18^th Feb 1855 [FIGURE] Notice had been given out a week
a week ago that President Brigham Young
would preach to the people to day upon our views concerning the
government of the United States and all strangers were
invited to attend at an early hour the tabernacle was
filled & a thousand people that could not get into the House
a large company from those out of Doors was called togeth[er]
& preached to by Elder Orson Pratt. A good many strangers
were gathered together in the Temple After singing & prayer
by W. Woodruff President Young arose & said that as He
did not expe[c]t to be able to speak to the people He had prepared
a peace to be read before the assembly & when that is
read I will say a few words. Thomas Bullock then
read the address before the assembly. He sustained the con-
stitution of the United States also its laws but He used a
sharp two edged sword against wickedwness & wicked
men He sharply rebuked sin in high places, & when the
address was finished, He followed with a lengthy sharp cutting
Orall Speech which was more pointed than his written docum[en]t
this speech was fully reported by the reporters

The meeting was addressed in the afternoon by Brother
John Gibson followed by O Hyde & H. C. kimball. At the close
of the afternoon meeting I met in the prayer circle & at the
close of prayer I had the Happy privilege of seeing John
Smith the son of Hiram Smith the martered Patriarch
set in the middle of the circle & Presidents Young, kimbal
& Grant & O. Pratt W. Woodruff G. A. Smith & Lorenzo Snow
of the Twelve Apostles laid Hands upon his head & ordained

Him unto the office of the first Patriarch in the church &
kingdom of God. This blessing was sealed upon him
as it belonged to him by right throug the linage of his
Fathers it was recorded in the Historians office taken
from the report of Thomas Bullock.

At the close of this meeting I returned home & took
most of my family & went to the 14 ward school house
the house was filled to overflowing I went into the stand
with the Bishop I felt as though I was full of fire I
was full of that Electrickt fluid or spirit of God that had
flown through President Young during the day there
was no reporter to record my words, but the following
is a synopsis of my remarks as far as I can recoll[ec]t

I arose & said I wam thankful for the privilege of meeting
with you & to speak of the things of the kingdom of God &
to hear from my brethren. I have been full of thought
& reflection this day while sitting & hearing from president
young, & I feel to thank God with all my heart that He has
bestowed upon us such a leader in this dispensatoion yes president
Young is a leader in Israel & one that is not ashamed to
rebuke sin in high places He will guard well the interest
& salvation of this people reguardless of all consequences
& I feel it my duty as an Apostles of Jesus Christ & an Elder
in Israel to sustain him in his office & back up ^his testimony^ by my faith
& works & I also consider it the duty of evry Apostlese
Bishop, Elder, & officer & member in the Church of Jesus
Christ to do the same if we are not willing to do it we are
not worthy of the place we occupy & when we know that
sin wickedness & improper conduct exhist in any of our
wards we should rebuke that evil & correct it in our own
houses & wards & not leave it all for President Young to do. we
have Evils in our own ward we have wicked men who will
blaspheme the name of God & who are striving to destroy our
wives & daughters. I have seen some of those same men
come here to meeting & set & laugh me in the face all the
while I was speaking & they will set & laugh the
Bishop in the face while he is speaking this class of
young men some of them are members of the church yet
they will join with the wicked & come here to meeting &
take a seat in the back part of the house & get together in
a group & agather all the young women & girls around them
they can & then conduct in a rediculous manner instead of
paying attention to the preaching. that class of men should
stay at home for while they conduct as they do I would
rather have their room than their company. they are also
useing evry exhertion to draw away our young women & girls to
parties & would drestroy them if they could. shall we sleep
unconcerned as Elders & parents while these scenes are enacted
around us no I will not do it & I feel to exhort this con-
gregation to wake up & know what is going on around them
& their families & not suffers your wives & daughters to
mingle with Military officers soldiers, Horseslers & cooks & gentils
in balls parties rides & other amusements untill they are defiled

& destroyed it its much easier to keep your hands out of the
fire than to cure them after they are burned. I would
far prefer to bury any wife or child I have than to
have them live to dishonor my name & disgrace themselves
by commiting sin with the gentiles. If the Bishop sees
any member of my family children or wives come here
to meeting & take a seat in the back part of the House &
spend the time in play instead of attending to the preaching
I wish him to call them by name & let them be reprooved
openly if they will take that course for they all know that
that to be against my council & I wish the Bishop would
persue that course with all persons who come here & do not
do right. we should not be ashamed or afraid to rebuke
wickedness sin & abominations whence ever we know of their its
existance in our midst, for by doing right we will ever be supported
by the right hand of the Lord. there is not the least trembling
in my boydy or spirit because of the results that myay arise from
resisting & rebuking sin for I would rather die wifeless &
childless & see my dwellings laid in ruins & my own body fall
in the gap than to permit whordoms, wickedness & abominations
to exhist in our families wards & cities unrebuked & unchecked
for we as a people have to sanctify ourselves before the Lord
in order to sanctify have the blessings & approbation of the
Lord upon us. It will be far better for us to restrain our
children from Evil than to suffer them to go headlong to ruin
& they will thank God to all Eternity that there parents have
given them good council & restrained them from Evil rather
than to be permitted to plunge into misery sin sorrow & woe
we should treat our wives & children with kindness &
affection & give them good council & when we have done all we
can for them then if they will do ^w^rong & go to ruin our gar-
ments are clear & I hope from this time forth that we
may not look upon sin with any degree of allowance of
approbation which may God grant for Christ Amen

I was followed in my remarks by Bishop Hoagland Phineas
Richards Joseph Horn & Samuel Richards all backed up my
testimony. the spirit of the Lord rested upon us & we had
a good time