In the Book of Mormon, the Prophet states that "When ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."[A]
[Footnote A: Moroni 10:4, 5.]
This involves the principle discussed above. By placing oneself in harmony with the requirements of the subject in hand, the truth must become known, even as an instrument properly tuned must feel the influence of the ether waves with which it is in harmony.
Again, then, the conceptions of the Mormon Prophet rise to equal heights with the best theories of the scientists. In simple phrases, apparently unconscious of the philosophical meaning of the doctrines, Joseph Smith recognized the various means whereby man's senses may be enabled to seize upon and comprehend the natural forces which to man's unaided senses must remain unknown forever.
It cannot be justly claimed that the Prophet anticipated the world of science in the recognition of this principle, but reading his works in the light of modern progress, it cannot be denied that he placed a greater value upon the aids to man's senses, with respect to the subtle forces of the universe, than did any of his contemporaries. That acknowledgment is a wonderful tribute to the powers of an unlearned boy.
Evidence crowds upon evidence, and testimony upon testimony, until the opposition of logic falls away; and Joseph Smith rises above the fog of prejudice, a mighty prophet of our God.
THE FORCE OF FORCES.
Chapter XVII.
THE NATURE OF GOD.
[Sidenote: Nearly all thinkers believe in God or an equivalent.]
In every philosophy of the universe, the question concerning the primary cause of the phenomena of nature always arises. Ancient and modern philosophers, alike, have discussed the probability of the existence of this primary cause and its properties. Plato, putting the words into the mouth of Socrates, declares, "I do believe in the Gods."[A] Aristotle, the greatest of early thinkers, assumed that a God exists, from whom all other forces are derived. For example, "From a first principle, then, of this kind—I mean, one that is involved in the assumption of a First Mover—hath depended the Heaven and Nature."[B] Spencer, speaking in these latter days, likewise implies the existence of the equivalent of the God of men, thus, "If religion and science are to be reconciled, the basis of reconciliation must be this deepest, widest and most certain of all facts—that the Power which the universe manifests to us is utterly inscrutable."[C]
[Footnote A: Plato, The Apology, chap. XXIV.]
[Footnote B: Aristotle, Metaphysics, chap. VII, sec. 4.]
[Footnote C: First Principles, p. 48.]
To the great majority of men, in all ages, the idea of a God or Power, has appeared to be a necessity. Naturally, there has been a great variety of opinions concerning the nature of God, or the great Power behind things. Some, including the early Greek thinkers, looked upon God as a personal being of transcendental attributes; others gave Him a more shadowy form, and made of Him nothing more than an all pervading spiritual essence. Still others, considering the relations of all natural operations to the infinite power of God, identified Him with Nature, and then, with astonishing shortsight denied His personal existence. Thus, by degrees, arose the various theists, who accepted a personal God with varying attributes; the pantheists, who identified God with nature, and the atheists, who denied absolutely God, or any equivalent. Among those who have adopted the idea of God, the chief dispute has been largely as to His personality; to the atheists the essential consideration has been that the laws of nature are self-operative and need no directing force such as is implied in the conception of a God.
[Sidenote: Science points to a force of forces.]
As modern science arose, certain conceptions became established which were directly related to the idea of God. In obedience to the modern tendency towards simplification, the great variety in the material world has been referred to a few elements (nearly 80); and all the forces of nature are now held to be modes of motion of matter or of the one all pervading substance, the ether. The complexity of nature is produced by new combinations of matter, ether and motion. According to this doctrine, all the phenomena in the universe may be explained by referring them to the action of forces upon matter and ether. There is a limited number of elements, which, at the present, can not be converted into each other. There is only one ether, which can probably exist in various degrees of density. There are numerous forces, which may be converted into each other. Thus light may be changed into heat; heat into electricity and electricity into light again.
Scientists have long asked if there is one great universal force, of which all other forces are merely variations. Usually, the thinkers have agreed that the indications point to such a central force, which by many has been identified with gravitation. Newton and many of the men who followed him in the development of the theory of gravitation, agreed that probably the force of gravitation is the source of all other natural forces. Thus the doctrines of modern science point to one force from which all other forces are derived; and thus, the complexity of nature has been simplified, by explaining it on the assumption of this one force. Those who believe in God have claimed that this points to one great Being as the mover behind all things; the atheists have declared, that these scientific conceptions indicate that there is no real necessity for a God; and many honest searchers who have reached this closed door, have declared, "I do not know. It may be God; it may be force. It cannot be known."
[Sidenote: "Mormonism" teaches that intelligence is the force of forces.]
"Mormonism" has harmonized science and theology in its conception of God. As has been shown earlier in this volume, Joseph Smith taught that the central force of the universe is intelligence. Gravitation, heat, light, magnetism, electricity, chemical attraction, are all various manifestations of the all-pervading force of intelligence. This, it may be seen, is the simple theory advanced by scientists, with the definition of the first force added.
[Sidenote: God is the greatest intelligence.]
The "Mormon" Prophet taught, further, that the individual is organized intelligence; that the organization is the instrument whereby intelligence may be concentrated, focussed and directed. Man is superior to beasts because his organization permits a greater use of the universal force of intelligence. Under the law of evolution, man's organization will become more and more complex. That is, he will increase in his power of using intelligence until in time, he will develop so far that, in comparison with his present state, he will be a God. Conversely, God, who is a superior organization, using and directing the force of intelligence, must at one time have possessed a simpler organization. Perhaps, at one time He was only what man is to-day. God, in "Mormon" theology, is the greatest intelligence; it will always remain the greatest; yet, it must of necessity, under the inexorable laws of the universe, grow. God is in no sense the Creator of natural forces and laws; He is the director of them.
