The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-20

l of the events that are making history or of the causes that led up to them. Let us be honest with ourselves and admit that woman does not sufficiently l read the general news columns of the papers.
 In order to be a really intelligent club woman one should keep up with happen ings all over the world. Something has to be skipped in the newspaper in order to do this We'll, she may safely skip | the murders. the divorce trials, the aw- | ful disasters and crimes and, yes, she may even skip the recipes for removing wrinkles. Leaving out these will give 1 her time to add a new wrinkle to her stock of knowledge.
 It will leave her time to acquaInt he-- | self with the facts and causes of the Russo-Japanese war. It Is the most i'm | pressive and history making conflict since the American Civil War. Manchuria, Ko- l req, Korean women and their lives-what of these? Who knew before the beginning | of the war that the capital of Korea is | Seoul. or that the women of Korea are perhaps the most ignorant and uncomey of any this side the realm of the sultan | ol Sulu Who knows that Mukden, the treaty city lately ordered to be opened to the worlds trade, is the ancient capital | of Manchuria, which conquered China in the seventeenth century? Nay, who knows what Mukden has to do anyhow with a war between Russia and Japan? What has Korea, an independent king dom. to do with a war between Russ.a and Japan?
 Again. what have been in the past ten years the national spirit and training that at the very beginning of hostilities enabled Japan, small country of 4S,- 100000 inhabitants, to cripple the Asiatic | nf nd NHyfth 100000 people, one, too, up to that time l supposed to be well nigh invincible even on the sea? Above all. why Is it that | the instant war began there welled up | and poured forth from the breast of every | Jap at home and abroad an outburst of patriotism spontaneous, tremendous, glo- | rious? It is a patriotism so pervading that even the gentle little Japanese wo- men in America are carried away with it. The Jap women living in New York city held a meeting some time ago and | pledged themselves to raise 5000 for the | Jap Red Cross organization. Money talks. l In the cities of this country scores of prosperous Japs, rich merchants some of them, have left fourishing businesses to fight for Japan. Jap men in America took steps at the commencement of hos tilities to collect S5.OOOOOO to help their native land in this war.
 I | States are living to-day at least 10000 | persons born and brought up in Russia, there is among these no such spontan- eous desire to see Russia win in the | fight? Once more. how does it happen that Dr. Anita NewcOmb McGee offers herself and her hundred war nurses to Japan for service in field and hospital rather than to Russia? Finally why is it that although the governments of Russia and the United States are on friendly terms. and by no word or movement has our department of State shown prefer ence for one of the contestants over the other, yet the sympathies of so many of the American people have been with Japan?
 It will be extremely interesting to dis cuss these questions at woman's club meeting and to learn of the lives and | customs of Koreans and Manchurians Here is matter of living interest Answers to the questions can be found in the files of American newspapers and in the his tory of Japan and Russia in recent years Your childrens school aliases will show you upon the map the points of interest
 Katherine Blades Grand opera is a good training to go some ! ole f1 PaVVn