BRITISH DISASTER IN SOMALILAND, MISSIONARY ITINERARY, A WEEK IN ROME, AND RECOVERED HIS HAT

 

Plunkett's Disaster, painted by Melton Prior.

 

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, April 29, 1903.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.

The British Disaster in Somaliland.

   According to Kipling's verse the "Fuzzy Wuzzy" of the Sudan who, though a "pore, benighted eathen," is "a first class fightin' man," was the first who "bruk a British square." It appears that Fuzzy Wuzzy has brothers on the gułf of Aden, who are even fiercer fighters than the "big black, boundin' beggars" of central Africa. These are the Somalis, who under the Mad Mollah have done something more than "bruk a British square." They have almost completely annihilated a British column 800 strong, slaughtering colonel, captains and privates, leaving scarcely a score of men to tell the story of the disaster.

   According to late advices from Galadi, Somaliland, Colonel Plunkett's flying column was dispatched by the commander of the British forces in pursuit of the Somalis, following them into the open country seven miles westward of Gumburru, where it was attacked by a very strong force of mounted troops and the enemy's infantry, who attacked at close quarters. Plunkett kept back the enemy until he had no more ammunition, when he formed a square and charged with bayonets. At last the enemy's infantry overwhelmed the square and annihilated nearly the entire column.

   It is not perfectly clear just what the Mad Mollah is mad about, but it is evident that there is fighting blood of the sternest sort in the mixed Arab forces under his command, which appears now to be especially stirred by the religious fanaticism of a new Mohammedan propaganda. At last accounts they were about 15,000 strong. Manifestly Great Britain will need heavy re-enforcements if it is to keep in check the fierce and fanatic Somalis and maintain its supremacy in northeastern Africa.

 

MISSIONARY ITINERARY.

Miss Grace Todd to Spend a Week in Cazenovia District.

   Miss Grace Todd, a missionary from Chung King, West China, will speak under the auspices of the Woman's Foreign Missionary society of the Methodist-Episcopal church at Chittenango, Tuesday afternoon, May 5; Oneida, Wednesday evening, May 6; Tully, Thursday evening, May 7; McGraw, Friday evening, May 8; First church, Cortland, Sunday morning, May 10; Homer, Sunday evening; Pharsalia and Brackle, Tuesday evening, May 12; Homer-ave. church, Wednesday evening, May 11.

   Miss Todd is not a stranger to at least a portion of Cazenovia district, as two years ago she gave addresses in Groton, Moravia and the Homer-ave. M. E. church this city, with marked acceptance. The last named church is glad to give her a second welcome on the date already mentioned. Miss Todd is a highly cultured lady, of pleasing address and attractive manner, and interests all in what she has to say. She is fully consecrated to her calling and will return to her labors in the Celestial empire. The churches mentioned may justly consider themselves fortunate in having the privilege of hearing her. She wears a beautiful silk Chinese costume while speaking.

   These meetings are not held for the purpose of raising money for her benefit as only a collection will be taken to defray the traveling expenses of the speaker, but to give all an opportunity to hear the story of one who has taken an active part in missionary work and thereby create an inspiration to greater efforts in fulfilling the divine command. She comes from the Oswego district, northern New York conference, where she is now filling a week of appointments.

   Mrs. Geo. W. Edgcomb, District Secretary.

 

Rev. W. J. Howell, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Cortland.

A WEEK IN ROME.

Some of the Experiences and Sights Seen by Rev. W. J. Howell.

   Rome-on-the-Tiber, April 6, 1903.

   To the Editor of The Standard:

   Sir—My letters of travel are irregular. I had purposed better things. But like human life in general, one often leaves undone things that he ought to have done. The life of a globetrotter is one of perpetual motion.

   I write you now from Florence, the city of Savonarola, but I will write of my visit in Rome, the imperial city of the Caesars.

   At Naples and Rome our large and congenial company separated. Less than one hundred returned directly to New York. Many small parties took different side trips across Europe. But all were eager to go to Rome.

   I reached Rome on Monday, March 30 and left on the following Saturday. It was late in the afternoon when we had our first view of the historic city. My hotel was very near the Pantheon, so that was my first walk. I entered and remembered that it was built by Agrippa, 27 B. C. In 315 it was closed as a pagan temple. In 606 it was consecrated to Boniface IV, in honor of the Virgin and all the martyrs. Here was buried a great painter and a great king, Raphael and Victor Emmanuel.

   I then called on a classmate of a North Carolina college. He was with me the entire week. The next day a carriage drive was provided for us. We went to St. Peter's, the Vatican museum and Vatican library, the picture gallery and Sistine chapel. In the afternoon we drove outside of the city to the Catacombs, the church of Quo Vadis and the Appian Way. It was seeing all Rome in one day. I thought of a fifteen minute college oration, that I once heard on "America, Her Past, Present and Future." In that case the last word of the subject was spoken, but in our case, it was only a birdseye view, for we went day after day to the Vatican. A Harvard professor spent three months in Rome and went three hours every day to the Vatican and when he left said he was sorry to so hurry away from Rome, for he had not finished the Vatican.

