--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 19 number: 8 published: 1916-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Passing Events," *Improvement Era* 19, no. 8 (June 1916): 759–762.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1908unse 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: improvementera1908unse start_page: 759 end_page: 762 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1916-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1908unse publication_year: 1916 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 1916, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Passing Events MMIIIIMIIINlllllllllMIIIIIIJJg^^BIKSia^^mTTTTTr illllllilllllllllll PASSING EVENTS The United States Steel Corporation netted a profit of about sixty million dollars for the first three months of 1916. In the "Sussex" matter, Germany, in a note to Washington, May 10, acknowledges responsibility of torpedoing the channel steamer, expresses regrets, and offers indemnities. A heavy frost injured much of the fruit and other products of the farm, during the week May 8 to 13. Peaches, pears, apples, prunes, apricots and plums, as well as strawberries, raspberries, potatoes and garden truck were badly damaged. The alfalfa crop was badly frozen and in some places the farmers were obliged to cut it, in order to in- sure a good second crop. The state Republican Delegation from Utah to the National Con- vention at Chicago, consists of the following members chosen at Provo, May 1st: Senators Smoot and Sutherland, Governor Spry, and A. R. Heywood; alternates: Mrs. Elizabeth Williams and Mrs. Heber M. Cummings, Salt Lake City, James A. Anderson, Morgan, and Henry Welsh. The British expedition to Mesopotamia came to an unfortunate end in the latter part of April. The British forces under General Townshend were defeated near Bagdad, at Kut-el-Amara. After holding out for one hundred and forty-three days against overwhelm- ing odds, General Townshend surrendered on April 29, at Kut, his army consisting of 2,970 British and some six thousand Indian troops and their followers. Miss Josephine Chambers, formerly principal of the Bonneville and Ensign schools, born in Ogden, the daughter of John and Maria Chambers, died in Salt Lake City, April 16. She was a graduate of the University of Utah and had spent seventeen years in the public schools as a teacher, having exceptional ability as an educator, and possess- ing the faculty of establishing and remaining on congenial terms with teachers, parents and children. William Glassman, speaker of the House of Representatives of the fourth legislature of Utah, three times mayor of Ogden, publisher of the "Ogden Standard," and a candidate for the Republican nomina- tion for Congress from the first district, Utah, died on Friday, May 12, at his home in Ogden, of rheumatism of the heart. He was born November 21, 1858, and has been a leading character in Utah politics, and newspaper circles for many years. Ernest A. Smith, Ph. D., of Meadville, Pa., was selected, by the schools Board of Education, April 24. as provisional superintendent of Christensen, resigned. Dr. Smith of Salt Lake City to succeed D. H. his degree of was born at Fletcher, Ohio, July 4, 1868, and received degreee of A.M., in A B at the Ohio Wesleyan university, and his with the 18*91* He graduated in 1900 from Johns Hopkins University,and m the England, in 1906, degree of Ph.D., and studied at Oxford, University of London in 1907. Gertrude Tobiason, superintendent of the Salt Lake Maternity died April 27 while undergoing an operation. She was the Hospital, 760 IMPROVEMENT ERA daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Tobiason of Forest Dale and was born in this city twenty-nine years ago. She graduated as a nurse in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1910, and was made superintendent of the local hospital two years ago. Her father, at the time of her death, was presiding in Stockholm, Sweden, over the Swedish mission, where he has labored for nearly three years, since Aug. 14, 1913. The Great War. In a Berlin interview, May 16, General Helmuth Von Moltke, expressed the opinion that the entente allies will not be able to accomplish more in the future than they have in the past, which "is nothing." He said the Germans were gaining slowly and surely at Verdun, where the French have concentrated almost all their reserves. He said the central powers were able to make all the ammunition they require. At first they had the advantage in this respect, over the allies, but American shipments had now equalized the situation. Dorothy Dean Spencer, age nineteen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel S. Spencer, General Passenger Agent, Oregon Short Line, died on Saturday, May 13. She was born in Salt Lake City April 23, 1897, and received her early education in the grade