Herbert Melbourne, III

HERBERT MELBOURNE. BY EDWIN P. PARRY. III. It was two weeks later when Oscar Nelson again called upon the Melboumes as an acting teacher. He was alone this time. Elder Jones had gone to visit another family where there was sickness, and perhaps need of financial assistance. He always felt that he was more capable of looking after the temporal and physical rather than the spiritual needs of the people under his care, so he proposed that for this occasion, the teachers visit separately. Herbert Melbourne was found at home alone. His mother had gone out to visit a neighbor who was ill. He was reading the newspaper as Oscar came in. Inwardly he felt pleased that the teacher's visit was at such an opportune time, when he was alone. He did not so express himself, but simply received his visitor in his usual friendly manner. Oscar was also pleased to find Herbert alone, so that he might get nearer his heart; besides, he felt that he would listen more respectfully and indulge in less sarcasm in a private interview than he would in public. After a few comments on the news of the day, Oscar announced the nature of his visit by asking, "Well, Herbert, how is your spiricual status by this time?" With his usual caution Herbert replied, "0, it is normal, I believe." "I am here as a teacher again. To assure you that I am interested in your welfare I shall call on you from time to time, if you have no objections."

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 219 "None whatever. I'm glad to have you do so. You may be able to holp me to become enlightened spiritually." This much of an acknowledgment was encouraging, and Oscar answered, "I shall feel repaid for coming, if you find that I am of any help to you in your spiritual development." "1 will say this much, Oscar, you have started me to think upon religion as I never did before." "Good!" cried Oscar, "keep on thinking — and doing, too, Let me ask, have you read the 'Lectures on Faith?' " "Yes, Llhave read them." "And what do you think of them?" "0, I must say they are very good. The discussion is exhaustive and the deductions are certainly conclusive . Of course , as you know, the arguments are based on the testimony of scripture. The author would have the reader accept for granted that the scriptures are true." "Well, yes, for the sake of the argument, but if one has any doubts respecting the authenticity of the holy scriptures, there is overwhelming testimony, both external and internal, to prove their truth. But, of course, this evidence must be sought after. Unless you have made a search for it, it will not appear evident to you. As a student of science, you know how scientific truths have to be sought after, and you also know how scientists proceed in their search for truth. When a theory is presented as the solution of a problem it is received by them with respectful consideration. For the time being it is accepted as a possible fact. And then they proceed with their investigation to find out if it harmonizes with other known truths. If it does, it is accepted permanently as an acquisition to science, and if not, it is rejected and some other solution is sought. You are no doubt familiar with the history of the discovery of the planet Neptune, which discovery was made in the year 1846. . It was observed by astronomers of that period that there were some unaccountable disturbances of the planets of our solar system. To find the cause of this phenomenon a celebrated French astronomer, Urbain Jean Leverrier, set to work to investigate, and after laborious mathematical calculations determined to his own satisfaction that there was an undiscovered planet whose influence caused this hith-

220 IMPROVEMENT ERA. erto unaccountable disorder. He directed astronomers to look in a certain point in the heavens for this unknown world, and in a few days afterward the planet called Neptune was discovered. What I want to show you by means of this illustration is that in order to fairly investigate a claim, a person must first accept it as a truth — at least as a possibility. I believe you will admit that I am right, will you not?" "Yes, you are right." "Well, now, why should not religious claims be treated in the same manner, instead of being met with ridicule and abuse, as was the case when the ProphetJoseph Smith declared new spiritual truths to the world? Why did not Bible students and theologians believe sufficiently in his message to investigate it and see if it was in harmony with the Bible teachings?" "Well, I presume the theologians did not recognize Joseph Smith as an authority on religion," suggested Herbert. "True, he was not trained in their ideas of theology; but the Bible, which they professed to accept as their guide, taught them to look for and expect new revelations through just such a humble personage as the modern prophet. The Savior and his apostles, whom they professed to follow, were from the humble walks of life. They were not regarded by their contemporaries as authorities on religious doctrine. So the theologians of the world are inconsistent with their professions when they refuse to investigate the doctrines promulgated by Joseph Smith, but they are right in harmony with many self-styled scientists who, in their ignorance, oppose and ridicule new scientific truths that are brought to light." Oscar was silent for a moment, evidently intending to change the subject of discussion, when Herbert remarked, "Say, Oscar, when you were here before you said something about the gospel being a system of philosophy — that it was a science : I should like to know some of your views on the matter." "I shall be pleased to state, in brief, my reasons for regarding the gospel as a science. I ask you to take for granted that God is such a Being as he is shown to be in the 'Lectures on Faith/ before referred to — that he is a God of knowledge, power, justice, judgment, mercy and truth. If you can believe him as

