--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F., Jr. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 8 number: 12 published: 1905-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Jr. Joseph F. Smith, "Events of the Month," *Improvement Era* 8, no. 12 (October 1905): 955–960.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse 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: improvementera0812unse start_page: 955 end_page: 960 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1905-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0812unse publication_year: 1905 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 1905, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Events of the Month EVENTS OF THE MONTH BY JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR. Local, August, 1905. Died. — In Huntsville, Sunday, 13th, Charles Wood, a pioneer of 1848, and a faithful member of the Church. — Tuesday, 15th, in Nephi, Eliza- beth Howard, a pioneer of Juab county, aged 63 years. — Saturday, 19th, in Thatcher, Arizona, Patriarch Prime Thornton Couleman, a Nauvoo veteran, and a pioneer of Utah, born September 23, 1831, in Bedford, England. — Sunday, 20th, in Taylorsville, Harriet Folland, aged 74 years, who came to Utah in 1864. — In Big Cottonwood, Sunday, 27th, Rasmus C. Knudsen, aged 82 years, who built the first flour mill in Provo. —In Cache county, Wednesday, 30th, Bishop W. H. Maughan, one of Utah's pioneers, and an active Church worker. For over 40 jears he was bishop of the Wellsville ward. He was born May 7. 1834, in Great Britain, shortly afterwards coming to America with his parents who had joined the Church. — In Moroni, Monday, 28th, Niels J. Ander- son, born Denmark, February 10, 1836; joined the Church in 1863, and came to Utah in 1872. He performed a mission to Denmark in 1890-2, and was the president of the Moroni Scandinavian meetings. The Ogden Choir at the Fair.— On Friday, 18th, the Ogden Taber- nacle Choir, about two hundred voices, under the direction of Professor Joseph Ballantyne, departed from Ogden for the Portland fair, where they gave a series of concerts, and won from the people well merited praise. On the 22nd, they sang the "Irrigation Ode," at the opening meeting of the Irrigation Congress which was in session in Portland. On that occasion Chairman Richardson of the Congress said: the greatest two hundred voice chorus I want to tell you that this is in the United States, and that Mapleton in his palmiest days as a con- ductor never had anything better. I also want to remind you that this marvelous music has come from "Mormon" throats, that every singer in the choir is a "Mormon," and that collectively they have come to help 956 IMPROVEMENT ERA. this congress out, to show the people of Portland and the Lewis and Clark Exposition what they can do, and more than that they are mak- ing this trip and the demonstration at a cost of more than $11,000. That is the offering that the splendid and enterprising city of Ogden lays at our feet this week. Dr. Milton H. Hardy Dead.— Dr. Milton H. Hardy, one of the best and leading citizens of Utah, and an active Church worker and member of the Y. M. M. I. A. General Board, died in Provo, Wednesday, 23rd. He was born in Groveland, Mass., September 26, 1844. A sketch and portrait of Elder Hardy are found in Vol. 6 of the Era, number 4. — Death op Mary Isabella Horne. On Friday, 26, Mary Isabella Home, daughter of Stephen and Mary Hales, and a prominent and influ- ential Church worker, died in Salt Lake City. She was born in Rain- ham, Kent, England, November 18, 1818, and with her parents moved to Canada, in 1882, where she married Brother Horne. She w^s taught the gospel by Elder Parley P. Pratt, and in 1836 was baptized, after which she gathered with the Saints in Far West; she passed through the trials ofNauvoo, and crossed the plains in President John Taylor's company, in 1847. In Church work she was a devoted laborer, and served faithfully as an officer in the M. I. A. and Relief Societies for many years. She not only believed in the prophets of the Church, but always defended them, and was a woman of unshaken integrity. Local. —September, 1905. Damage by Smelter Smoke. — On Monday, 4th, Judge Marshall of the Federal Court, handed down an opinion regarding the smelter smoke in Salt Lake county, in which it is held that the smelters injure the sale value of farms about one half. Killed by Lightning.— On Labor Day,4th, while 1,200 people were gathered at the race track near Richfield, a bolt of lightning fell from a clear sky and killed one young man, Atlas Bean, and injured a num- ber of others, one young man, a brother of the man killed, espe- cially was seriously burned; a stampede of the horses, and a general panic was narrowly averted. Two storms were approaching from opposite di- rections, and the theory is that the lightning leaped from each, meeting in the center, and descended on the gathered people, the ball of fire seen in the distance bursting just before it struck. Death op Wm. H. Lewis.