Events and Comments

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. King Edward Visits Ireland. —King Edward and Queen Alexandra visited Ireland during the second week in July. They were enthusiastically received at Dublin, as they passed in royal procession through the streets. The king wore a green necktie ; and the queen a mossgreen and delicate purple bonnet. Attempt to Kill the French President. — On July 14, while President Fallieres, of was returning to Paris from a military review at Long France, Champs, he had a narrow escape from death. A deranged naval reservist named Maille fired two shots in quick succession at the president as his carriage passed by, but luckily neither of the shots took effect. The incident created considerable excitement, and the man was arrested. Clemens' Modesty.— Mark Twain, who returned in July from a trip to Great Britain, at which he received honors from Oxford, and also from the king and aristocrats of the kingdom, was questioned, so the papers state, as to the author of the best joke during his trip. The veteran humorist replied that modesty forbade him naming the individual who made the best joke; but when he was asked if he had a good time while dining with King Edward, he was not quite so modest, and promptly replied, "The king did." "Lusitania." — The Cunard Line has recently built the largest passenger steamship in the world. It is a new turbine steamship, and is named "Lusitania." She will make her first trip to New York early this month. The steamship has 70, 000 horse-power, 45,000 tons displacement, and is expected to develop a speed of 25 knots. The steamer is 787 feet long, 87 1-2 feet wide, and her load-draft is 37 1-2 feet. She has nine decks and can carry 3,000 persons, passengers and crew. She has been three years building, at the yards of John Brown & Co. limited, of Clydebank. Thanks for Books. —The Improvement Era library is indebted to Elder Henry W. Naisbitt for Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of Zion's Home Monthly; and also 24 volumes of current literature, neatly bound in leather. We appreciate the gift very much, and the books will find a prominent position in the editorial library. We take this occasion also to wish our friend the comfort and blessing which he now so much needs in the affliction which he is passing through, and thank him sincerelyfor all the many past favors that he has done in behalf of the young people in contributing his writings for our magazine.

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 925 Haywood Acquitted.— William D. Haywood, Becretary and treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners, who for nearly sixty days was on trial in Boise on the charge of being an accomplice in the assassination of former Governor .Steunen- burg, of Idaho, was discharged by the jury July 28, having been found not guilty. The public, as represented by the press, apparently are willing to accept the ver- dict, and to agree with the jury, that Haywood has not been shown guilty of the crimes for which he was tried. Mr. Haywood left a day or two after his release for his home in Denver, passing through Utah on his way. He was met in Ogden and Salt Lake City by a number of his friends and congratulated upon his release. In Denver, it is said, he will resume the work of his office. The Standard Oil Company Fine —As foreshadowed in the last number of the Era, Judge Landis, of the United States District Court in Chicago, on Au- gust 3, imposed a fine upon the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, of $29,240,000, the maximum amount upon each one of the 1,462 counts of the indictment on which that company was recently convicted of accepting concessions from the Chicago and Alton Railway on shipments of oil. It is probable that within a short time proceedings will be commenced against the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company for the alleged granting of rebates. There are still seven similar cases against the oil company. These involve 4,422 counts, which in case of convic- tion would permit the imposition of fines amounting to $88,090,000. Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers.—On Wednesday, July 24, by call of the Daughters of the Pioneers, a number of the sons and daughters of early pioneers of Utah met in the Assembly Hall, and organized the "Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers" with United States Senator Reed Smoot as presi- dent of the society. The 24th, which was the 60th anniversary of the entrance of the Pioneers, was not celebrated in Salt Lake City in a public way, except by the organization of this society. Nearly 400 names were obtained as charter members. Elder Heber J. Grant acted as chairman; and an explanation of the work planned by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers was given by Susa Young Gates, who also explained the part to be taken by the society just organized. Among the speakers were Senator Reed Smoot, Mrs. Zina Y. Card, and Elder George Albert Smith. There was some good singing. At the meeting were present members of the handcart companies, and fif- thirty- three pioneers of 1847, seven teen of the Nauvoo Legion. All Pioneers who came to Utah prior to January 1, 1858, were declared honorary members of the society. The Philippine Election. —The election in the Philippine Islands, held on July 30, showed that the desire among the natives for independence was practi- cally universal. The government party, the "Progressitas," wanted independ- ence, but were willing to wait for it until this government was ready to give it to them. But the "Nacionalistas," who wanted independence at once, out- voted them at the poles, and elected two-thirds of the fifty members of the new Assem- bly. As previously stated in the Era, only a few of those who were qualified took the trouble to register, and now it has developed that only a few of those who

