A Peek into Rise Up and Speak

Rise Up and Speak is a selection of 52 of the nearly 1,300 accounts of discourses delivered by church leader Eliza R. Snow over several decades. In addition, the book contains introductions and notes putting each discourse into its historical context. Readers of these documents will be generally unaware of all the work editors did behind the scenes to narrow the number of discourses and to create the volume. This article draws interested readers into a conversation with the volume’s editors about document selection, the relevance of the teachings, and favorite discourses.

Document Selection

We, the book’s editors, selected discourses based on how well they represent Snow’s thought, theology, and ministry and how effectively the records documented her words. Editors initially aimed for a document count similar to what is found in Joseph Smith Papers volumes (around 100 discourses), but printing restraints required us to reduce the number of discourses and the volume’s page count. The trimming process was painful yet needed. Fortunately, transcripts of all of Snow’s extant discourses are available on the Church Historian’s Press website.

Timeless Teachings

Discourses came alive as we researched and drafted introductions and annotations for them. The correlation of current events with Snow’s sermon topics was at times astonishing, prompting moments of reflection. As we began drafting the volume in late 2021, I was assigned “The Interests of the Kingdom of God Are My Interests,” a discourse Snow delivered during an 1874 pneumonia epidemic that had killed a bishop and many ward members. Coeditor Jessica Nelson annotated “Be One and Mourn with Those That Mourn,” a sermon Snow delivered on the heels of a tragic drowning incident in Mayfield, Utah Territory. The devastating loss of human life reflected in both sermons did not go unnoticed by modern editors after the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, discourses such as “Cheer Up the Sisters and Strengthen Them in the Faith” record Snow’s instructions on caring for newly arrived European church members who did not speak English, instructions that remain relevant in many parts of the world today.

Favorite Discourses

It was a delight to compile and annotate Snow’s discourses and, in the process, find some favorites. Lead historian Jennifer Reeder loved “A Solid Start for a Long Race” and “I Would Have Walked to the Ends of the Earth” for the tidbits Snow revealed about her life and conversion that are not found in other historical sources. I also enjoyed “A Solid Start for a Long Race” for its teachings on trials. Coeditor Elizabeth Kuehn enjoyed “My Scandinavian Sisters” because Snow took the time to attend, to speak, and to love the women, though she did not understand the languages that most of the women used in the meeting. Jessica Nelson found “A Mariner Never Can Show His Skill in a Calm” to be profound; it reasons that, despite difficulty and discomfort, we can learn and grow from the adversity in our lives.

Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow is available for purchase from Deseret Book and Amazon.