--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Unknown collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 10 published: 1925-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Unknown, “The Slogan for 1925–6,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 10 (August 1925)*: 981–1000." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera28010unse 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: improvementera28010unse start_page: 981 end_page: 1000 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera28010unse publication_year: 1925 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 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Slogan for 1925–6 THE SLOGAN FOR 1925-6 We Stand foe an Individual Testimony of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. [At this season's auxilliary group conventions held in connection with the regular quarterly conferences, and also at the conventions held separately, the Sunday evening meetings will be conducted under the direction ot the M. I. A. Aside from the interesting prize songs and other music by the stake organization, the honor roll call, and the stake motto address by a stake board member, two addresses will be given by visiting General Board mem- bers on the "Value of a Personal Testimony and Steps to be Taken in Ob- taining It," and on "The M. I. A. Slogan, We Stand for an Individual Testimony of the Divinity of Jesus Christ." As helpful to the officers and membership, the speakers and the general reader, the following three speeches at the June Conference, treating a similar line of thought are here presented. The subject is fundamental to every true Christian, and how to obtain a testimony is here pointed out. — Editors.] The M. I. A. Slogan 1925-26 By Elder Nicholas G. Morgan, General Board Y. M. M. I. A. At this time, when the faith of the Christian world is being undermined by the modernist theory of life which denies the divinity of the Redemer of the world, and strikes at simple Christian faith in the great plan of salvation which he gave to the world, it is fitting and proper that these two great organizations, representing the young manhood and young womanhood of the Church should declare to all the world that God lives, and that Jesus is the Christ, and that his burial and his ministry, his death and his resurrection, were divine and divinely ordered of the Father. Therefore we have selected for our slogan for the ensuing year: "We stand for an individual testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ." The sweetest joy that can come to the human heart is the spirit that attends a testimony of the divinity of Jesus, the Redeemer of the world, who is the light of. the world, and by him and through him only can we attain unto life eternal. Great men and great women, through all Christian times, have acknowledged this. The poet Tennyson, upon one occasion while walking through his garden with a friend was asked this question, "What influence, if any, has Jesus Christ had upon your life? And the great poet reaching, plucked a beutiful rose and made this reply, "My friend, all that the sunlight is to this beautiful flower, so, too, is the Spirit of Jesus, the Redeemer of the world to my life." We, the young people of the Church, ac- knowledge this and look with sorrow and consternation upon the attack being now made by the anti-Christ. So far as we are concerned, we stand by the faith of our fathers, and fling back against the gathering clouds of doubt and dissension, the faith-destroying arguments of the adversary, and today, in this great convention assembled, we announce to all the world that, so far as the young manhood and young 982 IMPROVEMENT ERA womanhood of this Church is concerned, God lives, and Jesus is the Christ. It is our responsibility, as officers in these great organizations, acting as instruments in the hands of the Almighty, to make contact with the hearts and the souls of the coming generation, the young pea- pie of this Church, and help to establish therein this testimony. The accomplishment of that responsibility is the greatest service in all the world. It is that which Jesus himself did. Let man accomplish what he will in the realms of art, science, literature, and finance, his ac- complishment cannot compare with the guiding of a human soul from darkness into light. Let us, then, my fellow workers in this great Mutual Improve- ment cause, blessed with the Spirit and the aid of him who promised help, act as leaders in guiding the coming generation, the young people of this Church, along the highway that leads to a testimony, and to absolute assurance, that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ; and then, like a voice from heaven, we will hear the response of youth coming as a beautiful testimony: It may not be on the mountain top Or over the stormy sea; It may not be at the battle front My Lord will have need of me; Yet, if by a still, small voice he calls To paths that I do not know, I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine. I'll go where you want me to go. I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountains and plains and sea, I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord, I'll be what you want me to be." What is a Testimony? By Dr. George H. Brimhall, General Board Y. M. M. I. A. Do you feel this morning a little more than yourselves? If you do you are a miracle. This building is a miracle. Anything is a miracle just to the extent that the interposition of divinity comes into it. Brigham Young's mind was great, but there is more than Brigham Young's mind in this building. He was not a famed archi- tect, and yet he built to the dismay of the architects of today. Go to Portland and get into the great building there that they have spent over a million dollars on, and you cannot hear. You can hear a pin drop in the other end of this building. God was in the construction of this building, and Brigham Young was more than mortal — he was a miracle just to the extent that he was more than mortal. I sat in a convention the latter part of last week consisting of very high-grade intelligences, men who sway the finance of our state. But I was not more than myself there. I feel more than myself here. What is a testimony made of? It is, first, made of instinct. It is THE M. I. A. SLOGAN, 1925-6 983 Charles W. Nibley