Passing Events

(Passin'k Events The Byrd Arctic expedition weighed anchor off Rosebank, Staten Island, and left for open sea in the steamship Chautier, April 6, 1926. Telephone conversation between Rugby, England, and Chicago, was held for twenty minutes, March 29. Mr. Arthur A. Oswald, who built the Rugby radio-telephone station, called up his father-in-law, Mr. Wm. H. Safford in Chicago, and told him of the success of the venture. The John L. Shafer oil well No. /, was reported,, on April 4, to have flowed at the rate of 2.020 barrels daily, during the first 12 minutes, 1,680 barrels during the first 21 minutes, and 1,200 barrels during the first 30 minutes. The well is situated about 12 miles south of Moab. The Brigham Young College, Logan, will be discontinued after this school year. This was the announcement made by Superintendent Adam S. Bennicn, of the Church schools, at a meeting of the B. Y. C. board of trustees, March 31, 1926. Possibility that the buildings may be sold to the city, schools and two L. D. S. church seminaries 'established in Logan, was voiced, says the neswspaper reports. The buildings have been appraised at $209,000 and equipment at $50,000. War on the Mexicari government by the Catholic church was begun on March 30, 1926, by Charles W. Darr, attorney for Archbishop Curley of Baltimore, demanding that our government withdraw recognition of the Mexican government. The demand was made in an address before the Foreign Affairs committee of the House of Representatives, and the speaker said he represents 20,000,000 Catholics in the United States. Mr. Darr explained that Mexico by its constitution has laid the foundation for bolshevism. Notice to the West Family — A meeting of all who bear the name of West and related lines, who may be interested in temple work, will be held during the June Mutual conference, for the purpose of forming a West Surname Organization. A genealogy of the progenitors and descendants of Francis West, of Druxbury, Mass., was recently completed and published by Joseph A. West. Ogden, Utah. One hundred copies of this work are still on hand. These will be distributed, at a nominal cost, at the meeting to those who attend. A successful flight in the Arctic was reported from Fairbanks, Alaska, April 7, 1926, when Captain George Hubert Wilkins and Lieutenant Carl Benjamin Eielson arrived there from Point Barrow, Alaska. They had ventured 140 miles north of that point without discovering any unknown land. The farthest point north in their flight, made on March 31, was latitude 73 degrees 30 minutes. That was 70 miles farther than Vilhjalmur Stefarson attained in 1913. Seventy miles north of Point Barrow his ship was stopped by the ice pack. Senator Smith Wm. Brookhart, of Iowa, was unseated, April 12, 1926, by a vote in the U. S. Senate of 45 to 41. Senator Brookhart is classed as an "insurgent" Republican. His opponent, Daniel F. Steck, who was sworn in by Vice-President Dawes immediately after the vote, is a Democrat. Until the very hour of the roll call the result was in doubt, but sixteen Republicans joined with twenty-nine Democrats in voting to unseat Brookhart, over- whelming the nine Democrats, thirty-one Republicans and the one farmer- labor senator, who supported him.

