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Show liii ifcruiriiiftiiiiitiiiiriiiii THE PAYSON CHRONICLE. PAYSON, UTAH 1 frontier garb and covered wagons taking part In the Journey over the Oregon Trail In reople In celebration of the Covered Wagon centennial. 2 Oen. John J. Pershing being given the honorary degree of "Doctor of Military Science by Chancellor Brown of the New York university. 3 light cruiser, Chicago, launched at Mure Island navy yard, Culiforuia. old-tim- e v NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENTEVENTS By ELMO SCOTT WATSON MBKICA may be the melting pot of the nations, but there Is one day In Export Debenture Would Bring on a Foreign Embargo. the year, at lenst. Legge Say when she offers striking evidence that she Is the daughter of Old England and that the descendants of the founders of the nation, despite the Infiltration of other racial strains during the centuries in which the nation was building, are still conscious of their English ancestry. That day is the first of May. To some people who live In America but who have not yet been transformed into Americans by the alchemy of the melting pot, May 1 means a day for protest against the prevailing order of things, for radical activities, for calling for an which somehow uprising never seems to come off successfully. For millions of Americans May 1 meuns disorder of another kind, the upheaval in domestic arrangements and change front old firesides to new, known as Moving day. But to millions of young Americans, In our schools and colleges, Slay 1 is a festival day, a time of rejoicing and merrymaking, of tong and of dance. And ag they, gaily dressed, weave In and out with the long streamers attached to the top of a Maypole erected on some level stretch of greensward, they are perpetuating an old custom of "bringing In the May which traces back in an unbroken line to the Elizabethan days in Merrie England. In that respect, May day is almost unique. Few, If any, of the holidays which we celebrate are observed in a manner so closely resembling Its ancient observance as is this one. It Is one of the popular customs of the long ago which persists after others have long since passed away. The month of May Is named for Mala, the Roman goddess of fertility. Mala was the personification of spring and wrs thought to have every blossoming wild flower and shrub under her special care and protection. The Homans engaged In elaborate floral games during the first week of May. So the May day celebration of a later period had its roots in the rites originally offered in honor of the goddess Maia. But It was another Roman festival which brought to May day the character of the ceremonies which made It distinctive. Tills was the Fioralla, held in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers, when there were gay costumes, dramatic performances and dances. When Christianity began to prevail over Europe, certain pagan customs were retained in a modified form and among these was the May day celebration. In medieval times It became an Important festival and all classes of people, old and young, participated In It. Among the Russians there was a spring festival celebrated by the boys and girls with a choral dance called Khorovod and In Sweden there was also a May day celebration with a dance. But for some reason the festival reached Its highest development in England and we now think of It as a distinctively- - English custom. Early In the first morning of May the men and the maids of Old England would set forth singing for the fields and the woods to gather flowering boughs, wayside blossoms and any pretty, fresh green things that might await them. These treasures were used to May the doors of the popular houses In the village. It is this custom which survives in the hanging of May baskets by the children of today. However the Mayere went into the woods primarily to choose the tallest, sfraigtitest hawthorne, to cut it down and, with its greenness still freshly fragrant, to bring It into the public square, there to raise it for the center of their long days festivity. They did it with much ceremony. A writer In the Fifteenth century They bring home with great says: veneration ; they have twentie or fortie yoake of oxen every one having a sweet noscgale of flowers tied to the tip of his horns, and those oxen draw home the May poaie. . . covered nil over with flowers and hearbes. . . and thus equipped it By EDWARD W. PICKARD PRESIDENT HOOVER'S opposition export debenture plan us a means of solving the wheat problem, now Incorporated in the pending tariff bill, has received the support cf Chairman Alexander Legge ot the federal farm hoard. In a radio address broadcast by the National Farmers union, Mr. Legge predicted the adoption of tills plan would have dire re- sults. Some persons think a way should semi-annu- was reard with handkerchiefs and tlugges streaming on the top. The Maypole having been raised, what follows is resented by a Puritan And then fell they to writer thus: banquet and feast, to leape and dance about it, as the heathen people did at the dedication of their idols, whereof this is a perfect pattern, or rather the thing itself. The beloved festival, called by the an Impious and pagan Puritans superstition," was long celebrated by the rich and poor alike. Chaucer