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DECEMBER, 1922 VOL. 26 NO. 2
ORGAN OF THE PRIESTHOOD QUORUMS, THE YOUNG MENS MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIA- TIONS AND THE SCHOOLS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF w LATTER-DAY SAINTS «w«w«*«w
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1922
Swift pass the years, again it is the morn That speaks of Him and of His gentle life; Ten centuries and nine since He was born, The Prince of Peace who came to conquer strife. Yea, now the anthem rises in His praise, The holly wreath hangs in the church and home, Yea, the child Jesus, star to Herod's days, From Bethlehem hath vanquished pagan Rome. Yet war on war sweeps on from land to land, Christ's reign of love upon the sword yet waits ; 'Twixt Hope and Fear the nations anxious stand, From Russian snows to Smyrna's broken gates ; 0, while men's passions, sea-like, rage and toss, Be not in vain His anguish on the Cross!
Alfred Lambourne
ELDER DAVID O. McKAY Of the Council of the Twelve, who left on November 8 to preside over the European mission. At the recent semiannual Conference he said: 'Two-thousand missionaries were preaching, by 'plain living and high tfimh- ing,' the efficacy of 'Mormonism.' There should be about two-hundred- fifty times two-thousand missionaries in the organized wards and brandies of the Church, who by example in the home, by devotion and service tc* God should preach the gospel, and show that they believe and know that God is our Father."
IMPROVEMENT ERA
Vol. XXVI DECEMBER, 1922 No. 2
On Government and Law*
Letttr-day Saints Counseled to Obey the Laws of God and Man By President Heber J. Grant
It is a source of great pleasure and satisfaction to me to see such a magnificent audience here today, almost completely filling this house. I am sure that those who are standing in the gallery and on the south side of the building, by a little closing up on the part of the audience, could all have a seat. I have no recollection of ever seeing an audience here on a week day, in the opening of our con- ference, where there were so many people standing when we com- menced speaking. There could be no greater evidence of the interest of the Latter-day Saints than is shown by this great outpouring of people at the first meeting of our General Conference, and I am grateful to all those who are here assembled. I know you have come here with a desire to be fed the bread of life. I have no desire whatever to say anything to you this morning except that which may be for your bene- fit, as well as for my own.
ENGAGED FOR MANY YEARS IN PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL
Forty years ago this October conference, I met the late Elder George Teasdale of the Council of the Twelve, at the south gate, and he shook hands with me and said: "Brother Grant, I am delighted to see you. You and I are going to be" — and he stopped suddenly and his face turned red; but the Lord gave me the balance of the sentence. Four times in my life I have been permitted to read the thoughts of people. The balance of Brother Teasdale's sentence was — "sustained this afternoon as apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ to fill the vacancies in the Quorum," and that went through me like a shock of electricity. I came to the Sunday afternoon meet- ing of the conference, because of this partial sentence, and the bal- ance that was given to me, with the assurance in my heart that Brother Teasdale and myself would be sustained as apostles. Those of you who were at that conference remember that it adjourned without fill- ing those vacancies. I do not believe that any mortal man ever more
*Opening speech at the late Semi-annual Conference of the Church, Oct. 6, 1922.
Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah, as second class matter. Ac- ceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1 103, Act of> October 3, 1917, authorized on July 2, 1918, $2 per annum.
Address Room 406 Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah.
98 IMPROVEMENT ERA
humbly supplicated God during the next few days to forgive him for his egotism than I did for thinking that I was to be chosen as an apostle. As you are aware, within a week a revelation came to John Taylor calling Brother Teasdale and myself to those positions. For forty years I have been engaged in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and bearing witness to my knowledge that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the true and the living God. I have had the privilege of bearing that testimony in nearly every state of the Union, in Canada on the north, in Mexico on the south, in the Hawai- ian Islands, in far-off Japan, in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Norway, Swe- den, and Denmark, and I have had exceeding great joy, during all of those forty years, in bearing this testimony.
I was undecided in my mind, before coming to this meeting which of the many things that I had read in the Book of Mormon and in the Doctrine and Covenants I would speak upon. The only question was : Which is the one theme to present? I have no hesitancy now as to the thing to talk about, because the opening prayer was on the identi- cal subject of the first item that I read this morning in the Doctrine and Covenants, and that was to sustain and to uphold the laws of the land.
BELIEF OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS ON GOVERNMENT AND LAWS IN GENERAL
I have been criticized, time and time again, by friends and others, and have had much splendid advice given to me not to read so much in public because nothing could be more tiresome to an audience than reading; but I am not here for the purpose of saying something to tickle your ears or to please you, but I am here with a prayer in my heart to say those things that shall be for your best good and benefit, and mine also. I honestly believe that it will be for our best good to hear every word of an entire section of the Doctrine and Covenants which is:
"A Declaration of Belief regarding Governments and Laws in general, adopted by unanimous vote at a general assembly of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held at Kirtland, Ohio, August 17, /VJ5." (Section 134.)
"We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man ; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.
"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life." (And that means the right to labor without taking the chance of being killed.)
"We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates) to enforce the laws of the same ; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people (if a republic) or the will of the sovereign.
"We believe that religion is instituted of God ; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions
ON GOVERNMENT AND LAW 99
prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others ; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of wor- ship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion ; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience ; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and in- alienable rights by the laws of such governments ; and that sedition and re- bellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly ; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
"We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and defer- ence, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man ; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
"We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
"We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their crim- inality, and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that govern- ment in which the offense is committed ; and for the public peace and tran- quility, all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against go,od laws to punishment.
"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil gov- ernment, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.
"We believe that a1l religious societies have a right to deal with their mem- bers for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such so- cieties; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.
"We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted, or the right of prop- erty or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, ana property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroach- ments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.
"We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world ; but we do not believe it right to interfere wih bond-servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them, contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or influence them in the least, to cause them to be dissatisfied
100 IMPROVEMENT ERA
with their situation in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude."
DUTY OF THE SAINTS TO SUSTAIN AND LIVE THE LAW
I endorse with all my heart this declaration sustained by the unanimous vote of the general conference in 1835. I am convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is the duty of every Latter-day Saint to sustain and live the law. I believe that every Latter-day Saint who has any idea in his or her heart that some law has been passed that is not a righteous law, after it has been fought out in the courts and has been decided, whatever the decision may be, by the highest tribunal of our great and glorious country, the Supreme Court of the United States, that it is his duty to obey such law. I believe that every Latter-day Saint — and by the way no man is a Latter-day Saint who drinks whisky — but any "Mormon" who drinks whisky today knows that he is in condemnation before the Lord Almighty, whether he is the one who bought the whisky, or whether he is simply a par- taker of it. I believe that every Latter-day Saint owes it to himself to uphold and sustain what is known as the cigarette law, and I be- lieve that we as a people should know by the announcement of every man who is to be elected to the legislature, that he will stand for that law, and if he will not so announce himself, if his opponent, no matter what his politics may be, will stand for that law, that we ought to bury our politics and vote for the man favoring the retaining and enforcing of the cigarette law.
BEST MEN SHOULD BE CHOSEN REGARDLESS OF POLITICS
Politics reminds me very much of the measles. The measles don't hurt much if you will take a little saffron tea or something else to keep them on the surface, but if they once set in on you, they turn your hide yellow and sometimes make you cross-eyed. So do not let politics set in on you. I believe absolutely in the best men for office. I believe in honest, upright, good men being chose to occupy places and positions in the state and in the Church.
THE SAINTS BELIEVE IN THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH
We testify to all the world that Joseph Smith met the Creator of heaven and earth. We testify to all the world that in answer to the question asked of God, as to which of all the various religions in the world had the truth, that God pointed to his son, Jesus Christ, and announced that he was his well beloved Son and said: "Hear him," and that the Savior of the world told Joseph Smith to join none of them. We believe that the man who promulgated these state- ments regarding government and laws was a prophet of the living God. We believe the statements made in the section following what I have read to you — and by the way, as I am not here to please you, I will also read Section 135:
ON GOVERNMENT AND LAW 101
"Martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844.
"To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we an- nounce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o'clock p. m., by an armed mob — painted black — of from 150 to 200 per- sons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: / am a dead man! Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaim- ing: 0 Lord, my God! They were both shot after they were dead, in a brutal manner, and both received four balls.
"John Taylor and Willard Richards, two of the Twelve, were the only persons in the room at the time; the former was wounded in a savage man- ner with four balls, but has since recovered; the1 latter, through the provi- dence of God, escaped, without even a hole in his robe.
"Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two con- tinents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the chil- dren of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!
"When Joseph went to Carthage to deliver himself up to the pretended requirements of the law, two or three days previous to his assassination, he said: 'I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me — he was murdered in cold blood.'" (And that is said of him all over the world, whether by members of the Church or not, who are familiar with all the circumstances. A more dastardly, outrageous murder was never before committed in the world.)
"The same morning, after Hyrum had made ready to go — shall it be said to the slaughter? yes, for so it was — he read the following paragraph, near the close of the twelfth chapter of Ether, in the Book of Mormon, and tunned down the leaf upon it:
"'And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments are clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness, thou shalt be made strong, even un+o the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I * * * bid farewell unto the Gentiles; yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with yor blood.' The testators are now dead, and their testament is1 in force."
My mother, as a young- woman, lived in Nauvoo for years. She assured me that no more God-fearing, upright mortal ever trod the
102 IMPROVEMENT ERA
earth than Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, and I have no doubt what- ever as to the absolute exaltation of Joseph and Hyrum in the presence of the Lord. I have no doubt that these two men are assisting in directing, by the power that they have on the other side, the work of God here on the earth, notwithstanding their martyrdom.
"Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion ; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Cove- nants of the Church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation pi a ruined world ; and that if the fire can scathe a green tree for the glory of God, how easy it will burn up the dry trees to purify thq vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; anid glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.
"They were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to 'Mormonism' that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their in- nocent blood on the escutcheon of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the ever- lasting gospel that all the world cannot impeach ; and their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations ; and their innocent blood, with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the altar that John 'saw, will cry unto the Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth."
THIS AUDIENCE A TESTIMONY TO THE DIVINITY OF THE CHURCH
I have understood that this splendid account of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith was written by President John Taylor, known as the "Champion of Liberty" who received four shots in his body and who lived carrying some of those bullets to his grave, and who, years after the martyrdom, stood before the people in this stand as the President, Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ. Men may conspire, men may work against the Church of God again established upon the earth, but the statement here made that no man, saving Jesus Christ himself, has done more for the sal- vation of humanity than did Joseph Smith, cannot be controverted. I am at the defiance of the world to have any religious people, I do not care where you go, with no more members than the Latter-day Saints have, to call a conference of the people and have such a splendid audience as there is here today. This very audience is a testimony to every living soul who stops to reflect upon it, that God has in very deed, through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, established again upon the earth the plan of life and salvation ; that Jesus Christ did direct him. All the disbelief of all the world that God and Jesus Christ spoke to him, cannot change the fact, if it is a fact — and God has given to me, to hundreds and thousands, and tens of thousands of his children, from the country of the Midnight Sun, Scandinavia, clear
ON GOVERNMENT AND LAW 103
down to South Africa, all over Europe, from Canada to South America, and all over the Islands of the sea, an absolute witness by the Holy Spirit that Joseph Smith is in very deed a Prophet of the living God.
FALSEHOODS STILL PROMULGATED COCERNING THE CHURCH
Allow me to read a news clipping sent me in a letter by former Governor John C. Cutler. He says: "I thought the annexed clipping would be information to you, as it was to me":
"MORMON LEADER POLITICAL BOSS SAYS REFORMER
(Exclusive Dispatch)
"IVinona Lake (Ind.) August 9. — The most powerful political private individual in America today is H. J. Grant, head of the 'Mormon' Kingdom," declared Dr. James S. Martin of Pittsburg, superintendent of the National Reform Association, in addressing the annual Christian Citizenship Institute here today. "Twenty-six years ago," he continued, "there was not a principal man in all 'Mormondom' who had even s,o much as a vote. AH had been dis- franchised by the United States government on account of their crimes. To- day H. J. Grant patronizes presidents, makes bargains with great political parties, dictates the political policies of Utah and at least five surrounding states and wields effective political influences in at least five others."
The gentleman must have been listening to one of the lying speeches of a notorious anti-" Mormon" woman. Martin is the Super- intendent of the National Reform Association. If he is properly quoted he better reform himself, and purge himself of falsehood. There is a special place prepared for his kind, and if he does not repent he will land there. I announce to all the world that I do not even control, politicaly, Utah, and that I have no desire to control Utah, that I have never opened my mouth in favor of or against any individual in any of the adjacent states that he is reported to say I control po- litically. Joseph Smith was told that his name "should be had for good and evil among all nations," or that it should be both "good and evil spoken of among all people," and we, his successors, have had the same privilege. We have been lied about most scandalously. One anti-" Mormon" is reported to have said that I had fifteen million dollars in a Wall Street bank, as Trustee-in-Trust for the Church ; and I never had fifteen cents.
DISBELIEF AND LIES OF THE WORLD CAN NOT STOP THE PROGRESS
OF THE WORK
As I have said, all the disbelief of all the world and all the lies of men like Doctor Martin, who might inform themselves and there- fore do not need to tell these lies, cannot stop the progress of this work. Just to show you that it cannot be stopped, let me read a°"ain what the Lord told Joseph Smith when he was incarcerated in Liberty Jail. You cannot keep the revelations of the Lord even from com- ing to the Prophet while in a jail. I will let you read some of it yourselves. It is Section 121. Read it all. I will start with the 33rd verse :
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"How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens ? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.
"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson —
"That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness."
Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, or any one of his successors, cannot, and never could, handle the powers of heaven only in righteousness, and they never tried to.
"That they may be conferred upon us, it is true ; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves ; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved ; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
"Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
"We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
"Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
"By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile —
"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the house- hold of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God ; and the doctrine of the priest- hood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever."
Liberty Jail did not keep back the inspiration of the living God from Joseph Smith ; as few if any greater revelations have ever been given us than this one received in Liberty Jail.
I will now quote from section 76:
"And this is the Gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens* bore record unto us —
ON GOVERNMENT AND LAW i05
''That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness." (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 76.)
That is the testimony of the gospel that we bear to all the world. Men have said: "We believe that Jesus Christ lives, but we don't know it." Two men at least knew it, and here is their testi- mony ; this is the testimony of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon :
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
"For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father —
"That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."
OUR SACRIFICES FOR THE GOSPEL A PROOF OF OUR LOVE FOR IT
"Oh but," says one, "I don't believe it." Once more allow me to announce that all the disbelief of all the world cannot change the fact, if it is a fact, and God has given to thousands and tens of thou- sands the witness by the revelations of his Holy Spirit that it is a fact, that "Mormonism" socalled by the world, is in very deed the plan of life and salvation ; that Joseph Smith was in very deed the Prophet of the true and living God. People say: "We cannot understand the strength of "Mormonism," we cannot understand why two thousand young men and young women at one time, at their own expense or at the expense of their families, will go into the world, giving their time without money and without price, to proclaim the gospel losing their wages, paying their own way, to proclaim your faith." Every Latter-day Saint can understand it. They understand it because those young men and those young women who go out to proclaim the gos- pel, live it, they in very deed are fulfilling the requirements laid down by the Savior "to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, might and strength," and the next great commandment, "to love our neighbor as ourselves." No other people in all the world are giving such an evidence of the love of God and the love of their fellows as is given by our missionaries. Day after day the majority of all the letters that come to the desk of the Presidency of the Church are from young men and young women who are called upon missions, and it is the rarest thing in the world to find a missionary call that is not favorably and willingly answered.
When we send out these calls for missions the answer comes back : "I thank the Lord that he has seen fit to inspire his servants to call me upon a mission. It has been the dream of my life." Another : "My heart has always longed to go forth and proclaim this gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that the call has come." That is the class of letters that we get day after day. There are tens of thousands of men and women who have gone forth to proclaim this gospel, and the amount of sacrifice in actual dollars, in proportion to our numbers,
id6 Improvement era
is almost beyond calculation. When you figure that these people could earn probably, on an average, $100 per month, that they are spending from $20 to, in same cases, $60 and $70 a month, an average probably of nearly $50; that two thousand or nearly that number, and sometimes it has been in excess, are giving all this time and this ex- pense ; add it together and it amounts to several million dollars a year, and all done with no hope of earthly reward.
THE UNCERTAIN REPLIES OF THE MINISTERS
I remember while proclaiming the gospel in England I ran across a book written by ex-Senator Beveridge, I believe he was then a senator, entitled, The Young Man and the World. I have re- ferred to it many times here, but I desire to rofer to it again. In that book I found chapters on, "The Young Man and the Pulpit," "The Young Man and His Home," "The Young Man and the Law ;" and in the chapter on "The Young Man and the Pulpit," he said that a certain individual with very splendid chances for favorable answers, with good opportunities during an entire summer vacation asked of all the ministers that he met, three questions and he announced before coming to those questions that one of the greatest transportation men in all the United States had said that he would rather have a knowl- edge that we live again and that the soul is immortal than to have the greatest honor and the greatest position that could be given in all the world, and he told of another man that was just an ordinary ward politician who said he thought of many strange things — "Is the soul immortal and what is the soul anyway?" The three questions were as follows:
"First, yes or no, Do you believe in God, the Father; God a per- son, God a definite and tangible intelligence — not a congeries of laws floating like a fog through the universe; but God a person, in whose image you were made? Don't argue; don't explain; but is your mind in a condition where you can answer yes or no?"
"Not a man answered, "Yes." Each man wanted to explain that the Deity might be a definite intelligence or might not ; that the 'latest thought' was much confused upon the matter, and so forth and so on."
Then the next question:
"Yes or no : Do you believe that Christ was the Son of the living- God, sent by him to save the world? I am not asking whether you believe that he was inspired, in the sense that the great moral teachers are inspired — nobody has any difficulty about that. But do you be- lieve that Christ was God's very Son, with a divinely appointed and definite mission, dying on the cross and raised from the dead — yes or nor
"Again not a single answer with an unequivocal, earnest 'Yes.' But again explanations were offered and in at least half the instances the sum of most of the answers was that Christ was the most perfect
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man that the world had seen, and humanity's greatest moral teacher.'' He was not a great moral teacher if he was not the Son of God, because he announced himself as the Son of God. He announced himself as the Redeemer of the world, and therefore he could not be a great moral teacher, if the foundation upon which he stood was a falsehood.
