her ways, instead of grieving, she threw herself valiantly upon
the task. With the courage which had enabled her to become the
mother of seven children she attacked the problem. With the
valorous endurance which had brought seven little babes to the
estate of manhood and womanhood she undertook the struggle
which revolutionary Isobel advised.
The refusal to tend Isobel's baby was, so to speak, the first
gun fired. After that the shots came thick and fast. Mother
went shopping and brought home nothing for anyone but herself.
Mother arranged for each daughter at home to attend to a certain
portion of the housework. Mother took care of her own room,
but spent most of her time in her own interests. "In her selfish
interests," commented the astonished daughters. On the third
morning after this new arrangement of affairs, mother remained
in bed until eleven. It was the first time. the family remembered
such an occurrence. It was the first time in thirty-five years that
mother had not been the first one in the house astir. Beatrice, in
alarm, peeped into her room, to find her sleeping peacefully.
Mother spent hours on the veranda engrossed with delicate
embroidery and filmy lg,ces. She fashioned blouses and lingerie
with the exquisite skill for which she had been famous as a girl.
And they were all for mother ! No extra silk blouse for Viola,
"just for a change, my dear." . No new embroi'lered collar and
cuffs for Beatrice. No more monogrammed sli])s for Mignon.
These days the girls even mended their own torn laces, darned
their own hose, and sewed on their own buttons.
Mother got out her guitar and after stealthy practices behind
locked doors, took to playing "Annie Laurie" and "Ben Bolt" to
father, happily ensconced in his great arm chair and house sli]:»-
pers on the vine-covered balcony. Mother devoting her entire
time to herself was enough cause for silent wonder among the
family. Mother in a soft crepe gown of father's favorite shade
of rose, playing and humming sentimental airs, was cause for
whispered alarm an 1 suggestions that someone had better see the
doctor.
It was Isobel who suggested to ihe family that the)' make a
special celebration for their parents' wedding anniversary in Sep-
tcml)er. Isobel, iierple.xed and worried, wished to make amends
440 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
for her rudeness to her mother, to clear away the slight estrange-
ment which seemed to have come between them. Although the
gathering was to be a surprise, Isobel took it upon herself to drop
her mother several very definite hints that something was afoot
for the wedding day. Surprises are all very well, in their way,
but Isobel thought it might work better if her mother knew about
it beforehand.
The family threw themselves into the preparations gallantly.
Fanny, Bob's wife, made a gorgeous wedding cake, all frosted
over with the hard, indigestible frosting that is guaranteed to
preserve the cake fifty years. Geraldine, the second sister-in-law,
fried the chicken. The affair was to be one of father's favorite
chicken suppers. Margie, the other sister-in-law, prepared a
clever little toast for the occasion. She was to sit near the head
of the table and sort of start things off.
At eight o'clock on the eventful day, the whole family assem-
bled. Bob, stout and jocular, as became the eldest member, tip-
toed through the kitchen door with Bob, Jr., and Fanny trailing
breathlessly after him. Parker, followed by Geraldine and wide-
eyed Nancy seeing her first party, crept in, holding his wriggling,
squirming, year-old son tightly in his arms, one hand raised in
readiness to cover his offspring's mouth in case of untimely, lusty
howls. Margie and Tim and their two sons tried to squeeze
through the door together in their haste to get in without giving
away the surprise. Tim, of course, was immediately possessed
of an insane desire to sneeze, and even after Margie pressed her
finger hard on his upper lip as a preventive, gave vent to a
ludicrously muffled "Kerchew!"
"There! aren't they perfectly dear?" whispered Isobel. She
spread on the sideboard the silver salad forks and round-bowled
soup spoons which the children had decided to add as a present
to their parents' silver service.
"Lovely," came in a subdued chorus.
"Leave them spread out," suggested Viola, as she brought in
the salad. "I suppose we may as well bring things in — they'll
be here any minute now."
"Yes, I arranged with Mrs. Dennison to have an evening
engagement so that mother and father would have to leave right
after dinner. They ought to be here by eight-thirty." Isobel
gave a satisfied pat to the silver.
So the family settled down in the parlor to wait. The grand-
children took turns acting as lookouts at the front door. At nine
o'clock there were no grandparents in sight, and the little look-
outs, losing interest, began to return via the dining room route,
concealing olives in suddenly swollen cheeks and munching and
hastily swallowing salted almonds.