bear his testimony, I said, "That is testimony." The great building was full, he threw the magnificent personality of himself into his remarks, and that was reinforced, and I knew that he knew that this is God's work. What is a testimany made of? It is first made of instinct. It is as natural for a human being, a child of God, to worship, to reach out after divinity as it is for a baby to reach for the nipple. "For a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast placed me here on earth, And withheld the recollection Of my former friends and birth. Yet oftimes a secret something Whispered, "You're a stranger here;" And I felt that I had wandered From a more exalted sphere." We are instinctively believers in God. Someone has said that man is the animal with a worship instinct. He is the child of God with that instinct. Second, a testimony is made up of experiences. We have our personal experiences, as the poet has said; "oftimes a secret something" tells us we are strangers here; and we pray and we have experiences, we associate in gatherings. We have spiritual experiences. We have no monopoly on sipirtual experiences. My father had wonderful spiritual experiences before he heard the gospel, and men and women today outside of the Church have their experiences in their prayers that testify to them of the divinity of the mission of Joseph Smith. Those are spiritual experiences. And then men have experiences in regard to the good that comes from religion. That links the next element; a testimony is possessed of the element of thought. Man is first an instinctive being, a being of experience, a being of thought. One great man said, "If there is a God — and that there is all nature cries aloud — that which he delights in must be happy." That is reason; "truth is reason." So our testimony, the testimony of the race of man has in it the element of thought. Plato, a greater thinker than whom is not known in history, proclaimed the immortality of the soul, through his thinking powers. And then there is a fourth element of testimony. Peter was instinctively possessed of a testimony. He had an affinity for Christ, an instinctive affinity. He had had his experience with Christ, he had had his thoughts about Christ — even as John the Baptist. John the Baptist had not possessed this fourth element when he was in prison, and he sent to Christ to know: "Art thou the Christ that is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus sent back word for him to think about. You know what the word was; Jesus did not, at that time, send to John the Baptist this fourth element of which a testimony is composed, which is the crowning element, the thing that makes the testimony musical, in perfect harmony with the universe. But it came to Peter in answer to that question when Christ asked, "Whom say 984 IMPROVEMENT ERA ye" (and he spoke to his disciples) "that I am?" Then spoke Peter, with the finished testimony. The others had the element of thought: "Some say, John the Baptist, or one of the old prophets" — reason again. But Peter, with his testimony rounded out, or with his temple of testimony with all the four corners, or finished with the spire of inspiration, said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And when men, in the-jiame of fact, research into history, and in the name of history and what they call scientific truth, proclaim that the Christ is not the Son of God, the Immaculate, the Only Begotten, the Child of the Virgin mother, they not only proclaim against the Christ mission, making of him a missonary whose beginning and whose end was based upon a fraud, a pretension, but they step higher in their sacreligiousness and proclaim that the voice of God which Christ pro- claimed to be the voice of God was a myth: 'Tlesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven." We have, therefore, in its final analysis, the testimony composed of those four elements, or drawing upon those sources: instinct, ex- perience, thought, inspiration or faith which is a gift from God. That is as I understand what a testimony is. And it is more than my ex- planation makes, because it is so everlastingly great and yet so small in its penetration; it is like a trip-hammer, that could smash a world of doubt, and like the point of a needle, that could just penetrate the heart of sensitiveness of the simplest child. Now, Brother Junius F. Wells says that intelligence is the power or the capacity to know, and the capacity of man is to know through his instincts, to know through hTs faculties, to know through his thinking — and there is where humanity would draw the line, but the intelligence, your intelligence and mine as children of God, is more than that, it is to know spiritually. And a man, from my standpoint, is not all that he may be in intelligence if he has not ever had, or if he has had and lost, that power to know spiritually, that is an evidence of high-grade intelligence. I shall speak directly in regard to the two different phases of knowing spiritually. You know, I met a doctor who had lived among this people. I met him in Chicago. And he said, "The 'Mormons' are a very peculiar people; they have seven senses. They can see as well as anybody, hear as well as anybody, smell as well, taste as well, feel as well, and think, sir, as well as anybody; and then they can know that 'Mormonism' is true, and I cannot; I take my hat off to them." That is our heritage. Now, in passing on, I am going to give one or two illustrations of a testimony. And yet, why should I? I shall come to the highest; 1 shall not go from plow-boy to prophet, as Brother Morton has done: I shall go from prophet to plow-man. Brigham Young, when all was chaos and all seemed dark to men, when the spirit of false prophecy thought the Church would go to pieces, at that great epoch-making, tremendous event of the death of the Prophet — Brigham Young said, THE M. I. A. SLOGAN, 1925-6 985 "I do not care who leads the Church, be it Ann Lee, but I want to know what the Lord has to say about it." There was Brigham Young's testimony that the Lord was leading, and that He would find a leader. And then you know when one branch, and another started off, and President Brigham Young said, "If any man or anybody thinks they can lead this people away, estrange them from the gospel, let them try it, but they will not prosper." That is testimony, and