--- 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: 23 number: 12 published: 1920-10 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* 23, no. 12 (October 1920): 1120–1122.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse 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: improvementera2312unse start_page: 1120 end_page: 1122 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2312unse publication_year: 1920 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 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Passing Events Snow capped the summits of Lone Peak and Twin Peaks, Aug. 27. This is an early reminder of the approach of old Boreas. Dr. George L. Miller, Omaliafs first physician, died in that city Saturday, Aug. 28. Dr. Miller was also one of the pioneer editors of the west. The Mexican revolution, led by Gov. Esteban Cantu, of Lower California, was ended, as reported officially from the City of Mexico, Aug. 16. Cantu was succeeded in his office by Luis M. Salazar. A hail storm of unusual severity struck Lehi, Aug. 9, damaging gardens, and wheat and lucern fields and fruit trees, breaking windows, and killing some chickens and Belgian hares. The loss is estimated at many thousand dollars. Many hail stones were as large as bantam eggs. John Barrett, who for fifteen years has been director general of the Pan-American Union, retired from that position, Sept. 1. He was succeeded by Dr. L. S. Rowe, a gentleman well qualified for that position. For a number of years he has been the head of the state department's division of Latin-American affairs. Pinecrest House in Emigration canyon was opened Sunday, Aug. 6, with religious services, attended by President Heber J. Grant and other Church officials. Addresses were delivered by President Heber J. Grant, A. H. Woodruff, E. S. Woodruff, A. H. Woolley, and Henry Wallace. Invocation was offered by Frank L. Copening. Tivo De Haviland planes, making a trial flight from Omaha to San Francisco as a forerunner to the actual operation of this addition to the transcontinental air mail route, alighted at Buena Vista field shortly after 7 o'clock p. m., Aug. 26. The machines were piloted by Elmer G. Leonhardt and D. C. Smith. The birdmen left the transcontinental flying field at Cheyenne at 10:27 o'clock a. m., Aug. 26. James ("Tama Jim") Wilson, secretary of agriculture in the cabinets of Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft, died at hi6 home in Traer, Iowa, Aug. 26, at the age of 86. Mr. Wilson had been ill for several months. During his twelve years of service in the department of agriculture, Mr. Wilson became one of the best-known agricultural authorities in the United States. \ The loss of life in the world-war, actual and potential, is now placed at the enormous figure of 35,320,000. The figures, as published by the Society for Studying the Social Consequences of War, Copenhagen, are: Killed in war, 9,819,000; deaths due to blockades, war epidemics, etc., 5,- 301,000; fall in birthrate due to the mobilization of 56,000,000 men between 20 and 45 years of age, 20.200,000. PASSING EVENTS 1121 Utah's population, as announced by the census bureau, Aug. 30, is 449,446. The increase during the last ten years was 76^095, or 20.4 per cent. This is considerably below the increase of the preceding decade, which was 96,602, or 34.9 per cent. But considering that the war took away a large portion of the male population, for training camps and industrial plants, as well as for oversea service, the gain is satisfactory. The Thirteenth annual convention of the National Tax association was opened in Salt Lake City, Sept. 6, by a session at the Hotel Utah. Governor Bamberger delivered an address of welcome. Delegates from thirty-eight states, from the District of Columbia, and from Hawaii, Porto Rico, and Canada were present. The asociation has been formed for the purpose of arousing general interest in the subject of taxation and also to encourage more careful and effective disposition of public revenues. Workers of the world are urged to organize for the purpose of resisting efforts to plunge nations into wars. The appeal is sent out from Rotterdam, Aug. 24, by the International League of Trade Unions. "One of the best methods of preventing future wars," says the statement, which is published in the London Times, "is to refuse to transport troops or war materials. Organized labor should cease to be the accomplice of imperialism and militarism, and only the decided action of the people will save mankind." ) A new star is said to have been formed in the constellation Cygnus, as reported Aug. 23, through Harvard observatory, by a collision between a large comet and a comparatively dim sun. The information came to Captain Thomas J. J. See of the naval observatory at Mare Island from Professor Charles C. Conroy of Los Angeles. The star forms a corner of the parallelogram of Alpha, Gamma and Delta Cygni. At present it is of the second magnitude, but the magnitude may be expected to increase for several