Events and Comments

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. Ponce de Leon Honored. — Four hundred years ago on August 12, Ponce de Leon, the Spanish explorer, landed in Porto Rico, and on that date this year the island celebrated the anniversary by carrying the remains of the celebrated explorer through the streets of San Juan, and depositing them in a crypt in the cathedral. New Sultan of Morocco. — Abd-el- Aziz, the recognized Sultan, was defeated August 19, by his brother and rival for the throne, Mulai-Hafid who has been proclaimed Sultan of Morocco at Tangier, and in most other of the cities except those under the control of the French. It is believed that he must soon be recognized by the European powers, either individually or through another international conference, though his recognition by them will naturally depend upon his attitude toward the agreements framed at Algeciras. Local Items. — Senator Smoot returned to Utah from Europe on Saturday evening, September 5, whither he went as chairman of the Forestry Division of the Commission on Conservation of National Resources, to inquire into the manner of maintaining forests in the old country. His trip was very successful, especially in Germany and Switzerland. — Emma Lucy Gates gave a dramatic and musical recital at the Salt Lake Theatre, Wednesday evening, September 2. The three floors of the historic playhouse were entirely sold out, and the standing room was pretty well occupied. The reception she received was an ovation of which she may well be proud. The Atlantic Fleet in Australia. — On August 20, the Atlantic battle-ship fleet arrived at Sidney, New South Wales, and its approach was watched by great throngs of people on the shore. The week following was given up to a brilliant succession of parades, entertainments, banquets, and official and popular demonstrations of welcome and good-will. Friendly messages of congratulation wer cabled between President Roosevelt and the Governor- General of Australia. The officials of New South Wales delivered addresses which were responded to by Admiral Sperry, all emphasizing the ties of kinship and common purpose which bind the peoples of Australia and America. The fleet left Melbourne September 5. The sailors received high praise for their good conduct on shore.

980 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Baron Hermann Speck von Sternburg. — The German Ambassador at Washington since July, 1903, died at Heidelberg, August 23, at the age of 56 years. A writer in the Youth's Companion considers him as one of the ablest and most popular members of the diplomatic corps at Washington, and his tact was of great service in removing misunderstanding and distrust. He fought in the Franco-German war, and remained in the German military service until 1885, when he was made military attache to the German legation at Washington. In 1890 he entered the diplomatic service, and was successively secretary of legation at Peking, charge d'affaires at Belgrade, first secretary of the German embassy at Washington, member of the Samoan commission, and consul-general of Germany for British India and Ceylon. He married Miss Lillian M. Langham, of Louisville, Kentucky. He was born August 21, 1852, in Leeds, England, of an English mother, and was thus exceptionally well qualified to represent Germany in an English-speaking country. Prussia Opens the Way for Women.— Emperor William has endorsed a promulgation by the Prussian Ministry of Education which may well be considered a very important step in the emancipation of the women of Germany, and an entering wedge to that of the women of other European nations. The regulations provide that women may be admitted to Prussian Universities. As to the nature of the decree, the Independent says : A preamble states that the rapid development of modern civilization, the increasing excess of the female over the male population, and the growing disinclination on the part of men in the upper classes to marry, are compelling many of the girls of the middle and higher classes to renounce all hope of fulfilling their natural vocation of becoming wives and mothers. Opportunities are therefore to be opened to prepare them not only for teaching, but also for other professions. Women students will be allowed to matriculate at Prussian universities on equal terms with men at the beginning of the coming winter semester. The higher girls' schools in Prussia will be placed upon an equal footing with boys' schools under the direct control of the government provincial boards or supervising committees, and their teachers will be required to have the same qualifications as those in the boys' schools. The education of the girls will begin at six years, and they may take up the study of French at the age of nine, and English at the aged of twelve. A year later those girls who wish to take a university course may begin Latin, and will be allowed to enter the universities at the age of nineteen. Two different preparatory courses are provided for them— a modern and a classical. Those who do not wish to enter the university may, at the age of fifteen, enter upon four years of special training to become school teachers or governesses, or upon a two years' finishing course in music, languages and domestic science. A Sermon on Shirking, and on Overcoming Obstacles.— One day, during the latter part of August, President Roosevelt dedicated a library in the little town of Jordanville, N.Y. He tried to do it without attracting public notice, but fortunately the printer found him, and has given his sermon to the public. The library building cost less than $5,000 and has about 2,000 books. His sister, Mrs. Douglas Robinson, is a donor to the little collection of books. But his ser-

