Читать книгу The Latter-Day Prophet - George Q. Cannon - Страница 3

Table of Contents

In sending out this little work, the author hopes with all his heart that he has made interesting and instructive a subject that has been a source of inspiration to him. The book was called forth mainly by the need of the Sunday Schools for such a publication. In many schools the author's Life of Joseph Smith is being used, but that book was not written as a text-book for children. This little volume can be put to such a use, and can be placed in the hands of the children themselves. Teachers may gather new material to give them from any source they desire, but the children have a foundation furnished here.

In this book there may be words that a child of ten or twelve years will not understand; but the child's vocabulary would never grow if he met no new words. However the author believes there are few if any places where an intelligent child cannot gather the meaning from the context. The work is purposely arranged in forty chapters, as that is the number of Sundays, fast-days excluded, in the year; but if possible, a little time once a month should be given to review work. Special attention is called to the chapter headings, which may be used as the topics on which different members of the class may prepare to talk. The maps and illustrations will be found valuable in aiding the child's understanding. While these suggestions apply to the use of this volume as a text-book, it has also been the aim to have the history suitable for general reading as well.

It has been the author's desire through life to aid in giving the young Latter-day Saints so much that is good and pure in literature that they will have no excuse for reading that which is trashy or improper. Good books, if not the strongest outside influence, are at least very strong in the building of character. The story of life upon the earth is beautiful and has absorbing interest if that life is natural, that is, in harmony with the will of our Father in Heaven. The real experiences of a bold missionary of Truth should be and are of the highest interest to all right-minded Mormon children of either sex. Hence the author has seen fit to regard this little work as the beginning of a series of biographies of the Presidents of the Church, which he has under contemplation. He believes that the data of the history of the Church can be given as completely in the lives of the men who have led it as in any other way. There are some additional advantages: a biography has greater unity and consequently children can grasp it better; they obtain a deeper understanding, too, of the Church and its principles, when they see the life-history and growth of a man under the influence of the Gospel; and they become intimately acquainted with the noblest characters that have ever lived upon the earth. Besides this, the history of the Church is divided into periods that correspond with the time that each man has been President. Each may almost be considered an epoch. The Church was organized and its members grew to be a strong people in the life of Joseph Smith; they became pioneers and colonizers in the life of Brigham Young; John Taylor's presidency was marked by the dark struggles which threatened the very existence of the Church itself. Wilford Woodruff's by the wonderful progress of the Saints when given liberty. Lorenzo Snow's already promises to mark a new and eventful period.

THE LATTER-DAY PROPHET is now sent forth, with the fervent prayer that it may create in the hearts of the children of Zion a greater love for the man who made of human life a thing so nearly divine, and help them to go bravely forward with the work he was chosen to begin.

THE AUTHOR.