--- 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: 16 number: 5 published: 1913-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Smith, Joseph F., \"Editors' Table: The Resurrection; Card Playing,\" *Improvement Era* 16, no. 5 (March 1913): 508–512." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1605unse 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: improvementera1605unse start_page: 508 end_page: 512 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1913-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1605unse publication_year: 1913 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 1913, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editors' Table: The Resurrection; Card Playing Editors' Table The Resurrection At this season of the year when nature is about to awaken to renewed life from winter's sleep, one's thoughts naturally turn to the resurrection. Some have thought that a comparison of the resurrection of the body of man, and his return to* life after death, with the revival of the plants and nature at the return of spring, is objectionable, and not pertinent as an illustration of the resurrection. To some extent, of course, this is true. Such persons argue that human research fails to find any comparison, between the awakening of nature and the resurrection of the body. They declare that in no instance in nature has there been an actual death. If the trees, or the grass, or the pupa within the chrysalis, die, there will be no resumption of leafage, no butterfly, with the return of spring. Life sleeps with the apparently dead in nature. The comparison so often made that as each returning spring brings life to the slumbering acorn, and the tree stripped of its leaves, so also shall renewed life be given to the body in the resurrection, is a statement untrue in analogy, they argue ; for this reason, that life slumbers with the buried acorn, and in the tree stripped of its foliage, but this is not so with the body, for that is dead even as the killed tree or the lifeless acorn, neither of which would revive. But it is no greater mystery, to my mind, for God who has all power, to re-unite the essential elements of the dead body of man with the living, eternal spirit, thus forming the resurrected soul, than for him to re-clothe with a new plant, each returning spring, the mysterious life of the slumbering seed ; or the stripped and naked tree, with a new covering of foliage. In the New Testament the resurrection of man is not only taken for granted but it forms a part of Christ's doctrinal system "He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life, ***** for as the Father EDITORS' TABLE 509 hath life in himself so has he given to the Son to have life in himself, * * * * All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; if they have done good, unto the resurrection of good; and if they have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5 :24-29.) That Jesus arose from the dead, and so became an example of what we are to do, is attested by such an array of scriptural proofs that no believer in the inspired records can have a doubt of the fact. The angel testified to the women at the sepulchre "He is not here, for he is risen, as he said." He showed himself to many in Jerusalem, and besides manifested himself to the Nephites, on this continent, where prophets taught the doctrine and foretold his resurrection : "The spirit and the body shall be re-united again in its perfect form ; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time," writes Alma. Mormon declares : "The death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass redemption from an endless sleep from which all men shall be awakened by the power of God." In the Book of Mormon we have many of the most striking testimonies of the fact of a literal resurrection, and these facts are with certainty confirmed by modern revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith : "They shall look for me ; and, behold, I will come ; * * * An* sound his trump, and the Saints angel shall that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud where- ; fore, if ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me, and your souls [spirits and bodies united] shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected." (Doc. and Cov. 45:44-46.) Nature ; the testimony of the New Testament ; the personal teachings and example of Christ ; His appearance among his disciples before His ascension, and on this continent; the written declarations of the prophets in the Book of Mormon ; and the revelations of God to the Prophet Joseph Smith, in united, unmistaken voice all testify to the fact of the literal resurrection of the body. Guided by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, by faith in God, in the testimony of his prophets and in the scriptures, I accept the doc- 510 IMPROVEMENT ERA trine of the resurrection with all my heart, and rejoice at its confirmation in nature with the awakening of each returning spring. The Spirit of God testifies to me, and has revealed to me, to my complete, personal satisfaction, that there is life after death, and that the body which we lay down here will be re-united with our spirits to become a perfect soul, capable of receiving a fulness of joy in the presence of God. Joseph F. Smith. Card Playing A correspondent has sent a request that we say something of the position we take on card-playing. Heretofore, I have written upon it, both in this magazine and others, and spoken of it many times before the congregations of the Saints. Personally, and always I am positively and insistently opposed