The correct conclusion from this doctrine is that all the forces of nature are supported by intelligent action. This leads of necessity to order in nature. Blind forces, acting independently of intelligence, could not have brought about the perfect order that appears everywhere in the universe. Every atom of matter; every particle of ether is endowed with a form of intelligence. All the attractions, repulsions and equilibriums among natural objects are modes of expression of the force of intelligence. The explanations of the mysteries of nature will be greatly simplified when the "Mormon" doctrine of the position of intelligence in universal phenomena is clearly understood by scientific workers.
[Sidenote: Many grades of intelligence; hence, many Gods.]
Since these teachings practically imply the definition that God is a superior intelligence evolved from a lower condition, there can be no logical objection to the idea that there are many Gods. Yet, "Mormon" theology acknowledges the supremacy of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God transcends all human imagination. He is omniscient, and omnipotent; for His great knowledge enables Him to direct the forces of nature. He is full of love and mercy, because these qualities are attributes of intelligence, which God possesses in the highest degree. The "Mormon" idea of God, is delicate, refined, advanced and reasonable.
The interesting fact about this matter is, naturally, that in this conception of God, Joseph Smith was strictly scientific. He departed from the notion that God is a Being foreign to nature and wholly superior to it. Instead, he taught that God is part of nature, and superior to it only in the sense that the electrician is superior to the current that is transmitted along the wire. The great laws of nature are immutable, and even God can not transcend them.
This doctrine of God was taught by Joseph Smith early in his career. Can ignorance or disease produce such a logical climax of a scientific system of belief? Such a conclusion would be absurd.
CONCLUSION.
Chapter XVIII.
JOSEPH SMITH'S EDUCATION.
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith's early educational opportunities were very limited.]
Joseph Smith had few educational advantages during his life. His scientific teachings do not rest upon information gained in schools or from books. His parents fully appreciated the value of an education, but the pioneer lives which they led, and their numerous financial misfortunes, made it impossible for them to realize their desires for the education of their children. The Prophet's mother writes that when Joseph was about six years old, Hyrum, the elder brother, was sent to an academy at Hanover, New Hampshire, and the smaller children to a common school.[A] It is probable that throughout the wanderings of the family, the children were given such meager schooling as was possible. Joseph was a "remarkably quiet, well-disposed child," and his life up to the age of fourteen was marked only by those trivial circumstances which are common to childhood.[B]
[Footnote A: History of the Prophet by his Mother, Improvement Era,
Vol. 5, p. 166.]
[Footnote B: Ibid., p. 247.]
A few months after his fourteenth birthday, the future prophet beheld his first vision. In his autobiography he mentions that at the time "he was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor."[A] This would indicate that at this age he was spending little or no time in school. During the time that elapsed between his fourteenth and eighteenth years, there is nothing to show that the boy was receiving scholastic education. The Prophet says that he was left to all kinds of temptation, and mingled with all kinds of society.[B] Nothing is said about the acquirement of book learning. About the age of nineteen he writes, "As my father's worldly circumstances were very limited, we were under the necessity of laboring with our hands, hiring out by day's work and otherwise, as we could get opportunity. In the month of October, 1825, I hired with an old gentleman by the name of Josiah Stoal. During the time I was thus employed, I was put to board with a Mr. Isaac Hale—it was there I first saw my wife (his daughter), Emma Hale. On the 18th of January, 1827, [when the Prophet was a little more than twenty-one years old] we were married, while I was yet employed in the service of Mr. Stoal. Immediately after my marriage, I left Mr. Stoal's and went to my father's, and farmed with him that season."[C] From his eighteenth to his twenty-second year, then, there is evidence that he worked as an ordinary laborer, and attended no school.
[Footnote A: History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 7.]
[Footnote B: Ibid., p. 9.]
[Footnote C: History of the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 16, 17.]
It seems, moreover, that Joseph Smith was not a boy to gather information from books, for his mother says of him, when he was eighteen years old, that "he seemed much less inclined to the perusal of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to meditation and deep study."[A] From the records extant, the conclusion is justifiable that from his fourteenth to his twenty-second year Joseph Smith received practically no school education, and did no extensive reading. What he might have gathered from conversation with others during that time is unknown to us. However, it is known that the heavenly messengers who visited him at intervals gave him much valuable information, which more than compensated for his poor scholastic advantages.
[Footnote A: History of the Prophet Joseph, Improvement Era, Vol. 5, p. 257.]
One month before his twenty-second birthday, the golden plates were delivered to the Prophet, and the next two and a half years he was engaged with various assistants in translating the Book of Mormon; though at different times during this period he farmed and did other manual labor. During this period (twenty-two to twenty-four and a half years of age), he most certainly attended no school nor gave special attention to worldly knowledge.
On the 6th of April, 1830, when the Prophet was twenty-four years and four months old, the Church was organized. The life led by the Prophet from this time to 1844, when he was assassinated, was not conducive to the gathering of information, and quiet, deep reflection. During almost the whole of this period his life was in danger; scores of times he was arrested on trumped-up charges; the Church was driven from place to place; he built at least three cities, and two temples; organized and governed the body of the Church; taught the doctrinal system accepted by his followers; organized the public ministry of the Church for spreading the Gospel among all men, wrote his autobiography; compiled the revelations given him, and made a revision of parts of the Bible.
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught the importance of schools and education.]
The mistake must not be made, however, of assuming that because the Prophet's education had been limited, he lacked a due appreciation of schools and scholastic attainments. On the contrary, at a very early date in the history of the Church, schools were organized even for the older men, that they might improve their time and make up in a manner for the lack of opportunity during their early days. During the winter of 1832-3, a school of the prophets was organized in Kirtland, Ohio, and another in Independence, Missouri, at which the elders of the Church received various instructions. In the discussion relative to the building of temples, references to schools being held in them were always made, and, in fact, in the fall of 1835, when a portion of the Kirtland temple was finished, "schools were opened in the various apartments." Many "were organized into a school for the purpose of studying the Hebrew language."[A] The reading of Greek had previously been begun. In these languages as well as in German, the Prophet acquired considerable facility. His studies tended, of course, towards the interpretation of the Bible and the explanation of Gospel truths; though at times his investigations appeared quite foreign to his special work, as when, in 1838, he began the methodical study of law.
