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera111unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera111unse start_page: 862 end_page: 864 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1898-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera111unse publication_year: 1898 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1898, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Events of the Month EVENTS OF THE MONTH, BY THOMAS HULL, SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL BOARD, Y. M. M I. A. July ijth: Santiago finally surrendered to General Shafter and the United States flag was hoisted in the city at noon. * * * General Chambers McKibben is appointed military governor of Santiago. igth: The works of the Western Fuse & Explosive Company at Oakland, California, were blown up by a Chinaman, an employee of the works. Seven people were killed. The Chinaman, who had killed a fellow countryman, committed the awful deed to prevent arrest. 20th: The contract for transporting the Spanish troops, surrendered at Santiago, is awarded by the government of the United Stated to a Spanish Trans-Atlantic company. The cost will be about $535,000. 21st: Word received at Washington, D. C, brings the information that the second Philippine expedition, which includes the Utah batteries, arrived at Cavite on July 17th, all well. * * * General Miles sailed from Siboney, Cuba, with a body of troops for Porto Rico. 22nd: From a cablegram received in Washington it is learned that the insurgent leader, Aguinaldo, declares dictatorship and martial law over all the Philippine islands. 24th: Services were held in all the settlements of the Latter-day Saints in memory of the "Maine" martyrs and collections taken up for the "Mormon" contribution to the "Maine" Monument Fund. * * * The civic federation of Chicago issued a call for a national conference to be held at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., August 19th and 20th to discuss the future foreigh policy of the United States. 25th: Pioneer Square, the first camping place of the Saints who entered the Salt Lake valley fifty-one years ago, was formally dedicated as a public park. 26th: General Miles effected a landing in Porto Rico at Guanica. * * * The following official statement was issued from the White House: "The French embassador, on behalf of the government of Spain, and by direction of the Spanish minister of foreign affairs, presented to the President this afternoon, at the White House, a message from the Spanish government, looking to the termination of the war and the settlement of terms of peace." 2jth: Advices received from Honolulu state that the steamship "Coptic" arrived there on July 13th with the news of the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. There was general rejoicing in Honolulu. 28th: Much sickness prevails among the soldiers of Shatter's army at Santiago and arrangements are being made to bring them to Montauk Point, Long Island. 30th: The answer of the United States to Spain's peace proposal is forwarded, through the French embassador, to Madrid. * * * EVENTS OF THE MONTH. 863 The following message from General Merritt was received at the War department: "Cavite, July 25.—Arrived today about 12 o'clock. Health of command is good. Remainder of fleet about four days in the rear. All troops assigned to me will probably be needed.—Merritt." * * * Prince Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor of Germany, died at Friedrichsrhue, Germany, at 11 o'clock tonight. August 1st: Battery C, Utah volunteers left Salt Lake for San Francisco. 3rd: The heaviest rain ever known in Philadelphia visited that place. In an hour and three-qurrters five and four-tenths inches of rain fell. yth: Christopher Lay ton, at one time bishop of Kay's ward, Davis Stake, and later president of the St. Joseph Stake of Zion, in Arizona, died in Kaysville. He was in his 78th year. 8th: Spain's reply to the terms of peace offered by the United States was received in Washington. * * The greater part of tbe town of Bismarck, North Dakota, was destroyed by fire. Several hundred thousand dollars' worth of property was destroyed. qth: Word received from Manila today brings the information that on the night of July 31st the Spaniards attacked the intrenchments of the Americans at Malate, near Manila, After a fierce battle the Spaniards were repulsed with great loss. The Utah battery, under Capt. Richard W. Young, covered itself with glory. All the dispatches sent to the eastern papers mention its work in terms of the highest praise Fifteen Americans were killed and forty-four wounded. None of the Utah men were killed. * * * Lieut. Briant H. Wells arrived in Salt Lake City, from Santiago de Cuba, where he was wounded in battle on July 31st 10th: Advices from Manila state that fire was discovered in the coal