15 June 1876


Salt Lake City Sixteenth Ward Relief Society; Sixteenth Ward Schoolhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory

[. . .]

Sister Snow said I am always glad to meet with you my sisters. I have been here many times I feel interested with with you my sisters it is a great privileg to be a saint y God. it is the highest honour that can be confered on us, the gretest gift is that of Eternal life. The greatest privelege we can [en]joy is to dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father. it is worth any sacrifice we can make in this life, we are not to leave any thing that will not be useful in Eternity. when I was baptised in this Church I felt this requires my time my life my all, I felt to lay all on the Altar. I feel I want to make my acknowlagments on this point I have I have not acted on <this> point as I should if I have accumulated knowledge or wisdom it is not of myself. we should manifest to God we are that peculiar people who will keep his commandments. it is for this we are organised in this society that we may be united. when we have trials we may meet them as things of naught, I symphatise [sympathize] with this society for the loss of Sister [Patience] Hampton your President, she kept kept the faith she tried to do her duty. her integrity was good she has gone with the harness on with her weaknesses. it is for us to follow her examples it is for each one of us to perform our duties, we are called to be mothers in Isreal. we are to strengthen the young, we should throw around them everything to encourage them. we learn by what we suffe[r] in asmuch as we acknowledge the hand of God in all things he does promote injustice an honest heart is satisfied with Justice if we are truly just we must must be tested by injustice. the providences of God are over us all. I am as thankfull for the bitter as for the sweet. we must learn to be passive for instance a Marriner [mariner] never can show his skill in a calm so with us if we seek to learn wisdom from every circumstance I live for the future I never dwell on the past when I am brought on a bed of sickness then I can say Father what am I to learn by this all we have to do be faithful to perform in our Indian caring so as not to let our domestic duties hender [hinder] us from doing our [p. 431] in the Kingdom. I hope the sisters in this round are on hand to do whatever the Bishop calls on them to do Dr. Maser [Karl G. Maeser] said it was no matter how many irons we had on the fire if we kept storing them up. Sister Snow said two ounces of silk-worms eggs produces four thousand worms that is produsing from the elements the Sister that raise their families and are learning to be self sustaining are doing as great a work as those that are preaching the Gospel I am doing for zions sake. Ther is many specimens of beautiful lace & embroidery brought in to the fair I much admired a rug that was brough[t] in made of rags beautifull enough to lie in a Palace I do not believe in cutting up whole cloth to make quilts there was one handed in composed of 2000 & 500 peices pieces little bits scraps worthless if they had time to do it all right enough a sister brought in a spread made of Dickey cotton we want to become independant of Babylon I am taking to much I am spending all my time for the building up of Zion I have no tim[e] to tell my past trouble we have but little time to prepare for the coming of the Saviour my sisters God bless you all in the name of Jesus

[. . .] [p. 432] [. . .] [p. 433] [. . .]

Sister Elzia R. Snow then asked the privilege of the Bishop to appoint a president if she would <not> be intruding I select Dianna Reid for your President the Bishop then called the vote of the society. it not being unanimous the vote was called the second time and carried, then they proceeded to ordain her by Frederis [Frederick] G. Kesler & George C. Riser. [p. 434]

Source Note

Sixteenth Ward, Riverside Stake, Relief Society Minutes and Records (1868–1968), vol. 1 (1868–1879), pp. 431–434, CHL (LR 8335 14), Ruth Eldredge, Secretary.

Cite this page

15 June 1876, Salt Lake City Sixteenth Ward Relief Society; Sixteenth Ward Schoolhouse, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1876/06/1876-06-15