Editor’s Table

Editors ^Table Greetings from the First Presidency From the Christmas Deseret News, 1925. As Christmas-Tide approaches our minds revert to that never to be forgotten night when shepherds who were watching their flocks on the hills of Judea were startled as the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and the angel of the Lord stood before them, and said: "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior which is Christ, the Lord. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." It was a night which was distinct from all other nights which had come and gone since the creation of the earth. The birth of Christ our Lord was more than an incident, it was an epoch in the history of the world to which prophets had looked forward, of which poets had sung, and in which angels joined their voices with mortals in praise to God. It was the day decreed and fore- ordained by our Father who is in heaven when He would manifest himself to his children who are here upon earth, in the person of his Only Begotten Son. Whether or not the 25th day of December is the proper date of the birth of Christ, our Lord, matters little, we join wfith other Christian people in celebrating it as such, and if we observe it in the true spirit of the Master, renewing the covenants which we have made that we are willing to take upon US' his name, and keep the command- ments which he has given, our offering will be accepted. He came that man might see and know God as he is, for he bore witness that whoever had seen him had seen the Father, for he was the express image of his person. He came to teach us the character of God, and by example and precept pointed out the path which, if we walk in it, will lead us back into his presence. He came to break the bands of death with which man was bound, and made possible the resurrection, by which the grave is robbed of its victory, and death of its sting. , After his crucifixion and the death of the apostles whom he had chosen, who suffered martyrdom, at the hands of those who were opposed to the truths which He taught, it appeared that his mission and ministry had been a failure, but as time passed, and the doctrines of Christianity became better understood, thoughtful men turned to him as their source of light and strength, thus preserving faith in

EDITOR'S TABLE 291 his mission and ministry, with the result that Christianity became the dominant influence in the civilizaton and development of the world. As time passed dissensions occurred in the primitive church. The laws governing the church established by the Redeemer, were trans- gressed, the ordinances were changed, the everlasting covenant was, broken. Men began to teach for doctrine their own commandments; a form of worship had been established which was called Christianity, but was without the power of God which characterized the primitive church. Spiritual darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people. , Then there came another epochal period in the history of the world. The time had arrived, foreordained by the Lord, and foretold by his prophets when another gospel dispensation was to be ushered in, when the Gospel of the Kingdom was to be restored, and preached in all the world, as a witness unto all people before the end shall come. Again the heavens rejoiced, again heavenly beings communicated the will of the Father to his children who are here upon earth, and men were made glad as- the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times was ushered in. Joseph Smith was the agent through whom the Lord saw fit to begin the great Latter-day Work. To him the Father and Son appeared in heavenly vision, upon him the keys of the Everlasting Priesthood were conferred, with authority to transmit them to others, with the promise that the Priesthood should never be taken from the earth again, until the purposes of the Father were accomplished. Under his direction the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on the 6th day of April, 1830, and the com- mand given to its members! to bear the Gospel message to all people, calling them to repentance and faith in Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, with the promise that whosoever should repent and obey would know, by the gift of the Holy Ghost, that the message which they brought was true. As a result of this message many thousands of people have been gathered out from the various nations where the Gospel has been preached and brought to Zion, the place designated by the Lord as the gathering place of Latter-day Israel. The desert has been made glad because of them, and has) been converted into fruitful fields. Springs of living water have broken out to moisten the thirsty land, and cities have sprung up where before was only desolation and wilderness. Music and the voices* of children are heard in the streets where, silence had reigned supreme. It is the Lord our God, through his Only Begotten Son, who has done it. To him be the praise and glory forever. We exhort our brethren and sisters of the Church, wherever they may be, to remain steadfast in their faith. Hold fast to the word of the Lord, which is the iron rod that will lead us to the Tree of Life. To the people of the world we appeal to come unto Christ,

