The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-17
EDITORIAL NOTES

EDIlUKIAL Mules 5
The first tunnel through the Alps,
the Mont Gents or Col de Frejus tun-
mel, was formally opened forty-two
years ago to-day, when a train of
twenty-five carriages passed through
in twenty minutes. The tunnel is a
little less than eight miles long, and
cost 100000. Plans for the tun-
mel connecting Italy and France were
drawn up in 1848, but their execution
was prevented by the war of the fol-
| lowing year. The work of excava-
| ton was commenced in 1857. The
Italians were in charge of the work,
! but the French government bore the
| chief expense. The next Alpine tun-
mel, the st. Gothard, over nine miles
| long, was opened in 1881, and in 1884
| the Alberg tunnel was inaugurated.
| The Wasserfuh tunnel was completed
| in 1903, the Simp1on in 1905, the Loot
| schberg was inaugurated this year, and
the Mont dor is now building. The
Simplon, twelve and a half miles is
| the longest. The highest railway
tunnel in the world, and the one most
difficult of construction. is that
] through the Andes, connecting Argen-
| tine and Chile. 1t is $4,000 feet
| above sea level, and was opened in
| 1910.
| Martin H. Glynn, the handsome
young editor who has lately occupied
| the HmeIight as acting governor of
| New York State, was born in Kinder
hook, N. Y, Sept. IT, 1871, just forty
| two years ago to-day. When-to adopt
| the language of reVolution-the Tam
| n1anistas led by Ell Dictator Don
| Carlos Murphy made their successful
| raid on Albany, overthrow the in
|
chief, Senior Sulzer, the Lieutenant
| Governor, Senior Martin H. Glynn, oc-
| cupied a place on the sfde-lines as an
| interested spectator. When the
| smoke of battle cleared away, Senior
Glynn, despite the protestations of
Senior SuIzer, announced himself as
| provisional Governor, and since then
has accomplished a job of provisional
governing that would do credit to that
experienced diplomat, Senior Francis
co de la Barra.
Mr.. Glynn graduated from FVordham
University, at the head of his class. in
1894, and Immediately embarked in
newspaper work on the staff of the AL
| bany Tines-Union. A year later he
| became managing editor of that pa
per, and he is now the president and
principal owner. He studied law
| while still occupied with Journalistic
| work, was admitted to the bar in 1897
and two years later went to Congress
for one term. He was comptroller
of New York State from 1906 to 1908,
and in the election of last Autumn was
| chosen Iieutenant-Governor. Incl
| dentally, he is of Irish descent.
The Rt. Hon. Bernard Arthur Will
liam Patrick Hastings Forbes, eighth
Earl of Granard, will pass his thirty
ninth milestone to-day, having been
born Sept. IT, 1874. The Earl, who
married Miss Beatrice Mills, daughter
of ogden Mills, an American million
aire, is a leader in the society of both
Ireland and England, and holds a high
position at court. He is a Roman
Catholic and a staunch home ruler,
and in complete sympathyswith the as
pirations of the Irish people, who
would welcome him as the lord lieu
tenant of the Emerald Isle. He was
born in Dublin, and his Irish estate
comprises about $4,000 acres. Lord
Granard has received many foreign
decorations, embIematic of the leading
orders of Spain, Prussia, Sweden and
Portugal.
Japan's modern educational system
is, in large part, a monument to DR.. |
William Elliot Griffis, who has spent
a large part of his long life in striving
to bring about a better understanding |
between the peoples of the Orient and
the Occident. DR.. Griffis was born in
L
and ten ago, on Sept. IT, 1913. He
served with the 44th Pennsylvania |
regiment in the civil war. After grad |
uating from Rutgers in 1859 he went
to Japan to organize schools in that
country, then entering upon the early |
stages of its marvellous progress. AS
superintendent of education and, la
ter, as professor of physics in the I'm |
perial University of Toxic, he left a |
lasting impress on the educational sys- |
tenn Of Nippon. Among his pupils
were many who have since become |
leaders, including great statesmen and |
diplomats, ambassadors, jurists, sci |
entists and educators. He returned
to America in 1875 to prepare himself
for the ministry, and has occupied
pulpits in Ithaca, Boston and other
cities, besides writing numerous books
on Oriental subjects. DR.. Grfffis is
a, great admirer of the Japanese, and |
1fkens the American feeling against |
them to the racial prejudice which, |
through many centuries, has made the
Jews a prosecuted people. DR.. Grif- |
ifs believes that the Japanese are a |
fusion of the Aryan, Semitic, Malay