---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Tanner, J. M.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 5
published: 1904-03
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* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 371–381.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  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: improvementera0705unse
start_page: 371
end_page: 381
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-03)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  publication_year: 1904
  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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Some Leading Events in the Current Story of the World

<!-- page:371 -->

PUBLIC 
        WORKERS. 
        371
he 
        sailed 
        from 
        Liverpool 
        with 
        a 
        company 
        of 
        Saints 
        bound 
        for 
        New
Orleans. 
        The 
        ship 
        on 
        which 
        he 
        embarked 
        collided 
        with 
        a 
        schooner
in 
        the 
        Irish 
        channel, 
        and 
        was 
        disabled. 
        This 
        made 
        it 
        necessary
for 
        the 
        vessel 
        to 
        go 
        under 
        repairs, 
        and 
        for 
        this 
        purpose 
        it 
        was 
        run
into 
        Cardigan 
        bay, 
        where 
        it 
        remained 
        three 
        weeks. 
        Owing 
        to 
        this
delay, 
        it 
        did 
        not 
        reach 
        New 
        Orleans 
        till 
        March 
        14.
From 
        New 
        Orleans, 
        Brother 
        Ball 
        went 
        by 
        steamer 
        to 
        St.
Louis, 
        and 
        from 
        there 
        to 
        Council 
        Bluffs. 
        There 
        he 
        worked 
        in 
        the
office 
        of 
        the 
        Frontier 
        Guardian, 
        a 
        paper 
        published 
        at 
        that 
        time
by 
        Apostle 
        Orson 
        Hyde. 
        He 
        walked 
        from 
        Council 
        Bluffs 
        to 
        Utah,
and 
        drove 
        a 
        herd 
        of 
        cattle 
        the 
        whole 
        distance, 
        receiving 
        hia
board 
        in 
        payment 
        for 
        his 
        services 
        as 
        driver.
It 
        was 
        on 
        September 
        15 
        that 
        he 
        arrived 
        in 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        City. 
        He
labored 
        that 
        fall 
        at 
        whatever 
        he 
        could 
        find 
        to 
        do, 
        assisting 
        masons
and 
        plasterers, 
        and 
        getting 
        wood 
        from 
        the 
        canyons. 
        He 
        did 
        not
expect 
        to 
        find 
        work 
        at 
        printing 
        in 
        those 
        early 
        days 
        of 
        Utah's 
        set-
tlement, but 
        expected 
        to 
        turn 
        his 
        attention 
        to 
        farming 
        when 
        the
season 
        opened. 
        Early 
        in 
        January, 
        1852, 
        he 
        undertook 
        with 
        others
to 
        dig 
        a 
        drain 
        ditch 
        in 
        Bountiful, 
        then 
        known 
        as 
        Sessions' 
        Settle-
ment, Davis 
        county. 
        While 
        at 
        this 
        work, 
        Dr. 
        Willard 
        Richards,
editor 
        of 
        the 
        Deseret 
        News, 
        sent 
        for 
        him, 
        and 
        engaged 
        him 
        to 
        work
in 
        the 
        office 
        of 
        that 
        paper. 
        The 
        legislature 
        was 
        in 
        session, 
        and 
        help
was 
        needed 
        to 
        get 
        out 
        the 
        printing 
        required. 
        He 
        not 
        only 
        worked
as 
        a 
        compositor, 
        but 
        also 
        as 
        a 
        pressman, 
        and 
        even 
        made 
        printing
inks 
        for 
        special 
        purposes.
Three 
        years 
        after 
        his 
        arrival 
        in 
        Utah, 
        Brother 
        Bull 
        became 
        a
married 
        man. 
        He 
        wedded 
        Miss 
        Emma 
        Green, 
        formerly 
        of 
        Birming-
ham, England. 
        Six 
        months 
        later 
        he 
        was 
        called 
        upon 
        a 
        mission 
        to
California, 
        with 
        Elders 
        George 
        Q. 
        Cannon 
        and 
        Matthew 
        P. 
        Wilkie
to 
        print 
        the 
        Book 
        of 
        Mormon 
        in 
        the 
        Hawaiian 
        language, 
        and 
        to 
        pub 
        -
lish 
        the 
        Western 
        Standard, 
        a 
        weekly 
        newspaper 
        8in 
        the 
        interest 
        o
the 
        Church. 
        Between 
        June, 
        1855, 
        and 
        January, 
        1856, 
        the 
        work 
        of
printing 
        two 
        thousand 
        copies 
        of 
        the 
        Book 
        of 
        Mormon 
        was 
        com-
pleted by 
        these' 
        three 
        men. 
        The 
        first 
        number 
        of 
        the 
        Standard
was 
        issued 
        February 
        23, 
        following. 
        Elder 
        Bull 
        was 
        appointed
president 
        of 
        the 
        San 
        Francisco 
        conference 
        of 
        the 
        Church, 
        and 
        later
—
        in 
        July, 
        1857
        —
        was 
        called 
        to 
        fill 
        a 
        mission 
        to 
        the 
        Sandwich 
        Islands
to 
        publish 
        a 
        newspaper 
        in 
        the 
        Hawaiian 
        language.    
        When 
        about 
        to

