FASHION FOLLIES. tion, afford interest, and tend to demonstrate the accuracy of the simple affirmative answer. This is but one example; other questions should be answered in the same manner. Facts in history, philosophy, geography etc., could thus be made interesting and each answer be a short lesson in mutual improvement. It seems to the writer of this, that when a question is asked for the one who receives it to go to Webster's or Worcester's Unabridged, and then come to the meeting of the Association and answer the question in the words of the dictionary, does not cover the ground. It is to a certain extent carelessness, laziness, or want of interest that suggests such an easy way of fulfilling this duty; for duty it is, a duty we assume when we become members of the society. We have no regularly appointed teachers, no organization of classes filled with pupils, whose only duty is to listen and learn. We are all in our 189 turn teachers, all scholars. Such is the object of these organizations. Again, we would suggest that it would add much to the interest of the proceedings if, when the chairman asks the question "Any further remarks?" that those who are acquainted with the matter under consideration would arise and still further elucidate the subject. In this way the old adage of "Many men, many minds" would be illustrated, and frequently out of apparently unpromising subjects much valuable information would be obtained. In the above remarks we are not advocating long, prosy sermons on every subject introduced through a question; but simply the avoidance of the other extreme, which, while it technically fulfils the requirement, yet leaves the general learner but little wiser, and frequently is entirely unsatisfactory to the person who, for the sake of valuable information, penned the inquiry. Geo. Reynolds. absurdities in fashion of shoes since the days when Egyptian priests wore sandals of palm and papyrus. Red shoes were used by Roman magistrates on ceremonial occasions, while the senators and patricians wore high shoes, like buskins, ornamented with an ivory crescent. Whatever may be the abiding virtues of high-heels, low-heels, or no heels, the fashion of tight-fitting shoes bids fair to Wooden shoes were en regale in the be perpetuated—as saith the scientist- ninth and tenth centuries, and were even to the crack of doom, whatever period of worn by princes, but it is said a certain history that may be. We call the cus- king offered a prize to any one who could tom a barbarism a la Chinese, but under explain how the whole earth could be sanction of civilization, thrust number covered with leather. He was answered five feet into number four boots and then by the cobbler, who demonstrated satiswonder why so few people walk grace-factorily that "to him who wears shoes fully. According to medieval legend, the whole earth is covered with leather." St. Crispin was himself a martyr-notwithstanding the attention of angels who brought him free gifts of leather. Too humiliating for complaint, the martyrdom Enflicted by a tight shoe must be suffered in silence, as the victim finds little comfort in the kind of consolation usually bestowed. In the reign of William Rufus a famous beau Robert-not Diavolo, though surnamed the "Horned"- introduced shoes with long, pointed toes twisted like a ram's horn. Though strongly opposed, the style became fashionable, and in the reign of Richard II the points reached the knee, to which they were secured by There have been many diversities and chains of silver or gold. The parts were cut to imitate the windows of a church, and the whole was made extravagantly conspicuous. For three centuries the clergy, popes, and public officers sought in vain by declamations, bulls and orders to break up the fashion. By an act of parliament, in 1463, shoemakers were prohibited from making for the unprivileged classes any shoes with points more than two inches long; and afterwards, excommunication was pronounced against any person wearing such. The peculiar feature of this bit of history is, that popes and parliament should attempt to supervise the fashion-plates. Doubtless, had his holiness superintended the blowing of the far-famed slipper of Cinderella, he would have ordered it made of calfskin instead of crystal. During the reign of Queen Mary such uncouth width of toe was displayed in the fashion of shoes that the Queen issued a proclamation limiting them to six inches breadth. Curious the shoe ornaments worn by the folly or favor of fashion! Buckles, jewels, embroidery, crescents, stars and shields; bows of elaborate fold and form, quite disguising the contour of slipper or foot. Few fashions have met such ardent disapproval of physicians, and sensible people generally, as high-heeled shoes. "Here are my common-sense shoes," said a belle, glancing at the heels which were of reasonable shape and form; "my street boots have heels twice as high, and twice as uncomfortable, but," she added, "of course I shall wear them." Notwithstanding discomfort, defective vision, attitude, and other slight objections, pointed heels will continue to be worn so long as fashion dictates, for do we not all, in a measure, sympathize with the little girl who prayed, "O, Lord, grant that we may be stylish."-Selected. Shoot folly as it flies.