PASSING EVENTS 697 A destructive tornado swept the oil district of Texas, March 25, 1926, and ten or twelve wells were loosed from control, in the oil field near Orangeville. A path about a half-mile in width was cleared of derricks by the wind, and. when the equipment went, the flowing wells ran wild. Property loss was estimated at $1,000,000. It was confined principally to 125 wrecked oil derricks. The tornado lasted only a few seconds, and was followed by a heavy rain and steady, strong wind. The oil spouting from the uncontrolled wells was1 blown long distances and coated the field. Delegates from Chili and Peru met in Washington, April 6, 1926, to discuss the Tacna-Arica question, with a view to arriving at a settlement. Secretary Kellogg, in opening the conference, asked the delegates to "set an example to the world of a willingness to make concessions, adjust their differences and again restore their diplomatic and commercial relations. The meeting of the ambassadors and their staffs at the state department marked the beginning of direct negotiations, initiated by the United States as mediator, for settlement of the aged dispute between Chile and Peru over the sovereignty of the two provinces. An ultimatum, from foreign powers to China, issued March 1 6, gives the belligerents 36 hours in which to comply with the demand that they cease interfering with the foreign shipping. The action was taken as a result of conferences of consular and naval authorities whose decisions were approved by legations. French, Italian and American gunboats have gone down the Peri river to Taku from Tientsin, thirty-seven miles distant. Numerous other foreign warships already are assembled off Taku bar, outside the harbor. American residents in Peking protested against inteference by the United States in the affairs of China, on the ground that it is harmful to American interests. The first one-day trip from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City by a Douglas plane carrying a standard load was made on Monday, April 5, by Major C. C. Mosley, vice-president of the Western Air Express. Under government mail contract the company is scheduled to start operations April, 17. The trip being made is a test for the plane and one of several that will be made before opening the service. Major Mosley was accompanied by James G. Woolley, traffic manager of the company. On April 17, the air connection between the two points was established. Two .'planes started, one from each terminus, and made the trip in about seven hours. Charlie N. James was the pilot of the plane from Salt Lake City. Secret radio messages ate now said to be possible, by the use of an instrument called the "crypto-telestereograph," — a word literally meaning "secret-long-solid-writer." The inventor is Monsieur Belin, and his in- vention is said to enable the sender to transmit the original handwriting of anyone in a photographic copy, by wireless. Monsieur Belin has just succeeded in sending his "Belinogrammes" from Vienna to Paris, a distance of 1000 miles. He says there is no reason why the messages can't be sent across the Atlantic. Both sending and receiving instruments must be carefully synochronized. The incoming message looks like a paper covered with iron filings, or dust, and cannot be read if the receiver hasn't the necessary key. Judge Thomas Marioneaux died April 2, 1926, at his home in Salt Lake City, after a brief illness of pneumonia. He has been known as one of the leading men of the American bar. He was born in New Orleans, La., January 21. 1867. He came to Salt Lake City, in 1889, from Denver, and became at first associated with the firm of Bennett, Marshall %S Bradley. He was admitted to> the bar of the supreme court of Utah and to the United States district court of Utah in 1892, and from 1894 to 1896 served as court reporter in the Third district court. He served as district attorney of the Fifth judicial district from 1899 to 1900 and in 1900 was

698 IMPROVEMENT ERA elected district judge of the Fifth judicial district, where he served until 1904. Dowager Queen Louise of Denmark passed away, March 20, 1926, at Copenhagen. She was the widow of King Frederick VIII. The death was due to a heart attack, superinduced by pneumonia. She was 74 years old. The deceased was the daughter of King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway. She became queen of Denmark in 1906, when her husband, Crown Prince Frederick, succeeded to the throne of his father, King Christian IX, who died Jan. 30, 1906, at the age of 88 years. The dowager Queen was born Oct. 31. 