President N. Eldon Tanner, Part Three - Rudyard Kipling and our England Trip

 For Part One, Part Two, or Part Four, click the link you wish. 

President N. Eldon Tanner's talk, "Choose You This Day", came from the scripture that was one of the last words that the prophet Joshua delivered to his people, this powerful affirmation of faith and agency - Choose you this day whom ye will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

The quotes he chose move along those same lines. Today's quote is a famous poem, by the poet Joseph Rudyard Kipling. 

 

The Quote 

Rudyard Kipling’s prophetic poem “God of Our Fathers, Known of Old,” was a warning to the great and powerful British Empire, when it was at the height of its glory, and should be a warning to all nations. He wrote:

“God of our fathers known of old,

Lord of our far-flung battle-line,

Beneath whose awful hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine,

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget, lest we forget!

 

“The tumult and the shouting dies,

The captains and the kings depart;

Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart,

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget, lest we forget!

 

“Far called, our navies melt away,

On dune and head-land sinks the fire;

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget, lest we forget!”

 

Rudyard Kipling

He was a great short story writer - I grew up on the Jungle Book and the Just So Stories. He was the first fiction writer to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. Best of all, he's the husband of my seventh cousin four times removed.

One of these days, I'd love to make my way back to London to see Westminster Abbey's Poets Corner, where he's buried. I missed it last time I was there - who knew the Queen would die the night before we came! And they closed Westminster Abbey for her funeral - and we lost our tickets. Dang it! 

England might not have been the massive empire she once was when we came there, but it was still a lovely and unforgettable trip. 

President N. Eldon Tanner, Part Two - Arnold J. Toynbee and the Missing Pages

 For Part One, Part Three, or Part Four, click the link you wish. 

We continue with President N. Eldon Tanner's talk, "Choose You This Day", a talk about making a deliberate choice to serve the Lord as the wisest thing we could do in life.

He continues in this vein, talking about the unconscious patterns that people exhibit when they don't make that choice.

 

The Quote

In his book Civilization on Trial, published in 1948, Arnold J. Toynbee seems to catch this message, as he refers to the rise and fall of civilizations, and recognizes the reason for their declines. He defines history and its pattern of repeating itself, and then he says:

“Our present situation is formidable indeed. A survey of the historical landscape in the light of our existing knowledge shows that, up to date, history has repeated itself about twenty times in producing human societies of the species to which our Western society belongs, and it also shows that with the possible exception of our own, all these representatives of the species of society called civilizations are already dead or moribund (dying). 

Moreover, when we study the histories of these dead and moribund civilizations in detail, and compare them with one another, we find indications of what looks like a recurring pattern in the process of their breakdowns, declines, and falls. We are naturally asking ourselves today whether this particular chapter of history is bound to repeat itself in our case. Is that pattern of decline and fall in store for us in our turn as a doom from which no civilization can hope to escape?”

He goes on to express his opinion that the pattern of earlier successes or failures does not necessarily have to be repeated. He says: “As human beings, we are endowed with this freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is up to us.” He suggests what we should do to be saved, politically, economically, and religiously, and states: “Of the three tasks, the religious one is, of course, in the long run by far the most important.” (New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 38–40.)

 

The British Historian

Arthur Toyenbee wrote lots of works - some imposing works. His 12-volume work, "A Study in History" is the longest.

His book quoted here, "Civilization on Trial" feels like the Reader's Digest version of his more scholarly works. However, I went to look for these specific quotes, and pages 38-40 are missing from the online version!

Nooooooo!

 As convenient as the Internet can be, not everything comes out the way I would wish.

President N. Eldon Tanner, Part One - The Last Lecture and Randy Pausch

For Part Two, Part Three, or Part Four, click the link you wish. 

Yes, there are four cultural quotes from President N. Eldon Tanner's talk "Choose You This Day" in April 1971 Conference. The first was more of an offhand remark than anything of substance at that time.

 

The Quote 

"We have heard a great deal lately about the Last Lecture Series, in which those who lecture choose their subject as though it were the last they would give. With that in mind, I chose my subject for this conference as though it were to be my last lecture—the most important message I could leave with the people."

Andrew Carnegie and the Last Lecture Series

One of the many ways Andrew Carnegie touched nearly every aspect of life even today, was the Last Lecture Series, based in Carnegie-Mellon University, where professors were tasked with giving a lecture on what they would tell their students if this would be the last time they could speak. What would be the most important thing they could share before the end?

Most of the time it was an exercise in imagination. Once in my lifetime, it wasn't.

 

Randy Pausch and the Last Lecture

When Randy Pausch, computer science professor at  Carnegie-Mellon University, was tasked to give the address in 2007, it really was his last talk - he'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and everything they tried to stop it had failed. When he gave his talk, his doctors had given him only months left to live. He managed to hang on until September of 2008, when he passed away in Virginia.

His talk became a media sensation due to the context of it.  His talk was recorded and broadcast, and he gave different variations of the talk in different venues before he became too sick. His lecture became a best-selling book. 

His advice? Well, I won't spoil it here. His video lecture (linked above) and his book are both well worth the perusal.

