--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Whitney, Orson F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 3 published: 1920-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Whitney, Orson F., "The Undiscovered Country—II," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 3 (January 1920): 229–234.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2303unse 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: improvementera2303unse start_page: 229 end_page: 234 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2303unse publication_year: 1920 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 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Undiscovered Country—II THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY 231 knows all about spirits — is saturated with the lore of the subject; but he is not a "sensitive," and cannot therefore "receive." The spirit of Grimm, re-entering his old home, makes strenuous efforts to be seen or heard by some member of the household; but all in vain. None of his family, none of his friends, can behold him or hear his pathetic pleadings, Yes there if — one who can; a little invalid boy, Frederick's illegitimate child, who is wasting away with a fever. The veil is thin between him and the Spirit Land, to which he will accompany Peter Grimm, after the latter's earthly errand is accomplished. This little lad is a "sensitive." He sees the spirit, receives the message, and the threatened misalliance is averted, Kathrien and her worthy lover being happily reunited. Fiction and Fact Such is the story of Peter Grimm and his return from the Spirit World. It is pure fiction, of course; but fiction often — supports fact, and is even less strange so a well-worn proverb affirms. Nevertheless, as will be seen from what follows, I am not in absolute harmony with Belasco's ingenious presentation of the spiritualistic theme. My views upon the subject are not based upon the theories of men; they are founded upon the revelations of God. Spirits in Prison That there is a Spirit World, and that its inhabitants, or some of them, return at times and communicate with mortals, I am perfectly well assured; and this assurance is confirmed bv the teachings of divinely inspired men, both ancient and modern. But I am not convinced that any and every spirit is at liberty to return, no matter how many "compacts" like the one described in the Belasco story may have been entered into beforehand. According to God's word, some spirits are "in — — prison" those who were wicked in mortal life a class similar to the one mentioned in the First Epistle of Peter. 3 18-20. ( : Of ) what avail would a compact be in their case, unless their jailor or some higher power were party to it? Evidently the spirits that communicate with mortals are not of that class, unless it be in exceptional cases, where a leave of absence has been granted for some special reason. A House of Order God's house is a house or order, and the Spirit World is a room in that house. This being the case, it is only reasonable to conclude that before anything important or unusual can take place there, the Master of the Mansion must first give consent. 232 IMPROVEMENT ERA Otherwise confusion would prevail, and the divine purpose for which the veil was dropped between the two worlds might be thwarted. Uncmbodied and Disembodied Spirits — Spirits are of two kinds the unembodied and the disembodied; that is to say, those who have not tabernacled in the flesh, and those who, after taking bodies on earth, have passed out of them into the Spirit World. But whether it be of the one class or of the other, permission from the Father of Spirits would have to be obtained before one of his children, either an unembodied or. a disembodied spirit, could make itself manifest to mortals. The Book of Job is virtually based upon a similar principle. Satan, with all his power and all his agency, could do nothing against Job, until God had given him leave to afflict that righteous man for the purpose of testing his integrity. The Question of Receptivity Moreover, as Belasco aims to show, not every mortal is qualified to receive a message from "the other side." One must be fittingly endowed, appropriately gifted, in order to get a communication of that character. Earthly ties of kinship do not necessarily govern in these cases. Other and higher relationships are involved. There must be a capacity as well as a desire to receive. All God's children are gifted, but not all alike, nor in the same degree. (I. Cor. 12:4-11.) Because men like Moses and Joseph Smith could see God, is no sign that «ny man can see him. They were "choice seers," and as such were different from ordinary men. All human beings can obtain blessings from Heaven, but not always in the same way. There are diversities of gifts and various degrees of receptivity. Wireless telegraphy furnishes a hint in this connection. Unless there be a receiving station, with an apparatus properly attuned, a message launched upon the ether would find, like Noah's dove, "no rest for the sole of her foot." Future Occupations