I want to say to you brethren, right here, that the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and in the Church history, has borne testimony after testimony. There is one revelation, the first one there, that has, I think, twenty-seven testimonies in it — and none of them, not one utterance of Joseph Smith, has been proven false. I leave these prophets, and I come down to a plow-man, following his plow in the alkali soil of the flats below Spanish Fork, James Robertson, whose father died in the old country and whose mother kept the boys together ancT1>roug'ht them here, and there came a time when some doctrines were preached that set people agog — and one woman said to her husband in my presence, when I was a boy, "To whom am I to pray tonight?" — and in the life of that man came up some other things and he was misunderstood by his brethren. He was a stalwart Scotchman — they are hard-headed, you know, those Scotch- men— men right and left apostatized around him. And what did he do, in following that plow behind his oxen? He said, "God is just and 'Mormonism' is true." Lately, when I saw him and told him how quickly I had come from Los Angeles here, and he was in pain, he smiled and said, "I am glad that my children can go this way, my sons-in-law and my daughters, they can fly with the wings of the wind; but what is that in comparison to the journey I am about to take?" That is testimony; you have it from the prophet to the plow- man. Just one more quotation, it is from Eliza R. Snow: "My heart is fixed, I know in whom I trust," Those are testi- monies. Now, brethren, to know God is npt always salvation. Neither to know Christ is always salvation — notwithstanding the declaration of Christ, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Do you know that Satan came to the courts of God? Did you ever think of it that Caine stood in the presence of God and pleaded his cause? You know that. Do you know that there is a condemning knowledge of God and there is a saving knowledge of God? Why, I am certain as I stand here of the truth of that, every knee shall bow and every tongue con- fess the Christ. Did not the spirits say on one occasion, "We know you, Jesus of Nazareth, thou Son of God"? How did they know him? As a tormentor. They knew him as an opponent in the spirit world. "Hast thou come to torment us before our time?" They never knew him as the Redeemer and the Savior of the world; they never knew the 986 IMPROVEMENT ERA brother side of Jesus; they never will know the Savior side of Jesus. That is the knowledge of God that is eternal life, that knowledge of him as a creator, the knowledge of him as a provider for eternal life, happiness, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the knowledge of him as the Father of us all, and the Father of Jesus Christ, who was his Only Begotten in the flesh. O, may I never deny that! And then to know Jesus Christ as one to whom all men would be drawn, the real men, the men who possess the intelligence to be moved upon by the Holy Ghost, as were the prophets, to become more than themselves through that addition. And there are several grades of that addition. Brother Ballard referred, the other night, to the highest point of that addition; you read it in the gems of the Compendium; that other Comforter, as the Prophet Joseph says. When the Lord sees that a man is determined to serve him at any cost, the Lord will say to that man, "Son, be thou exalted," with the privilege of his presence — the loving, open-armed presence and feeling of that man with this assurance, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." And what does that mean? It means, as the prophet said, that we stand there knowing that God lives, knowing that Jesus is the Christ, our Elder Brother, and that our course of life is in harmony with his will. And then we are filled, we are carried beyond our- selves and have that typical testimony composed of the four elements of which I have spoken, that carries man into the presence of God, O, that agreeable presence! Estrangement from God is spiritual death. Our prayers prevent that. When we can feel, as I have said, "My course in life is in harmony with the will of God," why then my testi- mony is perfect, and I not only know that God is, but what he is; that Christ is, but what he is; that eternal life is, but what it is to me. This is my testimony concerning what a testimony is, and I bear it to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Steps in Securing and Maintaining a Testimony By Elder Heber C. Iverson, General Board Y. M. M. I. A. I desire first to bear testimony to the glorious truth that has already been uttered by Brother Brimhall, and confess frankly to you that he threw some consternation into my soul when he said that a knowledge of God does not spell eternal life; but later he brought peace to my soul when he qualified the remark by saying, "There is saving knowledge, as well as condemning knowledge." That expression reminded me of the fact that a number of years ago I read a brief synopsis of an address delivered by President Joseph F. Smith, in which he said, "There is a distinction between knowledge and intelligence." Satan has more knowledge than we have, but he has not pure intelligence; otherwise he would not be opposing the THE M. I. A. SLOGAN. 1925-6 987 divine plan of redemption for the children of our Father. Intelligence comprehends not only knowledge but also the ability and power to make saving application of that knowledge. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "No man can be saved in ignorance," and I take it he meant in ignorance of the things of God, which come to one as a result of his obedience to God's laws. And so Brother Brimhall and I are as one, I am sure. I take the liberty of quoting one of the many wonderful statements of the Lord Jesus Christ, for I am confident that our Lord had in mind when he uttered it, the type of knowledge to which I have referred, the saving type, when he declared. