Ziggarut.
"Ha, thou wouldst live to fester this earth with thy vile and
rotting carcass, whereon even the birds of prey would sicken,
for there is no corruption known to man but has its seeds within
thy vile body. Thou and I are of kin, thou king's son, for we
are one in vileness and in crime. Thou hast no courage of thine
own, but canst rouse the wicked daring of others with thy poi-
A PRINCE OF UR. A99
soned lies and hiventions. But now — but now — to the realms of
tlie black death — to the deepest — hell — we two will go — "
A heaving- shriek that was torn from his throat in deadly
agony as Mardan's body fell in her arms from the terrace was
all that betrayed the last crime of that blackened soul and body
of Zillah and her companion in crime, Mardan. Death to her was
far sweeter than life — with Abram gone — Abram who had ever
despised such as she — and who was now in mortal danger through
this curse in her arms — she but laughed in fierce glee as she
]:>lunged outward with a last powerful sweep of her steely arms
to make sure that no projection should prevent them both from
the doom she courted with fierce Cushite courage. No cry, no
sound from her grim lips passed into the silence of the night.
Fiercely she had lived, fiercely she had died.
"Who shrieked?" asked the courtesan who had plucked the
youth to her bosom for his impudence.
"Only a, black wench with some white-robed priest ready
for the realms of Silver Light."
"Why did they not wait and give themselves to the sacrificial
altar?" queried the woman. But the youth only shrugged his
shoulders and gave up the riddle.
"On the high places the son is burnt."
The light winds had brought up a fleecy bank of clouds ; but
tb.eir trailing robes only lingered over the eastern horizon, and as
yet had not risen to check the heavenly march of Ishtar, Goddess
of the Night. There was a curious shuddering stillness in the
brilliant sky that smote upon every heart. It was as if Mother
Nature were about to give birth to some tremendous inner
miracle.
Lot watched his kinsman Abram go by him silently, none of
them joining in the rituals, but each shepherd chieftain keeping
close eye on Lot as he wandered on up and up idly as if in search
of new sensations^ — keeping always back to the western end of
the platforms.
The chanting of the priests, the tinkling of the cymbals, grew
louder and more insistent as the procession reached the upper
platform. The king sat upon Elkanah's golden throne. Nimrod's
tense body was rigid and expectant for this last triumph of his
long and successful reign. He had sought to bring death to the
Prince of LTr, the scholar, the high priest after the order of the
ancients, Abram, friend of God and friend of Pharaoh — this man
he had sought to destroy for all the years of his life ; but each
time he had been frustrated. Now, Abram was to choose — he
could enter the priesthood of Elkanah this night by officiating
at the altar of human sacrifice, or, upon refusal, Nimrod would,
himself, cut out his heart upon the iron altar preparatory to thrust-
500 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
ing him into the fiery furnace. Nimrod clenched his brawny
h?n(ls and his muscles like great whip-cords strained with the
exultant thought that now, this. very night, he, himself should
bind his enemy upon the iron altar, would slay him with the
sv>'ord of the holy priesthood of Elkanah, and then, into the flames
should he be cast as a propitiation to the fire-god whom Abram
had despised and denounced. The lust of it was strong upon
the wicked ruler, and his eyes shone in expectant refusal to hear
the cries of Terah or the possible appeals and promises of his
victims.
"The head of the offspring, for the head of the father he
shall give," sang the priests, and Nimrod ground his teeth in
savage pleasure as he saw the victim approaching his throne and
the altar beside it.
The prince stood before him at last, gracious in the majesty
of his personal comeliness and in the calm dignity of an unruffled
faith which looked out from the piercing brown eyes now bent
upon the soldiers and the priests.
Abram finally turned his gaze upon the apostate king, but
he spake not.
"Bring the high priestess of Ishtar, and her train," cried the
king who thus delayed the sacrifice to prolong the torture of his
enemy and to give good evidence to the assembled priests of Ur,
many of whom adored this mystic Prince of Ur, full proof of
Abram's treason to Elkanah, to Isdubar, to Shagreel, to Ishtar,
to himself, the king of all Babylon, and to the whole religious
worship of the Babylonian monarchy.