<!-- page:372 -->

372 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
start 
        for 
        this 
        new 
        field 
        of 
        labor, 
        a 
        call 
        was 
        made 
        for 
        the 
        elders 
        to
return 
        to 
        Utah, 
        owing 
        to 
        the 
        coming 
        of 
        Johnston's 
        army. 
        He
reached 
        Utah 
        in 
        January, 
        1858, 
        and 
        resumed 
        his 
        labors 
        in 
        the
Deseret 
        News 
        office.
Besides 
        his 
        labors 
        in 
        the 
        mechanical 
        department 
        of 
        the 
        news-
paper, Elder 
        Bull 
        frequently 
        made 
        trips 
        through 
        the 
        territory 
        in
the 
        interest 
        of 
        the 
        business, 
        and 
        once 
        made 
        a 
        trip 
        to 
        San 
        Francisco
to 
        procure 
        a 
        supply 
        of 
        paper. 
        This 
        journey 
        of 
        nearly 
        three 
        thousand
miles, 
        going 
        and 
        returning 
        by 
        the 
        southern 
        route, 
        was 
        made 
        by 
        team
in 
        a 
        little 
        over 
        three 
        months, 
        and 
        by 
        covering 
        the 
        distance 
        so 
        expe-
ditiously he 
        prevented 
        the 
        paper 
        from 
        suspending 
        publication. 
        Later
on 
        he 
        made 
        periodical 
        business 
        trips 
        both 
        east 
        and 
        west 
        for 
        the
News, 
        and 
        became 
        familiarly 
        known 
        among 
        those 
        with 
        whom 
        he
did 
        business 
        as 
        the 
        "Mormon 
        newspaper 
        man." 
        In 
        August, 
        1860,
he 
        was 
        installed 
        as 
        foreman 
        of 
        the 
        printing 
        department 
        of 
        the
News, 
        but 
        soon 
        afterwards 
        he 
        was 
        on 
        his 
        way 
        to 
        Europe 
        to 
        fill 
        an-
other mission. 
        He 
        reached 
        Liverpool, 
        England, 
        on 
        the 
        12th 
        of
December. 
        He 
        was 
        first 
        sent 
        to 
        preside 
        over 
        the 
        Bedford 
        con-
ference; then, 
        in 
        1863, 
        to 
        occupy 
        a 
        similar 
        position 
        in 
        the 
        Leeds
district, 
        comprising 
        the 
        Sheffield, 
        Leeds 
        and 
        Hull 
        conferences. 
        He
also 
        labored 
        in 
        the 
        Millennial 
        Star 
        office, 
        and 
        superintended 
        the
publication 
        of 
        several 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        works.
After 
        an 
        absence 
        of 
        four 
        years 
        he 
        returned 
        home, 
        and 
        also 
        to
his 
        former 
        position 
        in 
        the 
        printing 
        establishment. 
        In 
        the 
        fall 
        of
1866, 
        he 
        was 
        released 
        for 
        a 
        time 
        from 
        his 
        position 
        as 
        foreman 
        on
the 
        newspaper 
        to 
        take 
        charge 
        of 
        the 
        publication 
        of 
        the 
        Juvenile
Instructor, 
        which 
        had 
        been 
        started 
        at 
        the 
        beginning 
        of 
        that 
        year
by 
        Apostle 
        George 
        Q. 
        Cannon. 
        Again 
        he 
        was 
        assigned 
        to 
        his 
        place
in 
        the 
        printing 
        department 
        of 
        the 
        News, 
        and 
        for 
        a 
        period 
        of 
        about
ten 
        years 
        acted 
        as 
        purchasing 
        agent 
        and 
        advertising 
        solicitor 
        in
connection 
        with 
        his 
        other 
        duties. 
        In 
        the 
        fall 
        of 
        1877, 
        Elder 
        Bull
started 
        on 
        another 
        mission 
        to 
        England, 
        accompanied 
        by 
        his 
        wife.
This 
        time 
        he 
        was 
        absent 
        about 
        two 
        years. 
        Besides 
        laboring 
        in 
        the
Birmingham 
        and 
        Liverpool 
        conferences, 
        he 
        superintended 
        the
printing 
        of 
        several 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        publications. 
        Returning 
        home,
he 
        again 
        took 
        up 
        his 
        labors 
        at 
        the 
        office 
        of 
        the 
        Deseret 
        News, 
        pre-
ferring to 
        stay 
        with 
        this 
        establishment, 
        although 
        having 
        had, 
        at
several 
        times, 
        offers 
        of 
        employment 
        in 
        other 
        places.    
        Soon 
        after

<!-- page:373 -->

PUBLIC 
        WORKERS. 
        373
the 
        opening 
        of 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        Temple 
        he 
        was 
        engaged 
        therein, 
        and
his 
        wife 
        also 
        became 
        one 
        of 
        the 
        workers 
        there.
On 
        October 
        24, 
        1895, 
        his 
        wife 
        died 
        of 
        pneumonia, 
        after 
        a
brief 
        illness. 
        Elder 
        Bull 
        married 
        again 
        in 
        January, 
        1897, 
        the 
        lady
of 
        his 
        choice 
        being 
        Miss 
        Zina 
        V. 
        Hyde, 
        daughter 
        of 
        the 
        late 
        Apostle
Orson 
        Hyde. 
        After 
        a 
        few 
        years' 
        service 
        in 
        the 
        Salt 
        Lake 
        Temple,
he 
        again 
        took 
        to 
        the 
        printing 
        business 
        in 
        the 
        pioneer 
        establishment
of 
        Utah, 
        where 
        he 
        remained, 
        as 
        already 
        stated, 
        until 
        within 
        a 
        few
days 
        of 
        his 
        death.
Elder 
        Bull's 
        life 
        was 
        an 
        exceedingly 
        active 
        and 
        useful 
        one. 
        He
was 
        full 
        of 
        energy, 
        and 
        loved 
        his 
        work, 
        in 
        which 
        he 
        took 
        a 
        great
deal 
        of 
        pride. 
        He 
        was 
        not 
        ashamed 
        of 
        the 
        fact 
        that 
        he 
        was 
        a
working 
        man, 
        and 
        did 
        what 
        he 
        could 
        to 
        dignify 
        labor. 
        He 
        qualified
himself 
        in 
        his 
        profession, 
        and 
        added 
        to 
        this 
        qualification 
        the 
        highly
valuable 
        quality 
        of 
        trustworthiness. 
        He 
        was 
        thorough 
        and 
        reli-
able, and 
        could 
        always 
        be 
        depended 
        upon 
        to 
        carry 
        to 
        a 
        successful
finish 
        whatever 
        he 
        undertook 
        to 
        do. 
        It 
        was 
        these 
        principles 
        in 
        his
character 
        that 
        made 
        him 
        so 
        useful 
        in 
        his 
        chosen 
        occupation; 
        and 
        it
is 
        these 
        principles 
        that 
        make 
        men 
        valuable 
        in 
        every 
        useful 
        pursuit.
A 
        man 
        may 
        have 
        brilliant 
        natural 
        talents, 
        but 
        unless 
        he 
        cultivates
with 
        those 
        talents 
        the 
        habits 
        of 
        industry 
        and 
        perseverance, 
        and 
        es-
tablishes a 
        character 
        for 
        reliability, 
        his 
        native 
        ability 
        is 
        of 
        little
avail.

