OCR Text |
Show V- Y WOMAN'S EXPONENT. EMM EL IS E n. 1 VEL LS, Editor. - Salt Lnktj City, Utah. Terms: one copy one yeir, S'i.oo, one copy, six months,- 81.00. Ten copies for the price of nine. Advertising rates: .Each 8juiiro, ten lines of nonpareil space, one time, 32.50; per mouth , 83.00. A liberal discount to regular advertisers. South Temple Street, second ExroNKNT"Trace," No. 2' Business hours froi 10 a.ra New Descrct cast (Mice. of gate 5 to p.m. every day, except Sunday, Address all .business communications to PUBLISH lilt WOMAN'S EXPONENT, Published -- reassociations connected with it that we loved to call. We also, visited the Brigham Young house, and several others which "fond recollection presented to view," and some of them brought we floods of tears that almost blinded.1 us, as f J incidents passed from rgpm to room, recalling the that had : transpired . there and associated . the can never tell it places in our mind; but tongue we lingered all, and the poet's cry came to us as near the shrines so deeply engraven upon mem-- , ory's tablets. scrai-monthly.- , . Dut ah! the tears that arc not wept, -- The tears that grief for years has kept Within us they are best of all: The tears our eyes shall never know, Are dearer than the tears that flow." Salt Lake City. Utah. Salt Lake Citv, NAUVOO AS IT IS April TO-DA- 15, i 8 86. Y; Leaving' Chicago Monday evening we reached ing, March 9th, and found to our surprise that there was but one way to' cross the Mississippi River at that point, and that was in a skiff. The ice was floating about considerably, and it looked a little venturesome, but, having resolved to see Nauvoo after forty years, having left it in Februwe felt determined to make the effort. ary, - There was no. difficulty whatever in going over. except every now and then to steer clear of floating ice, and the opposite bank was quickly , reached. Nauvoo is still beautiful, or. at any rate picturesque in its situation. It looks very pretty, and indeed presents rather, appearance from the other side of the river, sufficient to at-- tract the attention of strangers, and when the trees and vines, with which it abounds, are in leaf it must look very handsome, coming towards it -- from either direction. The people who live there ""take considerable pride inr its historyy and tell many remarkable stories, some of them much more strange than true, of what transpired when the Mormons were in possession. Nauvoo, like Kirtland, still bears some traces of its former greatness, and one cannot help feeling solemn in going over these historic places.and remembering the familiar associations and recalling in connection with , the sad events that transpired the persecutions and the exodus. The thoughts that rush to the mind, the recollections of the past that sweep like a torrent over the soul, bringing back vividly the remembrance of that which once was, but is now no more, came like magic when treading the . streets and places to memory dear. What visions unfolded themselves again to view. The dead came back momentarily and stood all about us, and the shrill wind seemed to'echo their voices and repeat the story of their wiongs. It does not require any very great stretch of the imagi nation to call up fantasies in a place so hallowed by remembrances of loved ones gone before, as is that consecrated ground. Some of the people it is cursed because of the drivings of the Saints. We were told that many had moved away on that account, they felt sp, confident that such was the case. of spell does seem to rest upon it, and it has the marked appearance of desolation and ruin. Many of the houses and old landmarks are gone, and it is not so easy to find nplacesTdncerwell knbwnTaymlghTbuoTed. t Some houses have been, pretty up, among the number are the residences of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Bishop Whitney, Parley P. Pratt, John Taylor, Joseph Young! Bishop Hunter, Bishop Woolley and Esquire Joh nson. The people who own the residence of Heber C. Kimball seem quite proud of the name of its former owner, and, refer to him with respect, if not reverence. This house we went through, even to the observatory on the roof, for there were -- ed . be-lie- A-so- rt well-kep- ve , .. -. The great regret of all in mentioning Nauroo is that the Temple has been destroyed. The people who live in Nauvoo at the present time realize what financial value the Temple or even .its ruins would be to that city Every year the number of travelers and tourists increases, and inquiries are made concerning people, places arid reliable information events, and there is very-littl- e to "be obtained. Mofmonism has made such a stir in the world since then and people are Just beginning to see that there must have been causes and conditions to influence, its growth, and to wonder what they were, and find an interest in " going back to the beginning and following "it through its several stages of progress and development, eventhough men designate itJLheJihydra . headed monster." Those who lived in Nauvoo at the time of the trouble all agree that it was a cruel and bitter warfare that was waged against the innocent and unwary, and many incidents of harshness and severity were related for our especial benefit. Oaths and imprecations and blasphemy were hurled at defenseless women and their little children. It is noLforgotten, and it never can be by any of those who participated in the struggle against mob violence and ruffianism. There are those living Gentiles who were cognizant of the. facts at the time, who maintain that the driving of the Mormons from their Temple and their homes was something that American people must ever look back upon with regret. It could only have