and threatening. "For God's sake don't let them force you into marrying that man! If they attempt to use any means to force you, let me know, and I'll come to you if I have to come through fire!" he continued.

"But perhaps I can not let you know, besides they might-might -kill you!"

"I can not die in a better cause! Only promise me" Another peal of thunder interrupted him, drowning his words; and the ward teacher came hurrying past them. He looked surprised, bowed to June, gave Wilbert a sharp, suspicious look, and passed on. "There! That means more trouble!" she said in alarm. "Why? Who is he?"

"Our ward teacher, and he will surely tell papa or the bishopsee? He is looking back at us now."

"I am very sorry. It is my fault. I should not have kept you so long. Well, promise me and I'll let you go. Promise that if it is in your power, you will let me know-or come to me," and he took her hand, repeating, "Promise me, and I'll let you go!" for he could see that she was growing nervous.

"I promise. Good-bye."

He pressed her hand tightly for a moment, saying: "Good-bye, dear, don't forget." He released her hand and she hurried down the street. He stood and watched her, till she disappeared from his

The Sweeter Heritage.

By Martha Bailey Proctor.

Oh, not for heavenly mansions bright,
My heart is longing day by day,-
The visitor's palm, the crown of light,
Nor harps of gold, nor bright array;
But in the fields of Paradise,
Where life's pure river sweetly flows
Beneath eternal summer skies,
My weary soul would find repose.
No streets of gold nor gates of pearl,
But flowery paths and woodland ways,
Where bursting buds their flags unfurl,
And birds pour forth glad songs of praise.
Among the sweetness and perfume,
Of Eden's flowers for age to be,
And drink from youth's eternal spring,
And eat the fruit of life's fair tree.

And what is this for which I sigh?

Just the dear earth redeemed from sin.
No mansion far beyond the sky,
But Eden fair restored again.
And there to sit at Jesus' feet,

Arrayed in raiment white as snow,
And fully learn the lesson sweet,
"Consider how the lilies grow."

Travel Sketches.

VII. FROM BAALBEK TO DAMASCUS AND GALILEE.

BY F. G. PITT.

E LEFT Baalbek about 9 o'clock, reaching Reyak about 11 a. m., we had to wait nearly three hours for our Damascus train. The country was mostly mountainous and very rough, until we began to near the city, then we passed through some beautiful groves of fruit trees, with flowing streams and waterfalls. We reached Damascus about 4 p. m. The crowds of natives at the station, and the shouting of the hack drivers and hotel porters, who fought for passengers, indicated that we were in a large city. We were recommended to a certain hotel, but in the noise and confusion, and not being able to speak the language, we felt our helplessness and allowed ourselves to be shoved into the first carriage, and we were soon in a comfortable hotel.

We had no time to spare, as we did not want to stay long in this city, so we hired a carriage for an hour for two francs to take us to the street called Straight, and to the house where Paul was let down out of a window in a basket. We were not very favorably impressed with this city. It was too oriental.

The street called Straight was perhaps the same as that mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, but the other points of interest

we were not so sure of. That portion of the street that we passed through was covered over, and though cleaner than many of the streets in Jerusalem, was rather dark and gloomy.

Most of the buildings were what we would call mud houses, they being plastered over with cement, with little effort at ornamentation. We saw few really beautiful buildings, but many the very opposite. Dogs, half starved, and in abundance, kept up a racket all night long. We could not sleep much on account of the noise in the streets, for there were people walking the streets at all hours of the night, and many of them seemed to be drunken and quarreling. So we were glad when the time came for us to take our train.

We left the hotel at daybreak, and after an hour's wait at the station for the train, found ourselves in a good apartment, all by ourselves, till we reached the Sea of Galilee, about 3.30 p. m. On our way at first we passed some farming lands, level, but not yielding very large crops, and the land had the appearance of being rather poor. Then we suddenly came into a mountainous region, where the scenery was beautiful. Our train wound around the mountains, passing through several tunnels, and around so many curves that it became difficult to tell which way we were going. At one point on the mountain side I saw what appeared to be another railroad beneath us. It was here that I had the laugh on Rose. As I pointed out this road to her, I said, "I believe that is our road, and if I am not very much mistaken we will soon find ourselves down there, going in the opposite direction." Rose answered, "We will see. I will put this pencil, pointing away from us, and when it turns the other way, we will know we are going backwards." She saw her blunder as soon as she had spoken, but we both had a good laugh over her mixup.

We saw the most beautiful wild flowers all along the mountain side, and when the train stopped we picked several bouquets which we wished we could give to our friends in our home land. As we neared the end of our journey we were on the lookout for the first sight of the Sea of Galilee. A little after 3 o'clock it came in sight, and then we both broke forth in song, "Oh, Galilee, sweet Galilee, where Jesus loved so much to be." A solemn and almost sad feeling came over us as we gazed for the first time upon this beautiful expanse of waters made famous by the presence of our Savior. It was here that he did most of his work. Here he walked on the sea, stilled the tempest, cast out the evil spirits which went into the swine and were drowned. He did most of his preaching in the cities on the borders of this sea.

