Philistines. Delilah, the betrayer, with her traitorous kiss upon Samson's lips, and her traitorous whisper through the tent to his waiting enemy, could do what no thousand of open foes could accomplish. She made the proud, superb, perfect lion, a weak, whining whelp.

A mighty king had a well-beloved son to whom he had given and forgiven more than is usually bestowed upon one of human kind. And yet the son traitorously plotted the downfall and even the murder of his royal sire, and the usurpation of the throne. He might have succeeded in his cruel, parricidal treason, but that he himself was in turn betrayed and finally slain. And when the grand, great-hearted, poetic monarch learned that Absalom, the sweet, the beautiful, the dearly-beloved, was dead, he wept before all Israel, and as he went his sorrowful way thus he said: "O, my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O, Absalom, my son, my son!"

If that arrow-pierced heart of the betraying and betrayed Absalom could have quickened but for one moment, how much sharper than the physical death-thrust would it have felt King David's cry of infinite forgiveness! But

the past was irrevocable. Israel's lordly king, the beloved of God, was moaning in anguish at the gate of the city; and the beautiful Absalom, with the fatal hair, the beloved of his royal sire, was lying dead in the pit in the deserted wood, with ignoble stone crushing his lifeless body.

War, murder, exile were powerless to bring such desolation to the royal hearts; but when Absalom, the forgiven murderer, became a betrayer, infinite woe fell around the name of the dead prince and the bowed head of the living king. But though the great tenderness of the psalmist could compass remission for the crime of Absalom, the nation and history must be more harsh. When a subject, for self-aggrandizement, rises against a king, he is a traitor; but he is a thricedamned traitor when the monarch against whom he rebels is his own father.

Women are often false to their lovers, subjects to their sovereigns, and even sons to their sires. Divinity itself is no invulnerable shield against betrayal. A merciful Christ came to save mankind from torment and lift them into eternal radiance. He chose and trusted his apostles. He ministered to them and with them. They each could give a testimony that their Master was the anointed Savior, the Son of the living God.

Persecution came upon Him like the storm cloud lowers upon the snowy mountains and enfolded him in a gloomy embrace. The prospect of suffering with this God-like Master, whom he had served as purse-bearer when the danger was not great, made Judas weak unto betrayal. Cowardice and avarice worked together in the traitor heart. He kissed and cried:

"Master, master! Hail, master!"

Then he took his thirty pieces of silver; and with them he accepted a hatred of all mankind.

The compassionate Redeemer of the world hung upon the cruel cross with drops of agony upon His radiant brow, while his lips were wreathed in a pained but forgiving smile. And Judas, the traitor, already tasting the infernal torments, called in vain to stay the progress of his dread act. The black-hearted deed was done. The mocking trial had passed, sentence had been pronounced and executed; and then the betrayer groaned and flung the money from him as a sinful, burning thing which had no worth. Upon the bloody field he cast himself and his bowels gushed forth in useless contrition. He died upon the spot which his blood-money purchased for the burial of strangers and criminals in the land. Ben E. Rich.

Literature is one of the instruments, one of the most powerful instruments, for forming character, for giving us men and women armed with reason, braced by knowledge, clothed with steadfastness and courage, and inspired by the public spirit and virtue of which it has been well said that they are the brightest ornaments of the mind of man.

ONCE more the Latter-day Saints are called upon to mourn the death of their leader-the man who has held the keys of the Kingdom of God upon the earth. PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR departed this life at five minutes to eight o'clock on the evening of Monday, July 25th, 1887, aged seventy-eight years, eight months and twenty-five days.

