get this thing on to the car?" looks at the lady with a mischievous smile, and remarks, apologetically: "A friend of mine, that got killed." bit The lady smiles, too, even laughs a little (it is better to take a thing of that sort as a joke, and get of pleasantry out of it, than to feel imposed upon, and look black). Then she disappears around a corner, other passengers board the train. аз the wisdom, that good angels will keep her good and pure. Pray thus and go to sleep. Why not close the eyes and rest on the softly cushioned chair? The day has been a hard one, with half of last night added to its labors. With the closing of the eyes comes the memory of a forgotten dream of two nights ago. Flowers, purple and white, and a kiss (a mischievous one), from the lips of the precious boy his summer's vacation, and who will who has not yet returned home from be fourteen years old day after to morrow. Then for a short time all is oblivion. The motion and noise of the train are not felt, the whole being There is a sad look on the face of that elderly gentleman, who is resigning his pretty, chattering daughter to the care of friends, or perhaps relatives, a young couple in "honey-moon." The old gentleman leans caressingly over the young girl, is in repose. and talks seriously to her while the train waits. Only the sound of his voice is audible to others, but the girl understands his words, and for an instant a grave expression comes into her face. She nods assent to what he says, and as the train whistle sounds, she rises from her seat and lifts a tempting mouth for a kiss with, "Good bye, papa." The gentleman leaves the train, and again it moves on. Will the girl remember? Why did her father look so sorrowful? the name of the station into which Presently the conductor calls out the slowing train is pushing. That means home. Not being expected, none of the household will be at the station to "Welcome," and take the satchel. That does not matter. say, "Carriage, lady?" "Carriage?" "Carriage?" "Right this way for the best hotel in town!" Street cars are waiting and fast filling up. "Ride?" No! Leave the room for those who may need it. A twenty minutes' walk is good exercise for a healthy, physical frame after a long train ride. It will sharpen the appetite and make good preparation for supper; it used to be dinner now, with loved ones in the restful quiet of a "eaceful home. They are a merry trio, that newly married couple and the chattering, laughing, pretty girl bride's maid. Pretty? Yes, but, alas, she is aware of it! That is noticeable at a glance. Talks too much, laughs too loudly. Why was the father's face anxious and sorrowful? Was he fearful that his child might not be able to keep her feet firmly planted in that straight and narrow way forever? What good would the sympathy of a stranger be in such a case? What could a stranger, who knows nothing of a matter, do to help a cause? What? Pray! Pray for the frivolous young woman who has beauty And the hand that rocks the cradle without discretion and wit without It will also give a slight opportunity for collecting and stringing together some scattering ideas on this wonderful question of why it is, when the straight, narrow path is so plainly marked and clearly lighted, people still, unwittingly, shuffle off into zigzag ways. A mother is a mother still, Is the hand that rules the world. James E. Talmage. In common with a host of words in our language the richest and most varied of tongues the world has ever known,-"pride" has acquired a doubtful reputation, and is seldom used save to designate the haughtiness of the wicked, and the stiffneckedness of the rebellious. The scriptures teem with warning to and denunciation of the proud, who exalt themselves on the frail ladder of their own conceit, and falsely fancy that they stand on the tower of an impregnable citadel. Yet, like many another, this much-maligned and ofttimes misapplied term has a meaning essentially different from the com mon. There is a species of righteous pride, the seed of which has come from the celestial gardens, that it may find a planting in the heart of every professing child of God. I speak to you of the pride that springs of knowledge revealed from the lips of God Himself, as to who you are, from whence you came and the destiny made possible to each of you. There is no sinful pride, rather is there righteousness, in the contemplation of your divine origin and the exaltation that awaits you. Selfabasement, while a virtue in contrast with the conceit that envieth, that vaunteth itself, that is puffed up and seeketh only its own, may be carried to an unwarranted extreme, and thus may become unpleasing to Him who understandeth all. You have read of Moses, the meekest of men, who was ever ready to plead his own unworthiness. When the Divine voice spoke to him from the sanctified flame of the burning bush on the holy ground of Horeb, it was in angry toleration, rather than in approval, of the humility which made him hesitate even when God promised to be with him; and another was given him to speak the words and do the deeds at which he faltered. Nevertheless, Moses was the appointed of God; indeed he stood in place of God to Aaron and to Israel (read Genesis iii and iv) and of him, his power and priesthood, God was so jealous-so zealous as the strict construction of our language would make it-that those who lifted their voices against