THE YEARS 1864-65.
Some Enjoyments.—He Visits a Condemned Man in Prison.—Troubles Made by Gibson on Hawaiian Islands.—Lorenzo Snow's Escape from Watery Grave.—Visit to Bear Lake Valley.—Remark of President Young in Logan.—Ordination to Apostleship of Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow, and Franklin D. Richards.—Hot Springs at Midway.—Second Inauguration of President Lincoln.—Treaty with Indians.—Colfax Visits Utah.—Jane Blackhurst.
The journal of Wilford Woodruff for the year 1864 opens with the following statement: "I have lived to see fifty-six new years, and I have kept a daily journal of my life for the last thirty-five years. In some measure it is also a life of others. I have written many sermons and teachings of the Prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and sermons of apostles and elders of the Church. I have watched the signs of the times for many years and noted the fulfillment of prophecy." The new year, as usual, awakened within him a prophetic spirit. The future was of great importance in his expectations of the fulfillment of God's purposes. The fulfillment of prophecy was so certain to his mind that he dwelt upon it as if he were discussing events of the past.
He celebrated his New Year's day by visiting his wives and children at their homes and by taking them for a sleigh ride. In those early days the snow lay longer upon the ground than in recent years. The jingle of the sleigh bell made the hearts of the people glad.
Elder Woodruff was a many-sided man. While he was possessed of the acutest spiritual nature, he assumed temporal responsibilities with peculiar satisfaction, and loved to work on the farm. He was, perhaps, the highest type of those requirements laid down by Alma and Amulek relative to the spiritual and temporal responsibilities of a servant of God. His writings show that he did not place the highest value upon the man who was fitted for only one class of labor, as preaching or professional work.
Early in January he took up again his legislative work; and when not occupied there, officiated in his ministerial calling. On the 9th of the month he records the fact that he dedicated the new meeting-house in Farmington.
If he was interested in the welfare of the Saints, he was no less concerned about the condition of the sinner. He says that on the 11th and 12th he paid visits to Jason Luce, who was in prison sentenced to death for murder. Luce was one of the notorious gang in those days, led by Hickman, a man who preyed upon his fellow-man and who was guilty of some of the most atrocious crimes, which he undertook to lay at the feet of the leaders. Elder Woodruff recorded his conversation with Luce, who is quoted as saying that he had never killed any person or had a hand in the death of any one except Rhodes and Burting. He had killed them in self-defense. He said that William Hickman had advised him to do many things that made his flesh crawl, but that he had not followed Hickman's advice in these things. He felt that Hickman had betrayed him and done him a great injury. Luce said that Hickman had been his ruin and the ruin of others, and that in all these things Hickman had carried his point by declaring that President Young had given him counsel to do them. This statement Elder Woodruff characterized in his journal as "a cursed lie."
"Luce asked me to pray with him that he might have strength to go to his execution and pay the penalty of his crimes. I prayed with him according to his request, and then bade him good-bye as did others who were with him." There was no request in that prayer that Luce be taken to the bosom of Jesus. There was no promise of a glorious exaltation for him. He had committed a crime, he had to pay the penalty, and Elder Woodruff left him to God's mercy as he felt merciful toward him.
The interest of Apostle Woodruff in Jason Luce arose in part from the fact that he belonged to a family with whom Elder Woodruff had long been acquainted and with whom he had labored; but Jason had fallen into bad company and became one of a gang of thieves, and disregarding counsel, went finally the way of the wicked.
From the drift of affairs at home, the attention of the authoritieswas called to the condition of the Church in foreign lands, especially on the Hawaiian Islands. There, Walter M. Gibson, a missionary, had organized a church of his own and for some time had wielded a wonderful influence over the natives. Elders Ezra T. Benson, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith were sent to the Islands to put in order the Church there and to restore the natives to their proper relation with the authorities in Salt Lake City. Gibson was promptly excommunicated and went the way of all adventurers and deceivers whose motives are the accumulation of wealth and the honors of men. It was on this visit to the Islands that Elder Lorenzo Snow was actually drowned. The boat in which he attempted to land was capsized. President Snow was rescued by a native, but to all appearances was dead. It was some time before he showed any signs of life.
On the 4th of April following, Elder Woodruff records the fact that he was chosen a member of the grand jury. The work was somewhat new to him, but he soon adjusted himself to his duties and gave it his special attention. From the grand jury room he went to the Historian's Office, then to his conferences, and mingled religious and secular duties in such a manner as to show the responsibility that he felt himself under to do the very best he could in every calling of life.