schools here, and later in the L. D. S. Business College. Being exceptionally gifted with beauty and charm of manner, her lovable character held the deep affection of her teachers, schoolmates and friends. She studied the violin several years and was a member of the West Side high school orchestra, and in her religious duties was active in the organizations of the Church. Harvey H. Cluff, born January 9, 1836, Kirtland, Ohio, a pioneer of Utah in 1850, died in Provo, April 19. The Cluff family joined the Church in 1832, and endured the hardships of the "Mormon" people in those early days. Elder Cluff spent twenty-five years of his life on missions. In both civil and religious affairs, and in colonization, he was one of the leaders among the pioneers of Utah, and aided in every way in building up the country and establishing the people. He filled a mission to Great Britain and two to the Sandwich Islands. For the last year and a half he spent his time continuously at work in the Salt Lake Temple, having made his residence in Salt Lake for that purpose. Mrs. Mary Whitney Ensign, wife of Horace S. Ensign Jr., sec- retary of the State Fair Association, died April 27, 1916, at her home in Salt Lake City. She was the daughter of Horace K. and Mary Cravath Whitney, and was born in Salt Lake City August 17, 1872. She married Horace S. Ensign, June 21, 1894. She accompanied her husband on two missions, one to Colorado, in 1897, and the other to Japan, in 1902. She was an active Church worker all her life, and at the time of her death held the position of president of the Primary association of the eighteenth ward. She was a great lover of music, and a member of the tabernacle and eighteenth ward choirs. Of a sunny and lovable disposition, she had a wide circle of friends who learned to love her because of her sympathy, tact and cheerfulness. President Joseph F. Smith and Mrs. Julina Lamson Smith cele- brated their golden wedding anniversary at the Bee-Hive House, Fri- day, May 5. There was an informal reception of relatives and a few close friends including Presidents Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose, of the First Presidency, members of the Council of Twelve, and the General Board of Relief Society. Two hundred and fifty invitations were issued. The rooms were beautifully decorated in PASSING EVENTS 761 yellow and white, with green ferns and smilax, and a Hawaiian or- chestra rendered music. President and Mrs. Smith received congratu- lations from very many friends on the auspicious occasion. They were married May 5, 1866, and have had eleven children, all being alive except the first child who died at the are of three. Mrs. Smith also adopted two children. There are thirty-seven grandchildren the oldest and youngest being children of Bishop David A. Smith. A most interesting centenary, celebrated in May, this year, was that of the organization of the American Bible Society. One hundred years ago, thirty-five local Bible societies of New York organized for work in frontier settlements to increase the circulation of the scriptures. From that beginning has grown a marvelous agency for the distribution of the Bible known as the American Bible Society. Over 115,000,000 volumes have been distributed by them through- out the world. The scriptures have been translated into seven hun- dred languages and dialects, and it is reported that $39,000,000 have been spent. Through the devoted agents of this organization, mil- lions of people have been privileged to receive and read the scrip- tures. The first president of the society was Elias Boudinot, form- erly a president of the Continental Congress; and John Jay, the great jurist and diplomat, was its second president. John Quincy Adams early acted as a vice president. Louis F. Moench, veteran educator and pioneer in Utah school circles,and first principal of the Weber Stake Academy, died in Ogden April 25. He was sixty-nine years of age, was born in Ger- many, where he received his early education, which he continued later in Chicago. While on his way to California to teach, in 1867, he was converted to the "Mormon" faith and remained in Utah. He taught in the old Deseret university, in the public schools, and later the Church academies. For thirty years, previous to 1902, Professor Moench was connected with the schools of Ogden. For nine years he was principal of the city schools, and was the first principal of the Central school. For nearly ten years he was superintendent of schools of Weber county. He taught in the Weber Stake Academy, which he was instrumental in founding, for nine years, and later in the schools of Manassa, Colorado, Snowflake, Arizona, and Hinckley, Millard county, Utah. He held many important Church positions, filled several missions and was a worker in the Sabbath schools of Weber county for many years, under Supt. Richard Ballantyne. Mexican