--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - J. M. Tanner collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 6 number: 7 published: 1903-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'J. M. Tanner, "Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World," *Improvement Era* 6, no. 7 (May 1903): 537–543.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0607unse 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: improvementera0607unse start_page: 537 end_page: 543 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1903-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0607unse publication_year: 1903 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 1903, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # 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. The Treaty with Cuba. A very interesting discussion has grown out of the treaty recently acted upon by the Senate of the United States. The treaty provided that 20 per cent be taken off from the tariff on the Cuban sugars that are imported into this country. The treaty was entered into by the President of the United States and sent to the Senate which, by the terms of the constitution, must approve by a two-thirds vote all treaties entered into between this nation and any foreign country. The treaty-making power, it will be seen, is confined to the President and the Senate, without any reference whatever to the House of Representatives. On the other hand, the constitution provides that all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House. And tariff is one of the means by which revenues are collected, so that all tariff laws are first taken up in the House. Now the treaty between Cuba and the United States is not intended to raise revenue; but, on the other hand, destroys the revenue; so that if the Senate by its treaty making power could destroy the revenues which the House originates, the constitu- tional preference given to the House in such matters would be of little value. The Senate, therefore, upon its approval of the Cuban treaty, provided that it should also be "approved" by the House of Representatives. The question then arises, should the treaty be submitted to 538 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the House for "approval" or for the "action" of the House. There are those who contend that the House can neither "ratify" nor "approve," and that the Senate was therefore wrong in providing, in its ratification of the tr3aty, that it be "approved" by the House before it should go into effect. To most people, the contention will appear to be purely technical, and that it really does not matter whether the treaty be referred to the House for it& "action" or for its "approval." The interesting feature is the growing demands of the Hous& to take part in the treaty-making power which the constitution gives exclusively to the President and the Senate. The trouble is that very many of the treaties involve the expenditure of money, and the House of Representatives has been given the exclusive right to place the key in the lock of the exchequer. The Cuban treaty does not, however, ask for money, but it asks to destroy revenue, and so the principle is considered the same; and the House has the right to be consulted just as much where revenue is destroyed as where it is created. South American Republics and the Monroe Doctrine. In the days of President Monroe, this country announced that it would not look favorably upon any attempt by a European power to acquire new territory in the Western Hemisphere. By this declaration, commonly known as the Monroe Doctrine, the United States made itself a kind of protector for the small republics of Central and South America. But these republics have not always felt favorably inclined to the Doctrine, because, as some of them thought, it was an assumption of authority over them by the United States, and they, therefore, looked with some suspicion upon this country. For almost a century, not a single one of these republics has ever endorsed the Monroe Doctrine, and, as a rule, their com- mercial intercourse has been carried on chiefly with European nations. The recent trouble, however, with Venezuela has created some change of sentiment in South America. And now the Argentine republic, through its foreign minister. Dr. Drago, sends word to the United States government an acknowledgment of the Monroe Doctrine, and protests strongly against the right CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 539 of European powers to collect by force the debts owed by these small republics to European powers. All of the South and Central American republics have not been very prompt in the payment of their obligations, and the treatment of their debts by them has sometimes been in the nature of a repudiation. The action of Germany and Great Britain, in collecting the payment of Venezuela's debts by armed force, has given some alarm to other neighboring republics, and this alarm has brought forth the first recognition of the Monroe Doctrine by any South or Central American republic. The attitude of our country, however, has been conservative in allowing England and Germany, on