SOME LEADING EVENTS IN THE CURRENT

STORY OF THE WORLD.

BY DR. J. M. TANNER, SUPERINTENDENT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS.

The Anglo Japanese Treaty.

For the first time in the history of modern civilized nations, one of the great powers of Europe has formed an alliance with an Oriental nation. Japan within a generation has been transformed, and there is no better evidence of the highly enlightened character of the Japanese nation than the recognition which has been given it in the recent alliance formed between that country and Great Britain. The reasons for this new alliance are not far to seek. In the northeastern part of China lies the province of Manchuria, an empire in itself. Russia, because of international interference, during the recent uprising in China, was unable to annex this province outright. During, however. the last two or three years, Russia has been pouring thousands of soldiers into Manchuria for the alleged purpose of protecting her railroads in Manchuria; and, lately, Russia has been undertaking certain treaty negotiations with China by which Russia intends really to secure exclusive railroad and mining franchises in that province. England and Japan are violently opposed to what would be practically the annexation of Manchuria to Russia. About the same time that the treaty between Japan and England was announced, a note to the great powers from the United States contained a protest on our part against the exclusive privileges which Russia sought to enforce by treaty with China in a province where millions of American products go.

The alliance is not strictly an offensive or defensive one. It is a sort of "fair play" arrangement. It is an announcement that if Japan wants to go to war with Russia, England will see that other nations, chiefly France, shall keep their hands off. Japan seems really a small

nation to cope with such a foe as Russia, and yet the Japanese feel sanguine that if they attack Russia, in the immediate future, they can easily overcome the army which Russia now has in Manchuria, and can then prevent Russia transporting troops fast enough, such a great distance, to overcome Japanese resistance. High authorities on all questions of war believe that the Japanese military power is equal to the task. The United States, England, Germany and Japan, are insisting upon the open door policy in China, as against the policy of exclusive privileges likely to be inaugurated by Russia and France. The Japanese soldiers are pronounced good fighters, and a war between Russia and Japan, in Manchuria, would be something of a spectacular display of modern warfare. The Anglo-Japanese alliance is, therefore, a demand for the stability of China; and, indirectly, a challenge of Russian policy.

Prince Henry's Visit.

The enthusiastic demonstrations with which Germany's popular prince, the brother of the Emperor, has everywhere been received in this country might seem to indicate that the United States and Germany are preparing for the most friendly relations. It must be remembered, however, that throughout this country, there is a large percentage of German-Americans, and whatever their allegiance may be for the country of their adoption, they always manifest patriotic demonstrations for the popular princes and heroes of their fatherland. The German element in this country, too, constitutes an intelligent, progressive and wealthy class of citizens, whose influence is always commanding, in those great cities where they have located in considerable numbers. Their enthusiastic "hurrahs" are of themselves inspiring, and the American people, who always feel kindly towards the German element, were quite ready and willing to participate in the celebration of Prince Henry's visit to this country. Then the Prince possesses, it is said, a charming personality. It has been his good fortune to have circulated about him stories of a heroic and self-sacrificing character, and to the German mind, there is a certain ideality associated with his name; and, no doubt, after he has gone, we shall hear many stories intended to enhance his personal popularity among the American people. The Prince is generous and chivalrous, and possesses certain democratic instincts and human tendencies which create a sort of charming fellowship.

From an international and political point of view the circumstances of his visit to this country, and the magnificent reception he received, are somewhat amusing. For the past two or three years, Germany and England have been in a wordy wrangle over events growing out of the

South African war. Mr. Chamberlain, in answering criticism on the concentration policy of England in South Africa, compared the conduct of the English to the Boers with that of the Germans in France during the Franco-Prussian war. Germany's minister resented the comparison in such a way as to irritate, very greatly, England's sensibilities. Just about the time that the Emperor of Germany had completed his plans for the Prince's visit to this country, the German minister at Washington gave out a note, the tenor of which was to show that the professed friendship and sympathy of England for America at the outbreak of the Spanish War was not strictly truthful, that Germany rather than England was entitled to our good will, and now that Germany's Prince has received, in this country, such wild demonstrations of enthusiasm, the English must naturally feel some irritation over the course of events here. Of course, this is not an affair of the United States. We simply permit the English and Germans to contend for our friendship, and show their right and claim to it in their own peculiar way. It is a wooing pastime, in which we, as the object of these friendly solicitations, cannot very well take part.

