Current Events

Current Events A Study for the Advanced Senior Class M. I. A., 1927-28 Suggestions by the Committee It is time for the completion of prepara- tion for our month of special prominence, February. While being "ij" is not one of the M. I. A. objectives of the Advanced Senior Department, the class should give constant evidence of its worthiness to a front-rank place in the line-up for success. One of the characteristics of stake and ward officers' meeting should be an order of business, and in that order of business Advanced Senior Class work should have distinct recognition. Three vital questions are facing the class: 1. What are the special privileges of the Advanced Senior Class during the month of February? 2. What special work is expected of the class by the year round program? 3. How can the class get what is coming to it and do what is ex- pected of it? We must be true to our name "Advanced," with the watchword "Advance." 1 — Religion and Social Service (January, 1928) Is religion passing away from the poor? Have the leisure rich and the educated been in the wrong on most of the prob- lems of progress, most of the time? Do the working men distrust the churches, and if so, why? Is the working man naturally religious, and if so, in whom does he believe? Does the immigrant find the gospel in practice here that is preached to him abroad? Does the church move out as the foreigner moves in to our protestant com- munities? Of what is the present social unrest the result? What has the church done for "ideal- ism?" Wherein has the church failed with the poor? For answers to the foregoing questions study an article, "Why Labor Deserts the Church," by G. Charles Stelge, in World's Work. November 29, condensed in Read- er's Digest, December. Which is preferable for Christian pro- gress, "The Michigan Plan for Good Will on Earth," or Dr. Barton's scheme for unification of church effort? (See Liter- ary Digest, November 26, pp. 27-28.) Is divorce increasing faster than mar- riage in the United States? Is the marriage rate increasing or de- creasing in your state? How many marriages to one divorce in your state in 1926? Is the divorce rate in your state greater or less than that of the republic, — one divorce to s«ven marriages? (Consult: Literary Digest, December 3, p. 34.) Dorothy Dix handles "Companionate Marriage" righteously and rigorously. See Deseret Evening News, Friday, Novem- ber 18.) Does the world need a religious armistice? Would perfect unity of idea interfere with advancement? Is this a day when leaders in religion are in doubt as to what they believe? Are the Jews and the Protestants unit- ing in helping the Catholics? Is the attitude of the American press favorable or unfavorable to the loosening of greed lines? What of that strikingly strong sermon of less than one hundred words? (Literary Digest, December 3, page 34.) If I Were Mayor — By Will Durrani An article bustling with ideas, many of them of an up-to-date type and some de- cidedly forward looking. Condensed in

CURRENT EVENTS 243 Reader's Digest, November, from Plain Talk. October, 27. Character Budgets An able editorial — Readers' Digest — November. It is a challenge to the in- dividual and worth while as a basis of class discussion. Putting Business Before Life By James Ratnsford Sprague It is a danger signal for big business and especially for salesmen. Harpers Magazine, November, 1927, condensed in Readers' Digest of December. 2 — Politics and Industry Tax Reduction It is quite possible that hundreds of millions of dollars will be slashed from the country's tax bill by the next session of Congress. Secretary Mellon, however, counsels cautiousness in this matter. He suggests that the tax bill be reduced not more than $225,000,000. Many of the congressmen recommend a reduction of at least $400,000,000 and some would go even higher than this. The question with most people is where will this tax reduc- tion hit? The corporations are clamoring for a relief of at least 1JX%, that is, from 13^4 to 12 per cent, and people who pay the personal income tax in the middle brackets especially, that is between $18,- 000 and $70,000, expect a reduction, and many would like to have the Federal Estate Tax taken off, and others would prefer the tax on automobiles removed, and also the tax upon amusements. Still others would like a great exemption on the lower levels, while others would prefer that the tax remain as it is, in order that there may be a Treasury surplus so as to reduce the public debt at a rate of at least $1,000,000,000 a year. As the plan stands at the present time, it seems as if there might be a reduction of about $250,000,000 and that the man who pays a tax on a small income will get no direct relief. Those who happen to hold stock in corporations might pos- sibly get a little relief in the way of higher dividends upon the stock if the corporation tax is reduced. Many think that when the final bill is written it will likely include most of the proposals which are made by Secretary Mellon, because his recommendations seem to harmonize with those of the President. Mr. Mellon is very strongly in favor of the repeal of the Inheritance Tax on the ground that this revenue properly belongs to the states, but here is where he will doubtless meet great opposition because a great many believe that the government Inheritance Tax ought to prevail, because 80% of the tax as paid in by the State may be de- ducted from the amount to be paid to the Federal Government, and that therefore it is not a very heavy tax; and. too, it will prevent people with large inheritance from going to Florida and other states where they have no inheritance tax in order to evade the tax. The corporation tax, it is believed, will likely be reduced on the ground that millions of people will be benefited thereby; that is, by a reduction in prices of commodities which are made by the corporations. Mr Mellon, too. believes that the Automobile Tax should be retained on the ground that a motor car is a semi-luxury and of such wide- spread use that it furnishes a broad base on which to apply a low tax without any particular hardship on the part of the taxpayer. So as to make a well balanced tax system, therefore, the secretary of the treasury is urging the retention of many of what might be called "Nuisance Taxes," on the ground that they cause little in- convenience to the taxpayer, and help to spread the tax over the greatest number of people. Questions What is a tax? What is an income tax? What is a general property tax? From what sources does the Government get its revenue? What proportion of this comes from the in-