On the 16th of the following May, he joined President Young's party on a visit to the northern settlements, especially to those in Bear Lake Valley, whither Charles C. Rich had gone to preside. When the party arrived at Franklin, they had to cross the mountains. "We left Franklin at six o'clock and traveled the first twenty miles in a severe rain storm. The country was hilly and the road very crooked. On our arrival at the summit, the animals were nearly exhausted. We found the way wet and muddy. After proceeding about a mile we entered a mud hole six miles long, the worst I ever saw in my life. I could not compare it with anything better than by taking all the mud holes I ever saw in my life and place them in a line. What made it worse than Illinois or Indiana mud holes was that they were nothing but mud while this was full of tree stumps and brush. Both the horses and mules struggled fearfully, belly deep, in the mud to make headway. Occasionally a pair of horses or mules wouldfall and be buried all over except their heads. Men would go and pry out the animals and pull the vehicles out with ropes and then make another start. Some carriages were broken. In this way we wallowed through the mud until eight o'clock in the evening. We later continued our journey to Bear Lake and reached Paris at 3 o'clock in the morning of the 20th of May. The distance was about twenty miles."
Speaking of Bear Lake he says: "We found this to be a large valley. The soil is good and the water is sufficient to irrigate it all and there is abundant timber. It is a great stock range and the lake is the finest in Utah. It is about thirty miles long and ten miles wide through the middle. It is said that in many places a line two hundred feet long fails to reach the bottom."
Elder Woodruff was a fisher, and of course tells the story of the trout in that region: "Great numbers of trout ran in the streams from the lake. They ranged some of them from ten to twelve pounds in size. The boatmen sometimes killed them with clubs and sometimes caught them with nets."
On the return home, he said: "An accident occurred which came near costing Geo. A. Smith his life. A man by the name of Merrill put a loaded rifle in the carriage. The gun rested on the seat by Brother George A. While he was thus riding, the wheel struck a rock. Brother Smith threw his body on the upper side of the carriage to balance it, and at that instant the gun went off. The ball went through the buffalo-robe by him, passed by his side and went through the wagon behind him. It was a providential escape from death."
"On May the 24th we drove to Logan where President Young spoke on the doctrine of the plurality of wives. He said that there were but few elders in the Church that would receive the exaltation they were looking for in that order. It would be given to many more women than men. There are but few men that enter into that law that keep it."
On date of June 5th Elder Woodruff makes record in his journal of the drowning of Matthias Cowley. Elder Cowley was a nephew by marriage to Apostle Woodruff, and had come from the Isle of Man to Nauvoo when thirteen years of age. Laterhe emigrated with his parents to Salt Lake Valley. Elder Woodruff secured a number of men and a boat and went in search of the body, which, however, was not recovered until a week later.
Early in July Elder Woodruff accompanied President Young on a trip to Provo, where they preached under the bowery to a congregation of some three thousand persons. While there, Elder Woodruff records that a messenger came from Salt Lake stating that the Governor had placed a provost guard in the Church storehouse opposite the Temple Block. The Governor intended to put the city under martial law. A guard of one hundred men accompanied the President and party home. They found his home guarded by two hundred and fifty men.
This annoyance created a good deal of agitation among the Saints, and Elder Woodruff says that on the 12th of July he spent most of the day getting singers to the petition to remove the soldiers to the outside of the inhabited portions of the city. The leaders had learned during their early experience that one of the means that the enemy had used to drive out the Saints was to create some sort of a conflict by aggravating the leaders. It was hoped that some kind of retaliation would be resorted to that would bring them into conflict with the civil authorities. It was so easy to style such a conflict a rebellion. The next step, of course, would be martial law. The Saints and leaders, however, were on their guard constantly, and took every precaution to keep down disturbances.
It would not be possible in a biography of this character to follow Elder Woodruff in his travels to the various counties throughout the Church. Towns were multiplying rapidly. The Saints were coming into the Valleys by the thousands. The pioneer work of extending the borders of the Church was already beyond the personal supervision of the leaders. On his return from one of these visits he said that he had budded four hundred and nineteen peach trees in the old Fort block, where the pioneers had early located. On this block Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow and Franklin D. Richards were ordained apostles, on Feb. 12, 1849. The block is now owned by the city, and held as a park.
On the 18th of August a visit was made to Heber City. ElderWoodruff described the Hot Springs, located at Midway, and the peculiar formation around them. He said that about twenty of them were filled with water. In some instances the water was running over the top. Some were about fifteen feet in depth, and some apparently bottomless. On one they sank a weight one hundred and twenty-five feet and found no bottom. He spoke of the rattle-snake den, and the fact that between four and five hundred rattle-snakes had been killed in a single day. In the spring they appear on the outside and form into a bunch that would almost fill a bushel. They tie themselves together in knots with their heads sticking out in all directions for defense. The country around the craters is apparently hollow, as indicated by the sounds caused by the rumbling of wheels.
Soon after their return from Heber City, September the 1st, a tour of the southern part of the Territory was made, and extended as far as St. George and Santa Clara. These visits fired the hearts of the Saints and gave rise to an ambition to make the desert blossom as the rose. At Fillmore Elder Woodruff made a careful note of the splendid condition of the apple orchards. He also stated they held a party there that evening in the stake house, but President Young broke it up because of the confusion and disorder in the house.