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." This knowledge, then, is of supreme importance to mortals. How shall it be obtained? The great Master Teacher, Jesus Christ, with characteristic simplicity and directness, has pointed the way, has indicated the path. But before quoting his divine words, I desire to call attention by way of introduction, to some very significant observa- tions of a distinguished scholar, Professor Drummond, who said in a lecture delivered on "Dealing with Doubt and Preparation for Learn- ing," that there are two organs of knowledge, the one reason, and the other obedience. For a few moments, let us consider reason as an instrument of knowledge, human reason, that which a certain group of men today would enthrone and make supreme in the universe. While laboring in the Northwest, I happened one morning to pick up the Spokesman Review, published in Spokane, Washington. The evening before there appeared in that city an eminent scholar, a phychologist, who delivered a lecture on the subjct, "Is belief in immortality reasonable?" A synopsis of this lecture I was privileged to read. The lecturer declared, "The advice to test all of our opinions and beliefs by reason is sound. We should submit every political opinion, every economic theory, every religious belief, to the test of reason. But, first of all, we should submit reason itself to a test. We should learn something concerning its capacity and its reliability as a testing instrument. Reason is an admirable instrument and guide in its own field. That field, however, is a very limited one. The brain, in the first place, has no first-hand knowledge of things; it has only second-hand reports of things brought to it by one or another of the five or six senses which we possess — sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Each of these senses is very limited in its sphere of operation. It fails to inform the brain of all that is going on in its particular field, and when these impressions are brought to the brain through these senses, it must assume the existence of infinite time, infinite space, and the operations of cause and effect in order to make head or tail out of these im- pressions. Without these three assumptions, the report of the outside world brought to the brain by the senses would be unintelligible. Thus, then, we do not know things in themselves, and we have only a very 988 IMPROVEMENT ERA limited amount of second-hand information about things, Reason, then, is a very limited instrument. It may be a reliable guide as to the appearance of finite things, but to trust to reason beyond the limits of knowledge is another thing. All the great questions of life, whence do we come? why are we hear? whither shall we go? lie beyond the limits of knowledge. They reach into infinity and our reason is only finite." But, above all, said he, "We have a more ancient endowment than reason, namely, instinct, which speaks affirmatively of the im- mortality of the soul, and in the second place, it is more reasonable to believe that human life is to have permanent meaning than to assume that it will descend into oblivion to be nothing more than the shadow of our supreme desire." And so I was interested when Dr. Brimhall said that fundamental in testimony is instinct, that testimony is made first of instinct. What is instinct? According to the great philosopher Newton, "Instinct in beast, and bird, and man can be no other thing than the wisdom and skill of an allwise everpresent power." Pope said: "And Reason raise o'er Instinct as you can, In this 'tis God directs, in that 'tis Man." Continuing Professor Drummond's remarks, he said, "Truth is not a product of the intellect alone, it is a product of the whole nature. The body is engaged in it as well as the mind. But more important than either of these, the body or the mind is the moral or spiritual nature." And this suggests the prophetic utterance, "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understand- ing." Morover, "There is a law irrevocably decreed in the heavens, from before the foundation of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated," and whenever we receive any blessing from the Lord it is by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated. And this bless- ing, inestimable, supreme possession — a testimony of God and the divinity of the Christ, is no exception to the rule. It is obtained as the result of obedience, and in harmony with the divine, the higher law of God. Professor Drummond, addressing his audience, called attention to that which perhaps they had already heard, when he said, "You may remember that brilliant address by Robertson of Brighton, in which he declared obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge. A startling title," said Drummond, "obedience the organ ofj spirtual know- ledge?" The Pharisee asked about Christ, "How knoweth this man letters, never having learned?" The organ of knowledge is not nearly so much mind as the organ that Christ used, viz. obedience, and it was the organ which he himself insisted upon when he said, "My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." And to the Jews, addressing those who believed in him, "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples in- deed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Pascal, one of the greatest thinkers that France has produced made THE M. I. A. SLOGAN, 1925-6 !>89 this marvelous statement by way of comparison between instinct and reason, "It is the heart that feels God, not the reason; the heart hath reasons that reason doth not know." Truth may be above reason, and yet not contrary to reason. And so we are told that obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge. That truth is confirmed by many pas- sages of scripture. The words of the Lord Jesus Christ bear out this thought very definitely? In the fourteenth chapter of John, beginning with the 15 th verse, we are told by the Lord, addressing himself to his disciples, to you and me inclusive, "If ye love me, keep my com- mandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. * * * He that hath my commandments, and keep- eth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Then said Judas (not Iscariot), "Lord, how is it that thou wilt mani- fest thyself unto us and not unto the world?" Jesus answered and said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him." And again we are told by the Master who in comforting his dis- ciples just before his departure from them said, "But when the Com- forter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." In the 2nd chapter of 1st Corinthians Paul the apostle gives us this very wonderful vision of the subject. "But, as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit