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MORMON DOM.'
THE
WOMEN
OF
MORMONDOM.
By EDWARD W. TULLIDGE.
NEW YORK.
1877.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877,
by TULLIDGE & GRAND ALL. In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington,
Bancroft Library
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 begin- ning."
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 " Daugh- ter of the Voice."
CHAPTER VII. — An Israel Prepared by Visions, Dreams and Angels. Inter- esting 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 Charac- ter 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 Pro- gramme. 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.
VI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.— An Illustrious Mormon Woman. The First Wife of the Im- mortal 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 Capi- tal. 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 Intro- duced 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. Kim- ball. Their Testimony Concerning the Kirtland Manifestations. Unpub- lished Letter of Joseph Smith. Death of Mother Huntington.
CHAPTER XXII. — Woman's Work in Canada and Great Britain. Heber C. KimbalTs 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. Home. 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 Pre- vail." The Rev. Mr. Fielding. First Baptism in England. First Woman Babtized. 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.
CONTENTS. Vii
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. Crown- ing 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 Mid- winter. 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 Jour- ney. 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 " Honora- ble Young Women" as Wives. Her Description of the Exodus and Jour- ney to Winter Quarters. Death of One of the Wives. Sister Home 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. Home on the Plains. The Emigrant's Post- Office. Pentecosts by the Way. Death as they Journeyed. A Feast in the Desert. " Aunt Louisa " Again.
Vlll CONTENTS.
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 \vith 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 Utak 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 Brig- ham. 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 Institu- tions. 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.
CONTENTS. ix
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 Wo- man 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 Mor- monism. 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 Or- ganization of Mormonism. The Relief Society. Its Inception at Nauvoo. Its Present Status, Aims, and Methods. First Society Building. A Wo- man 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 LIU. — 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 States- man's Design.
CHAPTER LI V.— Woman Expounds Her Own Subject. The Fall. Her Re- demption 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 Expo- nent. Mrs. Emeline Wells. She Speaks for the Women of Utah. Lit- erary 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 LVIL— Sarah the Mother of the Covenant. In Her the Expound- ing 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.
Vlll CONTENTS.
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 v/ith 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 Brig- ham. 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 XLI I. — Revelation Supported by Biblical Examples. The Israelitish Genius of the Mormons Shown in the Patriarchal Nature of their Institu- tions. 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. Phccbe 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.
CONTENTS. ix
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 Wo- man 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 Mor- monism. 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 Or- ganization of Mormonism. The Relief Society. Its Inception at Nauvoo. Its Present Status, Aims, and Methods. First Society Building. A Wo- man 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 States- man's Design.
CHAPTER LI V.— Woman Expounds Her Own Subject. The Fall. Her Re- demption 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 Expo- nent. Mrs. Emeline Wells. She Speaks for the Women of Utah. Lit- erary 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 LVIL— Sarah the Mother of the Covenant. In Her the Expound- ing 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.
X CONTENTS.
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 thrill- ing is their story, — so rare in its elements of expe- rience,— 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 con- ception 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
2 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 reve- lation, who at first saw only a dispensation of divine innovations and manifestations for the age. Let us view them purely as prophetic women, who under- took 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 Mor- mondom.
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 Mor- mon prophet. The examples of the ancient apos- tles 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 Abra- hamic 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 WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 3
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 En- gland, 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 pil- grim 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 con- verted 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 \ery 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 pil- grim forefather of the apostles Orson and Parley Pratt, who came from England to America in 1633, and with the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his con- gregation pioneered through dense wildernesses, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts, and
4- THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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, — pre- destined 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 affirm- ation and a prophecy well established in Mormon Mith 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 thtse strange Israelitish types and wonders as simply a hereditary culmination in the nineteenth century.
