Journal of Discourses Volume 23

 BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG,

HIS COUNSELLORS, THE TWELVE APOSTLES, 
AND OTHERS.

REPORTED BY 
GEO. F. GIBBS, JOHN IRVINE AND OTHERS.

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE LATTER-DAY 
SAINTS IN ALL THE WORLD.

VOL. XXIII.

LIVERPOOL:
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY 
JOHN HENRY SMITH, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON:
LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 19, 
SUTHERLAND STREET, PIMLICO, LONDON, S.W.

1883.[p.iii]

Preface

vol. 23, p.iii
The Twenty-third Volume of the JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, now complete,
will, we feel assured, be considered as acceptable reading matter by
the Latter-day Saints who may be favored with its perusal. That they
may be stimulated to greater faithfulness by the valuable instructions
and exhortations therein contained is the desire of qqq

THE PUBLISHER. [p.1]

H. W. Naisbitt, May 15, 1881

The Preaching and Practice of the Gospel—Visitations of
Angels, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon,
May 15th, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine)

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 376, JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, VOL. XXII.)

vol. 23, p.1
there have been larger opportunities for the acquisition of the
knowledge which pertains to the designs of the Creator. I think that
all thoughtful men and thoughtful women have felt within themselves
that there were a great many problems in regard to human existence
upon which they would like to have light and intelligence, they would
like to understand and to have a surety as to whether a man was
anything more than a mere animal in creation, whether it was his
destiny only "to eat and to drink, for to-morrow we die," or whether
his existence was of a continuous character; whether after having laid
down this tabernacle of flesh he would be privileged to enjoy again
the associations which have been agreeable to him on earth, whether
the family circle would be burst asunder, or whether continuing to
exist he would be divested in a great measure of the temptations which
seem to influence him on the right hand and on the left, and which
appear to lead so many thousands of the human family down to
degradation and death. It appears to me that there are questions in
connection with all these things that thousands. would like to solve,
and questions which really never can be solved by the ordinary wisdom
and knowledge which pertain to the educational facilities of mankind.
Now, in reading these prophecies concerning the future angelic
visitations that are to take place in the history of mankind, I have
no doubt that those who have pondered over these prophecies have
thought that in these visitations they would find the key which should
unlock the past, the present and the future, and be of great value in
the salvation of the human family—salvation from ignorance, from sin,
and from death. These are the things which men everywhere need. They
need to be saved from themselves; they need to be saved from each
other; they need to be saved in regard to [p.2] the future, according
to the Scriptures, and the generally received notions of the Christian
world.

vol. 23, p.2
Now, this angel that was to come in the latter times was declared to
be one who was to bring the everlasting Gospel in order that it might
be preached among all nations. Now, the everlasting Gospel, whatever
that may mean, is something that is divine in its character. It is not
conjured up by cunning and designing men. God was its author; in fact
the Scriptures say that His Son Jesus was the "author and finisher" of
the Christian faith on earth. Whenever, therefore, the revelation of
that Gospel comes it must give man an account of his origin, of the
necessity of the circumstances of the present, and something of his
future. There is one thing which strikes the reader as being very
peculiar in regard to this angel coming to the human family. It is
implied upon the surface, and in its depths also, that there would be
no necessity of sending the Gospel if the children of man had the
Gospel already, this would be superfluous. Then when this angel comes
is he to come to Christendom, or is he to come to heathendom? Is he to
come to men that have not heard of Jesus, know nothing of God, know
nothing of the way of salvation, or is he to come to the Christian
world. If he is to come to heathendom it of course would be to bring
salvation, the redemption of the soul and body of man; but if he is to
come to Christendom it would almost seem to imply that amid them even
the Gospel of redemption was unpreached or misunderstood, for in all
the creations of our God there does not appear to be anything of an
unnecessary character, there are no steps fallen in His government
that are inapplicable to the existing condition of things; but the
fact that an angel was to come in "the dispensation of the fulness of
times" naturally implies that the Gospel would not be at that time
preached on the face of the earth. Now this is rather an awkward
conclusion to arrive at when all Christendom is said to be doing so
much in regard to the building of churches, the teaching of religion,
the payment of ministers, the sending of the so-called Gospel to the
heathen, and the furnishing of Bibles to all the nations of the earth.
And on reflecting upon the visits of this angel a man would naturally
enquire, if this angel is going to bring the Gospel, in what does the
Gospel consist, and as a necessary consequence he would also begin to
enquire as to what the records say which have come down to us from
ancient times. He would look into the New Testament; he would read the
sayings of those whose names have become historic; he would read the
sayings of the Great Teacher, who was sent from heaven, even Jesus
Christ the righteous; and he would read the acts and doings in that
book of His successors the Apostles, and of the primitive church, and
from this record he would endeavor to find out what the Gospel was as
preached in ancient times, and after he had done this he would begin
to contrast the Christian organizations with which he was surrounded,
the theories which Christians hold, the doctrines which they teach and
put them side by side in parallel columns with the teachings of the
ancient Church. He would institute comparisons and so would show a
desire to understand the necessity for this angel coming expressly
from heaven to "preach" the everlasting Gospel unto them that dwell
upon the  earth, and to [p.3] every nation and kindred and tongue and
people." And in taking the New Testament for his guide, in pondering
the acts and teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, he would begin to
understand that there was method and order in connection with that
Gospel; that it consisted of a series of principles, of ideas, and
thoughts and practices, which were intended to work out some desired
end. Hence it was said that the Gospel in ancient times "was the power
of God unto salvation." It was an important thing, it was something of
value; it was something calculated to affect a man's interests in time
and in eternity, it was "the power of God unto salvation;" and I do
not think that in any other recognized record are we so likely to find
a portrayal of that Gospel in its purity and original simplicity as in
the record called the New Testament. When we come to search that, we
realize that Jesus professed to be the Son of God. He encouraged his
followers to exercise faith in his rather, and in regard to his works
he told them that he "did nothing of himself, but that which he had
seen the Father do that did he," and that which he did before his
Apostles, and which he commanded them to do, was according to the
commandments which he had received of the Father. I think the
Christian world will be willing to acknowledge that this faith in God
was a principle which was calculated to enhance the welfare of the
human family. It was calculated to infuse high and lofty thoughts into
the man or woman who accepted it; faith in the existence of God, faith
that they were his children; faith that he was alive to their
interests; faith that he was able to teach them the purpose of their
existence, and the design that he had in their creation, faith that he
was able to hear and answer their prayers. And the man who enjoyed
this faith in God after he had been taught it was a man who was likely
not only to feel higher conceptions in regard to humanity, so far as
he himself was concerned, but there would be bound to spring up in his
heart feelings, growing out of this, in regard to his brother-man, and
to his sister, woman; he would be bound to look upon them with more
regard for their interests, well-being and salvation upon the earth,
than he would have done without this conception. He would be
interested in the moral, mental and spiritual condition of his
neighbor; he would be interested in imparting to his neighbor the
truth, and thus the spirit of faith in God would begin to spread and
exercise a salutary influence wherever it was felt among those who
received it.

vol. 23, p.3
And Jesus was not satisfied only with teaching this faith in God, but
he realized that there would grow out of it these or similarly certain
principles of action with regard to the conduct of those who received
it. A man would begin to realize that inasmuch as he was a child of
God, that he had in many respects been unworthy of that position, that
he had been guilty of many acts both of commission and omission that
were derogatory to such origin, and he would naturally begin to
repent, to be sorry for having committed himself in this way and not
to be sorry only, but to lay everything of this character aside in
order that he might stand approved of God His Heavenly Father. Hence
there would grow out of faith the spirit of repentance for past sins,
and then it was found that there was an ordinance in the Gospel by
which through [p.4] divine appointment, a man was enabled to receive
the "remission of his sins," consequent on the sacrifice that was to
be offered on Calvary. That ordinance of the Church, as established by
Jesus, was the ordinance of water baptism for the remission of sins.
This was one of the principles of the Gospel, one of the principles of
salvation, one of the steps in the educational process of those who
submitted themselves to the authority of the Great Teacher, Jesus
Christ. Now there is a vast diversity of opinion in the Christian
world in regard to baptism, but this diversity we need not stop to
consider. We can take the New Testament, and see what is laid down
there upon the subject. Some think baptism unimportant. Christ,
however, evidently thought it important. In speaking to Nicodemus, he
said, "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God." And when he commissioned his Apostles
to preach the Gospel, they went forth among the people, "baptizing
them in water, confessing their sins." Indeed, there are illustrations
in abundance of this fact, that will be familiar to all the students
of the New Testament. The great Apostle Peter, who appeared to have
been the master spirit of the Church on the day of Pentecost, when men
began to inquire what they should do to be saved, answered the
inquirers in this way, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This was the ancient order; this
was the order established by Jesus, and the presumption is beyond
dispute that if it was necessary for any one single member of that
primitive church, or for any of the Apostles, or for Jesus himself to
be baptized in water, it was necessary for the whole. Hence the
irresistible conclusion is, that every member of the primitive church
was baptized, "buried with him by baptism unto death, that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life." This was one of the doctrines
of the ancient church, and the next doctrine that followed it in the
programme and system of the Gospel was the giving of the Holy Ghost.
Now the scriptures tell us that "the manifestation of the spirit is
given to every man to profit withal." In every land and clime, in all
conditions of the human family, of every color, among the most highly
civilized as among the most degraded, there is given to every man this
measure of the spirit of God to profit withal, and it is in accordance
with his obedience to the measure received of that spirit that he will
be rewarded in the future. But in the Christian church there appears
to have been an order that went in advance of this universal gift of
the spirit. It was called "the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on
of hands." Hence those who are familiar with the New Testament will
realize that when men were baptized they were afterwards confirmed by
"the laying on of hands," and upon that confirmation they received the
Holy Ghost. This Holy Ghost in them was the power of God. It opened up
their minds, it informed their reason, enlarged their capacity, and
enabled them to comprehend, as the scriptures say, the past, present
and future. It was a grand gift, and one essential to salvation. To
one man it gave the spirit of wisdom; to  another the word of
knowledge; to [p.5] another faith; to another the gift of healing; to
another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another
discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues, etc. It was
to them the fountain of divine intelligence and power. And these
manifestations followed the believer everywhere. It harmonized all the
conflicting thoughts and ideas that they might have had in regard to
God, in regard to the institutions with which they were surrounded, in
regard to the duties devolving upon them, in regard to their destiny
in the future. It made them one in Christ Jesus. They were baptized by
one baptism, and they enjoyed one spirit. They were rich in the unity
of the faith. And when men were thus baptized and received this spirit
it was not expected that they should stand strictly upon their own
individuality. They were not left to wander abroad to the right and to
the left, but there appeared to have been in the primitive times a
good deal of what we see in our own day. An organization grew up. they
formed what was called a church. It is called in the New Testament, in
some places "the Church of God," in other places it is called "the
Church of Christ." It was a church composed of those who had thus been
baptized, and thus received of the Holy Ghost. They were united
together for self-defense. They were united in order that they might
be taught by the authorities of that church. They were not taught by
strangers or by men who had never passed through the same gateway and
received the same spirit as themselves, but according to the New
Testament they were taught by Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers
and Evangelists, men who were engaged in the ministry of the Lord
Jesus Christ. These officers were "set in the church," according to
the New Testament, for the edifying of the body, for the training of
the members, until they all came to the unity of the faith and to the
full stature of men and women in Christ. Now, that was a glorious age.
I have heard good men and women, ever since I heard anything, wish
that they had lived in those primitive times. They have said how glad
they would have been to have the privilege of even touching the hem of
the Savior's garment, witnessing his miracles, hearing his teachings,
and to have been obedient to the principles which he taught. Men and
women have said that they would have been glad to have lived in the
Apostolic age; that they would have belonged to the primitive church;
that they would have been in their glory to share in its trials and
persecutions, to have enjoyed its spirit, to have received of its
blessings, and to have acquired the knowledge and intelligence which
accompanied the Priesthood that had control of that special church. I
believe there are thousands everywhere to-day—men who are Elders,
Deacons, Superintendents of Sunday Schools, teachers in Sunday
Schools—who, on reading the history of the past feel that they would
have been glad to have lived in the primitive times and seen the
leaders and apostles of that church. Well, now, these feelings are
natural. We realize the glory and blessing which belong to that
ancient order. But it appears that this order in a great measure has
become obsolete; it has passed away, it is not to be found anywhere in
the form in which it existed anciently. There may be a church that has
faith in God; there may be many churches that include repentance, that
practice baptism; some [p.6] may have faith in baptism for the
remission of sins; there may be here and there men who believe in the
reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; but in its
beautiful primitive order it is nowhere to be found among the children
of men.

