Show returned missionaries party in the social hall TUESDAY nov 29 1853 1855 at 5 pm the meeting was called to order by b se seh ill blair manage pro tern em and opened by dayer daver v r from Alil Milo andrus chete was present of the first presidency of the church jedediah AT Grant wha who arrived after tle ile ole oie lie dancing commenced and ani raan mapped aged tile tiie pro ce e dietzs of the tile party parti aji harn haru young and arid heber liber C kimball were not in ill attendance in consequence of also alao edward hunter presiding bishop of the tie ile lle twelve apostles parley P pi pratt att orson pott putt ezra T anison wilfor adt ond ord woodruff abd and george A smith were present berd between fifty and sixty others returned missionaries PreA president dent deot grant said lie expect expected ael ill the missionaries wold all dice dlce and dis dispense with the of calling tipon upon them by number and those missionaries that cannot dance and do not try fhy we shall consider have not riot fulfilled their missions mis siona slona tim tilt evening lie he thea then led off in in tile the dance which he executed in ill right good earnest tile the abole company caught tbt tl iel iet electric lelac lel nc spark and sabod earnes earnese earnest J zid the exercises of i the he even evening in the tile hall ball wa was beautifully lighten by two large chandeliers ch hung from tile tiie ceiling oil on tile the west wall were wre suspended ded two wo profile likenesses life size executed in tit oil of joeph joseph ond and rid hyrum smith they were painted in nau nauvoo oo by david rogers of new yolk in in the sear jear 1842 are the tup property pio perty of Pi eident B young and are the iha truest delin edtion of tile the fea features lures of tho those distinguished individuals in existence the north aad ard aird alid south walls were decorated with valious vallous paintings in oil anti anil some cop and steel pat pdt at executions tile the drapery of tilt il cui cut curtain tain arid and the disposition of irli articles cles clee of furniture lil ill in the room gave it a comfortable for fur table tabie and wid imposing appear appearance anc W after their haidt haidi hips and aud toila hungen hunger li and escape sajid w lanness and suffering tile the cibu abbes es of this world the retti returned missionaries felt feit good to brea brewie the in security the air ot of comfort around the theland mAnd to inhale the tile spirit of welcome that Bri Bu ghail khama khara our great leader and arid I 1 common father gave to them on their return after the co company parly had ex exercised in dancing for some time elder william I 1 willes illee returned ms flom florn india was it introduced t oil oti ce I 1 by the manager lo 10 sing ittig 7 trie hive of deseret Di seret composed by himell hi the composition and the he manner it in which it was sung bung hid an all enchanting influence we felt like bees in in autt autumn imn far from from the hive striving arid and longing 11 to gain the warm hospitable and secure shelter of home with tile the last words of the song bong the hallucination passed off and we found ourselves at home with our and children and friends ready to engage in lle ile lie the dance at 7 supper was announced when the company repaired a ired to the basement base hent nent rient where tte ite ihly ra of a substantial repast none went from ilie tile hospitable board d hied fied the tea ard the tile coffee were excellent xcell ent nt there was plenty of sugar to sweeten with antino ani aal no draining drain ing ipg of cream cleam jug jup for there seemed to bs be a perfect flow of milk alid and not honey but good tea and coe cof coffee dlee flee it is not my design to give you yuu ou a full list of the substantial we partook of I 1 need only say they were wele well prepared and in in abundance the tile hand that provided them is a liberal one and every soul soui ble bie blessed sed it As to the tile style in in which t he tiie supper cpr was served up and the tile tables set out I 1 need ed only say that mr air win wm C superintended surer super tended intended the arrangements after supper the dancing again commenced which cont conj continued umed for some time when songs songs were sune sung by IV wille willes and sister P P pratt when tiie tile evening was well advanced and lle ile lie he party had themselves much in the dance dante president grant addressed the returned missionaries as follows follow sz I 1 bad had anticipated that president young would have been bean with us tonight to night and also aiso president kimball that we would have hid had the privilege ge of listening to their instructions and of receiving at least their welcome blessing upon the heads of these iny my brethren and sisters bisters it is in consequence of indisposition they are not wih willi I 1 will say to the thia mis nil nii ciora ries rles returned you are welcome the prayers of your youe brethren you I 1 haxe have have had you h have a ve had hall their united faith when assembled in their heir prayer circles they have im por tuned the almi aimi almighty aty in your behalf Y yoi 1 have a had lad the faith of the quorum nf f the he tv twelve iv being one always with I 1 the lie first presidency you have lave hai haj ha 1 I thi th faith