The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 27, May 13, 1897 by Various
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Various >> The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 27, May 13, 1897
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THE GREAT ROUND WORLD
AND WHAT IS GOING ON IN IT
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE. MAY 13, 1897 Vol. 1. NO. 27
$2.50 PER YEAR
[Entered at Post Office, New York City, as second-class matter]
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A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON. PUBLISHER
NO. 3 AND 5 WEST 18TH ST. NEW YORK CITY
Copyright, 1897, by WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON.
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AS A
=SPECIAL INDUCEMENT=
for our subscribers to interest others in "The Great Round
World," we will give to each subscriber who sends us $2.50 to
pay for a year's subscription to a new name, a copy of
=Rand, McNally & Co.=
=1897 Atlas of the World.=
=160 pages of colored maps from new plates, size 11 1/2 x 14
inches, printed on special paper with marginal index, and well
worth its regular price - - - - $2.50.=
Every one has some sort of an atlas, doubtless, but an old atlas is no
better than an old directory; countries do not move away, as do people,
but they do change and our knowledge of them increases, and this atlas,
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=The Great Round World.=
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* * * * *
GREAT ROUND WORLD,
_3 and 5 West 18th Street, . . . . . . . .New York City._
* * * * *
THE GREAT ROUND WORLD
NATURAL HISTORY
STORIES.
A Series of True Stories
BY
JULIA TRUITT BISHOP.
Attractively Illustrated by Barnes.
* * * * *
These stories will be issued in parts. Price, 10 cents each. Subscription
price (12 numbers), $1.00. Part 1. issued as supplement to GREAT ROUND
WORLD NO. 20.
* * * * *
=Author's Preface.=
The stories published in this little volume have been issued
from time to time in the Philadelphia _Times_, and it is at the
request of many readers that they now greet the world in more
enduring form. They have been written as occasion suggested,
during several years; and they commemorate to me many of the
friends I have known and loved in the animal world. "Shep" and
"Dr. Jim," "Abdallah" and "Brownie," "Little Dryad" and
"Peek-a-Boo." I have been fast friends with every one, and have
watched them with such loving interest that I knew all their
ways and could almost read their thoughts. I send them on to
other lovers of dumb animals, hoping that the stories of these
friends of mine will carry pleasure to young and old.
* * * * *
=WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON,=
=3 & 5 West 18th Street.=
* * * * *
A Good Agent
Wanted
In Every Town
for
"The Great Round World"
[Illustration: THE GREAT ROUND
WORLD
AND WHAT IS GOING ON IN IT.]
VOL. 1 MAY 13, 1897. NO. 27
The Grant parade is over, the monument given to and accepted by the City
of New York, and the great day has come and gone as such days will,
leaving behind it tired eyes and a confused memory of marching soldiers.
The sections of the parade in which THE GREAT ROUND WORLD took most
interest were those in which the boys paraded, and especially the division
in which the cadets and boys from the military schools marched.
This division was greeted with great enthusiasm all along the line, and
well it might be! The soldierly make-up of these lads was a sight to see,
and their discipline and marching were unsurpassed by any of the
troops--regulars or militia.
The boys walked with a springing step, that showed no signs of fatigue,
even as they rounded the reviewing stand, and reached the goal of their
long march.
Among the many well-drilled companies of boy soldiers, marched one of
artillery.
[Illustration]
This was perhaps the prettiest feature of the whole parade, for
everything was in miniature to match the size of the small artillerymen.
The field-piece which this company boasted was a tiny affair, drawn by two
small ponies, and it had its two baby gunners to serve it.
These gunners were very military babies. They sat bolt upright, their arms
crossed on their fat little chests in true soldier fashion, and no jolting
of the gun-carriage could make those little backs bend, nor those small
arms unfold.
There was also a company of naval cadets. These lads marched finely, with
their cutlasses drawn, and held across their breasts. So steadily did they
grasp their weapons, that it was hard to believe that they were held in
place by nothing stronger than the will of these young heroes.
In every company that marched past, the lads showed a pride and steadiness
that made one think that this boy soldiering was going to be of the
greatest service to them later in life.
