17 May 1880


South Cottonwood Relief Society; South Cottonwood [Murray], Utah Territory

[. . .]

Sister P. [Presendia L.] Kimball [. . .] [p. 399] [. . .] [p. 400] [. . .]

Sister Snow is not well to day but if you give hir [her] your faith and prayers she will be able to talk to us

[. . .] [p. 401]

Sister Snow I have taken a severe Cold but if I have your faith and prayers perhaps I may say something that will benifet you mormonism holds all of my Interest. what should Interest you or I out side of this. but we should try and be better saints labouring diligantly day by day more obedient to the laws of God to secure our present and eternal glory

Joseph Smith orginized these societys not only for the benifet of the poor but to save soles [souls]. and you my sisters have got to persevere and help to put down Immorality. there is not one of you but have some Influance for good or bad. then let us do good one towards another strive with our sisters encourage them to come to meeting. w[h]ere there is sickness and distress visit them comfort and bless the sick don’t let any thing stand between you and your duty. you live in a scattered condition in this ward but we should come together often enough to keep the spiritual flame Alive. we find by meeting together often that love and unity Increces [increases]. the more I meet with my Sisters the more I rejoice in their society. we should meet often in Picknicks and soc[i]al gatherings.— conversing on the things of God.

the remarkes of my sisters in your last minuits [minutes] were verry Interesting to me some may say they are the same thing over and over. no differance if we can bare a faithful testimony to day we want to live so as to bare one tomorrow. I know that darkness is apt to overtake us if we neglect our meetings. the spirit needs feeding constantly. come to meeting sisters and beare your testimony live humble before the Lord and he will bless you. evry heart of a true Latterday saint drawes together. if the mothers and Fathers will help the young Ladys and young men they will all want to become members of these Associations that are orginized for their benifit. if all the young men would do as I know of one young man doeing [doing] in salt Lake City they would not marry a young Lady who did not belong to these Associations. this young gentleman was paying his addresses to a young lady [p. 402]

He asked her if she belonged to the young ladys society she answered no he then told her he should not marry her unless she belonged to the Association. she is now a prominant member a president of these associations. there is so much to do both for the Old and the young there is no time to spare. this society owns so many mulberry Trees is there not life enough amongst you to bring them Into use and not let them go to wast[e]. you must take hold of this and try and make something of the means lying dormant. we have a silk orginiziation with gentlemen of means that will push it ahead as president [Brigham] Young wished and the cuntrey [country] is full of silk all that is needed to make it sucessful is the mulberry Trees and you have so many goeing to wast. you will get a good price for your silk? find some inergetick [energetic] sisters that will take hold of this. the sisters in millcre[e]k are doing Quite a buisness and are makeing it pay of cource [course] it takes time to acomplish all these thing. some of us have spent all of our time and get no pay I am not working for cash we have worked in the silk for years without pay they are now organized— acording to law and they will make it pay they laughed at us trying to start this buisness with 5 or 50 cts. donations we worked heard [hard]. it is a uphill buisness without capital. it takes the dollars to lay the Foundation. we are bringing hundreds of womay [women] and children from the old countreys who need homes and Imployments I do hope the sisters will take hold of this. little children can do a great part of the Labour. Sisters let us prepare ourselves for evry change and be one with our husbands helping them to do their duty we don’t want our husbands to be sitting in silance and lay aside those princaples that will bring us back into the presence of God. what elevates the man elevates the woman. and hir place is by his side. then don’t let us fight polygamy. I should be ashamed of a man so contracted in mind and spirit that his heart was not large enough to love more then one woman I can bare testimony that when poligamy is lived rightly it is one of the happyest lives that we can live1 [p. 403]

And as Joseph said it was true we want to Live this holy principle get rid of some of our selfishness and get the spirit of God. how many woman abroade are dra[g]ging out a miserable existance for the want of a kind companyan [companion]. and is it not becoming so in Zion.

Sisters we have come on a mission we don [don’t] want to go back with that mission unfinished we want to live in a Family capassity that we can claim the promises made us. that we can come forth in the glorious reserection [resurrection] of the Just haveing filled our Appointment not lived to gratify self alone I do want to become a saint of God doing my duty day by day filling the mission apointed me going down to the grave fully ripe blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. I wittnessed one of the most glorious de[a]ths the other day that I would not have misted [missed] it for anything. Sister [Elizabeth F.] Thomas2 was lying dieing [dying] and long after her bre[a]th had seaced [ceased] beating she sang and talked I bent down and told her she would not go alone. she would hav[e] to wate [wait] for some one to come and take her perhaps her Mother would come for her she lay awile and then commenced singing I’ll praze my maker. when she got through she smiled such a heavenly smile and said Mother, Mother. this was one of the most glorious deths I ever wittnessed.

O, that we may live faithfull and pass away as Sister Thomas has done Mothers teach your children in their youth to be full of faith their little hearts are pure and suceptable. and above all things don’t let your girls go to the city to live not even in the best of familys. there are so many way to allure them and evry Influance brought to bare to Insure their downfall. let us protect our daughters against these Influances. how many mothers hearts have bled at the downfall of their daughters. let us have primary associations and let us do all that we can to sustain them see that your children come to meeting and come yourselves as often as you can and Inquire of your children what have been taught them many mothers do not have time to teach their children and how many there are that are not capable. A great deal depends on the training of the child—lo[o]k at the Roman Catholic the pains they take with their children they have said and truthfully too give us your children to Educate— and we will make cathlics [Catholics] of them [p. 404]

It is a great thing to train, the minds of the youth and a great deal of good have been done in these associations we want our sons to be mighty men of god. we want to shield them against evel [evil] Influances teach them to have the love of god in their hearts. to have faith in the gifts of the gospel that if they are sick or cast in Prison they can have powers to burst their Prison dowers [doors] assunder. God bless you sisters cultivate the spirit of peace and humility that we may ultimatily meet in the presence of god the father and his son Jesus Christ amen.

[. . .]

Sister Snow then spake to the Bishop [Joseph S. Rawlins] about the Orginizing of the Primary Association preposed that it be orginized next sunday the twenty third of may [. . .] [p. 405]

Source Note

Cottonwood First Ward, Cottonwood Stake, Relief Society Minutes and Records (1868–1971), vol. 1 (1868–1886), pp. 399–405, CHL (LR 7772 14); Martha G. Young, Secretary.

See also “Reorganization,” Deseret Evening News 13, no. 155 (24 May 1880): [3].

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17 May 1880, South Cottonwood Relief Society; South Cottonwood [Murray], Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed October 7, 2024 https://chpress-web.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1880s/1880/05/1880-05-17

Footnotes

  1. [1]See “Plural Marriage” in Historical Context.

  2. [2]Eliza R. Snow wrote Elizabeth F. Thomas’s obituary. (See E. R. S., “Obituary,” Salt Lake Daily Herald, 24 Apr. 1880, [3].)