Mormonism, indeed, is not altogether a new faith, nor a 'Yesh inspiration in the world. The facts dis-
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 5
close 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 consum- mation 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 hun- dred 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 com- prehended. 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 peo- ple, 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 INSPI- RATION 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 off- spring 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 pre- served 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 7
miracles also inhered in the family of Lucy Mack, (her maiden name), and the martial spirit which dis- tinguished 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 sol- dier 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 inde- pendence 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
8 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 dis- " ciples 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 imme- " diately 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 recov- "ered her health, but, lingering for two years, died "the victim of disappointment.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 9
" 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 follow- ing 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 suc- ceeding 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
IO THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 sick- ness ; 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 ex- " tended to all the denominations of Christians in
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. II
"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 numer- " ous meetings were about breaking up, and the " candidates and the various leading church mem- "bers 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 reflec- " tions 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 uneasi- ness. * * * *• 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
12 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 diffi- culties 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
fet more wisdom than I then had, would never now ; 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 determin- ation 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 de- sires 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 astonish-
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM 13
ing 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 mar- velous 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 person- ages, 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 ad- dressed me said that all their creeds were an abom- ination 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 godli- ness, but they deny the power thereof He again forbade me to join any of them ; and many other
14 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 2ist 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 relig- " ionists.
"On the evening of the 2ist of September, he "retired to his bed in quite a serious and contem- " plative 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 white- ness 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. < 15
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 de- posited, 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 in- habitants. 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 quo- ted 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
l6 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 thum- mim, 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 per- son 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 17
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 judg- ments 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 con-
1 8 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" tinued 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 medi- " tation 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 de- " scribe 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 J with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent
* his whole life with them."
Thus continued the divine and miraculous expe- rience of the prophetic family until the golden plates
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 19
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 ! An- gels 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 dispensa- tions.
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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 21
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 po- tent 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. Re- spectable 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."
22 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 ful- fillment 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 Pen- tecost 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. Mul- titudes 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 administra- tion 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 23
key. There was no Mormon St. Peter in this new dispensation to arrogate supremacy over woman, on his solitary pontifical throne. The " Order of Ce- lestial Marriage," not of celestial celibacy, was about to be revealed to the Church.
Woman also soon became high priestess and pro- phetess. 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 " seal- ings " 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 some- times in their temples. Here is its theme:
" The spirit of God like a fire is burning,
The latter-day glory begins to c^me forth, The visions and blessings of old are returning, The angels are coming to visit the earth.
24 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 spiritual- ism," though of "another source," is a proof of Mormonism more astonishing than prophecy her- self.
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.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 25
But the test was fulfilled. The signs followed all, and everywhere. Even apostates witness to this much.
Tl^ere 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 na- tions had been for fifty generations. It was the light set upon the hill now ; but the darkness compre- hended it not. Yet was a spiritual dispensation opened again to the world. Once more was the lost key found. Mormonism was the key ; and1 it was Joseph and his God-fearing disciples who un- locked 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 Cumo- rah," 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 Isra- elitish 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 27
New England, had settled in Ohio, who early re- ceived 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,'1 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 Mor- mondom, who were also pioneers in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.
There is no feature of the Mormons more inter- esting 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 worl.d itself to the " Great West " for the last two hundred and fifty years !
As a community the Mormons have been em- phatically the Church of pioneers. The sisters have been this equally with the brethren. Their very religion is endowed with the genius of migra- ting peoples.
So in 1830-31, almost as soon as the Church was
28 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 Mes- siah was looming. Daughters of the New Jerusalem were already in the chamber awaiting the bride- groom.
Early in the century, two had pioneered into the State of Ohio, who have since been, for a good life- time, 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 tem- ple 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 Jeru- salem.
And so these two of the principal heroines of Mor- mondom — " Mother WThitney" and " Sister Eliza R. Snow"-— introduced first as the two earliest of the Church who pioneered to the " Great WTest,"
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 29
before the advent of their prophet, as well as intro- duced 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 pur- chased 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 2ist, 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 manu- factured leghorn.
3<D THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 Tur- " key," she says, " I watched with deep interest the " events of the war, and after the terrible destruc- " tion of Missolonghi, by the Turks, I wrote an " article entitled 'The Fall of Missolonghi.' Soon " after its publication, the deaths of Adams and Jef- •' ferson 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. Subse- " quently 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 strug- gle 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. / was born a patriot, — at least a " warm feeling of patriotism inspired my childish
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 3!
" 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 fight- " ing 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 revolu- " tionary 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 Mor- mon 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
32 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 un- derstands, 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 Mor- mon 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 min- istry.