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 221 such, you cannot consistently fail to worship him, or attempt to do so, at least. One definition of worship is extreme admiration. We admire our fellow-men who possess superior qualities, and our admiration leads us to imitate them; why should we not admire to a far greater degree our Heavenly Father who possesses to perfection all the admirable qualities of human kind? If we know him or have faith in him, we cannot but worship him, we cannot but love him and seek to become like him. Possessing this faith and this exalted desire, we are led to ask, how shall we attain our desire? The only way is by developing the God-like attributes which we inherit. And how shall we develop them? By practice, by persistent effort. To develop truthfulness, we must cast from us all untruthfulness; to develop in knowledge, we must add to the knowledge which we already possess by seeking for more; and in like manner we must develop every other attribute of our Father. This is true repentance, to lay aside or overcome all tendencies to evil, and to cultivate only those qualities that lead to purity and intelligence. Now, is not that good logic?" "Yes." replied Herbert, "I admit that much; but what about baptism? Can you show me any reason why such an ordinance should be complied with?" ' 'I may not be able to give you all the reasons there may be for compliance with this ordinance, but I might suggest some. In the first place, baptism, as you may already know, is the ceremony by which men and women are admitted into the Church of Christ. For mutual assistance, those who undertake to follow Christ are organized into a religious body; and you will no doubt admit that this is a wise provision, as in unity there is strength— but I need not discourse further on the necessity of organization: you will concede all that I may say on that subject; you will also admit that some ordinance should be adopted for the initi. ation of members into the Church, and what more fitting one can be suggested? Being buried in the water and raised forth to newness of life is typical of the death and resurrection of Christ— the great atonement by which it was made possible for mankind to obtain salvation. Besides, baptism is a very effective test of obedience. The force of this statement would be more apparent to you if you had had missionary experience among the

222 IMPROVEMENT ERA. professed Christian sects. Many of them will readily agree with you in anything you might say respecting the necessity of faith and repentance, but will at once disagree with you on the need of baptism. They will immediately ask, 'Of what benefit can it be to be baptized? Such an ordinance can be of no avail!' This, of course, shows that they are not willing to obey Christ, no matter how much they may confess their desire so to do. In order to earn many things we must accept the words of our teacher — we must walk by faith, not by knowledge. Knowledge is the result of obedience, and can only be obtained through obedience. Should we refuse to act only upon actual knowledge we never would gain the knowledge. Men are not consistent when they refuse to accept religious teachings until they are presented to them as demonstrated facts, when at the same time they accept secular teachings on the testimony of others. If there is no other benefit to be derived from baptism, it teaches this one simple lesson of obedience , and obedience, by the way, is a very important principle to acquire in the pursuit of knowledge, or of human development. There is another purpose, I consider, in the requirement of baptism. In this ordinance we sacredly covenant to render obedience to the laws of spiritual progress. We thereby feel more obligated to perform the requirements made of us than we otherwise would. Our honor is pledged, and we feel more determined to make our greatest efforts." "Yes, I believe you are right, Oscar," said Herbert. "I have proven that by my own experience, in respect to another transaction, however. When I began to work at my present occupation I made up my mind I would put some of my earnings each month in the savings bank. Well, I did so for a few months, and then, as I was not obliged to lay aside any certain amount each month, the practice lapsed for several months at a time. But at last I concluded I would take out shares in a building society. I did so, and soon got a loan of money and built a house — this house in which we are now living. Of course, when I obtained the loan, I had to sign a note, secured by a mortgage, promising to pay a part of the principal, together with interest, each month. I obligated myself to do this, and the result is I

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 223 have never yet failed to pay a single month's dues, and it is now over three years since I secured the loan." Herbert Melbourne seemed to be in a receptive mood this evening. He listened attentively to Elder Nelson's explanation of gospel principles, and asked many questions with a desire to be informed, and not for the purpose of confounding his teacher with perplexing problems, as he often did Oscar's predecessors in the office of acting teacher. So Elder Nelson felt free to talk to him, and he went on to show that there was a purpose in the observance of every gospel ordinance. As Herbert was of a philosophical turn of mind, Oscar always end^nvored to point out to him the philosophy of each doctrine, showing that true religion meant obedience to natural law— the law of human development; that it was nothing more nor less than the philosophy of true living. Mankind, he explained, were the children of God, and were destined to become like their Parent. To do so it was necessary that they learn the principles by which they might attain to such an exalted station. They must be educated up to it. Religion was a course of education. As well might a person reject anything and everything in an educational line as to ignore religion, the most important and vital of all educational pursuits. Such was the trend of the teacher's remarks. To conclude, he incidentally referred to the Word of Wisdom, calling attention to the value of observing its teachings. He knew Herbert had acquired the habit of smoking, but did not mention that to him. He simply pointed out the folly of practicing habits that would hinder one from developing his mental, physical and spiritual powers to the highest degree, and told him that the articles forbidden in the Word of Wisdom were such as have a tendency to deaden a person's mental, moral and spiritual faculties, and to weaken his bodily powers. Oscar felt that he had "preached" long enough for one evening; but as Herbert seemed be so earnest in his inquiries, he believed the evening was profitably spent. As he was about to take his leave, Herbert told him that he attended the conjoint meeting of the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement associations the previous Sunday evening, and was much interested in the exercises.

