Deseret Weekly | 1893-12-02 | Page 19 | A Modern Moses

written for this pap paper A MODERN MOSES SALT LAKE CITY nov 23 1893 the rising generation know but little of that great man brigham young of his wonderful work and traveling in bringing the people to these valleys making settlement after settlement until all the valleys of utah were filled with wit h cities and villages say nothing ot of the fine farms that are e everywhere very where present from utah came the people that first settled nevada montana wyoming besides thousands and thousands that settled california that brigham young was the moses of the nineteenth century there is no doubt that he was even greater than moses must be granted moses started with the children of israel from the valley of goshen in egypt to the promised land he had only traveled in the wilderness fifteen days when his people rebelled found fault with him they murmured and said would to god we had died by the hand of the lord in egypt or that we were back in egypt around the fleshpots flesh pots of the egyptians again moses had to appeal to the lord and the lord had to send down seail quail for them to eat at night for meat he e caused manna to rain in the for bread in the morning he had continually to threaten them with death as the lords vengeance to make them do anything he threatened them with death to get them to wash their clothing the israelites were forty years in the wilderness it was less than three hundred miles from the land of goshen to the promised land think of it I 1 an overland coach would have driven it in thirty six hours or a good walker have walked it in ten days while brigham young started from the great river river with nith white men three women two children and three negroes in his party traveled 1500 miles through the wilderness or across the plains to his promised land where he arrived in a few months and an in time to put in a good garden and raise vegetables the same year there was no rebellion or wishing wishing themselves back though surrounded unde by the savages on all sides the unknown land ahead of them all went on merrily singing songs to the most H high h 1 and all felt glad that they had left t the e mob of christians behind them just imagine what a staunch heart it must have taken to bid farewell to civilization iza tion to all their friends to houses lands to all luxuries farewell to all that had become dear to them in this life and start out on an unknown journey not knowing if ever they would behold anything or anybody that had been dear to them again on earth crossing the then bleak hills of iowa across the missouri river across the then trackless plains making roads building bridges for the distance of 1500 miles to these now peaceful valleys bringing a years supply with them beside their seeds harrows plows chickens pigs and a few cows one can imagine that after the necessities were loaded in t the he wagons there was but little room for luxuries hence they did without them you that have crossed the plains in pullman cars with all the conveniences of a palace come let us camp with them and see how you would like it first night out camp everything crowded in the wagon nobody knows where things are had rather go to bed hungry than attempt to cook in the night the wolves howl it is a lonesome and an ominous howl it may be indians for all you know they do howl like wolves when bent on mischief in the morning you are hungry and tired for you have slept but little the bed being on the ground was hard but you hunt up something to make a fire with there is no wood so you gather some buffalo chips make a little coffee eat crackers with a little fried bacon that makes the meal hitch up hurry the things in in the wagon and drive until noon turn out the stock to grass stop an hour hitch up drive on until night and camp corral tile the wagons that is done by driving the wagons around in a circle one behind the other you camp outside the stock is sent out to grass with some one to guard it until bed time when it is brought in and put into the corral and a guard is put outside to watch for indians A rain storm comes on but no matter the guard must go on you take your turn when it is time to change you turn in wet with your clothing on the others have to turn put out into the cold raining as though another flood was coming on still raining in the morning there is no wood you hunt around and succeed in getting a fire started with some buffalo chips if you want to know what that is ask your parents biscuits are baked in a bakeoven bake oven or flap jacks baked in the frying pan the bacon is tried a little flour is stirred in the grease for gravy coffee is made and the meal is ready I 1 hitch up go on you soon come to a creek which now has swollen to a river A ferry has to be improvised out of one of the wagon beds everything is ferried over in that the stock is swam over night is coming on A camp has to be made all are tired but guard has to be stood rain or shine these storms rage nage on the platte river often from three to four days when the sun does come out everything is dried by this time everything that you have on is dirty sunday co comes mes B by t this his time the platte river is sir struck luci akere where there is a little wood you hurry up and wash a few things out but a few at that it is hurry all the time night and day it is lonesome nobody to meet nobody to see except those you arowitz aro acwith ar with under all these circumstances brigham young was always serene affable and kind to those around him and with him if any one was sick he was by his side with a kind and cheerful word when the cattle were to be yoked joked he was there to see it was well done when a wagon was stuck in the mud he was thereto there to give them a lift out when any one was morose and downcast he had a good word of cheer at night around the camp fite fire he be could tell his bis story to cause the laugh as well as the best one in in camp he was fond of music and would sing with the rest he possessed a happy and a contented mind the credit must be given to his indomitable will for the great success of building up a halfway half way house lor for the gold seekers to re replenish I 1 le nish their exhausted supplies ater after he had found the promised land brigham young took all the spare teams and a few trusty men and returned to the missouri river after the balance of the saints in all this labor brigham had many brothers aaron in the persons of heber C kimball willard richards john taylor orson hyde orson and parley P pratt wilford woodruff lorenzo snow erastus snow franklin frankli D richards charles C rich george A smith george Q cannon with a host of other good men to assist him in the great labor in the transmigration the trains were organized into large companies with captains of fifties and c captains a p lains of tens these captains assisted their r companies in time of trouble as in in a wagon getting stuck in the mud crossing streams or getting up a steep hill on the of july 1847 the first company emerged from what is now called emigration canyon and gazed and feasted their eyes on these valleys who can feel as they felt who can describe their feelings feeling sl what joyful hearts this handful of people eople must have had joy indescribable my joy unspeakable A haven of rest from the toils of so long and weary a journey the next thought was that of sadness 0 if fathers mothers brothers and sisters were only herel here where are they I 1 wonder it I 1 ever will see them again alas many did they never see again others that came afterwards perished from fatigue cholera and other diseases that evening they camped near where the temple block now is in the morning president young orson pratt with a few others went where the temple now stands after president young looked to the west then to the south north and east he arit his W cane cade down at the same time remarking brethren here we will build a 71 template I 1 emple to the lord finer than solomon ever dreamed of it must be remembered that these people were very poor they had been despoiled of almost all they had possessed by the relentless mobs of missouri and illinois driven out to go goit it did not matter to the mob where in the face of poverty that prediction has come so very true as all that have seen inside of the temple will testify brigham was great and good and his bis name will live as long as the world stands his door was always open D 1 en t tp his bis friends to the stranger as w well e lt he 0 was unlike our president cleveland who crawls into his hole and pulls the hole after him to get away from his friends he interested himself in an anything thing that was going on around him ne he built a theater tor for the amusement of himself and the people he believed in the elevation of the stage iso so much so that tie he allowed his own daughters to act there he was fond of dancing and mingling with the people in parties he was a kind father to his children and a friend to the human family I 1 wish there were more brigham ayoun youngs ga on earth he possessed power over man mankind kincL every everyone one that came into his presence knew and felt that he was in the arese prese presence of the great without being told me A looked a commander he was a loader leader the people believed him because h he 4 told them the truth lie he hated deception cep tion he was a good judge of hu v A nian man nature but was sometimes deceived y by designing men around him like all other great men have been how he traveled among the people and built cities in my next H J FAUST