bunkers of the transport "Morgan City," conveying part of the Third expedition from San Francisco to the Philippines, when she was about three days out from Honolulu. The crew fought the fire all the way to Manila but it was not extinguished until the vessel had been in port some hours. nth: Details of the battle at Malate, in which the Utah boys wers engaged, show that Lieut. Geo. W. Gibbs and Private J. G. Winkler of the Utah batteries were wounded. * * * The New York Herald of this date says editorially: "Our latest state has borne its share in adding to the glory of the nation. In the battle of Malate the Utah light artillery, whose guns were dragged through deep mud to send shrapnel into the Spaniards' ranks, showed itself deserving of all honor. Utah has had its troubles in the past, but when she sends such a contribution to the nation we wipe out the memory of all troubles." 12th: The peace protocol between the United States and Spain was signed by the French embassador, M. Cambon, representing the Spanish government, and Secretary Day, representing the United States, at 4:23 p. m. and the war with Spain ended. Orders were sent to Generals Miles, Merritt and Shatter and Admirals Sampson and Dewey to suspend all hostilities. ijth: The Utah cavalry, which has been lying at San Francisco, started for Yosemite and Sequoia Parks. * * * It is estimated that the war has cost the United States to date $150,000,000. 15th: A dispatch received at Washington at 11:15 p m says that Admiral Dewey bombarded Manila on Sunday, the 14th, and the city surrendered unconditionally. ibth: A contract between the Oregon Short Line Railroad and the 8C4 IMPR O VEMENT ERA. promoters of a railroad from Milford to Stateline was signed in Salt Lake City. The signers are officials of the Oregon Short Line on one side, and A. W. McCune, David Eccles, C. W Nibley and others, on the other side. It is stated that the road as far as Sulphur Springs will be completed within five months. BOOK REVIEW. PREACHING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING. Very few people care to be told their shortcomings, and consequently, it is quite possible that the work on "Preaching and Public Speaking, " just from the press of the Deseret News Publishing Company, by N. L. Nelson, professor of rhetoric and elocution in the Brigham Young Academy, Provo—is not likely to please the present generation doing the preaching in The Church. The professor decidedly, not to say harshly, points out the faults of the past and present generation of preachers; but not with the hope, as he assures us in his preface, of changing the mental habits of the older generation, and certainly not with the view of hurting their feelings; but with the intention of benefiting the young men who, in the future, will become our preachers and public speakers This somewhat relieves the work from the charge of being harsh in its criticism which otherwise it could not escape. We should say that exceptional advantages are possessed by the professor for writing such a work, since, in addition to some missionary experience as a preacher himself, in the Southern States, he occupied the position of clerk at Sabbath meetings in the Provo Tabernacle for three years, where he was required to place on record the substance of sermons delivered there, and in addition to that, has been in contact with young men for some fourteen years in the classes of the Brigham Young Academy; and therefore the especial faults of the present generation have been constantly before him. We half regret that he has not been a little more kind to the faults of the past, since exceptional conditions, in the midst of which the ministry of the church has labored, go very far towards excusing the lack of system and polish in preaching. But since the professor merely points to these defects in speech, not to ridicule the past, but to benefit the generation that is to come after us, we trust that no exceptions will be taken to what he has said in that division of his most excellent work; and we trust that those who will be inclined to criticise the book on the ground indicated, will remember that if knowing our faults is not equivalent to correcting them, still, before correction can take place, both the individual and a community must know their results, and in this spirit they should view Prof. Nelson's book. Fortunately, the greater part of the book, consisting of about 450 pages, is constructive in its character, and if studied with attention, and its suggestions reduced to practice it will no doubt go very far towards correcting the prevailing errors in preaching and public speaking We regard it as being a positive help to our young men, and therefore welcome the professor's book as a very valuable contribution to a subject altogether too much neglected; and commend it to the serious attention of our yonng men.