In the Business of the Lord

IN THE BUSINESS OF THE LORD. BY ELDER D. H. FOWLER, ASSISTANT EDITOR OF "LIAHONA, THE ELDERS' JOURNAL." The world is getting better. One of the greatest evidences of it is the contrivances that men are continually bringing into use for the saving of time and energy. Only a few years ago the cured can of meat was about the only product of the packing house. Now there are side-products that form a great asset to the business. The sinews and hoofs are made into fertilizers to bless the farmer; the joint-oils, into lubricants for the driver's wheel; certain fats are transformed into a fair substitute for butter, oleomargarine; the horns go to the cutler's, and the hair finds a place in the plasterer and mason's trade. So, too, in the manufacture of most other things that the world needs, as well as in farming, fruit-growing, and the like, a greater or less saving in materials and products is effected. The same is true in the world of labor. Time was when myriads of hands were employed in making cloth that is now produced by a fraction of the number, by the use of time-saving machinery. In all lines of the world's work, man's will dictates the turning out of man's necessaries through the inventions of genius, whereas toilsome labor used to do it by sheer human strength. Great blocks of stone and other building materials had to be laboriously raised into place by a multitude of human hands; now one human finger presses a button, and harnessed electricity or steam hoists ponderous masses aloft with ease. A given number of men can now do infinitely more towards the great task of subduing the earth than they could a few decades ago. Which,

IN THE BUSINESS OF THE LORD. 41 in the broader sense, is the only business of man , and the one for which the Creator put him on the earth— to subdue it, and make himself in the process. The reason why I think that this trend of things, this tendency to conserve energy, is an evidence of the world's getting better, is because it is more like the business of the Lord. We see all around us how this invention and that has been made to do wonderful things, how by the use of it three or four, or perchance a hundred, times the amount of time or power can now be saved over the old way, by bringing the new machine to bear. But so few of us, perhaps, ever sense the deeper significance of it all. We do not always look far enough to see the overshadowing hand of the great Maker of the universe in it. When we do, we must see that the multitude of forcesaving devices that are daily being worked out and brought into play upon the business of the world, is making the world gravitate toward the way the Lord has of doing things. In other words, the Lord is the greatest conserver of energy there is. And his designs and methods of accomplishing things are the most perfect and energysaving that we know of. For, in the economy of God there is no waste. In the economy of men there used to be a multifarious waste, now we have found out more about the nature of God's handiwork, and so can save more time and world-force. There is mention made in the scriptures, something about the "preparation of the Lord" in the last days. It seems to me that this tendency of the present day to conserve energy in the mighty hum of the world's industries, and in general business, is a very noteworthy phase of "his preparation." And it helps to bring home to our minds the fact that we must be living in that prophetic time when all things are to be "brought together in Christ." For if it teaches anything at all, it tells us that the ways of this world of ours are becoming more like the ways of Christ. It speaks in unmistakable language that as we as earthpeople improve more and more in our manner of doing our work, as well as in morals and all other phases of living and of life, we are heading for the time when the Son of God will come down on earth with us and show us a still "more excellent way" to trans-

42 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . act our business and accomplish our purposes, as well as a wiser method of governing ourselves. So we see this earth and its inhabitants are gradually converging toward the status of a celestial sphere. The powerconserving devices and systems that men are all the time discovering and bringing to bear upon world-problems are bringing us steadily closer to the Lord and the means he employs to effect his ends. No doubt about it, is there? Come and make with me a little reflective study. I said that the Lord was the greatest conserver of energy that we know of. Let us see what the annals of the great past have to say about it. In placing man upon this globe of ours to find a home here, the Almighty warned him not to break a certain divine command or he would fall from immortality to the thorny world of mortal being. However, he disobeyed the injunction, but the Lord turned it to account anyhow, and the matter fell out so that it became a blessing instead of a curse — through it the earth became peopled with souls that needed such earthexperience. Again, in the earliest times there existed a band of choice spirits that had come through the lineage of a noble man, Abraham. Jehovah wanted to use this " chosen people" for a special purpose. But they fell into galling bondage for a long epoch under the cruel Egyptians. So the Alwise turned the incident to good accout. He had a goodly land afar off that he wished his "chosen Israel" to possess, but the divine mind fully comprehended that these people were too feeble-kneed to undertake the arduous task of traveling to it, too vacillating to bear the toils and trials incident to such a journey — without being goaded to it. The grievousness of the Egyptian bondage accomplished that result, or, at least, such a portion of the feat that sufficed for the purpose. They left their homes of thraldom and were piloted a long distance into the wilds of the intervening country, but were not allowed to enter the promised land on account of their almost incessant murmuring against their leader and their divine [Captain, for enticing them into the toilsome venture. But their children did. Another: In the story of this ancient western half of the

