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Show -- 'aU (! b(x -- i W oman's Exponent, The Ballot in the Hands o the Women of Utah should be a Power to better the Home, the Slate and the Nation. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. NOVEMBER, igcn Vol .32 CONTENTS. Women of the Scripture Mothers' Work Lecture on Mothers' Work City of Mexico In Memoriam J i II. J. King 41 42, 46 B. Fregeagle 43 Lexia Curtis E. H. Clark 43 46 47 R. S. Reports Editorial Service For Others Erratta Notice Secretaries History of the Relief Society-Wedd- ings and Receptions Daughters of the 44 Pioneers Annual Meetirg D. R p0ETYThe Conflict Loneliness Abbie II. Richards Jennie Beeching 41 43 THE CONFLICT. The question we are bent upon solving, Is the question of right or of wrong; In this age that we deem progressive. We wait not for story or song; But we plunge in the midst of life's battles. With hearts that are earnest and true, And look up to God to direct us. In the work we are given to do. The work ? To defend our hearthstones, From a foeman both subtle and bold; Who is armed with the shield of deception, The banner of pleasure unfolds; Whose fortress is strong and whose batteries Are masked with such cunning and skill, g We know not the volley, He can pour in our homes at his will. death-dealin- This foeman so crafty and cunning Is taking from out our fair land, From tho ranlio of our sons and our brothers, The bravest and best of the land. He is breaking the heart of the mothers, He is silvering the brown hair with white, And pitying angels are grieving, mothers tonight. With sad'-heart- From wives he has taken tne husbands, From children he's taken the bread; And sisters bereft of their brothers, ' And fathers to infamy led. And this demon with greed still insatiate. Takes from woman her honor and fame; Takes all that would make life a blessing. And leaves her but ruin and shame. Would you know the name of this foeman, Who seeks all our best to destroy; This vampire that feeds on the That kills every hope, every joy; This minion of Satan who serves him With energv, purpose and will ? whose haunts are the dram'Tis the shops, Who was cradled and nursed in the still. life-bloo- d, rum-kin- o g, For years he has ravished the people, Denounced all the good and the true; And the blood of brave Haddock is calling, For vengeance that justly is due. Our martvrs, brave Haddock and Gambrel, Who fell in the midst of the fight. To defend our fair land from dishonor, Are sleeping in silence tonight. But up from the homes have arisen An army, demanding the right; A band of brave, true, noble women, Whose badge is the ribbon of white. Before them the monster shall perish As sure as stars shine in the skies; As sure as God reigneth in heaven, From the death grapple truth shall arise. Abbie Hurd Richards. WOMEN OF THE SCRIPTURES. The women of the Old Scriptures are admirable specimens of the Genus; there appears no vanity, no frivolity, no weakness; all is simple dignity, stern duty, and strict obedience to principle. In the short space allowed in a small paper, it is impossible to elaborate the subject; I 'will, then, briefly enumerate some of the principal women; and at some future time, perhaps, take up the rest. Eve, the sovereign mother of all living! She stands in close proximity to Gcd the Father, for she is the life giving spirit of the innumerable hosts that have figured upon this earth. The one grand, stupendous act of her life is all tht is told of her in the Bible, and it is enough. Milton draws her picture with the pen of inspiration: "Grace was in all her steps. Heaven in her eye; In every gesture dignUy and love!" Sarah, the wife of Abraham, one highly of the Lord, is distinguished by her truth and faithfulness in all the travels and changes of their lives At the time that the Lord promised her great and singular blessings, He changed the orthography of her name, adding the letter h as the finale; and placing it in the centre of the name of Abram, making it Abraham! Of course He had a purpose in this, though it is not explained; h is said to be a cabalistic letter, and if so it denoted increased power and blessings. Hagar is also a remarkable character; her position and peculiar trials, and her entire dependence upon' God uti&tr them, ejaculating, in the fulness of her heart. "Thou God seest me,'' called down to her relief in the desert an angel of God! Her history is full of thrilling pathos, and calls out our richest sympathy. The description of Rebecca is very sweet and womanly, and as a young girl she exhibits a degree of understanding and decision rarely iound in mature characters. She decided at once, after hearing the mission of the servant of Abraham, who had been sen to find a wife for his son Isaac, to accompany him back to his master Abraham, and she became the wife of Isaac, and appears to have been an instrument in the hands of God in bringing about His purposes with regard to Abraham's posterity, and is ever named as a devoted wife and mother. Rachel next appears; her character is sweet and gentle. She Is the beloved of Jacob, who served seven years for her and they seemed but so many days, for the love he had for her. Joseph and Benjamin were her sons, and were an honor to her and a blessing to their family; Joseph's history is grand and romantic, and through much tribulation he became the Savior of his father's house, and a type of the future that was then in the distance. Miriam, the prophet sister of Moses and Aaron, was a very remarkable character; her destiny appears to be interwoven in that of her august brother. When Moses, as an infant, was hidden, by his mother, in the bulrushes of the river ISiile, to preserve his life from the cruel mandate of Pharaoh, who had commanded the male children to be destroyed. Miriam was favored No. 6. p laced by her mother to watch Soon the daughter of the King came down to the river with her maidens to bathe, and seeing the child she was astonished and delighted with his beauty, as he smiled upon her in his sweet innocence. Miriam then approached, and the princess tcld her to go and get a nurse for him, as she meant to bring him up as her own son. The delighted girl ran for his mother, and she was taken within the place to nurse and attend him. Again, Miriam appears in his after life, when he had been called of God to become the leader and the r of Israel; we find her walking foot to foot, hand to hand with the servant of God; she appears in all the grand epochs of that eventful pilgrimage of forty years' travel through the wilderness; and on one occasion was called conjointly with her brothers, Moses and Aaion, by the voice of God! At one time she erred in her judgment of Moses, and her punishment was severe; but by the prayer of Moses she was healed. On all triumphant occasions it appears that she took her harp and led the songs of Zion; and her glorious song of triumph, after the passage of the Red Sea, is thrilling and inspiring, even at this remote date; all denote her a noble woman, a priestess and a prophetess of God. The next prominent feminine character is Deborah; she judged Israel forty years, and she "dwelt under a palm tree," and ,"the children of Israel came up to her for judgment." Barak seems to have full faith in her prophetic office, and received the word of the Lord through her lips; but 3et declared that unless she would accompany the army of Israel, he would not go up; and she answered him, "I will surely go with thee;" and he went up with ten thousand men, and Deborah went with him;" and the armies of Israel prevailed and were mighty conquerors. Then follows the sublime song of Deborah; she is an inspired improvisatrice, and is the leader in that song for the Scripture saith, "then sang Deborah and Barak." Her character stands out in bold relief, mighty and irreproachable! The history of Esther the Queen is a beautiful illustration of the devotion of woman! Her purity, her filial love for Mor-decwho had reared her, she being an orphan and her obedience to bis counsel, and reliance upon his judgment in the critical circumstances in which they and their people were placed at that time, are all beautifully portrayed in the sacred pages. In this d y of liberty, of freedom of speech and action, we can hardly judge of the dangerous situation in which she was placed; The king, Ahasuerus, was an abso'ute monarch; his word was the law, and he had decreed that no one should approach him, man or woman, for thirty days! death was to be the penalty to any who presumed to disobey this mandate, unless the king held out the golden sceptre, as the emblem of peace. There had been a conspiracy raised against Mordecai and his people, the Jews, and before the thirty days they would all have been destroyed. Hence law-give- ai |