search- eth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit which is of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." And again in the 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians speaking of spiritual gifts Paul says, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Therefore we are dependent upon the presence, the inspiration of that divine power, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Supreme Teacher who comes to us by reason of our obedience, to testify to our souls that Jesus is the Christ. How shall we maintain this testimony is the next question before me, and on this part of the subject I feel I can do no better than quote you from one of the most glorious revelations ever given to mortals. I heard one very able scholar in our Church say that for beauty of 990 IMPROVEMENT ERA diction this Revelation is entitled to a place among the classics; for sublimity of philosophy it is immortal. They are the Lord's words to those who bear the holy Priesthood, and are found in the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants. They contain the answer to how we shall obtain and retain this testimony. The Lord has said in this revelation: "There are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they have not learned this one lesson — that the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon principles of righteousness." Think of that connection, think of that power which it is your privilege and mine to have and to enjoy! Futhermore, he says, "Let their bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the house- hold of faith," let your love extend beyond the household of faith; those whom we fellowship in the Church; let it be real, far-reaching, universal, God-like — "Let your bowels be full of love toward all men and to the household of faith." And what more? "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." No other thought than that of virtue shall invade the sacred sanctuary of your soul. "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion." What a glorious companionship! What a splendid relationship! "And thy scepter (an insignia of power) an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth * * * and with- out compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." In this glorious revelation we deal not in poetic fancy, in the unreal, but in the living power of God, as manifest in the lives of men who live today, men who have lived and whom God has honored and empowered with his authority. This being the year of testimony and of Jubilee, I desire to leave my sincere witness as a humble contribution to this great Mutual Im- provement cause. I know that my Redeemer lives, as I know that I live, and that "he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth, and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom mine eyes shall behold and not another, though my reins be consumed within me" — my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. "We enjoy the Era very much. It is not only a source of joy and in- spiration, but contains so much matter of educational value that it keeps us :onstantly supplied with new thoughts and new methods for presenting the gospel to the people." — J. C. Christensen, Galesburg, Illinois. SHALL WE SELL OUR MORALS FOR MONEY? By H. Grant Ivins At the recent session of the State Legislature a bill was passed legalizing betting on horse races. For thirteen years it had been illegal to gamble on races, and during those years, races had not been able to prosper in the state. There had also been in effect, laws against all other forms of gambling, such as punch boards, roulette wheels, and slot machines. Gambling had been driven to cover along with its sister vices, drunkenness and prostitution. While the citizens of Utah slept, the racing interests cleverly worked a bill through the legislature restoring race track gambling and creating a Racing Com- mission to supervise the racing game. Reasons advanced by defenders of this measure hinge about two ideas; that the races will bring money into the state, especially into Salt Lake City, and that they will benefit the livestock industry of Utah and the intermountain country. They point with pride to the statesmanship which has induced outside capatilists to spend one hundred thousand dollars improving the State Fair grounds, "without any expense to Utah taxpayers." Unless the races bring into Utah more money than they take away, any argument in their favor based on financial benefit to the state is groundless. We must admit that the money with which the improvements at the race track were made came from outside the state. But did those who made those improvements do so out of charity, or do they expect to take from the people of the state enough to more than pay them for the money they have expended? The answer to this question is obvious. To whom do the horses now racing at the Fair Grounds belong? How many of them are owned by Utah men? Who is reaping the harvest of prizes, and on the betting at the races? Those same professional race track men, none of whom are natives of Utah. How much money do the followers of the races bring with them when they drift into the state? Most of them have little more than enough to purchase meals for the next day after their arrival. They must live from earnings made at the expense of the innocent, who are easily duped in the racing game. All the money that race track followers spend in Utah is first taken from the pockets of Utah citi- zens. And when the races are over, many thousands of dollars of Utah money will be taken out of the state. The argument that the racess will benefit the livestock industry of Utah is equally shallow. The thoroughbred horse does not fit into the needs of Utah at the present time. On the farm, the thorough- bred is more than useless, as every farmer who has tried raising these horses will testify. On the range the thoroughbred is far from being 992 IMPROVEMENT ERA the best horse obtainable. He is bred to run and for nothing else. He has no instinct for handling cattle, but takes the bit in his mouth and runs away when he is asked to head a cow. His bone is too fine to stand up under the strain of "cow-punching." True, crossed on mares of heavier bone, the thoroughbred makes a very satisfactory cow pony. For pleasure riding