--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 31 number: 7 published: 1928-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, “Editors’ Table,” *Improvement Era* 31, no. 7 (May 1928): 611–613." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3107unse 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: improvementera3107unse start_page: 611 end_page: 613 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1928-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3107unse publication_year: 1928 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 1928, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Editors’ Table EDITOR'S TABLE 611 the marvel. The mystery, the riddle, the prob- lem, is even greater than before. ♦ * * "I offer no explanation. * * * 'To deny such a man a wonderful power over the human heart and intellect is absurd. Only fanatical prejudice can ignore it. How- ever he may be accounted for by the reasoning mind, Joseph Smith, the 'Mormon' prophet, was one of the wonders of his time. That he is not an enigma to his followers (as he certainly is to his critics) is only another proof of his wonderfulness." Marvelous Accomplishments I will read a part of section 135, Doc- trine and Covenants: "To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyr- dom of Joseph Smith the prophet, and Hyrum Smith the patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844. * * "Joseph Smith, the prophet and seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents: has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and com- mandments which compose this book of Doc- trine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and, like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood ; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated! "When Joseph went to Carthage to deliver himself up to the pretended requirements of the law, two or three days previous to his assassination, he said: 'I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me — he was murdered in cold blood.' " Another Temple Dedicated I rejoice in the testimony of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. During the last year, it has fallen to my lot to have the privilege of visiting from here to New York, and in the northern section of the country, and to have the blessed privilege of going into Arizona and there dedicating one more temple to the Most High God. I rejoice in the rich outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that was enjoyed by those of us who had the opportunity of attending the dedicatory services of that temple. I rejoice exceedingly in the re- markable publicity that was given to us by the newspapers of Arizona. Never in the history of the Church has there ever been manifest a more friendly feeling toward the Latter-day Saints by those not of us than was exhibited by the good people of Arizona. They devoted page after page of their papers to an account of the erection of the temple, in publishing a sermon upon the vicarious labor for the dead by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, in giving illustra- tions and having interviews of a favorable character. In addition, the president of the Church and some of those who were at the dedicatory services were invited to meet with the legislature that was then in ses- sion, and the president of the senate made some very complimentaiY remarks regard- ing the splendid edifice — one of the finest buildings in Arizona. He also compli- mented the people themselves on their in- tegrity and their remarkable accomplish- ments in that section of the country. I could not but contemplate the difference in conditions as compared with the time when there was a feeling of animosity, almost of hatred, existing in the minds of the people of the state of Arizona regard- ing the Latter-day Saints. I rejoiced in being able to pay tribute, in answer to the speech by the president of the senate, to the senators of the United States from Arizona and their defense of the "Mor- mon" people, and their uniform testimony of the integrity and devotion of our people. Another Sacred Spot Secured a short time the Church has chase embraces the farm where the hill Within purchased the Hill Cumorah- The pur- stands, and the adjoining farm, which, 612 IMPROVEMENT ERA together with one that we had already pur- chased, including a part of the hill, gives us now the entire possession of the Hill Cumorah. I know that the hearts of the Latter-day Saints thrilled with pride when the announcement was made that we had secured this property. We now have the home where the prophet was born, and have erected a monument there. We now have the house and farm of Peter Whit- mer, where the Church was born. We now have the Palmyra home. We have nearly all of the spots that are sacred in the history of the Church; and we re- joice in the financial condition of the Church whereby we have been able to ac- complish these things. Time For Temple Work I rejoice in the temple work that is now done, and I wish to ask the Saints to try to shape their affairs so that they can, occasionally, go to the temple. For years I felt that I was too busy to find a day or an evening In which to go to the temple. A little over a year ago I made up my mind that, by planning my affairs, by staying away from lectures or concerts or theatres or operas, that I could go to the temple at least once every week and have ordinances performed in behalf of some of my loved ones who had passed away. By making up my mind that