Ten o'clock dragged round and no father and mother. The
MUriUiR TAKES A I) I' ICE. 441
valiant lookouts, satisfied with their gleanings of olives, nuts and
cake, one by one curled themselves up in the big chairs and went
to sleep. Bob and Parker holding sleeping infants, exchanged
anxious glances. \ iola stifled a yawn and Mignon, from the
piano bench, gave a violent nod which woke her up.
"I can stand this no longer," burst out Isobel. "Something
has gone wrong, an accident, perhaps, and father and mother
may be hurt — "
"Nonsense, Isobel," put in Tim. "Don't alarm yourself."
"Well, I'm sure something has happened, otherwise they
would have telephoned. I'm going out to look for them."
She hurried from the house and through the garden. They
all trooped after her.
"Listen!" she said in a hushed voice at the gate. "Horses!
and it sounds like the rubber wheels of the ambulance!"
As they went through the gate, a smartly built phaeton
drawn by a pair of horses turned into the moonlit avenue.
"Mother and father!" gasped Isobel. "And she didn't come
to her wedding party even when she knew about it — that's taking
my advice with a vengeance I"
The others stared.
The horses, unheeded by father, guided themselves, as all
well-trained livery-stable horses that are hired to lovers do. Un-
der the leafly trees that arched across the avenue and dappled it
with shadow, father and mother drove, unconscious of their gaz-
ing children. And silhouetted against the gleaming harvest
moon, they saw father's arm steal round mother's waist and
mother's head droop down on father's shoulder.
EMMA LUCY GATES' WEDDING CAKE.
(Made by her Mother and iced by herself.)
6 well beaten eggs, 1 lb. of stoned raisins, 1 lb. of cleaned
currants 1 lb. of chopped walnuts, ^ lb. of butter, Yz lb. of sugar,
creamed with butter, 1 lb. of flour, with 1 teaspoon of yeast
powder ; mix flour with the fruit. Inside of one baker's loaf of
l.read, crumbed, 1 cup of rich, sweet milk, 1 teaspoon each of
lemon, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, 2 tablespoons ground choco-
late, 2 tablespoons preserved plums or peaches.
Mix batter, add bread crumbs and nuts, lastly the floured
fruit. Rake all night in fireless cooker.
Proper Guidance of Children.
By Lucy } fright Snozv.
AUTHORITY.
When Jesus said. "]\Iy gospel' is not mine but His that sent
me." He showed us how profoundly He respected the authority
of His Father. In this example of our own dear Savior we find
one of the first essentials of proper 'guidance of children.
When a child has come to feel the authority of his parents,
yet still maintaining his freedom to think and act for himself, the
problem of his proper guidance is near a solution.
In order that this authority may be a proper authority, it is
necessary that a perfect harmony of purpose exist between the
parents of a family. How best this unity may be obtained is
truly the problem of the parents. They should together study
their ideals, and together watch them mature and crystalize.
always keeping in mind the old adage, "United we stand ; divided
• we fall."
When parents are united in purpose, it becomes an easy
matter to train and develop children in the home as a unit, which
unit produces in turn, love and loyalty, and may be a power for
good throughout all time.
Each child should understand that he is responsible for his
part in making the home happy, and a child very soon learns
to accept this responsibility as one of the real pleasures of his
little life. "j\Ian is that he might have joy" applies from the
cradle to the g^ave, and a child, properly anticipated, directed
and employed, will get as much satisfaction and joy out of his
little tasks and responsibilities as adults derive from theirs.
When we learn the importance of respecting authority, we
should next come to realize the necessity of
CONFORMITY TO L.\W.
In early life a child obeys mother because he must obey ; he
is incapable of reasoning, and the mother must use her reasoning
power for him. Psychologists tell us that a child mind begins
to philosophize or develop reasoning power at about the age of
four years and. since a chiUl's philosophy is his religion, here
we find p.sychological reasons for our law of baptism at eight
years.
As he reaches about the age of eiglit lie should l)egin to
know th'.it he luust do right, not because he will please mother,
PROPER GUIDAXCR OF CHILD REX. 443
but because it is essential for him to obey the law of right. Law
is inevitable, and must be obeyed, or the consequences suffered.
