To my mind the greatest success to be attained by any individual is to so live in this world as to win the approval of the Master when the final awards shall be made. The writer says: "Somewhere in the family is a name that stands out from, and above, the common run. That is the name to study, to become proud of, and then to live up to, or beyond." He is speaking of worldly ambitions, and in reading his article I remark to myself, "Yes, truly, in the great family of mankind there is a name that stands out from, and above, the common run-far above, indeed-the name of Jesus Christ. That is the name to study, to become proud of, and then strive to live up to. Christ said, "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and my mother." Then, if there is anything in the pride of birth, of relationship, to stimulate one to the achievement of worldly success, how much greater should be the stimulus afforded by this relationship with Christ himself to bring out the very best that is in us. So in closing I will take the closing words of the writer and apply them in a little different sense than he applied them, and say: That is the right kind of an aristocracy-one founded on the thought of our brotherhood with Christ; that way lies success with honor. And to those who can not find an ancestor who has set this kind of an example for them, in addition to the example set by Christ, why not be one? EDITOR'S CORNER AUTUMN LEAVES is published monthly for the youth of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Price $1.00 per year in advance. Herald Publishing House, Lamoni, Iowa. ELBERT A. SMITH, Lamoni, Iowa. Interdependence. NTERDEPENDENCE is constantly increasing; and it is accepted as a scientific fact by writers on sociology and economics that it will increase in proportion as civilization becomes more intensive. We are not intellectually independent. Schools, churches, and periodicals constantly increase the circle of intelligences that touch each other at some point with a consequent increase of intellectual interdependence. We may live in Lamoni; but some thinker in London may lead us to a radical change of opinion. It is extremely difficult for us to be spiritually independent, nor is it desirable for us to be wholly independent in that way. There is to be a spiritual interdependence, and the strong are to help the weak. (Romans 15: 1.) All men are weak at some point and may be helped by association with those who are strong at that point. Yet this interdependence has its serious phases, one of which is that if some particularly intimate friend becomes skeptical or is led into error, we are quite likely to be more or less influenced by him and to assume his attitude. If some leading church representative falls from grace, unless we are very careful we suffer a spiritual shock. The greatest danger incident to the undeniable fact that we are influenced in our intellectual and spiritual life by our associates is our tendency to associate more exclusively with those who are of our type of thought. We find them congenial; those who are not of our type are held at a distance, perhaps even hated and persecuted, according to the intensity of our intolerance. The result of this restricted association is that we are weakened where we are weak and fortified where we are already strong. We can not wholly escape the spiritual influences of our contemporaries. Safety lies in being broad enough to be brothers with all classes,-those who see as we do and those who see otherwise,-drawing from each such good as we can and trusting to the superior influence of the Holy Spirit to help us resist the evil. John Locke speaks of a certain class of men who seek truth but fail to make progress, and says: "Error and truth are uncertainly blended in their minds; their decisions are lame and defective, and they are very often mistaken in their judgments; the reason whereof is, they converse with but one sort of men, they read but one sort of notions; the truth is, they canton out to themselves a little Goshen in the intellectual world, where light shines, and, as they conclude, day blesses them; but the rest of that vast expansum they give up to night and darkness." -Locke on "The understanding." Man can not now disassociate himself. Such is not the way of God; even if it were practical. He never sanctioned the cloister. Man may bury himself in the desert or the monastery, far from the sight of fair women, far from the allurements of riches, far from the appeal of strong drinks. But he is buried. He will not harm others; neither will he help others. God does not pay enough attention to him to erect a tombstone. God stands for the race. When he calls men to seclusion he sends them back to the world again, as he did John the Baptist, to spend and be spent in the interest of others. He never hesitates to sacrifice the individual. He never blesses the individual without the solemn charge to pass it on. The Open Door. "Behold, I have set before thee an open door; and no man can shut it." Did you ever stop to think of the difference there may be between an open door and a closed door? At one time we went through the state penitentiary at Fort Madison, Iowa, and saw what we could of the conditions existing there. We saw the inmates at their labor. We were especially impressed in the workshop, where they were manufacturing pitchforks. There were a number of desperate-looking colored criminals working in the glare of the furnaces, so that the scene was almost diabolical. But the thing most impressive was the sleeping quarters of these men. There were long corridors with rows of doors like pigeon holes. These doors were barred with iron. In the rooms there was just space for a little cot and washstand, and we tried to imagine what it would be like to be shut in there; to spend days and weeks there and never to escape,-stone walls pressing in on every side and above and below. When the doors of the great outer stone wall surrounding the prison again opened we realized what an open door might mean. We could go out. There were men in there for life and they couldn't go out. The man who let us out couldn't go out himself; he was a trusty. Some time ago we were present at a session of one of the higher courts of the church, and a young man appeared before that tribunal to plead his cause. He wanted permission to be rebaptized into the church. He had been cut off, and for eight years he had been pleading for the chance to come in again. The plea presented was very touching. He said, "Brethren, I have had no rest by night or by day, neither of body nor of mind." There was a man who faced a closed door, and when it was opened, his heart was filled with