---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Naisbitt, Henry W.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 4
published: 1904-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Henry W. Naisbitt, "“The” Ology," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 4 (February 1904): 250–253.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  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: improvementera0704unse
start_page: 250
end_page: 253
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  publication_year: 1904
  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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# “The” Ology

<!-- page:250 -->

"THE" 
        OLOGY.
BY 
        ELDER  
        HENRY 
        W. 
        NAISBITT.
All 
        the 
        educational 
        institutions 
        of 
        the 
        land 
        are 
        now 
        in 
        full
swing, 
        professors 
        of 
        every 
        degree 
        are 
        endeavoring 
        to 
        impart 
        an
understanding 
        of 
        their 
        specialties 
        to 
        open-mouthed 
        students 
        who
look, 
        with 
        a 
        feeling 
        akin 
        to 
        worship, 
        upon 
        the 
        grand 
        endowments
of 
        pedagogues 
        who 
        possess 
        special 
        facility 
        for 
        communicating 
        the
mysteries 
        of 
        their 
        professional 
        status.
All 
        the 
        ologies 
        are 
        spread 
        invitingly 
        before 
        the 
        multiplied
students, 
        who 
        probably 
        will 
        never 
        rise 
        even 
        to 
        mediocrity, 
        after
nights 
        of 
        study 
        or 
        years 
        of 
        application: 
        fragmentary 
        methods 
        and
results 
        are 
        the 
        rule, 
        and 
        a 
        full, 
        robust, 
        intelligent 
        comprehension
of 
        individual 
        ologies 
        is 
        the 
        only 
        evidence 
        of 
        superficial 
        comprehen-
sion, and 
        inability 
        to 
        grasp 
        the 
        unified 
        whole.
Is 
        it 
        not 
        true 
        that 
        a 
        man 
        may 
        be 
        versed 
        in 
        all 
        the 
        ologies 
        of
the 
        schools, 
        and 
        yet 
        be 
        a 
        dunce 
        in 
        regard 
        to 
        the 
        ology 
        which 
        is 
        the
base, 
        as 
        it 
        is 
        the 
        apex, 
        of 
        the 
        great 
        pyramid 
        of 
        knowledge, 
        under-
standing and 
        wisdom? 
        Is 
        it 
        not 
        possible 
        for 
        a 
        man 
        to 
        know 
        little
of 
        these 
        ologies, 
        and 
        yet 
        have 
        profound 
        ideas 
        in 
        regard 
        to 
        the 
        ology
which 
        holds 
        and 
        is 
        the 
        key 
        to 
        all 
        the 
        rest? 
        Was 
        it 
        not
        —
        is 
        it 
        not
—
        still 
        true 
        that 
        "to 
        know 
        Go 
        . 
        ■' 
        and 
        Jesus 
        Christ 
        whom 
        he 
        hath
sent 
        is 
        eternal 
        life?" 
        Has 
        it 
        not 
        been 
        received 
        as 
        an 
        axiom 
        that
"the 
        fear 
        or 
        knowledge 
        of 
        the 
        Lord 
        is 
        the 
        beginning 
        of 
        wisdom 
        ?''
And 
        yet 
        all 
        the 
        institutions 
        created 
        of 
        man 
        in 
        our 
        proud 
        Republic
ignore, 
        taboo, 
        thrust 
        aside, 
        this 
        fundamental 
        base 
        of 
        all 
        the 
        rest.
From 
        entomology 
        to 
        zoology, 
        a 
        student 
        revels 
        in 
        facts 
        and 
        living
verities; 
        or 
        from 
        conchology 
        to 
        geology, 
        he 
        may 
        study 
        extinct
life: 
        he 
        may 
        even 
        regard 
        man 
        as 
        the 
        most 
        wondrous 
        field 
        of 
        re-