In one of the supposed conversations between Peter Grimm and Doctor McPherson, the subject of future occupations is discussed. The "compact" having been entered into, the Doctor says: "I would like you to find out, if you can, what we do in the other world. I would like to know if I have got to go on being a bone-setter throughout all eternity." Grimm's reply is characteristic: "Well, you would stand a better chance for success, having practiced it all your life here, than a novice who simply took it up there, wouldn't you?" The florist's argument is logical, but like the question that THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY 233 called it forth, somewhat misapplied. "A spirit hath not flesh and bones." (Luke 24:39.) Bone-setting, therefore, does not belong to the Spirit World. Nevertheless, ther^ must be occupations in the future life, of which those in the present life may be regarded as typical, or in the nature of a preparation, leading up to loftier employments. If a follower of Joseph Smith were asked: "How do you expect to spend eternity?" he would not agree with that clergyman who said, in answer to the same question: "I expect to spend the first million years gazing upon the face of the Savior." The Latter-day Saint would be very apt to reply: I expect to do hereafter what I have learned to do here, but with more perfect means and in higher and better ways. He would agree with Dr. Watts: Then shall I sec and hear and know All I desired and wished below, And every power find sweet employ In that eternal world of joy. Evil Spirits at Large A very important question now arises: How may good or bad spirits be known? For every spirit is not good, nor is every spiritual manifestation genuine. There are frauds and counterfeits innumerable. And even if real spirits and actual manifestations be alone considered, we must still be on our guard against deception. There are many evil spirits in this world— spirits that have never had bodies. They are here by permission or toleration from the Most High, against whom they rebelled in the Councils of Eternity, when the Savior was chosen to redeem mankind. Satan and his legions—tho^e who followed him when he fought against God and was cast out of Heaven— these are all wicked spirits, and they wander up and down the world endeavoring to lead mortals astray. Wherever possible, of the bodies of men and even of the lower they take possession animals. (Acts 19:13-16; Mark 5:12, 13.) Hence the power (lb. 16:17; Joseph given to God's servants to "cast out devils." 166.) Against these fallen spirits and Smith's Teachings, p. be on the those whom thev have beguiled, we must continually our souls. The temptations they defensive, lest they ensnare are doubtless an important factor in mans probation; present developed and made for by resisting temptation, the soul is stronger; and this is probably one reason why the pernicious activity of such spirits is tolerated. Punished in part by being for their misdeeds-the second denied bodies, the full penalty — death is yet to be visited upon them. l 5P ' r imagine. SpSullismTs not altogether what some people 234 IMPROVEMENT ERA Despite the frauds connected with it, it is a reality, and was recognized as such long before Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir A. Conan Doyle proclaimed their conversion thereto, thus lending to it the prestige of their illustrious names. But all realities are not righteous. Because there is a Devil — an actual demon and his dupes, is no reason why we should associate with them, confide in them, or accept their evil communications. How Shall We Know? There are bad spirits as well as good, and the vital question is: How can we know the difference between them? Let us at this stage consult an expert— — for there are such one who came in contact with spiritual forces to a marvelous extent, not only receiving messages from other worlds, but also interviewing the messengers. Joseph Smith, God's Prophet, knew the difference between good and evil communicants of this kind, and here is his testimony concerning them: Expert Testimony "When a messenger comes, saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand, and request him to shake hands with you. "If he be an angel, he will do so, and you will feel his hand." [An angel is a resurrected being, with a body as tangible as man's.] "If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect, he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear. "Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still deliver his message. "If it be the Devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands, he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything [he also being without a body]. You may therefore detect him." (D. and C. 129:4-8.) In another place the Prophet says: "Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits and laws, by which they are governed: and it is very evident that they possess a power that none but those who have the Priesthood can control." (Teachings, p. 173.) To his declaration that "a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge," the