Mother Whitney says :
" I was born the day after Christmas in the first year of the present century, in the quiet, old-fash- ioned country town of Derby, New Haven County, Conn. My parents' names were Gibson and Polly Smith. The Smiths were among the earliest set- tlers 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 sub- ject, and wished me to possess and enjoy, in connec- tion 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 33
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 domes- tic 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 en- lightenment, 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 pleas- ant 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
34 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 pic- turesque Lake Erie, and here in after years, were the saints of God gathered and the everlasting gos-
Eel proclaimed. My beloved aunt Sarah was a true •iend 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 Ver- mont, 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 mar- kets. 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 be- came 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 accu- mulate 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 ex- portation 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 35
expressed to my husband a wish that we should unite ourselves to one of the churches, after exam- ining into their principles and deciding for ourselves. Accordingly we united ourselves with the Campbell- ites, 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 teach- ings, 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 pro- phets, now unfolded.
There was the voice crying in the wilderness of Ohio, just before the advent of the latter-day pro- phet.
The voice was Sidney Rigdon. He was to Joseph Smith as a John the Baptist.
The forerunner made straight the way in the wil- derness 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 prophe- sies concerning the last days, and heralded the ad- vent of the " one greater than I."
"The same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 37
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 tfame 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 Jo- seph 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
38 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
influence they felt pervading but understood not, saw the lamp and admired.
Mr. Campbell, of Virginia, was a reformed Bap- tist. 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 pop- ular sect-name was " Campbellites." Among them were Eliza R. Snow, Elizabeth Apn 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 revela- tion 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 com- missions 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 — noth- ing more. Better the light without the evangelical
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 39
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 Alex- ander 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 com- prehended 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
4-O THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 mes- " senger 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 disci- ples who feared the Lord.
And they " spake often one to another ; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remem- brance 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 gos- " pel 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
42 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
"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 P
" At this we marveled greatly ; but from that mo- " ment 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 "daugh- ter 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 dis- persions. 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 43
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 ever- lasting 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 Mes- siah's covenant — was about to remove farther west- ward, 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 signifi- cance 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 AN- GELS INTERESTING AND MIRACULOUS STORY OF
PARLEY P. PRATT A MYSTIC SIGN OF MESSIAH IN
THE HEAVENS THE ANGELAS WORDS FULFILLED.
The divine narrative leads directly into the per- sonal 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 Je- hovah 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 life- time 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 pe- culiarly 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 45
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 signifi- cance to one of the earliest hymns, sung by the saints, of the angel who "came down from the man- sions 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 "abid- ings," 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
46 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
in fortune so serious as to change the purposes of his life.
" I resolved," he says, "to bid farewell to the civ- " ilized 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 set- tlement 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.*
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.
* 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.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 47
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 expec- tations. 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.
48 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" 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 pro- " posed 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, pur- ported 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 trans- " lated 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 Mor- "mon, — 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 49
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 in- formed him that Joseph then resided in Pennsyl- vania, some one hundred miles distant. That night Parley was entertained by Hyrum, who explained to him much of the great Israelitish mission just open- ing 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 travel- ing 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 resur- rection and ascension into heaven ; and that he also administered, in person, to the ten lost tribes; and that through his personal ministry in these coun- tries 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.
4
5<D THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
After fulfilling his appointments, he resolved to preach no more until he had duly received a " com- mission 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 Mor- mon, 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 chanty."
They rested that night, and on the next day (the ist 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, over- " whelmed 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,
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM 51
daily addressing crowded audiences ; and soon he baptized his brother Orson, a youth of nineteen, but to-day a venerable apostle — the Paul of Mor- mondom.
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 Sha- kers, 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 I manner, and closed like the closing of a compass,
52 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
the whole forming a straight line like a chain dou- bled. 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 move- " ments were by chance ; but for my part I could as "soon believe that the alphahet 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 53
" night and day, insomuch that we had no time for "rest or retirement. Meetings were convened in " different neighborhoods, and multitudes came to- " gether 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 Whit- ney." 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.
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 discern- ment. Certainly powers representing two sources.
This was the prime manifestation of the new dis- pensation. 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 stupen-
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 55
dous drama of the last days. This is what Mor- monism 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 civiliza- tion with its spirit and genius.
S'n ilar 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 en- tirety, is the Mormon problem.
Joseph is the prophet of that stupendous ques- tion, to be decided in this grand controversy of the two worlds — this controversy of mortals and im- mortals !
There are lords many and gods many, but to the prophet and his people there is but one God — Je- hovah 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.
56 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 remarka- bly 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 magni- fied 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 manifes- tations.
