Peter Klaus: A German Legend

LONGFELLOW'S PSALM OF LIFE. 177 Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act, act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing. Learn to labor and to wait.

LOYALTY.* BY MAUD MAY BABCOCK, PROFESSOR OF ELOCUTION, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. There is a general impression among people, as soon as you speak of loyalty, you mean a little Fourth of July effervescence— a few firecrackers, a flag, a few shouts, a turning out to see the President, to see the governor of the state, or something of that kind. Therefore, when this topic was given to me, I went to the dictionary to see what it said loyalty is. The Century dictionary says that "loyalty is to be true and faithful in allegiance; to be constant in service, in devotion." I want you particularly to note that it is, "to be constant in service, in devotion." Loyalty is not a passive thing; it is active; it is not to believe, but to do. It is engendered in the very heart, and we grow in loyalty by acting loyally, as we grow always by doing. The Lord, himself, has said, "Not every one that saithunto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." There are many among our people—maybe I am wrong in this matter—by bearing testimony of their loyalty to the Church and loyalty to the founder of this Church, think they have absolutely discharged all obligation. When they have stood upon their feet and testified that they know that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that all who have succeeded him have been prophets of God, they think that nothing more is required at their hands. And yet those same people, to take a simple illustration, will go directly to their homes, and the very first thing that will be placed upon * An address delivered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, at the M. I. A. conference, June 5, 1904.

LOYALTY . 179 the table, and of which they partake with blessing, is food that sets at defiance the Word of Wisdom—a law given through this same prophet, Joseph Smith, and which has been declared to be the truth of God by every prophet, seer and revelator who has stood at the head of this Church in this generation. These people, to my mind, seem not to.be loyal, because we should "do the will of the Father which is in heaven," not say, "Lord, Lord," or "the Prophet Joseph Smith is a prophet of God," but acknowledge "in every act and every word that proceedeth from our mouth," that we are trying to live up to God's laws. Take an example, one that I heard only the other day, of a very good brother, who is, no doubt, trying to live his religion. He has been upon a mission. He has a large family, and he would no doubt testify very strongly and very loudly, as I said before, of the divinity of this latter-day work. He had been to a meeting and held his hand up in loyalty that he would sustain the officers that were placed over him. Yet, on returning to his home, because at this meeting the Word of Wisdom had been preached, he said that that was "all right for those high in authority to talk about, but they don't practice it." This seemed to excuse his own breaking of that law. Will we not be judged by our own actions, our own uplifted hand, when we fail to sustain our brethren by doing that which they preach to us? Let us be honest and upright, and stand firm, and acknowledge that we are in the wrong, and try to be loyal by doing all that is good. Now, to carry this just a little further: a good brother's daughter has been in the city for several years. She has been attending the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement associations. She has learned, in these associations, what the Word of Wisdom means, so that now, when she goes home, she does not partake of all the food pat upon the table, because she feels that it is wrong, and that it is disloyal to her faith. I cannot feel that the Spirit of God can be fully in this household, when the fathe: of this household rebukes this daughter for not partaking of forbidden food, and thinks she is "high-toned," and says she has grown above the family, because she will not longer partake of things which God has said are not good for man. Which is loyal? Loyalty is not servility. Many in the world think that we are

180 IMPROVEMENT ERA. a servile people—that we are led about by the nose—by the influence of those in authority. This is not true. We are loyal to our brethren, but not servile. Every true Latter-day Saint is loyal in this manner. Why? Because we know we have that knowledge within us that those in authority stand as prophets of God unto us, and, if we have the Spirit of God, we recognize his voice, and our loyalty and obedience proceed from that very knowledge; we know the right and act accordingly. No person can be truly loyal to the Church and to the authorities of this Church, unless they are keeping the laws of this Church; and no man can be influenced, unless he recognizes the words are just and true; that those brethren are right. Is the college man "led by the nose" when he accepts the truth given him by a teacher, and proceeds to carry it out in life? No more are we. Now, another misconception the world has of us is, that we are disloyal to the government that God has placed over us in this land. If there is one people on the face of the earth who should be loyal to the government, and who should be loyal to the state, it is this people, the Latter-day Saints. Why? Because we have more revelations—modern revelations—upon our statute books upon loyalty to government than all the other denominations put together. Christ only suggested the idea when he said, "Render unbo Csssar the things that are Csesar's, and unto God the things that are God's;" but through the Prophet Joseph Smith, God spoke and said, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, and in obeying and honoring the law. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of men,and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, either in making laws or in administering them for the good and safety of society." Can we be disloyal? Loyalty to the state, or to the government, is not pessimistic; it is optimistic. I wish that every young man who has any hopes or aspirations for a political life would read carefully and thoroughly Webster's Reply to Hayne, that he might not feel that he was elected to the legislature, or to Congress, to go there selfishly, to serve simply his own section of country; but that he might understand that he goes there to serve the whole people. We see so much legislation