The harps and cymbals struck their most sensuous notes and
the voices of the singers poured riotous melody as the train of
the new priestess of Ishtar emerged from the distant throng and
swept along the alabastar paved cloisters. Proudly she led her
swaying, excited votaries to the spot where Abram stood, herself
unmoved and cold. Her face was delicately chiselled, and her
loveliness would have melted a far sterner soul than Abram's,
were he lacking in that divine virtue of continence which is
achieved by man only with the knowledge and worship of the God
of heaven. Her outer sash was fringed and flounced with gor-
geous shades of red and blue stuflfs, but as she slowly swung and
bent her supple form, the folds unwound and betrayed one long
seductive length of delicate, white covering which gradually
swirled round her arms, leaving her body clothed only in the
filmy,singl e under-garment worn by the priestess of Ishtar. It
was Iscah ! Crowned queen, — priestess, she had reached the bar-
ren summit of her ambitions.
Behind and about her swirled and circled other lovely
maidens, some tall and with the grace of the stately date-palm,
others dainty as a river-lily nodding on its stem. But all sought
A PRINCE OF UR. 501
to attract prince Abram with dusky, alluring eyes as they plied
their sultry-sweet allurements. Yet Abram stood cold and un-
moved before them.
Nimrod watched the long dance and grunted angrily at its
failure to move its victim. .
"Enough," he cried at last, stung by Abram s haughty si-
lence. "Bring Abram's father's gods, and set them down before
him. Come hither Iscah, sit beside me, my queen !"
The attendants marched gravely up, and one by one they
placed the twelve ugly gods before the king, designed by Azzi-
jaama, and fashioned in the workshops of Terah, all of which
"had been placed by Terah himself in this temple of Elkanah as
his own votive offering to the newly finished Ziggarut.
"Worship the gods of your father, Abram," cried the king
derisively. But Abram stood coldly before him.
The king tore his garments as he twisted angrily on his
golden throne. ,
"Thou, even thou, dost pretend to the friendship of Pharaoh.
But know thou, O rebellious son of a rebellious house, that I am
the Egyptian vicegerent, nay the very Pharaoh in mine own per-
son • for it is I that was blessed by our father Ham, and this son
of a son of a daughter of Egyptus is but a pretender to the ancient
throne of Ham. It is mine own right, for I am the Pharaoh, the
god and son of Ham, the Pharaoh. Take thou the sacrificial
knife in thy hands, O high priest Abram. Take it, I say ! _
The prince looked Nimrod calmly in the eye and with a
lightning wrist-movement seized the knife from the hand of the
kmg and flung it far out upon the outer pavement of the Shrine.
Nimrod was furious. He motioned to his soldiers to seize
Abram and to bind him where he stood. Not a soldier or priest
would move. The fear of death beat in the pulses of every priest
there. „„ , .
"Wilt thou, worship me ? Wilt thou pay court to Elkanah. to
Pharaoh, to Libnah, and to Izdubar?"
Abram looked calmly away from the long iron torture frame
on which he was to be securely pinioned, but he said nothing in
^^^ ^"H thou wilt not worship me, nor the gods of thine own
father Terah, then wilt thou worship fire?"
The crowdof priests and priestesses held their breath to hear
the reply of the victim.
For the first time, Abram spoke: ^
"Why not worship water which puts out fire ?' said he scorn-
fniiy- , . „
"Well then," quoth the king, "worship water.
"Why not worship the clouds which hold the water? ' again
asked Abram.
502. RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
"Very well, worship the clouds as well."
"But why not worship rather the wind which blows the clouds
away?"
"Well, worship the wind," angrily shouted Nimrod.
"Why not rather worship God who can resist the wind?"
Enraged beyond all pretense of patience or judgment, Nim-
rod arose to his full height, and with the voice of an enraged
animal, he bellowed :
"By virtue of the ancient priesthood which I hold through
Ham and Noah and clothed in the sacred garments thereof, I call
u])on all the gods of earth, fire, water and clouds to come to my
aid. Fire is my god, and thou shalt know his power."
With a rush, Abram was seized by a crowd of desperate
priests, his raiment was stripped from him, he was bound upon
the iron altar, and above him stood Nimrod with the glittering
sacrificial knife poised high in air.
As Nimrod's hand flew upward it was struck from behind
with a darting ball of fire and the white-robed priest nearest him
fell to the golden pavement, his head crushed with the stroke of
another dancing ball of fire. Instantly the temple court was filled
with shouts of confusion and the screams of women. Above and
beneath it all there suddenly rumbled and roared from the very
bowels of the earth a hideous, sickening sound — it was an earth-
quake. Fire belched out under the very altar. Abram's bonds
were suddenly loosed and he stood upright and unafraid. The
massive pillars of the temple, the brazen altars, the great golden
images reeled and tumbled. The ringing tones of Abram's call
urged the shepherd soldiers on the terraces below to gather their
forces and flee to safety. The hoarse shouts, groans and curses
of Nimrod's dying and wounded forces were pierced by the shrill
cries of women and little children.