Boys are not, as a rule, noted for their neatness, and there are hosts of
fine lads who find it hard to remember that clean hands and collars are
among the necessary things of life.
Knowing this so well, it was all the more remarkable that, in all the long
line of parading cadets, there was not so much as a rebellious lock of
hair visible.
Each boy's buttons were in a straight line with those of the next boy,
each shoulder-strap set at the same angle as its fellows, each gun was as
well polished as its neighbor, and the spick and span appearance the line
presented, after its long fatiguing march, spoke volumes in favor of
military training.
The School-Boy Cadets were without doubt one of the best features of the
parade, and next to them in interest came the boys from the public
schools.
These lads also marched splendidly, with fine bearing and excellent
discipline! And what a fine-looking set of boys they were! They had no
uniforms or guns to help their appearance, nothing but their own bright
faces to show them off, but every mother along the line must have felt
proud to see the kind of lads that her boys are growing up amongst.
Young America showed to very great advantage in the Grant parade, which
will be memorable as the second occasion on which such a great number of
boys were marched in line. The first time was at the Columbus celebration.
It is said that nearly five thousand lads marched.
* * * * *
It is somewhat sad to turn from our own beautiful military pageant to the
Graeco-Turkish war.
The people of Europe are speaking very severely about the behavior of the
Powers in regard to Greece.
The decision of the Powers, it must be remembered, is not the result of
the wishes of the people, but rather of the scheming and planning of the
diplomats of the various countries.
The Powers have a great deal at stake in Turkey, and there is no doubt
that, whatever they may say, there is not one of the diplomats who does
not wish to see Turkey get the best of it.
There is a great deal of European money in Turkey, and, shameful as it may
seem, it would appear that this money has played a very important part in
the action of the Powers, a part far above and beyond the fear they all
have, that if Turkey is beaten and the empire divided, some one country
may seize a larger slice of the plunder than another.
Turkey, as we have said before, is bankrupt, and to be able to carry on
her government at all she has had to borrow enormous sums from the rich
men of Europe.
These men fear that if Turkey is defeated they will lose the money they
have lent, and it is openly said that they have been the means of
hampering Greece, until Turkey has had time to gather enough forces
together to crush her.
The people of Europe are indignant that the Powers are doing Turkey's work
for her in Crete, and making it possible for her to bring all her forces
together against the Greeks, instead of having to divide them as the
Greeks have.
The unfriendliness of the Powers toward Greece is shown in a suggestion,
which it was said was the German Emperor's, to blockade the Greek fleet,
keep it in one of its own ports, and prevent it from assisting the army.
This proposal was made after war had been declared.
Germany was supported in this plan by Russia and Austria, and it is said
that the Emperors were so sure of being able to carry their plan through
that they told Turkey she might send all the arms she needed to the
seaports, as they would be perfectly safe from the Greeks.
[Illustration: Evzone, Member of Constantine's Body Guard.]
The rest of the Powers would not hear of this, which was something to
their credit. They spoke so very plainly about it that the three Emperors
gave it up.
Greece is in a most unfortunate position, thanks to the interference of
the Powers, and unless something happens to turn the tide of war in her
favor, she will probably be utterly defeated by the Turks.
The loss of Milouna Pass was a severe blow to Greece, but not half so bad
as the fall of Larissa, which from all accounts appears to have been a
very disastrous affair.
The Greeks appear to have behaved in a very cowardly, rebellious way, and
the whole story is very discouraging.
A battle was fought at Mati, and the Turks, who had swarmed through the
pass, were victorious, and the Greeks were forced to retreat.
Unfortunately there was no good general to manage the movement, and
instead of falling back in an orderly manner, they seem to have hurried
away from the battle in a mob.
A newspaper correspondent who was present says that the men straggled
along sullenly: the soldiers, mule-trains, carts, wagons, guns, and crying
villagers, women, and children in a panic-stricken crowd.
A few officers tried to restore order and to make the soldiers re-form
their ranks; but their efforts were already hopeless, when a cry arose:
"The Turks are upon us!"
