A STOLEN CHILD. educators of the Church, to a special mission among the Associations, to make their opportunities and duties more plain in this direction. We could not wish for a more effective organization than we have, with its Ward Presidency, Stake and General Superintendency, and complete official equipment; but a more thorough appreciation of the vast field in which its labors may be properly employed; and a better understanding of methods that may be wisely adopted, for the attainment of the best results, are greatly to be desired. That Elder Hardy's mission will result in creating a general revival of interest, and in the substantial and permanent welfare of our great organization cannot be, for a moment, doubted. "Among the Moths and Butterflies," is the attractive title of a little volume just fresh from the press of G. P. Putnam's Sons. It is written by Julia P. Ballard, and is in reality a revised and an amplified edition of that talented lady's "Insect Lives." The book contains descriptions of the commonest and most interesting of the scaly-winged insects, 75 illustrated with numerous and excellent engravings. The style is eminently simple, without a trace of that falsely scientific pedantry, which too frequently is found marring the works of naturalists. Fathers, mothers, and children will find much of interest and instruction in Mrs. Ballard's charming litttle book. We have also received from the same publishers a most comprehensive volume entitled, "Tabular Views of Universal History," in which is shown at a glance the chronological progress of society from the earliest ages to the present time. For convenience, we have seldom seen a better book of reference. AN ARAB SAYING. That cometh back no more to thee; priate, was Rosa. Beautiful as a cherub her loveliness was daintily enhanced, by the care and good taste bestowed upon her attire, by her idolizing mother. Her disposition was as lovable as her person, and was always as bright and sunny as a balmy day in June-full of good nature and of little sayings wise and cute. Poor child! Sad in extreme was her fate and long shrouded in deep mystery. THE incidents of this sad story occurred about twenty-five years ago, not far from the little village of Mendon, in Cache County, Utah; and the writer, accidentally in that neighborhood, was a witness of the tragic drama then enacted, and will endeavor to narrate it from memory. About three miles south of Mendon was the home of a Mr. Thurston, who owned a grist mill, operated by the waters of a large spring, not far away, and impounded in a mill-pond of no great superficial area, but of considerable depth. His family consisted of a wife-daughter to our beloved brother, Erastus Snow, and four or five children, the youngest of whom was a beautiful little girl, not quite three years old. She was a veritable little rosebud, the pride and pet of the family, and her name, eminently appro- us. But no, she was not there. Hastily One afternoon about two o'clock, as all the chlidren were out at play, a sudden burst of wind and rain drove them into the house for refuge. But in a few moments, the watchful eye of the mother missed the youngest of her flock, and "Where's Rosa?" she asked. "Why," said the children, she was play ing with us just now, and came in with stepping to the door, Mrs. Thurston She could not leave the home to join in called her darling, but no answer greeted her ear. Alarmed a little, she went outside, looking and calling, her steps grow ing quicker and her voice taking a ring of dire alarm in its tones. Her husband heard her voice, and came to see what was the matter. Quickly the mill-wheel ceased to turn, and the father joined in the anxious search, with all the children, visiting each spot frequented by them in their play; but no where could their pet be seen, nor could any answering cry be heard to their anxious calls. Alas! they were never to hear that mirthful, birdlike voice again. As the minutes flew swiftly by, wonder changed to anxiety and that into an indefinable dread. Where could she be? How could she so suddenly disappear and leave no trace behind, vanishing, apparently, from the earth, in the short space of not more than five minutes, at the most! Swiftly they flew about, searching and calling in vain. The muddy edge of the mill-pond disclosed no little footprints, and they remembered she had always avoided it through fear. Could she have fallen into the mill-race from the foot-bridge that spanned it? No; a thorough search down the millrace revealed not her body in its shallow course; they knew she could not have fallen into it. Then they thought perhaps the sudden gust of wind and rain had dazed her, and that she had fled in fright from the house, instead of towards it, and thus had wandered away.. While the rest of the family ran hither and thither among the sage brush, wildly calling the lost one, the father wild with anxiety for his pet, hurriedly flew to Mendon, for help to find her, before the chill night should fall, and still more effectually hide the little one. The men of Mendon responded on the instant, and soon more than a score of them with lanterns had joined in the search, every now and then calling little Rosa's name, then stopping to listen,-every sense at its utmost tension, then searching and calling again,listening in vain for the little, tearful voice. And so passed the dreary, chilly night. And all this time-what of the mother? the search, she must remain to watch over those left her, though sorely against her will. Could she have done so, she would have flown upon the wings of mother-love, over that dark and cheerless prairie, nor stop until her strength should utterly give way. So all night long she stands at her door waiting-watchinglistening for the distant, joyful shout that should ring through the black night and tell her trembling heart that her little darling was found. And who may know or tell the agonizing thoughts which sped through that mother's brain that long and fearful night?-of her little one alone, terrified in the dark, chilled and stiffened with cold; and-fearful thought!