| OCR Text |
Show fELEBIUTIOX AT BPiI.1A.jr. Atte ndcJ by Brtweea 090 aud 3000 Latter-day SaJat. 0errepn4iee Desebet Xms.' For a, hole week a committee assisted by a number or willing helpers, hkve been busily tngaged erecting a fine bowery In the rear or the Ephraim Tabernacle. It was used today for the first time for holding two very interesting and well atteuded meetings, preparatory prepara-tory to the celebration tomorrow of the fortieth anniversary or the organization ot the first" branch of the Church In Scandinavia. For some time past several suiUons have been made In regard to com memorating this event In some suitable manner, but our brethren In Kpbralm were the first ones to carry the idea Into practice, ana the occasion promises to be a success In every way. Yesterday atternoou about two hundred visitors arrived ar-rived from the settlements In the northern part of the Territorv, and are now being entertained In a manner suggestive or true beandlntvlsn hospitality. Thi morning the roads Iradlngsoulh ami north or Ephralm were lined with vehicles or all descriptions wendine? their way towards the pleasant little burg. Before 10 o'clock evenrseat In the spacious bowery was occupied, and the stand was filled with greyheaded veterans of bjth sexes, representing the flr.tfrults of the preaching or the evcrlasUnz Gopel In the countries or the north. Great cnthu-iam prevailed, pre-vailed, and everybody seemJ to comprehend the importance of the occasion an J were expecting a real .ESI"31 T-H .Io U)" "treme uortheiidor the bowery and above Uie stinl was sipendej a lanre jitece o canvass on which the word Velkommen" (welcome) was Terr neatly miqted in green cW. I7n. derlt bnnga large rcriralt or the late Apostle Krutus Snow. To the right was su'pended a large American fltg together with the Swedish national colors; and on the left the Danish and XorocgUn flags likewise suspended from the ceiling of the bowery. While the congregation were gathering the Mantl brass land lilayed a numbcrof pretty aire, both American and Scandinavian, which at once filled the hearts or the people peo-ple with thoughts such as those who have loped twth native aad adopted country only can comprehend. At the first meeting there were present on the stanJ: Apostle An-thon An-thon H. Lund, Counselor Daniel H. Wells, Presidents Knud Peterien aud John U. Malben, of the Stake Presldency.a numbrrnf Blshopsand representative men from the different differ-ent settlements la the Sanpete Stake, and other p-irts of the Territory. Terri-tory. President t'eterteo presided. The proceedings at 10 a. m. were opened by Uie Jfcunt I'Jeasant choir singing 'Monrenro'IeDS Stroaler bryde," etc Prayer was offered by Elder Christian Christiansen, the first ordained Elder In the ScandN naVian mission. The choir next, snug: "Kom alle Zien'a sa-nner," etc. Arastle Anton H. Lund Uien ad-dressed ad-dressed the congregation, ile expressed ex-pressed hr pieanite at rueclug with so many of tho Saints on Uie present occa-Iou the cammemoraUng of Uie iutroJuctton of the Gospel Into Scandinavia. In tho beginning ot the year IbM there was not one Latter-day Saint lu either Denmark, Sweden or .Norray. but before Uie end of tliat year the tones or Zion were sutig In Uie plains of Denmark as well as in the Ivreels of Sweden. In the summer cf that season it was that our beloved Apostle, Eratus Snow, whose rnrtralt bangs on the framework of thl bowery, In com-lJianc-o with a call from the Firt Presidency in Zion, wended his way to Uie shores or Scandinavia, accompanied by three other brethren, breth-ren, one of whom P. O. Hansen) Is wIUi us today. At this time not much Was known at the headquarters head-quarters or the Church or the countries or th- JCorth, but when then our brethren brjran to preach about the restoration ot the true G.wpel J u Copenhagen Uiey round a people nretereil to hear their testimony, testi-mony, ami two months after their flrt arrival theyhvl the pleasure or bapUsIng fifteen souls I u Ihe clear waters of Oreuiud. near Coir-n-liajeu. as t".e first fruits or the Gas-Il Gas-Il In Denmark. Previous to this, however, a few had been Icij.lK-d In Stolen. Itisastrangecolncldence tint on the same date as the first leiptlsms by divine authority took I'Hcein Denmark, 3U years lrre loa the lith or August, IMS), the uanisli rkwplc ronually a-cepted the Lutheran Protestaut faith In lieu or Catholicism, which thry renounced. In the same year that the Gos-Iel Gos-Iel was flret proachrd In the cvunlluaviiu countru-8.it was aha Intro lucad Into France, Italy, Sniizerhnd and tiio Sandwich IsIanJ. Hence thit and tho four following years may be considered ory imjortant missionary years for the Church. Previous to Uils (In 1SI2J a targe branch or the Church was raised up in La Salle