1851. Queen Louise was the first sovereign of Denmark to die as dowager queen in 150 years. All of her children, except King Haakon of Norway, were at the deathbed, as well as Queen Alexandria, Crown Prince Christian Frederick and Prince Knud. The ten-story Medical Arts building to be erected upon the site formerly occupied by the Historian's office, Salt Lake City, has been financed and is at present in process of construction. It will cost in exdess of $450,000, and it is expected that it will be completed by the end of the current year. The Medical Arts Building Company has succeeded in financing the struc- ture. Dr. Fred Stauffer is the president of the Medical Arts Building Com- pany, with Dr. E. F. Root, vice-president. Lewis Telle Cannon and John Fetzer are the architects. The building will be used only by members of the medical and dental professions and supply houses, catering to their needs. Nine upper stories will provide ninety spacious offices, and the ground floor will have a large lecture room, and four stores. Mussolini was wounded in the face by a bullet fired at him by an Irish woman, the Honorable Violet Albina Gibson, 54-year-old sister of Baron Ashbourne, a resident of Compiegne, France. The population is jubilant because the dictator escaped death. The woman, Gibson, was born in 1876 at Dalkey County, Dublin, and a little over a year ago was the central figure of a dramatic incident. She was devoutly religious, and went to Rome in December. 1924, for the papal jubilee ceremonies and stayed at a convent. One day the mother superior, alarmed at hearing a shot-like sound, knocked at Violet's door. Apparently the woman had shot herself, but was able to open the door. She asked for a priest, to whom she stoically told of her action, explaining that she had "tried to die for the glory of God." She was sent to the hospital and recovered. Benjamin (Uncle Ben) Perkins, one of the original pioneers of San Juan county, died in Los Angeles, California, March 29, 1926. The body was brought to Monticello and buried there on April 6. The deceased was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1844, and came to the United States with his brother, Hyrum, in 1868. He was (instrumental in bringing to Utah his father, mother, two sisters, and Mary Ann Williams, whom he married soon after her arrival in Salt Lake City. Uncle Ben Perkins passed through the scenes and experiences incident to early pioneer life in Utah and the West, and did his part in developing the country and in turning the desert into a fruitful field. Later in life he married Sarah Williams, a sister of his first wife, and by the two unions he was blessed with 23 children, 18 of whom survive him, together with 84 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. President Thomas P. Cottam of the St. George Temple, died at his home in St. George. Utah, March 15, 1926. He was born in Salt Lake City. Sept. 28. 1857. but went with his parents to St. George in 1862, where, later, he engaged in stock raising and agriculture. He was appointed as bishop of the Fourth ward by the late President Wilford Woodruff in 1887, and served in this capacity until 1896. He served in many other official church capacities and in 1917 was ordained a patriarch. Upon the ' death of President David A. Cannon of the St. George temple, President Cottam was chosen as his successor.. Besides his Church activities, President

PASSING EVENTS 699 Cottam served a term as mayor of St. George, was assessor and collector for Washington county for a number of years, and was a member of the legislature from 1905 to 1908. Luther Burbank, the famous horticulturist, died at his home in Santa Rosa. Cal., April 11. after an illness of two weeks. He was born at Lancaster, Mass.. March 7. 1849, of English and Scotch ancestry, and he was the thirteenth of fifteen children. At the age of 22, he happened to find a seed ball of the Early Rose potato, which rarely bears seed. From this he developed the world-famous Burbank potato that has spread to every portion of the globe and which is said to exert a greater influence upon the food supply of humanity than any other single food plant. Shortly after- wards he moved to California, where he bought a small farm and undertook the many experiments for which he has become famous. Next to the potato, the accomplishment which brought fame to Burbank, was the spine- less cactus, whereby he turned a worthless desert growth into a valuable forage and fruiting plant. In recognition of this work he received in 1912 a United States grant, congress under special act turning over 7680 acres of non-irrigable land to be located either in California, Nevada or Arizona. It has been estimated that Burbank's 100,000 or more experiments with plant life involved the planting, pollenization, observation and propagation or destruction of a billion individual growths. From this vast number, however, only 385 were selected and recommended by him as of value to humanity. Some of these were under his observation for twenty-five years before being given to the world. Honorable Joseph A. West, civil engineer and pioneer citizen of Ogden, a son of Bishop Chauncey W. West and Mary Hoagland West, pioneers of 1847, died in Ogden City April 17, 1926. He was born in Salt Lake City September 12, 1851, and at the age of five years the family moved to Ogden, where Brother West has been a leading worker in every department for the furtherance of the Church and State all his life. As civil engineer he had charge of the construction of the Utah Central Railway between Salt Lake and Ogden, and also surveyed the Utah Northern between Ogden and Logan, later the Oregon Short Line. He was chief engineer of the Sumpter Valley Railway in Oregon, and secretary of this road at the time of his death. Practically every railway in the West has been benefited by his services at different times. In early days he was one of the students of telegraph by call of President Brigham Young. The first office of the company was opened at Ogden, December 1, 1866, and Brother