16 August 1878

[. . .]

Sister E. R. Snow I want your faith and prayers, as nothing will edify a true Saint of God only what comes through the Spirit of God. Our minds are so organised that we have to receive little by little we can’t remember all, but that comforter that Jesus said if I go not away it cannot come brings things to our remembrance, we want to be storing up knowledge day by day and <we> want to encourage the comforter day by day. To me this Gospel is everything.

I try to examine myself to see if I have any personal interest outside of this Kingdom I should not have, I do not know of anything that is working for myself unless it is working for Zion, we want our homes tidy and clean.

In Kirtland it was spoken in tongues keep yourselves clean, and your houses clean the Lord does not love a dirty Saint. Don’t let a Sister if doing her duty not feel she is working for Zion home if the first duty of woman. Mothers have so much to do that they really neglect the cultivation of their children, we my sisters should have our hearts so absorbed in the interests of Zion as to make home [p. 124] happy, when doing every duty we feel the blessings of God when morning comes we raise our hearts to him for life and health. I believe we each one have a mission to perform if we have forgotten it how shall we fill it? by so living as to hold constant communion with our Heavenly Father and have his Spirit in our bosom, let nothing deter us, we may have trials, I am thankful we have. Sisters if you do not have any trials you ar[e] good for nothing.

To prove your integrity you have got to be tried, you want to come out head of the bolt hold on and be ground fine not come out chaff or bran

What are the principles God has laid down should be our inquiry if governed by principle we shall not go round in darkness we should watch our light and not let it go out. The principle of Celestial marriage is very important, and I testify that I sought of Him and knew it was of God. Sisters that were not early in the church cannot imagine how we were surrounded. When I come in I had the Saints to meet. I knew where God is there is the majority.

I calculate to keep on the side of the majority while I live, I can’t expect to live very long. I have had it said to me Sister Eliza you are to[o] religious if on our death bed we should not think we had been to religious, religion is every thing The princ[i]ples of the Gospel embrace I want to live up to all the principles so to regain His presence.

My Sisters I want you to look upon Celestial marriage and honor it—Queen Victoria sinks in my estimation before a woman that is living this principle. Do you know what you are doing that are living faithful and don’t acknowledge everything. [p. 125]

All have to learn by experience no matter how they do you and I have to deal with principle

When this principle was revealed to Joseph Smith it was his duty to tell (Emma) his wife and her duty to go forward with him she did not, and he waited for her¹

I heard a deaf & dumb girl speak in tongues and say if Joseph Smith did not do something he would stumble—he waited until the angel stood over him with a drawn sword—the Priesthood takes the precedence let us stand by it, if you had conversed with as many as I have you would not wonder that the time is coming when 7 women will lay hold of one man—There are a great many that acknowledge to me that our system of things is far prefable [preferable] to theirs but they have not the stamina to come out and join our church.

It was expected the young Ladies would be organised in each ward but owing to circumstances it is omitted till the next till the next Quarte[r]ly Conference, it is now admitted that every one of you is going to make your mark and be women of God and business women—you have got to have application and I hope not to see another number of the Exponent with out a piece from some of the girls.

If we obtain fulness in the presence of God we have got to work for it. You sisters are greatly blest; you have the assistance of Bro. [David H.] Peery—Pres. [Brigham] Young told the brethren to get <help> us related a vision a poor boy was taken sick a messinger come to him & told him to come he said he couldn’t the messinger told him he must come, he asked him what his greatest object in life was he said money—the messinger told him that sickness and famine was coming he showed [p. 126] a table piled up with gold and a bag of flour beside he told him the time would when it would take that much money to buy a sack of flour—The Lord has told us famine is coming the Lord has spoken it.

I say God bless every brother that assists us in storing up grain, we are instructing the people to store up beans, if we can get all the wheat and beans we can eat we wont starve—this young man dreamed he stored up grain and the famine come and he dealt it out—and one woman come covered with Jewelry she took it off and said take it all but give me bread, that young mans object is not money he is storing up grain, we know the Lord has revealed that a famine is coming—another thing is home industry I wish I knew how many sisters had on home mades bonnetts and called upon the sisters to rise (a good many rose), We sing Zion is free I dont know how we can be free when the Lord has been calling us for home manufacture. just so far as we wear home made just so far we are out of bondage—

If we had got out mulbury trees 14 years ago when Pres. Young put out a thousand dollars worth we could now be dressed in Silk, there is not trees enough grown, there is more trees out this year than ever.— I told the brethren if we could start mulbury trees with a Silver dollar on the end of every bough every one would go to raising them but it takes three years to raise them—It is just as much our duty to create industries as to gather the Saints here—God bless you sisters; and help us to rouse all our energies, Some are doing all they can, if they do all the work they will get all the pay [p. 127]

Pres. Young said, out of this people would be called a people that would serve God. We want to be of that number—we want to meet often so as to stir up each other and keep the Comforter with us, and not feel our labors are drudgeries

Those that labour for Zion are sure of their reward.

[. . .] [p. 128] [. . .]

Sister J. [Jane] S. Richards before this meeting [p. 129] I wondered what we would do in a two days meeting, now it is to[o] short. we need to-morrow as there are 20 or 30 brthren and as many sisters we would like to hear speak. We feel grateful to Sister Snow and others for coming, and their good instruction—the way to express our gratitude is to carry out their counsil.

[. . .] [p. 130]