Minutes of a Meeting held By the members of the R.S and other Sisters on the Ocasion of a visit from Sister Snow and [Zina D. H.] young and and Other Sisters [. . .] [n.p.]

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Prest Thos [Thomas] Richardson arose By request and adressed the meeting said he felt glad to see the Sisters from Salt lake and Ogden amongst us. bore his testimony to the truth and glory of the latter day work. Spoke of the good the R S had accomplished in the district. Said the Society <was> fiew in number but was striving to do all the good they could

Sister Snow was glad to see so many of the Sisters out also the Brethren. Considered it an omaly [anomaly] for the Sisters to speak before the brethren. Spoke at some length on the Origin of the Relief Society that it had existed in all dispensations but that this dispensation was the best and most glorious of all because this was the greatest dispensation. was glad to hear the report brother Brother Richardson gave of the Society. hoped that the Sisters would take an interest in helping it along so that it would be instrumental in accomplishing good. Said that the relief Society had their place in the organization of the church but was subject to the priest<hood.> Said that in Nauvoo morality was a test of admission to the Society that sometimes a committe was appointed to asertain to moral status of those applying for admission but that if such a test were applied now it would give countanance to the idea that every woman not belonging to the Society was immoral that shuch [such] an idea was not to be thought of I understand that the Sisters here meet only once a month I can not see how they can get along at all without meeting oftner. Said that the sisters could hardley get warm that they would be liable to freeze up and become stagnant referred to the position man occupied on the earth that man could not save the world without the help of woman would have been glad to have found that all the sisters were members of the Society wished them to come forward and be saviours on Mount Zion that every one who is a saint should be preparing herself to be a queen referred to [n.p.] Queen Victoria that she was educated to be an earthly queen said that we should prepare ourselves to be heavenly queens that the sisters should come together often attend to the duties devolving on them and to come out to meetings said that she would not advise a woman to leave her children if they were small all the time but that she might manage it once in awhile exhorted the sisters to avoid bickerings and jealousies of each other but look over their faults. that they should begin and wage a warfare against those propensities which lead downward and strive for the spirit of God to be with them that they may exalt themselves in the scale of being. now my sisters who speak with the spirit of God on them feel it grow on them as they practice and teach the principles that are advanced unto them so it will be with the contrary influence if we give way to it we have the germ of all intelligence in our organizations we should cultivate it and it would exalt and ennoble her who would strive to do so and shed light on those around her advised mothers to exercise control over their children and of the company they keep. referred to being asked as to the effect of polygamy by a member of Congress that was passing through to go to Washington replied that they had had nothing of what was called the social evil until it was introduced here by Federal officials and the influse [influence] of a mining community. said she did not know how the sisters felt here in regard to polygamy but that she knew it was true referred to the time when she was connected with plural marriage with those of the present time said if the sisters had known then that the time would come when the second or tenth wife would be honored as much as the first they would have been lifted to the second heaven said it was the privilege of the sisters in this place to so unite that they would be a [n.p.] power in the district but not to usurp the place of men or the priesthood, for herself she felt better to have some one at the head to guide and control affairs said for a few years back there was a kind of lethargy among the saints that some had not attended meeting for three years that this was fearful that they should endeavor to attend oftener said there was no place where woman had so many advantages or were so much honered as here in Utah referred to the publication of the Womans Exponent that it was edited and published by woman alone that it stood out for the rights of woman and advised the sisters that if they wished to hear from her occasionally and to learn of the progress of the different relief societies to subscribe for it and have it in their houses for themselves and their families to read. that probably they would be sending up here for a donation to help buy a power press to enable them to print what books they would need in the various relief societies and that they wanted to print book[s] of our own faith for use in the various Sunday Schools Sister Snow said she did not want to talk the sisters to death but felt to take each of them in her arms and bless them told the sisters not to be discouraged but to press onward and not to give way to the powers of darkness but to meet often together and talk to and strengthen each other not merely once a month that was not often enough but as often as they felt like it

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Sister [Jane S.] Richards said she had not heard a word spoken but what was necessary what we have heard this morning about the order and organization by Sister Snow was what Joseph Smith himself would have told us we feel good in the society and wish all others to feel the same The speaker said that we had been much blessed by the words we had heard from the wifes of the prophet Joseph hoped that the sisters would take their instructions to heart and carry them out in their lives expressed the hope that the president of the Relief Society would have meetings oftener and that the sisters would not cease their labors until all had joined the society that lived in the place said that the young girls would probably join if their mothers did not

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Sister E R Snow arose and said she wished to put a suggestion before the meeting that was to appoint Sister Richards President over the relief societies in the County not to take full control but to be a Counseller to help the sisters and to visit them occasionally which on being put to a vote of the congregation was agreed to unanimously

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