The morning cold, wet and cloudy with wind from northeast. We shall not
travel unless it grows fair and better weather. I spent the morning
writing in Elder Kimball's journal, but felt very unwell having
taken cold yesterday and been sick all night. About ten o'clock, the
weather looked a little better and at half past ten the bugle sounded
as a signal for the teams to be got together. After the teams were
harnessed, the brethren were called together to the boat in the circle.
President Young taking his station in the boat, ordered each captain of
ten to lead out his respective company and get all his men together. He
then called on the clerk to call over the names of the camp to see if
all were present. Joseph Hancock and Andrew Gibbons were reported to
be absent hunting. Brothers Elijah Newman and Nathaniel Fairbanks were
confined to their wagons but answered to their names, the remainder all
present. President Young then addressed the meeting in substance as
follows:
"I remarked last Sunday that I had not felt much like preaching to the
brethren on this mission. This morning I feel like preaching a little,
and shall take for my text, 'That as to pursuing our journey with this
company with the spirit they possess, I am about to revolt against it.'
This is the text I feel like preaching on this morning, consequently
I am in no hurry. In the first place, before we left Winter Quarters,
it was told to the brethren and many knew it by experience, that we
had to leave our homes, our houses, our land and our all because we
believed in the Gospel as revealed to the Saints in these last days.
The rise of the persecutions against the Church was in consequence of
the doctrines of eternal truth taught by Joseph. Many knew this by
experience. Some lost their husbands, some lost their wives, and some
their children through persecution, and yet we have not been disposed
to forsake the truth and turn and mingle with the gentiles, except a
few who have turned aside and gone away from us, and we have learned
in a measure, the difference between a professor of religion and a
possessor of religion. Before we left Winter Quarters it was told to
the brethren that we were going to look out a home for the Saints
where they would be free from persecution by the gentiles, where we
could dwell in peace and serve God according to the Holy Priesthood,
where we could build up the kingdom so that the nations would begin to
flock to our standard. I have said many things to the brethren about
the strictness of their walk and conduct when we left the gentiles,
and told them that we would have to walk upright or the law would be
put in force, etc. Many have left and turned aside through fear, but
no good upright, honest man will fear. The Gospel does not bind a good
man down and deprive him of his rights and privileges. It does not
prevent him from enjoying the fruits of his labors. It does not rob
him of blessings. It does not stop his increase. It does not diminish
his kingdom, but it is calculated to enlarge his kingdom as well as to
enlarge his heart. It is calculated to give him privileges and power,
and honor, and exaltation and everything which his heart can desire
in righteousness all the days of his life, and then, when he gets
exalted into the eternal world he can still turn around and say it
hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive the glory and honor
and blessings which God hath in store for those that love and serve
Him. I want the brethren to understand and comprehend the principles
of eternal life, and to watch the spirit, be wide awake and not be
overcome by the adversary. You can see the fruits of the spirit, but
you cannot see the spirit itself with the natural eye, you behold it
not. You can see the result of yielding to the evil spirit and what
it will lead you to, but you do not see the spirit itself nor its
operations, only by the spirit that's in you. Nobody has told me what
has been going on in the camp, but I have known it all the while. I
have been watching its movements, its influence, its effects, and I
know the result if it is not put a stop to. I want you to understand
that inasmuch as we are beyond the power of the gentiles where the
devil has tabernacles in the priests and the people, we are beyond
their reach, we are beyond their power. We are beyond their grasp,
and what has the devil now to work upon? Upon the spirits of men in
this camp, and if you do not open your hearts so that the Spirit of
God can enter your hearts and teach you the right way, I know that you
are a ruined people and will be destroyed and that without remedy,
and unless there is a change and a different course of conduct, a
different spirit to what is now in this camp, I go no farther. I am in
no hurry. Give me the man of prayers, give me the man of faith, give
me the man of meditation, a sober-minded man, and I would far rather
go amongst the savages with six or eight such men than to trust myself
with the whole of this camp with the spirit they now possess. Here is
an opportunity for every man to prove himself, to know whether he will
pray and remember his God without being asked to do it every day; to
know whether he will have confidence enough to ask of God that he may
receive without my telling him to do it. If this camp was composed of
men who had newly received the Gospel, men who had not received the
priesthood, men who had not been through the ordinances in the temple
and who had not had years of experience, enough to have learned the
influence of the spirits and the difference between a good and an evil
spirit, I should feel like preaching to them and watching over them
and telling them all the time, day by day. But here are the Elders of
Israel, men who have had years of experience, men who have had the
priesthood for years--and have they got faith enough to rise up
and stop a mean, low, groveling, covetous, quarrelsome spirit? No, they
have not, nor would they try to stop it, unless I rise up in the power
of God and put it down. I do not mean to bow down to the spirit that
is in this camp, and which is rankling in the bosoms of the brethren,
and which will lead to knock downs and perhaps to the use of the knife
to cut each other's throats if it is not put a stop to. I do not mean
to bow down to the spirit which causes the brethren to quarrel. When I
