How to Succeed

How to Succeed Books and magazines by the thousands have been printed and circulated aiming to answer the question of success. The dollar is very close to the heart of the American man, and especially the young man; the desire for material success is universal, and that desire is not to be belittled, because we can do little unless we provide for ourselves and our own in a way that will give us a good standard of living and enable us, besides, to render some service to our fellows. We, therefore, aim for success and achievement, and are anxious for its rewards. Just now in the big magazines and in books, the printed lives cf successful men are eagerly sought, and the marvelous achievements which are held forth by lives of certain people who have succeeded in material things in this country are enthralling and enticing and very interesting. Take up the leading magazines for December, and we find they contain stories of men in big business, in newspaper management, in manufacturing, railroading, and many industries, and aim to show how they succeeded. A biographical sketch of some captain of industry is the kind of reading that is sought by every newspaper, magazine and book reader in the country. In Scribners, for Christmas, 1926, Edward W. Bok, noted editor and author, answers the question of a young man, "Where can I find the rules" for success?" He points out that with all the reading and the wide-spread thirst for material success, the American people have overlooked "the greatest book of success ever written, or that ever will be written." The book to which he refers is preeminently the book of success, and written within the smallest compass, but, it is, strangely enough, little read! This notwithstanding it should have a special appeal to the average American, who is completely wedded, as he says, "to the digest or tabloid idea." The book he names is the gospel according to St. Matthew. "Within that limited space is contained every rule to achievement. Every sign to success is there, pointing straight and true. The entire road to success is charted there." And yet, the average American appears to have little or no knowledge of this the greatest of all messages ro achievement, not- withstanding the Bible is the most widely circulated . book in the world, and also the book which presents unbelievable examples of brevity. Mr. Bok points out that within the twenty-eight chapters of the gospel according to St. Matthew, containing approximately

284 IMPROVEMENT ERA 23,000 words, we find answer to the questions, "What is the secret of success?" "What are the rules of conduct?" "How shall we achieve?" "What is just?" "What is it right for me to do?" "Are human aspirations justifiable?" "Is wealth, the result of honest, suc- cessful endeavor, a rightful possession?" "What is money for?" "What is its wise use?" "Is jt dross?" "Is it, after we earn it conscientiously, despised of God?" The answers to these, and many other questions in real success, he reiterates, are found in this remark able book. And he says further, "Can the mind conceive a store- house greater and fuller than is here given? One can hardly speak of it as a book. It is life, full and complete, touched at every point." We have in the first book of the New Testament "the Savior himself: his life; his precepts; his parables; his sayings, more directly and more helpfully than in any other book in the Bible." "What more can there be of promise where points the star of human achievement than the words, 'Believing, ye shall receive'?" We advise the young men of the Latter-day Saints to read this book carefully and study it, and carry out its instructions on achieve- ment and success. Contemplate the statements, "Be it unto thee as. thou wilt;" "My words, they shall not pass away;" "I am with you always;" "Believing, ye shall receive." As a New Year's resolution, what could be better than to resolve to read and study this wonderful literature? As a second resolution, what more appropriate and valuable than to decide to read the con- firmations of Christ's mission and teachings found in the Book of Mormon? To make these books a course of reading for 1927 is indeed a worthy resolve for the New Year. — A. Reflections Obedience — Liberty without order is like a bubble — the brighter it grows the sooner it bursts. Obedience is the foundation of liberty. When the people obey they prosper, and without obedience there would be neither law nor liberty. We should soon be in the position of the people of which we read in the Bible: "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:24.) Pride — Speaking of pride, a correspondent asks. "Why should not the spirits of mortals be proud?" The answer is, "Pride goeth before destruction; and God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." This is not the only scriptural passage upon this subject; there are many others. Humility is a Christian virtue; pride is a characteristic of Satan. A warning — At the stake conference of the North Weber stake en December 5, Elder Melvin J. Ballard, of the Council of the Twelve, called attention to three distinct dangers now threatening the

EDITORS' TABLE 285 world. They are worthy of consideration, because we are in, if not of, the world. He named them as modernism, threatening faith in the revelations of God; a love of the material things of life, enticing people to seek for these, rather than for eternal riches; and immorality, which the speaker called the devil's most powerful weapon against God's sons and daughters. "Immorality," he said, "is the dark storm cloud passing over the earth, threatening the peoples of the nations with destruction." Books A new poem, The Exiles, is a book of 269 pages, just issued from the Deseret News Press, by Alfred Osmond. The text is written in the meter of the old sagas, as used by Longfellow in "Hiawatha." There are twenty chapters dealing with the various phases of the story of the exiles and their heroic struggles and masterful achievements. The book is dedicated to his wife, Annie Lloyd Osmond, and to "our fathers and mothers who crossed the plains with handcart or covered wagon companies." There are ten original illustrations, drawings by C. Nelson White. Joseph Smith's vision and the early rise of the Church is treated, followed by the western migration, scenes at Winter Quarters, Mormon Battalion, Vanguard, and the Covered Wagon; two chapters are devoted to the handcart heroes; and the Cricket War and Johnston's Army are pictured. In the closing chapter, "Realiza- tion," the author dwells upon the peace and plenty that now prevail in the western land settled by the Latter-day Saints: "Happy, happy, happy people Will illume the distant mountains, In the valleys of the mountains, And will flood the land of Zion ***** With the glory of his presence. "You are standing on the threshold High above the verdant hilltops Of a great, unfolding future. Of your present state of being, That will drive away the darkness You will climb the misty mountain And the shadows from your homelands. Of devotion and advancement. "When you came into existence, ,,,. . , . ' ., ., , . Not in vain have been your strivings. Stress and strife and tribulations „ ., . , , T , , , , , , ,, Not in vain have been your sorrows. Led you through the lonely valleys Of unfriendly desolation. ***** "In the starlight, in the moonlight, "You are prosperous and happy. In the sunlight of the future, ***** In the valleys of the Westland. "Soon the sun with dazzling splendor, You will be a mighty people." The book The Exiles is on sale at the Deseret Book Company. The Scenic edition of the Christmas Deseret News, edited by Horace H. Walker, was published Saturday, December 18, giving emphasis to the attractions Utah holds for the tourist, and for prospective home makers in the west. The paper appears larger and better than ever before. While the scenic features of Utah are extensively discussed, the industrial, agricultural and mining development of the state during the past year are told as well. The paper is profusely illustrated throughout. Activities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and of the other churches, Catholic and protestant, in Salt Lake, are featured, and illustrations of church buildings, chapels and seminaries are given. Interesting features are the greetings ex- tended by the First Presidency, and by public officials.