At this, the mob began to run for life, helter-skelter, pell-mell,
trampling each other under foot, the soldiers actually shooting any one
who barred their way.
To make things still worse, the retreat had begun at nightfall, and it was
in the darkness of night that the cry, "The Turks are upon us!" was
raised.
As a matter of fact, there were no Turks in sight, and nobody quite knows
how the scare was started.
In their mad rush the people at last reached Larissa, leaving the road
they had travelled strewn with guns and baggage, and dead and dying
comrades.
Arrived in Larissa, the soldiers threw themselves on the ground, taking no
heed of the trumpets calling them to rejoin their regiments.
When morning came the officers collected their men, and formed them into
companies in marching order.
Then the news crept out that Larissa was to be abandoned; and another
scene of confusion followed, the people fighting each other in their mad
endeavors to escape.
Special trains moved out of the city for Volo; the people crowded the
platforms, and even climbed on the roofs of the cars in their eagerness to
get away.
The Greek army retreated to Pharsala, without so much as striking a blow
for Larissa!
So wild a rush was made when Larissa was abandoned, that the soldiers did
not even fold their tents or carry away their baggage.
When the Turks arrived before Larissa, they occupied the very tents left
by the fugitive Greek army.
You may imagine how angry Greece was at this!
The people think that the Crown Prince is not a good soldier, and they are
reported to have demanded his recall.
This indeed seems to be necessary, for even the Turks laughed at the want
of generalship shown in the retreat made by the Greeks.
The Greeks are not cowards by any means, but without good officers to
lead them, the bravest men are of little use.
King George seems fully to understand that his son cannot lead the troops,
and is willing to meet the wishes of the people.
As far as known at the present moment, he has recalled the staff of
officers who advised the Crown Prince, and has sent in their place men who
are thought to be better soldiers.
The loss of Larissa is declared to be solely due to the bad generalship of
the Crown Prince.
The people of Athens were very much enraged when they heard the mistakes
that had been made by the army, and the foolish way that several of the
battles had been lost.
They insisted that the trouble was due to the King's interference in
military matters; they declared that the men he had sent with Prince
Constantine to command the army were not soldiers, but merely favorites at
court.
The Greek fleet and the troops in Epirus may yet do a good deal to offset
the mischief that has been done in Thessaly, but the fate of Greece seems
to depend upon the result of the next few days.
It must not be forgotten that many armies that have met with defeat at
first, have gathered courage, and gained victories that have changed the
whole course of events. With the memories of Marathon, Thermopylae, and
Salamis in their hearts, the Greeks need never despair.
We told you of these celebrated battles in No. 25--in the story of Ancient
Greece. Miss Yonge in her stories of Greek History has written a very
complete and interesting account of them also.
* * * * *
There has been quite a stir in the Senate, caused by the new Senator from
Illinois, Mr. Mason.
This gentleman has introduced a resolution asking that the Senate provide
some rule for closing debate, and bringing to a vote questions before that
body.
Although there is a rule in the House of Representatives by which
discussion of any question may be stopped, it has been the custom in the
Senate to allow unlimited discussion, and in some cases this right has
been used to "kill" certain measures. This was attempted a few years ago
when the bill to repeal the "Sherman law" was before the Senate and some
of the Senators think that it is now being employed to kill Mr. Morgan's
Cuban Bill and the Arbitration Treaty.
To prevent this Mr. Mason wishes a rule of cloture (or closure, as it is
called in England) adopted. This is a French word, meaning, to bring to an
ending, or close.
Such a rule was introduced in the English House of Commons by Mr.
Gladstone in 1882, when the debates on the Irish question threatened to be
endless, and the whole business of Parliament was stopped by a few members
exercising their right to speak as long as they chose.
The rule of cloture operates in this way. When the debate has continued
for some time and any member believes that the majority have heard enough,
he introduces a motion that "The question be now put;" and if this is
passed, all debate is stopped, and the presiding officer must immediately
call for a vote on the question which has been under debate.
What has been called "Senatorial courtesy" has heretofore prevented the
passage of a rule of cloture in the Senate, but Mr. Mason thinks that the
transaction of public business is of more importance than any exaggerated
courtesy among the Senators.
