4 May 1878


Portage Relief Society; Portage, Idaho Territory

[. . .]

Sister E R Snow being called upon,

Said without inspireation from god she might interest men and women of the world but did not think there was any of them presant. Said she came in to our midst a stranger. said she was imprest favourabley with the people.

said this church was organised by Joseph Smith Said he was called to fill the most important place that ever was filled by man on the earth.

said the Relief Society was not only to help the poor but to help to build up the church and kingdom of god.

said she had seen the time when she thought it was not right for woman to stand up and speak in public but that was all past now.

that god has implanted in our naturs the germ that will make godesses but we have the privelage to choose for ourselves, in gathering around us the comforts of life we are apt to al[l]ow some inferior thing to keep us from meeting and from doing our dutys.

coated [quoted] the apostle paul sa[y]ing that woman Should not speak in the church in public the reason was because of there wickedness [p. 102]

Said that the sisters had a great deal more to do than they havy [have] ever done, that we have to d[o] different we must begin in our own family.

the daughters of Zion should be as polished stone, said whatever we do to teach our children to be truthfull.

said she hoped the sisters here read our own papers; and not the litereture of the outside world. talked of home industry wanted the brethern and sisters to think how much babolonish [Babylonish] clothing they had on. said her clothing was all homemade except her hat.

said she hoped the sisters here would try and commence home industry.

talked of how they first comenced there store. said president [Brigham] young tould them to have clerks to work in the store without pay said she worked for one year herself and the president boarded her.

talked considerable on how they done to get it started. said they had sold thousands of dollars worth of homemade for the provo factory.

talked of the silk cu[l]ture showed some butifull [beautiful] silk lace said she had some at home a butifull silk hat she wishes she had it here to exibet to the sisters She talked of the sisters being gathered here and when and when they come they want to know what they shall do said the sisters here should go into the silk culture talked of sister [Romania B.] pratt going to open a lecture room next winter said she would like if one or too [two] of the sisters to be sent from portage [p. 103]

she closed her remarks with asking the lord to bless the sisters in portage

sister Elisabeth Davis [. . .] said she did not think she could say anything to edefy us after the good instructions we had from Sister Snow. [. . .]

Bishop O [Oliver] C Hoskins

said he felt that we had recieved a blessing Said that we ought to be thankfull to have sister Snow and Sister Davis come to this outsid[e] place to visit us [. . .] [p. 104]

Source Note

Portage Ward, Malad Stake, Relief Society Minutes and Records (1870–1973), vol. 1 (1870–1882), pp. 102–104, CHL (LR 7113 14).

See also Lucinda Hoskins and Janet Heaton, “R. S. Reports,” Woman’s Exponent 7, no. 3 (1 July 1878): 22; and Elizabeth Davis, “The Sisters’ Visit North,” Woman’s Exponent 7, no. 1 (1 June 1878): 3.

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4 May 1878, Portage Relief Society; Portage, Idaho Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1878/05/1878-05-04-a