| Show from the guardian LETTER FROM LORENZO SNOW LA TOUR VALLEE valler DE LusEn xz PIED MOST MONT ITALIC ITALIE nov 1 DEAR PRESIDENT hyde hyue knowing the deep interest you feel in the spread of the truth and the extension of the kingdom of god I 1 forward you this sketch of my labors my have been replete with I 1 interesting te events but there being gr great eat un uncertainty as to the transmission of le letters t ter in SOME COUNTRIES I 1 shall shalliot not enter into many details I 1 am here in northern italy about thirty miles from the city of turin the capital of the sardinian states with me is elder stenhouse president of the southampton ipton conference and elder woodard from london elder toronto has gone to visit his fathers family in sicily soon after our arrival here we ascended a lofty mountain in the vicinity of la tour where we appeared to be surrounded with all that was beautiful and sublime bea before ore us was a plain so vast that it seemed as if immensity had become visible all was level in that ocean of space and yet no sameness appeared on its fertile bosom here towns and cities were surrounded by the resources from which their inhabitants had been fed for ages ancient and far famed italy the scene of our mission was spread out like a vision before our enchanted eyes light and shade produced their effect in that vast picture to a surprising degree for while the clouds flung their shadows on one part another was illuminated with the most brilliant sunlight as far as the eye could reach there amid the sublimity f nature the lord gave us the manifesta As ins of his bis spirit even the earnest of that r tp ur n which will yet water the church a thes thos lands such was the spot of s c nery aery where we sung the praises of the 1 I ird and offered the following prayer V vi e thy servants holy father come bei bet ra ira dle uie upon upun these mountains and ask thee 0 3 1 L ik upon us in an especial manner and rr lard our petitions as one friend regards the jec requests of another forgive all lur ur sins and trans transgressions sessions res let them no inore be remembered look oh lord upon c cal cai ai ciany sacrifices in leaving our wives wires ouy guy ur r adre idren idron n and country to obey thy voice a i off ring sal sai salvation vaton to this people receive ur mr 1 ade ude in having preserved us from de strut ti amid the eold cold wintry blasts and r fr m th h hs ostile tile tiie savages savages of the deserts of A ii a ri in having havia led red us safely over the i 9 ar men wen ot ean fin an ang anu in having directed us by tap i noly holy C C host t these thise vallies of piedmont T th n u h b nt i A show shown a u that here thou hast hid I 1 i i t pi p artion of the house of israel in thy narl naru v e this dily oily oly lift into view before this pi 1 md ind this nation the ensign of thy tily rd IL I L d prophet and patriarch joseph and an d IT rS mith uie ule ensign of the holy ly priest 0 o ensign oj of the falness of the gospel a 3 of f thee then kingdom once more estah u u u K ng rg men on oh lord god our fa pa ili iii v r 1 0 tet eat thou this tilis banner lend us thine i 7 aid nid in maintaining it before the ae e dark and benighted nations kly kiy visy vly it wave triumphantly from this time arth forth till all israel shall have heard and re 4 ived the falness 0 of f thy gospel and have 16 ben luen len en da do delivered livered from their bori boil bondage dage may alay their bonds now be broken and L the he scales of darkness fall from their eyes from the lifting up of this ensign may a voice go forth aheong among the people of these mountains and vallies and throughout the length and breadth breadth of this land and may it go forth and be unto thine elect as the voice odthe of the lord that the holy spirit may fall upon them imparting knowledge in dreams and visions concerning this hour of their redemption As the report of us thy servants shall spread abroad may it awaken feelings of anxiety with the honest to leam learn of thy doings and to seek speedily the path of knowledge whosoever amono among among this people shall employ his influence riches or learning lemming to promote the establish establishment ment of thy gospel in these nations may he be crowned with honor in tj tilis tills ils lis world and in the world to come clown crowned F d with eternal life whoever shall use his influence or power to hinder the establishment oathy of thy gospel in this tilis country may he become in a surprising manner before the eyes cfall of all ail these nations a monument of weakness folly shame and disgrace suffer us not io to be overcome by our ene enemies mies in the accomplishment of this business upon which we have been sent let messengers be prepared and sent forth from heaven to help us in our weakness and feebleness and to take the oversight of this work and to lead us to a glorious consummation R remember our families preserve our oar lives and our hearts fjon all evil that when we shall have finished our mission we may return safely to the bosom of our families