Others read revelations from their hands ; holding them up as a book before them. From this book
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 57
they read passages of new scriptures. Books of new revelations had been unsealed.
In letters of light and letters o. 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 lan- guage 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 mar- velous things.
As might be expected the majority of these " me- *£urns " 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 de- scriptive epithet now so popular and suggestive).
And this manifestation of the "two powers " in the church followed the preaching of the Mormon gos- pel 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
58 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 king- doms ;" 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 pro- phesy, and the "speaking in tongues."
Thus the sisters, who ever are the " best medi- ums " 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 dis- played, and the angels will daily walk and talk with the people of God.
But in Kirtland in that day there was the contro- versy 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 vil- lage ; indeed they had come from another State ; hundreds of miles from home now; far away in
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 59
those days for a man to be thus traveling in mid- winter 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 merchan- dise 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
6O THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 mer- chant 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 hir..,
" Well, Brother Whitney, how do you do ?" was his greeting.
" You have the advantage of me," replied Whit- ney, 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 Kirt- land!"
An archangel's coming would not have been a greater event to the saints than the coming of Joseph the prophet.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 6l
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 fulfill- ment 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
62 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 en- suing 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 invisi- bles 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 conse- crated 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 cham- ber 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 ap- peared 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 rev- elation, 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 Campbell- " ite church, I was deeply interested in the study of " the ancient prophets, in which I was assisted by " the erudite Alexander Campbell himself, and Wal- " ter 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 at- " tended the first meeting within my reach. I lis- " tened to the testimonials of two of the witnesses "of the Book of Mormon. Such impressive testi- " monies I had never before heard. To hear men
64 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" 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 possi- ble. 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 11 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 fre- " quent manifestations of the power of God.
11 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.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 65
" 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 sanc- " tuary. Many times have I witnessed manifesta- " tions of the power of God, in the precious gifts oi "the gospel, — such as speaking in tongues, the in- " terpretation 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 ist 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 ap- preciate 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
5
66 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" 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 un- " locked the past and the future, with its successions " of eternities ; yet in his devotions he was as hum- " ble 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 hon- ored 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,"
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 67
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 dis- ciples— 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 signifi- cance 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 quick- ened their comprehension.
The cross and the crown of thorns quicken the conception of a crucifixion. The Mormon women
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 69
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 ex- perience matchless in its character and unparalleled in its sacrifices.
T.he 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 them- selves 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,
7O THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. Jl
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 mean- ing. It is of the Hebrew significance and genius rather than of the Christian ; for Christ is now Mes- siah, 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 fam- " ilies of the earth be blessed."
And so, for now nearly fifty years, this Mormon Israel have been getting out of their native coun- tries, 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
72 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 n!!es 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 be- come 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 73
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 JERU- SALEM DARING CONCEPTION OF THE MORMON
PROPHET FULFILLMENT OF THE ABRAHAMIC PRO- GRAMME WOMAN TO BE AN ORACLE OF JEHOVAH.
Two thousand years had nearly passed since the destruction of the temple of Solomon ; three thou- sand 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 ! Tem- ples 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 con- ception ! 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.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 75
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 tem- ple 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 — Brig- ham 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 arch- angels 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 ot 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 consum- mate, 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.
76 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
But woman must not be lost to view in our admi- ration 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 sis- ters 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 fore- " most 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 ao;ain woman had become an oracle of a
o
new dispensation and a new civilization. She can only properly be this when a temple economy comes
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 77
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 in- spired— 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 exulta- tion.
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 in- spired being. If she was this in the temples of
78 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
Egypt and Greece, more abundantly is she this in the temples of Israel. In them woman is the me- dium 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 ora- cles 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 Abra- ham 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 !
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 79
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 Mor- mons 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 re- ceived 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 Jerusa- lem 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 Kirt- land, and beheld in the service the glory of Israel's God.
CHAPTER XII.
ELIZA R. SNOW'S GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE TEM- PLE AND ITS DEDICATION HOSANNAS TO GOD
HIS GLORY FILLS THE HOUSE.
The erection of the Kirtland temple was a lead- ing characteristic of the work of the last dispensa- tion.
