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Show ORATION. Delivered by Elder B. F. Cummings, Jr., in Logan Tabernacle, July 25th, 1881, on the occasion of the celebration of Pioneer Day. Brothers and Sisters, I feel my utter inability to express such thoughts and sentiments as would do justice to this occasion. The celebration of Pioneer Day is an occasion that suggests to every Latter-day Saint, thoughts, feelings and emotions of the loftiest and most eloquent character, and a gifted speaker must ??, who would do justice to them, and make his words echo the sentiments and thoughts of his hearer, if they were Latter-day Saints, on such a day. I feel that it is good ?? to celebrate this day, for in the exercise, of its commemoration the mind will revert back to the events that ?? to make the 4th of July a memorable anniversary, and the contemplation of these events cannot but be attended with good ?? all. It is only ?? years since that [unreadable] the pioneers, first planted their weary feet in the heart of the great American desert; only a third of a century since they penetrated a thousand miles into an unknown wilderness and there planted side by side, among the mountain tops, the standards of their country and of their God. But a mighty magic attended the touch of their feet upon the barren soil. No sooner did they tread the ashen desert, then it became a loamy garden, no sooner did they drink of the scanty waters, than they burst forth with a volume increased ten fold. As a merciful, pitying God might temper the winds to the shorn lamb, so were the elements tempered to suit the condition of these weary, destitute pilgrims, but He ?? the traveler across the continent witnesses a transformation of the face of nature that ranks among the greatest miracles in the history of the world, and is scarcely exceeded in the wonderful by the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea. The company of Pioneers numbered 117 souls, including 3 women, and in 31 years there have sprung up after them, two organized wards of Zion, for every man who was a Pioneer, there being now nearly 300 organized wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in these mountains, included in our cities, towns and villages, which number upwards of 230. A third of a century has seen a weak feeble colony, planted afar ?? the tops of mountains in a desert region, where all the world said they must perish, and all Christendom wished that they might, it has seen that colony send forth, though neighboring ??, many other colonies; it has seen that community comprise nearly the total population of a Territory of the United States; it has seen them spread over boundry lines east, west, north and south of them, until to-day they control one territory, hold the balance of [unreadable] element in three other, [unreadable] making their presence felt in two states. All this the world has seen accomplished in only 31 years. The history of the world furnishes, so far as we are aware, no parallel to this wonderfully rapid growth,-all the more wonderful when all its elements are considered. It was not the result of the migration of a homogeneous people. On the contrary, every civilized nation has contributed to swell the numbers of our mountain community, which has been made up of a gathering of one of a city, and two of a family. More than half a score of different nationalities were represented in our ?? to-day, and not the least wonderful feature of our growth is the increase of our numbers by the one's, two's, tens and hundreds that gather here from the various nations. Judging by our past history, growth and accomplishments, the most extravagant predictions, relating to our ?? may be justified. Fifty years ago the Prophet of God predicted that our destiny was to become a mighty ??, holding sway, not only over the whole American continent, but throughout the whole world, and already the most wonderful part of this prediction is fulfilled. The empire is actually founded; it has spread itself over a vast district of country, embracing resources of infinite wealth, and extending a distance of 2,000 miles from north to south, and one thousand miles from east to west, and every year witnesses the planting of new colonies, the extending of our borders, the rapid increase of our numbers, and of our political power, and the development of wealth and resources in our midst. Not only are we entrenched in our mountain vales and fastnesses that it would ?? a mighty army to ?? but we are also [unreadable] in the principles of right ??; justice, morality and of our glorious constitution, that he who seeks to oppress that and stop our growth, must, ?? trample on all law, human and divine. Again, I repeat, that the most sanguine and ?? expectations respecting our future growth and power, will be more than realized, if our past history and present advantages be correct ?? by which to judge so far as history informs us, no empire that has arisen in the earth has ever had such elements of vitality and growth as have we. The Grecian nation, though it influenced in a very great degree and for many centuries, the destinies of the then known world, and though it has left behind it a history more glorious in some respects than any other nation can boast, had no such elements of progress and civilization as have we. Even Rome herself that arose in such proportions of power, might