[Footnote A: Autobiography of P. P. Pratt, p. 140.]
When the city of Nauvoo was chartered, a section was included, providing for the establishment of a university, to be called the University of the City of Nauvoo, under the direction of which should be taught "all matters pertaining to education, from common schools up to the highest branches of a most liberal collegiate education."[A]
[Footnote A: History of Joseph Smith, George Q. Cannon, pp. 341, 343.]
In numerous revelations did the Lord urge the Prophet and the Church to gather information from every source, of which the following quotations are good illustrations: "Teach ye diligently, that you may be instructed in theory, in principle, of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and perplexities of the nations, and a knowledge also of countries and kingdoms. Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study."[A] "Obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man."[B] "Study and learn and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues and peoples."[C] "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance."[D] A more comprehensive outline of education can hardly be imagined. The energetic manner in which the Church has acted upon these instructions, during its whole history, need not be recounted here.
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:78, 79, 118.]
[Footnote B: Ibid., 93:53.]
[Footnote C: Ibid., 90:15.]
[Footnote D: Ibid., 131:6.]
However much the Prophet sought for knowledge, even from books, in his later life, the fact remains that the evidence in our possession indicates that, up to the time of the organization of the Church, his book learning was very slight, and that during the years immediately following, his time was so fully occupied with the details of the organization that little or no time was given to education, as ordinarily understood. These statements are of especial importance, in view of the fact that all the principles discussed in this volume were enunciated before the end of the year 1833.
[Sidenote: Though the Prophet had little book learning, the spiritual and intellectual growth was great.]
The associates of the Prophet are unanimous in saying that his spiritual and intellectual growth was marvelous, from the time that the work of the ministry fell upon him. He was transformed from a humble country lad to a leader among men, whose greatness was felt by all, whether unlearned or educated, small or great. Of himself the Prophet said, "I am a rough stone. The sound of the hammer and chisel was never heard on me until the Lord took me in hand. I desire the learning and wisdom of heaven alone." Certainly, his whole history shows that the great learning which he did manifest was acquired in a manner very different from that followed by the majority of men.
A SUMMARY RESTATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES.
Chapter XIX.
[Sidenote: Philosophy and its methods.]
In its broadest sense, philosophy includes all that man may know of the universe—of himself and of the things about him. To be worthy of its name, a system of philosophy must possess certain comprehensive, fundamental principles, which if clearly understood, make intelligible to the human mind any or all of the phenomena in the universe. The simpler these foundation principles are, the greater is the system as a philosophy. In the words of Spencer, "Philosophy is knowledge of the highest degree of generality," or "completely unified knowledge."[A]
[Footnote A: First Principles, pp. 133 and 136.]
It is to be observed, that the great laws of nature are inferred only from a number of lesser laws that have been gathered by man. A generalization which is not built upon numerous confirmatory observations, is at best an uncertain guess, which can be accepted only when demonstrated to be correct by numerous isolated experiences. The rational philosopher proceeds from the many to the few; he groups and groups again, until the wide, fundamental laws have been attained.
In olden days, and at times today, this method was not pursued. A philosopher, so called, would assume that a certain statement or idea were true. Upon this idea an elaborate, speculative, philosophical superstructure was reared. If by chance, and the chance usually came, the fundamental notion were shown to be false, the whole system fell with a crash into the domain of untruth.
It is the glory of modern science that by its methods, innumerable facts, correct so far as present instruments and man's senses will allow, have been gathered; and, that present day philosophy is built upon these certain facts. The errors, if any exist, of this philosophy lie not in the foundation stones, but in the inferences that have been drawn from them. Modern philosophy rests upon the truths of the universe, and not upon the wild speculations of men.
[Sidenote: The fundamental conceptions of scientific philosophy.]
The philosophy of science, which is the basis of all rational philosophy, rests upon the doctrine of the indestructibility of matter. Matter cannot be destroyed, and it is unthinkable that it ever was created. True, matter may appear in various forms: the tangible coal may escape through the chimneys as an intangible gas; water may vanish into vapor; gold may unite with acids to form compounds entirely unlike gold. However, the weight of the coal in the gases passing through the chimney is the same as the weight of the coal fed into the stove; the water vapor in the air weighs precisely as much as the water that was in the vessel; the gold in the compound weighs the same as the metallic gold used; in every case matter has been changed into another form, but has not been destroyed.
Along with this fundamental principle, science holds the doctrine of the indestructibility of energy. Matter of itself is dead and useless; it is only when it is in motion or in the possession of energy that it can take part in the processes of nature. Matter without energy is not known to man; however inert it may be, it possesses some energy. The ultimate particles of all things,—rock and plant, and beast and man—are in motion; that is, they possess energy. The immediate source of energy for this earth is the sun, though the ultimate source of universal energy is not known.
Energy may appear in various forms, as light, heat, electricity, magnetism, gravitation and mechanical motion; and each of these forms of energy may be changed into any of the others. In every change, however, there is no loss, but simply a change of condition. That which men call energy, the vivifying principle of matter, is indestructible. It has never had a beginning, and shall never have an end.
To the mind of man, however, a motion independent of something in motion, is inconceivable. An ocean wave without water is nonsense. It is equally difficult to conceive of energy which is immaterial, passing from the sun to the earth, through empty space. There must be something between the earth and the sun, which carries the energy. Such reflections have led the thinkers to the belief that all space is filled with a subtle medium, now called the ether, through which energy passes in the form of waves. Today, few doctrines of science are so well established as that of the universal ether. The ether is a refined kind of matter which fills all space, and permeates all things. It is in the table on which I write; in and through the ink; between the ultimate particles of the glass of the ink bottle. This earth, and all heavenly bodies, are simply suspended in the all-and-ever-present ocean of ether. By the agency of the ether, energy is carried from the sun to the earth, and may be carried anywhere in space. Light, heat, electricity, magnetism and gravitation are all various manifestations of ether motion. Many scientists believe that this world—ether is the original matter from which the various elements have been made.
