| Show REMARKS by preside president ni brigham young bowery bowers may 31 REPORTED BY G D WATT we have accomplished our short and speedy journey to the north in safety and anti in laeace peace and again have the privilege pf af assembling with you yon in ti this I 1 is bowery for or the purpose of worshipping wor shipping the lord our god for which we are thankful every heart responds to these sentiments and we give glory to our fallier father and to our god his hand is over us for good he has preserved us u lie he has marked out our path the god of abraham isaac and jacob the god of the patriarchs of old of the ancient prophets and ap apostles astles of joseph and of this people is our god the only ply wise a and nd true god our savior it is him th that at we look to in him we trust and from him we receive all our blessings I 1 believe that every heart is filled with thankfulness ful ness and isalio is aiso also measurably filled with wilh joy and peace I 1 can truly say to you my brethren and sisters that I 1 am thankful lo 10 0 o you yon as well as to my father in heaven for foi I 1 have hae haa felt the strong cord of faith in in my absence arising from I 1 his thia peo people to our father and our god in our behalf and I 1 have no doubt but that our brethren who have just returned from their mis sons lo 10 the east can testify to the same they have felt that the faith of the saints has been in their behalf they have been sustained ridd ried and upheld and brought through tigh their trials by the arm of jehovah by the faith of the saints tile the brethren have done me a kindness and I 1 am thankful to them for it I 1 am also thankful that I 1 ilveen live in m the midst of a people whose hear hearts ts and faith are measurably on that what they rightly ask for is granted unto them and that alin they feel to bless an individual or a 1 people that individual or people is blessed and when they feel it a duty that the lord should stay the wicked in their progress their thein falth faith accomplishes their desire I 1 am thankful that I 1 am in the file midst of such a people that I 1 am numbered with wilh you my brethren and sisters in the gospel of salvation I 1 J have bave 1 ave aye sustained I 1 beleve a good character bedfor before e oui our father and our god I 1 ti clieve that your faith ha haq has been united with ours to accod plis h that which ought ou ht to he be performed and on this ibis occasion I 1 am thankful that I 1 have had your prayers and have accomplished the business proposed I 1 requested nested the people to have faith falth for us and to willingly release us to visit the northern country they voted that they donld do so soy and their acts have proved that their faith was and is iri in accordance with their votes on our 0 ur journey I 1 can truly say that we had perfect peace in my travels with the saints up tip to this day dav I 1 can truly say that I 1 never had the pleasure of journeying with so peaceful and orderly ly a company coin coir pany as the one with which I 1 traye traveled led to salmon saimon brivec they were schooled and instructed ted and knew how bow to coh cor contribute tribute to the com fornof each ea dh other and performed per forme d every duty in in peace without noise wit without out strife without contention every man was at his post performing 11 the duties assigned him and that too in the faith of the gospel with a perfect resignation 0 to o the th requirements upon him I 1 believe tha I 1 have never seen men together to anywhere near the same number who were so united as the company I 1 have traveled with this spring we took look tip up our lindof march on the morning of the of april and were gone one month and ond ani two days during which time we traveled I 1 mile miles and ad that i too oo 00 over a very roii rough h country miles out only one accident t nt occurred worthy worthy or of mention inin tion arlid and that happened happ bapp ezied on the evening after we drove out of fort fojt limhi while chopping some hir fir hire fire d wood br franklin woolley had the misfortune to cut his foot but the wound is already so far ear healed that he be is walking about we lid did iid ild not lose an animal though we left two at t the fort br woollens Wool leys was the only accident that occurred in our camp and I 1 do not think that I 1 heard beard one cross word from man or woman during inthe I 1 the journey unless it was from myself I 1 think hink if any body was out of humor or cross or irritated it must have been myself for I 1 didiot see red anybody else so 0 o and ana I 1 endeavored to keep my own temper as cool as possible I 1 feel tp to bless the brethren who accompanied me and those we have visited and I 1 feel to bless the brethren with mith all that pertains to 0 o them who have tarried at home strict industry and quietness have marked well their doings in my absence so far as I 1 have seen or been informed the improvements prove ments in the settlements we have passed through gy iro tro gents 1 bespeak a contented spirit and this place bespeaks faith falth and industry during our absence f our crops look well and ana I 1 find that the he brethren have attended to making things comfortable about their houses s so 0 far as I 1 have seen as 33 yet I 1 have hare riot not been