In communicating this sad intelligence to the Church, over which he has so worthily presided for nearly ten years past, we are filled with emotions too deep for utterance. A faithful, devoted, and fearless servant of God, the Church in his death has lost its most conspicuous and experienced leader. Steadfast

to and immovable in the truth few men have ever lived who have manifested such integrity and such unflinching moral and physical courage as our beloved President who has just gone from us. He never knew the feeling of fear connected with the work of God. But in the face of angry mobs, and at other times when in imminent danger of personal violence from those who threatened his life, and upon occasions when the people were menaced with public peril, he never blanched-his knees never trembled, his hand never shook. Every Latter-day Saint always knew beforehand,

on occasions when firmness

and courage were needed, where President John Taylor would be found, and what his tones would be. He met every issue squarely, boldly and in a way to call forth the admiration of all who saw and heard him. Undaunted courage,

unyielding firmness were among his most prominent characteristics, giving him distinction among men who were distinguished for the same qualities. With these were combined an intense love of freedom and hatred of oppression. He was a man whom all could trust, and throughout his life he enjoyed, to an extent surpassed by none, the implicit confidence of the Prophets Joseph, Hyrum and Brigham, and all the leading men and members of the Church. The

title of "Champion of Liberty," which he received in Nauvoo, was always felt to be most appropriate for him to bear. But it was not only in the possession of these qualities that President Taylor was great. His judgment was remarkably sound and clear, and through life he has been noted for the wisdom of his counsels and teachings. His great experience made his suggestions exceedingly valuable; for there has scarcely been a public movement of any kind commenced, carried on, or completed, since he joined the Church in which he has not taken part.

But it is not necessary that we should, even if time permitted, rehearse the events of his long and busy life. To do so would only be to give a greater part of the history of the Church; for with it his biography is inseparably interwoven.

The last time President Taylor appeared in public was on Sunday, February 1st, 1885. On that occasion he delivered a lengthy discourse in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Rumors had been floating around for some time that his arrest was contemplated. In fact, while returning from a trip to the settlements in Arizona, he was advised in California that he was in great danger, and it was suggested that perhaps it would be better for him not to return to Salt Lake City. He listened to these cautions but still resolved to take the risk and came back, and fearlessly went about his business for some time. But on the evening of Sunday, February 1st, he concluded to withdraw himself from the public performance of his numerous and important duties. In taking this step he did so more to preserve peace and to remove all possible cause of excitement, than from any desire for personal safety. He perceived that there was a determination on the part of men holding official position here to raise an issue and, if possible, involve the Latterday Saints in serious trouble. He had not broken any law. He knew he was innocent and that if he were arrested

and could have a fair trial, nothing could be brought against him. He had taken every precaution that a man could take under his circumstances to make himself invulnerable to attack. He was determined that, so far as he was concerned, he would furnish no pretext for trouble, but would do everything in his power to prevent the people over whom he presided from being involved in difficulty.

From that date, upwards of two years and a half ago, when he left his home in Salt Lake City, he had not had the opportunity of crossing its threshold again. To home and its joys, its delightful associations and its happy reunions he has been a stranger. He has lived as an exile-a wanderer in the land, to the development and good government of which he has contributed so much. While living in this condition, one of his wives was stricken with disease, and though his heart was torn with anguish at the thought of her condition, and with anxiety to see her and minister to her in her deep distress, her residence was closely watched by spies, and when she was in a dying condition, was even searched with the hope of entrapping him. Thus she was deprived of the privilege of looking upon his beloved face, and he had not even the sad consolation of witnessing or taking any part in her funeral ceremonies.

During the two years and a half that President Taylor has been living in this condition he has been cut off from all the society and loving ministrations of his family. But though this was so hard to bear at his time of life, he never murmured. He was always full of courage and hope, cheering everyone with whom he was brought in contact, and lifting his companions, by his noble example out of despondency and discouragement. With the same courage with which he stood by the Prophet of God and with a walking-cane parried the guns of the mob when they vomited their sheets of flame and messengers of death in Carthage Jail, he confronted the difficulties and the trials which he had to meet when compelled to leave his home and the society of those whom he loved.