vol. 23, p.6
Now, in regard to the angel that should "fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth," it is only reasonable to suppose that when the Gospel is
restored, it will be restored with all its ancient power, blessings,
ordinances, Priesthood, and everything that gave it grandeur and glory
in the primitive times. But now the query is, Has this angel come? If
he has not, are the children of men looking for him? Is there any
anticipation in the midst of the Christian world of his appearance? I
think not. But here among a small section of men and women in the
Rocky Mountains, gathered from all the nations of the earth, there is
an understanding that this angel has come, and should not the world be
pleased at the assumption; for if they are delighted in reading the
account of this angel's probable visitation, why not take comfort and
delight in the thought that angelic visitation may again become
general or partial, as the case of necessity may require. Here, then,
we have a little nucleus of men and women who say this angel has come
in the 19th century, in the "dispensation of the fulness of times;"
that he has brought with him and given to those who are preaching it,
the "everlasting Gospel" as it existed in the ancient times; that in
their practice they are in the habit of exercising faith in God, that
they have repented of their sins; that they have been baptized in
water for the promised remission; that they have laid aside their
follies; that they want to free themselves from error and from all
unrighteousness; that they have again identified themselves, as did
the ancient Christians, with the Church, possessing within itself the
ancient organization, the ancient Priesthood, the ancient authority to
teach, to lead, and to govern and control, until all the obedient come
again to the unity of the faith. Now if the Christian world take joy
and satisfaction in reading ancient history or prospective history; if
there are thousands of longing hearts in every denomination who say
they would have rejoiced to have lived in the ancient times, to have
listened to the teachings of the authorities of the primitive church,
and to have shared in its blessings, etc.; what should be the thought
when they hear again from men passing to and fro in the nations of the
earth declaring that the ancient order has been restored; what should
be the thought of men of intelligence, men of reflecting minds, men
that know the merits and demerits of the Christian world should not
these hearts leap for joy when they hear that the Gospel has been thus
restored in all its ancient glory?

vol. 23, p.6
The Latter-day Saints testify—it is a standing testimony to the
nations—that this angel spoken of by John, the Revelator, has come to
the human family, that he has brought with him the ancient Gospel, and
that all those who are willing to accept their testimony, to exercise
faith in God, to lay aside their dead works, their foolish notions and
their false traditions, to divest themselves of the errors of the
ages, and  to be baptized and receive the power of the Holy Ghost,
that they shall be as full of [p.7] assurance as were the Saints in
ancient times. For this, the Gospel of the kingdom neither was nor is
a cunningly devised fable, nor was it something got up by the
craftiness of men, but the obedient realized and know that it is "the
power of God unto salvation;" it has come to them not in word only but
in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance; and there are
thousands throughout the length and breadth of the Territory,
thousands throughout the United States, the islands of the sea, and
throughout the nations of the earth, that rejoice in this Gospel. They
are ready to testify that they know that God lives, that Jesus was the
Savior of mankind, that the Gospel in all its pristine purity and
beauty has been restored, and that in our own day all the blessings
and privileges necessary for a complete salvation are offered to
mankind. This may seem a reflection upon the intelligence of ages that
are past and gone. But it is not so. I presume that there are
thousands and millions who have passed away, that did the best they
could, they lived up to the light they had, they sought to please God
in their daily walk and conversation; but the Elders of Israel take
the liberty of pointing out "a more acceptable way," and they are free
to testify and speak of their own knowledge that God has restored the
Gospel and prepared the way for the salvation of all who are willing
to give obedience to that which has been revealed.

vol. 23, p.7
May God enable us to appreciate the day of our salvation and live
according to his design, that we may be saved in his kingdom, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Erastus Snow, February 5, 1882

The Indians—The Influence of the Elders Among Them in the
Interest of Peace, Etc.

Delivered at Logan, Sunday Afternoon, February 5th, 1882.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs)

vol. 23, p.7
I am asked to occupy the few minutes yet remaining: If the Spirit
gives me liberty I will pursue the train of thought that has passed
through my mind while Brother Richards has been speaking upon the
spirit that has gone abroad upon the remnants of the house of Israel
who occupy this land, the American Indians whom we understand to be
the descendants of the Nephites, the Lamanites, the Lemuelites and
[p.8] the Ishmaelites who formerly possessed this land, whose fathers
we have an account of in the Book of Mormon. Those who are most
familiar with their history, and with the history of our settlements
in these mountains for the last thirty years—the manner in which we
have sent out our colonies to locate upon the land of the Lamanites:
the manner in which we have treated with them to obtain their consent
and approval to occupy and improve the land which they claim; the
manner in which we have moved among them to maintain ourselves and to
build the towns and cities which are now inhabited by our people
throughout this mountain region: the manner in which we have sent out
missionaries in advance of our colonies to open up the way, carrying
with them the spirit of the holy Gospel, the spirit of peace, the
spirit of love and brotherhood, to endeavor to impress them with the
belief that we were not men of blood, but that we were a people who
cherished and cultivated the spirit of peace; the course we have taken
when difficulties would arise between them and our settlements, which
occasionally would occur through the indiscretion of thoughtless and
selfish men, to settle the same in a friendly, peaceful way, thereby
avoiding bloodshed and war; and the spirit in which we have chastised
them when it became necessary to do so, not in malice nor revenge, but
as a father would chastise his wayward child, and then as soon as
possible pour into their wounds the oil and the wine to heal them up
again—those, I say, who are best acquainted with our labors in this
direction will best appreciate the results.

vol. 23, p.8
I have had much experience during the last twenty years in this
direction; and have, by means of the spirit of the Gospel, averted
much war and bloodshed.

vol. 23, p.8
Wherever our colonies have been sent in advance, their influence has
been felt for good—not alone to them, not only has it tended to
establish confidence and a bond of friendship between the natives and
our colonies, but it has also tended to restrain the uprising in their
hearts to war against the white race, and has thus promoted peace to
our General Government, the misrepresentations and the lying of our
enemies to the contrary notwithstanding.

vol. 23, p.8
We know there are to-day, as there always have been, men who are
suspicious and full of green-eyed jealousy, ever ready to misrepresent
the purest motives of the best people on the earth; and acts of
loyalty and honesty and commendation are construed to be those of
conspiracy and wickedness. And we know too that among this class of
vilifiers and defamers are realty of the clergy, some of whom have
come among us as followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, to bring to us
glad tidings: but being wolves in sheep's clothing they do the work of
their master, and, therefore, they scatter broadcast lies and
defamation. And many newspaper scribblers, who are ever ready to
pander to popular sentiment, whether it be right or wrong, who: know
not the facts in the case, take up and republish to the world those
truths and misrepresentations of the wicked men who are seeking
notoriety at the expense of truth and justice.

vol. 23, p.8
The history of Utah Territory gives the lie to all these
misrepresentations. There is no part of the American continent that
has been peopled and redeemed from its desolated condition with so
little [p.9] bloodshed as Utah. There is no other State or Territory
where the general government has expended so little force, or where so
few lives have been lost in settling a country and maintaining peace
with the Indians as Utah. To-day the American nation is indebted for
the spirit of "Mormonism" that has been diffused through this
mountainous country in the maintainance of peace, and the saving to
the nation of millions of treasure as well as thousands of lives.

vol. 23, p.9
And the wisdom of the Lord, through His servant Brigham Young, in
sending colonies into Arizona, and on the several branches of the
Colorado, also into the San Juan country, as well as on out eastward
borders, may be witnessed to-day in the influence that is exerted by
our people to check the spirit of war and bloodshed among the Navajoes
and the Utes and the Apaches. The wars that have troubled the country
during the last four or five years in Colorado, New Mexico and
Arizona, have been, to my certain knowledge, greatly mitigated by the
presence of our colonies on their borders, and by the labors of our
missionaries among the Indians. During those two years I have spent
considerable time in visiting those colonies, and have, therefore,
been brought in contact with many of the nations of the different
tribes when they have been visiting colonies and missionary stations.
And so has Elder Woodruff and some others of the Quorum of the Twelve.
And I am a witness to this fact, that in every instance where the
influence of our missionaries and our colonies has been exerted upon
these fallen people, their chiefs have been imbued with the spirit of
peace, and they in turn have exerted their influence on the side of
peace to allay the uprising of their more bloodthirsty brothers. And
when they have been almost on the point of joining distant war-like
bands engaged in hostilities against the Government, and have come to
us to know our views and to seek our counsel, our advice has always
been in the interest of peace, in the spirit of kindness; we have
always taught them to restrain their hostile feelings, and have
portrayed to them the benefits of peace, forbearance and
longsuffering, and advised them to endure what they considered wrong
rather than to attempt to redress their wrongs in their feeble,
helpless condition, by taking up arms against the strong and powerful
government of the United States; and besides, that it was displeasing
to God our heavenly Father, that they should shed the blood of man.
Such is the character of the teachings and counsels of our leading men
of the various settlements to the Indians, and of our missionaries who
are sent among them.

vol. 23, p.9
And I have had the testimony, during the last two years, of many of
our presiding Elders and Indian missionaries—and they are men, I know,
whose word may be relied upon, and who are themselves, I know, the
true friends of the Indians, and are laboring for their welfare—they
assured me that had it not been for this influence, the young men of
the Navajoes would have been fighting with the Utes in Colorado during
the last war, and that many more of the Apaches would have been on the
war-path with the late Victorio in new Mexico.

vol. 23, p.9
And here let me say, the last outbreak of the Apaches last fall, was
forced upon them by the foolish and ruthless procedure of some of the
officers at Camp Apache, greatly to [p.10] the disgust of every
thinking man acquainted with the affairs of that country. It was no
more nor less than an attempt to make a great national affair out of a
little, harmless, religious enthusiasm that sprang up among that
tribe. Once in a while the indians become very much excited over some
local prophet; and it was merely an event of this nature that led to
the late Apache war; the interference of the troops to quell their
religious enthusiasm. And I want to say that a general war all through
these eastern mountains and Arizona was imminent last September and
October, and have no doubt would have broken out, had it not been for
the presence and influence of our colonies extended along their
immediate borders, which are presided over by careful, wise men, and
their intercourse and labors among the Indians; and for the
conservative influence of those chiefs and leading Apaches that
Brother Woodruff visited and preached the Gospel to two years ago, and
whom I and some half-dozen of our brethren visited and labored with
three years ago last summer, which had the tendency to restrain the
uprising of their more hot-headed brethren and of quelling it. They
did more than all the troops from California, New Mexico and Eastern
Arizona in bringing about peace.

vol. 23, p.10
The influence of those friendly Indians, who had listened to the
counsels of our missionaries and our leading men in that country, and
to Brother Woodruff, who went through the mountains to hunt up the
bands that had hidden, and who were procuring ammunition and otherwise
preparing for war—I say, their influence was felt for good, as was
fully attested by their success in bringing the hostiles in by
hundreds in the vicinity of Cooley's ranch and elsewhere, and in
allaying the warlike spirit among the Indians generally around Camp
Apache; and thus in a quiet way bringing about peace and preventing a
general war.

vol. 23, p.10
I know these things are true. I was posted every day, being at the
time on the Little Colorado, and in company with President Jesse N.
Smith, who was in communication with our brethren on the borders of
those hostile Indians, who had messengers going and coming every day
to and from them bearing counsels of peace; and I know that the
prayers of our people ascended to the Father in the interest of peace,
that the counsels of peace might prevail among them; and I know too
that our prayers, together with the good influences that had been
exerted, did prevail on behalf of the Saints of that region of
country. And I know and can testify that the influence of our
interpreters and discreet, Indian men and missionaries, whom we have
located on the San Juan River, between the Navajoes and the Ute
reservations, who have been there during the last three years, as also
those on the south of the Navajoe reservation, and between the
Navajoes, and the Apaches on the various branches of the Little
Colorado, I know that their influence and the effect of their
teachings and counsels upon the Lamanites is in the interest of peace
between the white race and the Indians of that country.

vol. 23, p.10
I feel it a pleasure to be able to speak knowingly of these things,
and hope that this spirit of peace may extend throughout the land.
Amen. [p.11]

John Taylor, November 9, 1881

The Settling of Southern Utah—Building of the Temple, Etc.