-Pope. NOBLE UPON the records of the past are engraven the names of men, who have taken important parts in the different dispensations of time, since man was placed upon the earth. The Bible honors such men as Abel, Noah, Enoch, cause Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Aaron and many others, who were holy men of God, and leaders in their day and generation; the New Testament—those who espoused the of our Redeemer-Peter, James, John, Paul and others, who displayed their integrity and left examples worthy the imitation of all men. The Book of Mormon also contains the names of men who endured hardships, enmity and persecution for the love of the Gospel of Christ and for complying with the teachings of divine revelation. MEN. to his memory the names of Washington, Jefferson and their colleagues, who framed the Constitution and fought valiantly for liberty and free government. It is seldom that we appreciate the worth of men in the day and age in which they live. This seems to have been the case in ages past and it is the same today. There are living some noble men. who would lay their lives down for pritciples of truth and who labor with their might for the benefit of their fellows. How little they are known for their worth, while others who have been dead for years are lauded to the skies! How often we hear the expression "We have no such men now." I sigh for such ignorance, when I reflect that in the vales of Utah are many who have been tried, tried to the core, for holding to principles of truth, and have not be it were, upon the hearts of mankind for trayed the trust. What can they yet do? In secular history we find mention of men, who have their names engraven, as their deeds of charity and faithfulness to principles of liberty and truth. In Who can place a value uponí their worth? Under the inspiration of the Lord, when our own land every American holds dear necessity demands, they will put their APOSTACY. shoulders to the wheel of state and save a tottering nation if need be. Necessity in the past has brought noble spirits to the front a nd so it will again. It would indeed be a dark world if this were not the The world is wont to judge ly. Many who deserve its lauda case. wrong ce tion a despised and persecuted and die ced by the majority. Others, perunnot who merit it not receive the fame. haps, This is not the case with the judgment of the Lord. The most humble worker will receive a just reward when His appointed time shall come. In looking for examples of worth it is not necessary to cull them entirely from those of the dead. From the living noble ones may be chosen. It is a peculiar trait in the human family to look upon the faults of living men and to a great extent neglect or lose sight of their virtues, but after life has departed the latter come to the front. I am happy in the contemplation that the noble among the living are growing in popular fæ vor, and that their labors are being appreciated. While we honor noble men we should not forget a meed of praise to the noble women of the world, who are and have been cotemporary with them in the progress of truth and liberty. 7. E. Carlisle. 191 best game a farm produces. He buys the original pig for a dollar and a half, and feeds him forty dollars' worth of corn, and then sells him for about nine dollars. This is the only crop he makes any money on. He loses on the corn, but he makes seven dollars and a half on the hog. He does not mind this, because he never expects to make anything on corn. And any way it turns out, he has the excitement of raising the hog, whether he gets the worth of him or not. His strawberries would be a success if the robins would eat turnips, but they won't, and hence the difficulty. One of Mr. Beecher's most harassing difficulties in his farming operations comes of the close resemblance of different sorts of seeds and plants to each other. Two years ago, his far-sightedness warned him that there was going to be a great scarcity of watermelons, and therefore, he put in a crop of twentyseven acres of that fruit. But when they came up, they turned out to be pumpkins, and a dead loss was the consequence. Sometimes a portion of his crop goes into the ground the most promising sweet potatoes, and comes up the infernalist carrots-though I have never heard him express it just in that way. When he bought his farm, he found one egg in every hen's nest on the place. He said that here was just the reason so many farmers failed; they scattered their forces too much; concentration was the idea. So he gathered those eggs together, and put them all under one experienced old hen. The hen roosted over that contract night and day for eleven weeks, under the anxious personal supervision of Mr. Beecher himself, but she could not "phase" those eggs. Why? Because they were the infamous porcelain things which are used by ingenious and fraudulent farmers as "nest eggs." But perhaps Mr. Beecher's most disastrous experience was the time he tried to raise an immense crop of dried apples. He planted fifteen hundred dollars worth, but never one of them sprouted. He has never been able to understand to this day what was the matter with those apples. ASSOCIATION INTELLIGENCE. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. 1. It is generally understood by the Church that an account of Ishmael's lineage was given in the "Book of Lehi," which was a part of the manuscript lost by Martin Harris and never re-translated. It is stated by the best authority that Ishmael was therein represented to be of the tribe of Ephraim. 