The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-27
EDITORIAL NOTES

world the Stockton and Darlington
 line in England, was opened for traf-
 nc elghty-eight years ago today A
 train or th1rty-four vehicles, making
 a gross load of about ninety tons
 drawn by one engine driven by the
 immortal George Stephenson, passed
 over the line, with a signarman on
 horseback in advance! Conservative
 people had predicted that horrible ac-
 cidents must result from collisions,
 and the horseback courier was sent
 ahead to clear the way. This plan,
 while it seems to involve an excess
 Of caution, might still be profitably
 adopted by certain American rail-
 roads. The pioneer passenger train
 moved on at a speed of ten miles an
 hour and at favorable parts of the
 line it attained a speed of fifteen miles
 per hour. A month later the com
 pany inaugurated a daily Hervtce over
 it's line The coach, appropriately
 called the "Experiment,'' carried six
 passengers inside and as many as
 ger railway, with three branches, had
 thirty-six miles of track, constructed of wrought-iron 'tfshbelly'' rails.
 Ararat, the Armenian peak on which
 Noah is supposed to have landed after
 his voyage in the ark, was first as cended by Dr. Parrot, who reached
 the summit of Greater Ararat on Sept. 27, 1929, just eighty-four years ago today. For centuries the sacred noun tain had defied the efforts of the noun tain climbers, and the Christian Sccles- iastics of Armenia asserted, as an ar ticle Of faith, that Jehovah had made the peak his earthly home, and that no human could possibly reach the top and escape divine vengeance. When pr. Parrot declared that he had ac- complished the ascent, the priests re- fused to believe him, and they cling to his attitude of skepticism in spite of the fact that dozens of explorers have since stood on the top of Great CT Ararat, and gazed out over Armenia from an altitude of over 1000 feet James Bryce, former British ambassa- dor to the United States, climbed Greater Ararat in September 1878, making the ascent alone. The Rus sian governor had supplied him with an escort, but they were still 5, 900 feet short of the summit when, overcome with superstitious fear of Gods ven geance, they refused to go on. MT. Bryce described the gunrnit as lit tie plain of snow, silent and deso1ate, with a bright green sky above, and the view as stern and monotonous. Nakhitchevan, or Nakhikhevan, Ar menia, on the slopes of Ararat's great sr peak, claims to be the oldest town
 Tn the world. The name of the rude little village means "He descended nere,'' and the townspeople allege that on that very spot Noah disembarked with his family and animals and set ID housekeeping, planted the vine" made wine and celebrated with f spree This theory is borne out by he statement in Genesis that ''the ark -ested upon the mountains of Ararat.'' The tomb of Noah's better half is at he base of Ararat, and fragment of the true ark'' is preserved in an oeyfa r, buried in the worlds oldest city, but rear Damascus He was a very large nan, the natives will tell you,- and Is proof point to his supposed grave, i which is nearly fifty feet in length. The Armenians also locate the Gar | len of Eden near Ararat.
 Since Noah started the work Of re- population a drowned world Mount | Ararat's slopes have been a battle ,round for contending hosts. Assyrians, Medes and Persians conquered Arme- ia in turn. The Greek kings of Sy-l ia ruled the country for a time, and hen came the legions of Rome. The oarthians next subjected the coun- ry, but later the Roman ascendency vas restored. In the third century Armenia was added to the Persian mpire but was reconquered by the sreeks. Mongols and Turks next ought over the unhappy land, and the oersians again enjoyed brief rule. In GOA it became Turkish territory, and o remained until Russia forced a di- -ision of Armenia in 1878.
 Since the first century the Arme- lians have been Christians, and have lung to that faith despite the perse- utions visited upon them by follow rs of other religions. For many ears the Armenians have, been sub ected to massacre and outrage by heir Moslem masters, and the end is
 ot yet Out of the welter of war n the near East, the friends of Ar aenia have hoped that some relief night come to the oppressed people.
 10 far the hope has not been realized.
 ehovah. still looks down upon rav- ged, tortured, unhappy and perpetu- lily persecuted people.
 The Henry Phipps Institute in Phil delphia, which is carrying on a war are against tuberculosis, and the [enry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic in ;altfmore, for the study and treat lent of mental diseases, are monu- aents to the generosity of Henry 'hipps iron and steel magnate. The ounder of these institutions for the impression of the most terrible dis ases that afflict humanity was born l Philadelphia seventy-four years go to-day. His youth was spent in
 ittsburgh, where he attended the ublic schools. At thirteen he went work in a store. His connection -tth the industry that was to make i'm a uIti-millionaire began when, t sixteen, he entered the employ of ilworth & Riddle, spike manufac- lrers, as an office boy, and at twen- 1.-two became partner in the firm, 1
 hich was changed to Riddle and hipps, and which undertook the gency of a powder company. He ntered the iron industry through a , art ownership of the small mill of 1eman & Phipps. His association 1 ith Andrew Carnegie, by which he otained the second largest interest in le Carnegie Steel Company, resulted the accumulation of a vast fortune, l 0 small part of which has gone to | le endowment of the Philadelphia, { nd Baltimore institutions for fight
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