On their return from the south, Elder Woodruff made record of the following: "While on the road from Washington to Harrisburg, we stopped on the edge of a high precipice which presents very interesting scenery of the valley below. While standing there, Brother Eddings wished me to help him lift up a flat stone that he wanted to throw off from the top to the depth below. As I took hold of it. I caught a scorpion between my fingers. The sting gave a shock to my whole system. It was a small scorpion and I mashed it to pieces in lifting the stone. This sting alarmed me somewhat, as the sting of the scorpion is considered very dangerous and some have even lost their lives by it. I soon got some tobacco and bound it on my finger. This seemed to take the poison out, and I received no material injury from the bite." Elder Woodruff, however, felt the blessings of the Lord in his escape from poison and found a parallel in the life of Paul, who, whileon the island of Malta, shook from his hand a scorpion whose bite did him no harm.
The October Conference followed their return. It was largely attended and characterized by the interest the people had in those semi-annual gatherings. It is remarkable that so many came together when we note the difficulties under which Salt Lake City was reached in those days.
Immediately after the conference, on October 10th, the survivors of Zion's Camp held a meeting. It was the first gathering of that body since their expedition to Missouri. Elder Woodruff recorded the fact that there were over fifty of the survivors out of the two hundred and five that belonged originally to Zion's Camp. In the evening they enjoyed themselves in a dancing party in the Social Hall. "It was the most interesting party I had ever attended." Bishop Hunter and his counselors provided for those veterans a good dinner and supper, a precedent since observed by President Joseph F. Smith. At this date, 1909, there remains but one survivor of Zion's Camp,—Nathan Tanner.
The harvest season was practically closed, yet the molasses mill was an important adjunct to the farm. Sugar was scarce and the price high. Molasses was a necessity, and one of the common articles of diet of the people. Elder Woodruff had erected a molasses mill, which was kept running not only by the cane that he raised on his own farm, but by the patronage of his neighbors. Almost every fall and winter, therefore, he had large quantities of molasses to sell. Bread, molasses, fruit, milk, and butter were the products of his own farm, and were the chief supply of his table. He raised his own mutton and beef, and his family made clothing from the wool of his sheep. He took a special pride in the fact that he lived by the labors of his own hands and was self-sustaining.
Elder Woodruff's journal of November 9th, that year, contained mentioned of his visit to Kays Ward, where he met a Sister Mary Phillips, the oldest person in Utah. In three weeks she would reach her ninety-first year. She had been baptized by Elder Woodruff in Herefordshire in 1840.
On his return home he encountered one of the old-time east winds which swept down through the canyon and mountains eastof Farmington. It was so severe that the party had great difficulty in keeping their carriages from being upset. That night Elder Woodruff enjoyed the hospitality of Ezra Clark, an old-time bosom friend of Elder Woodruff. Here the roof of the house of Ezra Clark was blown off, also that of the Bountiful meeting-house. Hay stacks were torn down and scattered over the country. These winds in early days were so frequent and severe as to give the people in Farmington and vicinity grave apprehension. They were so destructive and so dreaded that President Young rebuked them in the name of the Lord and they immediately became less frequent. In late years these winds have occurred in some of their old-time severity.
The year 1865 bore witness of stirring events that had much to do in shaping the sentiments of the Latter-day Saints in political matters. Petty annoyances and officiousness on the part of federal officers gave the Saints cause for complaint. Between religious and civil opinions there had always existed, and perhaps will always exist, more or less jealousy over the question of influence. In those days there was no real collision in the matter of authority. The influence of President Young and leading men of the Church was so incomparably much greater than that exercised by judges and governors that there would naturally arise feelings of suspicion as well as of jealousy.
The Saints were anxious to avoid disputations and collisions, and yet they felt at times resentful when subjected to what they felt unnecessary indignities. They were loyal to the government, honored the officers of the law in their place; but they were also religious. With them, God had a part in the affairs of this nation, and they foresaw a divine purpose in what was going on among the nations of the earth. Their interpretation of events, even though they were loyal, were often misunderstood and just as often wilfully misconstrued.
In February, 1865, Elder Woodruff records the purchase for the Church of a large tract of land in Oahu on the Sandwich Islands. This purchase was brought about through the instrumentality of Francis A. Hammond.
November, the preceding year, had witnessed the re-election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States. On March4th he was to be inaugurated. This gave the Saints an opportunity to meet the officers and soldiers of the Fort in a friendly celebration. There was fraternal good will and the celebration did much to mitigate suspicion and illiberal feelings. At the conclusion of the celebration George A. Smith arose, and waving the stars and stripes said:"One country, an undivided country, the old flag forever!"The toast awakened enthusiasm, and it truthfully expressed the unanimous sentiment of the Latter-day Saints.
At the close of the services, Elder Woodruff and several other leading men repaired to the City Hall, where they took dinner with Colonel George and staff, Colonel George having succeeded General Connor in the command of Fort Douglas. Conditions in Utah now seemed improved. The war was over, and peace was to be the watchword of the nation. Why should the people of Utah not also have their share of that sacred boon?
