THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS'
MILLENIAL STAR.
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word
it is because there is no light in them."—ISAIAH viii, 20.
No. 28, Vol. L Monday, July 9, 1888. Price One Penny
FUNERAL SERVICES OF APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW.
-[CONCLUDED FROM PAGE 421.]-
Apostle Heber J. Grant said: I am
pleased to add my testimony regard-
ing Brother Erastus Snow. I know
of no man who has labored more
faithfully and energetically. None
were too insignificant for his notice.
He took an interest in all. There is
no man whose life is a better example
for the youth of Israel. My ideal of
an apostle was Erastus Snow. When
I was called as an apostle I prayed
that the same spirit of self-sacrifice
might inspire me. No man can say
anything but good of him. He has
been a Latter-day Saint in very deed,
and has gained an exaltation in the
celestial kingdom of God. It was in-
tended to read the last sermon he
delivered, at a young men's meeting,
April 8, 1888, but there is not time.
He then said: "The Lord keeps His
own counsels in these things, and it
is not given to us to know and under-
stand the day and the hour when the
Son of Man will come; but it is for
us always to be prepared, and to so
live that we shall be prepared for Him
when He does come. And whether
we lay down our bodies before the
coming of the Son of Man or not it
mattereth not, so that we have filled
our days with usefulness, are prepared
to come forth when the trump shall
sound and call forth the dead. I do
most heartily endorse those senti-
ments which have been expressed
concerning the dead who die in the
Lord. They do not taste of death.
It seems to me that there is no death,
but they are moving on to life—life
eternal." Brother Erastus is moving
on to life eternal, and may we follow
in his footsteps.
I am requested to read a few words
written by Apostle Moses Thatcher.
Erastus Snow is dead! How few,
even among Latter-day Saints—how
few, indeed, of his immediate associ-
ates—comprehended his worth, or
fully appreciated his generous, un-
selfish disposition.
He was great because [he was] good. An
intellectual giant, yet humble as a
child. Now, and in years to come, as
questions of magnitude affecting the
public weal arise, the void caused by
his departure will seem fathomless, as
the grief at his loss will be intense.
As the load he carried without a mur-
mur settles upon others already heavi-
ly burdened with accumulated respon-
sibilities, how vividly will they sense
the taking away of one ever ready—
always willing to put a lifting shoulder
to the wheel. In the future, when
dark clouds of persecution are riven
by the fierce lightnings of hate, and
wrathful storms beat upon defenseless
heads, who can fill the place of Erastus
Snow? In times of peace, when the
allurements of a deceitful ease threa-
tened danger in the path of unsus-
pecting youth, who will be able to
supplement the wise counsel that hath
laid the foundation for many a pros-
perous, pure, and patient life? To
whom now can the young go for a
chart to guide them over life's troubled
sea, with the same confident assurance
that they have experienced in going
to him?
Into what listening ear and sym-
pathetic heart shall the troubled now
pour their story of distress? Who
now will console the forsaken or com-
fort the grief-striken, as he has done?
The poor came to him freely, and the
sick and weary laid their burdens
upon his shoulders without hestiation.
Who will bear them now?
As the knowledge that Erastus
Snow is dead settles into the feelings
of the people, the fountains of emo-
tion will break forth, and silent tears
will moisten many a spot where for
hours he has stood patiently listening
to piteous tales, while incipient dis-
ease sowed the seeds of death in his
unshrinking body; for when the sor-
rows of others overshadowed him,
Erastus Snow was wholly oblivious of
self.
Heedless of consequences, he has
stood for hours exposed to the night
winds of a Southern desolation, more
treacherous than the snows and frosts
of a Northern clime. While thus
exposed, thoughtless persons have
poured into his sympathetic ears tales
of troubles as if his compassionate
heart could never fail to respond.
But now he is dead, and the drafts
of friends and the demands of enemies
must each go to protest. His mortal
career is ended. For the cause of his
taking away we must search amid the
burning sands and gleaming volcanic
rocks of Southern Utah, where has
been spent the best years of his life.
Many a weary night he had sought
repose while exhausted nature—sweat-
ing at every pore—was chilled by the
winds sweeping the cactus plains of
Mexico or sighing through the pines
of the Sierra Madre. To those who,
in their misguided enforcement of the
law, have deprived him of the conso-
lation and comforts of home, what
shall the harvest be? Under trying
circumstances he recently endured a
severe operation upon his eyes. Ex-
hausted by the pain inflicted, and
while trying to rest in a room and bed
to which he was unused, he contracted
a severe cold that resulted in his
death.
Not long since a brother in deep
affliction exclaimed, "I would give
more this moment to see Erastus
Snow than any man living, for he
could tell me what to do in this hour
of supreme trial."
Measure his life's work, and how
beautiful and perfect in every part it
now in the presence of death seems.
