| Show report REPORT OF ELDERS LORE LORENZO lorenko nio D RUDD AND E W to pres YOUNG dear sir having since the oth of october been traveling through much of the united states east and west gat gal gathering hering bering a knowledge of the condition of the country relative to the work of god and general views of the history of this mission for the years and myself bave hav been moved to make a general report to you brother lorenzo arrived in newyork new york the day belore before Con conference Conie conte rence terence october ath he haing been appointed by president brinham brigham young jun to labor among his friends in th te tates the next day at conference lu was assigned his als mission and eid bid eider elder er E W who had bad volunteered to be his com companion anklin was also appointed eluted 1 to travel through tres tees these e states to preach fhe the the gospel look loot up the conation of the churches mare make new and vigorous and it poe pos possible sible gible revive the wo wom k everow nere since the time thue of the utah eart as N cu en are fully aware this thi mission ha has ham be bc n u ansen ri el a at t least from active operations mad nd vad phereba there buo bno bae e been no administrative wid uld making the members scattered laese united states one body with no rno currents of life pulsating from its great heart and all under the tho constant consta ml direction of the presiding head this we say touching the unhappy circumstances of the times timos and not as reflection upon the presidency at new now york gradually life expired from the few branches that remained families near central places became almost disconnected from the church through the decline of once powerful branches till even oven even a st louis once a stake of zion became as a small link ora ofa of a broken chain with scarcely an instance of communication for years with wih the presidency this with the great civil war have brought about all that yon you can comprehend better than we can describe notwithstanding there were thousands with the love iove loveit of mormonism in their hearts scattered throughout these states bal bat many of them have been given over to the buffet tings of satan batan and to their easy besetting sins and all have had to past pass through the wintry circumstances of the thu times limes and to remain strictly aa as sheep without shepherds Nevert nevertheless beless a remnant remains in whose hearts the work of god has not expired a 0 remnant which would form no insignificant mission but which has been as chaos before the world borla was or darkness daiv driven en from its lace by the light of almighty god but it has appeared that in the wise dispensa eions of providence god was once more moving to gather up the remnants in the united states before the day of his wrath and to give tha the honest another opportunity to come to the lords side and not fight against his work in spite of all the efforts of our enemies to stir up the wrath odthe of the wicked against us the world seems prepared to hear from the mormons cormons Mor mons and to have their religion and affairs brought before the country we found east a certain freshness to in the subject tp p the public mind and it la in relished with veith a zest zent there Is no doubt thag that men have made capital dontot their connection with utah and mormon preachers or writers last year would have found their eunity frank leslie led oaf off with ithe the publication of the altof president young g in his illustrated weekly giving also a view of great salt lake city temple emple theatre ac aa and I 1 in n the placards of that week at adall all ail the nes neva stands the blazing announcement cover covering ipg every other was X A splendid portrait of brigham young i oung 11 ac c harper followed with portraits of brigham briz Bris ham bam the twelve and others with views of the city ac these presentations of the mormon leaders and mor Mar mormon nion subjects were evidently taking you saw in the streets many reading the pla pia placards ds and loocin looking at the tho portraits and editors ito began ga to tog send sand their reporters to hunt up matter at ifor for articles on the mormons cormons Mor mons and some found out our meeting place and reported reported our sermons since then theu there has been considerable drawing out upon the other sido side upon the mormons cormons Mor mons and their institutions but we believe that all has tended to prepare the country gor tor missionary labors of our preachers and writers it was the opinion of brigham young junr that missionaries would soon be sent to the states directly upon this elder lorenzo D rudd came and received his appointment and elder E 1 W discontinued writing which he had been engaged in for several periodicals odi cals and volunteered to travel with him through the states it was the judgment of both of us that for the revival of the work of god it was necessary that there should be travelling velling tra elders in the field devoted entirely to the ministry maui mAul stry to go through the land hunt up the members of of the church find out in what parts good could be done and bring the few remaining links of branches into communion with the head nead quarters of the mission and ana president miles thus also considered the matter and deemed it expedient to send u us s an and d so lorenzo and myself willingly accepted the appointment given us at conference to do the work of pioneers during the winter and spring immediately at the close of the conference we started on our mission first visiting philadelphia where we gave a course of lectures some of which which were reported in the papers we also reorganized that branch appointed a new president and baptized some members of the work east since we left iett for the west Pred president denv dent miles ina lna in 1 letter to us bearing date dec says 1 I have been in philadelphia and found things moving on all right a good spirit pre prevails vans more una ufa in tuo the branch than formerly in newark got organized agalli after re all the members member cr appointed another president and all ail is peace deac among them williamsburg saints feel well the gins gifts and blessings are manifested nearly every sunday and at the prayer meetings and strangers came to our meetings 11 lorenzo started first from philadelphia westward leay leaN leaving ingine me to deliver the last lecture in that city designing in our arrangements that he should go into michigan to relations ions lonc a and a d I 1 to follow in a week or so and make a junction J u netlon with him abst at st louis after fulfilling our appointments at philadelphia I 1 hastened westward leaving new york yore november the ath and ana