Not only that, but if you missed it when the movie came out, he got a day player part in a Star Trek film from the impact of his Last Lecture, and how could he refuse? How could anyone? Don't blink or you'll miss him. 

 

 

Elder Harold B. Lee, Part Three: Dr. Fisher of the Boy Scouts

If you missed Part One or Part Two, here's your chance to click. 

Finally! The final cultural quote from Elder Harold B. Lee's talk, "Today's Young People". 

 

The Quote 

"As I read that, I recalled a statement made by Dr. Fisher, former educational director of the Boy Scouts of America, who here in the Assembly Hall made an interesting remark. He said, “If the youth of today were not twice as good as were the youth of two generations ago, they wouldn’t be half as good as they are.” If you analyze that, I think you can understand why he would make that remark."

Let's pull that out a little bit - 

If the youth of today

were NOT

twice as good

as were the youth of two generations ago,

they wouldn't be

half as good as they are.

 

Nope - still don't get it. I don't understand. Sounds like math.

Does anyone here understand?

 

Dr. Fisher's Work with Kids (and Volleyball)

I'm assuming Dr. Fisher may have been hit on the head one two many times by a volleyball, since he was the founder and first president of the United States Volleyball Association. Having been through enough volleyball tournaments in my teenage years, I know from my own experience how hard that volleyball can hit.

Seriously though, he created volleyball as a training tool for the military. That's pretty hardcore. It's a wonder I survived.

Volleyball is heck.

He did serve in high-level positions with the Boy Scouts as well, and I'm assuming that Elder Lee is still referring to the perception of all kids being bad because of the perception of a few bad kids being extrapolated out to cover all kids.

We don't want to do that. Most people are basically good - I do believe that. If we control our focus and look for the good, we'll definitely find it. The bad can also be found, if sought. 

 

Elder Harold B. Lee, Part Two: Dwight D. Eisenhower - These Kids Today

If you want to read Part One or Part Three of the references from this talk, click where you will. 

The next quote from Elder Harold B. Lee's talk in April 1971 goes in a more positive direction. It's definitely something to keep in mind, even today. 

 

The Quote

I came across a statement from the late President [Dwight D.] Eisenhower in the Reader’s Digest some years ago. 

He said, “Unfortunately many people nowadays have become so bemused 

by the excesses of a small minority of American youth, 

 that they forget to note the decency and intelligence of the overwhelming majority. 

This is a great injustice to you young folks and a disservice to America.

“Judge Lester H. Loble of Montana, 

who has done so much to check juvenile delinquency in his state, 

has said that 97 percent of our youngsters today 

are as good as those of any generation, but the three percent who are hoodlums are worse. 

I might go one step beyond and suggest that in a good many ways, 

today’s young people are better than my own generation. 

Certainly, you are better educated, better informed about the world, 

have a far broader outlook on life than we did at your age. 

Moreover, most of you I talk with—

and I do talk with hundreds every year in student and political gatherings and elsewhere—

have fine motives and a sound moral attitude.” 

(“Thoughts for Young Americans,” Reader’s Digest, April 1966, pp. 88–92.)

 

Media Distortion (and Judge Lester H. Noble)

Couldn't find the original article in the Reader's Digest online - it's in the Eisenhower Presidential Library.

 Got me thinking about Judge Lester H. Loble, though - who was he?

Hard to find anything on him beyond some random genealogical records - here he was a judge who did great things for Montana, and who remembers him?

I guess that's why I do so much genealogical name-dropping, because the media distorts the importance of certain people, and then there's all this history on them, but for me, they're like hangers that I can use to learn more about all the little people in between, who were too busy living and not counted as important for the writers of the day to record their lives.

Some of them have been every bit as fascinating as any public figure - sometimes more so.

 

More people are good than we think, and no people are small. That includes:

Lester Henry Lobel (the husband of my ninth cousin twice removed), 

or Dwight David 'Ike' Eisenhower (my seventh cousin three times removed), 

or even Elder Harold B. Lee (also my seventh cousin three times removed through a different line.)

 

 

Elder Harold B. Lee, Part One: Horace Mann - Focus on the One

There are three references in this talk - click here for Part Two or Part Three. 

 

Elder Harold B. Lee's talk, "Today's Young People" brings us to a story about Horace Mann.

Horace who?

 

The Quote

Horace Mann, that great educator somewhere back in the time of Abraham Lincoln, 

told how he was the speaker at the dedication of a great boys’ school, 

and in his talk he said, 

“This school has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars; 

but if this school is able to save one boy, 

it is worth all that it cost.” 

One of his friends came up to him at the close of the meeting and said, 

“You let your enthusiasm get away with you, didn’t you? 

You don’t mean what you said that if this school, 

costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, 

were to save just one boy, it was worth all that it cost? 

You surely don’t mean that.”

Horace Mann looked at him and said,

“Yes, my friend. It would be worth it 

if that one boy were my son; 

it would be worth it.”