Children should be taught early in life to do little tasks that
are unpleasant. All our heroes became great through doing-
things that they didn't want to do. Why should a child be
allowed to think that he may leave the unpleasant tasks for some
on else to do? Let him get the habit of giving to his pareits,
and sensing the duty of doing for them ; it will bring him happi-
ness as it brings us happiness to do the work of our heavenly
Father.
Teach a child to bear disappointment and suffering. This
is the valuable lesson of self control. Many mothers conceal
coming events from their children because the things may, after
all, not happen, in which case "the disappointment would be ss
hard to bear."
"Of course, if disappointment is thus treated as an ex-
l^erience to be avoided in every possible way, then disappoint-
ment will become an unbearable pain. But life is a series of
disappointments as it is a series of fulfilments and surprises, and
children should learn to meet disappointments as one of the in-
teresting problems of life. They should grow accustomed to
turn defeat into victory, by filling every disheartening gap with
something which could not otherwise have been had."
As for the ills of life, they are the result of broken laws.
When our first parents ate the fruit of this earth, they became
mortal, and thereby subject to the ills and weaknesses of the
flesh ; why not make the most of a condition, and not scatter the
poison of our complaint to those around us ? Better ^o learn
in infancy to bear trials with the strength and fortitude that God
will give to the earnest solicitor, and in so doing our minds will
remain clearer and more receptive in gaining knowledge ; and
we are told that we are saved no faster than we gain knowledge.
Now it is for us mothers to remember that the human mind
is most active in absorbing its food in infancy and early child-
hood, and realize the importance of a healthy mental and spir-
itual environment for the child.
Books to read on the subject : Scripture, "Gentle Measures
in the Management and Training of the Young," by Jacob Abbot ;
"Childhocd." bv ^^frs. Birney ; "Fundamentals of Child Study,"
by Kirkpatrick.
The Prince of Ur
By Homespun.
The appointed hour of the sacrifice drew near. The sun had
sunk to rest on the low horizon of the western Mesapotamian
plains. The great heights of the Ziggarut were illumined by the
last rays of the setting majesty whose worship was the central
feature of lower Babylonia ; but the moon-god was the chief deity
of Ur. The floods of the departing, sparkling light rippled along
the rising terraces of the temple, enveloping all in its golden glory
like the material envelope of the empire's mysterious soul. The
black, lower terrace of the temple was the more somber for the
gleam of the red and yellow, the pale pink and the lustrous blue
of the upper terraces which but accentuated the shimmering bloom
of the golden shrine while it lighted the silvered sheen of the last
of the seven coUossal terraces on which sat the golden shrine with
its mystic altar without, and its mysterious altar within.
A tremendous clamor of human voices mingled with the clash
of musical instruments — drums and tambourines, the loud and
swelling trumpet, with horns, softened by the sweeter lure of
Piuted strings on lyres, guitars, zithers, pipes and cymbals, rising
from the bosom of the city, as well as from the choristers of the
Ziggarut which gave the signal for the evening's procession and
ceremonies. All who were to take part in the procession has-
tened to > array themselves and to be ranged along the approach
to the Ziggarut where Nimrod was to emerge on his way to the
inner sanctuary of the temple. Under the main portico of the
walls, stood a magnificent palanquin, or chair of state, upon sup-
ports of ivory, carved with symbolic characters. This car con-
tained a throne of gold, the base of which represented in gilded
relief the fish-god Onnanes, the emblem for united courage and
wisdom. On this throne, at its dififerent corners, were the colored
statues of Libnah, Korash. Elkaneh and Merodack. On the top
of the carved back rested a statuette of Ishtar, the goddess of the
Assyrians, with her hands outstretched to protect her vassal and
lord.
Nimrod, his forehead crowned with a massive weight of gold
and jewels, under which was his linen bonnet, came out of the
lower sanctuary wearing his priestly linen robe under his richly
fringed outer garments, and seated himself in this throne chair,
or royal shrine, while twelve high priests of the first rank in Ur
and its surrounding tributary cities, uplifted him on their shoul-
ders. Mardan stood at the head of the litter, his gleaming crown
and his priestly miter betraying the complete and public apostasy
THE PRINCE OF UR. 445
which had this day separated him forever from the Petesi's house-
liold and his former religion. His crown was a jewelled snake,
its gleaming scales and its red-blood eyes of ruby from the isles
oF Indus reared itself above his curled and perfumed locks in the
light of the thousand torches with sinister effect. Other great
personages crowded around for the honor of touching the royal
throne, some seizing the alabaster steps and others the supports,
and all moved off together, preceded by an immense crowd to the
temple of Ishtar — or the Moon goddess of Ur.