The country, however, was aroused almost to a state of frenzy by the assassination of President Lincoln. The Territory mourned with the other territories and states of the Union. On April 16th Elder Woodruff preached the funeral sermon in honor of the martyred President in the Tabernacle at Salt Lake City. In the afternoon of that day Franklin D. Richards and Geo. Q. Cannon also spoke upon the same subject. April 19th, however, they set apart as a day of general mourning throughout the land, and in Salt Lake City thousands assembled in the Tabernacle to take part in the services. They consisted of Mormons, Jews and Gentiles, civil and military authorities. The audience was addressed by Amasa Lyman and the Rev. Norman McLeod.
Between June 1st and 15th of that year, Elder Woodruff joined President Young's company on a visit through the settlements as far south as Payson. Near that town they visited the Indian camp, where they found Colonel Irish, who was persuading the Indians to enter into a treaty by which they might thereafter occupy a reservation in Uintah. Of that event Elder Woodruff said: "President Young and company drove to the Indian farm and held a meeting with the Indians. Colonel Irish, the agent, had called upon President Young to assist him in making a treaty which he could not bring about because of the oppositionof the Indians to it. Mr. Irish made a speech and the Indian chiefs made speeches. They did not want to sell their lands and go away. President Young then made a talk to them, explained that it would be best for them to sign the treaty, and the advantages that would come to them from it. They finally said they would do as he said; but they wanted to think it over until the next day. When they met again, the chiefs came forward and signed the treaty, except one by the name of Sanpitch, who claimed to be the main chief. He lay in his tent on his face for about two days. He was on his dignity. The other chiefs paid no attention to him. After all was over, Sanitch came forward and wanted his presents and wanted to sign the treaty. However, he got some presents, but had to come to Salt Lake City to sign the treaty. Colonel Johns of the United States Army was present and Colonel Irish informed him that he could do nothing with the Indians except through the influence of President Young."
About this time Schuyler Colfax, Governor Bowles and others paid the Territory a visit. "We spent about two hours with them and had a free, social interview. They talked about a variety of subjects, among the rest gold digging. President Young showed Mr. Colfax how much better off those were who had stayed at home, cultivated the earth and made improvements than those who had gone to dig gold. Mr. Colfax thought that if we did not open the mines ourselves that others would. President Young said that, 'if they open mines in this territory, it will be against all the faith that I can exercise with my God; for the people have spent twenty dollars for every one they have obtained from the mines.'"
President Young felt that it was not wisdom to encourage the mining industry at that time when so much depended upon the colonization of the Territory, in the construction of canals, and in bringing the land under cultivation. Mr. Colfax and party visited the Salt Lake Theater and pronounced it, according to Elder Woodruff's journal, the best, with the exception of two, west of New York City.
While Mr. Colfax and party were here, Gov. Doty died. Great respect was shown throughout the Territory for the occasion.The Latter-day Saints, wishing to secure the appointment of some one who understood conditions here, and who would not act in a spirit of antagonism towards them, sent a petition to Washington, asking for the appointment of Colonel Irish. Their petition, however, was not granted.
The October conference of that year was well attended. President Daniel H. Wells had just returned from England, and gave an interesting address to the Saints.
On December 22nd the President and Twelve gathered as usual at the home of Sister Jane Blackhurst, whose devotion to her faith and humble, God-fearing life endeared her to all with whom she came in contact. Of her Elder Woodruff said: "In the history of the whole world I do not know of a woman occupying a position like that of Sister Jane Blackhurst. A woman once fed the Prophet Elisha in time of famine, and the Lord increased her cruse of oil and measure of meal. One or two women were last at the cross and earliest at the grave of Jesus. Sister Blackhurst has made a feast for the Presidency and the Twelve, annually, for the last fifteen years, although she is a poor, crippled woman." He then proceeded to bless her in an inspired manner.
Elder Woodruff closed his journal for 1865 by recognizing the hand of God in all that had befallen the people. In the midst of political turmoils of those times, and the enmities that existed against the Saints, he found reason to praise God, the giver of all good.
THE YEARS 1866, '67, '68.
New Year's Greetings.—Evil Spirits Rebuked.—Love for Little Ones.—Drawings in His Journal.—Mrs. Godbe's Dream.—Brigham Young's Remarks on the Atonement.—Sept. 5, 1867, Joseph F. Smith Selected as One of the Twelve.—Amasa Lyman Dropped from Twelve.—School of the Prophets.—Move to Provo.—Grass-hopper War.—Advent of the Railroad.—Remarkable Prophetic Utterances at Logan.—Visit to Sanpete.—Call to First Presidency of Geo. A. Smith.—Accident to His Son Ashael—Summary of 1868.