It was commenced in June, 1833, under the im- mediate direction of the Almighty, through his servant, Joseph Smith, whom he had called in his boyhood, like Samuel of old, to introduce the full- ness 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 com- manded 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 cir- cumstances, 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 man-
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ifested by direct revelation how the edifice should be constructed, in order that he might accept and acknowledge it as his own. This knowledge in- spired 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 im- pressive— 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 Melchi- sidec 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 t,ible, for the administration of that sacred ordi-
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nance. 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 cur- tains, were others, intersecting at right angles, which divided the main grpund-floor hall into four equal sections — giving to each one-half of one set of pul- pits.
From the day the ground was broken for laying the foundation for the temple, until its dedication on the 2/th 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 cloth- ing 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 partici- pating in the blessing of a house built by the direc- tion of the Most High and accepted by him.
The dedication was looked forward to with in- tense 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 out- side congregation was nearly if not quite as large as that within.
Four hundred and sixteen elders, including pro- phets 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,"
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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 ar- ranged as follows : West end of the house, Presi- dents Frederick G. Williams, Joseph SHth, 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 Cow- dry 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 Kirt- land— Newel K. Whitney — and his councilors occu- pied the first pulpit for the Aaronic priesthood ; the Bishop of Zion — Edward Partridge — and his coun- cilors, the second ; the President of the priests and his councilors, the third ; the President of the teach- ers, and his councilors, and one chorister, the fourth ;
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the High Council of Zion, consisting of twelve councilors, on the right ; the President of the dea- cons, 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 com- menced 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 fer- vent 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 shoyld never be erected.
In reference to his main subject, the speaker as- sumed that in the days of the Saviour there were synagogues where the Jews worshipped God; and in addition to those, the splendid temple in Jerusa- lem ; yet when, on a certain occasion, one proposed to follow him, withersoever he went, though heir of
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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 him- self 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 suf- ficiently 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, uThe foxes have holes, the birds of the "air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where " to lay his head."
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After the close of his discourse, President Rigdon presented for an expression of their faith and confi- dence, Joseph Smith, Jr., as prophet, seer and reve- lator, to the various quorums, and the whole con- gregation 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., ad- dressed the assembly for a few moments, and then presented the first presidency of the church as pro- phets, 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 gen-
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" eration, 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 ser- vants 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 him- self to his people. And as thou hast said in a reve- lation, 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 estab- lish 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,
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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 ful- fillment 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 pre- pared 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
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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 genera- tions, 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 com- bination 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 as- tonish, 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 inno- cent before thee in bearing record of thy name, for which they have suffered these things ; therefore we ptead before thee a full and complete deliverance from under this yoke ; break it off, O Lord ; break
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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 anoint- ing 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 inhabi- tants 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 everlast- ing 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 accord- ing 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
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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 in- habitants 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 griev- ous 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 re- pent, 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 hon- orably and nobly defended, viz.: the constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever. Remember the kings, the princes, the nobles, and
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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 Jeru- salem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed, and the yoke of bondage begin to be broken oft 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 smit- ten, 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 rebel- lions ; 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,
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Joseph Smith, Jr., and all his afflictions and perse- cutions, 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 pre- served 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 connec- tions, 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 eter- nal joy for all our sufferings.
" O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these peti-
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tions, and answer us from heaven, thy holy habita- tion, where thou sittest enthroned, with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, judg- ment, mercy, and an infinity of fullness, from ever- lasting 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 mis- sion 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 : ''Ho- sanna— 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
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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 tem- ple. 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 disturb- ance ; and the promise was verified. But when the congregation shouted hosanna, that babe joined in the shout. As marvelous as that incident may ap- pear to many, it is not more so than other occur- rences on that occasion.
The ceremonies of that dedication may be re- hearsed, 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^ MOTHER HIS FATHER
KIRTLAND HIGH SCHOOL APOSTASY AND PER- SECUTION 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 pre- dict concerning the future, on the heads of his chil- dren, 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
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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 1 7th of May, when a mes- senger 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
7
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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 bap- tize 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 man- ifestation 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 va- rious 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 f :\v days. I was with her, and saw her calmly fall asleep. About ten
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minutes before she expired, she saw a group of angels in the room ; and pointing towards them she ex- claimed, " 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 com- menced 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 accept- ance 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
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Latter-day Saints, as a day of fasting and prayer. These, called fast-meetings, were hallowed and in- teresting beyond the power of language to describe. Many, many were the pentecostal seasons of the outpouring of the spirit of God on those days, man- ifesting the gifts of the gospel and the power of healing, prophesying, speaking in tongues, the in- terpretation 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, men- tioned 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 per- sons 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 con- gregations 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. IOI
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 com- ing 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 meet- ing at four P. M. One morning, when he opened meet- ing, 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 su- pernal 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
IO2 THE WOMEN OF MORMON DOM.
