I witnessed a solemn scene previous to this time while on our journey there were disobedience and murmurings in the camp And Brother Joseph prophesied

We immediately walked to the river Lug. & we being

many have arisen in these last days professing to be Elijah the prophet but they have bro- ught forth Nothing of interest to the people will any one tell me what the office of Elijah the prophet was to be to the Earth when he come the answer is to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers & the fathers to the children lest I come & smite the whole Earth with a curse the answer

B Young addressed the meeting in an interesting manner said his faith was that the Earth would not have produced for the Gentiles as it has for us & if we had faith & power with God to have the curse taken off instead of the sage brush & other useless shrubs we should have the apple pear peach grape & evry good fruit but if this people do not take a different course from what they do in some things their blessings will prove a curse & wo will be unto them

what is there here in this valley that should hendor this people from being happy I am happy because I do not fret about any thing that I cannot do. I wont fret about any thing what henders your praying & praising God No body but your own selves if you are seeking to weed your neighbors garden you will have business enough. but this is a happy people I wish they would prize their blessings. You have not got to mourn as did the Ancients because their children would Apostitise turn from God & be cursed Our children will not Apostitze they will not have time but will have all they can do to perform the work of God as it rolls upon them to prepare the kingdom for the coming of Christ gather up the Nations &c Then be happy & do the things required of you

He said again some men had a desire to stick to the work because it made them kings & priest so they could sway a great septer & rule with a rod of Iron & damn men here & curse them there &sc and had not in view the principles of Justice Jud[g]ment mercy truth &c but they cou[l]d not arise upon such principle even God himself should He act upon this principle He would scease to be God for the principls that sustain him & his Throne would forsake him & he would scease to be God for light & truth & evry other good principle cleaves unto itself

Br Young wrote some of the word of the Lord concerning the camp & expressed his views & feelings concerning the camp that they must spedily repent or they would be cursed, that they were forgetting their mission & he had rather travel with 10 righteous men who would keep the commandments of God than the whole camp while in a carless manner & forgetting God

W. Woodruff arose & said he had some things in his heart he wished to say, that a burned child dreaded the fire. He had not forgotton his journey in the Camp of 1834 and should he live to the age of Matheusala he should not forget the hour when the Prophet & Seer Joseph Smith stood upon the waggon wheel & addressed that Camp & said that because they had not harkened to his Councel but disobeyed, & transgressed from time to time, that the die was cast & Judgment must come that we should be visited by the destroying Angels And so we were & more than twenty of our numbers fell by the stroke & we all suffered much in our feelings And I pray the Lord I may not see another such a time And I would now advise my brethren to be careful in keeping the Coven[an]t ywe have made lest by & by the word of the Lord come unto us as in the days of Joseph & we cannot escape his judgment. I would advise all the Brethren who have got cards to burn them up for also checkers & dominoes, for if you keep your covenants you have made you will have no time to use them & they will be useless lomber on your hands. if you keep them for your children they will ownly prove, a curse to them. And my prayer to God is thayt we all may be enabled to keep all our covenants with the Lord & each other I rejoice that the watchman upon the walls or in our mids are quick to comprehend & warn us of evil & reprove us when wrong that we may de saved & do the will of God

& then it will be a blessing to you allways & you will enjoy it. But steal it & it will be a curse to you & cause you sorrow & misery.

G Then this would become a slave state would it not if it was admitted. Y. No the climate & situ- ation would not admit of it. slavery is a thing I do not want any thing to do with it. I consider it more of a course [curse] to a man to have slaves than a Blessing.