---
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: 30
number: 8
published: 1927-06
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* 30, no. 8 (June 1927): 751–755."
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3008unse
  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: improvementera3008unse
start_page: 751
end_page: 755
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1927-06)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3008unse
  publication_year: 1927
  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 1927, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Passing Events

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Captain George H. Wilkins, Arctic explorer, returned April 20, 1927, to Beechy Point, after an attempt to explore the unknown regions of the North Pole area. He left Point Barrow, Alaska, March 29, and has been missing since then, until his return to Beechy Point. A relief expedition consisting of Alger Graham, of Detroit, and an Eskimo guide, failed to locate him. Hudson Maxim, the famous inventor, died at his home in Maxim Park, Lake Hopatcong, N. J., on May 6, 1927, 74 years old. The cause of death is given as cancer of the stomach and anemia. His physician and friends reported that about a year before his death. Mr. Maxim claimed that he and not Einstein, was the discoverer of the theory of relativity. A pamphlet on the subject remains uncompleted. The statement of the U. S. Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon, March 17, 1927 , concerning the war debts is declared inaccurate, in a note from the British government to Secretary of State Kellogg, delivered by a representative of the British embassy in Washington, May 4. The state department promptly advised the British government that the United States regards the recent correspondence between Secretary Mellon and President Hibben of Princeton University on war debts as a "purely domestic discus- sion" and does not desire to engage in any formal diplomatic exchanges on the subject. Mrs. Louisa I. H. Francis, wife of A. W. Francis, of Morgan, Utah, died on Saturday, May 7, 1927, at the age of 59 years. She was born in Coalville, June 22, 1868, a daughter of Emma and Stuart Hutchinson. She is survived by five sons and one daughter. Three of her sons have filled missions in Australia. She was a true and faithful Latter-day Saint. Funeral services were held at the stake tabernacle, May 10, all the business houses of Morgan closing during the hour. Among the speakers was President H. M. Randall, of Morgan stake. Appropriate music, flowers and singing were presented. The grave was dedicated by Alonzo Francis. A monument to 500 Utah pioneers was dedicated at the San Bernardino Valley ranch, May 1, 1927. Those pioneers arrived there 76 years ago under the leadership of Amasa M. Lyman and Charles O. Rich. The monu- ment, built of concrete, was the gift of Fred Klein and Charles F. Reuthet and their wives, owners of the ranch. It is erected on the site of the pioneer log stockade which was built as a protection against marauding Indians. Representatives from Utah included Elder Richard R. Lyman, who offered the dedicatory prayer; Mrs. Nancy Rich Pugmire, Mrs. Minerva Rich Woolley and William Lyman Rich, all descendants of the leaders of the pioneer band. Mrs. Phoebe Neslen Ottinger. widow of former fire chief, George W. Ottinger, died, May 2, 1927, at the family home in Salt Lake City. She was born in Lowestoff. Suffolk county, England, Sept. 27, 1839, a daughter of Samuel and Eunice Frances Neslen. With her family she crossed the plains to Utah in 1853, settling in this city. In December. 1864. she married Mr. Ottinger and moved into the house where she died. Surviving are two sons, Captain Ottinger and J. S. Ottinger; three daughters, Mrs. George E. Romney and Mrs. A. M. Rust of this city, Mrs. Rowena O. Hatch of Heber City, 17 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and a sister, Mrs. John Sharp. The death list in tornadoes and storms, which swept the Middle West

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752 IMPROVEMENT ERA on May 7, 1927, and the following days, was reported to have grown to 219 on May 10, with more than 1,000 injured and a property loss amount- ing to millions of dollars. At Poplar Bluff, Mo., approximately 40 persons were killed on May 9, and an area of four blocks by five was destroyed. Not a single store building was left without being damaged. Thirty-nine children were injured, whren a school building collapsed. At night the city was in darkness and the cries of women and children could be heard from all parts of the devastated section. From a number of places in Arkansas and Texas come reports of fatalities as a result of tornadoes. Former U. S. Senator Albert Jeremiah Beveridge, eminent statesman, biographer and orator, died at Indianapolis, April 27, 1927, of heart ailment, at 64 years of age. Since his retirement from the senate in 1911, after 12 years' service, he has devoted his time to literary pursuits. He was writing The Life of Abraham Lincoln when death overtook him. In addition to his biographical works, he also produced many essays and treaties on involved political, religious and economic subjects. They ranged from The Russian Advance, 