matters came to a standstill at Parral. During the lat- ter part of April, parties were sent out from headquarters of the United States expedition with no results as far as finding Villa was concerned. On April 29, a conference was begun between General Hugh L. Scott, General Funston, and General Obregon, at El Paso. A new raid was made on Glen Springs on the 5th of May, by unknown bandits, who crossed the Rio Grande into Brewster county, Texas, and attacked a detachment of nine cavalrymen, killing three, and a ten- year old boy. The conference between Generals Scott and Funston, and General Obregon, was interrupted by this incident, but later a telegrams, that tentative agreement was reached, according to the would provide for an active campaign by Carranza troops against expedition, and bandits in the region south of the present line of the also for a gradual withdrawal of the American forces to the border as the ability of the Mexican troops to adequately police the country was demonstrated. On May 11th the conference, after two weekswas of discussion ended with no definite agreement. The whole matter 762 IMPROVEMENT ERA referred 10 Washington, and the Mexican de facto government to be settled through diplomatic channels. A rebellion broke out in Dublin at noon, April 23. A large party of men, according to the dispatches, who were identified with the Sinn Fein, or Fenian party, mostly armed, occupied Stephens' Green, Dublin, took possession forcibly of the postoffice, cut telegraph and telephone wires, and occupied a number of private houses. They formed a "provisional government of the Irish republic," and issued a proclamation to the Irish people. They cut the wires, thus isolating themselves, but one wire was overlooked, over which information was sent to the government officials who arrived and finally took mastery of the situation. Several military officers, soldiers and policemen were killed and a number wounded. Sir Roger Casement was found to be in sympathy with the movement. He was caught, almost coin- cident with the outbreak, while attempting to land arms in Ireland from a German vessel in aid of the revolt. On the 25th, Liberty Hall was shelled by a British gunboat, and on the 27th the whole of Ireland was put under martial law. Six days or more of street fight- ing followed, during which the noncombatant population suffered se- verely and many were killed, including women and children. Ar- rangements had been made for simultaneous uprisings in various parts of Ireland, and these did take place, though none of them except that in Dublin seems to have been serious. Sir Roger Casement had been in Germany where he had connived secretly to receive German sup- port. About the time the revolt broke out, a German auxiliary cruiser was sunk by British ships off the coast of Ireland, while attempting to land a cargo of arms. Among the prisoners taken was Sir Roger Casement who was for many years in the British consular service. When the war broke out he allied himself with the Germans with a view to bringing about the liberation of Ireland, and he labored to induce Irish prisoners in Germany to fight against England. The insurrection was practically quelled at the end of the week, although snipers were still being rounded up during the week following. It is estimated that at least nine million dollars of property was destroyed in Dublin alone. The government troops took more than a thousand prisoners to London. The immediate leaders of the Sinn Fein society were tried by court martial, and some eight were immediately shot; thirty to forty others were sentenced to death or commuted to im- prisonment for life. Peter H. Pearse, president of the would-be Irish republic, was executed, also Joseph Plunket, the eighth member of his family to be executed for treason. The others were Michael O'Hanrahan, Edward Dalley, Thomas J. Clark, Major John McBride, an officer in the Boer war; Thomas MacDonagh, a poet and school master. James M. Sullivan, former American minister to San Domingo, was also arrested for participation in the rebellion but later released. The insurgents, in other parts of the country, gave up when they heard of the failure of the scheme in Dublin. Augustine Birrell, who was the chief secretary for Ireland, and who was held responsible for the lack of preparation for this unexpected revolution, resigned his position May 3. Sir Roger Casement, on May 15, was given a preliminary examination on the charge of high treason. The testimony showed that he carried on recruiting in the German prison camps. He was knighted in 1911 for services to the British govern- ment. He has previously been known chiefly for his activities as Putumayo rubber British consul in behalf of mistreated natives in the South America, and he it was who reported to the English fields of government on the Belgian rubber field atrocities.