wake up in the morning, the first thing I hear is some of the brethren
jawing each other and quarreling because a horse has got loose in the
night. I have let the brethren dance and fiddle and act the nigger
night after night to see what they will do, and what extremes they
would go to, if suffered to go as far as they would. I do not love to
see it. The brethren say they want a little exercise to pass away time
in the evenings, but if you can't tire yourselves bad enough with a
day's journey without, dancing every night, carry your guns on your
shoulders and walk, carry your wood to camp instead of lounging and
lying asleep in your wagons, increasing the load until your teams are
tired to death and ready to drop to the earth. Help your teams over
mud holes and bad places instead of lounging in your wagons and that
will give you exercise enough without dancing. Well, they will play
cards, they will play checkers, they will play dominoes, and if they
had the privilege and were where they could get whiskey, they would
be drunk half their time, and in one week they would quarrel, get to
high words and draw their knives to kill each other. This is what such
a course of things would lead to. Don't you know it? Yes. Well, then,
why don't you try to put it down? I have played cards once in my life
since I became a Mormon to see what kind of spirit would attend it,
and I was so well satisfied, that I would rather see in your hands the
dirtiest thing you could find on the earth, than a pack of cards. You
never read of gambling, playing cards, checkers, dominoes, etc., in
the scriptures, but you do read of men praising the Lord in the dance,
but who ever read of praising the Lord in a game at cards? If any man
had sense enough to play a game at cards, or dance a little without
wanting to keep it up all the time, but exercise a little and then quit
it and think no more of it, it would do well enough, but you want to
keep it up till midnight and every night, and all the time. You don't
know how to control your senses. Last winter when we had our seasons of
recreation in the council house, I went forth in the dance frequently,
but did my mind run on it? No! To be sure, when I was dancing, my mind
was on the dance, but the moment I stopped in the middle or the end
of a tune, my mind was engaged in prayer and praise to my Heavenly
Father and whatever I engage in, my mind is on it while engaged in it,
but the moment I am done with it, my mind is drawn up to my God. The
devils which inhabit the gentiles' priests are here. The tabernacles
are not here, we are out of their power, we are beyond their grasp, we
are beyond the reach of their persecutions, but the devils are here,
and the first thing you'll know if you don't open your eyes and your
hearts, they will cause divisions in our camp and perhaps war, as they
did with the Lamanites as you read in the Book of Mormon. Do we suppose
that we are going to look out a home for the Saints, a resting place, a
place of peace where they can build up the kingdom and bid the nations
welcome, with a low, mean, dirty, trifling, covetous, wicked spirit
dwelling in our bosoms? It is vain! vain! Some of you are very fond of
passing jokes, and will carry your jokes very far. But will you take
a joke? If you do not want to take a joke, don't give a joke to your
brethren. Joking, nonsense, profane language, trifling conversation and
loud laughter do not belong to us. Suppose the angels were witnessing
the hoe down the other evening, and listening to the haw haws the other
evening, would they not be ashamed of it? I am ashamed of it. I have
not given a joke to any man on this journey nor felt like it; neither
have I insulted any man's feelings but I have hollowed pretty loud and
spoken sharply to the brethren when I have seen their awkwardness at
coming to camp. The revelations in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon,
and Doctrine and Covenants, teach us to be sober; and let me ask you
elders that have been through the ordinances in the temple, what were
your covenants there? I say you should remember them. When I laugh I
see my folly and nothingness and weakness and am ashamed of myself. I
think meaner and worse of myself than any man can think of me; but I
delight in God, and in His commandments and delight to meditate on Him
and to serve Him and I mean that everything in me shall be subjected
to Him. Now let every man repent of his weakness, of his follies, of
his meanness, and every kind of wickedness, and stop your swearing and
profane language, for it is in this camp and I know it, and have known
it. I have said nothing about it, but I now tell you, if you don't stop
it you shall be cursed by the Almighty and shall dwindle away and be
damned. Such things shall not be suffered in this camp. You shall honor
God, and confess His name or else you shall suffer the penalty. Most
of this camp belong to the Church, nearly all; and I would say to you
brethren, and to the Elders of Israel, if you are faithful, you will
yet be sent to preach this Gospel to the nations of the earth and bid
all welcome whether they believe the Gospel or not, and this kingdom
will reign over many who do not belong to the Church, over thousands
who do not believe in the Gospel. Bye and bye every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess and acknowledge and reverence and honor the name
of God and His priesthood and observe the laws of the kingdom whether
they belong to the Church and obey the Gospel or not, and I mean that
every man in this camp shall do it. That is what the scripture means by
every knee shall bow, etc., and you cannot make anything else out of
it. I understand there are several in this camp who do not belong to
the Church. I am the man who will stand up for them and protect them in
all their rights. And they shall not trample on our rights nor on the
priesthood. They shall reverence and acknowledge the name of God and
His priesthood, and if they set up their heads and seek to introduce
iniquity into this camp and to trample on the priesthood, I swear to
them, they shall never go back to tell the tale. I will leave them
where they will be safe. If they want to retreat they can now have the
privilege, and any man who chooses to go back rather than abide the law
of God can now have the privilege of doing so before we go any farther.