 

The Principle of the One and Horace Mann

If you've been to public school in your life, loved it or hated it, it started with people like Horace Mann. A lifelong champion of education, and apparently, my fourth cousin six times removed. Horace Mann's quote emphasizes the importance of attending to each person as an individual, and not seeing them as simply part of an amorphous group.

Those we love are people. Each person has individual needs, and needs to be seen and acknowledged as such if our efforts will be effective.

He was a library hound like me, using the public library to accelerate his schooling as a child. He gave a lecture entitled, "A Few Thoughts for a Young Man", but his lecture on the powers and duties of women?

I have to check it out! 

The Life and Works of Horace Mann has some other lectures he's given. The Thoughts Selected from the Writings of Horace Mann looks a little more digestible. Both are at Archive.org. He's got about a hundred schools still named after him across the country. Not too shabby, really. 

Elder N. Eldon Tanner, and a Plaintive Song to Return

 Today's talk is by Elder N. Eldon Tanner, called "Search for the Wanderers".

 

The Quote

"We have an old song, “Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” and I was wondering if that could not be changed to mean more to us in these words: “Why is my boy wandering tonight?”  

 

History of an Old Song 

“Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” is one of those 19th-century American sentimental songs that carried a moral, religious, and emotional message. 

It was written by Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister who also wrote hymns (and the husband of my eighth cousin twice removed). He was also the writer of Shall We Gather at the River? and Nothing But the Blood of Jesus. 

Like those, Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight? was intended as an evangelistic hymn, to stir the emotions of congregations and awaken wayward young men to return to faith and family. 

The song speaks from the perspective of a grieving parent—often sung from a mother's perspective—asking after her “wandering boy,” who has left the safety of home and faith. 

Its central refrain is:

“Where is my wandering boy tonight,
The boy of my tenderest care?
The boy that was once my joy and light,
The child of my love and prayer?”

The lyrics reflect the Victorian religious theme of parental intercession (like God interceded for us) and the anxiety of families over sons who had strayed into sin, drinking, or worldly living. It was designed to move hearts toward repentance and reunion, similar to the parable of the prodigal son from the New Testament (Luke 15:11-32).

It was super popular during the Temperance movement, and a great song for your revival meeting or singing in the parlor to impress Aunt Fanny when she comes over to visit.

Not sung a lot anymore these days, but definitely part of our cultural history. 

 

The Question of "Why?"

It's intriguing that Elder Tanner would spin the song title as he does, to ask the question of why, to try and get to the root of the problem of children losing faith in God when they were taught differently.

This is an area where we as a church often differ from other Christian denominations. Some faiths say that accepting Christ as our Savior is all that must be done, and we're done. He's done everything else, and now we are saved no matter what we do.

In our faith, we believe Christ is our Savior, and when we accept him, we show our thanks and gratitude for saving us through following Him. Acting as He would have us act, in our own small and often insufficient way.

Sometimes this is misinterpreted as a belief that we can save ourselves through works. This is absolutely not true. If I had to save myself, I would have turned to dust long, long ago.

I gave myself to Christ when it became clear that saving myself was a total impossibility, and then Christ saved me. I thank Him daily by building a relationship with him through prayer and learning of Him and listening for his voice in the scriptures. I try to do my tiny baby version of what He would do if He were me, physically present in my life.

Those experiences have continued to strengthen me and see His power and influence in my life on a regular basis. Even when things are hard, He is there for me. But I had to take those steps to find the answer to the question of "Why should I do hard things?" Finding that answer takes faith to step into the dark.

If we earnestly follow Christ, there is no wandering boy or girl. Not in my experience. Elder Tanner concurred in his talk:

 "...if all who listened...will follow the instructions that were given them, there will not be wandering boys."

Elder Wendell J. Ashton and a Vision of the Future

Now we're continuing on to Elder Wendell J. Ashton and his talk, "Unchanging Principles of Leadership" which he gave in the priesthood session of April 1971.

 

The Quote 

"A book, The Year 2000, talks about some of the developments likely ahead for you: mining and farming on the ocean floors, three-dimensional photography, artificial moons for lighting large areas at night, and many others.

Even more sobering, though, are thoughts regarding other changes that some say are ahead: the phasing out of family life and of the moral code that helped make this and other nations great."

Predictions of the Future, 1960s Style

When I read this reference, I can't tell you how excited I was to find it. I love books about predicting the future - they are fantastic fodder for a science fiction writer. I owe a lot to futurists like Michio Kaku and Ray Kurtweil for helping me write my novels, and it's always fun to see what they got right years later, and maybe not so right.

For example, this book, The Year 2000: a framework for speculation on the next 33 years, has a list of predicted technologies starting on page 50, that's very well thought-out based on what they knew and what issues they were having at the time.

There's a list of things they expected to have happen, some of which were listed in the quote above.

Deep-sea mining is not happening yet, but is currently in development. 

Three-dimensional photography is in fact happening.

Artificial moonlight isn't in general use, but getting artificial moonlight installed in your backyard could happen now.

There were also some technologies they didn't expect that happened, including "True" artificial intelligence.

Most of the rest of it are still cultural dreams.  

 

Phasing Out of Family Life and Moral Codes?

The other part of the quote, I guess, depends on a person's point of view.