292 IMPROVEMENT ERA through whom redemption cometh to all those who take upon them his name, and keep the commandments which he has given. We bear witness that the fulness of his gospel has been restored, that his Church is established, and will continue to spread until peace shall prevail among men, and his kingdom come and his will be done upon earth as it is done in heaven. O Lord, hasten that glorious day. Sfatt^y, T^&j^Z^P New Year's Greeting To the young people of the Church, and to all the readers of the Improvement Era, we send our heartfelt greeting, wishing you A Happy and Prosperous New Year. The year just past has been full of commendable activities in the M. I. A. Among them stands out the great jubilee program. It was the greatest gathering of the youth of the Saints, a signal honor to the organization and a credit to the Church. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord in the knowledge that we have today 100,000 young men and women laboring with com- mendable energy and seal for their own improvement and for the advancement of our Father's work. We trust that the impetus given to the cause by the labors of the past will be felt in the Improvement Associations this year and for years to come, and that it will encourage many to prepare for greater works in the Priesthood, and in all the essential activities that char- acterize progressive and faithful Latter-day Saints. Surely our young people will continue to sustain the cause by individually living their religion as Latter-day Saints, really keeping the commandments which the Lord has given for our spiritual and temporal welfare, and for our physical and intellectual well being. We pray that the youth of Zion and all the members of the Church at home and abroad may be so guided by the Spirit of the Lord that men, seeing their good works, may glorify our Father in heaven. Through the divine mercy and love of our Redeemer, we have been taught the proper course of conduct in the great message revealed to us in the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us live to it, so we shall be certain to realize in the coming months the rich

EDITOR'S TABLE 293 temporal and spiritual blessings of a Prosperous and Happy New Year. Sincerely your brethren and fellow laborers, George Albert Smith, Richard R. Lyman, Melvin J. Ballard, General Superintendency Y. M. M. I. A. A Few Words on Curbing and Constraint The importance of parents and teachers giving their children a right and early start in religious training is sometimes overlooked. There is no occasion to mince this matter of showing children, boys and girls, in their young years, which way to go, even to the extent of curbing them that they may go certain distances on the desirable road. Of course, in this matter of restraint, we realize that we arouse the antagonism of most teachers. We declare, however, that it is better to show the children the road, even to compel them to go a way on it, and then to trust them, than to leave them to select the road themselves, because children lack experience in the important judgments of life that the teacher and the parent should know and point out to them. Naturally children object to being compelled to do anything these days; hence, in many instances, both in the family and in the school, they are having their own way, and it is the general opinion of parents and teachers that this latitude should be given the children, and their resulting conduct condoned. Here is an opinion of William Frederick Biglow, editor of Good Housekeeping, as expressed concerning strictness and latitude given to children compared with former times: "Nothing has occurred in this present century," he says in substance, "to prove that the parental discipline of the last was too strict, or, except an occasional family teaching, any too puritanical. The boy who twenty years ago was compelled to observe the Sabbath day is a better man than twenty years from now the boy will be who today is spending his Sundays away from home, golfing, fishing, joy-riding, or loafing on the street corners." Young people are not competent to choose what they shall do with respect to that which will affect their whole lives. They ought to begin with the best experiences of their parents. Boys and girls do not know what is best for them, even at the age of eighteen; hence, their elders owe it to them to prescribe what they ought to do, the way they ought to do it, and to start them in the right direction. The freedom now given to children is very strangely largely confined to the moral and religious' side of life. One never would think of starting boys and girls in business with a free, go-as-you- please hand, so to speak, as they are now permitted to start and often encouraged to go in the religious life. An army of teachers are engaged in Impressing the youth of the land with the importance of the right

