Author of the Castle Builder

808 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

Clares, viz., that he was visited by heavenly beings, the Father and the Son. Now, as to the usefulness of modern revelation, that has been referred to above, in the brief treatment of its need; and it is no sign that revelation is useless because it is not proper that it should be accepted in the courts. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's." Reve- lation given for the^ personal knowledge or guidance of any person' should not be given to the public, either in a civil or reli- gious capacity; but because it might be (and in such cases is) con- sidered improper for public use, it is no sign that even such reve- lation is useless to the person for whom it is intended. It might be said in passing, however, that the revelation which the minis- ters were so troubled about turned out to be correct and in conformity with the evidence, and the decision of the court and jury. Our testimony is that God lives, and that he speaks by his power to men who seek him and believe in him, thus making known his will to them in matters that pertain, not only to his true Church, but in matters that pertain to each individual who seeks him. Joseph F. Smith.

THE AUTHOR OF "THE CASTLE BUILDER."

An interesting personality among the writers of home litera- ture is the author of "The Castle Builder," whose portrait forms the frontispiece of this number of the Era. Nephi Anderson is a Norwegian by nativity, having been born in that country's capi- tal city, Christiania, January 22, 1865. His parents, Christian Anderson and Petronella Neilsen, with their family, emigrated to Utah in the fail of 1871. They settled in Coalville, Summit county, where the boyhood of the young writer was spent in the very heart of the Wasatch, and where the first eight years of his life were passed in obtaining such scant education as the crude country schools at that time afforded. In 1879, the family removed to Weber county, where his education was continued in the Wilson

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district school, between intervals of work on the farm. From his father he learned the trade of painter and paper-hanger. During the winter of 1884-5, he attended the high school in Ogden, un- der the late Prof. T. B. Lewis, and Prof. W. H. Jones, and then himself taught a school in Ogden in the school year 1885-6. He has held many minor offices in the Church, having always been an earnest worker. On March 16, 1884, he was ordained a Seventy, having prior to that time acted as Deacon. In the Ogden Fourth ward he was assistant to the Sunday school superintendent, and later counselor in the Y. M. M. I. A. He was married to Asenath Tillotson on December 22, 1886; and in 1890, removed to Brigham City. It was on the 29th of

August in the year following that he left on a mission to Norway, where for over two years he did effective missionany work, and gathered matter for several stories which have since appeared. He returned October 5, 1893, and has since resided in Brigham City, where he taught school several years, and where, among other active duties, he has filled the positions of president of the Scandi- navian meetings, corresponding secretary and aid in the stake im- provement board, stake clerk, one of the presidents of the fifty-

eighth quorum of Seventy, and superintendent of the Fourth ward Sunday school. On January 14, 1900, he was ordained a High Priest, and, under the hands of President Joseph F. Smith, set apart as superintendent of the Box Elder Stake Y. M. M. I. A. In July of the same year, he was elected county supeiintendent of schools to which position he was re-elected in July of the pres- ent year. Besides some forty short stoiies and articles, published in various home magazines, the following more pretentious stories and books have appeared from his pen: "Almina," 1890, in Contributor; "Beyond the Arctic Circle," 1894, in Contributor; "Added Upon," 1896; "Daughter of the North," 1896, Juvenile "Marcus King, Mormon," 1897, also printed in the Instructor; Juvenile Instructor. "A Young Folks' History of the Church," 1898. "The Castle Builder," now appearing in the Era, is per- haps his best production in the line of stories, while "Added Upjn" is doubtless his chief work, judged in the way of per- manency.