all to follow-the first of the flock, the best of all the herd, and then we take what is left. I am inclined to think if we were all to do this, we should have better apples, better fruit; we should not be pestered the way we are with worms and insects and many other things that afflict us; for I am inclined to think that these things come upon us through our neglect of the work of the Lord. . I do not wish to apply this to you, because I believe that you are all working diligently-doing the very best you can.

You are engaged in a glorious work, and you will surely have a great reward. The Lord will not withhold any good thing from you. Of course you may have your difficulties and trials to attend you as other folks; but still the path of diligence is the way of safety for us all.

In relation to the Nickel Fund. I think that is a very nice thing. It begins to teach the little children that there is something due from them, and it will encourage them. When you

come and say to the little folks, "Now, little children, five cents is due from you, called the nickel fund; if you cannot pay that five cents, we shall have to do it. Now, do you wish us to do it and get the reward, or will you pay it and get your own reward; if approached on this principle, they will pay the money and get the reward, instead of your getting it by paying the money.

I suppose you know just exactly how to approach little children; you know how best to reach their little hearts, to warm them up, and if you will pursue that principle all the time, they will learn to love you and be willing to do everything in the world that they can to aid and assist you.

We must not forget any of us that this is the work of the Lord; we must not forget that we are Latter-day Saints, no matter where we are or what we are doing. If we appear before the public in any capacity, we must remember that we are Latter-day Saints, and that our example has a great deal to do in this matter. We should try to set a good example. Sometimes through an act of carelessness on our part, we hurt the feelings of some person, who is not doing very well himself, but who would take exceptions to any little indiscretion of anybody who is set before

him. ters.

Hence the responsibility of being cautious in these mat

I have attended a great many conferences, where they have called upon the bishops and officers of organizations to make reports, and, without wishing to flatter you, I have never attended. a conference where I have heard reports that are more interesting to me than I have heard here this afternoon,—so clear and given in such an intelligent manner that it was easy to understand them. It is very encouraging to listen to the prosperity. that has attended you in the various stakes. When I heard of

the Bingham Stake, away off, I suppose some of the wards are 75 or 100 miles apart, I thought of the difficulties that you have to contend with and the consequent labors devolving upon you; but persevere, and you will get your reward.

My dear sisters, I think it will be so that you will never meet with the disappointment you have met with on this occasion; that there will be no necessity of sending out word that there will be no conference, but next time say, "Come on; we are going to have one of the best conferences we have ever had." You will have three to help you to make it one. Let us know what you want and have your programme made out all right, and we will work with you.

My heart is full of blessings for you all. May Heaven's choicest blessings be with you. Go on and try to forget all the obstacles that beset your path, and the Lord will bring you out more than victorious.

THE WAY OF THE WORLD.

It's a simple and childish old world,

And good, when its weakness you learn;
It likes to be liked, more than anything else,
And it's willing to like in return.
We've called it hard names for so long,

And told of its faults without end,

That it's just a bit crusty and hardened on top,
But it's glad to be friends to a friend.

And, come to take stock of the world,
You've really no need to stand off;

'You're just like the rest of it-full of the faults
At which it's so easy to scoff.

And you'll find, when you're lonesome at times,
As along on life's journey you wend,

If you'll warm your own heart and be good to the world,
It's glad to be friends to a friend.

-Selected.

HELPFUL THOUGHTS.

"It is not how much we do, but how well;

How long we live not years, but actions tell."

There is a subject that it might be well to consider in our Primary Associations. It is economy of time-not so much as to how we are to spend those "golden hours each set with sixty diamond minutes" in our lives generally, but more in connection with the short time we have in our weekly meetings.

It is the desire of all of the officers to accomplish as much as possible in the time we have for our work, which is at the most only an hour each week, and we have to plan how we shall best employ that time to be of use to the children to aid them to a knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, and to help them to live good, pure, and worthy lives.

In the first place, time may be saved by having regular seats for the different classes, and having the children seated in the proper places. As soon as the short opening exercises are over, if the classes occupy different rooms, have them march out in an orderly manner, and seated as soon as possible; or, if curtains are drawn, have that done quickly and quietly. Glance over the class and see if the mischievous boys and girls are separated, for they generally manage to be near each other, and then there will be no need of separating them later. Get the attention of the class, and have one of the teachers, if there are more than one, mark the roll silently; if only one teacher, appoint some one to take charge of the roll.

The lesson might be divided into several parts; the review of the past lesson, the lesson proper, memory gem, singing, rest exercises, etc.