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 981 mon, which was principally addressed to the farmer, is big, and worth repeating to everybody and everywhere: I never preach the doctrine of shirking, and I never put play ahead of work. The happiest persons are those who do well the work before them. I do not envy the idler, neither the idle son of a multi-millionaire nor the "hobo." I have for both intense pity, of the kind that is not akin to love, but to contempt. The hardest worked individual on the farm is likely to be the mother or wife of the farmer. If you don't applaud that, you ought to. I believe in the farmer economizing, but on himself, not his wife. I am dead right on that. If you have got to drop some one, drop one hired man rather than the hired girl. I want to see buildings like this one used for mothers' meetings. It gives the women a chance to meet each other socially, and it puts them in better trim for work. Fathers need the most preaching, yet frequently the mothers, who have hard lives to live, take the unwise course in attempting to benefit their daughters and sons by bringing them up free from hard knocks. Next to hardness of heart the least desirable quality is softness of heart, and the mother or father should not try to bring up their children in that way. You don't get the right stuff out of those children for the next war, or you don't get decent citizens when there isn't any war. Bring them up to work, so that they shall recognize that an obstacle is not something to be shirked but to be overcome. State Republican Conventions.— On the 15th of September, the state Republican convention of Utah nominated the following presidential electors and state ticket: For Presidential electors: Thomas Sevy, Garfield County; Lafayette Holbrook, Utah County; Henry Cohn, Salt Lake County. Republican State Ticket. — For Governor, William Spry, Salt Lake County. For Justice of the Supreme Court, W. M. M'Carty, Sevier County. For Representative in Congress, Joseph Howell, Cache County. For Secretary of State, C. S. Tingey, Juab County. For State Treasurer, David Mattson, Weber County. For State Auditor, Jesse D. Jewkes, Emery County. For Attorney General, A. R. Barnes, Salt Lake County. For Superintendent of Public Instruction, A. C. Nelson, Sanpete County. In Idaho, the following Republican state ticket was elected at the Boise convention held early in the month: United States Senator, Weldon B. Heyburn of Shoshone. Congressman, Thomas R. Hamer of Fremont. Governor, James H. Brady of Bannock. Lieutenant Governor, L. H. Sweetzer of Cassia. Secretary of State, Robert Lausdon of Washington. Attorney General, D. C. McDougal of Oneida. Auditor, S. B. Taylor of Bonner. Treasurer, C. A. Hastings of Nez Perce. Mine Inspector, F. C Moore of Shoshone. Superintendent of Public Instruction, S. Belle Chamberlain. Presidential Electors, Edgar Wilson of Ada, John Lamb of Owyhee, A. A. Crane of Kootenai. The Idaho Republicans also adopted the following county local option plank, which deals with the liquor question: Section 9. The constitution of this state declares that the first consideration of all good government is the virtue and sobriety of the people, and the purity of the home, and that the legislature shall further all wise and well directed efforts

982 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . for the promotion of temperance and morality. We therefore declare in favor of an effective county local option law, so that the people in every county in this state can have the power to decide whether or not the liquor business shall be carried on within their respective county boundaries, and we pledge the support of the Republican party of this state to the enactment of legislation which will bring about that result. Elizabeth H. P. Higgs.— On September 10, Elizabeth Hannah Park Higgs, widow of the late Thomas Higgs well known in this city, and who spent some fifteen years in Manti, Sanpete county, died at her residence in the Tenth ward. She was born in England, on the 2nd of May, 1827, joined the Church at Derby, England, and emigrated to Utah, in 1856. She arrived with Edward Martin's handcart company on the 30th of November of that year. The company wag detained by unusually early snowstorms, and many of the emigrants died from exposure in the mountains. The handcarts had to be gradually abandoned, as the relief teams from the valley were met. Mrs. Higgs was then a young girl, strong to withstand the fearful exposure that she with others was subjected to. After arriving in the valley, she lived some time with the family of President Brigham Young, and in the early sixties married Thomas Higgs, with whom she had two children, Alpha J. Higgs the present general secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A., also counselor to the bishop of the Tenth ward, and who recently labored in the Liverpool office under the direction of Apostle Heber J. Grant; and the late Jesse B. Higgs, for a long time stake secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A. of the Salt Lake stake before the division. At the time of his death he was also a member of the bishopric of the Tenth ward, where he acted as counselor to the bishop- Just prior to his death he had returned from a mission to England, where he labored under the direction of President Francis M. Lyman. Mrs. Higgs was a woman loyally devoted to her children, and was faithful to the gospel. She was a woman whose life and labors were reflected in her sons, and those who are familiar with them will readily recognize the value of her labors in this regard. In her boys her character is reflected. She was an honest, upright faithful and energetic woman, loyal to her friends, to her children, her faith and her Church. The burial took place from the Tenth ward meetinghouse, Sunday, September 13. Is War Near at Hand? — Lord Cromer, for many years the actual if not the nominal ruler of Egypt, now occupies a seat in the House of Lords where his voice is heard and his influence felt in a remarkable manner throughout the British empire. The House of Commons has just been passing an "old age pension" in answer to the demands of modern socialism in England. The pension will naturally make a heavy demand on the British exchequer. In expressing his opposition against the new measure, he sets the whole country in a state of feverish excitement by declaring that a European war is near at hand. That part of his speech which has set the whole country ajar is given in the following excerpt: What in the present condition of Europe is the main duty which devolves upon the government of this country? For my own part I have no sort of hesitation in replying to this question : Their main duty is to make provision betimes for