The third question was :
"Do you believe that when you die you will live again as a con- scious intelligence, knowing who you are and who other people are?"
"Again, not one answer was unconditionally affirmative. 'Of course they were not sure as a matter of knowledge.' 'Of course that could not be known positively.' "
THE DEFINITE ANSWER OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS TO THESE QUESTIONS
The Latter-day Saints everywhere in the wide world, without one moment's hesitation, would answer: "Yes, yes, yes," to all three of those questions. We have no doubt that God is a person. Joseph Smith saw him and talked with him. We have no doubt that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world because he declared that to Sidney Rigdon and to Joseph Smith in the declaration that I have just read to you. We have no doubt, because Jesus Christ appeared in the Kirt- land temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. We have abso- lutely no doubt whatever regarding the immortality of the soul — •
"And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day ! all is well ! We then are free from toil and sorrow too,
With the just we shall dwell."
I had a lettex from the vice-president of a great banking institu- tion, to whom I sang this song when he was in Utah, and he asked me for a copy of it. A few days later he repeated to me the last verse, and said:
"Those are wonderfully inspiring words. I have never read a verse of any hymn that taught such an absolute, firm conviction in the immortality of the soul."
In a letter which he wrote to me he referred to those words again, and he said: "I consider these the most sublime words I have ever heard. They inspire to courage and that beautiful confidence in the immortality of the soul that raises man to the stature of a God."
Latter-day Saints answer those questions "Yes, yes, yes." Mr. Beveridge says that these ministers were among the most eloquent and high-grade ministers in the Eastern and New England states, and that they felt there was a decline of faith among the people. In that connection he said :
"Is it possible that such priests of interrogation could warm the hearts of men?" He-.' .went on to .say before he asked these quetsions that any man who stood up in the pulpit and undertook to teach the
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doctrines of Christ, when he lacked a faith in those doctrines himself, committed a sacrilege every time he entered the pulpit.
BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY
I have heard it said that "damn" is not swearing, that it is only- emphasis. I was preaching one night with the late President John Henry Smith, in the opera house in Phoenix. The legislature was in session. Hearing that two of the "Mormon" apostles were there, some of the members of the legislature waited on us and said they had arranged to hire the opera house, and they would agree to fill it if we would condescend to preach. Well, we usually hire our own hall and condescend to preach to empty benches; so, of course, we condescended, and were delighted with the opportunity. One of the good sisters who came down from Mesa was sitting behind a man while I was preaching, and she heard him say, with emphasis, that I was an earnest preacher. Pretty soon, with that emphasis again, he said I was a good preacher, and finally once more with emphasis he said : "That man believes (with emphasis) every word he is saying." I ask no greater compliment.
GRATITUDE TO PARENTS WHO WERE TRUE TO THE FAITH
Before I sit down I want to say that I have never heard and never expect to hear, to the day of my death, my favorite hymn: "Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear, But with joy wend your way," but what I think of the death and the burial of my little baby sister, and the wolves digging up her body on the plains ; but what I think of the death of my father's first wife, and the bringing of her body here for burial, from Echo Canyon; but what 1 think of others that I know of, who laid down their lives; but what I think of that wonderful journey of Brigham Young and his band of Pioneers, and those who followed him, and my heart goes out in gratitude beyond all the power with which God has given me to express it, that my father and my mother were among those who were true to God, and who made those sacrifices for the conviction of their hearts, because of the knowledge that they had that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith is his Prophet. I never hear this other hymn that we have sung here today — "Do what is right''- — but what I de- sire with all the power of my being to impress upon the Latter-day Saints the necessity of following the teachings of the last verse of that hymn,
"Do what is right; be faithful and fearless, Onward, press onward, the g.oal is in sight ;
Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless, Blessings await you in doing what's right.
"Do what is right, let the consequence follow,
Battle for freedom in spirit and might, And with stout hearts look ye forth till tomorrow,
God will protect you, do what is right."
God bless you all. Amen. .
A Glimpse into the Secret Diplomacy of the Confederate States
[Concluded from Page 10]
By Dr. A. L. Curtis
hamar is Sent to Russia ,
The commission first sent abroad found its time too well occupied in France, England, and Belgium, to undertake a mission to Russia. The cooperation of Russia had been sought to act in a joint recognition of the South by the Great Powers of Europe. This had not been successful. The chief executive of the South determined to send Mr. L. Q. C. Lamar, an influ- ential man, as a special commissioner to the court of St. Peters- burg. In due time Mr. Lamar reached Russia. An interesting thing about Mr. Lamar's commission is that it gives us an idea as to what the Southern States considered its duty to other nations. It reads:
"When several of the independent states * * * determined to with- draw from the Union and associate themselves in a new Confederation * * * It was natural and proper that they should communicate this fact to the other nations of the earth. The usages of international intercourse require official communication of all organic changes in the Constitution of States."
So, to fulfil their duty to Russia, as they had to certain other nations, they sent an authorized representative to the court of Russia, having written instructions to guide him to present an official request to that government for recognition. In the messages and papers of the South which we have, we find Mr. Lamar's commission, we f:nd his instructions, and we know he arrived at St. Petersburg; but, we are left in doubt as to whether he officially requested of this nation recognition or not. However, Russia played her part in the great drama of nations, equally well as one called on by the Southern States, or as one called on by France, England and their associates.
We assume that Russia was "called upon."
Mann is Sent to Denmark
An attempt to be thorough necessitates the mention that Mr. Mann was sent to Denmark. The object was to consult with the authorities on the matter of Africans which were cap-
/
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tured at sea by the North from slave-trading ships being trans- ferred to the Danish West Indies, and to prevent the disposal of Southern slaves on this pretence, if attempted by the North. As this was the sole purpose of the mission, and no attempts were made to officially knock at the door of Denmark, the matter may be dismissed.
The Nations not Called Upon
The hand of the Lord is seen alike in the Southern States calling upon certain nations, and in not calling upon other nations. The commissioner to Russia, Mr. Lamar, urged the Confederate government to send a commission to Austria and Prussia, thus, "I am satisfied that much service to our cause would be done by your sending a commissioner to the govern- ments of Austria and Prussia. An intelligent gentleman resid- ing in Berlin has assured me that the government and army are extremely favorable to the South, and that the success of the South is not more sincerely desired at any court than that of Austria." Though urgently requested, it is a remarkable fact that no commissioner of the Southern States was ever sent to, or, ever called upon, a nation allied with the Central Powers in the World's War.
Rost is Sent to Spain
It is stated elsewhere that Pierre A. Rost was sent to Spain. He and William L. Yancey and A. Dudley Mann were commis- sioned to represent the South at the court of the Queen of Spain. Mr. Yancy and Mr. Mann never visited Spain. Mr. Rost arrived at Madrid as the news of the reverses of the South were being received. He waited some time in the expectation of learning the real nature and extent of conditions and especially in the hope that some encouraging news would be received. It did not come. Instead, news came that his own plantation had been overrun by the Northern armies, and his property confiscated, bringing him financial disaster. He asked an unofficial inter- view with the Prime Minister of Spain which was granted. At this interview even his own personal instructions from the Secretary of State were left with the Prime Minister; but the attitude of the Spanish government gave him no encouragement to ask an official interview or present an official request. Mr. Rost's health began to fail. Under financial reverses, broken in health, broken in spirit, he left for Paris, where he tendered his resignation. In this he says, "The state of my health would not permit me to return to Spain. * * * After we are rec- ognized in London and Paris it will be time enough to send a commissioner to Spain, her government being particularly slow
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and intending to be so * * * with regard to us. * * *" Mr. Slidell was later delegated a commissioner to Spain but he never visited this government.
Spain was visited but not officially "called upon."
Mexico is Visited
Connected with the attempted overtures of the South to- ward Mexico are all the elements essential to the deepest drama — ambition, energy, achievement — all but gained, a crisis, re- newed effort, pride, pomp, anticipation, trickery, broken faith, disgust.
John T. Pickett, of Montgomery, was appointed a commis- sioner to Mexico. Duly commissioned, bearing his letter of in- structions, full of hope, ambitious, and energetic, he reached the City of Mexico. Through his tact and cleverness, he won his way to the heart and confidence of the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs. His purpose and the desire of the Confederacy seemed an assured fact, when a crisis came — conditions changed. But let him tell of this. In his letter to the Secretary of State he said:
"Sir, I have the honor to inform you that1 I have succeeded in establish- ing friendly relations with Mr. Zamacona, the New Minister of Foreign Affairs, and but for the unhappy condition of this government (a new revo- lution being about to burst upon it, the English and French Ministers having suspended diplomatic relations, etc.) would feel confident by this time of having accomplished all the material objects of my mission."
Like the fairy story, where the youth reached out his hand to pick the gloden pear and it miraculously disappeared, so Picket stood ready to officially call on Mexico with all as- surances of his being received, when the government of Mex- ico simply ceased to exist, and he* was left standing in the midst of chaos and revolution. His mission had failed.
This revolution in Mexico was undoubtedly fomented by the agents of the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, whose desire and ambition to found an empire in Mexico has already been mentioned. This revolution was only one forward step in the accomplishment of it. With the revolution in progress, with the French army in the ports, and overrunning the terri- tory of Mexico, with Maximilian, after signifying his willing- ness to accept the crown of the new empire, waiting in Paris for plans to be accomplished to carry him and his cortege to the shores of Mexico, let us take a glimpse at the diplomatic activity of the Southern States. The President and Cabinet of the Con- federacy were fully aware of the design and plans of the Em- peror Napoleon III to found an Empire in Mexico and seat Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, on the throne. They; were.
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not only aware, but apparently in full accord. Proffers of alliances, "offensive and defensive, in Mexican affairs," had been made. The arrival of Maximilian was expectantly and joyfully awaited. In the meantime, the South was active, as shown from this document of State:
"Department of State, Richmond, Jan. 7, 1864. General "William Preston, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Government of Mexico.
Sir: — Your appointment to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Confederate States near the Emperor of Mexico, having been confirmed by the Senate; it becomes my duty, under the direction of the President) to issue these instructions. * * *
(Signed) J. P. Benjamin."
General Preston feeling a just pride in receiving the highest honor and title of any Confederate diplomat proceeded on his journey to Mexico. He succeeded in "running the blockade," and reached Havana, Cuba. Maximilian was delayed, and did not sail from France as soon as expected. The Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary determined to wait at Havana the Archduke's arrival, then to enter Mexico amid the pomp and splendor to be tendered to the Emperor. During this wait condi- tions took a change. Mr. Slidell reported he had twice re- quested an interview with Maximilian which had not been granted. Mr. Mann reported, "I have heard from a well-in- formed source, much more to my chagrin than astonishment, that Louis Napoleon had enjoined upon Maximilian to hold no official relations with our commissioners to Mexico." The trickery and broken faith of Napoleon had been manifested. In unexpressed disgust their Envoy Extraordinary was condi- tionally recalled. Mexico was not officially "called upon."
Two more countries remain to be considered, one of the small and one of the great among nations.
Charles J. Helm is Sent to Cuba
Strange as it may seem a duly appointed commissioner was sent to Cuba which was then a Spanish colony. Another thing somewhat unusual was that an official message was sent by this commissioner direct from the President of the Confederacy to the Governor of Cuba. In only one other instance did this hap- pen. All through the Civil War Cuba was a fast friend to the South. Munitions of war, supplies of every description, were sent from Europe direct to Cuba without molestation. In Cu- ban ports the goods were reloaded on Confederate ships which, if luck was with them, "ran the blockade," and delivered these goods in a southern port. Of all countries, Cuba rendered the South the most valiant sen ice. This in part explains the rea- son for her being favored by being officially "called upon."
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Bishop Lynch and A. Dudley Mifinn were Sent to Italy
President Davis, of the Southern Confederacy, was so much impressed with the Pops of Rome's endeavors to bring about peace, that he determined to send Bishop P. N. Lynch as a commissioner to the court of the Vatican. This reverend gentle- man, duly commissioned, duly instructed, proceeded on his way to Italy, reaching England and afterwards Paris. From there he left for Rome, but whether he reached Rome or not is difficult to determine, as ther.e is no diplomatic correspondence to show that he did. However, A. Dudley Mann, who had been dele- gated to the court of King Leopold, was appointed a commis- sioner to His Holiness the Pope, by President Jefferson Davis. It was entrusted to him to carry to Rome a special document of state, the President's message to Pope Pius IX.
We can better understand the importance of Mr. Mann's mission if we pause and consider the political as well as the ecclesiastical position of the Pope of Rome at this time. The dominion of Pius IV, known as the States of the Church, in- cluded the greater part of Italy at his coronation. At the begin- ning of his reign he gained boundless popularity by his liber- ality. Later a reactionary policy threw him into disfavor and the populace rose against him. In 1849 he was driven by a mob from Rome, and fled to Gaesta, and a Roman Republic was formed. Napoleon III of France determined to restore the papal authority, which he did by resort to arms. Louis Napoleon again, in 1859, assisted the Italians against the Anstrians, and from 1860 to 1866 the Papal government, though its extent had been reduced, was sustained by the presence of a French army. So Mann's mission to Rome was not alone to an ecclesiastical ruler but to a temporal ruler as well. This commissioner reached Rome, presented his credentials to the court of the Vatican and was received by the Pope with no undue delay- In the correspondence this is described in great detail. Space will allow us to present but one paragraph regarding it from Mr. Mann's message to Mr Benjamin, Secretary of State. It reads :
"Sir: The Cardinal, Secretary of State Antonelli, officially transmitted, to me yesterday the answer of the Pope to the President. In the very direction of this communication there is a positive recognition of our Government. It is addressed to the 'Illustrious and Honorahle Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.' Thus we are asknowledged by as high an authority as this world contains, to be an inde- pendent power in the world. I congratudate you, I congratulate the Presi dent, I congratulate his Cabinet — in short, I congratulate all my true- hearted countrymen and countrywomen upon this benign event. The hand of the Lord has been in it, and eternal glory and praise to his holy and righteous name." .
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Comment and Conclusion
The diplomatic papers of the Confederacy, or at least a greater part of them, as has been intimated, were profoundly secret and confidential. Some of them were written in code and sent by trusted messengers. Their contents were known only to the President and his Cabinet and a selected few. After the war they were practically forgotten, and yet remembered. They remained buried as it were, in the archives of the government at Washington for over forty years. Eight years before the out- break of the World War, Congress was moved upon and by a special act of that august body, one of its members was ap- pointed to drag these documents out from the dust and cobwebs of a past generation, and publish them for the first time, to the world. "For God is not unrighteous to forget." Saith the Lord, "I have not spoken in secret from the beginning."
To the credit of the Southern States, be it said, they chose wise men for their leaders. The men who occupied the position of Secretary of State were men of great accomplishment. They were attorneys of repute and each had served in the Senate of the United States before the war. They were trained in the us- ages, and customs, traditions and laws of nations. They under- stood the "usages and customs of mankind" necessary for the Confederate states to follow in knocking at the doors of na- tions. For them to formally or officially "call upon another nation" it was thus to be accomplished: (1) It must be done through an agent or commissioner (a) who was duly and of- ficially commissioned to represent the Confederacy and (b) who had written instructions from the Department of State for his guidance. (2) The "call" (request, entreaty, importunity, or de- mand) was to be made in writing and signed by the Commis- sioner himself, or, the Commissioner must carry a document of State signed by the chief executive (a special message of the President) to the Chief Ruler of the country called upon. (3) This official communication must be delivered in person by the Commissioner, into the hands of the proper official, i. e., to the Chief Ruler himself or to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is the procedure more or less followed at the present day among all nations.
The commissioners understood this. They seemed to feel and realize that their part was not properly played if they failed in one or all of these requirements. As for example Slidell, though he associated intimately with the members of the court of Napoleon III, and though he had numerous talks with the Emperor himself, and they understood each other, made in the face of all this a formal demand for recognition by the French government. Of this he writes : "My own decided opinion had
SECRET DIPLOMACY OF CONFEDERATE STATES H5
been in favor of presenting the demands several weeks since; I had yielded to the better judgment of my colleague at London, who had consulted several of our leading friends in Parliament a9 to the expediency of such a step, but I could no longer defer it (the demand for recognition) with any regard to the interest of the government or to self respect." These commisioners were not tramps, vagrants, nor tourists. They left Southern soil for the avowed purpose to represent their country in foreign nations. The official requests were, without exception, for the one and the same thing — recognition. Some may ask, "Why did they not ask for help?" Recognition was the greatest help they could obtain. There could be no intervention without first recognition. With recognition, they could openly buy war-ships, and munitions of war from any and all countries; they could have built or bought, armed and manned navies in foreign ports. Without recognition, they were handicapped, men-of-war had to be secretly built and munitions secretly bought. Though the heart of a nation was with them, the hand of that nation was of necessity against them. Recognition would have been their greatest asset.
From, a thorough search and unbiased investigation of the diplomatic correspondence of the Southern States these things were evident:
First: That representatives of the Southern States were never sent to, or never called upon, Prussia or any kingdom which later became part of the German Empire, Austria-Hun- gary, or any other country or nation which formed or joined the Central Powers in the World's War. Even Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, refused an interview at Paris.
Second: That the following nations were visited, but not formally or officially "called upon": 1 Spain; 2 Mexico; 3 Denmark.
Third. That these nations and these nations only were regularly and formally "called upon", according to the cus- toms of nations: 1 Great Britain; 2 France; 3 Belgium; 4 Russia; 5 Cuba; and 6 Italy.
The World's War is closed; it is past history. Some facts stand out like mountain peaks on its horizon. It is today the concensus of opin'on of the world that the Central Powers began the war.
It is remarkable, but a well known fact, that all the nations visited but not formally "called unon" by the Southern agents, remained neutral in the World War.
