The Return of the Key

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NOTES ON BIBLE TEXTS 629

Mary, probably in the little village of Bethany, on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The Evangelist draws for our instruction a beautiful pic- ture of home life. Jesus is the guest of honor. Martha, with the responsibilities of a hostess, is preparing an abundance of dainty food, and is full of bustle and anxiety. Mary has left the kitchen, and is sitting at the feet of the Master, listening to his life-giving teachings. Martha, anxious to get through serving, so that she, too, might rest at the Master's feet, asked Jesus to bid Mary to help her. It was then that the Master spoke this gentle, tender re- buke: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things," referring to the elaborate meal she, with char- acteristic Oriental hospitality, had planned; and he added that so many things were not necessary for his entertainment; "but one thing," or, "only one thing," he said, "is needful." Simplicity in the preparation of food is the great lesson here taught. That lesson should be heeded especially on the Lord's day, when the Saints ought to prepare their meals "with single- " ness of heart" (Doc. and Gov. 59:13); all the members of the household, particularly mother, should have a chance to attend the meetings. "Instead of suffering our labors to occupy the Sabbath instead of planning our business to infringe upon the first day of the week, we should do as little as possible; if it is necessary to cook food, do so but even if that could be dispensed with, it ;

would be better." —Brigham Young. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." (Mai. 3:8.)

Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He lived about four centuries before our Lord, at the time when the people had returned from the captivity in Babylon, rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, and re-established the temple service. Malachi found the people insincere in their worship. Inter- marriages with idolaters and infidelity i nthe marriage relations multiplied, and the payment of tithes was neglected. The prophet rebukes the people for these sins, and especially for their dishonesty in the payment of tithes. Ancient Israel was required to pay three tenths of each in-

dividual income. The first was "the sacred tenth," which be-

longed to the Lord, and was used exclusively for the temple ser- vice and the support of the Levites (Lev. 27:30-33; Numbers used by the heads of families 18:21-24). The second tenth was purposes. Every year they were sup- for social and religious

630 IMPROVEMENT ERA

posed to meet at the capital and offer sacrifices and feast with Pass- their friends. There were three such yearly festivals—the over, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of V^eeks. One- tenth of the yearly income was to be spent on the journeys and the religious and social functions incident to these gatherings (Deut. 14:22-27). Then, at the end of every third year, a third tenth of the income was paid for the benefit of Levites, strangers, orphans, widows, etc. (Deut. 14:28,29). This was ancient law of tithing. By the non-observance of it and other the divine laws, Israel incurred the displeasure of God and, finally, lost the guiding voice of prophecy for four centuries. The Lat- ter-day Saints are required to pay only one-tenth of their in- crease; that tenth is the Lord's, and no true Latter-day Saint will knowingly withhold any part of it from the Lord's treasury.

The Spirit of Song

By Franklin W . Harris

"Come, come, ye Saints," and "Let us gather up the sun- beams," for, "If there's sunshine in your heart," you'll find, "The world is full of beauty when the heart is full of love;" therefore "Let us all be good and kind," whether "In our lovely Deseret," "On foreign land or distant sea." "Should you feel inclined to censure?" "Nay, speak no ill," but "School thy feelings," and you'll find "There is power in the cool collected mind;" and thus you'll be led to "Count your many blessings," that you have received, "Down by the river's verdant side," "High on the mountain tops," or in "The valleys wide." "Now let us rejoice," that "We're not ashamed to own our Lord," for "He died that we might live," and "O'er the gloomy hills of darkness," "We're guided by his word." "O how lovely was the morning!" "When first the glorious light of truth" was revealed; and "What was witnessed in the heavens?" "An angel from on high;" thus "We thank thee, O God, for a prophet." "Guide us, O thou great Jehovah," for "The Lord is my light," speaking "Beautiful words of love," that help us to "Do what is right." "The time is far spent," but "Ere we hence depart," I must say "Onward, Christian soldiers," "Put your shoulder to the wheel," for "We are all enlisted," and some are "Waiting for the reapers sickles;" so, "God be with you till we meet again." Grace, Idaho

A lean, grizzled specimen of the wide open, and his three burros, shaggy and slow. They were well packed, because the long summer days that trailed ahead, loomed mysterious and full of golden promise.

The Rat's Partner By D. C. Retsloff

"Stop you, Babe. What do you mean by wandering off the and you, Barney, following her? Whoa, Bet, all of you." trail, The speaker, a lean, grizzly specimen of the wide-open, pushed an element-faded hat back on his gray hair and stood still.

The three burros, shaggy and slow, waited with drooping heads. They were well packed for the long summer days that trailed ahead, loomed mysterious and full of golden promise. All day they had followed the narrow trail leading from the valley, three thousand feet below. Now in the gathering dusk of the April evening, they came unexpectedly to a widening of the path, and freshly cut stumps, so surprising to them all that Babe, the leader, started to in- vestigate the new chip-strewn road way. "We camp right here, pards," said the man. "Wonder who's been scattering our cedar friends?" In a short time the packs were uncinched and the dumb trio left free to wander among the odorous evergreens.

632 IMPROVEMENT ERA

With neatness and speed the man arranged his camp. He made his bed on an oiled tarpaulin, now and then stopping to watch the sentinel peaks as the sun-god touched them softly with tints of lavender and gold. As he turned to gather a handful of pine needles and a bag of the newly cut chips, he stopped in amazement, for standing in the middle of the road, was a little chap, with big eyes, a deli- cate face and a thin body. Almost at the same instant came a weird, thrilling call, like the vesper hymn of a coyote. The child waited till the sound died away in a gurgle; then, lifting his voice, he replied in the same gushing, trembling wail. The old man opened his lips to speak, but the boy, with the grace of a young fawn, darted away among the trees. "Well, I'll be blowed, I will. Now what do you think of that, Babe?" He addressed his smallest long-eared friend, as he resumed his work. He built a tiny fire that danced and flickered adding grotesqueness to the cobwebby shadows. Babe, the favorite, never strayed far, so to her he was in the habit of talking. While the coffee bubbled and the bacon sputtered, his thoughts flitted to the child. "He sure was man-flesh, Babe. I'd like to know what he's doing here. We'll just follow the new trail in the morning and see where it leads, I'll be blowed if we don't." Swiftly and with care he washed the few dishes, gathered chips, replenished the fire, did other chores and stretched on the tarp, face turned to the blue, studded bowl above. Open-eyed and clean-minded, he dreamed of the El Dorado that was waiting him a few ledges farther on. The dream of years must come true. Always expecting, always searching, so it had been for fully a quarter of a century. He loved the silence of the hills, the haze of the moun- tains, the hidden beauty of thedeep-mouthed canyons; to these he turned when the snows melted, when the brooks sang, racing in mad floods to mingle with the water-falls and lose themselves in the larger streams that ramble and empty, God; knows where. When winter came with its blinding whiteness, filling the evergreen woods with queer shadows and covering the rocky peaks with soft stillness, then the sage scented, brown desert dust called him; the El Dorado was there. Spring and summer found him digging in the mountain fastness or panning for color at the bottom of mighty can- yons.