Fourth goth al the court, writes: both most and lest, to fetch the flowers fresh and blome. Stow, in his Survey of London," 1602, says In the month of May every man, exeept impediment, would walk into the sweete meadows and greene woods there to rejoice their spirits with the beauty and savour of sweet flowers." As already indicated, these May-pol- e affairs were obnoxious to the Puritans. To them the revelers were only heathens. So the May day observances were forbidden by parliament in 1644, but same Into favor once more at Restoration. A Maypole once set up might remain for many years and annually be made the focus of popular amusements. The cities Joined in the celebration just as eagerly as the country folk. Stow, in his History of London, mentions several Maypoles, one of which stood at what is now St. a crowded thoroughfare. In his day it was 100 feet high. The last Maypole erected in London was of cedar, l?l feet high. It was set up by 12 British sailors under the personal supervision of James II, then duke of York and lord high admiral, near the site of the present church of St. Marys In the Strand. Half a century later, it was removed to Wan-stea- d Park in Essex, wliera it was used by Sir Isaac Newton as part of the support of a large telescope which had been presented the Royal society by a French astronomer. Another celebrated Maypole was that from which St. Andrew's Undershaft in Leadenhall street in London is supposed to have taken its name. Stow says that it was due to a high or long shaft or Maypole higher than the steeple (hence undershaft) which used early In the morning of May day the greatest spring festival of Merry England to be set up and set with flowers opposite the south door of St. Andrews. It was in the Elizabethan days, however, that the May day celebration its highest development. readied What had previously been a simple, spontaneous celebration became one of much pomp and pageantry. If you read Sir Walter Scott's Kenilworth," you will learn what a colorful spectacle it was. Enter six young men In leather Jerkins; follow on six young maids leading a sleek cow adorned with Now struts Robin Hood In flowers. Lincoln green, accompanied by Little John, Will Scarlet and the others of that famous outlaw band, writes one Mary-le-Stran- historian of this festival. After these walk demurely the pretty bride maidens escorting Maid Marian, the Queen of the May; follow other attending girls. Comes a rumbling, creaking sound the oxen pull the great May-pol- e to its place of honor, and after the May come a medley of personages the hobby horses, the dancers, the jesters and the crowd. Ah! The pole Is raised. Every one shouts. The woodmen and the milkmaids dance around it. The bagpipes play for their steps; the Jesters and the hobby horse are busy with buffoonery; ribald Friar Tuck attracts attention. Now there is a contest with the low bow; a prize of laurel and ribbons Is given to the winner, a crown of Ivy to the second. Finnlly the morris, or morrice, dancers come up to perform. These are an energetic, talented crew. A Puritan writer says of them; They have their hobby horses, their dragons, and other antiques, together with their bandie p.vpers and thundering drummers, then march this heathen comtheir pany, their pypers pyping, stumpes a dancing, their bells ingiing, their handkerchiefs fluttering about their heads like madde men." Morris dancing Is a different thing from the ordinary folk dancing done by all at the May day fetes. Those who did the morris dances were especially trained for It and were known Each village as the morris men. of any pretension had its own troupe. The old men took pride in teaching the youngsters the steps between Easter and Whitsuntide each year. Then on Whit Monday all went out about the countryside dancing, and got a piece of sliver for their many antics. Their fiddler played early in the morning to entice em to dance, and off they were with Green Garters" around the pole. The morris men usually had ttieirown fool. Sometimes, too, they had in their troupe that burlesque figure, the who by the fantasy of his costume and the indecency of his conduct was a constant delight to the Elizabethan audience. Once the morris men have done their turns the people, whose fete this rightly is, may dance to their hearts content. Men and girls dance prettily together, doing the same steps that their fathers and mothers did before old-tim- e nmn-woma- broad-minde- d be found so that the world market price would apply only to the surplus production and have the tariff effective on the wheat sold at home," Mr. To my mind this is Legge declared. impractical. At the present time you see the situation of France paying a bounty of 20 cents a bushel on the export of certain grades of wheat, of which they have an excess supply, and Greut BritA ain taking measures to retaliate. few weeks ago, in parliament, Lloyd George made the statement that if the United States tried to ship wheat to England at a price lower than domestic price levels he would net he satisfied with a duty, but that the remedy should he an embargo prohibiting the importation of any wheat from this country. All of the consuming countries of the world are watching us closely. I am satisfied that they would take prompt measures to retaliate In the event