much about the thet city the temple block indicates harfi bard labor and tand I 1 feel that the bret brel br ethien ethlen hien hlen are arp united in the great work I 1 that is upon us and iad I 1 am thankful for it 1 I could give you a detailed account of our jour ney cey and a description of the country through gli which we hae have past post but perhaps it is unnecessary to today day though I 1 will say gay that I 1 had bad not n 0 t received from all the northern travelers with whom I 1 had bad conversed hardly one idea cf that region of country I 1 have askeli askia several who there to describe de mimon salmon river riven valley vailey and the intermediate country the quality of or t ts soil 1 I the nature of tbt climate the positions eo of the mountains ac but I 1 must say that when I 1 came to t travel ravel through the country I 1 ani 11 batt readily suppose hat I 1 had never conversed about it with a man who had hail been there I 1 have frequently asked with regard to the he location of fort hall halt and the replies have been it is built near snake river 11 Is there anything of a valley yes something Is there any any timber there 1 I think there is pretty plenty of timber on the river such as cottonwood quaking asp and willows Is it anything of a country for settling 11 1 I 1 should think likely it might be Is there any timber in the mountains 1 I should presume there is ap how are the mountains situated similar 0 to o other mountains in other countries that is Js about all I 1 have ever been able to td learn of tile the country previous lo 10 mylace journey when we began to approach fort hall we learned that we could see over it and all around it to a great distance and it if our eyes had been good enough we might have seen the bittle fort 30 miles before we reached it it is located on shanghai plains from the rocky mountains at the source of snake river this plain extends some miles milts to miles in a westerly we terly and southwesterly we sterly direction and from the mountains south of snake river to those north is a distance of some 90 miles I 1 never had this idea before nor could I 1 get it from any man I 1 had conversed with it is a vast desert plain and we called it shangyi plain I 1 thin think it isas desert a country as ever was brought together to aid in holding the earth from parting asunder upon the banks of snake river when it does not overflow there is a lengthy narrow strip of good 1 soil varying from a quarter of a mile to ten rods wide and in some places not six six inches wide it is a st steffae effle ile lie barren desert country filled with belts of rock and sand As we passed over some portions of shangyi plain the brethren undertook to remove the stones ab so that we might drive our wagons with ci t little more ease to ourselves 0 Ur selves and arid less danger to our vehicles I 1 begged of them not to take all the rock out oat of the road for if they th v did there would be nothing to travel on I 1 much of the track in that region was a perfect bed bd ct of rock covered with occasional strips of sand which much retarded the progress of our teams I 1 wished the sand and the rock to lie there for I 1 was confident that if they were taken away california f and oregon would be separated from tiie the states by a vast gulf valley north of bear river has been considered a pretty desolate cold coll hard haid sterile failey galley it was so looked upon by us as we passed through it on our way north at the same time we considered it a tolerably good grazing country coun and thought that people could possibly live there here but after we had traveled over the basin rim into bannack valley descending a mountain beside which the one we call ae t e big Momi mountain tain is a mole hill down hirough the little bannack valle vaile valley vailey on to shangyi plain and traveled northeasterly and northwesterly almost almest in a semicircle to sprine spring creek then tip up spring creek over to salmon river ard wended bended our way down that thit stream through swamps and willows and climbed over points of brulls to keep fl flom 0 bein being n mired and had bad paid our brethren a visit ard returns returned ed agan again to malad valley it looked to tons toms ils like one of the mot beautiful valleys that any person had ever beheld while before this experience peni peri peren perin ence ce we thought that nobody could live there and I 1 expect e ct that if we had gone a few hundred miles dorth north it would have looked still better to us for the further we went north the further we found ourselves in the northern country and if it the malad is a good valley we can go further north to those not quite so good and the further wd wego go north the less good characteristics are connected with the he valleys except in the articles of bf fish water and anti in some instances timber and when people are obliged to live in the north country that will be bp high hi h time for them to go there that is about the amount of tile the geographical geo t rachi part of our journey that we shall now present pre ent though I 1 think I 1 hat that I 1 lam iam am pretty correct in in my observations and could mark out the road the mountains the valleys and streams and could couls sketch a tolerably good map of the he country I 1 have