I could do this, I had no difficulty what- ever in going through the temple once a week during the entire year. Starting this year, I felt that, by a little extra effort, I could go twice a week, and I have had no difficulty in doing this. True, I have had to miss, perhaps, an opera or theatre or some other function at which I should like to have been presient, but I have had no difficulty whatever, during the past three months, in going to the temple twice a week, and when I can do so I go more than twice a week, so as to make up for the time when I am absent from the city. Up to the first day of April, I had endow- ments to my credit of more than two a week for this year. We can generally do that which we wish to do. A young man can find an immense amount of time to spent with his sweetheart; he can arrange his affairs to do that. We can arrange our affairs to get exercise in the shape of golf and other things; we can arrange our affairs to have amusements; and, if we make up our minds to do so, we can ar- range our affairs to do temple work, judg- ing from my own experience of the last fifteen months. T pray that the Lord will inspire each and all of us to greater diligence in per- forming, to the full extent of our ability, the duties and the labors that devolve upon us in doing vicarious work for our dead. The Hearts of the Children Turning A very wonderful declaration was made by Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, one hundred and five years ago this com- ing September: "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priest- hood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, be- fore the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." And the priesthood, with all its powers, rights and privileges, has been restored to us. Elijah has come. I will not take your time to read from the 1 1 0th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which de- clares that the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith and to Oliver Cowdery, and that Moses, and Elias, and Elijah also appeared and conferred upon them all the keys of all the dispensations of the gospel that have ever existed upon the earth. "And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. "If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at its coming." No more wonderful thing has ever been accomplished in the history of the world than the turning of the hearts of the chil- dren to their fathers. From the day this message was declared by Moroni to the Prophet Joseph, men and women all over the world have been organizing societies, EDITOR'S TABLE 613 hunting up their ancestors, and compiling genealogical records of their families. Mil- lions of dollars have been expended for these purposes. I have spoken to, and heard many times of, men who have spent large sums of money to compile a record of their forefathers, and, after it was com- piled, when asked why they did it, they said: "I do not know; I was seized with an irresistible desire to compile that rec- ord and to spend money freely to do it. Now that it is compiled, I have no special use for it." The Latter-day Saints value books of that kind beyond price or money, and when we seek earnestly, year after year, to gain knowledge regarding those of our family who have passed away without a knowledge of the gospel, I am sure the Lord blesses us in obtaining it. There is a little account of a remarkable and wonderful blessing bestowed in connection with the ancestors of my wife which is contained in the last issue of the Genealog- ical Magazine. A Humble Prayer That the Lord may bless you and me and every soul that has an abiding testi- mony of the divinit'y of the gospel in which we are engaged, to whom he has given a knowledge that he lives and that Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was his prophet, so to order our lives that our light, shining forth through the example of our lives, may bring those who know not the truth to a knowledge of the gospel, is my humble prayer, and I ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen. Books History of the Teton Valley, by B. W, Driggs, isi an interesting recent volume, from the press of The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho. The frontispiece is a "Closeup view of Teton peaks;" the book contains sixteen other attractive il- lustrations. Besides the development of the valley from the beginning, the In- dians and early trappers, the subject matter treats the many noted characters who played so important a part in bringing the Teton Valky to its present state of fertility and home attractiveness. The Richest City in the World A recent visitor to this city, conducted to the station by an old resident, remarked to his host: "Well, friend, I must congratulate you on having the richest city in the world." "The richest city in the world!" replied his friend. "I have heard it said that we have the prettiest city in the world, but you are the first to say it is the richest." "Well," said the tourist, "I guess it is, for in talking over business conditions I have asked several men the question: Can you make a living here? and the reply has been, in most instances: 'Yes, we have enough for our needs.' I never met a man anywhere else, from New York to San Francisco, who had enough for his needs, so I guess you must have the richest city in the world." One of the fruits of the gospel is joy, and this brings contentment and gratitude for the good things we receive from the Lord, and this is true riches.