{"chapter_no":"3","chapter_title":"The Episcopal Palace","book_id":"2","book_name":"The Story of James","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"214","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":8,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 3<\/p>

The Episcopal Palace<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

Ellie White passes <\/i>away <\/i>leaving behind<\/i> a great<\/i> legacy<\/i> for her posterity<\/i>—<\/i>Her delightful family
dinners and storybook <\/i>sessions with the grandchildren—Her grandson, Charles White, inherits enormous
wealth after the completion of his <\/i>Latter-day Saint<\/i> mission—He <\/i>bui<\/i>ld<\/i>s<\/i> a large and beautiful home in
North Ogden—A<\/i> humble and simple man<\/i>, Charles realizes there are<\/i> far<\/i> <\/i>be<\/i>tter <\/i>use<\/i>s for his inheritance<\/i>
money<\/i>—How a man or woman can be both rich and happy.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

On May 5, 1977, Ellie White passed away in her sleep at the wonderful old age of
seventy-five. A resident of Syracuse, Utah, she had lived in the same house the last thirty-five
years of her life. She was preceded in death by her husband Douglas, who had risen to the rank
of three-star general during a long and eventful career in the US Army, and had died of cancer
six years earlier. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Among the things left behind by Ellie at her death were a full living room set and other
assorted furniture, well-preserved china and silverware used mainly for family dinners, a
collection of old and new toys kept on hand for visits of the grandchildren, kitchen utensils,
garden tools, a recent-model lawn mower, hand clippers, clothes in varying degrees of wear,
including several nice Sunday dresses, a large number of old books, and her personal set of
Latter-day Saint scriptures. <\/p>

 <\/p>

With her passing, a deep void was felt in the family. In recent years, it had been the
custom for all of the young grandchildren to come with their parents to Ellie's home at least once
a month. In return, Ellie rewarded them each time with a big family dinner prepared with
extraordinary care. After eating, the small children would then gather together in the living room
and sit, arms folded, on the carpeted floor. Seated in her favorite chair, Ellie told them children’s
stories from the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and other favorite books of hers
and theirs. The novel Les Miserables<\/i> was among her favorites. In it, at the beginning, was a short
story about wealth and riches that was particularly loved by the children. The story went as
follows:<\/p>

 <\/p>

Charles<\/i> Myriel had arrived at D—— accompanied by an elderly spinster, Mademoiselle
Baptistine, who was his sister, and ten years his junior.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

On his arrival, M. Myriel was installed in the <\/i>Episcopal<\/i> palace with the honors required
by the Imperial decrees, which class a bishop immediately after a major-general. The mayor and
the president paid the first call on him, and he, in turn, paid the first call on the general and the
prefect. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

The installation over, the town waited to see its bishop at work.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

The <\/i>Episcopal<\/i> palace of D——adjoins the hospital. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

The <\/i>Episcopal<\/i> palace was a huge and beautiful house, built of stone at the beginning of
the last century by M. Henri Puget, Doctor of Theology of the Faculty of Paris, Abbé of Simore,
who had been Bishop of D—— in 1712. This palace was a genuine seignorial residence.
Everything about it had a grand air,—the apartments of the Bishop, the drawing-rooms, the
chambers, the principal courtyard, which was very large, with walks encircling it under arcades
in the old Florentine fashion, and gardens planted with magnificent trees. In the dining-room, a
long and superb gallery which was situated on the ground-floor and opened on the gardens, M.
Henri Puget had entertained in state, on July 29, 1714, My Lords Charles Brulart de Genlis,
archbishop; Prince d'Embrun; Antoine de Mesgrigny, the capuchin, Bishop of Grasse; Philippe
de Vendome, Grand Prior of France, Abbé of Saint Honore de Lerins; Francois de Berton de
Crillon, bishop, Baron de Vence; Cesar de Sabran de Forcalquier, bishop, Seignor of Glandeve;
and Jean Soanen, Priest of the Oratory, preacher in ordinary to the king, bishop, Seignor of
Senez. The portraits of these seven reverend personages decorated this apartment; and this
memorable date, the 29th of July, 1714, was there engraved in letters of gold on a table of white
marble. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

