Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-23
,lcoMMuSIcATEp.l
THE sACNED PRINCIPLES OF TIE
GOSPEL.

Whether in these times of belllger-
ency any topic save that Of war VIII
command either reading or reflection Is
almost questionable The general mind
Is so wrought up, so absorbed as II
were over IN storm In teapot" that
literati and lilltera-e, priest and people.
are ali on the qui vive for that "and
nothing more" Yet the interests of hui
manity are still as varied. as deep and
broad as at any period Of greater or
less excitement and some would no
doubt question whether wisdom could
become so infatuated as to subordinate
the greater to the less. the eternal to
the transitory. or the quarrels of ma
tions-whether intoxicated with hum
dred years success, or hlase with
patricinn excesses and in dotage after
| centuries OF rule and wealth have
vanished like a dream OF the night"
The conservative, well balanced. intel
lgent observer sees that there is
director OF the storm, that beyond the
fleetlng passions Of man fright or
wrong) there is CONTROL and that the
unexpected which happens" to the
4
here and there in the great drama OF
humanity, which move forever onward
toward certain contamination,
whether men hear or whether they
forbear."
That this age is to be strangely pro-
life in changes and events seems to
be universally conceded. Men of all
shades OF opinion, religious to fannti-
csm and skeptical to fault, have
forebodings that surely bespeak cata-
clysm and may be chaos, unless the
elements of characterization are
checked by q power seen or unseen,
acknowledged or otherwise as the case
may be. 10 the former faith finds Its
own solution for the exigency; TO the
latter, human strategy. human wis
dom, wealth. might rule. are the only
weapons. These with an innate natur-
al(?) conservatism are all that can be
| depended upon when the whirlwind
RACES and institutions go down with
the crash OF thunder. until destruc-
ton. as in history tsacred and profane)
satiated by excess and reft of pos
sessed and maddened element there
comes retirement from sheer exhaus-
ton and despair.
Among the striking phenomena of
our age, indeed the most astonishing,
were those manifestations of profound
and continued divine interest In man
with which this age and century
opened As a lad, born and reared In
religious home and subject to mod
ern religious dogma and organization,
we were continually reminded that
we were Giving in the full blaze OF
Gospel day." Years of experience have
proved that this was only IA figure, OF
: speech," that spiritual and religious
darkness was intense; that clouds OF
surmise, tradition, criticism, super
stition befogged the earth; that
light had tonce) come into the world,
but that the Light had been rejected
inasmuch as some loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds
were evil" that the record of that light
was all that was left to man. save the
measure OF good (which is left to him
ms the proof of his divine origin and
that glimmering- OF "trae light which
"llghteth every man that cometh into
the world"
Two days of celestial time elapsed
and again the lost or hidden light
Z streamed forth: t'truth-eternal truth"
was once more declared--not at once.
or men only half'psed to twilight might
have been blinded by its effulgence.
but soft and gentle as day breaks upon
the earth. a brief intimation by angelic
| ,Ks.ft, hn inn Ia n
ton of ''the Father and the Son."
demonstrating that they lived" and
by this, sweeping away the theological
superstructure OF ages, with all its alb
struse, technical. contradictory and I'M
possible theories as the cobwebs are
swept from the darkened chamber by
"a master workman who needed not to
be ashamed" To those who received
/. this glorious light before Its full de-
velopment.lt was the key of knowledge;
God lives, revealed the secret OF ages;
1t was a demonstration. often imagined,
hoped for, prayed for, believed in. but
deemed improved and unprovable by re-
ligion and only inferred by science.
The grandeur and magnitude of that
, revelation is hardly comprehended by
the Latter-day Saints; and like the
, little leaven' barely beginning to
work in that"barrel OF meal. the world;
1t is a glorious theme for the poet and
prophet, for the spiritual man and the
moralist, for the student of human ma
ture and Its philosophy and value; and
for the seer who would pierce the mys-
teries of Providence and the destiny
of earth and it's associated myriads; 1t
/, is the entering wedge which when driv-
en- home by future revelation and al
mighty power. can only explain and
make comprehensive the universe OF
God.
From this great central truth. radi-
!, ates ali collateral truths, yet SO natut-
al Is their order. so harmonious theii
unity and beauty, so far-reachlng theii
potency and influence. that the most
profound thought must return through
the eternities for contemplation. Ant
, yet their development is so consecu
q tive. SO gradual and simple, that to us,
, an old expression the wayfarlng mar
though a fool need not err therein
Bring home TO a human soul or con