no tail. The animal is very gentle and affectionate, clasping its keeper around his neck and kissing him like a child. It drinks from a tumbler, and has a very intelligent manner. It is housed in a large, handsome chamber with an entire glass front. It is said of Ralph Waldo Emerson that usually after breakfast he went to walk in the woods in pursuit of a thought -very much as boys go out in summer to catch butterflies. He was not always successful, any more than the boys were. But when successful, no boy was ever happier with his butterfly than he was with his thought. Having captured his thought he put a pin through it, and took it home and placed it in his collection. He further explained that he made a note of his thought, but generally only in his mind; and that he kept what he called a Thought Book, in which he entered each thought, having first worked it over and clothed it in fitting garb. Sometimes he would go again in the afternoon into the woods, and there, or perhaps by the roadside, would find another thought which he would treat in the same manner. But this was exceptional. He was satisfied if he succeeded in securing one thought a day. The thoughts were entered one after the other in the Thought Book, without regard to their connection. When he wished to write an essay or a lecture he made free use of the Thought Book, selecting and adapting such thoughts as seemed fitting, and stringing them together as a child strings beads on a thread. appears to be organized for the moral, intellectual and religious cultivation of its members, and receives the endorsement of the Hebrew congregation of the New York Synagogue. Recently, at a meeting of the association, Rabbi Kohut delivered a sermon before the young men, from which we extract the following paragraph: "How is the fragrant atmosphere of innocence to be preserved that surrounds our tender youth as with a glorious halo? In the thronging multitudes of our great cities are many whose fiendish occupation and delight is to debase young men. How are they to find strength to resist allurements? How cultivate those higher tastes and instincts which alone can guard them? How sink their selfish promptings in their larger interests, that may broaden and liberalize their minds? The answer comes clear, strong and convincing: By union, by organization. Mutual control can effect it. Let each guard the other. Let the mental, moral and religious interests of each be the concern of all.” The sentiment here expressed is one that deserves a wider application than to the Hebrew young men of Gotham. The evils named are to be found to a greater or less extent throughout the land, and have even penetrated into the principal cities of our fair Territory. The Young Men's Associations might well take to heart the admonition of the Jewish Rabbi: "Mutual control can effect it. Let each guard the other." Prejudices are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education. They grow there firm as weeds among stones. COMMENTS OF THE DAY. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."—Article I. Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. THIS amendment is the keystone of the arch of human liberty. The arch was built by Heavenly-inspired men, representatives of a people who pioneered their way from the eastern to the western world. They were well versed in the history of religious intolerance, as they had read and experienced it. Re ligious liberty with them, as with us, was Religion, according to Webster, is: Jesus Christ, believed and practiced by the Saints, in 1852. It is a principle of vital importance in the plan of salvation: "It was instituted for the fulness of My glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God." Of all the principles of the Gospel, this is perhaps the most difficult to live acceptably before God. But it is never condemned when carried out under the command of God in righteousness. The Gospel, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, includes the doctrine of eternal and plural marriage. It was accepted by the Prophet, and the Saints, as early as 1843, and was published to the world, as a part of the religion of When the law of 1862 was passed against plural marriage in the Territories, to us it was clearly unconstitutional, because it was directed against a tenet of our faith and practice. We expected the Supreme Court would declare it so. But when the Reynolds test case, under that law, was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States, it held that the religious tolerations guaranteed in the article quoted, could not extend to overt acts against the peace and good order of the State, and that marrying more than one wife, while the first was living and undivorced, was an overt act against the peace and good order of the State: hence, that Congress had the constitutional right to legislate against plural marriage. That plural marriage is contrary to the education and ways of modern civilization, I readily admit; but cannot for a moment concede that it is an overt act against the peace, good order, or dignity of the State. Should it interfere with the rights of others, or disturb their peace, why should it not be treated just as monogamous marriage or any other overt act? It cannot be shown that the marriage system of the Latter-day Saints, disturbs the peace or good order of society, any more than monogamy does. Of the one hundred and fifty or more Mormons, tried in the Courts of Utah, Idaho and Arizona, for polygamy and unlawful cohabitation, I have not heard of any being brought to trial, because of an overt act, which disturbed the peace and good order of the neighborhood in which