i : 1 NI THE EDITOR'S DEPARTMENT. HEREDITY. RUBY LAMONT. N READING the editorial in the Originally a believer in the doctrine pressed upon the innocent offspring, God pity the innocents! The mothers of George Washington, Columbus, Michael Angelo, Milton, Scipio, Hannibal, Shakespeare, Johnson, Shelley, Keats and a thousand other great men were doubtless fine women, but history gives us no assurance that their greatness foreshadowed, in any appreciable degree, the greatness of their progeny; or that their own individual characteristics were of an order greatly above many of their less fortunate neighbors, whose children never became illustrious. I have seen sweet, good-natured children of rude, ungovernable mothers, and I have also seen vicious, brutal, irreligious children, the victims of their own evil passions and wilful wickedness, whose mothers were unexcelled for amiability and pietyDoctor Fowler and all his nonsense and utter foolishness notwithstanding. Our spirits are immortal, and God has never given so vast a power and so terrible a responsibility into weak, mortal hands, accompanied with so much physical suffering, to render us at the same time powerless to bring forth spirits of the high order we would wish for. Given a woman of robust, healthy physique an intelligent mind, morals above reprorch, a spritual natureeven aspiring a husband, whose every care is to shield his wife from worldly anxiety and to surround her with ob jects of refinement and interest, for the sake of the future being. She is she feels well and is always pleased, always good-natured and happy because nothing being permitted to cross or annoy her. The result should be a splendid acme of grace, good-nature and benevolence. Try it. You will probably find the child ordinary. Why does my neighbor, who is large, healthy and strong, and whose husband is unusually so, have looseknit, small, ordinary children; while another, whose health is poor, stature small, and whose husband is like her self in this respect, has children remarkable for being large, robust and intelligent? I tell you, sister, children are a gift from God, and, to my mind, it seems an evidence in favor of pre-existence and the immortality of the soul, that we cannot control the mental re-production of the human race as we can cultivate stock and agriculture. In spite of the wisest theories and closest application of principles, we will fail to fetter the free agency of man by pre-natal bias, for our power is not so great as we imagine; and ripe experience with observation will overthrow those fine ideas of Prof. Fowler, in common with the most of his sensual sophistry, which has carried away the heads of so many of our day. CIRCLEVILLE, UTAH, July 16th, 1891. and I have therefore taken up the argument where she left off. Now, some good, old-fashioned sister confronts me with the remark that I will find it "hard to dispute the fact that mothers have such infinite power over their offspring that 'marks are placed upon them; and if physical marks why not spiritual ones?" My dear sister you are only helping me along by your statement. To be sure, in a very few solitary cases, mothers have been known to implant some horror, or engraft even the form of some desired article of food in a visible mark upon the skin. Well, now that is all right. But be frank with me, and tell me how many thousands of cases of horror, fright, sorrow, longings, and disappointed desires you have known women to suffer without producing the least possible effect on the unborn child. Again, let me ask you to recall the few instances you may have known of women, good women at that, planting in the delicate mind of a little child between the ages of one and six years the seeds of deceit and lying, by telling that child a deliberate lie. Do you not think the mind of a child is just as apt to be injured after birth as before? If you do not, I do. I might be willing to concede the proposition that it is possible that there is a more intimate connection between the spiritual and physical condition of the babe and the mother while it flutters under the heart strings of the mother than after it is a year old; but there is not given to women the power to make or mar an immortal soul by any action of hers while in this condition. My friend Ruby heads her article Heredity; and that is a branch of this subject which I too have diligently studied. It is certainly true, that as the tree so will be the fruit. If you plant figs, you will find your fruit will be figs. If you withhold water, or your soil be poor, your fruit may be small, and most of your blossoms drop off. But you will not glean thorns from a fig tree. In connection with this subject there is one principle that must be always borne in mind, and I shall here print it in large letters: MAN HAS HIS AGENCY. We are not as the fruits of the field, in one sense, and yet we are bound by irrevocable laws that can no more be set aside than can the laws of light or gravitation. Certain persons, certain families have for untold generations inherited the same general characteristics; certain traits run in families. It has been shown that in a certain family in the State of New York, the tendency to murder has been inherited for five generations. No break was observed in the line; although, in many instances, a certain trait will be a marked family trait, and yet may not be developed in each succeeding generation, but skip one generation, and then come out in the grand-children. This is law, too, but as I have said MAN HAS HIS AGENCY. Bear that always in mind. There is no such thing as absolute fatality. God may have marked out a certain path for a soul to follow while in this life, but there is as surely an opposite direction which that soul can only too easily take if the agency is exercised in doing wrong instead of right. How much there is to say on this wide subject! I dare not give full reins to my thoughts lest I become tiresome. We have seen that mothers do not possess all power over their offspring, indeed if they held such limitless pow er how is it that oftentimes the child is a complete reproduction of the father in looks, manner, speech, and character? The father's influence on the child is just as vivid as the mother's. means. Then, do I mean to imply that we as mothers have no particular power over the characters of children we shall bear, or that we can do as we please, act as we please, and it will make no difference as to what kind of