New Year's Day, 1866, found nine of the Twelve Apostles at home. Elder Woodruff says they met at ten o'clock in the Historian's Office in a body and went across the street to the home of President Young where they greeted him with the compliments of the season, and in return received his best wishes and blessings. They then called upon Heber C. Kimball and paid him their compliments. He, in turn, blessed them and prophesied respecting the future blessings which awaited them. To Orson Hyde he said: "You shall overcome all things, conquer in the end, without a spot or blemish, and shall be crowned with glory in the presence of God, as Joseph saw you thirty years ago." "Brother Franklin has passed through trials and will also be vindicated in the end." "I will say concerning Schuyler Colfax, who aspires to the Presidential chair to the downfall of the Latter-day Saints, that he shall go down as Douglas did and shall be a disappointed man." They then called on President Wells, to whom they extended a like greeting. After this they called upon Apostles George A. Smith and John Taylor. Apostle Taylor provided three sleighs and they all drove to Orson Pratt's home, where they greeted his family, he being on a mission at that time. They paid their respects to Mayor Smoot and Governor Durkee. These New Year calls having been made, they made their way to the home of John Taylor, who provided the company with a New Year's dinner.
After giving an account of his labors in the Historian's Office for the months of January and February, Apostle Woodruff's journal of March 17th contains the narration of a peculiar circumstancewhich transpired at the City Hall. The police had in their custody a man possessed of evil spirits. He was a raving maniac. Elder Woodruff called to see him, and being alone with him, he laid his hands upon the man's head and commanded the devils to leave him. They obeyed; and the man became instantly sane and begged Elder Woodruff to take him to his home. The latter complied, and the man remained in a sane condition of mind until about one o'clock the following morning, when he again became possessed. Again Elder Woodruff rebuked the evil spirit. The man was relieved and remained quiet until morning. There were some subsequent attacks upon this unfortunate, but through the power of faith, he was healed.
Elder Woodruff's journal is devoted to a narration of family life as well as to those of public services. His heart is full of love for his wives and children, and he felt especially tender toward the little ones. On May 4th he said: "My grandson, four years old, brought wood to me nearly all day. I told him I would record it in my journal so that he could read it when he became a man." This was a little thing, but that is one of those little things that showed the appreciation and gratitude of Apostle Woodruff toward the humblest and most child-like of those who administered to his wants. There is something remarkable about the appreciation of Elder Woodruff for what was good and true and beautiful in life. Good sermons always delighted him for they were food to a hungry soul.
June 3rd, 1866, Elder Woodruff recorded a synopsis of a sermon delivered by President Young, who took as a text, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." "I considered it in some respects the greatest sermon I ever heard in this dispensation." He also referred to the sermons of Orson and Parley P. Pratt and of President Joseph F. Smith, who was then a young man. Elder Woodruff was free from envy and was not swayed by ambitious motives. In his journal of June 24th he says: "Joseph F. Smith spoke an hour and fifteen minutes, and the power of God was upon him. He manifested the same spirit that was upon his uncle, Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and upon his father, Hyrum Smith."
On the first of July following, he makes this record, respecting the words of President Young at the close of a prayer circlewhich had just been held by the Presidency and some of the brethren. As they were about to leave, President Young spoke up: "'Hold on. Shall I do as I feel led to do? I always feel well when I follow the promptings of the spirit. It has come to my mind to ordain Brother Joseph F. Smith to the Apostleship, and to be one of my counselors.' He then called upon each one of us for an expression of our feelings and we responded with our hearty approval. Joseph F. Smith was then ordained under the hands of Brigham Young and the brethren present to be an Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to be a special witness to the nations of the earth. He was further ordained to be a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church."
As the summer days opened, and travel was facilitated by the warm weather, frequent tours were made to the various towns and stakes of the Church. On these visits of President Young, Wilford Woodruff's presence was almost always noticeable. He did not delve much into the mysteries of the kingdom, but was a safe counselor in matters of every-day life. His own example afforded excellent encouragement to the Saints in the development of every industry required in those times. His spiritual nature was fed by the ordinances in which he officiated in the house of God. When ever possible he went there to officiate and to take part with his brethren in administering both to the living and to the dead.
Wilford Woodruff had a curious practice in keeping his journal of making some peculiar or appropriate drawing at the head of some particular event of which he wished to take notice. These drawings, no doubt, helped him in after years to find the record of these events in lieu of an index. For example, there may be seen at one place the drawing of a number of coffins. The drawing suggests Baptiste, the grave-robber. The drawings are more significant than artistic; however, they were no doubt helpful in locating certain events to which at some future time he might wish to refer.
Under date of March 29th Elder Woodruff said: "My attention was called to a dream of Mrs. William Godbe published in theDeseret Newsof 1867. The dream related to life in the spirit world, and gave the experience of herself and others there. It awakened much interest among the people and was the subject of general conversation. Elder George Davis, who drovean express wagon, asked his wife if she thought the dream was true; and when she replied that she believed it was, Elder Davis said that he felt like going into the spirit world to see for himself. Elder Davis read the dream over to his wife three times, and finally said to her: 'If I should die to-night or to-morrow it would be alright.' Early in the morning he went with another man to get a load of gravel. He had thrown into the wagon only a shovelful when the bank caved in upon him and he was buried about three feet. His companion dug him out as quickly as possible, but he was dead."