arisen, they say, in a locality so new that it might be considered border land; where law and order could not be enforced, because of the rough and unsettled condition of an undeveloped country. This is the way in which men pacify their consciences, or stifle them, and fancy, perchance, that such lawlessness will never be punished nor those terrible wrongs against the innocent be redressed, but those who hold such specious views will assuredly be mistaken, for there is One who knows all, and will, in His own d due time, mete out justice to, all at that mankind, and tribunal, if no other, Mormons will stand upon their merits, and prejudice will not control the decisions of those higher courts. Inquiring for people familiar wih the building up of the city, we were directed here and there, out of town and in, and met quite a number, had known personally none, however, that-wduring the time we had lived there. ...We saw Dr. Weld, who, as we remembered him, had been a dashing young man, and rather fine looking, but now weak and feeble. He had lived there through the Mormon period, had known Joseph Smith I lyrum Smith,Esquire Wells, Foster, Bennet and ; ... the Laws; was familiar with the record of the sleef." While sadly contemplating the situation of this people, and is disposed to vindicate their cause last resting place of many hundreds of the faith- and defend their attitude in the attempt made to ful, we could not help thinking how graciously defend their wives, their homes, and their sacred nature had provided for these unmarked graves in trusts. Such men are called in common parlance the luxuriant foliage of the; majestic trees, that "Jack Mormons," and were they living now in must the vicinity of Salt Lake would be considered son beautifully adorn the cemetery in the sea- thereof. And th birds make their nests, worthy of disfranchisement for sympathy with in the branches, and usher in the early dawn with "such notorious offenders," their matin songs, and at evening twilight warble One cannot recognize much of a sameness to softly, making melodious music in this solitary to-da- y. Montrose, Iowa, about nine o'clock next morn- well-remember- Tne tears that never outward fallr The Temple grounds of former days. north church" of a where have the Catholics just small a and store stands once on a stood, Temple part of the Temple site, and a dwelling house alv most adjoining. The well in the yard4 that was under the Temple at' the east end is in use, and the water is excellent. Visitors to Nauvoo are very much in the habit of carrying away a bottle of the water- - as a sort of memento of their visit, now that the rock is just about disposed of, and cannot be broken up to serve the purpose of relics. There is a house on the' south west corner of the ..Temple blockihat was built b0he Icarians, from the' elegant polished stone from that edifice. That building shows more of the rock than can be seen anywhere else, though many people hare carriage steps and front door steps made of the , beautiful white polished graflite, cut and prepared Saints in the days of their by the Latter-da- y poverty, to build a house, unto the Lord. ; It seems to us a perfect sacrilege to so deface, destroy and convert to such base uses material consecrated by the prayers and labors of the Saints. Across the street west of the Temple block stands the old Armory, now remodeled and converted into a Con-vefor the education of young girlsTT We visited Riverside-Mansio-- the as it is- - called now, but what was originally designated the Nau-vo- o House. Major Bideman andhis pleaswife ant occupy the premises. A great part of thefoundation has been. torn. away and there still remains a large part of it standing not built upon, on the north side. . Here Emma Smith once ''the Elect Lady' spent the latter part of her life in comparative quiet once the honored wife of the great leader of this dispensation, mistress of the NauvooTMansion where the Saints congregated around Joseph, the Prophet,sharing the love, affection and confidence not only of her beloved husband, but of the whole body of the people. Sad ind eed was her fate, separated from those 7 who were her best and truest friends, without tne strong arm of him she had been wont to regard with love and reverence, she was indeed left deso- late. Her grave is near by, but unmarked, and the stranger is not privileged to read upon her tomb the story of her eventful life; no, nor even her name. One of the most interesting, and one of the saddest visits we made was to the old graveyard east of the city. There, as elsewhere, were the traces of neglect and ruin. The trees had grown up, and the falling leaves ' and undergrowth had scarce left a token of the graves hidden in grassy beds and mossy hillocks beneath. Occasionally a headstone might be observed, but even of the few that were scattered here and there, nearly all of them were broken or defaced. The place was more like, a wooded pasture than a depository for the sacred dead. There is not, perhaps, a spot in the world where one has more tender and pa- thetic feelings than among the tombstones that mark the graves and hallowed dust of the departed, even though "unknown to those who linger near to meditate upon the common fate that awaits, sooner or later, all mankind. Trees are the best companions in such a lonely place, for they answer the weird imaginings of the soul in sighs, and moans, and whisperings, that breathe' a sort of sympathy in harmony with those whose hearts are mellowed by the touch of sorrow, and- the pensive thoughts that rise spontaneously whenever one "muses on death's loner - dreamless the . . " 1 ; -- nt " . - v n, -- ' to-da- y j . " even-hande- e . - . ' 1:1. -- ' |