A woman's death scream added to the furious confusion.
"Abram — my kinsman, Abram !" It was the blackened and
bleeding Iscah pinioned beneath the mangled, writhing bulk of
Nimrod's tortured body.
Abram looked back at the unhappy wretch as he called :
"May God. forgive thee — O princess — "
And then —
With the frightful tremblings of birth-travail the earth
rocked upon her axis. With the swirr of a thousand wings the
winds and the waters of heaven swept down upon that mighty
concourse. The elements shrieked and bellowed, the waters of
heaven tore their way through the cloisters and into the temple
precincts. The lightning flung down pillars or set fire, with run-
ning globes, to wood and costly hangings, again and again. The
earth trembled, the very bowels of the earth were shaken with
tumultuous wrath.
A PRINCE OF UR. 503
The priests scrambled and fought for the stairs, to rush
below to safety. The delicately clad women flung themselves
madly on the rocking alabaster pavements, or dashed wildly to
and fro, screaming with despair. The rocking walls of the Zig-
garut and its supporting terraces fell stumblingly or swiftly on
soldiers and terror-stricken worshipers alike.
Only one spot was free from all this tortured motion. Where
Abram trod the earth was firm and unmoved. Like his own
faith it swayed not nor did it fall.
While the earth was" reeling to and fro like a drunken man,
the mingled shrieks and groans from a thousand dying throats,
the howls of the tempest and blasts of the fierce tropic winds
pounding in his ears — in the midst of all these combined forces,
which the frantic Nimrod had invoked in his despair, the soul of
Abram was caught up in spirit. He beheld a vision of the
Almighty and the angel of His presence stood beside him and His
voice was like the voice of a celestial trumpet as He cried :
"Abraham, Abraham, behold thy name is no longer Abram,
but Abraham. I have heard thee and have come down to deliver
thee, and to take thee away from thy father's house and from all
thy kinsfolk, into a promised land ; and this because they turned
their hearts away from me to worship the god of Elkanah, and
the god of Libnah, and the god of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Thou
shalt be a pilgrim and a wanderer. I have come down to visit
thine enemies and to destroy him who hath lifted up his hand
against thee, Abraham, my son, Abraham, to take away thy life.
I will take thee, to put upon thee my name, even the priesthood
of thy father's father and my power shall be over thee ; as it was
with Noah, so shall it be with thee ; that through thy ministry my
n-ime shall be known in the earth forever, for I am thy God !"
The vision closed, but Abraham — rechristened in all the heav-
ing elements of fire, water and of the tumults of earth's most
deadly forces, stood quite still upon the place of roaring death,
calm in the midst of the terrors by which he was surrounded.
Up from the upper terrace tottered a soldier, into the temple
courts, his abaya fluttering wildly in the fierce tempest, his face
beaten with the driving rains. It was Lot. Behind him came the
Damascean merchant, followed by a mass of shepherd soldiers
who climbed with desperate energy the rocking, tumbling stairs
crowded with the dead and dying.
Lot reached Abram's side. The white translucent pavements
were crumbling with the swirr of the earth-throes, but Abram
stood unafraid. He at once focussed Lot's confused soldiers and
with guarded steps led the way downward for his friends and
followers.
"Where is my princess Sarai?" cried Abram as they reached
the temple gates.
504 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
"Terah awaits with all our trains of goods and families fifty
furlings down the river's bank. Pray thee to our God that this
furious storm and earth-quaking hath not caught up with them."
Abram, followed by Lot and Eleazer, at last gained the de-
serted fields beyond the wildly struggling multitudes about the
terraced temple hill, and looked about him in the glare of the
soliders' torches, saying solemnly :
"This night I turn forever from the land of the home of my
father, and my father's father. The voice of the Lord hath
spoken — and my feet shall never press these unhallowed shores
of the Euphrates again. I am a pilgrim and a stranger in the
earth—"
"We, too, shall share thine every pilgrimage — " thus Lot and
Eleazer.
