---
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: 7
number: 5
published: 1904-03
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* 7, no. 5 (March 1904): 385–387.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  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: improvementera0705unse
start_page: 385
end_page: 387
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-03)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0705unse
  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.
---

# Questions and Answers

<!-- page:385 -->

EDITOR'S 
        TABLE. 
        385
sect 
        will 
        next 
        be 
        assailed 
        by 
        the 
        spirit 
        of 
        proscription? 
        If 
        a 
        com-
bination of 
        church 
        people 
        shall 
        succeed 
        this 
        year 
        in 
        placing 
        a 
        ban
upon 
        Senator 
        Smoot 
        because 
        he 
        is 
        a 
        Latter-day 
        Saint, 
        what 
        evi-
dence have 
        we 
        that 
        this 
        religious 
        combination 
        shall 
        not 
        next 
        year
place 
        a 
        similar 
        ban 
        upon 
        an 
        adherent 
        of 
        some 
        other 
        unpopular
denomination? 
        To 
        what 
        will 
        the 
        efforts 
        of 
        this 
        religious 
        league, 
        in
the 
        nation, 
        lead?   
        What 
        will 
        be 
        the 
        result?   
        What 
        the 
        end?
One 
        thing 
        is 
        certain
        : 
        this 
        determination 
        of 
        its 
        enemies 
        to
make 
        war 
        on 
        the 
        Church, 
        while 
        it 
        may 
        result 
        in 
        temporary 
        disad-
vantage, annoyance, 
        petty 
        persecution, 
        and 
        bitter 
        hatred, 
        will 
        in 
        the
end, 
        when 
        the 
        truth 
        concerning 
        us 
        shall 
        be 
        laid 
        bare, 
        as 
        it 
        will-
        be
by 
        investigation 
        and 
        time, 
        result 
        in 
        growth, 
        benefit 
        and 
        blessing 
        to
the 
        work 
        of 
        .God. 
        In 
        this 
        truth, 
        the 
        missionaries 
        abroad, 
        the
young 
        people 
        at 
        home, 
        and 
        the 
        members 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        in 
        general,
may 
        find 
        consoling 
        comfort.
Joseph 
        F. 
        Smith.
QUESTIONS 
        AND 
        ANSWERS.
Concerning 
        the 
        Creation.
A 
        correspondent 
        writing 
        from 
        Menan 
        speaks 
        of 
        the 
        order 
        of
creation, 
        and 
        objects 
        to 
        a 
        statement 
        in 
        the 
        Junior 
        Manual 
        on 
        this
point. 
        It 
        must 
        be 
        stated 
        that 
        the 
        text 
        of 
        the 
        manual 
        is 
        very
short, 
        and 
        teachers 
        are 
        expected 
        to 
        add 
        facts 
        not 
        always 
        found 
        in
the 
        text, 
        but 
        to 
        be 
        obtained 
        from 
        other 
        authorized 
        books 
        upon 
        the
subject. 
        The 
        correspondent 
        is 
        undoubtedly 
        correct 
        in 
        his 
        state-
ment, and 
        the 
        text 
        of 
        the 
        manual 
        should 
        be 
        interpreted 
        to 
        conform
with 
        the 
        views 
        held 
        by 
        the 
        Prophet 
        Joseph, 
        in 
        the 
        Pearl 
        of 
        Great
Price.    
        Here 
        is 
        the 
        letter:
"I 
        was 
        looking 
        over 
        the 
        manual 
        for 
        the 
        junior 
        class 
        of 
        the
li. 
        I. 
        A. 
        this 
        evening, 
        and 
        noticed 
        in 
        the 
        first 
        paragraph 
        this 
        state-
ment: 'Last 
        of 
        all 
        came 
        beasts, 
        insects, 
        and 
        animal 
        life 
        generally,
with 
        man 
        to 
        crown 
        the 
        whole 
        work 
        of 
        creation.' 
        The 
        order 
        of
creation 
        here 
        put 
        forth 
        is 
        the 
        order 
        given 
        in 
        the 
        first 
        chapter 
        of
Genesis, 
        and 
        if 
        we 
        were 
        to 
        stop 
        here, 
        this 
        would 
        seem 
        to 
        be
quite 
        correct. 
        But 
        when 
        we 
        take 
        up 
        the 
        second 
        chapter, 
        beginning