Elder Woodruff preached the funeral sermon, and regarded the man's death as an evidence that there are times set for our departure from this life. Such circumstances as that always made a deep and lasting impression on Elder Woodruff, and his thoughts, feelings, and desires seemed close to the world beyond.
Soon after the April conference of that year, President Young set out upon one of his tours through the southern settlements of the Territory. It was a sort of triumphal procession. Everywhere the Church leaders were received with manifestations of a heart-felt welcome. Sunday school children lined the road sides and helped make the occasion in the different settlements one that would be long remembered. Efforts had been made among many non-Mormons to cast discredit upon the character of Brigham Young and lessen his influence over the people. It was that influence that was bitterly contested. The people, however, knew the voice of their shepherd and gave him the strongest assurance of their love and fellowship.
At Fillmore, on the return trip, May 12th, the speakers, in their turn, emphasized the subject, "The Necessity of the Atonement." It was the home of Amasa Lyman, who was breaking away from his moorings and advocating a strange doctrine respecting the atonement of Jesus Christ. In his remarks at that time President Young said: "There never was, and never will be, a world created and redeemed except by the shedding of the blood of the Savior of that world. I know why the blood of Jesus was shed, and I know why the blood of Joseph and Hyrum was shed, and why the blood of others will be shed in the future. It is all to answer a purpose. Adam subjected himself to the conditions of this world as did our Lord and Master, that redemption and exaltationmight come to man. Without descending below all things, we cannot rise above all things. The gospel of salvation will never change. It is the same in all ages of the world and will be through all ages of eternity."
It was not long after their return to Salt Lake that a trip of the leaders was made to Provo, where a new meeting-house had been erected and was to be dedicated. Elder Woodruff made the following description of it: "It is built after the Presbyterian order. It has a pulpit in it, a very narrow one, that gives but little room to stand in, and there is barely room for three or four on the stand behind it. The house has been twelve years in building." In his discourse to the people from the pulpit he said: "I thank God with every sentiment of my heart that I have lived to see a Presbyterian meeting-house filled with the Saints of God, and the pulpit occupied by the Apostles of the Lamb, who have dedicated this house unto the Lord." This meeting-house still stands in Provo, but is now superseded by one much larger and more commodiously arranged.
The leaders on their return from Provo made a visit to Logan. Here, President Young is quoted as saying that the ten tribes of Israel are on a portion of the earth,—a portion separated from the main land. This view is also expressed in one of the sacrificial hymns written by Eliza R. Snow:
"And when the Lord saw fit to hideThe ten lost tribes away,Thou, earth, was severed to provideThe orb on which they stay."
"And when the Lord saw fit to hideThe ten lost tribes away,Thou, earth, was severed to provideThe orb on which they stay."
It was here on the 5th of September, 1867, Elder Joseph F. Smith was selected to be one of the Twelve Apostles, he having been ordained sometime before as an Apostle without having been made a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. He was sustained at the general semi-annual conference which took place between the 6th and 9th of October.
That conference was one of unusual interest to the Saints. The new Tabernacle was then completed and between eight and ten thousand people met to honor the occasion and attend conference. The organ was not quite completed. It was designed to havetwo thousand pipes, but then had only seven hundred and fifty.
At this conference one of the brethren spoke upon the God-head. The discourse met, in the main, the views of President Young. The latter, however, said: "When any man publishes or preaches his peculiar views he should not say they are the views of the Church." At the close of the meeting President Young talked very plainly with him about saying that such and such were the doctrines of the Church; about telling what would have been if Christ had not died; if Adam had not fallen; or if there had been no Savior prepared, the world would not have been created.
The conference was further characterized by the call to Dixie of a hundred young men. Instructions were also given on the laws of life and health. A simple life was urged upon the people. President Young further impressed upon young ladies the necessity of some sort of business education. He thought they should study telegraphy, learn to keep books, and prepare themselves for the lighter vocations of life.
The conference had its shadows. Much that was taught was no doubt a result of peculiar views which Amasa Lyman preached. This Apostle was dropped from his position in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Elder Woodruff recorded the marriage on October 12th of his son Wilford to Emily Jane Smith. To the father, the ordinance was in keeping with man's express duty to his God and his obligation to the Church. He thought it was a circumstance in a young man's life which called forth a prayerful desire to serve the Lord. Indeed, such sacred obligations as marriage should never be undertaken without resorting to prayer for God's guidance.
The organization of the School of the Prophets was again taken up and effected on the 16th day of December, 1867. Its members met in the City Hall. It had been organized in earlier days of the Church by the Prophet Joseph through revelation, and was designed for the spiritual growth and development of the Saints of God. Of this school Elder Woodruff was a devoted and active member.
The winter of 1866 and '67 was an open one. Up to January 1st the ground was bare. The weather was warm and there hadbeen a considerable fall of rain. The winter months of that spring were occupied by Elder Woodruff in legislative work.
