A meeting was held in the afternoon, and in the evening we had the pleasure of seeing Miss Snow, and the other ladies at Sister Micklejohn’s [Mary M. Meiklejohn], where we recieved much good instruction pertaining to the Society, Sister Snow administred to several of the sisters that were sick, and also blessed my [Emily A. Warburton] baby [Georgia A. Warburton], she was then seven weeks old and very small and delicate we hardly knew if she would live or not, but Sister Snow gave her a choice blessing, and among other things said she should live to a good old age, and should be an elect lady in this organization.

[. . .]

Miss Eliza Snow then arose and said, My dear sisters we are indeed living in a momentus age, there is a broad field before us, we are standing at the head, and must set a pattern to the world, we should act like “noble” women, in every respect, and be faithful in all good works, we possess every facility, each of us, for doing good, more a great deal than we realize, we must never shirk unpleasant duties, but always be at our post, and try to do our best, for we shall be rewarded according to our works, no matter whether any eye see us or not, God and his angles keep record of all our actions, there eye is ever over us, and we need not be concerned, if we do our duty there will not be a single act overlooked, And my dear sisters, there will not be a single act overlooked a woman’s are the most important duties, to bend and train the minds of the children; with the blessing of God, a mother can accomplish a great deal, always watch every opportunity of informing their minds, as well as our own, in every channel that is good, [p. 27] or useful—attend the meetings as much as possible and learn all you can, the brethren have so much more opportunity of learning than the sisters have. We are called to be help-mates and councillors to our husbands, therefore it is highly necessary that we seek wisdom and knowledge as far as we possibly can.

Joseph Smith wanted the sisters to learn and study how to keep accounts, and do buisness, in this Society it is very necessary to keep the books exact—in future time they will be invaluable to be referred to as a history. Our Teachers do sometimes feel their calling very ordinary, they are quite mistaken, there is no more important calling in this society than that of a Teacher. The visiting teachers should always be full of the Holy Ghost—it is their province to comfort the sick and sorrowful to bind up the broken hearted, to instruct the ignorant, and to give good council and advice, it is the priviledge of the teachers, to discern the spirit when they enter a house, and carry with them a spirit of meekness and peace, always seek to be peacemakers, but never meddle with domestic concerns. Teachers will find some that are half hearted, ready to sink by the way, take them by the hand, warm them up, and encourage them, let them feel that you are a friend in need, be kind, be humble, and always seek the spirit of the Lord—let each one realize that we are saviours and perform our work thoroughly—our teachers have a right to understand the needs of those who apply for help so they may not give to the unworthy—some have been found who live by begging—the sisters can learn the circumstances of a family, much easier and quicker than [p. 28] a Bishop, the poor are generally the last to ask, they are backward and diffident, and cannot tell their troubles, be very careful and dont let any suffer. Let us be faithful to every duty devolving upon us—it is especially necessary to look after the children, watch over them, send them to school—see that they are taught the “Book of Mormon” and the “Bible.” Let them understand the principles of the gospel that they may be protected from outside influences, teach them the difference between truth and error, lay the foundation for good men. Let the mothers be truthful and honest with their children, even those that are nursing we cannot begin too soon, teach them to have confidence in us, always be firm, never give way, in the least trifle, children can tell whether we are decieving them, teach them that God can see and hear us all the time, we must form a tender concience for our children, let them not get hardned, tell them if nobody sees them, God and holy angles [angels] are ever present, never overlook an error, or sin, in your children, talk with them, reason with them, shew them how they must seek to be ornaments in society—A mother must be a companion to her children, and try to lay the foundation, for all greatness, and goodness—do not get discouraged in your labor, for the reward is great, we can never arrive at perfection, unless we attend to little matters, we cannot jump from the begining to the end, but must go on step by step, we often feel our duties and labors monotonus, we grow weary of these little things around us, we feel as though we could not gain much headway, this is nothing but a temptation of the evil one. tis not so, those that are Saints, have a right to the Spirit of God, to comfort and cheer them, we are blest above all people on this earth. We can be just as happy in old age, [p. 29] as in our youth, we are learning to overcome all things the more trials we are called to pass through, the nearer we attain unto perfection, if we are not tested it will not be known whether we are gold, or not—but let us always acknowledge the hand of God in all our trials, knowing he is a kind, merciful, father, he will redress our wrongs, in his own due time. Never shirk, or creep, out of any duty, however unpleasant—and do not ask God to remove a trial, but rather seek to know the lesson it is intended to convey.

Ask the Lord for wisdom so you may understand what he wishes you to learn, stand firm, and prove your integrity, and in time God will remove this trial—pray for grace to endure, until it is the will of the Lord to remove it always seek to be submissive to his will.

In the beginning God placed a curse on woman, but by obedience to the laws of heaven the curse will be removed, and those women who prove their integrity before God, will be just as sure and certain to attain Celestial Glory and come out from the curse.¹

Mrs Elizabeth [A.] Howard, was the next speaker, and [. . .] was highly gratified with the remarks of Miss Snow, and thought there was nothing left unsaid—[. . .] [p. 30] [. . .]

Mrs Mary [W.] Pratt was the next speaker, and was introduced by Miss Snow [. . .] [p. 31]