The Way of the World

IMPROVEMENT ERA Vol. XXVI May, 1923 No. 7 The Way of the World By Preston Nibley Tacitus, in writing his Annals, records the events of the burning of Rome at the time of Nero, and adds this significant passage: "Nero judicially charged with the crime, and punished with most studied severities, that class, hated for their general wickedness, whom the vulgar called Christians. The originator of that name was one Christ, who, in the reign of Tiberius, suffered death by the sentence of the procurator, Pontius Pilate. The baneful superstition, thereby repressed for the time, again broke out, not only over Judea, the native soil of that mischief, but in the city also, where from every side atrocious and abominable things collect and flourish. Thomas Carlyle, commenting on the above in his studied and reverent manner, has this to say: "Tacitus was the wisest, most penetrating man of his generation; and to such depth, and no deeper, has he seen into this transaction, the most important that has occurred, or can occur in the annals of mankind." , Truly, the wise and the learned of this world are not to be trusted in their judgments of the ways of God. The reverse is far more apt to be the case, for the ways of God have never been, and are not now, the ways of men. In the matter of religion is this especially true, where appearance and reality often bear small resemblance. For religion is certainly a matter of the heart, a condition of the soul. "My sheep shall know my voice," with- out argument, without persuasion, without public approval. To the great and learned Tacitus, what was the Carpenter's Son and his lowly following? Merely a "mischief" of passing moment. For Jesus of Nazareth appealed to those only who were in hunger and thirst after righteousness. The Roman his- torian was not of them, and he proceeded eloquently to con- demn what he did not and could not understand. Appearance and reality: How wide a space between them! Entered at the Post Office, Salt Lake City, Utah, as second class matter. Ac- ceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1017, authorised on July 2, 1018, $2 per annum. Address Room 406 Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

590 IMPROVEMENT ERA The vulgar eye looks out upon the world and cannot discern the finger of God pointing and directing the ways of men. The vulgar eye sees but the vain, transitory appearance, the reality being hidden away from it, obscure by a veil thicker than night. Let the reader also reflect upon the passage, hastily jotted down as a passing reminiscence in the autobiography of Thurlow Weed, who flourished in New York state as one of the brilliant statesmen and writers of the Civil war period. He records that, "about 1829, a stout, round, smooth-faced young man, between twenty-five and thirty, with the air and manners of a person with- out occupation, came into the Rochester Telegraph office and said he wanted a book printed, and added that he had been directed in a vision to a place in the woods near Palmyra, where he resid- ed, and that he found a golden bible from which he was directed to copy the book he wanted published. He then plaaed what he called a "tablet" in his hat, from which he read a chapter of the Book of Mormon, a chapter which seemed so senseless that I thought the man either crazed or a very shallow impostor, and therefore declined to become a publisher, thu^ depriving myself of whatever notoriety might have been achieved by having my name imprinted upon the title page of the first 'Mormon' Bible. It is scarcely necessary to add that this in- dividual was Joseph Smith, the founder of the 'Mormon' creed." Oh, Thurlow Weed, great editor, brilliant orator, "shrewd politician," this also was an important transaction, and "so deep and no deeper" did you see into it. This book you would not print, was finally printed and was heralded far and wide by the lowly, the devout, the prayerful, as a divine and heaven- sent message. Gradually, too, it has penetrated, and is penetrat- ing, into all lands and all climes where men and women look to heaven for divine guidance. The noble and the select of this earth, those who have done most to elevate mankind, have invariably been "the humble seekers after God." The whole moral foundation of the world rests upon their work. History is so replete with proof of this that it needs only to be read to be learned. The Bible, the "book of books," what is it but the history of the devout men who sought God and whose lips he touched with divine fire? The reformers, those men who threw off the hideous burden that enveloped the people of the middle ages, Knox, Zwinglie, Cal- vin, Luther, they were all devout, humble, "praying men" who called mightily upon the Omnipotent power for inspiration, and went not away unheeded. If we have learned the lesson of his- tory correctly, this, then, is our conclusion: That the in- struments in His hands, who have been used for the accomplish-

THE WAY OF THE WORLD 591 nient of His righteous purposes, have been those and those only who have devoutly and humbly sought Him. It is not curious, therefore, that in our day there should have been a wonderful manifestation of this truth. It is not curious that the boy Joseph Smith who went into the woods to pray for light and guidance, that spring day, in 1820, should have received it. It seems the most natural and plausible thing that could ha\e happened, for to deny it is to deny the very source and fountain of that inspiration which has guided the world from the beginning. That he was poor, unlearned, not skilled in the arts of men, has absolutely no bearing on the con- dition of his faith and the purity if his prayer. The simple question was, would he heed God or heed men? The history of his short life abundantly shows that his confidence was placed in the heavenly power; that he thereby incurred the fury of men and became a victim of that fury. No, it will not be different in our age than in other age9. As before, the "weak things of the earth" are brought forth to confound the wise and the mighty. A Brigham Young, obscure farmer boy with only "eleven days' schooling," who was he that God should be mindful of him? He was none other, more nor less, than a devout, humble, God-fearing man, capable of receiving inspiration, and heeding heavenly mandates. It is easy to fancy that in the providences of the Almighty any one of a thousand scholars could have been summoned to take his place, but "the burden of carrying on the Kingdom" which he shouldered like a Hercules might have proved too heavy for their backs. The strong heart, the undaunted soul, the reverent, faithful, humble man; he is the uncrowned king of this world, now and always. A Sentiment Worth Remembering The East India people have a saying well worth remember- ing and being put into practice, because it expresses the truth in such a direct way that it cannot be misunderstood. If it is heeded, very few will wander far from the straight and narrow way: "So talk with God, as if men were listening; So walk with men, as if God were present." — J. C. Hogenson