to the Latterday Saints playing cards, either at home, in private circles, in public, at socials or at any other gathering of the people. Our correspondent further states that he wishes to know how to meet the argument of a number of young ladies in his settlement who are or should be workers in the Sunday School and other organizations of the ward, who insist on playing cards "in their private parties or gatherings, of three or four, and so on, when they get together for an evening's visit." They argue that they just play among themselves and enjoy it; they do not play for money; they play in their own homes, so they are not, as they claim, setting anyone else an example outside of their own circle of friends, and for that reason cannot see where they are doing any harm. They feel, also, and have so expressed it, that "anyone who opposes them is interfering with their personal liberty." They say further "that certain persons in high standing in the community have their card parties they nevertheless, go to meeting, and are treated as ; the best of people ;" so that, "if it is right for these people to play cards in social parties, it cannot be wrong for us in our private parties." Our correspondent further states that he has even heard of "certain High Priests who play cards when they ought to be in EDITORS' TABLE 511 meeting on Sunday." He wishes us to tell him how to meet the arguments of the young ladies. If there is any truth in what he says he has heard about "certain High Priests," they should be dealt with for their fellowship. It appears to me a very simple matter to meet such arguments. It is just as sinful in the sight of the Lord to do an evil secretly or in the home, as it is to do one publicly, and it has practically the same effect upon the person who does the evil act, although the evil results may not be so far-reaching as if done in public. No person can play cards, or smoke, or drink, or do any other forbidden thing, in his home, by himself or among his personal friends, without being guilty of wrong doing just as much as if he did all these things in public. We cannot be hypocrites, and whatever we do should be worthy, of course, of being done openly and above board, if we would be effective teachers. No young lady can teach children in the Sabbath School the -evils of card-playing, who plays cards in her home society, or with her personal friends. The teachings of such will have no good effect, because her heart will not be in it, and example and habit are stronger than words. The same may be said of every other person, including "High Priests," and "certain persons in high standing." I have stated heretofore why I hold that card-playing is wrong. In the first place, it results in the useless waste of valuable time ; secondly, the practice leads to the public card table, thence to the saloon, to gambling, and to ruin and shame. These facts can be easily demonstrated by the history of men who have begun the game, intending not to carry it farther than for passtime and pleasure in their private homes, but who have gradually — — become infatuated crazed with it, and left the home, and taken up with companions who have easily led them from card-playing for fun or amusement, to playing cards for money and intoxicating drink, which course most certainly leads to destruction. I am absolutely opposed to playing cards in homes, in social gatherings, privately or publicly, and this applies as much to those our correspondent calls "certain persons in high standing," as it does to the young lady or the young man who is or should be teaching in the Sabbath Schools even in the remotest village or, community in the Church. Joseph F. Smith. Messages From the Missions This picture shows a com- pany in a pleasant walk of nine or ten miles, from a little side railroad station. The people are O. D. Romney, president of the New Zealand mission, his wife, and one of their missionary sons,Melbourne, and Brother Peter Merrick, with his little, heavily-laden pony. The next picture shows the object of their visit, the poor, but faithful, family of Brother Merrick's, who have been members of the Church for twenty years past. They are so isolated that they seldom see an elder. Sister Romney is the first American lady they have ever seen. They are an exemplary family, well posted in the gospel, and enjoy a most excellent spirit. They hold their own Sabbath School and Sacrament meeting every Sunday. They live alone, on a little farm which is like an oasis in the desert, for nothing can be seen from there but the dreary gum-fields in the Bay of Islands, in the northern part of New Zealand. A wonderful lesson of contentment, joy and satisfaction brought by the gospel to the faithful is exemplified by these people in their lonely cottage. — O. D. R. Elder William E. McFarlane, writing from Burlington, Vermont, October 14, says: "Elders in the Vermont conference, left to right: Joseph A. Anderson, Logan; Malcolm Walters, Tooele; Alvin A. Wood, Clearfield, Utah; James S. Mason, Rigby, Idaho; Frank B. Brown, Salt Lake City; John W. Dunn, Logan; bottom row: Matthew Madsen, Willard; Joseph L. Brown, Grantsville, Utah; William E. Rappleye, Cowley, Wyoming; Conference President William McFarlane, Manti; George L. Hatch, Chihuahua, Mexico; William D. Robertson, Park City, Utah. This conference was organized on theh 24th of July, three years ago. Much good has been done here, considering the prejudice owing to this being the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are greatly pleased with the success that has attended our labors this summer. We have distributed tracts in