Questions and Answers

EDITORS JABLE. 473 A good Latter-day Saint is a good citizen n every way. I de- sire to say to the young men of our community: be exemplary- Latter-day Saints, and let nothing deter you from aspiring to the greatest positions which our nation has to offer. Having secured a place, let your virtue, your integrity, your honesty, your ability, your religious teachings, implanted in your hearts at the knees of your devoted "Mormon" mothers, "so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Joseph F. Smith. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Rights of Local Patriarchs. Has a local patriarch the right to give blessings outside of his own district? He may have the right, but it might not be proper. No per- son should act in any of the offices of the priesthood without a calling. When any person is about to act in any capacity in the priesthood, let him ask: Am I called to do this by proper author- ity, local or general? If he can say yes to that question, then he has the right to perform any of the ordinances that the priest- hood which he holds, and the office which he occupies, entitle him to perform, otherwise it might be highly improper for him to act. If a local patriarch is visiting friends or relatives outside of his stake, and is asked for a blessing, he is at liberty to give it; but it would be improper for him to travel outside of his stake to solicit patronage as a patriarch. See also Era, vol, 6, number 3, page 233. The Tribe of Levi. Is the tribe of Levi (who was appointed to the priestly office) now numbered as one of the Twelve Tribes? If so, do we not have thirteen tribes? For a reply, the questioner is referred to Era, vol 5, page 720, and vol. 6, page 70.

474 IMPROVEMENl ERA. Lay Members. Who are lay members of the Church? Those may be considered lay members of the Church who are not ordained to the priesthood, and children of Latter-day Saint parentage who are under eight years of age. Hostility to Jacob. In Manual, 1902-3, page 17, sub. 9, we find the statement: Jacob and his family had been providentially sent down into Egypt, to escape destruction at the hands of the hostile peoples who surrounded them in Canaan. Where can we find authority to support the statement of "hos- tility" and threatened destruction? As to actual hostilities on the part of the Canaanites towards the Hebrews, the Bible history is full of instances. From the time of the "battle of the kings," referred to in Genesis 14, down to the close of the conflict between King David and the scattered Ca- naanite tribes, this "hostility" is clearly shown. There is no doubt as to the existence of a deadly hostility. Regarding the threat- ened destruction of the Hebrews, it need only be said, that at the time of going down into Egypt, the Hebrews numbered only sev- enty souls. It seems reasonable that so small a family, surrounded by powerful, hostile tribes, would be in imminent danger of extinc- tion. It seems providential that they were taken into Egypt, where they were surrounded for a long time by a friendly popu- lace, there they could develop into a powerful nation, capable of returning at a later time to conquer the land of Canaan. The statement in the Manual is based upon the above facts and infer- ences. Geike and other Bible commentators take this view of the case. CORRECTION. In Elder Roberts' "Reply," in the Bra for February, 1903, page 251, through an error in printing, the following corrections should be made: Instead of maach read naaseh. Instead of betsalmann read be-tsalme-nu.