before I get through, to the rising
generation of Israel. My remarks may
be very eccentric to any but Latter-
day Saints, and to them also, I expect.

I suppose when I was born the devil
knew what I should be called to do;
for there has been from the day I was
born until the present two powers with
me—one to kill me, the other to save
me. I stand before you today a pretty
sound-looking, for a man ninety-one
years of age. I stand before you with
a body in which almost every bone has
been broken except my back and neck.
I have had through my life a power af-
ter me to take my life. When I was
about three years old I was pushed
into a caldron of boiling water, which
had just been taken off the fire. My
grandmother took me out, and my skin
all dropped off excepting off my head
and feet. I was wrapped up for
months in cotton and oil. That was
the beginning of my troubles. When
I was twelve years of age I was
drowned; at any rate, I lay in thirty
feet of water long enough to drown
anyone. After several unsuccessful
attempts, I was brought up out of the
water. This was under the Farming-
ton mill dam. I was just as dead as
I shall be thirty years hence. I lay on
my back and saw the sun go out, and
passed through all the sensations of
death that any man would in drown-
ing. After an hour's labor, I was
brought around to life again. I shall
not go into the particulars of many of
these things, but I have passed
[throug]h what may be termed death a
number of times in my life. When I
was 15 years old I was in one of those
Connecticut blizzards. I walked four
miles through a wood into the open
country, and I sought some place
where I could hide from the storm
and rest. There was but one house
within a mile of me—that was the
poor house, which was about twenty-
five rods away. The man was moved
upon to go up in his garret to get some
pennyroyal to give to a sick woman,
and he felt led to look out of the win-
dow. He saw me crawling into the
hollow of a big tree. He knew what
the result of that would be better than
I did. He took his horse and sleigh
and came to me, and when he got
there I was asleep, and he preserved
my life. When I was 14 years old I
was bit by a mad dog, and ought to
have died; but I did not. So I contin-
ued on, until I can say that I have
broken both of my legs, one twice;
broken both of my arms, breast bone,
several ribs, and altogether been
through a pretty hard experlence for
a man who had to be called to preach
the Gospel, at least. I was a miller
by trade. I have been in two water
wheels under full head of water, and
I suppose I ought to have been killed
in either of them, but I was not hurt.

That preserving power has followed
me all the way through my life. It
has been with me upon my missions
abroad as well as at home. It has
followed me until the present day, and
I have been placed in a great many
strange places.

I was ordained to dedicate this Salt
Lake Temple fifty years before it was
dedicated. I knew I should live to
dedicate that Temple. I did live to do
it. I had a great desire in my boyhood
to receive the Gospel of Christ, to see
a prophet or somebody that could
teach me the Gospel of Christ as
taught by the ancient Apostles and as
I read of in the New Testament. I
desired this with every sentiment of
my heart, and on the first Gospel
sermon I ever heard I was baptized,
with my oldest brother. I immediate-
ly went to Kirtland. I was in Zion's
Camp with the Prophet of God. I saw
the dealings of God with him. I saw
the power of God with him. I saw that
he was a Prophet. What was mani-
fest to him by the power of God upon
that mission was of great value to
me and to all who received his instruc-
tions. I will refer to one instance.
A short time before we landed in
Missouri Joseph called the camp to-
gether. He there prophesied unto us,
and told us what lay before us. He
gave us the reason why chastisement
was before us. He says: "You con-
sider me a boy with the rest of you.
You have not realized my position be-
fore the Lord. But there is a chas-
tisement before this camp." He told us
that this would come upon us because
he had not been obeyed in his counsels.
In one hour after we landed in Mis-
souri and pitched our tents at Mr.
Burkett's, one man began to fall here,

PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF

before I get through, to the rising generation of Israel. My remarks may be very eccentric to any but Latterday Saints, and to them also, I expect.

I suppose when I was born the devil knew what I should be called to do; for there has been from the day I was born until the present two powers with me—one to kill me, the other to save me. I stand before you today a pretty sound-looking, for a man ninety-one years of age. I stand before you with a body in which almost every bone has been broken except my back and neck. I have had through my life a power after me to take my life. When I was about three years old I was pushed into a caldron of boiling water, which had just been taken off the fire. My grandmother took me out, and my skin all dropped of excepting off my head and feet. I was wrapped up for months in cotton and oil. That was the beginning of my troubles. When I was twelve years of age I was drowned; at any rate, I lay in thirty feet of water long enough to drown anyone. After several unsuccessful attempts, I was brought up out of the water. This was under the Farmington mill dam. I was just as dead as I shall be thirty years hence. I lay on my back and saw the sun go out, and passed through all the sensations of death that any man would in drowning. After an hour's labor, I was brought around to life again. I shall not go into the particulars of many of these things, but I have passed through what may be termed death a number of times in my life. When I was 15 years old I was in one of those Connecticut blizzards. I walked four miles through a wood into the open country, and I sought some place where I could hide from the storm and rest. There was but one house within a mile of me—that was the poor house, which was about twentyfive rods away. The man was moved upon to go up in his garret to get some pennyroyal to give to a sick woman, and he felt led to look out of the window. He saw me crawling into the hollow of a big tree. He knew what the result of that would be better than I did. He took his horse and sleigh and came to me, and when he got there I was asleep, and he preserved my life. When I was 14 years old I was bit by a mad dog, and ought to have died; but I did not. So I continued on, until I can say that I have broken both of my legs, one twice; broken both of my arms, breast bone, several ribs, and altogether been through a pretty hard experlence for a man who had to be called to preach the Gospel, at least. I was a miller by trade. I have been in two water wheels under full head of water, and I suppose I ought to have been killed in either of them, but I was not hurt.

That preserving power has followed me all the way through my life. It has been with me upon my missions abroad as well as at home. It has followed me until the present day, and I have been placed in a great many strange places.

I was ordained to dedicate this Salt Lake Temple fifty years before it was dedicated. I knew I should live to dedicate that Temple. I did live to do it. I had a great desire in my boyhood to receive the Gospel of Christ, to see a prophet or somebody that could teach me the Gospel of Christ as taught by the ancient Apostles and as I read of in the New Testament. I desired this with every sentiment of my heart, and on the first Gospel sermon I ever heard I was baptized, with my oldest brother. I immediately went to Kirtland. I was in Zion's Camp with the Prophet of God. I saw the dealings of God with him. I saw the power of god with him. I saw that he was a Prophet. What was manifest to him by the power of God upon that mission was of great value to me and to all who received his instructions. I will refer to one instance. A short time before we landed in Missouri Joseph called the camp together. He there prophesied unto us, and told us what lay before us. He gave us the reason why chastisement was before us. He says: "You consider me a boy with the rest of you. You have not realized my position before the Lord. But there is a chastisement before this camp." He told us that this would come upon us because he had not been obeyed in his counsels. In one hour after we landed in Missouri and pitched our tents at Mr. Burkett's, one man began to fall here,