The Year 2000 book does predict a more sensate culture in the future, more focused on leisure and consumption.

I can't say that that hasn't happened. At least, the media perception of it has certainly happened, and we live with the latent consequences of that now.

But this is why we have futurists, as well as prophets and apostles, right? To alert us to these sorts of societal trends, so that we can think about whether or not we want to participate, and decide for ourselves what sort of life we want to build.

Always a good thing, in my mind. 

Elder David B. Haight and the Mysterious Polish Marxist

We skip over a couple of talks now - one by then-President Joseph Fielding Smith and another by Elder Howard W. Hunter, who talked about the new libraries for our churches (I approve of libraries).

And we go on to Elder David B. Haight and his talk called "Teach One Another".

He starts out, not with a quote, but with a small story:

 

The "Quote"

"At a seminar held in Warsaw, Poland, attended by students and leaders of the Communist party, a student posed this question: 

“Please don’t be angry, sir, but could you explain the ‘meaning of life?’” 

Poland’s leading Marxist philosopher reported that as he glanced at the hundreds of pairs of eyes silently staring at the party leadership, he recognized the seriousness of this question and a weakness in their philosophy that has neglected to deal with this challenging problem."

 

The Source 

Elder Haight went on to talk about how we already know the meaning of life - that's part of our church's doctrine. But who was this Polish Marxist he spoke of? There was no mention of who it could be. So it has remained a mystery for all this time, over 50 years, until now.

Enter ChatGPT, who did an obliging search for me and came up with a solid possibility.

I believe this story came from Adam Schaff, a Jewish-Polish Marxist philosopher (who I am unfortunately not related to - I have a great lack of Jewish in my family line, dang it! However. Elder Haight is my seventh cousin twice removed, so that's something.)

An article by Zbignew Wolak talks about that same story, although completely in Polish. Thanks to Google Translate, I was able to figure out at least a rudimentary translation.

Filozof marksistowski Adam Schaff opowiadał, jak podczas pewnego wykładu zaskoczyło go pytanie o sens życia i jakz trudem próbował na nie odpowiadać. 

If you don't happen to speak Polish, here's the basic idea:

"The Marxist philosopher Adam Schaff said, how during a lecture he was surprised by the question about the meaning of life and how He struggled to answer them."

And that was the only mention of that. So the story does in fact exist.

 

Where we come from - why we're here - where are we going?

The Meaning of Life

It's not uncommon for anyone from parents to Polish philosophy professors to struggle with the meaning of life - where we come from, why we're here, and where we're going. As simple as it sounds, it's not simple.

Sometimes it might be easier not to think about it, but that doesn't make the questions go away. When we come to the door of death, which we all will, it really forces the issue if we've never faced it before.

At least for me, I'm glad this knowledge isn't hidden in foreign philosophy papers I need ChatGPT to go find for me. There's no struggle for me in this area. I'm a child of a Heavenly Father, who created this earth for me to come to and have a mortal experience. When I'm done, I go back home to Him.

Of course there's more to it than that, and I know lots of other people struggle with this, and that's okay. Everyone's path in this life is different. 

I'll tell you though, It gives me a lot of peace in knowing. And it frees me up to focus on other fun things like this blog. 

 

Early Teaching Methods

The talk also references an early film made by the Church on how to teach gospel lessons. In our faith, we all learn how to teach since we don't have paid ministers, and I've never seen this film before, so here it is, for anyone who might be curious. Dang, but this is old!

Harold B. Lee and Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. - I've never seen them speak before. And Gordon Jump playing the bishop (he was in the old show WKRP in Cincinnati)! And the amusement park - Lagoon, my old stomping grounds as a kid!

At least the bishop didn't teach with a flannel board, am I right? My own Church teaching experiences had...well, more drama than what was shown in this drama. In the kids' classes especially. But they did the best they could back then.

 

 

 

Mark E. Peterson, Part Four - Daniel Webster Fighting the Devil

For Part One, Part Two, or Part Three, choose your link and click it.  

This is the last quote from this talk by Elder Mark E. Peterson, "Warnings From the Past".

The Quote

 

"One of the most stern of all warnings came from the great statesman Daniel Webster when he said: 

“If we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, 

violate the rules of eternal justice, 

trifle with the injunctions of morality 

and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, 

no one can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, 

that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.” 

 

This quote wasn't in this format in the talk - sometimes with older language, I like to breathe a little air into quotes when I can, to make them a little more readable and impactful online. So the many lines in these quotes are mine. You're welcome.

 

If you've never heard of Daniel Webster, you're in for a treat. A scary one. I almost wish this quote could have come closer to Halloween, because Daniel Webster was epic like that. Seldom have I seen such an intimidating mug as his, and few people were ever as powerful as he was.

He was a lawyer who argued cases before the Supreme Court. He was a senator. He was represented in a short story by Stephen Benet where he argued for a man's soul against the devil himself, and was portrayed in several movies - a real larger than life character. Ralph Waldo Emerson, after his death, called him "the completest man" and 'a masterpiece".

