of the Church as established by the resurrected Lord among the descendants of Lehi on the American continent. We read that the Church had prospered until about 200 A. D. Then apostasy became general, as evidence of which note the following:

"And now in this two hundred and first year, there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride

* * * And they began to be divided into classes, and they began to build up churches unto themselves, to get gain, and began to deny the true Church of Christ. And it came to pass that when two hundred and ten years had passed away there were many churches in the land: yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of His gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness. And this church did multiply exceedingly, because of iniquity, and because of the power of Satan who did yet hold upon their hearts. And again, there was another church which denied the Christ, and they did persecute the true Church of Christ because of their humility and their belief in Christ; and they did despise them because of the many miracles which were wrought among them." (IV. Nephi 1:24-29).

The Book of Mormon record is definite in its specifications of the immediate reasons for, or causes of the great apostasy on the western hemisphere. While the members of the Church remained faithful to their covenants and obligations, they as individuals and the Church as an organization prospered; and their enemies were unable to prevail against them. With prosperity, however, came pride and class distinctions, the rich dominated the Door, and earthly gain became the object of life (see IV. Nephi 1:2-7 and compare with verses 25, 26). Secret organizations of evil pur

pose were reserved (verse 42); the people were divided into two opposing factions, those who still professed a belief in Christ being known as Nephites and their enemies as Lamanites, without regard to actual descent or family relationship. With the growth of pride and its attendant sins, the Nephites became as wicked as the non-professing Lamanites (verse 45); and in their wickedness these people sought each other's destruction. Consider the pathos and dire tragedy expressed in the words of Moroni, the solitary survivor of a once blessed and mighty nation:

"Behold four hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior. And behold the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city, and from place to place, even until they are no more, and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites. And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. Lamanites are at war one with another; and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war. And now behold I say no more concerning them, for there are none save it be the Lamanites and robbers that do exist upon the face of the land; and there are none that do know the true God save it be the disciples of Jesus, [see III. Nephi 28: 1-7] who did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to remain with the neople, and whether they be upon the face of the land no man knoweth." (Mormon 8:6-10).

profess a belief in Christianity have so declared. Thus we read in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, (page 163).

"We must not expect to see the Church of Christ existing in its perfection on the earth. It is not to be found thus perfect, either in the collected fragments of Christendom, or still less in any one of those fragments."

The Protestant church, known also as the Church of England, makes official declaration of degeneracy and loss of divine authority. In its "Homily on the Perils of Idolatry" we read:

"Laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in abominable idolatry most detested by God and damnable to man for eight hundred years and more.'

99

The great apostasy was divinely predicted; its accomplishment is attested by both sacred and secular writ.

"A beautiful home is undoubtedly a great means of education, and that best of all education which is unconscious. To grow up in such a one means a much more complete and perfect man or woman than would be possible without that particular influence."

LESSON REVIEW.

our

Having decided upon our location and plans, and having built house we now come to the pleasing task of furnishing the new home.

1. State what you know as to the time at which the great apostasy be

*For helpful suggestions see "Household Art" in Young Woman's Journal Vol., XIII.

5. What evidence is furnished by John the Revelator as to the widespread conditions of apostasy while he

lived on Patmos?

6. State what you know as to the period of prosperity of the Nephite Church as established by Christ on the American continent.

7. Cite Book of Mormon scriptures declaring the apostasy of the Nephites.

8. What causes are assigned for the breaking up of the Church among the Nephites? Give references.

9. What does Moroni say as to the completeness of the Nephite apostasy?

10. Cite instances of later Christian writers who admit and declare the fact of a universal apostasy.

It is not easy to furnish a house properly, we may recognize what is artistic when we see it, but be totally unable to arrange our Own homes to give just the proper effect. Don't buy everything at once. even if you can afford it, and furnish the whole house through by rule, but begin with just what is necessary at first, and let each article that into your goes home stand for your individuality, let it be selected with careful consideration and represent your character and originality. "A perfect home is never cre

ated all at once or by one person," and as the years go on you will have the pleasure of adding to your possessions while you watch your home grow more and more beautiful.