His demeanor throughout this long ordeal has been admirable. Everyone who has seen him has been impressed by his equanimity and stately bearing. Always distinguished for his courtesy and dignity of character, at no period of his life did he ever exhibit those traits to greater advantage than he has during his exile. He has never condescended even to speak evil of those who so cruelly persecuted him.

By the miraculous power of God, President Taylor escaped the death which the assassins of Carthage Jail designed for him. His blood was then mingled with the blood of the martyred Prophet and Patriarch. He has stood since then as a living martyr for the truth. But to-day he occupies the place of a double martyr. President John Taylor has been killed by the cruelty of officials who have, in this Territory, misrepresented the Government of the United States. There is no room to doubt that if he had been permitted to enjoy the comforts of home, the ministrations of his family, the exercise to which he had been accustomed, but of which he was deprived, he might have lived for many years yet. His blood stains the clothes of the men, who with insensate hate have offered rewards for his arrest and have hounded him to the grave. History will yet call their deeds by their right names; but One greater than the combined voices of all historians will yet pronounce their dreadful sentence.

It is now some months since President Taylor was attacked by disease. It came upon him by degrees, manifesting itself in the beginning by a swelling of the limbs for the want of proper exercise. He fought the disease with his characteristic pluck and determination. He would not yield. He would neither allow himself nor anyone else to think that his sickness was serious. He would not allow his family to know his real condition, as he did not wish them to have any anxiety on his account, and it was almost against his express wishes they were told how sick he was. When messages were sent by him to them, they were always of a re-assuring char

acter. Up to the last day or two he was able to sit in his chair, and until quite recently he was able to assist himself in getting in and out of bed. The strength he has exhibited and his tenacity of life have been very wonderful; for though so strong, he had partaken of scarcely any nourishment for the past six weeks. So peaceably did he pass away and so like a babe falling asleep that a brief period elapsed before those who stood around his bed were sure that his spirit had taken its flight.

As the sad intelligence which we now communicate will spread through these valleys and mountains, sorrow will fill the hearts of all at hearing of the last days of their beloved and venerable President. We know how deep has been the sympathy that has filled the hearts of the Saints for him in his advanced years in thinking of his condition and of his being compelled to live as an exile from his family and the people. The expressions of esteem and love which have come to him from all parts of the land have deeply touched him and caused him great pleasure in thinking how much he was beloved and how much his welfare was desired by all the Saints throughout the earth.

His constant desire was to do everything in his power to relieve the Latterday Saints from the oppressions under which they suffered. Every pulsation of his heart beat with a love of Zion and a desire for her redemption. We desired, and the desire was general, we believe, throughout the Church-that he might live to emerge from his exile and be once more a free man among the people whom he loved. But this has been deHe has gone to mingle with the holy and the pure, and to quote his own eloquent words, written concerning his dear friend Joseph the Seer, "Beyond the reach of mobs and strife, He rests unharmed in endless life; His home's in the sky, he dwells with the Gods, Far from the furious rage of mobs."

nied us.

And though we have lost his presence here, his influence will still be felt. Such men may pass from this life to another, but the love which beats in their hearts

for righteousness and for truth cannot die. They go to an enlarged sphere of usefulness. Their influence is extended and will be more widely felt, and Zion will feel the benefit of his labors, as it has the labors of others who have gone before him. The work of God will roll forth. One after another of the mighty men—the men who have spent their lives in the cause of God-may pass away, but this will not affect the purpose of our Great Creator concerning His latter-day work. He will raise up others, and the work will go on increasing in power, in influence, and in all true greatness, until it has accomplished all that God has predicted concerning it.

