Passing Events

Passing Events.

High prices of the necessaries of life is being made the subject of special investigation by the United States Congress. The cost of produc- tion, the profits of the middlemen and the retailer, the effect of combina-

tions, the charges for transportation, and the effect of the tariff, with other points related to the question, will enter into the investigation.

Mine disasters in the United States, during the months of Decem- ber, January and February, were the cause of the death of 416 miners. An explosion at Primero, Colorado, January 31, killed 75 miners; and on the 1st. of February, 35 miners were killed and 15 injured by an explosion in a coal mine in Drakesboro, Kentucky.

The state statistics of Utah, as compiled by H. T. Haines, state statistician, shows that during the year 1908, 10,069 babies were born in the state, and that during the same year there were 4,062 deaths, as against 3,866 for 1909. In 1908 there were 4,120 marriages; in 1909, 4,500 marriages. The divorces for 1908 numbered 493, and for 1909, 530.

St. Gauden's Statue of Phillips Brooks, which is a gift of the people of Boston, was recently unveiled in that city and stands against the east on Copley Square. wall of Trinity, At this writing the merits of the monument are under critical discussion in the classical city. This sculpture was the last work of St. Gaudens. Phillips Brooks, the preacher of the word of God and the lover of mankind, was born in Boston in 1835, and died in that city in 1893. A sentence from one of his sermons to the boys is well worth preservation and adoption by everv young man in the land. It was given to the Era by a mother who selected it and enjoined it upon every one of her sons to make it the motto of his life. It reads: "Be such a man, live such a life, that if every man were a man like you, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be God's paradise."

Parley Doney Parkinson, of Preston, Idaho, is the youngest student in the West Point Military Academy. He entered the Academy

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March 1, having been named by Senator William E. Borah. He passed the necessary examination, with exceptionally high rating, be- fore a U. S. army examining board, at Fort Slocum, N. Y., January 12, where he was found mentally and physically equipped for appointment to the great military school. He had just passed the age of seventeen years when he entered, which is the youngest age at which a person can be appointed. Par- ley is a son of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Parkinson, his father being president of the Oneida stake. He is a graduate of the public schools, and received additional instruction in the Oneida stake academy, at Pres- ton, and later studied at the Highland Falls Military Train- PARLEY DOXEY PARKINSON. ing School, N. Y.

Emmeline B. Wells, familiarly and lovingly known as "Aunt Emm'' celebrated her eighty-second anniversary on February 28. It was really not her birthday, for this gifted and honored lady was born on that unusual day, the twenty-ninth of February, and has, therefore, had only nineteen birthdays. Sister Wells must have lived according to the admonition of him who wrote, "If wrinkles must be writ- ten upon our brows, let them not be writ- ten upon the heart. The spirit should not grow old,'' for though these many years she has worn a crown of silver hair, her spirit has remained beautifully young. It is indeed

a delight to listen to her bright conversa- tion and repartee. The Relief Society, the organization in which she has worked for many years past with such untiring z< al,

gave an open reception in her honor, on her anniversary, and many hundred friends EMMELINE B. WELLS. availed themselves of this opportunity to show

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her their love and esteem. The beautiful suite of rooms in the Bishop's Building, occupied by the Relief Society, was thrown open and the general officers of the society acted as a reception committee. There were flowers in great abundance, delightful music and dainty refresh- ments, but the charm of the occasion was the exquisite little woman, clad in a pale blue silk gown, of Utah weave, gracefully receiving her friends

with an apt, kind and affable expression of love for one and all. For several years past Sister Wells has been foremost among women along many lines of work, — suffrage, philanthropy, social reform, politics and literature. She has helped many an aspiring young man and young woman in the literary field, and now, in silver age, is still an inspiration to all who know her. Her high intelligence and innate refinement have cast an atmosphere around her that breathes its sweet influence wherever she goes. Sweet poet, true friend, noble woman, God's choicest bless- ings attend you ever!

Joseph Smith Tanner died in Payson, January 27, 1910, in the 77th year of his age. His passing removes from this life a man of remarkable energy and a striking character. Those who knew Payson's bishop forty years ago will call to mind the prominence of Joseph Tanner, not only in that community, but in the remembrances of thousands who knew him before the railroads in the territory had made their way as far south as Pay- son. His home was a 'mile-stone in the travels of thousands between the south and Salt Lake City, and it is not outside the truth to say that there was through- out southern Utah not a better known man, nor a man more highly respected than he was. Joseph S. Tanner was a man of great force, and represented in a striking manner the ^character of the early founders ofour commonwealth. From his childhood to his mature man- hood he was occupied in the frontier life JOSEPH SMITH TANNER. of the people. His constant movements Died January 29, 1910. gave him little or no opportunity for an education. He learned by doing, and his experiences covered a wide field of usefulness. Possessed of enormous physical powers, in all classes of manual labor, he was easily a leader among his fellows. 'A discriminat-

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ing judgment caused him to be always respected by the large number who acknowledged his leadership. palmy days of his life his In the flocks and his herds and his land kept him strenuously engaged in the accumulation of the material affairs of life. He was the father of thirty- one children, and a grand patriarch in Zion. What, perhaps, most people will remember of this remarkable man is the almost unparalleled hospital- ity of his home. He was a generous provider, and dispensed with a joyful liberality the freedom and helpfulness of his home, which was a wayside inn gratuitously provided for the thousands who traveled through the town over which he presided as bishop for so many years. To those who knew the man intimately, who were his associates in the business affairs of his life, his sterling integrity will always be appre- ciated. No man ever doubted his word. He was prompt in the fulfil- ment of every obligation; and the trust reposed in him by the community over which he presided was as absolute as it was inspiring. Everybody that knew him, knew where to find him upon every question involving morality, integrity and financial honor, and he was not easily moved from what he had taken to be paths of honor. What his position in life would have been had he enjoyed such oppor- tunities of education as are afforded the present generation, can be but a mattter of speculation. As he grew in power and influence, he felt more keenly the disadvantages that come from the want of an educational training; and the sympathetic and generous interest he therefore took in the mental equipment of his children has won for him the admi- ration of those who appreciate the blessings of an education. His life is a beautiful example to every young man who believes in the gos- pel of work, and the great progressthat comes from the wise expenditure of abundant energy. One of the founders of our common- wealth, he shared the hardships of pioneer days, and cheerfully took part inmany of the most difficult tasks which fell to the lot of the

men who blazed the way to our good fortunes, and to our triumphs of material prosperity.

Elder Charles P. Anderson, President of the Gothenborg conference, Sweden, writes, January 19: "We have moved from Linnegatan 68 to Husargatan 17, Gothenborg. The work of the Lord is making some progress here. We are making many friends, if not many converts. Many believe our doctrines, but are very cautious about joining the Church by baptism. We are hopeful that the new year will bring greater results to our cause than the year past."