This quote happens to come from a speech he gave at the New York Historical Society on February 23, 1852, titled “The Dignity and Importance of History; A Prophetic Warning.” 

It's a very very....very very very...very very very long speech, but go ahead and give it a try if you have the inclination and a long afternoon to kill.

I'm saving that one for later myself. But I'll get to it eventually. Since he's the husband of my fifth cousin three times removed, he'll be at the heavenly Thanksgiving table someday, giving me that stare over the rolls and gravy...

(shudder) 

 

 

 

Mark E. Peterson, Part Three - George Washington, A Rock Upon the Rock

 For Part One, Part Two, or Part Four, make your choice and go for it! 

If Lincoln wasn't lofty enough, Elder Mark E. Peterson then pulls out our most illustrious founding father, George Washington, and repeats the warning he once gave:

The Quote

"It was George Washington, our first president, who said: 

“… we ought to be no less persuaded 

that the propitious smiles of Heaven 

can never be expected on a nation 

that disregards the eternal rules of order and right 

which Heaven itself has ordained. …” 

(First inaugural address, April 30, 1789.)

 

George Washington had lovely penmanship. Here's a copy of the speech where this quote comes from.

The actual quote is found in the third paragraph down where he gives assurances that he will govern for all people and not just for one political side or another, or for only special interests:

 

"...that the foundation of our national policy 

will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, 

and the preeminence of free government 

be exemplified by all the attributes 

which can win the affections of its citizens 

and command the respect of the world."

 

It's been awhile since I've heard a sentiment like this one in a political speech. Or this:

 

"...there exists in the economy and course of nature 

an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; 

between duty and advantage; 

between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy 

and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; 

since we ought to be no less persuaded 

that the propitious smiles of Heaven 

can never be expected 

on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right 

which Heaven itself has ordained; 

and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty 

and the destiny of the republican model of government 

are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, 

staked on the experiment 

entrusted to the hands of the American people."

 

I can feel in the language he uses the weight of the concerns he carries, the sense of history and gravitas, and the challenges he's had to go through to get to this point. A good and decent, solid man who had faith in God to help them do something that no one was sure would work. Happy to have him as my sixth cousin seven times removed.

He certainly left his mark on society. Even in productions such as the musical, "Hamilton", there is a feeling of that weight that he carried. 

 

 

 

Mark E. Peterson, Part Two: Abraham Lincoln Speaks

If you'd like to read Part One, Part Three, or Part Four, click away on the appropriate link.

After Roger Babson in Elder Mark E. Peterson's talk, "Warnings From the Past", comes a quote from the venerable Abraham Lincoln, my sixth cousin four times removed:

 

The Quote

Abraham Lincoln told the people of his day that America 

“need fear no danger from without. … 

If danger were ever to threaten the United States, 

it will come from within. 

‘As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. …’”

 

Then the great emancipator added this:

“We have grown in numbers, wealth and power. … 

But we have forgotten God. … 

It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, 

to confess our national sins, 

and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

 

 Would you be interested to know that these two quotes happened about 25 years apart from each other?

The first part comes from Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address, which happened in 1838, when he was around 28 years old. The actual text seems a little bit different from Elder Peterson's talk as well - a tiny bit paraphrased.

Lincoln was speaking to the Young Men's Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois. He spoke about a recent mob burning of a black man in Saint Louis, MO. The actual text reads along these lines, with a little explanation from me:

"...At what point shall we expect the approach of danger (to our country)? 

By what means shall we fortify against it?-- 

Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, 

and crush us at a blow? 

Never!--

All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) 

in their military chest; 

with a (Napoleon) Buonaparte for a commander, 

could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge (Mountains), in a trial of a thousand years.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? 

I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. 

It cannot come from abroad. 

If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. 

As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

 

As I read this, I couldn't help but think of other incidents that happened in my own lifetime - the Rodney King incident in Los Angeles, the mobs that burned cities during COVID, and the death of George Floyd and the protests that arose around that and other incidents. 

Such problems seem to still be with us, hundreds of years later. Could we destroy ourselves as a nation from within?

I do think we could, if we're not aware the possibility exists.

 

The second part of the quote comes not from a speech, but from Abraham Lincoln's proclamation that appointed a National Fast Day in 1863, during the Civil War, to encourage Americans to pray for help from God. The actual wording looked more like this:

"...We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. 

We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. 

We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. 

But we have forgotten God. 

We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, 

and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; 

 and we have vainly imagined, 

in the deceitfulness of our hearts, 

that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. 

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient 

to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, 

too proud to pray to the God that made us!

 It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, 

to confess our national sins, 

and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

 

If you've never read Lincoln's speeches or his debates, they're well worth reading. He had such a masterful way with words, from the Gettysburg Address at his peak, all throughout his career. This is a good collection here.

 

Mark E. Peterson Part One: Roger Babson and Religion's Effect on Business

For Part Two, Part Three, or Part Four, choose your link and click it. 

Today we're considering Elder Mark E. Peterson's talk, "Warnings From the Past". It's a pretty strong fire-and-brimstone style talk, as many of them were back then.