On these three doctrines, the indestructibility of matter, the indestructibility of energy, and the existence of the universal ether, rest primarily the explanations of the phenomena of nature. Hand in hand they stand, an almost perfect example of the greatness of the human mind.
[Sidenote: "Mormonism" and science have the same fundamental laws.]
The religion founded by Joseph Smith rests upon the same or similar laws. To the very beginner in "Mormon" theology, it is a familiar fact that Joseph Smith taught that matter is eternal, and has not been nor can be created. Matter is coexistent with God. God, himself, is material, in the sense that His body is composed of a refined kind of matter. In the fundamental laws that underlie all nature, there is perfect harmony between science and "Mormonism". Few religions can say as much. In most systems of theology, it is assumed that the ruling power, God, can create matter. In "Mormon" theology he can only organize it.
It is not quite so well understood that the doctrine of the indestructibility of energy lies also at the foundation of "Mormon" theology, and was taught by Joseph Smith. It was clearly comprehended by the Prophet and his associates that intelligence is the vivifying force of all creation—animate or inanimate—that rock and tree and beast and man, have ascending degrees of intelligence. The intelligence spoken of by the Prophet corresponds fully with the energy of science.
That the Prophet did not use the word current among scientific men at that time does not destroy the validity of this claim. Different words have no quarrel when they mean the same.
The Prophet also taught that this intelligence fills all space, and that it may appear in various forms, such as heat, light, and electricity, and that it is eternal, and can neither be created nor destroyed. These are the very qualities assigned to energy by scientific workers. This doctrine and its coincidence with the doctrine of science appears marvelous, when it is recalled that the Prophet laid down these teachings in 1831, more than ten years before they were discovered by scientists, and a generation before they were generally accepted by the scientific world.
The Prophet did not stop with the enunciation of these two fundamental doctrines. He declared that a refined medium, called the Holy Spirit, fills all space, whereby intelligence is conveyed from place to place. In the terms of Joseph Smith, the forces of nature, such as heat, light and electricity, are simply various manifestations of the intelligence of the Holy Spirit; in the terms of science, of the energy of the universal ether. The parallelism is complete. The Holy Spirit, in "Mormon" theology, corresponds with the ether of science. This doctrine, too, was enunciated many years before the corresponding doctrines were established among men of science.
[Sidenote: Cause and effect.]
The Prophet also taught the unchanging relation of cause and effect, which brings the whole universe under a reign of law, and overthrows the mysticisms of old. This doctrine was emphasized at a time when the world was just beginning to insist upon it. He further taught clearly the manner in which nature's laws may be discovered by man.
[Sidenote: Astronomy.]
The Prophet further taught that all the heavenly bodies are in motion; that the solar system is but a small part of a greater and grander whole, controlled by the same laws, and that some of these other worlds are inhabited. These doctrines, which now form the foundation of the new astronomy, was discovered and accepted by the world of science after the days of Joseph Smith.
[Sidenote: Geology.]
He also held clear and modern views regarding time limits in geology, or the prehistoric ages of the world, at a time when students were not agreed on the subject.
[Sidenote: The individual.]
Moreover, the "Mormon" prophet declared that the living beings found on earth were organized from the commonly occurring elements and forces of nature in such a manner that through them the force of intelligence might exert itself in the greatest degree. Hence the individual is only an organized intelligence. This, too, is in perfect harmony with the results of the latest scholarship.
[Sidenote: The laws for the individual.]
On the basis of the fundamental laws, above defined, what does science require of its devotees? How does it affect the actions of the individual? As in theology, the scientific worker must have faith in the principles that have been discovered. It is not possible in one lifetime for a man to repeat all the work of preceding workers, to demonstrate the accuracy of their results. Much must be taken on trust; though at any time, should it be necessary, the earlier work may be repeated. Besides requiring faith in the principles discovered and enunciated by others, science demands that its every worker shall believe in things that lie far beyond the reach of man's senses.
In theology, at least in the system established by Joseph Smith, a similar faith is required of the individual. God and angels have been seen by very few individuals. These realities must be accepted by faith. In the words of the Prophet Joseph, "Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen, and the principle of action in all intelligent beings." With respect to the first principle of science and theology, "Mormonism" is in entire accord with the best philosophy. The individual, whether scientist or theologian, must base his work on faith.
The scientist who has acquired faith in a law of nature will no longer transgress that law. He will obey it. If he establishes the faith that a wire connected in a certain way with the electric dynamo carries a current sufficiently strong to destroy life, he will not wantonly seize that wire in his hands. Before this faith came to him, he probably came near losing his life, by the careless handling of the charged wire. To conform to the laws of nature is scientific repentance. Faith in science or religion is a high form of intelligence and is opposed to ignorance. Repentance is the use of this intelligence for the benefit of man.
In "Mormonism" the second principle of action for the individual is repentance. If faith in God has been attained and his laws have been made clear, the believer will no longer violate those laws; he will obey them. That is repentance. Not by a jot or tittle does this kind of repentance differ from the repentance taught by science. True, science does not speak of repentance, but it thinks it. In the matter of the great principle of repentance, governing the action of workers in science or theology, "Mormonism" is eminently sane and philosophical. Faith does not compel men to repent; but it is a necessary precedent. The man who does not repent in science or theology, after he has acquired faith, renders himself liable to injury and retards his own progress.