Delivered in the St. George Tabernacle, Wednesday Evening,
Nov. 9th, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs)

vol. 23, p.11
I feel pleased to have the opportunity of again meeting with you.
There are many things that if I had time, I should like to talk about.
However, there were one or two statements, that I made yesterday,
which I will further explain. In speaking of the position of the
people and of their settlements in this southern country, I then
stated that President Young did not make any mistake in laying out a
city here, nor in building a Temple here; that it was quite as
important a move as any that could have been made in the interests of
the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. If I were to enter into
the details of that move I should speak of it perhaps in a two-fold
capacity; but I will speak for a short time, at least, upon some of
the leading features associated with the position that we occupy here
in these valleys of the mountains.

vol. 23, p.11
We are quite a long distance from the outside world. It is true there
are railroads and more are being made; and it is right there should
be. That is their part of the business. In this way, and in many
instances, they are assisting us to build up the kingdom of God, but
they don't know it. If they did they would not like to do it.

vol. 23, p.11
The position that we occupy in these valleys of the mountains, is a
very peculiar one. When we came up here the first place that was
designated was Salt Lake City. President Young said that he had a
manifestation that that was the place. There was a valley, a very good
valley, a comparatively rich valley, a valley that was well watered, a
valley that could be irrigated without much labor, where the streams
were quite easy of access and where a small community could easily
raise their sustenance; and this we did. Now, had we landed in a place
like this at first, it would have been more difficult, people would
have become more discouraged, and some of them felt very much
discouraged as it was—some going to California because everything
looked so forbidding. Yet others thought it would be a pleasant place
to reside in, a place where a living could be as easily obtained as in
most other places, except we go to some of the rich lands of Missouri,
Illinois, Iowa, etc. But there were other circumstances associated
with these things that would have made it difficult for us to sustain
ourselves even in those places. For instance we lived in a rich land
back in Missouri. Everything there seemed to grow at a very rapid
rate, everything increased very fast. I have heard some [p.12] people
tell such big stories about the productiveness of that country that I
have sometimes been afraid to tell what I myself knew of it, for fear
that people would not believe me. For instance, I have seen fields of
corn that a regiment of soldiers could ride into and they would be out
of sight; and I have seen beans grow where corn has been planted where
the corn stalks have served as bean poles; and I have seen pumpkins
and squash grow among them, three crops growing the same year and at
the same time. That country, nevertheless, has many drawbacks. In that
country we were very unhealthy. We were subject to what is called
fever and ague every year; in fact, in the spring we used to think we
did well if we didn't happen to die off in the fall. Why could we not
stop there? Because the land was too good, and we were easy of access
to men desirous to possess our property, and they told us to move on,
and we had to go. We had to leave Missouri, and I suppose God intended
to try the Saints, to let them pass through certain kinds of
experience and place them in a position that they would have to lean
on Him. Some of the people rebelled against these things in their
feelings. Among the rest, I remember being much shocked at the remarks
of Sidney Rigdon after he had been imprisoned with the Prophet Joseph
in Richmond jail, as well as many others. I visited them in jail, and
Sidney Rigdon made a remark soon after he got out, to the effect that
if God did not care anything more about us than He seemed to do, that
if He allowed us to be hauled around as we had been, he did not care
about serving such a God. That is, he found the trials were heavier
for him than he was capable of bearing, notwithstanding that he had
seen the Lord and had had visions pertaining to the celestial,
terrestial and telestial kingdoms, in which he had seen the position
of men in the future, and the purposes of God regarding the nations of
the earth, and had borne testimony of it in connection with Joseph
Smith, as we find recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Yet
when trials came his knees faltered, and the knees of many others have
faltered in the same way. Now, we talk about lands, good rich land.
Why did we not stay in Missouri? Because people would not let us. It
was just so in Illinois. Why did we leave there? Because, as I have
heard Brother George A. Smith say, we left because we could not help
ourselves; at least, that was the purport of his saying. I think the
Lord was very merciful to us in Salt Lake Valley. I believe we landed
just in the right place. The people commenced to establish themselves;
they began to find that they could raise crops there, and that the
land was very productive. We stayed there for a while and began to
make little settlements and little excursions out into the surrounding
country. The people had all kinds of difficulties. I remember once, in
Bountiful, there were three or four families went up to settle there,
and they felt that there was not enough water, and that they could
hardly get along. They got to quarreling about water rights, as we do
sometimes. I do not know of much quarreling down here; I do not think
you have as much water to quarrel over as they had. Afterwards
President Young was moved upon to begin to make settlements in  other
places. We had now obtained a foothold. We had a place where we could
raise all the grain [p.13] necessary for our sustenance, where we
could raise sheep, cattle, etc. We pushed out to Ogden on the one hand
and to Provo on the other, and then occupied some of the best places
in Salt Lake Valley, in Utah Valley, and on the Weber. We began to
increase; more immigrants came in, and others began to come from
above. Things went on. A Temple was started there, but it seemed to
progress very slowly; as well it might when, we consider the
substantial nature of the building. When we started, we had nothing
but wagons to haul the rock on, and they were very big rock, if you
remember. Those rocks had to be hauled about 17 miles in those wagons,
and owing to the liability of the wagons to break (town, this work
gave us a great deal of trouble. To-day, and right along for a number
of years past, since the railroad has been built, it is not uncommon
to bring in some three or four car loads at a time, delivering the
rock in the Temple yard. Then it was thought best to commence down
here. Why? Let me tell you some other things and show you about the
settlements north and south, and especially south. If you remember,
Brother Geo. A. Smith, as much as 25 years ago—I don't remember
exactly how long—came down and made a settlement at Parowan, and
another at Cedar—and here is Brother Henry Lunt present, who was one
of that number. He came to Cedar at that time, and they tried to start
iron works at that place. And then Brother Joseph Horne and some
others were sent down to see if cotton could not be raised in this
district of country in the hope that something could be done whereby
we might produce the raw material for the manufacture of our clothes,
and they stayed a little while somewhere not far from here, some five
miles south on the Santa Clara, I am told. There was a rich little
settlement up there. Some time after, a great deal of it was washed
away. I remember the struggles Brother George A. used to have. He
labored under difficulties, being so very heavy, and not as active as
most men; but he was a man of great energy. He would come down here
and bring a few men, and would settle them down and go back again. By
and by he would bring some more down, all that he could pick up that
would volunteer. By the time he came down again, he would find half of
the others had gone. They did not want to stop. They thought the land
was set up on edge and had never been finished, and they had all kinds
of notions. Then he would return to the city, and drum up a few more
recruits, and take them down; and by the time he got here he would
find that a good many of those he left had also gone. Finally, they
became weeded out and left, until he got a lot of folks who, if they
had considered it a duty to go on to a barren rock and stay there
until they should be instructed to leave, would have done it. It
needed just such an element to come to this country. What Brother Snow
said here, referring to the sad fact of there being such a number of
widows in this place whose husbands had gone to their graves through
having worked themselves to death, was perfectly true; but, then, we
don't want to cry about it. We may as well laugh as cry about the
past. You have done a great deal of hard work. In coming down from
Pine Valley we found immense dugways in the most forbidding places,
and it has required all the perseverance, energy, intelligence [p.14]
and faith of even those men who were capable of living on a dry
rock—it required the combined energy of the whole to accomplish these
things, and a good deal of faith too.

vol. 23, p.14
Still President Young urged forward the people; Brother Geo. A. Smith
and Brother Erastus Snow urged them forward, and others urged them
forward, and there was a general feeling to build up this southern
country. Finally it was found that our Temple in Salt Lake City would
take such a long time to build, it was thought best to erect one down
here. Why? Because there was a people living here who were more worthy
than any others. Who were more worthy of the blessings of a Temple
than those who had displayed the self-abnegation exhibited by the
pioneers of the south? God inspired President Young to build a Temple
here because of the fidelity and self-abnegation of the people; and,
furthermore that there might be an asylum here for those living
further south to be administered to in the holy ordinances of God. I
speak this for your credit—not that all of you are of that class, but
let those that are worthy take the credit, and those that are not,
need not take it. This Temple was built and we went into it, and a
great many thousands of people have been administered to, and for,
within its walls. People have administered for themselves and for
their progenitors. Over 150,000 people, Brother McAllister says, have
been administered for in this Temple. Don't you think it is worth
while building a Temple where such a work can be done? If life is
worth anything, if salvation is worth anything, if the life of our
friends and brethren with whom we shall be associated in the kingdom
of God, is worth anything, then I think a good work was done in the
building of this Temple. In other words, it was a wise move. Why?
Because it helped to sustain this part of the country. Means were
brought from other places down here to supply the people with means
and labor, thus it has been a blessing both to the living and the
dead. You men who comprehend things aright, you would not take in
exchange anything that could be conferred upon you for the blessings
you have received in that Temple.

vol. 23, p.14
There were then blessings of a temporal nature, as well as of a
spiritual nature, connected with the labor performed in the building
of that house. There was another thing. In establishing the kingdom of
God it was necessary that there should be a strong place somewhere
here between the land south and the land north. It was necessary that
there should be a foothold here all through these valleys of the
mountains between Salt Lake City and north of Salt Lake City clear
away, as you have heard President Young say, on the backbone of the
American continent. And why? We make remarks sometimes, but I always
like to get at the bottom of them. Why is it better for us to be here
than to be somewhere else? If we had been in Missouri we should have
been mobbed and robbed long ago. If we had been anywhere in Central
America or South America where we could have been reached, our
Christian friends would have come there and stolen what we had from
us. But, furthermore, President Young, who was governed by the
inspiration of the Spirit of God in leading the people forth in the
way he did, expected that these railroads that are now coming would
come along. Years ago I expected the same thing, because I saw them at
work here,  [p.15] and clear away into Mexico. I had it manifested to
me, and Brother George Q. Cannon, here has heard me speak about the
matter. Did'nt you Brother Cannon? (Brother Cannon: Yes, sir.) At that
time I was very sick. I told President Young of some things that I
then believed would take place, among the rest was this railroad
building. And if there had not been some pretty strong places, such as
a settlement on Salt Creek, a settlement at Beaver, a settlement at
Parowan, a settlement down here, etc., we never would have been able
to carry out the will of God, and we should have been in a different
position with regard to other settlements further south than we are
to-day. Now your young men are beginning to say, they want room. There
is plenty of room south. Here is Brother Snow, who has been working
like a beaver, and there are others, who are doing the same,
establishing settlements in the various valleys south, in Arizona, in
Colorado, and all through this southern country, until we now occupy,
as I have stated in other places, some 800 miles of country in a
direct line, running north and south.

vol. 23, p.15
What did we have when we left Nauvoo? Not much. Any property to spare?
I think not. I think many of us would have gone without shoes, without
clothing, unless God had interposed in a miraculous manner in sending
down—I was going to say, a shower of clothing. You remember that
Brother Kimball prophesied at a certain time that clothing would be as
cheap here as in the East. Regarding this some people felt a good deal
like the man did when Elijah prophesied about a measure of meal being
sold for so much. Says one man; if the heavens were to open this could
not happen; but it did happen; and the other happened that Brother
Kimball talked about. When the gold fever burst out, people brought
clothing by the wholesale and sold it for a mere song, and let you
sing the song; until the wants of the people were all supplied. Who
supplied them? These men. Did they want to do it? No, it was the Lord
who controlled these matters. He started up this feeling which brought
the people here, and they acted more like crazy men than any I ever
saw. They were ready to give us their goods almost for nothing. The
Saints at that time in Salt Lake City were supplied with all the
necessaries of life brought by traders whom they knew nothing about,
and they traded off their cattle and their horses and anything these
people could pack away. Here was a manifestation of the work of the
Lord, of the will of God, and the protecting care of our heavenly
Father over His Saints.

vol. 23, p.15
As I told you yesterday we have traveled among the Saints and found
thousands of happy homes, good farms, good gardens and orchards,
cattle, sheep, horses, etc., and that the people generally are now in
a very prosperous condition. What has it originated from? We certainly
did not bring it about. God has blessed our labors on the land and
increased the water for our sake.

vol. 23, p.15
Now, having said so much upon this subject I will turn to our
political position. We have already made in Salt Lake City numbers of
very nice places. You have also got some very beautiful buildings
here. I am sorry to see so much saleratus yet in the land; I wish you
had a little easier times; but while I am inclined to sympathize with
you, yet I do not want my sympathy to  overcome my [p.16] judgment
about matters of this kind.