We feel to say to the Latter-day Saints: Be comforted! The same God who took care of the work when Joseph was martyred, who has watched over and guarded and upheld it through the long years that have since elapsed, and who has guided its destinies since the departure of Brigham, still watches over it and makes it the object of His care. John has gone; but God lives. He has given His people a testimony of this. Cherish it in your heart of hearts, and live so each day that when the end of your mortal lives shall come, you may be counted worthy to go where Joseph, Brigham and John have gone, and mingle with that glorious throng, whose robes have been washed white in the blood of the Lamb. This is the earnest prayer for all Saints and for all the honest in heart, of your unworthy servants in Christ,

George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

John Taylor was born in Milnthorp, Westmoreland County, England, November 1st, 1808. He was educated in his native country, and being naturally devotional he was impressed early with religious influences and became a consistent member of the Methodist Church. In 1830 his parents, James and Agnes Taylor, emigrated to Canada. Two years later he joined them there, and making the acquaintance of Miss Leonora Cannon, daughter of Captain Can

non of the Isle of Man, he married her and settled in Toronto, engaging in the business of wood turner.

Here he became associated with a number of progressive Methodists, and being convinced by study of the Scriptures that Modern Christendom had departed from the primitive simplicity, power and purity of apostolic times, he and another preacher boldly proclaimed these views and pointed out prevailing errors. These utterances brought them into conflict with the Methodist authorities, but the reformers would not, when brought to trial, swerve one iota from their conscientious convictions. A little body of devout worshippers met from time to time, read the scriptures, exhorted each other to lives of morality and obedience to God and prayed for the restoration of primitive Christianity. Mr. Taylor was a prominent worker in this preparatory movement.

In 1836 Elder Parley P. Pratt who had been sent on a mission to Canada, with the prophecy that he would find a people in Toronto prepared to receive his message, called at the house of Mr. Taylor and was afterwards introduced to the little congregation of enquirers. Mr. Taylor and his wife and several others received the Gospel, after diligent investigation, and were baptized. In 1837 he went to Kirtland, where he stood up valiantly against the defamers of the Prophet Joseph, and after purchasing some land returned to Toronto.

On the eighth of July, 1838, a revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith named John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards to be ordained Apostles to fill the vacancies in the Council of the Twelve. Brother Taylor therefore left Canada and moved to Missouri where, on the nineteenth of December, 1838, he was ordained to the Apostleship.

In the fall of 1839 in company with Elder Wilford Woodruff Brother Taylor started on a mission to England. They were both sick with fever and ague, Elder Taylor being nigh unto death, but they proceeded nevertheless, arriving in Liverpool on the eleventh of January,

1840. He labored with great success in that seaport town, bringing many to a knowledge of the truth. In July of the same year he went to Ireland, preached in several places and baptized the first convert in Ireland-a farmer by the name of Taite. He then went to Scotland, preaching in Paisley and Glasgow, and returning to Liverpool, proceeded to the Isle of Man-where he preached the Gospel, debated with sectarian ministers, replied to pointed attacks made by them and succeeded in establishing the Church upon that Island. Before returning to Nauvoo he had the satisfaction of testifying that he had traveled five thousand miles without purse or scrip, besides his journeys in the British Isles, on railroads, steamboats, coaches, on foot and horseback, had never lacked for anything nor asked anyone for a farthing.

After filling this mission he became the editor of the Times and Seasons, and also of the Nauvoo Neighbor, a member of the Nauvoo City Council and a trusted adviser of the Prophet Joseph. When the Prophet and Patriarch Joseph and Hyrum went to Carthage under the pledged protection of Governor Ford, Elder Taylor voluntarily shared the captivity, and when they were murderously assailed by the mob and cruelly shot to death, he struck down their loaded weapons with his cane and received four bullets in his body. His life was saved by another bullet which struck his watch and hurled him from the window back into the room. He was rescued by Elder Willard Richards, who removed him to another room and covered him up with a mattress.

In company with the Twelve Elder Taylor helped to take charge of the affairs of the Church after the martyrdom, and was with the Saints in the great exodus from Nauvoo, but was sent to England with Elders Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde to regulate affairs in the British mission, returning to Winter Quarters just as the Pioneers were departing, and following quickly in their

rear.

In 1849 he went on a mission to