23 April 1875


Lehi Young Ladies; Lehi Tabernacle, Lehi, Utah Territory

[. . .] present from Salt Lake City

Miss Eliza R Snow and Mrs Mary S Snow

[. . .]

Miss Eliza R Snow then ad[dressed] the meeting as follows. my sisters your president [Orinda J. Davis] has requested [me?] to speak to you. I do not of my self feel qualified to instruct you unles, the Spirit of the Lord is given me through your faith and prayers. I hope my sisters here are alive and awake to their duties. I hope they realize the position that pertains to woman in the kingdom of God. the Relief Societys, how little, they are understood and, how few, honour these organization. a sister ataches her name to it and at times gives of her means to help suport to poor. that is good so far, but this is but one of its smallest duties. Joseph Smith said, these societys, were not only to releive the poor but to save souls. how much does that sister do towards saving a soul that can never find time to come to meeting or perform any duty but will <make> any little thing an Excuse for not doing so.

there are others that always attend their meetings and are on hand for any duty that is placed upon them.

in the kingdom of God or the Great plan of redemption woman will have [to?] perform her part as well [as?] her man. you cannot show me the position that man will ocu [occupy] in this Great work, Even from the fall to the redemption but woman will have to be there, and perform her portion they are not seperate, but it requires Both to carry out the Great plan of Salvation and redemption. Else how could we be<come> Savours [saviors] on mount Zion.

who are they who will fill those high positions, [p. 191]

it will be those that have been diligent in improving and qualifying them selves and sowing the good seed, not those that have been Negligent. I know as mothers you have many duties to perform.

home is, the first, and the care of your children that God has intrusted to you, this responsibility is great and must not be Neglected; but they <there> are other duties also, a saint of God needs spiritual food and cannot live without it, the way has been provided for you by attending to your Society and other meetings the spirit of the Lord will be there to feed and comfort you, and those that are fed by this spirit are happy. I love to meet A happy spirit and these organizations are calculated to make so, when we meet togather in this way if our Eyes could be touched we [see?] should heavenly beings arround us. Every sister should feel that she has a work to perform. President [Brigham] Young said to me I want the Relief Societys to step forward and help to sustain ourselves. we must be alive to our duties, if Bab[ylon] should fall to day or next week, what would become of us for at the present time we are depending on her for not only what we call our comforts but our very Necescitys [necessities]. we have been called out of Babylon that we might not pertake of her sins but I think some of us have brought Babylon with us and hug it to our hearts. Sisters the time has come for us to stop this waste and sustain ourselves. the Lord is calling on us through President Young to Establish home Industries, it is time the Sisters of the Relief Societys awake up and show that they are Energectic Handmadiens of the Lord that will be savours on Mount Zion.

in <it> is natural for us to be indiferent unles we have our minds stired up in rememberence.

it is time we commenced to work for father.

and if we Expect to be Joint heirs with Jesus our Elder Brother, we must work and Earn ourselves that right [p. 192] years ago before we came to these valleys I have heard the Children of Zion bear Testamony to the trut[h] of this work they were ful of faith. but it is so to day many of the Children of Zion to day know no more about the truth of this Gospel then the Gentiles do

about five years ago president young requested me with others, to organize the young Ladies, and strange to say I met with more opposition, then I did when I first Joined this Church. and it was I am ashamed to say it[’]s from mothers, they would say what is the use of our Daughters to meet togather to sing pray or speak and after awhile our sons will go on missions and then they will learn. oh what are we growing too, when our sons instead of Going to preach the Gospel to Babylon they have to go there to learn its principles mothers awake up and teach your daughters to seek after the God of the fathers and if they seek him, he will be found. I will now say a few words on home industries. we are called upon by <the> president to take hold of the silk culture, there is not much attending it and we can supply <furnish> you if you wish with cuttings, I would my self has soon wear silk as calico, we can make that our selves and many others things if we set about it unitedly. in some of the Settlements North they are making their own hats Bonnets Artifical flowers and other things. in the thirteenth ward in the City we are trying to Establish the straw Buisness and we have organized a Company of young Ladies to knit shawls scarfs saeculs [satchels] and many things that can be done here as well as in Bab[ylon] we intend to start on a slow but a sure Basis so that we can make it a success. now sisters come to your meetings counsel one with another and you can Establish some thing that will work for your good and help to sustain yourselves I feel to Bless you my sisters and believe you will take hold. I have been [p. 193] over to Cedar fort and fairfeild [Fairfield] and have organized the young Ladies in Both places. I Expect a Great deal from them, for the young people can do, sisters what we cannot with the permision of your Bishop [David Evans] we will have a meeting this Evening at half past Seven oclock to organize the young Ladies of this place

we invite all to attend young and old Brethren and Sisters. God Bless you all. Amen.

Bishop Evans followed by saying I am well pleased with the remarks of Sister Snow and I was thinking if the sisters would carry out those instructions and take hold with me how Easy it would be to rule this ward [. . .] [p. 194]

Source Note

Lehi Ward, Alpine Stake, Relief Society Minutes and Records (1868–1892), vol. 1 (1868–1879), pp. 191–194, CHL (LR 4817 14).

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

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23 April 1875, Lehi Young Ladies; Lehi Tabernacle, Lehi, Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed November 10, 2024 https://chpress-web.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1875/04/1875-04-23-b