woods are so beautiful to-day,' said Will in his easy way, that we were enticed into wandering a little farther than we intended to go, and our long absence is accounted for by the fact that Miss Lucile was so fatigued, that, for her sake, we rested here.' "I see we will have a little hill to climb on our way home. Miss Lucile, take my arm. It will be of a little assistance to you. Walter, do the gallant yourself, and assist Miss Henriette in the same manner.' 'I'll take care of Miss Henriette,' replied Walter in the gruffest tone I had ever heard him employ, as he turned and started off with my sister. "Walter's manner somewhat bewildered me, as I had an instinctive feeling that his surliness had something to do with Will's attentions to me, though what, I "I could not speak, one reason being, Walter and Henriette were so near that nothing but a whisper would have prevented them hearing what I might say, another, that I was too confused and happy to utter a word; but I managed at parting to give his hand an encouraging pressure, and said to him in an undertone, 'To-morrow night!'" G. L. B. (To be continued.) THE ORIGIN OF PROFANE HISTORY. HISTORY, the written account of the transactions of individuals and people who have existed upon the earth at different periods, is divided into two general branches, sacred and profane. Sacred history is that written by inspiration, and giving an account of the dealings of God with men and nations. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are two of the greatest works of this class extant, giving, as they do, an account of the different branches of the people of God, with their successes and their failures, their triumphs and their disasters. Other nations have their sacred writings, many of which belong to this division of history, while many are didactic in their nature. To this latter class belong, as well, some of the divisions, or books, of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, they having for their chief end, the instruction of their readers, rather than the narration of his torical events. pression of reverence for sacred things, nor the presence of infidelity in the heart of the writer; for many of our best histories and biographies, properly classed under this head, have been written by men noted for their purity and piety of life; and many of them contain clear and bold reference to Divine interference in the history of nations. These are among the best of our profane histories, for the reason that the man who recognizes and acknowledges the hand of God as made manifest in the conduct of the affairs of nations, will write with a more prayerful, and hence with a more truthful, spirit, than one who does not see, or seeing, does not confess, the overruling providence of God. Profane history, on the other hand, is that written without any claim to divine inspiration, and upon chronological and sociological, rather than religious subjects. The appellation, "profane history," however, does not necessarily imply the absence, in the body of the work of an ex Sacred history goes much farther back than does profane, since God has revealed to His inspired servants the early history of the earth and its people, and in these revelations are contained truths which man, with his unaided wisdom, could never have discovered. Profane history, on the contrary, has its origin enshrouded in mystery. Many of the nations of antiquity have shown chronologies extending back to the flood; among these may be mentioned the Hindoos THE ORIGIN OF PROFANE HISTORY. and the Egyptians. The Chinese have not been content even with so extended a chronology as this, but have bridged the great Deluge, and have claimed that Noah himself had the honor of being a Chinaman! Claims of a similar nature have been made by others of the nations, and the consequence has been a considerable confusion in the minds of writers of profane history, as to the locality which can lay the greatest claim to the honor of being the cradle of the human race-that place from whence the many peoples now existent upon the earth have spread abroad. In order that this point may be more fully considered, it is necessary that we call to our aid sacred history as recorded in the Bible. All passages in this record having a bearing upon the subject, point to Asia as the region inhabited by the human family during the few centuries immediately subsequent to the flood. Upon this point there has been but little controversy. It is generally understood that the building of the Tower of Babel, an event, by the way, recorded only in sacred history, took place somewhere in the valley of the Euphrates and the Tigris, although the exact locality has not been positively identified. But as to the movements of the human family immediately after the dispersion from the Tower of Babel, there are among historians no definite ideas. To compass as fully as possible the knowledge possessed upon this point, it may be profitable to review hastily, the different classes or races of mankind, thus coming more closely in contact with their peculiarities, and through these, with their history. The peoples of the earth are divided into three principal 'branches or types, the black, or Ethiopian, the yellow, or Mongolian, and the white, or Caucasian. Of the first of these the Negro is a good example; of the second, the Chinaman; of the third, the Englishman. The first two types named have exerted but little influence upon the world's history; the Caucasian is the historic race. This race is subdivided into the Semitic, the Hamitic, and the Aryan (or Japhetic) peoples, this subdivision be 223 ing based upon physical and mental characteristics, and also upon what we know of the origin of these different peoples. The first of these branches of the Caucasian race, is represented by the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Hebrew, etc.; the