294 IMPROVEMENT ERA kind of knowledge in a business sense, and it is well that it is so, because there is very little chance for youths in this age of the world without a thorough intellectual education. But while this direction and instruction is going on in the business world, and in the intellectual and literary world, who, let it be asked, is filling their souls? People consider, rather, that the soul needs no filling, only the body and the intellect needs it. From good authority it is learned that over twenty-five million youths are being educated in the United States today without any religious training; they are growing up as pagans. They know little or nothing about the significance of the mission of Christ, and his message. They have not read the gospels. Luckily, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have organizations that teach religion, and which are established especially for the young people. Much interest and attention is given to this teaching, which is as it should be; but still, there is room for great improvement. And over and above it all, the home must assert itself with authority and dis- cipline in the government and religious training of the youth of the Lnd, if we are to remain a Christian nation. Boys and girls must be taught to pray, to read their Bible, to attend church, and to sub- mit to wise direction. This is the teaching that will result in a completely rounded-out man or woman. A knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, which is life eternal, must be a part of the child's education. Without religion, not all the wealth or the intellectual development that we can get will save the young people from going wrong. They must be brought up to fear God, and this work must be done in early life; the way must be shown to them, and they must be earnestly required to walk in it a certain distance, until it shall become a habit with them. They are not competent to make their own selection, as far as religious doctrine, and principle, and teaching is concerned. It must be pointed out to them by the home, and supple- mented by the Church organizations, because it cannot be obtained in the schools. Faith in God is the life of all education. A very apt illustration calls attention to the fact that an automobile manufacturer does not leave the spark plugs out of his car on the theory that those who may want spark plugs will get them for themselves elsewhere; he puts them in and makes the job complete. Those who are teachers in the religious world are convinced that a boy will not function normally without religion in his life. We are inconsistent, therefore, in going right ahead, educating the boys without the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, expecting them to get the vital "spark" of religion elsewhere. — A. Training the Lesser Priesthood We are delighted to call attention to an article in this number of the Era on how to teach a class in the Lesser Priesthood; and by-the-bye,

EDITOR'S TABLE - 295 this teaching, in this particular division of our Church work, is very important. We have at least fifty thousand deacons, teachers) and priests, in the Church, and it is asked: Who are they, and what of their training? A statement is made calling attention to the necessity of intense religious instruction in early days for this great body of young men. A thorough study of the four gospels', so becoming familiar with the life of Christ, is a good start. The Lesser Priesthood constitutes the first grades in the Priesthood, where they are to be given their start in the direction in which they will go the rest of their lives. If the deacon and the teacher and the priest be given the right sort of training, it follows, as the night the day, that the elder and the seventy and the high priest may be trusted to look after them- selves; and, for that matter, the boys of the lesser quorums also, where they should be found as teachers. If we expect to rear faithful Latter-day Saints, people who will take upon themselves responsibilities of the government of the Church and (he establishment of the principles of the gospel in the earth, under the direction of the Lord, they must be trained early in these points; hence, the importance of the proper kind of teachings, of the proper kind of teachers, in these priesthood quorums, which quoru«\s supplement, perhaps to a greater extent than any other organization in the Church, the teachings that should be given in the home. These children must be fed the bread of life. Their souls cannot get along empty as well as when full, any more than their bodies can; hence the importance of this emphatic religious training at this age, and the pointing out of the right way in early days to the children. In order to be sure that they may continue in that path, they should even be led, and perhaps compelled, to go on it a way, and then they should be trusted. — A. Books The Book of Life, issued by John Rudin and Company, Inc., 2313 Prairie Ave., Chicago, 111., is issued in eight volumes, nicely and attractively bound. It is not a story about the Bible, but is King James Version of the Bible in a story )£orm and is practically the Bible itself from Genesis to Revelation in the unexcelled English of King James version. While retain- ing the actual Bible text in chronological order, The Book of Life weaves into scriptural pages the back-ground with great dramatic effect. It makes one feel that he is treading the very soil on which the Lord Jesus did many good works. For parents, teachers, and Bible students, and especially for young people, it presents an original and systematic plan of religious education. It contains wonderful illustrations from the art galleries of Europe with color photographic reproductions of many of the old masters. Perusing these vol- umes makes the Bible nearer and dearer, and more real to every reader. There is a great need of encouraging Bible reading at present and The Book of Life seems especially prepared to fill that need.