Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-25
MANS DEBT TO JOSEPH.

MANS DEBT TO JOSEPH.
What man Is there today who is not
reaping harvest Of good ideas and
sound practices from the doctrines
originally promulgated by the boy
prophet OF the 18th century. Joseph
Smith?
Josiah Quincy stated, with great caro-
and exactness. that 1t would be no sur
prise to him should it turn out that
the Mormon" prophet, a man of his
own time, was the one who had most
profoundly Impressed the world by his
thought and guided its development
by his suggestions and teachings.
But as in the days of any other
prophet, whether he were formally
recognized and duly appointed one like
Isaiah OF Daniel, or only an individuai
voice crying in the wilderness. like
Burns or Emerson. it is as true now
as then that "the naughty will smile
and the wicked revile'' whenever 1t is
announced that God has raised up
man to declare His word, or has in
spired a prophet to disclose the
things that shall be hereafter"
Nevertheless. a calm survey of what
has already come to pass In the ways
of the world at large, to say nothing
hero of the eternal development or
evolution of the Church Itself. would
serve to confirm the faith of modern
Israel and to silence the detractors of
the people whose leader veritably
"communed with jehovah"
OF these facts only few can be
referred to here, in the paragraphs that
follow. Let us consider. first. the fact
| of revelation.
When Joseph Smith announced that
ho had received revelations from the
Father and the Son, the civilized world
raised shout of derision, saying that
revelation had ceased with Christ and
the Apostles, never again to bo in
vogue until the days Of the restitution
of all things. But note the change.
Today belief in the revelations that
come from experience. from nature.
and from natural discernment, or in
Gated people that they probably form
majority. while those who do not be-
lieve in Individual revelation of some
sort seem to be few and becoming
rarer.
Joseph Smith maintained that every
individual Is entitled to receive revela-
tion If he will only prepare himself
for 1t. and while at first this doctrine
seemed at variance with the prevail
ing thought of practically all men, 1t
is vindicated today among thinking
people in manner and to n degree
that are truly remarkable. On the
other hand, belief In the Bible seems
to be waning simply because, by many
revelation Is regarded as incredible
The way to health is another fact.
When Joseph Smith declared against
the use OF tobacco and hot drinks. men
as high in the scientific world as Mr..
Huxley gave out the opinion that puff
fing Of tobacco smoke was no more
harmful than the drinking of water
How marvellous the change that has
como to the thinking world on this SUBJ
1ect! In these days. total abstainers
from tobacco and stimulants are multi
plying on every hand: their propaganda
Is heard in almost every capital and
certainly In every land of progress and
civilization; and what this signifies to
the health and morality of the world
at large is beyond computation.
Next. let us consider mans origin
and destiny. When this modern
Prophet declared that man may rise
to the attributes of deity the world
was first amused and then amazed Mt
the boldness of such teaching, today
the believers in a spiritual evolution
that makes for the perfection OF the
human soul, and that results In the
eternal progression of mankind, seem
to comprise practically all deep-thlnk-
ing people. The trend of the masses
may be toward socialism that seems
to lead to anarchy: but the greater
thinkers have no such inclination.
When the Prophet announced that
God is man perfected. and that man Is
God in embryo, IL that expression may
scorn with which this doctrine had to
contend made it resemble, in the opIn-
ion OF unbelievers. something akin to
blasphemy. Today the doctrine is more
or less corroborated by the philosophy
of the age and is tolerated and patron
lied by those who a few years ago
seemed to regard 1t as infamy and I'M
piety.
The doctrine OF spirit and matter is
another fact.
When the Prophet Indicated that
matter, force. and energy are inde-
structibie the learned theologians al
once controverted the proposition To-
day this doctrine has become an ac-
cepted opinion in scientific circle and
is taught in every high school and col
lege of the civilized world.
Tho Prophets statement that all
substance Is matter and that there ia