When Mrs. Drew and Mollie were alone, there came-suddenly-a sad look into the latter's face. "Oh, mamma," she cried out. Don't you like your beautiful doll ?" the mother questioned in surprise. "Oh, I love it-I just love it!" hugging it close in her arms; "that's what's the matter, I love it so I can't bear to give it up." "Give it up!" exclaimed Mrs. Drew, beginning to think the child was becoming wild with joy. self." "I must give it up; I must give it to Eliza. I promised it." "How could you promise it to her? You just got it your "Well, you see, we were talking about dolls yesterday, and poor Eliza had always longed for one, and I said if I ever got one I'd give it to her; so that's what I'm going to do." A mist crept over Mrs. Drew's eyes. "You've always longed for a doll, too," she said. "Yes, I know it; but I've promised; and besides, Eliza's a cripple; so she needs it more than I do." It was given to her, and with it came the greatest joy of her poor life. She laughed and cried in her delight; and then, with the baby doll held close, she folded her thin little hands and thanked God. A few days later Hazel and her mamma called on the Drews. Hazel asked to see the baby doll, and was surprised to hear it was not there. She even looked hurt. "Come, please," said Mollie, jumping up suddenly, "I'll show you where it is. I gave it away; but it wasn't because I didn't love it. Please don't blame me.' وو And do you suppose Hazel did blame her? Oh, no! but after she saw Eliza with the doll in her arms, she loved Mollie, and they had many, many good times together.-Selected. Memory Gem. "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." Jedediah M. Grant was only fourteen years old when he became a member of our Church. He never received much education, but was so well acquainted with the scriptures that he could explain and preach the principles of the Gospel so clearly and forcibly that many who heard him were converted, and if they were not converted they could not contradict him truthfully. He spent a great deal of his time in the mission field, and many interesting stories are told of his experiences. One of these incidents occurred in the Southern States, as follows: "In the early part of Elder Grant's ministry in that country he gained quite a reputation as a ready speaker, frequently responding to invitations to preach from such subjects or texts as might be selected at the time of commencing his sermon by those inviting him. In time it became a matter of wonder with many as to how or when he prepared his sermons as other ministers did. He said, 'Of course I read and store my mind with a knowledge of Gospel truths, but I never study up-a sermon.' Well, they did not believe he told the truth, for they thought it was impossible for a man to preach such sermons without careful preparation. So in order to prove it, a number of persons decided to put him to test, and asked him if he would preach at a certain time and place from a text selected by them. They proposed to give him his text upon his arrival at the place of meeting, thus giving him no time to prepare. To gratify them he consented. The place selected was Jeffersonville, the county seat of Tazewell county, at that time the home of the late John B. Floyd, subsequently the secretary of war, and many other prominent men. The room chosen was in a court house. At the hour appointed the house was packed to its utmost capacity. Mr. Floyd and a number of lawyers and ministers were present and occupied front seats. Elder Grant came in, walked to the stand and opened the meeting as usual. At the close of the second hymn, a clerk, appointed for the occasion, stepped forward and handed. a paper (the text) to Elder Grant, who unfolded it and found it to be a blank. Without any mark of surprise, he held the paper up before the audience and said: 'My friends, I am here today according to agreement, to preach from such a text as these gentlemen might select. I have it here in my hand. I don't wish you to become offended at me, for I am under promise to preach from the text selected; and if any one is to blame, you must blame those who selected it. I knew nothing of what text they would choose, but of all texts, this is the favorite one. You see the paper is blank (at the same time holding it up to view). You sectarians down here believe that out of nothing God created all things, and now you wish me to create a sermon from nothing. You sectarians believe in a God that has neither body, parts nor passions. Such a God I conceive to be a perfect blank, just as you find my text is. You believe in a church without prophets, apostles, evangelists, etc.; such a church would be a perfect blank as compared with the Church of Christ, and this agrees with my text. You have located your heaven beyond the bounds of time and space, it exists nowhere and consequently your heaven is a blank, like unto my text." Thus he went on, until he had torn to pieces all the tenets of faith professed by his hearers, and proclaimed the principles of the Gospel in great power. He wound up by asking, "Have I stuck to the text, and does it satisfy you?" As soon as he sat down, Mr. Floyd jumped up and said: "Mr. Grant, if you are not a lawyer, you ought to be one." Then turning to the