to the people, place them in the hands of the good literature committee. If they can not distribute them, write to your district literature superintendent, and if he does not respond, write to the general superintendent.

SYSTEM.

The success of any project can not be realized unless the work is done in a systematic way. Haphazard or spasmodic work often is like the storm which spends itself in its fury. We recommend plans to district superintendents, local committees, and all workers, which can not fail, if the directions are faithfully adhered to.

In a local where the literature work is conspicuous because of its absence, the first step to take in establishing the work, is to have a tract case installed in the church with a goodly supply of tracts on different subjects. Are you a literature superintendent? See that this work is done. Are you a Religio president? Same to you. Are you one of the good literature committee? If you are, this work is for you to do. State to the local officers how much money is needed for the purchase of tracts. Should there be no money available, take up a collection, either private or public. When the tract case is installed, a sign should be placed above it something like this: "Free for non-members." The Saints may secure tracts by paying for them.

The next important step is to collect and distribute the church papers. Place a box in a convenient place at the church where the Saints may place their church papers. Each local should distribute its own supply, which should be distributed weekly. Let the committee secure the consent of nonmembers to accept the papers each week. Saints who can distribute from one to ten or more should report to the committee.

Thus a good work may be accomplished without the cost of a cent. Poverty, therefore, is not a good excuse for any local to make for not working, and this excuse will not be accepted by us. If the committee and the Saints are industrious in this work, the Lord will smile upon them, and the gospel will roll on faster than before. We have the blessed assurance from our heavenly Father that his word shall not return unto him void. If you believe it, show your faith by your works.

DISTRICT PRESIDENTS.

Are you clogging the wheels of progress by refusing to appoint a gospel literature superintendent? Do you approve the dissemination of literature by hand and by mail, which way, President Gunsolley says, is "second only to word of mouth"? Have you read the standard tracts of the church, and are you prepared to warn your neighbor? Are you doing what you can? Is there any department of the church work which is not important? These are questions which you should meet fairly.

In the Independence Stake there is one sister who has succeeded in helping sixteen precious souls to accept the angel's message by

distributing tracts from house to house. This sister was prepared to answer questions.

Another worker has ten or more converts to his credit by using the same means. Joseph Smith has advised us in regard to this work: "Keep boring in. You can not do too much of it." This is encouraging.

PRISONS, HOSPITALS, AND PUBLIC PLACES.

We must go to the people. They will not all come to us. At the county jails, where men are under sentence, the church papers will be gladly received and eagerly read. Hospitals should not be neglected. At the entrance of large manufacturing plants a box for literature should be placed by the good literature committee. This system is in operation in the Independence Stake with good results. The Ensign and AUTUMN LEAVES, we believe to be the best papers for this work. Fresh supplies should be had each week. church papers or soiled ones should not be used.

Old

There is a wide field for work in placing our literature on sale at news stands. This has proven a success in Independence Stake. Write to us, and we will give you information how we obtained results.

FINANCES.

Money may be raised by private or public collection, entertainments, or may be drawn from the local funds. Workers ordering tracts by freight may make a little profit on them by selling them to the Saints, thus securing a little sum to purchase literature for nonmenbers.

ASSISTING MISSIONARIES.

The missionaries have no claim upon the good literature committees. It is optional with them whether they supply missionaries or not. We would prefer to see the committees themselves distribute all the literature they may be able to secure. However, they should assist the missionaries as much as possible.

The committee at the Central Branch, Kansas City, Missouri, last year distributed five thousand folders and cards introducing the series of meetings in which R. C. Evans was the speaker. At the same time they distributed five thousand tracts. That is assisting the missionary.

The committee at Independence distributes tracts at the close of meetings which are especially for introducing the gospel to nonmembers. If the subject is baptism, tracts are given out on that subject. Every subject is followed in this way.

Let us all become busy in sowing the good seed. We then shall be better pleased with ourselves, the Lord will be better pleased with us, and we shall become a blessed people in a marked degree, and the verdict of heaven in regard to our work will be, "something attempted, something done."

JOSEPH A. FERRIS, General Gospel Literature Superintendent. 126 PENDLETON AVENUE.

Festus.

Half a century ago a young barrister at law, Philip James Bailey, gave to the world a great and original poem. It produced no little sensation in England; but for some reason known only to fickle fortune, the author died in a little obscure England village, forgotten by the world, and the one great work of his genius suffered the same fate. The person who has no friend but Shakespeare or Milton, might look with surprise and even prejudice upon the statement, that "Festus" is one of the most powerful and splendid productions of the past or present age. Of the first edition, Charles Hooten wrote: "Might such a simile be allowed, I should say honestly, that this book is in a modern library what the Garden of Eden was in the world, a glory and perfection, in the midst of comparative sterility."

The poem presents various scenes and introduces the supposed conversation of God, angels, Lucifer, and other characters, who interest and instruct the reader in life's great lesson, namely, the goodness and greatness of Jehovah.

