Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-20
CURRENT EVENTS OF
INTEREST

According to Article 131 of the Peace
Treaty, Germany is ordered to surrender
certain valuable observation astromical in
struments, which she removed from Picking
during the Boxer rebellion in 1900. Not
only is she to restore them to their right
full owners, but she is to defray all expenses
incurred in removing the instruments from
Potsdam, transferring them to Picking and
setting them up in the observatory there.
This is an exceedingly interesting bit of his
tory, and from 1900 up to the present day
the fate of these instruments has been much
discussed in China, Germany, France Amer
ica and England, says the Christian Science
Monitor.
The Picking observatory is mentioned by
Marco Polo, and the date of it's construction,
in the southeastern corner of the Tartar
city, is generally ascribed to the reign of
Kublai Khan, founder of the Mongol dynas-
ty, in 1879 A. D.
The original instruments were: Cd An
armillary sphere; CD transit instru-
ment CD a brass globe; (4) a sector,
which, according to some Of the best-known
writer's, was constructed under the Yuen, or
MongOl dynasty.
In 1878 six new instruments were made
by order of the then Emperor, Kang-he, I'M
der the superintendent of a missionary and
the official astronomer, to replace the old
Instruments These consisted of (1) 20
diacal sphere; CD equinoctial sphere; co
azimuthal horizon; ca sextant; 60 alti-
tude Instruments; co celestial globe
Some figures concerning the American
farmer are given by Senator Arthur Capper,
of Kansas, in an article headed "The Farm
er's Place in American Business" contrib
uted to the current issue of The Journal of
the American Bankers association.
1.-The average buying power of the Amer1-
far 10 Increased
ing the last four years from $1,000 to 49,
400 year, over 100 per cent, whereas the
average buying power Of the city man still
remains, approximately, at 5000 a year.
"Two-thirds of all farmers in America own
their own homes. Contrast this with the
knowledge that two-thirds of all city dwell
ers rent and do not own their homes. Farm
ing is profession, and despite many excep-
tons to the rule, profession which is
passed from father to son through many
generations; in other words, there is per-
manency both about the profession itself and
about the men who follow it.
President Wilson's health is showing ex-
ceedingly slow but gradual Improvement, 1t
was explained by persons close to the White
House who have been kept busy denying re-
ports that he has suffered another break
down There was slight danger, they said, of
any setback, provided the president continued
the course of rest and quiet that he had been
following
Where the stories started that the presi-
dent had suffered setback nobody knows,
but apparently they were widespread. The
inquiries have reached the White House from
the correspondents Of newspapers in great
many cities, which would indicate that the
reports emanated from a central point, per-
haps sent over some private telegraph wires
To all these rumors the officials made en-
Dhatic denial to check them if possible. Mr.
Wilson signs many papers each day, and, al
though he has not visited the executive offices
yet, he is able to accomplish a great deal in
his ROOM
According to message received from San
Diego, Cal, the Prince of Wales arrived off
Point Iona aboard the cruiser Renown, which
is carrying him to the Antipodes.
The prince and members of his party
to be guests of San Diego for two days. A
committee Of citizens and prominent British
residents were taken to the Renown aboard
a submarine chaser to be received by the
prince. Luncheon was served aboard the New
Mexico, Pice Admiral Williams, of the Pacific
fleet, presiding, in the absence of Admiral
Hugh Rodman. After luncheon the prince
and his party came ashore for an extended
program.