It is astonishing, but an undeniable fact, that every nation formally "called upon", by the Confederate States: Great Brit- ain, France, Belgium, Russ'a, Italy, and Cuba, the great and
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mighty of the "jot and tittle" of nations — individually and col- lectively "called upon" other nations for aid, that all joined hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, musket to musket, cannon to cannon, and fought, might and main, to "defend themselves against other nations." It cannot be disputed that during this great and terrible conflict war was "poured out upon all nations", whether neutral or at war.
"Tell us what shall be, or come to pass, that we may know ye are gods," the prophet of old enjoined the idols. The Lord, through Joseph Smith, said, "The Southern States will call on other nations." To know the future lies only with the Lord. Man may predict crises or great events when practically face to face with them, but with no degree of certainty. In the late world's war, the world's greatest statesmen,£en erish and uncertain, labored with Italy, appealed to her honor, worked on her fears, and through flattery and bribes tried to sway her to their side. The whole world anxiously, wonderingly and unquestioningly looked on for weeks and weeks for her first uncertain step. Yet, although she, at the beginning of the war, was bound by treaties and by the strongest ties of mankind otherwise, her place was pointed out, her rank and file designated and her lot cast over eighty years before by Him who rules all nations. What a marvelous array of facts, what evidence that God lives and that the nations of the earth are as but clay in the hands of the potter to him who knows the end from the beginning. Man, with all his shrewdness, could not have predicted the rebellion of South Carolina twenty-nine years before it happened. Man could not have foretold that the rebellion of South Carolina would be the beginning of a civil war, and a series of wars. He could not have foretold at this time that the Southern States would be divided against the Northern States in bloody combat. No liv- ing person could have foretold that the Southern States would call upon Great Britain and other nations. No one could have foretold that these very nations thus called upon would ally themselves and call upon other nations to join them in a united defense against common foes. No one could have predicted eight-two years before hand the World's War and have pointed out the nations which would play the important roles on the defensive side. To believe such would be believing things far more absurd than that God lives and that he reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets.
"They have Mose^ and the prophets," said the Savior, "if they will not believe them, neither would they believe, though one should rise from the dead." "Trust the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." "Hearken
SECRET DIPLOMACY OF CONFEDERATE STATES li7
unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called, I am he, I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens, when I call unto them they stand up together. All ye, assemble yourselves and hear * * * I, even I, have spoken."
Endurato
The phantoms of my childhood's hope,
The day dreams of my trust. The idols of my manhood's prime,
All, all, have turned to dust. The lesser lights, that once burned bright,
Have flickered and gone out; The beams have vanished from my sight,
The ashes lie about.
But Ah, the Star that gleamed on high,
O'er Bethlehem's quiet plain, Still sends its rays adown the years,
Alight, while time remains. And, oh, the light about The Head
Still o'er my way appears! The halo of that God-lent crown
Grows brighter with the years.
Tridell, Utah. Mrs. Alice Morrill
The Feeling of Autumn
(With apologies to O. S. Johnson)
'Tis autumn here, 'Tis Autumn here,
Where the fertile valley stretches; Where the mountain air is cooling;
Where the checkered fields Where the master artist
Are ripe with Nature's season's toil. Is painting, in shades of golden-brown.
Do you love Autumn? Do you love Autumn?
'Tis autumn here, 'Tis Autumn here,
Where the days are gently passing; Where the soul of man respondeth;
Where the winds of sadness Where the harvest moon tells,
Lend enchantment to Summer's spell. In mystery, the omnipotence of God.
Do you love Autumn? Do you love Autumn?
Richfield, Utah Wallace C. Thompson
** ^s
The Gift of Peace
By Venice Famsworth Anderson
Father Time had once more drawn his inscrutable circle around the year. It was Christmas season 1847, in the snowy heart of the Salt Lake Valley. The cluster of adobe and log cabins within the "Old Fort" huddled affectionately together and clung tenaciously to the protecting arms of the kindly wall. The stockade gate at the east was closed except for a space large enough to allow entrance to a man and a horse. Many of the cabin loop-holes which penetrated the outer wall and gave access to the open country were fast barricaded, for it was the day before Christmas and the small body of settlers dreaded a sur- prise attack from an unfriendly band of Utes.
All had been harmony between the "Mormons" and the red men until a week before Christmas when a prize beef belonging to the camp had been driven off and slaughtered by two young braves. When complained to, the chief sulked ominously and the Indians became openly hostile. The almost defenseless settlers had just reason to fear a bloody conflict. But it was the first Christmas in their new homes, and the brave little group had decided not to let a chance attack ruin the much beloved holiday.
Accordingly, the men who were best able to leave had taken two sturdy work horses and gone, well armed, to the neighbor- ing canyon to procure evergreens for decorating the cabins and a great Christmas tree to occupy the platform in the middle of the "Old Fort." Here at high noon on Christmas day the set- tlers planned to congregate for singing, thanskgiving, and such feasting as their scanty larders would permit. ;
In the Taylor cabin, which boasted of the largest stove in camp and a roof which leaked only during a very bad storm, the best cooks in the community had gathered to prepare the es- sential parts of the feast. An accepted leader among these women was pretty, young Margaret Yates. Margaret, however, was far more than a cook. In her deep, hazel eyes there was a look of pathos, humor, enthusiasm, and devotion. Her mouth was at once firm and enticingly sweet. Her hands were marked with hard work but her feet were as trim and shapely as a duchess's. Though she wore a plain worsted frock and an apron which had once been a flour sack, she was every inch the lady born. A true pioneer woman.
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Until late in the afternoon she, with her happy companions, labored over cakes made with half portions of shortening and sugar, and sandwiches with meat but little or no butter. When all was done, Margaret hurried out to find her baby son, whom she had left playing with the other children.
Her first glance at the sun told her that it was growing late and she wished she had put warmer wraps on her boy before leaving him. As she passed the open place where the youngsters had been playing "Fox and Geese," she found it deserted. With growing anxiety she hurried on to her own cabin. At the door she paused, sick at heart; the fire was out; the cabin was cold and strangely empty. A dread premonition seized her. Her boy had not returned to his home as she had bidden him. He had wandered off. Vainly she tried to assure herself that her baby had gone into one of the neighbor's cabins. She returned to the door and stood there for an instant, every muscle poised, straining eyes and ears for the slightest sign of life. Her eager glance swept to the very depths of the distant canyons.
A wild terror suddenly rushed over her. The sun was traveling rapidly toward the snow-crested ridge in the west and a bleak wind blew steadily from Emigration canyon. With- in an hour the valley would be wrapped in darkness save for the cold light from the stars and the moon. Thd valley was already covered with a crusty blanket of snow and the night was grow- ing bitter cold. But far worse than the darkness and cold was the dread of the skulking gray wolves, which infested the valley, and the equally crafty and far more cruel Indians.
There was not a moment to lose. Margaret grasped the elk horn which hung within reach and blew a shrill blast. Almost instantly the cabin doors within the "Old Fort" burst open and men, women, and children rushed forward in response to the call.
At the arrival of each new comer, Margaret asked franticallv for her baby. No one knew anything of the sturdy little lad, the camp's favorite. He was last seen hours earlier playing with the children in the snow. By some dreadful mischance no child had felt responsible for independent little John Yates, nor had seen him wander away.
The most experienced men could not hide their concern. Many of the wom3n wept openly. Some one suggested a minute search of the "Old Fort" and the immediate environs. With true pioneer skill the work was organized and begun.
Marsraret, however, waited only long enough to assure her- self that her babv was not in caniD. Then from its resting place above her door she took a heavy-barrelled gun and with steady
THE GIFT OF PEACE 121
hands, she turned it away from her friends and fired three successive shots. These whizzed through the hollow distance and reverberated from every mountain side.
Miles away in the icy depths of the canyon, John Yates paused, his ax held high in the air. At his feet lay a stalwart pine just felled. In his face flowed the rich blood of health and vigor. In his dark eyes was the fire of pioneer manhood. His broad shoulders and long, slender muscles showed him every inch the athlete, while his finely set head and his high brow bespoke him at once a scholar and a leader among men. In- stantly his companions near him stopped work and looked at him with anxious eyes.
"That's your call, Yates."
Noislessly John's ax sank into the snow.
Breathlesly the men listened. In a moment through the white stillness, there came cracking again three distinct shots.
"I'm off. You boys must bring the trees down," announced Yates briefly as he started on the run for camp.
The men stood watching him admiringly as he swung off over the foot hills not deigning to take either horse or the longer, beaten trail. In his every movement was the evidence of in- finite reserve force. The pioneers felt this and loved and prized him for it.
Margaret, dry-eyed, passionately calm, met her husband far outside the fort wall.
"What is the matter, little mother?" asked Yates, assuming a cheerfulness which he did not feel. Tie knew his wife too well to expect a trifling mishap.
Her first words weer a suppressed, "Thank God, you are here, I knew you would come at once, and it's none too soon."
John threw his strong arm round her slender waist and somehow the pressure gave her strength to tell him, though her words came in gasps:
"Our son — my baby — he's gone — he must have followed you men toward the mountains. No one knows anything about him. What on earth shall we do?"
The red blood suddenly deserted John's cheek, but in the same instant his mind and body started action. He half carried Margaret back to the cabin, placed her in a chair and walked aimlessly, as it at first appeared, around the room. He would have given half his life at that moment to have been in an east- ern store. But hd wasted no time in idle wishing. He snatched the gaudiest thing in the cabin, a silk patchwork scarf, from a chair and then opened the provision cupboard. Margaret started in amazement fearing for the moment that her husband had lost his reason. Then light dawned.
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"You're going to the Indians?" she queried almost afraid to believe.
At a nod of acquiescence from her husband she was at his side.
"Here, take this and tell them I have other good things," she said, as she thrust a pound can of sugar, more than half her winter's supply, into his hand.
And then a brighter light, probably born of the blessed Christmas season, came to her. With eager feet she hurried across the floor and threw up the lid of her packing trunk. From the till she took a strange little toy, a home made wooden horse arrayed in a most gorgeous bridle of feathers and wool cleverly woven together. It was to have been her son's only real Christmas present, but she brushed back the hot tears and came smiling to her husband.
"Take this to the chief. He has a grandson. I think he will help find our boy."
John pressed his wife admiringly to his heart. Tenderly he wrapped the little horse in the bright scarf. At the door he paused to say cheerfully, "Don't worry, little mother, the In- dians are in camp not more than a mile away and the chief knows I am his friend. As for our boy, he is as sturdy as granite and he hasn't been out too long — yet."
The tale of what John was doing ran like wildfire through the camp. Though the men feared for his safety, they knew, too, that it Was foolish to endanger the lives of more men than necessary and furthermore that the Indians would be sure to intercept the advance of a body of men as an attack, and would act accordingly.
Yates traversed the distance between the "Old Fort" and the Indian encampment in a miraculously short time. As he neared the cluster of crude wikiups which had been thrown up by the savages he maintained a sharp lookout for any danger signals. He carried in a deep pocket in his sheepskin coat a trusty /pistol, but as he aproached the camp he raised his right arm above his head in friendly greeting.
Unmolested except by glowering looks he reached the wik- iup of the chief. He found the savage sitting moodily before his pungent brush fire. The old chief neither moved nor showed any signs of interest or surprise at John's sudden appear- ance. To the white man's greeting the Indian grunted sullenly. Yates without delay brought into play all his knowledge of Indian psychology. He began smoothing unconcernedly the end of the scarf which hung below his coat. Then he pulled the cloth out little by little until its whole gaudy length Was visible. This he swung back and forth showing up the bright
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colors in the silk. The vision was too much for the old chief. He could not hide his interest though he remained silent and motionless.
At this point the anxious father told his story. During the recital the chief eyed the silk scarf minutely but at the end of the eager petition for help he sank again into moody indiffer- ence. Yates bit down his impatience as best he could and began to whittle a flat stick into ladle shape. With this he ostenta- tiously tasted the sugar and offered some to the chief. The savage smacked his lips approvingly over the much craved sweet stuff but instead of moving merely grunted something about "heap cold" and deliberately threw another branch on his smoky fire.
Then the desperate father prepared to use his last resource. With tactful skill he enquired about the welfare of the tribe and asked tenderly concerning the grandson, the beloved "little chief." In spite of himself the old Indian's heart warmed. With a glow of pride in his crafty old eyes, he spoke in his own savage way of the fine points of the baby brave. When the find grand- parent was at the height of his enthusiasm, Yates drew forth the toy horse with the simple plea, "It's for your grandson, chief. Won't you come and help find my boy?"
The time-old appeal was too strong for the Indian. With a snort of acquiescence, he took the horse, examined it admir- ingly and finally hid it carefully away. Then he swallowed a great gulp of the sugar and, lest his squaw might find it, buried the can. With primitive vanity he drew the scarf around his neck so that the whole world, especially his jealous braves, might see. Without more ado the chief threw his blanket across his shoulder in typical fashion and set forth.
Once in the open he sniffed at the wind and shook his head disapprovingly. Already a few icy flakes were fluttering in the air and the sun was a huge crimson ball in a dull gray sky. With steady strides he skirted the fort wall and reached the stock- ade gate. Here the chief paused long while John waited, con- trolling his impatience as best he could. After careful exam- ination the Indian rose leisurely from the hard beaten patch of snow. This was so gruelled with horses' hoofs that John had looked in vain for any clue to be found there. To his surprise the chief calmly informed him that the papoose was with the horses. To the white man's amazed look the Indian pointed disgustedly to a tiny dent inside a horse-shoe mark. There, sure- enough was a baby heel print not quite obliterated. The chief seemed satisfied now that he was not iri a vain quest and set out rapidly to follow the horses' trail.
Now and again he paused to make sure that the little feet
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had still followed. As they neared the canyon the snow became deeper and crustier. The father began to wonder if any child, even his son, could tra\ el so far on foot over such country. He voiced his doubts to the Indian. For answer the chief pointed to another tiny mark, this time a toe print, plainly visible be- yond the edge of a deep horse-shoe track.
"Papoose good legs," remarked the chief and strode on in silence.
The minutes seemed interminable to the father. With every step a ghastly fear was becoming stronger; could his boy if found have survived the bitter cold of the long hours, or worse, the possible attack of a wild beast?
Finally they came to a steep ascent. Just beyond was a log bridge, a crude span over the icy, deep-running creek. Here a bleak certainty seized John, no four-year old child could cross that bridge in safety. It was a difficult task for a man. In the face of this fact with irritating serenity the Indian stopped, ad- justed his blanket and commented sagely, "Papoose heap wise."
John looked at the chief and waited in tense silence. The Indian was no longer following the horses' trail. His eyes were roving over the surrounding country with a shrewd penetrating glance. The horses and men had crowded together for some distance before crossing the bridge so that the path was a mere confusion of marked and unmarked snow. On either side of the road with impenetrable underbrush ending in jagged peaks or in the ice-checked creek. The child's trail had simply vanished. The sun was only a gorgeous rim just visible above the high peak. In the east, the moon had risen cold and clear. The wind had died but for occasional shrieks, and in the interim all nature was solemn and still.
For a few moments the Indian seemed puzzled, then he turned leisurely and walked back several yards. Suddenly be stopped with an exclamation of satisfaction. He had come to a low break in the bushes. He turned and with a look of tri- umph beckoned to John. In an instant the father was at the spot. The bushes here swerved back unexpectedly and between their ranks just visible in the gray light was a distinct trail of tiny foot marks.
"Papoose heap tired," commented the Indian and this time not even expecting the dense white m^an to understand, he pointed to the toe marks. Each one was heavier than the last. The little feet could hardly lift themselves.
A little farther on in the path there was a deep blurr — the tiny traveler had stumbled and fallen. A few rods ahead with a treacherous drift where the lad had wisely turned aside and trudged wearily on. There was a continuous line now between
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the foot marks. The tired little legs could no longer raise the heavy shoes above the snow.
With a wild yell the Indian suddenly darted forward, his hunting knife raised above his head. At almost the same in- stant John's pistol shot rang in the air. A snarling wild cat had made his last hunt. Not three yards beyond the writhing body at the side of the path beneath a gnarled birch tree, lay a tiny form motionless in the blue snow. One little arm had clutched at a willow which had broken in the fall, but still remained in the baby hand. The thin home spun coat was spread uselessly on the snow. The weary feet had stopped only when they could go no farther. On the firm, pale cheeks were tear stains and the baby mouth drooped mournfully.
Before the chief could touch him, John reached the spot and gathered his boy to his breast. For a moment the chief left him alone and then with less ceremony than wisdom, took the boy and placed him once more in the cold snow. With Indian skill he applied first aid. Roughly he rubbed the lad from head to foot applying soft snow to the cheeks, ears and hands. With no concealed disgust, he tore off the little shoes, civilization's foolish toys, and rubbed snow on the blue feet.
Slowly the blod began to flow through the chilled veins. The tiny legs twitched spasmodically under the vigorous rubbing and, after what seemed on eternity to the father, two great brown eyes opened and looked mistily out into the bleak, world.
"Heap fine papoose," said the chief as he rose solemnly and wrapped himself once more in his great blanket.
Not a word further passed between the two men, but the hand shake which John forced upon the chief spoke a world of gratitude and bound the young pioneer and the old Indian in an undying friendship.
It was almost dark now and the canyon was an unpleasant place in which to linger. The moon was veiling herself in swirl- ing billows of fine snow and in the distance two gray wolves howled as if some grievous wrong had been done them. John wrapped his precious burden securely in his great sheep-skin coat and falling in, almost reverently, behind the old chief, started for camp.
The home journey was joyously short. As they neared camp they met numerous groups of men, self organized search parties, each with its lantern and dog. At th«se the chief scoffed openly but his old heart warmed in spite of himself at the white men's tumultuous praise when they learned what he had done. By the time they reached the stockade the journey had become a march of triumph headed by the majestic chief and the pubi- lant father holding in his arms the sleeping babe.
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At the Yates cabin the crowd fell back out of respect to the reserved, brave little mother. She stood tremulous in the open door way, her lips parted over set teeth, her soft, hazel eyes two surging stars of love and fear. As if in spite of her- self her yearning arms stretched out and she whispered from the depths of her heart, "My baby — is he — is he?"
"He is asleep, little mother, as well as he ever was."
To prove his words, John sprang to the door step, placed the boy next his mother's heart and then folded them both pas- sionately in his two strong arms.
