Editor’s Table: Life-Influencing Maxims

EDITOR^S TABLE. LIFE-INFLUENCING MAXIMS. Our readers perhaps will remember that we promised in our Prospectus to publish a symposium under the title ''Life-Influencing Maxims." It is expected, of course, that these will be contributed by the officers and members of the associations, or any others of our readers who may feel disposed to contribute to the symposium. In Volume I we published a " Symposium of Best' Thoughts." The length of the contributions under that title was limited to one hundred words. We are desirous that this second symposium should partake very much of the same nature, and we hope there will be a general response to this invitation. We appeal to the officers of the associations and ask them to encourage the young men to write the Era, telling us what text of scripture, what poem, or what maxim of philosophy it is that had a deciding influence upon their life, morally or spiritually. It may not be possible always to confine the responses to this invitation to one hundred words, because a poem, or passage of scripture, or maxim of philosophy may itself exceed the one hundred words, but as far as may be we desire to see the contributions kept within the limit named above. We take occasion to remind our readers, as stated in our prospectus, that some one has said that "the world is governed by phrases;" and so, too, are many lives: that is, at some particular crisis of a young man's life, a text of scripture, a passage from the

poets, a maxim from the philosophers, or a word from a friend, strikes upon his ear and becomes well-nigh the voice of God within his soul, and marks, perhaps, the turning point in his life. It is the collection of such maxims that have influenced the lives of our young men which we desire to collect; and in order that we may illustrate more perfectly what we mean we call attention to the passage of scripture that had such a marked influence upon the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It will be remembered what mental struggles he endured in his early youth while contemplating the divided state of Christendom, and the confusion of human creeds which then as now very generally abounded. In the midst of his mental distress and spiritual anxiety he came upon the passage recorded in the Epistle of James, the first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." " Never," said he, in speaking of this early experience in later years —"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of any man than this did to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom from God than I than had, would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passage so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God." We now all know the result. He enquired of the Lord and received such an answer as resulted in the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth; began, in fact, that marvelous religious revolution which will not be completed until the Kingdom of God shall come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is what we mean by life-influencing passages from the scriptures, poets, or philosophers—something that changed the course of events in the person's life; that brought him from darkness into the light; that gave a soul to God; and we most earnestly