Instantly a blare of vocal and instrumental music smote the
night-silence, in which the rudimentary flutes and trumpets, the
drums and brasses, gave forth thrilling sounds from weedy pipes
or sounding brass. The members of the king's court, the Rab-
mags, the priests, the officers and their functionaries of his great
establishment followed immediately after their master. The
royal palanquin was surrounded as well by fan bearers, by the
children of the sacredotal caste carrying the scepter, the arms
and the other insignia of the monarch before whom the first
])rincess of the land and the son of the high priest of Ur burned
incense continually.
The newly created goddess of Ishtar — the royal spouse se-
lected by Nimrod, followed after ; the haughty and vain apostate
daughter of the house of Terah — Iscah — was robed in like fashion
as her royal master ; yet her own rich robes were made of almost
transparent tissues, the weaving of which the Indus alone pos-
sessed the secret; and like him she displayed many jewelled orna-
ments on her neck, her arms and her ankles ; her wealth of black,
yet lusterless tresses clung about her, veiling the fabulous pearls
and corals of the Erythrean seas and the emeralds of Troglodytes ;
she followed her lord in an elegant palanquin, the elastic ham-
mock of which, constructed of fine flax and gold, seemed sus-
pended from stalks of rose-colored and violet flowers. Above her
crowned head was a broad canopy woven with the rainbow-hued
spoils of the most brilliant birds of the tropics, which threw out
coruscating, ever-changing tints and shades.
Behind this queenly cortege came in two parallel lines, the
various petesi and officials of visiting cities and tribes. The lesser
dignitaries of the court and priesthood followed after. Detach-
ments of soldiers, regularly drawn up in line by platoons under
their respective officers and standards, terminated the procession
which even the long and beautiful tiled walks of the inner courts
of the Ziggarut could not contain. As the procession reached the
lower steps of the' temple proper, -the seven terraces of the Zig-
garut resounded with solemn and mysterious religious music and
incantations, the military music ceased and the royal pageant
lialted, and all waited till Nimrod had seated himself upon his
throne, which was on the lower terrace.
446 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
The brazen gates, opening upon the Ziggarut proper, and
guarded by the huge winged hons of the Assyrian royalty, gave
open passage to a long procession of priestly choirs advancing
with sacred hymnals to greet their god-king. These were the
local ecclesiastics of the great city of Vv. They brought many
visiting members of their cult in their ranks, and each gave fortli
his own benediction of his local gods upon the great god Mero-
dach-Nimrod. Many of these visiting ])riests had brought with
them their gods, mysteriously covered or enshrined in arks,
which they carried on their shoulders, dividing themselves into
groups of twelve, twenty-four or seventy priests, according to the
dignity and importance of the god which they carried. The
thick tissues of silver and gold effectually hid their idols from
the curious or j^rofane gaze of the onlooker. These gods were
the rude symbols which an apostate priesthood after the order of
Cush had engrafted upon the pure tradition bequeathed to them
by their great forefather Noah.
As each Rabmag and each petesi halted before the royal
throne, the priest in charge led the hymnal of praise to Nimrod,
attributing to him the different virtues which their local god was
made to symbolize. One praised his justice, another his mag-
nanimity, others his hatred of falsehood, and his love of good.
These sang laudations for his wisdom and his prudence, and
those his strength and courage in overcoming his enemies.
Descending from his royal dais, Nimrod proceeded on foot
up the long and elevated platform which led to the foot of the
stairs leading up to the second terrace of the Zig'garut. Up and
up the procession mounted, the choirs and bands mingling their
strains in rising harmonies, which pealerl forth on the night
silence with weird and thrilling effect. Thousands of glownig
oil lamps on all the terraces were ablaze with artificial illumina-
tion.
Up and up climbed the royal procession, and finally, the king
had reached the upper shrine, where his own distorted and sym-
b{»lic image stood in the Holy of Holies. In front of the great
golden-domed shrine stood a golden table with the shew-breal
upon it. Below was a parakku — or mercy-seat — of gold and
filigree workmanship. In front of the shrine was an altar of
gold, and another altar stood in the outer court. Here also was
the great basin or font of bronze, for purifying and baptismal
purposes. This was called "The Deep," and it stood on twelve
cxen also made of bronze. To the left was the sacrificial altar,
made in the shape of an iron bedstead — copied from the Egyptian
deities for the offering of human sacrifice. This altar was to be
consecrated this night — just as the moon-goddess Ishtar showed
her effulgent face above the eastern horizon.
