Messages from the Missions

EDITORS' TABLE 921 information. Useful information is given in regard to the four Utah railroads — Ogden, Logan and Idaho; Salt Lake & Ogden; Salt Lake, Gar- field and Western railway, and Salt Lake and Utah railway company. The book also contains statistics relating to Utah agricultural products for 1916, together with mineral and live stock products. It also gives the Utah mine dividends for 1916, and the value of Utah manufactures, the assessed valuation of property, and other interesting statistical data relating to the state. The book should prove of great value for ordinary reference pur- poses. Price 25 cents. Messages from the Missions Elder Leonard Elledge writing from New Zealand, April 24: "The picture shows the students of our school at Awarua, north of Auckland. I have twenty-six regular students. The school is held in the Latter-day Saints Church house. The furniture is all home made except the table. Slates are used instead of tablets. We open and close by prayer and sing the songs of Zion. The pupils do the praying. Our school is not com- parable with the school at Hastings, the Latter-day Saints Maori Agricultural College This has all modern equipment, and is fully up to date in every line with a large attendance, and many of the best teachers that ca m be ound in Zion. Our school is only like it in that we enjoy the g the Lord which is the most essential quality in any school. president James N Lambert conducted a most successful annual conference at Ka^ kohe APril6to8. War has raised the prke of everything here. The £ra is very much appreciated in New Zealand. A View of the War-Visit to a Daughter of Rev. James Fielding Elder Wilford Burton now on . .mission ^f^Zi™^ the by, is a grandson of Joseph Fielding ™ car»ed l Fieiaing's of the restored gospel to, and broke up his brother Kev. ja

922 IMPROVEMENT ERA church at Preston, England, in early days, recently wrote a letter to one of his kin at home, in which are several items of general interest. Of the war he says: "I think at home it is quite a common idea that this war is softening the hearts of the people on religious matters. But as far as my experience has gone, I would say it is just the reverse. In one sense it seems quite natural to me that such would be the case. It is certainly a terrible thing to say good-by to fathers, brothers, and loved ones when we judge the chances of seeing them in the future by the experience of others in the past. This existence seems to be the only one that the people of the world have any idea of in their limited sphere of knowledge. What is more natural, then, than for them to say there is no God, for if there were a God of love and mercy he would stop such a war as is being waged now. I feel sorry for these people, for they condemn and deny God for having brought about a condition which man and man alone is responsible for. A condition which God deplores, far worse than man does. Mankind forgets that we have our free agency, and were God to intervene now it would mean a loss of that free agency, and a contradictory movement on his part to his teachings and commandments. He gave us laws whereby we through obedience could avoid these conditions and enter back into his friendship; but if we disregard these things we must pay the penalty, and we shall not come out until we have paid the uttermost farthing. The latter condition is here and until men repent and seek the Lord, they will be allowed to continue until those evil factions are taken from the earth." Elder Burton speaks of a visit to a Mrs. Wright, who is a daughter of Reverend James Fielding, and a niece of Joseph Fielding. He says: "My visit to Leek, Staffordshire, to Mrs. Wright was a very pleasant one. I was quite surprised to find them quite well-to-do people who are very comfortably located. I found Mrs. Wright feeling very poorly, she had been bedfast for some time, but was up and waiting to see me. She is kind and very pleasant and refined, and has good control over her children who respect her as a mother. Mr. Wright is 83 years of age but remarkably well kept and stilll manages his own business, a cotton and silk mill. On the evening of my arrival they pressed me to sit up till 10 o'clock to talk about our people. Mrs. Wright pressed me to stay another day, to which I consented, and she and I talked on the first principles of the gospel for many hours. After I had taken a walk with one or two of the children, when I got back Mrs. Wright began asking questions about how our Church came to be organized, and seemed especially interested to hear of the Fieldings being associated with this movement. As I told her of Mary Fielding's conversion to the gospel, her marriage to Hyrum Smith, his death, and the conditions that attended it, her trials along with the rest of the Saints, their exodus to the great West, and their settlement in the Salt Lake valley, she would say every little while, 'Oh, how proud I am of the Fielding blood. Mr. Burton, if you knew their history as I do, you would value it still more than you do now.' Then she asked me if Joseph F. Smith pos- sessed the good qualities of his mother. I told her, 'Yes; and coupled with the good qualities of his father which were on a par with those of his mother.' We talked until 11 o'clock p. m. and I tell you I preached the gospel as best I could to them. The next morning I talked to Mr. Wright most of the forenoon. He wished to know many things about our people. When I left, I gave them the Articles of Faith, by Dr. Talmage, The Voice of Warning, by Pratt, and several other books, and they said they would read them. I told them that if they found some questions they could not understand, if they would send me word I would come back most any time. Since returning, I sent them a copy of the account of President Smith's Golden wedding, contained in the Relief Society Magazine, also several numbers of the Star containing a sketch of Mary Fielding's life. Mrs. Wright wrote me a note and said she was very grateful to me for them;

EDITORS' TABLE 923 and said she looked forward with pleasure to my visit before my going home. I prormsed that I would go again if possible before leaving." Missionaries of the Atlanta Branch Standing, left to right: L. S. Sum, Clearfield, Utah; Mae Porrit, Clifton Ida.; Edna Hansen, Snowflake, Ariz.; Ellen Martin, Birmingham, Ala • Frank C. Steele, Raymond, Canada. Sitting: Elder Lloyd L. Cullimore, Pleasant Grove, Utah; Conference President Jasper J. Hammer, Idaho Falls, Ida.- Chas. E. Ellsworth, Mesa, Ariz. The work of the Lord in Atlanta, Ga., is progressing very gratifyingly. The street and hall meetings are well attended, and the elders are making friends with some of the leading business men of the city. We were recently favored with the presence of Mission President Chas. A. Callis and Sister Callis, of Chattanooga. The president delivered three powerful sermons on topics of vital and timely interest. The large audiences present at all the services were visibly impressed with his inspired utterances. The same Sun- day a baptismal service was held at which time five were initiated into the fold of Christ, Elders Cullimore and Ellsworth officiating. Pesident Callis and President Hammer officiated in the confirmations. The visit of President Callis to Atlanta and his sermons were given considerable space in the daily papers. The local press is showing a very kindly attitude toward the Church, especially the extensively-read and quoted Atlanta Constitution, which publishes each Sunday in its special edition, a signed, boxed article from the pen of Apostle James E. Talmage on some foundation doctrine of the Church. These splendid articles are assisting materially in the spread of truth in this field. The missionaries all have fervent testimonies in the gospel and are faithfully striving to carry the message of salvation to as many souls as possible before it be too late.— Elder Frank C. Steele.