I have four sermons that I wish to preach this morning, and I wish
about thirty-five minutes in which to preach them.
The first subject I shall notice this morning is robbing the dead. Many
have desired me to express myself in public relative to what has
transpired in our graveyard during four or five years past. Robbing
the dead is not a new thing. Robbing dead people of their jewelry and
clothing is customary in the cities of Europe; and it has been and is
customary in many places to steal the body for the purpose of
dissection. I have, in the course of my life, been under the
necessity of watching graves to keep them from being robbed.
It appears that a man named John Baptiste has practiced robbing the
dead of their clothing in our graveyard during some five years past.
If you wish to know what I think about it, I answer, I am unable to
think so low as to fully get at such a mean, contemptible, damnable
trick. To hang a man for such a deed would not begin to satisfy my
feelings. What shall we do with him? Shoot him? No, that would do no
good to anybody but himself. Would you imprison him during life? That
would do nobody any good. What I would do with him came to me quickly,
after I heard of the circumstance; this I will mention, before I make
other remarks. If it was left to me, I would make him a fugitive and a
vagabond upon the earth. This would be my sentence, but probably the
people will not want this done.
Many are anxious to know what effect it will have upon their dead who
have been robbed. I have three sisters in the graveyard in this city,
and two wives, and several children, besides other connections and
near relatives. I have not been to open any of their graves to see
whether they were robbed, and do not mean to do so. I gave them as
good a burial as I could; and in burying our dead, we all have made
everything as agreeable and as comfortable as we could to the eye and
taste of the people in their various capacities, according to the best
of our judgments; we have done our duty in this particular, and I for
one am satisfied. I will defy any thief there is on the earth or in
hell to rob a Saint of one blessing. A thief may dig up dead bodies
and sell them for the dissecting knife, or may take their raiment from
them, but when the resurrection takes place, the Saints will come
forth with all the glory, beauty, and excellency of resurrected Saints
clothed as they were when they were laid away.
Some may inquire whether it is necessary to put fresh linen into the
coffins of those who have been robbed of their clothing. As to this
you can pursue the course that will give you the most contentment and
satisfaction; but if the dead are laid away as well as they can be, I
will promise you that they will be well clothed in the resurrection,
for the earth and the elements around it are full of these things. All
that is needed is power to bring forth those things necessary, as
Jesus did when he fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes,
perhaps no more than would on ordinary occasions feed six men; he
organized the elements around, and fed five thousand. In the
resurrection everything that is necessary will be brought from the
elements to clothe and to beautify the resurrected Saints, who will
receive their reward. I do not trouble myself about my dead. If they
are stripped of their clothing, I do not want to know it.
Some, I have been informed, can now remember having had singular
dreams, and others have heard rappings on the floor, on the bedstead,
on the door, on the table, &c., and have imagined that they might have
proceeded from the spirits of the dead calling on their friends to
give them clothing, for they were naked. My dead friends have not been
to me to tell me that they were naked, cold, &c.; and if any such
rappings should come to me, I should tell them to go to their own
place. I have little faith in those rappings. If I felt that I ought
to pay attention to such things, I would not, so to speak, let my
right hand know what my left did; and it would require a greater power
than John Baptiste to make me believe either a truth or a lie.
I thought the remark made by a lad to a group of weeping women
was very appropriate, though I do not blame them for weeping when they
saw the clothing they had put upon their departed darlings; said he,
"supposing the linen was all burnt up and the ashes scattered to the
four winds, could not the angel Gabriel call those particles together
as easily as he could call together the particles of the body?" The
elements are all here, and they will be called forth in their proper
time and place. Let the minds of the people be at rest upon this
matter. What has been done they cannot help. If any wish to open the
graves of their dead and put clothing in the coffins to satisfy their
feelings, all right; I am satisfied. I am also satisfied that had we
been brought up and traditionated to burn a wife upon the funeral
pile, we should not be satisfied unless this practice was followed
out; we would have the same grief and sorrow that we now have when we
find that our dead have been robbed of their clothing. Or if we had
been brought up as our natives are, when a chief died if we did not
kill a wife or two, a few horses, or a few prisoners, &c., as soon as
the darkness of night set in we very likely should fancy ourselves
haunted with the spirits of the dead, dissatisfied at our not giving
them proper burial rites, and company to pass with them through the
dark shadows of the grave to the good land where there are better
hunting grounds. The power and influence of tradition has a great deal
to do with the way we feel about this matter of our dead being robbed.
