My Debt

My Debt UY CLIFFORD WILSON

[In the June, 1914, M. I. A. oratorical contest, "My Debt" was one of the two Advanced Senior orations that was delivered in the final contest. Editors.]

There comes a time in the life of nearly every person who has been blessed with ordinary intelligence, when the question regarding the meaning and obligation of life presents itself with unusual force. To some people life is but a compulsory estate into which they have been brought without first having been granted the privilege of accepting or rejecting it. To others, life is — merely accidental just happened to be, and in it they see no evidence of a divine hand or superhuman design. These two classes, however, are small, in comparison to a third, whose conviction is that life upon earth is a great privilege, and places the one who enjoys it under a binding obligation to the Great Giver. In order for any man to be in a position where he may take a proper view of life, it is absolutely necessary that he possess all possible knowledge concerning its source and intended destiny. At once, vyith the contemplation of life, the questions will arise, "What is its extent? Does it consist only in that period of time CLIFFORD WILSON marked between birth and death, or has there been a period before birth, and is there to be a period after death ?" To the greater portion of mankind the hope of a future, an eternity, is instinctive. In every surrounding is displayed the work of a Divine hand, pointing, as it does, to man as the masterpiece

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of the Great Craftsman and the thought that death should mark ;

the end of such a creature as man is almost unthinkable. With me the great buoyant element of my life is the abiding hope of a happy eternity. I am emboldened in the pursuit of a firm and constant purpose by the sustaining confidence given me by the whisperings of my inner self, that the way from the cradle to the tomb marks but a section of a great highway leading to glory and freedom, a conception of which hath not entered into the heart of men. I am as sure that I shall always be, as I am sure that I now exist. Though this body of flesh and bone may perish in decay, be taken back to mother earth, and lose all trace of human form, yet shall this ego, "I," be pressing on along a road that never ends nor had a beginning. With Addison in his Cato I acclaim that

"The soul in her existence, smiles At the drawn dagger and defies its point. The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth Unhurt amid the wars of elements, The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds."

If life is to rest eternally secure in the future, it has also been eternally secure in the past. There is but one eternity, the infinite future and the infinite past, joined in wedded unity at the altar of the living present. There can be no eternal future for that which has not had an eternal past. Weare naturally inclined to disregard the past because it is dead. Our uncertainty as to what the future holds in store for us keeps burning brightly the fires of hope of a life hereafter, while within lie, only smoldering, the embers of concern as to what our lot was before we came to this earth. But, how can the past be known ? No power of reason can liftthe curtain that obscures from our view the stage of action beyond this world. Only one source of knowledge concerning an existence beyond the pale of this earthly career, past or future, is open to us, and that source has its head in God himself. The conducting channel lies in God's authorized agents even those— he has chosen and those he now chooses through whom his will is made known to the children of men.

One of the chief characteristics marking human beings is gratitude for favors received, and closely associated with it. though quite dissimilar, is a variable degree of selfishness. These two qualities will exert a potential influence upon any course I may contemplate through this life, and, together with the knowledge I have gained from my teachings, must constitute my guide. In order to get my position in regard to the attitude I shall

1128 IMPROVEMENT KRA take toward life, I question my selfish self thus: Do 1 derive any benefits from being here? Am I the recipient of any favor by accepting this life? Are my interests enhanced in any way by experiencing this season of seeming trial? The answer depends entirely upon my pre-earthly condition. Was I unhappy in that former state, discontented, bound, or limited in any way? If so, did this earthly career offer any relief or hold out any new possibilities?

We have not far to search for an answer. The story of human experience is a story of progress, of evolution, passing from lesser to greater, and the climax is reached in the definition to — man's possible destiny "As God is, man may become." But, in compliance with the great plan instituted in the beginning, there comes a time in the spirit world when further progress is impossible, except the soul be made complete. There must be a union of the spirit with an earthly body, and this union is only possible through the process of mortality. "For the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man," and it is the soul entire, and not in part, that may have the destiny of a Deity. Herein lies the great benefits I receive from life. It is the opportunity of further progressing, the removal of an obstacle to my advancement, a breaking down of a barrier that arrested my progress, limited my field of action, and obstructed my path leading to the Great Goal. Then, life is a privilege to be enjoyed, rather than an accident or an accommodation to some one else and, does not my accept- ;

ance place me under a binding obligation to my Divine benefactor? How can I requite this debt? What is the medium of exchange between me and my Creditor? I cannot pay in money. I cannot pay in lands, ships or stores. Nor will anything I own constitute tender. It is something higher than gold something ;

higher than lands or ships that has in any degree the power to discharge my obligation. Only one thing is at my command, and that one thing is service. Service unto God through service unto his children.The rendering of service, then, being my only means of acknowledging my position, I am in duty bound to employ it otherwise, what better am I than the dumb brute, if I refuse to show my gratitude ? If I am to be true to my nature, true to my Creator, to whom I owe my existence and all, I will resolve with the poet that

"This one thing will I do most gratefully, I will accept the life God gives to me,

Wear it proudly, wear it boldly. Molded and fashioned by his mighty hand, He bids me take and see and understand.

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O Life! I bow before thee reverently. High Privilege! A gift so rare to take! So, accept, and for his sake, I Of this the life God gives the best will make."

— The price of life is service. Through service only earnest, sincere and willing service, yes, even unto the least of these my — brethren can I ever hope to show my gratitude, can I ever hope to discharge my debt. TETON, IDAHO

Elder Wallace Strong, Wilson, North Carolina: "The elders in this conference report splendid success in their work, and attribute it to divine aid. President Strong spent a month holding branch conferences with the elders and Saints in the various counties. The elders have many valuable and interesting experiences reported in the pages of their diaries. All eyes appear to be focused on the example of the elders, and often they are asked if all are as loving of dispo-

sition asthey are, and as kind and true. We hope that the coming years and younger generations will prove to the world the divine mission of our work. Elders, left to right: Junius Caldwell, Carl Heyborne, Charles D. Johnson, Louis Cole; sitting, front row: Duncan A. Maxwell, Wallace Strong, Delbert R. Bennett.