<!-- page:374 -->

SOME  
        LEADING   
        EVENTS   
        IN   
        THE  
        CURRENT
STORY  
        OF 
        THE 
        WORLD.
BY 
        DR.  
        J. 
        M. 
        TANNER,  
        SUPERINTENDENT  
        OF  
        CHURCH 
        SCHOOLS.
War 
        in 
        the 
        Far 
        East.
The 
        announcement 
        that 
        the 
        Japanese 
        had 
        attacked 
        the 
        Rus-
sian fleet 
        at 
        Port 
        Arthur 
        and 
        badly 
        damaged 
        three 
        Russian 
        war
ships 
        was 
        the 
        first 
        declaration 
        of 
        war 
        by 
        Japan 
        against 
        Russia. 
        The
early 
        naval 
        engagement 
        had 
        a 
        telling 
        effect 
        in 
        favor 
        of 
        Japan,
whose 
        first 
        move 
        was 
        to 
        disable 
        and 
        endanger 
        the 
        efficiency 
        of 
        the
Russian 
        fleet. 
        This 
        was 
        necessary 
        in 
        order 
        that 
        the 
        Japanese
might 
        move 
        their 
        land 
        troops 
        undisturbed 
        into 
        Korea 
        and 
        Man-
churia.
For 
        months, 
        a 
        diplomatic 
        controversy 
        has 
        been 
        going 
        on 
        be-
tween Russia 
        and 
        Japan, 
        and 
        all 
        the 
        time 
        both 
        nations 
        have 
        been
pushing 
        on 
        vigorously 
        preparations 
        for 
        war. 
        Throughout 
        all 
        the
diplomatic 
        procedure, 
        there 
        has 
        been 
        a 
        striking 
        contrast 
        between
the 
        methods 
        of 
        the 
        Japanese 
        and 
        the 
        Russians; 
        the 
        former 
        have
acted 
        in 
        a 
        prompt, 
        decisive 
        and 
        open 
        manner; 
        the 
        latter 
        have 
        de-
layed their 
        answers, 
        consumed 
        all 
        the 
        time 
        possible, 
        and 
        have 
        been
indirect 
        and 
        evasive 
        in 
        all 
        their 
        dealings. 
        The 
        terms 
        of 
        the 
        pro-
posed negotiations 
        have 
        not 
        been 
        given 
        to 
        the 
        public, 
        and 
        only
such 
        information 
        as 
        could 
        be 
        obtained 
        through 
        the 
        worming 
        of 
        the
press 
        agents, 
        and 
        on 
        "reliable 
        authority," 
        has 
        come 
        to 
        the 
        public.
Towards 
        the 
        close 
        of 
        the 
        negotiations, 
        the 
        Czar 
        of 
        Russia
came 
        out 
        with 
        strong 
        declarations 
        of 
        his 
        determination 
        to 
        preserve
peace, 
        and 
        yield, 
        as 
        far 
        as 
        national 
        pride 
        would 
        possibly 
        permit, 
        to
the 
        demands 
        of 
        Japan. 
        No 
        doubt 
        the 
        Czar 
        sincerely 
        hoped 
        for
peace; 
        but 
        though 
        he 
        is  
        autocrat 
        of  
        all 
        the 
        Russias, 
        he 
        is 
        still