exporting was done on a basis which they believe would be unfair to their growers, Just as we do In this country under such circumstances. Defending the board's setup of central marketing associations, Mr. Legge stressed the point that these are not government agencies, as some critics who cry Socialism would have the country believe, but. Instead, are the of the producers, Instrumentalities who grow crops, to market these crops to their best advantage." William G. Kellogg has resigned as general manager of the Farmers National Grain corporation and vice president of the Grain Stabilization corporation, both of which are sponsored by the federal farm board. Mr. Legge says he believes the farm board Is meeting with success In Its wheat acreage reduction program. Information received by the board Is that In the West and Northwest the farm leaders and farmers themselves are Indorsing the plan. REPLYING to an inquiry from the chairman of the farm board said that body does not favor the abolition of grain and cotton exchanges by act of congress, as proposed by Senator Caraway, although it does favor better supervision of them. As for cotton. It appears that the have been turnfarmers ing the tables on the traders and put them into a squeeze play that lias cost the shorts millions of dollars. It was estimated, The held in May and July contracts or in spot cotton unsold In the South mure than a million hales, and it was conceded that the big operators who will have to put up actual cotton will have to pay fancy prices for these bales. them. to some six thousand The humblest of the village folk SPEAKING of the American Revoluhad a share in the days merrymaking. tion gathered In Washington for their The chimney sweeps had their own thirty-nintcontinental congress, Presquaint dance to do. May day is the ident Hoover earnestly argued In besweeps holiday. They appear dressed half of Arnerlcun entry into the World In fantastic costumes, a little legend court and said lie had no doubt that of the sweeps' dance is thnt once a the United States would soon find a great lady lost her bnby boy, and way for such action. He declared some years later told an old sweep American adherence would not constiabout her misfortune. He replied that tute an entangling alliance" and that his sweep, who was at the moment it had been recommended by every up her chimney, had been a foundling, one of our Presidents and every one and when the hoy came down she of our secretaries of state living since knuwed'n be a mark or summat on its inception." em," and gave clothes and great The Daughters, who as a body have cheer to all the sweeps in the town evidenced their opposition to Amerion the next May day. can participation in t lie World court, He wus duly applauded Mr. Hoover. h more warmly cheered when he advocated national defense forces strong enough to prevent invasion of American shores, when he pledged ttiat durthe United ing Ids administration States would refrain from entanglements in European diplomacy, and wiien he praised the results of the Loudon naval conference. Two days later the Daughters adopted reports demanding the maintenance of sufficient military and naval equipment to meet any emergency that may face the United Stutes in the future, and opposing the scrapping of American ships until the major lowers sign a limitation treaty. They evinced dislike for the three-powagreement concluded In Iaiiulou by the United States, Great Britain and Japan, WHILE In many of the delegates to conference were scat- tering for the Easter holidays, the drafting committee was hustling to complete the proposed treaty In time for the five nations to approve and sign It at a plenafy session set for The chief difficulty that April 22. arose in connection with the three-powe- r agreement was the wording of an escape clause allowing any oue of the three powers which have agreed on a limitation in all categories of ships to exceed the fixed limits in case any outside power builds so as to become dangerous. This was satisfactorily adjusted. To meet demands of the Japunese, Secretary of State Stlmson and Senator Reed entered into a gentlemen's with Reijlro Wakatsuki, agreement head of the Japanese delegation, and Admiral Takarabe that the United States would not build during the life of this treaty the additional tonnage of light cruisers to which It is entitled if it should decide not a build the last three of the 18 heavy cruisers allowed by the pact Consequently, until the next arms conference, Japan is allowed 74 per cent of Americas aggregate tonnage in cruisers, destroyers and submarines. President Hoover has said that the United States will save a billion dollars as a result of the three-powe- r pact. Others estimate the saving in naval construction at half that amount. Great Britain will save 5300,000,00 and Japan $200,000,000. Information in Washington is that the pacifist groups will work for ratification of the treaty and then will campaign against the appropriation of funds to keep it in operation. The pact probably will not be submitted to the senate until next December during the short session. to voting on a affect their chances of many of our senators are not very brave. Which explains the long delay in acting on the appointment of Judge John J. Parker of North Carolina as an associate justice