and magnificence as to completely overshadow every other nation-even Rome, that set upon her seven hills and swayed a sceptre during long ages over all the known world-not Rome herself, surnamed as she is, the Eternal City, engrafted in her constitution any such principles of vitality, growth and longevity, as are comprised in this community. If these empires could rise and subdue the world, why may not we; with our light, knowledge, revelation and the especial favor and patronage of the Almighty which we know we possess, accomplish a destiny equally as great? How wonderful has been our history! It is not more marvelous to read the story of Joseph in Egypt, the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea, the history of Daniel, the ?? of the three Hebrew children, or even the account of the doings of Christ himself, than to read the history of this people. In 1820 a simple minded lad prayed to God to know which was the true church, and in a glorious vision was told by the Father himself that all of them were wrong. In 1827 this youth received a record containing the fulness of the gospel, and in March 1832, he publishes it to the world. In the following month the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized with six members. Five years later, in Kirtland, a body of several thousand Saints are gathered and have built a temple in which events of indescribable glory and importance have transpired. But religious intolerance compels the community to leave their homes, and in 18?7 the Saints, to the number of many thousands, are settled in Missouri. In 18?8, they are being mobbed, pillaged, murdered and exterminated. In 1839 they have removed to Illinois and to ?? Nauvoo "the beautiful." and in the next few years have built a populous metropolis, whose crowning glory is a temple of ?? magnificence and costliness. And there, in 1841, occurs the darkest hour of their history. "The darkest deed that man or devils know, [unreadable] scene was acted here below," namely, the murder of their prophet and patriarch. This was soon followed by the expulsion of the Saints from Nauvoo, and that by the terrible, wonderful, unparalleled march of so many hundreds of weary miles, across such a dreary, trackless, dreadful wilderness. It is not my purpose to dwell on the scenes of woe that have taken place in our history. We are all familiar with them, and on a festal day like this, it would not be in harmony, at least with my feelings as an individual, to recount them. Suffice it to say that the hand of God was in all of them, and that they were permitted in order to bring about the culmination of God's purpose, and the establishment of His kingdom in the tops of the mountains, where it was seen in vision three thousand years ago by His holy prophets. It is good for us to celebrate the Twenty-Fourth of July. Its commemoration recalls memories of troublous times, when there was danger to life in the worship of our God; when we were not ?? to obey Him as we desired and when many things had to be risked and endured by those who feared God rather than men. The recollection of these trials of the past creates the contrast of the present, and leads us as Saints to glorify God for blessings that have followed our tribulations. The contrast of the present with the past also enhances our happiness to-day, for in it is shown our present blessed condition, more brightly and beautifully because of the dark background of our Missouri and Illinois history. If the anniversary of this day shall recall involuntary memories of barbarous persecutions, cruel expulsion from pleasant homes, a toilsome march through a weary desert, famine, and the unmarked graves on the sea-like prairie, let it also recall a glorious emancipation from the most dreadful of all thralldoms, that slavery in which conscience is bound and chained. If [line missing] at the dawn of this day, is a dark one, depicting scenes of bitter wrong, cruel suffering and the shedding of the blood of the innocent, let us paint another and a brighter end, resplendent in beautiful hues, which shall show the glorious results of those dark events, and present the scenes of these mountain vales as the eye beholds them to-day; a happy happy people, free to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences; that with abundance; tilling rich and smiling fields, or whirling the wheel of busy industry; rearing a rising generation in a moral atmosphere as pure as the breezes of their native mountains or the virgin whiteness of their eternal crowns of snow, a clime where heaven born truth flows freely and in such purity as gushes forth the waters of the mountain torrent. As the eye dwell on such a picture, the heart must bow itself to God and acknowledge His hand in the sufferings of the past, and gentle charity will be awakened in our bosoms for the ignorant, foolish dupes of a hireling priesthood who caused them, until we with Christ can say "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Then even remembered be the 24th of July! Place it in the catalogue of memorable holidays, along with the 6th day of April, the 25th of December, and the birthday of Independence! Let it be a day of glorification and thanksgiving, and let us appreciate ourselves and teach our children to prize that era of our peace, prosperity and religious liberty that dates from the 24th of July, 34 years ago. Amen. |