Elder Peterson talks about the societal issues going on in the early 70s, and decrying the decline in faith and public morals. Then he quotes a series of individuals regarding the need for society to make some changes. This is the first:

 

The Quote 

A generation ago, Roger Babson, at that time one of our leading economists, said: 

“Only religion can prevent democratic rule from developing into mob rule. 

A nation can prosper only as its citizens are religious, intelligent, capable of service and eager to render it.” 

And then this great man said, and it is something to which we should give careful attention, “Every great panic we have ever had has been foreshadowed by a general decline in observance of religious principles.”

Two Quotes to Consider Today

I'd never heard of Roger Babson before in my life. Turns out he was an economist - if you have an MBA now, thank Roger Babson for it. He lobbied MIT at the time to include a course in college called 'Business Engineering' which was later expanded to become what is today a Master's in Business Administration degree. I also didn't know that MIT was that old - he was a student there in the late 1890s!

He ran for president on the Prohibition Party ticket and came in dead last. Figures. I didn't know the United States had a Prohibition Party once either!

But he knew a thing or two - he predicted the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed it. Right before it happened. Every economist dreams of making predictions and being right, but he actually was!

He almost invented the parking meter - had his patent request in, but got beat out by another guy.

His investment newsletter was one of the first in the United States.

Started several colleges, and sat as director on the board of many corporations. Very solid guy.

Another very prolific writer - a total of forty books, and many more articles.

Mark E. Peterson was right. He was a really great man - and is almost completely forgotten today. 

But so are we all, eventually.

I'm looking at his book, Fundamentals of Prosperity, where the second part of the quote comes from, and reading the first part of this book, his advice sounds surprisingly fresh for having been written over 105 years ago.

In context, the second part of this quote in Chapter 10 says:

“Try as you will, you cannot separate the factor of religion from economic development. In the work conducted by my organization at Wellesley Hills we study the trend of religious interest as closely as we do the condition of the banks or the supply of and demand for commodities.

Whenever this line of religious interest turns downward and reaches a low level, history shows that it is time to prepare for a reaction and depression in business conditions. Every great panic we have ever had has been foreshadowed by a general decline in observance of religious principles. 

On the other hand, when the line of religious interest begins to climb … then it is time to make ready for a period of business prosperity.”  

So interesting. Very glad to meet this notable eighth cousin of mine, and looking forward to reviewing this one and maybe a few others of his books further. 

The Law of Abundance - Andrew Carnegie and the Need for a Scottish Castle

Finally! On to another talk - but certainly enjoying the journey. Each General Conference quote is like a new little treasure to open, yielding surprising new insights.

Today's quote comes from Elder Franklin D. Richard's talk in the April 1971 General Conference, entitled "The Law of Abundance".

Immediately this title caught my eye, as I've been thinking about abundance quite a bit lately, having been reminded of all of Sterling W. Sill's great works and doing some rereading of them, particularly his book on the laws of success. His first chapter is, in fact, titled, "The Law of Abundance". Other quotes come from Brigham Young's Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. 

I guess the concept was in the air at the time.  

The talk only contains one quote that isn't scripture, and it's sparked so many thoughts in my head.

 

The Quote

Andrew Carnegie, one of this country’s great philanthropists, stated his attitude toward wealth as follows:

 “This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of wealth: 

First, to set an example of modesty, 

unostentatious living, 

shunning display or extravagance; 

to provide moderately for the legitimate wants of those dependent upon him; 

and after doing so 

to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, 

which he is called upon to administer, 

and strictly bound as a matter of duty 

to administer in the manner which, in his judgment, 

is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community—

the man of wealth thus becoming the mere trustee and agent 

for his poorer brethren, 

bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability

to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves.” 

(The Gospel of Wealth.)

 

This very thick quote certainly coincides with the gospel principle of consecration - those in our faith who are blessed with such abundance are encouraged to humble themselves and to consider their wealth as a stewardship for the Lord to direct in its use.

To a certain extent, Andrew Carnegie did do that, ultimately giving away most of his money before he died to many different charities. The guy almost single-handedly invented the public library, which has blessed my life tremendously. Carnegie Hall in New York City is named after him, as is Carnegie Deli, where I worked as a cashier during a short stint in college. 

Would I recommend everything he said and read as gospel? Not really, but that's with any source quoted in Conference. The quote itself becomes part of our scriptural canon, not everything they ever said or did by association. There were some things that happened in history that tainted his legacy somewhat. The same could be said for most of us. Only one perfect Man ever lived on the earth, and Carnegie was not Christ.

That being said, his little autobiographical depiction of his life is great reading, if for no other reason than to illustrate how different life is for someone super-wealthy compared with a normie like me. His early life also provided lots of lessons for how he became so.

I would say that my personal home is comfortable and not ostentatious. Were I to visit his homes (homes plural) on both the Upper East Side of Manhattan, or his Scottish castle, I would have to stretch a little to call that 'unostentatious' living.

But, thinking from the point of view of a billionaire, who has need of a private place to receive important visitors and conduct important business, perhaps a museum-sized house in Manhattan and a Scottish castle could be considered modest, I suppose. This was a man who met with Theodore Roosevelt and tried to buy the Philippines.