* * * * *
We spoke last week about the invasion of Hawaii by the Japanese.
It seems that the immigrants, turned back from Honolulu, have made up
their minds to go to California; and it is said that they are trying to
reach San Francisco by way of British Columbia.
It is doubtful if they will be any more welcome here than they were in
Hawaii, and it is probable that means will be found to prevent them from
landing, if they come in large numbers.
We did this with the Chinese, and there is little doubt that we will do
the same with the Japanese, if they begin to trouble us.
There is at this moment a little trouble about the Chinese, and that you
may understand it fully, we will go over the whole matter.
In the early days of emigration to California, those days when the
wonderful discoveries of gold were attracting adventurous spirits, the
Chinese were among the first to go there.
At first they were welcomed and kindly treated, but after a while it was
found that Chinamen would work for less wages than white men, and
therefore obtained employment when the white men were left in idleness.
From this the pioneers came to distrust John Chinaman, and then to dislike
him.
In 1877 there was a serious anti-Chinese riot in California, and five
Chinamen were killed by the mob.
The rioting and the feeling against the Chinese became so serious that
California at last asked Congress to interfere.
The result of this trouble was that a Chinese Embassy was established here
for the protection of the Chinamen, and our Government took steps to
prevent their coming into this country in such numbers.
In 1882 the question came up again, and a bill was passed by Congress,
forbidding Chinamen to enter this country for twenty years.
President Arthur vetoed this bill, on the ground that it did not agree
with our treaty with China. A new bill was then passed, stopping
immigration for ten years, and this Mr. Arthur signed.
By this bill it became a crime, for which people could be imprisoned, to
bring a Chinaman into the country.
In 1892, when the ten years covered by the bill had passed, a fresh bill
called "The Chinese Exclusion Bill" was put through Congress, and made a
law.
By this bill, the landing of any Chinese person was strictly forbidden,
and all Chinamen living in the country were forced to take out a
certificate, licensing them to remain. Any Chinaman found without such a
certificate was to be imprisoned, and sent back to his own country.
The Chinese were much annoyed at this. They protested, but the United
States Government remained firm. In the years that had passed since 1882,
the people had had time to find out that the Chinese did not make good
citizens.
One cause of complaint against them, is that they have brought with them
their horrible habit of smoking opium, introduced it among our citizens,
and in that way alone have done us more harm than they can ever repair.
Besides this, the fact that they would work for less money than our own
workmen was very harmful to our citizens.
Employers will always get their work done for as little as possible, and
if the Chinamen had been allowed to swarm into this country, and work for
the pittance they ask, the result would have been that our own workmen
would have been obliged to take the same miserable wages or starve.
The Chinamen like this country, and are willing to work for anything they
can get, because they are so much better off here than at home.
It is their anxiety to get over to this free land that is causing the
present difficulty.
To make the Tennessee Exposition a great success, Congress resolved to
make it possible for China to send over an exhibit of her wonderful art
works.
A resolution was therefore passed, that the Chinese Exclusion Law shall
not be held to prevent the landing of Chinamen who are going to exhibit at
the Exposition, or whose labor is necessary to prepare the exhibit.
The bill, happily, adds that Chinamen coming to this country on Exposition
business must have a special permission from the Secretary of the Treasury
before they will be allowed to land, and that they can only stay in the
country one year after the close of the Exposition. If found in the
country after that time, they will be arrested, and then sent back to
China.
This was too fine a chance for the Chinese to miss. They started for this
country by the hundred, all declaring that they had special business at
the Fair.
Word was sent to the Secretary of the Treasury that over 2,000 Chinamen
had started for these shores to get the exhibit in order. This seemed so
serious, that the Government began to look into the matter.
Several weeks ago 179 of these undesirable immigrants came into the United
States, and another batch of one hundred and fourteen are waiting to
enter.
As you may suppose, such an invasion as this had to be stopped, and
stopped quickly.
The Secretary of the Treasury sent to the Attorney-General, and asked him
whether, under the new resolution, any and every Chinaman had to be
admitted to this country, or whether he had power to limit the number.
