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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..87f1ae2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54335 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54335) diff --git a/old/54335-h.zip b/old/54335-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a76f45a..0000000 --- a/old/54335-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/54335-h/54335-h.htm b/old/54335-h/54335-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index efc09d8..0000000 --- a/old/54335-h/54335-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15742 +0,0 @@ - -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> -<html> -<head> - -<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> - -<title> -The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Women of Mormondom, by Edward W. Tullidge -</title> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg"> -<style TYPE="text/css"> -body { color: Black; background: White; margin-right: 10%; margin-left: 10%; - font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify } - -h1 { text-align: center } - -h2 { text-align: center; padding-top: 15%; } - -h3 { text-align: center; padding-top: 4%; } - -h4 { text-align: center } - -p.chapterHeading { margin-right: 20%; margin-left: 20%} - -p.caption { text-align:center; font-style: italic; margin-right: 20%; margin-left: 20%; padding-bottom: 4%} - -img {display: block; margin-left: auto; - margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 1%; margin-right: auto; } - -.pagenum { position: absolute; left: 1%; font-size: 95%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0; - font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; } - -.hangingindent { - padding-left: 22px ; - text-indent: -22px ; -} - -.centered {text-align: center} - -.right {text-align: right} - -sup { font-size: 60%} - -.sidenote { right: 0%; font-size: 80%; text-align: right; text-indent: 0%; width: 17%; - float: right; clear: right; padding-right: 0%; padding-left: 1%; padding-top: 1%; - padding-bottom: 1%; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; } -</style> - -</head> - -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Women of Mormondom, by Edward W. Tullidge - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Women of Mormondom - -Author: Edward W. Tullidge - -Release Date: March 10, 2017 [EBook #54335] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM *** - - - - -Produced by the Mormon Texts Project (http://mormontextsproject.org) - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<h1>THE WOMEN -<br>OF -<br>MORMONDOM. -</h1> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p class="centered">By EDWARD W. TULLIDGE. -</p> -<p class="centered">NEW YORK. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p class="centered">1877. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE. -</h2> -<p>Long enough, O women of America, have your Mormon sisters been -blasphemed! -</p> -<p>From the day that they, in the name and fear of the Lord their -God, undertook to "build up Zion," they have been persecuted for -righteousness sake: "A people scattered and peeled from the beginning." -</p> -<p>The record of their lives is now sent unto you, that you may have an -opportunity to judge them in the spirit of righteousness. So shall you -be judged by Him whom they have honored, whose glory they have sought, -and whose name they have magnified. -</p> -<p class="centered">Respectfully, -</p> -<p class="right">EDWARD W. TULLIDGE. -</p> -<p><em>Salt Lake City, March</em>, 1877. -</p> - - -<h2>CONTENTS. -</h2> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERI">CHAPTER I.</a>—A Strange Religious Epic. An Israelitish Type of Woman in -the Age. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERII">CHAPTER II.</a>—The Mother of the Prophet. The Gifts of Inspiration and -Working of Miracles Inherent in her Family. Fragments of her Narrative. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERIII">CHAPTER III.</a>—The Opening of a Spiritual Dispensation to America. -Woman's Exaltation. The Light of the Latter Days. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERIV">CHAPTER IV.</a>—Birth of the Church. Kirtland as the Bride, in the -Chambers of the Wilderness. The Early Gathering. "Mother Whitney," and -Eliza R. Snow. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERV">CHAPTER V.</a>—The Voice, and the Messenger of the Covenant. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERVI">CHAPTER VI.</a>—An Angel from the Cloud is Heard in Kirtland. The -"Daughter of the Voice." -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERVII">CHAPTER VII.</a>—An Israel Prepared by Visions, Dreams and Angels. -Interesting and Miraculous Story of Parley P. Pratt. A Mystic Sign of -Messiah in the Heavens. The Angel's Words Fulfilled. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERVIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a>—War of the Invisible Powers. Their Master. Jehovah's -Medium. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERIX">CHAPTER IX.</a>—Eliza R. Snow's Experience. Glimpses of the Life and -Character of Joseph Smith. Gathering of the Saints. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERX">CHAPTER X.</a>—The Latter-Day Iliad. Reproduction of the Great Hebraic -Drama. The Meaning of the Mormon Movement in the Age. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXI">CHAPTER XI.</a>—The Land of Temples. America the New Jerusalem. Daring -Conception of the Mormon Prophet. Fulfillment of the Abrahamic -Programme. Woman to be an Oracle of Jehovah. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXII">CHAPTER XII.</a>—Eliza R. Snow's Graphic Description of the Temple and its -Dedication. Hosannas to God. His Glory Fills the House. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a>—The Ancient Order of Blessings. The Prophet's Father. -The Patriarch's Mother. His Father. Kirtland High School. Apostasy and -Persecution. Exodus of the Church. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a>—An Illustrious Mormon Woman. The First Wife of the -Immortal Heber C. Kimball. Opening Chapter of her Autobiography. Her -Wonderful Vision. An Army of Angels Seen in the Heavens. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXV">CHAPTER XV.</a>—Haun's Mill. Joseph Young's Story of the Massacre. Sister -Amanda Smith's Story of that Terrible Tragedy. Her Wounded Boy's -Miraculous Cure. Her Final Escape from Missouri. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a>—Mobs Drive the Settlers into Far West. Heroic Death -of Apostle Patten. Treachery of Col. Hinkle, and Fall of the Mormon -Capital. Famous Speech of Major-General Clarke. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a>—Episodes of the Persecutions. Continuation of Eliza -R. Snow's Narrative. Bathsheba W. Smith's Story. Louisa F. Wells -Introduced to the Reader. Experience of Abigail Leonard. Margaret Foutz. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a>—Joseph Smith's Daring Answer to the Lord. Woman, -through Mormonism, Restored to her True Position. The Themes of -Mormonism. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a>—Eliza R. Snow's Invocation. The Eternal Father and -Mother. Origin of the Sublime Thought Popularly Attributed to Theodore -Parker. Basic Idea of the Mormon Theology. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXX">CHAPTER XX.</a>—The Trinity of Motherhood. Eve, Sarah, and Zion. The -Mormon Theory Concerning our First Parents. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a>—The Huntingtons. Zina D. Young, and Prescindia L. -Kimball. Their Testimony Concerning the Kirtland Manifestations. -Unpublished Letter of Joseph Smith. Death of Mother Huntington. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a>—Woman's Work in Canada and Great Britain. Heber C. -Kimball's Prophesy. Parley P. Pratt's Successful Mission to Canada. A -Blind Woman Miraculously Healed. Distinguished Women of that Period. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.</a>—A Distinguished Canadian Convert. Mrs. M. I. Horne. Her -Early History. Conversion to Mormonism. She Gathers with the Saints and -Shares their Persecutions. Incidents of her Early Connection with the -Church. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.</a>—Mormonism Carried to Great Britain. "Truth will -Prevail." The Rev. Mr. Fielding. First Baptism in England. First Woman -Baptized. Story of Miss Jeannetta Richards. First Branch of the Church -in Foreign Lands Organized at the House of Ann Dawson. First Child Born -into the Church in England. Romantic Sequel. Vilate Kimball Again. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXV">CHAPTER XXV.</a>—Sketch of the Sisters Mary and Mercy R. Fielding. The -Fieldings a Semi-Apostolic Family. Their Important Instrumentality in -Opening the British Mission. Mary Fielding Marries Hyrum Smith. Her -Trials and Sufferings while her Husband is in Prison. Testimony of her -Sister Mercy. Mary's Letter to her Brother in England. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.</a>—The Quorum of the Apostles go on Mission to England. -Their Landing in Great Britain. They Hold a Conference. A Holiday -Festival. Mother Moon and Family. Summary of a Year's Labor. Crowning -Period of the British Mission. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.</a>—The Sisters as Missionaries. Evangelical Diplomacy. -Without Purse or Scrip. Picture of the Native Elders. A Specimen -Meeting. The Secret of Success. Mormonism a Spiritual Gospel. The -Sisters as Tract Distributers. Woman a Potent Evangelist. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.</a>—Mormonism and the Queen of England. Presentation of -the Book of Mormon to the Queen and Prince Albert. Eliza R. Snow's -Poem on that Event. "Zion's Nursing Mother." Heber C. Kimball Blesses -Victoria. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.</a>—Literal Application of Christ's Command. The Saints -Leave Father and Mother, Home and Friends, to Gather to Zion. Mrs. -William Staines. Her Early Life and Experience. A Midnight Baptism in -Midwinter. Farewell to Home and Every Friend. Incidents of the Journey -to Nauvoo. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXX">CHAPTER XXX.</a>—Rise of Nauvoo. Introduction of Polygamy. Martyrdom -of Joseph and Hyrum. Continuation of Eliza R. Snow's Narrative. Her -Acceptance of Polygamy, and Marriage to the Prophet. Governor Carlin's -Treachery. Her Scathing Review of the Martyrdom. Mother Lucy's Story of -Her Murdered Sons. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXI">CHAPTER XXXI.</a>—The Exodus. To Your Tents, O Israel. Setting out from -the Borders of Civilization. Movements of the Camp of Israel. First -Night at Sugar Creek. Praising God in the Song and Dance. Death by the -Wayside. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXII">CHAPTER XXXII.</a>—Continuation of Eliza R. Snow's Narrative. Advent of a -Little Stranger Under Adverse Circumstances. Dormitory, Sitting-Room, -Office, etc., in a Buggy. "The Camp." Interesting Episodes of the -Journey. Graphic Description of the Method of Procedure. Mount Pisgah. -Winter Quarters. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXIII">CHAPTER XXXIII.</a>—Bathsheba W. Smith's Story of the Last Days of Nauvoo. -She Receives Celestial Marriage and Gives Her Husband Five "Honorable -Young Women" as Wives. Her Description of the Exodus and Journey to -Winter Quarters. Death of One of the Wives. Sister Horne Again. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV.</a>—The Story of the Huntington Sisters Continued. Zina D. -Young's Pathetic Picture of the Martyrdom. Joseph's Mantle Falls Upon -Brigham. The Exodus. A Birth on the Banks of the Chariton. Death of -Father Huntington. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXV">CHAPTER XXXV.</a>—The Pioneers. The Pioneer Companies that Followed. -Method of the March. Mrs. Horne on the Plains. The Emigrant's -Post-Office. Pentecosts by the Way. Death as they Journeyed. A Feast in -the Desert. "Aunt Louisa" Again. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI.</a>—Bathsheba W. Smith's Story Continued. The Pioneers -Return to Winter Quarters. A New Presidency Chosen. Oliver Cowdery -Returns to the Church. Gathering the Remnant from Winter Quarters. -Description of her House on Wheels. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII.</a>—The Martyred Patriarch's Widow. A Woman's Strength -and Independence. The Captain "Leaves Her Out in the Cold." Her -Prophesy and Challenge to the Captain. A Pioneer Indeed. She is Led by -Inspiration. The Seeric Gift of the Smiths with her Her Cattle. The -Race. Fate Against the Captain. The Widow's Prophesy Fulfilled. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII.</a>—Utah in the Early Days. President Young's Primitive -Home. Raising the Stars and Stripes on Mexican Soil. The Historical -Thread up to the Period of the "Utah War." -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXXXIX">CHAPTER XXXIX.</a>—The Women of Mormondom in the Period of the Utah War. -Their Heroic Resolve to Desolate the Land. The Second Exodus. Mrs. -Carrington. Governor Cumming's Wife. A Nation of Heroes. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXL">CHAPTER XL.</a>—Miriam Works and Mary Ann Angell. Scenes of the Past. -Death-Bed of Miriam. Early Days of Mary. Her Marriage with Brigham. The -Good Step-mother. She Bears her Cross in the Persecutions. A Battle -with Death. Polygamy. Mary in the Exodus and at Winter Quarters. The -Hut in the Valley. Closing a Worthy Life. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLI">CHAPTER XLI.</a>—The Revelation on Polygamy. Bishop Whitney Preserves a -Copy of the Original Document. Belinda M. Pratt's Famous Letter. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLII">CHAPTER XLII.</a>—Revelation Supported by Biblical Examples. The -Israelitish Genius of the Mormons Shown in the Patriarchal Nature of -their Institutions. The Anti-Polygamic Crusade. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLIII">CHAPTER XLIII.</a>—Grand Mass-meeting of the Women of Utah on Polygamy and -the Cullom Bill. Their Noble Remonstrance. Speeches of Apostolic Women. -Their Resolutions. Woman's Rights or Woman's Revolution. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLIV">CHAPTER XLIV.</a>—Wives of the Apostles. Mrs. Orson Hyde. Incidents of -the Early Days. The Prophet. Mary Ann Pratt's Life Story. Wife of Gen. -Charles C. Rich. Mrs. Franklin D. Richards. Phoebe Woodruff. Leonora -Taylor. Marian Ross Pratt. The Wife of Delegate Cannon. Vilate Kimball -Again. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLV">CHAPTER XLV.</a>—Mormon Women of Martha Washington's Time. Aunt Rhoda -Richards. Wife of the First Mormon Bishop. Honorable Women of Zion. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLVI">CHAPTER XLVI.</a>—Mormon Women whose Ancestors were on board the -"Mayflower." A Bradford, and Descendant of the Second Governor of -Plymouth Colony. A Descendant of Rogers, the Martyr. The Three Women -who came with the Pioneers. The First Woman Born in Utah. Women of the -Camp of Zion. Women of the Mormon Batallion. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLVII">CHAPTER XLVII.</a>—One of the Founders of California. A Woman Missionary -to the Society Islands. Her Life Among the Natives. The only Mormon -Woman Sent on Mission without Her Husband. A Mormon Woman in -Washington. A Sister from the East Indies. A Sister from Texas. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLVIII">CHAPTER XLVIII</a>—A Leader from England. Mrs. Hannah T. King. A Macdonald -from Scotland. The "Welsh Queen." A Representative Woman from Ireland. -Sister Howard. A Galaxy of the Sisterhood, from "Many Nations and -Tongues." Incidents and Testimonials. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERXLIX">CHAPTER XLIX.</a>—The Message to Jerusalem. The Ancient Tones of -Mormonism. The Mormon High Priestess in the Holy Land. On the Mount of -Olives. Officiating for the Royal House of Judah. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERL">CHAPTER L.</a>—Woman's Position in the Mormon Church. Grand Female -Organization of Mormonism. The Relief Society. Its Inception at Nauvoo. -Its Present Status, Aims, and Methods. First Society Building. A Woman -Lays the Corner-stone. Distinguished Women of the Various Societies. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLI">CHAPTER LI.</a>—The Sisters and the Marriage Question. The Women of Utah -Enfranchised. Passage of the Woman Suffrage Bill. A Political Contest. -The First Woman that Voted in Utah. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLII">CHAPTER LII.</a>—The Lie of the Enemy Refuted. A View of the Women in -Council over Female Suffrage. The Sisters know their Political Power. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLIII">CHAPTER LIII.</a>—Members of Congress Seek to Disfranchise the Women of -Utah. Claggett's Assault. The Women of America Come to their Aid. -Charles Sumner About to Espouse their Cause. Death Prevents the Great -Statesman's Design. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLIV">CHAPTER LIV.</a>—Woman Expounds Her Own Subject. The Fall. Her Redemption -from the Curse. Returning into the Presence of Her Father. Her -Exaltation. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLV">CHAPTER LV.</a>—Woman's Voice in the Press of Utah. The Woman's Exponent. -Mrs. Emeline Wells. She Speaks for the Women of Utah. Literary and -Professional Women of the Church. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLVI">CHAPTER LVI.</a>—Retrospection. Apostolic Mission of the Mormon Women. How -they have Used the Suffrage. Their Petition to Mrs. Grant. Twenty-seven -Thousand Mormon Women Memorialize Congress. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLVII">CHAPTER LVII.</a>—Sarah the Mother of the Covenant. In Her the Expounding -of the Polygamic Relations of the Mormon Women. Fulfilment of God's -Promise to Her. The Mormon Parallel. Sarah and Hagar divide the -Religious Domination of the World. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLVIII">CHAPTER LVIII.</a>—Womanhood the Regenerating Influence in the World. From -Eve, the First, to Mary, the Second Eve. God and Woman the Hope of Man. -Woman's Apostleship. Joseph <em>vs</em>. Paul. The Woman Nature a Predicate of -the World's Future. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLIX">CHAPTER LIX.</a>—Zion, a Type of "The Woman's Age." The Culminating Theme -of the Poets of Israel. The Ideal Personification of the Church. The -Bride. The Coming Eve. -</p> -<p class="hangingindent"><a href="#CHAPTERLX">CHAPTER LX.</a>—Terrible as an Army with Banners. Fifty Thousand Women -with the Ballot. Their Grand Mission to the Nation. A Foreshadowing of -the Future of the Women of Mormondom. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERI"></a>CHAPTER I. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">A STRANGE RELIGIOUS EPIC—AN ISRAELITISH TYPE OF WOMAN IN THE AGE. -</p> -<p>AN epic of woman! Not in all the ages has there been one like unto it. -</p> -<p>Fuller of romance than works of fiction are the lives of the Mormon -women. So strange and thrilling is their story,—so rare in its -elements of experience,—that neither history nor fable affords a -perfect example; yet is it a reality of our own times. -</p> -<p>Women with new types of character, antique rather than modern; themes -ancient, but transposed to our latter-day experience. Women with -their eyes open, and the prophecy of their work and mission in their -own utterances, who have dared to enter upon the path of religious -empire-founding with as much divine enthusiasm as had the apostles -who founded Christendom. Such are the Mormon women,—religious -empire-founders, in faith and fact. Never till now did woman essay -such an extraordinary character; never before did woman rise to the -conception of so supreme a mission in her own person and life. -</p> -<p>We can only understand the Mormon sisterhood by introducing them in -this cast at the very outset; only comprehend the wonderful story of -their lives by viewing them as apostles, who have heard the voices of -the invisibles commanding them to build the temples of a new faith. -</p> -<p>Let us forget, then, thus early in their story, all reference to -polygamy or monogamy. Rather let us think of them as apostolic mediums -of a new revelation, who at first saw only a dispensation of divine -innovations and manifestations for the age. Let us view them purely as -prophetic women, who undertook to found their half of a new Christian -empire, and we have exactly the conception with which to start the epic -story of the Women of Mormondom. -</p> -<p>They had been educated by the Hebrew Bible, and their minds cast by its -influence, long before they saw the book of Mormon or heard the Mormon -prophet. The examples of the ancient apostles were familiar to them, -and they had yearned for the pentecosts of the early days. But most had -they been enchanted by the themes of the old Jewish prophets, whose -writings had inspired them with faith in the literal renewal of the -covenant with Israel, and the "restitution of all things" of Abrahamic -promise. This was the case with nearly all of the early disciples of -Mormonism,—men and women. They were not as <em>sinners</em> converted to -Christianity, but as <em>disciples</em> who had been waiting for the "fullness -of the everlasting gospel." Thus had they been prepared for the new -revelation,—an Israel born unto the promises,—an Israel afterwards -claiming that in a pre-existent state they were the elect of God. -They had also inherited their earnest religious characters from their -fathers and mothers. The pre-natal influences of generations culminated -in the bringing forth of this Mormon Israel. -</p> -<p>And here we come to the remarkable fact that the women who, with its -apostles and elders, founded Mormondom, were the Puritan daughters of -New England, even as were their compeer brothers its sons. -</p> -<p>Sons and daughters of the sires and mothers who founded this great -nation; sons and daughters of the sires and mothers who fought and -inspired the war of the revolution, and gave to this continent a magna -charta of religious and political liberty! Their stalwart fathers also -wielded the "sword of the Lord" in old England, with Cromwell and his -Ironsides, and the self-sacrificing spirit of their pilgrim mothers -sustained New England in the heat and burden of the day, while its -primeval forests were being cleared, even as these pilgrim Mormons -pioneered our nation the farthest West, and converted the great -American desert into fruitful fields. -</p> -<p>That those who established the Mormon Church are of this illustrious -origin we shall abundantly see, in the record of these lives, confirmed -by direct genealogical links. Some of their sires were even governors -of the British colonies at their very rise: instance the ancestor -of Daniel H. Wells, one of the presidents of the Mormon Church, who -was none other than the illustrious Thomas Wells, fourth governor of -Connecticut; instance the pilgrim forefather of the apostles Orson -and Parley Pratt, who came from England to America in 1633, and with -the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his congregation pioneered through dense -wildernesses, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts, and became -the founders of the colony of Hartford, Conn., in June, 1636; instance -the Youngs, the Kimballs, the Smiths, the Woodruffs, the Lymans, the -Snows, the Carringtons, the Riches, the Hunters, the Huntingtons, the -Patridges, the Whitneys, and a host of other early disciples of the -Mormon Church. Their ancestors were among the very earliest settlers of -the English colonies. There is good reason, indeed, to believe that on -board the Mayflower was some of the blood that has been infused into -the Mormon Church. -</p> -<p>This genealogical record, upon which the Mormon people pride -themselves, has a vast meaning, not only in accounting for their -empire-founding genius and religious career, but also for their Hebraic -types of character and themes of faith. Their genius is in their very -blood. They are, as observed, a latter-day Israel,—born inheritors of -the promise,—predestined apostles, both men and women, of the greater -mission of this nation,—the elect of the new covenant of God, which -America is destined to unfold to "every nation, kindred, tongue and -people." This is not merely an author's fancy; it is an affirmation and -a prophecy well established in Mormon myth and themes. -</p> -<p>If we but truthfully trace the pre-natal expositions of this peculiar -people—and the sociologist will at once recognize in this method a -very book of revelation on the subject—we shall soon come to look upon -these strange Israelitish types and wonders as simply a hereditary -culmination in the nineteenth century. -</p> -<p>Mormonism, indeed, is not altogether a new faith, nor a fresh -inspiration in the world. The facts disclose that its genius has come -down to the children, through generations, in the very blood which the -invisibles inspired in old England, in the seventeenth century, and -which wrought such wonders of God among the nations then. That blood -has been speaking in our day with prophet tongue; those wonderful -works, wrought in the name of the Lord of Hosts, by the saints of the -commonwealth, to establish faith in Israel's God and reverence for His -name above all earthly powers, are, in their consummation in America, -wrought by these latter-day saints in the same august name and for the -same purpose. He shall be honored among the nations; His will done -among men; His name praised to the ends of the earth! Such was the -affirmation of the saints of the commonwealth of England two hundred -and thirty years ago; such the affirmation of the saints raised up to -establish the "Kingdom of God" in the nineteenth century. Understand -this fully, and the major theme of Mormonism is comprehended. It will -have a matchless exemplification in the story of the lives of these -single-hearted, simple-minded, but grand women, opening to the reader's -view the methods of that ancient genius, even to the establishing of -the patriarchal institution and covenant of polygamy. -</p> -<p>That America should bring forth a peculiar people, like the Mormons, -is as natural as that a mother should bear children in the semblance -of the father who begat them. Monstrous, indeed, would it be if, as -offspring of the patriarchs and mothers of this nation, America brought -forth naught but godless politicians. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERII"></a>CHAPTER II. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE MOTHER OF THE PROPHET—THE GIFTS OF INSPIRATION AND WORKING OF -MIRACLES INHERENT IN HER FAMILY—FRAGMENTS OF HER NARRATIVE. -</p> -<p>First among the chosen women of the latter-day dispensation comes the -mother of the Prophet, to open this divine drama. -</p> -<p>It is one of our most beautiful and suggestive proverbs that "great -men have great mothers." This cannot but be peculiarly true of a great -prophet whose soul is conceptive of a new dispensation. -</p> -<p>Prophecy is of the woman. She endows her offspring with that -heaven-born gift. -</p> -<p>The father of Joseph was a grand patriarchal type. He was the Abraham -of the Church, holding the office of presiding patriarch. To this -day he is remembered and spoken of by the early disciples with the -profoundest veneration and filial love, and his patriarchal blessings, -given to them, are preserved and valued as much as are the patriarchal -blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob valued by their own race. -</p> -<p>But it is the mother of the Prophet who properly leads in opening the -testament of the women of Mormondom. She was a prophetess and seeress -born. The gift of prophecy and the power to work miracles also inhered -in the family of Lucy Mack, (her maiden name), and the martial spirit -which distinguished her son, making him a prophet-general, was quite -characteristic of her race. Of her brother, Major Mack, she says: -</p> -<p>"My brother was in the city of Detroit in 1812, the year in which Hull -surrendered the territory to the British crown. My brother, being -somewhat celebrated for his prowess, was selected by General Hull to -take the command of a company as captain. After a short service in this -office he was ordered to surrender. (Hull's surrender to the British). -At this his indignation was aroused to the highest pitch. He broke his -sword across his knee, and throwing it into the river, exclaimed that -he would never submit to such a disgraceful compromise while the blood -of an American continued to flow in his veins." -</p> -<p>Lucy Mack's father, Solomon Mack, was a soldier in the American -revolution. He entered the army at the age of twenty-one, in the year -1755, and in the glorious struggle of his country for independence he -enlisted among the patriots in 1776. With him were his two boys, Jason -and Stephen, the latter being the same who afterwards broke his sword -and cast it into the river rather than surrender it to the British. -</p> -<p>But that which is most interesting here is the seeric gift coupled -with the miracle-working power of "Mother Lucy's" race. Hers was a -"visionary" family, in the main, while her elder brother, Jason, was -a strange evangelist, who wandered about during his lifetime, by sea -and land, preaching the gospel and working miracles. This Jason even -attempted to establish a body of Christian communists. Of him she says: -</p> -<p>"Jason, my oldest brother, was a studious and manly boy. Before he had -attained his sixteenth year he became what was then called a 'seeker,' -and believing that by prayer and faith the gifts of the gospel, which -were enjoyed by the ancient disciples of Christ, might be attained, he -labored almost incessantly to convert others to the same faith. He was -also of the opinion that God would, at some subsequent period, manifest -His power, as He had anciently done, in signs and wonders. At the age -of twenty he became a preacher of the gospel." -</p> -<p>Then followed a love episode in Jason's life, in which the young man -was betrayed by his rival while absent in England on business with his -father. The rival gave out that Jason had died in Liverpool, (being -post-master, he had also intercepted their correspondence,) so that -when the latter returned home he found his betrothed married to his -enemy. The story runs: -</p> -<p>"As soon as Jason arrived he repaired immediately to her father's -house. When he got there she was gone to her brother's funeral; he went -in, and seated himself in the same room where he had once paid his -addresses to her. In a short time she came home; when she first saw him -she did not know him, but when she got a full view of his countenance -she recognized him, and instantly fainted. From this time forward she -never recovered her health, but, lingering for two years, died the -victim of disappointment. -</p> -<p>"Jason remained in the neighborhood a short time and then went to sea, -but he did not follow the sea a great while. He soon left the main, and -commenced preaching, which he continued until his death." -</p> -<p>Once or twice during his lifetime Jason visited his family; at last, -after a silence of twenty years, his brother Solomon received from him -the following very evangelistic epistle: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="right"> "South Branch of Ormucto, -</p> -<p class="right"> "Province of New Brunswick, -</p> -<p class="right"> "June 30, 1835. -</p> -<p> "MY DEAR BROTHER SOLOMON: You will, no doubt, be surprised to hear - that I am still alive, although in an absence of twenty years I - have never written to you before. But I trust you will forgive me - when I tell you that, for most of the twenty years, I have been so - situated that I have had little or no communication with the lines, - and have been holding meetings, day and night, from place to place; - besides my mind has been so taken up with the deplorable situation - of the earth, the darkness in which it lies, that, when my labors - did call me near the lines, I did not realize the opportunity which - presented itself of letting you know where I was. And, again, I - have designed visiting you long since, and annually have promised - myself that the succeeding year I would certainly seek out my - relatives, and enjoy the privilege of one pleasing interview with - them before I passed into the valley and shadow of death. But - last, though not least, let me not startle you when I say, that, - according to my early adopted principles of the power of faith, the - Lord has, in his exceeding kindness, bestowed upon me the gift of - healing by the prayer of faith, and the use of such simple means as - seem congenial to the human system; but my chief reliance is upon - Him who organized us at the first, and can restore at pleasure that - which is disorganized. -</p> -<p> "The first of my peculiar success in this way was twelve years - since, and from nearly that date I have had little rest. In - addition to the incessant calls which I in a short time had, there - was the most overwhelming torrent of opposition poured down upon - me that I ever witnessed. But it pleased God to take the weak to - confound the wisdom of the wise. I have in the last twelve years - seen the greatest manifestations of the power of God in healing - the sick, that, with all my sanguinity, I ever hoped or imagined. - And when the learned infidel has declared with sober face, time - and again, that disease had obtained such an ascendency that death - could be resisted no longer, that the victim must wither beneath - his potent arm, I have seen the almost lifeless clay slowly but - surely resuscitated and revived, till the pallid monster fled so - far that the patient was left in the full bloom of vigorous health. - But it is God that hath done it, and to Him let all the praise be - given. -</p> -<p> "I am now compelled to close this epistle, for I must start - immediately on a journey of more than one hundred miles, to attend - a heavy case of sickness; so God be with you all. Farewell! -</p> -<p class="right"> "JASON MACK." -</p></blockquote> -<p>"Mother Lucy," in the interesting accounts of her own and husband's -families, tells some charming stories of visions, dreams, and miracles -among them, indicating the advent of the latter-day power; but the -remarkable visions and mission of her prophet son claim the ruling -place. She says: -</p> -<p>"There was a great revival of religion, which extended to all the -denominations of Christians in the surrounding country in which we -resided. Many of the world's people, becoming concerned about the -salvation of their souls, came forward and presented themselves as -seekers after religion. Most of them were desirous of uniting with some -church, but were not decided as to the particular faith which they -would adopt. When the numerous meetings were about breaking up, and the -candidates and the various leading church members began to consult upon -the subject of adopting the candidates into some church or churches, as -the case might be, a dispute arose, and there was a great contention -among them. -</p> -<p>"While these things were going forward, Joseph's mind became -considerably troubled with regard to religion; and the following -extract from his history will show, more clearly than I can express, -the state of his feelings, and the result of his reflections on this -occasion:" -</p><blockquote> -<p> "I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was - proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined - that church, namely, my mother Lucy, my brothers Hyrum and Samuel - Harrison, and my sister Sophronia. -</p> -<p> "During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to - serious reflection and great uneasiness. * * * * The Presbyterians - were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all - their powers of either reason or sophistry to prove their errors, - or at least to make the people think they were in error. On the - other hand the Baptists and Methodists, in their turn, were equally - zealous to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. -</p> -<p> "In the midst of this war of words, and tumult of opinions, I often - said to myself, what is to be done? Who, of all these parties, - are right? or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be - right, which is it? and how shall I know it? -</p> -<p> "While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the - contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading - the epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads, - 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth unto - all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.' - Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the - heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to - enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected - on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom - from God, I did, for how to act I did not know, and, unless I - could get more wisdom than I then had, would never know; for the - teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same - passage so differently, as to destroy all confidence in settling - the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the - conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or - else I must do as James directs—that is, ask of God. I at last - came to the determination to ask of God. So in accordance with - this determination I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It - was on the morning of a beautiful clear day, early in the spring - of 1820. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an - attempt; for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the - attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired into the place where I - had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding - myself alone, I knelt down and began to offer up the desires of - my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was - seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such - astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue, so that I - could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed - to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But - exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the - power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very - moment when I was ready to sink into despair, and abandon myself - to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some - actual being from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power - as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of - great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above - the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell - upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from - the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw - two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, - standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me - by name, and said, pointing to the other, 'this is my beloved son, - hear him:' -</p> -<p> "My object in going to inquire of the Lord, was to know which of - all these sects was right, that I might know which to join. No - sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able - to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the - light, which of all the sects was right—for at this time it had - never entered into my heart that all were wrong—and which I should - join. I was answered that I should join none of them, for they were - all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their - creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those professors were - all corrupt. 'They draw near me with their lips, but their hearts - are far from me; they teach for doctrine the commandments of men, - having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.' He - again forbade me to join any of them; and many other things did - he say unto me which I cannot write at this time. When I came to - myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into - heaven." -</p></blockquote> -<p>"From this time until the 21st of September, 1823, Joseph continued, -as usual, to labor with his father, and nothing during this interval -occurred of very great importance,—though he suffered, as one would -naturally suppose, every kind of opposition and persecution from the -different orders of religionists. -</p> -<p>"On the evening of the 21st of September, he retired to his bed in -quite a serious and contemplative state of mind. He shortly betook -himself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God, for a manifestation -of his standing before Him, and while thus engaged he received the -following vision:" -</p><blockquote> -<p> "While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a - light appearing in the room, which continued to increase until the - room was lighter than at noon-day, when immediately a personage - appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did - not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite - whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever - seen, nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to - appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, - and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so also were his - feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles. His head - and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other - clothing on but his robe, as it was open so that I could see into - his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole - person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly - like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very - bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon - him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, - and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of - God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for - me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among - all nations, kindreds and tongues; or that it should be both good - and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book - deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the - former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence - they sprung. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting - gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Saviour to the - ancient inhabitants. Also, that there were two stones in silver - bows, and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted - what is called the urim and thummim, deposited with the plates; - and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted - seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them - for the purpose of translating the book. After telling me these - things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. - He first quoted a part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he - quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, - though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bible. - Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he - quoted it thus: 'For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an - oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall burn - as stubble, for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord - of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.' And - again he quoted the fifth verse thus: 'Behold, I will reveal unto - you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the - coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' He also quoted - the next verse differently: 'And he shall plant in the hearts of - the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of - the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so, the - whole earth would be utterly wasted at its coming.' In addition to - these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was - about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, - twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in - our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the - day had not yet come 'when they who would not hear His voice should - be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come. He also - quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to - the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was - soon to be. And he further stated the fullness of the Gentiles was - soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and - offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here. Again, he - told me that when I got those plates of which he had spoken (for - the time that they should be obtained was not then fulfilled), - I should not show them to any person, neither the breast-plate, - with the urim and thummim, only to those to whom I should be - commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he - was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to - my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, - and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when - I visited it. -</p> -<p> "After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to - gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking - to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left - dark, except just around him; when instantly I saw, as it were, - a conduit open right up into Heaven, and he ascended up until he - entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before - this heavenly light made its appearance. -</p> -<p> "I lay musing on the singularity of the scene, and marveling - greatly at what had been told me by this extraordinary messenger, - when, in the midst of my meditation, I suddenly discovered that - my room was again beginning to get lighted, and, in an instant, - as it were, the same heavenly messenger was again by my bedside. - He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had - done at his first visit, without the least variation, which having - done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the - earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence; - and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this - generation. Having related these things, he again ascended as he - had done before." -</p></blockquote> -<p>"When the angel ascended the second time he left Joseph overwhelmed -with astonishment, yet gave him but a short time to contemplate the -things which he had told him before he made his reappearance and -rehearsed the same things over, adding a few words of caution and -instruction, thus: That he must beware of covetousness, and he must not -suppose the record was to be brought forth with the view of getting -gain, for this was not the case, but that it was to bring forth light -and intelligence, which had for a long time been lost to the world; and -that when he went to get the plates, he must be on his guard, or his -mind would be filled with darkness. The angel then told him to tell his -father all which he had both seen and heard. -</p> -<p>"* * * * From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions -from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every -evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of -the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any -that ever lived upon the face of the earth—all seated in a circle, -father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound -attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the -Bible through in his life. He seemed much less inclined to the perusal -of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to -meditation and deep study. -</p> -<p>"We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to -light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give -us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption -of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice; the sweetest -union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquillity reigned in our -midst. -</p> -<p>"During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us -some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would -describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode -of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their -buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their -religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if -he had spent his whole life with them." -</p> -<p>Thus continued the divine and miraculous experience of the prophetic -family until the golden plates were obtained, the book of Mormon -published, and the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was -established on the 6th of April, 1830. -</p> -<p>But all this shall be written in the book of the prophet! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERIII"></a>CHAPTER III. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE OPENING OF A SPIRITUAL DISPENSATION TO AMERICA—WOMAN'S -EXALTATION—THE LIGHT OF THE LATTER DAYS. -</p> -<p>Joseph Smith opened to America a great spiritual dispensation. It was -such the Mormon sisterhood received. -</p> -<p>A latter-day prophet! A gospel of miracles! Angels visiting the earth -again! Pentecosts in the nineteenth century! This was Mormonism. -</p> -<p>These themes were peculiarly fascinating to those earnest apostolic -women whom we shall introduce to the reader. -</p> -<p>Ever must such themes be potent with woman. She has a divine mission -always, both to manifest spiritual gifts and to perpetuate spiritual -dispensations. -</p> -<p>Woman is child of faith. Indeed she is faith. Man is reason. His mood -is skepticism. Left alone to <em>his</em> apostleship, spiritual missions die, -though revealed by a cohort of archangels. Men are too apt to lock -again the heavens which the angels have opened, and convert priesthood -into priestcraft. It is woman who is the chief architect of a spiritual -church. -</p> -<p>Joseph Smith was a prophet and seer because his mother was a prophetess -and seeress. Lucy Smith gave birth to the prophetic genius which has -wrought out its manifestations so marvelously in the age. Brigham -Young, who is a society-builder, also received his rare endowments -from his mother. Though differing from Joseph, Brigham has a potent -inspiration. -</p> -<p>Thus we trace the Mormon genius to these mothers. They gave birth to -the great spiritual dispensation which is destined to incarnate a new -and universal Christian church. -</p> -<p>Until the faith of Latter-day Saints invoked one, there was no Holy -Ghost in the world such as the saints of former days would have -recognized. Respectable divines, indeed, had long given out that -revelation was done away, because no longer needed. The canon of -scripture was said to be full. The voice of prophesy was no more to be -heard to the end of time. -</p> -<p>But the Mormon prophet invoked the Holy Ghost of the ancient Hebrews, -and burst the sealed heavens. The Holy Ghost came, and His apostles -published the news abroad. -</p> -<p>The initial text of Mormonism was precisely that which formed the basis -of Peter's colossal sermon on the day of Pentecost: -</p> -<p>"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour -out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall -prophesy, and your young men shall dream dreams; -</p> -<p>"And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days -of my spirit; and they shall prophesy." -</p> -<p>Here was a magic gospel for the age! And how greatly was woman in its -divine programme! -</p> -<p>No sooner was the application made than the prophesy was discovered -to be pregnant with its own fulfillment. The experience of the -former-day saints became the experience of the "latter-day saints." It -was claimed, too, that the supreme fulfillment was reserved for this -crowning dispensation. These were emphatically the "last days." It -was in the "last days" that God would pour out His spirit upon "<em>all</em> -flesh." The manifestation of Pentecost was but the foreshadowing of -the power of God, to be universally displayed to his glory, and the -regeneration of the nations in the "dispensation of the fullness of -times." -</p> -<p>This gospel of a new dispensation came to America by the administration -of angels. But let it not be thought that Joseph Smith alone saw -angels. Multitudes received angelic administrations in the early days -of the Church; thousands spoke in tongues and prophesied; and visions, -dreams and miracles were daily manifestations among the disciples. -</p> -<p>The sisters were quite as familiar with angelic visitors as the -apostles. They were in fact the best "mediums" of this spiritual work. -They were the "cloud of witnesses." Their Pentecosts of spiritual gifts -were of frequent occurrence. -</p> -<p>The sisters were also apostolic in a priestly sense. They partook -of the priesthood equally with the men. They too "held the keys of -the administration of angels." Who can doubt it, when faith is the -greatest of all keys to unlock the gates of heaven? But "the Church" -herself acknowledged woman's key. There was no Mormon St. Peter in this -new dispensation to arrogate supremacy over woman, on his solitary -pontifical throne. The "Order of Celestial Marriage," not of celestial -celibacy, was about to be revealed to the Church. -</p> -<p>Woman also soon became high priestess and prophetess. She was this -<em>officially</em>. The constitution of the Church acknowledged her divine -mission to administer for the regeneration of the race. The genius of a -patriarchal priesthood naturally made her the apostolic help-meet for -man. If you saw her not in the pulpit <em>teaching</em> the congregation, yet -was she to be found in the temple, <em>administering</em> for the living and -the dead! Even in the holy of holies she was met. As a high priestess -she blessed with the laying on of hands! As a prophetess she oracled -in holy places! As an endowment giver she was a Mason, of the Hebraic -order, whose Grand Master is the God of Israel and whose anointer is -the Holy Ghost. -</p> -<p>She held the keys of the administration of angels and of the working -of miracles and of the "sealings" pertaining to "the heavens and -the earth." Never before was woman so much as she is in this Mormon -dispensation! -</p> -<p>The supreme spiritual character of the "Church of Jesus Christ of -Latter-day Saints" (its proper name), is well typed in the hymn so -often sung by the saints at their "testimony meetings," and sometimes -in their temples. Here is its theme: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "The spirit of God like a fire is burning,<br> - The latter-day glory begins to come forth,<br> - The visions and blessings of old are returning,<br> - The angels are coming to visit the earth.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> <em>Chorus</em>—We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven—<br> - Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!<br> - Let glory to them in the highest be given,<br> - Henceforth and forever—amen and amen.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> The Lord is extending the saints' understanding,<br> - Restoring their judges and all as at first;<br> - The knowledge and power of God are expanding;<br> - The vail o'er the earth is beginning to burst.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> <em>Chorus</em>—We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven!" etc.<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>What a strange theme this, forty-seven years ago, before the age of our -modern spiritual mediums, when the angels visited only the Latter-day -Saints! In that day it would seem the angels only dared to come by -stealth, so unpopular was their coming. But the <em>way</em> was opened for -the angels. What wonder that they have since come in hosts good and -bad, and made their advent popular? Millions testify to their advent -now; and "modern spiritualism," though of "another source," is a proof -of Mormonism more astonishing than prophecy herself. -</p> -<p>Yet is all this not more remarkable than the promise which Joseph Smith -made to the world in proclaiming his mission. It was the identical -promise of Christ: "These signs shall follow them that believe!" These -signs meant nothing short of all that extraordinary experience familiar -to the Hebrew people and the early-day saints. We have no record that -ever this sweeping promise was made before by any one but Jesus Christ. -Yet Joseph Smith, filled with a divine assurance, dared to re-affirm it -and apply the promise to all nations wherever the gospel of his mission -should be preached. The most wonderful of tests is this. But the test -was fulfilled. The signs followed all, and everywhere. Even apostates -witness to this much. -</p> -<p>There is nothing in modern spiritualism nearly so marvelous as was -Mormonism in its rise and progress in America and Great Britain. It has -indeed made stir enough in the world. But it had to break the way for -coming ages. Revelation was at first a very new and strange theme after -the more than Egyptian darkness in which the Christian nations had been -for fifty generations. It was the light set upon the hill now; but the -darkness comprehended it not. Yet was a spiritual dispensation opened -again to the world. Once more was the lost key found. Mormonism was the -key; and it was Joseph and his God-fearing disciples who unlocked the -heavens. That fact the world will acknowledge in the coming times. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERIV"></a>CHAPTER IV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">BIRTH OF THE CHURCH—KIRTLAND AS THE BRIDE, IN THE CHAMBERS OF THE -WILDERNESS—THE EARLY GATHERING—"MOTHER WHITNEY," AND ELIZA R. SNOW. -</p> -<p>The birth-place of Mormonism was in the State of New York. There the -angels first administered to the youthful prophet; there in the "Hill -Cumorah," near the village of Palmyra, the plates of the book of Mormon -were revealed by Moroni; there, at Manchester, on the 6th of April, -1830, the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was organized, -with six members. -</p> -<p>But the divine romance of the sisterhood best opens at Kirtland. It is -the place where this Israelitish drama of our times commenced its first -distinguishing scenes,—the place where the first Mormon temple was -built. -</p> -<p>Ohio was the "Great West." Kirtland, the city of the saints, with its -temple, dedicated to the God of Israel, rose in Ohio. -</p> -<p>Not, however, as the New Jerusalem of America, was Kirtland founded; -but pioneer families, from New England, had settled in Ohio, who early -received the gospel of the Latter-day Church. -</p> -<p>Thus Kirtland became an adopted Zion, selected by revelation as a -gathering place for the saints; and a little village grew into a city, -with a temple. -</p> -<p>Among these pioneers were the families of "Mother Whitney," and Eliza -R. Snow, and the families of "Father Morley," and Edward Partridge, who -became the "first Bishop" of Zion. -</p> -<p>Besides these, there were a host of men and women soon numbered among -the founders of Mormondom, who were also pioneers in Ohio, Missouri, -and Illinois. -</p> -<p>There is no feature of the Mormons more interesting than their -distinguishing mark as pioneers. In this both their Church and family -history have a national significance. -</p> -<p>Trace their family migrations from old England to New England in the -seventeenth century; from Europe to America in the nineteenth; then -follow them as a people in their empire-track from the State of New -York, where their Church was born, to Utah and California! It will -thus be remarkably illustrated that they and their parents have been -pioneering not only America but the world itself to the "Great West" -for the last two hundred and fifty years! -</p> -<p>As a community the Mormons have been emphatically the Church of -pioneers. The sisters have been this equally with the brethren. Their -very religion is endowed with the genius of migrating peoples. -</p> -<p>So in 1830-31, almost as soon as the Church was organized, the prophet -and the priesthood followed the disciples to the West, where the star -of Messiah was rising. -</p> -<p>As though the bride had been preparing for the coming! As though, -womanlike, intuitively, she had gone into the wilderness—the chambers -of a new civilization—to await the bridegroom. -</p> -<p>For the time being Kirtland became the Zion of the West; for the time -being Kirtland among cities was the bride. -</p> -<p>But the illustration is also personal. Woman herself had gone to the -West where the star of Messiah was looming. Daughters of the New -Jerusalem were already in the chamber awaiting the bridegroom. -</p> -<p>Early in the century, two had pioneered into the State of Ohio, who -have since been, for a good lifetime, high priestesses of the Mormon -temples. And the voice of prophesy has declared that these have the -sacred blood of Israel in their veins. In the divine mysticism of their -order they are at once of a kingly and priestly line. -</p> -<p>There is a rare consistency in the mysticism of the Mormon Church. The -daughters of the temple are so by right of blood and inheritance. They -are discovered by gift of revelation in Him who is the voice of the -Church; but they inherit from the fathers and mothers of the temple of -the Old Jerusalem. -</p> -<p>And so these two of the principal heroines of Mormondom—"Mother -Whitney" and "Sister Eliza R. Snow"—introduced first as the two -earliest of the Church who pioneered to the "Great West," before the -advent of their prophet, as well as introduced for the divine part -which they have played in the marvelous history of their people. -</p> -<p>These are high priestesses! These are two rare prophetesses! These -have the gifts of revelation and "tongues!" These administer in "holy -places" for the living and the dead. -</p> -<p>It was about the year of our Lord 1806 that Oliver Snow, a native of -Massachusetts, and his wife, R. L. Pettibone Snow, of Connecticut, -moved with their children to that section of the State of Ohio -bordering on Lake Erie on the north and the State of Pennsylvania -on the east, known then as the "Connecticut Western Reserve." They -purchased land and settled in Mantua, Portage county. -</p> -<p>Eliza R. Snow, who was the second of seven children, four daughters -and three sons, one of whom is the accomplished apostle Lorenzo Snow, -was born in Becket, Berkshire county, Mass., January 21st, 1804. -Her parents were of English descent; their ancestors were among the -earliest settlers of New England. -</p> -<p>Although a farmer by occupation, Oliver Snow performed much public -business, officiating in several responsible positions. His daughter -Eliza, being ten years the senior of her eldest brother, so soon as she -was competent, was employed as secretary in her father's office. -</p> -<p>She was skilled in various kinds of needlework and home manufactures. -Two years in succession she drew the prize awarded by the committee on -manufactures, at the county fair, for the best manufactured leghorn. -</p> -<p>When quite young she commenced writing for publication in various -journals, which she continued to do for several years, over assumed -signatures,—wishing to be useful as a writer, and yet unknown except -by intimate friends. -</p> -<p>"During the contest between Greece and Turkey," she says, "I watched -with deep interest the events of the war, and after the terrible -destruction of Missolonghi, by the Turks, I wrote an article entitled -'The Fall of Missolonghi.' Soon after its publication, the deaths of -Adams and Jefferson occurred on the same memorable fourth of July, and -I was requested through the press, to write their requiem, to which I -responded, and found myself ushered into conspicuity. Subsequently I -was awarded eight volumes of 'Godey's Lady's Book,' for a first prize -poem published in one of the journals." -</p> -<p>The classical reader will remember how the struggle between Greece and -Turkey stirred the soul of Byron. That immortal poet was not a saint -but he was a great patriot and fled to the help of Greece. -</p> -<p>Precisely the same chord that was struck in the chivalrous mind of Lord -Byron was struck in the Hebraic soul of Eliza R. Snow. It was the chord -of the heroic and the antique. -</p> -<p>Our Hebraic heroine is even more sensitive to the heroic and patriotic -than to the poetic,—at least she has most self-gratification in lofty -and patriotic themes. -</p> -<p>"That men are born poets," she continues, "is a common adage. <em>I was -born a patriot,</em>—at least a warm feeling of patriotism inspired my -childish heart, and mingled in my earliest thoughts, as evinced in many -of the earliest productions of my pen. I can even now recollect how, -with beating pulse and strong emotion I listened, when but a small -child, to the tales of the revolution. -</p> -<p>"My grandfather on my mother's side, when fighting for the freedom of -our country, was taken prisoner by British troops, and confined in -a dreary cell, and so scantily fed that when his fellow-prisoner by -his side died from exhaustion, he reported him to the jailor as sick -in bed, in order to obtain the amount of food for both,—keeping him -covered in their blankets as long as he dared to remain with a decaying -body. -</p> -<p>"This, with many similar narratives of revolutionary sufferings -recounted by my grand-parents, so deeply impressed my mind, that as I -grew up to womanhood I fondly cherished a pride for the flag which so -proudly waved over the graves of my brave and valiant ancestors." -</p> -<p>It was the poet's soul of this illustrious Mormon woman that first -enchanted the Church with inspired song, and her Hebraic faith and -life have given something of their peculiar tone to the entire Mormon -people, and especially the sisterhood; just as Joseph Smith and Brigham -Young gave the types and institutions to our modern Israel. -</p> -<p>Sister Eliza R. Snow was born with more than the poet's soul. She was -a prophetess in her very nature,—endowed thus by her Creator, before -her birth. Her gifts are of race quality rather than of mere religious -training or growth. They have come down to her from the ages. From -her personal race indications, as well as from the whole tenor and -mission of her life, she would readily be pronounced to be of Hebrew -origin. One might very well fancy her to be a descendant of David -himself; indeed the Prophet Joseph, in blessing her, pronounced her -to be a daughter of Judah's royal house. She understands, nearly to -perfection, all of the inner views of the system and faith which she -represents. And the celestial relations and action of the great Mormon -drama, in other worlds, and in the "eternities past and to come," have -constituted her most familiar studies and been in the rehearsals of her -daily ministry. -</p> -<p>Mother Whitney says: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "I was born the day after Christmas in the first year of the - present century, in the quiet, old-fashioned country town of Derby, - New Haven County, Conn. My parents' names were Gibson and Polly - Smith. The Smiths were among the earliest settlers there, and were - widely known. I was the oldest child, and grew up in an atmosphere - of love and tenderness. My parents were not professors of religion, - and according to puritanical ideas were grossly in fault to have - me taught dancing; but my father had his own peculiar notions upon - the subject, and wished me to possess and enjoy, in connection - with a sound education and strict morals, such accomplishments as - would fit me to fill, with credit to myself and my training, an - honorable position in society. He had no sympathy whatever with any - of the priests of that day, and was utterly at variance with their - teachings and ministry, notwithstanding he was strenuous on all - points of honor, honesty morality and uprightness. -</p> -<p> "There is nothing in my early life I remember with more intense - satisfaction than the agreeable companionship of my father. My - mother's health was delicate, and with her household affairs, - and two younger children, she gave herself up to domestic life, - allowing it to absorb her entire interest, and consequently I was - more particularly under my father's jurisdiction and influence; - our tastes were most congenial, and this geniality and happiness - surrounded me with its beneficial influence until I reached - my nineteenth year. Nothing in particular occurred to mar the - smoothness of my life's current and prosperity, and love beamed - upon our home. -</p> -<p> "About this time a new epoch in my life created a turning point - which unconsciously to us, who were the actors in the drama, caused - all my future to be entirely separate and distinct from those - with whom I had been reared and nurtured. My father's sister, a - spinster, who had money at her own disposal, and who was one of - those strong-minded women of whom so much is said in this our day, - concluded to emigrate to the great West,—at that time Ohio seemed - a fabulous distance from civilization and enlightenment, and going - to Ohio then was as great an undertaking as going to China or - Japan is at the present day. She entreated my parents to allow me - to accompany her, and promised to be as faithful and devoted to - me as possible, until they should join us, and that they expected - very shortly to do; their confidence in aunt Sarah's ability - and self-reliance was unbounded, and so, after much persuasion, - they consented to part with me for a short interval of time; but - circumstances, over which we mortals have no control, were so - overruled that I never saw my beloved mother again. Our journey was - a pleasant one; the beautiful scenery through which our route lay - had charms indescribable for me, who had never been farther from - home than New Haven, in which city I had passed a part of my time, - and to me it was nearer a paradise than any other place on earth. - The magnificent lakes, rivers, mountains, and romantic forests were - all delineations of nature which delighted my imagination. -</p> -<p> "We settled a few miles inland from the picturesque Lake Erie, - and here in after years, were the saints of God gathered and the - everlasting gospel proclaimed. My beloved aunt Sarah was a true - friend and instructor to me, and had much influence in maturing my - womanly character and developing my home education. She hated the - priests of the day, and believed them all deceivers and hypocrites; - her religion consisted in visiting the widow and the fatherless and - keeping herself 'unspotted from the world.' -</p> -<p> "Shortly after entering my twenty-first year I became acquainted - with a young man from Vermont, Newel K. Whitney, who, like myself, - had left home and relatives and was determined to carve out a - fortune for himself. He had been engaged in trading with the - settlers and Indians at Green Bay, Mich., buying furs extensively - for the eastern markets. In his travels to and from New York - he passed along the charming Lake Erie, and from some unknown - influence he concluded to settle and make a permanent home for - himself in this region of country; and then subsequently we met - and became acquainted; and being thoroughly convinced that we were - suited to each other, we were married by the Presbyterian minister - of that place, the Rev. J. Badger. We prospered in all our efforts - to accumulate wealth, so much so, that among our friends it came to - be remarked that nothing of Whitney's ever got lost on the lake, - and no product of his exportation was ever low in the market; - always ready sales and fair prices. We had neither of us ever made - any profession of religion, but contrary to my early education I - was naturally religious, and I expressed to my husband a wish that - we should unite ourselves to one of the churches, after examining - into their principles and deciding for ourselves. Accordingly we - united ourselves with the Campbellites, who were then making many - converts, and whose principles seemed most in accordance with - the scriptures. We continued in this church, which to us was the - nearest pattern to our Saviour's teachings, until Parley P. Pratt - and another elder preached the everlasting gospel in Kirtland." -</p></blockquote> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERV"></a>CHAPTER V. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE VOICE, AND THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT. -</p> -<p>And there came one as a "voice crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the -way of the Lord!" -</p> -<p>Thus ever! -</p> -<p>A coming to Israel with "a new and everlasting covenant;" this was the -theme of the ancient prophets, now unfolded. -</p> -<p>There was the voice crying in the wilderness of Ohio, just before the -advent of the latter-day prophet. -</p> -<p>The voice was Sidney Rigdon. He was to Joseph Smith as a John the -Baptist. -</p> -<p>The forerunner made straight the way in the wilderness of the virgin -West. He raised up a church of disciples in and around Kirtland. He led -those who afterwards became latter-day saints to faith in the promises, -and baptized them in water for the remission of sins. But he had not -power to baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire from heaven. -Yet he taught the literal fulfillment of the prophesies concerning the -last days, and heralded the advent of the "one greater than I." -</p> -<p>"The same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." -</p> -<p>That is ever the "one greater than I," be his name whatever it may. -</p> -<p>Joseph Smith baptized with the Holy Ghost. But Sidney knew not that he -was heralding Joseph. -</p> -<p>And the prophet himself was but as the voice crying in the wilderness -of the great dark world: "Prepare ye the way for the second advent of -earth's Lord." His mission was also to "make straight in the desert a -highway" for the God of Israel; for Israel was going up,—following the -angel of the covenant, to the chambers of the mountains. -</p> -<p>He came with a great lamp and a great light in those days, dazzling to -the eyes of the generation that "crucified" him in its blindness. -</p> -<p>Joseph was the sign of Messiah's coming. He unlocked the sealed heavens -by faith and "election." He came in "the spirit and power of Elijah." -The mantle of Elijah was upon him. -</p> -<p>Be it always understood that the coming of Joseph Smith "to restore the -covenant to Israel" signifies the near advent of Messiah to reign as -King of Israel. Joseph was the Elijah of the last days. -</p> -<p>These are the first principles of Mormonism. And to witness of their -truth this testament of the sisters is given, with the signs and -wonders proceeding from the mission of Him who unlocked the heavens and -preached the gospel of new revelations to the world, whose light of -revelation had gone out. -</p> -<p>But first came the famous Alexander Campbell and his compeer, Sidney -Rigdon, to the West with the "lamp." Seekers after truth, whose hearts -had, been strangely moved by some potent spirit, whose influence they -felt pervading but understood not, saw the lamp and admired. -</p> -<p>Mr. Campbell, of Virginia, was a reformed Baptist. He with Sidney -Rigdon, a Mr. Walter Scott, and some other gifted men, had dissented -from the regular Baptists, from whom they differed much in doctrine. -They preached baptism for the remission of sins, promised the gift of -the Holy Ghost, and believed in the literal fulfillment of prophesy. -They also had some of the apostolic forms of organization in their -church. -</p> -<p>In Ohio they raised up branches. In Kirtland and the regions round, -they made many disciples, who bore the style of "disciples," though -the popular sect-name was "Campbellites." Among them were Eliza R. -Snow, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, and many more, who afterwards embraced the -"fullness of the everlasting gospel" as restored by the angels to the -Mormon prophet. -</p> -<p>But these evangels of a John the Baptist mission brought not to the -West the light of new revelation in their lamp. -</p> -<p>These had not yet even heard of the opening of a new dispensation of -revelations. As they came by the way they had seen no angels with new -commissions for the Messiah age. No Moses nor Elijah had been with them -on a mount of transfiguration. Nor had they entered into the chamber -with the angel of the covenant, bringing a renewal of the covenant to -Israel. This was in the mission of the "one greater" than they who came -after. -</p> -<p>They brought the lamp without the light—nothing more. Better <em>the -light</em> without the evangelical lamp—better a conscientious intellect -than the forms of sectarian godliness without the power. -</p> -<p>Without the power to unlock the heavens, and the Elijah faith to call -the angels down, there could be no new dispensation—no millennial -civilization for the world, to crown the civilization of the ages. -</p> -<p>Light came to Sidney Rigdon from the Mormon Elijah, and he comprehended -the light; but Alexander Campbell rejected the prophet when his message -came; he would have none of his angels. He had been preaching the -literal fulfillment of prophesy, but when the covenant was revealed he -was not ready. The lamp, not the light, was his admiration. Himself -was the lamp; <em>Joseph had the light from the spirit world</em>, and the -darkness comprehended it not. -</p> -<p>Alexander Campbell was a learned and an able man—the very <em>form of -wisdom</em>, but without the spirit. -</p> -<p>Joseph Smith was an unlettered youth. He came not in the polished -<em>form</em> of wisdom—either divine or human—but in the demonstration of -the Holy Ghost, and with signs following the believer. -</p> -<p>Mr. Campbell would receive no new revelation from such an one—no -everlasting covenant from the new Jerusalem which was waiting to come -down, to establish on earth a great spiritual empire, that the King -might appear to Zion in his glory, with all his angels and the ancients -of days. -</p> -<p>The tattered and blood-stained commissions of old Rome were sufficient -for the polished divine,—Rome which had made all nations drunk with -her spiritual fornications,—Rome which put to death the Son of God -when his Israel in blindness rejected him. -</p> -<p>Between Rome and Jerusalem there was now the great controversy of the -God of Israel. Not the old Jerusalem which had traveled from the east -to the west, led by the angel of the covenant, up out of the land of -Egypt! The new Jerusalem to the earth then, as she is to-day! Ever will -she be the new Jerusalem—ever will "old things" be passing away when -"the Lord cometh!" -</p> -<p>And the angel of the west appeared by night to the youth, as he watched -in the chamber of his father's house, in a little village in the State -of New York. On that charmed night when the invisibles hovered about -the earth the angel that stood before him read to the messenger of -Messiah the mystic text of his mission: -</p> -<p>"<em>Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before -me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even -the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold he shall -come, saith the Lord of Hosts.</em>" -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERVI"></a>CHAPTER VI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">AN ANGEL FROM THE CLOUD IS HEARD IN KIRTLAND—THE "DAUGHTER OF THE -VOICE." -</p> -<p>Now there dwelt in Kirtland in those days disciples who feared the Lord. -</p> -<p>And they "spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard -it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that -feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." -</p> -<p>"We had been praying," says mother Whitney, "to know from the Lord how -we could obtain the gift of the Holy Ghost." -</p> -<p>"My husband, Newel K. Whitney, and myself, were Campbellites. We had -been baptized for the remission of our sins, and believed in the laying -on of hands and the gifts of the spirit. But there was no one with -authority to confer the Holy Ghost upon us. We were seeking to know how -to obtain the spirit and the gifts bestowed upon the ancient saints. -</p> -<p>"Sister Eliza Snow was also a Campbellite. We were acquainted before -the restoration of the gospel to the earth. She, like myself, was -seeking for the fullness of the gospel. She lived at the time in Mantua. -</p> -<p>"One night—it was midnight—as my husband and I, in our house at -Kirtland, were praying to the father to be shown the way, the spirit -rested upon us and a <em>cloud</em> overshadowed the house. -</p> -<p>"It was as though we were out of doors. The house passed away from -our vision. We were not conscious of anything but the presence of the -spirit and the cloud that was over us. -</p> -<p>"We were wrapped in the cloud. A solemn awe pervaded us. We saw the -cloud and we felt the spirit of the Lord. -</p> -<p>"Then we heard a voice out of the cloud saying: -</p> -<p>"'Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming!' -</p> -<p>"At this we marveled greatly; but from that moment we knew that the -word of the Lord was coming to Kirtland." -</p> -<p>Now this is an Hebraic sign, well known to Israel after the glory of -Israel had departed. It was called by the sacred people who inherited -the covenant "the daughter of the voice." -</p> -<p>Blindness had happened to Israel. The prophets and the seers the Lord -had covered, but the "daughter of the voice" was still left to Israel. -From time to time a few, with the magic blood of the prophets in them, -heard the voice speaking to them out of the cloud. -</p> -<p>Down through the ages the "daughter of the voice" followed the children -of Israel in their dispersions. Down through the ages, from time to -time, some of the children of the sacred seed have heard the voice. -This is the tradition of the sons and daughters of Judah. -</p> -<p>It was the "daughter of the voice" that Mother Whitney and her husband -heard, at midnight, in Kirtland, speaking to them out of the cloud. -Mother Whitney and her husband were of the seed of Israel (so run their -patriarchal blessings); it was their gift and privilege to hear the -"voice." -</p> -<p><em>He</em> was coming now, whose right it is to reign. The throne of David -was about to be re-set up and given to the lion of the tribe of Judah. -The everlasting King of the new Jerusalem was coming down, with the -tens of thousands of his saints. -</p> -<p>The star of Messiah was traveling from the east to the west. The -prophet—the messenger of Messiah's covenant—was about to remove -farther westward, towards the place where his Lord in due time will -commence his reign, which shall extend over all the earth. -</p> -<p>This was the meaning of that vision of the "cloud" in Kirtland, at -midnight, overshadowing the house of Newel K. Whitney; this the -significance of the "voice" which spoke out of the cloud, saying: -"Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming!" -</p> -<p>The Lord of Hosts was about to make up his jewels for the crown of his -appearing; and there were many of those jewels already in the West. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERVII"></a>CHAPTER VII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">AN ISRAEL PREPARED BY VISIONS, DREAMS AND ANGELS—INTERESTING AND -MIRACULOUS STORY OF PARLEY P. PRATT—A MYSTIC SIGN OF MESSIAH IN THE -HEAVENS—THE ANGEL'S WORDS FULFILLED. -</p> -<p>The divine narrative leads directly into the personal story of Parley -P. Pratt. He it was who first brought the Mormon mission west. He it -was who presented the Book of Mormon to Sidney Rigdon, and converted -him to the new covenant which Jehovah was making with a latter-day -Israel. -</p> -<p>Parley P. Pratt was one of the earliest of the new apostles. By nature -he was both poet and prophet. The soul of prophesy was born in him. In -his lifetime he was the Mormon Isaiah. All his writings were Hebraic. -He may have been of Jewish blood. He certainly possessed the Jewish -genius, of the prophet order. -</p> -<p>It would seem that the spirit of this great latter-day work could not -throw its divine charms around the youthful prophet, who had been -raised up to open a crowning spiritual dispensation, without peculiarly -affecting the spiritual minded everywhere—both men and women. -</p> -<p>It is one of the remarkable facts connected with the rise of Mormonism -in the age that, at about the time Joseph Smith was receiving the -administration of angels, thousands both in America and Great Britain -were favored with corresponding visions and intuitions. Hence, indeed, -its success, which was quite as astonishing as the spiritual work of -the early Christians. -</p> -<p>One of the first manifestations was that of earnest gospel-seekers -having visions of the elders before they came, and recognizing them -when they did come bearing the tidings. Many of the sisters, as well as -the brethren, can bear witness of this. -</p> -<p>This very peculiar experience gave special significance to one of the -earliest hymns, sung by the saints, of the angel who "came down from -the mansions of glory" with "the fullness of Jesus's gospel," and also -the "covenant to gather his people," the refrain of which was, -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "O! Israel! O! Israel! in all your abidings,<br> - Prepare for your Lord, when you hear these glad tidings."<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>An Israel had been prepared in all their "abidings," by visions and -signs, like sister Whitney, who heard the voice of the angel, from the -cloud, bidding her prepare for the coming word of the Lord. Parley P. -Pratt was the elder who fulfilled her vision, and brought the word of -the Lord direct from Joseph to Kirtland. -</p> -<p>And Parley himself was one of an Israel who had been thus mysteriously -prepared for the great latter-day mission, of which he became so marked -an apostle. -</p> -<p>Before he reached the age of manhood, Parley had in his native State -(N.Y.) met with reverses in fortune so serious as to change the -purposes of his life. -</p> -<p>"I resolved," he says, "to bid farewell to the civilized world, where -I had met with little else but disappointment, sorrow and unrewarded -toil; and where sectarian divisions disgusted, and ignorance perplexed -me,—and to spend the remainder of my days in the solitudes of the -great West, among the natives of the forest." -</p> -<p>In October, 1826, he took leave of his friends and started westward, -coming at length to a small settlement about thirty miles west of -Cleveland, in the State of Ohio. The country was covered with a dense -forest, with only here and there a small opening made by the settlers, -and the surface of the earth was one vast scene of mud and mire. -</p> -<p>Alone, in a land of strangers, without home or money, and not yet -twenty years of age, he became somewhat discouraged, but concluded to -stop for the winter. -</p> -<p>In the spring he resolved to return to his native State, for there was -one at home whom his heart had long loved and from whom he would not -have been separated, except by misfortune. -</p> -<p>But with her, as his wife, he returned to Ohio, the following year, and -made a home on the lands which he cleared with his own hands.<sup>[<a name="CHAPTERVIIfn1"></a><a href="#txtCHAPTERVIIfn1">1</a>]</sup> -</p> -<p>Eighteen months thereafter Sidney Rigdon came into the neighborhood, -as a preacher. With this reformer Parley associated himself in the -ministry, and organized a society of disciples. -</p> -<p>But Parley was not satisfied with even the ancient <em>gospel form</em> -without the power. -</p> -<p>At the commencement of 1830, the very time the Mormon Church was -organized, he felt drawn out in an extraordinary manner to search the -prophets, and to pray for an understanding of the same. His prayers -were soon answered, even beyond his expectations. The prophesies were -opened to his view. He began to understand the things which were about -to transpire. The restoration of Israel, the coming of Messiah, and the -glory that should follow. -</p> -<p>Being now "moved upon by the Holy Ghost" to travel about preaching the -gospel "without purse or scrip," in August, 1830, he closed his worldly -business and bid adieu to his wilderness home, which he never saw -afterwards. -</p> -<p>"Arriving at Rochester," he says, "I informed my wife that, -notwithstanding our passage being paid through the whole distance, yet -I must leave the boat and her to pursue her passage to her friends, -while I would stop awhile in this region. Why, I did not know; but so -it was plainly manifest by the spirit to me. -</p> -<p>"I said to her, we part for a season; go and visit our friends in our -native place; I will come soon, but how soon I know not; for I have -a work to do in this region of country, and what it is, or how long -it will take to perform it, I know not; but I will come when it is -performed. -</p> -<p>"My wife would have objected to this, but she had seen the hand of God -so plainly manifest in his dealings with me many times, that she dared -not oppose the things manifested to me by his spirit. She, therefore, -consented; and I accompanied her as far as Newark, a small town upwards -of one hundred miles from Buffalo, and then took leave of her, and of -the boat. -</p> -<p>"It was early in the morning, just at the dawn of day; I walked ten -miles into the country, and stopped to breakfast with a Mr. Wells. -I proposed to preach in the evening. Mr. Wells readily accompanied -me through the neighborhood to visit the people, and circulate the -appointment. -</p> -<p>"We visited an old Baptist deacon, by the name of Hamlin. After hearing -of our appointment for the evening, he began to tell of a book, a -strange book, a very strange book, in his possession, which had been -just published. This book, he said, purported to have been originally -written on plates, either of gold or brass, by a branch of the tribes -of Israel; and to have been discovered and translated by a young man -near Palmyra, in the State of New York, by the aid of visions, or the -ministry of angels. -</p> -<p>"I inquired of him how or where the book was to be obtained. He -promised me the perusal of it, at his house the next day, if I would -call. I felt a strange interest in the book. -</p> -<p>"Next morning I called at his house, where for the first time my eyes -beheld the Book of Mormon,—that book of books—that record which -reveals the antiquities of the 'new world' back to the remotest ages, -and which unfolds the destiny of its people and the world, for all time -to come." -</p> -<p>As he read, the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he knew and -comprehended that the book was true; whereupon he resolved to visit -the young man who was the instrument in bringing forth this "marvelous -work." -</p> -<p>Accordingly he visited the village of Palmyra, and inquired for the -residence of Mr. Joseph Smith, which he found some two or three miles -from the village. As he approached the house, at the close of the day, -he overtook a man driving some cows, and inquired of him for "Mr. -Joseph Smith, the translator of the Book of Mormon." This man was none -other than Hyrum, Joseph's brother, who informed him that Joseph then -resided in Pennsylvania, some one hundred miles distant. That night -Parley was entertained by Hyrum, who explained to him much of the great -Israelitish mission just opening to the world. -</p> -<p>In the morning he was compelled to take leave of Hyrum, the brother, -who at parting presented him with a copy of the Book of Mormon. He had -not then completed its perusal, and so after traveling on a few miles -he stopped to rest and again commenced to read the book. To his great -joy he found that Jesus Christ, in his glorified resurrected body, -had appeared to the "remnant of Joseph" on the continent of America, -soon after his resurrection and ascension into heaven; and that he -also administered, in person, to the ten lost tribes; and that through -his personal ministry in these countries his gospel was revealed and -written in countries and among nations entirely unknown to the Jewish -apostles. -</p> -<p>Having rested awhile and perused the sacred book by the roadside, he -again walked on. -</p> -<p>After fulfilling his appointments, he resolved to preach no more until -he had duly received a "commission from on high." So he returned to -Hyrum, who journeyed with him some twenty-five miles to the residence -of Mr. Whitmer, in Seneca County, who was one of the "witnesses" of the -Book of Mormon, and in whose chamber much of the book was translated. -</p> -<p>He found the little branch of the church in that place "full of joy, -faith, humility and charity." -</p> -<p>They rested that night, and on the next day (the 1st of September, -1830), Parley was baptized by Oliver Cowdery, who, with the prophet -Joseph, had been ordained "under the hands" of the angel John the -Baptist to this ministry,—the same John who baptized Jesus Christ in -the River Jordan. -</p> -<p>A meeting of these primitive saints was held the same evening, when -Parley was confirmed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ordained an -elder of the church. -</p> -<p>Feeling now that he had the true authority to preach, he commenced -his new ministry under the authority and power which the angels had -conferred. "The Holy Ghost," he says, "came upon me mightily. I spoke -the word of God with power, reasoning out of the scriptures and the -Book of Mormon. The people were convinced, overwhelmed with tears, and -came forward expressing their faith, and were baptized." -</p> -<p>The mysterious object for which he took leave of his wife was realized, -and so he pursued his journey to the land of his fathers, and of his -boyhood. -</p> -<p>He now commenced his labors in good earnest, daily addressing crowded -audiences; and soon he baptized his brother Orson, a youth of nineteen, -but to-day a venerable apostle—the Paul of Mormondom. -</p> -<p>It was during his labors in these parts, in the Autumn of 1830, that he -saw a very singular and extraordinary sign in the heavens. -</p> -<p>He had been on a visit to the people called Shakers, at New Lebanon, -and was returning on foot, on a beautiful evening of September. The sky -was without a cloud; the stars shone out beautifully, and all nature -seemed reposing in quiet, as he pursued his solitary way, wrapt in deep -meditations on the predictions of the holy prophets; the signs of the -times; the approaching advent of the Messiah to reign on the earth, and -the important revelations of the Book of Mormon, when his attention was -aroused by a sudden appearance of a brilliant light which shone around -him "above the brightness of the sun." He cast his eyes upwards to -inquire from whence the light came, when he perceived a long chain of -light extending in the heavens, very bright and of a deep fiery red. It -at first stood stationary in a horizontal position; at length bending -in the centre, the two ends approached each other with a rapid movement -so as to form an exact square. In this position it again remained -stationary for some time, perhaps a minute, and then again the ends -approached each other with the same rapidity, and again ceased to move, -remaining stationary, for perhaps a minute, in the form of a compass. -It then commenced a third movement in the same manner, and closed like -the closing of a compass, the whole forming a straight line like a -chain doubled. It again remained stationary a minute, and then faded -away. -</p> -<p>"I fell upon my knees in the street," he says, "and thanked the Lord -for so marvelous a sign of the coming of the Son of Man. Some persons -may smile at this, and say that all these exact movements were by -chance; but for my part I could as soon believe that the alphabet would -be formed by chance and be placed so as to spell my name, as to believe -that these signs (known only to the wise) could be formed and shown -forth by chance." -</p> -<p>Parley now made his second visit to the prophet, who had returned from -Pennsylvania to his father's residence in Manchester, near Palmyra, and -here had the pleasure of seeing him for the first time. -</p> -<p>It was now October, 1830. A revelation had been given through the mouth -of the prophet in which elders Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Tiber -Peterson and Parley P. Pratt were appointed to go into the wilderness -through the Western States, and to the Indian Territory. -</p> -<p>These elders journeyed until they came to the spiritual pastorate of -Sydney Rigdon, in Ohio. He received the elders cordially, and Parley -presented his former friend and instructor with the Book of Mormon, and -related to him the history of the same. -</p> -<p>"The news of our coming," says Parley, "was soon noised abroad, and the -news of the discovery of the Book of Mormon and the marvelous events -connected with it. The interest and excitement now became general in -Kirtland, and in all the region round about. The people thronged us -night and day, insomuch that we had no time for rest or retirement. -Meetings were convened in different neighborhoods, and multitudes came -together soliciting our attendance; while thousands flocked about us -daily, some to be taught, some for curiosity, some to obey the gospel, -and some to dispute or resist it. -</p> -<p>"In two or three weeks from our arrival in the neighborhood with the -news, we had baptized one hundred and twenty-seven souls; and this -number soon increased to one thousand. The disciples were filled with -joy and gladness; while rage and lying was abundantly manifested by -gainsayers. Faith was strong, joy was great, and persecution heavy. -</p> -<p>"We proceeded to ordain Sidney Rigdon, Isaac Morley, John Murdock, -Lyman Wight, Edward Partridge, and many others to the ministry; and -leaving them to take care of the churches, and to minister the gospel, -we took leave of the saints, and continued our journey." -</p> -<p>Thus was fulfilled the vision of "Mother Whitney." Kirtland had -heard the "word of the Lord." The angel that spoke from the cloud, -at midnight, in Kirtland, was endowed with the gift of prophesy. The -"daughter of the voice" which followed Israel down through the ages was -potent still—was still an oracle to the children of the covenant. -</p> -<h3>Footnotes: -</h3> -<p><a name="txtCHAPTERVIIfn1"></a><a href="#CHAPTERVIIfn1">1</a>. She died in the early persecution of the church, and when Parley was -in prison for the gospel's sake her spirit visited and comforted him. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERVIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WAR OF THE INVISIBLE POWERS—THEIR MASTER—JEHOVAH'S MEDIUM. -</p> -<p>"You have prayed me here! Now what do you want of me?" -</p> -<p>The Master had come! -</p> -<p>But who was he? -</p> -<p>Whence came he? -</p> -<p>Good or evil? -</p> -<p>Whose prayers had been answered? -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>There was in Kirtland a controversy between the powers of good and -evil, for the mastery. Powers good and evil it would seem to an -ordinary discernment. Certainly powers representing two sources. -</p> -<p>This was the prime manifestation of the new dispensation. This -contention of the invisibles for a foothold among mortals. -</p> -<p>A Mormon iliad! for such it is! It is the epic of two worlds, in which -the invisibles, with mortals, take their respective parts. -</p> -<p>And now it is the dispensation of the fullness of times! Now all the -powers visible and invisible contend for the mastery of the earth in -the stupendous drama of the last days. This is what Mormonism means. -</p> -<p>It is a war of the powers above and below to decide who shall give the -next civilization to earth; which power shall incarnate that supreme -civilization with its spirit and genius. -</p> -<p>Similar how exactly this has been repeated since Moses and the -magicians of Egypt, and Daniel and the magicians of Babylon, contended. -</p> -<p>One had risen up in the august name of Jehovah. Mormonism represents -the powers invisible of the Hebrew God. -</p> -<p>Shall Jehovah reign in the coming time? Shall he be the Lord God -omnipotent? This, in its entirety, is the Mormon problem. -</p> -<p>Joseph is the prophet of that stupendous question, to be decided in -this grand controversy of the two worlds—this controversy of mortals -and immortals! -</p> -<p>There are lords many and gods many, but to the prophet and his people -there is but one God—Jehovah is his name. -</p> -<p>A Mormon iliad, nothing else; and a war of the invisibles—a war of -spiritual empires. -</p> -<p>That war was once in Kirtland, when the first temple of a new -civilization rose, to proclaim the supreme name of the God of Israel. -</p> -<p>No sooner had the Church of Latter-day Saints been established in -the West than remarkable spiritual manifestations appeared. This was -exactly in accordance with the faith and expectations of the disciples; -for the promise to them was that these signs should follow the believer. -</p> -<p>But there was a power that the saints could not understand. That it was -a power from the invisible world all readily discerned. -</p> -<p>An influence both strange and potent! The power which was not -comprehended was greater, for the time, in its manifestations, than the -spirit which the disciples better understood. -</p> -<p>These spiritual manifestations occurred remarkably at the house of -Elder Whitney, where the saints met often to speak one to the other, -and to pray for the power. -</p> -<p>The power had come! -</p> -<p>It was in the house which had been overshadowed by the magic cloud at -midnight, out of which the angel had prophesied of the coming of the -word of the Lord. -</p> -<p>The Lord had come! -</p> -<p>His word was given. But which Lord? and whose word? That was the -question in that hour of spiritual controversy. -</p> -<p>Similar manifestations were also had in other branches of the church; -and they were given at those meetings called "testimony meetings." At -these the saints testified one to the other of the "great work of God -in the last days," and magnified the gifts of the spirit. But there -were two kinds of gifts and two kinds of spirits. -</p> -<p>Some of these manifestations were very similar to those of "modern -spiritualism." Especially was this the case with what are styled -physical manifestations. -</p> -<p>Others read revelations from their hands; holding them up as a book -before them. From this book they read passages of new scriptures. Books -of new revelations had been unsealed. -</p> -<p>In letters of light and letters of gold, writing appeared to their -vision, on the hands of these "mediums." -</p> -<p>What was singular and confounding to the elders was that many, who -could neither read nor write, while under "the influence," uttered -beautiful language extemporaneously. At this these "mediums" of the -Mormon Church (twenty years before our "modern mediums" were known), -would exclaim concerning the "power of God" manifested through them; -challenging the elders, after the spirit had gone out of them, with -their own natural inability to utter such wonderful sayings, and do -such marvelous things. -</p> -<p>As might be expected the majority of these "mediums" were among the -sisters. In modern spiritual parlance, they were more "inspirational." -Indeed for the manifestation of both powers the sisters have always -been the "best mediums" (adopting the descriptive epithet now so -popular and suggestive). -</p> -<p>And this manifestation of the "two powers" in the church followed -the preaching of the Mormon gospel all over the world, especially in -America and Great Britain. It was God's spell and the spell of some -other spiritual genius. -</p> -<p>Where the one power was most manifested, there it was always found that -the power from the "other source" was about equally displayed. -</p> -<p>So abounding and counterbalancing were these two powers in nearly all -the branches of the church in the early rise of Mormonism, in America -and Great Britain, that spiritual manifestations became regarded very -generally as fire that could burn as well as bless and build up the -work of God. -</p> -<p>An early hymn of the dispensation told that "the great prince of -darkness was mustering his forces;" that a battle was coming "between -the two kingdoms;" that the armies were "gathering round," and that -they would "soon in close battle be found." -</p> -<p>To this is to be attributed the decline of spiritual gifts in a later -period in the Mormon Church, for the "spirits" were poured out so -abundantly that the saints began to fear visions, and angels, and -prophesy, and the "speaking in tongues." -</p> -<p>Thus the sisters, who ever are the "best mediums" of spiritual gifts in -the church, have, in latter years, been shorn of their glory. But the -gifts still remain with them; and the prophesy is that some day, when -there is sufficient wisdom combined with faith, more than the primitive -power will be displayed, and the angels will daily walk and talk with -the people of God. -</p> -<p>But in Kirtland in that day there was the controversy of the invisibles. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>It was in the beginning of the year 1831 that a sleigh drove into the -little town of Kirtland. There were in it a man and his wife with her -girl, and a man servant driving. -</p> -<p>They seemed to be travelers, and to have come a long distance rather -than from a neighboring village; indeed they had come from another -State; hundreds of miles from home now; far away in those days for a -man to be thus traveling in midwinter with his wife. -</p> -<p>But they were not emigrants; at least seemingly not such; certainly not -emigrants of an ordinary kind. -</p> -<p>No caravan followed in their wake with merchandise for the western -market, nor a train of goods and servants to make a home in a -neighboring State. -</p> -<p>A solitary sleigh; a man with his wife and two servants; a solitary -sleigh, and far from home. -</p> -<p>That they were not fugitives was apparent in the manly boldness of -the chief personage and the somewhat imperial presence of the woman -by his side. This personal air of confidence, and a certain conscious -importance, were quite marked in both, especially in the man. -</p> -<p>They were two decided personages come West. Some event was in their -coming. This much the observer might at once have concluded. -</p> -<p>There was thus something of mystery about the solitary sleigh and its -occupants. -</p> -<p>A chariot with a destiny in it—a very primitive chariot of peace, but -a chariot with a charm about it. The driver might have felt akin to the -boatman who embarked with the imperial Roman: "Fear not—Caesar is in -thy boat!" -</p> -<p>The sleigh wended its course through the streets of Kirtland until it -came to the store of Messrs. Gilbert & Whitney, merchants. There it -stopped. -</p> -<p>Leaping from the primitive vehicle the personage shook himself lightly, -as a young lion rising from his restful attitude; for the man possessed -a royal strength and a magnificent physique. In age he was scarcely -more than twenty-five; young, but with the stamp of one born to command. -</p> -<p>Leaving his wife in the sleigh, he walked, with a royal bearing and a -wonderfully firm step, straight into the store of Gilbert & Whitney. -His bearing could not be other. He planted his foot as one who never -turned back—as one destined to make a mark in the great world at his -every footfall. He had come to Kirtland as though to possess it. -</p> -<p>Going up to the counter where stood the merchant Whitney, he tapped -him with hearty affection on the shoulder as he would have done to a -long separated brother or a companion of by-gone years. There was the -magnetism of love in his very touch. Love was the wondrous charm that -the man carried about him. -</p> -<p>"Well, Brother Whitney, how do you do?" was his greeting. -</p> -<p>"You have the advantage of me," replied Whitney, wondering who his -visitor could be. "I could not call you by name." -</p> -<p>"I am Joseph, the prophet!" -</p> -<p>It was like one of old making himself known to his brethren—"I am -Joseph, your brother!" -</p> -<p>"Well, what do you want of me?" Joseph asked with a smile; and then -with grave solicitude added: -</p> -<p>"You have prayed me here, now what do you want of me? The Lord would -not let me sleep at nights; but said, up and take your wife to -Kirtland!" -</p> -<p>An archangel's coming would not have been a greater event to the saints -than the coming of Joseph the prophet. -</p> -<p>Leaving his store and running across the road to his house, Elder -Whitney exclaimed: -</p> -<p>"Who do you think was in that sleigh at the store?" -</p> -<p>"Well, I don't know," replied Sister Whitney. -</p> -<p>"Why, it is Joseph and his wife. Where shall we put them?" -</p> -<p>Then came to the mind of Sister Whitney the vision of the cloud that -had overshadowed her house at midnight, and the words of the angel who -had spoken from the pavilion of his hidden glory. The vision had now to -them a meaning and fulfillment indeed. The sister and her husband who -had heard the "voice" felt that "the word of the Lord" was to be given -to Kirtland in their own dwelling and under the very roof thus hallowed. -</p> -<p>One-half of the house was immediately set apart for the prophet and his -wife. The sleigh drove up to the door and Joseph entered with Emma—the -"elect lady" of the church—and they took up their home in the little -city which, with his presence, was now Zion. -</p> -<p>It was the controversy of these two powers in the churches in the West -which had called Joseph to Kirtland in the opening of the year 1831. -The church in the State of New York—its birthplace—had been commanded -by revelation to move West, but Joseph hastened ahead with his wife, as -we have seen. -</p> -<p>He had been troubled at nights in his visions. He had seen Elder -Whitney and his wife and the good saints praying for his help. This -is how he had known "Brother Whitney" at sight; for Joseph on such -occasions saw all things before him as by a map unfolded to his view. -</p> -<p>"Up and take your wife to Kirtland," "the Lord" had commanded. And he -had come. The church, from the State of New York, followed him the -ensuing May. -</p> -<p>The master spirit was in Kirtland now. All spirits were subject to him. -That was one ruling feature of his apostleship. He held the keys of the -dispensation. He commanded and the very invisibles obeyed. <em>They</em> also -recognized the master spirit. He was only subject to the God of Israel. -</p> -<p>"Peace, be still!" the master commanded, and the troubled waters of -Kirtland were at peace. -</p> -<p>There in the chamber which Sister Whitney consecrated to the prophet -the great revelation was given concerning the tests of spirits. There -also many of the revelations were given, some of which form part of the -book of doctrine and covenants. The chamber was thereafter called the -translating room. -</p> -<p>Perchance the mystic cloud often overshadowed that house, but the -angel of the new covenant could now enter and speak face to face with -mortal; for Jehovah's prophet dwelt there. To him the heavens unveiled, -and the archangels of celestial spheres appeared in their glory and -administered to him. -</p> -<p>Wonderful, indeed, if this be true, of which there is a cloud of -witnesses; and more wonderful still if hosts of angels, good and bad, -have come to earth since that day, converting millions to an age of -revelation, unless one like unto Joseph has indeed unlocked the new -dispensation with an Elijah's keys of power! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERIX"></a>CHAPTER IX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">ELIZA R. SNOW'S EXPERIENCE—GLIMPSES OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF -JOSEPH SMITH—GATHERING OF THE SAINTS. -</p> -<p>"In the autumn of 1829," says Eliza R. Snow, the high priestess, "the -tidings reached my ears that God had spoken from the heavens; that he -had raised up a prophet, and was about to restore the fullness of the -gospel with all its gifts and powers. -</p> -<p>"During my brief association with the Campbellite church, I was deeply -interested in the study of the ancient prophets, in which I was -assisted by the erudite Alexander Campbell himself, and Walter Scott, -whose acquaintance I made,—but more particularly by Sidney Rigdon, who -was a frequent visitor at my father's house. -</p> -<p>"But when I heard of the mission of the prophet Joseph I was afraid -it was not genuine. It was just what my soul had hungered for, but I -thought it was a hoax. -</p> -<p>"However, I improved the opportunity and attended the first meeting -within my reach. I listened to the testimonials of two of the witnesses -of the Book of Mormon. Such impressive testimonies I had never before -heard. To hear men testify that they had seen a holy angel—that they -had listened to his voice, bearing testimony of the work that was -ushering in a new dispensation; that the fullness of the gospel was to -be restored and that they were commanded to go forth and declare it, -thrilled my inmost soul. -</p> -<p>"Yet it must be remembered that when Joseph Smith was called to his -great mission, more than human power was requisite to convince people -that communication with the invisible world was possible. He was -scoffed at, ridiculed and persecuted for asserting that he had received -a revelation; now the world is flooded with revelations. -</p> -<p>"Early in the spring of 1835, my eldest sister, who, with my mother was -baptized in 1831, by the prophet, returned home from a visit to the -saints in Kirtland, and reported of the faith and humility of those -who had received the gospel as taught by Joseph,—the progress of the -work, the order of the organization of the priesthood and the frequent -manifestations of the power of God. -</p> -<p>"The spirit bore witness to me of the truth. I felt that I had waited -already a little too long to see whether the work was going to 'flash -in the pan' and go out. But my heart was now fixed; and I was baptized -on the 5th of April, 1835. From that day to this I have not doubted the -truth of the work. -</p> -<p>"In December following I went to Kirtland and realized much happiness -in the enlarged views and rich intelligence that flowed from the -fountain of eternal truth, through the inspiration of the Most High. -</p> -<p>"I was present on the memorable event of the dedication of the temple, -when the mighty power of God was displayed, and after its dedication -enjoyed many refreshing seasons in that holy sanctuary. Many times -have I witnessed manifestations of the power of God, in the precious -gifts of the gospel,—such as speaking in tongues, the interpretation -of tongues, prophesying, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, -the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Of such -manifestations in the church I might relate many circumstances. -</p> -<p>"In the spring I taught a select school for young ladies, boarding in -the family of the prophet, and at the close of the term returned to my -father's house, where my friends and acquaintances flocked around me -to inquire about the 'strange people' with whom I was associated. I -was exceedingly happy in testifying of what I had both seen and heard, -until the 1st of January, 1837, when I bade a final adieu to the home -of my youth, to share the fortunes of the people of God. -</p> -<p>"On my return to Kirtland, by solicitation, I took up my residence in -the family of the prophet, and taught his family school. -</p> -<p>"Again I had ample opportunity of judging of his daily walk and -conversation, and the more I made his acquaintance, the more cause I -found to appreciate him in his divine calling. His lips ever flowed -with instruction and kindness; but, although very forgiving, indulgent -and affectionate in his nature, when his godlike intuition suggested -that the good of his brethren, or the interests of the kingdom of God -demanded it, no fear of censure, no love of approbation, could prevent -his severe and cutting rebukes. -</p> -<p>"His expansive mind grasped the great plan of salvation, and solved -the mystic problem of man's destiny; he was in possession of keys that -unlocked the past and the future, with its successions of eternities; -yet in his devotions he was as humble as a little child. Three times -a day he had family worship; and these precious seasons of sacred -household service truly seemed a foretaste of celestial happiness." -</p> -<p>Thus commenced that peculiar and interesting relationship between the -prophet and the inspired heroine who became his celestial bride, and -whose beautiful ideals have so much glorified celestial marriage. -</p> -<p>There were also others of our Mormon heroines who had now gathered to -the West to build up Zion, that their "King might appear in his glory." -Among them was that exalted woman—so beloved and honored in the Mormon -church—the life-long wife of Heber C. Kimball. There were also Mary -Angel, and many apostolic women from New England, who have since stood, -for a generation, as pillars in the latter-day kingdom. We shall meet -them hereafter. -</p> -<p>And the saints, as doves flocking to the window of the ark of the new -covenant, gathered to Zion. They came from the East and the West and -the North and the South. -</p> -<p>Soon the glad tidings were conveyed to other lands. Great Britain -"heard the word of the Lord," borne there by apostles Heber C. Kimball, -Orson Hyde and Willard Richards, and others. -</p> -<p>Soon also the saints began to gather from the four quarters of the -earth; and those gatherings have increased until more than a hundred -thousand disciples—the majority of them women—have come to America, -as their land of promise, to build up thereon the Zion of the last days. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERX"></a>CHAPTER X. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE LATTER-DAY ILIAD—REPRODUCTION OF THE GREAT HEBRAIC DRAMA—THE -MEANING OF THE MORMON MOVEMENT IN THE AGE. -</p> -<p>It was "a gathering dispensation." A strange religion indeed, that -meant something more than faith and prayers and creeds. -</p> -<p>An empire-founding religion, as we have said,—this religion of a -latter-day Israel. A religion, in fact, that meant all that the name of -"Latter-day Israel" implies. -</p> -<p>The women who did their full half in founding Mormondom, comprehended, -as much as did their prototypes who came up out of Egypt, the -significance of the name of Israel. -</p> -<p>Out of Egypt the seed of promise, to become a peculiar people, a holy -nation, with a distinctive God and a distinctive destiny. Out of modern -Babylon, to repeat the same Hebraic drama in the latter age. -</p> -<p>A Mormon iliad in every view; and the sisters understanding it fully. -Indeed perhaps they have best understood it. Their very experience -quickened their comprehension. -</p> -<p>The cross and the crown of thorns quicken the conception of a -crucifixion. The Mormon women have borne the cross and worn the crown -of thorns for a full lifetime; not in their religion, but in their -experience. Their strange destiny and the divine warfare incarnated in -their lives, gave them an experience matchless in its character and -unparalleled in its sacrifices. -</p> -<p>The sisters understood their religion, and they counted the cost of -their divine ambitions. -</p> -<p>What that cost has been to these more than Spartan women, we shall -find in tragic stories of their lives, fast unfolding in the coming -narrative of their gatherings and exterminations. -</p> -<p>For the first twenty years of their history the tragedy of the -Latter-day Israel was woeful enough to make their guardian angels weep, -and black enough in its scenes to satisfy the angriest demons. -</p> -<p>This part of the Mormon drama began in 1831 with the removal of the -church from the State of New York to Kirtland, Ohio, and to Jackson, -and other counties in Missouri; and it culminated in the martyrdom of -the prophet and his brother at Nauvoo, and the exodus to the Rocky -Mountains. In all these scenes the sisters have shown themselves -matchless heroines. -</p> -<p>The following, from an early poem, written by the prophetess, Eliza R. -Snow, will finely illustrate the Hebraic character of the Mormon work, -and the heroic spirit in which these women entered into the divine -action of their lives: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> My heart is fix'd—I know in whom I trust.<br> - 'Twas not for wealth—'twas not to gather heaps<br> - Of perishable things—'twas not to twine<br> - Around my brow a transitory wreath,<br> - A garland decked with gems of mortal praise,<br> - That I forsook the home of childhood; that<br> - I left the lap of ease—the halo rife<br> - With friendship's richest, soft, and mellow tones;<br> - Affection's fond caresses, and the cup<br> - O'erflowing with the sweets of social life,<br> - With high refinement's golden pearls enrich'd.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Ah, no! A holier purpose fir'd my soul;<br> - A nobler object prompted my pursuit.<br> - Eternal prospects open'd to my view,<br> - And hope celestial in my bosom glow'd.<br> - God, who commanded Abraham to leave<br> - His native country, and to offer up<br> - On the lone altar, where no eye beheld<br> - But that which never sleeps, an only son,<br> - Is still the same; and thousands who have made<br> - A covenant with him by sacrifice,<br> - Are bearing witness to the sacred truth—<br> - Jehovah speaking has reveal'd his will.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> The proclamation sounded in my ear—<br> - It reached my heart—I listen'd to the sound—<br> - Counted the cost, and laid my earthly all<br> - Upon the altar, and with purpose fix'd<br> - Unalterably, while the spirit of<br> - Elijah's God within my bosom reigns,<br> - Embrac'd the everlasting covenant,<br> - And am determined now to be a saint,<br> - And number with the tried and faithful ones,<br> - Whose race is measured with their life; whose prize<br> - Is everlasting, and whose happiness<br> - Is God's approval; and to whom 'tis more<br> - Than meat and drink to do his righteous will.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> * * * *<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Although to be a saint requires<br> - A noble sacrifice—an arduous toil—<br> - A persevering aim; the great reward<br> - Awaiting the grand consummation will<br> - Repay the price, however costly; and<br> - The pathway of the saint the safest path<br> - Will prove; though perilous—for 'tis foretold,<br> - All things that can be shaken, God will shake;<br> - Kingdoms and governments, and institutes,<br> - Both civil and religious, must be tried—<br> - Tried to the core, and sounded to the depth.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Then let me be a saint, and be prepar'd<br> - For the approaching day, which like a snare<br> - Will soon surprise the hypocrite—expose<br> - The rottenness of human schemes—shake off<br> - Oppressive fetters—break the gorgeous reins<br> - Usurpers hold, and lay the pride of man—<br> - The pride of nations, low in dust!<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>And there was in these gatherings of our latter-day Israel, like as in -this poem, a tremendous meaning. It is of the Hebrew significance and -genius rather than of the Christian; for Christ is now Messiah, King of -Israel, and not the Babe of Bethlehem. Mormondom is no Christian sect, -but an Israelitish nationality, and even woman, the natural prophetess -of the reign of peace, is prophesying of the shaking of "kingdoms and -governments and all human institutions." -</p> -<p>The Mormons from the beginning well digested the text to the great -Hebrew drama, and none better than the sisters; here it is: -</p> -<p>"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and -from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will -shew thee; -</p> -<p>"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and -make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; -</p> -<p>"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth -thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." -</p> -<p>And so, for now nearly fifty years, this Mormon Israel have been -getting out of their native countries, and from their kindred, and from -their father's house unto the gathering places that their God has shown -them. -</p> -<p>But they have been driven from those gathering places from time to -time; yes, driven farther west. There was the land which God was -showing them. At first it was too distant to be seen even by the eye of -faith. Too many thousands of miles even for the Spartan heroism of the -sisters; too dark a tragedy of expulsions and martyrdoms; and too many -years of exoduses and probations. The wrath of the Gentiles drove them -where their destiny led them—to the land which God was showing them. -</p> -<p>And for the exact reason that the patriarchal Abraham and Sarah were -commanded to get out of their country and from their kindred and their -father's house, so were the Abrahams and Sarahs of our time commanded -by the same God and for the same purpose. -</p> -<p>"I will make of thee a great nation." "And I will make my covenant -between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly." "And thou -shalt be a father of many nations." "And I will establish my covenant -between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for -an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee." -</p> -<p>To fulfill this in the lives of these spiritual sons and daughters of -Abraham and Sarah, the gathering dispensation was brought in. These -Mormons have gathered from the beginning that they might become the -fathers and mothers of a nation, and that through them the promises -made to the Abrahamic fathers and mothers might be greatly fulfilled. -</p> -<p>This is most literal, and was well understood in the early rise of the -church, long before polygamy was known. Yet who cannot now see that -in such a patriarchal covenant was the very overture of patriarchal -marriage—or polygamy. -</p> -<p>So in the early days quite a host of the daughters of New -England—earnest and purest of women—many of them unmarried, and most -of them in the bloom of womanhood—gathered to the virgin West to -become the mothers of a nation, and to build temples to the name of a -patriarchal God! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXI"></a>CHAPTER XI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE LAND OF TEMPLES—AMERICA THE NEW JERUSALEM—DARING CONCEPTION OF -THE MORMON PROPHET—FULFILLMENT OF THE ABRAHAMIC PROGRAMME—WOMAN TO BE -AN ORACLE OF JEHOVAH. -</p> -<p>Two thousand years had nearly passed since the destruction of the -temple of Solomon; three thousand years, nearly, since that temple of -the old Jerusalem was built. -</p> -<p>Yet here in America in the nineteenth century, <em>among the Gentiles</em>, a -modern Israel began to rear temples to the name of the God of Israel! -Temples to be reared to his august name in every State on this vast -continent! Thus runs the Mormon prophesy. -</p> -<p>All America, the New Jerusalem of the last days! All America for the -God of Israel! What a conception! Yet these daughters of Zion perfectly -understood it nearly fifty years ago. -</p> -<p>Joseph was indeed a sublime and daring oracle. Such a conception -grasped even before he laid the foundation stone of a Zion—that all -America is to be the New Jerusalem of the world and of the future—was -worthy to make him the prophet of America. -</p> -<p>Zion was not a county in Missouri, a city in Ohio or Illinois; nor is -she now a mere embryo State in the Rocky Mountains. -</p> -<p>Kirtland was but a "stake of Zion" where the first temple rose. Jackson -county is the enchanted spot where the "centre stake" of Zion is to be -planted, and the grand temple reared, by-and-by. Nauvoo with its temple -was another stake. Utah also is but a stake. Here we have already the -temple of St. George, and in Salt Lake City a temple is being built -which will be a Masonic unique to this continent. -</p> -<p>Perchance it will stand in the coming time scarcely less a monument -to the name of its builder—Brigham Young—than the temple of Old -Jerusalem has been to the name of Solomon. -</p> -<p>But all America is the world's New Jerusalem! -</p> -<p>With this cardinal conception crowding the soul of the Mormon prophet, -inspired by the very archangels of Israel, what a vast Abrahamic drama -opened to the view of the saints in Kirtland when the first temple -lifted its sacred tower to the skies! -</p> -<p>The archangels of Israel had come down to fulfill on earth the -grand Abrahamic programme. The two worlds—the visible and the -invisible—were quickly engaging in the divine action, to consummate, -in this "dispensation of the fullness of times," the promises made unto -the fathers. -</p> -<p>And all America for the God of Israel. -</p> -<p>There is method in Mormonism—method infinite. Mormonism is Masonic. -The God of Israel is a covenant maker; the crown of the covenant is the -temple. -</p> -<p>But woman must not be lost to view in our admiration of the prophet's -conceptions. -</p> -<p>How stands woman in the grand temple economy, as she loomed up in her -mission, from the house of the Lord in Kirtland? -</p> -<p>The apostles and elders laid the foundations, raised the arches, and -put on the cap stone; but it was woman that did the "inner work of the -temple." -</p> -<p>George A. Smith hauled the first load of rock; Heber C. Kimball worked -as an operative mason, and Brigham Young as a painter and glazier in -the house; but the sisters wrought on the "veils of the temple." -</p> -<p>Sister Polly Angel, wife of Truman O. Angel, the church architect, -relates that she and a band of sisters were working on the "veils," one -day, when the prophet and Sidney Rigdon came in. -</p> -<p>"Well, sisters," observed Joseph, "you are always on hand. The sisters -are always first and foremost in all good works. Mary was first at the -resurrection; and the sisters now are the first to work on the inside -of the temple." -</p> -<p>'Tis but a simple incident, but full of significance. It showed -Joseph's instinctive appreciation of woman and her mission. Her place -was <em>inside</em> the temple, and he was about to put her there,—a high -priestess of Jehovah, to whose name he was building temples. And -wonderfully suggestive was his prompting, that woman was the first -witness of the resurrection. -</p> -<p>Once again woman had become an oracle of a new dispensation and a new -civilization. She can only properly be this when a temple economy comes -round in the unfolding of the ages. She can only be a legitimate oracle -<em>in</em> the temple. -</p> -<p>When she dares to play the oracle, without her divine mission and -anointing, she is accounted in society as a witch, a fortune-teller, a -medium, who divines for hire and sells the gift of the invisibles for -money. -</p> -<p>But in the temple woman is a sacred and sublime oracle. She is a -prophetess and a high priestess. Inside the temple she cannot but be -as near the invisibles as man—nearer indeed, from her finer nature, -inside the mystic veil, the emblems of which she has worked upon with -her own hands. -</p> -<p>Of old the oracle had a priestly royalty. The story of Alexander the -Great and the oracle of Delphi is famous. The conqueror demanded speech -from the oracle concerning his destiny. The oracle was a woman; and -womanlike she refused to utter the voice of destiny at the imperious -bidding of a mortal. But Alexander knew that woman was inspired—that -he held in his grip the incarnated spirit of the temple, and he essayed -to drag her to the holy ground where speech was given. -</p> -<p>"He is invincible!" exclaimed the oracle, in wrath. -</p> -<p>"The oracle speaks!" cried Alexander, in exultation. -</p> -<p>The prophetess was provoked to an utterance; woman forced to obey the -stronger will of man; but it was woman's inspired voice that sent -Alexander through the world a conquering destiny. -</p> -<p>And the prophet of Mormondom knew that woman is, by the gifts of God -and nature, an inspired being. If she was this in the temples of Egypt -and Greece, more abundantly is she this in the temples of Israel. In -them woman is the medium of Jehovah. This is what the divine scheme of -the Mormon prophet has made her to this age; and she began her great -mission to the world in the temple at Kirtland. -</p> -<p>But this temple-building of the Mormons has a vaster meaning than the -temples of Egypt, the oracles of Greece, or the cathedrals of the -Romish Church. -</p> -<p>It is the vast Hebrew iliad, begun with Abraham and brought down -through the ages, in a race still preserved with more than its original -quality and fibre; and in a God who is raising up unto Abraham a -mystical seed of promise, a latter-day Israel. -</p> -<p>Jehovah is a covenant-maker. "And I will make with Israel a new and -everlasting covenant," is the text that Joseph and Brigham have been -working upon. Hence this temple building in America, to fulfill and -glorify the new covenant of Israel. -</p> -<p>The first covenant was made with Abraham and the patriarchs <em>in the -East</em>. The greater and the everlasting covenant will restore the -kingdom to Israel. That covenant has been made <em>in the West</em>, with -these veritable children of Abraham. God has raised up children unto -Abraham to fulfill the promises made to him. This is Mormonism. -</p> -<p>The West is the future world. Yet how shall there be the new -civilization without its distinctive temples? Certainly there shall be -no Abrahamic dispensation and covenant unless symbolized by temples -raised to the name of the God of Israel! -</p> -<p>All America, then, is Zion! -</p> -<p>A hundred temples lifting their towers to the skies in the world's New -Jerusalem. Temples built to the name of the God of Israel. -</p> -<p>Mark this august wonder of the age; the Mormons build not temples to -the name of Jesus, but to the name of Jehovah—not to the Son, but to -the Father. -</p> -<p>The Hebrew symbol is not the cross, but the sceptre. The Hebrews know -nothing of the cross. It is the symbol of heathenism, whence Rome -received her signs and her worship. Rome adopted the cross and she has -borne it as her mark. She never reared her cathedrals to the name of -the God of Israel, nor has she taught the nations to fear his name. Nor -has she prophesied of the New Jerusalem of the last days, which must -supersede Rome and give the millennial civilization to the world. -</p> -<p>The reign of Messiah! Temples to the Most High God! The sceptre, not -the cross! -</p> -<p>There is a grand Masonic consistency in the divine scheme of the Mormon -prophet, and the sisters began to comprehend the infinite themes of -their religion when they worked in the temple at Kirtland, and beheld -in the service the glory of Israel's God. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXII"></a>CHAPTER XII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">ELIZA R. SNOW'S GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE AND ITS -DEDICATION—HOSANNAS TO GOD—HIS GLORY FILLS THE HOUSE. -</p> -<p>The erection of the Kirtland temple was a leading characteristic of the -work of the last dispensation. -</p> -<p>It was commenced in June, 1833, under the immediate direction of the -Almighty, through his servant, Joseph Smith, whom he had called in -his boyhood, like Samuel of old, to introduce the fullness of the -everlasting gospel. -</p> -<p>At that time the saints were few in number, and most of them very poor; -and, had it not been for the assurance that God had spoken, and had -commanded that a house should be built to his name, of which he not -only revealed the form, but also designated the dimensions, an attempt -towards building that temple, under the then existing circumstances, -would have been, by all concerned, pronounced preposterous. -</p> -<p>Although many sections of the world abounded with mosques, churches, -synagogues and cathedrals, built professedly for worship, this was -the first instance, for the lapse of many centuries, of God having -given a pattern, from the heavens, and manifested by direct revelation -how the edifice should be constructed, in order that he might accept -and acknowledge it as his own. This knowledge inspired the saints to -almost superhuman efforts, while through faith and union they acquired -strength. In comparison with eastern churches and cathedrals, this -temple is not large, but in view of the amount of available means -possessed, a calculation of the cost, at the lowest possible figures, -would have staggered the faith of any but Latter-day saints; and it now -stands as a monumental pillar. -</p> -<p>Its dimensions are eighty by fifty-nine feet; the walls fifty feet -high, and the tower one hundred and ten feet. The two main halls -are fifty-five by sixty-five feet, in the inner court. The building -has four vestries in front, and five rooms in the attic, which were -devoted to literature, and for meetings of the various quorums of the -priesthood. -</p> -<p>There was a peculiarity in the arrangement of the inner court which -made it more than ordinarily impressive—so much so that a sense of -sacred awe seemed to rest upon all who entered; not only the saints, -but strangers also manifested a high degree of reverential feeling. -Four pulpits stood, one above another, in the centre of the building, -from north to south, both on the east and west ends; those on the west -for the presiding officers of the Melchisidec priesthood, and those -on the east for the Aaronic; and each of these pulpits was separated -by curtains of white painted canvas, which were let down and drawn -up at pleasure. In front of each of these two rows of pulpits, was a -sacrament table, for the administration of that sacred ordinance. In -each corner of the court was an elevated pew for the singers—the choir -being distributed into four compartments. In addition to the pulpit -curtains, were others, intersecting at right angles, which divided -the main ground-floor hall into four equal sections—giving to each -one-half of one set of pulpits. -</p> -<p>From the day the ground was broken for laying the foundation for the -temple, until its dedication on the 27th of March, 1836, the work was -vigorously prosecuted. -</p> -<p>With very little capital except brain, bone and sinew, combined with -unwavering trust in God, men, women, and even children, worked with -their might; while the brethren labored in their departments, the -sisters were actively engaged in boarding and clothing workmen not -otherwise provided for—all living as abstemiously as possible so -that every cent might be appropriated to the grand object, while -their energies were stimulated by the prospect of participating in -the blessing of a house built by the direction of the Most High and -accepted by him. -</p> -<p>The dedication was looked forward to with intense interest; and -when the day arrived (Sunday, March 27th, 1836), a dense multitude -assembled—the temple was filled to its utmost, and when the ushers -were compelled to close the doors, the outside congregation was nearly -if not quite as large as that within. -</p> -<p>Four hundred and sixteen elders, including prophets and apostles, with -the first great prophets of the last dispensation at their head, were -present—men who had been "called of God as was Aaron," and clothed -with the holy priesthood; many of them having just returned from -missions, on which they had gone forth like the ancient disciples, -"without purse or scrip," now to feast for a little season on the sweet -spirit of love and union, in the midst of those who had "tasted of the -powers of the world to come." -</p> -<p>At the hour appointed, the assembly was seated, the Melchisidec and -Aaronic priesthoods being arranged as follows: West end of the house, -Presidents Frederick G. Williams, Joseph Smith, Sr., and William W. -Phelps, occupied the first pulpit for the Melchisidec priesthood; -Presidents Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon, the -second; Presidents David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdry and John Whitmer, -the third; the fourth pulpit was occupied by the president of the -high-priest's quorum and his councilors, and two choristers. The twelve -apostles were on the right, in the highest three seats; the president -of the elders, his two councilors and clerk in the seat directly below -the twelve. The High Council of Kirtland, consisting of twelve, were on -the left, on the first three seats. The fourth seat, and next below the -High Council, was occupied by Warren A. Cowdry and Warren Parrish, who -officiated as scribes. -</p> -<p>In the east end of the house, the Bishop of Kirtland—Newel K. -Whitney—and his councilors occupied the first pulpit for the Aaronic -priesthood; the Bishop of Zion—Edward Partridge—and his councilors, -the second; the President of the priests and his councilors, the third; -the President of the teachers, and his councilors, and one chorister, -the fourth; the High Council of Zion, consisting of twelve councilors, -on the right; the President of the deacons, and his councilors, in the -next seat below them, and the seven presidents of the seventies, on the -left. -</p> -<p>At nine o'clock, President Sidney Rigdon commenced the services of that -great and memorable day, by reading the ninety-sixth and twenty-fourth -Psalms; "Ere long the vail will be rent in twain," etc., was sung by -the choir, and after President Rigdon had addressed the throne of grace -in fervent prayer, "O happy souls who pray," etc., was sung. President -Rigdon then read the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth verses of -the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, and spoke more particularly from -the last-named verse, continuing his eloquent, logical and sublime -discourse for two and a half hours. At one point, as he reviewed the -toils and privations of those who had labored in rearing the walls of -that sacred edifice, he drew tears from many eyes, saying, there were -those who had wet those walls with their tears, when, in the silent -shades of the night, they were praying to the God of heaven to protect -them, and stay the unhallowed hands of ruthless spoilers, who had -uttered a prophesy, when the foundation was laid, that the walls should -never be erected. -</p> -<p>In reference to his main subject, the speaker assumed that in the days -of the Saviour there were synagogues where the Jews worshipped God; -and in addition to those, the splendid temple in Jerusalem; yet when, -on a certain occasion, one proposed to follow him, withersoever he -went, though heir of all things, he cried out in bitterness of soul, -"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the -Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." From this the speaker drew -the conclusion that the Most High did not put his name there, neither -did he accept the worship of those who paid their vows and adorations -there. This was evident from the fact that they did not receive the -Saviour, but thrust him from them, saying, "Away with him! Crucify him! -Crucify him!" It was therefore evident that his spirit did not dwell in -them. They were the degenerate sons of noble sires, but they had long -since slain the prophets and seers, through whom the Lord had revealed -himself to the children of men. They were not led by revelation. This, -said the speaker, was the grand difficulty—their unbelief in present -revelation. He then clearly demonstrated the fact that diversity of, -and contradictory opinions did, and would prevail among people not led -by present revelation; which forcibly applies to the various religious -sects of our own day; and inasmuch as they manifest the same spirit, -they must be under the same condemnation with those who were coeval -with the Saviour. -</p> -<p>He admitted there were many houses—many sufficiently large, built -for the worship of God, but not one, except this, on the face of the -whole earth, that was built by divine revelation; and were it not for -this, the dear Redeemer might, in this day of science, intelligence and -religion, say to those who would follow him, "The foxes have holes, the -birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay -his head." -</p> -<p>After the close of his discourse, President Rigdon presented for -an expression of their faith and confidence, Joseph Smith, Jr., as -prophet, seer and revelator, to the various quorums, and the whole -congregation of saints, and a simultaneous rising up followed, in token -of unanimous confidence, and covenant to uphold him as such, by their -faith and prayers. -</p> -<p>The morning services were concluded by the choir singing, "Now let us -rejoice in the day of salvation," etc. During an intermission of twenty -minutes, the congregation remained seated, and the afternoon services -opened by singing, "This earth was once a garden place," etc. President -Joseph Smith, Jr., addressed the assembly for a few moments, and then -presented the first presidency of the church as prophets, seers, and -revelators, and called upon all who felt to acknowledge them as such, -to manifest it by rising up. All arose. He then presented the twelve -apostles who were present, as prophets, seers, and revelators, and -special witnesses to all the earth, holding the keys of the kingdom -of God, to unlock it, or cause it to be done among them; to which all -assented by rising to their feet. He then presented the other quorums -in their order, and the vote was unanimous in every instance. -</p> -<p>He then prophesied to all, that inasmuch as they would uphold these men -in their several stations (alluding to the different quorums in the -church), the Lord would bless them, "yea, in the name of Christ, the -blessings of heaven shall be yours; and when the Lord's anointed shall -go forth to proclaim the word, bearing testimony to this generation, -if they receive it they shall be blest; but if not, the judgments of -God will follow close upon them, until that city or that house which -rejects them, shall be left desolate." -</p> -<p>The hymn commencing with "How pleased and blest was I," was sung, and -the following dedicatory prayer offered by the prophet, Joseph Smith: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant - and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee, - with all their hearts; thou who hast commanded thy servants to - build a house to thy name in this place. And now thou beholdest, O - Lord, that thy servants have done according to thy commandment. And - now we ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, the son - of thy bosom, in whose name alone salvation can be administered to - the children of men, we ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, - the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants, which thou didst - command us to build; for thou knowest that we have done this work - through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of - our substance, to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man - might have a place to manifest himself to his people. And as thou - hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends, - saying, 'call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you; and - as all have not faith, seek ye diligently, and teach one another - words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books, words of - wisdom; seek learning even by study, and also by faith. Organize - yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, - even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a - house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of - God. That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your - outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations - may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands to the Most - High.' -</p> -<p> "And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with - thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done - to thy honor, and to thy divine acceptance. And in a manner that - we may be found worthy in thy sight, to secure a fulfillment of - the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people, in the - revelations given unto us; that thy glory may rest down upon thy - people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, - that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that - thy holy presence may be continually in this house, and that all - people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may - feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast - sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness. - And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in - this house, may be taught words of wisdom out of the best books, - and that they may seek learning even by study, and also by faith, - as thou hast said; and that they may grow up in thee, and receive - a fullness of the Holy Ghost and be organized according to thy - laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing; and that this - house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of - faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house; that all the - incomings of thy people, into this house, may be in the name of the - Lord; that all the outgoings from this house may be in the name of - the Lord; arid that all their salutations may be in the name of - the Lord, with holy hands, uplifted to the Most High; and that no - unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute - it; and when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily - repent, and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be - restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out - upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house. And we ask thee, - Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house, armed - with thy power, and thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be - round about them, and thine angels have charge over them; and from - this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in - truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is - thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfill that - which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning - the last days. We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people - that shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in this - thy house, to all generations, and for eternity, that no weapon - formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for - them shall fall into the same himself; that no combination of - wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people - upon whom thy name shall be put in this house; and if any people - shall rise against this people, that thy anger be kindled against - them, and if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them, - thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, - that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies. -</p> -<p> "We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound, and astonish, and to bring - to shame and confusion, all those who have spread lying reports - abroad, over the world, against thy servant, or servants, if they - will not repent when the everlasting gospel shall be proclaimed in - their ears, and that all their works may be brought to naught, and - be swept away by, the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt - send upon them in thy anger, that there may be an end to lyings and - slanders against thy people; for thou knowest, O Lord, that thy - servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy - name, for which they have suffered these things; therefore we plead - before thee a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke; - break it off, O Lord; break it off from the necks of thy servants, - by thy power, that we may rise up in the midst of this generation - and do thy work. -</p> -<p> "O Jehovah, have mercy on this people, and as all men sin, forgive - the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out - forever. Let the anointing of thy ministers be sealed upon them - with power from on high; let it be fulfilled upon them as upon - those on the day of pentecost; let the gift of tongues be poured - out upon thy people, even cloven tongues as of fire, and the - interpretation thereof, and let thy house be filled, as with a - rushing mighty wind, with thy glory. Put upon thy servants the - testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim - thy word, they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of - thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in - thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their - transgressions; that thy people may not faint in the day of - trouble. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the - people of that city receive their testimony, let thy peace and - thy salvation be upon that city, that they may gather out of that - city the righteous, that they may come forth to Zion, or to her - stakes, the places of thy appointment, with songs of everlasting - joy; and until this be accomplished, let not thy judgments fall - upon this city. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, - and the people of that city receive not the testimony of thy - servants, and thy servants warn them to save themselves from this - untoward generation, let it be upon that city according to that - which thou hast spoken by the mouths of thy prophets; but deliver - thou, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, thy servants from their hands, - and cleanse them from their blood. O Lord, we delight not in the - destruction of our fellow men! Their souls are precious before - thee; but thy word must be fulfilled; help thy servants to say, - with thy grace assisting them, thy will be done, O Lord, and not - ours. We know that thou hast spoken by the mouth of thy prophets - terrible things concerning the wicked, in the last days—that - thou wilt pour out thy judgments without measure; therefore, O - Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the wicked; enable - thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the testimony, that - they may be prepared against the day of burning. We ask thee, Holy - Father, to remember those who have been driven (by the inhabitants - of Jackson county, Missouri), from the lands of their inheritance, - and break off, O Lord, this yoke of affliction that has been put - upon them. Thou knowest, O Lord, that they have been greatly - oppressed and afflicted by wicked men, and our hearts flow out with - sorrow, because of their grievous burdens. O Lord, how long wilt - thou suffer this people to bear this affliction, and the cries of - their innocent ones to ascend up in thine ears, and their blood - come up in testimony before thee, and not make a display of thy - testimony in their behalf? Have mercy, O Lord, upon that wicked - mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that - they may repent of their sins, if repentance is to be found; but if - they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which - thou didst appoint a Zion unto thy people. -</p> -<p> "And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people - may not fail before thee, may thine anger be kindled, and thine - indignation fall upon them, that they may be wasted away, both root - and branch, from under heaven; but inasmuch as they will repent, - thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath, - when thou lookest upon the face of thine anointed. Have mercy, - O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the - rulers of our land; may those principles which were so honorably - and nobly defended, viz.: the constitution of our land, by our - fathers, be established forever. Remember the kings, the princes, - the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all people, and - the churches, all the poor, the needy and afflicted ones of the - earth, that their hearts may be softened, when thy servants shall - go out from thy house, O Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name, - that their prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people - may obtain favor in the sight of all, that all the ends of the - earth may know that we thy servants have heard thy voice, and that - thou hast sent us; that from all these, thy servants, the sons of - Jacob, may gather out the righteous to build a holy city to thy - name, as thou hast commanded them. We ask thee to appoint unto Zion - other stakes, besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the - gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty, - that thy work may be cut short in righteousness. Now these words, - O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and - commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with - the Gentiles; but thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the - children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains, - for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day; we therefore ask thee - to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from - this hour, may begin to be redeemed, and the yoke of bondage begin - to be broken off from the house of David, and the children of - Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to - Abraham, their father; and cause that the remnants of Jacob, who - have been cursed and smitten, because of their transgressions, be - converted from their wild and savage condition, to the fullness of - the everlasting gospel, that they may lay down their weapons of - bloodshed, and cease their rebellions; and may all the scattered - remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, - come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and - be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee. O Lord, - remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jr., and all his afflictions - and persecutions, how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed - to thee, O mighty God of Jacob, and the commandments which thou - hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy - will. Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they - may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering - hand; have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their - prejudices may be broken up, and swept away as with a flood, that - they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou - art God. Remember, O Lord, the presidents, even all the presidents - of thy church, that thy right hand may exalt them, with all their - families, and their immediate connections, that their names may be - perpetuated, and had in everlasting remembrance, from generation - to generation. Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their - families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick - and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth, that - the kingdom which thou hast set up without hands, may become a - great mountain, and fill the whole earth; that thy church may come - forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as - the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners, - and be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the - heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and - the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy - glory may fill the earth, that when the trump shall sound for the - dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may - ever be with the Lord, that our garments may be pure, that we may - be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our - hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for - all our sufferings. -</p> -<p> "O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these petitions, and answer us - from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, - with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, - judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fullness, from everlasting to - everlasting. O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord, and answer these - petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the - work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name! And also this - church, to put upon it thy name; and help us by the power of thy - spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright shining - seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing - hosanna to God and the Lamb; and let these thine anointed ones be - clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, - and amen." -</p></blockquote> -<p>The choir then sang, "The spirit of God like a fire is burning," etc., -after which the Lord's supper was administered to the whole assembly. -Then President Joseph Smith bore testimony of his mission and of the -ministration of angels, and, after testimonials and exhortations by -other elders, he blest the congregation in the name of the Lord. -</p> -<p>Thus ended the ceremonies of the dedication or the first temple built -by special command of the Most High, in this dispensation. -</p> -<p>One striking feature of the ceremonies, was the grand shout of -hosanna, which was given by the whole assembly, in standing -position, with uplifted hands. The form of the shout is as follows: -"Hosanna—hosanna—hosanna—to God and the Lamb—amen—amen, and -amen." The foregoing was deliberately and emphatically pronounced, and -three times repeated, and with such power as seemed almost sufficient -to raise the roof from the building. -</p> -<p>A singular incident in connection with this shout may be discredited by -some, but it is verily true. A notice had been circulated that children -in arms would not be admitted at the dedication of the temple. A sister -who had come a long distance with her babe, six weeks old, having, on -her arrival, heard of the above requisition, went to the patriarch -Joseph Smith, Sr., in great distress, saying that she knew no one with -whom she could leave her infant; and to be deprived of the privilege of -attending the dedication seemed more than she could endure. The ever -generous and kind-hearted father volunteered to take the responsibility -on himself, and told her to take her child, at the same time giving -the mother a promise that her babe should make no disturbance; and the -promise was verified. But when the congregation shouted hosanna, that -babe joined in the shout. As marvelous as that incident may appear to -many, it is not more so than other occurrences on that occasion. -</p> -<p>The ceremonies of that dedication may be rehearsed, but no mortal -language can describe the heavenly manifestations of that memorable -day. Angels appeared to some, while a sense of divine presence -was realized by all present, and each heart was filled with "joy -inexpressible and full of glory." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE ANCIENT ORDER OF BLESSINGS—THE PROPHET'S FATHER—THE -PATRIARCH'S MOTHER—HIS FATHER—KIRTLAND HIGH SCHOOL—APOSTASY AND -PERSECUTION—EXODUS OF THE CHURCH. -</p> -<p>Concerning affairs at Kirtland subsequent to the dedication of the -temple, and people and incidents of those times, Eliza R. Snow -continues: With the restoration of the fullness of the gospel came -also the ancient order of patriarchal blessings. Each father, holding -the priesthood, stands as a patriarch, at the head of his family, -with invested right and power to bless his household, and to predict -concerning the future, on the heads of his children, as did Jacob of -old. -</p> -<p>Inasmuch as many fathers have died without having conferred those -blessings, God, in the order of his kingdom, has made provisions to -supply the deficiency, by choosing men to officiate as patriarchs, -whose province it is to bless the fatherless. Joseph Smith, Sr., was -ordained to this office, and held the position of first patriarch in -the church. He was also, by appointment, president of the Kirtland -stake of Zion, consequently the first presiding officer in all general -meetings for worship. -</p> -<p>A few words descriptive of this noble man may not be deemed amiss -in this connection. Of a fine physique, he was more than ordinarily -prepossessing in personal appearance. His kind, affable, dignified and -unassuming manner naturally inspired strangers with feelings of love -and reverence. To me he was the veritable personification of my idea of -the ancient Father Abraham. -</p> -<p>In his decisions he was strictly just; what can be said of very -few, may be truly said of him, in judging between man and man: his -judgment could not be biased by either personal advantage, sympathy, -or affection. Such a man was worthy of being the father of the first -prophet of the last dispensation; while his amiable and affectionate -consort, Mother Lucy Smith, was as worthy of being the mother. Of her -faith, faithfulness and untiring efforts in labors of love and duty, -until she was broken down by the weight of years and sorrow, too much -cannot be said. -</p> -<p>I was present, on the 17th of May, when a messenger arrived and -informed the prophet Joseph that his grandmother, Mary Duty Smith, had -arrived at Fairport, on her way to Kirtland, and wished him to come for -her. The messenger stated that she said she had asked the Lord that she -might live to see her children and grandchildren once more. The prophet -responded with earnestness, "I wish she had set the time longer." I -pondered in silence over this remark, thinking there might be more -meaning in the expression than the words indicated, which was proven by -the result, for she only lived a few days after her arrival. She was in -the ninety-fourth year of her age—in appearance not over seventy-five. -She had not been baptized, on account of the opposition of her oldest -son, Jesse, who was a bitter enemy to the work. She said to Mother Lucy -Smith, "I am going to have your Joseph baptize me, and my Joseph (the -patriarch) bless me." -</p> -<p>Her husband, Israel Smith, died in St. Lawrence county, New York, after -having received the Book of Mormon, and read it nearly through. He had, -long before, predicted that a prophet would be raised up in his family, -and was satisfied that his grandson was that prophet. The venerable -widow was also well assured of the fact. -</p> -<p>The next day after her arrival at the house of the prophet, where she -was welcomed with every manifestation of kindness and affection, her -children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren—all who were residents -of Kirtland, and two of her sons, who arrived with her—came together -to enjoy with her a social family meeting; and a happy one it was—a -season of pure reciprocal conviviality, in which her buoyancy of spirit -greatly augmented the general joy. Let the reader imagine for a moment -this aged matron, surrounded by her four sons, Joseph, Asael, Silas -and John, all of them, as well as several of her grandsons, upwards -of six feet in height, with a score of great-grandchildren of various -sizes intermixed; surely the sight was not an uninteresting one. To her -it was very exciting—too much so for her years. Feverish symptoms, -which were apparent on the following day, indicated that her nervous -system had been overtaxed. She took her bed, and survived but a few -days. I was with her, and saw her calmly fall asleep. About ten minutes -before she expired, she saw a group of angels in the room; and pointing -towards them she exclaimed, "O, how beautiful! but they do not speak." -It would seem that they were waiting to escort her spirit to its bright -abode. -</p> -<p>But to return to the temple. After its dedication, the "Kirtland High -School" was taught in the attic story, by H. M. Hawes, professor of -Greek and Latin. The school numbered from one hundred and thirty to -one hundred and forty students, divided into three departments—the -classics, where only languages were taught; the English department, -where mathematics, common arithmetic, geography, English grammar, -reading and writing were taught; and the juvenile department. The -two last were under assistant instructors. The school was commenced -in November, 1836, and the progress of the several classes, on -examinations before trustees of the school, parents and guardians, was -found to be of the highest order. -</p> -<p>Not only did the Almighty manifest his acceptance of that house, at -its dedication, but an abiding holy heavenly influence was realized; -and many extraordinary manifestations of his power were experienced on -subsequent occasions. Not only were angels often seen within, but a -pillar of light was several times seen resting down upon the roof. -</p> -<p>Besides being devoted to general meetings for worship and the -celebration of the Lord's Supper every first day of the week, the -temple was occupied by crowded assemblies on the first Thursday in each -month, that day being observed strictly, by the Latter-day Saints, as a -day of fasting and prayer. These, called fast-meetings, were hallowed -and interesting beyond the power of language to describe. Many, many -were the pentecostal seasons of the outpouring of the spirit of God -on those days, manifesting the gifts of the gospel and the power of -healing, prophesying, speaking in tongues, the interpretation of -tongues, etc. I have there seen the lame man, on being administered to, -throw aside his crutches and walk home perfectly healed; and not only -were the lame made to walk, but the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the -dumb to speak, and evil spirits to depart. -</p> -<p>On those fast days, the curtains, or veils, mentioned in a preceding -chapter, which intersected at right angles, were dropped, dividing the -house into four equal parts. Each of these sections had a presiding -officer, and the meeting in each section was conducted as though no -other were in the building, which afforded opportunity for four persons -to occupy the same time. These meetings commenced early in the day -and continued without intermission till four P.M. One hour previous -to dismissal, the veils were drawn up and the four congregations -brought together, and the people who, in the forepart of the day were -instructed to spend much of the time in prayer, and to speak, sing and -pray, mostly in our own language, lest a spirit of enthusiasm should -creep in, were permitted, after the curtains were drawn, to speak or -sing in tongues, prophesy, pray, interpret tongues, exhort or preach, -however they might feel moved upon to do. Then the united faith of the -saints brought them into close fellowship with the spirits of the just, -and earth and heaven seemed in close proximity. -</p> -<p>On fast days, Father Smith's constant practice was to repair to the -temple very early, and offer up his prayers before sunrise, and there -await the coming of the people; and so strictly disciplined himself -in the observance of fasting, as not even to wet his lips with water -until after the dismissal of the meeting at four P.M. One morning, -when he opened meeting, he prayed fervently that the spirit of the -Most High might be poured out as it was at Jerusalem, on the day of -pentecost—that it might come "like a mighty rushing wind." It was not -long before it did come, to the astonishment of all, and filled the -house. It appeared as though the old gentleman had forgotten what he -had prayed for. When it came, he was greatly surprised, and exclaimed, -"What! is the house on fire?" -</p> -<p>While the faithful saints were enjoying those supernal privileges, "the -accuser of the brethren" did not sleep. Apostasy, with its poisonous -fangs, crept into the hearts of some who but a few months before were -in quorum meetings, when heavenly hosts appeared; and where, in all -humility of soul, they united with their brethren in sublime shouts of -hosanna to God and the Lamb. And now, full of pride and self-conceit, -they join hands with our enemies and take the lead in mobocracy against -the work which they had advocated with all the energies of their souls. -</p> -<p>What a strange and fearful metamorphosis! How suddenly people become -debased when, having grieved away the spirit of God, the opposite takes -possession of their hearts! We read that angels have fallen, and that -one of our Saviour's chosen twelve was Judas, the traitor. Inasmuch -as the same causes produce the same effects in all ages, it is no -wonder that Joseph Smith, in introducing the same principles, should -have to suffer what was to the philosophic Paul the greatest of all -trials—that among false brethren. -</p> -<p>Illegal, vexatious lawsuits, one after another, were successively -instituted, and the leading officers of the church dragged into court, -creating great annoyance and expenditure. This not being sufficient to -satisfy the greed of persecution, the lives of some of the brethren -were sought, and they left Kirtland, and sought safety in the West. -</p> -<p>At this time my father was residing one mile south of the temple. About -twelve o'clock one bitter cold night he was startled by a knock at the -door, and who should enter but Father Smith, the patriarch! A State's -warrant had been served on him for an alleged crime, and the officer in -whose custody he was placed, although an enemy to the church, knowing -the old gentleman to be innocent, had preconcerted a stratagem by which -he had been let down from a window in the room to which he had taken -him, ostensibly for private consultation but purposely to set him at -liberty, having previously prepared a way by which he could reach the -ground uninjured. He also told him where to go for safety, directing -him to my father's house. The officer returned to the court-room as -though Father Smith followed in the rear, when, on a sudden, he looked -back, and not seeing his prisoner, he hurried back to the private room, -examining every point, and returned in great apparent amazement and -confusion, declaring that the prisoner had gone in an unaccountable -manner, saying, ludicrously, "This, gentlemen, is another Mormon -miracle." No vigorous search was made—all must have been convinced -that the proceedings were as unjust as illegal. To return to my -father's house: We were proud of our guest, and all of the family took -pleasure in anticipating and supplying his wants. He remained with us -two weeks, and in the meantime settled up all his business matters, -and, having been joined by his youngest son, Don Carlos, and five other -brethren, whose lives had been threatened, he bade a final adieu to -Kirtland, at one hour past midnight, on the 21st of December, 1837. The -night was intensely cold, but, as they had no conveyance except one -horse, they had sufficient walking exercise to prevent freezing. They -found a few Latter-day Saints in a southern county of Ohio, where they -stayed till spring, when they left for Missouri. -</p> -<p>The pressure of opposition increased, and before spring the prophet and -his brother Hyrum had to leave; and, in the spring and summer of 1838, -the most of the church followed; leaving our homes, and our sacred, -beautiful temple, the sanctuary of the Lord God of Hosts. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">AN ILLUSTRIOUS MORMON WOMAN—THE FIRST WIFE OF THE IMMORTAL HEBER C. -KIMBALL—OPENING CHAPTER OF HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY—HER WONDERFUL VISION—AN -ARMY OF ANGELS SEEN IN THE HEAVENS. -</p> -<p>One of the very queens of Mormondom, and a woman beloved by the whole -church, during her long eventful lifetime, was the late Vilate Kimball. -To-day she sleeps by the side of her great husband, for Heber C. -Kimball was one of the world's remarkable men. He soon followed her to -the grave; a beautiful example she of the true love existing between -two kindred souls notwithstanding polygamy. Her sainted memory is -enshrined in the hearts of her people, and ever will be as long as the -record of the sisters endures. -</p> -<p>"My maiden name," she says, in her autobiography, "was Vilate Murray. I -am the youngest daughter of Roswell and Susannah Murray. I was born in -Florida, Montgomery county, New York, June 1st, 1806. I was married to -Heber Chase Kimball November 7, 1822, having lived until that time with -my parents in Victor, Ontario county. -</p> -<p>"After marriage my husband settled in Mendon, Monroe county. Here we -resided until we gathered in Kirtland in the fall of 1833. -</p> -<p>"About three weeks before we heard of the latter-day work we were -baptized into the Baptist Church. -</p> -<p>"Five elders of the Church of Latter-day Saints came to the town of -Victor, which was five miles from Mendon, and stopped at the house of -Phineas Young, the brother of Brigham. Their names were Eleazer Miller, -Elial Strong, Alpheus Gifford, Enos Curtis and Daniel Bowen. -</p> -<p>"Hearing of these men, curiosity prompted Mr. Kimball to go and see -them. Then for the first time he heard the fullness of the everlasting -gospel and was convinced of its truth. Brigham Young was with him. -</p> -<p>"At their meetings Brigham and Heber saw the manifestations of the -spirit and heard the gift of speaking and singing in tongues. They were -constrained by the spirit to bear testimony to the truth, and when they -did this the power of God rested upon them. -</p> -<p>"Desiring to hear more of the saints, in January, 1832, Heber took his -horses and sleigh and started for Columbia, Bradford county, Penn., -a distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles. Brigham and Phineas -Young and their wives went with him. -</p> -<p>"They stayed with the church about six days, saw the power of God -manifested and heard the gift of tongues, and then returned rejoicing, -bearing testimony to the people by the way. They were not baptized, -however, until the following spring. Brigham was baptized on Sunday, -April 14th, 1832, by Eleazer Miller, and Heber C. Kimball was baptized -the next day. -</p> -<p>"Just two weeks from that time I was baptized by Joseph Young, with -several others. -</p> -<p>"The Holy Ghost fell upon Heber so greatly, that he said it was like -a consuming fire. He felt as though he was clothed in his right mind -and sat at the feet of Jesus; but the people called him crazy. He -continued thus for months, till it seemed his flesh would consume away. -The Scriptures were unfolded to his mind in such a wonderful manner by -the spirit of revelation that he said it seemed he had formerly been -familiar with them. -</p> -<p>"Brigham Young and his wife Miriam, with their two little girls, -Elizabeth and Vilate, were at the time living at our house; but soon -after her baptism Miriam died. In her expiring moments, she clapped her -hands and praised the Lord, and called on all around to help her praise -him; and when her voice was too weak to be heard, her lips and hands -were seen moving until she expired. -</p> -<p>"This was another testimony to them of the powerful effect of the -everlasting gospel, showing that we shall not die, but will sleep and -come forth in the resurrection and rejoice with her in the flesh. -</p> -<p>"Her little girls sister Miriam left to my care, and I did all I could -to be a mother to her little ones to the period of our gathering to -Kirtland, and the marriage of Brigham to Miss Mary Ann Angell. -</p> -<p>"The glorious death of sister Miriam caused us to rejoice in the -midst of affliction. But enemies exulted over our loss and threw many -obstacles in the way of our gathering with the saints. -</p> -<p>"To my husband's great surprise some of the neighbors issued -attachments against his goods; yet he was not indebted to any of them -to the value of five cents, while there were some hundreds of dollars -due to him. However, he left his own debts uncollected, settled their -unjust claims, and gathered to Kirtland with the saints about the last -of September, 1832, in company with Brigham Young. -</p> -<p>"Here I will relate a marvelous incident, of date previous to our -entering the church. -</p> -<p>"On the night of the 22d of September, 1827, while living in the town -of Mendon, after we retired to bed, John P. Green, who was then a -traveling Reformed Methodist preacher, living within one hundred steps -of our house, came and called my husband to come out and see the sight -in the heavens. Heber awoke me, and Sister Fanny Young (sister of -Brigham), who was living with us, and we all went out of doors. -</p> -<p>"It was one of the most beautiful starlight nights, so clear we could -see to pick up a pin. We looked to the eastern horizon, and beheld a -white smoke arise towards the heavens. As it ascended, it formed into a -belt, and made a noise like the rushing wind, and continued southwest, -forming a regular bow, dipping in the western horizon. -</p> -<p>"After the bow had formed, it began to widen out, growing transparent, -of a bluish cast. It grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. In -this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the -west. They continued moving until they reached the western horizon. -They moved in platoons, and walked so close the rear ranks trod in the -steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded -with soldiers. -</p> -<p>"We could distinctly see the muskets, bayonets and knapsacks of the -men, who wore caps and feathers like those used by the American -soldiers in the last war with Great Britain. We also saw their officers -with their swords and equipage, and heard the clashing and jingling of -their instruments of war, and could discern the form and features of -the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army. -When the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time. We -could <em>hear</em> their steps. -</p> -<p>"When the front rank reached the western horizon, a battle ensued, as -we could hear the report of the arms, and the rush. -</p> -<p>"None can judge of our feelings as we beheld this army of spirits as -plainly as ever armies of men were seen in the flesh. Every hair of our -heads seemed alive. -</p> -<p>"We gazed upon this scenery for <em>hours</em>, until it began to disappear. -</p> -<p>"After we became acquainted with Mormonism, we learned that this took -place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the -Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his -possession. -</p> -<p>"Father Young, and John P. Green's wife (Brigham's sister Rhoda), were -also witnesses of this marvelous scene. -</p> -<p>"Frightened at what we saw, I said, Father Young, what does all this -mean? He answered, Why it is one of the signs of the coming of the Son -of Man. -</p> -<p>"The next night a similar scene was beheld in the west, by the -neighbors, representing armies of men engaged in battle. -</p> -<p>"After our gathering to Kirtland the church was in a state of poverty -and distress. It appeared almost impossible that the commandment to -build the temple could be fulfilled, the revelation requiring it to be -erected by a certain period. -</p> -<p>"The enemies were raging, threatening destruction upon the saints; the -brethren were under guard night and day to preserve the prophet's life, -and the mobs in Missouri were driving our people from Jackson county. -</p> -<p>"In this crisis the 'Camp of Zion' was organized to go to the defence -of the saints in Jackson, Heber being one of the little army. On the -5th of May, 1834, they started. It was truly a solemn morning on which -my husband parted from his wife, children and friends, not knowing that -we should ever meet again in the flesh. On the 26th of July, however, -the brethren returned from their expedition. -</p> -<p>"The saints now labored night and day to build the house of the Lord, -the sisters knitting and spinning to clothe those who labored upon it. -</p> -<p>"When the quorum of the twelve apostles was called, my husband was -chosen one of them, and soon he was out with the rest of the apostles -preaching the gospel of the last days; but they returned on the 27th of -the following September and found their families and friends enjoying -good health and prosperity. -</p> -<p>"The temple was finished and dedicated on the 27th of March, 1836. It -was a season of great rejoicing, indeed, to the saints, and great and -marvelous were the manifestations and power in the Lord's house. Here I -will relate a vision of the prophet concerning the twelve apostles of -this dispensation, for whose welfare his anxiety had been very great. -</p> -<p>"He saw the twelve going forth, and they appeared to be in a far -distant land; after some time they unexpectedly met together, -apparently in great tribulation, their clothes all ragged, and their -knees and feet sore. They formed into a circle, and all stood with -their eyes fixed on the ground. The Saviour appeared and stood in their -midst and wept over them, and wanted to show himself to them, but they -did not discover him. -</p> -<p>"He saw until they had accomplished their work and arrived at the gate -of the celestial city. There Father Adam stood and opened the gate to -them, and as they entered he embraced them one by one, and kissed them. -He then led them to the throne of God, and then the Saviour embraced -each of them in the presence of God. He saw that they all had beautiful -heads of hair and all looked alike. The impression this vision left on -Brother Joseph's mind was of so acute a nature, that he never could -refrain from weeping while rehearsing it. -</p> -<p>"On the l0th of May, 1836, my husband again went East on a mission, -and I made a visit to my friends in Victor, where Heber and I met, and -after spending a few days, returned to Ohio, journeying to Buffalo, -where a magistrate came forward and paid five dollars for our passage -to Fairport. -</p> -<p>"The passengers were chiefly Swiss emigrants. After sitting and hearing -them some time, the spirit of the Lord came upon my husband so that he -was enabled to preach to them in their own language, though of himself -he knew not a word of their language. They seemed much pleased, and -treated him with great kindness. -</p> -<p>"We returned to Kirtland to find a spirit of speculation in the church, -and apostacy growing among some of the apostles and leading elders. -These were perilous times indeed. -</p> -<p>"In the midst of this my husband was called on his mission to Great -Britain, this being the first foreign mission. -</p> -<p>"One day while Heber was seated in the front stand in the Kirtland -temple, the prophet Joseph opened the door and came and whispered in -his ear, 'Brother Heber, the spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, -let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim the gospel, and open -the door of salvation.'" -</p> -<p>Here we may digress a moment from Sister Vilate's story, to illustrate -the view of the apostles "opening the door of salvation to the -nations," and preaching the gospel in foreign lands without purse or -scrip. -</p> -<p>At a later period the Mormon apostles and elders have deemed it as -nothing to take missions to foreign lands, but in 1837, before the age -of railroads and steamships had fairly come, going to Great Britain on -mission was very like embarking for another world; and the apostolic -proposition to gather a people from foreign lands and many nations to -form a latter-day Israel, and with these disciples to build up a Zion -on this continent, was in seeming the maddest undertaking possible in -human events. This marvelous scheme of the Mormon prophet, with many -others equally bold and strangely uncommon for modern times, shall be -fully treated in the book of his own life, but it is proper to throw -into prominence the wondrous apostolic picture of Heber C. Kimball -"opening the door of salvation to the nations that sat in darkness;" -and for the gathering of an Israel from every people and from every -tongue. Relative to this, by far the greatest event in' his life, Heber -says, in his family journals: -</p> -<p>"The idea of being appointed to such an important mission was almost -more than I could bear up under. I felt my weakness and was nearly -ready to sink under it, but the moment I understood the will of my -heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all hazards, believing -that he would support me by his almighty power, and although my family -were dear to me, and I should have to leave them almost destitute, I -felt that the cause of truth, the gospel of Christ, outweighed every -other consideration. At this time many faltered in their faith, some of -the twelve were in rebellion against the prophet of God. John Boynton -said to me, if you are such a d—d fool as to go at the call of the -fallen prophet, I will not help you a dime, and if you are cast on Van -Dieman's Land I will not make an effort to help you. Lyman E. Johnson -said he did not want me to go on my mission, but if I was determined -to go, he would help me all he could; he took his cloak from off his -back and put it on mine. Brother Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Sr., -Brigham Young, Newel K. Whitney and others said go and do as the -prophet has told you and you shall prosper and be blessed with power to -do a glorious work. Hyrum, seeing the condition of the church, when he -talked about my mission wept like a little child; he was continually -blessing and encouraging me, and pouring out his soul in prophesies -upon my head; he said go and you shall prosper as not many have -prospered." -</p> -<p>"A short time previous to my husband's starting," continues Sister -Vilate, "he was prostrated on his bed from a stitch in his back, which -suddenly seized him while chopping and drawing wood for his family, so -that he could not stir a limb without exclaiming, from the severeness -of the pain. Joseph Smith hearing of it came to see him, bringing -Oliver Cowdery and Bishop Partridge with him. They prayed for and -blessed him, Joseph being mouth, beseeching God to raise him up, &c. He -then took him by the right hand and said, 'Brother Heber, I take you by -your right hand, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and by virtue -of the holy priesthood vested in me, I command you, in the name of -Jesus Christ, to rise, and be thou made whole.' He arose from his bed, -put on his clothes, and started with them, and went up to the temple, -and felt no more of the pain afterwards. -</p> -<p>"At length the day for the departure of my husband arrived. It was June -13th, 1837. He was in the midst of his family, blessing them, when -Brother R. B. Thompson, who was to accompany him two or three hundred -miles, came in to ascertain when Heber would start. Brother Thompson, -in after years, writing an account in Heber's journal of his first -mission to Great Britain, in its preface thus describes that solemn -family scene: 'The door being partly open I entered and felt struck -with the sight which presented itself to my view. I would have retired, -thinking I was intruding, but I felt riveted to the spot. The father -was pouring out his soul to -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> That God who rules on high,<br> - Who all the earth surveys;<br> - That rides upon the stormy sky,<br> - And calms the roaring seas,<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>"that he would grant unto him a prosperous voyage across the mighty -ocean, and make him useful wherever his lot should be cast, and that -he who careth for the sparrows, and feedeth the young ravens when they -cry, would supply the wants of his wife and little ones in his absence. -He then, like the patriarchs, and by virtue of his office, laid his -hands upon their heads individually, leaving a father's blessing upon -them, and commending them to the care and protection of God, while -he should be engaged preaching the gospel in foreign lands. While -thus engaged his voice was almost lost in the sobs of those around, -who tried in vain to suppress them. The idea of being separated from -their protector and father for so long a time, was indeed painful. He -proceeded, but his heart was too much affected to do so regularly; his -emotions were great, and he was obliged to stop at intervals, while -the big tears rolled down his cheeks, an index to the feelings which -reigned in his bosom. My heart was not stout enough to refrain; in -spite of myself I wept and mingled my tears with theirs at the same -time. I felt thankful that I had the privilege of contemplating such a -scene. I realized that nothing could induce that man to tear himself -from so affectionate a family group—from his partner and children who -were so dear to him—but a sense of duty and love to God and attachment -to his cause.' -</p> -<p>"At nine o'clock in the morning of this never-to-be-forgotten-day," -continues Sister Vilate, "Heber bade adieu to his brethren and friends -and started without purse or scrip to preach the gospel in a foreign -land. He was accompanied by myself and children, and some of the -brethren and sisters, to Fairport. Sister Mary Fielding, who became -afterwards the wife of Hyrum Smith, gave him five dollars, with which -Heber paid the passage of himself and Brother Hyde to Buffalo. They -were also accompanied by her and Brother Thompson and his wife (Mary -Fielding's sister), who were going on a mission to Canada. Heber -himself was accompanied to Great Britain by Elders Orson Hyde, Willard -Richards, J. Goodson and J. Russell, and Priest Joseph Fielding." -</p> -<p>Here, for the present, we must leave Brother Heber to prosecute his -important mission, and this illustrious woman to act her part alone as -an apostle's wife, while we introduce others of the sisters, and follow -the church through its scenes of persecution and removal from Missouri -to Illinois. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXV"></a>CHAPTER XV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">HAUN'S MILL—JOSEPH YOUNG'S STORY OF THE MASSACRE—SISTER AMANDA -SMITH'S STORY OF THAT TERRIBLE TRAGEDY—HER WOUNDED BOY'S MIRACULOUS -CURE—HER FINAL ESCAPE FROM MISSOURI. -</p> -<p>Towards the close of October, 1838, several small detachments of -migrants from Ohio entered the State of Missouri. They were of the -refugees from Kirtland. Their destinations were the counties of -Caldwell and Davies, where the saints had located in that State. -</p> -<p>Haun's Mill, in Caldwell county, was soon to become the scene of one of -the darkest tragedies on record. -</p> -<p>The mill was owned by a Mormon brother whose name it bore, and in the -neighborhood some Mormon families had settled. -</p> -<p>To Haun's Mill came the doomed refugees. -</p> -<p>They had been met on their entrance into the State of Missouri by armed -mobs. Governor Boggs had just issued his order to exterminate the -entire Mormon community. -</p> -<p>The coming of the refugees into the inhospitable State could not have -been more ill-timed, though when they left Kirtland they expected to -find a brotherhood in Far West. -</p> -<p>"Halt!" commanded the leader of a band of well-mounted and well-armed -mobocrats, who charged down upon them as they journeyed on their way. -</p> -<p>"If you proceed any farther west," said the captain, "you will be -instantly shot." -</p> -<p>"Wherefore?" inquired the pilgrims. -</p> -<p>"You are d—d Mormons!" -</p> -<p>"We are law-abiding Americans, and have given no cause of offence." -</p> -<p>"You are d—d Mormons. That's offence enough. Within ten days every -Mormon must be out of Missouri, or men, women and children will be shot -down indiscriminately. No mercy will be shown. It is the order of the -Governor that you should all be exterminated; and by G—d you will be." -</p> -<p>In consternation the refugees retreated, and gathered at Haun's Mill. -</p> -<p>It was Sunday, October 26. The Mormons were holding a council and -deliberating upon the best course to pursue to defend themselves -against the mob that was collecting in the neighborhood, under the -command of a Colonel Jennings, or Livingston, and threatening them with -house-burning and killing. -</p> -<p>Joseph Young, the brother of Brigham, was in the council. He had -arrived at the mill that day, with his family, retreating from the mob. -</p> -<p>The decision of the council was that the neighborhood of Haun's -Mill should put itself in an attitude of defence. Accordingly about -twenty-eight of the brethren armed themselves and prepared to resist an -attack. -</p> -<p>But the same evening the mob sent one of their number to enter into a -treaty with the Mormons at the mill. The treaty was accepted on the -condition of mutual forbearance, and that each party should exert its -influence to prevent any further hostilities. -</p> -<p>At this time, however, there was another mob collecting at William -Mann's, on Grand River, so that the brethren remained under arms over -Monday, the 29th, which passed without attack from any quarter. -</p> -<p>"On Tuesday, the 30th," says Joseph Young, "that bloody tragedy was -enacted, the scenes of which I shall never forget. -</p> -<p>"More than three-fourths of the day had passed in tranquillity, as -smiling as the preceding one. I think there was no individual of our -company that was apprised of the sudden and awful fate which hung over -our heads like an overwhelming torrent, and which was to change the -prospects, the feelings and sympathies of about thirty families. -</p> -<p>"The banks of Shoal Creek, on either side, teemed with children -sporting and playing, while their mothers were engaged in domestic -employments. Fathers or husbands were either on guard about the -mills or other property, or employed in gathering crops for winter -consumption. The weather was very pleasant, the sun shone clearly, and -all was tranquil, and no one expressed any apprehension of the awful -crisis that was near us—even at our doors. -</p> -<p>"It was about four o'clock P. M., while sitting in my cabin, with -my babe in my arms, and my wife standing by my side, the door being -open, I cast my eyes on the opposite bank of Shoal Creek, and saw a -large body of armed men on horses directing their course towards the -mills with all possible speed. As they advanced through the scattering -trees that bordered the prairie, they seemed to form themselves into -a three-square position, forming a vanguard in front. At this moment -David Evans, seeing the superiority of their numbers (there being two -hundred and forty of them, according to their own account), gave a -signal and cried for peace. This not being heeded, they continued to -advance, and their leader, a man named Comstock, fired a gun, which -was followed by a solemn pause of about ten or twelve seconds, when -all at once they discharged about one hundred rifles, aiming at a -blacksmith's shop, into which our friends had fled for safety. They -then charged up to the shop, the crevices of which, between the logs, -were sufficiently large to enable them to aim directly at the bodies of -those who had there fled for refuge from the fire of their murderers. -There were several families tented in the rear of the shop, whose lives -were exposed, and amid showers of bullets these fled to the woods in -different directions. -</p> -<p>"After standing and gazing at this bloody scene for a few minutes, and -finding myself in the uttermost danger, the bullets having reached the -house where I was living, I committed my family to the protection of -heaven; and leaving the house on the opposite side, I took a path which -led up the hill, following in the trail of three of my brethren that -had fled from the shop. -</p> -<p>"While ascending the hill we were discovered by the mob, who fired at -us, and continued so to do till we reached the summit. In descending -the hill I secreted myself in a thicket of bushes, where I lay till -8 o'clock in the evening. At this time I heard a voice calling my -name in an undertone. I immediately left the thicket and went to the -house of Benjamin Lewis, where I found my family—who had fled there -in safety—and two of my friends, mortally wounded, one of whom died -before morning. Here we passed the painful night in deep and awful -reflections upon the scenes of the preceding evening. -</p> -<p>"After daylight appeared some four or five men, with myself, who had -escaped with our lives from this horrid massacre, repaired as soon as -possible to the mills to learn the condition of our friends whose fate -we had but too truly anticipated. -</p> -<p>"When we arrived at the house of Mr. Haun, we found Mr. Merrick's body -lying in the rear of the house, and Mr. McBride's in front, literally -mangled from head to foot. We were informed by Miss Rebecca Judd, who -was an eye-witness, that he was shot with his own gun after he had -given it up, and then cut to pieces with a corn-cutter by a man named -Rogers, of Davies county, who kept a ferry on Grand River, and who -afterwards repeatedly boasted of this same barbarity. Mr. York's body -we found in the house. After viewing these corpses we immediately went -to the blacksmith's shop, where we found nine of our friends, eight of -whom were already dead—the other, Mr. Cox, of Indiana, in the agonies -of death, who soon expired." -</p> -<p>But to sister Amanda Smith must be given the principal thread of this -tragedy, for around her centres the terrible interest of the Haun's -Mill massacre, which even to-day rises before her in all the horrors of -an occurring scene. She says: -</p> -<p>"We sold our beautiful home in Kirtland for a song, and traveled all -summer to Missouri—our teams poor, and with hardly enough to keep body -and soul together. -</p> -<p>"We arrived in Caldwell county, near Haun's Mill, nine wagons of us in -company. Two days before we arrived we were taken prisoners by an armed -mob that had demanded every bit of ammunition and every weapon we had. -We surrendered all. They knew it, for they searched our wagons. -</p> -<p>"A few miles more brought us to Haun's Mill, where that awful scene of -murder was enacted. My husband pitched his tent by a blacksmith's shop. -</p> -<p>"Brother David Evans made a treaty with the mob that they would not -molest us. He came just before the massacre and called the company -together and they knelt in prayer. -</p> -<p>"I sat in my tent. Looking up I suddenly saw the mob coming—the same -that took away our weapons. They came like so many demons or wild -Indians. -</p> -<p>"Before I could get to the blacksmith's shop door to alarm the -brethren, who were at prayers, the bullets were whistling amongst them. -</p> -<p>"I seized my two little girls and escaped across the mill-pond on a -slab-walk. Another sister fled with me. Yet though we were women, with -tender children, in flight for our lives, the demons poured volley -after volley to kill us. -</p> -<p>"A number of bullets entered my clothes, but I was not wounded. The -sister, however, who was with me, cried out that she was hit. We had -just reached the trunk of a fallen tree, over which I urged her, -bidding her to shelter there where the bullets could not reach her, -while I continued my flight to some bottom land. -</p> -<p>"When the firing had ceased I went back to the scene of the massacre, -for there were my husband and three sons, of whose fate I as yet knew -nothing. -</p> -<p>"As I returned I found the sister in a pool of blood where she had -fainted, but she was only shot through the hand. Farther on was lying -dead Brother McBride, an aged white-haired revolutionary soldier. His -murderer had literally cut him to pieces with an old corn-cutter. His -hands had been split down when he raised them in supplication for -mercy. Then the monster cleft open his head with the same weapon, and -the veteran who had fought for his country, in the glorious days of the -past, was numbered with the martyrs. -</p> -<p>"Passing on I came to a scene more terrible still to the mother and -wife. Emerging from the blacksmith shop was my eldest son, bearing on -his shoulders his little brother Alma. -</p> -<p>"'Oh! my Alma is dead!' I cried, in anguish. -</p> -<p>"'No, mother; I think Alma is not dead. But father and brother Sardius -are killed!' -</p> -<p>"What an answer was this to appal me! My husband and son murdered; -another little son seemingly mortally wounded; and perhaps before the -dreadful night should pass the murderers would return and complete -their work! -</p> -<p>"But I could not weep then. The fountain of tears was dry; the heart -overburdened with its calamity, and all the mother's sense absorbed -in its anxiety for the precious boy which God alone could save by his -miraculous aid. -</p> -<p>"The entire hip joint of my wounded boy had been shot away. Flesh, hip -bone, joint and all had been ploughed out from the muzzle of the gun -which the ruffian placed to the child's hip through the logs of the -shop and deliberately fired. -</p> -<p>"We laid little Alma on a bed in our tent and I examined the wound. It -was a ghastly sight. I knew not what to do. It was night now. -</p> -<p>"There were none left from that terrible scene, throughout that long, -dark night, but about half a dozen bereaved and lamenting women, and -the children. Eighteen or nineteen, all grown men excepting my murdered -boy and another about the same age, were dead or dying; several more of -the men were wounded, hiding away, whose groans through the night too -well disclosed their hiding places, while the rest of the men had fled, -at the moment of the massacre, to save their lives. -</p> -<p>"The women were sobbing, in the greatest anguish of spirit; the -children were crying loudly with fear and grief at the loss of fathers -and brothers; the dogs howled over their dead masters and the cattle -were terrified with the scent of the blood of the murdered. -</p> -<p>"Yet was I there, all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and my -wounded, and none but God as our physician and help. -</p> -<p>"Oh my Heavenly Father, I cried, what shall I do? Thou seest my poor -wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh Heavenly Father direct me -what to do! -</p> -<p>"And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me. -</p> -<p>"The ashes of our fire was still smouldering. We had been burning the -bark of the shag-bark hickory. I was directed to take those ashes and -make a lye and put a cloth saturated with it right into the wound. It -hurt, but little Alma was too near dead to heed it much. Again and -again I saturated the cloth and put it into the hole from which the -hip-joint had been ploughed, and each time mashed flesh and splinters -of bone came away with the cloth; and the wound became as white as -chicken's flesh. -</p> -<p>"Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again -instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by -speaking to me. -</p> -<p>"Near by was a slippery-elm tree. From this I was told to make a -slippery-elm poultice and fill the wound with it. -</p> -<p>"My eldest boy was sent to get the slippery-elm from the roots, the -poultice was made, and the wound, which took fully a quarter of a yard -of linen to cover, so large was it, was properly dressed. -</p> -<p>"It was then I found vent to my feelings in tears, and resigned myself -to the anguish of the hour. And all that night we, a few poor, stricken -women, were thus left there with our dead and wounded. All through the -night we heard the groans of the dying. Once in the dark we crawled -over the heap of dead in the blacksmith's shop to try to help or soothe -the sufferers' wants; once we followed the cries of a wounded brother -who hid in some bushes from the murderers, and relieved him all we -could. -</p> -<p>"It has passed from my memory whether he was dead in the morning or -whether he recovered. -</p> -<p>"Next morning brother Joseph Young came to the scene of the massacre. -</p> -<p>"'What shall be done with the dead?' he inquired, in horror and deep -trouble. -</p> -<p>"There was not time to bury them, for the mob was coming on us. Neither -were there left men to dig the graves. All the men excepting the two or -three who had so narrowly escaped were dead or wounded. It had been no -battle, but a massacre indeed. -</p> -<p>"'Do anything, Brother Joseph,' I said, 'rather than leave their bodies -to the fiends who have killed them.' -</p> -<p>"There was a deep dry weir close by. Into this the bodies had to be -hurried, eighteen or nineteen in number. -</p> -<p>"No funeral service could be performed, nor could they be buried with -customary decency. The lives of those who in terror performed the last -duty to the dead were in jeopardy. Every moment we expected to be -fired upon by the fiends who we supposed were lying in ambush waiting -the first opportunity to dispatch the remaining few who had escaped -the slaughter of the preceding day. So in the hurry and terror of the -moment some were thrown into the well head downwards and some feet -downwards. -</p> -<p>"But when it came to the burial of my murdered boy Sardius, Brother -Joseph Young, who was assisting to carry him on a board to the well, -laid down the corpse and declared that he could not throw that boy into -this horrible grave. -</p> -<p>"All the way on the journey, that summer, Joseph had played with the -interesting lad who had been so cruelly murdered. It was too much for -one whose nature was so tender as Uncle Joseph's, and whose sympathies -by this time were quite overwrought. He could not perform that last -office. My murdered son was left unburied. -</p> -<p>"'Oh! they have left my Sardius unburied in the sun,' I cried, and ran -and got a sheet and covered his body. -</p> -<p>"There he lay until the next day, and then I, his mother, assisted by -his elder brother, had to throw him into the well. Straw and earth were -thrown into this rude vault to cover the dead. -</p> -<p>"Among the wounded who recovered were Isaac Laney, Nathaniel K. Knight, -Mr. Yokum, two brothers by the name of Myers, Tarlton Lewis, Mr. Haun -and several others, besides Miss Mary Stedwell, who was shot through -the hand while fleeing with me, and who fainting, fell over the log -into which the mob shot upwards of twenty balls. -</p> -<p>"The crawling of my boys under the bellows in the blacksmith's shop -where the tragedy occurred, is an incident familiar to all our people. -Alma's hip was shot away while thus hiding. Sardius was discovered -after the massacre by the monsters who came in to despoil the bodies. -The eldest, Willard, was not discovered. In cold blood, one Glaze, -of Carroll county, presented a rifle near the head of Sardius and -literally blew off the upper part of it, leaving the skull empty and -dry while the brains and hair of the murdered boy were scattered around -and on the walls. -</p> -<p>"At this one of the men, more merciful than the rest, observed: -</p> -<p>"'It was a d—d shame to kill those little boys.' -</p> -<p>"'D—n the difference!' retorted the other; 'nits make lice!' -</p> -<p>"My son who escaped, also says that the mobocrat William Mann took from -my husband's feet, before he was dead, a pair of new boots. From his -hiding place, the boy saw the ruffian drag his father across the shop -in the act of pulling off his boot. -</p> -<p>"'Oh! you hurt me!' groaned my husband. But the murderer dragged him -back again, pulling off the other boot; 'and there' says the boy, 'my -father fell over dead.' -</p> -<p>"Afterwards this William Mann showed the boots on his own feet, in Far -West, saying: 'Here is a pair of boots that I pulled off before the -d—d Mormon was done kicking!' -</p> -<p>"The murderer Glaze also boasted over the country, as a heroic deed, -the blowing off the head of my young son. -</p> -<p>"But to return to Alma, and how the Lord helped me to save his life. -</p> -<p>"I removed the wounded boy to a house, some distance off, the next day, -and dressed his hip; the Lord directing me as before. I was reminded -that in my husband's trunk there was a bottle of balsam. This I poured -into the wound, greatly soothing Alma's pain. -</p> -<p>"'Alma, my child,' I said, 'you believe that the Lord made your hip?' -</p> -<p>"'Yes, mother.' -</p> -<p>"'Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, -don't you believe he can, Alma?' -</p> -<p>"'Do you think that the Lord can, mother?' inquired the child, in his -simplicity. -</p> -<p>"'Yes, my son,' I replied, 'he has shown it all to me in a vision.' -</p> -<p>"Then I laid him comfortably on his face, and said: 'Now you lay like -that, and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip.' -</p> -<p>"So Alma laid on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely -recovered—a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing -joint and socket, which remains to this day a marvel to physicians. -</p> -<p>"On the day that he walked again I was out of the house fetching a -bucket of water, when I heard screams from the children. Running back, -in affright, I entered, and there was Alma on the floor, dancing -around, and the children screaming in astonishment and joy. -</p> -<p>"It is now nearly forty years ago, but Alma has never been the least -crippled during his life, and he has traveled quite a long period of -the time as a missionary of the gospel and a living miracle of the -power of God. -</p> -<p>"I cannot leave the tragic story without relating some incidents -of those five weeks when I was a prisoner with my wounded boy in -Missouri, near the scene of the massacre, unable to obey the order of -extermination. -</p> -<p>"All the Mormons in the neighborhood had fled out of the State, -excepting a few families of the bereaved women and children who had -gathered at the house of Brother David Evans, two miles from the scene -of the massacre. To this house Alma had been carried after that fatal -night. -</p> -<p>"In our utter desolation, what could we women do but pray? Prayer was -our only source of comfort; our Heavenly Father our only helper. None -but he could save and deliver us. -</p> -<p>"One day a mobber came from the mill with the captain's fiat: -</p> -<p>"'The captain says if you women don't stop your d—d praying he will -send down a posse and kill every d—d one of you!' -</p> -<p>"And he might as well have done it, as to stop us poor women praying in -that hour of our great calamity. -</p> -<p>"Our prayers were hushed in terror. We dared not let our voices be -heard in the house in supplication. I could pray in my bed or in -silence, but I could not live thus long. This godless silence was more -intolerable than had been that night of the massacre. -</p> -<p>"I could bear it no longer. I pined to hear once more my own voice in -petition to my Heavenly Father. -</p> -<p>"I stole down into a corn-field, and crawled into a 'stout of corn.' It -was as the temple of the Lord to me at that moment. I prayed aloud and -most fervently. -</p> -<p>"When I emerged from the corn a voice spoke to me. It was a voice as -plain as I ever heard one. It was no silent, strong impression of the -spirit, but a <em>voice</em>, repeating a verse of the saint's hymn: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "That soul who on Jesus hath leaned for repose,<br> - I cannot, I will not desert to its foes;<br> - That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,<br> - I'll never, no never, no never forsake!