The Word of Wisdom

THE WORD OF WISDOM. BY ELDER JOHN T. MILLER.

The Lord imparted from above The Word of Wisdom for our blessing, But shall it unto many prove A gift that is not worth possessing?

Have we not been divinely taught To heed its voice and highly prize it? Then who shall once indulge the thought It can be better to despise it?

Has self-denial grown a task? Or has that word been vainly spoken? Or why, I fain would humbly ask, Why is that word so often broken?

It is a straight and narrow way That leads to the celestial city; That high-taught Saints should go astray Through Gentile customs is a pity.

0, that the Saints would all regard Each gracious word that God has given, And prize the favor of the Lord Above all things beneath the heaven! Eliza R. Snow.

The above comes to us with double force at the present time when an epidemic threatens our homes; but we cannot help thinking that such a condition is made possible through our negligence

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to the simple principles given in the Word of Wisdom, because it is there plainly stated that if the people will yield obedience to those principles they shall receive health. This is the voice of science as well as of revelation. There are thousands in this country of all religious faiths and of no religious faiths who yield obedience to these principles and received the promised blessing of health. A Quaker community in one of the Eastern States adopted these principles in their daily life, and for thirty years there was not a case of fever among them. The Latter-day Saints have always emphasized these principles, but there were always some among them to whom the necessary self-denial became a task, and they failed to embody these principles in their daily life. We are placed at a disadvantage through the almost universal neglect or disregard of the human family for many generations, which has resulted in many inheriting weak physical bodies which are susceptible to disease even when the possessors of them live a reasonably hygienic life. We have the ideal placed before us, and by constantly keeping it in view and laboring to reach it, we shall be able to conquer at least the zymotic or infectious diseases, such as scarlet fever and diphtheria, that are such constant visitors to our towns and cities, and small pox that is playing such havoc in Utah now. In addition to keeping the inside of our bodies clean, the outside should receive attention and the home surroundings should be kept in a sanitary or clean condition, because the decaying animal or vegetable matter that often collects around our homes is a breeding place for disease, the impurities being taken into the system. Leicester in England demonstrated to the world the value of having clean surroundings. They had had several severe epidemics of small pox, but large sums of money were expended to place the city in a strictly sanitary condition, and they have not had an epidemic since. In Utah, we have not had much experience with small pox because it has not been common here, and it is possible that not all necessary precautions are taken as far as personal habits are concerned. This is a time when the greatest care should be exercised and every possible effort be made to raise the vitality of the body, because it is universally believed that the healthful body is immune from disease. When the blood is pure, it is believed that the white cells of the blood dispose of the disease-producing substances that

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enter the body, which accounts for many healthful persons being constantly among infectious diseases without they themselves suffering from the diseases. The body is kept in such a condition by pure food, including water and air, by exercise, a proper amount of sleep, cheerfulness and other normal mental conditions, bathing, etc. But how few there are who pay sufficient attention to these things: and as a result how few have good health! "In Our Lovely Deseret" we are fond of singing:

That the children may live long. And be beautiful and strong Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise; Drink no liquor, and they eat But a very little meat.

These sentiments are not always carried out as they should be. The people know the truth regarding these things, and the good results following obedience to them, why are they not universally kept? Thousands of years ago, the Lord told the Israelites that the hog is not fit for food for man, and science has demonstrated the same thing by finding that hogs are full of disease. Dr. Vaughn, of Michigan University, recently stated that our government has spent more money during the last quarter century to mvestigate hog cholera than for all the diseases that the human family is heir to, yet many thousands of hogs are eaten every year in our state, that have never been inspected to find whether they are diseased or not. Diseases are increasing among other domestic animals, and the same conditions prevail regarding them. I need not mention the other things we take into our systems which have been condemned by both revelation and science. Utah has one of the most healthful climates in the world, and by yielding obedience to the voice of revelation and of science, we might be one of the most healthful people. We often hear the passage quoted: "For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes," etc. Would it not be equally true to state: after the voice of revelation and science comes the voice of diseases? If the Latter-day Saints will live up to the light they possess

regarding health principles, the present sorrowful condition will not be repeated.