--- 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: 6 number: 5 published: 1903-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Questions and Answers," *Improvement Era* 6, no. 5 (March 1903): 390–394.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0605unse 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: improvementera0605unse start_page: 390 end_page: 394 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1903-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0605unse publication_year: 1903 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 1903, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Questions and Answers 390 IMPROVEMENT ERA. of all, insure us the good will and Spirit of our Father in heaven, thus enabling our souls to broaden, expand and develop. Let it be the aim of the Saints to cultivate the spirit of gen- erosity and good-will, such as was exemplified in the life of Christ, and proclaimed when the angels heralded abroad the message: "Pea^e on earth, to men good will," and which has been reiterated in the modern restoration of the gospel. Watch constantly for that which is worthy and noble in your fellow man. It makes a person better to see and speak of good in his neighbor; while there is unbounded delight in observing the effect that a few words of appreciation and encouragement have upon men, women, and children with whom we associate. Let those try it who really wish to get the genuine sweets out of life. The meddler, the gossip, the fault-finder, on the other hand, soon ruin their own capacity for observing the better side of hu- man nature; and, not finding it in others, search in vain for its influence in their own souls. There is a wonderful field in the organizations of the Church for the cultivation of all the virtues of the human heart. It is the business of every officer and member of the Church, and of her associations and organizations, to lead out in doing good; to stand first in serviceable practices in the gospel's atmosphere of sun- shine and peace; to lift up and not to cast down; to encourage and not to repress; to dipense joy, and to drown sorrow; to refrain their lips from slander and backbiting, and, by sweet temper and kind words, to unfold the better side of human nature; to mind their own business, and not to unduly criticise, nor to find fault, nor to delight in tale-bearing, scandal, envy, and gossip. This advice* heeded, our social ethics would soon show wonder- ful improvement; happiness, beauty of disposition, love, and moral cleanliness, would increase among the Saints; the Spirit of God would delight to dwell in their midst, and the best qualities of the people would unfold and develop like the rose in the warm sun- shine of June. Joseph F. Smith. "MORMON" DOCTRINE IN CONGRESS. The Senate of the United States sometimes suspends its regu- EDITOR'S TABLE. 391 lar business to enable its distinguished members to pay proper trib- ute to their associates who have passed to the great beyond. On January 30 of this year, respects were paid to the memory of the late Senator James McMillan, of the state of Michigan, who had died suddenly, aged sixty-four years. On this occasion, a lead- ing New York senator, in the course of the eulogy of his dead comrade, gave a very short, practical sermon on faith and works. His is so unlike the generally accepted idea of momentary salva- tion held by the Christian world, and so very like the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints on thip subject, preached for more than sev- enty years, that it is worthy of record. He said: In all ages the question has constantly recurred, In what manner, if the choice were left to us, would we prefer to die? The prayers most churches, all over the world, offer on every Sabbath day is the petition to preserve us from sudden death. That is based upon the theological dogma that the sins of a lifetime can be forgiven.and salvation secured by a death-bed repentance. Without desiring any controversy, I cannot help believing that in the bookkeeping of heaven there is a debit and a credit account which can only be balanced by works as well as faith —deeds as well as professions. So I count most happy those who es- cape the agonizing scenes so often recurring, and so painful at death, of parting with those we love. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Ratio of Representation. What is a Congressional District, and what is meant by ratio of representation? By ratio of representation is meant the proportion or number of people out of the whole population of the United States who are entitled to have a member in the House of Representatives. A Congressional district is a division of a state having this number of people. This ratio of representation has been changed every census, or every ten years, since 1800, when it was 33,000, the 392 IMPROVEMENT ERA. same as at the first census in 1790. In 1810 the ratio was 35,000; in 1820, 40,000; in 1830, 47,700; in 1840, 70,680; in 1850, 93,- 423; in 1860,127,381; in 1870, 131,425; in 1880,151,911; in 1890, 173,901, and in 1900, the present ratio, or the ratio for the next House of Representatives, is 194,182. Utah has only one Congressional District, and only one Representative, because, her population in 1900 being only 276,749, she lacked 111,615 people to entitle her to form another district and elect another Repre- sentative. Population of Utah. How many times has the census been taken in Utah, and what is the present population? The first census in Utah was taken in 1850, three years