The distant shouts and moans in the Ziggarut grounds min-
gled grimly with the low growls of thunderous peals, when the
little party fled unchallenged through the chief gate, now broken
and cast down, and turned their faces in the dense darkness to-
ward the encampment in the palm groves by the river banks.
(to be concluded)
MUSIC.
An interesting feature of the Jordan Stake Relief Society
Conference held on May 22 at Sandy was the excellent musical
selections furnished by a boys' orchestra who played selections
from "II Trovatore," and other popular numbers.
A girls' chorus sang "Jesus My Savior."
Two soprano solos were rendered by Mrs. Archie Crapo
and Miss Pearson. . These with some splendid congregational
singing, and the interesting reports given by stake and local
officers, and the timely and instructive remarks made by the visit-
ing sisters, made an occasion long to be remembered by all who
were present.
Filet Crochet Yoke.
Jsabelle W. Sears.
Stitches used: Chain (ch) catch cotton with hook, making
loop, draw cotton through this loop which makes the first stitch.
Repeat. Draw through as many loops as wanted — each loop is
termed a chain stitch.
Slip stitch (si. St.), put hook through the work, thread over
the hook, draw it through the stitch on hook.
Single crochet (s. c), having stitch on hook, put hook
through work, draw thread through making two stitches on hook,
thread over hook and draw through both stitches.
Treble crochet (t. c), having stitch on hook, put thread oyer
hook, put hook through work and draw thread through, making
three stitches on hook, put thread over hook, draw through two
stitches, put thread over hook and draw off the two remaining
stitches.
Long treble crochet (1. t. c), like t. c. except the thread is
thrown over the hook twice before inserting in work. The stitches
are worked off two at a time as in t. c.
Picot (p.). A picot is made by making four or five chain,
going back and drawing thread through first ch. with si. st.
Begin the front edge with 23 spaces and follow pattern, mak-
ing the side in pattern until you have 83 rows, then start and
make the other side the same as first until you have the 83 rows,
then work back and forth following pattern.
Outside edge: 3 t. c. in space, ch. 2. 3 t. c. in same space,
506 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
s. c. in next space, 3 t. c. in next space, ch. 2, 3 t. c. in same space,
s. c. in next space. Continue round and fasten thread on wrong
side.
Beading and edge round neck : Stitch on hook, 2 1. t. c. in
space, ch. 3, 2 1. t. c. in next space, ch. 3, 2 1. t. c. in next space.
Continue round, 2 t. c. in 3 ch., p., 2 t. c. in same 2 ch., p., 2 t. c.
in same 2ch., p., 2 t. c. in same 3 ch., s. c. in next space, 2 t. c.
in next 3 ch., p. 2 t. c. in same space, p., 2 t. c. in same space,
p., 2 t. c. in same space, s. c. in next space. Continue round and
fasten on wrong side.
No. 50 crochet cotton of any reliable make and No. 14 hook.
THE MOTHER'S PRAYER.
By Marietta Holley.
The foe is great, the foe is strong.
Our empty hands are weak;
We who had toiled and suffered long —
Our fears we cannot speak.
Our faithful labors night and day.
This foe. Strong Drink, destroys ;
We kneel amid the gloom and pray.
Oh ! who will save our boys ?
Those who should help us, turn and flock
To help the foe instead.
Their hearts seem like the untouched rock
On which vain tears are shed.
The powers of good seem lost and riven.
And o'er life's din and noise.
This anguished cry ascends to heaven :
"Oh ! who will save our hoys ?"
A light dawns in the eastern skies,
The prophets saw afar ;
It led of old the Magi wise.
Who earnest sought the Star.
We kneel and -hail its dawning ray,
The Light takes shape and voice,
"Toil on and trust that Star today.
Our God can save the boys."
— Selected.
The Bible.
By Lucy May Green.
"We believe the Bible co oe tne word of God." (Articles of
Faith.)
"Search the scriptures," said Jesus, "for in them ye think
yc have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me."
The Bible is a collection of scripture written by many au-
thors, and contains sixty-six books, thirty-nine of which are con-
tained in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testa-
ment.
It is divided into one thousand one hundred and eighty-nine
chapters which contain 3,173 verses. These consist of 773,692
words and 3,566,480 letters.
It was written in three languages, Hebrew, Greek, and
Aramaic.
The divisions of the Bible are as follows :
The first five books, called the Pentateuch, are ascribed to
Moses.
The historical books are: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2
Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra. Nehemiah, Esther.
Poetical books are: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon.
The four great Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations
(2 books), Ezekiel, Daniel.
