CHAPTER I.
A PARABLE.
Once upon a time the owner of a very large garden planted
therein a tree, the fruit of which was very precious and of
great value to all who ate of it. For a time, the tree grew and
bore much good fruit. But the owner of the garden had an enemy
who went about secretly sowing seeds of weeds and all manner of
briers and brush, that they might spread all over the garden and
kill out the good tree which the master had planted. The enemy
also persuaded many of the workmen in the garden to neglect the
good tree, and let the briers and weeds grow up around it and so
prevent its growth. Thus in time the once precious fruit of the
good tree became wild and scrubby, no better than the enemy's
trees which grew around it.
Years passed, and the master, grieving that the precious
fruit should have become so worthless, determined to plant the
good tree once more in the garden. He did not try to clear away
a spot for it amid the old, overgrown parts of the land, but he
called upon certain workers to go to a distant
part of the garden where
nothing had been planted for a long time, and there prepare the
ground for the planting of the tree.
These workers were faithful to their master and did as they
were told. Very few of the enemy's noxious weeds were growing in
the new soil, so it was not such hard work to clear the ground
and prepare a place for the master to plant his tree.
To be better protected against the enemy, the master told his
workmen to build a high, strong wall about that part of the
garden. This was all done; and then one beautiful spring day the
owner came with his servants. They had with them the precious
tree taken from some other garden where it had grown without
hindrance from weeds. The tree was planted and put in charge of
other servants to tend it. The warm sun shone on it, the rains
came from heaven to water it, and the tree took firm root and
grew.
Now all the boys and girls who read this book will understand
that the little story I have just told is what is called a
Parable, meant to make plainer some facts and truths. I can
not tell you all about that tree here, how it grew and bore
fruit, and how many people came and ate of its delicious fruit,
notwithstanding the enemy came again and tried to check its
growth. I say, I cannot tell it to you in the form of a parable,
but will tell it as it actually happened. You may, if you like,
imagine in your own minds the rest of the parable, but the real
story you will find more interesting than any made-up tale can
be.
First, let me explain to you the meaning of the parable.
The garden means the earth, and the owner is the Lord, who
came to the earth about nineteen hundred years ago to die for
the sins of the world. He also planted the good tree,
that is, He brought the
gospel and taught it to his followers. The enemy is the evil
one, the devil, who stirred up men to work against the gospel
and to kill those who obeyed it. He also mixed his lies with
Christ's truths, until in time the pure gospel was not to be
found on the earth.
This was the condition of the world for hundreds of years.
Then the Lord wished to restore the true gospel and again
establish his Church on the earth. He therefore chose a place
where all would have the right to believe the truth and be
protected in that liberty. The Lord, therefore, moved upon
Columbus to discover this land of America.
The servants spoken of, whom the Lord sent to prepare the
land for the planting, were all those great and good men whom
you have read about in your American history: Washington,
Jefferson, Franklin, and many others. You will remember how
these men loved right and liberty, and how they worked so hard
for it; and in reading the history of these men we can plainly
see that the Lord was with them and helped them. These men built
the high wall, which means that they made just laws that would
protect the people and let them worship God in any way they
thought right.
Thus was the way prepared for the gospel to be restored again
to the earth; and the Lord himself came from heaven, also his
servants Moroni, Peter, James, and John to bring the glad
tidings to all who live on the earth.
Then the Lord called some more servants to preach the gospel
to the world and build up his Church. The first and greatest of
these servants is known by the name of Joseph Smith, the
Prophet. How the Lord called him to this great work and
delivered to him the gospel will be told you in the next
chapter.
Topics.—1. The Parable. 2. Explanation.
Questions and Review.—1.
Name some of Christ's first disciples. 2: Tell how some of them
were killed. 3. How long was the world without the gospel? 4.
Tell how Columbus discovered America. 5. Who were the Pilgrims?
6. What was the Revolutionary war about? 7. What is the
Constitution of the United States? 8. Find out what it says
about religious liberty. 9. Why is America the "Land of
liberty?"