vol. 23, p.16
Now we have really the foundation for a prosperous State. We started
with nothing a little while ago. I think we have made pretty well at
it. You have had hard times; still you are living and thriving: there
are none of you naked or without shoes, hats or bonnets. You seem to
be provided with a great many of the good things of this life. You
seem to be doing tolerably well. I know very well that you have a hard
struggle to make two ends meet; I understand it. gut there is one
advantage you have—no one will want to steal away your place from you;
will they? (Laughter.) I do not think they would want to carry it off.
I do not think they would want to drive you away because of your
extraneous wealth; consequently; you are free from this trouble. That
is not the fix of the nations of the earth. Go to some of the nations
to-day and look at their condition. Take England for instance; they
are prospering very well, but look at the trouble they have had in
Ireland. They have tried to benefit that people in one way or another,
but they seem to spurn those benefits, and are inclined to stir up
commotion which is not unlikely to end in bloodshed. We are not
troubled in that way. In Russia, look at the horrible condition they
are in. They have secret societies, as spoken of in the Book of
Mormon. They are engaged in all kinds of plots, plans and
calculations. They have tried to kill their present Czar, after having
asassinated his father. There seems to be a feeling of uneasiness and
trouble among the nations. Then again, in Turkey, they have had a
great deal of trouble there. It has leaked out lately that the Sultan,
who was said to have died a natural death, was strangled, and they
have lately been prosecuting his assassins. There are terrible
forebodings among the nations of the earth because of troubles that
seem to be threatening them. Here we have had our own President
killed, and a little while ago President Lincoln was assassinated, and
there seems to be a spirit of that kind rampant, and it will grow
worse and worse. Not long ago in Pittsburg there was a shocking state
of things, where they burnt up and destroyed property to the amount of
three millions of dollars or more. We have apparently prosperous
times. There is now a lull in the storm, but it is only a lull to
burst out more violently by and by. You will see it. There are
elements at work to uproot the government and destroy the foundation
of society, and to take away the rights of men and pull down the
bulwarks of this government, and scatter to the four winds the
principles by which it has been governed, and to let loose the wildest
passions of men. These are some of the things that are taking place.
These are the elements that are at work to-day. They are running
around, and through, and among the people almost everywhere. And it
will not be long before there is trouble again in the United States.
These inflated times will by and by bring about a great reaction, and
then there will be trouble and difficulty; and so these things will
continue to increase.

vol. 23, p.16
Now, we are here in the tops of the mountains, far away from these
things. We are here learning· the laws of life and the principles of
truth, and we are here as saviors upon Mount Zion, operating in the
interests of humanity, sending forth missionaries to the nations of
the earth, gathering people together; [p.17] and when they are
gathered together, we build temples and administer in them. We are
here, forming closer connections with the heavens, with God our
Heavenly Father, with Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and with
the ancient Apostles, Prophets and men of God. We are here
participating in some of the greatest blessings that ever were
conferred upon mankind since the world was formed. We are here as
those that God has selected from the nations of the earth, that He may
plant among us the principles of eternal truth, and that we may
operate with Him and with the Priesthood behind the vail in the
interests of all humanity that have ever lived upon the face of the
earth. We are a blessed people if we could only comprehend our
position. And we need not be too anxious about the affairs of the
world. Men of wealth, men of standing, men of position, men who stand
in high places, are beginning to tremble and quake everywhere. They
are looking forward with terrible forebodings to something that they
fear is coming upon the earth. They do not know what it is, but it
will burst upon them and their forebodings will be realized.

vol. 23, p.17
But we will look at this matter again. Could we be in a better place?
I think not. Let me show you the reason for that. We are a very small
people, and we are in the midst of a very large people. We occupy
these valleys among these rugged mountains, and we dwell in deserts,
and in many of the most forbidding places. We see people living in
little places, on little streams of water trickling along, and
perhaps all of it would go through an inch pipe without much pressure,
 and they are professing to farm and raise fruits, vegetables and
vines in such places, wrenching their living from the barren desert
soil. And they do live, but it is hard sledding, and there is a great
deal of it here. Now then, go over the ground we have traveled to get
here, say starting from Utah County to Juab, from Juab to Fillmore,
from Fillmore to Beaver, from Beaver to Parowan, and so on down
through here, and among these rocks where little settlements are
placed, and up and down your rivers, how very, very few comparatively
they are. Yet what an extent of land, is there not? We occupy the
country it is true; but I tell the people sometimes that our mountains
have very large feet, and that our deserts occupy very large tracks of
land. But wherever there is a habitable place, Latter-day Saints are
living on it, and consequently living in these little places they
control the mountains and the country. Is not that a fact? And suppose
we did not have these little forbidding, barren places, the little
springs and little rivulets that come along reminding one of oases in
the deserts—if we did not have them we could not have the country, but
we have them and God has given us possession of them. If we had not
possessed these narrow valleys and defiles they would have been in the
possession of bands of Gadianton robbers, who would have preyed upon
the people and their property, as "cowboys" and guerillas are now
doing in Arizona. But our possessing them gave strength and protection
to our more important settlements.

vol. 23, p.17
We have paid for what we have got. I expect your land is all entered
here?

vol. 23, p.17
Answer—Yes, sir.

vol. 23, p.17
You have paid for the land then, and you have paid for it up here in
Pine Valley. There is a big [p.18] mountain between, and you own that
in the bargain, and all those sane ridges and rough places, including
Jacob's Twist are thrown in for nothing. You own the country here and
there and all the way through. How far is it from these mountains to
Kanab?

vol. 23, p.18
Answer.—About 80 miles, sir. 

vol. 23, p.18
The most of it is mountainous. But there are little places here and
there which enable you to control all of it; the mountains are thrown
in as chips and whetstones. It is the same all the way from here to
Nephi; there are little places here and there; we own them and have
got our titles for them, and we are the owners of the soil and the
mountains are thrown in. So that owing to the small quantity of land
we have been compelled by circumstances to go into Idaho, Arizona and
Colorado. We cannot hide from ourselves that these things give us some
political rights in these places; but who are we injuring, whose
political or religious liberties are infringed upon by us? Nobody's!
If we live on and conquer those forbidden districts we ought not to be
begrudged the limited influence that those positions naturally award
us; and while we do not interfere with others and their political
arrangements, we think we ought to possess that meagre share that
these forbidding circumstances place in our possession.

vol. 23, p.18
There is another remarkable thing. Who is it that we are to thank for
this? The Lord. Did he inspire President Brigham Young in these
things—to occupy these places! Yes. Is it right for us to occupy them?
Yes. Is it right for us to build temples? Yes. Is it right for us to
administer in them? Yes. Is it right for us to seek to establish the
kingdom of God on the earth? Yes. Is it right for us to seek wisdom
from God to do it? Yes. That is what we have been doing for a great
many years and we are doing it to-day. Here is Brother Cannon. He is
going to Washington as our representative in the general government.
Only think about it. Here is a Territory several hundred miles long
and I do not know how wide. Let me see (the speaker turning and
addressing himself to President Cannon) George, how many
representatives have they in Congress?

vol. 23, p.18
Answer: 293 representatives and 9 delegates.

vol. 23, p.18
And then there is the Senate? 

vol. 23, p.18
Answer: 76 members.

vol. 23, p.18
And we, a little people in the valleys of these mountains, right in
the tops of these mountains, in the midst of 50 millions of people,
all the representation we have is just one delegate, and he has not a
right to vote! And yet what have they done to us? Not much. Have they
been plotting against us? Yes, they have. Are they seeking to injure
us to-day? Yes. Who? All classes of men, and especially the religious
kind. Our feeling is to save people, not to curse them. It must be a
miserable feeling for men to have when they are seeking to destroy
their fellow-men, yet they are doing it. It is because they have not
the intelligence to cope with the principles that God has revealed to
us, that they want to drag the strength of the government to put down
by arms that which they have not the power to do by argument or on any
just or regular principle. I would be ashamed if I were one of them; I
would be ashamed if I could not do something else besides praying to
destroy a few, weak people in the tops of the mountains of Utah, far
away from everybody, and [p.19] pretending that we are so awfully
corrupt that they are afraid we shall demoralize them. God save the
mark! They themselves are killing off their own children by tens of
thousands and by hundreds of thousands before they are born. That is
the feeling that is growing up among them. It is adultery,
fornication, lasciviousness that is undermining the constitutions of
the people. They are rotting by thousands and tens of thousands, and
they will come here and preach morality to us. We do not want them. We
tell them to go among their own lepers and cleanse their own social
evils, sweep out their own Augean stables, and purify themselves from
their own corruptions, and then come and talk purity to us. That is
what I would say to those people. We understand them as well as they
understand themselves, and for that reason we do not want any of that
kind of hypocrisy here.

vol. 23, p.19
Now, then, we come to ourselves. We are here. Could we have been
placed in any better position than we are today? No. What has been the
object of God for sometime? In the first place He operated upon
Columbus to come and find this land. He then operated upon the
Puritans and other men in England and other places to come to this
land, and many of them were good, honorable, high-minded, virtuous
people. The grandfathers and grandmothers of this nation were not
murderers; they did not murder infants; they were honorable people who
cherished human life, and considered it a blessing to have a large
posterity and to take care of them. The spirit of the early fathers
was, if their land was poor they could raise men. What are they doing
now? Raising murderers and murderesses. From among those people and
from Europe and other parts the Saints have been gathered. The Lord is
gathering them together, and His kingdom is spreading and growing, and
it is our privilege to grow and expand with it, and we should be true
to ourselves, be true to our religion, be true to God, and operate in
the interests of humanity. We could not find a better place for
Latter-day Saints than in these valleys of the mountains, nor in those
rugged parts further south. We expect to go on and to increase and
seek to the Lord for his guidance, protection and sustenance, while we
must learn to do right and observe his laws and keep his commandments.
The kingdom of God is onward. It is accelerating in its speed. God has
called the First Presidency, the Twelve, High Priests, Seventies,
Elders, Bishops, High Councilors, Priests, Teachers and Deacons—he has
called upon them to devote themselves to him. He expects us to be
willing in the day of his power. He expects us to be true to our
integrity, and having taught us eternal principles, he expects that we
shall have the law of God written in our hearts and be valiant for the
truth and for God. God and all the intelligences that he is surrounded
with are on our side and are enlisted in our protection and for the
sustenance of this people; and for the rolling forth of his work, and
the accomplishment of the objects that he designed in the introduction
of the Gospel in the last days, even in the dispensation of the
fulness of times, when he would gather all things into one. Being
called to live in a land like this, in the midst of rugged mountains
and barren deserts we will sing, "For the strength of the hills we
bless thee, our God, our fathers' God;" for the wisdom Thou hast
[p.20] displayed we praise Thee, O God, our fathers' God. And we will
be true to God, to our religion and will keep our covenants; we will
maintain strict integrity to our vows which we have vowed in sacred
places; we will follow the guidance of the Holy Priesthood, and God
will lead us from strength to strength, from victory to victory, from
power to power, until the kingdom of God shall be established, and no
man can stay its progress to-day, God being our helper. Let us go to
him and put our trust in him, and all will be well with us in time and
through all eternity.

vol. 23, p.20
Brethren: God bless you, and prosper you in all your journeyings, and
enable you to accomplish your object, and frustrate all the designs of
your enemies, and let all the congregation say, Amen [the congregation
responded, Amen.] May God bless this people. Hold on a little longer,
for this motto which I see in your house will be fulfilled, "After the
cloud there will be sunshine." Amen.

John Taylor, December 11, 1881

Travels of the First Presidency and the Twelve—Temporal and 
Spiritual Condition of the Saints—Their Educational
Progress—Temple Building, Its Object—Organization of the 
Priesthood, Its Duties—The Gathering and General Duties 
of the Saints of God, Their Ultimate Destiny.

Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, 
Sunday After-Noon, December 11, 1881.