<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>"From that moment I had no more fear. I felt that nothing could hurt -me. Soon after this the mob sent us word that unless we were all out of -the State by a certain day we should be killed. -</p> -<p>"The day came, and at evening came fifty armed men to execute the -sentence. -</p> -<p>"I met them at the door. They demanded of me why I was not gone? I -bade them enter and see their own work. They crowded into my room and -I showed them my wounded boy. They came, party after party, until all -had seen my excuse. Then they quarreled among themselves and came near -fighting. -</p> -<p>"At last they went away, all but two. These I thought were detailed to -kill us. Then the two returned. -</p> -<p>"'Madam,' said one, 'have you any meat in the house?' -</p> -<p>"' No,' was my reply. -</p> -<p>"'Could you dress a fat hog if one was laid at your door?' -</p> -<p>"'I think we could!' was my answer. -</p> -<p>"And then they went and caught a fat hog from a herd which had belonged -to a now exiled brother, killed it and dragged it to my door, and -departed. -</p> -<p>"These men, who had come to murder us, left on the threshold of our -door a meat offering to atone for their repented intention. -</p> -<p>"Yet even when my son was well I could not leave the State, now -accursed indeed to the saints. -</p> -<p>"The mob had taken my horses, as they had the drove of horses, and the -beeves, and the hogs, and wagons, and the tents, of the murdered and -exiled. -</p> -<p>"So I went down into Davies county (ten miles) to Captain Comstock, and -demanded of him my horses. There was one of them in his yard. He said I -could have it if I paid five dollars for its keep. I told him I had no -money. -</p> -<p>"I did not fear the captain of the mob, for I had the Lord's promise -that nothing should hurt me. But his wife swore that the mobbers -were fools for not killing the women and children as well as the -men—declaring that we would 'breed up a pack ten times worse than the -first.' -</p> -<p>"I left without the captain's permission to take my horse, or giving -pay for its keep; but I went into his yard and took it, and returned to -our refuge unmolested. -</p> -<p>"Learning that my other horse was at the mill, I next yoked up a pair -of steers to a sled and went and demanded it also. -</p> -<p>"Comstock was there at the mill. He gave me the horse, and then asked -if I had any flour. -</p> -<p>"'No; we have had none for weeks.' -</p> -<p>"He then gave me about fifty pounds of flour and some beef, and filled -a can with honey. -</p> -<p>"But the mill, and the slaughtered beeves which hung plentifully on its -walls, and the stock of flour and honey, and abundant spoil besides, -had all belonged to the murdered or exiled saints. -</p> -<p>"Yet was I thus providentially, by the very murderers and mobocrats -themselves, helped out of the State of Missouri. -</p> -<p>"The Lord had kept his word. The soul who on Jesus had leaned for -succor had not been forsaken even in this terrible hour of massacre, -and in that infamous extermination of the Mormons from Missouri in the -years 1838-39. -</p> -<p>"One incident more, as a fitting close. -</p> -<p>"Over that rude grave—that well—where the nineteen martyrs slept, -where my murdered husband and boy were entombed, the mobbers of -Missouri, with an exquisite fiendishness, which no savages could have -conceived, had constructed a rude privy. This they constantly used, -with a delight which demons might have envied, if demons are more -wicked and horribly beastly than were they. -</p> -<p>"Thus ends my chapter of the Haun's Mill massacre, to rise in judgment -against them!" -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MOBS DRIVE THE SETTLERS INTO FAR WEST—HEROIC DEATH OF APOSTLE -PATTEN—TREACHERY OF COL. HINKLE, AND FALL OF THE MORMON -CAPITAL—FAMOUS SPEECH OF MAJOR-GENERAL CLARK. -</p> -<p>But the iliad of Mormondom was now in Far West. -</p> -<p>Haun's Mill massacre was merely a tragic episode; a huge tragedy in -itself, it is true, such as civilized times scarcely ever present, yet -merely an episode of this strange religious iliad of America and the -nineteenth century. -</p> -<p>The capital of Mormondom was now the city of Far West, in Missouri. -</p> -<p>There was Joseph the prophet. There was Brigham Young—his St. -Peter—who by this time fairly held the keys of the latter-day kingdom. -There were the apostles. There were two armies marshaled—the army of -the Lord and the army of Satan. And these were veritable hosts, of -flesh and blood, equipped and marshaled in a religious crusade—not -merely spiritual powers contending. -</p> -<p>"On the 4th of July, 1838," writes Apostle Parley Pratt, "thousands of -the citizens who belonged to the church of the saints assembled at the -city of Far West, the county seat of Caldwell, in order to celebrate -our nation's birth. -</p> -<p>"We erected a tall standard, on which was hoisted our national colors, -the stars and stripes, and the bold eagle of American liberty. Under -its waving folds we laid the corner-stone of a temple of God, and -dedicated the land and ourselves and families to him who had preserved -us in all our troubles. -</p> -<p>"An address was then delivered by Sidney Rigdon, in which was portrayed -in lively colors the oppression which we had suffered at the hands of -our enemies. -</p> -<p>"We then and there declared our constitutional rights as American -citizens, and manifested our determination to resist, with our utmost -endeavors, from that time forth, all oppression, and to maintain our -rights and freedom, according to the holy principles of liberty as -guaranteed to every person by the constitution and laws of our country. -</p> -<p>"This declaration was received with shouts of hosanna to God and the -Lamb, and with many long cheers by the assembled thousands, who were -determined to yield their rights no more unless compelled by superior -power." -</p> -<p>Very proper, too were such resolutions of these sons and daughters of -sires and mothers who were among the pilgrim founders of this nation, -and among the heroes and heroines of the Revolution. -</p> -<p>But Missouri could not endure this temple-building to the God of -Israel, nor these mighty shouts of hosanna to his name; while the -all-prevailing faith of the sisters brought more of the angels down -from the New Jerusalem than earth just then was prepared to receive. In -popular words, this formidable gathering of a modern Israel and this -city building within its borders loomed up to Missouri as the rising of -a Mormon empire. -</p> -<p>Soon the State was alive with mobs determined on the extermination -of the saints; soon those mobs numbered ten thousand armed men; soon -also were they converted into a State army, officered by generals and -major-generals, with the governor as the commander-in-chief of a boldly -avowed religious crusade, with rival priests as its "inspiring demons." -</p> -<p>One feature, all worthy of note, in this Hebraic drama of Mormondom, is -that while modern Israel was ever in the action inspired by archangels -of the new covenant, the anti-Mormon crusade was as constantly inspired -by sectarian priests at war with a dispensation of angels. -</p> -<p>Even the mobber, Captain Comstock, who was bold enough to perpetrate a -Haun's Mill massacre, was in consternation over the magic prayers of a -few stricken women who honored the God of Israel in the hour of direst -calamity. -</p> -<p>Thus throughout Missouri. And so the exterminating order of Governor -Boggs prevailed like the edict of a second Nebuchadnezzar. -</p> -<p>There was a <em>Mormon war</em> in the State. So it was styled. -</p> -<p>Mobs were abroad, painted like Indian warriors, committing murder, -robbery, burning the homesteads of the saints, and spreading desolation. -</p> -<p>Next, one thousand men were ordered into service by the Governor, under -the command of Major-General Atchison and Brigadier-Generals Park and -Doniphan. -</p> -<p>This force marched against the saints in several counties. A -Presbyterian priest, Rev. Sashel Woods, was its chaplain. He said -prayers in the camp, morning and evening. 'Twas a godly service in -an ungodly crusade, but the Rev. Sashel Woods was equal to it. The -Philistines drove modern Israel before them, and their priest prayed -Jehovah out of countenance. -</p> -<p>In Far West a thousand men of our Mormon Israel flew to arms, and in -Davies county several hundred men assembled for defence. Colonel David -Patten, an apostle, with his company put to flight some of the mob; -but the crusaders in general drove the saints from settlement after -settlement. -</p> -<p>Hundreds of men, women and children fled from their homes to the cities -and strongholds of their people. From Davies county and the frontiers -of Caldwell the refugees daily poured into the city of Far West. Lands -and crops were abandoned to the enemy. The citizens in the capital of -the saints were constantly under arms. Men slept in their clothes, with -arms by their side, ready to muster at a given signal at any hour of -the night. -</p> -<p>A company under Colonel Patten went out to meet the enemy across the -prairies, a distance of twelve miles, to stop the murder and spoliation -of a settlement of their people. Parley Pratt was one of the posse. -</p> -<p>"The night was dark," he says; "the distant plains far and wide were -illuminated by blazing fires; immense columns of smoke were seen rising -in awful majesty, as if the world was on fire. This scene, added to the -silence of midnight, the rumbling sound of the tramping steeds over -the hard and dried surface of the plain, the clanking of swords in -their scabbards, the occasional gleam of bright armor in the flickering -firelight, the gloom of surrounding darkness, and the unknown destiny -of the expedition, or even of the people who sent it forth, all -combined to impress the mind with deep and solemn thoughts." -</p> -<p>At dawn of day they met the enemy in ambush in the wilderness. The -enemy opened fire, mortally wounding a brother named O'Banyon. Soon -the brethren charged the enemy in his camp; several fell upon both -sides, among whom was the brave apostle, David Patten; but the foemen -flung themselves into a stream and escaped on the opposite shore, while -the wilderness resounded with the watchword of the heroes, "<em>God and -Liberty</em>:" -</p> -<p>Six of the brethren were wounded, and one left dead on the ground. -</p> -<p>The heroes returned to Far West. Among those who came out to meet them -was the wife of the dying apostle, Patten. -</p> -<p>"O God! O my husband!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears. -</p> -<p>The wounds were dressed. David was still able to speak, but he died -that evening in the triumphs of faith. -</p> -<p>"I had rather die," he said, "than live to see it thus in my country!" -</p> -<p>The young O'Banyon also died about the same time. They were buried -together under military honors; a whole people in tears followed them -to their grave. -</p> -<p>David Patten was the first of the modern apostles who found a martyr's -grave. He is said to have been a great and good man, who chose to lay -down his life for the cause of truth and right. -</p> -<p>Not long now ere Governor Boggs found the opportunity for the grand -expulsion of the entire Mormon community—from twelve to fifteen -thousand souls. He issued an order for some ten thousand troops to be -mustered into service and marched to the field against the Mormons, -giving the command to General Clark. His order was expressly to -<em>exterminate</em> the Mormons, or drive them from the State. -</p> -<p>The army of extermination marched upon the city of Far West. -</p> -<p>The little Mormon host, about five hundred strong, marched out upon the -plains on the south of the city, and formed in order of battle. Its -line of infantry extended near half a mile; a small company of horse -was posted on the right wing on a commanding eminence, and another in -the rear of the main body extended as a reserve. -</p> -<p>The army of extermination halted and formed along the borders of a -stream called Goose Creek; and both sides sent out white flags, which -met between the armies. -</p> -<p>"We want three persons out of the city before we massacre the rest!" -was the voice of the white flag from the governor's army. -</p> -<p>Small need this, for the flag of mercy! But it was as good as the mercy -of Haun's Mill, which was given on the very same day. -</p> -<p>That night Major-General Lucas encamped near the city. The brethren -continued under arms, and spent the night throwing up temporary -breastworks. They were determined to defend their homes, wives and -children to the last. Both armies were considerably reinforced during -the night, the army of extermination being reinforced with the monsters -from the Haun's Mill massacre. -</p> -<p>But the prophet and brethren were on the next day betrayed by the -traitor Colonel George M. Hinkle, who was in command of the defence of -Far West. -</p> -<p>Joseph was now a prisoner of war; Parley and others were prisoners -also; Brigham was at Far West, but even he could not save the prophet -and the saints from this formidable army, nor lessen the blow which -a traitor had dealt. The treachery of Colonel Hinkle had, however, -perhaps saved the lives of hundreds of women and children, and -prevented brave men from fighting in a just cause. -</p> -<p>It was November, now, and Major-General Clark was also at Far West -with <em>his</em> army of extermination. No book of the persecutions could be -properly written without his speech to the Mormons, especially a book -of the sisters, whom it so much concerned: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "GENTLEMEN: You, whose names are not on this list, will now have - the privilege of going to your fields to obtain grain for your - families—wood, etc. Those that compose the list will go hence to - prison, to be tried, and receive the due demerits of their crimes. - But you are now at liberty, all but such as charges may hereafter - be preferred against. It now devolves upon you to fulfill the - treaty that you have entered into—the leading items of which I now - lay before you. -</p> -<p> "The first of these items you have already complied with—which - is, that you deliver up your leading men to be tried according to - law. Second, that you deliver up your arms—this has been attended - to. The third is, that you sign over your property to defray the - expenses of the war; this you have also done. Another thing yet - remains for you to comply with; that is: that you leave the State - forthwith; and, whatever your feeling concerning this affair, - whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. General Lucas, who - is equal in authority with me, has made this treaty with you. I am - determined to see it executed. -</p> -<p> "The orders of the Governor to me, were, that you should be - exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the State. And had your - leaders not been given up, and the treaty complied with, before - this you and your families would have been destroyed and your - houses in ashes. -</p> -<p> "There is a discretionary power resting in my hands, which I shall - try to exercise for a season. I did not say that you must go now, - but you must not think of stopping here another season, or of - putting in crops; for the moment you do, the citizens will be upon - you. I am determined to see the Governor's orders fulfilled, but - shall not come upon you immediately. Do not think that I shall - act as I have done any more; but if I have to come again because - the treaty which you have made is not complied with, you need not - expect any mercy, but extermination; for I am determined that the - Governor's order shall be executed. -</p> -<p> "As for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a moment, do - not let it enter your minds that they will be delivered, or that - you will see their faces again, for their fate is fixed, their die - is cast, their doom is sealed. -</p> -<p> "I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so great a number of apparently - intelligent men found in the situation that you are. And, oh! that - I could invoke the spirit of the unknown God to rest upon you, and - deliver you from that awful chain of superstition, and liberate you - from those fetters of fanaticism with which you are bound. I would - advise you to scatter abroad and never again organize with bishops, - presidents, etc., lest you excite the jealousies of the people, and - subject yourselves to the same calamities that have now come upon - you. -</p> -<p> "You have always been the aggressors; you have brought upon - yourselves these difficulties by being disaffected, and not being - subject to rule; and my advice is, that you become as other - citizens, lest by a recurrence of these events you bring upon - yourselves inevitable ruin." -</p></blockquote> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">EPISODES OF THE PERSECUTIONS—CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S -NARRATIVE—BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY—LOUISA F. WELLS INTRODUCED TO -THE READER—EXPERIENCE OF ABIGAIL LEONARD—MARGARET FOUTZ. -</p> -<p>The prophet and his brother Hyrum were in prison and in chains in -Missouri; Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt and others were also in prison -and in chains, for the gospel's sake. -</p> -<p>The St. Peter of Mormondom was engaged in removing the saints from -Missouri to Illinois. He had made a covenant with them that none of -the faithful should be left. Faithfully he kept that covenant. It was -then, in fact, that Brigham rose as a great leader of a people, giving -promise of what he has been since the martyrdom of the prophet. -</p> -<p>While Joseph is in chains, and Brigham is accomplishing the exodus from -Missouri, the sisters shall relate some episodes of those days. -</p> -<p>Sister Snow, continuing the thread of her narrative already given, says: -</p> -<p>In Kirtland the persecution increased until many had to flee for their -lives, and in the spring of 1838, in company with my father, mother, -three brothers, one sister and her two daughters, I left Kirtland, and -arrived in Far West, Caldwell county, Mo., on the 16th of July, where -I stopped at the house of Sidney Rigdon, with my brother Lorenzo, who -was very sick, while the rest of the family went farther, and settled -in Adam-Ondi-Ahman, in Davies county. In two weeks, my brother being -sufficiently recovered, my father sent for us and we joined the family -group. My father purchased the premises of two of the "old settlers," -and paid their demands in full. I mention this, because subsequent -events proved that, at the time of the purchase, although those men -ostensibly were our warm friends, they had, in connection with others -of the same stripe, concocted plans to mob and drive us from our newly -acquired homes, and repossess them. In this brief biographical sketch, -I shall not attempt a review of the scenes that followed. Sufficient -to say, while we were busy in making preparations for the approaching -winter, to our great surprise, those neighbors fled from the place, as -if driven by a mob, leaving their clocks ticking, dishes spread for -their meal, coffee-pots boiling, etc., etc., and, as they went, spread -the report in every direction that the "Mormons" had driven them from -their homes, arousing the inhabitants of the surrounding country, which -resulted in the disgraceful, notorious "exterminating order" from the -Governor of the State; in accordance therewith, we left Davies county -for that of Caldwell, preparatory to fulfilling the injunction of -leaving the State "before grass grows" in the spring. -</p> -<p>The clemency of our law-abiding, citizen-expelling Governor allowed us -ten days to leave our county, and, till the expiration of that term, -a posse of militia was to guard us against mobs; but it would be very -difficult to tell which was better, the militia or the mob—nothing was -too mean for the militia to perform—no property was safe within the -reach of those men. -</p> -<p>One morning, while we were hard at work, preparing for our exit, the -former occupant of our house entered, and in an impudent and arrogant -manner inquired how soon we should be out of it. My American blood -warmed to the temperature of an insulted, free-born citizen, as I -looked at him, and thought, poor man, you little think with whom you -have to deal—God lives! He certainly overruled in that instance, for -those wicked men never got possession of that property, although my -father sacrificed it to American mobocracy. -</p> -<p>In assisting widows and others who required help, my father's time -was so occupied that we did not start until the morning of the 10th, -and last day of the allotted grace. The weather was very cold and the -ground covered with snow. After assisting in the arrangements for the -journey, and shivering with cold, in order to warm my aching feet, I -walked until the teams overtook me. In the mean time, I met one of -the so-called militia, who accosted me with, "Well, I think this will -cure you of your faith!" Looking him steadily in the eye, I replied, -"No, sir; it will take more than <em>this</em> to cure me of my faith." His -countenance suddenly fell, and he responded, "I must confess, you are -a better soldier than I am." I passed on, thinking that, unless he was -above the average of his fellows in that section, I was not highly -complimented by his confession. It is true our hardships and privations -were sufficient to have disheartened any but the saints of the living -God—those who were prompted by higher than earthly motives, and -trusting in the arm of Jehovah. -</p> -<p>We were two days on our way to Far West, and stopped over night at -what was called the Half-way House, a log building perhaps twenty feet -square, with the chinkings between the logs, minus—they probably -having been burned for firewood—the owner of the house, Brother -Littlefield, having left with his family to escape being robbed; and -the north wind had free ingress through the openings, wide enough for -cats to crawl through. This had been the lodging place of the hundreds -who had preceded us, and on the present occasion proved the almost -shelterless shelter of seventy-five or eighty souls. To say lodging, -would be a hoax, although places were allotted to a few aged and -feeble, to lie down, while the rest of us either sat or stood, or both, -all night. My sister and I managed so that mother lay down, and we sat -by (on the floor, of course), to prevent her being trampled on, for the -crowd was such that people were hardly responsible for their movements. -</p> -<p>It was past the middle of December, and the cold was so intense that, -in spite of well packing, our food was frozen hard, bread and all, -and although a blazing fire was burning on one side of the room, we -could not get to it to thaw our suppers, and had to resort to the next -expediency, which was this: The boys milked, and while one strained -the milk, another held the pan (for there was no chance for putting -anything down); then, while one held a bowl of the warm milk, another -would, as expeditiously as possible, thinly slice the frozen bread -into it, and thus we managed for supper. In the morning, we were less -crowded, as some started very early, and we toasted our bread and -thawed our meat before the fire. But, withal, that was a very merry -night. None but saints can be happy under every circumstance. About -twenty feet from the house was a shed, in the centre of which the -brethren built a roaring fire, around which some of them stood and -sang songs and hymns all night, while others parched corn and roasted -frosted potatoes, etc. Not a complaint was heard—all were cheerful, -and judging from appearances, strangers would have taken us to be -pleasure excursionists rather than a band of gubernatorial exiles. -</p> -<p>After the mobbing commenced, although my father had purchased, and -had on hand, plenty of wheat, he could get none ground, and we were -under the necessity of grating corn for our bread on graters made of -tin-pails and stove-pipe. I will here insert a few extracts from a long -poem I wrote while in Davies county, as follows: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> 'Twas autumn—Summer's melting breath was gone,<br> - And Winter's gelid blast was stealing on;<br> - To meet its dread approach, with anxious care<br> - The houseless saints were struggling to prepare;<br> - When round about a desperate mob arose,<br> - Like tigers waking from a night's repose;<br> - They came like hordes from nether shades let loose—<br> - Men without hearts, just fit for Satan's use!<br> - With wild, demoniac rage they sallied forth,<br> - Resolved to drive the saints of God from earth.<br> - Hemm'd in by foes—deprived the use of mill,<br> - Necessity inspires their patient skill;<br> - Tin-pails and stove-pipe, from their service torn,<br> - Are changed to graters to prepare the corn,<br> - That Nature's wants may barely be supplied—<br> - They ask no treat, no luxury beside.<br> - But, where their shelter? Winter hastens fast;<br> - Can tents and wagons stem this northern blast?<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>The scene presented in the city of Far West, as we stopped over night -on our way to our temporary location, was too important to be omitted, -and too sad to narrate. Joseph Smith, and many other prominent men, -had been dragged to prison. Their families, having been plundered, -were nearly or quite destitute—some living on parched corn, others on -boiled wheat; and desolation seemed inscribed on everything but the -hearts of the faithful saints. In the midst of affliction, they trusted -in God. -</p> -<p>After spending the remainder of the winter in the vicinity of Far West, -on the 5th of March, 1839, leaving much of our property behind, we -started for Illinois. -</p> -<p>From the commencement of hostilities against us, in the State of -Missouri, till our expulsion, no sympathy in our behalf was ever, to -my knowledge, expressed by any of the former citizens, with one single -exception, and that was so strikingly in contrast with the morbid -state of feeling generally manifested that it made a deep impression -on my mind, and I think it worthy of record. I will here relate the -circumstance. It occurred on our outward journey. -</p> -<p>After a night of rain which turned to snow and covered the ground in -the morning, we thawed our tent, which was stiffly frozen, by holding -and turning it alternately before a blazing fire until it could be -folded for packing; and, all things put in order, while we all shook -with the cold, we started on. As the sun mounted upwards, the snow -melted, and increased the depth of the mud with which the road before -us had been amply stocked, and rendered travel almost impossible. -The teams were puffing, and the wagons dragging so heavily that we -were all on foot, tugging along as best we could, when an elderly -gentleman, on horseback, overtook us, and, after riding alongside for -some time, apparently absorbed in deep thought, as he (after inquiring -who we were) watched the women and girls, men and boys, teams and -wagons, slowly wending our way up a long hill, <em>en route</em> from our -only earthly homes, and, not knowing where we should find one, he said -emphatically, "If I were in your places, I should want the Governor of -the State hitched at the head of my teams." I afterwards remarked to my -father that I had not heard as sensible a speech from a stranger since -entering the State. I never saw that gentleman afterwards, but have -from that time cherished a filial respect for him, and fancy I see his -resemblance in the portrait of Sir Von Humboldt, now hanging on the -wall before me. -</p> -<p>We arrived in Quincy, Ill., where many of the exiled saints had -preceded us, and all were received with generous hospitality. -</p> -<p>My father moved to one of the northern counties. I stopped in Quincy, -and, while there, wrote for the press, "An Appeal to the Citizens of -the United States," "An Address to the Citizens of Quincy," and several -other articles, for which I received some very flattering encomiums, -with solicitations for effusions, which, probably, were elicited by the -fact that they were from the pen of a "Mormon girl." -</p> -<p>From Quincy, my sister, her two daughters and I, went to Lima, Hancock -county, where we found a temporary home under the roof of an old -veteran of the Revolution, who, with his family, treated us with much -kindness, although, through ignorance of the character of the saints, -their feelings were like gall towards them as a people, which we knew -to be the result of misrepresentation. It was very annoying to our -feelings to hear bitter aspersions against those whom we knew to be the -best people on earth; but, occupying, as we did, an upper room with a -slight flooring between us and those below, we were obliged to hear. -Frequently, after our host had traduced our people, of whom he knew -nothing, he would suddenly change his tone and boast of the "noble -women" he had in his house; "no better women ever lived," etc., which -he would have said of the Mormon people generally, had he known them -as well. We were pilgrims, and for the time being had to submit to -circumstances. Almost anything is preferable to dependence—with these -people we would earn our support at the tailoring business, thanks to -my mother's industrial training, for which I even now bless her dear -memory. -</p> -<p>In May the saints commenced gathering in Commerce (afterwards Nauvoo), -and on the 16th of July I left our kind host and hostess, much to their -regret, Elder Rigdon having sent for me to teach his family school in -Commerce, and, although I regretted to part with my sister, I was truly -thankful to be again associated with the body of the church, with those -whose minds, freed from the fetters of sectarian creeds, and man-made -theology, launch forth in the divine path of investigation into the -glorious fields of celestial knowledge and intelligence. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Concerning these times, Sister Bathsheba W. Smith says: "When I -was in my sixteenth year, some Latter-day Saint elders visited our -neighborhood. I heard them preach and believed what they taught; I -believed the Book of Mormon to be a divine record, and that Joseph -Smith was a prophet of God. I knew by the spirit of the Lord, which -I received in answer to prayer, that these things were true. On the -21st of August, 1837, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ -of Latter-day Saints, by Elder Samuel James, in Jones' Run, on the -farm and near the residence of Augustus Burgess, and was confirmed -by Elder Francis G. Bishop. The spirit of the Lord rested upon me, -and I knew that he accepted of me as a member in his kingdom. My -mother was baptized this same day. My sister Sarah, next older than -me, was baptized three days previously. My father, and my two oldest -sisters, Matilda and Nancy, together with their husbands, Col. John S. -Martin and Josiah W. Fleming, were baptized into the same church soon -afterwards. My uncle, Jacob Bigler, and his family had been baptized -a few weeks before. A part of my first experience as a member of the -church was, that most of my young acquaintances and companions began to -ridicule us. The spirit of gathering with the saints in Missouri came -upon me, and I became very anxious indeed to go there that fall with my -sister Nancy and family, as they had sold out and were getting ready -to go. I was told I could not go. This caused me to retire to bed one -night feeling very sorrowful. While pondering upon what had been said -to me about not going, a voice said to me,'Weep not, you will go this -fall' I was satisfied and comforted. The next morning I felt contented -and happy, on observing which my sister Sarah said, 'You have got over -feeling badly about not going to Zion this fall, have you?' I quietly, -but firmly, replied, 'I am going—you will see.' -</p> -<p>"My brother, Jacob G. Bigler, having gone to Far West, Mo., joined the -church there and bought a farm for my father, and then returned. About -this time my father sold his farm in West Virginia, and fitted out my -mother, my brother, and my sister Sarah, Melissa and myself, and we -started for Far West, in company with my two brothers-in-law and my -uncle and their families. Father stayed to settle up his business, -intending to join us at Far West in the spring, bringing with him, by -water, farming implements, house furniture, etc. On our journey the -young folks of our party had much enjoyment; it seemed so novel and -romantic to travel in wagons over hill and dale, through dense forests -and over extensive prairies, and occasionally passing through towns -and cities, and camping in tents at night. On arriving in Missouri we -found the State preparing to wage war against the Latter-day Saints. -The nearer we got to our destination, the more hostile the people were. -As we were traveling along, numbers of men would sometimes gather -around our wagons and stop us. They would inquire who we were, where we -were from, and where we were going to. On receiving answers to their -questions, they would debate among themselves whether to let us go or -not; their debate would result generally in a statement to the effect -of, 'As you are Virginians, we will let you go on, but we believe you -will soon return, for you will quickly become convinced of your folly.' -Just before we crossed Grand River, we camped over night with a company -of Eastern saints. We had a meeting, and rejoiced together. In the -morning it was thought best for the companies to separate and cross the -river by two different ferries, as this arrangement would enable all -to cross in less time. Our company arrived at Far West in safety. But -not so with the other company; they were overtaken at Haun's Mill by an -armed mob—nineteen were killed, many others were wounded, and some of -them maimed for life. -</p> -<p>"Three nights after we had arrived at the farm which my brother had -bought, and which was four miles south of the city of Far West, word -came that a mob was gathering on Crooked River, and a call was made for -men to go out in command of Captain David W. Patten, for the purpose -of trying to stop the depredations of the men, who were whipping -and otherwise maltreating our brethren, and who were destroying and -burning property. Captain Patten's company went, and a battle ensued. -Some of the Latter-day Saints were killed, and several were wounded. -I saw Brother James Hendrix, one of the wounded, as he was being -carried home; he was entirely helpless and nearly speechless. Soon -afterwards Captain David W. Patten, who was one of the twelve apostles, -was brought wounded into the house where we were. I heard him bear -testimony to the truth of Mormonism. He exhorted his wife and all -present to abide in the faith. His wife asked him if he had anything -against any one. He answered, 'No.' Elder Heber C. Kimball asked him if -he would remember him when he got home. He said he would. Soon after -this he died, without a struggle. -</p> -<p>"In this State I saw thousands of mobbers arrayed against the saints, -and I heard their shouts and savage yells when our prophet Joseph and -his brethren were taken into their camp. I saw much, very much, of the -sufferings that were brought upon our people by those lawless men. -The saints were forced to sign away their property, and to agree to -leave the State before it was time to put in spring crops. In these -distressing times, the spirit of the Lord was with us to comfort and -sustain us, and we had a sure testimony that we were being persecuted -for the gospel's sake, and that the Lord was angry with none save those -who acknowledged not his hand in all things. -</p> -<p>"My father had to lose what he had paid on his farm; and in February, -1839, in the depth of winter, our family, and thousands of the saints, -were on the way to the State of Illinois. On this journey I walked many -a mile, to let some poor sick or weary soul ride. At night we would -meet around the camp-fire and take pleasure in singing the songs of -Zion, trusting in the Lord that all would yet be well, and that Zion -would eventually be redeemed. -</p> -<p>"In the spring, father joined us at Quincy, Ill. We also had the joy of -having our prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brethren, restored to us from -their imprisonment in Missouri. Many, however, had died from want and -exposure during our journey. I was sick for a long time with ague and -fever, during which time my father was taken severely sick, and died -after suffering seven weeks. It was the first sickness that either of -us ever had. -</p> -<p>"In the spring of 1840 our family moved to Nauvoo, in Illinois. -Here I continued my punctuality in attending meetings, had many -opportunities of hearing Joseph Smith preach, and tried to profit -by his instructions, and received many testimonials to the truth of -the doctrines he taught. Meetings were held out of doors in pleasant -weather, and in private houses when it was unfavorable. I was present -at the laying of the cornerstones of the foundation of the Nauvoo -temple, and had become acquainted with the prophet Joseph and his -family. -</p> -<p>"On the 25th of July, 1841, I was united in holy marriage to George -Albert Smith, the then youngest member of the quorum of the twelve -apostles, and first cousin of the prophet (Elder Don Carlos Smith -officiating at our marriage). My husband was born June 26th, 1817, at -Potsdam. St. Lawrence county, N. Y. When I became acquainted with him -in Virginia, in 1837, he was the junior member of the first quorum of -seventy. On the 26th day of June, 1838, he was ordained a member of -the High Council of Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Davies county, Missouri. Just -about the break of day, on the 26th of April, 1839, while kneeling on -the corner-stone of the foundation of the Lord's house in the city of -Far West, Caldwell county, Missouri, he was ordained one of the twelve -apostles. Two days after we were married, we started, carpet bag in -hand, to go to his father's, who lived at Zarahemla, Iowa Territory, -about a mile from the Mississippi. There we found a feast prepared for -us, in partaking of which my husband's father, John Smith, drank our -health, pronouncing the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob upon us. -I did not understand the import of this blessing as well then as I do -now." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Here we meet another of these Spartan women of Mormondom in the person -of Louisa F. Wells, the senior wife of Lieutenant-General Daniel H. -Wells. -</p> -<p>In July, 1837, her father, Absalom Free, who had embraced Mormonism in -Fayetteville, St. Clair county, Ill., in the year 1835, emigrated with -his family to Caldwell county, Mo. -</p> -<p>In Caldwell, Brother Free purchased a farm and built a good house. -He was of the well-to-do farmer class. With his ample means he soon -collected a fine farming outfit, and before him was the promise of -great prosperity. -</p> -<p>The saints had been driven out of Jackson county, and mobs were -ravaging in Davies county, but there was peace in Caldwell until the -Fourth of July, in 1838, when the anti-Mormons, who were waiting and -watching for a pretext, took occasion, from some remarks made by -Elder Sidney Rigdon, in a commemorative speech at the celebration, to -commence a crusade against the city of Far West. -</p> -<p>When the father of Louisa joined the organization for defence of the -city of Far West, he left a sick son at home, with the women folks of -his own and five other families, who had gathered there. These were -left to defend their homes. -</p> -<p>Louisa and her sister Emeline, with their cousin, Eliza Free, stood -guard, on a ridge near the house, for three weeks, night and day, to -warn the families of the approach of the mob. This sister Emeline -is the same who was afterwards so well known in Utah as the wife of -Brigham Young. -</p> -<p>While thus standing guard, one day, the girls saw a troop of horsemen -near, marching with a red flag and the beating of drums. They had with -them a prisoner, on foot, whom they were thus triumphantly marching to -their camp. They were a troop of the mob. The prisoner was grandfather -Andrew Free, though at the time the sisters knew it not. -</p> -<p>It was almost night. The horsemen made direct for their camp with their -"prisoner of war," whom they had taken, not in arms, for he was aged, -yet was he a soldier of the cross, ready to die for his faith. -</p> -<p>Already had the veteran disciple been doomed by his captors. He was to -be shot; one escape only had they reserved for him. -</p> -<p>Before the mob tribunal stood the old man, calm and upright in his -integrity, and resolved in his faith. No one was near to succor him. -He stood alone, face to face with death, with those stern, cruel men, -whose class had shown so little mercy in Missouri, massacring men, -women and children, at Haun's Mill, and elsewhere about the same time. -</p> -<p>Then the captain and his band demanded of the old man that he should -swear there and then to renounce Jo. Smith and his d—d religion, or -they would shoot him on the spot. -</p> -<p>Drawing himself up with a lofty mien, and the invincible courage that -the Mormons have always shown in their persecutions, the veteran -answered: "I have not long to live. At the worst you cannot deprive -me of many days. I will never betray or deny my faith which I know to -be of God. Here is my breast, shoot away, I am ready to die for my -religion!" -</p> -<p>At this he bared his bosom and calmly waited for the mob to fire. -</p> -<p>But the band was abashed at his fearless bearing and answer. For a time -the captain and his men consulted, and then they told their prisoner -that they had decided to give him till the morning to reconsider -whether he would retract his faith or die. -</p> -<p>Morning came. Again the old man was before the tribunal, fearless in -the cause of his religion as he had been the previous night. Again came -from him a similar answer, and then he looked for death, indeed, the -next moment. -</p> -<p>But he had conquered his captors, and the leader declared, with an -oath: "Any man who can be so d—d true to any d—d religion, deserves -to live!" -</p> -<p>Thereupon the mob released the heroic disciple of Mormonism, and he -returned to his home in safety. -</p> -<p>During the three weeks the girls stood on guard, their father, who was -desirous to get tidings of his sick son, came frequently to a thicket -of underbrush, where the girls would bring his food and communicate -with him concerning affairs at the house. -</p> -<p>One evening during this season of guard duty, the girls discovered five -armed men approaching. Running to the house, they gave the alarm. In a -few moments every woman and child of the six families were hiding in -the neighboring corn-field, excepting Louisa, her mother and her sick -brother. -</p> -<p>"Mother," said the boy, "you and Louisa run and hide. The mob will be -sure to kill me. They will see how tall I am by the bed-clothes, and -will think I am a man. You and sister Louisa escape or they will kill -you too." -</p> -<p>But the mother resolved to share the fate of her son, unless she could -protect him by her presence, and soften the hearts of savage mobocrats -by a mother's prayers for mercy; but she bade her daughter fly with -the baby. Louisa, however, also determined to stay to defend both her -brother and her mother. So they armed themselves—the mother with an -axe, and Louisa with a formidable pair of old-fashioned fire-tongs, and -stationed themselves at either door. -</p> -<p>But it turned out that the men were a squad of friends, whom the father -had sent to inquire after his family; yet the incident illustrates -those days of universal terror for the Mormons in the State of -Missouri. Worse, even, than the horrors of ordinary war must it have -been, when thus women, children and the sick, when not a Mormon man -was present to provoke the mob to bloodshed, looked for massacre upon -massacre as daily scenes which all in turn might expect to overtake -them. -</p> -<p>After the fall of the city of Far West, it being decided that the -Mormons should make a grand exodus from Missouri in the spring, Mr. -Free determined to anticipate it. Gathering up what property he could -save from the sacrifice, he started with his family for Illinois, -abandoning the beautiful farm he had purchased and paid for, along with -the improvements he had made. -</p> -<p>In their flight to Illinois they were frequently overtaken and -threatened by mobs, but fortunately escaped personal violence, as it -was evident they were hastening from the inhospitable State. But the -inhumanity of the Missourians in those times is well illustrated in the -following incident: -</p> -<p>Along with Brother Free's party were William Duncan and Solomon Allen, -whose feet were so badly frozen one day that they were unable to -proceed. At every house on the route the exiles called, soliciting -permission to shelter and care for the disabled men; but at every place -they were turned away, until at last, at eleven o'clock at night, they -were graciously permitted to occupy some negro quarters. The grace, -however, of Missouri was redeemed by a codicil that "No d—d Mormon -should stop among white folks!" -</p> -<p>This was mercy, indeed, for Missouri, and it is written in the book of -remembrance. -</p> -<p>The party stopped and occupied the negro quarters, nursing the men -during the night, and so far restored them that they were enabled to go -on the next day. -</p> -<p>Arriving at the Mississippi river, above St. Charles, it was found that -the ice was running so fiercely that it was well-nigh impossible to -cross, but the mobbers insisted that they should cross at once. -</p> -<p>The crossing was made on a scow ferry-boat, common in those times; and -as the boat was near being swamped in the current, to add to the horror -of the incident, it was seriously proposed by the boatmen to throw some -of the "d—d Mormons overboard," to lighten the load! The proposition, -however, was abandoned, and the party landed safely on the opposite -shore. -</p> -<p>Having escaped all the perils of that flight from Missouri, Father -Free and his family made their home in the more hospitable State of -Illinois, where the Mormons for a season found their "second Zion." -</p> -<p>Here we leave "Sister Louisa" for awhile, to meet her again in the -grand exodus of her people from "civilization." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The following experience of Abigail Leonard, a venerable and respected -lady, now in her eighty-second year of life, will also be of interest -in this connection. She says: -</p> -<p>"In 1829 Eleazer Miller came to my house, for the purpose of holding -up to us the light of the gospel, and to teach us the necessity of a -change of heart. He did not teach creedism, for he did not believe -therein. That night was a sleepless one to me, for all night long I -saw before me our Saviour nailed to the cross. I had not yet received -remission of my sins, and, in consequence thereof, was much distressed. -These feelings continued for several days, till one day, while walking -alone in the street, I received the light of the spirit. -</p> -<p>"Not long after this, several associated Methodists stopped at our -house, and in the morning, while I was preparing breakfast, they were -conversing upon the subject of church matters, and the best places for -church organization. From the jottings of their conversation, which I -caught from time to time, I saw that they cared more for the fleece -than the flock. The Bible lay on the table near by, and as I passed I -occasionally read a few words until I was impressed with the question: -'What is it that separates two Christians?' -</p> -<p>"For two or three weeks this question was constantly on my mind, and I -read the Bible and prayed that this question might be answered to me. -</p> -<p>"One morning I took my Bible and went to the woods, when I fell upon -my knees, and exclaimed: 'Now, Lord, I pray for the answer of this -question, and I shall <em>never</em> rise till you reveal to me what it is -that separates two Christians.' Immediately a vision passed before -my eyes, and the different sects passed one after another by me, and -a voice called to me, saying: 'These are built up for gain.' Then, -beyond, I could see a great light, and a voice from above called out: -'I shall raise up a people, whom I shall delight to own and bless.' I -was then fully satisfied, and returned to the house. -</p> -<p>"Not long after this a meeting was held at our house, during which -every one was invited to speak; and when opportunity presented, I arose -and said: 'To-day I come out from all names, sects and parties, and -take upon myself the name of Christ, resolved to wear it to the end of -my days.' -</p> -<p>"For several days afterward, many people came from different -denominations and endeavored to persuade me to join their respective -churches. At length the associated Methodists sent their presiding -elder to our house to preach, in the hope that I might be converted. -While the elder was discoursing I beheld a vision in which I saw a -great multitude of people in the distance, and over their heads hung a -thick, dark cloud. Now and then one of the multitude would struggle, -and rise up through the gloomy cloud; but the moment his head rose into -the light above, the minister would strike him a blow, which would -compel him to retire; and I said in my heart, 'They will never serve -<em>me</em> so.' -</p> -<p>"Not long after this, I heard of the 'Book of Mormon,' and when a -few of us were gathered at a neighbor's we asked that we might have -manifestations in proof of the truth and divine origin of this book, -although we had not yet seen it. Our neighbor, a lady, was quite sick -and in much distress. It was asked that she be healed, and immediately -her pain ceased, and health was restored. Brother Bowen defiantly asked -that he might be slain, and in an instant he was prostrated upon the -floor. I requested that I might know of the truth of this book, by the -gift and power of the Holy Ghost, and I immediately felt its presence. -Then, when the Book of Mormon came, we were ready to receive it and its -truths. The brethren gathered at our house to read it, and such days -of rejoicing and thanksgiving I never saw before nor since. We were -now ready for baptism, and on or about the 20th of August, 1831, were -baptized. -</p> -<p>"When we heard of the 'gathering,' we were ready for that also, and -began preparations for the journey. On the 3d of July, 1832, we started -for Jackson county, Mo., where we arrived some time in the latter part -of December of the same year. -</p> -<p>"Here we lived in peace, and enjoyed the blessings of our religion till -the spring of 1833, when the mob came upon us, and shed its terror in -our midst. The first attack was made upon Independence, about twelve -miles from our place. The printing press was destroyed, and the type -scattered in the streets. Other buildings, and their furniture, were -destroyed; and Bishop Partridge was tarred and feathered. Next, we -heard that the enemy had attacked our brethren in the woods about -six miles distant. Then my husband was called upon to go and assist -his brethren. He arrived on the field in the heat of the battle, and -received fourteen bullet-holes in his garments, but received no wounds, -save two very slight marks, one on the hip, the other on the arm. -</p> -<p>"The mob was defeated, and my husband returned home for food. I gave -it him, and bade him secrete himself immediately. He did so, and none -too soon; for scarcely was he hidden, when the mob appeared. As soon -as my husband was secreted I took my children and went to a neighbor's -house, where the sisters were gathering for safety. About this time -Sister Parley Pratt was being helped from a sick bed to this place -of security, and the mob, seeing the sisters laboring to carry her, -gave their assistance and carried her in. The mob then searched for -fire-arms, but could find none. -</p> -<p>"The brethren and the mob formed a treaty about this time, in which -we agreed to abandon the country by a specified time. Immediately our -people commenced moving across the Missouri river, into Clay county. -The people of Clay county becoming alarmed at our numbers, and incited -to malice by the people of Jackson county, cut away the boat before -all our people had crossed, and thus compelled our family with some -others to remain in Jackson county. There were nine families in all. -And the mob came and drove us out into the prairie before the bayonet. -It was in the cold, cheerless month of November, and our first night's -camp was made the thirteenth of that month, so wide-famed as the -night of falling stars. The next day we continued our journey, over -cold, frozen, barren prairie ground, many of our party barefoot and -stockingless, feet and legs bleeding. Mine was the only family whose -feet were clothed, and that day, while alone, I asked the Lord what I -should do, and his answer was: 'Divide among the sufferers, and thou -shalt be repaid four-fold!' I then gave till I had given more than -fifteen pairs of stockings. In three and a half days from the time of -starting, we arrived at a grove of timber, near a small stream, where -we encamped for the winter. From the time of our arrival till the -following February we lived like saints. -</p> -<p>"For awhile our men were permitted to return to the settlements in -Jackson county, and haul away the provisions which they had left -behind; but at last they would neither sell to us nor allow us any -longer to return for our own provisions left behind. -</p> -<p>"A meeting was held, and it was decided that but one thing was left to -do, which was to return to Jackson county, to the place we had recently -left from compulsion. This we did, and on the evening of February -20, 1834, soon after our arrival in the old deserted place, we had -been to meeting and returned. It was about eleven o'clock at night, -while we were comfortably seated around a blazing fire, built in an -old-fashioned Dutch fireplace, when some one on going out discovered -a crowd of men at a little distance from the house, on the hill. This -alarmed the children, who ran out, leaving the door open. In a moment -or two five armed men pushed their way into the house and presented -their guns to my husband's breast, and demanded, 'Are you a Mormon?' My -husband replied: 'I profess to belong to the Church of Christ.' They -then asked if he had any arms, and on being told that he had not, one -of them said: 'Now, d—n you, walk out doors!' My husband was standing -up, and did not move. -</p> -<p>"Seeing that he would not go, one of them laid down his gun, clutched -a chair, and dealt a fierce blow at my husband's head; but fortunately -the chair struck a beam overhead, which turned and partially stopped -the force of the blow, and it fell upon the side of his head and -shoulder with too little force to bring him down, yet enough to smash -the chair in pieces upon the hearth. The fiend then caught another -chair, with which he succeeded in knocking my husband down beneath the -stairway. They then struck him several blows with a chair-post, upon -the head, cutting four long gashes in the scalp. The infuriated men -then took him by the feet and dragged him from the room. They raised -him to his feet, and one of them, grasping a large boulder, hurled it -with full force at his head; but he dropped his head enough to let the -stone pass over, and it went against the house like a cannon ball. -Several of them threw him into the air, and brought him, with all their -might, at full length upon the ground. When he fell, one of them sprang -upon his breast, and stamping with all his might, broke two of his ribs. -</p> -<p>"They then turned him upon his side, and with a chair-post dealt him -many severe blows upon the thigh, which were heard at a distance of -one hundred and twenty rods. Next they tore off his coat and shirt, -and proceeded to whip him with their gun-sticks. I had been by my -husband during this whole affray, and one of the mob seeing me, cried -out: 'Take that woman in the house, or she will overpower every devil -of you!' Four of them presented their guns to my breast, and jumping -off the ground with rage, uttering the most tremendous oaths, they -commanded me to go into the house. This order I did not obey, but -hastened to my husband's assistance, taking stick after stick from -them, till I must have thrown away twenty. -</p> -<p>"By this time my husband felt that he could hold out no longer, and -raising his hands toward heaven, asking the Lord to receive his spirit, -he fell to the ground, helpless. Every hand was stayed, and I asked a -sister who was in the house to assist me to carry him in doors. -</p> -<p>"We carried him in, and after washing his face and making him as -comfortable as possible, I went forth into the mob, and reasoned with -them, telling them that my husband had never harmed one of them, nor -raised his arm in defence against them. They then went calmly away, but -next day circulated a report that they had killed one Mormon. -</p> -<p>"After the mob had gone, I sent for the elder, and he, with two or -three of the brethren, came and administered to my husband, and he was -instantly healed. The gashes on his head grew together without leaving -a scar, and he went to bed comfortable. In the morning I combed the -coagulated blood out of his hair, and he was so well that he went with -me to meeting that same day. -</p> -<p>"The mob immediately held a meeting and informed us that we were to -have only three days to leave in, and if we were not off by that time -the whole party would be massacred. We accordingly prepared to leave, -and by the time appointed were on our way to Clay county. Soon after -our arrival in Clay county, the 'Camp of Zion' came, and located about -twenty miles from us. The cholera broke out in the camp, and many died. -Three of the party started to where we lived, but two died on the way, -leaving Mr. Martin Harris to accomplish the journey alone. The first -thing, when he saw me, he exclaimed: 'Sister Leonard, I came to your -house to save my life.' For eight days my husband and I worked with him -before he began to show signs of recovery, scarcely lying down to take -our rest. While Mr. Harris was lying sick, the prophet Joseph Smith -came, with eleven others, to visit him. This was the first time I had -ever seen the prophet. -</p> -<p>"The prophet advised us to scatter out over the county, and not -congregate too much together, so that the people would have no cause -for alarm. -</p> -<p>"While we were yet living in this place, the ague came upon my family, -and my husband lay sick for five months, and the children for three. -During the whole time I procured my own wood, and never asked any one -for assistance. On the recovery of my husband he bought a beautiful -little farm near by, where we lived long enough to raise one crop, -when the mob again came against us, and we were compelled to move into -Caldwell county. -</p> -<p>"When we arrived there we moved into a log cabin, without door, window, -or fireplace, where my husband left the children and me, and returned -to Clay county, for some of the brethren who were left behind. During -his absence a heavy snowstorm came, and we were without wood or fire. -My little boy and I, by turns, cut wood enough to keep us warm till my -husband returned. -</p> -<p>"Here my husband entered eighty acres of land, and subsequently bought -an additional twenty acres. Here, too, we stayed long enough to raise -one crop, and then moved to Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois. -</p> -<p>"As soon as we were located, we were all seized with sickness, and -scarcely had I recovered, when there came into our midst some brethren -from England, who were homeless, and our people took them in with their -own families. One of the families we took to live with us. The woman -was sick, and we sent for the elders to heal her, but their endeavors -were not successful, and I told the husband of the sick woman that but -one thing was left to be done, which was to send for the sisters. The -sisters came, washed, anointed, and administered to her. The patient's -extremities were cold, her eyes set, a spot in the back apparently -mortified, and every indication that death was upon her. But before the -sisters had ceased to administer, the blood went coursing through her -system, and to her extremities, and she was sensibly better. Before -night her appetite returned, and became almost insatiable, so much so -at least that, after I had given her to eat all I dared, she became -quite angry because I would not give her more. In three days she sat up -and had her hair combed, and soon recovered." -</p> -<p>The following portion of Margaret Foutz's narrative will also be of -interest in this connection. She says: -</p> -<p>"I am the daughter of David and Mary Munn, and was born December 11th, -1801, in Franklin county, Pa. I was married to Jacob Foutz, July 22d, -1822. In the year 1827 we emigrated to Richland county, Ohio. After -living here a few years, an elder by the name of David Evans came into -the neighborhood, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, commonly called -Mormonism. We united ourselves with the church, being baptized by -Brother Evans, in the year 1834. Subsequently we took our departure for -Missouri, to gather with the saints. We purchased some land, to make a -permanent home, on Crooked River, where a small branch of the church -was organized, David Evans being the president. We enjoyed ourselves -exceedingly well, and everything seemed to prosper; but the spirit -of persecution soon began to make itself manifest. Falsehoods were -circulated about the Mormon population that were settling about that -region, and there soon began to be signs of trouble. The brethren, in -order to protect their families, organized themselves together. -</p> -<p>"Threats being made by the mob to destroy a mill belonging to Brother -Haun, it was considered best to have a few men continually at the mill -to protect it. One day Brother Evans went and had an interview with -a Mr. Comstock, said to be the head man of the mob. All things were -amicably adjusted. Brother Evans then went to inform the brethren (my -husband being among them) that all was well. This was about the middle -of the afternoon, when Brother Evans returned from Mr. Comstock's. On -a sudden, without any warning whatever, sixty or seventy men, with -blackened faces, came riding their horses at full speed. The brethren -ran, for protection, into an old blacksmith shop, they being without -arms. The mob rode up to the shop, and without any explanation or -apparent cause, began a wholesale butchery, by firing round after -round through the cracks between the logs of the shop. I was at home -with my family of five little children, and could hear the firing. In -a moment I knew the mob was upon us. Soon a runner came, telling the -women and children to hasten into the timber and secrete themselves, -which we did, without taking anything to keep us warm; and had we been -fleeing from the scalping knife of the Indian we would not have made -greater haste. And as we ran from house to house, gathering as we went, -we finally numbered about forty or fifty women and children. We ran -about three miles into the woods, and there huddled together, spreading -what few blankets or shawls we chanced to have on the ground for the -children; and here we remained until two o'clock the next morning, -before we heard anything of the result of the firing at the mill. Who -can imagine our feelings during this dreadful suspense? And when the -news did come, oh! what terrible news! Fathers, brothers and sons, -inhumanly butchered! We now took up the line of march for home. Alas! -what a home! Who would we find there? And now, with our minds full of -the most fearful forebodings, we retraced those three long, dreary -miles. As we were returning I saw a brother, Myers, who had been shot -through his body. In that dreadful state he crawled on his hands and -knees, about two miles, to his home. -</p> -<p>"After I arrived at my house with my children, I hastily made a fire -to warm them, and then started for the mill, about one mile distant. -My children would not remain at home, saying, 'If father and mother -are going to be killed, we want to be with them.' It was about seven -o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the mill. In the first house -I came to there were three dead men. One, a Brother McBride, I was told -was a survivor of the Revolution. He was a terrible sight to behold, -having been cut and chopped, and horribly mangled, with a corn-cutter. -</p> -<p>"I hurried on, looking for my husband. I found him in an old house, -covered with some rubbish. (The mob had taken the bedding and clothing -from all the houses near the mill). My husband had been shot in the -thigh. I rendered him all the assistance I could, but it was evening -before I could get him home. I saw thirteen more dead bodies at the -shop, and witnessed the beginning of the burial, which consisted in -throwing the bodies into an old, dry well. So great was the fear of -the men that the mob would return and kill what few of them there were -left, that they threw the bodies in, head first or feet first, as the -case might be. When they had thrown in three, my heart sickened, and I -turned fainting away. -</p> -<p>"At the moment of the massacre, my husband and another brother drew -some of the dead bodies on themselves, and pretended to be dead also, -by so doing saving their lives. While in this situation they heard -what the ruffians said after the firing was over. Two little boys, who -had not been hit, begged for their lives; but with horrible oaths they -put the muzzles of their guns to the children's heads, and blew their -brains out. -</p> -<p>"Oh! what a change one short day had brought! Here were my friends, -dead and dying; one in particular asked me to give him relief by taking -a hammer and knocking his brains out, so great was his agony. And we -knew not what moment our enemies would be upon us again. And all this, -not because we had broken any law—on the contrary, it was a part of -our religion to keep the laws of the land. In the evening Brother -Evans got a team and conveyed my husband to his house, carried him in, -and placed him on a bed. I then had to attend him, alone, without any -doctor or any one to tell me what to do. Six days afterwards I, with my -husband's assistance, extracted the bullet, it being buried deep in the -thick part of the thigh, and flattened like a knife. During the first -ten days, mobbers, with blackened faces, came every day, cursing and -swearing like demons from the pit, and declaring that they would 'kill -that d—d old Mormon preacher.' At times like these, when human nature -quailed, I felt the power of God upon me to that degree that I could -stand before them fearless; and although a woman, and alone, those -demons in human shape had to succumb; for there was a power with me -that they knew not of. During these days of mobocratic violence I would -sometimes hide my husband in the house, and sometimes in the woods, -covering him with leaves. And thus was I constantly harassed, until -the mob finally left us, with the understanding that we should leave -in the spring. About the middle of February we started for Quincy, -Ill. Arriving there, we tarried for a short time, and thence moved to -Nauvoo." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">JOSEPH SMITH'S DARING ANSWER TO THE LORD—WOMAN, THROUGH MORMONISM, -RESTORED TO HER TRUE POSITION—THE THEMES OF MORMONISM. -</p> -<p>What potent faith had come into the world that a people should thus -live and die by it? -</p> -<p>Show us this new temple of theology in which the sisters had worshipped. -</p> -<p>Open the book of themes which constitute the grand system of Mormonism. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The disciples of the prophet believed in the Book of Mormon; but -nearly all their themes, and that vast system of theology which Joseph -conceived, as the crowning religion for a world, were derived from the -Hebrew Bible, the New Testament of Christ, and modern revelation. -</p> -<p>New revelation is the signature of Mormonism. -</p> -<p>The themes begin with Abraham, rather than with Christ; but they go -back to Adam, and to the long "eternities" ere this world was. -</p> -<p><em>Before Adam, was Mormonism!</em> -</p> -<p>There are <em>generations of worlds</em>. The Genesis of the Gods was before -the Genesis of Man. -</p> -<p>The Genesis of the Gods is the first book of the Mormon iliad. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 'Who is - this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now - thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. -</p> -<p> "'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare - if thou hast understanding. -</p> -<p> "'Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath - stretched the line upon it? -</p> -<p> "'Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the - corner-stone thereof: -</p> -<p> "'When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God - shouted for joy?'" -</p></blockquote> -<p>Brother Job, where wast thou? Joseph answered the Lord when the Masonic -question of the Gods was put to him: -</p> -<p>"Father, I was with <em>thee</em>; one of the 'morning stars' then; one of the -archangels of thy presence." -</p> -<p>'Twas a divinely bold answer. But Joseph <em>was</em> divinely daring. -</p> -<p>The genius of Mormonism had come down from the empyrean; it hesitated -not to assert its origin among the Gods. -</p> -<p>This is no fanciful treatment—no mere flight to the realm of ideals. -The Mormons have literally answered the Lord, their Father, the -question which he put to their brother, Job, and have made that answer -a part of their theology. -</p> -<p>But where was woman "when the morning stars sang together, and the sons -of God shouted for joy?" -</p> -<p>Where was Zion? Where the bride? Where was woman? -</p> -<p>"Not yet created; taken afterwards from the rib of Adam; of the earth, -not of heaven; created for Adam's glory, that he might rule over her." -</p> -<p>So said not Joseph. -</p> -<p>It was the young East who thus declared. The aged West had kept the -book of remembrance. -</p> -<p>Joseph was gifted with wonderful memories of the "eternities past." -He had not forgotten woman. He knew Eve, and he remembered Zion. He -restored woman to her place among the Gods, where her primeval Genesis -is written. -</p> -<p>Woman was among the morning stars, when they sang together for joy, at -the laying of the foundations of the earth. -</p> -<p>When the sons of God thrice gave their Masonic shouts of hosanna, the -daughters of God lifted up their voices with their brothers; and the -hallelujahs to the Lord God Omnipotent, were rendered sweeter and -diviner by woman leading the theme. -</p> -<p>In the temples, both of the heavens and the earth, woman is found. She -is there in her character of Eve, and in her character of Zion. The -one is the type of earth, the other the type of heaven; the one the -mystical name of the mortal, the other of the celestial, woman. -</p> -<p>The Mormon prophet rectified the divine drama. Man is nowhere where -woman is not. Mormonism has restored woman to her pinnacle. -</p> -<p>Presently woman herself shall sing of her divine origin. A high -priestess of the faith shall interpret the themes of herself and of her -Father-and-Mother God! -</p> -<p>At the very moment when the learned divines of Christendom were -glorying that this little earth was the "be-all and the end-all" of -creation, the prophet of Mormondom was teaching the sisters in the -temple at Kirtland that there has been an eternal chain of creations -coming down from the generations of the Gods—worlds and systems and -universes. At the time these lights of the Gentiles were pointing to -the star-fretted vault of immensity as so many illuminations—lamps -hung out by the Creator, six thousand years ago, to light this little -earth through her probation—the prophet of Israel was teaching his -people that the starry hosts were worlds and suns and universes, some -of which had being millions of ages before this earth had physical form. -</p> -<p>Moreover, so vast is the divine scheme, and stupendous the works -of creations, that the prophet introduced the expressive word -<em>eternities</em>. The eternities are the times of creations. -</p> -<p>This earth is but an atom in the immensities of creations. Innumerable -worlds have been peopled with "living souls" of the order of mankind; -innumerable worlds have passed through their probations; innumerable -worlds have been redeemed, resurrected, and celestialized. -</p> -<p>Hell-loving apostles of the sects were sending ninety-nine hundredths -of this poor, young, forlorn earth to the bottomless pit. The Mormon -prophet was finding out grand old universes, in exaltation with -scarcely the necessity of losing a soul. -</p> -<p>The spirit of Mormonism is universal salvation. -</p> -<p>Those who are not saved in one glory, may be saved in another. -</p> -<p>There are the "glory of the sun," and the "glory of the moon," and the -"glory of the stars." -</p> -<p>The children of Israel belong to the glory of the sun. They kept their -first estate. They are nobly trying to keep their second estate on -probation. Let the devotion, the faith, the divine heroism of the -Mormon sisters, witness this. -</p> -<p>"Adam is our Father and God. He is the God of the earth." -</p> -<p>So says Brigham Young. -</p> -<p>Adam is the great archangel of this creation. He is Michael. He is -the Ancient of Days. He is the father of our elder brother, Jesus -Christ—the father of him who shall also come as Messiah to reign. He -is the father of the spirits as well as the tabernacles of the sons and -daughters of man. Adam! -</p> -<p>Michael is one of the grand mystical names in the works of creations, -redemptions, and resurrections. Jehovah is the second and the higher -name. Eloheim—signifying the Gods—is the first name of the celestial -trinity. -</p> -<p>Michael was a celestial, resurrected being, of another world. -</p> -<p>"In the beginning" the Gods created the heavens and the earths. -</p> -<p>In their councils they said, let us make man in our own image. So, in -the likeness of the Fathers, and the Mothers—the Gods—created they -man—male and female. -</p> -<p>When this earth was prepared for mankind, Michael, as Adam, came down. -He brought with him one of his wives, and he called her name Eve. -</p> -<p>Adam and Eve are the names of the fathers and mothers of worlds. -</p> -<p>Adam was not made out of a lump of clay, as we make a brick, nor was -Eve taken as a rib—a bone—from his side. They came by generation. But -woman, as the wife or mate of man, was a rib of man. She was taken from -his side, in their glorified world, and brought by him to earth to be -the mother of a race. -</p> -<p>These were father and mother of a world of spirits who had been born to -them in heaven. These spirits had been waiting for the grand period of -their probation, when they should have bodies or tabernacles, so that -they might become, in the resurrection, like Gods. -</p> -<p>When this earth had become an abode for mankind, with its Garden of -Eden, then it was that the morning stars sang together, and the sons -and daughters of God shouted for joy. They were coming down to earth. -</p> -<p>The children of the sun, at least, knew what the grand scheme of the -everlasting Fathers and the everlasting Mothers meant, and they, both -sons and daughters, shouted for joy. The temple of the eternities shook -with their hosannas, and trembled with divine emotions. -</p> -<p>The father and mother were at length in their Garden of Eden. They came -on purpose to fall. They fell "that man might be; and man is, that he -might have joy." They ate of the tree of mortal life, partook of the -elements of this earth that they might again become mortal for their -children's sake. They fell that another world might have a probation, -redemption and resurrection. -</p> -<p>The grand patriarchal economy, with Adam, as a resurrected being, -who brought his wife Eve from another world, has been very finely -elaborated, by Brigham, from the patriarchal genesis which Joseph -conceived. -</p> -<p>Perchance the scientist might hesitate to accept the Mormon ideals -of the genesis of mortals and immortals, but Joseph and Brigham have -very much improved on the Mosaic genesis of man. It is certainly -not scientific to make Adam as a model adobe; the race has come by -generation. The genesis of a hundred worlds of his family, since his -day, does not suggest brickyards of mortality. The patriarchal economy -of Mormonism is at least an improvement, and is decidedly epic in all -its constructions and ideals. -</p> -<p>A grand patriarchal line, then, down from the "eternities;" generations -of worlds and generations of Gods; all one universal family. -</p> -<p>The Gods are the fathers and the mothers, and the brothers and the -sisters, of the saints. -</p> -<p>Divine ambitions here; a daring genius to thus conceive; a lifting up -of man and woman to the very plane of the celestials, while yet on -earth. -</p> -<p>Now for the father and the children of the covenant. -</p> -<p>With Abraham begins the covenant of Israel. The Mormons are a -Latter-day Israel. -</p> -<p>God made a covenant with Abraham, for Abraham was worthy to be -the grand patriarch of a world, under Adam. Like Jesus, he had a -pre-existence. -</p> -<p>He was "in the beginning" with God; an archangel in the Father's -presence; one not less noble than his elder brother and captain of -salvation; the patriarch, through whose line Messiah was ordained to -come into the world. -</p> -<p>Abraham was the elect of God before the foundation of this earth. In -him and his seed were all the promises—all the covenants—and all the -divine empires. In them was the kingdom of Messiah to consummate the -object and vast purposes of earth's creation. -</p> -<p>He is the father of the faithful and the friend of God. In him and his -seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. He shall become the -father of many nations. His seed shall be as the sand on the sea-shore. -</p> -<p>In Abraham many nations have already been blessed. He and his seed -have given Bible and civilization to Christendom. From his loins came -Jesus—from him will come Messiah. -</p> -<p>Abraham and his seed have done much for the world, but they will do a -hundred fold more. Their genius, their prophets, and their covenants, -will leaven and circumscribe all civilization. -</p> -<p>Jehovah is the God of Israel—the covenant people. There is none like -him in all the earth. There are Lords many, and Gods many, but unto -Israel there is but one God. -</p> -<p>Between Jehovah and Abraham there are the everlasting covenants. The -divine epic is between Abraham and his God. -</p> -<p>Mormonism is now that divine epic. -</p> -<p>This grand patriarch may be sard to be a grand Mormon; or, better told, -the Mormons are a very proper Israel, whom the patriarch acknowledges -as his children, chosen to fulfill the covenants in connection with the -Jews. -</p> -<p>Jehovah never made any covenants outside of Israel. The Gentiles are -made partakers, by adoption into the Abrahamic family. -</p> -<p>All is of election and predestination. There is but very little -free-grace; just enough grace to give the Gentiles room to enter into -the family of Israel, that the promise may be fulfilled that in Israel -all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. -</p> -<p>In ancient times Jehovah made his people a nation, that his name might -be glorified. He established his throne in David, by an everlasting -covenant; but the throne and sceptre were taken from Israel, no more to -be, until he comes whose right it is to reign. Messiah is that one. He -is coming to restore the kingdom to Israel. -</p> -<p>The earth and mankind were created that they might have a probation; -and a probation, that a millennial reign of peace and righteousness may -consummate the divine plan and purposes. -</p> -<p>Righteousness and justice must be established upon the earth in the -last days, or nations must perish utterly. -</p> -<p>In the last days God shall set up a kingdom upon the earth, which shall -never be destroyed. It will break into pieces all other kingdoms and -empires, and stand forever. It will be given to the saints of the Most -High, and they will possess it. The Mormons are the saints of the Most -High. -</p> -<p>That kingdom has already been set up, by the administration of angels -to Joseph Smith. This is the burden of Mormonism. It was for that the -saints were driven from Missouri and Illinois; that for which they made -their exodus to the Rocky Mountains; that for which the sisters have -borne the cross for half a century. -</p> -<p>Now also in the present age is to be fulfilled the vision of Daniel; -here it is: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days - (Adam) did sit, whose garments were white as snow, and the hair of - his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, - and his wheels as burning fire. -</p> -<p> "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousands - ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood - before him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened. -</p> -<p>* * * * * * -</p> -<p> "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man - came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, - and they brought him near before him. -</p> -<p> "And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that - all people, nations and languages, should serve him; his dominion - is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his - kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. -</p> -<p>* * * * * * -</p> -<p> "But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and - possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. -</p> -<p> * * * * -</p> -<p> "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and - prevailed against them. -</p> -<p> "Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the - saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints - possessed the kingdom. -</p> -<p>* * * * * * -</p> -<p> "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom - under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most - High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions - shall serve and obey him." -</p></blockquote> -<p>Here is the imperial drama of Mormonism which the saints have applied -most literally, and sought to work out in America; or, rather the God -of Israel has purposed to fulfill his wondrous scheme, in them, and -multiply them until they shall be an empire of God-fearing men and -women—ten thousand times ten thousand saints. -</p> -<p>No wonder that Missouri drove the saints—no wonder that the sisters, -with such views, have risen to such sublime heroism and been inspired -with such exalted faith. Scarcely to be wondered at even that they have -been strong enough to bear their crosses throughout eventful lives, -which have no parallel in history. With a matchless might of spirit, -and divine ambitions, inspired by such a theology, literally applied in -the action of their lives, they have risen to the superhuman. -</p> -<p>Comprehend this Hebraic religion of the sisters, and it can thus be -comprehended somewhat how they have borne the cross of polygamy, with -more than the courage of martyrs at the stake. -</p> -<p>We are coming to polygamy, by-and-by, to let these braver than Spartan -women speak for themselves, upon their own special subject; but -polygamy was not established until years after the saints were driven -from Missouri. -</p> -<p>We are but opening these views of Hebraic faith and religion. The -themes will return frequently in their proper places. But let the -sisters most reveal themselves in their expositions, episodes, and -testimonies. -</p> -<p>Thus, here, the high priestess of Mormondom, with her beautiful themes -of our God-Father and our God-Mother! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">ELIZA R. SNOW'S INVOCATION—THE ETERNAL FATHER AND MOTHER—ORIGIN OF -THE SUBLIME THOUGHT POPULARLY ATTRIBUTED TO THEODORE PARKER—BASIC IDEA -OF THE MORMON THEOLOGY. -</p> -<p>Joseph endowed the church with the genesis of a grand theology, and -Brigham has reared the colossal fabric of a new civilization; but woman -herself must sing of her celestial origin, and her relationship to the -majesty of creation. -</p> -<p>Inspired by the mystic memories of the past, Eliza R. Snow has made -popular in the worship of the saints a knowledge of the grand family, -in our <em>primeval spirit-home</em>. The following gem, which opens the first -volume of her poems, will give at once a rare view of the spiritual -type of the high priestess of the Mormon Church, and of the divine -drama of Mormonism itself. It is entitled, "Invocation; or, the Eternal -Father and Mother -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> O! my Father, thou that dwellest<br> - In the high and holy place;<br> - When shall I regain thy presence,<br> - And again behold thy face?<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> In thy glorious habitation,<br> - Did my spirit once reside?<br> - In my first primeval childhood,<br> - Was I nurtured by thy side?<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> For a wise and glorious purpose,<br> - Thou hast placed me here on earth;<br> - And withheld the recollection<br> - Of my former friends and birth.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Yet oft-times a secret something,<br> - Whisper'd, "You're a stranger here;"<br> - And I felt that I had wandered<br> - From a more exalted sphere.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I had learned to call thee Father,<br> - Through thy spirit from on high;<br> - But until the key of knowledge<br> - Was restored, I knew not why.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> In the heavens are parents single?<br> - No; the thought makes reason stare;<br> - Truth is reason; truth eternal,<br> - Tells me I've a Mother there.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> When I leave this frail existence—<br> - When I lay this mortal by,<br> - Father, Mother, may I meet you<br> - In your royal court on high?<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Then at length, when I've completed<br> - All you sent me forth to do,<br> - With your mutual approbation,<br> - Let me come and dwell with you.<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>A divine drama set to song. And as it is but a choral dramatization, -in the simple hymn form, of the celestial themes revealed through -Joseph Smith, it will strikingly illustrate the vast system of Mormon -theology, which links the heavens and the earths. -</p> -<p>It is well remembered what an ecstacy filled the minds of the -transcendental Christians of America, when the voice of Theodore -Parker, bursting into the fervor of a new revelation, addressed, in -prayer, our Father and Mother in heaven! -</p> -<p>An archangel proclamation that! -</p> -<p>Henceforth shall the mother half of creation be worshipped with that of -the God-Father; and in that worship woman, by the very association of -ideas, shall be exalted in the coming civilization. -</p> -<p>Wonderful revelation, Brother Theodore; worthy thy glorious intellect! -Quite as wonderful that it was not universal long before thy day! -</p> -<p>But it will be strange news to many that years before Theodore Parker -breathed that theme in public prayer, the Mormon people sang their hymn -of invocation to the Father and Mother in heaven, given them by the -Hebraic pen of Eliza R. Snow. -</p> -<p>And in this connection it will be proper to relate the fact that a -Mormon woman once lived as a servant in the house of Theodore Parker. -With a disciple's pardonable cunning she was in the habit of leaving -Mormon books in the way of her master. It is not unlikely that the -great transcendentalist had read the Mormon poetess' hymn to "Our -Father-and-Mother God!" -</p> -<p>And perhaps it will appear still more strange to the reader, who may -have been told that woman in the Mormon scheme ranked low—almost to -the barbarian scale—to learn that the revelation of the Father and -Mother of creation, given through the Mormon prophet, and set to song -by a kindred spirit, is the basic idea of the whole Mormon theology. -</p> -<p>The hymn of invocation not only treats our God parents in this grand -primeval sense, but the poetess weaves around their parental centre the -divine drama of the pre-existence of worlds. -</p> -<p>This celestial theme was early revealed to the church by the prophet, -and for now nearly forty years the hymn of invocation has been familiar -in the meetings of the saints. -</p> -<p>A marvel indeed is this, that at the time modern Christians, and -even "philosophers," were treating this little earth, with its six -thousand years of mortal history, as the sum of the intelligent -universe—to which was added this life's sequel, with the gloom of hell -prevailing—the Mormon people, in their very household talk, conversed -and sang of an endless succession of worlds. -</p> -<p>They talked of their own pre-existing lives. They came into the divine -action ages ago, played their parts in a primeval state, and played -them well. Hence were they the first fruits of the gospel. They -scarcely limited their pre-existing lives to a beginning, or compassed -their events, recorded in other worlds, in a finite story. Down -through the cycles of all eternity they had come, and they were now -entabernacled spirits passing through a mortal probation. -</p> -<p>It was of such a theme that "Sister Eliza" sang; and with such a theme -her hymn of invocation to our Father and Mother in heaven soon made the -saints familiar in every land. -</p> -<p>Let us somewhat further expound the theme of this hymn, which our -poetess could not fully embody in the simple form of verse. -</p> -<p>God the Father and God the Mother stand, in the grand pre-existing -view, as the origin and centre of the spirits of all the generations of -mortals who had been entabernacled on this earth. -</p> -<p>First and noblest of this great family was Jesus Christ, who was the -elder brother, in spirit, of the whole human race. These constituted a -world-family of pre-existing souls. -</p> -<p>Brightest among these spirits, and nearest in the circle to our Father -and Mother in heaven (the Father being Adam), were Seth, Enoch, Noah -and Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus Christ—indeed that glorious -cohort of men and women, whose lives have left immortal records in the -world's history. Among these the Mormon faith would rank Joseph Smith, -Brigham Young, and their compeers. -</p> -<p>In that primeval spirit-state, these were also associated with a divine -sisterhood. One can easily imagine the inspired authoress of the hymn -on pre-existence, to have been a bright angel among this sister throng. -Her hymn is as a memory of that primeval life, and her invocation is as -the soul's yearning for the Father and Mother in whose courts she was -reared, and near whose side her spirit was nurtured. -</p> -<p>These are the sons and daughters of Adam—the Ancient of Days—the -Father and God of the whole human family. These are the sons and -daughters of Michael, who is Adam, the father of the spirits of all our -race. -</p> -<p>These are the sons and daughters of Eve, the Mother of a world. -</p> -<p>What a practical Unitarianism is this! The Christ is not dragged from -his heavenly estate, to be mere mortal, but mortals are lifted up to -his celestial plane. He is still the God-Man; but he is one among many -brethren who are also God-Men. -</p> -<p>Moreover, Jesus is one of a grand order of Saviours. Every world has -its distinctive Saviour, and every dispensation its Christ. -</p> -<p>There is a glorious Masonic scheme among the Gods. The everlasting -orders come down to us with their mystic and official names. The -heavens and the earths have a grand leveling; not by pulling down -celestial spheres, but by the lifting up of mortal spheres. -</p> -<p>Perchance the skeptic and the strict scientist who measures by the cold -logic of facts, but rises not to the logic of ideas, might not accept -this literal pre-existing view, yet it must be confessed that it is a -lifting up of the idealities of man's origin. Man is the offspring of -the Gods. This is the supreme conception which gives to religion its -very soul. Unless man's divinity comes in somewhere, religion is the -wretchedest humbug that ever deluded mortals. -</p> -<p>Priestcraft, indeed, then, from the beginning to the end—from the -Alpha to the Omega of theologic craft, there is nothing divine. -</p> -<p>But the sublime and most primitive conception of Mormonism is, that man -in his essential being is divine, that he is the offspring of God—that -God is indeed his Father. -</p> -<p>And woman? for she is the theme now. -</p> -<p>Woman is heiress of the Gods. She is joint heir with her elder brother, -Jesus the Christ; but she inherits from her God-Father and her -God-Mother. Jesus is the "beloved" of that Father and Mother—their -well-tried Son, chosen to work out the salvation and exaltation of the -whole human family. -</p> -<p>And shall it not be said then that the subject <em>rises</em> from the -God-Father to the God-Mother? Surely it is a rising in the sense of -the culmination of the divine idea. The God-Father is not robbed of -his everlasting glory by this maternal completion of himself. It is an -expansion both of deity and humanity. -</p> -<p>They twain are one God! -</p> -<p>The supreme Unitarian conception is here; the God-Father and the -God-Mother! The grand unity of God is in them—in the divine Fatherhood -and the divine Motherhood—the very beginning and consummation of -creation. Not in the God-Father and the God-Son can the unity of the -heavens and the earths be worked out; neither with any logic of facts -nor of idealities. In them the Masonic trinities; in the everlasting -Fathers and the everlasting Mothers the unities of creations. -</p> -<p>Our Mother in heaven is decidedly a new revelation, as beautiful -and delicate to the masculine sense of the race as it is just and -exalting to the feminine. It is the woman's own revelation. Not even -did Jesus proclaim to the world the revelation of our Mother in -heaven—co-existent and co-equal with the eternal Father. This was -left, among the unrevealed truths, to the present age, when it would -seem the woman is destined by Providence to become very much the oracle -of a new and peculiar civilization. -</p> -<p>The oracle of this last grand truth of woman's divinity and of her -eternal Mother as the partner with the Father in the creation of -worlds, is none other than the Mormon Church. It was revealed in the -glorious theology of Joseph, and established by Brigham in the vast -patriarchal system which he has made firm as the foundations of the -earth, by proclaiming Adam as our Father and God. The Father is first -in name and order, but the Mother is with him—these twain, one from -the beginning. -</p> -<p>Then came our Hebraic poetess with her hymn of invocation, and woman -herself brought the perfected idea of deity into the forms of praise -and worship. Is not this exalting woman to her sphere beyond all -precedent? -</p> -<p>Let it be marked that the Roman Catholic idea of the Mother of God is -wonderfully lower than the Mormon idea. The Church of Rome only brings -the maternal conception, linked with deity, in Christ, and that too in -quite the inferior sense. It is not primitive—it is the exception; -it begins and ends with the Virgin Mary. A question indeed whether it -elevates womanhood and motherhood. The ordinary idea is rather the more -exalted; for that always, in a sense, makes the mother superior to the -son. The proverb that great mothers conceive great sons has really more -poetry in it than the Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary was the Mother -of God. -</p> -<p>The Mormon Church is the oracle of the grandest conception of womanhood -and motherhood. And from her we have it as a revelation to the world, -and not a mere thought of a transcendental preacher—a glorious -Theodore Parker flashing a celestial ray upon the best intellects of -the age. -</p> -<p>Excepting the Lord's prayer, there is not in the English language the -peer of this Mormon invocation; and strange to say the invocation is -this time given to the Church through woman—the prophetess and high -priestess of the faith. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXX"></a>CHAPTER XX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE TRINITY OF MOTHERHOOD—EVE, SARAH, AND ZION—THE MORMON THEORY -CONCERNING OUR FIRST PARENTS. -</p> -<p>A trinity of Mothers! -</p> -<p>The celestial Masonry of Womanhood! -</p> -<p>The other half of the grand patriarchal economy of the heavens and the -earths! -</p> -<p>The book of patriarchal theology is full of new conceptions. Like the -star-bespangled heavens—like the eternities which it mantles—is that -wondrous theology! -</p> -<p>New to the world, but old as the universe. 'Tis the everlasting book of -immortals, unsealed to mortal view, by these Mormon prophets. -</p> -<p>A trinity of Mothers—Eve the Mother of a world; Sarah the Mother of -the covenant; Zion the Mother of celestial sons and daughters—the -Mother of the new creation of Messiah's reign, which shall give to -earth the crown of her glory and the cup of joy after all her ages of -travail. -</p> -<p>Still tracing down the divine themes of Joseph; still faithfully -following the methods of that vast patriarchal economy which shall -be the base of a new order of society and of the temple of a new -civilization. -</p> -<p>When Brigham Young proclaimed to the nations that Adam was our Father -and God, and Eve, his partner, the Mother of a world—both in a mortal -and a celestial sense—he made the most important revelation ever -oracled to the race since the days of Adam himself. -</p> -<p>This grand patriarchal revelation is the very keystone of the "new -creation" of the heavens and the earth. It gives new meaning to the -whole system of theology—as much new meaning to the economy of -salvation as to the economy of creation. By the understanding of the -works of the Father, the works of the Son are illumined. -</p> -<p>The revelation was the "Let there be light" again pronounced. "And -there was light!" -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And God created man in his own image; in the image of God created - he him; male and female created he them. -</p> -<p> "And God blessed them; and God said unto them, be fruitful, and - multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." -</p></blockquote> -<p>Here is the very object of man and woman's creation exposed in the -primitive command. The first words of their genesis are, "Be fruitful -and multiply." -</p> -<p>So far, it is of but trifling moment <em>how</em> our "first parents" were -created; whether like a brick, with the spittle of the Creator and the -dust of the earth, or by the more intelligible method of generation. -The prime object of man and woman's creation was for the <em>purposes of -creation</em>. -</p> -<p>"Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it," by -countless millions of your offspring. -</p> -<p>Thus opened creation, and the womb of everlasting motherhood throbbed -with divine ecstacy. -</p> -<p>It is the divine command still. All other maybe dark as a fable, of -the genesis of the race, but this is not dark. Motherhood to this hour -leaps for joy at this word of God, "Be fruitful;" and motherhood is -sanctified as by the holiest sacrament of nature. -</p> -<p>We shall prefer Brigham's expounding of the dark passages of Genesis. -</p> -<p>Our first parents were not made up like mortal bricks. They came to be -the Mother and the Father of a new creation of souls. -</p> -<p>We say Mother now, first, for we are tracing this everlasting theme of -motherhood, in the Mormon economy, without which nothing of the woman -part of the divine scheme can be known—next to nothing of patriarchal -marriage, to which we are traveling, be expounded. -</p> -<p>Eve—immortal Eve—came down to earth to become the Mother of a race. -</p> -<p>How become the Mother of a world of mortals except by herself again -becoming mortal? How become mortal only by transgressing the laws of -immortality? How only by "eating of the forbidden fruit"—by partaking -of the elements of a mortal earth, in which the seed of death was -everywhere scattered? -</p> -<p>All orthodox theologians believe Adam and Eve to have been at first -immortal, and all acknowledge the great command, "Be fruitful and -multiply." -</p> -<p>That they were not about to become the parents of a world of immortals -is evident, for they were on a mortal earth. That the earth was mortal -all nature here to-day shows. The earth was to be subdued by teeming -millions of mankind—the dying earth actually eaten, in a sense, a -score of times, by the children of these grand parents. -</p> -<p>The fall is simple. Our immortal parents came down to fall; came down -to transgress the laws of immortality; came down to give birth to -mortal tabernacles for a world of spirits. -</p> -<p>The "forbidden tree," says Brigham, contained in its fruit the elements -of death, or the elements of mortality. By eating of it, blood was -again infused into the tabernacles of beings who had become immortal. -The basis of mortal generation is blood. Without blood no mortal can -be born. Even could immortals have been conceived on earth, the trees -of life had made but the paradise of a few; but a mortal world was the -object of creation then. -</p> -<p>Eve, then, came down to be the Mother of a world. -</p> -<p>Glorious Mother, capable of dying at the very beginning to give life -to her offspring, that through mortality the eternal life of the Gods -might be given to her sons and daughters. -</p> -<p>Motherhood the same from the beginning even to the end! The love of -motherhood passing all understanding! Thus read our Mormon sisters the -fall of their Mother. -</p> -<p>And the serpent tempted the woman with the forbidden fruit. -</p> -<p>Did woman hesitate a moment then? Did motherhood refuse the cup for her -own sake, or did she, with infinite love, take it and drink for her -children's sake? The Mother had plunged down, from the pinnacle of her -celestial throne, to earth, to taste of death that her children might -have everlasting life. -</p> -<p>What! should Eve ask Adam to partake of the elements of death first, in -such a sacrament! 'Twould have outraged motherhood! -</p> -<p>Eve partook of that supper of the Lord's death first. She ate of that -body and drank of that blood. -</p> -<p>Be it to Adam's eternal <em>credit</em> that he stood by and let our -Mother—our ever blessed Mother Eve—partake of the sacrifice before -himself. Adam followed the Mother's example, for he was great and -grand—a Father worthy indeed of a world. He was wise, too; for the -<em>blood of life</em> is the stream of mortality. -</p> -<p>What a psalm of everlasting praise to woman, that Eve fell first! -</p> -<p>A Goddess came down from her mansions of glory to bring the spirits of -her children down after her, in their myriads of branches and their -hundreds of generations! -</p> -<p>She was again a mortal Mother now. The first person in the trinity of -Mothers. -</p> -<p>The Mormon sisterhood take up their themes of religion with their -Mother Eve, and consent with her, at the very threshold of the temple, -to bear the cross. Eve is ever with her daughters in the temple of the -Lord their God. -</p> -<p>The Mormon daughters of Eve have also in this eleventh hour come down -to earth, like her, to magnify the divine office of motherhood. She -came down from her resurrected, they from their spirit, estate. Here, -with her, in the divine providence of maternity, they begin to ascend -the ladder to heaven, and to their exaltation in the courts of their -Father and Mother God. -</p> -<p>Who shall number the blasphemies of the sectarian churches against our -first grand parents? Ten thousand priests of the serpent have thundered -anathemas upon the head of "accursed Adam." Appalling, oftentimes, -their pious rage. And Eve—the holiest, grandest of Mothers—has been -made a very by-word to offset the frailties of the most wicked and -abandoned. -</p> -<p>Very different is Mormon theology! The Mormons exalt the grand parents -of our race. Not even is the name of Christ more sacred to them -than the names of Adam and Eve. It was to them the poetess and high -priestess addressed her hymn of invocation; and Brigham's proclamation -that Adam is our Father and God is like a hallelujah chorus to their -everlasting names. The very earth shall yet take it up; all the sons -and daughters of Adam and Eve shall yet shout it for joy, to the ends -of the earth, in every tongue! -</p> -<p>Eve stands, then, first—the God-Mother in the maternal trinity of -this earth. Soon we shall meet Sarah, the Mother of the covenant, and -in her daughters comprehend something of patriarchal marriage—"Mormon -polygamy." But leave we awhile these themes of woman, and return to the -personal thread of the sisters' lives. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE HUNTINGTONS—ZINA D. YOUNG, AND PRESCINDIA L. KIMBALL—THEIR -TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE KIRTLAND MANIFESTATIONS—UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF -JOSEPH SMITH—DEATH OF MOTHER HUNTINGTON. -</p> -<p>Who are these thus pursued as by the demons that ever haunt a great -destiny? -</p> -<p>As observed in the opening chapter, they are the sons and daughters -of the Pilgrim sires and mothers who founded this nation; sons and -daughters of the patriots who fought the battles of independence and -won for these United States a transcendent destiny. -</p> -<p>Here meet we two of the grand-nieces of Samuel Huntington, one of the -signers of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Connecticut, -and President of Congress. -</p> -<p>Zina Diantha Huntington has long been known and honored as one of the -most illustrious women of the Church. She was not only sealed to the -prophet Joseph in their sacred covenant of celestial marriage, but -after his martyrdom she was sealed to Brigham Young as one of Joseph's -wives. For over a quarter of a century she has been known as Zina D. -Young—being mother to one of Brigham's daughters. In her mission -of usefulness she has stood side by side with Sister Eliza R. Snow, -and her life has been that of one of the most noble and saintly of -women. Thus is she introduced to mark her honored standing among the -sisterhood. Of her ancestral record she says: -</p> -<p>"My father's family is directly descended from Simon Huntington, the -'Puritan immigrant' who sailed for America in 1633. He died on the -sea, but left three sons and his widow, Margaret. The church records -of Roxbury, Mass., contain the earliest record of the Huntington name -known in New England, and is in the handwriting of Rev. John Elliot -himself, the pastor of that ancient church. This is the record: -'Margaret Huntington, widow, came in 1633. Her husband died by the way, -of the small-pox. She brought—children with her.' -</p> -<p>"Tradition says that Simon, the Puritan emigrant, sailed for this -country to escape the persecutions to which non-conformists were -subjected, during the high-handed administrations of Laud and the -first Charles. Tradition also declares him to have been beyond doubt -an Englishman. The Rev. E. B. Huntington, in his genealogical memoir -of the Huntington family in this country, observes: 'The character of -his immediate descendants is perhaps in proof of both statements; they, -were thoroughly English in their feelings, affinities, and language; -and that they were as thoroughly religious, their names and official -connection with the early churches in this country abundantly attest.' -</p> -<p>"Of one of my great-grandfathers the Huntington family memoir records -thus: 'John, born in Norwich, March 15th, 1666, married December 9th, -1686, Abigal, daughter of Samuel Lathrop, who was born in May, 1667. -Her father moved to Norwich from New London, to which place he had gone -from Scituate, Mass., in 1648. He was the son of the Rev. John Lathrop, -who, for nonconformity, being a preacher in the First Congregational -Church organized in London, was imprisoned for two years, and who, on -being released in 1634, came to this country, and became the first -minister of Scituate.' -</p> -<p>"The Lathrops, from which my branch of the family was direct, also -married with the other branches of the Huntingtons, making us kin of -both sides, and my sister, Prescindia Lathrop Huntington, bears the -family name of generations. -</p> -<p>"My grandfather, Wm. Huntington, was born September 19th, 1757; -married, February 13th, 1783, Prescindia Lathrop, and was one of the -first settlers in the Black River Valley, in Northern New York. He -resided at Watertown. He married for his second wife his first wife's -sister, Alvira Lathrop Dresser. He died May 11th, 1842. The following -is an obituary notice found in one of the Watertown papers: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "'At his residence, on the 11th inst., Wm. Huntington, in the - eighty-fifth year of his age. Mr. Huntington was one of our oldest - and most respected inhabitants. He was a native of Tolland, Conn., - and for three or four years served in the army of the Revolution. - In the year 1784 he emigrated to New Hampshire, where he resided - till the year 1804, when he removed to Watertown. He was for many - years a member and an officer of the Presbyterian Church.' -</p></blockquote> -<p>"Before his death, however, my grandfather was baptized into the -Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He always spoke of Samuel -Huntington, the signer of the Declaration of Independence, as his Uncle -Samuel." -</p> -<p>This genealogical record is given to illustrate the numerous Puritan -and Revolutionary relations of the leading families of the Mormon -people, and to emphasize the unparalleled outrage of the repeated -exile of such descendants—exiles at last from American civilization. -How exact has been the resemblance of their history to that of their -Pilgrim fathers and mothers! -</p> -<p>But the decided connection of the Huntingtons with the Mormon people -was in William Huntington, the father of sisters Zina and Prescindia, -who for many years was a presiding High Priest of the Church, being a -member of the High Council. -</p> -<p>This Wm. Huntington was also a patriot, and served in the war with -Great Britain, in 1812. -</p> -<p>The sisters Zina and Prescindia, with their brothers, were raised -fourteen miles east of Sackett's Harbor, where the last battle was -fought between the British and Americans, in that war; so that the -Revolutionary history of their country formed a peculiarly interesting -theme to the "young folks" of the Huntington family. Indeed their -brother, Dimock, at the period of the exodus of the Mormons from -Nauvoo, had so much of the blood of the patriots in his veins that -he at once enlisted in the service of his country in the war with -Mexico—being a soldier in the famous Mormon battalion. -</p> -<p>Prescindia Lathrop Huntington, the eldest of these two illustrious -sisters, was born in Watertown, Jefferson county, N. Y., September 7th, -1810, and was her mother's fourth child; Zina Diantha was born at the -same place, January 31st, 1821. -</p> -<p>Prescindia is a woman of very strong character; and her life has been -marked with great decision and self-reliance, both in thought and -purpose. She was also endowed with a large, inspired mind—the gifts -of prophesy, speaking in tongues, and the power to heal and comfort -the sick, being quite pre-eminent in her apostolic life. In appearance -she is the very counterpart of the Eliza Huntington whose likeness is -published in the book of the Huntington family. A mother in Israel is -Sister Prescindia, and the type of one of the Puritan mothers in the -olden time. She was sealed to Joseph Smith, and for many years was one -of the wives of the famous Heber C. Kimball. -</p> -<p>Mother Huntington was also an exemplary saint. She died a victim of the -persecutions, when the saints were driven from Missouri, and deserves -to be enshrined as a martyr among her people. Her name was Zina Baker, -born May 2d, 1786, in Plainfield, Cheshire county, N. H., and married -to Wm. Huntington, December 28, 1806. Her father was one of the first -physicians in New Hampshire, and her mother, Diantha Dimock, was -descended from the noble family of Dymocks, whose representatives held -the hereditary knight-championship of England—instance Sir Edward -Dymock, Queen Elizabeth's champion. -</p> -<p>Mother Huntington was a woman of great faith. "She believed that God -would hear and answer prayer in behalf of the sick. The gift of healing -was with her before the gospel was restored in its fullness." -</p> -<p>Thus testify her daughters of their mother, whose spirit of faith -was also instilled into their own hearts, preparing them to receive -the gospel of a great spiritual dispensation, and for that apostolic -calling among the sick, to which their useful lives have been greatly -devoted. -</p> -<p>Father and Mother Huntington had both been strict Presbyterians; but -about the time of the organization of the Latter-day Church he withdrew -from the congregation, which had become divided over church forms, -and commenced an earnest examination of the Scriptures for himself. -To his astonishment he discovered that there was no church extant, -to his knowledge, according to the ancient pattern, with apostles -and prophets, nor any possessing the gifts and powers of the ancient -gospel. For the next three years he was as a watcher for the coming of -an apostolic mission, when one day Elder Joseph Wakefield brought to -his house the Book of Mormon. Soon his family embraced the Latter-day -faith, rejoicing in the Lord. Himself and wife, and his son Dimock and -his wife, with "Zina D.," then only a maiden, were the first of the -family baptized. Zina was baptized by Hyrum Smith, in Watertown, August -1st, 1835. -</p> -<p>Prescindia at that time was living with her husband at Loraine, a -little village eighteen miles from her native place, when her mother, -in the summer of 1835, brought to her the Book of Mormon and her -first intelligence of the Mormon prophet. She gathered to Kirtland in -May, 1836, and was baptized on the 6th of the following June, and was -confirmed by Oliver Cowdry. -</p> -<p>"In Kirtland," she says, "we enjoyed many very great blessings, and -often saw the power of God manifested. On one occasion I saw angels -clothed in white walking upon the temple. It was during one of our -monthly fast meetings, when the saints were in the temple worshipping. -A little girl came to my door and in wonder called me out, exclaiming, -'The meeting is on the top of the meeting house!' I went to the door, -and there I saw on the temple angels clothed in white covering the roof -from end to end. They seemed to be walking to and fro; they appeared -and disappeared. The third time they appeared and disappeared before -I realized that they were not mortal men. Each time in a moment they -vanished, and their reappearance was the same. This was in broad -daylight, in the afternoon. A number of the children in Kirtland saw -the same. -</p> -<p>"When the brethren and sisters came home in the evening, they told -of the power of God manifested in the temple that day, and of the -prophesying and speaking in tongues. It was also said, in the -interpretation of tongues, 'That the angels were resting down upon the -house.' -</p> -<p>"At another fast meeting I was in the temple with my sister Zina. The -whole of the congregation were on their knees, praying vocally, for -such was the custom at the close of these meetings when Father Smith -presided; yet there was no confusion; the voices of the congregation -mingled softly together. While the congregation was thus praying, we -both heard, from one corner of the room above our heads, a choir of -angels singing most beautifully. They were invisible to us, but myriads -of angelic voices seemed to be united in singing some song of Zion, and -their sweet harmony filled the temple of God. -</p> -<p>"We were also in the temple at the pentecost. In the morning Father -Smith prayed for a pentecost, in opening the meeting. That day the -power of God rested mightily upon the saints. There was poured out -upon us abundantly the spirit of revelation, prophesy and tongues. The -Holy Ghost filled the house; and along in the afternoon a noise was -heard. It was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. But at first the -congregation was startled, not knowing what it was. To many it seemed -as though the roof was all in flames. Father Smith exclaimed, 'Is the -house on fire!' -</p> -<p>"'Do you not remember your prayer this morning, Father Smith?' inquired -a brother. -</p> -<p>"Then the patriarch, clasping his hands, exclaimed, 'The spirit of God, -like a mighty rushing wind!' -</p> -<p>"At another time a cousin of ours came to visit us at Kirtland. She -wanted to go to one of the saints' fast meetings, to hear some one sing -or speak in tongues, but she said she expected to have a hearty laugh. -</p> -<p>"Accordingly we went with our cousin to the meeting, during which a -Brother McCarter rose and sang a song of Zion in tongues; I arose and -sang simultaneously with him the same tune and words, beginning and -ending each verse in perfect unison, without varying a word. It was -just as though we had sung it together a thousand times. -</p> -<p>"After we came out of meeting, our cousin observed, 'Instead of -laughing, I never felt so solemn in my life.'" -</p> -<p>The family of Huntingtons removed with the saints from Kirtland to Far -West, and passed through the scenes of the expulsion from Missouri. In -this their experience was very similar to the narratives of the other -sisters already given; but Sister Prescindia's visit to the prophet, in -Liberty jail, must have special notice. She says: -</p> -<p>"In the month of February, 1839, my father, with Heber C. Kimball, and -Alanson Ripley, came and stayed over night with us, on their way to -visit the prophet and brethren in Liberty jail. I was invited to go -with them. -</p> -<p>"When we arrived at the jail we found a heavy guard outside and inside -the door. We were watched very closely, lest we should leave tools to -help the prisoners escape. -</p> -<p>"I took dinner with the brethren in prison; they were much pleased to -see the faces of true friends; but I cannot describe my feelings on -seeing that man of God there confined in such a trying time for the -saints, when his counsel was so much needed. And we were obliged to -leave them in that horrid prison, surrounded by a wicked mob. -</p> -<p>"While in prison, the brethren were presented with human flesh to eat. -My brother, Wm. Huntington, tasted before the word could be passed from -Joseph to him. It was the flesh of a colored man. -</p> -<p>"After my second visit to the prison, with Frederick G. Williams, the -prophet addressed to me the following letter: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="right"> "'LIBERTY JAIL, March 15th, 1839. -</p> -<p> "'DEAR SISTER: -</p> -<p> "'My heart rejoiced at the friendship you manifested in requesting - to have conversation with us; but the jailer is a very jealous man, - for fear some one will have tools for us to get out with. He is - under the eye of the mob continually, and his life is at stake if - he grants us any privilege. He will not let us converse with any - one alone. -</p> -<p> "'O what a joy it would be for us to see our friends. It would have - gladdened my heart to have had the privilege of conversing with - you; but the hand of tyranny is upon us; but thanks be to God, it - cannot last always; and he that sitteth in the heavens will laugh - at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh. -</p> -<p> "'We feel, dear sister, that our bondage is not of long duration. - I trust that I shall have the chance to give such instructions as - have been communicated to us, before long; and as you wanted some - instruction from us, and also to give us some information, and - administer consolation to us, and to find out what is best for you - to do, I think that many of the brethren, if they will be pretty - still, can stay in this country until the indignation is over and - passed. But I think it will be better for Brother Buell to leave - and go with the rest of the brethren, if he keeps the faith, and at - any rate, for thus speaketh the spirit concerning him. I want him - and you to know that I am your true friend. -</p> -<p> "'I was glad to see you. No tongue can tell what inexpressible joy - it gives a man to see the face of one who has been a friend, after - having been inclosed in the walls of a prison for five months. It - seems to me my heart will always be more tender after this than - ever it was before. -</p> -<p> "'My heart bleeds continually when I contemplate the distress of - the Church. O that I could be with them; I would not shrink at toil - and hardship to render them comfort and consolation. I want the - blessing once more to lift my voice in the midst of the saints. I - would pour out my soul to God for their instruction. It has been - the plan of the devil to hamper and distress me from the beginning, - to keep me from explaining myself to them, and I never have had - opportunity to give them the plan that God has revealed to me. Many - have run without being sent, crying, 'Tidings, my Lord,' and have - caused injury to the Church, giving the adversary more power over - them that walk by sight and not by faith. Our trouble will only - give us that knowledge to understand the mind of the ancients. For - my part I think I never could have felt as I now do if I had not - suffered the wrongs which I have suffered. All things shall work - together for good to them that love God. -</p> -<p> "'Beloved sister, we see that perilous times have truly come, and - the things which we have so long expected have at last begun to - usher in; but when you see the fig tree begin to put forth its - leaves, you may know that the summer is nigh at hand. There will be - a short work on the earth; it has now commenced. I suppose there - will soon be perplexity all over the earth. Do not let our hearts - faint when these things come upon us, for they must come or the - word cannot be fulfilled. I know that something will soon take - place to stir up this generation to see what they have been doing, - and that their fathers have inherited lies, and they have been led - captive by the devil to no profit. But they know not what they - do. Do not have any feeling of enmity towards any son or daughter - of Adam. I believe I shall be let out of their hands some way or - other, and shall see good days. We cannot do anything, only stand - still and see the salvation of God. He must do his own work or it - must fall to the ground. We must not take it in our hands to avenge - our wrongs. 'Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord; I will repay.' I - have no fears; I shall stand unto death, God being my helper. -</p> -<p> "'I wanted to communicate something, and I wrote this. Write to us - if you can. -</p> -<p class="centered"> &c., -</p> -<p class="right"> "'J. SMITH, JR.'" -</p></blockquote> -<p>This letter to Sister Prescindia, which has never before been -published, gives an excellent example of the spirit and style of the -prophet. It will be read with interest, even by the anti-Mormon. -Himself in prison, and his people even at that moment passing through -their expulsion, what passages for admiration are these: -</p> -<p>"Do not have any feelings of enmity towards any son or daughter of -Adam." "They know not what they do!" "We must not take it in our hands -to avenge our wrongs. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord; I will repay." -"I have no fears; I shall stand unto death, God being my helper!" -</p> -<p>Like his divine Master this; "Father, forgive them; they know not what -they do!" A great heart, indeed, had Joseph, and a spirit exalted with -noble aims and purposes. -</p> -<p>When Sister Prescindia returned to Far West, her father and mother, -with her sister Zina, had started in the exodus of the saints from -Missouri to Illinois. She says: -</p> -<p>"I never saw my mother again. I felt alone on the earth, with no one to -comfort me, excepting my little son, George, for my husband had become -a bitter apostate, and I could not speak in favor of the Church in his -presence. There was by this time not one true saint in the State of -Missouri, to my knowledge." -</p> -<p>Sister Zina says: "On the 18th of April, 1839, I left Far West, with my -father, mother, and two younger brothers, and arrived at Quincy, Ill., -on the 25th of April, and from thence to Commerce, afterwards called -Nauvoo, which we reached on the 14th of May. -</p> -<p>"Joseph, the prophet, had just escaped from prison in Missouri, and -the saints were gathering to Nauvoo. My brother Dimock was also in -Illinois, living at Judge Cleveland's. -</p> -<p>"On the 24th of June my dear mother was taken sick with a congestive -chill. About three hours afterwards she called me to her bedside and -said: -</p> -<p>"'Zina, my time has come to die. You will live many years; but O, how -lonesome father will be. I am not afraid to die. All I dread is the -mortal suffering. I shall come forth triumphant when the Saviour comes -with the just to meet the saints on the earth.' -</p> -<p>"The next morning I was taken sick; and in a few days my father -and brother Oliver were also prostrate. My youngest brother, John, -twelve years of age, was the only one left that could give us a drink -of water; but the prophet sent his adopted daughter to assist us -in our affliction, and saw to our being taken care of, as well as -circumstances would permit—for there were hundreds, lying in tents and -wagons, who needed care as much as we. Once Joseph came himself and -made us tea with his own hands, and comforted the sick and dying. -</p> -<p>"Early in the morning of the 8th of July, 1839, just before the sun had -risen, the spirit of my blessed mother took its flight, without her -moving a muscle, or even the quiver of the lip. -</p> -<p>"Only two of the family could follow the remains to their resting -place. O, who can tell the anguish of the hearts of the survivors, who -knew not whose turn it would be to follow next? -</p> -<p>"Thus died my martyred mother! The prophet Joseph often said that the -saints who died in the persecutions were as much martyrs of the Church -as was the apostle David Patten, who was killed in the defence of the -saints, or those who were massacred at Haun's Mill. And my beloved -mother was one of the many bright martyrs of the Church in those dark -and terrible days of persecution." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WOMAN'S WORK IN CANADA AND GREAT BRITAIN—HEBER C. KIMBALL'S -PROPHESY—PARLEY P. PRATT'S SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO CANADA—A BLIND WOMAN -MIRACULOUSLY HEALED—DISTINGUISHED WOMEN OF THAT PERIOD. -</p> -<p>By this time (1840, the period of the founding of Nauvoo), the Church -has had a remarkable history in Canada and Great Britain. To these -missions we must now go for some of our representative women, and also -to extend our view of Mormonism throughout the world. -</p> -<p>Brigham Young was the first of the elders who took Mormonism into -Canada, soon after his entrance into the Church. There he raised up -several branches, and gathered a few families to Kirtland; but it -was not until the apostle Parley P. Pratt took his successful and -almost romantic mission to Canada, that Mormonism flourished in the -British Province, and from there spread over to Great Britain, like an -apostolic wave. -</p> -<p>Presently we shall see that the romance of Mormonism has centred around -the sisters abroad as well as at home. Frequently we shall see them -the characters which first come to view; the first prepared for the -great spiritual work of the age; the first to receive the elders with -their tidings of the advent of a prophet and the administration of -angels, after the long night of spiritual darkness, and centuries of -angelic silence; and were it possible to trace their every footstep in -the wonderful work abroad, we should find that the sisters have been -effective missionaries of the Church, and that, in some sections, they -have been instrumental in making more disciples than even the elders. -</p> -<p>Here is the opening of the story of Parley P. Pratt's mission to -Canada, in which a woman immediately comes to the foreground in a -famous prophesy: -</p> -<p>"It was now April" (1836). "I had retired to rest," says he, "one -evening, at an early hour, and was pondering my future course, when -there came a knock at the door. I arose and opened it, when Heber C. -Kimball and others entered my house, and being filled with the spirit -of prophesy, they blessed me and my wife, and prophesied as follows: -'Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall -bear a son, and his name shall be Parley; and he shall be a chosen -instrument in the hands of the Lord to inherit the priesthood and -to walk in the steps of his father. He shall do a great work in the -earth in ministering the word and teaching the children of men. Arise, -therefore, and go forth in the ministry, nothing doubting. Take no -thought for your debts, nor the necessaries of life, for the Lord will -supply you with abundant means for all things. -</p> -<p>"'Thou shalt go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, the -capital, and there thou shalt find a people prepared for the fullness -of the gospel, and they shall receive thee, and thou shalt organize -the Church among them, and it shall spread thence into the regions -round about, and many shall be brought to the knowledge of the truth, -and shall be filled with joy; and from the things growing out of this -mission, shall the fullness of the gospel spread into England, and -cause a great work to be done in that land.' -</p> -<p>"This prophesy was the more marvelous, because being married near ten -years we had never had any children; and for near six years my wife had -been consumptive, and had been considered incurable. However, we called -to mind the faith of Abraham of old, and judging Him faithful who had -promised, we took courage. -</p> -<p>"I now began in earnest to prepare for the mission, and in a few days -all was ready. Taking an affectionate leave of my wife, mother and -friends, I started for Canada, in company with a Brother Nickerson, who -kindly offered to bear expenses." -</p> -<p>Away to Canada with Parley. We halt with him in the neighborhood of -Hamilton. He is an entire stranger in the British Province, and without -money. He knows not what to do. His narrative thus continues: -</p> -<p>"The spirit seemed to whisper to me to try the Lord, and see if -anything was too hard for him, that I might know and trust him under -all circumstances. I retired to a secret place in a forest, and prayed -to the Lord for money to enable me to cross the lake. I then entered -Hamilton, and commenced to chat with some of the people. I had not -tarried many minutes before I was accosted by a stranger, who inquired -my name and where I was going. He also asked me if I did not want -some money. I said yes. He then gave me ten dollars, and a letter of -introduction to John Taylor, of Toronto, where I arrived the same -evening. -</p> -<p>"Mrs. Taylor received me kindly, and went for her husband, who was busy -in his mechanic shop. To them I made known my errand to the city, but -received little direct encouragement. I took tea with them, and then -sought lodgings at a public house." -</p> -<p>Already had he met in Canada a woman destined to bear a representative -name in the history of her people, for she is none other than the wife -of the afterwards famous apostle John Taylor. She is the first to -receive him into her house; and the apostolic story still continues the -woman in the foreground: -</p> -<p>"In the morning," he says, "I commenced a regular visit to each of the -clergy of the place, introducing myself and my errand. I was absolutely -refused hospitality, and denied the opportunity of preaching in any -of their houses or congregations. Rather an unpromising beginning, -thought I, considering the prophesies on my head concerning Toronto. -However, nothing daunted, I applied to the sheriff for the use of the -court-house, and then to the authorities for a public room in the -market-place; but with no better success. What could I do more? I had -exhausted my influence and power without effect. I now repaired to a -pine grove just out of the town, and, kneeling down, called on the -Lord, bearing testimony of my unsuccessful exertions; my inability to -open the way; at the same time asking him in the name of Jesus to open -an effectual door for his servant to fulfill his mission in that place. -</p> -<p>"I then arose and again entered the town, and going to the house of -John Taylor, had placed my hand on my baggage to depart from a place -where I could do no good, when a few inquiries on the part of Mr. -Taylor, inspired by a degree of curiosity or of anxiety, caused a few -moments' delay, during which a lady by the name of Walton entered the -house, and, being an acquaintance of Mrs. Taylor, was soon engaged in -conversation with her in an adjoining room. I overheard the following: -</p> -<p>"'Mrs. Walton, I am glad to see you; there is a gentleman here from -the United States who says the Lord sent him to this city to preach -the gospel. He has applied in vain to the clergy and to the various -authorities for opportunity to fulfill, his mission, and is now about -to leave the place. He may be a man of God; I am sorry to have him -depart.' -</p> -<p>"'Indeed!' said the lady; 'well, I now understand the feelings and -spirit which brought me to your house at this time. I have been busy -over the wash-tub and too weary to take a walk; but I felt impressed to -walk out. I then thought I would make a call on my sister, the other -side of town; but passing your door, the spirit bade me go in; but I -said to myself, I will go in when I return; but the spirit said, go in -now. I accordingly came in, and I am thankful that I did so. Tell the -stranger he is welcome to my house. I am a widow; but I have a spare -room and bed, and food in plenty. He shall have a home at my house, -and two large rooms to preach in just when he pleases. Tell him I will -send my son John over to pilot him to my house, while I go and gather -my relatives and friends to come in this very evening and hear him -talk; for I feel by the spirit that he is a man sent by the Lord with a -message which will do us good.' -</p> -<p>"The evening found me quietly seated at her house," says Parley, "in -the midst of a number of listeners, who were seated around a large work -table in her parlor, and deeply interested in conversation like the -following: -</p> -<p>"'Mr. Pratt, we have for some years been anxiously looking for some -providential event which would gather the sheep into one fold; build up -the true Church as in days of old, and prepare the humble followers of -the Lamb, now scattered and divided, to receive their coming Lord when -he shall descend to reign on the earth. As soon as Mrs. Taylor spoke -of you I felt assured, as by a strange and unaccountable presentiment, -that you were a messenger, with important tidings on these subjects; -and I was constrained to invite you here; and now we are all here -anxiously waiting to hear your words.' -</p> -<p>"'Well, Mrs. Walton, I will frankly relate to you and your friends -the particulars of my message am the nature of my commission. A young -man the State of New York, whose name is Joseph Smith, was visited -by an angel of God, and, after several visions and much instruction, -was enabled to obtain an ancient record, written by men of old on the -American continent, and containing the history, prophesies and gospel -in plainness, as revealed to them by Jesus and his messengers. This -same Joseph Smith and others, were also commissioned by the angels -in these visions, and ordained to the apostleship, with authority to -organize a church, to administer the ordinances, and to ordain others, -and thus cause the full, plain gospel in its purity, to be preached in -all the world. -</p> -<p>"'By these apostles thus commissioned, I have been ordained as an -apostle, and sent forth by the word of prophesy to minister the baptism -of repentance for remission of sins, in the name of Jesus Christ; and -to administer the gift of the Holy Ghost, to heal the sick, to comfort -the mourner, bind up the broken in heart, and proclaim the acceptable -year of the Lord. -</p> -<p>"'I was also directed to this city by the spirit of the Lord, with -a promise that I should find a people here prepared to receive the -gospel, and should organize them in the same. But when I came and was -rejected by all parties, I was about to leave the city; but the Lord -sent you, a widow, to receive me, as I was about to depart; and thus I -was provided for like Elijah of old. And now I bless your house, and -all your family and kindred, in his name. Your sins shall be forgiven -you; you shall understand and obey the gospel, and be filled with the -Holy Ghost; for so great faith have I never seen in any of my country.' -</p> -<p>"'Well, Mr. Pratt, this is precisely the message we were waiting for; -we believe your words and are desirous to be baptized.' -</p> -<p>"'It is your duty and privilege,' said I; 'but wait yet a little -while till I have an opportunity to teach others, with whom you are -religiously connected, and invite them to partake with you of the same -blessings.'" -</p> -<p>Next comes a great miracle—the opening of the eyes of the blind—which -seems to have created quite a sensation in Canada; and still the woman -is the subject. The apostle continues: -</p> -<p>"After conversing with these interesting persons till a late hour, -we retired to rest. Next day Mrs. Walton requested me to call on a -friend of hers, who was also a widow in deep affliction, being totally -blind with inflammation in the eyes; she had suffered extreme pain -for several months, and had also been reduced to want, having four -little children to support. She had lost her husband, of cholera, two -years before, and had sustained herself and family by teaching school -until deprived of sight, since which, she had been dependent on the -Methodist society; herself and children being then a public charge. -Mrs. Walton sent her little daughter of twelve years old to show me the -way. I called on the poor blind widow and helpless orphans, and found -them in a dark and gloomy apartment, rendered more so by having every -ray of light obscured to prevent its painful effects on her eyes. I -related to her the circumstances of my mission, and she believed the -same. I laid my hands upon her in the name of Jesus Christ, and said -unto her, 'Your eyes shall be well from this very hour.' She threw -off her bandages—opened her house to the light—dressed herself, and -walking with open eyes, came to the meeting that same evening at Sister -Walton's, with eyes as well and as bright as any other persons. -</p> -<p>"The Methodist society were now relieved of their burthen in the person -of this widow and four orphans. This remarkable miracle was soon noised -abroad, and the poor woman's house was thronged from all parts of the -city and country with visitors; all curious to witness for themselves, -and to inquire of her how her eyes were healed. -</p> -<p>"'How did the man heal your eyes?' 'What did he do?—tell us,' were -questions so oft repeated that the woman, wearied of replying, came to -me for advice to know what she should do. I advised her to tell them -that the Lord had healed her, and to give him the glory, and let that -suffice. But still they teased her for particulars. 'What did this man -do?' 'How were your eyes opened and made well?' -</p> -<p>"'He laid his hands upon my head in the name of Jesus Christ, and -rebuked the inflammation, and commanded them to be made whole and -restored to sight; and it was instantly done.' -</p> -<p>"'Well, give God the glory; for, as to this man, it is well known that -he is an impostor, a follower of Joseph Smith, the false prophet.' -</p> -<p>"'Whether he be an impostor or not, I know not; but this much I know, -whereas I was blind, now I see! Can an impostor open the eyes of the -blind?'" -</p> -<p>The widow Walton was baptized, with all her household; John Taylor and -his wife, also; and John soon became an able assistant in the ministry. -</p> -<p>And here we meet two more representative women—sisters—whose family -were destined to figure historically in the church. The narrative of -Parley continues: -</p> -<p>"The work soon spread into the country and enlarged its operations in -all that region; many were gathered into the Church, and were filled -with faith and love, and with the holy spirit, and the Lord confirmed -the word with signs following. My first visit to the country was about -nine miles from Toronto, among a settlement of farmers, by one of whom -I had sent an appointment beforehand. John Taylor accompanied me. We -called at a Mr. Joseph Fielding's, an acquaintance and friend of Mr. -Taylor's. This man had two sisters, young ladies, who seeing us coming -ran from their house to one of the neighboring houses, lest they should -give welcome, or give countenance to 'Mormonism.' Mr. Fielding stayed, -and as we entered the house he said he was sorry we had come; he had -opposed our holding meeting in the neighborhood; and, so great was the -prejudice, that the Methodist meeting house was closed against us, and -the minister refused, on Sunday, to give out the appointment sent by -the farmer. -</p> -<p>"'Ah!' said I, 'why do they oppose Mormonism?' 'I don't know,' said he, -'but the name has such a contemptible sound; and, another thing, we do -not want a new revelation, or a new religion contrary to the Bible.' -'Oh,' said I, 'if that is all we shall soon remove your prejudices. -Come, call home your sisters, and let's have some supper. Did you say -the appointment was not given out?' 'I said, sir, that it was not given -out in the meeting house, nor by the minister; but the farmer by whom -you sent it agreed to have it at his house.' 'Come, then, send for -your sisters, we will take supper with you, and all go over to meeting -together. If you and your sisters will agree to this, I will agree to -preach the old Bible gospel, and leave out all new revelations which -are opposed to it.' -</p> -<p>"The honest man consented. The young ladies came home, got us a good -supper, and all went to meeting. The house was crowded; I preached, -and the people wished to hear more. The meeting house was opened -for further meetings, and in a few days we baptized Brother Joseph -Fielding and his two amiable and intelligent sisters, for such they -proved to be in an eminent degree. We also baptized many others in that -neighborhood, and organized a branch of the church, for the people -there drank in truth as water, and loved it as they loved life." -</p> -<p>Arriving at home the apostle Parley met continued examples of the -fulfillment of prophesy. Sister Pratt is now the interesting character -who takes the foreground. He says: -</p> -<p>"I found my wife had been healed of her seven years' illness from the -time Brother Kimball had ministered unto her, and I began to realize -more fully that every word of his blessing and prophesy upon my head -would surely come to pass." -</p> -<p>"After a pleasant visit with the saints," he continues, "I took my wife -with me and returned again to Toronto, in June, 1836. The work I had -commenced was still spreading its influence, and the saints were still -increasing in faith and love, in joy and in good works. There were -visions, prophesyings, speaking in tongues and healings, as well as the -casting out of devils and unclean spirits." -</p> -<p>The work inaugurated by Parley P. Pratt seemed to have achieved a -signal triumph almost from the very beginning. Indeed all had come to -pass according to the prophesy of Heber C. Kimball, even not excepting -the promised son and heir, who was born March 25th, 1837. But with this -event came the mortal end of Parley's estimable wife. She lived just -long enough to accomplish her destiny; and when the child was dressed, -and she had looked upon it and embraced it, she passed away. -</p> -<p>The following personal description and tribute of the poet apostle to -the memory of his mate is too full of love and distinctively Mormon -ideality to be lost: -</p> -<p>"She was tall, of a slender frame, her face of an oval form, eyes large -and of a dark color, her forehead lofty, clear complexion, hair black, -smooth and glossy. She was of a mild and affectionate disposition and -full of energy, perseverance, industry and cheerfulness, when not borne -down with sickness. In order, neatness and refinement of taste and -habit she might be said to excel. She was an affectionate and dutiful -wife, an exemplary saint, and, through much tribulation, she has gone -to the world of spirits to meet a glorious resurrection and an immortal -crown and kingdom. -</p> -<p>"Farewell, my dear Thankful, thou wife of my youth, and mother of my -first born; the beginning of my strength—farewell. Yet a few more -lingering years of sorrow, pain and toil, and I shall be with thee, -and clasp thee to my bosom, and thou shalt sit down on my throne, as a -queen and priestess unto thy Lord, arrayed in white robes of dazzling -splendor, and decked with precious stones and gold, while thy queen -sisters shall minister before thee and bless thee, and thy sons and -daughters innumerable shall call thee blessed, and hold thy name in -everlasting remembrance." -</p> -<p>The interesting story which Parley tells of the visit of the spirit -of his wife to him, while he was lying, a prisoner for the gospel's -sake, in a dark, cold and filthy dungeon in Richmond, Ray county, -Missouri, will be to the foregoing a charming sequel. While tortured -with the gloom and discomforts of his prison, and most of all with the -inactivity of his life of constraint, and earnestly wondering, and -praying to know, if he should ever be free again to enjoy the society -of friends and to preach the gospel, the following was shown to him, -which we will tell in his own language: -</p> -<p>"After some days of prayer and fasting," says he, "and seeking the Lord -on the subject, I one evening retired to my bed in my lonely chamber -at an early hour, and while the other prisoners and the guard were -chatting and beguiling the lonesome hours in the upper part of the -prison, I lay in silence, seeking and expecting an answer to my prayer, -when suddenly I seemed carried away in the spirit, and no longer -sensible to outward objects with which I was surrounded. A heaven of -peace and calmness pervaded my bosom; a personage from the world of -spirits stood before me with a smile of compassion in every look, and -pity mingled with the tenderest love and sympathy in every expression -of the countenance. A soft hand seemed placed within my own, and a -glowing cheek was laid in tenderness and warmth upon mine. A well-known -voice saluted me, which I readily recognized as that of the wife of my -youth, who had then for nearly two years been sweetly sleeping where -the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. I was made -to realize that she was sent to commune with me, and to answer my -question. -</p> -<p>"Knowing this, I said to her, in a most earnest and inquiring tone: -'Shall I ever be at liberty again in this life, and enjoy the society -of my family and the saints, and preach the gospel, as I have done?' -She answered definitely and unhesitatingly: 'Yes!' I then recollected -that I had agreed to be satisfied with the knowledge of that one fact, -but now I wanted more. -</p> -<p>"Said I: 'Can you tell me how, or by what means, or when, I shall -escape?' She replied: 'That thing is not made known to me yet.' I -instantly felt that I had gone beyond my agreement and my faith in -asking this last question, and that I must be contented at present with -the answer to the first. -</p> -<p>"Her gentle spirit then saluted me and withdrew. I came to myself. The -noise of the guards again grated on my ears, but heaven and hope were -in my soul. -</p> -<p>"Next morning I related the whole circumstance of my vision to my two -fellow-prisoners, who rejoiced exceedingly. This may seem to some like -an idle dream, or a romance of the imagination; but to me it was, and -always will be, a reality, both as it regards what I then experienced -and the fulfillment afterwards." -</p> -<p>The famous escape from Richmond jail forms one of the romantic chapters -of Mormon history, but it belongs rather to the acts of the apostles -than to the lives of the sisters. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">A DISTINGUISHED CANADIAN CONVERT—MRS. M. I. HORNE—HER EARLY -HISTORY—CONVERSION TO MORMONISM—SHE GATHERS WITH THE SAINTS AND -SHARES THEIR PERSECUTIONS—INCIDENTS OF HER EARLY CONNECTION WITH THE -CHURCH. -</p> -<p>Among the early fruits of the Canadian mission, perhaps the name of -no other lady stands more conspicuous for good works and faithful -ministrations, than that of Mrs. Mary I. Horne. It will, therefore, be -eminently proper to introduce her at this time to the reader, and give -a brief sketch of her early career. From her own journals we quote as -follows: -</p> -<p>"I was born on the 20th of November, 1818, in the town of Rainham, -county of Kent, England. I am the daughter of Stephen and Mary Ann -Hales, and am the eldest daughter of a large family. My parents were -honest, industrious people; and when very young I was taught to pray, -to be honest and truthful, to be kind to my associates, and to do -good to all around me. My father was of the Methodist faith, but my -mother attended the Church of England. As I was religiously inclined, I -attended the Methodist Church with my father, who was faithful in the -performance of his religious duties, although he never became a very -enthusiastic Methodist. -</p> -<p>"In the year 1832, when I was in my thirteenth year, there was great -excitement in the town where I lived, over the favorable reports that -were sent from Van Dieman's Land, and the great inducements held out -to those who would go to that country. My father and mother caught the -spirit of going, and began to make preparations for leaving England. -Before arrangements had been completed for us to go, however, letters -were received from Upper Canada, picturing, in glowing terms, the -advantages of that country. My father changed his mind immediately and -made arrangements to emigrate to the town of York, afterwards called -Toronto. Accordingly, on the 16th day of April, 1832, our family, -consisting of my parents, five sons, myself and a younger sister, bade -adieu to England. We had a tedious voyage of six weeks across the -ocean, and my mother was sick during the entire voyage. During the -passage across there were three deaths on board—one of the three being -my brother Elias, whom we sorrowfully consigned to a watery grave. -</p> -<p>"Our ship anchored at Quebec in May, and after a tedious passage up -the St. Lawrence by steamer, we landed in safety at the town of York, -June 16th, thankful that we were at our journey's end. Here we were in -a strange land, and to our dismay we found that the cholera was raging -fearfully in that region; but through all of those trying scenes the -Lord preserved us in health. -</p> -<p>"In the spring of 1833 we removed into the country about eight miles, -to a place located in the township of York, and in the spring of 1834 I -attended a Methodist camp-meeting in that neighborhood, where I formed -the acquaintance of Mr. Joseph Horne, who is now my husband. -</p> -<p>"The most of the time for the next two years I lived in service in the -city of Toronto, going once in three months to visit my parents. -</p> -<p>"On the 9th day of May, 1836, I was married to Mr. Horne. He owned -a farm about one mile from my father's house, and I removed to his -residence soon after our marriage. I now felt that I was settled in -life; and, although I had not been used to farm work, I milked cows, -fed pigs and chickens, and made myself at home in my new situation, -seeking to make my home pleasant for my husband, and working to advance -his interests. -</p> -<p>"About the first of June, of that year, report came to us that a man -professing to be sent of God to preach to the people would hold a -meeting about a mile from our house. My husband decided that we should -go and hear him. We accordingly went, and there first heard Elder Orson -Pratt. We were very much pleased with his sermon. Another meeting was -appointed for the following week, and Elder Pratt told us that business -called him away, but his brother, Parley P. Pratt, would be with us and -preach in his stead. I invited my father to go with us to hear him, and -the appointed evening found all of his family at the 'Mormon' meeting. -Elder Pratt told us that God was an unchangeable being—the same -yesterday, to-day, and forever—and taught us the gospel in its purity; -then showed from the Bible that the gospel was the same in all ages of -the world; but man had wandered from God and the true gospel, and that -the Lord had sent an angel to Joseph Smith, restoring to him the pure -gospel with its gifts and blessings. My father was so delighted with -the sermon that he left the Methodist Church and attended the 'Mormon -meetings' altogether; and in a short time every member of his family -had received and obeyed the gospel. This made quite a stir among the -Methodists. One of the class-leaders came to converse with us, and used -every argument he could to convince us that Mormonism was false, but -without avail. 'Well,' said he, finally, 'there are none but children -and fools who join them,' and left us to our fate. In July (1836) I -was baptized by Orson Hyde, and ever after that our house was open for -meetings, and became a home for many of the elders. -</p> -<p>"The following from Brother Parley P. Pratt's autobiography, is a -truthful statement of a circumstance which occurred in the fall of that -year, and to which I can bear witness, as it was of my own personal -observation, the lady in question being a neighbor of ours. He says: -</p> -<p>"'Now, there was living in that neighborhood a young man and his -wife, named Whitney; he was a blacksmith by trade; their residence -was perhaps a mile or more from Mr. Lamphere's, where I held my -semi-monthly meetings. His wife was taken down very suddenly about -that time with a strange affliction. She would be prostrated by some -power invisible to those about her, and suffer an agony of distress -indescribable. She often cried out that she could see two devils in -human form, who were thus operating upon her, and that she could hear -them talk; but, as the bystanders could not see them, but only see the -effects, they did not know what to think or how to understand. -</p> -<p>"'She would have one of these spells once in about twenty-four hours, -and when it had passed she would lie in bed so lame, bruised, sore, -and helpless that she could not rise alone, or even sit up, for some -weeks. All this time she had to have watchers both night and day, -and sometimes four and five at a time, insomuch that the neighbors -were worn out and weary with watching. Mr. Whitney sent word for me -two or three times, or left word for me to call next time I visited -the neighborhood. This, however, I had neglected to do, owing to -the extreme pressure of labors upon me in so large a circuit of -meetings—indeed I had not a moment to spare. At last, as I came round -on the circuit again, the woman, who had often requested to see the man -of God, that he might minister to her relief, declared she would see -him anyhow, for she knew she could be healed if she could but get sight -of him. In her agony she sprang from her bed, cleared herself from her -frightened husband and others, who were trying to hold her, and ran for -Mr. Lamphere's, where I was then holding meeting. At first, to use her -own words, she felt very weak, and nearly fainted, but her strength -came to her, and increased at every step till she reached the meeting. -Her friends were all astonished, and in alarm, lest she should die in -the attempt, tried to pursue her, and they several times laid hold of -her and tried to force or persuade her back. 'No,' said she, 'let me -see the man of God; I can but die, and I cannot endure such affliction -any longer.' On she came, until at last they gave up, and said, 'Let -her go, perhaps it will be according to her faith.' So she came, and -when the thing was explained the eyes of the whole multitude were upon -her. I ceased to preach, and, stepping to her in the presence of the -whole meeting, I laid my hands upon her and said, 'Sister, be of good -cheer, thy sins are forgiven, thy faith hath made thee whole; and, in -the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke the devils and unclean spirits, and -command them to trouble thee no more.' She returned home well, went -about her housekeeping, and remained well from that time forth.' -</p> -<p>"In the latter part of the summer of 1837," continues Mrs. Horne, "I -had the great pleasure of being introduced to, and entertaining, the -beloved prophet, Joseph Smith, with Sidney Rigdon and T. B. Marsh. -I said to myself, 'O Lord, I thank thee for granting the desire of -my girlish heart, in permitting me to associate with prophets and -apostles.' On shaking hands with Joseph Smith, I received the holy -spirit in such great abundance that I felt it thrill my whole system, -from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I thought I had -never beheld so lovely a countenance. Nobility and goodness were in -every feature. -</p> -<p>"The saints in Kirtland removed in the following spring to Missouri. -We started from Canada in March, 1838, with a small company of saints. -The roads were very bad, as the frost was coming out of the ground, -consequently I had to drive the team during a great portion of the -journey, while my husband walked. -</p> -<p>"On arriving at Huntsville, one hundred miles from Far West, we found -several families of saints, and tarried a short time with them. There -I was introduced to the parents of the prophet, and also to his -cousin, George A. Smith. At a meeting held in that place I received a -patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith, Sr. He told me that I had to -pass through a great deal of sickness, sorrow and tribulation, but 'the -Lord will bring you through six troubles, and in the seventh he will -not leave you;' all of which has verily been fulfilled." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Horne, with her husband and family, reached Far West in August of -that year, and received their full share of the privations incident -to the settlement of that city, and also a full share of exposure, -sickness and peril incident to the expulsion of the saints from -Missouri. Finally thereafter they gathered to Nauvoo; and there for -the present let us leave them—promising the reader that Mrs. Horne -shall again come to the front when we treat of the wonderful missionary -efforts of the Mormon women in Utah. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MORMONISM CARRIED TO GREAT BRITAIN—"TRUTH WILL PREVAIL"—THE REV. MR. -FIELDING—FIRST BAPTISM IN ENGLAND—FIRST WOMAN BAPTIZED—STORY OF -MISS JEANNETTA RICHARDS—FIRST BRANCH OF THE CHURCH IN FOREIGN LANDS -ORGANIZED AT THE HOUSE OF ANN DAWSON—FIRST CHILD BORN INTO THE CHURCH -IN ENGLAND—ROMANTIC SEQUEL—VILATE KIMBALL AGAIN. -</p> -<p>The voice of prophesy was no longer hushed; the heavens were no longer -sealed; the Almighty really spoke to these prophets and apostles of -the latter days; their words were strangely, sometimes romantically, -fulfilled; the genius of Mormonism was alike potent at home and abroad. -</p> -<p>"Thou shalt go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, and there -thou shalt find a people prepared for the fullness of the gospel, and -they shall receive thee;" the prophet Heber had oracled over the head -of a fellow laborer, "and from the things growing out of this mission -shall the fullness of the gospel spread into England and cause a great -work to be done in that land." -</p> -<p>One part of this prophesy the reader has seen exactly fulfilled in -the mission of Parley P. Pratt to Canada, enlivened with some very -interesting episodes. It falls upon Heber himself—the father of the -British mission—to fulfill, with the brethren who accompany him, the -supreme part of the prophesy referring to Great Britain. -</p> -<p>It will be remembered from the sketch of Vilate Kimball, that Mary -Fielding gave to Heber five dollars to help him on his journey, -and that she with her sister and her sister's husband, Elder R. B. -Thompson, were on their way to Canada to engage in the second mission -to that Province, while Heber, Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, and Joseph -Fielding, with several other brethren from Canada, pursued their course -to England. -</p> -<p>It was July 1st, 1837, when these elders embarked on board the ship -<em>Garrick</em>, bound for Liverpool, which they reached on the 20th of the -same month. -</p> -<p>On their arrival in that foreign land the three principal -elders—Heber, Orson and Willard—had not as much as one farthing -in their possession, yet were they destined to accomplish marvelous -results ere their return to America. -</p> -<p>Having remained two days in Liverpool, these elders were directed by -the spirit to go to Preston, a flourishing English town in Lancashire, -to plant the standard of their Church. -</p> -<p>It generally came to pass that some singular incident occurred in all -of the initial movements of these elders, opening their way before -them, or omening their success. So now, the people of Preston were -celebrating a grand national occasion. Queen Victoria, a few days -previously (July 17th), had ascended the throne. A fitting event this -to notice in a woman's book. The "Woman's Age" dawned, not only upon -England, but, it would seem, upon all of the civilized world. -</p> -<p>A general election was being held throughout the realm in consequence -of the ascension of the Queen. The populace were parading the streets -of Preston, bands were playing, and flags flying. -</p> -<p>In the midst of this universal joy the elders alighted from the coach, -and just at that moment a flag was unfurled over their heads, from the -hotel, bearing this motto in gold letters: "Truth is mighty and will -prevail!" It was as a prophesy to these elders, as if to welcome their -coming, and they lifted up their voices and shouted, "Glory be to God, -truth will prevail!" By the way, this flag proclaimed the rise of the -temperance movement in England. -</p> -<p>That night Heber and his compeers were entertained by the Rev. James -Fielding, the brother of the sisters Fielding. Already was the -other half of the prophesy uttered over the head of Parley being -fulfilled—that the gospel should spread from Canada into England, "and -cause a great work to be done in that land." -</p> -<p>Previously to this the Rev. James Fielding had received letters from -his brother Joseph, and his sisters, who had, as we have seen, embraced -Mormonism in Canada; and these letters, burdened with the tidings of -the advent of the prophet of America and the administration of angels -in our own times, he read to his congregation. He also exhorted his -flock to pray fervently that the Lord would send over to England his -apostles, and solemnly adjured them to receive their message when they -should come bearing their glad tidings. Thus in England, as in Canada, -a people were "prepared" according to the prophesy. -</p> -<p>On Sunday morning, the day after their arrival in Preston, the elders -went to Vauxhall Chapel to hear the Rev. James Fielding preach. At the -close of his discourse he gave out that in the afternoon and evening -meetings ministers from America would preach in his chapel. -</p> -<p>The news spread rapidly in the town, and in a few hours quite a -sensation was abroad among the inhabitants, who flocked to the chapel -at the appointed times, some out of curiosity, others from a genuine -interest. Both in the afternoon and evening the chapel was crowded, and -the apostles preached their opening sermons, Heber C. Kimball being the -first of them who bore his testimony to "Mormonism" in foreign lands. -</p> -<p>On the following Wednesday Vauxhall Chapel was again crowded, when -Elder Orson Hyde preached, and Willard Richards bore testimony; and -the Holy Ghost, we are told, powerfully accompanied the word on the -occasion. -</p> -<p>Only a few days had passed since the elders arrived on the shores of -Great Britain, yet "a number believed and began to praise God and -rejoice exceedingly." -</p> -<p>The Rev. Mr. Fielding, however, saw now the consequence of all this. -He was in danger of losing his entire flock. Many were resolving to be -baptized into the Church of Latter-day Saints. A continuation of this -result for a few weeks signified the entire dissolution of his own -church. He was in consternation at the prospect. Trembling, it is said, -as if suddenly stricken with the palsy, he presented himself before -the elders on the morning appointed for the baptism of a number of his -former disciples, and forbade the baptism. Of course this was in vain. -He had met the inevitable. -</p> -<p>On Sunday, July 30th, just one month from the time the elders embarked -at New York, the eventful scene occurred in Preston, of the baptism in -the River Ribble of the nine first converts to Mormonism in foreign -lands. They were -</p> -<p>George D. Watt, Ann Elizabeth Walmesley, -</p> -<p>Thomas Walmesley, George Wate, -</p> -<p>Miles Hodgen, Mary Ann Brown, -</p> -<p>Henry Billsburg, —— Miller, -</p> -<p>Ann Dawson. -</p> -<p>A public ceremony of baptism in the open air was such a novel event in -England at that time, when religious innovations were so rare, that -seven or eight thousand persons assembled on the banks of the river -to witness the scene. It is said that this was the first time baptism -by immersion was ever thus administered in England, though at a later -period several sects of Baptists arose who immersed openly in the -rivers and for the remission of sins. Such scenes were picturesque, -and some of the "new lights" seem to have delighted in them for their -religious sensation, just as the Methodists did in their camp meetings. -</p> -<p>The first woman whose name is recorded in the list of the baptized of -the Mormon Church in England is Sister Ann Elizabeth Walmesley; and her -case presents the first miracle of the Church in foreign lands. Here is -the incident as related by Heber C. Kimball: -</p> -<p>"I had visited Thomas Walmesley, whose wife was sick of the -consumption, and had been so for several years. She was reduced to -skin and bone—a mere skeleton—and was given up by the doctors to -die. I preached the gospel to her, and promised her in the name of the -Lord Jesus Christ that if she would believe, repent and be baptized, -she should be healed of her sickness. She was carried to the water, -and after her baptism began to mend, and at her confirmation she was -blessed and her disease rebuked, when she immediately recovered, and in -less than one week after, she was attending to her household duties." -</p> -<p>This incident will be the more interesting to the reader from the fact -that to-day (forty years after the miracle) Sister Walmesley is living -at Bloomington, Bear Lake Valley, Oneida county, Idaho. -</p> -<p>Next came quite an evangelical episode, introducing, with a touch of -romance, Miss Jennetta Richards. -</p> -<p>This young lady was the daughter of a minister, of the independent -order, who resided at Walkerfold, about fifteen miles from Preston. -She was not only personally interesting and intelligent, but, from the -influence she possessed over her father and his congregation, coupled -with the fact that the most classical of the apostles "fell in love" -with her, she appears to have been a maiden of considerable character. -She was a proper person to be the heroine of the British mission, and -her conversion was very important in its results, as will be seen in -the following incidents, related by Heber: -</p> -<p>It was several days after the public baptism in Preston. "Miss -Jennetta Richards," says the apostle, "came to the house of Thomas -Walmesley, with whom she was acquainted. Calling in to see them at -the time she was there, I was introduced to her, and we immediately -entered into conversation on the subject of the gospel. I found her -very intelligent. She seemed very desirous to hear the things I had to -teach and to understand the doctrines of the gospel. I informed her of -my appointment to preach that evening, and invited her to attend. She -did so; and likewise the evening following. After attending these two -services she was fully convinced of the truth. -</p> -<p>"Friday morning, 4th, she sent for me, desiring to be baptized, which -request I cheerfully complied with, in the River Ribble, and confirmed -her at the water side, Elder Hyde assisting. This was the first -confirmation in England. The following day she started for home, and -wept as she was about to leave us. I said to her, 'Sister, be of good -cheer, for the Lord will soften the heart of thy father, that I will -yet have the privilege of preaching in his chapel, and it shall result -in a great opening to preach the gospel in that region.' I exhorted -her to pray and be humble. She requested me to pray for her, and gave -me some encouragement to expect that her father would open his chapel -for me to preach in. I then hastened to my brethren, told them of the -circumstances and the result of my visit with the young lady, and -called upon them to unite with me in prayer that the Lord would soften -the heart of her father, that he might be induced to open his chapel -for us to preach in." -</p> -<p>On the third Sabbath after the arrival of the elders in England, they -met at the house of Sister Ann Dawson, when twenty-seven members were -confirmed and the first branch of the Church was organized in foreign -lands. In the forepart of the ensuing week Heber received a letter -from Miss Jennetta Richards, and an invitation from her father to come -to Walkerfold and preach in his chapel. The invitation was accepted, -and Heber met with great success in laying the gospel before the -congregation of Mr. Richards; so successful was he indeed that the -reverend gentleman was forced to shut his chapel doors in order to -prevent a complete stampede of his flock. -</p> -<p>This evangelical success is crowned with an interesting incident -between Jennetta and Elder Willard Richards. Willard, who had been on -a mission to Bedford early in January, 1838, visited his brethren at -Preston; and then, he says: -</p> -<p>"I took a tour through the branches, and preached. While walking in -Thornly I plucked a snowdrop, far through the hedge, and carried it -to James Mercer's and hung it up in his kitchen. Soon after Jennetta -Richards came into the room, and I walked with her and Alice Parker to -Ribchester, and attended meeting with Brothers Kimball and Hyde, at -Brother Clark's. -</p> -<p>"While walking with these sisters, I remarked, 'Richards is a good -name; I never want to change it; do you, Jennetta?' 'No; I do not,' was -her reply, 'and I think I never will.'" -</p> -<p>The following note in his diary of the same year, furnishes the sequel: -</p> -<p>"September 24, 1839, I married Jennetta Richards, daughter of the -Rev. John Richards, independent minister at Walkerfold, Chaidgley, -Lancashire. Most truly do I praise my Heavenly Father for his great -kindness in providing me a partner according to his promise. I receive -her from the Lord, and hold her at his disposal. I pray that he may -bless us forever. Amen!" -</p> -<p>Passing from Sister Jennetta Richards, we now introduce the first child -born in the British mission. It is a female child. She is also the -first infant blessed in England; and the incidents of her birth and -blessing are both pretty and novel, especially when coupled with the -sequel of her womanhood. Heber thus tells the initial part of her story: -</p> -<p>"She was the daughter of James and Nancy Smithies, formerly Nancy -Knowles. After she was born her parents wanted to take her to the -church to be sprinkled, or christened, as they call it. I used every -kind of persuasion to convince them of their folly—it being contrary -to the Scriptures and the will of God; the parents wept bitterly, and -it seemed as though I could not prevail on them to omit it. I wanted to -know of them why they were so tenacious. The answer was, 'If she dies -she cannot have a burial in the churchyard.' I said to them, 'Brother -and Sister Smithies, I say unto you in the name of Israel's God, she -shall not die on this land, for she shall live until she becomes a -mother in Israel, and I say it in the name of Jesus Christ, and by -virtue of the holy priesthood vested in me.' That silenced them, and -when she was two weeks old they presented the child to me; I took it -in my arms and blessed it, that it should live to become a mother in -Israel. She was the first child blessed in that country, and the first -born unto them." -</p> -<p>The child lived, and fulfilled the prophesy that she should become -a "mother in Israel." Her birth was destined to glorify Heber's own -kingdom, for she, twenty years afterwards, became his last wife, and is -now the mother of four of his children. -</p> -<p>The gospel spread rapidly during the first mission of the elders in -England. In eight months two thousand were baptized, and the "signs -followed the believers." We shall meet some of the British converts -hereafter, and read the testimonies of the sisters concerning the great -spiritual work of Mormonism in their native land. -</p> -<p>Heber, and Orson Hyde, returned to America, leaving the British mission -in charge of Joseph Fielding, with Willard Richards and William Clayton -as councilors. Here the apostolic thread connects with the wife and -family of Heber, who have been left to the care of Providence and the -brotherly and sisterly love of the saints during this immortal mission -to Great Britain. His daughter Helen, in her journal, says: -</p> -<p>"In the absence of my father the Lord was true to his promise. My -father's prayer, that he had made upon the heads of his wife and little -ones whom he had left poor and destitute, was answered. Kind friends -came forward to cheer and comfort them, and administer to their wants. -</p> -<p>"Soon after my father's return to Kirtland he commenced making -preparations to move his family to Missouri, where Brother Joseph Smith -and a majority of the church authorities and nearly all of the members -had gone. About the first of July he commenced the journey with his -family, accompanied by Brother Orson Hyde and others, and arrived in -Far West on the 25th of July, when he had a happy meeting with Joseph, -Hyrum, Sidney, and others of the twelve, and numbers of his friends and -brethren, some of whom were affected to tears when they took him by the -hand. During our journey from Kirtland, the weather being very warm, we -suffered very much, and were much reduced by sickness. Father continued -quite feeble for a considerable length of time. Joseph requested him to -preach to the saints, saying, 'It will revive their spirits and do them -good if you will give them a history of your mission;' which he did, -although he was scarcely able to stand. It cheered their hearts and -many of the elders were stirred up to diligence. -</p> -<p>"Soon after our arrival Bishop Partridge gave father a lot, and also -sufficient timber to build a house. While it was being erected we -lived in a place eight by eleven feet and four feet high at the eaves, -which had been built for a cow. The brethren were remarkably kind, and -contributed to our necessities. Brother Charles Hubbard made my father -a present of forty acres of land; another brother gave him a cow. But -about the last of August, after he had labored hard and nearly finished -his house, he was obliged to abandon it to the mob, who again commenced -to persecute the saints." -</p> -<p>The history of those persecutions, and the exodus of the saints, is -already sufficiently told. Suffice it to say that Sister Vilate nobly -bore her part in those trying scenes, while Heber, with Brigham and -the rest of the twelve, kept their covenant—never to rest a moment -until the last faithful saint was delivered from that State, and the -feet of the whole people planted firmly, in peace and safety, in a new -gathering place. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">SKETCH OF THE SISTERS MARY AND MERCY R. FIELDING—THE FIELDINGS A -SEMI-APOSTOLIC FAMILY—THEIR IMPORTANT INSTRUMENTALITY IN OPENING THE -BRITISH MISSION—MARY FIELDING MARRIES HYRUM SMITH—HER TRIALS AND -SUFFERINGS WHILE HER HUSBAND IS IN PRISON—TESTIMONY OF HER SISTER -MERCY—MARY'S LETTER TO HER BROTHER IN ENGLAND. -</p> -<p>Already has the name of Mary Fielding become quite historical to -the reader, but she is now to be introduced in her still more -representative character as wife of the patriarch and martyr Hyrum, and -as mother of the apostle Joseph F. Smith. -</p> -<p>This much-respected lady was born July 21st, 1801, at Honidon, -Bedfordshire, England. She was the daughter of John and Rachel -Fielding, and was the eldest of the sisters whom the reader has met -somewhat prominently in an apostolic incident in Canada, out of which -much of the early history of the British mission very directly grew. -</p> -<p>Mary was of good family, well educated, and piously raised, being -originally a Methodist, and a devoted admirer of the character of John -Wesley. Indeed the family of the Fieldings and their connections were -semi-apostolic even before their identification with the Church of -Latter-day Saints. -</p> -<p>In 1834 Mary emigrated to Canada. Here she joined her youngest brother, -Joseph, and her sister, Mercy Rachel (born in England in 1807), who -had preceded her to America in 1832. As we have seen, this brother and -his two sisters were living near Toronto, Upper Canada, at the time -when Parley P. Pratt arrived there on his mission, and they immediately -embraced the faith. This was in May, 1836. -</p> -<p>In the following spring the Fieldings gathered to Kirtland. Soon the -youngest of the sisters, Mercy Rachel, was married by the prophet to -Elder Robert B. Thompson, one of the literati of the Church, who was -appointed on a mission to Canada with his wife. At the same time Joseph -Fielding was appointed on mission to England, to assist the apostles in -that land. But Mary remained in Kirtland, and on the 24th of December, -1837, she was married to Hyrum Smith. -</p> -<p>Here something deserves to be told of the Fielding family in -amplification of the incidental mentionings already made. -</p> -<p>The Rev. James Fielding (of Preston, England), Mary's brother, was -quite a religious reformer, and of sufficient ministerial reputation -and force to become the founder and head of a Congregational Methodist -Church. Originally he was a minister of the regular body of that -powerful sect, but becoming convinced that modern Methodists had -departed from their primitive faith, and that their church no longer -enjoyed the Holy Ghost and its gifts, which measurably attended their -illustrious founder and his early disciples, the Rev. Mr. Fielding -inaugurated a religious reform in the direction intimated. It was an -attempt to revive in his ministerial sphere the spiritual power of the -Wesleyan movement; nor did he stop at this, but sought to convince his -disciples of the necessity of "contending earnestly for the faith once -delivered to the saints." -</p> -<p>Other branches of the family also became prominent in the religious -reforms of England that arose about the time of the establishing of the -Church of Latter-day Saints in America. One of the Fielding sisters -married no less a personage than the Rev. Timothy R. Matthews, who -figured nearly as conspicuously as the Rev. James Fielding in the -early history of the British mission. This Rev. Timothy Matthews was -at first minister of the Church of England, and is said to have been -a very able and learned man. With the famous Robert Aitken, whom he -called his "son," he attempted reformation even in the established -Church; or rather, these innovative divines denounced the "apostasy" of -that Church, and prosecuted a semi-apostolic mission. It was eminently -successful, Robert Aitken and himself raising up large congregations -of disciples in Preston, Liverpool, Bedford, Northampton and London. -These disciples were popularly called Aitkenites and Matthewites. -Quite relevant is all this to the history of the Latter-day Saints in -England, for the congregations of the Rev. James Fielding, Rev. Timothy -R. Matthews, and Rev. John Richards (father of Jennetta), gave to the -apostles their first disciples abroad, and these ministers themselves -were their instruments in establishing the British mission. -</p> -<p>But the name of Fielding, after those of the apostles, was principal in -accomplishing these results. The sisters Mary and Mercy, with Joseph, -half converted by their letters, the congregation of their reverend -brother in Preston, before the advent there of the apostles. In their -Brother James' chapel the first apostolic sermon in foreign lands was -preached by Heber C. Kimball, and it was one of the Fielding sisters -(Mrs. Watson), who gave to the elders the first money for the "gospel's -sake" donated to the church abroad. -</p> -<p>But to return to Kirtland. Hyrum Smith was a widower at the date of -Mary Fielding's arrival there from Canada. And this means that his -<em>only</em> wife was dead; for polygamy was unknown in the Church at that -time. It will therefore, be seen how pertinent is the often-repeated -remark of the sisters that the saints were not driven and persecuted -because of polygamy, but because of their belief in "new and continued -revelation." In becoming Hyrum's wife, Mary assumed the responsible -situation of step-mother to his five children, the task of which she -performed with unwavering fidelity, taking care of them for years after -the martyrdom of her husband, and taking the place of both father and -mother to them in the exodus of the Church to the Rocky Mountains. -And Mary was well trained for this latter task during her husband's -lifetime, besides being matured in years and character before her -marriage. -</p> -<p>From Kirtland, with her husband and family, she removed to Far West, -Mo., where, on the first day of November, 1838, her husband and his -brother, the prophet, with others, were betrayed by the Mormon Colonel -Hinkle into the hands of the armed mob under General Clark, in the -execution of Gov. Boggs' exterminating order. On the following day -Hyrum was marched, at the point of the bayonet, to his house, by a -strong guard, who with hideous oaths and threats commanded Mary to -take her last farewell of her husband, for, "His die was cast, and his -doom was sealed," and she need never think she would see him again; -allowing her only a moment, as it were, for that terrible parting, -and to provide a change of clothes for the final separation. In the -then critical condition of her health this heart-rending scene came -nigh ending her life; but the natural vigor of her mind sustained her -in the terrible trial. Twelve days afterwards she gave birth to her -first born, a son; but she remained prostrate on a bed of affliction -and suffering for several months. In January, 1839, she was taken in a -wagon, with her infant, on her sick bed, to Liberty, Clay county, Mo., -where she was granted the privilege of visiting her husband in jail, -where he was confined by the mob, without trial or conviction, because, -forsooth, he was a "Mormon." -</p> -<p>While in this condition of health, with her husband immured in a -dungeon and surrounded by fiends in human form, thirsting for his life, -a company of armed men, led by the notorious Methodist priest, Bogart, -entered her poor abode and searched it, breaking open a trunk and -carrying away papers and valuables belonging to her husband. In this -helpless condition also she was forced from what shelter she had, in -the worst season of the year, to cross the bleak prairies of Missouri, -expelled from the State, to seek protection among strangers in the more -hospitable State of Illinois. Here is the story that her sister Mercy -tells of those days and scenes: -</p> -<p>"In 1838 I traveled in company with Hyrum Smith and family to Far West. -To describe in a brief sketch the scenes I witnessed and the sufferings -I endured would be impossible. An incident or two, however, I will -relate. -</p> -<p>"My husband, with many of the brethren, being threatened and pursued by -a mob, fled into the wilderness in November, leaving me with an infant -not five months old. Three months of distressing suspense I endured -before I could get any intelligence from him, during which time I -staid with my sister, wife of Hyrum Smith, who, having given birth to -a son while her husband was in prison, on the 13th of November took a -severe cold and was unable to attend to her domestic duties for four -months. This caused much of the care of her family, which was very -large, to fall on me. Mobs were continually threatening to massacre -the inhabitants of the city, and at times I feared to lay my babe down -lest they should slay me and leave it to suffer worse than immediate -death. About the 1st of February, 1839, by the request of her husband, -my sister was placed on a bed in a wagon and taken a journey of forty -miles, to visit him in the prison. Her infant son, Joseph F., being -then but about eleven weeks old, I had to accompany her, taking my own -babe, then near eight months old. The weather was extremely cold, and -we suffered much on the journey. This circumstance I always reflect -upon with peculiar pleasure, notwithstanding the extreme anxiety I -endured from having the care of my sick sister and the two babes. The -remembrance of having had the honor of spending a night in prison, in -company with the prophet and patriarch, produces a feeling I cannot -express. -</p> -<p>"Shortly after our return to Far West we had to abandon our homes and -start, in lumber wagons, for Illinois; my sister being again placed on -a bed, in an afflicted state. This was about the middle of February, -and the weather was extremely cold. I still had the care of both babes. -We arrived at Quincy about the end of the month." -</p> -<p>The following interesting letter, from Mary to her brother Joseph in -England, will fitly close for the present the sketch of these sisters: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="right"> "COMMERCE, Ill., North America, -</p> -<p class="right"> "June, 1839. -</p> -<p> "MY VERY DEAR BROTHER: -</p> -<p> "As the elders are expecting shortly to take their leave of us - again to preach the gospel in my native land, I feel as though I - would not let the opportunity of writing you pass unimproved. I - believe it will give you pleasure to hear from us by our own hand; - notwithstanding you will see the brethren face to face, and have - an opportunity of hearing all particulars respecting us and our - families. -</p> -<p> "As it respects myself, it is now so long since I wrote to you, and - so many important things have transpired, and so great have been my - affliction, etc., that I know not where to begin; but I can say, - hitherto has the Lord preserved me, and I am still among the living - to praise him, as I do to-day. I have, to be sure, been called to - drink deep of the bitter cup; but you know, my beloved brother, - this makes the sweet sweeter. -</p> -<p> "You have, I suppose, heard of the imprisonment of my dear husband, - with his brother Joseph, Elder Rigdon, and others, who were kept - from us nearly six months; and I suppose no one felt the painful - effects of their confinement more than myself. I was left in a - way that called for the exercise of all the courage and grace I - possessed. My husband was taken from me by an armed force, at a - time when I needed, in a particular manner, the kindest care and - attention of such a friend, instead of which, the care of a large - family was suddenly and unexpectedly left upon myself, and, in a - few days after, my dear little Joseph F. was added to the number. - Shortly after his birth I took a severe cold, which brought on - chills and fever; this, together with the anxiety of mind I had - to endure, threatened to bring me to the gates of death. I was at - least four months entirely unable to take any care either of myself - or child; but the Lord was merciful in so ordering things that my - dear sister could be with me. Her child was five months old when - mine was born; so she had strength given her to nurse them both. -</p> -<p> "You will also have heard of our being driven, as a people, from - the State, and from our homes; this happened during my sickness, - and I had to be removed more than two hundred miles, chiefly on - my bed. I suffered much on my journey; but in three or four weeks - after we arrived in Illinois, I began to amend, and my health is - now as good as ever. It is now little more than a month since the - Lord, in his marvelous power, returned my dear husband, with the - rest of the brethren, to their families, in tolerable health. We - are now living in Commerce, on the bank of the great Mississippi - river. The situation is very pleasant; you would be much pleased to - see it. How long we may be permitted to enjoy it I know not; but - the Lord knows what is best for us. I feel but little concerned - about where I am, if I can keep my mind scald upon God; for, - you know in this there is perfect peace. I believe the Lord is - overruling all things for our good. I suppose our enemies look upon - us with astonishment and disappointment. -</p> -<p> "I greatly desire to see you, and I think you would be pleased to - see our little ones; will you pray for us, that we may have grace - to train them up in the way they should go, so that they may be a - blessing to us and the world? I have a hope that our brothers and - sisters will also embrace the fullness of the gospel, and come - into the new and everlasting covenant; I trust their prejudices - will give way to the power of truth. I would gladly have them - with us here, even though they might have to endure all kind of - tribulation and affliction with us and the rest of the children of - God, in these last days, so that they might share in the glories - of the celestial kingdom. As to myself, I can truly say, that I - would not give up the prospect of the latter-day glory for all - that glitters in this world. O, my dear brother, I must tell you, - for your comfort, that my hope is full, and it is a glorious hope; - and though I have been left for near six months in widowhood, in - the time of great affliction, and was called to take, joyfully or - otherwise, the spoiling of almost all our goods, in the absence of - my husband, and all unlawfully, just for the gospel's sake (for - the judge himself declared that he was kept in prison for no other - reason than because he was a friend to his brother), yet I do not - feel in the least discouraged; no, though my sister and I are here - together in a strange land, we have been enabled to rejoice, in - the midst of our privations and persecutions, that we were counted - worthy to suffer these things, so that we may, with the ancient - saints who suffered in like manner, inherit the same glorious - reward. If it had not been for this hope, I should have sunk before - this; but, blessed be the God and rock of my salvation, here I - am, and am perfectly satisfied and happy, having not the smallest - desire to go one step backward. -</p> -<p> "Your last letter to Elder Kimball gave us great pleasure; we thank - you for your expression of kindness, and pray God to bless you - according to your desires for us. -</p> -<p> "The more I see of the dealings of our Heavenly Father with us as a - people, the more I am constrained to rejoice that I was ever made - acquainted with the everlasting covenant. O may the Lord keep me - faithful till my change comes! O, my dear brother, why is it that - our friends should stand out against the truth, and look on those - that would show it to them as enemies? The work here is prospering - much; several men of respectability and intelligence, who have been - acquainted with all our difficulties, are coming into the work. -</p> -<p> "My husband joins me in love to you. I remain, my dear brother and - sister, your affectionate sister, -</p> -<p class="right"> "MARY SMITH." -</p></blockquote> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE QUORUM OF THE APOSTLES GO ON MISSION TO ENGLAND—THEIR LANDING IN -GREAT BRITAIN—THEY HOLD A CONFERENCE—A HOLIDAY FESTIVAL—MOTHER MOON -AND FAMILY—SUMMARY OF A YEAR'S LABORS—CROWNING PERIOD OF THE BRITISH -MISSION. -</p> -<p>Scarcely had the saints made their exodus from Missouri—while many of -them were still domiciled in tents on the banks of the Mississippi, and -Nauvoo could only boast of a few rude houses to prophesy the glory of -a "second Zion"—ere nine of the quorum of the apostles were abroad, -working their missionary wonders in foreign lands. From that period -to the present (1877), the history of the Latter-day Church, with its -emigrations, has quite one-half belonged to the European mission, which -has given to America one hundred thousand emigrants. -</p> -<p>Early in the year 1840 (January 11th), apostles Wilford Woodruff -and John Taylor, with Elder Theodore Turley, landed on the shores -of England. They chose their several fields of labor and soon were -actively engaged in the ministry. -</p> -<p>On the 19th of March of the same year Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, -George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, and Reuben Hedlock -sailed from New York on board the <em>Patrick Henry</em>. A number of the -saints came down to the wharf to bid them farewell. When the elders got -into the small-boat to go out to the ship, the saints on shore sang -"The Gallant Ship is Under Way," etc., in which song the elders joined -until their voices were separated by the distance. -</p> -<p>Liverpool was reached by these apostles on the 6th of April. It was the -anniversary of the organization of the Church, just ten years before. -The next day they found Elder Taylor and John Moon, with about thirty -saints who had just received the work in that place, and on the day -following they went to Preston by railroad. -</p> -<p>In Preston, the cradle of the British mission, the apostles were met -by a multitude of saints, who rejoiced exceedingly at the event of the -arrival of the twelve in that land. -</p> -<p>Willard Richards immediately hastened to Preston and gave an account -of the churches in the British isles, over which he had been presiding -during the interval from the return of Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde -to America. The president of the twelve at once commenced to grapple -with the work in foreign lands, convened a conference, and wrote to -Wilford Woodruff to attend. -</p> -<p>It was on the 14th of April, 1840, that the first council of the twelve -apostles, in a foreign land, was held at Preston. There were present -Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P Pratt, Orson Pratt, John -Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith. These proceeded to -ordain Willard Richards to their quorum, and then Brigham Young was -chosen, by a unanimous vote, the standing president of the twelve. -</p> -<p>Then followed, during the next two days, "A General Conference of the -Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," held in the Temperance -Hall at Preston, with Heber C. Kimball presiding, and William Clayton -clerk. There were represented at this time, one thousand six hundred -and seventy-one members, thirty-four elders, fifty-two priests, -thirty-eight teachers, and eight deacons. -</p> -<p>The conference over, the apostles kept the old Christian holiday of -Good Friday, to regale their spirits after their long journey, which -had so quickly followed the many vicissitudes of persecution in their -native land, and before separating again on their arduous mission. -</p> -<p>The place chosen to spend their holiday was the village of Penwortham, -two miles from Preston. That day Mother Moon made a feast for the -apostles at her house. From her treasury of "fat things" she brought -forth a bottle of wine which she had kept for forty years. This the -elders blessed and then partook of it. That bottle of wine is spoken -of to this day. The family of Mother Moon has also a history. Here is -their page, from Heber's journal of his first mission abroad: -</p> -<p>"Having an appointment to preach in the village of Wrightington, while -on the way I stopped at the house of Brother Francis Moon, when I was -informed that the family of Matthias Moon had sent a request by him for -me to visit them, that they might have the privilege of conversing with -me on the subject of the gospel. Accordingly Brother Amos Fielding and -I paid them a visit that evening. We were very kindly received by the -family, and had considerable conversation on the subject of my mission -to England, and the great work of the Lord in the last days. They -listened with attention to my statements, but at the same time they -appeared to be prejudiced against them. We remained in conversation -until a late hour, and then returned home. On our way Brother Fielding -observed that he thought our visit had been in vain, as the family -seemed to have considerable prejudice. I answered, be not faithless but -believing; we shall yet see great effects from this visit, for I know -that some of the family have received the testimony, and will shortly -manifest the same; at which remark he seemed surprised. -</p> -<p>"The next morning I continued my journey to Wrightington and Hunter's -Hill. After spending two or three days in that vicinity, preaching, I -baptized seven of the family of Benson, and others, and organized a -branch. -</p> -<p>"I returned by the way of Brother Fielding's, with whom I again tarried -for the night. The next morning I started for Preston, but when I got -opposite the lane leading to Mr. Moon's, I was forcibly led by the -spirit of the Lord to call and see them again. I therefore directed -my steps to the house. On my arrival I knocked at the door. Mrs. Moon -exclaimed: 'Come in! come in! You are welcome here! I and the lasses -(meaning her daughters) have just been calling on the Lord, and praying -that he would send you this way.' She then informed me of her state of -mind since I was there, and said she at first rejected my testimony, -and endeavored to think lightly on the things I had advanced, but on -trying to pray, the heavens seemed like brass over her head, and it -was like iron under her feet. She did not know what was the matter, -saying, 'Certainly the man has not bewitched me, has he?' And upon -inquiring she found it was the same with the lasses. They then began -to reflect on the things I told them, and thinking it possible that -I had told them the truth, they resolved to lay the case before the -Lord, and beseech him to give them a testimony concerning the things I -had testified of. She then observed that as soon as they did so light -broke in upon their minds; they were convinced that I was a messenger -of salvation; that it was the work of the Lord, and they had resolved -to obey the gospel. That evening I baptized Mr. Moon and his wife, and -four of his daughters. * * * I visited Mr. Moon again, and baptized the -remainder of his family, consisting of thirteen souls, the youngest of -whom was over twenty years of age. They received the gospel as little -children, and rejoiced exceedingly in its blessings. The sons were very -good musicians and the daughters excellent singers. When they united -their instruments and voices in the songs of Zion the effect was truly -transporting. Before I left England there were about thirty of that -family and connections baptized, five of whom—Hugh, John, Francis, -William and Thomas Moon—were ordained to be fellow-laborers with us -in the vineyard, and I left them rejoicing in the truths they had -embraced." -</p> -<p>After their short rest in Preston, refreshed and inspired by the -communion of so many of their quorum, these apostles rose like giants -to their work. Brigham Young and Willard Richards went with Wilford -Woodruff into Herefordshire, where Brigham obtained money to publish -the Book of Mormon; Heber C. Kimball visited the disciples whom he had -brought into the Church during his first mission; Orson Pratt went -into Scotland, George A. Smith went into Staffordshire, John Taylor -continued his labors at Liverpool, where he raised up a conference, and -Parley P. Pratt repaired to Manchester to publish the <em>Millennial Star</em>. -</p> -<p>A year passed. Here is the summary of its history, from Brigham Young's -journal: -</p> -<p>"It was with a heart full of thanksgiving and gratitude to God, my -Heavenly Father, that I reflected upon his dealings with me and my -brethren of the twelve during the past year of my life, which was spent -in England. It truly seems a miracle to look upon the contrast between -our landing and departing from Liverpool. We landed in the spring of -1840, as strangers in a strange land, and penniless, but through the -mercy of God we have gained many friends, established churches in -almost every noted town and city of Great Britain, baptized between -seven and eight thousand souls, printed five thousand Books of Mormon, -three thousand hymn-books, two thousand five hundred volumes of the -<em>Millennial Star</em>, and fifty thousand tracts; emigrated to Zion one -thousand souls, establishing a permanent shipping agency, which will -be a great blessing to the saints, and have left sown in the hearts of -many thousands the seed of eternal life, which shall bring forth fruit -to the honor and glory of God; and yet we have lacked nothing to eat, -drink or wear; in all these things I acknowledge the hand of God." -</p> -<p>But even this was eclipsed by the results of the next ten years. -Besides the thousands who had emigrated, the British mission, at the -culmination of this third period, numbered nearly forty thousand souls. -The <em>Millennial Star</em> reached a weekly circulation of twenty-two -thousand; and there were half a million of Orson Pratt's tracts in -circulation throughout the land. This crowning period was during the -presidencies of Orson Spencer, Orson Pratt, and Franklin and Samuel -Richards. -</p> -<p>Too vast this missionary work abroad, and too crowded its events, for -us to follow the historic details; but we shall, however, frequently -hereafter meet representative women from Europe, and read in their -sketches many episodes of the saints in foreign lands. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE SISTERS AS MISSIONARIES—EVANGELICAL DIPLOMACY—WITHOUT PURSE -OR SCRIP—PICTURE OF THE NATIVE ELDERS—A SPECIMEN MEETING—THE -SECRET OF SUCCESS—MORMONISM A SPIRITUAL GOSPEL—THE SISTERS AS TRACT -DISTRIBUTERS—WOMAN A POTENT EVANGELIST. -</p> -<p>And what the part of the sisterhood in this great work outlined in -foreign lands? -</p> -<p>The sisters were side by side with the most potent missionaries the -Latter-day Church found. They made nearly as many converts to Mormonism -as the elders. They were, often times, the direct instruments which -brought disciples into the Church. The elders riveted the anchor of -faith by good gospel logic, and their eloquent preachers enchanted -the half-inspired mind with well-described millennial views, but the -sisters, as a rule, by the nicest evangelical diplomacy brought the -results about. They agitated the very atmosphere with their magical -faith in the new dispensation; they breathed the spirit of their own -beautiful enthusiasm into their neighborhoods; they met the first -brunt of persecution and conquered it by their zeal; they transformed -unbelief into belief by their personal testimonies, which aroused -curiosity, or made their relatives and neighbors sleepless with active -thoughts of the new, and inspired doubts of the old; they enticed the -people to hear their elders preach, and did more to disturb the peace -of the town than could have done the town-crier; they crowded their -halls with an audience when without their sisterly devising those halls -had remained often empty and cold. -</p> -<p>In the British mission—in England, Scotland and Wales—the sisters had -much better missionary opportunities than in America. The vast extent -of country over which the American people were sparsely scattered, -forty to fifty years ago, and the almost immediate gatherings of the -disciples to a centre place, or a local Zion, necessarily confined -the missionary movement at home nearly exclusively to the apostles -and their aids, the "Seventies;" and thus as soon as the disciples -"gathered out of Babylon," American society lost even the little leaven -which the elders had inspired in its midst. -</p> -<p>But in England, Scotland and Wales, and at a later period in -Scandinavia, it was very different. Not merely one local Zion and -a score of branches scattered over a score of States, but in the -British mission at its zenith of progress there were over five hundred -branches, fifty conferences, and about a dozen pastorates—the latter -very like Mormon provinces or bishoprics. There the sisters had grand -missionary opportunities. From village to town, and from town to -city, they helped the elders push their work until this vast church -superstructure was reared. With such a leaven as the Mormon sisterhood -in Great Britain, converts were made so fast that it was nearly twenty -years before even the immense yearly emigration of the saints to -America began visibly to tell in weakening missionary operations in -that prolific land. -</p> -<p>It has often been a matter of wonder how it happened that Mormonism -was such a mighty proselyting power in England compared with what -it had been in America. The two views presented suggest the exact -reason; and in addition to the gathering genius of the Mormons, the -very "tidal wave" of the country has swept migrating peoples westward. -Three hundred Mormon cities have sprung up on the Pacific slope, just -as five hundred branches did in Great Britain, which has required all -the gathering energies of the Church for over a quarter of a century to -deplete her of these proselyting saints. It was Great Britain that gave -to the sisters their grand missionary opportunities. -</p> -<p>Here another view of the sisters presents itself. Much of the success -of "Mormonism" in foreign lands is due to the fact that the elders, -like Christ and his apostles of old, went about preaching the gospel -"without purse or scrip." -</p> -<p>This apostolic custom captivated woman at once. Her sympathies were -charmed. She admired the heroic devotion and self-abnegation of such -ministers of Christ. Their examples directly appealed to her, so like -were they to her own faith. The disinterested aims and efforts of these -men for human good so accorded with her own divine aspirations, that -she leapt with a glorious enthusiasm to their side. For once woman had -found the opportunity to exercise her own methods of apostleship. -</p> -<p>She saw these elders upon the altar of sacrifice for a Christian cause. -Out in the wilderness of society were they, during the best years of -youth, preaching without purse or scrip, trusting in Providence for -their daily bread as truly as do the sparrows whom the Great Father -feeds. Wandering through the world were these devoted men, often -with blood in their well-worn shoes, preaching the glad tidings of -a new dispensation which the angels had opened to bring immortality -to mortals, and establish the order of heaven on earth. Such were -the examples which the elders presented in their ministry, and such -examples woman loved. -</p> -<p>Though they bore the title of elders, these missionaries, especially -the native ones, were generally young men from the age of twenty to -thirty. Scarcely were they converted ere they were sent out to mission -the land. The prophet Joseph had well cogitated on the saying of -Christ, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few;" and it was -at once a bold and happy stroke of genius on his part to leave the -beaten track of choosing only matured and experienced divines, calling -instead a multitude of youths and striplings to aid him in evangelizing -the world. This was much like Mohammed's choosing of the youthful -enthusiast Ali to be his lieutenant in his religious empire-founding -mission. And so at one time might have been found in Europe nearly a -thousand of these young men, out in the ministry, bearing the title of -elders. Strange example! Elders at twenty; veterans at twenty-five, who -had built up their conferences! This pleased woman. It was unique. The -example touched her heart and stimulated her faith through her very -sympathy for and admiration of the heroic. -</p> -<p>Into the villages of England, Scotland and Wales these youths made -their way, with hymn-book and Bible in hand, but with no ministerial -recommendation except a forceful, innovative intellectuality, and souls -inspired with the glories of a new and conquering faith. -</p> -<p>Alone, at eventide, they would uncover their heads, on some green bit -of common, or, if on the Sabbath day, would daringly near the old -village church, which well might tremble at such sacrilege, as did they -literally in those bold missionary attempts, that never had been made -but for youth's rich unconsciousness of inability. Then would ring out -the hymn of the Latter-day Saints: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "Go, ye messengers of glory,<br> - Run, ye legates of the skies,<br> - Go and tell the pleasing story,<br> - That a glorious angel flies;<br> - Great and mighty,<br> - With a message from on high!"<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>Or perchance it would be this instead: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "The morning breaks, the shadows flee;<br> - Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled;<br> - The dawning of a brighter day<br> - Majestic rises on the world."<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>And many a village has been startled with this tremendous proclamation, -from the lips of young men: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "Jehovah speaks! Let Earth give ear!<br> - And gentile nations turn and live!"<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>First the woman would come out to listen, on the threshold of her -cottage, after supper; then she would draw near, and wonder about this -boy-preacher—to her eyes so much like her own boy, who, perhaps, is -playing at some evening game with his companions, near by. Next comes -her husband, and after awhile the boys themselves leave their games, -and with their sisters, gather to listen. And so are also gathered -other family groups of the village to swell the impromptu congregation. -This is a truthful picture, for the author is describing a literal -experience. -</p> -<p>Now comes the supplemental story of this boy-elder, that he is out in -the world preaching the gospel without purse or scrip, that he has -eaten nothing that day since breakfast, that he has journeyed miles and -is tired out, and that he has no place in which to lay his head that -night. -</p> -<p>The mother and her daughters whisper. They have conceived an idea that -will exactly fit that poor boy's case. Father is approached. At first -he will not listen to the proposition; but at last he yields. What else -could he do? When did woman fail if her sympathies were enlisted? To -their home the boy-missionary is taken. A supper is gleaned from the -humble peasant's leavings. Water is furnished to bathe the sore and -blood-stained feet. The woman is half converted by the sight of so much -youthful heroism. Mother and daughters dream of the boy-missionary that -night. -</p> -<p>'Tis a simple story; but from that house Mormonism is destined to -spread through all the village, until the aged clergyman, educated -at college, in his pulpit which he has occupied for a quarter of a -century, fears that boy as much as a second Goliath might have feared -the stripling David. -</p> -<p>And thus Mormonism ran from village to town, and from town to city; -carried, of course, to the larger places by the "veterans;" but in all -cases very similar. How much the sisters—mothers and daughters—had to -do in this work may be seen at a glance. -</p> -<p>But the most salient view to be taken of Mormonism abroad is, as the -great spiritual movement of the age. The reader may be assured that it -was the beautiful themes of a new dispensation—themes such as angels -might have accompanied with their hosannas—that charmed disciples -into the Mormon Church. Spiritual themes and the gifts of the Holy -Ghost were what converted the tens of thousands in Great Britain; not -a cold materialism, much less a sensual gospel. Even to the simplest, -who scarcely knew the meaning of idealities, the spiritual and the -ideal of Mormonism were its principal charms. Indeed, it is to the -fact that Mormonism was, in its missionary history, such a unique and -extraordinary spiritual, and yet matter-of-fact, movement, that it owes -its principal and rare successes. -</p> -<p>In America, the splendid ambitions of empire-founding, the worldly -opportunities presented by a migrating people and a growing -commonwealth, sometimes charmed the dominating mind; but in the foreign -missions, especially in Great Britain, where it received its highest -intellectual interpretation from elders who championed it on the public -platform against the best orthodox disputants in the land, it was -Mormonism as a great spiritual work that captivated most, and above all -it was this aspect of it that most captivated the sisterhood. In this -view, and in this view only, can the explanation be found of how it -took such a deep and lasting hold upon the female portion of society. -</p> -<p>In the early rise of the Church abroad the disciples knew nothing of -the society-founding successes of Brigham Young, which to-day make -Mormonism quite potent in America and a periodical sensation to the -American Congress. Nothing of this; but much of the divine, much of -the spiritual, much of the angels' coming to reign with them in a -millennium, with Christ on earth. -</p> -<p>Such was Mormonism abroad. Such has it ever been, with the sisters, at -home. Its success in making converts among women, both old and young, -has no parallel in the history of churches. Its all-potent influence -on the heart and brain of woman was miraculous. She received it in -as great faith as was that of the woman who laid hold of the skirt -of Christ's garment and was healed. She exulted in its unspeakably -beautiful themes; she reveled in its angelic experiences; she -multiplied its disciples. -</p> -<p>In some respects Mormonism, in its history and manifestations abroad, -compares strikingly with the more recent history of spiritualism in -America. Their geniuses are undoubtedly very different, but their -potency over society has been similar. The one was apostolic and -Hebraic, with a God as the source of its inspirations, a priesthood -linking the heavens and the earth as its controlling powers, and -another Catholic or Universal Church as the aim of its ministry. The -other has pulled down what it has dared to call the idols of Deity, -makes war on priesthood, and on the Hebrew Jehovah, whom the Mormons -serve, and disintegrates all churches. Yet the themes of both have been -themes of the angels' coming to visit the earth again; "new revelations -to suit the age;" another great spiritual dispensation for the world. -</p> -<p>Mormonism abroad, then, was supremely an apostolic spiritual work. -Paul's famous epistle to the Corinthians, upon spiritual gifts, -presents an exact view of what Mormonism has been; and as it was a -chapter often read to the saints—the subject of a thousand sermons—it -may here be fitly quoted to illustrate the view. The apostle says: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you - ignorant. * * * * -</p> -<p> "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. -</p> -<p> "And there are differences of administration, but the same Lord. -</p> -<p> "And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God - which worketh all in all. -</p> -<p> "But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to - profit withal. -</p> -<p> "For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom; to another - the word of knowledge by the same spirit; -</p> -<p> "To another faith by the same spirit; to another the gifts of - healing by the same spirit; -</p> -<p> "To another the working of miracles; to another prophesy; to - another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; - to another the interpretation of tongues; -</p> -<p> "But all these worketh that one and the self-same spirit, dividing - to every man severally as he will. -</p> -<p> "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members - of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. -</p> -<p> "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we - be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all - made to drink into one spirit. * * * * -</p> -<p> "And God hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, - prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that miracles; then gifts of - healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. -</p> -<p> "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all - workers of miracles? -</p> -<p> "Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all - interpret? -</p> -<p> "But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew I unto you a more - excellent way." -</p></blockquote> -<p>In another chapter of Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, he presents -another famous spiritual view: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "How is it, then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you - hath a psalm, hath a doctrine hath a tongue, hath a revelation, - hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. -</p> -<p> "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the - most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. -</p> -<p> "But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the - church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. -</p> -<p> "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. -</p> -<p> "If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first - hold his peace. -</p> -<p> "For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all - may be comforted. -</p> -<p> "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. -</p> -<p> "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all - churches of the saints." -</p></blockquote> -<p>This is a very exact picture of the Latter-day Saints' testimony -meetings. It is indeed a striking illustration of the gospel and its -manifestations, as familiar to them as their own faces. -</p> -<p>It was this spiritual gospel that the sisters promulgated in Great -Britain, and it was this that made the tens of thousands of converts. -Had not Mormonism been of this kind, and had not such been its -manifestations, woman never would have received it and become its -apostle; nor would it have made such a stir in the world. -</p> -<p>The sisters also missioned the land by the distribution of tracts. This -made them to be preachers, in a way; and they carried their sermons to -the homes of rich and poor, to be read at the fireside by those who, -but for this, never would have gone to hear an elder preach. -</p> -<p>In all the towns and cities of her Majesty's kingdom the saints -organized tract societies. In London, where many branches flourished, -these tract organizations were numerous; the same was measurably -the case with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, and the -principal cities of Scotland and Wales. These tract distributers were -numbered by the thousand. They held their monthly meetings, mapped out -their districts and brought in their regular reports. At one time, as -before stated, they had in circulation half a million of Orson Pratt's -tracts. It is scarcely necessary to say that the sisters principally -did this work, to which should be added that they were assisted by the -young men of each branch. In short, the sisters, in the work abroad, -were a great missionary power. -</p> -<p>And here it may be observed that all evangelical history proves that -woman is ever the most potent evangelist. She permeates society with -the influence of her church, makes converts in the homes of her -neighbors, where her pastor could never reach without her help, and -inspires the very faith by which miracles are wrought. -</p> -<p>Woman has many striking examples of her influence and acts in the -history of religious empire-founding. Miriam charmed the congregation -of Israel with her songs, and strengthened her brother Moses' power by -her prophesies; Esther rendered the captivity of her people lighter by -her mediation; Judith delivered her nation from the Assyrian captain; -the two Marys and Martha seemed to have understood Jesus better than -did his apostles even, and they saw first their risen Lord; St. Helena -did much to make her son, Constantine, the imperial champion of -Christianity; perchance had there been no Cadijah the world would never -have known a Mohammed; the Catholic Church has been more potent through -the sisters of its various orders; and the examples which the Mormon -sisterhood have given are almost as striking as those of the sisters of -that church. -</p> -<p>These are some of the views which may be presented of the sisters in -their great missionary work abroad, and they are also fit illustrations -of the spiritual movement, which they represent, in the age. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MORMONISM AND THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND—PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK OF -MORMON TO THE QUEEN AND PRINCE ALBERT—ELIZA R. SNOW'S POEM ON THAT -EVENT—"ZION'S NURSING MOTHER"—HEBER C. KIMBALL BLESSES VICTORIA. -</p> -<p>Here an interesting story is to be told of Mormonism and the Queen of -England. -</p> -<p>It will be remembered that Victoria ascended the throne of Great -Britain just three days before Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and Willard -Richards arrived in her realm to preach the gospel of Messiah's coming. -</p> -<p>There was something poetic in this. Victoria became connected in some -way with the new dispensation. She alone of all the monarchs of the -earth was prophetically cast in its <em>dramatis personae</em>. Poetry and -prophesy both were pregnant with much of subject and promise that -concerned Victoria of England. She may not be aware of it, but there -is quite a romance of the British Queen in Mormon history, to which -the presentation of the Book of Mormon to herself and the late Prince -consort gives pictorial display. -</p> -<p>Before leaving England, President Brigham Young, who had succeeded in -raising means to publish the Book of Mormon, gave directions for copies -to be specially prepared and richly bound for presentation to her -Majesty and the Prince consort. The honor of this devolved on Lorenzo -Snow, who was at that period President of the London Conference. The -presentation was made in 1842, through the politeness of Sir Henry -Wheatley; and it is said her Majesty condescended to be pleased, with -the gift. Whether she ever read the Book of Mormon is not known, -although, if the presentation has not altogether faded from her memory, -Mormonism has been since that date sensational enough to provoke even a -monarch to read the book, if for nothing better than curiosity; so, not -unlikely Queen Victoria has read some portions at least of the Book of -Mormon. The unique circumstance called forth from the pen of Eliza R. -Snow the following poem, entitled "Queen Victoria:" -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "Of all the monarchs of the earth<br> - That wear the robes of royalty,<br> - She has inherited by birth<br> - The broadest wreath of majesty.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> From her wide territorial wing<br> - The sun does not withdraw its light,<br> - While earth's diurnal motions bring<br> - To other nations day and night.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> All earthly thrones are tott'ring things,<br> - Where lights and shadows intervene;<br> - And regal honor often brings<br> - The scaffold or the guillotine.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> But still her sceptre is approved—<br> - All nations deck the wreath she wears;<br> - Yet, like the youth whom Jesus loved,<br> - One thing is lacking even there.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> But lo! a prize possessing more<br> - Of worth than gems with honor rife—<br> - A herald of salvation bore<br> - To her the words of endless life.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> That gift, however fools deride,<br> - Is worthy of her royal care;<br> - She'd better lay her crown aside<br> - Than spurn the light reflected there,<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> O would she now her influence lend—<br> - The influence of royalty,<br> - Messiah's kingdom to extend,<br> - And Zion's 'nursing Mother' be;<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> She, with the glory of her name<br> - Inscribed on Zion's lofty spire,<br> - Would win a wreath of endless fame,<br> - To last when other wreaths expire.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Though over millions called to reign—<br> - Herself a powerful nation's boast,<br> - 'Twould be her everlasting gain<br> - To serve the King, the Lord of Hosts.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> For there are crowns and thrones on high,<br> - And kingdoms there to be conferred;<br> - There honors wait that never die,<br> - There fame's immortal trump is heard.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> Truth speaks—it is Jehovah's word;<br> - Let kings and queens and princes hear:<br> - In distant isles the sound is heard—<br> - Ye heavens, rejoice; O earth, give ear.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> The time, the time is now at hand<br> - To give a glorious period birth—<br> - The Son of God will take command,<br> - And rule the nations of the earth."<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>It will be seen that our Hebraic poetess has suggested for Victoria -of England the title of "Zion's Nursing Mother." The reference is -to Isaiah's glorious song of Zion. He, according to the universally -accepted interpretation, foresaw the rise of Messiah's kingdom on the -earth in the last days. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zion of the - Holy One of Israel. -</p> -<p> "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the - brightness of thy rising. -</p> -<p> "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy - nursing mothers. -</p> -<p> "Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a - royal diadem in the hand of thy God. -</p> -<p> "Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him and - his work before him." -</p></blockquote> -<p>This is the subject of which the gorgeous Isaiah sang; and the prophesy -of Joseph and the poetry of Eliza have applied it principally to -America as Zion, and conditionally, to Queen Victoria as her "Nursing -Mother." -</p> -<p>Many earthly thrones were about to totter. Soon France—from the days -of Charlemagne styled "The Eldest Daughter of the Church"—saw her -crown trampled in the very gutter, by the rabble of Paris, and a few -years later the scepter of Rome was wrested from the hands of the -"successor of St Peter" by Victor Emanuel; yet of Victoria of England, -Zion's poetess sings: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "But still <em>her</em> sceptre is approved."<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>Mark the poetic and prophetic significance between America as Zion, and -Great Britain, represented in Victoria. A new age is born. Victoria is -its imperial star; while from America—the land that owns no earthly -sovereign—come these apostles to her realm just three days after the -sceptre is placed in her hands. The prophet of America sends them to -proclaim to Great Britain the rising of a star superior to her own. It -is the star of Messiah's kingdom. She is called to her mission as its -Nursing Mother. -</p> -<p>Seeing that Joseph was the prophet of America, and that the British -mission has given to the Mormon Zion over a hundred thousand of her -children already gathered to build up her cities and rear her temples, -it is not strange that the burden of this prophesy should have been -claimed and shared between the two great English speaking nations. -</p> -<p>But there is a personal romance as well, which centres in Victoria. -At the time Sister Eliza wrote the poem to her name, Victoria of -England was quite a theme in the Mormon Church. Not only in her own -realm, among her own subjects, but in Zion also she was preached -about, prophesied about, dreamed about, and seen in visions. Brigham, -as we have seen, caused special copies of the Book of Mormon to be -prepared for her and Prince Albert; Lorenzo Snow presented them through -the courtesy of a state personage, and his sister immortalized the -circumstance in verse. The story is told, also, that Heber C. Kimball, -while in London, blessed Victoria, as she passed, by the power and -authority of his apostleship; and what Heber did was done with the -spirit and with the understanding also. Queen Victoria has been -remarkably successful, and unrivalled in the glory of her reign. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">LITERAL APPLICATION OF CHRIST'S COMMAND—THE SAINTS LEAVE FATHER AND -MOTHER, HOME AND FRIENDS, TO GATHER TO ZION—MRS. WILLIAM STAINES—HER -EARLY LIFE AND EXPERIENCE—A MIDNIGHT BAPTISM IN MIDWINTER—FAREWELL TO -HOME AND EVERY FRIEND—INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY TO NAUVOO. -</p> -<p>How characteristic the following gospel passages! How well and -literally have they been applied in the history and experience of the -Latter-day Saints: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; - and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of - me. -</p> -<p> "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not - worthy of me. -</p> -<p> "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his - life for my sake, shall find it. -</p> -<p> "And every one that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, - or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's - sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting - life." -</p></blockquote> -<p>This gospel was preached by the Mormon elders with nothing of the -"spiritual" sense so acceptable to fashionable churches. Nothing of the -idealistic glamour was given to it. Most literal, indeed almost cruelly -Christian, was Mormonism here. -</p> -<p>But it was not until the "gathering" was preached to the disciples -in Great Britain, that the full significance of such a gospel was -realized. True it was made as severe to the saints in America, through -their persecutions; especially when at length they were driven from the -borders of civilization. To the British mission, however, in the early -days, we must go for striking illustrations. A "gathering dispensation" -preached to Europe before the age of emigration had set in! At first -it startled, aye, almost appalled the disciples in Great Britain. In -those days the common people of England scarcely ever strayed ten miles -from the churchyards where had slept their kindred from generation to -generation. True the mechanic traveled in search of employment from -one manufacturing city to another, passed along by the helping hand of -trade societies; but families, as a rule, never moved. Migration was to -them an incomprehensible law, to be wondered at even in the example of -the birds who were forced by climate to migrate as the season changed. -Migrating peoples could only be understood in the examples of the Jews -or Gipseys, both of whom were looked upon as being "under the curse." -"Going to London" was the crowning event of a lifetime to even the -well-to-do townsman, a hundred miles distant from the metropolis; going -to America was like an imagined flight to the moon. At best emigration -was transportation from fatherland, and the emigration of tens of -thousands of England-loving saints was a transportation to the common -people without parallel for cruelty. -</p> -<p>It was long before English society forgave the American elders for -preaching emigration in England. It looked upon them absolutely as the -betrayers of a confiding religious people who had already been too much -betrayed by an American delusion. -</p> -<p>And as observed, the doctrine of emigration from native land to -America—the new world; another world in seeming—and that, too, as -a necessity to salvation, or at least to the obedience of heaven's -commands, appalled at first the very "elect." Nothing but the Holy -Ghost could dissipate the terrors of emigration. -</p> -<p>Sister Staines shall be first chosen to personally illustrate this -subject, because of the peculiarity of her experience, and for the -reason that she is the wife of William C. Staines, himself an early -Mormon emigrant to Nauvoo, and to-day the general emigration agent of -the Church, and who, during the past fifteen years, has emigrated, -under the direction of President Young, about fifty thousand souls from -Europe. Others of the sisters will follow in this peculiar line of -Mormon history. -</p> -<p>Priscilla Mogridge Staines was born in Widbrook, Wiltshire, England, -March 11th, 1823. -</p> -<p>"My parents," she says, "were both English. My father's name was John -Mogridge, and my mother's maiden name was Mary Crook. -</p> -<p>"I was brought up in the Episcopal faith from my earliest childhood, my -parents being members of the Episcopal Church. But as my mind became -matured, and I thought more about religion, I became dissatisfied with -the doctrines taught by that Church, and I prayed to God my Heavenly -Father to direct me aright, that I might know the true religion. -</p> -<p>"Shortly after being thus concerned about my salvation, I heard -Mormonism and believed it God had sent the true gospel to me in answer -to my prayer. -</p> -<p>"It was a great trial for a young maiden (I was only nineteen years -of age) to forsake all for the gospel—father, mother, brothers and -sisters—and to leave my childhood's home and native land, never -expecting to see it again. This was the prospect before me. The saints -were already leaving fatherland, in obedience to the doctrine of -gathering, which was preached at this time with great plainness by the -elders as an imperative command of God. We looked upon the gathering -as necessary to our salvation. Nothing of our duty in this respect was -concealed, and we were called upon to emigrate to America as soon as -the way should open, to share the fate of the saints, whatever might -come. Young as I was and alone of all my family in the faith, I was -called to take up my cross and lay my earthly all upon the altar; yet -so well satisfied was I with my new religion that I was willing to make -every sacrifice for it in order to gain my salvation and prove myself -not unworthy of the saints' reward. -</p> -<p>"Having determined to be baptized, I resolved to at once obey the -gospel, although it was mid-winter, and the weather bitterly cold. -</p> -<p>"It is proper to here state that baptism was a trial to the converts in -England in those days. They had to steal away, even unknown to their -friends oftentimes, and scarcely daring to tell the saints themselves -that they were about to take up the cross; and not until the ordinance -had been administered, and the Holy Ghost gave them boldness, could -they bring themselves to proclaim openly that they had cast in their -lot with the despised Mormons. Nor was this all, for generally the -elders had to administer baptism when the village was wrapt in sleep, -lest persecutors should gather a mob to disturb the solemn scene with -gibes and curses, accompanied with stones or clods of earth torn from -the river bank and hurled at the disciple and minister during the -performance of the ceremony. -</p> -<p>"On the evening of a bitterly cold day in mid-winter, as before stated, -I walked four miles to the house of a local elder for baptism. Arriving -at his house, we waited until midnight, in order that the neighbors -might not disturb us, and then repaired to a stream of water a quarter -of a mile away. Here we found the water, as we anticipated, frozen -over, and the elder had to chop a hole in the ice large enough for -the purpose of baptism. It was a scene and an occasion I shall never -forget. Memory to-day brings back the emotions and sweet awe of that -moment. None but God and his angels, and the few witnesses who stood -on the bank with us, heard my covenant; but in the solemnity of that -midnight hour it seemed as though all nature were listening, and the -recording angel writing our words in the book of the Lord. Is it -strange that such a scene, occurring in the life of a latter-day saint, -should make an everlasting impression, as this did on mine? -</p> -<p>"Having been thus baptized, I returned to the house in my wet and -freezing garments. -</p> -<p>"Up to this hour, as intimated, my heart's best affection had been -centred on home, and my greatest mental struggle in obeying the gospel -had been over the thought of soon leaving that home; but no sooner -had I emerged from the water, on that night of baptism, and received -my confirmation at the water's edge, than I became filled with an -irresistible desire to join the saints who were gathering to America. -The usual confirmation words, pronounced upon my head, 'Receive ye the -gift of the Holy Ghost,' were, indeed, potent. They changed the current -of my life. This remarkable and sudden change of mind and the now -all-absorbing desire to emigrate with the saints was my first testimony -to the truth and power of the gospel. -</p> -<p>"Shortly thereafter (December 27th, 1843), I left the home of my birth -to gather to Nauvoo. I was alone. It was a dreary winter day on which -I went to Liverpool. The company with which I was to sail were all -strangers to me. When I arrived at Liverpool and saw the ocean that -would soon roll between me and all I loved, my heart almost failed me. -But I had laid my idols all upon the altar. There was no turning back. -I remembered the words of the Saviour: 'He that leaveth not father and -mother, brother and sister, for my sake, is not worthy of me,' and I -believed his promise to those who forsook all for his sake; so I thus -alone set out for the reward of everlasting life, trusting in God. -</p> -<p>"In company with two hundred and fifty saints I embarked on the -sailing vessel <em>Fanny</em>, and after a tedious passage of six weeks' -duration, we arrived in New Orleans. There an unexpected difficulty met -us. The steamer <em>Maid of Iowa</em>, belonging to the prophet Joseph, and on -which the company of saints had expected to ascend the Mississippi to -Nauvoo, was embargoed and lashed to the wharf. But Providence came to -our aid. A lady of fortune was in the company—a Mrs. Bennett—and out -of her private purse she not only lifted the embargo, but also fitted -out the steamer with all necessary provisions, fuel, etc., and soon the -company were again on their way. -</p> -<p>"The journey up the river was a tedious and eventful one, consuming -five weeks of time. At nearly every stopping place the emigrants were -shamefully insulted and persecuted by the citizens. At Memphis some -villain placed a half consumed cigar under a straw mattress and other -bedding that had been laid out, aft of the ladies' cabin, to air. When -we steamed out into the river the draft, created by the motion of the -boat, soon fanned the fire into a quick flame. Fortunately I myself -discovered the fire and gave the alarm in time to have it extinguished -before it had consumed more than a portion of the adjoining woodwork. -Perhaps one minute more of delay in its discovery, and that company -of two hundred and fifty souls would have been subjected to all the -horrors and perils incident to a panic and fire on shipboard. -</p> -<p>"At another place the pilot decided to tie up the boat at a landing -and wait for the subsiding of a furious gale that was blowing. This he -accordingly did, and let off steam, thinking to remain there over night. -In the meantime a mob gathered. We were Mormons. Too often had mobs -shown that the property of Mormons might be destroyed with impunity, -in the most lawless manner, and their lives taken by the most horrible -means. Had that boat been consumed by fire, 'twould, have been but a -pleasing sensation, seeing that it belonged to the Mormon prophet; and -the two hundred and fifty men, women and children, if consumed, would -have been, in the eyes of their persecutors, only so many Mormons well -disposed of. Thus, doubtless, would have thought the mob who gathered -at that landing-place and cut the boat adrift <em>The Maid of Iowa</em> was -now submitted to the triple peril of being adrift without steam, at -the mercy of a treacherous current, and in the midst of a hurricane. -The captain, however, succeeded in raising the steam, and the boat -was brought under sufficient control to enable her to be brought to, -under shelter of a heavy forest, where she was tied up to the trees and -weathered the gale. -</p> -<p>"At another landing a mob collected and began throwing stones through -the cabin windows, smashing the glass and sash, and jeopardizing -the lives of the passengers. This was a little too much for human -forbearance. The boat was in command of the famous Mormon captain, -Dan Jones; his Welsh blood was now thoroughly warm; he knew what mobs -meant. Mustering the brethren, with determined wrath he ordered them to -parade with loaded muskets on the side of the boat assailed. Then he -informed the mob that if they did not instantly desist, he would shoot -them down like so many dogs; and like so many dogs they slunk away. -</p> -<p>"As the <em>Maid of Iowa</em> had made slow progress, and had been frequently -passed by more swift-going steamers, her progress was well known by the -friends of Nauvoo. So on the day of our arrival the saints were out <em>en -masse</em> to welcome us. I had never before seen any of those assembled, -yet I felt certain, as the boat drew near, that I should be able to -pick out the prophet Joseph at first sight. This belief I communicated -to Mrs. Bennett, whose acquaintance I had made on the voyage. She -wondered at it; but I felt impressed by the spirit that I should know -him. As we neared the pier the prophet was standing among the crowd. At -the moment, however, I recognized him according to the impression, and -pointed him out to Mrs. Bennett, with whom I was standing alone on the -hurricane deck. -</p> -<p>"Scarcely had the boat touched the pier when, singularly enough, Joseph -sprang on board, and, without speaking with any one, made his way -direct to where we were standing, and addressing Mrs. Bennett by name, -thanked her kindly for lifting the embargo from his boat, and blessed -her for so materially aiding the saints." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">RISE OF NAUVOO—INTRODUCTION OF POLYGAMY—MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND -HYRUM—CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S NARRATIVE—HER ACCEPTANCE OF -POLYGAMY, AND MARRIAGE TO THE PROPHET—GOVERNOR CARLIN'S TREACHERY—HER -SCATHING REVIEW OF THE MARTYRDOM—MOTHER LUCY'S STORY OF HER MURDERED -SONS. -</p> -<p>Meanwhile, since the reader has been called to drop the historical -thread of the saints in America for a view of the rise of Mormonism in -foreign lands, Nauvoo, whose name signifies "the beautiful city," has -grown into an importance worthy her romantic name and character as the -second Zion. Nauvoo was bidding fair to become the queen of the West; -and had she been allowed to continue her career for a quarter of a -century, inspired by the gorgeous genius of her prophet, although she -would not have rivaled Chicago or St. Louis as a commercial city, yet -would she have become the veritable New Jerusalem of America—in the -eyes of the "Gentiles" scarcely less than in the faith of our modern -Israel. -</p> -<p>Polygamy, also, by this time has been introduced into the Church, and -the examples of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, and of kings David -and Solomon, have begun to prevail. That the "peculiar institution" -was the cross of the sisterhood in those days, it would be heartless -to attempt to conceal, for, as already seen, the first wives of the -founders of Mormondom were nearly all daughters of New England, whose -monogamic training was of the severest kind, and whose monogamic -conceptions were of the most exacting nature. -</p> -<p>Polygamy was undoubtedly introduced by Joseph himself, at Nauvoo, -between 1840 and 1844. Years afterwards, however, a monogamic rival -church, under the leadership of young Joseph Smith, the first born -of the prophet, arose, denying that the founder of Mormondom was the -author of polygamy, and affirming that its origin was in Brigham Young, -subsequent to the martyrdom of the prophet and his brother Hyrum. This, -with the fact that nearly the whole historic weight of polygamy rests -with Utah, renders it expedient that we should barely touch the subject -at Nauvoo, and wait for its stupendous sensation after its publication -to the world by Brigham Young—a sensation that Congress has swelled -into a national noise, and that General Grant has made the hobgoblin of -his dreams. -</p> -<p>Nor can we deal largely with the history of Nauvoo. It is not the -representative period of the sisters. They only come in with dramatic -force in their awful lamentation over the martyrdom, which was not -equaled in Jerusalem at the crucifixion. The great historic period -of the women of Mormondom is during the exodus of the Church and its -removal to the Rocky Mountains, when they figured quite as strongly -as did the women of ancient Israel in the exodus from Egypt. We can -scarcely hope to do full justice to that period, but hasten to some of -its salient views. And here the historic thread shall be principally -continued by Eliza R. Snow. She, touching the city of the saints, and -then slightly on the introduction of polygamy, says: -</p> -<p>"The location of the city of Nauvoo was beautiful, but the climate -was so unhealthy that none but Latter-day Saints, full of faith, and -trusting in the power of God, could have established that city. Chills -and fever was the prevailing disease. Notwithstanding we had this -to contend with, through the blessing of God on the indefatigable -exertions of the saints, it was not long before Nauvoo prompted the -envy and jealousy of many of the adjacent inhabitants, and, as the -'accuser of the brethren' never sleeps, we had many difficulties to -meet, which ultimately culminated in the most bitter persecutions. -</p> -<p>"To narrate what transpired within the seven years in which we built -and occupied Nauvoo, the beautiful, would fill many volumes. That is a -history that never will, and never can, repeat itself. Some of the most -important events of my life transpired within that brief term, in which -I was married, and in which my husband, Joseph Smith, the prophet of -God, sealed his testimony with his blood. -</p> -<p>"Although in my youth I had considered marriage to have been ordained -of God, I had remained single; and to-day I acknowledge the kind -overruling providences of God in that circumstance as fully as in -any other of my life; for I have not known of one of my former -suitors having received the truth; by which it is manifest that I was -singularly preserved from the bondage of a marriage tie which would, -in all probability, have prevented my receiving, or enjoying the free -exercise of, that religion which has been, and is now, dearer to me -than life. -</p> -<p>"In Nauvoo I had the first intimation, or at least the first -understanding, that the practice of a plurality of wives would be -introduced into the Church. The thought was very repugnant to my -feelings, and in direct opposition to my educational prepossessions; -but when I reflected that this was the dispensation of the fullness -of times, embracing all other dispensations, it was plain that plural -marriage must be included; and I consoled myself with the idea that -it was a long way in the distance, beyond the period of my mortal -existence, and that, of course, I should not have it to meet. However, -it was announced to me that the 'set time' had come—that God had -commanded his servants to establish the order, by taking additional -wives. -</p> -<p>"It seemed for awhile as though all the traditions, prejudices, and -superstitions of my ancestry, for many generations, accumulated before -me in one immense mass; but God, who had kept silence for centuries, -was speaking; I knew it, and had covenanted in the waters of baptism to -live by every word of his, and my heart was still firmly set to do his -bidding. -</p> -<p>"I was sealed to the prophet, Joseph Smith, for time and eternity, in -accordance with the celestial law of marriage which God had revealed, -the ceremony being performed by a servant of the Most High—authorized -to officiate in sacred ordinances. This, one of the most important -events of my life, I have never had cause to regret. The more I -comprehend the pure and ennobling principle of plural marriage, the -more I appreciate it. It is a necessity in the salvation of the human -family—a necessity in redeeming woman from the curse, and the world -from its corruptions. -</p> -<p>"When I entered into it, my knowledge of what it was designed to -accomplish was very limited; had I then understood what I now -understand, I think I should have hailed its introduction with joy, -in consideration of the great good to be accomplished. As it was, I -received it because I knew that God required it. -</p> -<p>"When in March, 1842, the prophet, Joseph Smith, assisted by some -of the leading elders in the church, organized the Female Relief -Society (now the great female organization of Utah), I was present, -and was appointed secretary of that society, of which I shall say -more hereafter. In the summer of 1842 I accompanied Mrs. Emma Smith, -the president of the society, to Quincy, Ill., with a petition signed -by several hundred members of the society, praying his Excellency, -Governor Carlin, for protection from illegal suits then pending against -Joseph Smith. We met with a very cordial reception, and presented -the petition, whereupon the governor pledged his word and honor that -he would use his influence to protect Mr. Smith, whose innocence he -acknowledged. But, soon after our return, we learned that at the time -of our visit and while making protestations of friendship, Governor -Carlin was secretly conniving with the basest of men to destroy our -leader. He was even combining with minions of the great adversary of -truth in the State of Missouri, who were vigilant in stirring up their -colleagues in Illinois, to bring about the terrible crisis. -</p> -<p>"The awful tragedy of the 27th of June, 1844, is a livid, burning, -scathing stain on our national escutcheon. To look upon the noble, -lifeless forms of those brothers, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, as they lay -side by side in their burial clothes, having been brought home from -Carthage, where they had been slaughtered in their manhood and in -their innocence, was a sight that might well appal the heart of a true -American citizen; but what it was for loving wives and children, the -heart may feel, but the tongue can never tell. -</p> -<p>"This scene occurred in America, 'the land of the free and the home of -the brave,' to which our ancestors fled for religious freedom—where -the 'dear old flag yet waves,' and under which not one effort has been -made to bring to justice the perpetrators of that foul deed." -</p> -<p>To the aged mother of the prophet and patriarch of the Mormon Church -shall be given the personal presentation of the subject of the -martyrdom; for although the mother's heartrending description cannot -be considered as a sufficiently great historical word-picture of the -scene, yet there is much of tragic force in it. She says: -</p> -<p>"On the morning of the 24th of June, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum were -arrested for treason, by a warrant founded upon the oaths of A. O. -Norton and Augustine Spencer. -</p> -<p>"I will not dwell upon the awful scene which succeeded. My heart is -thrilled with grief and indignation, and my blood curdles in my veins -whenever I speak of it. -</p> -<p>"My sons were thrown into jail, where they remained three days, in -company with Brothers Richards, Taylor, and Markham. At the end of -this time, the governor disbanded most of the men, but left a guard of -eight of our bitterest enemies over the jail, and sixty more of the -same character about a hundred yards distant. He then came into Nauvoo -with a guard of fifty or sixty men, made a short speech, and returned -immediately. During his absence from Carthage, the guard rushed Brother -Markham out of the place at the point of the bayonet. Soon after this, -two hundred of those discharged in the morning rushed into Carthage, -armed, and painted black, red and yellow, and in ten minutes fled -again, leaving my sons murdered and mangled corpses! -</p> -<p>"In leaving the place, a few of them found Samuel coming into Carthage -alone, on horseback, and finding that he was one of our family, they -attempted to shoot him, but he escaped out of their hands, although -they pursued him at the top of their speed for more than two hours. He -succeeded the next day in getting to Nauvoo in season to go out and -meet the procession with the bodies of Hyrum and Joseph, as the mob -had the kindness to allow us the privilege of bringing them home, and -burying them in Nauvoo, notwithstanding the immense reward which was -offered by the Missourians for Joseph's head. -</p> -<p>"Their bodies were attended home by only two persons, save those who -went from this place. These were Brother Willard Richards, and a Mr. -Hamilton; Brother John Taylor having been shot in prison, and nearly -killed, he could not be moved until sometime afterwards. -</p> -<p>"After the corpses were washed, and dressed in their burial clothes, -we were allowed to see them. I had for a long time braced every nerve, -roused every energy of my soul, and called upon God to strengthen me; -but when I entered the room, and saw my murdered sons extended both at -once before my eyes, and heard the sobs and groans of my family, and -the cries of 'Father! husband! brothers!' from the lips of their wives, -children, brother, and sisters, it was too much; I sank back, crying -to the Lord, in the agony of my soul, 'My God, my God, why hast thou -forsaken this family!' A voice replied, 'I have taken them to myself, -that they might have rest.' Emma was carried back to her room almost -in a state of insensibility. Her oldest son approached the corpse, and -dropped upon his knees, and laying his cheek against his father's and -kissing him, exclaimed, 'Oh! my father! my father!' As for myself, I -was swallowed up in the depth of my afflictions; and though my soul -was filled with horror past imagination, yet I was dumb, until I arose -again to contemplate the spectacle before me. Oh! at that moment how -my mind flew through every scene of sorrow and distress which we had -passed together, in which they had shown the innocence and sympathy -which filled their guileless hearts. As I looked upon their peaceful, -smiling countenances, I seemed almost to hear them say, 'Mother, weep -not for us, we have overcome the world by love; we carried to them -the gospel, that their souls might be saved; they slew us for our -testimony, and thus placed us beyond their power; their ascendency is -for a moment, ours is an eternal triumph.' -</p> -<p>"I then thought upon the promise which I had received in Missouri, that -in five years Joseph should have power over all his enemies. The time -had elapsed, and the promise was fulfilled. -</p> -<p>"I left the scene and returned to my room, to ponder upon the -calamities of my family. Soon after this Samuel said: 'Mother, I have -had a dreadful distress in my side ever since I was chased by the mob, -and I think I have received some injury which is going to make me -sick.' And indeed he was then not able to sit up, as he had been broken -of his rest, besides being dreadfully fatigued in the chase, which, -joined to the shock occasioned by the death of his brothers, brought on -a disease that never was removed. -</p> -<p>"On the following day the funeral rites of the murdered ones were -attended to, in the midst of terror and alarm, for the mob had made -their arrangements to burn the city that night, but by the diligence of -the brethren, they were kept at bay until they became discouraged, and -returned to their homes. -</p> -<p>"In a short time Samuel, who continued unwell, was confined to his bed, -and lingering till the 30th of July, his spirit forsook its earthly -tabernacle, and went to join his brothers, and the ancient martyrs, in -the paradise of God." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXI"></a>CHAPTER XXXI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE EXODUS—TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL—SETTING OUT FROM THE BORDERS OF -CIVILIZATION—MOVEMENTS OF THE CAMP OF ISRAEL—FIRST NIGHT AT SUGAR -CREEK—PRAISING GOD IN THE SONG AND DANCE—DEATH BY THE WAYSIDE. -</p> -<p>The heroism of the Mormon women rose to more than tragic splendor in -the exodus. Only two circumstances after the martyrdom connect them -strongly with their beloved city. These attach to their consecrations -in, and adieus to, the temple, and the defence of Nauvoo by the remnant -of the saints in a three days' battle with the enemy. Then came the -evacuation of the city several months after the majority of the twelve, -with the body of the Church, had taken up their march towards the Rocky -Mountains. -</p> -<p>Early in February, 1846, the saints began to cross the Mississippi -in flat-boats, old lighters, and a number of skiffs, forming quite -a fleet, which was at work night and day under the direction of the -police. -</p> -<p>On the 15th of the same month, Brigham Young, with his family, and -others, crossed the Mississippi from Nauvoo, and proceeded to the -"Camps of Israel," as they were styled by the saints, which waited on -the west side of the river, a few miles on the way, for the coming of -their leader. These were to form the vanguard of the migrating saints, -who were to follow from the various States where they were located, or -had organized themselves into flourishing branches and conferences; and -soon after this period also began to pour across the Atlantic that tide -of emigration from Europe, which has since swelled to the number of -about one hundred thousand souls. -</p> -<p>In Nauvoo the saints had heard the magic cry, "To your tents, O -Israel!" And in sublime faith and trust, such as history scarcely -gives an example of, they had obeyed, ready to follow their leader -whithersoever he might direct their pilgrim feet. -</p> -<p>The Mormons were setting out, under their leader, from the borders of -civilization, with their wives and their children, in broad daylight, -before the eyes of ten thousand of their enemies, who would have -preferred their utter destruction to their "flight," notwithstanding -they had enforced it by treaties outrageous beyond description, -inasmuch as the exiles were nearly all American born, many of them -tracing their ancestors to the very founders of the nation. They had to -make a journey of fifteen hundred miles over trackless prairies, sandy -deserts and rocky mountains, through bands of war-like Indians, who had -been driven, exasperated, towards the West; and at last to seek out and -build up their Zion in valleys then unfruitful, in a solitary region -where the foot of the white man had scarcely trod. These, too, were to -be followed by the aged, the halt, the sick and the blind, the poor, -who were to be helped by their little less destitute brethren, and the -delicate young mother with her new-born babe at her breast, and still -worse, for they were not only threatened with the extermination of the -poor remnant at Nauvoo, but news had arrived that the parent government -designed to pursue their pioneers with troops, take from them their -arms, and scatter them, that they might perish by the way, and leave -their bones bleaching in the wilderness. -</p> -<p>At about noon, on the 1st of March, 1846, the "Camp of Israel" began to -move, and at four o'clock nearly four hundred wagons were on the way, -traveling in a north-westerly direction. At night they camped again on -Sugar Creek, having advanced five miles. Scraping away the snow they -pitched their tents upon the frozen ground; and, after building large -fires in front, they made themselves as comfortable as possible under -the circumstances. Indeed, it is questionable whether any other people -in the world could have cozened themselves into a happy state of mind -amid such surroundings, with such a past fresh and bleeding in their -memories, and with such a prospect as was before both themselves and -the remnant of their brethren left in Nauvoo to the tender mercies -of the mob. In his diary, Apostle Orson Pratt wrote that night: -"Notwithstanding our sufferings, hardships and privations, we are -cheerful, and rejoice that we have the privilege of passing through -tribulation for the truth's sake." -</p> -<p>These Mormon pilgrims, who took much consolation on their journey in -likening themselves to the Pilgrim fathers and mothers of this nation, -whose descendants many of them, as we have seen, actually were, that -night made their beds upon the frozen earth. "After bowing before -our great Creator," wrote Apostle Pratt, "and offering up praise -and thanksgiving to him, and imploring his protection, we resigned -ourselves to the slumbers of the night." -</p> -<p>But the weather was more moderate that night than it had been for -several weeks previous. At their first encampment the thermometer -at one time fell twenty degrees below zero, freezing over the great -Mississippi. The survivors of that journey will tell you they never -suffered so much from the cold in their lives as they did on Sugar -Creek. -</p> -<p>And what of the Mormon women? Around them circles almost a tragic -romance. Fancy may find abundant subject for graphic story of the -devotion, the suffering, the matchless heroism of the sisters, in the -telling incident that nine children were born to them the first night -they camped out on Sugar Creek, February 5th, 1846. That day they -wept their farewells over their beloved city, or in the sanctuary of -the temple, in which they had hoped to worship till the end of life, -but which they left never to see again; that night suffering nature -administered to them the mixed cup of woman's supremest joy and pain. -</p> -<p>But it was not prayer alone that sustained these pilgrims. The -practical philosophy of their great leader, daily and hourly applied -to the exigencies of their case, did almost as much as their own -matchless faith to sustain them from the commencement to the end of -their journey. With that leader had very properly come to the "Camp -of Israel" several of the twelve and the chief bishops of the Church, -but he also brought with him a quorum, humble in pretensions, yet -useful as high priests to the saints in those spirit-saddening days. -It was Captain Pitt's brass band. That night the president had the -brethren and sisters out in the dance, and the music was as glad as -at a merry-making. Several gentlemen from Iowa gathered to witness -the strange, interesting scene. They could scarcely believe their own -senses when they were told that these were Mormons in their "flight -from civilization," bound they knew not whither, except where God -should lead them "by the hand of his servant." -</p> -<p>Thus in the song and the dance the saints praised the Lord. When the -night was fine, and supper, which consisted of the most primitive fare, -was over, some of the men would clear away the snow, while others bore -large logs to the camp-fires in anticipation of the jubilee of the -evening. Soon, in a sheltered place, the blazing fires would roar, and -fifty couples, old and young, would join, in the merriest spirit, to -the music of the band, or the rival revelry of the solitary fiddle. As -they journeyed along, too, strangers constantly visited their camps, -and great was their wonderment to see the order, unity and good feeling -that prevailed in the midst of the people. By the camp-fires they would -linger, listening to the music and song; and they fain had taken part -in the merriment had not those scenes been as sacred worship in the -exodus of a God-fearing people. To fully understand the incidents here -narrated, the reader must couple in his mind the idea of an exodus with -the idea of an Israelitish jubilee; for it was a jubilee to the Mormons -to be delivered from their enemies at any price. -</p> -<p>At one point on their journey the citizens of a town near by came over -to camp to invite the "Nauvoo Band," under Captain Pitt, to come to -their village for a concert. There was some music left in the brethren. -They had not forgotten how to sing the "songs of Zion," so they made -the good folks of the village merry, and for a time forgot their own -sorrows. -</p> -<p>These incidents of travel were varied by an occasional birth in camp. -There was also the death of a lamented lady early on the journey. She -was a gentle wife of a famous Mormon missionary, Orson Spencer, once a -Baptist minister of excellent standing. She had requested the brethren -to take her with them. She would not be left behind. Life was too far -exhausted by the persecutions to survive the exodus, but she could yet -have the honor of dying in that immortal circumstance of her people. -Several others of the sisters also died at the very starting. Ah, who -shall fitly picture the lofty heroism of the Mormon women! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXII"></a>CHAPTER XXXII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S NARRATIVE—ADVENT OF A LITTLE STRANGER -UNDER ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES—DORMITORY, SITTING-ROOM, OFFICE, ETC., -IN A BUGGY—"THE CAMP"—INTERESTING EPISODES OF THE JOURNEY—GRAPHIC -DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD OF PROCEDURE—MOUNT PISGAH—WINTER QUARTERS. -</p> -<p>The subject and action of the exodus thus opened, we shall let the -sisters chiefly tell their own stories of that extraordinary historic -period. Eliza R. Snow, continuing her narrative, says: -</p> -<p>"We had been preceded by thousands, and I was informed that on the -first night of the encampment nine children were born into the world, -and from that time, as we journeyed onward, mothers gave birth to -offspring under almost every variety of circumstances imaginable, -except those to which they had been accustomed; some in tents, others -in wagons—in rain-storms and in snow-storms. I heard of one birth -which occurred under the rude shelter of a hut, the sides of which were -formed of blankets fastened to poles stuck in the ground, with a bark -roof through which the rain was dripping. Kind sisters stood holding -dishes to catch the water as it fell, thus protecting the new-comer -and its mother from a shower-bath as the little innocent first entered -on the stage of human life; and through faith in the great ruler of -events, no harm resulted to either. -</p> -<p>"Let it be remembered that the mothers of these wilderness-born babes -were not savages, accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm -and tempest—those who had never known the comforts and delicacies of -civilization and refinement. They were not those who, in the wilds -of nature, nursed their offspring amid reeds and rushes, or in the -recesses of rocky caverns; most of them were born and educated in -the Eastern States—had there embraced the gospel as taught by Jesus -and his apostles, and, for the sake of their religion, had gathered -with the saints, and under trying circumstances had assisted, by -their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo what its name -indicates, 'the beautiful.' There they had lovely homes, decorated with -flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield -plentifully. -</p> -<p>"To these homes, without lease or sale, they had just bade a final -adieu, and with what little of their substance could be packed into -one, two, and in some instances, three wagons, had started out, -desertward, for—where? To this question the only response at that time -was, God knows. -</p> -<p>"From the 13th to the 18th we had several snowstorms and very freezing -weather, which bridged the Mississippi sufficiently for crossing -heavily loaded wagons on the ice. We were on timbered land, had -plenty of wood for fuel, and the men rolled heavy logs together, and -kept large fires burning, around the bright blaze of which, when not -necessarily otherwise engaged, they warmed themselves. The women, when -the duties of cooking and its <em>et ceteras</em> did not prompt them out, -huddled with their children into wagons and carriages for protection -from the chilling breezes. -</p> -<p>"My dormitory, sitting-room, writing-office, and frequently -dining-room, was the buggy in which Sister Markham, her little -son David, and I, rode. One of my brother's wives had one of the -old-fashioned foot-stoves, which proved very useful. She frequently -brought it to me, filled with live coals from one of those mammoth -fires—a kindness which I remember with gratitude; but withal, I -frosted my feet enough to occasion inconvenience for weeks afterwards. -</p> -<p>"When all who designed traveling in one camp, which numbered about -five thousand, had crossed the river, the organization of the whole -into hundreds, fifties, and tens, commenced, and afterwards was -completed for the order of traveling; with pioneers, commissaries, and -superintendents to each hundred, and captains over fifties and tens. -It was impossible for us to move in a body; and one company filed off -after another; and, on the first of March we broke camp and moved out -four or five miles and put up for the night, where at first view the -prospect was dreary enough. It was nearly sunset—very cold, and the -ground covered with snow to the depth of four or five inches; but with -brave hearts and strong hands, and a supply of spades and shovels, the -men removed the snow, and suddenly transformed the bleak desert scene -into a living town, with cloth houses, log-heap fires, and a multitude -of cheerful inhabitants. The next day, with weather moderated, the -remainder of the original camp arrived with the Nauvoo band, and tented -on the bluff, which overlooked our cozy dell, and at night stirring -strains of music filled the atmosphere, on which they were wafted -abroad, and re-echoed on the responsive breezes. -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "Lo! a mighty host of people,<br> - Tented on the western shore<br> - Of the noble Mississippi,<br> - They, for weeks, were crossing o'er.<br> - At the last day's dawn of winter,<br> - Bound with frost and wrapped with snow,<br> - Hark! the sound is, 'Up, and onward!<br> - Camp of Zion, rise and go.'<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "All, at once, is life and motion—<br> - Trunks and beds and baggage fly;<br> - Oxen yoked and horses harnessed—<br> - Tents, rolled up, are passing by.<br> - Soon the carriage wheels are rolling<br> - Onward to a woodland dell,<br> - Where, at sunset, all are quartered—<br> - Camp of Israel, all is well.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "Soon the tents are thickly clustered—<br> - Neighboring smokes together blend—<br> - Supper served—the hymns are chanted,<br> - And the evening prayers ascend.<br> - Last of all, the guards are stationed;<br> - Heavens! must guards be serving here?<br> - Who would harm the homeless exiles?<br> - Camp of Zion, never fear.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "Where is freedom? Where is justice?<br> - Both have from the nation fled,<br> - And the blood of martyred prophets<br> - Must be answered on its head.<br> - Therefore, 'To your tents, O, Israel,'<br> - Like your Father Abram dwell;<br> - God will execute his purpose—<br> - Camp of Zion, all is well.<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>"From time to time, companies of men either volunteered or were -detailed from the journeying camps, and, by going off the route, -obtained jobs of work for which they received food in payment, to meet -the necessities of those who were only partially supplied, and also -grain for the teams. -</p> -<p>"As we passed through a town on the Des Moines river, the inhabitants -manifested as much curiosity as though they were viewing a traveling -menagerie of wild animals. Their levity and apparent heartlessness -was, to me, proof of profound ignorance. How little did those people -comprehend our movement, and the results the Almighty had in view. -</p> -<p>"On the 2d of March we again moved forward—and here I will transcribe -from my journal: 'March 3d—Our encampment this night may truly -be recorded as a miracle, performed on natural, and yet peculiar -principles—a city reared in a few hours, and everything in operation -that actual living required, and many additional things, which, if not -extravagancies, were certainly convenient. The next day, great numbers -of the people of the adjacent country were to be seen patrolling the -nameless streets of our anonymous city, with astonishment visible in -their countenances. In the evening, Sister Markham and I took a stroll -abroad, and in the absence of names to the streets, and numbers to the -tents, we lost our way, and had to procure a guide to pilot us home.' -</p> -<p>"At this point Brother Markham exchanged our buggy for a lumber wagon, -and in performing an act of generosity to others, so filled it as to -give Sister M. and me barely room to sit in front. And when we started -again, Sister M. and I were seated on a chest with brass-kettle and -soap-box for our footstools, and were happy in being as comfortably -situated as we were; and well we might be, for many of our sisters -walked all day, rain or shine, and at night prepared suppers for their -families, with no sheltering tents; and then made their beds in and -under wagons that contained their earthly all. How frequently, with -intense sympathy and admiration, I watched the mother, when, forgetful -of her own fatigue and destitution, she took unwearied pains to fix -up, in the most palatable form, the allotted portion of food, and as -she dealt it out was cheering the hearts of her homeless children, -while, as I truly believed, her own was lifted to God in fervent prayer -that their lives might be preserved, and, above all, that they might -honor him in the religion for which she was an exile from the home -once sacred to her, for the sake of those precious ones that God had -committed to her care. We were living on rations—our leaders having -counseled that arrangement, to prevent an improvident use of provision -that would result in extreme destitution. -</p> -<p>"We were traveling in the season significantly termed 'between hay -and grass,' and the teams, feeding mostly on browse, wasted in flesh, -and had but little strength; and it was painful, at times, to see the -poor creatures straining every joint and ligature, doing their utmost, -and looking the very picture of discouragement. When crossing the low -lands, where spring rains had soaked the mellow soil, they frequently -stalled on level ground, and we could move only by coupling teams, -which made very slow progress. From the effects of chills and fever, -I had not strength to walk much, or I should not have been guilty of -riding after those half-famished animals. It would require a painter's -pencil and skill to represent our encampment when we stopped, as we -frequently did, to give the jaded teams a chance to recuperate, and us -a chance to straighten up matters and things generally. Here is a bit -from my journal: -</p> -<p>"'Our town of yesterday has grown to a city. It is laid out in a half -hollow square, fronting east and south on a beautiful level—with, -on one side, an almost perpendicular, and on the other, a gradual -descent into a deep ravine, which defines it on the west and north. At -nine o'clock this morning I noticed a blacksmith's shop in operation, -and everything, everywhere, indicating real life and local industry. -Only the sick are idle; not a stove or cooking utensil but is called -into requisition; while tubs, washboards, etc., are one-half mile -distant, where washing is being done by the side of a stream of water -beneath the shade of waving branches. I join Sister M. in the washing -department, and get a buggy ride to the scene of action, where the -boys have the fire in waiting—while others of our mess stop in the -city and do the general work of housekeeping; and for our dinner send -us a generous portion of their immense pot-pie, designed to satisfy -the hunger of about thirty stomachs. It is made of rabbits, squirrels, -quails, prairie chickens, etc., trophies of the success of our hunters, -of whom each division has its quota. Thus from time to time we are -supplied with fresh meat, which does much in lengthening out our flour. -Occasionally our jobbers take bacon in payment, but what I have seen of -that article is so rancid that nothing short of prospective starvation -would tempt me to eat it.' -</p> -<p>"On the 20th of April we arrived at the head waters of the Grand River, -where it was decided to make a farming establishment, to be a resting -and recruiting place for the saints who should follow us. Elders Bent, -Benson and Fullmer were appointed to preside over it. -</p> -<p>"The first of June found us in a small grove on the middle fork of -Grand River. This place, over which Elders Rich and Huntington were -called to preside, was named Pisgah; and from this point most of the -divisions filed off, one after another. Colonel Markham appropriated -all of his teams and one wagon to assist the twelve and others to -pursue the journey westward, while he returned to the States for a -fresh supply. Before he left, we were in a house made of logs laid -up 'cob fashion,' with from three to eight inches open space between -them—roofed by stretching a tent cloth over the ridgepole and -fastening it at the bottom, on the outside, which, with blankets and -carpets put up on the north end, as a shield from the cold wind, made -us as comfortable as possible. -</p> -<p>"Companies were constantly arriving and others departing; while -those who intended stopping till the next spring were busily engaged -in making gardens, and otherwise preparing for winter—sheltering -themselves in rude log huts for temporary residence. -</p> -<p>"The camps were strung along several hundred miles in length from front -to rear, when, about the last of June, one of the most remarkably -unreasonable requisitions came officially to President Young, from the -United States government, demanding five hundred efficient men to be -drawn from our traveling camps, to enter the United States military -service, and march immediately to California and assist in the war with -Mexico. Upon the receipt of this demand, President Young and Heber C. -Kimball, with due loyalty to an unprotective government, under which -we had been exiled from our homes, started immediately from their -respective divisions, on horseback, calling for volunteers, from one -extremity of our line to the other; and in an almost incredibly short -time the five hundred men, who constituted the celebrated 'Mormon -Battalion,' were under marching orders, commanded by Col. Allen, of the -United States Infantry. It was our 'country's call,' and the question, -'Can we spare five hundred of our most able-bodied men?' was not asked. -But it was a heavy tax—a cruel draft—one which imposed accumulated -burdens on those who remained, especially our women, who were under the -necessity of driving their own teams from the several points from which -their husbands and sons left, to the Salt Lake Valley; and some of them -walked the whole of that tedious distance. -</p> -<p>On the 2d of August Brother Markham arrived from the East with teams; -and on the 19th we bade good-bye to Mount Pisgah. Brother M. was minus -one teamster, and as Mrs. M. and I were to constitute the occupants of -one wagon, with a gentle yoke of oxen, she proposed to drive. But, soon -after we started, she was taken sick, and, of course, the driving fell -to me. Had it been a horse-team I should have been amply qualified, but -driving oxen was entirely a new business; however, I took the whip and -very soon learned to 'haw and gee,' and acquitted myself, as teamster, -quite honorably, driving most of the way to winter quarters. The cattle -were so well trained that I could sit and drive. At best, however, it -was fatiguing—the family being all sick by turns, and at times I had -to cook, as well as nurse the sick; all of which I was thankful for -strength to perform. -</p> -<p>"On the 27th we crossed the Missouri at Council Bluffs, and the next -day came up with the general camp at winter quarters. From exposure and -hardship I was taken sick soon after with a slow fever, that terminated -in chills and fever, and as I lay sick in my wagon, where my bed was -exposed to heavy autumnal rains, and sometimes wet nearly from head to -foot, I realized that I was near the gate of death; but my trust was -in God, and his power preserved me. Many were sick around us, and no -one could be properly cared for under the circumstances. Although, as -before stated, I was exposed to the heavy rains while in the wagon, -worse was yet to come. -</p> -<p>"On the 28th a company, starting out for supplies, required the wagon -that Sister M. and I had occupied; and the log house we moved into -was but partly chinked and mudded, leaving large crevices for the -wind—then cold and blustering. This hastily-erected hut was roofed on -one side, with a tent-cloth thrown over the other, and, withal, was -minus a chimney. A fire, which was built on one side, filled the house -with smoke until it became unendurable. Sister Markham had partially -recovered from her illness, but was quite feeble. I was not able to sit -up much, and, under those circumstances, not at all, for the fire had -to be dispensed with. Our cooking was done out of doors until after the -middle of November, when a chimney was made, the house enclosed, and -other improvements added, which we were prepared to appreciate. -</p> -<p>"About the last of December I received the sad news of the death -of my mother. She had lived to a good age, and had been a patient -participator in the scenes of suffering consequent on the persecutions -of the saints. She sleeps in peace; and her grave, and that of my -father, whose death preceded hers less than a year, are side by side, -in Walnut Grove, Knox county, Ill. -</p> -<p>"At winter quarters our extensive encampment was divided into wards, -and so organized that meetings for worship were attended in the several -wards. A general order was established and cheerfully carried out, that -each able-bodied man should either give the labor of each tenth day, -or contribute an equivalent, for the support of the destitute, and to -aid those families whose men were in the battalion, and those who were -widows indeed. -</p> -<p>"Our exposures and privations caused much sickness, and sickness -increased destitution; but in the midst of all this, we enjoyed a great -portion of the spirit of God, and many seasons of refreshing from -his presence, with rich manifestations of the gifts and power of the -gospel. My life, as well as the lives of many others, was preserved by -the power of God, through faith in him, and not on natural principles -as comprehended by man." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY OF THE LAST DAYS OF NAUVOO—SHE RECEIVES -CELESTIAL MARRIAGE AND GIVES HER HUSBAND FIVE "HONORABLE YOUNG -WOMEN" AS WIVES—HER DESCRIPTION OF THE EXODUS AND JOURNEY TO WINTER -QUARTERS—DEATH OF ONE OF THE WIVES—SISTER HORNE AGAIN. -</p> -<p>Sister Bathsheba W. Smith's story of the last days of Nauvoo, and the -introduction of polygamy, and also her graphic detail of the exodus, -will be of interest at this point. She says: -</p> -<p>"Immediately after my marriage, my husband, as one of the apostles of -the Church, started on a mission to some of the Eastern States. -</p> -<p>"In the year 1840 he was in England, and again went East on mission -in 1843, going as far as Boston, Mass., preaching and attending -conferences by the way. He returned in the fall; soon after which, we -were blessed by receiving our endowments, and were sealed under the -holy law of celestial marriage. I heard the prophet Joseph charge the -twelve with the duty and responsibility of administering the ordinances -of endowments and sealing for the living and the dead. I met many times -with Brother Joseph and others who had received their endowments, in -company with my husband, in an upper room dedicated for that purpose, -and prayed with them repeatedly in those meetings. I heard the prophet -give instructions concerning plural marriage; he counseled the sisters -not to trouble themselves in consequence of it, that all would be -right, and the result would be for their glory and exaltation. -</p> -<p>"On the 5th of May, 1844, my husband again started on mission, and, -after he left, a terrible persecution was commenced in the city of -Nauvoo, which brought about the barbarous murder of our beloved -prophet, and his brother, the patriarch. The death of these men of -God caused a general mourning which I cannot describe. My husband -returned about the first of August, and soon the rest of the twelve -returned. The times were very exciting, but under the wise counsels of -the twelve, and others, the excitement abated. The temple was so far -finished in the fall of 1845, that thousands received their endowments. -I officiated for some time as priestess. -</p> -<p>"Being thoroughly convinced, as well as my husband, that the doctrine -of plurality of wives was from God, and having a fixed determination -to attain to celestial glory, I felt to embrace the whole gospel, -and believing that it was for my husband's exaltation that he should -obey the revelation on celestial marriage, that he might attain to -kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers, firmly believing that -I should participate with him in all his blessings, glory and honor; -accordingly, within the last year, like Sarah of old, I had given to my -husband five wives, good, virtuous, honorable young women. They all had -their home with us; I being proud of my husband, and loving him very -much, knowing him to be a man of God, and believing he would not love -them less because he loved me more for doing this. I had joy in having -a testimony that what I had done was acceptable to my Father in Heaven. -</p> -<p>"The fall of 1845 found Nauvoo, as it were, one vast mechanic shop, as -nearly every family was engaged in making wagons. Our parlor was used -as a paint-shop in which to paint wagons. All were making preparations -to leave the ensuing winter. On the 9th of February, 1846, in company -with many others, my husband took me and my two children, and some -of the other members of his family (the remainder to follow as soon -as the weather would permit), and we crossed the Mississippi, to -seek a home in the wilderness. Thus we left a comfortable home, the -accumulation and labor of four years, taking with us but a few things, -such as clothing, bedding and provisions, leaving everything else for -our enemies. We were obliged to stay in camp for a few weeks, on Sugar -Creek, because of the weather being very cold. The Mississippi froze -over so that hundreds of families crossed on the ice. As soon as the -weather permitted, we moved on West. I will not try to describe how we -traveled through storms of snow, wind and rain—how roads had to be -made, bridges built, and rafts constructed—how our poor animals had to -drag on, day after day, with scanty feed—nor how our camps suffered -from poverty, sickness and death. We were consoled in the midst of -these hardships by seeing the power of God manifested through the -laying on of the hands of the elders, causing the sick to be healed and -the lame to walk. The Lord was with us, and his power was made manifest -daily. At the head of a slough where we camped several days, we were -visited by the Mus-Quaw-ke band of Indians, headed by Pow-Sheek, a -stately looking man, wearing a necklace of bear's claws. They were -fierce looking men, decorated as they were for war; but they manifested -a friendly spirit, and traded with us. The next move of our camp was to -the Missouri river bank. The cattle were made to swim, and our wagons -were taken over on a flat-boat that our people had built. We made two -encampments after we crossed the river, when we found it too late to -proceed farther that year. The last encampment was named Cutler's Park. -The camps contained about one thousand wagons. Our men went to work -cutting and stacking the coarse prairie grass for hay. The site for -our winter quarters was selected and surveyed, and during the fall and -winter some seven hundred log-cabins were built; also about one hundred -and fifty dugouts or caves, which are cabins half under ground. This -was on the Missouri river, about six miles above the present city of -Omaha. My husband built four cabins and a dug-out. Our chimnies were -made of sod, cut with a spade in the form of a brick; clay was pounded -in to make our fireplaces and hearths. In our travels the winds had -literally blown our tent to pieces, so that we were glad to get into -cabins. The most of the roofs were made of timber, covered with clay. -The floors were split and hewed puncheon; the doors were generally made -of the same material, of cottonwood and linn. Many houses were covered -with oak-shakes, fastened on with weight-poles. A few were covered with -shingles. A log meeting-house was built, about twenty-four by forty -feet, and the hewn floor was frequently used for dancing. A grist-mill -was built and run by water-power, and in addition to this, several -horse-mills and hand-mills were used to grind corn. -</p> -<p>"Our scanty and only supply of bread, consisting generally of corn, was -mostly brought from Missouri, a distance of some one hundred and fifty -miles, where it fortunately was plentiful and cheap. The camp having -been deprived of vegetable food the past year, many were attacked with -scurvy. The exposure, together with the want of necessary comforts, -caused fevers and ague, and affections of the lungs. Our own family -were not exempt. Nancy Clement, one of my husband's wives, died; also -her child. She was a woman of excellent disposition, and died in full -faith in the gospel." -</p> -<p>An incident or two of Sister Horne's story may very properly accompany -the foregoing. She says: -</p> -<p>"I took my last look, on earth, of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. May I never -experience another day similar to that! I do not wish to recall the -scene but for a moment. That terrible martyrdom deeply scarred the -hearts and bewildered the senses of all our people. We could scarcely -realize the awful event, except in the agony of our feelings; nor -comprehend the dark hour, beyond the solemn loneliness which pervaded -the city and made the void in our stricken hearts still more terrible -to bear. For the moment the sun of our life had set. The majority of -the apostles were far from home, and we could do no more than wake the -indignation of heaven against the murderers by our lamentations, and -weep and pray for divine support in that awful hour. -</p> -<p>"Two years had not passed away after the martyrdom, before the saints -were forced by their enemies to hasten in their flight from Nauvoo." -</p> -<p>With the Camp of Israel, Sister Horne and family journeyed to winter -quarters, sharing the common experience of the saints, so well -described by those who have preceded her. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXXIV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE STORY OF THE HUNTINGTON SISTERS CONTINUED—ZINA D. YOUNG'S PATHETIC -PICTURE OF THE MARTYRDOM—JOSEPH'S MANTLE FALLS UPON BRIGHAM—THE -EXODUS—A BIRTH ON THE BANKS OF THE CHARITON—DEATH OF FATHER -HUNTINGTON. -</p> -<p>"It was June 27th, 1844," writes Zina D. Young (one of the Huntington -sisters, with whom the reader is familiar), "and it was rumored that -Joseph was expected in from Carthage. I did not know to the contrary -until I saw the Governor and his guards descending the hill by the -temple, a short distance from my house. Their swords glistened in -the sun, and their appearance startled me, though I knew not what it -foreboded. I exclaimed to a neighbor who was with me, 'What is the -trouble! It seems to me that the trees and the grass are in mourning!' -A fearful silence pervaded the city, and after the shades of night -gathered around us it was thick darkness. The lightnings flashed, the -cattle bellowed, the dogs barked, and the elements wailed. What a -terrible night that was to the saints, yet we knew nothing of the dark -tragedy which had been enacted by the assassins at Carthage. -</p> -<p>"The morning dawned; the sad news came; but as yet I had not heard of -the terrible event. I started to go to Mother Smith's, on an errand. As -I approached I saw men gathered around the door of the mansion. A few -rods from the house I met Jesse P. Harmon. 'Have you heard the news?' -he asked. 'What news?' I inquired. 'Joseph and Hyrum are dead!' Had -I believed it, I could not have walked any farther. I hastened to my -brother Dimick. He was sitting in his house, mourning and weeping aloud -as only strong men can weep. All was confirmed in a moment. My pen -cannot utter my grief nor describe my horror. But after awhile a change -came, as though the released spirits of the departed sought to comfort -us in that hour of dreadful bereavement. -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "'The healer was there, pouring balm on my heart,<br> - And wiping the tears from my eyes;<br> - He was binding the chain that was broken in twain,<br> - And fastening it firm in the skies.'<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>"Never can it be told in words what the saints suffered in those days -of trial; but the sweet spirit—the comforter—did not forsake them; -and when the twelve returned, the mantle of Joseph fell upon Brigham. -</p> -<p>"When I approached the stand (on the occasion when Sidney Rigdon was -striving for the guardianship of the Church), President Young was -speaking. It was the voice of Joseph Smith—not that of Brigham Young. -His very person was changed. The mantle was truly given to another. -There was no doubting this in the minds of that vast assembly. All -witnessed the transfiguration, and even to-day thousands bear testimony -thereof. I closed my eyes. I could have exclaimed, I know that is -Joseph Smith's voice! Yet I knew he had gone. But the same spirit was -with the people; the comforter remained. -</p> -<p>"The building of the temple was hurried on. The saints did not slacken -their energies. They had a work to do in that temple for their dead, -and blessings to obtain for themselves. They had learned from the -prophet Joseph the meaning of Paul's words, 'Why then are ye baptized -for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?' -</p> -<p>"Passing on to the exodus. My family were informed that we were to -leave with the first company. So on the 9th of February, 1846, on a -clear cold day, we left our home at Nauvoo. All that we possessed was -now in our wagon. Many of our things remained in the house, unsold, for -most of our neighbors were, like ourselves, on the wing. -</p> -<p>"Arrived at Sugar Creek, we there first saw who were the brave, the -good, the self-sacrificing. Here we had now openly the first examples -of noble-minded, virtuous women, bravely commencing to live in the -newly-revealed order of celestial marriage. -</p> -<p>"'Women; this is my husband's wife!' -</p> -<p>"Here, at length, we could give this introduction, without fear of -reproach, or violation of man-made laws, seeing we were bound for the -refuge of the Rocky Mountains, where no Gentile society existed, to ask -of Israel, 'What doest thou?' -</p> -<p>"President Young arrived on Sugar Creek, and at once commenced to -organize the camp. George A. Smith was the captain of our company of -fifty. -</p> -<p>"I will pass over the tedious journey to the Chariton river, in the -face of the fierce winds of departing winter, and amid rains that -fairly inundated the land. By day we literally waded through mud and -water, and at night camped in anything but pleasant places. -</p> -<p>"On the bank of the Chariton an incident occurred ever eventful in the -life of woman. I had been told in the temple that I should acknowledge -God even in a miracle in my deliverance in woman's hour of trouble, -which hour had now come. We had traveled one morning about five miles, -when I called for a halt in our inarch. There was but one person with -me—Mother Lyman, the aunt of George A. Smith; and there on the bank of -the Chariton I was delivered of a fine son. On the morning of the 23d, -Mother Lyman gave me a cup of coffee and a biscuit. What a luxury for -special remembrance! Occasionally the wagon had to be stopped, that I -might take breath. Thus I journeyed on. But I did not mind the hardship -of my situation, for my life had been preserved, and my babe seemed so -beautiful. -</p> -<p>"We reached Mount Pisgah in May. I was now with my father, who had been -appointed to preside over this temporary settlement of the saints. But -an unlooked for event soon came. One evening Parley P. Pratt arrived, -bringing the word from headquarters that the Mormon battalion must be -raised in compliance with the requisition of the government upon our -people. And what did this news personally amount to, to me? That I had -only my father to look after me now; for I had parted from my husband; -my eldest brother, Dimick Huntington, with his family, had gone into -the battalion, and every man who could be spared was also enlisted. -It was impossible for me to go on to winter quarters, so I tarried at -Mount Pisgah with my father. -</p> -<p>"But, alas! a still greater trial awaited me! The call for the -battalion had left many destitute. They had to live in wagons. But -worse than destitution stared us in the face. Sickness came upon us -and death invaded our camp. Sickness was so prevalent and deaths so -frequent that enough help could not be had to make coffins, and many of -the dead were wrapped in their grave-clothes and buried with split logs -at the bottom of the grave and brush at the sides, that being all that -could be done for them by their mourning friends. Too soon it became -my turn to mourn. My father was taken sick, and in eighteen days he -died. Just before he left us for his better home he raised himself upon -his elbow, and said: 'Man is like the flower or the grass—cut down -in an hour! Father, unto thee do I commend my spirit!' This said, he -sweetly went to rest with the just, a martyr for the truth; for, like -my dear mother, who died in the expulsion from Missouri, he died in the -expulsion from Nauvoo. Sad was my heart. I alone of all his children -was there to mourn. -</p> -<p>"It was a sad day at Mount Pisgah, when my father was buried. The poor -and needy had lost a friend—the kingdom of God a faithful servant. -There upon the hillside was his resting place. The graveyard was so -near that I could hear the wolves howling as they visited the spot; -those hungry monsters, who fain would have unsepulchred those sacred -bones! -</p> -<p>"Those days of trial and grief were succeeded by my journey to winter -quarters, where in due time I arrived, and was welcomed by President -Young into his family." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXV"></a>CHAPTER XXXV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE PIONEERS—THE PIONEER COMPANIES THAT FOLLOWED—METHOD OF THE -MARCH—MRS. HORNE ON THE PLAINS—THE EMIGRANT'S POST-OFFICE—PENTECOSTS -BY THE WAY—DEATH AS THEY JOURNEYED—A FEAST IN THE DESERT—"AUNT -LOUISA" AGAIN. -</p> -<p>Very properly President Young and a chosen cohort of apostles and -elders formed the band of pioneers who bore the standard of their -people to the Rocky Mountains. On the 7th of April, 1847, that famous -company left winter quarters in search of another Zion and gathering -place. Three women only went with them. These must be honored with a -lasting record. They were Clara Decker, one of the wives of Brigham -Young; her mother, and Ellen Sanders, one of the wives of H. C. Kimball. -</p> -<p>Yet the sisters as a mass were scarcely less the co-pioneers of that -apostolic band, for they followed in companies close upon its track. It -was with them faith, not sight. They continued their pilgrimage to the -West early in June. On the 12th, Captain Jedediah M. Grant's company -moved out in the advance. -</p> -<p>"After we started out from winter quarters," says Sister Eliza Snow, -"three or four days were consumed in maneuvering and making a good -ready, and then, at an appointed place for rendezvous, a general -meeting was held around a liberty-pole erected for the purpose, and -an organization effected, similar to that entered into after leaving -Nauvoo. -</p> -<p>"As we moved forward, one division after another, sometimes in -fifties, sometimes in tens, but seldom traveling in hundreds, we -passed and repassed each other, but at night kept as nearly compact -as circumstances would admit, especially when in the Indian country. -East of Fort Laramie many of the Sioux Nation mixed with our traveling -camps, on their way to the fort, where a national council was in -session. We had no other trouble with them than the loss of a few -cooking utensils, which, when unobserved, they lightly fingered; except -in one instance, when our ten had been left in the rear to repair a -broken wagon, until late in the evening. It was bright moonlight, and -as we were passing one of their encampments, they formed in a line -closely by the roadside, and when our teams passed, they simultaneously -shook their blankets vigorously on purpose to frighten the teams and -cause a stampede, probably with the same object in view as white -robbers have in ditching railroad trains. However, no serious injury -occurred, although the animals were dreadfully frightened." -</p> -<p>Sister Horne thus relates some incidents of the journey: -</p> -<p>"Apostle John Taylor traveled in the company that my family was with, -Bishop Hunter being captain of the company of one hundred, and Bishop -Foutz and my husband being captains of fifties. The officers proposed, -for safety in traveling through the Indian country, that the two -fifties travel side by side, which was agreed to, Bishop Foutz's fifty -taking the north side. For some days the wind blew from the south with -considerable force, covering the fifty on the north with dust from -our wagons. This continued for two weeks; it was then agreed that the -two companies should shift positions in order to give us our fair -proportion of the dust; but in a day or two afterwards the wind shifted -to the north, thus driving the dust on to the same company as before. -After having some good natured badinage over the circumstance, our -company changed with the unfortunates and took its share of the dust. -</p> -<p>"One day a company of Indians met us and manifested a desire to trade, -which we were glad to do; but as the brethren were exchanging corn -for buffalo robes, the squaws were quietly stealing everything they -could lay hands upon. Many bake-kettles, skillets and frying-pans were -missing when we halted that night. -</p> -<p>"As our wagons were standing while the trading was going on, one Indian -took a great fancy to my little girl, who was sitting on my knee, and -wanted to buy her, offering me a pony. I told him 'no trade.' He then -brought another pony, and still another, but I told him no; so he -brought the fourth, and gave me to understand that they were all good, -and that the last one was especially good for chasing buffalo. The -situation was becoming decidedly embarrassing, when several more wagons -drew near, dispersing the crowd of Indians that had gathered around me, -and attracting the attention of my persistent patron." -</p> -<p>The emigrant's post-offices are thus spoken of by Sister Eliza: -</p> -<p>"Much of the time we were on an untrodden way; but when we came on the -track of the pioneers, as we occasionally did, and read the date of -their presence, with an 'all well' accompaniment, on a bleached buffalo -skull, we had a general time of rejoicing." -</p> -<p>For years those bleached buffalo skulls were made the news agents of -the Mormon emigrations. The morning newspaper of to-day is not read -with so much eagerness as were those dry bones on the plains, telling -of family and friends gone before. -</p> -<p>It was a long, tedious journey to those pioneer sisters, yet they had -pentecosts even on their pilgrimage. Again quoting from Sister Eliza: -</p> -<p>"Many were the moon and starlight evenings when, as we circled around -the blazing fire, and sang our hymns of devotion, and songs of praise -to him who knows the secrets of all hearts, the sound of our united -voices reverberated from hill to hill, and echoing through the silent -expanse, seemed to fill the vast concave above, while the glory of God -seemed to rest on all around. Even now while I write, the remembrance -of those sacredly romantic and vivifying scenes calls them up afresh, -and arouses a feeling of response that language is inadequate to -express." -</p> -<p>But there were dark days also. The story changes to sickness in the -wagons and death by the wayside: -</p> -<p>"Death," says Sister Eliza, "made occasional inroads among us. Nursing -the sick in tents and wagons was a laborious service; but the patient -faithfulness with which it was performed is, no doubt, registered in -the archives above, as an unfading memento of brotherly and sisterly -love. The burial of the dead by the wayside was a sad office. For -husbands, wives and children to consign the cherished remains of -loved ones to a lone, desert grave, was enough to try the firmest -heartstrings. -</p> -<p>"Although every care and kindness possible under the circumstances -were extended to her, the delicate constitution of Mrs. Jedediah M. -Grant was not sufficient for the hardships of the journey. I was with -her much, previous to her death, which occurred so near to Salt Lake -Valley, that by forced drives, night and day, her remains were brought -through for interment. Not so, however, with her beautiful babe of -eight or ten months, whose death preceded her's about two weeks; it was -buried in the desert." -</p> -<p>The companies now began to hear of the pioneers and the location of -"Great Salt Lake City." On the 4th of August several of the Mormon -battalion were met returning from the Mexican war. They were husbands -and sons of women in this division. There was joy indeed in the -meeting. Next came an express from the valley, and finally the main -body of the pioneers, returning to winter quarters. On the Sweetwater, -Apostle Taylor made for them a royal feast, spoken of to this day. -Sisters Taylor, Horne, and others of our leading pioneer women, -sustained the honors of that occasion. -</p> -<p>Early in October the companies, one after another, reached the valley. -</p> -<p>The next year many of the pioneers made their second journey to the -mountains, and with them now came Daniel H. Wells, the story of whose -wife, Louisa, shall close these journeys of the pioneers. -</p> -<p>Although exceedingly desirous of crossing the plains with the first -company of that year, her father was unable to do more than barely -provide the two wagons necessary to carry his family and provisions, -and the requisite number of oxen to draw them. The luxury of an extra -teamster to care for the second wagon was out of the question; and -so Louisa, although but twenty-two years of age, and although she -had never driven an ox in her life, heroically undertook the task of -driving one of the outfits, and caring for a younger brother and sister. -</p> -<p>The picture of her starting is somewhat amusing. After seeing that her -allotment of baggage and provisions, along with her little brother and -sister, had been stowed in the wagon; with a capacious old-fashioned -sun-bonnet on her head, a parasol in one hand and an ox-whip in the -other, she placed herself by the side of her leading yoke of oxen and -bravely set her face westward. Matters went well enough for a short -distance, considering her inexperience with oxen; but the rain began -to pour, and shortly her parasol was found to be utterly inadequate, -so in disgust she threw it into the wagon, and traveled on in the wet -grass amid the pouring rain. Presently the paste-board stiffeners -of her sun-bonnet began to succumb to the persuasive moisture, and -before night, draggled and muddy, and thoroughly wet to the skin, her -appearance was fully as forlorn as her condition was pitiable. -</p> -<p>This was truly a discouraging start, but nothing daunted she pressed on -with the company, and never allowed her spirits to flag. Arrived at the -Sweetwater, her best yoke of oxen died from drinking the alkali water, -and for a substitute she was obliged to yoke up a couple of cows. -Then came the tug of war; for so irregular a proceeding was not to be -tolerated for a moment by the cows, except under extreme compulsion. -More unwilling and refractory laborers were probably never found, and -from that point onward Louisa proceeded only by dint of the constant -and vigorous persuasions of her whip. -</p> -<p>During the journey a Mrs. McCarthy was confined; and it was considered -necessary that Louisa should nurse her. But it was impossible for her -to leave her team during the day; so it was arranged that she should -attend the sick woman at night. For three weeks she dropped her whip -each night when the column halted, and leaving her team to be cared for -by the brethren, repaired to Mrs. McCarthy's wagon, nursing her through -the night, and then seizing her whip again as the company moved forward -in the morning. -</p> -<p>However, she maintained good health throughout the journey, and safely -piloted her heterodox outfit into the valley along with the rest of the -company. -</p> -<p>On the journey, after wearing out the three pairs of shoes with -which she was provided, she was obliged to sew rags on her feet for -protection. But each day these would soon wear through, and often she -left bloody tracks on the cruel stones. -</p> -<p>It was on this journey that she first became acquainted with Gen. -Wells, to whom she was married shortly after they reached the valley. -As the senior wife of that distinguished gentleman, "Aunt Louisa" is -well known throughout Utah; and as a most unselfish and unostentatious -dispenser of charity, and an ever-ready friend and helper of the sick -and needy, her name is indelibly engraved on the hearts of thousands. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXXVI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY CONTINUED—THE PIONEERS RETURN TO WINTER -QUARTERS—A NEW PRESIDENCY CHOSEN—OLIVER COWDERY RETURNS TO THE -CHURCH—GATHERING THE REMNANT FROM WINTER QUARTERS—DESCRIPTION OF HER -HOUSE ON WHEELS. -</p> -<p>Continuing her narration of affairs at winter quarters, Sister -Bathsheba W. Smith says: -</p> -<p>"As soon as the weather became warm, and the gardens began to produce -early vegetables, the sick began to recover. We felt considerable -anxiety for the safety of the pioneers, and for their success in -finding us a home. About the first of December, to our great joy, a -number of them returned. They had found a place in the heart of the -Great Basin, beyond the Rocky Mountains, so barren, dry, desolate -and isolated that we thought even the cupidity of religious bigots -would not be excited by it. The pioneers had laid out a city, and had -commenced a fort; and some seven hundred wagons and about two thousand -of our people had by this time arrived there. The country was so very -dry that nothing could be made to grow without irrigation. -</p> -<p>"After the location of winter quarters a great number of our people -made encampments on the east side of the river, on parts of the -Pottawatomie lands. The camps, thus scattered, spread over a large -tract. On one occasion my husband and I visited Hyde Park, one of these -settlements, in company with the twelve apostles. They there held a -council in a log-cabin, and a great manifestation of the holy spirit -was poured out upon those present. At this council it was unanimously -decided to organize the First Presidency of the Church according to -the pattern laid down in the Book of Covenants. Soon after, a general -conference was held in the log tabernacle at Kanesville (now Council -Bluffs), at which the saints acknowledged Brigham Young President of -the Church, and Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards his councilors. -</p> -<p>"Shortly after this conference our family moved to the Iowa side of the -river. My husband bought two log-cabins, and built two more, which made -us quite comfortable. The winter was very cold, but wood was plentiful, -and we used it freely. The situation was a romantic one, surrounded as -we were on three sides by hills. We were favored with an abundance of -wild plums and raspberries. We called the place Car-bun-ca, after an -Indian brave who had been buried there. -</p> -<p>"In May, 1848, about five hundred wagons followed President Young on -his return to Salt Lake. In June some two hundred wagons followed Dr. -Willard Richards. When Dr. Richards left, all the saints that could not -go with him were compelled by the United States authorities to vacate -winter quarters. They recrossed into Iowa, and had to build cabins -again. This was apiece of oppression which was needless and ill-timed, -as many of the families which had to move were those of the men who had -gone in the Mormon battalion. This compulsory move was prompted by the -same spirit of persecution that had caused the murder of so many of -our people, and had forced us all to leave our homes and go into the -wilderness. -</p> -<p>"On the Iowa side of the river we raised wheat, Indian corn, buckwheat, -potatoes, and other vegetables; and we gathered from the woods hazel -and hickory nuts, white and black walnuts, and in addition to the wild -plums and raspberries before mentioned, we gathered elderberries, -and made elderberry and raspberry wine. We also preserved plums and -berries. By these supplies we were better furnished than we had been -since leaving our homes. The vegetables and fruits caused the scurvy to -pretty much disappear. -</p> -<p>"In September, 1848, a conference was held in a grove on Mosquito -Creek, about two thousand of the saints being present. Oliver Cowdery, -one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, was there. He had been ten -years away from the Church, and had become a lawyer of some prominence -in Northern Ohio and Wisconsin. At this conference I heard him bear his -testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, in the same manner as is -recorded in the testimony of the three witnesses in that book. -</p> -<p>"In May, 1849, about four hundred wagons were organized and started -West. -</p> -<p>"In the latter part of June following, our family left our encampment. -We started on our journey to the valley in a company of two hundred and -eighteen wagons. These were organized into three companies, which were -subdivided into companies of ten, each company properly officered. Each -company also had its blacksmith and wagon-maker, equipped with proper -tools for attending to their work of setting tires, shoeing animals, -and repairing wagons. -</p> -<p>"Twenty-four of the wagons of our company belonged to the Welch saints, -who had been led from Wales by Elder Dan Jones. They did not understand -driving oxen. It was very amusing to see them yoke their cattle; two -would have an animal by the horns, one by the tail, and one or two -others would do their best to put on the yoke, whilst the apparently -astonished ox, not at all enlightened by the guttural sounds of the -Welch tongue, seemed perfectly at a loss what to do, or to know what -was wanted of him. But these saints amply made up for their lack of -skill in driving cattle by their excellent singing, which afforded us -great assistance in our public meetings, and helped to enliven our -evenings. -</p> -<p>"On this journey my wagon was provided with projections, of about eight -inches wide, on each side of the top of the box. The cover, which was -high enough for us to stand erect, was widened by these projections. A -frame was laid across the back part of our wagon, and was corded as a -bedstead; this made our sleeping very comfortable. Under our beds we -stowed our heaviest articles. We had a door in one side of the wagon -cover, and on the opposite side a window. A step-ladder was used to -ascend to our door, which was between the wheels. Our cover was of -'osnaburg,' lined with blue drilling. Our door and window could be -opened and closed at pleasure. I had, hanging up on the inside, a -looking-glass, candlestick, pincushion, etc. In the centre of our wagon -we had room for four chairs, in which we and our two children sat and -rode when we chose. The floor of our traveling house was carpeted, and -we made ourselves as comfortable as we could under the circumstances. -</p> -<p>"After having experienced the common vicissitudes of that strange -journey, having encountered terrible storms and endured extreme -hardships, we arrived at our destination on the 5th of November, one -hundred and five days after leaving the Missouri river. Having been -homeless and wandering up to this time, I was prepared to appreciate a -home." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXXVII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE MARTYRED PATRIARCH'S WIDOW—A WOMAN'S STRENGTH AND -INDEPENDENCE—THE CAPTAIN "LEAVES HER OUT IN THE COLD"—-HER PROPHESY -AND CHALLENGE TO THE CAPTAIN—A PIONEER INDEED—SHE IS LED BY -INSPIRATION—THE SEERIC GIFT OF THE SMITHS WITH HER—HER CATTLE—THE -RACE—FATE AGAINST THE CAPTAIN—THE WIDOW'S PROPHESY FULFILLED. -</p> -<p>"I will beat you to the valley, and ask no help from you either!" -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The exodus called out the women of Mormondom in all their Spartan -strength of character. They showed themselves State-founders indeed. -We are reading examples of them as pioneers unsurpassed even by the -examples of the immortal band of pioneer apostles and elders who led -them to the "chambers of the mountains." The following story of the -widow of Hyrum Smith will finely illustrate this point: -</p> -<p>At the death of the patriarch the care of the family fell upon his -widow, Mary Smith. Besides the children there were several helpless and -infirm people, whom for various charitable reasons the patriarch had -maintained; and these also she cared for, and brought through to the -valley the major part of them, under unusually trying circumstances. -</p> -<p>Passing over the incidents of her journey to winter quarters, after -the expulsion from Nauvoo, we come at once to her heroic effort from -winter quarters westward. In the spring of 1848 a tremendous effort -was made by the saints to emigrate to the valley on a grand scale. No -one was more anxious than Widow Smith; but to accomplish it seemed an -impossibility, for although a portion of her household had emigrated in -1847, she still had a large and, comparatively, helpless family—her -sons John and Joseph, mere boys, being her only support. Without teams -sufficient to draw the number of wagons necessary to haul provisions -and outfit for the family, and without means to purchase, or friends -who were in circumstances to assist, she determined to make the -attempt, and trust in the Lord for the issue. Accordingly every nerve -was strained, and every available object was brought into requisition. -Cows and calves were yoked up, two wagons lashed together, and a team -barely sufficient to draw one was hitched on to them, and in this -manner they rolled out from winter quarters some time in May. After a -series of the most amusing and trying circumstances, such as sticking -in the mud, doubling teams up all the little hills, and crashing at -ungovernable speed down the opposite sides, breaking wagon-tongues and -reaches, upsetting, and vainly trying to control wild steers, heifers, -and unbroken cows, they finally succeeded in reaching the Elk Horn, -where the companies were being organized for the plains. -</p> -<p>Here Widow Smith reported herself to President Kimball as having -"started for the valley." Meantime, she had left no stone unturned or -problem untried, which promised assistance in effecting the necessary -preparations for the journey. She had done to her utmost, and still the -way looked dark and impossible. -</p> -<p>President Kimball consigned her to Captain ——'s fifty. The captain was -present. Said he: -</p> -<p>"Widow Smith, how many wagons have you?" -</p> -<p>"Seven." -</p> -<p>"How many yokes of oxen have you?" -</p> -<p>"Four," and so many cows and calves. -</p> -<p>"Well," said the captain, "it is folly for you to start in this manner; -you never can make the journey, and if you try it you will be a burden -upon the company the whole way. My advice to you is, to go back to -winter quarters and wait till you can get help." -</p> -<p>Widow Smith calmly replied: "Father ——" (he was an aged man), "I will -beat you to the valley, and will ask no help from you either!" -</p> -<p>This seemed to nettle the old gentleman, and it doubtless influenced -his conduct toward her during the journey. -</p> -<p>While lying at Elk Horn she sent back and succeeded in buying on -credit, and hiring for the journey, several yoke of oxen from brethren -who were not able to emigrate that year, and when the companies were -ready to start she and her family were somewhat better prepared for the -journey, and rolled out with lighter hearts and better prospects than -favored their egress from winter quarters. -</p> -<p>As they journeyed on the captain lost no opportunity to vent his -spleen on the widow and her family; but she prayerfully maintained -her integrity of purpose, and pushed vigorously on, despite several -discouraging circumstances. -</p> -<p>One day, as they were moving slowly through the hot sand and dust, -in the neighborhood of the Sweetwater, the sun pouring down with -excessive heat, towards noon, one of Widow Smith's best oxen laid -down in the yoke, rolled over on his side, and stiffened out his legs -spasmodically, evidently in the throes of death. The unanimous opinion -was that he was poisoned. All the hindmost teams of course stopped, the -people coming forward to know what was the matter. In a short time the -captain, who was in advance of the company, perceiving that something -was wrong, came to the spot. Probably no one supposed for a moment that -the ox would recover, and the captain's first words on seeing him were: -</p> -<p>"He is dead, there is no use working with him; we'll have to fix up -some way to take the widow along; I told her she would be a burden upon -the company." -</p> -<p>Meantime Widow Smith had been searching for a bottle of consecrated -oil in one of the wagons, and now came forward with it, and asked her -brother, Joseph Fielding, and the other brethren, to administer to the -ox, thinking that the Lord would raise him up. They did so, pouring -a portion of oil on the top of his head, between and back of the -horns, and all laid hands upon him, and one prayed, administering the -ordinance as they would have done to a human being that was sick. In -a moment he gathered up his legs, and at the first word arose to his -feet, and traveled right off as well as ever. He was not even unyoked -from his mate. -</p> -<p>On the 22d of September the company crossed over "Big Mountain," when -they had the first glimpse of Salt Lake Valley. Every heart rejoiced, -and with lingering fondness they gazed upon the goal of their wearisome -journey. The descent of the western side of "Big Mountain" was -precipitous and abrupt, and they were obliged to rough lock the hind -wheels of the wagons, and, as they were not needed, the forward cattle -were turned loose to be driven to camp, the "wheelers" only being -retained on the wagons. Desirous of shortening the next day's journey -as much as possible, they drove on till a late hour in the night, and -finally camped near the eastern foot of the "Little Mountain." During -this night's drive several of Widow Smith's cows, that had been turned -loose from the teams, were lost in the brush. Early next morning her -son John returned to hunt for them, their service in the teams being -necessary to proceed. -</p> -<p>At an earlier hour than usual the captain gave orders for the company -to start, knowing well the circumstances of the widow, and that she -would be obliged to remain till John returned with the lost cattle. -Accordingly the company rolled out, leaving her and her family alone. -Hours passed by ere John returned with the lost cattle, and the company -could be seen toiling along far up the mountain. And to human ken it -seemed probable that the widow's prediction would ingloriously fail. -But as the company were nearing the summit of the mountain a cloud -burst over their heads, sending down the rain in torrents, and throwing -them into utter confusion. The cattle refused to pull, and to save -the wagons from crashing down the mountain side, they were obliged to -unhitch, and block the wheels. While the teamsters sought shelter, the -storm drove the cattle in every direction, so that when it subsided -it was a day's work to find them and get them together. Meantime, as -noted, John had returned with the stray cattle, and they were hitched -up, and the widow and family rolled up the mountain, passing the -company and continuing on to the valley, where she arrived fully twenty -hours in advance of the captain. And thus was her prophesy fulfilled. -</p> -<p>She kept her husband's family together after her arrival in the valley, -and her prosperity was unparalleled. At her death, which occurred -September 21st, 1852, she left them comfortably provided for, and in -possession of every educational endowment that the facilities of the -times would permit. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXVIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">UTAH IN THE EARLY DAYS—PRESIDENT YOUNG'S PRIMITIVE HOME—RAISING THE -STARS AND STRIPES ON MEXICAN SOIL—THE HISTORICAL THREAD UP TO THE -PERIOD OF THE "UTAH WAR." -</p> -<p>The early days in the valley are thus described by Eliza R. Snow: -</p> -<p>"Our first winter in the mountains was delightful; the ground froze -but little; our coldest weather was three or four days in November, -after which the men plowed and sowed, built houses, etc. The weather -seemed to have been particularly ordered to meet our very peculiar -circumstances. Every labor, such as cultivating the ground, procuring -fuel and timber from the canyons, etc., was a matter of experiment. -Most of us were houseless; and what the result would have been, had -that winter been like the succeeding ones, may well be conjectured. -</p> -<p>"President Young had kindly made arrangements for me to live with his -wife, Clara Decker, who came with the pioneers, and was living in a -log-house about eighteen feet square, which constituted a portion -of the east side of our fort. This hut, like most of those built -the first year, was roofed with willows and earth, the roof having -but little pitch, the first-comers having adopted the idea that the -valley was subject to little if any rain, and our roofs were nearly -flat. We suffered no inconvenience from this fact until about the -middle of March, when a long storm of snow, sleet and rain occurred, -and for several days the sun did not make its appearance. The roof -of our dwelling was covered deeper with earth than the adjoining -ones, consequently it did not leak so soon, and some of my neighbors -huddled in for shelter; but one evening, when several were socially -sitting around, the water commenced dripping in one place, and then in -another; they dodged it for awhile, but it increased so rapidly that -they finally concluded they might as well go to their own wet houses. -After they had gone I spread my umbrella over my head and shoulders as -I ensconced myself in bed, the lower part of which, not shielded by -the umbrella, was wet enough before morning. The earth overhead was -thoroughly saturated, and after it commenced to drip the storm was much -worse indoors than out. -</p> -<p>"The small amount of breadstuff brought over the plains was sparingly -dealt out; and our beef, made of cows and oxen which had constituted -our teams, was, before it had time to fatten on the dry mountain grass, -very inferior. Those to whom it yielded sufficient fat to grease their -griddles, were considered particularly fortunate. But we were happy -in the rich blessings of peace, which, in the spirit of brotherly and -sisterly union, we mutually enjoyed in our wild mountain home. -</p> -<p>"Before we left winter quarters, a committee, appointed for the -purpose, inspected the provisions of each family, in order to ascertain -that all were provided with at least a moderate competency of flour, -etc. The amount of flour calculated to be necessary was apportioned at -the rate of three-quarters of a pound for adults and one-half pound -per day for children. A portion of the battalion having been disbanded -on the Pacific coast, destitute of pay for their services, joined us -before spring, and we cheerfully divided our rations of flour with -them, which put us on still shorter allowance. -</p> -<p>"Soon after our arrival in the valley, a tall liberty-pole was erected, -and from its summit (although planted in Mexican soil), the stars and -stripes seemed to float with even more significance, if possible, than -they were wont to do on Eastern breezes. -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "I love that flag. When in my childish glee—<br> - A prattling girl, upon my grandsire's knee—<br> - I heard him tell strange tales, with valor rife,<br> - How that same flag was bought with blood and life.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "And his tall form seemed taller when he said,<br> - 'Child, for that flag thy grandsire fought and bled.'<br> - My young heart felt that every scar he wore,<br> - Caused him to prize that banner more and more.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "I caught the fire, and as in years I grew,<br> - I loved the flag; I loved my country too.<br> - * * * * * *<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "There came a time that I remember well—<br> - Beneath the stars and stripes we could not dwell!<br> - We had to flee; but in our hasty flight<br> - We grasped the flag with more than mortal might;<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "And vowed, although our foes should us bereave<br> - Of all things else, the flag we would not leave.<br> - We took the flag; and journeying to the West,<br> - We wore its motto graven on each breast."<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>The personal narrative, up to the period of the Utah war, is thus -continued by Bathsheba W. Smith: -</p> -<p>"In 1856 my husband was sent as delegate to Washington, by vote of the -people of the Territory, to ask for the admission of Utah as a State. -In May, 1857, he returned. Congress would not admit Utah into the -Union. On his journey East his horse failed, and he had to walk about -five hundred miles on the plains. This made him very foot-sore, as he -was a heavy man. -</p> -<p>"On the 24th of July, 1857, I was in company with my husband and a -goodly number of others at the Big Cottonwood Lake, near the head of -Big Cottonwood Canyon, where we were celebrating the anniversary of the -arrival of the pioneers in Salt Lake Valley, when word was brought to -us that the United States mail for Utah was stopped, and that President -James Buchanan was sending out an army to exterminate us. We turned to -hear what President Young would say. In effect he said: 'If they ever -get in, it will be because we will permit them to do so.' -</p> -<p>"In September my husband went out into the mountains and stayed about -four weeks, assisting in conducting the correspondence with the leaders -of the invading army. Fear came upon the army, and they dared not come -face to face with our people; so they stayed out in the mountains, -while our people came home, excepting a few who remained to watch them. -</p> -<p>"Soon after my husband's return, he married Sister Susan Elizabeth -West, and brought her home. -</p> -<p>"About this time I was having a new house built. One day, in the -forenoon, I had been watching the men plastering it, and had been -indulging in the pleasant thoughts that would naturally occur on such -an occasion, when my husband came home and said it had been determined -in council that all of our people were to leave their homes and go -south, as it was thought wiser to do this than to fight the army. -Accordingly, on the last day of March, 1858, Sister Susan, myself, and -son and daughter, started south, bidding farewell to our home with much -the same feelings that I had experienced at leaving Nauvoo. -</p> -<p>"Peace having subsequently been restored, we returned to Salt Lake -City on the third of July following. Instead of flowers, I found weeds -as high as my head all around the house. When we entered the city it -was near sunset; all was quiet; every door was shut and every window -boarded up. I could see but two chimneys from which smoke was issuing. -We were nearly the first that had returned. Being thus restored to my -home again, I was happy and contented, although I had but few of the -necessaries of life." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXXXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXXIX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM IN THE PERIOD OF THE UTAH WAR—THEIR -HEROIC RESOLVE TO DESOLATE THE LAND—THE SECOND EXODUS—MRS. -CARRINGTON—GOVERNOR CUMMING'S WIFE—A NATION OF HEROES. -</p> -<p>For an example of the heroism of woman excelling all other examples of -history—at least of modern times—let us turn to that of the Mormon -women during the Utah war. -</p> -<p>In the expulsions from Missouri, first from county to county, and -then <em>en masse</em> from the State, undoubtedly the Mormons yielded to -the compulsion of a lawless mob, coupled with the militia of the -State, executing the exterminating order of Governor Boggs. It was an -example of suffering and martyrdom rather than of spontaneous heroism. -Something of the same was illustrated in the expulsion from Illinois. -It was at the outset nothing of choice, but all of compulsion. True, -after the movement of the community, inspired by the apostolic -forcefulness of Brigham Young and his compeers, swelled into a grand -Israelitish exodus, then the example towered like a very pyramid of -heroism; and in that immortal circumstance who can doubt that the -heroic culminated in the women? -</p> -<p>But what shall be said of their example during the Utah war? Here were -women who chose and resolved to give an example to the civilized world -such as it had never seen. The proposed exodus from Utah was not in -the spirit of submission, but an exhibition of an invincible spirit -finding a method of conquest through an exodus. This was not weakness, -but strength. It was as though the accumulated might and concentrated -purposes of their lives were brought into a supreme action. The example -of the Utah war was in fact all their own. The Mormons were not -subdued. Had the issue come, they would have left Utah as conquerors. -</p> -<p>"Tell the government that the troops now on the march for Utah shall -not enter the Great Salt Lake Valley. Tell the people of the United -States that should those troops force an entrance they will find Utah -a desert, every house burned to the ground, every tree cut down, and -every field laid waste. We will apply the torch to our own dwellings, -cut down those richly-laden orchards with our own hands, turn the -fruitful field again into a desert, and desolate our cities, with -acclamations." -</p> -<p>Such was the tenor of the communication carried by Captain Van Vliet to -the government. And he had seen the whole people lift up their hands in -their tabernacle to manifest their absolute resolution to the nation, -and heard those acclamations in anticipation of their act. -</p> -<p>The very nature of the case brought the women of Mormondom into supreme -prominence. <em>Their</em> hands would have applied the torches to their -homes; they would have been the desolaters of the fast-growing cities -of Utah. The grandeur of the action was in these unconquerable women, -who would have maintained their religion and their sacred institutions -in the face of all the world. -</p> -<p>The example of the wife of Albert Carrington will, perchance, be -often recalled, generations hence. Capt. Van Vliet, of the United -States Army, had arrived in Salt Lake City in the midst of the -troubles out of which grew the "war." He was received most cordially -by the authorities, but at the same time was given to understand that -the people were a unit, and that they had fully determined upon a -programme. The sisters took him into their gardens, and showed him the -paradise that their woman-hands would destroy if the invading army -came. He was awed by the prospect—his ordinary judgment confounded -by such extraordinary examples. To the lady above-mentioned, in whose -garden he was one day walking, in conversation with the governor and -others, he exclaimed: -</p> -<p>"What, madam! would you consent to see this beautiful home in ashes -and this fruitful orchard destroyed?" -</p> -<p>"Yes!" answered Sister Carrington, with heroic resolution, "I would not -only consent to it, but I would set fire to my home with my own hands, -and cut down every tree, and root up every plant!" -</p> -<p>Coupled with this will be repeated the dramatic incident of Governor -Cumming's wife weeping over the scene of the deserted city after the -community had partly executed their resolution. -</p> -<p>The saints had all gone south, with their leader, when Governor -Cumming, with his wife, returned from Camp Scott. They proceeded to the -residence of Elder Staines, whom they found in waiting. His family had -gone south, and in his garden were significantly heaped several loads -of straw. -</p> -<p>The governor's wife inquired their meaning, and the cause of the -silence that pervaded the city. Elder Staines informed her of their -resolve to burn the town in case the army attempted to occupy it. -</p> -<p>"How terrible!" she exclaimed. "What a sight this is! I shall never -forget it! it has the appearance of a city that has been afflicted with -plague. Every house looks like a tomb of the dead! For two miles I have -seen but one man in it. Poor creatures! And so all have left their -hard-earned homes?" -</p> -<p>Here she burst into tears. -</p> -<p>"Oh! Alfred (to her husband), something must be done to bring them -back! Do not permit the army to stay in the city! Can't you do -something for them?" -</p> -<p>"Yes, madam," said he, "I shall do all I can, rest assured." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Cumming wept for woman! But the women of Mormondom gloried in -their sublime action as they had never done before. They felt at that -moment that their example was indeed worthy of a modern Israel. -</p> -<p>It thus struck the admiration of journalists both in America and -Europe. The Mormons were pronounced "A nation of heroes!" Those heroes -were twice ten thousand women, who could justly claim the tribute -equally with their husbands, their brethren and their sons. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXL"></a>CHAPTER XL. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MIRIAM WORKS AND MARY ANN ANGELL—SCENES OF THE PAST—DEATH-BED OF -MIRIAM—EARLY DAYS OF MARY—HER MARRIAGE WITH BRIGHAM—THE GOOD -STEP-MOTHER—SHE BEARS HER CROSS IN THE PERSECUTIONS—A BATTLE WITH -DEATH—POLYGAMY—MARY IN THE EXODUS AND AT WINTER QUARTERS—THE HUT IN -THE VALLEY—CLOSING A WORTHY LIFE. -</p> -<p>The death-bed of a latter-day saint! -</p> -<p>It was in the house of Heber C. Kimball, in the little town of Mendon, -N. Y., on the 8th of September, 1832. Principal around that glorious -death-bed were Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Vilate, his wife. -</p> -<p>The dying saint was Miriam Works, first wife of Brigham Young—a man -of destiny, but then unknown in the great world. "In her expiring -moments," he says, "she clapped her hands and praised the Lord, and -called upon Brother Kimball and all around to also praise the Lord!" -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>On the 8th of June, 1803, in Seneca, Ontario county, N. Y., was born -Mary Ann Angell, now for forty-five years the wife of Brigham Young, -the mother of his eldest sons, and the faithful step-mother of the -daughters of Miriam Works. -</p> -<p>Her parents early leaving her birthplace, Mary was brought up in -Providence, R. I. She was what in those days was denominated a pious -maiden, for her family was strictly of the old Puritan stock of the -country. She early became a Sunday-school teacher, and united with -the Free-Will Baptists. The study of the prophesies quite engrossed -her mind, and she was confidently looking for their fulfillment. -Her semi-ministerial duties as a Sunday-school teacher toned and -strengthened her early womanhood; and hence she resolved never to marry -until she met "a man of God" to whom her heart should go out, to unite -with him in the active duties of a Christian life. Thus it came about -that she remained a maiden until nearly thirty years of age. But the -providence that watched over her had chosen for her a husband. -</p> -<p>It was during the year 1830 that Thomas B. Marsh came to Providence, -bringing with him the Book of Mormon. From him Mary obtained a copy, -and having prayerfully read it, became convinced that it was a work -of inspiration. After this she went to Southern New York, where her -parents were visiting, and there she and her parents were baptized by -John P. Greene—Brigham's brother-in-law. It was about this time that -the Youngs, the Greenes and the Kimballs came into the Church. -</p> -<p>Alone, Mary set out for Kirtland, which had just become the gathering -place of the saints; and there she remained a year before Brigham and -Heber gathered with their families. Vilate Kimball was still acting the -part of a mother to the little daughters of Miriam. Through hearing -Brigham preach in Kirtland, Mary Angell became acquainted with him. -She had found her mate; he had found a mother indeed to his little -motherless Elizabeth and Vilate. -</p> -<p>At the period of the famous march of the elders from Ohio to Missouri, -in 1834, to "redeem Zion" in Jackson county, Mary, now for over a year -the wife of Brigham Young, became the mother of his first son, Joseph -A., who was born October 14, 1834, just at the return of her husband, -after the disbanding of Zion's Camp. Thus during the most trying period -of her first year of marriage, was she left alone in the struggle of -life, providing for herself, and caring for her husband's motherless -girls. -</p> -<p>But a still more trying period came to this excellent woman, after -her husband became a member of the quorum of the twelve, and when the -rebellion against Joseph arose in Kirtland. First the prophet and -Sidney Rigdon had to flee for their lives, and next Brigham Young had -to escape from Kirtland. Then came her severest struggle. She now had -five children to care and provide for the—two daughters of Miriam, -her Joseph A., and Brigham, Jr., with his twin sister, Mary Ann. Those -were dark days of persecution and want. The apostates and anti-Mormons -frequently searched her house for her husband, and the faithful in -Kirtland all had enough to do to sustain themselves, in the absence of -their shepherds, who were now refugees in Far West. At length, with -the five children, she reached her husband; but not long to rest, for -quickly came the expulsion from Missouri, in which period she broke -up her home many times before finally settling in Montrose, on the -opposite side of the river from Nauvoo. -</p> -<p>Scarcely had Brigham and the twelve effected the exodus of the saints -from Missouri to Illinois, ere Joseph, having escaped from prison, sent -the twelve with its president to England, on mission. -</p> -<p>On each side of the Mississippi, in cabins and tents, the Mormon people -lay, exhausted by their many expulsions; the multitude sick, many -dying, the vigor of life scarcely left even in their strong-willed -leaders. Thus lying on the river-side at Commerce and Montrose, -they presented a spectacle no longer suggestive of irresistible -empire-founders. Joseph was sick; Brigham was sick; the twelve were all -sick; the prophet's house and door-yard was a hospital. It was then -that the prophet, knowing that power must be invoked or the people -would perish, leaped from his sick bed, and entering first the tents -and cabins of the apostles, and bidding them arise and follow him, went -like an archangel through the midst of his disciples, and "healed the -multitude." It is a grand picture in the memory of the saints, being -called "The Day of God's Power." Reverse that picture, and there is -seen the exact condition of Mary Angell Young and the other apostles' -wives when the president and his quorum started on mission to England, -leaving them to the care of the Lord, and their brethren. It was a -period quite as trying to these apostolic sisters as that of the -exodus, afterwards. And to none more so than to Mary, who had now the -burden of six children to sustain during her husband's absence in a -foreign land. -</p> -<p>The following entries in the president's journal embody a most graphic -story, easily seized by the imagination: -</p> -<p>"We arrived in Commerce on the 18th (May, 1839), and called upon -Brother Joseph and his family. Joseph had commenced laying out the city -plot. -</p> -<p>"23d—I crossed the Mississippi with my family, and took up my -residence in a room in the old military barracks, in company with -Brother Woodruff and his family. -</p> -<p>"September 14, 1839—I started from Montrose on my mission to England. -My health was so poor that I was unable to go thirty rods, to the -river, without assistance. After I had crossed the river I got Israel -Barlow to carry me on his horse behind him, to Heber C. Kimball's, -where I remained sick 'till the 18th. I left my wife sick, with a babe -only ten days old, and all my children sick and unable to wait upon -each other. -</p> -<p>"17th—My wife crossed the river, and got a boy with a wagon to bring -her up about a mile, to Brother Kimball's, to see me. I remained until -the 18th at Brother Kimball's, when we started, leaving his family also -sick." -</p> -<p>Continue the picture, with the husband's absence, and the wife's noble, -every-day struggle to maintain and guard his children, and we have her -history well described for the next two years. -</p> -<p>Taking up the thread again in September, 1841: "On my return from -England," says Brigham, in his diary, "I found my family living in a -small unfinished log-cabin, situated on a low, wet lot, so swampy that -when the first attempt was made to plough it the oxen mired; but after -the city was drained it became a very valuable garden spot." -</p> -<p>The scene, a year later, is that of President Young at "death's door," -and the wife battling with death to save her husband. He was suddenly -attacked with a slight fit of apoplexy. This was followed by a severe -fever. For eighteen days he lay upon his back, and was not turned upon -his side during that period. -</p> -<p>"When the fever left me, on the eighteenth day," he says, "I was -bolstered up in my chair, but was so near gone that I could not close -my eyes, which were set in my head; my chin dropped down, and my breath -stopped. My wife, seeing my situation, threw some cold water in my -face and eyes, which I did not feel in the least; neither did I move -a muscle. She then held my nostrils between her thumb and finger, and -placing her mouth directly over mine, blew into my lungs until she -filled them with air. This set my lungs in motion, and I again began -to breathe. While this was going on I was perfectly conscious of all -that was passing around me; my spirit was as vivid as it ever was in my -life; but I had no feeling in my body." -</p> -<p>Mary, by the help of God, had thus saved the life of President Young! -</p> -<p>It was about this time that polygamy, or "celestial marriage," was -introduced into the Church. To say that it was no cross to these Mormon -wives—daughters of the strictest Puritan parentage—would be to mock -their experience. It was thus, also, with their husbands, in Nauvoo, -in 1842. President Young himself tells of the occasion when he stood -by the grave of one of the brethren and wished that the lot of the -departed was his own. The burden of polygamy seemed heavier than the -hand of death. It was nothing less than the potency of the "Thus saith -the Lord," and the faith of the saints as a community, that sustained -them—both the brethren and the sisters. Mary Angell gave to her -husband other wives, and the testimony which she gives to-day is that -it has been the "Thus saith the Lord" unto her, from the time of its -introduction to the present. -</p> -<p>Scarcely necessary is it to observe that she was in the exodus. Seven -children were now under her care. Alice, Luna, and John W. were born in -Montrose and Nauvoo, while the twin sister of Brigham, Jr., had died. -With these she remained at winter quarters while the president led the -pioneers to the Rocky Mountains. Her benevolence to the poor at winter -quarters (and who of them were then rich!) is spoken of to this day. -Indeed, benevolence has ever been a marked trait in her life. -</p> -<p>Then came the hut in the valley. The "heat and burden of the day" had -not passed. Full twenty years of struggle, self-sacrifice, and devotion -as a wife, uncommon in its examples, filled up the pages of "Sister -Young's history," as a latter-day saint, before the days of social -prominence came. -</p> -<p>The hut in the valley, where she lived in 1849, is a good pioneer -picture. It stood on the spot where now stands her residence—the -"White House;" and some ten rods north-west of that location stood a -row of log-cabins where dwelt President Young's other wives, with their -children. -</p> -<p>Since then the days of grandeur, befitting her station, have come; -but "Mother Young"—a name honored in her bearing—has lived most in -the public mind as the faithful wife, the exemplary mother, and a -latter-day saint in whose heart benevolence and native goodness have -abounded. She is now seventy-four years of age—closing a marked and -worthy life; and her latest expressed desire is that a strong testimony -should be borne of her faith in Mormonism, and the righteousness of her -husband in carrying out the revelation, given through Joseph Smith, on -polygamy, as the word and will of the Lord to his people. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLI"></a>CHAPTER XLI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE REVELATION ON POLYGAMY—BISHOP WHITNEY PRESERVES A COPY OF THE -ORIGINAL DOCUMENT—BELINDA M. PRATT'S FAMOUS LETTER. -</p> -<p>It was nearly twenty-three years after the establishment of the Church -of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that the revelation on celestial -marriage was published to the world. On the 6th of April, 1830, the -Church was founded on the 14th of September, 1852, the <em>Deseret News</em> -published an extra, containing the said revelation, the origin thus -dated: "Given to Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, July 12, 1843;" and in the -<em>Millennial Star</em>, January 1st, 1853, it was published to the saints of -the British mission. -</p> -<p>No need here for a review of that document on plural marriage, nor -a sociological discussion of this now world-noised institution of -the Mormons; but as some persons have ascribed that institution to -President Young, and denied that Joseph Smith was its revelator, the -word of sisters who have been with the Church from the beginning shall -be offered as a finality upon the question of its origin. -</p> -<p>Eliza R. Snow has already testified on the subject of her marriage to -the prophet Joseph, not by proxy, but personally, during his lifetime; -and all the Church know her as Joseph's wife. The daughters of Bishop -Partridge, and others, were also sealed to him in person, in the order -of celestial marriage. -</p> -<p>A very proper one to speak here is Mother Whitney, for it was her -husband, Bishop Whitney, who preserved the revelation on polygamy. -Speaking of the time when her husband kept store for Joseph (1842-3), -she says: "It was during this time that Joseph received the revelation -concerning celestial marriage; also concerning the ordinances of the -house of the Lord. He had been strictly charged, by the angel who -committed these precious things into his keeping, that he should only -reveal them to such ones as were pure, and full of integrity to the -truth, and worthy and capable of being entrusted with divine messages; -that to spread them abroad would only be like casting pearls before -swine; and that the most profound secresy was to be maintained, until -the Lord saw fit to make it known publicly through his servants. Joseph -had the most implicit confidence in my husband's uprightness and -integrity of character, and so he confided to him the principles set -forth in that revelation, and also gave him the privilege of reading -and making a copy of it, believing it would be perfectly safe with -him. It is this same copy that was preserved in the providence of God; -for Emma (Joseph's wife), afterwards becoming indignant, burned the -original, thinking she had destroyed the only written document upon -the subject in existence. My husband revealed these things to me. We -had always been united, and had the utmost faith and confidence in -each other. We pondered upon the matter continually, and our prayers -were unceasing that the Lord would grant us some special manifestation -concerning this new and strange doctrine. The Lord was very merciful to -us, revealing unto us his power and glory. We were seemingly wrapt in a -heavenly vision; a halo of light encircled us, and we were convinced in -our own bosoms that God heard and approved our prayers and intercedings -before him. Our hearts were comforted, and our faith made so perfect -that we were willing to give our eldest daughter, then seventeen years -of age, to Joseph, in the order of plural marriage. Laying aside all -our traditions and former notions in regard to marriage, we gave her -with our mutual consent. She was the first woman given in plural -marriage with the consent of both parents. Of course these things had -to be kept an inviolate secret; and as some were false to their vows -and pledges of secresy, persecution arose, and caused grievous sorrow -to those who had obeyed, in all purity and sincerity, the requirements -of this celestial order of marriage. The Lord commanded his servants; -they themselves did not comprehend what the ultimate course of action -would be, but were waiting further developments from heaven. Meantime, -the ordinances of the house of the Lord were given, to bless and -strengthen us in our future endeavors to promulgate the principles -of divine light and intelligence; but coming in contact with all -preconceived notions and principles heretofore taught as the articles -of religious faith, it was not strange that many could not receive it. -Others doubted; and only a few remained firm and immovable." -</p> -<p>On the publication of the revelation on polygamy, the theological -writers of the Church issued pamphlets, promulgating and defending the -"peculiar institution," as the Gentiles styled it. Orson Spencer issued -<em>Patriarchal Marriage</em>; Parley P. Pratt issued <em>Marriage and Morals in -Utah</em>; and Orson Pratt was sent to Washington to proclaim, at the seat -of government, the great social innovation. This was the origin of the -<em>Seer</em>, a periodical there issued by him. Among the various writings of -the times, upon the subject, was a tract entitled <em>Defence of Polygamy -by a Lady of Utah, in a Letter to her Sister in New Hampshire</em>. The -following are extracts from it, in which is strikingly made manifest -the fact that the sisterhood accepted polygamy upon the examples of the -Hebrew Bible, rather than upon any portion of the Book of Mormon: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="right"> "SALT LAKE CITY, January 12, 1854. -</p> -<p> "DEAR SISTER: -</p> -<p> "Your letter of October 2d was received yesterday. * * * It seems, - my dear sister, that we are no nearer together in our religious - views than formerly. Why is this? Are we not all bound to leave - this world, with all we possess therein, and reap the reward of our - doings here in a never-ending hereafter? If so, do we not desire - to be undeceived, and to know and to do the truth? Do we not all - wish in our hearts to be sincere with ourselves, and to be honest - and frank with each other? If so, you will bear with me patiently, - while I give a few of my reasons for embracing, and holding sacred, - that particular point in the doctrine of the Church of the Saints, - to which you, my dear sister, together with a large majority of - Christendom, so decidedly object—I mean a 'plurality of wives.' -</p> -<p> "I have a Bible which I have been taught from my infancy to hold - sacred. In this Bible I read of a holy man named Abraham, who is - represented as the friend of God, a faithful man in all things, - a man who kept the commandments of God, and who is called in the - New Testament the 'father of the faithful.' I find this man had a - plurality of wives, some of whom were called concubines. I also - find his grandson, Jacob, possessed of four wives, twelve sons - and a daughter. These wives are spoken very highly of by the - sacred writers, as honorable and virtuous women. 'These,' say the - Scriptures, 'did build the house of Israel.' Jacob himself was also - a man of God, and the Lord blessed him and his house, and commanded - him to be fruitful and multiply. I find also that the twelve sons - of Jacob, by these four wives, became princes, heads of tribes, - patriarchs, whose names are had in everlasting remembrance to all - generations. -</p> -<p> "Now God talked with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, frequently; and - his angels also visited and talked with them, and blessed them - and their wives and children. He also reproved the sins of some - of the sons of Jacob, for hating and selling their brother, and - for adultery. But in all his communications with them, he never - condemned their family organization; but on the contrary, always - approved of it, and blessed them in this respect. He even told - Abraham that he would make him the father of many nations, and - that in him and his seed all the nations and kindreds of the earth - should be blessed. In later years I find the plurality of wives - perpetuated, sanctioned, and provided for in the law of Moses. -</p> -<p> "David, the psalmist, not only had a plurality of wives, but the - Lord spoke by he mouth of Nathan the prophet and told David that he - (the Lord) had given his master's wives into his bosom; but because - he had committed adultery with the wife of Uriah, and caused his - murder, he would take his wives and give them to a neighbor of his, - etc. -</p> -<p> "Here, then, we have the word of the Lord, not only sanctioning - polygamy, but actually giving to King David the wives of his - master (Saul), and afterward taking the wives of David from him, - and giving them to another man. Here we have a sample of severe - reproof and punishment for adultery and murder, while polygamy is - authorized and approved by the word of God. -</p> -<p> "But to come to the New Testament. I find Jesus Christ speaks very - highly of Abraham and his family. He says: 'Many shall come from - the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the - south, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the - kingdom of God.' Again he said: 'If ye were Abraham's seed, ye - would do the works of Abraham.' -</p> -<p> "Paul the apostle wrote to the saints of his day, and informed them - as follows: 'As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have - put on Christ; and if ye are Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, - and heirs according to the promise.' He also sets forth Abraham and - Sarah as patterns of faith and good works, and as the father and - mother of faithful Christians, who should, by faith and good works, - aspire to be counted the sons of Abraham and daughters of Sarah. -</p> -<p> "Now let us look at some of the works of Sarah, for which she is so - highly commended by the apostles, and by them held up as a pattern - for Christian ladies to imitate. -</p><blockquote><p> - "'Now Sarah, Abram's wife, bare him no children; and she had an - handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarah said unto - Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I - pray thee go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children - by her. And Abram harkened unto the voice of Sarah. And Sarah, - Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram - had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her - husband, Abram, to be his wife.' (Gen. xvi.; 1, 2, 3).</p> -</blockquote> -<p> "According to Jesus Christ and the apostles, then, the only way to - be saved, is to be adopted into the great family of polygamists, by - the gospel, and then strictly follow their examples. Again, John - the Revelator describes the holy city of the Heavenly Jerusalem, - with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob inscribed on the gates. -</p> -<p> "To sum up the whole, then, I find that polygamists were the - friends of God; that the family and lineage of a polygamist - was selected, in which all nations should be blessed; that a - polygamist is named in the New Testament as the father of the - faithful Christians of after ages, and cited as a pattern for all - generations. That the wife of a polygamist, who encouraged her - husband in the practice of the same, and even urged him into it, - and officiated in giving him another wife, is named as an honorable - and virtuous woman, a pattern for Christian ladies, and the very - mother of all holy women in the Christian Church, whose aspiration - it should be to be called her daughters. -</p> -<p> "That Jesus has declared that the great fathers of the polygamic - family stand at the head in the kingdom of God; in short, that all - the saved of after generations should be saved by becoming members - of a polygamic family; that all those who do not become members - of it, are strangers and aliens to the covenant of promise, the - commonwealth of Israel, and not heirs according to the promise made - to Abraham. -</p> -<p> "That all people from the east, west, north and south, who enter - into the kingdom, enter into the society of polygamists, and under - their patriarchal rule and covenant. -</p> -<p> "Indeed no one can approach the gates of heaven without beholding - the names of twelve polygamists (the sons of four different women - by one man), engraven in everlasting glory upon the pearly gates. -</p> -<p> "My dear sister, with the Scriptures before me, I could never find - it in my heart to reject the heavenly vision which has restored - to man the fullness of the gospel, or the latter-day prophets - and apostles, merely because in this restoration is included the - ancient law of matrimony and of family organization and government, - preparatory to the restoration of all Israel. -</p> -<p>* * * * * * -</p> -<p class="centered"> "Your affectionate sister, -</p> -<p class="right"> "BELINDA MARDEN PRATT. -</p> -<p> "Mrs. Lydia Kimball, Nashua, N. H." -</p></blockquote> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLII"></a>CHAPTER XLII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">REVELATION SUPPORTED BY BIBLICAL EXAMPLES—THE ISRAELITISH GENIUS OF -THE MORMONS SHOWN IN THE PATRIARCHAL NATURE OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS—THE -ANTI-POLYGAMIC CRUSADE. -</p> -<p>Next after the revelation on celestial marriage, through Joseph the -prophet, the Bible of the Hebrews, and not the sacred record of the -ancients of this continent, must be charged with the authority, the -examples, and, consequently, the practice of polygamy in the Latter-day -Church. The examples of Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, and the ancients of -Israel generally, and not the examples of Nephi, Mormon, and their -people, whose civilization is now extinct, have been those accepted by -our modern Israel—examples of such divine potency that the women of -England and America, with all their monogamic training and prejudice, -have dared not reject nor make war against in woman's name. -</p> -<p>Ever and everywhere is the genius of Mormonism so strikingly in -the Abrahamic likeness and image, that one could almost fancy the -patriarchs of ancient Israel inspiring a modern Israel to perpetuate -their name, their faith and their institutions. Who shall say that this -is not the fact? Surely this patriarchal genius of the Mormons is the -most extraordinary test of a modern Israel. Jerusalem, not Rome, has -brought forth the Mormons and their peculiar commonwealth. -</p> -<p>And here it should be emphasized that polygamy had nought to do with -the expulsions of the Mormons from Missouri and Illinois. The primitive -"crime" of the Mormons was their belief in new revelation. Fifty years -ago that was a monstrous crime in the eyes of sectarian Christendom. -The present generation can scarcely comprehend how blasphemous the -doctrine of modern revelation seemed to this very nation of America, -which now boasts of ten to twelve millions of believers in revelation -from some source or other. Thus wonderful has been the change in fifty -years! -</p> -<p>Viewed as a cause of their persecutions in the past, next to this -faith of the Mormons in Jehovah's speaking, was their rapid growth as -a gathered and organized people, who bid fair to hold the balance of -political power in several States. A prominent grievance with Missouri -and Illinois was exactly that urged against the growth of the ancient -Christians—"if we let them alone they will take away our name and -nation!" -</p> -<p>Following down the record until the period of the Utah war, it is still -the fact that polygamy was not the cause of the anti-Mormon crusade. It -was not even the excuse of that period, as given by President Buchanan -and Congress. It was merely an Israelitish trouble in the world. -</p> -<p>Soon after this, however, polygamy did become the excuse, both to -Congress and the dominant political party of the country, to take -action against the Mormons and their Israelitish institutions. In -framing the Chicago platform, the Republican party, just rising to -supremacy, made slavery one of its planks, and polygamy another. Upon -these "twin relics" they rode into the administration of the government -of the country. -</p> -<p>Then came the anti-polygamic law of 1862, especially framed against the -Mormons. But it was found to be inoperative. Lincoln, who had known -many of them in the early days, let the Mormons alone. -</p> -<p>The civil war was over. The South had succumbed. The work of -reconstruction was fairly in progress. The conquerer Grant, and his -administration, resolved to grapple with "polygamic theocracy," as they -styled it—if need be by the action and issues of another Mormon war. -</p> -<p>First came Colfax to Zion, to "spy out the land." To the polygamic -saints he administered the gentle warning of a soft tongue, which, -however, concealed a serpent's sting. Returning east, after his famous -tour across the continent, he opened a theological assault upon Mormon -polygamy in the <em>New York Independent</em>, and soon became engaged in a -regular battle with apostle John Taylor. Returning to Zion, on his -second visit, the Vice-President actually preached an anti-polygamic -sermon to the Mormons, one evening, in front of the Townsend House, -in Salt Lake City, in which he quoted what he interpreted as -anti-polygamic passages from the Book of Mormon. -</p> -<p>The scene changes to Washington. Colfax, Cullom, Grant and Dr. Newman -are in travail with the Cullom bill and anti-Mormon crusade. -</p> -<p>The Cullom bill passed the House and went to the Senate. President -Grant had resolved to execute it, by force of arms, should the courts -fail. Vice-President Colfax, while in Utah, had propounded the serious -question, "Will Brigham Young fight?" -</p> -<p>Congress and the nation thought that now the doom of Mormon polygamy -had come. -</p> -<p>Suddenly, like a wall of salvation, fifty thousand women of Mormondom -threw themselves around their patriarchs and their institutions! A -wonderful people, these Mormons! More wonderful these women! -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLIII"></a>CHAPTER XLIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">GRAND MASS MEETING OF THE WOMEN OF UTAH ON POLYGAMY AND THE CULLOM -BILL—THEIR NOBLE REMONSTRANCE—SPEECHES OF APOSTOLIC WOMEN—THEIR -RESOLUTIONS—WOMAN'S RIGHTS OR WOMAN'S REVOLUTION. -</p> -<p>Probably the most remarkable woman's rights demonstration of the age, -was that of the women of Mormondom, in their grand mass-meetings, -held throughout Utah, in all its principal cities and settlements, in -January of 1870. And it was the more singular and complex, because -Utah is the land of polygamy—the only land in all Christendom where -that institution has been established—and that, too, chiefly by an -Anglo-Saxon people—the last race in the world that the sociologist -might have supposed would have received the system of plural marriage! -Hence, they have lifted it to a plane that, perhaps, no other race -could have done—above mere sexual considerations, and, in its -theories, altogether incompatible with the serfdom of woman; for the -tens of thousands of the women of Utah not only held their grand -mass-meetings to confirm and maintain polygamy, but they did it at the -very moment of the passage of their female suffrage bill; so that in -their vast assemblages they were virtually exercising their vote. -</p> -<p>On the 13th of January, 1870, "notwithstanding the inclemency of the -weather, the old tabernacle," says the <em>Deseret News</em>, "was densely -packed with ladies of all ages, and, as that building will comfortably -seat five thousand persons, there could not have been fewer than -between five and six thousand present on the occasion." -</p> -<p>It was announced in the programme that there were to be none -present but ladies. Several reporters of the press, however, -obtained admittance, among whom was Colonel Finley Anderson, special -correspondent of the <em>New York Herald</em>. -</p> -<p>The meeting was opened with a very impressive prayer from Mrs. -Zina D. Young; and then, on motion of Eliza R. Snow, Mrs. Sarah M. -Kimball was elected president. Mrs. Lydia Alder was chosen secretary, -and Mrs. M. T. Smoot, Mrs. M. N. Hyde, Isabella Horn, Mary Leaver, -Priscilla Staines and Rachel Grant, were appointed a committee to draft -resolutions. This was done with executive dispatch; for many present -had for years been leaders of women's organizations. The president -arose and addressed a few pithy remarks to the vast assemblage. She -said: -</p> -<p>"We are to speak in relation to the government and institutions under -which we live. She would ask, Have we transgressed any law of the -United States? [Loud "no" from the audience.] Then why are we here -to-day? We have been driven from place to place, and wherefore? Simply -for believing and practicing the counsels of God, as contained in the -gospel of heaven. The object of this meeting is to consider the justice -of a bill now before the Congress of the United States. We are not here -to advocate woman's rights, but man's rights. The bill in question -would not only deprive our fathers, husbands and brothers, of enjoying -the privileges bequeathed to citizens of the United States, but it -would deprive us, as women, of the privilege of selecting our husbands; -and against this we unqualifiedly protest." -</p> -<p>During the absence of the committee on resolutions, the following -speech was delivered by Bathsheba W. Smith: -</p> -<p>"<em>Beloved Sisters and Friends</em>: It is with no ordinary feelings that I -meet with you on the present occasion. From my early youth I have been -identified with the Latter-day Saints; hence, I have been an eye and -ear witness to many of the wrongs that have been inflicted upon our -people by a spirit of intolerant persecution. -</p> -<p>"I watched by the bedside of the first apostle, David W. Patten, who -fell a martyr in the Church. He was a noble soul. He was shot by a -mob while defending the saints in the State of Missouri. As Brother -Patten's life-blood oozed away, I stood by and heard his dying -testimony to the truth of our holy religion—declaring himself to be -a friend to all mankind. His last words, addressed to his wife, were: -'Whatever you do, oh! do not deny the faith.' This circumstance made a -lasting impression on my youthful mind. -</p> -<p>"I was intimately acquainted with the life and ministry of our beloved -prophet Joseph, and our patriarch Hyrum Smith.. I know that they were -pure men, who labored for the redemption of the human family. For six -years I heard their public and private teachings. It was from their -lips that I heard taught the principle of celestial marriage; and -when I saw their mangled forms cold in death, having been slain for -the testimony of Jesus, by the hands of cruel bigots, in defiance of -law, justice and executive pledges; and although this was a scene of -barbarous cruelty, which can never be erased from the memory of those -who witnessed the heartrending cries of widows and orphans, and mingled -their tears with those of thousands of witnesses of the mournful -occasion—the memories of which I hardly feel willing to awaken—yet I -realized that they had sealed their ministry with their blood, and that -their testimony was in force. -</p> -<p>"On the 9th day of February, 1846—the middle of a cold and bleak -winter—my husband, just rising from a bed of sickness, and I, -in company with thousands of saints, were driven again from our -comfortable home—the accumulation of six years' industry and -prudence—and, with the little children, commenced a long and weary -journey through a wilderness, to seek another home; for a wicked mob -had decreed we must leave. Governor Ford, of Illinois, said the laws -were powerless to protect us. Exposed to the cold of winter and the -storms of spring, we continued our journey, amid want and exposure, -burying by the wayside a dead mother, a son, and many kind friends and -relatives. -</p> -<p>"We reached the Missouri river in July. Here our country thought proper -to make a requisition upon us for a battalion to defend our national -flag in the war pending with Mexico. We responded promptly, many of -our kindred stepping forward and performing a journey characterized by -their commanding officer as 'unparalleled in history.' With most of -our youths and middle-aged men gone, we could not proceed; hence, we -were compelled to make another home, which, though humble, approaching -winter made very desirable. In 1847-8, all who were able, through -selling their surplus property, proceeded; we who remained were told, -by an unfeeling Indian department, we must vacate our houses and -re-cross the Missouri river, as the laws would not permit us to remain -on Indian lands! We obeyed, and again made a new home, though only -a few miles distant. The latter home we abandoned in 1849, for the -purpose of joining our co-religionists in the then far-off region, -denominated on the map 'the Great American Desert,' and by some later -geographies as 'Eastern Upper California.' -</p> -<p>"In this isolated country we made new homes, and, for a time, contended -with the crickets for a scanty subsistence. The rude, ignorant, and -almost nude Indians were a heavy tax upon us, while struggling again -to make comfortable homes and improvements; yet we bore it all without -complaint, for we were buoyed up with the happy reflections that we -were so distant from the States, and had found an asylum in such an -undesirable country, as to strengthen us in the hope that our homes -would not be coveted; and that should we, through the blessing of -God, succeed in planting our own vine and fig tree, no one could feel -heartless enough to withhold from us that religious liberty which we -had sought in vain amongst our former neighbors. -</p> -<p>"Without recapitulating our recent history, the development of a people -whose industry and morality have extorted eulogy from their bitter -traducers, I cannot but express my surprise, mingled with regret and -indignation, at the recent efforts of ignorant, bigoted, and unfeeling -men—headed by the Vice-President—to aid intolerant sectarians and -reckless speculators, who seek for proscription and plunder, and -who feel willing to rob the inhabitants of these valleys of their -hard-earned possessions, and, what is dearer, the constitutional boon -of religious liberty." -</p> -<p>Sister Smith was followed by Mrs. Levi Riter, in a few appropriate -remarks, and then the committee on resolutions reported the following: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we, the ladies of Salt Lake City, in mass-meeting - assembled, do manifest our indignation, and protest against the - bill before Congress, known as 'the Cullom bill,' also the one - known as 'the Cragin bill,' and all similar bills, expressions and - manifestoes. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we consider the above-named bills foul blots on - our national escutcheon—absurd documents—atrocious insults to the - honorable executive of the United States Government, and malicious - attempts to subvert the rights of civil and religious liberty. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we do hold sacred the constitution bequeathed us - by our forefathers, and ignore, with laudable womanly jealousy, - every act of those men to whom the responsibilities of government - have been entrusted, which is calculated to destroy its efficiency. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we unitedly exercise every moral power and - every right which we inherit as the daughters of American - citizens, to prevent the passage of such bills, knowing that they - would inevitably cast a stigma on our republican government by - jeopardizing the liberty and lives of its most loyal and peaceful - citizens. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That, in our candid opinion, the presentation of the - aforesaid bills indicates a manifest degeneracy of the great men - of our nation; and their adoption would presage a speedy downfall - and ultimate extinction of the glorious pedestal of freedom, - protection, and equal rights, established by our noble ancestors. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we acknowledge the institutions of the Church of - Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only reliable safeguard of - female virtue and innocence; and the only sure protection against - the fearful sin of prostitution, and its attendant evils, now - prevalent abroad, and as such, we are and shall be united with our - brethren in sustaining them against each and every encroachment. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That we consider the originators of the aforesaid - bills disloyal to the constitution, and unworthy of any position of - trust in any office which involves the interests of our nation. -</p> -<p> "<em>Resolved</em>, That, in case the bills in question should pass - both Houses of Congress, and become a law, by which we shall be - disfranchised as a Territory, we, the ladies of Salt Lake City, - shall exert all our power and influence to aid in the support of - our own State government." -</p></blockquote> -<p>These resolutions were greeted with loud cheers from nearly six -thousand women, and carried unanimously; after which, Sister Warren -Smith, a relict of one of the martyrs of Haun's Mill, arose, and with -deep feeling, said: -</p> -<p>"<em>Sisters</em>: As I sat upon my seat, listening, it seemed as though, if -I held my peace, the stones of the streets would cry out. With your -prayers aiding me, I will try and make a few remarks." [See chapter -on Haun's Mill massacre, in which Sister Smith substantially covers -the same ground.] "We are here to-day to say, if such scenes shall be -again enacted in our midst. I say to you, my sisters, you are American -citizens; let us stand by the truth, if we die for it." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Wilmarth East then said: "It is with feelings of pleasure, -mingled with indignation and disgust, that I appear before my sisters, -to express my feelings in regard to the Cullom bill, now before the -Congress of this once happy republican government. The constitution -for which our forefathers fought and bled and died, bequeaths to us -the right of religious liberty—the right to worship God according -to the dictates of our own consciences! Does the Cullom bill give -us this right? Compare it with the constitution, if you please, and -see what a disgrace has come upon this once happy and republican -government! Where, O, where, is that liberty, bequeathed to us by -our forefathers—the richest boon ever given to man or woman, except -eternal life, or the gospel of the Son of God? I am an American citizen -by birth. Having lived under the laws of the land, I claim the right -to worship God according to the dictates of my conscience, and the -commandments that God shall give unto me. Our constitution guarantees -life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to all who live beneath -it. What is life to me, if I see the galling yoke of oppression placed -on the necks of my husband, sons and brothers, as Mr. Cullom would -have it? I am proud to say to you that I am not only a citizen of the -United States of America, but a citizen of the kingdom of God, and the -laws of this kingdom I am willing to sustain and defend both by example -and precept. I am thankful to-day that I have the honored privilege -of being the happy recipient of one of the greatest principles ever -revealed to man for his redemption and exaltation in the kingdom of -God—namely, plurality of wives; and I am thankful to-day that I know -that God is at the helm, and will defend his people." -</p> -<p>A veteran sister, Mrs. McMinn, could not refrain from expressing -herself in unison with her sisters, in indignation at the bill. She was -an American citizen; her father had fought through the revolution with -General Washington; and she claimed the exercise of the liberty for -which he had fought. She was proud of being a latter-day saint. -</p> -<p>In answer to an inquiry, she stated that she was nearly eighty-five -years of age. -</p> -<p>Sister Eliza R. Snow then addressed the meeting, as follows: -</p> -<p>"<em>My Sisters</em>: In addressing you at this time, I realize that the -occasion is a peculiar and interesting one. We are living in a land -of freedom, under a constitution that guarantees civil and religious -liberty to all—black and white, Christians, Jews, Mohammedans and -Pagans; and how strange it is that such considerations should exist as -those which have called us together this afternoon. -</p> -<p>"Under the proud banner which now waves from ocean to ocean, strange -as it may seem, we, who have ever been loyal citizens, have been -persecuted from time to time and driven from place to place, until -at last, beyond the bounds of civilization, under the guidance of -President Young, we found an asylum of peace in the midst of these -mountains. -</p> -<p>"There are, at times, small and apparently trivial events in the lives -of individuals, with which every other event naturally associates. -There are circumstances in the history of nations, which serve as -centres around which everything else revolves. -</p> -<p>"The entrance of our brave pioneers, and the settlement of the -latter-day saints in these mountain vales, which then were only barren, -savage wilds, are events with which not only our own future, but the -future of the whole world, is deeply associated. -</p> -<p>"Here they struggled, with more than mortal energy, for their hearts -and hands were nerved by the spirit of the Most High, and through his -blessing they succeeded in drawing sustenance from the arid soil; here -they erected the standard on which the 'star spangled banner' waved its -salutation of welcome to the nations of the earth; and here it will -be bequeathed, unsullied, to future generations. Yes, that 'dear old -flag' which in my girlhood I always contemplated with joyous pride, and -to which the patriotic strains of my earliest muse were chanted, here -floats triumphantly on the mountain breeze. -</p> -<p>"Our numbers, small at first, have increased, until now we number one -hundred and fifty thousand; and yet we are allowed only a territorial -government. Year after year we have petitioned Congress for that which -is our inalienable right to claim—a State government; and, year after -year, our petitions have been treated with contempt. Such treatment as -we have received from our rulers, has no precedent in the annals of -history. -</p> -<p>"And now, instead of granting us our rights as American citizens, -bills are being presented to Congress, which are a disgrace to men -in responsible stations, professing the least claim to honor and -magnanimity; bills which, if carried into effect, would utterly -annihilate us as a people. But this will never be. There is too much -virtue yet existing in the nation, and above all there is a God in -heaven whose protecting care is over us, and who takes cognizance of -the acts of men. -</p> -<p>"My sisters, we have met to-day to manifest our views and feelings -concerning the oppressive policy exercised towards us by our republican -government. Aside from all local and personal feelings, to me it is a -source of deep regret that the standard of American liberty should have -been so far swayed from its original position, as to have given rise -to circumstances which not only render such a meeting opportune, but -absolutely necessary. -</p> -<p>"Heretofore, while detraction and ridicule have been poured forth -in almost every form that malice could invent, while we have been -misrepresented by speech and press, and exhibited in every shade but -our true light, the ladies of Utah have remained comparatively silent. -Had not our aims been of the most noble and exalted character, and had -we not known that we occupied a standpoint far above our traducers, -we might have returned volley for volley; but we have all the time -realized that to contradict such egregious absurdities, would be a -great stoop of condescension—far beneath the dignity of those who -profess to be saints of the living God; and we very unassumingly -applied to ourselves a saying of an ancient apostle, in writing to the -Corinthians, 'Ye suffer fools, gladly, seeing that yourselves are wise.' -</p> -<p>"But there is a point at which silence is no longer a virtue. In my -humble opinion, we have arrived at that point. Shall we—ought we—to -be silent, when every right of citizenship, every vestige of civil and -religious liberty, is at stake? When our husbands and sons, our fathers -and brothers, are threatened with being either restrained in their -obedience to the commands of God, or incarcerated, year after year, -in the dreary confines of a prison, will it be thought presumptuous? -Ladies, this subject as deeply interests us as them. In the kingdom of -God, woman has no interests separate from those of man—all are mutual. -</p> -<p>"Our enemies pretend that, in Utah, woman is held in a state of -vassalage—that she does not act from choice, but by coercion—that we -would even prefer life elsewhere, were it possible for us to make our -escape. What nonsense! We all know that if we wished we could leave at -any time—either to go singly, or to rise <em>en masse</em>, and there is no -power here that could, or would wish to, prevent us. -</p> -<p>"I will now ask this assemblage of intelligent ladies, do you know of -any place on the face of the earth, where woman has more liberty, and -where she enjoys such high and glorious privileges as she does here, -as a latter-day saint? No! The very idea of woman here in a state -of slavery is a burlesque on good common sense. The history of this -people, with a very little reflection, would instruct outsiders on this -point. It would show, at once, that the part which woman has acted in -it, could never have been performed against her will. Amid the many -distressing scenes through which we have passed, the privations and -hardships consequent upon our expulsion from State to State, and our -location in an isolated, barren wilderness, the women in this Church -have performed and suffered what could never have been borne and -accomplished by slaves. -</p> -<p>"And now, after all that has transpired, can our opponents expect us -to look on with silent indifference and see every vestige of that -liberty for which many of our patriotic grandsires fought and bled, -that they might bequeath to us, their children, the precious boon of -national freedom, wrested from our grasp? They must be very dull in -estimating the energy of female character, who can persuade themselves -that women who for the sake of their religion left their homes, crossed -the plains with handcarts, or as many had previously done, drove ox, -mule and horse-teams from Nauvoo and from other points, when their -husbands and sons went, at their country's call, to fight her battles -in Mexico; yes, that very country which had refused us protection, and -from which we were then struggling to make our escape—I say those who -think that such women and the daughters of such women do not possess -too much energy of character to remain passive and mute under existing -circumstances, are 'reckoning without their host.' To suppose that we -should not be aroused when our brethren are threatened with fines and -imprisonment, for their faith in, and obedience to, the laws of God, is -an insult to our womanly natures. -</p> -<p>"Were we the stupid, degraded, heartbroken beings that we have been -represented, silence might better become us; but as women of God, women -filling high and responsible positions, performing sacred duties—women -who stand not as dictators, but as counselors to their husbands, and -who, in the purest, noblest sense of refined womanhood, are truly their -helpmates—we not only speak because we have the right, but justice and -humanity demand that we should. -</p> -<p>"My sisters, let us, inasmuch as we are free to do all that love and -duty prompt, be brave and unfaltering in sustaining our brethren. -Woman's faith can accomplish wonders. Let us, like the devout and -steadfast Miriam, assist our brothers in upholding the hands of Moses. -Like the loving Josephine, whose firm and gentle influence both -animated and soothed the heart of Napoleon, we will encourage and -assist the servants of God in establishing righteousness; but unlike -Josephine, never will political inducements, threats or persecutions, -prevail on us to relinquish our matrimonial ties. They were performed -by the authority of the holy priesthood, the efficiency of which -extends into eternity. -</p> -<p>"But to the law and to the testimony. Those obnoxious, fratricidal -bills—I feel indignant at the thought that such documents should -disgrace our national legislature. The same spirit prompted Herod to -seek the life of Jesus—the same that drove our Pilgrim fathers to this -continent, and the same that urged the English government to the system -of unrepresented taxation, which resulted in the independence of the -American colonies, is conspicuous in those bills. If such measures are -persisted in they will produce similar results. They not only threaten -extirpation to us, but they augur destruction to the government. The -authors of those bills would tear the constitution to shreds; they are -sapping the foundation of American freedom—they would obliterate every -vestige of the dearest right of man—liberty of conscience—and reduce -our once happy country to a state of anarchy. -</p> -<p>"Our trust is in God. He who led Israel from the land of Egypt—who -preserved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace—who -rescued Daniel from the jaws of hungry lions, and who directed Brigham -Young to these mountain vales, lives, and overrules the destinies of -men and nations. He will make the wrath of man praise him; and his -kingdom will move steadily forward, until wickedness shall be swept -from the earth, and truth, love and righteousness reign triumphantly." -</p> -<p>Next came a concise, powerful speech from Harriet Cook Young. She said: -</p> -<p>"In rising to address this meeting, delicacy prompts me to explain the -chief motives which have dictated our present action. We, the ladies -of Salt Lake City, have assembled here to-day, not for the purpose -of assuming any particular political power, nor to claim any special -prerogative which may or may not belong to our sex; but to express -our indignation at the unhallowed efforts of men, who, regardless of -every principle of manhood, justice, and constitutional liberty, would -force upon a religious community, by a direct issue, either the course -of apostacy, or the bitter alternative of fire and sword. Surely the -instinct of self-preservation, the love of liberty and happiness, and -the right to worship God, are dear to our sex as well as to the other; -and when these most sacred of all rights are thus wickedly assailed, it -becomes absolutely our duty to defend them. -</p> -<p>"The mission of the Latter-day Saints is to reform abuses which have -for ages corrupted the world, and to establish an era of peace and -righteousness. The Most High is the founder of this mission, and in -order to its establishment, his providences have so shaped the world's -history, that, on this continent, blest above all other lands, a free -and enlightened government has been instituted, guaranteeing to all -social, political, and religious liberty. The constitution of our -country is therefore hallowed to us, and we view with a jealous eye -every infringement upon its great principles, and demand, in the sacred -name of liberty, that the miscreant who would trample it under his feet -by depriving a hundred thousand American citizens of every vestige of -liberty, should be anathematized throughout the length and breadth of -the land, as a traitor to God and his country. -</p> -<p>"It is not strange that, among the bigoted and corrupt, such a man and -such a measure should have originated; but it will be strange indeed if -such a measure find favor with the honorable and high-minded men who -wield the destinies of the nation. Let this seal of ruin be attached -to the archives of our country, and terrible must be the results. Woe -will wait upon her steps, and war and desolation will stalk through -the land; peace and liberty will seek another clime, while anarchy, -lawlessness and bloody strife hold high carnival amid the general -wreck. God forbid that wicked men be permitted to force such an issue -upon the nation! -</p> -<p>"It is true that a corrupt press, and an equally corrupt priestcraft, -are leagued against us—that they have pandered to the ignorance -of the masses, and vilified our institutions, to that degree that -it has become popular to believe that the latter-day saints are -unworthy to live; but it is also true that there are many, very many, -right-thinking men who are not without influence in the nation; and to -such do we now most solemnly and earnestly appeal. Let the united force -of this assembly give the lie to the popular clamor that the women -of Utah are oppressed and held in bondage. Let the world know that -the women of Utah prefer virtue to vice, and the home of an honorable -wife to the gilded pageantry of fashionable temples of sin. Transitory -allurements, glaring the senses, as is the flame to the moth, -short-lived and cruel in their results, possess no charms for us. Every -woman in Utah may have her husband—the husband of her choice. Here we -are taught not to destroy our children, but to preserve them, for they, -reared in the path of virtue and trained to righteousness, constitute -our true glory. -</p> -<p>"It is with no wish to accuse our sisters who are not of our faith that -we so speak; but we are dealing with facts as they exist. Wherever -monogamy reigns, adultery, prostitution and foeticide, directly or -indirectly, are its concomitants. It is not enough to say that the -virtuous and high-minded frown upon these evils. We believe they do. -But frowning upon them does not cure them; it does not even check -their rapid growth; either the remedy is too weak, or the disease is -too strong. The women of Utah comprehend this; and they see, in the -principle of plurality of wives, the only safeguard against adultery, -prostitution, and the reckless waste of pre-natal life, practiced -throughout the land. -</p> -<p>"It is as co-workers in the great mission of universal reform, not -only in our own behalf, but also, by precept and example, to aid in -the emancipation of our sex generally, that we accept in our heart of -hearts what we know to be a divine commandment: and here, and now, -boldly and publicly, we do assert our right, not only to believe in -this holy commandment, but to practice what we believe. -</p> -<p>"While these are our views, every attempt to force that obnoxious -measure upon us must of necessity be an attempt to coerce us in our -religious and moral convictions, against which did we not most solemnly -protest, we would be unworthy the name of American women." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Hannah T. King followed with a stinging address to General Cullom -himself. She said: -</p> -<p>"<em>My Dear Sisters</em>: I wish I had the language I feel to need, at -the present moment, to truly represent the indignant feelings of my -heart and brain on reading, as I did last evening, a string of thirty -'sections,' headed by the words, 'A Bill in aid of the Execution of -the Laws in the Territory of Utah, and for other purposes.' The 'other -purposes' contain the pith of the matter, and the adamantine chains -that the author of the said bill seeks to bind this people with, exceed -anything that the feudal times of England, or the serfdom of Russia, -ever laid upon human beings. My sisters, are we really in America—the -world-renowned land of liberty, freedom, and equal rights?—the land -of which I dreamed, in my youth, as being almost an earthly elysium, -where freedom of thought and religious liberty were open to all!—the -land that Columbus wore his noble life out to discover!—the land -that God himself helped him to exhume, and to aid which endeavor -Isabella, a queen, a woman, declared she would pawn her jewels and -crown of Castile, to give him the outfit that he needed!—the land of -Washington, the Father of his Country, and a host of noble spirits, -too numerous to mention!