— President William H. Lewis, of the Benson Stake, on the 5th, in Lewiston, Cache county, Utah. died, He was born in Macapin Co., near Carlinsville, 111., October 14, 1837; joined — EVENTS OF THE MONTH. 967 the Church April 10, 1847, and came to Utah in 1851. He was one of the original settlers of Lewiston, and a resident of Cache since 1859. He was appointed bishop of Lewiston ward, in 1877, a position he held until chosen president of the Benson Stake at its organization a few years ago. Ward Organizations.— On Sunday, 10th, Huntsville, in the Weber stake, was divided into two wards. The presidency of the stake, Presi- dents Joseph P. Smith and Anthon H. Lund, and other leading elders were present. The east end of the ward with 29 families was made a bishop's ward, and named Middleton. Albert Allen Bingham was chosen and set apart bishop, with John W. Grow and Charles W. Stromberg, counselors. Bishop David McKay, for 20 years bishop of Huntsville, was honorably released, and Andrew P. Renstrom, his former first counselor was chosen and set apart as bishop, with Charles S. Wood and John Hall counselors. President Smith eulogized the splendid labors of Bishop David McKay, and moved that he be ordained a patriarch, which was carried, and he was so ordained. Bishop McKay retired owing to his contemplated removal to Ogden, and the people part with their beloved leader with many expressions of regret. Agricultural College Fire.— The mechanical arts building, its tools, machinery and paraphernalia were destroyed by fire early on the morning of the 12th. The loss is conservatively estimated at $50,000, with only $5,700 insurance. The cause of the fire is yet unknown; the loss will fall heavily upon the Agricultural College, and the burning will greatly hamper the work, just now when the school season is about to open. Schools Open. — On the 11th the public schools opened generally. In Salt Lake City over 13,000 children enrolled the first day; and in Ogden, 4,381. The attendance in the county schools and in other cities was very large. Died. —In Spanish Fork, Friday, 1st, Hannah Cornaby, born in Suf- folk, England, March 17, 1822, and joined the Church in 1852, coming to Utah in 1853. She was the author of the familiar song, "Who's on the Lord's Side, Who?" so frequently sung by the late George Goddard. In Nephi, Sunday, 3rd, Peter Christensen, pioneer and Indian war veter- an, born Denmark, January 12, 1836, came to Utah in 1855; he served in the Indian wars from 1865 to 1869, and was noted for his bravery and sound character. —In Payson, 11th, Christopher Flintoff Dixon, one of the oldest and most widely known residents of Utah county, age 89 953 IMPROVEMENT ERA. years. — In Riverside, Box Elder Co., 10th, Mary T. Richards, wife of the late Pre3. Franklin D. Richards, age 77 years. She came to Utah in 1848. —In Salt Lake City, Tuesday, 12, Mark Earnshaw, born at Waddington, Yorkshire, England, January 29, 1832; he early joined the Church and sailed in the Clara Wheeler in 1854, arriving the following year in Utah. He drove ox-teams over the plains three times, and lived in the 16th ward since 1861. Domestic, August, 1905. Value op Railroad Property. — The commercial value of railroad property in the United States was estimated by the Census Bureau at $11,244,852,000. Immigration into the United States for the year closing June 30th reached the largest total ever recorded — 1,027,421. This was an in- crease of 25 per cent over the preceding year. Reforms in Philadelphia. —Under the instruction of the director of public safety of the municipality of Philadelphia, the police of that city recently made inquiry to ascertain the number of fictitious names that bad been placed on the voting lists. Their reports showed 60,083 fraudulent registrations, in a total of 375,812. In one voting ward, the fraudulent registrations outnumbered the genuine by 679, out of a total of 5,989. In another ward the fraudulent registrations were 42 per cent of the entire number. The reform movement in Philadelphia, inaugur- ated by Mayor Weaver, has brought to light many conditions of this kind which are rapidly being rectified for the good of the govern- ment. Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace Sold.