I can't even conceive of buying a country. Still working on buying my one house myself, and I do give on the regular, and I try to help people worse off than myself when I can. It's all relative, I suppose. 

Speaking of relative...I don't suppose being his seventh cousin four times removed means anything inheritance-wise? 

No?

Oh well...Carnegie wasn't into letting relatives inherit money, so I'll just take the bragging rights. And the Scottish nobleman from the 1500s we both have in common! Yay - I'm part Scottish! I have proof now. 

Plus, I already have Castle Moil at Kyle of Loch Alsh, that I claimed for my very own when I was 19 years old and visiting Scotland, the most beautiful land I've ever seen anywhere on earth. Where my life nearly ended when I tried to cross a bog in sneakers to go see it. 

I saved my shoes, and my memories. 

Now that I think about it, I agree with Carnegie - castles definitely lend an air of abundance. Everyone should have one. 

 

My Castle - Castle Moil

A Pause for the Sabbath, in History

Today is Sunday, the day we in our family rest from our regular labors and remember the Lord, in accordance with the requirement in the Ten Commandments - 

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy..." (Exodus 20:8, KJV)

Every faith does this differently, and I can say from personal experience there are definite benefits to doing so. I thought I would share an interesting excerpt, I found in An Artileryman's Diary, by Jenkin Lloyd Jones. I've been reading it since I first discovered it.

Sabbath rest was hard to come by as a soldier in the Civil War...

 

It depicts his life as full of monotony - finding food, running drills, illness, boredom. Living through the Civil War seemed very boring overall. For months and months every day was the same for him, and then he stops and writes this (parentheses are my guesses):

"Buntyn Station, (probably near Memphis, Tennessee), Sunday, Feb. 1

It is Sunday, but hard to realize it. The same routine is gone through as upon the other days, the cards shuffled with equal liveliness, the game of ball with the same noise. And I lay in my tent never realizing this is the Sunday that I used to spend at home with such stillness, when the horses stayed in the stable unhitched, all work laid aside.

Ah, well I remember the first Sunday spent in the army, how I used to recoil as I heard the boisterous oaths and reckless sport of the soldiers as they were returning to their comrades on that clear Sunday morning from Columbus (IL?) to Corinth (MS?). 

It was just five months ago today, and am I really so much changed? Can it be that I am so much more vicious and wicked than then, that I heed not the Sabbath? God forbid.

But what does company have to do? Almost everything. I flatter myself that it is not so very wicked. It cannot be.

In the evening I went to Griffith's 'shebang' and listened to sacred music. It sounded as of old. "I'm a Pilgrim", "There is a Happy Land" etc. But a soldier is a soldier, and the "Dixie" and "Gay and Happy" were promiscuously mixed. 

 

In honor of the Sabbath, I'm sharing the two hymns he referenced in this entry - similar, at least. Probably not exactly like what he heard that day. "I'm a Pilgrim" and "There is a Happy Land".

If you want to hear "Dixie" (two versions - his would have been the Union version), and "Gay and Happy", you'll have to Google them on Monday. :-) 

 

 

 

 

Back to to more quotes from Elder Sterling W. Sill tomorrow! 

 

 

 

 

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Seven - Branch Rickey and Looking Forward

 For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, or Part Eight...make your choice here. :-)  

Elder Sterling W. Sill nears the end of his talk on "Great Experiences" with the reassurance that all of our best work, our best times, are certainly NOT in the rear view mirror for anyone. He says:

 

The Quote 

 "But all of my great experiences are not in the past. Branch Rickey, the great baseball manager, was once asked to describe his greatest day in baseball. He said, “I can’t because I haven’t had it yet.”

Who was Branch Rickey?

 First of all, Westley Branch Rickey was the husband of my sixth cousin three times removed, as far as I can tell. Not bad.

But amazingly, he was the one who desegregated the game of baseball when he hired Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers as their manager.  

A very forward-thinking man, and how many people can say they have Harrison Ford to play them in the movie, right?  

A little swearing (beware), but a pretty good scene. :-)

 

He had a long and illustrious career. I can only assume he gave this quote near the end of all those world-bending experiences, which was pretty incredible in itself. 

It does make me want to think the same way. Who knows what's on the horizon for any of us, really? Who wants to think everything good in their life is behind them? I know there's much more in store for me - no way are my best experiences behind me. :-)

 

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Eight - Charles F. Kettering and Touching the Future

 For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven...this is the last article in the series. Go back to the beginning if you need to, or read on. Your choice.. :-) 

Finally! We come to the end of Elder Sterling W. Sill's quote-rich talk, "Great Experiences" from the April 1971 General Conference.Such a wealth of resources in this one!

 

The Quote 

"Charles F. Kettering, the mechanical wizard of General Motors, once said, “My interest is in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”"

 

Past, Present, Future

This quote was also meant to be hopeful, in that looking to the future is something none of us should stop doing at any age. In fact, a lot about my faith or even other faiths is concerned with what may come to us in the far-distant future, after mortality. Since we believe that life continues on after death, what is that life going to look like? How can we maximize that here? Gaining life with God would then be our 'greatest experience' we could have.