The hospital was a low and narrow building of a single story, with a small garden.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Three days after his arrival, the Bishop visited the hospital. The visit ended, he had the
director requested to be so good as to come to his house. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Monsieur the director of the hospital,\" said he to him, \"how many sick people have you
at the present moment?\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Twenty-six, Monseigneur.\"<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"That was the number which I counted,\" said the Bishop. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"The beds,\" pursued the director, \"are very much crowded against each other.\"<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"That is what I observed.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"The halls are nothing but rooms, and it is with difficulty that the air can be changed in
them.\"<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"So it seems to me.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"And then, when there is a ray of sun, the garden is very small for the convalescents.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"That was what I said to myself.\"<\/i><\/p>

\"In case of epidemics,—we have had the typhus fever this year; we had the sweating
sickness two years ago, and a hundred patients at times,—we know not what to do.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"That is the thought which occurred to me.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"What would you have, Monseigneur?\" said the director. \"One must resign one's self.\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

This conversation took place in the gallery dining-room on the ground-floor. The Bishop
remained silent for a moment; then he turned abruptly to the director of the hospital.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Monsieur,\" said he, \"how many beds do you think this hall alone would hold?\" <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Monseigneur's dining-room?\" exclaimed the stupefied director. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Bishop cast a glance round the apartment, and seemed to be taking measures and
calculations with his eyes.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"It would hold full twenty beds,\" said he, as though speaking to himself. Then, raising his
voice:— <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Hold, Monsieur the director of the hospital, I will tell you something. There is evidently
a mistake here.<\/i> <\/i>There are thirty-six of you, in five or six small rooms. There are three of us here,
and we have room for <\/i>sixty. There<\/i> is some mistake, I tell you; you have my house, and I have
yours. Give me back my house; you are at home here.\"<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

On the following day the thirty-six patients were installed in the Bishop's palace, and the
Bishop<\/i> was settled in the hospital. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Charles Allan White was one of Ellie’s grandchildren. As a child, Charles appreciated
this story much more than his brothers and sisters, possibly because he enjoyed hearing his own
name mentioned. The story carried him away into a world of make-believe—Ellie was teaching
him how to dream. He was that hero. He was the good Bishop Charles Myriel doing this
wonderful thing. <\/p>

 <\/p>

As the years passed, the lesson of the story took on greater significance, shaping his
feelings about money, possessions, career, and his ambitions in life.<\/p>

 <\/p>

At the time of Ellie’s death, Charles had reached the age of twenty-nine and had moved
across the valley to the North Ogden 3rd Ward. The ward was well-established, having already
some three hundred and fifty members. Members of the ward at that time included Ashley and
Carole Hancock, parents of a young James Hancock. Ashley had previously served as the bishop
and was now a member of the stake high council. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Charles was single, and he also happened to be very rich—easily the wealthiest person in
the ward, if not the entire stake. His new home, located right behind the stake center, was among
the largest and most beautiful in the area. His wealth came by virtue of Ellie. Being \"extremely <\/p>

blessed with six grandchildren\" as she would often say, Ellie had decided early on to start putting
money aside, month by month, for each of them. Initially, she used income from her husband's
salary as a high officer in the U.S. military; then later, after he retired, she used money from his
pension. Douglas had usually been too busy to concern himself with the money matters of the
family, so this task fell upon Ellie, and she managed things as she saw fit.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Not knowing much about stocks and investments at first, she read all the books on the
subject she could get her hands on, talking frequently with financial analysts. Over time, she
became fairly knowledgeable as an investor. As a result, during the last twenty-five years of her
life, the investment accounts under her watch experienced dramatic growth. She never had a
desire to use the money for herself, thinking only of her grandchildren and what they might use
the money for later on in their lives. For this reason, she was always excited when the
grandchildren came around to visit her, picturing these small children growing up one day and
finding these golden Easter eggs she had hidden, since neither they nor their parents knew yet all
the good things she had in store for them.<\/p>