LOYALTY. 181 that, to me, seems very disloyal. For instance, the "trading"— "if you will pass this bill, which will help my section of the country, I will help you pass that bill, which will help your section'of the country," without weighing the matter to see whether either may be for the good of the whole people of the land. Too much of this legislation is "borrowing from Peter to pay Paul," and from Paul to pay Peter, until both are impoverished. Moses, when he voiced the word of the Lord upon tables of stone, said, "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee." We come naturally from loyalty to country, to loyalty to our families—the unit of the state. We should be loyal to our mothers and fathers; we should be loyal to our children. Now, again, it does not appear to me that loyalty means retrogression, not to gain any more than our mothers and fathers have gained. A basic principle of our gospel is Eternal Progression. If we were to follow the footsteps of our parents, neither the fathers and mothers of this audience, or this audience, would be here. Most of us, or our fathers and mothers, have seen the light, have known that there was greater progress in a new direction, to serve God in a higher way than our fathers and mothers have done; and, therefore, we have felt, in order to be loyal to God and loyal to our families, in the long run, we must accept this religion, first of all, to forsake fathers and mothers and serve God. This does not mean, however, that because we have embraced the truth, that we are to throw the poor father and mother out into the street, that we are to consider that they have no claim upon us in the future, because we recognize the truth. Our religion should teach us to take care of our fathers and mothers. We are to do for them everything that lies in our power to do; and, as true Latter-day Saints, we will be able to serve them far, far better than we ever could have served them had we remained, as they, perhaps, might have wished us to. Let it not be said of the Latter-day Saints, that their fathers and their mothers are not being taken care of. Honor your father and mother, love them, care for them, and be patient with them. We have the grand example of Ruth, of true loyalty. You lemember the story of the mother-in-law of Ruth, how they went

182 IMPRO VEMENT ERA. into the land of Moab, and her two sons married there two Moabite women. These two sons and the father died in that strange country, and the mother, desiring to return to the children of Israel, started on her way back, and these two daughters-in-law followed her, weeping, to the gate of the city, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her, and she said, "Your sister has gone back unto her own people, and unto her gods; return thou after thy sister-in-law." And Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and whither thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God." Let us not be afraid, at any time or under any circumstances, to declare the truth which God has made known unto us. Our President has set a most wonderful example to us, when he stood before the nation, suffering untold humiliation for the truth. God even now has vindicated him, and the whole people of the United States look upon him in reverence or wonder. Let us follow in his footsteps, and not be afraid to confess the truth under any circumstances. And just a week ago, one of our sisters, in St. Louis, had the courage to stand loyally for her people, and I hope that we will follow her example. Two years ago, a young lady wno had never before been out of this state at all, was in the east, studying. She was at Chautauqua Lake, New York. There she heard Dr. Elliot, who had been to Utah, tell lurid tales of her people. When this girl, not yet twenty years of age, heard her people maligned by one who should have known better, she told the authorities of Chautauqua that Dr. Elliot's tale was a lie, and that Dr. Elliot knew it; that she had been brought up with this people; that this people were her people, and that their God was her God. Dr. George E. Vincent, who will be here next week, was extremely kind to her, and asked her if she would not like the platform of Chautauqua to speak upon and to defend her people. That young girl in all humility, with faith that God would assist her, said that she would be glad to defend her people in that vast theatre at Chautauqua; and therefore she expected to have the privilege of doing this, and using her might to offset what those other women had said, and declare what she knew to be true. But Dr. Vincent was very much chagrined, a few days later, when he came to her to

LOYALTY. 183 say that he would have been very glad to have her speak, and used all his influence to get her the opportunity, but the authorities stated that Dr. Elliot's story was the one the people of the United States wanted to hear, and they did not want to hear the other side —the truth. Let us progress in loyalty, "be constant in service and devotion;" and may we take the admonition of the Savior, that "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Salt Lake City, Utah. YOUTH ON THE FARM- The animals on a farm are a joy and a discipline, too, to the children. What gymnasium offers a chance for youthful development, physical and mental, equal to a yoked pair of untamed yearling steers? In gaining dominion over them the boy gets the strength and enjoyment which come from learning how mind may dominate all else. As he "broke" the steers, so in later life he meets difficulties with determination and conquers them. Country life may be made richer by a study of the most common animals of the farm. They are living, growing, intelligent creatures, and there is sympathy between the child and the young animals; he loves and understands the calves and the lambs, and even the young pigs, and they are far safer companions for him than the precocious city youths, already familiar with small vices. When he is a man, perhaps the head of a large business, or prominent in the affairs of the land, (for such men were usually country-bred,) he remembers the ox-team, the spirited colt, the cows that broke into the cornfield. No such joy has come to him since as he found in the cool woods watching the squirrels and kingfishers, the young foxes at play, the baby opossums jumping into their mother's pouch, when he broke a twigt trying to get near enough to catch one. Here in the wood where he built a dam and erected his first water-wheel, he absorbed, unconseiously, what neither city nor books can give. He realizes it in after life, and wishes some one had helped him, then, to a fuller knowledge and employment of what country life has to give.—Farm Journal.

