Editor’s Table: Search and Ye Shall Find

EDITOR'S TABLE.

SEARCH AND YE SHALL FIND- A very important consideration for the Latter-day Saints is to give thought to the reading matter that is introduced into their homes. There is a class of literature which gains admission into some of the homes of our people which may be said to be nothing less than vicious in its character. It is a cheap and sensational class which has a tendency to destroy a desire for reading that requires thought and consideration, and develops intellectuality. This class of literature may well be banished from our homes, and as it is the custom in the spring to clean house to make the surroundings of the homes sweet and endurable, it would not be amiss to have a house cleaning in regard to reading matter. Newspapers of the cheap and sensational story style have alto- gether too many readers, and their elimination from the reading tables of the people would be a thing to be earnestly desired. Our own literature should have consideration instead, and from our numerous magazines many valuable and important truths might be learned of which at present it appears that many of the people are ignorant. We sometimes hear complaints that we have too much Church literature and too many Church papers and maga- zines; but it is a fact that the papers and magazines taken aside from the Church publications are so numerous that if the latter were fewer in number, the reduction might only add to the number of outside publications subscribed for, many of which are really useless to those who read them. It is true that there are many

valuable papers and magazines that are worth while reading, but these are often neglected for the sensational class, so that tons of cheap and trashy literature are yearly introduced into the homes of the people.

This criticism might well be applied also to books. There is altogether too much novel reading of that class of novels which teaches nothing useful, and only tends to the excitement of the emotions. Excessive novel reading we all know is detrimental to the intellectual development of those who engage in it, and the wise and those who seek advancement might well give more time to useful, educational works — books that would enlighten the reader on history, biography, religion, and other important subjects which all well-informed people are expected to understand. Many of our young people, and some older ones, too, are not familiar with their own religion nor with the beautiful and striking doctrines of the gospel with which it is so laden. This class de- vote more, time to reading useless or sensational books than they do to the study and contemplation of works that would familiarize them with the principles of the gospel. If they were better informed in this line, and understood the saving doctrines and everyday questions of their religion, more than they do, they would not be trapped by false teachings, false leaders, and advo- cates of cults that are false. They would not be misled as some of them are. An incident comes to my mind. It is that of a lady who had for many years belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, and who was visited in her home by an advocate of Christian Science. This advocate of Christian Science understood her business perfectly, and taught the doctrines of that cult with much suavity and earnestness. Strange to say, this good sister, who had belonged to the Church for many years, exclaimed upon hearing of their doctrine of healing that it was the very thing she had been looking for for years. And this in face of the fact that our literature as well as the teachings of the elders are full of in- cidents of healing by the power of God through faith. The fact is that every principle of healing, every principle of the power of the Holy Ghost, and of God, which have been mani- fested to the Saints in all ages, have been bestowed upon the Latter-day Saints. There is no principle, there is no blessing, there is no advantage, there is no truth in any other religious so- ciety or organization, which are not included in the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and after him by