<!-- page:251 -->

"THBP' 
        OLOGY. 
        251
search 
        and 
        reflection; 
        may 
        know 
        physiology, 
        psychology, 
        biology,
and 
        kindred 
        offshoots 
        of 
        scientific 
        lore,without 
        being 
        at 
        all 
        impressed
with 
        conceptions 
        of 
        "the 
        Great 
        First 
        Cause
        !" 
        One 
        of 
        our 
        famous
poets 
        said,
        "the 
        proper 
        study 
        of 
        mankind 
        is 
        man;" 
        could 
        he 
        not 
        have
better 
        said, 
        "the 
        proper 
        study 
        of 
        mankind 
        is 
        God?" 
        for 
        "the 
        greater
always 
        includes 
        the 
        less," 
        and, 
        therefore, 
        to 
        know 
        the 
        former 
        is 
        to
establish 
        and 
        comprehend 
        the 
        latter.
The 
        etymologist 
        may 
        smile 
        at 
        our 
        division 
        of 
        a 
        famous 
        word;
he 
        may 
        glibly 
        quote 
        it 
        as 
        being 
        the 
        science 
        of 
        theology; 
        but 
        is 
        it
not 
        possible 
        that 
        the 
        creators 
        of 
        the 
        word 
        did 
        better 
        than 
        they
knew? 
        Is 
        it 
        impossible 
        to 
        believe 
        that 
        inspiration 
        gave 
        supremacy
to 
        the 
        ology 
        to 
        mark 
        its 
        distinctive 
        value 
        as 
        being 
        superior 
        to 
        and
embracing 
        all 
        the 
        rest? 
        Was 
        it 
        accident 
        or 
        design? 
        Was 
        it 
        in-
spiratioi; 
        or 
        did 
        human 
        appreciation 
        alone 
        call 
        this 
        the 
        ology,
and 
        thus 
        relegate 
        to 
        the 
        rear 
        many 
        ologies 
        which 
        are 
        now 
        deemed
superior 
        and 
        vastly 
        more 
        essential 
        to 
        human 
        progress 
        and 
        true
scientific 
        development? 
        Has 
        not 
        the 
        great 
        world 
        made 
        a 
        sad
        —
        a
fatal
        —
        mistake 
        in 
        their 
        prospectuses 
        and 
        curricula? 
        And 
        is 
        not
the 
        Church 
        of 
        Jesus 
        Christ 
        of 
        Latter-day 
        Saints 
        far 
        in 
        advance
when 
        they 
        declare 
        Theology 
        to 
        be 
        paramount
        'and 
        divinely 
        essen-
tial to 
        all 
        true 
        educational 
        progress? 
        Are 
        not 
        our 
        universities,
our 
        academies, 
        our 
        colleges, 
        our 
        high 
        schools 
        of 
        this 
        class, 
        superior,
and 
        far 
        beyond, 
        all 
        others, 
        even 
        if 
        less 
        perfect 
        in 
        popular 
        ologies?
Are 
        these 
        not 
        a 
        living, 
        ever-present, 
        and 
        potent 
        protest 
        against
subordination 
        of 
        the 
        divine 
        to 
        the 
        traditions 
        and 
        whims 
        of 
        so-called
educators, 
        who 
        know 
        nothing 
        of 
        man's 
        origin, 
        and 
        less 
        of 
        the 
        pur-
poses of 
        his 
        creation, 
        and 
        the 
        limitless 
        possibilities 
        of 
        his 
        nature,
under 
        revelation 
        which 
        gives 
        understanding 
        of 
        a 
        rounded 
        whole 
        ?
It 
        may 
        be 
        urged 
        that 
        in 
        the 
        study 
        of 
        ordinary, 
        secondary
ologies, 
        men 
        have 
        been 
        "led 
        from 
        nature 
        up 
        to 
        nature's 
        God." 
        This
maybe 
        true 
        in 
        some 
        instances; 
        but 
        a 
        smattering 
        of 
        science, 
        even 
        a
profound 
        understanding 
        of 
        some 
        of 
        its 
        segments, 
        has 
        more 
        often
led 
        to 
        narrowness, 
        and 
        to 
        skepticism 
        and 
        unbelief, 
        than 
        a 
        knowl-
edge of 
        either 
        God 
        or 
        man.
Among 
        the 
        many 
        and 
        most 
        interesting 
        of 
        men 
        with 
        whom 
        my
duties 
        in 
        connection 
        with 
        the 
        Bureau 
        of 
        Information 
        threw 
        me 
        in
contact 
        was 
        that 
        of 
        John 
        H. 
        Hume, 
        who, 
        at 
        the 
        conclusion 
        of 
        our
interview, 
        kindly 
        handed 
        me 
        his 
        card, 
        without 
        affix 
        or 
        prefix; 
        yet 
        he

