Show THE HAND CART COMPANIES an address delivered by hon F W fishburn sunday july 25 1915 reported by bunderson the oftener I 1 am called to 10 giand before people the weaker I 1 feel the i program this afternoon has most overcome me but I 1 want to thank president etolil and his counselors for honoring me so much in asking me to be with you and to speak to you for a few moments on this very momentous day and on oil such a most momentous subject what I 1 should say I 1 am in of but I 1 ask for your sympathy ara acu lor for your faith and prayers with this as si stence coupled with the help of my heavenly rather father I 1 hope that I 1 shall bo be able to say something of interest to you what more I 1 can say than these true sisters have said I 1 do not know I 1 sometimes wonder it if we as sons and daughters of these noble pioneers fathers and mothers of this great commonwealth do even to a small measure appreciate their greatness and the magnificent work that they have accomplished we are enjoying the fruits of their trials and troubles As we were coming to meeting this afternoon my wife said there seems to be a good many young people going to meeting I 1 said 1 I hope tile the house will be packed with them for they are the ones I 1 like to talk to these our fathers and mothers are well established what little I 1 may say to encourage and help them in the remaining years of life would be but a drop in the bucket but if I 1 can I 1 hope to say something that will touch the hearts of tile the younger generation so that we may remain steadfast and be true as our fathers and mothers have been true and be willing to assume the responsibilities of life as they have assumed them and that we may be willing to discharge the obligations of life as well and as willingly as they have I 1 wonder if my father and mother feel that I 1 and the rest of their sons and daughters are shouldering as manfully and womanly the great trials of life and the great privileges of life as they did and you other sons and daughters of these noble men and women I 1 wonder it if your fathers and your mothers feel that you are assuming the responsibilities of lite life as well as they did then in turn I 1 wonder it my children are assuming the responsibilities bili ties of life as well as I 1 and their mother even in our weak and humble way are attempting to face the ste stern rii mali realities ties of life and you younger parents here I 1 wonder if your sons and your daughters are assuming these responsibilities as well as you are ohl obi may imay god grant that none of us will be found weak and shrinking to do the noble things that life has in store for us to do I 1 sometimes wonder it if we vie are getting the timber in younger people pel that we find in a our older people oh these sturdy pioneers they were made of strong durable material better material I 1 believe search the world over could not be found in any of the remotest corners comers of the globe may god bless them these who have gone evue before to their haven of rest hay alay their accomplishments ever be kept fresh and green in it the memories of us who are left behind and those who are still with us may their few remaining years be filled with the greatest joys that life can call bring may alay we their sons and daughters by our actions from day to day show shiow that they are really and truly appreciated for the great work they have done tor for us 11 i you have heard read by brother davis what was noticed when the die pioneers first came to these valleys you have heard related some of the hardships I 1 of those belated hand carttom banies but my brothers and sisters no word pictures can be painted that atell one halt half the story my father and mother were more fortunate than were the people who came in the company in which these sisters came they came a year later ater while they walked and pulled a hand cart none of their numbers were left on the desert as many were in the companies the year before oil oh the faith they must have had think of if it boys and girls young men and women all for their faith they had bad so much faith that they would put all their belongings into a little hand cart and then hitch themselves up mart man and woman as my father and mother were hitched up as a team they then were not married but on reaching these valleys they becam man and wife I 1 am proud of ray my heritage I 1 want to te tell my father in your hearing that I 1 honor him I 1 belive that no better man ever breathed the breath of 0 life they knew that god lives they knew hew that ile he was with them even in these trials and hardships and they knew it if they did their part ile he would not forsake them but would lead them on to their haven of rest even in this godforsaken god forsaken country as it then appeared young men and young women are you and I 1 built of such material do we have the faith of our fathers and mothers do we believe that god lives and that lie he hears and answers prayers and that lie never forsakes his children brethren and sisters their beliefs of life must be appreciated thru work they were not looking for ease and it is well they were not becaas they knew it if they did they would not find it they were looking tor for that which they believed to be the heritage of every living being under the heavens the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and they believed also that every man and woman had the right to enjoy the fruits of their labors under thir own fig tree without molestation and for these reasons they trudged on and on and on for some thirteen hundred wear miles you all know what that prophet of god said when on the summit of these mountains he looked over the great salt lake valley for many moments did he gaze yet he uttered not a word those surrounding him wondered what the verdict would be at last leaning on oil his elbow he said this is is the place drive on he had seen the place that thai god had in store tor for his people and he knew that this was the tae same place that god had given him vision of sixty eight years ago yesterday they came into the valleys even at that late date in the year they plowed and planted before night came five acres of ground had been plowed and was ready for the seed they did not say it Is too late they believed that even with the lateness of the season god could and would mature their crops and he did why if we could see a man mail today planting potatoes on the day of july we would say he was not up to lo snuff that he was a laggard and lazy and not alive to the opportunities of life one week after that date the potatoes were up out of the ground who made them grow god almighty made them grow and ile he matured those potatoes for those his children faithful children let me tell you who had forsaken all al for him and for Hs his great work when you can find men and women who are willing to serve their god and their maker it makes no