Outside in the swirling snow the settlers took eager care of the old chief. He was escorted royally to a cabin where he was fed sumptuously. Then he was led over to the platform. Here a glad work was in progress. There was not a good wife in the settlement who did not donate joyously from her scanty supply to the heavy sled which was being packed for the In- dians. There was everything in the load from "poor man's" cake to juicy pine hens roasted to a nicety. One true-blue mother insisted upon sending precious pop corn balls to every youngster in the Indian band. And Margaret Yates had sus- tained her nerves during the dreadful hours of waiting by bak- ing ginger-bread men, large and small, in as plentiful numbers as her larder permitted. These were added as a final touch to the creaking sled.
Several curious Indians found near the stockade gates were drafted to draw the load to the tribe. Amid a chorus of cheers and good will the mystified red men started for their wikiups, while with sighs of intense relief the pioneers returned, unfear- ing for the first time in days, to their cabins to enjoy the gift of peace which the little child had unwittingly brought them.
In the meantime, little John Yates, the innocent cause of this rejoicing, was endeavoring manfully to finish eating his bowl of broth and bread. His heavy brown eyes closed sleepily over the last bite. Tenderly his mother held him while he lisped his baby prayer of thanks, and then she wrapped him snugly in the warm blankets of his trundle bed. Arm in arm the father and mother stood watching their boy until his heavy lashes lay peacefully on his rosy cheeks and his breath came in long, easy swells.
One by one the tallow dips flickered out in the village of adobe and logs. The Indians had long since gone to rest. Great Salt Lake Valley was left unmolested to the fluttering white flakes and the bright angels of peace and good will. But a tense expectancy pervaded the gentle peace of the night, and l*--n* before daylight the camp had awakened to the meager Christmas joys of that brave little camp. Rippling mirth
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poured from the frosty windows and climbed with the circling smoke up the chimneys. From morn until night that day there was peace and joy and thanksgiving. And nowhere in the valley was there more happiness than in the cheery Yates cabin, unless it was in a far off wikiup where a little Indian boy sat all day and played with a wooden horse, while a moody old chief watched and smiled inwardly.
Gems of Thought
"As a man thinketh in his hearty so is he." — Proverbs.
"All things are possible to him who believes." — Selected
"Never speak a word that you would not wish to come true."
"Man is materialized thought; he is what he thinks."— Franz Hartman.
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." — Paul.
"Do not think a thought that you do not wish manifest in your life." — Author Unknown.
"Never imagine a condition or circumstance that you would not like to see near you."— Selected.
"Every right action and true thought sets the seal of its beauty on the person and the face." — Ruskin..
"Day dreams aren't useless after all, provided you back them up with day hustle." — Jerome P. Flieshman.
"Practically all things are possible to a man who can learn how and what to think." — Dr. Wm. A. Keever.
"Silence and reserve suggest latent power * * * what some men think has more effect than what others say." — Chesterfield.
"Thoughts are not only things, they are living things which grow, multiply, and bring forth after their own kind." — Agnes Mae Glasgow.
"Those who make room for impressions will receive them. Man's soul may be perfected by the power of the will." — Paracelsus.
"As nothing reveals character like the company we like and keep, so nothing foretells futurity like the thoughts over which we brood." — Newell Dwight Hillis.
"Act is the blossom of thought; joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry." — James Allen.
"Truly thought must image forth the thing of the condition desired be- fore it can manifest itself. This is a truth known to all metaphysicians.— Stephen Adams.
"Crowd your mind with thoughts that are rich and high and wonderful. This is the simplest way to build strength, quality, and greatness, into your mind." — Christian D. Larson.
Jearts andfjolfyhocks
c/7 Story of Love, Struggle and Society
JluthMoenchBeJt
Chapter III
"There ne'er was a gallant like Young Lochinvar!" Edna laughed happily as she cuddled up to John in the little car he had hired to escape the mob. It was thrilling to be spirited away in so romantic a fashion. It was the pinnacle of a maid's ambition to be wed' to one who could so cleverly make his es- cape from the showers of rice and old shoes, that Phil, with all his wealth, had been forced t o take. A woman Ion es a big man, a strong man, a masterly man. Edna knew that John was all these as she felt the joy of adventure with her hero.
"Where are you taking me to, Young Lochinvar?" she demanded, glorying in the fact that she was almost lost to view beside his broad shoulders.
"I'm going to take you to a spot where no best man or other admiring swain can have another glimpse of you for two weeks." Even a Ford sedan runabout can be steered with one hand. John used the other arm to draw Edna to him.
"I'm starved for you. I'm almost jealous. The way some of those fellows were adoring you was more than I could en- dure."
"They weren't looking at me at all," Edna maintained. "Every woman and girl in the crowd was admiring you and en- vying me."
"What about Phil and Judith?"
"Didn't they look splendid? It was certainly a wedding to remember."
"It was, little woman, and I'm glad you had it. I'm glad you had the center of the stage with your girlhood friend. I'm glad of the bridal finery, the veil, the bridesmaids, the flower girls and all th,e beautiful setting for two lonely flowers."
"Why are you saying it sadly?"
"I remember my baby sister trailing a table cloth about the house. It was wound about her head like a turban and swept after her for several yards. She was getting the sensation of being a bride. So I'm glad you have had it all."
"\ou are making me anxious," Edna pouted prettily, "That's the way father always led up to something disagreeable."
"Oh, darling, I hope it won't be disagreeable," John wavered
HEARTS AND HOLLYHOCKS 129
and incidentally nearly ran the car into a tree. "But you are right. I am leading up to something with clumsy masculine tact. I was trying to tell you that I was glad you had realized your dream, and hoping you would enjoy mine for we are al- most at our destination."
John glanced covertly at Edna's face. Was it disappoint- ment or dismay or only suspended judgment he read there?
"Then we are not going on any train?" Edna asked nerv- ously. They were drawing near the outskirts of town, a region Edna scarcely knew. "Where are you taking me?"
"To a little hut among the hollyhocks," John breathed as he stopped the car before a small adobe cottage almost hidden by hollyhocks and climbing roses.
It was an alluring spot, but Edna bit her lip in vexation. The shock was too great. So this was where they were to spend their honeymoon. When Judith told of the beauties of Florida, she would have to remain silent or — really, it was too stupid oi John. "Just for tonight," Edna demurred. "Then off on a journey tomorrow?"
"Only in fancy, dear," John pleaded. "Don't you love me enough to be happy with me here?"
"I could be happy with you anywhere," Edna recovered herself. "Only this was so unexpected."
"Now, I'm just going to take you to the door, dear," John kissed her gratefully. "Then I'll leave you to rove about and dream while I take the little car back. It was only borrowed, you know. Then I'll walk back, thinking every step of the way that my dream has come true. My dream that a lovely little woman loves me and is waiting for me in a 'hut half hidden among roses, herself the fairest rose of all."
"John I'd love you better than any other man on earth if this were alii the worldly wealth we should, ever possess. If you were poor or — or — why, I'd be prouder of you en en if I had to go through poverty of the very poorest kind. I'd even share dis- grace with you rather than be the wife of the richest, most hon- ored man on earth."
John drew her to him tenderly. "I don't imagine I'll ask you to share very dire poverty, little woman, certainly not disgrace. I'm not contemplating any desperately criminal acts. But it's going to be rather hard to play up to Phil and Judith. He'll have a car. We'll walk."
"Splendid exercise," Edna laughed. "Just so we walk to- gether."
"That's what I was trying to get at the other night," John agreed, and that's the thought I'll leave you with. And I'll be back as quickly as possible."
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Edna stood watching his car out of sight while a thousand memories were assailing her.
"What is it?" she finally asked herself. "Why it is this old- fashioned garden! It is just like grandma's. There are the very hurdock leaves I used to fashion into hats. And here are the hollyhocks to trim them with. And there are larkspur and mari- golds and candytuft."
Fully an hour later John came upon her unexpectedly. She was surrounded by the works of her hands: the most be- witching doll parasols, exquisit creations of Paris hats, ballet dancers, adorable elderly ladies and a perfect colony of dolls, all fashioned from satiny hollyhocks, burdock leaves and old fashioned flowers.
"Why, this is paradise," Edna exclaimed, dropping her fascinating treasures to run to John. "This is grandma's gar- den all over again. I used to think it was heaven and fairyland all rolled into one. And I'm starving to death and just found it out."
"So am I. Let's see what we can find."
They opened the back door and there as cozy as could be was the kitchen table set out with an old fashioned supper, bowls of creamy milk, a plate of brown bread, sliced so daintily, honey in the comb. It was all so homey and inviting, the spot- less kitchen, the snowy cloth, the informal meal. Th^ey were at home at once.
"How could paradise be so close to town," Edna laughed after she had eaten her capacity of brown bread and milk, and, armed with a plate of cookies and a plate of apples, was making for the next room.
"I know there is another room and a fire-place where we can munch cookies and apples before the blaze. But who owns it all and how did you come to find it?"
"You are right," John exclaimed opening the door before he answered all the questions. "Here is the fire-place and the fire all laid." He struck a blaze and placing the apples and cookies on a small table, evidently for the very purpose, he brought up the big chair and drew Edna into it while he perched on the arm. "It belongs to a beautiful woman, whose soul time has not tarnished. She goes up town to work but lives here with her flowers and her memories; and a more serene countenance, a heart more brimming with good-will I have never encountered. I have admired the place so often she invited us to spend our honeymoon here while she was away on a visit."
"Two could sit comfortably in this great chair," Edna invited, making room beside herself. "I want to dream on your shoulder before this grate fire. A person could live a thousand
HEARTS AND HOLLYHOCKS 131
years in a quiet nook like this. It is so much like grandma's home. It seems so strange now as I look back on it. There were always aunts and uncles and grandchildren visiting her, several families at one time. I never remember less than three families at any time. And yet I never heard a quarrel, a cross word, a sarcastic criticism. I never thought of it till now. And I never heard an unpleasant word between grandpa and grandma in my life. I don't remember seeing a frown or ugly glance. No one was ever in a hurry or worried. I can see the table set and the children, aunts, uncles and grandpa and grandma around it. That table reached from one end of the long room, which was kitchen and dinning room, clear to the other. I wonder why we were so quiet and well-behaved! Was it grandpa's sweet in- fluence? I know it was not because we were afraid of him or grandma. Then the evenings after supper. We played so quietly, while grandpa read his paper and grandma sat knitting. I remember hearing the old clock tick. We all listened for the hour of nine. That was the signal for grandpa to fold his paper and lay it on the table, take off his glasses, and turn his chair towards the center of the room. Each one found a chair and turned it in a circle or knelt with someone while grandpa prayed. He was a lengthy petitioner, when it came to prayers. And many a time we just had to snicker oner some absurd thought that popped into our heads while the prayer lasted And oh, how our kness ached before he got through. Then everyone went to bed. But why was everything so quiet and peaceful there? We children were noisy enough at home. With all these families under one roof, why was there no discord, no quarreling or fault-finding?"
"Maybe it was the atmosphere of the place," John ven- tured under the spell of Edna's words, and wondering himself at her narrative. "Maybe you explained it all when you said no one was ever in a hurry, no> one ever worried."
"Or, if they did thev left their worries at the gate," Edna smiled. "I know we aty had the greatest reverence for grandpa, with his snowy beard, his kindly voice. He said so little. We children always knew when he was concerned about anything. He put his hands behind him and walked way up to the back of the lot where he could be alone to think. And no one ever disturbed him. When he returned, we could see bv his clear brows that he had solved his problem or subdued his sorrow, or calmed his anger. He was the sam? serene soul that said so little but was always kind and loving."
"That is what I should like to be, young or old," John ex- claimed. "And you have described the kind of home I have al- ways wished for, a place of peace."
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"At home, we were hurrying to go somewhere, or worrying about expenses, or hoping for something new, and straining to pay for it. Furniture, clothes, dishes, carpets or something else, was always in demand and always crying out to be paid for."
"It is a terrible strain to be forever standing on tiptoe straining to reach a mark just beyond our grasp," John agreed, "and that is what makes our modern lives so trying on our soul strength. 'We hio\ e traveled far from leisurely; lane','' he quoted.
"And that reminds me," Edna cried, "is Tennyson in the bookcase? I thought of something this morning that I wanted to look over again."
"I know what it is," John exclaimed with almost uncanny insight. "I thought of the same thing when I saw you in the iiltar room. It is what the prince says about his mother."
"Yes in 'The Princess,' how could you have known?"
"Suggestion. When hearts are in tune, they receive thought messages just as easily as spoken messages. When mother was living, I never thought of a song, when we were in a room to- gether that she didn't begin singing it. And if she thought of one I was whistling it right away."
"I hope we can always be in tune with each other, like that," Edna sighed.
"And both together in tune with God," John added, kissing her tenderly. "Here is the message you wished. I memorized it years ago, after mother died:
"Not learned, save in gracious household ways,
No angeL but a dearer being, all dipt
In angel instincts, breathing paradise,
Interpreter between the gods and men. * * *
"Happy he with such a mother! faith in womankind Beat with his blood, and trust in all things high Comes easy to him, and though he trip and fall He shall not blind his soul with clay."
And so the evening passed and th,e other evenings, too. They found an old guitar. John knew a few chords, so they sang old songs together, or read, or dreamed by the fire-place, or walked in the moonlight.
Fishing in the river that flowed by one side of the lot, work in the little garden, housework and visiting with each other, took up their days. And soon the two weeks were over.
"It has been so perfect, I dread the change," Edna sighed as they sat by the fire for the last evening.
"It is one dream that came true," John added.
HEARTS AND HOLLYHOCKS 133
Yet neither realized that the memory of those beautiful hours together, would bless and torture them in the years that were to come.
Neither realized that unseen forces were even then upon their threshold, forces that would inevitably change the set of their sails.
"Didn't you say that Judith and Phil were to come in and sp,3nd this last evening with us?" Edna asked.
"Yes, I told Phil, where we were to be. They were to drop in on us on their way from the train before anyone expected them homie."
"That sounds like them, now," Edna exclaimed as a car was heard to stop at the gate.
Chapter IV
"It's our last evening in this dear, little home. I wish we might stay here always," Edna sighed.
John leaned over and clasped her in his arms. "It's worse than that, dearest, it's our last minute. Judith is at the door right now."
There was an impetuous ring at the old fashioned bell, then Judith tried the knob. She was in the room in a minute in a blaze of wrath. Phil followed right after, anxious to explain and make up. But Judith sprang away from him.
"Why, Judith," Edna cried in dismay, clasping Judith's storm-shaken body in her arms. "Whatever has happened?"
"It's Phil! and I just hate him! I never will make up with him!" Judith sobbed passionately.
"She's just tired," Phil apologized. "We've had a deuce of a time. There was a wreck just ahead of us And there we were side-tracked without a diner for about twenty-four hours. Judy and I finally got out and walked into a miserable, little, one-house town. But we hired a man to bring out his Tin Lizzie and get us to a real town. There we sat in a cold sta- tion, half-starved for hours — "
"Oh, for pity's sake, don't make me live it all over again!" Judith exclaimed. "It was bad enough to go over it once."
Edna took command of the situation at once. "You sit right here in this easy) chair, Judie. Phil, stir up the fire. And John, you can take her hat and gloves and then come and help me get something warm for her. She's just tired and hungry and sleepy and everything else that's miserable."
The men did as th,ey were bidden and in a few minutes John wheeled the little table, on which he and Edna had enjoyed so many cozy, fireside meals, close to the fire-place. "Oh, this
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tastes so good," Judith .exclaimed ravenously. "I'm nearly starved to death. Wherever did you find this cozy nest? I didn't know you could cook, Edna."
"I can't," Edna laughed. "Any dining-car chef could make my simple attemps look silly, indeed."
"Don't say dining-car chef," Phil begged. "The things they served us in the name of food and the prices we paid and the tips we gave!"
" 'When I was at home I was in a better place'," John quoted in imitation of Touchstone. " 'But travelers must be con- tent'."
"Never again for me," Judith groaned.
"You'll forget all about it by morning," John predicted, "and be telling everyone that will listen how wonderful Florida is. Why, a month from now you'd undertake a trip to the moon, if there was a chance, and Edna would be ready to go with you."
"Florida is lovely," Judith cried, "and, oh, those southern roses."
"Not half so fragrant as the honeysuckle all over this old porch, and not half so pretty as the hollyhocks and marigolds rnd batchelor buttons — "
"And the burdock leaves — " John interrupted Edna teas- ingly. He psver could get over the array of Paris hats she had fashioned from them that first night in the over-grown garden.
"You two seem frightfully happy," Judith sighed enviously as she noted the tender intimacy between th,em, at the same time casting about for some way to slip her hand unobtrusively into Phil's by way of an attempt at making up. John and Edna, noting her, contrived to gaze studiously into the fire, and soon both couples were building castles in the flames and embers.
"You are going to stay with us, you know," Edna urged when they finally spoke of going home. "There is a spare bed- room all ready for you. It is the last of our vacation and honey- moon, and we ought to spend it together."
"We'll have to go home," Judith spoke with reluctance. "Our families will be expecting us. But I'd like to dream here forever. Traveling is interesting;, but it can get on one's nerves when everything goes frightfully wrong."
This was recognized as Judith's apolosry for her little out- burst against Phil when she first arrived. Phil patted her hand affectionately to show he understood and cherished no resent- ment.
"Well, we couldn't afford a real trip, so we came here to 'The Forest of Arden,' as Edna calls it, and dreamed all kinds
HEARTS AND HOLLYHOCKS 135
of adventure, not one of which could be so wonderful as to lhe here all the time."
"It would be lonely for Edna while you were gone all day," Judith demurred. "And then it would be awkward for you to have to walk so far after work."
"Walking is good exercise," John maintained. "But I hadn't thought it might be lonsly for Edna here all day." He spoke like a school boy whose pet bubble has burst just when he had hoped it might last forever.
"It is surely cozy here," Phil agreed, "but there is no use turning hermit yet awhile." Here Judith and Phil exchanged meaningful glances and a minute later there was the sound of a car stopping and a medley of voices and laughter coming up the graveled walk. There was a chorus of oh's and ah's! when the door opened and the parents of all but John stood on the threshold.