— On the 28th, the 110-acre farm on which Abraham Lincoln was born was sold at auction to R. J. Collier of New York. The price paid for it was $3,600. — End of the Portsmouth Conference. The Russian-Japanese peace conference agreed on all the points under discussion at the morn- ing session held, 29th, at Portsmouth. Japan abandoned many of the most important claims in the interest of peace, which Russia doggedly refused to meet. Among these claims, that of indemnity was perhaps the chief. The Island of Sakhalin will be devided, the Japs holding the southern half, Russia will retain her interned warships, and no limit will be placed on her naval power. The treaty was signed September 5, 1905. New Battleship. — The battleship Vermont was launched at Quincy, EVENTS OF THE Mi 'NTH. 959 Mass., on the 31st. It is 16,000 tons burden and one of the most power- ful ships ever made for the U. S. Navy. Domestic, September, 1905. Yellow Fever. — At the request of the state and municipal author- ities, the United States Government, in July, took charge of sanitary regulations at New Orleans, with a view to checking the spread of the yellow' fever epidemic. Up to, 12th, there had been 2,370 cases of the disease at New Orleans, and 319 deaths from it. Hezekia Butterworth Dead. —The author of Zigzag Journeys, True to his Home, and many other books for young people, also assistant editor of the Youth's Companion from 1870 to 1894, died on the 5th, age 65. Foreign, August, 1905. The Famine in Spain.— Due to the failure of the crops in Anda- lusia, Spain, the famine continues and increases. The greatest suffering is in Cadiz and Seville, and the farming districts of southern Spain. Thousands of laborers are kept from starving by eating wild roots. Bread riots occur frequently, and the houses of wealthy farmers have been looted by the hungry people in search of food. The fault, to a large extent, lies in the primitive methods of agriculture which adds to the failure of crops during drouth and troubles such as Spain has been ex- periencing. — Rescue of the Ziegler Polar Expedition. On the 10th, advices from Tromsoe, Norway, gave details of the rescue of the Fiala-Ziegler Polar expedition by thf- relief commanded by VV. S. Champ. The explor- ing party of 37 members was sent out by Wm. Ziegler of New York, under command of Anthony Fiala. It left for the north in June, 1903. The winter of 1903-04 was spent by the explorers in Teplitz Bay, where, in November, their ship America was crushed in the ice. When rescued, all the members of the party were alive but one who died from natural causes. The farthest point north reached by the party was 82 degrees, 13 minutes. Government of India. — Lord Curzon, viceroy, and goverr or- gen- eral of India since 1899, resigned his office, 12th, because of radical dif- ferences of opinion with Lord Kitchener, commander-in-chief of the forces in India, over questions of army administration. The Earl of Minto was appointed to succeed him. Norway's Freedom.— On the 13th, a referendum vote was taken in 960 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Norway on the question of separation from Sweden. The vote was prac- tically unanimous for separation; soma 321,197 votes were cast for the dissolution, and 161 against. Russia. — On the 7th twenty thousand Finns met at Helsingfors and demanded sweeping changes in the government. On the 9th, some twenty thousand men were on strike at Riga, and many persons were killed in fighting between Cossacks and Jews in Zetomir. On the 12th, two socialists were killed, 18 wounded, and over four hundred captured by troops, near Warsaw. More than one thousand arrests were made in two days. On the 18th, the Czar issued a proclamation granting a national consulta- tive assembly which will be an advisory body which can make recom- mendations upon such matters as may be submitted to it, and may call attention of ministers and chiefs of departments to infractions of the law. The powers of this body are extremely limited, as all matters passed by it go to the Council of the Empire, which council reports to the Czar who reserves the right to accept the majority or the minority report; or if he should feel inclined, to reject both. The assembly, or Duma as it is known, is called by the Czar and adjourned at his pleas- ure. The members are elected for terms of five years, and will receive $5 per day and traveling expenses. The total membership will be 412 men. Foreign, September, 1905. Riots in Japan. — Because they were denied the privilege of con- gregating in Hibaya Park, Tokio, on the afternoon of the 7th, a mob of official paper, and threatened the official Japanese citizens attacked the homes of Premier Katsura, and Baron Komura, foreign minister; also destroyed Christian churches and did other unlawful acts. Several sub- police stations were destroyed. National troops later quelled the dis- turbances, which, while not considered very serious, it is feared will grow owing to the dissatisfaction over the Portsmouth peace terms. It is even feared that military control of Tokio will be necessary. The popular indignation against the government for relinquishing, as it is there viewed, part of the fruits of the victory, in order to secure peace, is outspoken and extremely bitter. — Cholera in Germany. Cholera has appeared in several places in Germany and up to the 18th there had been 201 cases and 71 deaths. Special precautions are being taken at Hamburg and Bremen to prevent the departure of emigrants for the United States, without detention for quarantine. Latest advices up to September 18, show that the epidemic is under complete control.