2. The account of Adam's baptism and of others of the patriarchs is given in the Pearl of Great Price. The children of Israel were baptized in the sea. I Cor., x, 2. Josephus states that it was a common ordinance among the Jews, before Christ's time. There are many passages in the Book of Mormon, which show that baptism, with the other principles of the Gospel, was taught prior to the advent of the Savior. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 1. What are the names of the nations represented by the toes of the great image, described in the second chapter of Daniel? C. W. The ten toes are variously stated. "While the Prophet was considering these ten horns, he saw another little horn springing up among them; ver. 8. This evidently points out the power of the church and bishop of Rome, which, from small beginnings, thrust itself up among the ten kingdoms, and at length got possession of three of them, having turned out those who held them, namely, the ex-archate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the state of Rome; and the dominion of the Roman pontiff over these three kingdoms has ever since been denoted by his triple crown. In this horn, as the church of Rome became when it obtained temporal authority, were eyes like the eyes of man. | This circumstance denoted the policy, sagacity, subtlety, and watchfulness by which the little horn would spy out occasions of extending and establishing its interests, and advancing its exorbitant pretensions; and the court of Rome has ever been remarkable for this above all the states in the world, as every person in the least acquainted with history must know. It had also a mouth speaking The following list is largely accepted great things; and we shall have frequent by sectarian commentators: 1. The Senate at Rome. 2. The Greeks at Ravenna. 3. The Lombards in Lombardy. 7. The Burgundians in Burgundy. 8. The Goths in Spain. Will you explain the following verse: I considered the horns, and behold there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.-Daniel, vii, 8. [I should not like either to affirm or deny that the following is the correct interpretation.-G. R.] occasion to speak of the arrogant claims, blasphemous titles, and great swelling words of vanity of this horn." QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. 1. In the Doctrine and Covenants, section 27, we read of Elias and Elijah and in the 10th section the same names occur. Are they names of one person or two separate individuals? 0. 2 If the Apostles did not receive the Holy Ghost until the day of Pentecost by what power did they hold the Apostleship, heal the sick, and cast out devils, before that day? 3 In the seventh chapter of Revelations, why is the tribe of Dan omitted and that of Manasseh inserted? 7. H. D. Persons asking questions or in any way contributing to this Magazine are requested to sign their full names, not Regarding Daniel, vii, 8, Dr. Scott necessarily for publication but for the information of the editor. writes VII. BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD. THE great designs of God in relation to the salvation of the human family, are very little understood by the professedly wise and intelligent generation in which we live; various and conflicting are the opinions of men concerning the plan of salvation, the requisitions of the Almighty, the necessary preparations for heaven, the state and condition of departe d spirits, and the happiness or misery that is consequent upon the practice of righteousness and iniquity according to their several notions of virtue and vice. The Mussulman condemns the Heathen, the Jew, and the Christian, and the whole world of mankind that reject his Koran, as infidels, and consigns the whole of them to perdition. The Jew believes that the whole world that rejects his faith and are not circumcised, are Gentile dogs, and will be damned. The Heathen are equally as tenacious about their principles, and the Christian consigns all to perdition who cannot bow to his creed, and submit to his ipse dixit. But while one portion of the human race are judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those con. tracted feelings that influence the children of men, causes "his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust." He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise lawgiver, and will judge all men "according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or evil," or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India. He will judge them, "not according to what they have not, but according to what they have," those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right. The situation of the Christian nations after death, is a subject that has called forth all the wisdom and talent of the philosopher and the divine, and it is an opinion which is generally received, that the destiny of man is irretrievably fixed at his death, and that he is either made eternally happy, or eternally miserable; that if a man dies without a knowledge of God, he must be eternally damned, without any mitigation of his punishment, alleviation of his pain, or the most latent hope of a deliverance while endless ages shall roll along. However orthodox this principle may be, we shall find that it is at variance with the testimony of |