"We tracked you young scallywags," Phil's father laughed. "How did you come to think of this place to hide a honeymoon
in
"It was entirely John's idea," Edna smiled proudly.
"Yes, and he wants to hide Edna here for the rest of her life," Phil joked.
"Nonsense," Phil's father exploded, "we'll soon put a stop to all that. Get on your toggery all of you. We're going to kidnap you and take you all back to civilization."
"All except Edna and her captor," John declared. "We must finish our honeymoon here. Unless she'd rather go."
"I couldn't go yet," Edna agreed. "It's going to be hard enough in the morning, even. We've been so happy here. I almost dread to change. "
She spoke so sincerely and with such evident regret at the thought of leaving, that after a few protests, the group went merrily away.
"This may change your minds somewhat," Phil's father smiled as he placed a sealed envelope in John's hands and hurried away.
"And this may change Edna's notions," her father cried, affectionately pressing a similar envelope into her hand. "Now, don't open them till we are out of sight," he commanded. "And remember John's letter is to be opened first."
"What do you suppose it is?" Edna wondered, when the sound of the cars was no longer audible.
"Something good, of course," John hazarded. "Phil's father never does anything else. And yet somehow I dread to open it. I'm superstitious I suppose. These two weeks have been so perfect, I know they can't last forever. And I know nothing else
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could ever be better. I feel like Adam and Eve must have felt when they turned their backs on Paradise."
"Silly boy," Edna laughed happily. "We'll take our Para- dise right along with us. Now open the letter."
After John had opened it, he stood silent so long that Edna came and peeped over his shoulder. "It's just what I feared," he said thoughtfully.
"Feared," Edna almost shrieked for joy. 'O, goody, goody, goody! Why can't you read, you foolish? Oh, hurrah! hur- rah! They've given us the lot next to Phil's and Judith's. It's right where they are going to build. Judie and I will be side by side again. We won't even have a fence between. It will be just as Judie and I have always been. Oh, isn't h,e the grandest man on earth, Phil's father? He must love you as if you were his son. I suppose he knows how Judith and I have always been. Oh, aren't you glad, darling?"
"You don't realize, sweetheart," John explained seriously. "There is the lot right enough, but how can pennyless John build a house on it?"
"Couldn't we mortgage the lot for enough to build the house?"
"We might get one third of th,e amount necessary, that way."
"Well, couldn't we build just a small house at first?"
"How would you feel in a small house while Judith was next door in a large one?"
"Oh, I shouldn't mind it at first."
"But that is the residence! part of town. Every house along the street is handsome and pretentious. I hoped we might stav here or in some modest neighborhood where we would not have to be in competition always with those whose fortunes are made. Then we could save and build when we could afford to and as we could afford to build, instead of being forced into some- thing beyond our means."
"But we can't refuse," Edna cried in dismay. "Why, we haven't opened father's letter yet."
John looked on while Edna hurriedly tore open the en- velop. Then she suddenly flung the letter into the air and caught John about the neck. "Oh, you darling. It is solved. The whole thing is solved. Isn't he the dandiest daddy?"
"He is going to put up for us to build with?" John asked with- out enthusiasm,.
"However could you guess? No, it isn't that. Poor daddy couldn't do that. He will go on our notes though, and help us to get the money so we can build right while we are about it. Why, you don't seem a bit relieved, John I think you are dreadfully ungrateful."
HEARTS AND HOLLYHOCKS 137
"It isn't that, sweetheart. It's only — oh, well, I guess it will come out all right. After all it's the set of the sail, and not the gale that determines the way we go!'"
Edna went to sleep that night to dream happily of a beau- tiful modern home of her own. John was at her side, and Judith was just across the yard. John, however, tossed wakefully.
"I suppose it is wicked and stupid and ungrateful of me," he thought to himself. "But I don't want a home on another man's bounty. And I know that notes have a way of falling due just whether one is ready to meet them or not. And usually one is no more ready to meet them when they fall due than he was when he made them out. But that is not the worst feature of this. It is that living up to Judith and Phil eternally, whether we can or not. It is the one fear I have about our marriage."
Towards morning John dozed off to dream ridiculously of sheriff's scales, bridge luncheons, sedan cars and> — well, he wouldn't even name the other picture that came. But as this latter figment of a troubled brain flitted before the vision of his unconsciousness, he woke with a start and a yawn of grateful return to consciousness.
"Whatever happens; it is Edna's happiness, not my notions, that must be considered," he decided. "I must make the little girl happy. And her heart seems set on this. Come on, little worr»an," he called gaily, as Edna opened her eyes. "We've got to get back to realities and plunge into life in earnest." (To be continued)
In the Beautiful Valley of Life
I was weary and worn with much care.
Great sorrow and grief I had known ; The hour seemed as one of despair
Whence joy, like a fleet hird, had flown.
Yet e'en down by the valley of death I found that my Savior seemed near,
To whisper of comfort and faith,
Saying this — "You have nothing to fear."
0 blessed Redeemer of mine,
If the valley of death be so sweet,
Then what of the valley of life, With a harvest of glory replete?
0 ye who now strive for that goal, Take courage, the victory is near;
Remember His dear, precious words, And you will have "Nothing to fear." Berkeley, California Annie G. LaurUzen
Large Families"
Dr. C. L. Olsen
The term "a large family," intuitively brings before our mind's eye, for the sake of comparison, the small family, as well as larger and smaller ones. Even the thought of a family without children crowds in upon us.
In discussing the subject before us, we must first endeavor to show the necessity for children to be born at all, unto their parents — and, likewise, the necessity of parents allowing children to be born untoi them. And, thank God, we are not left in the dark concerning this matter; neither do we have to depend upon the whims and fancies of mortal man, in determining this import- ant issue.
It should not require a great deal of argument to convince Latter-day Saints, particularly, that to bear children is a mis- sion, divinely appointed to all of God's children. There can be no room for argument about this question, which has ones and for all time been settled, by an Authority, which no Christian, at least will doubt.
"To the law and to the testimony." So, let us turn to Holy Writ: When the all-wise Creator had finished his great work, preparing this earth as an abode for his children while they should sojourn in mortality, and he had placed upon this, his footstool, our first parents, "God" — I am quoting — "blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and re- plenish the earth." To multiply urns intended as a blessing-- not as a punishment.
To inherit an earthly tabernacle is the only means by which the spirit of man can possibly advance and in course of time become like his heavenly Father. If it is true — which of course it is — that "all of God's children must receive bodies be- fore this earth and its inhabitants will have fulfilled the great purpose for which they were created," it is clear that the respon- sibility of allowing children to be born, or of denying them that natural right, rests upon those who, as husbands and wives, have, impliedly, accepted the mission of becoming parents, if God shall grant them the privilege. These great truths must be self-evi- dent to every right-thinking man or woman.
*An address delivered before the Advanced Senior Class. M. I. A., and others over sixteen years of age, Miller ward, Granite Stake, March 7, 1922.
LARGE FAMILIES 139
What, you say, are all men subject to this law, the law gov- erning the multiplying of species? Yes, absolutely. Every healthy individual, not only human beings, but lower animals, as well, instinctively respond to the nuiversal law of reproduction. None but the coward, the faint-hearted weakling, or selfish crea- ture will attempt to evade it. Listen to the immortal shake- speare :
"Torches are made to light, jewels to wear, Dainties to taste, fresh beauty for use,
Herbs for their smell, and sappy plants to bear; Things growing to themselves are growth's abuse:
Seeds spring from seeds, and beauty breedeth beauty,
Thou wast begot — to get it is thy duty.
"Upon the earth's increase why shouldst thou feed, Unless the earth with thy increase be fed?
By law of Nature thou art bound to breed,
That thine may live, when thou thyself art dead;
And so in spite of death thou dost survive,
In that thy likeness still is left alive."
Man, the Creator's master piece, the crowning glory of God's creation, is the only being capable of designedly thwarting his Maker's plan. Elder Joseph A. West, in his excellent article, "Marriage" (Era, Feb., 1922) referring to a statement in the Oregonian, says:
"The American family of fifty years ago averaged a little over five children; whereas now it averages but a little over two; one hundred and fifty years ago, the average was about eight," and adds, "We have besides an innumerable host of men and women who fail to comply with God's first great commandment — to multiply and replenish the earth."
Referring to the U. S. census for the decennium ending with 1920. the Springfield Republican has this to say regarding the relative size of the American family :
"The traditional statistical convention of five in a family [meaning parents and children] is apparently due for revision before very long. The Census Bureau now reports the average at 4.3, having declined from five in 1880 to 4.9 in 1890 ; to 4.7 in 1900 and to 4.5 in 1910."
Comparisons are odious; but they are mighty telling for all of that. We, the Latter-day Saints, need not go back 150 years to find some very valuable food for reflection. I well remember the time — and I am not old, by any means — when we boasted eight as being the number of an average Latter-day Saint family, as against five for the United States as a whole. And what are the comparative averages today? About 6 to 4%!
And now we are brought face to face with the subject under discussion from another angle, namely that of quality: Referring specifically to the number of children in a family, the
140 IMPROVEMENT ERA
proposition, "It is not quantity but quality that counts," has been variously stated by several eminent men time and again, publicly and pri\ ately, in speeches and in writings. The statement sounds plausible, logical, in fact! therefore, it is frequently repeated, parrot-like, by those who readily take things for granted. Hav- ing been allowed to go unchallenged — at least, I have never heard anyone attempting to disprove its accuracy — the assertion has gained credence, while even well-informed persons have accepted the argument as finally settled.
To be sure, quality and not quantity is paramount in some, perhaps most, of human undertakings, for extample, soldiers in a given encounter; aeroplane pilots, sea captains, the personnel of an Arctic expedition, etc. But in e^ ery single instance, the so much desired "quality" depends on individual selection, wheth- er it be from the ranks of the drafted men, the most skilful aviators, the careful mariners or from explorers, renowned for their intrepidity.
But notwithstanding such selection and the greatest care imaginable being exercised in human calculations, the actual outcome may prove a disappointment. For wherever the human equation operates, the ultimate results are problematical — they may or may not measure up to expectations. These deductions hold good in any human venture; and rearing a family of chil- dren, the greatest of all human ventures, is no exception. "The best laid plans of men and mice aft gang aglee." The unsinkable Titanic sinks; the majestic Roma crashes to the ground, a seeth- ing mass of flames, abruptly ending the expected glorious career of its noble crew; Shakleton, the daring explorer, dies before reaching his goal.
To make the proposition, "It is not quantity but quality that counts," an axiom as applied to the number of children in a family, is absurd. It is the feeble echo of quibbling man, strug- aling to find an excuse for not allowing nature to take its course. It is the hollow creed of so-called sexual reformers; the untenable theory of the ultra-scientific mind, in search for something with which "to soothe the unholv throng," bending every energy to find an excuse for disregarding this divine injunction: Multi- plv! The evil one does not care how this is done, if he can but frain the victory.
Now, let us for a few moments calmly consider the question, viewing; it from a rational standpoint: The quality of the pro- duct depends upon the quality of the material. Analogically, the same rule governs the human product; hence, if the qualitv in children he deficient, the onlv remedv lies in obtaining bet- ter "material." How? Bv selection. Can any human being make such selection? No. The quality of the spirit determines
LARGE FAMILIES 141
the quality of the child, the man or the wornan. It does not in the least depend upon the number of children in a given family. Such a homely proverb, as: "You can never make a silk purse from a sow's ear," can be applied to human beings, even.
Fortunately, the Lord has not entrusted puny, whimsical mortals with the privilege of selecting from among his spirits the particular one or ones they may happen to want — spirits which, when embodied, should be nobis, beautiful and strong, and possess a surpassing degree of "quality." This particular prerogative the Lord has reserved unto himself. He may in his inscrutable wisdom see fit to send some superior spiritual intelli- gences to obtain earthly tabernacles, in one or another dispensa- tion, all to bring about his holy purposes.
In explaining the meaning of the extravagant proposition mentioned (and its exact language has been quoted) its pro- ponents will say that according to science, if parents could be in- duced not to burden themselves with so many children, but rather be satisfied with, say, one or two, they would be able to pay more attention to these, provide them with better homes, better food, better clothes and more enjoyment; surround them with more "refined" associates, give them a better education, etc., and that these considerations will bring about the so greatly desired "quality." The fact is, that parents, and would-be or should-be parents, today are burdened with too much "science" altogether, in connection with the rearing of children, while com- mon sense is side-tracked, The "problem" of parenthood, that frightful bugbear of latter-day sinners, is ding-donged in our ears, in season and out of season.
Parents and parents-to-be, take heart! Do not heed the specious pleadings of zealous social "reformers," who are trying to show you how God's plan can be improved upon. Quietly study your own condition; consider the following facts, and weigh them carefully. Each and every spirit, both before and after entering mortality, is an individual entity. As such, and hairing been endowed with ability to choose between good and evil, and gw en an inalienable right to exercise his or her free agency, all that parents can do, in rearing a family of children, is to teach them sound doctrine, instil in them correct principles, set them a good example, and endeavor to the best of their ability to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. There is a limit to responsibilitv- even, so that mortals need not feel dismayed, but, filled with faith, hope and charity they may accept the call to parenthood, confidently trusting in an over- ruling Providence. "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me." Such was the call of the Savior. Before children can come unto him, they must be born. And woe unto
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those who intentionally "forbid" God's spirits to enter into mor- tality, thus hindering them from progressing in the scale of intelligence.
Ah, yes, eugenics and eusthenics! We must not forget to mention them. When these interesting subjects — so fascinating, because of their plausibilities — shall have been worn threadbare, depend upon it, some new euphonic term will be coined, for eru- dite, grave-visaged bachelors and spinsters, to prate and orate about. Meanwhile, people with common sense, healthy bodies, sound minds and natural instincts will go right ahead and people this world in the good, old-fashioned way, heeding nature's promptings and not the silly admonitions of their inferiors.
Now let us look at the large family as an actuality: The potential large family admits of academical discussions; the actual large family is a domestic reality, where polemical disput- ations as to the whys and wherefores, and the eventful outcome of the venture, are out of place.
A large family is not necessarily a bedlam, where confusion reigns supreme. It is rather comparable to a colony of busy bees, where each indi^ idual member either has learned, or is learning, to do something useful, not only for her own self, but for the good of the whole "colony." The mothsr, that dignified, guiding load-star in the home, may be compared to the stately queen-bee, as she quietly, calmy, but well aware of her command- ing station, moves about in the "hive", directing e\ery activity of all the inmates.
The popular refrain. "Everybody works but father," does not apply to the head of a large family, especially if he and his wife start housekeeping on daily wages, a meagre bank account, or, as more often happens, without any tangible assets. If he is not poor, his large familv will very likely both make him and keep him poor, that is, in this world's goods.
If ever — as we are told was the case in in good, old Ameri- can days of yore — children were considered as representing in- trinsic money value to their parents, their rating on any such basis is long since obsolete. At present, the exchange quota- tion?, on the child-market are decidedly bearish/ — I believe that would be the oroper Wall Street term. But for all of that, the !"an having a large family of children — of anywhere near decent rhildren — is rich, indeed. Perhaps not rich in money, stocks or bonds, but in possessing the inner satisfaction that he is a man, and not a mouce. He takes at its face value the scriptural declaration: "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord. As ar- rows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children. Happy is the man that h?th h^s rrerver full of them: thev shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
LARGE FAMILIES
143
Modernizing his attitude as understood by the phrase, "speaking with the enemies in the gate," such a man — one, deserving having that masculine designation spelt with a capital M — manfully taking his part among men and endeavoring to do his full duty as husband, father, neighbor, and citizen, has learned by heart the admonition of our virile western bard, the inimitable Walt Whitman: "Live so every day that you can look
any man in the face and tell him to go to ," and he may feel
tempted to use the closing word of this rather vigorous thunder bolt, if he be accosted by the birth-control vituperator, made the target for ribald jokes or flippant jests or assailed by the sancti monious hypocrite.
And as for the children in large families, they compare at least very favorably with those coming from the smaller-sized family. Trained, not only didactically but in actual practice, to curb selfish tendencies; to share with others their little joys; not only to recite the Golden Rule, but to live it, they, generally "make good," so that when turned out the finished product, they stand up, four square, as men, not lisping sissies; women, not fashion-plate chromos.
Now let ms say to you mentally and physically strong young men and women of marriageable age: Get married. Beget chil- dren— don't be scared; let them come, as many as God is willing to send you. You will be all the happier for bidding these pre- cious spirits welcome, taking them in your arms and into your homes. Do not try to interfere with the course of nature, as regards bearing children. Let no one make you believe that if you ha^e "too many" children both they and you will suffer from hunger on that account, in this blessed land. For, as true as it is written:
"In some way or other, the Lord will provide;
It may not be my way,
It may not be thy way, And yet in his own way the Lord will provide."
/
By Whose Authority?
By Reinhard Maeser, of the Brighatni Young University
The contention still persists that there is and always has been with man an unbroken line of authority to administer in spiritual blessings since the days that Christ conferred this power upon Peter; but this seeins to be untenable in the light of history. To present some of the evidences pointing to a complete departure from the primitive Church, is the purpose of this paper, and it is hoped that the presentation shall not be trite, not a mere retelling of the evidences commonly used to show that there has been as complete falling away from the apostolic Church as the Scriptures predicted there should be.
In this presentation I have drawn from the following works : Kurtz, Lehrbueh der Kirchengeschichte ; Piper, Zuegen der Wahrheit; Lecky, History of European Morals; Gibbon's, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Rishell, History of Christianity and others. The diversified and authentic sources from which gleanings have been made, should lend considerable security to the truthfulness as well as the varied conceptions and practices of its ordinances and interpretations of its principles.
A necessity for entering upon any explanation of the organi- zation and doings of the Church in the days of Christ's personal ministry is not apparent for the purposes of this exposition. I am accepting the accounts of these things as they are made known to us in the New Testament. For the sake, however, of contrast, comparison, or adjustment, or to correct forms or sayings, references may from time to time be made to those primal days of Christianity.
Augustus Ceasar was the first Emperor of Rome, and it was during this reign that Christ organized his Church and chose and commissioned some to carry on the work after his earthly mission should be completed.