—the land to which the <em>Mayflower</em> bore the -pilgrim fathers, who rose up and left their homes, and bade their -native home 'good night,' simply that they might worship God by a purer -and holier faith, in a land of freedom and liberty, of which the name -America has long been synonymous! Yes, my sisters, this is America but -oh! how are the mighty fallen! -</p> -<p>"Who, or what, is the creature who framed this incomparable document? -Is he an Esquimaux or a chimpanzee? What isolated land or spot produced -him? What ideas he must have of women! Had he ever a mother, a wife, -or a sister? In what academy was he tutored, or to what school does he -belong, that he so coolly and systematically commands the women of this -people to turn traitors to their husbands, their brothers, and their -sons? Short-sighted man of 'sections' and 'the bill!' Let us, the women -of this people—the sisterhood of Utah—rise <em>en masse</em>, and tell this -non-descript to defer 'the bill' until he has studied the character of -woman, such as God intended she should be; then he will discover that -devotion, veneration and faithfulness are her peculiar attributes; that -God is her refuge, and his servants her oracles; and that, especially, -the women of Utah have paid too high a price for their present -position, their present light and knowledge, and their noble future, -to succumb to so mean and foul a thing as Baskin, Cullom & Co.'s bill. -Let him learn that they are one in heart, hand and brain, with the -brotherhood of Utah—that God is their father and their friend—that -into his hands they commit their cause—and on their pure and simple -banner they have emblazoned their motto, 'God, and my right!'" -</p> -<p>The next who spoke was Phoebe Woodruff, who said: -</p> -<p>"<em>Ladies of Utah</em>: As I have been called upon to express my views -upon the important subject which has called us together, I will say -that I am happy to be one of your number in this association. I am -proud that I am a citizen of Utah, and a member of the Church of Jesus -Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been a member of this church for -thirty-six years, and had the privilege of living in the days of -the prophet Joseph, and heard his teaching for many years. He ever -counseled us to honor, obey and maintain the principles of our noble -constitution, for which our fathers fought, and which many of them -sacrificed their lives to establish. President Brigham Young has always -taught the same principle. This glorious legacy of our fathers, the -constitution of the United States, guarantees unto all the citizens of -this great republic the right to worship God according to the dictates -of their own consciences, as it expressly says, 'Congress shall make -no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the -free exercise thereof.' Cullom's bill is in direct violation of this -declaration of the constitution, and I think it is our duty to do all -in our power, by our voices and influence, to thwart the passage of -this bill, which commits a violent outrage upon our rights, and the -rights of our fathers, husbands and sons; and whatever may be the final -result of the action of Congress in passing or enforcing oppressive -laws, for the sake of our religion, upon the noble men who have subdued -these deserts, it is our duty to stand by them and support them by our -faith, prayers and works, through every dark hour, unto the end, and -trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to defend us and all who -are called to suffer for keeping the commandments of God. Shall we, -as wives and mothers, sit still and see our husbands and sons, whom -we know are obeying the highest behest of heaven, suffer for their -religion, without exerting ourselves to the extent of our power for -their deliverance? No; verily no! God has revealed unto us the law of -the patriarchal order of marriage, and commanded us to obey it. We -are sealed to our husbands for time and eternity, that we may dwell -with them and our children in the world to come; which guarantees -unto us the greatest blessing for which we are created. If the rulers -of the nation will so far depart from the spirit and letter of our -glorious constitution as to deprive our prophets, apostles and elders -of citizenship, and imprison them for obeying this law, let them grant -this, our last request, to make their prisons large enough to hold -their wives, for where they go we will go also." -</p> -<p>Sisters M. I. Horne and Eleanor M. Pratt followed with appropriate -words, and then Sister Eliza R. Snow made the following remarks: -</p> -<p>"My remarks in conclusion will be brief. I heard the prophet Joseph -Smith say, if the people rose and mobbed us and the authorities -countenanced it, they would have mobs to their hearts' content. I -heard him say that the time would come when this nation would so far -depart from its original purity, its glory, and its love of freedom and -protection of civil and religious rights, that the constitution of our -country would hang as it were by a thread. He said, also, that this -people, the sons of Zion, would rise up and save the constitution, and -bear it off triumphantly. -</p> -<p>"The spirit of freedom and liberty we should always cultivate, and -it is what mothers should inspire in the breasts of their sons, that -they may grow up brave and noble, and defenders of that glorious -constitution which has been bequeathed unto us. Let mothers cultivate -that spirit in their own bosoms. Let them manifest their own bravery, -and cherish a spirit of encountering difficulties, because they have -to be met, more or less, in every situation of life. If fortitude and -nobility of soul be cultivated in your own bosoms, you will transmit -them to your children; your sons will grow up noble defenders of -truth and righteousness, and heralds of salvation to the nations -of the earth. They will be prepared to fill high and responsible -religious, judicial, civil and executive positions. I consider it most -important, my sisters, that we should struggle to preserve the sacred -constitution of our country—one of the blessings of the Almighty, for -the same spirit that inspired Joseph Smith, inspired the framers of -the constitution; and we should ever hold it sacred, and bear it off -triumphantly." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Zina D. Young then moved that the meeting adjourn <em>sine die</em>, -which was carried, and Mrs. Phoebe Woodruff pronounced the benediction. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLIV"></a>CHAPTER XLIV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WIVES OF THE APOSTLES—MRS. ORSON HYDE—INCIDENTS OF THE EARLY -DAYS—THE PROPHET—MARY ANN PRATT'S LIFE STORY—WIFE OF GEN. CHARLES -C. RICH—MRS. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS—PHOEBE WOODRUFF—LEONORA -TAYLOR—MARIAN ROSS PRATT—THE WIFE OF DELEGATE CANNON—VILATE KIMBALL -AGAIN. -</p> -<p>The life of Mrs. Orson Hyde is replete with incidents of the early -days, including the shameful occurrence of the tarring and feathering -of the prophet, which took place while he was at her father's house. -</p> -<p>Her maiden name was Marinda M. Johnson, she being the daughter of John -and Elsa Johnson, a family well known among the pioneer converts of -Ohio. She was born in Pomfret, Windsor county, Vermont, June 28, 1815. -</p> -<p>"In February of 1818," she says, "my father, in company with several -families from the same place, emigrated to Hiram, Portage county, Ohio. -In the winter of 1831, Ezra Booth, a Methodist minister, procured a -copy of the Book of Mormon and brought it to my father's house. They -sat up all night reading it, and were very much exercised over it. -As soon as they heard that Joseph Smith had arrived in Kirtland, Mr. -Booth and wife and my father and mother went immediately to see him. -They were convinced and baptized before they returned. They invited -the prophet and Elder Rigdon to accompany them home, which they did, -and preached several times to crowded congregations, baptizing quite a -number. I was baptized in April following. The next fall Joseph came -with his family to live at my father's house. He was at that time -translating the Bible, and Elder Rigdon was acting as scribe. The -following spring, a mob, disguising themselves as black men, gathered -and burst into his sleeping apartment one night, and dragged him from -the bed where he was nursing a sick child. They also went to the house -of Elder Rigdon, and took him out with Joseph into an orchard, where, -after choking and beating them, they tarred and feathered them, and -left them nearly dead. My father, at the first onset, started to the -rescue, but was knocked down, and lay senseless for some time. Here I -feel like bearing my testimony that during the whole year that Joseph -was an inmate of my father's house I never saw aught in his daily life -or conversation to make me doubt his divine mission. -</p> -<p>"In 1833 we moved to Kirtland, and in 1834 I was married to Orson Hyde, -and became fully initiated into the cares and duties of a missionary's -wife, my husband in common with most of the elders giving his time and -energies to the work of the ministry. -</p> -<p>"In the summer of 1837, leaving me with a three-weeks old babe, he, -in company with Heber C. Kimball and others, went on their first -mission to England. Shortly after his return, in the summer of 1838, -we, in company with several other families, went to Missouri, where we -remained till the next spring. We then went to Nauvoo. In the spring of -1840 Mr. Hyde went on his mission to Palestine; going in the apostolic -style, without purse or scrip, preaching his way, and when all other -channels were closed, teaching the English language in Europe, till -he gained sufficient money to take him to the Holy Land, where he -offered up his prayer on the Mount of Olives, and dedicated Jerusalem -to the gathering of the Jews in this dispensation. Having accomplished -a three-years mission, he returned, and shortly after, in accordance -with the revelation on celestial marriage, and with my full consent, -married two more wives. At last we were forced to flee from Nauvoo, -and in the spring of 1846, we made our way to Council Bluffs, where -our husband left us to go again on mission to England. On his return, -in the fall of 1847, he was appointed to take charge of the saints in -the States, and to send off the emigration as fast as it arrived in a -suitable condition on the frontiers; also to edit a paper in the church -interest, the name of which was <em>Frontier Guardian</em>. -</p> -<p>"In the summer of 1852 we brought our family safely through to Salt -Lake City, where we have had peace and safety ever since. -</p> -<p>"In 1868 I was chosen to preside over the branch of the Female Relief -Society of the ward in which I reside, the duties of which position I -have prayerfully attempted to perform." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mary Ann Pratt deserves mention next. It will be remembered that -the apostle Parley P. Pratt lost his first wife at the birth of his -eldest son. He afterwards married the subject of this sketch, and she -becomes historically important from the fact that she was one of the -first of those self-subduing women who united with their husbands in -establishing the law of celestial marriage, or the "Patriarchal Order." -<em>She gave to her husband other wives</em>. Taking up the story of her life -with her career as a Latter-day Saint, she says: -</p> -<p>"I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -in the spring of 1835, being convinced of the truthfulness of its -doctrines by the first sermon I heard; and I said in my heart, if -there are only three who hold firm to the faith, I will be one of that -number; and through all the persecution I have had to endure I have -ever felt the same; my heart has never swerved from that resolve. -</p> -<p>"I was married to Parley P. Pratt in the spring of 1837, and moving -to Missouri, endured with him the persecution of the saints, so -often recorded in history. When my husband was taken by a mob, in -the city of Far West, Mo., and carried to prison, I was confined to -my bed with raging fever, and not able to help myself at all, with a -babe three months old and my little girl of five years; but I cried -mightily to the Lord for strength to endure, and he in mercy heard -my prayer and carried me safely through. In a few days word came to -me that my husband was in prison and in chains. As soon as my health -was sufficiently restored I took my children and went to him. I found -him released from his chains, and was permitted to remain with him. -I shared his dungeon, which was a damp, dark, filthy place, without -ventilation, merely having a small grating on one side. In this we were -obliged to sleep. -</p> -<p>"About the middle of March I bid adieu to my beloved companion, and -returned to Far West to make preparations for leaving the State. -Through the kind assistance of Brother David W. Rogers (now an aged -resident of Provo), I removed to Quincy, Ill., where I remained until -the arrival of Mr. Pratt, after his fortunate escape from prison, where -he had been confined eight months without any just cause. -</p> -<p>"Passing briefly over the intervening years, in which I accompanied my -husband on various missions, first to New York, and thence to England, -where I remained two years; and, returning to Nauvoo, our sojourn in -that beautiful city a few years, and our final expulsion, and the final -weary gathering to Utah; I hasten to bear my testimony to the world -that this is the church and people of God, and I pray that I may be -found worthy of a place in his celestial kingdom." -</p> -<p>The tragedy of the close of the mortal career of Parley P. Pratt is -still fresh in the public mind. It is one of the terrible chapters of -Mormon history which the pen of his wife has not dared to touch. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Another of these "first wives" is presented in the person of Sister -Rich. -</p> -<p>Sarah D. P. Rich, wife of Gen. Chas. C. Rich, and daughter of John and -Elizabeth Pea, was born September 23d, 1814, in St. Clair county, Ill. -In December, 1835, she became a member of the Church of Latter-day -Saints, and had the pleasure shortly after of seeing her father's -family, with a single exception, converted to the same faith. In 1837 -they removed to Far West, Mo., where the saints were at that time -gathering. At this place she for the first time met Mr. Rich, to whom -she was married on the 11th of February, 1838. During the autumn of -1838, the mob having driven many of the saints from their homes in -the vicinity, she received into her house and sheltered no less than -seven families of the homeless outcasts. Among the number was the -family of Apostle Page, and it was during her sojourn with Mrs. Rich -that Apostle Page's wife died. Mrs. R. stood in her door and saw the -infamous mob-leader and Methodist preacher, Bogard, shoot at her -husband as he was returning from the mob camp under a flag of truce. -That night Mr. Rich was compelled to flee for his life, and she did -not see him again until she joined him three months later, on the -bank of the Mississippi, opposite Quincy. They made the crossing in -a canoe, the river being so full of ice that the regular ferry-boat -could not be used. From this place they removed to Nauvoo, where she -remained daring all the succeeding persecutions and trials of the -church, until February, 1846, when they were forced to leave, which -they did, with her three small children, crossing the Mississippi on -the ice. Journeying westward to Mount Pisgah, Iowa, they remained -during the following season, and planted and harvested a crop of corn. -In the spring of 1847 they removed to winter quarters, and six weeks -afterwards started out on the weary journey across the plains. She -arrived in Salt Lake Valley on the 2d of October, 1847, with the second -company of emigrants, of which her husband was the leader. -</p> -<p>Since that time she has resided continually in Salt Lake City, with -the exception of a short sojourn in Bear Lake Valley, and has endured -without complaint all of the trials, privations and hardships incident -to the settlement of Utah. She is the mother of nine children, and is -well known as the friend of the poor, the nurse of the sick, and the -counselor of the friendless and oppressed among the people; and it -is needless to add that she has passed her life in the advocacy and -practice of the principles of that gospel which she embraced in the -days of her youth. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Jane S. Richards, wife of the distinguished apostle, Franklin D. -Richards, and daughter of Isaac and Louisa Snyder, was born January -31st, 1823, in Pamelia, Jefferson county, N. Y. The prophet and -pilot of her father's house into the church was Elder John E. Page, -who brought to them the gospel in 1837, while they were living near -Kingston, Canada. The family started thence for Far West, Mo., in -1839, but were compelled by sickness to stop at La Porte, Indiana. -Here, through the faithful ministrations of her brother Robert, she -was restored from the effects of a paralytic stroke, and immediately -embraced the faith. In the autumn following (1840) she first saw young -Elder Richards, then on his first mission. In 1842, after her father's -family had moved to Nauvoo, she was married to Mr. Richards. In the -journey of the saints into the wilderness, after their expulsion -from Nauvoo, she drank to the bitter dregs the cup of hardship -and affliction, her husband being absent on mission and she being -repeatedly prostrated with sickness. At winter quarters President Young -said to her, "It may truly be said, if any have come up through great -tribulation from Nauvoo, you have." There her little daughter died, -and was the first to be interred in that memorable burying ground of -the saints. Here also her husband's wife, Elizabeth, died, despite the -faithful efforts of friends, and had it not been for their unwearied -attentions, Jane also would have sunk under her load of affliction and -sorrow. -</p> -<p>In 1848, Mr. Richards having returned from mission, they gathered -to the valley. In 1849 she gave her only sister to her husband in -marriage. From that time forth until their removal to Ogden, in 1869, -hers was the fortune of a missionary's wife, her husband being almost -constantly on mission. In 1872 she accepted the presidency of the -Ogden Relief Society, which she has since very acceptably filled. -Among the noteworthy items of interest connected with her presidency -of this society, was the organization of the young ladies of Ogden -into a branch society for the purpose of retrenchment and economy in -dress, moral, mental and spiritual improvement, etc., which has been -most successfully continued, and is now collaterally supported by many -branch societies in the county. But her labors have not been confined -to Ogden alone. She has been appointed to preside over the societies -of Weber county; and, as a sample of her efforts, we may instance that -she has established the manufacture of home-made straw bonnets and -hats, which industry has furnished employment to many. Her heart and -home have ever been open to the wants of the needy; and the sick and -afflicted have been the objects of her continual care. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The closing words of the wife of Apostle Woodruff, at the grand -mass-meeting of the women of Utah, have in them a ring strongly -suggestive of what must have been the style of speech of those women -of America who urged their husbands and sons to resist the tyranny -of George III; throw off the yoke of colonial servitude, and prove -themselves worthy of national independence. -</p> -<p>Phoebe W. Carter was born in Scarboro, in the State of Maine, March -8th, 1807. Her father was of English descent, connecting with America -at about the close of the seventeenth century. Her mother, Sarah -Fabyan, was of the same place, and three generations from England. The -name of Fabyan was one of the noblest names of Rome, ere England was a -nation, and that lofty tone and strength of character so marked in the -wife of Apostle Woodruff was doubtless derived from the Fabyans, Phoebe -being of her mother's stamp. -</p> -<p>In the year 1834 she embraced the gospel, and, about a year after, left -her parents and kindred and journeyed to Kirtland, a distance of one -thousand miles—a lone maid, sustained only by a lofty faith and trust -in Israel's God. In her characteristic Puritan language she says: -</p> -<p>"My friends marveled at my course, as did I, but something within -impelled me on. My mother's grief at my leaving home was almost more -than I could bear; and had it not been for the spirit within I should -have faltered at the last. My mother told me she would rather see me -buried than going thus alone out into the heartless world. 'Phoebe,' -she said, impressively, 'will you come back to me if you find Mormonism -false?' I answered, 'yes, mother; I will, thrice.' These were my -words, and she knew I would keep my promise. My answer relieved her -trouble; but it cost us all much sorrow to part. When the time came for -my departure I dared not trust myself to say farewell; so I wrote my -good-byes to each, and leaving them on my table, ran down stairs and -jumped into the carriage. Thus I left the beloved home of my childhood -to link my life with the saints of God. -</p> -<p>"When I arrived in Kirtland I became acquainted with the prophet, -Joseph Smith, and received more evidence of his divine mission. There -in Kirtland I formed the acquaintance of Elder Wilford Woodruff, to -whom I was married in 1836. With him I went to the 'islands of the -sea,' and to England, on missions. -</p> -<p>"When the principle of polygamy was first taught I thought it the most -wicked thing I ever heard of; consequently I opposed it to the best of -my ability, until I became sick and wretched. As soon, however, as I -became convinced that it originated as a revelation from God through -Joseph, and knowing him to be a prophet, I wrestled with my Heavenly -Father in fervent prayer, to be guided aright at that all-important -moment of my life. The answer came. Peace was given to my mind. I knew -it was the will of God; and from that time to the present I have sought -to faithfully honor the patriarchal law. -</p> -<p>"Of Joseph, my testimony is that he was one of the greatest prophets -the Lord ever called; that he lived for the redemption of mankind, and -died a martyr for the truth. The love of the saints for him will never -die. -</p> -<p>"It was after the martyrdom of Joseph that I accompanied my husband to -England, in 1845. On our return the advance companies of the saints had -just left Nauvoo under President Young and others of the twelve. We -followed immediately and journeyed to winter quarters. -</p> -<p>"The next year Wilford went with the pioneers to the mountains, while -the care of the family devolved on me. After his return, and the -reorganization of the first presidency, I accompanied my husband on his -mission to the Eastern States. In 1850 we arrived in the valley, and -since that time Salt Lake City has been my home. -</p> -<p>"Of my husband I can truly say, I have found him a worthy man, with -scarcely his equal on earth. He has built up a branch wherever he has -labored. He has been faithful to God and his family every day of his -life. My respect for him has increased with our years, and my desire -for an eternal union with him will be the last wish of my mortal life." -</p> -<p>Sister Phoebe is one of the noblest of her sex—a mother in Israel. -And in her strength of character, consistency, devotion, and apostolic -cast, she is second to none. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>A most worthy peer of sister Woodruff was Leonora, the wife of Apostle -John Taylor. She was the daughter of Capt. Cannon, of the Isle of Man, -England, and sister of the father of George Q. Cannon. She left England -for Canada, as a companion to the wife of the secretary of the colony, -but with the intention of returning. While in Canada, however, she met -Elder Taylor, then a Methodist minister, whose wife she afterwards -became. They were married in 1833. She was a God-fearing woman, and, -as we have seen, was the first to receive Parley P. Pratt into her -house when on his mission to Canada. In the spring of 1838 she gathered -with her husband and two children to Kirtland. Thence they journeyed -to Far West. She was in the expulsion from Missouri; bore the burden -of her family in Nauvoo, as a missionary's wife, while her husband was -in England; felt the stroke of the martyrdom, in which her husband -was terribly wounded; was in the exodus; was then left at winter -quarters while her husband went on his second mission to England; but -he returned in time for them to start with the first companies that -followed the pioneers. Sister Leonora was therefore among the earliest -women of Utah. -</p> -<p>When the prospect came, at the period of the Utah war, that the saints -would have to leave American soil, and her husband delivered those -grand patriotic discourses to his people that will ever live in Mormon -history, Sister Taylor nobly supported his determination with the rest -of the saints to put the torch to their homes, rather than submit to -invasion and the renunciation of their liberties. She died in the month -of December, 1867. Hers was a faithful example, and she has left an -honored memory among her people. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Marian Ross, wife of Apostle Orson Pratt, is a native of Scotland, -and was reared among the Highlands. When about seventeen years of age -she visited her relatives in Edinburgh, where Mormonism was first -brought to her attention. She was shortly afterwards baptized near the -harbor of Leith, on the 27th of August, 1847. A singular feature of -Mrs. Pratt's experience was that in a dream she was distinctly shown -her future husband, then on his mission to Scotland. When she saw -him she at once recognized him. She made her home at Apostle Pratt's -house in Liverpool, for a short time, and then emigrated to America, -in 1851. After being in Salt Lake City a few months she was married -to Mr. Pratt. She testifies, "I have been in polygamy twenty-five -years, and have never seen the hour when I have regretted that I was -in it. I would not change my position for anything earthly, no matter -how grand and gorgeous it might be; even were it for the throne of a -queen. For a surety do I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he is a -prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Another of these apostolic women, who with their husbands founded Utah, -is the wife of Albert Carrington. She was also in the valley in 1847. -Her grand example and words to Captain Van Vliet, when the saints were -resolving on another exodus, have been already recorded. A volume -written could not make her name more imperishable. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Nor must Artimisa, the first wife of Erastus Snow, who is so -conspicuous among the founders of St. George, be forgotten. She is one -of the honorable women of Utah, and the part she has sustained, with -her husband, in building up the southern country, has been that of -self-sacrifice, endurance, and noble example. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mention should also be made of Elizabeth, daughter of the late Bishop -Hoagland, and first wife of George Q. Cannon. She has borne the burden -of the day as a missionary's wife, and has also accompanied her husband -on mission to England; but her most noteworthy example was in her truly -noble conduct in standing by her husband in those infamous persecutions -of the politicians, over the question of polygamy, in their efforts to -prevent him taking his seat in Congress. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Here let us also speak of the death of Sister Vilate Kimball, whose -history has been given somewhat at length in previous chapters. After -sharing with her husband and the saints the perils and hardships of -the exodus, and the journey across the plains, and after many years of -usefulness to her family and friends, she died Oct. 22d, 1867. She was -mourned by none more sincerely than by her husband, who, according to -his words, spoken over her remains, was "not long after her." -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLV"></a>CHAPTER XLV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MORMON WOMEN OF MARTHA WASHINGTON'S TIME—AUNT RHODA RICHARDS—WIFE OF -THE FIRST MORMON BISHOP—HONORABLE WOMEN OF ZION. -</p> -<p>The heroic conduct of the Mormon women, in their eventful history, -is not strange, nor their trained sentiments of religious liberty -exaggerated in the action of their lives; for it must not be forgotten -that many a sister among the Latter-day Saints had lived in the time -of the Revolution, and had shown examples not unworthy of Martha -Washington herself. Of course those women of the Revolution are now -sleeping with the just, for nearly fifty years, have passed since the -rise of the church, but there are still left those who can remember -the father of their country, and the mothers who inspired the war of -independence. We have such an one to present in the person of Aunt -Rhoda Richards, the sister of Willard, the apostle, and first cousin of -Brigham Young. -</p> -<p>Scarcely had the British evacuated New York, and Washington returned -to his home at Mount Vernon, when Rhoda Richards was born. She was the -sister of Phineas, Levi, and Willard Richards—three of illustrious -memory in the Mormon Church—was born August 8th, 1784, at Hopkington, -Mass., and now, at the advanced age of ninety-three, thus speaks of her -life and works. She says: -</p> -<p>"During the early years of my life I was much afflicted with sickness, -but, through the mercies and blessings of my Heavenly Father, at the -advanced age of nearly ninety-three, I live, and am privileged to bear -my individual testimony, that for myself I know that Joseph Smith was -a true prophet of the living God; and that the work which he, as an -humble instrument in the hands of God, commenced in this, the evening -of time, will not be cut short, save as the Lord himself, according to -his promise, shall cut short his work in righteousness. -</p> -<p>"My first knowledge of the Mormons was gained through my cousin, Joseph -Young, though I had previously heard many strange things concerning -them. I lay on a bed of sickness, unable to sit up, when Cousin -Joseph came to visit at my father's house. I remember distinctly how -cautiously my mother broached the subject of the new religion to him. -Said she, 'Joseph, I have heard that some of the children of my sister, -Abigail Young, have joined the Mormons. How is it?' Joseph replied, 'It -is true, Aunt Richards, and I am one of them!' It was Sabbath day, and -in the morning Cousin Joseph attended church with my parents; but in -the afternoon he chose to remain with my brother William, and myself, -at home. He remarked that he could not enjoy the meeting, and in reply -I said, 'I do not see why we might not have a meeting here.' My cousin -was upon his feet in an instant, and stood and preached to us—my -brother and myself—for about half an hour, finishing his discourse -with, 'There, Cousin Rhoda, I don't know but I have tired you out!' -When he sat down I remarked that meetings usually closed with prayer. -In an instant he was on his knees, offering up a prayer. That was the -first Mormon sermon and the first Mormon prayer I ever listened to. -I weighed his words and sentences well. It was enough. My soul was -convinced of the truth. But I waited a year before being baptized. -During that time I read the books of the church, and also saw and heard -other elders, among whom was my cousin, Brigham Young, and my brothers, -Phineas, Levi, and Willard; all of which served to strengthen my faith -and brighten my understanding. -</p> -<p>"A short time after I was baptized and confirmed I was greatly -afflicted with the raging of a cancer, about to break out in my face. -I knew too well the symptoms, having had one removed previously. The -agony of such an operation, only those who have passed through a like -experience can ever imagine. The idea of again passing through a like -physical suffering seemed almost more than humanity could endure. -One Sabbath, after the close of the morning service, I spoke to the -presiding elder, and acquainted him with my situation, requesting that -I might be administered to, according to the pattern that God had -given, that the cancer might be rebuked and my body healed. The elder -called upon the sisters present to unite their faith and prayers in my -behalf, and upon the brethren to come forward and lay their hands upon -me, and bless me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to my -desire. It was done, and I went home completely healed, and rejoicing -in the God of my salvation. Many times have I since been healed by the -same power, when, apparently, death had actually seized me as his prey. -I would not have it understood, however, that I have been a weakly, -sickly, useless individual all my life. Those who have known me can -say quite to the contrary. Some of our ambitious little girls and -working women would doubtless be interested in a simple sketch of some -few things which I have accomplished by manual labor. When myself and -my sisters were only small girls, our excellent mother taught us how -to work, and in such a wise manner did she conduct our home education -that we always loved to work, and were never so happy as when we were -most usefully employed. We knit our own and our brothers' stockings, -made our own clothes, braided and sewed straw hats and bonnets, carded, -spun, wove, kept house, and did everything that girls and women of a -self-sustaining community would need to do. The day that I was thirteen -years old I wove thirteen yards of cloth; and in twenty months, during -which time I celebrated my eightieth birthday, I carded twenty weight -of cotton, spun two hundred and fifteen balls of candlewicking, and -two hundred run of yarn, prepared for the weaver's loom; besides doing -my housework, knitting socks, and making shirts for 'my boys' (some -of the sons of my brothers). I merely make mention of these things as -samples of what my life-work has been. I never was an idler, but have -tried to be useful in my humble way, 'doing what my hands found to do -with my might.' I now begin to feel the weight of years upon me, and -can no longer do as I have done in former years for those around me; -but, through the boundless mercies of God, I am still able to wash and -iron my own clothes, do up my lace caps, and write my own letters. My -memory is good, and as a general thing I feel well in body and mind. I -have witnessed the death of many near and dear friends, both old and -young. In my young days I buried my first and only love, and true to -that affiance, I have passed companionless through life; but am sure of -having my proper place and standing in the resurrection, having been -sealed to the prophet Joseph, according to the celestial law, by his -own request, under the inspiration of divine revelation." -</p> -<p>A very beautiful incident is this latter—the memory of her early -love, for whose sake she kept sacred her maiden life. The passage is -exquisite in sentiment, although emanating from a heart that has known -the joys and sorrows of nearly a hundred years. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Lydia Partridge, the aged relict of the first bishop of the Mormon -Church, may well accompany the venerable sister of Willard Richards. -</p> -<p>She was born September 26, 1793, in the town of Marlboro, Mass., her -parents' names being Joseph Clisbee and Merriam Howe. The course of -events [finally?] brought her to Ohio, where she made the acquaintance -of, and married, Edward Partridge. Her husband and herself were -proselyted into the Campbellite persuasion by Sidney Rigdon; but -they soon afterwards became converts to Mormonism, and Mr. Partridge -thereupon commenced his career as a laborer in the ministry of the -church. They were among the first families to locate in Missouri, -and also among the first to feel the sting of persecution in that -State. Removing finally to Nauvoo, her husband there died. In the -after-wanderings of the saints in search of a home in the wilderness -she accompanied them. It may be briefly said of her that now, after -forty-five years in the church, she is as firm and steadfast as ever in -her faith, and is one of the staunchest advocates of polygamy. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Next comes Margaret T. M. Smoot, wife of Bishop Smoot, with the -testimony of her life. -</p> -<p>She was born in Chester District, South Carolina, April 16th, 1809. -Her father, Anthony McMeans, was a Scotchman by birth, emigrating -to America at an early age, and settling in South Carolina, where -he resided at the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. Fired with -patriotic zeal, he immediately enlisted in the ranks, and continued -fighting in the cause of liberty until the close of the war, when he -returned to his home, where he remained until his death. Her mother was -a Hunter, being of Irish extraction. Her grandfather Hunter also served -in the Revolutionary war, being an intimate friend of Gen. Washington. -For these reasons Mrs. Smoot is justly proud of her lineage. Her -husband, the bishop, being also of revolutionary descent, they as a -family well exemplify the claim made elsewhere, that the Mormons were -originally of the most honored and patriotic extraction. -</p> -<p>She embraced the Mormon faith in 1834, and was married to Mr. Smoot -the following year, in the State of Kentucky. In 1837 they went to Far -West, Mo., and their history thence to Utah is the oft-told story of -outrage and persecution. It is proper to remark, however, that their -son, William, was one of the original pioneers, and that their family -was among the first company that entered the valley. -</p> -<p>Sister Smoot is known in the church as one of the most illustrious -examples of the "first wives" who accepted and gave a true Israelitish -character and sanctity to the "patriarchal order of marriage;" while -the long-sustained position of her husband as Mayor of Salt Lake City, -enhances the effect of her social example. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>A few incidents from the life of Sister Hendricks, whose husband was -wounded in "Crooked River battle," where the apostle David Patten fell, -may properly be here preserved. -</p> -<p>Of that mournful incident, she says: "A neighbor stopped at the gate -and alighted from his horse; I saw him wipe his eyes, and knew that he -was weeping; he came to the door and said, 'Mr. Hendricks wishes you to -come to him at the Widow Metcalf's. He is shot.' I rode to the place, -four miles away, and there saw nine of the brethren, pale and weak from -their wounds, being assisted into the wagons that were to take them to -their homes. In the house was my husband, and also David Patten, who -was dying. My husband was wounded in the neck in such a manner as to -injure the spinal column, which paralyzed his extremities. Although he -could speak, he could not move any more than if he were dead." -</p> -<p>Mr Hendricks lived until 1870, being an almost helpless invalid up to -that time. Their son William was a member of the famous battalion. Mrs. -H. still survives, and is the happy progenitress of five children, -sixty-three grandchildren, and twenty-three great-grandchildren. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The wife of Bishop McRae deserves remembrance in connection with an -incident of the battle of Nauvoo. When it was determined to surrender -that city, the fugitive saints were naturally anxious to take with them -in their flight whatever of property, etc., they could, that would -be necessary to them in their sojourn in the wilderness. It will be -seen at once that nothing could have been of more service to them than -their rifles and ammunition. Hence, with a refinement of cruelty, the -mobbers determined to rob them of these necessaries. They accordingly -demanded the arms and ammunition of all who left the city, and searched -their wagons to see that none were secreted. Mrs. McRae was determined -to save a keg of powder, however, and so she ensconced herself in her -wagon with the powder keg as a seat, covering it with the folds of her -dress. Soon a squad of the enemy came to her wagon, and making as if -to search it, asked her to surrender whatever arms and ammunition she -might have on hand. She quietly kept her seat, however, and coolly -asked them, "How many more times are you going to search this wagon -to-day?" This question giving them the impression that they had already -searched the wagon, they moved on, and Mrs. McRae saved her powder. -</p> -<p>She still lives, and is at present a much respected resident of Salt -Lake City. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Mary M. Luce, a venerable sister, now in her seventy-seventh -year, and a resident of Salt Lake City, deserves a passing mention -from the fact that her religion has caused her to traverse the entire -breadth of the continent, in order to be gathered with the saints. -She was a convert of Wilford Woodruff, who visited her native place -while on mission to the "Islands of the Sea" (Fox Islands, off the -Coast of Maine). In 1838, with her family, she journeyed by private -conveyance from Maine to Illinois, joining the saints at Nauvoo. This -was, in those days, a very long and tedious journey, consuming several -months' time. During the persecutions of Nauvoo, she was reduced to -extreme poverty; but, after many vicissitudes, was enabled to reach -Salt Lake City the first year after the pioneers, where she has since -continued to reside. In her experience she has received many tests -and manifestations of the divine origin of the latter-day work, and -testifies that "these are the happiest days" of her life. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Elizabeth H., wife of William Hyde, for whom "Hyde Park," Utah, -was named, was born in Holliston, Middlesex county, Mass., October -2d, 1813. She was the daughter of Joel and Lucretia Bullard, and a -descendant, on the maternal side, from the Goddards. Her mother and -herself were baptized into the Mormon faith in 1838, and they moved to -Nauvoo in 1841, where Elizabeth was married to Elder Hyde, in 1842. He -was on mission most of the time up to 1846, when they left Nauvoo, in -the exodus of the church. Her husband joined the Mormon battalion in -July following, returning home in the last month of 1847. In the spring -of 1849, with their three surviving children, they journeyed to Salt -Lake Valley, where they resided until about seventeen years ago, when -they removed to Cache Valley, and founded the settlement which bears -their name. Mr. Hyde died in 1872, leaving five wives and twenty-two -children. "It is my greatest desire," says sister Hyde, "that I may so -live as to be accounted worthy to dwell with those who have overcome, -and have the promise of eternal lives, which is the greatest gift of -God." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Nor should we forget to mention "Mother Sessions," another of the -last-century women who have gathered to Zion. Her maiden name was Patty -Bartlett, and she was born February 4th, 1795, in the town of Bethel, -Oxford county, Maine. She was married to David Sessions in 1812, and -survives both him and a second husband. Herself and husband joined the -church in 1834, moved to Nauvoo in 1840, and left there with the exiled -saints in 1846. In the summer of 1847 they crossed the plains to the -valley, Mrs. Sessions, although in her fifty-third year, driving a -four-ox team the entire distance. -</p> -<p>Mother Sessions is a model of zeal, frugality, industry and -benevolence. When she entered the valley she had but five cents, which -she had found on the road; now, after having given many hundreds of -dollars to the perpetual emigration fund, tithing fund, etc., and -performing unnumbered deeds of private charity, she is a stockholder -in the "Z. C. M. I." to the amount of some twelve or thirteen thousand -dollars, and is also possessed of a competence for the remainder of -her days; all of which is a result of her own untiring efforts and -honorable business sagacity. As a testimony of her life she says, "I am -now eighty-two years of age. I drink no tea nor coffee, nor spirituous -liquors; neither do I smoke nor take snuff. To all my posterity and -friends I say, do as I have done, and as much better as you can, and -the Lord will bless you as he has me." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. R. A. Holden, of Provo, is another of the revolutionary -descendants. Her grandfather, Clement Bishop, was an officer in the -revolutionary war, was wounded, and drew a pension until his death. -Mrs. H., whose maiden name was Bliss, was born in 1815, in Livingston -county, N. Y., and after marrying Mr. Holden, in 1833, moved to -Illinois, where, in 1840, they embraced the gospel. Their efforts to -reach the valley and gather with the church form an exceptional chapter -of hardship and disappointment. Nevertheless, they arrived at Provo in -1852, where they have since resided; Mrs. Holden being, since 1867, the -president of the Relief Society of the Fourth Ward of that city. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Sister Diantha Morley Billings is another of the aged and respected -citizens of Provo. She was born August 23d, 1795, at Montague, Mass. -About the year 1815 she moved to Kirtland, Ohio, and there was married -to Titus Billings. Herself and husband and Isaac Morley, her brother, -were among the first baptized in Kirtland. They were also among the -first to remove to Missouri, whence they were driven, and plundered of -all they possessed, by the mobs that arose, in that State, against the -saints. Her husband was in Crooked River battle, standing by Apostle -Patten when he fell. -</p> -<p>They reached Utah in 1848, and were soon thereafter called to go and -start settlements in San Pete. They returned to Provo in 1864, and in -1866 Mr. Billings died. -</p> -<p>While living in Nauvoo, after the expulsion from Missouri, Mrs. -Billings was ordained and set apart by the prophet Joseph to be a -nurse, in which calling she has ever since been very skillful. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Amanda Wimley, although but eight years a resident of Utah, was -converted to Mormonism in Philadelphia, in the year 1839, under the -preaching of Joseph the prophet, being baptized shortly afterward. -For thirty years the circumstances of her life were such that it was -not expedient for her to gather with the church; she nevertheless -maintained her faith, and was endowed to a remarkable degree with the -gift of healing, which she exercised many times with wonderful effect -in her own family. Journeying to Salt Lake City some eight years since, -on a visit merely, she has now fully determined to permanently remain, -as the representative of her father's house, to "do a work for her -ancestry and posterity." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Polly Sawyer Atwood, who died in Salt Lake City, Oct. 16th, 1876, is -worthy of a passing notice, because of her many good deeds in the -service of God. She was another of the last century women, being born -in 1790, in Windham, Conn. Her parents were Asahel and Elizabeth -Sawyer. Herself and husband, Dan Atwood, first heard the gospel in -1839, and were straightway convinced of its truth. They journeyed -to Salt Lake in 1850. Here she displayed in a remarkable manner the -works and gifts of faith, and was much sought after by the sick and -afflicted, up to the day of her death, which occurred in her 86th -year. It is worthy of mention that she was the mother of three men of -distinction in the church—Millen Atwood, who was one of the pioneers, -a missionary to England, captain of the first successful handcart -company, and a member of the high council; Miner Atwood, who was a -missionary to South Africa, and also a member of the high council; and -Samuel Atwood, who is one of the presiding bishops of the Territory. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>In connection with Mother Atwood may also properly be mentioned her -daughter-in-law, Relief C. Atwood, the wife of Millen, who received -the gospel in New Hampshire, in 1843, and in 1845 emigrated to Nauvoo. -This was just before the expulsion of the church from that city, and in -a few months she found herself in the wilderness. At winter quarters, -after the return of the pioneers, she married Mr. Atwood, one of their -number, and with him in 1848 journeyed to the valley. Their trials -were at first nigh overwhelming, but in a moment of prayer, when -they were about to give up in despair, the spirit of the Lord rested -upon Mr. A., and he spoke in tongues, and at the same time the gift -of interpretation rested upon her. It was an exhortation to renewed -hope and trust, which so strengthened them that they were able to -overcome every difficulty. Her family has also received many striking -manifestations of the gift of healing—so much so that she now bears -testimony that "God is their great physician, in whom she can safely -trust." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Sister Sarah B. Fiske, who was born in Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., N. -Y., in 1819, is another of revolutionary ancestry; her grandfathers, -on both paternal and maternal side, having served in the revolutionary -war. In 1837 she was married to Ezra H. Allen. Shortly thereafter they -were both converted to Mormonism, and in 1842 moved to Nauvoo. In the -spring of '43 they joined the settlement which was attempted at a place -called Shockoquan, about twenty-five miles north of Nauvoo. Journeying -with the saints on the exodus, she stopped at Mount Pisgah, while her -husband went forward in the battalion. Nearly two years passed, and -word came that the brethren of the battalion were coming back. With -the most intense anxiety she gathered every word of news concerning -their return, and at last was informed that they were at a ferry not -far away. She hastened to make herself ready and was about to go out to -meet him when the word was brought that her husband had been murdered -by Indians in the California mountains. She was handed her husband's -purse, which had been left by the Indians, and which contained his -wages and savings. This enabled her to procure an outfit, and in 1852 -she journeyed to the valley. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Here let us mention another octogenarian sister in the person of Jane -Neyman, daughter of David and Mary Harper, who was born in Westmoreland -Co., Pa., in 1792. She embraced the gospel in 1838, and became at -once endowed with the gift of healing, which enabled her to work many -marvelous cures, among which may be mentioned the raising of two -infants from apparent death, they each having been laid out for burial. -Herself and family received an unstinted share of the persecutions of -the saints, in Missouri, and afterwards in Nauvoo, in which latter -place her husband died. Her daughter, Mary Ann Nickerson, then residing -on the opposite side of the river from Nauvoo, on the occasion of the -troubles resulting in the battle of Nauvoo, made cartridges at her -home, and alone in her little skiff passed back and forth across the -Mississippi (one mile wide at that point), delivering the cartridges, -without discovery. While the battle was raging she also took seven -persons, including her mother, on a flat-boat, and by her unaided -exertions ferried them across the river. This heroic lady is now living -in Beaver, Utah. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Neyman, now in her 85th year, testifies concerning the truth of -the gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith: "I know it is the work of -God, by the unerring witness of the Holy Ghost." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Malvina Harvey Snow, daughter of Joel Harvey, was born in the State of -Vermont, in 1811. She was brought into the church under the ministry -of Orson Pratt, in 1833, he being then on mission in that section. Her -nearest neighbor was Levi Snow, father of Apostle Erastus Snow. The -Snow family mostly joined the new faith, and Malvina and her sister -Susan journeyed with them to Missouri. At Far West she was married -to Willard Snow, in 1837, and in about two years afterward they were -driven from the State. They settled at Montrose, but, while her husband -was on mission to England, she moved across the river to Nauvoo, the -mob having signified their intention to burn her house over her head. -In 1847 they started for Utah, from Council Bluffs, in the wake of the -pioneers, arriving in the valley in the fall of that year. Says Sister -Malvina, "My faithful sister, Susan, was with me from the time I left -our father's house in Vermont, and when we arrived in Utah my husband -took her to wife. She bore him a daughter, but lost her life at its -birth. I took the infant to my bosom, and never felt any difference -between her and my own children. She is now a married woman. In 1850 my -husband was called on mission to Denmark, from which he never returned. -He was buried in the Atlantic, being the only missionary from Utah -that was ever laid in the sea. I raised my five children to manhood -and womanhood, and have now lived a widow twenty-six years. Hoping to -finally meet my beloved husband and family, never again to part, I am -patiently waiting the hour of reunion. May the Lord Jesus Christ help -me to be faithful to the end." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Sister Caroline Tippits, whose maiden name was Pew, deserves to be -mentioned as one of the earlier members of the church, having embraced -the gospel in 1831. Shortly afterwards she joined the saints in Jackson -county, Mo., and during the persecutions that ensued, endured perhaps -the most trying hardships that were meted out to any of the sisters. -Driven out into the midst of a prairie, by the mob, in the month of -January, with a babe and two-years-old child, she was compelled to -sleep on the ground with only one thin quilt to cover them, and the -snow frequently falling three or four inches in a night. She came to -Utah with the first companies, and is reckoned among the most faithful -of the saints. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Julia Budge, first wife of Bishop William Budge, may be presented as -one of the women who have made polygamy honorable. She was born in -Essex, England, where she was baptized by Chas. W. Penrose, one of the -most distinguished of the English elders, who afterwards married her -sister—a lady of the same excellent disposition. The bishop is to-day -the husband of three wives, whose children have grown up as one family, -and the wives have lived together "like sisters." No stranger, with -preconceived notions, would guess that they sustained the very tender -relation of sister-wives. Their happy polygamic example is a sort of -"household word" in the various settlements over which the bishop has -presided. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Sister Nancy A. Clark, daughter of Sanford Porter, now a resident of -Farmington, Utah, has had a most remarkable personal experience as -a servant of God. When a little girl, less than eight years of age, -residing with her parents in Missouri, she, in answer to prayer, -received the gift of tongues, and became a great object of interest -among the saints. During and succeeding the persecutions in that State, -and while her father's family were being driven from place to place, -her oft-repeated spiritual experiences were the stay and comfort of all -around her. Her many visions and experiences would fill a volume. It is -needless to say that she is among the most faithful and devoted of the -sisterhood. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>A pretty little instance of faith and works is related by Martha -Granger, the wife of Bishop William G. Young, which is worthy of -record. In September, 1872, the bishop was riding down Silver Creek -Canyon, on his way to Weber river, when he became sunstruck, and fell -back in his wagon, insensible. His horses, as if guided by an invisible -hand, kept steadily on, and finally turned into a farmer's barnyard. -The farmer, who was at work in the yard, thinking some team had strayed -away, went up to catch them, when he discovered the bishop (a stranger -to him) in the wagon. He thought at first that the stranger was -intoxicated, and so hitched the team, thinking to let him lay and sleep -it off. But upon a closer examination, failing to detect the fumes of -liquor, he concluded the man was sick, and calling assistance, took -him into the shade of a haystack, and cared for him. Still the bishop -remained unconscious, and the sun went down, and night came on. -</p> -<p>Forty miles away, the bishop's good wife at home had called her -little seven-years-old child to her knee, to say the usual prayer -before retiring. As the little child had finished the mother observed -a far-off look in its eyes, and then came the strange and unusual -request: "Mother, may I pray, in my own words, for pa? he's sick." -"Yes, my child," said the mother, wonderingly. "Oh Lord, heal up pa, -that he may live and not die, and come home," was the faltering prayer; -and in that same moment the bishop, in that far-off farmer's yard, -arose and spoke; and in a few moments was himself praising God for the -succor that he knew not had been invoked by his own dear child. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLVI"></a>CHAPTER XLVI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MORMON WOMEN WHOSE ANCESTORS WERE ON BOARD THE "MAYFLOWER"—A BRADFORD, -AND DESCENDANT OF THE SECOND GOVERNOR OF PLYMOUTH COLONY—A DESCENDANT -OF ROGERS, THE MARTYR—THE THREE WOMEN WHO CAME WITH THE PIONEERS—THE -FIRST WOMAN BORN IN UTAH—WOMEN OF THE CAMP OF ZION—WOMEN OF THE -MORMON BATTALION. -</p> -<p>Harriet A., wife of Lorenzo Snow, was born in Aurora, Portage Co., -Ohio, Sept. 13, 1819. Her honorable lineage is best established by -reference to the fact that her parents were natives of New England, -that one of her grandfathers served in the Revolutionary war, and that -her progenitors came to America in the <em>Mayflower</em>. -</p> -<p>At twenty-five years of age she embraced the gospel, and in 1846 -gathered with the church at Nauvoo. In January, '47, she was married -to Elder Snow, and in the February following, with her husband and his -three other wives, crossed the Mississippi and joined the encampment of -the saints who had preceded them. -</p> -<p>Thence to Salt Lake Valley her story is not dissimilar to that of the -majority of the saints, except in personal incident and circumstance. -A praise-worthy act of hers, during the trip across the plains, -deserves historical record, however. A woman had died on the way, -leaving three little children—one of them a helpless infant. Sister -Snow was so wrought upon by the pitiful condition of the infant, that -she weaned her own child and nursed the motherless babe. By a stupid -blunder of her teamster, also, she was one night left behind, alone, -with two little children on the prairie. Luckily for her, a wagon had -broken down and had been abandoned by the company. Depositing the -babes in the wagon-box, she made search, and found that some flour and -a hand-bell had been left in the wreck, and with this scanty outfit -she set about making supper. She first took the clapper out of the -bell, then stopped up the hole where it had been fastened in. This now -served her for a water-pitcher. Filling it at a brook some distance -away, she wet up some of the flour; then, with some matches that she -had with her, started a fire, and baked the flour-cakes, herself and -thirteen-months-old child making their supper upon them. She then -ensconced herself in the wagon with her babes, and slept till early -morning, when her husband found her and complimented her highly for her -ingenuity and bravery. -</p> -<p>From the valley Apostle Snow was sent to Italy on mission, where he -remained three years. An illustrative incident of his experience on -his return, is worth telling. His return had been announced, and his -children, born after his departure, were as jubilant over his coming as -the others; but one little girl, although in raptures about her father -before he came, on his arrival felt somewhat dubious as to whether he -was her father or not, and refused to approach him for some time, and -no persuasion could entice her. At length she entered the room where -he was sitting, and after enquiring of each of the other children, -"Is that my favvy?" and receiving an affirmative response, she placed -herself directly in front of her father, and looking him full in the -face, said, "Is you my favvy?" "Yes," said he, "I am your father." The -little doubter, being satisfied, replied, "well, if you is my favvy, -I will kiss you." And she most affectionately fulfilled the promise, -being now satisfied that her caresses were not being lavished on a -false claimant. -</p> -<p>Sister Snow, as will be perceived, was among the first to enter -polygamy, and her testimony now is, after thirty years' experience, -that "It is a pure and sacred principle, and calculated to exalt and -ennoble all who honor and live it as revealed by Joseph Smith." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Elmira Tufts, of Salt Lake City, was born in Maine, in the year -1812. Her parents were both natives of New England, and her mother, -Betsy Bradford, was a descendant of William Bradford, who came to -America on the <em>Mayflower</em>, in 1620, and, after the death of Governor -Carver, was elected governor of the Little Plymouth Colony, which -position he held for over thirty years. Her father, Nathan Pinkham, -also served in the Revolution. -</p> -<p>With her husband, Mrs. Tufts gathered to Nauvoo in 1842. With the body -of the church they shared the vicissitudes of the exodus, and finally -the gathering to the valley. Here Mr. Tufts died in 1850. -</p> -<p>Mrs. T. had the pleasure of visiting the recent centennial exhibition, -and declares that this is the height and acme of America's grandeur. -"The grand display," she says, "which all nations were invited to -witness, is like the bankrupt's grand ball, just before the crash of -ruin." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Vienna Jacques was born in the vicinity of Boston, in 1788. She went -to Kirtland in 1833, being a single lady and very wealthy. When she -arrived in Kirtland she donated all of her property to the church. -She is one of the few women mentioned in the Book of Doctrine and -Covenants. Her lineage is very direct to the martyr John Rogers. She is -still living and retains all of her faculties. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The three women who came to the valley with the pioneers are deserving -of mention in connection with that event. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Harriet Page Wheeler Young, the eldest of the three above -mentioned, was born in Hillsborough, N. H., September 7th, 1803. She -was baptized into the Mormon connection in February, 1836, at New -Portage, Ohio; went with the saints to Missouri, and was expelled from -that State in 1839; went from there to Nauvoo, and in the spring of -1844 was married to Lorenzo Dow Young, brother of President Young. She -was with her husband in the exodus; and, on the 7th of April, 1847, -in company with Helen Saunders, wife of Heber C. Kimball, and Clara -Decker, wife of President Young, accompanied the pioneers on their -famous journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. -</p> -<p>They arrived in the valley on the 24th of July, 1847, and camped -near what is now Main street, Salt Lake City. Plowing and planting -was immediately commenced, and houses were soon reared in what was -afterwards called the "Old Fort." On the 24th of September, following, -she presented to her husband a son, the first white male child born in -the valley. -</p> -<p>In the early days, as is well known, the new settlers of Salt Lake -were considerably troubled with Indian depredations. One day, when -"Uncle Lorenzo" was gone from home, and his wife was alone, an Indian -came and asked for biscuit. She gave him all she could spare, but he -demanded more, and when she refused, he drew his bow and arrow and -said he would kill her. But she outwitted him. In the adjoining room -was a large dog, which fact the Indian did not know, and Sister Young, -feigning great fear, asked the Indian to wait a moment, while she made -as if to go into the other room for more food. She quickly untied -the dog, and, opening the door, gave him the word. In an instant the -Indian was overpowered and begging for mercy. She called off the dog, -and bound up the Indian's wounds and let him go, and she was never -troubled by Indians again. Her dying testimony to her husband, just -before she expired, December 22d, 1871, was that she had never known -any difference in her feelings and love for the children born to him by -his young wives, and her own. -</p> -<p>Sister Helen Saunders Kimball remained in the valley with her husband -and reared a family. She died November 22d, 1871. -</p> -<p>Clara Decker Young is still living, and has an interesting family. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Here may very properly be mentioned the first daughter of "Deseret;" -or, more strictly speaking, the first female child born in Utah. Mrs. -James Stopley, now a resident of Kanarrah, Kane county, Utah, and the -mother of five fine children, is the daughter of John and Catherine -Steele, who were in the famous Mormon battalion. Just after their -discharge from the United States service they reached the site of Salt -Lake City (then occupied by the pioneers), and on the 9th of August, -1847, their little daughter was born. This being a proper historical -incident, inasmuch as she was the first white child born in the valley, -it may be interesting to note that the event occurred on the east side -of what is now known as Temple Block, at 4 o'clock A. M., of the day -mentioned. In honor of President Brigham Young, she was named Young -Elizabeth. Her father writes of her at that time as being "a stout, -healthy child, and of a most amiable disposition." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Among the veteran sisters whose names should be preserved to history, -are Mrs. Mary Snow Gates, Mrs. Charlotte Alvord, and Mrs. Diana Drake. -They are uniques of Mormon history, being the three women who, with -"Zion's Camp," went up from Kirtland to Missouri, "to redeem Zion." -Their lives have been singularly eventful, and they rank among the -early disciples of the church and the founders of Utah. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>And here let us make a lasting and honorable record of the women of the -battalion: -</p> -<p>Mrs. James Brown, Mrs. O. Adams, Albina Williams, J. Chase, —— Tubbs, -—— Sharp, D. Wilkin, J. Hess, Fanny Huntington, John Steele, J. Harmon, -and C. Stillman, daughter, —— Smith, U. Higgins, M. Ballom, E. Hanks, -W. Smithson, Melissa Corey, A. Smithson. -</p> -<p>These are the noble Mormon women who accepted the uncertain fortunes of -war, in the service of their country. Be their names imperishable in -American history. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLVII"></a>CHAPTER XLVII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF CALIFORNIA—A WOMAN MISSIONARY TO THE SOCIETY -ISLANDS—HER LIFE AMONG THE NATIVES—THE ONLY MORMON WOMAN SENT ON -MISSION WITHOUT HER HUSBAND—A MORMON WOMAN IN WASHINGTON—A SISTER -FROM THE EAST INDIES—A SISTER FROM TEXAS. -</p> -<p>The Mormons were not only the founders of Utah, but they were also the -first American emigrants to California. Fremont and his volunteers, -and the American navy, had, it is true, effected the <em>coup de main</em> of -taking possession of California, and the American flag was hoisted in -the bay of San Francisco at the very moment of the arrival of the ship -<em>Brooklyn</em> with its company of Mormon emigrants, but to that company -belongs the honor of first settlers. The wife of Col. Jackson thus -narrates: -</p> -<p>"In the month of February, 1846, I left home and friends and sailed -in the ship <em>Brooklyn</em> for California. Before starting I visited my -parents in New Hampshire. I told them of my determination to follow -God's people, who had already been notified to leave the United States; -that our destination was the Pacific coast, and that we should take -materials to plant a colony. When the hour came for parting my father -could not speak, and my mother cried out in despair, 'When shall we see -you again, my child?' 'When there is a railroad across the continent,' -I answered. -</p> -<p>"Selling all my household goods, I took my child in my arms and went on -board ship. Of all the memories of my life not one is so bitter as that -dreary six months' voyage, in an emigrant ship, around the Horn. -</p> -<p>"When we entered the harbor of San Francisco, an officer came on board -and said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to inform you that -you are in the United States.' Three cheers from all on board answered -the announcement. -</p> -<p>"Unlike the California of to-day, we found the country barren and -dreary; but we trusted in God and he heard our prayers; and when I -soaked the mouldy ship-bread, purchased from the whale-ships lying in -the harbor, and fried it in the tallow taken from the raw hides lying -on the beach, God made it sweet to me, and to my child, for on this -food I weaned her. It made me think of Hagar and her babe, and of the -God who watched over her." -</p> -<p>Passing over the hardships endured by these emigrants, which were -greatly augmented by the fact that war was then raging between the -United States and the Spanish residents of California, we deem it -proper to here incorporate, as matter of history, some statements of -Mrs. Jackson, made to the California journals, concerning the early -days of San Francisco. She says: -</p> -<p>"From many statements made by persons who have lately adopted -California as their home, I am led to believe it is the general -impression that no American civilized beings inhabited this region -prior to the discovery of gold; and that the news of this discovery -reaching home, brought the first adventurers. As yet I have nowhere -seen recorded the fact that in July, 1846, the ship <em>Brooklyn</em> landed -on the shore of San Francisco bay two hundred and fifty passengers, -among whom were upwards of seventy females; it being the first -emigration to this place <em>via</em> Cape Horn. -</p> -<p>"In October previous a company had arrived overland, most of whom had -been detained at Sacramento fort, being forbidden by the governor to -proceed further. Upon arriving in Yerba Buena, in '46, we found two of -these families, some half dozen American gentlemen, three or four old -Californians with their families, the officers and marines of the sloop -of war <em>Portsmouth</em>, and about one hundred Indians, occupying the place -now called San Francisco. -</p> -<p>"The ship <em>Brooklyn</em> left us on the rocks at the foot of what is now -Broadway. From this point we directed our steps to the old adobe on -(now) Dupont street. It was the first to shelter us from the chilling -winds. A little further on (toward Jackson street), stood the adobe of -old 'English Jack,' who kept a sort of depot for the milk woman, who -came in daily, with a dozen bottles of milk hung to an old horse, and -which they retailed at a real (twelve and a half cents) per bottle. At -this time, where now are Jackson and Stockton streets were the outer -boundaries of the town. Back of the home of 'English Jack' stood a -cottage built by an American who escaped from a whale-ship and married -a Californian woman. Attached to this house was a windmill and a shop. -In this house I lived during the winter of '46, and the principal room -was used by Dr. Poet, of the navy, as a hospital. Here were brought -the few who were saved of the unfortunate 'Donner party,' whose sad -fate will never be forgotten. One of the Donner children, a girl of -nine years, related to me that her father was the first of that party -to fall a victim to the cold and hunger. Her mother then came on with -the children, 'till the babe grew sick and she was unable to carry it -further. She told the children to go on with the company, and if the -babe died, or she got stronger, she would come to them, but they saw -her no more. After this, two of her little brothers died, and she told -me, with tears running down her face, that she saw them cooked, and had -to eat them; but added, as though fearful of having committed a crime, -'I could not help it; I had eaten nothing for days, and I was afraid -to die.' The poor child's feet were so badly frozen that her toes had -dropped off." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Very dramatic and picturesque have often been the situations of the -Mormon sisters. Here is the story of one of them, among the natives of -the Society Islands. She says: -</p> -<p>"I am the wife of the late Elder Addison Pratt, who was the first -missionary to the Society Islands he having been set apart by the -prophet for this mission in 1843. My husband went on his mission, but -I, with my children, was left to journey afterwards with the body of -the church to the Rocky Mountains. -</p> -<p>"We reached the valley in the fall of 1848, and had been there but -a week when Elder Pratt arrived, coming by the northern route with -soldiers from the Mexican war. He had been absent five years and four -months. Only one of his children recognized him, which affected him -deeply. One year passed away in comparative comfort and pleasure, when -again Mr. Pratt was called to go and leave his family, and again I -was left to my own resources. However, six months afterwards several -elders were called to join Elder Pratt in the Pacific Isles, and myself -and family were permitted to accompany them. Making the journey by -ox-team to San Francisco, on the 15th of September, 1850, we embarked -for Tahiti. Sailing to the southwest of that island three hundred and -sixty miles we made the Island of Tupuai, where Mr. Pratt had formerly -labored, and where we expected to find him, but to our chagrin found -that he was a prisoner under the French governor at Tahiti. After -counseling upon the matter we decided to land on Tupuai and petition -the governor of Tahiti for Mr. Pratt's release, which we did, aided -by the native king, who promised to be responsible for Mr. Pratt's -conduct. The petition was granted by the governor, and in due course -Mr. Pratt joined us at Tupuai. It was a day of great rejoicing among -the natives when he arrived, they all being much attached to him, and -it was also a great day for our children. -</p> -<p>"A volume might be written in attempting to describe the beauties of -nature on that little speck in the midst of the great ocean; but I must -hasten to speak of the people. Simple and uncultivated as the natives -are, they are nevertheless a most loveable and interesting race. Their -piety is deep and sincere and their faith unbounded. -</p> -<p>"Within a year I became a complete master of their language, and -addressed them publicly in the <em>fere-bure-ra</em> (prayer-house), -frequently. My daily employment was teaching in the various departments -of domestic industry, such as needle-work, knitting, etc., and my -pupils, old and young, were both industrious and apt." -</p> -<p>Elder Addison Pratt died in 1872, but his respected missionary wife -is living in Utah to-day, resting from her labors and waiting for the -reward of the faithful. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>A somewhat similar experience to the above is that of Sister Mildred -E. Randall, who went with her husband, at a later date, to labor in -the Sandwich Islands. Her first mission lasted about eighteen months, -and her second one three years. On her third mission to the islands, -she was called to go without her husband; thus making her to be the -only woman, in the history of the church, who has been called to go on -foreign mission independently of her husband. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>In this connection will also suitably appear Sister Elizabeth Drake -Davis, who served her people well while in the Treasury department at -Washington. -</p> -<p>She was born in the town of Axminster, Devonshire, England, and was an -only child. Having lost her father when she was but ten years of age, -and not being particularly attached to her mother, her life became -markedly lonely and desolate. In her extremity she sought the Lord in -prayer, when a remarkable vision was shown her, which was repeated at -two subsequent times, making a permanent impression on her life, and, -in connection with other similar experiences, leading her to connect -herself with the Church of Latter-day Saints. -</p> -<p>After being widowed in her native land she crossed the Atlantic and -resided for two years in Philadelphia. In May, 1859, with a company -of Philadelphian saints, she gathered to Florence, for the purpose -of going thence to Utah. An incident there occurred that will be of -interest to the reader. She says: -</p> -<p>"We reached Florence late one evening; it was quite dark and -raining; we were helped from the wagons and put in one of the vacant -houses—myself, my two little daughters and Sister Sarah White. Early -next morning we were aroused by some one knocking at the door; on -opening it we found a little girl with a cup of milk in her hand; she -asked if there was 'a little woman there with two little children.' -'Yes,' said Sister White, 'come in.' She entered, saying to me, 'If you -please my ma wants to see you; she has sent this milk to your little -girls.' Her mother's name was strange to me, but I went, thinking to -find some one that I had known. She met me at the door with both hands -extended in welcome. 'Good morning, Sister Elizabeth,' said she. I told -her she had the advantage of me, as I did not remember ever seeing her -before. 'No,' said she, 'and I never saw you before. I am Hyrum Smith's -daughter (Lovina Walker); my father appeared to me three times last -night, and told me that you were the child of God, that you was without -money, provisions or friends, and that I must help you.' It is needless -to add that this excellent lady and myself were ever thereafter firm -friends, until her death, which occurred in 1876. I will add that -previous to her last illness I had not seen her in thirteen years; that -one night her father appeared to me, and making himself known, said -his daughter was in sore need; I found the message was too true. Yet -it will ever be a source of gratitude to think I was at last able to -return her generous kindness to me when we were strangers." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Davis' husband (she having married a second time) enlisted in the -United States Army in March, 1863. Shortly thereafter she received an -appointment as clerk in the Treasury department at Washington, which -position she held until November, 1869, when she resigned in order to -prosecute, unhampered, a design which she had formed to memorialize -Congress against the Cullom bill. In this laudable endeavor she was -singularly successful; and it is proper to add that by dint of pure -pluck, as against extremely discouraging circumstances, she secured the -co-operation of Gen. Butler, and Mr. Sumner, the great Senator from -Massachusetts. It is entirely just to say that her efforts were largely -instrumental in modifying the course of Congress upon the Mormon -question, at that time. -</p> -<p>Sister Davis is at present one of the active women of Utah, and will -doubtless figure prominently in the future movements of the sisterhood. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The story of Sister Hannah Booth is best told by herself. She says: -</p> -<p>"I was born in Chumar, India. My father was a native of Portugal, and -my mother was from Manila. My husband was an officer in the English -army in India, as were also my father and grandfather. We lived in -affluent circumstances, keeping nine servants, a carriage, etc., and I -gave my attention to the profession of obstetrics. -</p> -<p>"When the gospel was introduced into India, my son Charles, who was -civil engineer in the army, met the elders traveling by sea, and was -converted. He brought to me the gospel, which I embraced with joy, and -from that time was eager to leave possessions, friends, children and -country, to unite with this people. My son George, a surgeon in the -army, remained behind, although he had embraced the gospel. My sister, -a widow, and my son Charles and his wife—daughter of Lieutenant Kent, -son of Sir Robert Kent, of England—and their infant daughter, came -with me. Reaching San Francisco, we proceeded thence to San Bernardino, -arriving there in 1855. Having, in India, had no occasion to perform -housework, we found ourselves greatly distressed in our new home, by -our lack of such needful knowledge. We bought a stove, and I tried -first to make a fire. I made the fire in the first place that opened -(the oven), and was greatly perplexed by its smoking and not drawing. -We were too mortified to let our ignorance be known, and our bread was -so badly made, and all our cooking so wretchedly done, that we often -ate fruit and milk rather than the food we had just prepared. We also -bought a cow, and not knowing how to milk her, had great trouble. -Four of us surrounded her; my son tied her head to the fence, her -legs to a post, her tail to another; and while he stood by to protect -me, my sister and daughter-in-law to suggest and advise, I proceeded -to milk—on the wrong side, as I afterwards learned. After a while, -however, some good sisters kindly taught us how to work. -</p> -<p>"Just as we had become settled in our own new house the saints prepared -to leave San Bernardino in the winter of '56-7. We sold our home at -great sacrifice, and, six of us in one wagon, with two yoke of Spanish -oxen, started for Utah. On the desert our oxen grew weak and our -supplies began to give out. We, who at home in India had servants at -every turn, now had to walk many weary miles, through desert sands, and -in climbing mountains. My sister and I would, in the morning, bind our -cashmere scarfs around our waists, take each a staff, and with a small -piece of bread each, we would walk ahead of the train. At noon we would -rest, ask a blessing upon the bread, and go on. Weary, footsore and -hungry, we never regretted leaving our luxurious homes, nor longed to -return. We were thankful for the knowledge that had led us away, and -trusted God to sustain us in our trials and lead us to a resting-place -among the saints. After our journey ended, we began anew to build a -home. -</p> -<p>"I am, after twenty years among this people, willing to finish my days -with them, whatever their lot and trials may be, and I pray God for his -holy spirit to continue with me to the end." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Nor should we omit to mention Mrs. Willmirth East, now in her 64th -year, who was converted to Mormonism while residing with her father's -family in Texas, in 1853. Her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary -war, and her father, Nathaniel H. Greer, was a member of the -legislature of Georgia, and also a member of the legislature of Texas, -after his removal to that State. She has long resided in Utah, is a -living witness of many miracles of healing, and has often manifested in -her own person the remarkable gifts of this dispensation. She may be -accounted one of the most enthusiastic and steadfast of the saints. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLVIII"></a>CHAPTER XLVIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">A LEADER FROM ENGLAND—MRS HANNAH T. KING—A MACDONALD FROM -SCOTLAND—THE "WELSH QUEEN"—A REPRESENTATIVE WOMAN FROM -IRELAND—SISTER HOWARD—A GALAXY OF THE SISTERHOOD, FROM "MANY NATIONS -AND TONGUES"—INCIDENTS AND TESTIMONIALS. -</p> -<p>Here the reader meets an illustration of women from many nations -baptized into one spirit, and bearing the same testimony. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Hannah T. King, a leader from England, shall now speak. She says: -</p> -<p>"In 1849, while living in my home in Dernford Dale, Cambridgeshire, -England, my attention was first brought to the serious consideration of -Mormonism by my seamstress. She was a simple-minded girl, but her tact -and respectful ingenuity in presenting the subject won my attention, -and I listened, not thinking or even dreaming that her words were about -to revolutionize my life. -</p> -<p>"I need not follow up the thread of my thoughts thereafter; how -I struggled against the conviction that had seized my mind; how -my parents and friends marveled at the prospect of my leaving the -respectable church associations of a life-time and uniting with 'such a -low set'; how I tried to be content with my former belief, and cast the -new out of mind, but all to no purpose. Suffice it to say I embraced -the gospel, forsook the aristocratic associations of the 'High Church' -congregation with which I had long been united, and became an associate -with the poor and meek of the earth. -</p> -<p>"I was baptized Nov. 4th, 1850, as was also my beloved daughter. My -good husband, although not persuaded to join the church, consented to -emigrate with us to Utah, which we did in the year 1853, bringing quite -a little company with us at Mr. King's expense." -</p> -<p>Since her arrival in the valley, Mrs. King has been constantly -prominent among the women of Utah. Her name is also familiar as a -poetess, there having emanated from her pen some very creditable poems. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Scotland comes next with a representative woman in the person of -Elizabeth G. MacDonald. She says: -</p> -<p>"I was born in the city of Perth, Perthshire, Scotland, on the 12th of -January, 1831, and am the fifth of ten daughters born to my parents, -John and Christina Graham. -</p> -<p>"My attention was first brought to the church of Latter-day Saints in -1846, and in 1847 I was baptized and confirmed, being the second person -baptized into the church in Perth. This course brought down upon me -so much persecution, from which I was not exempt in my own father's -house, that I soon left home and went to Edinburgh. There I was kindly -received by a Sister Gibson and welcomed into her house. After two -years had passed my father came to me and, manifesting a better spirit -than when I saw him last, prevailed upon me to return with him. He had -in the meantime become partially paralyzed, and had to use a crutch. -Two weeks after my return he consented to be baptized. While being -baptized the affliction left him, and he walked home without his -crutch, to the astonishment of all who knew him. This was the signal -for a great work, and the Perth branch, which previously had numbered -but two, soon grew to over one hundred and fifty members. -</p> -<p>"In May, '51, I was married to Alexander MacDonald, then an elder in -the church. He went immediately on mission to the Highlands; but in -1852 he was called to take charge of the Liverpool conference, whither -I went with him, and there we made our first home together. -</p> -<p>"In May, '53, I fell down stairs, which so seriously injured me that -I remained bedridden until the following marvelous occurrence: One -Saturday afternoon as I was feeling especially depressed and sorrowful, -and while my neighbor, Mrs. Kent, who had just been in, was gone to -her home for some little luxury for me, as I turned in my bed I was -astonished to behold an aged man standing at the foot. As I somewhat -recovered from my natural timidity he came towards the head of the bed -and laid his hands upon me, saying, 'I lay my hands upon thy head and -bless thee in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord -hath seen the integrity of thine heart. In tears and sorrow thou hast -bowed before the Lord, asking for children; this blessing is about to -be granted unto thee. Thou shalt be blessed with children from this -hour. Thou shalt be gathered to the valleys of the mountains, and there -thou shalt see thy children raised as tender plants by thy side. Thy -children and household shall call thee blessed. At present thy husband -is better than many children. Be comforted. These blessings I seal upon -thee, in the name of Jesus. Amen.' At this moment Sister Kent came in, -and I saw no more of this personage. His presence was so impressed -upon me that I can to this day minutely describe his clothing and -countenance. -</p> -<p>"The next conference, after this visitation, brought the word that -Brother MacDonald was released to go to the valley, being succeeded by -Elder Spicer W. Crandall. We started from Liverpool in March, '54, and -after the usual vicissitudes of sea and river navigation, finally went -into camp near Kansas Village on the Missouri. From there we started -for Utah in Capt. Daniel Carns' company, reaching Salt Lake City on the -30th of September. -</p> -<p>"In 1872 my husband was appointed to settle in St. George, where we -arrived about the middle of November. Here we have since remained, -and I have taken great pleasure in this southern country, especially -in having my family around me, in the midst of good influences. The -people here are sociable and kind, and we have no outside influences to -contend with. All are busy and industrious and striving to live their -religion." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The wife of the famous Captain Dan Jones, the founder of the Welsh -mission, is chosen to represent her people. She thus sketches her life -to the period of her arrival in Zion: -</p> -<p>"I was born April 2d, 1812, in Claddy, South Wales. My parents were -members of the Baptist Church, which organization I joined when fifteen -years of age. In 1846, several years after my marriage, while keeping -tavern, a stranger stopped with us for refreshments, and while there -unfolded to me some of the principles of the, then entirely new to me, -Church of Latter-day Saints. His words made a profound impression upon -my mind, which impression was greatly heightened by a dream which I had -shortly thereafter; but it was some time before I could learn more of -the new doctrine. I made diligent inquiry, however, and was finally, by -accident, privileged to hear an elder preach. In a conversation with -him afterwards I became thoroughly convinced of the truth of Mormonism, -and was accordingly baptized into the church. This was in 1847. After -this my house became a resort for the elders, and I was the special -subject of persecution by my neighbors. -</p> -<p>"In 1848 I began making preparations to leave my home and start for -the valley. Everything was sold, including a valuable estate, and -I determined to lay it all upon the altar in an endeavor to aid my -poorer friends in the church to emigrate also. In 1849 I bade farewell -to home, country and friends, and with my six children set out for -the far-off Zion. After a voyage, embodying the usual hardships, from -Liverpool to New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers -to Council Bluffs, some fifty fellow-passengers dying with cholera on -the way, in the early summer I started across the plains. I had paid -the passage of forty persons across the ocean and up to Council Bluffs, -and from there I provided for and paid the expenses of thirty-two to -Salt Lake City. Having every comfort that could be obtained, we perhaps -made the trip under as favorable circumstances as any company that has -ever accomplished the journey." -</p> -<p>For her magnanimous conduct in thus largely helping the emigration -of the Welsh saints, coupled with her social standing in her native -country, she was honored with the title of "The Welsh Queen." The title -is still familiar in connection with her name. Since her arrival in -Zion she has known many trials, but is still firm in the faith of the -Latter-day work. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The following is a brief personal sketch of Mrs. Howard, an Irish lady, -of popularity and prominence in Utah: -</p> -<p>"Presuming there are many persons who believe there are no Irish among -the Mormons, I wish to refute the belief, as there are many in our -various towns, most staunch and faithful. -</p> -<p>"My parents, Robert and Lucretia Anderson, resided in Carlow, County -Carlow, Ireland, where, on the 12th of July, 1823, I was born. In 1841 -my beloved mother died, and in the same year I married, and went to -reside in Belfast with my husband. -</p> -<p>"My father, who was a thorough reformer in his method of thought, -originally suggested several governmental and social innovations that -were afterwards adopted by the government and the people. He died in -1849. -</p> -<p>"My parents were Presbyterians, in which faith I was strictly brought -up; but I early came to the conclusion that my father was right when -he said, as I heard him one day: 'The true religion is yet to come.' -After my marriage I attended the Methodist Church mostly, led a moral -life, tried to be honest in deal, and 'did' (as well as circumstances -would allow) 'unto others as I would they should do to me.' I thus went -on quietly, until the 'true religion' was presented to me by a Mr. -and Mrs. Daniel M. Bell, of Ballygrot. My reason was satisfied, and I -embraced the truth with avidity. -</p> -<p>"In February, 1858, my husband, myself and our six children left -Ireland on the steamship <em>City of Glasgow</em>, and in due time arrived -at Council Bluffs. Starting across the plains, the first day out I -sustained a severe accident by being thrown from my carriage, but this -did not deter us, and we arrived all safe and well in Salt Lake City on -the 25th of September. -</p> -<p>"In 1868 I went with my husband on a mission to England; had a -pleasant, interesting time, and astonished many who thought 'no good -thing could come out of Utah.' While there I was the subject of no -little curious questioning, and therefore had many opportunities of -explaining the principles of the gospel. There was one principle I -gloried in telling them about—the principle of plural marriage; and -I spared no pains in speaking of the refining, exalting influence -that was carried with the doctrine, wherever entered into in a proper -manner." -</p> -<p>Sister Howard has not exaggerated in claiming that the Irish nation -has been fairly represented in the Mormon Church. Some of its most -talented members have been directly of that descent, though it is true -that Mormonism never took deep root in Ireland; but that is no more -than a restatement of the fact that Protestantism of any kind has never -flourished in that Catholic country. -</p> -<p>Of the esteemed lady in question it maybe added that she is one of -the most prominent of the women of Utah, one of the councilors of -Mrs. President Horne, and a leader generally, in those vast female -organizations and movements inspired by Eliza R. Snow, in the solution -of President Young's peculiar society problems. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Scandinavia shall be next represented among the nationalities in the -church. The Scandinavian mission has been scarcely less important -than the British mission. It is not as old, but to-day it is the most -vigorous, and for the last quarter of a century it has been pouring its -emigrations into Utah by the thousands. Indeed a very large portion of -the population of Utah has been gathered from the Scandinavian peoples. -The mission was opened by Apostle Erastus Snow, in the year 1850. One -of the first converts of this apostle, Anna Nilson, afterwards became -his wife. Here is the brief notice which she gives of herself: -</p> -<p>"I am the daughter of Hans and Caroline Nilson, and was born on the -1st of April, 1825, in a little village called Dalby, in the Province -of Skaana, in the kingdom of Sweden. At the age of seventeen I removed -to Copenhagen, Denmark. There, in 1850, when the elders from Zion -arrived, I gladly received the good news, and was the first woman -baptized into the Church of Latter-day Saints in that kingdom. The -baptism took place on the 12th of August, 1850; there were fifteen of -us; the ordinance was performed by Elder Erastus Snow. Some time after -this we hired a hall for our meetings, which called public attention -to us in some degree, whereupon we became the subjects of rowdyism -and violent persecution. One evening in particular, I recollect that -I was at a meeting in a village some eight miles out from Copenhagen; -as we started to go home we were assailed by a mob which followed and -drove us for several miles. Some of the brethren were thrown into -ditches and trampled upon, and the sisters also were roughly handled. -Finding myself in the hands of ruffians, I called on my heavenly -Father, and they dropped me like a hot iron. They pelted us with stones -and mud, tore our clothes, and abused us in every way they could. -These persecutions continued some weeks, until finally stopped by the -military. -</p> -<p>"In 1852, one week before Christmas, I left Copenhagen, in the first -large company, in charge of Elder Forssgren. We encountered a terrible -storm at the outset, but were brought safely through to Salt Lake City, -where I have since resided." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>A Norwegian sister, Mrs. Sarah A. Peterson, the wife of a well-known -missionary, has remembrance next. She says: -</p> -<p>"I was born in the town of Murray, Orleans county, N. Y., February 16, -1827. My parents, Cornelius and Carrie Nelson, were among the first -Norwegians who emigrated to America. They left Norway on account of -having joined the Quakers, who, at that time, were subject to much -persecution in that country. In the neighborhood was quite a number -of that sect, and they concluded to emigrate to America in a body. As -there was no direct line of emigration between Norway and America, -they purchased a sloop, in which they performed the voyage. Having -been raised on the coast, they were all used to the duties of seamen, -and found no trouble in navigating their vessel. They also brought a -small cargo of iron with them, which, together with the vessel, they -sold in New York, and then moved to the northwestern portion of that -State, and settled on a wild tract of woodland. Eight years afterwards -my father died. I was at that time six years old. When I was nine years -old my uncle went to Illinois, whence he returned with the most glowing -accounts of the fertility of the soil, with plenty of land for sale at -government price. The company disposed of their farms at the rate of -fifty dollars per acre, and again moved from their homes, settling on -the Fox River, near Ottawa, Ill. Here, when fourteen years of age, I -first heard the gospel, and at once believed in the divine mission of -the prophet Joseph; but on account of the opposition of relatives, was -prevented joining the church until four years later. -</p> -<p>"In the spring of 1849 I left mother and home and joined a company who -were preparing to leave for the valley. On our way to Council Bluffs -I was attacked with cholera. But there was a young gentleman in the -company by the name of Canute Peterson, who, after a season of secret -prayer in my behalf, came and placed his hands upon my head, and I -was instantly healed. Two weeks after our arrival at the Bluffs I was -married to him. We joined Ezra T. Benson's company, and arrived in -Salt Lake City on the 25th of October, and spent the winter following -in the 'Old Fort.' In 1851 we removed to Dry Creek, afterwards called -Lehi. My husband was among the very first to survey land and take up -claims there. In 1852 he was sent on mission to Norway. During the four -years he was absent I supported myself and the two children. In 1856 -he returned, much broken in health because of his arduous labor and -exposure in the rigorous climate of that country. -</p> -<p>"In the fall of 1857 my husband added another wife to his family; but -I can truly say that he did not do so without my consent, nor with -any other motive than to serve his God. I felt it our duty to obey -the commandment revealed through the prophet Joseph, hence, although -I felt it to be quite a sacrifice, I encouraged him in so doing. -Although not so very well supplied with houseroom, the second wife -and I lived together in harmony and peace. I felt it a pleasure to -be in her company, and even to nurse and take care of her children, -and she felt the same way toward me and my children. A few years -afterwards my husband married another wife, but also with the consent -and encouragement of his family. This did not disturb the peaceful -relations of our home, but the same kind feelings were entertained by -each member of the family to one another. We have now lived in polygamy -twenty years, have eaten at the same table and raised our children -together, and have never been separated, nor have we ever wished to be." -</p> -<p>Mrs. Peterson is the present very efficient President of the Relief -Society at Ephraim, which up to date has disbursed over eleven thousand -dollars. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Here will also properly appear a short sketch of Bishop Hickenlooper's -wife Ann, who made her way to Zion with the famous hand-cart company, -under Captain Edmund Ellsworth. She had left home and friends in -England in 1856, coming to Council Bluffs with the regular emigration -of that year, and continuing her journey with the hand-cart company, as -before stated From her journal we quote: -</p> -<p>"After traveling fourteen weeks we arrived in the near vicinity of Salt -Lake City, where President Young and other church leaders, with a brass -band and a company of military, met and escorted us into the city. As -we entered, and passed on to the public square in the 16th Ward, the -streets were thronged with thousands of people gazing upon the scene. -President Young called on the bishops and people to bring us food. In a -short time we could see loads of provisions coming to our encampment. -After partaking of refreshments our company began to melt away, by -being taken to the homes of friends who had provided for them. I began -to feel very lonely, not knowing a single person in the country, and -having no relatives to welcome me. I felt indeed that I was a stranger -in a strange land. Presently, however, it was arranged that I should -go to live with Mr. Hickenlooper's people, he being bishop of the 6th -Ward. After becoming acquainted with the family, to whom I became much -attached, his first wife invited me to come into the family as the -bishop's third wife, which invitation, after mature consideration, I -accepted. -</p> -<p>"I am now the mother of five children, and for twenty years have lived -in the same house with the rest of the family, and have eaten at the -same table. My husband was in Nauvoo in the days of the prophet Joseph, -and moved with the saints from winter quarters to this city, where he -has been bishop of the 6th Ward twenty-nine years, and of the 5th and -6th Wards fifteen years." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Several of the sisters who first received the gospel in England and -emigrated to Nauvoo during the lifetime of the prophet, claim historic -mention. Ruth Moon, wife of William Clayton (who during the last days -of Joseph became famous as his scribe), was among the first fruits of -the British mission. With her husband she sailed in the first organized -company of emigrant saints on board the <em>North America</em>. Here are a few -items worth preserving, from her diary of that voyage: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Friday, Sept. 4, 1840.—Bid good-bye to Penwortham, and all - started by rail to Liverpool, where we arrived about 5 o'clock, and - immediately went on board the packet-ship <em>North America</em>, Captain - Loeber, then lying in Prince's dock. -</p> -<p> "Tuesday, Sept. 8.—At eight o'clock the ship left the dock; was - towed out into the river Mersey, and set sail for New York. On - getting into the English Channel we were met by strong head-winds, - which soon increased to a gale, compelling the ship to change her - course and sail around the north coast of Ireland. The decks were - battened down three days and nights. During the gale four of the - principal sails were blown away, and the ship otherwise roughly - used. -</p> -<p> "Saturday, Sept. 12.—The storm having abated, we had a very - pleasant view of the north part of Ireland, farms and houses being - in plain sight. -</p> -<p> "Tuesday, Sept. 22.—About eleven o'clock the company was startled - by the ominous cry of the shief mate, 'All hands on deck, and - buckets with water.' The ship had taken fire under the cook's - galley. The deck was burned through, fire dropping on the berths - underneath. It was soon extinguished without serious damage having - been done. -</p> -<p> "Sunday, Oct. 11.—Arrived in New York." -</p></blockquote> -<p>They journeyed thence by steamer up the Hudson river to Albany; by -canal from Albany to Buffalo; by steamer thence to Chicago; and by -flat-boat down the Rock river to Nauvoo, where they arrived Nov. 24th. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Elizabeth Birch, who was born in Lancashire, England, in 1810, was a -widow with four children when she first heard the gospel, which was -brought to Preston, by the American elders, in 1837. The new religion -created great excitement in that section, and people often walked ten -miles and more to hear the elders preach. She was baptized at Preston, -on the 24th of Dec., 1838. In 1841 she sailed in the ship <em>Sheffield</em> -for New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi river in the second -company of saints that sailed for America. In the fall of that year she -was married to Mr. Birch. Her husband being one of those designated -to help finish the temple at Nauvoo they were in the city during the -famous battle of Nauvoo. Her recollections of that perilous event are -very vivid. During the fight one of the sisters brought into her house -a cannon-ball which she had picked up, just from the enemy's battery. -It was too hot to be handled. They reached the valley in 1850. -</p> -<p>Concerning polygamy, she says: "In 1858, my husband having become -convinced that the doctrine of celestial marriage and plurality of -wives was true, instructed me in regard to it; and becoming entirely, -satisfied that the principle is not only true, but that it is -commanded, I gave my consent to his taking another wife, by whom he -had one daughter; and again in 1860 I consented to his taking another -one, by whom he had a large family of children. These children we have -raised together, and I love them as if they were my own. Our husband -has been dead two years, but we still live together in peace, and each -contributes to the utmost for the support of the family." -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Lucy Clayton, wife of Elder Thomas Bullock, was the first of the saints -to enter Carthage jail after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. She -tells a graphic tale of the excitement of the people of Carthage on -that occasion—how they fled, panic-stricken, from their homes, led by -Governor Ford, thinking that the people of Nauvoo would wreak vengeance -upon them for the murder that had been committed in their midst. She -was also among the remnant of the sick and dying saints on the banks of -the Mississippi, after the expulsion, when they were miraculously fed -by quails that alighted in their midst. This is an often-told wonder, -and is classed with the immortal episode of the children of Israel, fed -by quails in the wilderness. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The wife of Thomas Smith is also entitled to historic mention. Her -husband, in the early days of the British mission, made a great stir -in England, as a Mormon elder, and she was with him in his ministry. -He bore the euphonious epithet of "Rough Tom." Having both the genius -and fame of an iconoclast, he disputed, on the platform, with the same -sectarian champions who met the great infidels Holyoke, Barker and -Bradlaugh. His career as a Mormon elder was quite a romance, and in -all its scenes his wife, Sister Sarah, was a participant, though she -was as gentle in spirit as he was bold and innovative. A famous career -was theirs, and the spiritual power and signs that followed them were -astonishing. He was full of prophesy, and she spake in tongues. He also -cast out devils by the legion. The spirits, good and bad, followed him -everywhere. It is of those thrilling scenes that his widow now loves to -speak, as a testimony of the power of God, and of the signs following -the believer. No sister from the old country could be chosen as a -better witness of the spiritual potency of Mormonism than Sister Sarah -Smith Wheeler. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Sister I. S. Winnerholm, from Denmark, was brought into the church, -in Copenhagen, through a series of spiritual experiences of unusual -power and interest; and, throughout her entire life since, she has -been remarkably gifted with the power of healing, the interpretation -of tongues, etc. Concerning the gift of tongues, she testifies that at -a ward meeting in Salt Lake City she heard a lady manifest the gift by -speaking in the dialect of Lapland, which she was fully competent to -translate, being conversant with that dialect, and which the lady in -question positively knew nothing about, as she had never seen a person -from that country. Sister Winnerholm has been a resident of Salt Lake -City since 1862, and a member of the church since 1853. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>As a representative from Scotland, Sister Elizabeth Duncanson, who is -one of "Zion's nurses," may be mentioned. A remarkable incident of her -life is the fact that at about the identical moment of the martyrdom of -Joseph and Hyrum Smith, she, in her home in Scotland, saw the entire -tragedy in a dream. She told the dream to her husband at the time (both -of them were members of the church), and they were much dispirited with -their forebodings concerning it. In about six weeks, by due course of -mail, the tidings reached them. Herself and husband reached Utah in -1855, and in that same year she was ordained, by President Young, to -the office of nurse, which she has since most acceptably and skillfully -filled. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Another sister from Scotland, Sister Mary Meiklejohn, since 1856 a -resident of Tooele City, and also one of "Zion's nurses," shall here -be mentioned. While residing in Bonhill, Scotland, herself and husband -were baptized into the Mormon Church by Elder Robert Hamilton. Her -husband at once became active in the work of spreading the gospel, -and was soon the recipient of the benefits of the gift of healing, to -a remarkable degree. By an accident one of his feet was crushed and -terribly lacerated by being caught in a steam engine. The physicians -determined that the foot must be amputated in order to save his life; -but the elders thought differently, and after administering to him, -they called a fast, for his benefit, among all the branches in the -neighborhood, and the presiding elder prophesied that he should so -completely recover the use of his foot as to dance on it many times in -Zion. This has been literally fulfilled. Mrs. Meiklejohn is the very -acceptable President of the Tooele Relief Society, which position she -has held since its organization in 1870. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>It is also noteworthy that among the sisters is Mrs. Josephine -Ursenbach, once a Russian Countess. With the instincts of her rank, she -took it upon her to officiate for many of her aristocratic compeers -of Europe, in the beautiful ordinance of baptism for the dead. The -Empress Josephine and Napoleon's wife, Louisa of Austria, were among -the number. Also Elizabeth of England. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The reader will have noticed in the sketches of the sisters, both -American and foreign, frequent mention of the "gift of tongues." This -seems to have been markedly the woman's gift. One of the first who -manifested it approvedly was Mother Whitney. She was commanded by the -prophet Joseph to rise and sing in the gift of tongues in the early -days of Kirtland. She did so, and Joseph pronounced it the "Adamic -tongue," or the language spoken by Adam. Parley P. Pratt afterwards -gave a written interpretation of it. It was a story, in verse, of Adam -blessing his family in "Adam-Ondi-Ahman"—the Garden of Eden in America. -</p> -<p>As an instance in which the gift of tongues proved of decidedly -practical value, we transcribe the following incident, which occurred -near Council Bluffs, in the history of a girl of seventeen by the name -of Jane Grover (afterwards Mrs. Stewart), from her journal: -</p> -<p>"One morning we thought we would go and gather gooseberries. Father -Tanner (as we familiarly called the good, patriarchal Elder Nathan -Tanner), harnessed a span of horses to a light wagon, and, with two -sisters by the name of Lyman, his little granddaughter, and me, started -out. When we reached the woods we told the old gentleman to go to a -house in sight and rest himself while we picked the berries. -</p> -<p>"It was not long before the little girl and I strayed some distance -from the rest, when suddenly we heard shouts. The little girl thought -it was her grandfather, and was about to answer, but I restrained her, -thinking it might be Indians. We walked forward until within sight of -Father Tanner, when we saw he was running his team around. We thought -nothing strange at first, but as we approached we saw Indians gathering -around the wagon, whooping and yelling as others came and joined them. -We got into the wagon to start when four of the Indians took hold of -the wagon-wheels to stop the wagon, and two others held the horses by -the bits, and another came to take me out of the wagon. I then began to -be afraid as well as vexed, and asked Father Tanner to let me get out -of the wagon and run for assistance. He said, 'No, poor child; it is -too late!' I told him they should not take me alive. His face was as -white as a sheet. The Indians had commenced to strip him—had taken his -watch and handkerchief—and while stripping him, were trying to pull -me out of the wagon. I began silently to appeal to my Heavenly Father. -While praying and struggling, the spirit of the Almighty fell upon me -and I arose with great power; and no tongue can tell my feelings. I -was happy as I could be. A few moments before I saw worse than death -staring me in the face, and now my hand was raised by the power of -God, and I talked to those Indians in their own language. They let go -the horses and wagon, and all stood in front of me while I talked to -them by the power of God. They bowed their heads and answered 'Yes,' -in a way that made me know what they meant. The little girl and Father -Tanner looked on in speechless amazement. I realized our situation; -their calculation was to kill Father Tanner, burn the wagon, and take -us women prisoners. This was plainly shown me. When I stopped talking -they shook hands with all three of us, and returned all they had taken -from Father Tanner, who gave them back the handkerchief, and I gave -them berries and crackers. By this time the other two women came up, -and we hastened home. -</p> -<p>"The Lord gave me a portion of the interpretation of what I had said, -which was as follows: -</p> -<p>"'I suppose you Indian warriors think you are going to kill us? Don't -you know the Great Spirit is watching you and knows everything in your -heart? We have come out here to gather some of our father's fruit. We -have not come to injure you; and if you harm us, or injure one hair of -our heads, the Great Spirit shall smite you to the earth, and you shall -not have power to breathe another breath. We have been driven from our -homes, and so have you; we have come out here to do you good, and not -to injure you. We are the Lord's people and so are you; but you must -cease your murders and wickedness; the Lord is displeased with it and -will not prosper you if you continue in it. You think you own all this -land, this timber, this water, all the horses: Why, you do not own one -thing on earth, not even the air you breathe—it all belongs to the -Great Spirit.'" -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Of similar import, and fraught with similar incidents as the preceding, -are the testimonies of Mercy R. Thompson, sister of Mary Fielding; -Mrs. Janet Young, of South Cottonwood; Elizabeth S. Higgs, of Salt -Lake City; Ann Gillott Morgan, of Milk Creek, originally from England; -Zina Pugh Bishop, for twenty-eight years a member of the church; Anna -Wilson, of Taylorsville, originally from Sweden; Mary C. Smith, a -sister from Wales; Elizabeth Lane Hyde, a sister from South Wales; -Sister M. Bingham, an aged saint from England; Sister Mary T. Bennson, -of Taylorsville, for thirty-two years a member of the church; Mrs. -Isabella Pratt Walton, of Mill Creek; Mrs. Margaret Pratt, from -Scotland; and many more, concerning whom a faithful record might -profitably be made. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERXLIX"></a>CHAPTER XLIX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE MESSAGE TO JERUSALEM—THE ANCIENT TONES OF MORMONISM—THE MORMON -HIGH PRIESTESS IN THE HOLY LAND—ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES—OFFICIATING -FOR THE ROYAL HOUSE OF JUDAH. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye - comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is - accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received - double for all her sins. * * * O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, - get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem that bringest - good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not - afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!" -</p></blockquote> -<p>Themes to this day not understood by the Gentiles! Incomprehensible to -the divines of Christendom! -</p> -<p>The everlasting perpetuation of a chosen race—a diviner monument in -its dispersion and preservation than in its national antiquity. Its -restoration to more than its ancient empire, and the rebuilding of -Jerusalem, with Jehovah exalted in his chosen people as the Lord God -Omnipotent, is the vast subject of the prophetic Hebrews. -</p> -<p>It was such a theme that inspired the genius of grand Isaiah, swelling -into the exultation of millennial jubilee for Israel, in his great -declamatory of "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God!" -</p> -<p>Gentile Christendom has never been <em>en rapport</em> with the Abrahamic -subject. It has not incarnated its genius. It is destitute of the very -sense to appreciate the theme of Jerusalem rebuilt. -</p> -<p>Israelitish Mormondom does understand that subject. It has fully -incarnated its genius. It has, not only the prophetic sense to -appreciate the theme of Old Jerusalem rebuilt, but also the rising of -the New Jerusalem of the last days, whose interpreted symbol shall be, -"The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!" -</p> -<p>The divines of a Romish Christianity—Romish, notwithstanding its -sectarian protestantism—have worn threadbare the New Testament; but -the epic soul of the old Hebrew Bible has never possessed Gentile -Christendom. To it, the prophesies and sublimities of Isaiah, and the -everlasting vastness of the Abrahamic covenant and promise, are all, at -best, but as glorious echoes from the vaults of dead and long buried -ages. -</p> -<p>Who has blown the trump of this Hebraic resurrection? One only—the -prophet of Mormondom! -</p> -<p>The Mormons are, as it were, clothing that soul with flesh—giving the -themes of that everlasting epic forms and types. Their Israelitish -action has made the very age palpitate. They render the "Comfort ye, -comfort ye my people, saith your God!" as literally as did they the -command of their prophet to preach the gospel to the British Isles, and -gather the saints from that land. -</p> -<p>The thread of history leads us directly to a significant episode in -the life of Eliza R. Snow, a prophetess and high priestess of Hebraic -Mormondom, in which the "Comfort ye my people" became embodied in an -actual mission to Jerusalem. -</p> -<p>Very familiar to the Mormons is the fact that, at the period when -Joseph sent the Twelve to foreign lands, two of their number, Orson -Hyde and John E. Page, were appointed on mission to Jerusalem. The -Apostle Page failed to fulfill his call, and ultimately apostatized; -but Orson Hyde honored the voice that oracled the restoration of -Israel, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He did not preach to Judah -in the ordinary way, but on the Mount of Olives he reconsecrated the -land, and uttered to the listening heavens a command for the Jews to -gather and rebuild the waste places. It was as the refrain of the -invisible fathers, concerning Israel's redemption, rising from the -hearts of their Mormon children. And that mission of Orson Hyde was but -a prophesy, to the sons of Judah, of coming events. Other missions were -ordained, as it were, to psychologize the age into listening to the -voice of Judah's comforter. -</p> -<p>A few years since, the second mission to Jerusalem was accomplished. -On the Mount of Olives this time stood also a woman—to take part in -the second consecration! A woman's inspired voice to swell the divine -command for Israel to gather and become again the favored nation—the -crown of empires. -</p> -<p>The journal of Sister Eliza thus opens this episode of her life: -</p> -<p>"On the 26th of October, 1872, I started on the mission to Palestine. -When I realized that I was indeed going to Jerusalem, in fulfillment -of a prediction of the prophet Joseph that I should visit that antique -city, uttered nearly thirty years before, and which had not only fled -my anticipations, but had, for years, gone from memory, I was filled -with astonishment." -</p> -<p>The Jerusalem missionaries were President Geo. A. Smith, Lorenzo Snow, -his sister Eliza R. Snow, and Paul A. Schettler, their secretary, -accompanied by several tourists. The following commission, given to -President Smith, stamps the apostolic character of this peculiar -mission, and connects it with the former one, sent by the prophet -Joseph, in the person of Orson Hyde, thirty-two years before: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="right"> "SALT LAKE CITY, U. T., -</p> -<p class="right"> "October 15, 1872. -</p> -<p> "PRESIDENT G. A. SMITH: -</p> -<p> "<em>Dear Brother</em>: As you are about to start on an extensive tour - through Europe and Asia Minor, where you will doubtless be brought - in contact with men of position and influence in society, we desire - that you closely observe what openings now exist, or where they may - be effected, for the introduction of the gospel into the various - countries you shall visit. -</p> -<p> "When you go to the land of Palestine, we wish you to dedicate - and consecrate that land to the Lord, that it may be blessed with - fruitfulness preparatory to the return of the Jews in fulfillment - of prophesy and the accomplishment of the purposes of our Heavenly - Father. -</p> -<p> "We pray that you may be preserved to travel in peace and safety; - that you may be abundantly blessed with words of wisdom and free - utterance in all your conversations pertaining to the holy gospel, - dispelling prejudice and sowing seeds of righteousness among the - people. -</p> -<p class="right"> "BRIGHAM YOUNG, -</p> -<p class="right"> "DANIEL H. WELLS." -</p></blockquote> -<p>Joseph had also predicted that, ere his mortal career closed, "George -A." should see the Holy Land. In the fulfillment of this he may -therefore be considered as the proxy of his great cousin; while Sister -Eliza, who, it will be remembered, was declared by the prophet to be -of the royal seed of Judah, may be considered as a high priestess -officiating for her sacred race. -</p> -<p>Away to the East—the cradle of empires—to bless the land where Judah -shall become again a nation, clothed with more than the splendor of the -days of Solomon. -</p> -<p>Uniting at New York, the company, on the 6th of November, sailed on -board the steamer <em>Minnesota</em>. Arriving in London, they visited some of -the historic places of that great city, and then embarked for Holland. -From place to place on the continent they went, visiting the famous -cities, stopping a day to view the battle-field of Waterloo, then -resting a day or two at Paris. At Versailles they were received with -honor by President Theirs, in their peculiar character as missionaries -to Jerusalem. Thence back to Paris; from Paris to Marseilles; then -to Nice, where they ate Christmas dinner; thence to San Reno, Italy; -to Genoa, Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome. At Rome Sister Eliza -passed her seventieth birthday, visiting the famous places of that -classic city. On the 6th of February, 1873, the apostolic tourists -reached Alexandria, Egypt; and at length they approached Jerusalem—the -monument of the past, the prophesy of the future! They encamped in the -"Valley of Hinnom." Here Sister Eliza writes: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Sunday morning, March 2d, President Smith made arrangements with - out dragoman, and had a tent, table, seats, and carpet taken - up on the Mount of Olives, to which all the brethren of the - company and myself repaired on horseback. After dismounting on - the summit, and committing our animals to the care of servants, - we visited the Church of Ascension, a small cathedral, said to - stand on the spot from which Jesus ascended. By this time the tent - was prepared, which we entered, and after an opening prayer by - Brother Carrington, we united in the order of the holy priesthood, - President Smith leading in humble, fervent supplications, - dedicating the land of Palestine for the gathering of the Jews - and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and returned heartfelt thanks - and gratitude to God for the fullness of the gospel and the - blessings bestowed on the Latter-day Saints. Other brethren led in - turn, and we had a very interesting season; to me it seemed the - crowning point of the whole tour, realizing as I did that we were - worshipping on the summit of the sacred mount, once the frequent - resort of the Prince of Life." -</p></blockquote> -<p>This the literal record; but what the symbolical? -</p> -<p>A prophesy of Israel's restoration! A sign of the renewal of Jehovah's -covenant to the ancient people! The "comfort ye" to Jerusalem! Zion, -from the West, come to the Zion of the East, to ordain her with a -present destiny! A New Jerusalem crying to the Old Jerusalem, "Lift up -thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities -of Judah, behold your God!" -</p> -<p>Woman on the Mount of Olives, in her character of prophetess and high -priestess of the temple! A daughter of David officiating for her -Father's house! -</p> -<p>Surely the subject is unique, view this extraordinary scene as we -may—either as a romantic episode of Mormonism, or as a real and -beautiful prelude to Jerusalem redeemed. -</p> -<p>At the Sea of Gallilee the Hebraic muse of Sister Eliza thus expressed -the rapture awakened by the scenes of the sacred land: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> "I have stood on the shore of the beautiful sea—<br> - The renowned and immortalized Gallilee—<br> - When 'twas wrapped in repose, at eventide,<br> - Like a royal queen in her conscious pride.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "No sound was astir—not a murmuring wave—<br> - Not a motion was seen, but the tremulous lave—<br> - A gentle heave of the water's crest—<br> - As the infant breathes on a mother's breast.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "I thought of the past and present; it seemed<br> - That the silent sea with instruction teemed;<br> - For often, indeed, the heart can hear<br> - What never, in sound, has approached the ear.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> "There's a depth in the soul that's beyond the reach<br> - Of all earthly sound—of all human speech;<br> - A fiber, too pure and sacred, to chime<br> - With the cold, dull music of earth and time."<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> * * * * * * *<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>On their way home our tourists visited Athens. Everywhere, going and -returning, they were honored. Even princes and prime ministers took -a peculiar interest in this extraordinary embassy of Mormon Israel. -Evidently all were struck by its unique character. -</p> -<p>Recrossing the Atlantic, they returned to their mountain home; thus -accomplishing one of the most singular and romantic religious missions -on record. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERL"></a>CHAPTER L. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WOMAN'S POSITION IN THE MORMON CHURCH—GRAND FEMALE ORGANIZATION OF -MORMONDOM—THE RELIEF SOCIETY—ITS INCEPTION AT NAUVOO—ITS PRESENT -STATUS, AIMS, AND METHODS—FIRST SOCIETY BUILDING—A WOMAN LAYS THE -CORNER STONE—DISTINGUISHED WOMEN OF THE VARIOUS SOCIETIES. -</p> -<p>The Mormon women, as well as men, hold the priesthood. To all that man -attains, in celestial exaltation and glory, woman attains. She is his -partner in estate and office. -</p> -<p>John the Revelator thus tells the story of the Church of the First -Born, in the New Jerusalem, which shall come down out of heaven: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the - book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast - redeemed us unto God, by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue - and nation: -</p> -<p> "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall - reign on the earth." -</p></blockquote> -<p>Joseph the Revelator has given a grand supplement to this. He also saw -that vast assembly of the New Jerusalem, and heard that song. There was -the blessed woman-half of that redeemed throng. The sisters sang unto -the honor of the Lamb: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And thou hast made us unto our God queens and priestesses: and we - shall reign on the earth!" -</p></blockquote> -<p>"But this is lowering the theme," says the Gentile Christian; "the -theme descends from man—the paragon of excellence—to woman. Enough -that she should be implied—her identity and glory absorbed in man's -august splendor! Enough, that, for man, woman was created. -</p> -<p>Not so the grand economy of Mormonism. In the Mormon temple, woman is -not merely implied, but well defined and named. There the theme of the -song of the New Jerusalem is faithfully rendered in her personality. -If man is anointed priest unto God, woman is anointed priestess; if -symboled in his heavenly estate as king, she is also symboled as queen. -</p> -<p>Gentile publishers, making a sensational convenience of apostate -sisters, have turned this to the popular amusement; but to the faithful -Mormon woman it is a very sacred and exalted subject. -</p> -<p>But not presuming to more than cross the threshold of the temple, -return we now to the Mormon woman in her social sphere and dignity. The -grand organization of fifty thousand Mormon women, under the name of -"Relief Societies," will sufficiently illustrate woman in the Mormon -economy. -</p> -<p>The Female Relief Society was organized by the prophet Joseph, at -Nauvoo. Here is a minute from his own history: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Thursday, March 24.—I attended by request the Female Relief - Society, whose object is, the relief of the poor, the destitute, - the widow, and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent - purposes. Its organization was completed this day. Mrs. Emma Smith - takes the presidential chair; Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Whitney and - Mrs. Sarah M. Cleveland are her councilors; Miss Elvira Cole is - treasuress, and our well-known and talented poetess, Miss Eliza R. - Snow, secretary. * * * * Our ladies have always been signalized for - their acts of benevolence and kindness; but the cruel usage that - they have received from the barbarians of Missouri, has hitherto - prevented their extending the hand of charity in a conspicuous - manner." -</p></blockquote> -<p>On another occasion he says: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "I met the members of the Female Relief Society, and after - presiding at the admission of many new members, gave a lecture on - the priesthood, showing how the sisters would come in possession of - the privileges, blessings, and gifts of the priesthood, and that - the signs should follow them, such as healing the sick, casting out - devils, etc., and that they might attain unto these blessings by a - virtuous life, and conversation, and diligence in keeping all the - commandments." -</p></blockquote> -<p>But it is in Utah that we see the growth of this society to a vast -woman's organization: an organization which will greatly influence the -destiny of Utah, religiously, socially and politically, for the next -century, and, presumably, for all time. -</p> -<p>From 1846, the time of the exodus from Nauvoo, the Relief Society was -inoperative until 1855, when it was re-organized in Salt Lake City. -</p> -<p>It is a self-governing body, without a written constitution; but is -thoroughly organized, and parliamentary in its proceedings. Each branch -adopts measures, makes arrangements, appointments, etc., independently -of others. Because of these organizations, Utah has no "poor-houses." -Under the kind and sisterly policy of this society the worthy poor feel -much less humiliated, and are better supplied, than by any almshouse -system extant. By an admirable arrangement, under the form of visiting -committees, with well-defined duties, the deserving subjects of charity -are seldom, if ever, neglected or overlooked. -</p> -<p>Since its revival in Salt Lake City, the society has extended, in -branches, from ward to ward of the cities, and from settlement to -settlement, in the country, until it numbers considerably over two -hundred branches; and, as new settlements are constantly being formed, -the number of branches is constantly increasing. -</p> -<p>The funds of the society are mostly donations; but many branches have -started various industries, from which they realize moderate incomes. -Besides stated business meetings each branch has set days on which to -work for the benefit of the poor. When the society commenced its labors -in Salt Lake City, these industrial meetings would have reminded the -observer of the Israelites in Egypt, making "bricks without straw"—the -donations consisting of materials for patch-work quilts, rag-carpets, -uncarded wool for socks and stockings, etc. (In one well-authenticated -instance the hair from slaughtered beeves was gathered, carded—by -hand of course, as there were no carding machines in the city at -that time—spun, and knit into socks and mittens.) These industrial -meetings, to this day, are very interesting, from the varieties of work -thus brought into close fellowship. -</p> -<p>As fast as may be, the various branches are building for themselves -places of meeting, workshops, etc. The first of these buildings was -erected by the ladies of the Fifteenth Ward of Salt Lake City. They -commenced their labors as above, their first capital stock being -donations of pieces for patch-work quilts, carpet-rags, etc. By energy -and perseverance, they have sustained their poor, and, in a few years, -purchased land and built on it a commodious house. -</p> -<p>It should be recorded, as unique in history, that the laying of the -corner-stone of this building was performed by the ladies. This -ceremony, being unostentatiously performed, was followed by appropriate -speechmaking on the part of the presiding officer of the society, Mrs. -S. M. Kimball, Eliza R. Snow, and others; each in turn mounting the -corner-stone for a rostrum, and each winning deserved applause from the -assembled thousands. -</p> -<p>No greater tribute could be paid to the ladies of this organization, -than the simple statement of the fact that, since its re-establishment, -in 1855, the Relief Society has gathered and disbursed over one hundred -thousand dollars! -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball, who, as President of the Fifteenth Ward Society, -sustained the honors of the above occasion, belonged to the original -Relief Society in Nauvoo. As elsewhere recorded, she also presided at -the grand mass-meeting of the sisters, in Salt Lake City, in 1870, -and has repeatedly appeared as a speaker of talent, and as a leader -among the women of Utah. Her favorite theme is female suffrage; but -she abounds with other progressive ideas, and is a lady of decided -character. Her history as a Mormon dates from the earliest rise of the -church. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Mary I. Horne, frequently mentioned elsewhere, is the President -of the "General Retrenchment Society" of Salt Lake City. (It should be -explained that these are auxiliary to the relief societies, and are -more especially designed for the organization of the young ladies of -Utah.) She is also President of the Fourteenth Ward Relief Society, -where frequently the sisters hold something like general conventions of -the societies of the city. She may be said to rank, as an organizer, -next to President Eliza R. Snow. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Among those who have earned honorable mention, as presidents of relief -societies, and leading officers in the more important movements of the -sisters, may be mentioned Sisters Rachel Grant, Agnes Taylor Swartz, -Maria Wilcox, Minerva, one of the wives of Erastus Snow, of Southern -Utah; Agatha Pratt, Julia Pack, Anna Ivins, Sarah Church, Sister -Barney, once a missionary to the Sandwich Islands, and now an active -woman at home; Elizabeth Goddard, Hannah Pierce, Rebecca Jones, Jane C. -Richardson, Elmira Taylor, Leonora Snow Morley, sister to Lorenzo and -Eliza R. Snow: she presided at Brigham City, until her recent death; -Mary Ferguson, Sisters Evans, of Lehi; Sister Ezra Benson, Rebecca -Wareham, Ruth Tyler, Sisters Hunter, Hardy, and Burton, wives of the -presiding bishops; Sister Chase, Sister Lever, Sarah Groo, Sister -Layton, wife of Bishop Layton of the battalion; Sister Reed, Mary Ann, -one of the wives of Apostle O. Hyde; Sarah Peterson, Ann Bringhurst, -Ann Bryant, Helena Madson, M. J. Atwood, Sister Wilde, Caroline -Callister, Emma Brown, wife of the man who did the first plowing in the -valley, Nancy Wall, founder of Wallsburg; Elizabeth Stickney, Margaret -McCullough, Amy Bigler, Elizabeth Brown, Ellen Whiton, P. S. Hart, Ann -Tate, Anna Brown, Martha Simons, Jane Simons, Margaret P. Young, M. A. -Hubbard, Agnes Douglas, Jane Cahoon, Mary McAllister, Sister Albertson, -Pres. in Bear River City; Mary Dewey, M. A. Hardy, Ann Goldsbrough, -Mrs. Sarah Williams, and Miss Emily Williams, of Canton, Ill.; Jane -Bailey, Jane Bradley, Elizabeth Boyes, Jane M. Howell, D. E. Dudley, -Mary Ann Hazon, Mahala Higgins, Jenet Sharp, Lulu Sharp, Jane Price, -Ann Daniels, Harriet Burnham, M. C. Morrison, Nellie Hartley, M. A. -P. Hyde, Elizabeth Park, Margaret Randall, Elizabeth Wadoup, M. A. -Pritchett, M. A. P. Marshall, Sarah S. Taylor, Mary Hutchins, Emily -Shirtluff, A. E. H. Hanson, M. J. Crosby, Cordelia Carter, Sarah B. -Gibson, Harriet Hardy, Isabella G. Martin, M. A. Boise, Louisa Croshaw, -Orissa A. Aldred, Julia Lindsay, C. Liljenquist, Harriet A. Shaw, Ann -Lowe, Emma Porter, Mary E. Hall, Lydia Remington, Ellen C. Fuller, -Harriet E. Laney, Rebecca Marcham, A. L. Cox, Louisa Taylor, Agnes S. -Armstrong, M. A. Hubbard, Mary A. Hunter, M. A. House, Mary Griffin, -Jane Godfrey, Lydia Rich, E. E. C. Francis, Lydia Ann Wells, E. M. -Merrill, Mary A. Bingham, Hannah Child, M. A. Hardy, Fannie Slaughter, -Mary Walker, Ann Hughes, Marian Petersom, Mary Hanson, Aurelia S. -Rogers, A. M. Frodsham, Sophronia Martin. -</p> -<p>Among the presidents and officers of the Young Ladies' Retrenchment -Societies, should be mentioned Mary Freeze, Melissa Lee, Mary Pierce, -Clara Stenhouse Young, Sarah Howard, Mary Williams, Elizabeth Thomas, -Cornelia Clayton, Sarah Graham, Susannah E. Facer, Emily Richards, -Josephine West, Minnie Snow, May Wells, Emily Wells, Annie E. Wells, -Maggie J. Reese, Emily Maddison, Hattie Higginson, Mattie Paul, Sarah -Russell, Alice M. Rich, Mary E. Manghan, Margaret M. Spencer, Sarah -Jane Bullock, Alice M. Tucker, M. Josephine Mulet, M. J. Tanner, Sarah -Renshaw, Mary Ann Ward, Lizzie Hawkins, Mary Leaver, Amy Adams, Rebecca -Williams, Mary S. Burnham, Emmarett Brown, Mary A. P. Marshall. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Mrs. Bathsheba Smith, whose name has appeared elsewhere, is apostolic -in the movements of the sisterhood, and a priestess of the temple. -Mrs. Franklin D. Richards is the most prominent organizer outside of -the metropolis of Utah, having Ogden and Weber counties under her -direction. Sister Smoot leads at Provo. The silk industries are under -the direction of President Zina D. Young. Those sisters who have -been most energetic in promoting this important branch of industry, -which gives promise of becoming a financial success in Utah, have -already earned historic laurels. Of these are Sisters Dunyan, Robison, -Carter, Clark, Schettler, and Rockwood. Eliza R. Snow is president, -and Priscilla M. Staines vice-president, of the woman's co-operative -store, an enterprise designed to foster home manufactures. Thus are the -women of Mormondom putting the inchoate State of Deseret under the most -complete organization. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLI"></a>CHAPTER LI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE SISTERS AND THE MARRIAGE QUESTION—THE WOMEN OF UTAH -ENFRANCHISED—PASSAGE OF THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE BILL—A POLITICAL -CONTEST—THE FIRST WOMAN THAT VOTED IN UTAH. -</p> -<p>The women of Mormondom, and the marriage question! Two of the greatest -sensations of the age united! -</p> -<p>Here we meet the subject of woman, in two casts—not less Gentile than -Mormon. -</p> -<p>Marriage is the great question of the age. It is the woman's special -subject. Monogamic, or polygamic, it is essentially one problem. Either -phase is good, or bad, just as people choose to consider it, or just as -they are educated to view it. -</p> -<p>The Mormons have been, for a quarter of a century, openly affirming, -upon the authority of a new revelation and the establishment of a -distinctive institution, that Gentile monogamy is not good. But more -than this is in their history, their religion, and their social -examples. They have made marriage one of their greatest problems. And -they accept the patriarchal order of marriage, according to the Bible -examples, and the revelation of their prophet, as a proper solution. -</p> -<p>To Gentile Christians, monogamy is good, and polygamy barbarous. But -it is the old story of likes and dislikes, in which people so widely -differ. -</p> -<p>That the Mormons have been strictly logical, and strictly righteous, in -reviving the institutions of the Hebrew patriarchs, in their character -of a modern Israel, may be seen at a glance, by any just mind. What -sense in their claim to be the Israel of the last days had they not -followed the types and examples of Israel? If they have incarnated the -ancient Israelitish genius—and in that fact is the whole significance -of Mormonism—then has the age simply seen that genius naturally -manifested in the action of their lives. -</p> -<p>A monstrous absurdity, indeed, for Christendom to hold that the Bible -is divine and infallible, and at the same time to hold that a people is -barbaric for adoption of its faith and examples! Enough this, surely, -to justify the infidel in sweeping it away altogether. The Mormons and -the Bible stand or fall together. -</p> -<p>In view of this truth, it was a cunning move of the opposition to -attempt to take polygamy out of its theologic cast and give it a purely -sociologic solution, as in the effort of 1870, when it was proposed -by Congressman Julian, of Indiana, to enfranchise the women of Utah. -Brigham Young and the legislative body of Utah promptly accepted the -proposition, and a bill giving suffrage to the women of Utah was passed -by the Territorial Legislature, without a dissenting vote. -</p> -<p>Here is a copy of that remarkable instrument: -</p><blockquote> -<p> AN ACT, <em>giving woman the elective franchise in the Territory of - Utah</em>. -</p> -<p> SEC. I. Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legislative Assembly - of the Territory of Utah, that every woman of the age of twenty-one - years, who has resided in this territory six months next preceding - any general or special election, born or naturalized in the - United States, or who is the wife, or widow, or the daughter of a - naturalized citizen of the United States, shall be entitled to vote - at any election in this territory. -</p> -<p> SEC. 2. All laws or parts of laws, conflicting with this act, are - hereby repealed. -</p> -<p> Approved Feb. 12, 1870. -</p></blockquote> -<p>It may be said by the anti-Mormon that this bill was intended by -President Young to serve the purposes of his own mission rather than -to benefit the newly enfranchised class; but, as the issue will prove, -it was really an important step in the progress of reform. The women -of Utah have now in their own hands the power to absolutely rule their -own destiny; and this is more than can be said of the millions of their -Gentile sisters. -</p> -<p>The municipal election in Salt Lake City, which occurred but two days -after the approval of this bill, for the first time in Mormon history -presented a political home issue; but the new voting element was not -brought largely into requisition. Only a few of the sisters claimed the -honor of voting on that occasion. The first of these was Miss Seraph -Young, a niece of President Young, who thus immortalized herself. -</p> -<p>This grant of political power to the women of Utah is a sign of the -times. The fact cannot die that the Mormon people piloted the nation -westward; and, under the inspiration of the great impulses of the age, -they are destined to be the reformatory vanguard of the nation. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLII"></a>CHAPTER LII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">THE LIE OF THE ENEMY REFUTED—A VIEW OF THE WOMEN IN COUNCIL OVER -FEMALE SUFFRAGE—THE SISTERS KNOW THEIR POLITICAL POWER. -</p> -<p>It was charged, however, by the anti-Mormons, that woman suffrage in -Utah was only designed to further enslave the Mormon women; that they -took no part in its passage, and have had no soul in its exercise. -Nearly the reverse of this is the case, as the records, to follow, will -show. -</p> -<p>In the expositions of the Mormon religion, priesthood and genius, -which have been given, it has been seen that the women are, equally -with their prophets and apostles, the founders of their church and the -pillars of its institutions; the difference being only that the man is -first in the order, and the woman is his helpmate; or, more perfectly -expressed, "they twain are one," in the broadest and most exalted -sense. Hence, no sooner was suffrage granted to the Mormon women, than -they exercised it as a part of their religion, or as the performance -of woman's life duties, marked out for her in the economy of divine -providence. In this apostolic spirit, they took up the grant of -political power. Hence, also, in accordance with the fundamental Mormon -view of an essential partnership existing between the man and the -woman, "in all things," both in this world and in the world to come, -there grew up, as we have seen, in the days of Joseph the prophet, -female organizations, set apart and blessed for woman's ministry in -this life, to be extended into the "eternities." True, these women's -organizations have been known by the name of relief societies, but -their sphere extends to every department of woman's mission, and -they may be viewed as female suffrage societies in a female suffrage -movement, or society-mates of any masculine movement which might arise -to shape or control human affairs, religious, social or political. It -was this society that, as by the lifting of the finger, in a moment -aroused fifty thousand women in Utah, simultaneously to hold their -"indignation mass-meetings" throughout the territory, against the -Cullom bill. At that very moment the female suffrage bill was passed by -their Legislature, so that the exercise of their vote at the subsequent -election was a direct expression of their will upon the most vital of -all social questions—the marriage question. Here are the minutes of -a general meeting of this great Female Relief Society, held in Salt -Lake City, February 19, 1870—just seven days after the passage of -their bill, and two days before the exercise of the female vote at the -election: -</p><blockquote> -<p> MINUTES.—Most of the wards of the city were represented. Miss E. - R. Snow was elected president, and Mrs. L. D. Alder secretary. -</p> -<p> Meeting opened with singing; prayer by Mrs. Harriet Cook Young. -</p> -<p> Miss Eliza R. Snow arose and said, to encourage the sisters in good - works, she would read an account of our indignation meeting, as it - appeared in the <em>Sacramento Union</em>; which account she thought a - very fair one. She also stated that an expression of gratitude was - due acting-Governor Mann, for signing the document granting woman - suffrage in Utah, for we could not have had the right without his - sanction, and said that Wyoming had passed a bill of this kind over - its Governor's head, but we could not have done this. -</p> -<p> The following names were unanimously selected to be a committee for - said purpose: Eliza R. Snow, Bathsheba W. Smith, Sarah M. Kimball, - M. T. Smoot, H. C. Young, N. D. Young, Phoebe Woodruff, M. I. - Horne, M. N. Hyde, Eliza Cannon, Rachel Grant, Amanda Smith. -</p> -<p> Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball said she had waited patiently a long time, - and now that we were granted the right of suffrage, she would - openly declare herself a woman's rights woman, and called upon - those who would do so to back her up, whereupon many manifested - their approval. She said her experience in life had been different - from that of many. She had moved in all grades of society; had been - both rich and poor; had always seen much good and intelligence in - woman. The interests of man and woman cannot be separated; for the - man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the - Lord. She spoke of the foolish custom which deprived the mother of - having control over her sons at a certain age; said she saw the - foreshadowing of a brighter day in this respect in the future. - She said she had entertained ideas that appeared wild, which she - thought would yet be considered woman's rights; spoke of the - remarks made by Brother Rockwood, lately, that women would have as - much prejudice to overcome, in occupying certain positions, as men - would in granting them, and concluded by declaring that woman was - the helpmate of man in every department of life. -</p> -<p> Mrs. Phoebe Woodruff said she was pleased with the reform, and was - heart and hand with her sisters. She was thankful for the privilege - that had been granted to women, but thought we must act in wisdom - and not go too fast. She had looked for this day for years. God has - opened the way for us. We have borne in patience, but the yoke on - woman is partly removed. Now that God has moved upon our brethren - to grant us the right of female suffrage, let us lay it by, and - wait till the time comes to use it, and not run headlong and abuse - the privilege. Great and blessed things are ahead. All is right and - will come out right, and woman will receive her reward in blessing - and honor. May God grant us strength to do right in his sight. -</p> -<p> Mrs. Bathsheba W. Smith said she felt pleased to be engaged in the - great work before them, and was heart and hand with her sisters. - She never felt better in her life, yet never felt more her own - weakness, in view of the greater responsibilities which now rested - upon them, nor ever felt so much the necessity of wisdom and light; - but she was determined to do her best. She believed that woman was - coming up in the world. She encouraged her sisters with the faith - that there was nothing required of them in the duties of life that - they could not perform. -</p> -<p> Mrs. Prescindia Kimball said: "I feel comforted and blessed this - day. I am glad to be numbered in moving forward in this reform; - feel to exercise double diligence and try to accomplish what is - required at our hands. We must all put our shoulder to the wheel - and go ahead. I am glad to see our daughters elevated with man, - and the time come when our votes will assist our leaders, and - redeem ourselves. Let us be humble, and triumph will be ours. The - day is approaching when woman shall be redeemed from the curse - placed upon Eve, and I have often thought that our daughters who - are in polygamy will be the first redeemed. Then let us keep the - commandments and attain to a fullness, and always bear in mind that - our children born in the priesthood will be saviors on Mount Zion." -</p> -<p> Mrs. Zina D. Young said she was glad to look upon such an - assemblage of bright and happy faces, and was gratified to be - numbered with the spirits who had taken tabernacles in this - dispensation, and to know that we are associated with kings and - priests of God; thought we do not realize our privileges. Be meek - and humble and do not move one step aside, but gain power over - ourselves. Angels will visit the earth, but are we, as handmaids of - the Lord, prepared to meet them? We live in the day that has been - looked down upon with great anxiety since the morn of creation. -</p> -<p> Mrs. M. T. Smoot said: "We are engaged in a great work, and the - principles that we have embraced are life and salvation unto us. - Many principles are advanced on which we are slow to act. There - are many more to be advanced. Woman's rights have been spoken of. - I have never had any desire for more rights than I have. I have - considered politics aside from the sphere of woman; but, as things - progress, I feel it is right that we should vote, though the path - may be fraught with difficulty." -</p> -<p> Mrs. Wilmarth East said she would bear testimony to what had been - said. She had found by experience that "obedience is better than - sacrifice." I desire to be on the safe side and sustain those above - us; but I cannot agree with Sister Smoot in regard to woman's - rights. I have never felt that woman had her privileges. I always - wanted a voice in the politics of the nation, as well as to rear - a family. I was much impressed when I read the poem composed by - Mrs. Emily Woodmanse—"Who Cares to Win a Woman's Thought." There - is a bright day coming; but we need more wisdom and humility than - ever before. My sisters, I am glad to be associated with you—those - who have borne the heat and burden of the day, and ask God to pour - blessings on your head. -</p> -<p> Eliza R. Snow, in closing, observed, that there was a business item - she wished to lay before the meeting, and suggested that Sister - Bathsheba W. Smith be appointed on a mission to preach retrenchment - all through the South, and woman's rights, if she wished. -</p> -<p> The suggestion was acted upon, and the meeting adjourned with - singing "Redeemer of Israel," and benediction by Mrs. M. N. Hyde. -</p></blockquote> -<p>Let the reader be further told that, though this was a sort of a -convention of the great Relief Society of Utah, which can move fifty -thousand women in a moment, it was not a woman's suffrage meeting. It -was a gathering of the sisters for consideration of the retrenchment -of the table, and general domestic economy, the retrenchment societies -having been just inaugurated under the leadership of Sister Horne. -But, it will be seen that the meeting was changed to a woman's feast -of anticipations, and table-retrenchment met scarcely an incidental -reference that day; for the spirit of woman's future rested upon the -sisters, spoke with its "still, small voice," and pointed to the bright -looming star of woman's destiny. -</p> -<p>That these women will move wisely, and in the fear of God, is very -evident; nor will they use the tremendous power which they are -destined to hold to break up their church and destroy their faith in -the revelation of the "new and everlasting covenant," given through -the prophet Joseph Smith. Indeed, they will yet send their testimony -through the world, with ten thousand voices, confirmed by the potency -of the woman's vote, and flood the nation with their light. -</p> -<p>Congress need not fear to trust the woman's supreme question into the -safe keeping of fifty thousand God-fearing, self-sacrificing, reverent -women. In vain will the anti-Mormons and pretentious "regenerators" -look for these women to become revolutionary or impious. What they do -will be done in the name and fear of the Lord; yet, mark the prophesy -of one of their leaders: "The day is approaching when woman shall be -redeemed from the curse of Eve; and I have often thought that our -daughters who are in polygamy will be the first redeemed." -</p> -<p>Here is the curse: "In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and <em>thy -desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee</em>!" Woman -will be redeemed from that curse, as sure as the coming of to-morrow's -sun. No more, after this generation, shall civilized man <em>rule</em> over -his mate, but "they twain shall be one;" and the sisters are looking -for that millennial day. These are the "wise virgins" of the church; -and their lamps are trimmed. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLIII"></a>CHAPTER LIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SEEK TO DISFRANCHISE THE WOMEN OF UTAH—CLAGGETT'S -ASSAULT—THE WOMEN OF AMERICA COME TO THEIR AID—CHARLES SUMNER ABOUT -TO ESPOUSE THEIR CAUSE—DEATH PREVENTS THE GREAT STATESMAN'S DESIGN. -</p> -<p>But the enemies of the Mormons, at home and abroad, who have sought to -break up their religious institutions and turn their sacred relations -into unholy covenants, have, from the very hour of the grant of woman's -charter, also sought to take away from them female suffrage. And -perhaps they would have done so ere now, had not a million American -women been on the side of the Mormons, in this. Claggett of Montana, in -his attack upon the people of Utah, in the House of Representatives, -January 29th, 1873, gave to Congress a touch of the anti-Mormon -opposition to female suffrage in Utah. He said: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "My friend from Utah [Hooper] goes on to say that Utah is a long - way in advance of the age in one respect; that female suffrage has - been adopted there. What was the reason for adopting that measure? - Was it because the peculiar institution of the territory recognizes - in any degree whatever, the elevation, purity, and sanctity of - women? No, sir. When the Union Pacific Railroad was completed, - and when the influx of miners and other outsiders began to come - into the territory, the chiefs of the Mormon hierarchy, fearing - that power would pass from their hands by the gradual change of - population, by adopting female suffrage trebled their voting power - by a stroke of their pen; and I am credibly informed upon the - authority of at least fifty men, that in practice in that territory - any child or woman, from twelve years old and upwards, that can - wear a yard of calico, exercises the prerogatives of a freeman, so - far as voting is concerned." -</p></blockquote> -<p>The flippant remark of the delegate from Montana, that every Mormon -woman could exercise the prerogative of a freeman, called forth a burst -of laughter from the house; but it would have been more in keeping -with the great theme of woman's rights, had a hearty "Thank God!" rang -from the lips of those legislators who laughed in derision. Of course, -the gentleman's statement was an exaggeration; but what a story he has -unwittingly told of the power that has been committed to the hands of -the Mormon women? What an epic prophesy he gave of woman's destiny, -when he said, that from the age of twelve years they are trained in -Utah to exercise the freeman's prerogative. If this be so—and it is -near enough to the truth—and if the Mormon women have trebled the -power of the men by the grant of female suffrage, then already do they -hold not only their own destiny in their hands, but also the destiny -of the men. Their very husbands are depending upon them for grace and -salvation from their enemies, in spite of all their enemies' designs. -Do legislators for a moment foolishly fear that the Mormon women will -not discover this vast power which they hold, and discovering, wield it -almost as a manifest destiny? They have discovered it; and their future -movements will manifest it, to the astonishment of the whole civilized -world. Fifty to a hundred thousand women, who are henceforth in one -single State to be trained, from the age of twelve, to exercise the -political power of "freemen," cannot but be free, and can have nothing -less than a splendid future before them. -</p> -<p>Mr. Claggett blasphemed against the truth, when he said that there -was nothing in the Mormon religion that "recognized, in any degree -whatever, the elevation, purity and sanctity of woman." This is a -wicked outrage against the sisters, whose lives are stainless and -matchless records of purity, devotion and heroism. That devotion of -itself would elevate and enoble their characters; and, if Congress and -the American people believe them to be martyrs to their religion, then -their very martyrdom should sanctify them in the eyes of the nation. -</p> -<p>Moreover, woman suffrage is a charter not incompatible with the genius -of Mormonism, but in positive harmony therewith. The Mormon Church -is originally based upon the woman as well as upon the man. She is -with him a partner and priest, in all their religious institutions. -The sisters have also exercised the vote in the church for the last -forty-seven years, it being conferred with their membership. So female -suffrage grows out of the very genius and institutions of their church. -</p> -<p>Now the marriage question specially belongs to the women of the age, -and not to Congress; and the Mormon women must and will make the -country practically confess as much. They will do it by a movement -potent enough upon this question, if they have to stir all the -women of America to the issue. They are forced to this by their -supreme necessities—their honor, their duty, their love, their most -sacred relations. Their brothers, their husbands and their sons are -threatened with prisons, for that which their religion and the Bible -sanction—that Bible which Christendom for nearly two thousand years -has received as the word of God. If there be a radical fault, then is -the fault in their too substantial faith in that word. Surely there -can be no crime in a Bible faith, else Christendom had been under a -condemnation that eternity itself would not outlive. But the damnation -of Congress and the regenerators is to be visited upon the heads of -the innocent—for the shaping of the case is making the sisters in the -eye of the law dishonored women. The very spies and minions of the -court enter their marriage chamber—sacred among even barbarians—to -find the evidence for prosecution, or to drag them to the witness-box, -to testify against their husbands, or disown them to screen them from -punishment. Not in the history of civilization has there been such a -monstrous example before. Claggett has said, in Congress, of their -marriage, "That it tears the crown jewel from the diadem of woman's -purity, and takes from her the holy bond which honors her in all the -nations of the earth; which has elevated lechery to the dignity of a -religious dogma, and burns incense upon the altars of an unhallowed -lust; and above all, and as a crime against the future, which ages -of forgiveness cannot condone nor the waters of ocean wash out, -which yearly writes in letters that blister as they fall, the word -'bastard' across the branded brows of an army of little children. Such -an institution is not entitled by any right, either human or divine, -to hide the hideous deformity of its nakedness with the mantle of -religion, nor seek shelter under the protecting aegis of the civil -law." [Applause from Congress.] -</p> -<p>The women of Mormondom must force Claggett and Congress to take this -back. It is such as he who spoke, and they who applauded, who have -written "in letters that blister as they fall the word 'bastard' -across the branded brows of an army of little children," and the -mothers of those dear little branded ones must appeal to the wives -and mothers of America, to take that curse of "bastard" from their -innocent brows. They must ask those noble women everywhere in America, -who are earnestly battling for their own rights, and especially the -supreme right of woman to settle the marriage question; and the answer -to their mighty prayer shall come back to them from a million women, -throughout the land. The women of America, who lead the van of the new -civilization, shall cry to Congress and the nation in behalf of their -Mormon sisters, with voices that will not be hushed, till justice be -done. Indeed, already have they done this, so far as the suffrage is -concerned; and it is due to them alone, under Providence, that the -women of Utah have not been disfranchised. This is best brought home -to the reader by reference to the following, from the report of the -Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, read at the Opera House, -Detroit, Mich., October 13, 1874: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "During the session of Congress we spent some time in the capital, - proposing to work for the enfranchisement of the women of the - District of Columbia and of the territories; but finding that - Congress was more likely to disfranchise the women who already - possessed this right, than to enfranchise others, our efforts were - used, as far as possible, to prevent this backward step. -</p> -<p> "Had we been a voter, we might have had less trouble to convince - some of our friends in this affair. -</p> -<p> "Several bills were introduced, anyone of which, if it became a - law, would have disfranchised the women of Utah. -</p> -<p> "The McKee bill had been referred to the House Committee on - Territories. While the subject was under discussion in the - committee, by invitation of the members, on two occasions, we - stated our views. One of the members, before the committee - convened, gave his reason for favoring the passage of the bill. -</p> -<p> "'The woman's vote sustains polygamy,' said he, 'and to destroy - that, I would take the right of suffrage from every woman in the - territory.' -</p> -<p> "'Would it do that?' we inquired. -</p> -<p> "'I think it would.' -</p> -<p> "'Did polygamy exist in the territory before the women voted?' -</p> -<p> "'Oh! yes.' -</p> -<p> "'Have they ever had the privilege of voting against it?' -</p> -<p> "'No; that has never been made an issue; but they voted to send a - polygamist to Congress.' -</p> -<p> "'Did any man vote for him?' -</p> -<p> "'Yes, more than eleven thousand men, and ten thousand women.' -</p> -<p> "'How many voted for the opposing candidate?' -</p> -<p> "'Something less than two thousand men and women together.' -</p> -<p> "'You intend to disfranchise the men who voted for this man?' we - asked. -</p> -<p> "'Oh! no.' -</p> -<p> "'Then the polygamist can still come to Congress by a majority of - five to one.' Though this was true, he seemed to think it very - wrong to disfranchise the men. -</p> -<p> "How many of the committee reasoned as this one did, we are unable - to say, but the majority wished to disfranchise the women, as - they returned the bill to the House with the obnoxious sections - unchanged. The friends of woman, by their honest work, prevented - action being taken on the bill, and perhaps saved the country the - disgrace of having done such a great wrong, which it could not - soon have undone. There was something more vital to the well-being - of the nation in this, than some of our legislators were willing - to admit. Had they passed this act they would probably have laid - the foundation for the ruin of the nation. If Congress has the - power to disfranchise one class, it undoubtedly has the power to - disfranchise another, and what freeman in such a case is secure in - his rights? -</p> -<p> "Similar bills were before the Senate and House Judiciary - Committees. -</p> -<p> "The question came: Where shall we look for help among those in - power? To the true, the trusted and the tried. To those of the - grandest intellect and the purest heart. To the friends of the weak - and the oppressed. Our appeal shall be made to the highest, to the - honorable and most honored Charles Sumner. He cordially granted - us a hearing. When we stated the object of our visit, he quietly - remarked, 'You have come to the wrong person. I have no influence - with these men.' -</p> -<p> "After talking some time on the subject, he said, 'I should - hesitate to take this right from any who now possess it. I will - go farther; I would be willing to grant it to those who have it - not.' He afterwards remarked, 'I shall investigate this matter - thoroughly.' -</p> -<p> "'The bill passed the Senate last year, and many good men voted for - it,' we said. -</p> -<p> "He kindly apologized for their action, in these words: 'They did - not fully realize the nature of the bill; they had not examined it - carefully.' -</p> -<p> "'Had it deprived them, or any class of men, of the right to vote, - would they have realized what it meant, and voted differently?' we - inquired. -</p> -<p> "'In that case they would doubtless have had sharp eyes to note all - its defects,' he answered, with a smile. 'I did not vote on it. I - was sick in bed at the time. Have you seen Mr. Frelinghuysen in - reference to this?' was the next inquiry. -</p> -<p> "'We have not. It seems useless. A man who would frame such a bill - would not be likely to change it.' -</p> -<p> "But we followed his advice, saw Mr. Frelinghuysen, Mr. Edmunds and - others. Mr. Frelinghuysen declared he would not change his bill - however much he might be abused. -</p> -<p> "Two days after we again met Mr. Sumner and stated the results of - our efforts. -</p> -<p> "In closing this second interview Mr. Sumner said, 'I will present - to the Senate any memorial or petition you may wish, and then refer - it to the Judiciary Committee. That is the best way to do.' -</p> -<p> "His farewell words were: 'Whether you succeed or not, I wish you - all well.' -</p> -<p> "Just three weeks from the day of our last conversation with Mr. - Sumner, his work on earth ceased, and the cause of justice lost - a grand friend. On the morning of February 20th we handed him a - suffrage memorial, which he presented to the Senate, requesting - that it be referred to the Judiciary Committee, which was almost - his last official act." -</p></blockquote> -<p>The women of Utah were not disfranchised. Doubtless this was chiefly -owing to the searching and logical editorials of the <em>Woman's Journal</em>, -which placed the subject in its true light before the people, together -with the action of the advocates of woman suffrage in New England, -New York, Pennsylvania and other States. This was a grand victory for -woman suffrage. Miss Mary F. Eastman, in her report to the New York -Association, said: "When the bill, disfranchising the women of Utah, -came before Congress, our representatives were promptly petitioned to -use their influence against the measure." -</p> -<p>Thus it will be seen that the women of Mormondom and the women of -America have a common cause, in this all-vital marriage question, which -is destined to receive some very decided and peculiar solution before -the end of the century. And it must be equally certain that fifty -thousand God-fearing women, with the vote of "freemen"—as Mr. Claggett -has it—coming fairly out upon the national platform, in the great -issue, will give a toning to the marriage question, for which even -orthodox Christians, now so much their enemies, will heartily thank God. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLIV"></a>CHAPTER LIV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WOMAN EXPOUNDS HER OWN SUBJECT—THE FALL—HER REDEMPTION FROM THE -CURSE—RETURNING INTO THE PRESENCE OF HER FATHER—HER EXALTATION. -</p> -<p>The high priestess thus expounds the subject of woman, from her Mormon -standpoint: -</p> -<p>In the Garden of Eden, before the act of disobedience, through which -Adam and Eve were shut out from the presence of God, it is reasonable -to suppose that Eve's position was not inferior to, but equal with, -that of Adam, and that the same law was applicable to both. Moses says, -"God created man male and female." President Brigham Young says, "Woman -is man in the priesthood." -</p> -<p>God not only foreknew, but he had a purpose to accomplish through, the -"fall;" for he had provided a sacrifice; Jesus being spoken of as a -"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." -</p> -<p>It seems that woman took the lead in the great drama. The curse -followed, and she became subject to man; "and he shall rule over -thee," which presupposes a previous equality. But was that curse to -be perpetual? Were the daughters of Eve—who was a willing instrument -in effecting a grand purpose, that shall ultimate in great good to -the human family—to abide that curse forever? No. God had otherwise -ordained. Through the atoning blood of Christ, and obedience to his -gospel, a plan was devised to remove the curse and bring the sons and -daughters of Adam and Eve, not only to their primeval standing in the -presence of God, but to a far higher state of glory. -</p> -<p>In the meridian of time, the Saviour came and introduced the gospel, -"which before was preached unto Abraham," and which, after a lapse -of nearly eighteen centuries—when men had "changed its ordinances, -and broken the everlasting covenant"—when "the man of sin had been -revealed, exalting himself above all that is called God"—after -hireling priests had mutilated its form, discarded its powers, and -rejected "the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophesy," the -Lord restored it in fullness to the earth, with all its gifts, powers, -blessings and ordinances. -</p> -<p>For this purpose he raised up Joseph Smith, the great prophet of the -last days, to whom the angel that John, when on the Isle of Patmos, saw -"flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to -preach to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, saying, fear God -and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come," etc., -appeared, and announced the glorious news of the Dispensation of the -Fullness of Times, and the restoration of the fullness of the gospel. -</p> -<p>This gospel, and this only, will redeem woman from the curse primevally -entailed. It is generally admitted that "Christianity" ameliorates -the condition of woman; but the Christianity of the professing world, -mutilated as it has been, can only ameliorate, it cannot redeem. -Each religious denomination has fragments or portions of the true -form, but no vestige of the vital power that was manifested by Jesus -Christ, and restored through Joseph Smith. Nothing short of obedience -to this gospel in its fullness will exalt woman to equality with man, -and elevate mankind to a higher condition than we occupied in our -pre-existent state. -</p> -<p>Woman, in all enlightened countries, wields, directly or indirectly, -the moving influence for good or for ill. It has been pertinently -remarked: "Show me the women of a nation, and I will describe that -nation." Let the pages of history decide if ever a nation became -a wreck, so long as woman nobly honored her being by faithfully -maintaining the principles of virtuous purity, and filled with grace -and dignity her position as wife and mother. -</p> -<p>Would God, the kind parent, the loving father, have permitted his -children to sink into the fallen condition which characterizes humanity -in its present degraded state, without instituting means by which -great good would result? Would we, as intelligent beings in a former -existence, have consented, as we did, to resign the remembrance and -all recollection of that existence, and come down to earth and run -our chances for good or evil, did we not know that, on reasonable -conditions, and by means provided, we could work our way back to, at -least, our original positions? Emphatically, no! It is only by that -"spirit which searches all things, yea, even the deep things of God," -that we can comprehend our own beings, and our missions on the earth, -with the bearing of our pre-existence on our present lives, of which we -only know what God reveals; and, as man, by his own wisdom cannot find -out God, so man by reasoning cannot pry into the circumstances of his -former life, nor extend his researches into the interminable eternities -that lie beyond. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLV"></a>CHAPTER LV. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WOMAN'S VOICE IN THE PRESS OF UTAH—THE WOMAN'S EXPONENT—MRS. EMELINE -WELLS—SHE SPEAKS FOR THE WOMEN OF UTAH—LITERARY AND PROFESSIONAL -WOMEN OF THE CHURCH. -</p> -<p>And the women of Zion have a press. More than up to their Gentile -sisters are they in this respect. Few of the church organizations of -Christendom can boast a woman's journal. There are but few of them -in all the world, and they are mostly edited and supported by the -heterodox rather than the orthodox element. -</p> -<p>The <em>Woman's Exponent</em> is one of those few. It is published by the -women of the Mormon Church, having a company organization, of which -Eliza R. Snow is president. Mrs. Emeline B. Wells is the practical -editor. It was established June 1st, 1872. -</p> -<p>The <em>Woman's Exponent</em>, in a general sense, may be considered -heterodox, seeing that it is an advocate of woman's rights on the -marriage question and female suffrage, but it is also apostolic, -and devoted to the Mormon mission. It represents the opinions -and sentiments of the Mormon women. All of their organizations -are fairly represented in its columns, and it is thus a means of -intercommunication between branches, bringing the remotest into close -connection with the more central ones, and keeping all advised of the -various society movements. Its editorial department is fully up to the -standard of American journalism. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Wells, the editor, like many prominent Mormon women previously -mentioned, is of Puritan descent, being a native of New England, and -of pure English extraction. Her family name was Woodward, and she was -born in Petersham, Mass., February 29, 1828. At an early age she began -to manifest a penchant for literature, and while in her teens produced -many literary fragments that, as if by manifest destiny, pointed in -the direction of her present profession. In 1842 she was baptized into -the Mormon Church. It is needless to say that this was a cause of -mortification to her many associates and friends, and especially so to -a select few, whose appreciative kindness had pictured a glowing future -for the young litterateur. Her mother, who was also a convert to the -Mormon faith, fearing that the persuasions of friends might lead her -into error, sent her to Nauvoo, in the spring of 1844, that she might -be away from their influence. The people to whom her mother confided -her, apostatized shortly after her arrival, but Emeline remained -steadfast. Some time thereafter she became a plural wife. In the -exodus, her mother, who had joined her the year before, succumbed under -the accumulation of hardships that the saints had then to undergo, and, -dying, joined the immortal company of martyrs who fell in those days of -trial. -</p> -<p>At winter quarters she was engaged in teaching, until her journey -to the valley in 1848. Here, since the organization of relief -societies, and more especially since the women of Utah obtained the -right of suffrage, she has employed a large portion of her time in -public labors, for the benefit and elevation of woman. In addition -to her present editorial duties, she fills the responsible position -of president of the organization that, since November, 1876, has -been engaged in storing up grain against a day of famine. Under the -energetic management of this organization, vast quantities of grain -have been stored in the various wards and settlements of Utah. -</p> -<p>Sister Emeline is also a poetess of no little merit. As a set-off to -the popular idea that the Mormon women in polygamy have no sentiment -towards their husbands, the following exquisite production, from her -pen, entitled "The Wife to her Husband," is offered: -</p><blockquote> -<p class="poetry"> It seems to me that should I die,<br> - And this poor body cold and lifeless lie,<br> - And thou shouldst touch my lips with thy warm breath,<br> - The life-blood quicken'd in each sep'rate vein,<br> - Would wildly, madly rushing back again,<br> - Bring the glad spirit from the isle of death.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> It seems to me that were I dead,<br> - And thou in sympathy shouldst o'er me shed<br> - Some tears of sorrow, or of sad regret,<br> - That every pearly drop that fell in grief,<br> - Would bud, or blossom, bursting into leaf,<br> - To prove immortal love could not forget.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I do believe that round my grave,<br> - When the cool, fragrant, evening zephyrs wave,<br> - Shouldst thou in friendship linger near the spot,<br> - And breathe some tender words in memory,<br> - That this poor heart in grateful constancy,<br> - Would softly whisper back some loving thought.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I do believe that should I pass<br> - Into the unknown land of happiness,<br> - And thou shouldst wish to see my face once more,<br> - That in my earnest longing after thee,<br> - I would come forth in joyful ecstacy,<br> - And once again gaze on thee as before.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I do believe my faith in thee,<br> - Stronger than life, an anchor firm to be,<br> - Planted in thy integrity and worth,<br> - A perfect trust, implicit and secure;<br> - That will all trials and all griefs endure,<br> - And bless and comfort me while here on earth.<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I do believe who love hath known,<br> - Or sublime friendship's purest, highest tone,<br> - Hath tasted of the cup of ripest bliss,<br> - And drank the choicest wine life hath to give,<br> - Hath known the truest joy it is to live;<br> - What blessings rich or great compared to this?<br> -</p> -<p class="poetry"> I do believe true love to be,<br> - An element that in its tendency,<br> - Is elevating to the human mind;<br> - An intuition which we recognize<br> - As foretaste of immortal Paradise,<br> - Through which the soul will be refined.<br> -</p></blockquote> -<p>Among the more prominent contributors to the <em>Exponent</em> is Lu. -Dalton, a lady in whose writings are manifested the true spirit and -independence of the Mormon women. The vigor and vivacity of her poetic -productions are suggestive of a future enviable fame. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Hannah T. King, mentioned elsewhere, is a veteran poetess of -well-sustained reputation. She ranked among the poetesses of England -before joining the Mormon Church, being on intimate terms with the -celebrated Eliza Cook. -</p> -<p>Another of the sisters who has won distinction as a poetess of the -church, is Emily Woodmansee. She is also a native of England, and began -her poetic career when but a girl. Several of her poems have been -reproduced in literary journals of the East, winning marked attention. -</p> -<p>Miss Sarah Russell, who writes under the <em>nom de plume</em> of "Hope," -is also a poetess of promise; but she is younger to fame than the -before-mentioned. -</p> -<p>Emily B. Spencer may also be mentioned in this connection. -</p> -<p>Miss Mary E. Cook is an apostle of education, in the church. She is a -professional graduate, and has held prominent positions in first-class -schools of St. Louis and Chicago. Coming to Utah several years ago, -Miss Cook, being a passionate student of ancient history, was attracted -by a cursory glance at the Book of Mormon. On a careful perusal of -it she was struck with the account therein given of the ancient -inhabitants of this continent; and especially was she impressed with -the harmony existing between that account and the works of Bancroft -and others concerning the ancient races of America. She unhesitatingly -pronounced the book genuine. Miss Cook has been instrumental in -establishing the system of graded schools in Utah. Her success has -been marked, in this capacity, and she is also a rising leader among -the women of the church. With her should also be mentioned her sister, -Miss Ida Cook, who is now one of the most prominent teachers of the -territory. Nor should we omit to mention Orpha Everett, who is another -prominent teacher. -</p> -<p>The ladies are also represented in the historian's office of the -church, in the person of a daughter of Apostle Orson Pratt, and -Miss Joan M. Campbell. Miss Campbell has been an <em>attache</em> of -the historian's office since a mere child. She is a clerk of the -Territorial Legislature, and a Notary Public. -</p> -<p>Mrs. Romania B. Pratt, wife of Parley P. Pratt, Jr., is a medical -professor. She is a graduate of the Woman's Medical College, -Philadelphia, and is now connected, as a practitioner, with the -celebrated water-cure establishment at Elmira, N. Y. -</p> -<p>Sister Elise Shipp is another Mormon lady now under training for the -medical profession in the Woman's Medical College, Pennsylvania. -</p> -<p>Thus it will be seen that, in the educational and professional spheres, -the Mormon women are making a creditable showing. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLVI"></a>CHAPTER LVI. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">RETROSPECTION—APOSTOLIC MISSION OF THE MORMON WOMEN—HOW THEY HAVE -USED THE SUFFRAGE—THEIR PETITION TO MRS. GRANT—TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND -MORMON WOMEN MEMORIALIZE CONGRESS. -</p> -<p>Ere this record be closed, let us review the later acts of these -extraordinary women, who have fairly earned the position of apostles to -the whole United States. -</p> -<p>They have pioneered the nation westward, where Providence was directing -its course of empire, and now they are turning back upon the elder -States of the Union as pioneers of a new civilization. -</p> -<p>The manifest prophesy of events is, that Utah, in the near future, -is going down from the mountains of refuge to the very seat of -government, with woman's mission to all America. Very consistently, -yet very significantly also, are the women of Utah rising to power and -importance in the nation, through woman suffrage and the exercise of -the constitutional right of petition. -</p> -<p>Since the grant of woman suffrage they have exercised the ballot -repeatedly in their municipal and territorial elections. Moreover, -within that time, they have voted upon the constitution for the "State -of Deseret," which will doubtless be substantially the one under which -the territory will be admitted into the Union. Female suffrage was -one of the planks of that constitution. It will become a part of the -organic act of the future State. No Congress will dare to expunge it, -for such an attempt would bring a million of the women of America into -an organized movement against the Congress that should dare to array -itself against this grand charter of woman's freedom. Though Wyoming -was the first to pass a woman suffrage bill, which met a veto from its -governor, and has experienced a somewhat unhappy history since, the -honor of having voted for the greatest measures known in social and -political economy rests with the women of Utah. They have taken action -upon the very foundation of society-building. Already, therefore, -the women of Utah lead the age in this supreme woman's issue; and, -if they carry their State into the Union first on the woman suffrage -plank, they will practically make woman suffrage a dispensation in our -national economy for all the States of the Federal Union. And it will -be consistent to look for a female member of Congress from Utah. Let -woman be once recognized as a power in the State, as well as in society -and the church, and her political rights can be extended according to -the public mind. -</p> -<p>The Mormon women have also fallen back upon the original right of -citizens to petition Congress. Their first example of the kind was -when they held their grand mass-meetings throughout the territory and -memorialized Congress against the Cullom bill. The second was the -very remarkable petition to Mrs. Grant. It is here reproduced as a -historical unique: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "MRS. PRESIDENT GRANT: -</p> -<p> "<em>Honored Lady</em>: Deeming it proper for woman to appeal to - woman, we, Latter-day Saints, ladies of Utah, take the liberty - of preferring our humble and earnest petition for your kindly - and generous aid; not merely that you are the wife of the chief - magistrate of this great nation, but we are also induced to appeal - to you because of your high personal reputation for nobility and - excellence of character. -</p> -<p> "Believing that you, as all true women should do (for in our - estimation every wife should fill the position of counselor to her - husband), possess the confidence of and have much influence with - his excellency, President Grant, we earnestly solicit the exercise - of that influence with him in behalf of our husbands, fathers, sons - and brothers, who are now being exposed to the murderous policy - of a clique of federal officers, intent on the destruction of our - honest, happy, industrious and prosperous people. -</p> -<p> "We have broken no constitutional law; violated no obligation, - either national or sectional; we revere the sacred constitution of - our country, and have ever been an order-loving, law-abiding people. -</p> -<p> "We believe the institution of marriage to have been ordained - of God, and therefore subject to his all-wise direction. It - is a divine rite, and not a civil contract, and hence no man, - unauthorized of God, can legally administer in this holy ordinance. -</p> -<p> "We also believe in the Holy Bible, and that God did anciently - institute the order of plurality of wives, and sanctioned and - honored it in the advent of the Saviour of the world, whose birth, - on the mother's side, was in that polygamous lineage, as he - testified to his servant John, on the Isle of Patmos, saying: 'I am - the root and the offspring of David;' and we not only believe, but - most assuredly know, that the Almighty has restored the fullness - of the everlasting gospel, through the prophet Joseph Smith, and - with it the plurality of wives. This we accept as a purely divine - institution. With us it is a matter of conscience, knowing that God - commanded its practice. -</p> -<p> "Our territorial laws make adultery and licentiousness penal - offences, the breach of which subjects offenders to fine and - imprisonment. These laws are being basely subverted by our federal - officers, who after unscrupulously wresting the territorial offices - from their legitimate incumbents, in order to carry out suicidal - schemes, are substituting licentiousness for the sacred order of - marriage, and seeking by these measures to incarcerate the most - moral and upright men of this territory, and thus destroy the peace - and prosperity of this entire community. They evidently design to - sever the conjugal, parental and paternal ties, which are dearer to - us than our lives. -</p> -<p> "We appreciate our husbands as highly as it is possible for you, - honored madam, to appreciate yours. They have no interests but such - as we share in common with them. If they are persecuted, we are - persecuted also. If they are imprisoned, we and our children are - left unprotected. -</p> -<p> "As a community we love peace and promote it. Our leaders are - peacemakers, and invariably stimulate the people to pacific - measures, even when subjected to the grossest injustice. President - Brigham Young and several of his associates, all noble and - philanthropic gentlemen, are already under indictment to be - arraigned, before a packed jury, mostly non-residents, for the - crime of licentiousness, than which a more outrageous absurdity - could not exist. -</p> -<p> "Under these cruel and forbidding circumstances, dear madam, - our most fervent petition to you is, that through the sympathy - of your womanly heart you will persuade the President to remove - these malicious disturbers of the peace, or at least that he will - stop the disgraceful court proceedings, and send from Washington - a committee of candid, intelligent, reliable men, who shall - investigate matters which involve the rights of property, perhaps - life, and more than all, the constitutional liberties of more than - one hundred thousand citizens. -</p> -<p> "By doing this you will be the honored instrument, in the hands of - God, of preventing a foul disgrace to the present administration, - and an eternal blot on our national escutcheon. -</p> -<p> "And your petitioners will ever pray," etc. -</p></blockquote> -<p>It is believed that this petition had due weight in accomplishing the -dismissal of Judge McKean, which afterward occurred. -</p> -<p>The third example was still greater. It was a memorial to Congress, -by the women of Utah, upon their marriage question, the grant of a -homestead right to woman, and for the admission of Utah as a State. It -was signed by twenty-six thousand six hundred and twenty-six women of -Utah, and was duly presented to both houses of Congress. -</p> -<p>And these are the acts and examples of enfranchised Mormon women; not -the acts and promptings of President Young and the apostles, but of the -leaders of the sisterhood. It may be stated, however, that President -Young and the apostles approved and blessed their doings; but this -confesses much to their honor. -</p> -<p>How suggestive the question, What if the leading men of every State -in the Union should do as much for woman in her mission, instead of -setting up barriers in her way? Were such the case, in less than a -decade we should see female suffrage established in every State of the -federation. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLVII"></a>CHAPTER LVII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">SARAH THE MOTHER OF THE COVENANT—IN HER THE EXPOUNDING OF THE -POLYGAMIC RELATIONS OF THE MORMON WOMEN—FULFILMENT OF GOD'S PROMISE -TO HER—THE MORMON PARALLEL—SARAH AND HAGAR DIVIDE THE RELIGIOUS -DOMINATION OF THE WORLD. -</p> -<p>Meet we now Sarah the mother of the covenant. In her is incarnated the -very soul of patriarchal marriage. In her is the expounding of the -patriarchal relations of her Mormon daughters. Sarah, who gave to her -husband another wife, that the covenant which the Lord made with him -might be fulfilled. -</p> -<p>O woman, who shall measure thy love? And thus to give thyself a -sacrifice for thy love! Thus on the altar ever! -</p> -<p>It is thy soul-type in nature that makes nature beneficent. Had not -nature the soul of woman she had been infinitely selfish; an infinite -love had not been born; there had been no Christ; no sacrifice of self, -that blessing and joy might come into the world. -</p> -<p>The story of Sarah is the more touchingly beautiful when we remember -that it has its cross. It would be a grievous wrong to Sarah's -memory should we forget the sacrifice that her act necessitated, or -underestimate that sacrifice. And let us not forget that it was not -Abraham who bore that cross, great and good though he was. -</p> -<p>The sacrifice in the initial of the covenant is a psalm to woman. -</p> -<p>Keeping in mind the episode of Sarah and Hagar, let us continue the -Abrahamic story: -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not - call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. -</p> -<p> "And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will - bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people - shall be of her. -</p> -<p>* * * * * * -</p> -<p> "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto - Sarah as he had spoken. -</p> -<p> "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the - time of which God had spoken to him." -</p></blockquote> -<p>The divine story was once familiar; it is now almost forgotten. But it -is the living word of God to the Mormon people. -</p> -<p>Reincarnate in modern times the soul of this vast Abrahamic iliad. -Breathe the breath of its genius into a young civilization. A -civilization born not in the East, where once was the cradle of -empires—where now are their crumbling tombs. A young civilization, -born in the revirgined West—the West, where new empires are springing -up on the very dust of empires which had expired when Egypt was but a -maiden—ere Babylon was a mother—ere Rome was born. -</p> -<p>Re-utter the word and will of that God who spake to the Hebrew sire on -the plains of Mamre; utter it now in the birth and growth of a young -Israel in the land of America. Comprehend him in his birth and in his -growth. Consider his genius and his covenant. -</p> -<p>In Abraham of old is the expounding and understanding of the renewed -covenant with the latter-day Israel; and in Sarah of old is the -expounding and understanding of patriarchal marriage among her Mormon -daughters. -</p> -<p>The Mormon woman is Sarah in the covenant, as she is Eve in the -creation and fall. She has appropriated the text of the covenant. -She claims her mother Sarah's rights. She invokes her mother Sarah's -destiny: "She shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of -her." -</p> -<p>Thus in the mind of the Mormon woman is patriarchal marriage -established by her God. Be it confessed that woman was a listener to -the Abrahamic promise in the days of Sarah; was she not also a listener -in the days of Joseph the prophet? Could the heavens thus speak and -woman fail to hear? Could such promises be made and motherhood fail to -leap for joy? -</p> -<p>If she dared to bear the patriarchal cross, was it not because she saw -brightly looming in her destiny the patriarchal crown? In this life -only the cross—in all the lives to come a crown of glory! -</p> -<p>The Mormon woman knows nothing of "polygamy" as conceived by the -Gentiles. She is constantly declaring this. There is no "many-wife -system" in Mormondom. It is patriarchal marriage. There is the destiny -of a race in the Mormon woman's vision. For this came she into the -world. In her is motherhood supremely exalted, and woman is redeemed -from bondage to her husband. -</p> -<p>Glance at the story of Sarah again. Mark its stupendous import to -motherhood. Witness the introduction of polygamy into the Abrahamic -family. And, if the wondrous sequel has any meaning, Isaac was the -Lord's answering gift to Sarah's act, to fulfil the covenant. -</p> -<p>And while remembering the sacrifice of Sarah and Hagar let us also -remember the compensation. Those two mothers are without parallel in -all history. Races and empires came of them. Sarah and Hagar, in their -sons Isaac and Ishmael, have divided the world. -</p> -<p>From Isaac's line was given to the world the Christ; from Ishmael came -Mohammed, the prophet of hundreds of millions. -</p> -<p>Weigh those two mothers, with their sons, their races, and their -civilizations. What a weight of empire! What were Egypt and Babylon, -compared with Sarah and Hagar? -</p> -<p>The Abrahamic subject is the most stupendous of all history. That -subject has been reincarnated in Mormonism. Its genius and covenants -are with the Mormon people; the age is witnessing the results. -</p> -<p>Patriarchal marriage is one of those results. Sarah is a live character -of our times. She will fulfil her destiny. -</p> -<p>From the courts above the Mormon woman shall look down upon an endless -posterity. In the heavens and in the earth shall her generations be -multiplied. -</p> -<p>This is the faith of each Mormon Sarah—each mother of the covenant. -This only is her polygamy. -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLVIII"></a>CHAPTER LVIII. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">WOMANHOOD THE REGENERATING INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD—FROM EVE, THE -FIRST, TO MARY, THE SECOND EVE—GOD AND WOMAN THE HOPE OF MAN—WOMAN'S -APOSTLESHIP—JOSEPH VS. PAUL—THE WOMAN NATURE A PREDICATE OF THE -WORLD'S FUTURE. -</p> -<p>In the beginning religion and nature dwelt together. The book of -creation was gospel then. Creation was the only revelation. -</p> -<p>Motherhood is the first grace of God, manifested through woman. The -very name of all things is in the mother: "And Adam called his wife's -name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." -</p> -<p>See in what divine ordinance woman's mission on earth began. The theme -of the initial psalm that ascended to the heavens, which listened to -catch from earth the first notes of the everlasting harmonies: "I have -gotten a man from the Lord!" -</p> -<p>But the nature of the mother abounded not in Cain. Woman's soul was not -manifested in her first-born. It was the strength, and the fierceness, -and the selfishness of man that was first brought forth. -</p> -<p>And Cain was very wroth because of his brother, born with woman's -nature, with his mother's gentleness manifested in him. And he "rose up -against his brother and slew him." -</p> -<p>Here is pre-epitomized the coming history of the race. In the savage -strength of nature the world began. In the gentleness of woman, which -at length prevailed in her sons, civilization dawned. -</p> -<p>Woman's apostleship as the minister of the "word of God" commenced at -the death of Abel. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>Turn we now to Mary, the mother of Christ, to see what kind of man she -"hath gotten from the Lord." From the first Eve to the second Eve, to -find the grace of woman's nature spreading abroad in her Jesus, for the -salvation of the world. Motherhood now in the regeneration. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Hail thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed - art thou among women. -</p> -<p> "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, - and shalt call his name Jesus." -</p></blockquote> -<p>As also note the episode of her meeting with her cousin Elizabeth, the -mother of John the Baptist. -</p> -<p>These mothers were conscious of the salvation to be born of woman. -Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and blessed the greater -mother; and Mary magnified the Lord in psalm, and said: "Behold from -henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." -</p> -<p>We shall yet have to give to the gospel word "regeneration" a very -literal meaning. The world must be regenerated, in fact, before much -salvation can come unto it; regenerated through the divine nature of -woman endowing her sons; and regenerated in her apostolic ministry to -the race; which in this age is being so universally acknowledged. -</p> -<p>The world must be born again. "Except a man be born again, he cannot -enter into the kingdom of heaven." Except mankind be regenerated, no -Christ can reign with his saints on earth. There is something more than -mere figure of speech in this gospel. -</p> -<p>The generation of mankind began in Cain; the regeneration of mankind -began in Christ. The one born with the club; the other endowed with -all-conquering love. The scepters of the two creations typed in Cain -and Jesus. -</p> -<p>Jesus was not only the first fruits of the resurrection, but of the -regeneration also. And motherhood was (before fatherhood) first with -God in this regeneration. Has egotistic man sufficiently cogitated over -this fact? And does he fully comprehend the equally significant fact -that woman was the first witness and testament of the resurrection? -</p> -<p>And who began the regeneration of the race? Whose human nature was -manifested in the work? The woman's! -</p> -<p>God's nature in Christ needed no regeneration. Nor did the woman's -nature need regeneration, when thus found pure, as in Mary. This is the -great fact embodied in the Christ example. As soon may Christianity be -wiped out as this fact! -</p> -<p>What an astounding truth have we in this example—that God and woman -have brought forth a perfect creation and an infinite love, in Jesus -their Christ. -</p> -<p>God was the father of Jesus. From him the Holy Ghost. From him the -wisdom of the eternities. From him the power to call a legion of angels -down to his help, had he so willed it. From him the power to lay down -his life and take it up again. From him the power to conquer death and -burst the gates of hell. -</p> -<p>The mother of Jesus—a virgin of the house of David, and not a flaming -goddess from the skies. -</p> -<p>From woman, the love of Jesus for humanity. From her his sympathies -for the race. 