In the midst of the jubilation, we seemed to have forgotten all our grievances against Germany. The German war ships that were dispatched to Venezuela were evidently tied up somewhere, and the Germans must have wanted to await a settlement of internal strife in Venezuela before pressing their claims any further. What has become of the man-of-war which was sent out by us to watch the German fleet? Perhaps the Emperor has thought it best to put us in a good-natured mood before stepping too close to the toes of our Monroe Doctrine. It has been "hurrah” for the Kaiser, hurrah for Germany, and hurrah for the Prince. It was a gala day, but it must not be taken too seriously in our international relationship. We shall continue to be just as tenacious of our Monroe Doctrine as if Prince Henry had never visited this country. We shall not mistake certain interests which we hold in common with England, and the serious affairs of state will be taken up just where we left them off when we undertook to entertain Prince Henry.

Los Angeles in the Lead.

During the calendar year 1901, there were granted in the city of Los Angeles four hundred and five divorces. Against these, and to maintain the existence of the family relations, there were two thousand marriages. This makes a trifle less than five marriages to one divorce. This is worse than Rhode Island, with a record of eight marriages to one divorce. Such a status is not because the divorce laws of California are

more lax than those of many other states, for indeed, they are stricter than some. Of course, much depends upon the leniency with which judges administer the law, and the judges in granting divorces are not always indifferent to public opinion, which, in this country, has come to approve quite generally of the separation of man and wife where it appears they cannot live amicably together. Such conditions as these are used as an argument in favor of the control of marriage and divorce by the national government. But the question of divorce is, after all, more one of public opinion and public sentiment than one of law. Cruelty and failure to support are the most common pretexts upon which divorces are sought: these are statutory grounds.

As a rule, religious sentiment and influence have much to do in questions of divorce, and it may be said generally that the less the religious influence the more frequent the divorce. It is not possible to say just what proportion of divorces there are among those who make little or no profession of religion, but it is safe to say that the great majority of separations are among a class of which either the husband or the wife has no very considerable conviction in religious matters.

After all, the frequency of divorces in this country is due, for the most part, neither to the laxity of the law nor the leniency of the judge, but is largely the result of the practice which prevents the birth of children. Where ministers are disposed to shirk the responsibility of family life, and limit, if not prohibit, offspring, it seems the shallowest form of mockery for them to cry out against the evils of divorce, when their own example is one of the most fruitful causes of separations in the home. Without children, the home relation and ties of marriage are likely to be regarded merely as civil contracts to be waived, annulled, or disregarded, whenever such contracts become irksome to the parties to them. Children constitute the greatest safeguard against divorces, and willfully barren husband and wife are most likely to become discontented with each other.

EDITOR'S TABLE.

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

From the day that the Prophet Joseph was warned by an angel of God that he was to join none of the contending churches, for they were all wrong, so-called "Mormonism" has been a radical reform on prevailing religions.

To this day, it is so radically different from the other religions that the various sects, or rather, men who profess to guide the thought of their membership, read the "Mormons" out of Christian fellowship. But such action is curiously in line with a statement of Wendell Phillips, who declared that "the opponents of any reform begin by denouncing it as folly; then they charge that it is contrary to the Bible, and finally they claim that they have never opposed it at all." This is the true relation existing between the Protestant churches and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, only that in the first step, in which the teachings promulgated by the Prophet Joseph are denounced as folly, there should be added persecution. The second step is by this time well nigh abandoned; few ministers are ignorant enough at this day to claim that the doctrines of "Mormonism" are contrary to the Bible. But the sectarians have arrived at the third step, being well under way towards adopting as true many of the tenets of "Mormonism," and besides claiming that they have never opposed these doctrines. However, this is done without giving credit to the divine source from which the knowledge came, or acknowledging the human instrument through which it was revealed.

These thoughts arise from reflection upon the action of the Presbyterian General Assembly, which last December appointed a