half dozen, or one to each girl. If you have attended any of the Church Schools and know the method in which they proceed with various studies, you will have a much better conception of what is needed in this study. For my part, if I were president of an association, and if I had no advantages in the matter of education, I should go to the best qualified man or woman in my town, and ask him or her if he or she would come and deliver a lecture to my association on the Boyhood of the Prophet. You will note I said the best qualified, not the best educated. For it sometimes happens that the educated has not the

man or

woman

least faculty of addressing an audience in a manner to keep them awake, let alone interested. So that I should look over the field and select the one who is known to be the most interesting speaker, whether he be high or low, rich or poor, educated or ignorant of book. learning, and telling him what I desired. I should myself pray, asking the girls to join with me in asking God to bless the speaker with light and power in speaking to the association on the subject of the Boyhood of the Prophet. Then I should instruct the girls to follow my example, bring a note book to the lecture and take down all that I could of what the speaker said. After the lecture is over, then I should distribute the questions and instruct the girls to study well their notes during the week, as

well as looking up all the books on the subject they could find; I would spend the week myself in trying to read up carefully on the subject in hand. The hext evening we would all be ready to take up the Boyhood of the Prophet and give in pieces, a most interesting summary of the previous lecture. Note that I say, in pieces, for I should be very careful to get each girl to answer one question or to give one fact in the lesson, and when a timid or backward girl had, in spite of nervousness, done her part, I should be careful to give her a word of praise. By the way, let me impress on all presidents that honey catches more flies than vinegar. Be lavish with your praise, and very moderate and gentle with your criticism. If you are sure that some of the girls have stayed away because they were too indolent or careless to prepare their lesson, don't scold them or their playmates, for it will do no good. Let the matter rest awhile, and then if you meet the absented girl on the street, put your arm around her and tell her that you miss her sadly at the meeting. Tell her to come even if she is too "busy" (put it that way) to get her lesson ready, and ask her to come for your sake. She will be a hardhearted girl, indeed, if that does not melt her and bring her to meeting next time. If you were to remember her in your prayers next time you are on your knees, it will be easier for her and for you, too. I do not doubt that

there will be some difficulty in endeavoring to introduce this new system of things. But do you take hold with a vigorous hand, and let the one or two willing ones bear the brunt of the burden right at first, and by and by you can draw them all in, and dozens more who have never made it a habit to attend meetings.

In using this subject, it would. be a good plan to let some girl whom you know is too idle or too indifferent to do very much towards preparing her lessons, let such a one get the map of the United States, bring it to the second meeting when you are all engaged on the subject, and then ask her or others to point out the places in succession that are given in the lesson. For instance. Where is Sharon? Where is Vermont? Where is New York State? Where is Palmyra? and

so on.

Then you might ask some of the girls to look up in the history of the United States some one or two events which happened between the years of 1805 and 1823. Thus you are locating Joseph's history or fastening these events on to the general history, and the variety of these things gives interest and novelty to your subject. Then you yourself might prepare a block of wood, or some thin shingles about the length, width, and thickness of the plates upon which the Book of Mormon was engraved. Again, you could draw on a blackboard, or even a sheet of paper a likeness of the sacred spectacles or the

This must

Urim and Thummim. be done with much care and solemnity, for these are sacred things and must be dealt with in the proper spirit; but if done. properly, they will add much to your own interest and to that of your girls. Let these lessons be the subject of your study, thought, prayer and daily research. In this way, inspiration will be given you constantly to meet the special requirements of your special society. Another thought comes to me; in speaking of the light which fell upon Joseph at his vision, some faint idea of the increased glory of that light over the noonday sunlight, may be given by asking the girls, (if you do not care to make the experiment yourself in the meeting,) to get a common candle and light it, then blow out the lamp and see how much more

power there is in a large lamp as compared to the light of a candle. This in an intensely increased degree, is the comparison between the two lights witnessed by Joseph. In drawing the comparison between ordinary darkness and the darkness which assailed him, ask them to go sometime from a dark room into the starlight darkness out of doors, or vice All these points are susceptible of beautiful and simple illustrations and illuminations.

versa.