<!-- page:386 -->

USQ 
        IMPROVEMEM 
        ERA.
at 
        the 
        4th 
        verse, 
        the 
        order 
        of 
        creation 
        is 
        reversed, 
        and 
        man 
        is
made 
        the 
        first 
        of 
        animated 
        beings:
" 
        'These 
        are 
        the 
        generations 
        of 
        the 
        heavens 
        and 
        of 
        the 
        earth
when 
        they 
        were 
        created, 
        in 
        the 
        day 
        that 
        the 
        Lord 
        God 
        made 
        the
earth 
        and 
        the 
        heavens, 
        and 
        every 
        plant 
        of 
        the 
        field 
        before 
        it 
        was 
        in
the 
        earth, 
        and 
        every 
        herb 
        of 
        the 
        field 
        before 
        it 
        grew; 
        * 
        * 
        * 
        and
there 
        was 
        not 
        a 
        man 
        to 
        till 
        the 
        ground.'
"Now, 
        as 
        I 
        understand 
        the 
        first 
        chapter, 
        it 
        relates 
        the 
        order 
        of
the 
        spiritual 
        creation 
        of 
        all 
        things, 
        and 
        the 
        second 
        chapter 
        that 
        of
the 
        temporal, 
        or 
        earthly 
        creation. 
        If 
        we 
        take 
        this 
        view 
        of 
        this
Bible 
        narrative, 
        then 
        it 
        is 
        in 
        accord 
        with 
        what 
        the 
        Lord 
        has
revealed 
        in 
        our 
        days, 
        as 
        follows:
" 
        'And 
        now, 
        behold, 
        I 
        say 
        unto 
        you 
        that 
        these 
        are 
        the 
        generations 
        of 
        the
heaven 
        and 
        of 
        the 
        earth, 
        when 
        they 
        were 
        created, 
        in 
        the 
        day 
        that 
        I 
        the
Lord 
        God 
        made 
        the 
        heaven 
        and 
        the 
        earth, 
        and 
        every 
        plant 
        of 
        the 
        field
before 
        it 
        was 
        in 
        the 
        earth, 
        and 
        every 
        herb 
        of 
        the 
        field 
        before 
        it 
        grew.
For 
        I 
        the 
        Lord 
        God, 
        created 
        all 
        things 
        of 
        which 
        I 
        have 
        spoken, 
        spiritually
before 
        they 
        were 
        naturally 
        upon 
        the 
        face 
        of 
        the 
        earth. 
        For 
        I 
        the 
        Lord
God, 
        had 
        not 
        caused 
        it 
        to 
        rain 
        upon 
        the 
        face 
        of 
        the 
        earth. 
        And 
        I 
        the
Lord 
        God, 
        had 
        created 
        all 
        the 
        children 
        of 
        men; 
        and 
        not 
        yet 
        a 
        man 
        to 
        till 
        the
ground; 
        for 
        in 
        heaven 
        created 
        I 
        them; 
        and 
        there 
        was 
        not 
        yet 
        flesh 
        upon
the 
        earth; 
        neither 
        in 
        the 
        water, 
        neither 
        in 
        the 
        air; 
        but 
        I, 
        the 
        Lord 
        God,
spake, 
        and 
        there 
        went 
        up 
        a 
        mist 
        from 
        the 
        earth, 
        and 
        watered 
        the 
        whole
face 
        of 
        the 
        ground. 
        And 
        I, 
        the 
        Lord 
        God, 
        formed 
        man 
        from 
        the 
        dust 
        of
the 
        ground, 
        and 
        breathed 
        into 
        his 
        nostrils 
        the 
        breath 
        of 
        life; 
        and 
        man
became 
        a 
        living 
        soul, 
        the 
        first 
        flesh 
        upon 
        the 
        earth; 
        the 
        first 
        man 
        also;
nevertheless 
        all 
        things 
        were 
        before 
        created; 
        but 
        spiritually 
        were 
        they
created 
        and 
        made 
        according 
        to 
        my 
        word.'
        —
        Pearl 
        of 
        Great 
        Price, 
        pp. 
        7-8."
The 
        Kinderhook 
        Plates.
Certain 
        bell-shaped 
        plates 
        are 
        said 
        to 
        have 
        been 
        discovered 
        in 
        a
mound, 
        in 
        the 
        vicinity 
        of 
        Kinderhook, 
        Pike 
        county, 
        Illinois, 
        by 
        Robert
Wiley, 
        in 
        1843, 
        and 
        taken 
        to 
        Joseph 
        Smith. 
        Now, 
        I 
        wish 
        to 
        ask:
1. 
        Were 
        these 
        plates 
        translated 
        by 
        Joseph 
        Smith? 
        2. 
        If 
        so, 
        what 
        were
their 
        contents? 
        3. 
        Where 
        are 
        they? 
        4. 
        Are 
        they 
        considered 
        of 
        any
value 
        in 
        confirming 
        the 
        Book 
        of 
        Mormon? 
        5. 
        Is 
        there 
        anything 
        about
them 
        in 
        any 
        of 
        the 
        Church 
        works?
1 
        and 
        2. 
        Near 
        Kinderhook, 
        in 
        Pike 
        county, 
        Illinois—
        between
fifty 
        and 
        sixty 
        miles 
        south 
        and 
        east 
        of 
        Nauvoo—
        on 
        April 
        23, 
        1843, 
        a