<!-- page:375 -->

CURRENT 
        STORY 
        OF 
        THE 
        WORLD. 
        375
more 
        or 
        less 
        subject 
        to 
        the 
        predominant 
        influence 
        of 
        leading 
        Rus-
sians who 
        really 
        belong 
        to 
        what 
        is 
        styled 
        the 
        war 
        party 
        of 
        that
country. 
        But 
        that 
        is 
        really 
        Russian 
        policy,
        —
        to 
        ask 
        for 
        everything
at 
        the 
        outset, 
        and 
        stop 
        with 
        what 
        she 
        really 
        wants; 
        and 
        no 
        doubt
the 
        Czar 
        was 
        really 
        ready 
        to 
        make 
        important 
        concessions 
        to 
        Japan,
in 
        order 
        to 
        avert 
        a 
        war, 
        and 
        yield 
        to 
        the 
        pressure 
        of 
        her 
        ally,
France.
So 
        far 
        as 
        the 
        outside 
        world 
        is 
        permitted 
        to 
        know 
        the 
        terms
of 
        Russia's 
        offer 
        before 
        the 
        outbreak 
        of 
        the 
        war, 
        the 
        situation 
        was
about 
        as 
        follows:
1—
        Russia 
        was 
        prepared 
        to 
        grant 
        Japan 
        all 
        the 
        latter 
        asked
for 
        in 
        Korea. 
        2
        —
        Russia 
        was 
        ready 
        to 
        acknowledge 
        Chinese 
        sov-
ereignty in 
        Manchuria, 
        and 
        to 
        respect 
        all 
        treaty 
        rights 
        made 
        be-
tween China 
        and 
        foreign 
        nations 
        with 
        respect 
        to 
        trade 
        in 
        Manchu-
ria. 3
        —
        Russia 
        was 
        willing 
        to 
        embody 
        the 
        terms 
        of 
        propositions
one 
        and 
        two 
        in 
        a 
        formal 
        treaty. 
        4—
        Russia 
        gave 
        assurance 
        that
she 
        would 
        not 
        initiate 
        war, 
        even 
        though 
        Japan 
        should 
        occupy
Korea.
These 
        propositions 
        contained 
        all 
        that 
        Japan 
        had 
        been 
        con-
tending for, 
        but 
        there 
        was 
        a 
        string 
        to 
        the 
        "April 
        fool 
        wallet," 
        by
which 
        the 
        Japanese 
        clearly 
        foresaw 
        that 
        all 
        these 
        treaty 
        rights 
        could
be 
        snatched 
        away 
        from 
        Japan 
        at 
        the 
        moment 
        the 
        latter 
        stooped 
        to
pick 
        them 
        up. 
        Russia 
        tacked 
        on 
        to 
        her 
        very 
        literal 
        concessions
an 
        inventory 
        setting 
        forth 
        Russia's 
        interests 
        and 
        rights 
        in 
        [Man-
churia. The 
        recognition 
        of 
        these 
        inventorial 
        rights 
        would 
        really
place 
        Manchuria 
        in 
        complete 
        control 
        of 
        Russia, 
        and 
        place 
        that
Chinese 
        province 
        in 
        about 
        the 
        same 
        position 
        that 
        Egypt 
        is 
        today.
Turkey 
        nominally 
        governs 
        Egypt, 
        but 
        only 
        nominally. 
        So 
        the
Japanese 
        clearly 
        foresaw 
        in 
        the 
        Russian 
        inventory 
        what 
        they 
        hon-
estly believed 
        to 
        be 
        a 
        trick. 
        At 
        the 
        same 
        time, 
        the 
        Russians 
        were
moving 
        their 
        troops 
        forward 
        to 
        occupy 
        the 
        most 
        important 
        posi-
tions for 
        strategic 
        purposes. 
        The 
        movement, 
        therefore, 
        of 
        the
Russian 
        navy 
        and 
        land 
        forces 
        came 
        so 
        near 
        the 
        point 
        of 
        a 
        challenge
to 
        war 
        that 
        the 
        Japanese 
        felt 
        that 
        a 
        moment's 
        time 
        could 
        not 
        be
lost, 
        and 
        struck 
        a 
        staggering 
        blow 
        to 
        Russia, 
        without 
        waiting 
        for
the 
        formal 
        declaration 
        of 
        war, 
        although 
        it 
        is 
        said 
        that 
        the 
        Russians
made 
        the 
        first 
        attack 
        upon 
        the 
        Japanese 
        at 
        Chemulpo 
        fort, 
        in 
        west-
ern Korea.

<!-- page:376 -->

376 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
It 
        may 
        be 
        asked, 
        Why 
        are 
        the 
        Japanese 
        so 
        insistent 
        about
Manchuria? 
        Their 
        answer 
        is, 
        "Because 
        we 
        have 
        the 
        lion's 
        share 
        of
trade 
        in 
        that 
        rich 
        Chinese 
        province." 
        The 
        Japanese 
        have 
        an 
        old
grudge 
        that 
        arose 
        in 
        1895, 
        after 
        the 
        defeat 
        of 
        China 
        by 
        Japan.
By 
        the 
        treaty 
        of 
        Simonoseki, 
        China 
        ceded 
        the 
        possession 
        of 
        south-
ern Manchuria 
        to 
        Japan. 
        Russia, 
        backed 
        by 
        Germany 
        and 
        France,
informed 
        Japan 
        that 
        it 
        would 
        not 
        do 
        for 
        any 
        country 
        to 
        interfere
with 
        the 
        integrity 
        of 
        China, 
        or 
        make 
        territorial 
        annexation, 
        and
that 
        Japan 
        must 
        give 
        up 
        southern 
        Manchuria. 
        The 
        Japanese 
        were
forced 
        to 
        yield, 
        and 
        a 
        little 
        later 
        to 
        see 
        the 
        Russians 
        themselves
take 
        possession 
        of 
        Manchuria. 
        It 
        was 
        much 
        the 
        same 
        with 
        Port
Arthur.
Practically, 
        all 
        Korean 
        resources 
        are 
        under 
        the 
        control 
        of
the 
        Japanese, 
        who 
        own 
        and 
        control 
        two 
        railroads 
        in 
        that 
        kingdom.
Under 
        the 
        pretext 
        of 
        getting 
        a 
        timber 
        concession 
        along 
        the 
        Yalu
river, 
        the 
        Russians 
        began 
        their 
        encroachment 
        upon 
        Korea. 
        From
that 
        moment, 
        the 
        Japanese 
        honestly 
        believed 
        they 
        foresaw 
        as 
        com-
plete an 
        absorption 
        of 
        Korea 
        by 
        Russia 
        as 
        the 
        latter's 
        absorption 
        of
Manchuria 
        had 
        been. 
        Korea 
        is 
        an 
        absolute 
        necessity 
        to 
        Japanese
enterprise 
        and 
        commercial 
        expansion. 
        For 
        Japan, 
        the 
        situation 
        has
become 
        desperate. 
        The 
        Japanese 
        have 
        been 
        quiet 
        but 
        firm 
        in 
        their
determination; 
        their 
        self-control 
        under 
        the 
        most 
        trying 
        ordeal 
        has
won 
        the 
        admiration 
        of 
        the 
        world. 
        With 
        them 
        the 
        war 
        means 
        a
life-and-
        death 
        struggle. 
        The 
        independence 
        of 
        Korea 
        is 
        just 
        as
much 
        a 
        "Monroe 
        doctrine" 
        to 
        the 
        Japanese, 
        as 
        the 
        independence 
        of
the 
        South 
        American 
        republics 
        is 
        to 
        the 
        United 
        States.
The 
        Attitude 
        of 
        the 
        United 
        States.
John 
        Hay, 
        our 
        Secretary 
        of 
        State, 
        immediately 
        upon 
        the
outbreak 
        of 
        the 
        war 
        between 
        Japan 
        and 
        Russia 
        communicated 
        to
the 
        Great 
        Powers 
        a 
        note 
        asking 
        that 
        they 
        join 
        in 
        a 
        declaration 
        to
Russia 
        and 
        Japan 
        that 
        under 
        no 
        circumstances, 
        whatever 
        might 
        be
the 
        outcome 
        of 
        the 
        war, 
        would 
        either 
        of 
        those 
        countries 
        be 
        per-
mitted to 
        infringe 
        upon 
        China's 
        sovereignty 
        over 
        Manchuria. 
        The
note 
        will 
        be 
        quite 
        agreeable 
        to 
        Great 
        Britain; 
        and 
        Germany 
        is 
        said
to 
        look 
        upon 
        it 
        in 
        a 
        favorable 
        light; 
        France, 
        the 
        ally 
        of 
        Russia,
will 
        probably 
        take 
        no 
        action 
        in 
        the 
        matter; 
        and 
        even 
        Russia 
        dis-

