Has It a Meaning?

Has it a Meaning? (CHINESE guns shell U. S. gunboat;" "Crops ^ ruined, stock killed by hot wave;" "Quake kills 500 on shore of Caspian;" "Typhoon floods 13,000 buildings;" "New eruption puts Italian city in panic;" "Russo-Turkestan, India and Tokio stricken;" "Swarms of moths put Italian city in total darkness;" "Reds execute 2000 in Chinese city." Even casual readers of the daily papers will recog- nize in the foregoing quotations a few headlines of recent date. These disasters have been pandemic. Trailing upon the heels of one appalling calamity, another just as bad, or even worse, follows. Floods and drouth, extreme heat or unseasonable cold, vol- canoes and earthquakes, pests of various kinds, all have contributed to casualties which have taken enor- mous numbers of human lives and have destroyed property amounting to untold millions. One is be- wildered by the frequency of these occurrences. To add to the havoc of turbulent elements, men themselves are in a paroxysm of unrest and fear. The "red terror" is spreading over China, the most pop- ulous nation in the world. Ghandi's movement of "unarmed resistance" in India, the second largest country in the world In point of population, is caus- ing England, and indeed all other nations, grave con- cern; for modern inventions have brought the world into such close relationship that a delicate situation in one country can not fail to affect all civilized lands. There has been serious mutiny in Egypt. Italy and France are ready to fly at each others' throats; revo- lution is seething in several of the South American countries; and the whole world is viewing Russia's activities with grave distrust. Complicated business conditions, for the exact cause of which no two analysts give the same reason; the alarming number of men out of employment and the consequent suffering in families; strikes and the in- crease in lawlessness make the thoughtful person won- der what the end will be. What does all this portend? Are these things dan- ger signals which should not be disregarded? It has always been the policy of this magazine to speak in sanguine terms — to establish hope and confi- dence. It stands for a Gospel of cheerfulness and peace. There are times, however, when, confronted by a condition and not by a theory, it is necessary to call attention to our situation, though the truth may be unpalatable. We believe that this is a day of warning and not a day of many words. The well known illustration which trie Master gave of the fig tree putting forth its leaves as a sign that summer is near seems significant today. A terse and vivid description of that which should follow the preaching of the Gospel by elders of this Church is found in a modern revelation recorded in Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The testimony referred to has now been given the world one hun- dred years: "And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them ; for fear shall come upon all people. And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him." In another revelation found in Section 45, the Lord says: "And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off. But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud. Where- fore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be per- fected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth." — H. J. C. The Art of Leadership 'T'O be an artist who works with colored pigments, blending blue and white into the softness of the summer sky, and transmuting paints into the gleam of sunshine on snow or the shadowy reflection of trees in limpid pool; to be a sculptor who fashions inani- mate lumps of clay into the likeness of a bird or a nymph or the President of the United States; to be a musician who reaches out into the realm of melody with sensitive antennae to find and capture soul-stir-^ ring harmony and rhythm; to be an engineer who holds in the grip of strong hands the control of a pulsating, powerful machine and causes it to respond to his touch — all these are great callings charged with responsibility and fraught with immeasurable poten- tialitiy for achievement. They call for determina- tion, ability, vision and capacity for work, and in the development of such qualities lies growth. To many people, lack of such artistic talent means lack of opportunity to live life at its fullest and best,

790 The Improvement Era for October, 1930 while to many others has come and will continue to come the realization that there are fields on every hand which require consummate artistry to cultivate. One of these fields is that of leadership — the leadership of youth — and herein are needed the qualifications and powers of the masters of all the fine arts. The artist- power to blend must find and harmonize in an im- pressionable character blue pessimism, white decency, yellow unworthiness, red courage and many other hues which must dwell together in one soul, and try to eradicate the streaks which spoil the beauty of the whole. The sculptor-power to mould must function when truthfulness needs reinforcing, when generosity requires bolstering, when laziness demands prodding, and when lumps of stubbornness, irresponsibility