We are here in circumstances to bury our dead according to the order
of the Priesthood. But some of our brethren die upon the ocean; they
cannot be buried in a burying ground, but they are sewed up in canvas
and cast into the sea, and perhaps in two minutes after they are in
the bowels of the shark, yet those persons will come forth in the
resurrection, and receive all the glory of which they are worthy, and
be clothed upon with all the beauty of resurrected Saints, as much so
as if they had been laid away in a gold or silver coffin, and in a
place expressly for burying the dead. If you think opposite to this
your thoughts are in vain. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened,
which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of these
things which were written in the books, according to their works. And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works." If the particles of which the body is
composed are distributed to the four quarters of the earth, at the
sound of the trumpet, when the dead are to come forth the dust that
composed their bodies, that portion which is suffered to endure, will
come from the ends of the earth, mote by mote, particle by particle,
atom to atom, bone to bone, sinew to sinew, and flesh will cover them,
and the same body will come forth in the resurrection, as much so as
the body of Jesus came forth from the tomb.
Do as you please with regard to taking up your friends. If I should
undertake to do anything of the kind, I should clothe them completely
and then lay them away again. And if you are afraid of their being
robbed again, put them into your gardens, where you can watch them by
day and night until you are pretty sure that the clothing is rotted,
and then lay them away in the burying ground. I would let my friends
lay and sleep in peace. I am aware of the excited state of the
feelings of the community; I have little to say about the cause of it. The meanness of the act is so far beneath my comprehension
that I have not ventured to think much about it.
I will now proceed to my next text. I have lately preached a short
sermon to the Bishops, in a Bishops' meeting, and I now wish to
present the subject of those remarks to this congregation; they were
in relation to the Bishops building dancing rooms for their
schoolhouses and ward meetings. In my heart, soul, affections,
feelings, and judgment, I am opposed to making a cotillion hall a
place of worship. All men have their agency, and should be permitted
to act as freely as consistent, that they may manifest by their acts
whether they are controlled by the pure principle of righteousness.
Many of you remember that at first we assembled in a bowery on the
southeast corner of this block, where we met for some time under its
shade, and held preaching meetings, sacrament meetings, political
meetings, and every kind of public gathering, because it was the only
place that would then accommodate the people. Soon after that we built
this Tabernacle. We probably had not the first stick of timber on the
ground before I was besought to build it for dancing in and for
theatrical purposes. I said no, to everyone that requested me to do
that. I told them that dancing and theatrical performances were no
part of our religion; we are merely permitted to occupy a portion of
the time in those amusements, being very careful not to grieve the
Spirit of the Lord. More or less amusement of that kind suits our
organization, but when we come to the things of God, I had rather not
have them mixed up with amusement like a dish of succotash.
I like to dance, but do I want to sin? No; rather than sin I would
wish never to dance or hear a fiddle again while I live. Let that
which I would sin in be taken from me, and let me be kept from it from
this time henceforth and forever, no matter what it is. I like my
pastimes and enjoy myself as you do, in amusements wherein we do not
sin. Brother E. D. Woolley and myself had some conversation on this
subject, and he thought that he would build a house to accommodate
social gatherings but could not at that time very well do it, so I
built the hall which is called the Social Hall. In it are combined a
dancing room and a small stage for theatrical performances. That is
our fun hall, and not a place in which to administer the sacrament. We
dedicated it to the purpose for which it was built, and from the day
we first met there until now, I would rather see it laid in ashes in a
moment than to see it possessed by the wicked. We prayed that the Lord
would preserve it to the Saints; and if it could not thus be
preserved, let it be destroyed and not be occupied by the wicked. You
know what spirit attends that room. There we have had governors,
judges, doctors, lawyers, merchants, passersby, &c., who did not
belong to our Church, and what has been the universal declaration of
each and every one? "I never felt so well before in all my life at any
party as I do here;" and the Saints do not feel as well in any other
place of amusement. We have a beautiful assembly room in the 13th
Ward, but you cannot feel as well in a party there as you can in the
hall that was built and dedicated to that purpose. Everything in its
time, and everything in its place.
In the year 1849, I think it was, I was called upon to give a draft
for a schoolhouse, that would be commodious and suitable for each
ward. I gave that draft, and I do not think that I could now alter it
for the better. Has there been a schoolhouse built according to the
draft? There have been a few wings built, and the main body of
the building I drafted was not intended for a dancing hall. By
referring to the plan I gave, you can see my idea of a Ward
schoolhouse, but it has not been carried out. It is now whispered
around that we are opposed to dancing in the 14th Ward Schoolroom.