While the teachings of "Festus" may not be in strict accord with the Scriptures, yet they so far outshine the dull gloss of much modern conception of heaven's King, I present some splendid samples of Mr. Bailey's-shall we call it inspiration?

The universal watchcare of God, with his arms about his most insignificant creatures, is sublime, taught in,

"There's not the tiniest lifelet flecks the air

With wings invisible,

... but in his coat,

Quarters the arms of God."

But this image, though so lovely, does not illustrate the poet's faith so well as this far finer one:

"As when o'er vast and shoreward flats at murkiest noon of
night,

No single element, not high heaven, not earth,

Not sea is visible, one wide-searching wind,

Sign solitary of life, blows, blows; so sweeps

Through death's unsubstanced state, God's vital thought."

Ever teaching that God is the Omnipotent One, and that evil is for a purpose:

"Evil and good are God's right hand and left."

When Lucifer requests the body and soul of Festus, God grants the power to tempt, but adds:

"Upon his soul

Thou hast no power. All souls are mine for aye.
And I do give thee leave to do this that he

May know my love is more than all his sin,

And prove unto himself that naught but God

Can satisfy the soul he maketh great."

The thought that to each person is given a guardian angel, is expressed in the following language:

"Oh! who hath joy like mine? Was I not here
When from thy boundless bosom, as a star
Out of the air, that soul was kindled, Lord,
And given to me to guard and guide.

Oh! be thy mercy mighty to this soul,
Fiend-threatened; nor permit him who presides
O'er hell's holocaust, too far

To tempt or tamper with the heart of man!"

And to this God replies:

"My mercy doth outstretch the universe;
Shall it not be sufficient for one soul?"

Lucifer retorts to the guardian angel:

"I am the wrath of God unto myself,
And made by him to do my part. Do thou
Thine! they are far enough apart I ween."

To which the angel replies:

"The heaven strung chords of man's immortal soul

Are not for thee to wither at thy will."

In the New Testament we read of Satan acknowledging many truths, but none more beautiful than this:

"God! for thy glory only can I act,

And for the creatures' good, when creatures stray

Farthest from thee, then warmest towards them burns
Thy love, even as warm sun beams hotliest on

The earth when distant most."

Concerning other worlds, it is written:

""Think not I [Christ] lived and died for thine alone,

And that no other sphere has called me Christ.'

In all poetic lore, we find no figures more sublime than these:

"Destruction and salvation are the hands

Upon the face of time, When both unite,

The day of death dawns . . .

the worlds

Are but thy shining footprints upon space."

And so on and on through the field of Bailey's poetic imagination, we pluck a lovely red rose here, and over there a tender little harebell; listen to the music of birds, and hear the soft breeze flowing over the bending grain-melodious, splendid, sublime.

R. W. FARRELL.

Archaeology a New Study.

PRIVILEGE OF EXCLUSIVE CLASSES AT RELIGIO SOUGHT BY AMATEURS AT CONVENTION.

Ever hear of a Religio archæology class? If not, then you didn't attend our recent Religio convention at Chelsea Park.

The Independence Local includes a sprinkling of amateur archæologists, who are zealous and have faith in their special study. However, the fact that the constitution doesn't specifically sanction the exclusive study at Religio of any subject other than contained in the quarterly evidently minimized their efforts to push their work to any extent-except at conventions. These enthusiasts, not more than six in number, came out in full force to present their cause and secure recognition and a more prominent place in the Religio for the study of archæology. A premeditated boost was evident, and they meant business.

During the Saturday afternoon session, November 19, they presented a resolution to the convention which recommended that our delegates to General Convention work for the adoption of some method of giving the study of archæology a more prominent place in the Religio, and if found practicable, to devise a special course of study in archæology, designed to substantiate the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, and that the time of meeting of this department be arranged for separately from the regular Religio meetings.

A little opposition caused the matter to be laid on the table. However, in the evening session the matter was taken up and discussed again, and a revised resolution was presented and passed by the convention, which was probably the first step taken by the Religio toward having a system of study arranged for archæology students at locals. The resolution follows:

"Whereas, there is at present no authority for the special study of archæology in the Religio, and

"Whereas, there is an urgent need of more widespread knowledge along these lines, especially in the larger locals, therefore be it

"Resolved, That we recommend that our delegates to General Convention work for the adoption of some method of giving this study a more prominent place in the Religio and the authority to organize archæological classes in the large locals for the purpose of developing and devising a special course of study in archæology, substantiating the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, it being so designed that new members may take up the study at any time during the course."

Bro. Alma Christensen, stake archæologist, was very hopeful in regard to the resolution and the study of archæology in general. Sunday evening he gave a very interesting talk on the subject of archæology and its significance to Latter Day Saints, and showed the audience some peculiarly marked stones which he had procured during his travel in New Mexico. He said in part:

"We must prepare ourselves to meet the arguments of scientists concerning the ancient inhabitants of America. It remains for us