<!-- page:377 -->

CURRENT 
        STORY 
        OF 
        THE 
        WORLD. 
        377
claims 
        any 
        intention 
        to 
        interfere 
        with 
        China's 
        sovereignty 
        in 
        this
province.
Manchuria 
        is 
        of 
        vital 
        interest 
        to 
        the 
        United 
        States, 
        as 
        it 
        is
one 
        of 
        the 
        most 
        flourishing 
        Asiatic 
        markets 
        for 
        our 
        exports.
American 
        commerce 
        over 
        the 
        Pacific 
        is 
        now 
        guarded 
        with 
        the
utmost 
        jealousy, 
        and 
        the 
        reason 
        for 
        our 
        jealousy 
        will 
        appear 
        in
the 
        fact 
        that 
        within 
        the 
        last 
        ten 
        years 
        our 
        exports 
        to 
        Asia 
        have
increased 
        from 
        sixteen 
        to 
        fifty-
        five 
        million 
        dollars 
        annually. 
        In
Oceanica 
        the 
        increase 
        has 
        been 
        from 
        eleven 
        to 
        thirty-
        seven 
        mil-
lion, so 
        that 
        our 
        exports 
        to 
        Asia 
        are 
        greatly 
        in 
        excess 
        of 
        what 
        they
are 
        to 
        South 
        America. 
        These 
        rapid 
        strides 
        in 
        our 
        foreign 
        trade
with 
        eastern 
        Asia 
        have 
        given 
        rise 
        to 
        the 
        jealous 
        anxiety 
        with
which 
        American 
        interests 
        are 
        guarded 
        in 
        Manchuria.
Sympathy 
        of 
        the 
        United 
        States 
        in 
        the 
        Present 
        War.
So 
        far 
        as 
        newspapers 
        afford 
        us 
        an 
        accurate 
        barometer, 
        the.
sympathy 
        of 
        this 
        country 
        i3 
        decidedly 
        with 
        Japan, 
        and 
        there 
        are
special 
        reasons 
        why 
        Japan 
        has 
        our 
        sympathy. 
        It 
        may 
        be 
        said 
        that
it 
        is 
        not 
        because 
        we 
        love 
        Japan 
        more, 
        but 
        because 
        we 
        love 
        Russia
less. 
        There 
        has 
        been, 
        it 
        is 
        true, 
        a 
        traditional 
        friendship 
        between
the 
        United 
        States 
        and 
        Russia 
        since 
        the 
        war 
        of 
        the 
        Rebellion; 
        but
that 
        friendship, 
        until 
        we 
        came 
        to 
        meet 
        Russia 
        in 
        China, 
        was 
        never
put 
        to 
        the 
        test; 
        and 
        since 
        the 
        year 
        1900, 
        the 
        march 
        of 
        events 
        has
been 
        in 
        the 
        direction 
        of 
        an 
        alienation 
        of 
        sentiment 
        between 
        this
country 
        and 
        Russia.
In 
        1900, 
        the 
        Great 
        Powers 
        made 
        the 
        march 
        upon 
        Pekin 
        where
their 
        representatives 
        were 
        under 
        the 
        attack 
        of 
        Chinese 
        mobs 
        dur-
ing the 
        Boxer 
        rebellion. 
        During 
        the 
        march 
        of 
        the 
        allied 
        armies, 
        up
the 
        Peiho 
        river, 
        we 
        had 
        an 
        opportunity 
        to 
        compare 
        the 
        Japanese
and 
        Russian 
        soldiers. 
        If 
        all 
        reports 
        be 
        true, 
        the 
        Russian 
        soldiers
were 
        guilty 
        of 
        inhuman 
        excesses, 
        and 
        flagrant 
        violations 
        of 
        every
principle 
        of 
        humanity 
        and 
        justice. 
        Innocent 
        men 
        and 
        woman 
        were
ruthlessly 
        shot 
        down, 
        and 
        outrages 
        perpetrated 
        upon 
        Chinese 
        wo-
men by 
        the 
        Russian 
        s 
        ldiers 
        that 
        sent 
        a 
        chill 
        of 
        horror 
        throughout
the 
        civilized 
        world. 
        On 
        the 
        other 
        hand, 
        the 
        Japanese 
        soldiers 
        were
orderly, 
        well 
        behaved, 
        and 
        humane. 
        They 
        were 
        among 
        the 
        best
soldiers 
        of 
        that 
        expedition, 
        and 
        much 
        was 
        said 
        in 
        their 
        praise.
When 
        the 
        foreign 
        representatives 
        at 
        Pekin 
        were 
        rescued, 
        and