'Twas she, in her son, who forgave sin; she who bade the -sinner go and sin no more; she who wept over Jerusalem as a mother -weepeth over her young. And it was woman, in her son, who died upon the -cross for the sins of the world! -</p> -<p>It was not God the father who in Jesus died; not he who passed the dark -hour of nature's struggle in the garden; not God who prayed, "Take away -this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." -'Twas woman who was left alone on the cross; she, in her son, who -cried, "My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" -</p> -<p>Love is of the woman. That is the great lesson which the human nature -of Jesus teaches; and it is that element of her nature which shall save -the world. -</p> -<p>Would we see what will be her teaching when her apostleship comes to -prevail in the earth, let us read the sermon of her son on the Mount. -Is not that woman's own gospel? Is it not also her philosophy—"If thy -brother smite thee on the one cheek turn unto him the other also?" -</p> -<p>And in this regeneration of the race, in nature and spirit, God and -woman are thus seen first alone. Man came not to their help, but -they came to the help of man. Here is groundwork indeed for the -reconstruction of society, and the remoulding of philosophy! -</p> -<p>In the past the apostleship of woman has not been fairly granted to -her, even among the most civilized nations. But it shall be; and there -is the hope of the world. -</p> -<p>Paul, in the egotism of man's apostleship, commanded, "Let the woman be -silent in the church." Yet the church is the type of woman. If she be -silent, then will there be but little of saving gospel in the world. If -woman's spiritual nature prevail not in the church, then is the church -dead. If her faith expires, then is there left but a wretched form of -godliness. -</p> -<p>The prophet Joseph corrected Paul, and made woman a voice in the -church, and endowed her with an apostolic ministry. -</p> -<p>And in the regeneration is the entire significance of Mormon -patriarchal marriage. First, woman in her ever blessed office of -motherhood; next, in her divine ministry. Is not this according to the -example? -</p> -<p>The chief faith of the Mormon women concerning themselves is that they -are called with a holy calling to raise up a righteous seed unto the -Lord—a holy nation—a people zealous of good works. -</p> -<p>The Mormon women have a great truth here. Woman must regenerate the -race by endowing it with more of her own nature. She must bring forth a -better type of man, to work out with her a better civilization. -</p> -<p>It is blasphemy against the divine truth of the world's coming -redemption, and of woman's mission in it, to scoff at the Mormon women -for holding such a faith. -</p> -<p>Woman shall leaven the earth with her own nature. She shall leaven it -in her great office of maternity, and in her apostolic mission. -</p> -<p>It shall be the lofty prophesy of the coming woman, "Behold from -henceforth all nations call me blessed!" -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLIX"></a>CHAPTER LIX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">ZION, A TYPE OF "THE WOMAN'S AGE"—THE CULMINATING THEME OF THE POETS -OF ISRAEL—THE IDEAL PERSONIFICATION OF THE CHURCH—THE BRIDE—THE -COMING EVE. -</p> -<p>Zion the joy of the whole earth! She who cometh down from heaven, with -the anointing of salvation upon her head. -</p> -<p>The woman of the future, whom the Lord hath chosen! Her type is the -church, with the divine nature of the race restored. -</p> -<p>Zion is coming down to be the spiritual mother of the earth. She shall -bruise the serpent's head, in her seed and in her ministry. Now shall -woman be not only the mother of the individual Christ, but she shall -also be the mother of the universal Christ. -</p> -<p>"Saviours shall come upon Mount Zion!" -</p> -<p>The daughters of Zion shall multiply the seed of Christ. -</p> -<p>There was a beautiful consistency and a deep mystical meaning in -the words of the old Jewish prophets when personifying Zion as the -woman—the woman of the Lord's choosing, for the earth's joy. -</p> -<p>They sang of Zion as the woman of the future: "Oh that the salvation of -Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of -his people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad." -</p> -<p>True, Zion is sometimes spoken of as a city, but always with a mixture -of personification. As the Hebrew poets rose to the height of their -great subject they symbolized her as a veritable woman, with a ministry -in the earth; and chiefly symbolized her as the woman of the future. -</p> -<p>David, the great psalmist, led the theme, for Zion was his daughter; -then glorious Isaiah swelled the volume of earth's epic hymn. What a -culmination and personification is this: "For thy Maker is thy husband; -the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; -the God of the whole earth shall he be called." -</p> -<p>This is the very subject of Mary the mother of Jesus. But here -enlarged. This is Zion, who shall be mother of many Messiahs, for she -shall bring forth many sons, with the anointing of their Lord's spirit -upon them, to exalt his reign. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the - curtains of thy habitations; for thou shalt bring forth on the - right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the - Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." -</p></blockquote> -<p>'Tis the divine mission of woman to the race; oracled by lofty souls; -her holy apostleship on earth pronounced. She is to be incarnated in -a civilization on whose tables shall be written, "Thy Maker is thine -husband." -</p> -<p>The mission of woman could not prevail in the barbaric periods of the -race; 'twas man's work to chisel the rocks of the temple. Not even had -her time come in the days of Christ, though no one has so distinctly -foreshadowed it as he. -</p> -<p>Paul is not to be unqualifiedly reproached for bidding woman be silent -in the church. The time had not then come. Not as potent then as now -the thought: "Show me the women of a nation and I will tell thee its -civilization." And there is still a deeper meaning in this than the -popular thought. How beautifully has Jesus himself kept up the symbols -of the coming woman. With him the woman—Zion—becomes the "Lamb's -bride:" -</p><blockquote> -<p> "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, - which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." -</p></blockquote> -<p>And this was to be in the age "when the Son of Man shall come in his -glory, and all the holy angels with him." -</p> -<p>At his first coming the kingdom of heaven was likened to twelve -fishermen—not ten virgins—and he said unto them, "Take up your nets -and follow me and I will make you fishers of men." -</p> -<p>But when the cry shall go forth, "Behold the bridegroom cometh," -commotion is to be among the virgins of the earth—the virgins of Zion -and the virgins of Babylon. Each will trim their lamps. Each will have -their "five wise" and "five foolish." Every one will have her familiar -spirit. But the God of Israel will send his spirit to inspire Zion, for -her Maker is her husband. And the daughters of Zion shall trim their -lamps to go forth to meet the bridegroom, who is the Lamb of God. -</p> -<p>The age of Messiah's coming is the woman's age! or there is no sense in -the utterances of prophesy, nor meaning in the most beautiful parables -of Christ. -</p> -<p>And this is the woman's age! All humanity is proclaiming it! -</p> -<p>The women of the age are obeying the impulses of the age. Do they -know what those impulses mean? They have heard the cry, and have come -forth. Do they comprehend what that cry has signified?—"Behold, the -bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!" -</p> -<p>Unwittingly they are testing the Scriptures, and proving that the -coming of Messiah is the crowning truth of the world. However, the -five wise virgins of Zion are coming forth in faith. They are not -unwittingly fulfilling their Lord's word. They have interpreted the -cry, and are trimming their lamps. -</p> -<p>Man may as well attempt to throw back the ocean with the hollow of his -hand, or put out the sun with the breath of his command, as to attempt -to defeat the oncoming of "woman's hour." -</p> -<p>Let the God of humanity be praised for this; for did not the virgins -come out at this eleventh hour, the fishermen might go again to their -nets, and let the midnight pass, and earth take the consequence. -</p> -<p>But how wondrously are the divine themes of earth's grace from God -revealed. Down through the ages they came as echoes mellowed into more -celestial tones. -</p> -<p>Creation begins again! Zion—the New Jerusalem—is the Lamb's bride. -She is the coming Eve. -</p><blockquote> -<p> "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and - the first earth were passed away. * * * -</p> -<p> "And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God - out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. -</p> -<p> "And there came unto me one of the seven angels * * * saying, come - hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. -</p> -<p> "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the - voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying - Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. -</p> -<p> "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the - marriage supper of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself - ready. -</p> -<p> "And he saith unto me, write, Blessed are they which are called - unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." -</p></blockquote> -<p>Surely there is a glorious prophesy and a sublime truth, hallelujahed -from the ages down, in this proclamation of the woman's mission at the -hour of the Lord's coming. -</p> -<p>The lives of the Mormon women are as a testament to the age. The very -character which their church has taken, as the literal Zion of the -latter days, shall soon be recognized as the symbol of the hour. -</p> -<p>And the virgins in every land shall hear the cry, "Behold, the -bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!" -</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTERLX"></a>CHAPTER LX. -</h2> -<p class="chapterHeading">TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH BANNERS—FIFTY THOUSAND WOMEN WITH THE -BALLOT—THEIR GRAND MISSION TO THE NATION—A FORESHADOWING OF THE -FUTURE OF THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. -</p> -<p>"Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear -as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" -</p> -<p>The Daughter of Zion! -</p> -<p>Fifty thousand daughters of Zion! Each with her banner! -</p> -<p>Her banner, female suffrage! -</p> -<p>It is the great battle of woman for woman's rights. The Lord of Hosts -is with her. -</p> -<p>The rights of the women of Zion, and the rights of the women of all -nations. -</p> -<p>Her battle-field: America first; the great world next. And the God of -Israel is in the controversy. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>The chiefest right of woman is in the shaping and settlement of the -marriage question. The voice of civilization well enunciates this -supreme doctrine. To commit this all-sacred matter to a congress of -politicians, or to leave it to the narrow exactitude of the law-making -department, is as barbaric as any monstrous thing the imagination -can conceive. Not ruder was it in the warlike founders of Rome to -seize the virgins as spoil, and make them wives to accomplish their -empire-founding ambitions, than for a congress of American legislators -to seize and prostitute the marriage question to their own political -ends and popularity. -</p> -<p>Can there be any doubt that the men of Washington have seized polygamy -for their own ends? And are these men of the parliamentary Sodom of -modern times the proper persons to decide the marriage question? -</p> -<p>Will woman allow her sanctuary to be thus invaded and her supremest -subject thus defiled? -</p> -<p>If there is anything divine in human affairs it is marriage, or the -relations between man and woman. Here love, not congressional law, must -be the arbitrator. Here woman, not man, must give consent. It is the -divine law of nature, illustrated in all civilized examples. What is -not thus is barbaric. -</p> -<p>Woman is chief in the consents of marriage. It is her right, under God -her father and God her mother, to say to society what shall be the -relations between man and woman—hers, in plain fact, to decide the -marriage question. -</p> -<p>The women of Mormondom have thus far decided on the marriage order of -the patriarchs of Israel; for they have the Israelitish genius and -conception of the object of man's creation. In the everlasting covenant -of marriage they have considered and honored their God-father and -God-mother. -</p> -<p>In turn, the Gentile woman must decide the marriage question for -herself. The law of God and nature is the same to her. The question -still is the woman's. She can decide with or without God, as seemeth -her best; but the Mormon woman has decided upon the experience and -righteousness of her Heavenly Father and her Heavenly Mother. -</p> -<p>A certain manifest destiny has made the marriage problem the supreme -of Mormonism. How suggestive, in this view, is the fact that Congress, -by special legislation, has made polygamy the very alpha and omega -of the Mormon problem. The Mormon women, therefore, must perforce of -circumstances, by their faith and action greatly influence the future -destiny of Mormonism. -</p> -<p>The enfranchisement of the Mormon women was suggested by the country, -to give them the power to rule their own fate and to choose according -to their own free will. Nothing but their free will can now prevail. -</p> -<p>Their Legislature enfranchised them—gave them the power absolute, not -only to determine their own lives, but to hold the very destiny of Utah. -</p> -<p>If it was Brigham Young who gave to them that unparalleled power, no -matter what should be declared by the enemy as his motive, then has -he done more for woman than any man living. But Mormon apostles and -representatives executed this grand charter of woman's rights; and -George Q. Cannon's noble declaration at the time—that the charter -of female suffrage ought to be extended to the entire republic—is -deserving the acclamations of the women of America. -</p> -<p>New civilizations are the chiefest boons of humanity. Never was a new -civilization more needed than now, for in the last century the world -has rushed over the track-way of a thousand years. A train dashing -forward at the rate of one hundred miles an hour would not be in -more danger than will soon be society, unless a safety-valve—a new -civilization—is opened. -</p> -<p>This is the woman's age. The universal voice of society proclaims -the fact. Woman must, therefore, lay the corner-stone of the new -civilization. Her arm will be most potent in rearing the glorious -structure of the future. Man cannot prevent it, for in it is a divine -intending. -</p> -<p>There is a providence in the very attitude of the Mormon women. The -prophesy is distinctly pronounced in the whole history of their lives, -that they shall be apostolic to the age. -</p> -<p>A new apostleship is ever innovative. The Mormon women have established -an astounding innovation in polygamy. It has been infinitely offensive. -So much the better! For it has made a great noise in the world, and has -shaken the old and rotten institutions of Christendom. That shaking was -not only inevitable, but necessary, before a new civilization. -</p> -<p class="centered">— -</p> -<p>We have seen the daughters of Zion, with her sons, establish their -institutions upon the foundation of new revelation. We have seen them -rearing temples to the august name of the God of Israel. We have seen -their matchless faith, their devotion, their heroism. -</p> -<p>We have seen them, because of their fidelity to their religion, driven -from city to city and from State to State. -</p> -<p>We have seen them in the awful hour of martyrdom. -</p> -<p>We have seen them in the exodus of modern Israel from Gentile -civilization, following their Moses. -</p> -<p>The daughters of Zion were going up to the chambers of the mountains, -to hide from the oppressor till the day of their strength. -</p> -<p>Their banners were then their pioneer whips. Their banner now is female -suffrage—on it inscribed, "Woman's Rights! in the name of the God of -Israel!" -</p> -<p>Fifty thousand of the daughters of Zion! Each with her banner! -</p> -<p>We have seen them on the cross, with their crown of thorns. We <em>shall</em> -see them on their throne, with their crown of glory. In this is divine -and everlasting justice. -</p> -<p>They have sown in tears they shall reap in gladness. -</p> -<p>With their pioneer whips in their hands they came up to the chambers of -refuge, as exiles. -</p> -<p>With the scepter of woman's rights, they will go down as apostles to -evangelize the nation. -</p> -<p>"Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear -as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" -</p> -<p>The Daughter of Zion! -</p><p></p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Women of Mormondom, by Edward W. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> - - diff --git a/old/54335-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/54335-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f1dacdc..0000000 --- a/old/54335-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/54335.txt b/old/54335.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c97ced2..0000000 --- a/old/54335.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15671 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Women of Mormondom, by Edward W. Tullidge - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Women of Mormondom - -Author: Edward W. Tullidge - -Release Date: March 10, 2017 [EBook #54335] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM *** - - - - -Produced by the Mormon Texts Project (http://mormontextsproject.org) - - - - - - -THE - -WOMEN - -OF - -MORMONDOM. - --- - -By EDWARD W. TULLIDGE. - -NEW YORK. - --- - -1877. - - - -PREFACE. - -Long enough, O women of America, have your Mormon sisters been -blasphemed! - -From the day that they, in the name and fear of the Lord their -God, undertook to "build up Zion," they have been persecuted for -righteousness sake: "A people scattered and peeled from the beginning." - -The record of their lives is now sent unto you, that you may have an -opportunity to judge them in the spirit of righteousness. So shall you -be judged by Him whom they have honored, whose glory they have sought, -and whose name they have magnified. - - Respectfully, - - EDWARD W. TULLIDGE. - -_Salt Lake City, March_, 1877. - - - -CONTENTS. - -CHAPTER I.--A Strange Religious Epic. An Israelitish Type of Woman in -the Age. - -CHAPTER II.--The Mother of the Prophet. The Gifts of Inspiration and -Working of Miracles Inherent in her Family. Fragments of her Narrative. - -CHAPTER III.--The Opening of a Spiritual Dispensation to America. -Woman's Exaltation. The Light of the Latter Days. - -CHAPTER IV.--Birth of the Church. Kirtland as the Bride, in the -Chambers of the Wilderness. The Early Gathering. "Mother Whitney," and -Eliza R. Snow. - -CHAPTER V.--The Voice, and the Messenger of the Covenant. - -CHAPTER VI.--An Angel from the Cloud is Heard in Kirtland. The -"Daughter of the Voice." - -CHAPTER VII.--An Israel Prepared by Visions, Dreams and Angels. -Interesting and Miraculous Story of Parley P. Pratt. A Mystic Sign of -Messiah in the Heavens. The Angel's Words Fulfilled. - -CHAPTER VIII.--War of the Invisible Powers. Their Master. Jehovah's -Medium. - -CHAPTER IX.--Eliza R. Snow's Experience. Glimpses of the Life and -Character of Joseph Smith. Gathering of the Saints. - -CHAPTER X.--The Latter-Day Iliad. Reproduction of the Great Hebraic -Drama. The Meaning of the Mormon Movement in the Age. - -CHAPTER XI.--The Land of Temples. America the New Jerusalem. Daring -Conception of the Mormon Prophet. Fulfillment of the Abrahamic -Programme. Woman to be an Oracle of Jehovah. - -CHAPTER XII.--Eliza R. Snow's Graphic Description of the Temple and its -Dedication. Hosannas to God. His Glory Fills the House. - -CHAPTER XIII.--The Ancient Order of Blessings. The Prophet's Father. -The Patriarch's Mother. His Father. Kirtland High School. Apostasy and -Persecution. Exodus of the Church. - -CHAPTER XIV.--An Illustrious Mormon Woman. The First Wife of the -Immortal Heber C. Kimball. Opening Chapter of her Autobiography. Her -Wonderful Vision. An Army of Angels Seen in the Heavens. - -CHAPTER XV.--Haun's Mill. Joseph Young's Story of the Massacre. Sister -Amanda Smith's Story of that Terrible Tragedy. Her Wounded Boy's -Miraculous Cure. Her Final Escape from Missouri. - -CHAPTER XVI.--Mobs Drive the Settlers into Far West. Heroic Death -of Apostle Patten. Treachery of Col. Hinkle, and Fall of the Mormon -Capital. Famous Speech of Major-General Clarke. - -CHAPTER XVII.--Episodes of the Persecutions. Continuation of Eliza -R. Snow's Narrative. Bathsheba W. Smith's Story. Louisa F. Wells -Introduced to the Reader. Experience of Abigail Leonard. Margaret Foutz. - -CHAPTER XVIII.--Joseph Smith's Daring Answer to the Lord. Woman, -through Mormonism, Restored to her True Position. The Themes of -Mormonism. - -CHAPTER XIX.--Eliza R. Snow's Invocation. The Eternal Father and -Mother. Origin of the Sublime Thought Popularly Attributed to Theodore -Parker. Basic Idea of the Mormon Theology. - -CHAPTER XX.--The Trinity of Motherhood. Eve, Sarah, and Zion. The -Mormon Theory Concerning our First Parents. - -CHAPTER XXI.--The Huntingtons. Zina D. Young, and Prescindia L. -Kimball. Their Testimony Concerning the Kirtland Manifestations. -Unpublished Letter of Joseph Smith. Death of Mother Huntington. - -CHAPTER XXII.--Woman's Work in Canada and Great Britain. Heber C. -Kimball's Prophesy. Parley P. Pratt's Successful Mission to Canada. A -Blind Woman Miraculously Healed. Distinguished Women of that Period. - -CHAPTER XXIII.--A Distinguished Canadian Convert. Mrs. M. I. Horne. Her -Early History. Conversion to Mormonism. She Gathers with the Saints and -Shares their Persecutions. Incidents of her Early Connection with the -Church. - -CHAPTER XXIV.--Mormonism Carried to Great Britain. "Truth will -Prevail." The Rev. Mr. Fielding. First Baptism in England. First Woman -Baptized. Story of Miss Jeannetta Richards. First Branch of the Church -in Foreign Lands Organized at the House of Ann Dawson. First Child Born -into the Church in England. Romantic Sequel. Vilate Kimball Again. - -CHAPTER XXV.--Sketch of the Sisters Mary and Mercy R. Fielding. The -Fieldings a Semi-Apostolic Family. Their Important Instrumentality in -Opening the British Mission. Mary Fielding Marries Hyrum Smith. Her -Trials and Sufferings while her Husband is in Prison. Testimony of her -Sister Mercy. Mary's Letter to her Brother in England. - -CHAPTER XXVI.--The Quorum of the Apostles go on Mission to England. -Their Landing in Great Britain. They Hold a Conference. A Holiday -Festival. Mother Moon and Family. Summary of a Year's Labor. Crowning -Period of the British Mission. - -CHAPTER XXVII.--The Sisters as Missionaries. Evangelical Diplomacy. -Without Purse or Scrip. Picture of the Native Elders. A Specimen -Meeting. The Secret of Success. Mormonism a Spiritual Gospel. The -Sisters as Tract Distributers. Woman a Potent Evangelist. - -CHAPTER XXVIII.--Mormonism and the Queen of England. Presentation of -the Book of Mormon to the Queen and Prince Albert. Eliza R. Snow's -Poem on that Event. "Zion's Nursing Mother." Heber C. Kimball Blesses -Victoria. - -CHAPTER XXIX.--Literal Application of Christ's Command. The Saints -Leave Father and Mother, Home and Friends, to Gather to Zion. Mrs. -William Staines. Her Early Life and Experience. A Midnight Baptism in -Midwinter. Farewell to Home and Every Friend. Incidents of the Journey -to Nauvoo. - -CHAPTER XXX.--Rise of Nauvoo. Introduction of Polygamy. Martyrdom -of Joseph and Hyrum. Continuation of Eliza R. Snow's Narrative. Her -Acceptance of Polygamy, and Marriage to the Prophet. Governor Carlin's -Treachery. Her Scathing Review of the Martyrdom. Mother Lucy's Story of -Her Murdered Sons. - -CHAPTER XXXI.--The Exodus. To Your Tents, O Israel. Setting out from -the Borders of Civilization. Movements of the Camp of Israel. First -Night at Sugar Creek. Praising God in the Song and Dance. Death by the -Wayside. - -CHAPTER XXXII.--Continuation of Eliza R. Snow's Narrative. Advent of a -Little Stranger Under Adverse Circumstances. Dormitory, Sitting-Room, -Office, etc., in a Buggy. "The Camp." Interesting Episodes of the -Journey. Graphic Description of the Method of Procedure. Mount Pisgah. -Winter Quarters. - -CHAPTER XXXIII.--Bathsheba W. Smith's Story of the Last Days of Nauvoo. -She Receives Celestial Marriage and Gives Her Husband Five "Honorable -Young Women" as Wives. Her Description of the Exodus and Journey to -Winter Quarters. Death of One of the Wives. Sister Horne Again. - -CHAPTER XXXIV.--The Story of the Huntington Sisters Continued. Zina D. -Young's Pathetic Picture of the Martyrdom. Joseph's Mantle Falls Upon -Brigham. The Exodus. A Birth on the Banks of the Chariton. Death of -Father Huntington. - -CHAPTER XXXV.--The Pioneers. The Pioneer Companies that Followed. -Method of the March. Mrs. Horne on the Plains. The Emigrant's -Post-Office. Pentecosts by the Way. Death as they Journeyed. A Feast in -the Desert. "Aunt Louisa" Again. - -CHAPTER XXXVI.--Bathsheba W. Smith's Story Continued. The Pioneers -Return to Winter Quarters. A New Presidency Chosen. Oliver Cowdery -Returns to the Church. Gathering the Remnant from Winter Quarters. -Description of her House on Wheels. - -CHAPTER XXXVII.--The Martyred Patriarch's Widow. A Woman's Strength -and Independence. The Captain "Leaves Her Out in the Cold." Her -Prophesy and Challenge to the Captain. A Pioneer Indeed. She is Led by -Inspiration. The Seeric Gift of the Smiths with her Her Cattle. The -Race. Fate Against the Captain. The Widow's Prophesy Fulfilled. - -CHAPTER XXXVIII.--Utah in the Early Days. President Young's Primitive -Home. Raising the Stars and Stripes on Mexican Soil. The Historical -Thread up to the Period of the "Utah War." - -CHAPTER XXXIX.--The Women of Mormondom in the Period of the Utah War. -Their Heroic Resolve to Desolate the Land. The Second Exodus. Mrs. -Carrington. Governor Cumming's Wife. A Nation of Heroes. - -CHAPTER XL.--Miriam Works and Mary Ann Angell. Scenes of the Past. -Death-Bed of Miriam. Early Days of Mary. Her Marriage with Brigham. The -Good Step-mother. She Bears her Cross in the Persecutions. A Battle -with Death. Polygamy. Mary in the Exodus and at Winter Quarters. The -Hut in the Valley. Closing a Worthy Life. - -CHAPTER XLI.--The Revelation on Polygamy. Bishop Whitney Preserves a -Copy of the Original Document. Belinda M. Pratt's Famous Letter. - -CHAPTER XLII.--Revelation Supported by Biblical Examples. The -Israelitish Genius of the Mormons Shown in the Patriarchal Nature of -their Institutions. The Anti-Polygamic Crusade. - -CHAPTER XLIII.--Grand Mass-meeting of the Women of Utah on Polygamy and -the Cullom Bill. Their Noble Remonstrance. Speeches of Apostolic Women. -Their Resolutions. Woman's Rights or Woman's Revolution. - -CHAPTER XLIV.--Wives of the Apostles. Mrs. Orson Hyde. Incidents of -the Early Days. The Prophet. Mary Ann Pratt's Life Story. Wife of Gen. -Charles C. Rich. Mrs. Franklin D. Richards. Phoebe Woodruff. Leonora -Taylor. Marian Ross Pratt. The Wife of Delegate Cannon. Vilate Kimball -Again. - -CHAPTER XLV.--Mormon Women of Martha Washington's Time. Aunt Rhoda -Richards. Wife of the First Mormon Bishop. Honorable Women of Zion. - -CHAPTER XLVI.--Mormon Women whose Ancestors were on board the -"Mayflower." A Bradford, and Descendant of the Second Governor of -Plymouth Colony. A Descendant of Rogers, the Martyr. The Three Women -who came with the Pioneers. The First Woman Born in Utah. Women of the -Camp of Zion. Women of the Mormon Batallion. - -CHAPTER XLVII.--One of the Founders of California. A Woman Missionary -to the Society Islands. Her Life Among the Natives. The only Mormon -Woman Sent on Mission without Her Husband. A Mormon Woman in -Washington. A Sister from the East Indies. A Sister from Texas. - -CHAPTER XLVIII--A Leader from England. Mrs. Hannah T. King. A Macdonald -from Scotland. The "Welsh Queen." A Representative Woman from Ireland. -Sister Howard. A Galaxy of the Sisterhood, from "Many Nations and -Tongues." Incidents and Testimonials. - -CHAPTER XLIX.--The Message to Jerusalem. The Ancient Tones of -Mormonism. The Mormon High Priestess in the Holy Land. On the Mount of -Olives. Officiating for the Royal House of Judah. - -CHAPTER L.--Woman's Position in the Mormon Church. Grand Female -Organization of Mormonism. The Relief Society. Its Inception at Nauvoo. -Its Present Status, Aims, and Methods. First Society Building. A Woman -Lays the Corner-stone. Distinguished Women of the Various Societies. - -CHAPTER LI.--The Sisters and the Marriage Question. The Women of Utah -Enfranchised. Passage of the Woman Suffrage Bill. A Political Contest. -The First Woman that Voted in Utah. - -CHAPTER LII.--The Lie of the Enemy Refuted. A View of the Women in -Council over Female Suffrage. The Sisters know their Political Power. - -CHAPTER LIII.--Members of Congress Seek to Disfranchise the Women of -Utah. Claggett's Assault. The Women of America Come to their Aid. -Charles Sumner About to Espouse their Cause. Death Prevents the Great -Statesman's Design. - -CHAPTER LIV.--Woman Expounds Her Own Subject. The Fall. Her Redemption -from the Curse. Returning into the Presence of Her Father. Her -Exaltation. - -CHAPTER LV.--Woman's Voice in the Press of Utah. The Woman's Exponent. -Mrs. Emeline Wells. She Speaks for the Women of Utah. Literary and -Professional Women of the Church. - -CHAPTER LVI.--Retrospection. Apostolic Mission of the Mormon Women. How -they have Used the Suffrage. Their Petition to Mrs. Grant. Twenty-seven -Thousand Mormon Women Memorialize Congress. - -CHAPTER LVII.--Sarah the Mother of the Covenant. In Her the Expounding -of the Polygamic Relations of the Mormon Women. Fulfilment of God's -Promise to Her. The Mormon Parallel. Sarah and Hagar divide the -Religious Domination of the World. - -CHAPTER LVIII.--Womanhood the Regenerating Influence in the World. From -Eve, the First, to Mary, the Second Eve. God and Woman the Hope of Man. -Woman's Apostleship. Joseph _vs_. Paul. The Woman Nature a Predicate of -the World's Future. - -CHAPTER LIX.--Zion, a Type of "The Woman's Age." The Culminating Theme -of the Poets of Israel. The Ideal Personification of the Church. The -Bride. The Coming Eve. - -CHAPTER LX.--Terrible as an Army with Banners. Fifty Thousand Women -with the Ballot. Their Grand Mission to the Nation. A Foreshadowing of -the Future of the Women of Mormondom. - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A STRANGE RELIGIOUS EPIC--AN ISRAELITISH TYPE OF WOMAN IN THE AGE. - -AN epic of woman! Not in all the ages has there been one like unto it. - -Fuller of romance than works of fiction are the lives of the Mormon -women. So strange and thrilling is their story,--so rare in its -elements of experience,--that neither history nor fable affords a -perfect example; yet is it a reality of our own times. - -Women with new types of character, antique rather than modern; themes -ancient, but transposed to our latter-day experience. Women with -their eyes open, and the prophecy of their work and mission in their -own utterances, who have dared to enter upon the path of religious -empire-founding with as much divine enthusiasm as had the apostles -who founded Christendom. Such are the Mormon women,--religious -empire-founders, in faith and fact. Never till now did woman essay -such an extraordinary character; never before did woman rise to the -conception of so supreme a mission in her own person and life. - -We can only understand the Mormon sisterhood by introducing them in -this cast at the very outset; only comprehend the wonderful story of -their lives by viewing them as apostles, who have heard the voices of -the invisibles commanding them to build the temples of a new faith. - -Let us forget, then, thus early in their story, all reference to -polygamy or monogamy. Rather let us think of them as apostolic mediums -of a new revelation, who at first saw only a dispensation of divine -innovations and manifestations for the age. Let us view them purely as -prophetic women, who undertook to found their half of a new Christian -empire, and we have exactly the conception with which to start the epic -story of the Women of Mormondom. - -They had been educated by the Hebrew Bible, and their minds cast by its -influence, long before they saw the book of Mormon or heard the Mormon -prophet. The examples of the ancient apostles were familiar to them, -and they had yearned for the pentecosts of the early days. But most had -they been enchanted by the themes of the old Jewish prophets, whose -writings had inspired them with faith in the literal renewal of the -covenant with Israel, and the "restitution of all things" of Abrahamic -promise. This was the case with nearly all of the early disciples of -Mormonism,--men and women. They were not as _sinners_ converted to -Christianity, but as _disciples_ who had been waiting for the "fullness -of the everlasting gospel." Thus had they been prepared for the new -revelation,--an Israel born unto the promises,--an Israel afterwards -claiming that in a pre-existent state they were the elect of God. -They had also inherited their earnest religious characters from their -fathers and mothers. The pre-natal influences of generations culminated -in the bringing forth of this Mormon Israel. - -And here we come to the remarkable fact that the women who, with its -apostles and elders, founded Mormondom, were the Puritan daughters of -New England, even as were their compeer brothers its sons. - -Sons and daughters of the sires and mothers who founded this great -nation; sons and daughters of the sires and mothers who fought and -inspired the war of the revolution, and gave to this continent a magna -charta of religious and political liberty! Their stalwart fathers also -wielded the "sword of the Lord" in old England, with Cromwell and his -Ironsides, and the self-sacrificing spirit of their pilgrim mothers -sustained New England in the heat and burden of the day, while its -primeval forests were being cleared, even as these pilgrim Mormons -pioneered our nation the farthest West, and converted the great -American desert into fruitful fields. - -That those who established the Mormon Church are of this illustrious -origin we shall abundantly see, in the record of these lives, confirmed -by direct genealogical links. Some of their sires were even governors -of the British colonies at their very rise: instance the ancestor -of Daniel H. Wells, one of the presidents of the Mormon Church, who -was none other than the illustrious Thomas Wells, fourth governor of -Connecticut; instance the pilgrim forefather of the apostles Orson -and Parley Pratt, who came from England to America in 1633, and with -the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his congregation pioneered through dense -wildernesses, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts, and became -the founders of the colony of Hartford, Conn., in June, 1636; instance -the Youngs, the Kimballs, the Smiths, the Woodruffs, the Lymans, the -Snows, the Carringtons, the Riches, the Hunters, the Huntingtons, the -Patridges, the Whitneys, and a host of other early disciples of the -Mormon Church. Their ancestors were among the very earliest settlers of -the English colonies. There is good reason, indeed, to believe that on -board the Mayflower was some of the blood that has been infused into -the Mormon Church. - -This genealogical record, upon which the Mormon people pride -themselves, has a vast meaning, not only in accounting for their -empire-founding genius and religious career, but also for their Hebraic -types of character and themes of faith. Their genius is in their very -blood. They are, as observed, a latter-day Israel,--born inheritors of -the promise,--predestined apostles, both men and women, of the greater -mission of this nation,--the elect of the new covenant of God, which -America is destined to unfold to "every nation, kindred, tongue and -people." This is not merely an author's fancy; it is an affirmation and -a prophecy well established in Mormon myth and themes. - -If we but truthfully trace the pre-natal expositions of this peculiar -people--and the sociologist will at once recognize in this method a -very book of revelation on the subject--we shall soon come to look upon -these strange Israelitish types and wonders as simply a hereditary -culmination in the nineteenth century. - -Mormonism, indeed, is not altogether a new faith, nor a fresh -inspiration in the world. The facts disclose that its genius has come -down to the children, through generations, in the very blood which the -invisibles inspired in old England, in the seventeenth century, and -which wrought such wonders of God among the nations then. That blood -has been speaking in our day with prophet tongue; those wonderful -works, wrought in the name of the Lord of Hosts, by the saints of the -commonwealth, to establish faith in Israel's God and reverence for His -name above all earthly powers, are, in their consummation in America, -wrought by these latter-day saints in the same august name and for the -same purpose. He shall be honored among the nations; His will done -among men; His name praised to the ends of the earth! Such was the -affirmation of the saints of the commonwealth of England two hundred -and thirty years ago; such the affirmation of the saints raised up to -establish the "Kingdom of God" in the nineteenth century. Understand -this fully, and the major theme of Mormonism is comprehended. It will -have a matchless exemplification in the story of the lives of these -single-hearted, simple-minded, but grand women, opening to the reader's -view the methods of that ancient genius, even to the establishing of -the patriarchal institution and covenant of polygamy. - -That America should bring forth a peculiar people, like the Mormons, -is as natural as that a mother should bear children in the semblance -of the father who begat them. Monstrous, indeed, would it be if, as -offspring of the patriarchs and mothers of this nation, America brought -forth naught but godless politicians. - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE MOTHER OF THE PROPHET--THE GIFTS OF INSPIRATION AND WORKING OF -MIRACLES INHERENT IN HER FAMILY--FRAGMENTS OF HER NARRATIVE. - -First among the chosen women of the latter-day dispensation comes the -mother of the Prophet, to open this divine drama. - -It is one of our most beautiful and suggestive proverbs that "great -men have great mothers." This cannot but be peculiarly true of a great -prophet whose soul is conceptive of a new dispensation. - -Prophecy is of the woman. She endows her offspring with that -heaven-born gift. - -The father of Joseph was a grand patriarchal type. He was the Abraham -of the Church, holding the office of presiding patriarch. To this -day he is remembered and spoken of by the early disciples with the -profoundest veneration and filial love, and his patriarchal blessings, -given to them, are preserved and valued as much as are the patriarchal -blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob valued by their own race. - -But it is the mother of the Prophet who properly leads in opening the -testament of the women of Mormondom. She was a prophetess and seeress -born. The gift of prophecy and the power to work miracles also inhered -in the family of Lucy Mack, (her maiden name), and the martial spirit -which distinguished her son, making him a prophet-general, was quite -characteristic of her race. Of her brother, Major Mack, she says: - -"My brother was in the city of Detroit in 1812, the year in which Hull -surrendered the territory to the British crown. My brother, being -somewhat celebrated for his prowess, was selected by General Hull to -take the command of a company as captain. After a short service in this -office he was ordered to surrender. (Hull's surrender to the British). -At this his indignation was aroused to the highest pitch. He broke his -sword across his knee, and throwing it into the river, exclaimed that -he would never submit to such a disgraceful compromise while the blood -of an American continued to flow in his veins." - -Lucy Mack's father, Solomon Mack, was a soldier in the American -revolution. He entered the army at the age of twenty-one, in the year -1755, and in the glorious struggle of his country for independence he -enlisted among the patriots in 1776. With him were his two boys, Jason -and Stephen, the latter being the same who afterwards broke his sword -and cast it into the river rather than surrender it to the British. - -But that which is most interesting here is the seeric gift coupled -with the miracle-working power of "Mother Lucy's" race. Hers was a -"visionary" family, in the main, while her elder brother, Jason, was -a strange evangelist, who wandered about during his lifetime, by sea -and land, preaching the gospel and working miracles. This Jason even -attempted to establish a body of Christian communists. Of him she says: - -"Jason, my oldest brother, was a studious and manly boy. Before he had -attained his sixteenth year he became what was then called a 'seeker,' -and believing that by prayer and faith the gifts of the gospel, which -were enjoyed by the ancient disciples of Christ, might be attained, he -labored almost incessantly to convert others to the same faith. He was -also of the opinion that God would, at some subsequent period, manifest -His power, as He had anciently done, in signs and wonders. At the age -of twenty he became a preacher of the gospel." - -Then followed a love episode in Jason's life, in which the young man -was betrayed by his rival while absent in England on business with his -father. The rival gave out that Jason had died in Liverpool, (being -post-master, he had also intercepted their correspondence,) so that -when the latter returned home he found his betrothed married to his -enemy. The story runs: - -"As soon as Jason arrived he repaired immediately to her father's -house. When he got there she was gone to her brother's funeral; he went -in, and seated himself in the same room where he had once paid his -addresses to her. In a short time she came home; when she first saw him -she did not know him, but when she got a full view of his countenance -she recognized him, and instantly fainted. From this time forward she -never recovered her health, but, lingering for two years, died the -victim of disappointment. - -"Jason remained in the neighborhood a short time and then went to sea, -but he did not follow the sea a great while. He soon left the main, and -commenced preaching, which he continued until his death." - -Once or twice during his lifetime Jason visited his family; at last, -after a silence of twenty years, his brother Solomon received from him -the following very evangelistic epistle: - - "South Branch of Ormucto, - - "Province of New Brunswick, - - "June 30, 1835. - - "MY DEAR BROTHER SOLOMON: You will, no doubt, be surprised to hear - that I am still alive, although in an absence of twenty years I - have never written to you before. But I trust you will forgive me - when I tell you that, for most of the twenty years, I have been so - situated that I have had little or no communication with the lines, - and have been holding meetings, day and night, from place to place; - besides my mind has been so taken up with the deplorable situation - of the earth, the darkness in which it lies, that, when my labors - did call me near the lines, I did not realize the opportunity which - presented itself of letting you know where I was. And, again, I - have designed visiting you long since, and annually have promised - myself that the succeeding year I would certainly seek out my - relatives, and enjoy the privilege of one pleasing interview with - them before I passed into the valley and shadow of death. But - last, though not least, let me not startle you when I say, that, - according to my early adopted principles of the power of faith, the - Lord has, in his exceeding kindness, bestowed upon me the gift of - healing by the prayer of faith, and the use of such simple means as - seem congenial to the human system; but my chief reliance is upon - Him who organized us at the first, and can restore at pleasure that - which is disorganized. - - "The first of my peculiar success in this way was twelve years - since, and from nearly that date I have had little rest. In - addition to the incessant calls which I in a short time had, there - was the most overwhelming torrent of opposition poured down upon - me that I ever witnessed. But it pleased God to take the weak to - confound the wisdom of the wise. I have in the last twelve years - seen the greatest manifestations of the power of God in healing - the sick, that, with all my sanguinity, I ever hoped or imagined. - And when the learned infidel has declared with sober face, time - and again, that disease had obtained such an ascendency that death - could be resisted no longer, that the victim must wither beneath - his potent arm, I have seen the almost lifeless clay slowly but - surely resuscitated and revived, till the pallid monster fled so - far that the patient was left in the full bloom of vigorous health. - But it is God that hath done it, and to Him let all the praise be - given. - - "I am now compelled to close this epistle, for I must start - immediately on a journey of more than one hundred miles, to attend - a heavy case of sickness; so God be with you all. Farewell! - - "JASON MACK." - -"Mother Lucy," in the interesting accounts of her own and husband's -families, tells some charming stories of visions, dreams, and miracles -among them, indicating the advent of the latter-day power; but the -remarkable visions and mission of her prophet son claim the ruling -place. She says: - -"There was a great revival of religion, which extended to all the -denominations of Christians in the surrounding country in which we -resided. Many of the world's people, becoming concerned about the -salvation of their souls, came forward and presented themselves as -seekers after religion. Most of them were desirous of uniting with some -church, but were not decided as to the particular faith which they -would adopt. When the numerous meetings were about breaking up, and the -candidates and the various leading church members began to consult upon -the subject of adopting the candidates into some church or churches, as -the case might be, a dispute arose, and there was a great contention -among them. - -"While these things were going forward, Joseph's mind became -considerably troubled with regard to religion; and the following -extract from his history will show, more clearly than I can express, -the state of his feelings, and the result of his reflections on this -occasion:" - - "I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father's family was - proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined - that church, namely, my mother Lucy, my brothers Hyrum and Samuel - Harrison, and my sister Sophronia. - - "During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to - serious reflection and great uneasiness. * * * * The Presbyterians - were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all - their powers of either reason or sophistry to prove their errors, - or at least to make the people think they were in error. On the - other hand the Baptists and Methodists, in their turn, were equally - zealous to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. - - "In the midst of this war of words, and tumult of opinions, I often - said to myself, what is to be done? Who, of all these parties, - are right? or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be - right, which is it? and how shall I know it? - - "While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the - contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading - the epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads, - 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth unto - all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.' - Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the - heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to - enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected - on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom - from God, I did, for how to act I did not know, and, unless I - could get more wisdom than I then had, would never know; for the - teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same - passage so differently, as to destroy all confidence in settling - the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came to the - conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or - else I must do as James directs--that is, ask of God. I at last - came to the determination to ask of God. So in accordance with - this determination I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It - was on the morning of a beautiful clear day, early in the spring - of 1820. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an - attempt; for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the - attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired into the place where I - had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding - myself alone, I knelt down and began to offer up the desires of - my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was - seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such - astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue, so that I - could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed - to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But - exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the - power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very - moment when I was ready to sink into despair, and abandon myself - to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some - actual being from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous power - as I had never before felt in any being--just at this moment of - great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above - the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell - upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from - the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw - two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, - standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me - by name, and said, pointing to the other, 'this is my beloved son, - hear him:' - - "My object in going to inquire of the Lord, was to know which of - all these sects was right, that I might know which to join. No - sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able - to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the - light, which of all the sects was right--for at this time it had - never entered into my heart that all were wrong--and which I should - join. I was answered that I should join none of them, for they were - all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their - creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those professors were - all corrupt. 'They draw near me with their lips, but their hearts - are far from me; they teach for doctrine the commandments of men, - having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.' He - again forbade me to join any of them; and many other things did - he say unto me which I cannot write at this time. When I came to - myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into - heaven." - -"From this time until the 21st of September, 1823, Joseph continued, -as usual, to labor with his father, and nothing during this interval -occurred of very great importance,--though he suffered, as one would -naturally suppose, every kind of opposition and persecution from the -different orders of religionists. - -"On the evening of the 21st of September, he retired to his bed in -quite a serious and contemplative state of mind. He shortly betook -himself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God, for a manifestation -of his standing before Him, and while thus engaged he received the -following vision:" - - "While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a - light appearing in the room, which continued to increase until the - room was lighter than at noon-day, when immediately a personage - appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did - not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most exquisite - whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever - seen, nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to - appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, - and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so also were his - feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles. His head - and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other - clothing on but his robe, as it was open so that I could see into - his bosom. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole - person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly - like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very - bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon - him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, - and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of - God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for - me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among - all nations, kindreds and tongues; or that it should be both good - and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book - deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the - former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence - they sprung. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting - gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Saviour to the - ancient inhabitants. Also, that there were two stones in silver - bows, and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted - what is called the urim and thummim, deposited with the plates; - and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted - seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them - for the purpose of translating the book. After telling me these - things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. - He first quoted a part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he - quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, - though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bible. - Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he - quoted it thus: 'For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an - oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall burn - as stubble, for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord - of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.' And - again he quoted the fifth verse thus: 'Behold, I will reveal unto - you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the - coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' He also quoted - the next verse differently: 'And he shall plant in the hearts of - the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of - the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so, the - whole earth would be utterly wasted at its coming.' In addition to - these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was - about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, - twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in - our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the - day had not yet come 'when they who would not hear His voice should - be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come. He also - quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to - the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was - soon to be. And he further stated the fullness of the Gentiles was - soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and - offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here. Again, he - told me that when I got those plates of which he had spoken (for - the time that they should be obtained was not then fulfilled), - I should not show them to any person, neither the breast-plate, - with the urim and thummim, only to those to whom I should be - commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed. While he - was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to - my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, - and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when - I visited it. - - "After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to - gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking - to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left - dark, except just around him; when instantly I saw, as it were, - a conduit open right up into Heaven, and he ascended up until he - entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before - this heavenly light made its appearance. - - "I lay musing on the singularity of the scene, and marveling - greatly at what had been told me by this extraordinary messenger, - when, in the midst of my meditation, I suddenly discovered that - my room was again beginning to get lighted, and, in an instant, - as it were, the same heavenly messenger was again by my bedside. - He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had - done at his first visit, without the least variation, which having - done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the - earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence; - and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this - generation. Having related these things, he again ascended as he - had done before." - -"When the angel ascended the second time he left Joseph overwhelmed -with astonishment, yet gave him but a short time to contemplate the -things which he had told him before he made his reappearance and -rehearsed the same things over, adding a few words of caution and -instruction, thus: That he must beware of covetousness, and he must not -suppose the record was to be brought forth with the view of getting -gain, for this was not the case, but that it was to bring forth light -and intelligence, which had for a long time been lost to the world; and -that when he went to get the plates, he must be on his guard, or his -mind would be filled with darkness. The angel then told him to tell his -father all which he had both seen and heard. - -"* * * * From this time forth, Joseph continued to receive instructions -from the Lord, and we continued to get the children together every -evening, for the purpose of listening while he gave us a relation of -the same. I presume our family presented an aspect as singular as any -that ever lived upon the face of the earth--all seated in a circle, -father, mother, sons, and daughters, and giving the most profound -attention to a boy, eighteen years of age, who had never read the -Bible through in his life. He seemed much less inclined to the perusal -of books than any of the rest of our children, but far more given to -meditation and deep study. - -"We were now confirmed in the opinion that God was about to bring to -light something upon which we could stay our minds, or that would give -us a more perfect knowledge of the plan of salvation and the redemption -of the human family. This caused us greatly to rejoice; the sweetest -union and happiness pervaded our house, and tranquillity reigned in our -midst. - -"During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us -some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would -describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode -of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their -buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their -religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if -he had spent his whole life with them." - -Thus continued the divine and miraculous experience of the prophetic -family until the golden plates were obtained, the book of Mormon -published, and the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was -established on the 6th of April, 1830. - -But all this shall be written in the book of the prophet! - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE OPENING OF A SPIRITUAL DISPENSATION TO AMERICA--WOMAN'S -EXALTATION--THE LIGHT OF THE LATTER DAYS. - -Joseph Smith opened to America a great spiritual dispensation. It was -such the Mormon sisterhood received. - -A latter-day prophet! A gospel of miracles! Angels visiting the earth -again! Pentecosts in the nineteenth century! This was Mormonism. - -These themes were peculiarly fascinating to those earnest apostolic -women whom we shall introduce to the reader. - -Ever must such themes be potent with woman. She has a divine mission -always, both to manifest spiritual gifts and to perpetuate spiritual -dispensations. - -Woman is child of faith. Indeed she is faith. Man is reason. His mood -is skepticism. Left alone to _his_ apostleship, spiritual missions die, -though revealed by a cohort of archangels. Men are too apt to lock -again the heavens which the angels have opened, and convert priesthood -into priestcraft. It is woman who is the chief architect of a spiritual -church. - -Joseph Smith was a prophet and seer because his mother was a prophetess -and seeress. Lucy Smith gave birth to the prophetic genius which has -wrought out its manifestations so marvelously in the age. Brigham -Young, who is a society-builder, also received his rare endowments -from his mother. Though differing from Joseph, Brigham has a potent -inspiration. - -Thus we trace the Mormon genius to these mothers. They gave birth to -the great spiritual dispensation which is destined to incarnate a new -and universal Christian church. - -Until the faith of Latter-day Saints invoked one, there was no Holy -Ghost in the world such as the saints of former days would have -recognized. Respectable divines, indeed, had long given out that -revelation was done away, because no longer needed. The canon of -scripture was said to be full. The voice of prophesy was no more to be -heard to the end of time. - -But the Mormon prophet invoked the Holy Ghost of the ancient Hebrews, -and burst the sealed heavens. The Holy Ghost came, and His apostles -published the news abroad. - -The initial text of Mormonism was precisely that which formed the basis -of Peter's colossal sermon on the day of Pentecost: - -"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour -out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall -prophesy, and your young men shall dream dreams; - -"And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days -of my spirit; and they shall prophesy." - -Here was a magic gospel for the age! And how greatly was woman in its -divine programme! - -No sooner was the application made than the prophesy was discovered -to be pregnant with its own fulfillment. The experience of the -former-day saints became the experience of the "latter-day saints." It -was claimed, too, that the supreme fulfillment was reserved for this -crowning dispensation. These were emphatically the "last days." It -was in the "last days" that God would pour out His spirit upon "_all_ -flesh." The manifestation of Pentecost was but the foreshadowing of -the power of God, to be universally displayed to his glory, and the -regeneration of the nations in the "dispensation of the fullness of -times." - -This gospel of a new dispensation came to America by the administration -of angels. But let it not be thought that Joseph Smith alone saw -angels. Multitudes received angelic administrations in the early days -of the Church; thousands spoke in tongues and prophesied; and visions, -dreams and miracles were daily manifestations among the disciples. - -The sisters were quite as familiar with angelic visitors as the -apostles. They were in fact the best "mediums" of this spiritual work. -They were the "cloud of witnesses." Their Pentecosts of spiritual gifts -were of frequent occurrence. - -The sisters were also apostolic in a priestly sense. They partook -of the priesthood equally with the men. They too "held the keys of -the administration of angels." Who can doubt it, when faith is the -greatest of all keys to unlock the gates of heaven? But "the Church" -herself acknowledged woman's key. There was no Mormon St. Peter in this -new dispensation to arrogate supremacy over woman, on his solitary -pontifical throne. The "Order of Celestial Marriage," not of celestial -celibacy, was about to be revealed to the Church. - -Woman also soon became high priestess and prophetess. She was this -_officially_. The constitution of the Church acknowledged her divine -mission to administer for the regeneration of the race. The genius of a -patriarchal priesthood naturally made her the apostolic help-meet for -man. If you saw her not in the pulpit _teaching_ the congregation, yet -was she to be found in the temple, _administering_ for the living and -the dead! Even in the holy of holies she was met. As a high priestess -she blessed with the laying on of hands! As a prophetess she oracled -in holy places! As an endowment giver she was a Mason, of the Hebraic -order, whose Grand Master is the God of Israel and whose anointer is -the Holy Ghost. - -She held the keys of the administration of angels and of the working -of miracles and of the "sealings" pertaining to "the heavens and -the earth." Never before was woman so much as she is in this Mormon -dispensation! - -The supreme spiritual character of the "Church of Jesus Christ of -Latter-day Saints" (its proper name), is well typed in the hymn so -often sung by the saints at their "testimony meetings," and sometimes -in their temples. Here is its theme: - - "The spirit of God like a fire is burning, - The latter-day glory begins to come forth, - The visions and blessings of old are returning, - The angels are coming to visit the earth. - - _Chorus_--We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven-- - Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb! - Let glory to them in the highest be given, - Henceforth and forever--amen and amen. - - The Lord is extending the saints' understanding, - Restoring their judges and all as at first; - The knowledge and power of God are expanding; - The vail o'er the earth is beginning to burst. - - _Chorus_--We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven!" etc. - -What a strange theme this, forty-seven years ago, before the age of our -modern spiritual mediums, when the angels visited only the Latter-day -Saints! In that day it would seem the angels only dared to come by -stealth, so unpopular was their coming. But the _way_ was opened for -the angels. What wonder that they have since come in hosts good and -bad, and made their advent popular? Millions testify to their advent -now; and "modern spiritualism," though of "another source," is a proof -of Mormonism more astonishing than prophecy herself. - -Yet is all this not more remarkable than the promise which Joseph Smith -made to the world in proclaiming his mission. It was the identical -promise of Christ: "These signs shall follow them that believe!" These -signs meant nothing short of all that extraordinary experience familiar -to the Hebrew people and the early-day saints. We have no record that -ever this sweeping promise was made before by any one but Jesus Christ. -Yet Joseph Smith, filled with a divine assurance, dared to re-affirm it -and apply the promise to all nations wherever the gospel of his mission -should be preached. The most wonderful of tests is this. But the test -was fulfilled. The signs followed all, and everywhere. Even apostates -witness to this much. - -There is nothing in modern spiritualism nearly so marvelous as was -Mormonism in its rise and progress in America and Great Britain. It has -indeed made stir enough in the world. But it had to break the way for -coming ages. Revelation was at first a very new and strange theme after -the more than Egyptian darkness in which the Christian nations had been -for fifty generations. It was the light set upon the hill now; but the -darkness comprehended it not. Yet was a spiritual dispensation opened -again to the world. Once more was the lost key found. Mormonism was the -key; and it was Joseph and his God-fearing disciples who unlocked the -heavens. That fact the world will acknowledge in the coming times. - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -BIRTH OF THE CHURCH--KIRTLAND AS THE BRIDE, IN THE CHAMBERS OF THE -WILDERNESS--THE EARLY GATHERING--"MOTHER WHITNEY," AND ELIZA R. SNOW. - -The birth-place of Mormonism was in the State of New York. There the -angels first administered to the youthful prophet; there in the "Hill -Cumorah," near the village of Palmyra, the plates of the book of Mormon -were revealed by Moroni; there, at Manchester, on the 6th of April, -1830, the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was organized, -with six members. - -But the divine romance of the sisterhood best opens at Kirtland. It is -the place where this Israelitish drama of our times commenced its first -distinguishing scenes,--the place where the first Mormon temple was -built. - -Ohio was the "Great West." Kirtland, the city of the saints, with its -temple, dedicated to the God of Israel, rose in Ohio. - -Not, however, as the New Jerusalem of America, was Kirtland founded; -but pioneer families, from New England, had settled in Ohio, who early -received the gospel of the Latter-day Church. - -Thus Kirtland became an adopted Zion, selected by revelation as a -gathering place for the saints; and a little village grew into a city, -with a temple. - -Among these pioneers were the families of "Mother Whitney," and Eliza -R. Snow, and the families of "Father Morley," and Edward Partridge, who -became the "first Bishop" of Zion. - -Besides these, there were a host of men and women soon numbered among -the founders of Mormondom, who were also pioneers in Ohio, Missouri, -and Illinois. - -There is no feature of the Mormons more interesting than their -distinguishing mark as pioneers. In this both their Church and family -history have a national significance. - -Trace their family migrations from old England to New England in the -seventeenth century; from Europe to America in the nineteenth; then -follow them as a people in their empire-track from the State of New -York, where their Church was born, to Utah and California! It will -thus be remarkably illustrated that they and their parents have been -pioneering not only America but the world itself to the "Great West" -for the last two hundred and fifty years! - -As a community the Mormons have been emphatically the Church of -pioneers. The sisters have been this equally with the brethren. Their -very religion is endowed with the genius of migrating peoples. - -So in 1830-31, almost as soon as the Church was organized, the prophet -and the priesthood followed the disciples to the West, where the star -of Messiah was rising. - -As though the bride had been preparing for the coming! As though, -womanlike, intuitively, she had gone into the wilderness--the chambers -of a new civilization--to await the bridegroom. - -For the time being Kirtland became the Zion of the West; for the time -being Kirtland among cities was the bride. - -But the illustration is also personal. Woman herself had gone to the -West where the star of Messiah was looming. Daughters of the New -Jerusalem were already in the chamber awaiting the bridegroom. - -Early in the century, two had pioneered into the State of Ohio, who -have since been, for a good lifetime, high priestesses of the Mormon -temples. And the voice of prophesy has declared that these have the -sacred blood of Israel in their veins. In the divine mysticism of their -order they are at once of a kingly and priestly line. - -There is a rare consistency in the mysticism of the Mormon Church. The -daughters of the temple are so by right of blood and inheritance. They -are discovered by gift of revelation in Him who is the voice of the -Church; but they inherit from the fathers and mothers of the temple of -the Old Jerusalem. - -And so these two of the principal heroines of Mormondom--"Mother -Whitney" and "Sister Eliza R. Snow"--introduced first as the two -earliest of the Church who pioneered to the "Great West," before the -advent of their prophet, as well as introduced for the divine part -which they have played in the marvelous history of their people. - -These are high priestesses! These are two rare prophetesses! These -have the gifts of revelation and "tongues!" These administer in "holy -places" for the living and the dead. - -It was about the year of our Lord 1806 that Oliver Snow, a native of -Massachusetts, and his wife, R. L. Pettibone Snow, of Connecticut, -moved with their children to that section of the State of Ohio -bordering on Lake Erie on the north and the State of Pennsylvania -on the east, known then as the "Connecticut Western Reserve." They -purchased land and settled in Mantua, Portage county. - -Eliza R. Snow, who was the second of seven children, four daughters -and three sons, one of whom is the accomplished apostle Lorenzo Snow, -was born in Becket, Berkshire county, Mass., January 21st, 1804. -Her parents were of English descent; their ancestors were among the -earliest settlers of New England. - -Although a farmer by occupation, Oliver Snow performed much public -business, officiating in several responsible positions. His daughter -Eliza, being ten years the senior of her eldest brother, so soon as she -was competent, was employed as secretary in her father's office. - -She was skilled in various kinds of needlework and home manufactures. -Two years in succession she drew the prize awarded by the committee on -manufactures, at the county fair, for the best manufactured leghorn. - -When quite young she commenced writing for publication in various -journals, which she continued to do for several years, over assumed -signatures,--wishing to be useful as a writer, and yet unknown except -by intimate friends. - -"During the contest between Greece and Turkey," she says, "I watched -with deep interest the events of the war, and after the terrible -destruction of Missolonghi, by the Turks, I wrote an article entitled -'The Fall of Missolonghi.' Soon after its publication, the deaths of -Adams and Jefferson occurred on the same memorable fourth of July, and -I was requested through the press, to write their requiem, to which I -responded, and found myself ushered into conspicuity. Subsequently I -was awarded eight volumes of 'Godey's Lady's Book,' for a first prize -poem published in one of the journals." - -The classical reader will remember how the struggle between Greece and -Turkey stirred the soul of Byron. That immortal poet was not a saint -but he was a great patriot and fled to the help of Greece. - -Precisely the same chord that was struck in the chivalrous mind of Lord -Byron was struck in the Hebraic soul of Eliza R. Snow. It was the chord -of the heroic and the antique. - -Our Hebraic heroine is even more sensitive to the heroic and patriotic -than to the poetic,--at least she has most self-gratification in lofty -and patriotic themes. - -"That men are born poets," she continues, "is a common adage. _I was -born a patriot,_--at least a warm feeling of patriotism inspired my -childish heart, and mingled in my earliest thoughts, as evinced in many -of the earliest productions of my pen. I can even now recollect how, -with beating pulse and strong emotion I listened, when but a small -child, to the tales of the revolution. - -"My grandfather on my mother's side, when fighting for the freedom of -our country, was taken prisoner by British troops, and confined in -a dreary cell, and so scantily fed that when his fellow-prisoner by -his side died from exhaustion, he reported him to the jailor as sick -in bed, in order to obtain the amount of food for both,--keeping him -covered in their blankets as long as he dared to remain with a decaying -body. - -"This, with many similar narratives of revolutionary sufferings -recounted by my grand-parents, so deeply impressed my mind, that as I -grew up to womanhood I fondly cherished a pride for the flag which so -proudly waved over the graves of my brave and valiant ancestors." - -It was the poet's soul of this illustrious Mormon woman that first -enchanted the Church with inspired song, and her Hebraic faith and -life have given something of their peculiar tone to the entire Mormon -people, and especially the sisterhood; just as Joseph Smith and Brigham -Young gave the types and institutions to our modern Israel. - -Sister Eliza R. Snow was born with more than the poet's soul. She was -a prophetess in her very nature,--endowed thus by her Creator, before -her birth. Her gifts are of race quality rather than of mere religious -training or growth. They have come down to her from the ages. From -her personal race indications, as well as from the whole tenor and -mission of her life, she would readily be pronounced to be of Hebrew -origin. One might very well fancy her to be a descendant of David -himself; indeed the Prophet Joseph, in blessing her, pronounced her -to be a daughter of Judah's royal house. She understands, nearly to -perfection, all of the inner views of the system and faith which she -represents. And the celestial relations and action of the great Mormon -drama, in other worlds, and in the "eternities past and to come," have -constituted her most familiar studies and been in the rehearsals of her -daily ministry. - -Mother Whitney says: - - "I was born the day after Christmas in the first year of the - present century, in the quiet, old-fashioned country town of Derby, - New Haven County, Conn. My parents' names were Gibson and Polly - Smith. The Smiths were among the earliest settlers there, and were - widely known. I was the oldest child, and grew up in an atmosphere - of love and tenderness. My parents were not professors of religion, - and according to puritanical ideas were grossly in fault to have - me taught dancing; but my father had his own peculiar notions upon - the subject, and wished me to possess and enjoy, in connection - with a sound education and strict morals, such accomplishments as - would fit me to fill, with credit to myself and my training, an - honorable position in society. He had no sympathy whatever with any - of the priests of that day, and was utterly at variance with their - teachings and ministry, notwithstanding he was strenuous on all - points of honor, honesty morality and uprightness. - - "There is nothing in my early life I remember with more intense - satisfaction than the agreeable companionship of my father. My - mother's health was delicate, and with her household affairs, - and two younger children, she gave herself up to domestic life, - allowing it to absorb her entire interest, and consequently I was - more particularly under my father's jurisdiction and influence; - our tastes were most congenial, and this geniality and happiness - surrounded me with its beneficial influence until I reached - my nineteenth year. Nothing in particular occurred to mar the - smoothness of my life's current and prosperity, and love beamed - upon our home. - - "About this time a new epoch in my life created a turning point - which unconsciously to us, who were the actors in the drama, caused - all my future to be entirely separate and distinct from those - with whom I had been reared and nurtured. My father's sister, a - spinster, who had money at her own disposal, and who was one of - those strong-minded women of whom so much is said in this our day, - concluded to emigrate to the great West,--at that time Ohio seemed - a fabulous distance from civilization and enlightenment, and going - to Ohio then was as great an undertaking as going to China or - Japan is at the present day. She entreated my parents to allow me - to accompany her, and promised to be as faithful and devoted to - me as possible, until they should join us, and that they expected - very shortly to do; their confidence in aunt Sarah's ability - and self-reliance was unbounded, and so, after much persuasion, - they consented to part with me for a short interval of time; but - circumstances, over which we mortals have no control, were so - overruled that I never saw my beloved mother again. Our journey was - a pleasant one; the beautiful scenery through which our route lay - had charms indescribable for me, who had never been farther from - home than New Haven, in which city I had passed a part of my time, - and to me it was nearer a paradise than any other place on earth. - The magnificent lakes, rivers, mountains, and romantic forests were - all delineations of nature which delighted my imagination. - - "We settled a few miles inland from the picturesque Lake Erie, - and here in after years, were the saints of God gathered and the - everlasting gospel proclaimed. My beloved aunt Sarah was a true - friend and instructor to me, and had much influence in maturing my - womanly character and developing my home education. She hated the - priests of the day, and believed them all deceivers and hypocrites; - her religion consisted in visiting the widow and the fatherless and - keeping herself 'unspotted from the world.' - - "Shortly after entering my twenty-first year I became acquainted - with a young man from Vermont, Newel K. Whitney, who, like myself, - had left home and relatives and was determined to carve out a - fortune for himself. He had been engaged in trading with the - settlers and Indians at Green Bay, Mich., buying furs extensively - for the eastern markets. In his travels to and from New York - he passed along the charming Lake Erie, and from some unknown - influence he concluded to settle and make a permanent home for - himself in this region of country; and then subsequently we met - and became acquainted; and being thoroughly convinced that we were - suited to each other, we were married by the Presbyterian minister - of that place, the Rev. J. Badger. We prospered in all our efforts - to accumulate wealth, so much so, that among our friends it came to - be remarked that nothing of Whitney's ever got lost on the lake, - and no product of his exportation was ever low in the market; - always ready sales and fair prices. We had neither of us ever made - any profession of religion, but contrary to my early education I - was naturally religious, and I expressed to my husband a wish that - we should unite ourselves to one of the churches, after examining - into their principles and deciding for ourselves. Accordingly we - united ourselves with the Campbellites, who were then making many - converts, and whose principles seemed most in accordance with - the scriptures. We continued in this church, which to us was the - nearest pattern to our Saviour's teachings, until Parley P. Pratt - and another elder preached the everlasting gospel in Kirtland." - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE VOICE, AND THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT. - -And there came one as a "voice crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the -way of the Lord!" - -Thus ever! - -A coming to Israel with "a new and everlasting covenant;" this was the -theme of the ancient prophets, now unfolded. - -There was the voice crying in the wilderness of Ohio, just before the -advent of the latter-day prophet. - -The voice was Sidney Rigdon. He was to Joseph Smith as a John the -Baptist. - -The forerunner made straight the way in the wilderness of the virgin -West. He raised up a church of disciples in and around Kirtland. He led -those who afterwards became latter-day saints to faith in the promises, -and baptized them in water for the remission of sins. But he had not -power to baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire from heaven. -Yet he taught the literal fulfillment of the prophesies concerning the -last days, and heralded the advent of the "one greater than I." - -"The same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." - -That is ever the "one greater than I," be his name whatever it may. - -Joseph Smith baptized with the Holy Ghost. But Sidney knew not that he -was heralding Joseph. - -And the prophet himself was but as the voice crying in the wilderness -of the great dark world: "Prepare ye the way for the second advent of -earth's Lord." His mission was also to "make straight in the desert a -highway" for the God of Israel; for Israel was going up,--following the -angel of the covenant, to the chambers of the mountains. - -He came with a great lamp and a great light in those days, dazzling to -the eyes of the generation that "crucified" him in its blindness. - -Joseph was the sign of Messiah's coming. He unlocked the sealed heavens -by faith and "election." He came in "the spirit and power of Elijah." -The mantle of Elijah was upon him. - -Be it always understood that the coming of Joseph Smith "to restore the -covenant to Israel" signifies the near advent of Messiah to reign as -King of Israel. Joseph was the Elijah of the last days. - -These are the first principles of Mormonism. And to witness of their -truth this testament of the sisters is given, with the signs and -wonders proceeding from the mission of Him who unlocked the heavens and -preached the gospel of new revelations to the world, whose light of -revelation had gone out. - -But first came the famous Alexander Campbell and his compeer, Sidney -Rigdon, to the West with the "lamp." Seekers after truth, whose hearts -had, been strangely moved by some potent spirit, whose influence they -felt pervading but understood not, saw the lamp and admired. - -Mr. Campbell, of Virginia, was a reformed Baptist. He with Sidney -Rigdon, a Mr. Walter Scott, and some other gifted men, had dissented -from the regular Baptists, from whom they differed much in doctrine. -They preached baptism for the remission of sins, promised the gift of -the Holy Ghost, and believed in the literal fulfillment of prophesy. -They also had some of the apostolic forms of organization in their -church. - -In Ohio they raised up branches. In Kirtland and the regions round, -they made many disciples, who bore the style of "disciples," though -the popular sect-name was "Campbellites." Among them were Eliza R. -Snow, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, and many more, who afterwards embraced the -"fullness of the everlasting gospel" as restored by the angels to the -Mormon prophet. - -But these evangels of a John the Baptist mission brought not to the -West the light of new revelation in their lamp. - -These had not yet even heard of the opening of a new dispensation of -revelations. As they came by the way they had seen no angels with new -commissions for the Messiah age. No Moses nor Elijah had been with them -on a mount of transfiguration. Nor had they entered into the chamber -with the angel of the covenant, bringing a renewal of the covenant to -Israel. This was in the mission of the "one greater" than they who came -after. - -They brought the lamp without the light--nothing more. Better _the -light_ without the evangelical lamp--better a conscientious intellect -than the forms of sectarian godliness without the power. - -Without the power to unlock the heavens, and the Elijah faith to call -the angels down, there could be no new dispensation--no millennial -civilization for the world, to crown the civilization of the ages. - -Light came to Sidney Rigdon from the Mormon Elijah, and he comprehended -the light; but Alexander Campbell rejected the prophet when his message -came; he would have none of his angels. He had been preaching the -literal fulfillment of prophesy, but when the covenant was revealed he -was not ready. The lamp, not the light, was his admiration. Himself -was the lamp; _Joseph had the light from the spirit world_, and the -darkness comprehended it not. - -Alexander Campbell was a learned and an able man--the very _form of -wisdom_, but without the spirit. - -Joseph Smith was an unlettered youth. He came not in the polished -_form_ of wisdom--either divine or human--but in the demonstration of -the Holy Ghost, and with signs following the believer. - -Mr. Campbell would receive no new revelation from such an one--no -everlasting covenant from the new Jerusalem which was waiting to come -down, to establish on earth a great spiritual empire, that the King -might appear to Zion in his glory, with all his angels and the ancients -of days. - -The tattered and blood-stained commissions of old Rome were sufficient -for the polished divine,--Rome which had made all nations drunk with -her spiritual fornications,--Rome which put to death the Son of God -when his Israel in blindness rejected him. - -Between Rome and Jerusalem there was now the great controversy of the -God of Israel. Not the old Jerusalem which had traveled from the east -to the west, led by the angel of the covenant, up out of the land of -Egypt! The new Jerusalem to the earth then, as she is to-day! Ever will -she be the new Jerusalem--ever will "old things" be passing away when -"the Lord cometh!" - -And the angel of the west appeared by night to the youth, as he watched -in the chamber of his father's house, in a little village in the State -of New York. On that charmed night when the invisibles hovered about -the earth the angel that stood before him read to the messenger of -Messiah the mystic text of his mission: - -"_Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before -me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even -the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold he shall -come, saith the Lord of Hosts._" - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -AN ANGEL FROM THE CLOUD IS HEARD IN KIRTLAND--THE "DAUGHTER OF THE -VOICE." - -Now there dwelt in Kirtland in those days disciples who feared the Lord. - -And they "spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard -it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that -feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." - -"We had been praying," says mother Whitney, "to know from the Lord how -we could obtain the gift of the Holy Ghost." - -"My husband, Newel K. Whitney, and myself, were Campbellites. We had -been baptized for the remission of our sins, and believed in the laying -on of hands and the gifts of the spirit. But there was no one with -authority to confer the Holy Ghost upon us. We were seeking to know how -to obtain the spirit and the gifts bestowed upon the ancient saints. - -"Sister Eliza Snow was also a Campbellite. We were acquainted before -the restoration of the gospel to the earth. She, like myself, was -seeking for the fullness of the gospel. She lived at the time in Mantua. - -"One night--it was midnight--as my husband and I, in our house at -Kirtland, were praying to the father to be shown the way, the spirit -rested upon us and a _cloud_ overshadowed the house. - -"It was as though we were out of doors. The house passed away from -our vision. We were not conscious of anything but the presence of the -spirit and the cloud that was over us. - -"We were wrapped in the cloud. A solemn awe pervaded us. We saw the -cloud and we felt the spirit of the Lord. - -"Then we heard a voice out of the cloud saying: - -"'Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming!' - -"At this we marveled greatly; but from that moment we knew that the -word of the Lord was coming to Kirtland." - -Now this is an Hebraic sign, well known to Israel after the glory of -Israel had departed. It was called by the sacred people who inherited -the covenant "the daughter of the voice." - -Blindness had happened to Israel. The prophets and the seers the Lord -had covered, but the "daughter of the voice" was still left to Israel. -From time to time a few, with the magic blood of the prophets in them, -heard the voice speaking to them out of the cloud. - -Down through the ages the "daughter of the voice" followed the children -of Israel in their dispersions. Down through the ages, from time to -time, some of the children of the sacred seed have heard the voice. -This is the tradition of the sons and daughters of Judah. - -It was the "daughter of the voice" that Mother Whitney and her husband -heard, at midnight, in Kirtland, speaking to them out of the cloud. -Mother Whitney and her husband were of the seed of Israel (so run their -patriarchal blessings); it was their gift and privilege to hear the -"voice." - -_He_ was coming now, whose right it is to reign. The throne of David -was about to be re-set up and given to the lion of the tribe of Judah. -The everlasting King of the new Jerusalem was coming down, with the -tens of thousands of his saints. - -The star of Messiah was traveling from the east to the west. The -prophet--the messenger of Messiah's covenant--was about to remove -farther westward, towards the place where his Lord in due time will -commence his reign, which shall extend over all the earth. - -This was the meaning of that vision of the "cloud" in Kirtland, at -midnight, overshadowing the house of Newel K. Whitney; this the -significance of the "voice" which spoke out of the cloud, saying: -"Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming!" - -The Lord of Hosts was about to make up his jewels for the crown of his -appearing; and there were many of those jewels already in the West. - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -AN ISRAEL PREPARED BY VISIONS, DREAMS AND ANGELS--INTERESTING AND -MIRACULOUS STORY OF PARLEY P. PRATT--A MYSTIC SIGN OF MESSIAH IN THE -HEAVENS--THE ANGEL'S WORDS FULFILLED. - -The divine narrative leads directly into the personal story of Parley -P. Pratt. He it was who first brought the Mormon mission west. He it -was who presented the Book of Mormon to Sidney Rigdon, and converted -him to the new covenant which Jehovah was making with a latter-day -Israel. - -Parley P. Pratt was one of the earliest of the new apostles. By nature -he was both poet and prophet. The soul of prophesy was born in him. In -his lifetime he was the Mormon Isaiah. All his writings were Hebraic. -He may have been of Jewish blood. He certainly possessed the Jewish -genius, of the prophet order. - -It would seem that the spirit of this great latter-day work could not -throw its divine charms around the youthful prophet, who had been -raised up to open a crowning spiritual dispensation, without peculiarly -affecting the spiritual minded everywhere--both men and women. - -It is one of the remarkable facts connected with the rise of Mormonism -in the age that, at about the time Joseph Smith was receiving the -administration of angels, thousands both in America and Great Britain -were favored with corresponding visions and intuitions. Hence, indeed, -its success, which was quite as astonishing as the spiritual work of -the early Christians. - -One of the first manifestations was that of earnest gospel-seekers -having visions of the elders before they came, and recognizing them -when they did come bearing the tidings. Many of the sisters, as well as -the brethren, can bear witness of this. - -This very peculiar experience gave special significance to one of the -earliest hymns, sung by the saints, of the angel who "came down from -the mansions of glory" with "the fullness of Jesus's gospel," and also -the "covenant to gather his people," the refrain of which was, - - "O! Israel! O! Israel! in all your abidings, - Prepare for your Lord, when you hear these glad tidings." - -An Israel had been prepared in all their "abidings," by visions and -signs, like sister Whitney, who heard the voice of the angel, from the -cloud, bidding her prepare for the coming word of the Lord. Parley P. -Pratt was the elder who fulfilled her vision, and brought the word of -the Lord direct from Joseph to Kirtland. - -And Parley himself was one of an Israel who had been thus mysteriously -prepared for the great latter-day mission, of which he became so marked -an apostle. - -Before he reached the age of manhood, Parley had in his native State -(N.Y.) met with reverses in fortune so serious as to change the -purposes of his life. - -"I resolved," he says, "to bid farewell to the civilized world, where -I had met with little else but disappointment, sorrow and unrewarded -toil; and where sectarian divisions disgusted, and ignorance perplexed -me,--and to spend the remainder of my days in the solitudes of the -great West, among the natives of the forest." - -In October, 1826, he took leave of his friends and started westward, -coming at length to a small settlement about thirty miles west of -Cleveland, in the State of Ohio. The country was covered with a dense -forest, with only here and there a small opening made by the settlers, -and the surface of the earth was one vast scene of mud and mire. - -Alone, in a land of strangers, without home or money, and not yet -twenty years of age, he became somewhat discouraged, but concluded to -stop for the winter. - -In the spring he resolved to return to his native State, for there was -one at home whom his heart had long loved and from whom he would not -have been separated, except by misfortune. - -But with her, as his wife, he returned to Ohio, the following year, and -made a home on the lands which he cleared with his own hands. [1] - -Eighteen months thereafter Sidney Rigdon came into the neighborhood, -as a preacher. With this reformer Parley associated himself in the -ministry, and organized a society of disciples. - -But Parley was not satisfied with even the ancient _gospel form_ -without the power. - -At the commencement of 1830, the very time the Mormon Church was -organized, he felt drawn out in an extraordinary manner to search the -prophets, and to pray for an understanding of the same. His prayers -were soon answered, even beyond his expectations. The prophesies were -opened to his view. He began to understand the things which were about -to transpire. The restoration of Israel, the coming of Messiah, and the -glory that should follow. - -Being now "moved upon by the Holy Ghost" to travel about preaching the -gospel "without purse or scrip," in August, 1830, he closed his worldly -business and bid adieu to his wilderness home, which he never saw -afterwards. - -"Arriving at Rochester," he says, "I informed my wife that, -notwithstanding our passage being paid through the whole distance, yet -I must leave the boat and her to pursue her passage to her friends, -while I would stop awhile in this region. Why, I did not know; but so -it was plainly manifest by the spirit to me. - -"I said to her, we part for a season; go and visit our friends in our -native place; I will come soon, but how soon I know not; for I have -a work to do in this region of country, and what it is, or how long -it will take to perform it, I know not; but I will come when it is -performed. - -"My wife would have objected to this, but she had seen the hand of God -so plainly manifest in his dealings with me many times, that she dared -not oppose the things manifested to me by his spirit. She, therefore, -consented; and I accompanied her as far as Newark, a small town upwards -of one hundred miles from Buffalo, and then took leave of her, and of -the boat. - -"It was early in the morning, just at the dawn of day; I walked ten -miles into the country, and stopped to breakfast with a Mr. Wells. -I proposed to preach in the evening. Mr. Wells readily accompanied -me through the neighborhood to visit the people, and circulate the -appointment. - -"We visited an old Baptist deacon, by the name of Hamlin. After hearing -of our appointment for the evening, he began to tell of a book, a -strange book, a very strange book, in his possession, which had been -just published. This book, he said, purported to have been originally -written on plates, either of gold or brass, by a branch of the tribes -of Israel; and to have been discovered and translated by a young man -near Palmyra, in the State of New York, by the aid of visions, or the -ministry of angels. - -"I inquired of him how or where the book was to be obtained. He -promised me the perusal of it, at his house the next day, if I would -call. I felt a strange interest in the book. - -"Next morning I called at his house, where for the first time my eyes -beheld the Book of Mormon,--that book of books--that record which -reveals the antiquities of the 'new world' back to the remotest ages, -and which unfolds the destiny of its people and the world, for all time -to come." - -As he read, the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he knew and -comprehended that the book was true; whereupon he resolved to visit -the young man who was the instrument in bringing forth this "marvelous -work." - -Accordingly he visited the village of Palmyra, and inquired for the -residence of Mr. Joseph Smith, which he found some two or three miles -from the village. As he approached the house, at the close of the day, -he overtook a man driving some cows, and inquired of him for "Mr. -Joseph Smith, the translator of the Book of Mormon." This man was none -other than Hyrum, Joseph's brother, who informed him that Joseph then -resided in Pennsylvania, some one hundred miles distant. That night -Parley was entertained by Hyrum, who explained to him much of the great -Israelitish mission just opening to the world. - -In the morning he was compelled to take leave of Hyrum, the brother, -who at parting presented him with a copy of the Book of Mormon. He had -not then completed its perusal, and so after traveling on a few miles -he stopped to rest and again commenced to read the book. To his great -joy he found that Jesus Christ, in his glorified resurrected body, -had appeared to the "remnant of Joseph" on the continent of America, -soon after his resurrection and ascension into heaven; and that he -also administered, in person, to the ten lost tribes; and that through -his personal ministry in these countries his gospel was revealed and -written in countries and among nations entirely unknown to the Jewish -apostles. - -Having rested awhile and perused the sacred book by the roadside, he -again walked on. - -After fulfilling his appointments, he resolved to preach no more until -he had duly received a "commission from on high." So he returned to -Hyrum, who journeyed with him some twenty-five miles to the residence -of Mr. Whitmer, in Seneca County, who was one of the "witnesses" of the -Book of Mormon, and in whose chamber much of the book was translated. - -He found the little branch of the church in that place "full of joy, -faith, humility and charity." - -They rested that night, and on the next day (the 1st of September, -1830), Parley was baptized by Oliver Cowdery, who, with the prophet -Joseph, had been ordained "under the hands" of the angel John the -Baptist to this ministry,--the same John who baptized Jesus Christ in -the River Jordan. - -A meeting of these primitive saints was held the same evening, when -Parley was confirmed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ordained an -elder of the church. - -Feeling now that he had the true authority to preach, he commenced -his new ministry under the authority and power which the angels had -conferred. "The Holy Ghost," he says, "came upon me mightily. I spoke -the word of God with power, reasoning out of the scriptures and the -Book of Mormon. The people were convinced, overwhelmed with tears, and -came forward expressing their faith, and were baptized." - -The mysterious object for which he took leave of his wife was realized, -and so he pursued his journey to the land of his fathers, and of his -boyhood. - -He now commenced his labors in good earnest, daily addressing crowded -audiences; and soon he baptized his brother Orson, a youth of nineteen, -but to-day a venerable apostle--the Paul of Mormondom. - -It was during his labors in these parts, in the Autumn of 1830, that he -saw a very singular and extraordinary sign in the heavens. - -He had been on a visit to the people called Shakers, at New Lebanon, -and was returning on foot, on a beautiful evening of September. The sky -was without a cloud; the stars shone out beautifully, and all nature -seemed reposing in quiet, as he pursued his solitary way, wrapt in deep -meditations on the predictions of the holy prophets; the signs of the -times; the approaching advent of the Messiah to reign on the earth, and -the important revelations of the Book of Mormon, when his attention was -aroused by a sudden appearance of a brilliant light which shone around -him "above the brightness of the sun." He cast his eyes upwards to -inquire from whence the light came, when he perceived a long chain of -light extending in the heavens, very bright and of a deep fiery red. It -at first stood stationary in a horizontal position; at length bending -in the centre, the two ends approached each other with a rapid movement -so as to form an exact square. In this position it again remained -stationary for some time, perhaps a minute, and then again the ends -approached each other with the same rapidity, and again ceased to move, -remaining stationary, for perhaps a minute, in the form of a compass. -It then commenced a third movement in the same manner, and closed like -the closing of a compass, the whole forming a straight line like a -chain doubled. It again remained stationary a minute, and then faded -away. - -"I fell upon my knees in the street," he says, "and thanked the Lord -for so marvelous a sign of the coming of the Son of Man. Some persons -may smile at this, and say that all these exact movements were by -chance; but for my part I could as soon believe that the alphabet would -be formed by chance and be placed so as to spell my name, as to believe -that these signs (known only to the wise) could be formed and shown -forth by chance." - -Parley now made his second visit to the prophet, who had returned from -Pennsylvania to his father's residence in Manchester, near Palmyra, and -here had the pleasure of seeing him for the first time. - -It was now October, 1830. A revelation had been given through the mouth -of the prophet in which elders Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Tiber -Peterson and Parley P. Pratt were appointed to go into the wilderness -through the Western States, and to the Indian Territory. - -These elders journeyed until they came to the spiritual pastorate of -Sydney Rigdon, in Ohio. He received the elders cordially, and Parley -presented his former friend and instructor with the Book of Mormon, and -related to him the history of the same. - -"The news of our coming," says Parley, "was soon noised abroad, and the -news of the discovery of the Book of Mormon and the marvelous events -connected with it. The interest and excitement now became general in -Kirtland, and in all the region round about. The people thronged us -night and day, insomuch that we had no time for rest or retirement. -Meetings were convened in different neighborhoods, and multitudes came -together soliciting our attendance; while thousands flocked about us -daily, some to be taught, some for curiosity, some to obey the gospel, -and some to dispute or resist it. - -"In two or three weeks from our arrival in the neighborhood with the -news, we had baptized one hundred and twenty-seven souls; and this -number soon increased to one thousand. The disciples were filled with -joy and gladness; while rage and lying was abundantly manifested by -gainsayers. Faith was strong, joy was great, and persecution heavy. - -"We proceeded to ordain Sidney Rigdon, Isaac Morley, John Murdock, -Lyman Wight, Edward Partridge, and many others to the ministry; and -leaving them to take care of the churches, and to minister the gospel, -we took leave of the saints, and continued our journey." - -Thus was fulfilled the vision of "Mother Whitney." Kirtland had -heard the "word of the Lord." The angel that spoke from the cloud, -at midnight, in Kirtland, was endowed with the gift of prophesy. The -"daughter of the voice" which followed Israel down through the ages was -potent still--was still an oracle to the children of the covenant. - -Footnotes: - -1. She died in the early persecution of the church, and when Parley was -in prison for the gospel's sake her spirit visited and comforted him. - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -WAR OF THE INVISIBLE POWERS--THEIR MASTER--JEHOVAH'S MEDIUM. - -"You have prayed me here! Now what do you want of me?" - -The Master had come! - -But who was he? - -Whence came he? - -Good or evil? - -Whose prayers had been answered? - --- - -There was in Kirtland a controversy between the powers of good and -evil, for the mastery. Powers good and evil it would seem to an -ordinary discernment. Certainly powers representing two sources. - -This was the prime manifestation of the new dispensation. This -contention of the invisibles for a foothold among mortals. - -A Mormon iliad! for such it is! It is the epic of two worlds, in which -the invisibles, with mortals, take their respective parts. - -And now it is the dispensation of the fullness of times! Now all the -powers visible and invisible contend for the mastery of the earth in -the stupendous drama of the last days. This is what Mormonism means. - -It is a war of the powers above and below to decide who shall give the -next civilization to earth; which power shall incarnate that supreme -civilization with its spirit and genius. - -Similar how exactly this has been repeated since Moses and the -magicians of Egypt, and Daniel and the magicians of Babylon, contended. - -One had risen up in the august name of Jehovah. Mormonism represents -the powers invisible of the Hebrew God. - -Shall Jehovah reign in the coming time? Shall he be the Lord God -omnipotent? This, in its entirety, is the Mormon problem. - -Joseph is the prophet of that stupendous question, to be decided in -this grand controversy of the two worlds--this controversy of mortals -and immortals! - -There are lords many and gods many, but to the prophet and his people -there is but one God--Jehovah is his name. - -A Mormon iliad, nothing else; and a war of the invisibles--a war of -spiritual empires. - -That war was once in Kirtland, when the first temple of a new -civilization rose, to proclaim the supreme name of the God of Israel. - -No sooner had the Church of Latter-day Saints been established in -the West than remarkable spiritual manifestations appeared. This was -exactly in accordance with the faith and expectations of the disciples; -for the promise to them was that these signs should follow the believer. - -But there was a power that the saints could not understand. That it was -a power from the invisible world all readily discerned. - -An influence both strange and potent! The power which was not -comprehended was greater, for the time, in its manifestations, than the -spirit which the disciples better understood. - -These spiritual manifestations occurred remarkably at the house of -Elder Whitney, where the saints met often to speak one to the other, -and to pray for the power. - -The power had come! - -It was in the house which had been overshadowed by the magic cloud at -midnight, out of which the angel had prophesied of the coming of the -word of the Lord. - -The Lord had come! - -His word was given. But which Lord? and whose word? That was the -question in that hour of spiritual controversy. - -Similar manifestations were also had in other branches of the church; -and they were given at those meetings called "testimony meetings." At -these the saints testified one to the other of the "great work of God -in the last days," and magnified the gifts of the spirit. But there -were two kinds of gifts and two kinds of spirits. - -Some of these manifestations were very similar to those of "modern -spiritualism." Especially was this the case with what are styled -physical manifestations. - -Others read revelations from their hands; holding them up as a book -before them. From this book they read passages of new scriptures. Books -of new revelations had been unsealed. - -In letters of light and letters of gold, writing appeared to their -vision, on the hands of these "mediums." - -What was singular and confounding to the elders was that many, who -could neither read nor write, while under "the influence," uttered -beautiful language extemporaneously. At this these "mediums" of the -Mormon Church (twenty years before our "modern mediums" were known), -would exclaim concerning the "power of God" manifested through them; -challenging the elders, after the spirit had gone out of them, with -their own natural inability to utter such wonderful sayings, and do -such marvelous things. - -As might be expected the majority of these "mediums" were among the -sisters. In modern spiritual parlance, they were more "inspirational." -Indeed for the manifestation of both powers the sisters have always -been the "best mediums" (adopting the descriptive epithet now so -popular and suggestive). - -And this manifestation of the "two powers" in the church followed -the preaching of the Mormon gospel all over the world, especially in -America and Great Britain. It was God's spell and the spell of some -other spiritual genius. - -Where the one power was most manifested, there it was always found that -the power from the "other source" was about equally displayed. - -So abounding and counterbalancing were these two powers in nearly all -the branches of the church in the early rise of Mormonism, in America -and Great Britain, that spiritual manifestations became regarded very -generally as fire that could burn as well as bless and build up the -work of God. - -An early hymn of the dispensation told that "the great prince of -darkness was mustering his forces;" that a battle was coming "between -the two kingdoms;" that the armies were "gathering round," and that -they would "soon in close battle be found." - -To this is to be attributed the decline of spiritual gifts in a later -period in the Mormon Church, for the "spirits" were poured out so -abundantly that the saints began to fear visions, and angels, and -prophesy, and the "speaking in tongues." - -Thus the sisters, who ever are the "best mediums" of spiritual gifts in -the church, have, in latter years, been shorn of their glory. But the -gifts still remain with them; and the prophesy is that some day, when -there is sufficient wisdom combined with faith, more than the primitive -power will be displayed, and the angels will daily walk and talk with -the people of God. - -But in Kirtland in that day there was the controversy of the invisibles. - --- - -It was in the beginning of the year 1831 that a sleigh drove into the -little town of Kirtland. There were in it a man and his wife with her -girl, and a man servant driving. - -They seemed to be travelers, and to have come a long distance rather -than from a neighboring village; indeed they had come from another -State; hundreds of miles from home now; far away in those days for a -man to be thus traveling in midwinter with his wife. - -But they were not emigrants; at least seemingly not such; certainly not -emigrants of an ordinary kind. - -No caravan followed in their wake with merchandise for the western -market, nor a train of goods and servants to make a home in a -neighboring State. - -A solitary sleigh; a man with his wife and two servants; a solitary -sleigh, and far from home. - -That they were not fugitives was apparent in the manly boldness of -the chief personage and the somewhat imperial presence of the woman -by his side. This personal air of confidence, and a certain conscious -importance, were quite marked in both, especially in the man. - -They were two decided personages come West. Some event was in their -coming. This much the observer might at once have concluded. - -There was thus something of mystery about the solitary sleigh and its -occupants. - -A chariot with a destiny in it--a very primitive chariot of peace, but -a chariot with a charm about it. The driver might have felt akin to the -boatman who embarked with the imperial Roman: "Fear not--Caesar is in -thy boat!" - -The sleigh wended its course through the streets of Kirtland until it -came to the store of Messrs. Gilbert & Whitney, merchants. There it -stopped. - -Leaping from the primitive vehicle the personage shook himself lightly, -as a young lion rising from his restful attitude; for the man possessed -a royal strength and a magnificent physique. In age he was scarcely -more than twenty-five; young, but with the stamp of one born to command. - -Leaving his wife in the sleigh, he walked, with a royal bearing and a -wonderfully firm step, straight into the store of Gilbert & Whitney. -His bearing could not be other. He planted his foot as one who never -turned back--as one destined to make a mark in the great world at his -every footfall. He had come to Kirtland as though to possess it. - -Going up to the counter where stood the merchant Whitney, he tapped -him with hearty affection on the shoulder as he would have done to a -long separated brother or a companion of by-gone years. There was the -magnetism of love in his very touch. Love was the wondrous charm that -the man carried about him. - -"Well, Brother Whitney, how do you do?" was his greeting. - -"You have the advantage of me," replied Whitney, wondering who his -visitor could be. "I could not call you by name." - -"I am Joseph, the prophet!" - -It was like one of old making himself known to his brethren--"I am -Joseph, your brother!" - -"Well, what do you want of me?" Joseph asked with a smile; and then -with grave solicitude added: - -"You have prayed me here, now what do you want of me? The Lord would -not let me sleep at nights; but said, up and take your wife to -Kirtland!" - -An archangel's coming would not have been a greater event to the saints -than the coming of Joseph the prophet. - -Leaving his store and running across the road to his house, Elder -Whitney exclaimed: - -"Who do you think was in that sleigh at the store?" - -"Well, I don't know," replied Sister Whitney. - -"Why, it is Joseph and his wife. Where shall we put them?" - -Then came to the mind of Sister Whitney the vision of the cloud that -had overshadowed her house at midnight, and the words of the angel who -had spoken from the pavilion of his hidden glory. The vision had now to -them a meaning and fulfillment indeed. The sister and her husband who -had heard the "voice" felt that "the word of the Lord" was to be given -to Kirtland in their own dwelling and under the very roof thus hallowed. - -One-half of the house was immediately set apart for the prophet and his -wife. The sleigh drove up to the door and Joseph entered with Emma--the -"elect lady" of the church--and they took up their home in the little -city which, with his presence, was now Zion. - -It was the controversy of these two powers in the churches in the West -which had called Joseph to Kirtland in the opening of the year 1831. -The church in the State of New York--its birthplace--had been commanded -by revelation to move West, but Joseph hastened ahead with his wife, as -we have seen. - -He had been troubled at nights in his visions. He had seen Elder -Whitney and his wife and the good saints praying for his help. This -is how he had known "Brother Whitney" at sight; for Joseph on such -occasions saw all things before him as by a map unfolded to his view. - -"Up and take your wife to Kirtland," "the Lord" had commanded. And he -had come. The church, from the State of New York, followed him the -ensuing May. - -The master spirit was in Kirtland now. All spirits were subject to him. -That was one ruling feature of his apostleship. He held the keys of the -dispensation. He commanded and the very invisibles obeyed. _They_ also -recognized the master spirit. He was only subject to the God of Israel. - -"Peace, be still!" the master commanded, and the troubled waters of -Kirtland were at peace. - -There in the chamber which Sister Whitney consecrated to the prophet -the great revelation was given concerning the tests of spirits. There -also many of the revelations were given, some of which form part of the -book of doctrine and covenants. The chamber was thereafter called the -translating room. - -Perchance the mystic cloud often overshadowed that house, but the -angel of the new covenant could now enter and speak face to face with -mortal; for Jehovah's prophet dwelt there. To him the heavens unveiled, -and the archangels of celestial spheres appeared in their glory and -administered to him. - -Wonderful, indeed, if this be true, of which there is a cloud of -witnesses; and more wonderful still if hosts of angels, good and bad, -have come to earth since that day, converting millions to an age of -revelation, unless one like unto Joseph has indeed unlocked the new -dispensation with an Elijah's keys of power! - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ELIZA R. SNOW'S EXPERIENCE--GLIMPSES OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF -JOSEPH SMITH--GATHERING OF THE SAINTS. - -"In the autumn of 1829," says Eliza R. Snow, the high priestess, "the -tidings reached my ears that God had spoken from the heavens; that he -had raised up a prophet, and was about to restore the fullness of the -gospel with all its gifts and powers. - -"During my brief association with the Campbellite church, I was deeply -interested in the study of the ancient prophets, in which I was -assisted by the erudite Alexander Campbell himself, and Walter Scott, -whose acquaintance I made,--but more particularly by Sidney Rigdon, who -was a frequent visitor at my father's house. - -"But when I heard of the mission of the prophet Joseph I was afraid -it was not genuine. It was just what my soul had hungered for, but I -thought it was a hoax. - -"However, I improved the opportunity and attended the first meeting -within my reach. I listened to the testimonials of two of the witnesses -of the Book of Mormon. Such impressive testimonies I had never before -heard. To hear men testify that they had seen a holy angel--that they -had listened to his voice, bearing testimony of the work that was -ushering in a new dispensation; that the fullness of the gospel was to -be restored and that they were commanded to go forth and declare it, -thrilled my inmost soul. - -"Yet it must be remembered that when Joseph Smith was called to his -great mission, more than human power was requisite to convince people -that communication with the invisible world was possible. He was -scoffed at, ridiculed and persecuted for asserting that he had received -a revelation; now the world is flooded with revelations. - -"Early in the spring of 1835, my eldest sister, who, with my mother was -baptized in 1831, by the prophet, returned home from a visit to the -saints in Kirtland, and reported of the faith and humility of those -who had received the gospel as taught by Joseph,--the progress of the -work, the order of the organization of the priesthood and the frequent -manifestations of the power of God. - -"The spirit bore witness to me of the truth. I felt that I had waited -already a little too long to see whether the work was going to 'flash -in the pan' and go out. But my heart was now fixed; and I was baptized -on the 5th of April, 1835. From that day to this I have not doubted the -truth of the work. - -"In December following I went to Kirtland and realized much happiness -in the enlarged views and rich intelligence that flowed from the -fountain of eternal truth, through the inspiration of the Most High. - -"I was present on the memorable event of the dedication of the temple, -when the mighty power of God was displayed, and after its dedication -enjoyed many refreshing seasons in that holy sanctuary. Many times -have I witnessed manifestations of the power of God, in the precious -gifts of the gospel,--such as speaking in tongues, the interpretation -of tongues, prophesying, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, -the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Of such -manifestations in the church I might relate many circumstances. - -"In the spring I taught a select school for young ladies, boarding in -the family of the prophet, and at the close of the term returned to my -father's house, where my friends and acquaintances flocked around me -to inquire about the 'strange people' with whom I was associated. I -was exceedingly happy in testifying of what I had both seen and heard, -until the 1st of January, 1837, when I bade a final adieu to the home -of my youth, to share the fortunes of the people of God. - -"On my return to Kirtland, by solicitation, I took up my residence in -the family of the prophet, and taught his family school. - -"Again I had ample opportunity of judging of his daily walk and -conversation, and the more I made his acquaintance, the more cause I -found to appreciate him in his divine calling. His lips ever flowed -with instruction and kindness; but, although very forgiving, indulgent -and affectionate in his nature, when his godlike intuition suggested -that the good of his brethren, or the interests of the kingdom of God -demanded it, no fear of censure, no love of approbation, could prevent -his severe and cutting rebukes. - -"His expansive mind grasped the great plan of salvation, and solved -the mystic problem of man's destiny; he was in possession of keys that -unlocked the past and the future, with its successions of eternities; -yet in his devotions he was as humble as a little child. Three times -a day he had family worship; and these precious seasons of sacred -household service truly seemed a foretaste of celestial happiness." - -Thus commenced that peculiar and interesting relationship between the -prophet and the inspired heroine who became his celestial bride, and -whose beautiful ideals have so much glorified celestial marriage. - -There were also others of our Mormon heroines who had now gathered to -the West to build up Zion, that their "King might appear in his glory." -Among them was that exalted woman--so beloved and honored in the Mormon -church--the life-long wife of Heber C. Kimball. There were also Mary -Angel, and many apostolic women from New England, who have since stood, -for a generation, as pillars in the latter-day kingdom. We shall meet -them hereafter. - -And the saints, as doves flocking to the window of the ark of the new -covenant, gathered to Zion. They came from the East and the West and -the North and the South. - -Soon the glad tidings were conveyed to other lands. Great Britain -"heard the word of the Lord," borne there by apostles Heber C. Kimball, -Orson Hyde and Willard Richards, and others. - -Soon also the saints began to gather from the four quarters of the -earth; and those gatherings have increased until more than a hundred -thousand disciples--the majority of them women--have come to America, -as their land of promise, to build up thereon the Zion of the last days. - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE LATTER-DAY ILIAD--REPRODUCTION OF THE GREAT HEBRAIC DRAMA--THE -MEANING OF THE MORMON MOVEMENT IN THE AGE. - -It was "a gathering dispensation." A strange religion indeed, that -meant something more than faith and prayers and creeds. - -An empire-founding religion, as we have said,--this religion of a -latter-day Israel. A religion, in fact, that meant all that the name of -"Latter-day Israel" implies. - -The women who did their full half in founding Mormondom, comprehended, -as much as did their prototypes who came up out of Egypt, the -significance of the name of Israel. - -Out of Egypt the seed of promise, to become a peculiar people, a holy -nation, with a distinctive God and a distinctive destiny. Out of modern -Babylon, to repeat the same Hebraic drama in the latter age. - -A Mormon iliad in every view; and the sisters understanding it fully. -Indeed perhaps they have best understood it. Their very experience -quickened their comprehension. - -The cross and the crown of thorns quicken the conception of a -crucifixion. The Mormon women have borne the cross and worn the crown -of thorns for a full lifetime; not in their religion, but in their -experience. Their strange destiny and the divine warfare incarnated in -their lives, gave them an experience matchless in its character and -unparalleled in its sacrifices. - -The sisters understood their religion, and they counted the cost of -their divine ambitions. - -What that cost has been to these more than Spartan women, we shall -find in tragic stories of their lives, fast unfolding in the coming -narrative of their gatherings and exterminations. - -For the first twenty years of their history the tragedy of the -Latter-day Israel was woeful enough to make their guardian angels weep, -and black enough in its scenes to satisfy the angriest demons. - -This part of the Mormon drama began in 1831 with the removal of the -church from the State of New York to Kirtland, Ohio, and to Jackson, -and other counties in Missouri; and it culminated in the martyrdom of -the prophet and his brother at Nauvoo, and the exodus to the Rocky -Mountains. In all these scenes the sisters have shown themselves -matchless heroines. - -The following, from an early poem, written by the prophetess, Eliza R. -Snow, will finely illustrate the Hebraic character of the Mormon work, -and the heroic spirit in which these women entered into the divine -action of their lives: - - My heart is fix'd--I know in whom I trust. - 'Twas not for wealth--'twas not to gather heaps - Of perishable things--'twas not to twine - Around my brow a transitory wreath, - A garland decked with gems of mortal praise, - That I forsook the home of childhood; that - I left the lap of ease--the halo rife - With friendship's richest, soft, and mellow tones; - Affection's fond caresses, and the cup - O'erflowing with the sweets of social life, - With high refinement's golden pearls enrich'd. - - Ah, no! A holier purpose fir'd my soul; - A nobler object prompted my pursuit. - Eternal prospects open'd to my view, - And hope celestial in my bosom glow'd. - God, who commanded Abraham to leave - His native country, and to offer up - On the lone altar, where no eye beheld - But that which never sleeps, an only son, - Is still the same; and thousands who have made - A covenant with him by sacrifice, - Are bearing witness to the sacred truth-- - Jehovah speaking has reveal'd his will. - - The proclamation sounded in my ear-- - It reached my heart--I listen'd to the sound-- - Counted the cost, and laid my earthly all - Upon the altar, and with purpose fix'd - Unalterably, while the spirit of - Elijah's God within my bosom reigns, - Embrac'd the everlasting covenant, - And am determined now to be a saint, - And number with the tried and faithful ones, - Whose race is measured with their life; whose prize - Is everlasting, and whose happiness - Is God's approval; and to whom 'tis more - Than meat and drink to do his righteous will. - - * * * * - - Although to be a saint requires - A noble sacrifice--an arduous toil-- - A persevering aim; the great reward - Awaiting the grand consummation will - Repay the price, however costly; and - The pathway of the saint the safest path - Will prove; though perilous--for 'tis foretold, - All things that can be shaken, God will shake; - Kingdoms and governments, and institutes, - Both civil and religious, must be tried-- - Tried to the core, and sounded to the depth. - - Then let me be a saint, and be prepar'd - For the approaching day, which like a snare - Will soon surprise the hypocrite--expose - The rottenness of human schemes--shake off - Oppressive fetters--break the gorgeous reins - Usurpers hold, and lay the pride of man-- - The pride of nations, low in dust! - -And there was in these gatherings of our latter-day Israel, like as in -this poem, a tremendous meaning. It is of the Hebrew significance and -genius rather than of the Christian; for Christ is now Messiah, King of -Israel, and not the Babe of Bethlehem. Mormondom is no Christian sect, -but an Israelitish nationality, and even woman, the natural prophetess -of the reign of peace, is prophesying of the shaking of "kingdoms and -governments and all human institutions." - -The Mormons from the beginning well digested the text to the great -Hebrew drama, and none better than the sisters; here it is: - -"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and -from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will -shew thee; - -"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and -make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; - -"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth -thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." - -And so, for now nearly fifty years, this Mormon Israel have been -getting out of their native countries, and from their kindred, and from -their father's house unto the gathering places that their God has shown -them. - -But they have been driven from those gathering places from time to -time; yes, driven farther west. There was the land which God was -showing them. At first it was too distant to be seen even by the eye of -faith. Too many thousands of miles even for the Spartan heroism of the -sisters; too dark a tragedy of expulsions and martyrdoms; and too many -years of exoduses and probations. The wrath of the Gentiles drove them -where their destiny led them--to the land which God was showing them. - -And for the exact reason that the patriarchal Abraham and Sarah were -commanded to get out of their country and from their kindred and their -father's house, so were the Abrahams and Sarahs of our time commanded -by the same God and for the same purpose. - -"I will make of thee a great nation." "And I will make my covenant -between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly." "And thou -shalt be a father of many nations." "And I will establish my covenant -between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for -an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee." - -To fulfill this in the lives of these spiritual sons and daughters of -Abraham and Sarah, the gathering dispensation was brought in. These -Mormons have gathered from the beginning that they might become the -fathers and mothers of a nation, and that through them the promises -made to the Abrahamic fathers and mothers might be greatly fulfilled. - -This is most literal, and was well understood in the early rise of the -church, long before polygamy was known. Yet who cannot now see that -in such a patriarchal covenant was the very overture of patriarchal -marriage--or polygamy. - -So in the early days quite a host of the daughters of New -England--earnest and purest of women--many of them unmarried, and most -of them in the bloom of womanhood--gathered to the virgin West to -become the mothers of a nation, and to build temples to the name of a -patriarchal God! - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE LAND OF TEMPLES--AMERICA THE NEW JERUSALEM--DARING CONCEPTION OF -THE MORMON PROPHET--FULFILLMENT OF THE ABRAHAMIC PROGRAMME--WOMAN TO BE -AN ORACLE OF JEHOVAH. - -Two thousand years had nearly passed since the destruction of the -temple of Solomon; three thousand years, nearly, since that temple of -the old Jerusalem was built. - -Yet here in America in the nineteenth century, _among the Gentiles_, a -modern Israel began to rear temples to the name of the God of Israel! -Temples to be reared to his august name in every State on this vast -continent! Thus runs the Mormon prophesy. - -All America, the New Jerusalem of the last days! All America for the -God of Israel! What a conception! Yet these daughters of Zion perfectly -understood it nearly fifty years ago. - -Joseph was indeed a sublime and daring oracle. Such a conception -grasped even before he laid the foundation stone of a Zion--that all -America is to be the New Jerusalem of the world and of the future--was -worthy to make him the prophet of America. - -Zion was not a county in Missouri, a city in Ohio or Illinois; nor is -she now a mere embryo State in the Rocky Mountains. - -Kirtland was but a "stake of Zion" where the first temple rose. Jackson -county is the enchanted spot where the "centre stake" of Zion is to be -planted, and the grand temple reared, by-and-by. Nauvoo with its temple -was another stake. Utah also is but a stake. Here we have already the -temple of St. George, and in Salt Lake City a temple is being built -which will be a Masonic unique to this continent. - -Perchance it will stand in the coming time scarcely less a monument -to the name of its builder--Brigham Young--than the temple of Old -Jerusalem has been to the name of Solomon. - -But all America is the world's New Jerusalem! - -With this cardinal conception crowding the soul of the Mormon prophet, -inspired by the very archangels of Israel, what a vast Abrahamic drama -opened to the view of the saints in Kirtland when the first temple -lifted its sacred tower to the skies! - -The archangels of Israel had come down to fulfill on earth the -grand Abrahamic programme. The two worlds--the visible and the -invisible--were quickly engaging in the divine action, to consummate, -in this "dispensation of the fullness of times," the promises made unto -the fathers. - -And all America for the God of Israel. - -There is method in Mormonism--method infinite. Mormonism is Masonic. -The God of Israel is a covenant maker; the crown of the covenant is the -temple. - -But woman must not be lost to view in our admiration of the prophet's -conceptions. - -How stands woman in the grand temple economy, as she loomed up in her -mission, from the house of the Lord in Kirtland? - -The apostles and elders laid the foundations, raised the arches, and -put on the cap stone; but it was woman that did the "inner work of the -temple." - -George A. Smith hauled the first load of rock; Heber C. Kimball worked -as an operative mason, and Brigham Young as a painter and glazier in -the house; but the sisters wrought on the "veils of the temple." - -Sister Polly Angel, wife of Truman O. Angel, the church architect, -relates that she and a band of sisters were working on the "veils," one -day, when the prophet and Sidney Rigdon came in. - -"Well, sisters," observed Joseph, "you are always on hand. The sisters -are always first and foremost in all good works. Mary was first at the -resurrection; and the sisters now are the first to work on the inside -of the temple." - -'Tis but a simple incident, but full of significance. It showed -Joseph's instinctive appreciation of woman and her mission. Her place -was _inside_ the temple, and he was about to put her there,--a high -priestess of Jehovah, to whose name he was building temples. And -wonderfully suggestive was his prompting, that woman was the first -witness of the resurrection. - -Once again woman had become an oracle of a new dispensation and a new -civilization. She can only properly be this when a temple economy comes -round in the unfolding of the ages. She can only be a legitimate oracle -_in_ the temple. - -When she dares to play the oracle, without her divine mission and -anointing, she is accounted in society as a witch, a fortune-teller, a -medium, who divines for hire and sells the gift of the invisibles for -money. - -But in the temple woman is a sacred and sublime oracle. She is a -prophetess and a high priestess. Inside the temple she cannot but be -as near the invisibles as man--nearer indeed, from her finer nature, -inside the mystic veil, the emblems of which she has worked upon with -her own hands. - -Of old the oracle had a priestly royalty. The story of Alexander the -Great and the oracle of Delphi is famous. The conqueror demanded speech -from the oracle concerning his destiny. The oracle was a woman; and -womanlike she refused to utter the voice of destiny at the imperious -bidding of a mortal. But Alexander knew that woman was inspired--that -he held in his grip the incarnated spirit of the temple, and he essayed -to drag her to the holy ground where speech was given. - -"He is invincible!" exclaimed the oracle, in wrath. - -"The oracle speaks!" cried Alexander, in exultation. - -The prophetess was provoked to an utterance; woman forced to obey the -stronger will of man; but it was woman's inspired voice that sent -Alexander through the world a conquering destiny. - -And the prophet of Mormondom knew that woman is, by the gifts of God -and nature, an inspired being. If she was this in the temples of Egypt -and Greece, more abundantly is she this in the temples of Israel. In -them woman is the medium of Jehovah. This is what the divine scheme of -the Mormon prophet has made her to this age; and she began her great -mission to the world in the temple at Kirtland. - -But this temple-building of the Mormons has a vaster meaning than the -temples of Egypt, the oracles of Greece, or the cathedrals of the -Romish Church. - -It is the vast Hebrew iliad, begun with Abraham and brought down -through the ages, in a race still preserved with more than its original -quality and fibre; and in a God who is raising up unto Abraham a -mystical seed of promise, a latter-day Israel. - -Jehovah is a covenant-maker. "And I will make with Israel a new and -everlasting covenant," is the text that Joseph and Brigham have been -working upon. Hence this temple building in America, to fulfill and -glorify the new covenant of Israel. - -The first covenant was made with Abraham and the patriarchs _in the -East_. The greater and the everlasting covenant will restore the -kingdom to Israel. That covenant has been made _in the West_, with -these veritable children of Abraham. God has raised up children unto -Abraham to fulfill the promises made to him. This is Mormonism. - -The West is the future world. Yet how shall there be the new -civilization without its distinctive temples? Certainly there shall be -no Abrahamic dispensation and covenant unless symbolized by temples -raised to the name of the God of Israel! - -All America, then, is Zion! - -A hundred temples lifting their towers to the skies in the world's New -Jerusalem. Temples built to the name of the God of Israel. - -Mark this august wonder of the age; the Mormons build not temples to -the name of Jesus, but to the name of Jehovah--not to the Son, but to -the Father. - -The Hebrew symbol is not the cross, but the sceptre. The Hebrews know -nothing of the cross. It is the symbol of heathenism, whence Rome -received her signs and her worship. Rome adopted the cross and she has -borne it as her mark. She never reared her cathedrals to the name of -the God of Israel, nor has she taught the nations to fear his name. Nor -has she prophesied of the New Jerusalem of the last days, which must -supersede Rome and give the millennial civilization to the world. - -The reign of Messiah! Temples to the Most High God! The sceptre, not -the cross! - -There is a grand Masonic consistency in the divine scheme of the Mormon -prophet, and the sisters began to comprehend the infinite themes of -their religion when they worked in the temple at Kirtland, and beheld -in the service the glory of Israel's God. - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -ELIZA R. SNOW'S GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE AND ITS -DEDICATION--HOSANNAS TO GOD--HIS GLORY FILLS THE HOUSE. - -The erection of the Kirtland temple was a leading characteristic of the -work of the last dispensation. - -It was commenced in June, 1833, under the immediate direction of the -Almighty, through his servant, Joseph Smith, whom he had called in -his boyhood, like Samuel of old, to introduce the fullness of the -everlasting gospel. - -At that time the saints were few in number, and most of them very poor; -and, had it not been for the assurance that God had spoken, and had -commanded that a house should be built to his name, of which he not -only revealed the form, but also designated the dimensions, an attempt -towards building that temple, under the then existing circumstances, -would have been, by all concerned, pronounced preposterous. - -Although many sections of the world abounded with mosques, churches, -synagogues and cathedrals, built professedly for worship, this was -the first instance, for the lapse of many centuries, of God having -given a pattern, from the heavens, and manifested by direct revelation -how the edifice should be constructed, in order that he might accept -and acknowledge it as his own. This knowledge inspired the saints to -almost superhuman efforts, while through faith and union they acquired -strength. In comparison with eastern churches and cathedrals, this -temple is not large, but in view of the amount of available means -possessed, a calculation of the cost, at the lowest possible figures, -would have staggered the faith of any but Latter-day saints; and it now -stands as a monumental pillar. - -Its dimensions are eighty by fifty-nine feet; the walls fifty feet -high, and the tower one hundred and ten feet. The two main halls -are fifty-five by sixty-five feet, in the inner court. The building -has four vestries in front, and five rooms in the attic, which were -devoted to literature, and for meetings of the various quorums of the -priesthood. - -There was a peculiarity in the arrangement of the inner court which -made it more than ordinarily impressive--so much so that a sense of -sacred awe seemed to rest upon all who entered; not only the saints, -but strangers also manifested a high degree of reverential feeling. -Four pulpits stood, one above another, in the centre of the building, -from north to south, both on the east and west ends; those on the west -for the presiding officers of the Melchisidec priesthood, and those -on the east for the Aaronic; and each of these pulpits was separated -by curtains of white painted canvas, which were let down and drawn -up at pleasure. In front of each of these two rows of pulpits, was a -sacrament table, for the administration of that sacred ordinance. In -each corner of the court was an elevated pew for the singers--the choir -being distributed into four compartments. In addition to the pulpit -curtains, were others, intersecting at right angles, which divided -the main ground-floor hall into four equal sections--giving to each -one-half of one set of pulpits. - -From the day the ground was broken for laying the foundation for the -temple, until its dedication on the 27th of March, 1836, the work was -vigorously prosecuted. - -With very little capital except brain, bone and sinew, combined with -unwavering trust in God, men, women, and even children, worked with -their might; while the brethren labored in their departments, the -sisters were actively engaged in boarding and clothing workmen not -otherwise provided for--all living as abstemiously as possible so -that every cent might be appropriated to the grand object, while -their energies were stimulated by the prospect of participating in -the blessing of a house built by the direction of the Most High and -accepted by him. - -The dedication was looked forward to with intense interest; and -when the day arrived (Sunday, March 27th, 1836), a dense multitude -assembled--the temple was filled to its utmost, and when the ushers -were compelled to close the doors, the outside congregation was nearly -if not quite as large as that within. - -Four hundred and sixteen elders, including prophets and apostles, with -the first great prophets of the last dispensation at their head, were -present--men who had been "called of God as was Aaron," and clothed -with the holy priesthood; many of them having just returned from -missions, on which they had gone forth like the ancient disciples, -"without purse or scrip," now to feast for a little season on the sweet -spirit of love and union, in the midst of those who had "tasted of the -powers of the world to come." - -At the hour appointed, the assembly was seated, the Melchisidec and -Aaronic priesthoods being arranged as follows: West end of the house, -Presidents Frederick G. Williams, Joseph Smith, Sr., and William W. -Phelps, occupied the first pulpit for the Melchisidec priesthood; -Presidents Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon, the -second; Presidents David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdry and John Whitmer, -the third; the fourth pulpit was occupied by the president of the -high-priest's quorum and his councilors, and two choristers. The twelve -apostles were on the right, in the highest three seats; the president -of the elders, his two councilors and clerk in the seat directly below -the twelve. The High Council of Kirtland, consisting of twelve, were on -the left, on the first three seats. The fourth seat, and next below the -High Council, was occupied by Warren A. Cowdry and Warren Parrish, who -officiated as scribes. - -In the east end of the house, the Bishop of Kirtland--Newel K. -Whitney--and his councilors occupied the first pulpit for the Aaronic -priesthood; the Bishop of Zion--Edward Partridge--and his councilors, -the second; the President of the priests and his councilors, the third; -the President of the teachers, and his councilors, and one chorister, -the fourth; the High Council of Zion, consisting of twelve councilors, -on the right; the President of the deacons, and his councilors, in the -next seat below them, and the seven presidents of the seventies, on the -left. - -At nine o'clock, President Sidney Rigdon commenced the services of that -great and memorable day, by reading the ninety-sixth and twenty-fourth -Psalms; "Ere long the vail will be rent in twain," etc., was sung by -the choir, and after President Rigdon had addressed the throne of grace -in fervent prayer, "O happy souls who pray," etc., was sung. President -Rigdon then read the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth verses of -the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, and spoke more particularly from -the last-named verse, continuing his eloquent, logical and sublime -discourse for two and a half hours. At one point, as he reviewed the -toils and privations of those who had labored in rearing the walls of -that sacred edifice, he drew tears from many eyes, saying, there were -those who had wet those walls with their tears, when, in the silent -shades of the night, they were praying to the God of heaven to protect -them, and stay the unhallowed hands of ruthless spoilers, who had -uttered a prophesy, when the foundation was laid, that the walls should -never be erected. - -In reference to his main subject, the speaker assumed that in the days -of the Saviour there were synagogues where the Jews worshipped God; -and in addition to those, the splendid temple in Jerusalem; yet when, -on a certain occasion, one proposed to follow him, withersoever he -went, though heir of all things, he cried out in bitterness of soul, -"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the -Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." From this the speaker drew -the conclusion that the Most High did not put his name there, neither -did he accept the worship of those who paid their vows and adorations -there. This was evident from the fact that they did not receive the -Saviour, but thrust him from them, saying, "Away with him! Crucify him! -Crucify him!" It was therefore evident that his spirit did not dwell in -them. They were the degenerate sons of noble sires, but they had long -since slain the prophets and seers, through whom the Lord had revealed -himself to the children of men. They were not led by revelation. This, -said the speaker, was the grand difficulty--their unbelief in present -revelation. He then clearly demonstrated the fact that diversity of, -and contradictory opinions did, and would prevail among people not led -by present revelation; which forcibly applies to the various religious -sects of our own day; and inasmuch as they manifest the same spirit, -they must be under the same condemnation with those who were coeval -with the Saviour. - -He admitted there were many houses--many sufficiently large, built -for the worship of God, but not one, except this, on the face of the -whole earth, that was built by divine revelation; and were it not for -this, the dear Redeemer might, in this day of science, intelligence and -religion, say to those who would follow him, "The foxes have holes, the -birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay -his head." - -After the close of his discourse, President Rigdon presented for -an expression of their faith and confidence, Joseph Smith, Jr., as -prophet, seer and revelator, to the various quorums, and the whole -congregation of saints, and a simultaneous rising up followed, in token -of unanimous confidence, and covenant to uphold him as such, by their -faith and prayers. - -The morning services were concluded by the choir singing, "Now let us -rejoice in the day of salvation," etc. During an intermission of twenty -minutes, the congregation remained seated, and the afternoon services -opened by singing, "This earth was once a garden place," etc. President -Joseph Smith, Jr., addressed the assembly for a few moments, and then -presented the first presidency of the church as prophets, seers, and -revelators, and called upon all who felt to acknowledge them as such, -to manifest it by rising up. All arose. He then presented the twelve -apostles who were present, as prophets, seers, and revelators, and -special witnesses to all the earth, holding the keys of the kingdom -of God, to unlock it, or cause it to be done among them; to which all -assented by rising to their feet. He then presented the other quorums -in their order, and the vote was unanimous in every instance. - -He then prophesied to all, that inasmuch as they would uphold these men -in their several stations (alluding to the different quorums in the -church), the Lord would bless them, "yea, in the name of Christ, the -blessings of heaven shall be yours; and when the Lord's anointed shall -go forth to proclaim the word, bearing testimony to this generation, -if they receive it they shall be blest; but if not, the judgments of -God will follow close upon them, until that city or that house which -rejects them, shall be left desolate." - -The hymn commencing with "How pleased and blest was I," was sung, and -the following dedicatory prayer offered by the prophet, Joseph Smith: - - "Thanks be to thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant - and showest mercy unto thy servants who walk uprightly before thee, - with all their hearts; thou who hast commanded thy servants to - build a house to thy name in this place. And now thou beholdest, O - Lord, that thy servants have done according to thy commandment. And - now we ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, the son - of thy bosom, in whose name alone salvation can be administered to - the children of men, we ask thee, O Lord, to accept of this house, - the workmanship of the hands of us, thy servants, which thou didst - command us to build; for thou knowest that we have done this work - through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of - our substance, to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man - might have a place to manifest himself to his people. And as thou - hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends, - saying, 'call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you; and - as all have not faith, seek ye diligently, and teach one another - words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books, words of - wisdom; seek learning even by study, and also by faith. Organize - yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, - even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a - house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of - God. That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your - outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations - may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands to the Most - High.' - - "And now, Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us, thy people, with - thy grace, in calling our solemn assembly, that it may be done - to thy honor, and to thy divine acceptance. And in a manner that - we may be found worthy in thy sight, to secure a fulfillment of - the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people, in the - revelations given unto us; that thy glory may rest down upon thy - people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, - that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that - thy holy presence may be continually in this house, and that all - people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may - feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast - sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness. - And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in - this house, may be taught words of wisdom out of the best books, - and that they may seek learning even by study, and also by faith, - as thou hast said; and that they may grow up in thee, and receive - a fullness of the Holy Ghost and be organized according to thy - laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing; and that this - house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of - faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house; that all the - incomings of thy people, into this house, may be in the name of the - Lord; that all the outgoings from this house may be in the name of - the Lord; arid that all their salutations may be in the name of - the Lord, with holy hands, uplifted to the Most High; and that no - unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute - it; and when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily - repent, and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be - restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out - upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house. And we ask thee, - Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house, armed - with thy power, and thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be - round about them, and thine angels have charge over them; and from - this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in - truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is - thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfill that - which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning - the last days. We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people - that shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in this - thy house, to all generations, and for eternity, that no weapon - formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for - them shall fall into the same himself; that no combination of - wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people - upon whom thy name shall be put in this house; and if any people - shall rise against this people, that thy anger be kindled against - them, and if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them, - thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, - that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies. - - "We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound, and astonish, and to bring - to shame and confusion, all those who have spread lying reports - abroad, over the world, against thy servant, or servants, if they - will not repent when the everlasting gospel shall be proclaimed in - their ears, and that all their works may be brought to naught, and - be swept away by, the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt - send upon them in thy anger, that there may be an end to lyings and - slanders against thy people; for thou knowest, O Lord, that thy - servants have been innocent before thee in bearing record of thy - name, for which they have suffered these things; therefore we plead - before thee a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke; - break it off, O Lord; break it off from the necks of thy servants, - by thy power, that we may rise up in the midst of this generation - and do thy work. - - "O Jehovah, have mercy on this people, and as all men sin, forgive - the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out - forever. Let the anointing of thy ministers be sealed upon them - with power from on high; let it be fulfilled upon them as upon - those on the day of pentecost; let the gift of tongues be poured - out upon thy people, even cloven tongues as of fire, and the - interpretation thereof, and let thy house be filled, as with a - rushing mighty wind, with thy glory. Put upon thy servants the - testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim - thy word, they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of - thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in - thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their - transgressions; that thy people may not faint in the day of - trouble. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, and the - people of that city receive their testimony, let thy peace and - thy salvation be upon that city, that they may gather out of that - city the righteous, that they may come forth to Zion, or to her - stakes, the places of thy appointment, with songs of everlasting - joy; and until this be accomplished, let not thy judgments fall - upon this city. And whatsoever city thy servants shall enter, - and the people of that city receive not the testimony of thy - servants, and thy servants warn them to save themselves from this - untoward generation, let it be upon that city according to that - which thou hast spoken by the mouths of thy prophets; but deliver - thou, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, thy servants from their hands, - and cleanse them from their blood. O Lord, we delight not in the - destruction of our fellow men! Their souls are precious before - thee; but thy word must be fulfilled; help thy servants to say, - with thy grace assisting them, thy will be done, O Lord, and not - ours. We know that thou hast spoken by the mouth of thy prophets - terrible things concerning the wicked, in the last days--that - thou wilt pour out thy judgments without measure; therefore, O - Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the wicked; enable - thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the testimony, that - they may be prepared against the day of burning. We ask thee, Holy - Father, to remember those who have been driven (by the inhabitants - of Jackson county, Missouri), from the lands of their inheritance, - and break off, O Lord, this yoke of affliction that has been put - upon them. Thou knowest, O Lord, that they have been greatly - oppressed and afflicted by wicked men, and our hearts flow out with - sorrow, because of their grievous burdens. O Lord, how long wilt - thou suffer this people to bear this affliction, and the cries of - their innocent ones to ascend up in thine ears, and their blood - come up in testimony before thee, and not make a display of thy - testimony in their behalf? Have mercy, O Lord, upon that wicked - mob, who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that - they may repent of their sins, if repentance is to be found; but if - they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which - thou didst appoint a Zion unto thy people. - - "And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people - may not fail before thee, may thine anger be kindled, and thine - indignation fall upon them, that they may be wasted away, both root - and branch, from under heaven; but inasmuch as they will repent, - thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath, - when thou lookest upon the face of thine anointed. Have mercy, - O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the - rulers of our land; may those principles which were so honorably - and nobly defended, viz.: the constitution of our land, by our - fathers, be established forever. Remember the kings, the princes, - the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all people, and - the churches, all the poor, the needy and afflicted ones of the - earth, that their hearts may be softened, when thy servants shall - go out from thy house, O Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name, - that their prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people - may obtain favor in the sight of all, that all the ends of the - earth may know that we thy servants have heard thy voice, and that - thou hast sent us; that from all these, thy servants, the sons of - Jacob, may gather out the righteous to build a holy city to thy - name, as thou hast commanded them. We ask thee to appoint unto Zion - other stakes, besides this one which thou hast appointed, that the - gathering of thy people may roll on in great power and majesty, - that thy work may be cut short in righteousness. Now these words, - O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and - commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with - the Gentiles; but thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the - children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains, - for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day; we therefore ask thee - to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from - this hour, may begin to be redeemed, and the yoke of bondage begin - to be broken off from the house of David, and the children of - Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to - Abraham, their father; and cause that the remnants of Jacob, who - have been cursed and smitten, because of their transgressions, be - converted from their wild and savage condition, to the fullness of - the everlasting gospel, that they may lay down their weapons of - bloodshed, and cease their rebellions; and may all the scattered - remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, - come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and - be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee. O Lord, - remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jr., and all his afflictions - and persecutions, how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed - to thee, O mighty God of Jacob, and the commandments which thou - hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy - will. Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they - may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering - hand; have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their - prejudices may be broken up, and swept away as with a flood, that - they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou - art God. Remember, O Lord, the presidents, even all the presidents - of thy church, that thy right hand may exalt them, with all their - families, and their immediate connections, that their names may be - perpetuated, and had in everlasting remembrance, from generation - to generation. Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their - families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick - and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth, that - the kingdom which thou hast set up without hands, may become a - great mountain, and fill the whole earth; that thy church may come - forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as - the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners, - and be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the - heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and - the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy - glory may fill the earth, that when the trump shall sound for the - dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may - ever be with the Lord, that our garments may be pure, that we may - be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our - hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for - all our sufferings. - - "O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these petitions, and answer us - from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, - with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, - judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fullness, from everlasting to - everlasting. O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord, and answer these - petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the - work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name! And also this - church, to put upon it thy name; and help us by the power of thy - spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright shining - seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing - hosanna to God and the Lamb; and let these thine anointed ones be - clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, - and amen." - -The choir then sang, "The spirit of God like a fire is burning," etc., -after which the Lord's supper was administered to the whole assembly. -Then President Joseph Smith bore testimony of his mission and of the -ministration of angels, and, after testimonials and exhortations by -other elders, he blest the congregation in the name of the Lord. - -Thus ended the ceremonies of the dedication or the first temple built -by special command of the Most High, in this dispensation. - -One striking feature of the ceremonies, was the grand shout of -hosanna, which was given by the whole assembly, in standing -position, with uplifted hands. The form of the shout is as follows: -"Hosanna--hosanna--hosanna--to God and the Lamb--amen--amen, and -amen." The foregoing was deliberately and emphatically pronounced, and -three times repeated, and with such power as seemed almost sufficient -to raise the roof from the building. - -A singular incident in connection with this shout may be discredited by -some, but it is verily true. A notice had been circulated that children -in arms would not be admitted at the dedication of the temple. A sister -who had come a long distance with her babe, six weeks old, having, on -her arrival, heard of the above requisition, went to the patriarch -Joseph Smith, Sr., in great distress, saying that she knew no one with -whom she could leave her infant; and to be deprived of the privilege of -attending the dedication seemed more than she could endure. The ever -generous and kind-hearted father volunteered to take the responsibility -on himself, and told her to take her child, at the same time giving -the mother a promise that her babe should make no disturbance; and the -promise was verified. But when the congregation shouted hosanna, that -babe joined in the shout. As marvelous as that incident may appear to -many, it is not more so than other occurrences on that occasion. - -The ceremonies of that dedication may be rehearsed, but no mortal -language can describe the heavenly manifestations of that memorable -day. Angels appeared to some, while a sense of divine presence -was realized by all present, and each heart was filled with "joy -inexpressible and full of glory." - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE ANCIENT ORDER OF BLESSINGS--THE PROPHET'S FATHER--THE -PATRIARCH'S MOTHER--HIS FATHER--KIRTLAND HIGH SCHOOL--APOSTASY AND -PERSECUTION--EXODUS OF THE CHURCH. - -Concerning affairs at Kirtland subsequent to the dedication of the -temple, and people and incidents of those times, Eliza R. Snow -continues: With the restoration of the fullness of the gospel came -also the ancient order of patriarchal blessings. Each father, holding -the priesthood, stands as a patriarch, at the head of his family, -with invested right and power to bless his household, and to predict -concerning the future, on the heads of his children, as did Jacob of -old. - -Inasmuch as many fathers have died without having conferred those -blessings, God, in the order of his kingdom, has made provisions to -supply the deficiency, by choosing men to officiate as patriarchs, -whose province it is to bless the fatherless. Joseph Smith, Sr., was -ordained to this office, and held the position of first patriarch in -the church. He was also, by appointment, president of the Kirtland -stake of Zion, consequently the first presiding officer in all general -meetings for worship. - -A few words descriptive of this noble man may not be deemed amiss -in this connection. Of a fine physique, he was more than ordinarily -prepossessing in personal appearance. His kind, affable, dignified and -unassuming manner naturally inspired strangers with feelings of love -and reverence. To me he was the veritable personification of my idea of -the ancient Father Abraham. - -In his decisions he was strictly just; what can be said of very -few, may be truly said of him, in judging between man and man: his -judgment could not be biased by either personal advantage, sympathy, -or affection. Such a man was worthy of being the father of the first -prophet of the last dispensation; while his amiable and affectionate -consort, Mother Lucy Smith, was as worthy of being the mother. Of her -faith, faithfulness and untiring efforts in labors of love and duty, -until she was broken down by the weight of years and sorrow, too much -cannot be said. - -I was present, on the 17th of May, when a messenger arrived and -informed the prophet Joseph that his grandmother, Mary Duty Smith, had -arrived at Fairport, on her way to Kirtland, and wished him to come for -her. The messenger stated that she said she had asked the Lord that she -might live to see her children and grandchildren once more. The prophet -responded with earnestness, "I wish she had set the time longer." I -pondered in silence over this remark, thinking there might be more -meaning in the expression than the words indicated, which was proven by -the result, for she only lived a few days after her arrival. She was in -the ninety-fourth year of her age--in appearance not over seventy-five. -She had not been baptized, on account of the opposition of her oldest -son, Jesse, who was a bitter enemy to the work. She said to Mother Lucy -Smith, "I am going to have your Joseph baptize me, and my Joseph (the -patriarch) bless me." - -Her husband, Israel Smith, died in St. Lawrence county, New York, after -having received the Book of Mormon, and read it nearly through. He had, -long before, predicted that a prophet would be raised up in his family, -and was satisfied that his grandson was that prophet. The venerable -widow was also well assured of the fact. - -The next day after her arrival at the house of the prophet, where she -was welcomed with every manifestation of kindness and affection, her -children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren--all who were residents -of Kirtland, and two of her sons, who arrived with her--came together -to enjoy with her a social family meeting; and a happy one it was--a -season of pure reciprocal conviviality, in which her buoyancy of spirit -greatly augmented the general joy. Let the reader imagine for a moment -this aged matron, surrounded by her four sons, Joseph, Asael, Silas -and John, all of them, as well as several of her grandsons, upwards -of six feet in height, with a score of great-grandchildren of various -sizes intermixed; surely the sight was not an uninteresting one. To her -it was very exciting--too much so for her years. Feverish symptoms, -which were apparent on the following day, indicated that her nervous -system had been overtaxed. She took her bed, and survived but a few -days. I was with her, and saw her calmly fall asleep. About ten minutes -before she expired, she saw a group of angels in the room; and pointing -towards them she exclaimed, "O, how beautiful! but they do not speak." -It would seem that they were waiting to escort her spirit to its bright -abode. - -But to return to the temple. After its dedication, the "Kirtland High -School" was taught in the attic story, by H. M. Hawes, professor of -Greek and Latin. The school numbered from one hundred and thirty to -one hundred and forty students, divided into three departments--the -classics, where only languages were taught; the English department, -where mathematics, common arithmetic, geography, English grammar, -reading and writing were taught; and the juvenile department. The -two last were under assistant instructors. The school was commenced -in November, 1836, and the progress of the several classes, on -examinations before trustees of the school, parents and guardians, was -found to be of the highest order. - -Not only did the Almighty manifest his acceptance of that house, at -its dedication, but an abiding holy heavenly influence was realized; -and many extraordinary manifestations of his power were experienced on -subsequent occasions. Not only were angels often seen within, but a -pillar of light was several times seen resting down upon the roof. - -Besides being devoted to general meetings for worship and the -celebration of the Lord's Supper every first day of the week, the -temple was occupied by crowded assemblies on the first Thursday in each -month, that day being observed strictly, by the Latter-day Saints, as a -day of fasting and prayer. These, called fast-meetings, were hallowed -and interesting beyond the power of language to describe. Many, many -were the pentecostal seasons of the outpouring of the spirit of God -on those days, manifesting the gifts of the gospel and the power of -healing, prophesying, speaking in tongues, the interpretation of -tongues, etc. I have there seen the lame man, on being administered to, -throw aside his crutches and walk home perfectly healed; and not only -were the lame made to walk, but the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the -dumb to speak, and evil spirits to depart. - -On those fast days, the curtains, or veils, mentioned in a preceding -chapter, which intersected at right angles, were dropped, dividing the -house into four equal parts. Each of these sections had a presiding -officer, and the meeting in each section was conducted as though no -other were in the building, which afforded opportunity for four persons -to occupy the same time. These meetings commenced early in the day -and continued without intermission till four P.M. One hour previous -to dismissal, the veils were drawn up and the four congregations -brought together, and the people who, in the forepart of the day were -instructed to spend much of the time in prayer, and to speak, sing and -pray, mostly in our own language, lest a spirit of enthusiasm should -creep in, were permitted, after the curtains were drawn, to speak or -sing in tongues, prophesy, pray, interpret tongues, exhort or preach, -however they might feel moved upon to do. Then the united faith of the -saints brought them into close fellowship with the spirits of the just, -and earth and heaven seemed in close proximity. - -On fast days, Father Smith's constant practice was to repair to the -temple very early, and offer up his prayers before sunrise, and there -await the coming of the people; and so strictly disciplined himself -in the observance of fasting, as not even to wet his lips with water -until after the dismissal of the meeting at four P.M. One morning, -when he opened meeting, he prayed fervently that the spirit of the -Most High might be poured out as it was at Jerusalem, on the day of -pentecost--that it might come "like a mighty rushing wind." It was not -long before it did come, to the astonishment of all, and filled the -house. It appeared as though the old gentleman had forgotten what he -had prayed for. When it came, he was greatly surprised, and exclaimed, -"What! is the house on fire?" - -While the faithful saints were enjoying those supernal privileges, "the -accuser of the brethren" did not sleep. Apostasy, with its poisonous -fangs, crept into the hearts of some who but a few months before were -in quorum meetings, when heavenly hosts appeared; and where, in all -humility of soul, they united with their brethren in sublime shouts of -hosanna to God and the Lamb. And now, full of pride and self-conceit, -they join hands with our enemies and take the lead in mobocracy against -the work which they had advocated with all the energies of their souls. - -What a strange and fearful metamorphosis! How suddenly people become -debased when, having grieved away the spirit of God, the opposite takes -possession of their hearts! We read that angels have fallen, and that -one of our Saviour's chosen twelve was Judas, the traitor. Inasmuch -as the same causes produce the same effects in all ages, it is no -wonder that Joseph Smith, in introducing the same principles, should -have to suffer what was to the philosophic Paul the greatest of all -trials--that among false brethren. - -Illegal, vexatious lawsuits, one after another, were successively -instituted, and the leading officers of the church dragged into court, -creating great annoyance and expenditure. This not being sufficient to -satisfy the greed of persecution, the lives of some of the brethren -were sought, and they left Kirtland, and sought safety in the West. - -At this time my father was residing one mile south of the temple. About -twelve o'clock one bitter cold night he was startled by a knock at the -door, and who should enter but Father Smith, the patriarch! A State's -warrant had been served on him for an alleged crime, and the officer in -whose custody he was placed, although an enemy to the church, knowing -the old gentleman to be innocent, had preconcerted a stratagem by which -he had been let down from a window in the room to which he had taken -him, ostensibly for private consultation but purposely to set him at -liberty, having previously prepared a way by which he could reach the -ground uninjured. He also told him where to go for safety, directing -him to my father's house. The officer returned to the court-room as -though Father Smith followed in the rear, when, on a sudden, he looked -back, and not seeing his prisoner, he hurried back to the private room, -examining every point, and returned in great apparent amazement and -confusion, declaring that the prisoner had gone in an unaccountable -manner, saying, ludicrously, "This, gentlemen, is another Mormon -miracle." No vigorous search was made--all must have been convinced -that the proceedings were as unjust as illegal. To return to my -father's house: We were proud of our guest, and all of the family took -pleasure in anticipating and supplying his wants. He remained with us -two weeks, and in the meantime settled up all his business matters, -and, having been joined by his youngest son, Don Carlos, and five other -brethren, whose lives had been threatened, he bade a final adieu to -Kirtland, at one hour past midnight, on the 21st of December, 1837. The -night was intensely cold, but, as they had no conveyance except one -horse, they had sufficient walking exercise to prevent freezing. They -found a few Latter-day Saints in a southern county of Ohio, where they -stayed till spring, when they left for Missouri. - -The pressure of opposition increased, and before spring the prophet and -his brother Hyrum had to leave; and, in the spring and summer of 1838, -the most of the church followed; leaving our homes, and our sacred, -beautiful temple, the sanctuary of the Lord God of Hosts. - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -AN ILLUSTRIOUS MORMON WOMAN--THE FIRST WIFE OF THE IMMORTAL HEBER C. -KIMBALL--OPENING CHAPTER OF HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY--HER WONDERFUL VISION--AN -ARMY OF ANGELS SEEN IN THE HEAVENS. - -One of the very queens of Mormondom, and a woman beloved by the whole -church, during her long eventful lifetime, was the late Vilate Kimball. -To-day she sleeps by the side of her great husband, for Heber C. -Kimball was one of the world's remarkable men. He soon followed her to -the grave; a beautiful example she of the true love existing between -two kindred souls notwithstanding polygamy. Her sainted memory is -enshrined in the hearts of her people, and ever will be as long as the -record of the sisters endures. - -"My maiden name," she says, in her autobiography, "was Vilate Murray. I -am the youngest daughter of Roswell and Susannah Murray. I was born in -Florida, Montgomery county, New York, June 1st, 1806. I was married to -Heber Chase Kimball November 7, 1822, having lived until that time with -my parents in Victor, Ontario county. - -"After marriage my husband settled in Mendon, Monroe county. Here we -resided until we gathered in Kirtland in the fall of 1833. - -"About three weeks before we heard of the latter-day work we were -baptized into the Baptist Church. - -"Five elders of the Church of Latter-day Saints came to the town of -Victor, which was five miles from Mendon, and stopped at the house of -Phineas Young, the brother of Brigham. Their names were Eleazer Miller, -Elial Strong, Alpheus Gifford, Enos Curtis and Daniel Bowen. - -"Hearing of these men, curiosity prompted Mr. Kimball to go and see -them. Then for the first time he heard the fullness of the everlasting -gospel and was convinced of its truth. Brigham Young was with him. - -"At their meetings Brigham and Heber saw the manifestations of the -spirit and heard the gift of speaking and singing in tongues. They were -constrained by the spirit to bear testimony to the truth, and when they -did this the power of God rested upon them. - -"Desiring to hear more of the saints, in January, 1832, Heber took his -horses and sleigh and started for Columbia, Bradford county, Penn., -a distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles. Brigham and Phineas -Young and their wives went with him. - -"They stayed with the church about six days, saw the power of God -manifested and heard the gift of tongues, and then returned rejoicing, -bearing testimony to the people by the way. They were not baptized, -however, until the following spring. Brigham was baptized on Sunday, -April 14th, 1832, by Eleazer Miller, and Heber C. Kimball was baptized -the next day. - -"Just two weeks from that time I was baptized by Joseph Young, with -several others. - -"The Holy Ghost fell upon Heber so greatly, that he said it was like -a consuming fire. He felt as though he was clothed in his right mind -and sat at the feet of Jesus; but the people called him crazy. He -continued thus for months, till it seemed his flesh would consume away. -The Scriptures were unfolded to his mind in such a wonderful manner by -the spirit of revelation that he said it seemed he had formerly been -familiar with them. - -"Brigham Young and his wife Miriam, with their two little girls, -Elizabeth and Vilate, were at the time living at our house; but soon -after her baptism Miriam died. In her expiring moments, she clapped her -hands and praised the Lord, and called on all around to help her praise -him; and when her voice was too weak to be heard, her lips and hands -were seen moving until she expired. - -"This was another testimony to them of the powerful effect of the -everlasting gospel, showing that we shall not die, but will sleep and -come forth in the resurrection and rejoice with her in the flesh. - -"Her little girls sister Miriam left to my care, and I did all I could -to be a mother to her little ones to the period of our gathering to -Kirtland, and the marriage of Brigham to Miss Mary Ann Angell. - -"The glorious death of sister Miriam caused us to rejoice in the -midst of affliction. But enemies exulted over our loss and threw many -obstacles in the way of our gathering with the saints. - -"To my husband's great surprise some of the neighbors issued -attachments against his goods; yet he was not indebted to any of them -to the value of five cents, while there were some hundreds of dollars -due to him. However, he left his own debts uncollected, settled their -unjust claims, and gathered to Kirtland with the saints about the last -of September, 1832, in company with Brigham Young. - -"Here I will relate a marvelous incident, of date previous to our -entering the church. - -"On the night of the 22d of September, 1827, while living in the town -of Mendon, after we retired to bed, John P. Green, who was then a -traveling Reformed Methodist preacher, living within one hundred steps -of our house, came and called my husband to come out and see the sight -in the heavens. Heber awoke me, and Sister Fanny Young (sister of -Brigham), who was living with us, and we all went out of doors. - -"It was one of the most beautiful starlight nights, so clear we could -see to pick up a pin. We looked to the eastern horizon, and beheld a -white smoke arise towards the heavens. As it ascended, it formed into a -belt, and made a noise like the rushing wind, and continued southwest, -forming a regular bow, dipping in the western horizon. - -"After the bow had formed, it began to widen out, growing transparent, -of a bluish cast. It grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. In -this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the -west. They continued moving until they reached the western horizon. -They moved in platoons, and walked so close the rear ranks trod in the -steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded -with soldiers. - -"We could distinctly see the muskets, bayonets and knapsacks of the -men, who wore caps and feathers like those used by the American -soldiers in the last war with Great Britain. We also saw their officers -with their swords and equipage, and heard the clashing and jingling of -their instruments of war, and could discern the form and features of -the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army. -When the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time. We -could _hear_ their steps. - -"When the front rank reached the western horizon, a battle ensued, as -we could hear the report of the arms, and the rush. - -"None can judge of our feelings as we beheld this army of spirits as -plainly as ever armies of men were seen in the flesh. Every hair of our -heads seemed alive. - -"We gazed upon this scenery for _hours_, until it began to disappear. - -"After we became acquainted with Mormonism, we learned that this took -place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the -Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his -possession. - -"Father Young, and John P. Green's wife (Brigham's sister Rhoda), were -also witnesses of this marvelous scene. - -"Frightened at what we saw, I said, Father Young, what does all this -mean? He answered, Why it is one of the signs of the coming of the Son -of Man. - -"The next night a similar scene was beheld in the west, by the -neighbors, representing armies of men engaged in battle. - -"After our gathering to Kirtland the church was in a state of poverty -and distress. It appeared almost impossible that the commandment to -build the temple could be fulfilled, the revelation requiring it to be -erected by a certain period. - -"The enemies were raging, threatening destruction upon the saints; the -brethren were under guard night and day to preserve the prophet's life, -and the mobs in Missouri were driving our people from Jackson county. - -"In this crisis the 'Camp of Zion' was organized to go to the defence -of the saints in Jackson, Heber being one of the little army. On the -5th of May, 1834, they started. It was truly a solemn morning on which -my husband parted from his wife, children and friends, not knowing that -we should ever meet again in the flesh. On the 26th of July, however, -the brethren returned from their expedition. - -"The saints now labored night and day to build the house of the Lord, -the sisters knitting and spinning to clothe those who labored upon it. - -"When the quorum of the twelve apostles was called, my husband was -chosen one of them, and soon he was out with the rest of the apostles -preaching the gospel of the last days; but they returned on the 27th of -the following September and found their families and friends enjoying -good health and prosperity. - -"The temple was finished and dedicated on the 27th of March, 1836. It -was a season of great rejoicing, indeed, to the saints, and great and -marvelous were the manifestations and power in the Lord's house. Here I -will relate a vision of the prophet concerning the twelve apostles of -this dispensation, for whose welfare his anxiety had been very great. - -"He saw the twelve going forth, and they appeared to be in a far -distant land; after some time they unexpectedly met together, -apparently in great tribulation, their clothes all ragged, and their -knees and feet sore. They formed into a circle, and all stood with -their eyes fixed on the ground. The Saviour appeared and stood in their -midst and wept over them, and wanted to show himself to them, but they -did not discover him. - -"He saw until they had accomplished their work and arrived at the gate -of the celestial city. There Father Adam stood and opened the gate to -them, and as they entered he embraced them one by one, and kissed them. -He then led them to the throne of God, and then the Saviour embraced -each of them in the presence of God. He saw that they all had beautiful -heads of hair and all looked alike. The impression this vision left on -Brother Joseph's mind was of so acute a nature, that he never could -refrain from weeping while rehearsing it. - -"On the l0th of May, 1836, my husband again went East on a mission, -and I made a visit to my friends in Victor, where Heber and I met, and -after spending a few days, returned to Ohio, journeying to Buffalo, -where a magistrate came forward and paid five dollars for our passage -to Fairport. - -"The passengers were chiefly Swiss emigrants. After sitting and hearing -them some time, the spirit of the Lord came upon my husband so that he -was enabled to preach to them in their own language, though of himself -he knew not a word of their language. They seemed much pleased, and -treated him with great kindness. - -"We returned to Kirtland to find a spirit of speculation in the church, -and apostacy growing among some of the apostles and leading elders. -These were perilous times indeed. - -"In the midst of this my husband was called on his mission to Great -Britain, this being the first foreign mission. - -"One day while Heber was seated in the front stand in the Kirtland -temple, the prophet Joseph opened the door and came and whispered in -his ear, 'Brother Heber, the spirit of the Lord has whispered to me, -let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim the gospel, and open -the door of salvation.'" - -Here we may digress a moment from Sister Vilate's story, to illustrate -the view of the apostles "opening the door of salvation to the -nations," and preaching the gospel in foreign lands without purse or -scrip. - -At a later period the Mormon apostles and elders have deemed it as -nothing to take missions to foreign lands, but in 1837, before the age -of railroads and steamships had fairly come, going to Great Britain on -mission was very like embarking for another world; and the apostolic -proposition to gather a people from foreign lands and many nations to -form a latter-day Israel, and with these disciples to build up a Zion -on this continent, was in seeming the maddest undertaking possible in -human events. This marvelous scheme of the Mormon prophet, with many -others equally bold and strangely uncommon for modern times, shall be -fully treated in the book of his own life, but it is proper to throw -into prominence the wondrous apostolic picture of Heber C. Kimball -"opening the door of salvation to the nations that sat in darkness;" -and for the gathering of an Israel from every people and from every -tongue. Relative to this, by far the greatest event in' his life, Heber -says, in his family journals: - -"The idea of being appointed to such an important mission was almost -more than I could bear up under. I felt my weakness and was nearly -ready to sink under it, but the moment I understood the will of my -heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all hazards, believing -that he would support me by his almighty power, and although my family -were dear to me, and I should have to leave them almost destitute, I -felt that the cause of truth, the gospel of Christ, outweighed every -other consideration. At this time many faltered in their faith, some of -the twelve were in rebellion against the prophet of God. John Boynton -said to me, if you are such a d--d fool as to go at the call of the -fallen prophet, I will not help you a dime, and if you are cast on Van -Dieman's Land I will not make an effort to help you. Lyman E. Johnson -said he did not want me to go on my mission, but if I was determined -to go, he would help me all he could; he took his cloak from off his -back and put it on mine. Brother Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Sr., -Brigham Young, Newel K. Whitney and others said go and do as the -prophet has told you and you shall prosper and be blessed with power to -do a glorious work. Hyrum, seeing the condition of the church, when he -talked about my mission wept like a little child; he was continually -blessing and encouraging me, and pouring out his soul in prophesies -upon my head; he said go and you shall prosper as not many have -prospered." - -"A short time previous to my husband's starting," continues Sister -Vilate, "he was prostrated on his bed from a stitch in his back, which -suddenly seized him while chopping and drawing wood for his family, so -that he could not stir a limb without exclaiming, from the severeness -of the pain. Joseph Smith hearing of it came to see him, bringing -Oliver Cowdery and Bishop Partridge with him. They prayed for and -blessed him, Joseph being mouth, beseeching God to raise him up, &c. He -then took him by the right hand and said, 'Brother Heber, I take you by -your right hand, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and by virtue -of the holy priesthood vested in me, I command you, in the name of -Jesus Christ, to rise, and be thou made whole.' He arose from his bed, -put on his clothes, and started with them, and went up to the temple, -and felt no more of the pain afterwards. - -"At length the day for the departure of my husband arrived. It was June -13th, 1837. He was in the midst of his family, blessing them, when -Brother R. B. Thompson, who was to accompany him two or three hundred -miles, came in to ascertain when Heber would start. Brother Thompson, -in after years, writing an account in Heber's journal of his first -mission to Great Britain, in its preface thus describes that solemn -family scene: 'The door being partly open I entered and felt struck -with the sight which presented itself to my view. I would have retired, -thinking I was intruding, but I felt riveted to the spot. The father -was pouring out his soul to - - That God who rules on high, - Who all the earth surveys; - That rides upon the stormy sky, - And calms the roaring seas, - -"that he would grant unto him a prosperous voyage across the mighty -ocean, and make him useful wherever his lot should be cast, and that -he who careth for the sparrows, and feedeth the young ravens when they -cry, would supply the wants of his wife and little ones in his absence. -He then, like the patriarchs, and by virtue of his office, laid his -hands upon their heads individually, leaving a father's blessing upon -them, and commending them to the care and protection of God, while -he should be engaged preaching the gospel in foreign lands. While -thus engaged his voice was almost lost in the sobs of those around, -who tried in vain to suppress them. The idea of being separated from -their protector and father for so long a time, was indeed painful. He -proceeded, but his heart was too much affected to do so regularly; his -emotions were great, and he was obliged to stop at intervals, while -the big tears rolled down his cheeks, an index to the feelings which -reigned in his bosom. My heart was not stout enough to refrain; in -spite of myself I wept and mingled my tears with theirs at the same -time. I felt thankful that I had the privilege of contemplating such a -scene. I realized that nothing could induce that man to tear himself -from so affectionate a family group--from his partner and children who -were so dear to him--but a sense of duty and love to God and attachment -to his cause.' - -"At nine o'clock in the morning of this never-to-be-forgotten-day," -continues Sister Vilate, "Heber bade adieu to his brethren and friends -and started without purse or scrip to preach the gospel in a foreign -land. He was accompanied by myself and children, and some of the -brethren and sisters, to Fairport. Sister Mary Fielding, who became -afterwards the wife of Hyrum Smith, gave him five dollars, with which -Heber paid the passage of himself and Brother Hyde to Buffalo. They -were also accompanied by her and Brother Thompson and his wife (Mary -Fielding's sister), who were going on a mission to Canada. Heber -himself was accompanied to Great Britain by Elders Orson Hyde, Willard -Richards, J. Goodson and J. Russell, and Priest Joseph Fielding." - -Here, for the present, we must leave Brother Heber to prosecute his -important mission, and this illustrious woman to act her part alone as -an apostle's wife, while we introduce others of the sisters, and follow -the church through its scenes of persecution and removal from Missouri -to Illinois. - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -HAUN'S MILL--JOSEPH YOUNG'S STORY OF THE MASSACRE--SISTER AMANDA -SMITH'S STORY OF THAT TERRIBLE TRAGEDY--HER WOUNDED BOY'S MIRACULOUS -CURE--HER FINAL ESCAPE FROM MISSOURI. - -Towards the close of October, 1838, several small detachments of -migrants from Ohio entered the State of Missouri. They were of the -refugees from Kirtland. Their destinations were the counties of -Caldwell and Davies, where the saints had located in that State. - -Haun's Mill, in Caldwell county, was soon to become the scene of one of -the darkest tragedies on record. - -The mill was owned by a Mormon brother whose name it bore, and in the -neighborhood some Mormon families had settled. - -To Haun's Mill came the doomed refugees. - -They had been met on their entrance into the State of Missouri by armed -mobs. Governor Boggs had just issued his order to exterminate the -entire Mormon community. - -The coming of the refugees into the inhospitable State could not have -been more ill-timed, though when they left Kirtland they expected to -find a brotherhood in Far West. - -"Halt!" commanded the leader of a band of well-mounted and well-armed -mobocrats, who charged down upon them as they journeyed on their way. - -"If you proceed any farther west," said the captain, "you will be -instantly shot." - -"Wherefore?" inquired the pilgrims. - -"You are d--d Mormons!" - -"We are law-abiding Americans, and have given no cause of offence." - -"You are d--d Mormons. That's offence enough. Within ten days every -Mormon must be out of Missouri, or men, women and children will be shot -down indiscriminately. No mercy will be shown. It is the order of the -Governor that you should all be exterminated; and by G--d you will be." - -In consternation the refugees retreated, and gathered at Haun's Mill. - -It was Sunday, October 26. The Mormons were holding a council and -deliberating upon the best course to pursue to defend themselves -against the mob that was collecting in the neighborhood, under the -command of a Colonel Jennings, or Livingston, and threatening them with -house-burning and killing. - -Joseph Young, the brother of Brigham, was in the council. He had -arrived at the mill that day, with his family, retreating from the mob. - -The decision of the council was that the neighborhood of Haun's -Mill should put itself in an attitude of defence. Accordingly about -twenty-eight of the brethren armed themselves and prepared to resist an -attack. - -But the same evening the mob sent one of their number to enter into a -treaty with the Mormons at the mill. The treaty was accepted on the -condition of mutual forbearance, and that each party should exert its -influence to prevent any further hostilities. - -At this time, however, there was another mob collecting at William -Mann's, on Grand River, so that the brethren remained under arms over -Monday, the 29th, which passed without attack from any quarter. - -"On Tuesday, the 30th," says Joseph Young, "that bloody tragedy was -enacted, the scenes of which I shall never forget. - -"More than three-fourths of the day had passed in tranquillity, as -smiling as the preceding one. I think there was no individual of our -company that was apprised of the sudden and awful fate which hung over -our heads like an overwhelming torrent, and which was to change the -prospects, the feelings and sympathies of about thirty families. - -"The banks of Shoal Creek, on either side, teemed with children -sporting and playing, while their mothers were engaged in domestic -employments. Fathers or husbands were either on guard about the -mills or other property, or employed in gathering crops for winter -consumption. The weather was very pleasant, the sun shone clearly, and -all was tranquil, and no one expressed any apprehension of the awful -crisis that was near us--even at our doors. - -"It was about four o'clock P. M., while sitting in my cabin, with -my babe in my arms, and my wife standing by my side, the door being -open, I cast my eyes on the opposite bank of Shoal Creek, and saw a -large body of armed men on horses directing their course towards the -mills with all possible speed. As they advanced through the scattering -trees that bordered the prairie, they seemed to form themselves into -a three-square position, forming a vanguard in front. At this moment -David Evans, seeing the superiority of their numbers (there being two -hundred and forty of them, according to their own account), gave a -signal and cried for peace. This not being heeded, they continued to -advance, and their leader, a man named Comstock, fired a gun, which -was followed by a solemn pause of about ten or twelve seconds, when -all at once they discharged about one hundred rifles, aiming at a -blacksmith's shop, into which our friends had fled for safety. They -then charged up to the shop, the crevices of which, between the logs, -were sufficiently large to enable them to aim directly at the bodies of -those who had there fled for refuge from the fire of their murderers. -There were several families tented in the rear of the shop, whose lives -were exposed, and amid showers of bullets these fled to the woods in -different directions. - -"After standing and gazing at this bloody scene for a few minutes, and -finding myself in the uttermost danger, the bullets having reached the -house where I was living, I committed my family to the protection of -heaven; and leaving the house on the opposite side, I took a path which -led up the hill, following in the trail of three of my brethren that -had fled from the shop. - -"While ascending the hill we were discovered by the mob, who fired at -us, and continued so to do till we reached the summit. In descending -the hill I secreted myself in a thicket of bushes, where I lay till -8 o'clock in the evening. At this time I heard a voice calling my -name in an undertone. I immediately left the thicket and went to the -house of Benjamin Lewis, where I found my family--who had fled there -in safety--and two of my friends, mortally wounded, one of whom died -before morning. Here we passed the painful night in deep and awful -reflections upon the scenes of the preceding evening. - -"After daylight appeared some four or five men, with myself, who had -escaped with our lives from this horrid massacre, repaired as soon as -possible to the mills to learn the condition of our friends whose fate -we had but too truly anticipated. - -"When we arrived at the house of Mr. Haun, we found Mr. Merrick's body -lying in the rear of the house, and Mr. McBride's in front, literally -mangled from head to foot. We were informed by Miss Rebecca Judd, who -was an eye-witness, that he was shot with his own gun after he had -given it up, and then cut to pieces with a corn-cutter by a man named -Rogers, of Davies county, who kept a ferry on Grand River, and who -afterwards repeatedly boasted of this same barbarity. Mr. York's body -we found in the house. After viewing these corpses we immediately went -to the blacksmith's shop, where we found nine of our friends, eight of -whom were already dead--the other, Mr. Cox, of Indiana, in the agonies -of death, who soon expired." - -But to sister Amanda Smith must be given the principal thread of this -tragedy, for around her centres the terrible interest of the Haun's -Mill massacre, which even to-day rises before her in all the horrors of -an occurring scene. She says: - -"We sold our beautiful home in Kirtland for a song, and traveled all -summer to Missouri--our teams poor, and with hardly enough to keep body -and soul together. - -"We arrived in Caldwell county, near Haun's Mill, nine wagons of us in -company. Two days before we arrived we were taken prisoners by an armed -mob that had demanded every bit of ammunition and every weapon we had. -We surrendered all. They knew it, for they searched our wagons. - -"A few miles more brought us to Haun's Mill, where that awful scene of -murder was enacted. My husband pitched his tent by a blacksmith's shop. - -"Brother David Evans made a treaty with the mob that they would not -molest us. He came just before the massacre and called the company -together and they knelt in prayer. - -"I sat in my tent. Looking up I suddenly saw the mob coming--the same -that took away our weapons. They came like so many demons or wild -Indians. - -"Before I could get to the blacksmith's shop door to alarm the -brethren, who were at prayers, the bullets were whistling amongst them. - -"I seized my two little girls and escaped across the mill-pond on a -slab-walk. Another sister fled with me. Yet though we were women, with -tender children, in flight for our lives, the demons poured volley -after volley to kill us. - -"A number of bullets entered my clothes, but I was not wounded. The -sister, however, who was with me, cried out that she was hit. We had -just reached the trunk of a fallen tree, over which I urged her, -bidding her to shelter there where the bullets could not reach her, -while I continued my flight to some bottom land. - -"When the firing had ceased I went back to the scene of the massacre, -for there were my husband and three sons, of whose fate I as yet knew -nothing. - -"As I returned I found the sister in a pool of blood where she had -fainted, but she was only shot through the hand. Farther on was lying -dead Brother McBride, an aged white-haired revolutionary soldier. His -murderer had literally cut him to pieces with an old corn-cutter. His -hands had been split down when he raised them in supplication for -mercy. Then the monster cleft open his head with the same weapon, and -the veteran who had fought for his country, in the glorious days of the -past, was numbered with the martyrs. - -"Passing on I came to a scene more terrible still to the mother and -wife. Emerging from the blacksmith shop was my eldest son, bearing on -his shoulders his little brother Alma. - -"'Oh! my Alma is dead!' I cried, in anguish. - -"'No, mother; I think Alma is not dead. But father and brother Sardius -are killed!' - -"What an answer was this to appal me! My husband and son murdered; -another little son seemingly mortally wounded; and perhaps before the -dreadful night should pass the murderers would return and complete -their work! - -"But I could not weep then. The fountain of tears was dry; the heart -overburdened with its calamity, and all the mother's sense absorbed -in its anxiety for the precious boy which God alone could save by his -miraculous aid. - -"The entire hip joint of my wounded boy had been shot away. Flesh, hip -bone, joint and all had been ploughed out from the muzzle of the gun -which the ruffian placed to the child's hip through the logs of the -shop and deliberately fired. - -"We laid little Alma on a bed in our tent and I examined the wound. It -was a ghastly sight. I knew not what to do. It was night now. - -"There were none left from that terrible scene, throughout that long, -dark night, but about half a dozen bereaved and lamenting women, and -the children. Eighteen or nineteen, all grown men excepting my murdered -boy and another about the same age, were dead or dying; several more of -the men were wounded, hiding away, whose groans through the night too -well disclosed their hiding places, while the rest of the men had fled, -at the moment of the massacre, to save their lives. - -"The women were sobbing, in the greatest anguish of spirit; the -children were crying loudly with fear and grief at the loss of fathers -and brothers; the dogs howled over their dead masters and the cattle -were terrified with the scent of the blood of the murdered. - -"Yet was I there, all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and my -wounded, and none but God as our physician and help. - -"Oh my Heavenly Father, I cried, what shall I do? Thou seest my poor -wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh Heavenly Father direct me -what to do! - -"And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me. - -"The ashes of our fire was still smouldering. We had been burning the -bark of the shag-bark hickory. I was directed to take those ashes and -make a lye and put a cloth saturated with it right into the wound. It -hurt, but little Alma was too near dead to heed it much. Again and -again I saturated the cloth and put it into the hole from which the -hip-joint had been ploughed, and each time mashed flesh and splinters -of bone came away with the cloth; and the wound became as white as -chicken's flesh. - -"Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again -instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by -speaking to me. - -"Near by was a slippery-elm tree. From this I was told to make a -slippery-elm poultice and fill the wound with it. - -"My eldest boy was sent to get the slippery-elm from the roots, the -poultice was made, and the wound, which took fully a quarter of a yard -of linen to cover, so large was it, was properly dressed. - -"It was then I found vent to my feelings in tears, and resigned myself -to the anguish of the hour. And all that night we, a few poor, stricken -women, were thus left there with our dead and wounded. All through the -night we heard the groans of the dying. Once in the dark we crawled -over the heap of dead in the blacksmith's shop to try to help or soothe -the sufferers' wants; once we followed the cries of a wounded brother -who hid in some bushes from the murderers, and relieved him all we -could. - -"It has passed from my memory whether he was dead in the morning or -whether he recovered. - -"Next morning brother Joseph Young came to the scene of the massacre. - -"'What shall be done with the dead?' he inquired, in horror and deep -trouble. - -"There was not time to bury them, for the mob was coming on us. Neither -were there left men to dig the graves. All the men excepting the two or -three who had so narrowly escaped were dead or wounded. It had been no -battle, but a massacre indeed. - -"'Do anything, Brother Joseph,' I said, 'rather than leave their bodies -to the fiends who have killed them.' - -"There was a deep dry weir close by. Into this the bodies had to be -hurried, eighteen or nineteen in number. - -"No funeral service could be performed, nor could they be buried with -customary decency. The lives of those who in terror performed the last -duty to the dead were in jeopardy. Every moment we expected to be -fired upon by the fiends who we supposed were lying in ambush waiting -the first opportunity to dispatch the remaining few who had escaped -the slaughter of the preceding day. So in the hurry and terror of the -moment some were thrown into the well head downwards and some feet -downwards. - -"But when it came to the burial of my murdered boy Sardius, Brother -Joseph Young, who was assisting to carry him on a board to the well, -laid down the corpse and declared that he could not throw that boy into -this horrible grave. - -"All the way on the journey, that summer, Joseph had played with the -interesting lad who had been so cruelly murdered. It was too much for -one whose nature was so tender as Uncle Joseph's, and whose sympathies -by this time were quite overwrought. He could not perform that last -office. My murdered son was left unburied. - -"'Oh! they have left my Sardius unburied in the sun,' I cried, and ran -and got a sheet and covered his body. - -"There he lay until the next day, and then I, his mother, assisted by -his elder brother, had to throw him into the well. Straw and earth were -thrown into this rude vault to cover the dead. - -"Among the wounded who recovered were Isaac Laney, Nathaniel K. Knight, -Mr. Yokum, two brothers by the name of Myers, Tarlton Lewis, Mr. Haun -and several others, besides Miss Mary Stedwell, who was shot through -the hand while fleeing with me, and who fainting, fell over the log -into which the mob shot upwards of twenty balls. - -"The crawling of my boys under the bellows in the blacksmith's shop -where the tragedy occurred, is an incident familiar to all our people. -Alma's hip was shot away while thus hiding. Sardius was discovered -after the massacre by the monsters who came in to despoil the bodies. -The eldest, Willard, was not discovered. In cold blood, one Glaze, -of Carroll county, presented a rifle near the head of Sardius and -literally blew off the upper part of it, leaving the skull empty and -dry while the brains and hair of the murdered boy were scattered around -and on the walls. - -"At this one of the men, more merciful than the rest, observed: - -"'It was a d--d shame to kill those little boys.' - -"'D--n the difference!' retorted the other; 'nits make lice!' - -"My son who escaped, also says that the mobocrat William Mann took from -my husband's feet, before he was dead, a pair of new boots. From his -hiding place, the boy saw the ruffian drag his father across the shop -in the act of pulling off his boot. - -"'Oh! you hurt me!' groaned my husband. But the murderer dragged him -back again, pulling off the other boot; 'and there' says the boy, 'my -father fell over dead.' - -"Afterwards this William Mann showed the boots on his own feet, in Far -West, saying: 'Here is a pair of boots that I pulled off before the -d--d Mormon was done kicking!' - -"The murderer Glaze also boasted over the country, as a heroic deed, -the blowing off the head of my young son. - -"But to return to Alma, and how the Lord helped me to save his life. - -"I removed the wounded boy to a house, some distance off, the next day, -and dressed his hip; the Lord directing me as before. I was reminded -that in my husband's trunk there was a bottle of balsam. This I poured -into the wound, greatly soothing Alma's pain. - -"'Alma, my child,' I said, 'you believe that the Lord made your hip?' - -"'Yes, mother.' - -"'Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, -don't you believe he can, Alma?' - -"'Do you think that the Lord can, mother?' inquired the child, in his -simplicity. - -"'Yes, my son,' I replied, 'he has shown it all to me in a vision.' - -"Then I laid him comfortably on his face, and said: 'Now you lay like -that, and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip.' - -"So Alma laid on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely -recovered--a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing -joint and socket, which remains to this day a marvel to physicians. - -"On the day that he walked again I was out of the house fetching a -bucket of water, when I heard screams from the children. Running back, -in affright, I entered, and there was Alma on the floor, dancing -around, and the children screaming in astonishment and joy. - -"It is now nearly forty years ago, but Alma has never been the least -crippled during his life, and he has traveled quite a long period of -the time as a missionary of the gospel and a living miracle of the -power of God. - -"I cannot leave the tragic story without relating some incidents -of those five weeks when I was a prisoner with my wounded boy in -Missouri, near the scene of the massacre, unable to obey the order of -extermination. - -"All the Mormons in the neighborhood had fled out of the State, -excepting a few families of the bereaved women and children who had -gathered at the house of Brother David Evans, two miles from the scene -of the massacre. To this house Alma had been carried after that fatal -night. - -"In our utter desolation, what could we women do but pray? Prayer was -our only source of comfort; our Heavenly Father our only helper. None -but he could save and deliver us. - -"One day a mobber came from the mill with the captain's fiat: - -"'The captain says if you women don't stop your d--d praying he will -send down a posse and kill every d--d one of you!' - -"And he might as well have done it, as to stop us poor women praying in -that hour of our great calamity. - -"Our prayers were hushed in terror. We dared not let our voices be -heard in the house in supplication. I could pray in my bed or in -silence, but I could not live thus long. This godless silence was more -intolerable than had been that night of the massacre. - -"I could bear it no longer. I pined to hear once more my own voice in -petition to my Heavenly Father. - -"I stole down into a corn-field, and crawled into a 'stout of corn.' It -was as the temple of the Lord to me at that moment. I prayed aloud and -most fervently. - -"When I emerged from the corn a voice spoke to me. It was a voice as -plain as I ever heard one. It was no silent, strong impression of the -spirit, but a _voice_, repeating a verse of the saint's hymn: - - "That soul who on Jesus hath leaned for repose, - I cannot, I will not desert to its foes; - That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, - I'll never, no never, no never forsake! - -"From that moment I had no more fear. I felt that nothing could hurt -me. Soon after this the mob sent us word that unless we were all out of -the State by a certain day we should be killed. - -"The day came, and at evening came fifty armed men to execute the -sentence. - -"I met them at the door. They demanded of me why I was not gone? I -bade them enter and see their own work. They crowded into my room and -I showed them my wounded boy. They came, party after party, until all -had seen my excuse. Then they quarreled among themselves and came near -fighting. - -"At last they went away, all but two. These I thought were detailed to -kill us. Then the two returned. - -"'Madam,' said one, 'have you any meat in the house?' - -"' No,' was my reply. - -"'Could you dress a fat hog if one was laid at your door?' - -"'I think we could!' was my answer. - -"And then they went and caught a fat hog from a herd which had belonged -to a now exiled brother, killed it and dragged it to my door, and -departed. - -"These men, who had come to murder us, left on the threshold of our -door a meat offering to atone for their repented intention. - -"Yet even when my son was well I could not leave the State, now -accursed indeed to the saints. - -"The mob had taken my horses, as they had the drove of horses, and the -beeves, and the hogs, and wagons, and the tents, of the murdered and -exiled. - -"So I went down into Davies county (ten miles) to Captain Comstock, and -demanded of him my horses. There was one of them in his yard. He said I -could have it if I paid five dollars for its keep. I told him I had no -money. - -"I did not fear the captain of the mob, for I had the Lord's promise -that nothing should hurt me. But his wife swore that the mobbers -were fools for not killing the women and children as well as the -men--declaring that we would 'breed up a pack ten times worse than the -first.' - -"I left without the captain's permission to take my horse, or giving -pay for its keep; but I went into his yard and took it, and returned to -our refuge unmolested. - -"Learning that my other horse was at the mill, I next yoked up a pair -of steers to a sled and went and demanded it also. - -"Comstock was there at the mill. He gave me the horse, and then asked -if I had any flour. - -"'No; we have had none for weeks.' - -"He then gave me about fifty pounds of flour and some beef, and filled -a can with honey. - -"But the mill, and the slaughtered beeves which hung plentifully on its -walls, and the stock of flour and honey, and abundant spoil besides, -had all belonged to the murdered or exiled saints. - -"Yet was I thus providentially, by the very murderers and mobocrats -themselves, helped out of the State of Missouri. - -"The Lord had kept his word. The soul who on Jesus had leaned for -succor had not been forsaken even in this terrible hour of massacre, -and in that infamous extermination of the Mormons from Missouri in the -years 1838-39. - -"One incident more, as a fitting close. - -"Over that rude grave--that well--where the nineteen martyrs slept, -where my murdered husband and boy were entombed, the mobbers of -Missouri, with an exquisite fiendishness, which no savages could have -conceived, had constructed a rude privy. This they constantly used, -with a delight which demons might have envied, if demons are more -wicked and horribly beastly than were they. - -"Thus ends my chapter of the Haun's Mill massacre, to rise in judgment -against them!" - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -MOBS DRIVE THE SETTLERS INTO FAR WEST--HEROIC DEATH OF APOSTLE -PATTEN--TREACHERY OF COL. HINKLE, AND FALL OF THE MORMON -CAPITAL--FAMOUS SPEECH OF MAJOR-GENERAL CLARK. - -But the iliad of Mormondom was now in Far West. - -Haun's Mill massacre was merely a tragic episode; a huge tragedy in -itself, it is true, such as civilized times scarcely ever present, yet -merely an episode of this strange religious iliad of America and the -nineteenth century. - -The capital of Mormondom was now the city of Far West, in Missouri. - -There was Joseph the prophet. There was Brigham Young--his St. -Peter--who by this time fairly held the keys of the latter-day kingdom. -There were the apostles. There were two armies marshaled--the army of -the Lord and the army of Satan. And these were veritable hosts, of -flesh and blood, equipped and marshaled in a religious crusade--not -merely spiritual powers contending. - -"On the 4th of July, 1838," writes Apostle Parley Pratt, "thousands of -the citizens who belonged to the church of the saints assembled at the -city of Far West, the county seat of Caldwell, in order to celebrate -our nation's birth. - -"We erected a tall standard, on which was hoisted our national colors, -the stars and stripes, and the bold eagle of American liberty. Under -its waving folds we laid the corner-stone of a temple of God, and -dedicated the land and ourselves and families to him who had preserved -us in all our troubles. - -"An address was then delivered by Sidney Rigdon, in which was portrayed -in lively colors the oppression which we had suffered at the hands of -our enemies. - -"We then and there declared our constitutional rights as American -citizens, and manifested our determination to resist, with our utmost -endeavors, from that time forth, all oppression, and to maintain our -rights and freedom, according to the holy principles of liberty as -guaranteed to every person by the constitution and laws of our country. - -"This declaration was received with shouts of hosanna to God and the -Lamb, and with many long cheers by the assembled thousands, who were -determined to yield their rights no more unless compelled by superior -power." - -Very proper, too were such resolutions of these sons and daughters of -sires and mothers who were among the pilgrim founders of this nation, -and among the heroes and heroines of the Revolution. - -But Missouri could not endure this temple-building to the God of -Israel, nor these mighty shouts of hosanna to his name; while the -all-prevailing faith of the sisters brought more of the angels down -from the New Jerusalem than earth just then was prepared to receive. In -popular words, this formidable gathering of a modern Israel and this -city building within its borders loomed up to Missouri as the rising of -a Mormon empire. - -Soon the State was alive with mobs determined on the extermination -of the saints; soon those mobs numbered ten thousand armed men; soon -also were they converted into a State army, officered by generals and -major-generals, with the governor as the commander-in-chief of a boldly -avowed religious crusade, with rival priests as its "inspiring demons." - -One feature, all worthy of note, in this Hebraic drama of Mormondom, is -that while modern Israel was ever in the action inspired by archangels -of the new covenant, the anti-Mormon crusade was as constantly inspired -by sectarian priests at war with a dispensation of angels. - -Even the mobber, Captain Comstock, who was bold enough to perpetrate a -Haun's Mill massacre, was in consternation over the magic prayers of a -few stricken women who honored the God of Israel in the hour of direst -calamity. - -Thus throughout Missouri. And so the exterminating order of Governor -Boggs prevailed like the edict of a second Nebuchadnezzar. - -There was a _Mormon war_ in the State. So it was styled. - -Mobs were abroad, painted like Indian warriors, committing murder, -robbery, burning the homesteads of the saints, and spreading desolation. - -Next, one thousand men were ordered into service by the Governor, under -the command of Major-General Atchison and Brigadier-Generals Park and -Doniphan. - -This force marched against the saints in several counties. A -Presbyterian priest, Rev. Sashel Woods, was its chaplain. He said -prayers in the camp, morning and evening. 