Evening star., 1925-07-12
Current History.

Current History.
Considerable conjecture was started
here last week with the announce
sment that Undersecretary of State
sGrew was leaving Washington for
s6wampscott, Mass, where he will meet
gEecretary of State Kellogg and Presi'
sdent Coolidge Secretary kellogg only
srecently left Washington for his home
tn St. Paul, Mimi, on vacation which
was understood to be of undetermined
iength. AS the most important ques
stions pending at the State Department
now are the Chinese situation and the
foreign debt, IL was concluded that
late DEVELOPMENTS in these subjects
WOULD be discussed. Secretary kel
kogg Is known to have approved the
Aiea of a conference between the rep
kasentatives of countries which signed
kn agreement at the Washington arms
conference regarding the eXtraterri
torial rights of nations in China
There has been opposition to this plan
from abroad, however.
The eyes of the Nation rested on
Dayton, Tenn. last week, and watched
with interest as the preliminaries
were completed and the trial of John
Thomas Scopes, high school teacher
accused of teaching evolution, got un.
der way. William Jennings Bryan
was on the stage for the prosecution
while Clarence Darrow of Chicago and
Dudley Field Malone of New York
were playing leading parts in the de.
fense. The trial opened with the
quashing of an indictment against
Scopes because of a technicality and
his immediate reindictment by the
grand jury. This delayed things for
about an hour. The jury was then
chosen, after it's members emphati-
cally declared they either knew moth
ing of evolution or that they had not
formed an opinion concerning its
merits.
Scopes is accused of having violated
a law passed by the last Tennessee
Legislature which prohibits the teach
ing of evolution in the public schools.
The trial is designed as test case.
There is little likelihood that it will
result in a victory or defeat, as far as
the theory of evolution is concerned.
The only case in point Is whether the
State can control the curriculum of
Its public schools. There is appar-
emily little doubt that it can.
Abolition of fireworks in most of
the cities of the country accomplished
little in the way of affecting a safe
and sane" Fourth of July. The auto.
mobile brought 115 deaths over the
week end, drowning accounted for
46. holiday celebrations for Is, and
two airplane crashes cost as many
lives. Forty-four persons were killed
when a cabaret in Boston, filled with
holiday merrymakers, collapsed. The
week end total was 225.
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, widow of the
war President, paid quiet and unos-
tentatious visit last week to the
League Of Nations headquarters in
Geneva, and spent several hours walk
ing around the grounds and buildings.
She Is visiting Europe this Summer.
The international Entente Against
the Third International" composed
of representatives of anti-bolshevik
groups in 81 nations and with head
quarters at Geneva. last week sent a
petition to all governments asking
collective international action against
Communism. The petition presents
Communism as "a grave peril, threat
enfng to engulf all countries" and
pleads for cooperation in fighting 1t.
With an estimated total of Is, 900. 900
persons participating, the United
States held its second Defense day
last Saturday, and upon the decision
of officers especially assigned to study
its results will depend the continua-
tion of the test in future years. Maj
Gen. Hines, chief of staff character
lied the Defense day as generally sat
isfactory." More than two-thirds of
those who answered the call for en-
rollment last year repeated 1t this
year. The decrease was generally held
10 be the result of the test falling on
a holiday.
Two painters, working in ST. Peters
Cathedral, in Rome stole Vatican
jewelry valued at $4,000 last week
but were arrested ard the jewelry re-
covered within a few days. The
painters who committed the actual
theft we're members of a gang which
organized to carry it through. The
Jewels stolen consisted of a ring set
with diamonds and sapphire and a
complete altar service of gold and
precious stones.
In resolutions adopted at its gen
eral assembly in Portland, Greg. last
STeek the International Christian En-
deavor called upon Congress to sup
port every movement toward limita-
tion of armaments and the establish
ment of world court of international
bustice.
France and Spain, getting together
In Madrid to try a solution of the vex-
sng Riff problem, have decided to offer
.Abd-el-Krim autonomy in the Riff re-
gion of Morocco under a Spanish pro-
fectOrate, but the leader of the war
ring tribesmen is not expected to ac-
cept 1t. He has repeatedly stated that
he would not accept d Spanish pro-
tectorate. Under the agreement the
French would receive permission to
pursue the tribesmen of ADD -el- krim
into the Spanish Moroccan zone. some
thing which they have long sought,
as their pursuit heretofore has been
stopped at the Spanish border.
Montana, where the damaging
earthquakes of the past two weeks
first made their appearance, felt new
shocks on Friday, which were felt at
Helena, Great Falls, Three Forks,
Manhattan and Billings. No wide
spread damage was reported, however.
Santa Barbara, Calf, still felt the
after effects last week of her damag.
ing temblor, but they were apparently
subsiding. "A new building code and a
strict zoning ordinance have been
adopted by the city government of
Santa Barbara, and officials there are
assured there will be no more faulty
construction, as exposed by the recent
earthquake.
Educational.
A book wagon" in the cities which
Will deliver books at the door of citi.