If you will begin to study these things you will be surprised at the flow of light which will radiate from you and help to work out beautiful results from these simple lessons.

AN AMERICAN GIRL'S EXPERIENCE IN A MEXICAN CUSTOM HOUSE. IT is on a dry, hot day in the middle of June that eight heavilyloaded wagons may be seen rolling slowly into the barren little "ciudad" of La Ascension, the seat of the Mexican Custom House. Following closely behind, enveloped in a cloud of dust is a light buggy.

Suddenly the wagons stop, and while the dust is still in the faces of the inexperienced occupants of the buggy, they lay their trembling hands on shining revolvers, arrange two formidable guns for action, and look as desperately brave as possible. The lady almost faints at the bare thought of being "held up" by the Mexicans.

However, the excitement and pleasure of figuring as a possible heroine quickly gives way to a happy disappointment as someone calls out "Custom House!" The dust has by this time cleared away, and this is what they see:

A town laid out somewhat like a Utah village but looking very diferent, there being no trees, no fences, no refreshing little streams and consequently no grass but instead, broad, smooth, hard streets, bounded on either side by what appeared to be continuous mud walls, but which are in reality an unbroken series of Mexican huts.

These embowered walls are in some instances twenty feet high, roofs flat, and quite out of sight.

This caravan on wheels contains an American company, composed of seven men, three women, four

boys and one unsophisticated young lady. The facts laid bare are something like these: This company is very desirous of passing the Mexican frontier with as little trouble and expense as possible. They know the officials will act just as they feel, agreeable or disagreeable; doubling the duties in the latter case, as they are

under the restraint neither of courts nor conscience.

They also know these gallant senors to be more or less interested in the comparatively fairfaced American girl.

Accordingly, they exact a promise from the innocent creature before named, that she will wash her face (a duty all have shirked on account of the scorching winds and thick dust); also comb and curl her hair, adorn herself in her gayest costume, and try to be smiling and pleasant.

Picture her then, an hour later, after having made her toilet in the seclusion of a covered wagon, waiting in a new frock, half fearful, half hopeful of her ability to placate the "powers that be. The great doors of the Casado

beautiful, broad streets, the queer old Catholic Church looking so desolate in the half-buried light, together with the dead stillness of the town leave an impression on the mind, vivid, strange, dreary, and quaint, never to be disassociated with the scene.

The long train of wagons rolls slowly out and the girl looking

backward can see her whilom admirers bowing and kissing their hands to her; and last, but not least, comes the faint, dreary sound of their mellow voices, harmoniously blending in the "Spanish Serenade."

IDA STEWART,

Provo, Utah.

WAS COLUMBUS INSPIRED? IN talking with one of our wellknown Elders upon the subject of inspiration and revelation, he said. that they were interchangeable terms; that men who were inspired had revelation. I thought differently, and I have since learned from the words of our leaders that

my view was the correct one. Poets, painters, writers, discoverers and all men and women who bring light, truth and beauty into the world are inspired of God. Revelation has not been given to man from the time of the apostasy of the Christian Church, until our Father condescended to come to earth and restore His ancient gospel through the boy-prophet, Joseph Smith. Even now, men in this Church receive revelation only for legitimate purposes; the member of the Church does not receive revelations to guide the Church, but he can receive daily inspiration and even at times revelation for the guidance of his own or his family affairs. If he holds a presiding office in any quorum of the

Priesthood, he may receive inspiration to assist him in these labors. But there is a difference in revelation and inspiration. Martin Luther was inspired to throw off the yoke of Catholicism, but he never claimed, nor did he receive, any revelation from God. Gallileo was inspired with a grand truth. So was Herchel and many others. So indeed was Columbus when he felt a persistent guiding to find the way around the earth. He had not a revelation; if he had, he would not have supposed this land to be India, for revelations are never partly true and partly false. Inspiration may come to a soul, and and it may be in part and it may be in whole. For instance, a man may feel an inspiration in his heart to write a poem, to paint a picture, or to discover a hitherto unknown truth in science; but his inspiration may and often does stop short of perfection. But when the Lord gives a revelation the "Thus saith the Lord" puts a stop to all controversy and there is never anything left half under