It does not appear presumptive for me to say that Jesus or- ganized his Church, placed therein such principles and ordi- nances of salvation, and such officers and. authority properly to function in all these things. That Christ knew the require- ments for eternal life; that he knew the necessary laws to be obeyed for one to become a citizen in his father's kingdom: that he knew the ordinances to be observed for one to gain ^salvation and exaltation, cannot be gainsaid. These laws, prin-
. BY WHOSE AUTHORITY 145
ciples, ordinances, he made known to the people, and before his final leaving, he particularly commissioned twelve of his faithful disciples to carry on the work after his departure.
No one claiming Christian standing is going to deny Jesus Christ the right of authority to establish his Church upon these principles and ordinances which he knew, from their eternal and saving character, were and are the only ones containing the possibility of salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. "He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him," Heb. 5:9. These principles and ordinances were not given by the Lord just for the day or the time, but they are fundamental, eternal, ne^er changing. (Gal. 1:8; Eph. 4; Ps. 145:13.)
If now we can accept the thought that Jesus Christ did promulgate the essential and life-enduring principles of the gospel; that he did organize his Church and set therein "some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, teach- ers, and gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of ton- gues, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the min- istry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Cor. 12:18; Eph. 4:11, 12 J then, may we ask, whose business is it, or whose right, in any wise, or in the least particular, to modify, change, or entirely eliminate any of these principles, ordinances, or of- fices? (Gal. 1:8-12 ) Many scriptures might be referred to, establishing the never-ending and enduring nature of the gos- pel as Jesus gave it and taught it to his disciples. Among these attention is called to Rom. 1:16-17; Rev. 14:6; Ps. 9:12; 145:13.
After Jesus had sent the other Comforter, of whom he spoke to his apostles, and they were fully empowered and au- thorized to go on with the work he had left for them to do, (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-20) he nowhere commissioned them to make any changes. (Gal. 1=8.) "But, though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
Soon after the death of the Savior, the Church was once m»re set in order, the quorum of apostles was filled up, mis- sionaries were sent forth, the apostles themselves acting in this capacity. Then came the warning cry to the Church that "many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many," and "griev- ous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock."
In the course of time the twelve all died, and they had left none to fill the vacancies thus caused. Here and there for pos- sibly a hundred years or so. some t estige of authority remained, but all idea of organizing the adherents into one great Church, as in the days of Christ, was no longer considered. Contentions arose early respecting some of the doctrines, and as the branches
146 IMPROVEMENT ERA
were scattered pretty much their own interpretations were made and accepted. Thus there came early to be diversities of opin- ion and practices. (I Cor. 1:12,) From heathenism, too, came many mysteries, and prominent among those entering wedges was Gnosticism. This sought the mystery that hid itself in Christianity; for back of the truth, it was supposed, lay the facts with which the common faith contented itself; and the Gnostic, through his philosophy, believed it to be his business to discover this to mankind. This came in contact with the church as early as the days of the apostles, and more noticeable in the second century. It set in place of Christianity a philo- sophical religion presumed to be clearer to the understanding. By this schism the living God of the Christian was to be changed unto the unknown god of the philosophers and of the mysteries.
"From the middle of the second century forward, a constant secular- ization of the church was in progress. Christianity partook of the spirit of the world. As early as the middle of this century one saw in spirit the picture of a church full of wrinkles, blemishes, and weaknesses. When the Roman state, of the times of Decius and Diocletian, proposed to wage a war of extinction against Christianity, it found itself opposed by a church from which the spirit of the first witnesses had departed — a church which had become worldly, and which had fallen from its ideal. Hence, the many apostasies, hence the fearful desolation, which especially in the last great persecutions, broke up the church." — Taken from Christianity and its In- stitutions.
What else could be expected when the attack was from within and from without? Gnosticism gnawed at the vitals — was an inward attack; the persecutions of the several Roman rulers — a destructive force, came from without. The inner disruption was by far the more fatal, it took away everything and gave nothing in return. The god of the Gnostic was the "abyss" the "silence," the "non-existent," the "incomprehen- sible;" and here the Church found its most bitter enemy; an enemy inimical to her welfare. The whole of the second, and part of the third, centuries were taken up in this struggle against the insidious inroads of Gnosticism, in whose philosophy the Church was brought face to face with the mightiest power of the time. If we take into account that Gnosticism satisfied the masses with its mvstic customs and ceremonies, the whole heath- en world with the charm of its ancient mysteries, its promise to satisfy both mind and heart, and its harmony with tradi- tionary views, its promise to satisfy the better disposed by a severe morality, firmly held by most of its systems— we can prob- ably understand the real danger which threatened the Church from this source. No physical persecution could accomplish such tremendous and speedy results as could the appeal to the spiritual of this so cleverly and deftly contrived philosophy
BY WHOSE AUTHORITY 147
with such generous, yet mysterious ceremonies and customs. Why, it was the very treaty of peace offered by the contending factions. After this struggle between the Church and Gnosti- cism the Church fixed certain principles, certain doctrines, which were considered to be orthodox. There was finally es- tablished a canon of the New Testament scripture, i. e., the books which came "to be recognized as authoritative witnesses of Christian truth in contra-distinction to Gnostic error." Through this conflict also was formed the future government of the church, in which "she (the church) did not come forth as the same institution which entered the struggle."
It was now maintain ad that where two or three were met to- gether "there was the church." It was the church which was gathered and which acted in every assembly of believers; no human priesthood was needed. In each assembly of believers existed the right of baptism and administration of the Lord's Supper; a formal organization of the church binding upon all Christians, was unknown.
Gradually the original, genuine apostolic conception of the Church passed away, and the Catholic conception now appeared, and the foundation of the Roman Catholic church was laid.
Insidiously the state intruded itself more and more upon the church until it came soon to be looked upon as an ally, claiming certain rights and privileges among which we find the Emperor assuming it as his right to fill personally the highest church office in case of vacancy. The friendship of the state became far more dangsrous than its enmity.
From century to century changes were made. Some being terribly fatal to the spiritual life of the church, drning it farther and farther from any semblance of its original form.
Of the third century, it is said, "All the monuments of ihis century which have come down to us show that there was a great increase of ceremonies." During the fourth century rites and ceremonies were taken from the old Greek and Roman forms of reverence toward their imaginary deities, and were made a part of the Christian ritual. And so progress was rapidly being made toward a condition wherein no semblance of the Re- deemer's established Church could be found. Evident it is that the Christianity of today is at best nothing more ;han life- less bones as compared with the once vigorous, heaven-inspired primitive Church. Alexander Campbell puts it thus, "Till that great and notable day of the Lord come, we cannot from the prophetic word, anticipate a universal return to the original gospel, or a general restoration of the kingdom of God in its primitive form."
As we have passed along in this general survey of the gradual
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departure (from the Christ-established gospel, we have hot found anywhere a single isntance where such change, innova- tion, elimination, or modification, was justified by a revelation of which the Lord, through Amos, emphasizes the necessity, (Amos 3:7) when he says, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
History has told the story. Indelibly stamped upon its pages are found the evidences of the departure from the prin- ciples, ordinances, and practices of the primal Church. Isaiah speaks with much power, and confirms the contention that the laws have been transgressed, the ordinances have been changed, and the everlasting covenant has been broken. (Is. 24:5.)
If these facts show that there has been a breaking away from the primitive Church, and that the history fails to state by whose authority these innovations were made, and it is further shown with some clearness that among the numerous so-called Christian churches of today, not one of them, nor all of them in combination, as Smith's Bible Dictionary, p. 163, says, contain the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the purpose of this presentation will have been accomplished. Provo, Utah.
That Lad
When I come home all tired out,
No pep left in my knees, And throw myself upon the couch,
That lad begins to tease. He takes my pencil from my coat,
My watch fob from my vest: He smears my order book with jam
And climbs upon my chest. He wants to ride a bucking horse
So grabs my new silk tie; And when I see those eyes of his —
I simply have to try. We tumble o'er the couch and floor
And make an awful noise — Then mother says, with pleasing eyes:
"I'm glad we're not all boys." I've seen rich men with childless wives
Grow surly, old and gray — Ah, I am glad I have a lad
Who coaxes me to play. Blackjoot, Idaho George E. Gibby
Doing Common Things in an Uncommon Way
A. Study for the Advanced Senior Class, M. I. A. 1922-23
By Dr. George H. Brimlwll, President Emeritus, Brigluim Young
University
Lesson X — Making Promises
Importance.— Promise-making is the exercise of free agency in putting oneself under an obligation. Take away the power to promise, and you cut down one-half of the tree of liberty. Promise-making is a privilege of putting character up for se- curity, and affords the will a field of action obtainable in no other way. "I promise," should mean, "I will fulfil." A young man when told that he could escape payment of a debt because it was unsecured replied, "Unsecured! Why it is secured by my word, and my word is the best part of me. I am mortgaged to pay that debt and I will." That young man was Lincoln; in his words was the history of an honest past,. a strong present, and a prosperous future. A promise is always, in essence, a prophecy- fulfilment by the self concerning the self. Making promises and fulfiling them are the two processes that keep civilization from coming to a dead standstill. Making promises and keeping them is placed paramount- even above creation, by the greatest of all Teachers. Matt. 24:35.
Some Common Promise-Making. Promising under psychic pressure.— We have all had the experience of feeling the pull of coaxing or persuasion against our judgment. In such cases it is a good thing to have some place of refuge such as, "I'll see father about it," or I 11 ask mother," or "I'll consult my wife." The mental pull is a great source of success to the salesman.
Making promises to escape annoyance. The young woman who promises to marry a suitor to get rid of him was quite as consistent as the parent who makes promises to a child where importunities are simply annoying.
Promising with nothing but hope for the fulfilment. Mak- ing promises when the means of fulfilment are just within the range of possibility is gambling with one's character; it is tak-
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ing fearful chances with one's good name. Indulgence in this ad- venturous promise-making is symptomatic of an ethical break- down.
The Uncommon Promise-Making
There is much truth in the saying, "Promises slow in the making are hard in the breaking. Promises quickly spoken are easily broken." The uncommon promise has behind it not only good intention, but deliberation, for deliberation is the only safe anchorage for determination. Uncommon promises will contain consistency. A promise should be consistent with the worthiness of the cause in favor of which it is made, the merits of the person to whom it is made, and the ability of the one making the promise.
Written Promises
The superior value of written promises lies in the fact that "paper does not forget." It holds the pledges without modifica- tions. The making of a written promise by signing one's name should be preceded by an uncommonly careful reading, and if it be a complex document its contents should be submitted to ex- pert inspection. Lenders may well be cautious of the borrower who manifests any carelessness in his method of getting loans. Carelessness is not always wrongfully considered next to crook- edness in business.
Religious Promises
Covenants is the name by which a religious promise is known. The incomparable binding force of religious promises has been utilized in social and civic affairs. The spiritual ele- ment of promise-making has been wisely made a part of the marriage vow, and of the pledges of officers of the law, as security against failure in the performance of duty. The "Oath of Office" is superior to any simple affirmation. As to Latter- day Saint covenants, see Gospel Doctrine, p. 132.
Questions and Problems
1. Wherein is the sacrament service a renewal of covenants?
2. How is the prayer for the sanctification of the water related to attending to our prayers and paying our tithing-
3. How is a "Mormon's" credit among men affected by his tithe-paying habit?
4. Wherein is a temple marriage vow naturally stronger than a civic one?
5. Why should we refuse to promise when under the psychic pull of persuasion against our judgment?
6. Mention some good ways of escape from a powerful persuader.
7. What should always be done before signing a written promise?
8. Distinguish between the promise made in a warrantee deed and one of quit claim.
DOING COMMON THINGS IN AN UNCOMMON WAY 151
9. Discuss this proposition: Carelessness in promise-making is the chief cause of promise-breaking.
10. Give summary of President Joseph F. Smith's teaching concerning Covenants of the Latter-day Saints.
11. How is one's character and happiness affected by the habit of mak- ing new promises as an escape from keeping old ones?
Lesson XI — Keeping Secrets
What a Secret Is
A secret is defined as that which should not be told. This definition makes it the duty of everyone to hold back or keep from divulgence even the truth, without a belief that it ought to be divulged. Perhaps it would be better to define a secret as information which one is under obligation not to divulge. And when we say obligation we should keep in mind the application of the Golden Rule. A secret may be called a truth-trust, and truth is always sacred, and becomes emphatically so when held in trust.
Two Common Ways of Keeping Secrets
One of thfe most common ways of keeping secrets consists in getting someone to help keep them. Usually the dhulgence of a secret is accompanied with a confession, "I ought not to tell," and the injunction, "of course, you will not tell." A little thought will reveal that the teller expects the hearer to be more ethical than his informant. The transaction analyzed contains the following facts: One party has proved his inability to hold a sacred trust, and another person has had burdensome re- sponsibility unnecessarily imposed upon him. Confidence is weakened, and danger is doubled. This form of keeping secrets writes upon the walls of our character, the sentence found re- corded in Daniel 5:27.
Another common form of keeping secrets is the holding back of that which should be told. Failing to speak when duty calls is indicative of weakness called cowardice A kindness that makes a secret of contagion becomes a monstrous cruelty. One who is in possession of the enemies' secret and fails to inform the proper authority merits the same contempt as one who reveals the secret of his camp to the enemy. There is a wide difference between tattling and official reporting. One breeds mischief, the other sustains law and order.
It is all too common to keep secrets from boys and girls which they are almost certain to find out from sources of the lower social levels. They are left to "pick up" what should be provided for them as a part of their education. The Twen- tieth Century youth is entitled to be brought up rather than left to just "grow up." Parents and teachers must rise above this
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common secret-keeping with a realization that the youth has a right to know what he ought to know from higher sources than that of the street or other accidental meeting places.
Some Uncommon Secret-Keeping
We are so knit together that the sins of individuals hurt the group, and where the publication of names will hurt more than it will help, the policy of "withholding names" is in keeping with the ways of wisdom. See Doc. & Cov., Sec. 42:88-93. A mercifully preserved reputation may form a shield behind which successful character-mending may be carried on. There is a royal kind of secret-keeping which consists in refusing to let pass one's lips that which is defamatory to persons of good reputation. When slander spits her venom, uncommon secret- keeping refuses to spread her virus.
Family secrets. — The high grads offspring will play the part of Shem and Japhet. See Gen 9:20-27. The true wife makes her bosom a silent tomb of her husband's failings, unless dissolution of partnership is at hand. And the worth-whils husband couples not the name of his wife with her short com- ings. "We all have our little faults," and some of us have big ones, but the man who talks about his wife unfavorably well deserves the title of a "boob" or a "bad one."
Secret Keeping an Accompaniment of Safety and Greatness
Uncommon secret keeping keeps one from falling into two errors, exceeding authority and overstepping the bounds of pro- priety. Light may be turned on in blinding qualities and truth has its time for publication. Perhaps no prophet was more thoroughly tested in the line of secret-keeping than was the Prophgt Joseph Smith. He faced the scorn and persecution of his enemies and the importunities of his friends and loved ones, and was true to his trust. History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 56; Doc. & Cov., Sec. 25:1-4.
Questions and Problems
1. When does information become ethirally a secret?
2. Show how the golden rule should be applied in keeping secrets.
3. What is the chief value of secrets: (a) to the individual? (b) to society?
4. Discuss this proposition: Tell secrets to those entitled to know them.
5. What is the law of the Lord concerning the publicity of sin?
6. Discuss the difference between tattling and officially reporting.
7. What does failure to keep a secret reveal about our past, our present, and our probable future?
8. What danger is doubled by getting someone to help keep a secret?
DOING COMMON THINGS IN AN UNCOMMON WAY 153
9. Discuss: Talking about home difficulties is like dumping home garbage on the highway.
10. Discuss: The teaching about life and its sources should not be left to the boy "gang," and to the girl "set.''
11. Quote the words of Jesus concerning propriety in revealing the truth. See John 16:12.
12. Give illustrations of the fact that uncommon secret-keeping is an accompaniment of greatness.
13. Explain professional secret-keeping and discuss its value.
14. In what uncommon way did Bok increase the interest of both men and women in his magazines? Chapter 18, Americanization of Edward Bok.
15. Read to the class President Roosevelt's letter to Bok, and discuss the revelation of personal character contained in the communication. Amer icanizatimi- of Edward Bok, Chapter 19.
16. Explain the plan of "raising babies by mail." Bok, Ch. 16.
Lesson XII — Making Good The Meaning of the Term "Making good" has come to mean winning one's way with little concentration of purpose or method. It of times covers the sentiment, "Put money into thy pocket, honestly if thou canst, but put money into thy pocket." That application of the term is to be dismissed with the statement that there is no making good in a bad cause or in any bad way whatever, and that making good shall mean winning fairly in a good cause.
The Three Essentials to "Making Good?'
Aim, Enthusiasm, and Industry. Without an aim, a pur- pose or an objective, making good becomes a matter of accident. Persons of luck may indulge in an aimless life, but those of pluck will insist upon having a purpose; to them life is a prob- lem, not a pastime. Psychology tells us that the grade of one's intelligence may be measured by one's power to see and pur- sue a purpose, and that the greater the distance between the person and the purpose, the higher the intelligence. In other words, the power to work and wait for results is an index to the intelligence of the individual. The "Bohemian" who must be paid his wage every night is of no such timber as the person who can wait to the month-end for his check. It is obedience to this law that places in the front rank, those who work on and en for preparation. Such persons show their superiority by beino; able to pursue an objective from a distance that discourages the weaker ones. The greatest of all leaders had his great objective beyond the clock ticks of mortality. Without a purpose we face the darkened sun of doom's day.
Purpiose puts light into a dungeon. The story is told of a prisoner who, cast into a dark cell found himself approaching a state of despair. Finding four pins in his clothin" he scat- tered them about the dungeon and set himself the task of find-
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ing them. In the interest of his search he often forgot the darkness. He then put himself in competition with himself to see how many times he could find the pins between the regular visits of the prison keeper. The time which, without aimful activity, would have dragged painfully on, passed by with a speed that cut his loneliness to a minimum. "My pin hunting saved me from despair," he said when released.