Reported by John Irvine

vol. 23, p.20
I am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with and addressing
the Saints in this place. Since our last Conference I have traveled a
great deal among the Saints in different parts of the Territory, in
part accompanied by some of my counsel and the Twelve. Personally
within a short time I have visited all the leading settlements of the
Saints both north and south, east and west, and it may not be
uninteresting to you to hear a brief statement of the position which
the Saints occupy in their various locations and settlements; because
we all of us feel more or less interested in the welfare of all. It
was in view of this that I felt a desire to visit the Saints at their
own homes, to associate with them at their own firesides, or  at least
to meet them in their public assemblies. It has been very interesting
to myself and [p.21] accompanying brethren to find out the true
position which the Saints occupy, to know what their standing is in
relation to their religious views and sentiments, and also to
ascertain their moral status and how they conduct themselves not only
religiously but socially. And then another thing that we felt desirous
to understand was the true educational condition of the Saints; and
what they were doing to enlighten the minds of the youth and to train
them in the right paths, and how far literature, science and those
principles of intelligence which are calculated to exalt and ennoble
men when under proper influences, prevailed among our people, and in
what manner they deported themselves in regard to all these things. We
have felt the more desirous to do this because many of the Saints live
far from the seat of the Presidency of the Church. I suppose so far as
we have been in this Territory, in the adjoining Territory of Idaho,
in some portions of Wyoming, and in other portions south, that we have
not traveled less than from 500 to 600 miles in a direct course north
and south, besides visiting nearly all the prominent settlements east
and west, and our feeling and impressions after visiting the whole of
the Saints in all of their locations are to us very interesting and
encouraging. So far as the temporal position of the people is
concerned, they seem to be in possession of a reasonable share of the
good things of life; their habits of industry and perseverance, their
self-abnegation, the desire to comprehend and sustain correct
principles, together with the blessing of the Almighty, have tended to
promote their welfare in a temporal point of view.

vol. 23, p.21
We do not find so really very wealthy people as there are in some
communities, but our people, so far as our observation goes (and we
have had a pretty fair opportunity of investigating all these
matters), are second to none in regard to the comforts, conveniences
and necessaries of life; and perhaps there is no place nor people (at
least, none that I have any knowledge of, and I have traveled quite
extensively myself in the world), that are better situated as a whole
than are the Latter-day Saints in this and the adjoining territories,
nor where more of the people dwell in their own homes. We find
thousands upon thousands of happy homes, and the people that inhabit
them are sober, industrious, frugal and God-fearing, feeling a strong
desire to observe the laws and keep the commandments of the Lord; and
notwithstanding the many aspersions cast upon them by wicked and
designing men, they nevertheless evince a strong desire to observe the
laws and institutions of the land. We find them in possession
generally of good houses, farms, orchards, gardens, and in many
instances, of cattle, sheep, horses, and all the appliances of life
which tend to promote comfort in a social and family capacity. We
find, too, that this season has been a very prosperous one, with very
few exceptions, throughout the length and breadth of the Territory.
The Lord has blessed our labors, exceedingly, and I presume that the
crops, as a general thing, have been increased at least 20 to 25
percent., I think we should be quite safe in saying 20 per cent.; and
this, of course, tends to make existence more pleasant and agreeable,
and to enable the people to more easily struggle in the battle of life
in its various forms and phases. In addition to this we find that they
[p.22] are generally seeking to live their religion and to keep the
commandments of God. And the various organizations which you have
among you here, in this city, prevail throughout all the settlements
of the Saints with very few exceptions, very few indeed. We find that
the Relief Societies which are so active and energetic among you here
and which are operating so creditably in looking after the interest
and welfare of the female portion of our society, also exist all over
the Territory, and that there is a creditable zeal and intelligence
without that obtrusiveness which we see among many—a desire to promote
the well-being of those with whom they are associated, and to make
themselves useful in all the affairs of life: and we feel whenever we
find a disposition of this kind, to appreciate it. We find, also, that
our Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Associations
prevail almost everywhere, and that there is a desire to elevate the
youth and lift them up from the sloughs of ignorance and darkness, and
to implant within their minds true and correct principles, putting
them in possession of a knowledge of science, literature, and the
arts, and cultivating those principles that are calculated to elevate
and ennoble mankind, as well as to correct their morals and govern
them in their religious pursuits. We find, also, that their Primary
Associations are attended to with the same vigilance that they are
around us here, and that the most wise, prudent and intelligent ladies
are selected for the purpose of supervising their movements and in
"teaching the young idea how to shoot." We find, also, that throughout
the Territory our Sunday Schools receive that attention which we
consider all such institutions ought to merit and do merit, and that
the best of men and women are selected for their teachers, who, as we
see, take an interest in the welfare of our rising posterity.

vol. 23, p.22
It is not for me to enter into all particulars; I merely wish to give
a brief outline of these matters. All of these institutions that I
have referred to are in a very creditable position; are managed with
great care, and many of your old neighbors who used to live here in
the city, both men and women, and who were known as high-minded,
honorable persons—we find mixed in the various societies throughout
the settlements and organizations, exerting an influence which is
truly interesting to all who feel desirous to promote the welfare of
Zion and the building of the kingdom of God upon the earth. Then,
again, in regard to our scholastic affairs, we find that there is very
great progress being made in our common schools, or rather what are
termed our district schools. We find that a more intelligent class of
teachers is being employed, and that with the operations of the normal
department of the University, with the Brigham Young Academy in Provo,
and other institutions of learning, they are telling very favorably
upon our youth, and as better teachers are obtained, there seems to be
a greater desire manifested among the people to acquire intelligence
of every kind. From the best information that I am able to obtain, I
suppose there are at least thirty normal students turned out every
year. They are prepared in our University and in the other scholastic
institutions referred to, and as these teachers, coming from their own
counties and peoples, return to their several homes, properly
qualified as instructors, they do a great deal of good among the
community.[p.23] 

vol. 23, p.23
In relation to other matters, such as the building of Temples, they
are also progressing very favorably. I need not say anything about the
one we are building here; you are all acquainted with that. The one
which is being built in Logan is now covered in. A large force of
carpenters are engaged in finishing the interior department thereof,
and another year will count very favorably in the work on that
structure. It is a beautiful building, and stands in a very imposing
position on an elevated plateau in Cache County, near Logan. About 200
miles from that, in the south, in Sanpete County, there is another
Temple being built. That also occupies a very eligible position. A
very large amount of labor has been performed in preparing the site.
The point of a mountain has been removed, and a great amount of labor
has been expended on the walls which surround the Temple, forming
nearly a semi-circle. There are three terraces elevated one above
another, the same as the gallery may be elevated above the lower part
of this house; they surround the Temple, being wider, of course, at
the lower part and narrower as they approach towards the Temple. A
very large amount of means and labor have been expended in preparing
these terraces and also in preparing the Temple. The Temple itself is
a beautiful structure. They expect to have the walls up to the square
in another season. I think they have built up the wall this year some
28 feet. It is built of beautiful white rock—or at least very light,
clear rock and is hewn on the outside where the joints come together,
and presents a very beautiful and creditable appearance. It is
interesting, too, to find how strongly the feelings of the people are
drawn out in relation to these edifices. They seem to think that no
sacrifice is too great to accomplish the object which they have in
view; indeed in both of these Temple districts they seem to take very
great pride in prosecuting this labor. I was informed that the
superintendent was a little short of means a short time ago at the
Manti Temple, and he asked if he must slacken the labor. They told him
no, he was to proceed with it, and I think in a very short time a
number of people from different parts subscribed 7,000 bushels of
wheat to assist in the construction of the Temple, and there seems to
be, generally, a strong desire for the accomplishment of this work.

vol. 23, p.23
The religion that we have espoused, connects time with eternity,
heaven with earth, this world with the next, and while the Lord has
revealed unto us what is termed a new Gospel, and hence it is called
the new and everlasting Gospel—new indeed to the people of the world,
but everlasting so far as God is concerned and the interests of
mankind both living and dead; for God is interested in the welfare of
all humanity that has ever lived, that now lives, or that ever will
live. He is, we are told, the God of the spirits of all flesh, and he
has introduced principles which have been made known to us for the
benefit of all. The principles that we are associated with reach back
into eternity and forward into eternity. They are not the ideas, the
theories or notions of men, they emanate from the Almighty. And in
regard to the ideas which have been developed pertaining to the past,
the present and the future, none of us can claim ourselves to be the
founders or the originators of any one idea associated with the Church
and kingdom of God, neither was Joseph Smith, [p.24] neither was
Brigham Young, neither are any of the Twelve, nor is anybody that now
exists or has existed; all of these things come from the Lord. And
having proceded from him he has dictated the whole matter from first
to last. We did not receive our ideas from any theologian, from any
scientist, from any man of renown, or of position in the world, or
from any body or conclave of religionists, but from the Almighty, and
to him we are indebted for all life, all truth, and all intelligence
pertaining to the past, pertaining to the present, or pertaining to
the future. Therefore we feel our dependence upon him. Neither are we
indebted to any man for any doctrine that we have received, nor for
the organization of our Church, nor for the Holy Priesthood, whether
it be the Melchesidec or the Aaronic; all of these proceed from the
Almighty, and if he had not given them we should have been as ignorant
of them as others are, for they do not generally comprehend the law,
the word, the will, or the design of the Almighty; for no man knows
the things of God but by the Spirit of God; and if the Father did not
reveal them we should be very ignorant indeed, as are the rest of
mankind pertaining to these matters. But the time having come to
introduce what is termed, the "dispensation of the fulness of times,"
when God would gather together all things in one, whether they be
things in heaven or things on the earth, it became necessary, because
of the ignorance of men, because they did not comprehend God, nor his
laws, nor the principles of eternal truth, that men should be taught
of the Almighty, that God should be their instructor, and hence he
introduced through the medium of the Holy Priesthood that had existed
heretofore upon the earth, those principles which are calculated to
bless and exalt the human family, prepare them to carry out the word
and will of God, and to accomplish these purposes which he had
designed from before the foundation of the world. Hence he organized
the First Presidency and the Twelve, he organized the Seventies, he
organized Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, he organized Bishops
and High Councils and all the various adjuncts associated with the
organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And
why, it may be asked, should these institutions be introduced in our
midst? For certain obvious reasons when we reflect upon this
all-important matter. Having revealed his will to man, to Joseph
Smith, as he had done to other men in former ages, it was necessary
that that will should be made known to all nations, kindreds, tongues
and people, that men might be informed of the things that he revealed
for the salvation and exaltation of humanity. Hence the Twelve were
set apart. For what purpose? That they might introduce the Gospel to
the nations of the earth, and preach the principles of life as they
emanate from God. Then the Seventies also were ordained until we now
have upwards of seventy times seventy. What is their business? Under
the direction of the Twelve, to preach the Gospel to the nations of
the earth. Are they doing it? Yes. Have they been doing it? Yes. And
the Twelve? Yes, for these many, very many years, and are still doing
it. We still feel the same responsibility devolving upon us to spread
forth that light, that truth, and that intelligence which has emanated
from God our heavenly  [p.25] Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And these men are going forth bearing precious seeds, even the seeds
of eternal life, and when the people believe the Gospel what do they
do? Their testimony to the people is that God has spoken, that the
Gospel has been restored; they explain what the Gospel is; they call
upon the people to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus for
the remission of sins, promising that the obedient shall receive the
Holy Ghost. Do they baptise them? Yes. Do they lay on hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost? Yes. Do the people receive the Holy
Ghost? Yes, and you here to-day are my witnesses in relation to these
things, and you know what I say is true. And what will the Holy Ghost
do? It takes of the things of God, and shows them unto us; it brings
things past to our remembrance; it leads us into all truth and shows
us things to come. Does it do that? Yes, and it is because of this
principle that the Latter-day Saints feel as they do; having partaken
of the Holy Ghost and tasted the powers of the world to come, and
having received a hope that enters within the vail, whither Christ the
forerunner is gone, and knowing to-day that they are the sons of God,
and that they have rights and privileges pertaining not only to time
but to eternity, they feel to act and operate under the directions of
that spirit. And being partakers of that spirit, there is a
communication opened between them and their heavenly Father through
our Lord Jesus Christ, and being inspired by that spirit, their
prayers ascend unto the God of the whole earth; they learn to place
their confidence in him and to obey his laws; and then having been
baptized into one baptism; they all partake of the same spirit—that
is, those who are living their religion, observing the laws of God and
keeping his commandments, and who have not grieved the Spirit of God,
whereby they are sealed to the day of redemption. Then, that same
spirit that brought them into the Church and led them to obey the laws
of God, led them to gather together as we are here today. It is a
false idea entertained by many very ignorant men that we gather men
together on some kind of emigration principle. The people get the
principle of gathering in their own hearts by the Spirit of God, and
that draws them here. There needs no argument, no influence, no power
of suasion, or anything of the kind to bring them here. Their desire,
when they receive the Gospel, is to come to Zion. And why? That they
may learn more fully of the laws of life. As the scriptures say—"I
will take you one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you
to Zion. And what will you do with them when you get them to Zion?" "I
will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding." Hence we have come together as we
are here in this city and in this Territory. Our object is to fear
God, to observe his laws, to magnify our calling, to fulfil our
destiny upon the earth, and to operate with those who are behind the
vail in the interests of humanity, to lay aside our selfishness, our
covetousness, our evils of every kind whatever they may be, and to
purge ourselves from unrighteousness, that we may be fit receptacles
for the Holy Ghost and be prepared to do the will of God on earth as
it is done in heaven. I know a great many men object to us doing this.
No matter; with God's help we will try to do it; no matter [p.26] what
the opinions and ideas, the feelings and theories of men are. God has
laid on us a mission, and in the name of Israel's God we will fulfil
it, and let all Israel say Amen. [The congregation responded aloud,
Amen]. We will try and carry out what God has given us to do, no
matter what men's theories, opinions or ideas may be. We are here,
then, for that purpose. And we feel that God is our heavenly Father;
we feel that we are his children; we feel that we are doing his work
by his assistance, we feel, too, that he is engaged just as much as we
are, and a thousand times more, in carrying on this work, and
therefore we feel easy and satisfied in our minds and know that all is
well. God our heavenly Father, Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,
the ancient patriarchs and prophets and men of God who have lived upon
the earth years and years ago, Adam the Father of mankind, and Noah,
another great father, and Abraham the father of the faithful, and all
the Prophets, Apostles and men of God who have lived upon the earth
are interested as we are in the welfare of humanity and in seeking to
introduce and carry out the word and will of God which he designed
before the world rolled into existence or the morning stars sang
together for joy. God will accomplish his work and we will try and
help him do it. It needs the co-operation of all these men who have
held this Priesthood, who administer in time and in eternity—it needs
the co-operation of all those and of the Gods in the eternal worlds to
assist us in the labors in which we are engaged. Therefore, God has
introduced the system of things that we have been speaking of for the
purpose of gathering together a people who would listen to his voice
and they are the only people on the earth to-day who will listen
thereto, and then it is as much as the bargain for many of us to do
it. God expects to have a people who will be men of clean hands and
pure hearts, who withhold their hands from the receiving of bribes,
who will swear to their own hurt and change not, who will be men of
truth and integrity, of honor and virtue, and who will pursue a course
that will he approved by the Gods in the eternal worlds, and by all
honorable and upright men that ever did live, or that now live, and
having taken upon us the profession of sainthood, he expects us to be
Saints, not in name, not in theory, but in reality. And then he
expects us to do just what we are doing, that is, to build Temples,
and to preach the Gospel to an unthankful world. Have we done it? Yes,
we have. I have done it. I have, traveled thousands of miles to preach
this Gospel without purse or scrip, trusting in God. Did I ever lack
anything? No. Here is Brother Woodruff, and many other men who have
done just the same thing. High Priests, Seventies, Elders, and others
have gone forth to the world, bearing the precious principles of
eternal life, and have returned again, as the Scripture say, bringing
their sheaves with them. What are we doing besides? Building our
Temples. What for? That we may have places to enter into that are
dedicated to the God of the whole earth.

