Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World

SOME LEADING EVENTS IN THE CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. BY DR. J. M. TANNER, SUPERINTENDENT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS. Venezuela's New Troubles. Early in December of last year, telegrams from Venezuela notified the world that the allied powers of Great Britain and Ger- many were blockading the Venezuelan ports for the purpose of coercing this South American republic into the payment of her debts. Venezuela had borrowed very heavily from Germans and English to construct railroads in that country. During the recent revolution of that republic, considerable property belonging to the English had been destroyed, and it is said that certain out- rages had been perpetrated against the subjects of Great Britain. For many years, these European countries have been endeav- oring to collect the moneys owed their citizens by Venezuela, and the Venezuelans have met the demands by a promise to pay to- morrow. But the Venezuelan "tomorrow" is very much like the Turkish "We'll see about it"—it never comes. The English began to think that if the Venezuelans could afford so many luxuries, in the nature of revolutions, it could afford to pay its debts.' For a long time, the powers had been postponing united action, because of a revolution that was going on in the South American republic. Finally, it was perhaps considered that the interval between revo- lutions would not be long enough to collect their debts. The English and Germans were quite well aware of the atti- tude taken by this country on the Monroe doctrine, and therefore consulted the United States, and gained the consent of this coun-

284 IMPROVEMENT ERA. try to adopt measures of coercion, with the understanding that there was to be no conquest of territory whatever. The powers agreed upon two methods of coercing Venezuela: one was to blockade the ports and force Venezuela to pay or starve; the other, undoubtedly more effective, was to seize the ports of that country and collect the tariff revenues until sufficient was obtained to cancel Venezuela's obligations. Notwithstanding the consent obtained from this country, the task was a very delicate one,owing to the universal sentiment here in favor of the Monroe doctrine. It would be very easy, perhaps, for the admirals in command of these European fleets to commit some act that would arouse opposition in this country. When the combined fleets entered Venezuela's harbors, one of the first acts was to sink two of the republic's gunboats, two harmless vessels; and the act seemed to many throughout the United States unnec- essary and wanton. It certainly created a sympathy in favor of Venezuela, and was likely to complicate the situation, which was relieved, however, by the German government recalling the com- mander in charge. While the President and the Secretary of State were willing that the great powers might collect the debts owed them in the manner agreed upon, they, of course, could give no assurance that blunders committed in the delicate task might not arouse a war- like sentiment in this country, which the President and his cabinet would be helpless to withstand. A slight feeling of irritation was also aroused in the United States when the English commander bombarded one of Venezuela's weak ports. The President of the United States was quick to foresee that a feeling of hostility here might be aroused, and he, therefore, proposed to the allied powers that their controversy with Venezuela be arbitrated. To the prop- osition, the great powers wisely consented, and threw a pretty bouquet to this country by proposing that President Roosevelt act as arbitrator. There were two reasons why it is undesirable that thePresident of the United States act in that role. -The most important was the fact that we could not be put in the attitude of a moral obligation to compel Venezuela to pay the judgment which the President might award against that country. In the second place, there is

CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 285 an international court of arbitration known as the Hague Tribunal, and it would be in keeping with our efforts to adjust international disputes by an international court of arbitration, to refer it to that tribunal. President Roosevelt declined the offer, and suggested the Hague tribunal- The powerg again graciously acquiesced in his suggestion, and it seems quite certain that no harm has been done in the end to the good relations that have existed for some time between this country and the great powers of Europe. Some Results of the War in South Africa. Ever since the treaty of peace between the British and the Boers, there has been a constant irritation between the latter and the British High Commissioner Milner, and it has seemed as though the British were likely to have another Irish difficulty on their hands. The foreign secretary, Mr. Chamberlain, concluded to investigate the situation on the spot, and is, therefore, now in South Africa in quest of information at first hand. The Boers are evidently desirous of harmony, and at the same time are anxious to secure all the rights of self-government they can possibly ob- tain. In England, the industrial population has been largely in- creased by the return of over one hundred thousand soldiers since the close of the war. When the necessity for implements of war ceased, by the treaty of peace, the government closed many of its factories, and threw on to the labor market a large number of unemployed. As a result, the outlook for the working classes in England is worse than it has been for the last ten years. Last sum- mer, a large number of English went to South Africa, in the belief that the country offered good inducements for labor. They were disappointed, and many of them have returned. Many who went to that country have become stranded in its coast cities, and are be- coming a charge upon the British government. Increased Emigration to this Country. Owing to the labor situation in England, and to the hard times in Germany and Austria, the emigration to this country ha3 in- creased very heavily of late. In Germany, the people are suffering from over-production by the great syndicates and trusts, which

286 IMPROVEMENT ERA. have not met the claim for them that one of their greatest virtues is the control and regulation of their productions to meet the demands of the market. It is said that in Austria there are one hundred and forty thousand men idle in the iron trade alone. In Finland there is a serious famine, and hunger with all its terrors has invaded the northern provinces, putting four hunrlred thousand of the two and one-half millions of people in "The Land of the Thousand Lakes," as Runneberg, their famous poet, named it, on the verge of starvation. We have reason to congratulate our- selves that times are better with us; and while we do so to remem- ber the afflicted, and the source of our blessings. Child Labor in the South. Notwithstanding the numerous contradictions and explana- tions, it seems very certain that the manufacturers in the Southern States have adopted the barbarous practices which pre- vailed in the factories of this country and England, a century ago. Little children of tender years have been employed, at trifling compensation, to work long hours in the factory. The manufac- turers complained of are chiefly those from the North, who have in late years erected cotton mills in the South, in order to save transportation, and to avail themselves of the cheap labor to be found there. Some of the legislatures of these states have re- cently passed laws prohibiting child labor, and regulating the hours of work. In a recent communication from Alabama, a re- form agitator writes: "I have just returned from a mill where the employes, children and all, are worked thirteen hours a day— from 5:30 in the morning to 6:30 at night, with but twenty min- utes for dinner. The same mill, when it is rushed, works its hands from three to four nights in succession, until 9:30 and sometimes 10 o'clock." Another Triumph. The world has just received the gratifying announcement that the transmission of wireless telegraphic messages over the Atlantic, between Nova Scotia and England, is an accom- plished fact. On December 21, 1902, a date that is likely to be memorable in the annals of history, the Governor General of

CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 287 Canada sent a message to the King of Great Britain. A message was also sent to the King of Italy, and press dispatches were con- veyed with perfect accuracy. Further announcement was also made that, within a short time, this air, or ether, line would be in operation for commercial purposes. Telegraphy itself has always been more or less a mystery to the world; but so long as it was conveyed by wire, our theories about a transmission from atom to atom, along the wire, helped us out of the difficulty very much. The marvels, however, of electricity are very greatly intensified by the fact that the wire is no longer essential. The theory is that the ether, the name given to the gaseous substances that fill the spaces between the particles of air, does the work of the wire. Naturally, the first question that people will ask is, What is to become of the great cables that now cross the ocean beds? Great Britain has just completed a cable between Canada and Australia. The other day (January 2, 1903,) the Mackay Com- pany completed a cable between San Francisco and Honolulu. Will these and similar business enterprises fail? It seems quite certain that messages can be sent vastly cheaper by the wirelass telegraphy than by a cable, and the first change that may come is likely to be that of a cheapening process. Then again, certain elements of uncertainty in climatic conditions may make the cable more reliable. After all, the new invention will find new uses, and the cable is likely to go on rendering its services as heretofore, Marconi's fame is established, and his name will undoubtedly rank, hereafter, among inventors such as Morse and Fulton. Thomas B. Reed. The death of Thomas B. Reed of Maine, in Washington, at the Arlington hotel, December 7, removes from life one of our country's most conspicuous and famous statesmen. His death came as a surprise to the country, because his illness had been of such short duration. He was born in Portland, Maine, October 18, 1839, and came from a long line of ancestors in that city. He was a graduate of the Bowdoin College, and became early in life a school teacher. Like many of our country's illustrious men, he made the profession of teacher the stepping stone to the study

288 IMPROVEMENT ERA. and practice of law. At one time Mr. Reed was Attorney- General for the state of Maine, and gained a high reputation in his profession, to which he retired when he ceased to find any further advancement or preference in political life. His position as Speaker of the House of Representatives has generally been thought to rank next to that of President of the United States. Mr. Reed was a candidate for the presidency when President McKinley was nominated the first time. Of late, reports of the Ex-speaker's lucrative practice of law in the City of New York have assured his fellow countrymen that in private walks of life, as in public service, his abilities were of the first order. Thomas Brackett Reed has been the most talented and illustrious Speaker of our House of Representatives, since that position was occupied by James G. Blaine. He was also a man of great literary powers. His style is lucid and forceful, and he has given us strong evidences of the foremost oratorical powers possessed in this country. He had a broad grasp of public questions, and was familiar with all the departments of our public service. For years, he was leader of the Republican party in Congress, and was six years Speaker of the House. His native state kept him in Congress for twenty-two years. Mr. Reed was particularly strong in the New England states. He was perhaps the most incisive, and, at the same time, humorous political speaker in the country. He never inspired the same patriotic f eelings that were awakened by President McKinley,in his addresses, but he was always logical and discriminating. As an attorney at law, he perhaps did not rank with Olney nor with Harrison, but this fact must be due to his long and continuous public services in the political branch of our government. He was a terror to his opponents who must, however, accord to him a high-minded patriotism. Many wonderful things will be said in print about Ex-Speaker Reed. Vigorous to the Last. The recent death of Elizabeth Cady Stanton removes one of the shining lights among our illustrious women,—one of the nation's stalwart advocates of woman's rights. The day before her death, she dictated to her secretary a vigorous appeal to the President

CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 289 of the United States for the enfranchisement of thirty-six million women. President Roosevelt is reminded that, when governor of New York, he recommended to its legislature that suffrage be granted to women. "If," she says, "political power inheres in the people—and women surely are people—then there is a crying need for an amendment to the National Constitution, making these fundamental principles verities." This great woman did not live to see the realization of her fondest dreams, but she saw a wonderful change brought about in the obliteration of many odious and oppressive distinctions between man and woman. Legal distinctions have been broken down, women may attend college, and woman's suffrage has been granted in four of the western states. She outdistanced all the boys of her class, in the academy of Johnston, N. Y., only to learn that she could not enjoy a college education because she was a girl. Her efforts have brought upon her ridicule from politicians as well as ministers; and it seems impossible, as we now look back, that such indignities could have been heaped upon herself and colleagues for their efforts to en- large the legal and political rights of woman. Those who know her best claim for her the highest virtues. Her writings and speeches show a strong legal mind. Her father was a judge, and, as he sat beside the coffin of his only son, he is said to have ex- claimed to the little girl, Elizabeth, who sat on his lap, "Oh, if you were only a boy!" The women of Utah have great reason to appreciate the work of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In motherhood, and in the home, her ability and devotion were no less beautiful than her public life and efforts were able Her life carries with it the admo- nition—"wait and see"—to all who violently oppose the progress and reform of Him who holds in his hands the destiny of nations. The world is not half converted—"the half has never been told."