the one hand, to collect the debts by force, and so determined, on the other, that no territory should be acquired by either of these powers in Venezuela, that the people of South America are beginning to comprehend more perfectly not' only our position toward them, but our firmness toward Europe. We shall be looked to more than ever before for our good will and protection. It must mean, in the end, that new and closer business relations will spring up between this country and South America, and that England and Germany must share the markets, which they almost exclusively held,with the United States. Other republics may follow the example of Argentine, but whether they acknowledge the Monroe Doctrine or not, this country will pursue its time-honored policy with respect to territorial acquisi- tions, on this continent, by European countries. An Uprising in Macedonia. The scrimmages and preliminary revolutionary skirmishes in Macedonia clearly show that this Turkish province has abundant inflammable material for war. The discontented Albanians have attacked the Turkish troops, and some preliminary fighting has been going on between them. The Bulgarian revolutionists are also opposing Turkish administration, and are resisting the Turkish troops. A curious encounter took place between a small band of Bul- garians and the Turks, which shows the semi-civilized methods of 540 IMPROVEMENT ERA warfare practiced by the Sultan's soldiery. The Bulgarian in- surgents had entered the village of Carbintzi, and entrenched them- selves in a strongly built house, where they refused to surrender at the command of the Turks. The Turkish commander took a number of Bulgarian peasants from the village, placed them in front of the soldiers, and proceeded to the entrenchment of the Bulgarian revolutionists. The latter opened fire and killed a number of the Turks. To avenge themselves for the loss of their soldiers, the Turks took the peasants, which they had marched in front of them, and put them to death. Turkey has given assurance to Russia and Austria that she is willing to carry out the reforms demanded by these powers, but the Bulgarians who are stirring up strife in Macedonia will be satisfied with nothing short of war. The Bulgarian revolutionists are placing themselves in an attitude intended to bring upon them the displeasure of Austria and Russia, and the condemnation of the civilized world. Tlie uprising of the Albanians is most unfortunate for Turkey, because Albania is a wild and mountainous country, and the Albanians are in a position to carry on quite successfully a guer- rilla war. It is expected, therefore, that the Sultan will do all in his power to pacify the Albanians by means of wise diplomacy, and compel, by force of arms, the Bulgarian agitators to retire from the country. Surely Turkey is entitled to a trial effort in bringing about the reforms the Sultan has promised in the administration of the govermental affairs of Macedonia. The Russian ambassador at Constantinople has commended the action of the Turkish troops, and gives the following statement to the Russian press: Turkey is solemnly bound to carry out the reform mandate of Eussia and Austria-Hungary ; and, on our part, we are pledged not to spill a drop of blood for the salvation of the Macedonian malcontents. Turkey will have the right to suppress any insurrection in her own way. In regard to Albania, the Porte does not, naturally, desire to make open enemies of the wild and lawless Albanians, but the Sultan is doing all power to reconcile the Albanian leaders with the reform in his scheme. To this end, he has dispatched from Constantinople to Ipek and Kossovo such influential Albanian chiefs as Bachri Pasha, Risa Bey, Buschra Bey, Bairamama Bey and Numian Effendi, who will no doubt CURRENT STORY OF THE WORLD. 541 succeed in persuading their compatriots to accept the new order of things in Macedonia and Old Servia. Some Good Books For Young People's Libraries. Young people frequently want to know what books will be most helpful and useful to them. The general desire for reading is growing very rapidly among the young people of the Church, and with the growth of the desire for books naturally comes the question, what books may I advantageously read. There are books of fiction that inspire us, and there are books of valuable informa- tion which help us. For many years, people have been discussing those books which they esteemed most helpful in creating a love for good literature. From these discussions, a certain class of books has come to be regarded as standard. But the question of the helpfulness of a book depends very much upon the conditions and circumstances of life in which young people find themselves. One of the largest publishing houses of our country, Hough- ton, Mifflin & Co., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass., has published a very large list of books that are peculiarly suited for a home library ^ for young people who are beginning to cultivate literary tastes and habits. There is here subjoined from this large list, some books covering a wide range of subjects which may form the be- ginning of a young people's library. The