Passing Events

The French dirigible Dixmude was lost in the Mediterranean according to announcement made from Paris, Dec. 28. The body of the commander was picked up near Sicily. There were fifty persons on boards, and it is feared they all met a tragic death. (All dates of Dec. are in 1923.) Alexandre Gustave Eiffel died at Paris, Dec. 28. He was the famous tower builder, widely known also as a builder of great metal bridges. He also designed the sluices for the Panama canal when the French under- took to dig the waterway. France began the withdrawal of troops from the Rhur, Dec. 3 1 . This is supposed to be the first step in the policy of "invisible" occupation, which means occupation by fewer troops, and less conspicuously. French and Belgian troops have occupied the country 16 days less than a year. The Committee of experts on German finances, appointed by the repara- tions commission to investigate Germany's resources with the object of find- ing means to balance the German budget, met at Paris Jan. 14. The com- mittee consists of British, French, Italian and Belgian delegates and two American unofficial representatives, General Charles G. Dawes and Owen D. Young. Sec. Weeks announced the sale of war material to the Obregon govern- ment, Mexico. Jan. 4. The transaction involves the sale of 5000 Enfield rifles, 5,000,000 rounds of ammunition for the guns, and eight DH-4 air- planes. Huerta has also ordered arms and ammunition in the United States, but the shipment is discouraged by the government at Washington, as against its policy. Edward A. Morgan died, Dec. 22, at Spanish Fork, his home, of pneumonia. He was professor of English in the B. Y. U., Provo. It seems that he recently drove to Provo in an open automobile and con- tracted a severe cold, from which the fatal illness developed. He was born in Spanish Fork, Aug. 8, 1877. He has been a teacher in the schools since he was 22 years old. Two Utah boys were appointed for West Point Military academy, Dec. 27, by Representative Colton to enter next summer. They are George W. Coolidge of Ogden and Paul S. Thompson of Fort Duchesne. As first alternates Edward Riley of Hiawatha and Rex E. Birch of Logan, and as second alternates, Harold F. Christiansen of Ogden and Robert Harkness of Linwood were named. Church donations were made Dec. 15, as follows: To the fund for the relief of sufferers in the "Near East," $12,500, and to the Palestine Foundation, for the restoration of Palestine, $1,000. The larger check was sent to Rabbi Steiner, Salt Lake City, and the other to Mr. Marcus M. R. Mendelson. Both remittances were accompanied by a letter expressing the good wishes of the First Presidency. The 25th anniversary of the foundation of Weber Normal College, Ogden, was observed with an elaborate program, Jan. 7, this year. The Weber College was founded by the L. D. S. Church January 7, 1889. During most of its existence it has served the community as a high school, having been known as the Weber academy until recently, when the Church designated the Ogden school as a junior college specializing in normal work. Quakers send a message of peace to the world, in a circular dated

PASSING EVENTS 399 December, 19 23. They appeal to the religious forces of the world and to those who are interested in bringing about world peace. They point cut that two paths are now before us: One leads inevitably to another war; the other begins with a complete rejection of war. There is, they say, no shadow of doubt on which of them are found the foot-prints and the signposts of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Charles S. Burton died Dec. 29, at a Salt Lake hospital, where he had been taken in the forenoon, owing to a stroke. He was born in Salt Lake, May 18, 1855, and has lived here all his life. He was educated in the public schools and Deseret University. As a young man he filled a mission in Australia. For many years he has been a prominent figure in business and financial life in Utah. At the time. of his death, he was vice president of the Utah State National Bank. Elder Winstow Fare Smith was appointed president of the Ensign stake, Sunday, Dec. 23. He was foimerly president of the Northern States Mission. Elders George H. Wallace, and George J. Cannon, of the Gen- eral Board Y. L. M. I. A., were appointed counselors. Elder Cannon suc- ceeds Elder Frank L. Copening. Elder John M. Knight was released from the presidency of the stake in order to be able to devote all his time to the work in the Western States mission over which he presides. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard Hoff and Mrs. Julia Kilen were reported killed by bandits in China, Dec. 3 1 . They were Americans and laboring as missionaries in that country, in the interest of the Lutheran Brethren. Washington had not received official notice of the outrage, but the Am- erican minister at Peking, Mr. Jacob Gould Shurman, had authority to deal with the situation. It is understood that there are half a dozen American warships in Chinese waters under the command of Rear Admiral Thomas Washington. By radio was sent a message to the Arctic from Chicago, Dec. 25, to Donald McMillan, from his sister in Chicago. The explorer is frozen in the ice about 1 1 degrees from the pole. His sister, Mrs Lillian Fogg of Freeport, Maine, came to Chicago to talk to the Arctic explorer. Messages from McMillan sent in telegraphic code to the broadcasting station acknowl- edged the greeting. Mrs. Fogg's daughters, Lillian and May, also greeted their uncle. After the personal messages Christmas carols were sung for the exploring crew and prayer services were said. Utah is not in the earthquake zone is the opinion of Francis Tondorf, director of the seismological laboratory at Georgetown University, as re- ported by Ralf R. Woolley at the All Engineers' luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 7, Mr. Tondorf, the speaker said, gave an interesting talk on earthquakes, during which he showed a map on which dots indi- cated the regions subject to earthquakes. Southern California and San Francisco were black with dots, but Utah was unmarked. The Rev. Mr. Tondorf, Mr. Woolley said, predicted the Japanese earthquake and has also predicted that another less serious quake would occur in Japan in 1927. Tutankhamen's coffin was disclosed in its full proportions, when, Dec. 17, 1923, the partition was removed by the explorers. The sides of this gigantic receptacle for the dead is resplendent with decorations of blue and gold, set against a background of bright colored paintings on yellow. The walls of the shrine are decorated in gold, and have numerous hieroglyphs and figures of birds, flowers and various animals set in a triple frame of broad black lines. The value of the gold and the various objects in the tomb is estimated at $50,000,000, J sold to museums or private collections. There are probably 3,000 square feet of solid gold plate, worth at least $20 a foot.