This is not so. I have been there several times, and enjoyed myself
well, as also in the 13th Ward house, which is called the Assembly
Rooms, though I would call it a cotillion hall. I am opposed to making
the youth of our land believe that dancing and frolicking are a part
of our religion, when in truth they are not any part of it, though I
hear from every quarter that the Gentiles say, "I like this part of
your religion, for I understand that this is one branch of your
religion, and I like this dancing very much." It is no part of our
religion, and I am opposed to devoting to a cotillion room, a house
set apart for the worship of God. I am opposed to having cotillions or
theatrical performances in this Tabernacle. I am opposed to making
this a fun hall, I do not mean for wickedness, I mean for the
recuperation of our spirits and bodies. I shall not be opposed to the
brethren's building a meetinghouse somewhere else, and keeping their
cotillions halls for parties, but I am not willing that they should
convert the house that has been set apart for religious meetings into
a dancing hall.
I will now pass to my third text. I can say with confidence, that
there is no people on the face of this earth that pay more respect to
females than do this people. I know of no community where females
enjoy the privileges they do here. If anyone of them is old and
withered and so dried up that you have to put weights on her skirts to
keep her from blowing away, she is so privileged that she is in
everybody's dish or platter—her nose is everywhere present—and still
she will go home and tell her husband that she is slighted. Here we
see the marked effect of the curse that was in the beginning placed
upon woman, their desire is to their husbands all the time. It is also
written, "and he shall rule over you." Now put the two together.
Nobody else must be spoken to, no other body must be danced with, no
other lady must sit at the head of the table with her husband.
A few years ago one of my wives, when talking about wives leaving
their husbands said, "I wish my husband's wives would leave him, every
soul of them except myself." That is the way they all feel, more or
less, at times, both old and young. The ladies of seventy,
seventy-five, eighty, and eighty-five years of age are greeted here
with the same cheerfulness as are the rest. All are greeted with
kindness, respect, and gentleness, no matter whether they wear linsey
or silks and satin, they are all alike respected and beloved according
to their behavior; at least they are so far as I am concerned.
It may be all well enough if a woman can attain faith to throw off the
curse, but there is one thing she cannot away with, at least not so
far as I am concerned, and that is, "and he shall rule over thee." I
can do that by causing my women to do as they have a mind to; and at
the same time they do not know what is going on. When I say rule, I do
not mean with an iron hand, but merely to take the lead—to lead them
in the path I wish them to walk in. They may be determined not to
answer my will, but they are doing it all the time without knowing it.
Kindness, love, and affection are the best rod to use upon the
refractory. Solomon is said to have been the wisest man that ever
lived, and he is said to have recommended another kind of rod.
I have tried both kinds on children. I can pick out scores of men in
this congregation who have driven their children from them by using
the wooden rod. Where there is severity there is no affection or
filial feeling in the hearts of either party; the children would
rather be away from father than be with him.
In some families the children are afraid to see father—they will run
and hide as from a tyrant. My children are not afraid of my footfall;
except in the case of their having done something wrong they are not
afraid to approach me. I could break the wills of my little children,
and whip them to this, that, and the other, but this I do not do. Let
the child have a mild training until it has judgment and sense to
guide it. I differ with Solomon's recorded saying as to spoiling the
child by sparing the rod. True it is written in the New Testament that
"whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth." It is necessary to try the faith
of children as well as of grown people, but there are ways of doing so
besides taking a club and knocking them down with it. "If you love me,
keep my commandments." "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." There is nothing consistent
in abusing your wives and children. There is quite a portion of the
Elders of Israel who do not know how to use one wife well. I love my
wives, respect them, and honor them, but to make a queen of one and
peasants of the rest I have no such disposition, neither do I expect
to do it.
I will now pass to my fourth text, and the sermon will be quite brief.
It is well known that we now receive news from the west and east by
the telegraphic wire that is stretched across the Continent. Last
night we read a manuscript telegram, containing yesterday's news from
New York City and Chicago. There are a great many in this Territory,
who want that news while it is fresh, but it goes into our
printing office, and there remains from two to five days before the
people can get it. I want a company raised to stretch a wire through
our settlements in this Territory, that information may be
communicated to all parts with lightning speed.
I am now constantly annoyed with "What is the news? Have you received
it?" Yes, we have received it. "When?" Three or four days ago, but it
is not yet set up; when, at the same time, if there is a particle of
manuscript telegram in my office, they never rest until they get it;
and when they have got it they seem to care no more about it.
I wish some kind of arrangements entered into whereby we can have the
news before us in some reasonable time. We have been put off with
printers' excuses until I am tired. We send down to the
printing office, and inquire if the extra is out. Answer—"It will be
out in a few minutes." We wait until morning and send again. "It will
be out in a few minutes; we are now working at it;" when, perhaps, it
has never been touched. This I do not like. Thus endeth my fourth and
last sermon.
May the Lord bless you all, brethren. Amen.