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 983 a European conflict which may not improbably be forced on us before many years have elapsed. I am aware that the mass of the people of this country who do not follow foreign affairs with very close attention, are not alive to the possibility of any such conflict taking place. I say it is the duty of a government gifted with both patriotism and foresight, who have means of information at their disposal which is not available to the general public, to provide betimes for the danger, a danger of which I, in common, I believe, with most people who can speak with real authority of foreign affairs, am firmly convinced exists. My Lords, I now am treading on delicate ground. It is neither necessary nor desirable that I should state at length my reason for holding this opinion. I will only say that in order to justify it.it is quite unnecessary to impugn the good faith of those high authorities abroad who constantly reiterate their peaceful intentions. Neither is it necessary to hold that any intentions deliberately hostile to this country exist. We are, however, living in times when the influence of individuals, however highly placed, is limited. When national interests are involved and race passion is excited, there is always a risk, and more than a risk, that a collision between rival nations will take place, however pacific the intentions of their rulers. Let me add that if, as I believe will be the case, the enactment of this law imperils the cause of free trade, the chances of a collision will be materially increased. Those who have watched the course of recent events in Great Britain will have noticed the remarkable change which has been made in the past policy of that country, a policy heretofore noted for the isolation of Great Britain. The English have had no allies, they have been mistress of the seas, and their command of the foreign market of the world and the separation of their island from continental Europe, have given them an independent station in European diplomacy. England's influence upon the ocean has been what Germany's influence has been upon the continent. In recent years this policy of isolation has given way to a systematic effort to establish certain alliances with European countries. King Edward VII has been making friendly calls upon the President of France and the Czar of Russia. At first the announcement has been made that there is no alliance, simply an entente cordiale, in plain English, a cordial understanding. Later an announcement has been made of an alliance. For a number of months Great Britain has been fixing up her affairs in Asia with Russia. These countries have been marking out carefully the zones of their influence. In view of the fact that Russia and England have been at sword's pcint for so many years, this cordial arrangement has seemed to the ordinary onlooker as a remarkable, indeed an incomprehensible, change in the attitude of England. Recently, however, Edward VII paid a visit to the Czar of Russia. The exchange of royal compliments was published to the world, and it was said that the visit had no particular political significance more than the expression of satisfaction over the peaceful arrangements of the difference between Russia and Great Britain in Asia. Interested and intelligent observers throughout the world have their own opinions, ' 'just the same. ' ' They seriously believed that that visit meant a triple alliance which included France, England, and Russia. This alliance, it was believed, was meant as an offset to a similar one in the dreibund of Germany, Austria, and Italy. For many years there has been a strong commercial rivalry between Great Britain and Germany, and notwithstanding the

y84 IMPROVEMENT ERA efforts between the leaders of the two countries to create a friendly relation, the truth nevertheless exists that there is between the people of these two nations an intense spirit of distrust and antagonism. The recent visit of King Edward to the Czar, in Russian waters, did not set well with the people of Germany. The alliance among the English, French, and Russians is sure to be taken in Germany as a challenge. To the minds of the German people it is sort of a threat of enforced peace which the Germans do not enjoy and which, deep down in their hearts, they resent. It was to this condition of affairs that Lord Cromer, without any doubt whatever, made reference-. What now emphasizes the differences more strongly is the trouble in Turkey. The Grand Vizier, the chief counselor of the Sultan, and who has been most friendly to German interests in the Turkish empire, has been dismissed, and his office filled by a Grand Vizier favorable to the policies of Great Britain. Lord Cromer is not alone in the grave apprehensions he expresses for the future peace of Europe. The Hague conference furthermore demonstrated that there were expectations on the part of some of the leading countries of Europe that a European war was more than likely to take place before many years, and that they did not care to be handicapped by any new rules of war or by the establishment of an International Court of Arbitration. The situation is interesting, to say the least. — Dr. Joseph M. Tanner. Photo by George Albert Smith. School house in which the Prophet Joseph Smith's father taught school about 1805, South Royalton, Vt. Joseph Smith, Senior, "rented a farm from his wife's father. This he cultivated, and to further aid his finances, he taught school in winter." — Junior Manual, 1908-9, p. 21.