West President Young's congratulatory message directed to Chauncey C. West, bishop of Weber county. Joseph A. West was at one time manager of the Ogden Junction and made it a morning paper. He was interested in the first water works of Ogden City. In Church affairs, he was the first superintendent of the Y. M. M. I. AJ there. He has served the Church in many capacities, including a mission and many activities in his home county, and also served as a representative in the Legislature. He was a frequent contributor to the Improvement Era, and a^ one time General Secretary of the Y. M. M. I. A., and associate editor of the Contributor. In later years he became associated with David Eccles in the northwest lumber trade. Funeral services were held in Ogden on April 19, interment being in the Ogden cemetery. Surviving are his widows, Josephine Richards West and Sylvia Child West. He was the father of eighteen children, and had thirty- five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren living at his death. Mrs. Susa Young Gates was honored on her 70th birthday by a large gathering of family and friends, who paid high tribute to her active life. The occasion was the 70th anniversary of her birth, Thursday, March 18, 1926. The gathering was held in the Lion House, which building was also

700 IMPROVEMENT ERA seventy years old on the same day, and in which building she was born seventy years ago. Cafeteria supper was served to the company from 5 to 6 p. m.. followed by a very interesting program, in which the speakers brought instructive, humorous and interesting old-time memories and lauded Sister Gates as one of the outstanding women in the Church, and as a devoted mother and wife. Her husband, Jacob F. Gates, gave a sketch of their married life, in which he wove in much wit and romance pertaining to his first meeting with his wife, courtship and their marriage at St. George. Mrs. Gates spoke in reminiscent vein of her early associations. | Among the noted speakers were President Heber J. Grant, Presiden* Anthony W. Ivins, President Chas. W. Nibley, and Elder Orson F. (Whitney of the Council of the Twelve. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, noted author and nationally known director of women's activities, a fast friend of Mrs. Gates, paid her tribute in verse which she read. The speeches were full of much humor, emphasized the many talents, the ability and the leadership possessed by Mrs, Gates, and gave glowing tributes to her achievements. A reproduction on the phono- graph of a speech by President Joseph F. Smith, given to the Young family more than twenty vears ago, Was listened to as one of the features of the evening. Professor Maude May Babcock gave two readings; and a beautiful phonograph selection by Emma Lucy Gates Bowen delighted the audience. The following brothers and sisters of Mrs. Gates, sons and daughters of President Brigham Young, were present: Col. Willard Young, Don Carlos Young, Morris B. Young, Mrs. Maria Y. Dougall, Jeanette Y. Easton, Clarissa Y. Spencer, Ruth Y. Healey, and Fannie V. Young. It was a delightful evening. HThe death of Colonel John C. Coolidge, father of the President, on March 18, 1926, though expected for some time, nevertheless came so suddenly that President Coolidge, who sped northward on a special train, failed to reach the bedside before the end had come. Miss Florens Cilley, who conducts a general store in the village, and her ward, Violet Hickory, were the last visitors to the sick-room. They called shortly before 10 p. m., but the Colonel did not recognize them, being in a state of coma. He passed away shortly after they left. / The physician, Dr. A. M. Cram, the nurse, Mrs. Johnson, and the bodyguard were with him to the last. Colonel Coolidge, who was within two weeks of his eighty-first birthday, had been sinking gradually since he suffered a severe heart attack a week ago. At that time his physician said his patient was at the point of death. His pulse rate reached 140. The President's father's illness attracted attention first in April last year. It was found later that he suffered from gas on the stomach and bowels, and that inflamation had set in. On June 28 he was operated on. He seemed greatly relieved at first, but he has been reported sick since then, on several occasions. Until during the Christmas season he continued to perform the "chores" about the place, but at that time he lost the use of his legs and had since been confined to his bed. Mr. Coolidge was born at Plymouth, Vermont, March 31, 1845. His title he obtained from service on the staff of Governor Stickney of Vermont. . At the age of 27 he was elected member of the legislature, where he served six terms as representative and one as senator. Colonel Coolidge in 1868 married Victoria Josephine Moor. They lived in a tenement in the rear of the store, where President Coolidge was born, until 1878, when, upon the death of bis father, the colonel moved into the latter's home, the present Coolidge homestead. Mrs. Coolidge died when Calvin was 12 years old. The colonel's second wife was Carrie A. Brown, who died in 1920. After his son became the occupant of the White House, Colonel Coolidge made occasional trips to Washington, but always appeared glad to get back to his farm and the life to which he had so long been accustomed.