Mr. McKenna, the Attorney-General, gave it as his opinion that the
Secretary of the Treasury has full power to say how many shall be allowed
to enter the country.
The Secretary, Mr. Lyman Gage, then inquired of the Exposition company how
many Chinamen were really necessary to do the work for the Fair. Word was
sent back that only two hundred were required.
On receipt of this, the Secretary of the Treasury determined to put a stop
to the matter at once, and forbade the issuing of permits to more than the
necessary two hundred.
There will be great disgust among the Chinese; the first batch of 179 got
through safely, but only 21 of the second lot will be admitted, and the
rest of them will have to go back to the Flowery Kingdom, sadder but wiser
men.
* * * * *
News has come that the town of Guthrie in the new Territory of Oklahoma
has been destroyed by a flood.
The Cottonwood River, which flows through the town, had been so high for
some days that it was feared it might overflow and do some damage, and the
citizens had been watching it, and taking every precaution against a
flood. Men had been stationed on the bridges ready to give the alarm if
the river rose so high that there was danger.
On April 27th the danger appeared to be past, the river fell a few feet,
and though the watchers were still kept at their posts, no one supposed
that a flood would really come.
At six o'clock in the morning of April 28th, the men on the bridges heard
a terrible roaring up the river valley. Convinced that a flood was coming,
they gave the alarm, ringing the fire-bells, and warning the people to
flee for their lives.
So unexpected was the alarm, that the people did not seem to understand
what the danger was. Tornadoes are frequent in that western country, and
some hearing the roar of the flood and thinking that the danger that
threatened them was the wind, rushed to the caves which they had made for
shelter from tornadoes, and these poor people were soon drowned by the
flood.
Others stopped to save what they could, and they, too, were caught by the
water.
Very soon after the alarm was given, a great wave of water came sweeping
down the valley.
It is described as having been thirty feet high and one mile broad.
It swept everything before it, toppling over the houses like cardboard
boxes. The terrified people climbed into trees, and clutched at anything
within reach, to save themselves.
The rush of the water lasted till ten o'clock, then it ceased, and finally
began to subside.
The sudden flood was due to a cloud-burst, which is a great fall of rain
coming down without warning over a very small area of land, the contents
of the whole cloud being discharged at once.
This mass of water rushing into the already swollen river made it burst
its banks, and sweep over the surrounding country.
It is said that about one hundred persons have been drowned, and two
thousand rendered homeless.
* * * * *
There is hopeful news for us of the floods in the Mississippi Valley.
The river is falling slightly in some districts, and it is hoped that the
floods will have entirely gone down in the next ten days.
The distress is terrible, however. In some places the river is sixteen
miles wide, and it will take a long time for such a quantity of water to
drain off.
Below New Orleans, for a distance of fifty miles, it is said that the
country is entirely under water.
A serious break occurred in the levee at Keokuk, Iowa, but with this
exception no levees have given way. It is hoped that the worst is over.
* * * * *
News comes from Cuba that the Spanish have met with two serious reverses.
At Guamo, in Santiago de Cuba, the Cubans, under General Calixto Garcia,
routed a body of Spaniards 2,000 strong.
The Cubans had mined the roads with dynamite, which they exploded as the
main body of the Spaniards passed over.
During the confusion and fright that followed, the insurgents fell upon
the troops, killing many, and finally putting the whole force to flight.
The second engagement was in the Province of Havana, where the Cubans
played another of their old tricks, and led the Spaniards into a trap they
had prepared for them.
The Spaniards met a small force of Cubans, which retreated before them.
They followed hotly, until suddenly the fleeing insurgents turned and
attacked them, and before the Spaniards had time to make out what this
meant, they were also attacked vigorously from the rear, and found they
had been again entrapped by the enemy.
The fight lasted five hours, and then the Spaniards were obliged to
retreat.
We spoke, a few weeks ago, of the port of Banes which the insurgents had
secured in Santiago de Cuba. It is said that four cruisers and several
gunboats have been ordered there to retake it from the Cubans.