As husband and father, tender and
true, affectionate and just. As friend
and brother, devoted and unchange-
able. As statesman and scholar, pro-
found and farseeing. As defender of
constitutional liberty, valiant and con-
sistent. As a servant of God, faith-
ful, devoted, true. Magnanimous to
enemies, generous to friends. Un-
swerving in life, trusting and confident
in death. Such was Erastus Snow.
Let the fingers of fame weave garlands
with which to entwine the brow of
battle-begrimmed heroes! Let ambi-
tion sing from monumental piles the
praises of those who in life wrought
carnage and death; but for us, we
will keep fresh in our hearts the
memory of the good and true whose
mission was devoted to life, not death.
He has left us to join those gone
before. Let us emulate his works,
follow his example, and when thrones
shall totter and kingdoms fall, joy-
fully in his mansion home shall greet
him "wives, children, and friends."
Apostle John Henry Smith said:
It seems almost impossible for me to
sufficiently control my feelings to
speak to you. The name of Erastus
Snow has been familiar to me from my
earliest remembrance. It has been
my privilege to live in his home and
associate with him and his family. It
has also been my privilege to mingle
with him in councils, and in such
places as try men's souls. I have
never known him for one moment to
doubt or hesitate in regard to the work
God had imposed upon him. In his
home, gentle and affectionate; pru-
dent in his exmple; consistent and
wise in his language; loving and kind,
and as just as God has made mortal
man. In traveling with him I have
often wondered at the inspiration
which guided him, especially in talk-
ing to the young. His words of coun-
sel fell in the kindest accents; his
rebukes were administered in fearless-
ness, and were followed by kindess.
He possessed a judicial mind, and had
he followed the profession of the law
none would have excelled him for the
greatness of his decisions. God was
with him. I have seen His power
manifest in him. Brother Erastus
has worthily performed the labors of
an apostle. He was among the fore-
most in toil, usually working till the
early hours of the morning. When it
was found necessary to settle the de-
sert soil of Southern Utah, Erastus
Snow was called, and faltered not in
the midst of difficulty. Frequently,
when his body was racked with pain,
he would go into the fields and coun-
sel with the people. He was also
father of the settlements in Arizona.
There is no tribute that is not due to
Erastus Snow. As a preacher of the
Gospel, he was eloquent; as a colon-
izer, true; as a legislator, wise; as a
councilor, fearless; as a friend, un-
swerving; as a father, unexcelled in
love and integrity. I have looked
upon him as one of the brightest of
earth's sons, and, had he remained in
his native State, he would have shone
in the councils of the nation. May
the blessings of heaven rest on his
numerous family, and may we say of
them, they were worthy descendants
of a noble sire, who was devoted to
the work of God.
Apostle Smith then read the fol-
lowing letter from President Wilford
Woodruff:
Beloved Brethren and Sisters,
Once again, in the providences of the
Almighty, Israel mourns the loss of
one of its mightiest sons. Death sel-
dom comes at a time we deem oppor-
tune; and if we, in our blindess,
were permitted to judge, we should
certainly decide that the present, with
its trials, its perplexities, and its sor-
rows, is no time to take from our
midst men of counsel, of wisdom, of
faith, and of judgment, such as was
our beloved brother, Elder Erastus
Snow, whose obsequies we this day
solemnize. But He who doeth all
things well has been pleased to take
to Himself His servant, and we can
simply bow the head and acknowledge
His hand in all things, and with one
of old exclaim: "The Lord giveth,
and the Lord taketh away; blessed
be the name of the Lord."
The peculiarities of our position
prevent us from personally joining
with you in this tribute of respect to
our departed, and now sanctified,
brother, whose departure from this
mortal sphere has doubtless been
hastened by the same causes that pre-
vent us from joining you on this sad
occasion. This enforced absence we
sincerely regret, as we should have
found a mournful satisfaction in add-
ing our testimony to that of our
brethren, touching the virtues, the in-
tegrity, the zeal, the whole-hearted-
ness, of our friend and co-labourer
who has passed before us into the
joys of eternity. For him we have
no cause to mourn; he has fought the
good fight, he has finished his work,
he has been true and faithful, and is
now entering into that fairer and
better world, the bliss of which the
heart cannot conceive nor the natural
eye see, but the glories of which, by
reason of his obedience and devotion
to God and His laws, had been sealed
upon him through sacred ordinances
and by the Holy Spirit of Promise
while he yet tabernacled in mortality.
May our end be like his.
The name of Erastus Snow will
never be forgotten in the history of
the Church of Christ. From early
youth to his latest day he was ever
found in the unflinching performance
of his duties as a servant of the Most
High. Without exaggeration it can
be said of him that he died with the
harness on. In every position he was
called to fill—and they were many—
he exhibited those nobler traits which
dignify the character of a Saint. If
we view him as a missionary of the
Gospel of peace, as a legislator for the
people of God, as a pioneer, convert-
ing the wilderness into the fruitful
field, as an apostle in the councils
of the Church, we everywhere find
him a man of no ordinary type, but
one whose ability and strength of
character marked him as a leader
among men, even where great men
were not lacking. It would be diffi-
cult for us to pick out any one special
department of life and say in this he
most particularly shone, or select
some other and assert in that he was
most eminent. He was great in all.
