Church Schools Department: Divinity in the Latter-day Work

84 IMPROVEMENT ERA always been more or less puzzling to the student of Christianity. There are splendid quotations, not only from well-known modern philosophers, but from some of the most scholarly writers of the Church. These quotations are well chosen, and do .much to reinforce the thought that the author wishes to bring out. Not only the Seventies, but all holding the Priesthood will find the book intensely interesting as well as thoroughly instructive, and, added to the other year-books that have been used during the past four years, will make a library on Church doctrine that will be very valuable. Church School Department Divinity in the Latter-day Work. — The following incident is related for the Era by Prof. Alice Reynolds, of the faculty of the Brigham Young University, Provo. It shows that the hand of divinity is in the mission of the Latter-day Saints, as testified to by one prominent visitor. Miss Reynolds writes: Ten years or so ago, I spent part of my summer acting as guide on the Temple block, under the direction of the Bureau of Information. One afternoon, about four o'clock, just as I was concluding what . I had to say to my party about the temple, three gentlemen approached me from the east gate. The one on lead extended his hand! in the most cordial manner, saying as he did so: "Not curious 'Gentiles,' madam, but friends." Continuing, he said: "I am Judge Terrell, of Austin, Texas. I was United States minister to Turkey, during President Cleveland's second administration. The gentleman on my right is one of the judges of the supreme court of Texas, and the gentleman on my left is a well-known attorney of our state. Now," said he, "go on with your story." I told the story of the erection of the temple, gave items concerning the dimensions and cost. As I concluded, he asked: "May I be allowed to say something to this group of people?" I urged him to feel quite at liberty to say anything he cared to, and this is what he did say: "I was a boy of nineteen when her people left Nauvoo. I shall never forget that sight. Such a poor, bedraggled, poverty-stricken company of people I have never seen, before or since. They had all sorts of miserable looking animals that were supposed to carry them through their long journey. They had horses and cows hitched together to one wagon, and cows and oxen were hitched together. Some actually wheeled their goods across the river in barrows, and I wondered whether they were going to start into the western wilderness in that fashion. "Many sickened and died during that long march. They shed their blood almost every step of the way. The wonder is they did not all die. I state to you, ladies and gentlemen, the facts in the matter, when I tell you the people who stood watching them as they crossed the river and pushed on their weary way, believed every one of them would die. "I do not wonder that the lady feels that a divine hand has been over her people, and that she regards what is now to be seen on this

CHURCH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT 85 block as in a sense miraculous. Knowing what I do, it is very difficult to escape such a conclusion."