--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 4 number: 7 published: 1901-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Editor’s Table: President George Q. Cannon; Answers to Questions," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 7 (May 1901): 545–550.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0407unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0407unse start_page: 545 end_page: 550 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0407unse publication_year: 1901 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1901, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table: President George Q. Cannon; Answers to Questions EDITOR'S TABLE. PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON. President George Q. Cannon died in Monterey, California, in the early morning of Friday, April 12, 1901. His body was brought to Salt Lake City, arriving on the evening of Monday, following. In the passing away from this earth of this great and good man, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints loses a strong, conservative counselor; the State a mighty pillar of strength; the business world, a forceful and progressive man of affairs; and his family, a loving impartial brother, husband and father. George Quayle Cannon was born in Liverpool, England, on the 11th day of January, 1827, and was the oldest son of George and Ann Quayle Cannon who were natives of Peel, on the Isle of Man. He joined The Church in 1840, being baptized by the late John Taylor, February 11th. In September, 1842, the family sailed for Nauvoo; the mother died and was buried in mid-ocean. On August 17, two years thereafter, the father died in St. Louis. George Q. entered into the printing business, working in the offices of the Times and Seasons and the Nauvoo Neighbor. At the time of the expulsion, he went to Winter Quarters, and in 1847, crossed the plains, arriving in the valley October 3. After laboring with the pioneers for his living, and enduring with them the hardships of the times for two years, he was called on a mission to California, under the direction of Elder Charles C. Rich. His subsequent call to the Sandwich Islands, and his faithful though difficult labors there in the introduction of the gospel to the natives, four thousand of 546 IMPR0VEMEN1 ERA. whom joined The Church, his translation of the Book of Mormon, into the native language, his founding of the Western Standard, in California, and his literary labors thereon, are matters of well- known history. He returned in January, 1858, owing to the John- ston's army trouble. From that time on, his history is very closely interwoven with the history of The Church and Utah. Few im- portant movements have taken place in either, in the past forty years, that have not been largely shared or shaped by George Q. Cannon. As editor at various times of the Deseret News; as the pub- lisher and editor of the Juvenile Instructor, which he established in January, 1866; and as a publisher and writer of books, his works are in the van of Church literature, and he stands as a leader among Church writers. In educational affairs, his influence was no less. He threw his whole soul into the great Sunday School movement which was greatly accelerated by the publication of the Juvenile; for twenty years, he was a member of the Board of Regents of the University, ten years of which time as Chancellor he stood at the head of the institution, a strong supporter and an ardent advocate of higher education, in its most trying years in Utah. His labors in the same direction, with and in behalf of the great school, the Brigham Young Academy, and other Church educational institu- tions,«stand out boldly to view, for he was ever alert to their needs and best interests. No man has set a better example to the young men of Zion than President Cannon. In Congress, in the business world, in politics, and in all the common affairs of men, it was never for- gotten that George Q. Cannon was a "Mormon." That fact dis- tinguished him, and he upheld his reputation as a genuine repre- sentative of the Latter-day Saints and their system of ethics, by an integrity as unimpeachable as truth itself. Some men come in contact with the influences of the world, and give way to them, or permit them to so modify their views that the latter are engulfed or become like the views of the majority. With President Cannon, his personality was foremost in any company, and on no occasion was it ever forgotten that he belonged to the peculiar people called Latter-day Saints. As a model for young men, in the matter of observing the word of wisdom, his conduct is a shining example. EDITOR'S TABLE. 547 Time and again, he has warned them to never Itouch liquor, tea, coffee, tobacco, in order that they might never know their taste, and thus live beyond temptation. His actions, in these respects as in all others of his life, strictly conform to his theories. George Q. Cannon was a powerful man whose intellectual per- sonality enlarged him in men's eyes, so that, while his physical being was small, he yet appeared large in body to most people who saw him or heard him speak. His strength consisted largely in his humility; and his power as a wise counselor, lay in his deference for the opinions of others, and in his willingness to listen to and respect their views. As a diplomat, he had few equals; as a forceful public speaker, he bound his hearers, as in a spell, to the views he advo- cated. He was laid to rest in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, on Wed- nesday, April 17. The services in the Tabernacle were very im- pressive. There were sweet music and song, beautiful decorations of white, and a wilderness of sweetly-woven flowers — offerings from loving friends at home and in distant parts of our country. Touch- ing eulogies on his noble life and deeds, were pronounced by his faithful brethren to ten thousand silent listeners, men, women and children; and, throughout the whole Church, there is deep and universal mourning, as when a mighty people part with a beloved chieftain, father, counselor and guide. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Prophecy of the Civil War. Was the prophecy concerning the Civil War published before the year 1861? If so, where can it be found? The prophecy of the Civil War (Doctrine and Covenants, Sec- tion 87) first appeared in print in the year 1851, in the Millennial Star, Volume 49, page 396. It also appeared in the 1851 edition of the Pearl of Great Price. It is also recorded in the early man- 548 IMPROVEMENT ERA. uscript history of The Church, under date 1832, which manuscript history is now in possession of the historian of The Church. Bodies with the Papyrus of the Book of Abraham. Referring to Lesson 10, Note 14, Manual 1900-1, whose bodies, pur- chased at Kirtland by the Saints, do we understand these mummies to have been? Was one the body of Abraham? We do not know whose bodies were purchased with the sheets of papyrus from which the Book of Abraham was translated. The body of Abraham was not among them. He was buried in the cave of Machpelah, in Canaan, and his body was never taken to Egypt. Fulfillment of a Prophecy. Explain Amos viii: 11, 12: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hear- ing the words of the Lord: "And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Has this prophecy been fulfilled, or is it yet to take place? In the Bible prophecies, it is common for several events to be predicted in the same chapter, which are to take place at different times. The prophecy referred to, in Amos viii: 11, 12, may be said to have been in fulfillment for centuries — in fact, ever since the gospel was taken from the earth. This brought on the famine "of hearing the words of the Lord." The various religious movements which have taken place since then, as, for example, the Albigen- sian movement, the reformation, religious revivals, etc., indicate the running "to and fro to seek the word of the Lord." This con- dition has been largely removed by the restoration of the gospel in our day. The prophecy in question is one of long- continued fulfillment. The Baptism of John, Was John's baptism Christian baptism? (Question 5, Lesson 14, Manual 1900-1.) John's baptism was Christian baptism, for it was performed EDITOR'S TABLE. 549 with an eye looking forward to the spiritual baptism of Christ. Without this spiritual baptism, John's baptism by water would have been incomplete. Therefore, when John baptized, he invariably told his converts to look forward to the one (Christ) who should baptize them with fire and the Holy Ghost. These baptisms were never performed over again by the Savior or his apostles, but were accepted as of full force, and therefore Christian. The inci- dent of the Ephesians whom Paul baptized again (Acts 19: 2-7) occurred simply because he was in doubt as to the validity of their former baptism, for the reason that they had not so much as heard of the spiritual baptism. In order to make sure, he bap- tized them in the name of Christ, and conferred the Holy Ghost upon them. When was Brigham Young Sustained President of The Church? Was Brigham Young ordained and set apart to be president of The Church? If so, when and where, and where can the fact be found? Brigham Young was elected president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by unanimous vote of the Twelve, who held the keys of the priesthood after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, on December 5, 1847; and this action was confirmed by the authorities and the Saints who assembled in conference at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the 26th of the same month. He was sus- tained in this position by unanimous vote of a general conference of The Church, held in Salt Lake City, October 8, 1848. His ordi- nation to the office would follow as a matter of course. The account of this appointment may be found in the Historical Record, page 28. The Form of Baptism. If an elder, performing a baptism, should not use the exact words quoted in Section 20, Doctrine and Covenants, would such a baptism be valid and acceptable, or would a person having been so baptized be a non-member? If an elder, in performing a baptism, fails to use the proper words, he should be corrected, if any one notices the error. If, however, the error is not noticed and rectified, the baptism as well 550 IMPROVEMENT ERA. as any other ordinance that may be thus performed, is not rendered void. In that case, the intent of the one performing the ordinance istaken into account, and also the intent of the person applying for baptism. Since the intent of each is sincere, the act should not be invalidated by an error. But it should be remembered that there is no excuse for any elder making a mistake in using the simple words of the ordinance of baptism. They are easily learned, and should be so thoroughly memorized by every priest and elder as to render mistakes impossible. Therefore, the best answer to the question is, let no such mistake be made.