To the sons and daughters of Scan-
dinavia he was perhaps greater as a
missionary—the first apostle who bore
the glad tidings of the Gospel to their
fatherland. To the weary toiler be-
neath the sultry sun of Southern Utah
he was best known as the indefatig-
able leader, who planned, devised, con-
trived and arranged for their progress
and made prosperity possible in one of
the most arid, most forbidding regions
of this great continent. His prudence,
his wisdom, his foresight, are admitted
by all—as a counselor he had few
peers. His ripe experience, joined
with his sound judgment, gave a
weight to his words and a strength to
his counsels that all who heard felt.
Moreover, he possessed, unclouded by
stain, those two great virtues that
give a man power with the heavens—
integrity and purity of character. Let
a man possess these, let his heart be
true and unflinching, let his life be
pure, and, if we add to these humility,
he is proof against a multitude of
weaknesses and can resist a host of
temptations. We all have our weak-
nesses; God has permitted them that
we might be taught humility in our-
selves and charity towards others.
We none of us are perfect whilst we
dwell in the flesh; but the man who
in humble reliance upon God never
falters in the fight for the right, never
wavers in his allegiance to the truth,
and ever maintains inviolate his
covenants, is one whom we can all
pause to admire, and strive, by
heaven's help, to imitate. Such men
are few when compared with the un-
numbered hosts who have peopled
this earth of ours; but we thank God
that we do find them more abundantly
in the midst of the Saints, holding
the Holy Priesthood and ministering
in things the most sacred ever be-
stowed upon humanity. Among these,
in the front ranks, is our esteemed
brother whose mortal remains are
about to be consigned to the tomb.
For nearly forty years Brother Snow
has been one of the twelve apostles
of the Lord Jesus. To this calling he
has given the strength of his prime
and the wisdom of his later years. It
has been during this period that he
has performed a very large portion of
his missionary, legislative and pioneer
services. We shall sadly miss him in
the quorum with which he has been so
long identified, and of which he was
at the time of his death one of the
oldest members. We shall miss his
mature consideration, his deliberate
thoughts, his experienced advice—all
most needful at a time when the
powers of evil are assailing us in so
many directions. But we thank the
Lord that though from time to time
He takes from us those who, as men,
we trust most fondly, yet He leaves
us not entirely to ourselves, but con-
tinues unto us the signs of His ap-
proval. We are comforted with the
assurance that this is His kingdom,
and that He rules in the heavens and
upon the earth; and that from the
fall of a sparrow to the death of an
apostle all is known unto Him, and
nothing happens without His sanction.
And further, brethren and sisters,
are we not the sons and daughters of
God, and when he shall appear, if we
are faithful, shall we not be like him?
Yes; and when the glorious day ar-
rives we shall once more have the
privilege of standing upon this earth
and meeting in joy and thanksgiving,
not only our brother who has just left
us, but Joseph and Brigham, and
thousands of others who have washed
their robes white in the blood of the
Lamb, and who, through the merits
of His atonement, are anointed kings
and priests unto God, and with Him
reign exalted in His kingdom. May
we all be found worthy of this reward;
and now, while we travel through this
world of change and sorrow, may we
take pattern by the lives of the
worthy, as our Brother Erastus, and,
above all, follow in the steps of the
great Exemplar of all righteousness,
our Lord Jesus Christ, whose grace be
ever with you all. Amen.
WILFORD WOODRUFF,
In behalf of the absent members of
the Council of the Apostles.
Benediction was pronounced by
Patriarch John Smith.
At the close of the services in the
Tabernacle the procession formed on
South Temple Street, in the following
order:
Band.
Apostles, as Pall Bearers.
Hearse.
Family.
Choir.
First Presidents of Seventies.
President of Stakes and High Councilors.
High Priests' Quorums.
Elders' Quorums.
Presiding Bishopric.
Bishops and Counselors.
President of Teachers' Quorums.
Presidents of Deacons' Quorums.
Committee of Arrangements.
Citizens.
The streets along the route or pro-
cession were lined by large numbers
of people. The cortege consisted of
44 vehicles filled with relatives and
friends of the deceased, exclusive of
the carriage containing the pall bear-
ers, which was ahead of the hearse,
and the band, which led the proces-
sion.
On arriving at the cemetery the
choir sang—
O, my Father, thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place.
Counselor Daniel H. Wells offered
the dedicatory prayer, and the remains
of the faithful apostle of the Lord
Jesus were consigned to the tomb.