February 3, 1857 ~ Tuesday

3rd I spent the day in the office writing Letters to correspondence &c I
attended the Bishops meeting in the evening at the seventies Hall we had a
good meeting. Bishop Hunter spoke followed by Lorenzo Snow who preached
nearly the same sermon that he did last night to the 70^s meeting I
followed him & bore testimony to the truth of what he had said I
was followed by Bishops Hardy & Little

February 4, 1857 ~ Wednesday

4^th I finished my Letters to my correspondence I
I wrote 6 Letters to the Mormon, Standard, Star, G. A. Smith J M.
Bernhisel & Lyman & Rich the Calafornia Mail arived at abut
2 oclok it brought the Standard Mormon & some Letters not much
news it also brought the star. I spent the evening at the office with
with L Snow & F. D. Richards in conversation & had a plesant
interview together. I received two papers of pear & Apple pie mellon seeds
from C C Rich

February 5, 1857 ~ Thursday

5^th A snowey day. I spent a part of the day writing & reading I attended
a trial before the High Counsel & 13 ward of Brother Capaner that was
cut off from the Church after Hearing the testimony of both parties &
remarks from the councellors & decision of president Spenser, then
President Young delivered an address to the people a synopsis of
which was taken by Brother Bolton delivered to me & filed in the
Historians office. He said a Bishop & his councillors might cut
off a man from the Church whether any of the ward voted or not
He said should the people follow a Bishop yes if he is a righteous
man & does right but if he teaches wrong things & does wrong the
people should not follow Him but when this is the case let the people
thunder out the truth as it is then the bishop will see it but
unless the people can point out some better way let them follow
the bishop. See Boltons report

* (From the back page) The Bishops feel to complain & say the seventies
take all of the Lesser priesthood which we have & ordain them seventies
so by the time we get some teachers organized they are ordained to
the office of seventies. The seventies also complain that the Bishops
come & take away their presiding officers & the seventies & make
bishops & councellors of them & ordain them High priest so their
appears to be a difference of feeling in the several Quorums in
order to avoid this I would recommend that the Teachers Priest &
Deacons all that the Bishops wish to make use of as teachers in the
several Quorum remain as they are untill they have magnifyed their
calling & not evry man as soon as he is ordained a teacher go & get
ordained a seventy & hide himself in that mighty forest of men
so that He cannot be found For the Seventies are like a forest
trees of all kinds from the tallest down to the shrubery & men
get lost in such a forest. men should not despise the lesser priest-
hood for it is honorable & if they fully magnify that office they
will have great power & many blessings for the Aaronic priesthood
hold the keys of administering of Angels & their has been but few
men even High Priest or Apostles that have enjoyed all the blessings
that belongs to the Lesser priesthood. Then Let not the seventies seek
to get all the Lesser priesthoods ordained into ther quorums if they
do I do not wish them to complain if seventies are taken out
to Make Bishops councillors & teachers of them as long as nearly
all the timber is in that body. Let a man have what portion
of the priesthood He may he wants to keep it in lively exercise in
order to save himself & family *)

February 3, 1857 ~ Tuesday

3rd I spent the day in the office writing Letters to correspondence &c I attended the Bishops meeting in the evening at the seventies Hall we had a good meeting Bishop Hunter spoke followed by Lorenzo Snow who preached nearly the same sermon that he did last night to the 70s meeting I followed him & bore testimony to the truth of what he had said I was followed by Bishops Hardy & Little

February 4, 1857 ~ Wednesday

4th FIGURES I finished my Letters to my correspondence I I wrote 6 Letters to the Mormon, Standard, Star, G. A. Smith J M. Bernhisel & Lyman & Rich the Calafornia Mail arived at abut 2 oclok it brought the standard Mormon & some Letters not much news it also brought the star. I spent the evening at the office with with L Snow & F. D. Richards in conversation & had a plesant interview together. [FIGURE] I received two papers of pear & Apple pie mellon seeds from C C Rich

February 5, 1857 ~ Thursday

5th A snowey day. I spent a part of the day writing & reading I attended a trial before the High Counsel & 13 ward of Brother Capaner that was cut off from the Church after Hearing the testimony of both parties & remarks from the councellors & decision of president Spenser, then President Young delivered an address to the people a synopsis of which was taken by Brother Bolton delivered to me & filed in the Historians office. He said a Bishop & his councillors might cut off a man from the church whether any of the ward voted or not He said should the people follow a Bishop yes if he is a righteous man & does right but if he teaches wrong things & does wrong the people should not follow Him but when this is the case let the people thunder out the truth as it is then the bishop will see it but unless the people can point out some better way let them follow the bishop. see Boltons report

* (From the back page) The Bishops feel to complain & say the seventies take all of the Lesser priesthood which we have & ordain them seventies so by the time we get some teachers organized they are ordained to the office of seventies. The seventies also complain that the Bishops come & take away their presiding officers & the seventies & make bishops & councellors of them & ordain them High priest so their appears to be a difference of feeling in the several Quorums in order to avoid this I would recommend that the Teachers Priest & Deacons all that the Bishops wish to make use of as teachers in the several Quorum remain as they are untill they have magnifyed their calling & not evry man as soon as he is ordained a teacher go & get ordained a seventy & hide himself in that mighty forest of men so that He cannot be found For the seventies are like a forest trees of all kinds from the tallest down to the shrubery & men get lost in such a forest men should not despise the lesser priesthood for it is honorable & if they fully magnify that office they will have great power & many blessings for the Aaronic priesthood hold the keys of administering of Angels & their has been but few men even High Priest or Apostles that have enjoyed all the blessings that belongs to the Lesser priesthood. Then Let not the seventies seek to get all the Lesser priesthoods ordained into ther quorums if they do I do not wish them to complain if seventies are taken out to Make Bishops councillors & teachers of them as long as nearly all the timber is in that body. Let a man have what portion of the priesthood He may He wants to keep it in lively exercise in order to save himself & family *)