<!-- page:252 -->

252 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
was 
        doubtless 
        a 
        savant 
        of 
        the 
        first 
        water, 
        and 
        familiar 
        with 
        leading
scientific 
        men 
        and 
        thinkers 
        in 
        all 
        Europe, 
        from 
        and 
        on 
        to 
        the 
        fur-
ther north. 
        In 
        his 
        travels 
        all 
        over 
        the 
        world, 
        he 
        has 
        studied; 
        the
mysteries 
        of 
        Egypt 
        and 
        the 
        Nile 
        were 
        his; 
        India 
        had 
        opened 
        to
him 
        its 
        secrets 
        of 
        faith 
        and 
        discovery; 
        Africa 
        was 
        an 
        open 
        book;
Turkish 
        intelligence, 
        and 
        the 
        faith 
        of 
        Islam, 
        had 
        won 
        his 
        admir-
ation; he 
        had 
        seen 
        the 
        good 
        and 
        the 
        marvelous 
        everywhere; 
        he 
        had
studied 
        nature 
        surely 
        in 
        every 
        mood
        —
        seas, 
        and 
        mountain, 
        and
lake
        ; 
        the 
        vegetable, 
        mineral, 
        and 
        animal 
        kingdoms 
        seemed 
        to 
        have
been 
        his 
        specialty. 
        By 
        the 
        microscope, 
        he 
        had 
        counted 
        the 
        cor-
puscles of 
        his 
        own 
        blood; 
        and, 
        from 
        the 
        grand 
        telescope 
        in 
        Paris,
he 
        had 
        gazed 
        into 
        and 
        measured 
        with 
        greater 
        accuracy 
        than 
        is
common 
        on 
        earth, 
        the 
        volcano's 
        immense 
        craters 
        and 
        its 
        astound-
ing peak; 
        the 
        dead 
        satellite, 
        and 
        the 
        living 
        earth, 
        were 
        equally
familiar 
        to 
        his 
        thought. 
        He 
        has 
        become 
        a 
        modest, 
        walking 
        ency-
clopedia; but, 
        after 
        all, 
        he 
        had 
        to 
        admit 
        that 
        he 
        knew 
        nothing 
        of
life, 
        though 
        it 
        was 
        all 
        around 
        him; 
        and 
        knew 
        nothing 
        of 
        death,
though 
        he 
        had 
        seen 
        it 
        in 
        distant 
        worlds, 
        and 
        in 
        the 
        human 
        race;
space, 
        he 
        knew, 
        was 
        full 
        of 
        immense 
        fragments 
        of 
        extinct 
        orbs,
and 
        the 
        impact 
        of 
        these 
        giant 
        bodies 
        have 
        produced 
        phenomena
which 
        men 
        had 
        vainly 
        at 
        first 
        supposed 
        to 
        be 
        a 
        new 
        star 
        or 
        a 
        burn-
ing world; 
        but, 
        he 
        said 
        of 
        life 
        or 
        man 
        he 
        knew 
        nothing. 
        He 
        could
not 
        explain, 
        or 
        create. 
        He 
        could 
        only 
        use 
        that 
        profusion 
        of
material 
        with 
        which 
        this 
        little 
        earth 
        of 
        ours 
        is 
        so 
        profusely 
        supplied.
The 
        giant 
        trees 
        of 
        California 
        were 
        so 
        well 
        understood 
        that 
        he
could 
        trace, 
        he 
        could 
        determine, 
        their 
        life 
        for 
        two 
        thousand 
        years
before 
        the 
        day 
        of 
        Adam, 
        if 
        common 
        chronology 
        is 
        correct; 
        but 
        he
could 
        not 
        explain 
        that 
        mysterious 
        power 
        which 
        forced 
        the 
        sap 
        of
those 
        giant 
        trees 
        four 
        hundred 
        feet 
        to 
        their 
        leafy 
        and 
        glorified
summits. 
        "After 
        all," 
        said 
        he, 
        "1 
        know 
        nothing." 
        Yet 
        we 
        were
standing 
        in 
        the 
        very 
        shadow 
        of 
        the 
        Temple 
        of 
        God, 
        where 
        the 
        very
air 
        is 
        pregnant 
        with 
        revelation, 
        and 
        not 
        far 
        from 
        the 
        University
of 
        the 
        Church, 
        where 
        The 
        ology 
        is 
        a 
        leading 
        feature, 
        that 
        which
opens 
        all 
        avenues 
        to 
        surging 
        thought; 
        which 
        circumscribes 
        all 
        that
the 
        most 
        ardent, 
        or 
        most 
        ignorant, 
        may 
        desire,
        —
        Theology, 
        or 
        the
Science 
        of 
        Eternal 
        Life.
Is 
        it 
        not 
        evident 
        that 
        theology 
        is 
        the 
        only 
        key 
        to 
        all 
        others;
that 
        it 
        alone 
        can 
        place 
        in  
        proper  
        combination 
        all 
        the 
        ^otherwise