Enthusiasm
As well expect to hit the mark with a bullet in a powderless shell as to make good without enthusiasm. Emerson says, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." To the worker, enthusiasm is interest; to the religionist, it is fer- vency; to everybody, it is enjoyment.
Industry
This means "hibitual diligence," with emphasis on the word habitual. There is a kind of diligence that is an aimful, en- thusiastic activity, which is so spasmodic that it will not fit into a scheme of making good. Drudgery-dodging is a bar to making good. "Genius will work," says Dr. William James, the great American philosopher, and work that counts in "making good" is aimful, enthusiastic, persistent activity.
"Making Good" as a Parent
The parents must secure obedience from children and have no habit of doing for the child what it can profitably do for itself. It must be said of the parent who is making good as it was said to Abraham, "You will command your children," i. e., obtain their obedience.
Parents who permit the children to rule, fail in making good as did Eli of old. See I Sam., 3:1-14.
"Making Good' as a Citizen
To make good as a citizen we must have civic aims as to what the laws shall be and how they shall be administered, we must be enthusiastic in community prosperity and try to make our votes count somewhere at every election. We must pay the price of citizenship by obeying and sustaining the law, never seeking the nullification of law by the violation of it. Tax resistance may be resorted to in making good, but tax evasion never.
"Making Good?' as a Church Member
We make good as Church members by advocating its doc- trines and recommending the Church by our good conduct thus carrying out the instructions recorded in Matt. 5:16. We
DOING COMMON THINGS IN AN UNCOMMON WAY 155
make good by keeping up our correspondence with the Lord, by paying our tithing, and our fast offerings, by attending sacra- ment meetings, and by standing loyally by Church leaders. We may know whether we are making good as a Church mem- ber by comparing the record of any day's Church service with II Timothy 4:7.
"Making Good?' as ta Leader
We make good in leadership when we have for our chief aim the getting of others to do their work willingly and well; by being enthusiastic in leadership and by being habitually dili- gent in having every subordinate in the line of making good. A general may consistently and nobly share his meals and bed with a private, but to do the private's work puts the officer in a posi- tion of humiliation where he must confess a lack of ability to get others to do their share. One is making good in leadership no farther than he keeps in the front with aimful, enthusiastic, diligent followers near him.
Questions and Problems
1. Why is it impossible to make good by bad methods?
2. Discuss this proposition: Success in a bad cause is a miserable failure.
3. Name the three essentials to making good.
4. Show the relative rank of the Latter-day Saints under the state- ment, "The greater the purpose, the greater the people."
5. Give illustrations of the truth: The greater the power to follow a purpose, the higher the intelligence.
6. Discuss Emerson's statement concerning enthusiasm and achieve- ment.
7. What are the requirements for making good as a parent?
8. When is a person making good as a citizen?
9. What must be done in order to make good as a Church member? 10. When is a person making good as a leader?
The Book Of Mormon
(Selections from the Journal of Discourses, by former Leaders of the
Church)
"The Book of Mormon came to Ephraim, for Joseph Smith was a pure Ephraimite, and the Book of Mormon was revealed to him."— Brigham Young, April 8, 1855; Vol. 2, p. 269.
"Do you remember the history of the Gadiantons, as told in the Book of Mormon? We are surrounded by their descendants.
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[The Indians.] Those loathsome, effeminate specimens of humanity, which we daily see in our midst, are their children, low, degraded, sunken to the lowest depths of human existence. We have our location amid their strongholds, where the ruins of their cities, towns, and fortifications are yet to be seen — they continue unto this day." — Edward Hunter, April 6, 1853, Vol. 2, p. 37.
"No man can say that this book (laying his hand on the Bible) is true, is the word of the Lord, is the way, is the guide- board in the path, and a charter by which we may learn the will of God; and at the same time say, that the Book of Mormon is untrue; if he has had the privilege of reading it, or of hearing it read, and learning its doctrines. There is not a person on the face of the earth who has had the privilege of learning the gos- pel of Jesus Christ from these two books, who can say that one is true, and the other is false." — Brigham Young, Vol. I, p. 38.
" 'Adam, fell that man might be.' Adam saw this, that the woman was overcome by the devil speaking through the ser- pent ; and when he saw it, he was satisfied that the woman would have to be banished from his presence; he saw, also, that unless he partook of the forbidden fruit, he could never raise up pos- terity ; therefore the truth of that saying in the Book of Mormon is apparent, that 'Adam fell that man might be.' He saw it was necessary that he should with her partake of sorrow^ and death and the varied effects of the fall, that he and she might be redeemed from these effects, and be restored back again to the presence of God."— Orson Pmtt, Vol. 1, p. 285, July 25, 1852.
"What is the use of the book in question auyhow? Why, in the first place, it differs in its history from the Bible. The Bible is a history of things that took place in Asia principally, and a little of what took place in Europe and Africa. The Book of Mormon is a history of things in another hemisphere * * Could the rulers of nations realize that fact, and could they only have a copy in their libraries at the cost of $100,000, they would appropriate it for the history of the western hemisphere. * * * It is as important in its history as the Bible, and it is just as interesting and as necessary for men to get an under- standing of the ancient history of A.merica, as it is for them to get a understanding of the history of Asia." — Parley P. Pratt, Vol. I, p 304; July 10, 1853.
Are You Honest?
By Ernest D. Partridge, Brighton Young University
(Author's Note: The question at the head of this article is supposed to cause the reader to look honestly into his own heart and see what beliefs are there; and to see what are his habits in regards to his transactions sim- ilar to the one recorded below. He then is auvised to measure his beliefs and habits by the rule stated at the end of the article to see how' correct he is. The article relates an actual experience. The amount involved is only five cents but the principle is the same as if it had been a thousand dollars.)
The publisher's supply to a certain text on drafing had become exhausted. No copies could be obtained from whole- salers or jobbers. The books became very much sought after. The publisher's price was 25 cents per copy, but the sudden scarcity had sent the price soaring, 1 advertised lor used texts. A few were obtained from 50 to 75 cents per copy. The supply was far below the demand and books were eagerly sought by members of the class.
One morning a young man came into the room with a used copy of our text for sale. I paid him 25 cents for it — the price he had asked. Immediately a member of the class came and offered me 50 cents for the book. I told him I would not take 50 cents but I would take 30 cents for it. He was sur- prised— almost dazed at my remark, but paid 30 cents and left with his prize.
Either thoughtlessly, or intentionally, I am not sure which, I had made the remark about my selling price so loudly that the whole class heard it. Every one stopped work and looked my way. I despise profiteers, and thought I, "here is a splendid opportunity to show my attitude upon the matter." Meanwhile, I mentally patted myself on the back and thought, "What a good boy am I!" Some of the students said plainly by the looks upon their faces, "You chump," others looked — "The 'prof is playing for compiments " Still others tapped their head with their fingjers, . indicating their belief there was some- thing wrong with my upper story. All these made me feel that I had performed a wonderfully honest and upright act. My shoulders moved backward. My chest moved upward and out- ward. My head raised to an almost uncomfortable attitude, rolled a little to one side and became stationary.
Two students came up to my desk and asked if I meant it, or if I were just "kidding " "I mean it," I said, "this profiteer- ing business which is becoming so prominent in the world is a disgrace to the race, and every opportunity to uproot it should
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be made use of. I am going to do all I can to stop it." (Boast- ing, you see.) The students went back to their work, and the incident was forgotten by all — except myself.
For a few seconds 1 sat gazing out of the window. Presently the muscles of my eyes began to tighten. The object of my gaze seemed to recede slowly into the distance, until my sight rested upon "Old Timp." But my mind was not there, my thoughts were about as follows: "How much did you make in that transaction?" — "Five cents."
"What percent gain was that?" "Twenty percent."
"What would be the gain per minute at that rate?" "100%."
One hundred percent, per minute.
I had considered almost as a robber one who would ask 10% per annum. My shoulders relaxed; my chest dropped; my head pivoted back straight, then slowly drooped until my eyes rested upon a piece of paper which was lying upon my desk. I seized my pencil and rapidly made the following nota- tions: Assuming that I could have invested the money as fast as it came in — 100% per minute, 600% per hour, 144,000% per day, 4,320,000% per month or 51,840,000% per annum. Talk about profiteers!
I confess that for some minutes my mind was swamped with questions and answers of many kinds. In fact, I think I can say that for several days my thoughts were completely "scrambled" upon this matter of buying and selling for profit. I could have given the "nickel" back to the buyer, of course, Or I could have given it to the seller. I would have gladly given a nickle to both if thereby my mind could be relieved upon the matter of honesty. But it could not have been re- lieved without the correct solution of the whole transaction. I knew that a commission merchant could not live if he returned all his profits. I studied the matter over and over in my mind. I asked myself, "Was there, then, no virtue in what I did?"
It was some time before I found the correct solution, but I found it; and I am sure that all commission merchants, sales- men, canvassers, horse-traders, etc., will do well to consider it seriously. It is not anything new in itself, but it ought to bring new thought and new action to all who have dealings with their fellow men. It is just His word in a different form; it is:
"So deal that you would be willing to be either party to the transaction"
So in my experience related to this article, I am sure that under the existing conditions, I would have been willing to be at either end of the transaction, but — I am, very thankful that I didn't accept more than thirty cents for the text. Provo, Utah.
A Call to Repentance
By Elder B. H. Roberts*, of tlie First Council of Seventy, and President of the
Eastern States Mission
This certainly is a very great surprise to me. I think none of the presidents of missions, or any member of the First Council of Seventy, ever expect that they will be called upon the first day of the conference to take up any portion of the time. It may take a moment or two for me to get over my astonishment, and to begin thinking about what I may say to you on this occasion. However, very much of that great theme upon which our president has been speaking this morning deals with matters that are very important and of which I have thought much of late.
I have been very greatly impressed during the last few months, while trying to deliver the message of our Church to the world, with the importance of the message that we have, not only for individuals, but for our nation. Of course our message is primarily to individuals; it is a call to repentance for men individually ; a call to repent of their sins, and, through the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obtain remission of their sins, and be born again into fellowship with God. Our effort is to bring the lives of men into union with the spirit life of God, and thus become spiritually alive; and this message of the gospel is unto all those who have not received it.
But also, it is foreshadowed in that great prophecy, of which so- called "Mormonism" is a fulfilment, that this message is to be de- livered to every nation and kindred and tongue and people ; and 1 believe to nations as such. And especially is this so with reference to the Gentile nations of this new world — the two great continents of America. And again is this especially so with that great Gentile na- tion known as the United States of America, which, because of its influence and of its power, dominates the new world, and, in my judgment, always will.
The Lord made certain promises in ancient times concerning the land of Zion — North and South America. We are told in the book of Ether that when the floods receded from this land, it became a choice land unto the Lord, a land which he would dedicate to free- dom, and hence, to free institutions, and unto a righteous people. That is the information we get from our Book of Mormon. And later on, in the history of this book, we get further information as to the de- crees of God concerning this land. As follows, for instance :
"And, he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and for- ever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them."
*Delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference, Oct. 1922.
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Now, mark you this :
"And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
"For behold this is a land which is choice above all other lands; where- fore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of in- iquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.
"And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God — that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."
I think that is rather an important message, national in its scope and spirit, and awful in its warning; and I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is under obligation to lay emphasis upon this part of its mission. Knowing the decrees of God concern- ing the fate of the nation that shall depart from God, and fill up the measure of its iniquity, would it not be a great sin of omission if we did not make proclamation of the decrees of God concerning this land?
In the fore part of the Book of Mormon — in the writings of Nephi, there is a message similar in importance. It is in Second Ne- phi — the first chapter, as I now remember it ; and it there describes in effect, the rise of a great Gentile nation that shall be used as an instrument in the hands of God in restoring Israel unto their pos- sessions in this land. There is no escaping the inference that there is held in the mind of the prophet the nation of the United States, and that it should become as a nursing father and mother to the remnants of Israel in this land, and should be instrumental in bringing to pass, in a large way, the will of God with reference to the accomplishment of his purposes in the land. In other words, it is quite clear from the Book of Mormon, that God has designed to bless the Gentile nations upon this land of Zion, if only they will be true to him and to the great principles of righteousness that enter into the very attributes of God. And, on the other hand, dire calamity is predicted upon the proud Gentile nation in this land if it fails God as an instrument in the accomplishment of his high purposes. Lehi says:
"Notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of prom- ise— " (referring to America) — "a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. * * * Wherefore, I Lehi proph- esy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the com-
A CALL TO REPENTANCE 161
mandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." (II Nephi 1:5, 6, 7).
Referring to the time when the Lord would begin to gather Israel from their long dispersion from the four parts of the earth, the Lord says concerning the Gentiles:
"And the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
"Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?
"But behold, this land, saith God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land
"And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
"And I will fortify this land against all other nations.
"And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God. * * * Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which 1 have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.
"Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.
"For I will fulfil my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh." (II Nephi 10:9-17.)
In another part of the Book of Mormon are the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, in relation to this subject — in Third Nephi, and having in mind more especially the existence of a great Gentile nation in this land, which shall be given very exalted privileges, and upon whom shall be bestowed great power for the accomplishment of God's purposes:
"And blessed are the Gentiles," (said the Savior) "because of their beilef in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.
"Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day, shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them."
All of which was done, of course, in the coming forth of the dispensation of the fulness of times, in this land of America, and under the auspices of guaranteed religious liberty, set forth in the constitu- tion of the United States.
"But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbeliving of the Gentiles — for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people, who are of the house of Israel; and my people
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who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
"And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hate(\ by them, and to become a hiss and a by-word among them —
"And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them."
I want to suspend reading the remainder of this passage for a moment, while I call your attention to the fact that the conditions here named, as to the Gentile nation in this land, are wonderfully ful- filled. When this Book of Mormon came forth in 1830, there were about twelve millions of people in the United States ; now we have nearly three times that number in the Eastern States Mission alone ; and in all the United States, we exceed by considerable, a hundred mil- lions within the borders of continental United States. It was a very bold prediction to write in a book in 1830, when the United States oc- cupied practically only the Atlantic seaboard, and the Ohio valley, to some extent — it was a rather bold prediction to write in a book the prophesy that this Gentile nation — the United States — would be "ex- alted above all other nations, and above all the people of the whole earth." But witness its fulfilment today ! It is true, and this nation, had in mind when this prediction was sent forth in our modern lan- guage, was regarded merely as an experiment in government, and no such future was ever dreamed of for it as is here predicted, and now fulfilled. And also the other and the sadder part of it ; namely — that they would not only be lifted up in power above all other nations, but also they would be filled with all manner of lyings and deceits, and mischiefs and hypocrisies and murders and priestcrafts and whore- doms and of secret abominations — "And if they do all these things, and shall reject my gospel — " and behold, that is what the people of the United States did when they rejected from habitation among them, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and expatriated the membership thereof, so that they were under the necessity of finding a refuge in a land, which, at the time our fathers entered it — The Salt Lake Valley — was no part of the United States of America — but was Mexican territory.
Listen to this : it is a revelation that we do not often refer to, but it has some very choice gems in it. It is the "Word and Will of the Lord to President Brigham Young," given at Winter Quarters, and, among other things, this was said :
A CALL TO REPENTANCE 163
"Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the na- tion that has driven you out ;
"And now cometh the day of their calamity, .even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent, yea, very speedily.
"For they killed the prophets, and them that were sent unto them ; and they have shed innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them."
I think our country at that time did not repent of the wrongs they had done in this and other things, for this proclamation was im- mediately followed by the war with Mexico, in which at least those regiments that were selected from western Illinois — one of them at least, was well nigh wiped out of existence in the war with Mexico ; and it was about the only disastrous engagement that we had in that war. Then followed the awful war, between 1861 and 1865, in which, as I believe, the hand of God severely punished the United States of America, in fulfilment of the wonderful prediction that was made by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in relation to the calamities that would befall the nation. But they rejected the gospel, and that is foreshad- owed in this Book of Mormon passage, and confirmed in the pas- sage in the revelation through Brigham Young. And, by the way, in confirmation also of what President Grant said about the Prophets Jo- seph and Hyrum sealing their testimony with their blood this revela- tion has a word on that also. Speaking of the worth of the labors of the Prophet, how he laid the foundation of it and was faithful :
— "And I took him to myself.
"Many have marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned. Have I not delivered you from your enemies, only in that I have left a witness of my name?"
Earth must atone ; the nation in which he lived had to atone for the blood of that just man — Joseph Smith — a prophet — and I wit- ness to you that our nation did suffer and did atone, as I believe, for the great crime against human liberty and the work of God, which, as a nation, they rejected when they expatriated the Latter-day- Saints.
And now having paused to note the fulfilment of this prophetic part of the Book of Mormon passage, let us note what follows. "I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them," were the last words I read in the passage which I suspended reading. And now, contin- uing:
"And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them,
"And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel.
"But if the Gentiles will repent, and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel."
Notwithstanding the list of their abominations — great as it is —
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notwithstanding their rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the people of God, yet, if they will but repent, God promises to renew their lot and their part in the glories of this great Latter-day work.
Shall we not, then, proclaim to our nation and to all the inhab- itants thereof this glorious promise that is held out of the Lord unto them ? And the fact that we have eight missions established within the boundaries of the United States, and are laboring with all diligence to make proclamation of the Gospel — is it not good evidence that God is willing that we should continue our labors among the people of the United States to bring them to repentance, and to a participation in these great purposes and1 designs of God, in relation to this land of Zion and the work He designs to bring to pass upon it ?
I continue the passage :
"But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they, shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel.
"And I will not suffer my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread them down, saith the Father.
"But if they will not turn unto me and hearken unto my voice — "
Then he will suffer his people to go through them to destroy them, and so following. I should be pleased to read still other words of the Lord Jesus Christ to the same effect. I have read from the 16th chapter of Third Nephi. In the 20th chapter all this is practi- cally repeated and much more added, and in these latter passages em- phasis is laid- upon the fact that if the Gentiles on the land of Zion will repent and return unto the Lord, behold his mercies shall be extended to them, and they shall inherit the promises of God and have lot and part in the glory and peace and liberty and prosperity that God designs to bring forth upon the land of Zion.