926 IMPROVEMENT ERA. registered, voted, so that the actual vote fell considerably short of the registra- tion. The total vote cast will not exceed 100,000, showing the voting strength to be only about one and one-half per cent. Among the members elected for the Assembly is the notorious Dominador Gomez, who formerly had been sentenced to a term of imprisonment for aiding the insurgents. The session of the new Assembly will begin on October 16, and Secretary Taft will probably be at Manila a day or two earlier to witness the opening. Mayor Ezra Thompson of Salt Lake City Resigns.— On the 2nd day of August, Mayor Ezra Thompson, of Salt Lake City, tendered his resignation as mayor of Salt Lake City, to the president and members of the city council, the same to take effect August 12, 1907. His reasons for resigning is that for the past few months his health has been very much impaired, and he would have to leave the city for a while. A few days after his resignation Detective Raleigh risigned. It is generally supposed that the real cause of both of these resignations lies in the resignation of Chief of Police George A. Sheets, who was forced to resign on account of his alleged connection with the McWhirter robbery last fall. The condition of the "American" party, as far as unity is concerned, appears to be very precarious, and the inward fight threatens to dismember the combination. On August 13, John S. Bransford, nationally a Democrat, was elected by the city council to succeed Mr. Thompson as mayor of Salt Lake City. He is said to be a business associate of Thomas Kearns and David Keith, and has resided in Salt Lake City eight years. He was born in Missouri, August 26, 1856, and went to California with his parents in 1864, where he resided until 1899, when he came to Utah. On Monday, Aug. 19, Roderick McKenzie was appointed Chief of Police for Salt Lake City. Syllabus of Pope Pius X. —Early in August the head of the Roman Catho- lic church issued a syllabus which is considered the most important that has been issued by the Vatican in nearly half a century. It concerns errors in the Catho lie faith which has resulted from so-called "modern criticism." It is believed by many that the document of the Pope will root out and banish forever from the faith the new ideas resulting from "modern criticism." It condemns with no lack of decision, modern errors concerning the interpretation of the gospels, and the life, works, miracles, and death of Christ. It is the first document of the kind to be issued since Pope Pius the IX gathered a syllabus of some 80 popular errors in December, 1864. The document also condemns, through the agency of the holy and universal inquisition, the most prominent of the errors which Catholic writers have written under the pretext of higher research, and in the name of history. These writings are alleged to explain away the dogmas of the church, and it appears that the errors which they contain are spread more and more among the faithful Catholics, thus corrupting the purity of the faith. It is to correct these errors that the Pope has issued the important document which contains some 52 propositions which are proscribed and condemned by this general decree. Korea and Japan. —The emperor of Korea undertook to send agents to the