It required something over an hour to reach our destination, Tiberias, in our little steam launch. I remarked to Rose, "How strange, that just as the Saints at home are assembling in conference, and perhaps enjoying the morning prayer meeting, we are sailing on the Sea of Galilee." As we approached the shore the city looked quite pretty, nestling down close to the seashore. But oh! how different when we landed. It was then that we were reminded that we were still in the Orient, among the Jews, for the stench was

something fearful, as we walked through the streets trying to find a place to lodge.

We had been recommended to put up at a Greek convent, but not being able to speak the language, we had some difficulty in making our wants known. After wandering about from place to place without finding suitable accommodations, we decided to go to the principal hotel, though the price was beyond our means, twelve shillings a day, English money-three dollars of ours. But when we made application there we found they were full and could not accommodate us. We finally secured accommodations with a Catholic priest, who kindly gave up his bed to Rose and made me up a bed on some large chests. For some reason he took quite a notion to us, though we neither of us could understand each other without an interpreter. He assured us over and over again that his heart would go with us wherever we went. He made us very welcome and shared his food with us, which consisted mostly of native dry bread, eggs, and water or tea. This priest, unlike many in this country, appeared to be humble and poor. He seemed to be very pleased to have us attend his meetings. He learned that I was a minister. I would like to have told him about the gospel restored, but could not, as he could only talk Arabic.

The day following our arrival the priest accompanied us to Capernaum in a small boat. The sea was very smooth and the journey consumed about an hour and a half. On our way, there was pointed out to us the site of Bethsaida, of which nothing now remains but a few ruins; also where Jesus fed the five thousand. We were also shown the place where the evil spirits were cast out and entered a herd of swine which ran down into the sea and were drowned.

At Capernaum the excavators brought to light the ruins of the old Jewish synagogue. We were permitted to stand upon the same steps, upon which, there is little doubt, the feet of Jesus trod. We took a snapshot of these ruins, but are sorry to say did not obtain as good a picture as we desired. As we gazed upon these ruins, the words of Christ came vividly to mind, as related in Matthew 11:23: "And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell."

The same fate met Bethsaida, and the other cities in fulfillment of the woe pronounced upon them as recorded in the twenty-first

verse.

On our return to Tiberias we sang, "Oh, Galilee," "There's an old, old path," and other songs from Zion's Praises.

Oh, how delighted we would have been to have been able to have preached the restored gospel here, but our tongues could not speak the language the people here understand. We could only pray for the day soon to come, when "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness" in fulfillment of Christ's promise.

The Land of the Nephites.

--Part III.

By Elder H. A. Stebbins, author of
Book of Mormon Lectures.

W

"THE MOVING HAND OF GOD."

COLOMBIA.

E NOW COME to a very important part of the domain of the Nephites, in which is situated the land of Zarahemla, where dwelt a people whose history in the Book of Mormon might seem but a myth were it not for the important evidences that learned men have brought to light about western South America, which prove that the ancients and their works of industry and civilization were not myths, but veritable facts in the world's historical events. To read these proofs in volume one of Mr. Prescott's Conquest of Peru, (published in 1847) is enough to astonish and convince any person with mind and understanding that those lands were the seat of a civilization sublime in its brilliancy, and as yet in our time unfathomed as to its extent and greatness.

The United States of Colombia was formerly New Grenada, as a Spanish province. In 1819 it became independent of Spain and united with Ecuador and Venezuela and formed the republic of Colombia. But this union was dissolved in 1830, and, after various changes, finally, in 1858, the separate parts of New Grenada were changed into nine states, and these were associated under a federal government like our own United States. At last, in 1861-1864 they became the United States of Colombia, latterly designated simply as Colombia. Until 1904 the Isthmus of Panama was a part of Colombia.

The South American portion of Colombia has an estimated area of four hundred thousand square miles, that is, seven times as large as our State of Iowa.

There are three ranges of the Andes through Colombia, and these in part, as Johnson's Encyclopedia states, "consist of a series of vast table-lands" that are "cool and pleasant," and also "fertile and populous." Johnson also says that in the Magdalena and other river valleys the soil is rich, but the atmosphere is hot and humid. Of the products of the land he writes as follows:

"The soil is generally rich. The forests contain mahogany, cedar, wax palm, Brazil-wood, cinchona, caoutchouc, fustic, and the agricultural products are wheat and other cereals, cotton, rice, sugar cane, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, bananas, indigo, plantains, vegetable ivory, and tropical fruits. The plains have vast herds of cattle and horses, and the minerals are gold, silver, copper, lead, platinum, iron, coal, and precious stones."

In the World To-day Magazine for January, 1906, Mr. Edward Edward H. Mason had an article named "The remaking of Colom