He had with him at that time two Indian boys whom he undertook to educate. One was called Moroni, the other Sarrowkeets. The latter, he sent to a private school taught by Elizabeth Cowley in her home in the Fourteenth Ward. These Indian boys, in one way or another, caused him considerable trouble, yet he bore with them patiently and sought to educate them and provide for them a father's care. Moroni died as a boy. Sarrowkeets or "Keets," as he was familiarly called, yielded to the wandering spirit of his ancestors and left home. It is supposed that he was run over and killed by a Short Line train four miles north of Salt Lake City.
In his journal of January 21st he recorded some instructions given to a body of the priesthood. "Who was Michael, the Archangel?" "He is Adam, who was Michael in the creation of the world. It will take all the ordinances of the gospel to save one soul as much as it will take to save another,—the dead as well as the living. Jesus Christ Himself obeyed all the ordinances of the gospel that He might fulfill all righteousness. Therefore, those who have died without the gospel will have to receive it in the spirit world from those who preach it to the spirits in prison. Those who dwell in the flesh will have to attend to all the ordinances of the gospel for and in behalf of the dead."
Continuing, he remarked: "There are some keys which the Prophet Joseph held which no other man held while he lived. So it is with Brigham Young. The keys of the sealing power are held by the President alone, although he permits others to administer in this ordinance.
"When I was baptized into this Church, I was observing the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord, and not the first day of the week; but I knew that the Latter-day Saints were the people of God, and had the true Church of Christ; and if I had had a hundred traditions I would have laid them all aside."
Elder Woodruff observed that in the School of the Prophets the brethren were instructed not to dabble in astrology, or any system which might contain a mixture of truth and error. Not one ray of light had ever been thrown upon the principle of salvation in the practice of clairvoyance and spiritualism. Thesesubjects are not such as men can act upon with the ordinary intelligence God has given them.
In the early part of the year 1868, Elder Woodruff, John Taylor, and Joseph F. Smith with others were called to Provo for the purpose of assisting in the work to be done there. Abram O. Smoot was elected as mayor, and Elder Woodruff with others, constituted the City Council. The town was in need of a new spiritual life. It also needed strong men to guide its destinies and make it a center of one of the leading stakes of the Church. Elder Woodruff, however, did not long remain there, and upon receiving his release returned with his family to Salt Lake City.
When he reached Salt Lake City, he found there a letter from his brother Azmon, who had embraced the gospel when he did in the state of New York. The brother, however, was in a dissatisfied state of mind. He wrote letters occasionally to Wilford in which he set forth some of his objections to the work. In reply to these letters, some of which were copied in Wilford Woodruff's journal, he spoke to his brother with great plainness, told him about his wives and children, and gave a strong defense of the principle of Plural Marriage.
This was the year of the grasshopper war. Swarms of them had swept over the country. They were so thick at times as to cloud the rays of the sun. The struggle with these insects was rightly characterized as a war. It is difficult to realize at this distance of time what it meant in those days to protect the crops against the ravages of the grasshopper. All the ingenuity and device that men could bring to their assistance were used in the effort to save out of the ruins enough bread for winter use. Furrows were ploughed, nets were devised, and by these different means Elder Woodruff says in three days they caught and destroyed one hundred and seventy-five bushels of grasshoppers. Elder Woodruff gave to that war all his strength and ingenuity.
We next find him, according to his journal, grubbing willows, breaking land, building bridges, digging ditches, constructing roads, erecting fences, barns, and houses. He was, indeed, a model of industry. He was as pliable in spirit as he was in body. All honorable work was God's work, whether he dug a ditch, preached a sermon, or wrote history,—with him it was all alike for the glory of God.
In 1868 Apostle Woodruff made a record of the enthusiasm which he, in common with others, felt over the advent of the railroad. It was approaching the Territory from both the east and the west. There was considerable agitation about its location. President Young and others had taken contract for the construction of the road-bed. Where the railroad entered Utah was of course to them a matter of great importance, as Salt Lake City was the headquarters, and its future possibilities seemed wonderful to them. On the 10th of June Elder Woodruff walked from his farm on Canyon Creek to Salt Lake that he might take part in a mass-meeting which was to discuss the entrance or place of entrance of the roads into the Territory. Should these trans-continental lines meet in Ogden or Salt Lake City? To their minds Salt Lake City was the place. In that event, the road would go south of the lake, instead of north of it. Those, however, whose word was final in the matter decided to make Ogden the Junction City, and plans were at once entered into to construct from that place to Salt Lake City a branch line.
With the advent of the railroad, the interests of the Territory became so diversified that there were subjects to interest and occupy the non-Mormon and Mormons alike. There were more public platforms on which all might stand with equal interest.
Heretofore, the Fourth of July had been the principal occasion for universal celebration; this year it was observed in the customary manner. All the Sunday schools of the city marched to the Tabernacle, with them were enough grown people to make an audience of some ten thousand. Addresses were delivered by Governor Durkee, George A. Smith, General A. L. Chattan, and George Q. Cannon. Colonel E. H. Head was orator of the day. The Twenty-fourth was also appropriately celebrated by the Saints.
