on earth bearing a pain, and for your sake, too, a pain which you cannot prevent, and which you can only witness and suffer in longing, awful sympathy." That was another revelation to me. And then let me ask how many of our sisters have sat idly by and allowed their husbands to waste the precious opportunity that is now taken away, and they have simply let the matter go on, inwardly rejoiced that their heart strings were not going to be tested. Do you know, have you ever read what Christ said? If you are not willing to leave father and mother, houses and lands, you are not worthy of Him. We are not asked to leave our husbands, but only to test our devotion to God and His kingdom, or whether we love man and our own ease best. Sisters, I stand appalled at the magnitude of my sin and yours! OUR GIRLS.* Y. L. M, I. A. CONFERENCE. Minutes of a conference of the Y. L. M. I. A. of the Morgan Stake, held in the Stake House at Morgan, Sunday afternoon, November 7, 1892. After the usual opening exercises, and the sacrament had been administered, the young ladies proceeded to hold their conference. Counselor Mary Welch presiding. A circular from the First Presidency concerning the temple donations was read by the secretary. Minutes of the former conference read and approved. The associations of the Stake were represented by Counselor Elizabeth Turner. Miss Annie Smith gave an able sketch on "Woman's Sphere as a Daughter;" Hannah Grover lectured on the duties of a sister. Sister M. A. Eddington on the duties of a wife; Counselor Mary Welch on the duties of a mother. Sister Davis of Ogden spoke words of encouragement to the young ladies; felt that the future would be bright before them. Advised the girls not to dance too much, as it was injur ious to their health. Misses Jessie Taggart and Lottie Bull sang a song. Sister Jane Richards addressed the meeting. Gave valuable instructions on various subjects. Choir sang an anthem. Closing prayer offered by President Willard G. Smith. SUSANNAH JAKMAN, President; All communications from the members of the Y. L. M. I. Associations to this department should be addressed to Mrs. Elmina S. Taylor, 158 W. Third South St., Salt Lake City. The address of the Secretary of the Central Board of the Y. L. M. I. A. is Annie M. Cannon, Folsom Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah. Women of the United States, by its approval of the address of its first president, Miss Frances E. Willard, delivered at a public session of the council in Washington in 1891, stands committed to carry out, as far as they are practicable, the suggestions of work and organization set forth in that address. Among other things it is hoped to establish in the most important cities of the country, and finally in all the places where women have developed interest in the public welfare, Local Councils of Women, the organization of which being in harmony with the general plan of the National Council will, in the end, entitle them to send representatives to the sessions of the National Council and form a sort of Lower House, while the direct representatives of ideas nationally organized will form an Upper House in the National Council. The advantages to be gained. by local organizations joining hands to form local councils are the same as the advantages to be gained by the national organizations joining to form a national council, namely, the multiplication of the moral forces of the place for the advancement of causes of such a general interest as to command the favorable consideration of women engaged in different lines of work. Already Minneapolis, Minn.; Providence, R. I., and Indiana polis, Ind., have local councils of women, which include the most important local organizations of women in those cities. In Portland, Maine, this month will see the completion of the organization of a local council, and initiatory steps toward forming these councils have already been taken in Memphis, Tenn., and Detroit, Mich. In pursuance of this plan, the National Council has printed a constitution for local typical councils, which, with a brief history of the formation of the local council of women of Indianapolis, may be had upon application to the undersigned. Rachel Foster Avery, Cor. Sec. National Council of Women. A LETTER TO "OUR GIRLS." WHEN, one year ago, I took occasion to congratulate our talented and energetic editor on the almost phenomenal success which the YOUNG WOMEN'S JOURNAL had attained in its short career, I met with the folowing rebuff: "Congratulate yourself! If it has been a success, you have helped to make it so." While not laying claim to any particular credit in that direction, I could not but admire the native modesty which sought to direct my attention from her own large share in the enterprise to the apparently small one which stood to my account. Being praticularly susceptible to rebuffs of any kind, and feeling that I must say something to express my pleasure at the continued prosperity and improvement of the JOURNAL during the year that has just closed, I decided to send my communication to this department, thus saving both our editor and myself a repetition of the foregoing harrowing blows to our mutual sense of modesty. When, three years ago, while engaged in college life far away from home, there came to me a sample copy of the first number of our little magazine, I was delighted. And when I noted who had been chosen to take charge of the JOURNAL which was to be the representative of the young women of Zion, my pleasure was enhanced. I had known her long and well, and under varied circumstances and conditions, and I knew her to be peculiarly fitted for the position to which she had been called. The JOURNAL is not a moneymaking scheme. I dare venture the assertion that the Editor's purse has been rather lightened than otherwise in the uphill work of beginning a new venture like the one in question. What few dollars remain over after publishing expenses are deducted are faithfully paid out in small salaries to those who write for the magazine. The writer has for years furnished