224 IMPROVEMENT ERA. "I was particularly interested in the lecture on 'Revelation,'" added Herbert. "That is a subject that caused me to stumble. I could not believe that men received revelation from God. But the speaker's remarks enlightened me considerably upon the subject. I believed that if one man received revelation, any other man ought to, especially since the Bible says that 'God is no respecter of persons.' Well, I candidly admit that I hadn't reflected upon the subject as thoroughly as I might have done, until I heard that lecture Sunday evening. That was Brother Burke, the president of the young men's association, who gave the address, was it not? "Yes. you are right — and a bright young man he is. I was there and heard his remarks. I was in hopes that you were present." "He seemed to be speaking for my special benefit, and I am glad that I heard him. You remember, he pointed to the fact that nature's revelations were ever before mankind, and might be read by any one at any time, and suggested that spiritual revelations, in like manner, were always before us, and awaiting a reader; then he showed that out of the millions of people who have inhabited this earth only a comparatively few ever sought diligently to read the book of nature and give a true interpretation of it, and a still smaller number had ever sought the interpretation of spiritual revelations. He also noted that some people see but one chapter or one lesson in nature's book; and are seemingly blind to all others that are equally apparent, if only they were educated to look for them; as, for instance, taking the illustration he used, several men may go into the canyon, one, being an artist, will discover some beauty of scenery — a picture most pleasing; another may not notice such an attraction, but, being interested in geology, may discover some peculiar rock formation that is a revelation to him; a third person, being a botanist, is delighted with some revelation of plant life, and may be entirely inobservant of the discoveries of his companions. Now that explanation which he made is what set me thinking. It dawned upon me that it might be possible for one man to receive spiritual light where another of equal general intelligence did not, because the first one was seeking for that light, and the other was not. I had to admit to myself that I had never made any search for spiritual

HERBERT MELBOURNE. 225 revelation, and how could I expect to obtain that for which I was not seeking?" "Your last remark, Herbert, brings a thought to my mind which I might here express. You will excuse me for this digression for a moment, and then I desire again to refer to the subject you were speaking upon. It appears to me to be a universal law that mankind must seek for whatever they wish to obtain. You know it is true of worldly affairs, and it is equally true of spiritual things. The Lord blesses us only according to our diligence in seeking for blessings. He does not thrust rewards upon us. He does not reveal himself to us only as we seek such revelations. If you have ever read the Book of Abraham as contained in the work entitled 'The Pearl of Great Price,' you will have learned that Abraham became the 'father of the faithful' and the great and mighty man he was, only as the result of his fervent desire to become such. So with Solomon: he was blest with wisdom because he sought it above all other things. It has been the same with all great and good men— they received what they labored for and earnestly desired to obtain. Mow, coming back to the subject we were discussing. One remark made by Brother Burke which impressed me was this: that in order for the Lord to reveal himself to his children, they must seek to become like him— to understand as he understands— just as it is necessary for a pupil to become like his teacher in understanding and intelligence, so that the teacher might reveal to him additional knowledge. What I desire to make clear is, that a teacher cannot reveal certain advanced truths to his pupil unless the latter is already acquainted with primary truths, or truths leading up to the advanced ones. One is, therefore, not capable of judging as to the revelations a prophet may receive from the Lord unless he is spiritually-minded himself. Let me add one more remark, Herbert, and I shall be through with my 'lecture.' 1 find that some people are skeptical about^revelation and also about the resurrection, because, in their ignorance, they believe them to be physical impossibilities. You are posted on modern scientific discoveries. Now I hold that these discoveries make it easier to believe that such miraculous things are possible, and are in accordance with natural law. The established fact that communication can be carried on by means

226 IMPROVEMENT ERA. of what is called wireless telegraphy, between points thousands of miles apart, suggests the possibility and probability that there is no limit to the distance that might separate the sender and the receiver of wireless telegraphic messages. The theory of science is that the universal ether which pervades all space, is the medium through which such communication is carried on. Then is it not possible that when such a message is sent out from a station it can be made to traverse the universe and be received at any distance, providing a receiving instrument, properly adjusted or attuned, is there to record the message? And does not this suggest that the Great Creator has means of talking to his children?' > Feeling that he had said enough for one evening, Oscar made preparations to depart, when Herbert remarked that he had made up his mind to become a member of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. Of course this was highly encouraging to Oscar, and he expressed to Herbert his pleasure at the course the latter was about to take. After a hearty handshake, Oscar bade his young friend good night and departed for home. As he walked hastily along the street he wondered if Herbert's chief nterest was in the Mutual Improvement meetings or in the president of the Young Ladies' association. There was no doubt that he was becoming more and more attracted by the latter. Oscar had no objection to that, however, providing he was sincere in his investigation of the principles of the gospel. He regarded the president of the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement association — Miss Alice Williams — as a most estimable young woman, worthy of the best young man in the community. He felt an interest in her welfare, and hoped when she married she would find a young man that was her equal. Herbert was a man of good principles; if he hecame converted to the truths of the gospel, Oscar felt confident he would make a staunch and active member of the Church. In that event he believed Herbert and Alice would make a good "match." But Oscar was not a meddlesome match-maker. This was only his private opinion, and he kept it to himself, or at least to himself and his "better-half,'' for he knew any confidential matter was perfectly safe in his wife's keeping. [to be continued.] Salt Lake City, Utah.