of the Supreme court. The opposition to Parker was found mainly Id organized labor and among the negroes, because of two decisions handed down by him some time ago. The senators were much concerned and one of them even asked President Hoover to withdraw the nomination. The President flatly refused to do this, and finally Senator Overman announced he would try to get the Judiciary committee to take action on April 21. It was said most of the Southern senators would vote for confirmation of the appointment, knowing that if Judge Parker were rejected the vacancy would be filled by some one from another section of the country. The President has appointed Roland W. Boyden to succeed Chnries Evans Hughes as American member of the permanent court of arbitration at The it comes WHEN that may Hague. tinkiiam Representative completed and Walsh, Mr. Curran told considerable detail of the operations of his association, Its growth and resources, and of its plans to oppose at the polls dry who seek election to congress. He said the association spent nothing for lobbying and periodically filed reports of Its expenditures and contributors as required by law. Attorney General Mitchell, appearing before the senate Judiciary committee to oppose the resolution for a senate Investigation of prohibition, gave warning that the prison population of the country is so great today that it is inexpedient to stimulate any further prosecutions. lie said the federal prisoners had Increased during the last nine months by 6,277, including those confined in county, city and state institutions, and that every federal Institution, was overcrowded. H attributed most of the new prisoners to the prohibition law prosecutions. It makes me feel, he said, that we ought to get our house In order and Increase our facilities for handling the criminal business we already havs before we start passing any more federal statutes that make things federal crimes thnt are not at present." The attorney general proposed Increased pay and numbers of district attorneys as a step in improving enforcement. Action on the law enforcement commission plan and the Bnclimnnn federal Judge substitute program to relieve the congestion in federal courts brought about by prohibition was deferred for two weeks by the house Judiciary committee. Robinson of his presentation of evidence and arguments against the league and ecclesiastical lobbies before the senate committee on lobbying. Tink-hadevoted most of Ids attention last week to Bishop Jumes Cannon, Jr., of the Methodist Church, South. He was followed by Henry II. Curran, president of the Association Against t lie Prohibition Amendment, who already hud refused to surrender that organizations files except under compulsion of subpoena." Sharply quizzed by Senators Caraway, Anti-Saloo- m PLANS were announced last week the Radio Corporation of America would acquire the radio manufacturing activities and facilities of the General Electric and Westinghouse Electric companies, and official Washington sat up and took notice. Senator Dill of Washington, who has long been interested In radio legislation, called the attention of the senate t the proposed combination, terming It At the same a new trust monopoly. time the Department of Justice announced that it was fully advised regarding the proposed affiliation," was investigating it fully and wa "considerably concerned about it." Meanwhile, David Sarnoft, the president of the Radio corporation, Issued a statement In New York giving the details of the proposed consolidation. He said the authorized common Radio stock would be Increased from 7,500,-0O- 0 shares to 15,000,000 shares, with 6,580,375.1 Issued to General Electric and Westinghouse in return for royalties, manufacturing rights and tangible assets. An Increase In the B preferred Radio stock from 813.305 to 1,500,000 shares also Is planned, he said, with a part of the increased stock being given over to Westinghouse and General Electric. days Washington was FOR three with for the an- editors, nual meeting of the American Society of Newspaper Editors was taking place and members were there from all parts of the country. President Walter M. Harrison of the Oklahoma City Times called the first session to order and Norman Baxter, president of the National Press club, made an address of welcome. The meeting closed Saturday night with a banquet at which President Hoover, H. Wickham Steed, formerly of the London Times, and Andre Geraud (Pertinax), political editor of the Echo de Paris, were the speakers. As Is customary in such cases, the remarks of the President were not made public. both sides REFUSING requests of the Supreme court of the United States announced terms of Its final decree in the lake levels case, following substantially the recommendations of Charles E. Hughes as special master. The Chicago sanitary district, under the terms of the decree, must complete Its $175,000,000 sewage treatment program within nine years. Diversion of water from Lake Michigan at Chicago, which now averages 7,250 cubic feet per second under a War department permit, must be cut to an ultimate annua! average of 1,500 cubic feet per second on December 31, 103S. The diversion must be reduced to 6,500 feet next July 1, and to 5,000 feet on December 81, 1903. (ffi 1130. WnUm Nwip&uf itDlco.) |