—of coyotes prowling about, or the big gray wolves, from the towering mountains, only a mile or so away! What if even now her darling Rosa lay mangled, torn, or devoured by their cruel teeth-her cries of pain and terror, all unheard by any one who could save! Oh, it was dreadful! When morning came, and it became known that little Rosa had not been found, many others joined in the search. It was thought she must have wandered towards the mountains. A more systematic form of search was adopted; the men placing themselves in a line facing the mountain and a few yards apart, so that in their forward march not a foot of ground should be unscanned. Thus the line slowly moved forward, until the base of the mountain was reached, without the slightest sign of her presence being discovered, and it was conceded, she could not have gone that way. With dejected steps they returned to the house to devise other plans. It was now determined to examine the mill-pond thoroughly; a raft was built and men with long poles felt the entire bottom of the pond unsuccessfully. Then skilful divers explored its dark but clear waters in vain, and at last, to make assurance more sure, the pond was drained, but its waters found guiltless. And so this day passed, and the following night, in a search careful and untiring, and all that willing hearts and tireless feet could do was done. And the next A STOLEN CHILD. day it was kept up, until it became a certainty that she was not to be found; then the long search was discontinued and men returned to their homes, wondering at so complete a disappearance one that seemed almost a miracle. Who may know the agony of that fond mother. Day and night she stood silent at her door. Not a word passed her lips, not a tear dimmed her eye, she ate or drank nothing she seemed turned to stone, as thus she stood day and night at her door waiting-waiting-for news that never came. Never can the writer forget the look of stony despair upon that mother's countenance, as thus she stood waiting-hoping-despairing, every faculty concentrated into those of sight and hearing. Not less distressed was the father; by night and by day he rode, following up every possible and impossible rumor, and lavishing his little wealth in vain efforts to obtain tidings of his darling child. What had become of little Rosa? How was it possible for her to be so utterly lost in the space of five minutes, without leaving some clue? It seemed inconceivable--it was a mystery no one could fathom. She seemed to have suddenly vanished from the earth. had thought nothing of this at the time, Here was an his best to follow it up, offering a large 77 offering what would beggar him and make an Indian rich. But this too failed. From time to time rumors would float through the air that a white child had been seen with a band of Shoshones in Wyoming, or of Bannocks in Idaho, or with some wandering Utes; but each long and tedious hunt for the band spoken of only resulted in disappointment. He never saw his little Rosebud again. But the belief grew with the people that thus had she been stolen, and in revenge for the alleged killing of an Indian, a few months previous, by a white man. This belief afterwards became a certainty. About four years after the disappearance of the child, an Indian revealed the sad truth as follows: He said a squaw was near the mill on that day, gathering berries in a clump of bushes. When the children ran to the house, to escape the storm, little Rosa lingered behind the others a moment; was seized by the squaw, who darted into the bushes, with her hands over the child's mouth, and delivered her to the two Indians, afterwards seen upon the road. They had placed her between them, hid her from view by the blanket, and had thus carried her away to their band, and left the Territory. But she became sick; the squaws stripped her warm clothing off and put it upon their pappooses; the other children beat and abused her, and she cried incessantly for "Mamma! Mamma! Oh, Papa! Papa!" They thought she would die, and so started to take her to her father and obtain the reward, of which they had heard; but on the way home, death, her best friend, relieved her sufferings, and they left her body beside the trail. He said the Indians had stolen her in revenge for the murder of the Indian, and that Pocatello, the chief, had vowed to steal nine more children from the whites to pay the debt. Ere this reached their ears, the Thurston family had left the place. Heart broken as they were, they could not endure the scene of so much sorrow, and of such an agonizing uncertainty. Could they have known she was dead, peace would have come to their souls; but the thought that she might still be alive and suffering from Indian barbarity, was always present with them. The family removed to Southern California, and made a home not far from San Diego, and near the seashore, where the grand melody of old Ocean rises unceasingly to heaven, as the waves, with gentle ripple or thundering roar, fall upon the beach. Here the writer, in company with Apostles Snow and Thatcher, visited them, a few years ago; but even then, after the lapse of so many years, the father could not speak of his loss with resignation. This tale is a sad one, but is only one example of the many perils and sorrows possible to the pioneer. Little Rosa Thurston was not the only child stolen by the savages, never more to be seen by parents or friends. The writer recalls several such sad bereavements in the history of Utah and Idaho, and of one that almost occurred in Logan-prevented by the merest chance only, and the intervening hand of a woman, Mrs. Susan E. Martineau, then a resident of that place. She noticed a squaw going towards the willows of Logan river, dragging an un willing child along by the hand, which behaved unlike an Indian pappoose, and so drew her attention. The child was also covered by an old shawl. Convinced that something was wrong, she crouched behind the fence, waiting for the squaw to come along, then to rush upon her and rescue the child. more properly the providence of God provided, just as the squaw came