'Twas a godly service in -an ungodly crusade, but the Rev. Sashel Woods was equal to it. The -Philistines drove modern Israel before them, and their priest prayed -Jehovah out of countenance. - -In Far West a thousand men of our Mormon Israel flew to arms, and in -Davies county several hundred men assembled for defence. Colonel David -Patten, an apostle, with his company put to flight some of the mob; -but the crusaders in general drove the saints from settlement after -settlement. - -Hundreds of men, women and children fled from their homes to the cities -and strongholds of their people. From Davies county and the frontiers -of Caldwell the refugees daily poured into the city of Far West. Lands -and crops were abandoned to the enemy. The citizens in the capital of -the saints were constantly under arms. Men slept in their clothes, with -arms by their side, ready to muster at a given signal at any hour of -the night. - -A company under Colonel Patten went out to meet the enemy across the -prairies, a distance of twelve miles, to stop the murder and spoliation -of a settlement of their people. Parley Pratt was one of the posse. - -"The night was dark," he says; "the distant plains far and wide were -illuminated by blazing fires; immense columns of smoke were seen rising -in awful majesty, as if the world was on fire. This scene, added to the -silence of midnight, the rumbling sound of the tramping steeds over -the hard and dried surface of the plain, the clanking of swords in -their scabbards, the occasional gleam of bright armor in the flickering -firelight, the gloom of surrounding darkness, and the unknown destiny -of the expedition, or even of the people who sent it forth, all -combined to impress the mind with deep and solemn thoughts." - -At dawn of day they met the enemy in ambush in the wilderness. The -enemy opened fire, mortally wounding a brother named O'Banyon. Soon -the brethren charged the enemy in his camp; several fell upon both -sides, among whom was the brave apostle, David Patten; but the foemen -flung themselves into a stream and escaped on the opposite shore, while -the wilderness resounded with the watchword of the heroes, "_God and -Liberty_:" - -Six of the brethren were wounded, and one left dead on the ground. - -The heroes returned to Far West. Among those who came out to meet them -was the wife of the dying apostle, Patten. - -"O God! O my husband!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears. - -The wounds were dressed. David was still able to speak, but he died -that evening in the triumphs of faith. - -"I had rather die," he said, "than live to see it thus in my country!" - -The young O'Banyon also died about the same time. They were buried -together under military honors; a whole people in tears followed them -to their grave. - -David Patten was the first of the modern apostles who found a martyr's -grave. He is said to have been a great and good man, who chose to lay -down his life for the cause of truth and right. - -Not long now ere Governor Boggs found the opportunity for the grand -expulsion of the entire Mormon community--from twelve to fifteen -thousand souls. He issued an order for some ten thousand troops to be -mustered into service and marched to the field against the Mormons, -giving the command to General Clark. His order was expressly to -_exterminate_ the Mormons, or drive them from the State. - -The army of extermination marched upon the city of Far West. - -The little Mormon host, about five hundred strong, marched out upon the -plains on the south of the city, and formed in order of battle. Its -line of infantry extended near half a mile; a small company of horse -was posted on the right wing on a commanding eminence, and another in -the rear of the main body extended as a reserve. - -The army of extermination halted and formed along the borders of a -stream called Goose Creek; and both sides sent out white flags, which -met between the armies. - -"We want three persons out of the city before we massacre the rest!" -was the voice of the white flag from the governor's army. - -Small need this, for the flag of mercy! But it was as good as the mercy -of Haun's Mill, which was given on the very same day. - -That night Major-General Lucas encamped near the city. The brethren -continued under arms, and spent the night throwing up temporary -breastworks. They were determined to defend their homes, wives and -children to the last. Both armies were considerably reinforced during -the night, the army of extermination being reinforced with the monsters -from the Haun's Mill massacre. - -But the prophet and brethren were on the next day betrayed by the -traitor Colonel George M. Hinkle, who was in command of the defence of -Far West. - -Joseph was now a prisoner of war; Parley and others were prisoners -also; Brigham was at Far West, but even he could not save the prophet -and the saints from this formidable army, nor lessen the blow which -a traitor had dealt. The treachery of Colonel Hinkle had, however, -perhaps saved the lives of hundreds of women and children, and -prevented brave men from fighting in a just cause. - -It was November, now, and Major-General Clark was also at Far West -with _his_ army of extermination. No book of the persecutions could be -properly written without his speech to the Mormons, especially a book -of the sisters, whom it so much concerned: - - "GENTLEMEN: You, whose names are not on this list, will now have - the privilege of going to your fields to obtain grain for your - families--wood, etc. Those that compose the list will go hence to - prison, to be tried, and receive the due demerits of their crimes. - But you are now at liberty, all but such as charges may hereafter - be preferred against. It now devolves upon you to fulfill the - treaty that you have entered into--the leading items of which I now - lay before you. - - "The first of these items you have already complied with--which - is, that you deliver up your leading men to be tried according to - law. Second, that you deliver up your arms--this has been attended - to. The third is, that you sign over your property to defray the - expenses of the war; this you have also done. Another thing yet - remains for you to comply with; that is: that you leave the State - forthwith; and, whatever your feeling concerning this affair, - whatever your innocence, it is nothing to me. General Lucas, who - is equal in authority with me, has made this treaty with you. I am - determined to see it executed. - - "The orders of the Governor to me, were, that you should be - exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the State. And had your - leaders not been given up, and the treaty complied with, before - this you and your families would have been destroyed and your - houses in ashes. - - "There is a discretionary power resting in my hands, which I shall - try to exercise for a season. I did not say that you must go now, - but you must not think of stopping here another season, or of - putting in crops; for the moment you do, the citizens will be upon - you. I am determined to see the Governor's orders fulfilled, but - shall not come upon you immediately. Do not think that I shall - act as I have done any more; but if I have to come again because - the treaty which you have made is not complied with, you need not - expect any mercy, but extermination; for I am determined that the - Governor's order shall be executed. - - "As for your leaders, do not think, do not imagine for a moment, do - not let it enter your minds that they will be delivered, or that - you will see their faces again, for their fate is fixed, their die - is cast, their doom is sealed. - - "I am sorry, gentlemen, to see so great a number of apparently - intelligent men found in the situation that you are. And, oh! that - I could invoke the spirit of the unknown God to rest upon you, and - deliver you from that awful chain of superstition, and liberate you - from those fetters of fanaticism with which you are bound. I would - advise you to scatter abroad and never again organize with bishops, - presidents, etc., lest you excite the jealousies of the people, and - subject yourselves to the same calamities that have now come upon - you. - - "You have always been the aggressors; you have brought upon - yourselves these difficulties by being disaffected, and not being - subject to rule; and my advice is, that you become as other - citizens, lest by a recurrence of these events you bring upon - yourselves inevitable ruin." - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -EPISODES OF THE PERSECUTIONS--CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S -NARRATIVE--BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY--LOUISA F. WELLS INTRODUCED TO -THE READER--EXPERIENCE OF ABIGAIL LEONARD--MARGARET FOUTZ. - -The prophet and his brother Hyrum were in prison and in chains in -Missouri; Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt and others were also in prison -and in chains, for the gospel's sake. - -The St. Peter of Mormondom was engaged in removing the saints from -Missouri to Illinois. He had made a covenant with them that none of -the faithful should be left. Faithfully he kept that covenant. It was -then, in fact, that Brigham rose as a great leader of a people, giving -promise of what he has been since the martyrdom of the prophet. - -While Joseph is in chains, and Brigham is accomplishing the exodus from -Missouri, the sisters shall relate some episodes of those days. - -Sister Snow, continuing the thread of her narrative already given, says: - -In Kirtland the persecution increased until many had to flee for their -lives, and in the spring of 1838, in company with my father, mother, -three brothers, one sister and her two daughters, I left Kirtland, and -arrived in Far West, Caldwell county, Mo., on the 16th of July, where -I stopped at the house of Sidney Rigdon, with my brother Lorenzo, who -was very sick, while the rest of the family went farther, and settled -in Adam-Ondi-Ahman, in Davies county. In two weeks, my brother being -sufficiently recovered, my father sent for us and we joined the family -group. My father purchased the premises of two of the "old settlers," -and paid their demands in full. I mention this, because subsequent -events proved that, at the time of the purchase, although those men -ostensibly were our warm friends, they had, in connection with others -of the same stripe, concocted plans to mob and drive us from our newly -acquired homes, and repossess them. In this brief biographical sketch, -I shall not attempt a review of the scenes that followed. Sufficient -to say, while we were busy in making preparations for the approaching -winter, to our great surprise, those neighbors fled from the place, as -if driven by a mob, leaving their clocks ticking, dishes spread for -their meal, coffee-pots boiling, etc., etc., and, as they went, spread -the report in every direction that the "Mormons" had driven them from -their homes, arousing the inhabitants of the surrounding country, which -resulted in the disgraceful, notorious "exterminating order" from the -Governor of the State; in accordance therewith, we left Davies county -for that of Caldwell, preparatory to fulfilling the injunction of -leaving the State "before grass grows" in the spring. - -The clemency of our law-abiding, citizen-expelling Governor allowed us -ten days to leave our county, and, till the expiration of that term, -a posse of militia was to guard us against mobs; but it would be very -difficult to tell which was better, the militia or the mob--nothing was -too mean for the militia to perform--no property was safe within the -reach of those men. - -One morning, while we were hard at work, preparing for our exit, the -former occupant of our house entered, and in an impudent and arrogant -manner inquired how soon we should be out of it. My American blood -warmed to the temperature of an insulted, free-born citizen, as I -looked at him, and thought, poor man, you little think with whom you -have to deal--God lives! He certainly overruled in that instance, for -those wicked men never got possession of that property, although my -father sacrificed it to American mobocracy. - -In assisting widows and others who required help, my father's time -was so occupied that we did not start until the morning of the 10th, -and last day of the allotted grace. The weather was very cold and the -ground covered with snow. After assisting in the arrangements for the -journey, and shivering with cold, in order to warm my aching feet, I -walked until the teams overtook me. In the mean time, I met one of -the so-called militia, who accosted me with, "Well, I think this will -cure you of your faith!" Looking him steadily in the eye, I replied, -"No, sir; it will take more than _this_ to cure me of my faith." His -countenance suddenly fell, and he responded, "I must confess, you are -a better soldier than I am." I passed on, thinking that, unless he was -above the average of his fellows in that section, I was not highly -complimented by his confession. It is true our hardships and privations -were sufficient to have disheartened any but the saints of the living -God--those who were prompted by higher than earthly motives, and -trusting in the arm of Jehovah. - -We were two days on our way to Far West, and stopped over night at -what was called the Half-way House, a log building perhaps twenty feet -square, with the chinkings between the logs, minus--they probably -having been burned for firewood--the owner of the house, Brother -Littlefield, having left with his family to escape being robbed; and -the north wind had free ingress through the openings, wide enough for -cats to crawl through. This had been the lodging place of the hundreds -who had preceded us, and on the present occasion proved the almost -shelterless shelter of seventy-five or eighty souls. To say lodging, -would be a hoax, although places were allotted to a few aged and -feeble, to lie down, while the rest of us either sat or stood, or both, -all night. My sister and I managed so that mother lay down, and we sat -by (on the floor, of course), to prevent her being trampled on, for the -crowd was such that people were hardly responsible for their movements. - -It was past the middle of December, and the cold was so intense that, -in spite of well packing, our food was frozen hard, bread and all, -and although a blazing fire was burning on one side of the room, we -could not get to it to thaw our suppers, and had to resort to the next -expediency, which was this: The boys milked, and while one strained -the milk, another held the pan (for there was no chance for putting -anything down); then, while one held a bowl of the warm milk, another -would, as expeditiously as possible, thinly slice the frozen bread -into it, and thus we managed for supper. In the morning, we were less -crowded, as some started very early, and we toasted our bread and -thawed our meat before the fire. But, withal, that was a very merry -night. None but saints can be happy under every circumstance. About -twenty feet from the house was a shed, in the centre of which the -brethren built a roaring fire, around which some of them stood and -sang songs and hymns all night, while others parched corn and roasted -frosted potatoes, etc. Not a complaint was heard--all were cheerful, -and judging from appearances, strangers would have taken us to be -pleasure excursionists rather than a band of gubernatorial exiles. - -After the mobbing commenced, although my father had purchased, and -had on hand, plenty of wheat, he could get none ground, and we were -under the necessity of grating corn for our bread on graters made of -tin-pails and stove-pipe. I will here insert a few extracts from a long -poem I wrote while in Davies county, as follows: - - 'Twas autumn--Summer's melting breath was gone, - And Winter's gelid blast was stealing on; - To meet its dread approach, with anxious care - The houseless saints were struggling to prepare; - When round about a desperate mob arose, - Like tigers waking from a night's repose; - They came like hordes from nether shades let loose-- - Men without hearts, just fit for Satan's use! - With wild, demoniac rage they sallied forth, - Resolved to drive the saints of God from earth. - Hemm'd in by foes--deprived the use of mill, - Necessity inspires their patient skill; - Tin-pails and stove-pipe, from their service torn, - Are changed to graters to prepare the corn, - That Nature's wants may barely be supplied-- - They ask no treat, no luxury beside. - But, where their shelter? Winter hastens fast; - Can tents and wagons stem this northern blast? - -The scene presented in the city of Far West, as we stopped over night -on our way to our temporary location, was too important to be omitted, -and too sad to narrate. Joseph Smith, and many other prominent men, -had been dragged to prison. Their families, having been plundered, -were nearly or quite destitute--some living on parched corn, others on -boiled wheat; and desolation seemed inscribed on everything but the -hearts of the faithful saints. In the midst of affliction, they trusted -in God. - -After spending the remainder of the winter in the vicinity of Far West, -on the 5th of March, 1839, leaving much of our property behind, we -started for Illinois. - -From the commencement of hostilities against us, in the State of -Missouri, till our expulsion, no sympathy in our behalf was ever, to -my knowledge, expressed by any of the former citizens, with one single -exception, and that was so strikingly in contrast with the morbid -state of feeling generally manifested that it made a deep impression -on my mind, and I think it worthy of record. I will here relate the -circumstance. It occurred on our outward journey. - -After a night of rain which turned to snow and covered the ground in -the morning, we thawed our tent, which was stiffly frozen, by holding -and turning it alternately before a blazing fire until it could be -folded for packing; and, all things put in order, while we all shook -with the cold, we started on. As the sun mounted upwards, the snow -melted, and increased the depth of the mud with which the road before -us had been amply stocked, and rendered travel almost impossible. -The teams were puffing, and the wagons dragging so heavily that we -were all on foot, tugging along as best we could, when an elderly -gentleman, on horseback, overtook us, and, after riding alongside for -some time, apparently absorbed in deep thought, as he (after inquiring -who we were) watched the women and girls, men and boys, teams and -wagons, slowly wending our way up a long hill, _en route_ from our -only earthly homes, and, not knowing where we should find one, he said -emphatically, "If I were in your places, I should want the Governor of -the State hitched at the head of my teams." I afterwards remarked to my -father that I had not heard as sensible a speech from a stranger since -entering the State. I never saw that gentleman afterwards, but have -from that time cherished a filial respect for him, and fancy I see his -resemblance in the portrait of Sir Von Humboldt, now hanging on the -wall before me. - -We arrived in Quincy, Ill., where many of the exiled saints had -preceded us, and all were received with generous hospitality. - -My father moved to one of the northern counties. I stopped in Quincy, -and, while there, wrote for the press, "An Appeal to the Citizens of -the United States," "An Address to the Citizens of Quincy," and several -other articles, for which I received some very flattering encomiums, -with solicitations for effusions, which, probably, were elicited by the -fact that they were from the pen of a "Mormon girl." - -From Quincy, my sister, her two daughters and I, went to Lima, Hancock -county, where we found a temporary home under the roof of an old -veteran of the Revolution, who, with his family, treated us with much -kindness, although, through ignorance of the character of the saints, -their feelings were like gall towards them as a people, which we knew -to be the result of misrepresentation. It was very annoying to our -feelings to hear bitter aspersions against those whom we knew to be the -best people on earth; but, occupying, as we did, an upper room with a -slight flooring between us and those below, we were obliged to hear. -Frequently, after our host had traduced our people, of whom he knew -nothing, he would suddenly change his tone and boast of the "noble -women" he had in his house; "no better women ever lived," etc., which -he would have said of the Mormon people generally, had he known them -as well. We were pilgrims, and for the time being had to submit to -circumstances. Almost anything is preferable to dependence--with these -people we would earn our support at the tailoring business, thanks to -my mother's industrial training, for which I even now bless her dear -memory. - -In May the saints commenced gathering in Commerce (afterwards Nauvoo), -and on the 16th of July I left our kind host and hostess, much to their -regret, Elder Rigdon having sent for me to teach his family school in -Commerce, and, although I regretted to part with my sister, I was truly -thankful to be again associated with the body of the church, with those -whose minds, freed from the fetters of sectarian creeds, and man-made -theology, launch forth in the divine path of investigation into the -glorious fields of celestial knowledge and intelligence. - --- - -Concerning these times, Sister Bathsheba W. Smith says: "When I -was in my sixteenth year, some Latter-day Saint elders visited our -neighborhood. I heard them preach and believed what they taught; I -believed the Book of Mormon to be a divine record, and that Joseph -Smith was a prophet of God. I knew by the spirit of the Lord, which -I received in answer to prayer, that these things were true. On the -21st of August, 1837, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ -of Latter-day Saints, by Elder Samuel James, in Jones' Run, on the -farm and near the residence of Augustus Burgess, and was confirmed -by Elder Francis G. Bishop. The spirit of the Lord rested upon me, -and I knew that he accepted of me as a member in his kingdom. My -mother was baptized this same day. My sister Sarah, next older than -me, was baptized three days previously. My father, and my two oldest -sisters, Matilda and Nancy, together with their husbands, Col. John S. -Martin and Josiah W. Fleming, were baptized into the same church soon -afterwards. My uncle, Jacob Bigler, and his family had been baptized -a few weeks before. A part of my first experience as a member of the -church was, that most of my young acquaintances and companions began to -ridicule us. The spirit of gathering with the saints in Missouri came -upon me, and I became very anxious indeed to go there that fall with my -sister Nancy and family, as they had sold out and were getting ready -to go. I was told I could not go. This caused me to retire to bed one -night feeling very sorrowful. While pondering upon what had been said -to me about not going, a voice said to me,'Weep not, you will go this -fall' I was satisfied and comforted. The next morning I felt contented -and happy, on observing which my sister Sarah said, 'You have got over -feeling badly about not going to Zion this fall, have you?' I quietly, -but firmly, replied, 'I am going--you will see.' - -"My brother, Jacob G. Bigler, having gone to Far West, Mo., joined the -church there and bought a farm for my father, and then returned. About -this time my father sold his farm in West Virginia, and fitted out my -mother, my brother, and my sister Sarah, Melissa and myself, and we -started for Far West, in company with my two brothers-in-law and my -uncle and their families. Father stayed to settle up his business, -intending to join us at Far West in the spring, bringing with him, by -water, farming implements, house furniture, etc. On our journey the -young folks of our party had much enjoyment; it seemed so novel and -romantic to travel in wagons over hill and dale, through dense forests -and over extensive prairies, and occasionally passing through towns -and cities, and camping in tents at night. On arriving in Missouri we -found the State preparing to wage war against the Latter-day Saints. -The nearer we got to our destination, the more hostile the people were. -As we were traveling along, numbers of men would sometimes gather -around our wagons and stop us. They would inquire who we were, where we -were from, and where we were going to. On receiving answers to their -questions, they would debate among themselves whether to let us go or -not; their debate would result generally in a statement to the effect -of, 'As you are Virginians, we will let you go on, but we believe you -will soon return, for you will quickly become convinced of your folly.' -Just before we crossed Grand River, we camped over night with a company -of Eastern saints. We had a meeting, and rejoiced together. In the -morning it was thought best for the companies to separate and cross the -river by two different ferries, as this arrangement would enable all -to cross in less time. Our company arrived at Far West in safety. But -not so with the other company; they were overtaken at Haun's Mill by an -armed mob--nineteen were killed, many others were wounded, and some of -them maimed for life. - -"Three nights after we had arrived at the farm which my brother had -bought, and which was four miles south of the city of Far West, word -came that a mob was gathering on Crooked River, and a call was made for -men to go out in command of Captain David W. Patten, for the purpose -of trying to stop the depredations of the men, who were whipping -and otherwise maltreating our brethren, and who were destroying and -burning property. Captain Patten's company went, and a battle ensued. -Some of the Latter-day Saints were killed, and several were wounded. -I saw Brother James Hendrix, one of the wounded, as he was being -carried home; he was entirely helpless and nearly speechless. Soon -afterwards Captain David W. Patten, who was one of the twelve apostles, -was brought wounded into the house where we were. I heard him bear -testimony to the truth of Mormonism. He exhorted his wife and all -present to abide in the faith. His wife asked him if he had anything -against any one. He answered, 'No.' Elder Heber C. Kimball asked him if -he would remember him when he got home. He said he would. Soon after -this he died, without a struggle. - -"In this State I saw thousands of mobbers arrayed against the saints, -and I heard their shouts and savage yells when our prophet Joseph and -his brethren were taken into their camp. I saw much, very much, of the -sufferings that were brought upon our people by those lawless men. -The saints were forced to sign away their property, and to agree to -leave the State before it was time to put in spring crops. In these -distressing times, the spirit of the Lord was with us to comfort and -sustain us, and we had a sure testimony that we were being persecuted -for the gospel's sake, and that the Lord was angry with none save those -who acknowledged not his hand in all things. - -"My father had to lose what he had paid on his farm; and in February, -1839, in the depth of winter, our family, and thousands of the saints, -were on the way to the State of Illinois. On this journey I walked many -a mile, to let some poor sick or weary soul ride. At night we would -meet around the camp-fire and take pleasure in singing the songs of -Zion, trusting in the Lord that all would yet be well, and that Zion -would eventually be redeemed. - -"In the spring, father joined us at Quincy, Ill. We also had the joy of -having our prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brethren, restored to us from -their imprisonment in Missouri. Many, however, had died from want and -exposure during our journey. I was sick for a long time with ague and -fever, during which time my father was taken severely sick, and died -after suffering seven weeks. It was the first sickness that either of -us ever had. - -"In the spring of 1840 our family moved to Nauvoo, in Illinois. -Here I continued my punctuality in attending meetings, had many -opportunities of hearing Joseph Smith preach, and tried to profit -by his instructions, and received many testimonials to the truth of -the doctrines he taught. Meetings were held out of doors in pleasant -weather, and in private houses when it was unfavorable. I was present -at the laying of the cornerstones of the foundation of the Nauvoo -temple, and had become acquainted with the prophet Joseph and his -family. - -"On the 25th of July, 1841, I was united in holy marriage to George -Albert Smith, the then youngest member of the quorum of the twelve -apostles, and first cousin of the prophet (Elder Don Carlos Smith -officiating at our marriage). My husband was born June 26th, 1817, at -Potsdam. St. Lawrence county, N. Y. When I became acquainted with him -in Virginia, in 1837, he was the junior member of the first quorum of -seventy. On the 26th day of June, 1838, he was ordained a member of -the High Council of Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Davies county, Missouri. Just -about the break of day, on the 26th of April, 1839, while kneeling on -the corner-stone of the foundation of the Lord's house in the city of -Far West, Caldwell county, Missouri, he was ordained one of the twelve -apostles. Two days after we were married, we started, carpet bag in -hand, to go to his father's, who lived at Zarahemla, Iowa Territory, -about a mile from the Mississippi. There we found a feast prepared for -us, in partaking of which my husband's father, John Smith, drank our -health, pronouncing the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob upon us. -I did not understand the import of this blessing as well then as I do -now." - --- - -Here we meet another of these Spartan women of Mormondom in the person -of Louisa F. Wells, the senior wife of Lieutenant-General Daniel H. -Wells. - -In July, 1837, her father, Absalom Free, who had embraced Mormonism in -Fayetteville, St. Clair county, Ill., in the year 1835, emigrated with -his family to Caldwell county, Mo. - -In Caldwell, Brother Free purchased a farm and built a good house. -He was of the well-to-do farmer class. With his ample means he soon -collected a fine farming outfit, and before him was the promise of -great prosperity. - -The saints had been driven out of Jackson county, and mobs were -ravaging in Davies county, but there was peace in Caldwell until the -Fourth of July, in 1838, when the anti-Mormons, who were waiting and -watching for a pretext, took occasion, from some remarks made by -Elder Sidney Rigdon, in a commemorative speech at the celebration, to -commence a crusade against the city of Far West. - -When the father of Louisa joined the organization for defence of the -city of Far West, he left a sick son at home, with the women folks of -his own and five other families, who had gathered there. These were -left to defend their homes. - -Louisa and her sister Emeline, with their cousin, Eliza Free, stood -guard, on a ridge near the house, for three weeks, night and day, to -warn the families of the approach of the mob. This sister Emeline -is the same who was afterwards so well known in Utah as the wife of -Brigham Young. - -While thus standing guard, one day, the girls saw a troop of horsemen -near, marching with a red flag and the beating of drums. They had with -them a prisoner, on foot, whom they were thus triumphantly marching to -their camp. They were a troop of the mob. The prisoner was grandfather -Andrew Free, though at the time the sisters knew it not. - -It was almost night. The horsemen made direct for their camp with their -"prisoner of war," whom they had taken, not in arms, for he was aged, -yet was he a soldier of the cross, ready to die for his faith. - -Already had the veteran disciple been doomed by his captors. He was to -be shot; one escape only had they reserved for him. - -Before the mob tribunal stood the old man, calm and upright in his -integrity, and resolved in his faith. No one was near to succor him. -He stood alone, face to face with death, with those stern, cruel men, -whose class had shown so little mercy in Missouri, massacring men, -women and children, at Haun's Mill, and elsewhere about the same time. - -Then the captain and his band demanded of the old man that he should -swear there and then to renounce Jo. Smith and his d--d religion, or -they would shoot him on the spot. - -Drawing himself up with a lofty mien, and the invincible courage that -the Mormons have always shown in their persecutions, the veteran -answered: "I have not long to live. At the worst you cannot deprive -me of many days. I will never betray or deny my faith which I know to -be of God. Here is my breast, shoot away, I am ready to die for my -religion!" - -At this he bared his bosom and calmly waited for the mob to fire. - -But the band was abashed at his fearless bearing and answer. For a time -the captain and his men consulted, and then they told their prisoner -that they had decided to give him till the morning to reconsider -whether he would retract his faith or die. - -Morning came. Again the old man was before the tribunal, fearless in -the cause of his religion as he had been the previous night. Again came -from him a similar answer, and then he looked for death, indeed, the -next moment. - -But he had conquered his captors, and the leader declared, with an -oath: "Any man who can be so d--d true to any d--d religion, deserves -to live!" - -Thereupon the mob released the heroic disciple of Mormonism, and he -returned to his home in safety. - -During the three weeks the girls stood on guard, their father, who was -desirous to get tidings of his sick son, came frequently to a thicket -of underbrush, where the girls would bring his food and communicate -with him concerning affairs at the house. - -One evening during this season of guard duty, the girls discovered five -armed men approaching. Running to the house, they gave the alarm. In a -few moments every woman and child of the six families were hiding in -the neighboring corn-field, excepting Louisa, her mother and her sick -brother. - -"Mother," said the boy, "you and Louisa run and hide. The mob will be -sure to kill me. They will see how tall I am by the bed-clothes, and -will think I am a man. You and sister Louisa escape or they will kill -you too." - -But the mother resolved to share the fate of her son, unless she could -protect him by her presence, and soften the hearts of savage mobocrats -by a mother's prayers for mercy; but she bade her daughter fly with -the baby. Louisa, however, also determined to stay to defend both her -brother and her mother. So they armed themselves--the mother with an -axe, and Louisa with a formidable pair of old-fashioned fire-tongs, and -stationed themselves at either door. - -But it turned out that the men were a squad of friends, whom the father -had sent to inquire after his family; yet the incident illustrates -those days of universal terror for the Mormons in the State of -Missouri. Worse, even, than the horrors of ordinary war must it have -been, when thus women, children and the sick, when not a Mormon man -was present to provoke the mob to bloodshed, looked for massacre upon -massacre as daily scenes which all in turn might expect to overtake -them. - -After the fall of the city of Far West, it being decided that the -Mormons should make a grand exodus from Missouri in the spring, Mr. -Free determined to anticipate it. Gathering up what property he could -save from the sacrifice, he started with his family for Illinois, -abandoning the beautiful farm he had purchased and paid for, along with -the improvements he had made. - -In their flight to Illinois they were frequently overtaken and -threatened by mobs, but fortunately escaped personal violence, as it -was evident they were hastening from the inhospitable State. But the -inhumanity of the Missourians in those times is well illustrated in the -following incident: - -Along with Brother Free's party were William Duncan and Solomon Allen, -whose feet were so badly frozen one day that they were unable to -proceed. At every house on the route the exiles called, soliciting -permission to shelter and care for the disabled men; but at every place -they were turned away, until at last, at eleven o'clock at night, they -were graciously permitted to occupy some negro quarters. The grace, -however, of Missouri was redeemed by a codicil that "No d--d Mormon -should stop among white folks!" - -This was mercy, indeed, for Missouri, and it is written in the book of -remembrance. - -The party stopped and occupied the negro quarters, nursing the men -during the night, and so far restored them that they were enabled to go -on the next day. - -Arriving at the Mississippi river, above St. Charles, it was found that -the ice was running so fiercely that it was well-nigh impossible to -cross, but the mobbers insisted that they should cross at once. - -The crossing was made on a scow ferry-boat, common in those times; and -as the boat was near being swamped in the current, to add to the horror -of the incident, it was seriously proposed by the boatmen to throw some -of the "d--d Mormons overboard," to lighten the load! The proposition, -however, was abandoned, and the party landed safely on the opposite -shore. - -Having escaped all the perils of that flight from Missouri, Father -Free and his family made their home in the more hospitable State of -Illinois, where the Mormons for a season found their "second Zion." - -Here we leave "Sister Louisa" for awhile, to meet her again in the -grand exodus of her people from "civilization." - --- - -The following experience of Abigail Leonard, a venerable and respected -lady, now in her eighty-second year of life, will also be of interest -in this connection. She says: - -"In 1829 Eleazer Miller came to my house, for the purpose of holding -up to us the light of the gospel, and to teach us the necessity of a -change of heart. He did not teach creedism, for he did not believe -therein. That night was a sleepless one to me, for all night long I -saw before me our Saviour nailed to the cross. I had not yet received -remission of my sins, and, in consequence thereof, was much distressed. -These feelings continued for several days, till one day, while walking -alone in the street, I received the light of the spirit. - -"Not long after this, several associated Methodists stopped at our -house, and in the morning, while I was preparing breakfast, they were -conversing upon the subject of church matters, and the best places for -church organization. From the jottings of their conversation, which I -caught from time to time, I saw that they cared more for the fleece -than the flock. The Bible lay on the table near by, and as I passed I -occasionally read a few words until I was impressed with the question: -'What is it that separates two Christians?' - -"For two or three weeks this question was constantly on my mind, and I -read the Bible and prayed that this question might be answered to me. - -"One morning I took my Bible and went to the woods, when I fell upon -my knees, and exclaimed: 'Now, Lord, I pray for the answer of this -question, and I shall _never_ rise till you reveal to me what it is -that separates two Christians.' Immediately a vision passed before -my eyes, and the different sects passed one after another by me, and -a voice called to me, saying: 'These are built up for gain.' Then, -beyond, I could see a great light, and a voice from above called out: -'I shall raise up a people, whom I shall delight to own and bless.' I -was then fully satisfied, and returned to the house. - -"Not long after this a meeting was held at our house, during which -every one was invited to speak; and when opportunity presented, I arose -and said: 'To-day I come out from all names, sects and parties, and -take upon myself the name of Christ, resolved to wear it to the end of -my days.' - -"For several days afterward, many people came from different -denominations and endeavored to persuade me to join their respective -churches. At length the associated Methodists sent their presiding -elder to our house to preach, in the hope that I might be converted. -While the elder was discoursing I beheld a vision in which I saw a -great multitude of people in the distance, and over their heads hung a -thick, dark cloud. Now and then one of the multitude would struggle, -and rise up through the gloomy cloud; but the moment his head rose into -the light above, the minister would strike him a blow, which would -compel him to retire; and I said in my heart, 'They will never serve -_me_ so.' - -"Not long after this, I heard of the 'Book of Mormon,' and when a -few of us were gathered at a neighbor's we asked that we might have -manifestations in proof of the truth and divine origin of this book, -although we had not yet seen it. Our neighbor, a lady, was quite sick -and in much distress. It was asked that she be healed, and immediately -her pain ceased, and health was restored. Brother Bowen defiantly asked -that he might be slain, and in an instant he was prostrated upon the -floor. I requested that I might know of the truth of this book, by the -gift and power of the Holy Ghost, and I immediately felt its presence. -Then, when the Book of Mormon came, we were ready to receive it and its -truths. The brethren gathered at our house to read it, and such days -of rejoicing and thanksgiving I never saw before nor since. We were -now ready for baptism, and on or about the 20th of August, 1831, were -baptized. - -"When we heard of the 'gathering,' we were ready for that also, and -began preparations for the journey. On the 3d of July, 1832, we started -for Jackson county, Mo., where we arrived some time in the latter part -of December of the same year. - -"Here we lived in peace, and enjoyed the blessings of our religion till -the spring of 1833, when the mob came upon us, and shed its terror in -our midst. The first attack was made upon Independence, about twelve -miles from our place. The printing press was destroyed, and the type -scattered in the streets. Other buildings, and their furniture, were -destroyed; and Bishop Partridge was tarred and feathered. Next, we -heard that the enemy had attacked our brethren in the woods about -six miles distant. Then my husband was called upon to go and assist -his brethren. He arrived on the field in the heat of the battle, and -received fourteen bullet-holes in his garments, but received no wounds, -save two very slight marks, one on the hip, the other on the arm. - -"The mob was defeated, and my husband returned home for food. I gave -it him, and bade him secrete himself immediately. He did so, and none -too soon; for scarcely was he hidden, when the mob appeared. As soon -as my husband was secreted I took my children and went to a neighbor's -house, where the sisters were gathering for safety. About this time -Sister Parley Pratt was being helped from a sick bed to this place -of security, and the mob, seeing the sisters laboring to carry her, -gave their assistance and carried her in. The mob then searched for -fire-arms, but could find none. - -"The brethren and the mob formed a treaty about this time, in which -we agreed to abandon the country by a specified time. Immediately our -people commenced moving across the Missouri river, into Clay county. -The people of Clay county becoming alarmed at our numbers, and incited -to malice by the people of Jackson county, cut away the boat before -all our people had crossed, and thus compelled our family with some -others to remain in Jackson county. There were nine families in all. -And the mob came and drove us out into the prairie before the bayonet. -It was in the cold, cheerless month of November, and our first night's -camp was made the thirteenth of that month, so wide-famed as the -night of falling stars. The next day we continued our journey, over -cold, frozen, barren prairie ground, many of our party barefoot and -stockingless, feet and legs bleeding. Mine was the only family whose -feet were clothed, and that day, while alone, I asked the Lord what I -should do, and his answer was: 'Divide among the sufferers, and thou -shalt be repaid four-fold!' I then gave till I had given more than -fifteen pairs of stockings. In three and a half days from the time of -starting, we arrived at a grove of timber, near a small stream, where -we encamped for the winter. From the time of our arrival till the -following February we lived like saints. - -"For awhile our men were permitted to return to the settlements in -Jackson county, and haul away the provisions which they had left -behind; but at last they would neither sell to us nor allow us any -longer to return for our own provisions left behind. - -"A meeting was held, and it was decided that but one thing was left to -do, which was to return to Jackson county, to the place we had recently -left from compulsion. This we did, and on the evening of February -20, 1834, soon after our arrival in the old deserted place, we had -been to meeting and returned. It was about eleven o'clock at night, -while we were comfortably seated around a blazing fire, built in an -old-fashioned Dutch fireplace, when some one on going out discovered -a crowd of men at a little distance from the house, on the hill. This -alarmed the children, who ran out, leaving the door open. In a moment -or two five armed men pushed their way into the house and presented -their guns to my husband's breast, and demanded, 'Are you a Mormon?' My -husband replied: 'I profess to belong to the Church of Christ.' They -then asked if he had any arms, and on being told that he had not, one -of them said: 'Now, d--n you, walk out doors!' My husband was standing -up, and did not move. - -"Seeing that he would not go, one of them laid down his gun, clutched -a chair, and dealt a fierce blow at my husband's head; but fortunately -the chair struck a beam overhead, which turned and partially stopped -the force of the blow, and it fell upon the side of his head and -shoulder with too little force to bring him down, yet enough to smash -the chair in pieces upon the hearth. The fiend then caught another -chair, with which he succeeded in knocking my husband down beneath the -stairway. They then struck him several blows with a chair-post, upon -the head, cutting four long gashes in the scalp. The infuriated men -then took him by the feet and dragged him from the room. They raised -him to his feet, and one of them, grasping a large boulder, hurled it -with full force at his head; but he dropped his head enough to let the -stone pass over, and it went against the house like a cannon ball. -Several of them threw him into the air, and brought him, with all their -might, at full length upon the ground. When he fell, one of them sprang -upon his breast, and stamping with all his might, broke two of his ribs. - -"They then turned him upon his side, and with a chair-post dealt him -many severe blows upon the thigh, which were heard at a distance of -one hundred and twenty rods. Next they tore off his coat and shirt, -and proceeded to whip him with their gun-sticks. I had been by my -husband during this whole affray, and one of the mob seeing me, cried -out: 'Take that woman in the house, or she will overpower every devil -of you!' Four of them presented their guns to my breast, and jumping -off the ground with rage, uttering the most tremendous oaths, they -commanded me to go into the house. This order I did not obey, but -hastened to my husband's assistance, taking stick after stick from -them, till I must have thrown away twenty. - -"By this time my husband felt that he could hold out no longer, and -raising his hands toward heaven, asking the Lord to receive his spirit, -he fell to the ground, helpless. Every hand was stayed, and I asked a -sister who was in the house to assist me to carry him in doors. - -"We carried him in, and after washing his face and making him as -comfortable as possible, I went forth into the mob, and reasoned with -them, telling them that my husband had never harmed one of them, nor -raised his arm in defence against them. They then went calmly away, but -next day circulated a report that they had killed one Mormon. - -"After the mob had gone, I sent for the elder, and he, with two or -three of the brethren, came and administered to my husband, and he was -instantly healed. The gashes on his head grew together without leaving -a scar, and he went to bed comfortable. In the morning I combed the -coagulated blood out of his hair, and he was so well that he went with -me to meeting that same day. - -"The mob immediately held a meeting and informed us that we were to -have only three days to leave in, and if we were not off by that time -the whole party would be massacred. We accordingly prepared to leave, -and by the time appointed were on our way to Clay county. Soon after -our arrival in Clay county, the 'Camp of Zion' came, and located about -twenty miles from us. The cholera broke out in the camp, and many died. -Three of the party started to where we lived, but two died on the way, -leaving Mr. Martin Harris to accomplish the journey alone. The first -thing, when he saw me, he exclaimed: 'Sister Leonard, I came to your -house to save my life.' For eight days my husband and I worked with him -before he began to show signs of recovery, scarcely lying down to take -our rest. While Mr. Harris was lying sick, the prophet Joseph Smith -came, with eleven others, to visit him. This was the first time I had -ever seen the prophet. - -"The prophet advised us to scatter out over the county, and not -congregate too much together, so that the people would have no cause -for alarm. - -"While we were yet living in this place, the ague came upon my family, -and my husband lay sick for five months, and the children for three. -During the whole time I procured my own wood, and never asked any one -for assistance. On the recovery of my husband he bought a beautiful -little farm near by, where we lived long enough to raise one crop, -when the mob again came against us, and we were compelled to move into -Caldwell county. - -"When we arrived there we moved into a log cabin, without door, window, -or fireplace, where my husband left the children and me, and returned -to Clay county, for some of the brethren who were left behind. During -his absence a heavy snowstorm came, and we were without wood or fire. -My little boy and I, by turns, cut wood enough to keep us warm till my -husband returned. - -"Here my husband entered eighty acres of land, and subsequently bought -an additional twenty acres. Here, too, we stayed long enough to raise -one crop, and then moved to Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois. - -"As soon as we were located, we were all seized with sickness, and -scarcely had I recovered, when there came into our midst some brethren -from England, who were homeless, and our people took them in with their -own families. One of the families we took to live with us. The woman -was sick, and we sent for the elders to heal her, but their endeavors -were not successful, and I told the husband of the sick woman that but -one thing was left to be done, which was to send for the sisters. The -sisters came, washed, anointed, and administered to her. The patient's -extremities were cold, her eyes set, a spot in the back apparently -mortified, and every indication that death was upon her. But before the -sisters had ceased to administer, the blood went coursing through her -system, and to her extremities, and she was sensibly better. Before -night her appetite returned, and became almost insatiable, so much so -at least that, after I had given her to eat all I dared, she became -quite angry because I would not give her more. In three days she sat up -and had her hair combed, and soon recovered." - -The following portion of Margaret Foutz's narrative will also be of -interest in this connection. She says: - -"I am the daughter of David and Mary Munn, and was born December 11th, -1801, in Franklin county, Pa. I was married to Jacob Foutz, July 22d, -1822. In the year 1827 we emigrated to Richland county, Ohio. After -living here a few years, an elder by the name of David Evans came into -the neighborhood, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, commonly called -Mormonism. We united ourselves with the church, being baptized by -Brother Evans, in the year 1834. Subsequently we took our departure for -Missouri, to gather with the saints. We purchased some land, to make a -permanent home, on Crooked River, where a small branch of the church -was organized, David Evans being the president. We enjoyed ourselves -exceedingly well, and everything seemed to prosper; but the spirit -of persecution soon began to make itself manifest. Falsehoods were -circulated about the Mormon population that were settling about that -region, and there soon began to be signs of trouble. The brethren, in -order to protect their families, organized themselves together. - -"Threats being made by the mob to destroy a mill belonging to Brother -Haun, it was considered best to have a few men continually at the mill -to protect it. One day Brother Evans went and had an interview with -a Mr. Comstock, said to be the head man of the mob. All things were -amicably adjusted. Brother Evans then went to inform the brethren (my -husband being among them) that all was well. This was about the middle -of the afternoon, when Brother Evans returned from Mr. Comstock's. On -a sudden, without any warning whatever, sixty or seventy men, with -blackened faces, came riding their horses at full speed. The brethren -ran, for protection, into an old blacksmith shop, they being without -arms. The mob rode up to the shop, and without any explanation or -apparent cause, began a wholesale butchery, by firing round after -round through the cracks between the logs of the shop. I was at home -with my family of five little children, and could hear the firing. In -a moment I knew the mob was upon us. Soon a runner came, telling the -women and children to hasten into the timber and secrete themselves, -which we did, without taking anything to keep us warm; and had we been -fleeing from the scalping knife of the Indian we would not have made -greater haste. And as we ran from house to house, gathering as we went, -we finally numbered about forty or fifty women and children. We ran -about three miles into the woods, and there huddled together, spreading -what few blankets or shawls we chanced to have on the ground for the -children; and here we remained until two o'clock the next morning, -before we heard anything of the result of the firing at the mill. Who -can imagine our feelings during this dreadful suspense? And when the -news did come, oh! what terrible news! Fathers, brothers and sons, -inhumanly butchered! We now took up the line of march for home. Alas! -what a home! Who would we find there? And now, with our minds full of -the most fearful forebodings, we retraced those three long, dreary -miles. As we were returning I saw a brother, Myers, who had been shot -through his body. In that dreadful state he crawled on his hands and -knees, about two miles, to his home. - -"After I arrived at my house with my children, I hastily made a fire -to warm them, and then started for the mill, about one mile distant. -My children would not remain at home, saying, 'If father and mother -are going to be killed, we want to be with them.' It was about seven -o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the mill. In the first house -I came to there were three dead men. One, a Brother McBride, I was told -was a survivor of the Revolution. He was a terrible sight to behold, -having been cut and chopped, and horribly mangled, with a corn-cutter. - -"I hurried on, looking for my husband. I found him in an old house, -covered with some rubbish. (The mob had taken the bedding and clothing -from all the houses near the mill). My husband had been shot in the -thigh. I rendered him all the assistance I could, but it was evening -before I could get him home. I saw thirteen more dead bodies at the -shop, and witnessed the beginning of the burial, which consisted in -throwing the bodies into an old, dry well. So great was the fear of -the men that the mob would return and kill what few of them there were -left, that they threw the bodies in, head first or feet first, as the -case might be. When they had thrown in three, my heart sickened, and I -turned fainting away. - -"At the moment of the massacre, my husband and another brother drew -some of the dead bodies on themselves, and pretended to be dead also, -by so doing saving their lives. While in this situation they heard -what the ruffians said after the firing was over. Two little boys, who -had not been hit, begged for their lives; but with horrible oaths they -put the muzzles of their guns to the children's heads, and blew their -brains out. - -"Oh! what a change one short day had brought! Here were my friends, -dead and dying; one in particular asked me to give him relief by taking -a hammer and knocking his brains out, so great was his agony. And we -knew not what moment our enemies would be upon us again. And all this, -not because we had broken any law--on the contrary, it was a part of -our religion to keep the laws of the land. In the evening Brother -Evans got a team and conveyed my husband to his house, carried him in, -and placed him on a bed. I then had to attend him, alone, without any -doctor or any one to tell me what to do. Six days afterwards I, with my -husband's assistance, extracted the bullet, it being buried deep in the -thick part of the thigh, and flattened like a knife. During the first -ten days, mobbers, with blackened faces, came every day, cursing and -swearing like demons from the pit, and declaring that they would 'kill -that d--d old Mormon preacher.' At times like these, when human nature -quailed, I felt the power of God upon me to that degree that I could -stand before them fearless; and although a woman, and alone, those -demons in human shape had to succumb; for there was a power with me -that they knew not of. During these days of mobocratic violence I would -sometimes hide my husband in the house, and sometimes in the woods, -covering him with leaves. And thus was I constantly harassed, until -the mob finally left us, with the understanding that we should leave -in the spring. About the middle of February we started for Quincy, -Ill. Arriving there, we tarried for a short time, and thence moved to -Nauvoo." - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -JOSEPH SMITH'S DARING ANSWER TO THE LORD--WOMAN, THROUGH MORMONISM, -RESTORED TO HER TRUE POSITION--THE THEMES OF MORMONISM. - -What potent faith had come into the world that a people should thus -live and die by it? - -Show us this new temple of theology in which the sisters had worshipped. - -Open the book of themes which constitute the grand system of Mormonism. - --- - -The disciples of the prophet believed in the Book of Mormon; but -nearly all their themes, and that vast system of theology which Joseph -conceived, as the crowning religion for a world, were derived from the -Hebrew Bible, the New Testament of Christ, and modern revelation. - -New revelation is the signature of Mormonism. - -The themes begin with Abraham, rather than with Christ; but they go -back to Adam, and to the long "eternities" ere this world was. - -_Before Adam, was Mormonism!_ - -There are _generations of worlds_. The Genesis of the Gods was before -the Genesis of Man. - -The Genesis of the Gods is the first book of the Mormon iliad. - - "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 'Who is - this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now - thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. - - "'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare - if thou hast understanding. - - "'Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath - stretched the line upon it? - - "'Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the - corner-stone thereof: - - "'When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God - shouted for joy?'" - -Brother Job, where wast thou? Joseph answered the Lord when the Masonic -question of the Gods was put to him: - -"Father, I was with _thee_; one of the 'morning stars' then; one of the -archangels of thy presence." - -'Twas a divinely bold answer. But Joseph _was_ divinely daring. - -The genius of Mormonism had come down from the empyrean; it hesitated -not to assert its origin among the Gods. - -This is no fanciful treatment--no mere flight to the realm of ideals. -The Mormons have literally answered the Lord, their Father, the -question which he put to their brother, Job, and have made that answer -a part of their theology. - -But where was woman "when the morning stars sang together, and the sons -of God shouted for joy?" - -Where was Zion? Where the bride? Where was woman? - -"Not yet created; taken afterwards from the rib of Adam; of the earth, -not of heaven; created for Adam's glory, that he might rule over her." - -So said not Joseph. - -It was the young East who thus declared. The aged West had kept the -book of remembrance. - -Joseph was gifted with wonderful memories of the "eternities past." -He had not forgotten woman. He knew Eve, and he remembered Zion. He -restored woman to her place among the Gods, where her primeval Genesis -is written. - -Woman was among the morning stars, when they sang together for joy, at -the laying of the foundations of the earth. - -When the sons of God thrice gave their Masonic shouts of hosanna, the -daughters of God lifted up their voices with their brothers; and the -hallelujahs to the Lord God Omnipotent, were rendered sweeter and -diviner by woman leading the theme. - -In the temples, both of the heavens and the earth, woman is found. She -is there in her character of Eve, and in her character of Zion. The -one is the type of earth, the other the type of heaven; the one the -mystical name of the mortal, the other of the celestial, woman. - -The Mormon prophet rectified the divine drama. Man is nowhere where -woman is not. Mormonism has restored woman to her pinnacle. - -Presently woman herself shall sing of her divine origin. A high -priestess of the faith shall interpret the themes of herself and of her -Father-and-Mother God! - -At the very moment when the learned divines of Christendom were -glorying that this little earth was the "be-all and the end-all" of -creation, the prophet of Mormondom was teaching the sisters in the -temple at Kirtland that there has been an eternal chain of creations -coming down from the generations of the Gods--worlds and systems and -universes. At the time these lights of the Gentiles were pointing to -the star-fretted vault of immensity as so many illuminations--lamps -hung out by the Creator, six thousand years ago, to light this little -earth through her probation--the prophet of Israel was teaching his -people that the starry hosts were worlds and suns and universes, some -of which had being millions of ages before this earth had physical form. - -Moreover, so vast is the divine scheme, and stupendous the works -of creations, that the prophet introduced the expressive word -_eternities_. The eternities are the times of creations. - -This earth is but an atom in the immensities of creations. Innumerable -worlds have been peopled with "living souls" of the order of mankind; -innumerable worlds have passed through their probations; innumerable -worlds have been redeemed, resurrected, and celestialized. - -Hell-loving apostles of the sects were sending ninety-nine hundredths -of this poor, young, forlorn earth to the bottomless pit. The Mormon -prophet was finding out grand old universes, in exaltation with -scarcely the necessity of losing a soul. - -The spirit of Mormonism is universal salvation. - -Those who are not saved in one glory, may be saved in another. - -There are the "glory of the sun," and the "glory of the moon," and the -"glory of the stars." - -The children of Israel belong to the glory of the sun. They kept their -first estate. They are nobly trying to keep their second estate on -probation. Let the devotion, the faith, the divine heroism of the -Mormon sisters, witness this. - -"Adam is our Father and God. He is the God of the earth." - -So says Brigham Young. - -Adam is the great archangel of this creation. He is Michael. He is -the Ancient of Days. He is the father of our elder brother, Jesus -Christ--the father of him who shall also come as Messiah to reign. He -is the father of the spirits as well as the tabernacles of the sons and -daughters of man. Adam! - -Michael is one of the grand mystical names in the works of creations, -redemptions, and resurrections. Jehovah is the second and the higher -name. Eloheim--signifying the Gods--is the first name of the celestial -trinity. - -Michael was a celestial, resurrected being, of another world. - -"In the beginning" the Gods created the heavens and the earths. - -In their councils they said, let us make man in our own image. So, in -the likeness of the Fathers, and the Mothers--the Gods--created they -man--male and female. - -When this earth was prepared for mankind, Michael, as Adam, came down. -He brought with him one of his wives, and he called her name Eve. - -Adam and Eve are the names of the fathers and mothers of worlds. - -Adam was not made out of a lump of clay, as we make a brick, nor was -Eve taken as a rib--a bone--from his side. They came by generation. But -woman, as the wife or mate of man, was a rib of man. She was taken from -his side, in their glorified world, and brought by him to earth to be -the mother of a race. - -These were father and mother of a world of spirits who had been born to -them in heaven. These spirits had been waiting for the grand period of -their probation, when they should have bodies or tabernacles, so that -they might become, in the resurrection, like Gods. - -When this earth had become an abode for mankind, with its Garden of -Eden, then it was that the morning stars sang together, and the sons -and daughters of God shouted for joy. They were coming down to earth. - -The children of the sun, at least, knew what the grand scheme of the -everlasting Fathers and the everlasting Mothers meant, and they, both -sons and daughters, shouted for joy. The temple of the eternities shook -with their hosannas, and trembled with divine emotions. - -The father and mother were at length in their Garden of Eden. They came -on purpose to fall. They fell "that man might be; and man is, that he -might have joy." They ate of the tree of mortal life, partook of the -elements of this earth that they might again become mortal for their -children's sake. They fell that another world might have a probation, -redemption and resurrection. - -The grand patriarchal economy, with Adam, as a resurrected being, -who brought his wife Eve from another world, has been very finely -elaborated, by Brigham, from the patriarchal genesis which Joseph -conceived. - -Perchance the scientist might hesitate to accept the Mormon ideals -of the genesis of mortals and immortals, but Joseph and Brigham have -very much improved on the Mosaic genesis of man. It is certainly -not scientific to make Adam as a model adobe; the race has come by -generation. The genesis of a hundred worlds of his family, since his -day, does not suggest brickyards of mortality. The patriarchal economy -of Mormonism is at least an improvement, and is decidedly epic in all -its constructions and ideals. - -A grand patriarchal line, then, down from the "eternities;" generations -of worlds and generations of Gods; all one universal family. - -The Gods are the fathers and the mothers, and the brothers and the -sisters, of the saints. - -Divine ambitions here; a daring genius to thus conceive; a lifting up -of man and woman to the very plane of the celestials, while yet on -earth. - -Now for the father and the children of the covenant. - -With Abraham begins the covenant of Israel. The Mormons are a -Latter-day Israel. - -God made a covenant with Abraham, for Abraham was worthy to be -the grand patriarch of a world, under Adam. Like Jesus, he had a -pre-existence. - -He was "in the beginning" with God; an archangel in the Father's -presence; one not less noble than his elder brother and captain of -salvation; the patriarch, through whose line Messiah was ordained to -come into the world. - -Abraham was the elect of God before the foundation of this earth. In -him and his seed were all the promises--all the covenants--and all the -divine empires. In them was the kingdom of Messiah to consummate the -object and vast purposes of earth's creation. - -He is the father of the faithful and the friend of God. In him and his -seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. He shall become the -father of many nations. His seed shall be as the sand on the sea-shore. - -In Abraham many nations have already been blessed. He and his seed -have given Bible and civilization to Christendom. From his loins came -Jesus--from him will come Messiah. - -Abraham and his seed have done much for the world, but they will do a -hundred fold more. Their genius, their prophets, and their covenants, -will leaven and circumscribe all civilization. - -Jehovah is the God of Israel--the covenant people. There is none like -him in all the earth. There are Lords many, and Gods many, but unto -Israel there is but one God. - -Between Jehovah and Abraham there are the everlasting covenants. The -divine epic is between Abraham and his God. - -Mormonism is now that divine epic. - -This grand patriarch may be sard to be a grand Mormon; or, better told, -the Mormons are a very proper Israel, whom the patriarch acknowledges -as his children, chosen to fulfill the covenants in connection with the -Jews. - -Jehovah never made any covenants outside of Israel. The Gentiles are -made partakers, by adoption into the Abrahamic family. - -All is of election and predestination. There is but very little -free-grace; just enough grace to give the Gentiles room to enter into -the family of Israel, that the promise may be fulfilled that in Israel -all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. - -In ancient times Jehovah made his people a nation, that his name might -be glorified. He established his throne in David, by an everlasting -covenant; but the throne and sceptre were taken from Israel, no more to -be, until he comes whose right it is to reign. Messiah is that one. He -is coming to restore the kingdom to Israel. - -The earth and mankind were created that they might have a probation; -and a probation, that a millennial reign of peace and righteousness may -consummate the divine plan and purposes. - -Righteousness and justice must be established upon the earth in the -last days, or nations must perish utterly. - -In the last days God shall set up a kingdom upon the earth, which shall -never be destroyed. It will break into pieces all other kingdoms and -empires, and stand forever. It will be given to the saints of the Most -High, and they will possess it. The Mormons are the saints of the Most -High. - -That kingdom has already been set up, by the administration of angels -to Joseph Smith. This is the burden of Mormonism. It was for that the -saints were driven from Missouri and Illinois; that for which they made -their exodus to the Rocky Mountains; that for which the sisters have -borne the cross for half a century. - -Now also in the present age is to be fulfilled the vision of Daniel; -here it is: - - "I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days - (Adam) did sit, whose garments were white as snow, and the hair of - his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, - and his wheels as burning fire. - - "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousands - ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood - before him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened. - -* * * * * * - - "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man - came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, - and they brought him near before him. - - "And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that - all people, nations and languages, should serve him; his dominion - is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his - kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. - -* * * * * * - - "But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and - possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. - - * * * * - - "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and - prevailed against them. - - "Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the - saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints - possessed the kingdom. - -* * * * * * - - "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom - under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most - High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions - shall serve and obey him." - -Here is the imperial drama of Mormonism which the saints have applied -most literally, and sought to work out in America; or, rather the God -of Israel has purposed to fulfill his wondrous scheme, in them, and -multiply them until they shall be an empire of God-fearing men and -women--ten thousand times ten thousand saints. - -No wonder that Missouri drove the saints--no wonder that the sisters, -with such views, have risen to such sublime heroism and been inspired -with such exalted faith. Scarcely to be wondered at even that they have -been strong enough to bear their crosses throughout eventful lives, -which have no parallel in history. With a matchless might of spirit, -and divine ambitions, inspired by such a theology, literally applied in -the action of their lives, they have risen to the superhuman. - -Comprehend this Hebraic religion of the sisters, and it can thus be -comprehended somewhat how they have borne the cross of polygamy, with -more than the courage of martyrs at the stake. - -We are coming to polygamy, by-and-by, to let these braver than Spartan -women speak for themselves, upon their own special subject; but -polygamy was not established until years after the saints were driven -from Missouri. - -We are but opening these views of Hebraic faith and religion. The -themes will return frequently in their proper places. But let the -sisters most reveal themselves in their expositions, episodes, and -testimonies. - -Thus, here, the high priestess of Mormondom, with her beautiful themes -of our God-Father and our God-Mother! - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -ELIZA R. SNOW'S INVOCATION--THE ETERNAL FATHER AND MOTHER--ORIGIN OF -THE SUBLIME THOUGHT POPULARLY ATTRIBUTED TO THEODORE PARKER--BASIC IDEA -OF THE MORMON THEOLOGY. - -Joseph endowed the church with the genesis of a grand theology, and -Brigham has reared the colossal fabric of a new civilization; but woman -herself must sing of her celestial origin, and her relationship to the -majesty of creation. - -Inspired by the mystic memories of the past, Eliza R. Snow has made -popular in the worship of the saints a knowledge of the grand family, -in our _primeval spirit-home_. The following gem, which opens the first -volume of her poems, will give at once a rare view of the spiritual -type of the high priestess of the Mormon Church, and of the divine -drama of Mormonism itself. It is entitled, "Invocation; or, the Eternal -Father and Mother - - O! my Father, thou that dwellest - In the high and holy place; - When shall I regain thy presence, - And again behold thy face? - - In thy glorious habitation, - Did my spirit once reside? - In my first primeval childhood, - Was I nurtured by thy side? - - For a wise and glorious purpose, - Thou hast placed me here on earth; - And withheld the recollection - Of my former friends and birth. - - Yet oft-times a secret something, - Whisper'd, "You're a stranger here;" - And I felt that I had wandered - From a more exalted sphere. - - I had learned to call thee Father, - Through thy spirit from on high; - But until the key of knowledge - Was restored, I knew not why. - - In the heavens are parents single? - No; the thought makes reason stare; - Truth is reason; truth eternal, - Tells me I've a Mother there. - - When I leave this frail existence-- - When I lay this mortal by, - Father, Mother, may I meet you - In your royal court on high? - - Then at length, when I've completed - All you sent me forth to do, - With your mutual approbation, - Let me come and dwell with you. - -A divine drama set to song. And as it is but a choral dramatization, -in the simple hymn form, of the celestial themes revealed through -Joseph Smith, it will strikingly illustrate the vast system of Mormon -theology, which links the heavens and the earths. - -It is well remembered what an ecstacy filled the minds of the -transcendental Christians of America, when the voice of Theodore -Parker, bursting into the fervor of a new revelation, addressed, in -prayer, our Father and Mother in heaven! - -An archangel proclamation that! - -Henceforth shall the mother half of creation be worshipped with that of -the God-Father; and in that worship woman, by the very association of -ideas, shall be exalted in the coming civilization. - -Wonderful revelation, Brother Theodore; worthy thy glorious intellect! -Quite as wonderful that it was not universal long before thy day! - -But it will be strange news to many that years before Theodore Parker -breathed that theme in public prayer, the Mormon people sang their hymn -of invocation to the Father and Mother in heaven, given them by the -Hebraic pen of Eliza R. Snow. - -And in this connection it will be proper to relate the fact that a -Mormon woman once lived as a servant in the house of Theodore Parker. -With a disciple's pardonable cunning she was in the habit of leaving -Mormon books in the way of her master. It is not unlikely that the -great transcendentalist had read the Mormon poetess' hymn to "Our -Father-and-Mother God!" - -And perhaps it will appear still more strange to the reader, who may -have been told that woman in the Mormon scheme ranked low--almost to -the barbarian scale--to learn that the revelation of the Father and -Mother of creation, given through the Mormon prophet, and set to song -by a kindred spirit, is the basic idea of the whole Mormon theology. - -The hymn of invocation not only treats our God parents in this grand -primeval sense, but the poetess weaves around their parental centre the -divine drama of the pre-existence of worlds. - -This celestial theme was early revealed to the church by the prophet, -and for now nearly forty years the hymn of invocation has been familiar -in the meetings of the saints. - -A marvel indeed is this, that at the time modern Christians, and -even "philosophers," were treating this little earth, with its six -thousand years of mortal history, as the sum of the intelligent -universe--to which was added this life's sequel, with the gloom of hell -prevailing--the Mormon people, in their very household talk, conversed -and sang of an endless succession of worlds. - -They talked of their own pre-existing lives. They came into the divine -action ages ago, played their parts in a primeval state, and played -them well. Hence were they the first fruits of the gospel. They -scarcely limited their pre-existing lives to a beginning, or compassed -their events, recorded in other worlds, in a finite story. Down -through the cycles of all eternity they had come, and they were now -entabernacled spirits passing through a mortal probation. - -It was of such a theme that "Sister Eliza" sang; and with such a theme -her hymn of invocation to our Father and Mother in heaven soon made the -saints familiar in every land. - -Let us somewhat further expound the theme of this hymn, which our -poetess could not fully embody in the simple form of verse. - -God the Father and God the Mother stand, in the grand pre-existing -view, as the origin and centre of the spirits of all the generations of -mortals who had been entabernacled on this earth. - -First and noblest of this great family was Jesus Christ, who was the -elder brother, in spirit, of the whole human race. These constituted a -world-family of pre-existing souls. - -Brightest among these spirits, and nearest in the circle to our Father -and Mother in heaven (the Father being Adam), were Seth, Enoch, Noah -and Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus Christ--indeed that glorious -cohort of men and women, whose lives have left immortal records in the -world's history. Among these the Mormon faith would rank Joseph Smith, -Brigham Young, and their compeers. - -In that primeval spirit-state, these were also associated with a divine -sisterhood. One can easily imagine the inspired authoress of the hymn -on pre-existence, to have been a bright angel among this sister throng. -Her hymn is as a memory of that primeval life, and her invocation is as -the soul's yearning for the Father and Mother in whose courts she was -reared, and near whose side her spirit was nurtured. - -These are the sons and daughters of Adam--the Ancient of Days--the -Father and God of the whole human family. These are the sons and -daughters of Michael, who is Adam, the father of the spirits of all our -race. - -These are the sons and daughters of Eve, the Mother of a world. - -What a practical Unitarianism is this! The Christ is not dragged from -his heavenly estate, to be mere mortal, but mortals are lifted up to -his celestial plane. He is still the God-Man; but he is one among many -brethren who are also God-Men. - -Moreover, Jesus is one of a grand order of Saviours. Every world has -its distinctive Saviour, and every dispensation its Christ. - -There is a glorious Masonic scheme among the Gods. The everlasting -orders come down to us with their mystic and official names. The -heavens and the earths have a grand leveling; not by pulling down -celestial spheres, but by the lifting up of mortal spheres. - -Perchance the skeptic and the strict scientist who measures by the cold -logic of facts, but rises not to the logic of ideas, might not accept -this literal pre-existing view, yet it must be confessed that it is a -lifting up of the idealities of man's origin. Man is the offspring of -the Gods. This is the supreme conception which gives to religion its -very soul. Unless man's divinity comes in somewhere, religion is the -wretchedest humbug that ever deluded mortals. - -Priestcraft, indeed, then, from the beginning to the end--from the -Alpha to the Omega of theologic craft, there is nothing divine. - -But the sublime and most primitive conception of Mormonism is, that man -in his essential being is divine, that he is the offspring of God--that -God is indeed his Father. - -And woman? for she is the theme now. - -Woman is heiress of the Gods. She is joint heir with her elder brother, -Jesus the Christ; but she inherits from her God-Father and her -God-Mother. Jesus is the "beloved" of that Father and Mother--their -well-tried Son, chosen to work out the salvation and exaltation of the -whole human family. - -And shall it not be said then that the subject _rises_ from the -God-Father to the God-Mother? Surely it is a rising in the sense of -the culmination of the divine idea. The God-Father is not robbed of -his everlasting glory by this maternal completion of himself. It is an -expansion both of deity and humanity. - -They twain are one God! - -The supreme Unitarian conception is here; the God-Father and the -God-Mother! The grand unity of God is in them--in the divine Fatherhood -and the divine Motherhood--the very beginning and consummation of -creation. Not in the God-Father and the God-Son can the unity of the -heavens and the earths be worked out; neither with any logic of facts -nor of idealities. In them the Masonic trinities; in the everlasting -Fathers and the everlasting Mothers the unities of creations. - -Our Mother in heaven is decidedly a new revelation, as beautiful -and delicate to the masculine sense of the race as it is just and -exalting to the feminine. It is the woman's own revelation. Not even -did Jesus proclaim to the world the revelation of our Mother in -heaven--co-existent and co-equal with the eternal Father. This was -left, among the unrevealed truths, to the present age, when it would -seem the woman is destined by Providence to become very much the oracle -of a new and peculiar civilization. - -The oracle of this last grand truth of woman's divinity and of her -eternal Mother as the partner with the Father in the creation of -worlds, is none other than the Mormon Church. It was revealed in the -glorious theology of Joseph, and established by Brigham in the vast -patriarchal system which he has made firm as the foundations of the -earth, by proclaiming Adam as our Father and God. The Father is first -in name and order, but the Mother is with him--these twain, one from -the beginning. - -Then came our Hebraic poetess with her hymn of invocation, and woman -herself brought the perfected idea of deity into the forms of praise -and worship. Is not this exalting woman to her sphere beyond all -precedent? - -Let it be marked that the Roman Catholic idea of the Mother of God is -wonderfully lower than the Mormon idea. The Church of Rome only brings -the maternal conception, linked with deity, in Christ, and that too in -quite the inferior sense. It is not primitive--it is the exception; -it begins and ends with the Virgin Mary. A question indeed whether it -elevates womanhood and motherhood. The ordinary idea is rather the more -exalted; for that always, in a sense, makes the mother superior to the -son. The proverb that great mothers conceive great sons has really more -poetry in it than the Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary was the Mother -of God. - -The Mormon Church is the oracle of the grandest conception of womanhood -and motherhood. And from her we have it as a revelation to the world, -and not a mere thought of a transcendental preacher--a glorious -Theodore Parker flashing a celestial ray upon the best intellects of -the age. - -Excepting the Lord's prayer, there is not in the English language the -peer of this Mormon invocation; and strange to say the invocation is -this time given to the Church through woman--the prophetess and high -priestess of the faith. - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE TRINITY OF MOTHERHOOD--EVE, SARAH, AND ZION--THE MORMON THEORY -CONCERNING OUR FIRST PARENTS. - -A trinity of Mothers! - -The celestial Masonry of Womanhood! - -The other half of the grand patriarchal economy of the heavens and the -earths! - -The book of patriarchal theology is full of new conceptions. Like the -star-bespangled heavens--like the eternities which it mantles--is that -wondrous theology! - -New to the world, but old as the universe. 'Tis the everlasting book of -immortals, unsealed to mortal view, by these Mormon prophets. - -A trinity of Mothers--Eve the Mother of a world; Sarah the Mother of -the covenant; Zion the Mother of celestial sons and daughters--the -Mother of the new creation of Messiah's reign, which shall give to -earth the crown of her glory and the cup of joy after all her ages of -travail. - -Still tracing down the divine themes of Joseph; still faithfully -following the methods of that vast patriarchal economy which shall -be the base of a new order of society and of the temple of a new -civilization. - -When Brigham Young proclaimed to the nations that Adam was our Father -and God, and Eve, his partner, the Mother of a world--both in a mortal -and a celestial sense--he made the most important revelation ever -oracled to the race since the days of Adam himself. - -This grand patriarchal revelation is the very keystone of the "new -creation" of the heavens and the earth. It gives new meaning to the -whole system of theology--as much new meaning to the economy of -salvation as to the economy of creation. By the understanding of the -works of the Father, the works of the Son are illumined. - -The revelation was the "Let there be light" again pronounced. "And -there was light!" - - "And God created man in his own image; in the image of God created - he him; male and female created he them. - - "And God blessed them; and God said unto them, be fruitful, and - multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." - -Here is the very object of man and woman's creation exposed in the -primitive command. The first words of their genesis are, "Be fruitful -and multiply." - -So far, it is of but trifling moment _how_ our "first parents" were -created; whether like a brick, with the spittle of the Creator and the -dust of the earth, or by the more intelligible method of generation. -The prime object of man and woman's creation was for the _purposes of -creation_. - -"Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it," by -countless millions of your offspring. - -Thus opened creation, and the womb of everlasting motherhood throbbed -with divine ecstacy. - -It is the divine command still. All other maybe dark as a fable, of -the genesis of the race, but this is not dark. Motherhood to this hour -leaps for joy at this word of God, "Be fruitful;" and motherhood is -sanctified as by the holiest sacrament of nature. - -We shall prefer Brigham's expounding of the dark passages of Genesis. - -Our first parents were not made up like mortal bricks. They came to be -the Mother and the Father of a new creation of souls. - -We say Mother now, first, for we are tracing this everlasting theme of -motherhood, in the Mormon economy, without which nothing of the woman -part of the divine scheme can be known--next to nothing of patriarchal -marriage, to which we are traveling, be expounded. - -Eve--immortal Eve--came down to earth to become the Mother of a race. - -How become the Mother of a world of mortals except by herself again -becoming mortal? How become mortal only by transgressing the laws of -immortality? How only by "eating of the forbidden fruit"--by partaking -of the elements of a mortal earth, in which the seed of death was -everywhere scattered? - -All orthodox theologians believe Adam and Eve to have been at first -immortal, and all acknowledge the great command, "Be fruitful and -multiply." - -That they were not about to become the parents of a world of immortals -is evident, for they were on a mortal earth. That the earth was mortal -all nature here to-day shows. The earth was to be subdued by teeming -millions of mankind--the dying earth actually eaten, in a sense, a -score of times, by the children of these grand parents. - -The fall is simple. Our immortal parents came down to fall; came down -to transgress the laws of immortality; came down to give birth to -mortal tabernacles for a world of spirits. - -The "forbidden tree," says Brigham, contained in its fruit the elements -of death, or the elements of mortality. By eating of it, blood was -again infused into the tabernacles of beings who had become immortal. -The basis of mortal generation is blood. Without blood no mortal can -be born. Even could immortals have been conceived on earth, the trees -of life had made but the paradise of a few; but a mortal world was the -object of creation then. - -Eve, then, came down to be the Mother of a world. - -Glorious Mother, capable of dying at the very beginning to give life -to her offspring, that through mortality the eternal life of the Gods -might be given to her sons and daughters. - -Motherhood the same from the beginning even to the end! The love of -motherhood passing all understanding! Thus read our Mormon sisters the -fall of their Mother. - -And the serpent tempted the woman with the forbidden fruit. - -Did woman hesitate a moment then? Did motherhood refuse the cup for her -own sake, or did she, with infinite love, take it and drink for her -children's sake? The Mother had plunged down, from the pinnacle of her -celestial throne, to earth, to taste of death that her children might -have everlasting life. - -What! should Eve ask Adam to partake of the elements of death first, in -such a sacrament! 'Twould have outraged motherhood! - -Eve partook of that supper of the Lord's death first. She ate of that -body and drank of that blood. - -Be it to Adam's eternal _credit_ that he stood by and let our -Mother--our ever blessed Mother Eve--partake of the sacrifice before -himself. Adam followed the Mother's example, for he was great and -grand--a Father worthy indeed of a world. He was wise, too; for the -_blood of life_ is the stream of mortality. - -What a psalm of everlasting praise to woman, that Eve fell first! - -A Goddess came down from her mansions of glory to bring the spirits of -her children down after her, in their myriads of branches and their -hundreds of generations! - -She was again a mortal Mother now. The first person in the trinity of -Mothers. - -The Mormon sisterhood take up their themes of religion with their -Mother Eve, and consent with her, at the very threshold of the temple, -to bear the cross. Eve is ever with her daughters in the temple of the -Lord their God. - -The Mormon daughters of Eve have also in this eleventh hour come down -to earth, like her, to magnify the divine office of motherhood. She -came down from her resurrected, they from their spirit, estate. Here, -with her, in the divine providence of maternity, they begin to ascend -the ladder to heaven, and to their exaltation in the courts of their -Father and Mother God. - -Who shall number the blasphemies of the sectarian churches against our -first grand parents? Ten thousand priests of the serpent have thundered -anathemas upon the head of "accursed Adam." Appalling, oftentimes, -their pious rage. And Eve--the holiest, grandest of Mothers--has been -made a very by-word to offset the frailties of the most wicked and -abandoned. - -Very different is Mormon theology! The Mormons exalt the grand parents -of our race. Not even is the name of Christ more sacred to them -than the names of Adam and Eve. It was to them the poetess and high -priestess addressed her hymn of invocation; and Brigham's proclamation -that Adam is our Father and God is like a hallelujah chorus to their -everlasting names. The very earth shall yet take it up; all the sons -and daughters of Adam and Eve shall yet shout it for joy, to the ends -of the earth, in every tongue! - -Eve stands, then, first--the God-Mother in the maternal trinity of -this earth. Soon we shall meet Sarah, the Mother of the covenant, and -in her daughters comprehend something of patriarchal marriage--"Mormon -polygamy." But leave we awhile these themes of woman, and return to the -personal thread of the sisters' lives. - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE HUNTINGTONS--ZINA D. YOUNG, AND PRESCINDIA L. KIMBALL--THEIR -TESTIMONY CONCERNING THE KIRTLAND MANIFESTATIONS--UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF -JOSEPH SMITH--DEATH OF MOTHER HUNTINGTON. - -Who are these thus pursued as by the demons that ever haunt a great -destiny? - -As observed in the opening chapter, they are the sons and daughters -of the Pilgrim sires and mothers who founded this nation; sons and -daughters of the patriots who fought the battles of independence and -won for these United States a transcendent destiny. - -Here meet we two of the grand-nieces of Samuel Huntington, one of the -signers of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Connecticut, -and President of Congress. - -Zina Diantha Huntington has long been known and honored as one of the -most illustrious women of the Church. She was not only sealed to the -prophet Joseph in their sacred covenant of celestial marriage, but -after his martyrdom she was sealed to Brigham Young as one of Joseph's -wives. For over a quarter of a century she has been known as Zina D. -Young--being mother to one of Brigham's daughters. In her mission -of usefulness she has stood side by side with Sister Eliza R. Snow, -and her life has been that of one of the most noble and saintly of -women. Thus is she introduced to mark her honored standing among the -sisterhood. Of her ancestral record she says: - -"My father's family is directly descended from Simon Huntington, the -'Puritan immigrant' who sailed for America in 1633. He died on the -sea, but left three sons and his widow, Margaret. The church records -of Roxbury, Mass., contain the earliest record of the Huntington name -known in New England, and is in the handwriting of Rev. John Elliot -himself, the pastor of that ancient church. This is the record: -'Margaret Huntington, widow, came in 1633. Her husband died by the way, -of the small-pox. She brought--children with her.' - -"Tradition says that Simon, the Puritan emigrant, sailed for this -country to escape the persecutions to which non-conformists were -subjected, during the high-handed administrations of Laud and the -first Charles. Tradition also declares him to have been beyond doubt -an Englishman. The Rev. E. B. Huntington, in his genealogical memoir -of the Huntington family in this country, observes: 'The character of -his immediate descendants is perhaps in proof of both statements; they, -were thoroughly English in their feelings, affinities, and language; -and that they were as thoroughly religious, their names and official -connection with the early churches in this country abundantly attest.' - -"Of one of my great-grandfathers the Huntington family memoir records -thus: 'John, born in Norwich, March 15th, 1666, married December 9th, -1686, Abigal, daughter of Samuel Lathrop, who was born in May, 1667. -Her father moved to Norwich from New London, to which place he had gone -from Scituate, Mass., in 1648. He was the son of the Rev. John Lathrop, -who, for nonconformity, being a preacher in the First Congregational -Church organized in London, was imprisoned for two years, and who, on -being released in 1634, came to this country, and became the first -minister of Scituate.' - -"The Lathrops, from which my branch of the family was direct, also -married with the other branches of the Huntingtons, making us kin of -both sides, and my sister, Prescindia Lathrop Huntington, bears the -family name of generations. - -"My grandfather, Wm. Huntington, was born September 19th, 1757; -married, February 13th, 1783, Prescindia Lathrop, and was one of the -first settlers in the Black River Valley, in Northern New York. He -resided at Watertown. He married for his second wife his first wife's -sister, Alvira Lathrop Dresser. He died May 11th, 1842. The following -is an obituary notice found in one of the Watertown papers: - - "'At his residence, on the 11th inst., Wm. Huntington, in the - eighty-fifth year of his age. Mr. Huntington was one of our oldest - and most respected inhabitants. He was a native of Tolland, Conn., - and for three or four years served in the army of the Revolution. - In the year 1784 he emigrated to New Hampshire, where he resided - till the year 1804, when he removed to Watertown. He was for many - years a member and an officer of the Presbyterian Church.' - -"Before his death, however, my grandfather was baptized into the -Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He always spoke of Samuel -Huntington, the signer of the Declaration of Independence, as his Uncle -Samuel." - -This genealogical record is given to illustrate the numerous Puritan -and Revolutionary relations of the leading families of the Mormon -people, and to emphasize the unparalleled outrage of the repeated -exile of such descendants--exiles at last from American civilization. -How exact has been the resemblance of their history to that of their -Pilgrim fathers and mothers! - -But the decided connection of the Huntingtons with the Mormon people -was in William Huntington, the father of sisters Zina and Prescindia, -who for many years was a presiding High Priest of the Church, being a -member of the High Council. - -This Wm. Huntington was also a patriot, and served in the war with -Great Britain, in 1812. - -The sisters Zina and Prescindia, with their brothers, were raised -fourteen miles east of Sackett's Harbor, where the last battle was -fought between the British and Americans, in that war; so that the -Revolutionary history of their country formed a peculiarly interesting -theme to the "young folks" of the Huntington family. Indeed their -brother, Dimock, at the period of the exodus of the Mormons from -Nauvoo, had so much of the blood of the patriots in his veins that -he at once enlisted in the service of his country in the war with -Mexico--being a soldier in the famous Mormon battalion. - -Prescindia Lathrop Huntington, the eldest of these two illustrious -sisters, was born in Watertown, Jefferson county, N. Y., September 7th, -1810, and was her mother's fourth child; Zina Diantha was born at the -same place, January 31st, 1821. - -Prescindia is a woman of very strong character; and her life has been -marked with great decision and self-reliance, both in thought and -purpose. She was also endowed with a large, inspired mind--the gifts -of prophesy, speaking in tongues, and the power to heal and comfort -the sick, being quite pre-eminent in her apostolic life. In appearance -she is the very counterpart of the Eliza Huntington whose likeness is -published in the book of the Huntington family. A mother in Israel is -Sister Prescindia, and the type of one of the Puritan mothers in the -olden time. She was sealed to Joseph Smith, and for many years was one -of the wives of the famous Heber C. Kimball. - -Mother Huntington was also an exemplary saint. She died a victim of the -persecutions, when the saints were driven from Missouri, and deserves -to be enshrined as a martyr among her people. Her name was Zina Baker, -born May 2d, 1786, in Plainfield, Cheshire county, N. H., and married -to Wm. Huntington, December 28, 1806. Her father was one of the first -physicians in New Hampshire, and her mother, Diantha Dimock, was -descended from the noble family of Dymocks, whose representatives held -the hereditary knight-championship of England--instance Sir Edward -Dymock, Queen Elizabeth's champion. - -Mother Huntington was a woman of great faith. "She believed that God -would hear and answer prayer in behalf of the sick. The gift of healing -was with her before the gospel was restored in its fullness." - -Thus testify her daughters of their mother, whose spirit of faith -was also instilled into their own hearts, preparing them to receive -the gospel of a great spiritual dispensation, and for that apostolic -calling among the sick, to which their useful lives have been greatly -devoted. - -Father and Mother Huntington had both been strict Presbyterians; but -about the time of the organization of the Latter-day Church he withdrew -from the congregation, which had become divided over church forms, -and commenced an earnest examination of the Scriptures for himself. -To his astonishment he discovered that there was no church extant, -to his knowledge, according to the ancient pattern, with apostles -and prophets, nor any possessing the gifts and powers of the ancient -gospel. For the next three years he was as a watcher for the coming of -an apostolic mission, when one day Elder Joseph Wakefield brought to -his house the Book of Mormon. Soon his family embraced the Latter-day -faith, rejoicing in the Lord. Himself and wife, and his son Dimock and -his wife, with "Zina D.," then only a maiden, were the first of the -family baptized. Zina was baptized by Hyrum Smith, in Watertown, August -1st, 1835. - -Prescindia at that time was living with her husband at Loraine, a -little village eighteen miles from her native place, when her mother, -in the summer of 1835, brought to her the Book of Mormon and her -first intelligence of the Mormon prophet. She gathered to Kirtland in -May, 1836, and was baptized on the 6th of the following June, and was -confirmed by Oliver Cowdry. - -"In Kirtland," she says, "we enjoyed many very great blessings, and -often saw the power of God manifested. On one occasion I saw angels -clothed in white walking upon the temple. It was during one of our -monthly fast meetings, when the saints were in the temple worshipping. -A little girl came to my door and in wonder called me out, exclaiming, -'The meeting is on the top of the meeting house!' I went to the door, -and there I saw on the temple angels clothed in white covering the roof -from end to end. They seemed to be walking to and fro; they appeared -and disappeared. The third time they appeared and disappeared before -I realized that they were not mortal men. Each time in a moment they -vanished, and their reappearance was the same. This was in broad -daylight, in the afternoon. A number of the children in Kirtland saw -the same. - -"When the brethren and sisters came home in the evening, they told -of the power of God manifested in the temple that day, and of the -prophesying and speaking in tongues. It was also said, in the -interpretation of tongues, 'That the angels were resting down upon the -house.' - -"At another fast meeting I was in the temple with my sister Zina. The -whole of the congregation were on their knees, praying vocally, for -such was the custom at the close of these meetings when Father Smith -presided; yet there was no confusion; the voices of the congregation -mingled softly together. While the congregation was thus praying, we -both heard, from one corner of the room above our heads, a choir of -angels singing most beautifully. They were invisible to us, but myriads -of angelic voices seemed to be united in singing some song of Zion, and -their sweet harmony filled the temple of God. - -"We were also in the temple at the pentecost. In the morning Father -Smith prayed for a pentecost, in opening the meeting. That day the -power of God rested mightily upon the saints. There was poured out -upon us abundantly the spirit of revelation, prophesy and tongues. The -Holy Ghost filled the house; and along in the afternoon a noise was -heard. It was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. But at first the -congregation was startled, not knowing what it was. To many it seemed -as though the roof was all in flames. Father Smith exclaimed, 'Is the -house on fire!' - -"'Do you not remember your prayer this morning, Father Smith?' inquired -a brother. - -"Then the patriarch, clasping his hands, exclaimed, 'The spirit of God, -like a mighty rushing wind!' - -"At another time a cousin of ours came to visit us at Kirtland. She -wanted to go to one of the saints' fast meetings, to hear some one sing -or speak in tongues, but she said she expected to have a hearty laugh. - -"Accordingly we went with our cousin to the meeting, during which a -Brother McCarter rose and sang a song of Zion in tongues; I arose and -sang simultaneously with him the same tune and words, beginning and -ending each verse in perfect unison, without varying a word. It was -just as though we had sung it together a thousand times. - -"After we came out of meeting, our cousin observed, 'Instead of -laughing, I never felt so solemn in my life.'" - -The family of Huntingtons removed with the saints from Kirtland to Far -West, and passed through the scenes of the expulsion from Missouri. In -this their experience was very similar to the narratives of the other -sisters already given; but Sister Prescindia's visit to the prophet, in -Liberty jail, must have special notice. She says: - -"In the month of February, 1839, my father, with Heber C. Kimball, and -Alanson Ripley, came and stayed over night with us, on their way to -visit the prophet and brethren in Liberty jail. I was invited to go -with them. - -"When we arrived at the jail we found a heavy guard outside and inside -the door. We were watched very closely, lest we should leave tools to -help the prisoners escape. - -"I took dinner with the brethren in prison; they were much pleased to -see the faces of true friends; but I cannot describe my feelings on -seeing that man of God there confined in such a trying time for the -saints, when his counsel was so much needed. And we were obliged to -leave them in that horrid prison, surrounded by a wicked mob. - -"While in prison, the brethren were presented with human flesh to eat. -My brother, Wm. Huntington, tasted before the word could be passed from -Joseph to him. It was the flesh of a colored man. - -"After my second visit to the prison, with Frederick G. Williams, the -prophet addressed to me the following letter: - - "'LIBERTY JAIL, March 15th, 1839. - - "'DEAR SISTER: - - "'My heart rejoiced at the friendship you manifested in requesting - to have conversation with us; but the jailer is a very jealous man, - for fear some one will have tools for us to get out with. He is - under the eye of the mob continually, and his life is at stake if - he grants us any privilege. He will not let us converse with any - one alone. - - "'O what a joy it would be for us to see our friends. It would have - gladdened my heart to have had the privilege of conversing with - you; but the hand of tyranny is upon us; but thanks be to God, it - cannot last always; and he that sitteth in the heavens will laugh - at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh. - - "'We feel, dear sister, that our bondage is not of long duration. - I trust that I shall have the chance to give such instructions as - have been communicated to us, before long; and as you wanted some - instruction from us, and also to give us some information, and - administer consolation to us, and to find out what is best for you - to do, I think that many of the brethren, if they will be pretty - still, can stay in this country until the indignation is over and - passed. But I think it will be better for Brother Buell to leave - and go with the rest of the brethren, if he keeps the faith, and at - any rate, for thus speaketh the spirit concerning him. I want him - and you to know that I am your true friend. - - "'I was glad to see you. No tongue can tell what inexpressible joy - it gives a man to see the face of one who has been a friend, after - having been inclosed in the walls of a prison for five months. It - seems to me my heart will always be more tender after this than - ever it was before. - - "'My heart bleeds continually when I contemplate the distress of - the Church. O that I could be with them; I would not shrink at toil - and hardship to render them comfort and consolation. I want the - blessing once more to lift my voice in the midst of the saints. I - would pour out my soul to God for their instruction. It has been - the plan of the devil to hamper and distress me from the beginning, - to keep me from explaining myself to them, and I never have had - opportunity to give them the plan that God has revealed to me. Many - have run without being sent, crying, 'Tidings, my Lord,' and have - caused injury to the Church, giving the adversary more power over - them that walk by sight and not by faith. Our trouble will only - give us that knowledge to understand the mind of the ancients. For - my part I think I never could have felt as I now do if I had not - suffered the wrongs which I have suffered. All things shall work - together for good to them that love God. - - "'Beloved sister, we see that perilous times have truly come, and - the things which we have so long expected have at last begun to - usher in; but when you see the fig tree begin to put forth its - leaves, you may know that the summer is nigh at hand. There will be - a short work on the earth; it has now commenced. I suppose there - will soon be perplexity all over the earth. Do not let our hearts - faint when these things come upon us, for they must come or the - word cannot be fulfilled. I know that something will soon take - place to stir up this generation to see what they have been doing, - and that their fathers have inherited lies, and they have been led - captive by the devil to no profit. But they know not what they - do. Do not have any feeling of enmity towards any son or daughter - of Adam. I believe I shall be let out of their hands some way or - other, and shall see good days. We cannot do anything, only stand - still and see the salvation of God. He must do his own work or it - must fall to the ground. We must not take it in our hands to avenge - our wrongs. 'Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord; I will repay.' I - have no fears; I shall stand unto death, God being my helper. - - "'I wanted to communicate something, and I wrote this. Write to us - if you can. - - &c., - - "'J. SMITH, JR.'" - -This letter to Sister Prescindia, which has never before been -published, gives an excellent example of the spirit and style of the -prophet. It will be read with interest, even by the anti-Mormon. -Himself in prison, and his people even at that moment passing through -their expulsion, what passages for admiration are these: - -"Do not have any feelings of enmity towards any son or daughter of -Adam." "They know not what they do!" "We must not take it in our hands -to avenge our wrongs. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord; I will repay." -"I have no fears; I shall stand unto death, God being my helper!" - -Like his divine Master this; "Father, forgive them; they know not what -they do!" A great heart, indeed, had Joseph, and a spirit exalted with -noble aims and purposes. - -When Sister Prescindia returned to Far West, her father and mother, -with her sister Zina, had started in the exodus of the saints from -Missouri to Illinois. She says: - -"I never saw my mother again. I felt alone on the earth, with no one to -comfort me, excepting my little son, George, for my husband had become -a bitter apostate, and I could not speak in favor of the Church in his -presence. There was by this time not one true saint in the State of -Missouri, to my knowledge." - -Sister Zina says: "On the 18th of April, 1839, I left Far West, with my -father, mother, and two younger brothers, and arrived at Quincy, Ill., -on the 25th of April, and from thence to Commerce, afterwards called -Nauvoo, which we reached on the 14th of May. - -"Joseph, the prophet, had just escaped from prison in Missouri, and -the saints were gathering to Nauvoo. My brother Dimock was also in -Illinois, living at Judge Cleveland's. - -"On the 24th of June my dear mother was taken sick with a congestive -chill. About three hours afterwards she called me to her bedside and -said: - -"'Zina, my time has come to die. You will live many years; but O, how -lonesome father will be. I am not afraid to die. All I dread is the -mortal suffering. I shall come forth triumphant when the Saviour comes -with the just to meet the saints on the earth.' - -"The next morning I was taken sick; and in a few days my father -and brother Oliver were also prostrate. My youngest brother, John, -twelve years of age, was the only one left that could give us a drink -of water; but the prophet sent his adopted daughter to assist us -in our affliction, and saw to our being taken care of, as well as -circumstances would permit--for there were hundreds, lying in tents and -wagons, who needed care as much as we. Once Joseph came himself and -made us tea with his own hands, and comforted the sick and dying. - -"Early in the morning of the 8th of July, 1839, just before the sun had -risen, the spirit of my blessed mother took its flight, without her -moving a muscle, or even the quiver of the lip. - -"Only two of the family could follow the remains to their resting -place. O, who can tell the anguish of the hearts of the survivors, who -knew not whose turn it would be to follow next? - -"Thus died my martyred mother! The prophet Joseph often said that the -saints who died in the persecutions were as much martyrs of the Church -as was the apostle David Patten, who was killed in the defence of the -saints, or those who were massacred at Haun's Mill. And my beloved -mother was one of the many bright martyrs of the Church in those dark -and terrible days of persecution." - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -WOMAN'S WORK IN CANADA AND GREAT BRITAIN--HEBER C. KIMBALL'S -PROPHESY--PARLEY P. PRATT'S SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO CANADA--A BLIND WOMAN -MIRACULOUSLY HEALED--DISTINGUISHED WOMEN OF THAT PERIOD. - -By this time (1840, the period of the founding of Nauvoo), the Church -has had a remarkable history in Canada and Great Britain. To these -missions we must now go for some of our representative women, and also -to extend our view of Mormonism throughout the world. - -Brigham Young was the first of the elders who took Mormonism into -Canada, soon after his entrance into the Church. There he raised up -several branches, and gathered a few families to Kirtland; but it -was not until the apostle Parley P. Pratt took his successful and -almost romantic mission to Canada, that Mormonism flourished in the -British Province, and from there spread over to Great Britain, like an -apostolic wave. - -Presently we shall see that the romance of Mormonism has centred around -the sisters abroad as well as at home. Frequently we shall see them -the characters which first come to view; the first prepared for the -great spiritual work of the age; the first to receive the elders with -their tidings of the advent of a prophet and the administration of -angels, after the long night of spiritual darkness, and centuries of -angelic silence; and were it possible to trace their every footstep in -the wonderful work abroad, we should find that the sisters have been -effective missionaries of the Church, and that, in some sections, they -have been instrumental in making more disciples than even the elders. - -Here is the opening of the story of Parley P. Pratt's mission to -Canada, in which a woman immediately comes to the foreground in a -famous prophesy: - -"It was now April" (1836). "I had retired to rest," says he, "one -evening, at an early hour, and was pondering my future course, when -there came a knock at the door. I arose and opened it, when Heber C. -Kimball and others entered my house, and being filled with the spirit -of prophesy, they blessed me and my wife, and prophesied as follows: -'Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall -bear a son, and his name shall be Parley; and he shall be a chosen -instrument in the hands of the Lord to inherit the priesthood and -to walk in the steps of his father. He shall do a great work in the -earth in ministering the word and teaching the children of men. Arise, -therefore, and go forth in the ministry, nothing doubting. Take no -thought for your debts, nor the necessaries of life, for the Lord will -supply you with abundant means for all things. - -"'Thou shalt go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, the -capital, and there thou shalt find a people prepared for the fullness -of the gospel, and they shall receive thee, and thou shalt organize -the Church among them, and it shall spread thence into the regions -round about, and many shall be brought to the knowledge of the truth, -and shall be filled with joy; and from the things growing out of this -mission, shall the fullness of the gospel spread into England, and -cause a great work to be done in that land.' - -"This prophesy was the more marvelous, because being married near ten -years we had never had any children; and for near six years my wife had -been consumptive, and had been considered incurable. However, we called -to mind the faith of Abraham of old, and judging Him faithful who had -promised, we took courage. - -"I now began in earnest to prepare for the mission, and in a few days -all was ready. Taking an affectionate leave of my wife, mother and -friends, I started for Canada, in company with a Brother Nickerson, who -kindly offered to bear expenses." - -Away to Canada with Parley. We halt with him in the neighborhood of -Hamilton. He is an entire stranger in the British Province, and without -money. He knows not what to do. His narrative thus continues: - -"The spirit seemed to whisper to me to try the Lord, and see if -anything was too hard for him, that I might know and trust him under -all circumstances. I retired to a secret place in a forest, and prayed -to the Lord for money to enable me to cross the lake. I then entered -Hamilton, and commenced to chat with some of the people. I had not -tarried many minutes before I was accosted by a stranger, who inquired -my name and where I was going. He also asked me if I did not want -some money. I said yes. He then gave me ten dollars, and a letter of -introduction to John Taylor, of Toronto, where I arrived the same -evening. - -"Mrs. Taylor received me kindly, and went for her husband, who was busy -in his mechanic shop. To them I made known my errand to the city, but -received little direct encouragement. I took tea with them, and then -sought lodgings at a public house." - -Already had he met in Canada a woman destined to bear a representative -name in the history of her people, for she is none other than the wife -of the afterwards famous apostle John Taylor. She is the first to -receive him into her house; and the apostolic story still continues the -woman in the foreground: - -"In the morning," he says, "I commenced a regular visit to each of the -clergy of the place, introducing myself and my errand. I was absolutely -refused hospitality, and denied the opportunity of preaching in any -of their houses or congregations. Rather an unpromising beginning, -thought I, considering the prophesies on my head concerning Toronto. -However, nothing daunted, I applied to the sheriff for the use of the -court-house, and then to the authorities for a public room in the -market-place; but with no better success. What could I do more? I had -exhausted my influence and power without effect. I now repaired to a -pine grove just out of the town, and, kneeling down, called on the -Lord, bearing testimony of my unsuccessful exertions; my inability to -open the way; at the same time asking him in the name of Jesus to open -an effectual door for his servant to fulfill his mission in that place. - -"I then arose and again entered the town, and going to the house of -John Taylor, had placed my hand on my baggage to depart from a place -where I could do no good, when a few inquiries on the part of Mr. -Taylor, inspired by a degree of curiosity or of anxiety, caused a few -moments' delay, during which a lady by the name of Walton entered the -house, and, being an acquaintance of Mrs. Taylor, was soon engaged in -conversation with her in an adjoining room. I overheard the following: - -"'Mrs. Walton, I am glad to see you; there is a gentleman here from -the United States who says the Lord sent him to this city to preach -the gospel. He has applied in vain to the clergy and to the various -authorities for opportunity to fulfill, his mission, and is now about -to leave the place. He may be a man of God; I am sorry to have him -depart.' - -"'Indeed!' said the lady; 'well, I now understand the feelings and -spirit which brought me to your house at this time. I have been busy -over the wash-tub and too weary to take a walk; but I felt impressed to -walk out. I then thought I would make a call on my sister, the other -side of town; but passing your door, the spirit bade me go in; but I -said to myself, I will go in when I return; but the spirit said, go in -now. I accordingly came in, and I am thankful that I did so. Tell the -stranger he is welcome to my house. I am a widow; but I have a spare -room and bed, and food in plenty. He shall have a home at my house, -and two large rooms to preach in just when he pleases. Tell him I will -send my son John over to pilot him to my house, while I go and gather -my relatives and friends to come in this very evening and hear him -talk; for I feel by the spirit that he is a man sent by the Lord with a -message which will do us good.' - -"The evening found me quietly seated at her house," says Parley, "in -the midst of a number of listeners, who were seated around a large work -table in her parlor, and deeply interested in conversation like the -following: - -"'Mr. Pratt, we have for some years been anxiously looking for some -providential event which would gather the sheep into one fold; build up -the true Church as in days of old, and prepare the humble followers of -the Lamb, now scattered and divided, to receive their coming Lord when -he shall descend to reign on the earth. As soon as Mrs. Taylor spoke -of you I felt assured, as by a strange and unaccountable presentiment, -that you were a messenger, with important tidings on these subjects; -and I was constrained to invite you here; and now we are all here -anxiously waiting to hear your words.' - -"'Well, Mrs. Walton, I will frankly relate to you and your friends -the particulars of my message am the nature of my commission. A young -man the State of New York, whose name is Joseph Smith, was visited -by an angel of God, and, after several visions and much instruction, -was enabled to obtain an ancient record, written by men of old on the -American continent, and containing the history, prophesies and gospel -in plainness, as revealed to them by Jesus and his messengers. This -same Joseph Smith and others, were also commissioned by the angels -in these visions, and ordained to the apostleship, with authority to -organize a church, to administer the ordinances, and to ordain others, -and thus cause the full, plain gospel in its purity, to be preached in -all the world. - -"'By these apostles thus commissioned, I have been ordained as an -apostle, and sent forth by the word of prophesy to minister the baptism -of repentance for remission of sins, in the name of Jesus Christ; and -to administer the gift of the Holy Ghost, to heal the sick, to comfort -the mourner, bind up the broken in heart, and proclaim the acceptable -year of the Lord. - -"'I was also directed to this city by the spirit of the Lord, with -a promise that I should find a people here prepared to receive the -gospel, and should organize them in the same. But when I came and was -rejected by all parties, I was about to leave the city; but the Lord -sent you, a widow, to receive me, as I was about to depart; and thus I -was provided for like Elijah of old. And now I bless your house, and -all your family and kindred, in his name. Your sins shall be forgiven -you; you shall understand and obey the gospel, and be filled with the -Holy Ghost; for so great faith have I never seen in any of my country.' - -"'Well, Mr. Pratt, this is precisely the message we were waiting for; -we believe your words and are desirous to be baptized.' - -"'It is your duty and privilege,' said I; 'but wait yet a little -while till I have an opportunity to teach others, with whom you are -religiously connected, and invite them to partake with you of the same -blessings.'" - -Next comes a great miracle--the opening of the eyes of the blind--which -seems to have created quite a sensation in Canada; and still the woman -is the subject. The apostle continues: - -"After conversing with these interesting persons till a late hour, -we retired to rest. Next day Mrs. Walton requested me to call on a -friend of hers, who was also a widow in deep affliction, being totally -blind with inflammation in the eyes; she had suffered extreme pain -for several months, and had also been reduced to want, having four -little children to support. She had lost her husband, of cholera, two -years before, and had sustained herself and family by teaching school -until deprived of sight, since which, she had been dependent on the -Methodist society; herself and children being then a public charge. -Mrs. Walton sent her little daughter of twelve years old to show me the -way. I called on the poor blind widow and helpless orphans, and found -them in a dark and gloomy apartment, rendered more so by having every -ray of light obscured to prevent its painful effects on her eyes. I -related to her the circumstances of my mission, and she believed the -same. I laid my hands upon her in the name of Jesus Christ, and said -unto her, 'Your eyes shall be well from this very hour.' She threw -off her bandages--opened her house to the light--dressed herself, and -walking with open eyes, came to the meeting that same evening at Sister -Walton's, with eyes as well and as bright as any other persons. - -"The Methodist society were now relieved of their burthen in the person -of this widow and four orphans. This remarkable miracle was soon noised -abroad, and the poor woman's house was thronged from all parts of the -city and country with visitors; all curious to witness for themselves, -and to inquire of her how her eyes were healed. - -"'How did the man heal your eyes?' 'What did he do?--tell us,' were -questions so oft repeated that the woman, wearied of replying, came to -me for advice to know what she should do. I advised her to tell them -that the Lord had healed her, and to give him the glory, and let that -suffice. But still they teased her for particulars. 'What did this man -do?' 'How were your eyes opened and made well?' - -"'He laid his hands upon my head in the name of Jesus Christ, and -rebuked the inflammation, and commanded them to be made whole and -restored to sight; and it was instantly done.' - -"'Well, give God the glory; for, as to this man, it is well known that -he is an impostor, a follower of Joseph Smith, the false prophet.' - -"'Whether he be an impostor or not, I know not; but this much I know, -whereas I was blind, now I see! Can an impostor open the eyes of the -blind?'" - -The widow Walton was baptized, with all her household; John Taylor and -his wife, also; and John soon became an able assistant in the ministry. - -And here we meet two more representative women--sisters--whose family -were destined to figure historically in the church. The narrative of -Parley continues: - -"The work soon spread into the country and enlarged its operations in -all that region; many were gathered into the Church, and were filled -with faith and love, and with the holy spirit, and the Lord confirmed -the word with signs following. My first visit to the country was about -nine miles from Toronto, among a settlement of farmers, by one of whom -I had sent an appointment beforehand. John Taylor accompanied me. We -called at a Mr. Joseph Fielding's, an acquaintance and friend of Mr. -Taylor's. This man had two sisters, young ladies, who seeing us coming -ran from their house to one of the neighboring houses, lest they should -give welcome, or give countenance to 'Mormonism.' Mr. Fielding stayed, -and as we entered the house he said he was sorry we had come; he had -opposed our holding meeting in the neighborhood; and, so great was the -prejudice, that the Methodist meeting house was closed against us, and -the minister refused, on Sunday, to give out the appointment sent by -the farmer. - -"'Ah!' said I, 'why do they oppose Mormonism?' 'I don't know,' said he, -'but the name has such a contemptible sound; and, another thing, we do -not want a new revelation, or a new religion contrary to the Bible.' -'Oh,' said I, 'if that is all we shall soon remove your prejudices. -Come, call home your sisters, and let's have some supper. Did you say -the appointment was not given out?' 'I said, sir, that it was not given -out in the meeting house, nor by the minister; but the farmer by whom -you sent it agreed to have it at his house.' 'Come, then, send for -your sisters, we will take supper with you, and all go over to meeting -together. If you and your sisters will agree to this, I will agree to -preach the old Bible gospel, and leave out all new revelations which -are opposed to it.' - -"The honest man consented. The young ladies came home, got us a good -supper, and all went to meeting. The house was crowded; I preached, -and the people wished to hear more. The meeting house was opened -for further meetings, and in a few days we baptized Brother Joseph -Fielding and his two amiable and intelligent sisters, for such they -proved to be in an eminent degree. We also baptized many others in that -neighborhood, and organized a branch of the church, for the people -there drank in truth as water, and loved it as they loved life." - -Arriving at home the apostle Parley met continued examples of the -fulfillment of prophesy. Sister Pratt is now the interesting character -who takes the foreground. He says: - -"I found my wife had been healed of her seven years' illness from the -time Brother Kimball had ministered unto her, and I began to realize -more fully that every word of his blessing and prophesy upon my head -would surely come to pass." - -"After a pleasant visit with the saints," he continues, "I took my wife -with me and returned again to Toronto, in June, 1836. The work I had -commenced was still spreading its influence, and the saints were still -increasing in faith and love, in joy and in good works. There were -visions, prophesyings, speaking in tongues and healings, as well as the -casting out of devils and unclean spirits." - -The work inaugurated by Parley P. Pratt seemed to have achieved a -signal triumph almost from the very beginning. Indeed all had come to -pass according to the prophesy of Heber C. Kimball, even not excepting -the promised son and heir, who was born March 25th, 1837. But with this -event came the mortal end of Parley's estimable wife. She lived just -long enough to accomplish her destiny; and when the child was dressed, -and she had looked upon it and embraced it, she passed away. - -The following personal description and tribute of the poet apostle to -the memory of his mate is too full of love and distinctively Mormon -ideality to be lost: - -"She was tall, of a slender frame, her face of an oval form, eyes large -and of a dark color, her forehead lofty, clear complexion, hair black, -smooth and glossy. She was of a mild and affectionate disposition and -full of energy, perseverance, industry and cheerfulness, when not borne -down with sickness. In order, neatness and refinement of taste and -habit she might be said to excel. She was an affectionate and dutiful -wife, an exemplary saint, and, through much tribulation, she has gone -to the world of spirits to meet a glorious resurrection and an immortal -crown and kingdom. - -"Farewell, my dear Thankful, thou wife of my youth, and mother of my -first born; the beginning of my strength--farewell. Yet a few more -lingering years of sorrow, pain and toil, and I shall be with thee, -and clasp thee to my bosom, and thou shalt sit down on my throne, as a -queen and priestess unto thy Lord, arrayed in white robes of dazzling -splendor, and decked with precious stones and gold, while thy queen -sisters shall minister before thee and bless thee, and thy sons and -daughters innumerable shall call thee blessed, and hold thy name in -everlasting remembrance." - -The interesting story which Parley tells of the visit of the spirit -of his wife to him, while he was lying, a prisoner for the gospel's -sake, in a dark, cold and filthy dungeon in Richmond, Ray county, -Missouri, will be to the foregoing a charming sequel. While tortured -with the gloom and discomforts of his prison, and most of all with the -inactivity of his life of constraint, and earnestly wondering, and -praying to know, if he should ever be free again to enjoy the society -of friends and to preach the gospel, the following was shown to him, -which we will tell in his own language: - -"After some days of prayer and fasting," says he, "and seeking the Lord -on the subject, I one evening retired to my bed in my lonely chamber -at an early hour, and while the other prisoners and the guard were -chatting and beguiling the lonesome hours in the upper part of the -prison, I lay in silence, seeking and expecting an answer to my prayer, -when suddenly I seemed carried away in the spirit, and no longer -sensible to outward objects with which I was surrounded. A heaven of -peace and calmness pervaded my bosom; a personage from the world of -spirits stood before me with a smile of compassion in every look, and -pity mingled with the tenderest love and sympathy in every expression -of the countenance. A soft hand seemed placed within my own, and a -glowing cheek was laid in tenderness and warmth upon mine. A well-known -voice saluted me, which I readily recognized as that of the wife of my -youth, who had then for nearly two years been sweetly sleeping where -the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. I was made -to realize that she was sent to commune with me, and to answer my -question. - -"Knowing this, I said to her, in a most earnest and inquiring tone: -'Shall I ever be at liberty again in this life, and enjoy the society -of my family and the saints, and preach the gospel, as I have done?' -She answered definitely and unhesitatingly: 'Yes!' I then recollected -that I had agreed to be satisfied with the knowledge of that one fact, -but now I wanted more. - -"Said I: 'Can you tell me how, or by what means, or when, I shall -escape?' She replied: 'That thing is not made known to me yet.' I -instantly felt that I had gone beyond my agreement and my faith in -asking this last question, and that I must be contented at present with -the answer to the first. - -"Her gentle spirit then saluted me and withdrew. I came to myself. The -noise of the guards again grated on my ears, but heaven and hope were -in my soul. - -"Next morning I related the whole circumstance of my vision to my two -fellow-prisoners, who rejoiced exceedingly. This may seem to some like -an idle dream, or a romance of the imagination; but to me it was, and -always will be, a reality, both as it regards what I then experienced -and the fulfillment afterwards." - -The famous escape from Richmond jail forms one of the romantic chapters -of Mormon history, but it belongs rather to the acts of the apostles -than to the lives of the sisters. - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -A DISTINGUISHED CANADIAN CONVERT--MRS. M. I. HORNE--HER EARLY -HISTORY--CONVERSION TO MORMONISM--SHE GATHERS WITH THE SAINTS AND -SHARES THEIR PERSECUTIONS--INCIDENTS OF HER EARLY CONNECTION WITH THE -CHURCH. - -Among the early fruits of the Canadian mission, perhaps the name of -no other lady stands more conspicuous for good works and faithful -ministrations, than that of Mrs. Mary I. Horne. It will, therefore, be -eminently proper to introduce her at this time to the reader, and give -a brief sketch of her early career. From her own journals we quote as -follows: - -"I was born on the 20th of November, 1818, in the town of Rainham, -county of Kent, England. I am the daughter of Stephen and Mary Ann -Hales, and am the eldest daughter of a large family. My parents were -honest, industrious people; and when very young I was taught to pray, -to be honest and truthful, to be kind to my associates, and to do -good to all around me. My father was of the Methodist faith, but my -mother attended the Church of England. As I was religiously inclined, I -attended the Methodist Church with my father, who was faithful in the -performance of his religious duties, although he never became a very -enthusiastic Methodist. - -"In the year 1832, when I was in my thirteenth year, there was great -excitement in the town where I lived, over the favorable reports that -were sent from Van Dieman's Land, and the great inducements held out -to those who would go to that country. My father and mother caught the -spirit of going, and began to make preparations for leaving England. -Before arrangements had been completed for us to go, however, letters -were received from Upper Canada, picturing, in glowing terms, the -advantages of that country. My father changed his mind immediately and -made arrangements to emigrate to the town of York, afterwards called -Toronto. Accordingly, on the 16th day of April, 1832, our family, -consisting of my parents, five sons, myself and a younger sister, bade -adieu to England. We had a tedious voyage of six weeks across the -ocean, and my mother was sick during the entire voyage. During the -passage across there were three deaths on board--one of the three being -my brother Elias, whom we sorrowfully consigned to a watery grave. - -"Our ship anchored at Quebec in May, and after a tedious passage up -the St. Lawrence by steamer, we landed in safety at the town of York, -June 16th, thankful that we were at our journey's end. Here we were in -a strange land, and to our dismay we found that the cholera was raging -fearfully in that region; but through all of those trying scenes the -Lord preserved us in health. - -"In the spring of 1833 we removed into the country about eight miles, -to a place located in the township of York, and in the spring of 1834 I -attended a Methodist camp-meeting in that neighborhood, where I formed -the acquaintance of Mr. Joseph Horne, who is now my husband. - -"The most of the time for the next two years I lived in service in the -city of Toronto, going once in three months to visit my parents. - -"On the 9th day of May, 1836, I was married to Mr. Horne. He owned -a farm about one mile from my father's house, and I removed to his -residence soon after our marriage. I now felt that I was settled in -life; and, although I had not been used to farm work, I milked cows, -fed pigs and chickens, and made myself at home in my new situation, -seeking to make my home pleasant for my husband, and working to advance -his interests. - -"About the first of June, of that year, report came to us that a man -professing to be sent of God to preach to the people would hold a -meeting about a mile from our house. My husband decided that we should -go and hear him. We accordingly went, and there first heard Elder Orson -Pratt. We were very much pleased with his sermon. Another meeting was -appointed for the following week, and Elder Pratt told us that business -called him away, but his brother, Parley P. Pratt, would be with us and -preach in his stead. I invited my father to go with us to hear him, and -the appointed evening found all of his family at the 'Mormon' meeting. -Elder Pratt told us that God was an unchangeable being--the same -yesterday, to-day, and forever--and taught us the gospel in its purity; -then showed from the Bible that the gospel was the same in all ages of -the world; but man had wandered from God and the true gospel, and that -the Lord had sent an angel to Joseph Smith, restoring to him the pure -gospel with its gifts and blessings. My father was so delighted with -the sermon that he left the Methodist Church and attended the 'Mormon -meetings' altogether; and in a short time every member of his family -had received and obeyed the gospel. This made quite a stir among the -Methodists. One of the class-leaders came to converse with us, and used -every argument he could to convince us that Mormonism was false, but -without avail. 'Well,' said he, finally, 'there are none but children -and fools who join them,' and left us to our fate. In July (1836) I -was baptized by Orson Hyde, and ever after that our house was open for -meetings, and became a home for many of the elders. - -"The following from Brother Parley P. Pratt's autobiography, is a -truthful statement of a circumstance which occurred in the fall of that -year, and to which I can bear witness, as it was of my own personal -observation, the lady in question being a neighbor of ours. He says: - -"'Now, there was living in that neighborhood a young man and his -wife, named Whitney; he was a blacksmith by trade; their residence -was perhaps a mile or more from Mr. Lamphere's, where I held my -semi-monthly meetings. His wife was taken down very suddenly about -that time with a strange affliction. She would be prostrated by some -power invisible to those about her, and suffer an agony of distress -indescribable. She often cried out that she could see two devils in -human form, who were thus operating upon her, and that she could hear -them talk; but, as the bystanders could not see them, but only see the -effects, they did not know what to think or how to understand. - -"'She would have one of these spells once in about twenty-four hours, -and when it had passed she would lie in bed so lame, bruised, sore, -and helpless that she could not rise alone, or even sit up, for some -weeks. All this time she had to have watchers both night and day, -and sometimes four and five at a time, insomuch that the neighbors -were worn out and weary with watching. Mr. Whitney sent word for me -two or three times, or left word for me to call next time I visited -the neighborhood. This, however, I had neglected to do, owing to -the extreme pressure of labors upon me in so large a circuit of -meetings--indeed I had not a moment to spare. At last, as I came round -on the circuit again, the woman, who had often requested to see the man -of God, that he might minister to her relief, declared she would see -him anyhow, for she knew she could be healed if she could but get sight -of him. In her agony she sprang from her bed, cleared herself from her -frightened husband and others, who were trying to hold her, and ran for -Mr. Lamphere's, where I was then holding meeting. At first, to use her -own words, she felt very weak, and nearly fainted, but her strength -came to her, and increased at every step till she reached the meeting. -Her friends were all astonished, and in alarm, lest she should die in -the attempt, tried to pursue her, and they several times laid hold of -her and tried to force or persuade her back. 'No,' said she, 'let me -see the man of God; I can but die, and I cannot endure such affliction -any longer.' On she came, until at last they gave up, and said, 'Let -her go, perhaps it will be according to her faith.' So she came, and -when the thing was explained the eyes of the whole multitude were upon -her. I ceased to preach, and, stepping to her in the presence of the -whole meeting, I laid my hands upon her and said, 'Sister, be of good -cheer, thy sins are forgiven, thy faith hath made thee whole; and, in -the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke the devils and unclean spirits, and -command them to trouble thee no more.' She returned home well, went -about her housekeeping, and remained well from that time forth.' - -"In the latter part of the summer of 1837," continues Mrs. Horne, "I -had the great pleasure of being introduced to, and entertaining, the -beloved prophet, Joseph Smith, with Sidney Rigdon and T. B. Marsh. -I said to myself, 'O Lord, I thank thee for granting the desire of -my girlish heart, in permitting me to associate with prophets and -apostles.' On shaking hands with Joseph Smith, I received the holy -spirit in such great abundance that I felt it thrill my whole system, -from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I thought I had -never beheld so lovely a countenance. Nobility and goodness were in -every feature. - -"The saints in Kirtland removed in the following spring to Missouri. -We started from Canada in March, 1838, with a small company of saints. -The roads were very bad, as the frost was coming out of the ground, -consequently I had to drive the team during a great portion of the -journey, while my husband walked. - -"On arriving at Huntsville, one hundred miles from Far West, we found -several families of saints, and tarried a short time with them. There -I was introduced to the parents of the prophet, and also to his -cousin, George A. Smith. At a meeting held in that place I received a -patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith, Sr. He told me that I had to -pass through a great deal of sickness, sorrow and tribulation, but 'the -Lord will bring you through six troubles, and in the seventh he will -not leave you;' all of which has verily been fulfilled." - -Mrs. Horne, with her husband and family, reached Far West in August of -that year, and received their full share of the privations incident -to the settlement of that city, and also a full share of exposure, -sickness and peril incident to the expulsion of the saints from -Missouri. Finally thereafter they gathered to Nauvoo; and there for -the present let us leave them--promising the reader that Mrs. Horne -shall again come to the front when we treat of the wonderful missionary -efforts of the Mormon women in Utah. - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -MORMONISM CARRIED TO GREAT BRITAIN--"TRUTH WILL PREVAIL"--THE REV. MR. -FIELDING--FIRST BAPTISM IN ENGLAND--FIRST WOMAN BAPTIZED--STORY OF -MISS JEANNETTA RICHARDS--FIRST BRANCH OF THE CHURCH IN FOREIGN LANDS -ORGANIZED AT THE HOUSE OF ANN DAWSON--FIRST CHILD BORN INTO THE CHURCH -IN ENGLAND--ROMANTIC SEQUEL--VILATE KIMBALL AGAIN. - -The voice of prophesy was no longer hushed; the heavens were no longer -sealed; the Almighty really spoke to these prophets and apostles of -the latter days; their words were strangely, sometimes romantically, -fulfilled; the genius of Mormonism was alike potent at home and abroad. - -"Thou shalt go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, and there -thou shalt find a people prepared for the fullness of the gospel, and -they shall receive thee;" the prophet Heber had oracled over the head -of a fellow laborer, "and from the things growing out of this mission -shall the fullness of the gospel spread into England and cause a great -work to be done in that land." - -One part of this prophesy the reader has seen exactly fulfilled in -the mission of Parley P. Pratt to Canada, enlivened with some very -interesting episodes. It falls upon Heber himself--the father of the -British mission--to fulfill, with the brethren who accompany him, the -supreme part of the prophesy referring to Great Britain. - -It will be remembered from the sketch of Vilate Kimball, that Mary -Fielding gave to Heber five dollars to help him on his journey, -and that she with her sister and her sister's husband, Elder R. B. -Thompson, were on their way to Canada to engage in the second mission -to that Province, while Heber, Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, and Joseph -Fielding, with several other brethren from Canada, pursued their course -to England. - -It was July 1st, 1837, when these elders embarked on board the ship -_Garrick_, bound for Liverpool, which they reached on the 20th of the -same month. - -On their arrival in that foreign land the three principal -elders--Heber, Orson and Willard--had not as much as one farthing -in their possession, yet were they destined to accomplish marvelous -results ere their return to America. - -Having remained two days in Liverpool, these elders were directed by -the spirit to go to Preston, a flourishing English town in Lancashire, -to plant the standard of their Church. - -It generally came to pass that some singular incident occurred in all -of the initial movements of these elders, opening their way before -them, or omening their success. So now, the people of Preston were -celebrating a grand national occasion. Queen Victoria, a few days -previously (July 17th), had ascended the throne. A fitting event this -to notice in a woman's book. The "Woman's Age" dawned, not only upon -England, but, it would seem, upon all of the civilized world. - -A general election was being held throughout the realm in consequence -of the ascension of the Queen. The populace were parading the streets -of Preston, bands were playing, and flags flying. - -In the midst of this universal joy the elders alighted from the coach, -and just at that moment a flag was unfurled over their heads, from the -hotel, bearing this motto in gold letters: "Truth is mighty and will -prevail!" It was as a prophesy to these elders, as if to welcome their -coming, and they lifted up their voices and shouted, "Glory be to God, -truth will prevail!" By the way, this flag proclaimed the rise of the -temperance movement in England. - -That night Heber and his compeers were entertained by the Rev. James -Fielding, the brother of the sisters Fielding. Already was the -other half of the prophesy uttered over the head of Parley being -fulfilled--that the gospel should spread from Canada into England, "and -cause a great work to be done in that land." - -Previously to this the Rev. James Fielding had received letters from -his brother Joseph, and his sisters, who had, as we have seen, embraced -Mormonism in Canada; and these letters, burdened with the tidings of -the advent of the prophet of America and the administration of angels -in our own times, he read to his congregation. He also exhorted his -flock to pray fervently that the Lord would send over to England his -apostles, and solemnly adjured them to receive their message when they -should come bearing their glad tidings. Thus in England, as in Canada, -a people were "prepared" according to the prophesy. - -On Sunday morning, the day after their arrival in Preston, the elders -went to Vauxhall Chapel to hear the Rev. James Fielding preach. At the -close of his discourse he gave out that in the afternoon and evening -meetings ministers from America would preach in his chapel. - -The news spread rapidly in the town, and in a few hours quite a -sensation was abroad among the inhabitants, who flocked to the chapel -at the appointed times, some out of curiosity, others from a genuine -interest. Both in the afternoon and evening the chapel was crowded, and -the apostles preached their opening sermons, Heber C. Kimball being the -first of them who bore his testimony to "Mormonism" in foreign lands. - -On the following Wednesday Vauxhall Chapel was again crowded, when -Elder Orson Hyde preached, and Willard Richards bore testimony; and -the Holy Ghost, we are told, powerfully accompanied the word on the -occasion. - -Only a few days had passed since the elders arrived on the shores of -Great Britain, yet "a number believed and began to praise God and -rejoice exceedingly." - -The Rev. Mr. Fielding, however, saw now the consequence of all this. -He was in danger of losing his entire flock. Many were resolving to be -baptized into the Church of Latter-day Saints. A continuation of this -result for a few weeks signified the entire dissolution of his own -church. He was in consternation at the prospect. Trembling, it is said, -as if suddenly stricken with the palsy, he presented himself before -the elders on the morning appointed for the baptism of a number of his -former disciples, and forbade the baptism. Of course this was in vain. -He had met the inevitable. - -On Sunday, July 30th, just one month from the time the elders embarked -at New York, the eventful scene occurred in Preston, of the baptism in -the River Ribble of the nine first converts to Mormonism in foreign -lands. They were - -George D. Watt, Ann Elizabeth Walmesley, - -Thomas Walmesley, George Wate, - -Miles Hodgen, Mary Ann Brown, - -Henry Billsburg, ---- Miller, - -Ann Dawson. - -A public ceremony of baptism in the open air was such a novel event in -England at that time, when religious innovations were so rare, that -seven or eight thousand persons assembled on the banks of the river -to witness the scene. It is said that this was the first time baptism -by immersion was ever thus administered in England, though at a later -period several sects of Baptists arose who immersed openly in the -rivers and for the remission of sins. Such scenes were picturesque, -and some of the "new lights" seem to have delighted in them for their -religious sensation, just as the Methodists did in their camp meetings. - -The first woman whose name is recorded in the list of the baptized of -the Mormon Church in England is Sister Ann Elizabeth Walmesley; and her -case presents the first miracle of the Church in foreign lands. Here is -the incident as related by Heber C. Kimball: - -"I had visited Thomas Walmesley, whose wife was sick of the -consumption, and had been so for several years. She was reduced to -skin and bone--a mere skeleton--and was given up by the doctors to -die. I preached the gospel to her, and promised her in the name of the -Lord Jesus Christ that if she would believe, repent and be baptized, -she should be healed of her sickness. She was carried to the water, -and after her baptism began to mend, and at her confirmation she was -blessed and her disease rebuked, when she immediately recovered, and in -less than one week after, she was attending to her household duties." - -This incident will be the more interesting to the reader from the fact -that to-day (forty years after the miracle) Sister Walmesley is living -at Bloomington, Bear Lake Valley, Oneida county, Idaho. - -Next came quite an evangelical episode, introducing, with a touch of -romance, Miss Jennetta Richards. - -This young lady was the daughter of a minister, of the independent -order, who resided at Walkerfold, about fifteen miles from Preston. -She was not only personally interesting and intelligent, but, from the -influence she possessed over her father and his congregation, coupled -with the fact that the most classical of the apostles "fell in love" -with her, she appears to have been a maiden of considerable character. -She was a proper person to be the heroine of the British mission, and -her conversion was very important in its results, as will be seen in -the following incidents, related by Heber: - -It was several days after the public baptism in Preston. "Miss -Jennetta Richards," says the apostle, "came to the house of Thomas -Walmesley, with whom she was acquainted. Calling in to see them at -the time she was there, I was introduced to her, and we immediately -entered into conversation on the subject of the gospel. I found her -very intelligent. She seemed very desirous to hear the things I had to -teach and to understand the doctrines of the gospel. I informed her of -my appointment to preach that evening, and invited her to attend. She -did so; and likewise the evening following. After attending these two -services she was fully convinced of the truth. - -"Friday morning, 4th, she sent for me, desiring to be baptized, which -request I cheerfully complied with, in the River Ribble, and confirmed -her at the water side, Elder Hyde assisting. This was the first -confirmation in England. The following day she started for home, and -wept as she was about to leave us. I said to her, 'Sister, be of good -cheer, for the Lord will soften the heart of thy father, that I will -yet have the privilege of preaching in his chapel, and it shall result -in a great opening to preach the gospel in that region.' I exhorted -her to pray and be humble. She requested me to pray for her, and gave -me some encouragement to expect that her father would open his chapel -for me to preach in. I then hastened to my brethren, told them of the -circumstances and the result of my visit with the young lady, and -called upon them to unite with me in prayer that the Lord would soften -the heart of her father, that he might be induced to open his chapel -for us to preach in." - -On the third Sabbath after the arrival of the elders in England, they -met at the house of Sister Ann Dawson, when twenty-seven members were -confirmed and the first branch of the Church was organized in foreign -lands. In the forepart of the ensuing week Heber received a letter -from Miss Jennetta Richards, and an invitation from her father to come -to Walkerfold and preach in his chapel. The invitation was accepted, -and Heber met with great success in laying the gospel before the -congregation of Mr. Richards; so successful was he indeed that the -reverend gentleman was forced to shut his chapel doors in order to -prevent a complete stampede of his flock. - -This evangelical success is crowned with an interesting incident -between Jennetta and Elder Willard Richards. Willard, who had been on -a mission to Bedford early in January, 1838, visited his brethren at -Preston; and then, he says: - -"I took a tour through the branches, and preached. While walking in -Thornly I plucked a snowdrop, far through the hedge, and carried it -to James Mercer's and hung it up in his kitchen. Soon after Jennetta -Richards came into the room, and I walked with her and Alice Parker to -Ribchester, and attended meeting with Brothers Kimball and Hyde, at -Brother Clark's. - -"While walking with these sisters, I remarked, 'Richards is a good -name; I never want to change it; do you, Jennetta?' 