vol. 23, p.26
The world have forgotten that God is the fountain of all truth, the
source of all intelligence, of everything that is calculated to
elevate and exalt mankind; but we will give to God all the glory. We
are seeking to build up the Zion of our God. And shall we accomplish
it! With the help of the Lord we will; [p.27] Will we all do right ?
No, many will fall by the wayside as they have done; but the work of
God will go on and prosper and increase, and the Lord will be with
Israel if they will only cleave to the truth, obey his laws and keep
his commandments. Are all good? No, you know that many of us do many
things that are far from right. Let me say unto you that our only
safety is in obedience to the laws of God. You need not fear the
clamor that is now being raised against us, nor any of this nonsense,
this spite of the world; you need not fear the illiberality of
religionists who are clamoring to deprive you of your liberties, you
need care nothing about that.

vol. 23, p.27
You all know that they are proclaiming falsehoods against us, and that
we are misrepresented by them. No matter, they are in the hands of
God, and we are in the hands of God; and while we seek to maintain
righteous principles, virtue, purity, and the laws of the land, we can
afford to leave them in the hands of God, and let him be their judge.
Let us be for God, for righteousness, for virtue, for purity, for
truth and integrity, and if our enemies prefer to wallow in their
iniquities, and lend themselves to vice and falsehood, we can stand
these things if they can, it is better to suffer than do wrong. The
Lord will judge both them and us, and all will be well with those who
cleave to the truth. We need not be, troubled about their intrigues
and mendacity. God will protect the right and will save and bless and
deliver us despite their mendacious assertions, if we fear him,
observe his laws, and keep his commandments. They, nor any other men,
nor any power, can go further than God permits them, and when he says
stop, they must stop. He will control all things according to the
counsels of his own will. It is for us to be willing to obey his laws,
to preserve our bodies and spirits pure, to cleave to righteousness,
to honor the Lord our God, that we may always have his spirit to be
with us. And if we are faithful by and by, it will be said of us, Well
done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things and I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord.

vol. 23, p.27
May God bless you and lead you in the paths of life, in the name of
Jesus, Amen. [p.28]

John Taylor, March 5, 1882

The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times—Restoration of the 
Gospel—Duties of the Priesthood—the Future of Zion—
Inconsistency of the Saints' Persecutors—Incidents of
Church History, Etc.

Delivered at the Assembly Hall, on Sunday Afternoon,
March 5th, 1882.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs)

vol. 23, p.28
We are living in peculiar times; we are operating in an eventful era;
we are associated with a peculiar dispensation, and we have a labor to
perform which in many respects differs from that of all other ages or
times. The dispensation that we are connected with is called in
Scripture the dispensation of the fulness of times in which, it is
recorded, God will gather together all things in one, whether they be
things on the earth or things in the heavens. There are ideas
associated with this dispensation that are in really respects
distinct, and dissimilar from those that have been enunciated and
proclaimed in former ages and dispensations; and inasmuch as the
present dispensation is to embrace everything that has been connected
with all past dispensations—all the prominent features as well as the
minor ones that characterized the Church and kingdom of God in former
days, that were essentially necessary to its growth and developments
must re-appear in connection with the work of God in this our day. If
the manifestations and developments of other dispensations have been
made known to us, we have had revealed to us doctrines, theories,
organizations and systems that have existed among the whole of them;
because it is emphatically the dispensation of the fulness of times.
If they had anything that was peculiarly characteristic in the days of
the ancient Patriarchs, we have the same revealed to us. If they had
anything prominent and important in the dispensation of Noah, we have
it, and if Noah was called upon to preach the Gospel to the world in
his day, before its destruction, so are we.

vol. 23, p.28
If in the Abrahamic or Mosaic dispensations God revealed important
principles, we have a clear knowledge of those things made known to
us, and the reasons, the whys and wherefores, pertaining to them. If
they had anything among the ancient Prophets and men of God, we have
the same principles developed. If in the days of Jesus they had
manifestations, revelations, doctrines or organizations, those things
are made known to us. Or if the people upon this continent, to whom
God revealed his will—either the people that came from the Tower of
Babel, or those who came from [p.29] Jerusalem during the reign of
Zedekiah—if anything was revealed to them, we have had it revealed
unto us. And this is why certain things exist pertaining to
organizations, etc., referred to by Brother Hatch.

vol. 23, p.29
We have here on the ceiling of this building pictured to us, Moroni
making known to Joseph Smith the plates, from which the Book of Mormon
was translated, which plates had been hidden up in the earth; and in
connection with them was the urim and thummin, by which sacred
instrument Joseph was enabled to translate the ancient characters, now
given unto us in the form of the Book of Mormon; in which is set forth
the theories, doctrines, principles, organizations, etc., of these
peoples who lived upon this continent. People talk about their
disbelief regarding these things. That is a matter of no moment to us.
I do not intend to bring any argument upon this question, caring
nothing about what people believe. We know certain things, and knowing
them we regard them as matters of fact. If we were to take the world
and its ideas and theories, we should find that there is hardly one
person in every thousand who believes the Bible. The Christian world
professes belief in the Bible; that is, they believe it when shut, but
not when open. Consequently, I do not propose this afternoon, at
least, to address myself to infidels, whether they go under the name
of Christian or any other name. I am speaking of certain principles to
a people who believe them to be true; and I wish to refer more
particularly to some events associated with the dealings of God with
his earthly children.

vol. 23, p.29
When John was on the isle of Patmos, certain things were revealed to
him that were to transpire in the last days, and he prophesied of
them. While wrapped in prophetic vision, gazing on the purposes of God
as they were to be unfolded in later times, among other things he saw
an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, to every nation, kindred,
tongue and people; saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory
to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. This was a declaration
made by this ancient Apostle and Prophet of God while banished for his
religion, as certain men today would, if they could, banish us. We now
declare to the world that this part of the visions of John has been
fulfilled; that the angel has come and appeared to man upon the earth,
conferring upon him this heavenly charge, namely, the responsibility
of opening up a new Gospel dispensation; and we declare that God
himself took part in it, and that Jesus, the Mediator of the new
covenant, accompanied him, both of whom appeared to Joseph Smith, upon
which occasion the Father, pointing to the Son said, "This is my
beloved Son, hear him." Following this the Gospel was to be preached
to every nation. What Gospel? The same Gospel that was preached to
Adam, and to the Patriarchs and men of God of every age; the Gospel of
salvation and deliverance from sin through the atonement of Jesus
Christ, the resurrection from the dead, life immortal and all the
blessings associated therewith. And when this Gospel was first
proclaimed in this age, who knew anything about it? Nobody; it was not
and had not been among men for centuries. The world of mankind had
been left without direct communication from the heavens, [p.30] and as
a natural consequence while grovelling in the dark, they followed the
devices and desires of their own hearts; they were governed by
man-made systems, and bowed to the dictum, to the notions, the
theories and follies of men. There was no Apostle, no Prophet, no
inspired men of God, holding His Holy Priesthood to say, Thus saith
the Lord, this is the way, walk ye in it.

vol. 23, p.30
In connection with this I may allude to an incident in my personal
experience, to show the state of the world religiously some forty or
fifty years ago. Not being then acquainted with this Church, a number
of us met together for the purpose of searching the Scriptures; and we
found that certain doctrines were taught by Jesus and the Apostles,
which neither the Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians,
nor any of the religious sects taught; and we concluded that if the
Bible was true, the doctrines of modern Christendom were not true; or
if they were true, the Bible was false. Our investigations were
impartially made, and our search for truth was extended. We examined
every religious principle that came under our notice, and probed the
various systems as taught by the sects, to ascertain if there were any
that were in accordance with the word of God. But we failed to find
any. In addition to our researches and investigations, we prayed and
fasted before God; and the substance of our prayers was, that if he
had a people upon the earth anywhere, and ministers who were
authorized to preach the Gospel, that he would send us one. This was
the condition we were in. We knew all that the Methodists knew then,
and all that they know now. We knew all that the Presbyterians knew
then, and all that they know now. We knew all that the Episcopalians
knew then, and all that they know now. We knew all that the Roman
Catholics knew then, and all that they know to-day; for we made
ourselves conversant with the doctrines and examined them thoroughly,
as well as the theories of all men who pretended to have knowledge of
Gospel light. We prayed earnestly; and in answer to our prayers, the
Lord sent us Elder Parley P. Pratt, who gives an account of this in
his auto-biography which has been published since his death. Brother
Pratt, in relating the circumstances, says that Brother Heber C.
Kimball came to his house one night after he had retired; that Brother
Kimball requested him to get up, which he did, and then began to
prophecy to him. He told him there was a people in Canada who were
seeking for a knowledge of the Gospel, and they were praying to God to
send them a minister who should reveal to them the truth. Brother
Kimball then commissioned him to repair to Canada, telling him that
the Lord would bless him and open up his way. Just previous to that
time the Saints had been engaged in building the Temple in Kirtland,
Ohio, and were all very much embarrassed as to means, Brother Pratt
with the balance having devoted everything he had to spare for that
purpose. Among other things that Brother Kimball told him was, that
where he was going he would find means to relieve himself and that
many of the people would embrace the Gospel, and that it would be the
means of introducing the Gospel to England. And furthermore, said he,
your wife who is now childless shall have a son. In the course of time
she did have a son, and they named him Parley. [p.31] I do not know
but that he may be present; but I was going to say, I knew him before
he was born. [Laughter.]

vol. 23, p.31
I speak of this to show that there was at that time nobody, of whom we
had any knowledge, from whom we could obtain any information with
regard to the Gospel of the Son of God, or that could teach us the
doctrines Jesus and His Apostles taught, as contained in the
Scriptures. Brother Pratt came and found us, and he came in answer to
our prayer; at least, that is my faith in regard to the matter. And
were all these things accomplished? Yes: I was baptized myself and
others, and I baptized many others in that country; and it was the
means also of sending the Gospel to England. John Goodson, who
apostatized long ago, John Snyder, a good, faithful man who was one of
the committee of the Nauvoo House, and who died in the 17th Ward of
this City, Isaac Russell, and Joseph Fielding, uncle to Brother Joseph
F. Smith, were of our number, embraced the Gospel, and were afterwards
called to accompany Brother Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde to England
for the purpose of opening up the work in that land; and I was the
first person that wrote a letter to England on the subject of the
Gospel; I did it at the request of Brother Fielding, who got me to
write for him to a brother and brother-in-law of his who were
ministers in England. These were the men that helped to introduce the
Gospel into England in that early day. I speak of this for the
information of many of you.