Here are the Elders of Israel who have the priesthood, who have got
to preach the Gospel, who have to gather the nations of the earth,
who have to build up the kingdom so that the nations can come to it,
they will stop to dance as niggers. I don't mean this as debasing the
negroes by any means; they will hoe down all, turn summersets, dance on
their knees, and haw, haw, out loud; they will play cards, they will
play checkers and dominoes, they will use profane language, they will
swear! Suppose when you go to preach, the people should ask you what
you did when you went on this mission to seek out a home for the whole
Church, what was your course of conduct? Did you dance? Yes. Did you
hoe down all? Yes. Did you play cards? Yes. Did you play checkers? Yes.
Did you use profane language? Yes. Did you swear? Yes. Did you quarrel
with each other and threaten each other? Why yes. How would you feel?
What would you say for yourselves? Would you not want to go and hide
up? Your mouths would be stopped and you would want to creep away in
disgrace. I am one of the last to ask my brethren to enter into solemn
covenants, but if they will not enter into a covenant to put away their
iniquity and turn to the Lord and serve Him and acknowledge and honor
His name, I want them to take their wagons and retreat back, for I
shall go no farther under such a state of things. If we don't repent
and quit our wickedness we will have more hinderances than we have
had, and worse storms to encounter. I want the brethren to be ready
for meeting tomorrow at the time appointed, instead of rambling off,
and hiding in their wagons to play cards, etc. I think it will be good
for us to have a fast meeting tomorrow and a prayer meeting to humble
ourselves and turn to the Lord and he will forgive us."
He then called upon all the High Priests to step forth in a line in
front of the wagon and then the bishops to step in front of the High
Priests, which being done, he counted them and found their number to
be four bishops and fifteen high priests. He then called upon all the
seventies to form a line in the rear of the high priests. On being
counted, they were ascertained to number seventy-eight. Next he called
on the elders to form a line in the rear of the wagon. They were eight
in number. There were also eight of the quorum of the twelve. He then
asked the brethren of the quorum of the twelve if they were willing to
covenant, to turn to the Lord with all their hearts, to repent of all
their follies, to cease from all their evils and serve God according
to His laws. If they were willing, to manifest it by holding up their
right hand. Every man held up his hand in token that he covenanted. He
then put the same question to the high priests and bishops; next to the
seventies, and then to the elders, and lastly to the other brethren.
All covenanted with uplifted hands without a dissenting voice. He then
addressed those who are not members of the Church and told them they
should be protected in their rights and privileges while they would
conduct themselves well and not seek to trample on the priesthood nor
blaspheme the name of God, etc. He then referred to the conduct of
Benjamin Rolfe's two younger brothers, in joining with the Higbees and
John C. Bennett in sowing discord and strife among the Saints in Nauvoo
and remarked that there will be no more Bennett scrapes suffered here.
He spoke highly of Benjamin Rolfe's conduct, although not a member of
the Church and also referred to the esteem in which his father and
mother were held by the Saints generally. He then very tenderly blessed
the brethren and prayed that God would enable them to fulfill their
covenants and then withdrew to give opportunity for others to speak
if they felt like it. Elder Kimball arose to say that he agreed with
all that President Young had said. He receives it as the word of the
Lord to him and it is the word of the Lord to this camp if they will
receive it. He has been watching the motion of things and the conduct
of the brethren for some time and has seen what it would lead to. He
has said little but thought a great deal. It has made him shudder
when he has seen the Elders of Israel descend to the lowest, dirtiest
things imaginable, the tail end of everything, but what has passed this
morning will make it an everlasting blessing to the brethren, if they
will repent and be faithful and keep their covenant. He never can rest
satisfied until his family is liberated from the gentiles and their
company and established in a land where they can plant and reap the
fruits of their labors, but he has never had the privilege of eating
the fruits of his labors yet, neither has his family, but when this is
done he can sleep in peace if necessary but not till then. If we will
serve the Lord, remember His name to call upon Him, and be faithful, we
shall not one of us be left under the sod, but shall be permitted to
return and meet our families in peace and enjoy their society again;
but if this camp continues the course of conduct it has done, the
judgment of God will overtake us. He hopes the brethren will take heed
to what President Young has said and let it sink deep in their hearts.