IN THE BUSINESS OF THE LORD. 43 world, "a faction of its inhabitants showed a wholly unrighteous disposition toward God and man, and he cursed them with "a skin of blackness," and withdrew his fellowship from them, which left them in a deplorable state of soul-darkness and savagery. Though doubtless the allloving Father deplored very much the necessity of this severe action toward the Lamanites, yet, as it was unavoidable, he made use of the circumstance, even though it was an evil one. He thereafter used the Lamanites as a battering-ram of judgment, as a thorn in the side of the Nephites, to keep them spurred up to a lively sense of their allegiance to the God of Israel. And this that they might reap the advantages of their keeping in close touch with their Creator. Right here, let us point out the great sweeping principle enunciated by the Savior: "It must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." God does not condone the offense, but he uses it for good to some one else. See how the Lord conserves forces — by turning the waste and the deplorable circumstances of human economy to account for good. Let us observe one more evidence of it. In 1820, the Lord told Joseph Smith that Christian sects were theologically wrong (which, by the way, has been amply proved, as the devotees of practically all of them have since vastly changed their creeds.) They are now nearer right in doctrine than they were then. However, many of them yet teach marvelously foolish and false notions, which tend to destroy faith in thinking people; which, of course, is an evil circumstance. But it would be folly and downright injustice for us to say that these erring teachers do not do good, also. Their very imperfect teachings about the Savior's plan of life inspires, in a large class of people, a rudimentary faith in the gospel. Time builds this up, and eventually they do, or will, accept the fulness of the gospel, if not in this life, then in the world to come. Humanity owes, too, another great debt to churches of sectism. That is, the burnishing up of the public mind of the country. They teach morals, and great will be their reward. The impetus they have furnished to the temperance movement, that is now making such a great sweep over this and other countries, amounts to a round total of good. This is their

44 IMPROVEMENT ERA. mission. I believe God uses them for this labor, though many of their tenets and works have been and are abominable in his eyes. So in all things, Jehovah knows how to turn good and ill circumstances so that they will make for the working out of his glorious ends. Behold the wisdom of God! His matchless ways and works inspire in us the deepest reverence. We see that in his economy there is no waste — all things, even evil situations, are eventually turned to account for good, and for the speediest working out of his predestined designs concerning the cleansing and celestializing of the earth. All by-products are made use of by him, all energy conserved, nothing wasted. He is the greatest Conserver of forces of whom we know. The tendency of the age in the business of the world, is toward that happy condition. The ways of men in the world's work, converge toward the ways of Jehovah, and so it will continue till the Lord will grace this earth of ours with his presence, and together we will labor for the final glorification of this, his sphere, and his children thereon, for their eternal bliss, and his everlasting glory and dominion. Independence, Mo. THAT OUR DAYS MAY COUNT FOR MUCH. {For the Improvement Era.) Every day that dawns upon us, But we bury friendship's power, Comes with blessiDgs rcih and grand; If we measure it by such; Every hour that doth approch us, For if gold must buy our pleasure, Bears a treasure to our hand. It can never count for much. And the spirit of life's mission Fills our hearts with magic touch, While we'er drifting with the masses, Whispering: bless and comfort others, We are only safe to be If you'd have life count for much. Ever watching for the tempest That may sweep across the sea: Oft we think, 0 had we riches, Ever clinging to an anchor; Diamonds bright or rubies rare, Holding with unfaltering clutch We might count our friends by hundreds, Truth" s great torch, to clear our vision, Those who would our pleasures share. That our days may count for much. Paradise, Utah. Sarah E. Mitton.