This, then, is what I think constitutes the national phase of our mission to the United States — to make proclamation unto the inhab- itants of all the land that these are their opportunities and their bless- ings if only they will extend their hands and receive them. And, on the other hand,. woe be unto them if they hearken not unto the mes- sage of God, after all His great mercies unto them.
I should have been pleased, could time possibly have been had, to present to you the full indictment, the indictment that is being made against the United States for the lawlessness of its people, the increase of crime during the last twenty years especially, and espe- cially those crimes of violence that end in murder, in its various de- grees. In these higher crimes the United States of America is the most criminal nation on earth today. I must be permitted to give at least a little evidence to this statement. On August 10, 1922, there was published in Current History, for September, a Report of the Spe- cial Commission of Law Enforcement, made at a meeting of the Amer- ican Bar Association at San Francisco, from which I quote the fol- lowing:
"From all the data and opinions of experts which your committee has been able to gather, we beg leave to report that — particularly since
A CALL TO REPENTANCE 165
1890 — there has been, and continues, a widening, deepening tide of law- lessness in this country, sometimes momentarily receding, to swell again into greater depth and intensity. At intervals this tide billows into waves that rise and break but only for a time attracting public attention. * * * The criminal situation in the United States, so far as crimes of violence are concerned, is v/orse than that in any other civilized country. Here there is less respect for law. While your committee cannot obtain the exact figures, from all available sources of information w,e estimate that there were more than 9,500 unlawful homicides last year in this country; that in 1920 there occurred not less than 9,000 such homicides, and thr.t in no year during the last ten years did the number fall below 8,500. In other words, during the last ten years, no less than 85.000 of our citizens have perished by poison, by the pistol or the knife, or by some other un- lawful and deadly instrument. Burglaries have increased in this country during the past ten years 1,200 per cent.
"We deem it important to note the material difference between the character of crime ,onditions prevailing here and those abroad. Our re- gretable eminence is due in most part to crimes of violence against the person and propertv. In 1910, out of the 58,800 confined in our State and Federal prisons, 15,316, or more than 25 per cent of all prisoners, had com- mitted homicides. While of course this number includes the accumulation of years, this awful fact still bears its own significance. The evidence be- fore us shows that there has been since 1910 a steady and terrible in- crease not only in homicides, but also in burglaries and robberies. One State has in its different prisons 3,547 inmates; of these 1,429 are guilty of taking the lives of human beings. * * * Crime and lawlessness in the United States have been steadily on the increase and out ol propor- tion to our growth, and there has been a steady and growing disrespect for law. In our opinion this is not a result of the war. We do not find the proportional increase in crime from 1916 to 1922 greater than from 1910 to 1916, and we have not been able to discover that crimes of violence have materially increased in France, England or Canada during or since the war, although the effects of the war naturally must be more marked in those countries."
In the face of these conditions, of the truth of which there can be no question — is it not necessary to sound this note of warning against lawlessness throughout the United States? I am happy in the thought that the President of our Church — God's prophet in the earth — in his opening remarks this morning put his finger upon the one great fact and uttered a warning that ought to be stressed — a warn- ing against the lawlessness that obtains throughout our country. It is fitting that his voice should sound the key-note of warning, because that is what God would have the people of the United States warned of — the wickedness that exists among them, and the calamity that will follow if they do not repent.
I bear witness to you, from my heart, that the inspiration of God has dictated to our President the Key-note words of warning in this conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. _ May we sense the responsibility resting upon us as a great missionary Church in the earth, charged with the solemn duty of calling men to repentance, and warning nations against the fate that awaits the na- tion that lapses into lawlessness, crime, and unrighteousness ; for God, in these things will not be mocked. May we sense our duty and re- sponsibility is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
In the Light of History*
By Elder Jomes E. Talmage, of the Council of the Twelve
I think it well for us at times to look at ourselves and take stock to determine what we are, and this both as individuals and as an or- ganization. We may need a mirror to show just how we look as in- dividuals, and I pray you if you use one, be sure that it is a right mirror, unwarped, and that your eyes be clear, that we may see ourselves as we are. And it is well to look at the Church, not that we need sep- arate ourselves from it for the occasion, but to look at it impartially and get its proper perspective in relation to other organizations.
A PANORAMIC VIEW OF SOME ESSENTIAL POINTS IN CHURCH HISTORY
If it were possible to show by means of panorama or the mov- ing picture, the essential points connected with the history of the Church of Jesus Christ, going back no farther than the apostolic dis- pensation of old, we would see first a scene of wondrous activity and sacrifice. The apostles, who had been ordained under the hands of Jesus Christ, and those who had been called into the council of the apostles afterward, and the seventies who had been marshaled for their work, and the bishops and the elders and the priests, teachers and dea- cons— these we see at work, going amongst the people and spreading the gospel, spreading it so thoroughly that Paul was able to say in his day that practically every soul had heard it, by which I under- stand that he meant that every soul had had a chance to hear of it, to learn something about it. As the scene changes we see there many others who followed in the footsteps of the apostles, so far as their energy and devotion and authority to labor was concerned. Then we see confusion coming into the Church, partly because of oppression and almost indescribable persecution from without, partly because of the threatening disruption from within.
THE GREAT APOSTASY
There was an apostasy, and a great one, not the first one by any means in the history of mankind, but a great falling away, an apostasy of individuals from the Church in countless numbers, and then the apostasy of the so-called church itself, turning away from the ways that had been laid down as the government of the church, corrupting the ordinances established by divine authority, pandering to the so-called philosophy of the day, introducing the elements of paganism and heathenism to make their worship more spectacular and more attractive, until we see as we look at the changing scene, that there is only the outward form of godliness and not one flash to tell us of the power thereof.
•Delivered at the Senii-Annual Conference, Oct. 1922.
IN THE LIGHT OF HISTORY 167
THE PERIOD OF SPIRITUAL DARKNESS
Then as tne panorama moves, comes the period of darkness, spiritual and mental. For, mark you, the mind is an attribute of the spirit; and as spiritual powers dwindled, mentality became deficient and the dark ages loomed. The sombre cloud failed to arouse faith and trust, but deepened the gloom of unbelief. We see people strug- gling in the midst of darkness trying to get out of the jungle. Men were sent unto them to help, men of God, seeking to lead them back into the light, to some extent, but they had a hard time. The Church had become apostate and tyrannical. It had undertaken to rule by autocratic methods. It claimed the right to tell men what to do and to force them to do it on penalty of loss of life or limb, and the con- fiscation of their goods. It undertook to dictate unto nations, unto kings, what they should do, and professed to absolve subjects from all allegiance to their rulers if the rulers failed to obey the behest of the church so-called.
THE LIGHT OF GOD IN THE RESTORATION
The centuries passed and by and by a light appeared ; a glorious il- lumination broke forth ; and the word of God was heard again, for God the Eternal Father — I speak it without reservation or modifica- tion— that Being after whom we have been formed in physical, mental and spiritual image, did appear upon the earth unto the lad Joseph Smith. And with the Eternal Father stood the only Son whom he had begotten in the flesh, Jesus the Christ, who affirmed that the authority and power to speak and to act in the name of God was not at that time upon the earth. Then followed the promise that it should be restored and in time, even as the prophets of old had foreseen, angels came to earth ministering unto those who had been chosen, and be- stowing upon them by the same outward ordinance as was observed of old, by the laying on of hands, the power and the authority not only to speak but to act in the name of the living God, according to the order set forth.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not sprung from any "mother church." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints is no sect; it owes no allegiance to any other religious so- ciety, call it by the name of church or what you will, on the face of the earth. It does not claim to possess the Holy Priesthood by direct and uninterrupted descent from Peter of old, but it does claim that Peter, accompanied by his associates James and John, the three who constituted the presidency in the organization of the apostolate of old, did come by instruction of the Lord and did confer upon men here upon the earth the authority they possessed and which they exercised in the flesh before their martyrdom. We speak that plainly. I know it shocks the ears of some who may not have prepared themselves to receive it ; and yet, wherein is the inconsistency ? We proclaim the fact and also proclaim that the apostasy was a reality; and others
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admit it, theologians, scholarly men, and even churches. Though you have heard it before, I wish to draw your attention to that solemn declaration by the chief of the Protestant churches, the Church of England, made soon after the time of its creation — for it was created by act of Parliament. But there were wise men and good men num- bered in the organization, and that church declared, about the mid- dle of the sixteenth century, in its homily on the peril of idolatry, as follows :
"Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees of men, women, and children of whole Christendom — an horrible and most dreadful thing to think — have been at once drowned in abominable idolatry; of all other vices most detested of God, and most damnable to man; and that by the space of eight hundred years and more."
THE CHURCH OF GOD ESTABLISHED ANEW
That, I take it, is good testimony as to the actuality of the apos- tasy. We proclaim the restoration which the prophets of old said should follow the apostasy. The Church of Jesus Christ has been established upon the earth anew, through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his immediate associates in the ministry. It is the Church of Jesus Christ brought to earth again, established anew as had been predicted, I repeat; and its mission is the preparation of the earth for the great consummation, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this restored church has been placed, by divine ministration and ordinance, the authority of the Lesser and of the Greater — or of the Aaronic and of the Melchizedek Priesthoods, with the several of- fices thereof and the several duties, responsibilities and powers per- taining to each office as of old.
THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT
That it was and is something new, and yet something old, as it is in fact eternal, was set forth by the Lord in a revelation given in April, 1830, just after the organization of the Church. There were people who had joined other churches. Many of them had been and were devout. They had been baptized, some of them by sprinkling and some of them by pouring, but they called it baptism, and some of them' by immersion ; and they raised the question as to whether they could not become members of this Church now by application and profession of faith alone, affirming that it was unjust that they should be required to be baptized again. In this claim they plainly forgot that the outward form of baptism can be performed by anybody, but that baptism as an ordinance acceptable unto the Lord requires the power and the authority of the Priesthood which he has given. There- fore the Lord said:
"Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that Which was from the beginning.
"Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hundred times it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the strait gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works.
In the LIGHT OF HISTORY 169
"For it is because of your dead works that I have caused this last covenant and this Church to be built up unto me, even as in da}s of old. "Wherefore, enter y.e in at the gate, as I have commanded."
I have read from Section 22 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Isn't that in line with the declaration our Lord made while he talked in the flesh, even the Christ, known as Jesus of Nazareth, who was ac- knowledged as a marvelous prophet whose teachings were full of wis- dom? On one occasion, amidst circumstances which the rest of the chapter will give unto you, he spoke these words recorded in the 9th Chapter of Matthew, beginning with the sixteenth verse :
"No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles ; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."
The Judaism of that day was a travesty on the law that God had given. Many believed in part of what Christ said, but they wanted to tack it on to the Judaism of the day ; they wanted to make the word of God conform to their philosophy, or with their sophistry, or with their man-made precepts, and the Lord warned them : Do not put a new piece of cloth on the old garment, it will tear it away and make a more hideous rent than there was before. Do not put that newly fermenting juice into old leathern bags, for that was the nature of the bottles of that day. You know how quickly old leather breaks. Don't put it into such bottles, for the fermentation will burst the bot- tles and the good wine will be lost and the bottles will be entirely ruined. There was to be no compromise with the semi-pagan doctrines of the day, nor was there to be any compromise between the principles of the gospel of Christ and the teachings of men not conforming there- with, the doctrines of men that have been evolved in the minds of men without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — no compromise !
THIS CHURCH LED BY REVELATION AND INSPIRATION FROM HEAVEN
We are tolerant, tolerant in the extreme. We grant unto every man the right to worship after his own conscience, even as we claim it ; but we do not compromise by the acceptance of the views of men in an attempt to mingle them with the doctrine of Christ, and call it all the word of God. The Lord has spoken and is speaking. I bear you solemn testimony that ever since the reestablishment of the Church in 1830, this Church of Jesus Christ has been led by inspiration and revelation from the heavens. This is the day in which you witness such. The Lord is not leaving his Church to itself. He is speaking in the ways best known to him, and inspiring and leading those whom you sustain as your leaders. Follow them and be safe. May the Lord be with us in carrying out the determination for a better life which we have formed in this conference, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God's Dealings with Mankind
By President Anthony W. Ivins
I sincerely desire, my brethren and sisters, during the few mo- ments which I may occupy tlrs morning, of the time which is allotted to us, that I may be sustained by your faith and prayers. I feel my dependence upon the Lord, possibly as I have never felt it before, be- cause the older I become, the greater my experience, the more I come to realize that the power of God, our Father, alone can make us strong.
THE CREATION
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
If the chronology of the Bible is correct — and I know of none better — nearly six thousand years have elapsed since the declaration which I have read was made, and which is the first paragraph from the book of Genesis. It will be observed that this statement, like all others made by the Lord, is a definite, abstract declaration of fact. It is not stated as a theory, a thing which may or may not have been, depending upon the opinions of man for proof.
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them, and said unto them be fruit- ful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
The story of the creation of man, and the purpose for which he was placed upon the earth, is told, not in its fullest detail, of course, in the brief scripture from which I have quoted. Of the story of man during the Adamic dispensation, we know but little. The his- tory of one thousand five hundred years and more is told in the Bible on ten short pages, and modern revelation gives us but brief account of the happenings between the creation and the deluge.
MAN GOVERNED BY CONTRARY POWERS
This much, however, is made clear to us : That from the earliest period of his existence until the present man has lived a dual life, has been governed by one ;of two influences, each diametrically op- posed to the other. From the beginning these two powers have striven for the mastery, one leading men on to higher ideals, teaching faith, hope, charity, 'patience, love, self sacrifice, humility, righteousness and justice. The other leading men away from these divine ideals, teach- ing selfishness, personal ambition, love of power, disregard for virtue, chastity, equality and self sacrifice.
One teaching that man is the offspring of Deity, created in the image of God, and placed upon the earth endowed with intelligence to discern between good and evil, between right and wrong, and that the Creator would hold him responsible for the use he made of the agency which had been bestowed upon him. The other teaching that
*Delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference, Oct. 1922.
GOD'S DEALINGS WITH MANKIND 171
man is responsible to no power other than that which he himself has created, and that his future state is not influenced by, nor dependent upon, allegiance to, or acknowledgment of a supreme being. These two influences were manifested soon after our first parents were placed upon earth.
From God, our Father, through his Only Begotten Son, came teachings which, if adhered to, would lead man back into the pres- ence of the Father, and redeem him from the transgression into which he had fallen, because he had listened to Lucifer, a son of the morn- ing, who had rebelled against God, and because of his rebellion had been cast down with his angels, banished from the presence of the Father, and had become Perdit'on, destined to fight against God, to be the father of lies, and the enemy of all that is good.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Father talked with Adam, mak- ing plain to him that he would provide, through his Only Begotten Son, a Savior, and means by which redemption would come to his posterity, as the people multiplied they refused to listen to his teach- ings, and came to love Satan more than God. <,
ENOCH SENT TO CALL THE PEOPLE TO REPENTANCE
Before the birth of Seth, who was 'obedient to the teachings of his father, Adam, and became a preacher of righteousness, the peo- ple had become sensual and devilish. Cain had learned, through the teachings of Satan, 'that by taking the life of his brother Abel he could become possessed of his flocks and herds, he had been taught that by combining in oath-bound societies power could be obtained by the shedding of blood, and war and bloodshed prevailed among the people.
At this time the Lord sent Enoch to call the people to repentance, and he 'went forth testifying to the redemption which would come in the meridian of time, through the atonement which was to be made by the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh, but they refused to listen, and so great 'was their opposition to Enoch, and enmity toward those who accepted his word, that it became necessary for the Lord to take them from the earth.
iTHE PROPHECIES AND WORK OF NOAH
Again the Lord sent his prophet to warn the people, and rescue them from the power of Satan, who held them in 'bondage. Noah, who was the son of Lamech, who was the son of Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, went among the people (prophesying that except they renounced their -allegiance to Satan, and returned to the Lord they would be utterly destroyed. Again the message fell upon deaf ears, only Noah and his sons, and their families being saved when the windows of heaven were opened, iand the floods covered the earth.
Thus the first effort made by the Lord to teach his children the plan by which they might be redeemed, and brought back into his presence, had' failed, so far as the great majority was concerned, one
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thousand five hundred and fifty years after they had been placed upon the earth.
After having witnessed this great manifestation of the power )oi God, and the result which is inevitable to those who follow after Satan, for he sooner or later leads people to death, ione would think that the lesson would always be remembered. Noah and his sons went out from the ark humbled and convinced, for they had witnessed the destruction of their race, but the lesson was soon forgotten. Two hundred and fourteen years after the ark rested on jMount Ararat the people were again traveling in the broad road which leads to destruction. They had again turned from the worship of the true God to the worship of idols.
THE CALLING OF ABRAHAM AND THE RISE OF ISRAEL
At this time there occurred an event which was to have a more direct effect upon you and me than any which had hitherto transpired. From his home in Chaldea the Lord called Abraham, and taking him up into Palestine entered into covenant with him, that notwithstand- ing the fact that he was a childless man, he would make his posterity innumerable, and would give Palestine to him and his children for an everlasting inheritance, and that through him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed.
In fulfilment of the word of the Lord Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, and he became the father of Jacob, who was the father of the twelve patriarchs, the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Again the keys of the Priesthood were conferred upon men, again the prophets declared the great plan of human redemption, again the law of sacrifice was restored by which the people were taught that an infinite sacrifice would be provided, by which they were to be re- deemed from death, because He who was to come would be the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead.
At one time it appeared that the word of the Lord would not be fulfilled, for Israel left Palestine, and went into Egypt, where for a period of more than two hundred years, the greater part of the time in servitude, they adopted the customs and idolatrous worship of the Egyptians, But the purposes of the Lord were not to be frus- trated, and he called his servant Moses who led Israel out from the Egyptian bondage, and back to the promised land, the land which the Lord had given to their father Abraham to be an everlasting in- heritance.
ISRAEL, UNDER DAVID AND SOLOMON, A DOMINANT NATION
The Lord again showered blessings upon the people, until under David and Solomon, their prophet kings, they became one of the dominant nations of the world.
During the Israelitish period the Lord again raised up prophets who testified, as prophets had testified in earlier dispensations, that the Lord would send, through the lineage of Davicl, the Messiah,
GOD'S