What Life Means to Me

WHAT LIFE MEANS TO ME." BY WILLIAM HALLS. In the Cosmopolitan, June, 1906, Edwin Markham, the great poet and humanitarian, has an article under the above title. This article may be read with profit, as indicating not only the state of the author's mind, but also the conditions of the minds of many educated thinkers. He states that as a boy he was ' 'wondering over the world and its mystery,'' and as a man of forty,' 'still as of old wondering unsatisfied over life and its inexplicable meanings." "The man finds more mystery than the boy ever dreamed of. The boy was touched with a sense only of the world mystery, while the man has added to that a sense of the unintelligible mystery of existence." "I found myself in a class of creeds and doubts." "My reason rejected their petty 'schemes of salvation' and their crude guesses of God." "I came to see that the idea of Humanity is the core of religion, the core of the spiritual fact." "It was easy then to see that Fraternity in action is the holiest of all ideas—is the spirit of all gospel, and the fulfilment of all revelation.'' "These triumphant convictions sponged out the old billboards of religion." "The Hebrew 'old clothes' of religion, serviceable in their day, perhaps, were carted away to the dust

746 IMPROVEMENT ERA. heaps; and little was left but the radiant indignation of\ Isaiah and the martyr-love of Jesus." What an awakening! After "wondering over the mystVlery of the world; over life and its inexplicable meanings," and "thX^ unintelligible mystery of existence,'' for forty years, his eyes a )pen to see that "Humanity is the core of religion;" that "Fraternity in action" is the all-in-all. All religion disappears; the Hebrew old clothes carted to the dust-heap. That is to say, all the revelations, manifestations, and dispensations of God to man, as recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, and we have none but Hebrew scriptures, are eliminated from historical fact, and consigned to the domain of mythology. In carting away our old clothes, he leaves us naked; he finds us in error; he leaves us in ignorance; he merely shifts our standpoint; he finds us in doubt, and leaves us in uncertainty. But he tells us, ' 'Perhaps life will be seen to have reason and symmetry, when looked at from some watch-tower in eternity." He asks, "As to man's place in the world order, Is he merely a higher animal? and does he find the principle of his life in the nature-passions and carnal battles of the wilderness? Is he a brother to the wolf, finding his only hope in the brute struggle for existence?" He answers these questions only hypothetically. He says, "When man appeared upon the planet, the ages of animal evolution ended, and the ages of spiritual evolution began. '' In regard to the creation, and man's place in the worldorder, I will quote ' 'Visions of Moses, as Revealed to Joseph the Seer, in 1830:" And now behold I say unto you, that these are the generations of the heaven and 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. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men. For in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air. And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, end beathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living sou!, the first flesh upon the earth. Nevertheless, all things were before created, but spiritually were they created and made according to my word. For i t was spiritual in theday that I created it. For it remaineth in me the sphere in which I created it.—Pearl of Great Price, chapter 3.

"WHAT LIFE MEANS TO ME." 747 We learn from this that instead of man being preceded on the earth by ages of animal evolution, that man was the first flesh upon the earth, and that not only man, but all things, both animal and vegetable, were created spiritually before they were placed upon the earth, and everything remaineth in the sphere in which it was created. That is to say, that by no process of evolution can a vegetable become an animal, nor one order of animals become another order. Every spirit being created in the form of the body it should receive; this answers the question. ' 'Is he a brother to the wolf?" However, the different orders of creation advance in glory and intelligence, they will advance in their respective spheres. The theory of transmigration of souls is not true; and is not contemplated in the order of creation. Speaking of the world, God, and providence, Mr. Markham says: Men everywhere are asking, Where is God? They see no God, says a wise thinker, because they see no social providence. Millions upon millions go down in squalor, disease, poverty and misery. So men are asking, Where is God? The answer is, God is where men find him. His providence is where men organize providence. God is in the world, in the raw materials of providence; in the primary elements of providence. But in the ultimate and social sense, there is no providence. There is no providence ready made for men. Let men find providence where they found the steam engine and the telegraph; where they found the reaper and the printing press. Let them organize providence in society, and they will have a providence. Providence is latent. According to this theory, Humanity has no providence outside of itself. Here the Brotherhood of man and Fraternity of action are strongly emphasized; while the Fatherhood of God and a divine providence are entirely lost sight of. The Brotherhood of man without the Fatherhood of God seems like a circle without a center, or a solar system without a sun. Brotherhood implies Fatherhood. Brotherhood implies limitations; but when we cross the border into the domain of Fatherhood, we find no limit, no place to rest. Luke, in tracing the genealogies of the fathers, when he comes to Adam, says, "Which was the son of God,'' and stops, but the mind goes on. The Brotherhood of man, however necessary to the wellbeing of society, fails to fully satisfy the human mind. Man needs an ideal not found in his fellow-man; he craves some one to lean

