p. 19 | News and Miscellany

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 11, 1914

News and Miscellany

Notes and clippings from the daily and weekly press

— The American girls' candy bill is said to be $134,000,000.

— The Secretary of State has received the formal note of acceptance on the part of the Italian government to officially participate in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition to be held in San Francisco in 1915.

— Judge Pickney of Chicago, in his testimony before the Curran legislative committee, said that eighty per cent of the delinquent children of Cook County, Illinois, are being saved by the juvenile court. The jurist said that 50,614 cases of delinquent children have been taken care of by his court since its organization in July, 1899.

— The top of Mont Blanc is certainly a fine spot on which to erect a new astronomical observatory. The French Academy of Science has before it plans for such a building, which will be erected on a solid group of rocks, in the center of one of the great glaciers, at an altitude of 14,700 feet. The spot is noted for the purity of its surrounding atmosphere.

— Under the able hands of Mrs. Amelia Fowler, whose work in the preservation of government flags has earned her the title of the most expert needlewoman in the country today, the famous Ft. McHenry flag, the original Star-Spangled Banner, which has been disintegrating at an alarming rate in the old National Museum building, will soon be delicately sewed all over its 1,044 square feet of area, the largest of any battle banner in the world, and put in condition where it will defy the ravages of time indefinitely.

— One of the most interesting, the most compelling personalities in public life continues to be Theodore Roosevelt. He has been on a tour among Latin American states which was more than a traveler's visitation. It was accompanied with enthusiastic demonstrations of public interest wherever he appeared. He rendered, in no unbecoming way or unimportant degree, the services of an "ambassador extraordinary" to peoples who are represented as largely infected with unwarranted and injurious suspicion and prejudice against the United States. In addition to addresses before commercial, political, legislative, and educational bodies, Mr. Roosevelt has won for himself new and added honors as an explorer. For some weeks he was buried in the wilds of Brazil, and with his fellow travelers made discoveries and gathered specimens of multitudinous kinds, which will be of great scientific value. It is reported that the party came to Para, Brazil, with 21,000 specimens of birds and animals. A river discovered was over one thousand miles long, and in point of volume equals our Hudson. It is not navigable. The explorations were accompanied with perils, privations, and hard work. Mr. Roosevelt met with an accident, but he has well-nigh recovered from it. He is now in Europe to attend the wedding of his son Kermit.

— The tomb of Aristomenes, the celebrated Messenian hero of the second Spartan war in the seventh century before Christ, was discovered May 12, at Rhodes, by Italian excavators. Numerous antiquities were found in the sepulcher.

— It is said that there are more newspaper men in Washington than in any other city in the world. It requires more than eight hundred correspondents to give the world the news from the various departments of government activity and to watch changes in policy and program.

— Elaborate preparations are being made in Baltimore, for the celebration next September of the centennial of the "Star-Spangled Banner." It will be exactly 100 years then since Francis Scott Key went through his experience that gave birth to the stirring patriotic anthem.

— It has been officially stated that while the British government may not spend $500,000 for the usual sort of exhibit at the coming Panama-Pacific Exposition, England will dispatch to San Francisco, via the Panama Canal, the greatest fleet of battle ships ever arrayed in a foreign port except in time of war.

— The Vatican treasury suffered in the fiscal year recently closed. It is related that the fund known as Peter's peace fell off notably. The "most Catholic countries" are not the chief sustainers of this fund. One of these is Austria, which gave but $12,000. England, where there is said to be great growth of Catholicism, is credited with but $20,000. The United States, however, gave $376,000.

— President Wilson, following the joint recommendation of Secretaries Lane and Garrison, has withdrawn four tracts of public land in Alaska for military reservations. The areas withdrawn are prominent points of navigable waters on the Alaskan coast. It is also felt that they have strategic value for the protection of coal fields and railroads. The President has also withdrawn several tracts of land which have natural value for town sites, and will provide suitable localities for settlement along possible railroad routes. These tracts are withdrawn so as to keep them from the control of land speculators, but they will be made available to bona fide citizens of these new towns.

— The employment of newspaper advertising in the spread of the gospel is not confined to the nominally Christian lands. A striking and impressive illustration of the benefits of it are found in the account which is given of the work in the province of Oita, Japan, where Rev. Albertus Pieters has used it. Space is bought in the daily papers at advertising rates. In it are published passages of Scripture, reprints of short tracts, and brief, interesting articles on religious subjects, together with discussions on Christian doctrine. An offer to send the Gospels and tracts without charge to any person applying for them is also added. Within a year about 1,000 persons have written for information and literature, the letters coming from every corner of the province, from other provinces, and even from Formosa, Korea, and Manchuria.

— On account of the widespread deception of the public by certain manufacturers who use the legend “Guaranteed under the Food and Drugs Act,” pure food guaranties are to be prohibited by the United States. The federal food inspection board passed a recommendation which will become effective May 1, 1915, demanding that guaranties of compliance with the law should be given by manufacturers direct to the dealers and incorporated in the invoice or bill of sale specifying the goods covered. This is done to protect the public. The present use of the legend “Guaranteed under the Food and Drugs Act,” on packages misleads the public by giving the impression that the product has been examined and approved by the government.