| Show conferences conr Conf erencen opposition publications tiie tle war nna and it its ita affects venality orthe of rhe the american press etc cie i april atril 28 1877 11 II wells dear brother our ou r papers are just to hand ird lit regard to the commencement of conference and we are intently docking for tho the whole feeling meling as if everything here fiere is of very little interest when compared with the growth and practice of the he saints in utah if it was very pleasant to read of the different meetings meeta a held by the twelve en route to Pu st george and to realize reallie the interest by the people ilio irio I 1 notice the appointment of a few missionaries sion slon dries aries who will doubtless be needed here as some will return the coming semon season I 1 hope one brie or two each for north and south wales are among the number conferences are now being held heid in the tho mission commencing with london last sunday at sad sadlers Bad lers wells theatre there was wag quite an excitement got up during and after the afternoon meeting after af ter tor brother JET der G parks address and the lessee declined to allow the evening meeting for fear of damage to the building wilding although he was already paid 1 I was not present feeling a little unwell and somewhat de depressed presed consequent upon iny my wines death during my absence bu but t president jarn Jarr ington 0 aste sister rc C calvin ardad artil Ar taD D and president jas miller of the liverpool conference conferences were ail all there and jn in fact have not yet returned but probably will this evening saturday leeds conference will be e held hela in bradford on the 6 th birmingham on the and Gilis glasgow gow on the which will probably be the last prior to the arrival of elder jose joseph hp P smith I 1 am in pleased the leased to say our new edition of the hymn book ig Is just issued and in afew a few jew days the key to theology will be ready this will probably be followed by the compendium and the book nook of mormon if the new arrives there is every now and again inquiries from outsiders arid and there has not been une one in this office for sale saie for over two years the book of doctrine and Coven ancs anos will 1 I 1 presume be issued soon so that with the star journo journal Jb urna urno and above if I 1 remain in the office I 1 shall feel myself pretty well employed taking of course an occasional run out but which is certainly a benefit to myself and seems seeing to be to those hose where I 1 visit the leading topic now is of course the war bre bie bread ad will be advanced on monday next a farthing per ib lb business Is lively in birmingham in consequence of df supplying rinnes rifles guns ac but everywhere besides there is d depression ep the shipping business is very low four hour lines iines of american steamers leaving liverpool li erv are upon halt half travel and do notsie not nol see much prospect of resuming aalthe all xii the students of prophecy are on the qui vive looking for the great day of the lord nord two hundred thousand gf germans amans are about to leave Rl russia issia for the united states and the jews all through the E empire have their eyes turned toward the sacred city both the latter thus thua seeking to avoid calamity and the beginning of the end II 11 which many mahy think is already at the uw lao vel luksa anduar and oar far reaching questions before the E english people I 1 such as the spirit in inthe the tho church disputing utin the validity of civil control tryl t the e and asendo meir meia question agitated by the secularists and nonconformists for mists the great liquor ques which commands attention from frol religious bodies Ua statesmen the judiciary judi olary piary and many odthe people but these vital questions are now absorbed or overshadowed by anxiety for eul Eri english glish interests in india in the suez canal in constantinople ti in securing food supplies in providing labor lor for her teeming population under the prospective closing of northern ports ac in regard to press comments on utah lairs affairs at it seems impossible for the english E press or people to I 1 realize the th e venality and sensational character of f tile the press ai as s it lt exists in the united united d states the general lofty impersonal and anti antl character chu r zeter acter of the newspapers here h e i re with but few very rare exceptions is much to be commended while buell such papers as there are arean in the united states and in ia utah with their damnable and persistent defamation are altogether unknown here sensational papers like the new york herald aie are altogether foreign to the solid sober press of england and the tho general truthfulness of the english character almost thinks it incredible that people even every at the point of death would falsify or pervert the truth I 1 am personally in fair health as are all to in this office and the brethren in this mission I 1 had bad a very pleasant and cheer ing letter from brother webber this week he has travelled around a good deal since his arrival and I 1 should judge from the tone and spirit of his letter has been indefatigable in defence of