In the system of theology taught by Joseph Smith, baptism is the third great principle to be obeyed by the individual; that is, unless baptism follows faith and repentance it is impossible to enter the kingdom of God. In science there is a counterpart of baptism which is the third principle of scientific progress.
A man who has attained faith in electricity resolves to refrain from violating any of the laws of electricity. If he desires to produce a current of electricity, he winds a wire around a piece of iron, and revolves the coil in the field of a magnet, and the current is produced. If the wire has not been wound in a certain definite manner, and has not been placed in the proper relation to the magnet, no current can be produced. The scientist may rail and object that it is all nonsense to insist that the work be done just so to produce the current. Nature is inexorable. The man to enter the kingdom of the electric current must yield obedience to the order of nature; he must receive a scientific baptism.
The baptism taught by the theology of Joseph Smith is nothing more than obedience to law. Just why it is necessary to be buried in the water to enter the Church, perhaps no man fully knows. Nor does any one know just why the wire must be wound, just so, to produce the current of electricity. Of one thing every thinker may be certain, that the essential principle of baptism is as necessary in science as in theology. In this matter also, then, Joseph the Prophet is eminently philosophical.
The fourth principle in "Mormon" theology teaches that after baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost is conferred which enlightens the mind, clears the intelligence, and brings man nearer the presence of God. So also in science, to the man who obeys the law of nature, come greater power and intelligence, to him who winds the wire right, the electric current comes, with all its latent powers. Thus is the Holy Ghost conferred in science; and thus, also, in a more subtle and greater degree is it conferred in the Church. The dogma of Joseph Smith and the teachings of science harmonize perfectly in the examination of the fourth fundamental principle of the philosophy governing the individual.
[Sidenote: Evolution.]
It is becoming fairly well demonstrated that the ceaseless changes and transformations in nature cause a greater and greater complexity in nature. This, in other words, means that the earth and all on it are developing and progressing. According to Darwin and his followers, man and animals advance. Only those who progress, persist; those who retrograde, die. Creation as a whole grows and develops, and must of necessity do so. By this law, the purpose of the earth and the universe is explained to be endless growth. The law of evolution is the great cementing law of science. Even so, in the philosophy of Joseph Smith, the doctrine is taught that all things advance; that man shall continue to advance, in intelligence, and all pertaining to it, until he shall become as God is now. Meanwhile, our God will also increase in his fulness, and ever be a God to us. Through this doctrine, all the principles of the Gospel are made coherent. All the requirements of man have in view his eternal growth. Man's presence here on earth is simply that he may better learn to understand the nature of gross matter, and thus to develop and progress more completely.
It is remarkable that Joseph Smith taught the law of evolution as an eternal truth, twenty or more years before Darwin published his views.
[Sidenote: God.]
Above the law of laws is the force of forces—or the central force of the universe. Science has little to say of God. It is content to accept the laws of nature as they are found. Yet, at times, in some branches of science, a knowledge of the beginning of things is desired. Usually science answers, "I do not know;" but it nevertheless affirms that there must be a central force, unknown and unnamed, to which the manifestations of all other forces may be referred. Science, which is essentially orderly, is chaotic when the question of the beginning of things is raised. The "Mormon" Prophet left no such weakness in his philosophy. He, too, realized the necessity of a controlling universal force. This he named God. God is an organized, material being, filled with the form of energy known as intelligence. "The glory of God is intelligence." All other forces of nature may be converted into intelligence; and from intelligence all other forces may be obtained; God is the center of these forces, and their directing power. Because of this centralization, nature is orderly. Natural laws are not, as supposed by some philosophers, accidental relations of phenomena, observed and recorded by man. The force of intelligence controls all phenomena; there is mind behind the operations of nature. God, himself a part of nature, is not the creator of nature, but the organizer and director of it. What a beautifully reasonable climax that is to the wonderful philosophy of Joseph the Prophet!
The intelligence of God is organized; therein lies his individuality and life. Man is organized intelligence; therein lies his life. Through obedience to law, intelligence grows; by the violation of law, which is sin, it decays. It is the degree of organized intelligence that ultimately distinguishes one man from other men; men from beasts, beasts from plants, and plants from rocks. Since intelligence, as defined by Joseph Smith, corresponds with the main form of energy of the universe, the doctrine of God, and all other beings, and of life, finds expression in terms of energy. That is exactly what science demands.
[Sidenote: Theology and science agree.]
Is it any wonder that workers in science, who have been taught the doctrine of an immaterial God who is able to create something from nothing, and to transcend all laws of nature, depart from the faith of their childhood? Truth is truth forever. Scientific truth cannot be theological lie. To the sane mind, theology and philosophy must harmonize. They have the common ground of truth on which to meet.
Thus, on every hand, from the highest to the lowest, from the force of forces and the law of laws to the fundamental laws governing the operations of the universe, and the actions of the individual, the philosophy of the "Mormon" Prophet is consistently referred back to matter, energy and law. In its completeness, it transcends the philosophy of science. Wherever the doctrines of "Mormonism" and science meet, they agree. No discord has yet been found between them. Science is daily confirming the truth of the universe—embracing philosophy of the unlearned founder of "Mormonism."
Back of the revelations of the greatness of the Prophet's knowledge that come to all who enter upon such a discussion, stands the eminent fact that "Mormon" philosophy is plain, simple, and easily understood. There is no need and no room for mysteries in the teachings of Joseph the Prophet. Similarly, the philosophy of men, based upon nature, is essentially simple, and easily understood. Only untruth needs to hide itself in mysteries.
One hundred years have passed since Joseph, honored and chosen of God, entered the school of life. Face to face with God, Joseph learned the Gospel, planned before the foundations of the world were laid, and he taught it to a careless world. It is not Joseph Smith's philosophy; but God's code of fundamental laws, which the world is laboriously deciphering in the beautifully written pages of nature. Is it any wonder that the philosophy is perfect?