Personally I find value in all three states here on Earth - learning from the past, enjoying the present as much as I can, and looking to hope in the future. Paying good attention to what's coming will make my life easier as it usually does. It doesn't work to get myself stuck in any one mode for too long.

 

And Who is Charles F. Kettering?

I'd never heard of Charles Kettering before this quote, like so many others, so the research here was interesting. Someone who's into cars or success might have.  

And here I am again, face to face with the husband of my eighth cousin five times removed, Olive Leora Williams. Very nice!

Apparently he held 186 patents for inventions like the car starter, leaded gas, and freon for air conditioning, which makes my life so sweet here in the summertime under 100+ degree summers. Thank you Charles! 

You definitely touched the future. What will you or I do for the future, I wonder?

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Six - Like Father Pitkin, Like Son

For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Seven or Part Eight...make your choice. :-) 

Elder Sill's talk, "Great Experiences", continues on to talk about rebirth, which leads into the concept of repentance. Next he says:

The Quote 

"In 1932, Walter Pitkin wrote his book Life Begins at Forty, but that is ridiculous. Life begins every morning."

  

The Search for Walter Pitkin ... or is THIS Walter Pitkin???

I got a little confused when I went looking for Walter Pitkin, until I realized there was a Walter Sr. and a Walter Jr. who were both writers. The quote originates from Walter Sr., who was a professor at Columbia University, and is the husband of my eighth cousin once removed. Makes them both relatives, then.

Cool! 

His book, "Life Begins at Forty", published in 1932, popularized that title as a catchphrase that I remember growing up with. It was a self-help book that gave rise to the idea that the second half of your life could be just as good or better than the first half if you go into it with a positive outlook. 

Definitely interested in the chapter that begs the question, "Does Women's Life Begin at Forty?" 

I sure hope so.

Generally I agree with that sentiment of positive thinking as we age, but I also agree with Elder Sill in that every day can be a new beginning anytime we decide to make a positive change. Jesus Christ makes that renewal possible for me every day, and I'm so grateful for it. :-)

On an interesting note, his son, Walter Pitkin, Jr., obviously had his father in mind, and obviously expected to live longer than dear old Dad, when he wrote his book, "Life Begins at Fifty" in 1965. Didn't quite take off in the public mind the way Dad's book did, but I personally appreciate the sentiment.

Walter Jr. also seems to have a little more sense of humor than Dad did. I absolutely have to read the chapter entitled, "How to Sweat Out an Adequate Retirement Income Without Playing the Ponies."

 

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Five - Rebirth and Phillips Brooks

 For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Six, Part Seven or Part Eight...click responsibly. :-) 

We're continuing working through Elder Sill's talk, "Great Experiences", and he certainly wasn't kidding. His talk is chock full of literary experiences I've never had before. Here's the next one:

 

 The Quote

"Phillips Brooks was once asked when he was born and he said, “It was one Sunday afternoon when I was twenty-five years old, just after I had finished reading a great book.” "

The Many Meanings of Birth

Of course, he's referring to a sort of rebirth that happens as we experience new things, going far beyond our physical birth alone. In religion, baptism is a sort of rebirth into another life of faith. Taking communion or the sacrament at church can be considered a rebirth.

Having a literary experience where we never think the same as we did previously because of what we've experienced as part of reading that book - I've been reborn in this sense many times. It's a sense of reverence when we discover that sense of newness so many of us lose in childhood - to have that glimpse again in adulthood is something special. The newness can be good or awful - the sacred feeling is the same.

When I read Arthur Henry King the first time at age 11, and realized how much there was in the world I didn't understand, but I wanted to, that was a rebirth for me.

 

Other notable rebirths in literature include:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The book is thick language, but the play and the movie can be more accessible to modern audiences. Valjean steals a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, and is imprisoned for decades as a result. When he is released, and a bishop shows him kindness by feeding him and giving him shelter, Valjean repays him by stealing his silver.

The police capture him and bring back his silver, but the priest tells the police they were a gift and urges Valjean to also take the silver candlesticks. He tells Valjean he has bought his soul, and is now giving it back to God. Valjean goes on to lead an honorable life ever after.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

The book recounts Viktor Frankl's harrowing experiences in the German concentration camps of World War II. He talked about how 'the best of us did not survive', which made a huge impact on me. It showed how war creates a situation where goodness must be suppressed if physical survival is the goal, and begged the question of whether such a sacrifice would be worth it. I don't think it always would be.

He also talked about learning the lesson of how he used images of teaching others in the future to instill in him a will to survive. Those who lived only for themselves often died. 

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A story about love and loss and what things are most important in life - told from the point of view of a narrator who meets a child from another world that challenges adult expectations. It's good to listen to children. And pay attention to the rose...The rose is important.

Phillips Brooks

Who is Phillips Brooks, the man mentioned in the quote? He was a popular Episcopalian pastor who preached at Harvard for a time, and who wrote the lyrics to the Christmas song, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

As my fifth cousin five times removed, he is a welcome addition to the family tree.