children we bring forth? By no manner of I mean something so exactly the contrary to this that the old comparison of light and darkness is the only one that will fit the case. However, this article is already long enough, so if you will all kindly remember what we have been talking about for one month, I will tell you in the September number what I think about our responsibility towards the unborn spirits which we may or which we ought to bring into the world. T is ATTENTION, GIRLS! urgently desired that every agent I plete canvass of her district during of the JOURNAL shall make a comthe month of September. Now, dear girls don't put this off week after week, for you have no idea of the many obstacles which lie in the way of getting out and printing such a of the (to us unpractical and unsomagazine as this. If I were to tell you phisticated women-folks,) enormous JOURNAL, you would open your eyes expense attending the printing of this in wide astonishment. And as yet, I will say this much, our expenses have so far outrun our receipts, that there has never been one cent of money ready to meet the editor's large stamp requirements. I have had to stamp all your letters of reply out of my own pocket. However, that is not what I wanted to say; let me ask you, how many there are of you who want to see the JOURNAL continued, and not only so, but improved year by year? Well, it is certainly gratifying to see so many of your hands raised, but there is one vital point that will have to be taken into consideration by you and by me. That is, it takes subscribers to make the JOURNAL pay its expenses. Now, I have been chosen by Sister Taylor to edit this JOURNAL, and I was blessed and set apart for that mission by the First Presidency of the Church. That is my part to perform towards making this JOURNAL a success. But I don't think Sister Taylor nor anyone else would wish me to go on doing that unless I am assisted by those whose business it is to assist. It is with the liveliest feelings of gratitude to my sisters, the writers for this JOURNAL, that I acknowledge the great help rendered me by them and I wish I could express my keen gratitude in something more substantial than words; but there is still another class of girls who deserve from me, from Sister Taylor, and from everyone who is interested in the advancement of the youth of Zion the heartiest of praise, and that is the girls who have acted as agents of this JOURNAL. know girls, how you have tramped the streets of your towns to secure subscribers for the JOURNAL, how you have gone in the hot sun or through the snows of winter; and with all my heart I say God bless you, every one. I am more grateful than I can express. But we are all working hard to make our own dear little magazine a success, I no more so than you. I And let me tell you in confidence, that not only have I never derived one cent of income from my two year's labor, but I have worked away at my writing and editing when I have been sick in bed, and when I have been well. Have forced my weary brain to renewed efforts when nature said in loud tones, "rest." Heartsore and sad I have picked up the reluctant pen to make something for you to read and enjoy. I do not tell you this to seek your sympathy, that is not my way. I only care to show you that yours has not been all the work, nor has mine. In short we are or ought to be working side by side, you in your field, I in mine, in true united order fashion. That is the purpose of this JOURNAL. So now, when I urge you who are the agents of the magazine to take up the heavy labor of canvassing your districts, you will take hold of it in real genuine fashion I am sure. And while you are working to make the JOURNAL financially independent, I will work to make it as good and interesting as to reading, as it is possible. Keep your accounts as straight as you can, and do everything in a business-like manner. If you let anyone have credit, do it on your own responsibility, for of course the publishers are too far away to know whether those you trust are worthy or not. If you wish any information about your work, write to Mrs. Ellen Jakeman, "Juvenile Instructor" Office, Salt Lake City, or direct to the office itself. Sister Jakeman is working hard to make a success of our JOURNAL in a business way, and she will gladly give you all the information you seek. If any of your subscribers fail to receive a number be sure and report the fact to the "Juvenile Instructor" Office, for they will at once make the matter right. Make friends for the JOURNAL wherever you can, and be kind and courteous to everyone with whom you may have dealings. If complaints are made to you accept them in a kindly spirit, and seek to make the one who seems inclined to be an enemy a friend by your gentle and womanly way of meeting their complaints. Above all things, in everything you do, ask God to bless you and your efforts, and you will certainly succeed. That this may be the ultimatum of all our efforts is ❘ the fervent prayer of your sister and ❘ friend, the Girls' Dept. Those who have matter for the Girls' Dept. should submit the same to the Association Presidency, and if considered suitable, they then should forward the same to Sister Taylor for her action. This dept. is under her special care, and she should receive all essays and Y. L. M. I. A. reports before they reach the editor. Another thing, let me beg the girls to forgive me if I cannot find time to write to all who address me; I will do the best I can, but I am only mortal, and when I have written one letter to you, telling you what I think of your ability as a writer, don't ask me to express my opinion on each piece or article which you send. If the article is printed you may take that as good evidence that it was timely and acceptable, without my being obliged to take my really crowded time to tell you just what I as an individual thought of each piece. Now please, dear friends, accept this in the same kind, friendly spirit it is written, for I am so anxious to help you along, but I am only one weak woman, and the task of writing a dozen of letters each day beside house cares and other pressing literary duties, is, I find beyond my strength. A representative from each Stake is required, and it is desired that the yearly reports by the secretaries of the different Stakes be make as complete as possible. To those who feel that they cannot afford to pay hotel bills, and who *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. |