21 April 1875


Cedar Fort Young Ladies; Cedar Fort, Utah Territory

[. . .] Miss E. R. Snow, by request of Mrs Sophronia [S.] Cook, who presided addressed the large audience present by saying she was well pleased to see so many of the Brethern manifest an intrest by being present on this occasion that in the church and kingdom of god the intrest of men and women were the same that man has no intrest separete from that of women, and women has no intrest seperate of that of man. however it may be in the outmade world ours are all united.

She said she was glad and hapy to see so many of the young men here. as a mother in Iseral. she felt that she had a right to talk a little to them. she spoke of the first organizatien of the yo[u]ng ladies and girls that it was in[t]roduced by the rev[e]lation of God &c—

gave seme account of the manner in which it was offored and even by parents who could no necesity for yo[u]ng people to exercise in the religien of Jesus. that the parents only need this exercise.

Miss Snow said she was truly thankfull to see that some of the young Ladies in this Place were brave enuph [enough] to manifest a wish to enter into an origonizatien. she mentioned people calling [p. 1] on her from the settlements and saying that no retrenchment was needed with them they were not extravagant in dress &c. when she asked them if they had no ignorance to retrench, no uncouth maners, no evil practices nothing at variance with the spirit of the gospel &c. which called forth responses in favor of retrenchment organization from her opponen[t] she referd to the spiritual exercise of the young in the early rise of the church saying that we had gro[w]n into secteerianism [sectarianism] so far as the gifts of the gospel were concerned young people know nothing of them only by report &c. said she was in favor of book learning but that all the book learning in the world would not qualify them to becom queens, and preastes [priestesses], in the courts above it required a spiritual culture direction. Miss Snow suggested to the young gentlemen that thay move fored [forward?] take holt of spirituial and mental improvements and take the lead of the yo[u]ng ladies she erged [urged] them to respect thenselves to[o] hily [highly] to submit to the adultration habits of the world in the youse [use] of tobaco and liquors that they should not defile thier bodies which should be tempels for the holy g[h]ost. with thes[e] forbodings things she expresced her belief that the filthy youse [use] of tobacco so adultrates the stomic [stomach] and distroyed the natrial [natural] power of the digestion organs. as to create an unatrial [unnatural] hankern [hankering] for strong drink. and l[e]ad to drunkness &c with many others instructive remarks.

After whitch [which] by request of the President of the meeting Sister Snow proposed to organise th[e] society [. . .] [p. 2]

Source Note

Cedar Fort Ward, Utah Stake, Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association Minutes and Records (1875–1964), vol. 1 (1875–1897), pp. 1–2, CHL (LR 1512 17); F. Melinda Cook, Secretary.

See also Melinda Cook, “R. S. Reports,” Woman’s Exponent 4, no. 1 (1 June 1875): 2.

Cite this page

21 April 1875, Cedar Fort Young Ladies; Cedar Fort, Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1875/04/1875-04-21