<!-- page:378 -->

378 
        IMPRO 
        VEMENT 
        ERA
        .
order 
        was 
        established 
        in 
        the 
        Chinese 
        empire, 
        the 
        Great 
        Powers
agreed 
        that 
        China 
        should 
        not 
        be 
        dismembered, 
        and 
        that 
        the 
        differ-
ent nations 
        of 
        the 
        world 
        should 
        enjoy 
        equal 
        commercial 
        opportuni-
ties in 
        the 
        celestial 
        empire. 
        The 
        troops 
        of 
        all 
        the 
        Great 
        Powers 
        but
Russia 
        were 
        withdrawn. 
        Russia 
        was 
        building 
        railroads 
        in 
        Man-
churia, and 
        developing 
        commercial 
        affairs 
        in 
        that 
        country; 
        so,
under 
        one 
        pretext 
        or 
        another, 
        that 
        nation 
        not 
        only 
        kept 
        her 
        sol-
diers in 
        Manchuria 
        that 
        were 
        there 
        to 
        quell 
        the 
        Boxer 
        rebellion, 
        but
kept 
        on 
        shipping 
        in 
        more. 
        This 
        aroused 
        the 
        suspicion 
        of 
        the
Powers, 
        and 
        a 
        formal 
        treaty 
        was 
        finally 
        decided 
        upon 
        by 
        which
Russia 
        was 
        to 
        begin 
        the 
        withdrawal 
        of 
        her 
        troops 
        from 
        the 
        prov-
ince of 
        Manchuria, 
        on 
        the 
        8th 
        day 
        of 
        October, 
        1903. 
        This
written 
        pledge 
        has 
        not 
        been 
        kept, 
        and 
        the 
        Powers 
        realize 
        that 
        the
excuses 
        which 
        Russia 
        offers 
        for 
        still 
        maintaining 
        her 
        armies 
        in
Manchuria 
        are 
        not 
        substantial, 
        and 
        that 
        what 
        Russia 
        really 
        intends
to 
        do 
        is 
        to 
        take 
        permanent 
        possession 
        of 
        that 
        valuable 
        Chinese
province. 
        The. 
        United 
        States 
        has 
        not, 
        therefore, 
        felt 
        that 
        Russia
was 
        dealing 
        honorably, 
        and 
        in 
        accordance 
        with 
        the 
        terms 
        of 
        a
written 
        treaty.
Another 
        source 
        of 
        irritation 
        to 
        the 
        people 
        of 
        this 
        country 
        was
the 
        conviction 
        aroused, 
        only 
        a 
        short 
        time 
        ago, 
        that 
        Russia 
        was
really 
        interfering 
        with 
        the 
        treaty 
        we 
        are 
        entering 
        into 
        with 
        China.
It 
        may 
        be 
        said 
        that 
        for 
        months 
        past 
        Russia 
        was 
        the 
        most 
        influ-
ential foreign 
        power 
        at 
        Pekin. 
        We 
        are 
        making 
        a 
        treaty 
        with 
        China
by 
        which 
        we 
        are 
        to 
        enjoy 
        commercial 
        privileges 
        throughout 
        its 
        em-
pire, including 
        Manchuria. 
        The 
        powers 
        that 
        were 
        making 
        a 
        treaty
similar 
        to 
        us 
        had 
        long 
        felt 
        the 
        disadvantage 
        to 
        commerce 
        that 
        arose
out 
        of 
        the 
        old 
        Chinese 
        likin 
        tax: 
        that 
        every 
        province, 
        and 
        certain
large 
        cities, 
        charged 
        a 
        tax 
        on 
        all 
        foreign 
        goods 
        that 
        came 
        into
them, 
        or 
        even 
        passed 
        through 
        them. 
        These 
        likin 
        taxes 
        were 
        an 
        un-
certain factor. 
        It 
        was 
        not 
        always 
        known 
        just 
        what 
        these 
        would
be, 
        and 
        the 
        merchant, 
        therefore, 
        who 
        would 
        do 
        business 
        in 
        the 
        in-
terior of 
        China, 
        never 
        knew 
        just 
        what 
        taxes 
        would 
        be 
        levied 
        upon
his 
        goods 
        before 
        they 
        reached 
        their 
        destination. 
        In 
        the 
        place 
        of
this 
        likin 
        tax, 
        China 
        was 
        to 
        put 
        an 
        additional 
        seven 
        and 
        a 
        half 
        of
advalorem 
        duty 
        upon 
        the 
        goods 
        at 
        the 
        port 
        of 
        entrance. 
        This 
        treaty
was 
        agreeable 
        to 
        China; 
        it 
        was 
        acceptable 
        to 
        the 
        United 
        States;
and 
        ratified 
        by 
        the 
        Senate, 
        and 
        yet 
        we 
        awaited 
        for 
        a 
        long 
        time 
        the