 <\/p>

In the case of Charles, he was the youngest of the six. Per Ellie's request, once Charles
had returned home from his mission, he being the last one in the family to serve, all of them
would be notified of the significant monies set aside for them. It was her hope that all her male
grandchildren would serve Latter-day Saint missions. And all did, including at last Charles. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Like the other grandchildren, Charles was completely overwhelmed when he was told of
the vast amount of money that had been prepared for him. Nevertheless, he was a humble and
simple person at heart. Having known and loved his grandmother all his years, he was not
necessarily surprised she would do something like this. <\/p>

 <\/p>

His initial reaction was just to leave the money alone and maybe use a little here and
there for personal expenses. After a few years, however, he decided to take some of the money
out of the investment accounts to build himself a home in the North Ogden area. In so doing, he
hired Ashley Hancock's company to do the landscaping work, and that's also where he met the
young James Hancock, as James was on site occasionally to help his father. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Once the home construction was complete, Charles moved in and started to enjoy his new
surroundings. Seeing his new home come together step by step was one of the most rewarding
periods of his life. Yet when all was said and done, Charles turned out to be very much like his
grandmother. He found that the spacious, luxurious house he had built for himself was a bit too
much. It seemed more like a museum or a small cathedral than a home––a place better suited for
public visitors rather than a place where someone would actually live. He had need for just a few
of the rooms anyway. He also couldn’t picture his grandma Ellie living in a house like this. He
suspected she might have enjoyed helping to design the home, even going through the effort of
saving the money for it over many years, but ultimately, the home would be something for her
children or grandchildren to enjoy, not herself. That was Ellie, and Charles was very much like
her. <\/p>

 <\/p>

In the months that followed, it became more and more obvious to him that he needed to
find a better use for \"Ellie's money,\" although he was not quite sure what that would be. He <\/p>

certainly didn’t want to embarrass the home builder and contractors he had hired for the project;
for surely, quality work had been done and the home was beautifully constructed. <\/p>

 <\/p>

After pondering the matter for a couple of weeks, Charles finally came to a decision––he
would stay put for another year or two, living in the house as its temporary occupant, and see
what the future held out for him. But in planning for the eventual sale of the house, the question
in his mind was always the same––What<\/i> then shall I do with Ellie’s money?<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

He thought often of the story of the small hospital in Les Miserables<\/i> and how it related to
his own circumstances. He, too, had a large and spacious dining room on the ground floor. He
went up to the second floor every so often to look out from the balcony at the other homes in the
neighborhood and the attractive grounds of the church right below. These were days of serious
prayer and reflection for him. His parents had warned him to make good financial decisions—to
be wise and cautious with his money, and not to squander it. On the other hand, he didn’t want to
become a miser, sitting on the money and doing nothing, afraid to use it. He also had the option
to just live comfortably off the money he had for the rest of his life. Doing that would incur very
little risk and still allow him to lead a full and happy life. But his desire was to be like Ellie, and
he knew what direction she would go if given the same opportunity he had now. So, it was not so
much a question as to what direction in life he would take, but rather a question as to the time
and place for him to begin. He would avoid spending very much of the money on himself from
that point onward, instead planning to use virtually all of it to help others in need.<\/p>

 <\/p>

In a way, Charles’s situation was like that of the Brother of Jared. A series of special
stones had been laid out in front of him by Ellie through the gift of wealth. But these priceless
stones needed to be polished in order to shine bright. This she accomplished through the
childhood stories, and the imagery and powerful teachings they provided. These important
lessons he had received at the feet of his grandmother helped him to know what to do—that he
should take the stones, polish them further on his own, and then present them to be touched by
the finger of the Lord. Once this was accomplished, these beautiful stones could then illuminate
his life and the lives of others. Through her special way of thinking and living, Ellie had been a
role model to all her posterity, and most especially to Charles. Her feelings were now his
feelings. Her testimony was now his testimony. What a wonderful grandmother she was!<\/span> <\/p>