the thoroughbred fails entirely to fill re- quirements. He is a horse of little action and of poor disposition for pleasure riding. "The more thoroughbreds Utah has, the worse off will her livestock industry be," is the way one breeder of horses ex- pressed himself to me recently. But even if we should be compelled to admit that the races brought money into Utah and improved the livestock industry of the state, such contentions do not in any way justify the legalizing of race track gambling. This bill represents the undoing of what it took many years to accomplish. It has let down the bars to all manner of gambling. Laws against other forms of gambling cannot with con- sistency be enforced. It is the height of inconsistency to legalize the worst form of gambling and try at the same time to restrict other forms. It is a privilege to one class of gamblers, and the worst class at that. The next logical steps in the direction our legislators have moved would be the return of the open saloon and licensed prostitution. Gambling has long been recognized as an evil to society. More than two hundred years ago John Locke wrote: " 'Tis certain, gaming leaves no satisfaction behind it to those who reflect when it is over, and in no way profits either body or mind; as to their estates, if it strike so deep as to concern them, it is a trade then, and not a recreation, wherein few that have anything else to live on thrive; and at best, a thriving gamester has but a poor trade on't, who fills his pockets at the price of his reputation." And some hundred years later, the English poet, William Blake, wrote of gambling: "The whore and gambler, by the state Licensed, build that nation's fate. The harlot's cry from street to street Shall weave old England's winding-sheet. The winner's shout, the loser's curse, Dance before dead England's hearse." Gambling in all its forms is demoralizing. It tears down moral fiber, it destroys character, leads to dishonesty, and in every case miti- gates against the ultimate success of one engaged in it. Gambling leads to idleness, it throws one into the company of disreputable characters, devoid of any standards of social righteousness. It leads finally to debauchery and degradation, and often to a prison cell. No possible good can come from gambling, and it opens the gates to evil of every description. Race track gambling must be classed among the most pernicious forms of gaming. Odds offered to the winner are always large and SHALL WE SELL OUR MORALS FOR MONEY? 993 inticc many innocent and ignorant race followers to part with their money. The excitement of the race itself lends much to the temptation of gambling of this nature. The environment about a race track is fa/ from elevating. Crooks, touts, bootleggers and confidence men make the race track their headquarters. Boys and girls are never safe in the company of such men as follow the races, and were there no gambling going on at the track, boys and girls would hardly be benefitted by attendance there, were they to form the acquaintance of the hangers-on who follow the races. Evils do not venture into the light unaccompanied. Where there is gambling there will be found profanity, drunkenness, unchastity in its worst forms, and often murder. No legislature in the history of Utah has made a graver mistake than the one which thus legalized gambling, removing the protection which our young people had en- joyed, many of them since childhood. This act symbolizes the spirit of commercialism. It has bartered the character of the people of Utah and the good name of this state for the phantom of business prosperity. In future years when the people of this state look upon the spacious grandstand built from the blood money of the youth of Utah, let them remember that it is the altar upon which the souls of their sons and daughters were offered a sacrifice to the god of commercialism. And let them immediately marshal themselves for a battle against the evil which has crept into their midst. We should all bow our heads in shame for allowing ourselves to be found unprepared to prevent this legislation. Doubly great will be our humiliation if we fail to rectify this mistake at the earliest possible opportunity. Murray, Utah. Eternal Day It is the hour when daylight dies, When I behold the trembling light When golden sunbeams paint the skies, Which fades away from human sight. And play along the foaming sea, I wonder if, some happ.y time, And tinge the hills so dear to me My feet shall tread a path sublime, And make a path of golden hue Leading along some shining crest, Which leads to skies of bending blue; To some bright land of peace and rest When daylight fades and melts away A land where sunbeams ever play And bids goodbye to glorious day; And gleam throughout eternal day, When shades of eve are gently drawn No darkness there obscures the sight, And all the light of day is gone. 'Tis always day, there is no night. Logan, Utah. SAMUEL B. MlTTON. MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS May Righteousness Prevail Elder Woodruff H. Medley, president of the West Iowa conference, Des Moines, Iowa: "We send our greetings to all the missionaries and wish them success in their labors. The work in western Iowa is succeeding nicely and we have many things to be thankful for. The Lord has blessed us very much in the past and prospered us in our efforts to teach the gospel. We hope that our co-laborers in all the service of the Lord are enjoying the spirit of the gospel even as we are, and pray that righteousness may prevail and truth be established in all the land. Elders front row, left to right: E. L. Anderson, Brigham City; Woodruff H. Medley, conference president, Holliday; President John H. Taylor: B. M. Daty, from East Iowa conference, Richmond. Utah; I. R. Briggs, Otto, Wyoming. Second row. F. W. Woolston, Lchi; D. Brotherson, Mt. Pleasant, East Iowa conference; F. M. Smiih, Champion, Alberta, Canada; M. P. Randall, Carey. Idaho; William B. Baxter, Union, Oregon; Verl L. Stakcr, Teton, Idaho. Third row: J. E. West, Righy, Idaho; J. K. Burrows, Salt Lake City, East Iowa conference; N. S. Cahoon, Deseret, Ulah, East Iowa conference. Six Hundred Baptized in Frankfurt Conference, Germany Clinton Dinwoodey, conference correspondent, Frankfurt, Germany, re- ports that the efforts of the missionaries in the first half of the year, 1925, have