the boys were to load their wagons and turn back. There I took steamer and sailed down the Columbia and up the Willamette to Portland. I again went to Sweet Home and labored for a season and then returned to Southern California, where on the twentyfourth day of January, 1878, I was married to Miss Serville Austin, having previously fitted up a home in San Bernardino City.

ADMONITION AND PROMISE.

THE INTERPRETATION OF A TONGUE GIVEN THROUGH APOSTLE J. W. WIGHT AT THE LATE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

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HUS saith the Spirit unto you, my people now assembled: There are many, many things done by you pleasing in my sight; many, many things done that are not pleasing in my sight, and for which my people need to be warned. Yea, verily, I say unto you, that inasmuch as my people will put away the pride of heart and the pride of life, turn from the vanities of the world, cease from the vanities incident to outward

adornment, and become more humble and faithful, I will pour out of my Spirit upon you, giving unto you wisdom and knowledge, enabling you to walk in humility and in faith. Yea, be warned; for the time has come that calamities shall come upon the earth; yea, in the voice of earthquake, of famine, of pestilence, of thunder, and of lightning, will calamities stalk abroad, and the time is near at hand when you must needs stand in holy places; and, standing so, my Spirit will keep you from harm and danger.

Yea, my people need to take warning and become more humble; and inasmuch as they will so do I will pour out of my Spirit upon them. The time is not far distant when, from the various parts of the earth, will I call my people together; and the Gentile nations need to be warned. For soon will I turn from them, lo, unto my people that have been my people in times past. From the Gentiles will I turn, and then my people, sanctified unto me through their father Abraham, will come from the four parts of the earth, center together, and be prepared to meet my Son when he shall come upon the earth. Yea, thus saith the Spirit unto you, in warning voice this morning. Amen.

THE MINISTER WHO WAS DIFFERENT.-PART II.

BY ELBERT A. SMITH.

(Synopsis of preceding chapters: Sidney Luther is an eloquent and able minister, in charge of the Walnut Street Church in the city of P. His study of the Bible leads him to teach some things that are not in harmony with his church creed. Two "pillars" of the church call upon him to remonstrate. He is out and they are met by the minister's wife. They claim that they have the right to say what he shall preach because they pay his salary. The wife tells them that they can not hire her husband to preach anything, that he can not be bought and sold. At the Sunday night service Luther decides to resign his pastorate. He is comforted by Mr. McBernie, an aged Scotchman, who assures him that the Lord will take care of him. McBernie visits the Walnut Street Church some months later and finds a new man in the pulpit. He hears a sermon on "dry bones" and decides that the sermon is quite like the subject. He meets a man in blue overalls and learns that it is Sidney Luther, now engaged in manual labor as a tanner. Luther continues his search for truth and light. He becomes nominally connected with a more liberal church. He is surprised to receive a letter from McBernie who urges him to come to Mentone and engage in church work. He accepts the proposition and moves to Mentone where he becomes very successful as a minister.) CHAPTER 2.

THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD NO USE FOR RELIGION. EED-TIME and harvest came and went, the great earth swung close to the lordly sun, blushed, via peach and apple orchards, drew icily distant, and returned again with periodical enamorings, and there fell a day in June when McBernie's son, Donald, returned from college. He was quite the pride of the village, having stood high in his classes, having won out in an interstate oratorical contest, and furthermore, having at one time kicked a goal after having had two ribs broken in a scrimmage; still, furthermore, being a well known sprinter. Donald was not ignorant of these things.

Minnie, in the most casual way, observed him as he passed the Luther home. In the flitting of an eye she appraised him from head to foot and turned to more important matters. In that instant she gathered and arranged the following items: He is tall and broad-shouldered, but rather thin, looks like an athlete; he has a long, thin, Scotch-American face; he looks studious, a little too solemn; how odd, when his hat is lifted to you observe that his foretop, or whatever you call it, is gray; how odd for a young man! Comes from study, perhaps; carries himself well; needs a little humbling.

Sunday morning, McBernie interrupted his son in the midst of a yawn. "Well, lad, we'll go to church to-day."

"Oh, father, spare me!" replied Donald.

"It'll not hurt ye," chuckled the father. "I dare say you have spent half your time at college in the chapel, and you can't stopet too sudden."

The young man waved a lordly gesture. "You can keep up the religious exercises," he replied. "Science is good enough for me. I like to deal with men who know things; preachers and weather prophets don't appeal to my eagle-eyed intelligence."

"See here, lad," urged the father, growing serious; "I know well the spirit of the schools. Bide your time before passing on the eternal verities. You've read a book or two, but you don't know everything. What think ye of this?" He opened the Bible and took a slip of paper from between the leaves. "It's an extract from the writings of the scientist, Lord Kelvin. I keep it here as a sort of book-mark, next the words, 'In the beginning God created,' etc." He proceeded to read:

"Mathematics and dynamics fail us when we contemplate the earth, fitted for life but lifeless, and try to imagine the commencement of life upon it. This certainly did not take place by any action of chemistry, or electricity, or crystalline grouping of molecules under the influence of force, or by any possible kind of fortuitous concourse of atoms. We must pause, face to face, with the mystery and miracle of the creation of living creatures.' "I have lived a long time," said the old man, "and have seen many things. I thinket he told the truth. We can't know of the verities unless the one on the other side the curtain tells us. He has done so.

