Today -100: January 30, 1914: Of leaks, Confucianism, archbishops, sick animals, large families, and awed bears

After details of American negotiations with Japan over the racist alien land law in California leak, the Wilson administration suggests that newspapers should in future refrain from discussing the US’s foreign relations, especially since it might embarrass the US when foreign governments read in newspapers stories about America’s policies that contradict what the US government has told them. And this means you, Edward Snowden!

The Wilsonites say that they do not consider as unfriendly the actions of Japanese companies in selling arms to the Huerta regime in Mexico.

Chinese President and Aspiring Dictator Yuan reestablishes Confucianism. Yuan will set an example for his religion-deficient people by starting to worship at the Temples of Heaven & Confucius, just like the emperors did, but without wearing a crown, because that would be too obvious.

British suffragettes lay siege to Lambeth Palace, demanding to see the Archbishop of Canterbury on the subject of forcible feeding. Eventually he reluctantly agrees to see one of them, but will only say that he would definitely have a think about the subject of forcible feeding (which has been going on in British prisons since 1909, so you’d think he’d have an opinion by now).

Honestly, I liked the old Mad King of Bavaria better: King Ludwig tells aristocratic women that instead of patronizing charities for sick animals, they should take care of sick poor people: “Sick animals should be killed, but sick people cured.”

The League of Large Families in France proposes Mme. Amet, mother of 22 living children, for the Cross of the Legion of Honor.

Headline of the Day -100: “Girl Teachers Awe a Bear.”

Or is this the Headline of the Day -100?: “Kisses Baby and Is Killed.” (LA Times). A Baptist minister in Georgia leans over to kiss his child good-bye, the gun he always carries so his children don’t play with it falls out of his pocket and goes off.

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