 <\/p>

With the stones in his possession, Charles was now ready to inquire of the Lord to find
out what he should do next. And the timing was good. He had just spent a large amount of
money on this luxury home, and he had learned a valuable lesson.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Although it must be said that there was certainly nothing wrong with Charles staying put
and enjoying this beautiful home for the long term. Ellie had dreamed for years of the joy the
money might bring to him and her other grandchildren. It was his right under the law of the land,
and also under the law of the Church. And certainly, he needed a home of some kind to live in,
so why not this one? It also seemed like a good investment that could protect the money over the
long term. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

But like John the Beloved, and like the Three Nephites of the Book of Mormon, Charles
wanted to do more. To do something like the Savior would do. To do, without a moment’s <\/span><\/p>

hesitation, something more than what might ordinarily be required of a righteous man. For
surely, a righteous man could live happily in a home like this. A righteous man, if humble and
obedient, could carefully thread a camel through the eye of a needle using his luxurious home as
a launching pad for good works. And in so doing, he could be honored and respected by other
righteous men like himself and still be saved in the kingdom of heaven. This was one approach
he could take<\/span>.<\/p>

 <\/p>

In making this decision, there were many examples of just men in history he might have
looked to, but one in particular stood out. The Savior had worked through Ellie, granting him a
special memory from his childhood days to recall—the moment in time when Bishop Myriel had
spoken with the director of the hospital; the instant recognition of how best to make use of one’s
luxury home. The bishop's consecration of wealth was a supremely righteous act, and one that
Charles had a mind to follow. These were his desires in life and he was ready to act upon them.<\/p>

 <\/p>

But he was still a young man, having neither the age or experience of Ellie to be able to
do works such as these properly and in an organized manner. As a steward over these riches, it
was important that he make good practical decisions so as to act in a way that was acceptable
before the Lord—like the excellent manner in which the Church has managed its vast wealth
over the years. He realized that tithing and fast offerings were the gateway to the law of
consecration, and that one needs to enter there first before aspiring towards anything greater.
Therefore, his decision for the time being was to continue living in his new house, remembering
always to pay his tithing and offerings, but still treasuring up “Ellie-like” goals for the future. He
would take time to prepare himself and learn how to manage his finances, just as Ellie had done
in her life. <\/p>

 <\/p>

On the other hand, he didn’t want to wait too long. He was anxious to get started, having
a strong desire to consecrate himself and his riches before the Lord. Therefore, he watched and
waited, and prayed daily, asking that the Lord would help him to make the best possible use of
his wealth for the benefit of others. <\/p>

 <\/p>

It was around this time that Charles took a few hours one evening to sift through some of
the boxes from the move that still sat unopened in his basement. One box contained several old
books from Ellie his parents had decided to give to him. Although he had always been aware
they were there, he had never taken time to browse through them before now.<\/p>

 <\/p>

He opened the cover of the first book that he found in one of the boxes. Inside, to his
surprise, he discovered an envelope containing a short letter written by Ellie. The letter read:<\/p>

 <\/p>

Dear Charles<\/i>,<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

I <\/i>pray one day <\/i>that <\/i>you may find this letter after I am gone. I <\/i>dreamed for many years of <\/i>
the<\/i> exciting things you might do in your life with the money I <\/i>have given<\/i> you, but more than <\/i>
anything,<\/i> I <\/i>just <\/i>want you to be happy. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Can a man or woman be both rich and happy? Yet who among us is not rich?<\/i><\/p>