<!-- page:379 -->

CURRENT 
        STORY 
        OF 
        THE 
        WORLD. 
        379
ratification 
        of 
        the 
        treaty 
        by 
        China. 
        The 
        suspicion 
        grew 
        in 
        this
country 
        that 
        some 
        third 
        party, 
        influential 
        at 
        the 
        court 
        of 
        Pekin,
was 
        preventing 
        the 
        Chinese 
        government 
        from 
        acting; 
        and 
        it 
        was
not 
        until 
        the 
        suspicion 
        fell 
        upon 
        Russia, 
        and 
        considerable 
        temper
was 
        shown 
        in 
        this 
        country, 
        that 
        China 
        ratified 
        the 
        treaty 
        which 
        it
was 
        believed 
        Russia 
        was 
        hindering.
Japan 
        is 
        more 
        vitally 
        concerned 
        in 
        the 
        contention 
        that 
        Man-
churia must 
        remain 
        a 
        province 
        of 
        the 
        Chinese 
        empire 
        than 
        we 
        are;
and 
        Japan 
        has 
        felt 
        that 
        unless 
        something 
        be 
        done, 
        and 
        done 
        at
once, 
        Russian 
        diplomacy 
        and 
        aggression 
        would 
        not 
        only 
        make 
        Man-
churia a 
        Russian 
        province, 
        but 
        would 
        also 
        place 
        Korea 
        under 
        Rus-
sian control.
Many 
        of 
        our 
        newspapers 
        have 
        said 
        some 
        very 
        sharp 
        things
about 
        the 
        policy 
        of 
        Russia, 
        and 
        Russian 
        papers 
        have 
        answered 
        with
a 
        considerable 
        show 
        of 
        temper. 
        Our 
        Executive 
        department 
        has
been 
        perfectly 
        frank 
        in 
        telling 
        Russia 
        about 
        some 
        things 
        that 
        Rus-
sia is 
        doing 
        which 
        this 
        country 
        does 
        not 
        like; 
        and 
        now 
        our 
        Secre-
tary of 
        State 
        is 
        sending 
        a 
        note 
        to 
        the 
        Great 
        Powers 
        asking 
        that
they 
        join 
        us 
        in 
        a 
        note 
        to 
        Russia 
        to 
        the 
        effect 
        that 
        whatever 
        may
be 
        the 
        military 
        outcome 
        of 
        the 
        struggle 
        between 
        Japan 
        and 
        Rus-
sia, the 
        Great 
        Powers 
        will 
        permit 
        neither 
        to 
        annex 
        either 
        Man-
churia or 
        Korea. 
        The 
        probabilities 
        are 
        that 
        whether 
        the 
        Great
Powers 
        join 
        us 
        or 
        not, 
        we 
        shall 
        insist 
        that 
        Manchuria 
        remain 
        a 
        prov-
ince of 
        the 
        Chinese 
        empire.
We 
        have' 
        a 
        very 
        large 
        Jewish 
        constituency 
        in 
        this 
        country;
and 
        the 
        fact 
        that 
        our 
        government 
        interceded 
        in 
        behalf 
        of 
        the 
        Jews,
in 
        their 
        protest 
        against 
        Russian 
        brutality, 
        has 
        done 
        much 
        to 
        alien-
ate the 
        former 
        friendly 
        feelings 
        of 
        Russia 
        toward 
        this 
        country.
These 
        are 
        some 
        of 
        the 
        reasons, 
        perhaps 
        the 
        most 
        important 
        ones,
why 
        our 
        sympathies 
        are 
        with 
        Japan.
New 
        York 
        and 
        Religion.
For 
        years, 
        New 
        York 
        has 
        been 
        the 
        center 
        of 
        the 
        commercial
life 
        of 
        the 
        United 
        States. 
        But 
        this 
        wonderful 
        city 
        offers 
        to 
        this
country 
        problems 
        in 
        religion 
        that 
        are 
        no 
        less 
        interesting 
        than 
        those
of 
        her 
        commerce. 
        Religious 
        controversy 
        and 
        religious 
        power 
        are
centering 
        more 
        and 
        more 
        in 
        our 
        great 
        commercial 
        metropolis. 
        The
following 
        list 
        of 
        church 
        membership 
        affords 
        a 
        comparison 
        of

<!-- page:380 -->

380 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
relative 
        numerical 
        strength 
        of 
        the 
        great 
        religious 
        denominations 
        of
that 
        city:
Catholics, 
        enrolled, 
        984,800; 
        Catholics, 
        out 
        of 
        church, 
        265,200;
Protestants, 
        enrolled, 
        1,152,650; 
        out 
        of 
        church, 
        741,080; 
        Jews,
675,000.
Among 
        the 
        Protestant 
        churches, 
        a 
        comparison 
        will 
        show 
        a
surprising 
        preponderance 
        in 
        the 
        Episcopal 
        church, 
        as 
        that 
        church
leads 
        the 
        list 
        with 
        88,263. 
        The 
        large 
        membership 
        of 
        the 
        Luther-
an church, 
        namely 
        45,745, 
        can 
        be 
        largely 
        accounted 
        for 
        by 
        the
presence 
        of 
        so 
        many 
        Germans 
        of 
        that 
        denomination 
        in 
        New 
        York.
The 
        following 
        list 
        shows 
        the 
        relative 
        membership 
        of 
        the 
        various
Protestant  
        denominations:
Protestant 
        Episcopal, 
        88,263; 
        Methodists, 
        all 
        bodies, 
        48,133;
Lutheran, 
        45,745; 
        Presbyterian, 
        all 
        bodies,45,526; 
        Baptist, 
        all
bodies, 
        37,627; 
        Reformed 
        Dutch, 
        23,059; 
        Congregational, 
        18,653;
all 
        others, 
        24,784.
It 
        is 
        very 
        evident 
        that 
        such 
        a 
        large 
        church 
        membership 
        is 
        ac-
companied by 
        great 
        wealth. 
        The 
        property 
        in 
        New 
        York 
        exempt
from 
        taxation 
        exceeds 
        in 
        value 
        $200,000,000. 
        It 
        is 
        easily 
        seen
how 
        New 
        York 
        is 
        rapidly 
        gaining 
        in 
        religious 
        ascendency 
        in 
        the
United 
        States. 
        Wealth 
        and 
        membership 
        are 
        two 
        powerful 
        factors
in 
        religious 
        influence; 
        so 
        that 
        New 
        York 
        is 
        as 
        easily 
        the 
        metropolis
of 
        the 
        different 
        religious 
        denominations 
        as 
        it 
        is 
        in 
        the 
        commerce 
        of
the 
        United 
        States. 
        The 
        study, 
        therefore, 
        of 
        the 
        religious 
        problem
of 
        that 
        great 
        city 
        is 
        attracting 
        the 
        attention 
        of 
        those 
        who 
        are
following 
        the 
        religious 
        forces 
        in 
        the 
        history 
        of 
        our 
        country.
The 
        Panama 
        Canal.
For 
        the 
        past 
        month, 
        the 
        ratification 
        of 
        our 
        treaty 
        with
Panama 
        has 
        been 
        held 
        up 
        in 
        the 
        Senate 
        by 
        its 
        opponents. 
        Mr.
Gorman, 
        the 
        leader 
        of 
        the 
        minority, 
        undertook 
        to 
        solidify 
        the
Democrats 
        in 
        the 
        Senate 
        in 
        opposition 
        to 
        the 
        treaty. 
        Its 
        ratifica-
tion required 
        the 
        vote 
        of 
        two-thirds, 
        sixty 
        senators. 
        The 
        Repub-
licans had 
        but 
        fifty-four. 
        The 
        legislatures 
        of 
        Mississippi, 
        Louis-
iana, and 
        Florida 
        instructed 
        their 
        senators 
        to 
        vote 
        for 
        the 
        treaty.
These 
        Gulf 
        states 
        are 
        ardently 
        in 
        favor 
        of 
        it, 
        so 
        it 
        was 
        early 
        seen
how 
        impossible 
        it 
        would 
        be 
        for 
        the 
        Democrats 
        in 
        the 
        Senate 
        to
successfully 
        unite 
        in 
        opposition 
        to 
        the 
        treaty.    
        Other 
        Southern