resulted in forty-seven persons being baptized and confirmed members of the Church in that branch, which brings the total membership of the six branches of that conference up to 600. "The observance of the special days in Church history is much the same in Germany as in Zion. The 83rd anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society, March 17, was fittingly celebrated by "fests" in honor of the occasion. Mothers' Day was likewise observed on May 10 in the Sabbath School. The restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 995 on May 15, 1829, was commemorated in all the branches by the observance on May 17, as Aaronic Priesthood Day. The Frankfurt conference leads the mission in the distribution of the Book of Mormon." The picture was taken at the time of the conference: Back row. left to right: Victor N. Rigby: Roy W. Scharman. Salt Lake City: George W. Grimshaw, Enoch: Hyrum P. Cannon. Logan: Earl R. Romney. Salt Lake City. Second row: Elden H. Dye, Ogden; Aaron L. Taylor, Salt Lake City (Cologne conference) ; Clinton Dinwoodey, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Joseph Dee Gardner, Salt Lake City; Raymond L. Kirkham, Lchi; Stuart L. Bagley, Murray; Otto K. H. Seifart, Ogden; Recs E. Hubbard, Willard, Utah. Front row: Richard E. Mollinet, Montpelier, Idaho, (Stettin conference) ; Oliver L. Richards, Salt Lake City, Presi- dent Frankfurt conference; Sister Elisa Tadje, president of the Relief Society of the Mission; Mission President Fred Tadje; Mission Secretary Dean Dinwoodey, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Rulon S. Pendleton, Parowan, Utah, president Stuttgart conference: Glenn R. Dorius, Salt Lake City, president Cologne conference. Virginia Holds Conference The Virginia missionaries and members met in conference May 29-31, 1925. Meetings on Friday and Saturday were held in the chapel at Haran, a country branch of the Church twelve miles from Roanoke, where the Sun- day services were held in the auditorium of the National Business College, where Richmond, Norfolk and other branches were well represented. Nine public sessions were held, with investigators, friends, and strangers present at every meeting. The local members provided substantial refreshments be- tween meetings. President C. G. Beisinger presided, and discourses appealing to and interesting the people were delivered by eighteen of the missionaries, the principal speaker being President Charles A. Callis who spoke on Memorial Day, the resurrection, and the fulfilment of Book of Mormon prophecies. Helpful counsel and instructions were given by him also to the elders at the Priesthood meeting, where he commended them for their diligence and faithfulness. The missionares were spiritually renewed for their labors in the field, and the members departed for their homes with thankful hearts for the good conference which the Lord had blessed them with. 996 IMPROVEMENT ERA 1 I , I JL 7 i flfo Sw-' Names of missionaries, left to right, first row: J. R. Steadman, J. M. Marston, G. E. Despain. Second row: Warren Henderson, President C. G. Beisinger, Presi- dent Charles A. Callis, Owen C. Iverson, A. L. Mortenson, Presley Timothy. Third row: Georgia Maeser, Hattie Vernon, Mary Storey, Reva Sheffield. Fourth row: W. T. Rogers, E. W. Hamilton, W. W. Kimball, E. R. Shingleton, Guy Anderson, W. T. Jeffery, W. E. Bills. Twenty-five Baptized in Three Months Elder W. Averill Larscn, writing from Zwickau, Germany, reports exceptional results realized there from the efforts of the missionaries Zwickau is among the largest coal mining cities of Germany. Owing to the low wages in this occupation a great percentage of the people are very poor. They are, however, more susceptible to the truths of "Mormonism" than the richer classes and we can report remarkable progress realized here since we have baptized 25 persons during the first three months of the year, and have big anticipations for the future. Twelve new candidates are registered for baptism within two weeks. The branch at Zwickau is one of the largest in this part of Germany, having an enrollment of 350 members, and in spite of persecution through magazines and newspapers, we are able to do our daily tracting and meeting with great success. We have had as high as forty-five friends in one meeting, all of them being new investigators. We have witnessed the great power of the Priesthood in healing the sick, in two instances the doctors having given up hopes of a complete restoration to health, and these persons are now enjoying the privilege of bearing testimonies that they have been restored to health. These miracles the Lord performed before the eyes of the Saints and investigators, and proved a stimulus in the branch which has been an indirect cause of many investigators embracing the gospel. We appreciate the Era very much and enjoy reading it each month. Supt. George Albert Smith in South Dakota Earl M. Dixon, Rapid City, South Dakota, reports the six missionaries in that conference of the Western states mission in good health and thoroughly MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 997 enjoying their work. At Rapid City, on April 22 and 23, the semi-annual conference was held, attended by Elder George Albert Smith, of the Council of the Twelve, and President John M. Knight of the Western States mission. The elders were grateful for meeting at the priesthood meeting personally with Elder Smith and President Knight, and for the timely advice and counsel obtained from them, and likewise, for the privilege of partaking of the spirit that radiates from men of their caliber. Missionaries, left to right, front row: John M. Knight, president Western States mission; Elder George Albert Smith, of the Council of the Twelve: Evan W. Morgan, Liberty, Idaho, conference president. Back row: Holliss V. Allen, Hyrum, Utah; Nile V. Cox, Buhl, Idaho; John L. Chapman, Heber; Vernon Chandler, Weiser, Idaho; Earl M. Dixon, Silver City, Utah. Preaching the Gospel by Song and Radio in Wales Elder Gordon Bert Affleck, conference clerk, Cardiff, Wales, reports the annual Welsh conference held at Cardiff, South Wales, Sunday, April 19, 1925. The Sunday School children gave a well prepared program. Presi- dent and Sister Talmage from Liverpool were in attendance. At the evening session the hall was packed to capacity, and a voluntary musical