[sideways text] .
Geo Teasdale
Liverpool
Rec Nov 6 [18]89
Ans Nov 25 [18]89
[end sideways text]
LATTER-DAY SAINTS',
EUROPEAN PRINTING PUBLISHING
AND EMIGRATION OFFICE.
42, Islington, Liverpool.
October 23rd 1889.
President Wilford Woodruff,
Salt Lake City, U. T.
My dear brother:
On Sunday last
I attended a Conference of the Saints in the
Leeds Conference which was held at Dewsbury
about 9 miles from Leeds. The Conference
House is at Armley, two miles from Leeds. The
only train we could use left Leeds at 6.45 a m
So we had to walk from Armley to Leeds in the
Early morning and it pouring down rain. We
got wet, it was cold and cheerless. When we ar-
rived at Dewsbury it was about 7.30, no
Saints in the town and the Hall engaged
from 10 a.m. SWe stayed in the waiting room
until Prest Tuckett went to the Hall to Ascer-
tain if we could find a shelter until 10 a. m
as it was raining. It being Sunday morning
and but few trains running there was no
fire in the waiting room, we walked under the
cover of the station on the platform to keep ourselves
warm. Arrangements being made we went to
the Hall a fine cConcert Hall capable of holding
some thousand people, with side rooms for
cloak & hat rooms &c. The Elders and Saints had
taken a picnic, for all places of business were
closes, it being a very religious town where the peo-
ple were supposed to strictly keep the Sabbath.
The janitor of the Hall did all in his power
to make the people comfortable supplying plates
cups & saucers, hot water &c which some-what
added to the comfort of the people. We held three
meetings. In the morning it was very cold,
no fires and we got somewhat chilled. In the
afternoon the gas was lit to ptemper the atmos-
phere and we had some 118 strangers. I
felt quite unwell, took a chill and had every
symptoms of fever & cold. I remarked to Prest
Tuckett I was afraid I should not be able
to talk much in the evening when I was ex-
pected to occupy most of the time. When even-
ing came we had some 200 strangers and
after the evening singing & prayer I arose to speak
feeling pretty miserable and having nothing
to say. I commence tremblingly, but the Spirit
of the Lord came upon me and I preached
in power for about 70 minutes, and was
entirely healed. All the miserable feeling left
me and I was as well as ever I was in my
life. I was enabled to bear a strong testimony
to the truth of Joseph Smiths mission and to
plead with the people to investigate the prin-
ciples, we taught, with a prayerful heart. My
subject was man's relationship with God and
the necessity of the principles of the Gospel & Atonement
In the afternoon I explained why we partook
of the Sacrament and what we considered
essential before we could consistently do
so. Elder John B. Milner & his wife attended
Conference. Bro Milner spoke in the after-
noon for about half an hour and bore an
excellent testimony, was exceedingly interesting,
and listened to with rapt attention. We had
a fine successful conference seven Elders from
Utah Prest Hy Tuckett, Abraham Maw, Rosel H.
Hunter, Thos H. Blackburn, Wm J. Critchlow
Jno B. Milner & myself. Bro's A. Maw & Hunter
have been successful under the blessing of God
of organizing a branch in Hull and bap-
tizing twenty two souls. They have pretty much
to sustain themselves in that Conference, Saints
few and far between. When I returned to
42 I found your telegram relating to
Bro D. M. McAllister and must say I am
exceedingly sorry to part with him. I told
him he had better leave with this Company
on the 26th but he said he could not in
justice as he would have to see to all the
business connected with the Company but
he would leave the following Saturday
and then he would be able to arrive in
the City about as soon as they would.
When you send a cable gram to send
anyone home immediately I should let them
go without any regard to business. You know
I am a minute man, but I cannot force
anyone away. Bro Mac is a man of faith
and trust in God, he is as calm as a
summer's morning, and is turning over
the business every day to the understand-
ing of Bro L. R. Thomas, who has been as-
sisting in the office during Emigration,
and he is getting his things together to
pack up and leave as cheerful and
unconcerned as if it had been arranged
for him to go and there had been no
telegram. Bro. McAllister is a man of God
one of natures noblemen, humble faithful
and true. I have lived with him here
two years and a third and can say that
he improves upon acquaintance. We have
in the office with us at present Bro S. T.