books are of large, clear print, and of half-leather binding. The following are sent postage prepaid for 60 cents: Stories from the Arabian Nights; A Japan- ese Interior, by Bacon; Rab and his Friends, and Other Dogs and Men, by John Brown; The Pilgrim's Progress, by Bunyan; Birds and Bees, and Other Studies in Nature, by Burroughs; Robinson Crusoe, by Defoe; A Christmas Carol, and The Cricket on the Hearth, by Dickens; Poems and Essays, by Emerson; The War of Independence, hj Fiske; Autobiography, hj FrankMn; The Vicar of Wakefield, by Goldsmith; Brave Little Holland, by Griffis; The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, by Holmes; Grandmother's Story, and Other Verse and Prose, by Holmes; Essays from the Sketch Book, by Irving; Tales oj New England, by Sarah Orne Jewett; Tales from Shakespeare, by Lamb; Evangeline, Hiawatha, and The Courtship of Miles Standish, by Longfellow; The Vision of Sir Launfal and Other Poems, by Lowell; Bird-ways, by Olive Thorne 542 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Miller; Captains of Industry, First and Second series by Parton; George Washington, by Scudder; Enoch Arden, The Coming of Arthur, and Other Poems, by Tennyson. The following are sent postage prepaid for 70 cents: The Last of the Mohicans, by Cooper; Two Years Before the Mast, by Dana; The House of the Seven Gables, by Hawthorne; Ivanhoe, by Scott. It should be remembered that many of these books may be obtained at almost any book store in cheaper form, but where a library is begun, the style of the book counts for much. Reforms in Mexico. For years, the instability and shifting values of Mexican money have created financial uncertainties and unfavorable econo- mic conditions in that country. One of the greatest needs today, in Mexico, is a substantial money currency. Silver coin currency constitutes the chief money of the country, but the silver is so fluctuating in value, and so low compared with gold, that business and labor interests suffer greatly as a consequence. Recently, Mexico has been considering the necessity of a change on what is to be practically a gold basis; and, to bring about the change, a committee of experts has visited Mexico for the purpose of determining what Mexico can and ought to do. The committee recommends, and the recommendation is likely to be well received by Mexico, that silver coins be kept on a par with gold, by creat- , ing a gold exchange fund in certain centers of the country. Silver, then, would be interchangeable with gold because it could be con- verted into gold at any time. That would be greatly in the in- terests of the laboring classes whose wages are paid in silver, when a dollar in silver is scarcely worth more than 40 cents in gold. Mexico's credit is good, and the Republic is, therefore, in a position to bring about this important and desirable change. This change, to what would be practically a gold standard, is all the more desirable because of the increasing commerce between that country and the United States. The United States is invest- ing millions of dollars in Mexico, and is, therefore, supplying the country with a large amount of gold. In addition to the financial changes, intended to put that — CURRENT SIORY OF THE WORLD. 543 country more in harmony with this, the Mexican government has made the study of English compulsory education in its public schools. The leading men of the Mexican government speak English, railroad employees must know the English language, and itscommercial value is, therefore, so great that the Mexicans cannot get along very well in a business way without some knowl- edge of English. MAKE GROWTH, NOT WEALTH, YOUR GOAL. The youth who starts out in life with wealth as his ideal is a foredoomed failure. If you would succeed, let growth, expansion of mind and heart and wealth of character, not money-getting, be your aim. Be as large a man as you can make yourself. Broaden your sympathies by taking an interest in other things than those which concern your immediate business, A knowledge of the great world movements, active sympathy with all efforts directed toward progress and the betterment of mankind, and the cultiva- tion of the finer side of your nature — fostering the love of music, art, and literature— will not only enlarge your vision, but will increase a hundredfold your enjoyment of life and your value to society. Do not allow yourself to become self-centered. Give some of your energies to securing better conditions for those less fortunately circumstanced than yourself. Interest yourself in politics. Go to the primaries. Remember that you are, first of all, a man, and then a citizen, and that making a life is man's first duty. Keep your manhood always in view. Never do anything that will throw discredit upon it, and success will mean far more to you than mere money-getting. You will find that culture, the development of your aesthetic nature, will enrich you more than the accumulation of dollars. If you attain to true manhood; if you have developed along the lines of your higher self; if you have kept growing through all the years, no matter whether you have accumulated wealth or not, you are successful. Success.