visited nauvoo where I 1 stayed a day found those there feeling like the very embodiment of satan against brigham young and the church and nauvoo a sepulchre I 1 fled as from the abode of the damned and reached at louis on the saturday of the same week so go that I 1 was in time to find out elder dunford and the president of the branch and to meet with the small email church in this place on the sunday through the prompting of elder dunford who had bad advanced means to take a new room and fit rit it up for public meetings the brethren there were moving towards a revival of the work in st louis and thus affairs were providentially shaping at least for efforts to be made by traveling elders in this district I 1 took charge of the church at st louis until lorenzo should arrive and called elder dunford and elder eider william wright formerly tto be my counselors designing these temporary arran arrad arrangements cements until lorenzo succeeded suc buc ceede d in getting around to st louis whence when we should organize the district give a course of lectures and travel according to our pro gramme laid down when we were in the east elder dunford was liberal with his means and offered to take a boarding place for myself and companion in the ministry but I 1 wished not to make permanent arrangements until the president arrived and hence raid did not advertise lectures nor seek to write for the papers in st louis upon utah and the mormons cormons Mor mons but we were not able to make a junction at st louis as soon as expected and I 1 was here some two months before my companion could get to me when we started on our nals rals mission slon sion in october we had no prospect for means excepting a hundred dollars which I 1 had just taken for writing artic lesin the galaxy and journal and a remnant of a few dollars in lorenzos pocket there were not churches to assist us as of old oid and we had alara a under taking and thousands of miles before us in fulfilling our appointments as pioneers pion plon cers this winter and spring lorenzo visited his relations in michigan found much difficulty in getting up the lakes and nearly got lost in a small boat thence he be went to iowa to visit others of his kindred and his experience in that country was about the experience of a servant of god sent cent to hell to preach and labor among lost souls they were young ayoung Josephl josephites tes and latter day saints of other times turned devils people eople actually possessed of evil spirits which t manifested themselves in the forms of spiritualism some believed neither in god nor the devil neither fearing god nor man yet there was waa one howl of blasphemy against the lords anointed and the church in the mountains whether the government tahe take up the matter or not to wipe out the church in utah let but the railroad be completed and they swear they will come up en masse and destroy ns us to escape the hell bell into which he had bad got lorenzo fled into the woods to raise means to reach st louis supporting himself also during the time he was in that part for ho he found those thosa of his own flesh worse than strangers to him and his god never did he feel how dear home and the saints were to him as when amongst his own kin hin kindred dred hor nor so venerated brother brigham as when incarnate fiends were howling I 1 in n his hla ears their wrath against him this is true ofus of us both and though we never till now felt the force nor acknowledged the distinction of Brig yet since we have been in this western district where bere here bri is the titie title by which we are dubbed w we are aro re growing browin g to be proud of the d distinction Is for we are finding it to bo be a teat test by which we can try the spirits for ai as of old that spirit which would not confess to christ and in our day to joseph and now to brigham as the lord lords s anointed and to polygamy and to the gathering Is not of god but either cither ol 01 themselves or the devil about ten days ago elder lorenzo D drudd rudd arrived and we were both truly glad to meet each other a again L aln ain and more than ever felt how strong are tto tte the tho links that bind the elders eiders together when they are in the world laboring in the cause of god we met in council with the church at st t louis on sunday morning and organized this western country into a district or conference lerenzo lorenzo was received as its I 1 president according to his appointment and then own he called elder B P W tul Tal lidge to be his first counselor and a traveling elder in this district and elder george dunford to be his hla second second secona counselor we then sounded the feelings of the local p priesthood giest b and foun foud found d them united in reee reec receiving iving elder eider der william knight as president of the branch bran of st louis and eo so we carried ont out the purpose already resolved in minds and appointed him to the local presidency and thus we effected the organization of a st louis conference once more wo we shall make every effort that we wo can p ata this district and shall especially urge all to gather home to utah brother george dunford fe Is full of falth faith and the spirit of the lord and he Is on hand with all his beart heart and liberally with his means to help us advance the work in st louis and to assist us in tra velling through hubis this district to build up churches and gather the scattered sheep again into the fold of christ he Is yearning for our home in the mountains ana and is shaping his affia ira lra to take fake himself nna ana and family I 1 y there next year lie he feels that he has bus b been nt too 1 tang away from the body of the fee church and has the spirit of repentance and humility in this matter he expresses himself that to have the blessing and fellowship of brot brothel brother heir beir brigham extended expended to him when he be reaches the mountains would bo be to him more precious than all the world besides may the lord strengthen him and fulfill the desire of his heart we expect next season that there may be others 0 who will gather home at I 1 east least there tb ere are th those so who are desiring to go if possible and the m majority are again awakened to the importance of ga gathering and tend everywhere in our travels we shall urge this subject praying lor for your blessings and approbation we remain dear sir yours obediently lorenzo 0 O W rudd BUDD EDWARD edwaed PS elder J JL I 1 grundhand Grun dand a son I 1 of judah who married the daughter of brother james albon the theli thell birst first elder ordained in london expects to gather with his family in the spring brother cannon knows him and we wes ball shail urge others to follow these examples |