In August the leaders visited the settlements north as far as Logan. In his address there Elder Woodruff said: "When I was a youth, I felt that I would have gone hundreds of miles to see a prophet or an apostle of the Lord, or any other man called of God and inspired to preach the gospel of Christ in its fulness and purity. Now, as I travel through the country I see thousands of children, also men and women who behold prophets, apostles, and elders. They greet President Young, the Twelve, and others aswe travel through the country. This is an excellent practice, as it will make a lasting impression upon the minds of all, especially the children. They will never forget it. When they meet in the years which are to come they will converse upon the scene of this visit something as follows: 'Oh! what a great change has taken place since the Prophet Brigham Young and the Apostles visited Logan in 1868. Then, it was a new country. There were a few settlements and only about ten thousand people, all told, in Cache Valley. Then, we had no tabernacle in which to worship—no Temple of the Lord stood upon the bench to the east of the city. Now, we have a great tabernacle, a beautiful Temple of the Lord, from whose summit we may view the glory of this valley filled with cities and towns from north to south. Then, our fields were filled one-half with sun flowers and noxious weeds. Now, they are properly tilled and no man occupies more land than he can cultivate properly.'"
On the return from this trip, a journey was taken by the leaders through the settlements south of Sanpete. The disagreements between the authorities and many non-Mormons of those times had created an enthusiastic determination on the part of the people to stand by their leaders. The efforts to imprison Brigham Young and to bring reproach upon his name only awakened the stronger their confidence and love. When the company reached Nephi many women and children came out to meet and greet him. They built a large pyramid of evergreens with the word "Welcome" woven into it. Their enthusiasm kindled into a heartfelt expression, "Blessed are they that come in the name of the Lord." There was a grand ovation wherever the leaders went.
President Young, however, was not exalted in his feelings because of these attentions. The welfare of the Saints was a matter of deep concern to him. The Saints were admonished to abandon the use of tea, coffee, and tobacco; to cease to use liquor; and not support those in the country who were the deadly enemies of the Saints—those, who, enriching themselves by their patronage, were sending lies abroad against the people. At Nephi the stake of Zion was organized with Elder Jacob Bigler as president.
On reaching Mt. Pleasant, the enthusiasm of the people exceededeven that at Nephi. "It was the greatest display and the largest procession I ever saw outside of Salt Lake City." At Ephraim there was a torchlight procession. There, President Canute Peterson was selected to preside over the priesthood in that place. He subsequently became president of the Sanpete Stake. At Ephraim Elder Woodruff recorded in his journal the following: "I had an interview this morning with a Danish brother by the name of Soren Christensen, a man seventy-five years of age. He had lived under five reigning kings of Denmark and had served as a soldier under Napoleon. He was a very strong man."
The leaders returned for general conference which convened that fall on the 6th of October. "It was the first time for thirty-two years," said Elder Woodruff, "that all the Quorum of the Twelve had been together. The last time before this was at the home of Elder Heber C. Kimball in Kirtland. They were then contending one against the other, and Brigham Young prayed that all the Quorum might never meet again until it could meet in peace and union. The entire Quorum never met since then until this day." Only three of the original Quorum still remained. They were Brigham Young, Orson Hyde, and Orson Pratt. The Quorum at this time consisted of Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, Ezra T. Benson, Chas. C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith. At this conference George A. Smith was called to the First Presidency of the Church to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Heber C. Kimball, and Brigham Young, Jr., was called to fill the place made vacant in the Quorum. He had, however, been previously ordained as an apostle.
On October 26th of that year, Elder Woodruff recorded a circumstance of a misfortune that befell one of his sons. The Indian boy "Keets" whom he had taken to raise, in a fit of surliness left his post of duty at the molasses mill where he was feeding the rollers. No one was left to take the Indian boy's place except Elder Woodruff's little son, Ashael, then only five years old. While the child was feeding the mill, his right hand was drawn between the rollers and badly crushed. The father and motherimmediately brought him to the city where the thumb and two of the fingers were amputated by Dr. Ormsby.
December 8th he recorded the death of Daniel Spencer, president of the Salt Lake Stake; and on the 9th, the death of Leonora Cannon Taylor, wife of President John Taylor.
In closing the record of the year 1868, he made a summary of his labors for that year. He traveled one thousand three hundred and four miles, attended one hundred and seventy-six meetings, preached seventy-nine discourses, attended thirty-two prayer meetings with the Presidency and Twelve, twenty-six meetings of his own prayer circle, two general conferences. He labored twenty days in the Endowment House, gave endowments to two thousand and twenty-five persons, married four hundred and nine couples, out of a total of one thousand one hundred and nine for that year. He officiated in other ordinances for eighteen persons, met with the School of the Prophets forty-seven times, baptized one, confirmed one, blessed one child, met in a council with the body of the priesthood three times, met with an Irrigation Company twice, and while in Provo met four times with the City Council. During the year he wrote eighty letters and received sixty. He attended the legislative council forty days. Besides all this, he labored on his farm plowing, planting, reaping, and irrigating. He killed about three hundred bushels of grasshoppers. What a marvel of industry!