Produced by Kevin Handy, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Transcriber's note: Minor typos in text corrected and footnotes moved to end of text.] [Illustration: JOSEPH SMITH, THE PROPHET.] [Illustration: HYRUM SMITH, THE PATRIARCH.] A Young Folks' History OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS By NEPHI ANDERSON "_We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what Work thou didst in their days, in the time of old_"--_Psalm xliv:1_. Published by the DESERET SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION Salt Lake City. Utah 1916 _Copyright, 1889, By Nephi Anderson Copyright, 1916, By Joseph F. Smith, For the Deseret Sunday School Union_. To Parents and Teachers. Studying the history of our country creates patriotism and engenders loyalty. For the same reason, a study of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will implant in our boys and girls a love for its heroes, a loyalty to its principles, and an appreciation of its achievements. By a knowledge of the history of the Church, our young people will prize more highly that heritage given them of God and preserved for them by the sweat and blood of their fathers. The teacher using this little book will understand that it is not exhaustive, but rather suggestive. The teacher should be in possession of much more history than is given here. He should fill in much of the undercurrent of heroism, faith, and devotion exhibited by the characters of the history, very little of which can be given in the text. The importance of this larger knowledge on the part of the teacher will be understood by an examination of the review and questions at the end of each chapter. The aim in these questions is not only to review the facts of the lesson, but by suggestions and reference to bring out more fully deductions and principles. It is believed that by combining the topical and the question methods the best results may be obtained. The topics are to be assigned certain pupils for treatment. Questions should not be limited to those in the book. The teacher should find many more to ask. Special attention is called to the maps. Have pupils locate each important place. Quite a number of dates are found in the text. It is not intended that the pupils should memorize them all. Most of them should be used merely in fixing the relative time between events. It is suggested that the pupils be encouraged to refer to the Church works and other books mentioned in the text. For further preparation the teacher is referred to "The History of the Church," "Cannon's Life of Joseph Smith," "Whitney's History of Utah." The "Faith Promoting Series," Evan's "Hundred Years of Mormonism," etc., will give much interesting and valuable information. CONTENTS To Parents and Teachers CHAPTER I. A Parable CHAPTER II. The First Vision CHAPTER III. The Angel Moroni CHAPTER IV. The Sacred Plates