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Show Farmington's RockChapel Primary is same as others By DONET A GATHERUM FARMINGTON Each Sunday LDS children and leaders spend an hour and a half in Primary, die LDS auxiliary organization founded Aug. 25, 1878 by Aurelia Spencer Rogers in Farmington. The rock chapel, now called the "Pioneer : Chapel,""- where this historic event took place" is still standing. It is used as a supplemen-; tary chapel to the larger one that is part of the building's most recent addition. Frequently, Primary children meet in the chapel just as the Primary children met there 111 years ago. They are reminded of the historic importance of their meeting place by the large mural that covers the front wall of the chapel. Among those attending the weekly Primary in the Farmington Third Ward are ' some of the descendants of John W. ' Hess, Farmington ward bishop when the Primary was founded. the Primary Mural. Bishop Clark served as bishop from 1915 to 1931. Another member of the original Primary, it James H. Robinson, served as Farmington Far-mington Ward bishop from 1906 to 1915. Bishop Robinson is the other . j small boy in the foreground of the v mural. ' :. The growth of Primary is easily illustrated by looking at the Farm-1 Farm-1 ington area; In 1878, 1 12 boys and 112 girls attended the first Primary meeting. When the Primary centennial centen-nial was celebrated, Farmington had seven wards and one stake. Today, there are 23 wards and two stakes in Farmington and the plans are to create both new wards and new stakes soon. Aurelia S. Rogers said, ' 'For some time previous to the organization organiza-tion of the children, I had reflected seriously upon the necessity of " ffiore Strict discipline far vat little boys, Many of them were allowed to be out late at night; and certainly some of the larger ones well deserved de-served the undesirable name of 'hoodlum.' Could there not be an , organization for little boys, and have them trained to make better men?" Although the children are aware of the important role their ancestor played in the development of Primary, they, have little to say about this accomplishment In fact, . their response to Primary is identical iden-tical to that of LDS Primary r children worldwide. ' Trent Preston comments, "I like J giving talks, but Mom always wants jne to give the scriptures and prayers." Trent recently gave a talk ' about Bishop Hess, his ancestor. He told how this pioneer came across the plains in a covered wagon with the first pioneers and how he was bishop of the Farmington Ward for 27 years before changing church assignments. Late Bishop Hess was president of the Davis Stake and instrumental in-strumental m estoblishing Primary organizations ' throughout Davis County. Trent explains that the jnmal portrait of Bishop Hess in the Pioneer Chapel "looks kinda like him." - Brandon .Wintle, another Hess descendant, likes the "fun stuff" in Primary like singing songs. Cam Preston's favorite part of Primary is the contests that are frequently part of sharing time. Four-year-old Mackenzie Wintle thinks coming to Primary is great, especially when it's time to color. . .Valerie Buhler .. Wintle and Tamera Hess Preston, mothers of "thesechildrTTememrjeTnding the Farmington Ward Primary when . they were young. "It was held on a Tuesday afternoon right after school," Valerie recalls. , t. "I think there were more opportunities oppor-tunities for activities and fun times when Primary was a week-day program," pro-gram," contributed Tamera. Both ladies remember Bishop Amasa L. Clark, who was still living when they were young and who was one of the two boys in the foreground of |