second by the Egyptians and the Babylonians; and the third by the Persians, the Russians, the English,and many other nations. Our first glimpses of the history of any Semitic people are obtained of the Assyrians, who founded their empire on the banks of the Tigris River, where their capital, Nineveh, was built. The power thus established, remained in existence for a number of centuries, its sway extending in all directions, and including all the surrounding peoples. Great rivalry existed between Assyria and her southern neighbor Babylon, and this rivalry was not fully ended until, in the year 625 B. C. Nabopolasser, betraying his country to the Babylonians, conquered the Assyrians and destroyed their capitol. Another branch of the Semites, the descendants of Abraham, a native of lower Mesopotamia, inhabited in turn Palestine and parts of Egypt. From their bondage in the latter country, they were miraculously delivered through the instrumentality of Moses, traveled forty years in the wilderness, and at length reached the land of Canaan, where they passed through the many thrilling events preceding their final dispersion. From these statements and others that might be made if space permitted, it will be seen that the "valley of the rivers'" is the cradle of the Semitic branch of the Caucassian race, so far as profane history has testified to us. We must look to two different places to find the origin of the Hamitic branch. At a period of time, generally conceded to be about 3000 B. C., profane history began on the banks of the Nile. Here was a branch of the great Hamitic family, tilling the fertile soil, erecting magnificent buildings, and worshiping animals and the elements and forces of nature. As to the place whence they had migrated to the "granary of the world" but little can be surmised, and nothing is positively known by historians. the essentials of a high civilization; until The land of Egypt was peculiarly it can be truly said that in fulfillment of adapted to the development of a people the blessing pronounced by Noah upon of this kind. The climate mild and salu- his sons (Genesis ix, 27), "God hath enbrious; the land fertilized and revivified larged Japheth, and he dwelleth in the by the annual overflow of the Nile; the tents of Shem; and Canaan is his serneeds of the people few and easily satis- vant." fied; these were the conditions existing in this favored region, and such environments were peculiarly adapted to the progress of a people possessed of the half vigorous, half indolent mind peculiar to the Hamitic branch of the human family. The other locality where a great Hamitic people was early established was the lower Euphrates. Here, Nimrod, "a mighty hunter before the Lord," founded the city of Babylon and proceeded to the conquest of the surrounding tribes. The oppressive and tyrannical character of the reign of this king and his successors drove out the Semitic inhabitants of that region, among them Abraham and the founders of the Assyrian nation. But the Babylonian nation, together with all other peoples of Hamitic origin, ceased to influence to any great degree, the history of the world long before the advent of our Savior. Nor has the Semitic influence been great since that time. True, Mohammed, the Moslem prophet, led his people to temporary triumph, but his advancement, and that of his successors, was checked on many battle fields until Charles Martel, upon the field of Tours, set the limit beyond which the Saracen must not go. But it is to the great Aryan branch of the Caucasian race that we can turn with profit and pleasure, for we are bound to this people by other bonds than those of interest and sympathy. Linked together by the strong ties of consanguinity are many of the peoples of Asia, nearly all of the Europeans, and most of the inhabitants of the New World. Belonging to the same great branch of the human family, the historic race of modern times, their history will be followed with a livelier interest, with a deeper sympathy. After the purely Semitic and Hamitic nations ceased their growth and advancement, the Aryans progressed rapidly in Before Egypt had come to the notice of the nations; while the great city Babylon existed only in the mind of its mighty founder, the ancestors of the Aryan peoples of to-day, dwelt in a comparatively rude and savage state, in that region of Persia known as Bactria. Here those traits were developed, which have distinguished the Aryan family from all others:-that enterprise, push, and progress so well adapted to the settlement of new countries and the subjugation of the forces of nature. It seems strange to many of us, who have become, perhaps, in family pride to think of a relationship existing between us and the Hindoos, the Persians, and others of the peoples with whom we have but a traditional acquaintance; but the studies of mythology and comparative philology have taught us in recent years, that we have had a common origin with these peoples. While inhabiting central Asia, our ancestors possessed a regular government, had a high regard for the family relationship, and worshipped the forces of nature. The researches of learned men in recent times have brought to light the fact that many of those words, so familiar to us now, had their origin with this people, and are decidedly similar among the various branches of their descendants. A few examples should be given. Their word "dahitur," meaning "milkmaid," shows us that the female members of the family milked the cows, a custom, by the way, from which many of their descendants have departed. From this word has come to us the word "daughter," with only a part of its original meaning. We can trace resemblances of a striking character in the household words of many nations of Aryan descent, proving beyond doubt the relationship existing between such peoples. One of