they resided. They have all been brought to trial because their conduct was contrary to the statute, on complaint, gen erally filed by the Marshal, or some other person, a stranger to the defendant and his family. The men who have thus been haled to prison, are as good citizens as can be found in any community, and their families as peaceable, dignified and virtuous as the world can produce. In some instances the victims are eagerly sought after because of their good social and official standing, and when caught, are punished unmercifully, with little or no evidence against them. The degree of punishment meted out is not guaged by the weight of evidence or extent of transgression; and the number of indictments, or counts, appears to be determined by the disposition of the prosecutor. Unrighteously executed, or unjust laws, will never command the respect of a free people. The Supreme Court will allow us to believe in plural marriage as a part of our religion, but we must not practice it. Yet, it being à part of our' religion, we should be as secure and free in its exercise as in its belief. Marriage is so carefully guarded among the Saints, agreeable to the law of God, that perhaps less than one-tenth of the people have been able to reach that condition required of them, to enter into plural marriage. Thus, the very best of conditions are generally maintained in the marriage relation, and marriage is free to all upon righteous conditions. Religion to the Latter-day Saints is not belief, alone, but faith and works invariably go together. Suppose we examine a few authorities on religion, to see if our position will be sustained by them. As quoted before, Webster says, religion is the "Recognizing God as an object of worship, love and obedience." Jesus Christ, a good authority upon the Christian religion, says: “If any man will do his (God's) will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”— St. John, vii., 17. The Apostle James says: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”—James ii. 14-17. Alpha and Omega says: "And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. Blessed are they who shall do my commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gate into the City." Revelations xxii, 12-14. These authorities all agree that obedience to the law of God is the religion that brings knowledge and salvation. That faith without works is dead, is as true to every reasoning mind as that two and two make four. The Apostle James in the chapter quoted further says: "Thou believest there is one God, thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou konw, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” Men may believe, tremble and be damned, but if they believe and will do the will of God they will know of the doctrine and be saved. There is no crime incorporated in the religion of the Latter-day Saints. Plural marriage of itself is no more a crime than monogamous marriage. Neither is cohabitation with more than one wife any more a crime than cohabitation with one wife. These are crimes only because made so by the law. The power exercised by Congress in passing that law was an unjust power, not derived from the consent of the governed. The governed have expressly said that Congress shall pass no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. To claim that the framers of the constitution intended only to secure men in their right to think, believe, or exercise faith, is too absurd to be entertained. As if a man could be prevented from thinking! According to the holding of the Supreme Court, in relation to polygamy, a man is secured under the laws of the United States, in the exercise of a dead faith or belief, which is a contradiction in itself. A dead faith cannot be exercised. If a living faith be exercised it produces works, and you are not safe if you act. By overt acts, men obey or disobey God, and are rewarded or punished. Deprive man of activity and he dies; and the same is true of religion. Congress may make baptism, confirmation, ordination, partaking of the sacrament, gathering, building temples, paying tithing, and praying to God, crimes. If made so by law, they would be just such crimes as polygamy and unlawful cohabitation are now. Do you say that Congress can declare all those innocent ordinances crimes? Yes, if it chooses to; but it would be an exercise of unjust power, not derived from the governed. "Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion." Celestial or plural marriage was revealed from Heaven to the Saints, through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Everybody knows that it is a feature of our religion. The U. S. Commissioners, in one of their late reports to the President of the United States, declared that polygamy was as much a part of our religion as baptism for the remission of sins. What greater evidence can be required than has already been given, to show that plural marriage is a part of the religion of the Latter-day Saints? They have preached, published and practiced it for over thirty-four years, and are now enduring bonds and imprisonment for it. It is a rare thing to find one who is convinced by these means that his way is in error. The reason of their remarkable firmness, is that they have faith in the promises of the Almighty. They have done His will, and have obtained the knowledge that the doctrine is of God. If they were now to forsake His commandments, He would forsake them, and they would lose all. No Latter-day Saint can afford such a sacrifice. F. M. Lyman. seizes the moon with its claws, and as long as darkness prevails the air is filled with lamentations; men, women and children entering