Whitaker who leaves on Saturday for home
and a brother George F. Phillips a young
man of excellent family — as the world goes —
and good education. He is about 23 years
of age. His parents are Catholics, mother is dead,
His grand father on his mothers side was a
Jew. He has always been religiously inclined
and educated in the Catholic Church speaks
French, Latin and is an organist, educated
to be a physician. He was assistant organist
at a Catholic Church. Of late he has been
dissatisfied with the Catholic Church and
had some interviews with a popular
protestant evangelist, but was disgusted
with the Come to Jesus declarations of this
gentleman and concluded the Catholic
Church was better than that. It happened
that the Priest of the Church where bro Phillips
was assistant organist saw him walking
with and in conversation with the Evan-
gelist, and one evening after vespers when
Bro P had been playing, the organist being
absent, the priest came to him and asked
him what he was talking to the evangelist
for, and Bro Phillips told him he was in-
quiring into his faith and principles. The
Priest sharply reprimanded him and
Bro P. defended himself and told the priest
he was far from being satisfied with the Catho-
lic Church. This added fuel to the fire, he was
told that to doubt was to be damned &c and en-
ded by cursing him and discharging him
from the situation of assistant organist. He
was occupying a position as assistant to
a physician as he was training for the
medical profession. One day he saw a
scrap of a newspaper with a letter from
a Mormon Elder writen on it. He had al-
ways believed the Mormons were a wicked
people. He was impressed to inquire about
them and he wrote to the Glasgow Mail to
make inquiry about the location of the
"Mormons" in Glasgow where he could gain
information concerning them and they
directed him to the "Millennial Star Office"
and he wrote for information. We sent him
some tracts and referred him to President
S. T. Whittaker. A correspondence was open
between them and Bro Whitaker let him
have some tracts and he got quite interested
One day he went out to visit a sick child
leaving one of the tracts on the desk. During
his absence the physician he was with
saw the tract and read some of it and
when Bro P. returned he censured him
exceedingly for reading such stuff
Bro P. defended himself and the princi-
ples advocated in the tract and this
led to the his dismissal from the physicians
employ. Up to this time he had not been
baptized he was only investigating read-
ing and attending meetings. When it
was known he was investigating and
likely to embrace the mormon faith it
caused the greatest consternation. The
priest was sent to reason with him
his father persuaded him but he stood
his ground got cursed by the priest and
disowned by his father. He had asked
for baptism but had been put off to
be more enlightened, count the cost &c
Bro Whitaker seeing what a cross he
was taking up was slow to baptize
him. However as there were some
converted to the truth who disired Bro.
Whitaker to baptize them before he left
Bro Philips was baptized same time. A
number of strangers were present at
the baptism and confirnation. Through
this step Bro Phillips father has turned
his back upon him, would not speak
to him not even to say good bye. They
kept his clothes. He came here with Bro
Whitaker to see me. He wrote me to say
he was willing to do anything the Lord
had for him to do. I saw him and
conversed with him at the Conference of the
Scottish Mission, he was not in the Church then.
I had intended to let him go into the field
and labor to give him an experience but I
find him so useful that he has been assisting
us in the office this week. Your much valued
favor of the 25th ult came safe to hand and read
with much interest. I regret exceedingly that
you lent Bro. Galbraith any money. He was
going to work his way to Utah. He did work
his passage across the sea. He appeared to me
to have been brought into the Church for a
wise purpose in the Lord and seemed to be
an honest man. I should not have taken
the liberty to introduce him to you if I had
dreamed he would have taken an undue
advantage of the introduction. He expressed
himself as desiring to spend his life in the
service of God and teach the young, preach
the Gospel and labor anyhwere he might be
of use. I only wanted you to see him and
if you thought proper and there was a va-
cancy in some of the coutown or country set-
tlements where he gcould get an experience
after he had got located that he might have
the chance of it — But I am ashamed of having
written so long a letter so will conclude with
Kindest love from all to all your brother in the Gospel
Geo. Teasdale.