26 March 1875


Salt Lake City Seventeenth Ward Young Ladies; Julia Howe Residence, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory

Two-story, wood home with front balcony and covered side porch; one woman stands on the porch while another holds a baby in the yard

Julia and Amos Howe residence, Salt Lake City. (Used by permission of the Family of Amos and Julia Cruse Howe.)

[. . .]

Prayer by Sister Eliza R. Snow. [. . .]

Miss E. [Emerette] Brown, I am glad to have once more the pleasure of meeting with you. I am glad to see the Sisters that are here today. I beleive that this is the first time that Sister Snow has called in to visit us since the organization. But I am glad to see her here today “&c”

Sister Eliza R. Snow said It has not been that I have not wanted too [to] meet with you. But when you was organized I thought I should meet with you oftener than I have. I am glad of having the opurtinity [opportunity] of meeting with you this afternoon. I hope my young sisters will not be discouraged because their numbers are few. It is a few that is going to build up Zion & it is through improvement, self cultivation & seeking after God in the days of our youth that we can enter into the Kingdom of God. I can see a great improvement in your President since you have been organized. In as much as my Young Sisters meet together they will get the Spirit of God, but those who do not attend meetings like this they soon follow after Vanity & all the wi[c]ked fashions of the World. I am always delightened in to hear My Young Sisters bear their testimony of the things of God, & it shows to me that they think of these things. But those who [p. 66] are always are running the streets & never thinking of the spirit of God they will not have the pleasure of seeing Jesus when he comes upon the earth. What will purify us more than meeting together. It is pleasing to hear the Young Sing & pray I have heard little children speak in tongues, Interpreting them prophecying & laying their hands on each other. I am sure you Young Sisters do not want to be forgotten & I am sure you all desire to do right & good. This organization is an organization of God. We have been looking at your quilt & It shows that you are industrious. As your Subject today is Evil Speaking I will attempt to say a few words upon it. Evil Speaking is too common among the saints. What good does it do to speak Evil. It hurts the one that speaks Evil more than it does the one that is spoken Evil off. We want to speak words of truthfullness & not those that are untrue. Do not speak Evil of any-one. My mother would say when to me when I began to say something wrong about my friends. If you cannot speak good of that person do not say anything about them. I do not say that I have lived up to that. We ought all the time to do something that is good. And each one of you have a mission to fill on the Earth. I heard one man say that he took it for a rule to take down some good sayings whenever he went to meeting. [p. 67]

If each of you would make the this rule & Alway be a storing your minds with knowledge your the memory of your lives would be handed down from generation to generation & in short never be forgotten. We want you to learn to speak we want you to learn to pray & to put yourselves into many places where you will be useful. But do not think because you are young you must not speak. In the 10th Ward of this City the Young Leadies are organized & also the [Young] men are organized as Deacons. About 3 weeks ago the Young Ladies invited the Young Men to visit them & one of the[m] was called upon to dismiss meeting & refused & then one of the Young Ladies was called upon & she dismissed meeting & the Young Gentleman that refused felt very much chagrined because he had refused & I guess the next time he is called upon to dismiss meeting he will do it. I would recommend to you girls to do as good as you can in every thing but never fail to do as good as you can. When we first begin to speak our thoughts fly from us & <the more> we speak the more knowledge we get. I want you to become women where name will be everlasting in the tongues of the people of Zion. Be kind to your parents. Be kind to your Brothers and Sisters & Be kind to all your friend & Acquaintances. Some girls when they go out, Boys too, try to be polite but they cannot because they have not studied politeness And the place for learning politeness is to be polite at home Be polite to your parents Brothers & Sisters & when you go [p. 68] out you will know how to act. Those Daughters of Zion who attend these meetings or organizations shall carry along the Kingdom of God. Be careful And not use vulgar phrases. I suppose you all attend Sunday School & and there you learn of the things of God But in these organizations you get the Spirit of God. And she made a great many more very Instructing & Interesting remarks. “&c”

Sister Batsheba [Bathsheba W.] Smith. said [. . .] I feel that you have had some very good instructions and if you live up to them you will be wiser at 20 or 30 than others that are 40. [. . .] I do not like to see the Young Ladies and Gentleman of the Latter day saints laughing and talking loud in the streets but I do not like to see them too sober but cheerful and light hearted. And I hope that those that are present this afternown [afternoon] will never indulge in loud laughter. It is just as Sister Snow says that it drives away the spirit of God <so> also does Fault Finding. [p. 69]

[. . .]

Sister Mary Ellen Kimball said [. . .] Evil Speaking is the subject and I think it is a very good [p. 70] one and as Sister Snow says that it is too common among the Saints “&c”

Sister [Julia C.] Howe. [. . .] I congratulate you upon having Sister Snow Sister Smith and [Sister Margaret P.] Young with you for you have had very good instructions from them “&c”

[. . .] [p. 71] [. . .]

Sister Eliza R. Snow again arose and said I can truly say that I am pleased to meet see the progression that has been made since your organization. And I can truly say that there are angels in this room though our eyes cannot see them. And I know Sisters 40 yrs of age that could not do half as good as these <you> Young girls have done today. I can see a great improvement in your Presidentess since your organization. The Record of these meeting are kept on the records on the heavens as well as are the records of your Secretary

I ask God to bless you all “&c”

[. . .] [p. 72]

Source Note

Seventeenth Ward, Salt Lake Stake, Relief Society Minutes and Records (1856–1973), vol. 6 (1873–1875), pp. 65–72, CHL (LR 8240 14).

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26 March 1875, Salt Lake City Seventeenth Ward Young Ladies; Julia Howe Residence, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed October 27, 2024 https://chpress-web.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1875/03/1875-03-26