I solved the problem when I noted in one of the many "how to" web postings
that I had to first format my saved message template as plain text.  I then
had to save as an Outlook Template and save in the Templates file.  I could
then locate and choose it from the rules wizard.  The key was in saving as
plain text rather than html.  To answer your question, Hollis, I am in a
standalone environment and was converting from Eudora which became
dysfunctional (no messages would send through the server).  As compared to
Eudora, the automatic reply function in Outlook required about two weeks of
frustration as it is not intuitive at all.  Eudora took two minutes to set up
an automatic reply.  Now that it is functional, I am happy with Outlook.  
Thanks for your help.