You may have the mistaken idea that wealth is all that is necessary to make a beautiful home, but wealth alone, unaccompanied by cultivated taste that power of intelligent and careful selection, results in some of the most incongruous combinations.

If you are in a hurry, or for other reasons furnish your home without due consideration, you may realize, as many do too late, that your home is not furnished in the best of taste, but having "loaded up" with unsightly furnishings you cannot afford to discard them and replace with others. People who make this mistake generally belong to one of two classes, either those who are lacking in good taste, or those who have followed fashion blindly without regard to their own individuality,to their personal likes and needs. One should not confuse fashion with art. That which is really artistic will always be in good taste, while that which is now in the height of fashion may in a few years appear utterly ridiculous. For this reason it is all important that we learn to appreciate what is really good, so that we will not have to depend upon others for the way in which we furnish our homes.

Old things if artistic are of more value than gaudy new things. A lady who had spent a lifetime making her home beautiful with rare, artistic things lost everything by fire, and when inviting her friends to come and visit her, said, “You will be disgusted, everything is so

new."

Strangers on entering our homes. judge of the character and culture of the family by our books, our pic

themselves, should be the keynote of each room and of the house as a whole. Each article in a room may be simple and in good taste, and yet the wall space be so filled with pictures, the mantels and bookcases so covered with bric-a-brac, and the whole room so crowded with furniture that the effect as a whole is inharmonious.

"There is no influence so potent upon life as harmonious surroundings, and to create and possess a home which is harmonious in a simple and inexpensive way is the privilege of all but the wretchedly noor. In proportion also as these surroundings become more perfect in their art and meaning there is a corresponding elevation in the dweller among themsince the best decorations must include many spiritual lessons."

Harmony.

Have your furniture appropriate both to the place and purpose for which it is to be used, A large, massive sideboard that would look well in a mansion would be out of place in a cottage. A striped paper on a high ceilinged room accentuates the height, and a room with a very low ceiling is made to look still lower by using a drop ceiling. In furnishing a room consider it as a whole and make each item in harmony. This applies particularly to color, in the walls, carpets, hangings, etc. Color has an effect upon the mind, certain colors producing a cheerful feeling the same as is produced by a bright spring day and the harmonious colors in nature, and others giving you a feeling of depresson and gloom. Light colors make a room appear larger.

For a room with a northern exposure we would choose the shades in yellow, red, and golden brown, while for a room with a southern

exposure we would prefer blue, green or a cool gray tone. Not only should the room be harmonious as a unit, but it should be harmonious with the rooms about. (One of the new apartment houses just finished contains suits of four rooms each, parlor vivid green, dining room bright red, bed room robin's egg blue, kitchen brown).

Cleanliness.

If the first principle, simplicity, is correctly applied, the third one, cleanliness, will be easy to live up to. A few of the points to remember are, never to buy curtains, doylies, etc., that are too delicate to stand repeated washings; don't have heavy curtains, draperies couch covers, rugs, etc., that catch the dust easily but are almost impossible to keep clean.

If you have linoleum on your kitchen floor be sure to select a color and pattern that will not show every foot-mark, and therefore necessitate a constant care and cleaning.

In discussing the dining-room, draw attention to necessity of cleanliness and order, the proper setting of table, and of table decorations, especially at holiday time. Suggestions on this topic may be found in Vol. 14, p. 510 of Y. W. Jour- 2. nal. Get the thoughts of the girls by asking questions.

Discuss table etiquiette, give reasons why napkins should be used, and ask for suggestions as to how inexpensive they might be, so that every person could use them. On this night, if practical, let each girl bring a napkin to hem. The success of this lesson depends largely on the teacher in drawing from the girls their thoughts, by quizzing them.

(1) Clean.

(2) Filled with plants-why?'

c. Stove.

"A DOG OF FLANDERS."

Once upon a time in Belgium there was a big good dog who, after the custom of his country, had to work for his living and the living of his owners, just as horses do here. This dog's name was Patrasche. When he was still very young he was sold to a man who treated him very badly. And so, on an exceedingly hot day, because he was faint for food and