the people and the truth yours truly ild W NAISBITT 11 ll society labors of the elders I 1 balem bal BAI EM mass may 7 1877 editor though f fhe he people of new england almost universally manifest a self righteous disdain mon doctrines aud and principles they are unwittingly doing a great deal to advance the work of balor mormonism among the dead if not among the living in 10 the way of searching Dg out arranging and publishing the genealogies of thousands of families who are descended from the early settlers ofner england the spirit of this kind of work seems to have 0 grown rapidly y among the people during late years and interest in it seems beems to td be increasing at the present tinie timp A few days since while in boston I 1 called at the rooms of the new egi Efi england gland giand historic genealogy cal society no IS 18 somerset street the society consists of about one thou thousand sand tand two hundred members including officers a long list of honorary vice presidents ac the majority j arity of the members reside in NewEn e gIand gland but hundreds are scattered throughout all parts of the union the society is vastly more extensive in its operations membership and ramifications than I 1 had supposed and the researches ot 01 its members have penetrated the records cemeteries and histories of nearly every town city and village in new england for the purpose of bf gathering historical and genealogical information the society has in one of its rooms a 1 library I containing thousands of volumes memoirs pamphlets and manuscripts civi giving iid ild lin the history of new now england towns cities and villages and a more or less complete record of the genealogy gene alagy of their old inhabitants inhabitant the librarian john ward dean esq ire lre received and treated me very courteously and rendered me very vala able assistance in obtain obtaining lug tug information regarding my own ancestors t ors a ivell dwell ag as tho those S e of others who have requested me to procure information for them mr dean is himself a somewhat noted author and authority in matters pertaining to new england history and genealogy he seemed to be remarkably mar kably kubly well posted and to have things systematized to an astonishing dt degree gree it seemed that all I 1 hadbo had to do was to tell him the name of the family concerning which I 1 desired information and he could readily tell me whether its history and genealogy had bad ever been writ ten or arranged and if so who by more there were in the library 1113 lary fAry gene gend genealogical dictionaries indexes to new england pedigreed pedigrees grees and a great variety of other works forred for reference treating upon history and genealogy that are aref of invaluable assistance to one who had occasion occasion to use them and by their help it is an eay matter for X new ew england families to learn much about their t 11 air ancestry thousands of bf cases surely it must be the spirit of ieh leh Ich god at work among the people that causes uses them to thus seek out a knowledge of their ancestry and arrange the same with such care and precision and as a no people on earth have as keen been an interest in in such euch matters as have the ratter latter day saints those of that people who vrle are descended fromnes frow from new england ancestry will be able to thoroughly appreciate the labors of this society mr dean the librarian invited me to become a corresponding those who reside outside of new england are called corresponding members and gave me a copy of their constitution and bylaws I 1 and a list of the members mem b eis els the latter making maung quite a pamphlet of itself A number of saints in utah have written tp to me asking me rae to procure genealogical information for them nad aad while I 1 esteem it a most commendable spirit that prompts them to seek to obtain the tho names ac of their dea dand while I 1 would most gladly oblige them were it in my power thep they haye always omitted io to englese money to pay the unavoidable expense of such work and I 1 shall therefore be obliged to disappoint most of those who have written to me for sn an elder while on a mission who fulfills the requirements quire ments of the law travels minus purse or scrip I 1 would make no charge for my own services but hut a few dol doi dollars lais usually not more than four or five generally be required to pay the unavoidable expenses of searching up the records of a family missionary work is being impeded in this district by the tha ill III health of some of the elders two elders who have been laboring in essex co mass and the southern part of new hampshire will start on their return home homr shortly on account of ill health edIth li two or three emigrating saints will accompany them there are two elders in maine who at last accounts were having but indifferent success though they had held heid several meetings elder james mack and I 1 have a few baptisms on hand these attended to I 1 presume we shall have to break new ground in some direction as our pur present nield field of labor does not promise any y more fruit immediately your brother broiher in the gospel B F cummings JB JR |