vol. 23, p.31
When Brother Pratt came to me I was, perhaps, as well read in the
letter of the Bible as I am to-day, and as soon as he commenced to
talk about Prophets, I said, Yes, we believe in them. And he talked
about Apostles and I remarked, Yes, we have been looking for such men,
but we cannot find them. He talked about the organization of the
Church as it was anciently; and about the gift of tongues and the gift
of healing, etc., and we were delighted with his message, it was
something we were seeking for, and it was all new to us. We had heard
rumors about the Mormons, just as people hear rumors now-adays of us;
and the rumors we heard were not of the most complimentary character,
any more than are those that are circulated about us to-day, or those
that were circulated about Jesus and the former-day Saints. You know,
the pious, hypocritical clergy of that day put the Savior down as the
vilest creature that ever lived, and influenced the populace against
him; for said they, if he heals the sick, give God the glory, for we
know that this man is a sinner; and when he cast out devils, this,
same class attributed it to the power of Beelzebub, the prince of
devils; and they spoke of him as being a bastard, and cast all manner
of reflections upon him. The Savior in speaking to his disciples gave
them to understand that inasmuch as they had persecuted him, they
would also persecute them; and said he, further, when they persecute
you in one city, flee to another; and he also told them to be
exceeding glad when they were persecuted for righteousness' sake.
What, to be lied about by adventurers and political demagogues who
seek to rob and plunder you? Yes; that is a good and favorable sign.
If we were guilty of the infamies that they seek to lay at our door,
that would be another matter. But whilst we are not as good as we
might be, we do know that what they say and publish to the world about
us, which [p.32] has had a tendency to arouse the feelings of the
general public against us, are infernal falsehoods.  "Blessed are you
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding
glad," etc. in this we but share the lot of the honorable of other
ages, the men of God who stood the abuse of their fellow-man, and who,
in many instances, were persecuted much worse than we are. Our present
assailants have not learned how yet; but they are trying upon a small
scale to introduce the inquisition, and may, by and by, in some
degree, succeed in carrying out their nefarious objects. This is their
work, if they can stand it we think we can. There are thousands of
honorable men who Will look down with contempt upon all such
unprincipled and mendacious efforts.

vol. 23, p.32
After the Lord had spoken to Joseph Smith, and Jesus had manifested
himself to him, and after Moroni had revealed to him the hidden plates
containing the history of the ancient inhabitants of this continent,
which, in the wisdom of God, have been translated into our own
language in the form of the Book of Mormon, and which, in connection
with the Bible, is to be the means of confounding false doctrines, the
one being corroborative of the other in principle and doctrine and in
relation to the designs and purposes of God—after this it was
necessary that the Priesthood held by men in former days should be
restored in these latter days, that people now, as men in those days,
might be authorized to act in the name of the Lord. Hence John the
Baptist, who held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, came and laid
his hands upon the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, using
these words: "Upon you, my fellow-servants, in the name of Messiah, I
confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the
ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism
by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken
again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering
unto the Lord in righteousness." After having been ordained to this
Priesthood which is after the order of Aaron, it was necessary that
they should have another Priesthood which is after the order of
Melchisedek, and after the order of the Son of God. And consequently
Peter, James and John came and conferred that Priesthood. Why did they
come? Because they were the last who held the keys of that Priesthood.
After this order of Priesthood was introduced, the organization which
we possess to-day was gradually effected, which is as full and
complete, perhaps, as ever existed upon the earth. How perfect it was
in the days of Enoch we are not told, but everything that they had
revealed to them pertaining to the organization of the Church of God,
also pertaining to doctrine and ordinances, we have had revealed to
us, excepting one thing, and that is the principle and power of
translation; that, however, will in due time be restored also. And if
they in their day built a Zion, we have one to build in our day, and
when this shall be done and everything is in readiness, the Zion which
the people of Enoch built and which was translated, will descend from
above, and the Zion of the latter days which this people will build,
will ascend by virtue of this principle and  power, and the former and
the [p.33] latter-day Zion will meet each other, and the dwellers in
both will embrace and kiss each other, so we are told in the
revelations of God.

vol. 23, p.33
We are indebted to no one excepting God, our heavenly Father. for the
organization which we possess; and as a little circumstance with
regard to its practical working occurs to me, I will mention it. Among
other places, we sent to Bear Lake a copy of the form of petition
which we are now presenting to Congress. I think it was on Wednesday
that it was sent out from here, and on Saturday night it was returned
with thousands of signatures. That is the way we do things here. In a
few days we had some fifty thousand signatures, and I presume before
this there are some ten or twenty thousand more from the more distant
settlements. What does it manifest Union and sympathy one with
another, all testifying to one thing, which I was very glad to see.
People have said that we know that polygamy is not a principle of our
religion; but here are petitions signed by some seventy or eighty
thousand, all of whom testify to their faith in regard to this
principle. I think the testimony of seventy or eighty thousand persons
living right among it, and most of whom are born in it, ought to be as
strong as that of a few quidnuncs who know little or nothing about it.

vol. 23, p.33
The Gospel was then revealed, what for—for you and me, or for this man
and that man? No; it was for the benefit of the world; it was in the
interests of humanity; and it was to be proclaimed to every nation,
kindred, people and tongue, by men commissioned of God to do so. That
duty belongs to the Twelve especially, to either do so in person or
see that it is done. I have traveled many tens of thousands of miles,
and so have my brethren, visiting the nations of the earth in their
most prominent cities declaring to them the principles of the Gospel
as God has revealed them. And could we find men upon the earth that
could successfully oppose us? I declare before God I never found one,
taking the Bible as a standard; neither can any one be found to, day
that can do it, and that is the trouble.

vol. 23, p.33
In that day, we are told, the meek shall rejoice in the Lord; and the
poor among men shall rejoice in the holy one of Israel. God has had
his people scattered among the nations, and his testimony was to go,
forth to all lands; and it becomes the duty of the Twelve, the
Seventies, the High Priests and Elders to carry this message and
present it to them in the spirit of the Gospel, not, to cram the truth
down the throats of men, as certain individuals would cram their
peculiar views down our throats. But when we were sent forth we were
sent to teach, and not to be taught. We could not learn anything from
them about the Gospel, for they did not know it. They could not teach
us, hence the Lord in sending out the first Elders told them they were
sent to teach and not to be taught. We went in the midst of opposition
and persecution, mobbings and drivings, and were subjected to every
insult, indignity and infamy that wicked and corrupt man could invent,
and we have put up with such things all the time, and many have had to
lay down their lives in the conflict, and they will, as others
formerly did, when the time comes, gain a better resurrection. And we
are still struggling on, in the face of a general opposition, trusting
in our God to sustain us, while we shall continue to sow the precious
seed of the everlasting [p.34] Gospel, and maintain in our own midst
the principles of life eternal, and freedom, liberty and equality to
the human race. And our sons who have grown up are now doing what we
have done; and they too are full of the Spirit, full of life, light
and intelligence, having, as we had and still have, the interests of
humanity at heart, as they move among the people as messengers of life
and salvation. Our course is onward; and are we going to stop? No.
Zion must be built up, God has decreed it and no power can stay its
progress. Do you hear that? I prophecy that in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. For Zion must and will be built up despite all
opposition, the kingdom of God established upon the earth in
accordance with the designs and purposes of God. That is true, and you
will find it to be true if you live long enough, and if you die you
will find it to be true; it will make no difference. "But shall we not
be persecuted?" Yes, and does not Jesus say, Blessed are ye when men
revile you and persecute you, etc.,—would you be deprived of that
blessing. "But we have had enough of it." O, have you? no matter, you
will have to put up with it. "But," say you, "have we not certain
constitutional rights?" Yes, on paper, but when you get through with
them, the paper does not amount to much; it is like pie-crust, easily
broken. We do not pay much attention to these things. Honorable men
will be governed by constitutions, and laws, and principles, but
dishonorable persons will not. Therefore, we have to do the best we
can, taking a righteous course that we  may be entitled to the
blessings of God. "What will be the result of this?" I care nothing
about what the result may be, it is a matter of very little importance
to me. "Do you expect  such things?" Yes, and have done for years; I
have never expected anything else associated with the Gospel. When I
first embraced it I considered it a life-long affair; and when I came
to look at it squarely in the face, if I could have satisfied my
conscience by getting along without it, I would have done so; but I
could not, and I apprehend that many of you have been in the same
situation. I believed it was true, and so did you; and after I was
baptized and had hands laid upon my head for the reception of the Holy
Ghost, I knew it was true by the operations of the Holy Spirit upon my
heart. And this is the common experience of all Saints. Some people
seem to think that we are going to throw away our religion at the
"drop of the hat." I do not know of any such feeling among this
people. There have been men who learned to endure things quite as bad
as those which afflict us. My mind runs back to Daniel who was a man
that feared God. There was a set of political plotters in his day—and
probably a fair share of religious ones associated with them—who
conspired against him, for Daniel was a man of God in great favor with
the king; and the only way they could accomplish their plans was by
laying a trap to catch him through an edict of the king. They did it
by getting the king to issue a proclamation that no man should ask a
petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of the king, that if
he did he should be cast into the den of lions. This was done
expressly to catch Daniel, but the king was not made acquainted with
the secret. Their request was granted and the decree established by
the king's  signature, which then could not be changed, according to
[p.35] the law of the Medes and Persians,  which altered not. When
Daniel heard of this, we are told that he went into his house, and the
windows of his chamber being open towards Jerusalem, he bowed down
before his God, and prayed and gave thanks to him, as aforetime, three
times a day, He did not falter, although he knew the nature of the
decree and the laws which governed it; but he knew too that the God
whom he served was able to deliver him. They watched him, of course,
and finally complained against him; and he was adjudged guilty of
violating the law. The law had to take its course, although the king,
when the thing was made known to him felt very sorrowful; and set his
heart on Daniel to deliver him. He did not feel like some feel towards
us; although there have been praiseworthy efforts made by a few to
maintain constitutional principles, and we recognize them as the
sentiments and feelings of honorable men, who wish to see correct
principles maintained in our land. There was no appeal in Daniel's
case; or as a certain class of Christians to-day would say, "Daniel
had to go." They cast him into the den of lions. The king went to the
den early the following morning, feeling much concerned about him, and
he cried out, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom
thou servest; continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"
Daniel spoke up and said, "O King; live for ever. My God hath sent his
angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me."
Now, he dared to do that which showed there was some manhood in him.
We have another example in the three Hebrew children, who refused to
bow down to a golden image that had been set up. Shall we call it
monogamy? [Laughter.] The conditions were that if they did not bow
down to this golden image, they should be cast, into a burning fiery
furnace. They did refuse to obey this royal decree; saying, "Our God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not (said
they), be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods,
nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up." This, of course,
was considered a great indignity on their part to refuse to bow down
to this God. These three men were cast into the furnace and their
persecutors in their animus and religious zeal, heated it to such a
degree—evincing in this respect the same feeling we see manifested
toward us in a different form—that the men who cast Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego into the furnace were themselves destroyed by the flames.
And it seems the King himself was curious to look into the furnace to
know of their fate, and in doing so, to his astonishment, he beheld
four persons in the midst of the flames, one of whom appeared to be
like unto the Son of God. Nebuchadnezzar then called to these three
men to come out, which they did; and even the smell of fire was not
found upon their clothing, nor was a hair of their heads singed. Such
was the faith of those young mob, and such their conduct that all
honorable men could approve and appreciate the nobility of their
course; and even the Gods could admire them; and their integrity to
God was the means of their being promoted to the favor of the King,
and to distinction in the land. Let us hope that the descendants of
those people in these days; in the trials that they [p.36] have to
pass through, which are now being enacted in Russia, in Europe, and in
other places, and apparently commencing in this land, may be found as
true to their integrity as were these noble examples of manhood and
faith in God.

