Read Ebook: The Great Round World And What Is Going On In It Vol. 1 November 4 1897 No. 52 A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various Bishop Julia Truitt Editor

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The problem was at last solved by the great English physician, Edward Jenner, in 1798.

He found that a form of small-pox was prevalent among cows, and that by taking the germs of this disease, which was called cow-pox, and putting them into the blood of human beings, he could produce a mild form of small-pox, which never assumed a dangerous character, and yet prevented the person treated from taking the real deadly small-pox.

Since vaccination became general, the decrease in the rate of deaths from small-pox has been wonderful, and there has not been one serious epidemic where the practice has been followed.

Yellow fever is a much worse enemy to all people who live in warm climates than small-pox. It is a terrible disease, and often kills its victims in a few hours. All sailors and travellers in southern countries have to meet with the scourge, the sailors calling it familiarly "Yellow Jack."

If it is indeed true that by inoculation people can be made proof against this awful disease, it will be one of the greatest blessings this wonderful century has given to man.

As we have said, yellow fever visits our southern shores every year, though happily not often in an epidemic form. The Government has therefore sent an expert down to the affected districts to discover, if possible, where this disease comes from, and ascertain the best means of preventing it.

Dr. John Guiteras was chosen as the best man to send, and he reports that it is from Cuba that this unwelcome visitor makes its yearly call on us.

The doctor declares that the sanitary conditions in Cuba are dreadful. He says that nothing is done to keep the cities clean or healthy. The drainage in Havana is of the worst possible description, and in times of epidemic no attempt is made to prevent the spread of disease.

There is such constant communication between Cuba and the United States that our Government has been obliged to keep three health officers in the island to report on the state of things and enforce quarantine regulations when necessary.

Yellow fever breaks out regularly every year in Cuba, and the doctor declares that it would be an excellent thing for us if the Cubans were allowed to purchase their freedom under our protection, as we might then be able to induce them to put their country in a properly healthy condition, and save ourselves the trouble and cost of yellow-fever epidemics.

Prince Mavrocordato, the Greek minister who has been sent to Turkey to arrange the peace, has arrived in Constantinople, but, if all reports are true, he has not been received with the respect that he considered his due.

Some little annoyance at the custom-house put him so terribly out of temper that he was on the point of turning back and refusing to enter into any negotiations with Turkey at all. He was, however, pacified, and is now in the Turkish capital, ready to begin work.

The Sultan has announced positively that he does not intend to remove his troops from Thessaly until he has something surer to rely upon than a promise to pay the indemnity.

He has sent supplies of winter clothing to the army, and will keep his soldiers where they are until Greece has so arranged her affairs that he can feel sure of being paid.

Considering that the Powers are to take charge of the Greek treasury until he has been paid, this conduct seems rather extraordinary, but the Sultan is such an untrustworthy person himself that it is not to be wondered at that he has no faith in promises or honor.

Last week we prepared you for a surprise in regard to the settlement of the affairs in Crete.

His Majesty the Sultan has not kept us long waiting for it.

Forgetting that the Cretans accepted Home Rule from the Powers, and that the matter was supposed to have been settled, Abdul Hamid now comes forward with a little proposal of his own.

He suggests that all the occupants of Crete, Christians and Mussulmans alike, shall be forced to deliver up their weapons to the Turkish soldiers. That he, the Sultan, shall have the power to appoint whom he pleases as governor of Crete, and shall further be empowered to form a body of guards, half soldiers and half police, who shall have the duty of preserving the peace of Crete.

All this means, in so many words, that instead of a Christian governor, Home Rule, and the payment of a yearly tribute to the Turks, the Cretans shall go back to the old state they were in before Greece interposed.

We shall probably hear a good deal more about Crete before the winter is over.

England's conduct in regard to the seal question looks as if she had been playing the old child's game of asking her pinkie finger before she could give us a decided answer.

From Lord Salisbury's conduct in the affair, one would suppose that he had shut himself up in his study, and consulted the oracle:

"Pray, my dear little finger, pray tell me whether I shall join the seal conference or no? Yes--no--yes--no": and so on.

He has said "yes" and "no" so many times that it looks as though he had just come round to the pinkie again at "yes."

After stating that the end of the five years agreed on in Paris was time enough to consider the seal question, his lordship has now sent word to our ambassador that England will join the United States in a conference. The conference is to be held about the same time as the other one, but is to have no connection with it.

