The National tribune., 1909-11-04


circumnavigation of the United State:
and finds how dreadfully he has beer
f'sot upon" by the Synod of Virginia
which embraces the Presbyterian
churches of Virginia. West Virginia
and the District of Columbia, which has
been in session in Elkins. w. Va, dur.
sng the past week. The Virginia Synod
adopted a resolution expressing disap-
proval of the invitation extended the
President of the United States to make
the opening speech before the Lay
mans Missionary Convention, which
convenes in Washington on Nov. 11th
Objection was made on the ground that
the President is a Unitarian and the
Committee ON resolutions proceeds to
not make mention of the President by
name in the following fashion:
And We do most sincerely express
the hope that the movement may con-
tinue TO be controlled by those who
believe in the Deity, and that no one,
however distinguished may be his posi-
ton, may be invited to take part in the
proceedings who does not so believe" "
Very naturally this snealling action
of the Synod caused a great deal of
discussion, and be it said TO their honor
& great many of the Presbyterian Min
listers of the Synodical Convention dis
approved this action of some of their
co-workers in the Synod.
You will remember the old saying:
Sail on, silver moon.
Guide the traveller on his way"
etc.
It's SO long ago and so many new
tangled things have come in that we
Ii, L. yNff he 1oyp 90
applicable to the present day at all,
but recent happenings in the District
of Columbia would go TO show that
there are people who recognize the fact
that fair luna casts a glamor over
even the most sordid things of life.
For instance, take Wilbur Wright.
Aeronautfcal Master. The moon was
shinging its very brightest the other
night and the air was cool and sweet
and every thing as romantic as could
be out at the testing grounds park,
which has recently been assigned to
Wilbur Wright by the United States
Government for teaching the young
idea "how to fly" Wilbur Wright is
about as ''stolid" in one sense of that
word as they make 'em. He seems to
care absolutely nothing of public or
private opinion of himself and is fairly
absorbed with the pet project of his
life, his flying machine. The park was
visited the other night by a lot of the
life, his flying machine. The park
was visited the other night by a lot of
the young ladies from st. Adams
Cathedral school for girls. The young
ladies of this school, at least So of
them, wanted 10 see the wheels
go round They charged on Will
bur Wright and Lieut.. Lehm and
nothing would do but he must fly that
machine. The girls were all properly
chaperoned, it is true, but they simply
Hwarmed all over the ground and came
very near getting mixed up in the
sprockets of the machine, when it was
getting ready TO rise from the mono
rail, but it finally went right straight
up in the air and scared around for
nearly one hour in the silvery moon
light with the rim of trees about por
tions of the park making dim shadows
and 50 pretty girls looking just as
much prettier as it is possible for
the moonlight to make them. These
girls charged on the shed where the
biplane is kept and swarmed all thru
it, feeling the texture of its canvas to
zee if It would make good Summer dress
skirts, absorbed a good deal of oil on
the machinery, "Oh'd'' and "Awed,"
shrieked and squeeled, ate candy and
munched nuts and tried their level best
10 fiirt with Wilbur Wright. AS a mat
ter of fact Wilbur Wright doesn't
know anything about what flirting
means. He is welded to that biplane,
and the prettiest, sweetest and richest
girl on earth could not tempt him from
his moonlight revels in his beloved BIZ
planes company.
Former Secretary Loeb, now Col
lector of the Port Of New York, was
in Washington last week making things
lively for the Treasury Department.
The news that he brought was astound-
Ing and it certainly did make the Gov
ernment officials sit up and take notice.
Mr.. Loeb informed the Treasury Off
cfals that the Government has been the
victim OF gross customs frauds and
that the 81, 600. 600 lost by the sugar
fraud is only small part of the total
loss thru swjndlers. He informed the
Treasury Department that he has dcIved
into the matter deep enough TO make
sure that defrauding the Government
at the port of New York has been prac-
ticed for so years and that almost meal
culable sums Of money have been lost
TO the Government in that time and all
very largely thru the short weighing of
certain imports. The Treasury officials
have approved the recommendation of
Collector Loeb for the installation of
automatic weighing devices. At the
present time there are Government
weighers and it II said that some OF
these have grown wealthy from short
weighing imports and getting paid for
1t by the importers.
Mr. Guiflaume Vtlliers, of Antwerp
Belgium, has been visiting Washington
and is tremendously Interested in Amer
sca and Americans hut. oh, how he does
dislike the strenaousity Of the life We
live. He says: America IL like great
hustling business center. everybody
working without cessation and never
resting TO enjoy life" He has visited
almost every section of the United
States and Canada. and everywhere all
The time finds nothing but business mat
Tefs are discussed, with no mention of
the affairs pertaining TO home life and
the pleasures OF life. Mr. Villieres
business qualities, but I would not care
10 live here no matter how rosy the
future would look"
Never before in the history of Wash
5ngton have night schools had such
large attendance OF adult foreigners.
Their attendance is very large and their
interest manifest. The schools are sim
ply crowded with Greeks. russians,
Italians, Germans and other foreign
adults anxious to take the approved
mathematics and history courses.
Many women are also taking the pre-
scribed courses of cooking taught in
the night schools.
President Taft has been called upon
Tor his approval Of the teaching, under