Elder Pratt wanted to add a word to what has been said. "Much good
advice has been given to teach us how we may spend our time profitably
by prayer, and meditation, etc." But there is another idea which
he wants to add. "There are many books in the camp and worlds of
knowledge before us which we have not obtained, and if the brethren
would devote all their leisure time to seeking after knowledge, they
would never need to say they had nothing with which to pass away their
time. If we could spend 23 hours out of the 24 in gaining knowledge
and only sleep one hour of the 24 all the days of our life, there
would still be worlds of knowledge in store for us yet to learn. He
knows it is difficult to bring our minds to diligent and constant
studies, in pursuit of knowledge all at once, but by steady practice
and perseverance we shall become habituated to it, and it will become a
pleasure to us. He would recommend to the brethren, besides prayer, and
obedience, to seek after knowledge continually. And it will help us to
overcome our follies and nonsense; we shall have no time for it.
Elder Woodruff said he remembered the time when the camp went up to
Missouri to redeem Zion, when Brother Joseph stood up on a wagon wheel
and told the brethren that the decree had passed and could not be
revoked, and the destroying angel would visit the camp and we should
die like sheep with the rot. He had repeatedly warned the brethren of
their evil conduct and what it would lead to, but they still continued
in their course. It was not long before the destroying angel did visit
the camp and the brethren began to fall as Brother Joseph had said. We
buried eighteen in a short time and a more sorrowful time I never saw.
There are nine here who were in that camp and they all recollect the
circumstance well and will never forget it. He has been thinking while
the President was speaking, that if he was one who had played checkers
or cards, he would take every pack of cards and every checker board and
burn them up so that they would no longer be in the way to tempt us.
Colonel Markham acknowledged that he had done wrong in many things.
He had always indulged himself, before he came into the Church, with
everything he desired and he knows he has done wrong on this journey,
he knows his mind has become darkened since he left Winter Quarters.
He hopes the brethren will forgive him and he will pray to be forgiven
and try to do better. While he was speaking he was very much affected
indeed and wept like a child. Many of the brethren felt much affected
and all seemed to realize for the first time, the excess to which they
had yielded and the awful consequence of such things if persisted in.
Many were in tears and felt humbled. President Young returned to the
boat as Brother Markham closed his remarks and said in reply, that he
knew the brethren would forgive him, and the Lord will forgive us all
if we turn to Him with all our hearts and cease to do evil. The meeting
was then dismissed, each man retiring to his wagon. And being half past
one o'clock we again pursued our journey in peace, all reflecting on
what has passed today, and many expressing their gratitude for what
has transpired. It seemed as though we were just commencing on this
important mission, and all realizing the responsibility resting upon
us to conduct ourselves in such a manner that the journey may be an
everlasting blessing to us, instead of an everlasting disgrace. No loud
laughter was heard, no swearing, no quarreling, no profane language, no
hard speeches to man or beast, and it truly seemed as though the cloud
had burst and we had emerged into a new element, a new atmosphere, and
a new society. We traveled six and three quarters miles about a north
of northwest course and then arrived at the foot of the low bluffs
which extend within about ten rods of the river, the latter forming a
large bend northward at this point. At the foot of the bluffs the road
was sandy and very heavy on our teams. Like all other sandy places,
it was perfectly barren, being only a tuft of grass here and there.
After passing over the sand we changed our course to a little north of
west, not, however, leaving the bluffs very far. The river bends again
to the south. We then found the ground hard and good to travel over,
but perfectly bare of grass for upwards of a mile. At five o'clock it
commenced raining very hard accompanied by lightning and thunder and
strong northeast wind. It also changed considerably cooler again. At
five thirty o'clock we formed our encampment on the edge of the higher
bench of prairie. The feed is tolerably good on the bottom but here
there is none at all. We have passed a small grove of fair sized trees,
all green, growing on the islands in the river which are tolerably many
near here, but there is no timber yet on this side of the river. The
brethren pick up drift wood enough to do their cooking. I spent the
evening writing in this journal till half past twelve o'clock, but felt
quite unwell. The distance we have traveled today is eight and a half
miles, during the week seventy-four and a half, making us 514½ miles
from Winter Quarters. There is a creek of clear water about 200 yards
to the south from which the camp obtains what they want.