We all learn by repetition. In reading a poem but once, we do not half appreciate its beauties, but in thoroughly reviewing it, we begin to find them unfold. So with our lessons. Reviews make a deeper impression on the mind, strengthen the memory, repair weak points, make habits, and add to the understanding, and make clear things "Which else lie hidden in darkness." Besides, it brings up the past lesson and there is something on which to tie the new one.

How to conduct a review in such a manner that the children will be interested, and at the same time find out how much of the lesson remains with them, is a question that has bothered many a thoughtful teacher. To those who are unmindful of the results to be derived from it, a review is a very simple matter, and requires little or no preparation. It is simply asking questions. But we might ask, What kind of questions?

In order to be successful in this exercise, there is no part of the lesson that requires much greater preparation than does the

review. The teacher first goes over the past lesson carefully, so that she may decide just what she wishes to bring out, and then plan the questions. These may have to be varied somewhat when given, as the answers may suggest other questions, but the plan can be kept in the mind.

In the first place, it is better not to begin by asking, "What did we learn last lesson?" as some of the children may have been absent, and this seems to exclude them altogether, while they may know something about it, even if they were not present; they may have heard it before. Again, the lesson that has made the deepest impression will be the freshest in the mind, and the answer expected may not be forthcoming.

The best questions are those which cause the children to think. What he thinks out for himself belongs to the child.

Questions that require "yes" or "no" for an answer have bui little value; as the child can usually tell from the form of the tone of the teacher just which word is the answer desired; and if one child fail by saying "no," then another is certain to be right by saying "yes," although he may not even have heard the question or have thought about it.

Then, too, those requiring a show of hands are sometimes better avoided. For instance: "How many said their prayers this morning?" There are a great number of hands raised; but how many of the children have thought of the meaning of the question? Perhaps some conscientious child who cannot answer in the affirmative will not raise his hand. This is noticed by the children, or the teacher may make some remark about it, urging the child not to forget it in the future, well meant, but I think injudicious, and the pleasure of the little one in the work for that day is spoiled.

re

There is another thing in regard to reviews to be remembered. The questions may be good ones, and the answers ceived correct; but when they are given the teacher repeats the words of the child; for instance: "Who were our first parents?" "Adam and Eve." "Yes, Adam and Eve," and so on, each answer is repeated in the same manner. This is not exactly economy of time, nor does it by its repetition make a greater impression upon the class, as they soon learn that they need not listen to the answer given by the child, for the teacher will repeat it. I think it is much better to have the child give the answer in a complete sentence, if possible, and in a voice loud enough for all the class to hear. Let us take the question given above, "Who were our first parents ?" "Our first parents were Adam and Eve." Let the children know that this is expected of them, and they will pay much better attention.

The greater part of the teaching in the two lower grades is

done by means of stories, and so we have to consider what kind of stories are best to tell, and also how best to tell them.

According to the plans suggested in the Children's Friend, the story is given to us, and the aim suggested. Some think this does away with the necessity of preparation on the part of the teacher. Not at all; they are generally bare outlines, and the teacher has to fill them in; the story has yet to be told and the lesson given, which certainly cannot be done without a great deal of preparation.

A story does not impress all persons in the same way, and two or three truths may be drawn from the same one, by being told in a different manner, bringing out the different points; as, in the story of Noah, faith, obedience, fulfillment of God's promises, and other points might be brought out, depending upon the way it is told. The story is not told for the mere purpose of impressing upon the children the incidents of it, but the truth that is contained in it; so that this will influence their lives for good, and help them to grow in the knowledge of the Gospel.

With our aim selected, we then prepare the story for telling to the class. We see things in their relation to other things with which we are acquainted; and in order to make the lesson valuable, it is necessary to connect the story with the children's experience. In Bible stories this is sometimes difficult, but we can often find some way of connecting it. For instance, in telling of John the Baptist baptizing in the river Jordan, we will find that many of the children know that the river Jordan flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, and that we have a sea here in Utah resembling the Sea of Galilee and one resembling the Dead Sea, and that there is a river here connecting them called the Jordan River. This furnishes us a starting point for the other story; and again, perhaps some of the children have been baptized, and they have all heard about it, and this is another connection. We wish, if possible, to let the children see that the incidents in the life of the person mentioned in the story have some connection with their own lives.

And, too, we should make a connection between the dealings of the Lord with His people in olden times and His dealings with His people in the latter-days, showing His kindness and mercy to them at all times. We might take the story of Jacob's Dream. We tell of the long journey, and the weary man lying down with only a stone for a pillow. Soon a most marvelous dream comes to

him. He sees a great ladder, extending all the way from earth to heaven, and on this ladder are angels going up and coming down, and above it all stands the Lord, promising that this land shall be given to Jacob and his children and his children's children, and that He will care for him wherever he goes.

Then