Of simple brilliancy must have been the mind of the Prophet which was able to discover in the forgotten corners of thought the priceless gems of controlling, universal truth.
Chapter XX.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS.
It has been shown in the preceding chapters that Joseph Smith recognized and stated the fundamental laws of all science, the fundamental principles of physical and biological science and astronomy, together with a great number of scientific facts, and made these statements usually in advance of workers in science.
It is a surprising fact that a young man of twenty-eight, who had had no educational advantages of schooling, or reading, or society, should state clearly and correctly known laws of science; but it is marvelous that he should state fundamental laws that the workers in science did not discover until many years later. Every honest man, be he friend or enemy, must marvel, and ask, "Whence did this man derive his knowledge?"
Was he a man of lively imagination who guessed shrewdly? If so, he was the shrewdest guesser the world has known. All that he said has come true; his bitterest enemies have been unable to prove incorrect statements of facts. Their attacks have always been on the origin of the work, on its ethical ideals (which are largely personal opinions), and on the probability that Joseph Smith was the real founder of "Mormonism"—thus tacitly admitting the greatness of the work. Had he been a guesser, simply, he would have failed somewhere, and thus revealed his weakness. But let any man show one error in the inspired writings of Joseph Smith, even when he dealt with matters which lay far outside of his daily mission. Though thousands of persons have felt impelled to war against "Mormonism," no such error has been found. All human logic denies that he was a guesser.
Did he receive his knowledge from well educated persons, who kept themselves in the background? No documentary evidence has been found to substantiate such a view. Primarily, it is unlikely that men of intelligence and education would hide behind an ignorant boy, from the time he was fourteen until his death at thirty-nine years of age. There was nothing to gain by it; the prophet never had more wealth than just enough to live on; the pleasure that his power over his followers gave him, was more than offset by the ceaseless persecution which followed him. Besides, nearly all the fairly well educated men who joined the Church in the early days were given prominent positions in the Church, yet it is known that they were instructed or chastised by the youthful prophet whenever occasion required, as were those of no or little education. Joseph Smith was always greater than any of his followers. But above all, no educated man would have been able to tell Joseph, by means of his education, of things not yet known. The idea that Joseph Smith was only a dummy for clever heads is not tenable.
Since ordinary means were beyond his power, how did he acquire his knowledge? How was he able to look into the future, and reveal its secrets? "Ah," says a new philosopher, "I have it, he was epileptic, and had trances, during which his visions appeared;" and the philosopher proceeds to write a book proving his theory to be correct.[A] What a pitiful attempt to push the question into the region of the unknown; and at the same time, what a splendid acknowledgment of the fact that the life and labors of Joseph Smith transcend ordinary human explanations! Do epileptics, in their phantasms, see orderly systems of truth, which are carried into effect in their days of health and sanity? Does the epileptic see the truth that shall be revealed in the coming ages, and teach it with a stately soberness of language which admits of no uncertainty? If so, then might the race well long for the time when the great gift of healthful, reasoning imagination shall be exchanged for the ghastly disease of epilepsy. Folly of follies! The life, writings and works of Joseph Smith are healthy, above all else; no trace of physical, or mental, or spiritual disease can be found in them. His teachings are given as eternal truths revealed by the God of nature; and they rise loftily above the vague theorizings of the investigator, or the uncertain gibberish of the diseased intellect. Clearness, reason, logic in method and execution, characterize the teachings and works of Joseph Smith. Have such qualities ever indicated disease?
[Footnote A: The Founder of Mormonism. Riley.]
To the person who can rise above his prejudices, and confess to himself that he is not able to explain in the manner of men how Joseph Smith came by his knowledge of ideas, men and things, comes the strong conviction that the "Mormon" prophet was inspired by a mightier power than men possess; and if that conviction is followed by a prayerful desire to know what that power is, the testimony will be given that from God, the Controller of the universe, known by various men under divers names, did Joseph Smith receive, directly, the truths which fill the pages of his published writings, and direct the lives of his followers.
God spoke to Joseph, and gave him the revelations necessary for building his kingdom in the last days. Little more than was necessary did the Lord reveal, but occasionally, for the comfort of the prophet and his associates, truths were given which hinted of the glorious order of the universe. May it not be, also, that the Lord showed Joseph many truths, similar to those touched upon in these papers, in order that later generations might have additional testimonies of the divinity of the latter-day work? Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the boy Joseph grew into a man, whose mind was filled with the great vision of the contents and the destiny of the universe, including the future lot of mankind. No man has had a nobler education than that received by Joseph Smith.
When the historian of future days shall review the history of the growth of science, and shall judge men by the record that they have left behind them, he will place Joseph Smith as the greatest philosopher of science of the nineteenth century, and possibly of the twentieth. Then will men reverently speak of that mighty mind and clear vision, which, inspired by the God of heaven, saw, as in an open book, the truths which men have later developed, through ceaseless labor and countless vigils. Then shall the thinkers of the future speak of him as Joseph, the clearsighted.
Knowledge, concentrated into wisdom, is the end of existence. To those who live according to God's law, knowledge will come easily. It will continue to come to his people, until it shall be the most intelligent among the nations. The Lord has said it.
"How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri River in its decreed course, or turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 121:33.]
APPENDIX.
Chapter XXI.
A VOICE FROM THE SOIL.
I.
"—the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness."—Isaiah, xxvii: 10.
It is a fact, which has impressed itself upon all readers of history, that countries which have been the homes of the most powerful and cultured nations, are now great stretches of the veriest desert. No country teaches this truth better than the extensive valley of the Mesopotamia which looms giant-like in the dawn of history. Upon its plains and highlands, the great nations of antiquity acted the tragedies of their existence; like the schoolboys' snowman, they rose, with vast proportions, in a day, and fell ere the setting of the next sun. In this district, advanced and retreated with wonderful precision, as it appears to us so many ages removed from the time of action, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians and the Assyrians; here the Medes and Persians achieved the victories that made them famous, and here came all the great generals of old to crown their successes. A hundred populous cities clustered, in the lower part of the valley, around Babylon the great, the most marvelous city of any past age; a hundred cities were in the upper half, with Nineveh, also magnificent and great, as their center. From Mesopotamia come evidences of art—painting, sculpture, music, literature and architecture—the indication of a higher civilization. Still, today, even the sites of many of the great cities are lost, and Mesopotamia is a stretch of barren land.