1903, to The Bible as Good Reading, 1905, and The State and the Nation, 1925. Finding time in 1916 to do a bit of war correspondence in Europe, he wrote What is Back of the War, following an interview with the German kaiser. "Ruins of an old Toltec temple, supposed to be from 2000 to 5000 years old, has been discovered in the mountains in the province of Coche, in the republic of Panama, by the explorers, George Williams and Wallace Bain, according to a report dated April 22, 1927. The ruins indicated a temple with immense stone colunms, reminding of Egyptian. They found many weapons of flint and other kinds of stone, and, among other things, a candlestick of gold. At a depth of 15 feet they found a skeleton, in a coat of mail of copper, coated with gold 1/16 inch thick, and some solid gold plates. The two explorers carried part of these finds to the capital of Panama and returned to the place of discovery, to continue the excavations." — Svenska Amerikdnaren, April 28, 1927. From New York to Paris in thirty-three hours and ten minutes. That was the victorious jump of Captain Charles Lindbergh, 25, who left New York to Paris Friday, 7:52 a. m., May 20, 1927, and landed safely at Le Bourget field, Paris, France, at 5:21 p. m., eastern daylight time, May 21; 10:21 p. m. Paris time. As mechanics dragged him from the cockpit of The Spirit of St. Louis, the name of his ship, his first words, were, "Am I in Paris?" "You are here," they told him. In the meantime, the crowd picked him up, with exultant yells from thousands of Gallic throats. When his mother, Evangeline Lodge Lindbergh, Detroit, Michigan, heard of his safe /arrival, she said these four words, "That's all that matters." "Slim" Lindbergh, as he is called, has achieved a great victory, and has written a new chapter in aviation history. Two fliers were killed, April 26, 1927, at Newport News Va., when the giant biplane, in which they intended to cross the Atlantic, essayed to make a landing in a marsh. The plane flopped over, and the airmen, trapped in the cockpit, were drowned in mud and water. The victims were Lieutenant Commander Noel Davis, a native of Salt Lake City, and Lieutenant Stanton Wooster, naval aviators. The plane was carrying a load of 16,000 pounds. Attempting their first flight in the plane with such a load, Davis and Wooster succeeded in getting the ship off the ground. When about fifty feet in the air it made one turn, then settled toward the earth. The plane made a good landing in a marsh near Messick, a fishing village on Black river, but after going about 125 feet through the mud, its tail lifted high in the air and it flopped over. Captain Samuel Paul, at one time chief of police of Salt Lake City,

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PASSING EVENTS 753 passed away at his home in this City, April 21, 1927, while talking with Congressman E. O. Leatherwood, who paid him a visit. They were sitting in the front room. Captain Paul talked about his pension, and handed the congressman his discharge from the Union Army. While Mr. Leatherwood was reading the paper, he heard a sigh and a gasp, and when he looked up, the aged veteran had already passed to the Great Beyond. Members of the family, including Dr. Samuel G. Paul, his son, were sum- moned. The deceased was born in Colraine, Ireland, Feb. 20, 1836, and came to Utah in 1870 as deputy marshal under U. S. Marshal M. T. Patrick. In 1890 he was appointed supervisor of streets, and the chief of police under Mayor Baskin. He figured prominently in Masonic circles. Fifty thousand people have been rendered homeless through floods, the Mississippi having broken through the levees in several places. On April 20, 1927, it was estimated that 6,250 square miles, or four million acres, were inundated. The states affected are Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and, to a lesser extent, Illinois, Kentucky. Tennessee and Louisiana. Among the cities severely hit are Clarendon, Pine Bluff and Little Rock, and many smaller communities. On April 22. it was estimated that 75.000 persons were rendered homeless, and that 7,500 square miles were under water. The flood is said to be the most disastrous on record in that region. An appeal is made from Washington for $5,000,000 for the relief of the stricken in- habitants. President Coolidge, on May 2, in a proclamation, asked for $10,000,000 for the relief of flood sufferers. American Falls dam was officially recorded as one of the Government's reclamation projects, on April 21. The ceremony of presenting the dam for acceptance was carried out before the cornerstone at its base. A. E. Paddock, who superintended its construction and who acted as the representative of the Utah Construction company, its builders, tendered the project, and it was accepted by Superintendent F. A. Banks of the United States bureau of reclamation, representing the government. Erected at a cost of $3,000,000, the American Falls dam is the outstanding physical feature of a reclamation plant representing an investment of $8,000,000. It was erected by the bureau of reclamation, with the cooperation of twenty-three irrigation dis- tricts, companies and individuals. It is nearly a mile in length and more than two years was consumed in its construction. Judge Noel S. Pratt died