articles for various home publications, spending dollars for paper and stamps, and the editor of the YOUNG WOMAN'S JOURNAL was the first to hint: "Here, you deserve some little remuneration for your labor. I will pay you a small sum for the articles you may send. I wish it were more, but it will serve to pay for stationery, if nothing more." I am not finding fault with other journals, only trying to vindicate our Own and its struggling managers before those who require such vindication. The YOUNG WOMAN'S JOURNAL is our own representative, the organ in which we can express our thoughts and views without fear of ridicule or harsh criticism. Those of us who have a taste for literature have here a place where we can trust our crude efforts to an indulgent public, sure that they will meet with encouragement and not contempt. I fear we do not realize these great privileges or we would be more industrious in making use of our talent, and more devoted in our efforts to extend the power and influence of these great means to the end of doing good and promulgating truth upon the earth. Great events are close upon us, events which I fear we are not prepared to meet. Let us put aside prejudice, let us cultivate charity, and faith, and love and all the graces and gifts to which we are entitled under the heirship of the gospel. Let us put aside our folly and bend our energies in the direction of purifying ourselves and each other from the dross which lies encrusted over the best of our mortal natures. If we do these things we will be kept too busy to observe the follies of a man to rise step by step from the low places into which he has fallen, till he is capable of the noblest things. A wife's influence over her husband is the greatest and most important; if she is of a cheerful, happy, hopeful and helpful disposition he can work on from day to day with light heart and gradually increasing prosperity, with bright prospects before him; and if there happens a reverse of fortune, and she maintains her cheerfulness and hopefulness, he takes courage to press on through the heavy trials before him, and comes out at length victorious; when if she gave way to despondency and grief on account of the change, he would sink into oblivion, not having the courage to press forward. but merely struggling feebly from day to day as if there were impetus to impel him onward to success. no If a wife is habitually cross, impolite, and of a complaining, fault-finding disposition, her husband will become dispirited and evenings away from home, will gradually form bad associations, form the habit of using intoxicating liquors, and will go downward from bad to worse till he will be respected by none, and feared by his own family. It is said in history that "Romans ruled the world, but the women ruled the Romans." Woman's influence is all power-gloomy, will begin to spend his ful: a woman can influence a man to almost anything if she knows how to proceed. She can lead him to the lowest depths of degrdation, or to the grandest heights of noble deeds. She can cause a man to forsake his principles and those things which he knows to be right and do what he knows to be wrong, and what he would do under no other circumstances; while on the other hand she can, by her influence and efforts, cause But if a wife is always neat and pleasant, cheerful, loving and hopeful, always trying to make home pleasant and cheerful for him, ever ready to sympathize with him in his trials; if daily asking God's help and guidance she tries to be a true wife, her husband will be attracted to her day by day, will love her more and more, will gladly spend the most of his evenings at home, will keep good company, be steady and industrious, and do all in his power to repay her efforts and to show how much he appreciates her love and gentleness. A wife can usually make her husband what she chooses. The young ladies, also, have an influence over the gentlemen, which they know not of, or at least they do not know or realize the responsibility which devolves upon them by the possession of that influence and the way in which they exert it. By countenancing bad habits and wrong principles, or allowing them to pass unnoticed in the young gentlemen with whom we associate, we sanction and encourage the evil which may in time result from a wrong commencement in life. Young ladies, if you do not like tobacco and liquor, now is the time to say so, and let it be known. Don't wait till you are married, thinking you can persuade him to stop using it then, for you can not do it. A young lady may, when receiving new year calls, at a party, or under any other circumstances, offer a young man a glass of wine, which if he drinks may lead him to a drunkard's grave. He may have inherited a liking for intoxicating liquors, and may not have the strength of character to resist. the temptation and refuse the glass when proffered by her, and especially if it is offered by one whom he loves; and after accepting the first glass it is much easier to take the next and the next, till it becomes a settled habit. I would, therefore, urge the young men by all means to refuse the first glass; and let us be very careful, young ladies, in what way we exert the influence which has been given us by our Heavenly Father. Let us remember that whatever we do or say will leave its influence, and let us pray for guidance from above that our influence may be for good, both for our own sakes and for the sake of the young men with whom we come in contact now and in the future. Let us not, by exerting an influence for evil, have other people's sins to answer for as well as our own. Celia A. Smith. A MESSAGE OF HOPE.. Is there not one word of greeting, of counsel, of help which can and should be given to all women in this broad land of Zion? Some sweet message of peace and hope for the new year which has begun, something which can enter the home of the oppressed, the hovel of the poor, the exiled heart of the wanderer in the cause of truth, something which can pierce the soul of the rich and prospered among us, a |