the rivers, where they remain up to their necks in water until the return of light. The Siamese priests believe that when the moon is eclipsed a great dragon is devouring it, and in order to oblige him to let go his prey they make all sorts of abominable noises. The Chinese, like the Laplanders, are convinced that an eclipse is the work of demons, and make a great hubbub to frighten them away. The Romans believed the eclipses to be the work of magicians, and that a great noise could prevent them from hurting the moon. Plutarch says that Aglaonice, during an eclipse of the moon, which she had predicted, persuaded the women of Thessalica, that by her magic songs she had not only power to darken the moon, but to oblige it to descend upon the earth. The Greeks, and the inhabitants of Asia Minor, stood in such awe of eclipses that, according to Herodotus, in the year 610 B. C., while a battle between the Lydians and the Medes was raging, an eclipse of the sun occurred, as predicted by Phales of Millet. It not only put an end to the fight, but the contending parties hastened to make peace, cementing the treaty by the marriage of Aryenis to Astyages. FROM time immemorial, and to the present day, most peculiar ideas have been entertained in different parts of the world about eclipses and their cause. The Hindoos believe that a black demon If we now turn to America, we find that the Peruvians, Mexicans, and others stood in great awe of the phenomenon. The Peruvians particularly dreaded the eclipse of the moon; they imagined that Luna was suffering from one of the mysterious diseases to which she was supposed to be subject, and feared that the queen of night might burst open and fall upon them. To avoid such a terrible calamity, and awaken her from her lethargy, they would sound loud instruments, shout at the top of their voices, and beat the dogs to make them howl. Mexicans imagined that eclipses occurred in consequence of a family squabble between the sun and the moon, and that the moon was wounded in the fray. The frightened men observed rigorous fasts, the women inflicted corporal punishment The on themselves, and young girls drew blood from their arms. In Yucatan, the descendants of the Mayas are convinced that when Luna loses her brilliancy, she has sickened in consequence of being bitten by some large and very spiteful ants and that they will devour her if she is left without help. To frighten away her enemies they beat drums, blow shell trumpets, shout, beat their dogs, pinch the cats' tails, and fire rockets and guns toward the moon. ASSOCIATION INTELLIGENCE. Report blanks and Roll and Record Books may be obtained from the General Secretary after Nov. 10th. We would be pleased if Stake Superintendents of Associations would notify us when their conferences or district meetings are to be held, in sufficient time for us to announce them in THE CONTRIBUTOR. We would like with every issue of the magazine to publish the dates that are to be occupied by important meetings of the Associations during the ensuing month. Notwithstanding the fact that the Superintendency of the Mutual Improvement Associations of Salt Lake Stake are necessarily absent from their posts; Superintendent Felt being out of the Territory, and both his counselors Elders G. C. Lambert and Royal B. Young enduring terms of imprisonment in the penitentiary for conscience sake— the Associations are resuming their weekly meetings, organizing for the winter's work and manifesting unusual interest preparing for the season's activity. General Superintendent Wilford Woodruff writes words of encouragement to the Improvement Associations, hoping that they will everywhere resume their regular meetings, and that the officers will be zealous in the performance of their duties and unite heartily with the members in promoting the best interests of the young men of Zion. Similar communications manifesting undeviating interest in the Associations and anxiety for the best interests and welfare of their members, are received from Prest. Jos. F.Smith and Apostle Moses Thatcher. At the conference of the Associations of Cache Valley Stake, held Saturday and Sunday, October 23d and 24th, the meetings were of a highly interesting and profitable character. On Saturday meetings of the officers were held, when matters pertaining to the organization of the Associations and duties of its officers were freely considered, and conclusions of importance were arrived at. On Sunday exercises of great interest occupied the time. Among those which were most creditably rendered may be named the following: Address, "The Mission of Jesus Christ, His first coming," by a member of the Lewiston Association; "Continuous Revelation-Is it necessary? Can it be expected in this age?" by a member of the Mendon Association; "Historical sketch, the Mormon Battalion," by a member of the Millville Association; "Biographical sketch, George Washington," by a member of the Logan Third Ward Association; "An addressReligion and Education,"by a member of the Smithfield Association; "The Constitution of the United States-a brief review of its provisions," by a member of the Paradise Association; "Remarks on revelations XIV, 6, Has the event occurred?" by a member of the Logan Seventh Ward Association. The general and local officers were sustained. The exercises were interspersed with vocal music and brief addresses from Superintendent L. R. Martineau, his counselors, Joseph Morrell and Seth Langton, George Barber, J. W. Summerhays, Junius F.Wells, B. H. Roberts, and acting President George O. Pitkin. The meetings, were largely attended and appeared to be very much enjoyed by those who were present. |