Motion Pictures The following pictures have been previewed by the Committee on Recreation and may be obtained from the Visual Education Department of the University of Utah: Off the Highway — 8 reels. An all-star special. A Hunt Stromberg personally supervised production. Mike — 7 reels. A Metro-Goldwin-Mayer picture written and directed by Marshall Neilan. A sparkling comedy drama of life in a desert town, with Sally O'Neill. Steel Preferred — 7 reels. Vera Reynolds, William Boyd, and Charlie Murray. A tremendous dramatic story filmed in the heart of the great steel industry. The Million Dollar Handicap — 6 reels. A Metropolitan production with Vera Reynolds, Edmund Burns and Ralph Lewis. A great melodramatic picture of the American turf, vibrant with humor and thrills. Don Q Son of Zorro — 1 1 reels. Douglas Fairbanks. Swift action, tender ro- mance, thrilling stunts, with lightning-like whip-lash, comedy, rapid adventure, high conspiracy, mystery plots. We again call your attention to the picture America, which was mentioned in the list published in the April Journal and Era. Specially recommended by the Committee. IMPROVEMENT ERA, MAY, 1926 Two Dollars per Annum Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah, as second class matter Hcbcr J. Grant, XpA't Melvin J. Ballard, Business Mgr. Edward H. Anderson. £ Moroni Snow, Assistant. Acceptance for wailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1 103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 2, 1918 CONTENTS In Hawaii Frontispiece The Soul's Captain. A Poem Orson F. Whitney 611 Diamond Jubilee of Missionary Effort in Hawaii. Illustrated ..Francis J. Russell 613 Harold Dingit's Wild Ride. A Story David Horatio Morgan 620 A Mother's Worth. A Poem O. F. Ursenbach 627 Motherhood. A Poem Alberta L. Jacobs 627 Oratory, Poesy and Prophecy Orson F. Whitney 628 "Twenty Nickles." A Story George Blair Glade 632 May Day. A Poem Mrs. Otis Geise 633 Wild Life of the Forest. Illustrated Benjamin Swapp 634 My Mother. A Poem C. H. Durrant 637 The Choice. A Story Weston N. Nordgran 638 Mother is Praying for Me. A Poem Elsie M. Larsen —641 A "Speeding" Cure. A Story Glen Perrins 642 Bits of Philosophy Nephi Jensen 643 The Formal Opening) of Bryce Canyon Grace Wharton Montaigne 644 Laughter. A Poem - D. C. Retsloff 647 Latter-day Saints' New Seminary at Payson, Utah. Illustration 648 An American Indian Pageant. Illustrated Victor Lindblad 649 Things as They Are. A Poem Bertha A. Kleinman 651 Pioneers. Song with Music P. D. Griffith 652 Joseph Smith, and the Great West /. K. Russelt 653 For the Soul that Comprehends. A Poem Grace Ingles Frost 660 San Francisco to Leningrad via the North Pole Elizabeth Cannon Porter 661 Putting the Mutual Reading Course Across Fred G. Barker...: 665 Dear Mother of Mine. A Poem Walter N. Home ...666 Messages from the Missions. Illustrated 668 Editors' Table — President Heber J. Grant's Con- ference Message / — 677 Changes in Officers — Church Statistics 686 3riesthood Quorums 688 Mutual Work 68 9 Passing Events 69 6