<!-- page:381 -->

CURRENT 
        STORY 
        OF 
        THE 
        WORLD. 
        381
states, 
        by 
        their 
        commercial 
        clubs 
        and 
        governors, 
        were 
        quite 
        pro-
nounced in 
        favor 
        of 
        the 
        canal, 
        and 
        the 
        adoption 
        of 
        the 
        treaty 
        with
Panama. 
        This 
        division 
        in 
        the 
        Democratic 
        party 
        gave 
        the 
        fullest
assurance 
        of 
        its 
        ratification. 
        Its 
        opponents, 
        however, 
        in 
        their
surrender, 
        are 
        endeavoring 
        to 
        make 
        their 
        defeat 
        as 
        agreeable 
        as
possible 
        by 
        the 
        introduction 
        of 
        some 
        slight, 
        and 
        not 
        very 
        material,
amendments. 
        The 
        amendments 
        now 
        can 
        mean 
        nothing 
        more 
        than
delay, 
        so 
        that 
        the 
        country 
        is 
        beginning 
        to 
        look 
        upon 
        the 
        early
construction 
        of 
        this 
        great 
        waterway 
        as 
        a 
        foregone 
        conclusion.
Will 
        Congress 
        do 
        it?
A 
        recent 
        movement 
        has 
        been 
        set 
        on 
        foot 
        by 
        the 
        Grand 
        Army 
        of
the 
        Republic 
        to 
        secure 
        a 
        pension 
        for 
        every 
        man 
        who 
        has 
        served 
        his
country 
        in 
        the 
        Civil 
        War. 
        This 
        movement 
        is 
        said 
        to 
        have 
        the
indorsement 
        of 
        President 
        Roosevelt 
        and 
        a 
        number 
        of 
        leading
Republicans. 
        It 
        is 
        not 
        possible 
        to 
        say 
        now 
        just 
        what 
        additional
expense 
        such 
        a 
        pension 
        law 
        would 
        entail 
        upon 
        the 
        federal 
        govern-
ment. Various 
        estimates 
        have 
        been 
        given 
        out; 
        however, 
        it 
        is 
        safe
to 
        say 
        that 
        it 
        might 
        increase 
        our 
        expenditures 
        at 
        the 
        rate 
        of
$60,000,000 
        a 
        year. 
        At 
        present 
        our 
        annual 
        pensions 
        amount 
        to
$140,000,000 
        in 
        round 
        numbers; 
        this 
        would 
        make 
        the 
        total 
        for
pensions 
        $200,000,000 
        per 
        year.
The 
        Grand 
        Army 
        of 
        the 
        Republic 
        is 
        a 
        numerous 
        and 
        powerful
organization 
        whose 
        demands 
        cannot 
        easily 
        be 
        brushed 
        aside.
Should 
        the 
        party 
        in 
        power 
        thus 
        enlarge 
        its 
        pension 
        list, 
        its 
        oppo-
nents will 
        not 
        be 
        slow 
        to 
        make 
        the 
        accusation 
        that 
        the 
        additional
$60,000,000 
        was 
        simply 
        a 
        stupendous 
        campaign 
        fund, 
        so 
        that 
        pen-
sion extravagance 
        may 
        be 
        an 
        additional 
        issue 
        in 
        the 
        coming
campaign. 
        At 
        present 
        the 
        demand 
        for 
        this 
        enlarged 
        pension 
        is
wholly 
        within 
        the 
        realms 
        of 
        speculation, 
        and 
        people 
        are 
        asking
themselves, 
        Will 
        Congress 
        do 
        it? 
        It 
        is 
        hardly 
        likely 
        that 
        the 
        party
in 
        power 
        will 
        care 
        to 
        increase 
        its 
        annual 
        burdens 
        so 
        enormously 
        at
the 
        opening 
        of 
        a 
        presidential 
        campaign.