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 pre- viously 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 103
back to the private room, examining every point, and returned in great apparent amazement and con- fusion, declaring that the prisoner had gone in an unaccountable manner, saying, ludicrously, " This, o-entlemen, is another Mormon miracle." No vig- orous search was made — all must have been con- vinced 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 2ist 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 WON- DERFUL 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 re- markable men. He soon followed her to the grave; a beautiful example she of the true love existing between two kindred souls notwithstanding poly- gamy. 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 autobiogra- phy, " was Vilate Murray. I am the youngest " daughter of Roswell and Susannah Murray. I "was born in Florida, Montgomery county, New "York, June ist, 1806. I was married to Heber "Chase Kimball November 7, 1822, having lived "until that time with my parents in Victor, Ontario " county.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 105
" After marriage my husband settled in Mendon, " Monroe county. Here we resided until we gath- " ered 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 eldei^ 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 con- " strained 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 tes- " timony to the people by the way. They were not " baptized, however, until the following spring.
IO6 THE WOMEN OF MORMON DOM.
" Brigham was baptized on Sunday, April i4th, "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 bap- " tism 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 pow- " erful 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
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" 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 11 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 re- " tired to bed, John P. Green, who was then a trav- " eling 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 pickup a pin. We looked 11 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 rush- " ing wind, and continued southwest, forming a reg- " ular 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
IO8 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
'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 distictly ree 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 hori- " zon, 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 (Brig- " ham's sister Rhoda), were also witnesses of this " marvelous scene.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 109
" 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 requir- " ing it to be erected by a certain period.
" The enemies were raging, threatening destruc- tion 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, chil- " dren and friends, not knowing that we should ever "meet again in the flesh. On the 26th of July, " however, the brethren returned from their expe- " dition.
" 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
I IO THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
"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 mar- " velous 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 dis- " pensation, for whose welfare his anxiety had been " very great.
"He raw 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 loth 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. Ill
"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 lan- " guage> 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, end 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 for- eign lands, but in 1837, before the age of railroads and steamships had fairly come, going to Great
112 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 un- common 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. Kirnball " 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 impor- " tant 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 under- 41 stood 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 fal- " tered 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 Die- " man's Land I will not make an effort to help you.
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" 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 pro- " phet 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 con- " tinually 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 hus- " band arrived. It was June I3th, 1837. He was
8
114 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
" 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 ascer- " tain when Heber would start. Brother Thompson, "in after years, writing an account in Heber's jour- " nal of his first mission to Great Britain, in its pre- "face 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 j That rides upon the stormy sky,
And calms the roaring seas,
" that he would grant unto him a prosperous voy- " age 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 115
" 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 priv- " ilege 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 after- " wards the wife of Hyrum Smith, gave him five " dollars, with which Heber paid the passage of him- " self 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 ac- " companied 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 apos- tle's wife, while we introduce others of the sisters, and follow the church through its scenes of persecu- tion and removal from Missouri to Illinois.
CHAPTER XV.
HAUN'S MILL — JOSEPH YOUNG'S STORY OF THE MAS- SACRE SISTER AMANDA SMITH'S STORY OF THAT
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY HER WOUNDED BOY's MIRAC- ULOUS 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 Mor- mon 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.
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" 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 cap- tain, " 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 gath- ered 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 kill- ing.
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 neigh- borhood 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
Il8 THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM.
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 Mon- day, the 29th, which passed without attack from any quarter.
"On Tuesday, the 3Oth," says J oseph 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 feel- " ings 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 gath- " ering crops for winter consumption. The weather " was very pleasant, the sun shone clearly, and all "was tranquil, and no one expressed any apprehen- " sion 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
THE WOMEN OF MORMONDOM. 119
" 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, form- " ing a vanguard in front. At this moment David " Evans, seeing the superiority of their numbers " (there being two hundred and forty of them, ac- " cording to their own account), gave a signal and " cried for peace. This not being heeded, they con- " tinued 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