after the arrival of the pioneers. The population then was 11,380; in 1860 it was 40,273; in 1870, 86,786; in 1880, 143,963; in 1890, 207,905; in 1900, 276,749. Dowie and ''That Prophet." In Chicago our elders meet many followers of John Alexander Dowie, who styles himself "Elijah the Restorer." His adherents contend that he (Dowie) is "that prophet" spoken of by Moses in Deut. 18: 15, 18, 19, and mentioned again by Peter in Acts 3: 22-24—when looking forward to the time of the "restitution of all things," as the one to pre- pare the way of the Lord. To which also agrees Malachi 3: 1. The Book of Mormon (I Nephi 22: 21; HI Nephi 20: 23) presents us the fulfilment of Moses' prophecy in the person of Jesus Christ. Acts 3: 22, 24 does not seem to be convincing with regard to estab- lishing the fact that Christ was "that prophet," or that he fulfilled the prophecy at the time he lived on the earth. The prophecy seems to point to some prophet that should arise at the time of the "restitution" (verse 21). John 1: 45 does not, of course, prove that Christ was "that prophet," because Moses wrote of Christ in other parts of his writings. The Jewish people understood that Christ and "that prophet" were two different persons. (John 1: 20-25.) Can Book of Mormon testimony in this matter be substantiated conclusively by the Bible? In Deuteronomy the coming of "a prophet like unto Moses" is predicted. Bible commentators seem to agree that the Messiah is the prophet referred to; and it is so stated in the Book of Mor- EDITORS TABLE. 393 mon (I Nephi 22:21; IIINephi 20:23). The words of Peter (Acts 3: 22-24) seem to admit of only one intepretation, and that is, that Christ partly fulfilled this prophecy in his first coming, and will complete its fulfillment in his second coming, when the restitution of all things shall be accomplished. In fact, Peter expressly re- fers to the fact that the prophets had foretold the coming of "that prophet" in the person of Christ, their prophecies to be ful- filled in those days (Acts 3: 24-26). There can be no doubt that this is the intepretation to be placed upon those words. There- fore, an attempt on the part of a modern pretender to take this honor to himself, is directly opposed to the inspired words of one of the apostles. The only passage that seems to intimate that Christ and "that prophet" are not identical, is John 1: 19-25. Here Christ and "that prophet" are spoken of as two different persons. This may be easily explained, on one of two hypotheses. First, the marginal reading is "a prophet." This reading would relieve the difficulty. Or, secondly, as the Jews were entirely mistaken in their conception of the mission of the Messiah, so we may safely conclude that they were mistaken regarding the iden- tity of "that prophet." But after all, the claims of John Alexander Dowie, and other pretended Elijahs and restorers may be disproved by being submitted to the crucial test set forth in the last two verses of the chapter in Deuteronomy (18th) in which this prediction regarding "that prophet" occurs: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." The Angel Who Restored the Gospel. Explain Rev. 14: 6, 7. Who was this angel who should restore the gospel? Was it John or Moroni? If the latter, how did he restore it? It appears that the inquirer is of the opinion that this angel who was to "fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth," was John the Baptist; his reason, as he gives it, being that John restored 394 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the Aaronic priesthood by ordaining Joseph Smith and Oliver Cow- dery, and conferring upon them the keys of that authority. Also, that as he was the forerunner of Christ, so he was the restorer of the gospel in the Fulness of Times. But this view is not held by the Church, it being generally understood that the angel Moroni fulfilled the mission of the Rev elator when he came from heaven to earth to reveal the truths of the Book of Mormon. He visited the prophet three times in one night (September 21,1823), showed him where the plates were hidden, and instructed him in the proph- ecies relating to the latter-days. He finally delivered the plates to the prophet, and guided him in their translation, at last receiv- ing the treasure to himself, to be kept until it shall please God to bring forth the sealed and yet untranslated portions for the benefit of mankind. The revelations bear out the idea that it was Moroni and not John who restored the gospel, and that it was restored through the Book of Mormon which Moroni revealed: For the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the viae with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fullness of my everlasting gospel.— Doc. & Gov., sec. 27: 5. And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Gumorah! Moro- ni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfillment of the prophets—the book to be revealed.—Sec. 128: 20. That the authorities understand this angel to be the one re- ferred to, is evidenced by their having permitted the placing of the figure of Moroni on the highest tower of the Salt Lake tem- ple, with a golden trumpet, in the attitude of proclaiming the gospel to all nations. John the baptist held the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood which he conferred upon the prophet, but Moroni declared the gospel to him, and was the angel referred to by John the Revelator. For a further discussion of this subject, the questioner is referred to Manual, Number 3, 1899-1900, lesson 2, notes 2-5.