him were smitten. Think of Miriam, his sister, who, though a prophetess and a leader amongst her sex in Israel, complained against her divinely-appointed brother. In anger, God came down, veiled in the cloud, and smote her with the leprous mark of the accursed. And when Moses prayed for his unfortunate sister that she might not be assigned to a fate as that of the dead, for the leper had no place in the congregations of 1srael,-the Lord removed but part of her penalty. The Divine word expressed this thought:-She has murmured against her brother; and for this her brother forgives and pleads her cause; but she has also sinned against God's high-priest; and for this she must suffer. God's recognition of man is not to be belittled even by man himself. Moses was not wholly justified in his brotherly attempt to treat the sin of Miriam as a sister's murmuring only; the acknowledgment of his authority as Israel's high-priest was not to be forgotten even by himself. His meekness did not entirely save his sister from the effect of her rebellion. (Read Numbers, xii.) Humility is not mere servility; the humble man does not of necessity grovel in the dust. A frank face, and a head erect to face the assaults of the worldy, are not inconsistent with a humble heart. The leaders among mankind have ever had to suffer much. Those who can bow, knowing that it is their right to lead, are the truly great among mortals. What heroism is shown by one who wallows in an affected lowliness, knowing or believing that he is inferior to those to whom he bends? But when he bows under stress of circumstances, knowing full well his rights, he doth but stoop that he may rise. Kings have often had to go in rags, and have fed on husks; they were awaiting the advent of the justice that would bring them to their own. Palaces and royal purple, sceptre and crown, are but the incidentals of kingship. Royalty is not forfeited when these are denied. Better, a thousand times to have the right to a throne and live in a hovel, than to be a usurper in the palaces of power. What of the Master, who lived in sorrow, acquainted with grief, denied even the rights of a common citizen among His people? Was He any the less King of kings, and Lord of lords? Even when buffeted by blasphemers, and denounced by the people whom He came to save, He lifted His countenance in the pride of righteous assurance, and proclaimed, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Matt. xxvi, 64.) He who esteems not his calling and his office given of God is deficient. If our place amongst mankind be wholly self-assumed, we may renounce it at pleasure; but the one who so regards his mission to humanity has but a weak anchor for his hopes, a feeble incentive to action. He who has found his workthe labor and the office to which he foreordained-knows of his commission, and will honor it. He was will regard every assault upon his authority and station as an affront to the Power under which he acts; yet will he leave vengeance and retribution to Him to whom such belong. But he will think no less of himself as a representative of that Power. There is a radical difference between self-conceit and self-esteem.. Of the former there is too much amongst mankind; of the latter, too little. The one carries with it haughtiness and disdain; the other meekness and proud humility. The former is quick and vengeful, the latter, gentle and long-suffering. The one seeks but for the aggrandizement of power; the other, but for the opportunity of service in a righteous cause. The appointed and anointed of God cannot esteem themselves too highly. Are they not the ministers of a power greater than themselves? Ought they not to be jealous with a godly jealousy for that for which they stand? Daughters of Zion, be proud of your parentage, of your pedigree, of your heavenly home. You are destined to be priestesses and queens, to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever. Ye are of royal lineage; of imperial descent. Stoop not to an unqueenly act; banish every thought that is common and unclean. Lift your heads in righteous pride; honor the divinity of your calling, and the heavenly parentage under which you live. My sister, if in the past you have thought too little of yourself as a daughter of God, learn now of your royal estate, and cherish the knowledge with that pure pride in which the angels may join. What better time than the present for improving your self-esteem? You stand now on the verge of a time period which is both a beginning and an end. "Tis the dawn of the year; and that year the last of a century. Hallow it with royal thoughts and queenly deeds; let the days as they come and go add to your wealth of noble ministrations. The less worthy amongst your sex shall be your subjects; but it is yours to rule. You are a chosen one in your Father's house, heiress of life and power eternal. THOUGHTS INSPIRED BY THE CHRISTMAS TIDE. Julia A. Farnsworth Lund. The various seasons of the year have a deep significance, if we stop to consider them. There is a most apt comparison between them, and human life, and quite unconsciously we surrender ourselves to the impressions and the influences of the time. re The song of the angels, sung nearly nineteen hundred years ago, sounds just as joyfully and as clearly today as it did on the plains of Bethlehem; and the spirit of the Savior seems to pervade the air everywhere. His glorious