'No; I do not,' was -her reply, 'and I think I never will.'" - -The following note in his diary of the same year, furnishes the sequel: - -"September 24, 1839, I married Jennetta Richards, daughter of the -Rev. John Richards, independent minister at Walkerfold, Chaidgley, -Lancashire. Most truly do I praise my Heavenly Father for his great -kindness in providing me a partner according to his promise. I receive -her from the Lord, and hold her at his disposal. I pray that he may -bless us forever. Amen!" - -Passing from Sister Jennetta Richards, we now introduce the first child -born in the British mission. It is a female child. She is also the -first infant blessed in England; and the incidents of her birth and -blessing are both pretty and novel, especially when coupled with the -sequel of her womanhood. Heber thus tells the initial part of her story: - -"She was the daughter of James and Nancy Smithies, formerly Nancy -Knowles. After she was born her parents wanted to take her to the -church to be sprinkled, or christened, as they call it. I used every -kind of persuasion to convince them of their folly--it being contrary -to the Scriptures and the will of God; the parents wept bitterly, and -it seemed as though I could not prevail on them to omit it. I wanted to -know of them why they were so tenacious. The answer was, 'If she dies -she cannot have a burial in the churchyard.' I said to them, 'Brother -and Sister Smithies, I say unto you in the name of Israel's God, she -shall not die on this land, for she shall live until she becomes a -mother in Israel, and I say it in the name of Jesus Christ, and by -virtue of the holy priesthood vested in me.' That silenced them, and -when she was two weeks old they presented the child to me; I took it -in my arms and blessed it, that it should live to become a mother in -Israel. She was the first child blessed in that country, and the first -born unto them." - -The child lived, and fulfilled the prophesy that she should become -a "mother in Israel." Her birth was destined to glorify Heber's own -kingdom, for she, twenty years afterwards, became his last wife, and is -now the mother of four of his children. - -The gospel spread rapidly during the first mission of the elders in -England. In eight months two thousand were baptized, and the "signs -followed the believers." We shall meet some of the British converts -hereafter, and read the testimonies of the sisters concerning the great -spiritual work of Mormonism in their native land. - -Heber, and Orson Hyde, returned to America, leaving the British mission -in charge of Joseph Fielding, with Willard Richards and William Clayton -as councilors. Here the apostolic thread connects with the wife and -family of Heber, who have been left to the care of Providence and the -brotherly and sisterly love of the saints during this immortal mission -to Great Britain. His daughter Helen, in her journal, says: - -"In the absence of my father the Lord was true to his promise. My -father's prayer, that he had made upon the heads of his wife and little -ones whom he had left poor and destitute, was answered. Kind friends -came forward to cheer and comfort them, and administer to their wants. - -"Soon after my father's return to Kirtland he commenced making -preparations to move his family to Missouri, where Brother Joseph Smith -and a majority of the church authorities and nearly all of the members -had gone. About the first of July he commenced the journey with his -family, accompanied by Brother Orson Hyde and others, and arrived in -Far West on the 25th of July, when he had a happy meeting with Joseph, -Hyrum, Sidney, and others of the twelve, and numbers of his friends and -brethren, some of whom were affected to tears when they took him by the -hand. During our journey from Kirtland, the weather being very warm, we -suffered very much, and were much reduced by sickness. Father continued -quite feeble for a considerable length of time. Joseph requested him to -preach to the saints, saying, 'It will revive their spirits and do them -good if you will give them a history of your mission;' which he did, -although he was scarcely able to stand. It cheered their hearts and -many of the elders were stirred up to diligence. - -"Soon after our arrival Bishop Partridge gave father a lot, and also -sufficient timber to build a house. While it was being erected we -lived in a place eight by eleven feet and four feet high at the eaves, -which had been built for a cow. The brethren were remarkably kind, and -contributed to our necessities. Brother Charles Hubbard made my father -a present of forty acres of land; another brother gave him a cow. But -about the last of August, after he had labored hard and nearly finished -his house, he was obliged to abandon it to the mob, who again commenced -to persecute the saints." - -The history of those persecutions, and the exodus of the saints, is -already sufficiently told. Suffice it to say that Sister Vilate nobly -bore her part in those trying scenes, while Heber, with Brigham and -the rest of the twelve, kept their covenant--never to rest a moment -until the last faithful saint was delivered from that State, and the -feet of the whole people planted firmly, in peace and safety, in a new -gathering place. - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -SKETCH OF THE SISTERS MARY AND MERCY R. FIELDING--THE FIELDINGS A -SEMI-APOSTOLIC FAMILY--THEIR IMPORTANT INSTRUMENTALITY IN OPENING THE -BRITISH MISSION--MARY FIELDING MARRIES HYRUM SMITH--HER TRIALS AND -SUFFERINGS WHILE HER HUSBAND IS IN PRISON--TESTIMONY OF HER SISTER -MERCY--MARY'S LETTER TO HER BROTHER IN ENGLAND. - -Already has the name of Mary Fielding become quite historical to -the reader, but she is now to be introduced in her still more -representative character as wife of the patriarch and martyr Hyrum, and -as mother of the apostle Joseph F. Smith. - -This much-respected lady was born July 21st, 1801, at Honidon, -Bedfordshire, England. She was the daughter of John and Rachel -Fielding, and was the eldest of the sisters whom the reader has met -somewhat prominently in an apostolic incident in Canada, out of which -much of the early history of the British mission very directly grew. - -Mary was of good family, well educated, and piously raised, being -originally a Methodist, and a devoted admirer of the character of John -Wesley. Indeed the family of the Fieldings and their connections were -semi-apostolic even before their identification with the Church of -Latter-day Saints. - -In 1834 Mary emigrated to Canada. Here she joined her youngest brother, -Joseph, and her sister, Mercy Rachel (born in England in 1807), who -had preceded her to America in 1832. As we have seen, this brother and -his two sisters were living near Toronto, Upper Canada, at the time -when Parley P. Pratt arrived there on his mission, and they immediately -embraced the faith. This was in May, 1836. - -In the following spring the Fieldings gathered to Kirtland. Soon the -youngest of the sisters, Mercy Rachel, was married by the prophet to -Elder Robert B. Thompson, one of the literati of the Church, who was -appointed on a mission to Canada with his wife. At the same time Joseph -Fielding was appointed on mission to England, to assist the apostles in -that land. But Mary remained in Kirtland, and on the 24th of December, -1837, she was married to Hyrum Smith. - -Here something deserves to be told of the Fielding family in -amplification of the incidental mentionings already made. - -The Rev. James Fielding (of Preston, England), Mary's brother, was -quite a religious reformer, and of sufficient ministerial reputation -and force to become the founder and head of a Congregational Methodist -Church. Originally he was a minister of the regular body of that -powerful sect, but becoming convinced that modern Methodists had -departed from their primitive faith, and that their church no longer -enjoyed the Holy Ghost and its gifts, which measurably attended their -illustrious founder and his early disciples, the Rev. Mr. Fielding -inaugurated a religious reform in the direction intimated. It was an -attempt to revive in his ministerial sphere the spiritual power of the -Wesleyan movement; nor did he stop at this, but sought to convince his -disciples of the necessity of "contending earnestly for the faith once -delivered to the saints." - -Other branches of the family also became prominent in the religious -reforms of England that arose about the time of the establishing of the -Church of Latter-day Saints in America. One of the Fielding sisters -married no less a personage than the Rev. Timothy R. Matthews, who -figured nearly as conspicuously as the Rev. James Fielding in the -early history of the British mission. This Rev. Timothy Matthews was -at first minister of the Church of England, and is said to have been -a very able and learned man. With the famous Robert Aitken, whom he -called his "son," he attempted reformation even in the established -Church; or rather, these innovative divines denounced the "apostasy" of -that Church, and prosecuted a semi-apostolic mission. It was eminently -successful, Robert Aitken and himself raising up large congregations -of disciples in Preston, Liverpool, Bedford, Northampton and London. -These disciples were popularly called Aitkenites and Matthewites. -Quite relevant is all this to the history of the Latter-day Saints in -England, for the congregations of the Rev. James Fielding, Rev. Timothy -R. Matthews, and Rev. John Richards (father of Jennetta), gave to the -apostles their first disciples abroad, and these ministers themselves -were their instruments in establishing the British mission. - -But the name of Fielding, after those of the apostles, was principal in -accomplishing these results. The sisters Mary and Mercy, with Joseph, -half converted by their letters, the congregation of their reverend -brother in Preston, before the advent there of the apostles. In their -Brother James' chapel the first apostolic sermon in foreign lands was -preached by Heber C. Kimball, and it was one of the Fielding sisters -(Mrs. Watson), who gave to the elders the first money for the "gospel's -sake" donated to the church abroad. - -But to return to Kirtland. Hyrum Smith was a widower at the date of -Mary Fielding's arrival there from Canada. And this means that his -_only_ wife was dead; for polygamy was unknown in the Church at that -time. It will therefore, be seen how pertinent is the often-repeated -remark of the sisters that the saints were not driven and persecuted -because of polygamy, but because of their belief in "new and continued -revelation." In becoming Hyrum's wife, Mary assumed the responsible -situation of step-mother to his five children, the task of which she -performed with unwavering fidelity, taking care of them for years after -the martyrdom of her husband, and taking the place of both father and -mother to them in the exodus of the Church to the Rocky Mountains. -And Mary was well trained for this latter task during her husband's -lifetime, besides being matured in years and character before her -marriage. - -From Kirtland, with her husband and family, she removed to Far West, -Mo., where, on the first day of November, 1838, her husband and his -brother, the prophet, with others, were betrayed by the Mormon Colonel -Hinkle into the hands of the armed mob under General Clark, in the -execution of Gov. Boggs' exterminating order. On the following day -Hyrum was marched, at the point of the bayonet, to his house, by a -strong guard, who with hideous oaths and threats commanded Mary to -take her last farewell of her husband, for, "His die was cast, and his -doom was sealed," and she need never think she would see him again; -allowing her only a moment, as it were, for that terrible parting, -and to provide a change of clothes for the final separation. In the -then critical condition of her health this heart-rending scene came -nigh ending her life; but the natural vigor of her mind sustained her -in the terrible trial. Twelve days afterwards she gave birth to her -first born, a son; but she remained prostrate on a bed of affliction -and suffering for several months. In January, 1839, she was taken in a -wagon, with her infant, on her sick bed, to Liberty, Clay county, Mo., -where she was granted the privilege of visiting her husband in jail, -where he was confined by the mob, without trial or conviction, because, -forsooth, he was a "Mormon." - -While in this condition of health, with her husband immured in a -dungeon and surrounded by fiends in human form, thirsting for his life, -a company of armed men, led by the notorious Methodist priest, Bogart, -entered her poor abode and searched it, breaking open a trunk and -carrying away papers and valuables belonging to her husband. In this -helpless condition also she was forced from what shelter she had, in -the worst season of the year, to cross the bleak prairies of Missouri, -expelled from the State, to seek protection among strangers in the more -hospitable State of Illinois. Here is the story that her sister Mercy -tells of those days and scenes: - -"In 1838 I traveled in company with Hyrum Smith and family to Far West. -To describe in a brief sketch the scenes I witnessed and the sufferings -I endured would be impossible. An incident or two, however, I will -relate. - -"My husband, with many of the brethren, being threatened and pursued by -a mob, fled into the wilderness in November, leaving me with an infant -not five months old. Three months of distressing suspense I endured -before I could get any intelligence from him, during which time I -staid with my sister, wife of Hyrum Smith, who, having given birth to -a son while her husband was in prison, on the 13th of November took a -severe cold and was unable to attend to her domestic duties for four -months. This caused much of the care of her family, which was very -large, to fall on me. Mobs were continually threatening to massacre -the inhabitants of the city, and at times I feared to lay my babe down -lest they should slay me and leave it to suffer worse than immediate -death. About the 1st of February, 1839, by the request of her husband, -my sister was placed on a bed in a wagon and taken a journey of forty -miles, to visit him in the prison. Her infant son, Joseph F., being -then but about eleven weeks old, I had to accompany her, taking my own -babe, then near eight months old. The weather was extremely cold, and -we suffered much on the journey. This circumstance I always reflect -upon with peculiar pleasure, notwithstanding the extreme anxiety I -endured from having the care of my sick sister and the two babes. The -remembrance of having had the honor of spending a night in prison, in -company with the prophet and patriarch, produces a feeling I cannot -express. - -"Shortly after our return to Far West we had to abandon our homes and -start, in lumber wagons, for Illinois; my sister being again placed on -a bed, in an afflicted state. This was about the middle of February, -and the weather was extremely cold. I still had the care of both babes. -We arrived at Quincy about the end of the month." - -The following interesting letter, from Mary to her brother Joseph in -England, will fitly close for the present the sketch of these sisters: - - "COMMERCE, Ill., North America, - - "June, 1839. - - "MY VERY DEAR BROTHER: - - "As the elders are expecting shortly to take their leave of us - again to preach the gospel in my native land, I feel as though I - would not let the opportunity of writing you pass unimproved. I - believe it will give you pleasure to hear from us by our own hand; - notwithstanding you will see the brethren face to face, and have - an opportunity of hearing all particulars respecting us and our - families. - - "As it respects myself, it is now so long since I wrote to you, and - so many important things have transpired, and so great have been my - affliction, etc., that I know not where to begin; but I can say, - hitherto has the Lord preserved me, and I am still among the living - to praise him, as I do to-day. I have, to be sure, been called to - drink deep of the bitter cup; but you know, my beloved brother, - this makes the sweet sweeter. - - "You have, I suppose, heard of the imprisonment of my dear husband, - with his brother Joseph, Elder Rigdon, and others, who were kept - from us nearly six months; and I suppose no one felt the painful - effects of their confinement more than myself. I was left in a - way that called for the exercise of all the courage and grace I - possessed. My husband was taken from me by an armed force, at a - time when I needed, in a particular manner, the kindest care and - attention of such a friend, instead of which, the care of a large - family was suddenly and unexpectedly left upon myself, and, in a - few days after, my dear little Joseph F. was added to the number. - Shortly after his birth I took a severe cold, which brought on - chills and fever; this, together with the anxiety of mind I had - to endure, threatened to bring me to the gates of death. I was at - least four months entirely unable to take any care either of myself - or child; but the Lord was merciful in so ordering things that my - dear sister could be with me. Her child was five months old when - mine was born; so she had strength given her to nurse them both. - - "You will also have heard of our being driven, as a people, from - the State, and from our homes; this happened during my sickness, - and I had to be removed more than two hundred miles, chiefly on - my bed. I suffered much on my journey; but in three or four weeks - after we arrived in Illinois, I began to amend, and my health is - now as good as ever. It is now little more than a month since the - Lord, in his marvelous power, returned my dear husband, with the - rest of the brethren, to their families, in tolerable health. We - are now living in Commerce, on the bank of the great Mississippi - river. The situation is very pleasant; you would be much pleased to - see it. How long we may be permitted to enjoy it I know not; but - the Lord knows what is best for us. I feel but little concerned - about where I am, if I can keep my mind scald upon God; for, - you know in this there is perfect peace. I believe the Lord is - overruling all things for our good. I suppose our enemies look upon - us with astonishment and disappointment. - - "I greatly desire to see you, and I think you would be pleased to - see our little ones; will you pray for us, that we may have grace - to train them up in the way they should go, so that they may be a - blessing to us and the world? I have a hope that our brothers and - sisters will also embrace the fullness of the gospel, and come - into the new and everlasting covenant; I trust their prejudices - will give way to the power of truth. I would gladly have them - with us here, even though they might have to endure all kind of - tribulation and affliction with us and the rest of the children of - God, in these last days, so that they might share in the glories - of the celestial kingdom. As to myself, I can truly say, that I - would not give up the prospect of the latter-day glory for all - that glitters in this world. O, my dear brother, I must tell you, - for your comfort, that my hope is full, and it is a glorious hope; - and though I have been left for near six months in widowhood, in - the time of great affliction, and was called to take, joyfully or - otherwise, the spoiling of almost all our goods, in the absence of - my husband, and all unlawfully, just for the gospel's sake (for - the judge himself declared that he was kept in prison for no other - reason than because he was a friend to his brother), yet I do not - feel in the least discouraged; no, though my sister and I are here - together in a strange land, we have been enabled to rejoice, in - the midst of our privations and persecutions, that we were counted - worthy to suffer these things, so that we may, with the ancient - saints who suffered in like manner, inherit the same glorious - reward. If it had not been for this hope, I should have sunk before - this; but, blessed be the God and rock of my salvation, here I - am, and am perfectly satisfied and happy, having not the smallest - desire to go one step backward. - - "Your last letter to Elder Kimball gave us great pleasure; we thank - you for your expression of kindness, and pray God to bless you - according to your desires for us. - - "The more I see of the dealings of our Heavenly Father with us as a - people, the more I am constrained to rejoice that I was ever made - acquainted with the everlasting covenant. O may the Lord keep me - faithful till my change comes! O, my dear brother, why is it that - our friends should stand out against the truth, and look on those - that would show it to them as enemies? The work here is prospering - much; several men of respectability and intelligence, who have been - acquainted with all our difficulties, are coming into the work. - - "My husband joins me in love to you. I remain, my dear brother and - sister, your affectionate sister, - - "MARY SMITH." - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE QUORUM OF THE APOSTLES GO ON MISSION TO ENGLAND--THEIR LANDING IN -GREAT BRITAIN--THEY HOLD A CONFERENCE--A HOLIDAY FESTIVAL--MOTHER MOON -AND FAMILY--SUMMARY OF A YEAR'S LABORS--CROWNING PERIOD OF THE BRITISH -MISSION. - -Scarcely had the saints made their exodus from Missouri--while many of -them were still domiciled in tents on the banks of the Mississippi, and -Nauvoo could only boast of a few rude houses to prophesy the glory of -a "second Zion"--ere nine of the quorum of the apostles were abroad, -working their missionary wonders in foreign lands. From that period -to the present (1877), the history of the Latter-day Church, with its -emigrations, has quite one-half belonged to the European mission, which -has given to America one hundred thousand emigrants. - -Early in the year 1840 (January 11th), apostles Wilford Woodruff -and John Taylor, with Elder Theodore Turley, landed on the shores -of England. They chose their several fields of labor and soon were -actively engaged in the ministry. - -On the 19th of March of the same year Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, -George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, and Reuben Hedlock -sailed from New York on board the _Patrick Henry_. A number of the -saints came down to the wharf to bid them farewell. When the elders got -into the small-boat to go out to the ship, the saints on shore sang -"The Gallant Ship is Under Way," etc., in which song the elders joined -until their voices were separated by the distance. - -Liverpool was reached by these apostles on the 6th of April. It was the -anniversary of the organization of the Church, just ten years before. -The next day they found Elder Taylor and John Moon, with about thirty -saints who had just received the work in that place, and on the day -following they went to Preston by railroad. - -In Preston, the cradle of the British mission, the apostles were met -by a multitude of saints, who rejoiced exceedingly at the event of the -arrival of the twelve in that land. - -Willard Richards immediately hastened to Preston and gave an account -of the churches in the British isles, over which he had been presiding -during the interval from the return of Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde -to America. The president of the twelve at once commenced to grapple -with the work in foreign lands, convened a conference, and wrote to -Wilford Woodruff to attend. - -It was on the 14th of April, 1840, that the first council of the twelve -apostles, in a foreign land, was held at Preston. There were present -Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P Pratt, Orson Pratt, John -Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith. These proceeded to -ordain Willard Richards to their quorum, and then Brigham Young was -chosen, by a unanimous vote, the standing president of the twelve. - -Then followed, during the next two days, "A General Conference of the -Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," held in the Temperance -Hall at Preston, with Heber C. Kimball presiding, and William Clayton -clerk. There were represented at this time, one thousand six hundred -and seventy-one members, thirty-four elders, fifty-two priests, -thirty-eight teachers, and eight deacons. - -The conference over, the apostles kept the old Christian holiday of -Good Friday, to regale their spirits after their long journey, which -had so quickly followed the many vicissitudes of persecution in their -native land, and before separating again on their arduous mission. - -The place chosen to spend their holiday was the village of Penwortham, -two miles from Preston. That day Mother Moon made a feast for the -apostles at her house. From her treasury of "fat things" she brought -forth a bottle of wine which she had kept for forty years. This the -elders blessed and then partook of it. That bottle of wine is spoken -of to this day. The family of Mother Moon has also a history. Here is -their page, from Heber's journal of his first mission abroad: - -"Having an appointment to preach in the village of Wrightington, while -on the way I stopped at the house of Brother Francis Moon, when I was -informed that the family of Matthias Moon had sent a request by him for -me to visit them, that they might have the privilege of conversing with -me on the subject of the gospel. Accordingly Brother Amos Fielding and -I paid them a visit that evening. We were very kindly received by the -family, and had considerable conversation on the subject of my mission -to England, and the great work of the Lord in the last days. They -listened with attention to my statements, but at the same time they -appeared to be prejudiced against them. We remained in conversation -until a late hour, and then returned home. On our way Brother Fielding -observed that he thought our visit had been in vain, as the family -seemed to have considerable prejudice. I answered, be not faithless but -believing; we shall yet see great effects from this visit, for I know -that some of the family have received the testimony, and will shortly -manifest the same; at which remark he seemed surprised. - -"The next morning I continued my journey to Wrightington and Hunter's -Hill. After spending two or three days in that vicinity, preaching, I -baptized seven of the family of Benson, and others, and organized a -branch. - -"I returned by the way of Brother Fielding's, with whom I again tarried -for the night. The next morning I started for Preston, but when I got -opposite the lane leading to Mr. Moon's, I was forcibly led by the -spirit of the Lord to call and see them again. I therefore directed -my steps to the house. On my arrival I knocked at the door. Mrs. Moon -exclaimed: 'Come in! come in! You are welcome here! I and the lasses -(meaning her daughters) have just been calling on the Lord, and praying -that he would send you this way.' She then informed me of her state of -mind since I was there, and said she at first rejected my testimony, -and endeavored to think lightly on the things I had advanced, but on -trying to pray, the heavens seemed like brass over her head, and it -was like iron under her feet. She did not know what was the matter, -saying, 'Certainly the man has not bewitched me, has he?' And upon -inquiring she found it was the same with the lasses. They then began -to reflect on the things I told them, and thinking it possible that -I had told them the truth, they resolved to lay the case before the -Lord, and beseech him to give them a testimony concerning the things I -had testified of. She then observed that as soon as they did so light -broke in upon their minds; they were convinced that I was a messenger -of salvation; that it was the work of the Lord, and they had resolved -to obey the gospel. That evening I baptized Mr. Moon and his wife, and -four of his daughters. * * * I visited Mr. Moon again, and baptized the -remainder of his family, consisting of thirteen souls, the youngest of -whom was over twenty years of age. They received the gospel as little -children, and rejoiced exceedingly in its blessings. The sons were very -good musicians and the daughters excellent singers. When they united -their instruments and voices in the songs of Zion the effect was truly -transporting. Before I left England there were about thirty of that -family and connections baptized, five of whom--Hugh, John, Francis, -William and Thomas Moon--were ordained to be fellow-laborers with us -in the vineyard, and I left them rejoicing in the truths they had -embraced." - -After their short rest in Preston, refreshed and inspired by the -communion of so many of their quorum, these apostles rose like giants -to their work. Brigham Young and Willard Richards went with Wilford -Woodruff into Herefordshire, where Brigham obtained money to publish -the Book of Mormon; Heber C. Kimball visited the disciples whom he had -brought into the Church during his first mission; Orson Pratt went -into Scotland, George A. Smith went into Staffordshire, John Taylor -continued his labors at Liverpool, where he raised up a conference, and -Parley P. Pratt repaired to Manchester to publish the _Millennial Star_. - -A year passed. Here is the summary of its history, from Brigham Young's -journal: - -"It was with a heart full of thanksgiving and gratitude to God, my -Heavenly Father, that I reflected upon his dealings with me and my -brethren of the twelve during the past year of my life, which was spent -in England. It truly seems a miracle to look upon the contrast between -our landing and departing from Liverpool. We landed in the spring of -1840, as strangers in a strange land, and penniless, but through the -mercy of God we have gained many friends, established churches in -almost every noted town and city of Great Britain, baptized between -seven and eight thousand souls, printed five thousand Books of Mormon, -three thousand hymn-books, two thousand five hundred volumes of the -_Millennial Star_, and fifty thousand tracts; emigrated to Zion one -thousand souls, establishing a permanent shipping agency, which will -be a great blessing to the saints, and have left sown in the hearts of -many thousands the seed of eternal life, which shall bring forth fruit -to the honor and glory of God; and yet we have lacked nothing to eat, -drink or wear; in all these things I acknowledge the hand of God." - -But even this was eclipsed by the results of the next ten years. -Besides the thousands who had emigrated, the British mission, at the -culmination of this third period, numbered nearly forty thousand souls. -The _Millennial Star_ reached a weekly circulation of twenty-two -thousand; and there were half a million of Orson Pratt's tracts in -circulation throughout the land. This crowning period was during the -presidencies of Orson Spencer, Orson Pratt, and Franklin and Samuel -Richards. - -Too vast this missionary work abroad, and too crowded its events, for -us to follow the historic details; but we shall, however, frequently -hereafter meet representative women from Europe, and read in their -sketches many episodes of the saints in foreign lands. - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE SISTERS AS MISSIONARIES--EVANGELICAL DIPLOMACY--WITHOUT PURSE -OR SCRIP--PICTURE OF THE NATIVE ELDERS--A SPECIMEN MEETING--THE -SECRET OF SUCCESS--MORMONISM A SPIRITUAL GOSPEL--THE SISTERS AS TRACT -DISTRIBUTERS--WOMAN A POTENT EVANGELIST. - -And what the part of the sisterhood in this great work outlined in -foreign lands? - -The sisters were side by side with the most potent missionaries the -Latter-day Church found. They made nearly as many converts to Mormonism -as the elders. They were, often times, the direct instruments which -brought disciples into the Church. The elders riveted the anchor of -faith by good gospel logic, and their eloquent preachers enchanted -the half-inspired mind with well-described millennial views, but the -sisters, as a rule, by the nicest evangelical diplomacy brought the -results about. They agitated the very atmosphere with their magical -faith in the new dispensation; they breathed the spirit of their own -beautiful enthusiasm into their neighborhoods; they met the first -brunt of persecution and conquered it by their zeal; they transformed -unbelief into belief by their personal testimonies, which aroused -curiosity, or made their relatives and neighbors sleepless with active -thoughts of the new, and inspired doubts of the old; they enticed the -people to hear their elders preach, and did more to disturb the peace -of the town than could have done the town-crier; they crowded their -halls with an audience when without their sisterly devising those halls -had remained often empty and cold. - -In the British mission--in England, Scotland and Wales--the sisters had -much better missionary opportunities than in America. The vast extent -of country over which the American people were sparsely scattered, -forty to fifty years ago, and the almost immediate gatherings of the -disciples to a centre place, or a local Zion, necessarily confined -the missionary movement at home nearly exclusively to the apostles -and their aids, the "Seventies;" and thus as soon as the disciples -"gathered out of Babylon," American society lost even the little leaven -which the elders had inspired in its midst. - -But in England, Scotland and Wales, and at a later period in -Scandinavia, it was very different. Not merely one local Zion and -a score of branches scattered over a score of States, but in the -British mission at its zenith of progress there were over five hundred -branches, fifty conferences, and about a dozen pastorates--the latter -very like Mormon provinces or bishoprics. There the sisters had grand -missionary opportunities. From village to town, and from town to -city, they helped the elders push their work until this vast church -superstructure was reared. With such a leaven as the Mormon sisterhood -in Great Britain, converts were made so fast that it was nearly twenty -years before even the immense yearly emigration of the saints to -America began visibly to tell in weakening missionary operations in -that prolific land. - -It has often been a matter of wonder how it happened that Mormonism -was such a mighty proselyting power in England compared with what -it had been in America. The two views presented suggest the exact -reason; and in addition to the gathering genius of the Mormons, the -very "tidal wave" of the country has swept migrating peoples westward. -Three hundred Mormon cities have sprung up on the Pacific slope, just -as five hundred branches did in Great Britain, which has required all -the gathering energies of the Church for over a quarter of a century to -deplete her of these proselyting saints. It was Great Britain that gave -to the sisters their grand missionary opportunities. - -Here another view of the sisters presents itself. Much of the success -of "Mormonism" in foreign lands is due to the fact that the elders, -like Christ and his apostles of old, went about preaching the gospel -"without purse or scrip." - -This apostolic custom captivated woman at once. Her sympathies were -charmed. She admired the heroic devotion and self-abnegation of such -ministers of Christ. Their examples directly appealed to her, so like -were they to her own faith. The disinterested aims and efforts of these -men for human good so accorded with her own divine aspirations, that -she leapt with a glorious enthusiasm to their side. For once woman had -found the opportunity to exercise her own methods of apostleship. - -She saw these elders upon the altar of sacrifice for a Christian cause. -Out in the wilderness of society were they, during the best years of -youth, preaching without purse or scrip, trusting in Providence for -their daily bread as truly as do the sparrows whom the Great Father -feeds. Wandering through the world were these devoted men, often -with blood in their well-worn shoes, preaching the glad tidings of -a new dispensation which the angels had opened to bring immortality -to mortals, and establish the order of heaven on earth. Such were -the examples which the elders presented in their ministry, and such -examples woman loved. - -Though they bore the title of elders, these missionaries, especially -the native ones, were generally young men from the age of twenty to -thirty. Scarcely were they converted ere they were sent out to mission -the land. The prophet Joseph had well cogitated on the saying of -Christ, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few;" and it was -at once a bold and happy stroke of genius on his part to leave the -beaten track of choosing only matured and experienced divines, calling -instead a multitude of youths and striplings to aid him in evangelizing -the world. This was much like Mohammed's choosing of the youthful -enthusiast Ali to be his lieutenant in his religious empire-founding -mission. And so at one time might have been found in Europe nearly a -thousand of these young men, out in the ministry, bearing the title of -elders. Strange example! Elders at twenty; veterans at twenty-five, who -had built up their conferences! This pleased woman. It was unique. The -example touched her heart and stimulated her faith through her very -sympathy for and admiration of the heroic. - -Into the villages of England, Scotland and Wales these youths made -their way, with hymn-book and Bible in hand, but with no ministerial -recommendation except a forceful, innovative intellectuality, and souls -inspired with the glories of a new and conquering faith. - -Alone, at eventide, they would uncover their heads, on some green bit -of common, or, if on the Sabbath day, would daringly near the old -village church, which well might tremble at such sacrilege, as did they -literally in those bold missionary attempts, that never had been made -but for youth's rich unconsciousness of inability. Then would ring out -the hymn of the Latter-day Saints: - - "Go, ye messengers of glory, - Run, ye legates of the skies, - Go and tell the pleasing story, - That a glorious angel flies; - Great and mighty, - With a message from on high!" - -Or perchance it would be this instead: - - "The morning breaks, the shadows flee; - Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled; - The dawning of a brighter day - Majestic rises on the world." - -And many a village has been startled with this tremendous proclamation, -from the lips of young men: - - "Jehovah speaks! Let Earth give ear! - And gentile nations turn and live!" - -First the woman would come out to listen, on the threshold of her -cottage, after supper; then she would draw near, and wonder about this -boy-preacher--to her eyes so much like her own boy, who, perhaps, is -playing at some evening game with his companions, near by. Next comes -her husband, and after awhile the boys themselves leave their games, -and with their sisters, gather to listen. And so are also gathered -other family groups of the village to swell the impromptu congregation. -This is a truthful picture, for the author is describing a literal -experience. - -Now comes the supplemental story of this boy-elder, that he is out in -the world preaching the gospel without purse or scrip, that he has -eaten nothing that day since breakfast, that he has journeyed miles and -is tired out, and that he has no place in which to lay his head that -night. - -The mother and her daughters whisper. They have conceived an idea that -will exactly fit that poor boy's case. Father is approached. At first -he will not listen to the proposition; but at last he yields. What else -could he do? When did woman fail if her sympathies were enlisted? To -their home the boy-missionary is taken. A supper is gleaned from the -humble peasant's leavings. Water is furnished to bathe the sore and -blood-stained feet. The woman is half converted by the sight of so much -youthful heroism. Mother and daughters dream of the boy-missionary that -night. - -'Tis a simple story; but from that house Mormonism is destined to -spread through all the village, until the aged clergyman, educated -at college, in his pulpit which he has occupied for a quarter of a -century, fears that boy as much as a second Goliath might have feared -the stripling David. - -And thus Mormonism ran from village to town, and from town to city; -carried, of course, to the larger places by the "veterans;" but in all -cases very similar. How much the sisters--mothers and daughters--had to -do in this work may be seen at a glance. - -But the most salient view to be taken of Mormonism abroad is, as the -great spiritual movement of the age. The reader may be assured that it -was the beautiful themes of a new dispensation--themes such as angels -might have accompanied with their hosannas--that charmed disciples -into the Mormon Church. Spiritual themes and the gifts of the Holy -Ghost were what converted the tens of thousands in Great Britain; not -a cold materialism, much less a sensual gospel. Even to the simplest, -who scarcely knew the meaning of idealities, the spiritual and the -ideal of Mormonism were its principal charms. Indeed, it is to the -fact that Mormonism was, in its missionary history, such a unique and -extraordinary spiritual, and yet matter-of-fact, movement, that it owes -its principal and rare successes. - -In America, the splendid ambitions of empire-founding, the worldly -opportunities presented by a migrating people and a growing -commonwealth, sometimes charmed the dominating mind; but in the foreign -missions, especially in Great Britain, where it received its highest -intellectual interpretation from elders who championed it on the public -platform against the best orthodox disputants in the land, it was -Mormonism as a great spiritual work that captivated most, and above all -it was this aspect of it that most captivated the sisterhood. In this -view, and in this view only, can the explanation be found of how it -took such a deep and lasting hold upon the female portion of society. - -In the early rise of the Church abroad the disciples knew nothing of -the society-founding successes of Brigham Young, which to-day make -Mormonism quite potent in America and a periodical sensation to the -American Congress. Nothing of this; but much of the divine, much of -the spiritual, much of the angels' coming to reign with them in a -millennium, with Christ on earth. - -Such was Mormonism abroad. Such has it ever been, with the sisters, at -home. Its success in making converts among women, both old and young, -has no parallel in the history of churches. Its all-potent influence -on the heart and brain of woman was miraculous. She received it in -as great faith as was that of the woman who laid hold of the skirt -of Christ's garment and was healed. She exulted in its unspeakably -beautiful themes; she reveled in its angelic experiences; she -multiplied its disciples. - -In some respects Mormonism, in its history and manifestations abroad, -compares strikingly with the more recent history of spiritualism in -America. Their geniuses are undoubtedly very different, but their -potency over society has been similar. The one was apostolic and -Hebraic, with a God as the source of its inspirations, a priesthood -linking the heavens and the earth as its controlling powers, and -another Catholic or Universal Church as the aim of its ministry. The -other has pulled down what it has dared to call the idols of Deity, -makes war on priesthood, and on the Hebrew Jehovah, whom the Mormons -serve, and disintegrates all churches. Yet the themes of both have been -themes of the angels' coming to visit the earth again; "new revelations -to suit the age;" another great spiritual dispensation for the world. - -Mormonism abroad, then, was supremely an apostolic spiritual work. -Paul's famous epistle to the Corinthians, upon spiritual gifts, -presents an exact view of what Mormonism has been; and as it was a -chapter often read to the saints--the subject of a thousand sermons--it -may here be fitly quoted to illustrate the view. The apostle says: - - "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you - ignorant. * * * * - - "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. - - "And there are differences of administration, but the same Lord. - - "And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God - which worketh all in all. - - "But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to - profit withal. - - "For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom; to another - the word of knowledge by the same spirit; - - "To another faith by the same spirit; to another the gifts of - healing by the same spirit; - - "To another the working of miracles; to another prophesy; to - another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; - to another the interpretation of tongues; - - "But all these worketh that one and the self-same spirit, dividing - to every man severally as he will. - - "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members - of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. - - "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we - be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all - made to drink into one spirit. * * * * - - "And God hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, - prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that miracles; then gifts of - healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. - - "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all - workers of miracles? - - "Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all - interpret? - - "But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew I unto you a more - excellent way." - -In another chapter of Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, he presents -another famous spiritual view: - - "How is it, then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you - hath a psalm, hath a doctrine hath a tongue, hath a revelation, - hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. - - "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the - most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. - - "But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the - church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. - - "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. - - "If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first - hold his peace. - - "For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all - may be comforted. - - "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. - - "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all - churches of the saints." - -This is a very exact picture of the Latter-day Saints' testimony -meetings. It is indeed a striking illustration of the gospel and its -manifestations, as familiar to them as their own faces. - -It was this spiritual gospel that the sisters promulgated in Great -Britain, and it was this that made the tens of thousands of converts. -Had not Mormonism been of this kind, and had not such been its -manifestations, woman never would have received it and become its -apostle; nor would it have made such a stir in the world. - -The sisters also missioned the land by the distribution of tracts. This -made them to be preachers, in a way; and they carried their sermons to -the homes of rich and poor, to be read at the fireside by those who, -but for this, never would have gone to hear an elder preach. - -In all the towns and cities of her Majesty's kingdom the saints -organized tract societies. In London, where many branches flourished, -these tract organizations were numerous; the same was measurably -the case with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, and the -principal cities of Scotland and Wales. These tract distributers were -numbered by the thousand. They held their monthly meetings, mapped out -their districts and brought in their regular reports. At one time, as -before stated, they had in circulation half a million of Orson Pratt's -tracts. It is scarcely necessary to say that the sisters principally -did this work, to which should be added that they were assisted by the -young men of each branch. In short, the sisters, in the work abroad, -were a great missionary power. - -And here it may be observed that all evangelical history proves that -woman is ever the most potent evangelist. She permeates society with -the influence of her church, makes converts in the homes of her -neighbors, where her pastor could never reach without her help, and -inspires the very faith by which miracles are wrought. - -Woman has many striking examples of her influence and acts in the -history of religious empire-founding. Miriam charmed the congregation -of Israel with her songs, and strengthened her brother Moses' power by -her prophesies; Esther rendered the captivity of her people lighter by -her mediation; Judith delivered her nation from the Assyrian captain; -the two Marys and Martha seemed to have understood Jesus better than -did his apostles even, and they saw first their risen Lord; St. Helena -did much to make her son, Constantine, the imperial champion of -Christianity; perchance had there been no Cadijah the world would never -have known a Mohammed; the Catholic Church has been more potent through -the sisters of its various orders; and the examples which the Mormon -sisterhood have given are almost as striking as those of the sisters of -that church. - -These are some of the views which may be presented of the sisters in -their great missionary work abroad, and they are also fit illustrations -of the spiritual movement, which they represent, in the age. - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -MORMONISM AND THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND--PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK OF -MORMON TO THE QUEEN AND PRINCE ALBERT--ELIZA R. SNOW'S POEM ON THAT -EVENT--"ZION'S NURSING MOTHER"--HEBER C. KIMBALL BLESSES VICTORIA. - -Here an interesting story is to be told of Mormonism and the Queen of -England. - -It will be remembered that Victoria ascended the throne of Great -Britain just three days before Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and Willard -Richards arrived in her realm to preach the gospel of Messiah's coming. - -There was something poetic in this. Victoria became connected in some -way with the new dispensation. She alone of all the monarchs of the -earth was prophetically cast in its _dramatis personae_. Poetry and -prophesy both were pregnant with much of subject and promise that -concerned Victoria of England. She may not be aware of it, but there -is quite a romance of the British Queen in Mormon history, to which -the presentation of the Book of Mormon to herself and the late Prince -consort gives pictorial display. - -Before leaving England, President Brigham Young, who had succeeded in -raising means to publish the Book of Mormon, gave directions for copies -to be specially prepared and richly bound for presentation to her -Majesty and the Prince consort. The honor of this devolved on Lorenzo -Snow, who was at that period President of the London Conference. The -presentation was made in 1842, through the politeness of Sir Henry -Wheatley; and it is said her Majesty condescended to be pleased, with -the gift. Whether she ever read the Book of Mormon is not known, -although, if the presentation has not altogether faded from her memory, -Mormonism has been since that date sensational enough to provoke even a -monarch to read the book, if for nothing better than curiosity; so, not -unlikely Queen Victoria has read some portions at least of the Book of -Mormon. The unique circumstance called forth from the pen of Eliza R. -Snow the following poem, entitled "Queen Victoria:" - - "Of all the monarchs of the earth - That wear the robes of royalty, - She has inherited by birth - The broadest wreath of majesty. - - From her wide territorial wing - The sun does not withdraw its light, - While earth's diurnal motions bring - To other nations day and night. - - All earthly thrones are tott'ring things, - Where lights and shadows intervene; - And regal honor often brings - The scaffold or the guillotine. - - But still her sceptre is approved-- - All nations deck the wreath she wears; - Yet, like the youth whom Jesus loved, - One thing is lacking even there. - - But lo! a prize possessing more - Of worth than gems with honor rife-- - A herald of salvation bore - To her the words of endless life. - - That gift, however fools deride, - Is worthy of her royal care; - She'd better lay her crown aside - Than spurn the light reflected there, - - O would she now her influence lend-- - The influence of royalty, - Messiah's kingdom to extend, - And Zion's 'nursing Mother' be; - - She, with the glory of her name - Inscribed on Zion's lofty spire, - Would win a wreath of endless fame, - To last when other wreaths expire. - - Though over millions called to reign-- - Herself a powerful nation's boast, - 'Twould be her everlasting gain - To serve the King, the Lord of Hosts. - - For there are crowns and thrones on high, - And kingdoms there to be conferred; - There honors wait that never die, - There fame's immortal trump is heard. - - Truth speaks--it is Jehovah's word; - Let kings and queens and princes hear: - In distant isles the sound is heard-- - Ye heavens, rejoice; O earth, give ear. - - The time, the time is now at hand - To give a glorious period birth-- - The Son of God will take command, - And rule the nations of the earth." - -It will be seen that our Hebraic poetess has suggested for Victoria -of England the title of "Zion's Nursing Mother." The reference is -to Isaiah's glorious song of Zion. He, according to the universally -accepted interpretation, foresaw the rise of Messiah's kingdom on the -earth in the last days. - - "And they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zion of the - Holy One of Israel. - - "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the - brightness of thy rising. - - "And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy - nursing mothers. - - "Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a - royal diadem in the hand of thy God. - - "Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him and - his work before him." - -This is the subject of which the gorgeous Isaiah sang; and the prophesy -of Joseph and the poetry of Eliza have applied it principally to -America as Zion, and conditionally, to Queen Victoria as her "Nursing -Mother." - -Many earthly thrones were about to totter. Soon France--from the days -of Charlemagne styled "The Eldest Daughter of the Church"--saw her -crown trampled in the very gutter, by the rabble of Paris, and a few -years later the scepter of Rome was wrested from the hands of the -"successor of St Peter" by Victor Emanuel; yet of Victoria of England, -Zion's poetess sings: - - "But still _her_ sceptre is approved." - -Mark the poetic and prophetic significance between America as Zion, and -Great Britain, represented in Victoria. A new age is born. Victoria is -its imperial star; while from America--the land that owns no earthly -sovereign--come these apostles to her realm just three days after the -sceptre is placed in her hands. The prophet of America sends them to -proclaim to Great Britain the rising of a star superior to her own. It -is the star of Messiah's kingdom. She is called to her mission as its -Nursing Mother. - -Seeing that Joseph was the prophet of America, and that the British -mission has given to the Mormon Zion over a hundred thousand of her -children already gathered to build up her cities and rear her temples, -it is not strange that the burden of this prophesy should have been -claimed and shared between the two great English speaking nations. - -But there is a personal romance as well, which centres in Victoria. -At the time Sister Eliza wrote the poem to her name, Victoria of -England was quite a theme in the Mormon Church. Not only in her own -realm, among her own subjects, but in Zion also she was preached -about, prophesied about, dreamed about, and seen in visions. Brigham, -as we have seen, caused special copies of the Book of Mormon to be -prepared for her and Prince Albert; Lorenzo Snow presented them through -the courtesy of a state personage, and his sister immortalized the -circumstance in verse. The story is told, also, that Heber C. Kimball, -while in London, blessed Victoria, as she passed, by the power and -authority of his apostleship; and what Heber did was done with the -spirit and with the understanding also. Queen Victoria has been -remarkably successful, and unrivalled in the glory of her reign. - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -LITERAL APPLICATION OF CHRIST'S COMMAND--THE SAINTS LEAVE FATHER AND -MOTHER, HOME AND FRIENDS, TO GATHER TO ZION--MRS. WILLIAM STAINES--HER -EARLY LIFE AND EXPERIENCE--A MIDNIGHT BAPTISM IN MIDWINTER--FAREWELL TO -HOME AND EVERY FRIEND--INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY TO NAUVOO. - -How characteristic the following gospel passages! How well and -literally have they been applied in the history and experience of the -Latter-day Saints: - - "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; - and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of - me. - - "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not - worthy of me. - - "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his - life for my sake, shall find it. - - "And every one that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, - or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's - sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting - life." - -This gospel was preached by the Mormon elders with nothing of the -"spiritual" sense so acceptable to fashionable churches. Nothing of the -idealistic glamour was given to it. Most literal, indeed almost cruelly -Christian, was Mormonism here. - -But it was not until the "gathering" was preached to the disciples -in Great Britain, that the full significance of such a gospel was -realized. True it was made as severe to the saints in America, through -their persecutions; especially when at length they were driven from the -borders of civilization. To the British mission, however, in the early -days, we must go for striking illustrations. A "gathering dispensation" -preached to Europe before the age of emigration had set in! At first -it startled, aye, almost appalled the disciples in Great Britain. In -those days the common people of England scarcely ever strayed ten miles -from the churchyards where had slept their kindred from generation to -generation. True the mechanic traveled in search of employment from -one manufacturing city to another, passed along by the helping hand of -trade societies; but families, as a rule, never moved. Migration was to -them an incomprehensible law, to be wondered at even in the example of -the birds who were forced by climate to migrate as the season changed. -Migrating peoples could only be understood in the examples of the Jews -or Gipseys, both of whom were looked upon as being "under the curse." -"Going to London" was the crowning event of a lifetime to even the -well-to-do townsman, a hundred miles distant from the metropolis; going -to America was like an imagined flight to the moon. At best emigration -was transportation from fatherland, and the emigration of tens of -thousands of England-loving saints was a transportation to the common -people without parallel for cruelty. - -It was long before English society forgave the American elders for -preaching emigration in England. It looked upon them absolutely as the -betrayers of a confiding religious people who had already been too much -betrayed by an American delusion. - -And as observed, the doctrine of emigration from native land to -America--the new world; another world in seeming--and that, too, as -a necessity to salvation, or at least to the obedience of heaven's -commands, appalled at first the very "elect." Nothing but the Holy -Ghost could dissipate the terrors of emigration. - -Sister Staines shall be first chosen to personally illustrate this -subject, because of the peculiarity of her experience, and for the -reason that she is the wife of William C. Staines, himself an early -Mormon emigrant to Nauvoo, and to-day the general emigration agent of -the Church, and who, during the past fifteen years, has emigrated, -under the direction of President Young, about fifty thousand souls from -Europe. Others of the sisters will follow in this peculiar line of -Mormon history. - -Priscilla Mogridge Staines was born in Widbrook, Wiltshire, England, -March 11th, 1823. - -"My parents," she says, "were both English. My father's name was John -Mogridge, and my mother's maiden name was Mary Crook. - -"I was brought up in the Episcopal faith from my earliest childhood, my -parents being members of the Episcopal Church. But as my mind became -matured, and I thought more about religion, I became dissatisfied with -the doctrines taught by that Church, and I prayed to God my Heavenly -Father to direct me aright, that I might know the true religion. - -"Shortly after being thus concerned about my salvation, I heard -Mormonism and believed it God had sent the true gospel to me in answer -to my prayer. - -"It was a great trial for a young maiden (I was only nineteen years -of age) to forsake all for the gospel--father, mother, brothers and -sisters--and to leave my childhood's home and native land, never -expecting to see it again. This was the prospect before me. The saints -were already leaving fatherland, in obedience to the doctrine of -gathering, which was preached at this time with great plainness by the -elders as an imperative command of God. We looked upon the gathering -as necessary to our salvation. Nothing of our duty in this respect was -concealed, and we were called upon to emigrate to America as soon as -the way should open, to share the fate of the saints, whatever might -come. Young as I was and alone of all my family in the faith, I was -called to take up my cross and lay my earthly all upon the altar; yet -so well satisfied was I with my new religion that I was willing to make -every sacrifice for it in order to gain my salvation and prove myself -not unworthy of the saints' reward. - -"Having determined to be baptized, I resolved to at once obey the -gospel, although it was mid-winter, and the weather bitterly cold. - -"It is proper to here state that baptism was a trial to the converts in -England in those days. They had to steal away, even unknown to their -friends oftentimes, and scarcely daring to tell the saints themselves -that they were about to take up the cross; and not until the ordinance -had been administered, and the Holy Ghost gave them boldness, could -they bring themselves to proclaim openly that they had cast in their -lot with the despised Mormons. Nor was this all, for generally the -elders had to administer baptism when the village was wrapt in sleep, -lest persecutors should gather a mob to disturb the solemn scene with -gibes and curses, accompanied with stones or clods of earth torn from -the river bank and hurled at the disciple and minister during the -performance of the ceremony. - -"On the evening of a bitterly cold day in mid-winter, as before stated, -I walked four miles to the house of a local elder for baptism. Arriving -at his house, we waited until midnight, in order that the neighbors -might not disturb us, and then repaired to a stream of water a quarter -of a mile away. Here we found the water, as we anticipated, frozen -over, and the elder had to chop a hole in the ice large enough for -the purpose of baptism. It was a scene and an occasion I shall never -forget. Memory to-day brings back the emotions and sweet awe of that -moment. None but God and his angels, and the few witnesses who stood -on the bank with us, heard my covenant; but in the solemnity of that -midnight hour it seemed as though all nature were listening, and the -recording angel writing our words in the book of the Lord. Is it -strange that such a scene, occurring in the life of a latter-day saint, -should make an everlasting impression, as this did on mine? - -"Having been thus baptized, I returned to the house in my wet and -freezing garments. - -"Up to this hour, as intimated, my heart's best affection had been -centred on home, and my greatest mental struggle in obeying the gospel -had been over the thought of soon leaving that home; but no sooner -had I emerged from the water, on that night of baptism, and received -my confirmation at the water's edge, than I became filled with an -irresistible desire to join the saints who were gathering to America. -The usual confirmation words, pronounced upon my head, 'Receive ye the -gift of the Holy Ghost,' were, indeed, potent. They changed the current -of my life. This remarkable and sudden change of mind and the now -all-absorbing desire to emigrate with the saints was my first testimony -to the truth and power of the gospel. - -"Shortly thereafter (December 27th, 1843), I left the home of my birth -to gather to Nauvoo. I was alone. It was a dreary winter day on which -I went to Liverpool. The company with which I was to sail were all -strangers to me. When I arrived at Liverpool and saw the ocean that -would soon roll between me and all I loved, my heart almost failed me. -But I had laid my idols all upon the altar. There was no turning back. -I remembered the words of the Saviour: 'He that leaveth not father and -mother, brother and sister, for my sake, is not worthy of me,' and I -believed his promise to those who forsook all for his sake; so I thus -alone set out for the reward of everlasting life, trusting in God. - -"In company with two hundred and fifty saints I embarked on the -sailing vessel _Fanny_, and after a tedious passage of six weeks' -duration, we arrived in New Orleans. There an unexpected difficulty met -us. The steamer _Maid of Iowa_, belonging to the prophet Joseph, and on -which the company of saints had expected to ascend the Mississippi to -Nauvoo, was embargoed and lashed to the wharf. But Providence came to -our aid. A lady of fortune was in the company--a Mrs. Bennett--and out -of her private purse she not only lifted the embargo, but also fitted -out the steamer with all necessary provisions, fuel, etc., and soon the -company were again on their way. - -"The journey up the river was a tedious and eventful one, consuming -five weeks of time. At nearly every stopping place the emigrants were -shamefully insulted and persecuted by the citizens. At Memphis some -villain placed a half consumed cigar under a straw mattress and other -bedding that had been laid out, aft of the ladies' cabin, to air. When -we steamed out into the river the draft, created by the motion of the -boat, soon fanned the fire into a quick flame. Fortunately I myself -discovered the fire and gave the alarm in time to have it extinguished -before it had consumed more than a portion of the adjoining woodwork. -Perhaps one minute more of delay in its discovery, and that company -of two hundred and fifty souls would have been subjected to all the -horrors and perils incident to a panic and fire on shipboard. - -"At another place the pilot decided to tie up the boat at a landing -and wait for the subsiding of a furious gale that was blowing. This he -accordingly did, and let off steam, thinking to remain there over night. -In the meantime a mob gathered. We were Mormons. Too often had mobs -shown that the property of Mormons might be destroyed with impunity, -in the most lawless manner, and their lives taken by the most horrible -means. Had that boat been consumed by fire, 'twould, have been but a -pleasing sensation, seeing that it belonged to the Mormon prophet; and -the two hundred and fifty men, women and children, if consumed, would -have been, in the eyes of their persecutors, only so many Mormons well -disposed of. Thus, doubtless, would have thought the mob who gathered -at that landing-place and cut the boat adrift _The Maid of Iowa_ was -now submitted to the triple peril of being adrift without steam, at -the mercy of a treacherous current, and in the midst of a hurricane. -The captain, however, succeeded in raising the steam, and the boat -was brought under sufficient control to enable her to be brought to, -under shelter of a heavy forest, where she was tied up to the trees and -weathered the gale. - -"At another landing a mob collected and began throwing stones through -the cabin windows, smashing the glass and sash, and jeopardizing -the lives of the passengers. This was a little too much for human -forbearance. The boat was in command of the famous Mormon captain, -Dan Jones; his Welsh blood was now thoroughly warm; he knew what mobs -meant. Mustering the brethren, with determined wrath he ordered them to -parade with loaded muskets on the side of the boat assailed. Then he -informed the mob that if they did not instantly desist, he would shoot -them down like so many dogs; and like so many dogs they slunk away. - -"As the _Maid of Iowa_ had made slow progress, and had been frequently -passed by more swift-going steamers, her progress was well known by the -friends of Nauvoo. So on the day of our arrival the saints were out _en -masse_ to welcome us. I had never before seen any of those assembled, -yet I felt certain, as the boat drew near, that I should be able to -pick out the prophet Joseph at first sight. This belief I communicated -to Mrs. Bennett, whose acquaintance I had made on the voyage. She -wondered at it; but I felt impressed by the spirit that I should know -him. As we neared the pier the prophet was standing among the crowd. At -the moment, however, I recognized him according to the impression, and -pointed him out to Mrs. Bennett, with whom I was standing alone on the -hurricane deck. - -"Scarcely had the boat touched the pier when, singularly enough, Joseph -sprang on board, and, without speaking with any one, made his way -direct to where we were standing, and addressing Mrs. Bennett by name, -thanked her kindly for lifting the embargo from his boat, and blessed -her for so materially aiding the saints." - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -RISE OF NAUVOO--INTRODUCTION OF POLYGAMY--MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND -HYRUM--CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S NARRATIVE--HER ACCEPTANCE OF -POLYGAMY, AND MARRIAGE TO THE PROPHET--GOVERNOR CARLIN'S TREACHERY--HER -SCATHING REVIEW OF THE MARTYRDOM--MOTHER LUCY'S STORY OF HER MURDERED -SONS. - -Meanwhile, since the reader has been called to drop the historical -thread of the saints in America for a view of the rise of Mormonism in -foreign lands, Nauvoo, whose name signifies "the beautiful city," has -grown into an importance worthy her romantic name and character as the -second Zion. Nauvoo was bidding fair to become the queen of the West; -and had she been allowed to continue her career for a quarter of a -century, inspired by the gorgeous genius of her prophet, although she -would not have rivaled Chicago or St. Louis as a commercial city, yet -would she have become the veritable New Jerusalem of America--in the -eyes of the "Gentiles" scarcely less than in the faith of our modern -Israel. - -Polygamy, also, by this time has been introduced into the Church, and -the examples of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, and of kings David -and Solomon, have begun to prevail. That the "peculiar institution" -was the cross of the sisterhood in those days, it would be heartless -to attempt to conceal, for, as already seen, the first wives of the -founders of Mormondom were nearly all daughters of New England, whose -monogamic training was of the severest kind, and whose monogamic -conceptions were of the most exacting nature. - -Polygamy was undoubtedly introduced by Joseph himself, at Nauvoo, -between 1840 and 1844. Years afterwards, however, a monogamic rival -church, under the leadership of young Joseph Smith, the first born -of the prophet, arose, denying that the founder of Mormondom was the -author of polygamy, and affirming that its origin was in Brigham Young, -subsequent to the martyrdom of the prophet and his brother Hyrum. This, -with the fact that nearly the whole historic weight of polygamy rests -with Utah, renders it expedient that we should barely touch the subject -at Nauvoo, and wait for its stupendous sensation after its publication -to the world by Brigham Young--a sensation that Congress has swelled -into a national noise, and that General Grant has made the hobgoblin of -his dreams. - -Nor can we deal largely with the history of Nauvoo. It is not the -representative period of the sisters. They only come in with dramatic -force in their awful lamentation over the martyrdom, which was not -equaled in Jerusalem at the crucifixion. The great historic period -of the women of Mormondom is during the exodus of the Church and its -removal to the Rocky Mountains, when they figured quite as strongly -as did the women of ancient Israel in the exodus from Egypt. We can -scarcely hope to do full justice to that period, but hasten to some of -its salient views. And here the historic thread shall be principally -continued by Eliza R. Snow. She, touching the city of the saints, and -then slightly on the introduction of polygamy, says: - -"The location of the city of Nauvoo was beautiful, but the climate -was so unhealthy that none but Latter-day Saints, full of faith, and -trusting in the power of God, could have established that city. Chills -and fever was the prevailing disease. Notwithstanding we had this -to contend with, through the blessing of God on the indefatigable -exertions of the saints, it was not long before Nauvoo prompted the -envy and jealousy of many of the adjacent inhabitants, and, as the -'accuser of the brethren' never sleeps, we had many difficulties to -meet, which ultimately culminated in the most bitter persecutions. - -"To narrate what transpired within the seven years in which we built -and occupied Nauvoo, the beautiful, would fill many volumes. That is a -history that never will, and never can, repeat itself. Some of the most -important events of my life transpired within that brief term, in which -I was married, and in which my husband, Joseph Smith, the prophet of -God, sealed his testimony with his blood. - -"Although in my youth I had considered marriage to have been ordained -of God, I had remained single; and to-day I acknowledge the kind -overruling providences of God in that circumstance as fully as in -any other of my life; for I have not known of one of my former -suitors having received the truth; by which it is manifest that I was -singularly preserved from the bondage of a marriage tie which would, -in all probability, have prevented my receiving, or enjoying the free -exercise of, that religion which has been, and is now, dearer to me -than life. - -"In Nauvoo I had the first intimation, or at least the first -understanding, that the practice of a plurality of wives would be -introduced into the Church. The thought was very repugnant to my -feelings, and in direct opposition to my educational prepossessions; -but when I reflected that this was the dispensation of the fullness -of times, embracing all other dispensations, it was plain that plural -marriage must be included; and I consoled myself with the idea that -it was a long way in the distance, beyond the period of my mortal -existence, and that, of course, I should not have it to meet. However, -it was announced to me that the 'set time' had come--that God had -commanded his servants to establish the order, by taking additional -wives. - -"It seemed for awhile as though all the traditions, prejudices, and -superstitions of my ancestry, for many generations, accumulated before -me in one immense mass; but God, who had kept silence for centuries, -was speaking; I knew it, and had covenanted in the waters of baptism to -live by every word of his, and my heart was still firmly set to do his -bidding. - -"I was sealed to the prophet, Joseph Smith, for time and eternity, in -accordance with the celestial law of marriage which God had revealed, -the ceremony being performed by a servant of the Most High--authorized -to officiate in sacred ordinances. This, one of the most important -events of my life, I have never had cause to regret. The more I -comprehend the pure and ennobling principle of plural marriage, the -more I appreciate it. It is a necessity in the salvation of the human -family--a necessity in redeeming woman from the curse, and the world -from its corruptions. - -"When I entered into it, my knowledge of what it was designed to -accomplish was very limited; had I then understood what I now -understand, I think I should have hailed its introduction with joy, -in consideration of the great good to be accomplished. As it was, I -received it because I knew that God required it. - -"When in March, 1842, the prophet, Joseph Smith, assisted by some -of the leading elders in the church, organized the Female Relief -Society (now the great female organization of Utah), I was present, -and was appointed secretary of that society, of which I shall say -more hereafter. In the summer of 1842 I accompanied Mrs. Emma Smith, -the president of the society, to Quincy, Ill., with a petition signed -by several hundred members of the society, praying his Excellency, -Governor Carlin, for protection from illegal suits then pending against -Joseph Smith. We met with a very cordial reception, and presented -the petition, whereupon the governor pledged his word and honor that -he would use his influence to protect Mr. Smith, whose innocence he -acknowledged. But, soon after our return, we learned that at the time -of our visit and while making protestations of friendship, Governor -Carlin was secretly conniving with the basest of men to destroy our -leader. He was even combining with minions of the great adversary of -truth in the State of Missouri, who were vigilant in stirring up their -colleagues in Illinois, to bring about the terrible crisis. - -"The awful tragedy of the 27th of June, 1844, is a livid, burning, -scathing stain on our national escutcheon. To look upon the noble, -lifeless forms of those brothers, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, as they lay -side by side in their burial clothes, having been brought home from -Carthage, where they had been slaughtered in their manhood and in -their innocence, was a sight that might well appal the heart of a true -American citizen; but what it was for loving wives and children, the -heart may feel, but the tongue can never tell. - -"This scene occurred in America, 'the land of the free and the home of -the brave,' to which our ancestors fled for religious freedom--where -the 'dear old flag yet waves,' and under which not one effort has been -made to bring to justice the perpetrators of that foul deed." - -To the aged mother of the prophet and patriarch of the Mormon Church -shall be given the personal presentation of the subject of the -martyrdom; for although the mother's heartrending description cannot -be considered as a sufficiently great historical word-picture of the -scene, yet there is much of tragic force in it. She says: - -"On the morning of the 24th of June, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum were -arrested for treason, by a warrant founded upon the oaths of A. O. -Norton and Augustine Spencer. - -"I will not dwell upon the awful scene which succeeded. My heart is -thrilled with grief and indignation, and my blood curdles in my veins -whenever I speak of it. - -"My sons were thrown into jail, where they remained three days, in -company with Brothers Richards, Taylor, and Markham. At the end of -this time, the governor disbanded most of the men, but left a guard of -eight of our bitterest enemies over the jail, and sixty more of the -same character about a hundred yards distant. He then came into Nauvoo -with a guard of fifty or sixty men, made a short speech, and returned -immediately. During his absence from Carthage, the guard rushed Brother -Markham out of the place at the point of the bayonet. Soon after this, -two hundred of those discharged in the morning rushed into Carthage, -armed, and painted black, red and yellow, and in ten minutes fled -again, leaving my sons murdered and mangled corpses! - -"In leaving the place, a few of them found Samuel coming into Carthage -alone, on horseback, and finding that he was one of our family, they -attempted to shoot him, but he escaped out of their hands, although -they pursued him at the top of their speed for more than two hours. He -succeeded the next day in getting to Nauvoo in season to go out and -meet the procession with the bodies of Hyrum and Joseph, as the mob -had the kindness to allow us the privilege of bringing them home, and -burying them in Nauvoo, notwithstanding the immense reward which was -offered by the Missourians for Joseph's head. - -"Their bodies were attended home by only two persons, save those who -went from this place. These were Brother Willard Richards, and a Mr. -Hamilton; Brother John Taylor having been shot in prison, and nearly -killed, he could not be moved until sometime afterwards. - -"After the corpses were washed, and dressed in their burial clothes, -we were allowed to see them. I had for a long time braced every nerve, -roused every energy of my soul, and called upon God to strengthen me; -but when I entered the room, and saw my murdered sons extended both at -once before my eyes, and heard the sobs and groans of my family, and -the cries of 'Father! husband! brothers!' from the lips of their wives, -children, brother, and sisters, it was too much; I sank back, crying -to the Lord, in the agony of my soul, 'My God, my God, why hast thou -forsaken this family!' A voice replied, 'I have taken them to myself, -that they might have rest.' Emma was carried back to her room almost -in a state of insensibility. Her oldest son approached the corpse, and -dropped upon his knees, and laying his cheek against his father's and -kissing him, exclaimed, 'Oh! my father! my father!' As for myself, I -was swallowed up in the depth of my afflictions; and though my soul -was filled with horror past imagination, yet I was dumb, until I arose -again to contemplate the spectacle before me. Oh! at that moment how -my mind flew through every scene of sorrow and distress which we had -passed together, in which they had shown the innocence and sympathy -which filled their guileless hearts. As I looked upon their peaceful, -smiling countenances, I seemed almost to hear them say, 'Mother, weep -not for us, we have overcome the world by love; we carried to them -the gospel, that their souls might be saved; they slew us for our -testimony, and thus placed us beyond their power; their ascendency is -for a moment, ours is an eternal triumph.' - -"I then thought upon the promise which I had received in Missouri, that -in five years Joseph should have power over all his enemies. The time -had elapsed, and the promise was fulfilled. - -"I left the scene and returned to my room, to ponder upon the -calamities of my family. Soon after this Samuel said: 'Mother, I have -had a dreadful distress in my side ever since I was chased by the mob, -and I think I have received some injury which is going to make me -sick.' And indeed he was then not able to sit up, as he had been broken -of his rest, besides being dreadfully fatigued in the chase, which, -joined to the shock occasioned by the death of his brothers, brought on -a disease that never was removed. - -"On the following day the funeral rites of the murdered ones were -attended to, in the midst of terror and alarm, for the mob had made -their arrangements to burn the city that night, but by the diligence of -the brethren, they were kept at bay until they became discouraged, and -returned to their homes. - -"In a short time Samuel, who continued unwell, was confined to his bed, -and lingering till the 30th of July, his spirit forsook its earthly -tabernacle, and went to join his brothers, and the ancient martyrs, in -the paradise of God." - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE EXODUS--TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL--SETTING OUT FROM THE BORDERS OF -CIVILIZATION--MOVEMENTS OF THE CAMP OF ISRAEL--FIRST NIGHT AT SUGAR -CREEK--PRAISING GOD IN THE SONG AND DANCE--DEATH BY THE WAYSIDE. - -The heroism of the Mormon women rose to more than tragic splendor in -the exodus. Only two circumstances after the martyrdom connect them -strongly with their beloved city. These attach to their consecrations -in, and adieus to, the temple, and the defence of Nauvoo by the remnant -of the saints in a three days' battle with the enemy. Then came the -evacuation of the city several months after the majority of the twelve, -with the body of the Church, had taken up their march towards the Rocky -Mountains. - -Early in February, 1846, the saints began to cross the Mississippi -in flat-boats, old lighters, and a number of skiffs, forming quite -a fleet, which was at work night and day under the direction of the -police. - -On the 15th of the same month, Brigham Young, with his family, and -others, crossed the Mississippi from Nauvoo, and proceeded to the -"Camps of Israel," as they were styled by the saints, which waited on -the west side of the river, a few miles on the way, for the coming of -their leader. These were to form the vanguard of the migrating saints, -who were to follow from the various States where they were located, or -had organized themselves into flourishing branches and conferences; and -soon after this period also began to pour across the Atlantic that tide -of emigration from Europe, which has since swelled to the number of -about one hundred thousand souls. - -In Nauvoo the saints had heard the magic cry, "To your tents, O -Israel!" And in sublime faith and trust, such as history scarcely -gives an example of, they had obeyed, ready to follow their leader -whithersoever he might direct their pilgrim feet. - -The Mormons were setting out, under their leader, from the borders of -civilization, with their wives and their children, in broad daylight, -before the eyes of ten thousand of their enemies, who would have -preferred their utter destruction to their "flight," notwithstanding -they had enforced it by treaties outrageous beyond description, -inasmuch as the exiles were nearly all American born, many of them -tracing their ancestors to the very founders of the nation. They had to -make a journey of fifteen hundred miles over trackless prairies, sandy -deserts and rocky mountains, through bands of war-like Indians, who had -been driven, exasperated, towards the West; and at last to seek out and -build up their Zion in valleys then unfruitful, in a solitary region -where the foot of the white man had scarcely trod. These, too, were to -be followed by the aged, the halt, the sick and the blind, the poor, -who were to be helped by their little less destitute brethren, and the -delicate young mother with her new-born babe at her breast, and still -worse, for they were not only threatened with the extermination of the -poor remnant at Nauvoo, but news had arrived that the parent government -designed to pursue their pioneers with troops, take from them their -arms, and scatter them, that they might perish by the way, and leave -their bones bleaching in the wilderness. - -At about noon, on the 1st of March, 1846, the "Camp of Israel" began to -move, and at four o'clock nearly four hundred wagons were on the way, -traveling in a north-westerly direction. At night they camped again on -Sugar Creek, having advanced five miles. Scraping away the snow they -pitched their tents upon the frozen ground; and, after building large -fires in front, they made themselves as comfortable as possible under -the circumstances. Indeed, it is questionable whether any other people -in the world could have cozened themselves into a happy state of mind -amid such surroundings, with such a past fresh and bleeding in their -memories, and with such a prospect as was before both themselves and -the remnant of their brethren left in Nauvoo to the tender mercies -of the mob. In his diary, Apostle Orson Pratt wrote that night: -"Notwithstanding our sufferings, hardships and privations, we are -cheerful, and rejoice that we have the privilege of passing through -tribulation for the truth's sake." - -These Mormon pilgrims, who took much consolation on their journey in -likening themselves to the Pilgrim fathers and mothers of this nation, -whose descendants many of them, as we have seen, actually were, that -night made their beds upon the frozen earth. "After bowing before -our great Creator," wrote Apostle Pratt, "and offering up praise -and thanksgiving to him, and imploring his protection, we resigned -ourselves to the slumbers of the night." - -But the weather was more moderate that night than it had been for -several weeks previous. At their first encampment the thermometer -at one time fell twenty degrees below zero, freezing over the great -Mississippi. The survivors of that journey will tell you they never -suffered so much from the cold in their lives as they did on Sugar -Creek. - -And what of the Mormon women? Around them circles almost a tragic -romance. Fancy may find abundant subject for graphic story of the -devotion, the suffering, the matchless heroism of the sisters, in the -telling incident that nine children were born to them the first night -they camped out on Sugar Creek, February 5th, 1846. That day they -wept their farewells over their beloved city, or in the sanctuary of -the temple, in which they had hoped to worship till the end of life, -but which they left never to see again; that night suffering nature -administered to them the mixed cup of woman's supremest joy and pain. - -But it was not prayer alone that sustained these pilgrims. The -practical philosophy of their great leader, daily and hourly applied -to the exigencies of their case, did almost as much as their own -matchless faith to sustain them from the commencement to the end of -their journey. With that leader had very properly come to the "Camp -of Israel" several of the twelve and the chief bishops of the Church, -but he also brought with him a quorum, humble in pretensions, yet -useful as high priests to the saints in those spirit-saddening days. -It was Captain Pitt's brass band. That night the president had the -brethren and sisters out in the dance, and the music was as glad as -at a merry-making. Several gentlemen from Iowa gathered to witness -the strange, interesting scene. They could scarcely believe their own -senses when they were told that these were Mormons in their "flight -from civilization," bound they knew not whither, except where God -should lead them "by the hand of his servant." - -Thus in the song and the dance the saints praised the Lord. When the -night was fine, and supper, which consisted of the most primitive fare, -was over, some of the men would clear away the snow, while others bore -large logs to the camp-fires in anticipation of the jubilee of the -evening. Soon, in a sheltered place, the blazing fires would roar, and -fifty couples, old and young, would join, in the merriest spirit, to -the music of the band, or the rival revelry of the solitary fiddle. As -they journeyed along, too, strangers constantly visited their camps, -and great was their wonderment to see the order, unity and good feeling -that prevailed in the midst of the people. By the camp-fires they would -linger, listening to the music and song; and they fain had taken part -in the merriment had not those scenes been as sacred worship in the -exodus of a God-fearing people. To fully understand the incidents here -narrated, the reader must couple in his mind the idea of an exodus with -the idea of an Israelitish jubilee; for it was a jubilee to the Mormons -to be delivered from their enemies at any price. - -At one point on their journey the citizens of a town near by came over -to camp to invite the "Nauvoo Band," under Captain Pitt, to come to -their village for a concert. There was some music left in the brethren. -They had not forgotten how to sing the "songs of Zion," so they made -the good folks of the village merry, and for a time forgot their own -sorrows. - -These incidents of travel were varied by an occasional birth in camp. -There was also the death of a lamented lady early on the journey. She -was a gentle wife of a famous Mormon missionary, Orson Spencer, once a -Baptist minister of excellent standing. She had requested the brethren -to take her with them. She would not be left behind. Life was too far -exhausted by the persecutions to survive the exodus, but she could yet -have the honor of dying in that immortal circumstance of her people. -Several others of the sisters also died at the very starting. Ah, who -shall fitly picture the lofty heroism of the Mormon women! - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -CONTINUATION OF ELIZA R. SNOW'S NARRATIVE--ADVENT OF A LITTLE STRANGER -UNDER ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES--DORMITORY, SITTING-ROOM, OFFICE, ETC., -IN A BUGGY--"THE CAMP"--INTERESTING EPISODES OF THE JOURNEY--GRAPHIC -DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD OF PROCEDURE--MOUNT PISGAH--WINTER QUARTERS. - -The subject and action of the exodus thus opened, we shall let the -sisters chiefly tell their own stories of that extraordinary historic -period. Eliza R. Snow, continuing her narrative, says: - -"We had been preceded by thousands, and I was informed that on the -first night of the encampment nine children were born into the world, -and from that time, as we journeyed onward, mothers gave birth to -offspring under almost every variety of circumstances imaginable, -except those to which they had been accustomed; some in tents, others -in wagons--in rain-storms and in snow-storms. I heard of one birth -which occurred under the rude shelter of a hut, the sides of which were -formed of blankets fastened to poles stuck in the ground, with a bark -roof through which the rain was dripping. Kind sisters stood holding -dishes to catch the water as it fell, thus protecting the new-comer -and its mother from a shower-bath as the little innocent first entered -on the stage of human life; and through faith in the great ruler of -events, no harm resulted to either. - -"Let it be remembered that the mothers of these wilderness-born babes -were not savages, accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm -and tempest--those who had never known the comforts and delicacies of -civilization and refinement. They were not those who, in the wilds -of nature, nursed their offspring amid reeds and rushes, or in the -recesses of rocky caverns; most of them were born and educated in -the Eastern States--had there embraced the gospel as taught by Jesus -and his apostles, and, for the sake of their religion, had gathered -with the saints, and under trying circumstances had assisted, by -their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo what its name -indicates, 'the beautiful.' There they had lovely homes, decorated with -flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield -plentifully. - -"To these homes, without lease or sale, they had just bade a final -adieu, and with what little of their substance could be packed into -one, two, and in some instances, three wagons, had started out, -desertward, for--where? To this question the only response at that time -was, God knows. - -"From the 13th to the 18th we had several snowstorms and very freezing -weather, which bridged the Mississippi sufficiently for crossing -heavily loaded wagons on the ice. We were on timbered land, had -plenty of wood for fuel, and the men rolled heavy logs together, and -kept large fires burning, around the bright blaze of which, when not -necessarily otherwise engaged, they warmed themselves. The women, when -the duties of cooking and its _et ceteras_ did not prompt them out, -huddled with their children into wagons and carriages for protection -from the chilling breezes. - -"My dormitory, sitting-room, writing-office, and frequently -dining-room, was the buggy in which Sister Markham, her little -son David, and I, rode. One of my brother's wives had one of the -old-fashioned foot-stoves, which proved very useful. She frequently -brought it to me, filled with live coals from one of those mammoth -fires--a kindness which I remember with gratitude; but withal, I -frosted my feet enough to occasion inconvenience for weeks afterwards. - -"When all who designed traveling in one camp, which numbered about -five thousand, had crossed the river, the organization of the whole -into hundreds, fifties, and tens, commenced, and afterwards was -completed for the order of traveling; with pioneers, commissaries, and -superintendents to each hundred, and captains over fifties and tens. -It was impossible for us to move in a body; and one company filed off -after another; and, on the first of March we broke camp and moved out -four or five miles and put up for the night, where at first view the -prospect was dreary enough. It was nearly sunset--very cold, and the -ground covered with snow to the depth of four or five inches; but with -brave hearts and strong hands, and a supply of spades and shovels, the -men removed the snow, and suddenly transformed the bleak desert scene -into a living town, with cloth houses, log-heap fires, and a multitude -of cheerful inhabitants. The next day, with weather moderated, the -remainder of the original camp arrived with the Nauvoo band, and tented -on the bluff, which overlooked our cozy dell, and at night stirring -strains of music filled the atmosphere, on which they were wafted -abroad, and re-echoed on the responsive breezes. - - "Lo! a mighty host of people, - Tented on the western shore - Of the noble Mississippi, - They, for weeks, were crossing o'er. - At the last day's dawn of winter, - Bound with frost and wrapped with snow, - Hark! the sound is, 'Up, and onward! - Camp of Zion, rise and go.' - - "All, at once, is life and motion-- - Trunks and beds and baggage fly; - Oxen yoked and horses harnessed-- - Tents, rolled up, are passing by. - Soon the carriage wheels are rolling - Onward to a woodland dell, - Where, at sunset, all are quartered-- - Camp of Israel, all is well. - - "Soon the tents are thickly clustered-- - Neighboring smokes together blend-- - Supper served--the hymns are chanted, - And the evening prayers ascend. - Last of all, the guards are stationed; - Heavens! must guards be serving here? - Who would harm the homeless exiles? - Camp of Zion, never fear. - - "Where is freedom? Where is justice? - Both have from the nation fled, - And the blood of martyred prophets - Must be answered on its head. - Therefore, 'To your tents, O, Israel,' - Like your Father Abram dwell; - God will execute his purpose-- - Camp of Zion, all is well. - -"From time to time, companies of men either volunteered or were -detailed from the journeying camps, and, by going off the route, -obtained jobs of work for which they received food in payment, to meet -the necessities of those who were only partially supplied, and also -grain for the teams. - -"As we passed through a town on the Des Moines river, the inhabitants -manifested as much curiosity as though they were viewing a traveling -menagerie of wild animals. Their levity and apparent heartlessness -was, to me, proof of profound ignorance. How little did those people -comprehend our movement, and the results the Almighty had in view. - -"On the 2d of March we again moved forward--and here I will transcribe -from my journal: 'March 3d--Our encampment this night may truly -be recorded as a miracle, performed on natural, and yet peculiar -principles--a city reared in a few hours, and everything in operation -that actual living required, and many additional things, which, if not -extravagancies, were certainly convenient. The next day, great numbers -of the people of the adjacent country were to be seen patrolling the -nameless streets of our anonymous city, with astonishment visible in -their countenances. In the evening, Sister Markham and I took a stroll -abroad, and in the absence of names to the streets, and numbers to the -tents, we lost our way, and had to procure a guide to pilot us home.' - -"At this point Brother Markham exchanged our buggy for a lumber wagon, -and in performing an act of generosity to others, so filled it as to -give Sister M. and me barely room to sit in front. And when we started -again, Sister M. and I were seated on a chest with brass-kettle and -soap-box for our footstools, and were happy in being as comfortably -situated as we were; and well we might be, for many of our sisters -walked all day, rain or shine, and at night prepared suppers for their -families, with no sheltering tents; and then made their beds in and -under wagons that contained their earthly all. How frequently, with -intense sympathy and admiration, I watched the mother, when, forgetful -of her own fatigue and destitution, she took unwearied pains to fix -up, in the most palatable form, the allotted portion of food, and as -she dealt it out was cheering the hearts of her homeless children, -while, as I truly believed, her own was lifted to God in fervent prayer -that their lives might be preserved, and, above all, that they might -honor him in the religion for which she was an exile from the home -once sacred to her, for the sake of those precious ones that God had -committed to her care. We were living on rations--our leaders having -counseled that arrangement, to prevent an improvident use of provision -that would result in extreme destitution. - -"We were traveling in the season significantly termed 'between hay -and grass,' and the teams, feeding mostly on browse, wasted in flesh, -and had but little strength; and it was painful, at times, to see the -poor creatures straining every joint and ligature, doing their utmost, -and looking the very picture of discouragement. When crossing the low -lands, where spring rains had soaked the mellow soil, they frequently -stalled on level ground, and we could move only by coupling teams, -which made very slow progress. From the effects of chills and fever, -I had not strength to walk much, or I should not have been guilty of -riding after those half-famished animals. It would require a painter's -pencil and skill to represent our encampment when we stopped, as we -frequently did, to give the jaded teams a chance to recuperate, and us -a chance to straighten up matters and things generally. Here is a bit -from my journal: - -"'Our town of yesterday has grown to a city. It is laid out in a half -hollow square, fronting east and south on a beautiful level--with, -on one side, an almost perpendicular, and on the other, a gradual -descent into a deep ravine, which defines it on the west and north. At -nine o'clock this morning I noticed a blacksmith's shop in operation, -and everything, everywhere, indicating real life and local industry. -Only the sick are idle; not a stove or cooking utensil but is called -into requisition; while tubs, washboards, etc., are one-half mile -distant, where washing is being done by the side of a stream of water -beneath the shade of waving branches. I join Sister M. in the washing -department, and get a buggy ride to the scene of action, where the -boys have the fire in waiting--while others of our mess stop in the -city and do the general work of housekeeping; and for our dinner send -us a generous portion of their immense pot-pie, designed to satisfy -the hunger of about thirty stomachs. It is made of rabbits, squirrels, -quails, prairie chickens, etc., trophies of the success of our hunters, -of whom each division has its quota. Thus from time to time we are -supplied with fresh meat, which does much in lengthening out our flour. -Occasionally our jobbers take bacon in payment, but what I have seen of -that article is so rancid that nothing short of prospective starvation -would tempt me to eat it.' - -"On the 20th of April we arrived at the head waters of the Grand River, -where it was decided to make a farming establishment, to be a resting -and recruiting place for the saints who should follow us. Elders Bent, -Benson and Fullmer were appointed to preside over it. - -"The first of June found us in a small grove on the middle fork of -Grand River. This place, over which Elders Rich and Huntington were -called to preside, was named Pisgah; and from this point most of the -divisions filed off, one after another. Colonel Markham appropriated -all of his teams and one wagon to assist the twelve and others to -pursue the journey westward, while he returned to the States for a -fresh supply. Before he left, we were in a house made of logs laid -up 'cob fashion,' with from three to eight inches open space between -them--roofed by stretching a tent cloth over the ridgepole and -fastening it at the bottom, on the outside, which, with blankets and -carpets put up on the north end, as a shield from the cold wind, made -us as comfortable as possible. - -"Companies were constantly arriving and others departing; while -those who intended stopping till the next spring were busily engaged -in making gardens, and otherwise preparing for winter--sheltering -themselves in rude log huts for temporary residence. - -"The camps were strung along several hundred miles in length from front -to rear, when, about the last of June, one of the most remarkably -unreasonable requisitions came officially to President Young, from the -United States government, demanding five hundred efficient men to be -drawn from our traveling camps, to enter the United States military -service, and march immediately to California and assist in the war with -Mexico. Upon the receipt of this demand, President Young and Heber C. -Kimball, with due loyalty to an unprotective government, under which -we had been exiled from our homes, started immediately from their -respective divisions, on horseback, calling for volunteers, from one -extremity of our line to the other; and in an almost incredibly short -time the five hundred men, who constituted the celebrated 'Mormon -Battalion,' were under marching orders, commanded by Col. Allen, of the -United States Infantry. It was our 'country's call,' and the question, -'Can we spare five hundred of our most able-bodied men?' was not asked. -But it was a heavy tax--a cruel draft--one which imposed accumulated -burdens on those who remained, especially our women, who were under the -necessity of driving their own teams from the several points from which -their husbands and sons left, to the Salt Lake Valley; and some of them -walked the whole of that tedious distance. - -On the 2d of August Brother Markham arrived from the East with teams; -and on the 19th we bade good-bye to Mount Pisgah. Brother M. was minus -one teamster, and as Mrs. M. and I were to constitute the occupants of -one wagon, with a gentle yoke of oxen, she proposed to drive. But, soon -after we started, she was taken sick, and, of course, the driving fell -to me. Had it been a horse-team I should have been amply qualified, but -driving oxen was entirely a new business; however, I took the whip and -very soon learned to 'haw and gee,' and acquitted myself, as teamster, -quite honorably, driving most of the way to winter quarters. The cattle -were so well trained that I could sit and drive. At best, however, it -was fatiguing--the family being all sick by turns, and at times I had -to cook, as well as nurse the sick; all of which I was thankful for -strength to perform. - -"On the 27th we crossed the Missouri at Council Bluffs, and the next -day came up with the general camp at winter quarters. From exposure and -hardship I was taken sick soon after with a slow fever, that terminated -in chills and fever, and as I lay sick in my wagon, where my bed was -exposed to heavy autumnal rains, and sometimes wet nearly from head to -foot, I realized that I was near the gate of death; but my trust was -in God, and his power preserved me. Many were sick around us, and no -one could be properly cared for under the circumstances. Although, as -before stated, I was exposed to the heavy rains while in the wagon, -worse was yet to come. - -"On the 28th a company, starting out for supplies, required the wagon -that Sister M. and I had occupied; and the log house we moved into -was but partly chinked and mudded, leaving large crevices for the -wind--then cold and blustering. This hastily-erected hut was roofed on -one side, with a tent-cloth thrown over the other, and, withal, was -minus a chimney. A fire, which was built on one side, filled the house -with smoke until it became unendurable. Sister Markham had partially -recovered from her illness, but was quite feeble. I was not able to sit -up much, and, under those circumstances, not at all, for the fire had -to be dispensed with. Our cooking was done out of doors until after the -middle of November, when a chimney was made, the house enclosed, and -other improvements added, which we were prepared to appreciate. - -"About the last of December I received the sad news of the death -of my mother. She had lived to a good age, and had been a patient -participator in the scenes of suffering consequent on the persecutions -of the saints. She sleeps in peace; and her grave, and that of my -father, whose death preceded hers less than a year, are side by side, -in Walnut Grove, Knox county, Ill. - -"At winter quarters our extensive encampment was divided into wards, -and so organized that meetings for worship were attended in the several -wards. A general order was established and cheerfully carried out, that -each able-bodied man should either give the labor of each tenth day, -or contribute an equivalent, for the support of the destitute, and to -aid those families whose men were in the battalion, and those who were -widows indeed. - -"Our exposures and privations caused much sickness, and sickness -increased destitution; but in the midst of all this, we enjoyed a great -portion of the spirit of God, and many seasons of refreshing from -his presence, with rich manifestations of the gifts and power of the -gospel. My life, as well as the lives of many others, was preserved by -the power of God, through faith in him, and not on natural principles -as comprehended by man." - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY OF THE LAST DAYS OF NAUVOO--SHE RECEIVES -CELESTIAL MARRIAGE AND GIVES HER HUSBAND FIVE "HONORABLE YOUNG -WOMEN" AS WIVES--HER DESCRIPTION OF THE EXODUS AND JOURNEY TO WINTER -QUARTERS--DEATH OF ONE OF THE WIVES--SISTER HORNE AGAIN. - -Sister Bathsheba W. Smith's story of the last days of Nauvoo, and the -introduction of polygamy, and also her graphic detail of the exodus, -will be of interest at this point. She says: - -"Immediately after my marriage, my husband, as one of the apostles of -the Church, started on a mission to some of the Eastern States. - -"In the year 1840 he was in England, and again went East on mission -in 1843, going as far as Boston, Mass., preaching and attending -conferences by the way. He returned in the fall; soon after which, we -were blessed by receiving our endowments, and were sealed under the -holy law of celestial marriage. I heard the prophet Joseph charge the -twelve with the duty and responsibility of administering the ordinances -of endowments and sealing for the living and the dead. I met many times -with Brother Joseph and others who had received their endowments, in -company with my husband, in an upper room dedicated for that purpose, -and prayed with them repeatedly in those meetings. I heard the prophet -give instructions concerning plural marriage; he counseled the sisters -not to trouble themselves in consequence of it, that all would be -right, and the result would be for their glory and exaltation. - -"On the 5th of May, 1844, my husband again started on mission, and, -after he left, a terrible persecution was commenced in the city of -Nauvoo, which brought about the barbarous murder of our beloved -prophet, and his brother, the patriarch. The death of these men of -God caused a general mourning which I cannot describe. My husband -returned about the first of August, and soon the rest of the twelve -returned. The times were very exciting, but under the wise counsels of -the twelve, and others, the excitement abated. The temple was so far -finished in the fall of 1845, that thousands received their endowments. -I officiated for some time as priestess. - -"Being thoroughly convinced, as well as my husband, that the doctrine -of plurality of wives was from God, and having a fixed determination -to attain to celestial glory, I felt to embrace the whole gospel, -and believing that it was for my husband's exaltation that he should -obey the revelation on celestial marriage, that he might attain to -kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers, firmly believing that -I should participate with him in all his blessings, glory and honor; -accordingly, within the last year, like Sarah of old, I had given to my -husband five wives, good, virtuous, honorable young women. They all had -their home with us; I being proud of my husband, and loving him very -much, knowing him to be a man of God, and believing he would not love -them less because he loved me more for doing this. I had joy in having -a testimony that what I had done was acceptable to my Father in Heaven. - -"The fall of 1845 found Nauvoo, as it were, one vast mechanic shop, as -nearly every family was engaged in making wagons. Our parlor was used -as a paint-shop in which to paint wagons. All were making preparations -to leave the ensuing winter. On the 9th of February, 1846, in company -with many others, my husband took me and my two children, and some -of the other members of his family (the remainder to follow as soon -as the weather would permit), and we crossed the Mississippi, to -seek a home in the wilderness. Thus we left a comfortable home, the -accumulation and labor of four years, taking with us but a few things, -such as clothing, bedding and provisions, leaving everything else for -our enemies. We were obliged to stay in camp for a few weeks, on Sugar -Creek, because of the weather being very cold. The Mississippi froze -over so that hundreds of families crossed on the ice. As soon as the -weather permitted, we moved on West. I will not try to describe how we -traveled through storms of snow, wind and rain--how roads had to be -made, bridges built, and rafts constructed--how our poor animals had to -drag on, day after day, with scanty feed--nor how our camps suffered -from poverty, sickness and death. We were consoled in the midst of -these hardships by seeing the power of God manifested through the -laying on of the hands of the elders, causing the sick to be healed and -the lame to walk. The Lord was with us, and his power was made manifest -daily. At the head of a slough where we camped several days, we were -visited by the Mus-Quaw-ke band of Indians, headed by Pow-Sheek, a -stately looking man, wearing a necklace of bear's claws. They were -fierce looking men, decorated as they were for war; but they manifested -a friendly spirit, and traded with us. The next move of our camp was to -the Missouri river bank. The cattle were made to swim, and our wagons -were taken over on a flat-boat that our people had built. We made two -encampments after we crossed the river, when we found it too late to -proceed farther that year. The last encampment was named Cutler's Park. -The camps contained about one thousand wagons. Our men went to work -cutting and stacking the coarse prairie grass for hay. The site for -our winter quarters was selected and surveyed, and during the fall and -winter some seven hundred log-cabins were built; also about one hundred -and fifty dugouts or caves, which are cabins half under ground. This -was on the Missouri river, about six miles above the present city of -Omaha. My husband built four cabins and a dug-out. Our chimnies were -made of sod, cut with a spade in the form of a brick; clay was pounded -in to make our fireplaces and hearths. In our travels the winds had -literally blown our tent to pieces, so that we were glad to get into -cabins. The most of the roofs were made of timber, covered with clay. -The floors were split and hewed puncheon; the doors were generally made -of the same material, of cottonwood and linn. Many houses were covered -with oak-shakes, fastened on with weight-poles. A few were covered with -shingles. A log meeting-house was built, about twenty-four by forty -feet, and the hewn floor was frequently used for dancing. A grist-mill -was built and run by water-power, and in addition to this, several -horse-mills and hand-mills were used to grind corn. - -"Our scanty and only supply of bread, consisting generally of corn, was -mostly brought from Missouri, a distance of some one hundred and fifty -miles, where it fortunately was plentiful and cheap. The camp having -been deprived of vegetable food the past year, many were attacked with -scurvy. The exposure, together with the want of necessary comforts, -caused fevers and ague, and affections of the lungs. Our own family -were not exempt. Nancy Clement, one of my husband's wives, died; also -her child. She was a woman of excellent disposition, and died in full -faith in the gospel." - -An incident or two of Sister Horne's story may very properly accompany -the foregoing. She says: - -"I took my last look, on earth, of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. May I never -experience another day similar to that! I do not wish to recall the -scene but for a moment. That terrible martyrdom deeply scarred the -hearts and bewildered the senses of all our people. We could scarcely -realize the awful event, except in the agony of our feelings; nor -comprehend the dark hour, beyond the solemn loneliness which pervaded -the city and made the void in our stricken hearts still more terrible -to bear. For the moment the sun of our life had set. The majority of -the apostles were far from home, and we could do no more than wake the -indignation of heaven against the murderers by our lamentations, and -weep and pray for divine support in that awful hour. - -"Two years had not passed away after the martyrdom, before the saints -were forced by their enemies to hasten in their flight from Nauvoo." - -With the Camp of Israel, Sister Horne and family journeyed to winter -quarters, sharing the common experience of the saints, so well -described by those who have preceded her. - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -THE STORY OF THE HUNTINGTON SISTERS CONTINUED--ZINA D. YOUNG'S PATHETIC -PICTURE OF THE MARTYRDOM--JOSEPH'S MANTLE FALLS UPON BRIGHAM--THE -EXODUS--A BIRTH ON THE BANKS OF THE CHARITON--DEATH OF FATHER -HUNTINGTON. - -"It was June 27th, 1844," writes Zina D. Young (one of the Huntington -sisters, with whom the reader is familiar), "and it was rumored that -Joseph was expected in from Carthage. I did not know to the contrary -until I saw the Governor and his guards descending the hill by the -temple, a short distance from my house. Their swords glistened in -the sun, and their appearance startled me, though I knew not what it -foreboded. I exclaimed to a neighbor who was with me, 'What is the -trouble! It seems to me that the trees and the grass are in mourning!' -A fearful silence pervaded the city, and after the shades of night -gathered around us it was thick darkness. The lightnings flashed, the -cattle bellowed, the dogs barked, and the elements wailed. What a -terrible night that was to the saints, yet we knew nothing of the dark -tragedy which had been enacted by the assassins at Carthage. - -"The morning dawned; the sad news came; but as yet I had not heard of -the terrible event. I started to go to Mother Smith's, on an errand. As -I approached I saw men gathered around the door of the mansion. A few -rods from the house I met Jesse P. Harmon. 'Have you heard the news?' -he asked. 'What news?' I inquired. 'Joseph and Hyrum are dead!' Had -I believed it, I could not have walked any farther. I hastened to my -brother Dimick. He was sitting in his house, mourning and weeping aloud -as only strong men can weep. All was confirmed in a moment. My pen -cannot utter my grief nor describe my horror. But after awhile a change -came, as though the released spirits of the departed sought to comfort -us in that hour of dreadful bereavement. - - "'The healer was there, pouring balm on my heart, - And wiping the tears from my eyes; - He was binding the chain that was broken in twain, - And fastening it firm in the skies.' - -"Never can it be told in words what the saints suffered in those days -of trial; but the sweet spirit--the comforter--did not forsake them; -and when the twelve returned, the mantle of Joseph fell upon Brigham. - -"When I approached the stand (on the occasion when Sidney Rigdon was -striving for the guardianship of the Church), President Young was -speaking. It was the voice of Joseph Smith--not that of Brigham Young. -His very person was changed. The mantle was truly given to another. -There was no doubting this in the minds of that vast assembly. All -witnessed the transfiguration, and even to-day thousands bear testimony -thereof. I closed my eyes. I could have exclaimed, I know that is -Joseph Smith's voice! Yet I knew he had gone. But the same spirit was -with the people; the comforter remained. - -"The building of the temple was hurried on. The saints did not slacken -their energies. They had a work to do in that temple for their dead, -and blessings to obtain for themselves. They had learned from the -prophet Joseph the meaning of Paul's words, 'Why then are ye baptized -for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?' - -"Passing on to the exodus. My family were informed that we were to -leave with the first company. So on the 9th of February, 1846, on a -clear cold day, we left our home at Nauvoo. All that we possessed was -now in our wagon. Many of our things remained in the house, unsold, for -most of our neighbors were, like ourselves, on the wing. - -"Arrived at Sugar Creek, we there first saw who were the brave, the -good, the self-sacrificing. Here we had now openly the first examples -of noble-minded, virtuous women, bravely commencing to live in the -newly-revealed order of celestial marriage. - -"'Women; this is my husband's wife!' - -"Here, at length, we could give this introduction, without fear of -reproach, or violation of man-made laws, seeing we were bound for the -refuge of the Rocky Mountains, where no Gentile society existed, to ask -of Israel, 'What doest thou?' - -"President Young arrived on Sugar Creek, and at once commenced to -organize the camp. George A. Smith was the captain of our company of -fifty. - -"I will pass over the tedious journey to the Chariton river, in the -face of the fierce winds of departing winter, and amid rains that -fairly inundated the land. By day we literally waded through mud and -water, and at night camped in anything but pleasant places. - -"On the bank of the Chariton an incident occurred ever eventful in the -life of woman. I had been told in the temple that I should acknowledge -God even in a miracle in my deliverance in woman's hour of trouble, -which hour had now come. We had traveled one morning about five miles, -when I called for a halt in our inarch. There was but one person with -me--Mother Lyman, the aunt of George A. Smith; and there on the bank of -the Chariton I was delivered of a fine son. On the morning of the 23d, -Mother Lyman gave me a cup of coffee and a biscuit. What a luxury for -special remembrance! Occasionally the wagon had to be stopped, that I -might take breath. Thus I journeyed on. But I did not mind the hardship -of my situation, for my life had been preserved, and my babe seemed so -beautiful. - -"We reached Mount Pisgah in May. I was now with my father, who had been -appointed to preside over this temporary settlement of the saints. But -an unlooked for event soon came. One evening Parley P. Pratt arrived, -bringing the word from headquarters that the Mormon battalion must be -raised in compliance with the requisition of the government upon our -people. And what did this news personally amount to, to me? That I had -only my father to look after me now; for I had parted from my husband; -my eldest brother, Dimick Huntington, with his family, had gone into -the battalion, and every man who could be spared was also enlisted. -It was impossible for me to go on to winter quarters, so I tarried at -Mount Pisgah with my father. - -"But, alas! a still greater trial awaited me! The call for the -battalion had left many destitute. They had to live in wagons. But -worse than destitution stared us in the face. Sickness came upon us -and death invaded our camp. Sickness was so prevalent and deaths so -frequent that enough help could not be had to make coffins, and many of -the dead were wrapped in their grave-clothes and buried with split logs -at the bottom of the grave and brush at the sides, that being all that -could be done for them by their mourning friends. Too soon it became -my turn to mourn. My father was taken sick, and in eighteen days he -died. Just before he left us for his better home he raised himself upon -his elbow, and said: 'Man is like the flower or the grass--cut down -in an hour! Father, unto thee do I commend my spirit!' This said, he -sweetly went to rest with the just, a martyr for the truth; for, like -my dear mother, who died in the expulsion from Missouri, he died in the -expulsion from Nauvoo. Sad was my heart. I alone of all his children -was there to mourn. - -"It was a sad day at Mount Pisgah, when my father was buried. The poor -and needy had lost a friend--the kingdom of God a faithful servant. -There upon the hillside was his resting place. The graveyard was so -near that I could hear the wolves howling as they visited the spot; -those hungry monsters, who fain would have unsepulchred those sacred -bones! - -"Those days of trial and grief were succeeded by my journey to winter -quarters, where in due time I arrived, and was welcomed by President -Young into his family." - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -THE PIONEERS--THE PIONEER COMPANIES THAT FOLLOWED--METHOD OF THE -MARCH--MRS. HORNE ON THE PLAINS--THE EMIGRANT'S POST-OFFICE--PENTECOSTS -BY THE WAY--DEATH AS THEY JOURNEYED--A FEAST IN THE DESERT--"AUNT -LOUISA" AGAIN. - -Very properly President Young and a chosen cohort of apostles and -elders formed the band of pioneers who bore the standard of their -people to the Rocky Mountains. On the 7th of April, 1847, that famous -company left winter quarters in search of another Zion and gathering -place. Three women only went with them. These must be honored with a -lasting record. They were Clara Decker, one of the wives of Brigham -Young; her mother, and Ellen Sanders, one of the wives of H. C. Kimball. - -Yet the sisters as a mass were scarcely less the co-pioneers of that -apostolic band, for they followed in companies close upon its track. It -was with them faith, not sight. They continued their pilgrimage to the -West early in June. On the 12th, Captain Jedediah M. Grant's company -moved out in the advance. - -"After we started out from winter quarters," says Sister Eliza Snow, -"three or four days were consumed in maneuvering and making a good -ready, and then, at an appointed place for rendezvous, a general -meeting was held around a liberty-pole erected for the purpose, and -an organization effected, similar to that entered into after leaving -Nauvoo. - -"As we moved forward, one division after another, sometimes in -fifties, sometimes in tens, but seldom traveling in hundreds, we -passed and repassed each other, but at night kept as nearly compact -as circumstances would admit, especially when in the Indian country. -East of Fort Laramie many of the Sioux Nation mixed with our traveling -camps, on their way to the fort, where a national council was in -session. We had no other trouble with them than the loss of a few -cooking utensils, which, when unobserved, they lightly fingered; except -in one instance, when our ten had been left in the rear to repair a -broken wagon, until late in the evening. It was bright moonlight, and -as we were passing one of their encampments, they formed in a line -closely by the roadside, and when our teams passed, they simultaneously -shook their blankets vigorously on purpose to frighten the teams and -cause a stampede, probably with the same object in view as white -robbers have in ditching railroad trains. However, no serious injury -occurred, although the animals were dreadfully frightened." - -Sister Horne thus relates some incidents of the journey: - -"Apostle John Taylor traveled in the company that my family was with, -Bishop Hunter being captain of the company of one hundred, and Bishop -Foutz and my husband being captains of fifties. The officers proposed, -for safety in traveling through the Indian country, that the two -fifties travel side by side, which was agreed to, Bishop Foutz's fifty -taking the north side. For some days the wind blew from the south with -considerable force, covering the fifty on the north with dust from -our wagons. This continued for two weeks; it was then agreed that the -two companies should shift positions in order to give us our fair -proportion of the dust; but in a day or two afterwards the wind shifted -to the north, thus driving the dust on to the same company as before. -After having some good natured badinage over the circumstance, our -company changed with the unfortunates and took its share of the dust. - -"One day a company of Indians met us and manifested a desire to trade, -which we were glad to do; but as the brethren were exchanging corn -for buffalo robes, the squaws were quietly stealing everything they -could lay hands upon. Many bake-kettles, skillets and frying-pans were -missing when we halted that night. - -"As our wagons were standing while the trading was going on, one Indian -took a great fancy to my little girl, who was sitting on my knee, and -wanted to buy her, offering me a pony. I told him 'no trade.' He then -brought another pony, and still another, but I told him no; so he -brought the fourth, and gave me to understand that they were all good, -and that the last one was especially good for chasing buffalo. The -situation was becoming decidedly embarrassing, when several more wagons -drew near, dispersing the crowd of Indians that had gathered around me, -and attracting the attention of my persistent patron." - -The emigrant's post-offices are thus spoken of by Sister Eliza: - -"Much of the time we were on an untrodden way; but when we came on the -track of the pioneers, as we occasionally did, and read the date of -their presence, with an 'all well' accompaniment, on a bleached buffalo -skull, we had a general time of rejoicing." - -For years those bleached buffalo skulls were made the news agents of -the Mormon emigrations. The morning newspaper of to-day is not read -with so much eagerness as were those dry bones on the plains, telling -of family and friends gone before. - -It was a long, tedious journey to those pioneer sisters, yet they had -pentecosts even on their pilgrimage. Again quoting from Sister Eliza: - -"Many were the moon and starlight evenings when, as we circled around -the blazing fire, and sang our hymns of devotion, and songs of praise -to him who knows the secrets of all hearts, the sound of our united -voices reverberated from hill to hill, and echoing through the silent -expanse, seemed to fill the vast concave above, while the glory of God -seemed to rest on all around. Even now while I write, the remembrance -of those sacredly romantic and vivifying scenes calls them up afresh, -and arouses a feeling of response that language is inadequate to -express." - -But there were dark days also. The story changes to sickness in the -wagons and death by the wayside: - -"Death," says Sister Eliza, "made occasional inroads among us. Nursing -the sick in tents and wagons was a laborious service; but the patient -faithfulness with which it was performed is, no doubt, registered in -the archives above, as an unfading memento of brotherly and sisterly -love. The burial of the dead by the wayside was a sad office. For -husbands, wives and children to consign the cherished remains of -loved ones to a lone, desert grave, was enough to try the firmest -heartstrings. - -"Although every care and kindness possible under the circumstances -were extended to her, the delicate constitution of Mrs. Jedediah M. -Grant was not sufficient for the hardships of the journey. I was with -her much, previous to her death, which occurred so near to Salt Lake -Valley, that by forced drives, night and day, her remains were brought -through for interment. Not so, however, with her beautiful babe of -eight or ten months, whose death preceded her's about two weeks; it was -buried in the desert." - -The companies now began to hear of the pioneers and the location of -"Great Salt Lake City." On the 4th of August several of the Mormon -battalion were met returning from the Mexican war. They were husbands -and sons of women in this division. There was joy indeed in the -meeting. Next came an express from the valley, and finally the main -body of the pioneers, returning to winter quarters. On the Sweetwater, -Apostle Taylor made for them a royal feast, spoken of to this day. -Sisters Taylor, Horne, and others of our leading pioneer women, -sustained the honors of that occasion. - -Early in October the companies, one after another, reached the valley. - -The next year many of the pioneers made their second journey to the -mountains, and with them now came Daniel H. Wells, the story of whose -wife, Louisa, shall close these journeys of the pioneers. - -Although exceedingly desirous of crossing the plains with the first -company of that year, her father was unable to do more than barely -provide the two wagons necessary to carry his family and provisions, -and the requisite number of oxen to draw them. The luxury of an extra -teamster to care for the second wagon was out of the question; and -so Louisa, although but twenty-two years of age, and although she -had never driven an ox in her life, heroically undertook the task of -driving one of the outfits, and caring for a younger brother and sister. - -The picture of her starting is somewhat amusing. After seeing that her -allotment of baggage and provisions, along with her little brother and -sister, had been stowed in the wagon; with a capacious old-fashioned -sun-bonnet on her head, a parasol in one hand and an ox-whip in the -other, she placed herself by the side of her leading yoke of oxen and -bravely set her face westward. Matters went well enough for a short -distance, considering her inexperience with oxen; but the rain began -to pour, and shortly her parasol was found to be utterly inadequate, -so in disgust she threw it into the wagon, and traveled on in the wet -grass amid the pouring rain. Presently the paste-board stiffeners -of her sun-bonnet began to succumb to the persuasive moisture, and -before night, draggled and muddy, and thoroughly wet to the skin, her -appearance was fully as forlorn as her condition was pitiable. - -This was truly a discouraging start, but nothing daunted she pressed on -with the company, and never allowed her spirits to flag. Arrived at the -Sweetwater, her best yoke of oxen died from drinking the alkali water, -and for a substitute she was obliged to yoke up a couple of cows. -Then came the tug of war; for so irregular a proceeding was not to be -tolerated for a moment by the cows, except under extreme compulsion. -More unwilling and refractory laborers were probably never found, and -from that point onward Louisa proceeded only by dint of the constant -and vigorous persuasions of her whip. - -During the journey a Mrs. McCarthy was confined; and it was considered -necessary that Louisa should nurse her. But it was impossible for her -to leave her team during the day; so it was arranged that she should -attend the sick woman at night. For three weeks she dropped her whip -each night when the column halted, and leaving her team to be cared for -by the brethren, repaired to Mrs. McCarthy's wagon, nursing her through -the night, and then seizing her whip again as the company moved forward -in the morning. - -However, she maintained good health throughout the journey, and safely -piloted her heterodox outfit into the valley along with the rest of the -company. - -On the journey, after wearing out the three pairs of shoes with -which she was provided, she was obliged to sew rags on her feet for -protection. But each day these would soon wear through, and often she -left bloody tracks on the cruel stones. - -It was on this journey that she first became acquainted with Gen. -Wells, to whom she was married shortly after they reached the valley. -As the senior wife of that distinguished gentleman, "Aunt Louisa" is -well known throughout Utah; and as a most unselfish and unostentatious -dispenser of charity, and an ever-ready friend and helper of the sick -and needy, her name is indelibly engraved on the hearts of thousands. - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S STORY CONTINUED--THE PIONEERS RETURN TO WINTER -QUARTERS--A NEW PRESIDENCY CHOSEN--OLIVER COWDERY RETURNS TO THE -CHURCH--GATHERING THE REMNANT FROM WINTER QUARTERS--DESCRIPTION OF HER -HOUSE ON WHEELS. - -Continuing her narration of affairs at winter quarters, Sister -Bathsheba W. Smith says: - -"As soon as the weather became warm, and the gardens began to produce -early vegetables, the sick began to recover. We felt considerable -anxiety for the safety of the pioneers, and for their success in -finding us a home. About the first of December, to our great joy, a -number of them returned. They had found a place in the heart of the -Great Basin, beyond the Rocky Mountains, so barren, dry, desolate -and isolated that we thought even the cupidity of religious bigots -would not be excited by it. The pioneers had laid out a city, and had -commenced a fort; and some seven hundred wagons and about two thousand -of our people had by this time arrived there. The country was so very -dry that nothing could be made to grow without irrigation. - -"After the location of winter quarters a great number of our people -made encampments on the east side of the river, on parts of the -Pottawatomie lands. The camps, thus scattered, spread over a large -tract. On one occasion my husband and I visited Hyde Park, one of these -settlements, in company with the twelve apostles. They there held a -council in a log-cabin, and a great manifestation of the holy spirit -was poured out upon those present. At this council it was unanimously -decided to organize the First Presidency of the Church according to -the pattern laid down in the Book of Covenants. Soon after, a general -conference was held in the log tabernacle at Kanesville (now Council -Bluffs), at which the saints acknowledged Brigham Young President of -the Church, and Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards his councilors. - -"Shortly after this conference our family moved to the Iowa side of the -river. My husband bought two log-cabins, and built two more, which made -us quite comfortable. The winter was very cold, but wood was plentiful, -and we used it freely. The situation was a romantic one, surrounded as -we were on three sides by hills. We were favored with an abundance of -wild plums and raspberries. We called the place Car-bun-ca, after an -Indian brave who had been buried there. - -"In May, 1848, about five hundred wagons followed President Young on -his return to Salt Lake. In June some two hundred wagons followed Dr. -Willard Richards. When Dr. Richards left, all the saints that could not -go with him were compelled by the United States authorities to vacate -winter quarters. They recrossed into Iowa, and had to build cabins -again. This was apiece of oppression which was needless and ill-timed, -as many of the families which had to move were those of the men who had -gone in the Mormon battalion. This compulsory move was prompted by the -same spirit of persecution that had caused the murder of so many of -our people, and had forced us all to leave our homes and go into the -wilderness. - -"On the Iowa side of the river we raised wheat, Indian corn, buckwheat, -potatoes, and other vegetables; and we gathered from the woods hazel -and hickory nuts, white and black walnuts, and in addition to the wild -plums and raspberries before mentioned, we gathered elderberries, -and made elderberry and raspberry wine. We also preserved plums and -berries. By these supplies we were better furnished than we had been -since leaving our homes. The vegetables and fruits caused the scurvy to -pretty much disappear. - -"In September, 1848, a conference was held in a grove on Mosquito -Creek, about two thousand of the saints being present. Oliver Cowdery, -one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, was there. He had been ten -years away from the Church, and had become a lawyer of some prominence -in Northern Ohio and Wisconsin. At this conference I heard him bear his -testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, in the same manner as is -recorded in the testimony of the three witnesses in that book. - -"In May, 1849, about four hundred wagons were organized and started -West. - -"In the latter part of June following, our family left our encampment. -We started on our journey to the valley in a company of two hundred and -eighteen wagons. These were organized into three companies, which were -subdivided into companies of ten, each company properly officered. Each -company also had its blacksmith and wagon-maker, equipped with proper -tools for attending to their work of setting tires, shoeing animals, -and repairing wagons. - -"Twenty-four of the wagons of our company belonged to the Welch saints, -who had been led from Wales by Elder Dan Jones. They did not understand -driving oxen. It was very amusing to see them yoke their cattle; two -would have an animal by the horns, one by the tail, and one or two -others would do their best to put on the yoke, whilst the apparently -astonished ox, not at all enlightened by the guttural sounds of the -Welch tongue, seemed perfectly at a loss what to do, or to know what -was wanted of him. But these saints amply made up for their lack of -skill in driving cattle by their excellent singing, which afforded us -great assistance in our public meetings, and helped to enliven our -evenings. - -"On this journey my wagon was provided with projections, of about eight -inches wide, on each side of the top of the box. The cover, which was -high enough for us to stand erect, was widened by these projections. A -frame was laid across the back part of our wagon, and was corded as a -bedstead; this made our sleeping very comfortable. Under our beds we -stowed our heaviest articles. We had a door in one side of the wagon -cover, and on the opposite side a window. A step-ladder was used to -ascend to our door, which was between the wheels. Our cover was of -'osnaburg,' lined with blue drilling. Our door and window could be -opened and closed at pleasure. I had, hanging up on the inside, a -looking-glass, candlestick, pincushion, etc. In the centre of our wagon -we had room for four chairs, in which we and our two children sat and -rode when we chose. The floor of our traveling house was carpeted, and -we made ourselves as comfortable as we could under the circumstances. - -"After having experienced the common vicissitudes of that strange -journey, having encountered terrible storms and endured extreme -hardships, we arrived at our destination on the 5th of November, one -hundred and five days after leaving the Missouri river. Having been -homeless and wandering up to this time, I was prepared to appreciate a -home." - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -THE MARTYRED PATRIARCH'S WIDOW--A WOMAN'S STRENGTH AND -INDEPENDENCE--THE CAPTAIN "LEAVES HER OUT IN THE COLD"---HER PROPHESY -AND CHALLENGE TO THE CAPTAIN--A PIONEER INDEED--SHE IS LED BY -INSPIRATION--THE SEERIC GIFT OF THE SMITHS WITH HER--HER CATTLE--THE -RACE--FATE AGAINST THE CAPTAIN--THE WIDOW'S PROPHESY FULFILLED. - -"I will beat you to the valley, and ask no help from you either!" - --- - -The exodus called out the women of Mormondom in all their Spartan -strength of character. They showed themselves State-founders indeed. -We are reading examples of them as pioneers unsurpassed even by the -examples of the immortal band of pioneer apostles and elders who led -them to the "chambers of the mountains." The following story of the -widow of Hyrum Smith will finely illustrate this point: - -At the death of the patriarch the care of the family fell upon his -widow, Mary Smith. Besides the children there were several helpless and -infirm people, whom for various charitable reasons the patriarch had -maintained; and these also she cared for, and brought through to the -valley the major part of them, under unusually trying circumstances. - -Passing over the incidents of her journey to winter quarters, after -the expulsion from Nauvoo, we come at once to her heroic effort from -winter quarters westward. In the spring of 1848 a tremendous effort -was made by the saints to emigrate to the valley on a grand scale. No -one was more anxious than Widow Smith; but to accomplish it seemed an -impossibility, for although a portion of her household had emigrated in -1847, she still had a large and, comparatively, helpless family--her -sons John and Joseph, mere boys, being her only support. Without teams -sufficient to draw the number of wagons necessary to haul provisions -and outfit for the family, and without means to purchase, or friends -who were in circumstances to assist, she determined to make the -attempt, and trust in the Lord for the issue. Accordingly every nerve -was strained, and every available object was brought into requisition. -Cows and calves were yoked up, two wagons lashed together, and a team -barely sufficient to draw one was hitched on to them, and in this -manner they rolled out from winter quarters some time in May. After a -series of the most amusing and trying circumstances, such as sticking -in the mud, doubling teams up all the little hills, and crashing at -ungovernable speed down the opposite sides, breaking wagon-tongues and -reaches, upsetting, and vainly trying to control wild steers, heifers, -and unbroken cows, they finally succeeded in reaching the Elk Horn, -where the companies were being organized for the plains. - -Here Widow Smith reported herself to President Kimball as having -"started for the valley." Meantime, she had left no stone unturned or -problem untried, which promised assistance in effecting the necessary -preparations for the journey. She had done to her utmost, and still the -way looked dark and impossible. - -President Kimball consigned her to Captain ----'s fifty. The captain was -present. Said he: - -"Widow Smith, how many wagons have you?" - -"Seven." - -"How many yokes of oxen have you?" - -"Four," and so many cows and calves. - -"Well," said the captain, "it is folly for you to start in this manner; -you never can make the journey, and if you try it you will be a burden -upon the company the whole way. My advice to you is, to go back to -winter quarters and wait till you can get help." - -Widow Smith calmly replied: "Father ----" (he was an aged man), "I will -beat you to the valley, and will ask no help from you either!" - -This seemed to nettle the old gentleman, and it doubtless influenced -his conduct toward her during the journey. - -While lying at Elk Horn she sent back and succeeded in buying on -credit, and hiring for the journey, several yoke of oxen from brethren -who were not able to emigrate that year, and when the companies were -ready to start she and her family were somewhat better prepared for the -journey, and rolled out with lighter hearts and better prospects than -favored their egress from winter quarters. - -As they journeyed on the captain lost no opportunity to vent his -spleen on the widow and her family; but she prayerfully maintained -her integrity of purpose, and pushed vigorously on, despite several -discouraging circumstances. - -One day, as they were moving slowly through the hot sand and dust, -in the neighborhood of the Sweetwater, the sun pouring down with -excessive heat, towards noon, one of Widow Smith's best oxen laid -down in the yoke, rolled over on his side, and stiffened out his legs -spasmodically, evidently in the throes of death. The unanimous opinion -was that he was poisoned. All the hindmost teams of course stopped, the -people coming forward to know what was the matter. In a short time the -captain, who was in advance of the company, perceiving that something -was wrong, came to the spot. Probably no one supposed for a moment that -the ox would recover, and the captain's first words on seeing him were: - -"He is dead, there is no use working with him; we'll have to fix up -some way to take the widow along; I told her she would be a burden upon -the company." - -Meantime Widow Smith had been searching for a bottle of consecrated -oil in one of the wagons, and now came forward with it, and asked her -brother, Joseph Fielding, and the other brethren, to administer to the -ox, thinking that the Lord would raise him up. They did so, pouring -a portion of oil on the top of his head, between and back of the -horns, and all laid hands upon him, and one prayed, administering the -ordinance as they would have done to a human being that was sick. In -a moment he gathered up his legs, and at the first word arose to his -feet, and traveled right off as well as ever. He was not even unyoked -from his mate. - -On the 22d of September the company crossed over "Big Mountain," when -they had the first glimpse of Salt Lake Valley. Every heart rejoiced, -and with lingering fondness they gazed upon the goal of their wearisome -journey. The descent of the western side of "Big Mountain" was -precipitous and abrupt, and they were obliged to rough lock the hind -wheels of the wagons, and, as they were not needed, the forward cattle -were turned loose to be driven to camp, the "wheelers" only being -retained on the wagons. Desirous of shortening the next day's journey -as much as possible, they drove on till a late hour in the night, and -finally camped near the eastern foot of the "Little Mountain." During -this night's drive several of Widow Smith's cows, that had been turned -loose from the teams, were lost in the brush. Early next morning her -son John returned to hunt for them, their service in the teams being -necessary to proceed. - -At an earlier hour than usual the captain gave orders for the company -to start, knowing well the circumstances of the widow, and that she -would be obliged to remain till John returned with the lost cattle. -Accordingly the company rolled out, leaving her and her family alone. -Hours passed by ere John returned with the lost cattle, and the company -could be seen toiling along far up the mountain. And to human ken it -seemed probable that the widow's prediction would ingloriously fail. -But as the company were nearing the summit of the mountain a cloud -burst over their heads, sending down the rain in torrents, and throwing -them into utter confusion. The cattle refused to pull, and to save -the wagons from crashing down the mountain side, they were obliged to -unhitch, and block the wheels. While the teamsters sought shelter, the -storm drove the cattle in every direction, so that when it subsided -it was a day's work to find them and get them together. Meantime, as -noted, John had returned with the stray cattle, and they were hitched -up, and the widow and family rolled up the mountain, passing the -company and continuing on to the valley, where she arrived fully twenty -hours in advance of the captain. And thus was her prophesy fulfilled. - -She kept her husband's family together after her arrival in the valley, -and her prosperity was unparalleled. At her death, which occurred -September 21st, 1852, she left them comfortably provided for, and in -possession of every educational endowment that the facilities of the -times would permit. - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - -UTAH IN THE EARLY DAYS--PRESIDENT YOUNG'S PRIMITIVE HOME--RAISING THE -STARS AND STRIPES ON MEXICAN SOIL--THE HISTORICAL THREAD UP TO THE -PERIOD OF THE "UTAH WAR." - -The early days in the valley are thus described by Eliza R. Snow: - -"Our first winter in the mountains was delightful; the ground froze -but little; our coldest weather was three or four days in November, -after which the men plowed and sowed, built houses, etc. The weather -seemed to have been particularly ordered to meet our very peculiar -circumstances. Every labor, such as cultivating the ground, procuring -fuel and timber from the canyons, etc., was a matter of experiment. -Most of us were houseless; and what the result would have been, had -that winter been like the succeeding ones, may well be conjectured. - -"President Young had kindly made arrangements for me to live with his -wife, Clara Decker, who came with the pioneers, and was living in a -log-house about eighteen feet square, which constituted a portion -of the east side of our fort. This hut, like most of those built -the first year, was roofed with willows and earth, the roof having -but little pitch, the first-comers having adopted the idea that the -valley was subject to little if any rain, and our roofs were nearly -flat. We suffered no inconvenience from this fact until about the -middle of March, when a long storm of snow, sleet and rain occurred, -and for several days the sun did not make its appearance. The roof -of our dwelling was covered deeper with earth than the adjoining -ones, consequently it did not leak so soon, and some of my neighbors -huddled in for shelter; but one evening, when several were socially -sitting around, the water commenced dripping in one place, and then in -another; they dodged it for awhile, but it increased so rapidly that -they finally concluded they might as well go to their own wet houses. -After they had gone I spread my umbrella over my head and shoulders as -I ensconced myself in bed, the lower part of which, not shielded by -the umbrella, was wet enough before morning. The earth overhead was -thoroughly saturated, and after it commenced to drip the storm was much -worse indoors than out. - -"The small amount of breadstuff brought over the plains was sparingly -dealt out; and our beef, made of cows and oxen which had constituted -our teams, was, before it had time to fatten on the dry mountain grass, -very inferior. Those to whom it yielded sufficient fat to grease their -griddles, were considered particularly fortunate. But we were happy -in the rich blessings of peace, which, in the spirit of brotherly and -sisterly union, we mutually enjoyed in our wild mountain home. - -"Before we left winter quarters, a committee, appointed for the -purpose, inspected the provisions of each family, in order to ascertain -that all were provided with at least a moderate competency of flour, -etc. The amount of flour calculated to be necessary was apportioned at -the rate of three-quarters of a pound for adults and one-half pound -per day for children. A portion of the battalion having been disbanded -on the Pacific coast, destitute of pay for their services, joined us -before spring, and we cheerfully divided our rations of flour with -them, which put us on still shorter allowance. - -"Soon after our arrival in the valley, a tall liberty-pole was erected, -and from its summit (although planted in Mexican soil), the stars and -stripes seemed to float with even more significance, if possible, than -they were wont to do on Eastern breezes. - - "I love that flag. When in my childish glee-- - A prattling girl, upon my grandsire's knee-- - I heard him tell strange tales, with valor rife, - How that same flag was bought with blood and life. - - "And his tall form seemed taller when he said, - 'Child, for that flag thy grandsire fought and bled.' - My young heart felt that every scar he wore, - Caused him to prize that banner more and more. - - "I caught the fire, and as in years I grew, - I loved the flag; I loved my country too. - * * * * * * - - "There came a time that I remember well-- - Beneath the stars and stripes we could not dwell! - We had to flee; but in our hasty flight - We grasped the flag with more than mortal might; - - "And vowed, although our foes should us bereave - Of all things else, the flag we would not leave. - We took the flag; and journeying to the West, - We wore its motto graven on each breast." - -The personal narrative, up to the period of the Utah war, is thus -continued by Bathsheba W. Smith: - -"In 1856 my husband was sent as delegate to Washington, by vote of the -people of the Territory, to ask for the admission of Utah as a State. -In May, 1857, he returned. Congress would not admit Utah into the -Union. On his journey East his horse failed, and he had to walk about -five hundred miles on the plains. This made him very foot-sore, as he -was a heavy man. - -"On the 24th of July, 1857, I was in company with my husband and a -goodly number of others at the Big Cottonwood Lake, near the head of -Big Cottonwood Canyon, where we were celebrating the anniversary of the -arrival of the pioneers in Salt Lake Valley, when word was brought to -us that the United States mail for Utah was stopped, and that President -James Buchanan was sending out an army to exterminate us. We turned to -hear what President Young would say. In effect he said: 'If they ever -get in, it will be because we will permit them to do so.' - -"In September my husband went out into the mountains and stayed about -four weeks, assisting in conducting the correspondence with the leaders -of the invading army. Fear came upon the army, and they dared not come -face to face with our people; so they stayed out in the mountains, -while our people came home, excepting a few who remained to watch them. - -"Soon after my husband's return, he married Sister Susan Elizabeth -West, and brought her home. - -"About this time I was having a new house built. One day, in the -forenoon, I had been watching the men plastering it, and had been -indulging in the pleasant thoughts that would naturally occur on such -an occasion, when my husband came home and said it had been determined -in council that all of our people were to leave their homes and go -south, as it was thought wiser to do this than to fight the army. -Accordingly, on the last day of March, 1858, Sister Susan, myself, and -son and daughter, started south, bidding farewell to our home with much -the same feelings that I had experienced at leaving Nauvoo. - -"Peace having subsequently been restored, we returned to Salt Lake -City on the third of July following. Instead of flowers, I found weeds -as high as my head all around the house. When we entered the city it -was near sunset; all was quiet; every door was shut and every window -boarded up. I could see but two chimneys from which smoke was issuing. -We were nearly the first that had returned. Being thus restored to my -home again, I was happy and contented, although I had but few of the -necessaries of life." - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. - -THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM IN THE PERIOD OF THE UTAH WAR--THEIR -HEROIC RESOLVE TO DESOLATE THE LAND--THE SECOND EXODUS--MRS. -CARRINGTON--GOVERNOR CUMMING'S WIFE--A NATION OF HEROES. - -For an example of the heroism of woman excelling all other examples of -history--at least of modern times--let us turn to that of the Mormon -women during the Utah war. - -In the expulsions from Missouri, first from county to county, and -then _en masse_ from the State, undoubtedly the Mormons yielded to -the compulsion of a lawless mob, coupled with the militia of the -State, executing the exterminating order of Governor Boggs. It was an -example of suffering and martyrdom rather than of spontaneous heroism. -Something of the same was illustrated in the expulsion from Illinois. -It was at the outset nothing of choice, but all of compulsion. True, -after the movement of the community, inspired by the apostolic -forcefulness of Brigham Young and his compeers, swelled into a grand -Israelitish exodus, then the example towered like a very pyramid of -heroism; and in that immortal circumstance who can doubt that the -heroic culminated in the women? - -But what shall be said of their example during the Utah war? Here were -women who chose and resolved to give an example to the civilized world -such as it had never seen. The proposed exodus from Utah was not in -the spirit of submission, but an exhibition of an invincible spirit -finding a method of conquest through an exodus. This was not weakness, -but strength. It was as though the accumulated might and concentrated -purposes of their lives were brought into a supreme action. The example -of the Utah war was in fact all their own. The Mormons were not -subdued. Had the issue come, they would have left Utah as conquerors. - -"Tell the government that the troops now on the march for Utah shall -not enter the Great Salt Lake Valley. Tell the people of the United -States that should those troops force an entrance they will find Utah -a desert, every house burned to the ground, every tree cut down, and -every field laid waste. We will apply the torch to our own dwellings, -cut down those richly-laden orchards with our own hands, turn the -fruitful field again into a desert, and desolate our cities, with -acclamations." - -Such was the tenor of the communication carried by Captain Van Vliet to -the government. And he had seen the whole people lift up their hands in -their tabernacle to manifest their absolute resolution to the nation, -and heard those acclamations in anticipation of their act. - -The very nature of the case brought the women of Mormondom into supreme -prominence. _Their_ hands would have applied the torches to their -homes; they would have been the desolaters of the fast-growing cities -of Utah. The grandeur of the action was in these unconquerable women, -who would have maintained their religion and their sacred institutions -in the face of all the world. - -The example of the wife of Albert Carrington will, perchance, be -often recalled, generations hence. Capt. Van Vliet, of the United -States Army, had arrived in Salt Lake City in the midst of the -troubles out of which grew the "war." He was received most cordially -by the authorities, but at the same time was given to understand that -the people were a unit, and that they had fully determined upon a -programme. The sisters took him into their gardens, and showed him the -paradise that their woman-hands would destroy if the invading army -came. He was awed by the prospect--his ordinary judgment confounded -by such extraordinary examples. To the lady above-mentioned, in whose -garden he was one day walking, in conversation with the governor and -others, he exclaimed: - -"What, madam! would you consent to see this beautiful home in ashes -and this fruitful orchard destroyed?" - -"Yes!" answered Sister Carrington, with heroic resolution, "I would not -only consent to it, but I would set fire to my home with my own hands, -and cut down every tree, and root up every plant!" - -Coupled with this will be repeated the dramatic incident of Governor -Cumming's wife weeping over the scene of the deserted city after the -community had partly executed their resolution. - -The saints had all gone south, with their leader, when Governor -Cumming, with his wife, returned from Camp Scott. They proceeded to the -residence of Elder Staines, whom they found in waiting. His family had -gone south, and in his garden were significantly heaped several loads -of straw. - -The governor's wife inquired their meaning, and the cause of the -silence that pervaded the city. Elder Staines informed her of their -resolve to burn the town in case the army attempted to occupy it. - -"How terrible!" she exclaimed. "What a sight this is! I shall never -forget it! it has the appearance of a city that has been afflicted with -plague. Every house looks like a tomb of the dead! For two miles I have -seen but one man in it. Poor creatures! And so all have left their -hard-earned homes?" - -Here she burst into tears. - -"Oh! Alfred (to her husband), something must be done to bring them -back! Do not permit the army to stay in the city! Can't you do -something for them?" - -"Yes, madam," said he, "I shall do all I can, rest assured." - -Mrs. Cumming wept for woman! But the women of Mormondom gloried in -their sublime action as they had never done before. They felt at that -moment that their example was indeed worthy of a modern Israel. - -It thus struck the admiration of journalists both in America and -Europe. The Mormons were pronounced "A nation of heroes!" Those heroes -were twice ten thousand women, who could justly claim the tribute -equally with their husbands, their brethren and their sons. - - - -CHAPTER XL. - -MIRIAM WORKS AND MARY ANN ANGELL--SCENES OF THE PAST--DEATH-BED OF -MIRIAM--EARLY DAYS OF MARY--HER MARRIAGE WITH BRIGHAM--THE GOOD -STEP-MOTHER--SHE BEARS HER CROSS IN THE PERSECUTIONS--A BATTLE WITH -DEATH--POLYGAMY--MARY IN THE EXODUS AND AT WINTER QUARTERS--THE HUT IN -THE VALLEY--CLOSING A WORTHY LIFE. - -The death-bed of a latter-day saint! - -It was in the house of Heber C. Kimball, in the little town of Mendon, -N. Y., on the 8th of September, 1832. Principal around that glorious -death-bed were Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Vilate, his wife. - -The dying saint was Miriam Works, first wife of Brigham Young--a man -of destiny, but then unknown in the great world. "In her expiring -moments," he says, "she clapped her hands and praised the Lord, and -called upon Brother Kimball and all around to also praise the Lord!" - --- - -On the 8th of June, 1803, in Seneca, Ontario county, N. Y., was born -Mary Ann Angell, now for forty-five years the wife of Brigham Young, -the mother of his eldest sons, and the faithful step-mother of the -daughters of Miriam Works. - -Her parents early leaving her birthplace, Mary was brought up in -Providence, R. I. She was what in those days was denominated a pious -maiden, for her family was strictly of the old Puritan stock of the -country. She early became a Sunday-school teacher, and united with -the Free-Will Baptists. The study of the prophesies quite engrossed -her mind, and she was confidently looking for their fulfillment. -Her semi-ministerial duties as a Sunday-school teacher toned and -strengthened her early womanhood; and hence she resolved never to marry -until she met "a man of God" to whom her heart should go out, to unite -with him in the active duties of a Christian life. Thus it came about -that she remained a maiden until nearly thirty years of age. But the -providence that watched over her had chosen for her a husband. - -It was during the year 1830 that Thomas B. Marsh came to Providence, -bringing with him the Book of Mormon. From him Mary obtained a copy, -and having prayerfully read it, became convinced that it was a work -of inspiration. After this she went to Southern New York, where her -parents were visiting, and there she and her parents were baptized by -John P. Greene--Brigham's brother-in-law. It was about this time that -the Youngs, the Greenes and the Kimballs came into the Church. - -Alone, Mary set out for Kirtland, which had just become the gathering -place of the saints; and there she remained a year before Brigham and -Heber gathered with their families. Vilate Kimball was still acting the -part of a mother to the little daughters of Miriam. Through hearing -Brigham preach in Kirtland, Mary Angell became acquainted with him. -She had found her mate; he had found a mother indeed to his little -motherless Elizabeth and Vilate. - -At the period of the famous march of the elders from Ohio to Missouri, -in 1834, to "redeem Zion" in Jackson county, Mary, now for over a year -the wife of Brigham Young, became the mother of his first son, Joseph -A., who was born October 14, 1834, just at the return of her husband, -after the disbanding of Zion's Camp. Thus during the most trying period -of her first year of marriage, was she left alone in the struggle of -life, providing for herself, and caring for her husband's motherless -girls. - -But a still more trying period came to this excellent woman, after -her husband became a member of the quorum of the twelve, and when the -rebellion against Joseph arose in Kirtland. First the prophet and -Sidney Rigdon had to flee for their lives, and next Brigham Young had -to escape from Kirtland. Then came her severest struggle. She now had -five children to care and provide for the--two daughters of Miriam, -her Joseph A., and Brigham, Jr., with his twin sister, Mary Ann. Those -were dark days of persecution and want. The apostates and anti-Mormons -frequently searched her house for her husband, and the faithful in -Kirtland all had enough to do to sustain themselves, in the absence of -their shepherds, who were now refugees in Far West. At length, with -the five children, she reached her husband; but not long to rest, for -quickly came the expulsion from Missouri, in which period she broke -up her home many times before finally settling in Montrose, on the -opposite side of the river from Nauvoo. - -Scarcely had Brigham and the twelve effected the exodus of the saints -from Missouri to Illinois, ere Joseph, having escaped from prison, sent -the twelve with its president to England, on mission. - -On each side of the Mississippi, in cabins and tents, the Mormon people -lay, exhausted by their many expulsions; the multitude sick, many -dying, the vigor of life scarcely left even in their strong-willed -leaders. Thus lying on the river-side at Commerce and Montrose, -they presented a spectacle no longer suggestive of irresistible -empire-founders. Joseph was sick; Brigham was sick; the twelve were all -sick; the prophet's house and door-yard was a hospital. It was then -that the prophet, knowing that power must be invoked or the people -would perish, leaped from his sick bed, and entering first the tents -and cabins of the apostles, and bidding them arise and follow him, went -like an archangel through the midst of his disciples, and "healed the -multitude." It is a grand picture in the memory of the saints, being -called "The Day of God's Power." Reverse that picture, and there is -seen the exact condition of Mary Angell Young and the other apostles' -wives when the president and his quorum started on mission to England, -leaving them to the care of the Lord, and their brethren. It was a -period quite as trying to these apostolic sisters as that of the -exodus, afterwards. And to none more so than to Mary, who had now the -burden of six children to sustain during her husband's absence in a -foreign land. - -The following entries in the president's journal embody a most graphic -story, easily seized by the imagination: - -"We arrived in Commerce on the 18th (May, 1839), and called upon -Brother Joseph and his family. Joseph had commenced laying out the city -plot. - -"23d--I crossed the Mississippi with my family, and took up my -residence in a room in the old military barracks, in company with -Brother Woodruff and his family. - -"September 14, 1839--I started from Montrose on my mission to England. -My health was so poor that I was unable to go thirty rods, to the -river, without assistance. After I had crossed the river I got Israel -Barlow to carry me on his horse behind him, to Heber C. Kimball's, -where I remained sick 'till the 18th. I left my wife sick, with a babe -only ten days old, and all my children sick and unable to wait upon -each other. - -"17th--My wife crossed the river, and got a boy with a wagon to bring -her up about a mile, to Brother Kimball's, to see me. I remained until -the 18th at Brother Kimball's, when we started, leaving his family also -sick." - -Continue the picture, with the husband's absence, and the wife's noble, -every-day struggle to maintain and guard his children, and we have her -history well described for the next two years. - -Taking up the thread again in September, 1841: "On my return from -England," says Brigham, in his diary, "I found my family living in a -small unfinished log-cabin, situated on a low, wet lot, so swampy that -when the first attempt was made to plough it the oxen mired; but after -the city was drained it became a very valuable garden spot." - -The scene, a year later, is that of President Young at "death's door," -and the wife battling with death to save her husband. He was suddenly -attacked with a slight fit of apoplexy. This was followed by a severe -fever. For eighteen days he lay upon his back, and was not turned upon -his side during that period. - -"When the fever left me, on the eighteenth day," he says, "I was -bolstered up in my chair, but was so near gone that I could not close -my eyes, which were set in my head; my chin dropped down, and my breath -stopped. My wife, seeing my situation, threw some cold water in my -face and eyes, which I did not feel in the least; neither did I move -a muscle. She then held my nostrils between her thumb and finger, and -placing her mouth directly over mine, blew into my lungs until she -filled them with air. This set my lungs in motion, and I again began -to breathe. While this was going on I was perfectly conscious of all -that was passing around me; my spirit was as vivid as it ever was in my -life; but I had no feeling in my body." - -Mary, by the help of God, had thus saved the life of President Young! - -It was about this time that polygamy, or "celestial marriage," was -introduced into the Church. To say that it was no cross to these Mormon -wives--daughters of the strictest Puritan parentage--would be to mock -their experience. It was thus, also, with their husbands, in Nauvoo, -in 1842. President Young himself tells of the occasion when he stood -by the grave of one of the brethren and wished that the lot of the -departed was his own. The burden of polygamy seemed heavier than the -hand of death. It was nothing less than the potency of the "Thus saith -the Lord," and the faith of the saints as a community, that sustained -them--both the brethren and the sisters. Mary Angell gave to her -husband other wives, and the testimony which she gives to-day is that -it has been the "Thus saith the Lord" unto her, from the time of its -introduction to the present. - -Scarcely necessary is it to observe that she was in the exodus. Seven -children were now under her care. Alice, Luna, and John W. were born in -Montrose and Nauvoo, while the twin sister of Brigham, Jr., had died. -With these she remained at winter quarters while the president led the -pioneers to the Rocky Mountains. Her benevolence to the poor at winter -quarters (and who of them were then rich!) is spoken of to this day. -Indeed, benevolence has ever been a marked trait in her life. - -Then came the hut in the valley. The "heat and burden of the day" had -not passed. Full twenty years of struggle, self-sacrifice, and devotion -as a wife, uncommon in its examples, filled up the pages of "Sister -Young's history," as a latter-day saint, before the days of social -prominence came. - -The hut in the valley, where she lived in 1849, is a good pioneer -picture. It stood on the spot where now stands her residence--the -"White House;" and some ten rods north-west of that location stood a -row of log-cabins where dwelt President Young's other wives, with their -children. - -Since then the days of grandeur, befitting her station, have come; -but "Mother Young"--a name honored in her bearing--has lived most in -the public mind as the faithful wife, the exemplary mother, and a -latter-day saint in whose heart benevolence and native goodness have -abounded. She is now seventy-four years of age--closing a marked and -worthy life; and her latest expressed desire is that a strong testimony -should be borne of her faith in Mormonism, and the righteousness of her -husband in carrying out the revelation, given through Joseph Smith, on -polygamy, as the word and will of the Lord to his people. - - - -CHAPTER XLI. - -THE REVELATION ON POLYGAMY--BISHOP WHITNEY PRESERVES A COPY OF THE -ORIGINAL DOCUMENT--BELINDA M. PRATT'S FAMOUS LETTER. - -It was nearly twenty-three years after the establishment of the Church -of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that the revelation on celestial -marriage was published to the world. On the 6th of April, 1830, the -Church was founded on the 14th of September, 1852, the _Deseret News_ -published an extra, containing the said revelation, the origin thus -dated: "Given to Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, July 12, 1843;" and in the -_Millennial Star_, January 1st, 1853, it was published to the saints of -the British mission. - -No need here for a review of that document on plural marriage, nor -a sociological discussion of this now world-noised institution of -the Mormons; but as some persons have ascribed that institution to -President Young, and denied that Joseph Smith was its revelator, the -word of sisters who have been with the Church from the beginning shall -be offered as a finality upon the question of its origin. - -Eliza R. Snow has already testified on the subject of her marriage to -the prophet Joseph, not by proxy, but personally, during his lifetime; -and all the Church know her as Joseph's wife. The daughters of Bishop -Partridge, and others, were also sealed to him in person, in the order -of celestial marriage. - -A very proper one to speak here is Mother Whitney, for it was her -husband, Bishop Whitney, who preserved the revelation on polygamy. -Speaking of the time when her husband kept store for Joseph (1842-3), -she says: "It was during this time that Joseph received the revelation -concerning celestial marriage; also concerning the ordinances of the -house of the Lord. He had been strictly charged, by the angel who -committed these precious things into his keeping, that he should only -reveal them to such ones as were pure, and full of integrity to the -truth, and worthy and capable of being entrusted with divine messages; -that to spread them abroad would only be like casting pearls before -swine; and that the most profound secresy was to be maintained, until -the Lord saw fit to make it known publicly through his servants. Joseph -had the most implicit confidence in my husband's uprightness and -integrity of character, and so he confided to him the principles set -forth in that revelation, and also gave him the privilege of reading -and making a copy of it, believing it would be perfectly safe with -him. It is this same copy that was preserved in the providence of God; -for Emma (Joseph's wife), afterwards becoming indignant, burned the -original, thinking she had destroyed the only written document upon -the subject in existence. My husband revealed these things to me. We -had always been united, and had the utmost faith and confidence in -each other. We pondered upon the matter continually, and our prayers -were unceasing that the Lord would grant us some special manifestation -concerning this new and strange doctrine. The Lord was very merciful to -us, revealing unto us his power and glory. We were seemingly wrapt in a -heavenly vision; a halo of light encircled us, and we were convinced in -our own bosoms that God heard and approved our prayers and intercedings -before him. Our hearts were comforted, and our faith made so perfect -that we were willing to give our eldest daughter, then seventeen years -of age, to Joseph, in the order of plural marriage. Laying aside all -our traditions and former notions in regard to marriage, we gave her -with our mutual consent. She was the first woman given in plural -marriage with the consent of both parents. Of course these things had -to be kept an inviolate secret; and as some were false to their vows -and pledges of secresy, persecution arose, and caused grievous sorrow -to those who had obeyed, in all purity and sincerity, the requirements -of this celestial order of marriage. The Lord commanded his servants; -they themselves did not comprehend what the ultimate course of action -would be, but were waiting further developments from heaven. Meantime, -the ordinances of the house of the Lord were given, to bless and -strengthen us in our future endeavors to promulgate the principles -of divine light and intelligence; but coming in contact with all -preconceived notions and principles heretofore taught as the articles -of religious faith, it was not strange that many could not receive it. -Others doubted; and only a few remained firm and immovable." - -On the publication of the revelation on polygamy, the theological -writers of the Church issued pamphlets, promulgating and defending the -"peculiar institution," as the Gentiles styled it. Orson Spencer issued -_Patriarchal Marriage_; Parley P. Pratt issued _Marriage and Morals in -Utah_; and Orson Pratt was sent to Washington to proclaim, at the seat -of government, the great social innovation. This was the origin of the -_Seer_, a periodical there issued by him. Among the various writings of -the times, upon the subject, was a tract entitled _Defence of Polygamy -by a Lady of Utah, in a Letter to her Sister in New Hampshire_. The -following are extracts from it, in which is strikingly made manifest -the fact that the sisterhood accepted polygamy upon the examples of the -Hebrew Bible, rather than upon any portion of the Book of Mormon: - - "SALT LAKE CITY, January 12, 1854. - - "DEAR SISTER: - - "Your letter of October 2d was received yesterday. * * * It seems, - my dear sister, that we are no nearer together in our religious - views than formerly. Why is this? Are we not all bound to leave - this world, with all we possess therein, and reap the reward of our - doings here in a never-ending hereafter? If so, do we not desire - to be undeceived, and to know and to do the truth? Do we not all - wish in our hearts to be sincere with ourselves, and to be honest - and frank with each other? If so, you will bear with me patiently, - while I give a few of my reasons for embracing, and holding sacred, - that particular point in the doctrine of the Church of the Saints, - to which you, my dear sister, together with a large majority of - Christendom, so decidedly object--I mean a 'plurality of wives.' - - "I have a Bible which I have been taught from my infancy to hold - sacred. In this Bible I read of a holy man named Abraham, who is - represented as the friend of God, a faithful man in all things, - a man who kept the commandments of God, and who is called in the - New Testament the 'father of the faithful.' I find this man had a - plurality of wives, some of whom were called concubines. I also - find his grandson, Jacob, possessed of four wives, twelve sons - and a daughter. These wives are spoken very highly of by the - sacred writers, as honorable and virtuous women. 'These,' say the - Scriptures, 'did build the house of Israel.' Jacob himself was also - a man of God, and the Lord blessed him and his house, and commanded - him to be fruitful and multiply. I find also that the twelve sons - of Jacob, by these four wives, became princes, heads of tribes, - patriarchs, whose names are had in everlasting remembrance to all - generations. - - "Now God talked with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, frequently; and - his angels also visited and talked with them, and blessed them - and their wives and children. He also reproved the sins of some - of the sons of Jacob, for hating and selling their brother, and - for adultery. But in all his communications with them, he never - condemned their family organization; but on the contrary, always - approved of it, and blessed them in this respect. He even told - Abraham that he would make him the father of many nations, and - that in him and his seed all the nations and kindreds of the earth - should be blessed. In later years I find the plurality of wives - perpetuated, sanctioned, and provided for in the law of Moses. - - "David, the psalmist, not only had a plurality of wives, but the - Lord spoke by he mouth of Nathan the prophet and told David that he - (the Lord) had given his master's wives into his bosom; but because - he had committed adultery with the wife of Uriah, and caused his - murder, he would take his wives and give them to a neighbor of his, - etc. - - "Here, then, we have the word of the Lord, not only sanctioning - polygamy, but actually giving to King David the wives of his - master (Saul), and afterward taking the wives of David from him, - and giving them to another man. Here we have a sample of severe - reproof and punishment for adultery and murder, while polygamy is - authorized and approved by the word of God. - - "But to come to the New Testament. I find Jesus Christ speaks very - highly of Abraham and his family. He says: 'Many shall come from - the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the - south, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the - kingdom of God.' Again he said: 'If ye were Abraham's seed, ye - would do the works of Abraham.' - - "Paul the apostle wrote to the saints of his day, and informed them - as follows: 'As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have - put on Christ; and if ye are Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, - and heirs according to the promise.' He also sets forth Abraham and - Sarah as patterns of faith and good works, and as the father and - mother of faithful Christians, who should, by faith and good works, - aspire to be counted the sons of Abraham and daughters of Sarah. - - "Now let us look at some of the works of Sarah, for which she is so - highly commended by the apostles, and by them held up as a pattern - for Christian ladies to imitate. - - "'Now Sarah, Abram's wife, bare him no children; and she had an - handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarah said unto - Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I - pray thee go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children - by her. And Abram harkened unto the voice of Sarah. And Sarah, - Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram - had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her - husband, Abram, to be his wife.' (Gen. xvi.; 1, 2, 3). - - "According to Jesus Christ and the apostles, then, the only way to - be saved, is to be adopted into the great family of polygamists, by - the gospel, and then strictly follow their examples. Again, John - the Revelator describes the holy city of the Heavenly Jerusalem, - with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob inscribed on the gates. - - "To sum up the whole, then, I find that polygamists were the - friends of God; that the family and lineage of a polygamist - was selected, in which all nations should be blessed; that a - polygamist is named in the New Testament as the father of the - faithful Christians of after ages, and cited as a pattern for all - generations. That the wife of a polygamist, who encouraged her - husband in the practice of the same, and even urged him into it, - and officiated in giving him another wife, is named as an honorable - and virtuous woman, a pattern for Christian ladies, and the very - mother of all holy women in the Christian Church, whose aspiration - it should be to be called her daughters. - - "That Jesus has declared that the great fathers of the polygamic - family stand at the head in the kingdom of God; in short, that all - the saved of after generations should be saved by becoming members - of a polygamic family; that all those who do not become members - of it, are strangers and aliens to the covenant of promise, the - commonwealth of Israel, and not heirs according to the promise made - to Abraham. - - "That all people from the east, west, north and south, who enter - into the kingdom, enter into the society of polygamists, and under - their patriarchal rule and covenant. - - "Indeed no one can approach the gates of heaven without beholding - the names of twelve polygamists (the sons of four different women - by one man), engraven in everlasting glory upon the pearly gates. - - "My dear sister, with the Scriptures before me, I could never find - it in my heart to reject the heavenly vision which has restored - to man the fullness of the gospel, or the latter-day prophets - and apostles, merely because in this restoration is included the - ancient law of matrimony and of family organization and government, - preparatory to the restoration of all Israel. - - * * * * * * - - "Your affectionate sister, - - "BELINDA MARDEN PRATT. - - "Mrs. Lydia Kimball, Nashua, N. H." - - - -CHAPTER XLII. - -REVELATION SUPPORTED BY BIBLICAL EXAMPLES--THE ISRAELITISH GENIUS OF -THE MORMONS SHOWN IN THE PATRIARCHAL NATURE OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS--THE -ANTI-POLYGAMIC CRUSADE. - -Next after the revelation on celestial marriage, through Joseph the -prophet, the Bible of the Hebrews, and not the sacred record of the -ancients of this continent, must be charged with the authority, the -examples, and, consequently, the practice of polygamy in the Latter-day -Church. The examples of Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, and the ancients of -Israel generally, and not the examples of Nephi, Mormon, and their -people, whose civilization is now extinct, have been those accepted by -our modern Israel--examples of such divine potency that the women of -England and America, with all their monogamic training and prejudice, -have dared not reject nor make war against in woman's name. - -Ever and everywhere is the genius of Mormonism so strikingly in -the Abrahamic likeness and image, that one could almost fancy the -patriarchs of ancient Israel inspiring a modern Israel to perpetuate -their name, their faith and their institutions. Who shall say that this -is not the fact? Surely this patriarchal genius of the Mormons is the -most extraordinary test of a modern Israel. Jerusalem, not Rome, has -brought forth the Mormons and their peculiar commonwealth. - -And here it should be emphasized that polygamy had nought to do with -the expulsions of the Mormons from Missouri and Illinois. The primitive -"crime" of the Mormons was their belief in new revelation. Fifty years -ago that was a monstrous crime in the eyes of sectarian Christendom. -The present generation can scarcely comprehend how blasphemous the -doctrine of modern revelation seemed to this very nation of America, -which now boasts of ten to twelve millions of believers in revelation -from some source or other. Thus wonderful has been the change in fifty -years! - -Viewed as a cause of their persecutions in the past, next to this -faith of the Mormons in Jehovah's speaking, was their rapid growth as -a gathered and organized people, who bid fair to hold the balance of -political power in several States. A prominent grievance with Missouri -and Illinois was exactly that urged against the growth of the ancient -Christians--"if we let them alone they will take away our name and -nation!" - -Following down the record until the period of the Utah war, it is still -the fact that polygamy was not the cause of the anti-Mormon crusade. It -was not even the excuse of that period, as given by President Buchanan -and Congress. It was merely an Israelitish trouble in the world. - -Soon after this, however, polygamy did become the excuse, both to -Congress and the dominant political party of the country, to take -action against the Mormons and their Israelitish institutions. In -framing the Chicago platform, the Republican party, just rising to -supremacy, made slavery one of its planks, and polygamy another. Upon -these "twin relics" they rode into the administration of the government -of the country. - -Then came the anti-polygamic law of 1862, especially framed against the -Mormons. But it was found to be inoperative. Lincoln, who had known -many of them in the early days, let the Mormons alone. - -The civil war was over. The South had succumbed. The work of -reconstruction was fairly in progress. The conquerer Grant, and his -administration, resolved to grapple with "polygamic theocracy," as they -styled it--if need be by the action and issues of another Mormon war. - -First came Colfax to Zion, to "spy out the land." To the polygamic -saints he administered the gentle warning of a soft tongue, which, -however, concealed a serpent's sting. Returning east, after his famous -tour across the continent, he opened a theological assault upon Mormon -polygamy in the _New York Independent_, and soon became engaged in a -regular battle with apostle John Taylor. Returning to Zion, on his -second visit, the Vice-President actually preached an anti-polygamic -sermon to the Mormons, one evening, in front of the Townsend House, -in Salt Lake City, in which he quoted what he interpreted as -anti-polygamic passages from the Book of Mormon. - -The scene changes to Washington. Colfax, Cullom, Grant and Dr. Newman -are in travail with the Cullom bill and anti-Mormon crusade. - -The Cullom bill passed the House and went to the Senate. President -Grant had resolved to execute it, by force of arms, should the courts -fail. Vice-President Colfax, while in Utah, had propounded the serious -question, "Will Brigham Young fight?" - -Congress and the nation thought that now the doom of Mormon polygamy -had come. - -Suddenly, like a wall of salvation, fifty thousand women of Mormondom -threw themselves around their patriarchs and their institutions! A -wonderful people, these Mormons! More wonderful these women! - - - -CHAPTER XLIII. - -GRAND MASS MEETING OF THE WOMEN OF UTAH ON POLYGAMY AND THE CULLOM -BILL--THEIR NOBLE REMONSTRANCE--SPEECHES OF APOSTOLIC WOMEN--THEIR -RESOLUTIONS--WOMAN'S RIGHTS OR WOMAN'S REVOLUTION. - -Probably the most remarkable woman's rights demonstration of the age, -was that of the women of Mormondom, in their grand mass-meetings, -held throughout Utah, in all its principal cities and settlements, in -January of 1870. And it was the more singular and complex, because -Utah is the land of polygamy--the only land in all Christendom where -that institution has been established--and that, too, chiefly by an -Anglo-Saxon people--the last race in the world that the sociologist -might have supposed would have received the system of plural marriage! -Hence, they have lifted it to a plane that, perhaps, no other race -could have done--above mere sexual considerations, and, in its -theories, altogether incompatible with the serfdom of woman; for the -tens of thousands of the women of Utah not only held their grand -mass-meetings to confirm and maintain polygamy, but they did it at the -very moment of the passage of their female suffrage bill; so that in -their vast assemblages they were virtually exercising their vote. - -On the 13th of January, 1870, "notwithstanding the inclemency of the -weather, the old tabernacle," says the _Deseret News_, "was densely -packed with ladies of all ages, and, as that building will comfortably -seat five thousand persons, there could not have been fewer than -between five and six thousand present on the occasion." - -It was announced in the programme that there were to be none -present but ladies. Several reporters of the press, however, -obtained admittance, among whom was Colonel Finley Anderson, special -correspondent of the _New York Herald_. - -The meeting was opened with a very impressive prayer from Mrs. -Zina D. Young; and then, on motion of Eliza R. Snow, Mrs. Sarah M. -Kimball was elected president. Mrs. Lydia Alder was chosen secretary, -and Mrs. M. T. Smoot, Mrs. M. N. Hyde, Isabella Horn, Mary Leaver, -Priscilla Staines and Rachel Grant, were appointed a committee to draft -resolutions. This was done with executive dispatch; for many present -had for years been leaders of women's organizations. The president -arose and addressed a few pithy remarks to the vast assemblage. She -said: - -"We are to speak in relation to the government and institutions under -which we live. She would ask, Have we transgressed any law of the -United States? [Loud "no" from the audience.] Then why are we here -to-day? We have been driven from place to place, and wherefore? Simply -for believing and practicing the counsels of God, as contained in the -gospel of heaven. The object of this meeting is to consider the justice -of a bill now before the Congress of the United States. We are not here -to advocate woman's rights, but man's rights. The bill in question -would not only deprive our fathers, husbands and brothers, of enjoying -the privileges bequeathed to citizens of the United States, but it -would deprive us, as women, of the privilege of selecting our husbands; -and against this we unqualifiedly protest." - -During the absence of the committee on resolutions, the following -speech was delivered by Bathsheba W. Smith: - -"_Beloved Sisters and Friends_: It is with no ordinary feelings that I -meet with you on the present occasion. From my early youth I have been -identified with the Latter-day Saints; hence, I have been an eye and -ear witness to many of the wrongs that have been inflicted upon our -people by a spirit of intolerant persecution. - -"I watched by the bedside of the first apostle, David W. Patten, who -fell a martyr in the Church. He was a noble soul. He was shot by a -mob while defending the saints in the State of Missouri. As Brother -Patten's life-blood oozed away, I stood by and heard his dying -testimony to the truth of our holy religion--declaring himself to be -a friend to all mankind. His last words, addressed to his wife, were: -'Whatever you do, oh! do not deny the faith.' This circumstance made a -lasting impression on my youthful mind. - -"I was intimately acquainted with the life and ministry of our beloved -prophet Joseph, and our patriarch Hyrum Smith.. I know that they were -pure men, who labored for the redemption of the human family. For six -years I heard their public and private teachings. It was from their -lips that I heard taught the principle of celestial marriage; and -when I saw their mangled forms cold in death, having been slain for -the testimony of Jesus, by the hands of cruel bigots, in defiance of -law, justice and executive pledges; and although this was a scene of -barbarous cruelty, which can never be erased from the memory of those -who witnessed the heartrending cries of widows and orphans, and mingled -their tears with those of thousands of witnesses of the mournful -occasion--the memories of which I hardly feel willing to awaken--yet I -realized that they had sealed their ministry with their blood, and that -their testimony was in force. - -"On the 9th day of February, 1846--the middle of a cold and bleak -winter--my husband, just rising from a bed of sickness, and I, -in company with thousands of saints, were driven again from our -comfortable home--the accumulation of six years' industry and -prudence--and, with the little children, commenced a long and weary -journey through a wilderness, to seek another home; for a wicked mob -had decreed we must leave. Governor Ford, of Illinois, said the laws -were powerless to protect us. Exposed to the cold of winter and the -storms of spring, we continued our journey, amid want and exposure, -burying by the wayside a dead mother, a son, and many kind friends and -relatives. - -"We reached the Missouri river in July. Here our country thought proper -to make a requisition upon us for a battalion to defend our national -flag in the war pending with Mexico. We responded promptly, many of -our kindred stepping forward and performing a journey characterized by -their commanding officer as 'unparalleled in history.' With most of -our youths and middle-aged men gone, we could not proceed; hence, we -were compelled to make another home, which, though humble, approaching -winter made very desirable. In 1847-8, all who were able, through -selling their surplus property, proceeded; we who remained were told, -by an unfeeling Indian department, we must vacate our houses and -re-cross the Missouri river, as the laws would not permit us to remain -on Indian lands! We obeyed, and again made a new home, though only -a few miles distant. The latter home we abandoned in 1849, for the -purpose of joining our co-religionists in the then far-off region, -denominated on the map 'the Great American Desert,' and by some later -geographies as 'Eastern Upper California.' - -"In this isolated country we made new homes, and, for a time, contended -with the crickets for a scanty subsistence. The rude, ignorant, and -almost nude Indians were a heavy tax upon us, while struggling again -to make comfortable homes and improvements; yet we bore it all without -complaint, for we were buoyed up with the happy reflections that we -were so distant from the States, and had found an asylum in such an -undesirable country, as to strengthen us in the hope that our homes -would not be coveted; and that should we, through the blessing of -God, succeed in planting our own vine and fig tree, no one could feel -heartless enough to withhold from us that religious liberty which we -had sought in vain amongst our former neighbors. - -"Without recapitulating our recent history, the development of a people -whose industry and morality have extorted eulogy from their bitter -traducers, I cannot but express my surprise, mingled with regret and -indignation, at the recent efforts of ignorant, bigoted, and unfeeling -men--headed by the Vice-President--to aid intolerant sectarians and -reckless speculators, who seek for proscription and plunder, and -who feel willing to rob the inhabitants of these valleys of their -hard-earned possessions, and, what is dearer, the constitutional boon -of religious liberty." - -Sister Smith was followed by Mrs. Levi Riter, in a few appropriate -remarks, and then the committee on resolutions reported the following: - - "_Resolved_, That we, the ladies of Salt Lake City, in mass-meeting - assembled, do manifest our indignation, and protest against the - bill before Congress, known as 'the Cullom bill,' also the one - known as 'the Cragin bill,' and all similar bills, expressions and - manifestoes. - - "_Resolved_, That we consider the above-named bills foul blots on - our national escutcheon--absurd documents--atrocious insults to the - honorable executive of the United States Government, and malicious - attempts to subvert the rights of civil and religious liberty. - - "_Resolved_, That we do hold sacred the constitution bequeathed us - by our forefathers, and ignore, with laudable womanly jealousy, - every act of those men to whom the responsibilities of government - have been entrusted, which is calculated to destroy its efficiency. - - "_Resolved_, That we unitedly exercise every moral power and - every right which we inherit as the daughters of American - citizens, to prevent the passage of such bills, knowing that they - would inevitably cast a stigma on our republican government by - jeopardizing the liberty and lives of its most loyal and peaceful - citizens. - - "_Resolved_, That, in our candid opinion, the presentation of the - aforesaid bills indicates a manifest degeneracy of the great men - of our nation; and their adoption would presage a speedy downfall - and ultimate extinction of the glorious pedestal of freedom, - protection, and equal rights, established by our noble ancestors. - - "_Resolved_, That we acknowledge the institutions of the Church of - Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only reliable safeguard of - female virtue and innocence; and the only sure protection against - the fearful sin of prostitution, and its attendant evils, now - prevalent abroad, and as such, we are and shall be united with our - brethren in sustaining them against each and every encroachment. - - "_Resolved_, That we consider the originators of the aforesaid - bills disloyal to the constitution, and unworthy of any position of - trust in any office which involves the interests of our nation. - - "_Resolved_, That, in case the bills in question should pass - both Houses of Congress, and become a law, by which we shall be - disfranchised as a Territory, we, the ladies of Salt Lake City, - shall exert all our power and influence to aid in the support of - our own State government." - -These resolutions were greeted with loud cheers from nearly six -thousand women, and carried unanimously; after which, Sister Warren -Smith, a relict of one of the martyrs of Haun's Mill, arose, and with -deep feeling, said: - -"_Sisters_: As I sat upon my seat, listening, it seemed as though, if -I held my peace, the stones of the streets would cry out. With your -prayers aiding me, I will try and make a few remarks." [See chapter -on Haun's Mill massacre, in which Sister Smith substantially covers -the same ground.] "We are here to-day to say, if such scenes shall be -again enacted in our midst. I say to you, my sisters, you are American -citizens; let us stand by the truth, if we die for it." - -Mrs. Wilmarth East then said: "It is with feelings of pleasure, -mingled with indignation and disgust, that I appear before my sisters, -to express my feelings in regard to the Cullom bill, now before the -Congress of this once happy republican government. The constitution -for which our forefathers fought and bled and died, bequeaths to us -the right of religious liberty--the right to worship God according -to the dictates of our own consciences! Does the Cullom bill give -us this right? Compare it with the constitution, if you please, and -see what a disgrace has come upon this once happy and republican -government! Where, O, where, is that liberty, bequeathed to us by -our forefathers--the richest boon ever given to man or woman, except -eternal life, or the gospel of the Son of God? I am an American citizen -by birth. Having lived under the laws of the land, I claim the right -to worship God according to the dictates of my conscience, and the -commandments that God shall give unto me. Our constitution guarantees -life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to all who live beneath -it. What is life to me, if I see the galling yoke of oppression placed -on the necks of my husband, sons and brothers, as Mr. Cullom would -have it? I am proud to say to you that I am not only a citizen of the -United States of America, but a citizen of the kingdom of God, and the -laws of this kingdom I am willing to sustain and defend both by example -and precept. I am thankful to-day that I have the honored privilege -of being the happy recipient of one of the greatest principles ever -revealed to man for his redemption and exaltation in the kingdom of -God--namely, plurality of wives; and I am thankful to-day that I know -that God is at the helm, and will defend his people." - -A veteran sister, Mrs. McMinn, could not refrain from expressing -herself in unison with her sisters, in indignation at the bill. She was -an American citizen; her father had fought through the revolution with -General Washington; and she claimed the exercise of the liberty for -which he had fought. She was proud of being a latter-day saint. - -In answer to an inquiry, she stated that she was nearly eighty-five -years of age. - -Sister Eliza R. Snow then addressed the meeting, as follows: - -"_My Sisters_: In addressing you at this time, I realize that the -occasion is a peculiar and interesting one. We are living in a land -of freedom, under a constitution that guarantees civil and religious -liberty to all--black and white, Christians, Jews, Mohammedans and -Pagans; and how strange it is that such considerations should exist as -those which have called us together this afternoon. - -"Under the proud banner which now waves from ocean to ocean, strange -as it may seem, we, who have ever been loyal citizens, have been -persecuted from time to time and driven from place to place, until -at last, beyond the bounds of civilization, under the guidance of -President Young, we found an asylum of peace in the midst of these -mountains. - -"There are, at times, small and apparently trivial events in the lives -of individuals, with which every other event naturally associates. -There are circumstances in the history of nations, which serve as -centres around which everything else revolves. - -"The entrance of our brave pioneers, and the settlement of the -latter-day saints in these mountain vales, which then were only barren, -savage wilds, are events with which not only our own future, but the -future of the whole world, is deeply associated. - -"Here they struggled, with more than mortal energy, for their hearts -and hands were nerved by the spirit of the Most High, and through his -blessing they succeeded in drawing sustenance from the arid soil; here -they erected the standard on which the 'star spangled banner' waved its -salutation of welcome to the nations of the earth; and here it will -be bequeathed, unsullied, to future generations. Yes, that 'dear old -flag' which in my girlhood I always contemplated with joyous pride, and -to which the patriotic strains of my earliest muse were chanted, here -floats triumphantly on the mountain breeze. - -"Our numbers, small at first, have increased, until now we number one -hundred and fifty thousand; and yet we are allowed only a territorial -government. Year after year we have petitioned Congress for that which -is our inalienable right to claim--a State government; and, year after -year, our petitions have been treated with contempt. Such treatment as -we have received from our rulers, has no precedent in the annals of -history. - -"And now, instead of granting us our rights as American citizens, -bills are being presented to Congress, which are a disgrace to men -in responsible stations, professing the least claim to honor and -magnanimity; bills which, if carried into effect, would utterly -annihilate us as a people. But this will never be. There is too much -virtue yet existing in the nation, and above all there is a God in -heaven whose protecting care is over us, and who takes cognizance of -the acts of men. - -"My sisters, we have met to-day to manifest our views and feelings -concerning the oppressive policy exercised towards us by our republican -government. Aside from all local and personal feelings, to me it is a -source of deep regret that the standard of American liberty should have -been so far swayed from its original position, as to have given rise -to circumstances which not only render such a meeting opportune, but -absolutely necessary. - -"Heretofore, while detraction and ridicule have been poured forth -in almost every form that malice could invent, while we have been -misrepresented by speech and press, and exhibited in every shade but -our true light, the ladies of Utah have remained comparatively silent. -Had not our aims been of the most noble and exalted character, and had -we not known that we occupied a standpoint far above our traducers, -we might have returned volley for volley; but we have all the time -realized that to contradict such egregious absurdities, would be a -great stoop of condescension--far beneath the dignity of those who -profess to be saints of the living God; and we very unassumingly -applied to ourselves a saying of an ancient apostle, in writing to the -Corinthians, 'Ye suffer fools, gladly, seeing that yourselves are wise.' - -"But there is a point at which silence is no longer a virtue. In my -humble opinion, we have arrived at that point. Shall we--ought we--to -be silent, when every right of citizenship, every vestige of civil and -religious liberty, is at stake? When our husbands and sons, our fathers -and brothers, are threatened with being either restrained in their -obedience to the commands of God, or incarcerated, year after year, -in the dreary confines of a prison, will it be thought presumptuous? -Ladies, this subject as deeply interests us as them. In the kingdom of -God, woman has no interests separate from those of man--all are mutual. - -"Our enemies pretend that, in Utah, woman is held in a state of -vassalage--that she does not act from choice, but by coercion--that we -would even prefer life elsewhere, were it possible for us to make our -escape. What nonsense! We all know that if we wished we could leave at -any time--either to go singly, or to rise _en masse_, and there is no -power here that could, or would wish to, prevent us. - -"I will now ask this assemblage of intelligent ladies, do you know of -any place on the face of the earth, where woman has more liberty, and -where she enjoys such high and glorious privileges as she does here, -as a latter-day saint? No! The very idea of woman here in a state -of slavery is a burlesque on good common sense. The history of this -people, with a very little reflection, would instruct outsiders on this -point. It would show, at once, that the part which woman has acted in -it, could never have been performed against her will. Amid the many -distressing scenes through which we have passed, the privations and -hardships consequent upon our expulsion from State to State, and our -location in an isolated, barren wilderness, the women in this Church -have performed and suffered what could never have been borne and -accomplished by slaves. - -"And now, after all that has transpired, can our opponents expect us -to look on with silent indifference and see every vestige of that -liberty for which many of our patriotic grandsires fought and bled, -that they might bequeath to us, their children, the precious boon of -national freedom, wrested from our grasp? They must be very dull in -estimating the energy of female character, who can persuade themselves -that women who for the sake of their religion left their homes, crossed -the plains with handcarts, or as many had previously done, drove ox, -mule and horse-teams from Nauvoo and from other points, when their -husbands and sons went, at their country's call, to fight her battles -in Mexico; yes, that very country which had refused us protection, and -from which we were then struggling to make our escape--I say those who -think that such women and the daughters of such women do not possess -too much energy of character to remain passive and mute under existing -circumstances, are 'reckoning without their host.' To suppose that we -should not be aroused when our brethren are threatened with fines and -imprisonment, for their faith in, and obedience to, the laws of God, is -an insult to our womanly natures. - -"Were we the stupid, degraded, heartbroken beings that we have been -represented, silence might better become us; but as women of God, women -filling high and responsible positions, performing sacred duties--women -who stand not as dictators, but as counselors to their husbands, and -who, in the purest, noblest sense of refined womanhood, are truly their -helpmates--we not only speak because we have the right, but justice and -humanity demand that we should. - -"My sisters, let us, inasmuch as we are free to do all that love and -duty prompt, be brave and unfaltering in sustaining our brethren. -Woman's faith can accomplish wonders. Let us, like the devout and -steadfast Miriam, assist our brothers in upholding the hands of Moses. -Like the loving Josephine, whose firm and gentle influence both -animated and soothed the heart of Napoleon, we will encourage and -assist the servants of God in establishing righteousness; but unlike -Josephine, never will political inducements, threats or persecutions, -prevail on us to relinquish our matrimonial ties. They were performed -by the authority of the holy priesthood, the efficiency of which -extends into eternity. - -"But to the law and to the testimony. Those obnoxious, fratricidal -bills--I feel indignant at the thought that such documents should -disgrace our national legislature. The same spirit prompted Herod to -seek the life of Jesus--the same that drove our Pilgrim fathers to this -continent, and the same that urged the English government to the system -of unrepresented taxation, which resulted in the independence of the -American colonies, is conspicuous in those bills. If such measures are -persisted in they will produce similar results. They not only threaten -extirpation to us, but they augur destruction to the government. The -authors of those bills would tear the constitution to shreds; they are -sapping the foundation of American freedom--they would obliterate every -vestige of the dearest right of man--liberty of conscience--and reduce -our once happy country to a state of anarchy. - -"Our trust is in God. He who led Israel from the land of Egypt--who -preserved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace--who -rescued Daniel from the jaws of hungry lions, and who directed Brigham -Young to these mountain vales, lives, and overrules the destinies of -men and nations. He will make the wrath of man praise him; and his -kingdom will move steadily forward, until wickedness shall be swept -from the earth, and truth, love and righteousness reign triumphantly." - -Next came a concise, powerful speech from Harriet Cook Young. She said: - -"In rising to address this meeting, delicacy prompts me to explain the -chief motives which have dictated our present action. We, the ladies -of Salt Lake City, have assembled here to-day, not for the purpose -of assuming any particular political power, nor to claim any special -prerogative which may or may not belong to our sex; but to express -our indignation at the unhallowed efforts of men, who, regardless of -every principle of manhood, justice, and constitutional liberty, would -force upon a religious community, by a direct issue, either the course -of apostacy, or the bitter alternative of fire and sword. Surely the -instinct of self-preservation, the love of liberty and happiness, and -the right to worship God, are dear to our sex as well as to the other; -and when these most sacred of all rights are thus wickedly assailed, it -becomes absolutely our duty to defend them. - -"The mission of the Latter-day Saints is to reform abuses which have -for ages corrupted the world, and to establish an era of peace and -righteousness. The Most High is the founder of this mission, and in -order to its establishment, his providences have so shaped the world's -history, that, on this continent, blest above all other lands, a free -and enlightened government has been instituted, guaranteeing to all -social, political, and religious liberty. The constitution of our -country is therefore hallowed to us, and we view with a jealous eye -every infringement upon its great principles, and demand, in the sacred -name of liberty, that the miscreant who would trample it under his feet -by depriving a hundred thousand American citizens of every vestige of -liberty, should be anathematized throughout the length and breadth of -the land, as a traitor to God and his country. - -"It is not strange that, among the bigoted and corrupt, such a man and -such a measure should have originated; but it will be strange indeed if -such a measure find favor with the honorable and high-minded men who -wield the destinies of the nation. Let this seal of ruin be attached -to the archives of our country, and terrible must be the results. Woe -will wait upon her steps, and war and desolation will stalk through -the land; peace and liberty will seek another clime, while anarchy, -lawlessness and bloody strife hold high carnival amid the general -wreck. God forbid that wicked men be permitted to force such an issue -upon the nation! - -"It is true that a corrupt press, and an equally corrupt priestcraft, -are leagued against us--that they have pandered to the ignorance -of the masses, and vilified our institutions, to that degree that -it has become popular to believe that the latter-day saints are -unworthy to live; but it is also true that there are many, very many, -right-thinking men who are not without influence in the nation; and to -such do we now most solemnly and earnestly appeal. Let the united force -of this assembly give the lie to the popular clamor that the women -of Utah are oppressed and held in bondage. Let the world know that -the women of Utah prefer virtue to vice, and the home of an honorable -wife to the gilded pageantry of fashionable temples of sin. Transitory -allurements, glaring the senses, as is the flame to the moth, -short-lived and cruel in their results, possess no charms for us. Every -woman in Utah may have her husband--the husband of her choice. Here we -are taught not to destroy our children, but to preserve them, for they, -reared in the path of virtue and trained to righteousness, constitute -our true glory. - -"It is with no wish to accuse our sisters who are not of our faith that -we so speak; but we are dealing with facts as they exist. Wherever -monogamy reigns, adultery, prostitution and foeticide, directly or -indirectly, are its concomitants. It is not enough to say that the -virtuous and high-minded frown upon these evils. We believe they do. -But frowning upon them does not cure them; it does not even check -their rapid growth; either the remedy is too weak, or the disease is -too strong. The women of Utah comprehend this; and they see, in the -principle of plurality of wives, the only safeguard against adultery, -prostitution, and the reckless waste of pre-natal life, practiced -throughout the land. - -"It is as co-workers in the great mission of universal reform, not -only in our own behalf, but also, by precept and example, to aid in -the emancipation of our sex generally, that we accept in our heart of -hearts what we know to be a divine commandment: and here, and now, -boldly and publicly, we do assert our right, not only to believe in -this holy commandment, but to practice what we believe. - -"While these are our views, every attempt to force that obnoxious -measure upon us must of necessity be an attempt to coerce us in our -religious and moral convictions, against which did we not most solemnly -protest, we would be unworthy the name of American women." - -Mrs. Hannah T. King followed with a stinging address to General Cullom -himself. She said: - -"_My Dear Sisters_: I wish I had the language I feel to need, at -the present moment, to truly represent the indignant feelings of my -heart and brain on reading, as I did last evening, a string of thirty -'sections,' headed by the words, 'A Bill in aid of the Execution of -the Laws in the Territory of Utah, and for other purposes.' The 'other -purposes' contain the pith of the matter, and the adamantine chains -that the author of the said bill seeks to bind this people with, exceed -anything that the feudal times of England, or the serfdom of Russia, -ever laid upon human beings. My sisters, are we really in America--the -world-renowned land of liberty, freedom, and equal rights?--the land -of which I dreamed, in my youth, as being almost an earthly elysium, -where freedom of thought and religious liberty were open to all!--the -land that Columbus wore his noble life out to discover!--the land -that God himself helped him to exhume, and to aid which endeavor -Isabella, a queen, a woman, declared she would pawn her jewels and -crown of Castile, to give him the outfit that he needed!--the land of -Washington, the Father of his Country, and a host of noble spirits, -too numerous to mention!--the land to which the _Mayflower_ bore the -pilgrim fathers, who rose up and left their homes, and bade their -native home 'good night,' simply that they might worship God by a purer -and holier faith, in a land of freedom and liberty, of which the name -America has long been synonymous! Yes, my sisters, this is America but -oh! how are the mighty fallen! - -"Who, or what, is the creature who framed this incomparable document? -Is he an Esquimaux or a chimpanzee? What isolated land or spot produced -him? What ideas he must have of women! Had he ever a mother, a wife, -or a sister? In what academy was he tutored, or to what school does he -belong, that he so coolly and systematically commands the women of this -people to turn traitors to their husbands, their brothers, and their -sons? Short-sighted man of 'sections' and 'the bill!' Let us, the women -of this people--the sisterhood of Utah--rise _en masse_, and tell this -non-descript to defer 'the bill' until he has studied the character of -woman, such as God intended she should be; then he will discover that -devotion, veneration and faithfulness are her peculiar attributes; that -God is her refuge, and his servants her oracles; and that, especially, -the women of Utah have paid too high a price for their present -position, their present light and knowledge, and their noble future, -to succumb to so mean and foul a thing as Baskin, Cullom & Co.'s bill. -Let him learn that they are one in heart, hand and brain, with the -brotherhood of Utah--that God is their father and their friend--that -into his hands they commit their cause--and on their pure and simple -banner they have emblazoned their motto, 'God, and my right!'" - -The next who spoke was Phoebe Woodruff, who said: - -"_Ladies of Utah_: As I have been called upon to express my views -upon the important subject which has called us together, I will say -that I am happy to be one of your number in this association. I am -proud that I am a citizen of Utah, and a member of the Church of Jesus -Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been a member of this church for -thirty-six years, and had the privilege of living in the days of -the prophet Joseph, and heard his teaching for many years. He ever -counseled us to honor, obey and maintain the principles of our noble -constitution, for which our fathers fought, and which many of them -sacrificed their lives to establish. President Brigham Young has always -taught the same principle. This glorious legacy of our fathers, the -constitution of the United States, guarantees unto all the citizens of -this great republic the right to worship God according to the dictates -of their own consciences, as it expressly says, 'Congress shall make -no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the -free exercise thereof.' Cullom's bill is in direct violation of this -declaration of the constitution, and I think it is our duty to do all -in our power, by our voices and influence, to thwart the passage of -this bill, which commits a violent outrage upon our rights, and the -rights of our fathers, husbands and sons; and whatever may be the final -result of the action of Congress in passing or enforcing oppressive -laws, for the sake of our religion, upon the noble men who have subdued -these deserts, it is our duty to stand by them and support them by our -faith, prayers and works, through every dark hour, unto the end, and -trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to defend us and all who -are called to suffer for keeping the commandments of God. Shall we, -as wives and mothers, sit still and see our husbands and sons, whom -we know are obeying the highest behest of heaven, suffer for their -religion, without exerting ourselves to the extent of our power for -their deliverance? No; verily no! God has revealed unto us the law of -the patriarchal order of marriage, and commanded us to obey it. We -are sealed to our husbands for time and eternity, that we may dwell -with them and our children in the world to come; which guarantees -unto us the greatest blessing for which we are created. If the rulers -of the nation will so far depart from the spirit and letter of our -glorious constitution as to deprive our prophets, apostles and elders -of citizenship, and imprison them for obeying this law, let them grant -this, our last request, to make their prisons large enough to hold -their wives, for where they go we will go also." - -Sisters M. I. Horne and Eleanor M. Pratt followed with appropriate -words, and then Sister Eliza R. Snow made the following remarks: - -"My remarks in conclusion will be brief. I heard the prophet Joseph -Smith say, if the people rose and mobbed us and the authorities -countenanced it, they would have mobs to their hearts' content. I -heard him say that the time would come when this nation would so far -depart from its original purity, its glory, and its love of freedom and -protection of civil and religious rights, that the constitution of our -country would hang as it were by a thread. He said, also, that this -people, the sons of Zion, would rise up and save the constitution, and -bear it off triumphantly. - -"The spirit of freedom and liberty we should always cultivate, and -it is what mothers should inspire in the breasts of their sons, that -they may grow up brave and noble, and defenders of that glorious -constitution which has been bequeathed unto us. Let mothers cultivate -that spirit in their own bosoms. Let them manifest their own bravery, -and cherish a spirit of encountering difficulties, because they have -to be met, more or less, in every situation of life. If fortitude and -nobility of soul be cultivated in your own bosoms, you will transmit -them to your children; your sons will grow up noble defenders of -truth and righteousness, and heralds of salvation to the nations -of the earth. They will be prepared to fill high and responsible -religious, judicial, civil and executive positions. I consider it most -important, my sisters, that we should struggle to preserve the sacred -constitution of our country--one of the blessings of the Almighty, for -the same spirit that inspired Joseph Smith, inspired the framers of -the constitution; and we should ever hold it sacred, and bear it off -triumphantly." - -Mrs. Zina D. Young then moved that the meeting adjourn _sine die_, -which was carried, and Mrs. Phoebe Woodruff pronounced the benediction. - - - -CHAPTER XLIV. - -WIVES OF THE APOSTLES--MRS. ORSON HYDE--INCIDENTS OF THE EARLY -DAYS--THE PROPHET--MARY ANN PRATT'S LIFE STORY--WIFE OF GEN. CHARLES -C. RICH--MRS. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS--PHOEBE WOODRUFF--LEONORA -TAYLOR--MARIAN ROSS PRATT--THE WIFE OF DELEGATE CANNON--VILATE KIMBALL -AGAIN. - -The life of Mrs. Orson Hyde is replete with incidents of the early -days, including the shameful occurrence of the tarring and feathering -of the prophet, which took place while he was at her father's house. - -Her maiden name was Marinda M. Johnson, she being the daughter of John -and Elsa Johnson, a family well known among the pioneer converts of -Ohio. She was born in Pomfret, Windsor county, Vermont, June 28, 1815. - -"In February of 1818," she says, "my father, in company with several -families from the same place, emigrated to Hiram, Portage county, Ohio. -In the winter of 1831, Ezra Booth, a Methodist minister, procured a -copy of the Book of Mormon and brought it to my father's house. They -sat up all night reading it, and were very much exercised over it. -As soon as they heard that Joseph Smith had arrived in Kirtland, Mr. -Booth and wife and my father and mother went immediately to see him. -They were convinced and baptized before they returned. They invited -the prophet and Elder Rigdon to accompany them home, which they did, -and preached several times to crowded congregations, baptizing quite a -number. I was baptized in April following. The next fall Joseph came -with his family to live at my father's house. He was at that time -translating the Bible, and Elder Rigdon was acting as scribe. The -following spring, a mob, disguising themselves as black men, gathered -and burst into his sleeping apartment one night, and dragged him from -the bed where he was nursing a sick child. They also went to the house -of Elder Rigdon, and took him out with Joseph into an orchard, where, -after choking and beating them, they tarred and feathered them, and -left them nearly dead. My father, at the first onset, started to the -rescue, but was knocked down, and lay senseless for some time. Here I -feel like bearing my testimony that during the whole year that Joseph -was an inmate of my father's house I never saw aught in his daily life -or conversation to make me doubt his divine mission. - -"In 1833 we moved to Kirtland, and in 1834 I was married to Orson Hyde, -and became fully initiated into the cares and duties of a missionary's -wife, my husband in common with most of the elders giving his time and -energies to the work of the ministry. - -"In the summer of 1837, leaving me with a three-weeks old babe, he, -in company with Heber C. Kimball and others, went on their first -mission to England. Shortly after his return, in the summer of 1838, -we, in company with several other families, went to Missouri, where we -remained till the next spring. We then went to Nauvoo. In the spring of -1840 Mr. Hyde went on his mission to Palestine; going in the apostolic -style, without purse or scrip, preaching his way, and when all other -channels were closed, teaching the English language in Europe, till -he gained sufficient money to take him to the Holy Land, where he -offered up his prayer on the Mount of Olives, and dedicated Jerusalem -to the gathering of the Jews in this dispensation. Having accomplished -a three-years mission, he returned, and shortly after, in accordance -with the revelation on celestial marriage, and with my full consent, -married two more wives. At last we were forced to flee from Nauvoo, -and in the spring of 1846, we made our way to Council Bluffs, where -our husband left us to go again on mission to England. On his return, -in the fall of 1847, he was appointed to take charge of the saints in -the States, and to send off the emigration as fast as it arrived in a -suitable condition on the frontiers; also to edit a paper in the church -interest, the name of which was _Frontier Guardian_. - -"In the summer of 1852 we brought our family safely through to Salt -Lake City, where we have had peace and safety ever since. - -"In 1868 I was chosen to preside over the branch of the Female Relief -Society of the ward in which I reside, the duties of which position I -have prayerfully attempted to perform." - --- - -Mary Ann Pratt deserves mention next. It will be remembered that -the apostle Parley P. Pratt lost his first wife at the birth of his -eldest son. He afterwards married the subject of this sketch, and she -becomes historically important from the fact that she was one of the -first of those self-subduing women who united with their husbands in -establishing the law of celestial marriage, or the "Patriarchal Order." -_She gave to her husband other wives_. Taking up the story of her life -with her career as a Latter-day Saint, she says: - -"I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -in the spring of 1835, being convinced of the truthfulness of its -doctrines by the first sermon I heard; and I said in my heart, if -there are only three who hold firm to the faith, I will be one of that -number; and through all the persecution I have had to endure I have -ever felt the same; my heart has never swerved from that resolve. - -"I was married to Parley P. Pratt in the spring of 1837, and moving -to Missouri, endured with him the persecution of the saints, so -often recorded in history. When my husband was taken by a mob, in -the city of Far West, Mo., and carried to prison, I was confined to -my bed with raging fever, and not able to help myself at all, with a -babe three months old and my little girl of five years; but I cried -mightily to the Lord for strength to endure, and he in mercy heard -my prayer and carried me safely through. In a few days word came to -me that my husband was in prison and in chains. As soon as my health -was sufficiently restored I took my children and went to him. I found -him released from his chains, and was permitted to remain with him. -I shared his dungeon, which was a damp, dark, filthy place, without -ventilation, merely having a small grating on one side. In this we were -obliged to sleep. - -"About the middle of March I bid adieu to my beloved companion, and -returned to Far West to make preparations for leaving the State. -Through the kind assistance of Brother David W. Rogers (now an aged -resident of Provo), I removed to Quincy, Ill., where I remained until -the arrival of Mr. Pratt, after his fortunate escape from prison, where -he had been confined eight months without any just cause. - -"Passing briefly over the intervening years, in which I accompanied my -husband on various missions, first to New York, and thence to England, -where I remained two years; and, returning to Nauvoo, our sojourn in -that beautiful city a few years, and our final expulsion, and the final -weary gathering to Utah; I hasten to bear my testimony to the world -that this is the church and people of God, and I pray that I may be -found worthy of a place in his celestial kingdom." - -The tragedy of the close of the mortal career of Parley P. Pratt is -still fresh in the public mind. It is one of the terrible chapters of -Mormon history which the pen of his wife has not dared to touch. - --- - -Another of these "first wives" is presented in the person of Sister -Rich. - -Sarah D. P. Rich, wife of Gen. Chas. C. Rich, and daughter of John and -Elizabeth Pea, was born September 23d, 1814, in St. Clair county, Ill. -In December, 1835, she became a member of the Church of Latter-day -Saints, and had the pleasure shortly after of seeing her father's -family, with a single exception, converted to the same faith. In 1837 -they removed to Far West, Mo., where the saints were at that time -gathering. At this place she for the first time met Mr. Rich, to whom -she was married on the 11th of February, 1838. During the autumn of -1838, the mob having driven many of the saints from their homes in -the vicinity, she received into her house and sheltered no less than -seven families of the homeless outcasts. Among the number was the -family of Apostle Page, and it was during her sojourn with Mrs. Rich -that Apostle Page's wife died. Mrs. R. stood in her door and saw the -infamous mob-leader and Methodist preacher, Bogard, shoot at her -husband as he was returning from the mob camp under a flag of truce. -That night Mr. Rich was compelled to flee for his life, and she did -not see him again until she joined him three months later, on the -bank of the Mississippi, opposite Quincy. They made the crossing in -a canoe, the river being so full of ice that the regular ferry-boat -could not be used. From this place they removed to Nauvoo, where she -remained daring all the succeeding persecutions and trials of the -church, until February, 1846, when they were forced to leave, which -they did, with her three small children, crossing the Mississippi on -the ice. Journeying westward to Mount Pisgah, Iowa, they remained -during the following season, and planted and harvested a crop of corn. -In the spring of 1847 they removed to winter quarters, and six weeks -afterwards started out on the weary journey across the plains. She -arrived in Salt Lake Valley on the 2d of October, 1847, with the second -company of emigrants, of which her husband was the leader. - -Since that time she has resided continually in Salt Lake City, with -the exception of a short sojourn in Bear Lake Valley, and has endured -without complaint all of the trials, privations and hardships incident -to the settlement of Utah. She is the mother of nine children, and is -well known as the friend of the poor, the nurse of the sick, and the -counselor of the friendless and oppressed among the people; and it -is needless to add that she has passed her life in the advocacy and -practice of the principles of that gospel which she embraced in the -days of her youth. - --- - -Mrs. Jane S. Richards, wife of the distinguished apostle, Franklin D. -Richards, and daughter of Isaac and Louisa Snyder, was born January -31st, 1823, in Pamelia, Jefferson county, N. Y. The prophet and -pilot of her father's house into the church was Elder John E. Page, -who brought to them the gospel in 1837, while they were living near -Kingston, Canada. The family started thence for Far West, Mo., in -1839, but were compelled by sickness to stop at La Porte, Indiana. -Here, through the faithful ministrations of her brother Robert, she -was restored from the effects of a paralytic stroke, and immediately -embraced the faith. In the autumn following (1840) she first saw young -Elder Richards, then on his first mission. In 1842, after her father's -family had moved to Nauvoo, she was married to Mr. Richards. In the -journey of the saints into the wilderness, after their expulsion -from Nauvoo, she drank to the bitter dregs the cup of hardship -and affliction, her husband being absent on mission and she being -repeatedly prostrated with sickness. At winter quarters President Young -said to her, "It may truly be said, if any have come up through great -tribulation from Nauvoo, you have." There her little daughter died, -and was the first to be interred in that memorable burying ground of -the saints. Here also her husband's wife, Elizabeth, died, despite the -faithful efforts of friends, and had it not been for their unwearied -attentions, Jane also would have sunk under her load of affliction and -sorrow. - -In 1848, Mr. Richards having returned from mission, they gathered -to the valley. In 1849 she gave her only sister to her husband in -marriage. From that time forth until their removal to Ogden, in 1869, -hers was the fortune of a missionary's wife, her husband being almost -constantly on mission. In 1872 she accepted the presidency of the -Ogden Relief Society, which she has since very acceptably filled. -Among the noteworthy items of interest connected with her presidency -of this society, was the organization of the young ladies of Ogden -into a branch society for the purpose of retrenchment and economy in -dress, moral, mental and spiritual improvement, etc., which has been -most successfully continued, and is now collaterally supported by many -branch societies in the county. But her labors have not been confined -to Ogden alone. She has been appointed to preside over the societies -of Weber county; and, as a sample of her efforts, we may instance that -she has established the manufacture of home-made straw bonnets and -hats, which industry has furnished employment to many. Her heart and -home have ever been open to the wants of the needy; and the sick and -afflicted have been the objects of her continual care. - --- - -The closing words of the wife of Apostle Woodruff, at the grand -mass-meeting of the women of Utah, have in them a ring strongly -suggestive of what must have been the style of speech of those women -of America who urged their husbands and sons to resist the tyranny -of George III; throw off the yoke of colonial servitude, and prove -themselves worthy of national independence. - -Phoebe W. Carter was born in Scarboro, in the State of Maine, March -8th, 1807. Her father was of English descent, connecting with America -at about the close of the seventeenth century. Her mother, Sarah -Fabyan, was of the same place, and three generations from England. The -name of Fabyan was one of the noblest names of Rome, ere England was a -nation, and that lofty tone and strength of character so marked in the -wife of Apostle Woodruff was doubtless derived from the Fabyans, Phoebe -being of her mother's stamp. - -In the year 1834 she embraced the gospel, and, about a year after, left -her parents and kindred and journeyed to Kirtland, a distance of one -thousand miles--a lone maid, sustained only by a lofty faith and trust -in Israel's God. In her characteristic Puritan language she says: - -"My friends marveled at my course, as did I, but something within -impelled me on. My mother's grief at my leaving home was almost more -than I could bear; and had it not been for the spirit within I should -have faltered at the last. My mother told me she would rather see me -buried than going thus alone out into the heartless world. 'Phoebe,' -she said, impressively, 'will you come back to me if you find Mormonism -false?' I answered, 'yes, mother; I will, thrice.' These were my -words, and she knew I would keep my promise. My answer relieved her -trouble; but it cost us all much sorrow to part. When the time came for -my departure I dared not trust myself to say farewell; so I wrote my -good-byes to each, and leaving them on my table, ran down stairs and -jumped into the carriage. Thus I left the beloved home of my childhood -to link my life with the saints of God. - -"When I arrived in Kirtland I became acquainted with the prophet, -Joseph Smith, and received more evidence of his divine mission. There -in Kirtland I formed the acquaintance of Elder Wilford Woodruff, to -whom I was married in 1836. With him I went to the 'islands of the -sea,' and to England, on missions. - -"When the principle of polygamy was first taught I thought it the most -wicked thing I ever heard of; consequently I opposed it to the best of -my ability, until I became sick and wretched. As soon, however, as I -became convinced that it originated as a revelation from God through -Joseph, and knowing him to be a prophet, I wrestled with my Heavenly -Father in fervent prayer, to be guided aright at that all-important -moment of my life. The answer came. Peace was given to my mind. I knew -it was the will of God; and from that time to the present I have sought -to faithfully honor the patriarchal law. - -"Of Joseph, my testimony is that he was one of the greatest prophets -the Lord ever called; that he lived for the redemption of mankind, and -died a martyr for the truth. The love of the saints for him will never -die. - -"It was after the martyrdom of Joseph that I accompanied my husband to -England, in 1845. On our return the advance companies of the saints had -just left Nauvoo under President Young and others of the twelve. We -followed immediately and journeyed to winter quarters. - -"The next year Wilford went with the pioneers to the mountains, while -the care of the family devolved on me. After his return, and the -reorganization of the first presidency, I accompanied my husband on his -mission to the Eastern States. In 1850 we arrived in the valley, and -since that time Salt Lake City has been my home. - -"Of my husband I can truly say, I have found him a worthy man, with -scarcely his equal on earth. He has built up a branch wherever he has -labored. He has been faithful to God and his family every day of his -life. My respect for him has increased with our years, and my desire -for an eternal union with him will be the last wish of my mortal life." - -Sister Phoebe is one of the noblest of her sex--a mother in Israel. -And in her strength of character, consistency, devotion, and apostolic -cast, she is second to none. - --- - -A most worthy peer of sister Woodruff was Leonora, the wife of Apostle -John Taylor. She was the daughter of Capt. Cannon, of the Isle of Man, -England, and sister of the father of George Q. Cannon. She left England -for Canada, as a companion to the wife of the secretary of the colony, -but with the intention of returning. While in Canada, however, she met -Elder Taylor, then a Methodist minister, whose wife she afterwards -became. They were married in 1833. She was a God-fearing woman, and, -as we have seen, was the first to receive Parley P. Pratt into her -house when on his mission to Canada. In the spring of 1838 she gathered -with her husband and two children to Kirtland. Thence they journeyed -to Far West. She was in the expulsion from Missouri; bore the burden -of her family in Nauvoo, as a missionary's wife, while her husband was -in England; felt the stroke of the martyrdom, in which her husband -was terribly wounded; was in the exodus; was then left at winter -quarters while her husband went on his second mission to England; but -he returned in time for them to start with the first companies that -followed the pioneers. Sister Leonora was therefore among the earliest -women of Utah. - -When the prospect came, at the period of the Utah war, that the saints -would have to leave American soil, and her husband delivered those -grand patriotic discourses to his people that will ever live in Mormon -history, Sister Taylor nobly supported his determination with the rest -of the saints to put the torch to their homes, rather than submit to -invasion and the renunciation of their liberties. She died in the month -of December, 1867. Hers was a faithful example, and she has left an -honored memory among her people. - --- - -Marian Ross, wife of Apostle Orson Pratt, is a native of Scotland, -and was reared among the Highlands. When about seventeen years of age -she visited her relatives in Edinburgh, where Mormonism was first -brought to her attention. She was shortly afterwards baptized near the -harbor of Leith, on the 27th of August, 1847. A singular feature of -Mrs. Pratt's experience was that in a dream she was distinctly shown -her future husband, then on his mission to Scotland. When she saw -him she at once recognized him. She made her home at Apostle Pratt's -house in Liverpool, for a short time, and then emigrated to America, -in 1851. After being in Salt Lake City a few months she was married -to Mr. Pratt. She testifies, "I have been in polygamy twenty-five -years, and have never seen the hour when I have regretted that I was -in it. I would not change my position for anything earthly, no matter -how grand and gorgeous it might be; even were it for the throne of a -queen. For a surety do I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he is a -prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God." - --- - -Another of these apostolic women, who with their husbands founded Utah, -is the wife of Albert Carrington. She was also in the valley in 1847. -Her grand example and words to Captain Van Vliet, when the saints were -resolving on another exodus, have been already recorded. A volume -written could not make her name more imperishable. - --- - -Nor must Artimisa, the first wife of Erastus Snow, who is so -conspicuous among the founders of St. George, be forgotten. She is one -of the honorable women of Utah, and the part she has sustained, with -her husband, in building up the southern country, has been that of -self-sacrifice, endurance, and noble example. - --- - -Mention should also be made of Elizabeth, daughter of the late Bishop -Hoagland, and first wife of George Q. Cannon. She has borne the burden -of the day as a missionary's wife, and has also accompanied her husband -on mission to England; but her most noteworthy example was in her truly -noble conduct in standing by her husband in those infamous persecutions -of the politicians, over the question of polygamy, in their efforts to -prevent him taking his seat in Congress. - --- - -Here let us also speak of the death of Sister Vilate Kimball, whose -history has been given somewhat at length in previous chapters. After -sharing with her husband and the saints the perils and hardships of -the exodus, and the journey across the plains, and after many years of -usefulness to her family and friends, she died Oct. 22d, 1867. She was -mourned by none more sincerely than by her husband, who, according to -his words, spoken over her remains, was "not long after her." - - - -CHAPTER XLV. - -MORMON WOMEN OF MARTHA WASHINGTON'S TIME--AUNT RHODA RICHARDS--WIFE OF -THE FIRST MORMON BISHOP--HONORABLE WOMEN OF ZION. - -The heroic conduct of the Mormon women, in their eventful history, -is not strange, nor their trained sentiments of religious liberty -exaggerated in the action of their lives; for it must not be forgotten -that many a sister among the Latter-day Saints had lived in the time -of the Revolution, and had shown examples not unworthy of Martha -Washington herself. Of course those women of the Revolution are now -sleeping with the just, for nearly fifty years, have passed since the -rise of the church, but there are still left those who can remember -the father of their country, and the mothers who inspired the war of -independence. We have such an one to present in the person of Aunt -Rhoda Richards, the sister of Willard, the apostle, and first cousin of -Brigham Young. - -Scarcely had the British evacuated New York, and Washington returned -to his home at Mount Vernon, when Rhoda Richards was born. She was the -sister of Phineas, Levi, and Willard Richards--three of illustrious -memory in the Mormon Church--was born August 8th, 1784, at Hopkington, -Mass., and now, at the advanced age of ninety-three, thus speaks of her -life and works. She says: - -"During the early years of my life I was much afflicted with sickness, -but, through the mercies and blessings of my Heavenly Father, at the -advanced age of nearly ninety-three, I live, and am privileged to bear -my individual testimony, that for myself I know that Joseph Smith was -a true prophet of the living God; and that the work which he, as an -humble instrument in the hands of God, commenced in this, the evening -of time, will not be cut short, save as the Lord himself, according to -his promise, shall cut short his work in righteousness. - -"My first knowledge of the Mormons was gained through my cousin, Joseph -Young, though I had previously heard many strange things concerning -them. I lay on a bed of sickness, unable to sit up, when Cousin -Joseph came to visit at my father's house. I remember distinctly how -cautiously my mother broached the subject of the new religion to him. -Said she, 'Joseph, I have heard that some of the children of my sister, -Abigail Young, have joined the Mormons. How is it?' Joseph replied, 'It -is true, Aunt Richards, and I am one of them!' It was Sabbath day, and -in the morning Cousin Joseph attended church with my parents; but in -the afternoon he chose to remain with my brother William, and myself, -at home. He remarked that he could not enjoy the meeting, and in reply -I said, 'I do not see why we might not have a meeting here.' My cousin -was upon his feet in an instant, and stood and preached to us--my -brother and myself--for about half an hour, finishing his discourse -with, 'There, Cousin Rhoda, I don't know but I have tired you out!' -When he sat down I remarked that meetings usually closed with prayer. -In an instant he was on his knees, offering up a prayer. That was the -first Mormon sermon and the first Mormon prayer I ever listened to. -I weighed his words and sentences well. It was enough. My soul was -convinced of the truth. But I waited a year before being baptized. -During that time I read the books of the church, and also saw and heard -other elders, among whom was my cousin, Brigham Young, and my brothers, -Phineas, Levi, and Willard; all of which served to strengthen my faith -and brighten my understanding. - -"A short time after I was baptized and confirmed I was greatly -afflicted with the raging of a cancer, about to break out in my face. -I knew too well the symptoms, having had one removed previously. The -agony of such an operation, only those who have passed through a like -experience can ever imagine. The idea of again passing through a like -physical suffering seemed almost more than humanity could endure. -One Sabbath, after the close of the morning service, I spoke to the -presiding elder, and acquainted him with my situation, requesting that -I might be administered to, according to the pattern that God had -given, that the cancer might be rebuked and my body healed. The elder -called upon the sisters present to unite their faith and prayers in my -behalf, and upon the brethren to come forward and lay their hands upon -me, and bless me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to my -desire. It was done, and I went home completely healed, and rejoicing -in the God of my salvation. Many times have I since been healed by the -same power, when, apparently, death had actually seized me as his prey. -I would not have it understood, however, that I have been a weakly, -sickly, useless individual all my life. Those who have known me can -say quite to the contrary. Some of our ambitious little girls and -working women would doubtless be interested in a simple sketch of some -few things which I have accomplished by manual labor. When myself and -my sisters were only small girls, our excellent mother taught us how -to work, and in such a wise manner did she conduct our home education -that we always loved to work, and were never so happy as when we were -most usefully employed. We knit our own and our brothers' stockings, -made our own clothes, braided and sewed straw hats and bonnets, carded, -spun, wove, kept house, and did everything that girls and women of a -self-sustaining community would need to do. The day that I was thirteen -years old I wove thirteen yards of cloth; and in twenty months, during -which time I celebrated my eightieth birthday, I carded twenty weight -of cotton, spun two hundred and fifteen balls of candlewicking, and -two hundred run of yarn, prepared for the weaver's loom; besides doing -my housework, knitting socks, and making shirts for 'my boys' (some -of the sons of my brothers). I merely make mention of these things as -samples of what my life-work has been. I never was an idler, but have -tried to be useful in my humble way, 'doing what my hands found to do -with my might.' I now begin to feel the weight of years upon me, and -can no longer do as I have done in former years for those around me; -but, through the boundless mercies of God, I am still able to wash and -iron my own clothes, do up my lace caps, and write my own letters. My -memory is good, and as a general thing I feel well in body and mind. I -have witnessed the death of many near and dear friends, both old and -young. In my young days I buried my first and only love, and true to -that affiance, I have passed companionless through life; but am sure of -having my proper place and standing in the resurrection, having been -sealed to the prophet Joseph, according to the celestial law, by his -own request, under the inspiration of divine revelation." - -A very beautiful incident is this latter--the memory of her early -love, for whose sake she kept sacred her maiden life. The passage is -exquisite in sentiment, although emanating from a heart that has known -the joys and sorrows of nearly a hundred years. - --- - -Lydia Partridge, the aged relict of the first bishop of the Mormon -Church, may well accompany the venerable sister of Willard Richards. - -She was born September 26, 1793, in the town of Marlboro, Mass., her -parents' names being Joseph Clisbee and Merriam Howe. The course of -events [finally?] brought her to Ohio, where she made the acquaintance -of, and married, Edward Partridge. Her husband and herself were -proselyted into the Campbellite persuasion by Sidney Rigdon; but -they soon afterwards became converts to Mormonism, and Mr. Partridge -thereupon commenced his career as a laborer in the ministry of the -church. They were among the first families to locate in Missouri, -and also among the first to feel the sting of persecution in that -State. Removing finally to Nauvoo, her husband there died. In the -after-wanderings of the saints in search of a home in the wilderness -she accompanied them. It may be briefly said of her that now, after -forty-five years in the church, she is as firm and steadfast as ever in -her faith, and is one of the staunchest advocates of polygamy. - --- - -Next comes Margaret T. M. Smoot, wife of Bishop Smoot, with the -testimony of her life. - -She was born in Chester District, South Carolina, April 16th, 1809. -Her father, Anthony McMeans, was a Scotchman by birth, emigrating -to America at an early age, and settling in South Carolina, where -he resided at the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. Fired with -patriotic zeal, he immediately enlisted in the ranks, and continued -fighting in the cause of liberty until the close of the war, when he -returned to his home, where he remained until his death. Her mother was -a Hunter, being of Irish extraction. Her grandfather Hunter also served -in the Revolutionary war, being an intimate friend of Gen. Washington. -For these reasons Mrs. Smoot is justly proud of her lineage. Her -husband, the bishop, being also of revolutionary descent, they as a -family well exemplify the claim made elsewhere, that the Mormons were -originally of the most honored and patriotic extraction. - -She embraced the Mormon faith in 1834, and was married to Mr. Smoot -the following year, in the State of Kentucky. In 1837 they went to Far -West, Mo., and their history thence to Utah is the oft-told story of -outrage and persecution. It is proper to remark, however, that their -son, William, was one of the original pioneers, and that their family -was among the first company that entered the valley. - -Sister Smoot is known in the church as one of the most illustrious -examples of the "first wives" who accepted and gave a true Israelitish -character and sanctity to the "patriarchal order of marriage;" while -the long-sustained position of her husband as Mayor of Salt Lake City, -enhances the effect of her social example. - --- - -A few incidents from the life of Sister Hendricks, whose husband was -wounded in "Crooked River battle," where the apostle David Patten fell, -may properly be here preserved. - -Of that mournful incident, she says: "A neighbor stopped at the gate -and alighted from his horse; I saw him wipe his eyes, and knew that he -was weeping; he came to the door and said, 'Mr. Hendricks wishes you to -come to him at the Widow Metcalf's. He is shot.' I rode to the place, -four miles away, and there saw nine of the brethren, pale and weak from -their wounds, being assisted into the wagons that were to take them to -their homes. In the house was my husband, and also David Patten, who -was dying. My husband was wounded in the neck in such a manner as to -injure the spinal column, which paralyzed his extremities. Although he -could speak, he could not move any more than if he were dead." - -Mr Hendricks lived until 1870, being an almost helpless invalid up to -that time. Their son William was a member of the famous battalion. Mrs. -H. still survives, and is the happy progenitress of five children, -sixty-three grandchildren, and twenty-three great-grandchildren. - --- - -The wife of Bishop McRae deserves remembrance in connection with an -incident of the battle of Nauvoo. When it was determined to surrender -that city, the fugitive saints were naturally anxious to take with them -in their flight whatever of property, etc., they could, that would -be necessary to them in their sojourn in the wilderness. It will be -seen at once that nothing could have been of more service to them than -their rifles and ammunition. Hence, with a refinement of cruelty, the -mobbers determined to rob them of these necessaries. They accordingly -demanded the arms and ammunition of all who left the city, and searched -their wagons to see that none were secreted. Mrs. McRae was determined -to save a keg of powder, however, and so she ensconced herself in her -wagon with the powder keg as a seat, covering it with the folds of her -dress. Soon a squad of the enemy came to her wagon, and making as if -to search it, asked her to surrender whatever arms and ammunition she -might have on hand. She quietly kept her seat, however, and coolly -asked them, "How many more times are you going to search this wagon -to-day?" This question giving them the impression that they had already -searched the wagon, they moved on, and Mrs. McRae saved her powder. - -She still lives, and is at present a much respected resident of Salt -Lake City. - --- - -Mrs. Mary M. Luce, a venerable sister, now in her seventy-seventh -year, and a resident of Salt Lake City, deserves a passing mention -from the fact that her religion has caused her to traverse the entire -breadth of the continent, in order to be gathered with the saints. -She was a convert of Wilford Woodruff, who visited her native place -while on mission to the "Islands of the Sea" (Fox Islands, off the -Coast of Maine). In 1838, with her family, she journeyed by private -conveyance from Maine to Illinois, joining the saints at Nauvoo. This -was, in those days, a very long and tedious journey, consuming several -months' time. During the persecutions of Nauvoo, she was reduced to -extreme poverty; but, after many vicissitudes, was enabled to reach -Salt Lake City the first year after the pioneers, where she has since -continued to reside. In her experience she has received many tests -and manifestations of the divine origin of the latter-day work, and -testifies that "these are the happiest days" of her life. - --- - -Elizabeth H., wife of William Hyde, for whom "Hyde Park," Utah, -was named, was born in Holliston, Middlesex county, Mass., October -2d, 1813. She was the daughter of Joel and Lucretia Bullard, and a -descendant, on the maternal side, from the Goddards. Her mother and -herself were baptized into the Mormon faith in 1838, and they moved to -Nauvoo in 1841, where Elizabeth was married to Elder Hyde, in 1842. He -was on mission most of the time up to 1846, when they left Nauvoo, in -the exodus of the church. Her husband joined the Mormon battalion in -July following, returning home in the last month of 1847. In the spring -of 1849, with their three surviving children, they journeyed to Salt -Lake Valley, where they resided until about seventeen years ago, when -they removed to Cache Valley, and founded the settlement which bears -their name. Mr. Hyde died in 1872, leaving five wives and twenty-two -children. "It is my greatest desire," says sister Hyde, "that I may so -live as to be accounted worthy to dwell with those who have overcome, -and have the promise of eternal lives, which is the greatest gift of -God." - --- - -Nor should we forget to mention "Mother Sessions," another of the -last-century women who have gathered to Zion. Her maiden name was Patty -Bartlett, and she was born February 4th, 1795, in the town of Bethel, -Oxford county, Maine. She was married to David Sessions in 1812, and -survives both him and a second husband. Herself and husband joined the -church in 1834, moved to Nauvoo in 1840, and left there with the exiled -saints in 1846. In the summer of 1847 they crossed the plains to the -valley, Mrs. Sessions, although in her fifty-third year, driving a -four-ox team the entire distance. - -Mother Sessions is a model of zeal, frugality, industry and -benevolence. When she entered the valley she had but five cents, which -she had found on the road; now, after having given many hundreds of -dollars to the perpetual emigration fund, tithing fund, etc., and -performing unnumbered deeds of private charity, she is a stockholder -in the "Z. C. M. I." to the amount of some twelve or thirteen thousand -dollars, and is also possessed of a competence for the remainder of -her days; all of which is a result of her own untiring efforts and -honorable business sagacity. As a testimony of her life she says, "I am -now eighty-two years of age. I drink no tea nor coffee, nor spirituous -liquors; neither do I smoke nor take snuff. To all my posterity and -friends I say, do as I have done, and as much better as you can, and -the Lord will bless you as he has me." - --- - -Mrs. R. A. Holden, of Provo, is another of the revolutionary -descendants. Her grandfather, Clement Bishop, was an officer in the -revolutionary war, was wounded, and drew a pension until his death. -Mrs. H., whose maiden name was Bliss, was born in 1815, in Livingston -county, N. Y., and after marrying Mr. Holden, in 1833, moved to -Illinois, where, in 1840, they embraced the gospel. Their efforts to -reach the valley and gather with the church form an exceptional chapter -of hardship and disappointment. Nevertheless, they arrived at Provo in -1852, where they have since resided; Mrs. Holden being, since 1867, the -president of the Relief Society of the Fourth Ward of that city. - --- - -Sister Diantha Morley Billings is another of the aged and respected -citizens of Provo. She was born August 23d, 1795, at Montague, Mass. -About the year 1815 she moved to Kirtland, Ohio, and there was married -to Titus Billings. Herself and husband and Isaac Morley, her brother, -were among the first baptized in Kirtland. They were also among the -first to remove to Missouri, whence they were driven, and plundered of -all they possessed, by the mobs that arose, in that State, against the -saints. Her husband was in Crooked River battle, standing by Apostle -Patten when he fell. - -They reached Utah in 1848, and were soon thereafter called to go and -start settlements in San Pete. They returned to Provo in 1864, and in -1866 Mr. Billings died. - -While living in Nauvoo, after the expulsion from Missouri, Mrs. -Billings was ordained and set apart by the prophet Joseph to be a -nurse, in which calling she has ever since been very skillful. - --- - -Mrs. Amanda Wimley, although but eight years a resident of Utah, was -converted to Mormonism in Philadelphia, in the year 1839, under the -preaching of Joseph the prophet, being baptized shortly afterward. -For thirty years the circumstances of her life were such that it was -not expedient for her to gather with the church; she nevertheless -maintained her faith, and was endowed to a remarkable degree with the -gift of healing, which she exercised many times with wonderful effect -in her own family. Journeying to Salt Lake City some eight years since, -on a visit merely, she has now fully determined to permanently remain, -as the representative of her father's house, to "do a work for her -ancestry and posterity." - --- - -Polly Sawyer Atwood, who died in Salt Lake City, Oct. 16th, 1876, is -worthy of a passing notice, because of her many good deeds in the -service of God. She was another of the last century women, being born -in 1790, in Windham, Conn. Her parents were Asahel and Elizabeth -Sawyer. Herself and husband, Dan Atwood, first heard the gospel in -1839, and were straightway convinced of its truth. They journeyed -to Salt Lake in 1850. Here she displayed in a remarkable manner the -works and gifts of faith, and was much sought after by the sick and -afflicted, up to the day of her death, which occurred in her 86th -year. It is worthy of mention that she was the mother of three men of -distinction in the church--Millen Atwood, who was one of the pioneers, -a missionary to England, captain of the first successful handcart -company, and a member of the high council; Miner Atwood, who was a -missionary to South Africa, and also a member of the high council; and -Samuel Atwood, who is one of the presiding bishops of the Territory. - --- - -In connection with Mother Atwood may also properly be mentioned her -daughter-in-law, Relief C. Atwood, the wife of Millen, who received -the gospel in New Hampshire, in 1843, and in 1845 emigrated to Nauvoo. -This was just before the expulsion of the church from that city, and in -a few months she found herself in the wilderness. At winter quarters, -after the return of the pioneers, she married Mr. Atwood, one of their -number, and with him in 1848 journeyed to the valley. Their trials -were at first nigh overwhelming, but in a moment of prayer, when -they were about to give up in despair, the spirit of the Lord rested -upon Mr. A., and he spoke in tongues, and at the same time the gift -of interpretation rested upon her. It was an exhortation to renewed -hope and trust, which so strengthened them that they were able to -overcome every difficulty. Her family has also received many striking -manifestations of the gift of healing--so much so that she now bears -testimony that "God is their great physician, in whom she can safely -trust." - --- - -Sister Sarah B. Fiske, who was born in Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., N. -Y., in 1819, is another of revolutionary ancestry; her grandfathers, -on both paternal and maternal side, having served in the revolutionary -war. In 1837 she was married to Ezra H. Allen. Shortly thereafter they -were both converted to Mormonism, and in 1842 moved to Nauvoo. In the -spring of '43 they joined the settlement which was attempted at a place -called Shockoquan, about twenty-five miles north of Nauvoo. Journeying -with the saints on the exodus, she stopped at Mount Pisgah, while her -husband went forward in the battalion. Nearly two years passed, and -word came that the brethren of the battalion were coming back. With -the most intense anxiety she gathered every word of news concerning -their return, and at last was informed that they were at a ferry not -far away. She hastened to make herself ready and was about to go out to -meet him when the word was brought that her husband had been murdered -by Indians in the California mountains. She was handed her husband's -purse, which had been left by the Indians, and which contained his -wages and savings. This enabled her to procure an outfit, and in 1852 -she journeyed to the valley. - --- - -Here let us mention another octogenarian sister in the person of Jane -Neyman, daughter of David and Mary Harper, who was born in Westmoreland -Co., Pa., in 1792. She embraced the gospel in 1838, and became at -once endowed with the gift of healing, which enabled her to work many -marvelous cures, among which may be mentioned the raising of two -infants from apparent death, they each having been laid out for burial. -Herself and family received an unstinted share of the persecutions of -the saints, in Missouri, and afterwards in Nauvoo, in which latter -place her husband died. Her daughter, Mary Ann Nickerson, then residing -on the opposite side of the river from Nauvoo, on the occasion of the -troubles resulting in the battle of Nauvoo, made cartridges at her -home, and alone in her little skiff passed back and forth across the -Mississippi (one mile wide at that point), delivering the cartridges, -without discovery. While the battle was raging she also took seven -persons, including her mother, on a flat-boat, and by her unaided -exertions ferried them across the river. This heroic lady is now living -in Beaver, Utah. - -Mrs. Neyman, now in her 85th year, testifies concerning the truth of -the gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith: "I know it is the work of -God, by the unerring witness of the Holy Ghost." - --- - -Malvina Harvey Snow, daughter of Joel Harvey, was born in the State of -Vermont, in 1811. She was brought into the church under the ministry -of Orson Pratt, in 1833, he being then on mission in that section. Her -nearest neighbor was Levi Snow, father of Apostle Erastus Snow. The -Snow family mostly joined the new faith, and Malvina and her sister -Susan journeyed with them to Missouri. At Far West she was married -to Willard Snow, in 1837, and in about two years afterward they were -driven from the State. They settled at Montrose, but, while her husband -was on mission to England, she moved across the river to Nauvoo, the -mob having signified their intention to burn her house over her head. -In 1847 they started for Utah, from Council Bluffs, in the wake of the -pioneers, arriving in the valley in the fall of that year. Says Sister -Malvina, "My faithful sister, Susan, was with me from the time I left -our father's house in Vermont, and when we arrived in Utah my husband -took her to wife. She bore him a daughter, but lost her life at its -birth. I took the infant to my bosom, and never felt any difference -between her and my own children. She is now a married woman. In 1850 my -husband was called on mission to Denmark, from which he never returned. -He was buried in the Atlantic, being the only missionary from Utah -that was ever laid in the sea. I raised my five children to manhood -and womanhood, and have now lived a widow twenty-six years. Hoping to -finally meet my beloved husband and family, never again to part, I am -patiently waiting the hour of reunion. May the Lord Jesus Christ help -me to be faithful to the end." - --- - -Sister Caroline Tippits, whose maiden name was Pew, deserves to be -mentioned as one of the earlier members of the church, having embraced -the gospel in 1831. Shortly afterwards she joined the saints in Jackson -county, Mo., and during the persecutions that ensued, endured perhaps -the most trying hardships that were meted out to any of the sisters. -Driven out into the midst of a prairie, by the mob, in the month of -January, with a babe and two-years-old child, she was compelled to -sleep on the ground with only one thin quilt to cover them, and the -snow frequently falling three or four inches in a night. She came to -Utah with the first companies, and is reckoned among the most faithful -of the saints. - --- - -Julia Budge, first wife of Bishop William Budge, may be presented as -one of the women who have made polygamy honorable. She was born in -Essex, England, where she was baptized by Chas. W. Penrose, one of the -most distinguished of the English elders, who afterwards married her -sister--a lady of the same excellent disposition. The bishop is to-day -the husband of three wives, whose children have grown up as one family, -and the wives have lived together "like sisters." No stranger, with -preconceived notions, would guess that they sustained the very tender -relation of sister-wives. Their happy polygamic example is a sort of -"household word" in the various settlements over which the bishop has -presided. - --- - -Sister Nancy A. Clark, daughter of Sanford Porter, now a resident of -Farmington, Utah, has had a most remarkable personal experience as -a servant of God. When a little girl, less than eight years of age, -residing with her parents in Missouri, she, in answer to prayer, -received the gift of tongues, and became a great object of interest -among the saints. During and succeeding the persecutions in that State, -and while her father's family were being driven from place to place, -her oft-repeated spiritual experiences were the stay and comfort of all -around her. Her many visions and experiences would fill a volume. It is -needless to say that she is among the most faithful and devoted of the -sisterhood. - --- - -A pretty little instance of faith and works is related by Martha -Granger, the wife of Bishop William G. Young, which is worthy of -record. In September, 1872, the bishop was riding down Silver Creek -Canyon, on his way to Weber river, when he became sunstruck, and fell -back in his wagon, insensible. His horses, as if guided by an invisible -hand, kept steadily on, and finally turned into a farmer's barnyard. -The farmer, who was at work in the yard, thinking some team had strayed -away, went up to catch them, when he discovered the bishop (a stranger -to him) in the wagon. He thought at first that the stranger was -intoxicated, and so hitched the team, thinking to let him lay and sleep -it off. But upon a closer examination, failing to detect the fumes of -liquor, he concluded the man was sick, and calling assistance, took -him into the shade of a haystack, and cared for him. Still the bishop -remained unconscious, and the sun went down, and night came on. - -Forty miles away, the bishop's good wife at home had called her -little seven-years-old child to her knee, to say the usual prayer -before retiring. As the little child had finished the mother observed -a far-off look in its eyes, and then came the strange and unusual -request: "Mother, may I pray, in my own words, for pa? he's sick." -"Yes, my child," said the mother, wonderingly. "Oh Lord, heal up pa, -that he may live and not die, and come home," was the faltering prayer; -and in that same moment the bishop, in that far-off farmer's yard, -arose and spoke; and in a few moments was himself praising God for the -succor that he knew not had been invoked by his own dear child. - - - -CHAPTER XLVI. - -MORMON WOMEN WHOSE ANCESTORS WERE ON BOARD THE "MAYFLOWER"--A BRADFORD, -AND DESCENDANT OF THE SECOND GOVERNOR OF PLYMOUTH COLONY--A DESCENDANT -OF ROGERS, THE MARTYR--THE THREE WOMEN WHO CAME WITH THE PIONEERS--THE -FIRST WOMAN BORN IN UTAH--WOMEN OF THE CAMP OF ZION--WOMEN OF THE -MORMON BATTALION. - -Harriet A., wife of Lorenzo Snow, was born in Aurora, Portage Co., -Ohio, Sept. 13, 1819. Her honorable lineage is best established by -reference to the fact that her parents were natives of New England, -that one of her grandfathers served in the Revolutionary war, and that -her progenitors came to America in the _Mayflower_. - -At twenty-five years of age she embraced the gospel, and in 1846 -gathered with the church at Nauvoo. In January, '47, she was married -to Elder Snow, and in the February following, with her husband and his -three other wives, crossed the Mississippi and joined the encampment of -the saints who had preceded them. - -Thence to Salt Lake Valley her story is not dissimilar to that of the -majority of the saints, except in personal incident and circumstance. -A praise-worthy act of hers, during the trip across the plains, -deserves historical record, however. A woman had died on the way, -leaving three little children--one of them a helpless infant. Sister -Snow was so wrought upon by the pitiful condition of the infant, that -she weaned her own child and nursed the motherless babe. By a stupid -blunder of her teamster, also, she was one night left behind, alone, -with two little children on the prairie. Luckily for her, a wagon had -broken down and had been abandoned by the company. Depositing the -babes in the wagon-box, she made search, and found that some flour and -a hand-bell had been left in the wreck, and with this scanty outfit -she set about making supper. She first took the clapper out of the -bell, then stopped up the hole where it had been fastened in. This now -served her for a water-pitcher. Filling it at a brook some distance -away, she wet up some of the flour; then, with some matches that she -had with her, started a fire, and baked the flour-cakes, herself and -thirteen-months-old child making their supper upon them. She then -ensconced herself in the wagon with her babes, and slept till early -morning, when her husband found her and complimented her highly for her -ingenuity and bravery. - -From the valley Apostle Snow was sent to Italy on mission, where he -remained three years. An illustrative incident of his experience on -his return, is worth telling. His return had been announced, and his -children, born after his departure, were as jubilant over his coming as -the others; but one little girl, although in raptures about her father -before he came, on his arrival felt somewhat dubious as to whether he -was her father or not, and refused to approach him for some time, and -no persuasion could entice her. At length she entered the room where -he was sitting, and after enquiring of each of the other children, -"Is that my favvy?" and receiving an affirmative response, she placed -herself directly in front of her father, and looking him full in the -face, said, "Is you my favvy?" "Yes," said he, "I am your father." The -little doubter, being satisfied, replied, "well, if you is my favvy, -I will kiss you." And she most affectionately fulfilled the promise, -being now satisfied that her caresses were not being lavished on a -false claimant. - -Sister Snow, as will be perceived, was among the first to enter -polygamy, and her testimony now is, after thirty years' experience, -that "It is a pure and sacred principle, and calculated to exalt and -ennoble all who honor and live it as revealed by Joseph Smith." - --- - -Mrs. Elmira Tufts, of Salt Lake City, was born in Maine, in the year -1812. Her parents were both natives of New England, and her mother, -Betsy Bradford, was a descendant of William Bradford, who came to -America on the _Mayflower_, in 1620, and, after the death of Governor -Carver, was elected governor of the Little Plymouth Colony, which -position he held for over thirty years. Her father, Nathan Pinkham, -also served in the Revolution. - -With her husband, Mrs. Tufts gathered to Nauvoo in 1842. With the body -of the church they shared the vicissitudes of the exodus, and finally -the gathering to the valley. Here Mr. Tufts died in 1850. - -Mrs. T. had the pleasure of visiting the recent centennial exhibition, -and declares that this is the height and acme of America's grandeur. -"The grand display," she says, "which all nations were invited to -witness, is like the bankrupt's grand ball, just before the crash of -ruin." - --- - -Vienna Jacques was born in the vicinity of Boston, in 1788. She went -to Kirtland in 1833, being a single lady and very wealthy. When she -arrived in Kirtland she donated all of her property to the church. -She is one of the few women mentioned in the Book of Doctrine and -Covenants. Her lineage is very direct to the martyr John Rogers. She is -still living and retains all of her faculties. - --- - -The three women who came to the valley with the pioneers are deserving -of mention in connection with that event. - -Mrs. Harriet Page Wheeler Young, the eldest of the three above -mentioned, was born in Hillsborough, N. H., September 7th, 1803. She -was baptized into the Mormon connection in February, 1836, at New -Portage, Ohio; went with the saints to Missouri, and was expelled from -that State in 1839; went from there to Nauvoo, and in the spring of -1844 was married to Lorenzo Dow Young, brother of President Young. She -was with her husband in the exodus; and, on the 7th of April, 1847, -in company with Helen Saunders, wife of Heber C. Kimball, and Clara -Decker, wife of President Young, accompanied the pioneers on their -famous journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. - -They arrived in the valley on the 24th of July, 1847, and camped -near what is now Main street, Salt Lake City. Plowing and planting -was immediately commenced, and houses were soon reared in what was -afterwards called the "Old Fort." On the 24th of September, following, -she presented to her husband a son, the first white male child born in -the valley. - -In the early days, as is well known, the new settlers of Salt Lake -were considerably troubled with Indian depredations. One day, when -"Uncle Lorenzo" was gone from home, and his wife was alone, an Indian -came and asked for biscuit. She gave him all she could spare, but he -demanded more, and when she refused, he drew his bow and arrow and -said he would kill her. But she outwitted him. In the adjoining room -was a large dog, which fact the Indian did not know, and Sister Young, -feigning great fear, asked the Indian to wait a moment, while she made -as if to go into the other room for more food. She quickly untied -the dog, and, opening the door, gave him the word. In an instant the -Indian was overpowered and begging for mercy. She called off the dog, -and bound up the Indian's wounds and let him go, and she was never -troubled by Indians again. Her dying testimony to her husband, just -before she expired, December 22d, 1871, was that she had never known -any difference in her feelings and love for the children born to him by -his young wives, and her own. - -Sister Helen Saunders Kimball remained in the valley with her husband -and reared a family. She died November 22d, 1871. - -Clara Decker Young is still living, and has an interesting family. - --- - -Here may very properly be mentioned the first daughter of "Deseret;" -or, more strictly speaking, the first female child born in Utah. Mrs. -James Stopley, now a resident of Kanarrah, Kane county, Utah, and the -mother of five fine children, is the daughter of John and Catherine -Steele, who were in the famous Mormon battalion. Just after their -discharge from the United States service they reached the site of Salt -Lake City (then occupied by the pioneers), and on the 9th of August, -1847, their little daughter was born. This being a proper historical -incident, inasmuch as she was the first white child born in the valley, -it may be interesting to note that the event occurred on the east side -of what is now known as Temple Block, at 4 o'clock A. M., of the day -mentioned. In honor of President Brigham Young, she was named Young -Elizabeth. Her father writes of her at that time as being "a stout, -healthy child, and of a most amiable disposition." - --- - -Among the veteran sisters whose names should be preserved to history, -are Mrs. Mary Snow Gates, Mrs. Charlotte Alvord, and Mrs. Diana Drake. -They are uniques of Mormon history, being the three women who, with -"Zion's Camp," went up from Kirtland to Missouri, "to redeem Zion." -Their lives have been singularly eventful, and they rank among the -early disciples of the church and the founders of Utah. - --- - -And here let us make a lasting and honorable record of the women of the -battalion: - -Mrs. James Brown, Mrs. O. Adams, Albina Williams, J. Chase, ---- Tubbs, ----- Sharp, D. Wilkin, J. Hess, Fanny Huntington, John Steele, J. Harmon, -and C. Stillman, daughter, ---- Smith, U. Higgins, M. Ballom, E. Hanks, -W. Smithson, Melissa Corey, A. Smithson. - -These are the noble Mormon women who accepted the uncertain fortunes of -war, in the service of their country. Be their names imperishable in -American history. - - - -CHAPTER XLVII. - -ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF CALIFORNIA--A WOMAN MISSIONARY TO THE SOCIETY -ISLANDS--HER LIFE AMONG THE NATIVES--THE ONLY MORMON WOMAN SENT ON -MISSION WITHOUT HER HUSBAND--A MORMON WOMAN IN WASHINGTON--A SISTER -FROM THE EAST INDIES--A SISTER FROM TEXAS. - -The Mormons were not only the founders of Utah, but they were also the -first American emigrants to California. Fremont and his volunteers, -and the American navy, had, it is true, effected the _coup de main_ of -taking possession of California, and the American flag was hoisted in -the bay of San Francisco at the very moment of the arrival of the ship -_Brooklyn_ with its company of Mormon emigrants, but to that company -belongs the honor of first settlers. The wife of Col. Jackson thus -narrates: - -"In the month of February, 1846, I left home and friends and sailed -in the ship _Brooklyn_ for California. Before starting I visited my -parents in New Hampshire. I told them of my determination to follow -God's people, who had already been notified to leave the United States; -that our destination was the Pacific coast, and that we should take -materials to plant a colony. When the hour came for parting my father -could not speak, and my mother cried out in despair, 'When shall we see -you again, my child?' 'When there is a railroad across the continent,' -I answered. - -"Selling all my household goods, I took my child in my arms and went on -board ship. Of all the memories of my life not one is so bitter as that -dreary six months' voyage, in an emigrant ship, around the Horn. - -"When we entered the harbor of San Francisco, an officer came on board -and said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to inform you that -you are in the United States.' Three cheers from all on board answered -the announcement. - -"Unlike the California of to-day, we found the country barren and -dreary; but we trusted in God and he heard our prayers; and when I -soaked the mouldy ship-bread, purchased from the whale-ships lying in -the harbor, and fried it in the tallow taken from the raw hides lying -on the beach, God made it sweet to me, and to my child, for on this -food I weaned her. It made me think of Hagar and her babe, and of the -God who watched over her." - -Passing over the hardships endured by these emigrants, which were -greatly augmented by the fact that war was then raging between the -United States and the Spanish residents of California, we deem it -proper to here incorporate, as matter of history, some statements of -Mrs. Jackson, made to the California journals, concerning the early -days of San Francisco. She says: - -"From many statements made by persons who have lately adopted -California as their home, I am led to believe it is the general -impression that no American civilized beings inhabited this region -prior to the discovery of gold; and that the news of this discovery -reaching home, brought the first adventurers. As yet I have nowhere -seen recorded the fact that in July, 1846, the ship _Brooklyn_ landed -on the shore of San Francisco bay two hundred and fifty passengers, -among whom were upwards of seventy females; it being the first -emigration to this place _via_ Cape Horn. - -"In October previous a company had arrived overland, most of whom had -been detained at Sacramento fort, being forbidden by the governor to -proceed further. Upon arriving in Yerba Buena, in '46, we found two of -these families, some half dozen American gentlemen, three or four old -Californians with their families, the officers and marines of the sloop -of war _Portsmouth_, and about one hundred Indians, occupying the place -now called San Francisco. - -"The ship _Brooklyn_ left us on the rocks at the foot of what is now -Broadway. From this point we directed our steps to the old adobe on -(now) Dupont street. It was the first to shelter us from the chilling -winds. A little further on (toward Jackson street), stood the adobe of -old 'English Jack,' who kept a sort of depot for the milk woman, who -came in daily, with a dozen bottles of milk hung to an old horse, and -which they retailed at a real (twelve and a half cents) per bottle. At -this time, where now are Jackson and Stockton streets were the outer -boundaries of the town. Back of the home of 'English Jack' stood a -cottage built by an American who escaped from a whale-ship and married -a Californian woman. Attached to this house was a windmill and a shop. -In this house I lived during the winter of '46, and the principal room -was used by Dr. Poet, of the navy, as a hospital. Here were brought -the few who were saved of the unfortunate 'Donner party,' whose sad -fate will never be forgotten. One of the Donner children, a girl of -nine years, related to me that her father was the first of that party -to fall a victim to the cold and hunger. Her mother then came on with -the children, 'till the babe grew sick and she was unable to carry it -further. She told the children to go on with the company, and if the -babe died, or she got stronger, she would come to them, but they saw -her no more. After this, two of her little brothers died, and she told -me, with tears running down her face, that she saw them cooked, and had -to eat them; but added, as though fearful of having committed a crime, -'I could not help it; I had eaten nothing for days, and I was afraid -to die.' The poor child's feet were so badly frozen that her toes had -dropped off." - --- - -Very dramatic and picturesque have often been the situations of the -Mormon sisters. Here is the story of one of them, among the natives of -the Society Islands. She says: - -"I am the wife of the late Elder Addison Pratt, who was the first -missionary to the Society Islands he having been set apart by the -prophet for this mission in 1843. My husband went on his mission, but -I, with my children, was left to journey afterwards with the body of -the church to the Rocky Mountains. - -"We reached the valley in the fall of 1848, and had been there but -a week when Elder Pratt arrived, coming by the northern route with -soldiers from the Mexican war. He had been absent five years and four -months. Only one of his children recognized him, which affected him -deeply. One year passed away in comparative comfort and pleasure, when -again Mr. Pratt was called to go and leave his family, and again I -was left to my own resources. However, six months afterwards several -elders were called to join Elder Pratt in the Pacific Isles, and myself -and family were permitted to accompany them. Making the journey by -ox-team to San Francisco, on the 15th of September, 1850, we embarked -for Tahiti. Sailing to the southwest of that island three hundred and -sixty miles we made the Island of Tupuai, where Mr. Pratt had formerly -labored, and where we expected to find him, but to our chagrin found -that he was a prisoner under the French governor at Tahiti. After -counseling upon the matter we decided to land on Tupuai and petition -the governor of Tahiti for Mr. Pratt's release, which we did, aided -by the native king, who promised to be responsible for Mr. Pratt's -conduct. The petition was granted by the governor, and in due course -Mr. Pratt joined us at Tupuai. It was a day of great rejoicing among -the natives when he arrived, they all being much attached to him, and -it was also a great day for our children. - -"A volume might be written in attempting to describe the beauties of -nature on that little speck in the midst of the great ocean; but I must -hasten to speak of the people. Simple and uncultivated as the natives -are, they are nevertheless a most loveable and interesting race. Their -piety is deep and sincere and their faith unbounded. - -"Within a year I became a complete master of their language, and -addressed them publicly in the _fere-bure-ra_ (prayer-house), -frequently. My daily employment was teaching in the various departments -of domestic industry, such as needle-work, knitting, etc., and my -pupils, old and young, were both industrious and apt." - -Elder Addison Pratt died in 1872, but his respected missionary wife -is living in Utah to-day, resting from her labors and waiting for the -reward of the faithful. - --- - -A somewhat similar experience to the above is that of Sister Mildred -E. Randall, who went with her husband, at a later date, to labor in -the Sandwich Islands. Her first mission lasted about eighteen months, -and her second one three years. On her third mission to the islands, -she was called to go without her husband; thus making her to be the -only woman, in the history of the church, who has been called to go on -foreign mission independently of her husband. - --- - -In this connection will also suitably appear Sister Elizabeth Drake -Davis, who served her people well while in the Treasury department at -Washington. - -She was born in the town of Axminster, Devonshire, England, and was an -only child. Having lost her father when she was but ten years of age, -and not being particularly attached to her mother, her life became -markedly lonely and desolate. In her extremity she sought the Lord in -prayer, when a remarkable vision was shown her, which was repeated at -two subsequent times, making a permanent impression on her life, and, -in connection with other similar experiences, leading her to connect -herself with the Church of Latter-day Saints. - -After being widowed in her native land she crossed the Atlantic and -resided for two years in Philadelphia. In May, 1859, with a company -of Philadelphian saints, she gathered to Florence, for the purpose -of going thence to Utah. An incident there occurred that will be of -interest to the reader. She says: - -"We reached Florence late one evening; it was quite dark and -raining; we were helped from the wagons and put in one of the vacant -houses--myself, my two little daughters and Sister Sarah White. Early -next morning we were aroused by some one knocking at the door; on -opening it we found a little girl with a cup of milk in her hand; she -asked if there was 'a little woman there with two little children.' -'Yes,' said Sister White, 'come in.' She entered, saying to me, 'If you -please my ma wants to see you; she has sent this milk to your little -girls.' Her mother's name was strange to me, but I went, thinking to -find some one that I had known. She met me at the door with both hands -extended in welcome. 'Good morning, Sister Elizabeth,' said she. I told -her she had the advantage of me, as I did not remember ever seeing her -before. 'No,' said she, 'and I never saw you before. I am Hyrum Smith's -daughter (Lovina Walker); my father appeared to me three times last -night, and told me that you were the child of God, that you was without -money, provisions or friends, and that I must help you.' It is needless -to add that this excellent lady and myself were ever thereafter firm -friends, until her death, which occurred in 1876. I will add that -previous to her last illness I had not seen her in thirteen years; that -one night her father appeared to me, and making himself known, said -his daughter was in sore need; I found the message was too true. Yet -it will ever be a source of gratitude to think I was at last able to -return her generous kindness to me when we were strangers." - -Mrs. Davis' husband (she having married a second time) enlisted in the -United States Army in March, 1863. Shortly thereafter she received an -appointment as clerk in the Treasury department at Washington, which -position she held until November, 1869, when she resigned in order to -prosecute, unhampered, a design which she had formed to memorialize -Congress against the Cullom bill. In this laudable endeavor she was -singularly successful; and it is proper to add that by dint of pure -pluck, as against extremely discouraging circumstances, she secured the -co-operation of Gen. Butler, and Mr. Sumner, the great Senator from -Massachusetts. It is entirely just to say that her efforts were largely -instrumental in modifying the course of Congress upon the Mormon -question, at that time. - -Sister Davis is at present one of the active women of Utah, and will -doubtless figure prominently in the future movements of the sisterhood. - --- - -The story of Sister Hannah Booth is best told by herself. She says: - -"I was born in Chumar, India. My father was a native of Portugal, and -my mother was from Manila. My husband was an officer in the English -army in India, as were also my father and grandfather. We lived in -affluent circumstances, keeping nine servants, a carriage, etc., and I -gave my attention to the profession of obstetrics. - -"When the gospel was introduced into India, my son Charles, who was -civil engineer in the army, met the elders traveling by sea, and was -converted. He brought to me the gospel, which I embraced with joy, and -from that time was eager to leave possessions, friends, children and -country, to unite with this people. My son George, a surgeon in the -army, remained behind, although he had embraced the gospel. My sister, -a widow, and my son Charles and his wife--daughter of Lieutenant Kent, -son of Sir Robert Kent, of England--and their infant daughter, came -with me. Reaching San Francisco, we proceeded thence to San Bernardino, -arriving there in 1855. Having, in India, had no occasion to perform -housework, we found ourselves greatly distressed in our new home, by -our lack of such needful knowledge. We bought a stove, and I tried -first to make a fire. I made the fire in the first place that opened -(the oven), and was greatly perplexed by its smoking and not drawing. -We were too mortified to let our ignorance be known, and our bread was -so badly made, and all our cooking so wretchedly done, that we often -ate fruit and milk rather than the food we had just prepared. We also -bought a cow, and not knowing how to milk her, had great trouble. -Four of us surrounded her; my son tied her head to the fence, her -legs to a post, her tail to another; and while he stood by to protect -me, my sister and daughter-in-law to suggest and advise, I proceeded -to milk--on the wrong side, as I afterwards learned. After a while, -however, some good sisters kindly taught us how to work. - -"Just as we had become settled in our own new house the saints prepared -to leave San Bernardino in the winter of '56-7. We sold our home at -great sacrifice, and, six of us in one wagon, with two yoke of Spanish -oxen, started for Utah. On the desert our oxen grew weak and our -supplies began to give out. We, who at home in India had servants at -every turn, now had to walk many weary miles, through desert sands, and -in climbing mountains. My sister and I would, in the morning, bind our -cashmere scarfs around our waists, take each a staff, and with a small -piece of bread each, we would walk ahead of the train. At noon we would -rest, ask a blessing upon the bread, and go on. Weary, footsore and -hungry, we never regretted leaving our luxurious homes, nor longed to -return. We were thankful for the knowledge that had led us away, and -trusted God to sustain us in our trials and lead us to a resting-place -among the saints. After our journey ended, we began anew to build a -home. - -"I am, after twenty years among this people, willing to finish my days -with them, whatever their lot and trials may be, and I pray God for his -holy spirit to continue with me to the end." - --- - -Nor should we omit to mention Mrs. Willmirth East, now in her 64th -year, who was converted to Mormonism while residing with her father's -family in Texas, in 1853. Her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary -war, and her father, Nathaniel H. Greer, was a member of the -legislature of Georgia, and also a member of the legislature of Texas, -after his removal to that State. She has long resided in Utah, is a -living witness of many miracles of healing, and has often manifested in -her own person the remarkable gifts of this dispensation. She may be -accounted one of the most enthusiastic and steadfast of the saints. - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII. - -A LEADER FROM ENGLAND--MRS HANNAH T. KING--A MACDONALD FROM -SCOTLAND--THE "WELSH QUEEN"--A REPRESENTATIVE WOMAN FROM -IRELAND--SISTER HOWARD--A GALAXY OF THE SISTERHOOD, FROM "MANY NATIONS -AND TONGUES"--INCIDENTS AND TESTIMONIALS. - -Here the reader meets an illustration of women from many nations -baptized into one spirit, and bearing the same testimony. - -Mrs. Hannah T. King, a leader from England, shall now speak. She says: - -"In 1849, while living in my home in Dernford Dale, Cambridgeshire, -England, my attention was first brought to the serious consideration of -Mormonism by my seamstress. She was a simple-minded girl, but her tact -and respectful ingenuity in presenting the subject won my attention, -and I listened, not thinking or even dreaming that her words were about -to revolutionize my life. - -"I need not follow up the thread of my thoughts thereafter; how -I struggled against the conviction that had seized my mind; how -my parents and friends marveled at the prospect of my leaving the -respectable church associations of a life-time and uniting with 'such a -low set'; how I tried to be content with my former belief, and cast the -new out of mind, but all to no purpose. Suffice it to say I embraced -the gospel, forsook the aristocratic associations of the 'High Church' -congregation with which I had long been united, and became an associate -with the poor and meek of the earth. - -"I was baptized Nov. 4th, 1850, as was also my beloved daughter. My -good husband, although not persuaded to join the church, consented to -emigrate with us to Utah, which we did in the year 1853, bringing quite -a little company with us at Mr. King's expense." - -Since her arrival in the valley, Mrs. King has been constantly -prominent among the women of Utah. Her name is also familiar as a -poetess, there having emanated from her pen some very creditable poems. - --- - -Scotland comes next with a representative woman in the person of -Elizabeth G. MacDonald. She says: - -"I was born in the city of Perth, Perthshire, Scotland, on the 12th of -January, 1831, and am the fifth of ten daughters born to my parents, -John and Christina Graham. - -"My attention was first brought to the church of Latter-day Saints in -1846, and in 1847 I was baptized and confirmed, being the second person -baptized into the church in Perth. This course brought down upon me -so much persecution, from which I was not exempt in my own father's -house, that I soon left home and went to Edinburgh. There I was kindly -received by a Sister Gibson and welcomed into her house. After two -years had passed my father came to me and, manifesting a better spirit -than when I saw him last, prevailed upon me to return with him. He had -in the meantime become partially paralyzed, and had to use a crutch. -Two weeks after my return he consented to be baptized. While being -baptized the affliction left him, and he walked home without his -crutch, to the astonishment of all who knew him. This was the signal -for a great work, and the Perth branch, which previously had numbered -but two, soon grew to over one hundred and fifty members. - -"In May, '51, I was married to Alexander MacDonald, then an elder in -the church. He went immediately on mission to the Highlands; but in -1852 he was called to take charge of the Liverpool conference, whither -I went with him, and there we made our first home together. - -"In May, '53, I fell down stairs, which so seriously injured me that -I remained bedridden until the following marvelous occurrence: One -Saturday afternoon as I was feeling especially depressed and sorrowful, -and while my neighbor, Mrs. Kent, who had just been in, was gone to -her home for some little luxury for me, as I turned in my bed I was -astonished to behold an aged man standing at the foot. As I somewhat -recovered from my natural timidity he came towards the head of the bed -and laid his hands upon me, saying, 'I lay my hands upon thy head and -bless thee in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord -hath seen the integrity of thine heart. In tears and sorrow thou hast -bowed before the Lord, asking for children; this blessing is about to -be granted unto thee. Thou shalt be blessed with children from this -hour. Thou shalt be gathered to the valleys of the mountains, and there -thou shalt see thy children raised as tender plants by thy side. Thy -children and household shall call thee blessed. At present thy husband -is better than many children. Be comforted. These blessings I seal upon -thee, in the name of Jesus. Amen.' At this moment Sister Kent came in, -and I saw no more of this personage. His presence was so impressed -upon me that I can to this day minutely describe his clothing and -countenance. - -"The next conference, after this visitation, brought the word that -Brother MacDonald was released to go to the valley, being succeeded by -Elder Spicer W. Crandall. We started from Liverpool in March, '54, and -after the usual vicissitudes of sea and river navigation, finally went -into camp near Kansas Village on the Missouri. From there we started -for Utah in Capt. Daniel Carns' company, reaching Salt Lake City on the -30th of September. - -"In 1872 my husband was appointed to settle in St. George, where we -arrived about the middle of November. Here we have since remained, -and I have taken great pleasure in this southern country, especially -in having my family around me, in the midst of good influences. The -people here are sociable and kind, and we have no outside influences to -contend with. All are busy and industrious and striving to live their -religion." - --- - -The wife of the famous Captain Dan Jones, the founder of the Welsh -mission, is chosen to represent her people. She thus sketches her life -to the period of her arrival in Zion: - -"I was born April 2d, 1812, in Claddy, South Wales. My parents were -members of the Baptist Church, which organization I joined when fifteen -years of age. In 1846, several years after my marriage, while keeping -tavern, a stranger stopped with us for refreshments, and while there -unfolded to me some of the principles of the, then entirely new to me, -Church of Latter-day Saints. His words made a profound impression upon -my mind, which impression was greatly heightened by a dream which I had -shortly thereafter; but it was some time before I could learn more of -the new doctrine. I made diligent inquiry, however, and was finally, by -accident, privileged to hear an elder preach. In a conversation with -him afterwards I became thoroughly convinced of the truth of Mormonism, -and was accordingly baptized into the church. This was in 1847. After -this my house became a resort for the elders, and I was the special -subject of persecution by my neighbors. - -"In 1848 I began making preparations to leave my home and start for -the valley. Everything was sold, including a valuable estate, and -I determined to lay it all upon the altar in an endeavor to aid my -poorer friends in the church to emigrate also. In 1849 I bade farewell -to home, country and friends, and with my six children set out for -the far-off Zion. After a voyage, embodying the usual hardships, from -Liverpool to New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers -to Council Bluffs, some fifty fellow-passengers dying with cholera on -the way, in the early summer I started across the plains. I had paid -the passage of forty persons across the ocean and up to Council Bluffs, -and from there I provided for and paid the expenses of thirty-two to -Salt Lake City. Having every comfort that could be obtained, we perhaps -made the trip under as favorable circumstances as any company that has -ever accomplished the journey." - -For her magnanimous conduct in thus largely helping the emigration -of the Welsh saints, coupled with her social standing in her native -country, she was honored with the title of "The Welsh Queen." The title -is still familiar in connection with her name. Since her arrival in -Zion she has known many trials, but is still firm in the faith of the -Latter-day work. - --- - -The following is a brief personal sketch of Mrs. Howard, an Irish lady, -of popularity and prominence in Utah: - -"Presuming there are many persons who believe there are no Irish among -the Mormons, I wish to refute the belief, as there are many in our -various towns, most staunch and faithful. - -"My parents, Robert and Lucretia Anderson, resided in Carlow, County -Carlow, Ireland, where, on the 12th of July, 1823, I was born. In 1841 -my beloved mother died, and in the same year I married, and went to -reside in Belfast with my husband. - -"My father, who was a thorough reformer in his method of thought, -originally suggested several governmental and social innovations that -were afterwards adopted by the government and the people. He died in -1849. - -"My parents were Presbyterians, in which faith I was strictly brought -up; but I early came to the conclusion that my father was right when -he said, as I heard him one day: 'The true religion is yet to come.' -After my marriage I attended the Methodist Church mostly, led a moral -life, tried to be honest in deal, and 'did' (as well as circumstances -would allow) 'unto others as I would they should do to me.' I thus went -on quietly, until the 'true religion' was presented to me by a Mr. -and Mrs. Daniel M. Bell, of Ballygrot. My reason was satisfied, and I -embraced the truth with avidity. - -"In February, 1858, my husband, myself and our six children left -Ireland on the steamship _City of Glasgow_, and in due time arrived -at Council Bluffs. Starting across the plains, the first day out I -sustained a severe accident by being thrown from my carriage, but this -did not deter us, and we arrived all safe and well in Salt Lake City on -the 25th of September. - -"In 1868 I went with my husband on a mission to England; had a -pleasant, interesting time, and astonished many who thought 'no good -thing could come out of Utah.' While there I was the subject of no -little curious questioning, and therefore had many opportunities of -explaining the principles of the gospel. There was one principle I -gloried in telling them about--the principle of plural marriage; and -I spared no pains in speaking of the refining, exalting influence -that was carried with the doctrine, wherever entered into in a proper -manner." - -Sister Howard has not exaggerated in claiming that the Irish nation -has been fairly represented in the Mormon Church. Some of its most -talented members have been directly of that descent, though it is true -that Mormonism never took deep root in Ireland; but that is no more -than a restatement of the fact that Protestantism of any kind has never -flourished in that Catholic country. - -Of the esteemed lady in question it maybe added that she is one of -the most prominent of the women of Utah, one of the councilors of -Mrs. President Horne, and a leader generally, in those vast female -organizations and movements inspired by Eliza R. Snow, in the solution -of President Young's peculiar society problems. - --- - -Scandinavia shall be next represented among the nationalities in the -church. The Scandinavian mission has been scarcely less important -than the British mission. It is not as old, but to-day it is the most -vigorous, and for the last quarter of a century it has been pouring its -emigrations into Utah by the thousands. Indeed a very large portion of -the population of Utah has been gathered from the Scandinavian peoples. -The mission was opened by Apostle Erastus Snow, in the year 1850. One -of the first converts of this apostle, Anna Nilson, afterwards became -his wife. Here is the brief notice which she gives of herself: - -"I am the daughter of Hans and Caroline Nilson, and was born on the -1st of April, 1825, in a little village called Dalby, in the Province -of Skaana, in the kingdom of Sweden. At the age of seventeen I removed -to Copenhagen, Denmark. There, in 1850, when the elders from Zion -arrived, I gladly received the good news, and was the first woman -baptized into the Church of Latter-day Saints in that kingdom. The -baptism took place on the 12th of August, 1850; there were fifteen of -us; the ordinance was performed by Elder Erastus Snow. Some time after -this we hired a hall for our meetings, which called public attention -to us in some degree, whereupon we became the subjects of rowdyism -and violent persecution. One evening in particular, I recollect that -I was at a meeting in a village some eight miles out from Copenhagen; -as we started to go home we were assailed by a mob which followed and -drove us for several miles. Some of the brethren were thrown into -ditches and trampled upon, and the sisters also were roughly handled. -Finding myself in the hands of ruffians, I called on my heavenly -Father, and they dropped me like a hot iron. They pelted us with stones -and mud, tore our clothes, and abused us in every way they could. -These persecutions continued some weeks, until finally stopped by the -military. - -"In 1852, one week before Christmas, I left Copenhagen, in the first -large company, in charge of Elder Forssgren. We encountered a terrible -storm at the outset, but were brought safely through to Salt Lake City, -where I have since resided." - --- - -A Norwegian sister, Mrs. Sarah A. Peterson, the wife of a well-known -missionary, has remembrance next. She says: - -"I was born in the town of Murray, Orleans county, N. Y., February 16, -1827. My parents, Cornelius and Carrie Nelson, were among the first -Norwegians who emigrated to America. They left Norway on account of -having joined the Quakers, who, at that time, were subject to much -persecution in that country. In the neighborhood was quite a number -of that sect, and they concluded to emigrate to America in a body. As -there was no direct line of emigration between Norway and America, -they purchased a sloop, in which they performed the voyage. Having -been raised on the coast, they were all used to the duties of seamen, -and found no trouble in navigating their vessel. They also brought a -small cargo of iron with them, which, together with the vessel, they -sold in New York, and then moved to the northwestern portion of that -State, and settled on a wild tract of woodland. Eight years afterwards -my father died. I was at that time six years old. When I was nine years -old my uncle went to Illinois, whence he returned with the most glowing -accounts of the fertility of the soil, with plenty of land for sale at -government price. The company disposed of their farms at the rate of -fifty dollars per acre, and again moved from their homes, settling on -the Fox River, near Ottawa, Ill. Here, when fourteen years of age, I -first heard the gospel, and at once believed in the divine mission of -the prophet Joseph; but on account of the opposition of relatives, was -prevented joining the church until four years later. - -"In the spring of 1849 I left mother and home and joined a company who -were preparing to leave for the valley. On our way to Council Bluffs -I was attacked with cholera. But there was a young gentleman in the -company by the name of Canute Peterson, who, after a season of secret -prayer in my behalf, came and placed his hands upon my head, and I -was instantly healed. Two weeks after our arrival at the Bluffs I was -married to him. We joined Ezra T. Benson's company, and arrived in -Salt Lake City on the 25th of October, and spent the winter following -in the 'Old Fort.' In 1851 we removed to Dry Creek, afterwards called -Lehi. My husband was among the very first to survey land and take up -claims there. In 1852 he was sent on mission to Norway. During the four -years he was absent I supported myself and the two children. In 1856 -he returned, much broken in health because of his arduous labor and -exposure in the rigorous climate of that country. - -"In the fall of 1857 my husband added another wife to his family; but -I can truly say that he did not do so without my consent, nor with -any other motive than to serve his God. I felt it our duty to obey -the commandment revealed through the prophet Joseph, hence, although -I felt it to be quite a sacrifice, I encouraged him in so doing. -Although not so very well supplied with houseroom, the second wife -and I lived together in harmony and peace. I felt it a pleasure to -be in her company, and even to nurse and take care of her children, -and she felt the same way toward me and my children. A few years -afterwards my husband married another wife, but also with the consent -and encouragement of his family. This did not disturb the peaceful -relations of our home, but the same kind feelings were entertained by -each member of the family to one another. We have now lived in polygamy -twenty years, have eaten at the same table and raised our children -together, and have never been separated, nor have we ever wished to be." - -Mrs. Peterson is the present very efficient President of the Relief -Society at Ephraim, which up to date has disbursed over eleven thousand -dollars. - --- - -Here will also properly appear a short sketch of Bishop Hickenlooper's -wife Ann, who made her way to Zion with the famous hand-cart company, -under Captain Edmund Ellsworth. She had left home and friends in -England in 1856, coming to Council Bluffs with the regular emigration -of that year, and continuing her journey with the hand-cart company, as -before stated From her journal we quote: - -"After traveling fourteen weeks we arrived in the near vicinity of Salt -Lake City, where President Young and other church leaders, with a brass -band and a company of military, met and escorted us into the city. As -we entered, and passed on to the public square in the 16th Ward, the -streets were thronged with thousands of people gazing upon the scene. -President Young called on the bishops and people to bring us food. In a -short time we could see loads of provisions coming to our encampment. -After partaking of refreshments our company began to melt away, by -being taken to the homes of friends who had provided for them. I began -to feel very lonely, not knowing a single person in the country, and -having no relatives to welcome me. I felt indeed that I was a stranger -in a strange land. Presently, however, it was arranged that I should -go to live with Mr. Hickenlooper's people, he being bishop of the 6th -Ward. After becoming acquainted with the family, to whom I became much -attached, his first wife invited me to come into the family as the -bishop's third wife, which invitation, after mature consideration, I -accepted. - -"I am now the mother of five children, and for twenty years have lived -in the same house with the rest of the family, and have eaten at the -same table. My husband was in Nauvoo in the days of the prophet Joseph, -and moved with the saints from winter quarters to this city, where he -has been bishop of the 6th Ward twenty-nine years, and of the 5th and -6th Wards fifteen years." - --- - -Several of the sisters who first received the gospel in England and -emigrated to Nauvoo during the lifetime of the prophet, claim historic -mention. Ruth Moon, wife of William Clayton (who during the last days -of Joseph became famous as his scribe), was among the first fruits of -the British mission. With her husband she sailed in the first organized -company of emigrant saints on board the _North America_. Here are a few -items worth preserving, from her diary of that voyage: - - "Friday, Sept. 4, 1840.--Bid good-bye to Penwortham, and all - started by rail to Liverpool, where we arrived about 5 o'clock, and - immediately went on board the packet-ship _North America_, Captain - Loeber, then lying in Prince's dock. - - "Tuesday, Sept. 8.--At eight o'clock the ship left the dock; was - towed out into the river Mersey, and set sail for New York. On - getting into the English Channel we were met by strong head-winds, - which soon increased to a gale, compelling the ship to change her - course and sail around the north coast of Ireland. The decks were - battened down three days and nights. During the gale four of the - principal sails were blown away, and the ship otherwise roughly - used. - - "Saturday, Sept. 12.--The storm having abated, we had a very - pleasant view of the north part of Ireland, farms and houses being - in plain sight. - - "Tuesday, Sept. 22.--About eleven o'clock the company was startled - by the ominous cry of the shief mate, 'All hands on deck, and - buckets with water.' The ship had taken fire under the cook's - galley. The deck was burned through, fire dropping on the berths - underneath. It was soon extinguished without serious damage having - been done. - - "Sunday, Oct. 11.--Arrived in New York." - -They journeyed thence by steamer up the Hudson river to Albany; by -canal from Albany to Buffalo; by steamer thence to Chicago; and by -flat-boat down the Rock river to Nauvoo, where they arrived Nov. 24th. - --- - -Elizabeth Birch, who was born in Lancashire, England, in 1810, was a -widow with four children when she first heard the gospel, which was -brought to Preston, by the American elders, in 1837. The new religion -created great excitement in that section, and people often walked ten -miles and more to hear the elders preach. She was baptized at Preston, -on the 24th of Dec., 1838. In 1841 she sailed in the ship _Sheffield_ -for New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi river in the second -company of saints that sailed for America. In the fall of that year she -was married to Mr. Birch. Her husband being one of those designated -to help finish the temple at Nauvoo they were in the city during the -famous battle of Nauvoo. Her recollections of that perilous event are -very vivid. During the fight one of the sisters brought into her house -a cannon-ball which she had picked up, just from the enemy's battery. -It was too hot to be handled. They reached the valley in 1850. - -Concerning polygamy, she says: "In 1858, my husband having become -convinced that the doctrine of celestial marriage and plurality of -wives was true, instructed me in regard to it; and becoming entirely, -satisfied that the principle is not only true, but that it is -commanded, I gave my consent to his taking another wife, by whom he -had one daughter; and again in 1860 I consented to his taking another -one, by whom he had a large family of children. These children we have -raised together, and I love them as if they were my own. Our husband -has been dead two years, but we still live together in peace, and each -contributes to the utmost for the support of the family." - --- - -Lucy Clayton, wife of Elder Thomas Bullock, was the first of the saints -to enter Carthage jail after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. She -tells a graphic tale of the excitement of the people of Carthage on -that occasion--how they fled, panic-stricken, from their homes, led by -Governor Ford, thinking that the people of Nauvoo would wreak vengeance -upon them for the murder that had been committed in their midst. She -was also among the remnant of the sick and dying saints on the banks of -the Mississippi, after the expulsion, when they were miraculously fed -by quails that alighted in their midst. This is an often-told wonder, -and is classed with the immortal episode of the children of Israel, fed -by quails in the wilderness. - --- - -The wife of Thomas Smith is also entitled to historic mention. Her -husband, in the early days of the British mission, made a great stir -in England, as a Mormon elder, and she was with him in his ministry. -He bore the euphonious epithet of "Rough Tom." Having both the genius -and fame of an iconoclast, he disputed, on the platform, with the same -sectarian champions who met the great infidels Holyoke, Barker and -Bradlaugh. His career as a Mormon elder was quite a romance, and in -all its scenes his wife, Sister Sarah, was a participant, though she -was as gentle in spirit as he was bold and innovative. A famous career -was theirs, and the spiritual power and signs that followed them were -astonishing. He was full of prophesy, and she spake in tongues. He also -cast out devils by the legion. The spirits, good and bad, followed him -everywhere. It is of those thrilling scenes that his widow now loves to -speak, as a testimony of the power of God, and of the signs following -the believer. No sister from the old country could be chosen as a -better witness of the spiritual potency of Mormonism than Sister Sarah -Smith Wheeler. - --- - -Sister I. S. Winnerholm, from Denmark, was brought into the church, -in Copenhagen, through a series of spiritual experiences of unusual -power and interest; and, throughout her entire life since, she has -been remarkably gifted with the power of healing, the interpretation -of tongues, etc. Concerning the gift of tongues, she testifies that at -a ward meeting in Salt Lake City she heard a lady manifest the gift by -speaking in the dialect of Lapland, which she was fully competent to -translate, being conversant with that dialect, and which the lady in -question positively knew nothing about, as she had never seen a person -from that country. Sister Winnerholm has been a resident of Salt Lake -City since 1862, and a member of the church since 1853. - --- - -As a representative from Scotland, Sister Elizabeth Duncanson, who is -one of "Zion's nurses," may be mentioned. A remarkable incident of her -life is the fact that at about the identical moment of the martyrdom of -Joseph and Hyrum Smith, she, in her home in Scotland, saw the entire -tragedy in a dream. She told the dream to her husband at the time (both -of them were members of the church), and they were much dispirited with -their forebodings concerning it. In about six weeks, by due course of -mail, the tidings reached them. Herself and husband reached Utah in -1855, and in that same year she was ordained, by President Young, to -the office of nurse, which she has since most acceptably and skillfully -filled. - --- - -Another sister from Scotland, Sister Mary Meiklejohn, since 1856 a -resident of Tooele City, and also one of "Zion's nurses," shall here -be mentioned. While residing in Bonhill, Scotland, herself and husband -were baptized into the Mormon Church by Elder Robert Hamilton. Her -husband at once became active in the work of spreading the gospel, -and was soon the recipient of the benefits of the gift of healing, to -a remarkable degree. By an accident one of his feet was crushed and -terribly lacerated by being caught in a steam engine. The physicians -determined that the foot must be amputated in order to save his life; -but the elders thought differently, and after administering to him, -they called a fast, for his benefit, among all the branches in the -neighborhood, and the presiding elder prophesied that he should so -completely recover the use of his foot as to dance on it many times in -Zion. This has been literally fulfilled. Mrs. Meiklejohn is the very -acceptable President of the Tooele Relief Society, which position she -has held since its organization in 1870. - --- - -It is also noteworthy that among the sisters is Mrs. Josephine -Ursenbach, once a Russian Countess. With the instincts of her rank, she -took it upon her to officiate for many of her aristocratic compeers -of Europe, in the beautiful ordinance of baptism for the dead. The -Empress Josephine and Napoleon's wife, Louisa of Austria, were among -the number. Also Elizabeth of England. - --- - -The reader will have noticed in the sketches of the sisters, both -American and foreign, frequent mention of the "gift of tongues." This -seems to have been markedly the woman's gift. One of the first who -manifested it approvedly was Mother Whitney. She was commanded by the -prophet Joseph to rise and sing in the gift of tongues in the early -days of Kirtland. She did so, and Joseph pronounced it the "Adamic -tongue," or the language spoken by Adam. Parley P. Pratt afterwards -gave a written interpretation of it. It was a story, in verse, of Adam -blessing his family in "Adam-Ondi-Ahman"--the Garden of Eden in America. - -As an instance in which the gift of tongues proved of decidedly -practical value, we transcribe the following incident, which occurred -near Council Bluffs, in the history of a girl of seventeen by the name -of Jane Grover (afterwards Mrs. Stewart), from her journal: - -"One morning we thought we would go and gather gooseberries. Father -Tanner (as we familiarly called the good, patriarchal Elder Nathan -Tanner), harnessed a span of horses to a light wagon, and, with two -sisters by the name of Lyman, his little granddaughter, and me, started -out. When we reached the woods we told the old gentleman to go to a -house in sight and rest himself while we picked the berries. - -"It was not long before the little girl and I strayed some distance -from the rest, when suddenly we heard shouts. The little girl thought -it was her grandfather, and was about to answer, but I restrained her, -thinking it might be Indians. We walked forward until within sight of -Father Tanner, when we saw he was running his team around. We thought -nothing strange at first, but as we approached we saw Indians gathering -around the wagon, whooping and yelling as others came and joined them. -We got into the wagon to start when four of the Indians took hold of -the wagon-wheels to stop the wagon, and two others held the horses by -the bits, and another came to take me out of the wagon. I then began to -be afraid as well as vexed, and asked Father Tanner to let me get out -of the wagon and run for assistance. He said, 'No, poor child; it is -too late!' I told him they should not take me alive. His face was as -white as a sheet. The Indians had commenced to strip him--had taken his -watch and handkerchief--and while stripping him, were trying to pull -me out of the wagon. I began silently to appeal to my Heavenly Father. -While praying and struggling, the spirit of the Almighty fell upon me -and I arose with great power; and no tongue can tell my feelings. I -was happy as I could be. A few moments before I saw worse than death -staring me in the face, and now my hand was raised by the power of -God, and I talked to those Indians in their own language. They let go -the horses and wagon, and all stood in front of me while I talked to -them by the power of God. They bowed their heads and answered 'Yes,' -in a way that made me know what they meant. The little girl and Father -Tanner looked on in speechless amazement. I realized our situation; -their calculation was to kill Father Tanner, burn the wagon, and take -us women prisoners. This was plainly shown me. When I stopped talking -they shook hands with all three of us, and returned all they had taken -from Father Tanner, who gave them back the handkerchief, and I gave -them berries and crackers. By this time the other two women came up, -and we hastened home. - -"The Lord gave me a portion of the interpretation of what I had said, -which was as follows: - -"'I suppose you Indian warriors think you are going to kill us? Don't -you know the Great Spirit is watching you and knows everything in your -heart? We have come out here to gather some of our father's fruit. We -have not come to injure you; and if you harm us, or injure one hair of -our heads, the Great Spirit shall smite you to the earth, and you shall -not have power to breathe another breath. We have been driven from our -homes, and so have you; we have come out here to do you good, and not -to injure you. We are the Lord's people and so are you; but you must -cease your murders and wickedness; the Lord is displeased with it and -will not prosper you if you continue in it. You think you own all this -land, this timber, this water, all the horses: Why, you do not own one -thing on earth, not even the air you breathe--it all belongs to the -Great Spirit.'" - --- - -Of similar import, and fraught with similar incidents as the preceding, -are the testimonies of Mercy R. Thompson, sister of Mary Fielding; -Mrs. Janet Young, of South Cottonwood; Elizabeth S. Higgs, of Salt -Lake City; Ann Gillott Morgan, of Milk Creek, originally from England; -Zina Pugh Bishop, for twenty-eight years a member of the church; Anna -Wilson, of Taylorsville, originally from Sweden; Mary C. Smith, a -sister from Wales; Elizabeth Lane Hyde, a sister from South Wales; -Sister M. Bingham, an aged saint from England; Sister Mary T. Bennson, -of Taylorsville, for thirty-two years a member of the church; Mrs. -Isabella Pratt Walton, of Mill Creek; Mrs. Margaret Pratt, from -Scotland; and many more, concerning whom a faithful record might -profitably be made. - - - -CHAPTER XLIX. - -THE MESSAGE TO JERUSALEM--THE ANCIENT TONES OF MORMONISM--THE MORMON -HIGH PRIESTESS IN THE HOLY LAND--ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES--OFFICIATING -FOR THE ROYAL HOUSE OF JUDAH. - - "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye - comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is - accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received - double for all her sins. * * * O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, - get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem that bringest - good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not - afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!" - -Themes to this day not understood by the Gentiles! Incomprehensible to -the divines of Christendom! - -The everlasting perpetuation of a chosen race--a diviner monument in -its dispersion and preservation than in its national antiquity. Its -restoration to more than its ancient empire, and the rebuilding of -Jerusalem, with Jehovah exalted in his chosen people as the Lord God -Omnipotent, is the vast subject of the prophetic Hebrews. - -It was such a theme that inspired the genius of grand Isaiah, swelling -into the exultation of millennial jubilee for Israel, in his great -declamatory of "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God!" - -Gentile Christendom has never been _en rapport_ with the Abrahamic -subject. It has not incarnated its genius. It is destitute of the very -sense to appreciate the theme of Jerusalem rebuilt. - -Israelitish Mormondom does understand that subject. It has fully -incarnated its genius. It has, not only the prophetic sense to -appreciate the theme of Old Jerusalem rebuilt, but also the rising of -the New Jerusalem of the last days, whose interpreted symbol shall be, -"The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!" - -The divines of a Romish Christianity--Romish, notwithstanding its -sectarian protestantism--have worn threadbare the New Testament; but -the epic soul of the old Hebrew Bible has never possessed Gentile -Christendom. To it, the prophesies and sublimities of Isaiah, and the -everlasting vastness of the Abrahamic covenant and promise, are all, at -best, but as glorious echoes from the vaults of dead and long buried -ages. - -Who has blown the trump of this Hebraic resurrection? One only--the -prophet of Mormondom! - -The Mormons are, as it were, clothing that soul with flesh--giving the -themes of that everlasting epic forms and types. Their Israelitish -action has made the very age palpitate. They render the "Comfort ye, -comfort ye my people, saith your God!" as literally as did they the -command of their prophet to preach the gospel to the British Isles, and -gather the saints from that land. - -The thread of history leads us directly to a significant episode in -the life of Eliza R. Snow, a prophetess and high priestess of Hebraic -Mormondom, in which the "Comfort ye my people" became embodied in an -actual mission to Jerusalem. - -Very familiar to the Mormons is the fact that, at the period when -Joseph sent the Twelve to foreign lands, two of their number, Orson -Hyde and John E. Page, were appointed on mission to Jerusalem. The -Apostle Page failed to fulfill his call, and ultimately apostatized; -but Orson Hyde honored the voice that oracled the restoration of -Israel, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He did not preach to Judah -in the ordinary way, but on the Mount of Olives he reconsecrated the -land, and uttered to the listening heavens a command for the Jews to -gather and rebuild the waste places. It was as the refrain of the -invisible fathers, concerning Israel's redemption, rising from the -hearts of their Mormon children. And that mission of Orson Hyde was but -a prophesy, to the sons of Judah, of coming events. Other missions were -ordained, as it were, to psychologize the age into listening to the -voice of Judah's comforter. - -A few years since, the second mission to Jerusalem was accomplished. -On the Mount of Olives this time stood also a woman--to take part in -the second consecration! A woman's inspired voice to swell the divine -command for Israel to gather and become again the favored nation--the -crown of empires. - -The journal of Sister Eliza thus opens this episode of her life: - -"On the 26th of October, 1872, I started on the mission to Palestine. -When I realized that I was indeed going to Jerusalem, in fulfillment -of a prediction of the prophet Joseph that I should visit that antique -city, uttered nearly thirty years before, and which had not only fled -my anticipations, but had, for years, gone from memory, I was filled -with astonishment." - -The Jerusalem missionaries were President Geo. A. Smith, Lorenzo Snow, -his sister Eliza R. Snow, and Paul A. Schettler, their secretary, -accompanied by several tourists. The following commission, given to -President Smith, stamps the apostolic character of this peculiar -mission, and connects it with the former one, sent by the prophet -Joseph, in the person of Orson Hyde, thirty-two years before: - - "SALT LAKE CITY, U. T., - - "October 15, 1872. - - "PRESIDENT G. A. SMITH: - - "_Dear Brother_: As you are about to start on an extensive tour - through Europe and Asia Minor, where you will doubtless be brought - in contact with men of position and influence in society, we desire - that you closely observe what openings now exist, or where they may - be effected, for the introduction of the gospel into the various - countries you shall visit. - - "When you go to the land of Palestine, we wish you to dedicate - and consecrate that land to the Lord, that it may be blessed with - fruitfulness preparatory to the return of the Jews in fulfillment - of prophesy and the accomplishment of the purposes of our Heavenly - Father. - - "We pray that you may be preserved to travel in peace and safety; - that you may be abundantly blessed with words of wisdom and free - utterance in all your conversations pertaining to the holy gospel, - dispelling prejudice and sowing seeds of righteousness among the - people. - - "BRIGHAM YOUNG, - - "DANIEL H. WELLS." - -Joseph had also predicted that, ere his mortal career closed, "George -A." should see the Holy Land. In the fulfillment of this he may -therefore be considered as the proxy of his great cousin; while Sister -Eliza, who, it will be remembered, was declared by the prophet to be -of the royal seed of Judah, may be considered as a high priestess -officiating for her sacred race. - -Away to the East--the cradle of empires--to bless the land where Judah -shall become again a nation, clothed with more than the splendor of the -days of Solomon. - -Uniting at New York, the company, on the 6th of November, sailed on -board the steamer _Minnesota_. Arriving in London, they visited some of -the historic places of that great city, and then embarked for Holland. -From place to place on the continent they went, visiting the famous -cities, stopping a day to view the battle-field of Waterloo, then -resting a day or two at Paris. At Versailles they were received with -honor by President Theirs, in their peculiar character as missionaries -to Jerusalem. Thence back to Paris; from Paris to Marseilles; then -to Nice, where they ate Christmas dinner; thence to San Reno, Italy; -to Genoa, Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome. At Rome Sister Eliza -passed her seventieth birthday, visiting the famous places of that -classic city. On the 6th of February, 1873, the apostolic tourists -reached Alexandria, Egypt; and at length they approached Jerusalem--the -monument of the past, the prophesy of the future! They encamped in the -"Valley of Hinnom." Here Sister Eliza writes: - - "Sunday morning, March 2d, President Smith made arrangements with - out dragoman, and had a tent, table, seats, and carpet taken - up on the Mount of Olives, to which all the brethren of the - company and myself repaired on horseback. After dismounting on - the summit, and committing our animals to the care of servants, - we visited the Church of Ascension, a small cathedral, said to - stand on the spot from which Jesus ascended. By this time the tent - was prepared, which we entered, and after an opening prayer by - Brother Carrington, we united in the order of the holy priesthood, - President Smith leading in humble, fervent supplications, - dedicating the land of Palestine for the gathering of the Jews - and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and returned heartfelt thanks - and gratitude to God for the fullness of the gospel and the - blessings bestowed on the Latter-day Saints. Other brethren led in - turn, and we had a very interesting season; to me it seemed the - crowning point of the whole tour, realizing as I did that we were - worshipping on the summit of the sacred mount, once the frequent - resort of the Prince of Life." - -This the literal record; but what the symbolical? - -A prophesy of Israel's restoration! A sign of the renewal of Jehovah's -covenant to the ancient people! The "comfort ye" to Jerusalem! Zion, -from the West, come to the Zion of the East, to ordain her with a -present destiny! A New Jerusalem crying to the Old Jerusalem, "Lift up -thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities -of Judah, behold your God!" - -Woman on the Mount of Olives, in her character of prophetess and high -priestess of the temple! A daughter of David officiating for her -Father's house! - -Surely the subject is unique, view this extraordinary scene as we -may--either as a romantic episode of Mormonism, or as a real and -beautiful prelude to Jerusalem redeemed. - -At the Sea of Gallilee the Hebraic muse of Sister Eliza thus expressed -the rapture awakened by the scenes of the sacred land: - - "I have stood on the shore of the beautiful sea-- - The renowned and immortalized Gallilee-- - When 'twas wrapped in repose, at eventide, - Like a royal queen in her conscious pride. - - "No sound was astir--not a murmuring wave-- - Not a motion was seen, but the tremulous lave-- - A gentle heave of the water's crest-- - As the infant breathes on a mother's breast. - - "I thought of the past and present; it seemed - That the silent sea with instruction teemed; - For often, indeed, the heart can hear - What never, in sound, has approached the ear. - - "There's a depth in the soul that's beyond the reach - Of all earthly sound--of all human speech; - A fiber, too pure and sacred, to chime - With the cold, dull music of earth and time." - - * * * * * * * - -On their way home our tourists visited Athens. Everywhere, going and -returning, they were honored. Even princes and prime ministers took -a peculiar interest in this extraordinary embassy of Mormon Israel. -Evidently all were struck by its unique character. - -Recrossing the Atlantic, they returned to their mountain home; thus -accomplishing one of the most singular and romantic religious missions -on record. - - - -CHAPTER L. - -WOMAN'S POSITION IN THE MORMON CHURCH--GRAND FEMALE ORGANIZATION OF -MORMONDOM--THE RELIEF SOCIETY--ITS INCEPTION AT NAUVOO--ITS PRESENT -STATUS, AIMS, AND METHODS--FIRST SOCIETY BUILDING--A WOMAN LAYS THE -CORNER STONE--DISTINGUISHED WOMEN OF THE VARIOUS SOCIETIES. - -The Mormon women, as well as men, hold the priesthood. To all that man -attains, in celestial exaltation and glory, woman attains. She is his -partner in estate and office. - -John the Revelator thus tells the story of the Church of the First -Born, in the New Jerusalem, which shall come down out of heaven: - - "And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the - book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast - redeemed us unto God, by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue - and nation: - - "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall - reign on the earth." - -Joseph the Revelator has given a grand supplement to this. He also saw -that vast assembly of the New Jerusalem, and heard that song. There was -the blessed woman-half of that redeemed throng. The sisters sang unto -the honor of the Lamb: - - "And thou hast made us unto our God queens and priestesses: and we - shall reign on the earth!" - -"But this is lowering the theme," says the Gentile Christian; "the -theme descends from man--the paragon of excellence--to woman. Enough -that she should be implied--her identity and glory absorbed in man's -august splendor! Enough, that, for man, woman was created. - -Not so the grand economy of Mormonism. In the Mormon temple, woman is -not merely implied, but well defined and named. There the theme of the -song of the New Jerusalem is faithfully rendered in her personality. -If man is anointed priest unto God, woman is anointed priestess; if -symboled in his heavenly estate as king, she is also symboled as queen. - -Gentile publishers, making a sensational convenience of apostate -sisters, have turned this to the popular amusement; but to the faithful -Mormon woman it is a very sacred and exalted subject. - -But not presuming to more than cross the threshold of the temple, -return we now to the Mormon woman in her social sphere and dignity. The -grand organization of fifty thousand Mormon women, under the name of -"Relief Societies," will sufficiently illustrate woman in the Mormon -economy. - -The Female Relief Society was organized by the prophet Joseph, at -Nauvoo. Here is a minute from his own history: - - "Thursday, March 24.--I attended by request the Female Relief - Society, whose object is, the relief of the poor, the destitute, - the widow, and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent - purposes. Its organization was completed this day. Mrs. Emma Smith - takes the presidential chair; Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Whitney and - Mrs. Sarah M. Cleveland are her councilors; Miss Elvira Cole is - treasuress, and our well-known and talented poetess, Miss Eliza R. - Snow, secretary. * * * * Our ladies have always been signalized for - their acts of benevolence and kindness; but the cruel usage that - they have received from the barbarians of Missouri, has hitherto - prevented their extending the hand of charity in a conspicuous - manner." - -On another occasion he says: - - "I met the members of the Female Relief Society, and after - presiding at the admission of many new members, gave a lecture on - the priesthood, showing how the sisters would come in possession of - the privileges, blessings, and gifts of the priesthood, and that - the signs should follow them, such as healing the sick, casting out - devils, etc., and that they might attain unto these blessings by a - virtuous life, and conversation, and diligence in keeping all the - commandments." - -But it is in Utah that we see the growth of this society to a vast -woman's organization: an organization which will greatly influence the -destiny of Utah, religiously, socially and politically, for the next -century, and, presumably, for all time. - -From 1846, the time of the exodus from Nauvoo, the Relief Society was -inoperative until 1855, when it was re-organized in Salt Lake City. - -It is a self-governing body, without a written constitution; but is -thoroughly organized, and parliamentary in its proceedings. Each branch -adopts measures, makes arrangements, appointments, etc., independently -of others. Because of these organizations, Utah has no "poor-houses." -Under the kind and sisterly policy of this society the worthy poor feel -much less humiliated, and are better supplied, than by any almshouse -system extant. By an admirable arrangement, under the form of visiting -committees, with well-defined duties, the deserving subjects of charity -are seldom, if ever, neglected or overlooked. - -Since its revival in Salt Lake City, the society has extended, in -branches, from ward to ward of the cities, and from settlement to -settlement, in the country, until it numbers considerably over two -hundred branches; and, as new settlements are constantly being formed, -the number of branches is constantly increasing. - -The funds of the society are mostly donations; but many branches have -started various industries, from which they realize moderate incomes. -Besides stated business meetings each branch has set days on which to -work for the benefit of the poor. When the society commenced its labors -in Salt Lake City, these industrial meetings would have reminded the -observer of the Israelites in Egypt, making "bricks without straw"--the -donations consisting of materials for patch-work quilts, rag-carpets, -uncarded wool for socks and stockings, etc. (In one well-authenticated -instance the hair from slaughtered beeves was gathered, carded--by -hand of course, as there were no carding machines in the city at -that time--spun, and knit into socks and mittens.) These industrial -meetings, to this day, are very interesting, from the varieties of work -thus brought into close fellowship. - -As fast as may be, the various branches are building for themselves -places of meeting, workshops, etc. The first of these buildings was -erected by the ladies of the Fifteenth Ward of Salt Lake City. They -commenced their labors as above, their first capital stock being -donations of pieces for patch-work quilts, carpet-rags, etc. By energy -and perseverance, they have sustained their poor, and, in a few years, -purchased land and built on it a commodious house. - -It should be recorded, as unique in history, that the laying of the -corner-stone of this building was performed by the ladies. This -ceremony, being unostentatiously performed, was followed by appropriate -speechmaking on the part of the presiding officer of the society, Mrs. -S. M. Kimball, Eliza R. Snow, and others; each in turn mounting the -corner-stone for a rostrum, and each winning deserved applause from the -assembled thousands. - -No greater tribute could be paid to the ladies of this organization, -than the simple statement of the fact that, since its re-establishment, -in 1855, the Relief Society has gathered and disbursed over one hundred -thousand dollars! - --- - -Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball, who, as President of the Fifteenth Ward Society, -sustained the honors of the above occasion, belonged to the original -Relief Society in Nauvoo. As elsewhere recorded, she also presided at -the grand mass-meeting of the sisters, in Salt Lake City, in 1870, -and has repeatedly appeared as a speaker of talent, and as a leader -among the women of Utah. Her favorite theme is female suffrage; but -she abounds with other progressive ideas, and is a lady of decided -character. Her history as a Mormon dates from the earliest rise of the -church. - --- - -Mrs. Mary I. Horne, frequently mentioned elsewhere, is the President -of the "General Retrenchment Society" of Salt Lake City. (It should be -explained that these are auxiliary to the relief societies, and are -more especially designed for the organization of the young ladies of -Utah.) She is also President of the Fourteenth Ward Relief Society, -where frequently the sisters hold something like general conventions of -the societies of the city. She may be said to rank, as an organizer, -next to President Eliza R. Snow. - --- - -Among those who have earned honorable mention, as presidents of relief -societies, and leading officers in the more important movements of the -sisters, may be mentioned Sisters Rachel Grant, Agnes Taylor Swartz, -Maria Wilcox, Minerva, one of the wives of Erastus Snow, of Southern -Utah; Agatha Pratt, Julia Pack, Anna Ivins, Sarah Church, Sister -Barney, once a missionary to the Sandwich Islands, and now an active -woman at home; Elizabeth Goddard, Hannah Pierce, Rebecca Jones, Jane C. -Richardson, Elmira Taylor, Leonora Snow Morley, sister to Lorenzo and -Eliza R. Snow: she presided at Brigham City, until her recent death; -Mary Ferguson, Sisters Evans, of Lehi; Sister Ezra Benson, Rebecca -Wareham, Ruth Tyler, Sisters Hunter, Hardy, and Burton, wives of the -presiding bishops; Sister Chase, Sister Lever, Sarah Groo, Sister -Layton, wife of Bishop Layton of the battalion; Sister Reed, Mary Ann, -one of the wives of Apostle O. Hyde; Sarah Peterson, Ann Bringhurst, -Ann Bryant, Helena Madson, M. J. Atwood, Sister Wilde, Caroline -Callister, Emma Brown, wife of the man who did the first plowing in the -valley, Nancy Wall, founder of Wallsburg; Elizabeth Stickney, Margaret -McCullough, Amy Bigler, Elizabeth Brown, Ellen Whiton, P. S. Hart, Ann -Tate, Anna Brown, Martha Simons, Jane Simons, Margaret P. Young, M. A. -Hubbard, Agnes Douglas, Jane Cahoon, Mary McAllister, Sister Albertson, -Pres. in Bear River City; Mary Dewey, M. A. Hardy, Ann Goldsbrough, -Mrs. Sarah Williams, and Miss Emily Williams, of Canton, Ill.; Jane -Bailey, Jane Bradley, Elizabeth Boyes, Jane M. Howell, D. E. Dudley, -Mary Ann Hazon, Mahala Higgins, Jenet Sharp, Lulu Sharp, Jane Price, -Ann Daniels, Harriet Burnham, M. C. Morrison, Nellie Hartley, M. A. -P. Hyde, Elizabeth Park, Margaret Randall, Elizabeth Wadoup, M. A. -Pritchett, M. A. P. Marshall, Sarah S. Taylor, Mary Hutchins, Emily -Shirtluff, A. E. H. Hanson, M. J. Crosby, Cordelia Carter, Sarah B. -Gibson, Harriet Hardy, Isabella G. Martin, M. A. Boise, Louisa Croshaw, -Orissa A. Aldred, Julia Lindsay, C. Liljenquist, Harriet A. Shaw, Ann -Lowe, Emma Porter, Mary E. Hall, Lydia Remington, Ellen C. Fuller, -Harriet E. Laney, Rebecca Marcham, A. L. Cox, Louisa Taylor, Agnes S. -Armstrong, M. A. Hubbard, Mary A. Hunter, M. A. House, Mary Griffin, -Jane Godfrey, Lydia Rich, E. E. C. Francis, Lydia Ann Wells, E. M. -Merrill, Mary A. Bingham, Hannah Child, M. A. Hardy, Fannie Slaughter, -Mary Walker, Ann Hughes, Marian Petersom, Mary Hanson, Aurelia S. -Rogers, A. M. Frodsham, Sophronia Martin. - -Among the presidents and officers of the Young Ladies' Retrenchment -Societies, should be mentioned Mary Freeze, Melissa Lee, Mary Pierce, -Clara Stenhouse Young, Sarah Howard, Mary Williams, Elizabeth Thomas, -Cornelia Clayton, Sarah Graham, Susannah E. Facer, Emily Richards, -Josephine West, Minnie Snow, May Wells, Emily Wells, Annie E. Wells, -Maggie J. Reese, Emily Maddison, Hattie Higginson, Mattie Paul, Sarah -Russell, Alice M. Rich, Mary E. Manghan, Margaret M. Spencer, Sarah -Jane Bullock, Alice M. Tucker, M. Josephine Mulet, M. J. Tanner, Sarah -Renshaw, Mary Ann Ward, Lizzie Hawkins, Mary Leaver, Amy Adams, Rebecca -Williams, Mary S. Burnham, Emmarett Brown, Mary A. P. Marshall. - --- - -Mrs. Bathsheba Smith, whose name has appeared elsewhere, is apostolic -in the movements of the sisterhood, and a priestess of the temple. -Mrs. Franklin D. Richards is the most prominent organizer outside of -the metropolis of Utah, having Ogden and Weber counties under her -direction. Sister Smoot leads at Provo. The silk industries are under -the direction of President Zina D. Young. Those sisters who have -been most energetic in promoting this important branch of industry, -which gives promise of becoming a financial success in Utah, have -already earned historic laurels. Of these are Sisters Dunyan, Robison, -Carter, Clark, Schettler, and Rockwood. Eliza R. Snow is president, -and Priscilla M. Staines vice-president, of the woman's co-operative -store, an enterprise designed to foster home manufactures. Thus are the -women of Mormondom putting the inchoate State of Deseret under the most -complete organization. - - - -CHAPTER LI. - -THE SISTERS AND THE MARRIAGE QUESTION--THE WOMEN OF UTAH -ENFRANCHISED--PASSAGE OF THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE BILL--A POLITICAL -CONTEST--THE FIRST WOMAN THAT VOTED IN UTAH. - -The women of Mormondom, and the marriage question! Two of the greatest -sensations of the age united! - -Here we meet the subject of woman, in two casts--not less Gentile than -Mormon. - -Marriage is the great question of the age. It is the woman's special -subject. Monogamic, or polygamic, it is essentially one problem. Either -phase is good, or bad, just as people choose to consider it, or just as -they are educated to view it. - -The Mormons have been, for a quarter of a century, openly affirming, -upon the authority of a new revelation and the establishment of a -distinctive institution, that Gentile monogamy is not good. But more -than this is in their history, their religion, and their social -examples. They have made marriage one of their greatest problems. And -they accept the patriarchal order of marriage, according to the Bible -examples, and the revelation of their prophet, as a proper solution. - -To Gentile Christians, monogamy is good, and polygamy barbarous. But -it is the old story of likes and dislikes, in which people so widely -differ. - -That the Mormons have been strictly logical, and strictly righteous, in -reviving the institutions of the Hebrew patriarchs, in their character -of a modern Israel, may be seen at a glance, by any just mind. What -sense in their claim to be the Israel of the last days had they not -followed the types and examples of Israel? If they have incarnated the -ancient Israelitish genius--and in that fact is the whole significance -of Mormonism--then has the age simply seen that genius naturally -manifested in the action of their lives. - -A monstrous absurdity, indeed, for Christendom to hold that the Bible -is divine and infallible, and at the same time to hold that a people is -barbaric for adoption of its faith and examples! Enough this, surely, -to justify the infidel in sweeping it away altogether. The Mormons and -the Bible stand or fall together. - -In view of this truth, it was a cunning move of the opposition to -attempt to take polygamy out of its theologic cast and give it a purely -sociologic solution, as in the effort of 1870, when it was proposed -by Congressman Julian, of Indiana, to enfranchise the women of Utah. -Brigham Young and the legislative body of Utah promptly accepted the -proposition, and a bill giving suffrage to the women of Utah was passed -by the Territorial Legislature, without a dissenting vote. - -Here is a copy of that remarkable instrument: - - AN ACT, _giving woman the elective franchise in the Territory of - Utah_. - - SEC. I. Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legislative Assembly - of the Territory of Utah, that every woman of the age of twenty-one - years, who has resided in this territory six months next preceding - any general or special election, born or naturalized in the - United States, or who is the wife, or widow, or the daughter of a - naturalized citizen of the United States, shall be entitled to vote - at any election in this territory. - - SEC. 2. All laws or parts of laws, conflicting with this act, are - hereby repealed. - - Approved Feb. 12, 1870. - -It may be said by the anti-Mormon that this bill was intended by -President Young to serve the purposes of his own mission rather than -to benefit the newly enfranchised class; but, as the issue will prove, -it was really an important step in the progress of reform. The women -of Utah have now in their own hands the power to absolutely rule their -own destiny; and this is more than can be said of the millions of their -Gentile sisters. - -The municipal election in Salt Lake City, which occurred but two days -after the approval of this bill, for the first time in Mormon history -presented a political home issue; but the new voting element was not -brought largely into requisition. Only a few of the sisters claimed the -honor of voting on that occasion. The first of these was Miss Seraph -Young, a niece of President Young, who thus immortalized herself. - -This grant of political power to the women of Utah is a sign of the -times. The fact cannot die that the Mormon people piloted the nation -westward; and, under the inspiration of the great impulses of the age, -they are destined to be the reformatory vanguard of the nation. - - - -CHAPTER LII. - -THE LIE OF THE ENEMY REFUTED--A VIEW OF THE WOMEN IN COUNCIL OVER -FEMALE SUFFRAGE--THE SISTERS KNOW THEIR POLITICAL POWER. - -It was charged, however, by the anti-Mormons, that woman suffrage in -Utah was only designed to further enslave the Mormon women; that they -took no part in its passage, and have had no soul in its exercise. -Nearly the reverse of this is the case, as the records, to follow, will -show. - -In the expositions of the Mormon religion, priesthood and genius, -which have been given, it has been seen that the women are, equally -with their prophets and apostles, the founders of their church and the -pillars of its institutions; the difference being only that the man is -first in the order, and the woman is his helpmate; or, more perfectly -expressed, "they twain are one," in the broadest and most exalted -sense. Hence, no sooner was suffrage granted to the Mormon women, than -they exercised it as a part of their religion, or as the performance -of woman's life duties, marked out for her in the economy of divine -providence. In this apostolic spirit, they took up the grant of -political power. Hence, also, in accordance with the fundamental Mormon -view of an essential partnership existing between the man and the -woman, "in all things," both in this world and in the world to come, -there grew up, as we have seen, in the days of Joseph the prophet, -female organizations, set apart and blessed for woman's ministry in -this life, to be extended into the "eternities." True, these women's -organizations have been known by the name of relief societies, but -their sphere extends to every department of woman's mission, and -they may be viewed as female suffrage societies in a female suffrage -movement, or society-mates of any masculine movement which might arise -to shape or control human affairs, religious, social or political. It -was this society that, as by the lifting of the finger, in a moment -aroused fifty thousand women in Utah, simultaneously to hold their -"indignation mass-meetings" throughout the territory, against the -Cullom bill. At that very moment the female suffrage bill was passed by -their Legislature, so that the exercise of their vote at the subsequent -election was a direct expression of their will upon the most vital of -all social questions--the marriage question. Here are the minutes of -a general meeting of this great Female Relief Society, held in Salt -Lake City, February 19, 1870--just seven days after the passage of -their bill, and two days before the exercise of the female vote at the -election: - - MINUTES.--Most of the wards of the city were represented. Miss E. - R. Snow was elected president, and Mrs. L. D. Alder secretary. - - Meeting opened with singing; prayer by Mrs. Harriet Cook Young. - - Miss Eliza R. Snow arose and said, to encourage the sisters in good - works, she would read an account of our indignation meeting, as it - appeared in the _Sacramento Union_; which account she thought a - very fair one. She also stated that an expression of gratitude was - due acting-Governor Mann, for signing the document granting woman - suffrage in Utah, for we could not have had the right without his - sanction, and said that Wyoming had passed a bill of this kind over - its Governor's head, but we could not have done this. - - The following names were unanimously selected to be a committee for - said purpose: Eliza R. Snow, Bathsheba W. Smith, Sarah M. Kimball, - M. T. Smoot, H. C. Young, N. D. Young, Phoebe Woodruff, M. I. - Horne, M. N. Hyde, Eliza Cannon, Rachel Grant, Amanda Smith. - - Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball said she had waited patiently a long time, - and now that we were granted the right of suffrage, she would - openly declare herself a woman's rights woman, and called upon - those who would do so to back her up, whereupon many manifested - their approval. She said her experience in life had been different - from that of many. She had moved in all grades of society; had been - both rich and poor; had always seen much good and intelligence in - woman. The interests of man and woman cannot be separated; for the - man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the - Lord. She spoke of the foolish custom which deprived the mother of - having control over her sons at a certain age; said she saw the - foreshadowing of a brighter day in this respect in the future. - She said she had entertained ideas that appeared wild, which she - thought would yet be considered woman's rights; spoke of the - remarks made by Brother Rockwood, lately, that women would have as - much prejudice to overcome, in occupying certain positions, as men - would in granting them, and concluded by declaring that woman was - the helpmate of man in every department of life. - - Mrs. Phoebe Woodruff said she was pleased with the reform, and was - heart and hand with her sisters. She was thankful for the privilege - that had been granted to women, but thought we must act in wisdom - and not go too fast. She had looked for this day for years. God has - opened the way for us. We have borne in patience, but the yoke on - woman is partly removed. Now that God has moved upon our brethren - to grant us the right of female suffrage, let us lay it by, and - wait till the time comes to use it, and not run headlong and abuse - the privilege. Great and blessed things are ahead. All is right and - will come out right, and woman will receive her reward in blessing - and honor. May God grant us strength to do right in his sight. - - Mrs. Bathsheba W. Smith said she felt pleased to be engaged in the - great work before them, and was heart and hand with her sisters. - She never felt better in her life, yet never felt more her own - weakness, in view of the greater responsibilities which now rested - upon them, nor ever felt so much the necessity of wisdom and light; - but she was determined to do her best. She believed that woman was - coming up in the world. She encouraged her sisters with the faith - that there was nothing required of them in the duties of life that - they could not perform. - - Mrs. Prescindia Kimball said: "I feel comforted and blessed this - day. I am glad to be numbered in moving forward in this reform; - feel to exercise double diligence and try to accomplish what is - required at our hands. We must all put our shoulder to the wheel - and go ahead. I am glad to see our daughters elevated with man, - and the time come when our votes will assist our leaders, and - redeem ourselves. Let us be humble, and triumph will be ours. The - day is approaching when woman shall be redeemed from the curse - placed upon Eve, and I have often thought that our daughters who - are in polygamy will be the first redeemed. Then let us keep the - commandments and attain to a fullness, and always bear in mind that - our children born in the priesthood will be saviors on Mount Zion." - - Mrs. Zina D. Young said she was glad to look upon such an - assemblage of bright and happy faces, and was gratified to be - numbered with the spirits who had taken tabernacles in this - dispensation, and to know that we are associated with kings and - priests of God; thought we do not realize our privileges. Be meek - and humble and do not move one step aside, but gain power over - ourselves. Angels will visit the earth, but are we, as handmaids of - the Lord, prepared to meet them? We live in the day that has been - looked down upon with great anxiety since the morn of creation. - - Mrs. M. T. Smoot said: "We are engaged in a great work, and the - principles that we have embraced are life and salvation unto us. - Many principles are advanced on which we are slow to act. There - are many more to be advanced. Woman's rights have been spoken of. - I have never had any desire for more rights than I have. I have - considered politics aside from the sphere of woman; but, as things - progress, I feel it is right that we should vote, though the path - may be fraught with difficulty." - - Mrs. Wilmarth East said she would bear testimony to what had been - said. She had found by experience that "obedience is better than - sacrifice." I desire to be on the safe side and sustain those above - us; but I cannot agree with Sister Smoot in regard to woman's - rights. I have never felt that woman had her privileges. I always - wanted a voice in the politics of the nation, as well as to rear - a family. I was much impressed when I read the poem composed by - Mrs. Emily Woodmanse--"Who Cares to Win a Woman's Thought." There - is a bright day coming; but we need more wisdom and humility than - ever before. My sisters, I am glad to be associated with you--those - who have borne the heat and burden of the day, and ask God to pour - blessings on your head. - - Eliza R. Snow, in closing, observed, that there was a business item - she wished to lay before the meeting, and suggested that Sister - Bathsheba W. Smith be appointed on a mission to preach retrenchment - all through the South, and woman's rights, if she wished. - - The suggestion was acted upon, and the meeting adjourned with - singing "Redeemer of Israel," and benediction by Mrs. M. N. Hyde. - -Let the reader be further told that, though this was a sort of a -convention of the great Relief Society of Utah, which can move fifty -thousand women in a moment, it was not a woman's suffrage meeting. It -was a gathering of the sisters for consideration of the retrenchment -of the table, and general domestic economy, the retrenchment societies -having been just inaugurated under the leadership of Sister Horne. -But, it will be seen that the meeting was changed to a woman's feast -of anticipations, and table-retrenchment met scarcely an incidental -reference that day; for the spirit of woman's future rested upon the -sisters, spoke with its "still, small voice," and pointed to the bright -looming star of woman's destiny. - -That these women will move wisely, and in the fear of God, is very -evident; nor will they use the tremendous power which they are -destined to hold to break up their church and destroy their faith in -the revelation of the "new and everlasting covenant," given through -the prophet Joseph Smith. Indeed, they will yet send their testimony -through the world, with ten thousand voices, confirmed by the potency -of the woman's vote, and flood the nation with their light. - -Congress need not fear to trust the woman's supreme question into the -safe keeping of fifty thousand God-fearing, self-sacrificing, reverent -women. In vain will the anti-Mormons and pretentious "regenerators" -look for these women to become revolutionary or impious. What they do -will be done in the name and fear of the Lord; yet, mark the prophesy -of one of their leaders: "The day is approaching when woman shall be -redeemed from the curse of Eve; and I have often thought that our -daughters who are in polygamy will be the first redeemed." - -Here is the curse: "In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and _thy -desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee_!" Woman -will be redeemed from that curse, as sure as the coming of to-morrow's -sun. No more, after this generation, shall civilized man _rule_ over -his mate, but "they twain shall be one;" and the sisters are looking -for that millennial day. These are the "wise virgins" of the church; -and their lamps are trimmed. - - - -CHAPTER LIII. - -MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SEEK TO DISFRANCHISE THE WOMEN OF UTAH--CLAGGETT'S -ASSAULT--THE WOMEN OF AMERICA COME TO THEIR AID--CHARLES SUMNER ABOUT -TO ESPOUSE THEIR CAUSE--DEATH PREVENTS THE GREAT STATESMAN'S DESIGN. - -But the enemies of the Mormons, at home and abroad, who have sought to -break up their religious institutions and turn their sacred relations -into unholy covenants, have, from the very hour of the grant of woman's -charter, also sought to take away from them female suffrage. And -perhaps they would have done so ere now, had not a million American -women been on the side of the Mormons, in this. Claggett of Montana, in -his attack upon the people of Utah, in the House of Representatives, -January 29th, 1873, gave to Congress a touch of the anti-Mormon -opposition to female suffrage in Utah. He said: - - "My friend from Utah [Hooper] goes on to say that Utah is a long - way in advance of the age in one respect; that female suffrage has - been adopted there. What was the reason for adopting that measure? - Was it because the peculiar institution of the territory recognizes - in any degree whatever, the elevation, purity, and sanctity of - women? No, sir. When the Union Pacific Railroad was completed, - and when the influx of miners and other outsiders began to come - into the territory, the chiefs of the Mormon hierarchy, fearing - that power would pass from their hands by the gradual change of - population, by adopting female suffrage trebled their voting power - by a stroke of their pen; and I am credibly informed upon the - authority of at least fifty men, that in practice in that territory - any child or woman, from twelve years old and upwards, that can - wear a yard of calico, exercises the prerogatives of a freeman, so - far as voting is concerned." - -The flippant remark of the delegate from Montana, that every Mormon -woman could exercise the prerogative of a freeman, called forth a burst -of laughter from the house; but it would have been more in keeping -with the great theme of woman's rights, had a hearty "Thank God!" rang -from the lips of those legislators who laughed in derision. Of course, -the gentleman's statement was an exaggeration; but what a story he has -unwittingly told of the power that has been committed to the hands of -the Mormon women? What an epic prophesy he gave of woman's destiny, -when he said, that from the age of twelve years they are trained in -Utah to exercise the freeman's prerogative. If this be so--and it is -near enough to the truth--and if the Mormon women have trebled the -power of the men by the grant of female suffrage, then already do they -hold not only their own destiny in their hands, but also the destiny -of the men. Their very husbands are depending upon them for grace and -salvation from their enemies, in spite of all their enemies' designs. -Do legislators for a moment foolishly fear that the Mormon women will -not discover this vast power which they hold, and discovering, wield it -almost as a manifest destiny? They have discovered it; and their future -movements will manifest it, to the astonishment of the whole civilized -world. Fifty to a hundred thousand women, who are henceforth in one -single State to be trained, from the age of twelve, to exercise the -political power of "freemen," cannot but be free, and can have nothing -less than a splendid future before them. - -Mr. Claggett blasphemed against the truth, when he said that there -was nothing in the Mormon religion that "recognized, in any degree -whatever, the elevation, purity and sanctity of woman." This is a -wicked outrage against the sisters, whose lives are stainless and -matchless records of purity, devotion and heroism. That devotion of -itself would elevate and enoble their characters; and, if Congress and -the American people believe them to be martyrs to their religion, then -their very martyrdom should sanctify them in the eyes of the nation. - -Moreover, woman suffrage is a charter not incompatible with the genius -of Mormonism, but in positive harmony therewith. The Mormon Church -is originally based upon the woman as well as upon the man. She is -with him a partner and priest, in all their religious institutions. -The sisters have also exercised the vote in the church for the last -forty-seven years, it being conferred with their membership. So female -suffrage grows out of the very genius and institutions of their church. - -Now the marriage question specially belongs to the women of the age, -and not to Congress; and the Mormon women must and will make the -country practically confess as much. They will do it by a movement -potent enough upon this question, if they have to stir all the -women of America to the issue. They are forced to this by their -supreme necessities--their honor, their duty, their love, their most -sacred relations. Their brothers, their husbands and their sons are -threatened with prisons, for that which their religion and the Bible -sanction--that Bible which Christendom for nearly two thousand years -has received as the word of God. If there be a radical fault, then is -the fault in their too substantial faith in that word. Surely there -can be no crime in a Bible faith, else Christendom had been under a -condemnation that eternity itself would not outlive. But the damnation -of Congress and the regenerators is to be visited upon the heads of -the innocent--for the shaping of the case is making the sisters in the -eye of the law dishonored women. The very spies and minions of the -court enter their marriage chamber--sacred among even barbarians--to -find the evidence for prosecution, or to drag them to the witness-box, -to testify against their husbands, or disown them to screen them from -punishment. Not in the history of civilization has there been such a -monstrous example before. Claggett has said, in Congress, of their -marriage, "That it tears the crown jewel from the diadem of woman's -purity, and takes from her the holy bond which honors her in all the -nations of the earth; which has elevated lechery to the dignity of a -religious dogma, and burns incense upon the altars of an unhallowed -lust; and above all, and as a crime against the future, which ages -of forgiveness cannot condone nor the waters of ocean wash out, -which yearly writes in letters that blister as they fall, the word -'bastard' across the branded brows of an army of little children. Such -an institution is not entitled by any right, either human or divine, -to hide the hideous deformity of its nakedness with the mantle of -religion, nor seek shelter under the protecting aegis of the civil -law." [Applause from Congress.] - -The women of Mormondom must force Claggett and Congress to take this -back. It is such as he who spoke, and they who applauded, who have -written "in letters that blister as they fall the word 'bastard' -across the branded brows of an army of little children," and the -mothers of those dear little branded ones must appeal to the wives -and mothers of America, to take that curse of "bastard" from their -innocent brows. They must ask those noble women everywhere in America, -who are earnestly battling for their own rights, and especially the -supreme right of woman to settle the marriage question; and the answer -to their mighty prayer shall come back to them from a million women, -throughout the land. The women of America, who lead the van of the new -civilization, shall cry to Congress and the nation in behalf of their -Mormon sisters, with voices that will not be hushed, till justice be -done. Indeed, already have they done this, so far as the suffrage is -concerned; and it is due to them alone, under Providence, that the -women of Utah have not been disfranchised. This is best brought home -to the reader by reference to the following, from the report of the -Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, read at the Opera House, -Detroit, Mich., October 13, 1874: - - "During the session of Congress we spent some time in the capital, - proposing to work for the enfranchisement of the women of the - District of Columbia and of the territories; but finding that - Congress was more likely to disfranchise the women who already - possessed this right, than to enfranchise others, our efforts were - used, as far as possible, to prevent this backward step. - - "Had we been a voter, we might have had less trouble to convince - some of our friends in this affair. - - "Several bills were introduced, anyone of which, if it became a - law, would have disfranchised the women of Utah. - - "The McKee bill had been referred to the House Committee on - Territories. While the subject was under discussion in the - committee, by invitation of the members, on two occasions, we - stated our views. One of the members, before the committee - convened, gave his reason for favoring the passage of the bill. - - "'The woman's vote sustains polygamy,' said he, 'and to destroy - that, I would take the right of suffrage from every woman in the - territory.' - - "'Would it do that?' we inquired. - - "'I think it would.' - - "'Did polygamy exist in the territory before the women voted?' - - "'Oh! yes.' - - "'Have they ever had the privilege of voting against it?' - - "'No; that has never been made an issue; but they voted to send a - polygamist to Congress.' - - "'Did any man vote for him?' - - "'Yes, more than eleven thousand men, and ten thousand women.' - - "'How many voted for the opposing candidate?' - - "'Something less than two thousand men and women together.' - - "'You intend to disfranchise the men who voted for this man?' we - asked. - - "'Oh! no.' - - "'Then the polygamist can still come to Congress by a majority of - five to one.' Though this was true, he seemed to think it very - wrong to disfranchise the men. - - "How many of the committee reasoned as this one did, we are unable - to say, but the majority wished to disfranchise the women, as - they returned the bill to the House with the obnoxious sections - unchanged. The friends of woman, by their honest work, prevented - action being taken on the bill, and perhaps saved the country the - disgrace of having done such a great wrong, which it could not - soon have undone. There was something more vital to the well-being - of the nation in this, than some of our legislators were willing - to admit. Had they passed this act they would probably have laid - the foundation for the ruin of the nation. If Congress has the - power to disfranchise one class, it undoubtedly has the power to - disfranchise another, and what freeman in such a case is secure in - his rights? - - "Similar bills were before the Senate and House Judiciary - Committees. - - "The question came: Where shall we look for help among those in - power? To the true, the trusted and the tried. To those of the - grandest intellect and the purest heart. To the friends of the weak - and the oppressed. Our appeal shall be made to the highest, to the - honorable and most honored Charles Sumner. He cordially granted - us a hearing. When we stated the object of our visit, he quietly - remarked, 'You have come to the wrong person. I have no influence - with these men.' - - "After talking some time on the subject, he said, 'I should - hesitate to take this right from any who now possess it. I will - go farther; I would be willing to grant it to those who have it - not.' He afterwards remarked, 'I shall investigate this matter - thoroughly.' - - "'The bill passed the Senate last year, and many good men voted for - it,' we said. - - "He kindly apologized for their action, in these words: 'They did - not fully realize the nature of the bill; they had not examined it - carefully.' - - "'Had it deprived them, or any class of men, of the right to vote, - would they have realized what it meant, and voted differently?' we - inquired. - - "'In that case they would doubtless have had sharp eyes to note all - its defects,' he answered, with a smile. 'I did not vote on it. I - was sick in bed at the time. Have you seen Mr. Frelinghuysen in - reference to this?' was the next inquiry. - - "'We have not. It seems useless. A man who would frame such a bill - would not be likely to change it.' - - "But we followed his advice, saw Mr. Frelinghuysen, Mr. Edmunds and - others. Mr. Frelinghuysen declared he would not change his bill - however much he might be abused. - - "Two days after we again met Mr. Sumner and stated the results of - our efforts. - - "In closing this second interview Mr. Sumner said, 'I will present - to the Senate any memorial or petition you may wish, and then refer - it to the Judiciary Committee. That is the best way to do.' - - "His farewell words were: 'Whether you succeed or not, I wish you - all well.' - - "Just three weeks from the day of our last conversation with Mr. - Sumner, his work on earth ceased, and the cause of justice lost - a grand friend. On the morning of February 20th we handed him a - suffrage memorial, which he presented to the Senate, requesting - that it be referred to the Judiciary Committee, which was almost - his last official act." - -The women of Utah were not disfranchised. Doubtless this was chiefly -owing to the searching and logical editorials of the _Woman's Journal_, -which placed the subject in its true light before the people, together -with the action of the advocates of woman suffrage in New England, -New York, Pennsylvania and other States. This was a grand victory for -woman suffrage. Miss Mary F. Eastman, in her report to the New York -Association, said: "When the bill, disfranchising the women of Utah, -came before Congress, our representatives were promptly petitioned to -use their influence against the measure." - -Thus it will be seen that the women of Mormondom and the women of -America have a common cause, in this all-vital marriage question, which -is destined to receive some very decided and peculiar solution before -the end of the century. And it must be equally certain that fifty -thousand God-fearing women, with the vote of "freemen"--as Mr. Claggett -has it--coming fairly out upon the national platform, in the great -issue, will give a toning to the marriage question, for which even -orthodox Christians, now so much their enemies, will heartily thank God. - - - -CHAPTER LIV. - -WOMAN EXPOUNDS HER OWN SUBJECT--THE FALL--HER REDEMPTION FROM THE -CURSE--RETURNING INTO THE PRESENCE OF HER FATHER--HER EXALTATION. - -The high priestess thus expounds the subject of woman, from her Mormon -standpoint: - -In the Garden of Eden, before the act of disobedience, through which -Adam and Eve were shut out from the presence of God, it is reasonable -to suppose that Eve's position was not inferior to, but equal with, -that of Adam, and that the same law was applicable to both. Moses says, -"God created man male and female." President Brigham Young says, "Woman -is man in the priesthood." - -God not only foreknew, but he had a purpose to accomplish through, the -"fall;" for he had provided a sacrifice; Jesus being spoken of as a -"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." - -It seems that woman took the lead in the great drama. The curse -followed, and she became subject to man; "and he shall rule over -thee," which presupposes a previous equality. But was that curse to -be perpetual? Were the daughters of Eve--who was a willing instrument -in effecting a grand purpose, that shall ultimate in great good to -the human family--to abide that curse forever? No. God had otherwise -ordained. Through the atoning blood of Christ, and obedience to his -gospel, a plan was devised to remove the curse and bring the sons and -daughters of Adam and Eve, not only to their primeval standing in the -presence of God, but to a far higher state of glory. - -In the meridian of time, the Saviour came and introduced the gospel, -"which before was preached unto Abraham," and which, after a lapse -of nearly eighteen centuries--when men had "changed its ordinances, -and broken the everlasting covenant"--when "the man of sin had been -revealed, exalting himself above all that is called God"--after -hireling priests had mutilated its form, discarded its powers, and -rejected "the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophesy," the -Lord restored it in fullness to the earth, with all its gifts, powers, -blessings and ordinances. - -For this purpose he raised up Joseph Smith, the great prophet of the -last days, to whom the angel that John, when on the Isle of Patmos, saw -"flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to -preach to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, saying, fear God -and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come," etc., -appeared, and announced the glorious news of the Dispensation of the -Fullness of Times, and the restoration of the fullness of the gospel. - -This gospel, and this only, will redeem woman from the curse primevally -entailed. It is generally admitted that "Christianity" ameliorates -the condition of woman; but the Christianity of the professing world, -mutilated as it has been, can only ameliorate, it cannot redeem. -Each religious denomination has fragments or portions of the true -form, but no vestige of the vital power that was manifested by Jesus -Christ, and restored through Joseph Smith. Nothing short of obedience -to this gospel in its fullness will exalt woman to equality with man, -and elevate mankind to a higher condition than we occupied in our -pre-existent state. - -Woman, in all enlightened countries, wields, directly or indirectly, -the moving influence for good or for ill. It has been pertinently -remarked: "Show me the women of a nation, and I will describe that -nation." Let the pages of history decide if ever a nation became -a wreck, so long as woman nobly honored her being by faithfully -maintaining the principles of virtuous purity, and filled with grace -and dignity her position as wife and mother. - -Would God, the kind parent, the loving father, have permitted his -children to sink into the fallen condition which characterizes humanity -in its present degraded state, without instituting means by which -great good would result? Would we, as intelligent beings in a former -existence, have consented, as we did, to resign the remembrance and -all recollection of that existence, and come down to earth and run -our chances for good or evil, did we not know that, on reasonable -conditions, and by means provided, we could work our way back to, at -least, our original positions? Emphatically, no! It is only by that -"spirit which searches all things, yea, even the deep things of God," -that we can comprehend our own beings, and our missions on the earth, -with the bearing of our pre-existence on our present lives, of which we -only know what God reveals; and, as man, by his own wisdom cannot find -out God, so man by reasoning cannot pry into the circumstances of his -former life, nor extend his researches into the interminable eternities -that lie beyond. - - - -CHAPTER LV. - -WOMAN'S VOICE IN THE PRESS OF UTAH--THE WOMAN'S EXPONENT--MRS. EMELINE -WELLS--SHE SPEAKS FOR THE WOMEN OF UTAH--LITERARY AND PROFESSIONAL -WOMEN OF THE CHURCH. - -And the women of Zion have a press. More than up to their Gentile -sisters are they in this respect. Few of the church organizations of -Christendom can boast a woman's journal. There are but few of them -in all the world, and they are mostly edited and supported by the -heterodox rather than the orthodox element. - -The _Woman's Exponent_ is one of those few. It is published by the -women of the Mormon Church, having a company organization, of which -Eliza R. Snow is president. Mrs. Emeline B. Wells is the practical -editor. It was established June 1st, 1872. - -The _Woman's Exponent_, in a general sense, may be considered -heterodox, seeing that it is an advocate of woman's rights on the -marriage question and female suffrage, but it is also apostolic, -and devoted to the Mormon mission. It represents the opinions -and sentiments of the Mormon women. All of their organizations -are fairly represented in its columns, and it is thus a means of -intercommunication between branches, bringing the remotest into close -connection with the more central ones, and keeping all advised of the -various society movements. Its editorial department is fully up to the -standard of American journalism. - -Mrs. Wells, the editor, like many prominent Mormon women previously -mentioned, is of Puritan descent, being a native of New England, and -of pure English extraction. Her family name was Woodward, and she was -born in Petersham, Mass., February 29, 1828. At an early age she began -to manifest a penchant for literature, and while in her teens produced -many literary fragments that, as if by manifest destiny, pointed in -the direction of her present profession. In 1842 she was baptized into -the Mormon Church. It is needless to say that this was a cause of -mortification to her many associates and friends, and especially so to -a select few, whose appreciative kindness had pictured a glowing future -for the young litterateur. Her mother, who was also a convert to the -Mormon faith, fearing that the persuasions of friends might lead her -into error, sent her to Nauvoo, in the spring of 1844, that she might -be away from their influence. The people to whom her mother confided -her, apostatized shortly after her arrival, but Emeline remained -steadfast. Some time thereafter she became a plural wife. In the -exodus, her mother, who had joined her the year before, succumbed under -the accumulation of hardships that the saints had then to undergo, and, -dying, joined the immortal company of martyrs who fell in those days of -trial. - -At winter quarters she was engaged in teaching, until her journey -to the valley in 1848. Here, since the organization of relief -societies, and more especially since the women of Utah obtained the -right of suffrage, she has employed a large portion of her time in -public labors, for the benefit and elevation of woman. In addition -to her present editorial duties, she fills the responsible position -of president of the organization that, since November, 1876, has -been engaged in storing up grain against a day of famine. Under the -energetic management of this organization, vast quantities of grain -have been stored in the various wards and settlements of Utah. - -Sister Emeline is also a poetess of no little merit. As a set-off to -the popular idea that the Mormon women in polygamy have no sentiment -towards their husbands, the following exquisite production, from her -pen, entitled "The Wife to her Husband," is offered: - - It seems to me that should I die, - And this poor body cold and lifeless lie, - And thou shouldst touch my lips with thy warm breath, - The life-blood quicken'd in each sep'rate vein, - Would wildly, madly rushing back again, - Bring the glad spirit from the isle of death. - - It seems to me that were I dead, - And thou in sympathy shouldst o'er me shed - Some tears of sorrow, or of sad regret, - That every pearly drop that fell in grief, - Would bud, or blossom, bursting into leaf, - To prove immortal love could not forget. - - I do believe that round my grave, - When the cool, fragrant, evening zephyrs wave, - Shouldst thou in friendship linger near the spot, - And breathe some tender words in memory, - That this poor heart in grateful constancy, - Would softly whisper back some loving thought. - - I do believe that should I pass - Into the unknown land of happiness, - And thou shouldst wish to see my face once more, - That in my earnest longing after thee, - I would come forth in joyful ecstacy, - And once again gaze on thee as before. - - I do believe my faith in thee, - Stronger than life, an anchor firm to be, - Planted in thy integrity and worth, - A perfect trust, implicit and secure; - That will all trials and all griefs endure, - And bless and comfort me while here on earth. - - I do believe who love hath known, - Or sublime friendship's purest, highest tone, - Hath tasted of the cup of ripest bliss, - And drank the choicest wine life hath to give, - Hath known the truest joy it is to live; - What blessings rich or great compared to this? - - I do believe true love to be, - An element that in its tendency, - Is elevating to the human mind; - An intuition which we recognize - As foretaste of immortal Paradise, - Through which the soul will be refined. - -Among the more prominent contributors to the _Exponent_ is Lu. -Dalton, a lady in whose writings are manifested the true spirit and -independence of the Mormon women. The vigor and vivacity of her poetic -productions are suggestive of a future enviable fame. - -Mrs. Hannah T. King, mentioned elsewhere, is a veteran poetess of -well-sustained reputation. She ranked among the poetesses of England -before joining the Mormon Church, being on intimate terms with the -celebrated Eliza Cook. - -Another of the sisters who has won distinction as a poetess of the -church, is Emily Woodmansee. She is also a native of England, and began -her poetic career when but a girl. Several of her poems have been -reproduced in literary journals of the East, winning marked attention. - -Miss Sarah Russell, who writes under the _nom de plume_ of "Hope," -is also a poetess of promise; but she is younger to fame than the -before-mentioned. - -Emily B. Spencer may also be mentioned in this connection. - -Miss Mary E. Cook is an apostle of education, in the church. She is a -professional graduate, and has held prominent positions in first-class -schools of St. Louis and Chicago. Coming to Utah several years ago, -Miss Cook, being a passionate student of ancient history, was attracted -by a cursory glance at the Book of Mormon. On a careful perusal of -it she was struck with the account therein given of the ancient -inhabitants of this continent; and especially was she impressed with -the harmony existing between that account and the works of Bancroft -and others concerning the ancient races of America. She unhesitatingly -pronounced the book genuine. Miss Cook has been instrumental in -establishing the system of graded schools in Utah. Her success has -been marked, in this capacity, and she is also a rising leader among -the women of the church. With her should also be mentioned her sister, -Miss Ida Cook, who is now one of the most prominent teachers of the -territory. Nor should we omit to mention Orpha Everett, who is another -prominent teacher. - -The ladies are also represented in the historian's office of the -church, in the person of a daughter of Apostle Orson Pratt, and -Miss Joan M. Campbell. Miss Campbell has been an _attache_ of -the historian's office since a mere child. She is a clerk of the -Territorial Legislature, and a Notary Public. - -Mrs. Romania B. Pratt, wife of Parley P. Pratt, Jr., is a medical -professor. She is a graduate of the Woman's Medical College, -Philadelphia, and is now connected, as a practitioner, with the -celebrated water-cure establishment at Elmira, N. Y. - -Sister Elise Shipp is another Mormon lady now under training for the -medical profession in the Woman's Medical College, Pennsylvania. - -Thus it will be seen that, in the educational and professional spheres, -the Mormon women are making a creditable showing. - - - -CHAPTER LVI. - -RETROSPECTION--APOSTOLIC MISSION OF THE MORMON WOMEN--HOW THEY HAVE -USED THE SUFFRAGE--THEIR PETITION TO MRS. GRANT--TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND -MORMON WOMEN MEMORIALIZE CONGRESS. - -Ere this record be closed, let us review the later acts of these -extraordinary women, who have fairly earned the position of apostles to -the whole United States. - -They have pioneered the nation westward, where Providence was directing -its course of empire, and now they are turning back upon the elder -States of the Union as pioneers of a new civilization. - -The manifest prophesy of events is, that Utah, in the near future, -is going down from the mountains of refuge to the very seat of -government, with woman's mission to all America. Very consistently, -yet very significantly also, are the women of Utah rising to power and -importance in the nation, through woman suffrage and the exercise of -the constitutional right of petition. - -Since the grant of woman suffrage they have exercised the ballot -repeatedly in their municipal and territorial elections. Moreover, -within that time, they have voted upon the constitution for the "State -of Deseret," which will doubtless be substantially the one under which -the territory will be admitted into the Union. Female suffrage was -one of the planks of that constitution. It will become a part of the -organic act of the future State. No Congress will dare to expunge it, -for such an attempt would bring a million of the women of America into -an organized movement against the Congress that should dare to array -itself against this grand charter of woman's freedom. Though Wyoming -was the first to pass a woman suffrage bill, which met a veto from its -governor, and has experienced a somewhat unhappy history since, the -honor of having voted for the greatest measures known in social and -political economy rests with the women of Utah. They have taken action -upon the very foundation of society-building. Already, therefore, -the women of Utah lead the age in this supreme woman's issue; and, -if they carry their State into the Union first on the woman suffrage -plank, they will practically make woman suffrage a dispensation in our -national economy for all the States of the Federal Union. And it will -be consistent to look for a female member of Congress from Utah. Let -woman be once recognized as a power in the State, as well as in society -and the church, and her political rights can be extended according to -the public mind. - -The Mormon women have also fallen back upon the original right of -citizens to petition Congress. Their first example of the kind was -when they held their grand mass-meetings throughout the territory and -memorialized Congress against the Cullom bill. The second was the -very remarkable petition to Mrs. Grant. It is here reproduced as a -historical unique: - - "MRS. PRESIDENT GRANT: - - "_Honored Lady_: Deeming it proper for woman to appeal to - woman, we, Latter-day Saints, ladies of Utah, take the liberty - of preferring our humble and earnest petition for your kindly - and generous aid; not merely that you are the wife of the chief - magistrate of this great nation, but we are also induced to appeal - to you because of your high personal reputation for nobility and - excellence of character. - - "Believing that you, as all true women should do (for in our - estimation every wife should fill the position of counselor to her - husband), possess the confidence of and have much influence with - his excellency, President Grant, we earnestly solicit the exercise - of that influence with him in behalf of our husbands, fathers, sons - and brothers, who are now being exposed to the murderous policy - of a clique of federal officers, intent on the destruction of our - honest, happy, industrious and prosperous people. - - "We have broken no constitutional law; violated no obligation, - either national or sectional; we revere the sacred constitution of - our country, and have ever been an order-loving, law-abiding people. - - "We believe the institution of marriage to have been ordained - of God, and therefore subject to his all-wise direction. It - is a divine rite, and not a civil contract, and hence no man, - unauthorized of God, can legally administer in this holy ordinance. - - "We also believe in the Holy Bible, and that God did anciently - institute the order of plurality of wives, and sanctioned and - honored it in the advent of the Saviour of the world, whose birth, - on the mother's side, was in that polygamous lineage, as he - testified to his servant John, on the Isle of Patmos, saying: 'I am - the root and the offspring of David;' and we not only believe, but - most assuredly know, that the Almighty has restored the fullness - of the everlasting gospel, through the prophet Joseph Smith, and - with it the plurality of wives. This we accept as a purely divine - institution. With us it is a matter of conscience, knowing that God - commanded its practice. - - "Our territorial laws make adultery and licentiousness penal - offences, the breach of which subjects offenders to fine and - imprisonment. These laws are being basely subverted by our federal - officers, who after unscrupulously wresting the territorial offices - from their legitimate incumbents, in order to carry out suicidal - schemes, are substituting licentiousness for the sacred order of - marriage, and seeking by these measures to incarcerate the most - moral and upright men of this territory, and thus destroy the peace - and prosperity of this entire community. They evidently design to - sever the conjugal, parental and paternal ties, which are dearer to - us than our lives. - - "We appreciate our husbands as highly as it is possible for you, - honored madam, to appreciate yours. They have no interests but such - as we share in common with them. If they are persecuted, we are - persecuted also. If they are imprisoned, we and our children are - left unprotected. - - "As a community we love peace and promote it. Our leaders are - peacemakers, and invariably stimulate the people to pacific - measures, even when subjected to the grossest injustice. President - Brigham Young and several of his associates, all noble and - philanthropic gentlemen, are already under indictment to be - arraigned, before a packed jury, mostly non-residents, for the - crime of licentiousness, than which a more outrageous absurdity - could not exist. - - "Under these cruel and forbidding circumstances, dear madam, - our most fervent petition to you is, that through the sympathy - of your womanly heart you will persuade the President to remove - these malicious disturbers of the peace, or at least that he will - stop the disgraceful court proceedings, and send from Washington - a committee of candid, intelligent, reliable men, who shall - investigate matters which involve the rights of property, perhaps - life, and more than all, the constitutional liberties of more than - one hundred thousand citizens. - - "By doing this you will be the honored instrument, in the hands of - God, of preventing a foul disgrace to the present administration, - and an eternal blot on our national escutcheon. - - "And your petitioners will ever pray," etc. - -It is believed that this petition had due weight in accomplishing the -dismissal of Judge McKean, which afterward occurred. - -The third example was still greater. It was a memorial to Congress, -by the women of Utah, upon their marriage question, the grant of a -homestead right to woman, and for the admission of Utah as a State. It -was signed by twenty-six thousand six hundred and twenty-six women of -Utah, and was duly presented to both houses of Congress. - -And these are the acts and examples of enfranchised Mormon women; not -the acts and promptings of President Young and the apostles, but of the -leaders of the sisterhood. It may be stated, however, that President -Young and the apostles approved and blessed their doings; but this -confesses much to their honor. - -How suggestive the question, What if the leading men of every State -in the Union should do as much for woman in her mission, instead of -setting up barriers in her way? Were such the case, in less than a -decade we should see female suffrage established in every State of the -federation. - - - -CHAPTER LVII. - -SARAH THE MOTHER OF THE COVENANT--IN HER THE EXPOUNDING OF THE -POLYGAMIC RELATIONS OF THE MORMON WOMEN--FULFILMENT OF GOD'S PROMISE -TO HER--THE MORMON PARALLEL--SARAH AND HAGAR DIVIDE THE RELIGIOUS -DOMINATION OF THE WORLD. - -Meet we now Sarah the mother of the covenant. In her is incarnated the -very soul of patriarchal marriage. In her is the expounding of the -patriarchal relations of her Mormon daughters. Sarah, who gave to her -husband another wife, that the covenant which the Lord made with him -might be fulfilled. - -O woman, who shall measure thy love? And thus to give thyself a -sacrifice for thy love! Thus on the altar ever! - -It is thy soul-type in nature that makes nature beneficent. Had not -nature the soul of woman she had been infinitely selfish; an infinite -love had not been born; there had been no Christ; no sacrifice of self, -that blessing and joy might come into the world. - -The story of Sarah is the more touchingly beautiful when we remember -that it has its cross. It would be a grievous wrong to Sarah's -memory should we forget the sacrifice that her act necessitated, or -underestimate that sacrifice. And let us not forget that it was not -Abraham who bore that cross, great and good though he was. - -The sacrifice in the initial of the covenant is a psalm to woman. - -Keeping in mind the episode of Sarah and Hagar, let us continue the -Abrahamic story: - - "And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not - call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. - - "And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will - bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people - shall be of her. - -* * * * * * - - "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto - Sarah as he had spoken. - - "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the - time of which God had spoken to him." - -The divine story was once familiar; it is now almost forgotten. But it -is the living word of God to the Mormon people. - -Reincarnate in modern times the soul of this vast Abrahamic iliad. -Breathe the breath of its genius into a young civilization. A -civilization born not in the East, where once was the cradle of -empires--where now are their crumbling tombs. A young civilization, -born in the revirgined West--the West, where new empires are springing -up on the very dust of empires which had expired when Egypt was but a -maiden--ere Babylon was a mother--ere Rome was born. - -Re-utter the word and will of that God who spake to the Hebrew sire on -the plains of Mamre; utter it now in the birth and growth of a young -Israel in the land of America. Comprehend him in his birth and in his -growth. Consider his genius and his covenant. - -In Abraham of old is the expounding and understanding of the renewed -covenant with the latter-day Israel; and in Sarah of old is the -expounding and understanding of patriarchal marriage among her Mormon -daughters. - -The Mormon woman is Sarah in the covenant, as she is Eve in the -creation and fall. She has appropriated the text of the covenant. -She claims her mother Sarah's rights. She invokes her mother Sarah's -destiny: "She shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of -her." - -Thus in the mind of the Mormon woman is patriarchal marriage -established by her God. Be it confessed that woman was a listener to -the Abrahamic promise in the days of Sarah; was she not also a listener -in the days of Joseph the prophet? Could the heavens thus speak and -woman fail to hear? Could such promises be made and motherhood fail to -leap for joy? - -If she dared to bear the patriarchal cross, was it not because she saw -brightly looming in her destiny the patriarchal crown? In this life -only the cross--in all the lives to come a crown of glory! - -The Mormon woman knows nothing of "polygamy" as conceived by the -Gentiles. She is constantly declaring this. There is no "many-wife -system" in Mormondom. It is patriarchal marriage. There is the destiny -of a race in the Mormon woman's vision. For this came she into the -world. In her is motherhood supremely exalted, and woman is redeemed -from bondage to her husband. - -Glance at the story of Sarah again. Mark its stupendous import to -motherhood. Witness the introduction of polygamy into the Abrahamic -family. And, if the wondrous sequel has any meaning, Isaac was the -Lord's answering gift to Sarah's act, to fulfil the covenant. - -And while remembering the sacrifice of Sarah and Hagar let us also -remember the compensation. Those two mothers are without parallel in -all history. Races and empires came of them. Sarah and Hagar, in their -sons Isaac and Ishmael, have divided the world. - -From Isaac's line was given to the world the Christ; from Ishmael came -Mohammed, the prophet of hundreds of millions. - -Weigh those two mothers, with their sons, their races, and their -civilizations. What a weight of empire! What were Egypt and Babylon, -compared with Sarah and Hagar? - -The Abrahamic subject is the most stupendous of all history. That -subject has been reincarnated in Mormonism. Its genius and covenants -are with the Mormon people; the age is witnessing the results. - -Patriarchal marriage is one of those results. Sarah is a live character -of our times. She will fulfil her destiny. - -From the courts above the Mormon woman shall look down upon an endless -posterity. In the heavens and in the earth shall her generations be -multiplied. - -This is the faith of each Mormon Sarah--each mother of the covenant. -This only is her polygamy. - - - -CHAPTER LVIII. - -WOMANHOOD THE REGENERATING INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD--FROM EVE, THE -FIRST, TO MARY, THE SECOND EVE--GOD AND WOMAN THE HOPE OF MAN--WOMAN'S -APOSTLESHIP--JOSEPH VS. PAUL--THE WOMAN NATURE A PREDICATE OF THE -WORLD'S FUTURE. - -In the beginning religion and nature dwelt together. The book of -creation was gospel then. Creation was the only revelation. - -Motherhood is the first grace of God, manifested through woman. The -very name of all things is in the mother: "And Adam called his wife's -name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." - -See in what divine ordinance woman's mission on earth began. The theme -of the initial psalm that ascended to the heavens, which listened to -catch from earth the first notes of the everlasting harmonies: "I have -gotten a man from the Lord!" - -But the nature of the mother abounded not in Cain. Woman's soul was not -manifested in her first-born. It was the strength, and the fierceness, -and the selfishness of man that was first brought forth. - -And Cain was very wroth because of his brother, born with woman's -nature, with his mother's gentleness manifested in him. And he "rose up -against his brother and slew him." - -Here is pre-epitomized the coming history of the race. In the savage -strength of nature the world began. In the gentleness of woman, which -at length prevailed in her sons, civilization dawned. - -Woman's apostleship as the minister of the "word of God" commenced at -the death of Abel. - --- - -Turn we now to Mary, the mother of Christ, to see what kind of man she -"hath gotten from the Lord." From the first Eve to the second Eve, to -find the grace of woman's nature spreading abroad in her Jesus, for the -salvation of the world. Motherhood now in the regeneration. - - "Hail thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed - art thou among women. - - "And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, - and shalt call his name Jesus." - -As also note the episode of her meeting with her cousin Elizabeth, the -mother of John the Baptist. - -These mothers were conscious of the salvation to be born of woman. -Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and blessed the greater -mother; and Mary magnified the Lord in psalm, and said: "Behold from -henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." - -We shall yet have to give to the gospel word "regeneration" a very -literal meaning. The world must be regenerated, in fact, before much -salvation can come unto it; regenerated through the divine nature of -woman endowing her sons; and regenerated in her apostolic ministry to -the race; which in this age is being so universally acknowledged. - -The world must be born again. "Except a man be born again, he cannot -enter into the kingdom of heaven." Except mankind be regenerated, no -Christ can reign with his saints on earth. There is something more than -mere figure of speech in this gospel. - -The generation of mankind began in Cain; the regeneration of mankind -began in Christ. The one born with the club; the other endowed with -all-conquering love. The scepters of the two creations typed in Cain -and Jesus. - -Jesus was not only the first fruits of the resurrection, but of the -regeneration also. And motherhood was (before fatherhood) first with -God in this regeneration. Has egotistic man sufficiently cogitated over -this fact? And does he fully comprehend the equally significant fact -that woman was the first witness and testament of the resurrection? - -And who began the regeneration of the race? Whose human nature was -manifested in the work? The woman's! - -God's nature in Christ needed no regeneration. Nor did the woman's -nature need regeneration, when thus found pure, as in Mary. This is the -great fact embodied in the Christ example. As soon may Christianity be -wiped out as this fact! - -What an astounding truth have we in this example--that God and woman -have brought forth a perfect creation and an infinite love, in Jesus -their Christ. - -God was the father of Jesus. From him the Holy Ghost. From him the -wisdom of the eternities. From him the power to call a legion of angels -down to his help, had he so willed it. From him the power to lay down -his life and take it up again. From him the power to conquer death and -burst the gates of hell. - -The mother of Jesus--a virgin of the house of David, and not a flaming -goddess from the skies. - -From woman, the love of Jesus for humanity. From her his sympathies -for the race. 'Twas she, in her son, who forgave sin; she who bade the -sinner go and sin no more; she who wept over Jerusalem as a mother -weepeth over her young. And it was woman, in her son, who died upon the -cross for the sins of the world! - -It was not God the father who in Jesus died; not he who passed the dark -hour of nature's struggle in the garden; not God who prayed, "Take away -this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." -'Twas woman who was left alone on the cross; she, in her son, who -cried, "My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" - -Love is of the woman. That is the great lesson which the human nature -of Jesus teaches; and it is that element of her nature which shall save -the world. - -Would we see what will be her teaching when her apostleship comes to -prevail in the earth, let us read the sermon of her son on the Mount. -Is not that woman's own gospel? Is it not also her philosophy--"If thy -brother smite thee on the one cheek turn unto him the other also?" - -And in this regeneration of the race, in nature and spirit, God and -woman are thus seen first alone. Man came not to their help, but -they came to the help of man. Here is groundwork indeed for the -reconstruction of society, and the remoulding of philosophy! - -In the past the apostleship of woman has not been fairly granted to -her, even among the most civilized nations. But it shall be; and there -is the hope of the world. - -Paul, in the egotism of man's apostleship, commanded, "Let the woman be -silent in the church." Yet the church is the type of woman. If she be -silent, then will there be but little of saving gospel in the world. If -woman's spiritual nature prevail not in the church, then is the church -dead. If her faith expires, then is there left but a wretched form of -godliness. - -The prophet Joseph corrected Paul, and made woman a voice in the -church, and endowed her with an apostolic ministry. - -And in the regeneration is the entire significance of Mormon -patriarchal marriage. First, woman in her ever blessed office of -motherhood; next, in her divine ministry. Is not this according to the -example? - -The chief faith of the Mormon women concerning themselves is that they -are called with a holy calling to raise up a righteous seed unto the -Lord--a holy nation--a people zealous of good works. - -The Mormon women have a great truth here. Woman must regenerate the -race by endowing it with more of her own nature. She must bring forth a -better type of man, to work out with her a better civilization. - -It is blasphemy against the divine truth of the world's coming -redemption, and of woman's mission in it, to scoff at the Mormon women -for holding such a faith. - -Woman shall leaven the earth with her own nature. She shall leaven it -in her great office of maternity, and in her apostolic mission. - -It shall be the lofty prophesy of the coming woman, "Behold from -henceforth all nations call me blessed!" - - - -CHAPTER LIX. - -ZION, A TYPE OF "THE WOMAN'S AGE"--THE CULMINATING THEME OF THE POETS -OF ISRAEL--THE IDEAL PERSONIFICATION OF THE CHURCH--THE BRIDE--THE -COMING EVE. - -Zion the joy of the whole earth! She who cometh down from heaven, with -the anointing of salvation upon her head. - -The woman of the future, whom the Lord hath chosen! Her type is the -church, with the divine nature of the race restored. - -Zion is coming down to be the spiritual mother of the earth. She shall -bruise the serpent's head, in her seed and in her ministry. Now shall -woman be not only the mother of the individual Christ, but she shall -also be the mother of the universal Christ. - -"Saviours shall come upon Mount Zion!" - -The daughters of Zion shall multiply the seed of Christ. - -There was a beautiful consistency and a deep mystical meaning in -the words of the old Jewish prophets when personifying Zion as the -woman--the woman of the Lord's choosing, for the earth's joy. - -They sang of Zion as the woman of the future: "Oh that the salvation of -Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of -his people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad." - -True, Zion is sometimes spoken of as a city, but always with a mixture -of personification. As the Hebrew poets rose to the height of their -great subject they symbolized her as a veritable woman, with a ministry -in the earth; and chiefly symbolized her as the woman of the future. - -David, the great psalmist, led the theme, for Zion was his daughter; -then glorious Isaiah swelled the volume of earth's epic hymn. What a -culmination and personification is this: "For thy Maker is thy husband; -the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; -the God of the whole earth shall he be called." - -This is the very subject of Mary the mother of Jesus. But here -enlarged. This is Zion, who shall be mother of many Messiahs, for she -shall bring forth many sons, with the anointing of their Lord's spirit -upon them, to exalt his reign. - - "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the - curtains of thy habitations; for thou shalt bring forth on the - right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the - Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited." - -'Tis the divine mission of woman to the race; oracled by lofty souls; -her holy apostleship on earth pronounced. She is to be incarnated in -a civilization on whose tables shall be written, "Thy Maker is thine -husband." - -The mission of woman could not prevail in the barbaric periods of the -race; 'twas man's work to chisel the rocks of the temple. Not even had -her time come in the days of Christ, though no one has so distinctly -foreshadowed it as he. - -Paul is not to be unqualifiedly reproached for bidding woman be silent -in the church. The time had not then come. Not as potent then as now -the thought: "Show me the women of a nation and I will tell thee its -civilization." And there is still a deeper meaning in this than the -popular thought. How beautifully has Jesus himself kept up the symbols -of the coming woman. With him the woman--Zion--becomes the "Lamb's -bride:" - - "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, - which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." - -And this was to be in the age "when the Son of Man shall come in his -glory, and all the holy angels with him." - -At his first coming the kingdom of heaven was likened to twelve -fishermen--not ten virgins--and he said unto them, "Take up your nets -and follow me and I will make you fishers of men." - -But when the cry shall go forth, "Behold the bridegroom cometh," -commotion is to be among the virgins of the earth--the virgins of Zion -and the virgins of Babylon. Each will trim their lamps. Each will have -their "five wise" and "five foolish." Every one will have her familiar -spirit. But the God of Israel will send his spirit to inspire Zion, for -her Maker is her husband. And the daughters of Zion shall trim their -lamps to go forth to meet the bridegroom, who is the Lamb of God. - -The age of Messiah's coming is the woman's age! or there is no sense in -the utterances of prophesy, nor meaning in the most beautiful parables -of Christ. - -And this is the woman's age! All humanity is proclaiming it! - -The women of the age are obeying the impulses of the age. Do they -know what those impulses mean? They have heard the cry, and have come -forth. Do they comprehend what that cry has signified?--"Behold, the -bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!" - -Unwittingly they are testing the Scriptures, and proving that the -coming of Messiah is the crowning truth of the world. However, the -five wise virgins of Zion are coming forth in faith. They are not -unwittingly fulfilling their Lord's word. They have interpreted the -cry, and are trimming their lamps. - -Man may as well attempt to throw back the ocean with the hollow of his -hand, or put out the sun with the breath of his command, as to attempt -to defeat the oncoming of "woman's hour." - -Let the God of humanity be praised for this; for did not the virgins -come out at this eleventh hour, the fishermen might go again to their -nets, and let the midnight pass, and earth take the consequence. - -But how wondrously are the divine themes of earth's grace from God -revealed. Down through the ages they came as echoes mellowed into more -celestial tones. - -Creation begins again! Zion--the New Jerusalem--is the Lamb's bride. -She is the coming Eve. - - "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and - the first earth were passed away. * * * - - "And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God - out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. - - "And there came unto me one of the seven angels * * * saying, come - hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. - - "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the - voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying - Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. - - "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the - marriage supper of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself - ready. - - "And he saith unto me, write, Blessed are they which are called - unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." - -Surely there is a glorious prophesy and a sublime truth, hallelujahed -from the ages down, in this proclamation of the woman's mission at the -hour of the Lord's coming. - -The lives of the Mormon women are as a testament to the age. The very -character which their church has taken, as the literal Zion of the -latter days, shall soon be recognized as the symbol of the hour. - -And the virgins in every land shall hear the cry, "Behold, the -bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him!" - - - -CHAPTER LX. - -TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH BANNERS--FIFTY THOUSAND WOMEN WITH THE -BALLOT--THEIR GRAND MISSION TO THE NATION--A FORESHADOWING OF THE -FUTURE OF THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. - -"Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear -as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" - -The Daughter of Zion! - -Fifty thousand daughters of Zion! Each with her banner! - -Her banner, female suffrage! - -It is the great battle of woman for woman's rights. The Lord of Hosts -is with her. - -The rights of the women of Zion, and the rights of the women of all -nations. - -Her battle-field: America first; the great world next. And the God of -Israel is in the controversy. - --- - -The chiefest right of woman is in the shaping and settlement of the -marriage question. The voice of civilization well enunciates this -supreme doctrine. To commit this all-sacred matter to a congress of -politicians, or to leave it to the narrow exactitude of the law-making -department, is as barbaric as any monstrous thing the imagination -can conceive. Not ruder was it in the warlike founders of Rome to -seize the virgins as spoil, and make them wives to accomplish their -empire-founding ambitions, than for a congress of American legislators -to seize and prostitute the marriage question to their own political -ends and popularity. - -Can there be any doubt that the men of Washington have seized polygamy -for their own ends? And are these men of the parliamentary Sodom of -modern times the proper persons to decide the marriage question? - -Will woman allow her sanctuary to be thus invaded and her supremest -subject thus defiled? - -If there is anything divine in human affairs it is marriage, or the -relations between man and woman. Here love, not congressional law, must -be the arbitrator. Here woman, not man, must give consent. It is the -divine law of nature, illustrated in all civilized examples. What is -not thus is barbaric. - -Woman is chief in the consents of marriage. It is her right, under God -her father and God her mother, to say to society what shall be the -relations between man and woman--hers, in plain fact, to decide the -marriage question. - -The women of Mormondom have thus far decided on the marriage order of -the patriarchs of Israel; for they have the Israelitish genius and -conception of the object of man's creation. In the everlasting covenant -of marriage they have considered and honored their God-father and -God-mother. - -In turn, the Gentile woman must decide the marriage question for -herself. The law of God and nature is the same to her. The question -still is the woman's. She can decide with or without God, as seemeth -her best; but the Mormon woman has decided upon the experience and -righteousness of her Heavenly Father and her Heavenly Mother. - -A certain manifest destiny has made the marriage problem the supreme -of Mormonism. How suggestive, in this view, is the fact that Congress, -by special legislation, has made polygamy the very alpha and omega -of the Mormon problem. The Mormon women, therefore, must perforce of -circumstances, by their faith and action greatly influence the future -destiny of Mormonism. - -The enfranchisement of the Mormon women was suggested by the country, -to give them the power to rule their own fate and to choose according -to their own free will. Nothing but their free will can now prevail. - -Their Legislature enfranchised them--gave them the power absolute, not -only to determine their own lives, but to hold the very destiny of Utah. - -If it was Brigham Young who gave to them that unparalleled power, no -matter what should be declared by the enemy as his motive, then has -he done more for woman than any man living. But Mormon apostles and -representatives executed this grand charter of woman's rights; and -George Q. Cannon's noble declaration at the time--that the charter -of female suffrage ought to be extended to the entire republic--is -deserving the acclamations of the women of America. - -New civilizations are the chiefest boons of humanity. Never was a new -civilization more needed than now, for in the last century the world -has rushed over the track-way of a thousand years. A train dashing -forward at the rate of one hundred miles an hour would not be in -more danger than will soon be society, unless a safety-valve--a new -civilization--is opened. - -This is the woman's age. The universal voice of society proclaims -the fact. Woman must, therefore, lay the corner-stone of the new -civilization. Her arm will be most potent in rearing the glorious -structure of the future. Man cannot prevent it, for in it is a divine -intending. - -There is a providence in the very attitude of the Mormon women. The -prophesy is distinctly pronounced in the whole history of their lives, -that they shall be apostolic to the age. - -A new apostleship is ever innovative. The Mormon women have established -an astounding innovation in polygamy. It has been infinitely offensive. -So much the better! For it has made a great noise in the world, and has -shaken the old and rotten institutions of Christendom. That shaking was -not only inevitable, but necessary, before a new civilization. - --- - -We have seen the daughters of Zion, with her sons, establish their -institutions upon the foundation of new revelation. We have seen them -rearing temples to the august name of the God of Israel. We have seen -their matchless faith, their devotion, their heroism. - -We have seen them, because of their fidelity to their religion, driven -from city to city and from State to State. - -We have seen them in the awful hour of martyrdom. - -We have seen them in the exodus of modern Israel from Gentile -civilization, following their Moses. - -The daughters of Zion were going up to the chambers of the mountains, -to hide from the oppressor till the day of their strength. - -Their banners were then their pioneer whips. Their banner now is female -suffrage--on it inscribed, "Woman's Rights! in the name of the God of -Israel!" - -Fifty thousand of the daughters of Zion! Each with her banner! - -We have seen them on the cross, with their crown of thorns. We _shall_ -see them on their throne, with their crown of glory. In this is divine -and everlasting justice. - -They have sown in tears they shall reap in gladness. - -With their pioneer whips in their hands they came up to the chambers of -refuge, as exiles. - -With the scepter of woman's rights, they will go down as apostles to -evangelize the nation. - -"Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear -as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" - -The Daughter of Zion! - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Women of Mormondom, by Edward W. 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