of all the concen grated authorities in in this capital of the saints of god GM in the fhe e last days you have returned re home where our blessing of welcome neets meets you and cheit when we bless you it extends alo to your wives and childrers child renand and to all you inherit and they hey inherit what you inherit your increase is their increase your extension is their extension and your circle and circum fen ren ferenc is theirs yoi yol your li leaven ilc lic aven is theirs your enry nj ment is theirs and all your estate and dominion and al all ail I 1 the iia ila almighty lia ha or may bestow up upon on vou you in in this or in the next state ot of being bein is theirs t h air s your families are immediately and jointly associated with you and do and will forever partake of ali 11 your bless blesi blessings ings and of all you poses possess you have traveled much over oter hrs this his wide world some of you voll have crossed the ilie briny depo deeo to different cli cil climes mes and zones of he earin earth you have been tried your lives have been jeopardized often you have been in situations where no thins but the tile power of god could sustain and deliver you you have felt to trust in ill god and thi feelings of your our brethren that preside over you yon irm vre are ire hat that you have done lone well you have done your duty you yon have graveled raveled rave red led and preached preach fd lle tle and kept vout selves pure pup pue and have come home with gods and all lle lie tile elders from abroad who were never here before that have labored conjointly conjoin liy lly wih with you in different parts of the world who have bid adien adieu to their native land to preach the go gopel gospel pel pei to others and to come to zion they are also welcome they share our blesing bl esting with willi you who went horn hoin here they have been blessed th through the he samp same fountain that has lias flowed to bless you yu you are here in thee vallies bequeathed to no by the god of our ofir fathers for which we should be thank thanh thankful fid we can go forth in the dance and our hearts are made glad but blit these are pastimes toy fox for children the primary object we have in view view is to build tip up the kingdom of god tills tins should engross our thoughts continually at homi bomi and abroad it should engage our talent and exertions here as elsewhere you shoud should not bury birry your talents when at home but exert yourselves to sow the seeds of rig righteousness piteousness and ur mortality in the hearts of the saints the principles that have ir inspired you while you were abroad preaching the gospel which were e i revealed t ty iy ay y holy prophet prophets sent from heaven by angel anfel anti and preached by prophets and apostles you should exert yourselves to throw around them that fa favored v ored in influence fluence you yon enjoy for their thein growth in in righteousness and arill sanctification i fi cation catlon and to prepare them for the geat eat things that hat await us its all for a gleat great wl eat pat thines await us not merely in theory but in reality have not the saints of god grod the kingdom of god to graple with not only towns owns cities and nations but with the world yea more it has to cope with the universe and arid give life 1 ife fe and I 1 light to it as well as to this lower creation I 1 there can only be one adam and that is the th e I 1 ruling power that man who holds the keys of I 1 the kingdom of god on earh earth that man mail is the adam of the earth he is let gods mouthpiece his presiding officer and the only man mart mare who lias has the he legal right to preside and to turn the key of power lver iver lle ile tile lie key of life and death and hold forth the sceptre atre of righteousness ness to the nations we live in the city where the keys of the king kill doin of god are where the choicest blessings of the are and from this place from atory from thee mountains mo untim and from those kes keys I 1 have llave alluded to salvation has gone hronish through you ou to all na nallon nation tiong and alist through you il arid and others go to every aery land anti and clime tile the relationship you ou sustain gustam to y your our oun brethren who preside over you to the iho church of god to the world to the heavens to your 5 our out god a and rid to a all ail 11 the gods goes that surround him to the prophet and to all the saints that dwell in in the eternal worlds if ia the reason why we regard ourselves thus and have so great a work to perform we are led to reflect while we e rejoice at your return home that thai some of our m missionaries who went from here at the arne arce time you went have bee beert called to another field of action their they have emigrated to another world bro or orson orlon son spencer is is amon that number he has departed from his life ile he died in in st louis lonis after the fever feier had left him linn he gradually declined decline until he fell asleep with willi his surviving surviving fiends with his family we deeply sympathize alo with others who are clad in in mourning but we do not mourn for them as for those who apostatize apostatise arid lle ile die lie w without hope may the god of heaven bless you may mai may hp hia spirit dwell with you yon and