birth is honored. Christmas is indeed a time for peace and rejoicing among all men. With what pleasure we show our little tokens of good will! The narrative of Christ's life is one of extreme simplicity. True majesty is always simple! It needs no striking adornment to enhance its grandeur. I believe the Savior would wish the story of His life told by little children. The Bible tells us almost nothing of the personal appearance of Christ; but we have every reason to believe that His earthly body was a type of physical perfection. The faultless ness of his character was undeniably stamped upon his body. For when brought before the Jewish tribunal, He is spoken of as towering far above the rabble; and when Pilate saw Him, he involuntarily exclaimed: "This man can have committed no sin." At Calvary, when His clothing had been removed, so that He could be nailed to the cross, it is said that the dazzling whiteness of His skin and the perfect symmetry and development of his body so strongly attracted the attention of the hardened Roman soldiers, that their hands shook until they could scarcely use them; and they said to each other: "Truly this is a god!" Even in death He was so beautiful that they could not bear to mutilate His body, as was customary with criminals; and so the prophecy was fulfilled that "a bone of the body of the Lamb should not be broken." I can never think of the crucifixion without the beautiful words of Goldsmith coming to my mind: "Like some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm, Though round its breast the lowering clouds are spread, Eternal sunshine settles on its head." It is, however, character-that which rises far above the physical or intellectual-that we wish now to consider; for the school of life is for the purpose of developing character. All knowledge is valuable-only in as much as it assists in the evolution of character, and helps one to do good. Christ had a two-fold mission on earth, it seems to me. We know that in the Universe of God, there is one eternal round of progress. The earth was created, and man sent here that he might glorify the Creator, and work out an exaltation, even unto the dignity of a God; but to do this, man had to die; and thus to redeem mankind from death, there had to be a ransom given. Christ came to earth and was offered up as that ransom, and opened the way for man to work out his salvation. For a man is his own star, and the soul that can become an honest and a perfect man: "Commands all light, all influence, all fate! Nothing for him falls early, or too late. Our acts as angels are, for good or ill, Our fatal shadows that walk by us still." Aside from the Atonement, He is the greatest teacher the world has ever seen. Before Christ, and since His birth, there have been great moral educators and philosophers; but never such an one as He! His Sermon on the Mount includes more of the real philosophy of human life, than all the writings of others combined. His short life was a perfect personification of all the highest moral possibilities of mankind. The contrast between Christ and all other teachers is striking. His teachings are decidedly the simplest and no matter how great others doctrines have been, there have been glaring faults in some of their teachings. But never one flaw is found in those of the Savior's. He must always remain as the embodiment of all truth. Francis Bacon says: "There is no pleasure to be compared with the standing upon the vantage ground of truth." We accept this statement without question; knowing that all that is of value in art, science, poetry, music, and philosophy, is but a part of the great truth; the search for which has been the main spring of human activity from the beginning, and must continue to be throughout eternity. All our studies are but a search for some small grains of truth. We believe with Emerson: "That the great ocean of truth lies all un discovered before us!" But we know that the Divine Teacher directed the way to this ocean of truth, and the principles which He taught, are the guides that will lead on to perfection. For they teach the eternal brotherhood of man; they help us to realize "the sacred trust of health, strength, and time," and they teach, as has been said, that all our "studies should be a rich harmony and treasury for the glory of the Creator and the ennoblement of life." They help us to appreciate what an inestimable gift life in itself really is-and to trust in God and keep His commandments is our whole duty. Napoleon Bonaparte, in speaking of the Savior, said: "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I, myself, have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force! Jesus alone founded His empire upon love; and to this very day millions would die for Him. I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you all these were men, and I am a man. No other is like Him. Jesus Christ was more than a man. I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me, but to do this, it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, of my words, of my voice. Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the Unseen that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, He makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy. He asks for the human heart. He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally, and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, |