May 12, 1927, after ten days' illness, caused by rheumatism, from which he had suffered for many years. Judge Pratt, born in Salt Lake, December 25, 1888, was the son of Mathoni and Eliza- beth Sheets Pratt. He attended the public schools of Salt Lake and later the L. D. S. U., the University of Utah and the University of Oregon. He received his law degree at the latter institution. In February of 1923 he married Miss Elise Peterson of Logan. They have no children. An active member of the L. D. S. Church, Judge Pratt was at one time secretary of the tabernacle choir and always took an interest in Church activities. Sur- viving are his widow, his father and the following brothers and sisters: M. W. Pratt, Jr., of Driggs. Idaho: Harold S. Pratt of Stone, Idaho; Orson S. Pratt, Mrs. Florence Pratt Evans and Mrs. Pearl Pratt Constanio, all of Salt Lake. To fly across the Atlantic, from Paris to New York, was the aim of Captain Charles Nungesser and Lieutenant Francis Coli. who took the air at 5:18 a. m., Sunday, May 8, 1927, in the plane, The White Bird. Their route lay over Honfleur, whence Champlain, 324 years ago. sailed for the conquest of the new world. Thence they planned to skirt the southern cost line of England, pass over Fastnet, Ireland, and after following a great circle on their way across the North Atlantic, pick up early Monday the Newfoundland coast. From there, said Lieutenant Coli, "it is the plainest

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754 IMPROVEMENT ERA kind of sailing" — down the New England coast to Mitchell field, where, if luck holds, they will come to earth some time around noon Monday. But nothing had been heard from them on Wednesday, May 11, and it was feared that they had met with disaster. On May 19, it was reported that an airplane wing had been picked up by a coast guard cutter near Montauk Point, Conn. Wm. Charles Spence, for many years engaged in the transportation de- partment of the Church offices, passed away in Los Angeles, May 9, 1927. He retired from his work in 1924, and has since then spent much of his time in California. He was born in London, England, December 3, 1851, the son of John and Marjorie Lisk Spence. When he was twelve years of age he accompanied his parents to the United States, crossing the plains to Utah by ox team. Early in his career he was appointed by Brigham Young to a position in the Church offices. In 1881, he was made transportation agent and had charge of arranging for travel of missionaries and converts of the Church. He served as a city councilman about twenty-five years ago during the administration of Mayor Ezra Thompson. He remained an active business man up to the time of his retirement. He had been in ill health for some time, never completely recovering from a severe attack of pneumonia last year. The log cabin occupied in 1862 by the late President Charles W. Penrose and his family was dedicated, April 24, 1927, by President Heber J. Grant, for the Daughters of Pioneers of Davis county, Utah, in the presence of a large audience. The cabin, which is situated in Farmington, Davis county, Utah, is to be used as a hall of relics. President Grant related many incidents from the life of President Penrose, both humorous and serious. The services were presided over by Mrs. Oleen Rice. The opening prayer was offered by Elder H. H. Blood. After President Grant's addrers, Mrs. Grant spoke of her residence in Farmington when she taught school there. "Aunt'! Zina Young Card lauded the Daughters of the Pioneers and spoke feelingly of President Charles W. Penrose. Among those introduced to the audience was Mrs. Amy Burnham, a daughter of President Penrose, born in the cabin. Many sons and daughters and grandchildren of President Penrose were present. A new declaration of principles was announced by President Coolidge April 25, in an address before newspapei men in New York, when he said the United States has the responsibility of "discouraging" revolutions in the countries north of Panama, and to encourage settlement of political difference by the peaceful method of elections. Regarding the Mexican question, the President stated that the main difference between the two countries concerned the right of a government to seize the property of aliens. He said, in part: "We do not question their right to take any property, provided they pay fair compensation. With their efforts to secure a division of great estates, so that more of their -people may be land owners, we have every sympathy. We have even agreed that our government would accept the bonds of the Mexican government in payment for damages awarded by the commission for land taken for this purpose. Of course, we do not want any controversy with Mexico. We feel every sympathy with her people in their distress and have every desire to assist them." President Calles in Mexico thinks this statement has prepared the way for a satisfactory settlement of the controversy by means of negotiations. In Rome a different view is expressed. II Tevere says America's new world role is that of a policeman guaranteeing the status quo. The paper believes that the United States will submerge Latin civilization of South America, economically if not politically, unless the Latin element is capable of successful resistance.