<!-- page:253 -->

• 
        ''THE" 
        OLOGY. 
        253
heterogeneous 
        ologies 
        which 
        men 
        of 
        limited 
        vision 
        have 
        deemed
great 
        essentials, 
        without 
        sense 
        of 
        their 
        absolute 
        unity, 
        only 
        when
in 
        their 
        true 
        order 
        they 
        mutually 
        sustain 
        and 
        support 
        each 
        other?
Valueless, 
        almost, 
        when 
        alone, 
        or 
        unduly 
        individualized, 
        but 
        emi-
nently one, 
        when 
        seen 
        from 
        the 
        peaks 
        of 
        divine 
        order, 
        or 
        under 
        the
sunlight 
        of 
        divine 
        inspiration 
        and 
        revelation, 
        to 
        which 
        all 
        the 
        sons
and 
        daughters 
        of 
        Zion 
        are 
        so 
        freely 
        invited, 
        and 
        yet 
        to 
        which 
        they
only 
        measurably 
        respond. 
        Tradition, 
        usage, 
        mistaken 
        estimate 
        of
values, 
        have 
        given 
        the 
        transitory, 
        the 
        temporary, 
        the 
        segregated,
pre-eminence 
        over 
        the 
        true, 
        the 
        permanent, 
        the 
        eternal 
        human
wisdom, 
        based 
        on 
        momentary 
        necessity 
        and 
        limited 
        vision, 
        and 
        have
lost 
        sight 
        of 
        God, 
        and 
        of 
        his 
        way 
        and 
        will; 
        but 
        the 
        substitute 
        will
perish, 
        and 
        theology 
        will 
        redeem 
        the 
        race, 
        and 
        swing 
        back 
        this
fallen 
        earth 
        into 
        the 
        Presence, 
        when 
        men 
        shall 
        realize 
        the 
        unity 
        of
truth, 
        the 
        unity 
        of 
        righteous 
        thought 
        in 
        Theology, 
        when 
        God 
        and
Christ 
        will 
        be 
        all 
        in 
        all.
What 
        then 
        shall 
        we 
        say,
        —
        that 
        loving 
        research 
        shall 
        cease,
that 
        the 
        lower 
        ologies 
        shall 
        be 
        abandoned? 
        Not 
        at 
        all. 
        Only 
        as-
sign to 
        each 
        one 
        its 
        relative 
        importance. 
        We 
        may 
        be 
        only 
        on 
        the
very 
        threshold 
        of 
        Theology, 
        while 
        others 
        may 
        seem 
        more 
        advanced
and 
        more 
        immediately 
        progressive. 
        The 
        ocean 
        consists 
        of 
        drops,
the 
        seashore 
        of 
        grains 
        of 
        sand, 
        matter 
        of 
        hiolecules 
        or 
        atoms, 
        the
human 
        race 
        of 
        valueless 
        members, 
        but 
        each 
        possesses 
        a 
        special 
        mis-
sion, an 
        appropriate 
        sphere. 
        Our 
        friend 
        could 
        say, 
        "I 
        know
nothing
        —
        nothing 
        of 
        myself, 
        nothing 
        of 
        life. 
        I 
        cannot 
        create 
        a
leaf, 
        a 
        flower, 
        a 
        blade 
        of 
        grass
        —
        I 
        indeed 
        know 
        nothing!" 
        "But,"
said 
        the 
        listener, 
        "you 
        were 
        once 
        a 
        child, 
        you 
        are 
        now 
        seventy-eight
years 
        of 
        age. 
        You 
        have 
        had 
        vast 
        experience, 
        have 
        traveled 
        and
seen; 
        the 
        earth 
        is 
        familiar 
        to 
        you, 
        and 
        the 
        worlds 
        around 
        are 
        an-
alyzed and 
        measured 
        in 
        the 
        brief 
        life 
        you 
        have 
        accumulated. 
        Now,
if 
        it 
        is 
        true 
        that 
        'to 
        know 
        God 
        and 
        Jesus 
        Christ 
        is 
        eternal 
        or 
        un-
ending life,' 
        to 
        what 
        may 
        you 
        not 
        aspire 
        in 
        that 
        period? 
        If 
        knowl-
edge is 
        power, 
        how 
        much 
        of 
        that 
        may 
        you 
        exercise? 
        What 
        shall
be 
        its 
        limit 
        or 
        its 
        end?"
The 
        calm 
        philosopher 
        went 
        off 
        silently 
        to 
        his 
        quiet 
        room, 
        and
the 
        writer 
        to 
        find 
        responsive 
        listeners 
        to 
        the 
        mysteries 
        of 
        God, 
        by
way 
        of 
        the 
        alphabet 
        of 
        the 
        Gospel. 
        "Sowing 
        the 
        seed 
        by 
        all 
        wa-
ters, not 
        knowing 
        which 
        shall 
        prosper, 
        this 
        or 
        that!"