The twelve minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah.
Jonah. Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
"iMalachi.
The New Testament is divided as follows :
The four Gospels : Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The Acts of the Apostles, ascribed to Luke.
Epistles of Paul to the various churches.
Romans, Corinthians (2), Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians,
Thessalonians (2).
Epistles to individuals: Timothy (2), Titus, Philemon.
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews is not known.
1 Epistle of James, 2 of Peter, 3 of John, 1 of Jude. and the
great Apocalypse of John, The Revelation.
Many books and scriptures referred to in the Bible narratives
are lost to the world.
In ancient times the Bible was divided into fifty-four divis-
ions, one of which was read in the Jewish synagogue each Sab-
bath.
The first translation of the scriptures was into the Greek, and
508 RELIEF SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
about 1240 A. D. the Bible was translated into Latin, and divided
into chapters by a Catholic friar by the name of Hugo de Sancto
Caro.
The subdivision of the chapters into verses was the work of
a famous Jewish rabbi named Mordecai Nathan, about 1445.
The first English Bible was translated by John Wycliffe,
about 1380, but was never printed, although several manuscript
copies are still in existence, and are found in libraries.
The first printed Bible was translated by William Tyndale
assisted by Miles Coverdale, between 1525 and 1530. From that
time until 1611 there were many other translations.
In 1604 King James of England called fifty-four of the
learned men of his kingdom to make a new translation, and in
1607, forty-seven of these commenced their work, and in 1611,
was printed the King James Bible ; which is the one we use today.
The revised version which is used quite extensively by stu-
dents, was revised from the King James edition and original
sources, in 1881. There are many changes made, but chiefly in
grammar. Through all these many changes the Bible has come
to us and we can readily understand why our Article of Faith
reads : "We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as
it is translated correctly." We can see the need of Jesus' ad-
monition to "Search the scriptures," and his words, "Whoso
rcadeth let him understand."
We will need the Spirit of the Lord and the gift of discern-
ment, for the Master said : "If any man will do His will he shall
know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of
myself." Read the Bible often, with a prayerful heart, and ob-
tain a testimony of its worth. It contains the history of the
creation of the world and of God's dealings with His covenant
])eople through many generations. The prophecies of the coming
Savior, and their literal fulfilment.
The life of Jesus Christ on earth and the history of the
Gospel dispensations.
The many prophesies of the Great Apostasy, the Restoration
of the Gospel, the gathering and the final consummation of all
things at the end of the world.
As literature, the Bible is conceded by all authorities to be
t!ie best example in the world, of scholarly, clear, exquisite Eng-
lish. It is a complete geography of the known portions of the
world.
I^or romance, what is more beautiful than the stories of
Joseph, Ruth, Esther, David, Daniel, Jonah.
For historical drama we find : The Reign of the Kings, Saul,
David, Solomon, and the kings succeeding them.
For stories of travel there are the lives of the early Patri-
THE BIBLE. 509
archs, journeyings of the children ot Israel, Paul's missionary
travels, etc.
Some o£ the most beautiful poetry in the world is contained
in the Psalms of David, the writings of Job, and the songs of
Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Simeon, and Mary.
For exposition we have the many beautiful sermons of the
Lord Jesus, and of Paul, Peter, James and others.
For Relief Society work we have the story of Dorcas, and
the virtuous women in the Old and New Testaments. When
in trouble and affliction we can find comfort and consolation in
the Bible. What is more beautiful than John 14:15, 16; Psalms
91, 23, and many others.
In order to understand and explain the principles of our
gospel we need to be familiar with the Bible.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,"
sang the Psalmist.
Paul likened it to the "Sword of the Spirit which is the word
of God."
We sometimes sing of the iron rod, which is the Word of
God. Are we holding on to it? Does the word of God prove
to us that it is indeed a lamp to our feet? Can we use the sword
of the Spirit to fight the battle of the Lord?
, Let us read the holy scriptures, both ancient and modern, and
listen also to the living oracles, for in "them ye think ye have
eternal life, and these are they which testify of me."
Note. The statistics and information was found in an old
cyclopedia which belonged to my grandfather.
TO EMMA.
So wee a gift, my baby new.
With auburn hair and eyes of blue.
You came to us from heaven above
To prove forever "God is love."
So beautiful, sweet baby mine,
Your spirit, child of God divine.
Your presence here to us does prove
That love is God, and God is Love.
Lucy May Gkeen.