It seems a pity that England will not meet the Russian and Japanese delegates, because they may have some interesting information to offer. As we have said before, there was no question of discussing anything else but the decrease of the seal herds, and Japan has expressly stated that she will not enter into any other form of the subject.

It is, however, a point gained that England will discuss any part of the question, and it is to be hoped that this decision is final, and that Lord Salisbury may not set to work to recount his fingers, and make the pinkie come to "no" again.

There seems to be a growing desire for independence in Canada.

The French Canadians of the Province of Quebec are urging the people to demand complete independence from England. They have printed and circulated an appeal to the people to rise and demand their liberty.

We told you some time ago about England's idea of federating her colonies.

If this should be done, the mother country would have the right to demand that the colonies should contribute to her wars, and help her, and stand by her on all occasions. The federating of England and her colonies would bind them together in much the same way that our United States are bound together. They would be under one head and one government, but each portion of the empire would take its share of the profits and losses.

It is this which has roused the Canadians of Quebec.

Here is their complaint: "Canada, more securely chained, will be thrown into the defensive and offensive politics of Great Britain. We will be called upon to contribute toward the military and naval forces of that country. We will have to give our money and our blood to defend the interests of the noble lords who scorn us, the London merchants who exploit us, and the deserts of Africa or the plains of India will be our funeral pyres, where many of our people will sleep."

These fears were aroused when, in the latter part of September, it was announced that the Canadian Government was about to make large purchases of guns and cannon for the defence of Montreal.

These Canadians became afraid that they were to be drawn into some war in which they had neither interest nor concern, and they are now anxious to throw off the English yoke, and be free to make peace or war as they will.

As the winter approaches, the cry of famine is once more being raised in Ireland.

The potato crop appears to have failed entirely, and the grain, beaten down by storms and rain, has not ripened, but lays rotting in the fields where it was planted.

The cry of famine is heard from Ireland with more or less regularity every year, and therefore some people are inclined to doubt whether this is a genuine complaint, but from all one hears it would appear to be only too true.

Mr. John E. Redmund, member of Parliament for Waterford, Ireland, has stated that the present harvest is the worst since 1879, and that there is every reason to fear that a large portion of the Irish population will soon be on the verge of starvation.

To help these unfortunates, sixty-four of the Irish members joined in a petition to ask the Government to call an extra meeting of Parliament to vote money for the relief of the famine sufferers.

The Queen has the right to call the British Parliament into session at any time she deems it necessary, but for a long time it has been the custom for it to assemble in February and remain in session until August.

In reply to the petition from the Irish members, the Government stated that there did not seem to be any necessity for summoning a special parliament to deal with the Irish troubles, as, if the worst fears for Ireland were realized, the Government had power to use funds to relieve the people without waiting for the consent of Parliament.

The Irish members, in addition to asking for a special session of Parliament, entreated the Government to lower the rents of the Irish tenants.

The petition stated that, in consequence of the poor crops, it was hopeless to expect the tenants to pay their full rentals, and to avoid the suffering and bad feeling that arises from evictions, or turning out the people who are behind in their rents, it was begged that the Government would lower the rents by law.

The Government, however, absolutely declined to interfere in the matter, and this will have to be left to the good-will of the landlords.

Should the coming winter turn out as badly as it is feared, the chances are that there will be more bitter feeling between England and Ireland. The cause of the strife will be the money that England is said to owe to Ireland.

Some time ago the Queen appointed a committee to examine the accounts between the two nations, and see just exactly how each country stood on the books of the other.

When the committee handed in its report, every one was absolutely amazed to find that for nearly a hundred years England had been collecting about thirteen million dollars a year from Ireland over and above the sum which she had a right to ask for. It was further shown that the collection of this big tax was in direct violation of a treaty between England and Ireland.

If the horrors of famine overtake the Emerald Isle, the Irish people will certainly demand that this money be returned to them; but the sum is now so enormous that England can never return it in full, and, whatever she does for Ireland, the sister isle is sure to feel defrauded and unhappy.

Last July we told you about a great strike that was going on in London among the engineers. We said that the fight promised to be a long and bitter one, because both masters and men considered themselves in the right, and both had plenty of money to help them to stand by their opinions.

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