treat was given by the famous Welsh choir, professionally known as the Troedyrhiw Apollo Concert Party, under the direction of R. H. Weale. They held, high the musical standards of their famous country by the splendid rendition of "The Crusaders," Dan Prothero; "Father of Heroes," Robert Bryan; "The Image of a Rose," E. Rcichardt; and "Peace Be Still," D. Jenkins. Hayden Adams displayed his gift of music with a tenor solo, "Hear O Israel," from Elijah. Edwin Jones gave a beautiful baritone solo. President Talmage gave a powerful discourse on the prophecy in Isaiah 29:14, which he de- clared had been and is being precisely fulfilled. Newspaper and radio reporters were in attendance and a very favorable account of the conference, highly praising President and Sister Talmage, and commenting with favor upon the wonderful music by the concert party was broadcasted from one of the largest stations in Wales. Either a crystal or valve set adorns nearly every home in the land, and as a result the general public "heard in" in a 998 IMPROVEMENT ERA fair and unprejudiced report of the conference. Ths result is undoubtedly of great value to the Church and will aid in the eventual salvation of many souls. PRESIDENT JAMES E. TALMAGE; AND MRS. TALMAGE IN NATIVE WELSH COSTUME MESSAGES FROM THE MISSIONS 999 The renowned Troedyrhiw Apollo Concert Party and Elders of the Welsh con- ference. All those in full dress and with white flowers on then coats are members of the Concert Party. Elders from left to right: Claude D. Weeler, Murray; President I. L. Richards, Bristol conference, Ogden; Evan Arthur, Salt Lake City: Allen C. Reynolds, Manti; George C. Mann, Bountiful; President Lewis F- Hansen. Welsh conference; President James E. Talmage, European mission, Salt Lake City; ladies in Welsh costume are Sister Rogers, Mountain Ash: May Booth Talmage, president of the Relief Societies; W. R. Anderson, Bristol conference; - Gordon Burt Affleck, clerk Welsh conference, Salt Lake City; Jesse N. Decker, Snowflake. Arizona; Charles L. Johnson, Salt Lake City; Melvin W. Grant, American Fork,, Utah. Labors in Arizona Loren C. Miles, mission reporter, Arizona conference, California mission. April 7, 1925: "The California mission is forging ahead under the direction of its able leader and organizer. President Joseph W. McMurrin. It has ten conferences, since the new San Jose conference was organized, February 9, 1925. It is the eighth conference organized since the appointment of President McMurrin to the California mission. Headquarters are at San Jose, and Kenneth Nielson is the president. The new chapel is nearing completion. It will accommodate four missionaries and make a very comfortable and com- modious building for social affairs. Progress and harmony are noted throughout the entire mission. Unity, which is a result of system, is the motto of the officers of the mission. There is an increase in the sales and placing of the Book of Mormon and other standard works of the Church. The Arizona conference has adopted the motto : 'One thousand Books of Mormon placed in the year 1925.' They have sold 198 in the first two months. The Arizona conference was the winner of the recently held Book of Mormon selling contest. Elder R. E. Bischoff reports from this conference that 'We traveled over 400 miles recently, attended 13 meetings and spent two dollars, and were gone two weeks.' This seems to be almost a duplica- tion of early missionary work in the Church. The distribution of the Christmas edition of the Desert News, has been very encouraging. Practically all the magazines sent out have been placed and will do much good in giving the people a better knowledge of Utah and the 'Mormon' Church." Editors ^Table How to Obtain a Testimony One of the important phases of Y. M. M. I. A. work is to assist every young man to complete living on the foundation of faith in God and in his great latter-day work. This includes, of course, the obtain- ing of a testimony of the divinity of his Son Jesus Christ, and we are seeking to establish it in the soul, and to make this positive testimony a possession of every young man. In this process, faith in God and a willingness to do his will must come first, and it will follow that all the rest will come in its wake. How shall such testimony be obtained? By prayer, and will, and work. Some have sought sp:cial demon- strations to convince them. They think of Paul and others, and feel that if only an unusual incident or a miracle might occur in their lives it would give them a testimony. Only one, here and there, among the millions are so favored. The others must work for it. And this is the safest and best way, for in the long run, he who is favored with signs or miracles to give him a testimony, which signs and miracles, however, are not to be despised, is likely to forget and lose it, because such testimony comes from without; but when testimony comes from within through self-effort, prayer, study of the Scriptures and mental toil, the impression becomes lasting. It stays with the person because it is part of him. He has earned it by hard work and he knows for himself. Hence seeking signs and receiving them is not a safe process unto salvation. Faith does not always come by signs, but signs follow the believer, who has fai,th unto mighty works. Signs never come by the will of the seeker, but by the will of God. Whenever a person becomes willing to do the will of the Father, then He will manifest to him what is His will. So, the best way to get a testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ is to follow his simple advice: "If any man will do his (God's) will, he shall know of the doctrine." Further: "He that hath my com- mandments and keepeth them, * * * I will love him and will manifest, [show, declare, reveal, make known] myself to him * * * And my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him." We are devoting considerable space in this number to the slogan, treating on how to obtain a testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ. We trust that every person, young and old, in the Church will read these statements and others on the subject, and will exercise their prayers, and will, and work towards the obtaining of such testimony. In all the associations and meetings the obtaining of testimony should be a leading feature, and we must all realize that the time between