people he added, "Gentlemen, you have listened to a wonderful discourse, and with amazement. Now take a look at Mr. Grant's clothes; look at his coat, his elbows are almost out and his knees are almost through his pants; let us take up a collection." An eminent lawyer, Joseph Stras, Esq., still living in Jeffersonville, arcse and said, "I am good for one sleeve in coat and one leg in a pair of pants for Mr. Grant." They then called upon the presiding elder of the Methodist church to pass the hat. This worthy divine refused, but being pressed on all sides to do so, he finally consented with a degree of reluctancy, and the result of the collection was sufficient to furnish a fine suit of clothes, a horse, saddle and bridle for Brother Grant, and no one of the donors a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though some joined afterwards. There are many other interesting experiences in the life of Brother Grant, and some day you must read his history. His manner and teachings, inspired by the Holy Ghost, were so simple and plain that the most unlearned person understood, and the learned. could find no fault with what he said. He was so full of inspiration and spoke with such power that people were charmed as by a spell. They had to listen. Brother Grant filled many positions of honor and trust and lived to become one of the First Presidency of the Church. Chapter 18. LESSON XVIII. Young Folk's History of the Church. George Albert Smith was Brigham Young's first counselor. He was one of the pioneers. In 1847 he accompanied President Young and the company of pioneers in searching out and making the road to and finding the location for the Church in the Great Basin. During this journey he walked seventeen hundred miles, and rode, mostly on horseback, eight hundred; much of the distance with raw-hide soles on his shoes. He was six weeks without bread, though he was better off than most of the pioneer company, for he had about twenty-five pounds of flour locked up in his trunk, unknown to anyone. He lived as the rest, on buffalo and other wild meat, which was not always plentiful. He issued his reserved flour by cupfuls to the sick, some of whom attribute to this circumstance the preservation of their lives. He planted the first potatoe that was put in the ground in Salt Lake valley, and built a house for his father in the fort, before starting on his return to Winter Quarters. In December, 1850, he raised a company of one hundred and eighteen volunteers, accompanied by about thirteen families, and started for the purpose of planting a colony near the Little Salt Lake. The day after they started the thermometer was at zero. His company was organized at Peteetneet creek (Payson), Utah county. They crossed five ranges of mountains, and arrived at Centre Creek, 265 miles from Salt Lake City, Jan. 13, 1851. As soon as the site of the town was determined upon, the settlers commenced working a road into a canyon about six miles, which cost them five hundred days' work, where they cut down a pole ninetynine feet long, which they erected and on which they raised the "Stars and Stripes." They dedicated the ground by prayer, and saluted the emblem of civil and religious liberty by the firing of cannon. President Smith traveled a great deal in the southern settlements, helping and encouraging the pioneers who settled there. He was recognized as the father of these settlements in the south, the largest one, St. George, being named in his honor. President George A. Smith was a wise counselor, a great preacher, a sound statesman, a pioneer and colonizer of the highest ability, an able lawyer and an efficient educator. He was always ready in public and private. He was humble and meek, yet full of courage and unbounded energy in the cause of right. He always had time to notice young people and children and leave his impress of love and kindness upon the tablets of their hearts. LESSON XIX. Chapter 19. Young Folk's History of the Church. MARY M. WHITMER. Mary Musselman Whitmer, the only woman who saw the plates of the Book of Mormon, was the wife of Peter Whitmer. Together with her husband she was baptized by Oliver Cowdery in Seneca Lake, April 18, 1830. Among the early members of the Church she was familiarly known as Mother Whitmer, mother of five of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Her son David Whitmer, before his death, testified on several occasions that his mother had seen the plates, and when Elders Edward Stevenson and Andrew Jenson visited Richmond, Missouri, in 1888, John C. Whitmer, a grandson of Mother Whitmer, testified in the following language: "I have heard any grandmother say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel. It was at the time, she said, when the translation was going on at the house of the elder Peter Whitmer, her husband. Joseph Smith, with his wife and Oliver Cowdery, were all boarding with the Whitmers, and my grandmother in having so many extra persons to care for, besides her own large household, was often overloaded with work to such an extent that she felt it to be quite a burden. One evening, when (after having done her usual day's work in the house) she went to the barn to milk the cows, she met a stranger carrying something on his back that |