to the fence, two men came up a side street, to whom Mrs. Martineau told her suspicions, as to the squaw, who was then hurrying away. They ran to her, snatched away the shawl from the child, and beheld a little white boy, only two or three years old— the son of Edwin Curtis of Logan-whom she nearly succeeded in capturing. This little boy was one of the nine more Pocatello had said he would yet steal from the Whites. When rescued, the little fellow was not more than forty rods from the dense willows along the river, and had the squaw not been noticed by Mrs. Martineau, mourning over another lost child, would have been a sure consequence. May we hope that never again in the history of the Saints will so sad an event transpire among them. Santiago. As good fortune, or ASSOCIATION Elder Milton H. Hardy, Provo, Utah: Dear Brother:-We are advised that the condition of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, throughout the Church, is such as to require careful consideration and attention from its general officers; and in our capacity, as the General Superintendency of the organization, we feel it our duty to extend to the Associations such encouragement and counsel, as may be necessary to promote their welfare, and put them in the way of securing, to the young men of Israel, the blessings that are in store for them; and that can be secured unto them through the medium of these Associations, which have been organized by the counsel of the Priesthood, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for their especial benefit. INTELLIGENCE. The organization, as originally given and generally maintained, is one capable of securing to all its members (and its membership should include all the young men of Zion) a taste for theological, historical, scientific, and literary studies; such as should characterize the intelligent youth of a community of Latter-day Saints. It is the mission of these Associations to take the lead in this direction, and their officers should seek for that knowledge and spirit, which will qualify them as leaders, in directing the work of their respective Associations. From your long connection with Mutual Improvement Associations, and the deep interest you have always taken in them, we feel that you are qualified to represent us, in the detail labor, which we deem at ASSOCIATION INTELLIGENCE. present necessary to be performed, for their best interests. We, therefore, take pleasure in appointing you to this mission, as our representative; to visit the Associations, holding such meetings of the officers, and such public meetings, as may be necessary, to instruct and acquaint all who are interested, in the plan and purpose of this great organization. We commend you to the consideration of all the officers of the Associations, to Presidents of Stakes and Bishops, and ask their cordial co-operation in promfoting the object of your mission; and we bless you and ask our Father in Heaven to bless and inspire you with the spirit and power of this calling, in the name of Jesus, Amen. (Signed), Your brethren, Wilford Woodruff, Jos. F. Smith, Moses Thatcher, General Superintendency Y. M. M. I. A. Nov. 14, 1890. To the Officers of the Y. M. M. I. A. : DEAR BRETHREN:-We have on hand over one thousand sets of the M. I. A. First Year's Course of Reading, and desire your co-operation in placing them, as soon as possible, in the hands of the members of our Associations, with necessary instructions as to their proper use. The set of books, consist of the following: I. The Gospel, by B. H. Roberts; II. The First Book of Nature, by J. E. Talmage; III. The History of England, by Chas. Dickens; 79 ment; and we trust you will cheerfully assist him in his labors, so that all these books may be put into the hands of readers, during the present season; and the young men, for whom they were prepared, made the recipients of the great benefits that are sure to follow their careful perusal. V. Readings from Washington Irving; These books we consider extremely valuable to our young men; and the habit of systematic reading, which they are expected to introduce, will be of the utmost benefit to all who engage in it. We have appointed Elder Milton H. Hardy to represent us, in presenting the merits of the Course of Reading to you, in connection with other instructions pertaining to the work of mutual improve BOOK OF MORMON SUBJECTS (concluded)— BY MILTON H. HARDY AND GEO. H. BRIMHALL. Lecture LIX. Subject: The Jaredites. Introductory note.-The student is reminded that the first inhabitants of "Old America," by some called the "New World," after the deluge, were the Jaredites, who came directly from the Tower of Babel, and occupied this land for a period of about twenty-seven generations. They were, therefore, the original discoverers, and this land has been inhabited continuously since that time. Subdivisions: 1. Race characteristics; 2. Divine preservation of the universal language; 3. The exodus westward by land and water; 4. Temporary home on the sea-coast; 5. Voyage across the Atlantic; 6. Prosperity under patriarchal government; 7. Change of form of government under patriarchal protest; 8. Death of Jared and his brother; 9. Division of the people; 10. Wave of wickedness, a family feuds, b secret combinations, c civil war; 11. Warning prophets, a respected, tolerated, c reviled, d persecuted, e slain. Reference, Ether, chap. I to 9. SubLX. Subject: Jaredites concluded. divisions: 1. Terrible famine and poisonous serpents in North America, in fulfilment of prophecy; 2. Attempt to pass the isthmus; 3. Repentance and humility; 4. Period of pros perity; 5. The populating and developing of North America, and the restoring of South America as a national hunting ground; 6. Re turn to wickedness; 7. Unheeded prophetic warnings; 8. Terrible destruction following the slaying of the prophets; 9. Brief reformation; 10. Wicked rulers; 11. Prophetic declaration of the utter destruction of the race and the recolonization of the country by another people; 12. Series of battles; 13. Final contest; 14. Extinction of the race. Reference, Ether, chap. 10 to 15. |