--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Unknown collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 7 published: 1925-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Unknown, “Passing Events,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 7 (May 1925)*: 709–710." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2807unse 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: improvementera2807unse start_page: 709 end_page: 710 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2807unse publication_year: 1925 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 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Passing Events PASSING EVENTS 709 Thomas E. Jeremy passed away at his residence in Salt Lake City March 22, after several weeks of illness. He was known as a pioneer salt manufacturer of Utah, and he was at one time a city councilman. He was born in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, Dec. 1, 1839. At the age of 10, his parents, Thomas E. and Sarah Evans Jeremy, left Wales with their seven children in the first company of Saints to come to Utah from that land. After a seven weeks' ocean voyage they landed at New Orleans. En route up the Mississippi river to Council Bluffs, cholera broke out. Three of Mr. Jeremy's sisters were victims. When the Black Hawk war broke out he volunteered and saw service in southern Utah counties. In addition to his business and Church activities, Mr. Jeremy was a director of the Cambrian association. L. D. S. Missionaries were cruelly assaulted by a mob in Mexico on Friday, March 13, 1925 at Tenango, near Amecameca, state of Mexico, according to a letter received by President Anthony W. Ivins from President Rey L. Pratt, of the Mexican mission. Elder Leland Mortensen of Ciudad, Juarez, an American citizen, and Elder Abdon Aragon, a native missionary, were visiting a family of Latter-day Saints at Tenango. The Mexican mob attacked the elders thinking they were representatives of a separatist who is attempting to establish a new Catholic church in the Republic of Mexico, repudiating the pope at Rome and all ecclesiastical authorities outside of the republic. The butts of rifles, knives, clubs and stones were used by the mobbers, and the elders were beaten unconscious. They were taken to a schoolhouse, and when they came to their senses were instructed to kiss the cross and confess. On refusal they were beaten again and left. They were taken to the American hospital at Mexico City, and the mission authorities and governmental officials were advised of the matter. The trouble is being investigated by the American consul at Mexico City. Three police officials were with the mob. and offered no protection. An unusual phenomenon was observed in the southwestern portion of the sky in Salt Lake City on Monday afternoon, April 6, shortly after the close of the general conference of the Church. It consisted of what to the common observer appeared to be two suns, surrounded by not less than four halos, some intersecting each other and shining in all the brilliant colors 6f the rainbow, although the sky was almost cloudless. The beautiful display was witnessed by hundreds of wondering spectators. The writer observed it at 5:15 p. m. How long it had been in the sky then, he knows not. It was still visible, though faint, at 5:45. The cause, says Mr. Alter, the local weatherman, is a thin sheet of moisture, frozen to snow and ice in the high cirrus clouds. The ice prisms divide the light which is subject to reflection from the snow sheet and refraction on its course through the atmosphere. The result is a number of groups of concentric light circles whose diameters increase in multiples of 1, 2, 3, etc. The light is separated as it would be when passed through an ice prism, the red being nearest the source of light. Where the circles cross the doubling up of light causes bright spots which are called parhelia or mock-suns. Sailors call these "sun dogs." A number of visitations in various parts of the world have been recorded lately. On March 18, portions of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were swept by a tornado, which destroyed a number of little towns and left over 3,000 dead or injured in its wake. The wind was so powerful at Parrish that bodies were carried more than a mile, it was reported. At Murphysboro, where the dead totaled 100, a school house was blown down over the heads of 245 pupils, while at Desoto late estimates placed the dead at 100 and the injured at 300, out of a total population of 703. A schoolhouse at Desoto also was razed and only three of the 250 occupants escaped unhurt, while eighty-eight bodies were taken from the ruins. In some places where 710 IMPROVEMENT ERA the twisting wind struck hardest whole buildings were moved from their foundation, a grain elevator at Desoto having been carried intact some forty feet to the middle of a road. Churches and schools seemed to have suf- fered most. Twenty-six cities and towns in five states, reported heavy loss of life. Fire completed the destruction of large sections of many cities. From Cape Girardeu, Missouri, to Elizabeth, Ind., with a separate tornado over Witham, Tenn., and into central Kentucky. Principal cities affected: Murphysboro, De Soto and West Frankfort, in Illinois and Griffin, Owens- ville and Princeton, in Indiana and Witham, Tenn. Heaviest loss of life and property destruction reported in Murphysboro. The property loss is estimated at $150,000,000. Famine and sickness, especially tetanus, add horrors to the disaster. In Peru, the city of Trujillo, founded by Pizarro in 1535, was swept by a destructive flood, on March 18. On the same day, Tokio was terrified by a fire that destroyed 3,000 houses and rendered 20,000 people homeless. Our government at once cabled to Tokio, asking whether American help was needed to care for the homeless. At Palm Beach, Fla., the same day, the famous Breakers hotel and a smaller hotel, together with some cottages were destroyed by fire, causing a loss of between four and five million dollars. It was reported that some children and aged persons had perished in the flames. Books We have received of Augusta W. Grant, Elizabeth F. Ivins, Alice K. Smith, Ann D. Groesbeck and Susa Young Gates, a copy of Memorial to Elizabeth Claridge McCune, written by Susa Young Gates and comprising about 120 pages, beautifully illustrated. The book contains a recital of the life of Mrs. McCune's husband and his family history, followed by a sketch of Mrs. McCune, missionary, philanthropist and architect, with a number of tributes to her character and ability from her near friends. There is also a igenealogy of both family lines with a sketch of Samuel Claridge, father of Mrs. McCune, and a well known Utah pioneer and Church worker. The book also contains a full account of the impressive funeral services in honor of Mrs. McCune, held in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, August 3, 1924. The former residence of Mr. and Mrs. McCune in Salt Lake City, is beau- tifully illustrated in the booklet. This mansion was given to the Church by Mr. and Mrs. McCune some years ago and was formerly known by the name of, "L. D. S. School of Music," but was changed in August, 1924, in honor of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. McCune, to "McCune L. D. S. School of Music and Art." The building was presented to the Church in October, 1920, including a number of valuable art works. Lyrics of the Westland is the title of a booklet of twenty-one poems by Theodore E. Curtis, well known to the readers of the Improvement Era as a writer of verse. The book is beautifully made up and printed and contains some of his recently composed verses with selections from the "Pageant, The Harvest of Truth," and from the lyric poem, "In the Temples of the Great Outdoors." Those fortunate enough to obtain a copy will be delighted with the poems of this writer who is especially endowed with the ability to express musical language.