<!-- page:387 -->

EDITOR'S 
        TABLE. 
        387
Mr. 
        Robert 
        Wiley, 
        while 
        excavating 
        a 
        large 
        mound, 
        took 
        from 
        said
mound 
        six 
        brass 
        plates 
        of 
        bell 
        shape, 
        fastened 
        by 
        a 
        ring 
        passing
through 
        the 
        small 
        end, 
        and 
        fastened 
        with 
        two 
        clasps, 
        and 
        covered
with 
        ancient 
        characters. 
        Human 
        bones 
        together 
        with 
        charcoal
and 
        ashes 
        were 
        found 
        in 
        the 
        mound, 
        in 
        connection 
        with 
        the 
        plates
which 
        evidently 
        had 
        been 
        buried 
        with 
        the 
        person 
        whose 
        bones 
        were
discovered. 
        The 
        plates 
        were 
        submitted 
        to 
        the 
        Prophet, 
        and 
        speak-
ing of 
        them 
        in 
        his 
        journal, 
        under 
        date 
        of 
        May 
        1, 
        1843, 
        he 
        says:
"I 
        have 
        translated 
        a 
        portion 
        of 
        them, 
        and 
        find 
        they 
        contain 
        the
history 
        of 
        the 
        person 
        with 
        whom 
        they 
        were 
        found. 
        He 
        was 
        a
descendant 
        of 
        Ham, 
        through 
        the 
        loins 
        of 
        Pharaoh, 
        king 
        of 
        Egypt,
and 
        that 
        he 
        received 
        his 
        kingdom 
        from 
        the 
        Ruler 
        of 
        heaven 
        and
earth."
3. 
        The 
        plates 
        were 
        later 
        placed 
        in 
        a 
        museum 
        in 
        St. 
        Louis,
known 
        as 
        McDowell's, 
        which 
        was 
        afterwards 
        destroyed 
        by 
        fire, 
        and
the 
        plates 
        were 
        lost.
4. 
        The 
        event 
        would 
        go 
        very 
        far 
        towards 
        confirming 
        the 
        idea
that 
        in 
        very 
        ancient 
        times, 
        there 
        was 
        intercourse 
        between 
        the
eastern 
        and 
        western 
        hemispheres; 
        and 
        the 
        statement 
        of 
        the
prophet 
        would 
        mean 
        that 
        the 
        remains 
        were 
        Egyptian. 
        The 
        fair
implication, 
        also, 
        from 
        the 
        prophet's 
        words 
        is 
        that 
        this 
        descendant
of 
        the 
        Pharaohs 
        possessed 
        a 
        kingdom 
        in 
        the 
        new 
        world; 
        and 
        this
circumstance 
        may 
        account 
        for 
        the 
        evidence 
        of 
        a 
        dash 
        of 
        Egyptian
civilization 
        in 
        our 
        American 
        antiquities.
5. 
        The 
        whole 
        account 
        of 
        the 
        finding 
        of 
        the 
        plates, 
        together
with 
        the 
        testimony 
        of 
        eight 
        witnesses, 
        besides 
        Mr. 
        Wiley, 
        who 
        were
acquainted 
        with 
        the 
        finding 
        of 
        the 
        relics, 
        as 
        also 
        the 
        statement
from 
        the 
        prophet's 
        history, 
        is 
        found 
        in 
        the 
        Millennial 
        Star, 
        vol.
21: 
        pp. 
        40-44.
The 
        Kingdom 
        of 
        God.
Is 
        the 
        Kingdom 
        of 
        God, 
        referred 
        to 
        in 
        "Articles 
        of 
        Faith," 
        pp.
376-7, 
        set 
        up 
        at 
        the 
        present 
        time?
The 
        writer 
        is 
        referred 
        to 
        an 
        article 
        in 
        No. 
        4, 
        Vol. 
        7, 
        Improve-
ment Era, 
        entitled,  
        "The 
        Church 
        and 
        Kingdom 
        of 
        God," 
        by 
        the
First 
        Presidency.
As 
        to 
        Copyrights.
1. 
        How  
        long 
        does  
        a 
        book 
        copyright 
        last?   
        2  
        Is 
        it 
        assignable?