joy. That was an individual case. Travelers who have been to Jerusalem tell us that there is an immense stone wall there, a part of the old temple built by Solomon. Every Friday for centuries past the Jewish people have congregated there, and it is called the Place of Wailing, or Lamentation. Their mourning is not formal; their hearts are really sad. They read passages of scripture; their eyes are overflowed with tears, and, according to Mr. Stoddard, the traveler and lecturer, the words of the prayer that they utter are like this: "We are become a scorn and derision to our neighbors. O, Lord, behold, we are thy people. We are brought very low, but remember not our iniquities for ever. In thy tender mercies redeem us, O Lord." Here was a nation that had the greatest privilege ever given to any people, many centuries ago. Christ came to them, and he was of their own flesh and blood. There was Jewish blood in his veins. One of their own women was his mother. He came to them, and gave to them the greatest opportunity ever given to men, but they turned away, wherefore he said unto them, "Thy house is left unto thee desolate." For twenty centuries they have faced a closed door, and their prayers and lamentations have gone up. It will not last for ever; the gospel will go to them again, but realizing now that we have also the opportunity that was given to them, we trust that, in a gospel sense, there will be no place of lamentation awaiting us in our future history. DAUGHTERS of ZION Truer Parenthood, Better Children, Happier Homes, Purer Society. CALLIE B. STEBBINS, Editor. "A partnership with God is motherhood; What strength, what purity, what self-control, ADVISORY BOARD.-Mrs. B. C. Smith, president, 214 South Spring_street, Independence, Missouri; Mrs. H. A. Stebbins, vice-president, Lamoni, Iowa; Mrs. D. J. Krahl, secretary, 724 South Crysler street, Independence, Missouri; Mrs. F. M. Smith, 630 South Crysler street, Independence, Missouri; Mrs. L. L. Resseguie, Lamoni, Iowa. Treasurer, Mrs. M. E. Hulmes, 909 Maple avenue, Independence, Missouri. Convention of the Daughters of Zion. HE General Convention of the Daughters of Zion assembled in the basement of the church at 9 o'clock a. m., Sr. B. C. Smith presiding. Hymn number 165 was sung. Prayer was offered by Bro. T. W. Williams. Brother Williams asked permission to make a few remarks, which was cheerfully granted. His short address consisted of suggestions touching our work in general, which were timely and much appreciated. The minutes of the last General Convention were read. Sr. B. C. Smith read her report as president of the Daughters of Zion, which is as follows: "To the Daughters of Zion in Convention Assembled; Greeting: In making my report of the work this year, I want to be as brief as possible; not because there is so little to say, but because there is so little time in which to say what I would like to say. "We have carried on a larger correspondence and sent out more literature the past year than ever before since we have had charge of the work. When we advertised leaflets for the postage on them, we were surprised at the number of calls for them, and we were kept pretty busy for a couple of months mailing them. "The interest is awakening in all directions, and we are satisfied that the time has come when an advanced movement should be made in this work. Conditions are becoming more favorable, and opportunities are opening up for occupancy, but who is going to come forward and direct and lead this work on to victory. It is a noble work, and as one sister wrote, "The times demand it, and the church demands it. It needs the best talent the church possesses: the most consecrated purpose, untiring patience, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to accomplish its purposes and to enable it to qualify to that which is expected of it. A few have been struggling to carry it on for years, though we realize that we have come far short of our hopes; but what the few have been able to accomplish the many if united can do easily. "When you have the secretary's report you may think that I am mistaken, when I say that the work is advancing, but we do not estimate our growth by the number of locals organized, so much as by the sentiments of letters received during the year. There are many conditions that prevent the organization of locals. With the approval of the advisory board the sisters of the Kirtland District have organized a district association, and we recommend that provision for such organization be made in our constitution, so that where there are several locals in one district they may unite for more effective work in the district. "We think also that our constitution should be changed so that the general secretary be not required to keep a list of the members of the locals, but only the number and the names and addresses of the officers. "It has been announced in the different church papers that the Children's Home has been purchased, so that it is scarcely necessary · for me to mention it in this report, but it will be necessary for us to take some action authorizing the board to appoint a committee to take such part in looking after the interests of the home as may be sanctioned by the Bishopric. "Now that the Children's Home is assured we must go to work with zeal according to our previous purpose to raise money to contribute what we can toward the running expenses of the home. There will be many expenses in the beginning and we must do all we can to help bear them. We recommend that the General Conference be requested to ask stake and district presidents to cooperate with the Advisory Board of the Daughters of Zion in making choice of a sister in each of their respective districts to look after the work of the Daughters of Zion where there is no district organization. "The book Our Boys that was ordered published last year is now in the hands of the binders, after much delay. We had hoped that it would have been ready for sale long ago. "Respectfully, "For the Advisory Board." The secretary's report was read, as follows: "To the Daughters of Zion in General Assembly; Greeting: Out of twenty-five locals of which we have record, we have reports this year from eighteen. The seven societies not reporting are Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sharon, Pennsylvania; Wabash, Ontario; Willowbrook, California; Freesoil, Michigan; Crescent, Iowa; and one society in Argentine, Kansas, just organized on March 26, 1911. "The total membership represented by the eighteen locals reporting and isolated members is about 450. The loss in membership for the year is 21. The total number of meetings held is 126. The societies reporting are: |