To the west of Mesopotamia is the valley containing the promised land of Palestine—it, also, has fallen from its former splendor, and is a desert compared with the days of its greatest prosperity. Still further west and south lies the land of Egypt, in the valley of the Nile. It was the fostermother of science, and the shaker of empires. It has fallen likewise; and a blight has come upon the soil, until it bears the appearance of a sandy waste. Over the sites of other famous nations of antiquity, in Europe and Asia, hovers, today, the spirit of desolation.
The same story is told on the American continent. Peru, the land of the Incas, once populous, powerful, wealthy, is today largely a wilderness. Mexico, the Aztec home, is now a vast desert, in spite of the evidence, through the discovered ruins of mighty cities and gigantic temples, that it was once the home of a strong people. Central America tells a similar story. It seems to be a general fact that wherever a large people lived formerly, there, today, a desert often occurs.
However, these countries are deserts only because human effort is no longer applied to them; by proper treatment the lands would again be raised to the flourishing condition that prevailed in their prosperous days. Intrinsically the soils are extremely fertile, but are dry and require the application of water to make the fertility suitable for the use of crops. The soils of Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Peru and Mexico, raise crops of wonderful yields when properly irrigated; and there is abundant proof that in former days irrigation was practiced in these countries on a scale far larger than in Utah or in any other country of the present day.
Many of the old irrigation canals of Babylon still exist, and prove the magnitude of the practice, there, of the art of irrigation. The old historians, also, agree in explaining the ingenious devices by which whole rivers were turned from their courses to flow over the soil. In Egypt, likewise, irrigation was more commonly practiced in the past than it is today; though even now a large portion of the soil of that country is made to yield crops by the artificial application of water. In Peru, Central America, and Mexico, the irrigation canals that remain from prehistoric days are even more wonderful as feats of engineering and as evidences of a populous and enlightened condition of the country than the massive temples and extensive cities that are also found. In the construction of these canals every precaution, apparently, was taken to have the water applied to the lands in the right manner, and to reduce the loss to a minimum. In some places immense canals remain, that are tiled for miles, on sides and bottom, in order to render them watertight, and thus prevent any loss by seepage.
Instead of saying, then, that the countries where most great nations have lived are now deserts, we may as well say that most great nations have lived in countries where irrigation was necessary; in fact, that history indicates that a dense population, and high culture, usually go hand in hand with a soil that thirsts for water. What can science, the great explainer, say on this subject?
II.
"Science moves, but slowly, slowly, moving on from point to point."—Locksley Hall.
A plant feeds in two ways—by its leaves, and by its roots. The leaves feed from the air; the roots from the soil. In the air is found a colorless, heavy gas, known as carbon dioxide, which is made up partly of the element of carbon, or charcoal. When an animal or a plant is burned at a low heat, it first chars, showing the presence of charcoal; then if the burning be continued, it disappears, with the exception of the ash, as the gas, carbon dioxide. Since animal and vegetable matters are constantly being burned upon the earth's surface, naturally the air contains a perceptible quantity of carbon dioxide. The leaves of a living plant, waving back and forth, draw into themselves the carbon dioxide with which they come into contact, and there break it up and take the carbon away from it. The carbon thus obtained by the leaves is built into the many ingredients of a plant, and carried to the parts that are in greatest need. The plant is able to do this by virtue of the peculiar properties of the green coloring matter in all its leaves, leaf green; which acts, however, only in the presence of bright sunlight. Since one-half or more of the dry matter of a plant is carbon, the importance of the leaf-air-feeding of a plant may be understood.
The water which a plant contains and the incombustible portions, the mineral matters or ash, are taken directly from the soil by means of the roots. The old idea that vegetable mould and other corbonaceous matters are also taken from the soil by the roots has been shown to be erroneous. The mineral portions of a plant are of the highest value to the life of the plant—without them, in fact, it languishes and dies. If a soil on which a plant is growing contains, for instance, no iron, the leaves become pale, soon white, and finally they lose the power of appropriating carbon from the air. If potash is absent from the soil, the plants growing upon it will develop in an imperfect manner and finally die. It has been found by careful experiment that seven mineral substances must be found in every soil, if it shall support the life of plants, namely: (1) Potash; (2) lime; (3) magnesia; (4) oxide of iron or iron rust; (5) sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol; (6, phosophoric acid, and (7) nitric acid or aqua fortis. The fertility of any soil or soil district is determined by the quantity of these indispensable ash ingredients contained by it.
All soils are produced by the breaking down of the mountains under the influence of weathering. The broken down rock is washed into the hollows and lowlands by the rains and floods of melted snow, and there forms soil. Soil may, therefore, be defined, in a general way, as pulverized rock. Nearly all rocks contain the elements above enumerated as being essential to a plant's life; and nearly every soil will, consequently, be in possession of them. Rocks, however, in being subjected to the action of weathering, undergo other changes than mere pulverization. The potash, lime and other plant foods held by a rock are in an insoluble condition, and can not be taken up with any ease by the plant roots. As the rock is pulverized in the process of weathering, it is also made more soluble, and the juices of the plant roots can then absorb the needed foods with greater facility. This process of making the soil more soluble, continues while time lasts, and every year will find the soil more soluble than the year before, if there are no opposing actions. Therefore, the fertility of a soil is determined not only by the quantity of plant food it contains, but also by the condition of solubility the soil constituents are in.
