The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-06-25


BRIEF TELEGRAMS
st. Petersburg czar has def
nitely decided to make a rather eX-
| tended visit to Germany during the
summer With the czarina and their
children they will go to the hunting
! lodge of Wolfsgarten, near Darn
stadt, the property of the czarina, late
in July or early in August. 1t is un-
| derstood that the German kaiser will
| visit them and that the two monarchs
| Will discuss the program of the next
Hague peace conference, particularly
| the question of the limitation of arm
aments. The czar is believed in prin-
ciple inclined to favor the idea Of linn
! iting warlike preparations, but is
doubtful if at this time any satisfac-
tory agreement between the powers
| can be reached. He is not adverse,
however, to have the matter discussed
tully and freely. The health of the
| czarina shows some Improvement and
| it is hoped the stay in Darmstadt will
greatly benefit her.
st. ersburg.-Appalling statistics,
| just published, regarding suicides in St
| Petersburg in 1909, show that 1882
persons took their own lives. OF these
| 932 were males and 500 females. They
| include fifty-eight boys and seventy
| seven girls of ages varying from II to
IL years.
Cairo.-The increasing cost of mar
| riage in the Soudan is causing serious
complaint among would-be bride
grooms. From f15 to $50 is the sum
usually demanded as the brides dover
| among the well-to-do laboring classes
in Omdurman and the northern prov
inces. Half the dover IS paid before
marriage and the other half becomes
payable only in the event of divorce.
The first half is paid to the father of
the bride and is regarded as his prop
erty, though it is often spent on the
wedding festivities. In addition to the
dover the bridegroom makes consider
able gifts to the bride and usually
bears some part of the expense of the
festivities One of the most popular
of the Mahdi's reforms was to fix the
dover at 100 piasters (about $50 for
a girl and $3.50 for a widow or di-
vorced woman.
Copenhagen.-A memoir of the late
Princess Waldemar of Denmark is be-
ing written, and the book will be pub
lished at Copenhagen. Princess Wal
demar was the only daughter of the
Due and Duchesse de Chartres, and
she was married in October, 1885, be-
ing then about twenty. This memoir
will deal principally with her early
life in England and France.
hagen.-WhateVer NAV be the
truth of the claim of the anti-prohibi-
tonists in the United States that the
prohibition war is subsiding, there is
no doubt in the world as to how Swe-
den stands on the question A pie
blsclte was recently held in the king
dom on the question of prohibition
traffic through all Sweden. The vote
showed 100000 for prohibition and
only u. 300 against, almost unanimous,
The Swedes voted with knowledge. as
the liquor laws in the northern king |
dom are strictly enforced.
Cape Town.-General Botha, the
first premier of the South African
Union, is one of the most striking fig
ures in South Africa at the present |
ume and has won the confidence of !
British and Dutch alike General Bo-
tha is man of liberal and progress
slVe views and high principles, and has |
on his side the advantage Of compara-
tive youth, being only At years of age. |
Born in 1858 at Greytown, Natal, Bo-
tina accompanied his family when a |
boy to the Orange Free State, thence
to Vryheid, the then capital of the
South African republic. He became a
member of the progressive party in |
the first Volksraad, and vigorously on
posed Mr.. kruger's policy, policy |
which led to the Boer war.
When the war broke out in 1899 he
joined Lucas Meyers commando. and
on the death of General Joubert be-
came commandant general of the Boer
forces. After the war, General Botha |
visited England with Generals De Wet
and Delarey in 1902, and was received
by the king and Mr.. Chamberlain. who
was at the time colonial secretary.
Upon the grant of self-government
to the Transvaal in 1906, he organized
with General SHUTS and others Hot
VoIk (the People,, for the first cleo
ton campaign, and led his party to
victory at the polls. He became pre-
mier and minister of agriculture in
the Transvaal, which position he has
held up to the present time.
lie has since twice visited England.
IN connection with the imperial con-
ference of colonial premiers with the
nome government in 1907. and anoth-
er imperial conference in 1909. beinp
accorded many popular ovations. He
mas initiated and carried out in his
own country some exceedingly useful
measures for the development of aeri-
culture. General Botha has taken
prominent part in bringing about the
act of union and in arranging for i'm
perial defense.
Paris-The highest bridge in tha
world has been opened recently n is
the Fades railway viaduct. which is to
carry the Paris main line hetween
Montlucan and Clermont-Ferrand ovnr.
the Sioule gorge. The viaduct wbiot
IS situated between Saint Priest. Sanra+
and Aneiezs-Saint Georges. rises to a
helght of nearly 45O feet above The
ieVei OF the valley. The new bridge
IS continuous steel girder structure
ana is supported on two enormous roc,
tangualr piers of masonry over 30O
rect nigh, which in turn rest on baees
nearly seventy feet high. The 43e000 {
CUBIC yards of masonry upon which
lhe bridge is supported are founded on
solid rock. The center span between
the two piers is 40 feet long. and ie
llanked by two spans 800 feet in I