PETER KLAUS. A GERMAN LEGEND. All the boys have read Rip Van Winkle, written by that prince of American writers, Washington Irving. If any have not read the story, then surely they have seen it played on the stage. It was recently presented in the Salt Lake Theatre, and periodically comes to all play-houses. However,so many may not have heard of the legend of Peter Klaus, which was the source of Irvings amusing story of Rip. To those who admire Van Winkle, this tale of Klaus will prove especially interesting. Here it is, then, as told by an old writer: Peter Klaus was a goatherd of Sittendorf, and tended his flocks in the Kyffhausen Mountains; here he was accustomed to let them rest every evening in a mead surrounded by an old wall, while he made his muster of them; but for some days he has remarked that one of his finest goats always disappeared some time after coming to this spot, and did not join the flock till late; watching her more attentively, he observed that she slipped through an opening in the wall, upon which he crept after the animal, and found her in a sort of cave, busily employed in gleaning the oat-grains that dropped down singly from the roof. He looked up, and shook his ears amidst the shower of corn that now fell down upon him, but with all his inquiry could discover nothing. At last he hears above the stamp and neighing of horses, from whose mangers it was probable the oats had fallen. Peter was yet standing in astonishment at the sound of horses in so unusual a place, when a boy appeared, who by signs, without speaking a word, desired him to follow. Accordingly he ascended a few steps and passed over a walled court into a hollow, closed in

PETER KLAUS. 185 on all sides by lofty rocks, where a partial twilight shot through the over-spreading foliage of the shrubs. Here, upon a smooth, fresh lawn, he found twelve knights playing gravely at nine-pins, and not one spoke a syllable; with equal silence Peter wa3 installed in the office of setting up the nine-pins. At first he performed this duty with knees that knocked against each other, as he now and then stole a partial look at the long beards and slashed doublets of the noble knights. By degrees, however, custom gave him courage; he gazed on everything with firmer look, and at last even ventured to drink out of a bowl that stood near him, from which the wine exhaled a most delicious odor. The glowing juice made him feel as if re-animated, and whenever he found the least weariness he again drew fresh vigor from the inexhaustible goblet. Sleep at last overcame him. Upon waking, Peter found himself in the very same inclosed mead where he was wont to tell his herds. He rubbed his eyes, but could see no signs either of dog or goats, and was, besides, not a little astonished at the high grass, and shrubs, and trees which he had never before observed there. Not well knowing what to think, he continued his way over all the places that he had been accustomed to frequent with his goats, but nowhere could he find any trace of them; below him he saw Sittendorf, and at length, with hasty steps, he descended. The people whom he met before the village were all strangers to him; they had not the dress of his acquaintance, nor yet did they exactly speak their language, and, when he asked after his goats, all stared and touched their chins. At last he did the same almost involuntarily, and found his beard lengthened by a foot at least, upon which he began to conclude that himself and those about him were equally under the influence of enchantment; still he recognized the mountain he had descended, for the Kyffhausen; the houses, too, with their yards and gardens, were all familiar to him; and to the passing question of a traveler, several boys replied by the name of Sittendorf. With increasing doubts he now walked through the village to his house; it was much decayed, and before it lay a strange goatherd's boy in a ragged frock, by whose side was a dog worn lank by age, that growled and snarled when he spoke to him. He then

186 IMPROVEMENT ERA. entered the cottage through an opening which had once been closed by a door; here too he found all so void and waste that he tottered out again at the back door as if intoxicated, and called his wife and children by their names; but none heard, none answered. In a short time women and children thronged around the stranger with the long hoary beard, and all, as if for a wager, joined in inquiring what he wanted. Before his own house he asked others after his wife, or children, or even of himself, seemed so strange that, to get rid of these querists, he mentioned the first name that occurred to him: "Kurt Steffen?" The by-standers looked at each other in silence, till at last an old woman said, "He has been in the churchyard these twelve years, and you'll not go there today." "Velten Meier!"—''Heaven rest his soul!" replied an ancient dame, leaning upon her crutch; "Heaven rest his soul! He has lain these fifteen years in the house that he will never leave." The goatherd shuddered, as in the last speaker he recognized his neighbor, who seemed to have suddenly grown old; but he had lost all desire for farther question. At this moment a brisk young woman pressed through the anxious gapers, carrying an infant in her arms, and leading by the hand a girl of about fourteen years old, all three the very image of his wife. With increasing surprise he asked her name: "Maria!" "And your father's?"—"Peter Klaus! Heaven rest his soul! It is now twenty years since we sought him day and night on the Kyffhausen Mountains, when his flock returned without him; I was then but seven years old." The goatherd could contain himself no longer; "I am Peter Klaus," he cried, "I am Peter Klaus, and none else,"and he snatched the child from his daughter's arms. All for a moment stood as if petrified, till at length one voice, and another, and another, exclaimed, "Yes, this is Peter Klaus! Welcome, neighbor!—welcome after twenty years!"