County, Illinois, cou'isting mostly of X-jrwegians who previously hid em'gwtod rhini their native country and s-etUeJ in that part or Illinois. Among those ba4Jzed at that place was young Knud Petersen, Peter-sen, now gruwu gray in the service, one who presides over Uils Slake of Zion. When n mII w I mide for donations toward Uie erection erec-tion of Xau voo Temple In the rail or ISI. Uie La Salle branch contributed contrib-uted liberally, horses, catUe, sheep and money, aud when Joseph the Irophet received their donations he was filled viiUi a virion ot the future and nrophealed that multitudes should embrace the fulness or the gospel In tho Sc n iinaviau countries and gatfer to Zion. , The raisiug up or the La Salic branch was actually the introduction eft he Gospel lo the Scandinavian race. The speaker alluded to a great many historical facts and referred to the great results or Uio preaching ortho Goiel in Uie Scandinavian countries. Elder P. O. Hnnvn, one or Uie fir-t and only survivor or the four hlders who firt Introduced to Gos-iil Gos-iil In Searnlinavia, and now 72 years old. next gave nn Interesting account of his early experlenceln receiving the Gopel, aTter emigrating emigrat-ing to America his first trip to the Great Salt Lake Valley in IM7, and hismrHlontiSv-niidiuavia In 1MJ, leaving Uie valley in the fall otlSVi. lie referred to the rlnrlmi. . pcrienca he had in Copenhagen while laujring together wIUi Itrother fc.oov in transUting the lljokof Mormon into the Danish Language and .ktlngother missionary mission-ary labor at that early day. Uisbop C C. X. Dorlus, of Eph-ralm. Eph-ralm. ctiairman or Uie committee or arrangements, bid Uie vi-itors from distant tarts or the countrv wel. ryne, an, reijuesteU the eople or hphraitu to make them as comfortable comfort-able ajiosible. The thoir sang, 'Se Slorgcu-stjemens Slorgcu-stjemens Straalers Gland," etc Itenediction by F. C. Sorenscu.o, I Ephralm, one or tho flrit members I otthe Church in Denmark. At the second meeting the choir sang "Vor Gu I, vi til Dig raalie," fete, a:id prayer wss offered by Ole Svendsen. of ilinti, one or Uie first ntUve missionarIi!s w!m nrmpim.! the Gj, el In Deumatk. "O Helligaaud, mlt Llv, niin Lyst." itc, was sung. Elder John M. ilolm, of SouUi Cotb,nwiol, author of the first Latter-day Saint hymu book pub-IWieil pub-IWieil lu the Danih buigunge. ad-Urussed ad-Urussed the congriation. His liuatt was almost too full for utterance, ho said, In rcflecUng upon the uat and present, and Uie meeting with so many of Ins former as-wciates and co-laborers In Uie mis-ionary field was indeed a feast for him. He then read a lengUiy poem comjoscd by himself for Uie occasion, and concluded by exhorting exhort-ing to faithfulnessand renewed illli-gence. i-4triarcli t). . Liljenqulst, of Hyrum, Uie first EI Jer among those who embraced the Gospel In his native iaud to return as a missionary, mission-ary, addressed the meeting In a very interesting manner, learlnga powerful testimony to the outpouring outpour-ing or the blessings of God upon tlrese who J ieided obedience to the ft Jl lnin.-enty. His exrrieucc lu the missionary field had been long aod pleasant, and he felt to rejoice re-joice exceedingly on the present occasion. Elder A. V,. WInberg, of Salt Lake City, one of the first missionaries mission-aries In Sweden and Uie organizer or Uio first branch of the Church in that country, gave au interesting account of his early experience as a missionary, both in Denmark and Sweden. Ho rejoiced in the results or the labors of the Elders In Uie countries of the North and in the Integrity and faithfulness or thoe who bad gaUrercd to Zion rrom those land. o-.ider Christian Lirseo. or Login, one of the first missionaries to Denmsrk and Norway, spoke In asplrited msnuer or the gifts and blessinp of God reared out upon Uie early Elders laboring lu Scan-uinayla. Scan-uinayla. Jtany or the brethren tailed in its beginning were Illiterate Illite-rate boys, but the Lord strengthened strength-ened Uiem and asserted them to open Uie door or salvation to thousands who sat in darkness and Ignorance. Together With others of th hivth- ren he was Imprisoned for six months In a Norwegian prison and the enemy Uien tried to stop the Treaeli!ng of the Gospel In Uiat land. Rut be did not succeed. Thousands ate the fruits of the labors of the JUders In Norway and the work In Scandinavia was sUU forward and onward. President Knud Petersen Ic-vlted Ic-vlted all present to aUecd again in Uie morning, togeUier with their Mends, as a good time was an-Uclpated. an-Uclpated. The choir sang an anthem, after which Uie benediction was pro-uranccJ pro-uranccJ by Elder F. F. Dorlus. one ot Uio first Elders In Denmark. DetarentwiiandUirec thousand I-eople attended Uio dij meetings. ANDJU.W JK5SEX. |