In terms of the rich man spoken of by the Savior<\/i>,<\/i> I can only say one thing. While it's true <\/i>
that <\/i>he was not yet ready to give away all<\/i> <\/i>his riches to follow the Savior, th<\/i>ere was, in fact, one
thing he was<\/i> ready to do if asked. He would have been more than happy to give away all his
riches on that day in exchange for <\/i>the things all of us (you and I included) have today, both<\/i> rich
and poor. Our lives are filled with so many modern-day <\/i>miracles, <\/i>luxuries, <\/i>foods, <\/i>conveniences
and opportunities<\/i> to do fun things...<\/i> <\/i>it’s near impossible to live in this great country <\/i>of ours <\/i>and<\/i>
feel<\/i> poor. Today’s middle class and rich are living comfortable lifestyles <\/i>that are sometimes<\/i>
more lavish than kings and queens of past generations<\/i>––the majority of whom lived worldly lives
at the expense of others, didn’t learn <\/i>how <\/i>to love the Savior, and <\/i>sadly<\/i>,<\/i> as a result<\/i>, may not<\/i> <\/i>
ultimately be<\/i> saved in the kingdom of God.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Utah is one of the most beautiful places <\/i>in the world <\/i>to live, and I believe the Savior was <\/i>
also <\/i>referring directly to us in this story of the rich man. B<\/i>eing rich and prosperous, we need to
work much<\/i> harder than th<\/i>e poor to be happy, since it is <\/i>more difficult<\/i> for us<\/i> to be meek and
humble. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Charles, <\/i>please use<\/i> the money<\/i> <\/i>I<\/i> have<\/i> give<\/i>n<\/i> you<\/i> to bless the lives of<\/i> other<\/i>s. If you do this, <\/i>
you will have the richest and most fulfilling life ever imagined!<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Reading the letter, Charles was filled with delight, for it confirmed further the path he
had already chosen for himself. Ellie had reached down from heaven to bless his life once more.
The book containing the envelope was, of course, Les Miserables<\/i>, the same hardcover edition
from which Ellie had read to him many times when he was a child. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Finishing up his work in the basement, he brought the book upstairs and started to read it
himself for the first time. In the first few pages of the book, he discovered his favorite story of
the good bishop and the Episcopal palace. He read through it quickly.<\/p>

 <\/p>

I wish this story was longer! <\/i> <\/i>he thought. It reads too fast! It deserves to <\/i>have<\/i> a chapter<\/i>
of its own<\/i>. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

He continued reading. It was not very long, only a page further, before he came across
another short passage that was equally special. It was the regulation of the household expenses of
Bishop Myriel. The passage read as follows:<\/p>

 <\/p>

M. <\/i>Myriel had no property, his family having been ruined by the Revolution. His sister
was in receipt of a yearly income of five hundred francs, which sufficed for her personal wants at
the vicarage. M. Myriel received from the State, in his quality of bishop, a salary of fifteen
thousand francs. On the very day when he took up his abode in the hospital, M. Myriel settled on
the disposition of this sum once for all, in the following manner. We transcribe here a note made
by his own hand:<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

— NOTE ON THE REGULATION OF MY HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES. <\/p>

For the little seminary.....................................1,500 livres <\/p>

Society of the mission.....................................100 \"<\/p>

For the Lazarists of Montdidier ..........................100 \" <\/p>

Seminary for foreign missions in Paris..................200 \" <\/p>

Congregation of the Holy Spirit .........................150 \" <\/p>

Religious establishments of the Holy Land.............100 \" <\/p>

Charitable maternity societies..............................300 \" <\/p>

Extra, for that of Arles......................................50 \" <\/p>

Work for the amelioration of prisons .....................400 \" <\/p>

Work for the relief and delivery of prisoners............500 \" <\/p>

To liberate fathers of families incarcerated for debt....1,000 \" <\/p>

Addition to the salary of the poor teachers of the diocese........2,000 \" <\/p>

Public granary of the Hautes-Alpes.......................100 \" <\/p>

Congregation of the ladies of D——, of Manosque, and of Sisteron, for the gratuitous
instruction of poor girls......................................1,500 \" <\/span><\/p>

For the poor ...................................................6,000 \" <\/p>

My personal expenses.......................................1,000 \"<\/p>

——— <\/p>

Total............................................................15,000 \" <\/p>

 <\/p>

M. Myriel made no change in this arrangement during the entire period that he occupied
the see of D—— As has been seen, he called it regulating his household expenses.<\/i><\/p>"}