EVENTS AND C0MMEN1S. 927 conference at The Hague to protest against Japanese encroachments upon Korean independence. This action irritated the Japanese government, and the result was that, under pressure from his cabinet, the emperor of Korea abdicated on July 20, and the crown prince, his son, succeeded to the throne. There was rioting at Seoul and a number of Japanese were killed. Japanese authority in Korea, however, isnow practically absolute, for on July 25 the new premier of Korea, and the resident general of Japan, Marquis Ito, signed an agreement binding the Korean government to follow the directions of the resident general in the reform of the administration, to enact no laws or ordinances without his previous approval, to make no appointments or dismissals of high officials without his consent, and to appoint such Japanese to official positions as he may recommend. The Japanese have disbanded the Korean army without serious opposition, only 120 casualties be- ing connected with it. Out of the army of 6,000, one- half offered no resistance. The emperor is allowed to keep six battalions of Koreans as a guard of honor; all the other t'oops in the country will hereafter be Japanese. In the early part of August Prince TiyongOui Yi, who was a member of The Hague delegation, arrived in New York, and tried to arouse American sympathy for his distressed country, but the United States have some little matters of their own to settle with Japan, which precludes sympathetic interference in behalf of poor Korea, even if this country were inclined to pity. New Movement Among the Seventies. — The following circular was issued June 12, 1907, by the First Presidency of the Church: • To the First Council of the Seventy — Dear Brethren — We have : felt for some time the necessity of increasing the efficiency of our missionaries whom we send into the world to preach the gospel and represent the Church in the several countries where openings can be found for the proclamation of God's message to the people. As the body of the Priesthood over which the First Council imme- diately preside, the quorums of the Seventies, constitute more especially the mis- sionary force of the Church, we have deemed it proper that they should have im- proved opportunities for meeting in a quorum capacity to pursue those studies neces- sary to equip them for the special work of their ministry. At present your quor- ums are meeting in a very irregular manner, some monthly, some semi-monthly, others once in three months, others weekly, but only part of the year; and under these circumstances your quorums have not been able to follow any uniform plan of studies or any line of work that would give them the kind of training that would effectually prepare them for their ministry. In view of all this, we now direct that you inform the Seventies through communication with the respective councils of the quorums that they are at liberty to hold their quorum meetings on Sunday mornings, at such hours as they may determine upon as most convenient for them, say between 9 a. m. and 12 noon, and at such places as they may be able to secure without interfering with any other organizations of the Church. We are aware, of course, that this change will affect the relations of some of the Seventies with Sunday School work, but where that is the case, you are at liberty to inform the members of your quorums that they can be relieved of attendance upon and service in the Sunday Schools, except where engaged as

928 IMPROVEMENT ERA. superintendents or heads of departments where their places cannot be immediately filled by the selection of others; in such cases it may be necessary to release them as Seventies, have them ordained High Priests, and devote themselves to Sunday School work, unless they, or any of them, prefer to remain Seventies, in which event, they should be excused from attending the quorum classes, a thing which might be done without in any way interfering with the spirit and progress of this work, as the brethren occupying these positions are supposed to be capable men along theological lines. But as the Sunday Schools will have the High Priests, Elders, all the lesser priesthood, and all the sisters in the Church to iraw upon for their work, we believe the cases will be verv few where it will be necessary to release Seventies from their quorums. In carrying out these directions you will caution your local presidents not to intrude upon the Sunday Schools or their work. All arrangements as to place for holding quorum meetings must be made without disturbing any of their departments or classes. We also suggest that you except out of your Seventies' meetings all those Sabbath days on which quarterly conferences and ward conferences of the respective stakes and wards where the respective quorums meet, in order that the Seventies in common with the rest of the Priesthood may attend these general appointments of the Church; but as these excepted Sundays will not exceed more than ten, the arrangements herein sug- gested will give the Seventies an opportunity to follow a practical, uninterrupted course of study. We also suggest that you solicit the co-operation and assistance of the local authorities in bringing to pass these changes, that all may be done in harmony and good feeling. In order to further aid you in affecting these changes, we have written a letter to the Presidents of the Stakes apprising them of these matters, and have asked them to co-operate with you therein. We further suggest that in connection with securing these improved oppor- tunities for holding your quorum meetings that the First Council outline a course of study that shall have special reference to qualifying men for labor in the mis- sion work of the Church. Praying God to bless you in your efforts to make more efficient the great body of the Priesthood over which you preside, we are, Your brethren, Jos. F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund, • First Presidency. President Seymour B. Young, in behalf of the First Council of Seventy, issued a circular to the Presidents of Seventies' quorums, under date of July 12, calling attention to this communication of the First Presidency, ordering such changes in conformity therewith as will place the Seventies upon a studying basis during the coming season. The first meeting under the new arrangements will be held on the first Sunday in November, 1907, at which time a manual for the first years' work is promised, to consist of a course of forty-five lessons on the four authoritative books recognized by the Church as containing the doctrines of the Gospel, viz., the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The key note of the coming year's work will be, "A workman should know his tools."