and antagonism must be kneaded away. The musician- sense of rhythm, and the understanding of counter- point come forth in making lovely and successful adjustments among those whose various life-songs are to be sung together. And the engineer-touch must be so sensitive as to detect every rattle and squeak and knock which tells of irregularity and difficulty ahead. To be a leader of youth is to be a kind of creator, for new vision, new determination, new activity and inspiration and ambition come to life in the presence of real leadership. If you would be possessed of that talent, and increase it ten fold, you must work with hand and brain and heart, and all these must know how to turn readily and often from fun to earnest- ness, from laughter to quick sympathy, from hand- craft to discussion and from gaiety to prayer. Genius is not always a gift left by the fairies in cradles. It is sometimes a power to be acquired through the willingness to work and believe, to en- dure and pray. And in the genius of leadership are combined the qualities which make one not only a leader but a follower as well. — E. T. B. Unexpected Honesty CREQUENT reference is made to the fabulous sums spent by tobacco companies in their ad- vertising campaigns. One wonders if they are be- coming more honest than they were when they en- deavored to persuade the public that to be a great football or baseball player, or a slender, beautiful actress, certain brands of cigarettes should be used. One of the latest "ads" is:' "20,679 physicians say (here the name of the cigarette is given) , are less irritating." A footnote proudly calls attention to the fact that these figures have been checked and certi- fied to by a firm of public accountants. Of course this advertisement is an obvious admis- sion to the world that tobacco is irritating, and the only claim, it is interesting to note, which this firm makes is that their brand is less irritating. Suppose a young man applied for a position in a bank and presented credentials from people who knew him intimately reading something like this: "We can recommend John Doe. He is less of a crook than some other men." Probably not one of the 20,679 physicians quoted would dare say over his signature that tobacco is harmless. Such a statement would brand him as woefully ignorant or brazenly untruthful. — H. J. C. The Reading Habit A SWEET old man, bent with the weight of many ^- years, once said that the most important event in his eventful life was the reading, as a small boy, of Christ's words, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." This man read wisely and thoughtfully. Our prisons are full of men, and frequently some of them are led to the gallows, who might trace their downfall to the reading of some lurid or filthy tale. Possibly they read thoughtfully, but certainly not wisely. The world is full of good books. Public libraries, and often those privately owned, are open to him who thirsts for knowledge. Even in isolated com- munities good reading matter may usually be found by the earnest seeker. Through books we may have fellowship with the world's choicest minds, and be stimulated, encouraged and educated thereby. Unfortunately there are a multitude of books and magazines that are decidedly unwholesome. For the sake of making a few dollars, or because they delight in that which suggests evil, writers create stuff which is worse than trash, for it defiles the minds of those who read it. Particularly during the impressionable years of youth it requires very little to set in motion a train of thoughts which if not counteracted will lead to destruction. The matter of reading is sufficiently important that the Savior has given instruction thereon, both ancient- ly and in modern times. Addressing a multitude of Jews, he said: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Speaking through the Prophet Joseph Smith: "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study and also by faith." Some find it hard to select reading matter. But within the range of every person's acquaintance are people who can give sound advice on this matter. That is one way by which men and women may "teach one another words of wisdom." — H. J. C. "IWaJaV=<'- ^Two Great Opportunities TOURING the early days of October, in Salt Lake *** City, the people of this intermountain country will be given two valuable opportunities for develop- ment. One is the semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which convenes in the Tabernacle October 3. The instruc- tion given there will doubtless be of a spiritual nature but well balanced with advice on the temporal needs of the community. Men divinely called, who live near to and understand the people and know their condition, will give counsel which, if heeded, will result in salvation, here and now, where salvation naturally begins, as well as exaltation in the herafter. The other event is the Utah State Fair. Be- cause of the visitors to the city at this time, the fair attracts many from neighboring states. One inter- ested in agriculture, horticulture, live stock, manu- facturing, etc., can hardly fail to absorb ideas of value by attending this exhibition. — H. J. C.