with your families family and remain with yon you and wilh with them that yon you ou may go and return meet and pat pat and continually be blessed whatever you do keep the he spirit of god with wilh you that you may be blessed and an by bv all the authority and right given to me under the hands of the prophet joeph joseph and the ordinations I 1 have receded from under the of our present prophet and from those that were ordain ordained eti etl by peter james and john and by the light of the holy ghost in in me I 1 bless you all in in lle ile lie the name of jesus christ and may the laures you have entwined around brows remain herp here herp here untarnished forever may your families be blessed from generation to generation and may the he increase of heaven be upon them may mai thy they be like ephraim and manasseh breaking forth on the right and on the left until they cannot be numbered for multitude anti and if you have not brought bog lt your yow thousands with yo from the nations to swell the concourse of saints in in zion may you cu inci ino increase ease until you are like the sandi and of the sea and the stars in he the firmament for numer ncr ner humer may the blessings of joseph of B i aham ham and heber and all the he priesthood of god be and abide with yoli 1011 from this time henceforth and forever brever amen parley P prat pratt then sai sal sa d I 1 say amen to what has bas been said by president grant and acquiesce with the he ble blessings asin s lie he has upon you with all nil my heart I 1 feel inclined to offen offer a few refi rations I 1 have had peculiar feelings in in this w wembly assembly embly while 1 meeting with many with whom I 1 have haie associated aimed during the tb past year on the western coast where A they ley were laboring a b oring in in conjunction action with wilh myself where they were concentrated with me from the distant islands oe of the 16 sea and far off continents of the earth not only this I 1 but I 1 have been privileged to mingle and renew my acquaintance with willi persons from almost ever every nation and clime upon the globe that have been out ministering th the gospel and have returned for the first time to thi anis s place I 1 have beheld them contemplated them rejoiced in the ii light fy ht of their countenances this evening and anti felt happy with them arid the beloved members of their families and I 1 have reflected reflect eI on the difference of an assemblage ass malage of this kind enjoying themselves as we have in tile the feast and arid in the dance with son songs and with music when compared with similar angs doings among tho the children of men abroad in their promiscuous assemblies and I 1 have thought that if there was a person or an Mell leil assemblage abia abla e of of persons on the earth who have good reasons to come together and feast ail all and rejoice in the tile name of the lord and have a right so to do ii it is these very persons male arid female I 1 have beheld together thi night it is the sisters who have cheerfully and without a mur murmur milr miln and even joyfully conser consented teti teft to part with their husbands with tho those se that are arc dearest 0 to o them of all things on earth to part with them for months and even for ona long iong ong g years while mountains deserts and anti continents have intervened and ani oceans have lave rolled between they have passed dreary years in loneliness and aa as widow widows while their husbands for the gospel go pella sake w wandered far away in strange I 1 lands lards and among strangers sti angers of another tongue depriving of the darling scenes around their own fire siles and from every thing on earth they bield most dear crossing deserts clim climbing binz moun mountains taihi taini ranging lie tie tite lle islands of the sea and arid distant continent continents among amona pestilence and famine war and distress of nations I 1 say who should rejoice in the dance who should go forth and associate together with joy and thanksgiving to the god of israel with music and feasting fe astin and of heart if it is not these foj my brethren and sisters I 1 ers and while we feel feet to mourn and sympathize 11 with those who have lost their husband bi 1 S bands and fathers while on foreign nio nik mission slow siow while we feel to mourn for ow ourselves selves that we are left without their society yet we feel to say it is well with them they have laid d wn their lives in a lood came cause and a crown of or glory awaits them if we mourn it is for their absence and not that they have lost blosl anything it if we mom mon n nitis it is because becaas e we have suffered the loss of their society but we sorrow not as hose wit without holit hope while I 1 feel more than I 1 can express towards these my brethren and sisters while I 1 feel a heart beart full of gratitude and love towards our first fiust presidency for opening the way for this tills enjoyment we can only say sav it is not complete because they are not all with us I 1 won would express one wish in behalf of myself and my brother missionaries which is that we may all be found folind as ready to part with our wives or husbands hu bands for the gospels sake as we have to come here and associate with them in the feast and in the he dance if we W do this and |