--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Rust, David D. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 15 number: 2 published: 1911-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Rust, David D., "The Everlasting Inquiry. A Poem," *Improvement Era* 15, no. 2 (December 1911): 156–157.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1502unse 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: improvementera1502unse start_page: 156 end_page: 157 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1911-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1502unse publication_year: 1911 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 1911, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Everlasting Inquiry. A Poem The Everlasting Inquiry. (For the Improvement Era) "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?" — Matt. 16:1.3. I. Some say about as Pilate might have said: "An idle leaf Upon an idle stream; a man with a wild belief; A dreamer, one who sat and watched the waves of Galilee, And took his calling from the winds, his message from the sea. There was no blazing star sent out, a vagrant in the sky; No angel kept the night the glorious time was nigh ; Through Oriental imagery, accretions of the years, And fallacy of faith, they say, that this strange tale appears. II. Some say that thou art but a man — a Jew — ordained of earth; That thou wert called the "Son of God," to shade a clouded birth; The child of a simple Hebrew girl, the son of a man unknown; And kept and trained by the carpenter of Nazr'eth, as his own. Some say the simple truth you taught, the Greeks had long ago; That the Hindoo or the Arab could make up a better show Of scripture than the Jewish books that speak thy "Holy Word"; That your thoughts were gleaned in Egypt, your divinity's absurd. III. "This man of Calvary," they say, "could not have died for me: I am my only saviour; blood atonement cannot be A truth; there was no fall of man. The history of that age Was warped with legend, fable, myth ; and painted on each page Were devils, witches, fairies, nymphs, and dryads, angels, ghosts. And thus the magic Nazarene" could make his mystic boasts THE EVERLASTING INQUIRY 157 Of power supernatural; and by suggestion, make Disciples say, and die for it, "He suffered for our sake." IV. Forever men will doubt and skeptics yet again enquire: "Art thou a king?" until the King of Kings, in robes of fire, Shall take his place. And then, the Magi, from the East And West and all around the world, will celebrate a feast, And bring their precious tokens and oblations from afar; And scholars will believe the sacred story of the star, And commemorate the Master's birth in silent eloquence; And reckless men will offer, then, the gifts of reverence. V. I am not skilled, nor by clairvoyance have I trained my sight To deal with mysteries. And yet, I see thy face by the light Of Pentecost, know thou art the Man whose truth has swept The deck of the world, whose every word of prophecy is kept. I know thou art the Son of God who walked upon the deep; Who rose from the shroud and sepulcher, and called men from the sleep Of death. 'Tis not for me to prove these things — you cannot show This truth by demonstration — you can only feel and know. VI. Thou wert born human, thus to show the gods 'tis no disgrace To be a man. Thou art divine, to show this mortal race 'Tis not too great for man to hope to be a God. 0 thou Whom Thomas touched, grant me the strength and faith to keep this vow: So long as life shall last, so long as I may use my tongue Or pen, I will acknowledge thee; and where I go among The walks of men, I will proclaim what thou hast sacrificed, And say the same as Peter said, "I know thou art the Christ." David D. Rust. Kanab, Utah.