244 IMPROVEMENT ERA come tax? Why are the present taxes of the government so high? Where does most of the money go? Where do bills of revenue in Congress originate? Who determines what they shall be? Which one of these proposed reductions, in your judgment, is the most just? Which will benefit the greatest number of people? Do government taxes affect local taxation? If so, how? References: See Literary Digest, Nov. 19, 1927, pages 5 to 7 ; Saturday Evening Post, Nov. 26, 1927, pages 25. 123, 125, 126; Public Finance, by Lutz, or any good text book on Economics. 3— Science and Discovery /. The Nobel Prize in Physics The Swedish Royal Academy has re- cently awarded the Noble prize in physics to Professor Arthur H. Compton of the University of Chicago and to Professor Charles Thompson Rees Wilson of Cam- bridge University. The Noble prize in physics has previously been awarded in the United States to Professor A. A. Michelsen of the University of Chicago and to Professor Robert A. Millikan of the California In- stitute of Technology. It is significant that all three of the American Nobel prize winners in physics were, at the time of their awards, mem- bers of the faculties of the University of Chicago. Questions 1. What is the nature of the Nobel prizes? Who is the donor? 2. In what way do such prizes promote or hinder scholarly work? 3, What group of Utah scholars has made a distinctive contribution in the field of physics? — Scientific Monthly, Dec, 1927, page 5 69. This remarkable invention works on a theory diametrically opposite to that of the ordinary lightning rod or tower, which attracts lightning discharges that would otherwise have struck objects in their im- mediate vicinity. "The cage system, on the other hand, claims to remove the danger of a discharge of lightning taking place in or around the protected zone. It operates by gathering into itself the ground charges which would have existed within the protected area, and returning them to the charged thundercloud by ionic dis- charge, so distributed in time and in space that no destructive discharge can take place over or within the protected area." Questions 1. What causes thunder and lightning? 2. What have been the various scientific and pre-scientific explanations of lighting? 3. What is the annual loss of life and property in the United States from lightning? — Scientific American, Dec, 1927, page 489. //. Lightning Prevention Storage tanks of the Pan American Petroleum Company of California, con- taining twelve and a half million barrels of oil, are now protected by lightning pre- ventors, as a result of the invention of John M. Sage of Los Angeles. Steel towers are erected around the area to be protected. These towers are con- nected with one another at the top by means of "a cordon or ring of wires ar- ranged in a horizontal plane and carrying frequent points from which discharges take place, all properly grounded and in- ter-connected electrically with the reservoir or other object which it is desired to protect." ///. The Giant Broadcaster The most powerful broadcaster in the world is station WGY, maintained by the General Electric Company at Schenectady, New York, and licensed by the Federal Radio Commission. This giant apparatus employs the force of 100 kilowatts or 100,000 watts. The remarkable achievement was made possible through the production of a 100-kilowatt- power tube by the Research Department of the General Electric Company. "So powerful is the installation that 60 gallons of water per minute are required to cool the tubes of the transmitter, lest they melt."

CURRENT EVENTS 245 Questions The "teletactor" is a simple device held 1. What is the underlying principle of in the hand of the deaf person, whose fin- radio? 2. What recent inventions are re- ger tips rest on "receivers" with a variable sponsible for the phenomenal development of capacity for responding to speech vibra- radio? 3. What are the dangers and pos- rions sibilities of radio from the standpoint of (a) education, (b) democracy in social control, The method requires about 300 hours (c) world peace or war, etc.? 4. Contrast drill for maste.ry, but, when learned, is British and American policies in controlling said t0 facilitate greatly the development radio broadcasting. — Scientific American, Dec. c , j .. , ■ 1927 oaee 500 a 'anguage sense and to improve lip- reading. IV. More Help for the Deaf The perfection of a simple bit of ap- Questions paratus, by means of which a deaf person , __ . , , i„ , • c ,. , 1. What are the present methods of com- can learn to use his sense of touch in u »_ j~r .u i " °"'J'- ^i luuu' munication between deaf persons themselves hearing the speech of another, is a task and with others? 2. Why are congenitally just completed by Dr. R. H. Gault of deaf persons also mute? 3. How extensive Northwestern University, working under is deafness in the United States? What are rU„ ,„,..,:,„„ „f fi m »•„ 1 r> u the causes of deafness? To what extent are the auspices of the National Research ., . „ U1 •> c • ,-c ■ * „ ., these causes controllable? — Scientific American, Council. Dec 1927, page 524. Historic Ramah's Verdant Slope The nation crumbled and its sun went down. The blighting shadows of iniquity Rolled o'er the crowning splendor of the land As night succeeds the glory of the day. Last of a seeric line. Moroni sealed And buried deep in lone Cumorah's hill The golden record of his vanished race. Replete with prophecy and luminous With truth it lay, while down the lapse of time The aloes bloomed and drooped and passed away. Wide o'er the land night's rayless curtain fell And rampart wall, the ornate citadel, Passed into hopeless ruin and decay. The dusky Lamanites, whose heritage Was ignorance, surged up and down the earth Like clashing billows of an angry sea. Then gray-eyed dawn poured up a shaft of light Across the starry empire of the night. And, with the ancient standard high unfurled, God's flow'ring purpose ripened o'er the world. Among the glories of the new born day Cumorah's mighty sentinel appeared Robed in a light that paled the mid-day sun. To Joseph he revealed the book, and there, There on historic Ramah's verdant slope The youthful seer received the sacred charge. 'Twas prophecy's fulfilment, that a race Brought low should speak as from the silent dust. Theodore E. Curtis