According to the facts above given, it would be fair to infer that a soil becomes more fertile with every year that passes. This would be the case were it not for opposing tendencies. First, the crops grown upon a soil remove considerable quantities of mineral plant food. This alone would not seriously affect the fertility of a soil did not other forces act in conjunction with it. The most important cause of lowering the fertility of soils is the loss of plant food due to drainage. In districts of abundant rainfall, as, for instance, the Eastern United States, sufficient rain falls to soak the soil thoroughly and to drain through and go off as drainage water. The water, in passing through the soil, will dissolve, as far as it can, the soluble ingredients, including the plant foods, and carry them away into the rivers and finally into the ocean. This action, continued for many years, will rob the soil to feed the ocean; in fact, the saltness of the ocean is due, largely, to the substances washed out of the soils. Most of the poor soils of the world have been rendered infertile in this way. If, on the other hand, only a small quantity of rain falls upon the soil—an amount sufficient to soak the soil without draining through—the water will gradually be evaporated back into the air, and there will be no loss of plant food. In such a district the soils, if they are treated right, become richer year by year, even though subjected to tillage, if the tillage be according to our best knowledge.
In every rainless district, or in every district where the rainfall is so slight as to render irrigation necessary, the soils would be expected to be richer than in a place of abundant rainfall. Leaving out of consideration differences due to local conditions, this has been verified by the study of soils from many parts of the world. The soils of an arid district contain more soluble plant food than those of a humid district, and, with proper treatment, will not only raise larger crops, but remain fertile much longer. They will also bear harsher treatment, closer cultivation, and are in every respect superior to the water-washed soils of a humid country. A recent study of the soils of Utah has shown that the fertility of our soils is exceedingly high, and that they will endure long and close cultivation; that is, that because of the peculiar climatic conditions of the State, they can support bountifully a large population.
Several years ago Dr. E. W. Hilgard, an eminent student of climate and soils, threw out the suggestion that upon the facts just discussed rests the explanation of the historical datum that the great nations of antiquity on this and on other continents sought for the abodes the rainless, arid stretches of the world. A large, active population, which does not depend on other peoples for its support, must of necessity possess the most fertile lands, which are found only in districts of limited rainfall. In the whole history of the world, the great granaries of the world have been located on the arid stretches; and on our continent, the great West, largely arid, is becoming the source of the food staples of the nation. Utah is the heart of the arid region of North America; her soils are heavy with wealth of plant food. If the time comes that her valleys be filled with people, crowding in from the nations of the earth, her soils, responding to the better treatment which science is developing day by day, will display their strength, and feed the world, should the demand be made.
III.
"Therefore will I make solitary places to bud and blossom, and to bring forth in abundance, saith the Lord."—Doctrine and Covenants.
Sixty years ago the facts of plant feeding, as just outlined, were practically unknown. The erroneous ideas of the preceding century still held full sway. In 1840 Liebig published his treatise on agricultural chemistry which threw a faint light on the relation of the plant and the soil. During the twenty years following, the indispensable nature of some of the plant foods was ascertained; and it is only within the last ten or fifteen years that the superiority of arid districts over humid ones, for the purpose of supporting man, has been demonstrated. Even today it is a new light which has not been fully received.
In 1842 Joseph the Prophet wrote: "I prophesied that the saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the Rocky Mountains * * * and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the saints become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." Why did Joseph Smith speak of the Rocky Mountains as a gathering place for his people? Was it simply because the place was far off and offered, apparently, good security? If so, he builded better than he knew. But what prompted Brigham Young to plant his cane by the shore of an alkali lake and say, Here we shall remain? That certainly was not for security only. Perhaps he was tired of wandering? Though he may have been so, yet he was not the man to give up when near something better. Perhaps he thought the valley fair, and the blue mountains may have rested his eyes? If that was the motive of settlement, he, too, builded better than he knew. Certainly it is that these two men who historically hold the responsibility for bringing the Latter-day Saints here, did not know, by the world's learning, that the valleys of Utah are filled with the richest soil, waiting only to yield manifold to the husbandman; for the world did not yet know, and had no means for predicting it. These men were not scientists. They had no laboratories in which, by long hours, over long drawn fires, and among a hundred fumes, to draw out for themselves the law of the fertility of arid soils, which has but recently become the property of modern science. It is not likely that the records of a lost learning, unknown today, taught them this fact. Though they had had such records, they were unlettered men, and the ancient tongues would have been dead indeed to them, had they attempted an interpretation by their own efforts. Why then, did they bring the people here? Was it a chance move? A blind effort, acting out the desperation that comes from long persecution? If an element of chance entered into the location in the valleys of Utah, it was akin to wisdom.
And it was wisdom of the highest kind; at which the world ever stands in reverent wonder; inspiration from the living God. The logic that science, itself, applies to facts in the deduction of its laws, makes it impossible to believe that the settlement of the pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley was a chance move. Nothing, from the point of view of human wisdom, encouraged the pioneers to remain in Utah—they were in the center of a desert; the leaders were urged by many of the company to go on, for there were fairer climes to the west or the south, or on the islands of the sea. But the leaders were possessed of a wisdom higher than that of men, and founded an empire on the wastes of the Great American Desert.
Now, let every reader of this paper consider these wonderful facts: Of the vast possibilities of agriculture in Utah being the same with those of the countries where the great nations of the world have lived; of a people, claiming that the nations shall in the future flee to it for safety, making its home in a place which possesses the capabilities of supporting the nations; and of the choice of that country when it was named a desert; when science, the world's knowledge, did not dream of the fertility of that desert any more than it was able to give a correct explanation of the fertility of the valley of Mesopotamia: and every honest heart will recognize the unseen hand of the God of Israel, guiding the people of God to the destined land.
End of Project Gutenberg's Joseph Smith as Scientist, by John A. Widtsoe