bless elder toronto in sicily and give him influence and power to lead to salvation many of his fathers house bouse and kindred bless prest young and his council the quorum of the twelve apostles and thy saints universally and to the father and to the son and to the holy ghost shall be the praise honor and arid glory now and forever amen reflecting upon the course which it was necessary to pursue in this land I 1 deemed it wisdom to write and compile a work for general circulation this I 1 entitled the VOICE OF JOSEPH which contains visions of joseph smith discovery of gold plates filled with egyptian characters and hieroglyphics their translation into the english language by the aid of the tha arim and thum mim mrm mim the sacred history of america now clearly revealed from the earliest ages after the flood to the beginning of the fifth century of the christian era organization of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints sainta their persecution expulsion from the states slates of nils Alis missouri and illinois martyrdom of joseph and hyrum smith banishment of many thod thousand sand saints their travels in the western wil wll wilderness wilberne derne ss their present predent location in upper california their organization of the state of deseret the missionary miss ionar lonar labors of their elders sketch cf of their az falth faith and doctrine thi this we will soon have in extensive circulation in the french language and afterwards in italian on the of october an individual who had opened his house for preaching presented himself as the first candidate for baptism the introduction of the principles of truth in all countries has mom more or less been attended with anxiety and difficulty of these we ave have had oar share bhare it was therefore with no small degree of pleasure I 1 went down to the riverside niver river side to attend to this ordinance peculiar indeed were my feelings ahen I 1 thought on the past the dari dart present resent and endeavored to t penetrate the dark labyrinth of unborn time I 1 rejo rojo rejoiced iced that the lord had thus far biessel bles bies serf our efforts and enabled me to open the door of his bis kingdom in dark and benighted italy my aly brethren stood on the river bank the only human witnesses of this interesting scene having long desired this eventful time sweet to us all were the soft sounds of the italian as I 1 administered and opened a door which SO MAN CAN SHUT slowly and silently as the acom acorn vegetates vege in the earth has the work of the lord ard progressed until at length we see the first green leaf as the promise of the tree that will one day cover italy with its shadowing branches when we say that we are in italy do not imagine that we are placed amid its palace of marble marbie nor gazing upon the asto astonishing productions of art which adorn many portions of this wondrous land I 1 am dwelling at the foot of the alps amid a people that are deep in the abyss of poverty theroun the mountains around are arc mantled in snow but there is little fuel to warm the peasants hearth with his family he passes the winters evening in in the stable it seems as if all household comfort had long since taken farewell of these regions but though other portions I 1 of italy may boast of the olive and the 0 orange range or the painters skill shill and the sculptured stone here there is som eom something ething of mightier attraction to the servants of the lord a people apparently honest and upright though long shrouded in darkness this singular race has kept distinct from all others tor lor many ages they are called Van does or their archive archives present scenes of thrilling interest alyis yes go thou to the hamlet vales of the alpine mountains old if thou hear immortal tales wes by the wind s dead whispers pers told go if thou lovat the soil to tread where man hath bravely striven and blood like incense hath been shad an ofle offering ring unto heaven for oer the snows and round the pines hath swept a noble flood the nurture of the peasant peasants vines hath been the martyrs blood A spirit stronger than the sword and loftier than despair through all the heroic regions bourd breathes in the generous air this people though nominally protestant are full of tradition the persecutions they have endured have produced in their minds the tile conviction that they are the elect of the lord that they are the light of the earth and that they have attained the height of spiritual knowledge it may the therefore lefore be expected the work of the lord will for lor a while be slow and tedious jet yet we feel perfectly assured that thousands orthis of this people will receive the gospel in a few days I 1 will send elder stenhouse to geneva in switzerland where I 1 shall soon n join u him I 1 shall circulate the guvo VOICE wor woy OF JOSEPH through ulc the swiss cantons and alm aim ii nother another work which I 1 am ara getting retting translated with icye to ramil family an and d nil an til tile saints I 1 amy am yours curs ver vt rv v LO S YV V |