"Anyway, it will not hurt you to go to the church. The minister, Mr. Luther, and his family, will stop in on the way, and I would like for you to meet them."

"Thanks, no preachers in mine. Go on, father, to church, and enjoy yourself. Be good enough for two generations. But don't pester me with preachers."

With another lordly gesture he vanished into the rear room, just in time to avoid the visitors. Nevertheless he yielded enough to vulgar curiosity to look out of a side window that commanded the approach to the house. He contemplated the preacher, with a little uptilt of his long nose. The wife evoked a more lenient

expression, one almost of pity; and as his eyes rested upon Minnie, a mild dawning of admiration appeared upon his features and grew encouragingly. For reasons known to herself, Minnie did not enter the house, but sat in company with little Viola upon the doorstep in the sweet June sun. Unknown to her, Donald's window commanded an excellent view of the front step.

In the parlor, the minister, his wife, and McBernie chatted in subdued tones. Presently the inner door opened and Donald strolled into the room.

"Father," he asked, in an aggrieved tone, "are you not going to introduce me to your visitors?"

The old man arose hastily, feeling vaguely at fault, and introduced his son to the company.

When the time came to make a start toward the church, Donald was one of the first to don a hat, and admonished his father to hasten or they would be late.

The two young people were not formally introduced; yet such things adjust themselves, and when Donald lifted his hat to Minnie at the door of the Luther home, whither he had escorted her after meeting, he said, "May I accompany you to the evening services?" Minnie scrutinized him closely, and responded, "I don't know; someway I fancied that you would not be interested in preachingservices."

"Oh, I assure you that I have been-am-much interested in religious matters."

"Ah, I am glad. Your father said something about your not liking preachers, and sermons, and all that sort of thing."

"He did? Now father ought not to give me away in that way! I don't care much for preachers, as a rule, but your brother is different from the most of them. I am quite interested in what he said this morning. Indeed, I am very anxious to follow up some ideas that he presented. I think some one ought to take an interest in young men who are really inclined-toward religiondon't you think?"

"Well, if you put it that way," said Minnie, with a backward glance, as she entered the house, "I will be glad to have your company to-night."

Donald turned away just in time to catch a malevolent glance from Ephraim Wilson, who was at that moment passing.

CHAPTER 3.

THE PEBBLE DROPS IN THE WATER.

Sidney Luther strolled down Main Street, in company with McBernie, in a most excellent frame of mind. He was returning from a meeting of the leading members of his congregation, whither he had been summoned, and where he had received a most touching evidence of the esteem in which he was now held.

The congregation had decided that it was time to do something substantial for the minister who had done so much for them.

Accordingly a tract of land at the edge of town (enough to support a horse and cow, chickens, and pigs, as Mrs. Deacon Hardpack explained to her husband,) had been purchased, and a good-sized parsonage was even then in course of erection.

This had been kept entirely from the knowledge of the pastor, until Mr. E. E. Miller delivered himself of the presentation speech, with a frosty smile, almost, but not quite genial, as a concession to the occasion.

It seemed that the minister and his family would be more comfortably situated than they had been for years.

Luther had observed some excitement and bustle about an empty store building during the day, and as they passed it this evening, homeward-bound with good news laden, he became aware that a crowd had gathered therein, and that some one was preaching or lecturing. Not caring to enter, he and McBernie paused just outside the door and listened. They lingered to get the gist of the affair and to discover the identity of the speaker. This was what

saluted their ears:

"The Latter Day Saints come to you with a divine message. Their position is either true or false. If true, you can not afford to ignore it.

"Solomon said, 'He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.' No man can afford to be ignorant when it is within his power to be informed correctly.

"To arrive at proper conclusions, men must understand both sides of a controversy. And yet it is evident to every student of history that the human family has reluctantly considered any proposition conflicting with its pet theories and preconceived ideas. Why should any man fear investigation if he is in the right? Why appeal to prejudice? Why resort to persecution? This, however, has always been the method of warfare against the truth.

"The power of public opinion in governing individual action has been one of the chief obstacles to the expansion of truth. No sooner has a new doctrine been presented than the cry is raised, 'Away with it.' Truth must come in contact with the traditions of men. Truth has won and will continue to win its way into the hearts of honest, God-1earing people. But how difficult it is to reach a man steeled against further investigation, and who is intrenched behind the walls of prejudice with which the bigot ever surrounds himself!

"The press and pulpit are largely responsible for the general misconception as to the position of the Latter Day Saints. All kinds of evil reports and malicious slanders have been circulated against them. Orthodox ministers have ever been ready to prejudice the minds of the masses, without opportunity being afforded us to present our defense. We welcome the growing tendency to give us fair play, and feel confident that the name of 'Latter Day Saint' will soon be respected the world over.

"Some people do not care to know who the Latter Day Saints are, or what they believe. Do you? The moment the term 'Lat