748 IMPROVEMENT ERA. upon, superior to himself. Christ, when conceived in his true character, is man's ideal, and through him we reach the Fatherhood of God, and stop; but the mind still goes on. To cut humanity off from the Fatherhood of God is contrary to natural'law, as far as we by experience and observation are able to interpret it. Nothing in nature exists in absolute independence. Though earth is an organized planet, perfect in its sphere, revolving in its own orbit, in seeming independence, possessing all the elements of life necessary to sustain its creatures, if these elements were not stimulated by the solar rays, this latent life would be inoperative, and all earth's inhabitants would die. Though the earth depends on the sun for light, the sun is not the ultimate source of light; it, too, is dependent on some source still more remote. This law holds in all nature. There is no exception, as far as we know. As it is in the physical world, so it is in the spiritual. "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32: 8.) As the earth, without the stimulating rays of the sun, is dead physically, so humanity, without the light of heaven, is dead spiritually. Spiritual law and physical law correspond. There is no progress nor development in isolation; all the planets move in their order, in unison, in obedience to law. ' 'The earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law." (Doc. and Cov., page 308.) As the latent energy in the earth, to be effective, must be quickened by the solar rays, so the spirit in man must be quickened by the inspiration of the Almighty, to give it understanding. Jesus says, ' 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8: 12.) "And the spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the spirit enlighteneth every man through the world that hearkeneth to the voice of the spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the spirit, cometh unto God, even the Father." (Doc. and Cov., page 293.) The spirit is receptive, and is impressed by media outside of itself. The eternal principles of good and evil are ever present, and man is given power to choose. Every means of life and death are within his reach.

"WHAT LIFE MEANS TO ME." 749 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and the power of the devil.—Book of Mormon, page 64. Man has no power in himself,independent of the co-operation of heaven. Jesus said to Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above." "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day." The Spirit of God is striving to impress the spirit of man with good thoughts, and desires, and to lead him to life, and the evil spirit is striving to lead him to death. Man is not responsible for the primary principles of good and evil. He has no power to create the conditions by which he can be saved; these conditions are predicated on eternal law, and by his agency he has the power to comply with these, conditions, and place himself in harmony with the law. Mr. Markham says, "Let men find providence where they found the steam engine and the telegraph; where they found the reaper and the printing press." That is a wise suggestion. "Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above." (James.) The Spirit of God impresses the minds of men with the truths of earth, pertaining to time, on the same principle as he impresses them with the truths of heaven, pertaining to eternity. As men seek they find: the things of earth or the things of heaven, all come from God. And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters;and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man ;and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren who were in the promised land. — Book of Mormon, page 26. Here Columbus is impressed in regard to a matter pertaining to the earth. The Lord works among men according to their faith, as they heed the promptings of his Spirit. He gives them the best conditions they will accept. They bring trouble on themselves by disobedience to law. ' 'The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. There-