400 IMPROVEMENT ERA Arctic winter. Seven persons are known to have frozen to death and scores are suffering from exposure as a result of the coldest weather in 20 years which swept the northwest on the night between the 4th and the 5th of January. Among the lowest temperatures reported were White River, Ont., 42 below. Prince Albert, Ont., 34. Mankota. Minn., 38, Fargo. N. D., 35, and Sioux Falls, S. D., 34. Numerous points reported mercury de- clines to 3 2 below and sub-zero weather prevailed generally. The lowest temperature reported at Salt Lake City was 8 degrees above zero, but in the upper valleys of Utah and Idaho it fell to as low as 10 and 25 degrees below zero. King George II. of Greece, departed for Rumania, Dec. 18, 1923 ac- companied by the queen, the marshal of the court, and the king's aide. The assembly was about to convene and discuss the regime best suited to the country, and it was advisable for the king and queen to absent themselves for the time being. Eliptherios Venizelos left Paris for Athens. Dec. 28, in answer to a call from compatriots, to come and help restore order in the political chaos. It is stated, however, that his friends are skeptical as to the success of any political action he may undertake in Athens. It is pointed out that if he advocates maintenance of the royal regime, which he is known to favor, he will antagonize the most violent elements of the country. Lorus Pratt died, Dec. 30, at his home, Salt Lake City, at the age of 68, having been born in 1855. His parents were Apostle Orson Pratt and Adelia Ann Bishop Pratt, who emigrated to Utah with the pioneers of 1847. Lorus Pratt was a faithful Church worker all his life, and filled two foreign missions and also labored for about two years in Missouri and Pennsylvania. He married Harriette Elzina Wheeler. In 1890 he was called to continue his studies in art and went to Paris, France, where he prepared himself to decorate the L. D. S. temple. He was privileged to decorate the first four temples built in Utah and was one of those who had charge of the decorating and painting in the Salt Lake Temple. Those surviving him are a widow and the following sons and daughters: Lorus O. Pratt, Lola P. Baker, Marva P. Kidman, Josephine, Clifton J. and Alton M. Pratt. Modernists and Fundamentalists are threatening to disrupt several de- nominations, according to a dispatch dated New York, Dec. 18. Five sec- tarian churches are involved in the controversy, which turns mainly on the doctrine of the virgin birth of our Lord, and the resurrection of his body. The Fundamentalists deny that, and also the existence of a devil, the ef- ficacy of prayer, the reality of the miracles, the bodily form of God and the ascension of Christ. As a contribution to this controversy concerning the "virgin birth" of our Lord and his resurrection, 150 clergymen of the Presbyterian church. Jan. 9, signed a declaration in which they maintained their right to exercise freedom of thought and teaching "within the limits of evangelical Christianity." Samuel Stephen Jones. Provo, died there, Dec. 27, of infirmities in- cident to advanced age. He was born Feb. 9, 1837, at Brentford, England, where he resided until he was 1 9 years of age, at which time he joined the Church and came to Utah. He crossed the plains in Captain Martin's hand- cart company. In the early days he was a major and an adjutant in the Utah militia, and during the Black Hawk Indian war he took an active part against the Indians. He was a merchant in Provo, also engaged in the contracting business and furnished ties for the Denver ft Rio Grande Western Railroad company in building its road through Utah and Salt Lake counties, and was instrumental in many other building projects. In civic affairs Mr. Jones was active, and held the positions of policeman, alderman, city councilman and mayor. Eight and one-half years ago Mr. Jones lost his sight, but this did not retard his progress in a literary way and he wrote many beautiful poems and sketches after losing his sight.