On the arrival of the king at the up]>er shrine, the high priest
THE PRINCE OE UR. 447
officiating", caused the pontififs under him to intone the chant con-
secrate 1 to the (Hvine moonhght about to reveal itself to mortals
on this auspicious night. Standing erect at the altar, he received .
the king', who, ascending to a place beside him, aided him in pre-
paring- the ropes to fasten the sacrificial victim later upon the
altar. â– Nimrod himself poured out upon the altar the libations of
wine and oil. and burned the prescribed incense amid a shower
of flowers, and then prostrated his huge bulk, along the richly
tiierl floor in front of the golden altar, whereon was now burning
llie royal incense. He pronounced these words :
"I come to my father the Nameless One, at the end of the
procession of gods, which he forever admits to his presence."
During this ceremony, the priests and their arks and idols
were wheeling solemnly around the outer courts of the shrine, and
Lhey finally entered and mingled their homage with the kingly
votary who had laid his all on the altar, becoming by that act,
the very god of heaven himself. As each passed the now
seated form of their great god-king, Nimrod, they expressed
\vishes for the welfare of the King of Earth. The weird and
blood-curdling litany which followed in a tongue strange to
Tscah's ears, chilled her to the marrow. She had seen the beauty
and the majesty and the brute-force of Nimrod. She was soon
to behold the inferno which was to follow on the heels of this
seemingly innocent and religious tribute and service.
Each petesi and priest as he bowed before the golden altar
wliereon sat Nimrod himself, said :
"I come to render homage to the sovereign of the gods, Nim-
rod-Merodach, the governing and controlling head of the lands
of Assyria and babylonia, in order that he may grant long years
to his son the ])etesi of Arad — his son who loves Merodach."
x'\nother said :
"We approach thee, to serve thy majesty, oh sovereign lord,
Alerodach-Nimrod. Grant a pure and established life to thy son
Rab-saki."
Iscah was wrought up by the exaltation of all this jiomp and
s])1en(lor, and at the beckoning nod of her master, she too came
forward and cried :
"And T. the royal spouse, the all-powerful mistress of the
world, r bring my homage also, to Nimrod-Merodach, king of
gods and men. My heart rejoices in thy loving kindness; I leap
\vith delight under the weight of thy favors. Oh thou, who dost
establish the seat of thy power in the dwelling of men, thou —
A!ero:'ach — the lord of the world, accord to me a firmly estab-
li^^hed and pure life. May vour years be counted by your periods
of ]:)ag"eantries.''
'I'hen with the unsceirg gaze of the seer of visions, Iscah
lifted up her pale and now agonized face, and with the deep but
448 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZIXE.
shrill voice of the visionarv' she trumpeted forth as if moved by
a power wholly without herself:
"My well-beloved sovereign ! Receive from Ishtar the power
and the long days to pass upon the throne of Ass>-ria. Thou shalt
joyously control the world. Elkanah hath written down beside
th} name all the royal attributes of the celesial One. The South
and the Xorth. the East and the West, shall be brought under thy
yoke. All the good gates shall be opened to thee. I g^ve the
races of the earth to thee to trample beneath thy sandals. The
force of thy arm shall triumph in all parts of the world, and the
terror of thy name shall stamp itself deeply on the heaps of the
barbarians. I give to thee, O my lord, the sc}-the of battle to re-
strain the foreign nations and to sever the bonds of the rebellious.
Take the whip and the scepter to rule the land of Assyria. The
Lady of the Celestial palace has prepared for thee the diadem of
the stm. May this crown remain upon thy head where I place it
forever."
At these words, the excited girl seized the crown which lay
on the altar where Ximrod had placed it to receive the anointing
from the priest, and the priest stretched his pontifical staff to the
four comers of the earth as if to emphasize the words of the new
prophetess of Ishtar.
The chanting of the priests was resumed, the incense was
renewed in its vases, the marching priests took up the sacred
strains, and Nimrod was ready to dedicate his newly prepare!
altar. Appeased, but not satisfied by all the lavish adulation he
had received, he now turned to watch for the coming of Abram