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The problem of trisecting an angle has been solved by Professor Berticc G. Hastings, of Seattle, according to a statement by the Houston, Texas, Chronicle, May 4, 1927. The solution is: "Construct a right angle and on the sides of the right angle lay off equal sects, with any radius and its double. Then complete the three squares, or two rectangles with a common unit square. With the sides of the rectangle as a radius, describe an arc of the right angle. Where this arc intersects the sides of the rectangles will be the points of trisection of the arc of the right angle. Connect with the vertex of the angle and three angles of thirty degrees are formed. This is easily proved by the sines of the angles. Since the trisector is double the side of the square, this ratio is one-half, or .05000, which is the sine of thirty degrees." IMPROVEMENT ERA, JUNE, 1927 Two Dollars per Annum Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah, as second-class matter Hcber J. Grant, |p •• Melvin J. Ballard, Business Mgr. Edward H. Anderson. fEdltors Moroni Snow, Assistant. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1 103, Act of October 3, 1917. authorized on July I, 1918 CONTENTS Mormon Battalion Monument ;;y:-7TT" Frontispiece A Tribute to Joseph Smith. A Poem DeWitt Wise 6b/ An Epic in Stone. Illustrated Elizabeth Cannon Porter 669 Manana. A Poem -Mary F. Kelly Pye 673 The Green River Buttes, Wyoming. Illustrated "'Jl Brigham Young's Wisdom of Choice — - — ----- -: To Brigham Young. A Poem Douglas Davis 6/6 The Narrows in Ogden Canyon. A Poem W A. Morton l ----- 677 Avocation Elder Stephen L. Richards...... 678 Westerners in Action. Illustrated ~-- — - — — _ The Sunday Crop. A Story Douglas Brian 69 3 Sabbath Evening Prayer. A Poem Jean Bennion 69£ Notes on the Book of Mormon— III J- M. Sjodahl -------------- 696 The Flowers of May. A Poem Joseph Longking Townsend.. 700 Science and the "Mormon" Doctrine of the Resurrection --»'■ Joseph S. Amussen 701 Fairy Night. A Poem Nona »■ Brown 705 The Liquor Situation in Canada Frank C. Steele 706 A Bear in Camp. A Story ,- Carter E. Grant 708 A Great Horned Owl. A Poem ------ Ti~lT~t 717 A Teacher's Passing Thoughts £",rfr"£- * »n 7 7 7 In Tune. A Poem "f^T 11 T „-. , o -^ \x ■ M. Charles wood The Latter-day Message. Song with Music Evan Stephens 718 Putting it Over. A Poem Bertha A. Kleinman 719 Sprinkling is Not Baptism J. M. Sjodahl 720 Creation. A Poem Octave F. Ursenbach 722 The Voice of the Velt— .. Kenneth C. Woodruff 723 Heart's Gold. A Poem -Lucy Bingham 724 Messages from the Missions. Illustrated 725 Privileges Concerning Temple and Other Ordinances Elder Joseph Fielding Smith.. 736 Vacant Vacations Dorothy C. Retsloff 738 Reflections that Shall Make Me Happy W. H. Boyle 739 Editors' Table — Responsibility 74 1 Books 74 1 Save the Trees. A Poem Bertha A. Kleinman 743 Priesthood Quorums 744 Mutual Work 746 Passing Events 751