vol. 23, p.36
But to return to the Christian's idol. The pious, zealous, religious
and hypocritical in our day, uniting with political demagogues, have
set up a God for us to worship, which they boastfully represent as the
embodiment of everything that is pure and virtuous, embodying the
enlightenment and civilization of the nineteenth century. Their god is
overlaid with gilt and tinsel, but inside it is pregnant with the
social evil with its twin adjuncts foetecide and infanticide. Like a
great Moloch it is crushing out female virtue, trampling upon
innocence, and prostituting and destroying millions of the fair
daughters of Eve. Yet this loathsome, filthy, debauched, degraded
monster is held up for our veneration and worship by its corrupt
Christian devotees as the essence of everything that is great and
grand, noble and praiseworthy; and we are called upon to fall down and
worship this loathsome monster under the threat of unconstitutional
pains and penalties, and the violation of every principle of liberty
and protection guaranteed under the Constitution.

vol. 23, p.36
Shall we worship this unnatural, lascivious Moloch? Shall we bow down
before the shrine of this foetid, corrupt and debauched monster? No!
We will worship the Lord our God, yield obedience to his behests, and,
if we are faithful, live our religion and keep his commandments, the
God whom we worship will deliver us out of the hands of our enemies,
and we shall triumph over all our foes.

vol. 23, p.36
There have been men living nearer our own times who could meet the
inquisition with its fagot, rack and thumbscrew, and in the midst of
their sufferings could commit themselves in all serenity and calmness
into the hands of God; and we can surely do the same. If the rulers of
this nation can afford to tamper with the sacred rights of the people
guaranteed by the Constitution of this great nation, and ruthlessly
tear down the temple of freedom erected at the cost of so much blood
and treasure, instead of anticipated glory, they will bring
destruction upon the nation and ruin and infamy upon themselves. The
sacred bulwarks of freedom once tampered with, the floodgates of
anarcy and confusion will be thrown open and dissolution and ruin will
follow in their train in rapid succession. It is for us to sustain and
maintain the principles guaranteed in that sacred palladium of human
rights—the Constitution of the United States, and to contend inch by
inch in every legal and constitutional manner for our own rights and
human freedom, leaving misrule, anarchy, violations of law and the
trampling under foot of the rights of man and constitutional
guarantees to religious fanatics and clamoring demagogues; and if they
can afford to tamper with those sacred guarantees, we certainly can
afford to have them do it. It is for us to seek more exalted ideas, to
abide by constitutional law, to maintain inviolate the principles of
human freedom, and to contend with unwavering firmness for those
inalienable rights of all men—life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness; and to seek continually to our God for wisdom to accomplish
so great, noble and patriotic a purpose.

vol. 23, p.36
One of the first things I ever [p.37] heard preached by them Elders of
this Church was that the world would grow worse and worse, deceiving
and being deceived. Should we be surprised at its coming to pass?
Another thing that I have heard from the beginning is, that people
would persecute us, commencing with neighborhoods and villages, and
then it would extend to cities and counties, and then to States, and
then to the United States, and afterwards to the world. We have got
about fifty millions of people on our backs now—and it is a pretty
heavy lead to carry, too; but the Lord will see us through. We are
acting in the interests of humanity: we are proclaiming salvation to a
fallen world, and in this we are carrying out the word and will of God
made known and manifested directly to us. We are warning the people of
their position, and we will continue to send forth our missionaries
for this purpose until God says, it is enough. And if they persecute
us in one city, we will do as Jesus told his disciples, we will flee
to another, searching out the honest in heart. Persecution has been
our lot from the beginning, and it has followed us to this day. I am
reminded of a circumstance that occurred in Missouri, which I will
mention to show the kind of feeling that Joseph Smith was possessed
of. Some 25 years ago, in Far West, a mob—one of those semi-occasional
occurrences—land come against us with evil intent, placing themselves
in position to give us battle; and there were not more than about 200
of us in the place. We had one fellow who was taken with a fit of
trembling in the knees, and he ordered our people to retreat. As soon
as Joseph heard this sound, he exclaimed, "Retreat! where in the name
of God shall we retreat to?" He then led us out to the prairie facing
the mob and placed us in position; and the first thing we knew a flag
of truce was seen coming towards us. The person bearing it said that
some of their friends were among our people for whose safety they felt
anxious. I rather think it was a case in which the wife was in the
Church but not the husband, and the mob wished these parties to come
out as they, he said, were going to destroy every man, woman and child
in the place. But these folks had a little "sand" in them, as the boys
say; they sent word back, that if that was the case they would die
with their friends, Joseph Smith, our leader, then sent word back by
this messenger, said he, "Tell your General to withdraw his troops or
I will send them to hell." I thought that was a pretty bold stand to
take, as we only numbered about 200 to their 3,500; but they thought
we were more numerous than we really were, it may be that our numbers
were magnified in their eyes; but they took the hint and left; and we
were not sorry. (Laughter.) The Lord, through simple means, is able to
take care of and deliver His people, but they must put implicit faith
and confidence in Him; and when they are crowded into a tight place
they must not be afraid to make sacrifice for the sake of maintaining
the truth, and all will be well with us whether living or dying, in
time or in eternity.

vol. 23, p.37
Well, what shall we do? We will serve the Lord; we will live our
religion; we will be true to our covenants, keep his commandments and
be one, and we will sustain one another, and not sustain men among us
who have it in their hearts to cut our throats; let them alone to
pursue their own course, and let them draw their sustenance from
[p.38] their own kith and kin; and let us pursue the even tenor of our
way, operating together as a band of brethren; and if any have sinned,
let them sin no more; and inasmuch as this people are found faithful
to God and true to themselves and their fellow-men, I will risk the
results of what our enemies may do to injure us. We are in the hands
of God, and this nation is in His hands, and he will do with us and
them according to the pleasure of His will.

vol. 23, p.38
Brethren and sisters, God bless you, and God bless the honorable of
the earth, and may the wrath of the wicked be made to praise Him, and
the remainder may He restrain. Amen.

John Morgan, December 18, 1881

Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, Sunday After-
noon, December 18, 1881.

The Southern States Mission—Faithfulness of Young Elders— 
Opposition to the Truth—Gradual Spread of the Gospel—
Changes in Religious and Political Sentiment—Hard Times 
in the South—Vice and Degradation—The Colorado 
Settlements.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs)

vol. 23, p.38
It is a very pleasant thought that we, as Elders, have when traveling
abroad preaching the Gospel, to look forward to the time when we shall
have the privilege of again meeting with our friends and loved ones in
the valleys of the mountains, to again share their love and to partake
of the spirit of those who compose the body of this Church.

vol. 23, p.38
During the past summer and until a few days I have been engaged in
missionary labor, chiefly in the Southern States. Our labors there
have been, as have been the labors of the Elders in other missions,
crowned with a certain degree of success. We have realized the
blessings of God upon us in all our labors in the midst of the people,
for which we feel to rejoice and give thanks and praise to him. The
brethren who have gone from the different parts of the Territory to
labor in the mission have as a general thing, enjoyed good health; and
they are feeling well, as a rule, temporally and spiritually; and
especially the younger brethren who have gone forth bearing the glad
tidings of salvation. There has been evinced a feeling that certainly
is most praiseworthy, a desire to emulate the example set by their
fathers in [p.39] preaching the principles of eternal truth, often
under unpleasant circumstances. Because, however much the work of God
may progress and  be received abroad there is, as there has been, and
doubtless will be, a spirit of opposition which has to be met by every
Elder in the performance of his duty. It is true our young brethren
have the benefit of the experience of their fathers and of men
prominent in the Church, to encourage them, and which is highly
appreciated by them, but after all they have to get the experience for
themselves, in order that they may know what their fathers know, and
that they may be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. I have
scarcely found an exception among the scores of young men who have
been called from the different avocations of life to go forth and
proclaim the Gospel, but what they were worthy bearers of glad
tidings. 

vol. 23, p.39
There is and idea entertained by the pious world, whose sympathy for
fallen humanity is so great as to be exercised towards us, that the
old and gray-headed of the "Mormon" people, "you can do nothing with,
they having becoming fossilized in their religious ideas and petrified
in their faith; but the young may be induced to depart from the faith
of their fathers." This, however, has not been the experience we have
had in the Southern States mission with our young Elders. On the
contrary, we have found their faces set like flint toward the building
up of the kingdom of God, and the proclaiming of the principles of
truth. It often occurs in our missionary labors that Elders are called
upon to pass through trying circumstances, but I do not remember of a
single instance in which a young Elder flinched from the performance
of his duty. They have always been ready and willing to add to the
extent of their ability and strength in carrying out any measures
thought necessary for the good of the cause, even to the risking of
their lives. And I am led to believe from what I have witnessed in the
young men who have come under my observation, that the great majority
of our young people, growing up in these mountains have planted in
their hearts the principles of truth, by which they will be governed
in their lives. And in, this connection there is this peculiarity. In
our travels in the South we often meet with families who were once
members of the Church, who during the trying times of Missouri and
Illinois, or at some other time in, the history of the Church, had
stopped by the way-side—and where they stopped temporally they stopped
spiritually; the cessation of their temporal work was the milestone
that marked their spiritual resting place—but notwithstanding this
falling away on the part of the parents, we found, as a general thing,
that in the hearts of their children there was a love for the
principles of eternal truth; and that if an elder was known to be in
their vicinity they would send for him and make themselves known to
him, and open their doors to him, and ninety-nine times out of a
hundred they would ask to be baptized. This being true of the children
of such families, wife are isolated from the body of the Church, we
might reasonably expect that the youth of Zion will be found true and
faithful to the precepts of truth taught to them, through the force
and benefit of example they receive from their parents who are members
of the Church.

vol. 23, p.39
In our labors we at times meet with considerable opposition, but we
notice that it, in the long run, [p.40] instead of working to our
injury, results in good. And what is true in the South in this respect
is doubtless the case elsewhere. That which our enemies inflict upon
us in the hope of breaking us up or weakening our position is, through
an overruling providence, turned to result in good by bringing the
honest in heart, the Israel of God, to a knowledge of the truth. The
widespread feeling of opposition that exists toward us throughout the
United States, arguing from past experiences, may be set down as a
good omen for the future. But notwithstanding this general hubbub
which the people seemingly have to indulge in semi-occasionally, we
find in traveling and moving among the people very many upright noble
men and women, and we find them belonging to various churches and
religious bodies; and then we meet with others who are not connected
with any sect or denomination, and who are seeking for truth let it
come from where it may. And this class, in my opinion, is not small
throughout the United States; in fact, I might with safety say, that
there are thousands of such people who have not heard the sound of the
everlasting Gospel, there being vast districts of country occupied by
hundreds of thousands of peoples who do not know whether the
Latter-day Saints believe in God or not, whether they accept the Bible
or reject it, people who are totally ignorant in regard to our views;
and among these there are many thousands of the honest in heart. We
find that the spirit of opposition that we have to meet, as a rule,
culminates in violence; said that the more success we have in
baptizing people, the more bitter the feeling manifested toward us by
our opponents.

vol. 23, p.40
We are, doubtless, traveling in the Southern States Mission, by way of
making converts as fast as it would be prudent. If our labors should
be crowned with any greater success, that is, to any considerable
extent, the opposition would be correspondingly more ripe, and the
consequence would be, we would have a bigger row on our hands than we
would care to face.

vol. 23, p.40
We find a great many prominent, leading men in our travels who are
willing to act fairly and honorably by us; men who use their influence
with their friends in our behalf by endeavoring to place in their
minds correct ideas in relation to us and our situation. To illustrate
this idea, I will relate an incident that occurred during the summer.
The Legislative Assembly of one of the States, Missouri—whose members
had been urged on by sectarian bigotry, had a bill introduced that it
was supposed would act against the "Mormons" in that State. Some of
the distinguished citizens, honorable, fair-minded people, said to
certain of the legislators: "You pass that bill and one-half of the
State will become Mormons; that will evidently be the result. Why?
Because the moment you adopt such measures you are in the wrong, let
them be what they may." There are many men of that way of thinking who
have moral courage sufficient to speak their minds; and the influence
of such men is felt for good. And here let me say to the credit of the
press that, bitter as the opposition is, we scarcely ever find a daily
newspaper of any prominence but what will open its columns for us to
vindicate our course. And in addition to what I have said in alluding
to the class of people who are liberal and cosmopolitan in their
views, we find such people ever [p.41] ready and even anxious to learn
in regard to our religious belief. And notwithstanding the fact that
among this class are found men of learning and deep research, men who
are looked up to by their fellow-men, strange as it may seem to a
people who keep pace with the age, we find the great majority of them
much astonished when they learn that we believe in the Bible, and that
we take the teachings of that Book to substantiate our doctrines.
Among