SPRING-TO HAVE THEE NEAR. the most familiar instances of this similarity is found in the word "father." In the Sanscrit the word is "pitri;" in the Persian, "padar;" in the Greek, "pater," in the Latin, "pater." in the German, "vater;" and in the Spanish, "padre." At an early period the Aryans scattered and began moving westward. The first division to reach Europe was the Celtic; these families took up their abode in central Europe, whence they were driven farther westward by the next branch of the Aryans, the Teutonic. Passing into Britain, the Celts founded the Irish, the Scotch, and the Welsh nations, while the Teutons maintained their hold upon central Europe. These were the ancestors of the German, the the English, the Dutch, and the Scandinavian peoples of the present. The last 225 great wave of emigration to Europe consisted of the Slavonic Aryans, who settled in the eastern part of Europe, and founded the Russian nation of the present. We have briefly and imperfectly traced the origin and early development of profane history. We have seen how God has wrought upon the nations of the earth in accordance with His purposes. We have seen how He has so worked upon the minds of men as to bring His children to those lands where advancement will mark their lives and success crown their efforts to serve Him. We have seen how the Gentile nations have been brought into such a position that they could prepare for the establishment of God's work-the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times. Willard Done. SPRING. Spring has come, we've so much longed for, Spring, glad spring is here again; Glad we bid adieu to winter, Long he held his cheerless reign Loosed for aye, his icy fetters, Mother earth breathes free again. Snowy wreaths and robes of whiteness Russet garb, and garments grey, Earth has doffed for one of brightest Green and gold, with sprigs of May. Flowers springing on the hillside, Violets blooming in the dell, Yellow cowslips in the meadows, Of the joyous springtime tell. Wild vines, beautiful and trailing, Song birds too, have come to greet us, Such bright beauty out of dust? TO HAVE THEE NEAR. L. M. Hewlings. G. L. B. IT IS a fact well-known to students of natural science, that many small animals possess the truly wonderful power of producing light within or upon their own bodies. Those who have sailed in tropical seas have brought news of swarms of phosphorescent organisms, which at times fill the water, so that by night the ocean appears to be of itself luminous; and the spectacle is so grand a one that it has suggested a comparison with molten gold. But we need not go so far in search of examples of animal light; this peculiar luminosity is not confined to ocean residents only, nor to inhabitants of the tropics. Temperate climes furnish us with several illustrations of living lamps, principally among insects. The fire-fly is familiar to all. Along the banks of streams, or in marshes and damp meadows, countless thousands of these flitting lights may be seen during summer nights. One of the largest of the fire-fly family is represented greatly magnified in figure 1. This species is not unknown in Utah, though its home is near the Atlantic coast of our country. It is the Photuris Pennsylvanicus, a member of the coleoptera or beetle family. When full grown the insect is Fig. 1. about half an inch long. Its prevailing color is yellowish, with variations of darker hue, mostly in the form of poorly defined lines. The light emitted by the photuris is very bright. Often have I watched with admiration vast swarms of these insects along the streams of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, darting with brilliant and oft recurring flashes in a way to suggest a shower of blazing meteors. Another fire-fly, comparatively common in the middle and western states is the Photuris pyralis; this is smaller than the preceding; in general color it is darker, being of a brownish hue, in parts shading into black; pale yellow variations heighten the effect. The European fire-flies belong to the Lampyridæ, an important division of the beetle family. Among these the luminous organs are well developed on certain of the abdominal segments. Not only the adult beetles (imagos), but also the larvae, and even the eggs are lumi nous. The commonest and best known examples of European luminous beetles are Lampyris notiluca, and Lampyris splendidula. In each of these divisions, the females are wingless; a pair of scales only marking the ordinary places of attachment of the elytra. These wingless females, and the larvae are known under the common name of glow worms. Figure 2 represents the male of Lampyris notiluca; figure 3 shows the female of the same species. As is usual among light-giving insects, the female lampyris emits the brighter light. In general outline, there is little difference between the adult female and the larva. In Fig. 2. figure 4 the latter is shown in the act of entering a snail shell; this illustrates a characteristic habit of the larvae, they delighting to feed on the juicy bodies of land molluscs. The light of the glow-worm is of a pale greenish kind, and of an intensity far greater than the radiance of the fire-fly. It is a favorite pastime with English boys to capture a lot of glow-worms, and place Fig. 3. them with moist leaves on their hat brims; a dozen of the larvae, shining together, will shed an attractive brightness about the head of the captor. Figure 5 is a sketch of the adult male of Lampyris splendidula; figure 6 shows the female of the same. These are also included under the comprehensive name of glow-worms. A few examples of light-giving insects are to be met with among a different class of beetles, the elaterids or spring beetles. A fine example of such is found in the lightning spring beetle illustrated in figure 7. This insect is nearly an inch and a half in |