days, and then to die down in the course of a few months. Belfast, Ireland, on Aug. 28, was the scene of fierce fighting in the streets, betweenSinn Feiners and Unionists, as a result of which eleven men are reported dead while a great deal of property was destroyed by incendiaries. Acts of lawlessness were reported from many parts of the island. On Aug. 30 the Shankhill district of Belfast was said to be "a blazing inferno." A score of fires had been started, the police fired on the rioters with fatal effects. Among the dead was one young woman. Many wounded were taken to the hospitals. The annual convention of Utah school district superintendents was held in Salt Lake City, Aug. 13. Twenty districts were represented. Governor Bamberger in his address of welcome declared that he was proud of the record made by the educators. He regretted that their compensation, was so scant and expressed his conviction that all would come right in the end. In the afternoon an address was delivered by State Superintendent Leo J. Muir on "The State Department of Education; its function and present plan." The Seventieth anniversary of the beginning of the Scandinavian mis- in Denmark, Aug. sion of the Church, and especially the first baptisms 12, 1850, was observed by a series of religious services and social gather- states, in Salt Lake City, Aug. ings of Scandinavians in Utah and near-by 14 and 15. The services were held in the Assembly Hall and the Tabernacle. There were about a thousand visitors. Among those present were 1122 IMPROVEMENT ERA Elder Peter Bruun, who presided in the Christiania conference fifty years ago, and Augusta Dorius Stevens, one of the first 28 emigrants from Denmark. i An appeal for tlie union of cliurclies was issued by the Anglican hishops attending the recent Lambeth conference, according to a statement issued by the archbishop of Canterbury, Aug. 12. In the appeal, the belief is voiced that unity of all the churches involves the acceptance of the Apostles' and the Nicene creed, the Bible, baptism*, communion, and a ministry possessing "the commission of Christ and the authority of the whole body." Other matters taken up by the Lambeth conference included the admission to the ministry of women, and discussions of marriage law, the league of nations, and relations betwen capital and labor. George Freestone, a pioneer of Ashley valley, Utah, died at Vernal, Aug. 26, at the age of 82. He was born of English parentage on Prince Edward's Isle, Aug. 13, 1838, and came to America with his parents, in 1840. At the age of 13, he began his pilgrimage from Ohio to Utah, his parents being members of the Church. He arrived here Sept. 9, 1858. Brother Freestone has led a very active life. He worked on the Salt Lake Temple, served in the Blackhawk war, in 1866, engaged in farming, served for eleven years as bishop of the Vernal ward, and performed a mission to England from 1894 to 1896. He married Alice Carlisle who died in 1869, and in 1872 he married Jennie Lind, who survives him, as do seven sons and four daughters. The completion of an all-concrete highway which stretches through three counties, Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber, and between the two largest cities of the state, Salt Lake and Ogden, and extends both north and south in the longest continuous hard surfaced road existing between the Mississippi river and California was celebrated, Aug. 18. Governor Bamberger under whose administration the work has been completed, and former Governor William Spry, under whom it was begun, were present at the dividing line at Farmington, and, when the large crowd had gathered, Governor Bamberger, with a few brief words, snipped the cord of fluttering banners and declared the road officially opened. A formal program was then carried out at Lagoon. The Republican nominees for the U. S. Senate and for state offices for Utah were selected by the state convention, Aug. 26. For U. S. Senator, Reed Smoot, For Governor, Charles R. Mabey; Justice Supreme Court, J. E. Frick (Ten-year term); Secretary of State, H. E. Crockett; Attorney General, Harvey H. Cluff; Treasurer, W. D. Sutton; Auditor, Mark A. Tuttle; Superintendent Public Instruction, George Thomas. — Presidential electors Warren L. Wattis, Mrs. George T. Judd, James A. Melville, Jr., J. Howard Garrett. At the district convention, Aug. 27, E. O. Leatherwood, of Salt Lake City, and Don B. Colton, of Vernal, Uintah Co., were nominated for Congress. Thomas M. Abbott, a pioneer of 1847, passed away in his home at Farmington, Aug. 13. He was born in Wales, Middesex, Co., Mass., Jan. 1, 1832, and came to Salt Lake, with his parents, Sept. 24, 1847. He became widely known as a frontiersman and scout, serving in the Blackhawk Indian war and being a member of the expedition that explored Idaho as far north as the Salmon river. As a scout and mountaineer he served with Lewis Robison, Edgar Brown, and the famous "Pegleg" Smith. He built the first house in Idaho at the point where the old emigrant trail leaves the