difference what the time might be nothing is impossible to god almighty there were many who sought god in the old country and who v bo still wanted to come to so the hand cart companies were organized my aly father tells me that he would have been in one of the less fortunate companies if he had not obeyed the counsel given him he had a friend and companion in the old country rather father had coine bome little litte work and had been saving and gulting away little by little in order that he might emigrate the president of tile the mission said to him brother you have work the brother here does not have work give him of the means you have and you remain with your work lie he did as he was counselled counseller coun selled to do that poor brother came and died with others on the plains probably I 1 would not be here to tell the tale it if father had not obeyed that counsel president brigham young in 1856 when they were having their conference in salt lake city in october not receiving any direct personal evidence that these people needed help said brothers and sisters the hand cart people need help and I 1 want every able bodied man to think this subject over and let me know today it they can all help these people into salt lake valley that was at their conference and a great many of them said president young we can be ready in a few days twenty seven able bodied young men were chosen god bless the young men it if the call should come today right here in our little brigham city even at this late day I 1 am sure we would get the same response brother grant geo grant was selected as captain the two scouts were the oldest son of president young and another brother they were well P quipped equipped to travel and travelled hastily trying to reach the company to find out their true condition some thirteen loads of provisions were sent out but they had only a drop in the ticket bucket as compared with the needs and requirements three hundred miles away from the valley in october and winter coming upon them something we are not it sed to in these days snow was fallings falling it was sleety and was raining it was frosty and these poor people w were ere travelling tra velling and tramping and trying to reach this great valley at this particular time when all seemed lost a certain brother hanks from provo was on his way to attend the conference rt at sau salt lake city lie ile stopped ever ight a brother brown at draper lie ile teu the lie following story of his ex experience peri ence Tb that night when he was in bed a voice came to him and said brother hanks the land hand cart people are in trouble and call upon you to go to give them help he turned over in bed and saw a man of medium size and splendid build brother hanks said yes I 1 will go then lie he turned over in his bed and the same voice came again and brother hanks answered yes I 1 will go th statement was repeated the third time brother hanks told brother drown brown that the hand cart people were in trouble and that he had been asked to go out and give them help so when the call came at the conference brother hanks said 1 I am ready to go at once he was on of the first to bring the hand cart company succor and support when he was about three hundred miles from the valley he said to himself how nice it would be if I 1 had a buffalo little hide to wrap around myself at that moment lie he looked up on the mountain side and saw a big buffalo lie he got his gun and brought him down at the first shot when the skin had been removed he prepared a meal the best he ever had so he said theft the animal up in strips and proceeded on ills his Journey to had find the hand cart people he sa saw a second buffalo anti ana brought him down and treated him as he had done the first one again he went on his way looking out upon tile the then snow covered prairie soon he saw a black streak in the distance it seemed to be ba stationary and then it seemed to be moving then in turn the company saw something black like a speck far off in tile the distance it kept coming nearer and nearer at last they could see the forms of men and horses they stopped and waited to see what glad messengers these were ile he said that their condition was so bad that they could do nothing but wait ile he found here strong men and good women and children hungry an aej 1 poorly clad mothers came to him and said oh please give me s some ome meat tor for MY ay starving babies and children 11 fathers would come and say 1 I know not your name but wont you please give me a little piece of meat for my starving wife in ten minutes all ahe meat was given out tor to enose starving people that night as he was sitting meditating by his little camp fire a dear sister passed his camp in haste lie he got up and followed her ile he heard her say to a brother come and administer to my husband he Is dying the brother got up and went to her camp ile he looked upon the form of this man and said 1 I cannot administer to a dead man and returned to his own camp then brother hanks went and asked two other men if they would come with him they went into this camp to help the poor woman to all intents and purposes the man was dead they stripped him and rubbed him they anointed him with oil Is any sick among you let iet him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of tile the lord and the lord shall raise him up this they did and lie he says in the name of the lord this man was commanded to rise from the death that seemed to be covering him As soon as they lifted their hands from his head the man got up such stich a manifestation he said he had never seen before nor since they praised the name of god and said aid we praise and honor thy name and we know that thou livet livest still and that thou has not forsaken us when one of these two le adins T scouts returned to salt lake city and made his report to the prophet brigham young about the condition of these people lie be added but words cannot tell all that I 1 saw all there were sick they were dying 6 8 10 and la 15 a day some of them froze their hands and feet off and yet they praised the name of god and thanked him for his many blessings oh let us never forget these people let us ever emulate their worthy lives and examples god bless them for their true worth for their noble lives and for the ganv blessings Iles Vies sings that they have made possible forus their children to enjoy and let us never forget while we are here brothers and sisters let us never allow worldly things to lower our estimation of oc these people while I 1 am not a prophet nor the tha son of a prophet I 1 bear you my humbles humble er and I 1 ask it in jesus name amear eph smith wasa was a true prophet of god and that every man who has been called to that position has ideen been a true prophet of god may we ever honor his name and be true to the covenants we have made in his name Is my humble prayer and I 1 ask it in jesus name A men |