--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Smith, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 12 number: 11 published: 1909-09 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph F. Smith, "Editor’s Table—Testimony and Testimony Meetings," *Improvement Era* 12, no. 11 (September 1909): 913–915.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12011unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera12011unse start_page: 913 end_page: 915 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1909-09) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera12011unse publication_year: 1909 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1909, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editor’s Table—Testimony and Testimony Meetings THE Y. M. M.I. A. READING COURSE. 913 with interesting pen pictures of Salt Lake and Utah, as they were from 1857 to I860. Moreover, it portrays many of Che stirring events connected with the United States Army sent out, because of false reports brought to Washington, to exterminate the "Mor- mons." A beautiful love story runs through the book; and about the courtship of John Stevens all the historical events are clus- tered. Notable features of the book are the sayings of the Church leaders of those days which have been gathered from many for- gotten and difficultly accessible sources. Not only is the book an interesting historical romance, but it is strongly faith promoting. The Castle Builder, by Nephi Anderson. The author of the work is already well known to many Im- provement workers and readers of the Era, through the excellent work he has done for many years past, and some are already fam- iliar with his Castle Builder, which has met with marked success because it is true to nature. It is a story which beautifully tells of a universal trait— the hopes and aspirations (castle building) which every normal man and woman experiences; as Harald, the hero in the story, says to Thora: "I always have been and aiways shall be a castle builder, in this world and in the worlds to come. I believe in castles, Thora, even in what people call castles in the air. History teaches me that back of what we call facts there has always been a subtle force; before the act, there has been the dream; as the architect isto the builder, so is the vision to the realization. In fact, castle- building is but another name for faith— that power which God himself exercises, we are told, and by which worlds are made." The story tells of how Harald and Thora work out their destiny in the Land of the Midnight Sun; how Harald, the poor herder of sheep, plans his castles and how he realizes them; and how he in the Church attains to the grandest of them all— a membership of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints together with her whose love had led him on. Harald dreamed nobly and manfully, and his dreams became his prophets. Salt Lake City, Utah. EDITOR'S TABLE. TESTIMONY AND TESTIMONY MEETINGS. At the late annual convention of the M. I. A., a feature of the many profitable gatherings was a conjoint testimony meeting in the large tabernacle on the morning of June 6. President Joseph F. Smith presided, and his opening remarks are valuable as a guide for testimony meetings in general. His own testimony at the time, besides being full of the spirit of the gospel and the great Latter-day work, shows what subject matter is appropriate for testimonies; viz., thankfulness to God, a declaration of faith in him and his work and in the Lord Jesus Christ; belief in modern revelation, and in the Divine mission of Joseph Smith the Prophet; and the acknowledgment that all praise is due to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, whom to knew is life eternal. The testimony may be studied with profit by the Saints, and is here given in full: The purpose of this meeting is to afford the brethren and sisters, as far as the time will permit, the opportunity of express- ing their feelings and their faith in the great work in which we are engaged. It will, of course, be obvious to all that no single individual should occupy any very great length of time, and also that we should not wait, one for another, and thereby allow the time to lapse unused. It would be well, also, for those who speak, to give vent to their voices, so that as many as possible may have the privilege of hearing what they have to say. In order that the largest number may hear, it will be well for the speaker to turn his or her face toward the largest number. Personally, I feel grateful for the opportunity of meeting with you this morning; and while I am on my feet I desire to say to this congregation of workers, and associates, and sympathizers EDITOR'S TABLE. 915 with the work of Mutual Improvement, that never in my life was the testimony of the Spirit of God in my heart stronger or clearer than it is today. It seems to me that each day of my life, I feel some new assurance, some increased strength with reference to the divinity of the work that was inaugurated by the grace of God, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, a work which, in the few years of its existence in the earth, has spread abroad and accom- plished these great results! While many other organizations have arisen and fallen, with much greater pretensions in the beginning than characterized the mission of the Prophet Jo=eph Smith, they have had their brief day, and have passed away, while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — organized by the wisdom and power and revelation of God to man, through the agency of the boy-prophet — has continuously, steadily, day by day, grown and spread and become stronger and stronger in the earth. This is in accordance with God's decree; and so long as a majority of the Latter-day Saints are faithful to their covenants, faithful to their God, and to the truth of the gospel which they have received, this progress and increase will continue, until the truth shall find the honest in heart every land, among every people; and the in faithful, and those who shall be worthy of everlasting life, will be gathered out to the places appointed for them, where they can organize and receive the benefits of the organization of the Church, and the means that the Lord has provided for the education, all and instruction and for the strengthening of the faith of his children. My brethren and sisters, I know that my Redeemer lives. I know, as I know I live, that in person he has visited man in our time and day, and that we are not now dependent alone on the history of the past for the knowledge that we possess, of which record is borne by the Spirit of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all who enter into the covenant of the gospel of Christ. But we have the renewed and later witness and manifestation of heavenly visions and of the visitation of God the Father and Christ, the their Son, to this their footstool; and they have in person declared entity, their being, and they have manifested their glory. They have stretched forth their hands to accomplish their work— the work of God, and not the work of man— and while those who have