Discourse 1881-05-01
room of the Tabernacle Saturday, May
1st, at 10 a.m. Present on the stand
Apostles W. Woodruff, C. C. Rich, E.
Snow, F. D. Richards and M. Thatcher,
the presidency of the Stake and Elder
H. S. Eldredge of the seven presidents
of Seventies.
After devotional exercises, the clerk
read the minutes of the last priesthood
meeting, which were accepted, and the
statistical report of the Stake of Zion
for the quarter ending April, 1881, the
totals of which are as follows: Apostles
1; Patriarchs 7; Seventies 349; High
Priests 431; Elders 1,409; Priests 394;
Teachers 318; Deacons 471; lay mem-
bers 6,476; children under 8 years 4,447;
total of souls 14,218; families 2,543;
marriages 19; births, males 73, females
81; deaths, males 22, females 25; bap-
tized 20; excommunicated 2; persons
drawing support 179.
Apostle Wilford Woodruff then spoke
a short time. He was pleased to meet
with the Saints in this Stake of Zion
and in so good and comfortable a house.
Thought the people greatly blessed; and
urged the continuance of their earnest
labors upon the Logan Temple.
AFTERNOON.
Apostle W. Woodruff said there never
was a prophet or inspired man upon the
earth in any age who did not require
the spirit of God to teach him the
things of God, and that no quorum of
Twelve Apostles who had ever lived
upon the earth had been more united
or had done a greater work toward
building up God's kingdom than the
Twelve were now performing. He
then gave an account of his recent mis-
sion to the Saints and Lamanites in
Arizona. During a visit of nine months
among the settlements of the Saints in
that territory the speaker had not
heard a man profane the name of the
Deity, had not seen any quarrels
among neighbors, had not known of
any drinking of intoxicating liquor, nor
using of tobacco, tea nor coffee; in fact
he had not witnessed the vices which
are too common in the cities and towns
of Utah. The town of St. John, Apache
county that, having been owned by
Jews and Mexicans, and as the "Mor
mon" settlements were located around
this town, it was thought expedient to
buy the township, accordingly the pur-
chase had been made.
The tribes of Indians visited were the
Navajoes, Apache, Moqui, and Zunis.
The two former tribes had been very
war illegible [other] were [led] by the
Elders the later were more peaceable.
The former were roving and savage
tribes, the latter lived in town and
were partly civilized. He was well
treated in all the travels among them.
The strictest attention was given to all
the preachings, and the teachings and
instructions he imparted caused a spirit
of thankfulness and rejoicing among
them. Especially was this the case
among the Zunis who were the most
intelligent and civilized of all the tribes.
Through their earnest request, he con
tinued speaking unto them for several
hours, whenever he would stop the
question would be asked "Do you know
any more?" and the hearer became so
overcome that they wept for joy. The
situation on the [M]oqui villages was
very picturesque, they being built upon
tables of solid rock from 500 to 1300 feet
in height with perpendicular sides.
Here they had lived for centuries per-
haps—tilling their farms below and
carrying the products, their fuel and
their water up to their homes by
means of a circuitous path or dugway
the frequent raids of the warlike tribes
had driven them (the Moqui) to this
manner of living, that they might pro-
tect their lives and property without
going to war. Some of the leading men
among these tribes had said that before
the white came among them adultery
was not known in their midst, for such a
sin was punished by death. In conclu-
sion, the speaker alluded to the re
markable preservation of the Saints in
gathering from the nations of the earth,
testified to the near approach of the
Son of Man, and exhorted the Saints to
faithfulness continually.