accomplished what to accomplish and I 1 believe the brethren will join with me at least on one point viz that we started flinn firm here to rest tile hie mind and weary yeary the body and arld so far as the bons bony bots is concerned I 1 believe belleve all parties will agree with me in in saying that we ire have ione done lone that most effectual effectually lv I 1 see one man that health br east I 1 expect that it w will ill lil prove a benefit to him others also went for their health it is a hard medicine to take but the result will fiill be beneficial I 1 rested my mind from the time I 1 left this city until my return I 1 do not think th at this vat val va ley this tabernacle Taber nacle nacie my own house or any of my camly scarcely ever came before rile me to reflect upon we spent part of the first sabbath at box elder and on the next we were camping away up tip snake river where we held field in meeting in the forenoon A number of the brethren spoke and I 1 oid told old them that I 1 would say fay ay a few words and an d relate some of my ray feelings especially those pertaining to I 1 the lie journey and ma gelf geif but I 1 could not have hare told tod from my MV sensations whether I 1 had been from home a week a mont month or a ayar vi ar and I 1 could not fully realize whether I 1 e ever ver had a house bouse or that lived ived in it or ever had any famil family only those bessin that were with ine inc this was a messing to me roe my mind was so taken from the cares gat that surround me here thatis was perfectly relaxed into an n easy state of rest and I 1 had no anxiety not in lii the least about one care that had formerly been upon me or whether I 1 ever saw this valley this congregation or my family again or ever saw any ol 01 other othen tier lien country than tiie the one where I 1 was at the time all my ray home reflections desire desires and cares were as far from me as the east is from the west I 1 whether this was the he casa case with others I 1 cannot tell but I 1 believe they are all joined in saying that their bodies were we re roost mast thoro urIT unit 1 tired aired I 1 feel that thail am m though th guli buli my body y has haj be been en very tire tired since I 1 returned but I 1 am becoming cc oo 00 M in 11 rested and I 1 now feel just about right I 1 fe feel e 1 t that h at I 1 have renewed my strength renewed the vigor of my body hotly and mind and I 1 believe that I 1 am as ready to act in any capacity now as eier aver ever I 1 have been in my life and a little more so for I 1 hope ail afi as 1 I grow old to grow wise wise as I 1 advance in years I 1 hope hops to advance in tile the true knowledge of god and godliness I 1 hope to increase in tile the power of the almighty and in influence to 0 o establish peace and grid righteousness upon the earth earthy and to the sons and daughters of adam and eve even all who will hearken to the principles of righteousness to a true sense of the be knowledge of god and godliness god lines of selves solves and the relation they sustain to heavirland hea heaven veiland verLand and heavenly beings I 1 hope to increase and advance as ido I do in days and years in the wisdom and the knowledge of god and in the power of god and 1 I 1 pray that this may be the case not only with myself but with veith all the saints that we may grow in grace graca raca race and in the know knowledge lede 11 of the truth and be made perfect before him there never has been a day for ages and ages 3 not since the true church was destroyed affer the lays days of the tile apostles that required the faith and the energy of godly men and go godly dl y women and the skill wisdom and power of the almighty to be with them so much as this people require it at the present time there never was t that hat necessity there never has been a time on the face of he earth from the time that the church went to destruction ard the priesthood was taken from the earth that the powers of darkness and the powers of earth and hell were so embittered and enraged and incensed against god and godliness on the earth as they are at th the present and when the spirit of persecution 7 th the e spirit of hatred of wrath and malice ceases in the world against this people will be the time that this people have apostatized and joined hands with avith the wicked and never until then which I 1 pray may never come I 1 feel thankful for the he brivil privilege e C of I 1 lifting up tip my voice voice before you this dav my brethren I 1 feel that it is a preat privilege there is no pie on the earth that are blessed like this people though some of them say they are not blessed because causa they have trials that they iare tare not blessed as they wish to be because they have cares upon them because tile tiie they a are T p persecuted and hated but I 1 say that in all ati all ali this you are blessed if the words of the savior are correct which you and I 1 believe ile he said to his disciples formerly which will aho also correctly appie apple apply to the saints in in our day blessed are ye w when ien len men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner auvil of of avil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glat for ron great is is your rewald in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you |