   One cannot exaggerate in describing St. Peter's, the most magnificent church in the world. I walked around it. I stayed for hours inside of it. I climbed its 569 steps to its dome and up into its ball. I walked on the roof and looked out on modern Rome and the winding Tiber, saw the Sabine hills and Alban hills in the distance, there was the Compagne and Appian Way, threading itself out into the distance. We located the seven hills of the city, its leading churches and historic buildings, the Roman forum and Colosseum [sic] and the Palatine hill, where Caesar's palace stood. This church has cost $50,000,000. It has 300 different kinds of marble.

   I spent several hours in the Sistine chapel, a small room, but one of the costliest chapels in the world. Here is Michael Angelo's famous picture, "The Last Judgment." He was seven years in painting it. He did it at the age of 67 years. For 400 years this painting has been viewed and admired by thousands. Perhaps it is the first picture of the world, and Raphael's "Transfiguration" is the second and Reni's "Crucifixion" the third. It takes hours, if not days to understand and to appreciate the "Last Judgment." It has 300 figures in it. The many paintings of Raphael give unceasing pleasure. But his "Transfiguration'' is visited again and again and preferred above all others. Days can well be spent in the Vatican picture galleries.

   I visited "St. John Lateran" church and saw the holy stairs and worshippers going up on their knees. These steps were brought from Jerusalem and are believed to have led to Pilate's judgment hall. Luther was going up these stairs, when he exclaimed, "The just shall live by faith, " and then followed the Protestant Reformation.

   I did not get to finish this letter at Florence. I am now at Venice. When the conductor calls you, you must leave all and follow. Florence is a wonderful city of art. We reached Venice last night at 11 o'clock. The moonlight ride in gondolas was fine. We start this morning for several hours in gondolas. Easter in Paris, then to Holland. Sail from Bremen on April 28. I close to get this on first steamer.

   Very truly, W. J. Howell.

 

FOR THE WAREHOUSES.

Representative of Lackawanna Confers With Cortland People.

   A representative of the Lackawanna railroad was in Cortland yesterday and conferred with Agent R. R. Spier, the local representative, F. H. Cobb of Cobb & Co., and D. C. Beers of Beers & Warfield in regard to the new warehouses to be erected by the two firms mentioned. The sites were agreed upon. Cobb & Co.'s is to be east of the switch leading to the piano factory and at the corner of Pendleton and East Court-sts. Beers & Warfield are to buy the two buildings formerly used by the railroad as an engine house and storehouse and will place them on the west side of the switch facing East Court-st. Cobb & Co.'s plans for building are not yet far enough along to enable them to make any statement concerning the building.

 

RECOVERED HIS HAT.

Came Safely in a Candy Pail and Was Well Accompanied.

   Harry A. Vail was in Ithaca, N. Y., yesterday and in the course of the day called upon Druggist J. B. Todd. The car for the Lehigh Valley station passed unexpectedly and Mr. Vail seized the first hat he could find and dashed after the car. The hat proved not to be his own. He mentioned the fact to Mayor Brown last night. Whose chief clerk he is in the pharmacy, and the mayor replied that he was evidently keeping up the reputation of the store, for it is an open secret that the mayor always brings home a new hat every time he leaves town, and on a recent visit to Ithaca he too brought away on of Mr. Todd’s hats.

   This morning Mr. Vail received an express package. It was a large wooden candy pail utilized as a hat box and it contained the Cortland hat. The package was addressed to “Mayor Brown’s chief hired man.” The pail was so thoroughly decorated that the impression prevails here that Mr. Todd and his three assistants in his drug store sat up all night to prepare it. Upon the lid was a poem in which was told the story of the exchange of hats, and in which the the writer took occasion to refer to the fact that this hat of his had gone to keep company with another which had preceded it to Cortland. The side of the pail was covered with appropriate pictures and inscriptions in prose and in verse. A wide range of subjects was covered, though all bore more or less directly upon the case in point. Upon the bottom of the pail was a fitting “good night” picture. Mr. Vail says he shall keep the pail among his closest possessions as a souvenir and in the meantime he shall lie low for an opportunity to return Druggist Todd’s courtesy at the right time in the future.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The new rural delivery route to Virgil, N. Y., known as R. F. D., No. 3, will start Friday, May 1.

   —On Tuesday, May 5, the attraction at the Opera House will be “The Evil Eye,” an original novelty introducing a living skeleton.

   —On Tuesday, May 26, the city of Ithaca will hold a special election to determine whether $10,000 shall be appropriated to defray the expenses incurred and to be incurred with the recent typhoid fever epidemic and the cleaning up of the city.

   —The new display advertisements today are: The First National Bank, Banking, page 7; M. W. Giles, Refrigerators, etc., page 7; Opera House, “The Evil Eye,” page 5; W. W. Bennett, Hardware, page 7; Warren, Tanner & Co., Carpets, page 6; S. Simmons, Clothing, page 6.