Prophet adds that if men do not get knowledge (including the knowledge of how to control evil spirits), the latter will have more power than the former, and thus be able to dominate them. This is precisely the condition of "the spirits in prison." They are dominated by a power which they cannot control. They are in Hell, and Satan sways the scepter over his own dominion. — THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY 235 Seek Knowledge Aright To those in quest of spiritual light —this word of counsel: Seek it only in God's appointed way. Follow the advice of the Apostle James and the example of Joseph the Prophet. (James 1:5; Hist. Church 1:4-5.) Never go upon the Devil's ground. Keep away from all "deceptive influences. One may believe in hypnotism, without being a hypnotist, without surrendering — one's will to the will of the person exercising that power a very dangerous power when wielded by an unprincipled possessor. In like manner, one may believe Spiritualism real, without becoming a spiritualist, without attending "seances," without consulting "mediums," without putting trust in planchettes, ouija boards, automatic pencils, false impersonations, etc., or in any way encouraging the advances of designing spirits, who thus gain an ascendancy over their victims, leading them into mazes of delusion, and often into depths of despair. Go not after them; and if they come to you, put them to the test: "Try the spirits whether they are of God," and can prove their verity. (I. John 4:1.) "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not ac- — cording to this word" if they conform not to the standards that God has set up, "it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20.) The Great Return Yes, the "dead," or the departed, do return; tor they are no more dead than we are. Nay, not so much. The Savior's reappearance after death to his amazed and incredulous disciples, what — was that but a return a real return from the Realm of the Departed? —where, in the interim between his crucifixion and resurrection, the Son of God "preached to the spirits in prison," as testified by his chief Apostle. Moreover, the ascended Lord promised another return, or his angel promised it for him to the "men of Galilee" who stood "gazing up into heaven" when "a cloud" had "received him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9-11.) That glorious Return is nigh. All the signs so indicate. May the kingly Traveler from Heaven to Earth meet a royal welcome when he appears! Good Ethics "If you can stand what I say to you," said Dr. George H. Brimhall, President of the Brigham Young University, to his students when they had assembled to celebrate his sixty-seventh anniversary on December 9, 1919, "you do not need to be concerned about what I shall say of you." Mormon Battalion and its Monument By Edward H. Anderson Seventy-three years ago, on January 30, 1920, the Mormon battalion reached the end of their 2,000-mile infantry march from Fort Leavenworth to San Diego. They were shortly after made acquainted with the famous orders No. 1, issued by Lieut.- Colonel Cooke, commander of the expedition. Lieutenant- Colonel Cooke's well known compliments to the battalion, on their limitless courage, remarkable fortitude, and the spirit of sacrifice, which distinguished both officers and men of that remarkable company, are well known. Theirs was an achievement unparalleled in the history of the world. This remarkable historic document is reprinted herewith in full, with a picture of Lieutenant-Colonel Cooke. The seventythird anniversary will witness the close of a campaign throughout the state of Utah and the west for the raising of one-hundred thousand dollars by the people, to be added to the onehundred thousand dollars appropriated by the Legislature of the state of Utah, for the erection of an artistic and elaborate monument, drawings of which are herewith presented in the Era, to be placed at the southeast corner ground of the Capitol building, on the beautiful eminence above Salt Lake City, in commemoration of the Battalion and their marvelous march across the desert to San Diego, seventy-three years ago. Worthiness of the Cause That the march and achievement of the western pioneer organization known as the Mormon Battalion, are worthy of commemoration in enduring monument, must be clear to all who are familiar with the facts. This thought was recognized for many years, before action was taken to make it a material fact. The idea of a memorial of some kind, in honor of this remarkable body of pioneer soldiers, has been kept alive in the minds of the people and emphasized by an organization of women known as the Daughters of the Mormon Battalion, composed of direct women descendants of the men of the Battalion. The thought has now taken on a wider scope, until the people of Utah and the surrounding states, have awakened to the duty of such recognition, not only as an idea, but as an act to be expressed in the erection of a substantial memorial to commemorate this unique body and their achievements in the history of the West