750 IMPROVEMENT ERA. fore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate." (Isaiah 24.) Mr. Markham sees the need of a better condition of society, but gives no definite suggestions. He says, ' 'I cannot predict the form of the better social order of the future. Perhaps no system now proposed by imaginative thinkers would meet the intricate needs of men." "But it seems certain that the power within evolution is pressing onward to the birth of an organic social system." He seems to believe, though contrary to a world-experience (without the co-operation of heaven), that out of the "core of religion," inherent inhumanity, will be evolved'an ideal social system. We may judge what will be by what has been. In the light of history, what has been the condition of those who believed in God and providence, compared with the condition of those who were unbelievers. Which class had the most peace and greatest liberty? In the Pearl oj Great Price, chapters six and seven, we read of Enoch who lived before the flood; he was a preacher of righteousness, and under the inspiration of the Almighty gathered those who believed, together, and formed a society of which it is said: ' 'And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness, and there was no poor among them." Here is an ideal society. While all the rest of the people who were unbelievers were in strife and trouble, and were finally all destroyed. After the flood, passing the history of Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who, through faith in God, had peace and prosperity, we come to the Hebrews in the wilderness. Here the Lord offered them, through Moses, the gospel, and the same blessings he gave to Enoch and his people, but they would not receive them, and the higher priesthood and gospel were taken away. Yet with only the lesser priesthood and law of carnal commandments, under Joshua and Judges, though often yielding but an imperfect obedience, the providence of the Lord was over them. He fought their battles, and maintained their freedom, and they were the most virtuous, moral, fraternal, and peaceful of any of the peoples in

"WHAT LlbE MEANS TO ME." 751 those regions. And it is remarkable that in proportion as they departed from the order of heaven, their liberties slipped from them in the same ratio. To deny the fulfilment of the promises of the Lord to Abraham and his providence over the Hebrew race, is to deny the plain facts of history. According to the record given in the Book of Mormon, of the ancient peoples of this continent, the same conditions prevailed here as on the eastern continent. The Jaredites had peace and liberty just in proportion to their faith in God and obedience to his laws. And when they turned from the Lord, as skepticism increased, strife increased, till they destroyed one another and became extinct. The history of the Nephites and Lamanites is a plain example of the good effects of faith, and the evil effects of skepticism. The Nephites who believed in God were a white and delightsome people, and in times of their greatest devotion attained a high state of civilization. While the Lamanites, who did not believe in God, were a dark and loathsome people, and frequently sank to a state of barbarism. After the Savior organized his church among the Nephites, they had continued peace for over two hundred years: And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be.a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.—Book of Mormon, page 545. This people believed "in God the Eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." They had repented of their sins, and been baptized by water and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They were taught by apostles, prophets, and teachers who were inspired from heaven. It seems plain, at least from divine history, (and we see no good reason to doubt its authenticity) that only those who have been guided by inspiration from heaven have had peace, freedom and equality. And all history, sacred and secular, seems to testify that every kingdom, empire, aristocracy and republic, founded on man's wisdom alone, has failed to give peace, liberty and equal-

752 IMPROVEMENT ERA. ity; for, is it not true that however they have risen in wealth, civilization, culture and power, the harmony of the picture of their glory and greatness has been marred by the heel of the splendid tyrant on the neck of the squalid slave! Unregenerate human nature has not changed: ''Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man." The only hope for humanity is iu God, who has spoken in our day to Joseph Smith, and through him organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Spirit of God is moving in the hearts of the people, and many are receiving the truth as taught by the hundreds of elders of the Church who are preaching repentance to the world. The leaven is working, by which a people will, in due, time be prepared for the coming of the Lord. Zion will be built up like unto the Zion of Enoch. Peace will be given to men, not by the Hague Tribunal, nor by peace congresses and peace societies, whose efforts, though very commendable, in the interest of peace, are as feathers thrown against the wind. Peace will come when men repent of their sins, and turn to God, and obey the gospel of Christ, and give allegiance to that "Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Mancos, Colorado.